My phrase of the week: Pee or get off the pot!
That's pretty much how I feel about my uterus, the baby, or whatever is responsible for all the fruitless contractions and "any moment now" symptoms I've been having for a full week now. I even had three straight nights of 2-3 hour bouts of frequent contractions that really got my hopes up, only to have the contractions completely drop off and amount to big fat nothing!
I'd be fine having the baby now. I'd also be fine waiting a week, but to tease me like this is just a mean cosmic joke.
Luckily, unlike with my other pregnancies, I don't have constant "Haven't you had that baby yet?" comments from everyone and their dog. No one thinks I'm close to my due date unless I've told them when it is, because I'm just not sticking out that far. Last time especially, I was driven mad by the well-meaning pestering until I changed our answering machine message (to something rather rude, I was in a wretched mood when I did it), and turned off the ringers. No such issue this time.
But no matter how "small" I look (and believe me, that's relative - I feel like the side of a barn), I AM past the gestational age at which both Antigone and Brian were born, and Thursday, a mere two days away, marks when Dmitri was born. Only Liam made it to (and two days past) his due date. I suppose I could live with that too, but I'd rather not. I'm ready to get going here.
So, what should I do about it? Mostly, nothing. I am taking walks a little more frequently, but that's not much. I am doing a little more of my own "go-fer" work instead of asking the kids. I am drinking "Pregnancy Tea" from Traditional Medicinals. My midwife said it has the "pee or get off the pot" effect on the uterus. I am trying to keep things clean and stay rested. But no castor oil, no black cohosh, no running stairs (that's ineffective and just plain masochistic...).
So, "When are you due?"
"Any time now... or never. Take your pick."
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Compulsory Nesting
I have discovered yet another thing that is completely different about this pregnancy than the four previous: I am nesting. I know, every book tells you that pregnant mothers nest. I've never done it before. In fact, I've been quite content to sit around (or nap in the middle of) any manner of huge mess. I also procrastinate very well, sometimes with little or no guilt.
NOT SO THIS TIME!!!
Perhaps it's the catch-up guilt from other times I've been caught unprepared for things. Perhaps it's the fact that there is no hospital this time getting equiptment, etc. ready for us: we're it!
Perhaps it's the fact that there is not likely to be any help for us when the baby comes (ie- "Oh, you're an old pro, you must not need anything." or "You're the one who was crazy enough to have five kids, deal with it yourself!")
Or, maybe I'm just growing up? That would be neat.
The result is this: I have not only been consistantly ticking off items on a large to-do list of reasonable general baby preparation, I have completed a series of unrelated projects, and cleaned items and areas of the house that have never previously been touched.
Were it only myself nesting, this would be little worth mentioning. However, being the slave driver... I mean... the efficient household manager that I am, I have been including my family in the fun. Luckily, the kids still think that this is fun - for the most part. Dmitri has taken to grabbing a wet rag and wiping down the wall in his bedroom while the other children are doing their daily chores.
Last month, we took "off" an entire week of homeschool for this purpose. I declared it "Anti-Procrastination Week" (if you're not familiar with Anti-Procrastination, see www.flylady.net) and cancelled all classes in favor of major household projects. In addition to giving the house a really good deep cleaning, we completed the following:
NOT SO THIS TIME!!!
Perhaps it's the catch-up guilt from other times I've been caught unprepared for things. Perhaps it's the fact that there is no hospital this time getting equiptment, etc. ready for us: we're it!
Perhaps it's the fact that there is not likely to be any help for us when the baby comes (ie- "Oh, you're an old pro, you must not need anything." or "You're the one who was crazy enough to have five kids, deal with it yourself!")
Or, maybe I'm just growing up? That would be neat.
The result is this: I have not only been consistantly ticking off items on a large to-do list of reasonable general baby preparation, I have completed a series of unrelated projects, and cleaned items and areas of the house that have never previously been touched.
