Landon is now 15 days old. And I can't help but notice how much a 15 years old boy and a 15 day old boy are the same.
When he wakes up he thinks about food almost immediately (also boobs).
He likes to sleep all morning and stay up all night.
When he's watching TV, don't dare take him away from it - or there will be consequences.
He will NOT tell you what's wrong, but totally expects you to fix it anyway.
I'm posting some new pictures on Flickr.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
He's Here!!
Weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 9 oz. Landon made his appearance at 5:36 p.m. on 10/03/06. He's already sneaky and tricked the nursery nurses into bringing him into my room saying he was hungry when he really just wanted to cuddle.
Monday, October 02, 2006
My child is part elephant
An elephant's gestation is an average of 22 months...so I have about a year to go.
(We are supposed to start calling at 6pm this evening to see if they have room for me to start the induction process.)
(We are supposed to start calling at 6pm this evening to see if they have room for me to start the induction process.)
Friday, September 22, 2006
Flying on Standby
Let’s say you’re planning a trip. It’s not a short trip to the grocery store or anything, it’s an extended trip where the first leg is something you have to pack for. Say 3-4 days of stuff you’ll need. You’ve got about 8 months before you really want to take the trip and lots of stuff to do in the meantime. So you call the airline and book a flight and they ask you what day you’d like to go…and you say Sept 23rd sounds great to me. And they say – well – we can put you on standby, and it might be as early as Sept 9 but it might be as late as Oct 2nd, before we have space available – and no matter what we can definitely get you in on October 2nd although it might be a longer flight. Since it’s so far off and you have no idea what you’re doing, as you’ve never taken a trip like this before – you agree to the terms and conditions. They also say – we will call you when we have room on a plane, and you’re not going to have much time, so go ahead and be packed by Sept 9 so when we call, you can come right over.
Right-O. So you go out and buy an extra toothbrush and toothpaste and deodorant, and dig in your closet for your stolen hotel shampoo. And you pack your bag – sans a few items, which you know you’ll need between now and then, but make a list so that you’ll remember to grab them quickly on your way out. You have a few things in there you will need before the trip if you don’t leave by Sept 9 – and they’re not everyday things, so you don’t want to buy new ones, but you guess you can leave it packed and just dig in the bag when you need those things. You have to make some decisions about clothes, because of your current limited wardrobe, you choose things you think you won’t miss, but end up missing anyway. You have to do laundry mid week, because you had to pack underwear and had decided not to buy new ones and you only have so many that fit right now anyway. And everyday you walk into your bedroom and you see your packed bag…sitting there…taunting you.
Meanwhile, your boss wants to know exactly what day you’ll be leaving and keeps asking you at least twice a week – even though you give the same answer about working right up until you board the plane. Your vacation insurance people also would like to know exactly when you’re leaving – despite the fact that they deal with these kinds of trips regularly, and know you don’t have a concrete answer…and quite frankly you would actually like to know the date – for your own peace of mind. As you get closer to your original date of departure people at work start saying “I can’t believe you’re still here!” And you explain that you don’t have enough time off to just take off and sit at home and wait for the plane. People begin calling your house to ask if you’ve left yet – so you quit answering the phone, much to the chagrin of the person who lives with you who then has to field all phone calls. If you call someone the first question they ask is if you’ve left yet. It annoys you partly because you told them they would get a call when you were boarding the plane – or in some cases right after you landed in your destination city, but it also annoys you because it feels little like they’re rubbing it in that you haven’t left yet.
No one would go on a trip planned this way…NO ONE…it’s enough to make a person crazy – and they blame it on hormones – like a sane person could handle this part – much less a Girl Scout who needs an itinerary!
Right-O. So you go out and buy an extra toothbrush and toothpaste and deodorant, and dig in your closet for your stolen hotel shampoo. And you pack your bag – sans a few items, which you know you’ll need between now and then, but make a list so that you’ll remember to grab them quickly on your way out. You have a few things in there you will need before the trip if you don’t leave by Sept 9 – and they’re not everyday things, so you don’t want to buy new ones, but you guess you can leave it packed and just dig in the bag when you need those things. You have to make some decisions about clothes, because of your current limited wardrobe, you choose things you think you won’t miss, but end up missing anyway. You have to do laundry mid week, because you had to pack underwear and had decided not to buy new ones and you only have so many that fit right now anyway. And everyday you walk into your bedroom and you see your packed bag…sitting there…taunting you.
