cramping my style

so i think tuesday (three days ago) marks the beginning of what may wind up being a very long labor. for the last few days i've been having really bad cramping, alternating with contractions, alternating with major cervical pressure (and by pressure i mean pain). mr. baby is definately adjusting his position. rosanna checked me at my appointment and said i'm a little dialated and that she could feel the little rascals head. all of this of course means absolutely nothing in terms of when he'll make his appearance. please refrain from calling/emailing/texting me every five minutes and asking for updates! ;o) i'm just trying to rest as much as i can and keep busy when i'm not resting!

parker and i went with my dad and maria to a reggae concert in the park last night. parker rocked out with some other little kids. the highlight of my evening was when some thugs opened the door to the port-a-potty where i was hovering my big butt (with parker in the sling, no less). no, i don't have pictures of that.

blah

yeah, today is one of those blah days. r and i went out last night and had a lovely fonduey date (thanks emily!) and then the three of us crashed really early. but then, we were all awake several times during the night. i got up about 60 times to pee and adjust the thermostat (read: turn the air conditioning on). i had a strange stomach ache too and still have it today. so, the weather is weird, hot and muggy. i'm tired, parker is on again, off again cranky and r is leaving early for work today and tomorrow. blah.

37 weeks & do your part!

another reminder to see the al gore film and visit the climate crisis website! r is doing his part by riding his bike to and from work!

now that that's outta the way: i am 37 weeks pregnant. mr. baby is welcome to come anytime now (but he may not be here for another 5 weeks). according to my book (which we all know predicts nothing) the average baby is about 6.5lbs. and 21 inches at this stage. parker was born about a week early (39 weeks) and weighed 6lbs. 10oz. and was about 19 inches long. so, who really knows? i'm starting to feel more intense braxton hicks contractions but nothing regular yet. i'm doing my best to stay cool, hydrated, and not swollen!




here is miss p showing off one of her manymanymany preschool art projects!

signs?

about three weeks ago a bird built a nest in the awning of our carport. we've watched her tend to her eggs and listened to the "daddy" bird serenade the "mama" every morning at breakfast. this morning i noticed about 5 tiny babies poking their heads out of the nest begging to be fed. parker said, "mama bird nurse them?" try explaining the difference between mammals and birds to a two-year-old!

speaking of two-year-olds...i saw a funny quote from jerry seinfeld in reader's digest:
having a two-year-old is like having a blender that you don't have a top for.

how to scare preschool moms:

tell them you are home-birthing your baby! i figured "what the hell! it's the last day of summer school!" here are some of the responses i got:


*well, all first time moms need episiotomies. the body doesn't really know what to do the first time. the second time they just slide right out anyway.

*i'm having an elective c-section; i don't want to mess up my plumbing.

*c-sections are actually safer than vaginal births anyway.

*so are you like, gonna have the baby in your bed?

*you're going to take the baby to the hospital right afterwards right?

*my baby would have died if he had been born at home.

*what about the epidural?



*sigh* i was one of two moms who have breastfed too. the other one made it to two WEEKS. imagine what they would've thought had i mentioned that parker still nurses!



once again it is 900 degrees today; too hot to go to the pool. we set up the little one in the shade on the deck. see?

5 things:

FIVE ITEMS IN MY FRIDGE
1. tofu
2. chocolate covered raisins from see's candy
3. 4 giant artichokes
4. rice milk
5. kim chee

FIVE ITEMS IN MY CLOSET
1. maternity clothes
2. over-sized t-shirts
3. about 500 of r's ties
4. cowboy boots
5. stilettos

FIVE ITEMS IN MY CAR
1. carseat
2. striped mexican blanket
3. play doh
4. cliff bar
5. canvas trader joe's bags

FIVE ITEMS IN MY PURSE
1. target receipt
2. checkbook
3. fold up brush
4. change
5. random parker clips/scrunchies