Blogging our first pregnancy and child rearing, all the ups and downs, tears and laughs and overthinking that not only comes with being knocked up and a new Momma, but with just being me.
Monogram Love
I love monograms. One of my fav. items from the baby shower DIY onesie project is a little zip up hoodie (I love hoodies too) with a lower case e on it. Adorable.
Today, while walking around Marshalls to keep active, I saw a large pink E. I almost picked it up. But, I thought better of it. Then I thought, “Well, if this babe is a girl I can come back!”
If it was red or green, or maybe even blue I may have picked it up.
I did get some adorable little booties from Zulily the other day that have little E’s on them, so they may be satisfying my love of monograms for now.
Oh yeah, I’m still here waiting for this mover inside me to move on out. All in good time is my new mantra.
Not Yet
At our 39 Week appointment on Thursday Dale told us that she often advises Momma’s to be to tell people the due date is 2 weeks later than it actually is. I think I’d heard about that practice, or just saying “early/mid/late month of due date” instead of the actual day.
Now, I kind of wish I had put that in to practice. I’m not even at the due date yet and already the anticipation has built to boiling levels and we’re getting a lot of check in emails, texts, etc. I can’t imagine what it will be like if we pass the due date and there is no baby yet. I just want to avoid the pressure, I feel like it isn’t good for the process.
When I was having some practice contractions the other night and starting to process the intensity of labor and birth and becoming a parent I found a good mantra, “Just let it happen, it is all part of the process.” And, “My body knows what to do, the baby knows what to do.”
So, that is what I’m focusing on. This is all part of a process.
And no, this is not a passive aggressive post telling everyone to leave us alone! I know that in some aspects, people can’t help themselves, they’re excited. But do know, that when we know- everyone will know! If I can’t, someone will log on and post an update and there will be emails and texts sent, of course!
Snowed In
Besides a few outings, I’ve basically been relaxing at the house since Friday. That’s a lot of downtime for me. It feels good, but I also feel a little stir crazy. I can only hope this baby is feeling stir crazy too and wants to get on with the business of being born!
Happy, Merry & Bright
If I wasn’t about to be 39 weeks pregnant, Matt, Khadijah and I would be in the car right now heading to MA to spend the Holiday with my Mom’s family. Yes, I’m Jewish, and yes I celebrated Christmas every year with my Mom’s family as they’re not Jewish. I’ve always enjoyed the lights, the tree, the morning with my Grandparents watching them open their presents to each other. I’ve never thought about it as celebrating a religious holiday that isn’t a part of my religion, but more about a reason to spend a few days with family.
This year, because I’m not willing to give birth in the car on the way to or from MA, Matt and I are staying put. This year, the holiday weekend is a chance for us to spend time together, the last few precious weeks of time that will just be us. How fitting, I think.
We’ll putter around the house (yes, I’ll clean, I can’t help it!)
We’ll eat Chinese Food and go to the Movies
We’ll sleep in (today we slept until 9:30! 9:30!!!)
We’ll go for walks and enjoy the quiet.
We’ll drive around and look at lights.
We’re ready for this little babe to join us. We found a pediatrician, we’ve got all the clothes, diapers, supplies, etc ready. I’m wrapping up at work in the next few days. All that is left is for us to soak up the last few days of our family of 3 (‘Dij counts!) and get even more excited about this crazy new adventure we’re about to begin!
Merry Christmas to you and yours may it be filled with many moments of quiet, joy, love, festivity and deliciousness.
What a lovely afternoon we had with Mary Catherine and her camera! We started in the house and took some individual shots, and then some family shots. We had some fun with the cloth diapers in the nursery on Khadijah’s favorite rug. Colorful diapers, cute dog, comfy rug, how could you go wrong?
We left ‘Dij at home and headed to Sagamore Hill for some outdoor shots. There was a patch of field with some beautiful longer grasses glistening in the sun that called to us, so we camped out there for a bunch of shots. Then we followed the short path through the woods to a long dock that takes you right to a small cove beach. Perfect. It was a beautiful wintery day by the water and we all enjoyed the refreshing chill in the air.
