40!

40 weeks! It's my due date! I'm blogging on my phone in the doctor's waiting room. Here's what I look like now & my countdown jar looks...empty. Because it is.

the "official" shirt

getting distracted by the dog barking at who knows what, but look, color coordination!

no more M&Ms

So far, there have been no signs that Freckle is thinking of heading to the exit, but thanks to my Internet ladies I a) was prepared for her to be late (once we got past the "possibly going to induce you @ 39 weeks" thing), 2) have heard lots of stories of "there were no signs of progress & then surprise! Labor!" and D) that should I have to be induced, it doesn't have to be horrible, even with a first-timer. That makes this little glitter hippie happy. (UPDATE: after my appointment there are slight signs that Freckle is heading towards the exit. Hooray! Keep praying she keeps moving that way in a timely manner. I still have hopes for putting this baby in an Easter basket. If I don't, those of you with wee babes must do it for me so I can live vicariously through you!)

Speaking of glitter hippieness, here's an update on some of my current projects.

Oil Cleansing Method: I love it. At first, I just liked it. It seemed like more work than I was used too and I was still having some dry patches on my cheeks & nose. That kinda boggled my mind. I'm rubbing oil on my face & my skin is dry? But then I actually took a leap of faith, trusted Erica & rubbed some oil in AND LEFT IT THERE. It was like a miracle! No more dry spots. No flaky nose! I could powder my nose again without looking like a leper. And here's my favorite part of the whole thing: it feels good! I love rubbing the oil in. I love the hot towel part. Someday, I want to find a spa that does full oil baths. I'm picturing a giant vat of oil with a slide. Not a twisty/splashing type slide, but I can imagine trying to walk down steps or something in a giant vat of oil. Anyway, there would be oil, and then someone could scrape it (and all my dead skin) off.

I did finally make my own laundry detergent. I went with the liquid soap recipe my sister-in-law uses because I'm used to liquid soap and didn't want to have to worry about melting the powder stuff in hot water first, since right now we wash everything in cold water and I've heard that can be a problem sometimes.

from Duggar Recipes 

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar - I used Ivory, because that's what we had at the house
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Anyway, I made it. It was super easy, except for the part where I sacrificed some knuckle skin to the grater because we don't have a food processor to do that part for me. I've only used it on a load of linens so far, so I don't have much to report other than that it is super fun to stick my arms into the 5 gallon bucket to stir things up (it settles into goo & water when it sits). Once I can fill an empty laundry detergent bottle, I can just shake the bottle, but for the trial run, I used it out of the bucket. Anyway, the texture is fun.

I'm almost out of shampoo, so I'll hopefully be starting the it's-not-a-volcano method of hair cleaning soon.

I have 2 bread recipes I want to try out too. Because baking bread just sounds wholesome and wonderful. Plus, I love bread!

Sunshine Nursery

So, back when we bought this house, I decided that I wanted the extra bedroom to be yellow. I'm not really much of a yellow person, but I wanted a sunshine room--the antidote to my husband's need for a cave-like existence. So I painted one room a pretty, creamy yellow and trimmed it in marigold.

That room is now "the nursery" which is still pretty weird for me to say. Anyway, it's not too fancy. We don't have a crib set up yet, since my niece is still using it, and our cradle is still in the "some assembly required" stage (did I mention that my dad is making it? Like, from scratch? Because he is. And it's beautiful. Well, the wood pieces are beautiful. As soon as it's put together, I'll show you pictures), but here's what we've got going so far, for those of you who care about such things.

This is the view over the changing table. I had way too much fun putting up these little decals

The giraffe light switch face plate

Hippo & Giraffe

This is the corner where the glider sits, upon which is sitting my nursing pillow, a quilt from KRho's mom (made with squares from some of KRho's old sheets/curtains/pajamas from when she was a baby) and a beautiful Victorian picture from our dear friends keeping watch over the spot

The Elephant night-light (and the fabulous edge of the lovely curtains)

This picture frame from Freckle's Aunt B is just waiting for her first photo. Also, for us to give her a name, so Aunt B can go buy the rest of the letters to go with the W.

the unexciting rug, but you know, it's part of the room

For Valentine's Day, J's office had a "make a valentine" contest, and so I put my scrapbooking skills to use.

This quote actually came from a page from Freckle's baby scrapbook. The page was lovingly made by her Aunt B as part of my shower gift. 

So, there you have it. That's what we've got so far!

A Picture worth a thousand words

So did I tell you that I actually did some maternity photos? I did. My friend Scott likes to work with still-life shots most of the time. He has an amazing eye, and talent, and cool equipment. You can check out the stuff that he's done here. A month or so ago, I went to spend the day playing dress up with his wife. She wanted some headshots for some stuff and like all smart women everywhere, called upon her friends with the skills of "make it look good." Leah was there for make-up, I for hair, and B for accessories. We used Dana as our personal Barbie and dressed her every-which-way and Scott took lots of pictures. Then I made him take a picture of me. And J's guitar.

See, I found this picture on Pinterest:

Photo from Jenna Nelson Photography

And at the end of the day, Scott came up with this:

See it on his site here

 Then, he got even more awesome, flipped it around, and did this!

ta-da!

I love that picture so very, very much. It's more perfect than I could have imagined. So... I got brave, and contacted my friend Bob, who like Scott, has an amazing eye, talent and cool toys. Unlike Scott, Bob LIKES taking pictures of people's faces. Those pictures are still in the works (it takes a lot of post-production work to make me look good people. Trust me on this!), but I actually had fun doing it. I was braver than I thought I would be, and Bob & his lovely wife and adorable daughters were there with me, so I felt totally at home and comfortable. Also, his two girls (ages 5 & 3...holy moly!) got out THEIR cameras to take pictures of me too. I felt like such a rock star. A giant, pasty, rock star.

On the Menu

I've been thinking about food quite a bit lately. Is it because I'm watching the number on the scale go up here at the end of this pregnancy game? I mean, I'm eating all the food, and it shows. Check out this side-by-side, or top-to-bottom.

This is me at 38 weeks. 

This is me at 39 weeks

So... there's that. Also, photographic evidence that this baby has not dropped. April is right around the corner, so I'd like her to start moving down. You know, prepping to move out. Anyway, back to the food discussion.

When J & I first got married, I was pretty good at meal-planning. (*toot-toot* that's my own horn!) I had a spreadsheet with our favorite meals laid out, and I was teaching myself Access so I could make a database. It's the kind of geek that I am. Somewhere along the line I got busy, or lazy, or bored with the 12 or so meals that we knew how to cook and I stopped doing it. Recently I've been trying to get back into the habit. A few weeks ago I tried two new recipes from Food on the Table. Thankfully, they both worked out & J really liked them. Hooray. The site is a success. The only problem is J and I were rarely home at the same time to eat together. Our commitments were on conflicting nights and blah blah blah.

