We're home and getting adjusted to life as a family of four, plus a dog. The birth story is coming soon. Though it is still rolling around in my head, I'm having trouble finding a nice block of time to type it. Needless to say, no one is getting much sleep around here.
I seem to have a baby attached to my chest most of the time. Overall, that's going well but it's painful just now. Porn star boobs (that should send the stat counter into overdrive) are not really my idea of fun. Remember, I had 2.2 pounds of boob removed, by choice, in 2001. They hurt like hell and add two shredded nipples to the mix and, well, OUCH!!! Baby girl has an insanely strong suck, even more than Oliver, and we're having timing issues on the latch.
In a nutshell, labor and delivery were easier and shorter than when I had Oliver. That said, it's a lot like trying to poop a watermelon.
21 April 2007
16 April 2007
She is here...
Esmarelda is here! Now I have to call her Eleanor Rose. She was born at 11:49 am and weighed 9 pounds 1 ounce. CD didn't have a length available. (UPDATE: 21 inches) Kim said she was feeling ok. Eleanor has lots of hair and Kim's first thought was that Eleanor resembles CD's' sister.
Labor Day
Kim called at 6:45am to report she was on her way to the hospital. She had been having steady contractions most of the morning and decided not to wait for the call from the hospital. Kim is hopeful Esmarelda will appear without the aid of chemistry.
15 April 2007
tick tock
So I'm sitting here on the sofa, waiting to have a baby. I'm scheduled for induction tomorrow, sometime between 3am and 7am. I could get a phone call as early as 2am, or anytime after that, and I'm expected to arrive at the hospital within an hour of that call. I thought this would be better than waiting to go into labor on my own but now I'm not so sure. I am glad to get the baby out before she gets any larger and I do know what to expect from an induction, but it's a strange thing to know you're having a baby in a few hours. Is removing the mystery really a good thing?
Not surprisingly, it's been a frantic weekend. All that nesting and such. I planted daylilies and hostas yesterday, completely doing in my back. Then we went shopping for a toaster, curtains for Oliver's room, and got his 2 year pictures taken.
Today wasn't much better. Oliver was especially challenging. He went down for his nap early and only slept for an hour. He's was a holy terror the rest of the day. No, I should restate that. He alternated between sweet and terror for no predictable reasons all day. He got a lot of practice saying, "I'm sorry," mostly to me and to Penguin.
I'm still not done with everything I need to do before the hospital calls. Bills to pay, a few more things to stuff in my bag, more preparations to make life easier for Mama 'Cia, who is taking care of Oliver and Penguin tomorrow. With any luck I'll get a shower and some sleep before the call comes.
Not surprisingly, it's been a frantic weekend. All that nesting and such. I planted daylilies and hostas yesterday, completely doing in my back. Then we went shopping for a toaster, curtains for Oliver's room, and got his 2 year pictures taken.
Today wasn't much better. Oliver was especially challenging. He went down for his nap early and only slept for an hour. He's was a holy terror the rest of the day. No, I should restate that. He alternated between sweet and terror for no predictable reasons all day. He got a lot of practice saying, "I'm sorry," mostly to me and to Penguin.
I'm still not done with everything I need to do before the hospital calls. Bills to pay, a few more things to stuff in my bag, more preparations to make life easier for Mama 'Cia, who is taking care of Oliver and Penguin tomorrow. With any luck I'll get a shower and some sleep before the call comes.
13 April 2007
PBdumb
Pottery Barn is a wee bit dense when it comes to their window hardware. Earlier in the week I went to my local store to buy some double rod hardware for the baby's room. When I got home and started putting things together I made some interesting discoveries. First, one of the boxes that was supposed to contain the double brackets and one set of rods was missing its brackets. I called the store and after checking inventory, they told me to bring the box back for an exchange. When I got there they told me what they showed in inventory were the units I purchased, but another nearby store had them. I wasn't up for the trip out there so they agreed to ship them at no cost.
The second discovery, and here's where it gets really D-U-M-B, is that I ended up with sets of single brackets left over. This is because the double rod is considered a "conversion kit" to the regular rod and bracket set. I went back to the store today and explained the issue to the same sales associate I worked with earlier. I asked about buying rods separately. The associate said, "Sure. No problem." About ten minutes later she emerged from the back to tell me no, they only sell rods with brackets.
