Today I happily stumbled upon a photo of the beloved pet mouse I kept alive for over a year. It may sound silly, saying over a year, but he was already quite mature to begin with. So this post, it's for you Barnaby. You were loved by all, especially my niece, Emma.
You never bit a soul. You were soft, & playful. You were patient when the kids wanted to hold you. You were brave when Caesar would try to play with you in your rolling ball. You always ate all your food, & you were never that hard to clean up.
You lived for all three moves. You thrived after being whisked away in Daisy's mouth. You survived almost being drowned.
You were a good mouse, Barnaby, & we miss you!
& I don't think my audience has been graced with the presence of my adorable niece yet. This is Emma:
She took that picture herself using the camera on my phone. She's 4.
This is Caesar's interpretation of his day @ the park.
When I first arrived, all I really wanted to do was relieve myself. The other dogs @ the park were rude. They could have at least waited until I was done to sniff around.
I felt better after relieving myself, so I decided to make friends. Though I felt popular @ the moment, I must've said something wrong because all the other dogs ran off & played without me. :(
I asked Daddy if he would chase me, & when he said yes I was over joyed. I asked Mommy if she wanted to join, but one look at her mid-section told me that her fat ass wouldn't be able to keep up. Not sure why she let herself go so much, she would of had a blast running around with us.
Note from Rachael: Caesar isn't mean enough to call me fat while I'm 9 months pregnant. We just assume that he still has no idea a baby is coming. Mainly because he's constantly jumping & launching himself @ my stomach as if nothing were in there.
I was pretty tired after running around like a maniac for a half hour. A few other dogs showed up, but nobody that looked very interesting. I prefer hanging out with my parents, anyway. We left, & I got to do my favorite thing ever: stick my face out of the window and let the wind flap my cheeks about. Overall, it was a good day.
So, I guess Caesar had a pretty good time. I saw this sign hanging on the fence @ the park, too, and was curious:
A hookworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestines of it's host, which could be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human. I guess if you have small cuts on your feet, you could be @ risk for contracting one of these nasty buggers. They can cause all kinds of gastrointestinal & cognitive problems.
However, I'm thinking that the pure fact of stepping in dog shit with my bare feet is enough to make me wear shoes. But, that's just my opinion.
~
In other news I got to stop by Borders & pick out a few books. Phil & I had just recently watched the movie Everything is Illuminated starring Elijah Wood. It's amazingly hilarious, & I highly recommend it. I knew that it was based off a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer who is also the main character in the movie. So I picked up that novel, along with another by him called Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. I'm excited to read both!
In baby news still not much happening. Every morning I wake up I get more & more anxious, irritated, & frustrated. I don't even know how to explain it. I'm getting so incredibly anxious. It literally feels like he's never going to come out. I've never had this kind of anxiety before. But, lets hope he makes a debut soon, before I drive myself insane!
~
Also, don't forget to find me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, & watch me on Dailybooth! I love the social nets! :)
You guys remember how much I've been complaining that I never get to do anything fun? Well, I finally got to leave the house! Even the city! I went to the first night of Daytrotter's Barnstormer III tour!
Daytrotter is a well established website with it's street team stationed in Rock Island, IL that provides you with a source for new music discovery & free MP3 downloads from the best emerging bands.
Barnstormer is the term used when Daytrotter packs up a handful of amazing bands and sends them sailing through the mid-west, stopping @ fun barn venues & other amazing places to offer a night of fun & music.
Now, unfortunately due to very annoying events, my camera wasn't cooperating properly. I salvaged what photos I could to show you today. I also managed to snag a clip of Free Energy's set, so enjoy!
The show was thrown @ the historic Octagonal Barn in West Liberty, IA. It was a two story barn, & the show & stage were set upstairs. Lots of fun, not so lots of toilet paper.
The set-up was really impressive. Most of the photos were from early on in the night. The entire stage & upstairs of the barn was pretty much packed by the middle of the night.
The barn was set off the side of a gravel road. It was one of those creepy chainsaw massacre type of deals.
& now for the fun clip of Free Energy. As you'll notice, by this time it was PACKED!
I totally suggest crashing one of these parties if you ever get the chance. It was a ton of fun!
