Family Time

The MIL is flying home this afternoon, so Jerry just left to drop her off at the airport. It was a good visit: It was fun to have Norah meet her grandma, and Grandma proved to be an excellent baby holder and cuddler. So, it was nice to have the extra pair of hands, and I got to enjoy a nice long nap on Saturday and I got to get out yesterday to treat myself to a pedicure.

But nice as it was to have her, 3 days is a good length of time for a visit, and it's nice to have the house back to ourselves and return to our normal routine. So, I have lots to catch up on, so I'll keep this short and leave you guys with a pic my MIL took of Jerry, Norah, Scooter and I. Norah's head is kinda cranked weird to the side, but other than that, it's a good pic of all of us.

Bath Time

What's this little gross thing I'm holding? Norah's umbilical stump! Yuck. It finally fell off yesterday, so now she just has a regular little belly button in its place.

So, of what significance is this? Well, she now gets to graduate from sponge baths to regular baths in her tub!

She can't really express it, but I think she likes the suddsiness better. Plus, we got to break out the bath toys!

Today, my mother in law is flying in (she's just staying for 4 days), and we're excited to have her come stay with us since she'll be the first family member to come and see Norah. So, that means I need to go and get started on cleaning my house!

Another Outing

Today, I got back into those big girl panties, and I took Norah to work. I figure she's two and half weeks old, time for her to start earning an income.

Kidding.

I took her to the English Department so my colleagues could get the chance to "ohhhh" and "ahhhh" over her, which they did. She had fallen asleep in the car, so she slept the whole time we were visiting (probably for the best), so she didn't really get to appreciate all the compliments she received.

It was nice for me to visit as well. It was good to talk with some people who I haven't seen since the spring, and it was just nice being on campus (even though it was crazy busy: first week of classes means no parking and students everywhere -- trust me, they thin out over the course of a semester). I always think that fall start up is an exciting time of year to be on a college campus: Students look eager and fresh and so do the faculty. I'm a little sad to be missing it this year, but staying home right now is certainly worth it.

Anyhoo, Norah did well on the car ride to campus, and like I said, she slept while I was visiting with everyone, but then on the drive home she went from "a touch fussy" to "I just put on my cranky pants" to "Hysteria Harriet." It sucked because there was nothing I could do to soothe her since I was driving (and every red light was in a plot against me), so I just had to deal with it until I got home -- and she was a snotty, teary mess by that time -- when I could change her and feed her and get her settled down.

So, it was good to get out, but it was also good to get back home.

Random Stuff

First, let me address a few questions/comments about the Baby Bjorn post from yesterday:

1. Yes, I vacuumed with her right there and she didn't wake up. Personally, I think life should carry on as normal when a baby is sleeping and this includes not shielding her from loud background noises. I don't want a light sleeper; I want to train this kid to sleep through Armageddon! Also, I read that most babies find the normal white noises of machines (vacuum, washer, dryer, dishwasher, A/C, etc) to be soothing, not disruptive to their sleep.

2. Yes, bending over is tricky because you don't want the baby to slide right out onto her skull. When I had to bend down, I braced her head with my free hand. I also discovered that I am capable of picking up many items with my toes.

Okey-dokey, that's it.

Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day. Norah pooped on her changing table as I was changing her -- it kinda shot outta there like champagne pops out of a freshly uncorked bottle. It got on my hand and was gross. And that was pretty much the story of my day.

Well, that, and I cried when I thought my BlackBerry was dead (turns out the battery was just dead and needed a full recharging). These post-partum hormones are a real bitch to deal with: One minute I'm Sally-Happy-Pants, the next I'm Debbie-Downer. Oh well, the crying wasn't a big deal; turns out I just needed some Jer-Bear cuddling and a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Then I felt better.

Born to Baby Bjorn

It's kinda like being pregnant again, but instead of carrying her on the inside, I'm wearing her on the outside like the most giant fashion accessory ever.Every day, Norah goes through a "phase" that lasts from about, oh, noon to 8 pm, where she mostly just wants to be held. This is fine, except for when I gots shiz to do, so yesterday I decided to give the Baby Bjorn a test. I stuffed her in there, and then set about my chores. Worked like a charm. She slept peacefully and I was able to get stuff done: Success!

