Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Baby Shower Photos


As promised, here are the pictures from the baby shower. Just click on the photo above. Someone needs to explain to me why everyone is wearing clothes pins.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Medieval Torture Device and the Hopeless Romantic

First, the baby shower was wonderful!!! I really feel grateful! We took pictures, Dave is going to help me get them online within the next few days and then I will tell you all about it. As for now, I have some random thoughts to share.

Ok. It is common knowledge that a woman's belly grows outward and that her hips shift outward during pregnancy. However, no one ever informed me about the medieval torture device that I would be strapped into for most of my pregnancy.... namely my ribs. You see, my uterus has been hiding as high up under my ribs as possible for most of my pregnancy. I think it's shy. It is good friends with my heart, lungs, and stomach up there. Well, as you well know, your uterus just gets bigger and bigger during pregnancy. Now, fortunately, most of this growth has been in my abdominal cavity- where it has relatively clear access to space (as exhibited by my incredibly large belly- now 14 + inches larger than when we started) . However, since my uterus likes my lungs so much, it simply chooses that space to grow in. Of course what this means is... my uterus makes the space it needs by forcing out my rib cage. It's sorta like having a vice grip perpetually pulling apart your ribs. For a while, I just thought I was sorta making it up.... until I went to buy a new bra. My ribs went from being comfortable in a 36 inch bra to uncomfortable in a 40 inch. Ouch. I have sorta a bubble where my uterus pokes out between the space that it has created between my ribs. (Quite a sensitive little spot of skin- even the pressure of shower water is too great for it.) Too make this situation even more medieval, we have the 25 lb bowling ball pulling down on the ribs at the same time. Occasionally, Ian likes to help too- trying to get some extra head room. Poor guy- I'm sure he's getting cramped in there. Needless to say, Tylenol has become a necessity. I just think it's all pretty funny.

Anyway- Speaking of medieval.... Romantics. It's amazing what a hopeless romantic I have become. I have never been much of a day dreamer, but it's really amazing what several months of having a little one wiggling around in your stomach can do to your attention span. This little one is just perpetually on my mind. I must spend, cumulatively, a couple of hours a day dreaming just thinking about or wondering about the little boy... What will he look like?, What will he be like?, Will he be as active as Dave and I were as kids? (probably), and a million other questions. We just can't wait to see him and learn what he is like. Of course, I'm no dummy. I realize that life will change completely. But in what ways? Besides no sleep, etc. (Don't answer that question- it's rhetorical.) I always just wonder and fantasize.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Baby Shower


April's friend, Janine, is hosting a baby shower. Here's the invitation she made. She's been wonderful!

Monday, August 15, 2005

What we have & what we need-revised

People ask me what we need, but the problem is, I really truly don't know. As a first time mom, I really don't know what is necessary. I'm really shy about this kind of thing so I'm never much help. I thought I would put a list on here of what we have been given- maybe that will help. I also registered at Baby's -R- Us. I keep meaning to register at target too, but I haven't yet. Babies- R- US is kinda expensive. It might be good to look at the registry and then get stuff elsewhere.

Here's what I have: (Thanks to friends' donations.)

  • Baby crib (on loan from a friend), it needs a matress and of course sheets, etc.

  • A changing table (left over from the previous owners of our house), it needs a changing pad.

  • Baby clothes (two friends gave me some- from their babies). One gave me a lot of Birth to 6 month stuff. I JUST REALIZED THAT THEY ARE ALL SHORT SLEAVED, of course Ian will be born in October - so up to 6 months is October until April- when it's cold. (Or moderately- so we will need to acquire long sleeve clothes as well.) Another friend gave me some 6 months- 18 months stuff, but this will probably definetly need to be supplemented when the time comes. (I think alot of these are the wrong season also.)

  • A boppy/ nursing pillow.

  • A snugli

  • A glider/ rocking chair (Dave gave me.)

  • A Johnny Jump-up thingy.

  • Baby monitor

  • Baby carrier/ stroller/ car seat combo (Someone donated their used one.)
I guess we need bathing tub and stuff, crib matress, crib sheets ( I registered for a set at Babies-R- us, but the name on the registry list is obscure- it says Carters 3 piece set), changing pad for table, diapers, wipes, bottles, diaper champ (would be nice), spit up cloths, toys, towels, recieving blankets, bibs, baby swing (would be nice), etc. Like I said, I really don't know, I'm just taking a guess. I will be breast feeding- most likely- FYI. Ian's room is all naturey, so greens and blues with frogs or something. I think people are pitching in for a Pack-n- Play at the baby shower.

Anyway- I hope this helps. I'm sorry I'm such as squirmy little rat when people ask me directly, I'm just shy about stuff like that.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Bipolar America and the Preggy body

I find it facinating the cognitive-emotional conflict that our culture places on American pregnant women.
I've come to understand that people love to see a healthy pregnant woman. Indeed, everyone is completely fascinated by a pregnant body. I know this because the number of unsolicited comments about my body has gone from approximately one every two weeks (We're not counting Dave in these Statistics) to approximately 10 per day. My friends who are equally pregnant tell me they have the same/ similar experience. I've grown completely used to people looking at me, looking down at my belly, and then looking back at me. It's like I have Dolly Parton size appendiges, only a located to the south. And people can't help but stare. The bigger the bowling ball grows, the more fascinated people are. It's fortunate that I am not self-conscious of my body, as a general rule, (There are those 5-10% of days when I am incredibly self-conscious.) because many of the same comments to a non-pregnant woman/ or a self-conscious pregnant woman would yield a swift slap in the face and/or weeks of depression.... "Wow, you're getting big." "Getting out there aren't you." "When are you due?" "You look like you are about to pop."

I can see why alot of pregant women just can't deal with all the comments and maintain self-esteem. You see, me, I don't take it as, "YOU are getting big" (which would imply that my butt, boobs, thighs, etc are getting big- even though they have gained a bit- appropriately so), but as that little boy is getting big. (MOST of the time anyway.) You see if it's the boy who's getting big, then Well... Ya he is, and I'm proud of him... not bad for starting out at 4mm (that's how big he was in our first ultrasound.) He's growing big just like he should and I'm happy.

But, you see, American culture values thinness, I would say even from a pregnant woman- they are a little bipolar about this. It leaves pregant women cognitively and emotionally struggling. They want to stay thin- and of course are terrified of not loosing every pound after this whole adventure, but cognitively realize that the baby has to grow and your body has to grow to support this whole process. Since most women have a great deal of their self-worth wrapped up in their appearance, it puts women in an emotionally tough situation. They want the baby to grow, but don't want to gain a pound to do it. I just think it's funny to think about and experience.

Monday, August 01, 2005

Preggy Body

Wow.
It's like I have two completely different bodies attached to one another... there's the top part of my body... head, shoulders, arms, etc. Feels pretty much the same as always. Then there's my bottom part... belly (now thirteen inches bigger than when it started- made of steel I believe), legs, etc. A Ton of Bricks. So I'm laying in bed at night on one side, feel the need to turn over--- "no problem"---- that's my brain speaking- you see it's attached to the top half and is generally unaware of the new dynamics of the lower region. So I turn over---- uhhhh- NO! The top part of me turns over. The lower ton of bricks, however, ain't gonna move without some serious intervention. I find myself laughing almost every time I need to turn over. My brain and arms are never suspecting that they might be attached to a huge, immovable weight- even after all this time- they still move expecting the rest to glide on over. I find the whole process to be quite humerous.