my hooptie

Gabe & I are looking for a second car. Since we moved his commute has gone from one block to a twenty minute drive and I have to drop him off in the morning, pick him up at night - that's getting old. We're looking for a wagon so that our puppy is not sitting right next to the carseat. It's become an epic quest.

This morning on our drive to his workplace, we passed some big old car that must have had an 8 track inside. I pointed, laughed and said 'We could get that hooptie.'  My husband says 'hoop-what?' and looked bewildered even after I repeated it a few times. Perhaps it's the age difference, or that he spent some formative years in Brazil where there is probably no el hooptie. Or perhaps it's that his wife is just way more gangster than him. (Umm... or not. I confess I was just reminded of the word when Ice T was on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me this past weekend.)

Nevertheless, I took it as an obligation to educate him about what a hooptie is.  I found a song by Sir Mix-A-Lot that gives a detailed account, along with visuals.  Gabe has many times sung Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' at karaoke, but alas he must not be too familiar with his oeuvre.  I'll fix that now:

28 weeks

28 weeks and things are going well. Here are some random changes brought on by pregnancy:

* My eye prescription changed (for the better, after a steady decline for 22 years)

* My shoe size has gone up 1/2 size (I'm now a 6, which means more shoe selection; however this also means none of my shoes fit, and my puppy has now officially eaten ALL of my sandals)

* I now like rye bread. A lot.

* It's hard to get off a couch.

* When I do get off a couch it feels like I've been kicked in the crotch.

But the biggest change of all (besides having a person inside me) is that I'm no longer a night owl. After sundown is when I always had the most energy, and mornings were a continuous battle to feel alive and productive. But now, for the first time I ever remember, I feel more awake in the mornings than at night. Once I open my eyes it's usually hard to fall  back asleep. And though I'm still not going to bed until 11 or 12 or a bit later I notice that I start getting really tired and grumpy around 9ish, and much more achy and complainy. (I'm guessing my husband has noticed this too.)  I think I might have to push up my bedtime even earlier!  And I think I'll actually be able to fall asleep - weird!

I'm taking advantage of earlier mornings on the weekends and going to a few yard sales. This weekend I got a nice reclining glider/ottoman, a pink dresser, diaper genie, bouncer and lots of assorted clothes/towels/blankets for so cheap!  And now I feel like I can start getting the nursery area together which is fun & making me realize how soon our household is going to go from two to three people. I can't wait!

We had our third Hypnobabies class today and I can honestly say I'm feeling really confident and excited about birth. I feel like we're getting some great tools to use, and I feel really informed about my options and expectations. So happy we made this choice!

Here's this week's belly pic. I'm feeling about the same as last week, but my belly has been super itchy the past couple days so I think it's another growth spurt.  It's starting to get impossible to bend over without the awkward pregnancy squat - she just gets too smooshed and it hurts and physics gets all up in my way. She is a good 2 1/4 lbs. or so and just about 15 inches. She is still really active off and on throughout the day. Lots of times she kicks the computer or book when it's on top of me. I'm starting to feel different parts of her - what I think is her back curled up against my side, or a knee/elbow being dragged. I haven't seen distinguishable body parts through my tummy - still waiting for that craziness!  

Again excuse the tiredness, fake smile, and developing mullet. One day I'll pull it together!

two favorite things...

toddlers & billy collins' poetry!

it sounds to me from his delivery that he didn't just memorize random words, he understands meaning and phrases. i think this is the most adorable video...

Baby girl is a real person

And there's proof!

27 weeks - third trimester!

Baby girl is 14 1/2 inches long and just over 2 pounds. This past weekend she was the most active I've felt yet. Gabe's parents were in town and we saw some bluegrass & watched a musical puppet show and she moved around for both of those. She also is quite busy during our childbirth classes, and in the morning, and night, and after I eat or drink water. Or when I sit or lie down. It's a frequent reminder that there is a real person in there, and one who is due to arrive in just a few months!

