This is the beautiful picture I saw this morning as I was getting ready for work. I grabbed my phone (to use the camera) and ran outside barefoot to take a picture. I wasn't sure how long the rainbow would last and I didn't want to miss it! This is absolutely my favorite time of the year.
Many of you know of my family's background with bagpipes and Scottish dancing. I have been raised listening to the bagpipes and performing in many different venues with my dad and sisters. In many different places there are annual Renaissance fairs, Scottish competition games, etc. And every now and again the Scottish theme gets pulled into areas that it doesn't necesssarily belong to. This weekend was the annual Pirate Faire held out in Ojai at Lake Casitas. My dad and his bagpipe band were there, and since our baby's nursery is going to be pirate themed, Matt and I just had to go!
My dad is a great entertainer, and he thought it would be fun if during his performance he "challenged" an audience member to try dancing...well, I was his plant in the audience. He says, "this dancing is so easy, even a pregnant woman could do it...oh look, here is one now!" So I stand and he introduces me as his daughter. Dad has also learned how to do a few dances himself, so he and I danced at our wedding together, and again today. (Here we are at my wedding...obviously...thank goodness I had all those layers of tulle to cover me, look how high I pulled my dress up!!)
Matt took the video of it. Don't worry, the baby was completely fine, he did lots of moving around today, so we are convinced that he is already a performer! Hope you enjoy!
For the record, we did in fact buy the baby some pirate onesies, and some wooden swords to put on the wall in the nursery.
I totally kicked boo-tay on my 3-hour glucose test! TAKE THAT, GESTATIONAL DIABETES!!! IN YOUR FACE! :)
Ok, so I passed my test... "with flying colors" as my doctor said, however, he wants me to watch my carbohydrates :( At first when he told me that I need to cut back on carbs (because I did fail the first test) I just had a moment where I held my arms up in the air and cried out to the heavens "Noooooooooo!" That is when he said that I need to cut back on carbs so I don't have a 15 pound baby..."oh, OK! Enough said!"
Well, everything else seems to be going just fine and dandy. As always the heartbeat sounded great, I am measuring fine, and for the first time my doctor actually brought up the topic of delivery! Holy cow, I can hardly believe that things will be winding down very soon. I am very much looking forward to having my baby, to hold him, to kiss him, to see his daddy interact with him. It just gives me butterflies in my heart thinking about it. Matt and I are so in love with him already! Just last night, Matt made the comment "he is going to come out knowing that he is loved!" AWWWW! CUTE!
Here is something that is kind of funny: I have noticed that my baby boy doesn't like other things in his territory. When I rest my hand/arm on the top of my tummy he kicks it off, he always kicks the doctor's doppler directly, when I took the breast feeding class, he kicked my fake baby, and last night I was holding a newborn and yes he even kicked her too. Ooh he has attitude! I love it!
First of all, I want to thank all you lovely ladies that left such nice comments on my previous post. It is so nice to have a place to express my feelings, and not worry about people criticizing me about the things I say in the heat of the venting moment... and so I must also thank anyone who might have felt like telling me to "get over it," but held their tongue :)
Actually I am feeling much better now. Matt and I have been keeping extremely busy! Besides our regular work schedules, we have been busy with doctor appointments, glucose tests, and we started our childbirth classes! My dad likes to tease (even though he is right), it doesn't really matter if I go to these classes, the baby knows how to come out and it will happen no matter what. But, I already paid for the classes, so I am going to go!
We just finished our childbirth class. I thought it was pretty helpful. She discussed everything from where we park our cars, to the delivery itself. Our teacher/nurse was great, she was one of these old Irish midwives. She had a lot to say, and wasn't afraid to tell it like it is! Matt was a pretty good student, he only slightly looked away when she showed us the slides of actual childbirth (no movies). We also got down on the floor and practiced breathing through all the different stages of labor, including delivery. It was a pretty good class, the worse part was that it was a 3 hour class from 10am-1pm...hello??? Pregnant women missing lunch??? Not so smart. My favorite part of the class was the fact that the teacher would refer to the "dad" as the "husband." It was so nice for someone to be non-politically correct for a change. Yes, I am having a baby, with my husband, not just my "partner." Actually we know for a fact that there was at least one couple in the class that wasn't married, oh well.