This is so silly. They should either sell a complete kit for double rods (preferable) or sell rods on their own. How hard is that?
The second discovery, and here's where it gets really D-U-M-B, is that I ended up with sets of single brackets left over. This is because the double rod is considered a "conversion kit" to the regular rod and bracket set. I went back to the store today and explained the issue to the same sales associate I worked with earlier. I asked about buying rods separately. The associate said, "Sure. No problem." About ten minutes later she emerged from the back to tell me no, they only sell rods with brackets.
This is so silly. They should either sell a complete kit for double rods (preferable) or sell rods on their own. How hard is that?
12 April 2007
the news from hoo-ha land
There was interesting news at the OB today. I gained weight this week. All water, I suspect, as my hands, feet, and legs are swelling. The baby is estimated to be more than 7.5 pounds but less than 8. (I think I liked that news best.) Unfortunately, the contractions I've had over the last week, including a monster at 4am that woke me up, have done nothing to get things closer to delivery. I'm still around 2cm dilated and about 50% effaced. The doc mentioned how uncomfortable I look and suggested that since she is on call tonight, I should ring if I want to have the baby tonight. CD's face told me he didn't find this a good suggestion.
So induction is scheduled for Monday morning. Since I have had a baby already I am disqualified from the 8pm time slot the night before. Instead, I have the pleasure of receiving a phone call between 2 and 6 am, with the expectation that I will arrive at the hospital within an hour of the call. Obviously the people who dream up these schemes do not have children. I think the only thing worse for Oliver than having someone he barely knows put him to bed is probably having someone he barely knows greet him when he wakes up in the morning. But unless this baby decides on her own that she is ready for the world before 2am on Sunday, that is exactly what is going to happen.
"Mama Cia" is going to be helping us out. Oliver does like her and her daughter Lucia, who is in his class at school, he just hasn't spent much time with her. Fortunately, he is an adaptable sort and will likely be just fine.
So induction is scheduled for Monday morning. Since I have had a baby already I am disqualified from the 8pm time slot the night before. Instead, I have the pleasure of receiving a phone call between 2 and 6 am, with the expectation that I will arrive at the hospital within an hour of the call. Obviously the people who dream up these schemes do not have children. I think the only thing worse for Oliver than having someone he barely knows put him to bed is probably having someone he barely knows greet him when he wakes up in the morning. But unless this baby decides on her own that she is ready for the world before 2am on Sunday, that is exactly what is going to happen.
"Mama Cia" is going to be helping us out. Oliver does like her and her daughter Lucia, who is in his class at school, he just hasn't spent much time with her. Fortunately, he is an adaptable sort and will likely be just fine.
a-boo!
As I said yesterday, Oliver is using his middle name a lot lately. This morning he was adding his last name. It comes out a little mangled ("OlverJems a-Boo!") but he's trying really hard. He is also learning his parents names, since if he ever got separated from us, knowing us as "Mama" and "Dada" isn't going to be terribly useful. Let's hope we never actually need that skill. I can just imagine how our names would come out if we had to be paged. It would probably sound something like the teacher in Peanuts.
11 April 2007
welcome Suzy
two, or three, or maybe six
Oliver is two years old today! If you ask him how old he is he will say nothing but grin at you, say "two!" (if you're really lucky), or blurt out a random number, usually "three!" or "six!". He was also saying, "Oliver James" a lot today. He has been noticing James, the red engine on his Thomas dvd lately and I told him James is his middle name. He likes it, apparently.
I'll post more pics of his birthday on Flickr later on. He opened a few presents this morning and will have more new things to play with when he comes home from school. I may hold the sand and water table a few days. With the new baby coming soon, pacing ourselves with new toys for Oliver seems like a good idea.
Aunt Suzy sent a very nice cake and a special plate, which made me realize I have no idea what box his birthday plate is in or if it was unpacked already. We'll try to send email to Suzy to thank her after we eat tonight, assuming we are not in comas from all the yummy sugar.
oh bother
Still no baby. Sorry. I'm starting to consider induction again. The longer she's in there, the bigger she's getting. I know what to expect from an induction, and as a result hoped to avoid it, but maybe the devil you know.... If a smaller baby means no episiotomy, the pain of pitocin seems a small price to pay. And this time I won't wait for the epidural if I need it. If they will do it early Friday morning, I might say yes.