Meanwhile, your boss wants to know exactly what day you’ll be leaving and keeps asking you at least twice a week – even though you give the same answer about working right up until you board the plane. Your vacation insurance people also would like to know exactly when you’re leaving – despite the fact that they deal with these kinds of trips regularly, and know you don’t have a concrete answer…and quite frankly you would actually like to know the date – for your own peace of mind. As you get closer to your original date of departure people at work start saying “I can’t believe you’re still here!” And you explain that you don’t have enough time off to just take off and sit at home and wait for the plane. People begin calling your house to ask if you’ve left yet – so you quit answering the phone, much to the chagrin of the person who lives with you who then has to field all phone calls. If you call someone the first question they ask is if you’ve left yet. It annoys you partly because you told them they would get a call when you were boarding the plane – or in some cases right after you landed in your destination city, but it also annoys you because it feels little like they’re rubbing it in that you haven’t left yet.
No one would go on a trip planned this way…NO ONE…it’s enough to make a person crazy – and they blame it on hormones – like a sane person could handle this part – much less a Girl Scout who needs an itinerary!
Monday, September 18, 2006
What blogger? Who?
Yeah, ok I know...over 2 week absence. Still no baby. Lot of stuff going on though.
Nursery Progress - Clint purchased a paint gun last weekend and was able to paint most of the maroon parts of the bed. He has khaki to go and some touch ups and we're set for that. Kathleen helped me make a slip cover for the pleather rocking chair. It still needs a tie back or a clip or something in the back, but it looks good - and I have mad estimating skilz - cause we only had about 18 inches leftover from the material I bought.
Green Jello - Scarlett gets jealous when we start doing anything baby related. She had a field day with the washing of all of Landon's clothes...must sit in laps. She's checking that bassinet from time to time to see if there's anything new in there.
Living room furniture - the sofa was delivered as scheduled and apparently they unwrap the chairs at the warehouse and not the sofa, because twice we've sent the chairs back, since they're damaged by the time they get here.
I'm still working. Today I called to set up my short term disability and after establishing that I need it for the birth of a child, the lady first asked me to predict when the baby would be born (date of hospitalization and last day of work) and then asked if my illness/injury was work related and/or accidental. Which I suppose some people could accidentally get knocked up at work.
Dream Dinners update - we tried 2 of the dream dinners that I made and froze and both were pretty tasty. We decided to wait on trying any others until the baby comes though.
Nursery Progress - Clint purchased a paint gun last weekend and was able to paint most of the maroon parts of the bed. He has khaki to go and some touch ups and we're set for that. Kathleen helped me make a slip cover for the pleather rocking chair. It still needs a tie back or a clip or something in the back, but it looks good - and I have mad estimating skilz - cause we only had about 18 inches leftover from the material I bought.
Green Jello - Scarlett gets jealous when we start doing anything baby related. She had a field day with the washing of all of Landon's clothes...must sit in laps. She's checking that bassinet from time to time to see if there's anything new in there.
Living room furniture - the sofa was delivered as scheduled and apparently they unwrap the chairs at the warehouse and not the sofa, because twice we've sent the chairs back, since they're damaged by the time they get here.
I'm still working. Today I called to set up my short term disability and after establishing that I need it for the birth of a child, the lady first asked me to predict when the baby would be born (date of hospitalization and last day of work) and then asked if my illness/injury was work related and/or accidental. Which I suppose some people could accidentally get knocked up at work.
Dream Dinners update - we tried 2 of the dream dinners that I made and froze and both were pretty tasty. We decided to wait on trying any others until the baby comes though.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Feast and Famine
So, last week I posted 5 posts right in a row. You couldn’t shut me up. This week I can barely get 2 words out.
The hormones have clearly set in. On Thursday a strawberry milkshake made me cry. I ordered chocolate, and to hide strawberry underneath and ruin half my milkshake is just inexcusable. Also – when I say I’m done with doing something, I mean I’m done. Don’t push me for another minute, I’m done, I told you that. And thinking of something else for me to do that requires work or movement or stair climbing, well – that’s not cool either. And I might just have a tantrum if you’re not careful.
I spent a couple hours on Saturday at Dream Dinners with Cindy. While we might not be quite ready for this baby, at least our freezer is. We haven’t tried any of our meals yet, but they all looked and smelled really good while I was preparing them. As soon as we eat them, I’m going to decide on whether to make that a normal thing. I think the best part of the whole thing is that I didn’t have to chop anything, and everything I needed for each recipe was right there.
The hormones have clearly set in. On Thursday a strawberry milkshake made me cry. I ordered chocolate, and to hide strawberry underneath and ruin half my milkshake is just inexcusable. Also – when I say I’m done with doing something, I mean I’m done. Don’t push me for another minute, I’m done, I told you that. And thinking of something else for me to do that requires work or movement or stair climbing, well – that’s not cool either. And I might just have a tantrum if you’re not careful.
I spent a couple hours on Saturday at Dream Dinners with Cindy. While we might not be quite ready for this baby, at least our freezer is. We haven’t tried any of our meals yet, but they all looked and smelled really good while I was preparing them. As soon as we eat them, I’m going to decide on whether to make that a normal thing. I think the best part of the whole thing is that I didn’t have to chop anything, and everything I needed for each recipe was right there.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Barring any strange circumstances
When it’s time to go to the hospital – people will be called. Not before then – I do not need people checking up on me while I’m laboring at home, thank you very much.