And In Baby News... still no adorable offspring in my arms. Today I turned 38 weeks. I'm getting increasingly impatient. What's on tomorrow's agenda, since I used today to recover from last night? Book hunting! If you have any good suggestions, I'd appreciate it!
This morning I woke up @ 8:00am. I couldn't breathe out of my nose. So after a vigorous Afrin Nasal spray session, I was able to fall back asleep & stay that way until 11:05am.
It was pretty amazing. I wasn't even mad that I skipped my favorite meal, breakfast, and my morning snack.
Another milestone today! The reason I ended up even getting up is because I got this sudden horrible contraction, that wrapped it's squeezing arms around to my back. I thought maybe I had been laying down too long, so I got up & went to the bathroom. Lo' & behold, there was my mucus plug. In all it's mucousy glory. Let's hope this is a step in the right direction!
I also promised a surprise. Phil was given an indefinite loan of an old Polaroid camera. After spending almost $30 on only 8 shots of film for it @ the-impossible-project.com, we got them in the mail with no time to spare. Which is good, since we wanted to use it for some of baby boy's first photos.
I, knowing that the birth of our son could come & go in a matter of short instances, was worried about the functioning of the camera & it's compatible film. Of course, not to doubt Phil's mad camera man skills, I just wanted to make sure we knew how to use the damn thing. So, we decided to take what could be the last photo of my belly as it will shortly cease to grow. It's probably my favorite belly photo, of all time. I'm really happy he thought of this idea, because it's going to be so awesome.
We'll of course be taking many, many more photos with our regular digital camera, as well. But these will definitely look good in contrast when we finally get a photo album put together. :)
Since I've been on this bedrest, my parents have been trying to help out as much as possible. Well, since the baby could be here any day now, I thought it fit to get some laundry done. My mom volunteered, but she had to bring Emma (niece) & Nolan (nephew) with her. Nolan had fallen asleep on the way over, so I just told her to chuck him on my bed so he can ride out the nap. They are few & far between, I hear. So while I fed Emma more sugar than necessary (because that's what aunts do), we waited for him to wake up. Turns out, he woke himself up by peeing all over himself. Of course, it got on my bed. Not much, but enough to leave a heart shaped wet spot on my sheets. I wish I would've taken a picture, but I didn't. :(
Phil & I were testing out angles on our digital camera before we snapped a shot with the Polaroid. I just found this on the camera, and played with it a bit. Usually I hate how my belly looks from the front, but I really liked this one:
As much as I resent the belly, I might actually miss it once it's gone.
Phil didn't make it home tonight in time for dinner, so I ate by myself. As I did, I thought baking some cookies would be a great way to pass the time. I love to get the kind you break apart and bake for about 10 minutes, because I am a horrible baker & way too impatient to make them by scratch. They usually come with 24 cookies, but normally I eat 2 blocks of dough, and save 2 for Phil.
What I watched:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - Heathcock Family
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - Beach Family
The Mothman Prophecies
What I listened to:
Miniature Tigers - Tell It To The Volcano
The Good Life - Album of the Year
Fleet Foxes - Self Titled
Dr. Dog - We All Belong
Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
I was hoping to possibly bust out my old Lord of the Ring's collection & start reading them again. The weather seemed nice enough earlier today. But when it rains, it pours. :( So instead I did what all the stars do and I sang instead. But still, boo. I NEED SUNLIGHT!
I never ended up reading anything, by the way. :(
Anyway, ended up going to bed around 10:47pm. After I started feeling really hot & sticky and showering for no reason at 10:30 at night. This mixture of humidity & chilly air is not fun!
As always, you can follow me on Twitter & watch me on Dailybooth for more interesting updates through out the day!
Stayed tuned for hopefully tomorrow! Which will be Day 3!
Why did I wake up so early, with absolutely nothing on my agenda? Because all night I had been having to pee inside of a funnel, & had to pour it into big orange jug to refrigerate it.
Why, you must be asking yourself. Because I had to do the famous 24 hour test, of course! Because of my high blood pressure, they wanted to dig a little deeper by checking 24 hours worth of urine. You'd be surprised what piss can say about a person.
Anyway, having to walk back & forth from the fridge to the bathroom is more of a chore then it sounds. I constantly had to pour every last drop into this stupid container. & when you pee as much as I do, it's just time consuming. But, hopefully it will give us a little insight on what's going on.