But I will tell you this: carting around 8 lbs of baby while vacuuming is a WORKOUT.

In other news, yesterday I also put on my big girl panties and I took Norah to Target. It was the first time I've taken her somewhere without Jerry. Our entire trip took less than an hour, but it felt like a triumph to me, and now that I know I can do it, it helps me feel a little less trapped at home. Who knew that victory could take such shapes?

Got the Itch

For running, that is.

But the question of when to resume running post-partum is a bit tricky to answer.

I've been doing a lot of reading in the past week about when it's safe to resume running after delivery, and the answers vary according to different women. Some women, apparently, returned to running within a week of delivery. Others waited a month, or the doctor-recommended 6 weeks.

For me, two weeks post-partum, I feel fine. Seriously, I feel totally recovered; however, that doesn't necessarily mean I am. So, on the one hand, I know I shouldn't rush recovery just because I'm itchin' to run (it's been 10 weeks since my last run back in June and I'd really like to get back to it); but on the other hand, I really don't think I need to wait another full 4 weeks. This predicament is just like any injured runner predicament: Go back too soon and you re-injure yourself and perhaps make recovery longer, don't go back soon enough and you lose your mind.

What are your thoughts? Do I wait until I've had my 6 week check up (September 22nd), get the "all clear" from the medical professionals, then resume running? Or, do I wait another week or two and then give it a personal test?

More Pics

Doing some "tummy time" with Dad and Scooter.Sleeping in the Boppy with Dad (not seen in pic). Wide awake!

Doing some more tummy time; her neck is already surprisingly strong.

Chillin' with Mom.

Blowouts

So far today, we have had two blowouts, which means we're on the 3rd onesie of the day, Norah had to have a bath, despite the fact that she had one yesterday, and half the washable baby paraphernalia is now in the washing machine.

The first blowout came out the front side. We had just returned from a walk, and she was asleep in her stroller, so I just left her in there while I made myself some lunch. While my lunch was heating up in the microwave, I heard a monster burp, that sounded "wet," and when I looked in on her in her stroller, I discovered that she had yakked. Partially digested milk everywhere.

Needless to say, my lunch was delayed as I got her, and the stroller, cleaned up and dressed her in fresh duds.

About an hour or so later, she was chillin' on my lap while I was reading, and she started making some "poop faces" (you know the ones, you probably make them yourself when you're pushing out a grunter), and sure enough, some disturbingly loud noises ensued, followed by a noxious odor. But, wanting to wait to see if she was done, I delayed rushing her off to the changing table and changing her.

Mistake.

The shit had filled the diaper to capacity and then shot up her back, soaking her backside, and my frontside, as well as the Boppy. This was gross in and of itself, but then as I was trying to change her out of the crap-stained outfit, I managed to get baby poop all over the changing pad cover, all over me, and in her hair. Faced with this shitticane, I decided the easiest way to clean this baby would be with a fire hose, but lacking that, I decided she had to have a bath.

So, now she is freshly washed, in a new onesie, the soiled clothing, etc is now in the wash, and she has been set down to sleep in her crib. I guess that just leaves me. I smell like 1 part spit up, 1 part baby poop, and 1 part frustrated sweat. Surely, my body wash can handle that, right?

Hoping for a Repeat Performance

While the first few nights with Norah were tough, each night since has been an improvement, and so far, last night was her best night ever.

She slept from 8:30-11:30, then we went through the whole diaper, feeding, rocking routine, and she slept again from midnight-3, and then we repeated the above, and she slept again from 3:30-6 and then from 6:30-8. It. was. awesome.

So, if she can do a schedule like this until she gets to the point of sleeping through the night, I can most certainly live with it. Cross your fingers for me that last night wasn't a fluke!

As for the daytime, we're enjoying another smooth day. Right now, she's snoozing on my lap while I simultaneously blog and get caught up on last night's episode of "Top Chef."

Home Alone

Today, Jerry returned to work, so it was my first solo day at home with Norah and Scooter. And so far, I have to say that it has gone well (knock on wood). Not that I thought it would be a disaster with him gone, but certainly, I was a bit nervous knowing that I wouldn't have another person here to fall back on (like, what if she wakes up and starts crying while I'm busy taking a poop? that's a tricky situation).