We are pre-registered, so we will arrive at the hospital and go directly to the labor and delivery floor (3rd floor). If you come in the very front entrance of the hospital and take a right, follow that hall around (a couple turns) you will “T” into elevators, and go to the 3rd floor. There is a waiting room just outside those elevators on that floor. Clint will check that waiting room from time to time – as you cannot get back into L&D without a visitor pass.
We will settle into the first room, where I am only allowed 3 visitors at a time (including Clint). I can’t imagine wanting to see anyone but Clint at that point, but we’ll see how that goes – and at some point, I KNOW I will not want anyone in there but Clint. I also won’t want him out of my sight for very long, so the waiting room is about as far as he’s going to get to go, I’ll put him on a leash if I have to.
I will be in the first room for labor, delivery, and recovery. After the baby is born, I will stay in that room with him for 1 ½ - 2 hours, and then they will move me to the post partum room and him to the transition nursery – where he will get his tests done, and a bath. He will be under a nurse’s care from birth (including the 1 ½ -2 hours with me) until he’s 4 hours old, and then he can be brought to my room. The transition nursery is on the 4th floor and has gray trimmed windows. You will be able to see him through the windows. Any cheek pinching and commencing of spoiling will have to wait until he is brought to my room.
Things you should know if you’re coming to visit us at the hospital:
- Parking costs money
- There is valet parking available
- The cafeteria only takes cash
- The waiting room is small (and on Saturday it was crowded)
- If you make a single peep about when I’m going to have the next one, I will throw you out a window
Childbirth class
This past Saturday we signed up for the fast track childbirth class…what a bummer when we discovered that taking the fast track child birth class does not insure you a fast track child birth, but just that the class is fast track. When I win the lottery, if I ever feel the need to give a donation to a hospital I think I might donate 20 recliners for the child birth classes.
The packet said to take the class by your 36th week – which ours is fast approaching, so I thought we might be the most pregnant couple there, but as it turns out, there were a quite a few women due a week or so before me. And the teacher said she normally has at least one who is due next week. We didn’t have any of those. No one was due at least until September, and one as late as November. Most falling in September and October.
Lots of info was presented – mostly stuff we knew. We got some helpful suggestions, and a justification for my package of popsicles purchased on Sunday. We found out that the hospital breakfast is cheap, if bland. The valet service is 24 hours. I need 2 bags packed. I will change rooms once. Clint had a hard time concentrating on the breathing portion, and dubbed it “dyslexic donkey breathing.” (Hah-hee, hah-hee, hah-hee, hah-hee)
And, at least I know if I say something like “That doesn’t even look like a baby.” My quote will not forever be memorialized in film for all child birth class people to see. There will be NO camera equipment of any kind in that room.
Oh and one more lesson learned…do not attend an 8 hour class after having had a cyst removed from your back on the day prior – it’s just plain uncomfortable.
The packet said to take the class by your 36th week – which ours is fast approaching, so I thought we might be the most pregnant couple there, but as it turns out, there were a quite a few women due a week or so before me. And the teacher said she normally has at least one who is due next week. We didn’t have any of those. No one was due at least until September, and one as late as November. Most falling in September and October.
Lots of info was presented – mostly stuff we knew. We got some helpful suggestions, and a justification for my package of popsicles purchased on Sunday. We found out that the hospital breakfast is cheap, if bland. The valet service is 24 hours. I need 2 bags packed. I will change rooms once. Clint had a hard time concentrating on the breathing portion, and dubbed it “dyslexic donkey breathing.” (Hah-hee, hah-hee, hah-hee, hah-hee)
And, at least I know if I say something like “That doesn’t even look like a baby.” My quote will not forever be memorialized in film for all child birth class people to see. There will be NO camera equipment of any kind in that room.
Oh and one more lesson learned…do not attend an 8 hour class after having had a cyst removed from your back on the day prior – it’s just plain uncomfortable.
Canine OCD?
We put the Pack’n’Play/Bassinet together on Sunday. It fits perfectly where we planned to put it in our room (minus the changing table part, which – ehh – I don’t feel like I really need). The color matches our room perfectly. The extra parts fit neatly under the bassinet part inside the play pen part – keeping it in one tidy little spot. It plays music, it plays nature sounds, it vibrates, and it has a timer that you can set for 5, 10 or 15 minutes…all things I didn’t really notice about it when we registered for it, cause we picked it for the colors.
We went ahead and set it up now, because Scarlett has a touch of OCD. She likes things to be in their place. She will nudge stuff with her head repeatedly if it’s not where it belongs, as if to say “Hey, this? This does NOT belong here. Are you going to put this up? Why would you leave this here? It SO does NOT go here.” We want her to get that out of her system for the stuff, before we come in with an actual baby.
