Bring it On

This is the third of my "catch up" posts; unfortunately, with my "pregnancy brain" (which I think is just the result of a general lack of sleep) I can't really remember all the little things I've done in the last month. Which brings me to the conclusion that, if I can't remember it, you probably don't care to read about it. And so we move on.

I made my last pre-baby trip to San Diego with J.Paul's family (and as-good-as-family friends) the first weekend of August. This was completely against my Dr's orders, since she "grounded" me at 32 weeks. Anybody else surprised I broke the rules? I was when we first contemplated the trip, but we had short flights and a hospital 10 minutes away in case of emergencies, so we went for it. Fortunately, Tobin did not decide to become a California baby that weekend! We had such a fabulous time - walked on the beach each morning, hung out on Coronado Island, and just spend some good time with family. So relaxing and fun - it was hard to leave after the weekend was over, especially since the next big thing I have to look forward to involves a lot of work.

We also took our childbirth class at the hospital a couple weekends ago. It was just one Saturday class with lots of powerpoint slides, some videos, and a tour of the L&D ward. We didn't do any "HEE-HEE-HOO" breathing techniques or have to watch too much in the way of disgusting birth videos...pretty well done on the whole. The tour was the most helpful part, I think, but also maybe the most scary. We stood there and looked at a delivery room, one of which we'll actually be using in the next month. Whoa. Fortunately, the hospital is very nice...even have an uncomfortable couch for J.Paul to sleep on in the room. And who said hospitals don't come with all the amenities? J.Paul did a little further education of his own and attended Daddy Boot Camp last Weds. That's a true man - one who's not afraid to learn how to change diapers or get information on the benefits of breastfeeding. Sounded like he learned a lot...wonder why they don't have Boot Camp for Moms? Guess they figure trial and error will work just as well. Or maybe there really is a magic "Motherhood Manual" that gets automatically downloaded to the female brain just after delivery. Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for.

For those who've lost count, as even I sometimes do, I'll be at 36 weeks on Thursday. Tobin's been in the melon weight range the last several weeks...guess it really is true that pregnant women are carrying watermelons around. As of my Dr's appointment yesterday, I've gained 30 pounds since my first visit in February. That's pretty average, but I was really hoping for 30 pounds total rather than hitting that mark with 4 weeks to go. Sadly, ice cream has been my downfall in these hot summer months. Though I have been spending a couple hours at the ASU gym most mornings walking and swimming (swimming is the pregnant woman's best friend...though the maternity swimsuit is not) and doing prenatal yoga each Monday night. Gotta eat some ice cream to replenish lost calories, right? And don't get me started on how much calcium is recommended in the maternity diet. I know, I know...it's all excuses. But boy does the ice cream taste yummy.

Also with the 36 week mark comes the much-increased potential for me to be "Mom" very soon. My Dr has a policy of allowing labor beginning at 36 weeks. So if Tobin decides that this Thursday is "Labor Day"...mommyhood here I come. But we're really hoping that won't happen because my baby shower is this weekend and J.Paul's out of town (back to Pennsylvania) all next week. So, hold your horses, Tobin, the world's not quite ready for you yet. I guarantee, though, that I'm ready for him as soon as J.Paul gets back into town - this last month of pregnancy must be designed for soon-to-be mothers to get so irritated with their bodies (think giant whale meets one big, throbbing nerve ending for me) that the prospect of having to be a baby's lifeline just isn't as scary anymore. Pain is relative, I suppose, and the pain of having to deal nonstop with a baby is getting relatively smaller by the day!

I know this post is ridiculously long (hey, it is my catch up post), but you need to see Tobin's new room! We've got it mostly set up, minus a few little things and some of the decorations - too cute! And Cali (my kitty - see one of my previous posts) loves the glider chair, especially when J.Paul or I are rocking in it. Fortunately, she's not too keen on the crib, so I'm not terribly worried about her deciding to join Tobin during his "cat naps". (Ha ha)
J.Paul's mom used an extra set of the crib bedding to make the curtains and has since made some adorable wall hangings and a baby quilt. I haven't seen the quilt yet - that's one of my surprises for this weekend! The room's theme is "Things that Go", so it's got cars, trucks, planes, boats, etc. I'm really hoping my little baby boy doesn't wind up being a girl (hey, ultrasound mistakes happen) because redecorating would be a pain. And I don't want to encourage my daughter to be a construction worker or truck driver from birth, so the cars and trucks would have to go. That's an interesting thought - I wonder if baby bedding makes a difference in a child's desire to be in one profession or another? Hmm...better start calling around to see if anyone carries bedding with dollar signs and calculators for my future accountant...

