things non-pregnant people take for granted:
- wine with dinner.
- sex.
- sleeping on your stomach.
- sleeping, in general.
- side zippers.
- finding clothes that fit.
- finding clothes that fit and actually resemble something they might want to wear from a selection of three racks in the ENTIRE STORE.
- getting in and out of the car.
- getting up from a chair.
- energy.
- tying their shoes or giving themselves a pedicure.
- actually fitting into any shoes other than flip-flops.
- climbing stairs.
- lack of stretch marks.
- sanity.
we are at: 34 weeks 1 day.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
baby recipes
planning on making my own "toiletries" for the kiddo, brian thinks i am a bit nuts but is willing to let me. maybe because i've "proved" myself in the past by making my own stuff for my own use. he and i and lots of other people have used them and not died yet or had their faces melt off so i guess he figures our gal will be no different.
baby soap:
20 oz. olive oil
10 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. corn oil
2 oz. shea butter
10 oz. water
5.875 oz. NaOH
1 T. lavender eo
1 T. tee tree eo
1 oz. calendula oil
diaper cream:
1 oz. sweet almond oil
1 oz. shea butter
1 oz. calendula oil
½ oz. coconut oil
½ oz. beeswax
½ oz. zinc oxide
a few drops lavender eo
a few drops tea tree eo
bandicoot's ooh lotion:
20% olive oil (or maybe some sweet almond and/or shea and/or calendula subbed in?)
5% e-wax
5% stearic acid (possibly less for a thinner lotion?)
6% honey
1% citric acid
63% water
germaben ii
a few drops lavender eo
cloth wipe solution:
1 tsp. white vinegar or liquid soap (we'll see which works better)
1 T. calendula oil
a few drops lavender eo
a few drops tea tree eo
¼ c. aloe vera gel
½ c. water
germaben ii
baby powder:
4 oz. cornstarch
4 oz. arrowroot
1 oz. white kaolin clay
1 oz. powdered lavender buds
1 oz. powdered calendula petals
6-10 drops lavender eo
because it is so gentle and basic, the baby soap is also nice as a face soap. i might infuse the olive oil with lavender, yarrow, and slippery elm bark. likewise, remove the zinc oxide and the diaper cream becomes a very nice lip balm. baby powder is also nice for big girls as it is talc-free. and interestingly, the wipe solution (with vinegar, not soap) is very similar to a facial toner recipe i make and love; i am thinking i could maybe sub in citric acid for the vinegar, if i wanted to cut out the vinegar smell?
we are at: 33 weeks 3 days.
cross-posted at éireann
baby soap:
20 oz. olive oil
10 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. corn oil
2 oz. shea butter
10 oz. water
5.875 oz. NaOH
1 T. lavender eo
1 T. tee tree eo
1 oz. calendula oil
diaper cream:
1 oz. sweet almond oil
1 oz. shea butter
1 oz. calendula oil
½ oz. coconut oil
½ oz. beeswax
½ oz. zinc oxide
a few drops lavender eo
a few drops tea tree eo
bandicoot's ooh lotion:
20% olive oil (or maybe some sweet almond and/or shea and/or calendula subbed in?)
5% e-wax
5% stearic acid (possibly less for a thinner lotion?)
6% honey
1% citric acid
63% water
germaben ii
a few drops lavender eo
cloth wipe solution:
1 tsp. white vinegar or liquid soap (we'll see which works better)
1 T. calendula oil
a few drops lavender eo
a few drops tea tree eo
¼ c. aloe vera gel
½ c. water
germaben ii
baby powder:
4 oz. cornstarch
4 oz. arrowroot
1 oz. white kaolin clay
1 oz. powdered lavender buds
1 oz. powdered calendula petals
6-10 drops lavender eo
because it is so gentle and basic, the baby soap is also nice as a face soap. i might infuse the olive oil with lavender, yarrow, and slippery elm bark. likewise, remove the zinc oxide and the diaper cream becomes a very nice lip balm. baby powder is also nice for big girls as it is talc-free. and interestingly, the wipe solution (with vinegar, not soap) is very similar to a facial toner recipe i make and love; i am thinking i could maybe sub in citric acid for the vinegar, if i wanted to cut out the vinegar smell?