Now, however... I'm home! And I have time! So, I'm trying again. Only, now I'm trying to plan in advance a freezer full of things that take little to no brain-power to make our lives easier. I've already made 2 batches of these enchiladas for MDM & KRho (to really good reviews--I have yet to eat any myself), only... I'm bad at following recipes. I cooked some chicken breasts in the crock-pot overnight with a can of Rotel (the regular kind, not the super spicy kind), and for the first batch, I skipped the enchilada sauce completely, instead using the juice from the crock pot. The second batch I just poured some on top. Third batch... as yet undecided.

So, I've got some pre-fab pasta sauce and pasta, a batch of enchiladas, two pre-seasoned-just-throw-in-the-oven tenderloin thingies (one chicken, one beef). So far, I'm resisting the temptation to just stock up on chicken nuggets and french fries. I figure the days when those become necessary freezer staples are coming & I shouldn't hasten them.

Now, gentle readers! Give me your recipes! Crock-pot gems. Things that require no brain-work, skill, or excess time.

And, an update on J! He's fine. He's recovering really, really well. So far, it looks like he may have avoided the permanent nerve damage part of things, so that's really, really, really good news. Also, here's a picture of the offending tooth.

See it there, on the bottom right? Yeah. Icky.

Thank you all for your prayers though. He's already eating mostly real food (soft, but not purees) and hasn't been on drugs 24/7, so I'm very grateful. For some truly suck-tastic timing, things have gone amazingly well.

Also, I've gotten to have my husband home for a week! A whole week! Even sickly, it's been a treat. 

Now, to go retrieve my car from the shop. nearly $900 in regular maintenance and replacement parts later, she'll be as good as new, just in time to be carrying around a wee person. Hear that, Freckle? Nice clean, safe car! Leather seats! A sun-roof! Head towards the exit now and make your debut in 4 days or so. (I really would like her to get here in time for Easter. I have a great dress with matching bonnet and booties for her to wear. I mean, she can't avoid wearing it. I'm going to put her in it, Easter or not, but it would be really nice to have her in it for a picture in a little Easter basket, right? I mean, cute overload... assuming she cleans up nicely after that whole birth thing.)

It Pours

So...

39 weeks (tomorrow) and still pregnant. I'll think about taking a picture tomorrow.

Here's the awesome news-
J got promoted at work. It's the position he's wanted to move into for a while now. It's a step in the right direction on his career path. There is more money with this job and a greater opportunity for J to work from home--both awesome things with the loss of my income and an impending baby. The ONLY downside is leaving the team-lead he's been working for the past 3 years, who is wonderful, understanding, and meshes with J's personality perfectly. Oh, also, he was supposed to start his new roles & responsibilities today. (Spoiler alert: he didn't)

Here's the not-so-awesome news-
J is getting a wisdom tooth taken out tomorrow. A wisdom tooth that is completely sideways and so deep in the bone that permanent nerve damage is considered "likely." Thankfully it's just a feeling nerve, not a motor nerve, so it's just permanent numbness on one half of his lower lip & jaw, no loss of speech or motor function. Still, for a singer, that's a scary thing.  They'll do a bone graft too because apparently there's been enough bone loss already that his other molar tooth is in danger. Yes. We found all this out today. He's been home since Friday, on some heavy-duty pain medication, and pretty much as miserable as I've ever seen him. Also, did I mention that I'll be 39 wks pregnant and at my OB appointment while he's having this tooth ripped from his skull? Oh, and that opening weekend of Scarborough Faire is next weekend? Tomorrow will be his 2nd to last rehearsal with his band, including a brand new member they're trying to bring up to speed to help cover J's parts while he's out helping me with a baby, and possible in Canada for 2 weeks in early May training for this promotion thingy. Yeah. Best timing ever, right?

The good thing is his family is very near, so his mom is going to step in and take him to the appointment (and hopefully I'll be able to pick him up from the appointment). My parents also being very near are available should anything crazy happen at my appointment. I don't expect craziness. I haven't even had enough Braxton-Hicks contractions to be sure I know what contractions are like and fully anticipate being completely clueless when labor starts. Which, more than ever, I'm hoping doesn't happen until April. J's recovery time is conservatively estimated at 7-10 days. With a due date 8 days away, a baby a few days late doesn't sound so bad right now.

Please be praying for us. Insurance is covering 80% of the extraction, which is good, but none of the anesthesia or bone graft. Thank God we filled up our flex spending account for this year, so we're still covered. We're hoping the surgery goes as smoothly as possible, but this tooth man... this tooth is in the worst possible place. I pray my husband's amazing healing powers kick in and he's back up & running (or in his case, singing & dancing) as soon as possible. Also, that I stay pregnant as long as possible to keep from adding even more complications into the mix.


Weeeee! Gonna be a fun week!

Rain & Showers

This week has seriously gotten away from me. I've been meaning to write this since Monday, but somehow it's Friday now. I'm not sure how that happened.

I really should clean my mirror, huh?

Anyway, first things first: 38 weeks and all is well! Still pregnant. Still happy & healthy. Got the green light to let Freckle come in her own sweet time, so long as she does it before April 10th. So, that's good news.

Other news in an out-of-chronological-order type way: KRho had her baby girl last night! Yay! 2 of the 3 Nebraska babies are here! Except... wait... that means I'm next. Oh my... (she, like MDM's baby girl came with a full head of dark hair and is beautiful. I have a feeling that I'll be having a bald-headed, old-man looking little girl just to keep things balanced)

So, this week.

Monday, everything everywhere was all "Severe Weather Alert!!" even though at my house, things were still blue skies and sunshine. Then I saw the saddest tweet. Miriel Margaret was stuck at DFW. One, being stuck at an airport is never fun. Two, being stuck at an airport because they canceled your connecting flight to a town less than 2 hours drive away is even worse. Three, they told her they couldn't get her on another flight for 27 HOURS. 27 hours?!?! No. Unacceptable. So after some texting, a shower, and frantically re-arranging all the crud in my car so I could (potentially) fit luggage and a human inside, I was off to the airport! Miriel acquired (sadly without suitcase) and we hit the road. And then the rain found us. It was... loud. But thankfully, Miriel is a calm companion and told me wonderful stories of DC which helped me stay relaxed enough to get through the rain without incident. Then there was Cracker Barrel, and you know what? I didn't have fried okra! Seriously, there is something wrong with me! I got sucked in by a picture of a pretty salad and a loaded baked potato that was delicious and just enough food, but... but... fried okra!! It's why I go to Cracker Barrel. I can't believe I forgot. *sigh* Anyway, I got Miriel to the tiniest airport ever. It's even smaller than the Lincoln, NE airport--which has 4 gates. Waco only has 2, which makes it even funnier that Miriel once got a "gate change notification" e-mail for a flight leaving from Waco. Really.

