Author Archives: terraluft

About terraluft

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Writer; wife, mother, survivor, and impulsive bitch rarely capable of saying no. Fueled by coffee, yoga and sarcasm. (She/Her)
January 19, 2010

An emotional rollercoaster – week 36

By terraluft

This post is dedicated to one of my closest friends who “almost died” this week and her amazing baby girl who was born Tuesday at 28 weeks. There is nothing more sobering than watching someone you love go through something shocking and life-threatening. I was always supposed to be the first to go through labor and delivery and we were having a blast going through pregnancy together. (Of course, she missed out on all the yuck of late pregnancy… maybe she’s really the lucky one?) Both girls are doing good and baby is a fighter and will join her Mom and Dad at home in a few short months… when she was supposed to be born. Most of my week was spent worrying about them and visiting them at the hospital. Can I say that the NICU is an amazing place? People who choose that as a vocation are amazing people! After the shock wore off and both of them were out of the woods, I stopped talking about how ready I am. I just want a healthy baby and a labor and delivery without any complications for me or for baby. (I did get pre-registered at the hospital while we were visiting… but that’s just being practical since I was there anyway!)

Saturday was my baby shower given by my amazing cousins and cousins-in-law. It was a great afternoon and I got most of the remaining necessities to welcome baby when she arrives. Even more, I got fun and cute stuff that makes me excited and I got to spend time with friends and family. Sunday Daddy and I went on a major cleaning jag and deep cleaned the entire house together. Something I wasn’t really feeling up to but when Daddy wants to help and cleaning is the activity, you just don’t say NO! It was nice to get my spring cleaning done in the dead of winter and then we enjoyed a fun dinner with extended family we haven’t seen in a long time that night.

Nothing new to report… still the same complaints of late pregnancy. But my much-anticipated doctor appointment where we get hard data on whether things are progressing looms ever closer and I can’t wait! I have plans with backup plans on moving things along at my own pace (like pre-natal massage and herbal remedies, etc.) but I’m really just hoping for nature to be taking it’s course already! We shall see! Regardless, the end game is near! I’m freaked out about labor and delivery but want to be at the finish line probably more…

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January 12, 2010

I’m ready!! Week 35

By terraluft

I am so done being pregnant. I not only feel like a beached whale attempting to get up from chairs and couches, I kind of resemble a turtle stuck on its back. You know, poor pathetic legs kicking and just can’t get up. Yep, that’s me! I’ve been reduced to ONE pair of shoes because they are the only pair I can slip on and even my maternity clothes are getting tight. Heartburn is now my almost constant companion, coming and going all day whether I ate a big meal or not. Eating is an exercise in futility because my stomach is so scrunched that it can hold about 7 bites before I feel like I’m stuffed to the gills. Of course then I am hungry again in an hour which is super duper fun! Let’s not mention how often I have to visit the bathroom to relieve my equally-squished bladder. And, I can barely walk at a snail pace. It literally took me 15 minutes to walk into work from my car the other day. A trip that used to take me 5. Yep, this is me, ready to be done. So, any day now, Baby. Come on out!! As things get squished in there for her, my body feels less like my own than ever. You can see my belly twisting into oddly pointy shapes where limbs are stretching and baby is rolling around. Pretty much stuff right out of Aliens – you know, with Sigorney Weaver? Just as long as she comes out the ‘normal’ way and not ripping through my abdomen like it feels like sometimes we’ll be good.

This week was marked with a doctor’s appointment. One in which I THOUGHT I would get ‘checked’ to determine if things were happening in the dilation and thinning department. I happily bounced in only to find out that, once again, I have got it all wrong and had jumped the gun. That doesn’t happen until the NEXT visit scheduled for the 19th. Are ya kidding me? Everything is going smoothly with five weeks to go (three if I have my way and get a repeat performance from my first go-round!). I’m supposed to start taking things easy and slowing down but I’m still writing and trying to keep up with all the things going on in my life including a full time job. Hey, I get to bed before 11:45 these days which is better than it used to be with my ‘normal’ 1 AM target so no one can say I’m not following doctor’s orders, right?