She tried to help us put it together, but Clint kept telling her to “back-it-up.” And she obliged, by taking one step back and sitting, for a minute and then got back up to try and help. Lather, rinse, repeat. Nothing like having an audience for putting stuff together. Once in position, she seemed ok with it being there, but needed to see what was in it. She stood very close to the mesh and peered into the side of it. Then she took a position at the foot of the bed to see if she could look in from the top. She spent the next hour or so not leaving Clint’s side, and pouting. We told her she was not being replaced and that we were just adding on. As the day went on, she seemed to be much better.
Setting up the bassinet this early was supposed to be for the dog. But as we wrapped up the process, Clint said “This kind of makes it sink in, we’re having a baby.” I guess we’re all in a little bit of denial.
We went ahead and set it up now, because Scarlett has a touch of OCD. She likes things to be in their place. She will nudge stuff with her head repeatedly if it’s not where it belongs, as if to say “Hey, this? This does NOT belong here. Are you going to put this up? Why would you leave this here? It SO does NOT go here.” We want her to get that out of her system for the stuff, before we come in with an actual baby.
She tried to help us put it together, but Clint kept telling her to “back-it-up.” And she obliged, by taking one step back and sitting, for a minute and then got back up to try and help. Lather, rinse, repeat. Nothing like having an audience for putting stuff together. Once in position, she seemed ok with it being there, but needed to see what was in it. She stood very close to the mesh and peered into the side of it. Then she took a position at the foot of the bed to see if she could look in from the top. She spent the next hour or so not leaving Clint’s side, and pouting. We told her she was not being replaced and that we were just adding on. As the day went on, she seemed to be much better.
Setting up the bassinet this early was supposed to be for the dog. But as we wrapped up the process, Clint said “This kind of makes it sink in, we’re having a baby.” I guess we’re all in a little bit of denial.
Belly Shot – Week 35
What? You thought I would remember/have the energy to actually give a weekly belly shot? HAHAHAHAHA.
The latest Belly Shot is on Flickr.
The latest Belly Shot is on Flickr.
Farewell Cletus
I will post some pictures tomorrow maybe...blogger's picture uploading thing isn't working. In the mean time, I did upload them to Flickr, so beware - they're not pretty.
This time, knowing what we knew from last time, we were on the look-out for a changed appointment time. Clinton’s scheduled appointment for Friday was at 1:30. We got a call on Wednesday – could we come at 2:30? Sure. We got another call at 5:02 on Thursday (on Clint’s work phone), could we come at 1:00? So, apparently when you schedule an appointment with this doctor, you’re really only picking a day, not a time.
We got there at 12:55, there was another person in the waiting room with her mom and then a flood of like 4 more patients came in. They scheduled everyone for 1:00. Doesn’t seem very efficient, but ok. So the girl and her mom get called back, and then Clinton gets called back.
They laid him out in the room and had him take his shirt off. The nurse wiped his back with antiseptic and then took a bar towel-like thing and cut a hole in it to lay over the cyst. She actually cut 2 holes instead of 1 and instead of trying again, wadded it up on the counter and left the room.
Clint fell asleep on the table a few times. We heard out in the hallway, the doctor telling someone to go to the hospital immediately. “Just go straight to the hospital.” “No, you need to go straight there.” That’s a little disconcerting.
The doctor came in at about 1:30 and asked if we had any questions. He knows how to fold a bar towel and successfully cut only 1 hole in the one he was working on. He told Clint he would feel a stick and some burning. He injected some lidocaine in various spots around the cyst. He admired that Clint didn’t even flinch for the stick. He waited a couple minutes for the lidocaine to take effect. The area got all weird and puffy – like cauliflower - and he started cutting. He said “Wow, that’s bigger than I thought it was.” And after hearing about someone else having gone in to have a cyst removed and it was the size of 2 golf balls, that was a little scary. But within about 30 seconds (and one trip to the other side of the table to cut a little further) the cyst was out. It looked like a gumball or a more round peanut M&M - after you suck all the color and flavor off of it and it’s white…about a ½ inch diameter. Kind of shiny.
Clint asked what caused it, and the Doctor tried to blame me “Too much fat in your diet, your wife is feeding you too well.” “Hey, he had that when I got him, so that’s his Mom!” “No, I’m kidding, they don’t really know what causes them, but it’s good to have it removed, because they get bigger and bigger and can get infected.”
The doctor stitched him up. He has 4 or 5 stitches total, one painful stitch off the end of the cut and we were out of there by 1:45. He goes back next week to have the stitches removed.
His incision is still hurting him today, but it looks better and better.
Hasta la vista, Cletus!
