UGH

Well, we're almost 2 weeks in, and so far, we're hanging in there! We were more prepared this time (there are no illusions left when you already have a child and know how much work a newborn is) but still, you'd think we'd never done this before by the cluelessness we evidence on a regular basis.

Last night was a BAD NIGHT (i.e. Mike and I taking turns at 3:30 am trying to calm her, already having been up for nearly 2 hours), and this morning, luckily (see "cluelessness," supra) I put two and two together and realized that Anne and I have thrush.

Huh, her tongue is white.

Why do my nipples hurt still hurt so bad when she latches on?

Goodness gracious, she's inconsolable tonight and acting out of sorts.

What's that white patch at the top of her mouth?

Ooohhhh. Right. Thrush.

So, this morning we were off to our third visit to the pediatrician in less than a week. Then I had to call my ob/gyn for an antibiotic for myself, and then we were off to the pharmacy. Hopefully, we'll extinguish this thing quickly. I remember it well now from Hank, and yeast can be very, very hard to get rid of.

YUCK.

I've been home for a week...

...with precious little Anne. I do still feel out of sorts (I'm such a routine-oriented person, and as you all know, there is little hope for a routine with a newborn) but this has been a great week. Having my wonderful husband home has been such an enormous blessing. I'm hoping that by time Hank finishes school at the end of June, I'll feel more at ease with my summer-long stay-at-home gig. I think that's a realistic goal.

And, last night, we actually had a very good night. :) Anne went to sleep around 10 pm, and woke at 1:30 am and 3:30 am to nurse, and was up for the morning at 6:30 am. She did crank one additonal time, and quickly put herself back to sleep. For a one week old, that's a VERY good night. I'll take it. I know every night won't be like that, but I'll take them when I can get them. I feel much more rested today.

The keys seem to be swaddling (that Happiest Baby on the Block stuff? It WORKS. If you're expecting a baby, you simply must watch this video. :) I did browse the book, but it was really wordy for me. The video is concise, to the point, and educational), and for Anne, sleeping in her own cozy bassinette.

I was thinking a lot this week about the "one week anniversaries" that came and went. Anne being born, me being in the hospital, me coming home from the hospital...See a theme here? My postpartum baby blues are very much tied to a longing for the support of the nurses in the hospital. It's kind of freakish, really. It's just so, so reassuring to know that if you need anything, a kindly woman chock full of experience is just a button press away. I always look out the rear view mirror kind of sadly as we pull away from the hospital. I think to myself "do they realize that we really have no idea what we're doing?" It's very humbling. :)

This time, as well, I have a bit of a "life after the big event" thing going on. Anne's birth was just an incredible experience. Of course, Henry's was too, just in a different way. That was the birth of my first child, an event I'll never forget, and I loved seeing his little face held up for the first time. This time, my actual birth experience went exactly as I'd hoped it would. It was a challenge for myself that I was able to meet, and the emotional high afterwards was exhilerating. I'm a little sad that it's all over. :)

On the other hand, there is no doubt about it, I *am* glad to have labor and delivery behind me, and to be healing. Healing means that I can go back to some of the things that I enjoy so much, like dancing and running. And I'll be able to enjoy my children to the fullest.

All things considered, it's been a very good week. I'm truly finding happiness in the little things. Walks with my husband and the baby, enjoying some time watching whatever I want on tv while I nurse Anne (Frasier on Hallmark Channel is a huge favorite right now), reading good books.

It's a 3 day weekend, and I hope that everyone enjoys it. Talk to you again on Tuesday!

The things that go on in the night...

Did I say yesterday that Anne gets up about 3 times per night? That would be 4 or 5 times. :) The sleeplessness is making me lose basic math skills. But I'm hanging in there. And at least this time, I know how quickly this stage passes. I keep telling myself that it's not that much worse than the sleepless nights of late pregnancy. All told, I'm probably up a comparable amount.