I did some major nesting this week. I got all the blankets, sheets and burp clothes I kept from big sister and all the new clothes and blankets washed and put away in baby’s room. We have a box of diapers and a big can of formula all ready to go in case she shows up earlier than even I expect. We got a membership to Sam’s Club to keep us in said diapers and formula more affordably. And, I ordered the car seat/stroller travel system online which should arrive in the next 2-3 days. I pampered myself, too, this week with a trip to the spa for some ear candling (my new favorite thing!), a new cut and color with my new fabulous stylist, and a girl’s night out for sushi with my girls from the book club/writing group. All in all it was a productive and fun week. If the next three go by this fast, I will have nothing at all to complain about! Well… haha. The big milestone I learned for the week is that most doctors consider 35 weeks full term and even if she was born now there would be very few complications. Such a great milestone to pass!

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January 6, 2010

Happy New Year – week 34

By terraluft

New Year’s was very very different for me this year. On New Year’s Eve, instead of appropriate libations, I drank sparkling cider (an entire bottle my myself I might add) and was the designated driver. It isn’t like I have been able to indulge for months and it shouldn’t have been a big deal but this was the first New Year’s Eve since turning legal age that I didn’t ring in the new with a toast and it kind of sucked. The party wasn’t as fun without alcohol (what party is, right?) and I got tired early but I spent it with friends from work who had kids for big sister to play with and still had a good time. Different, but still fun. New Year’s Day was our annual family sledding trip with my siblings and cousins and their families and that wasn’t as fun either. It is much colder when you are just standing or sitting around and not actually sledding and hiking back up the hill. I thought seriously about just riding one of the tubes down nice and gently just once but knowing my luck that would be the time someone came down the cross hill and crashed into me or something else as equally as weird. Besides, while I thought there was a good chance I could get DOWN onto the tube, I knew there was little chance I could get back up once at the bottom of the hill. I resemble a beached whale just trying to get off the couch these days so I didn’t press my luck. It was still fun to spend the day with loved ones. Different, but still fun.

This week marked the first of what turns out will be three baby showers planned on my behalf. My girls from the old job at the bank all came over on Saturday to shower me with gifts and hang out. Seeing new things ready for the new addition was fun and they totally spoiled me with things from my registry. Turns out they are planning one at the current job for the next couple of weeks and a couple of my cousins are planning an open house for family and friends later in the month. Both of which just came to light in the last week.

Over the long weekend we also packed away all the Christmas decorations and brought up all the baby boxes from the basement storage so I can start sorting and washing and storing away in preparation for baby. Before we know it, she’ll be here ready to change our lives. I seriously do NOT want to be pregnant in February so hopefully it will only be about another 4 weeks to go! We’ll know more at next week’s doctor’s appointment where the fun of getting checked commences.

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December 28, 2009

Merry Christmas – week 33

By terraluft

I can’t believe Christmas has come and gone already. Hubby’s birthday is the 23rd of December and this year was marked with a doctor’s appointment. All is well with nothing new to report. I was wrong, thinking we would now be starting on the weekly appointments but I guess I remember how things go much differently than the reality. I still have every-two-week appointments until mid January. My doctor tried to prepare me with the fact that just because I went into labor all on my own with big sister two weeks before my due date doesn’t necessary mean I will do that again. I’ve been thinking all this time that even though I’m due on Feb 13th that I most likely won’t even be pregnant in February. I am trying to prepare myself for the possibility but we all know how much I am NOT a patient person, right?

This week marked a very huge milestone for us – we have a baby room! First the art supplies were removed and the dresser put in place. Today, the desk and computer were removed and there’s only baby stuff in there now. I got all the new clothes put into the dresser drawers and breathed a sigh of relief that now I really am ready. Who cares if there aren’t cute matching curtains – or even a curtain rod – hanging at the windows, and that there isn’t anything on the walls or even the crib set up. At least we have a place to house all the baby items, a place to change the baby and thanks to ‘Santa’, a new glider rocker to rock the baby in. This week’s agenda has me focused on getting all the baby items I saved out of storage so I can wash and put them away. I know I have 5 boxes but what exactly I kept is still a mystery.

I feel like I grow several inches in girth every day and I am starting to waddle – as much as I hate to admit it even to myself. I know most of this is all in my head because I still have only gained 16 lbs total for the entire pregnancy. Having practically no room for my stomach to hold a ‘normal’ size meal helped me to not overeat for the holiday. I’m hoping I didn’t gain more than a pound or so between doctor appointments when I go back in a week and a half. I still am sleeping well minus the multiple trips to the bathroom during the night. At least I can sleep well between visits and I know that makes me one of the lucky ones. I’ve been fairly sleep deprived the week leading up to Christmas with last minute family gatherings and wrapping activities after big sister finally would go to bed. I’m looking forward to the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s to get caught up on my sleep. I’m starting to feel like it really is the home stretch and wonder where all the time has gone.

