Elizabeth - 3 Weeks Old

As you may well imagine, I haven't blogged since our baby girl came home. Still trying to figure out how to best use my spare moments and prioritize. Here's how life is breaking down for now:
1. Sleep
2a. Food for baby and related outputs
2b. Food for mom
2c. Food for dog
3. Laundry
4. Everything else (which includes blogging and posting pictures I'm sorry to say :)

But really, this isn't a complaint. I'm loving every minute of it (minus that latching on part). I have the most beautiful and intelligent baby girl on the planet and I get to say she's mine. I'm on cloud nine. It has helped immensely that she is a very easy baby, thus far anyway. She only cries when she has something wrong and stops when it is remedied. She is sleeping through the night except for her one, middle of the night feeding. I am SO lucky and grateful that she's taken it easy on me - I suppose I should be concerned that the karma could change when she's a teenager because parent has to pay some dues at some point.

10 Days Late Update

This is getting serious. The OB said this baby is likely upwards of 9 pounds. This is NOT what I had in mind. I'm going to have to birth a toddler. She better come out singing her ABCs. But she's otherwise happy and healthy in there. The NST was perfect. Her fluid levels are good. There is technically no hurry, but are you kidding me!

So I did go to another acupuncture appointment. I have to say, I started contracting more intensely after my treatment yesterday afternoon. Lasted through the night, but has pretty much stalled this morning, typical. Probably going to have to wait until this evening again to see if my uterus wants to play ball or not. In the mean time, I'm back to hunting down a new child care provider as my "perfect" gal has flaked. Awesome - so glad the 6 references I checked on her paid off. Anyway, went and saw 5 daycares yesterday. 2 more today. Just looking for what will work best for all of us and doesn't cost the same as our mortgage.

Really, all is well. The sun is out. We're all happy (relatively) and healthy and eager. Thanks for all your thoughts and emails-

The Interminably Pregnant

What's it mean when the Baby Due Date Clock poops out?

A full one week late and no signs that anything is brewing. Also, an ominous sign - the Baby Due Date clock I bought when I found out we were pregnant died. No more clock, just a blank, sad little digital screen. Guess it was tired of waiting too :)

With that, I decided to take matters into my own hands and I scheduled an acupuncture appointment with an acupuncturist who specializes in fertility and women's health (read "able to charge more" :) She spent a whole hour and 45 minutes placing needles, heating them, putting low voltage electricity to them, I dunno what else, but let's just say that it's now been 18 hours and no baby. I have another appointment scheduled for Thursday. She even put me at the end of her schedule to ensure she'd have enough time to spend to really "get things going." Evidently my chi needs some work.

Otherwise still feeling fine. Sleeping okay, but my bladder is shrinking by the minute. Samba and I enjoy relaxing around the house as most of the work is done - just still doing little projects which I think are the things normal people do, but having been living in a construction zone - just having to clean the bathroom and sort through old magazines is a luxury.

Oh and is it raining! It is truly Oregon like around here. It has been raining non-stop for the last 4 days (spoken like a Californian eh?). Yesterday we got 1.3" alone which for around here means drains flooding and people either driving 40 or 80 on the freeway, neither really safe. We are also so grateful we got our new roof on this past spring before this winter as we would have been putting out some buckets in the living room otherwise.

Well, I'm prattling on at this point. Will keep things posted when I can. Hopefully I will be preoccupied with other things soon!
SJ

3 Days Late Update

Hey Everyone!
I'm still pregnant! I did have an OB appointment on the 11th which showed that all is well, but there's little evidence that she's all that eager to make an appearance. So, we wait. Technically, my statistical due date is next Tuesday or Wednesday the 17th or 18th, so I'm crossing my fingers for then, (first time mom's usually deliver around 41 weeks). I have another OB appointment scheduled for Wednesday as well and that's about it.

Otherwise, I feel ok. By that I mean huge, plodding, achy, and heavy. Super hard to turn in bed at night particularly with the not so comfortable, yet evidently unproductive contractions wake me up. I am still getting around pretty well. Walking the dog, running errands: the bank, the grocery store, deciding all of a sudden that I need new storage containers for my flour and sugar, a few extra cans of dog food, to exchange something at Babies 'R Us and then to pick something new up there as well. I manage to fill my days with random activities and baking in my new oven, Yum!

Will be sure to keep you all posted. I appreciate the emails and phone calls and apologize if I don't get back to everyone, but do love hearing from you all,

The Interminably Pregnant Suzanne

The "Due" Date

Today is Baby J's due date and she's thus far not interested in joining us. Although, I have been contracting a little more frequently than my usual. (For those of you how don't know, I've been contracting since 22 weeks, so it's old hat by now.) I want to thank many of you for your sweet emails and phone calls. Evidently many thought I would have delivered by now and I was holding out hope for yesterday, the 9th, which was a full moon, but to no avail. She's happy where's she's at. Can't blame her. It's been a little chilly these past few days down here. Perhaps she's waiting for a warmer, sunny day :)

I'm holding up well. Able to sleep through the night which is a real gift (except for one or two pee breaks - not bad all said). I'm still able to go about running errands and continuing to get the house organized. It's almost there. My kitchen is fabulous. Having lived 4 months without it, I'm in hog heaven and baking up a storm. Even made muffins before Justin left for work yesterday (ok, it was a mix - I'm not a total Suzy Homemaker).