Besides having to get up in the middle of the night to pee 4 times & having to make sure it was refrigerated, I got a pretty restful night. I started my day out right with a big bowl of Fruit Loops, a big glass of milk, and a cup of coffee with French vanilla creamer.
Phil didn't wake up until about a quarter to 9.
I had to make sure I turned my pee pee jug into the lab at the hospital before noon. I was happy to know Phil's sessions didn't start until 1 or so. That is, or so we thought. He had to duck out early, & I was left to take the icky container all by my lonesome. When I got there, they informed me they also had to draw blood. The nurses never said anything about it, so it was a surprise, but I didn't really mind.
I used to work @ the lab a few years ago, so I got to see a few people I hadn't talked to since I left there! Made me realize how much I missed that place, & most of the people. However, I am sick of all the lab work being done. My poor arms aren't looking too nice.
Anyway, enough about pee, blood, & labs. Here is something that keeps me amused day in & day out, bed ridden or not. My dog. If you are unaware or haven't met him, he's a character. His name is Caesar. He is a 1 year old miniature Shetland sheepdog. AKA: mini-Lassie He's very shy, reserved, weird, & eccentric. Lately he's been doing this goofy thing where he assaults his toy duck, which in turn takes out his territorial frustrations. Like I said, he's weird. & he doesn't like people walking in our halls, or other dogs walking outside. It pisses him off. & this is what he does to take out that anger:
By this time I had snacked on a chocolate chip granola bar, some original Lay's chips, and a small glass of cherry Kool-Aid.
This next part are just some tid-bits I did through out the day. I don't have cable, so I watch all my entertaining shows via my Dell Inspiron mini. So every day I'll take a picture of the weird set-up I have to do in order to watch my shows. :)
As you can see we have my Dell Inspiron Mini, my $5 speakers, my cute little USB purple mouse, my cell phone, & my box of tissues.
What I watched:
The Office - Secretary's Day
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - The Hill Family
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - The Mattingly Family
The Basketball Diaries
What I listened to:
Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
Beach House - Teen Dream
For lunch I whipped up a fresh batch of Spaghettios (or happiness in a can, as I call it), a Gala apple, 2 Little Debbie star crunches, some original Lay's chips, & a can of Coca Cola.
I decided that a small, easy project would be able to take up some of my time. I remember trying to stuff an important document into our bedside table, where we store many important documents, & it was a filthy mess. So, I emptied it out, & reorganized it. I thought, "Well hey! Since I'm organizing junk drawers, I might as well do the kitchen one, too." So I did.
I know they don't look particularly organized, but if you had seen them before, you'd know.
It was a rainy day, with not much to do. As you can tell by my post. When Phil got home I made us some Velveeta shells & cheese, hot dogs w/ ketchup & mustard, a star crunch and a can of Coca Cola. We watched a movie, played with a surprise I'll tell you about tomorrow, & then went to bed.
Thanks for spending my first full day of bedrest with me!
Due to my new found boredom, lack of anything to do, and dedication to bringing pregnant woman some piece of mind I now present you with my lastest (& hopefully VERY SHORT) blog series: My Adventures on Bedrest by Rachael Chesnutt
First off, I've never been told I'm not allowed to clean before. I've also never been told that I'm not allowed to walk my dog or go get the mail. So this is a new & not so exciting experience for me.
Secondly, I know that I am already considered full-term, and honestly don't have much more than 3 weeks tops to be on bedrest, so let me inform you this little series is not going to be of my bitching & moaning. It's going to be more of an amusement to myself. I want to send my love out there to all the women who have been bedridden since their 2nd, or even 1st trimester. I could never do it, sister. Mad props to you.
& last, an explanation. I'm 37 weeks and 2 days along. Just this week I found out that my blood pressure rises when I succumb to too much activity. In order to keep this baby cookin' as long as we can, my midwives have decided it's better that I rest than risk him not being well done yet.
Now, I'll warn you. This series may be a few weeks long. This series may be a few days long. Either way, I'm sure you're rooting for me.
To really get a feel for this silly experience, follow me on Twitter where I'll be posting updates throughout the day. Also, follow me on Dailybooth to see what I've been up to as well.
Thank you, & as always: stay tuned!