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December 21, 2009

Progress is made… week 32

By terraluft

Not much to report for this week.  Baby continues to grow and I find myself out of breath with very little effort and I get heartburn if I eat a normal-sized meal since there’s not much room for my stomach to share with my uterus.  So, I’m eating more often and much less at a time and keeping it at bay.  I have all but abandoned thoughts of wearing shoes that tie unless someone else is around to tie them for me and pretty soon I’ll have to have help getting my own socks on at this rate!  Movement from the baby is no longer an interesting or even awe-inspired time for me, now it is bordering on the painful most often.  I swear she’s in there trying to stretch out instead of just remaining confined to her little space.  Sometimes she kicks me so hard it takes my breath away!  She’s still a fiesty one, my little bun in the oven!

I took time this week among all the Christmas shopping and wrapping to update and pretty much finalize my baby registry online.  It is weird for me to even go through the motions of registering and talking with friends and family about baby showers since I always thought it was tasteless for people who have already had a baby to have a second baby shower.  It’s like having another wedding shower 40 years later just because you renewed your vows, or so I thought until it had been eight years and I have very little to welcome this new baby with.  All the people willing to give me gifts are now much appreciated!  I took a trip to my parent’s house to pick up the bassinet and make sure the crib was still in functional shape after lending it to my brother to use when one of my nieces was born.  I found a treasure trove of things I thought I’d gotten rid of years ago just hanging out in storage which made me pretty overjoyed.  I spent this week cleaning up the bassinet – luckily they come apart and are washable!  And it is now setup in the master bedroom ready for baby to arrive.  The hubby is still moving at a snail’s pace in clearing out the art supplies from baby’s room but I think seeing the bassinet all ready and waiting gave him a dose of reality check.  Or at least I hope so! 

Christmas and New Year’s are around the corner and then it really will be the end game.  I am in my 33rd week which means that about three weeks from now I could be having this baby and she’d have all sorts of chances of having zero issues.  Hell, in four weeks she’d be the same gestational age big sister was when she was born.  I probably should think about packing a hospital bag but somehow it seems too early.  Murphy’s Law pretty much guarantees I will go into labor before I’m packed regardless of when I do it so I’m just going to wait until after the holidays.  I have the first of my weekly doctor appointments later this week which really makes things real for me! 

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December 13, 2009

Back on track for the end game – week 31

By terraluft

This was a great week for good news in the pregnancy department!  First, I am not as bad off as I thought in the eating department and my blood sugar levels have been maintained with very little effort.  (If only my poor Mom could say the same thing!)  This week was my first of the every-two-week variety of doctor’s appointments and included a follow-up ultrasound to check on some of the questionable issues from the first one.  I am happy to report that the placenta is high enough for baby to get past for a normal exit strategy and unless there are complications on the day of her birth there is not a c-section in sight for me.  Also, my cervix is still normal so no bed rest or even significant slowing down required.  Even Daddy got to go with me this time and get a glimpse of baby on the ultrasound.  We took yet another opportunity to verify that we are still having a girl and what a difference 11 weeks makes since the last glimpse of the “girl parts”.  Before it was like decyphering cryptograms to figure out what the gender is, now she is developed enough it looks like porn and I feel like I’m breaking all sorts of rules just lookin’! 

After a couple of sleepless nights with nightmares about early delivery before the baby has an actual place to sleep or put her things (added to the multiple bathroom breaks already going on!) I stepped up the nagging about getting furniture moved with Daddy.  We’ll see if I have to call in the cavalry in the form of my brothers and my Dad in the next week or so…  Daddy wouldn’t be happy with other people touching his stuff which is why we are such a perfectly matched pair of folks who don’t share well.  I officially gave up my graveyard on-call shifts for the January schedule and had a severe reality check when I realized my last Saturday shift for the month might be the time I am having this baby.  So crazy to think it is that close!  Maybe that is really the explanation for all the furious nesting I am compelled to do?

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December 7, 2009

NaNoWriMo 2009 Recap – I did it!