we are at: 33 weeks 3 days.
cross-posted at éireann
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
tailbone. hurts.
especially when i get up from sitting. doc says this is completely normal. apparently kiddo is pressing on it. apparently also the bones can actually move a little bit. this is because my body is producing a hormone called relaxin which loosens up my ligaments so that my hips will open up during labor. unfortunately it also has the unpleasant side effect of loosening up all my other joints, so my back is achier than usual and those tailbone bones can move slightly.
on a positive note, i have the option of sitting on a donut pillow to help ease the ache. on a negative note, this makes it look like i have hemorrhoids, which i most emphatically do NOT as i have been diligent about eating enough fiber and drinking enough water to (thus far) successfully avoid them.
on another positive note, apparently the "effects" of relaxin go away within about 24 hours of delivery. it's produced by the placenta, so once there is no more placenta, there is no more relaxin. but as my doctor reminded me, postpartum brings its own new set of aches and pains. remind me again why women are so set on perpetuating the human race?
we are at: 33 weeks 2 days.
on a positive note, i have the option of sitting on a donut pillow to help ease the ache. on a negative note, this makes it look like i have hemorrhoids, which i most emphatically do NOT as i have been diligent about eating enough fiber and drinking enough water to (thus far) successfully avoid them.
on another positive note, apparently the "effects" of relaxin go away within about 24 hours of delivery. it's produced by the placenta, so once there is no more placenta, there is no more relaxin. but as my doctor reminded me, postpartum brings its own new set of aches and pains. remind me again why women are so set on perpetuating the human race?
we are at: 33 weeks 2 days.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
don't mind me, that's just my gut.
at that tired, achy, uncomfortable point. not sure anymore how much bigger i can get.
we are at: 33 weeks 1 day.
we are at: 33 weeks 1 day.
Monday, March 23, 2009
7 weeks and counting
doctor's appointment this morning, everything is still looking good which is always reassuring to hear. also reassuring to hear the kiddo's heartbeat, which was strong and clear. and LOUD, boy was she ever loud. louder than i have heard her heartbeat thus far. the checkups start coming faster now - another one in two weeks, and then every week thereafter until i deliver.
next week i will be tested for group b strep, a harmless (to me) bacteria that can be passed to kiddo during delivery. i'll have to have antibiotics at some point during delivery and kiddo will need to be monitored for at least 24 hours after delivery if i test positive. about 40% of women do, apparently. at the moment, an enforced rest for 24 hours in the hospital sounds mighty good to me. home is feeling a little scary, where it will be just brian and me on our own with this kiddo. granted, my mom will be there, but... kiddos don't come with instruction manuals.
i cannot express how much i want this kid. as scary as the prospect of becoming a mom is to me, i want this kid more than i think i've ever wanted anything in my life. healthy and safe and in my arms. possibly more than i wanted to marry brian. i've heard loving and wanting your children doesn't get any better when you can actually hold them and see them and kiss them.
we are at: 33 weeks.
next week i will be tested for group b strep, a harmless (to me) bacteria that can be passed to kiddo during delivery. i'll have to have antibiotics at some point during delivery and kiddo will need to be monitored for at least 24 hours after delivery if i test positive. about 40% of women do, apparently. at the moment, an enforced rest for 24 hours in the hospital sounds mighty good to me. home is feeling a little scary, where it will be just brian and me on our own with this kiddo. granted, my mom will be there, but... kiddos don't come with instruction manuals.
i cannot express how much i want this kid. as scary as the prospect of becoming a mom is to me, i want this kid more than i think i've ever wanted anything in my life. healthy and safe and in my arms. possibly more than i wanted to marry brian. i've heard loving and wanting your children doesn't get any better when you can actually hold them and see them and kiss them.
