knocked up with a cold...

I am coming up on 34 weeks and am gladly still preggo. I am tired and uncomfortable, but also giddy when I get through another week! It is weird to think that in little over a month I will have 2 kids. Lance looked at me this morning and said something to that same effect with a mixture of astonishment, excitement, and terror on his face.
Jude had another cold this week, his second in a month. He did not get croupy this time, but spent all, and I mean all, Wednesday night coughing throughout the night. He then woke at 4:30 crying. Dear hubby got up with him, and then came in a short while later and said "I think I should call a sub." Goddess bless him. He stayed home with a cranky toddler all day, and said cranky toddler's cough was much improved by that afternoon. Then I got it. It's really not that bad a cold, I have had worse. But a pregnancy complicates what one can take to alleviate the symptoms. Basically, sleep, fluids, and Tylenol. I miss my Alka Seltzer cold, the orange fizzy kind. Oh well. I am looking forward to breathing through my nose again and not drooling when I sleep. Ugh....

week 33

Still knocked up, and despite being tired, achy and feeling really fat, I am happy to still be so. Lance was in a wedding over the weekend in Richland, so I went and shopped during all the pre-wedding pics and stuff. Had fun, although it was exhausting, because I never really got to do pre-baby shopping with Jude. Fortunately, we don't need a lot, but I picked up a few things I wanted for this time around.
I can no longer reliably trim my own toenails, but heck that means I can go get a pedicure! I also am in a suprisingly good mood, although dear hubby would likely tell you I can be a royal jerk at times, but I am not all maudlin and weepy this time around. Jude is very excited to have a "baby brother Jonah" but doesn't think that it is okay to share Mommy with him; he has been telling me "you are my mommy" and when I tell him "yes, and I will be Jonah's mommy too" he replies "no, my mommy!" Sigh... he will eventually adjust and I think he will be a great big brother, he likes babies and is very gentle with those he has been around. I am anticipating some impressive meltdowns, but I imagine that is par for the course.
I should get a pic of my bump this time, but wish I had the ability to photoshop my moonface, large rear and everything else that has expanded. I know, all part of the process.

week 32

I am officially 32 weeks pregnant today. Glad to still be pregnant, even though I am tired, and getting bigger by the day. Shooting for April 6th, which is the expected delivery date, but anything after week 37 will have me feeling much less stressed than last time. I gained another 3 lbs which is apparently fine, my blood pressure was "fine," and I measured "big" on first measurement, but apparently not enough to be alarming when Dr. K measure again. Heart rate in the 140's. Jude asked me this morning "what is Jonah doing?" I told him "growing." Anything from here on out is something I have yet to experience in pregnancy; increased discomfort, increased fatigue, increased hugemongousness. The doc told me today to "enjoy these next 2 months" and when I looked at him like he was crazy, he reminded me that this was my last pregnancy, as I was "having a tubal ligation." Hell, yeah I am having tubal. I will be happy and satisfied with 2 healthy kids. Pregnancy is not the super terrific happy time some women purport it to be. Oh, and the hospital I am delivering at had to "approve" my tubal ligation, which apparently went through with no problems. I found thing crazy and bizarre, even when Dr. K reminded me that the hospital was a Catholic sponsored institution. I still had a hard time wrapping my brain around it. This is the 21st century, right? Thanks goodness, I was deemed worthy of having an elective surgery; one that will keep me from popping out babies until my uterus fell out, or having to take a pill everyday until menopause. I'm just saying....

is there such thing as a non-ugly recliner?

dear hubby and I are on a search for a recliner, as we expect to be up a lot with new kiddo and realized that last time we went through this, a recliner would have been very handy in catching some zzz's between feedings. However, I am a bit of a style snob and do not want an ugly, overstuffed recliner in my house, comfy or not. Dear hubby is more interested in comfort, but does have great taste for a straight man, so he does sympathize with my not wanting a hugemongous, upholstered monstrosity gracing our family room. We think we have found one, but I am hesistant to spend a chunk of change of something big when I may not have a job in a few months. We may just bit the bullet anyway. I was shocked to see that there was only on attractive recliner out of the 50+ we have looked at, seriously. It is mission style, with faux leather (which at this point is not a detraction) and would look nice with out mission style rocker. Plus it is on sale. Hmmmm.... save or spend?

the economy and my job.