"If 750,000 businessmen every year were told to leave their jobs and lie on their left sides for months on end, I have a funny feeling there would be a lot more research done on bed rest!"
—Sarah Bilston, author of the fiction novel Bed Rest.
For women who have found out they'll be on bedrest much longer than me, find people like you in your situation to befriend & amuse! Visit KeepEmCookin.com to find out more about pre-term labor, bedrest, & more!
So today ended up being a lot more exciting that I anticipated. Had a lot of bleeding & cramping earlier, so I called my midwife. She wanted to come in to make sure everything was okay. Turns out that wasn't even the main concern. Found out I have elevated blood pressure! It's been that way for a week now. So they sent me over to the birthing center at Genesis East hospital to monitor me.
Thankfully, my blood pressure was revived & I was sent home. I don't think I was quite mentally prepared for all of that, especially if they had told me I had to deliver today. It just wasn't on my agenda.
Anyway, I joined a new social networking website today. :) Big surprise, right?
It's called DailyBooth, & it's just like Twitter, but it's mainly pictures instead!
The sad thing about the site is that it doesn't let you search for your friends using social networking accounts you already have, like Twitter & Facebook. For some reason, I thought that the site did connect with Twitter, but I was wrong. :(
So if you get bored & want to try something new, go sign up! & befriend me!
That's all for today!
P.S. I'm on pretty strict bed rest, so I had to send Phil to grocery shop alone. Lo' & behold he made it back home with everything we needed & did an amazing job! He's the best!
So, today finally marks the full term spectrum of my pregnancy. If my baby were born today, he'd be considered full term. I had a midwife appointment at 8:15 this morning, & here is what we did & what we found out.
The first blood pressure check was high. They did the Group C Strep test. & to my newly impregnated mama's out there... when they say rectal exam, they don't mean it. They told me a rectal swab, and I freaked. They barely brushed that sucker near my crack. So, don't be alarmed! The worst of the examinations was the cervical! It hurt VERY bad. Because of my high blood pressure, they also drew blood to check my liver enzymes. If that comes back too abnormal, they may consider delivering him earlier. While they were down there... they did a cervical exam. They show me at 80% effaced (thinned out) & almost 1 cm dilated. I say almost, because a whole cm dilation is considered by being able to fit your finger inside. But, it was a tight squeeze, so we're saying almost. She also observed him via palpitation. He's most definitely head down. His butt curves up to my belly button on my right side. (This allows my right side to always look lopsided. Thanks, hon.) They guesstimated him at about 7 lbs 4 ozs. Which is MUCH better than I thought.
Either way, I'm here at home until he's born making sure I don't stress myself out & I keep my blood pressure low. Let's hope he comes quicker than I expect, before I die of boredom!
Now that I am coming to the so close yet so far end of my pregnancy, it's time to start evaluating myself. I'm going to not only be desperate, but ambitious about looking like myself again. I'm guessing I'll hit the 180lbs mark by the time he's born. Surprisingly, I'm not that distressed about it. So, what I shall plan to do now, is to take a look at getting myself back down to a healthy weight. & by doing so, in a healthy way.
I am currently 5'3" tall. That gives me a healthy weight range of 104lbs - 141lbs. Basing this on my body structure, I should be hitting the lower middle of this grid. I'd say about 120lbs - 130lbs. Still, a wide range.
If I were ideally aiming to get down to 130lbs, the healthy amount of calorie intake per day would be about 2100. While breastfeeding, a healthy mom with a constant full milk supply, should intake about 2200 - 2400 calories per day. Your aim should be an extra 200 - 300 calories a day, while breastfeeding.
To reach this goal
Things I plan to get more of
fresh fruit fresh vegetables protein (a healthy mixture of beef, pork, chicken, & fish) calcium (lowfat yogurt, milk, & cheese) whole grains (substituting white flour for whole wheat flour)
I'm going to plan on working out 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week. This, of course, won't start until I feel I am fully healed. I want to get started right away, but I don't want to push myself to hard.
& of course
bitter/sweet indulgences
beer (I'll try to stick to wheat? lol) chips (It'll be summer... you can't blame me.) & ICE CREAM (Once again... summer... I'll try to substitute for a smoothie.) HOTDOGS! (Once again... summer...)
