Overdue and Undone

Well, it's day three in "overdue-ville" and let me tell you, it sucks over here.  Taz and I are killing time together, have been since Tuesday when he quit Folmers.  He was originally going to wait until I went into labour, but a blowup between him and Brian Tuesday morning meant an early end to the job.  Suits me. I'm enjoying having him here for these drawn-out moments of waiting.

So we walk. And eat ice cream.  And take afternoon naps. And walk. And drive to beaches, and new towns. And walk around the beaches and new towns.  We swim together in in the ponds.  

I complain and whinge, and Taz asks about my belly every hour or so.  Still the same.  I've been getting a fair number of Braxton Hicks contractions.  Usually when we walk.  I keep hoping they will turn into something stronger, more painful I guess...but so far they are just like the little sprinkles of rain we have been getting each night around dusk: they're teasers, and nothing more.

Yesterday on our walk, we found a squished dead kitty on a country dirt road and  Zeek got within 5 feet of getting sprayed by a skunk.   I always think about how soon I will do this with a baby in my arms, and how different everything will be.  Patience is not my strongest point, as those who know me well like to point out.  I want it NOW!!  I'm so unbelievably excited about meeting our little girl.  Holding her, and looking back at her as she looks at me.  How crazy is that going to be, seeing US reflected in a child!

Monday is my next scheduled doctor's appointment.  We talk about induction options at this one....something I had not wanted to make a decision about.  I still have tonight, and tomorrow though, so finger's crossed.

According to Taz, this is like waiting for a Christmas that isn't coming.  Me, I'm seeing the words "waiting for the ball to drop" in a whole new light...

The Dog Days

Its hot today.  It was hot yesterday, and it seems like it has been hot forever.  It also hasn't rained since my wedding day, and even the corn which thrives in the heat, is starting to yellow. Everything and everyone out here seems suspended in a wavy lethargic atmosphere.  It isn't quite the dog days of summer according to the calendar, but boy it feels like it.
Not a good time to be heavily, impatiently, uncomfortably, irritably pregnant.

Yesterday, I'd been having so many strong braxton hicks contractions that I insisted Taz take a few final pictures of me and my belly before it was too late.  We got some nice shots, and then went to bed.  As I was lying in bed, my back started to ache with each tightening of my stomach, and I could feel twinges in my lower belly as well.  I thought excitedly that it could mean the end, the long-awaited end was going to actually arrive..... then I fell asleep.

In the morning though, I woke up and as my 3-year old niece kept reminding me last week, noted that "baby's still in your belly".  Grumph!

I had a doctor's appointment with my regular doctor, who is now back from holidays (hooray!) at 9:30.  She did her regular exam, and then checked the status of my cervix.  The status: uncooperative.  She said she would be surprised if I went into labour today or tomorrow.  Looks like this baby is going right to the due date, and possibly beyond.

I swear, if she isn't here Thursday morning, Taz is calling in sick, and we will spend the day walking the hills and having sex in the fields, and doing shots of castor oil.  Hmmm...nothing says sex like a grumpy sweaty pregnant woman waiting for the castor-oil induced diarrhea to kick in.

Anyway, here's the pics.

This is not a comfortable pose!

Diaper Diary Woes Part VI: Just a little too late

ARG! Earlier this spring, I spent hours and hours pouring over the internet trying to find Babyville Boutique products in a Canadian store with no luck..  I ended up buying solid purple PUL fabric instead, and some fold over elastic from Babyville in the states and paying a LOT in shipping and customs charges to have it sent over here.  Now today, while idly surfing the net, I come across this:
A  Canadian store located in B.C. selling all sorts of wonderful Babyville options.   I swear that wasn't available two short months ago.

In my case, it all worked out in the end, since mom found a store in a small town nearby with veeerrrry limited options for PUL, but patterned stuff nonetheless. I am loving the quality of everything we have picked out, and I'm learning a lot about sewing in the process. (For instance, measure twice, three times, FOUR times even, before you cut. Also, never lose your seam ripper. It is a beginner's best friend.)