By terraluft
What an amazing month November was as a new milestone in writing for me and what a difference a year makes!  I first participated last year in this annual quest to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.  2008 was also a miserable failure where I think I chalked up a total of about 3,000 words before throwing in the towel.  This year I not only participated, I won with my final validated total of 50,105 words on November 30th.  My so-very-supportive writing group helped me celebrate Saturday and it was such a great debriefing.  What were the differences this year?  Only things that when you list them out would seem like cons to winning.  Last year we went on a 10-day vacation where I took my laptop and even have proof I wrote while on the beach in California.  This year, I worked all month at my full-time job, dealt with all the craziness of ‘normal’ life shuttling my daughter to dance and playing single mom 3 nights a week while hubby works.  And on top of it all, I’m 8 months pregnant!
So what do I chalk up as my secret for winning?
First, the last year was a very emotional rollercoaster of a learning experience.  I had just started being serious about writing a novel last year before beginning NaNoWriMo.  Since then, I’ve written and tossed out 15,000 words of a first draft that I had gone about writing completely wrong.  I’ve read books and educated myself on the how-to’s of actually being a writer.  And in that process figured out I was going about it all wrong.  The first draft is all about telling the story and it isn’t for anyone but the writer to ever read.  Then you edit and then you let people critique because by then their critique cannot get you off-track or send you and your characters down a path you as a writer didn’t envision.  It is one thing to just write and let your characters tell you the story, it is quite another to have no real sense of where your story is going and let others point you in what they think is the right direction.  And, as I found out, the first draft is supposed to suck!  That’s why there are so many editing stages! 
Second, I set my mind to doing it and committed myself to doing it right and finishing.  I applied my scientific mind to the task and analytically – as is my nature – dissected the month into workable chunks of requirements.  The first week I vowed to just write everyday with no limitations just to get into the habit and get into the groove.  I averaged about 600 words a day once I got started that first week.  The first weekend, I had found a voice for my story and it had started to come alive.  And remember the 15,000 words I had tossed?  Well, now I’d come to the point where the original story line fit into the current manuscript.  Of course they were written like shit (I can say that, they were my words!) and so I merely re-wrote the scenes and the material but didn’t have to think too hard about what came next.  This was where I broke through and really knew I could do this thing because I was chalking up daily word counts over 2000 words and coming close to being on track based on the daily 1667 words, if written every day of the month, would get me there. 
Third, I got a push of needed competition from a fellow writer.  One of my writer friends who also needed a push on her manuscript but wasn’t participating in NaNoWriMo asked if I wanted to get a friendly competition going.  This is her personal way of pushing past blocks and I thought, ‘what the hell, I am going to do this anyway, I might as well have someone on the journey with me’.  So, we started checking in everyday to see where were both were.  She’d been at her current project for about 6 months and already had more words written than I did but I quickly caught up and eventually overtook her that last week.  I know it helped me to stick with it knowing if I wasn’t the first one in the morning to check in, she’d be there expecting me to tell her what I’d done and of course I wanted to look good and have something impressive to share which kept me motivated. 
It came down to the final days and hours of that last weekend before the Monday night deadline at midnight where I didn’t think I was going to make it.  I had writing go out the window a couple of times that previous week and going into the weekend I was still looking at needing 10,000 more words before Monday night.  My big plans to get all caught up over the weekend only halfway came through and with only one day left I still needed 4200+ words.  When I realized I had unthinkingly committed to a birthday party the night of my deadline, I thought all was lost.  But, I cut the evening short, tucked my daughter into bed earlier than normal (but really her bedtime) and had three hours before the deadline to do the impossible.  I let my character rant and rave and count to one hundred (starting in the twenties because then each number counted for two words) and all the other tips and tricks I had come across along the way to boost my word count and focused not on quality but merely on quantity.  And with thirteen minutes left before the deadline I uploaded my manuscript to the validation tool and was confirmed as a winner.  I even got choked up a bit sitting at my kitchen table – all alone and wanting to shout from the rooftops but unable since I’d wake the neighbors.   
Is the first draft done?  Not yet.  Did I have to go back and edit that last big push to get myself back on track after my marathon three hours of suckage leading up to the deadline?  You bet your ass.  Did I take a couple of days off to rest?  Oh yes and man was it nice.  Am I back to writing every day?  Pretty much – I’m thinking I’ll be six-days a week kind of a writer from here until it is finished.  Will I do it again?  Most definitely!  Do I recommend NaNoWriMo?  Whole-heartedly yes!  It was the best thing I have ever done and now I know I have it in me and the writing world should take me serious because I can deliver!
Here’s to finishing the first draft by the end of the year and embarking on the next step of the long journey to being published.  Bottom line, I am an author and for the first time ever, I am taking myself serious about that title!  And I would be a complete bitch if I didn’t acknowledge the sacrifice my family made in supporting me through this crazy month.  My hubby who was always supportive of me not doing normal things with him so I could write, and my daughter who even started to ask “are you writing, Mommy?” before she’d interrupt me.  Without that unconditional support I wouldn’t have been successful no matter the rest!