I think I may have scared the shit out of some people when I said, Ah, the time is here. In reality, I meant that the time in question was to get our car seat set up in my car before I go into labor. Which I'm extremely happy we did, because holy crap that was a pain in the butt.
Quite awhile back we were given 2 used car seat bases from a friend of Phil's. Apparently, due to lack of concern and funds, it seems highly appropriate. But today, we woke up, and Phil said, "I think it's time to put the car seat in the car." Now don't get me wrong, I'm a huge sucker for signs that he's coming. The dog starts acting weird, Phil starts trying to get little projects finished, even every song/title/thing I hear has either the words labor, baby, or it's time in it. But I'm doubting this.
Anyway, he got the old bases out, and started to do some research. He YouTube'd a few videos on how to install a car seat, etc. Suddenly, he states the bases we were given are absolutely no good and we need to buy a new one. I'm not sure what happened to them while they stayed in the closet that suddenly made them expired.
But, I guess, we were on a mission to find a car seat base. Luckily, Toy's R US opens at 9:00, so we headed over there. We paroozed through Comfort Ride 22's, Snug Fit 33's, Gentle Cruise 34's, etc. (Not really the names, but it all sounded the same to me.) We ended up with a Graco SnugRide 35, bought it, and headed home. Well, to our everlasting luck, the damn car seat wouldn't attach inside. We read the manual, Google'd directions, YouTube'd videos. Nothing. After about 20 minutes of unnecessary bicker and banter, we decided to go back to the store. When we got there, Phil decided he wanted to try it one more time before we went back into the store. At this point, I haven't had breakfast, coffee, and of course barely any sleep. I finally convinced him against his wonderful testosterone driven instincts that we should just take our car seat and their base in and ask for help. I'm crazy, I know.
Turns out we needed a completely different base. It took 3 very kind & understanding Toy's R US employee's to show us what we were doing wrong. We even got $13 back!
All in all, it has already been an eventful morning. The reason I even bothered posting this un-epic charade, is because I know there are going to be future new mommy's & daddy's who are going to go through this exact same thing. I know plenty from Facebook, even. & I just want to show you that you are not going to be alone. I've never had to install a car seat, let alone pick one out. So, take the shame you may feel and push it away. It's easier just to ask for help.
Oh, & don't tell Phil about this post. He was extremely aggravated & annoyed by my excessive picture taking. I couldn't agree with those feelings more. But he knows I'm a blogger, & it's kind of what I do.
I decided that my last few posts have been a little depressing. So, I'm going to amuse you by posting a picture blog today. I'm feeling quite a bit better than I was this morning, so this will be far more pleasant.
So lately I've been trying to entertain Caesar while nobody is home by buying him a mixture of good ol' fashioned rawhide bones, & those Purina BusyBones. That worked all fine and dandy of course, until he started beating his record for fastest bone ever chewed. The BusyBone chews were K.O.'ed in about a half hour, where as it took maybe an hour to finish the smaller rawhide bones I was getting him... I mean he's not a big dog & doesn't have very large teeth. So today, while at Walmart, I picked him up this close to $3 Goliath bone & gave it to him. He's absolutely thrilled, but he has to stand to chew it. Let's just see how long this one lasts...
Lately we've also been taking him to the local dog park. Now, Caesar is a lover. He loves Phil & I, and is a great cuddle buddy. But, if he doesn't know you, he's a creep. He's so shy, it's almost embarrassing. We thought this may only pertain to humans, but sadly it's also to other dogs. As of late, we've noticed him becoming increasingly playful. We're hoping by the end of the summer, he'll be somewhat normal. But if you met the dog, you'd know that normal is probably something he'll never be.
While at Walmart, I also picked this up. First off, there is a small kiosk in the baby/infant section that has $3 per piece Garanimal's clothing. It is usually either newborn or 0 - 3 month things, and consists of mostly onesies & matching shorts and pants. It's so hard for me to shop there, even if I'm only picking up toilet paper, without stopping by and seeing what they have. Well, I kind of lost my shit when I saw this. Adorable little plaid shorts and a matching crab onesie. I told him I'd only buy it for him if he decided to make his debut by the end of next week. His firm kick in my ribs told me this meant, "Deal."