I loved being outside showing off the belly and capturing some special moments we can have for years to come in photo form.
Mary Catherine was so easy to work with. I can see why she’s a successful Doula. Her calm energy and disposition were so nice to be around. Matt, who doesn’t like his picture being taken, commented after that he had really enjoyed himself. If that’s not a sign of a good photographer, I don’t know what is! Also a sign, the beautiful preview shots she emailed over earlier this week!
The walk back was mostly uphill and I definitely felt the work out, it felt good. I love winter on the ocean, I love the feel of the ocean air, the smell of cold water and how rejuvinated it leaves you even at 8.5 months pregnant climbing steep hills!
Later that night, after we’d also grocery shopped, as I was cooking dinner I felt 3 contractions each 9 minutes apart. I was excited. But I also knew, it wasn’t “it”. After I sat down and ate my dinner they didn’t come back.
My body is getting ready though, and that hilly walk is calling my name again.
oh yes, I’m nesting or What you do in the 9th Month- pt. 6
I can’t stop myself. I putter around the house all day. I do loads of laundry, fold and put it all away at once. I make the beds. I clean surfaces. I scrub the bathtub. I put things where they’re supposed to be. I hide unfinished projects, but secretly think of finishing them and wonder when I can.
I make dinner and as I do I clean up other dishes, put a new brita filter in and clean the fridge. Then I clean up after dinner. I haven’t wanted to cook in months, now I enjoy it.
I fly threw errands moving more quickly than I thought I would at this stage. I enjoy checking everything off the list. I must admit, it is helping me sleep a little more soundly at night!
Oh nesting, you crazy, silly, funny, enjoyable (for type a’s like me) beast.
What you do in the 9th Month-pt. 4
You get a final sonogram to determine baby’s positioning. First, you have to lay on a table and be silent and not get to see anything, but then at the end you get to see the sweet face that’s inside you and marvel at the chubby cheeks and cute nose and think, “We’re going to have one cute baby!” And maybe say it out loud a couple of times, and have the sonogram tech agree with you and claim that the baby looks like both of us.
No pictures, but trust me there will be plenty to come once this baby greets us!
What you do in the 9th Month-pt. 1
I’m in the 9th month now, on Tuesday I’ll be 37 weeks and that means 3 more weeks until 40 weeks which they call full gestation.
I some days still cannot believe that I have a baby in side of me.
Yesterday morning I woke up and turned to Matt and said, “I have a baby inside of me.” It still hits me like that.
We went to our Bradley class yesterday. Since we’re having a home birth it was a semi private class with one other home birthing couple that was just 3 hours instead of 6 weeks. The instructor, Celeste, explained, “The first 5 weeks of my normal class are about how to avoid hospital interventions so you have the natural birth you want, you guys are already doing that by not leaving your homes so we just need an afternoon.”
We got a crash course in basic labor and birth- what happens to the baby and your body parts when- and then moved in to good labor and birthing positions and how the partner can help with touch, presence and massage.
It was great, and really all that I needed was captured in those 3 hours.
Celeste mentioned at one point how she felt home birthers were much more prepared for what labor and birth (because they are two very separate things, one being about the woman and one much more about the baby) were going to be like and feel like and why. She showed us a doll and said, “this is the size of an average newborn- this is the size of her head.” We both nodded and said, “Okay, that’s actually smaller than I thought.” Which made her laugh because her hospital class usually looks at her with faces full of fear.
And, I do feel prepared. I’ve read good books, (Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth being the best for me), I’ve become in tune with my body and with what this process may take it through, I’ve slowly learned how I can let go of the control I crave in my daily life, I’ve kept active, I’ve eaten healthy.
So as we reach the mark where I need to be to stay home even with an early labor I’m feeling even more prepared.
