Butterfly Frenzy

The Waiting Game

I'm just shy of the two-week mark, and I've almost instantly found myself in "waiting" mode. Last week, until Friday, I was still in "panic" mode. Meaning...I had so many things that I'd put off until leave started that my to-do list was far too long to have the little one join us.

Then, on Friday, I woke up with a huge burst of energy and the strong, incomprehensible urge to do things like dust the cabinets. Not saying I'm a slob, but I'm usually not that much of a cleanliness stickler. Around 11AM, the phone rang with Jeff's aunt announcing that Laura, one of my partners in crime during this pregnancy, was about to have her baby any minute. I was so excited and, for whatever reason, I switched almost immediately into "I'm going to have our baby any time now too" mindset. Which has up sides and down sides.

The up side - I'm getting a lot done! The down side - I'm still two weeks away from my due date! I'm not the most patient person so starting the clock ticking too early is painful...frankly, it has been hard enough to wait the full 9 months.

So, I'm thoroughly immersed in the the following tactics:

• Pregnancy tea: Though not drinking it three times per day, one cup per day is officially part of my routine.
• Aromatherapy: Our house smells like Jasmine run wild. I found Jasmine candles and essential oils, and Jeff is wondering if I've started a spa on the side with my extra time.
• Walks: The Rox is getting her work-outs these days. I'm trying to walk at least twice per day and to take at least one long walk.
• Other: since I've decided to keep this blog PG-13, there are other tactics to employ to speed up the waiting game. I've heard good things about them from others...

2 weeks & trying not to count...

Questions, questions

Recently, I had an Indonesia flashback. No...not one of those... It had to do with a series of questions I was always asked in Indonesia when I lived there as an undergrad. It was always three questions, and they always had the same answer. I'm reliving them, albeit a slightly different take, with this pregnancy.

In Indonesia, the three questions were:

• "Where are you from?"
• "Do you eat rice?"
• "Do you know Madonna?" - my favorite question of all time

In pregnancy-land, the three questions are:

• "When are you due?" - said with much enthusiasm and voice rising at the end of the sentence
• "Do you know what you're having?" - since we found out, this question does not devolve into a "why didn't you find out" conversation.
• "What are you going to name the baby?" - now, given that even strangers ask this question, I sometimes find is presumptuous. Is there nothing secret left about the pregnancy?

So, even though Jeff and I are heading toward a completely different adventure than the one I had in 1993 in Indonesia, it's nice to know that some things never change.

Belly pics

Here are some recent belly pics. This was just before the heat wave kicked in out here in California, so we don't look completely melted.

In these photos, I'm about 33 weeks. Now, I'm approaching 35 weeks, and we just had our full day childbirth preparation class. It was overwhelming and exciting at the same time. I cried during the first two videos...Jeff was a little worried!

We took our class at DayOne, which is a new center down here in Palo Alto. The instructor was very good, and the class was valuable. There wasn't a lot of bonding with the other folks in the class, but I think it's mostly because it all happens in one day.

Okay, moving on to the next pic. Here's a view of me without the full belly shot. Behind me in the picture is one of our many views of San Francisco Bay. Mount Diablo is in the distance.

We've been taking everyone's advice and trying to spend as much time together as possible. Jeff, as always, made an amazing dinner on this night, and then we played cabin favorite, Rummy-O / Rummykube (depends on the age of the game).

Okay, here's the first of the side views. Notice that my belly finally caught up with the two, soon-to-be at work organs up top as well as the booty.

Some days, my belly becomes completely distorted because the little sweetie has worked herself into interesting positions. Most of these are right below my ribs!

Up close and personal! Here's the belly in all its glory.

Secret Treasure: Finding Cool Maternity Clothes at an Affordable Price

On Sunday, Laura and I headed down to Sunnyvale to check out the Maternity Xchange. Billed as the Fashionista's Place to Buy & Sell Maternity Clothes, the Maternity Xchange exists to help prego ladies avoid looking like tents for a period of time.

Not sure what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised by the nice selection of maternity wear. I think I was more shocked by how I looked...starting to show...than by the maternity clothes itself. I got two really nice pairs of pants, two new maternity bras (that have changed my world) and three tops for well north of $250. Not bad!