Before
After
This time, knowing what we knew from last time, we were on the look-out for a changed appointment time. Clinton’s scheduled appointment for Friday was at 1:30. We got a call on Wednesday – could we come at 2:30? Sure. We got another call at 5:02 on Thursday (on Clint’s work phone), could we come at 1:00? So, apparently when you schedule an appointment with this doctor, you’re really only picking a day, not a time.
We got there at 12:55, there was another person in the waiting room with her mom and then a flood of like 4 more patients came in. They scheduled everyone for 1:00. Doesn’t seem very efficient, but ok. So the girl and her mom get called back, and then Clinton gets called back.
They laid him out in the room and had him take his shirt off. The nurse wiped his back with antiseptic and then took a bar towel-like thing and cut a hole in it to lay over the cyst. She actually cut 2 holes instead of 1 and instead of trying again, wadded it up on the counter and left the room.
Clint fell asleep on the table a few times. We heard out in the hallway, the doctor telling someone to go to the hospital immediately. “Just go straight to the hospital.” “No, you need to go straight there.” That’s a little disconcerting.
The doctor came in at about 1:30 and asked if we had any questions. He knows how to fold a bar towel and successfully cut only 1 hole in the one he was working on. He told Clint he would feel a stick and some burning. He injected some lidocaine in various spots around the cyst. He admired that Clint didn’t even flinch for the stick. He waited a couple minutes for the lidocaine to take effect. The area got all weird and puffy – like cauliflower - and he started cutting. He said “Wow, that’s bigger than I thought it was.” And after hearing about someone else having gone in to have a cyst removed and it was the size of 2 golf balls, that was a little scary. But within about 30 seconds (and one trip to the other side of the table to cut a little further) the cyst was out. It looked like a gumball or a more round peanut M&M - after you suck all the color and flavor off of it and it’s white…about a ½ inch diameter. Kind of shiny.
Clint asked what caused it, and the Doctor tried to blame me “Too much fat in your diet, your wife is feeding you too well.” “Hey, he had that when I got him, so that’s his Mom!” “No, I’m kidding, they don’t really know what causes them, but it’s good to have it removed, because they get bigger and bigger and can get infected.”
The doctor stitched him up. He has 4 or 5 stitches total, one painful stitch off the end of the cut and we were out of there by 1:45. He goes back next week to have the stitches removed.
His incision is still hurting him today, but it looks better and better.
Hasta la vista, Cletus!
Before
After
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Enter Miserable, Stage Left.
Where did my weekend go? Oh that’s right – I managed to pile 10,000 things in one weekend, thereby creating the illusion of never actually getting a weekend.
My baby shower was great – I got to see a lot of people I hadn’t seen in quite a while. I brought my camera in and set it down and never touched it again…so I have no pictures. We now have a great store of diapers…I’m told the 1,325,458 diapers we got might last us a week!
And then…I got asked the question…“Are you miserable yet?” WHY HAVE I NOT LEARNED MY LESSON YET! When asked if I am experiencing something horrific, I say “Nope, not yet.” And within 2 days BOOM…there it is. So thanks to my big yapper – I am now miserable.
I am winded by climbing one flight of stairs. Not even the industrial flight at work – the one at home. So much so, that I don’t go upstairs if I can avoid it. I had to physically recover from going upstairs this morning because someone we know took her crate toy up to the guest bed to play with, and I can’t leave her in her crate all day without a toy. It took me twice as long as normal to walk in to my office from my truck today, and then about 20 minutes and a cool paper towel on my forehead to recover from that. It’s like I have the flu or something, but I don’t have a fever or congestion…just the fatigue. Up until this point I did not see the point of those “Expecting Mom” parking spaces – I do now and I will be taking full advantage of them.
At least I intend to take full advantage of them. As I pulled up to Krogers this afternoon, the expectant mom space was occupied, and I pulled around to try and find another close space and I saw the person getting into the car, and I thought I'd just whip around and get it on my next lap. I was beat by a man who parked there. I hope he has a really hard labor!
My baby shower was great – I got to see a lot of people I hadn’t seen in quite a while. I brought my camera in and set it down and never touched it again…so I have no pictures. We now have a great store of diapers…I’m told the 1,325,458 diapers we got might last us a week!
And then…I got asked the question…“Are you miserable yet?” WHY HAVE I NOT LEARNED MY LESSON YET! When asked if I am experiencing something horrific, I say “Nope, not yet.” And within 2 days BOOM…there it is. So thanks to my big yapper – I am now miserable.
I am winded by climbing one flight of stairs. Not even the industrial flight at work – the one at home. So much so, that I don’t go upstairs if I can avoid it. I had to physically recover from going upstairs this morning because someone we know took her crate toy up to the guest bed to play with, and I can’t leave her in her crate all day without a toy. It took me twice as long as normal to walk in to my office from my truck today, and then about 20 minutes and a cool paper towel on my forehead to recover from that. It’s like I have the flu or something, but I don’t have a fever or congestion…just the fatigue. Up until this point I did not see the point of those “Expecting Mom” parking spaces – I do now and I will be taking full advantage of them.