Tuesday I had my doctor's appointment, a fabulous manicure, and then went to a baby shower where I got to hold babies, rub bellies, and drink punch. Pretty much the best way to end that day.

Of course, I have been showered with gifts this week too. From the internet!  First, I got a package from Noemi with this adorable sleeper, and then... then I died, because of a tiny pair of jeggings. I mean, I squealed when I saw the sleeper. I couldn't help myself. Pink giraffe print with a giraffe on it?!? And then when I saw the leggings... with a dark-wash denim print... the squeal became a noise that only super-sonic cocker spaniels could hear. And that's before I even got to the adorable argyle baby legwarmers. Plus, it came with some tiny newborn diapers, which I will soon put into a diaper bag, along with all the other wonderful things you wonderful people suggested.

THEN I got a surprise package with NO NAME that had this dress inside. And there was more squealing over the tiny rosette details and the little ruffles on the pants. Turns out that PurpleLara sent it my way, but the company neglected to put her name anywhere on the order. Still... ultimate cuteness.

Also, both ladies were kind enough to send things in sizes for Freckle to grow into. We've got so much in the tiny clothes area, but now I don't have to worry about her reaching 12 lbs and suddenly having to be naked all the time. Hooray!

AND THEN the stuff from Target & Amazon started to roll in. My mom bought us a cradle bedding set. It's lavender gingham with a hippo on it and soon it will go into the cradle my dad is making for us! I ordered some decorations for the nursery--these wall decals and a nightlight/face place combo thingy. Now I just have to actually, you know, decorate the nursery.

AND AFTER THAT I got 2 boxes full of unspeakably adorable clothes from Happily Ever Me. I have determined, after careful examination of the contents of these boxes, that her little girl was quite possibly the best dressed baby in Northern California. Those clothes are being shared among the 3 Nebraska girl babies, so we will put all those cute outfits to good use!

Today I had a dentist appointment, went to visit a baby, made a Target run, and now I'm pooped. I'm going to take a nap!

A simple plan

So, my birth plan has been pretty simple from the start: have an external baby as naturally as possible.

In my case, "possible" includes all things medically necessary, and things like my level of pain tolerance, endurance, and give-a-hoot.  That being said, we had some... preferences? Ideas? I won't go so far as to call them plans, because they were pretty vague, but it went something like this:

*I want to go into labor by myself (unless it's too risky to our health).
*If I can do this without drugs, that'd be great. (This is the part that totally surprised me. Before getting pregnant, I never thought I'd even consider going without drugs. Some hormonal shift? Crazy glitter hippie idea? I don't know, but this idea stuck in my head & I haven't been able to shake it--even after watching 10 long hours of unmedicated labor.)
*Please don't cut anything unless you have to.

With those things in my head, I took a Lamaze class and watched some DVDs about tips for coping with the pain, natural child birth relaxation methods, some massage stuff, nothing too fancy. J & I have been practicing the breathing techniques and making sure we have a common language to communicate needs--though I have a feeling that when I'm in pain I might get irrationally inarticulate.

Basically, the only things that I really want to avoid are c-section and induction, not because I think those things are horrible and women who have them are losers. No, not at all. I just didn't want to do that, if I could avoid it. I knew that induction would be talked about if I went past my due date and I'm ok with that.

Then I had my 37 week appointment. (Spoiler alert: everything is fine. We're both still healthy and the original plan is still in place--to have an external baby. That's really the bottom line of the whole post in case you want to stop reading now.)

Giant disclaimer: I fully trust my doctor. She respects me, my wishes, and treats me like an informed human. I am completely comfortable in her care, with her care, and know that she has nothing but the best interests of my person and this baby in mind. She listens to my concerns and doesn't dismiss me, even when I'm being inarticulate and nervous. Ok. Glad we got that out of the way.

Anyway, there seems to be a minor snag in my plans of "as naturally as possible" including the first 2 things on my "it would be nice if" list. An induction *might* be necessary and an epidural is *very likely*. Ok, fine. I can adjust to that.

The only part I'm really having a hard time letting go of is the possibility of not getting to 40 weeks. I mean, I was always sort of prepared if I just went in to labor early, but not really, since everyone spends so much time telling you that first babies are usually late. I guess the best way to say it is that I was counting on getting the opportunity to get to 40 weeks. April at least (which, with a due date of the 3rd, is close enough). Not just because I have no niece/nephew birthdays in April, or because I think a diamond birthstone would be nice. Yes I think those things, but the bigger thing is that APRIL has been in my brain as when this baby is coming since I found out there was a baby coming, and if SHE decides to come in March, I'm ok with that, but I'm having a harder time wrapping my brain around MAKING her come early. If it does happen, it will be because it's what is best for both of us, and I know that (see disclaimer), but it's taken me a day or two to adjust my expectations. I've had such a blissfully normal pregnancy. This new information is taking time to percolate.

Still, I'm still pregnant. Happily and healthily so, and once I have pictures of a healthy external baby, I'll let you know. I promise.

For now, I'm going to continue to clean all the things (I'm washing curtains at the moment... curtains!!) and help my friends who have newborns and wait for it to be my turn. I'm ok waiting right now. Everybody think nice, safe, Aprilish thoughts in my direction, ok? *

What do I do with this?

looking deceptively round

don't worry, same oddly shaped belly as always

37 weeks--full term! The last milestone before my due date.












So, I'm all packed for the hospital. I used this list as a guide, because it was so very comprehensive. Good news--it all fits in one bag. Well, except for the extra pillows. Those aren't *in* the bag. Oh, and neither is the laptop, since that's J's and lives with him 24/7 anyway. And I skipped the chocolate cigars/champagne & thank you notes. But everything else is in that bag. Yes, yes it is. Sitting in my back seat. Next to the car seat.

Which got me thinking about other bags to pack. Like a diaper bag. Which led me to realize that I have no idea what all to put in there.

