Due Date Come 'N Gone...But No Baby

Well, I am now 40 weeks and 3 days, and the little guy has yet to make an appearance. While we're excited to meet him, the extra few days haven't been completely unappreciated, given that we were not actually allowed to "move back" into the house until July 24th - my due date. I say "move back" because there is SO much to be done still, but at least the big stuff (floors, painting) is done and we've got the big furniture back in place. Anyway, according to my doctor (well, one of the 6 I switch between) says that there's a good chance I'll have to be induced. So stay tuned. If this happens (i.e. I don't go into labor within hours of posting this blog entry), I'm currently scheduled to enter the hospital at 5am on Thursday, August 1st. In other words, my dad's birthday. He has some reservations about the joys of sharing birthdays, but I know he's secretly honored :). And, by the way, Dad - if Sparky is born on your birthday, consider that your present!

Because we had to move out of the house for a few days while they did the floors (I won't go into the drama of the repeated delays on that, lest it cause future flashbacks for Christopher), we decided to go up to Annapolis for a few days. I hadn't been there in years...the last (and only) time I was there, I think it may have been part of the grand Marden-family-East-Coast-College-Tour. In which case, there's little I remember. Christopher had never been there, and it's only an hour drive. So we dropped the cat off at the vet, booked a room at the Annapolis Westin, and hit the road only 3 hours late (Sparky, for your future edification, when your dad gives you an ETD, ALWAYS add at least 1-3 hours on...it's easier for everyone involved).

I have to say, while Annapolis can't compare to a lot of the weekend trips by brother and family make - Nuremberg, for example - we were pleasantly surprised. It was hot as hell, which slightly tempered our level of activity, but I enjoyed taking full advantage of 1-2 naps/day. Hey, once this kid is born, will I be taking naps EVER? Hardly likely.

But our hotel was a very short drive to the main historic part of town, so we spent a good amount of time wandering the stores, hitting any of the 18 ice cream joints, and ogling the massive boats docked there. I must also say, we didn't have a single mediocre meal while in Annapolis. The highlight for me was when, upon walking into a diner on the main street, the man behind the counter shouted "when're the twins due?!?". Instead of taking the hint, of course, that my stomach is MASSIVE, I tucked into mozzarella sticks and a massive, greasy crab omelet. Well, when in Rome and all that.

Pictures attached below - some of Maya, of course, as she'll soon be the forgotten child, some of the house, and some of Annapolis.

Sparky, take note: today is Saturday, July 27. 3 days past your official due date. When will you decide to grace us with your presence? Time will tell, but one week from today, you'll be here. Either already at home with us or getting ready to come home from the hospital. It's been a long journey, and I can't believe I'll be a meeting you in less than a week!

Annapolis "downtown" - the dome in the distance is part of the Naval Academy.

Some of the massive boats - there's a LOT of money in Annapolis, for sure.

One of the touristy boats docked by the Academy.

The circle around the State House.

I may not look too miserable, but it was roughly 140 degrees outside, so rest assured, I was a cranky pregnant lady.

Christopher posing down by the water.

Me posing. Or resting against the pole. Oddly enough, I can still run 4 miles, but walking or just standing in place has me gasping for breath like a 400-lb fat man.

The girls decided to give the stroller a test ride. Maya was happy to oblige.

For any of you few readers who will never experience pregnancy first-hand, this is what I see when I look down.

The floors in the process of being stripped. Or whatever the term is for what the flooring guys do.

These pictures are quite out of order, but I'm still running/walking every day, and I took a nice jog on the W&OD Trail the other day that culminated at these gardens.

Christopher and Molly in the upstairs bathroom. It's since been tiled.

The living/dining room in the final throes of clean-up pre-floors. 

Pontifications about Pregnancy

As I waddle my way past the 38-week mark, I figured I'd start my parenthood journey off by doing what a lot of parents seem to do best: criticize other parents. Though I certainly hope that I don't become a hyper-critical mother who sneers when she sees other moms feeding their kids candy (ok, realistically, I'd have to have a complete personality transplant for that to happen), I feel justified in calling this particular woman a dumbass: http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/michelle-duggar-calls-abortion-baby-holocaust-141700694.html

I guess it's better and more responsible to have 19 kids than to allow a teenage rape victim to have access to safe abortion facilities? People continue to astound me, and I won't even go into the debacle that is this debate in many states right now (Texas, KANSAS, NC....). Given that a lot of this blog is dedicated to my future son, ranting about abortion laws may not seem quite kosher, but I've not changed my opinions since pregnant, so I'll rant away!

Anyway, with labor imminent (though not too imminent, I hope), I thought I'd take a few minutes to record my thoughts about pregnancy before the pain of childbirth makes me romanticize these past 7 months. To be fair, I've had a remarkably drama-free, easy pregnancy. Given that it took Christopher betting me $100 that I was pregnant to actually take a test at about 2 months, I clearly wasn't in the throes of morning sickness. Now, while I did just stare at the wall for a solid hour after taking that first test (followed by 4 additional tests, just in case the Safeway brand was crap or I was a medical anomaly) thinking about how my life/our lives were unexpectedly going to change dramatically, I'd say we both took the surprising news very well.

I've given quite a lot of thought to what has been the most surprising to me about pregnancy, what has been the most challenging, the best parts of the whole process, etc., and my thoughts are, in no particular order (pretty boring post, I know, but this one's more for me than anyone!)...I've been surprised by how natural pregnancy feels, to be honest. I don't mean that in a starry-eyed, "I was meant to be a mother" way, just that pregnancy always seemed like a very physically cumbersome, awkward thing to me, from the outside. Don't get me wrong - I am VERY awkward and, as anyone who's seen me get up from a chair or walk, for that matter, can attest, I am a clumsy mofo right now. But I guess I've been surprised at how natural it has felt to adjust to these changes. I honestly thought it would be far more difficult for me to mentally wrap my mind around my body changing so much so quickly, but it hasn't bothered me at all. In fact, I'll miss having a place to rest my dinner when the massive belly is gone!