As I mentioned at the very beginning, I haven't been sleeping very well these days. My brain is just too busy thinking about all the world's (OK, just my) problems. And they aren't really problems, per se, just things to keep me occupied. Like selling our car. We've decided that we need to sell Shelly, my RX-8, before she gets too many more miles on her. But of course, no dealership will give us close to a fair price for her...so we're doing it the hard way - selling her ourselves! I feel constantly glued to my email in case someone responds to my online ads, and I'm also keeping an eye out for good Honda CR-Vs (our chosen replacement) so we can get a move on once my car sells. I have to remember that God is faithful in even the smallest, silliest things (like trying to sell a car) and that all will work according to the best timing.

OK, next time I start out to write a catch-up post, I'll just put it in a Word Document and have it published. Seriously, this is like writing a book. Or I should just remember to write more often. That's what I'll do. Uh huh. We'll see. But at least I'll have baby shower pictures after this weekend. Keep watch for those!

Love in Christ ~ Valerie

Catchin' Up - Part 2

If you're just joining me, you may want to start on the "Part 1" post of my great adventure catch-up. But that's entirely your choice - if you want to walk on the wild side, go ahead, read out of order.

After Vegas, but before my next trip, I had to endure my glucose tolerance test. I'd heard about it, mostly about drinking the "orange soda", but was still pretty nervous about having blood drawn and what it might mean if they found some diabetes indicators. Fortunately, the orange drink went down pretty well (though drinking all that sugar on an empty stomach really gave Tobin something to move about) and the nurse was able to get all the needlework done pretty quickly. You'll also be happy to know that I cleared the test with flying colors. Is it sad that the best part for me about "passing" the test wasn't that I didn't have diabetes complications, but that I wouldn't have to go through the 3-hour follow-up test? I'm a terrible mother already. My reward for being so brave at the doctor's office was a McDonalds cheeseburger meal and a pregnancy massage, given to me by my in-laws as my birthday gift (the massage was the gift...definitely not the cheeseburger). Ahh...bravery has it's benefits.

The day after my doctor's appointment, I flew up to Grand Forks AFB, ND to visit my friend Amber and her two girls. The oldest is 3-year old Ayla (who very much likes to dress up in her pretty dress) and the youngest is 3-month old Constance (who is the smiliest baby I've ever met). Since they're both adorable, you have to see some of my pictures:

How cute are they? I have to confess, though, that watching Amber handle a toddler and a baby gave me serious pause in thinking about how close together I might want to have my own children. Amber is a fabulous mother and Ayla is extremely polite and well-behaved, but there are still those temper-tantrum moments or times when naps just don't work out like you'd want them to. I know I shouldn't borrow trouble from the future, but it is something to think about.

I came home from North Dakota, took a weekend to do laundry and take a breather, then flew out to Georgia to visit my extended family. I've been so excited about the Georgia trip, it's a little hard to believe it's over already. My brother flew over from San Antonio, my mom flew down from Wash DC to be there, and her brother's family (with three of my cousins) came to see us as well (nearly a family reunion, minus my dad and J.Paul). Here was my greeting upon arriving at my grandparents' house...aren't my cousins creative?

Notice "Tobin the Tank Engine" to the left. Love it! It was pretty hard to leave Georgia this time. Not that it's ever easy to say goodbye to your family, and it should have been a smidge easier, knowing that I'll be seeing them again in November when they come to visit Tobin. But it was really hard to leave the place I've known from the perspective of "the grandchild" all my life with the knowledge that the next time I visit, I'll be someone's mom. Growing up is tough sometimes, mostly I think because of the extra responsibility. And there's still that sense that I'm losing my freedom to be selfish and do what I want, when I want. Maybe Tobin and I can get in sync quickly and he'll agree with me most of the time. "Tobin needs" is a great excuse for everything (trust me, I've used it extensively the last 7 months).