Because Anne prefers her bassinette to our bed, I sleep much more deeply between her wakings. This is mostly good, but I am much more disoriented when she wakes me. The other night, I heard a baby crying in my dream. Oh right, that's not a dream, that would be my current life. :) But wait! How can the baby be crying from next to the bed when I have her in my arms? Oh. That's not Anne. That's Muffin, the stuffed dog I sleep with to tuck under my arm. He sleeps through the night just fine.

While in the hospital, and up much, much more than I am now, I saw all kinds of interesting infomercials that play throughout all hours of the night. My favorite was for "Pajama Jeans" (pronounced "pa-jah-ma jeans") the comfortable slip on pants that look just like real designer jeans! All yours for just $39.95. There is also a revolutionary new cat litter insert on the market, designed specifically to scoop up the poo for you when you pull on this mesh that hangs over the edge. Or, those pant cuff clips so that you can wear your pants with either flats or heels? You can double your order for free if you call now.

Lately, the night feedings are a bit of a haze, but I think I'm going to invest in a book light so that I can read while I feed her. I will say that she falls back to sleep beautifully when I nurse her in the night and transfers to her bassinette like a dream. You would have thought we'd detonated a bomb in the bedroom when we tried to put Henry in his bassinette 5 and a half years ago. So, we're just doing the best we can with it.

Anne was at the pediatrician this morning, and she's not only surpassed her birth weight, she weighs a whole pound more than when she left the hospital. So, she's thriving. :)

As for me, I'm definitely still in that bluesy place of mourning my pre-postpartum life, but I'm doing so, so much better than after Henry's birth. I understand this time that having the baby blues does not mean that there is anything abnormal or wrong with me, or that I am a "bad mother." It's a physiological reaction that has nothing to do with me personally. It's the postpartum hormone changes wrecking havoc with my emotional state. And it's temporary. And I can mitigate it, which I've been taking steps to do this time. These first couple of weeks are the toughest part, and already I'm over 1 week in. I hope to start dancing again (at home) next week, and return to class within 4-5 weeks. I've been out walking and getting fresh air, which has been doing me a world of good.

Somehow, it's going to be ok. And I won't be able to remember my life without Anne in it. We'll get there. Every day, I feel a tad bit better.

All about Anne...

I thought I'd post a quick new picture, and a post devoted just to Anne. At her one week birthday (*sob*) she's doing very well. I can tell that she's grown already! She's a very good baby. She has typical newborn sleep habits (ah, well :) ) but is just a delight. We're all still getting used to each other, but we're all very happy. She's super cute, and very lively. I can't wait to see how her little personality develops as she gets bigger. I can't wait to share my future with her. It's just wonderful.

The sleep issue is tough, but we're hanging in there. I'm handling it a lot better this time, because I knew what to expect. Currently, I'm reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, by Tracy Hogg, and I have to say, it's kind of awesome. This time, I feel so much more prepared for what is involved in parenting a newborn (a very, very tough job) and thus I knew that I know very little. :) I love the tips in this book, about reading the baby's cues. She devotes a lot of time to "nighttime parenting" and seeing it that way has really helped me. It's not just about desperately trying to get a good night's rest; it's about temporarily providing for your baby's needs during some difficult hours. I borrowed a copy from the library, but I'm contemplating getting my own, I like it so much. I'm sensing that I'm "reading" Anne better than I did Henry, and so even though I'm still struggling with the baby blues thing, I don't feel nearly so bad as I did the last time.

I have to shake off a malaise each day, it's true, but overall I feel like I'm winning the war. Last time, the dark cloud hung over my head for months and months. Having Mike home has been *wonderful*. I don't know what I'd do without him. My vocation as his wife is truly a blessing.

It's true that each baby is so much different from another. Hank really preferred our bed, and we co-slept for several months so that we could all get some sleep. He was a champion side-lying nurser. Anne, not so much. She prefers her bassinette, and gets all gassy from the side-lying position. Thus, I have to nurse her sitting up, but honestly, it isn't that bad. We have only a double bed, and I am never able to get a good night's sleep with the baby in the bed. So, even though I have to stay awake through each nighttime feeding, it's worth it for the quality of sleep I get in between wakings.

