Martin was MVP...
Martin went to a baseball game on Sunday. The Humber Flyers were playing in Liverpool. I wasn't up to the drive over (about 3 hours) so he caught a ride with some of the guys on the team. Anyway, he played the entire game and was voted MVP at the end. They lost, but he was still pleased. He had a couple of really good catches, including a sliding catch, and hit a double along with his usual singles. He is very sunburnt, but very happy. He only gets to play one more game before the baby is born--scary stuff!
Martin has also been voted MVP at our house--he finished the ring main in our front room and we now have electricity in there for the first time in over a year! We had extension cords running to the TV/DVD player before, and now they are plugged into the wall! He just has to do the light switches now, and we are finished. He's very proud of that accomplishment as well, and so am I. He has really stepped up in the last few weeks!
I spoke to my supervisor at work and she agreed to me working an hour less every day, so I will be coming into the office at 9am instead of 8am until my maternity leave starts on the 10th. I only have to get up for work 8 more times, and that is GOOD news.
All of the baby laundry is done now, and I bought a few more bits and pieces for my hospital bag over the weekend. I've just got to throw in a few baby things that got washed over the weekend, and then we are pretty much ready to go. Not long now.
In fact, it's only 19 days until my due date. I am in the teens now! I really can't wait for that number to drop into the single digits, but I'm pretty happy about the teens at this point. The last two months have gone so SLOWLY! I'm so ready to be a mother instead of a pregnant woman!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Midwife...
Well, Martin and I did our birth plan with the midwife yesterday. I wish it had been one of the nice ones, but at least it wasn't Ann the horrible witch who hates me. It was Rose, who is very business-like and proficient, but not very friendly. At least she didn't try to change my mind when I said that for pain relief I would use gas and air for as long as possible, but that I would go straight from that to an epidural if the pain was too much. They usually give you morphine in an IV first over here. That seems crazy to me!
I was actually showing a few symptoms of pre-eclampsia at the appointment, but my blood pressure seems ok, so it may just be a coincidence. They told me to call if I got any bad headaches or started seeing stars. Other than that, still head down and heart beating strongly. This is one healthy baby.
Martin helped our neighbor chop down one of the sycamore trees out back yesterday. It was kind of funny to see them both up the tree with hand saws. We had a few branches land in our garden and knock over some of my plants, but the damage was minimal. I did some weeding out there and finally tied my nasturtiums up to the tripod I planted them around. The garden doesn't look brilliant, but it looks pretty darn good. Plus, we got to bond a little bit with our neighbors. She's having a baby, too. Did I already mention that? Anyway, she's due August 10 so we will have babies that are the same age. That will be nice.
It was another sleepless night for me--I am now getting, on average, 5 hours of sleep a night. It was more like 3 1/2 last night--just depends on my hips, pelvis, and back. That would be OK though still hard if it was 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. But I am waking up every hour to 90 minutes, and it makes coming to work really difficult. I want to start my maternity leave so bad, but we need the money to continue with the house remodeling and the car needs a little work. Every day that I am able to drag my sorry self out of bed and come to work means more can be done, but I am so tired!
Speaking of the house, Martin and his dad are working on the electrics today. Hopefully I will come home to a re-wired house. Once they have everything done there, Martin can get the ceiling put up. He has asked Lewis to come over tomorrow night to help him with that, which I'm thrilled about. The walls are nearly all plastered, and the ceiling will make the front room look like a living room rather than a disaster area. Once the front room is livable, we can really start to concentrate on the nursery.
All of my baby laundry is done, and the bathing/changing area is mostly set up. I need to get a changing mat and one more pack of diapers. Everybody says that you shouldn't get too many newborn size since you have no idea how long the baby will be wearing that size, so I've only got one pack. One more, I think, and a pack of size 1 (I guess?) and I should be ready to bring this kid home--sort of. And I am looking for a rocking chair or a glider on e-Bay at the minute so I can have a feeding area in the nursery. That way whoever gets up to feed the baby can go in the other room and let the other person sleep a little bit more. So basically, what I have to get done in the nursery is patch a hole in the floor from where the central heating was installed, paint the floorboards, ceiling, and one wall, and set up the cradle we are getting from the Mundays (the crib will come later). The rest is cosmetic.
Things are really starting to come together on the house, even though it is a giant mess right now. We're nearly ready for baby Gilbert's arrival. Good thing, too, since I only have 25 days until my due date!
Well, Martin and I did our birth plan with the midwife yesterday. I wish it had been one of the nice ones, but at least it wasn't Ann the horrible witch who hates me. It was Rose, who is very business-like and proficient, but not very friendly. At least she didn't try to change my mind when I said that for pain relief I would use gas and air for as long as possible, but that I would go straight from that to an epidural if the pain was too much. They usually give you morphine in an IV first over here. That seems crazy to me!
I was actually showing a few symptoms of pre-eclampsia at the appointment, but my blood pressure seems ok, so it may just be a coincidence. They told me to call if I got any bad headaches or started seeing stars. Other than that, still head down and heart beating strongly. This is one healthy baby.
Martin helped our neighbor chop down one of the sycamore trees out back yesterday. It was kind of funny to see them both up the tree with hand saws. We had a few branches land in our garden and knock over some of my plants, but the damage was minimal. I did some weeding out there and finally tied my nasturtiums up to the tripod I planted them around. The garden doesn't look brilliant, but it looks pretty darn good. Plus, we got to bond a little bit with our neighbors. She's having a baby, too. Did I already mention that? Anyway, she's due August 10 so we will have babies that are the same age. That will be nice.
It was another sleepless night for me--I am now getting, on average, 5 hours of sleep a night. It was more like 3 1/2 last night--just depends on my hips, pelvis, and back. That would be OK though still hard if it was 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. But I am waking up every hour to 90 minutes, and it makes coming to work really difficult. I want to start my maternity leave so bad, but we need the money to continue with the house remodeling and the car needs a little work. Every day that I am able to drag my sorry self out of bed and come to work means more can be done, but I am so tired!
Speaking of the house, Martin and his dad are working on the electrics today. Hopefully I will come home to a re-wired house. Once they have everything done there, Martin can get the ceiling put up. He has asked Lewis to come over tomorrow night to help him with that, which I'm thrilled about. The walls are nearly all plastered, and the ceiling will make the front room look like a living room rather than a disaster area. Once the front room is livable, we can really start to concentrate on the nursery.
All of my baby laundry is done, and the bathing/changing area is mostly set up. I need to get a changing mat and one more pack of diapers. Everybody says that you shouldn't get too many newborn size since you have no idea how long the baby will be wearing that size, so I've only got one pack. One more, I think, and a pack of size 1 (I guess?) and I should be ready to bring this kid home--sort of. And I am looking for a rocking chair or a glider on e-Bay at the minute so I can have a feeding area in the nursery. That way whoever gets up to feed the baby can go in the other room and let the other person sleep a little bit more. So basically, what I have to get done in the nursery is patch a hole in the floor from where the central heating was installed, paint the floorboards, ceiling, and one wall, and set up the cradle we are getting from the Mundays (the crib will come later). The rest is cosmetic.