At least I intend to take full advantage of them. As I pulled up to Krogers this afternoon, the expectant mom space was occupied, and I pulled around to try and find another close space and I saw the person getting into the car, and I thought I'd just whip around and get it on my next lap. I was beat by a man who parked there. I hope he has a really hard labor!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Writer's Block
I know it's been longer than a week since my last post.
I write a lot of posts that never go up here. I write them, and I sit on them for a day or two. Sometimes I continue working on them, editing them and eventually I get to where I feel they are presentable and I post them. Or I pronounce them to be crap and don’t touch them again.
What it means for you is that you don’t have to read crappy posts about things you don’t care about, or maybe you miss out on the story where I spilled my pee down the sink at my last doctor’s visit. (I should be able to make that story funny, but it just doesn’t seem that funny when I read what I wrote.) What it also means for you is that you have a long time to wait between posts. Hopefully as I do this more I will get better at it.
I write a lot of posts that never go up here. I write them, and I sit on them for a day or two. Sometimes I continue working on them, editing them and eventually I get to where I feel they are presentable and I post them. Or I pronounce them to be crap and don’t touch them again.
What it means for you is that you don’t have to read crappy posts about things you don’t care about, or maybe you miss out on the story where I spilled my pee down the sink at my last doctor’s visit. (I should be able to make that story funny, but it just doesn’t seem that funny when I read what I wrote.) What it also means for you is that you have a long time to wait between posts. Hopefully as I do this more I will get better at it.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Showers, Showers, Everywhere.
Events that go smoothly do not good blogging fodder make. Not that I wanted it to go any other way. I had a great family baby shower this past Saturday. The food was great, and the company was great. I have uploaded pictures to Flickr. Unfortunately I only have pictures of Clinton and me opening presents – so if you happen to have attended and have any pictures of other people who were there, I’d like to get those and you can email them to me at the address in the sidebar (I will not publish them publicly unless given permission to do so.)
I have gone from a completely unprepared feeling, because we had nothing baby related to speak of, to feeling a little bit like a baby store puked in our living room. Seriously though, we got lots of good stuff, and I can honestly think of only 2-3 things I would go buy at this point, before he makes his first appearance – and with the gift cards, we did, in a way, get those things too. I am now looking more forward to having the crib painted so that I will have a place to put some of this stuff away. Oh, what’s that? A tropical disturbance in the gulf bringing lots and lots of rain all this week foiling any painting plans that might have been? Thanks, universe! Ahh, well – it will get done one day.
I have gone from a completely unprepared feeling, because we had nothing baby related to speak of, to feeling a little bit like a baby store puked in our living room. Seriously though, we got lots of good stuff, and I can honestly think of only 2-3 things I would go buy at this point, before he makes his first appearance – and with the gift cards, we did, in a way, get those things too. I am now looking more forward to having the crib painted so that I will have a place to put some of this stuff away. Oh, what’s that? A tropical disturbance in the gulf bringing lots and lots of rain all this week foiling any painting plans that might have been? Thanks, universe! Ahh, well – it will get done one day.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Belly Shot 30
(Blogger's uploading photo thing isn't working, so you'll have to click on the link and it will take you to Flickr)
Week 30.
I have roughly 2 months to go.
I also had to buy new pants this week. I guess the tags were pretty serious when they said they were good through the second trimester. And I don't suppose hiking your pants up every 10 minutes lest they fall off is a sign of a good fit.
We went to JC Penney's and got a pair of denim capris and a couple more work shirts for me, and then headed on to Motherhood Maternity. I'm not a huge fan of Motherhood Maternity - they seem kind of pricey. But since none of the other department stores in our mall carry maternity clothes I didn't have much of a choice.
Motherhood Maternity could use some doors for their fitting rooms, the heavy curtains they have seemed fine until a 3 or 4 year old of someone else's walked in on me...not once, not twice, but 4 times. Each time she came in I said "Excuse me!" Clint told her "You're in the wrong dressing room." And finally, what got her away from me was a stern "Seriously, go find your mother!" (Who was standing around out in the store eating ice cream.) At least I wasn't really exposed.
The good news is that now I have 2 more pair of pants that should last me through the end of this pregnancy, and I'm actually quite happy with the pair that has this on the bottom of one leg.
Week 30.
I have roughly 2 months to go.
I also had to buy new pants this week. I guess the tags were pretty serious when they said they were good through the second trimester. And I don't suppose hiking your pants up every 10 minutes lest they fall off is a sign of a good fit.
