Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Blahs....

God, I wish January would just end already.

I was lying in bed last night listening to the wind as it raged around the house, which I normally find a bit of a comforting noise, but no luck last night. Why, you ask? (Or don't ask, as is more likely). Kieran wasn't sleeping well at all, and at about 2:30 he woke up and was absolutely wide awake. I tried bringing him into our bed where he lay quietly for about 20 minutes, but did not go back to sleep . I finally threw in the towel and we moved the living room where I hoped the crazy antics of Thomas the Tank Engine would lull him back to sleep. Didn't work. (Side note: as far as engines goes, Thomas is really sort of bratty). Anyway, it was close to 4 am before I was back asleep and of course, Kieran, who also serves as our alarm clock, did not go off between 6:30 and 7 as he normally does. Instead at 7:30 I jumped out of bed and we started the mad rush to get out of the house on time.

In general, I'm sort of ambivalent about maternity leave. I liked it, but I found a lot of the days long and I'm sure with 2 children it will be even longer. But on mornings like today, I'm soooo looking forward to it - when I won't be obligated to rush an almost 2-year old out the door in the bitter January cold before he's even had a decent breakfast or time to wake himself up.

Anyway, today I feel a bit zombie-ish, no surprise. And on top of it all, Baby #2 must be growing exponentially as I can actually feel my skin stretching to accommodate him/her, which is quite uncomfortable. Eric and I took our new mini-van (well, its almost ours at least) for a test drive last night night and I swear while I was standing in the car dealership I though the child was going to claw itself out of my belly.

January, please be over. Bring on April!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

73 Days

It's hard to believe that I only have 73 days until my official due date, but let the countdown begin!!!

I cannot stress how different this pregnancy has been. Aside from the relatively unflagging morning sickness, I've been a lot LESS uncomfortable that I was last go round. With Kieran, by this point, my feel were so swollen I had to go shoe shopping and also he was sitting right on the pelvis, so I couldn't stand on one foot any more. (Which is a real challenge when getting dressed.)Even sleeping by this point I think was a lot more difficult and trust me, this past week, I've done a ton of sleeping.

But still, I cannot wait for this pregnancy to be over. Sure, I'm not sure I'm quite mentally prepared to have another infant on my hands quite so soon after feeling quite confident that Kieran has left most of his neediness and night-waking well behind him, but pregnancy really does suck. I think many of my recent feelings are due to last week's Fever Extravaganza. When one is sick, one is inherently selfish. As my fever crept up and up, I hated the constant worry about the state of my unborn child, , the guilt that all I was ingesting was Cup a Soup and orange juice, and on top of it all, still having to remember to take my anti-nausea pills or I'd be throwing up what little I as able to eat.

And don't get me started on cold medicines. All the literature you read, says pretty much that most medication is useless and tea with honey and lemon is as good any OTC medicine you can buy. I call out whoever said that as a outright liar . God, I hate being patronized in that way.

Anyway, maybe it's just me who is selfish and it has nothing to do with being sick, but regardless, 69 days left until I can guzzle Neo Citran just like the good old days. Oh wait, there's still breastfeeding, something else which although I lasted three endless months, I never really enjoyed.

And one other thing, the most recent caffeine study thing gets to me too. Newest word is, it doubles the chance of miscarriage in the first three months. It's like everything else...a roller coaster of good to bad to OK to bad again. Next week, next year, next month it will be something else again, some other food, some other chemical that is going to cause miscarriage or brain damage or peanut allergies. God, I'll be glad to get off the pregnancy train one and for all....

Saturday, January 19, 2008

And we're feeling HOTHOTHOT

I guess I should be careful throwing around phrases like "worst week ever" because its like begging fate to just finish me off. But, as far as weeks go, this was a doozy

It started last Saturday when I went to my brother's house for dinner with Kieran (Eric was playing that night with his band). Another friend of mine, who is nine months pregnant, and her two little boys were there too. Sometime during dinner I noticed Kieran sort of dragging himself dejectedly around the house and his eyes were really watery and when I picked up him he had a raging fever. So, feeling guilty that I had a sick child around this woman who was literally about to give birth, we hightailed it out of there in minutes and I came home and put him bed. 