we are at: 33 weeks.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
day care questions (long, sorry)
thank you so much for the encouragement on the day care issue. thank you thank you thank you. i really do appreciate each comment even though i am not acknowledging you all by name (as some people email me instead of commenting). honestly, truly, thank you.
as i mentioned i went with an exhaustive list of questions for our day care provider. i didn't know what to ask and my mother suggested looking online for some ideas. my list of questions was created from about 20 different websites. most suggested the same kinds of things but each had something different. keep in mind that this is for a small, in-home day care for an infant, not a large 70-child preschool-type setting. i deemed some probably "typical" or "essential" questions as not relevant to my situation because of that.
ask for a tour of the home/facility where the kids are. our provider's home was very clean and well-kept with a well-kept yard, on a small cul-de-sac off another street, which was off a "main" street. i didn't see a television where the kids were but i saw lots of age-appropriate toys that would stimulate learning and creativity (blocks, dress-up clothes, legos) and lots of books, which was very encouraging to me.
when you talk to someone, you want to know what all is included. you want to know what you must bring/provide. diapers, likely. how many bottles? et cetera.
you also need to know how compensation is handled for vacation or days your kiddo is sick. most places give you "time off" for vacation, but you usually still have to pay if your child is sick (unless hospitalized). often day care providers will take vacation time themselves when you generally do not have to pay. what are the hours? what holidays is your provider closed?
sometimes it is inevitable that you will be running a little late from work. how does your provider handle late pick-ups?
what is your provider's billing policy? does she provide receipts for income tax credit?
you need to know when you must keep your child home when they are sick. sniffles? runny nose? is it okay for kiddo to come when she is no longer contagious, but still recovering and just needs quiet and rest? how does your provider handle medications if they are needed? what is her policy about "quarantines" and other sick kids? what is her policy when the provider is ill herself?
it's important to know what their philosophy and point of view/feelings are on infant and toddler care. you don't want your child left in a swing, bouncer, or crib all day or in front of a television. (in california swings, bouncers, and walkers are prohibited.) what kind of early childhood education does the provider have?
is the provider licensed? (not all of them are!) if so, for how many children? how many children does she currently take care of, and what are their ages? does the provider carry current insurance, and for how much coverage? can you see a copy of her license and insurance? are all the people in the home licensed caregivers and fingerprint-cleared? are all caregivers current on infant/child cpr and first aid? (in california all of this is required to be current with the license, but not all providers keep up on everything. it is a good sign of responsible business management if they do.)
will your provider drive or take the children anywhere during the day? if she drives, does she have a rear-facing carseat (for an infant) or do you need to provide that? can you see a copy of her current insurance? your caregiver should have adequate liability limits (i would personally be comfortable with no less than 100/300/50 in california), medical payments coverage (in california - in other states it is sometimes called personal injury protection - i'd be comfortable with no less than $5,000), and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages (should match the liability limits).
what kind of security/safety policies are in place to prevent accidents? are there any security/safety issues you should be aware of? (pets, pools, trampolines, stairs, et cetera)
does your provider smoke? does she have any health issues you should be aware of?
how are injuries and emergencies handled? who watches the children if the caregiver has a family emergency? what if you have a family emergency and need to come pick up your child?
can you come visit your child whenever you want to? this is important - your provider should have an open-door policy. anything but should be a red flag. your provider may have times that she request you take care when coming by (i.e. during naptime, so as not to wake the children) but you should not ever be prohibited from seeing your child unannounced.
what is your provider's discipline policy? what would your provider do if your baby cried inconsolably or would not stop crying unless held or carried? what is her procedure for putting babies to sleep?
what is your provider's meal policy? could you come and breastfeed on your lunch break (if feasible for you)? are there any concerns with provided breastmilk for bottle feeding versus formula?
if you are cloth diapering your baby, is your provider comfortable with that? you may need to provide a receptacle for the diapers during the day.
how does your provider communicate to you about your kiddo's day? what if you and she disagree about something?
references should be provided and if they are not, ASK. ask your caregiver to tell you about herself and her family. how did she get involved in child care?
tell her about yourself and your family. is there anything she wants to know about you?