Alright ladies, what do I put in a diaper bag, other than diapers/wipes/diaper cream?
For cloth diapers, how do you transport the coconut oil?
Do you put a change of clothes in there?
Hopefully I'll be feeding this kid from my own self, so shouldn't need a bottle, but do I need to pack other feeding-from-my-own-self supplies? What are those things, other than a cover?
Do newborns need toys?
How many blankets should I leave the house with?
How do you know if the baby is too hot or too cold? Can you just feel them up and make adjustments, or is there some super-secret mom-method of baby temperature control that I can only learn after I get the secret handshake?
Can you do the crib-lasagna thing in a pack and play type thing?
How big a hamper do you need for baby clothes?
I have some of the Bummis Fleece Liners. Are these the things I use if I have to use a non-cloth diaper friendly rash cream with the cloth diapers?
Did any of you do maternity photos? If so, what did you wear?

Seriously, I have questions. Feel free to e-mail me your fabulous answers with adorable anecdotal evidence and pictures of your babies! beanonparade @ gmail (someone's gonna have to show me how to do a fancy contact thing that will stop spam from taking over my universe someday).

Oh Sofa

I'm having a love affair with my couch. Every night between 2:30 and 4 (which is sort of morning, but not really) I leave my warm, cozy bed and my warm, cozy husband and head out to my cold, leather couch.

It's mostly because after my mid-night wake up, I have a hard time getting re-comfortable and rather than toss and turn and feel resentful of my peacefully sleeping husband, I relocate. The elusive combination of top half elevated enough to keep the heartburn at bay, but horizontal enough to keep my spine from protesting, plus the absolute no-touching of the skin of either leg to the skin of the other leg, plus temperature and cat placement is... well, elusive.

It should be noted that my dear, sweet husband has many, many times offered to be the one to leave the bed and be exiled to the couch. Some nights, he's gone there straight away to leave me the whole bed to flop about it. But mostly, it just makes more sense (and takes less time) if I move (instead of having to poke, prod and cajole him out of his deep sleep).

The change of scenery usually helps me get back to sleep prretty quickly, and if it doesn't then I'm not disturbing anyone but the animals, and they sleep all day anyway, so I don't care. Also, my couch is awesomely comfy for the sleeping. I build a nice little cocoon of blankets and pillows and the angle of the arms is a great base for the necessary anti-heartburn propping I have to do (though I should say, and probably jinx it, that for the past 3 nights, I have had to use ZERO tums to sleep, which is a vast improvement. Hooray). It's nice and cool, so when I get too hot I can stick my foot in between the cushions and cool off. Of course, if I'm comfortably warm and the blankets happen to slip, I do get quite the shock when the couch touches me.



But thanks to the cat-attracting blanket, that's rarely a problem. This blanket is magical. It's ugly, and I got it for free at Dots a couple of Christmases ago, but we just recently discovered the power it holds over our felines. Wherever the blanket is, there shall be cats. All 3 cats will even consent to SHARE the blanket, which really is magic!

All in all, it's really a great arrangement. 

36 weeks/8 months and Labor (not mine)

Ok folks, here I am. 36 weeks.

8 months.
weeeeeee!
My due date is less than a month away. I'm ok with that time table for the most part. I'm not so uncomfortable that I want this baby OUT and I'm mostly prepared with the stuff & things we need to care for said baby.
I still have a belly button.
Most nights I can sleep 3-4 hours at a stretch.
Strangers ask me when I'm due, which is nice because it means that I really do look visibly pregnant and not just weirdly chubby which is reassuring. My belly is still not the nice, round shape I'd hoped for, but you know, whatever. There's a baby in there, and other people have felt her kick about, so that's good enough for me.
All in all, I'm doing really well.
It is a little strange to be able to just say "the third" when asked about my due date, as we've passed any other thirds that it might be. It still feels like a long way off, because even though my friend Modern Day Martha had her baby on Tuesday, and Mrs. Jones should be having her twins today, I'm still waiting for at least 2 more babies before my due date comes up on the counter.

Speaking of MDM having a baby...
She did. I mean, that's the short version. The long version is her story to tell, and I'll let her do that, but I want to tell a medium version that's mostly about me. Because I'd never seen labor up close and personal before. Everybody knows that life isn't like the movies, and there is no helpful montage that takes all the little moments of not-so-exciting and condenses them to 45 seconds with cool music so you can get on to the good stuff.

We actually discussed this, MDM & I as we were walking up and down her block to get her labor to progress. It was actually quite the little parade. MDM, her husband and mother, me, and two of our other Nebraska Girls, The Giant Swede & The Kindergarten Teacher. I have no idea if they want their names all bloggified, so I'm giving them these SUPER SECRET names just now.

A side note on my Nebraska girls. As a group, we've been friends for about 12 1/2 years. We started living together in 2001. We moved to Texas together in 2003. We've been through just about all the major life milestones together--now including babies. We're family in the awesome way of friends who've been through life together consistently for more than a decade. We see each other every week at our bible study and socially, and no, it's not a cult, it's just... good.

So, right. MDM starts having contractions in the wee hours of the morning, and shortly after sunrise, gets the green light from her doctor to go to the hospital. We were sure that baby is on the way. Except, no. She got sent home because things slowed down, and she'll be more comfortable there. Anyway, being unemployed now, I call to see if they need anything--she, the husband & the mother--like lunch so no one has to leave the house. Lunch was covered, but they did invite me over to say hello, offer support, you know... stuff.

So I went. I thought it would be a relatively short trip, because she already had lots of support people with her, and I didn't want to get in the way. Their house isn't so big that 6 people hanging out in the living room doesn't feel full. But I stopped by, and went on a walk or two up and down the block with them, and made a run to go get ice cream, because nothing makes labor go faster than ice cream, right? Mostly it was nice to feel useful. There's not a lot to do in early labor. MDM was doing all the work, and most of that was involuntary--contractions not being something she has any control over and all. Still, she said she liked having us there, for the distraction and the sense of normalcy. We chatted about stuff, watched Hot Fuzz, and just sort of hung out. MDM was handling things like a champ and most of her contractions passed without us even noticing--or, well, without me noticing. I won't speak for anyone else. Someone must have been paying attention. MDM mentioned that she hadn't had a chance to watch the natural childbirth DVDs she's been given, so I gave her the 2 minute version of the Lamaze class J & I took--relax, breathe, think good thoughts. The basics right?

Then her contractions get more intense. We're noticing now. She's still doing a great job, staying relaxed in between, breathing through it, changing positions, drinking water. I'm talking to her, telling her all the things I remember from my class, feeling super weird because... what in the WORLD do I know about contractions and labor? I haven't had a single contraction. Not even a Braxton Hicks. Still, I'm saying the words, and it seems to help, and then, my friend, overwhelmed, tired, and ready to meet her baby, but not knowing when that will be, asks me to stay. Asks me to stay with her as she labors. No way I'm saying no to that. One, I'm FASCINATED by this process. Two... I mean seriously? Who on earth is going to deny a request like that, especially from one of your best friends? So, I stayed.