My blog traffic is way up in the last week so it seems quite a few of my readers are awaiting news. I'm not sure how quickly it will be posted. I should probably enlist someone to post for me. Will have to work on that....
Not all the new traffic is baby-related. Recent search terms that lead here include: "tile backsplash" and "tempurpedic yeast infection". I'm sure once I start posting about breast feeding traffic will spike again. The more you say breast or ass, the more hits you get.
My blog traffic is way up in the last week so it seems quite a few of my readers are awaiting news. I'm not sure how quickly it will be posted. I should probably enlist someone to post for me. Will have to work on that....
Not all the new traffic is baby-related. Recent search terms that lead here include: "tile backsplash" and "tempurpedic yeast infection". I'm sure once I start posting about breast feeding traffic will spike again. The more you say breast or ass, the more hits you get.
09 April 2007
waffling
If I'd been a blogger during my last pregnancy there would have been a lot about names. CD and I knew Oliver was a boy when I was about 12 weeks along, on CD's birthday in September. A week before my due date, in late March, we still had not settled on a name. Finally, we made independent "top ten" lists and compared. Colin and Oliver were the only names that appeared on both of our lists. From there, it was a simple choice. Oliver was not in my top five, but after Henry and Ian, all the names on my list were fairly equal. CD sent his list to me in alphabetical order so I don't know how much he liked it. And he's not telling, probably because I teased so much over a few of his other choices, like Rupert. Today I can't imagine any name other than Oliver for our son. Much as I love Henry, it doesn't suit him.
We agreed that names for girls were easier. In fact, CD threw one out when we began our discussions of boy names. It was within a few syllables of my favorite girl name and I immediately agreed it was a great choice. Last October, when we found out I was having a girl this time, we decided to stick with that name for this baby. CD rejected all of my ideas for middle names but once again made a suggestion that I could live with. Problem solved and I was barely in the second trimester.
Like last time, we have kept the name to ourselves. My sister started calling her Esmerelda so we've gone with that during the pregnancy. Oliver never picked it up though. I ask him occasionally what he would like to call baby sister. Last week his response was "Waffle", followed by "Maple", presumably her middle name. As a three-year resident of the Greylock quad at Williams, I had to laugh. "Waffle" was a verb that had to do with one's view of the ceiling (and we'll just leave it there, thank you). Guess what Oliver had for breakfast that day?
Which leads me to another meaning of "waffle", something toddlers seem to have down to an art form. (I know it's not just Oliver because I read MetroDad.) Oliver's inability to make a decision and then stick with it comes close to sending me over the edge on a regular basis. On more than one occasion this weekend I started to think spending a couple of days in the hospital might be a nice break. I got over those feelings pretty quickly but the thoughts did cross my mind.
We agreed that names for girls were easier. In fact, CD threw one out when we began our discussions of boy names. It was within a few syllables of my favorite girl name and I immediately agreed it was a great choice. Last October, when we found out I was having a girl this time, we decided to stick with that name for this baby. CD rejected all of my ideas for middle names but once again made a suggestion that I could live with. Problem solved and I was barely in the second trimester.
Like last time, we have kept the name to ourselves. My sister started calling her Esmerelda so we've gone with that during the pregnancy. Oliver never picked it up though. I ask him occasionally what he would like to call baby sister. Last week his response was "Waffle", followed by "Maple", presumably her middle name. As a three-year resident of the Greylock quad at Williams, I had to laugh. "Waffle" was a verb that had to do with one's view of the ceiling (and we'll just leave it there, thank you). Guess what Oliver had for breakfast that day?
Which leads me to another meaning of "waffle", something toddlers seem to have down to an art form. (I know it's not just Oliver because I read MetroDad.) Oliver's inability to make a decision and then stick with it comes close to sending me over the edge on a regular basis. On more than one occasion this weekend I started to think spending a couple of days in the hospital might be a nice break. I got over those feelings pretty quickly but the thoughts did cross my mind.
08 April 2007
email yes, baby no
Our email is BACK!!! No email for nearly a week has been way too painful.
No baby yet, though I twice considered waking CD last night. Contractions were really strong before they stopped around 4am.
My optimism may be unfounded but I still don't think it will be much longer. We started putting the furniture in her room yesterday and hope to finish up later on today. My bag is finally almost packed. I keep telling her we're ready but she doesn't believe us yet.
