30 week checkup, and thanks!

First of all, a big THANK YOU! to those who responded to my last post. I love hearing about other people's small pleasures.

Now, down to business. I'm at 30 weeks today. Holy crap.

Let's roll the stats:

Baby's heart rate: 150 bpm
Uterus measurement: 33 cm
Baby's position: head up, feet down. Facing left.
Total weight gain from 0-30 weeks: 20 pounds

So everything is looking ok. Just one question, though... if I'm measuring a bit big, does that mean Lumpy's a big baby?

*tap, tap*... is this thing on?

OK, people. That last entry? That was supposed to involve audience participation. Don't make me turn it into a meme! I just wanna hear from you... what are some of the small (or really small) things you really appreciate? What simple things make you happy? Leave it in a comment, or I will be forced to start a meme!

Just a good day

It's one of those days when I'm just aware of all the blessings I usually take for granted. Not this pregnancy, because lord knows there's not one minute that I'm not supremely thankful for Lumpy. No, just the ordinary things. I feel compelled to list them:

I have a wonderful husband who's so affectionate, and we spent an hour cuddling when we woke up this morning.

There's plenty of food in the fridge, all so yummy that I had a hard time deciding on breakfast.

My dishwasher is silently working away so that I don't have to.

I had a hot shower this morning.

It's rainy and windy outside, and I'm dry and warm in my house.

I'm wearing clothes that are comfortable and attractive. I didn't have to think twice about whether I could afford to buy them.

I have a fast laptop and internet access. I have friends inside the computer.

I'd like to go out window shopping with Mr. December, and maybe walk around and have a hot chocolate. All it will take is us jumping in the car and going wherever we want.

I'm aware of all my blessings, which is probably the greatest blessing of all.


What are your ordinary blessings? I'd like to hear about them. Lurkers, you too!

I fucked up.

My brother is getting married next fall. He and his fiancee had their hearts set on a particular location, which only had one date available.

Mr. December's best friend is getting married next fall. Guess which date he chose?

My brother and his fiancee and the parents hemmed and hawed over the location of the wedding, which of course affected the date (because of each venue's availability). They couldn't decide.

Mr. December's friend kept asking us whether anything was settled. He wanted to go ahead and book his wedding.

On Monday he called and told me that they needed to make a decision by Tuesday. Was the date clear, or was my brother sticking with his original choice of venue and date? At that point, no decisions had been made here. I told the friend that there was no decision in sight, and if he really couldn't wait that he should make the best decision for himself.

Tonight I found out that my brother and his fiancee have decided to go with the original venue and date.

Are you still following?

This means that we can't go to the friend's wedding. It's on the other side of the continent on the EXACT SAME day as my brother's wedding. Mr. December would probably have been the best man at friend's wedding - the friend keeps dropping hints to that effect, anyway. But Mr. December really can't miss my brother's wedding. Even he agrees that if I missed HIS brother's wedding, his parents and whole family would be pissed.

Mr. December is now mad at me for not telling him when the friend called to ask about the date (I may have, but who remembers?), and for not telling him the moment I knew that my brother's wedding date had been fixed. He feels that immediate information might have made a difference, that he would have been able to get his friend to change the date. He's totally pissed off at me.

Know what? I'm pissed off at me. I can't imagine having to choose between MY best friend's wedding and my brother in law's, especially since it doesn't really look like a choice. Actually, I still can't choose. I'd much rather be at my best friend's side. And I like my brother-in-law.

So now I'm feeling bad that I didn't try harder to persuade my brother or the friend to pick a different date... and I'm feeling bad that Mr. December is in this position. It's just bad all around.

Is it too late to call my brother and ask him to find another date at that venue?

oh, bother...

I guess this is what happens when you leave the computer for two minutes to go pee.

So tired...

I've been very productive over the last week or so. I even started using iCal so that I can watch as my to-do list items get eliminated... four or five in a day.

The downside is that I haven't been napping. I've been feeling fine and energetic, but suddenly I feel run down. Tomorrow will be a day off for me. Oh, I'll still do my morning routine... but dinner will be soup from the freezer, I'll have a relaxing lunch with my dad, and after grocery shopping I'll come home for a long, well-deserved nap.

Hey everyone - this is Mr. December. Wifee is in the can so I'm taking over blogging. Are different people reading this thing now that she's not as bitter as before? I don't read the blog but I'm sure there has been a change. I've never thought of it before, but blogging is pretty tough. I pretty much have nothing to say and it's only my first paragraph.

