Cute Kitty

It's Sunday afternoon, and I decided to spend some time with my neglected Master's thesis. I think Kitty decided to prepare me for motherhood by showing me that her needs to be pet and paid attention to outweigh my need to work on my paper. Note how her hind legs are on my laptop keyboard as her front paws knead my shelf of a belly! (I encouraged her to keep kneading until the baby popped out, but some sound scared her away as usual). She is one cute cat!

(PICTURE TO BE UPLOADED MOMENTARILY...)

Pregnancy Update

I am now emotionally ready to share the latest pregnancy update. When I received this information on Monday, I was hoping the my next blog post would be sharing photos of the baby and our birth story. Alas, we are still one, and the baby has decided to stay put for a while longer. Now it is Thursday evening, and I am 40 weeks, 4 days. It is time for an update.

I have my next prenatal appointment on Monday, 8 days post due date. If we make it to that appointment, we will also have some post-date testing next week - a non-stress test and ultrasound to check fluid levels. At that Monday appointment, we will schedule an induction for the day I turn 42 weeks (Sunday, March 7). Should any of the post-date testing come back with concerning results, I will be sent to the hospital to be induced immediately (either Monday, March 1, or Thursday, March 4 - the days of my post-date tests.

Obviously, the hope is the baby decides to come on his own before these appointments. However, if he does not, the best we can hope for is a healthy read on the post-date testing and a happy, still-developing baby. I am going to continue to be happy and positive for a natural birth. I continue to listen to my Hypnobabies relaxation tracks, take walks, drink lots of water, and all the other naturally-inducing activities I can think of....

The best way to look at this is to know that in 10 days or less, we will meet our baby. I've waited 10 months.... the last 10 days should be easy to handle!

It's our guess date today!

Today is the day... our guess date has officially arrived, and I awoke like it was any other day. The midwife told me only 5% of women have their babies on their due dates, but I still had this fantasy that I would wake up to feelings that were different, indicating a baby would soon be on his way. No such feelings today.

I just don't think I can eat any more spicy burritos or Indian food to try to coax this child from where he is! A week ago, we were told he could be 8 pounds or more, and babies are known to gain something like a pound per week at term. I am thinking with the food I have been eating, and the extra time in there, that this baby could be a big guy!

Oh please, little man, come out and see us! It is far more fun and happy out here. Mommy and Daddy really want to meet you!

"Why is your face so red?!"

I was outside my house the other day, visibly pregnant for all to see, when a neighbor came out to her car. She attempted some small talk by saying, "Still pregnant?" I responded with a side view of my body and a smile. Then, with a grimace, this neighbor said, "Why is your face so red?!"

I have to admit I was a bit shocked. What I know is that I have had an easy and comfortable pregnancy, and the worst part (which is not that bad at all) has been the discomfort at the end and the case of hormonal acne I have had since the beginning. I know my face is red because of the pregnancy-induced acne. While I know others can see my face and the blemishes, I never expected anyone to say anything to me about it.... it's so clearly a case of acne!

So I shrugged in response to my neighbor's concern, but she was not done. "What's it from?" asked callously, was her next question. This time, I thought being honest and blunt would be the only way to get her to leave me alone, so I told her it was acne due to the pregnancy. Again, she wasn't done. "That looks like high blood pressure!" was her response. I just shook my head and said my blood pressure was fine, thank you. She continued her rant about high blood pressure for another few seconds, and I could only turn to Chris in disbelief.

Here's a tip for everyone reading: Avoid making comments about the appearance of a pregnant woman. In most cases, she probably can't help the way she looks (if she looks terrible). Bringing her inadequacies to her attention will not make her feel good about herself, and it's just plain old rude.

As you might guess, this person is not my favorite neighbor, and this experience only set my feelings of tolerance toward her. The most ironic part of this story is that this neighbor is someone who frequently does not wash her hair or wear a bra when out and about in the neighborhood. I am over her rude words, and am happy to just consider the source.

EVERYBODY is excited for the baby to arrive...

As pictured above, Ozzy likes to sleep right next to his mommy, and recently he has taken to cuddling with his baby brother, too. This picture is just one of many with his paw resting on my belly.

I wonder how Ozzy will feel when my lap is permanently occupied by his little brother....

A Special Expiration Date on the Milk Jug

I have to explain... before our wedding, I had a very strange tendency to look for expiration dates on food items that were the same as our wedding date. I would look at the cheese or the hot dogs in our fridge and think, "Awww, that expires two days after we get married..." or some other equally inane thought.

Well, I think I may have officially lost my marbles. The milk we were drinking earlier this week had a very special expiration date - the baby's due date! So I am continuing the psychotic tradition, only this time, I have added photographs.

Fun Commentary on Getting Dressed at Nine Months Pregnant...

This is our first attempt at video blogging... I just can't say "vlogging" because it makes me feel like I am making fun of people with Russian accents, and I am way too PC to do that!

Maybe this isn't a true "vlog" but it is a video on our blog, and I think that counts.

Enjoy!