you should get good answers to all your questions and not have to pry for this information. you should get a good feeling from the day care facility and not have any reservations. trust your gut! also, if this is a difficult but necessary thing for you to do, like it is for me - to put your child in day care - be honest with your caregiver about that. she should be sensitive to that and not take it personally. our provider commented a couple times that day care is generally harder on moms than it is on the kiddos. not only did i get a good gut-reaction from her, but this demonstrated to me that in being sensitive to my feelings and emotions and understanding that i didn't dislike her (just the situation in general), she would also be sensitive and caring to our daughter.
we are at: 32 weeks 3 days.
as i mentioned i went with an exhaustive list of questions for our day care provider. i didn't know what to ask and my mother suggested looking online for some ideas. my list of questions was created from about 20 different websites. most suggested the same kinds of things but each had something different. keep in mind that this is for a small, in-home day care for an infant, not a large 70-child preschool-type setting. i deemed some probably "typical" or "essential" questions as not relevant to my situation because of that.
ask for a tour of the home/facility where the kids are. our provider's home was very clean and well-kept with a well-kept yard, on a small cul-de-sac off another street, which was off a "main" street. i didn't see a television where the kids were but i saw lots of age-appropriate toys that would stimulate learning and creativity (blocks, dress-up clothes, legos) and lots of books, which was very encouraging to me.
when you talk to someone, you want to know what all is included. you want to know what you must bring/provide. diapers, likely. how many bottles? et cetera.
you also need to know how compensation is handled for vacation or days your kiddo is sick. most places give you "time off" for vacation, but you usually still have to pay if your child is sick (unless hospitalized). often day care providers will take vacation time themselves when you generally do not have to pay. what are the hours? what holidays is your provider closed?
sometimes it is inevitable that you will be running a little late from work. how does your provider handle late pick-ups?
what is your provider's billing policy? does she provide receipts for income tax credit?
you need to know when you must keep your child home when they are sick. sniffles? runny nose? is it okay for kiddo to come when she is no longer contagious, but still recovering and just needs quiet and rest? how does your provider handle medications if they are needed? what is her policy about "quarantines" and other sick kids? what is her policy when the provider is ill herself?
it's important to know what their philosophy and point of view/feelings are on infant and toddler care. you don't want your child left in a swing, bouncer, or crib all day or in front of a television. (in california swings, bouncers, and walkers are prohibited.) what kind of early childhood education does the provider have?
is the provider licensed? (not all of them are!) if so, for how many children? how many children does she currently take care of, and what are their ages? does the provider carry current insurance, and for how much coverage? can you see a copy of her license and insurance? are all the people in the home licensed caregivers and fingerprint-cleared? are all caregivers current on infant/child cpr and first aid? (in california all of this is required to be current with the license, but not all providers keep up on everything. it is a good sign of responsible business management if they do.)
will your provider drive or take the children anywhere during the day? if she drives, does she have a rear-facing carseat (for an infant) or do you need to provide that? can you see a copy of her current insurance? your caregiver should have adequate liability limits (i would personally be comfortable with no less than 100/300/50 in california), medical payments coverage (in california - in other states it is sometimes called personal injury protection - i'd be comfortable with no less than $5,000), and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages (should match the liability limits).
what kind of security/safety policies are in place to prevent accidents? are there any security/safety issues you should be aware of? (pets, pools, trampolines, stairs, et cetera)
does your provider smoke? does she have any health issues you should be aware of?
how are injuries and emergencies handled? who watches the children if the caregiver has a family emergency? what if you have a family emergency and need to come pick up your child?
can you come visit your child whenever you want to? this is important - your provider should have an open-door policy. anything but should be a red flag. your provider may have times that she request you take care when coming by (i.e. during naptime, so as not to wake the children) but you should not ever be prohibited from seeing your child unannounced.
what is your provider's discipline policy? what would your provider do if your baby cried inconsolably or would not stop crying unless held or carried? what is her procedure for putting babies to sleep?