She's a pretty typical newborn night waker. From 10 pm to 6am, she wakes approximately 3 times right now. The nursing isn't bad at all, but I do hate the middle of the night diaper changes requiring a trip down the hall to the nursery complete with wail-fest during the transaction. They outgrow that soon enough, though. This time I know it to be true: This too shall pass. It's going to be ok. Our nights won't be like this forever.

Well, I hear some wailing. :) I'm off! Thank you for all of your prayers, I can really feel them working.

"Would you do it again?"

I'm at our home computer, nursing Baby CL, so I thought I'd start to compile my thoughts of her birth last week. This may be the first in a series of posts :) Lots of childbirth stuff in the coming days, sorry! Eventually, I'll move on to something else, rest assured.

Anyway, all of the nurses at the hospital, and my doctor, were all very interested in the fact that I'd had an epidural with my first birth, and went unmedicated with my second. What they all wanted to know was:

Would I do it completely drug free again?

I thought that was a good starting point for this post. At first, I had to think about that question quite deeply. :) And right after the experience, I wasn't sure if I would again or not. I thought maybe yes, but I wasn't totally sold. 6 days later, the answer is abundantly clear.

YES. In a heartbeat, yes, yes, yes.

I'll briefly describe the two recoveries. With Henry, I needed a lot of assistance walking right after the birth. I was very disoriented and shaky. Due to the required cathetar, I had difficulty urinating for days. One full week later, I was still sitting on an eggcrate every day due to perineal discomfort, and walking with much difficulty. (I had a second degree repaired tear, exact same as I also received last week with Anne). I had major baby blues and cried everyday. I had a serious lack of appetite and lost my pregnancy weight almost unnaturally quickly.

Ok, so fast forward to last Wednesday. I had held Anne right away, until my doctor needed to stitch me. Once that was done, I held her again and nursed her right there. I felt HIGH from all the oxytocin and endorphins in my system, like I was drunk on some really, really awesome wine. :)

After that, Mike retrieved my parents from the waiting room, with a promise not to tell them the baby's gender so that I could do that in person (I figured I deserved that honor :) ). My parents came in, and I can't even tell you how much joy that experience brought me. We all held and cuddled the baby, cried tears of joy, and it was simply magnificent. I know how much it meant to my parents to be there during that special time (and Anne is my mom's middle name) and I wouldn't trade it for anything. My energy level was high and I felt fantastic.

After they left, the nurse assisted me out of the bed and into the shower, and I pretty easily scooted off the bed and into the bathroom. And oh, the shower. The first hot shower after you give birth is an orgasmic experience. :) Especially with those natural hormones running wild in your system. I felt like a million bucks.

The nurse got me all settled, and the pee issue wasn't even an issue. No trouble there. I was wheeled to my room where I ate happily. For the duration of my 2 day stay, I was up and out of bed, getting around easily, no eggcrate necessary. I ate like a champ, and used the loo without trouble. Mere days later, I've been walking the baby through the neighborhood and out and about. My baby weight is coming off easily, but my appetite is awesome. Breastfeeding seriously gets your waist back into shape and your uterus contracting back down (more difficult with second and subsequent births).

Physically, I feel like I could run a marathon. I could have gone to dance class last week! The recovery has been AMAZING. Words cannot express how much better I feel after this birth. There is no comparison. It was tough, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Granted, there are other factors. This labor was half the time of my first. Much easier on my body. (although the epidural CAN make your labor longer, it's true. But first babies just take longer as well). My body really knew what it was doing this time; it was a machine.

The epidural was the right choice for my first birth, which was long and diffcult. But this? This was wonderful. I'm SO glad that I did it.

Ok, and the nitty gritty? How bad was it?

Honestly, it wasn't that bad.

Don't get me wrong; it was BAD.

