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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Poop Humor

Earlier this week, it was Jerry's turn to wake up with Norah and as soon as he went in her room, she told him that she pooped.  Still not fully awake, and not yet ready to turn on the light, he changed her diaper in the semi-dark.  As he was changing her, he spied what he thought was one of her shoes on the changing table, and he wondered what one of her shoes was doing there, so he picked it up.  Yeah...it didn't take him long to realize he was holding her turd in his hand.

Even typing that makes me laugh so hard tears spring to my eyes, so yes, I have found it all kinds of hilarious to make fun of him this week for picking up her poop, mistaking it for a shoe.

Karma, then, seems to also find it funny to make sure that things always even out in our household.

So, this morning, Norah and I took a shower together, as we do every morning, and afterward, I get out first and dry off while she lingers in the tub and splashes about a bit in the draining water.  When I turn around to drape her towel around her and fetch her out of the tub, I spy a deuce -- she'd pooped in the tub again!  Thankfully, I figure, she's still in the tub -- easy clean up.  I dispose of the turd and then soap/hose her and the tub down.

I leave her in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, while I go toss a few clean up towels in the washing machine, as I'm returning to the bathroom, Norah is going, "Mama!  Mama!"  I get in there and discover that she'd pooped again, but this time on the bathmat, and this time she had walked through it!  She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, balanced on one leg, looking disgustedly at her shit-covered toes.

Ah!  Poop on the bathmat, poopy-prints across the bathroom, and a poopy-footed kid!

So, again, clean up.

Then, I'm hauling the bathmat and some shit-smeared towels to the kitchen to deposit them in the washing machine, and Norah, still naked, trails along behind me.  As I'm stuffing this grody stuff in the machine, and feeling like I need a fresh shower, but in bleach this time, I turn around and find Norah peeing on the kitchen floor!

At least pee is even easier to clean up, but lord, after that, I had a diaper on her faster than a fat kid is on a cupcake.  I guess the lesson is "laugh not at your spouse's poopcidents because the poopcidents will come back around to you!"

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Summer Oven

First off, thanks to Alice, whose advice helped me fix the paragraph problem in Blogger.  Apparently, I had no idea that I was publishing with an "old" editing format.  Why it suddenly began giving me troubles, I don't know.  As far as I'm concerned, little elves are working cogs inside my computer -- that's about the extent of my comprehension of technology -- so when something goes haywire, I just assume they're drunk.

In other news, the post I had been attempting to post was about the world's most boring, but most universally acceptable, subject: the weather.

It seems that here in South Florida, we went from "spring" to "summer" in the past few days, and even though the timing of this here in the sub-tropics is typical, it seemed to be sudden this year: One day, it was a temperate 72 degrees with moderate humidity, and then, bam!  90F, 80% humidity, and a dew point of 71 degrees.

All I can think right now as I slog through our morning walks is "Thank god I'm not running right now!"  I know, I know, I should be crying my eyes out everyday that I'm sitting the bench in my 3rd trimester, but actually, given the fact that lugging my Titanic heft through a daily walk induces sweating and moderate swelling, I can't imagine the sweating and swelling that would be going on if I were running this daily distance.  I'm not pleased with the change in weather (although, it does make for good beach, pool and water park weather); our "winter" in South Florida is really one of the most desirable elements of living here, so when those lovely conditions begin to dissolve into what will be the next 6 months of heat and humidity, I know I'll adjust, but I'm not happy about it.

I'm trying not to think about how the timing of my intended return to running after the baby is born will be the height of summer.  However, I do have a history of beginning running endeavors (the start of my initial 21 day challenge, marathon training, last year's 100 day streak) in the midst of summer, so I'm sure I'll kickass no matter what.  Still, running would be more enticing if, say, Caleb's due date were, oh, December.

Damn Technology

Okay, for the past 2 days, I've been trying to publish a post, but Blogger keeps insisting on making it one, long paragraph. And it's driving me nuts, so I haven't been publishing. Is anyone else experiencing this? How do I fix it?

Sunday, March 27, 2011

SUNday

After Saturday Snotty Saturday, I made a pretty miraculous turn-around overnight and woke up feeling much better this morning. So, it seems it was just a 24-hour bug, and hopefully, this time, the congestion doesn't take 24-days to clear up! Anyhoo, since I was feeling better, and so was Jerry, we went out to breakfast and then took Norah to a local pool/water park for the morning. The park has two pools; one is a "splash zone" or some such named, pool which has all kinds of slides and water toys. The water was deeper in that one and the slides were a bit big for Norah. Still, she liked wading around waist-deep: The other pool was a regular pool on one side, but had a "zero depth" entrance side where the pool gradually got deeper. That was nice for Norah, so she could wade in and sit in the water where it was shallow.


