Mick made it through the night and is doing just fine.
It was a little tense at 2:45am, the fourth time in 24 minutes that one of us put on our boots and took him outside to do his thing. But both Joe and I managed to restrain ourselves.
More parenting lessons I guess...it is possible to not be homicidal on less than 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
The dogs are in their kennels for the day. I hope they don't get into any more trouble!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Mommy practice
Today we had another appointment with the midwife. Actually, the midwives. There are four in the clinic we use and we're making a point to have appointments with all of them so that when the time comes for delivery we'll be comfortable with whoever happens to be on-call that day.
When she read my chart, she had extra questions about the "timing" of Ziggy's debut into the womb. Apparently, according to my calculations we should be expecting Ziggy to arrive around April 12th-14th. But according to the ultrasound measurements from last month...Joe might share his April 4th birthday with our firstborn.
Mommy lesson #1 for the day: life is unpredictable.
I have a plan for how the week of April 12th-14th will go. (I can hear all the moms laughing as they are reading this right now. Be nice, I'm new at this!) And of course I have a plan for the week prior to that...it's Holy Week. And in my line of work (which it appears I'll be back into full-time by then) I'm usually quite busy that week.
It might be a good idea to think about a back-up plan.
I went home after the appointment with my head full of things to do this afternoon. None of which included spending an hour cleaning up diarrhea from my favorite rug.
Mommy lesson #2: poop is smelly and gross, and also clean-up-able.
Mick (our dog) figured out how to open the refrigerator while we were gone and had quite the buffet for breakfast. Near as I can tell, he ate at least 18-20 oz. of chocolate chips, one loaf of french bread, a bagel, and a dash of cilantro. Apparently he's not a fan of greens and veggies. (The salad and carrots were still intact in their plastic bags and moved to the side for better access to tastier treats!)
When I arrived home, I opened the door to the house and smelled that something very very bad had taken place.
Now that clean up has happened, and my rug has been saved, I'll spend the next 24-36 hours trying not to finish the job the chocolate should have done to him. He'll whine and pace and pant and need to go out 4 times an hour. Only 1/3 of his visits outside will be "productive" but they cannot be ignored, for we have not yet passed the explosive side-effects of his morning indulgences.
Mommy lesson #3: It is NOT ok to kill the one shooting poop...they probably feel bad enough as it is.
I hope your day was more fun than mine. :>
When she read my chart, she had extra questions about the "timing" of Ziggy's debut into the womb. Apparently, according to my calculations we should be expecting Ziggy to arrive around April 12th-14th. But according to the ultrasound measurements from last month...Joe might share his April 4th birthday with our firstborn.
Mommy lesson #1 for the day: life is unpredictable.
I have a plan for how the week of April 12th-14th will go. (I can hear all the moms laughing as they are reading this right now. Be nice, I'm new at this!) And of course I have a plan for the week prior to that...it's Holy Week. And in my line of work (which it appears I'll be back into full-time by then) I'm usually quite busy that week.
It might be a good idea to think about a back-up plan.
I went home after the appointment with my head full of things to do this afternoon. None of which included spending an hour cleaning up diarrhea from my favorite rug.
Mommy lesson #2: poop is smelly and gross, and also clean-up-able.
Mick (our dog) figured out how to open the refrigerator while we were gone and had quite the buffet for breakfast. Near as I can tell, he ate at least 18-20 oz. of chocolate chips, one loaf of french bread, a bagel, and a dash of cilantro. Apparently he's not a fan of greens and veggies. (The salad and carrots were still intact in their plastic bags and moved to the side for better access to tastier treats!)
When I arrived home, I opened the door to the house and smelled that something very very bad had taken place.
Now that clean up has happened, and my rug has been saved, I'll spend the next 24-36 hours trying not to finish the job the chocolate should have done to him. He'll whine and pace and pant and need to go out 4 times an hour. Only 1/3 of his visits outside will be "productive" but they cannot be ignored, for we have not yet passed the explosive side-effects of his morning indulgences.
Mommy lesson #3: It is NOT ok to kill the one shooting poop...they probably feel bad enough as it is.
I hope your day was more fun than mine. :>
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Ruminations From A Man In Over His Head
Our midwife told Brigit she might not recognize Ziggy’s movement as anything other than one’s usual stomach rumblings (which might explain why Brigit thinks Ziggy likes tacos). Regardless, Brigit says she thinks she feels Ziggy moving and feels bad for me that this experience is, other than a moody wife, pretty nebulous. But, next week Brigit and I will go in for an ultrasound and see the little parasite for the first time which should make everything more concrete.