But it wasn't *that* bad. It was totally manageable, even transition, which I dreaded with everything I had. I remember the Piticon transition contractions from Hank (epidural had worn off) and I felt like I was getting hit by a mack truck. This time? No. Like I said, it really was manageable. The pushing was tough, so, so tough, and getting stitches in your lady parts with no anesthesia is no walk in the park either. But honestly, it's not that bad. One of the most difficult things you'll ever do, but you can do it, and it's worth it.

There is no shame in the epidural, and it can really ease a long and difficult labor. But I'm so glad I made this choice.

Now the baby blues? Unfortunately, I'm just susceptible to those, and here they are. I'm handling them much better this time, and I'll devote a whole post to that. But 80% of women get them, and I'm just one of them, drug-free or not.

So there you have it. I'll post more tomorrow. :) Until then! Just keep me in your prayers. The nights are tough over here, but we're hanging in there.

Well, today is my due date...

...and here I am, finally able to post my birth story of Baby CL. :) I have so, so much that I want to say, and I'm so grateful that I now have this blog to keep a journal record of my feelings and experiences right after the event. What I'll do today is just post about the birth, and then tomorrow or Wednesday I'll write up how I feel that everything went, and my reflections. So, settle in; this will be an epicly long post. :)

Last Wednesday, May 18th, I had planned to blog about how very cranky I was getting. :) I was miserable at work, with the constant (though, of course, well intentioned) questions about why I was still there, hadn't I had the baby yet (have you seen my belly? obviously not), how large I was getting, etc. were starting to get to me. Obviously, I wasn't my usual chipper self, and so I was contemplating taking the rest of the week off as sick days just to get a little rest and relaxation at home with Mike prior to the baby's arrival.

Thus, Tuesday night I went to bed, well, cranky. To add to the fun, I couldn't sleep. I got up at 1am to use the restroom and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I went downstairs with my book so that I wouldn't rouse Mike. I read for a bit, and finally fell asleep on the couch. Around 4, I woke up with a stiff neck, so I got up to go to the bathroom (AGAIN) and went back up to bed. Blessedly, I fell asleep.

I woke up at 6 (SIGH) needing to pee again, but I laid still, trying to stave it off so that I could rest until Hank woke up. Suddenly, I felt a gush of warm liquid run down my legs. If it had been a trickle, I would have worried that I'd just peed my pants (lovely) but I knew right away what this was, although my water never broke by itself with Hank. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom.

Right away, I leapt into crisis mode. What color was it? Well, I couldn't tell. I thought it was clear, and made a mental note. I took care of the issue, and rushed to the bedroom to tell Mike. Hank was just sleepily rousing, and thus chaos ensued. I could already feel the beginnings of some snappy menstrual-like cramping, and knew my time was limited. So, I quickly hopped online to post my vacation messages for work and to this blog :) and settled in to eat breakfast. I knew they wouldn't let me eat at the hospital, and that's one mistake I did not want to repeat this time around. Labor is a marathon; you need to prepare for it by giving your body strength.

I could still feel the contractions over a distracted breakfast, but shortly thereafter, as I was racing around answering a million Hank questions, getting dressed and straightening my hair (yes, I'm crazy) I noticed that I couldn't feel them anymore. UH OH. Well, I figured I'd call my doctor's office (instructions say to call if water breaks) to let them know I'm on the radar screen, and then walk up and down the stairs, etc., in an attempt to get the contractions back on track.

So I call. And they tell me to go to the hospital. I frown. I ask if I shouldn't stay home longer until my contractions are more powerful and frequent, and am told emphatically "no." Since my membranes ruptured, they want me to come in right away. I frown again, but thank them and sign off. Well, being the stubborn gal that I am, I do push their instructions just a hair. I didn't want to rush to the hospital to have them pushing Pitocin on me because I wasn't "progressing quickly enough." I stayed home for another hour and a half to walk up and down the stairs, pace a bit, and actually did some hip circles. Suddenly, I was back in business. They didn't hurt, but they did exist, so I was happy with that. We packed up Hank to head to his grandparents and were on our way. In the car, I continued to have these light and not-timeable contractions. As we dropped Hank off, I noticed that they picked up slightly, but they didn't really hurt; they just increased in uncomfortableness. I could still easily carry on a conversation with Mike in the car, and I do remember the ride fondly.