This is one of the last things we needed before our son's layette was finished. It was only about $35 online, & comes with some really nice features. Our theme for his nursery is Winnie the Pooh, mainly because we were trying to keep everything neutral. We weren't going to find out his sex, but by the time 20 weeks came around we were absolutely dying to know. Now that we found out his sex, we decided to keep the name we chose for him a secret until he's born. This is easier than I thought it would be, because I LOVE the name we chose & I honestly just want to tell everyone.
Last but not least, pizza. I came to the realization that if I were stuck on a island & was only allowed to eat 1 food for the rest of my life, I want that to be pizza. Why? Because a.) it's delicious, b.) you can put ANYTHING on it, c.) you don't need a plate to eat it, and d.) it tastes good with water, soda, & beer. You can never go wrong. However, I can only eat frozen pizza if it is burnt to a chewy crisp. So I'm hoping whoever the asshole is who puts me on this island and forces me to make this choice, he at least lets me choose where the pizza is coming from.
& that's it for my picture blog! Oh, & it's because our pizza just got here! :)
I remembered a random moment where my sister-in-law told me that in the last few weeks of her pregnancy she felt like her hips were splitting apart. I nodded like I normally do when post-pregnant mothers tell me things like this.
Last night, I finally realized what she was talking about. I've reached the piss-in-the-middle-of-the-night, or frequent urination, status of about 6 times per night. People keep hammer and nailing my mind with HYDRATION HYDRATION HYDRATION. But, the time I'm more thirsty, is at night.
So anyway, last night, every time I stood to go pee it literally felt like my hips, or my pelvic bone, was being pulled apart. It was the worst pain I've felt yet. It made it very hard to sleep, & even harder to get comfortable. I'm 36 weeks and 2 days pregnant today, & although he's not full term until 37 weeks, I could care less if he decided to come today.
Even though I have the easiest job in the world, working at the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and everyone is ultra kind to me, it's still getting harder to get there and stay at work the whole time. I don't work more than 5 hours a day, and even that sometimes is unbearable. All I want to do is come home, strip into my bra and undies, and lay in the most comfortable position possible on my bed. Even my couch can't cut it anymore.
Okay, that's enough bitching for one post. Gotta keep my eye on the prize.
So, because I am a mid-western American who will be needing maternity leave in a month or less, I've been studying up. & let me tell you, the results I've found are atrocious. First, I want to talk about maternity leave.
In the United States, employers are required to give up to 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. HOWEVER, different companies have different policies. Some will only allow 6 weeks unpaid for a vaginal birth, & 8 weeks unpaid for a c-section. Some will only allow up to 12 unpaid weeks if you've been an employee for so long. Some will pay you during maternity leave, but most won't.
Now, this doesn't seem UN reasonable at all. That is, until you learn what other countries are offering their new mothers.
In France woman are required to take 16 weeks of mandatory paid maternity leave. This time allotment is increased when a woman has her second baby. Both men & woman are allowed up to 3 years of unpaid maternity leave with job security. The French government also offers many benefits, such as financial supplements with families that have 3 or more children, and low-cost daycare & nanny services.
FRANCE VS USA: Uhm... mandatory 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, and then low-cost daycare & nanny services when it's over? Wow. That sure would making having children more of a joy & less of a stressful hassle.
In England mothers are entitled to 26 weeks off at full pay (the government offers to pay 90% while the employer pays the rest) and fathers are entitled to 2 weeks off at full pay. Other benefits from the government include tax breaks, & the ability to create your own work hours to better fit your home life.
ENGLAND VS USA: Nevermind France... 26 weeks off at full pay? & daddy gets to stay home for 2 weeks to help out? & you're telling me after my 26 weeks, I get to create my own hours so that I can work around my child's daycare? That makes making a family completely worth it.
In Canada mothers who have worked at least 600 hours in the previous year may receive up to 15 weeks of paid maternity leave.
CANADA VS USA: Even our neighbors to the north are getting a better deal..
In Cuba woman are entitled to 18 weeks of fully paid leave. They are offered an additional 40 weeks at 60% of their salary & job security. Bother mommy & daddy are allowed to take 12 weeks to 1 year off with 60% salary pay and job security. The daddy gets that option, whether or not he & mommy are married.
CUBA VS USA: & even in places that we think we'd never want to live, they still get better benefits.