1 Comment | posted in Events, Writing

December 7, 2009

Diabetes sucks – week 30

By terraluft

Diabetes sucks so thank god I don’t have it!  My follow-up blood tests came back normal but because my levels had been high at least once, my doctor ordered me to go for some diabetes education which I did early last week.  In addition to finding out the ‘how’ of eating to maintain balanced glucose levels, I inherited a glucometer in order to monitor my levels. Considering the strong history of diabetes in my gene pool (both Mom and Dad have it plus fraternal Grandma and Grandpa – yikes!) I was very interested in gathering data.  Many of my obsessive (and sometimes irritating to others) habits in the last couple of years are direct results from my vow to never get this awful condition.  I spent a few days testing my sugar every few hours and gathering data – us problem-solvers by nature LOVE data!  Now that I am armed with education and seeing how the food choices I make actually correspond to my blood sugar levels, I am feeling less worried about what is happening to baby and confident I can maintain the normal levels I’ve had the last week of monitoring.  With the education, I am now also armed with how I can still eat in moderation some of the things I am craving without it impacting baby in any way.  She should be happy about that, too!

The amount of time I have left is starting to get real for me.  I had some friends over on Saturday and everyone was asking to see the baby room.  Yeah, the baby room has not been transformed one ounce and it kind of hit me.  We haven’t even gotten the bassinet we are intending to use out of storage at my parent’s house yet.  If I went into labor early (which is the new worry of this stage of the game) we would be scrambling to even have a place for the poor darling to sleep.  So now I am trying to find time to put up Christmas decorations AND clear out the room designated for baby so it can be transformed.

My baby bump is ginormous and baby is constantly moving.  It is fun to interact with her and start thinking about the kind of baby she will be.  Will she be as well-behaved as her big sister who was so easy and slept through the night after 4 weeks?  I sure hope so since the alternative makes me tired just thinking about it.  I went down to our storage room and found a super nice surprise – 5 boxes of baby stuff I had packed away and we had moved 3 times without discarding.  It is surprising to me that they ended up sticking around out of nostalgia – since that was the only reason to keep them because we said we were done having kids really – especially since Daddy is not a packrat and tends to throw things out even when we might someday need them.  I guess subconsciously we both knew we weren’t done having babies?  I have tons of blankets and burp cloths and even still have a monitor and some bottles.  It was like finding treasure in the back yard and now I will have even more things to put away once the baby room IS a baby room.

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November 27, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving! Two more down, 10 (or 8) to go – weeks 28 & 29

By terraluft

The last two weeks have been very crazy! Big Sister danced at an NBA game for halftime last week and between rehearsals and the performance we were barely home. I found it very difficult to walk from the arena to dinner and was super grateful for an understanding sister-in-law who offered to pack around half of my crap and eat somewhere based on location rather than offerings. It is, indeed, the little things that count and I wonder if she even knew how much it touched me…

Last weekend saw the first big step complete on the way to baby having a room of her own. Big Sister got her room re-done and re-organized with her new dresser. She is super happy and now the baby’s dresser is actually in what will be her room. This weekend is scheduled for furniture moving to move the computer desk and art supplies downstairs. I think the hubby had a huge dose of reality on how quickly this pregnancy is flying by when I informed him I was now at the stage where I go to see the doctor every two weeks instead of every four.

This week was Thanksgiving and we ended up doing something completely different this year – we went OUT. Meaning I didn’t stress about menu planning for weeks ahead of time or food assignments based on an ever-changing guest list from the extended family. I didn’t obsessively coordinate with my sister (who is worse than me when it comes to OCD and entertaining) about who was coming, where we were all going to sit, etc. I didn’t rearrange the furniture in my home to accommodate seating for 25+ people or have to set a table with china and all the trimmings the day before. I didn’t get up at the crack of dawn to slave over the oven and stove in order to have everything ready by the time guests arrived with enough time left over to at least pull a brush through my hair and hope I looked presentable. In other words, it was blissfully relaxing! Someone else cooked, someone else cleaned up, someone else did dishes. And, we still got to spend the day with family and ended up with the entire extended family for pie in the evening. It was exactly what I needed to keep myself rested and in the best health I can be for my little one. Hopefully it will become a new tradition because I could sure get used to being pampered on Thanksgiving and focusing only on spending time with loved ones.