Were it only myself nesting, this would be little worth mentioning. However, being the slave driver... I mean... the efficient household manager that I am, I have been including my family in the fun. Luckily, the kids still think that this is fun - for the most part. Dmitri has taken to grabbing a wet rag and wiping down the wall in his bedroom while the other children are doing their daily chores.
Last month, we took "off" an entire week of homeschool for this purpose. I declared it "Anti-Procrastination Week" (if you're not familiar with Anti-Procrastination, see www.flylady.net) and cancelled all classes in favor of major household projects. In addition to giving the house a really good deep cleaning, we completed the following:
- pulled all too-small clothes from everyone's drawers
- pulled all summer clothes from everyone's drawers
- sorted all of these clothes, plus all hand-me-downs we have accumulated this year, and packed them into their appropriately labeled rubbermaid bins
- scrubbed pencil off of the walls in 2 rooms with magic eraser
- made birthday/Christmas lists
- sorted and purged all closets
- moved dressers and book cases
- set up the baby's "room" (a corner of mommy and daddy's room)
- purged and sorted the food storage room
- purged the garage
- purged the laundry room
On the whole, a week well spent. We still even had lots of free time that week to veg, play, watch movies, etc. It was very positive.
The feeling of satisfied accomplishment only lasted a couple weeks. Recently, I purged a couple cabinets in the kitchen, inventoried the 72-hour evacuation packs, and this Saturday morning, I spent 3 hours and burned through a "loaf" of steel wool, 3 towels and a magic eraser working mighty miracles of sweat equity in my bathroom. Everything in there looks new! Crud came off of surfaces that we thought would be impossible to remove.
Then I ached and slept for about a day and a half. This is NOT something I want to have happen just before labor hits. That would not be pretty. Now, the urge is back again. Look out, world, this could be dangerous.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Um... ewww
WARNING: Gross pregnancy-related topic. I don't even like writing it, but my poor husband doesn't need to hear any more about it.
It's time to talk about mucous. Sorry. It happens. Being human is full of mucous. Being female has its own mucous issues, and being pregnant only makes them bigger. That said, I still am not a fan of mucous.
Many people have heard of the "mucous plug" or "bloody show". Until recently (and mind you, I have 4 children already) I thought it was a myth. Supposedly, it sits right over the cervix, protecting the baby from - everything in the world that might just happen to find its way into your vagina. (Yeah, long shot to begin with...) When your cervix begins to thin and open, it falls out. This is supposed to signal the beginning of labor. Apparently, this is NOT the way it happens to most people. All the "real people" I've talked to have either never had it happen, couldn't say for sure if it happened, or didn't have it happen like that. I was in the second category, now in the third. This is not your average yucky.
Have you ever played with those "sticky hands" or other sticky rubbery toys that you're supposed to throw at the wall or window, and they stay there, then crawl down? Ok, picture that, but pretty much clear, cut into many pieces. Now, every time you... um... have some quality time with hubby... one of those pieces escapes the next day. In the shower, not so bad. While walking around the house (or worse, out somewhere), distinctly yuckier feeling.
So now, I'm less than 6 weeks from due date, and I've been VERY slowly dilating for a couple months. For the first time ever, a piece of that stuff appeared, with blood tinge. The books say that's how it usually/always is. For me, it's a first. Oh, how very exciting. However, I managed to suppress the urge to post it as my status on Facebook. (Yes, that was sarcastic.)
Gee, wasn't that fun? Well, when dealing with pregnancy, it's not the worst thing you have to discuss.
It's time to talk about mucous. Sorry. It happens. Being human is full of mucous. Being female has its own mucous issues, and being pregnant only makes them bigger. That said, I still am not a fan of mucous.
Many people have heard of the "mucous plug" or "bloody show". Until recently (and mind you, I have 4 children already) I thought it was a myth. Supposedly, it sits right over the cervix, protecting the baby from - everything in the world that might just happen to find its way into your vagina. (Yeah, long shot to begin with...) When your cervix begins to thin and open, it falls out. This is supposed to signal the beginning of labor. Apparently, this is NOT the way it happens to most people. All the "real people" I've talked to have either never had it happen, couldn't say for sure if it happened, or didn't have it happen like that. I was in the second category, now in the third. This is not your average yucky.