We did a 3-d ultrasound on Friday which was another huge reminder that here is a person. We saw her smiling face! We could count her toes! All this before she's even here. I had reservations about the whole thing, because it wasn't medically necessary. But it was just 15 minutes and was an incredible experience. Right from the start she was smiling and making faces, and then she curled up with the cord and hid for a bit. Later she scratched her little face and stretched out her legs. The tech commented that she has long legs (that's definitely not from me) and she looked pensive (that sounds more like me).  Everyone says she looks like her mama, but I haven't seen Gabe's baby pictures so it's hard for me to tell. 

I'm feeling definitely large at this point. I understand why they say carrying a baby. I get tired and achy more easily. I've  given up my stubborn refusal to put on my underwear or pants any way but standing up. I don't just pop out of bed, it is a process. You can see the outline of my bellybutton through my shirts.

My attention has shifted from a focus on pregnancy to preparing for her arrival. This means lots of cleaning, buying things, spending some quality time with my husband just-us, reading some books about babies and having some mild freak-outs about how unprepared we might just be. 

We went for a walk yesterday and bumped into our neighbor two doors down. Turns out she has a 2 yr old and is now pregnant, due in January. The neighbor across from her is due the same day as her (and has a baby as well I think). Across the street is a tiny little baby I haven't met yet. There are only seven houses on our street so I feel really lucky that there are two other pregnant ladies and a few babies around.

We had our second childbirth class yesterday and it went really well. We had to be in hypnosis while still being active (opening eyes, talking). During this time you are given the suggestion that you direct your own 'anesthesia' in the mid-part of your body, including arms. Whatever sensations happen will only be interpreted as pressure, not discomfort. At some point Gabe rubbed my arm a few times and I just felt light pressure. After everything was over in the car I asked him what he did and he gave me a nasty pinch and turned my skin - OW! (It felt like what we called indian burn back in school.)  I had felt nothing before! How exciting that this stuff works!

I must have felt pretty good about it because I had a dream about birthing last night. For some reason I was by myself. I wasn't worried because I felt her moving down but there was no pain at all. I just kept going with the flow and at some point remembered to call the midwife. By the time she had gotten there I had labored too long and the baby had ended up in my thigh somehow, and she had to push the baby back into my uterus so I could push her out :)   Bizarre!

27 weeks, early a.m. picture. Seriously glad we're gonna end up taking maternity photos because I look just awful in every one of these pictures.

26 weeks

This is my last week of the second trimester! She is now anywhere from 1.7 to 2 pounds, and is 14 inches in length. The most amazing thing that happened this week is she opened her eyes! She blinks and sees. The combination of this, plus we're 98% sure of her name now, has turned her into a real person. We love her so much and can't wait to meet her!

We may get a Baby Cantor sneak peek this week with a 3-d ultrasound; if so, I'll post some pictures. I've been feeling bigger and it takes some maneuvering to do things I took for granted before: get out of bed, bend over to get something, shave my legs, etc. Friday night I woke up at 3 a.m. due to a combination of having to pee all the time, leg cramps, backache, bloody nose... and finally just said screw it and got up. I went to some yard sales EARLY (7 a.m.) and got some good deals on baby stuff - I may have to do that again soon. 

Today Gabe and I attended our first childbirth class!  We're doing Hypnobabies and so far I'm feeling really excited. I love all the 'homework', all the potential benefits and it's nice to be around other pregnant couples. Three out of four of us are expecting girls - the fourth couple is having a surprise. I'm sure I'll be writing more about the class in weeks to come.

Here's my 26 week belly pic. And yes I know I need a haircut. I'm nearing accidental-mullet phase.

who...

eats a post-lunch entire box of mozzarella sticks & then craves wicked bad a donut, which she has not had in at least a year....

Me. And I'm still gonna have room for dinner - a nice summery chicken w/ lemon sauce & fingerling potato and green bean salad with shallot-dijon vinaigrette).   Maybe some roasted tomatoes too.

I just realized I've never tried to make a donut at home - has anyone else? Doughnut. That was the one word I ever got wrong on a spelling test I believe. Sixth grade. You think I would let that part of my brain be occupied by something else, already.