Fast forward to Monday and it's clear that Kieran,in addition to the fever and runny nose, has pink eye, so I stayed home with him. During that day, I started to feel weird and by that night I knew I was coming down with something, but I got up and dutifully went to work the next day. And I convinced myself that I was just coming down with a cold. But it was downhill from there...actually, it was the Olympic Men's downhill of downhills. Fast and out of control. Yes, without a shadow of a doubt, I had the flu. 29 weeks pregnant and the flu. It was horrible. My fever never went above the 102 benchmark that means you need to drag yourself to your nearest Emergency, although I hovered on the edge for almost two days of sheer hell. Eric stayed home two days with me because HE had pink eye and also, because we were actually thinking for awhile that I was going to wind up in the hospital. We had a nice system though...he set up our home phone so all I had to do was hit "redial" to get him to bring me juice, tea or just general sympathy.

I could barely get out of bed, could barely talk and my own child was briefly, quite afraid of me and I don't blame him. And all I could take was Tylenol for fever which was more or less like throwing pebbles at an advancing army. Still, five days after the onset, my throat is still is constant agony and I have a head cold from hell. And oh yeah, I woke up today with pink eye. Of course. 

But there is nothing really a scary as being feverish and pregnant. I was sooooo hot that I had visions of my poor defenseless baby trapped like a lobster inside a sac of amniotic fluid that is just about to hit a rolling boil.  In the moments when my fever wasn't as high, I had happier images of my baby in a Hawaiian shirt, holding shades and a Mai Tai saying "This MUST be Fiji, which way to the beach?" But still, it reminds me how much I don't like the uncertainty of being pregnant. Instead, all i could do in my perma-feverish state was hope the kicks I was feeling was s/he joining the hotel conga line and NOT trying to scramble out of the pot. 

Get your flu shot, people!






Thursday, January 10, 2008

What Would Jesus Do?

What would he do indeed...

We're in the midst of a "situation" that I'm not sure how we deal with. There's a bit of background, so bear with me...

One of Eric's personal training clients just happens to be someone very , very high up in my company. In addition to her, he also trains her son at least once a week. Last night, it was the boy who was being trained and his mother (let's just call her The Big Boss) was running late to pick him up after his session was finished at 9 pm. At about 9:30 she comes to get the boy and of course, by this time, Eric is well underway with his final 9 pm client, so I hear The Big Boss, just yell down the stairs to Eric that she's sorry she's late and thanks for everything.

Fade to this morning...

While driving into work, Eric's cell phone rings and its Ms. 9pm and she's freaking out because she just went out to her driveway and her brand new Christmas Present Car has a large dent in the driver side. After leaving our house, where she had parked across the street at the end of our driveway, she went straight home and the dent was not there earlier in the day. And she tells Eric that she thinks it was probably the lady who came to pick up her son in a rush, who backed out the driveway recklessly, smashed into her door and then drove off. Admittedly, this is a plausible theory...but Ms 9pm wants answers OR the phone number of The Big Boss.

Frig.

How does one deal with this? We have zero proof of who it is, or that it happened at our house, but Ms. 9PM says it did, so we have no choice but to follow up. Eric's wanted me to talk to TBB, but after thinking about a bit, I think that would be a huge mistake. After all, I work for her...she has control of things like my JOB, my BONUS, and when raise time comes around, I don't want her thinking "Gee, Gen's done a darn fine job, except she did accuse me of a hit and run last year. THIS'll show her..." Eric grudgingly agrees that he will be the one to ask the question.

Still, my coworker and I took a walk down to the parking garage a little while ago to surreptitiously check for any damage or missing paint, only the car isn't there. (It's probably at the body shop, he says).