And so I'm home, though my adventures don't end here. No sir, watch for Part 3 of this tale (perhaps it will be a trilogy - move over Lord of the Rings) at a later time.

Love in Christ ~ Valerie

Catchin' Up - Part 1

While the saying "no news is good news" may be true, it sure is boring. And so I apologize to all my cyberspace friends for disappearing from the blog world for over a month! Catching up on all my latest adventures has been a little overwhelming for me to think about so I've done the only logical thing - procrastinate. But no more of that...let's get started!

When you last heard from me, I thought (oh so innocently) that I was as big as a house. Well, if that was the case, then I'm upgrading to mansion status at this point. And it only gets bigger from here! Oh boy. I was also in the process of wrapping up my summer class at ASU. The last week went fairly smoothly and my class grades were, overall, pretty decent. The final exam grades were rough, but, being the nice teacher I am, the students got a major curve. And then I posted the final grades and sent them along to their next accounting adventures. *sigh* and *tear* Saying goodbye is tough. Good thing I'm not called to be an elementary teacher. I'd be a crying mess at the end of the school year! Of course, I won't be dealing with pregnancy hormones at the end of each year like I was at the end of the summer course. Thank goodness!

Once school was out, I hit the road. Seriously...July was the "month of the traveler". J.Paul and I went to Las Vegas for a weekend to enjoy our last pre-baby anniversary trip together. We actually observed a lot of kiddos while we were walking around the Strip and have agreed that Vegas just isn't a place we want to take our children. Seems a little incongruous to see a massive carseat/travel system parked next to a craps table. I'm just sayin'. There were a lot of families at the pool while we were hanging out there. That is kind of fun - some of those hotels have amazing pool setups. We stayed at a small Harrah's property next to the Flamingo and, since our place didn't have a pool, we got admission to the Flamingo pool instead. That was a really fun day. The pool had these shelves off some of the sides so you could sit in the shallow water and just enjoy being a little wet in the warm weather. As we walked up to the pool to pick our chairs, I spotted another mama-to-be on one of the shelves and two empty lounge chairs next to her. Being the stalker I am (though I usually limit my habits to Facebook), I claimed the chairs and struck up a conversation. And so we met Kathy and Keith, a really neat couple from Dallas, who became our pool buddies for the rest of the day. Kathy's due with her second (a little girl) just a week after Tobin's "scheduled" to arrive and had lots of great advice and fun stories to share. Yay for new friends! We got some funny looks from others during the day - it's like we were a rare animal in the jungle (I guess you don't see many obviously pregnant women trotting around Vegas) and observers made the great discovery of finding TWO of us...together. *GASP* ^_^ A third actually came over to our general area of the pool later in the day, but didn't show any interest in joining our pack. She preferred to run solo, I suppose. The other really neat thing about Vegas was our room diagonal from the Bellagio. We could see the fountain shows from our window and, if there weren't some crazy nut banging on a makeshift drum or randomly (and badly) strumming a guitar for spare change beneath us, we could hear the music as well. That was really cool! The fountains "perform" every 30 minutes during the day and every 15 at night, so we saw a ton of shows. Those fountains are one of my favorite things about Vegas and it was a treat to be able to enjoy them in the privacy (and air conditioned-coolness!) of my hotel room rather than jostle for position outside in front of them. Altogether, we had a fabulous time and didn't really want to come home so soon. But I had to get back and get everything together for my next adventure. More to come on that in the next post!

Love in Christ ~ Valerie

PS. If you ever do go to Vegas, look for the "Buffet of Buffets" special. For $35 a person, you get unlimited 24-hour access to any of the 7 Harrah's buffets. We timed it so we got 4 meals out of the deal (about $9 a meal in Vegas - unheard of!) and ate some fabulous food. Definitely worth it...especially if you're pregnant and having weird cravings for roasted lamb in cream gravy, crab legs covered in peanut butter, or something equally off-the-wall. Not that I desired any of those things, I'm just passing along the information. My downfall was the dessert buffets. It's a miracle I didn't gain 5 pounds that day.