The past weekend and the beginning of the week were SO GOOD! I finished Oblique!!! And I really like it – a lot! It’s big, and will fit me perfectly for the rest of the pregnancy but I think it will look even better when I don’t have a huge belly – when it can really drape over me and be a big blanket sweater. I still need to block it (really just the button bands and collar) and it doesn’t have buttons yet, but I wore it Sunday to my nephew’s birthday party and everyone loved it. G, of course, thinks it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever knit, but he says that about all my finished knits. Hopefully if blocking and the weather cooperates I’ll have FO pictures for you this weekend.
Then I had a stash sale and (almost) everything sold! YAY! Thank you all so much. If you paid me, your fiber is in the mail. Also, if you said you wanted a lot (I’m specifically thinking of Lots 3 and 4), I’ve sent you a bunch of emails and you haven’t responded. Please do so ASAP. There are other people that are interested in the fiber and honestly, I want it out of my house. Now. Thank you!
And no, I didn’t get rid of all my fiber and I have no intention of getting rid of my wheel. I truly miss spinning. Really really. I just don’t have the energy or the time right now.
Speaking of which – the two projects I alluded to this past week are on hold for the time being. But I want to be knitting DESPERATELY. And I’d love to make another sweater for myself. Which is just completely impractical. But then I get scared that the baby will come and I won’t be able to knit for myself anymore. Or at least anything BIG.
What else? Oh yeah. We had an OB appt on Monday and everything looks fantastic. Baby’s head down and they don’t think they’ll be any flipping going on. In fact, I had to tell the doc where he’d find the heartbeat. I bought G a $20 fetoscope for Xmas and I can find the heartbeat pretty easily most times I check (which isn’t that often.) It’s fun and the baby’s heartbeat is ALWAYS lower left under my belly button. The doc was looking upper right and I was like DUDE this is where it is and he checked his spot and nothing, then he checked my spot and VOILA! He said – I should always listen to the moms. Damn straight! We also had our “chat” with the doctor (I had a list and everything and didn’t get nervous at all!) and Georgie and I are satisfied that they’ll be on board with what we want.
I set up an interview appointment with a pediatrician (am I the only one that got weirded out when they asked me the baby’s last name? You mean this thing inside me is REAL?!) and I called the local police department to find out about car seat installation (did you know that MOST car seats are installed incorrectly? Scary stuff!). Oh and I bought the baby’s coming home outfit. All red. Just like I wanted. (Don’t worry – it’s being sent to my sister’s house – there will NOT be baby stuff in my house until there’s a baby.)
So I was feeling good! Great! Then yesterday I felt sick all day and we had our childbirth class last night and got to watch “the film” and then take the hospital tour. The film rattled me a bit and the tour was a little disappointing and suddenly I’m all freaked out about giving birth again. Just when I was feeling positive about the whole thing. I think it has more to do with the fact that I’m getting increasingly uncomfortable. My ribs hurt. I need new bras AGAIN. (Although I’m worried it’s a bit early for nursing bras.) The indigestion is out of control. I’m tired – I do something physical for fifteen minutes and I have to rest for half an hour. I wake up every morning and my hands are so stiff it hurts to bend my fingers. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to eat anything. Even dry toast comes back to haunt me.
My house is STILL a disaster. Time is ticking on.
I’m really okay – just overwhelmed a bit. Which I’ve decided I’m totally allowed to be. There are 53 days until my due date.
I wish you good health and safe pregnancy throughout the 53 days..
It’s fun to read your blog =)
Be nice to your mama & stay head down, Baby.
You might be surprised by the amount of knitting you can get done with a newborn. Even with Gus being “demanding” was able to nurse & knit. And Tuck gives me lots of knitting time! I put him in the Moby & just knit & knit.
I can’t wait to see pictures of Oblique. I’m almost to the point of picking a new project.
Hang in there…you’ll make it! Everything you are feeling is perfectly normal!!
Wishing you all the best for your remaining days before it’s “time”. I can surely relate to the overwhelmed feeling but in the end, it will all fall together just fine despite all the worried feelings.
You’ll be fine. The baby will be fine. G will be fine.
I’m not going to evoke your feline tendencies by giving you advice. Just sending good wishes. It’ll all be fine.
Just do your best to hang in there. Sounds like everything is going fine. Rattled and freaked out are all part of it. Totally totally natural. I have yarn for Oblique and can’t wait to see your FO and to start it myself!