Have you ever played with those "sticky hands" or other sticky rubbery toys that you're supposed to throw at the wall or window, and they stay there, then crawl down? Ok, picture that, but pretty much clear, cut into many pieces. Now, every time you... um... have some quality time with hubby... one of those pieces escapes the next day. In the shower, not so bad. While walking around the house (or worse, out somewhere), distinctly yuckier feeling.
So now, I'm less than 6 weeks from due date, and I've been VERY slowly dilating for a couple months. For the first time ever, a piece of that stuff appeared, with blood tinge. The books say that's how it usually/always is. For me, it's a first. Oh, how very exciting. However, I managed to suppress the urge to post it as my status on Facebook. (Yes, that was sarcastic.)
Gee, wasn't that fun? Well, when dealing with pregnancy, it's not the worst thing you have to discuss.
Monday, October 12, 2009
It's a BOY!
No, we were NOT planning to find out the baby's gender, but it just happened like this:
Two weeks ago, I declared "Anti-procrastination Week" in my home, which in short is forced group nesting. We got so much done! In the process, I discovered that we had indeed given away every last scrap of our baby boy clothes, except for one sleeper. We had NOTHING in size 0-3 months, and just a tiny bit in size 3-6 month and 6-9 month. Not good! Of course, I was still hoping it was a girl, so we wouldn't have anything to worry about, right? Lashi told me, "If Merrie is worried about anything and just happens to need to do an ultrasound, could you have her check? It would be really nice to know what we need to buy." Very good point. I'm not big on variables.
Well, Merrie the Midwife was checking my tummy for baby position last Tuesday, and said (for the third appointment in a row), "There's something down here, but it doesn't really feel like a head." She did an ultrasound to check, and it was the head, with the placenta right in the front of my tummy so as to disguise it. Good baby!
If Lashi hadn't said what he did earlier, I would have felt very bad about what happened next. I asked her to please check the baby's gender. She did, and there, floating before my eyes... was something that doesn't belong on a girl - that much I knew. I still hoped - after all, my little Antigone has wanted the last TWO babies to finally be her sister - that what I saw was NOT what I thought it was. Alas, Merrie said, "Well, that's one healthy scrotum, isn't it?" Sigh...
So, we're having our 4th son! Woo-hoo! I must admit, I did cry a little that night. I hadn't realized how much I'd "decided" that it was a girl, and I was so worried about how Antigone would react. We told her the next morning. She was disappointed for about... 4 seconds. We all took a day or so to get over our shock, now we're eagerly preparing for another sweet little boy. I have been saying all along, I really can't lose! It would have been terribly convenient to have a girl, but I LOVE little boys. In fact, 2yr old boys are my favorite kind of people on earth. I know that the world needs more strong, worthy, responsible young men. More men raised by my wonderful Lashi!!! Plus, now we don't need to keep arguing about girl names. I added 79 boy names to the database this week.
As for clothes, yes, that's a problem, but not a very BIG problem now. The very next morning after we found out that our little Turkey is a "Tom Turkey", my sweet friend Rachel showed up with a big bag of 0-3, 3-6, and 6-9 baby BOY clothes that were left over after she and Melani picked out the larger sizes for their boys. :) Oh, providential! wonderful! beautiful!
My father-in-law is also very "tickled" that we have all these little guys. We're really securing the immediate future of the Family Name. He is going to build us another set of bunk beds. Maybe two... Lashi is now feeling pretty confident and favorable to having a 6th little one. :) One more shot at a girl? And what's to lose? Even if we never get a sister for Antigone, we'll just keep having darling squishy little boys to train up into wonderful men!
Life is good!