Things are really starting to come together on the house, even though it is a giant mess right now. We're nearly ready for baby Gilbert's arrival. Good thing, too, since I only have 25 days until my due date!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
GREAT News...
Yesterday was a good mail day. When I got home we had received Martin's new passport as well as getting his old one back. His birthday shoes that had to be exchanged have arrived, though they were unable to deliver them as nobody was at home--he's getting them today. His birthday baseball trousers from mom and dad came (he likes them, and they fit!). But by far the best thing that came yesterday was my approval from the benefits office for Maternity Allowance.
I am going to be able to claim Maternity Allowance for 39 weeks at a rate of £112.75 per week. It's less than half my take home pay right now, but it's 9 months that I can stay home with my little baby (if we can swing it). Martin is so relieved, and I am just happy that I won't have to go right back to work. All I need to do is sign and send back the form after my last day at work, and they will start paying the benefit every week directly into our bank account!
I know I complain about the NHS all the time, and I know I whine about the taxes quite a bit as well. England is EXPENSIVE! But I am going to be able to raise my baby instead of leaving him/her with a stranger because of those taxes. And we will be paying less income tax once Martin's wage is supporting a family of three. Not to mention the £80 a month we will be saving in petrol since I won't be driving over 30 miles every day to go to work. I think I may be able to swing this full time mother thing!
Anyway, that's the great news. In not-so-great news, I am in so much pain right now! My pelvis feels like it is breaking apart. I'm getting hardly any sleep at all now, since I can't sleep sitting up and when I lie down I am in agony. But I think my pelvis hurts this bad because the baby has dropped, which is good news, right? I honestly don't know if I'll make it until August 19th, but that would be just fine with me. I will be full term in 9 days.
This last month has been one of the longest in my life!!!
Yesterday was a good mail day. When I got home we had received Martin's new passport as well as getting his old one back. His birthday shoes that had to be exchanged have arrived, though they were unable to deliver them as nobody was at home--he's getting them today. His birthday baseball trousers from mom and dad came (he likes them, and they fit!). But by far the best thing that came yesterday was my approval from the benefits office for Maternity Allowance.
I am going to be able to claim Maternity Allowance for 39 weeks at a rate of £112.75 per week. It's less than half my take home pay right now, but it's 9 months that I can stay home with my little baby (if we can swing it). Martin is so relieved, and I am just happy that I won't have to go right back to work. All I need to do is sign and send back the form after my last day at work, and they will start paying the benefit every week directly into our bank account!
I know I complain about the NHS all the time, and I know I whine about the taxes quite a bit as well. England is EXPENSIVE! But I am going to be able to raise my baby instead of leaving him/her with a stranger because of those taxes. And we will be paying less income tax once Martin's wage is supporting a family of three. Not to mention the £80 a month we will be saving in petrol since I won't be driving over 30 miles every day to go to work. I think I may be able to swing this full time mother thing!
Anyway, that's the great news. In not-so-great news, I am in so much pain right now! My pelvis feels like it is breaking apart. I'm getting hardly any sleep at all now, since I can't sleep sitting up and when I lie down I am in agony. But I think my pelvis hurts this bad because the baby has dropped, which is good news, right? I honestly don't know if I'll make it until August 19th, but that would be just fine with me. I will be full term in 9 days.
This last month has been one of the longest in my life!!!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The Work Night Blitz...
We had a houseful last night! Emma (the SAINT) Munday arranged a work night at our house. She is my visiting teacher, and my other visiting teacher is Natalie Whall. They brought their husbands over and we all worked on the house for about 3 1/2 hours. You should see the place!
I also got to meet my new MySpace friend, Deanna. That was a little bit strange as I've never actually met someone face to face that I met on line, but she is just as nice in person as she is in her e-mails, and I'm glad to have found a new friend. She is from Mesa, AZ and is married to a Brit and living in Barton. Hooray--another Yankee to complain about England to. Anyway, she brought her husband over as well, so we had a total of 8 people working on the house.
It's totally true, many hands DO make light work!
The stud wall in the living room is pretty much done. The plasterboard (sheetrock) is up and Martin just needs to cut some holes for the electrical sockets. It already looks so much better than it did, and strangely enough it actually makes the room look bigger. Martin's dad is coming over next Wednesday to help him finish off the electric stuff, then we can do the ceiling. After that's done, it's just a matter of getting the finishing plaster up and painting, then I will have an actual room instead of a builder's yard. The floor may be a while because of the cost involved, but I can always paint the concrete and buy a big rug until we have saved enough.
While the guys were downstairs working on the front room, I had the ladies helping me in the "nursery." I can even call it that now, since Martin took yesterday off work and removed the kitchen units from that room--the ones that we didn't want to keep. We painted the other ones white (we are keeping the sink and half of the cabinets in there for storage and convenience--sink in the baby's room seems like a really good idea to me!). We also got most of the room painted. I had to plaster one wall, and it wasn't dry by the time everyone went home, so I've got one wall and the ceiling to paint in there. Next week or thereabouts Martin and I are going to paint some letters and shapes in bright primary colors on the cabinets. Christine is buying us a crib, and I have made loads of blankets and had some cute ones given to me. I think I just need to make some curtains and we are pretty much set. Tonight I will move some of our baby supplies into the nursery.
I was so touched that everyone pulled together like that to help us out. Seriously, this is a huge weight off my mind to know that our house will be that much closer to done when the baby comes home. And I'm amazed that we have friends who care so much about us that they are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and talents when we need their help. We don't deserve such wonderful friends, but I'm glad we have them!
I'm hoping to get some pictures taken and posted to the blog today--stay tuned. I'm probably going to leave work early as I am completely exhausted from yesterday's efforts. But it was SO worth it!
We had a houseful last night! Emma (the SAINT) Munday arranged a work night at our house. She is my visiting teacher, and my other visiting teacher is Natalie Whall. They brought their husbands over and we all worked on the house for about 3 1/2 hours. You should see the place!
I also got to meet my new MySpace friend, Deanna. That was a little bit strange as I've never actually met someone face to face that I met on line, but she is just as nice in person as she is in her e-mails, and I'm glad to have found a new friend. She is from Mesa, AZ and is married to a Brit and living in Barton. Hooray--another Yankee to complain about England to. Anyway, she brought her husband over as well, so we had a total of 8 people working on the house.
It's totally true, many hands DO make light work!
