5 weeks and counting

Well, we had another doctor appointment yesterday. Baby is doing fine, with a heart pumping at 147 bpm, and measuring well. I had lost a pound this week, which is fine, because I had been gaining a little too much -- 2 lbs per week instead of the 1/2 I'm supposed to gain :) My blood pressure was great and baby is head down, ready for delivery. Doctor Peck is going to be gone two out of the next 4 weeks, so that will be interesting. He told me that in two weeks he'd introduce me to his partner, and told me that if I had to have Dr. McFarlane, that I'd like him very much. I hope he's right :) Dr. Peck is such a nice guy -- he seemed sad at the possiblity of not getting to deliver our little girl.

Erin got to go along with us yesterday. She was a big hit in the office. The nurse that did my bp and weight check (Leslie) took her out front to meet the other nurses and she came back stickered with Barbies and puppies. When she came back, she asked me when Erin's birthday was. Erin piped up and told her August 24th. Leslie asked how old she'd be then. When I told her that Erin would be 4, her jaw fell to the floor, and she told us how proud we should be at how well-mannered and poised Erin is. David and I smiled and said thanks, thinking of all the temper tantrums we've had in the past few weeks, the loud comments from Erin about how she doesn't like different names of people we meet, and other "precious" moments. However, it is wonderful to be reminded that we are having some positive impact on our daughter as parents, and that she is a precious creation. Nurse Leslie even wanted to give us her number so she could babysit for Erin sometime. I was very excited about that! As we left, they all invited her to bring her stethoscope along next time, so they could all wear them together (Erin has a real one, compliments of Grandma Gerstenkorn). They tried to convince her that is was okay to wear it around the neck, instead of constantly in the ears, but she was still not convinced, and looked at them suspiciously, as if David and I had bribed them to mention this to her :) She told them she didn't know how they could hear things with it around their neck, she could only hear with it in her ears, and that's how she intended to wear it. Stubbornness roots deeper still!

One funny moment about the doctor visit ... I had forgotten just how they check for "Group B Strep" in new mommies, and when Leslie brought the smock for the bottom half of me into the room, I remembered. Just a quick swipe with a cotton swab ... but this does require me to remove the bottom half of clothing. As I started doing this, I was trying to explain to Erin that Dr. Peck was just going to check me, and that it was okay and a "safe" thing. She was not near the end of the exam table, but up near my head. She looked at me, as I was disrobing, and said, "Mom, it is not appropriate for you to take off your pants here! We are not at home!" I about lost it, and had to agree with her, that most times, it is inappropriate to take one's pants off anywhere other than home, but again reiterated that at the doctor office or hospital, it was okay if a doctor or nurse asked that of you.

What a crazy time we are in ... the bridge between concrete and abstract thought ... learning to make logical conclusions from information that is known and new information. It makes me think twice about using "figures of speech" and other funny sayings as I have to try to explain them -- we use some strange word combinations, I have discovered! Here's to new discovery, new thoughts, and new levels of appropriateness!

Cleaning House

I see that a bunch of "house cleaning" spam stuff is appearing on here -- I think someone feels sorry for me, or has seen the inside of my house. However, due to an increase in my own house-cleaning aptitude, I have added the word verification to comment on my blog. I don't need someone from Michigan, Florida, Arkansas, Montana, or any other state to solicit me for house cleaning services :) If they'd do it for free ... then they could post all they wanted, but somehow I doubt that is the case! Have a great weekend -- I'll be continuing the clean sweep around here. Erin's room and the livingroom have stayed relatively great, and the kitchen is catching up, despite the three baking projects in the past two days, and cooked dinners for the past three nights, plus a a cooked lunch for Erin and I yesterday! Nothing spectacular, but around here, for those of you who have seen it, you know it's an accomplishment! Now it's off to my bedroom to prepare for the big room-swap!

Time for a new post

I see it's been a while since my latest post, and although I don't really have a lot to share, I was tired of seeing the "Manipulation ..." title at the top of my blog :)

According to Tuesday's dr. visit, baby Rahija is doing fine, on schedule to arrive in 5 1/2 weeks. Dr. Peck asked us to not have the baby the week of Feb 27th or March 13, as he will be gone, the first week on a surgical mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and the second week on his family vacation. I told him we were going to start a lottery, and he was welcome to join :) I know Aunt Krista wants a Friday baby, so she can come up to visit, Daddy wants a Monday/Tuesday baby so he can have some days home from work plus a weekend, one "adopted grandma" wants a Thursday because she'll be at the hospital volunteering, ... any other requests? I try to put in a few good words for these requests, but this child seems to have a mind all her own, and will be coming in her own time, I think :) I just hope she waits for Dr. Peck, because we love him as a doctor, and don't want anyone else!

I have finally gotten excited about this room-move we've been planning for the last few months, and as of yesterday, two of the three rooms that it is necessary to have clean/picked up, meet that requirement! The last room, our current bedroom, is the one lacking. It is a disaster area, but with only one room to work on, while simply maintaining the others, it doesn't seem so daunting. I am also starting to feel the urgency of getting baby stuff out, getting Erin settled without her feeling "displaced" by the baby, and the general energy from cleaning -- hark, is it nesting?! Whatever it is, I think it's good, and I aim to keep it going! We are going to need some help moving furniture around, as I'm not to be lifting heavy things, so items like our piano, cabinet stereo, entertainment center, dresser, ... will need some assistance :) Boy am I sad about that :) Actually, I kind of like moving furniture/rearranging rooms, and it's hard for me to visualize. I hate to ask people to move and move and move things around that are heavy. Oh well, I guess that's just part of the process!

Well, as you can see, I'm not full of much news. Hope everyone is staying/getting well from illness, and staying warm in the latest little blast of winter. Have a great day!