But, like I said, it has gone smoothly: She, Scooter and I went for a long walk this morning, then while she slept, I got some cleaning done and started some laundry, then this afternoon when she slept again, I was able to sneak a long nap in, and I even got the chance to shower. And, we just got back from another (shorter) walk, so she's conked out again (walking is like a sleep drug to her -- we get as far as crossing the street and it's "lights out for Norah"), and I think I may get a chance to read some blogs here in a minute!

Also, just to give myself some snaps, and additional bragging rights (which I hope Karma doesn't choose to smack me down for this), I have gotten proficient enough at nursing that I can now hold a book and read with one hand while she's feeding (I have also been reading email and texting from my phone while nursing too). This is a major improvement since it makes the time go so much faster. So, I'm still slowly making my way through "The Time Traveler's Wife," and it is excellent; it just may take me awhile longer to finish it!

Unexpected Emotion

Yesterday, I got out of the house to run a few errands on my own. It was the first time that I have been by myself in a week, and at first, it felt really good to have some time to myself outside the house (even if I was going to the dreaded grocery store), but then as I was driving, I had the strangest feeling: loneliness.

It occured to me when The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's song "Zero" came on the radio. I turned it up and thought, "Yeah, Norah, we like this song, don't we?" Only to suddenly realize that she was no longer inside me, and I was entirely by myself in the car.

I didn't expect to miss pregnancy, but in that moment, I did. Needless to say, I rushed through my last errand (picking up pics from Walgreens), and got home to Jerry, Norah, and Scooter as soon as I could.

One Week

As of today, Norah is 7 days old, and it's been quite the week! So, a brief rundown:

Norah is doing great. She's had two pediatrician appointments, and she was declared "very cute and very healthy," so now she doesn't have to go back until the one month mark. The pediatrician visit on Saturday was particularly reassuring for Jerry and I because we were beginning to doubt everything we were doing, but the doctor was awesome at telling us how normal all this chaos is and how we're doing a great job on all fronts. I wanted to bend down and kiss his shoes in gratitude.

Breastfeeding is going pretty well. I had a few days of the sorest nipples in the universe, but I'm getting used to it now, and she's feeding like a champ. But we are supplementing with one or two bottles a day just so that I can get a little more rest at night, and so that Jerry can share more in the feeding responsibilities. We felt strangely guilty about this at first, but again, the doctor put our minds to rest by telling us that it's fine to use both the bottle and the breast.

As for myself, I am recovering very well. Each day, I feel better and better. Less soreness, less residual pain. And both yesterday and today, I took Norah for walks in her stroller and it was good for both of us to get out and get some fresh air, and for me, it was awesome to get a little exercise in. On today's walk, I also took Scooter and he did surprisingly well walking with the stroller. I thought he'd be freaked out, but he really wasn't.

Also, on a completely superficial note, I have lost 25 lbs in the past 7 days! (By the end of my pregnancy, I'd gained about 30 lbs overall.) I knew it would come off quickly since most of the weight was baby + placenta + fluids, but I had no idea it would come off this easily. Right now, I'm just 5 lbs from my pre-preggo weight! (And don't think I've been cutting calories. Far from it; I've been eating like a horse!) However, just because the weight is melting away, it doesn't mean I've magically regained my former firmness. That is gonna take some time, and it's weird having a squishy belly, but I know eventually those muscles will be rebuilt.

So, yes, all in all, I can report that things are going well. Jerry returns to work on Wednesday, so once I'm alone all day, I might report a different story, but for now, I feel like things are pretty good around here.

Now, if we could just mix a little more sleep into the equation, I'd probably whistle "zippity-do-da!"

If It's Pics You Want

So Far

Our new life with Norah is an exhausting combination of love, joy, unbelievable happiness, stress, anxiety, frustration, tears, and sleep deprivation; mixed with all of that is the soreness and residual pain of labor and delivery, so in short: every fiber of my being is spent.

Therefore, you'll have to excuse my infrequent posts and my almost total absence from commenting on your blogs (I sat down yesterday evening to read some and got through about 5 before being interrupted). I will get back to them, so don't feel too abandoned; I'm just busy with some other very important stuff.

Home Sweet Home

First of all, thanks for so many good wishes and comments in the last few days! You guys are great! It's amazing to know that not only have we had the support of our wonderful friends and family in the last few days, but that we also have all these virtual friends cheering for us. Really, I appreciate it.