We arrive, and I instructed Mike to just park far so that I'd have a nice long walk in. We check in at the nurses station, and are led to the initial examination room. Everything is fine and dandy, and I change into the attractive hospital gown. My doctor (out of a practice of four) was the one on duty that day (yay) but she wasn't at the hospital yet, so I was led through a barrage of incoming questions (hadn't I pre-registered? Yes, but this doesn't stop them for asking you 30 minutes worth of questions, which are repeated 2 or 3 times, I swear it) by the charge nurse, and then examined by the resident midwife.

***TMI alert for the rest of the post*** I'll just warn you now. :) Stop reading if you like.

The day prior I had been 2.5-3 cm dilated, and 50% effaced (thinned). Upon arrival, I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. I relaxed a bit, knowing that I was progressing despite the lack of painful contractions. At this point, it was only 10 am or so, and my water had only been broken for four hours.

And yes, the water. The hospital staff was quite obsessed with it. Apparently, my amniotic sac had indeed ruptured (no kidding) but only partially, not completely, and they were all concerned with what it was doing. I wasn't really sure why that mattered, but I humored them. The midwife did this test to assure it was amniotic fluid, and I was left in the exam room for quite a while as she verified it. During this time, I was starting to get more uncomfortable. I was encouraged by this, and eventually grew weary of sitting on that dumb little exam table. I shifted position a bit, and eventually just got off the damn thing and did some squatting and other positons on the floor.

Finally, the nuse and midwife reappeared, and asked me what I was doing. :) I answered with as much dignity as I could muster from down on my hands and knees on the floor. They assured me that they had a birthing room ready for me, and that I could move now. Happily, we moved to a birthing room.

That was around the time that I started getting cranky again. :) But it was all good. I was in the bed, hooked up to the fetal monitor, and feeling pissed. I loathe the fetal monitor, and wanted to take it off, because everything was going fine. But they wouldn't let me, because due to my shifting positions, the monitor kept interrupting, and they needed 30 straight minutes of monitoring before they'd take it off. During this announcement, at least 5 nurses came in to see some sort of "new system" that my labor/delivery nurse was entering me into in the computer, and I just wanted them gone. I was having to breathe through my contractions at that point, and the presence of anybody but Mike was pretty unwelcome.

My increased discomfort was clear, so the midwife came back in to re-examine me. I was already 6 cm dilated and 90% effaced. Things were really cooking. I was nearing transition, the hardest part of labor. Thus, they asked me if I wanted any pain relief. I said no, not at that time, which tied in nicely to them trying to give me IV fluids. I didn't want them, and they rightly reminded me that if I did change my mind and want the epidural, I needed at least a bag of fluids into me, which can take up to an hour. I told them that I understood that, but I was assuming the risk. They were very good about it, and didn't push the fluids again.

Meanwhile, I was continuing to hate the fetal monitor, and was tiring of getting tangled in the cords every time I tried to manuever. They still wouldn't let me take it off, but the nurse offered up a birthing ball, which I gratefully accepted. I sat on there for about 20 or 30 minutes, and by this point, I was needing to use my total focus to breathe through the contractions when they came. They didn't feel that long to me, maybe 30 seconds, but when I timed them, I realized that they were a full minute. A minute just really isn't that long, blessedly enough.

Soon, I tired of the birthing ball and just wanted to get in bed. I was starting to get the shakes, and I knew that was a sign of the Dreaded Transition. I did lie on my sides, and switched frequently, so I just went with it. I had prepared a special birth playlist on my iPod, and a recording of the rosary, but I ended up not using any of that stuff. The good old fashioned relaxation breathing got me through most of it, and then I moved on to moaning. Vocalizing really does help. I thought I'd be self-conscious about making noise, but in that moment, I totally wasn't. I just squeezed Mike's hand and moaned through them. Pretty soon, my doctor arrived, all perky. She's only slightly older than me, and has 2 young children. The first thing she said was:

"No epidural, huh?" with a teasing smile that said "what are you thinking, girlfriend?!" but it made me laugh. She examined me, and sure enough, I was at 8 cm and 100% effaced. I was almost there.

