Dave and I got to have dinner last night with our friends Ben & Emily. It was fun to see them, and even though we saw their little daughter just over a month ago, it seems like so much has changed. She seems to have gone from toddling to running in that span of time, and it's delightful to watch her chasing the cat, then the dog, then the cat, then the dog again. It makes me feel a little sorry for what our pets are going to go through when the kid reaches its first birthday.
These two were kind enough to hand off a bunch of baby stuff to us, and we couldn't be happier. They're planning to move soon, so they were happy to get rid of the infant junk. We came home with a portable swing, a baby bath, a bjorn, and an absolute ton of clothes. They've also promised to pack up their newborn and infant cloth diapers for us, so we've already got a start on that.
We've been debating whether or not to have a shower - my SIL would very much like to throw one for us. The debate is a tough one - we know that people are excited about the baby and want to give us gifts, but having a party just to receive presents just doesn't fit with our morals and lifestyle. On the other hand, if we don't do the registering thing, then people will just shower us with gifts anyway and we won't get to pick out the stuff that we'd like. At this point I'm really leaning toward not having that shower, but that may change. Who knows precisely how we'll feel about it in January and February, and we may be panicked because we just don't have enough onesies.
In the meantime, friends like Ben & Emily are extraordinarily generous, and we're happy to start our baby junk collection. I hope we don't fill up the nursery before we can get some furniture in there!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
it just might be
I think maybe, just maybe, I might have felt the first movements this weekend. I was sitting in a rocking chair and reading, and for a second I felt something that was like a soap bubble popping on the inside of my tummy. I couldn't get it to happen again, and it was devastatingly light, but I'm pretty sure that was it.
I feel relief - I finally felt something that I think was it, and now I can rule out everything else. I had been having little twinges in my abdomen that I now think was just muscle pain and ligaments stretching. I'm glad to know the baby is there and reaching out. Since today is the official half way mark, I was beginning to think it would never happen.
We've got our second ultrasound scheduled for this Friday, and I'm very excited. Though Dave and I agree that we don't want to know the sex of the baby in advance, I'm tempted to try to look and figure it out. I want it to be a surprise, but a tiny part of me also wants to know that little secret. Even though I've been pregnant for 20 weeks, I feel like the baby doesn't really have any individuality yet - and knowing the sex might help me characterize it in my mind, allow for that individual personality. Then the logical/liberal takes over to remind me that our culture over sexualizes and gender stereotypes children enough, we could do without it in-utero.
If I knew though, I wouldn't tell everyone. I wouldn't splash pink or blue everywhere, I would just hold onto it, know it, get used to it. Try out names and see what fits, start using "he" or "she" in my mind. I've been dreaming and having strong feelings that it's a boy, but Dave mentioned me to yesterday that he has similarly strong feelings that it's a girl. The temptation to know is there, but I think on Friday we'll make our wishes known to the ultrasound tech and continue in our ignorance. Coloring things in green, brown, grey, yellow (which are better than pink and blue anyway).
I feel relief - I finally felt something that I think was it, and now I can rule out everything else. I had been having little twinges in my abdomen that I now think was just muscle pain and ligaments stretching. I'm glad to know the baby is there and reaching out. Since today is the official half way mark, I was beginning to think it would never happen.
We've got our second ultrasound scheduled for this Friday, and I'm very excited. Though Dave and I agree that we don't want to know the sex of the baby in advance, I'm tempted to try to look and figure it out. I want it to be a surprise, but a tiny part of me also wants to know that little secret. Even though I've been pregnant for 20 weeks, I feel like the baby doesn't really have any individuality yet - and knowing the sex might help me characterize it in my mind, allow for that individual personality. Then the logical/liberal takes over to remind me that our culture over sexualizes and gender stereotypes children enough, we could do without it in-utero.
If I knew though, I wouldn't tell everyone. I wouldn't splash pink or blue everywhere, I would just hold onto it, know it, get used to it. Try out names and see what fits, start using "he" or "she" in my mind. I've been dreaming and having strong feelings that it's a boy, but Dave mentioned me to yesterday that he has similarly strong feelings that it's a girl. The temptation to know is there, but I think on Friday we'll make our wishes known to the ultrasound tech and continue in our ignorance. Coloring things in green, brown, grey, yellow (which are better than pink and blue anyway).
Friday, October 26, 2007
tea
At the recommendation of Gail and Clare, my two favorite midwives, I have begun to drink red raspberry leaf tea every day. At first, I was skeptical, having never been much of a tea drinker. I always thought those who drank tea every day were people who had an inner calm and meditated regularly. I can't quite fit those things in, but I have found the tea to be a wonderful addition to my daily routine. A cursory google search turned up many articles touting the benefits for pregnant women. It's a traditional herb used to tone the uterus with calcium and magnesium, and some say ease and shorten labor.
Gail told me at our first meeting that even if I didn't like it at first, to keep trying and eventually I would come to crave it. Perhaps it was just the power of suggestion, but she has been correct so far. We buy loose tea from the co-op for the evenings and weekends, and I keep tea bags at work. The loose tea is more flavorful, perhaps because I'm brewing it stronger. I add lemon balm to it and find it absolutely delicious. The tea bags are convenient and usually contain nettle, another herb which is said to be beneficial for pregnancy. It may even help to prevent UTI's, something that have always been a problem and a pain in my past.