We also attended our breastfeeding class. I was shocked to see the room full of couples!! Matt and I drove separate cars on purpose, because I told him that if he was the only guy there then he had permission to leave. Most of the ladies in this class were about to POP! No kidding, some only had a week or two left in their pregnancies. Matt, and the other men, actually were pretty mature during the class...mostly. There were a few giggles here and there. I think as the class went on everyon
e stops looking at "boobs" and starts seeing them as "how the baby eats." It was an interesting phenomena, even for me. Obviously I already knew that that is how a baby eats, but my attitude and previous ideas about what it was like shifted a little, and I feel a lot more comfortable with actually doing it. We did bring a doll to practice with. Our "baby" was Turk the ape from Disney's "Tarzan."
We will also be taking the childcare class, which goes over carseat safety and all the other child care stuff.
Besides all that, I went for my 3-hour glucose test. It wasn't horrible, well...the lime flavored syrup-drink they had me drink was awful. If I ever have to do that test again, I think I would prefer the orange flavor. I got to sit in a room in the back of the lab with a recliner. I watched a move on my laptop and took a short nap. Of course periodically I got interrupted (how rude) so they could draw my blood and have me pee in a cup. I don't have my results yet, I go see the doctor this next Thursday... I will let you know (I am sure you are all dying to know!) :)
Now, probably the most exciting thing that has happened lately is with Matt. In my profile, it mentions how Matt and his friends are trying to start a business and make a movie. Well, their first movie has been SOLD!!!! So, what that means is: the company Overture bought the story from The Juniper Sequence, and wrote out a check to buy the story. Now that money won't pay for making the movie, in fact, it won't pay for much :) except the lawyers and paying investors. BUT, they are actually going to be making a movie! And since I know people will want to know, it is a rock 'n roll love story told through alternate realities. It is complicated, and it is artsy, and quite frankly I am not sure if I have the actual idea of the story right...but who cares! Congratulations to Matt and his buddies...all their hard work is starting to pay off, and I know it is only going to get better from here!
I need to vent a little.
Although I have waited (on purpose) six years to get pregnant, I understand that there are physical changes that occur during pregnancy. I remember seeing my mother pregnant with my little sister. I watched my sister in her pregnancy (and believe me, she didn't hold anything back--she told me everything), I watched my aunts and other family members, friends, acquaintances, and perfect strangers during pregnancies. It seems to me that the pattern is: you get pregnant, and as time goes by, you become a little more physically uncomfortable. Hmm, that is just based off pure visual and auditory observation. Let's add on to that my education. I have spent years studying the human body. I have studied anatomy from head to toe, I know the muscles, the organs, the bones, the systems, I have a freakishly strange fascination with the human body and the way it works. I know HOW pregnancy happens, and I know what happens inside the body when a woman is pregnant. Now, let's add on the fact that I actually am pregnant now. I have been reading books, and researching information online, and talking to other mothers and other pregnant women. I think it is quite safe to say that I ought to know what "to expect when expecting" (the reference is completely coincidental).
So, that brings me to my complaint. (Just to cover myself, I am not addressing this to anyone. I am making a general complaint about something that I get from a lot of different people, so please don't think I am attacking you). I can't stand it when I make a comment such as: 1. "I have to pee, again" 2. "Oh, the baby is in my way" 3. "I could hardly reach to tie my shoes today" etc., then someone always follows with the inevitable "Just you wait..." AAAAHHHH!!!
Why do people insist on pointing out that whatever I am currently going through is nothing compared to what the end of my pregnancy is going to be like? Do they think that I don't realize that my baby is going to continue growing and therefore I will get bigger, and therefore have less mobility, more frequent trips to the bathroom (both day and night), and just plain discomfort overall? Why do they dismiss the fact that I am currently pregnant and I must pass through this stage first, before reaching the end of my pregnancy. And why do they always say with with such a threatening tone? "Just you wait!!!" Should I sit in my bed and rock back and forth and fear the rest of my pregnancy? Why won't people just allow me to enjoy my pregnancy? If I have a tiny complaint about they way I feel for a split second (i.e. "Oooh, he is sitting on my bladder!"), they have to always point out that it is only going to get worse (and I think it gives them joy knowing that I am going to be in as much pain/discomfort that they were in once upon a time). OH the doom of pregnancy!