It was fun, but would probably be better in another year when she would be big enough for some of the slides, etc on the "splash zone" side. Right now, she's just not quite big enough for some of it. However, we still spent an hour or so there and the combination of sun and water did its job: Exhausted her, which is pretty much our primary goal on a daily basis, and she took a fabulous afternoon nap -- long enough that I got out and got a pedicure, came home and she was still sleeping! Nice.

Now, I have a pile of papers that I brought home this weekend and would really like to ignore, but I think I'd best get at least some of them read.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sick Again

I really feel as though I never totally got over the cold I had back in Feb, and now I am sick again.

Yesterday afternoon, I was all sneezy and congested, but I kinda thought it might be allergies because my runny nose was really my only symptom, but then today I woke up and felt like butt. My biggest complaint is still a perpetually runny nose, but I've got all the other regular cold symptoms as well.

Jerry too is under-the-weather, and of course, the originator of the booger nose, Norah, aka "the germ depository," seems to be feeling just dandy (she had the snot faucet earlier in the week).

Seriously, in the past 2 months NO progress was made on a preggo-approved decogestant? C'mon FDA, let's approve something already! It's 2011 -- can't we have a way to not have a runny nose and avoid potential birth defects?! Get working scientists!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Nearly There

My long week has nearly come to its conclusion: I just have class tonight and then meetings tomorrow and then I'm free! Well...free until Monday when my normal schedule of part-time momming in the morning and full-time teaching in the afternoon/evening resume; still, after this week that schedule will seem relaxing.

Anyhoo, today was another one of those long days sitting in a conference room with my belly resting uncomfortably on the tops of my thighs and my back and ass aching from sitting for so long. So, after our interviews and after I caught up on some of my own work, I took a little break and went for a walk around campus in order to get outside and get a little exercise in.

And, I guess I hadn't fully realized that while it's still comfortable and cool in the mornings and evenings here in South Florida, it turns out that at 4 pm, it's pretty hot out. Like low 80s, starting to feel a bit humid out there (although, at 50% humidity, that's NUTHIN compared to summer -- in fact, come July, 50% humidity will feel downright arid). Now, I know that's not what most of you want to read right now -- especially those who were just recently pounded by fresh, spring snow -- but, trust me, it wasn't as glorious as it may sound.

Granted, it was lovely to get outside and get some fresh air and some sun, but when I returned to my office, I found both my hands and feet a bit swollen. Enough so that I took my wedding ring off for a bit, and that ring, even when pregnant, often is a little loose on me.

Oh, and there was also that lovely feeling that I like to refer to as "sweaty underwear syndrome."

Those who have been, or are, pregnant know what I mean: You don't even have to actually exercise, and it seems like a pregnant woman sweats through her undies at the drop of a hat. It's just simple physics: That fabric that occupies the inch or so space where you have the top of your thigh and the beginning of your belly doesn't stand a chance at staying completely dry.

By now, my wedding ring fits comfortably again, and my feet feel a bit less sweaty, but man, I sure do wish I had a spare-pair 'o undies in my purse! I've got diapers, baby wipes, a pacifier, and a pair of Norah's socks in there -- you'd think I could find a little space to store something handy for me!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Catching Up

The past two days have worn me out -- apparently, sitting on my ass in a conference room, munching on donuts, and asking interview questions is tiresome. It's the sitting on my ass all day that I find particularly uncomfortable; I don't like sitting that much as it is, but while pregnant, it's even more uncomfortable.

So, it was nice this evening, after dinner, that we all went to the dog park and while Scooter doesn't particularly love to run at the dog park (he's dog-anti-social, but he does like walking around and sniffing grass and other dog butts), Norah does! For me, it was glorious to be outside, walking around while Norah enjoyed the plethora of "doggies!" and did some tree-hugging (does anyone else's kid do this? Norah literally will hug trees and sign posts; she also seems very interested in picking up and carrying around rocks lately).