what is your provider's meal policy? could you come and breastfeed on your lunch break (if feasible for you)? are there any concerns with provided breastmilk for bottle feeding versus formula?
if you are cloth diapering your baby, is your provider comfortable with that? you may need to provide a receptacle for the diapers during the day.
how does your provider communicate to you about your kiddo's day? what if you and she disagree about something?
references should be provided and if they are not, ASK. ask your caregiver to tell you about herself and her family. how did she get involved in child care?
tell her about yourself and your family. is there anything she wants to know about you?
you should get good answers to all your questions and not have to pry for this information. you should get a good feeling from the day care facility and not have any reservations. trust your gut! also, if this is a difficult but necessary thing for you to do, like it is for me - to put your child in day care - be honest with your caregiver about that. she should be sensitive to that and not take it personally. our provider commented a couple times that day care is generally harder on moms than it is on the kiddos. not only did i get a good gut-reaction from her, but this demonstrated to me that in being sensitive to my feelings and emotions and understanding that i didn't dislike her (just the situation in general), she would also be sensitive and caring to our daughter.
we are at: 32 weeks 3 days.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
my heart broke a little again today.
i finally made the call today that i had been dreading for a while. dreading might be a strong word for it, but i was certainly not looking forward to this call. i had to call our (new) day care provider to let her know that we would like to place our daughter with her when she arrives.
i had been looking into day care for quite a while and really had no clue what i was trying to find. i had known even before we got pregnant that i would not be able to stay home full-time and be a sahm no matter how much i wanted to. we just can't afford it. half of brian's paycheck goes to our mortgage payment, and then we have our regular bills and his car payment as well. if we had zero debt (and we are working very hard to get to that point) then it would be more feasible but at the moment it just is not. so when we had The Chat about how much money we have and how long i will be able to stay home after the baby comes and my disability runs out, it was not a surprise to me that we need me to go back to work.
i got a very strong recommendation from a coworker friend about a woman who runs a small in-home day care, so i checked her out two weeks ago. she's wonderful and reminds me of my own mother, only taller. i have no doubt our gal will be in fabulous hands with her. i had my exhaustive list of questions (i had absolutely no clue what to ask a prospective day care provider which i'll post later in case there are those of you who were like me and have no idea either) and she answered everything even beyond my expectations. the kids she takes care of are fun and sweet and should be a good influence on our gal. she is close to home and work, so i can "visit" our daughter during the day (i'm hoping to breastfeed during my lunch but we'll see how that works out). she's not even hugely expensive, which is such a saving grace to our ever-tightening budget. i went home that night and told brian everything about her, and then i started bawling.
i don't want to put my daughter in day care. i want to be the one who raises her. it's not even about how i feel about day care in general - that kids are best served being raised and loved and taught by their parents, not hired help. it's so much more than that. i want to be the one to teach her to tie her shoes. i want to be the one who works with her on potty-training. when she first smiles or sits up, i want to be the one there to see it, not the day care lady. i don't want to be away from her for eight hours a day. at the moment (see how naive i am? moms, you'll all laugh) i don't want to be away from her for one hour a day. i haven't even met this child yet and already i can't imagine my life, my future, without her. i want her so badly and i would be heartbroken if she was taken away from me, but here i am voluntarily, willingly giving her up.
maybe it's "just" pregnancy hormones that are making me feel like this, but i doubt that's the whole story. i just want my daughter all to myself and to brian. i don't want brian to go back to work either. i know it's not realistic because we didn't win the lottery, we're not independently wealthy, we don't have trust funds - but i just want my husband and my baby with me all the time, so we can just be a family together.
we are at: 31 weeks 3 days.
i had been looking into day care for quite a while and really had no clue what i was trying to find. i had known even before we got pregnant that i would not be able to stay home full-time and be a sahm no matter how much i wanted to. we just can't afford it. half of brian's paycheck goes to our mortgage payment, and then we have our regular bills and his car payment as well. if we had zero debt (and we are working very hard to get to that point) then it would be more feasible but at the moment it just is not. so when we had The Chat about how much money we have and how long i will be able to stay home after the baby comes and my disability runs out, it was not a surprise to me that we need me to go back to work.