The stud wall in the living room is pretty much done. The plasterboard (sheetrock) is up and Martin just needs to cut some holes for the electrical sockets. It already looks so much better than it did, and strangely enough it actually makes the room look bigger. Martin's dad is coming over next Wednesday to help him finish off the electric stuff, then we can do the ceiling. After that's done, it's just a matter of getting the finishing plaster up and painting, then I will have an actual room instead of a builder's yard. The floor may be a while because of the cost involved, but I can always paint the concrete and buy a big rug until we have saved enough.
While the guys were downstairs working on the front room, I had the ladies helping me in the "nursery." I can even call it that now, since Martin took yesterday off work and removed the kitchen units from that room--the ones that we didn't want to keep. We painted the other ones white (we are keeping the sink and half of the cabinets in there for storage and convenience--sink in the baby's room seems like a really good idea to me!). We also got most of the room painted. I had to plaster one wall, and it wasn't dry by the time everyone went home, so I've got one wall and the ceiling to paint in there. Next week or thereabouts Martin and I are going to paint some letters and shapes in bright primary colors on the cabinets. Christine is buying us a crib, and I have made loads of blankets and had some cute ones given to me. I think I just need to make some curtains and we are pretty much set. Tonight I will move some of our baby supplies into the nursery.
I was so touched that everyone pulled together like that to help us out. Seriously, this is a huge weight off my mind to know that our house will be that much closer to done when the baby comes home. And I'm amazed that we have friends who care so much about us that they are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and talents when we need their help. We don't deserve such wonderful friends, but I'm glad we have them!
I'm hoping to get some pictures taken and posted to the blog today--stay tuned. I'm probably going to leave work early as I am completely exhausted from yesterday's efforts. But it was SO worth it!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Consultant Appointment...
So I saw a real live obstetrician today for the first time in my pregnancy, and boy was it a waste of my time!
After repeatedly checking and having checked for me that I didn't actually need to see the consultant, I got a letter telling me they'd scheduled an oppointment for me. I show up at the office 5 minutes early, as instructed, pee in a cup, have my blood pressure checked (slightly high for the first time in my pregnancy), and then see the doctor. He spends about 5 minutes with me--does a very quick (and not very detailed) ultrasound to make sure the baby is head down (he/she still is), asks me if I have any questions and if I've had any problems in my pregnancy, says he is referring me to an anesthetist in case they need to do an emergency c-section (I am at a higher risk because of my BMI apparently), and then sends me on my merry way.
I just took nearly 2 hours off work for that. Oh well. I would be bitter if I had to make up the time, but legally my employer has to pay me for all doctor/midwife/ultrasound appointments. So I just got paid to sit and read a book, talk to a doctor, and pee. Fabulous. Maternity rights in this country are fantastic! In fact, I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but I just found out that I am eligible for 39 weeks of maternity allowance instead of 26. The laws changed as of April 2007.
I really think the consultant only saw me because he wanted to avoid getting into trouble for NOT seeing me, if you know what I mean. It's standard procedure to see all women in cases like mine (elevated BMI) and I think he could have been liable to lawsuit if I hadn't been seen and there had been a problem. He just gave me the impression that he couldn't be bothered.
At any rate, nothing new to report. I am still heavily pregnant, still have an aching pelvis, still tired all the time, and still looking forward to having this baby out of me!
In non-pregnancy news...
I went over to the Munday's house last night to help Emma some more with the blankets she's making for her two adorable boys. She had already sewn one of them, and I did the other while she helped me iron the fabric for our baby sling that I'm making. Then I got some of the sling done. It was just hems, but it's good to get it started. I also brought home the Moses basket that she's letting us borrow (that's a bassinette in proper American English). It's sitting in my bedroom now, and this baby thing is becoming very real! Martin worked late as The Place stayed open late for Barton Bike Night. He's racking up the overtime this week.
So I saw a real live obstetrician today for the first time in my pregnancy, and boy was it a waste of my time!
After repeatedly checking and having checked for me that I didn't actually need to see the consultant, I got a letter telling me they'd scheduled an oppointment for me. I show up at the office 5 minutes early, as instructed, pee in a cup, have my blood pressure checked (slightly high for the first time in my pregnancy), and then see the doctor. He spends about 5 minutes with me--does a very quick (and not very detailed) ultrasound to make sure the baby is head down (he/she still is), asks me if I have any questions and if I've had any problems in my pregnancy, says he is referring me to an anesthetist in case they need to do an emergency c-section (I am at a higher risk because of my BMI apparently), and then sends me on my merry way.
I just took nearly 2 hours off work for that. Oh well. I would be bitter if I had to make up the time, but legally my employer has to pay me for all doctor/midwife/ultrasound appointments. So I just got paid to sit and read a book, talk to a doctor, and pee. Fabulous. Maternity rights in this country are fantastic! In fact, I don't know if I've mentioned it or not, but I just found out that I am eligible for 39 weeks of maternity allowance instead of 26. The laws changed as of April 2007.
I really think the consultant only saw me because he wanted to avoid getting into trouble for NOT seeing me, if you know what I mean. It's standard procedure to see all women in cases like mine (elevated BMI) and I think he could have been liable to lawsuit if I hadn't been seen and there had been a problem. He just gave me the impression that he couldn't be bothered.
At any rate, nothing new to report. I am still heavily pregnant, still have an aching pelvis, still tired all the time, and still looking forward to having this baby out of me!
In non-pregnancy news...
I went over to the Munday's house last night to help Emma some more with the blankets she's making for her two adorable boys. She had already sewn one of them, and I did the other while she helped me iron the fabric for our baby sling that I'm making. Then I got some of the sling done. It was just hems, but it's good to get it started. I also brought home the Moses basket that she's letting us borrow (that's a bassinette in proper American English). It's sitting in my bedroom now, and this baby thing is becoming very real! Martin worked late as The Place stayed open late for Barton Bike Night. He's racking up the overtime this week.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Martin has started freaking out...
I'm just so happy to be typing those words--you have no idea.
Martin went with me to the midwife yesterday and got to have a lovely chat with Julie--one of the ones I like--while I collected a sample for her. He asked all sorts of questions about who to call in case of emergencies, what to do if I couldn't make it to the hospital, etc. He had a good time listening to the baby's heart beating. All in all it was a pretty great appointment. Then we got home.
Martin isn't terribly in touch with his feelings. He's so English it's painful, and tries to avoid expressing emotion whenever possible. So last night when we were laying in bed he just looked so worried. I asked him if we could go to Sleningford Water Mill and do some tubing like we did last summer and he practically bit my head off. He said we couldn't go anywhere because he had to get the house done. He said he's getting really worried about it.
So I think this is Martin's way of expressing his (mild) panic about the baby's arrival. He doesn't always show those repressed emotions in a typical way (remember how he wasn't excited about our trip to visit his family a few years ago, but he got ALL excited about us making his Christmas tree pants?). I think his fears are just surfacing in a different way than mine are. I cry and carry on like a baby, and he gets angry and works really hard.
