Monkey
by Ellis
Monkey hanging off from the ceiling, the loft/ And monkey hanging down from the tree/ Monkey hanging everywhere a monkey can hang/ And monkey copy everything she see
Woah, 31 weeks already? But, we were just into the 3rd trimester! In the last few weeks, I guess the Bean has been making herself known, because more parents at school (and more kiddos) have been congratulating me in the hallway - I guess I no longer look like I went hog-wild at a cheesecake buffet! Actually, the funniest reaction I've had so far wasn't even directly to me - I saw some former students at a Halloween party at school, and they went to another teacher to ask if I was pregnant (because it would be embarrassing to ask me themselves). I'll have to tease them the next time they're visiting.
LB and I have been painting the "library" (a previously unfinished room off of the basement) in preparation for moving our old entertainment unit out of the Bean's room. Once that's done, we'll be ready to assemble the crib (which we still need to varnish...), and the dresser and nightstand. LB surprised me last weekend by coming home with the dresser and nightstand as a present for the Bean. It will be so exciting to see it all set up for her!
Today was our next midwife appointment. Because I don't have enough to worry about, the last few days I've been hoping that my latest cold wouldn't cause any problems - I know that congestion shouldn't be an issue (it's not as if the Bean is being kept up by my snoring and sniffling), but I keep worrying that it will cause some kind of spiraling effect of I'm-not-sure-what. For me, as long as she's moving well I'm not worried, and she is moving CONSTANTLY :) Luckily, the midwife wasn't worried about anything, and the Bean is measuring well.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sugar Sugar
Sugar, Sugar
by The Archies
Sugar, ah honey honey/ You are my candy girl/ And you've got me wanting you/ Honey, ah sugar sugar/ You are my candy girl/ And you got me wanting you
And, we survived the 28-week appointment. Going in without LB was harder than I expected - I was feeling nervous when I arrived, and wasn't helped any by the weigh-in (have I really gained that much? Can I blame it on the cool-weather clothes I'm wearing now?). The first time the nurse took my blood pressure, it was too high (140 over...something), but she was very kind about it and said we'd take it again at the end of the appointment. I was relieved about that, since I'd read stories online about women being pushed for way more testing based on one blood pressure reading, but that little relief didn't keep from feeling incredibly stressed about the upcoming glucose test, and the blood tests, and the second blood pressure.
Luckily, midwife number 5 was very calm, and I think she probably knew that I was nervous, because she spent a lot of time answering my questions and spoke in a very soothing voice the whole time. She reassured me that the crappy sleep was normal (which is fine, but I'd still like to get a decent night's sleep), and said that the tight feelings I've been having are Braxton-Hicks contractions (those feel way different than I expected). The best part of the appointment, though, was learning that there is a better medication I can take for heartburn - 12 tums a day was too many, so she sent me off to Costco to get an acid reducer that actually works!
After the appointment, she took my blood pressure again, and it was much better (though still high for me), and off I went to the lab to wait for the 1-hour glucose blood draw. It was pretty funny when Bean started kicking and flipping around while I was waiting - I guess the sugar got to her.
That afternoon, the midwife called to let me know that the glucose test came back normal (hooray!), and LB took me to get the acid reducer that was recommended. That alone was worth the visit - the last three days have been SO much better without constant heartburn.
by The Archies
Sugar, ah honey honey/ You are my candy girl/ And you've got me wanting you/ Honey, ah sugar sugar/ You are my candy girl/ And you got me wanting you
And, we survived the 28-week appointment. Going in without LB was harder than I expected - I was feeling nervous when I arrived, and wasn't helped any by the weigh-in (have I really gained that much? Can I blame it on the cool-weather clothes I'm wearing now?). The first time the nurse took my blood pressure, it was too high (140 over...something), but she was very kind about it and said we'd take it again at the end of the appointment. I was relieved about that, since I'd read stories online about women being pushed for way more testing based on one blood pressure reading, but that little relief didn't keep from feeling incredibly stressed about the upcoming glucose test, and the blood tests, and the second blood pressure.
Luckily, midwife number 5 was very calm, and I think she probably knew that I was nervous, because she spent a lot of time answering my questions and spoke in a very soothing voice the whole time. She reassured me that the crappy sleep was normal (which is fine, but I'd still like to get a decent night's sleep), and said that the tight feelings I've been having are Braxton-Hicks contractions (those feel way different than I expected). The best part of the appointment, though, was learning that there is a better medication I can take for heartburn - 12 tums a day was too many, so she sent me off to Costco to get an acid reducer that actually works!