She encouraged me and left the room, and I just did my moaning thing, telling myself all the while that I was almost done. I did think about the epidural for a fleeting moment, but then I realized something: I had refused the fluids, and by the time they could get the quota into me, I'd be ready to deliver. Basically, I was screwed. :)

I was both chagrined and relieved. So, I pressed on. I had read that the urge to push is "unmistakable" so I kept waiting for that, but honestly, I never felt it. I did feel some pressure, but it wasn't what I'd call unmistakable, I was just finally at the point of dreading my contractions, moaning my little heart out until they were over, and ready to be done.

I reported my pressure feeling to the nurse, and the doctor came back in. I was 10 cm; "complete" and ready to push.

Well. I'll tell you like it is, I don't really hold back on here. I had read that pushing will relieve the pain. Unfortunately, I did not have that experience. :) Pushing HURT. Honestly, it was the toughest part, even more so than transition. I was on my side, and doctor told me to push from that position if I liked, so I did.

Big fat failure.

It HURT. And so I held back. She kept telling me that I had to push through the pain so that I could end it sooner, but that simply wasn't enough motivation for me. In contrast to my last birth, I could feel everything this time, and I could feel the baby's head in the birth canal. I knew I wasn't pushing hard enough, but hot damn, it sucked. :) I just wanted to be out of pain.

Finally, my doctor encouraged me to roll onto my back so that I could get my legs and pelvis wider, and she and the nurse really hit hard on the "pushing through pain as hard as I can" thing. The contraction came, and I just remember crying and chanting "I CAN'T I CAN'T I CAN'T I CAN'T." Because it really felt like I couldn't. I'd push a bit, it would hurt like a bad word I won't even insinuate, and when I stopped I could feel the baby's head slide back down into my pelvis. For full disclosure, it felt like having the largest bowel movement in the known world, and as you can imagine, that doesn't feel very good at all. We went though a couple of contractions like this, and I really didn't know how I could do it. With Hank, I had pushed for 3 hours (that did suck worse, it is true) and this time it was maybe 15 minutes later. And already, the doctor was telling me that she could see the baby's head. This was good.

On the next contraction, I did my usual holding back thing (maybe I could just stay that way forever? I was willing, but I don't know if everybody else was) but there was progress, and my doctor hurriedly got on her scrub suit thing for the delivery. I heard my nurse call the newborn nursery and ask for somebody to come because "we're having a baby in birthing room 5!" and I knew I had to do it. There was no choice at this point.

The contraction came, and I braced myself. I pushed, to the boisterous encouragement of my doctor and nurse. I pulled the last thing out of my bag of tricks to get through, the most primitive urge of all: I screamed. Loud, and long and hard. Probably scaring the shit out of every pregnant woman on the floor. And I pushed. And I felt the burning "ring of fire" that I knew meant the baby's head was crowning. So I pushed harder, and well. It sucked, BAD. But I kept pushing, and I felt the baby's head finally pass through my perineum, and then the rush of relief as the doctor gently pulled the baby's shoulders and body free.

My eyes were squeezed closed for maximum screaming effort, and so I finally opened them for the first look at Baby CL. I remember that moment so vividly with Hank, seeing his little face held up for the first time, and the doctor announcing "It's a Henry!"

I opened my eyes. And saw the doctor deposit a little ball of goop right onto my belly. It was Baby CL, who was facing away from me, and covered with an unexpected amount of vernix. He or she didn't like the delivery anymore then I did, and lots of wailing was going on. Excitedly, I asked:

"Is it a boy or a girl?!"