In other news, I had a dr. check up yesterday, and everything is going along super-duper! Got the results of my glucose test, as well as other accompanying bloodwork, back and everything is a-okay. I'm even excellent on my iron levels, which I was a bit deficient on when preggo with Norah. So, that's all good, yo.

Lastly, my stepdad sent me an email with some outdated ads, and I thought this one advertising the breastfeeding benefits of beer to be particularly funny. I like what they say -- the malt and hops are GOOD for a baby! Awesome. Now, if only this Blatz Beer were still being manufactured...

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Week Ahead

This upcoming week is gonna be a busy one for me. I've been serving on a hiring committee this academic year, and this week is basically the culmination of what we've been working toward: The on-campus interviews of our top picks. The interviews themselves are fairly rigorous for the candidates (this is for a dean position), but in their own way, they are demanding, time consuming and rigorous for us as interviewers too.

So, this means I have some extra demands on my time this week, and that means Norah will be attending daycare for the full day on Mon, Tues, and Thurs, and on Friday morning, Jerry took the morning off to be with her. My particularly long days will be Monday and Thursday since I'll be on campus by 8:30 am for the interviews and I'll be there until about 9 pm since I have night classes those evenings. I'm definitely not looking forward to those 2 days this week: Not necessarily because I'm dreading the long day (although, 12 hours is a long work day when you're 30 weeks pregnant), but because I'll only see Norah those days for a little bit in the morning before Jerry takes her daycare.

I know that she'll be fine at daycare for the full days, and I know this week's schedule is an exception to our normal routine, but I am still feeling anxiety about how little I'll see her and spend time with her this week. Oh well, like I said, I know it's only one tough week, and by the end of this week, my obligation with the committee will conclude so no more extra meetings this term, and hopefully, we'll have a successful week in terms of interviews and we'll have a successful conclusion to this rather long search.

I wish I could say that I'm looking forward to a cold beer come Friday evening, but alas, I think I may have to settle for some sort of preggo-appropriate treat. But, a cold glass of heartburn-inducing lemonade just doesn't have the same ring to it :)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Train and Pony Rides

Today, we met up with some friends and their kids at a local park where there's a playground, a farm, a train, and pony rides. Unfortunately, I found out that being pregnant disqualifies me from riding the train, so I had to be happy with being an observer. Looks dangerous, doesn't it? Here's Jerry and Norah enjoying their ride. Norah loved it. She kept saying "Yay!"
After the train ride, the kids played on the playground for a bit, and then we got in line for the ponies, and here they are, Norah to the far right, waiting their turns whilst getting a feel for their helmets.
Here's Norah and I while we were waiting. And yes, she is pretty much always tattooed. She's obsessed with her "ink" and asks for fresh ones as soon as they wear off. Good thing they're cheap: I think the original package was a couple hundred tattoos for, like, $2. Much cheaper than real ink ;)
Finally, it was Norah's turn to ride her pony, and as luck would have it, she got assigned the biggest pony. She loved it. She got to circle the corral 4 times, and she kept reaching forward to pet her pony, and Jerry told me that she kept saying, "Wow!" Despite how fun she thought it was, I didn't get a single pic of her smiling, but what is funny about every pic of her riding is that her helmet is crooked everytime:



All in all, it was dang good times. And as I commented to one of our friends as we were watching the kids ride their respective ponies: These kids sure do get to do lots of fun stuff!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Bribery

There was a time, when Norah was a wee-baby, that she seemed to enjoy the stroller. Especially when she was very-wee, she enjoyed it so much, she fell asleep before we were even able to cross the street. Ahhh, those were magical times...

...fast-forward to her now, at 19 months, a toddler who literally runs away from me and thinks the phrase "Norah, stop! Get back here!" means "Keep running! Faster!" and she can hardly stand being strapped into the stroller. Thankfully, the BOB is outfitted with a very secure, and adjustable harness, so once I wrestle her into the stroller, she's in there for good, unlike the cheaper Chicco stroller we have that she can MacGyver out of (which led, incidentally, to THE WORST WALK OF MY LIFE last Saturday -- but, that is perhaps a story for another day).

Still, even though I can harness her in and she can't escape, I prefer to walk or run without a screaming, unhappy child. And Norah doesn't love walking -- she'd prefer that if she's gonna get strapped in, that she be moving at a faster pace -- but as I indicated in yesterday's post, I'm really just walking right now. So, how to bribe her into not just wanting to get into the stroller but to remain happy whilst in it?