It was amazing. For about 10 hours, I got to be a part of this incredible process. I don't have the words to describe it without sounding like a dreamy, idealistic hippy. It was work, it was hard, she was in pain, but it was still amazing. Seeing her actually doing it--getting through this incredibly difficult thing, and knowing that I was helping... man! I get why being a doula would be a cool job.

So, late that night (early the next morning technically, but I hadn't slept yet, so it wasn't really tomorrow in my head), she delivered a beautiful baby girl.

Next week, my friend KRho (the fifth Nebraska Girl) is due to have a baby girl too. She & I took all the same classes, so I don' think she'll need me, but I'm excited to meet her little girl as well. Then it can be my turn.

See, I've got lots of time before this baby gets born!

EDIT: I was by no means the only one helping her out through her early labor by the way. Her husband & mother were never far from her side (except when we told them to go take a nap, and then we Nebraska girls held down the fort so to speak). We all worked as a team to help keep a sense of normalcy as much as possible, then when it was time, we turned her over to the hospital staff and she & her husband went the final two hours by themselves (with the nurses & doctor of course). Yes, two hours. Bing, bang, boom--BABY!

Inspired

First, a nod to Miss Raven over at Just Expressive. She's been working on this Wear Your Stuff project--an attempt to actually wear all the things in her closet, not just the favorite few that hang out near the front. Since I'm lucky enough to have 2 clothing swaps a year with my friends, this keeps my closet pretty well pruned. What I'm really, really, woefully inadequate about? Accessories. I know! My sister B is a WHIZ when it comes to accessories. She WEARS all her stuff, and she's got a lot! Jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc. It reminds me of that line from Steel Magnolias: What separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.*

So, to sum up--I'm practically an animal. I HAVE lots of jewelries and scarves and such, but I'm crap at actually remembering to wear any of it. So I took some inspiration from Raven, cleaned out and organized my jewelry box and have made an attempt to wear earrings & necklaces that match my outfits. So far (2 days) so good. Let's see how long this lasts. Maybe if I'm lucky until the baby gets here. Then I shall stop wearing things that can be used as torture devices by tiny hands.

The other part of my recent inspiration is in two parts. First, TJ tweeted about a sale at Ulta, so I went, and now, in the style of the Fabulous Ms. Sarah Lena, I shall tell you about it. So, by spending $17.50 on Ulta brand makeup for a friend's birthday, I got this:

this is the picture of all the stuff on the inside from the Ulta website. 

It's a little green makeup bag full of makeup. Yep. More makeup. I can only recall having purchased one Ulta brand makeup thing before, and while I wasn't impressed at all (it was an eyeshadow crayon thingy in "white wedding" that didn't blend... like, at all), I was willing to give them another shot. Normally, I'm a Sephora girl because of brands like Makeup Forever and they give me lots of free stuff because I spend as much money there in a year as my husband does at Chipotle--which is A LOT.**

There is a lot of stuff in there, by the way. I took it upon myself to wear as much of it at one time as possible.  Strangely, that didn't result in the complete disaster you might be picturing. 

 These eyeshadows are the reason I chose the green bag over the purple or orange version. While the purple would have made more sense in term of stuff I'm more likely to wear, I already have so much purple makeup, and I don't have any yellow eyeshadow, so... you know... I'm branching out. All in all, I like these quads very much. For free makeup, they're wonderful. The shadows aren't as pigmented as I would like, but they're not pale, pasty pastels either. The yellow is truly yellow and I actually wore it on my face, with all the other colors in that quad at the same time and it was pretty ok. Kind of a rainbow-y effect, without pink or purple. Sadly, I have no photographic evidence of this, as it was on a Thursday night and I went to Lace rehearsal. But if the Lace didn't scream at me, it couldn't have been that bad.

 Here we have some truly neutral lip gloss & cheek color. They're fine. The gloss is sparkly on the pale side and matte on the nude side. I'll probably only ever wear the sparkly side, because I find nude lips to be... on me, kind of pointless. My lips are pink to begin with, so to make them "nude" is to make me look... well... dead. Anyway, I'll save you the trouble and tell you the same thing about the lipstick below. Nude. Pointless. For me.

The "Voluptuous Volume" mascara and the nail polish were both a big disappointment to be honest. While the mascara wand looked promising, the formula just did nothing for my lashes. Nada. Squat. The nail polish is a color that is very much not up my alley--kelly green--but that's not my biggest complaint. It went on super streaky, because a single coat was nearly sheer. It was weird. It took 3 coats to get solid coverage, and then it chipped right away. Not the best polish I've ever worn. But you know, free, so worth every penny!

That's all I got. Over all, I'm pleased with the gift bag. The eyeliners aren't as awesome as my Urban Decay ones, but nothing ever will be. They're functional and versatile, so that's good. I mean, there really are only so many uses for an eyeliner called "Ransom" but "Chocolate" goes a long way on many days.

And now I'm done!

*It should be said that roughly 85% of the dialogue in that movie is deliciously quotable, more so now that I live in the southern portion of the States.

**Also, Chipotle never gives HIM any free stuff, so, I feel my spending is somehow... cooler.

Sponges... sort of

Ok, so there’s this thing about information. I want to know stuff. Right now, mostly stuff about birthing babies, because… yes, I don’t know nuthin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies. Which isn’t exactly true.  At the moment I know a lot about what is supposed to happen and lots of things that might happen, but no idea what will actually happen.

Be that as it may, this is just the latest in a long line of things that I want to know about. My brother and I have this in common, but he’s much better at it than I am. More follow through and charisma. He likes a thing, he researches that thing and becomes an expert. Example: He likes wine. Now he’s a sommelier.  I mean, I guess by extension, I’m doing something similar. I like babies, now I’m going to be a mom, but it’s not quite the same.

ANYWAY… so, information. Here’s the thing about it. You’ve heard the expression “to be a sponge” right? Where someone just sucks up all the information about something that they can get, like a sponge absorbing water? Well, there are lots of levels of that situation that I’m going to ramble on about.

See, a totally saturated sponge is actually pretty useless if we’re talking kitchen-type sponges and not the things that live in the ocean, which I am, so keep up, ok? If you pick up a saturated sponge, you just make a mess—water everywhere and then you need a sponge to clean up the mess you just made with the sponge you have. It’s really not that effective. I guess this is what you call “analysis paralysis” if you’re one of those people who are keen on naming things that people do with easily remembered phrases to explain away the oddities of human behavior. I am one of those people and I want to avoid this. The internet is FULL of information. Not just forums (which seem mostly full of the extreme cases) and my Twitter ladies (who are mostly full of the reasonable), but we all know the dangers of Googling your symptoms, right? Too much information.

