The Bean's Room

The Bean's room is coming along! I finally feel it will be possible to physically fit him into our house.

Today I moved my coats and dress-up clothes into another closet and removed the sliding doors on the closet. Removing the doors turned out to be very easy, which I am thankful for. The cleaned out closet space is for his crib, and possibly the bureau, too, if it fits. If I can move the bureau into the closet, we'll have room for a changing table where the bureau is now. Changing tables aren't totally necessary, but they can sure save your back.

To the right of the Bean's closet is comfy chair for nursing. The rest of the room is still mine and filled with bookshelves and my desk and computer. The Bean will just have to share.

Science Project, Week 29

Here's the new belly in all its/my/our glory! I had been worrying that I wasn't getting much bigger and the Bean wasn't growing, but it's nice to be able to compare photos and see that I am making progress! In this picture I relaxed my abs to exaggerate it a bit. Still, with loose clothes on people still say I don't look very pregnant. I'm really lucky to be carrying it well!

My back has been bothering me more and more, and I 'm getting short of breath, but really I'm having a very nice complication free pregnancy. Lucky again!

In the last week the Bean's kicks have changed from little pokes to some serious calisthenics. I think he's doing flips while he's still got the room. Pretty soon he'll outgrow the space and be a lot more cramped.

I have a midwife appointment on Monday, and I expect everything will be fine. Meanwhile, Michael and I continue to go to the labor and childcare prep classes. We're halfway through the series, and it's been a good investment of time and money. I especially like the parts where we practice how Michael will massage my back. Mmmmm.

That's all I can think of! Things are pretty uneventful these days. Sometimes I even forget I'm pregnant until I try to bend over!

Lilacs, Kicks, and Nesting

My lilac finally bloomed this year! I'm so happy, as I really love lilacs. When I moved into this house there was a beautiful old lilac hanging over the back fence from the neighbor's yard. It was neglected, but I tried to keep "my" part trimmed and pruned. The house is a rental, and tenants often make a stab at gardening and then let the yard languish. One new set of tenants got all gung-ho and decided they were going to put a compost heap in where the lilac was. They asked me if I minded if they cut it down. I truthfully said I'd really miss it. They slowly hacked it apart with what looked like an electric carving knife. Then they left it half dead and never put in the compost heap. Big surprise. Morning glory vines re-colonized the place. It made me sick at heart! Three years ago I put in my own baby lilac and finally got some blooms this year! I feel like my yard is complete again. Ahhhh.

A couple of people have said they were eagerly awaiting my next update! Wow, I didn't really know if anyone was out there! I do belly updates every three weeks, so look for an update on Wednesday!

I've been slowly organizing and cleaning spaces to make room for The Bean and his stuff. I was finally able to make a visible contribution to his room. I cleaned out a bureau, lined the drawers, put some little clothes and blankets in it, and topped it all off with some stuffed animals. He has three bunnies, a wombat, a small rhino, and a wooden crocodile waiting for him.

The Bean has been kicking a lot. The other night I was sleeping on my side, and Bijou was snuggled next to me partially propped up on my belly. Then The Bean woke up and gave her a good kick. She moved away, like what the heck was that! I figure this is only the first instance of the boy bothering her. Bijou's probably got a lot of future annoyance coming her way. She'll probably love all the blankies and sleeping places, though.

Happy Birthday, Squeaky-Ji!

On Cinco de Mayo my beautiful Bijou turned 15! She's the oldest cat I've had so far, and she's still going strong! May she be around for many more years.

Science Project, Week 26

Six and half months done, three and a half to go! Lots of progress this time. Many people have commented that I finally look pregnant. I got really hungry a couple of weeks ago, so I think the little Bean went through a growth spurt.

I haven't been in to see the midwives for 6 weeks, and Monday I had an appointment. My weight and size are good, and we listened to a very strong heartbeat. Next week I’ll have a few lab tests for Gestational Diabetes, anemia, and RH factor antibodies (because of my blood type). He’s been very wiggly lately. I’m supposed to pay attention now and make sure I feel him every day. I have an appointment in a month, and then every three weeks, and then in the last month once per week.

Tonight Michael and I start a 7 week series of parenting classes. It'll cover labor and delivery, breastfeeding, and newborn care. We're taking the class a little earlier than recommended, but I'll be at Fiddle Tunes in July, and I'd miss a class, so we need to finish the series before then. As an info hog, I'm really looking forward to the classes.

On a recommendation from my friend Jenny, I've been reading Ina May's guide to childbirth. It has really given me the courage to believe I can try to go through this without any pain intervention. We'll see!