After the appointment, she took my blood pressure again, and it was much better (though still high for me), and off I went to the lab to wait for the 1-hour glucose blood draw. It was pretty funny when Bean started kicking and flipping around while I was waiting - I guess the sugar got to her.
That afternoon, the midwife called to let me know that the glucose test came back normal (hooray!), and LB took me to get the acid reducer that was recommended. That alone was worth the visit - the last three days have been SO much better without constant heartburn.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Carry You Around
Carry You Around
by Ani DiFranco
And I know the fact of your presence/ Will dominate my memory of this restaurant this table/ This day and this town/ 'Cause I carry you, baby/ I carry you around
Well, the countdown has reached double digits (ack!), those shirts I was so sure were too long back in June are now too short (whoops!), and among my back, hips, and neck, something always aches (owwww...). Must be third trimester time!
The next visit with the midwives is this Thursday, and for the first time, LB won't be able to come along. Since I have to do the 1-hour glucose tolerance, we couldn't make the appointment for after work like last month, so I'll be going alone on my morning off. On the plus side, this means I will have an iron-clad reason to skip out on the superintendent's visit to our school.
I can't shake the worries planted by my mother's rant a few weeks ago; I keep nearly convincing myself that I'm not going to pass the glucose test, or that I have symptoms of preeclampsia, or that something else drastic and abysmal is coming down the pike. LB keeps reminding me that I just need to ask these questions at the appointment on Thursday, and I am eternally grateful for her cool (and non-pregnancy addled) head.
by Ani DiFranco
And I know the fact of your presence/ Will dominate my memory of this restaurant this table/ This day and this town/ 'Cause I carry you, baby/ I carry you around
Well, the countdown has reached double digits (ack!), those shirts I was so sure were too long back in June are now too short (whoops!), and among my back, hips, and neck, something always aches (owwww...). Must be third trimester time!
The next visit with the midwives is this Thursday, and for the first time, LB won't be able to come along. Since I have to do the 1-hour glucose tolerance, we couldn't make the appointment for after work like last month, so I'll be going alone on my morning off. On the plus side, this means I will have an iron-clad reason to skip out on the superintendent's visit to our school.
I can't shake the worries planted by my mother's rant a few weeks ago; I keep nearly convincing myself that I'm not going to pass the glucose test, or that I have symptoms of preeclampsia, or that something else drastic and abysmal is coming down the pike. LB keeps reminding me that I just need to ask these questions at the appointment on Thursday, and I am eternally grateful for her cool (and non-pregnancy addled) head.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Adelaide's Lament
Adelaide's Lament
from Guys and Dolls
The female remaining single/ Just in the legal sense/ Shows a neurotic tendancy, see note:/ Chronic organic symptoms/ Toxic or hypertense/ Involving the eye, the ear, the nose, and throat.
In other words, just from worrying if the wedding is on or off/ A person can develop a cough.
It's one month into the school year, and so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to wake up on Wednesday with a sore throat and a lingering tiredness. By Friday, I was posting for cold-relief suggestions on Facebook and consuming enough peppermint tea to keep Stash in business for another year. I consulted various online sources (Dr. Google never fails, eh?), but was unable to make heads or tails of the conflicting information available through my fogged head. I knew Dayquil (my go-to drug for colds when I'm teaching) was probably not approved for someone "in my condition" (my mother's latest favorite phrase, for some reason), so this morning, at LB's suggestion, I broke down and called the midwife hotline to find out if there was anything I could take. Their approved suggestions? Tylenol (no more than 650 mg every 4 hours), a neti pot, and robitussin (the plain kind). LB, my wonderful girl, is out getting me the robitussin while I down a few more gallons of tea.
She's also buying a finish for the crib:
Yesterday, we decided to start buying the big items for the Bean, and headed to Ikea for a piece of furniture. We knew which dresser we wanted, but weren't decided on the crib, or if we also wanted the changing table, so we looked at everything and compared in the store before deciding to head home with one of the two cribs we liked, a mattress, and some teething rails (the Bean will need teething rails!?!). LB started assembling it while I made dinner last night, but discovered upon opening it that the crib in the store must have had some kind of finish put on it, because this crib was much less finished than the one we had seen (which had been our concern, but had been allayed by seeing both cribs in the store). I was ready to return the crib and get the more-expensive-but-lacquered crib we also liked, but LB said she would varnish this one and then assemble it, so that's the plan.