No baby yet, though I twice considered waking CD last night. Contractions were really strong before they stopped around 4am.
My optimism may be unfounded but I still don't think it will be much longer. We started putting the furniture in her room yesterday and hope to finish up later on today. My bag is finally almost packed. I keep telling her we're ready but she doesn't believe us yet.
06 April 2007
procrastination vehicle
Instead of writing detailed instructions for the person who will be looking after Oliver and Penguin when I go into labor, I am playing with a movie meme instead. Pa-thetic.
Thanks Eden.
1.Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times. Bull Durham
2.Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater. Bull Durham (the only one I've seen more than once in a theater)
3.Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie. Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan
4.Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie. Sylvester Stallone
5.Name a movie that you can and do quote from. Bull Durham (sensing a trend here?)
6.Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs. The Sound of Music
7.Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with. The Sound of Music (with apologies to anyone unfortunate enough to experience my singing along)
8.Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see. Bull Durham and Stealing Home
9.Name a movie that you own. Stealing Home
10.Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops. Will Smith
11.Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what? Nope
12.Ever made out in a movie? Yes, but I don't remember what movie. That is more a reflection of my age and fading memory than anything else.
13.Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it. The Queen (as soon as it's on On Demand, I'm there...)
14.Ever walked out of a movie? No, though I wish I had on more than one occasion.
15.Name a movie that made you cry in the theater. You want the whole list or just the top ten? I cry at the drop of a hat.
16.What’s the last movie you saw in the theater? Casino Royale
17.What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie? romantic comedy, or classic literature adaptation (but they have to be done very well)
18.What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? First movie was Disney and animated, of course but I don't remember exactly which one. Might have been Song of the South if that was in theaters in the early 1970s. Star Trek - Wrath of Khan was the first date movie.
19.What movie do you wish you had never seen? Titanic. painfully long and boring. the boat didn't take that long to sink.
20.What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed? The Guru
21.What is the scariest movie you’ve seen? I block all of those from my memory.
22.What is the funniest movie you’ve seen? A Fish Called Wanda
Your turn!
Thanks Eden.
1.Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times. Bull Durham
2.Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater. Bull Durham (the only one I've seen more than once in a theater)
3.Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie. Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan
4.Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie. Sylvester Stallone
5.Name a movie that you can and do quote from. Bull Durham (sensing a trend here?)
6.Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs. The Sound of Music
7.Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with. The Sound of Music (with apologies to anyone unfortunate enough to experience my singing along)
8.Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see. Bull Durham and Stealing Home
9.Name a movie that you own. Stealing Home
10.Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops. Will Smith
11.Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what? Nope
12.Ever made out in a movie? Yes, but I don't remember what movie. That is more a reflection of my age and fading memory than anything else.
13.Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it. The Queen (as soon as it's on On Demand, I'm there...)
14.Ever walked out of a movie? No, though I wish I had on more than one occasion.
15.Name a movie that made you cry in the theater. You want the whole list or just the top ten? I cry at the drop of a hat.
16.What’s the last movie you saw in the theater? Casino Royale
17.What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie? romantic comedy, or classic literature adaptation (but they have to be done very well)
18.What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? First movie was Disney and animated, of course but I don't remember exactly which one. Might have been Song of the South if that was in theaters in the early 1970s. Star Trek - Wrath of Khan was the first date movie.
19.What movie do you wish you had never seen? Titanic. painfully long and boring. the boat didn't take that long to sink.
20.What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed? The Guru
21.What is the scariest movie you’ve seen? I block all of those from my memory.
22.What is the funniest movie you’ve seen? A Fish Called Wanda
Your turn!
05 April 2007
update-o-rama
House:
All the counter tops are IN!!! And nothing broke during installation. I have a big sink now, and a faucet. Disposal is pending yet another visit from the electrician, when he will also fix one of the under-cabinet lights and wire the mixer base cabinet. Once the tile backsplash is installed, the kitchen can be declared 98% done. Just a little trim work will be left.
Even the master bath sinks are now working and the backsplash is in. My ginormous belly means I can barely reach the faucet, but it's pretty cool nonetheless. If the mirror and shower door arrive next week, that room will be done.
The medicine cabinet for the kids' bath arrived today. The hole it goes in needs to be made a little bigger but that's all we have left in that room.