i got a very strong recommendation from a coworker friend about a woman who runs a small in-home day care, so i checked her out two weeks ago. she's wonderful and reminds me of my own mother, only taller. i have no doubt our gal will be in fabulous hands with her. i had my exhaustive list of questions (i had absolutely no clue what to ask a prospective day care provider which i'll post later in case there are those of you who were like me and have no idea either) and she answered everything even beyond my expectations. the kids she takes care of are fun and sweet and should be a good influence on our gal. she is close to home and work, so i can "visit" our daughter during the day (i'm hoping to breastfeed during my lunch but we'll see how that works out). she's not even hugely expensive, which is such a saving grace to our ever-tightening budget. i went home that night and told brian everything about her, and then i started bawling.
i don't want to put my daughter in day care. i want to be the one who raises her. it's not even about how i feel about day care in general - that kids are best served being raised and loved and taught by their parents, not hired help. it's so much more than that. i want to be the one to teach her to tie her shoes. i want to be the one who works with her on potty-training. when she first smiles or sits up, i want to be the one there to see it, not the day care lady. i don't want to be away from her for eight hours a day. at the moment (see how naive i am? moms, you'll all laugh) i don't want to be away from her for one hour a day. i haven't even met this child yet and already i can't imagine my life, my future, without her. i want her so badly and i would be heartbroken if she was taken away from me, but here i am voluntarily, willingly giving her up.
maybe it's "just" pregnancy hormones that are making me feel like this, but i doubt that's the whole story. i just want my daughter all to myself and to brian. i don't want brian to go back to work either. i know it's not realistic because we didn't win the lottery, we're not independently wealthy, we don't have trust funds - but i just want my husband and my baby with me all the time, so we can just be a family together.
we are at: 31 weeks 3 days.
Monday, March 9, 2009
maternity photos
man that sounds awful. maybe it is just that word, maternity. it makes everything sound awful. maternity leave sounds like when you sent away an unwed mother in the 1950s so no one knew she was pregnant. maternity jeans sound horrendous but i love mine, they are so comfy and imho actually rather cute. likewise, maternity photos sounds so fuggy and blech but i really like how ours turned out. it helped that i was having a good hair and makeup day and my husband is just naturally devastatingly handsome.
i was a little nervous at first showing so much skin. our photographer was a man also, maybe it would have helped if it were a woman. (i would have loved my friend joanna to have done them but she is two hours away.) it was the first time i had shown that much skin for someone whom i was not in love with and it is a bit unnerving to deliberately remove your clothes and be willingly photographed in basically your underwear. i'm not in love with showing off my body to begin with and here i was paying someone to take pictures of it.
fortunately my husband was amazing as usual. often in the crush of daily life i forget what a truly fabulous man this is that i was lucky enough to marry. more than the photographer (or his wife who was also his assistant), he really put me at ease. i mean, here is some strange man who is pulling open my shirt and arranging my hands or brian's hands on my stomach and in doing so he has to sometimes brush my skin and it is just plain weird. but brian completely relaxed me and made me laugh and really made the whole thing fun.
even better was that we were doing it together, so even though there were two other completely random people in the room, it still felt very intimate between us. at least it did to me. and the best part is, i know brian was doing it all for me, which speaks volumes to me about how great he is. these belly photos were all my idea and i really pushed for them. i wanted a record of our baby while she is still "just" a bump in my midsection. i want her to see these photos and know how much her mom and dad love each other and her, even before she is born. when i initially brought it up, brian was rather against the idea. he did not want to spend the money on baby pictures with no baby in them. but he gave in for me.
i think even he had a good time, and i am really glad that we did this. i love pregnant belly photos and i am so glad we have our own for our kiddo. and if i do say so myself, i think they turned out pretty damn great. our photographer is really talented and brought out the best in both of us. and it makes me happy to see these photos, because very often these days i am feeling unwieldy and ungainly and just not very attractive. not ugly or anything, just unattractive, with this huge watermelon for a waist and tired all the time, and these remind me of what i have always (previously) believed: that there is quite possibly nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman, except maybe a pregnant woman and the man who loves her.
