O, Baby!

I thought I would write this all down while it's fresh....

I went to my OB on my due date and she said that I hadn't really had any progress and scheduled me to be induced a week later. But she also said she'd be surprised if I made it all the way there without going into labor! She was right... as soon as I left her office I began feeling more intense contractions. We walked around the mall that night and by the time we got home they were definitely getting regular and stronger. I was still sort of in denial though. I timed them for about two hours before calling my mom and getting her opinion about when I should get to the hospital. She said wait an hour. I waited 45 minutes. Well I didn't really wait so much as clean my room and sweep the floor and think of a million other things I wanted to get done before leaving. Finally we left at 12:45 am for the hospital. We got there at a little after 1 am and got into a triage room. Turns out I was only dilated to a 2 or 3 and they couldn't admit me till I was a 4. We hung out in the triage room and watched tv for 2 hours... still no change... But then I had a big contraction and literally felt a pop and my water broke. The nurses said this was my ticket in, whether I was a 4 or not. Thank goodness. 

They asked me if I wanted an epidural... I smiled and nodded. It was an hour before they had a labor room ready for me, but once I was there, they put the catheter in my back.... ahhh... my feet went numb, my legs... then there was no pain at all, just my belly tightening every 2 minutes. I did have a drop in blood pressure that scared me a bit.. they had to give me some ephedrine... but I expected it. I have naturally low blood pressure and I faint when people talk about medical procedures so its nothing new. They also  gave me some pitocin around 6 am because I still wasn't dilated beyond a 3 or 4.  

I was fine but I couldn't sleep like I wanted to, and just kept shaking all over with nervousness and hormones(the shaking had started when I was in triage) but I stopped shaking as soon as Adam started reading "O, Pioneers"- which by the way is a beautiful book. I guess it took my mind of things. My mom got there at 7 am and took over reading... Adam fell asleep. We just sat and read and talked like that until about 10:30 am when it was time to push! 

4 contractions later (about 15 min) and she was out. The dubious nurse who looked at me with concern when I said I hadn't taken any birthing classes whatsoever... would remark later that she wished every delivery was that easy and would I please come back when I had another baby. I think what really helped was using my diaphragm to breathe in just like I had been taught in choir and then it was only a matter of really pushing in the right way- not down on my own chest but in my abdomen. Also, they said not to let my breath out when I pushed but I was a lot better at it when I hummed as I pushed and didn't hold it in completely. 

Anyways, baby girl's birth was pretty awesome. She was 8 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches. I was really faint afterwards from blood loss but the hospital had really good food and I had a beautiful baby and just concentrated on that. I stayed the whole 48 hours at the hospital... and ordered like, 10 chocolate chip cookies. 

Now she and I are chillin- we are getting the hang of each other I think. She still prefers Adam to calm her to sleep instead of me but I think that's just cause I smell like food and she and I have similar feelings about eating. And well, Adam always has calm energy whereas I can be kind of frenetic. He is so great to help me out all night long but I worry that he wont' be getting enough sleep to do his schoolwork. We'll see, I guess! 

My family and Adam's parents have been amazing the last few days... our fridge has never, ever been this full, even when I was packing food for 10 girls at camp this summer. My mom rubs my back on demand and my Dad, who is scared of holding newborns, finally held her last night and wouldn't give her up for an hour. Don't get me wrong, its not all peaches and cream... once every day and every night she has a 1 to 2 hour long drama session and I still can't walk quite like I used to, and I only sleep 1-2 hours in a row, but that's small stuff. 

Goodbye Netflix.. Hello Brünnhilde?

WE DITCHED THE INSTANT PLAY... AGAIN

We did it before but it didn't stick. This time... we'll see. No sooner did I turn on the regular TV for the first time since the Olympics were on (so I would have something to watch while knitting) than I spotted a crazy looking dude being eaten by a very fake looking bear while another dude with long blonde locks mocks him through song. Ye-ah buddy! I quickly switched over to the internet and found out it was part of the 4-opera Ring Cycle by Wagner (you know; Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit!). I am only maybe a 2 out of 5 championships when it comes to my actual, direct experience with fine arts.  When I talk to people, I act like I'm a 4 out of 5.  I need this in my life. The point is... what's the point? I guess the point is that I am glad I turned off my Netflix. Bring it on, PBS. Bring... it... on. 

DID I MENTION I KNIT NOW?

So I took Adam to the Tempe Public Library to get cards and show him around (which turned out to be futile because they remodeled the whole place) and I got a book called "getting started knitting". On Tuesday, I went to Michael's and got knitting needles and yarn and was feeling quite nice. By Wednesday afternoon I was about to burn the book and stick my knitting needles through my brain. But maybe 20 hours after that, I had a breakthrough! Now I can do THIS: (drumroll)

who made that tiny bit of a scarf? That's right. Me. I don't know why there's a hole in it and the little scraggly bits at the end are probably something to worry about... but I'm just going to ignore the flaws and keep going till I know how to hide them better (just like life!). 