If you need new bras at this point, just go for a nursing bra–if you think your boobs are big now, wait until a week after giving birth! (In my case, I believe the woman fitting me said the letter H!)
So glad your OB is on board with your plans! Here’s hoping that all goes your way!!
I don’t know if you need new bras because you are spilling over the cups or if the band is too tight (which was my problem) but if the band is too tight, just get bra band extenders. I found mine at JC Penney…they are just extra hooks that will give you a few more inches. They were a lifesaver for me those last couple of months!
Hang in there! You are doing great.
From what I can tell everything sounds normal!
Hang in there, girlie! I love that you told the doc exactly where the heartbeat was. hells yes, mama knows best!
Breathe Mama, you’re doing great. I know what you mean about realizing that the baby is really coming! I remember when my first was born and I was filling out the form to get her birth certificate and I had to write “relationship to child” and I wrote Mother. Oh.my.gosh. I couldn’t believe that I was actually her MOTHER! Things like that will continue to get you. Like the 15 million times a day I hear, “Mama!”, sometimes I just stop and think, “Wow, I’m really their Mama!”
Oh and I am very happy to hear that you are looking into the whole carseat installation thing. You’re right, most carseats are not installed correctly and it is so scary!
You’re doing good Mama…just remember to breathe and take care of yourself for the next 58 (or so) days!
Hang in there, you will all be fine and happy in no time! And if it helps at all, know that there are a lot of people out there thinking of you and sending out positive vibes!
I was very worried about childbirth but now, after it has happened, I wish I had some of that worrying time back. I don’t feel like I should have worried so much. It is a big deal but you will be there so you can make decisions as things go along. For me, it was not as scary as I’d thought it would be.
it’s not too early to wear nursing bras. just buy them a size bigger than your normal bras and you should be ok. for example, if you have a 36C size then buy a 38D. in a way, i’m glad i never saw the birthing film or took a birthing class. i was very happy going into it all blind. i just wish i had brought earplugs to the hospital (be warned.)
You are SO totally allowed to be overwhelmed! Everything you’ve said is exactly what I went through, and we have a happy, healthy fun 9 year old. I had forgotton about the finger aches in the morning – I had those almost throughout the entire pregnancy.
goodluck on your pregnancy.
Hang in there, baby. I’m proof that it will all be ok. Do whatever you can to get comfy, no matter what it takes. You might want to get a massage. It’ll do wonders!
I’m dying to see Oblique – I bet it’s fantastic! I’m so sorry to hear that you are feeling so sick and uncomfortable – I feel your pain. Having your own stethoscope for the heartbeat is a great idea. It must be comforting. I know that you are going to do great with the delivery, so hang in there and focus on all the positive stuff.
xox, J
If you have no takers for lot #3 I’ll buy it! Hang in there……take advantage of your “condition” and get lots of rest; don’t feel guilty about it, you’ll need it. Take it from a mom of 3, now a proud grandmother!!!! Oh, and eat lots of ice cream!!!!! That’s what I did.
I am usually a lurker but just wanted to say a couple of things.
1. Take your car to a dealership and have them show you how to install the carseat correctly. For example, if you have a Toyota, go to the Toyota place. Do it now, so you can get used to having it in your car.
2. Shop around for pediatricians. Ask EVERYONE who their pediatrician is and why they like him or her and what they don’t like about him or her. When I had my first child (he is now 13) I found this pediatrician that a friend (we are both nurses) recommended to me. Dh and I went and interviewed him and thought he was so brilliant because he graduated from Harvard and he turned out to be the biggest idiot ever. Seriously, ask everyone. Even people you don’t know. Shop around and don’t stay with one until you find one you are satisfied with.
Hang in there you are doing great!!
Oh man.. don’t worry about the house now! You will have the irresistable urge to clean it, and energy to match quite soon! Welcome to the ADHD portion of the pregnancy!! ok.. maybye take out the add and leave the H!!
Sounds like things are moving along nicely.
Do hold off on the nursing bras for now. Just when you think the Girls can’t get any bigger … your milk comes in.
Nice to hear everything is going so well! Pack on the projects while ye may 😉
For what it’s worth, go ahead and buy a nursing bra now. When your supply settles down a few months after the baby is born, that bra will probably fit again. I went from a B to an E at the end of my pregnancy, went up a couple more cup sizes and was back down to an E cup for the next six or so months.
Enjoy these last days with your husband!!!
Glad to hear all is going well. I refused to watch the “film” since if I had a C-section I wouldn’t see it anyway. I did NOT want to be creeped out.