So nice to know that he really IS freaking out!
I'm just so happy to be typing those words--you have no idea.
Martin went with me to the midwife yesterday and got to have a lovely chat with Julie--one of the ones I like--while I collected a sample for her. He asked all sorts of questions about who to call in case of emergencies, what to do if I couldn't make it to the hospital, etc. He had a good time listening to the baby's heart beating. All in all it was a pretty great appointment. Then we got home.
Martin isn't terribly in touch with his feelings. He's so English it's painful, and tries to avoid expressing emotion whenever possible. So last night when we were laying in bed he just looked so worried. I asked him if we could go to Sleningford Water Mill and do some tubing like we did last summer and he practically bit my head off. He said we couldn't go anywhere because he had to get the house done. He said he's getting really worried about it.
So I think this is Martin's way of expressing his (mild) panic about the baby's arrival. He doesn't always show those repressed emotions in a typical way (remember how he wasn't excited about our trip to visit his family a few years ago, but he got ALL excited about us making his Christmas tree pants?). I think his fears are just surfacing in a different way than mine are. I cry and carry on like a baby, and he gets angry and works really hard.
So nice to know that he really IS freaking out!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Midwife appointment...
Hey faithful readers--quick update on the baby.
It was an uneventful midwife visit. Everything is normal and fine. His/her heartbeat sounds like a freight train--so strong and steady! My weirdness with the urine sample thing is OK--all normal this time. But the greatest thing is that the baby is head down.
We are locked, loaded, and ready to go!
Woohoo--I could have a baby any day now!
Hey faithful readers--quick update on the baby.
It was an uneventful midwife visit. Everything is normal and fine. His/her heartbeat sounds like a freight train--so strong and steady! My weirdness with the urine sample thing is OK--all normal this time. But the greatest thing is that the baby is head down.
We are locked, loaded, and ready to go!
Woohoo--I could have a baby any day now!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Friday, July 06, 2007
Another Emotional Breakdown...
Poor Martin--he has had to put up with so many crying jags from me. I've been pretty good since my last major breakdown in York (remember the random crying and saying I didn't want to have an English baby?), but last night I lost it again.
I decided that we REALLY needed to get a hospital bag packed, so we just dove right in and started getting it done. I was just packing the baby clothes--nothing big. I was folding the little dress for if it's a girl and realized that I'll be bringing a newborn baby home in about 6 weeks. I totally freaked out! Martin had to listen to me sobbing like a baby and saying I can't do it. I can't be a parent! He was ever so helpful and loving and reminded me that it was a little late for that. Maybe I should have thought of that BEFORE becoming pregnant?
Anyway, crying and panic lasted about 20 minutes. Then I was fine, just a little bit emotional. And Martin wasn't a total jerk about it. He did hold me and try to comfort me--not just make smart remarks.
The thing is, he's not freaking out at all! He is so calm and placid and unconcerned about the whole thing, and that makes it harder for me. I really don't think he realizes what a huge deal this is yet. I guess, as I've mentioned before, that this baby is so much more real to me than it is to Martin. I do have the added advantage of feeling every move it makes.
So now my freak-out is over, and I can get on with life. Martin asked me if I was finished, and I told him I probably wasn't. I'm sure it'll happen again. I don't deal with life changes that well. Some of you (especially Mom) may remember the little panic attacks I kept having when we were packing everything up in St. George to move to England? Well, this is WAY more huge than that was!
Poor Martin--he has had to put up with so many crying jags from me. I've been pretty good since my last major breakdown in York (remember the random crying and saying I didn't want to have an English baby?), but last night I lost it again.
I decided that we REALLY needed to get a hospital bag packed, so we just dove right in and started getting it done. I was just packing the baby clothes--nothing big. I was folding the little dress for if it's a girl and realized that I'll be bringing a newborn baby home in about 6 weeks. I totally freaked out! Martin had to listen to me sobbing like a baby and saying I can't do it. I can't be a parent! He was ever so helpful and loving and reminded me that it was a little late for that. Maybe I should have thought of that BEFORE becoming pregnant?
Anyway, crying and panic lasted about 20 minutes. Then I was fine, just a little bit emotional. And Martin wasn't a total jerk about it. He did hold me and try to comfort me--not just make smart remarks.
The thing is, he's not freaking out at all! He is so calm and placid and unconcerned about the whole thing, and that makes it harder for me. I really don't think he realizes what a huge deal this is yet. I guess, as I've mentioned before, that this baby is so much more real to me than it is to Martin. I do have the added advantage of feeling every move it makes.
So now my freak-out is over, and I can get on with life. Martin asked me if I was finished, and I told him I probably wasn't. I'm sure it'll happen again. I don't deal with life changes that well. Some of you (especially Mom) may remember the little panic attacks I kept having when we were packing everything up in St. George to move to England? Well, this is WAY more huge than that was!
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Happy belated 4th of July!
Martin's birthday was a success. We ended up going out to dinner with Martin's parents and sister, which was good--except that his parents spent a portion of the night fighting with each other. That's pretty much normal though. The meal was good, the conversation was interesting, the drinks flowed, etc.
Martin loved his birthday gifts--especially the nose hair trimmers that I bought him! Of course, those were just the "joke" present (even though he actually does need them). I got him some new Puma trainers to replace his old ones that he's had for years. They actually have pieces of the sole missing and he refused to throw them away. Now he has to! He also got a lovely tie from Grandma Lofley (he does like it Grandma!), some $$ from Nana and Grandpa and some ££ from Gran and Grandad, some polo shirts from the Priestley grandparents, and a new golf bag (v. nice!) from his parents. We didn't do anything terribly exciting, but I think he had a nice day all the same.
We got home quite late from dinner with his family, so we didn't end up lighting any of our sparklers after all. So it really was just a birthday celebration, not an Independence Day celebration. I'm kind of sad about that, but really too tired to do anything about it.
I've officially joined the "miserably pregnant" club. The baby is getting really heavy now, and it's not so nice to be carrying him/her all up front any more as a result. Plus I think he's dropped (not sure, having never experienced this before). So every time I stand up after I've been sitting for a long time I have to pee so bad that I can hardly walk. Delightful! Hardly any of my clothes fit me any more, but I don't want to buy any new ones that will only fit me for aobut 6 weeks longer. I may end up doing it anyway so that I actually have clothes to wear to work. I am so uncomfortable and can't wait to have this baby. But I still haven't packed my bag for the hospital. Really ought to get on that!
Work continues to be deadly dull for me and it still varies wildly for Martin. I am bored out of my mind after about 2 hours at work and Martin either spends his days polishing glasses and the copper pots for the mussles or running around like a headless chicken. Work on the house continues to progress, though slowly. Basically, life is pretty much average (other than the coming birth of our first and long awaited child, of course).
