Saturday's Recap

Saturday was great!
Well, the morning was filled with what has become the usual: fielding Liam's attempts to maim and disfigure his little brother. Of course they aren't intentional attempts. He just wants to pick the baby up when no one is looking (so we must always be looking!) and does occasionally slap him on the head to see what Mom will do. She tends to get mad and put him in timeout..when she can. Liam has also caught on to the fact that I can do very little when I am nursing the baby.

Gabe likes to cluster nurse all morning, but then he tends to sleep a good chunk of the late afternoon (so far anyway). So the mornings are pretty useless-I am on here because Liam is still sleeping and Gabe is down for one of his (probably) short naps.  I ought to wake Liam up, so his nap will be early and light and he will fall asleep at a decent hour and not harass Taryn late into the evening. We really need to get the bedrooms done.

Karl worked overtime from 10 until 2, and then we went out to the store. We have lost all of Liam's shoes (except the ones which are too tight), so we stopped by Other Mother's to pick up a pair of sandals. The only shoes in his size were too tight (except black church shoes), so he ended up going barefoot to the grocery store.

I hear Liam now..He likes to kick the wall in the morning.

But while at Other Mothers, I found a tandem stroller for two for only $20!


It is basically like this, BUT older in navy and white (hence, not as current and stylish). They said it was $20, because it was "dirty". But the dust took about two minutes to wipe off! The main problem is going to be folding it and putting in the van, but I'll manage.

So happy!

Karl and I made enchiladas, which would have been great, but something was wrong with the sauce. I don't know if it was old or what, but it had a terrible aftertaste:o(.
Then we had chocolate brownie ice cream with caramel AND fudge, AND I toasted pecan halves to put on it. Delicious!
I had TWO wonderful glasses of Shiraz (despite the fact that all my wine glasses are gone, and I had to drink it out of a Coke glass), and Karl had a Guinness (yuck!), and we watched Crash. We had both watched it once before, years ago, but it's a great movie, and worth watching again.

The only sad thing, is Karl works Sundays now:o(.

So, off to get up the Liameister, and get on with the day! We get to go on our first walk in the stroller today!

It's been 10 days

Ten days have passed since little Gabriel has joined those of us on Earth. I haven't really gone out much. After reading up on some blogs, I thought it might be nice to go to the farmer's market, but Karl is working overtime today, and the thought of taking two little ones out on my own isn't appealing. When my older kids were younger (and I was, too), I would have just done it. Now though, I stop to think of putting them in the car, driving to our destination (Gabriel most likely crying because he wants to nurse...again), putting Liam in the stroller, Gabe in the front carrier, and then...I think maybe I don't want fresh vegetables and an outing that much.

But the fresh, cool air through the open windows is quite delightful.

Umm, I am not cleaning this desk, Mom!

Crap...I do look like my mom.

You've got to be kidding me!

Is it my "stubby" nose?

Growing resigned to the fact.

So...YOU are my dad?

WAhhhhhhh!

I wish I were sailing the deep blue sea!

Mom, I bet you wish you could rotate this!

So much to say, so much to say

Not really. I don't have much of anything to say. My life consists of the kids and TV. I did start reading a new book today on a school in NYC (I think) that doesn't allow any type of ADHD medicines and allows students to self-manage and self-direct their learning (and they get lots of gross motor and free play time). It's pretty interesting. I personally like the traditional classroom atmosphere, but I can see where some kids would really love this type of environment, particularly those not well-suited for the traditional classroom.

Appointment today. Well, she was running late as she always is on Friday, so she was in a big hurry. She said she thought the ultrasound overestimated the size and I agreed ( my belly is much smaller than previous times I have been pregnant). She said last week I was 2cm, 50% effaced and still posterior (meaning my cervix of course). Then she said it was about the same this week. She started to leave..

"Is the baby still breech?' I asked.

"Was it?" Tone of surprise. " What did the ultrasound say?"

"They didn't say in the ultrasound, but you said it was."
She reached down and pressed into my abdomen.
"No, it's head down now."

I muttered something about thinking the head was pressing into my hip instead of my cervix at times, and she said that was quite possible since it was still floating high (I may have weeks left to go).

But now I am totally confused. I woke up absolutely CERTAIN the round "bouncing" ball at the top my chest was a head. I KNOW it wasn't the butt. But I guess it was a foot or knee or something. I feel bad about all the poking and pushing to try and get the baby head down. I really hope it doesn't get a deformed face from all the prodding.

I am sure when she felt my cervix, she felt the head or she would have said something. But, honestly, I am baffled. Did I worry all week for nothing?

When is this baby going to come? I should hold off for one more week before trying "stuff" (cohosh isn't working), like castor oil, but the anxiety is getting to me. 

Too hot!!

