Nesting Part I

Many of you who follow my blog and Facebook news feeds know that I've been hit hard by the nesting bug. It all started one night when I had a dream that the baby came early, was a girl, and could already talk (with a couple of choice phrases under her belt that would make a sailor blush). I was in a frenzy the next day picking up the apartment and was convinced that if J didn't get a new smaller desk in the next ten minutes that my head might explode. Luckily, J was willing to play along and really got into doing some serious apartment reorganization. It's so nice to finally feel settled. And now, I am at a point where I can share some of the work that we've accomplished. 

Except for hanging artwork and photos, the back bedroom feels pretty great. Last week I finished making a roman shade for the window to block out some of the summer sun and add a nice touch of color to our desperately pale yellow walls. J did get a new desk that looks surprisingly similar to his old one, but has a slightly smaller footprint. We were able to tuck it in the corner, which afforded more room for our bed, chest of drawers, and a some room to breathe. He also got to hang another one of his mobiles, which takes the total apartment count up to three (I'm pretty sure he's going to convince me to hang at least one more). 

By chance, we also found the last piece of furniture to complete our living room. Recently, I'd been prowling Craigslist like mad looking for a matching end table to go on the other side of our couch, but was having little success. The nesting bug had really been buzzing, letting me know that I couldn't possibly give birth with only one end table in the living room (I know, I know). As we walked down Hawthorne Street on Monday with Naomi and Kyoko, I spotted a furniture shop with great mid-century pieces. There was a cute little end table in the storefront window that caught my eye, like a puppy dog begging to be taken home. I almost didn't look at the price tag, because I was certain that it was going to be way too pricey. However, curiosity won over and I looked. It was a little more expensive than I had hoped to pay for an end table, but it was so much more awesome than the ones I'd been finding on Craigslist. We perused the rest of the store as I pondered, and after about ten minutes of looking I was asking Jesse to guesstimate the dimensions of our trunk. He asked if I wanted to walk around a bit to think it over, but I was sold. And in about five minutes, so was that end table. 

The purchase wasn't nearly as impulsive as it may have appeared to our guests, but the outcome was pretty exciting. Baby G is officially allowed to arrive.


Stay tuned for Nesting Part II: Baby G (Finally) Gets a Nursery.

Cooked Medium Well

I reached the 37th week on Monday (going into my 38th week), which according to some books is considered full term. Of course, it's better for the baby to hang out for a little while longer to make sure his lungs are fully developed, but he's officially allowed to arrive anytime now and still be okay. I like to think of him as cooked medium-well. He's not terribly comfortable in there and rolls and stretches all day. He also gets pretty darn pissed when he gets the hiccups, which leads to leg and elbow thrashing until he's done. 

I, on the other hand, am the picture of grace, waddling and wheezing from here to there. In order to relieve my arms and legs from the crushing weight of my body, I also do a bit of leg and elbow thrashing at night. Sometimes I don't even think I realize my struggle until I find J looking at me with a concerned face and asking if I'm okay. Bottom line? I am gigantic. I didn't truly realize the enormity of my midsection until I looked at a photo from an outing to the Pittock Mansion with good friends this weekend. Watch out, Kyoko! The belly just consumed your right arm! I'm surprised they even let me out of the house. 

I did get out of the apartment quite a bit this weekend though, both with Kyoko, J & Naomi and for the baby shower thrown by our great friends here in Portland. It was so nice to have distractions from the nesting that's kept me scurrying around like crazy. Sunday was a scorcher, getting a little over 90º so we did a lot of lounging in the back yard around the BBQ while taking breaks to stick our feet in the kiddie pool. 

We also feasted on delicious kebabs, grilled naan, and peach cobbler. And of course, a baby shower wouldn't be complete without games! We kicked off the afternoon with an amusing round of trying to figure out which candy bar had been melted in the diapers. I got 3 out of 5 correct. I believe Jesse had a near-perfect score. I think maybe I'll use his abilities to decipher poop as a good reason for him to be on diaper duty! 

Overall, it was a great weekend, but now I'm back to grind, making sure everything is ready for when the baby decides to make his appearance sometime in the next 3-4 weeks. There's still so much to do! 

34 Days to Go

Give or take a few. Yikes! We're almost there.

Exciting Weekend

The camping trip this weekend was great. We enjoyed the cool weather, played croquet on the beach, and ate s'mores by the campfire. The sunset Friday night was pretty spectacular and did I mention the cool weather? I was so happy to escape the 90º+ temperatures that plagued Portland and came home to a much more pleasant July. Sunny and 70º is much more my speed, especially since I am now carrying around a 5.25 pound baby who really has no consideration whatsoever for my personal space.

We had some very disappointing BBQ on Saturday afternoon while the rest of the group went hiking, but really, that was my only complaint.  I have to say, sleeping on the ground wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, although being in my own bed again on Sunday night was nice. However, being in my comfortable bed Sunday night convinced that I was going into labor was not all that great. And yes, I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with our camping trip. 