You want a damp kitchen sponge, right? If, for example, you’re going to use the scrubby side of the sponge to get something that’s dried onto a dish or counter, what you really need is very little liquid and a lot of brute force—for the scrubbing. I don’t need a lot of knowledge to move furniture. Some understanding of physics, gravity, and simple machines is enough.

Also, you need the right kind of liquid to get the most use out of your sponge (which I’m using to talk about my brain here, in case this has already gone completely off the rails). Plain water is fine if you’re just planning on wiping up a few crumbs but if you need to sanitize something (well, first you need a clean sponge, and I’ve always been a little uncertain as to how one cleans a sponge exactly, but I think a dishwasher is involved), you probably want something more potent. Like bleach or Lysol or that Mr. Clean stuff that comes in the purple bottle. So when my brother decided that liking wine was going to become a hobby he wanted to get better at, he had to know who to ask to get reliable information about things, like the wine guy at his local liquor store, not, you know… me because I still describe the way wine tastes in colors more often than flavors.

The point in all of this? I’m not sure. I want to be a useful sponge. I think it's like this--you hold the sponge under the water and let it get good and soaked, then squeeze it out to use just what you need. I’m learning as much as I can about birth, and babies, and how to take care of them and myself, how to be both wife and mother, cut myself some slack, rest now, nest now, enjoy these last few days when it’s just J & I with the critters in the house, be ready, knowing that I’ll never be 100% ready and remember that I’m more than just pregnant since lots of things will go on the back burner once Freckle decides to make her external debut. Filling the sponge, as it were. Then there will be some squeezing and hopefully what I'm left with is what I need to do the job at hand. I’m really kind of glad that I’ll be unemployed* in a week or so. 

*anyone else hear that in Vicini’s voice and have to restrain themselves from adding “in GREENLAND!” on the end? 

I went to a party dressed like flapper... not a costume party

It's true. I'm on my way to my favorite kind of party--small, laid back and with people I like.

I will be wearing WAY TOO MUCH makeup because I had a) time on my hands and 2) a burst of inspiration after seeing the lovely mask my friend over at Always Never Quite Right did this weekend. I've stuffed as much color-appropriate jiggaflern onto my head as possible and slipped into the most comfortable dress I own...

The combination? Some sort of strange Mardi Gras flapper...

Good thing my friends like me, eh?

Things I learned in Arizona

I'm still not over PJs @ TJ's. I keep reading all the awesome recaps and thinking "OH YEAH!" so here are some of those moments. Also, maybe the coolest thing (other than the floor bed) was that this event CREATED A BLOG! Yeah! Peer pressure!

1. Hotel bunnies aren't afraid of people with cameras.
2. Stephanie is an awesome roommate
3. Sometimes what you need is to just roll over & go back to sleep. And if you have an awesome roommate (which, see above, I did), she will too & it will be like magical sleepytime...magic.
4. Elise is the baby whisperer. Seriously. She rocked/bounced/soothed all the fussy babies to sleep. All of them! I spent a lot of time watching her to try to discern her secret ways as that might come in handy soon. Thankfully, my mom also seems to have this skill and she's a lot closer than the Far North.
5. If I'm going to get heartburn no matter what, I'll have an extra piece of pizza. And another soda. And a tiny ice cream sundae. And more awesome dip. Ok, so all the food really.
6. What I think is heartburn is very mild compared to what could be going on in there, so I'm very grateful.
7. I like braiding my hair. I kinda forgot that, and now I wish I did it more often.
8. I recognize Diane by her glasses. Also, she reminds me of my grandpa, which is actually a compliment, because she's the one you want to sit next to because she says funny stuff, but in that quiet, under-the-table way.
9. Noemi has amazing hair. For real. And I was a little starstruck honestly. Because I've been lurking on her blog for a long time. Lurking isn't my normal M.O. (I'm too obnoxiously loud for that!)
10. People in real life really do look just like they do on the internet. It's kinda bizzare.
11. Other not-shy people make me happy, and complimenting someone's freckles can turn into a conversation about boobs and genetics. Seriously.
12. Glitter-hippies are the best kind and talking about some of the crazy hippie stuff that I'm trying with people FROM THE INTERNET in real life is also pretty amazing.
13. When in doubt, just wave at strangers and hopefully they'll be the ones who were looking for you in random public locations. Worked for Kammah!
14. Canadians don't know how to work electronic card reader/signer thingies, but will not blink an eye at multiple u-turns and crossing 4 lanes of traffic to turn left on the wrong road. (I didn't know it was the wrong road at the time)
15. I didn't mean for this to be a big name-dropping thing as I really did enjoy everyone that I got to talk to, which I think was everyone.
16. I think my superpower is being able to get back to the places I've been to. I mean, in terms of navigating & giving directions. If I've been/driven there, I can probably get back there, but only by the route I got there in the first place. Alternate routes just confuse me.
17. I really loved the way that everyone cooperated to make stuff happen--like carpooling & making trips to pick people up and taking the Canadian to a Target, which apparently they don't have in BC.
18. The smallness of this event was really appealing to me. It was all my favorite parts of the Blathering--eating & talking to people in small groups--without any stress about what I "should" be doing (based on no one's pressure but mine, by the way. But I've been to Phoenix before, so I didn't feel like I had to "experience" the city to make the trip count. I could just sit and talk, even though I'd only met 3 of the people before).
19. I have to remember that people read my blog, so I don't have to repeat myself. I'm really bad at this. It's that weird line of not wanting to seem to self-absorbed that I assume everyone remembers every word I've ever typed and not being so self-deprecating that I assume no one reads so I can tell the same stories over & over again.
20. Babies do crazy things, and listening to moms tell stories (even stories about the awful parts--pinching, getting you sick, being demanding little tyrants) is pretty cool. I have NO IDEA what I'm getting myself into, despite the vast wealth of information I've accumulated. I know that I'm having a baby, but no idea what that really means. Thankfully I know that all these women will be there in a few months when I start asking more WTF questions.
21. The desert is dry. I know, that sounds like the stupidest thing ever, but I had to actually pay attention to how much water I drank, and I didn't really realize that the difference in humidity (or lack there of) would make my skin freak out. I don't know if it's because pregnancy hormones are making me more sensitive, or I'm just paying more attention to everything that happens with/to my body. Either way, the air was dry and I needed lotion.
22. Phoenix roads will randomly gain or lose a lane without warning. This can be very confusing in the dark.
23. There is a Carter's STORE! A physical building full of nothing but Carter's baby stuff... I didn't know they had such a thing! It was...well, I'm just glad there isn't one too close to me, because I would GO NUTS! Everything with a giraffe or hippo would be MINE... I mean, Freckle's...whatever.