Anyway, as an observer in this little biological experiment I’ve been trying to imagine how life will change and how I should go about raising my child. I’ve plundered childhood memories of what I perceived to have been good and bad parenting examples from my parents. I now pay attention when news stories about children hit my radar (a simple explanation for SIDS on the 9 news at 9:00? I’m there!). I occasionally catch a look on the faces of my friends as they look at me. The look is like they’re hearing a particularly good joke for which the punch line is about to be delivered. I take solace in this demonstration of a sense of humor despite lack of sleep.
I really fear the lack of sleep.
The truth is I know nothing about kids.
I have a vague recollection of being in charge of my niece and nephew for a short time and realizing I knew no lullabies when trying to get one of them to sleep. I sang a slow song by U2 instead. Other than that I’ve had very little contact with babies or toddlers. I don’t think I’ve never changed a diaper. I don’t understand the point in talking to children (they have few opinions and the ones they do have are frightfully naïve).
When stuck interacting with a toddler I’m always at a loss. I have a stock joke where I ask them how they like school and, when they reply they’re not in school, I ask how their job is going. When they reply they do not work I make some comment about being a freeloader and a burden to their parents. That’s the beginning and the end of my material.
(In a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction moment, I just got off the phone with my friend Glenn who put his 2 ½ year old daughter on the phone to talk to me. The conversation stalled when I said ‘hello’ back. What do you ask a 2 ½ year old?)
Anyway, I’m told I’ll learn. And my friends have lots of opinions. And they’ve read books. And family is always willing to offer advice. Plus there’s Disney and Sponge Bob.
And next week all this talk and planning will coalesce into a digital blob nicknamed Ziggy.
And all that will matter is that Ziggy is healthy.
And that Ziggy hopefully doesn’t have a twin.
Anyway, as an observer in this little biological experiment I’ve been trying to imagine how life will change and how I should go about raising my child. I’ve plundered childhood memories of what I perceived to have been good and bad parenting examples from my parents. I now pay attention when news stories about children hit my radar (a simple explanation for SIDS on the 9 news at 9:00? I’m there!). I occasionally catch a look on the faces of my friends as they look at me. The look is like they’re hearing a particularly good joke for which the punch line is about to be delivered. I take solace in this demonstration of a sense of humor despite lack of sleep.
I really fear the lack of sleep.
The truth is I know nothing about kids.
I have a vague recollection of being in charge of my niece and nephew for a short time and realizing I knew no lullabies when trying to get one of them to sleep. I sang a slow song by U2 instead. Other than that I’ve had very little contact with babies or toddlers. I don’t think I’ve never changed a diaper. I don’t understand the point in talking to children (they have few opinions and the ones they do have are frightfully naïve).
When stuck interacting with a toddler I’m always at a loss. I have a stock joke where I ask them how they like school and, when they reply they’re not in school, I ask how their job is going. When they reply they do not work I make some comment about being a freeloader and a burden to their parents. That’s the beginning and the end of my material.
(In a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction moment, I just got off the phone with my friend Glenn who put his 2 ½ year old daughter on the phone to talk to me. The conversation stalled when I said ‘hello’ back. What do you ask a 2 ½ year old?)
Anyway, I’m told I’ll learn. And my friends have lots of opinions. And they’ve read books. And family is always willing to offer advice. Plus there’s Disney and Sponge Bob.
And next week all this talk and planning will coalesce into a digital blob nicknamed Ziggy.
And all that will matter is that Ziggy is healthy.
And that Ziggy hopefully doesn’t have a twin.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
We heard Ziggy's heartbeat at our appointment this week, and now I secretly want one of those doppler listening thingies at home so I can listen every day! I wonder if put my hand on my stomach there if I'll be able to feel a pulse like I can in my wrist?? A friend of mine recommended that we try to record it, maybe on our cell phone or something, and of course in the moment I just didn't even think about it. Oh well, maybe next visit.
The heart sounded good at about 145-150 beats per minute, which is just right. Ziggy was active and flipping around a bit, making it tough for the midwife to keep track of the him/her, but she found it for long enough so we could really hear it and trust that all is well.
I continue to feel well, which is such a blessing. No pukeyness and only a little bit of tiredness. I prefer an afternoon nap rather than not, but who doesn't?
I did call Joe on my way home from Target one night recently in tears and warned him that I may not be trusted in there without a chaperone anymore. He responded with, "What did you buy?" I think his real question was, "How much did you spend?" :) I assured him that I made it safely out to the car with our credit score still intact, but that I had wanted to buy everything soft and fuzzy and cuddly in the baby aisle. I couldn't believe how lucky we are that I found the exact perfect blanket and sheet set that will complement our completely nonexistent nursery with the precise color scheme I've always been dreaming of for our firstborn child!
Thankfully we both have a solid sense of humor and my hormones have induced nauseating levels of sappiness, not rage. So far so good.
The heart sounded good at about 145-150 beats per minute, which is just right. Ziggy was active and flipping around a bit, making it tough for the midwife to keep track of the him/her, but she found it for long enough so we could really hear it and trust that all is well.