we are at: 31 weeks.
special thanks to cesar and desserie at artpix portrait studio for taking our beautiful photos. all images are copyright to them.
i was a little nervous at first showing so much skin. our photographer was a man also, maybe it would have helped if it were a woman. (i would have loved my friend joanna to have done them but she is two hours away.) it was the first time i had shown that much skin for someone whom i was not in love with and it is a bit unnerving to deliberately remove your clothes and be willingly photographed in basically your underwear. i'm not in love with showing off my body to begin with and here i was paying someone to take pictures of it.
fortunately my husband was amazing as usual. often in the crush of daily life i forget what a truly fabulous man this is that i was lucky enough to marry. more than the photographer (or his wife who was also his assistant), he really put me at ease. i mean, here is some strange man who is pulling open my shirt and arranging my hands or brian's hands on my stomach and in doing so he has to sometimes brush my skin and it is just plain weird. but brian completely relaxed me and made me laugh and really made the whole thing fun.
even better was that we were doing it together, so even though there were two other completely random people in the room, it still felt very intimate between us. at least it did to me. and the best part is, i know brian was doing it all for me, which speaks volumes to me about how great he is. these belly photos were all my idea and i really pushed for them. i wanted a record of our baby while she is still "just" a bump in my midsection. i want her to see these photos and know how much her mom and dad love each other and her, even before she is born. when i initially brought it up, brian was rather against the idea. he did not want to spend the money on baby pictures with no baby in them. but he gave in for me.
i think even he had a good time, and i am really glad that we did this. i love pregnant belly photos and i am so glad we have our own for our kiddo. and if i do say so myself, i think they turned out pretty damn great. our photographer is really talented and brought out the best in both of us. and it makes me happy to see these photos, because very often these days i am feeling unwieldy and ungainly and just not very attractive. not ugly or anything, just unattractive, with this huge watermelon for a waist and tired all the time, and these remind me of what i have always (previously) believed: that there is quite possibly nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman, except maybe a pregnant woman and the man who loves her.
we are at: 31 weeks.
special thanks to cesar and desserie at artpix portrait studio for taking our beautiful photos. all images are copyright to them.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
huge stash and nowhere to put them. because i am still nesting.
we (i) really want to do cloth diapers on this kiddo. brian is very skeptical. i am getting a lot of support and encouragement in this (thanks, jaimey!) but i think he will not believe it until he sees it.
to save money, my mom has been sewing little diapers for i don't know how long. i know she made some at least two years ago, because she showed them to me with strict instructions NOT to tell anyone, lest they think she is nuts to be sewing for a baby that had no plans of existing at the time. once we got pregnant she ramped it up and has been sending them to me. she complains a little sometimes but i think secretly she likes experimenting with the different fabrics and construction techniques and being able to contribute to the kiddo. she even cut up an old sheet to make cloth wipes.
obviously this is not the entire stash. the entire stash is in a box in the closet that is not even close to containing everything, and yes it is driving me nuts that i can't put them away yet.
the green one and the elmo one (at the bottom) are the two that i attempted and while they are not awful, i think hers will get more use. i didn't put any elastic in mine so we shall see. they all take little liners in the crotch area, kind of like little maxipads to absorb the pee and poo. i have a huge bag of terrycloth "liners" similar to the one with elmo on it. the blue-gray stripey thing is one of the wipes she made, for which i am planning on making my own wipes solution. once i get a recipe down that i like i will post.
we are at: 30 weeks 3 days.
to save money, my mom has been sewing little diapers for i don't know how long. i know she made some at least two years ago, because she showed them to me with strict instructions NOT to tell anyone, lest they think she is nuts to be sewing for a baby that had no plans of existing at the time. once we got pregnant she ramped it up and has been sending them to me. she complains a little sometimes but i think secretly she likes experimenting with the different fabrics and construction techniques and being able to contribute to the kiddo. she even cut up an old sheet to make cloth wipes.