Stroller shopping and other delights

I went stroller shopping today. I've been a Bugaboo fan since before we knew I was infertile. Today we checked out the competition.

And the winner is...

the Stokke Xplory.

Does anybody have one of these? Any thoughts? Advice?



We went to my 4-year-old cousin's birthday party. Her 5-month-old brother was having a bit of a meltdown at the end of the evening, so I offered to hold him. I sang and walked and rocked, and somewhere around the 7th repetition of Bob Marley's "three little birds" he finally fell asleep. It was the sweetest thing ever. Baby therapy is still so powerful for me. I hope I feel that way when it's my own baby.

OK, this is really a step too far...

At 5:30 a.m. I couldn't sleep. Normally I would have just caught up on blogs and played computer games, but this morning I (get ready for it...) CLEANED OUT THE FRIDGE.

I was also considering mopping the bathroom floor, but that's kinda close to our bedroom and Mr. December is still sleeping.

Is this nesting? Or a productivity kick gone very, very wrong?

UPDATE: I mopped the floor. Hopefully I'm now tired enough to go back to bed.

yeah, I'm cool. now who wants to touch me?

hooray for consistency - I did my morning routine today, although I couldn't find anything that needed to be laundered so I skipped that part.

We're having house guests for Shabbat - all 26 hours of it - so I really need to clean out the fridge, do some menu planning, and go grocery shopping. Also maybe making the guest bed today would alleviate some of the pressure tomorrow.

And I need a new tablecloth, to go with our new table. And I have no long pants or long skirts, so I'm kinda getting chilled here. And it would be neat if I could buy a replacement lid for my crockpot, cause I shattered mine last week.

So yeah... another productive day coming up. First, though, I'm gonna go take a walk. Ciao!

Productivity

Productivity makes me feel good... so why am I such a procrastinator?

I've developed a new morning routine, thanks to a certain yah.oo group:

Wake up
Shower - while I'm in there, do a 10-second brushing of the toilet and wipe off the sinks and countertop
Get dressed, moisturize, brush hair
Make the bed
Toss a load of laundry into the washing machine
Empty the dishwasher
Eat breakfast

and today, I added:
Take a 5-minute walk around the block

I feel so productive. I've even gone through a week's worth of mail, adhering to the rule that I should only touch a piece of paper once. Cheques are immediately written, bills are followed up on, statements are opened, read, and put in the pile to file away. Awesome.

Can you tell I'm feeling kind of virtuous?

And now... I'm off to buy another blue box (recycling bin), because ours is overflowing and it makes our front porch look a bit "white trash"-y.

27w5d

Had my checkup today. Here are some stats:

uterus: measuring 1.5 weeks ahead at 29

lumpy's heartrate: between 150 and 160

weight gain: 2 pounds in the last 4 weeks

I'm shocked about the weight gain part. I eat crap, and often. Normally I gain weight just *looking* at food. I'm not complaining, but what's up with that?

And is it bad to be measuring ahead?

In other news, I did the glucose tolerance test today. Felt normal before, during, and after. Is that a good sign?

How (not) to encourage voting

Yesterday was election day in Ontario. Despite being really sick, I went out to vote because, you know, it's important.

Because we moved recently, I didn't get a voter card in the mail. No problem, said Elections Ontario, just bring something like a tax bill with your name and new address on it, and a piece of ID.

We show up at the polling station. I explain to the nice lady that I just moved and didn't get a voter card, so here's my tax bill with my name and address on it. She looks at my new address, and proceeds to look for my name on the voters list. Um, hello, if I didn't get a card, I'm probably not on the list.

She starts reading off names. Names of people who used to live at this address but don't anymore. "No, that's not me," I keep saying. She seems perturbed that the list was wrong. She reads the list five, six, seven times, as if expecting my name to suddenly appear.

"Look", I say patiently, "we know I'm not on the list. I just moved. Elections Ontario said that I just needed to bring my tax bill, which is right here."

Finally she concedes that I'm not on the list. She pulls out a clipboard with a form and I fill it out. She asks to see my ID, and I hand over my passport.

"Oh," she looks surprised, "um, do you have your driver's license with you? no? hold on... is a passport valid ID?'

At this point I'm sure that I'm dealing with a bona fide idiot. But wait...

She takes my passport and starts to write down my information. Under "passport number" she writes down some number that I don't recognize. Definitely not my passport number.