Two weeks ago, I declared "Anti-procrastination Week" in my home, which in short is forced group nesting. We got so much done! In the process, I discovered that we had indeed given away every last scrap of our baby boy clothes, except for one sleeper. We had NOTHING in size 0-3 months, and just a tiny bit in size 3-6 month and 6-9 month. Not good! Of course, I was still hoping it was a girl, so we wouldn't have anything to worry about, right? Lashi told me, "If Merrie is worried about anything and just happens to need to do an ultrasound, could you have her check? It would be really nice to know what we need to buy." Very good point. I'm not big on variables.
Well, Merrie the Midwife was checking my tummy for baby position last Tuesday, and said (for the third appointment in a row), "There's something down here, but it doesn't really feel like a head." She did an ultrasound to check, and it was the head, with the placenta right in the front of my tummy so as to disguise it. Good baby!
If Lashi hadn't said what he did earlier, I would have felt very bad about what happened next. I asked her to please check the baby's gender. She did, and there, floating before my eyes... was something that doesn't belong on a girl - that much I knew. I still hoped - after all, my little Antigone has wanted the last TWO babies to finally be her sister - that what I saw was NOT what I thought it was. Alas, Merrie said, "Well, that's one healthy scrotum, isn't it?" Sigh...
So, we're having our 4th son! Woo-hoo! I must admit, I did cry a little that night. I hadn't realized how much I'd "decided" that it was a girl, and I was so worried about how Antigone would react. We told her the next morning. She was disappointed for about... 4 seconds. We all took a day or so to get over our shock, now we're eagerly preparing for another sweet little boy. I have been saying all along, I really can't lose! It would have been terribly convenient to have a girl, but I LOVE little boys. In fact, 2yr old boys are my favorite kind of people on earth. I know that the world needs more strong, worthy, responsible young men. More men raised by my wonderful Lashi!!! Plus, now we don't need to keep arguing about girl names. I added 79 boy names to the database this week.
As for clothes, yes, that's a problem, but not a very BIG problem now. The very next morning after we found out that our little Turkey is a "Tom Turkey", my sweet friend Rachel showed up with a big bag of 0-3, 3-6, and 6-9 baby BOY clothes that were left over after she and Melani picked out the larger sizes for their boys. :) Oh, providential! wonderful! beautiful!
My father-in-law is also very "tickled" that we have all these little guys. We're really securing the immediate future of the Family Name. He is going to build us another set of bunk beds. Maybe two... Lashi is now feeling pretty confident and favorable to having a 6th little one. :) One more shot at a girl? And what's to lose? Even if we never get a sister for Antigone, we'll just keep having darling squishy little boys to train up into wonderful men!
Life is good!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Hail Peppermint, the Wonder-herb!
I guess it's a good thing that this blog is seldom (if ever) read. Otherwise someone from the Tums company would be coming shortly to break my kneecaps for what I'm about to say.
After years of loyal, almost worshipful devotion to Tums and their ability to relieve all of the painful aftermath of nearly every meal, bottle of water, or bedtime in general, that pregnancy brings, I have come to a very important discovery:
PEPPERMINT IS BETTER THAN TUMS AND OODLES CHEAPER!!!
Tums is calcium-based, hence the indications on the back recommending it as a calcium supplement. The problem: calcium in those quantities actually hinders digestion. It neutralizes stomach acid = good for indigestion, bad for normal digestion. We were made with stomach acid for a reason. It's just when it gets out of hand or out of place that it becomes problematic.
Peppermint, on the other hand... um.... this is where I'm supposed to actually know how it works, right? Shoot. Ok, I promise to do the research later! What I know right now is this: it doesn't neutralize acid in a way that makes you burp or interferes with digestion. It makes me feel better for everything from overeating to heartburn to trapped gas in my stomach (that one was pretty). It also tastes TONS better.