I have been spending all of my free time working on my writing and I have 40,000 words and about 107 pages of my first draft to show for it. I’m entering the final stretch of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which ends at midnight Monday with a manageable 10,000 words left to write in order to “win”. It is amazing how much fun I am having participating this year and even have a little friendly competition going with one of my writing group buddies which helps keep both of us motivated. (Today I am finally winning!)

Last week was my regular doctor visit and the dreaded blood glucose screening. This is a dreadful ritual where you must drink a syrupy sweet orange flavored concoction, wait an hour and then have your blood drawn to see how well you tolerate glucose. Well, mine came back slightly higher than the normal range. Oh, and on top of that, I’m a touch anemic (probably because even pregnant I have an aversion to meat and rarely touch the stuff). So, this week came with more blood tests and now we wait for the results. I’ll most likely be put on a restricted diet similar to those of a diabetic for the remaining weeks until she is born which means no more donuts for her or HFCS. (Poor baby who makes her mommy crave these things!) I’m scheduled for a follow-up ultrasound at the next appointment to evaluate my low-lying placenta and “on the shortest side of normal” cervix. Findings from this new ultrasound will tell me if I will be on any form of modified activity or bed-rest due to my cervix and whether I can expect a c-section delivery or not based on the location of the placenta. I’m hoping all will show normal with both and I can continue with no changes. I am really looking forward to getting another glimpse of baby now that she is all developed and just filling out waiting for the big day of her arrival.

Almost overnight, I can no longer bend over to pick things up off the ground, can barely tie my own shoes or put pants on, and have a hard time getting into the car AND reaching over to pull the door shut. It doesn’t seem like I’m almost 8 months pregnant but that’s what I will be next week. Hopefully I will be done in eight more weeks since I only went to 38 weeks with my first but 10 at the most isn’t too bad of a booby prize either. Seems like just yesterday I was counting the weeks until I was out of the dreaded first trimester at 12 weeks but here we are officially heading into the final stretches. With the holidays upon us, I know these last two months will fly by even faster! Baby is active all the time, kicking and squirming and flipping somersaults – enough activity that people can see it on the outside and more and more get to actually feel her. I can’t wait to see if she is as feisty outside of the womb as she is on the inside.

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November 17, 2009

Baby’s room, writing and other random thoughts – week 27

By terraluft

Wow, what a week!! My first leg cramp – a very painful charlie horse – woke me up in the wee hours of one morning and I thought I was going to die. Ok, maybe that’s a little melodramatic, but it really hurt! I walk with a noticeable sway now… not quite a waddle yet but we’re surely getting there. The baby is very active and, for those patient enough to sit with their hands pressed to my bump, she will get over her shyness and move. Well, at least for Grandma and big sister it has happened. Another memorable highlight was my fabulous find of a pair of comfortable maternity jeans. FINALLY! I’ll probably wear them out in the last 2 or three months that I have let because they are so great. Like angels singing and rays of light shining down on me when I put them on great. Seriously!

This was the last week before officially heading into the 3rd trimester and I guess you could say I have started the nesting process which at our house means a domino effect of activity that starts nowhere near the actual baby’s room. First, a new set of bookshelves for the master bedroom so I can organize some of my inner sanctuary (ie. books) that are currently taking up the extra space in there (and driving hubby nuts). Theoretically this was not a necessary step but it was something for me and because it also benefits hubby, I went with it! Next the exercise bike will be banished to the basement from the master bedroom so the bassinet will have a spot in the corner. Then we move on to big sister’s room since she is currently the owner of the dresser that matches the crib since it was hers to begin with. We acquired a new dresser for her – a tall chest of drawers that will hold more than her current one and which she is so excited for. But first, we must de-junk her room (or at least that’s what I’ve told her is the first requirement because it is a disaster in there!). We spent part of the past weekend organizing and getting rid of things and made a dent but are far from done. Once we get the new dresser out of the living room and into big sister’s room, the baby dresser will go (let’s be honest for a minute) into the living room while we move the computer desk and painting easel’s and supplies from what is currently the office/art room to their new locations in the basement. Then the dresser and crib for baby’s room can be setup and curtains acquired and hung, etc. The fact that 1) we have a definite plan and 2) we have started the plan toward getting the baby’s room done is great progress for us so I’m celebrating! I stressed so much about it in the beginning and now I remember that big sister’s room wasn’t done until after she was born since we knew she’d be sleeping in the bassinet with us for the first few months anyway. Minimum requirement is the dresser/changing table setup in her room and a place to rock during feeding time. Piece of cake at this rate!