Here's the tricky part: there are a lot of numbers on a passport. That's why you need to look for the one that's labeled (are you ready?) "PASSPORT NUMBER".

I point out that she's taken down the wrong number. Then I have to show her where the correct number is.

Finally, she informs me that I have to recite an oath saying I am who I say I am. I read it in my bored small-print monotone voice, rolling my eyes. She says, "it's just something we have to do". To which I respond, "I didn't get out of bed with bronchitis so that I could defraud the electoral system."

Finally, finally I get to vote. The whole process took 25 minutes... about 20 minutes longer than it needed to.

Would it be too much to ask that scrutineers know the procedures and can identify valid ID? Really?

at least I'm breathing...

The puffers have definitely helped with my cough and my breathing. That part of me feels better.

However, now I'm feeling the kind of fatigue that I got with mono back in '02. Exhausted, dizzy when standing, weak... I'm impressed that I can still make it to the fridge for a bowl of applesauce. My mind is fully awake, but my body is saying, "no more!".

Does anyone with an immune system of steel wanna come over and entertain me? You know, during those three hours a day when I'm not asleep?

In other news... when Lumpy kicks hard, you can see my belly change shape. Cool.

still sick.

It's viral bronchitis.

I'm back on puffers, orange and blue.

Not much else I can take, according to the doc. If it doesn't get better by Friday I'm to go back to see her.

I'm stuck in bed. I was supposed to begin teaching tomorrow night, but I've had to cancel all my classes - so sad. I love teaching.

I'm gonna go get me some OJ and then go to bed again.

I'm sick

*insert barking cough here*

Pretty much overnight, I've developed a nasty cough, headache, and stuffy nose. No fever, thank God. I know my doc gave me a pamphlet on what's safe to take while pregnant, but damned if I can find it. I've already tried Vick's vaporub, sitting in a steamy bathroom, constant fluids, and plenty of sleep. I don't really feel any better.

So... I'm not sure what to do. Spending the entire day in bed doesn't quite appeal to me, although I'll do it if I have to. I'm just wondering what else I can do.

Progress

You know the third trimester is right around the corner when...

... as soon as you have to pee, it's desperate... and when you actually DO pee, you get maybe two teaspoons out

... you start to feel as if there's a weight hanging off the front of your body

... pregnancy sex, which was so great a month or two ago, is now just a logistical nightmare

... you'd love nothing better than to lie on the couch all day eating bonbons

... the constant popping feeling in your belly makes you feel like a giant bag of Orville Reddenbacher's

... everytime you look in the mirror, you're shocked: "I know I'm pregnant, but I didn't realize I was THAT pregnant!"

... people ask when you're due and then act surprised when they hear it'll be another three months

... there is no comfortable position for sleeping

... the pregnancy-related sleep deprivation is making you feel desperately sad about the inevitable baby-related sleep deprivation

... people want to know if you've finished decorating the nursery... which becomes funny when you haven't even started

... no matter how fat you were before, people are now 100% sure that you're pregnant




Did I forget anything?

YESTERDAY WAS SOME KIND OF DELURKING DAY... so please, if you're reading this post just leave a message to say that you've read it... introduce yourself... I don't bite. And since I don't have tracking software, I'd really love to know just how many people are reading.

Send in the klutz

We went to my dad's office to pick up one of his spare desks - Mr. December wanted it for his home office. As we traded my tiny car for the family van, my mom said, "Don't lift anything! I don't want you to get hurt!"

So... for the record, I DIDN'T LIFT ANYTHING.

There we were, in the back of the office. I was sitting and watching Mr. December and my dad do all the work. It occurred to us that we needed to label the little screws and bolts so we'd know where to put them back. I went to my Dad's corner office to find some labels and a marker. Voila! I turned to go and... turned my ankle on NOTHING.

That's right, I sprained my ankle just by walking. How lame is that?

Down I went, landing mostly on my right knee. Do you know how bad the rug burn can get from commercial/industrial grade carpet? It hurt like a mofo and still does! Anyhow, I fell and then started swearing. Glad my dad got to hear my proficient use of the word "fuck".

So today... can't bend my right leg without winceing, because of the nasty rug burn. Can't put weight on my left leg without whimpering, on account of the sprained ankle. And yet the new mattress is being delivered soon and I need to clear a space in Lumpy's room (currently storage) for the old one. If only our rec room couch was set up, I could just relax and watch some DVD's. If only. Sigh.