obviously this is not the entire stash. the entire stash is in a box in the closet that is not even close to containing everything, and yes it is driving me nuts that i can't put them away yet.
the green one and the elmo one (at the bottom) are the two that i attempted and while they are not awful, i think hers will get more use. i didn't put any elastic in mine so we shall see. they all take little liners in the crotch area, kind of like little maxipads to absorb the pee and poo. i have a huge bag of terrycloth "liners" similar to the one with elmo on it. the blue-gray stripey thing is one of the wipes she made, for which i am planning on making my own wipes solution. once i get a recipe down that i like i will post.
we are at: 30 weeks 3 days.
Monday, March 2, 2009
serious nesting issues
brian asked me the other day if i feel crazy or different or anything (anything that could help him, please!) when i go all hormonal off on him, and i don't. i feel perfectly rational and justified and MY HUSBAND IS JUST BEING A JERK, it's so not me and has nothing to do with the 18 additional pounds i'm carrying or the demonically high levels of radioactive hormones coursing through my veins. honestly, i do feel perfectly normal, except for this raging nesting instinct that has been rearing its head for the last month or so, and oh Lord we have another TWO MONTHS of this?
that nesting instinct has manifested itself in the nursery, where i have been sewing insanely for the kiddo and doing what i can to prepare for her arrival. i know i have lots of time still, but who am i to fight the hormones and body chemistry that God has blessed me with? ergo, we bought a crib and i promptly had to make bedding for it:
not only the quilt but the other linens as well. it all kind of snowballs, doesn't it? then the rocker (that mil rocked brian in as a baby) needed a pillow, for back support. and the underside of the crib was just plain ugly to me and needed a skirt, though i hate skirts. then i was not thrilled with the pink sheet over the mattress. and then, and then, and then.
the name on the wall, that was all brian, by the way.
we also got an inexpensive bookcase which i felt the room really needed to balance the crib and rocker (and the soon-to-be dresser). i really wanted this one but apparently it is discontinued IT DOES NOT SAY THAT ANYWHERE and unavailable. the other one does not actually look as awful as it does online:
most of those books are from my childhood though some are from brian's and some are from when i was tutoring in college. and the pregnancy books. the beatrix potter breakables go up on shelves once the dresser gets here and we are able to hang shelves. mostly this stuff was all on the floor and it helped my hormones to get it up off the floor, organized, some semblance of put away. i will be so much better once the dresser arrives and i can get to work organizing the crap that is currently in boxes and bags in the closet, and then i can kit out the closet with shelves, hooray!
we are at: 30 weeks.
cross-posted at éireann
that nesting instinct has manifested itself in the nursery, where i have been sewing insanely for the kiddo and doing what i can to prepare for her arrival. i know i have lots of time still, but who am i to fight the hormones and body chemistry that God has blessed me with? ergo, we bought a crib and i promptly had to make bedding for it:
not only the quilt but the other linens as well. it all kind of snowballs, doesn't it? then the rocker (that mil rocked brian in as a baby) needed a pillow, for back support. and the underside of the crib was just plain ugly to me and needed a skirt, though i hate skirts. then i was not thrilled with the pink sheet over the mattress. and then, and then, and then.
the name on the wall, that was all brian, by the way.
we also got an inexpensive bookcase which i felt the room really needed to balance the crib and rocker (and the soon-to-be dresser). i really wanted this one but apparently it is discontinued IT DOES NOT SAY THAT ANYWHERE and unavailable. the other one does not actually look as awful as it does online:
most of those books are from my childhood though some are from brian's and some are from when i was tutoring in college. and the pregnancy books. the beatrix potter breakables go up on shelves once the dresser gets here and we are able to hang shelves. mostly this stuff was all on the floor and it helped my hormones to get it up off the floor, organized, some semblance of put away. i will be so much better once the dresser arrives and i can get to work organizing the crap that is currently in boxes and bags in the closet, and then i can kit out the closet with shelves, hooray!
we are at: 30 weeks.
cross-posted at éireann
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