The best part of the week was spent feverishly writing and my word count for the month is now hovering just below 25,000 words. I made a deal with myself that if I got half done before the 15th so I could slack off for a few days and read this month’s selection for the book club and still get my 50K by the end of the month I could read. Now, I’ve gotten so far along in my manuscript that I find myself not wanting to stop to read someone else’s work and I only have two days to finish the book. I will force myself because it is a book I really want to read but I’ll be kicking and screaming and mind wandering back to my own characters the entire time I fear.

No doctor’s appointments or other noteworthy events this week other than our first home visit as part of the National Children’s Study baby and I are participants in. 3 1/2 hours at our house and what felt like millions of questions and samples later, I’m officially helping make a difference in finding the cause of autism and other childhood diseases for the next 21 years. People are still panicking about the swine flu everywhere here and I think it is silly. Even the CDC person I heard interviewed on NPR said (and I paraphrase) that yes, it is different than the seasonal flu because it hits younger kids more often that older people but that it was just another strain of the flu. If you always get a flu shot, get one but if not (like me) and you never get the flu then there’s probably not much to worry about. I laugh about the hysteria the “mainstream” news sources seem to thrive on inciting and how many people buy into it. (My soapbox for the week, I guess!) Oh, and hubby is now on Facebook – aka the mother of all time wasters – after months of bitching to me about how much time I waste and how he would never join. He spent “Football Sunday” glued to it and I laughed… and tried not to actually say the words “I told you” outloud.

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November 7, 2009

Taking time for myself – week 26

By terraluft

This was a pretty quiet week as far as pregnancy goes. Life in general was exciting and full of things going on but not much of it had anything to do with the bun in the oven. The hubby and I celebrated our 15th year of marriage with an evening out just the two of us. It was nice to get out and forget about being parents for a while and just enjoy one another. It was also the first week of NaNoWriMo (otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month) so all of my free time – what there is of it – was spent writing. I’m behind in my word count if I want to do the minimum each day and get to the required 50,000 words to “win” the event but considering everything else I have going on with a full time job and keeping up with a very involved 8 year old, I can’t help but be proud of my current 4500 words in less than a week. The best thing is it is all new material and better than I thought I had it in me to write. Of course it is only a first draft and even when finished not fit to be read without at least one edit, but it is a fossil that I’m excavating out of my subconscious bit by juicy bit. If I accomplish all I want to, I’ll ‘win’ NaNoWriMo with 50,000 words and then finish up the first draft by the time the baby is born in late January/early February. Then I’ll take a break to adjust to a newborn again and pick it up for an edit around the same time I go back to work. I love the creativity and the big dreaming – an indulgence I rarely take for myself as I grind away at day to day life.

As far as the baby news is concerned, things have been extremely quiet compared to the previous couple of weeks. I had a bout of heartburn that made me have to sleep on the couch – what a pain in the ass that was – but a few hours later I was able to lie down again comfortably. The weather was unseasonably warm this week and I got out walking a couple of afternoons at work and a couple of mornings before work with the dog. I don’t remember being this active when I was pregnant the first time and I think it is why I have so few complaints this time around. Not to mention that I’m keeping the weight gain under control which makes me very happy. No doctor visits or new complaints this week either. Just an uneventful week of fetus development. Here’s to at least a couple more weeks like this before we head into the final stretch.

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November 1, 2009

In other news…

By terraluft

Today is November 1st…  The official start of National Novel Writing Month!  Yes, I’m embarking on the journey again this year.  “Pregnancy will not slow me down” is my mantra!  No vacations on the menu for me, no hosting of Thanksgiving dinner, nothing to distract from the process for the entire month.  A year of toying with my writing style and learning (and re-learning) the rules of grammar later, I feel much more equipped than last year.  I’m tossing the current version of my novel and starting over because, if I’m being honest, it is crap and can’t be used for anything other than a learning exercise or a rough draft at best.  This is the year, I can feel it!!

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November 1, 2009

Just say no to H1N1 and the return of uncomfortable things – weeks 23 thru 25

By terraluft

The last three weeks have been an eye opener for me. I have been thoroughly enjoying my second trimester which I realized recently has been flying by so fast it is pretty much over already. I had been feeling so great I didn’t see some things catching up with me until they were staring me in the face – and laughing maniacally!