Better than I imagined

So, we all know that I'm not shy of strangers. I mean, I talk to people when I go shopping quite often. Somehow, it's slightly more intimidating with people that you sort of almost kinda know because of the internet.

Seriously, my weekend was kind of surreal. I kept looking at people (and their babies) and thinking--but you're from the internet!

Anyway, the point is that Pjs @ TJ's was pretty much exactly what I needed and totally wonderful. There were moments of awkward because I'm loud & say inappropriate things and sometimes I hug people who aren't huggers, but those moments were VERY FEW, thankfully.  Mostly, it was just a totally relaxed weekend--for us. TJ had a lot more stress, because getting on & off the base was a little confusing, but everyone there was totally willing to do whatever was needed to make things happen as painlessly as possible.

There was lots of food and drinks and we all just sort of camped out in TJ's living room and talked about stuff. I know that doesn't sound like whoo-hoo big time party fun, but it really was! There were bad in-law stories and many babies to be passed around and chocolate and popcorn. Movies that you could watch & glance at twice and still know exactly what was going on because you'd seen it like a million times were played in the background. There just aren't enough words for how great that feels--to feel all comfortable and relaxed with people whom you've really just met for the first time hours ago.

Anyway, now I shall resort to showing you pictures!

It's pink! It's a shotglass! It's from Alaska!

The view from the pool Saturday evening. You can't see, but there are 4 bunnies frolicking on the lawn

Sunset on the way to base. With palm trees!

This is Temerity Jane's baby. 

This is PJs @ TJ's, complete with streamers, matching plates & napkins, and a BED! In the LIVING ROOM!

This is my manicure

And TJ was brilliant. Everything that anyone needed was there, and for the pajama party portion of the weekend--you guys, this is such an amazing idea, I can't get over how cool it is--she put A BED in the living room... YEAH! A bed! And we all piled on it and talked like schoolgirls, except not, because I don't know many schoolgirls who have horrible in-law stories and tips on birth & breastfeeding.

The point is, I thought it was going to be cool. I expected to be awkward and nervous and clumsy. It was way cooler than I thought, mostly because of all the cool people I got to talk to. My only regret is that I talked too much & didn't listen to more stories. Oh, and that it seems impossible for me to get a manicure without the tech cutting my cuticles until they bleed. Other than that, I had an excellent time. I'm seriously considering doing one of these myself. Jeans at Bean's y'all!

The week of 3 Wednesdays and other pointless taless

Last week was The Week of 3 Wednesdays. It started out innocently enough. Monday came and went as expected. All the normal Monday-ish things happened like they were supposed to. Then I went to bed and woke up on Wednesday. It must have been Wednesday, because I had my doctor's appointment that day, and for many weeks those appointments have been on Wednesday. Thus, logically doctors appointment=Wednesday. I went on about my day doing my normal Wednesday things until about 8pm when I got a text from my sister B asking why I wasn't at dance. I almost replied "because it's Wednesday!" (dance is on Tuesday), but then I realized it wasn't Wednesday. Because that morning I'd had a similar conversation with my husband when I asked him why he was taking his guitar to work. He said it was because he had rehearsal that night. I said asked why and he said, "Because it's Tuesday." But I then went back to sleep and forgot the whole thing. Then the real Wednesday happened. I wore this shirt. 'Cause it's Wednesday!

Then! the next day... it was Wednesday too! Because we had to go to the hospital for our "learn how to have and care for a baby" class. And those are on Wednesdays. Well, the first class was. The second class (Lamaze, y'all. I... I know. It's crazy) was actually on Thursday, but it didn't FEEL like a Thursday, even though the day before had been Wednesday, because I didn't have Lace rehearsal. Lace rehearsal is on Thursday. Except this week, it had been moved to Friday, but that meant that my class was still on the day before Lace rehearsal, so of course that made it Wednesday. You see the logic there, right? It all makes sense.
Then it was Thursday, then Saturday and the week got all messed up and now I don't even know what day it is.

Leftover People
Ok, so in my attempt to become a better person through meal planning, I must take baby steps. It seems that the first one would be to plan some meals, then cook the meals and ta-da! There you go. Unfortunately, things aren't working out that way. I used to do this so well. When we first got married I had a spreadsheet and a database and all sorts of plans. Then... something unidentified happened. We got more social, or something. Now, meal planning is made difficult by 2 things. Thing 1: We're only home together to eat the same meal one night a week, and maybe the weekend. Thing 2: We're really bad at eating leftovers. So, when I do get up the give a squat to actually cook, I can never manage to just make enough for 2. Mostly because "enough for 2" is a very vague and changing quantity in this house. J can eat like a rhinoceros at times, but other times (when he's on his ADD meds) he barely has an appetite at all. All of this to say that leftovers happen. We should then take them to work or eat them for lunches or the next night, or on a pre-approved "clean out the fridge" night, but... we don't. We're just not thoughtful about it. We need to fix that. We need to become leftover people.

Natural Woman
For a long time I've been trying to get my hair back to it's natural color in the dumbest and least-patient way possible--with dye. This is... problematic to say the least. What I remember my natural hair color being is... a weird shade of red. It's like the dirty blonde version of red. Dirty copper? I don't know. Anyway, based on highly technical things like pictures and the fake hair that perfectly matched the last time my hair was it's own color (5-6 years ago) I've been trying to get back to that, because I don't really feel like letting my hair color grow out for 3 years. I've resisted saying "just make everything match my roots" because they didn't look the right color. I know that sounds stupid, but they were too dark. My hair maybe gets lighter as it grows out? I dunno, but I remember having darker roots than ends for a long time, but the color in the middle is the color I think of as mine. But I finally got tired of all the highlights and touch ups and blah blah blah so I went in and finally said "just make everything match my roots" and... it was dark. Way darker than I ever remember my hair being. That was in October, days before The Blathering. I haven't had my hair colored since then. My hair is all still the same color. With some grey bits. SO... apparently the kind of dark-honey-amber-reddish color I remember is gone. Now I'm a slightly reddish brunette. WEIRD.

That looks awful!
There is something strangely comforting in hearing your doctor say those words. There's the validation of knowing that I'm not being a totally whiny brat. There is reason to be uncomfortable and I made the right decision to go see the doctor and have it checked out. On the other hand, it would have been nice to hear "Oh, yeah, we can clear that right up!" instead of "Oh... I mean... oh!" I adore my doctor, by the way, so... you know... she can say stuff like that.