Pregnancy has been so different from what I expected. I vowed to do things naturally, not to freak out about every little thing, and remain true to who I was before I got pregnant. When I look at my routine today compared with a year ago, many things are different:
I take folic acid and fish oil daily
I add metamucil and sometimes protein powder to my banana/raspberry shakes
I have completely cut out caffeine and I drink tea with a vengeance
I have traded my desk chair for a ball at work
I swim laps 3 times a week
All of these things are good, healthy habits, but sometimes I feel surprised that I'm so dedicated. I tried to be a healthy person before, but it's a lot easier to practice beneficial habits when it's not just about me. Even though I still haven't felt a sure-fire kick in my abdomen, I'm pretty sure there's a baby down there somewhere. That makes these changes all the easier - it's hard to be selfish and skip my trip to the gym or the extra protein in my diet when I know that it will make a difference to the baby.
Gail told me at our first meeting that even if I didn't like it at first, to keep trying and eventually I would come to crave it. Perhaps it was just the power of suggestion, but she has been correct so far. We buy loose tea from the co-op for the evenings and weekends, and I keep tea bags at work. The loose tea is more flavorful, perhaps because I'm brewing it stronger. I add lemon balm to it and find it absolutely delicious. The tea bags are convenient and usually contain nettle, another herb which is said to be beneficial for pregnancy. It may even help to prevent UTI's, something that have always been a problem and a pain in my past.
Pregnancy has been so different from what I expected. I vowed to do things naturally, not to freak out about every little thing, and remain true to who I was before I got pregnant. When I look at my routine today compared with a year ago, many things are different:
I take folic acid and fish oil daily
I add metamucil and sometimes protein powder to my banana/raspberry shakes
I have completely cut out caffeine and I drink tea with a vengeance
I have traded my desk chair for a ball at work
I swim laps 3 times a week
All of these things are good, healthy habits, but sometimes I feel surprised that I'm so dedicated. I tried to be a healthy person before, but it's a lot easier to practice beneficial habits when it's not just about me. Even though I still haven't felt a sure-fire kick in my abdomen, I'm pretty sure there's a baby down there somewhere. That makes these changes all the easier - it's hard to be selfish and skip my trip to the gym or the extra protein in my diet when I know that it will make a difference to the baby.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
back to back
Sleeping has become difficult. I'm tired.
I can't get comfortable on my side, and I'm paranoid about accidentally falling asleep on my back. It takes me almost an hour to get to sleep at night, and I wake up every 2 to 3 hours, either because I have to pee or because I'm uncomfortable. I flip from side to side, obsessing about resting for a few seconds on my back. I've read all of the literature, and I know there are things that I can do to make this easier.
Therefore, I resolve to
1. Eat dinner by 7:00 every night
2. Stop drinking water and tea within 2 hours of going to bed
3. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, and at the same time every night
4. Exercise in the evening. That should make me more tired
5. Don't obsess about how much sleep I'm not getting
One really annoying thing that almost every book and article takes the time to mention is that once you have the baby, you don't get to sleep through the night anyway, so you may as well get used to it. I find this statement particularly smug, and super annoying. Kind of like, "ha ha sucker! you suck! no sleep for you! you're going to have a baby!" Maybe it's just me and my pre-baby ignorance, but I think the boot camp of sleeping when baby sleeps is a unique time, and while it's hard, the reward is that you get to have the baby when you're awake and you don't have to go to work for awhile. I still have to go to work every day, so sleeping more than 3 hours at a time is high on my priority list. Maybe the snoogle deluxe will make it all better. Just because of the name.
I can't get comfortable on my side, and I'm paranoid about accidentally falling asleep on my back. It takes me almost an hour to get to sleep at night, and I wake up every 2 to 3 hours, either because I have to pee or because I'm uncomfortable. I flip from side to side, obsessing about resting for a few seconds on my back. I've read all of the literature, and I know there are things that I can do to make this easier.
Therefore, I resolve to
1. Eat dinner by 7:00 every night
2. Stop drinking water and tea within 2 hours of going to bed
3. Go to bed at a reasonable hour, and at the same time every night
4. Exercise in the evening. That should make me more tired
5. Don't obsess about how much sleep I'm not getting
One really annoying thing that almost every book and article takes the time to mention is that once you have the baby, you don't get to sleep through the night anyway, so you may as well get used to it. I find this statement particularly smug, and super annoying. Kind of like, "ha ha sucker! you suck! no sleep for you! you're going to have a baby!" Maybe it's just me and my pre-baby ignorance, but I think the boot camp of sleeping when baby sleeps is a unique time, and while it's hard, the reward is that you get to have the baby when you're awake and you don't have to go to work for awhile. I still have to go to work every day, so sleeping more than 3 hours at a time is high on my priority list. Maybe the snoogle deluxe will make it all better. Just because of the name.
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