That's Interesting…

Time flies.
The Blueberry is over 35 weeks and weighs as much as a honeydew.
Starting next week, we will have our doc appointments weekly.
Crazy.

This morning we pre-registered and toured the hospital. We saw a number on babies born just hours ago sleeping happily/unhappily in the nursery. I was mesmerized. They are tiny but they are heads are BIG. Hmmmmm.

I am feeling great. Tired. Last Thursday I got up, showered, had breakfast and decided I needed an hour-long power nap after such a feat. But most days I am very perky. Getting out of bed is getting tricky though with no abs to speak off. So, David has to shove my off the bed at 3 am as an act of love so I can go to the bathroom. Actually I wake up less frequently now then during the second trimester. I sleep much better too.
I do waddle and I think twice before I deem something worthy to bend down for it. I love going on walks. Walking makes me feel awesome.
I am obsessed with rice pudding.

I constantly organize and reorganize the nursery. This weekend, I am getting our hospital bag/suitcase/moving truck ready.

Love,

Sandy

I have lost my innocence.
Might sound shocking coming from a pregnant woman but indeed it is true.
Yesterday I waltzed into Wal-Mart and, obeying the advice of veteran mothers, purchased hemorrhoid pads and adult diapers for post-birth recovery.
Just like that came the end of an era. An era of female mystery and lacy black lingerie.
I took it well. No hyperventilation. No searching google maps for the nearest Victoria’s Secret store in a vain/vain attempt to stop the inevitable. No drama. Just a sigh and a pat of the belly.
Actually the certainty that nobody would take my cart made me giggle.

Furthermore, I dare say I had a little epiphany. I realized that having a baby is kinda like getting married. You have no idea what you are getting yourself into but you have this glorious vision of cloud 9 and unicorns. When reality sets, you feel like you have been ran over by an entire fleet of trucks and all you can think about is finding a cliff high enough to push your “loved one” off of. Yet, magically, after the rough start you realize that you are incredibly happy and madly in love. None of your plans work out but life is just better for it. Somehow in the end you do get cloud 9 and the unicorns.

I am so completely in love with David and the Blueberry. They are my world.

Sandy

This is a link for an i-report with one of David’s pics of the solar eclipse from Sunday.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-792439

I am a news junkie.
Any news–political, sport, gossip, even the weather.
I soak it up like a sponge.
Every morning when I get up, I spent at least 1/2 hour reading about 12 different sites to see what is going on in the world.

Two weeks ago I kicked CNN.com cold turkey and forever dismissed them as a reputable source of journalism. About 5 years overdue I am embarrassed to admit.
Unfortunately that meant that my obsessive side clung onto ESPN.com like a gold-digger on a dying millionaire. I am a huge NBA fan. Go Celtics!! But after nights of dreaming about Blake Griffin (why???? The Clippers? Really?) and Paul Pierce, I decided I need to get a healthier habit. A more dignified habit. Cary Grant perhaps?
Anyway, for the last 36 hours I have not checked ESPN. I dont know the result of last night’s games and I am still breathing. Yes, I sound like Darth Vader but I am live.
Admittedly, the decision to wean myself off was not motivated by pure self-awareness. The fact is that the Celtics lost Friday after a 14:0 start, the Lakers won, and the Czech Republic lost to Slovakia in World Hockey Championship semi-finals (read: national mourning). My psyche could not withstand such blows. I am hardly a fair-weather fan but I have my limit.
I am not saying goodbye to the world of sports. Just taking a break until my dreams go back to Banana Republic fire sales, hair-free legs, and me being voted a SEC chair woman.

Love,

Sandy

I:
Late last night as I was waiting at an intersection, a couple crossed the street with their arms around each other. They walked awkwardly as he was very tall and she was very short. It was obvious that they were a brand new item and there was nothing, including waddling, that was going to stop them from this new, glorious embrace. For a second I felt the goosebumps, the butterflies, the shortness of breath associated with the first touch of a new love interest.
It is such a high.
But I did not envy them. I love knowing David. I know what he likes, what he doesnt like, how he reacts to different situations, what he will say next, what will make him cry, what will make him laugh what he cares for, what he doesnt care for, etc. I love knowing what dental floss he prefers and that movie hackers will make him pull up his soap box for the next 20 minutes. I love being married. I love love being married to David.

I 15:
I cant take it no more. UDOT is my new arch nemesis. Apparently every night they go on play dates with their orange cones and randomly alter freeway exits. On Monday they blocked off University Avenue so I ended up having to drive all the way to the east side of the lake to get home. Not cool at 11 at night.
Last night I thought I outsmarted them and did a U turn only to discover that the road was blocked off and I was heading back onto the freeway and to SLC.
I hate them.