Anyway, just gave you a Nice Matters thing over at my blog. I’m sure you’ve had a million of ’em!
Back in the Day (about 14 years ago) the scary car seat situation was the same — they were rarely used correctly. At that time, what many people needed but did not use were things called locking clips, which kept automatic seatbelts on the seat really tight. When I called and asked about them, my car seat manufacturer sent me a whole bunch and asked me to hand them out to my friends. Believe it or not, they were very reluctant to use them and some even refused (even though the need for locking clips was in the news at the time). They were convinced they were doing it right and didn’t need them. I found that pretty scary as well.
53 days —
But who’s counting??
🙂
Hang in there! Keep whining, we’ll listen, and this too shall pass.
Just wait till your shower….
[Evil laughter]
(No, I won’t be there, I only know you through your awesome blog, but we’ve been having fun at your virtual shower!)
Congrats on finishing Oblique and also on 53 days (give or take). Cannot wait to see pics of Oblique (or little one, for that matter). Can’t wait to see pics of you and little one IN Oblique. Oblique is haunting me. I’ll bet it’s even better in person, being able to see and touch that Beaverslide goodness.
I think with my 2 fullterm pregnancies I was in nursing bra right about where you are. That was one thing that I always hated about being preggers….new bras constantly and those babies aren’t cheap! Can’t wait to see the sweater pics!!
I remember so well not being able to roll over in bed without putting my hands under my belly to lift it up and over. Don’t fret about the film. Every birth is different. You are an intelligent woman. You will be fine. I remember a midwife tellling me “they call it labor for a reason”. It’s not easy but it’s obviously not impossible or there would not be 3 billion people around.
I really loved my Bravado brand bras. Comfy and easy access (not two qualities that usually go together in lingerie, but then, nursing bras are less lingerie than work wear–nice work if you can get it!).
So exciting! I just know that everything will go swimmingly. 🙂
So close! I’ve been reading your blog for a while and get really excited to read about your progress (with the knitting and the baby!). Hang in there. You are doing amazing and are truly an inspiration.
I’ll agree with some of the other comments; get the nursing bras NOW. I too suffered from terrible indigestion. Much of it was caused by the pressure of my stomach (yes I do mean the organ and not your belly) being squeezed too much. Fabric stores sell the band extenders but why spend the money on those when you will ultimately need the nursing bras anyways – in 53 days.
Enjoy these final days of pregnancy. You are about to embark upon the happiest time of your life. Having that little bundle of sweetness curled up in your arms sleeping peacefully will absolutely melt your heart and you will know that all of this was worth it.Don’t worry, you can plan and prepare all you want and there will still be times when you will think that you are so ill prepared. That is what parenthood is all about!
As far as carseats are concerned – Baby’s R Us and some car dealerships hold regular car seat checks. Also there is a carseat board on Babycenter.com – (Sorry for info overload! I design airbags & seatbelts / car safety is my daily life! 🙂 ) Looking forward to seeing a finished Oblique!
Cara,
Hang in there! I promise that the stiff hands, swelling, indigestion, etc will all be gone when the baby is born. I can relate. I had it all with my first and it’s all coming back with my second.
I’ll tell you that the better (healthier) you eat, the better you will feel. I drink gallons of milk to stave off the burning indigestion, and gallons of water to help with stiffness and swelling. I also found that floating in a swimming pool really helped with my first one.
You have been awarded the :’You Make My Day Award’. Because you totally do!
I just wanted to say that, as far as bras, I wish I had bought mine early in my pregnancy, since the ones my lactation consultant eventually sold me after E was born are AWESOME and stretchy enough to go up and down sizes, which happens throughout the day while nursing, but still be supportive. I have a medela for sleeping, but I love the bravado ones I got. I got to try on different sizes to get the right fit around the ribcage, and they are so comfortable. Try some out, you won’t regret it.
Oh, the ribs hurting…that was no fun.
For what it’s worth, I bought my nursing bras well before I gave birth because I outgrew my other bras. They worked fine for then and great afterwards. I still wear the Motherhood sleeping bras (post-nursing now) and am getting ready to go get more because I wore the elastic out.
Just do everything you can to take care of yourself. You’re creating a new life!!! good for you. Of course it’s overwhelming, how could it not be? Don’t expect that you’ll just take it all in stride, no worries, no problems, no nothing. It’s HUGE. And you’re doing great. And wow – 53 days and you’ll have a BABY! how great is that?
I nominated you for the You Make My Day Award!