My next OB appointment is Wednesday. We'll see what she says. She'll check my progress and if nothing has happened by Friday, I'll go have a non-stress test which basically means I go sit on a monitor for half an hour while they watch the baby's heart rate to make sure she is happy where she's at. Then we'll go from there. The average first time mom doesn't deliver until 41.2 weeks, so having not delivered yet is really to be expected albeit mildly disappointing.

Hope all is well with everyone. Keep in touch and I'll keep you posted as well!
SJ

Nursery Pic #2 with Samba

Nursery Pic #1

There are window blinds too, but they're out being cleaned. Due back Friday, only 2 days late.

The New Kitchen Sans Range (a very long story)

Belly with Kitchen

39 Weeks

Okay, I'm a bad little blogger. Totally skipped over last week. I know, I'm on maternity leave, so what possible excuse do I have??? Well I'll offer a few, but the sum of it is, is I think it unlikely anyone wants to hear anymore about housework which is what my days are consumed with. The good news: our kitchen is DONE. My range is being delivered tomorrow morning and that is it folks. Finito. Finally!

On the baby front - had an appointment on Wednesday and everything looks perfect. She's measuring right on schedule. She's already dropped into proper position and now it's just a matter of time. I'm hoping for sooner than later as I enjoy frequent nerve pains down my butt or legs, can't turn in bed, and can't be active for more than a hour or two at a time without absolutely having to sit down and relax for another hour just to recuperate. Not how I like to operate! I have things to do! But all said, I really can't complain all that much. I hear some women are down right miserable at this point. I can't say I'm miserable, just inconvenienced.

Not much else new to share. I have another appointment with the midwife on Wednesday, if I'm not in labor before then . . . we shall see.

Happy SuperBowl to everyone!
SJ

This past weekend in South Lake Tahoe

Last Day at Work

Preggie Pic at 8.5 months, Thanks Rio!

37 Weeks = Term!

We are officially term. No more possible premie for this little one, and do I believe it. I think I'm getting bigger my the hour. Entirely possible as she's theoretically gaining an ounce a day. Seeing as I have 23 days until she's "due", that means another pound and a half of baby to carry around - and then have to push out . . . . So, yeah, I'm not nervous about that or anything. Feeling pretty good overall. Just really big and awkward. Mornings are much better for me than evenings so I try to get most active things accomplished by 1 or 2. Yesterday, I even took a nap. What a luxury!

Good news on the nursery and kitchen front. The kitchen should be done by middle of next week. What a relief. Will start putting back some things into the upper cabinets today and also start on cleaning up the dust that has settled into every nook and cranny in the front of the house. Daunting task, but must be done! Also, the nursery now looks like a nursery. Jen and Seth were kind enough to assemble my changing table for me, and Justin and I put together the crib this weekend (see pic at left). Looking very cute and almost usable. Another week and I should have it all ship shape. I am SO thankful I don't have to be at work!

Lots of love,
SJ

9 Months!!!!

Can't even believe it's here. 9 months of pregnancy has passed and she could come any day, altho I see from the poll, many think I still have a few more weeks of waddling in my future. We shall see. I just had my 36 week appointment on Wednesday and everything looks perfect. We even got a glimpse of her little face on ultrasound and saw that even tho she looks on the small side - around 5 pounds or so, she already has chubby cheeks. If she's anything like her mother, she doesn't miss any meals either :)

I'm feeling pretty good overall. I get pretty tired in the evenings. I also kind of alternate a really active, energetic day with the next day feeling fatigued - or like today, unable to sleep after 3:30 in the morning, so might as well blog! But no bother. Now that I'm on pre-maternity leave, I can take a nap if I need, which is GREAT. Thank you FMLA and the State of California!

On the home front. Our kitchen should be done in the next few days so I can try and put it back together and functional (minus a stove which isn't available until Feb 1 - don't ask, long story). The nursery is about half done. Justin and I will be putting the crib together this week and then it will officially look like a baby's room.

That's the news for now. I'll be posting some pictures here shortly. I got my new laptop over Christmas and I'm still figuring everything out, but pix are on the way.

Lots of love-
SJ

35 Weeks

I'm thrilled to be 35 weeks. Now if she were born, she'd no longer be an automatic NICU candidate. We are just 2 weeks from being considered term and 5 weeks from the due date. Getting closer! I'm regularly stunned at how time has flown. After all, my last day at work is on Friday! I have plenty to keep me occupied at home, getting settled into our kitchen which should be finishing up in the next week or two. Also, the nursery is started - painted a calming shade of green with a dresser and bookshelf. The crib is still needing assembly and I just learned the changing table was supposed to arrive today, so that makes me very happy to have it finally coming together.

Not much else new to report. New Year's was unremarkable. Since I was fortunate enough to have both Thanksgiving and Christmas off, I worked New Year's and New Year's day. Justin had company shut down last week, so he was home eating Bon Bons and watching soaps, yeah right, he was working on the house. I continue to get bigger and bigger, now at almost an exponential rate. I look like I swallowed a basketball!

Happy New Year to Everyone!
SJ