Man, this is awkward.

Update

It WAS her. Ms 9pm actually drove to our house today to replay the incident and determine how it would have happened. (She is definitely out for blood!) Anyway, Eric had no choice but to make the call. And we got a full confession. TBB says she got out of her car last night but couldn't see any damage so she left.

Still awkward.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Thanks Mom, Every Time.

Remind me never to give my mother my blog address. 

Sweet Jesus, that woman can drive me nuts. She calls tonight to tell me they got home from my brother's safe and sound - which was nice but I'd sort of forgotten they WEREN'T home already. So, we're chatting about the usual things and then she inevitably gets to my pregnancy, which I sort of dread, because she is the double whammy of a pseudo-expert (4 kids and all, you know) AND is a colossal worrier. 

I tell her my appointment was just fine, that everything seemed A-OK and that I took my Glucose Tolerance test but haven't heard any results yet.

"What do you mean, Glucose Tolerance? Like for diabetes?" Her voice immediately changes to one of borderline panic. 

"Exactly Mom, but its standard now, I'm pretty sure everyone has to do it."

" Hmmm...THAT's weird." 

She does not believe me, obviously. She is clearly thinking that I have been red-flagged but she grudgingly lets it drop. And we move onto something else. However, near the end of the call, she tries again: "So what else did the doctor say? Did he say....(pause, while she tries to think of the least offensive way to say it)...you were ....gaining too much weight?" 

Sigh. "No Mom. They actually said my weight was "Good" whatever that means." 

Surprisingly, I didn't gain much at all despite the 4 week holiday binge I was on. However, I've gained  a total of 17 pounds since the start, which is actually better than last time around and completely within what the average is for women at my stage. Having said that, most of those 17 pounds are in my boobs, which are the last place I need extra weight and which I think makes me look all around bigger. (I swear I could carry stuff on my chest without using my hands anymore.)

Anyway, I know my mother all too well. She thinks I HAVE gained too much weight and that is why they are now testing me for gestational diabetes and nothing I'm going to say at this point is going to change her mind. So, I wrap up the call. And consider eating a bowl of sugar with a spoon, but I refrain. 

On another note....turned on the Jacuzzi jets tonight while Kieran was in the tub. Thought he would think it was funny. Except the water level was too low for the jets to be completely submerged and the result was a roaring geyser of water that sprayed about 6 feet in air soaking us both. I have never heard him scream with such genuine fear. I removed him from the tub immediately and he calmed down once the jets were completely off, but I'm still sort of laughing. 

He is soooooo gonna blog about ME one day. 

Monday, January 7, 2008

Melon Head Meltdown

Another weekend down the drain....all is good in the world.

We had a friend of mine staying with us since September who finally got her own apartment. Now that our spare room is vacated for the first time since last July (when we had a friend of Eric's staying with us for a couple months) we can start getting the room ready for Kieran, who will be graduating from his baby room to his own "big boy bedroom." The transition should give me a nice project for the next couple of months...you know, since the more pregnant I get the more I'm sure I'll want to shop, decorate and move furniture. Guess we'd better get started....

Speaking of big boys...I keep thinking that it's time to get Kieran's haircut. I've been holding off because it was sooooo slow to grow into begin with, but now although it is still more or less sparse on top, its getting quite full and long at the back and is starting to resemble a baby mullet. So, on Saturday, we decided to forgo the boring barber and take him to the mall to one of those places that specialize in kids haircuts.