I continue to feel well, which is such a blessing. No pukeyness and only a little bit of tiredness. I prefer an afternoon nap rather than not, but who doesn't?
I did call Joe on my way home from Target one night recently in tears and warned him that I may not be trusted in there without a chaperone anymore. He responded with, "What did you buy?" I think his real question was, "How much did you spend?" :) I assured him that I made it safely out to the car with our credit score still intact, but that I had wanted to buy everything soft and fuzzy and cuddly in the baby aisle. I couldn't believe how lucky we are that I found the exact perfect blanket and sheet set that will complement our completely nonexistent nursery with the precise color scheme I've always been dreaming of for our firstborn child!
Thankfully we both have a solid sense of humor and my hormones have induced nauseating levels of sappiness, not rage. So far so good.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Elastic jeans FOREVER!
Alright, I have a bone to pick with all of my friends who have been pregnant before. Why didn't you tell me about adjustable elastic-waist jeans????!!!!
I know Stacey and Clinton (from TLC's "What Not to Wear") would drag me into the dreaded 360-mirror and mock me until I cried, but I may never wear regular jeans again! Have a big night at the Chinese buffet? Just loosen the side-tab a button-hole or two. Finally finished that time of the month and feel less Sta-Puffed? Cinch 'em in a notch.
No one can tell...well, if you wear a shirt that is loose and drapes over the waistband they can't, and our world needs a little more modesty in it anyway.
They're better than not shaving your legs to remind you to be a "good girl" on that first date!
I LOVE ADJUSTABLE ELASTIC-WAIST JEANS!
And I am not too proud to admit it. When you think about it, I'm really fashion forward, I bet ALL the Bettys in assisted living are wearin' them.
I know Stacey and Clinton (from TLC's "What Not to Wear") would drag me into the dreaded 360-mirror and mock me until I cried, but I may never wear regular jeans again! Have a big night at the Chinese buffet? Just loosen the side-tab a button-hole or two. Finally finished that time of the month and feel less Sta-Puffed? Cinch 'em in a notch.
No one can tell...well, if you wear a shirt that is loose and drapes over the waistband they can't, and our world needs a little more modesty in it anyway.
They're better than not shaving your legs to remind you to be a "good girl" on that first date!
I LOVE ADJUSTABLE ELASTIC-WAIST JEANS!
And I am not too proud to admit it. When you think about it, I'm really fashion forward, I bet ALL the Bettys in assisted living are wearin' them.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
First Visit to the Midwife
Today we had our first visit with our Certified Nurse Midwife, so I guess now that the insurance company is involved, this is really real. I'm only 10 weeks and 2 days along, so the midwife wasn't able to find the heartbeat with her little listening thing, but according to Joe I have a loud placenta. All things look good and we trust that Mother Nature knows better than the rest of us, so Ziggy's cooking along like s/he should be.
It was nice to have a full hour to talk with the midwife and go through all of the information she had for us. I'm pleased to have a variety of midwives and doctors available at the clinic, and lots of medical intervention options if we want them, but most important to me is that the general approach will be to allow nature to take its course unless there's a good reason not to. I sort of wish I could hunker down with the wise women of the tribe in the birthing tent to welcome this little one into the world. But of course I'd like the best surgical and pediatric team standing by in the next (sterile) tent over in case things don't go as expected. So in some ways, this seems like that compromise.
The best part of the visit was when we stood up to leave, Joe picked up the free diaper bag that they gave us and threw it over his shoulder to carry it to the car! Maybe a good sign of things to come??
I continue to feel mostly fine and have had limited WTF? moments (maybe Joe will write the next entry to confirm/deny such claims). Who says a little maniacal laughter, interrupted by extreme irritation, again interrupted by fits of giggles isn't normal? We've been told the fun has only just begun...stay tuned.
It was nice to have a full hour to talk with the midwife and go through all of the information she had for us. I'm pleased to have a variety of midwives and doctors available at the clinic, and lots of medical intervention options if we want them, but most important to me is that the general approach will be to allow nature to take its course unless there's a good reason not to. I sort of wish I could hunker down with the wise women of the tribe in the birthing tent to welcome this little one into the world. But of course I'd like the best surgical and pediatric team standing by in the next (sterile) tent over in case things don't go as expected. So in some ways, this seems like that compromise.
The best part of the visit was when we stood up to leave, Joe picked up the free diaper bag that they gave us and threw it over his shoulder to carry it to the car! Maybe a good sign of things to come??
I continue to feel mostly fine and have had limited WTF? moments (maybe Joe will write the next entry to confirm/deny such claims). Who says a little maniacal laughter, interrupted by extreme irritation, again interrupted by fits of giggles isn't normal? We've been told the fun has only just begun...stay tuned.
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