First, I know this is the mark where if I had been allowed to be running I’m sure I would have to be stopping because I physically can’t do the same things I could just a week or two ago. I’ve kept myself pretty active – I walk 3-4 times a week – and have only gained 9 lbs so far for my efforts. About a week ago I was leaving work and by the time I walked down 6 flights of steps and out the door to walk to my car, I was aching and out of breath. WTF?! I hoped it was a fluke – maybe I was a bit dehydrated or something? – but every day it is the same thing. Even my backpack with my laptop seems heavier lately and my mind goes over ways I can lighten my load. Maybe I don’t need to carry a purse AND a backpack to work every day? What a drag… Second, I don’t have the energy to keep up with all aspects of my life anymore. I haven’t slowed down in the Mom department or the work department and last week the keeping up with my 8-year old and her dance schedule on top of my work schedule with graveyard and swing shifts on call from home really took a toll. By the time Thursday night rolled around I was ready for bed at 8pm. Me, the ultimate night owl! Third, the aches and pains and discomfort of my body as it grows huge to accommodate this baby I’m carrying are starting to annoy me. I feel like I’m back in my first 12 weeks again and always needing to sit on the couch with my feet up except it isn’t because I’m exhausted but because my legs hurt and my back hurts and even sitting there I can’t get comfortable. Even my sleeping has been impacted. I’ve had to start the pillow dance at night in order to be comfortable. What is the pillow dance? It is the weirdness of propping pillows between your legs and under your belly and snuggling with them like a lover in order to find just the right sleep position. If it sounds like a drag, you’re right, it is. But, it is worth it to be able to sleep all night. And fourth, there’s the bladder bothers. Having to wake up in the middle of the night at least once for a bathroom visit is now the norm. And during the day is even worse with visits becoming more and more frequent. I know that will only get worse as things progress but man is it ever so annoying!

The baby bump is still growing and I look my 6 1/2 months along just as much as I’m feeling it. She is still a feisty baby who likes to kick my innards at all hours of the day and night. The funny thing is, the minute I voice that she is kicking and anyone around me touches my belly to try to feel her, she stops. How can she be my kid and be that bashful? I’ve started to employ this to my benefit and when I want a break from her acrobatics I call her sister over to touch my belly. It works like a charm every time!

Last week was a routine doctor visit. Everything looks good – baby sounds great and my ultrasound results are as good as the sonographer indicated. The placenta is a little low and I’ll have to have a follow-up ultrasound in a couple of months to make sure as things grow there’s enough room for her to squeeze by on her way out. If not, there’s a C-section in my future but I’m hoping that isn’t happening. My doc said we’d just have to take a look and see in a couple of months to make sure and was pretty calm about it so I’m staying positive.

The insane (and in my opinion unnecessary) panic and pandemonium about the H1N1 Swine Flu caught up with me twice in the last two weeks. I have said before, I am a healthy girl and I never get the flu – except those two years about 10 years ago when I got flu shots! – and I do not ever get flu shots. This year was no different for me and I’m not giving into the panic and craziness about the newest strain of flu that is getting so much attention. Yes, the swine flu is a nasty flu and yes it kills people but that is no different than the “regular” flu every year. I discussed it with my doctor at my visit and of course he gave me the party line that it is recommended for me to get it because I’m in one of the risk categories. I respectfully declined and I’m sure he wasn’t too happy with me but I’m not going to get scared just because we are now collecting different statistics in order to scare larger pieces of the population. I work in healthcare and I know for a fact that we’ve never collected statistics on flu specific to pregnant women. With H1N1, now they are and I had those statistics thrown at me at the doctor’s office. I asked what the stats were for pregnant women and the regular seasonal flu and he couldn’t answer. Sorry, not compelling enough for me. Especially when I read on the CDC website that there are insane things like mercury and formaldehyde in the vaccine. Sorry, I don’t ever want those things injected in my body for any reason! This last week our company got a limited number of vaccines from the Health Dept and they were only being offered to pregnant employees. Another respectful decline, thanks. It amazes me how easy it is to incite panic in the masses and how trusting people are. Maybe it is my cynical nature but I’m not ever going to be ok taking something that has been so fast-tracked on the way to market that the safety factor is based solely on the history of the companies making it and not on the actual manufacture process itself. “It is assumed to be just as safe as the regular seasonal flu shot” isn’t good enough for this doubting girl! Just say No!

All in all, things are progressing nice and quick and holy shit I’m almost in my 3rd trimester! Where did all the time go? Better get my ass in gear and get working on getting the nursery put together or she’ll be here and we won’t be ready for her!

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