IV:
We officially fired our OBGYN. The IV was just one of the last straws that pushed me over. We met our midwife today. She talked to us for nearly an hour–never looking at her watch to make sure she was on time for her next hysterectomy appointment. She went over all our questions and concerns. It was fantastic. The midwife is actually part of the same clinic as our previous doctor so it simplifies everything. Plus the doctors are available for support if necessary.
My main push was that we both want David to receive the baby. The doctor was very hesitant while the midwife was very open if everything goes well. I cant imagine anything more beautiful than David receiving our little Blueberry.

Love,

Sandy

The Blueberry is apparently 17 inches now and weighs about as much as a pineapple. So, I am off to Costco to buy a pineapple. Two weeks ago she weighed as much as 4 navel oranges so I pensively walked around Macey’s with four naval oranges. Pineapple is luckily much more inconspicuous.

Sandy

I am officially a US citizen. Yesterday I had my allegiance ceremony in SLC at the DHS building. David, Jonnie, the Hemmerts, and aunt Jaynie came to support me. In total, individuals from 22 countries were naturalized with me. I received a certificate of citizenship and a letter from Obama.
Today I applied for a US passport.
I feel so honored.

We spent an extended weekend in Las Vegas visiting David’s family. I love mini breaks. I love getting out of town and just playing. We went to the National Atomic Testing Museum. Amazing–it really blew our mind. I put together a big family dinner. David scanned piles of family pics.
I spent a lot of my time by the pool tanning and relaxing. Unfortunately the pool is shaded so it was not suitable for extended swimming. I would just jump in and out. The Blueberry’s amniotic fluid must have frozen along with her (think ice-age mammoth) when I got in because she would stop moving and then 5 minutes after I would get out she would defrost and start kicking wildly. It was great fun.

I got a lovely rug for the nursery and today I sewed a double-sided receiving blanket. Very excited.

School started yesterday. Evening classes are going to kick my trash.

Love,

Sandy

Today
Today was the first day in 5 months that I had absolutely nothing scheduled. I did not have to be anywhere. I did not have to do anything. Incredible. David and I had a marvelous picnic lunch on the lawn by his office. We went on a short walk. Then watched and fed ducks. Very relaxing. I also went to the temple, gardened, went shopping, and napped.

Mama Mia
While some view child birth as a surgical procedure, the approach preached by our prenatal class was that the birth of life represents the final climax of sexual intimacy between a man and a woman. Hence it was suggested that instead of wearing hideous hospital gowns (which would have snuffed out any chance of procreation in the first place), women go shopping for a new gown to birth their baby in–one that will make them feel sexy and comfortable. I hardly need encouragement to go shopping plus this philosophy actually made sense to me. The fact is that when I am dressed like a witch, I tend to act like a witch. While if I know I look attractive, I am much more pleasant and relaxed.
So, I went shopping for a sexy birth gown. I got two. I am an overachiever. I realize that I will ultimately be covered in blood, sweat, and tears but I will “feel” smoking hot. That is at least the plan.

Nursery
I am making strides with the nursery. I am leaning towards a zoo theme–lions, elephants, giraffes, etc. Currently the main set back are two shotguns and a machete that are still hanging on the wall from when David ruled this jungle. But apart from that tiny glitch, Martha Stewart would approve.

Love,

Sandy

Last night David and I attended a performance of the Utah State Opera – “Of Mice and Men”. I can hardly think of a time that I was in more pain. The music was totally and utterly unbearable. I am hardly a musical connoisseur but I can tell the difference between pterodactyl screeching and a melody. This was an evening of “Prehistoric Idol”. Even the Blueberry was trying to run away and spent the evening attempting to kick its way out of my tummy. Both David and I sighed with relief when the female protagonist died at the prospect of not having to listen to her any more.
Pain. Headache. Despair.
I would rather watch my Boston Celtics be beat by the Charlotte Bobcats than endure two more notes.

I am dedicating this Sunday to Bob Dylan to calm my poor nerves.

Sandy

My boobies are shrinking.
The growth spurt of the first trimester is clear done and gone.
And now they are smaller than what I started with.
With two more months of pregnancy ahead of me, there is a chance that at this pace they will retract into my rib cage.
Maybe it is time to send David to the magical African tribe where men nurse the infants.
Hmmmm.
BTW, it costs about $2,000 dollars to feed a baby on formula. Compared with $36,000 dollars to feed it on purchased breast milk. Liquid gold, indeed.

On Thursday evening David moved out of his office. I thought it was going to take him days but he did it all at once. I was so impressed and grateful. So, now I get to set up and decorate the nursery before school starts. I have washed all the clothes we have bought so far for the Blueberry, the crib is all set up, diapers and wipes are ready to go. It is getting real!!! There is a little person coming our way.

Yesterday as I was putting away the Blueberry’s outfits, David picked up the tiny socks and said how overcome he is with a deep sense of responsibility and love to care for the little person whose feet will fill those socks. He said it so sincerely and humbly. It was one of the sweetest moments of my entire life and one that I will remember forever. Wow.

Love,

Sandy