27 Days

27 Days
Originally uploaded by KLLippoldt.

Beautiful insects from baby's point of view.

28 Days

28 Days
Originally uploaded by KLLippoldt.

36 Weeks

Ladies and gentlemen: we have now entered, the ninth month. The "Peanut can come any day now and be healthy" month. Or, I could have a month, 2 weeks or 3 days before we have our baby. It is "The Final Countdown" (insert cool rock music here).

This is also the point I've become sick of people telling me how cute I am--yes, I know they mean well and, as BJ points out, are probably just envious--and asking how I'm doing. Do people really want an honest answer to that? "Well, I'm glad you asked because: my feet are about to burst out of my shoes they're so swollen, I have a horrible pain in my right hip, this kid's kicking me like a fetal Jean Claude Van Damme . . . and it hurts, I haven't had a decent night's sleep in 6 weeks and never will again, . . . " You get the idea. Yes, it's just being polite. I don't have the emotional stability to handle polite conversation. Especially with people of whom I'm not particularly fond.

Which is really all that's been going on in the last week--I'm done being polite. I've always wished I could be more assertive, more frank in my dealings with people. There's something about these hormones and my level of physical discomfort that has suddenly brought that out in me. It's fabulous for two reasons: I don't have to tolerate people and things I don't like, and I can get off scott-free because I'm pregnant. It's amazing! For example, I've never yelled at kids in the hallway at work before (who knows why--they certainly deserve it). Today, enough was enough and they heard about it. Are high school hallways designed for wrestling matches? No! Especially not there are about 350 kids & staff trying to get to lunch.

Am I being rude? Inappropriate? Hardly. I'm too much of a people pleaser to go that far. But, as my mother always said, I don't have to like everyone I'm with and, most importantly, I don't have to share every intimate detail with said people just because they can tell I've had sex with my husband. At least once. Ha!

Gosh, this post has suddenly become all "grumpy Monday." It must be my swollen feet--poor shoe choice this morning.

I wanted to add in this week's update that I came up with an idea for tracking these last 4 weeks (we hope!). Over the next 28 days, I want to post a photo documenting our preparations or life as we wait for Peanut. Things will start to get hectic, both at home and work, and I would like to have some evidence of our last month without children. Stay tuned!

Fun with Iron-On Transfers

Peanut's onesies
Originally uploaded by KLLippoldt.

This weekend, I set about to make a little funny graphic onesie for Anne's baby daughter. Since I'd already gotten the transfer paper for hers, I decided it'd be fun to make some for Peanut. After all, I'd seen some cute, often "ironic" or funny, items out there. Usually on CafePress. Why pay $15 for one when I can get a package for $10 and make my own!

Cute, huh? Not only will Peanut be able to declare the awesomely dorky background from which s/he hails, but can advertise our website as well! Nothing like a week-old sell-out says "That's America!"

Progress!

I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon--the 36 week exam, even though I'm 35 weeks (scheduling snafu). Which meant, the first internal exam in this whole process. Everything looks great, just like always--solid BP for me, excellent heartrate for Peanut, good belly size, great blood sugar levels, and no additional weight gain. The surprise? I'm actually 1cm dliated! I'd been guessing Peanut was head-down, I had a suspicion my pelvis was stretching or something was going on, but certainly didn't think dilation & effacement had started.

Now, this does not necessarily mean anything significant. I could stay at 1 cm for weeks, I could dilate slowly but surely, or I could wake up tonight with contractions (not likely). I just think it's exciting because it's confirmation that the end is near. We'll be meeting this little one soon! The doctor even predicted that Peanut will be about 7 pounds at term. Just a guesstimate, but a bit of a relief--not likely to have a huge baby to push out!

So, we're on our way! I can't wait!

Oh crap--what if I do go early . . . ? Must organize my office tomorrow . . .

Congratulations!

Out in the cyberspace world on my day off, I just learned that my old college roommate/sorority sister and her husband are adopting a baby boy! While we really haven't kept in touch, I must say I am thoroughly delighted for her. Best wishes to Heather & Shane!

5 Weeks To Go

We're rounding out the 8th month and so much has been happening. It's truly been difficult keeping track of it all. We continue to be blessed with great health. I'm still feeling great. In fact, odd as it seems, I am not nearly as uncomfortable as I was around Christmas time. What I have noticed, however, is how quickly I wear out. My body is finally succumbing to the fact that I have an extra (nearly) 30 pounds to drag around . . . and all of it out front. I got home yesterday after a day on my feet (walking around the ISPA state convention and shopping) and simply collapsed. Everything hurt, and it was all I could do to heat up a Lean Cuisine for dinner. I get winded walking up our stairs. It's unusual. As much as I love having a reason to veg on the couch, I'm not used to being this physically "out of shape". I really took my energy level for granted. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm starting to experience this strange energy surge (not to run a marathon, just to get through the day) despite sleeping like crap. It must be some sort of hard-wired biological training for when Peanut arrives.