Oh, just thought of something kind of exciting. Martin bought us a "travel system" for the baby. He got it on E-bay, and it looks brilliant! It cost a whopping £50 (it should retail for around £200-£250) and we will just need to get a base for the car seat to make it complete. We do have to collect it from Leicester, but one of the ladies in my office goes down most weekends anyway and has said that she'll collect it for us if the address is close to where she goes. Fingers crossed! Otherwise, we will drive down and get it. It takes about 2 hours to get there, but is worth the drive considering how much money we saved on it. Hooray for E-bay!!!
An hour and a half more at work--all I want to do is go home and go to bed. Too bad we have choir tonight. Fingers crossed they will release me soon!!!
Martin's birthday was a success. We ended up going out to dinner with Martin's parents and sister, which was good--except that his parents spent a portion of the night fighting with each other. That's pretty much normal though. The meal was good, the conversation was interesting, the drinks flowed, etc.
Martin loved his birthday gifts--especially the nose hair trimmers that I bought him! Of course, those were just the "joke" present (even though he actually does need them). I got him some new Puma trainers to replace his old ones that he's had for years. They actually have pieces of the sole missing and he refused to throw them away. Now he has to! He also got a lovely tie from Grandma Lofley (he does like it Grandma!), some $$ from Nana and Grandpa and some ££ from Gran and Grandad, some polo shirts from the Priestley grandparents, and a new golf bag (v. nice!) from his parents. We didn't do anything terribly exciting, but I think he had a nice day all the same.
We got home quite late from dinner with his family, so we didn't end up lighting any of our sparklers after all. So it really was just a birthday celebration, not an Independence Day celebration. I'm kind of sad about that, but really too tired to do anything about it.
I've officially joined the "miserably pregnant" club. The baby is getting really heavy now, and it's not so nice to be carrying him/her all up front any more as a result. Plus I think he's dropped (not sure, having never experienced this before). So every time I stand up after I've been sitting for a long time I have to pee so bad that I can hardly walk. Delightful! Hardly any of my clothes fit me any more, but I don't want to buy any new ones that will only fit me for aobut 6 weeks longer. I may end up doing it anyway so that I actually have clothes to wear to work. I am so uncomfortable and can't wait to have this baby. But I still haven't packed my bag for the hospital. Really ought to get on that!
Work continues to be deadly dull for me and it still varies wildly for Martin. I am bored out of my mind after about 2 hours at work and Martin either spends his days polishing glasses and the copper pots for the mussles or running around like a headless chicken. Work on the house continues to progress, though slowly. Basically, life is pretty much average (other than the coming birth of our first and long awaited child, of course).
Oh, just thought of something kind of exciting. Martin bought us a "travel system" for the baby. He got it on E-bay, and it looks brilliant! It cost a whopping £50 (it should retail for around £200-£250) and we will just need to get a base for the car seat to make it complete. We do have to collect it from Leicester, but one of the ladies in my office goes down most weekends anyway and has said that she'll collect it for us if the address is close to where she goes. Fingers crossed! Otherwise, we will drive down and get it. It takes about 2 hours to get there, but is worth the drive considering how much money we saved on it. Hooray for E-bay!!!
An hour and a half more at work--all I want to do is go home and go to bed. Too bad we have choir tonight. Fingers crossed they will release me soon!!!
Friday, June 29, 2007
99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...
We were just discussing alcohol consumption in the office (mine was really easy to figure out!) and it came up that one of the guys here drinks around 9 cases of beer a month. So you don't have to spend any time working that out, it's around 216 bottles. That's normally one six pack per night, plus a few extras on the weekend. PLUS, he polishes off one or two bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey in a month as well. He doesn't consider himself an alcoholic though. He spends, on average, over £120 a month on alcoholic beverages. That's around $235 a month. Yeah, he brags about it.
We were just discussing alcohol consumption in the office (mine was really easy to figure out!) and it came up that one of the guys here drinks around 9 cases of beer a month. So you don't have to spend any time working that out, it's around 216 bottles. That's normally one six pack per night, plus a few extras on the weekend. PLUS, he polishes off one or two bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey in a month as well. He doesn't consider himself an alcoholic though. He spends, on average, over £120 a month on alcoholic beverages. That's around $235 a month. Yeah, he brags about it.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Oh, the shame...
Yesterday I said something truly shocking and horrifying.
Martin and I were driving home from Grimsby and we were talking about something random and insignificant--I think it was about whether he would need to have his passport with him to get onto an American air base or if his U.S. driver's license would do. Anyway, I referred to the Americans as "They" instead of "Us" or "We." And I was immediately sick!
I'm not losing my Yankee-ness, am I?
Anyway, in a desperate attempt to rekindle some good, old fashioned, healthy patriotism, Martin and I are going to be gong to a 4th of July celebration on Sunday. He has a baseball game up at an American Air Force base near Harrogate (close to York). Normally he only goes to one game a month, but I wanted to go and so relented. He played last weekend as well, but only missed a little bit of church for it. This time we will be missing it all. A small price to pay for an injection of American spirit! I can hardly wait!
Upcoming events--
Martin's baseball game & our 4th of July celebration is on the 1st of July. We also have a BBQ at his parents' house that evening.
Martin's 27th birthday is on the actual 4th of July.
My 34 week midwife apointment is coming up on the 9th of July.
Our "parenting day" at the Scunthorpe hospital is on the 14th. That's our tour of the delivery suites, meeting the hospital staff, familiarizing ourselves with the layout, etc. Martin's throwing a royal fit about having to come with me--what a bum!
And, of course, it's only 52 days until my due date now. Really, I could give birth any time after 31 days and it would be normal / safe.
52 days--wow, that's close! I'm still not prepared at all--no nursery, front room is still in shambles, house is a BIG mess! I am planning on doing baby laundry this weekend, but still--argh! And we just found out that we won't be getting a crib from the Mundays after all. It did go for a noble cause and it DOES give Christine something to buy for us, but still--ARGH!!!
And that whole nesting thing--I really think it's just a myth. I don't want to clean--I just want to sleep!
And, on a completely unrelated topic--yes, I know that I've posted about this before, but what on EARTH posses a man who is, in all other respects, completely normal, decent and sane to buy and look at pictures of mostly naked women in broad daylight in the middle of the company cafeteria? I am getting so tired of looking at bare breasts. Of course, at this point maybe I am just jealous of the nasty women with nearly perfect bodies?
Yesterday I said something truly shocking and horrifying.
Martin and I were driving home from Grimsby and we were talking about something random and insignificant--I think it was about whether he would need to have his passport with him to get onto an American air base or if his U.S. driver's license would do. Anyway, I referred to the Americans as "They" instead of "Us" or "We." And I was immediately sick!
I'm not losing my Yankee-ness, am I?