Still. This store is way cheaper, and their selection is amazing. So, if any Canadian parents out there feel like sewing their own diapers go check out Stitchintheditch.  

Diaper Diary Woes Part V

My diaper story is well past-due for an update.  This past week hasn't just been about relaxing around the farm, floating in ponds and whatnot.  I've also managed to get our baby stuff much more organized, to the point where I feel almost ready for her arrival.

I washed and sorted Amelia's clothes, and set up her changing station/nursery as best I could in the top drawer of dad's sock and underwear dresser and a wooden desk.

Amelia's diaper drawer/change station all set up for her arrival!

Our hospital bags are officially packed and ready to go. I watched enough youtube videos on "what to include in your delivery bag" to make my head spin. Some of the lists are like, 47 items long! You'd need a rolling piece of luggage the size of me to fit it all in!  I chose to keep mine pretty simple.  No hair straightener for me, because, seriously?

So, the diapers.

This first photo is a pattern laid out on PUL, or for you non-sewers, waterproof fabric that is used to make diaper covers.

I thought making covers was going to be easier than diapers.....WRONG!! Fold over elastic sounds simple enough, but it wreaks havoc on your sewing technique. I think I have the wrong presser foot set into the machine for the job of pulling the fabric forward while I pull back to stttreeeeetttch the elastic out as much as possible.  To do it effectively, you really need three hands.

So then I thought, "this fold over elastic is expensive, difficult, and probably unnecessary. I will just make leg gussets with it (heh. Those take an hour ALONE!) and bind the rest of the edges with white binding tape like quilters use. Cuz that will be easier."

WRONG!! The diaper on the right took me a day and a half, many uses of a seam-ripper, and some choice swear words.  And fold over elastic or no, they both are still, in my opinion, the ugliest things I have ever created.

Good thing Amelia won't be able to talk when she is wearing these. Otherwise it could be a battle!

On a more positive note, I have managed to alter a different pattern from the babyboutique book mom bought me, and changed it from a fleece lined PUL pocket diaper to a two-layer fleece pocket.  Here are the five I have made so far. 

Complete with their own matchy-matchy inserts

I'll admit, I'm rather proud of these little guys.  The first one took me FOREVER to figure out, and had me second-guessing every step of the way.  Hey, I'm new to this, and only really 4 mauve ties into calling myself a seamstress.  But by the fifth one, I was watching youtube videos with Taz while I was sewing, and chatting away instead of demanding rigid silence while I sew this seam.  And they actually look kind of cute. 

I opted not to put either velcro or snap fasteners on them.  Since they are made with the exact same fabric as my flats and pre-folds, it makes more sense just to use snappis.  They are going under covers which have velcro anyway, so they should be relatively snug and easy to keep in place. 

So that puts my total stash up to: 

18 flats

3 newborn pre-folds

7 newborn diaper covers (bought these second hand in London)

4 medium diaper covers (2 uglies, 2 kushies)

5 kushie inserts (to be used with flats I guess)

3 "dressy" AIOs I got as gifts. (The special occasion diapers I'm calling them)

and 5 fitteds. 

I ultimately want to have 36 diapers on hand.  I doubt I have enough flannel left over to make 8 fitteds. I don't want to cannibalize any more receiving blankets (I already did to make the ballerina diaper) so I might just buy more flannel.  Or my darling big sister can order the pre-folds from Green Mountain Diapers that she promised me for a baby shower gift.....*cough, cough*  Either way, I can rest easy now. Even if she is born tonight, we have enough diapers that I won't really be pulling my hair out and making mad dashes to the laundry room every day. 

Oh, another fun note. Today I finally stopped procrastinating and bought myself pads and underwear for post-delivery.  I wanted some cheap granny panties that I could just throw away afterwards. Thing is, the dollar stop, which is the cheapest place for underwear close-by I am told, only had men's briefs.  Dinosaur-covered men's briefs.  Well, it isn't a fashion show.  So I bought myself four pairs. Didn't try them on, just held them up and went "yup, those'll fit."