So then, we are now home. Thank god. We got discharged this morning around 10 am, and I was SO happy to go home. The hospital was really busy, so we were unable to stay in a private room the past two nights, and let's just say that other new parents and their newborns aren't easy to "room" with, so I don't feel like I've had much sleep in several days. Plus, I just really wanted to be home and settled, so it's good to be here.

Scooter got introduced to Norah today too, and he was a little wild at first, but then he settled down some. I'm sure there will be a transition period for him, just as there is for us, as we all adjust to the major addition to our lives.

There are many more stories and things to share, and I'll get to them eventually, but the last thing I want to say today is how thankful I am to have a husband like Jerry. He has seriously been such a great dad so far, and I don't know what I'd do without him: He has done everything short of breastfeeding Norah; truly, he has been doing SO much, and I'd be lost if I didn't have him. Norah is very lucky to have such an engaged, participant father, and I am SO, SO lucky to have such a wonderful husband.

Now, enough with the sappy stuff, here's what you really came here for, some pics:

Norah's Birth Story

Here are all the "gory details," as Jerry put it in his post yesterday:

As you know, we checked in to the hospital at 6 pm on Sunday night and got the Cervidil going. Monday morning, not much had changed, so they started me on Pitocin and then broke my water. But in the course of Sunday night and Monday, I made very little progress. In fact, by about 5:45 pm on Monday, I was still only 3 cm dilated.

As you can guess, I was very frustrated at this point because of the lack of progress, and the doctor was starting to talk Cesearean section. Thankfully, we also had our midwife there who was campaigning on my behalf to give me just a little more time, and that's exactly what I needed. In the next 45 minutes, I went from 3 cm to 9 cm: It was either the c-section talk or the drugs were finally starting to do their job. At 7 pm, I was feeling the desire to push, so we started some practice pushing, and while the doctor was still wary that I would be able to deliver this baby, I am thankful for our midwife who insisted that I could do it.

At 8 pm, the "real" pushing (the previous stuff hadn't much felt like practice to me!) began, and for the next 47 minutes, that's what I did. And good lord, I will tell you, it was the hardest physical, mental, and emotional thing I have ever done in my life. Physically, it was exhausting, and with each contraction, each push, I was exerting more phsyical effort than I have ever demanded of my body. Mentally and emotionally, it was frustrating and difficult to remain focused and positive that I could indeed do this, and there were many moments of near despair.

But, I must praise both the staff, who were amazing (we had one nurse who stayed nearly 2 hours past the end of her shift just to see this delivery through to its finale), and Jerry, who was not just encouraging, but was one of the most active members of the labor team. Because of them, I was able to push myself and stay strong.

In the end, the most beautiful moment in the world arrived, and before I could belive it to be real, Norah was being placed on my chest, and I can't describe the flood of joy and relief. I had done it, and she was here! I cried, Jerry cried, and Norah screeched. Of course, things weren't entirely done for me (episiotomoty had to be stitch up, ouchie, and the plasenta had to be passed), but Norah went to get bathed and weighed and measured. And within a few hours, we were transferred from labor and delivery up to the neo-natal unit.

Since then, things have gone pretty smoothly, and we have been able to sleep some and enjoy our new family. We're still in the hospital, and will be discharged tomorrow around 11 am. It will be good to go home!

She's Here

Post by Jerry:

Well Norah arrived safe and sound at 8:47pm. She tipped the scales at 7lbs 10oz and is 20in in length. I'll let Jess fill you in on the gory detail at her leisure, but here are some photo's I want to show off.

Baby update

Well it's almost 2:30 on Monday Aug. 1o th, and still no baby. The Dr. broke my water at 10:30 this morning, and since then I've been giving my epidermal. So we are making progress just at a slightly slower pace.

I'll keep eveyone updated whenever I can.

Today's the Day!

Here's Scooter and I snuggling yesterday; usually, he doesn't snuggle with me like this, but yesterday he seemed particularly attached to me. Maybe he can sense the upcoming changes? I don't know if I'd give him that much intuitive credit! This afternoon, we'll drop him off to stay with some friends for the next few days, then Jerry and I plan to go out for a nice dinner, and then we check into the hospital at 6 pm this evening.