Anyway, in a desperate attempt to rekindle some good, old fashioned, healthy patriotism, Martin and I are going to be gong to a 4th of July celebration on Sunday. He has a baseball game up at an American Air Force base near Harrogate (close to York). Normally he only goes to one game a month, but I wanted to go and so relented. He played last weekend as well, but only missed a little bit of church for it. This time we will be missing it all. A small price to pay for an injection of American spirit! I can hardly wait!
Upcoming events--
Martin's baseball game & our 4th of July celebration is on the 1st of July. We also have a BBQ at his parents' house that evening.
Martin's 27th birthday is on the actual 4th of July.
My 34 week midwife apointment is coming up on the 9th of July.
Our "parenting day" at the Scunthorpe hospital is on the 14th. That's our tour of the delivery suites, meeting the hospital staff, familiarizing ourselves with the layout, etc. Martin's throwing a royal fit about having to come with me--what a bum!
And, of course, it's only 52 days until my due date now. Really, I could give birth any time after 31 days and it would be normal / safe.
52 days--wow, that's close! I'm still not prepared at all--no nursery, front room is still in shambles, house is a BIG mess! I am planning on doing baby laundry this weekend, but still--argh! And we just found out that we won't be getting a crib from the Mundays after all. It did go for a noble cause and it DOES give Christine something to buy for us, but still--ARGH!!!
And that whole nesting thing--I really think it's just a myth. I don't want to clean--I just want to sleep!
And, on a completely unrelated topic--yes, I know that I've posted about this before, but what on EARTH posses a man who is, in all other respects, completely normal, decent and sane to buy and look at pictures of mostly naked women in broad daylight in the middle of the company cafeteria? I am getting so tired of looking at bare breasts. Of course, at this point maybe I am just jealous of the nasty women with nearly perfect bodies?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Lincolnshire / Yorkshire drama...
It's been raining in England.
I know, I know, that doesn't sound like too much drama. This is ENGLAND, right? That's what it DOES here, right? Well, not as much as it has in the last 48 hours!
We've been having some flooding problems. Not so much on the Lincolnshire side of the Humber river, but Yorkshire had some major issues! Yesterday was mental--roads turned into rivers, raw sewage backing up into the streets, cars swept away, kids paddling canoes in their back gardens. Somebody even DIED!
Barton was a little more tame--we had a couple of road closures (one of them was just two streets down from us) and our roof started leaking like crazy. Martin has called to make a claim on the home owners' insurance, so hopefully things will get sorted out really soon. It was pretty much raining inside our stairwell (the steep one, for the people out there who've been to our house before). I actually left work early due to some impending road closures, and it was a fairly white knuckle drive home. I went a different way than I usually go to avoid some really low lying areas. Luckily, the Humber didn't spill her banks. Even if she had, we have some major tidal defences near our house and because we are in such a high risk area for flooding, flood insurance is automatic in our home owners insurance policy. That river was pretty high on my drive home though, I'll tell you that! I was really happy that the tide was on its way out and not in, or we could have been spending the night elsewhere!
But all's well that ends well. The storm finally blew over us (thanks to last night's gale force winds, which also downed a few trees and left some parts of the county without electricity) and today the skies are somewhat clear. Hopefully we'll have a chance to dry out a little bit before the next big storm hits. And all this while they're experiencing record temperatures in Greece--major heat wave on the Mediterranean!
Weather--there will always be something to talk about!
And in pregnancy news...
Last night I felt the baby actually pressing on my bladder for the first time. I have to say, it was quite possibly the strangest sensation I have ever had. I had only peed about 10 minutes earlier, and then all of a sudden (inconveniently enough, this happened in the car), I got the feeling that I had to go IMMEDIATELY. Then the baby moved, and I was fine. You really take bladder control for granted, until you kind of lose control of it! I also got some really healthy kicks and punches, and the little one has started to stretch a lot, so I get fists on one side and feet on the other. That's a weird sensation, too.
Come to think about it, pretty much everything about being pregnant is weird. Nice, but weird.
It's been raining in England.
I know, I know, that doesn't sound like too much drama. This is ENGLAND, right? That's what it DOES here, right? Well, not as much as it has in the last 48 hours!
We've been having some flooding problems. Not so much on the Lincolnshire side of the Humber river, but Yorkshire had some major issues! Yesterday was mental--roads turned into rivers, raw sewage backing up into the streets, cars swept away, kids paddling canoes in their back gardens. Somebody even DIED!
Barton was a little more tame--we had a couple of road closures (one of them was just two streets down from us) and our roof started leaking like crazy. Martin has called to make a claim on the home owners' insurance, so hopefully things will get sorted out really soon. It was pretty much raining inside our stairwell (the steep one, for the people out there who've been to our house before). I actually left work early due to some impending road closures, and it was a fairly white knuckle drive home. I went a different way than I usually go to avoid some really low lying areas. Luckily, the Humber didn't spill her banks. Even if she had, we have some major tidal defences near our house and because we are in such a high risk area for flooding, flood insurance is automatic in our home owners insurance policy. That river was pretty high on my drive home though, I'll tell you that! I was really happy that the tide was on its way out and not in, or we could have been spending the night elsewhere!
But all's well that ends well. The storm finally blew over us (thanks to last night's gale force winds, which also downed a few trees and left some parts of the county without electricity) and today the skies are somewhat clear. Hopefully we'll have a chance to dry out a little bit before the next big storm hits. And all this while they're experiencing record temperatures in Greece--major heat wave on the Mediterranean!
Weather--there will always be something to talk about!
And in pregnancy news...
Last night I felt the baby actually pressing on my bladder for the first time. I have to say, it was quite possibly the strangest sensation I have ever had. I had only peed about 10 minutes earlier, and then all of a sudden (inconveniently enough, this happened in the car), I got the feeling that I had to go IMMEDIATELY. Then the baby moved, and I was fine. You really take bladder control for granted, until you kind of lose control of it! I also got some really healthy kicks and punches, and the little one has started to stretch a lot, so I get fists on one side and feet on the other. That's a weird sensation, too.
Come to think about it, pretty much everything about being pregnant is weird. Nice, but weird.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Hooray for the weekend...
Martin's grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend. We drove down to Mablethorpe on Saturday night to have dinner with the family, and it was lovely. I was a little bit dubious since we were going to a Chinese restaurant in rural Lincolnshire, but it was actually quite good. So that's both sets of Martin's grandparents that have now been together for 50 years. And his parents will reach 32 years on Tuesday. Pretty committed bunch!
I did something horribly independent--took the bus to Hull and went birthday shopping for Martin. That was pretty fun, but I was so exhausted when I got home! I took a 2 hour nap when I got home.
Another delightful pregnancy symptom has hit--my hips and pelvis ache! It gets worse at night, of course! All I want to do is sleep, but it hurts when I do. 8 weeks to go, and boy do I hope they go quickly.