First, there are two mandatory items we must have: a pacifier (yes, she still uses one and this doesn't concern me one bit -- I was a kid who sucked her thumb until she was in 1st grade, so to me, the pacifier seems way easier to eventually take away when the time comes) and her "Bo-Bo" which is her pink bear. Those items are a MUST, and once we're walking, they're generally enough to keep her happy. So the trick then becomes simply getting her to want to get into the stroller, so new to my bribery is a treat. And Norah's current favorite treat? Buddy Fruit.

This is basically squeezable, pureed fruit. She loves it. No, wait, let me re-phrase: She LOVES it. So much so that I hide them behind other things in the cabinet because if she spies them, she goes ape-shit until I cave and give her one. Therefore, we've developed a little pattern pre-walk: I get out the Buddy Fruit, she has a seizure of pureed-fruit-anticipation, I lure her into the stroller with the promise of handing it over to her, and then I wait to un-cap it until we're out the door.

Because there are just two faults of the Buddy Fruits (one is their cost; they're a $1 a piece, which Jerry views as highway robbery), and one is that they take Norah all of about 30 seconds to devour. That doesn't get us far on our walk. Thankfully, most days, once she's in the stroller, she's content as long as we don't dare walk too far, so if I can convince her to get in, we're generally good. But, definitely, there are days when I wish those Buddy Fruits were gallon-sized so she could suck on them like a tick on a dog, but then later, I'd probably have a kid with a shitplosion-diaper to deal with, so I guess things even out.

And when the day comes that the Buddy Fruits fail to entice her? I guess I could always slip her half a Benadryl ;)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Game Over

It kinda pains me to say it, but I think I'm all done with running for this pregnancy. My last run was nearly 2 weeks ago, at 27 weeks and some odd days, and even though I have hesitated to officially put the kibosh on it, I think I'm pretty much spent as far as the preggo running is concerned.

It's not as though this end has been abrupt; my running as of late has been sporadic at best, but I didn't want to say I was done when I felt like there were some days when running felt like good, comfortable exercise -- it just wasn't everyday. Now, though, the thought of running just doesn't feel feasible; although, I know it could be if I mustered up enough will-power, so really, I should say that the thought of running just doesn't seem appealing or comfortable right now.

I'm trying not to see this as any kind of defeat, and I'm especially fencing off the idea that I somehow failed to compete adequately with the running I did during my first pregnancy (I'm not in competition with anyone, not even myself) because, on the whole, this pregnancy has felt more exhausting than the first. And while I didn't run for as long as I did during my first pregnancy, I just have to accept that I did my best with it, and that I'll still remain active in the remaining 3rd trimester by walking daily and doing regular yoga. Neither of those activities really provides me with the same satisfaction as running does, but for now, they feel suitable.

On the whole, I just have to be thankful that I ran for as long as I did, and that I continue to be in good health and have enough energy to teach and chase after an active toddler. And who knows? Maybe a near-poopcident will prompt a few impromptu runs before this baby is born. Knowing me, and my bowels, it could very well happen!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Back to Work

I was robbed an hour of my spring break, and I'd like it back, please!

Oh well, I guess she who gets a spring break can't really complain when it's over, huh?

Still, it was a bit of a jolt to have to come to work today and actually, well, work! It doesn't help that the next 2 weeks will be particularly busy for me -- not just because classes are simply at "that point," but also because I have some additional professional obligations outside the classroom in the next 2 weeks that will keep me mighty busy.

With that said, I'd best be off the interweb and back to work!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Prenatal Yoga

This is the prenatal yoga DVD I have.
The cover is pretty cheeseball, and Shiva Rea -- the instructor, who, with that name, was destined to be either a stripper or a yoga instructor (I think she chose wisely) -- pretty much delivers on the cheesiness. But despite some of the new-agey voice-over and some phrases she uses that make me roll my eyes, the DVD actually delivers a pretty good 50 minute yoga session.

Granted, I don't think a yoga DVD ever stands up to the opportunity to do yoga in a classroom, but the only prenatal classes offered in my area are on Thursday evenings and I have class on Thursdays, so that's not an option for me. So, the DVD it is.

I bought this when I was preggo with Norah, and did it intermittedly during my 1st and 2nd trimester but found it most valuable during my 3rd trimester. With this pregnancy, I seem to be repeating the same pattern. So far during this pregnancy, today's session with Shiva was my 3rd in the entire course of my nearly 29 weeks, but after doing it today, I am aiming to make this a more frequent part of my weekly activity.

