Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Meet the newest addition to our family!!!




I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist that! 

Meet Maisie, the duck! She was given to us for our little girl by our friend, Suzanne, who is an irrepressible anglofile and a lover of fine literature and of course, fine art!
She found Maisie at a sale of work ( like  a craft fair) in a little English village somewhere near Oxford. It's fitting that  our little girl  will have a friend like Maisie who like this mama is from England.   Maisie has a big tail and two legs but no feet. I am going to have to ask one of my skilled knitting friends to help her out because I think she really would like some feet.

In other news:
We are in the home stretch. Still plenty to do on the home front but we have the bare necessities and lots of clothes. I had this fantasy that our house would be spotless and clutter-less before the baby arrived, but alas, we are not those types of people and we just have to accept that. 
I am taking it as easy as I possibly can in between doctor's appointments, tidying, shopping and sleeping in every morning.
On the less glamorous side of things I have swollen feet, legs, eyes, nose, a huge hemorrhoid, a yeast infection and  less than reliable bladder control. I am not complaining in the least bit about it. Just telling it like it is. I might be complaining if I had to work  - but I don't so I am not. 
I got my first disability payment today - for a month off I got approximately 25% of what I normally make. Which does not seem right as the disability company said they are giving me 60% of my salary. It's enough to pay my part of the mortgage. Again not complaining because we have a little back up money - for which I am eternally grateful - otherwise the bills would not be getting paid.

We missed our prepared child birth express class when we were out of town at the end of September visiting S's mom who was dangerously ill. She is hanging in there thank god, and we are scrambling around to figure out how to get by without any kind of birth class preparation. I am reading all my birth books now that I am preparing for the possibility of a vaginal birth but not sure if that will be enough. I don't want to be judged for not doing a class!!! We have great midwives and labor support people and I am hoping they and S will help me get through this. Apparently one thing I have in my favor is that I am not a Type A personality: ( sorry to all you A's out there) - as this sometimes hinders birth because of control issues! Apparently birthing ( according to one of the books I am reading!) is about surrendering to not being in control! Yikes! But what do I know??!! I am just trying feebly to reassure myself that it will be okay. 

We did go to the tour of labor and delivery which was guided by an incredibly perky nurse. The part that scared me was when she told us that when the doctor says: "break the bed" that means  fold the bed and pull up the stirrups so that you are ready to push! Apparently midwives don't need you to break the bed and are better contortionists and can see what's going on without doing violence to the bed, so hopefully we won't be hearing those scary words! It's a very medicalized setting  -even though perky nurse kept telling us that people who work with midwives do it this way and people working with OBs do it another. There is only one birthing tub - which you have to work hard to snag but which is in such a small birthing room that you might all have to sit in the tub together.

So that's it. Miraculously, good things continue to happen over here, the baby is growing, kicking, loving all her meals, becoming more real by the minute.

I am one lucky lady. 

12 comments:

  1. Oh my God!! I nearly got a heart attack!! You cheeky chick! I'm in a bit of a rush but thinking of you and can't wait for the real big arrival! Love, Fran

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  2. Aw, Maisie is adorable! You are really in the home stretch, lady. i remember how icky I felt in those final days. Of course, it's all worth it when they hand you your little baby :) She'll be here before you know it!

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  3. Wow, tiregal, you have a really good attitude! If I am lucky enough to ever get pregnant, I've already warned people I'll be a complainer!!! No matter how hard someone worked to get pregnant, it's still a tough thing to go through and in my book it's OK to share that. Can't wait to meet the (newer) new edition! :) pineseedling

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  4. I am so happy to read that you are in the home stretch! Yay! You are sleeping in, taking good care of yourself and your little one (I like the comment that she is enjoying her meals!)---all sounds good! I've been thinking about you and was glad to see this recent post. PS- maybe Maise (sp?) likes her footlessness...very cute! PPS- I may have an announcement of my own, very soon!!! Hugs!

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  5. I am so happy to read that you are in the home stretch! Yay! You are sleeping in, taking good care of yourself and your little one (I like the comment that she is enjoying her meals!)---all sounds good! I've been thinking about you and was glad to see this recent post. PS- maybe Maise (sp?) likes her footlessness...very cute! PPS- I may have an announcement of my own, very soon!!! Hugs!

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  6. Love Maisie! You are getting so close to the "real" announcement!!!

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  7. You *almost* got me but when I openedhe post in google reader I thought I was reading another blog.
    I really don't think you are going to suffer without a birthing class. The hospital tour, IMO, is more important
    so you know what to expect for your stay. I do think it is important to know the stages of birth but you can read up on that. Otherwise my class pretty much focused on how pitocin and epidurals are evil and they will cause a c-section. Armed with that knowledge I went in for an induction, had an epi and ended up with the "dreaded" c. I say "dreaded" because I had a really good experience and most people make c-sections out to be awful. I have no battle wounds, physical OR emotional. It was pretty easy.
    Either way, you'll do fine. I just wouldn't choose vaginal birth over c-section if you have to be induced.

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  8. ack! don't do that to me again! your title totally got my blood racing! :P

    fwiw, my childbirth class was totally and completely useless. you'll learn far more from the books you are reading

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  9. Oh boy, almost there! It's so exciting! I love the new addition, btw :)

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  10. You know, giving over to the whole process is a great idea. By the end of a twin pregnancy with some health issues I just followed whatever the doc said and turned my brain off. It worked like a dream.

    Now how do I turn my brain on again????

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  11. Maisie looks like the perfect ducky companion. I'm glad to hear your mostly happy report. I can't wait to meet that little one!

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  12. Sneaky title!!

    I completely feel you on the house not being perfect and that being a let-down. I so wanted our house to be clutter-free before the boys. Not so much. Ah, well, next lifetime.

    Cannot wait to see your real "arrived" post! Hang in there: you must be exhausted by now. And how about a belly pic: here or fb?

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