We went to JC Penney's and got a pair of denim capris and a couple more work shirts for me, and then headed on to Motherhood Maternity. I'm not a huge fan of Motherhood Maternity - they seem kind of pricey. But since none of the other department stores in our mall carry maternity clothes I didn't have much of a choice.
Motherhood Maternity could use some doors for their fitting rooms, the heavy curtains they have seemed fine until a 3 or 4 year old of someone else's walked in on me...not once, not twice, but 4 times. Each time she came in I said "Excuse me!" Clint told her "You're in the wrong dressing room." And finally, what got her away from me was a stern "Seriously, go find your mother!" (Who was standing around out in the store eating ice cream.) At least I wasn't really exposed.
The good news is that now I have 2 more pair of pants that should last me through the end of this pregnancy, and I'm actually quite happy with the pair that has this on the bottom of one leg.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Grosscola!
I had my 1-hour glucose tolerance test today.
There was a moment of freak out in the office after I peed in the cup. They didn't tell me what was going on, but they asked me what I had for lunch. There was much shuffling around of things and back and forth trips to the bathroom by the nurse and lab tech. I asked what was going on and they said their preliminary test strips said I might have a bladder infection so they were going to do a culture. If it was positive, they would call me, and if it wasn't, then they wouldn't. I said, "Huh, you'd have thought I would have felt that." Then they discovered that the next lady also had a bladder infection - with no symptoms. The strips had gone bad. No bladder infection for me. Yay!
I drank the Glucola - which tasted like Sunkist - with too much sugar in it. It's not something I would like to be able to buy in the grocery store or anything, but it really wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be. Clint's favorite nurse told me that the lab lady had given me the worst tasting of the two and that she wouldn't have done that to me. This was the first appointment I went to without him and she asked where he was.
The doctor filled out Clinton's paper work so that he can take sick time when the baby comes instead of vacation.
I confirmed our decision to use Dr. Gmoser for a pediatrician (I also have a call into his office to get that paperwork started.) She said she really liked that group, so that makes me feel even more confident in our decision.
I told her we were not going to do the cord blood registry and she said there is a program where we could donate the cord blood to MD Anderson, so we're going to do that. Actually, all along I wanted to donate it more than store it, so that we could help further the science, so that worked out perfectly.
She said she wanted us to take a Lamaze class, and that she didn't care which one or where, or even if we took it at the Woman's Hospital. We're still going to go with the Woman's Hospital one though, because they also give us a hospital tour, and I think that may be pretty beneficial.
She measured my belly...I can't remember that outcome. I heard the heartbeat. She felt around and determined him to be head down. I gave 2 tubes of blood to the lady who gave me the gross drink and I headed out the door.
I go back in 2 weeks.
There was a moment of freak out in the office after I peed in the cup. They didn't tell me what was going on, but they asked me what I had for lunch. There was much shuffling around of things and back and forth trips to the bathroom by the nurse and lab tech. I asked what was going on and they said their preliminary test strips said I might have a bladder infection so they were going to do a culture. If it was positive, they would call me, and if it wasn't, then they wouldn't. I said, "Huh, you'd have thought I would have felt that." Then they discovered that the next lady also had a bladder infection - with no symptoms. The strips had gone bad. No bladder infection for me. Yay!
I drank the Glucola - which tasted like Sunkist - with too much sugar in it. It's not something I would like to be able to buy in the grocery store or anything, but it really wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be. Clint's favorite nurse told me that the lab lady had given me the worst tasting of the two and that she wouldn't have done that to me. This was the first appointment I went to without him and she asked where he was.
The doctor filled out Clinton's paper work so that he can take sick time when the baby comes instead of vacation.
I confirmed our decision to use Dr. Gmoser for a pediatrician (I also have a call into his office to get that paperwork started.) She said she really liked that group, so that makes me feel even more confident in our decision.
I told her we were not going to do the cord blood registry and she said there is a program where we could donate the cord blood to MD Anderson, so we're going to do that. Actually, all along I wanted to donate it more than store it, so that we could help further the science, so that worked out perfectly.
She said she wanted us to take a Lamaze class, and that she didn't care which one or where, or even if we took it at the Woman's Hospital. We're still going to go with the Woman's Hospital one though, because they also give us a hospital tour, and I think that may be pretty beneficial.
She measured my belly...I can't remember that outcome. I heard the heartbeat. She felt around and determined him to be head down. I gave 2 tubes of blood to the lady who gave me the gross drink and I headed out the door.
I go back in 2 weeks.
Tomato Soup from Scratch
Yes, I realize they make tomato soup you can open the can and pour in the pot and warm up, or tear open the envelope and mix with water and boil. But as an experiment, I thought I'd try to make tomato soup from scratch.
Using a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for Fresh Tomato Soup. I left out the few dashes of hot pepper sauce (because I didn't have any), and I traded basil for parsley.
Before:
During:
After: (I didn't take a picture of the whole finished product, because I forgot, but this is what was left over.)