I thought I would sleep terrible last night in anticipation, but honest to god, I slept like a rock. (However, Jerry reported that he did not sleep well.) This is not to say that I have lost any of my fears or anxieties about giving birth; I think I'm just so ready to get it over with. Plus, there's not much point in dwelling on the things that frighten me -- I just have to face them, and I know that their reality won't be half as bad as my anticipation of them.

So, like I said before, we check in tonight, but things don't really get underway until tomorrow morning, so at the soonest, Norah will be born sometime on Monday (but, just as with any labor, the course of action is unpredictable so the time schedule can't be counted upon). I do plan on packing my laptop in my hospital bag, so when I can, I will announce her arrival, but be patient because I can't predict when that post will be.

Alrighty, I guess that's it! Talk to you on the flipside!

40 Weeks: Let's Get This Show on the Road

According to BabyCenter, I've had my baby by now. Interesting, because she's not here yet and I still look and feel an awful lot like a pregnant woman.

So, at this point, Norah has about 34 hours to decide to come on her own; otherwise, at 6 pm tomorrow evening, we're going to the hospital and allowing modern medicine to coax her out. I'm really glad that we did decide to schedule the induction for tomorrow because my patience has expired.

Although, I am hoping that because Norah has decided that she's cool just chillaxin' in the womb for as long as she pleases that this means she'll have a laid back personality; I could dig an easy-going baby (and as long as I'm fantasizing, I might as well also wish for her to have no troubles breastfeeding, for her to sleep through the night as early as possible, and to start scoring TV gigs, like diaper commercials, and earning an income).

So, the plan for the weekend is to mostly relax since it is presumably our last weekend to be child-free. We might go see a movie today (Jerry is itching to see GI Joe), and I want to read my book (The Time Traveler's Wife -- it's really good so far, I wonder if the movie holds up), and, in general, get a few final preparatory things ready for Norah's arrival.

I'd like to say that I plan to go to bed early and sleep well tonight, but the reality is that I may not sleep much at all in anticipation; however, I've slept like a champ for the past couple of nights, so I feel well-rested in general.

In the meantime, I'll keep you updated if anything actually happens today or early tomorrow, but otherwise, I'll post tomorrow evening before we head off to the hospital. Enjoy your Saturday!

Free Time

With nothing but time on my hands lately, I have mostly been entertaining myself with books and an exceptional number of movies. In the past 5 days, I have seen 4 new movies. I think that's some kind of record for me.

So, with nothing else to blog about, here are my brief, un-professional reviews:

Funny People
Basic Premise: Famous comedian (Adam Sandler) finds out he is terminally ill, so he hires a young protege (Seth Rogen) to be both assistant and friend as he tries to mend the wrongs from his excessively vapid lifestyle.

Review: Okay. It had a lot of funny parts, and a lot of touching parts that were appropriately acted, but in the end, I thought it fell short on many levels and it was too long. It was 2 hours and 40 minutes, and those 40 minutes could have easily been chopped. Don't waste your money on it in the theater, wait for it to go to DVD.

Frost/Nixon
Basic Premise: Based on the play, which is based on the real life interview that David Frost conducted with Richard Nixon in 1977, this film is excellent. It is directed by Ron Howard and features a slew of quality actors.

Review: Excellent, excellent movie. Who knew that an entire film based around dialogue could be so tense and contain so much excitement? Watching the climatic moment when Frost is drilling Nixon to try and get a confession and an apology from him concerning Watergate was like watching a verbal boxing match (later, I watched the actual interview, which was available as a special feature on the DVD, and it evoked the same level of excitement). So, I give this high marks: Superb directing, wow-factor acting.

Sicko
Basic Premise: Michael Moore's documentary about the failures of American healthcare.

Review: While I think the material was good, at this point, it's nothing shocking or revelatory. Also, I am tired of Moore's style. It was unique and bold with "Bowling for Columbine," but by now, it feels tired and trite.

New in Town
Basic Premise: A high level Miami executive (Rene Zellweger) gets transferred to New Ulm, MN to run a failing manufacturing plant there where she inadvertently finds herself attracted to the plant's union manager (Harry Connick Jr). Guess what happens next?