I guess I enjoy living in a bit of denial. I know the state budget is bad, and that there has and will be more cuts on the horizon. I know that there is a real possibility there may be no job for me to go back to after maternity leave ends in late June, and little prospects of finding another job for awhile. (Living in a community with an MSW program and gazillion MSW's does not help this issue.) However, I think I was really in denial about the reality of it until I was listening to NPR last night on the way home; and learned the proposed budget deficeit was going to be possibly 2 billion dollars more than most recently projected. Someone they interview said "there are going to have to be even deeper cuts, even in k-12 education. There will be whole branches of government that will no longer exist." Well, that was depressing to hear; did not make for a calm and enjoyable evening. Congressional democrats are wanting to proposed raising taxes. Now, I know that this would be pretty darn unpopular with many Washingtonians, particularly on the dry side of the mountains; however we will likely be getting a federal tax break through the economic stimulus package. If they have jobs, people make in less than 70k as a single or 140k as a couple will see some cash back in their pay check through a reduction in with holdings. I, for one, would be willing to pay a higher sales tax, or car license tax or whatever, if it meant that we did not have to have 10's of thousands of people lose their jobs, homes, sanity.... I would be willing to make some sacrifices for the greater good, I hope others would be too. I am not to optimistic, particularly regarding some individuals who are particularly conservative, however I would argue to that keeping people off unemployment, reducing the number of people who would be seeking food stamp and welfare assistance due to job loss, keeping people able to pay their mortgages, have income to buy things to keep businesses going; would be worth paying higher taxes for the time being. We need to keep funding education, infastructure, human services, corrections for the benefit of our society. This is not time to go running scared and hiding under a rock; it is time to pull together, to sacrifice, to help each other, to collaborate to resolve this mess we are in. It is not going to just go away because we don't want to think about it, we need to take action now.

week 31

Hungry, tired, uncomfortable, sleeping badly, moody, heartburn, and easily annoyed by dear hubby. Sounds like I am knocked up. Feeling pretty good actually, although did tear up thinking about the morning my water broke with Jude. I figure this is normal, as I am almost at 32 weeks and I am going to think about that, all the while hoping it does not happen again.
Finally decided, well we think we have, on a full name for the baby: Jonah Aaron Longmire. For an agnostic, I sure have a prediliction for bible names. Hey, they are classic and classy.
Anyway, was feeling really good about the name Jonah and then read that crazy octuplet mommy named one of her 14 kids Jonah. I do not to appear to be copying crazy octuplet mommy. While I was initially somewhat obsessed with the fact that these octuplets made it to 31 weeks gestation and seemingly are all doing well, I have sense grown increasingly disturbed and annoyed by the whole story. What the hell kind of doctor would implant 6 embryos, which became 8, into one person. We are not made to have litters. The risks with multiples multiplies exponentially, and as a mother of a singleton preemie, I find it very upsetting that someone would put the lives of several infants at risk, not to mention their mother. It is not like she did not already have children. There are people who would be happy to have 1 healthy child. I guess I am just too much of a pragmatist to be supportive of people having oodles of children. We live in an increasingly crowded world. We have limited and dwindling resources. The world economy is in the shitter. No one person could possibly give adequate attention and care to 14 children under the age of 7, no one. That is my soap-box-of-the-moment.
So, the calendar is counting down to D-day for baby Jonah, hopefully April the 6th will actually find me still knocked up and ready to deliver.

week 30 update

Blood pressure normal, passed glucose tolerance screening, heart rate (baby) in the 150's, lbs gained: 3, and a cervix like fort knox! Here is hoping that I won't have a major freak out in a week and a half when I hit 32 weeks.

week 30

I am officially 30 weeks preggo. Only 2 weeks to go before I get to the point that I delivered Jude. I am wondering if I will panic around that time, or at least become very hypochondriacal (yes, i think i just made that up.) Everything is seemingly normal so far, I have an appointment this week with Dr. K, so I will know for sure if my assessment in accurate or not. I am feeling fat, although not really gaining excessive amounts of weight. I am tired. I am bitchy. I am having difficulty sleeping. I am also dreaming a lot about a fat, content, baby boy. One that doesn't freak out his parents by arriving early and spending a month in the hospital. One that doesn't have a hydrocephelus scare at 6 months. One that arrives when he is supposed to. However, if he can have a charming personality like his brother, a sweet disposition (most of the time), an engaging smile, a twinkle in his eye like his bro and daddy; we will also be very happy. I am still looking forward to maternity leave; like I am going to be able to rest or something.... I must have pregnancy induced delusional thoughts...

dear rush limbaugh

shut up already. you are an irrelevant, hate spewing, drug addled, whiny, narcissistic little man. well, maybe not so little, but the rest is pretty darn accurate. if the gop wants to be relevant in america again, they should stay far, far away from rush... and fox news while they are at it. oh, and sarah palin.