Its crazy to look in The Bean's room and see a crib and baby toys, and to open the closet and see baby clothes and equipment stacking up. Also crazy? Today we're at 26 weeks! The picture in A Child is Born is labeled, "Past the line," as a baby born after this point has some chance of survival. It's far too early for Bean to arrive, of course, but still, wow.
from Guys and Dolls
The female remaining single/ Just in the legal sense/ Shows a neurotic tendancy, see note:/ Chronic organic symptoms/ Toxic or hypertense/ Involving the eye, the ear, the nose, and throat.
In other words, just from worrying if the wedding is on or off/ A person can develop a cough.
It's one month into the school year, and so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to wake up on Wednesday with a sore throat and a lingering tiredness. By Friday, I was posting for cold-relief suggestions on Facebook and consuming enough peppermint tea to keep Stash in business for another year. I consulted various online sources (Dr. Google never fails, eh?), but was unable to make heads or tails of the conflicting information available through my fogged head. I knew Dayquil (my go-to drug for colds when I'm teaching) was probably not approved for someone "in my condition" (my mother's latest favorite phrase, for some reason), so this morning, at LB's suggestion, I broke down and called the midwife hotline to find out if there was anything I could take. Their approved suggestions? Tylenol (no more than 650 mg every 4 hours), a neti pot, and robitussin (the plain kind). LB, my wonderful girl, is out getting me the robitussin while I down a few more gallons of tea.
She's also buying a finish for the crib:
Yesterday, we decided to start buying the big items for the Bean, and headed to Ikea for a piece of furniture. We knew which dresser we wanted, but weren't decided on the crib, or if we also wanted the changing table, so we looked at everything and compared in the store before deciding to head home with one of the two cribs we liked, a mattress, and some teething rails (the Bean will need teething rails!?!). LB started assembling it while I made dinner last night, but discovered upon opening it that the crib in the store must have had some kind of finish put on it, because this crib was much less finished than the one we had seen (which had been our concern, but had been allayed by seeing both cribs in the store). I was ready to return the crib and get the more-expensive-but-lacquered crib we also liked, but LB said she would varnish this one and then assemble it, so that's the plan.
Its crazy to look in The Bean's room and see a crib and baby toys, and to open the closet and see baby clothes and equipment stacking up. Also crazy? Today we're at 26 weeks! The picture in A Child is Born is labeled, "Past the line," as a baby born after this point has some chance of survival. It's far too early for Bean to arrive, of course, but still, wow.
Monday, September 20, 2010
I Like to Move It
II Like to Move It
Reel 2 Reel
I like to move it, move it/ I like to move it, move it
Just in the last week, Bean has started moving like crazy, not only throughout the day, but much stronger than she had been. She started moving enough that I could feel her three weeks ago, which seems long ago, somehow. Then, this weekend, she started moving so that I could see the movements, and even my mom had a chance to feel her when we went to Sunday dinner this week. Tonight, LB spent about 15 minutes, feeling Bean move the whole time - so cool! A couple of times we both went, "woah!" when she gave a big kick.
Work started up right after our last midwife appointment, and while it's exhausting to be back at school with the kids, it's great to be back in the classroom after the summer. So far, no questions from kiddos about my new-found love of baggy shirts, but I'm guessing that is just a little ways off.
Reel 2 Reel
I like to move it, move it/ I like to move it, move it
Just in the last week, Bean has started moving like crazy, not only throughout the day, but much stronger than she had been. She started moving enough that I could feel her three weeks ago, which seems long ago, somehow. Then, this weekend, she started moving so that I could see the movements, and even my mom had a chance to feel her when we went to Sunday dinner this week. Tonight, LB spent about 15 minutes, feeling Bean move the whole time - so cool! A couple of times we both went, "woah!" when she gave a big kick.
