Week 40 Update: Baby!

Hey there.  In spite of this whole pregnancy thing being a total fluke, homeboy was determined to make his appearance as scheduled.  I was originally due the 21st, then moved to 3/24, then 3/28, then at my last sonogram on February 25, they moved me back to 3/21.  Lo and behold if I didn't go into labor on Sunday night and there he was by Monday evening, right on time.  I take this to mean he'll be exceptional (since only what, 5% of kiddos are born on their due dates) from here on out.  When I've got a bit more time, I'll recount labor and delivery - mostly for me, so I don't forget.  It was something else.  Not that I had anything to compare it to.  In the meantime, prepare for an onslaught of pics of my bambino!

Henry Alexander Oberst

March 21, 2011

6 pounds, 12 ounces

20 inches long 

Ignore our weirdo faces, my doc had literally just thrown a baby at me.  Thankfully, the nurse (who was so awesome!) was totally with it and started snapping away while we're were making goofy mugs.

 

So new!  I can't believe he crossed the one week mark yesterday.  Sniffle.

 

K and H chillin' like villains.  No, they're not villainous at all.  

Stretching out before checking out of the hospital.  Seriously, they just let you leave.  Once I'd signed the forms, they could've cared less what we did with this kid.  They didn't even make me leave in a wheelchair!

At home, hanging out with his best Boppy friend.

Morning snuggle time.  With mittens.  This kid is doing everything he can to poke out his own eyes.  What's up with that?

So, yes, more later.  I'm running on empty (they forget to mention that you, the mama, will feel like total poo (and not go poo) for sometime after birth, but no one cares, especially your kid) with about four hours of sleep under my belt out of the last 48.  When we've better adjusted to our new normal, I hope to be back around here, but if you call me a mommyblogger, I will cut you.  Just saying.  I'm simply continuing to record and reveal fascinating snippets of my life and musings, they just now happen to include a baby.

Well, crap, there's no turning back now.

I have begun the descent into momblogdom.  However, fortunately, there are mom blogs out there that don't make me want to puke up the Benefiber laced water I just drank because my part-time job is consuming insane amounts of fiber since pregnancy makes your digestive system completely stop working.  It's awesome!  Try it!  Right, so I like this one: Shannanigans.  Not only does she dress up her peanut like a peanut, but lots of other things, but dang!  Did you see that little kid?  Is it wrong that I'm already looking forward to what combo costume we can wrangle Zeb and baby into already? 

Week 39 update:

You're still in there!  The dorky websites say you're the size of a watermelon, and for once, I believe them.  A smallish, roundish, not so ovalish watermelon, but melon nonetheless - except with arms and feet that insist on pummeling my insides - love you!  According to the doc, you're going to bake at least another week - no progress this time.  Fine by me!  Hang out all you want!  Crazy hormones talking here, but I feel like you're so much safer securely trapped on the inside that I'd rather you just continue your stint as internal wombmate for, you know, ever.  But that's crazy and you gotta get out and your dad really wants to meet you, so fine.  We'll do this thing the normal way, I suppose.

In the meantime, can I bitch a little bit?  Being pregnant is great and all that crap, except not really.  I mean, fine, it's ok and I'm super lucky to have experienced this and all that stuff (and I really mean that), but damn, I don't like how cranky and grouchy I've become because of feeling so physically blech.  My hips have essentially decided to not hold up the rest of my body any longer.  I've not gained any weight in the last few weeks (but assume there's been substantial shifting as the belly area has definitely grown, so fat is being redirected from somewhere, hopefully my thighs, please be my thighs) so it shouldn't be that, but dang if I can't get up.  Or sit down.  Or do anything without wincing like I've got a butt full of hemorrhoids.  Oh wait.  No, not yet, but I'm sure it's around the corner - I think it's last on the list of crappy pregnancy experiences.  In any case, I've really tried to pre-pamper this kid as much as possible by at least trying to provide for his basic needs at reasonable prices, but dude.  Help a mama out.  There should be a shower for moms to be where they give you a hair cut, a wax, a pedicure and prop you up (because your hips won't work) in front of a fun house mirror that makes you look unlike the bloated milk machine that you are and obscures your chins. 