We walk into the salon and I tell the friendly girl at the counter that I think it might be time to cut our son's hair and she starts explaining to me how it works (the price includes a certificate! a photo! and a keepsake lock of hair!...etc, etc). And all of sudden, my eyes started to well up and I knew I was going to start to cry. I actually had to turn and leave Eric standing there with Kieran. The girl finished off by saying something like "...mothers are NEVER ready..." which apparently is true. I'm not sure why I reacted so emotionally since this is the same person who dropped her baby off dry-eyed at his first day of daycare, but I did. I guess I just realized how fast he is growing up and to cut off his first hair would be like saying goodbye to his babyhood. But still, I felt like a sap. Eric thinks the whole thing is hilarious. Regardless, our son will be keeping his mullet a big longer, at least until his mother gets her apparent rampant pregnancy emotions in check.

And finally, I had another OB check up today. All is well with the newest baby. Following the regular appointment, I had to go get my "glucose tolerance test." I remember from last time, being warned at having to drink this vile, sickeningly sweet, orange liquid before the test and then thinking it wasn't so bad. This time, the doctors assistant, as I was leaving, says cheerily:"enjoy the test, hope you don't throw up!" So off I go to the insanely busy hospital lab, where the nurse hands me the bottle, gives me the instructions and I take a seat. And the first sip is...well, I'm just going to go with delicious. It's sort of like drinking slightly sweeter orange pop...very reminiscent of that McDonalds Orange Drink that we used to have at Brownie's meetings and school Field Days. I had no trouble getting it down (obviously!) and felt just fine afterwards. I wonder if that is a good sign or bad?

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

New Year. New Blog

So, its already January 2 and its my first blog posting since before Christmas. The season really just flew by this year...so fast in fact, it seems like none of it really happened.

The best part of the holidays, without question, was the amount of time I got to spend with Kieran. I find that right now is the most amazing age...I love watching him get smarter right before my eyes. He now can build Lego towers that are structurally sound enough that they don't fall over until they are well above his head. His comprehension is coming along in leaps and bounds...as my sister so aptly put it during the holidays: "he can follow a ten-page list of directions." I swear, if we could just sort out his shopping excursion behavioral issues, we'd be all set.

We spent a week visiting my brother and his family in Boston. We love to go there - especially at Christmas. (Although, we also do enjoy summer pool season....) Anyway, there is always lots going on, lots of people around, but the house is big enough that you can actually almost always find somewhere to be alone if need be. Or find a spare child to play Scrabble or watch a movie with.

Although, we did end up leaving my brother's house a day earlier than planned. Once my parents arrived and had to boot my youngest niece from her bedroom, I felt bad that we were taking up two spare rooms, so we decided to head out. Its nice to go away, but nice to get home and just chill. We had friends over for a New Year's Eve fondue, which was a real hit and was very low key, which is just how I like New Year's to be. I postponed taking down our Christmas tree too....I was going to do it yesterday, but we were having such a nice quiet family day that I didn't want to mess it up by creating any chaos.

Which brings us to this morning and a crashing end to the holiday bliss. What a disaster, starting with the fact that we realized at the last second that it was garbage day, and having missed one over the holiday, and with three full boxes of recycling (kids toys have way too much freaking packaging) we were in no position to miss it again. So there Eric was outside at 7 am, in -24 wind chill, dealing with garbage, while I'm still half asleep (stupid New Year's Eve) getting the boy ready for daycare. Finally, just as we ready to leave, both Eric and I get into the car and notice some really weird burning smell. And the battery light was on. So, deciding that the coldest day of the winter thus far would be a poor day to be stranded on the QEW, we decided to take the other car. So, Eric starts to unfreeze the Sentra, which has not been used since before Christmas and was nothing short of a frozen iceblock. Twenty minutes later we are finally on our way, almost 45 minutes later than our usual departure time. Eric has a brutal cold, is frozen solid, and we are late enough that we even bypass our semi-regular Tim Horton's coffee stop. Luckily, traffic was a breeze and since it was too cold to even attempt to walk from Globe, Eric dropped me off at the door of work, so I was even on time.

So, two days into the New Year, and we will already undoubtedly have a nice car repair bill, which does not bode well for 2008, when I will be on poorly paid mat leave for the vast majority of it. Arrgh.