Most challenging aspects? Again, I've been pretty lucky physically, but the pregnancy side effects that have been the most difficult to deal with have been the back pain and the fatigue. Back pain is hardly a surprise, given my genes, but it makes sitting for ANY amount of time over 20 minutes very uncomfortable, and once I'm on my feet, it can make standing in one place quite painful, too. So I'm in a kind of constant shuffle, trying to find a better position. Fatigue? Let's face it, I wasn't exactly a party animal before the pregnancy, but with the exception of some extra energy during the second trimester, I've definitely become even more of a wimp. Of course, as anyone who has been pregnant or has lived with a pregnant woman knows, just because we may be more tired and fall asleep easier doesn't mean we stay asleep. Ah, well, the body preparing you for the extreme fatigue of newborn care :).

Other challenges? I've not had too much swelling, zero heartburn (for which I am very grateful), my skin itchiness went away (thank goodness), and I've been able to keep my weight gain in check. He's been a pretty consistent kicker, which can be distracting at times, but that's endearing more than anything, and I've been lucky in that I've been able to continue running throughout the pregnancy. I'm not exactly on track to beat my half-marathon PR, and I don't even want to know how gimpy I look when I'm rocking my 10-minute miles. It's also amazing how a 3-mile slooooow run/fast walk feels more exhausting now than 10-mile runs used to, but at the end of the day, I've been able to keep doing something I enjoy, and I hope (! fingers crossed!) having kept active will make labor smoother....

I've not had any crazy cravings, though I have discovered a pretty intense affinity for Snickers (thanks, Barbie) and mozzarella sticks (though I've limited myself with those). My usual rabid sweet tooth has been somewhat tempered during this pregnancy, which may partially explain why I haven't ballooned a la Kim Kardashian or Jessica Simpson. My main aversion has been to hot drinks. I did get over the nausea the taste or smell of coffee initially caused for me, and I still drink one cup of coffee a day, but I can't stomach tea. At all.

I'll definitely miss being pregnant - parts of it - at the end of the day. I'll miss knowing that Sparky's with me 24/7 (it's like my own, built-in traveling companion), I'll miss feeling him kick and move around, I'll miss knowing that, if I'm feeling really tired or sore, it's OKAY to take a breather, to rest. I'm not saying I want to be pregnant for another 9 months, but there are also certain...allowances that are made for pregnant women that are really quite nice. I do live in DC, so I do still run into assholes, and not everyone is polite to me, BUT more people are friendly than they normally would be, and people even occasionally give up their bus seats for me. People just seem to respect a pregnant woman more, and it's nice to be shown just a bit more common courtesy than I would be otherwise.

We've come down to the wire with me getting up more and more frequently at night as well as growing more and more concerned about 1) my ability to actually physically go through labor and 2) my ability to be a good mother. I have no idea, really, what I'm doing with either labor (can you just ask for a free pass and wake up with a happy, healthy baby?) or motherhood, but I suppose there's a pretty sharp learning curve for all first time moms, so I'll just take it day-by-day (well, for labor, hopefully NOT day-by-day). I've determined that July 30th is my ideal delivery date. First, because it would give us an extra week to ensure the house is in good enough order to accommodate a newborn baby and, second, because, if he hasn't made an appearance by the 31st, they'll induce labor. I'd like to avoid as many drugs as I can, if possible (please feel free to say "that's what ALL women say before the big day"). But it's ultimately not my decision. The doctor called Sparky a "very cooperative baby" at my check-up yesterday (for his position, his steady heartrate, etc.), so let's hope he keeps up that trend!

Anyway, if you made it to the end of this post, you're probably bored out of your mind, but, like I said, this post is really for me. To round it out, a few last bump pictures. Don't ask me why I keep forgetting to ask Christopher to take them...

My "bullet baby" look.

Hopefully this is as big as I'll get!

If this were a marathon, I'd be winding up for a final sprint

Sparky is officially considered "full term" today, at 37 weeks. Can you celebrate pre-birthdays? Hmm. I may have to get some cake later to celebrate - since he's now full term, he no doubt has the ability to fully appreciate the white cake with white frosting his mother is oh so fond of. But I had my weekly check-up today - it feels like I'm at the doctor every other day right now - and everything looks great for where we're at - his weight, my weight, blood pressure, his length, etc.. As I told Christopher earlier...not to brag, but I seem to be very good at this pregnancy thing. I mean, I DID get an A+ in Calculus III back in college, so I guess it should be no surprise that I would excel in other areas, too ;). Anyway, my tactless bragging aside, there are no indications at this point that Sparky will be early, so EVERYONE KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED. I mean it! The house is a war zone right now with dry wall bits everywhere and the contractor sprinting to get everything done in the next 2 weeks, so any suggestion that meeting this baby early will be met with a very cold shoulder indeed.

Having said that, I am very excited to meet the little man, even though I am also a teeny bit concerned about the fact that I have NO clue what to do with a newborn and have NO idea what type of mother I'll be. Normal emotions, I am assured, and thankfully Christopher has been a remarkably calming influence. Very strange turn of events, indeed, since I'm usually the one saying "whatever" to anything life throws at me.

No pictures of the house, for once, but those will come next week. I can't deal with documenting the mess at this point, though I did finally take another picture of my belly this morning. This may well be the last "bump" photo to show Sparky when he's older...