Can you believe I haven't written all this time!? We're so close now. I'm scheduled to be induced on Saturday, Oct. 25th. 4 days to go! By the way, it's a GIRL!! Her name will be Merrina Lynn Micka, and we call her 'Mina'. We're all set. Cribs and sheets, and diapers and mobiles and breast pumps and hooded towels and tiny little clothes have all been bought, opened, washed and stored. Toppy comes in tomorrow and my mom comes in on Saturday. I still kind of feel like this is all happening to someone else. I'm hoping she'll come on her own before we have to do the induction, but it's not looking that way. Had a doctor's appointment today and I'm only about 1/2 cm dialated and 50% effaced. She's at a -2 station, so she's getting in position. Everything is going well. The gestational diabetes is under control and I'm not in too much pain at all, except for the random siatica and groin tweaks. Wow! They do hurt. I can't imagine how I'll handle the contractions. If I'm induced I'll be in the hospital bed when they start up- not at home. Either way, it's going to be an adventure.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Boy or a Girl?
The day has finally come when we get to find out the sex of our baby. That is, if s/he cooperates! I'm to drink a liter of water and not empty my bladder so that we get a good, crisp image on the ultrasound. Apparently, they can get these things wrong! I suppose if the diagnosis is a boy, then it's pretty clear cut. Oh well. Good fun. Can't wait to see the little booger. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. Some ambivalence is creeping in. For the longest time, I wanted a boy - wanted to be the first one of us girls to bring a boy into the mix, and thought that it would be sublime to have another little Charlie running around. If that kid could be as mild-mannered and sweet as my husband, then I would be in good shape. But then, I started thinking how cute and fun little girls are... and how important her upbringing will be to set her in the right direction (though that's true for boys too, of course). But maybe I would understand her at a deeper level, whereas a boy could be a bit of a mystery. And how weird it would be to be outnumbered at home with 'the boys'. Growing up primarily in a 'girl' home, this would be different. In any case, it will be a surprise either way.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Food Network Fiend
I pick up our CSA box of vegetables on Tuesday afternoons. Back in my working days this was somewhat of a problem because I didn't know what the box would contain until it's contents got posted on the CSA's website the day before - Monday. This means I couldn't really grocery shop intelligently on the weekend. Obviously, one needn't rely on perfect meat-vegetable pairings to have a satisfying meal, but it is nice to be able to do just a little bit of planning... Anyway, I'm over all that now. Since I'm basically home all the time, I can nip down to the store on a whim. What I usually do, is check out the vegetable box contents on-line on Tuesday morning and then spend, oh.. a few hours, perusing recipes on-line. My usual haunts are The Food Network and Epicurious. Once I have a meal in mind, I pick up my box of fruit & veggies, and then finally head to Trader Joe's. I was going through this very routine this morning, when I typed "food network" into Google and was temporarily sidetracked by a listing for a blog called Armchair Cook: A Food Network Addict. I felt an instant connection! You see, I too am a bit obsessed with the food network. I don't have cable television, so I can't watch the shows, but I certainly use the website to its fullest extent. Did you know they have video clips you can watch? All the famous faces: Rachael Ray, Giada, Paula Deen...right there on your computer. And a lot of unfamous people I've never seen before. Well, one day I watched these videos for 3 and 1/2 hours straight. I was in the throws of my morning-sickness-that-lasts-all-day and it really seemed to help. I think it would have the opposite effect for a lot of pregnant women, but for me it was so soothing. I hope the Armchair Cook blog is not defunct; she hasn't posted since the beginning of the year. If you watch any of the celebrity chefs, you would appreciate the blog as it makes fun of them all.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sick is Good!
"Sick is good" they tell me. I'm 10 weeks pregnant and have been sick for a good 5 weeks. This means everything is operating according to plan. Hormones, hormones, hormones pulsing through my veins, and boy, is my heart pumping. Often at 90 beats per minute. It's been very exciting sharing the news with family and daydreaming about our little bean, but I gotta tell ya- I'm ready to get off this couch and out into the world. I want to be big and fat and glowing. Instead, I'm skinny, bloated, and queasy. I can see the light at the end of this first trimester tunnel though. It's a mere two weeks away. I get the sense that this whole pregnancy thing is going to be a waiting game- intense anticipation for the next stage, the next appointment, the next test results. I probably give the impression that I'm a rather uptight, nervous sort of mother-to-be, but I really don't think so. It's just that this major event is taking place inside your body and your daily life is measured by it's progression. At the moment, tiny fingernails and wispy hair are on order. If that means a bit of fatigue and nausea for mom, so be it.
Graphic courtesy www.3dpregnancy.com