Review: I thought this would be cute because I live in South Florida, and I have lived in Minnesota (and know where New Ulm is), and I thought that the play on the differences of the two regions might be fun to watch. It was not. Nothing about this movie was appealing. It was only 90 minutes long, and I fast-forwarded through about 30 minutes. Everything about it was cliche, and even Harry Connick Jr's undeniable charm and good looks couldn't improve it. After watching this and the terrible "He's Just Not That Into You," I think I can declare the genre of romantic comedy dead. No, I don't even want to peek at this summer's "The Proposal" or "The Ugly Truth" -- both look awful. I wish that someone in Hollywood could put out a romantic comedy (a la "When Harry Met Sally") that has snappy dialogue, dynamic characters (that actually have depth and are not just form-fitted stereotypes), and a truly engaging/convincing romanticism.

So, I guess I'm the next Roger Ebert, right?

Good lord, I wish this baby would come: I have cleared my Netflix queue, I have seen most of what's in the theaters, I finished my book earlier today, and lord knows that summer TV is crap. Soon, I may have to take up knitting or something!

Doctor Appointment

I had my weekly check up at the doctor's this morning, preceded by an ultrasound, and the news is kind of a mixed bag.

The ultrasound reported everything as healthy, and it estimated Norah's weight to be 8 lbs 7 oz, which is big, but not quite GIANT like the doctor had feared, and really, the ultrasound could be off and she could be closer to the high 7 lbs, low 8 lbs range. Still, she'll be big and healthy!

For my actual exam, the best news is that she has dropped down significantly and is at the -3 position, and I am 50% effaced, but I am just barely dilated 1 cm at this point. So, here's the low down on the plan, yo:

Hopefully, I naturally go into labor in the next few days, which the doctor said is highly likely to happen, but if I do not go into labor on my own by my due date, then we have scheduled an induction for Sunday night. If that's what happens, I'll check into the hospital at 6 pm on Sunday, and they will start the drug Cervidil, and that takes 12 hours to ripen my cervix and get me going on dilation, and then on Monday morning, they would start the Pitocin. So, one way or another, Norah will probably be here by Monday night.

When the doctor first introduced the idea of induction at my appointment last week, I was resistant to thinking about it, but today when she said that she thought that'd be best, I was so relieved that I broke down in tears. And, after having the afternoon to think about it, I really feel that this is the best course of action because we're still waiting for the due date before inducing, but this way, I have a firm deadline, and I can't express in words what a relief it is to have a knowable end in sight. Seriously, I have felt so much more relaxed and at ease this afternoon that I feel like a big, stressful weight has lifted.

Which, interestingly enough, could be exactly what nature needs in order for my body to go into labor on its own. The doctor said that sometimes just knowing a firm date sets so many women's mind's to ease that they finally relax, and then, boom, labor starts on its own. So, we'll see. At any rate, I feel comfortable with the decision, Jerry feels comfortable with that, and the doctor thinks it's the right decision, so I think I am going to sleep a lot better tonight than I have in awhile!

Tuesday Tidbits

People in my neighborhood:
After running, and now walking, through my neighborhood for 4 years, I have seen my share of odd people. Most notably, there's the guy who runs backwards, but there are others I occasionally spy as well. Newly added to the list of these oddballs is this creepy fishing guy.

Scooter and I see him on our evening walks, and he's always stationed by one of the nearby canals where he's got several fishing poles set up. His "unique look" is always the same: No shirt, just sportin' a pair of faded cutoffs, beer belly hanging out for all the world to see, a leathery sort of tan, faded tattoos on both biceps, cigarette hanging off his bottom lip, and a cracked beer in his left hand. It's a look that Jerry has described as "My wife left me 5 years ago and I just don't give a crap anymore."

The guy freaks Scooter out (more because of the fishing poles than the tanned beer belly), and frankly, he kinda freaks me out as well. He looks like the sort who drives a white van with no windows. I wish he'd find some different canals to fish in.

The Kindness of Strangers:
Being visibly pregnant does have some advantages, like people opening doors for you and offering you their seat, but do you know what population doesn't give a crap that you're pregnant? Old people.