We had been having a few problems with the exhaust on the car--it was SO noisy!!! So today Martin took a look at it and actually fixed the problem. So instead of taking it to the garage and spending loads of money on it, he spent the equivalent of $5 and took care of it himself. I love it when he does stuff like that. He's promised me that he will post details of the car fixing adventure later--we'll see.
So yeah, that's the weekend gone. Wish it was longer!
Martin's grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend. We drove down to Mablethorpe on Saturday night to have dinner with the family, and it was lovely. I was a little bit dubious since we were going to a Chinese restaurant in rural Lincolnshire, but it was actually quite good. So that's both sets of Martin's grandparents that have now been together for 50 years. And his parents will reach 32 years on Tuesday. Pretty committed bunch!
I did something horribly independent--took the bus to Hull and went birthday shopping for Martin. That was pretty fun, but I was so exhausted when I got home! I took a 2 hour nap when I got home.
Another delightful pregnancy symptom has hit--my hips and pelvis ache! It gets worse at night, of course! All I want to do is sleep, but it hurts when I do. 8 weeks to go, and boy do I hope they go quickly.
We had been having a few problems with the exhaust on the car--it was SO noisy!!! So today Martin took a look at it and actually fixed the problem. So instead of taking it to the garage and spending loads of money on it, he spent the equivalent of $5 and took care of it himself. I love it when he does stuff like that. He's promised me that he will post details of the car fixing adventure later--we'll see.
So yeah, that's the weekend gone. Wish it was longer!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
I don't belong there...
Some of you may be aware of my most recent obsessions/addictions. For those of you who aren't, I simply can NOT stop watching birth programs on telly and visiting my online pregnancy message board. They are like drugs to me! But lately, I am feeling a little bit left out of the message board family.
I joined the board late since I was hyper-worried at first that the pregnancy wasn't viable and I would either have to terminate it or I would have a miscarriage. So I missed out on everyone commiserating about the general crappiness of the first trimester. Honestly, I could have joined in then as I was suffering pretty bad.
I joined the message board frenzy during my second trimester, when everyone was glowing and happy and experiencing the "joys" of pregnancy. I kind of got that, but I kept getting sick (remember the insomnia, the sinus infections, the tonsillitis, etc?) and so it wasn't that great for me.
Now, here we all are in our third trimesters (I post on an August birth club board, so everyone is due within four weeks of each other), and that board is rapidly turning into a giant whining board. It's all about "I'm so constipated," or "I am constantly getting kicked in the ribs," or, "You will never believe what my mother-in-law did," or "Somebody please tell me how to get rid of this horrible heartburn," and other such complaints. It's almost not fun to read the messages any more as everyone starts getting really tired of being pregnant.
Here's the funny thing--I am finally enjoying it!
I am really starting to get uncomfortable, but it's only when I start to move. Like when I have to stand up from my desk or get up out of bed. Well, that and when I am sleeping. But I don't seem to have any of the really horrible pregnancy symptoms that everyone complains about. Yes, my feet are swollen. But they mainly just look bad--they don't really hurt. And the baby is really active, but my torso is so long that I've still got a good two inches between the top of my uterus and the bottom of my ribs. I have sore days occasionally, but it's not nearly as bad as it is for what seems like a lot of women!
Don't get me wrong--I am still really anxious to have this baby. I have a feeling that the next 8.5 weeks are going to go really slowly. But I am content with my pregnancy right now. Maybe I should make up a complaint just so I can fit in?
Related, but not really...
Last night when Martin kissed me goodnight he rubbed my belly and said, "I love you two." It was really sweet, but it got me thinking about what we both feel for this baby. I don't know if I love him/her yet--I do know that I am fiercely protective of him and I would never do anything to hurt him. I feel a closeness that is unlike anything I've ever known, and when I feel him moving it makes me happy. But love? I don't know this baby yet. So when Martin says he loves the baby, I have to wonder if he really means it. After all, I have a connection with our unborn child that he doesn't have. Can he already love the baby when it's hardly real to him? For Martin all this baby is right now is my changing body. He feels the kicks and listens to me explaining where the baby's at developmentally, but does he really realize that the baby is there and real and very much alive? Can you love someone who doesn't quite seem real???
But I'm not worried about that. I know that we WILL love our baby, even if that love hasn't quite developed yet.
Parenthood--how, this is going to be huge! My due date is only 59 days away, and our lives are about to change forever. The only thing that I'm not scared about is--scratch that, I'm scared about everything!
How do you raise a child to be normal, happy, healthy, and well adjusted? How do you cope with the demands that child places on you? How do you love a child and give unselfishly to him and still maintain your own identity and life? How is it done?
How is it that these questions never crossed my mind BEFORE I got pregnant?
I'm so not prepared for this!
Some of you may be aware of my most recent obsessions/addictions. For those of you who aren't, I simply can NOT stop watching birth programs on telly and visiting my online pregnancy message board. They are like drugs to me! But lately, I am feeling a little bit left out of the message board family.
I joined the board late since I was hyper-worried at first that the pregnancy wasn't viable and I would either have to terminate it or I would have a miscarriage. So I missed out on everyone commiserating about the general crappiness of the first trimester. Honestly, I could have joined in then as I was suffering pretty bad.
I joined the message board frenzy during my second trimester, when everyone was glowing and happy and experiencing the "joys" of pregnancy. I kind of got that, but I kept getting sick (remember the insomnia, the sinus infections, the tonsillitis, etc?) and so it wasn't that great for me.
Now, here we all are in our third trimesters (I post on an August birth club board, so everyone is due within four weeks of each other), and that board is rapidly turning into a giant whining board. It's all about "I'm so constipated," or "I am constantly getting kicked in the ribs," or, "You will never believe what my mother-in-law did," or "Somebody please tell me how to get rid of this horrible heartburn," and other such complaints. It's almost not fun to read the messages any more as everyone starts getting really tired of being pregnant.
Here's the funny thing--I am finally enjoying it!
I am really starting to get uncomfortable, but it's only when I start to move. Like when I have to stand up from my desk or get up out of bed. Well, that and when I am sleeping. But I don't seem to have any of the really horrible pregnancy symptoms that everyone complains about. Yes, my feet are swollen. But they mainly just look bad--they don't really hurt. And the baby is really active, but my torso is so long that I've still got a good two inches between the top of my uterus and the bottom of my ribs. I have sore days occasionally, but it's not nearly as bad as it is for what seems like a lot of women!
Don't get me wrong--I am still really anxious to have this baby. I have a feeling that the next 8.5 weeks are going to go really slowly. But I am content with my pregnancy right now. Maybe I should make up a complaint just so I can fit in?
Related, but not really...