The shower in the guest bath is now finished. That room is waiting on an electrical outlet before it is done.
Pictures tomorrow of all the latest developments. I'm too damn tired tonight.
Hoo-ha:
I think this one is even more interesting but I didn't want to lead off with "hoo-ha". I'm 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and she's at -2 station. I had some strong contractions last night, 5 minutes apart before they stopped. Looks like the contractions are being productive after all. I have also lost 2 pounds.
This is all new territory since I did not go into labor with Oliver until I was induced.
In both cases, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm reasonably sure it is not an oncoming train.
e-mail
Still not connected. I hate Verizon.
All the counter tops are IN!!! And nothing broke during installation. I have a big sink now, and a faucet. Disposal is pending yet another visit from the electrician, when he will also fix one of the under-cabinet lights and wire the mixer base cabinet. Once the tile backsplash is installed, the kitchen can be declared 98% done. Just a little trim work will be left.
Even the master bath sinks are now working and the backsplash is in. My ginormous belly means I can barely reach the faucet, but it's pretty cool nonetheless. If the mirror and shower door arrive next week, that room will be done.
The medicine cabinet for the kids' bath arrived today. The hole it goes in needs to be made a little bigger but that's all we have left in that room.
The shower in the guest bath is now finished. That room is waiting on an electrical outlet before it is done.
Pictures tomorrow of all the latest developments. I'm too damn tired tonight.
Hoo-ha:
I think this one is even more interesting but I didn't want to lead off with "hoo-ha". I'm 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and she's at -2 station. I had some strong contractions last night, 5 minutes apart before they stopped. Looks like the contractions are being productive after all. I have also lost 2 pounds.
This is all new territory since I did not go into labor with Oliver until I was induced.
In both cases, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm reasonably sure it is not an oncoming train.
Still not connected. I hate Verizon.
04 April 2007
if you're sending me email and it's bouncing...
We're having a little war with Verizon just now. I won a couple of minor skirmishes today, though it took 90 minutes of talking with 12 different people and being disconnected twice. They've acknowledged the problem is their's but turning us back on is apparently complicated. Since we (as in CD) run our own mail server, I can't just mooch off the neighbors or go to Panera and read it.
Try sending to clumber at gmail dot com if you absolutely have to get an email to me in the next day or so.
Things are going to get really messy if I have the baby before it is back on....
Try sending to clumber at gmail dot com if you absolutely have to get an email to me in the next day or so.
Things are going to get really messy if I have the baby before it is back on....
buy my house
Now that we have moved, it's time to get the old house listed and sold. I thought we should take one more week and get a few more projects done but our realtor advised otherwise. The market is on fire right now, as it is every spring in this area. The house next door was under contract within about two weeks of being listed last month, and one down the street sold in about 4 days. Another one around the corner that I thought was lovely but overpriced is also sporting a "SOLD" sign. There's also one up the street that has been listed for months and has had at least three price drops, but we're not thinking about that one.
I spent yesterday morning doing some little things before the house got its MLS number. Hung a shower curtain the bathroom we did not re-do to tone down the horrid pink tile, scooped dog poop in the backyard (now that the snow has melted), and attempted to dig up a few daylilies for transplant. That last one did not go so well. I got pieces of all the plants but I had hoped to remove them whole. I hope they do okay in the new yard. Fortunately, daylilies are very forgiving.
With so many of my favorite bloggers (and let's not forget this one) engaged in buying and selling real estate right now, I feel I'm in excellent company. Their stories are no doubt more interesting than our's.
So buy my house. It's time this family got down to one mortgage, and preferably before we expand to two kids and we are reduced to one income. You know you want to.
I spent yesterday morning doing some little things before the house got its MLS number. Hung a shower curtain the bathroom we did not re-do to tone down the horrid pink tile, scooped dog poop in the backyard (now that the snow has melted), and attempted to dig up a few daylilies for transplant. That last one did not go so well. I got pieces of all the plants but I had hoped to remove them whole. I hope they do okay in the new yard. Fortunately, daylilies are very forgiving.
With so many of my favorite bloggers (and let's not forget this one) engaged in buying and selling real estate right now, I feel I'm in excellent company. Their stories are no doubt more interesting than our's.
So buy my house. It's time this family got down to one mortgage, and preferably before we expand to two kids and we are reduced to one income. You know you want to.
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