Seriously, the elderly don't give a rat's ass. They are still gonna stroll down the middle of the grocery store aisle in front of you with 3 things in their cart, they are still gonna ask you to fetch them things from the top of shelves, and they're still gonna butt in front of you in line at the deli. And today, I seriously thought that as I was walking across the parking lot at Walgreens that this old lady was gonna run me down in her Caddy. Either she didn't see me, or she really was gonna just plow me over, but either way, I picked up the pace to get outta her way!

A Dog's Sense of Time:
I am convinced that on some instinctual level, Scooter can tell time. Doubt me? Witness the following routine to most of our days: He gets up at 6 am and shakes to signal to either Jerry or I that it is time for him to go outside and pee; after peeing and enjoying his breakfast kibble, he returns to bed until 10 am, at which time, he gets up and is ready for a longer jaunt outdoors. When we come back inside, then it's "toy time" and he promptly fetches the 3 toys he and I always play with.

That wears him out for the following 4 hours, but at 2 pm, he's ready to repeat the 10 am routine of a walk and toys. Then he crashes for a few hours, but at 4:15, he goes and stands by the front door because that's when Jerry gets home. At 5 pm, he's looking at me with his "it's time for my dinner" eyes, and around 7 pm when I go to change into walking clothes, he comes and sits by me and waits, knowing that lacing up my shoes means that we're going for the evening's long walk.

I know, logically, that his actions are all rooted in learned routines, but sometimes it's eerie. I can be absorbed in a book and he comes trotting into the office to stare at me, and I look up at the clock and see that it's 2 pm on the nose, and it makes me think there's more to it than practiced routine.

39 Weeks, 2 Days Pic: Gigantisaurus

At this point, I'm almost hoping that Norah is a mammoth-sized baby, just so that her birth means that I'll soon be rid of all this bulk. Try rolling out of bed with this belly! I look, and feel, like a beached whale.

In non-preggo news, I am happy to report that my self-serving campaign to get you guys to read and vote for my published short story paid off, and it was selected as July's "Story of the Month"! So thanks for taking the time to go and read and vote; I appreciate it! I don't win any kind of monetary prize, nor will I get a shiny trophy (damn!), but I do get to score bragging rights and the story will be published in the magazine's annual print edition. Getting that awesome news today was exactly what I needed: It definitely helped lift me out of the funk I've been feeling for the last few days.

My Boys

Thanks for the encouragement on yesterday's post; I know I just have to remain patient. It's just tough. And yes, without getting specific, we have been trying all the supposed natural ways to induce labor. Well, except for Castor oil, because frankly I think that the possible 'rhea would be worse than just being patient and waiting!

I was talking to Jerry today about my feeling stressed and anxious about the waiting, and one thing that has occurred to me is that these feelings may be bothering me more than they usually would because I am not running. Usually, running is my primary stress reliever, and whenever I am feeling tense and worked up, I can count on a run to put me back in the right frame of mind, but since it's been 7 weeks since I stopped running, I think this has had its mental affect on me as well.

Walking and yoga are perfectly good exercise, and they have certainly been a good substitute to help me remain active in these final weeks, but ultimately they are not the same as running. So, in short, I miss it. And I clearly need it as well. But, I suppose it's hiatuses (not sure of the plural on that word: hiati? that can't be right) like this that help give me perspective and help me appreciate what running can do for me, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Anyhoo...other than waiting for the baby and missing running, there's not much for me to blog about: It's a rare moment when I don't have much to yammer on about, but I really do feel tapped for ideas lately. So, to tide you over, here's a little Jer-Bear and Scooter cuteness: We always joke that Scooter is part mountain goat because he likes to climb on top of the furniture, but I think he might also be part parrot since he looks like he's perched over Jerry's shoulder!

Week 39: Patience is Wearing Thin

Despite trying to remain all zen and okey-dokey with the final stretch of pregnancy, I finally cracked this afternoon and held a little pity party for one. There were tears and a little snot and a lot of whining about how sick I am of waiting and anticipating and just-plain-old-being-pregnant-and-uncomfortable. Jerry was very understanding and did a good job consoling me.

Then we went to see a movie, and I felt better.

I know I'm still a week short of my due date, so there's no real reason to be feeling so frustrated, but there's no explaining away the hormones of pregnancy, and knowing that you're being irrational doesn't help erase the irrationality of it.

So, anyway, I think I'll go take a long walk and then chug some Tabasco...