Work started up right after our last midwife appointment, and while it's exhausting to be back at school with the kids, it's great to be back in the classroom after the summer. So far, no questions from kiddos about my new-found love of baggy shirts, but I'm guessing that is just a little ways off.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Heatwave
Heatwave
by Martha and the Vandellas
It's like a heatwave/ Burnin' in my heart/ Can't keep from cryin'/ It's tearin' me apart
In the land-locked portions of the continent, temperatures of 90 degrees may be commonplace, even unremarkable. In the coastal, temperate Seattle, however, such temperatures send us running for the hills (metaphorically, in this case). In our little purple house, we have no air-conditioning, and only 2 fans, so the week of elevated temperatures hit us like a ton of bricks. A super-heated, stifling ton of bricks. After a few nights of poor sleep, we scrounged up a couple of window fans from LB's family, and set up camp in The Bean's future room, which stays slightly cooler. LB, being the gracious lady she is, let me take the twin bed we have set up in there, and she slept on another mattress on the floor. Our pug took advantage of the floor bed to snuggle up to LB all night, while the cat found shelter in the cool basement. After two nights in this setup, it cooled down enough to move back into our bedroom with the window fan running, and we have now returned to the usual array of blankets and pillows.
The downside of returning to our usual temperate clime is that back pain, not the heat, is now keeping me up at night. Somewhere during our European adventure in July, I started having hip/back pain while walking. I figured I was walking too much, or perhaps walking poorly, and didn't think too much of it. Now, the pain has become nearly constant, and is interfering with rolling over at night, standing up, and picking things up from the floor. The search for a way to end the back pain is on!
by Martha and the Vandellas
It's like a heatwave/ Burnin' in my heart/ Can't keep from cryin'/ It's tearin' me apart
In the land-locked portions of the continent, temperatures of 90 degrees may be commonplace, even unremarkable. In the coastal, temperate Seattle, however, such temperatures send us running for the hills (metaphorically, in this case). In our little purple house, we have no air-conditioning, and only 2 fans, so the week of elevated temperatures hit us like a ton of bricks. A super-heated, stifling ton of bricks. After a few nights of poor sleep, we scrounged up a couple of window fans from LB's family, and set up camp in The Bean's future room, which stays slightly cooler. LB, being the gracious lady she is, let me take the twin bed we have set up in there, and she slept on another mattress on the floor. Our pug took advantage of the floor bed to snuggle up to LB all night, while the cat found shelter in the cool basement. After two nights in this setup, it cooled down enough to move back into our bedroom with the window fan running, and we have now returned to the usual array of blankets and pillows.
The downside of returning to our usual temperate clime is that back pain, not the heat, is now keeping me up at night. Somewhere during our European adventure in July, I started having hip/back pain while walking. I figured I was walking too much, or perhaps walking poorly, and didn't think too much of it. Now, the pain has become nearly constant, and is interfering with rolling over at night, standing up, and picking things up from the floor. The search for a way to end the back pain is on!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Pregnant Women are Smug
Pregnant Women are Smug
by Garfunkel & Oates
Pregnant women are smug/ Everyone knows it, nobody says it, because they're pregnant/ F-ing son of a gun/ You think you're so deep now, you give me the creeps now, now that you're pregnant
"So, do you want a boy or a girl?"
"Oh, doesn't matter, as long as it's healthy"
"Really? 'Cause I don't feel that those two things are related. It's not like one or the other"
Wow, are we already into the second trimester? And nearly 17 weeks? Holy cow. Tomorrow we'll be on the next big two-page spread in A Child Is Born - and The Bean is finally starting to look baby-like!
This week we had our 4-month checkup with the midwives, and got to meet another face from our midwife team. We also got to meet the usual nurse when we came in, who was much friendlier and reassuring than at our last appointment. Last month, the nurse who checked my vitals seemed disappointed that we had left the OB to come to the midwives, almost as if she was trying to convince us to go back (which was a little odd, considering she was working at the midwifery clinic). This time, we were welcomed by a woman who can be remembered only as "hippie nurse," in a bright turquoise batik blouse and skirt. She asked us how our travel had been, and chatted with us about various cruise lines as she took my blood pressure. As LB and I waited to meet the next midwife, we agreed that this nurse made us much more comfortable than the last (we had been questioning our decision to change care providers after the last nurse). Midwife #2 seemed like the quintessential Seattle midwife - kinda crunchy, laid-back, and informal in her demeanor. Very appealing to LB and I, but it made me chuckle, especially as my latest baby-prep reading has been Deliver This!, in which one mother describes her view of natural birth as being for "hippie moms who live in Seattle." So, we're referring to this midwife as "Granola." Yeah, we're stereotyping, but with only our first impressions to go on, that's what you get.