Well....the waistband fit, but those narrow skinny boy-leg holes were not making it around my ample baby-bearing hips. So what's a girl to do? I didn't want to waste precious time or money getting new ones and I already HAD these.  

Behold.  

Have serger, will modify.  I cut out a triangle-shaped wedge from each leg, and serged the edges to keep them from fraying. Now they fit perfectly! 

Here is a close-up of one of the legs.  Can you tell the sewing bug has bitten me?  

So bring on the lochia (is that not the grossest word ever?) the pee and the poo. Mamma and baby's bottoms are more than covered!

Dear Baby: Get Out.

It is nearing midnight, as I sit downstairs in a dark living room typing this blog entry. The house is still. And hot. Maybe its just hot for us pregnant ladies, but right about now, climbing into the freezer and chilling on top of the frozen corn and green beans sounds blissful.
I can't sleep.  I feel swollen all over, and I've already taken two cold showers today and iced my feet - still swollen beyond recognition.  I'm an insomniatic sweating sausage, and I officially don't want to be pregnant any more.

But I don't want to whine, either.  I really am trying to enjoy some of the other new sensations.  This afternoon, I've started to feel a fluttery movement sensation waaaay lower in my belly than ever before.  Its lower than I thought it was possible to feel anything.  Hmmm...didn't realize my uterus went down that low, but I guess it sorta has to huh?  Isn't the human body amazing?

And Amelia must really be enjoying her boost of energy from tonight's dinner of half a cowboy steak, mashed potatoes and oodles of green beans, because she is doing some acrobatics like I haven't felt in a while.  Good for her. The only acrobatics I do these days is the grand and dramatic flop into the nearest chair.   Soon these unique fluttery feelings will only be a memory. Strange how they seem to have been a part of me for so long. I don't really remember what it feels like to have a "normal" stomach right now.

Also, I seem to be miraculously heartburn-free the last few days.  I have only had one tums in 3 days - that's a record.  True, I do avoid anything acidic like the plague, and the homogenized milk seems to help a lot.  Whatever the cause is, I don't care. It's lessening, and that's all that matters.

So I guess there's both good and bad.  Its just that at 12:01 a.m., when I am trying desperately to grasp the sleep that eludes me, the bad are a lot easier to focus on.  Not long now, I know.  

Still: Amelia, this is your official eviction notice.  Please pack all belongings, 10 fingers and toes, placenta and cord, and vacate the premises asap.

Love, Mom.

38 Weeks

Wow, I suck. I only just realized that today was Wednesday.  That puts me at 38 weeks today!! I'm 14 days away from my due date. Eeeekk!!

I had intended to go into town to buy some items for my hospital bag today, but since I have to make a trip tomorrow and the next day, I put it off.  Here's hoping I don't go into labour tonight, because I will be pretty unprepared.  I still have to buy nursing bras, and granny panties for after labour.  I should get some vaseline and diaper cream, and the baby soap I bought is sitting in Toronto with my broken down car, so I'll need some more of that I think.  So much to do.

Amelia is now somewhere between 6 and 7 lbs, according to the stats, and between 19 and 21 inches long.  I am willing to bet she is closer to the smaller side since I don't feel too huge yet.  Maybe I will blow up in the last two weeks, but hopefully not.

I've been reading birth stories online the last few days.  Reoccurring themes that jump out at me: pain, lots of pain, tubs and water make pain less, and it is worth it in the end.  I am starting to think more about how much this is going to hurt, and beginning to wonder how I will cope.  I really don't know what I'm in for here....

Pics from Sweet Bugger All Weekend

Ok, enough procrastinating. Have a shitty, 6-year old computer, and super slow, iffy internet is no excuse to put off getting some pictures on here.  It just takes some patience. So here we go.  Not necessarily in order, but they are kind of organized.  To get these three collages put together and uploaded, takes the same time as it does to cut out a PUL diaper cover, and sew one fold over elastic piece to a leg gusset. In case you were wondering. :)  

Full Round Watermelon Belly.

Since I am making a concerted effort to fulfill all the food group requirements I'm supposed to be getting, and there's that unpleasant nagging worry that I'm not gaining weight at all, and whythefrigisn'tthathappening?isthisbad?, let's just say....I've been eating my share lately. And loving it.