It felt good. All the back stuff especially felt good, but on the whole, it just felt like a nice way to get all the kinks of pregnancy stretched out and feeling better. Plus, I think I need to get to this point in my pregnancy to think of this as a "workout" since it's slow and easy-going, and during the earlier parts of pregnancy, I think it feels too easy and boring. But at this point, down dog in and of itself is a bit of an exertion (but feels ohhhhhh SO glorious).

I wish the women in the video weren't wearing unitards, and I wish Shiva would pipe down on all the "feel the connection with your breath and your baby" business, but all in all, I think I'll be making a point to be engaging with Shiva in a more regular practice. Maybe I should just put her on mute.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Burn, Baby, Burn

Yesterday, I was wearing a non-maternity t-shirt (there are a few that are a bit big on me normally, and right now, they just barely stretch over the belly and work for around-the-house-wear). Anyway, I passed by the mirror in our bedroom, and could see the sliver of preggo underbelly peeking out and a line from "Juno" came to mind when the Jason Bateman character observes of a very-pregnant Juno, "That shirt's working hard." That shirt I was wearing yesterday was working very hard; it probably should have been earning time and a half for its efforts ;) Cracks me up to think of that movie while I'm pregnant -- so much of what the sardonic Juno observes about pregnancy is so hilarious, and so right. Today, I was thinking of her heartburn comment: "I have heartburn in my kneecaps!"

Right now, that's how I feel since I seem to have entered into the portion of pregnancy where I get heartburn at the mere sight of food or drink. Thankfully, it's not terrible -- one Tums after eating usually does the trick, and I'm actually kind of fond of the Tums Smoothies. They're kinda like candy.

Still, it'd be nice to be able to eat an orange and not feel a tidal wave of stomach acid creep up my throat. And, I'd love some eggplant parmesan right now, but I'm avoiding marinara sauce like Charlie Sheen is avoiding rehab -- I fear that just giving red sauce a sideways glance might make my esophagus implode.

Ahhh, the joys of pregnancy!

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Tidbit Tuesday

  • I mentioned in Friday's post that my SIL was flying down and meeting us in Tampa, and she did. So, she traveled back with us yesterday and then spent the day with us today and flew back to MN this evening. It was a short trip for her, but she's recently started a new job with an airline, and a perk of that new job is flying for free on standby, and this was her first experiment with utilizing that perk. It seems to have gone smoothly, so hopefully, we'll get to see her on a more frequent basis as she takes advantage of this perk.
  • As part of our day with my SIL, we went out to lunch at a Japanese Hibachi. Norah L-O-V-E-S hibachi! While they do the cooking (and they totally exaggerate it for her), she just sits and stares, open-mouthed in awe. And then she is cookoo about the food (really, who isn't?) and she chowed down on her fried rice, etc like it was the last fried rice left on Earth.
  • Actually, Asian food is some of Norah's favorite stuff (ours too; we also really love Indian), and while we were in Tampa, we ate at this awesome Vietnamese restaurant and Norah luh-ved it. She wanted to tip my bowl of Phu back and drink it like leftover milk from a cereal bowl.
  • Too bad she leaves an absolute mess in Asian restaurants (typically? rice ever. y. where); that's why we tip well.
  • I had my glucose tolerance test this morning. Yucky. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to fast first, but not being able to have any breakfast and then the first thing to hit my stomach is that super-sugary drink? Blech. It churns my stomach. Plus, I guess I worry that I'm gonna barf it up and then have to start over. Thankfully, this morning, just as when I did the test when I was preggo with Norah, it sat fine (albeit uncomfortably, but I kept it down), and the whole business with sitting there for an hour and then having the accompanying blood draw was fine. But by the time I got home, I was STARVING. Me without breakfast is bad idea anyway, but me without breakfast while I'm pregnant is like unleashing the HUNGER BEAST. I came home and nearly ate Norah's chubby little thighs I was so hungry.
  • I can't believe my spring break is already half over. Why is it that time off goes so quickly? Poopsicles.