Unemployed and Pregnant
So... the "BIG NEWS" of today is that I sort of, kind of got laid off. I mean, I'm a contract person, not an "employee" so it's a little different, and my contract is with Company A, who contracts with Company B, whom they bill to pay me. Company B terminated its contract with Company A, effective 2/25 (plus a 25 day "finish it all up" period). So... if I actually have work to do that whole time, that comes out to March 21st, which is only 10 or so days away from my due date, so that's not so bad. The thing is, work has been slow for a while. I haven't worked a 40 hour week in longer than I can remember, so the income that's coming in is already reduced. We've been making it work, and we will continue to make it work, but it's an adjustment at a time when I'd really like to be spending a lot of money on things for this baby to sleep on and what not. I guess it's better to have my income taper of gently rather than just abruptly stop. It does sort of answer the "will you be going back to work after baby?" question for a bit, since I won't have a job to go back to. Finding a new one as a new mom should be... exciting. I don't know yet if that's what I'll do. If we can make this one-income thing work and I can learn to be a mom who is at home, I'm totally willing to give that a shot. Still, I'm praying that J gets the promotion he just applied for. That would help a little.

How far we've come

So, way back when I first found out about this whole "having a baby" thing, I saw this cute idea for a little countdown jar. I... sort of overestimated how many M&Ms were in the packages I was buying, so instead of just making one as a gift and one for me, both dads got jars too...and I ate some extra M&Ms. It was hard work, I tell you.

Anyway, as things get closer and closer (9 weeks left to go, 2 months!) I looked at my little jar and noticed that it does actually look emptier. Then, for comparison, I went back to look at the original pictures.

Dude! We've gone from this:

To this:

So this is me at 7 months. The first tiny stretch marks appeared today. I knew they were coming, as my skin is prone to them anyway, and now here they are (not pictured, obviously, because... eeeew)

It's totally happening!

I haven't really wanted to say much about this here, because my attendance was extremely tenuous, awaiting doctor approval, but I got it, and I'm going, and I'm so excited. I already have my PJs packed. (Of course, J keeps calling it "P-yamas at Penny's mama's" with the Spanish pronounciation of pajamas... I don't know how you spell that. Anyway, it's happening. My doctor said I could fly. I just need to book a rental car for when I get there because I'm flying in & out at some seriously rediculous times, but whatever, I'll get 95% of Friday and all day Saturday to... do stuff... with TJ and 17 other internet ladies, because the internet is AWESOME!

Twitter is my knitting circle

I was on Twitter for a long time before it became valuable to me. I blame the Blathering for getting me hooked. Before then, I followed people, read their stuff, but didn't really interact with anyone. Now, I can spend the majority of a day talking about things that I have no one else to talk about with--with ladies I've either never met, or only met once, but I talk to regularly enough that it isn't at all weird to ask questions about personal stuff like giving birth. And I thought, MAN! How did people live without the internet? How did we manage without the immediacy of advice available from my Twitter feed?

Oh yeah... they lived in multi-generational communities and talked to people that they lived and worked with. So, Twitter is my knitting circle.

I mean, I have real life friends of many ages who I can turn to with questions and get advice and help from. And I do! They taught me how to do a 4-strand braid, and make bread, and jam, and better hard-boiled eggs. They've given me advice and suggestions on morning sickness, heartburn, some other h-related pregnancy symptoms, feeding this baby from my boobs, getting her to sleep, how to deal with gas. And all with the understanding that maybe none of it will work for me, but better to have the knowledge and have it fail than be totally clueless. My sister-in-law has 6 kids--she's an incredible resource. I have my mom and my grandmothers around to ask about things like how to sew stuff and why would anyone press a tablecloth when it's not on the table and what's baking powder for and stuff like that.

I talked to my mom about birth too. She's done it twice and two different ways (drugs & natural) and so, you know, has knowledge and opinions about stuff. But that was still 30+ years ago. Some things have changed. My close friends who've given birth recently both had planned C-sections, so while they have LOTS to tell me about taking care of tiny people and what tools are handy and what worked for them there, when it comes to labor... they didn't do it. By doctor's orders, and I am in NO WAY saying that they are somehow less or not as awesome as women who have labored. I wouldn't say that because that is dumb. They still suffered discomfort and indignity to get their internal babies into the outside world and no one should BRAG about any kind of birth at all. That bothers me. If I do it, smack me with a tuna, or a marlin, or some other big sport fish, ok? Havin' a baby is havin' a baby. It's different for everyone and blah, blah, blah, you know all this. Soapbox put away.

So, barring unforeseen complications arising between now and then, there are no plans for this baby to come out like toast (best description of a c-section ever, thanks K!). That being said, I want to know what it *might* be like. No way to know what it WILL be like until I'm there, but... I like to be prepared. I get that there is a line at which too much information becomes a bad thing and might stress me out and freak me out unnecessarily and all that, but I still want to know stuff. The hospital class we took was very informative and all, but I wanted to hear from people I know--what was it like for you? What do you wish you knew before hand? What's worth worrying about and what isn't? This is how I got into a day-long discussion of what happens to your undercarriage during and after birth. With people that aren't really strangers, but... I only know through the internet mostly. Were there some scary stories out there? Oh yeah! The phrase "stem to stern" was used. I blinked more than a few times at some of the descriptions and advice given. I laughed out loud at an inappropriate time at my office at one description and couldn't even explain why, because most of the words used aren't really office friendly, and "meat grinder" out of context just isn't as humorous as it was at the time.

And all this got me thinking--not about my undercarriage, but about my Twitter friends. I have somehow managed to stumble upon a pocket of rational, reasonable, diverse and respectful people--ON THE INTERNET! Mostly women. It's not just some mutual admiration society where everyone likes everyone else and we all sit around stroking each other's egos. That sentence seems grammatically awkward and I can't figure it out. Moving on.

These women are awesome. There are disagreements. If I say something that someone else has a different view point on, they will say so--but there's no drama! I mean, I haven't seen any, so don't start any now. We're doing so well. I'm talking 100 women, give or take. That's crazy and amazing and wonderful. I have so much experience and information available at my fingertips. Anecdotal advice and recommendations. Sympathy and suggestions. I've learned so much from these ladies. SO MUCH! They're not saints. I mean, there is complaining and some snarkiness and sometimes they talk about tv shows I've never seen using abreviations I don't understand and I have to google a lot of the people they talk about, but that's how I learn stuff.

I really don't have a snazzy conclusion here. I just... like my Twitter people a lot.