Ok, back to being grateful that so far I'm suffering pretty well through this thing that a bajillion women have done selflessly (except for me) for thousands of years and that still nameless baby boy is right on track and healthy as can be.

Week 38 Update: Bowl of Pears

Yay!  Made it to week 38 without incident!  And by incident, I mean delivery because we are still soooooo not ready (at home and at work).  Ready-er, but not quite there.  You now at least have a choice of sleeping locations (crib and assembled pack and play), but no installed car seat, so we couldn't actually take you home to use them, so there's that.  All in good time, all in good time (or in the next two weeks or we're screwed).  Your little clothes have been washed, oh, about 12 times (I tried to make them softer, but because no fabric softener allowed, they kind of ended up crunchier, sadface), not that I have any idea what will actually fit you once you're on the other side.  You still have no set going home outfit, but I'm sure I'll come up with something... Right...  Other than that, I've got an appointment today where hopefully they'll let me know everything's still humming along a-ok and that you're facing the right direction and all that business.  Fingers crossed.

This week, all the websites are comparing you to some number of pears, which initially, I thought ridiculous.  However, last night, as I was in bed watching you presumably tap out morse code on my belly (because you're already a genius, duh), I realized that pile of pears isn't too far off - that's what you feel like - a bag of pears being shaken in all directions simultaneously.  Seriously, dude, what are you doing in there?

See you soon!  But not too soon, please.  Still need that two weeks, at least.

So,

I got a Parenting - Early Years magazine in the mail this week, so I'm all set, right?  That's pretty much all I'll need, I figure.

Week 37 Update: The Final Countdown

And by that I mean that week 37 is full term, according to most docs.  So, if yet to be named little man makes his debut before 40 weeks, he'd be a-ok.  But he better not have any such plans.  I'm super lucky to have a job, I know.  And I'm lucky to have a job that affords paid leave, I know (that said - I do have to use all of my accrued vacation and sick leave that I've earned over the past three and a half years to fund this maternity leave endeavor and I'm not psyched about this and I'll tell you why - faculty are paid for their maternity leave for up to eight weeks, staff must use leave if they wish to remain compensated during maternity leave HELLO UNFAIR!!!!!).  Where was I?  Right, so glad to have a job and six weeks paid leave to take (although I earned it and it's part of my compensation and I'd like to take eight since I don't know what to expect nor do I know if I'll ever have another kid and kinda want to savor what I can), but the preparing to take leave part is like having a second job, which sucks when I don't have time or energy to do my first job.  Blergh.  Again, lucky to be gainfully employed, especially in the rocky world of higher education, I know, but stressful nevertheless.  If I had a counterpart or back up, I'd feel a lot better, but our organization is structured in a way that each position is essentially one person deep, e.g. I am the one and only point person for 95% of my area of responsibility.  Spreading that around to other staff and training them to take some of the heat while I'm out is proving to be quite difficult.  I almost wonder if I just want to work a few days from home each week while I'm off to maintain some amount of continuity for employees and myself.  I've got to prepare to be gone, manage while I'm gone, then recover from being gone when I get back.  Is it worth it all?  So, that's today's complaint.

Other than that, baby and I are doing ok.  I'm definitely getting to the stage where I feel a faint waddle coming on, and I don't like it.  But no one asked me.  I feel like I weigh 200,000 pounds, but I actually dropped a couple lbs over the last week or so, not sure what's happening there, but the belly keeps on keepin' on, so I figure all is well.

I can't believe we're almost there!  I suppose I should do smart things now like learn the car seat sitch, pack the hospital bag, come up with at least a short list of names, but what do you bet I don't do any of that and watch Charlie Sheen rant and rave instead?