Things like homogenized milk, which I don't normally even consider (I'm a 1% girl through and through) are appearing in my fridge.  I keep my half of the pizza, dammit, instead of turning it over to Taz after two or three slices.  And I am going to get the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables, even if I explode in the process.  And the ice cream....bliss comes in cone form, you know. 

But babies take up valuable stomach room, and my stomach has shrunkYup....didn't realize how uncomfortable full can and will feel until the 37th week of pregnancy.

I hadn't measured my belly in a long long time, and tonight while measuring fabric for diapers (have to write about that tomorrow too!) I took a look at how big I've gotten.  My waist is now a full 40"!  I checked, and that's bigger around than the watermelon we bought yesterday by quite a bit.

Know what else is growing? My feet.  I have hobbit feet so swollen they hurt :-(  Add the sliced right heel, and I'm a hobbling, waddling, hot mess.  With a watermelon belly.  Seeeexxxxyyy.   I usually scorn crocs unless in the privacy of my own home, and would rather go barefoot than wear them in public.  That was before 37 weeks.  I was >   < this close to wearing them to lunch yesterday when I discovered my sandals would barely fit.  Ugh. 

Sweet Bugger All

The summer before this, and every single summer for oh, say the past 6 or 7 years, myself, and most of the young people I hung around with have been very busy this weekend.  Most of us working our tail off.   Myself, Canada Day weekend has been spent in a restaurant for the last 4 years. The closest I've got to celebrating with the fireworks and all, has been to plunk a beer down in front of someone not me, and ask them how they are enjoying their long weekend?  And try not to smile too bitterly at them when I explain that I am working splits Fri/Sat and a night shift Sunday/Monday.   What long weekend?

Not this year.  The only time I spent inside a restaurant someone was most definitely waiting on moi. And while I had to forgo the beer, it was still nice to be sitting and eating on our national holiday, instead of asking "cheese and pepper?" four hundred times a day.

Mom and Dad had a change of plans while on the road, and as a result, never made it home at all, and aren't expected until next Friday.  You think we took advantage of the farm to ourselves? You bet your ass we did!  Ahhh....the serenity.  Love my folks, but the place is quieter without them.  Dad, buzzing around on something or other motorized, and mom marching around waving garden tools and ideas.

This weekend with just the two of us has been a blessing.  Starting somewhere around Friday afternoon, the jets of energy that basically propelled me through the last few weeks plain ran OUT.

So I began my long weekend with a nap.  Then Taz got home for work, and I explained to him a)what the doctor had said, b) my feelings and ideas and c) the plan of action.

Which was basically this: To do nothing you don't have to, or want to, the entire weekend.

You know that catchy song with the monkeys dancing music video? "Today I swear I'm not doing anything.... dum da dum, dum da dum.......  
Yeah, that's been the theme song.

So, we wanted to go lake trout fishing...check.  We are having trout for dinner tonight :-)

Mom suggested we take a canoe ride on Lakelet....check.  I sliced my heel, and we met some farmer-boy rednecks, and Taz almost made me pee my pants as we paddled away with his australian documentary voice,

"Well, we just had a run-in with some Canadian wildlife that we are very familiar with in Australia as well....pissheads."

Hmmm...reading over that I see how you'd have to be there for it to be as funny as it was... but trust me, I laughed.  We also took Zeek in the canoe, and aside from a few scary moments, he was pretty good about it.  But he much preferred sitting on the homemade pontoon boat constructed out of water barrels and plywood than being in our tippy boat

We had a picnic next to the river in Wingham one night, and the next day ate lunch at the Anchor while we watched as much of the Italy/Spain finals as we wanted to (collectively, maybe 20 minutes).  

We slept in late, and had a few long afternoon dozes.  We sat in the barn and played with camera lighting and took sneaky pictures of mennonites on the roads.  We watched youtube videos on birth and rebuilt sportscars and Australian fishing.  (Guess who picked what.)

It was like a second honeymoon and it was like doing wonderful sweet bugger all.