Verdict: It's thicker than we're used to, but has a good flavor, next time I'm going to seed the tomatoes and possibly add a little more water.
Using a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for Fresh Tomato Soup. I left out the few dashes of hot pepper sauce (because I didn't have any), and I traded basil for parsley.
Before:
During:
After: (I didn't take a picture of the whole finished product, because I forgot, but this is what was left over.)
Verdict: It's thicker than we're used to, but has a good flavor, next time I'm going to seed the tomatoes and possibly add a little more water.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Belly Shot 29
One of the things a lot of preggo bloggers seem to do is post a weekly pic of their belly. I took one at 17 weeks, and then promptly vetoed that idea completely. However, I am now 29 weeks along and I can actually say I feel like I look pregnant and not just chubby. I would say I don't mind the picture, but i think you can tell from the look on my face, that I'm not completely thrilled by the whole idea. At any rate, here we go.
Week 29 Belly Shot
Monday, July 10, 2006
Nothing Happens For a Reason
On Friday we went to have Cletus removed. I didn’t really mean to name it Cletus. It was merely a suggestion of the type of name I was looking for. I figured he’d been hanging out for 12 years, so he kind of deserved a name. Clint has been referring to his cyst as Cletus ever since.
Cletus didn’t really bother anyone but Clint’s mother and me. At least he didn’t up until this past year and he started rubbing Clint the wrong way. I can’t really be sure whether he was getting bigger or not, although Clint claims he probably was – because now he got irritated by clothing – which he never did before. Anyway – suffice it to say – it’s a happy good-bye.
Or....it would have been. His appointment was for 1:45 and we got there early - cause I have pregnancy mush brain and lost the appointment card and couldn't remember if it was 1:15 or 1:45. Anyway, we walk in and the place is empty. Apparently, the doctor had decided to change all his appointments to the morning and the staff, rather than calling the home number, called Clint's work number. At 5:15pm, the day before the appointment...when he had left at 5:00, not to return. And then they called again at 11:02am, saying they wanted to make his appointment for 11:00...So Clint's mad. Cletus got a 6 week reprieve due to other issues with our next 2 off Fridays. And Cletus will now be departing on August 18th. I have the before pictures, but I'll save that for the before and after when I have an after.
Cletus didn’t really bother anyone but Clint’s mother and me. At least he didn’t up until this past year and he started rubbing Clint the wrong way. I can’t really be sure whether he was getting bigger or not, although Clint claims he probably was – because now he got irritated by clothing – which he never did before. Anyway – suffice it to say – it’s a happy good-bye.
Or....it would have been. His appointment was for 1:45 and we got there early - cause I have pregnancy mush brain and lost the appointment card and couldn't remember if it was 1:15 or 1:45. Anyway, we walk in and the place is empty. Apparently, the doctor had decided to change all his appointments to the morning and the staff, rather than calling the home number, called Clint's work number. At 5:15pm, the day before the appointment...when he had left at 5:00, not to return. And then they called again at 11:02am, saying they wanted to make his appointment for 11:00...So Clint's mad. Cletus got a 6 week reprieve due to other issues with our next 2 off Fridays. And Cletus will now be departing on August 18th. I have the before pictures, but I'll save that for the before and after when I have an after.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Parents of the Grand Variety
I wrote a post about Clint’s grandfather before he passed, but I never posted it. It didn’t feel right. It felt like a goodbye letter to him, and that if I posted it I was giving up on him. I never gave up on him. He was one of the most loving people I have ever met. The very first day he met me and every time he saw me from that day on, he always had a kiss and a hug for me.
During our visits to his house, in the days preceding and just after his passing, there were piles and piles of paper to go through. Stacks of Father’s day cards from past years, Thank You notes, Christmas and Birthday cards, computer printouts of jokes, some one-liners he’d written down so he could remember them. One of the things Jody handed to me was a poem. It’s a poem that I’ve read before, entitle Dash. I have copied the first 2 stanzas here – and it gives you an idea of what it’s about, for the full text, click here.
The Dash (1998)
(Original copyright 1996)
by Linda Ellis
I read of a reverend who stood to speak
at the funeral of his friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.
Jim Alton Wood had a very eventful dash. I don’t know a lot of these stories, and I just found out a few in the days since his passing. I had no idea that he was on the USS Yorktown (CV-5) when it was going down. That’s a giant piece of history right there. He tried to record some of his stories for us, so that we would have some of that history.
I only came to know him in the past 9 years, and I will never forget him. His actions spoke louder than his words. He was active in his church, he never said a mean word about anyone, and in general was a very good man. Clinton and I had hoped that Landon would get to know him, and he’d have same the influence he had over Clinton. Though, I have no doubt in my mind that he is in heaven watching over.
He will be missed.
Jim Alton Wood (January 1, 1923 - June 21, 2006)
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