So, what form of peppermint? Expensive natural-food store stuff? Essential oils? Well, essential oil would be good, but I don't have it right now. I have cheap-o little Walgreens starlight mints (you know, the red-and-white striped button shaped little mints, like cutting a slice off of a crazy-thick candy cane). Those do the job most of the time. For the really ucky episodes, I make a peppermint tea. Sometimes I actually use ready tea bags, but mint is growing in my backyard, almost to the degree of calling it a "weed". So, I crush, tear, and generally rough up some leaves, pour boiling water over them, suck on a starlight mint while I'm waiting for it to steep, and drink the results. Good stuff.
For overeating (an unfortunate habit of mine lately), I often just go out and chew on some peppermint leaves. Yes, yes, you DID see something in a kid's cartoon about humans eating something to help them feel better when they've eaten too much.
So now, I have homework. I will look up why peppermint is so wonderful, and how it works, but in the mean time, I LOVE YOU YOU WONDERFUL HERB!!!
After years of loyal, almost worshipful devotion to Tums and their ability to relieve all of the painful aftermath of nearly every meal, bottle of water, or bedtime in general, that pregnancy brings, I have come to a very important discovery:
PEPPERMINT IS BETTER THAN TUMS AND OODLES CHEAPER!!!
Tums is calcium-based, hence the indications on the back recommending it as a calcium supplement. The problem: calcium in those quantities actually hinders digestion. It neutralizes stomach acid = good for indigestion, bad for normal digestion. We were made with stomach acid for a reason. It's just when it gets out of hand or out of place that it becomes problematic.
Peppermint, on the other hand... um.... this is where I'm supposed to actually know how it works, right? Shoot. Ok, I promise to do the research later! What I know right now is this: it doesn't neutralize acid in a way that makes you burp or interferes with digestion. It makes me feel better for everything from overeating to heartburn to trapped gas in my stomach (that one was pretty). It also tastes TONS better.
So, what form of peppermint? Expensive natural-food store stuff? Essential oils? Well, essential oil would be good, but I don't have it right now. I have cheap-o little Walgreens starlight mints (you know, the red-and-white striped button shaped little mints, like cutting a slice off of a crazy-thick candy cane). Those do the job most of the time. For the really ucky episodes, I make a peppermint tea. Sometimes I actually use ready tea bags, but mint is growing in my backyard, almost to the degree of calling it a "weed". So, I crush, tear, and generally rough up some leaves, pour boiling water over them, suck on a starlight mint while I'm waiting for it to steep, and drink the results. Good stuff.
For overeating (an unfortunate habit of mine lately), I often just go out and chew on some peppermint leaves. Yes, yes, you DID see something in a kid's cartoon about humans eating something to help them feel better when they've eaten too much.
So now, I have homework. I will look up why peppermint is so wonderful, and how it works, but in the mean time, I LOVE YOU YOU WONDERFUL HERB!!!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Week 29 - and a new twist on polygamy
You know how they say, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade"? When we get to the next life, the person who coined that phrase is going to get a swift kick in the pants from a lot of people. We've all experienced how very hard it is to come up with a "lemonade" solution for certain of life's problems.
Case in point: I think I am going bald.
This is not the first time I've lost a ton of hair. Luckily for me, I was blessed with such a thick head of hair to begin with, that it has never made that much of a difference. This time, however, I don't know if I can sustain this level of hair loss without it becoming very noticable very soon. Not only will my husband have a very... well, round wife, but soon he will have a round BALD wife. I am beginning to resemble one of those exercise balls that I'm suppose to be working with. If it weren't for the significant upgrade in bra size, I would never change in front of the man. The temptation to "moo" might become to overwhelming, and I don't think I could handle that.
What is so different this time??? I thought, perhaps it's because I'm not indulging in a bacon cheeseburger 4-5 times a week like I did with Antigone! But no... because that was the pregnancy when our upstairs neighbor heard me crying (while cleaning my hair out of the shower drain) and thought I was in need of tough-guy assistance. "Aw, thank you. How sweet that you want to protect me, but no, I'm just going bald." In fact, this may have happened with each child, but I always attributed at least PART of the problem to the fact that my hair was long: nearly waist-length with the last two. This time, no such excuse.