NO, OF COURSE NOT.

Is the answer to the obvious question. My due date is Tuesday. Bets anyone? If you say "two weeks from now" I will punch you in the face. Oh and update on Roofie- still alive but we've discovered the enemy's point of entry and are collecting supplies for the next assault. 

THE DIAMONDBACKS LOST ANOTHER ONE.

Every time Adam has gone to see a game in person, they lose. He thinks he's a curse. My friend got a bunch of us baseball tickets on "college night" and drove up from Tucson. We rode the light rail to downtown P-town which was an experience... I think there were more giants fans on the train than diamondbacks fans. When we met up with our friends we had a great time just chatting it up (and sometimes watching baseball). The best thing that happened? Fireworks!!! Yay! My favorite sport to watch in person is still hockey though.. and not because I know anything about hockey... I just like the fights and the patronizing jeers (like, "Its ok #45, you've still got that *insert liberal arts subject* major to fall back on. Good for you."). Speaking of which, now that we finally found our old camera, I have my IceCats pictures from back in January!

 We miss you friends...

Let's DO THIS THING!

WAS LABOR DAY REALLY JUST LAST WEEK? 

Time really isn't flying at all.  I hate that there aren't like, definite  ways to know just when you're going to go into labor. IT is FRUSTRATING. I wasn't even thinking about having the baby at all until I went to my obgyn on Tuesday and she said I was 70% effaced and 1 cm dilated.  Yay? That means.. nothing. Someone who is less far along than I am could still deliver before me. But it still got me thinking about actually delivering. Pregnancy takes a long time, people. I have been pregnant for what feels like my whole life.  Let's do this already!

WE FOUND A SONORAN HOT DOG PLACE

Micky's Hot Dogs on Broadway and MacDonald is tiny, cash-only, and in Mesa. Three strikes. The verdict though? Definitely a suitable substitute for El Guero Canelo. Not better. Not the same. But it satisfied the withdrawl.

ROOFIE LIVES
We saw the evidence yesterday. Apparently roof rats are very cautious of new things and smells and it could take a week for our house guest to take the bait.

ADAM HAD A BIRTHDAY
I didn't get him anything. This is the best gift of all because then he feels justified in buying himself what he really wants. He imagines that every time he buys something, I am somehow secretly annoyed or judging him. Now he can be like, "that jerk wife of mine didn't even get me a present this year! I am gonna get what I want! Take that, you cold fishwife!".  That's what true love is: occasionally indulging the irrational. So. What did he really want this year? A pocket knife and a fixed-gear bike.  He was so excited to have the bike that he rode it as soon as he got home, and then rode it again at like 10:45 pm because he was too excited to sleep. Mission accomplished.

That's Pinteresting....

NOT EVERYTHING ON PINTEREST IS AWESOME

So this oatmeal looks really good right?  I made it in the crock pot and it smelled like heaven 

it tasted like mush. Even the granny smith apples somehow took on the taste of mush. Because it was on pinterest it should have tasted good. That is what my brain tells me. But humankind has fallen for these pitfalls since the dawn of time. Examples, you ask? Gladly. "I know its true because it was on TV" or more specifically, "Its TRUE! It was on PBS!" or even more specifically, "Its TRUE. I KNOW IT IS BECAUSE CAPTAIN PICARD SAID SO". Don't believe the lies, America. 

WE HAVE A ROOF RAT.

I'm pretty sure (if you dont' know what a roof rat is, you've clearly never lived in metro Phoenix. They live in your attic and eat the unpicked fruit off your trees). Every week or so, we wake up to a little pile of weird dusty junk underneath the AC vent in the kitchen. Adam said "there might be something alive up there knocking it down". I was in denial. Well this last time the junk on the counter showed up, there was definitely rat "presents" in it. As much as I enjoy small pets *sarcastic eye flutter* I think we're going to have to set some traps in the attic. Till' we go to the Home Despot to get some, Roofie can keep on enjoying the bounty of figs in the backyard in ignorance. This image comes courtesy of the City of Tempe's roof rat jihad website.  

ADAM STARTED OT SCHOOL

He loves it so far. Apparently, it's like elementary school because you have the same 30 people in class all day and you eat together and everything. Oh and our student loans came through so I'm in debt for the first time in my life. Feels so good......