And the doctor said:

"I'm not positive. Well, I need to check."

That's really what she said. She was busy with afterbirth stuff, and the vernix was obstructing the view a bit.

So, she checked. And finally, the big annoucement. :) Baby CL is a...


GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anne Therese, born just shy of 2pm on the afternoon of May 18th, 2011, weighing 7 lbs 14 ozs.

She's absolutely wonderful, and gave me one of the most transforming experiences of my life. I know that I'll never forget a single moment.

Today is the day...

...that will be my baby's birthday. :) My water broke around 6 am this morning (do I have no shame with these details?!) Please pray for me! I will post when I return from the hospital and I am up to it, but it will be at least several days.

Thank you!! I can't wait to post pictures of the much awaited Baby CL! *beams*

Still hanging in there...

Today is the day in my last pregnancy (39 weeks, 1 day) that I delivered. I didn't think it would be psychologically difficult for me to get to this day in my second pregnancy and not have the baby, since I knew from the outset how different the 2 cycles were. However, all of that being said, I'm still human, so I'm finding it a tad hard to swallow that I feel absolutely fine today. :) My original guess corresponds to what my NFP instructor also thinks: sometime between tomorrow, May 18th and the 24th. Thus, I figured all along that the earliest I'd deliver would be later this week. That's only a day or two away, but all of you moms know that each day at this stage feels like an eternity.

I do have an appointment with the ob/gyn this afternoon, so we'll see what the little muffin is up to. I sincerely hope that he/she has been up to lots of things that will cause me agonizing pain very shortly.

More waiting, but a finished nursery

Well, almost finished. But finished enough that I feel much more relaxed about bringing the baby home. I mean, how ridiculous is that? It's not like we actually *need* a nursery. But my nesting instincts would have no less.

On Friday, Mike moved what he could of the office furniture down to the guest room and set up the crib upstairs. One would have thought that this would have eased my mind. One would have thought.

Instead, I twitched until Saturday morning, when a friend came over to help Mike move the heavier items down so that we could set up the changing table/bureau. Only then did I finally start to feel better. At that point, I took over. I set up the changing pad and diaper accessories. I acquired room-darkening curtains and hung them. I set up the crib mobile and little lamb white noise machine. I got the diaper bag all ready (acquired this one for a really great price at our local Fisher Price store), set up the bassinette and have it ready in our bedroom, and generally did some baby decorating. Mike knew to stay out of my way.

About an hour in, I called Mike up, and he gamely approached. Flushed with exertion, I pointed out that he still had school books and folders in the 2 cute built-in shelving units in the room and I really needed him to move those to make way for items such as hooded towels and baby washcloths. I mean, seriously. I'm just a nut.

But I got just about everything done that I could. My mother-in-law is making us some tie backs for the curtains, and Mike is working on clearing the last of his office stuff. The doors on everything in there need to be planed, sanded and painted, and it's raining all week here, so that will have to wait. But overall, the rooms looks like a nursery, and I feel happy about it.

With that burst of energy satisfied, I'm now concentrating on the menstrual-like cramping I've been experiencing and praying for it to become excruciating any moment now. I have a feeling I'm in for a wait that will be longer than I'd like it to be.

Still here...

Blogger has been acting weird today, so now it's the end of the afternoon and I don't have time to post much of substance. But I'm here! My body has upped the ante a bit. A signal of things happening that I will spare you the details of, but is of the EW! EW! EW! variety. However, nothing painful is occurring, so this means, my friends, that we will continue to wait. :)

I've been doing lots of praying and nesting. I feel as prepared as I can feel (which is to say, not prepared at all, but I recognize this time that this is the healthy norm) and I'm excited and very grateful to be expecting this wonderful baby. If I'm still pregnant on Monday, you can bet that I'll be posting. :) And, it's very, very possible that that will be the case. It's hard not knowing when, but it's so exciting, no?

I'm feeling content and peaceful. Not calm, mind you, because I'm doing lots of tornadoing, but I do feel a great sense of peace.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!