If only I could make an announcement to the world: "Hey everyone, I am pregnant and sometimes a little uncomfortable. Overall I am having an awesome pregnancy, and yes I realize I may not always enjoy it this much. I realize that not every pregnancy is the same, and yes I feel completely blessed to be having such an easy pregnancy, so far. I understand and completely expect that as my child grows my body will be pushed to its limits! I realize that I will have a difficult time moving, getting dressed, taking walks of any length, breathing in general, getting behind a wheel of a car, fitting into my clothes, I will experience backache, sciatic pain, swelling of all my appendages, a possibility of hemorrhoids, stretch marks and incontinence, my face will get fat and I will look like I have been stung by 30 bees, I will have to pee 45 times a day, and 45 times each night (and yes, I've heard it a million times that "this is nature's way of preparing you for your sleepless nights with the baby..."), I also realize that my breasts will swell up to an unnaturally large size and will hurt while they fill up with milk, I realize that breastfeeding may not be comfortable, especially at the beginning, I realize I will leak milk (in the shower, when babies cry, and for no reason at all)." I know I haven't included every possible scenario, but I think I have made my point. I think that I should say this full disclaimer each and every time I dare say anything slightly negative about my pregnancy so I don't get the "Just you wait" speech. Or I can just stop talking about it all together, but that won't work either, because the only thing that people want to know about is how the pregnancy is.
To be fair, I completely accept and appreciate helpful information. If someone has had an interesting experience with their pregnancy, both the good and the bad, I love to hear about it, because maybe it is something I wasn't aware of. But I just don't like it when people are trying to scare me, or warn me, about the future of my pregnancy.
*Sigh*
Ok, thank you for letting me vent. I am sure it is just my hormones allowing me to get frustrated. :)
So, I have another post about pregnancy...sorry, but it is probably the only interesting thing that is happening in my life right now.
I went and took my 1-hour glucose test last week, and I failed! WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? No, I failed. They want the glucose number to be somewhere between 60-140, and my number was a whopping 141...yeah, just one number too high. Dang.
Now, I probably failed the first one because I literally ate lunch right before I took the test. There were no instructions to fast prior to the test, or to wait a certain amount of time after eating, so I didn't think there would be a problem, but apparently there is!
So, now I get to go take the 3-hour glucose test this next Wednesday. I have to follow a 3-day diet and then fast for 10 hours prior to the test. The diet should be pretty easy. I have to consume AT LEAST the amount of food listed on the diet...but more is ok! I guess this will help them see if my body can adequately break down all my carbohydrates.
For the day of the test, my plan is just to take the laptop and a DVD (or 2) to keep myself occupied. *Sigh* so boring! Oh well...
Anyone else have to do this?
Lately I have been really having a lot of interesting dreams. Some are about the baby, others are about visiting my mother, there was one where Matt and I had just gotten 3 puppies (they were so cute!). One of my dreams is somewhat a look into the future, and I thought it would be interesting to see how it played out.
In my dream a few friends told me about a very detailed and very reliable chart that is used to tell you the exact date that your baby will be born. This went beyond your actual due date, and was always right. The only reason everyone didn't have this chart to look at was because it was really expensive. So, my friends and I looked at the chart and followed its directions and came up with the birth date for my baby:
DECEMBER 15th! So, I am putting it out there as an early prediction, maybe a little later I will start a poll, but I think it would be really funny if the baby was actually born on this particular date. (For the record, my due date is December 10th, so it isn't that far off).
We had a great Labor day weekend, how about you? My favorite part was having an extra day not to work! :) But in addition to that, Matt and I went out and purchased a brand new mattress! We have been talking about going out and buying a new one for quite some time, but it always gets put off. Up until now our mattress has been fine, it is just old. Well, lately I haven't been getting great sleep, because every morning I have been waking up with extreme back pain, and has really been affecting me all day. To resolve the issue temporarily I spent about 5 days sleeping out on the couch. Our couch is REALLY comfortable and quite frankly I could sleep there any time, but it was kind of weird sleeping away from Matt. So, we finally gave in and went shopping!
We went to Custom Comfort Mattress, and we had a really great experience. And we had the mattress delivered the same day. So...here are a few pictures of our adventure (what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't take pictures of this!?!)
Here I am at 25 weeks. It isn't the best picture of me, but it does show my tummy!
Out with the old!
Here is Matt, patiently waiting, in the bed frame, for our new mattress to arrive.
Here it is, our first mattress!
But, we didn't really figure that it was going to be WAY taller than the other mattress...I feel like a toddler trying to get up onto mommy's bed! HA! I still like it though. (Apparently we can get a shorter box-spring to accommodate, but I don't think we will).
Hooray! We are so happy!