I VISITED TUCSON

On the wrong night... The party I meant to go to got moved to another date but, probably due to the fact that I turned off almost all notifications on facebook, i didn't notice. It was still bomb though. We had a little mini-party at a friend's house and I got my toes painted and had some quality girl-talk. In the morning, I got to go for a walk along the Rillito and went to Frank's/Francisco's for breakfast (Tucson's only split-personality themed restaurant: http://franksrestaurant.com/). It was lovely. I definitely consider it more like visiting family than friends down there.

 

Time to get crack-a-lackin'!

SO WE MOVED

This whole year has been a pretty crazy run to the finish line- the finish line being the end of our life in Tucson and the beginning of, well, a lot! A year ago I had just started my job with the school district knowing that it would only be for one year because we were definitely moving to wherever Adam got into OT school come summer.  I didn't know where we were going to end up, I didn't know that when we DID move I would be 7 months pregnant. I also had no idea that I would finally know what I've been craving to know since I started college; that I am actually good at something I feel is worth-while. More than good. I'm pretty great. I hope everyone gets to experience that in their lives. Tucson was good to me. 

Goodbye...

the good:

the bad:

might as well admit the ugly:

THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES

Only 3 1/2 weeks till baby girl's due date.  Her room isn't completely ready, but it's getting there! 

ADAM STARTS SCHOOL TOMORROW

He and I had kind of a lazy week (after a few weeks of really hard work, trying to get our house all settled) and it feels good to finally be starting up routines again.  I will miss getting to spend so much time with him though. 

One of my favorite things that Adam does is he will recount to me the entire plot of a classic novel when we are in the car or just sitting around (below is his new "reading" chair he found at goodwill). I am serious. Its like having an abridged audiobook on.  

  

One of my least favorite things that Adam does? He listens to baseball on the radio. Ugh. 

I dont' know who this guy is but I hate him. 

"Rodrigo McDillypuddy steps up to the plate and let me go on for 5 minutes about something while the players are busy doing absolutely nothing at all because its BASEBALL and nothing EVER HAPPENS IN BASEBALL... ok now something happened and I'm using my annoyingly nasal voice to describe it and ok now back to pretentiously quoting statistics at you for another 10 minutes..." 

day off

1. I TOOK THE DAY OFF

It has been AIMS week and at the middle school that means no therapy... and our office being used as a testing room. So... it was either sit and stare at the wall all day or take a sick day.  I took the sick day and went home and hung out with Adam until he had class at 3.  Then I watched "Sarah's Key" which was sad but beautiful. 

2. ADAM's WEIRD QUESTIONS:

My husband is a deep thinker. Very deep. Check out this profound question he came up with today: "In other countries, do they eat the green tops of the strawberries along with the berry part? I mean, are we just spoiled westerners? I bet it doesn't bother some people to just pop the whole thing in your mouth"  I told him to eat one with the top on and see how it tasted. He ate part of one. He said it tasted like a leaf. In a snobby english accent, I said, "tonight our salad consists of strawberry tops, mango leaves, and pecan shells". 

Delicious.

Sorry if that was a boring story. 

3. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'M HAVING RIGHT...NOW....

I just think that when I find out if its a boy or a girl that it will actually hit me that I have a baby in there. Right now I just sort of feel fat. 

4. I LIKE LEARNING RANDOM THINGS

this week in randomness, I was looking at map of canada and noticed a lake that was almost a perfect outline of a circle. Turns out the lake is called Lake Manicouagan and is known as the "eye of quebec" and is a perfect circle because it was formed by a meteor impact. Its actually a reservoir- not a natural lake, but its pretty darn awesome.  

I love geography. 

5. THERE WASN't REALLY ANY POINT TO THIS BLOG ENTRY.

oh well.

type b?

Weekends are lovely things, but today I slept in until 10:37 without even realizing it. I did wake up a few times in the morning and thought, "maybe I should get up and not be a bum". If I had looked at the time I probably would have gotten out of bed and taken my thyroid pill and done something completely unproductive until Adam woke up.  I did all those things in that order, but I did them at 10:37 and that is just too late to be sleeping in.  

My little sister was in town the past few days. I admit I spent most of the time admiring her 1 1/2 year-old, my darling nephew.  He is extremely entertaining. Also very cute.  Alright alright, I enjoyed having my sister there too. Nanners as-i-like-to-call-her and I are very different in a lot of ways but we get along splendidly and are very close.  I would say she's very type A about most things whereas I am very not-type-A about most things. For example, I missed classes regularly in college. In fact, I only went to my gen-ed Classics class five whole times. Nanners would have a heart attack if she missed a class. literally. 

When we were kids, we were either two peas in a pod or tearing each-others' hair out. I guess that's how great relationships are formed, right? 

I am staying up late, hoping that this weekend will somehow just keep going right into monday...