Monday, March 07, 2011

Busch Gardens Weekend

Our weekend getaway to Tampa and Busch Gardens was a lot of fun; here are a few highlights:

On the train ride by "Africa": This was probably my favorite thing -- I loved seeing the animals out on the "African plain" and one giraffe was so close to the train I probably could have reached out and pet it! Norah running through the water park; this kid can't get enough of water squirting up from the ground. She played in the water park each day for a good, solid hour.
Norah on one of the rides in the Sesame Street area: She loved these cars and rode them more than once.
Chillin' in the hotel pool.
Norah getting rocket launched in the pool. She loves this. Every time Jerry would give her a break, she'd say "more!"
Norah and I at the Busch Gardens entrance: Norah and Jerry at the "A is for Africa" show, which is the central Sesame Street show. Jerry looks just as excited as Norah to see the cast of Sesame. Norah loved the show, loved seeing her Sesame friends from a distance but got a bit scared of them up close.
Norah chillaxin' in the stroller as we walked through the park:
Norah and Jerry by the gorillas; the zoo part of Busch Gardens is impressive.
Norah crashed out in her stroller:In the end, we spent two full days at Busch Gardens, and I'm glad we got the two day pass since there was so much to see and do there, it would've been hard to fit it all into one day. Norah was super good and did well over the entire weekend, especially considering that the only naps she took were in her stroller or in the car.

But, even though it was a lot of fun, it's good to be home this afternoon and I'm looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight!

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Weekend with Sesame!

Tomorrow, we leave for Tampa for a 4 day trip to Busch Gardens to see...Elmo! And, Big Bird and Cookie, and Grover, etc.

I mentioned before that Norah is really into Sesame Street right now, so we figured it's a good time to visit Busch Gardens and its Sesame attractions while she's into it and before Caleb is born. We're excited to get out of town for a few days and do and see some new things. Plus, Jerry's sister is flying down and meeting us in Tampa and then driving back with a us for a few days, so we get to have the additional company of the Care-Bear, which Norah will be stoked about -- Elmo and her Auntie Care-Bear in one trip?! It's enough to blow the mind of any 18 month old.

Anyhoo, I'll be MIA until probably Tuesday, in which case I should return with some pictures, maybe some video and, hopefully, a glowing account of our trip.

So enjoy your weekends, sans-Elmo, and I'll catch up with everyone next week!

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Why I Run

The past few days I've been feeling stressed out and irritable. Next week is my spring break, and on Friday, we're heading out of town for a mini-vacation to Tampa, but those can't come soon enough. Mostly, I've just been feeling weighed down by the same sort of things that most everyone has going on in their busy lives.

I'm busy at work:
And, caring for a toddler:
But, these aren't new things, nor are they any more than what anyone else has going on. Then why was I feeling so burdened by it all? In part, I know it's the side effects of pregnancy hormones and fatigue; however, that wasn't entirely to blame. Then, it struck me last night -- I wasn't running.

People run for a variety of reasons, but for me, one of the primary reasons I run is for stress-release. I've always found that regular running helps me simply feel good, mentally and emotionally. In the past few weeks, though, my running has been de-railed by the cold I had and the remaining congestion that is still bothering me. And even though I was still remaining active by walking everyday, it's just not the same for me.

So this morning, I determined to go for a run.
It was short -- just 1.5 miles -- but afterward, I felt good. A heart thumping, sweaty kind of good. The run didn't erase all those things I was feeling, but it made them seem manageable. And, that's why I run.

Why do you run?

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

27 Week Dr. Check Up

When I was pregnant with Norah, I got kinda annoyed with dr. check-ups at this point: they take about 5 minutes (weight, pee in a cup, blood pressure, measure belly, listen to baby's heart beat, on your way), and I got annoyed that the drive there and the wait time took way longer than the actual appointment.

But, on a day like today when Jerry stayed home with Norah and I went to the dr. alone, I actually relished the wait time. I took my Nook along and enjoyed the glory of time to myself spent reading. Dr. is stuck at the hospital with an emergency c-section? Okey-dokey! No one is going "Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama," so I'm cool waiting.

Everything checked out fine: blood pressure is good (110/60), weight gain is good (I've gained 17 lbs so far), urine apparently checked out fine, I'm measuring on track, and the baby's HR sounded great. End of appointment! Plus, I got to read about 30 pages in my book -- bonus!

Next week, I have to go to the lab for the yucky glucose test, but the upside to drinking that super-sugary drink on an empty stomach is that I have to sit in the office there for an hour -- I can barely fathom the alone time! Awesome. Too bad they don't have super-comfy beds to lay down on in the waiting room because that's the only way it could be better: sleepy time!