Granola was very friendly, immediately introducing herself by her first name (I like this from health care professionals, perhaps it's because I'm a teacher?), and greeting me ("Hi, frankncents") as well as LB ("And you must be LB") by name. She was very patient about all the questions I've been contemplating over the last month, from hip pain to itchy skin, and took notes on our questions while she listened, so she was sure to address all of them. Finally, she pulled out the fetal Doppler so we could try and find the heartbeat. After last month's inability to find any heartbeat, even after 2 different machines, I was pretty nervous, and had been worried periodically all last month, about whether we would hear a heartbeat this time. First, Granola found my heartbeat, whooshing along a little faster than usual, and then, she moved the wand a little, and there was The Bean! It was incredibly fast (156 beats per minute), and LB and I just looked at each other and grinned.
I'm trying very hard not to become one of the pregnant women described in the song above, but I find it privately hilarious every time someone asks about whether we want a boy or a girl (LB really wants a girl, I would prefer a boy), or what we're thinking of naming it (we haven't decided for sure, but we'll be keeping it under wraps until The Bean arrives), or any of the other bits from the song. Funny, funny, funny.
Haven't heard the song yet? See the video here
by Garfunkel & Oates
Pregnant women are smug/ Everyone knows it, nobody says it, because they're pregnant/ F-ing son of a gun/ You think you're so deep now, you give me the creeps now, now that you're pregnant
"So, do you want a boy or a girl?"
"Oh, doesn't matter, as long as it's healthy"
"Really? 'Cause I don't feel that those two things are related. It's not like one or the other"
Wow, are we already into the second trimester? And nearly 17 weeks? Holy cow. Tomorrow we'll be on the next big two-page spread in A Child Is Born - and The Bean is finally starting to look baby-like!
This week we had our 4-month checkup with the midwives, and got to meet another face from our midwife team. We also got to meet the usual nurse when we came in, who was much friendlier and reassuring than at our last appointment. Last month, the nurse who checked my vitals seemed disappointed that we had left the OB to come to the midwives, almost as if she was trying to convince us to go back (which was a little odd, considering she was working at the midwifery clinic). This time, we were welcomed by a woman who can be remembered only as "hippie nurse," in a bright turquoise batik blouse and skirt. She asked us how our travel had been, and chatted with us about various cruise lines as she took my blood pressure. As LB and I waited to meet the next midwife, we agreed that this nurse made us much more comfortable than the last (we had been questioning our decision to change care providers after the last nurse). Midwife #2 seemed like the quintessential Seattle midwife - kinda crunchy, laid-back, and informal in her demeanor. Very appealing to LB and I, but it made me chuckle, especially as my latest baby-prep reading has been Deliver This!, in which one mother describes her view of natural birth as being for "hippie moms who live in Seattle." So, we're referring to this midwife as "Granola." Yeah, we're stereotyping, but with only our first impressions to go on, that's what you get.
Granola was very friendly, immediately introducing herself by her first name (I like this from health care professionals, perhaps it's because I'm a teacher?), and greeting me ("Hi, frankncents") as well as LB ("And you must be LB") by name. She was very patient about all the questions I've been contemplating over the last month, from hip pain to itchy skin, and took notes on our questions while she listened, so she was sure to address all of them. Finally, she pulled out the fetal Doppler so we could try and find the heartbeat. After last month's inability to find any heartbeat, even after 2 different machines, I was pretty nervous, and had been worried periodically all last month, about whether we would hear a heartbeat this time. First, Granola found my heartbeat, whooshing along a little faster than usual, and then, she moved the wand a little, and there was The Bean! It was incredibly fast (156 beats per minute), and LB and I just looked at each other and grinned.
I'm trying very hard not to become one of the pregnant women described in the song above, but I find it privately hilarious every time someone asks about whether we want a boy or a girl (LB really wants a girl, I would prefer a boy), or what we're thinking of naming it (we haven't decided for sure, but we'll be keeping it under wraps until The Bean arrives), or any of the other bits from the song. Funny, funny, funny.
Haven't heard the song yet? See the video here
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