I woke up sweating several times, underneath hair damp. I don't want to turn the AC any lower than 74 since our bill was almost $300 this past month, so I am going to have to deal with it. Feel slightly nauseated, but I know I just didn't get enough sleep. Baby is definitely in a different position this morning. I can't say for sure  he is butt up, but it's definitely a butt or back high in my abdomen.
And I am getting some higher kicks again. Let's hope he keeps this up. The expense and recovery of surgery is not ideal. It's frustrating though, because if I were to go into labor prior to my next appt. I will have to go get checked to make sure he is head down very early in labor. If it were a weekday and they could fit me into an appt. great, but if I had to go to L and D to do that, what a pain! I know babies can be born breech, but have you all seen Karl's head? It's not something I would want to attempt. It's likely I won't though. I won't be 38 weeks by the doctor's timetable until Wednesday, and by the real one until next Saturday. My appt. is next Friday. She said I was only 2 cm, thick (which makes no sense as she said I was 70% last week, unless she meant I have 70% to go), and of course the baby was still floating way high. She really shoved and prodded her fingers up there trying to find the head. It wasn't pleasant.

Took the week off of Liam's "schoolwork" because I forgot to request library books. I have several waiting for me now. I'll have to pick them up. Our next week is Kittens and C and 3. I haven't been reviewing like I should either, but geez. I am tired, he is only two. It's not a major deal.

I really need to pick up some food. Ooh! I wonder if we have lemonade? We do!
Stirred and iced now!

Well, crap!

Ultrasound this am estimated the baby at 7'15". Not bad. But, then the doctor said the baby had flipped over. I am so annoyed. And I don't entirely believe her. Why didn't they say anything about that at the ultrasound that was only an hour earlier?

Well, she said they could try and turn it at 39 weeks. I may have to have a homebirth just to avoid a cesarean! So ticked.

Oh, the mornings!

Mornings are the hardest part of the day. Early morning and between 9 and 11 in the morning. Then I am soooo tired. Even though I have been sleeping rather okay for me. I found that staying up until almost 11 has been helping me sleep deeper. But it gets so hot around two am and just gets hotter and hotter until I get out of bed in the morning.

Right now I am sitting here without pants because I am freaking hot! But everyone here sleeps in, anyway, so  there shouldn't be any embarrassing encounters.


Then I drag myself out of bed (and it's really hard in the morning), after laying there wishing I had slept another hour, and to the computer because I don't know what else to do at 5:30 a.m.


So here I am. 
Hot, getting ready for my first sip of coffee (it even takes me a while to get the energy to make coffee).
I neglected to put the dishes in the dishwasher last night, so I woke up to a sink and counter full of dirty dishes. Teenagers eat constantly. It's super annoying. I guess that's just one of the annoyances which makes it easier to "let go" when it is time for them to leave the nest. Oh, but I'll miss it, won't I?

It only really irritates me when they are almost 18 and won't look for a job. It makes me VERY worried about their future. Because after graduation said 18 year old may get room and board if they are making adequate collegiate progress, but everything else is their own responsibility. And there is no freaking way they would be able to live on 18 year old's boyfriends income. And that is not a good way to start life, anyway. But any mention of this is met with, "Mom, quit nagging me!" The situation makes me sad. Am I being unreasonable?

Taryn has a boyfriend. Her sister (wrongly) spied on her cell phone and discovered this. No wonder she's been in such a good mood the past week. She's been sitting on my lap and huggy, and good grief, I guess she is as in love as a 13 year old can be. Of course, they don't actually see each other since it's summer and he's from school.
We will not mention this to her.  Don't know why it's such a big secret, though. I guess it embarrasses her. Eventually she will want to go on dates, and she'll have to be more open about it.

Ultrasound and dr. appt. today. I still have a slight fear of Down's Syndrome, since I didn't have an amniocentesis. I'll be nearly 39 when it is born, which makes my risk 1 in 135 or so. That's still fairly good odds, but it's hard not to worry a bit. Slightly more than 1 in 100 will have some sort of chromosomal abnormality at my age. But...I guess what is to be will be. I hope it's healthy. It would just be so heartbreaking to have a child face such challenges.

I think I have picked out a first name. I have to run it by Karl. It's not my favorite, but I like it, and doesn't have such a strong yes or no reaction as Oliver or Jude would.
Did I mention that every single name on my "short list" has been given to someone on my July pregnancy board? All these names I thought were unusual like Oliver, Jude, Asher, etc. have been given to recent babies. Even the one I think I have settled on has been given to one or two. And this is just babies whose moms frequent this particular list. Ah, that good ole collective unconscious.

Well. Let's hope the ultrasound goes well. They are just checking growth, it's probably not even necessary, since he isn't measuring big, but who says no to a chance to see the baby? Then my OB will probably stick her hand up in me, give me news about dilation (which makes you excited but really means nothing), and send me on my way. I assume. I'll know soon enough.
Now that it's too late to find a job, it doesn't matter when the baby comes. We really need to get Caleb's room done! But I just don't want to do anything physical other than taking walks. I wish Karl and Caleb would get their stronger male butts down there and do something. I could ask Caleb's dad to help, but Karl keeps saying he wants to punch him for not paying child support, so I don't think that would be the best idea.


Absolutely nothing going on. Except I am resisting the urge to pepper my writing with profanity. I don't know why. I am not mad or anything. I just want to start cussing.

Darn it.

Really!

If I read one more thing about people saying their body just refused to go into labor on it's own, I am going to scream. I mean, come on! Use your brains people. Do we hear about people all over the world that are just pregnant FOREVER?!


Silly.