On the topic of my "shape"--wow. I literally get bigger every day, and I'm starting to outgrow my maternity clothes. It kills me to have to buy more so late in the game, but I can't very well go to work a) naked or b) in sweats (although, if I don't get my coaching stipend for color guard, I just might go in sweats!). I'm even having a hard time with socks. The past week I've had to ask BJ twice to help me. He doesn't do a great job, but I don't have an alternative. Thank goodness for slip-on shoes! Since there's been so much that's happened in the past few weeks, here's brief synopsis.

The Nursery: Since it's all finished, and the "cat is out of the bag", we've decided it's alright to finally put pictures online. We went with a Dr. Seuss theme (get the cat reference, now?) that is both gender neutral and not so baby it won't grow with this little one. BJ did a marvelous job--you really should check out all the shots of Flickr. We got all the furniture in place and, as you can see, even put the crib together. I think the only thing we "need" to make this baby comfortable is the changing pad. Although, as long as s/he has somewhere to sleep we're golden.

Baby Showers: The past month has been all about baby showers. Including the surprise shower my color guard girls put together last November, we've now had four. Crazy, isn't it? My parents' neighbors (my old neighbors) threw me a wonderful shower on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They were party-planners extraordinaire, to say the least. Dr. Seuss invites, the table all done up in pimary colors and Dr. Seuss items (books, gummy fish, even the hat!), and a Portillo's chocolate cake*. The love in the room was just amazing, and both my grandmother and my godmother were able to come out for it. Shortly thereafter, we had the not-a-suprise-that-became-a-surprise baby shower when we got our crib. Up next, was my "work" shower, thrown by my dearest colleagues Vicki, Robyn, and games by Anne. This was totally great--very relaxed, we got to play with Ella, and Anne even came up with some fun games (as in, I didn't really have to do much. I mean, isn't it enough that I have to open presents and have everyone stare at me? I hate that!). Then, yesterday, BJ's colleagues threw us a coed baby shower. He felt so self-conscious, I know. He insisted I open everything ("You're carrying the kid!") and blushed when he read the cards. The best gift was a collection of daddy advice from the fathers at Suncast. He really does work with a great group of people. You know, I actually think that's five! I can't really comprehend that. I guess babies really do bring people together, and it's nice to know how much support we have. So, 5 down and 1 to go!

Childbirth Education: We started our Lamaze class three weeks ago. I should say, "childbirth education"--our instructor was quick to point out that, while she was a Lamaze trainer, she was also trained in Bradley, etc., and this was no longer a true Lamaze class. Anyway, BJ and I agreed that we would commit to 2 of the 4 classes since it was supposed to meet Thursdays in February and we felt pretty prepared. You see, he has bowling on Thursday (and I have belly dance!) and didn't want to miss out for too long. Anyway, the first class went well, although I think we were both amazed at how unprepared many of our classmates were. We were one of the only couples answering any questions the instructor had and it looked like the only couple that already took the hospital tour. A little surprising, especially since several are due before us. But, it's been a nice time for us to be together and do nothing but prepare for Peanut. And, we certainly feel more confident and (for me at least) very accepting that we can only do so much--the rest is up to nature and Peanut. So, BJ put in his 2 classes. We knew we'd have to miss this week because of the baby shower. But, I've decided to go to the last class, and I'm taking my mom. Since she is going to be our only other support person, I thought that would be nice. Besides, I'm sure it's changed since she participated!

Baby Gear: We've got it coming out our ears! Everyone has been so generous; we are so grateful and know that Peanut will never lack for love. It is exciting to realize that we now have all the truly essential things we need to bring her/him home: infant seat, crib, sheets, diapers & wipes, baby wash, towels, and more than enough little outfits & blankets. So, if Peanut came tomorrow, s/he'd be okay. And, more! You know, come to think of it, that's a little scary, too.

Work: It's official--23 days to go (work days, of course). I set my last day as March 24th, but my last round of IEP meetings will be March 15-16 . . . just to be sure. It's looking very doable, which is a great relief. With five weeks left, I need to start thinking about terminating with some of my individual cases. That is going to be strange. And, saying goodbye (for a while) to students in my self-contained classes. It looks like there will be a psych. to come in and finish my re-eval load, but only those. I'm still having a bit of trouble letting go, but each day that goes by brings Peanut closer and leaving work easier. What I really need to figure out in the next 5 weeks is what I'm going to do about color guard next year. That's a decision I'm dreading: is it that I just don't want to let the girls down, or that I really do want to try to do it? Ugh.

* If you have never had a Portillo's chocolate cake, please do so immediately--your mouth will thank you, and you'll thank me.

Flickr Updates

Business item:
I bit the bullet and signed up for a FlickrPro account. It occurred to me yesterday that a) I haven't bought anything for Peanut, yet, b) I've got an absolute ton of pictures to upload and organize and c) I am very shortly going to have an even larger number of pictures to share with the world. So, I did it.
What does this mean for you, internet? All those older shots are back on the photostream, I have a few more sets to keep them organized, and quite a few pics from the last month or so. If you only look at the photostream, there will be some chronological inconsistencies. Bear with me, and we'll be back on track shortly.