Maybe I'm not really losing more hair than I have in the past! I've already established that I have near-complete pregnancy amnesia this time, so it may be the shock of seeing clumps of hair falling out as if for the first time.
In short, I have a "lemons" situation here, and I'm very unhappy with it. Where's the "lemonade" in being bald? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, FATE, CAN YOU POSSIBLY MAKE ME FEEL LESS ATTRACTIVE???
Well, I have had a lemonade epiphany; the solution to my hair-loss problem!
I am going to make my husband a second wife out of all the hair I'm losing.
The way I figure, if I just collect the hair that is falling out of my head each day for about 10 days, I will have enough. I'll simply weave my fallen locks together and make a cute, petite (albeit hairy), little redhead to keep him company while I'm napping, to fold the laundry, to plunge the toilets when the kids plug them and, of course, to plan and prepare meals. Think of the broom-people from Mickey Mouse's "The Sorceror's Apprentice". That's the general idea, but made of hair instead of brooms!
Hair-wife won't drive my poor husband crazy the way I can. She's not hormonal. She won't burst into tears when he asks a simple question. She won't sleep in until 15 minutes before time-to-leave because she insisted on staying up until the chocolate ice cream was gone last night. She won't pester him with the "let's look at baby names again" game. In fact, she won't talk at all! But she'll smell good and do what needs to get done.
I like this idea.
My husband is generally opposed to the polygamy idea because of the expense, the dealing with two women (one is plenty), the potential for children multiplying twice as fast, the expense (did I already say that?), and generally not having enough hours in the day for what he has already. A hair-wife would solve many of those problems. As I already said, she can't speak! She doesn't have hormonal issues, she can't have children, she doesn't eat or sleep, she doesn't require special room, she doesn't even need a seat belt in the car! She CAN, though, sit and listen much more patiently (and without any hint of sarcasm) to anything he wants to say.
Plus, I still have about 10 weeks left of this pregnancy... maybe my kids could get a hair-dog out of the deal!
Case in point: I think I am going bald.
This is not the first time I've lost a ton of hair. Luckily for me, I was blessed with such a thick head of hair to begin with, that it has never made that much of a difference. This time, however, I don't know if I can sustain this level of hair loss without it becoming very noticable very soon. Not only will my husband have a very... well, round wife, but soon he will have a round BALD wife. I am beginning to resemble one of those exercise balls that I'm suppose to be working with. If it weren't for the significant upgrade in bra size, I would never change in front of the man. The temptation to "moo" might become to overwhelming, and I don't think I could handle that.
What is so different this time??? I thought, perhaps it's because I'm not indulging in a bacon cheeseburger 4-5 times a week like I did with Antigone! But no... because that was the pregnancy when our upstairs neighbor heard me crying (while cleaning my hair out of the shower drain) and thought I was in need of tough-guy assistance. "Aw, thank you. How sweet that you want to protect me, but no, I'm just going bald." In fact, this may have happened with each child, but I always attributed at least PART of the problem to the fact that my hair was long: nearly waist-length with the last two. This time, no such excuse.
Maybe I'm not really losing more hair than I have in the past! I've already established that I have near-complete pregnancy amnesia this time, so it may be the shock of seeing clumps of hair falling out as if for the first time.
In short, I have a "lemons" situation here, and I'm very unhappy with it. Where's the "lemonade" in being bald? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, FATE, CAN YOU POSSIBLY MAKE ME FEEL LESS ATTRACTIVE???
Well, I have had a lemonade epiphany; the solution to my hair-loss problem!
I am going to make my husband a second wife out of all the hair I'm losing.
The way I figure, if I just collect the hair that is falling out of my head each day for about 10 days, I will have enough. I'll simply weave my fallen locks together and make a cute, petite (albeit hairy), little redhead to keep him company while I'm napping, to fold the laundry, to plunge the toilets when the kids plug them and, of course, to plan and prepare meals. Think of the broom-people from Mickey Mouse's "The Sorceror's Apprentice". That's the general idea, but made of hair instead of brooms!