I called the midwife this morning with my symptoms -- lots of pressure and pain with "practice" contractions about 10 minutes apart -- and she scheduled me for a visit about an hour later. Her diagnosis over the phone was that I probably had a bladder infection, but wanted me to come in to rule out other things like the dreaded pre-term labor. I shuffled to my appointment, had the appropriate tests and an exam. She determined that there's absolutely nothing wrong with me except that I have a very active baby. My determination? John Braxton Hicks is an ass, because his "practice" contractions do in fact hurt. I think when the midwife saw the look on my face that read "you've got to be shitting me" she explained further. 

Apparently, Baby G is now settling in a little lower in my pelvis and since he's still pretty wiggly he's putting a lot of strain on the ligaments and joints and organs down there. In fact, I had a contraction on the exam table and she noted how he actively fought against it with his knee or elbow. In other words, my baby is all "Oh I'll see your Braxton Hicks and raise you two elbows right in your damn round ligament." I am effectively experiencing a fetal smackdown that will not relent until this child is out in the world. But he better not get around to that for at least another two weeks!

In an attempt to alleviate my disappointment (that there's no real fixable reason for my pain) and my aching belly, the midwife suggested that I get a maternity support belt that will help distribute some of the weight. I drove immediately to Babies 'R Us and tried on the most hideous contraption right in the middle of the aisle because there are no dressing rooms (as if pregnancy couldn't get anymore awkward or genuinely unattractive). It was like a Christmas in July miracle. I seriously thought about wearing it around the store over my clothes until I was done shopping. While it hasn't eliminated my pain completely (and the baby truly hates it), I can once again walk upright without taking pauses to catch my breath and renew my will to live. I am also relieved that there isn't really anything wrong with me and that I will be able to survive the next 5-ish weeks without having to spend most of it laid out on our couch. 

Week in Review

Holiday weekends are the best. They give you an excuse to get together with friends, eat lots of delicious food, and lounge around without guilt (recovering from all of the friends, food, and activities). On Sunday, we went to a July 4th BBQ at Joanie &  Dan's house in Sellwood and walked over to watch the fireworks after the sun set. I got to test out my new camera in the dark, and I have to say it's not bad for a point and shoot. I realized while taking the photos that I really need to play around with it a lot more so I'm comfortable taking pictures on the fly when Baby G arrives. 

On Monday, J and I were generally lazy and watched movies in bed and didn't get out of our pj's until almost dinner time. At that point, some of my crazy pregnant lady hormones kicked in and I freaked out because we hadn't done a thing all weekend to get the baby's room more prepared. J looked at me like I had three heads, nodded, and got right to organizing. He's such a good sport. In the end it paid off, because good friends of Larson & Serena stopped in for a couple of nights on their month-long trip across the country and back. It was great having them around. I'm so excited that our guest bed is getting lots of use! 

The rest of the week is mostly a blur, with frantic spurts of work in between some pretty hot and uncomfortable days. Portland's weather went from a lovely 65º to nearly 100º in a matter of minutes. I would have liked a little more time to ease into summer, but I think it's just a short hot spell and we'll be back to the normal high of 80º by next week. The heat has been a test of the new apartment and I have to say that it's passing with flying colors. While uncomfortable in the afternoon, it doesn't feel like I'm roasting in hell like our old place on 19th Avenue. 

Luckily, we're escaping the heat by going to the coast with a few friends for a weekend camping trip. It feels like we get a July 4th weekend repeat and I couldn't be happier! J's parents think that I'm nuts to sleep on the ground in my very pregnant state (they may very well be right), but I see this as maybe a final hurrah before Baby G arrives. It's only for two nights, we have pretty decent camping mats, and I fully plan on relaxing on the beach and at the campground. If only I didn't have to go in to work this morning. I'm pretty excited to get this show on the road!

Bounty and the Belly

Last night we needed a quick weeknight meal before heading out to at Timbers game. Since we still had quite a bit of beef leftover from our salads a couple of nights ago and a boatload of baby bok choy from our CSA, J and I threw together a quick Asian noodle dish. It was a pretty basic, but tasty recipe from our Cooks Illustrated Best Recipes cookbook -- a basic sauce with soy, oyster sauce, garlic, and ginger. J was the wok master while I diced fresh spring onions, garlic, and scapes. We threw it all over a package of Chineese egg noodles and it was insanely fast and tasty.


I'm now nearing my 34th week, so the baby has taken over most of the space where my internal organs should reside. By Monday, Baby G will weigh about 4.75 pounds and will be nearly 18 inches long. As a result, this portion was way too huge and I couldn't finish all of my noodles. The Timbers game went into 30 minutes overtime (tied 1-1) and ended in defeat after missing two of their five penalty kicks. I had to ease my sorrows (and my aching belly) with a PGE park hotdog. It was awesome. All I have to say is that Seattle better watch out for next year when we're MLS. The timbers are going to kick butt!