Last night when Martin kissed me goodnight he rubbed my belly and said, "I love you two." It was really sweet, but it got me thinking about what we both feel for this baby. I don't know if I love him/her yet--I do know that I am fiercely protective of him and I would never do anything to hurt him. I feel a closeness that is unlike anything I've ever known, and when I feel him moving it makes me happy. But love? I don't know this baby yet. So when Martin says he loves the baby, I have to wonder if he really means it. After all, I have a connection with our unborn child that he doesn't have. Can he already love the baby when it's hardly real to him? For Martin all this baby is right now is my changing body. He feels the kicks and listens to me explaining where the baby's at developmentally, but does he really realize that the baby is there and real and very much alive? Can you love someone who doesn't quite seem real???
But I'm not worried about that. I know that we WILL love our baby, even if that love hasn't quite developed yet.
Parenthood--how, this is going to be huge! My due date is only 59 days away, and our lives are about to change forever. The only thing that I'm not scared about is--scratch that, I'm scared about everything!
How do you raise a child to be normal, happy, healthy, and well adjusted? How do you cope with the demands that child places on you? How do you love a child and give unselfishly to him and still maintain your own identity and life? How is it done?
How is it that these questions never crossed my mind BEFORE I got pregnant?
I'm so not prepared for this!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Midwife appointment...
So I had my week 31 appointment yesterday and all is mostly well.
The baby's heartbeat is REALLY strong--and fast. It always amazes me how fast it is whenever I listen to it, and it is one of the best sounds in the world to me. It's such a comfort to listen to that strongly beating heart, and I would happily go to the midwife every day just to hear it and know that my baby is healthy.
I'm measuring just right for how far along I am, which is good to know. I am still getting comments about how big I am, and it's so discouraging. After a while it starts to make you feel like you're an abnormal freak and that you are going to give birth to the world's largest baby. But I'm right on target for 31 weeks, I'm just carrying this baby all up front. So that was good news.
I got the results of my blood work from the last appointment, and everything looks good there. Apparently, my iron levels look GREAT! I'm not even slightly anemic. Hooray for those pre-natal vitamins that I have taken religiously since I did my first pregnancy test.
The only thing that was cause for concern was the old pee test. I had protein and leukocytes in my urine, so they are sending a sample in to the lab to see if I have some sort of infection that needs to be treated. They weren't overly concerned about it--just sending for the tests to be on the safe side. If I don't hear anything within a week I can assume that everything is fine.
I saw Kate at the midwife's office again. She is lovely--so much better than the other two I've seen. She even asked me how I was doing. She's friendly and helpful, and I wouldn't mind having her there to deliver my baby. That makes a nice change from the other two midwives I've seen, who I really wouldn't want anywhere near me or my unborn child.
Martin and I were discussing the appointment later in the evening (he couldn't get the time off work to come with me), and he said he was glad to hear that the baby was healthy. Of course, I had to point out that the baby is healthy as far as we know. There's really no way to be sure until after it's born. And then we started talking about how scary it is to have a baby. There are so many things that could go wrong at any stage. The fact that most babies are born completely normal is a miracle. And yet, with all of the things that might go wrong, you don't really tend to think about them. You assume that everything is fine and normal. Even I assume this, even though I am a chronic worrier.
I'll admit that I was really worried at first. I was worried that the pregnancy wasn't in the right place at first, and then I was worried that I would miscarry. And every time I had a twinge or saw a little bit of blood I would freak out and have to fight the urge to get into bed, put my feet up, and call the hospital immediately. But once I had my anomalies scan at 20 weeks and everything was normal, that worry seemed to melt away. Now I'm just worried about being a mother--actually caring for this tiny baby that's about to come into our lives.
We went over to the Mundays' last night. I cooked dinner ( I love cooking dinner over there, because they do the dishes after!) and we just sat around talking for ages. They bought Martin a gift--a book all about being a dad. We had a skim through it together, and had quite a few giggles over the quick quizzes in it. Martin is so chilled out about becoming a parent, but I think I am freaking out enough for both of us. And I wonder, is he really just not afraid, or does he not realize how drastically our lives are about to change?
So I had my week 31 appointment yesterday and all is mostly well.
The baby's heartbeat is REALLY strong--and fast. It always amazes me how fast it is whenever I listen to it, and it is one of the best sounds in the world to me. It's such a comfort to listen to that strongly beating heart, and I would happily go to the midwife every day just to hear it and know that my baby is healthy.
I'm measuring just right for how far along I am, which is good to know. I am still getting comments about how big I am, and it's so discouraging. After a while it starts to make you feel like you're an abnormal freak and that you are going to give birth to the world's largest baby. But I'm right on target for 31 weeks, I'm just carrying this baby all up front. So that was good news.
I got the results of my blood work from the last appointment, and everything looks good there. Apparently, my iron levels look GREAT! I'm not even slightly anemic. Hooray for those pre-natal vitamins that I have taken religiously since I did my first pregnancy test.
The only thing that was cause for concern was the old pee test. I had protein and leukocytes in my urine, so they are sending a sample in to the lab to see if I have some sort of infection that needs to be treated. They weren't overly concerned about it--just sending for the tests to be on the safe side. If I don't hear anything within a week I can assume that everything is fine.
I saw Kate at the midwife's office again. She is lovely--so much better than the other two I've seen. She even asked me how I was doing. She's friendly and helpful, and I wouldn't mind having her there to deliver my baby. That makes a nice change from the other two midwives I've seen, who I really wouldn't want anywhere near me or my unborn child.
Martin and I were discussing the appointment later in the evening (he couldn't get the time off work to come with me), and he said he was glad to hear that the baby was healthy. Of course, I had to point out that the baby is healthy as far as we know. There's really no way to be sure until after it's born. And then we started talking about how scary it is to have a baby. There are so many things that could go wrong at any stage. The fact that most babies are born completely normal is a miracle. And yet, with all of the things that might go wrong, you don't really tend to think about them. You assume that everything is fine and normal. Even I assume this, even though I am a chronic worrier.
I'll admit that I was really worried at first. I was worried that the pregnancy wasn't in the right place at first, and then I was worried that I would miscarry. And every time I had a twinge or saw a little bit of blood I would freak out and have to fight the urge to get into bed, put my feet up, and call the hospital immediately. But once I had my anomalies scan at 20 weeks and everything was normal, that worry seemed to melt away. Now I'm just worried about being a mother--actually caring for this tiny baby that's about to come into our lives.
We went over to the Mundays' last night. I cooked dinner ( I love cooking dinner over there, because they do the dishes after!) and we just sat around talking for ages. They bought Martin a gift--a book all about being a dad. We had a skim through it together, and had quite a few giggles over the quick quizzes in it. Martin is so chilled out about becoming a parent, but I think I am freaking out enough for both of us. And I wonder, is he really just not afraid, or does he not realize how drastically our lives are about to change?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)