Hair-wife won't drive my poor husband crazy the way I can. She's not hormonal. She won't burst into tears when he asks a simple question. She won't sleep in until 15 minutes before time-to-leave because she insisted on staying up until the chocolate ice cream was gone last night. She won't pester him with the "let's look at baby names again" game. In fact, she won't talk at all! But she'll smell good and do what needs to get done.
I like this idea.
My husband is generally opposed to the polygamy idea because of the expense, the dealing with two women (one is plenty), the potential for children multiplying twice as fast, the expense (did I already say that?), and generally not having enough hours in the day for what he has already. A hair-wife would solve many of those problems. As I already said, she can't speak! She doesn't have hormonal issues, she can't have children, she doesn't eat or sleep, she doesn't require special room, she doesn't even need a seat belt in the car! She CAN, though, sit and listen much more patiently (and without any hint of sarcasm) to anything he wants to say.
Plus, I still have about 10 weeks left of this pregnancy... maybe my kids could get a hair-dog out of the deal!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Announcements! Announcements! Announcements! 20 weeks 2 days
At 5 months and about 15 lbs into this pregnancy, there is little room for doubt in the eyes of most people who see me, that yes, I am expecting a baby. My children, however, do not have the faith in most people's eyesight and powers of logical discernment, and insist on loudly proclaiming to anyone who will listen (or make brief eye contact) just what my condition is.
We went shopping today for our basic weekly commodities. As with most "basic weekly shopping trips", we made about 5 stops. At every single stop, the children had to begin conversations not only with the cashiers, but with the lady at the dressing room, the gentleman restocking blueberries, the person cleaning up a spill, and several random shoppers, by saying, "GUESS WHAT?? Mom is having a baby! She's PREGNIT!" Can't leave it at "having a baby", and I'm not "pregnANT", I'm "pregnit".
But it doesn't end there. No, no! Little Dodgelings have to share that everyone wants the baby to be a girl, and that Antigone is in such a state of sister-desperation that she dresses Brian up in girl clothes and has him play Princesses with her.
Oh, geez.
"Moving on, now, kids!!!"
After every single stop, we had a discussion about what needs to be shared in public and what doesn't, with specific requests that they STOP telling everyone that breathes that I am with child. I tried to assure them that anyone who looks at me will be quite aware of that fact already, especially since I can't stop rubbing the belly as I will eventually do to the back of my little newborn. Bad habit, I know, but at least it stops people from pondering on whether my abdominal lump is a growing child or a love of brownies ala mode.
On the bright side, at least I don't have hemmorhoids for the children to "share" with strangers.
We went shopping today for our basic weekly commodities. As with most "basic weekly shopping trips", we made about 5 stops. At every single stop, the children had to begin conversations not only with the cashiers, but with the lady at the dressing room, the gentleman restocking blueberries, the person cleaning up a spill, and several random shoppers, by saying, "GUESS WHAT?? Mom is having a baby! She's PREGNIT!" Can't leave it at "having a baby", and I'm not "pregnANT", I'm "pregnit".
But it doesn't end there. No, no! Little Dodgelings have to share that everyone wants the baby to be a girl, and that Antigone is in such a state of sister-desperation that she dresses Brian up in girl clothes and has him play Princesses with her.
Oh, geez.
"Moving on, now, kids!!!"
After every single stop, we had a discussion about what needs to be shared in public and what doesn't, with specific requests that they STOP telling everyone that breathes that I am with child. I tried to assure them that anyone who looks at me will be quite aware of that fact already, especially since I can't stop rubbing the belly as I will eventually do to the back of my little newborn. Bad habit, I know, but at least it stops people from pondering on whether my abdominal lump is a growing child or a love of brownies ala mode.
On the bright side, at least I don't have hemmorhoids for the children to "share" with strangers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