My maternity leave benefits include 6 weeks of unpaid leave. Plus, I may claim him for tax benefits next year.
Now let's compare this information with infant mortality rates. This is graded on how many deaths there are per 1000 live births in that country.
(Ranking is based on 1 - Singapore with 2.31 deaths/1000 live births through 224 - Angola with 180.21 deaths/1000 live births)
France 3.33 ranking @ 8/224
England 4.85 ranking @ 32/224
Canada 5.04 ranking @ 36/224
Cuba 5.82 ranking @ 44/224
United States 6.26 ranking @ 46/224
Does anyone else find this evidence to be the least bit consequential? I certainly wouldn't call my findings amusing, but I definitely scoffed when I saw that even South Korea ranks significantly higher than the U.S.
I know that sometimes stress can suck. & I know that sometimes you wish you could control it.
I know that you are aware of how much I love you, & how much I love us.
I know that you are aware of how sensitive I can be. Especially lately.
But it hurts my feelings, when you do not think before you speak, or you speak to me using the unpleasant emotions you are feeling.
Because no matter the day, the time, or the place.. I could very possibly be one of the only people who still can't wait to come home to see you. To talk to you. To hang out with you.
& that won't change, I know because it hasn't yet.
But I, of all people, understand. That sometimes it's easier, and somewhat of a relief to take your hard day out on those closest. Because 1.) they are there & 2.) they know you didn't mean it.
But please, just remember to do one thing.
Remember that later, when you feel better, to remind me that you love me. & that you just weren't having a good day.
Because then, it might be worth the few tears I shed to the unnecessary, hurtful things you accidentally said.
So, I'm entering the last (& lets hope shortest) month of pregnancy. It's literally the month I thought would never, ever get here. But here I am, pre-heated, basted, roasted, and about to serve up a heaping helping of adorableness.
Week 36
He should be about 6 pounds now, and almost 20 inches long. If he were born this month, he'd still be considered preterm. Though, he's only one week away from being considered full term.
Symptoms I'm suffering from..
much stronger & sometimes painful fetal movement.
occasional headaches, faintness, & dizziness
extreme nasal congestion
leg cramps
enormous amounts of backache
extreme pelvic discomfort
slight swelling of the extremities
stretch marks
difficulty sleeping w/ very frequent urination
increasing Braxton Hicks contractions, & some slightly painful true contractions
extreme clumsiness & difficulty getting around
Things I can't get off my mind..
Will I ever be my regular weight again?
Will I be a good mom?
Can I balance working full time, being a full time mother, & a full time girlfriend at the same time?
Will we be able to afford everything we & he needs?
Will he be a sick baby, will he sleep & eat okay?
Will Phil still love me as much as he claims to now?
Will I ever feel attractive again?
Will he still find me attractive?
& the biggest worry..
WILL I MAKE IT THROUGH LABOR WITHOUT THE DRUGS?! Will he make it through labor?
Either way, I'm getting real anxious to meet my son. I have a feeling, no matter what may arise or how we may feel about his arrival, that we are all going to love each other very much. How can you deny a face like this?
(not MY ultrasound, but I'm sure he probably looks similar by now..)
There is nothing more sweet than your home after you've done some major grocery shopping. Admit it! There is nothing more annoying than eating crap you don't really want. If it were up to me, and money were not an issue, I'd be eating the most amazing, authentic, & foreign of foods every day. I watch way too much Travel channel.
Any way, I'm just about 9 months pregnant now, and food is becoming a sin & a saint. Most of the time I've been craving the right foods. Mostly pasta, fresh deli, or fruit. Quite a bit of fruit, actually. It's mainly oranges. But this time we picked up strawberries, bananas, and these amazing giant grapes.
They have seeds and are about the size of red potato. They are extremely juicy and sweet.
& then, I sometimes crave things that aren't so good. Like hot Cheetos, or anything in it's flamin' hot family. I can't help but scarf them down, sometimes finger fulls at a time. They have no nutritious sustenance, and do nothing but make me extremely ill. (Not to mention they give baby the hiccups and aren't too nice to my bowels. Ugh.)
Another thing that I've been craving lately, & haven't decided yet if it's good or bad: pie. But more specifically, those sugary individually wrapped fruit pies. Hostess used to make them fresh downtown. There are a ton of different brands, but I've found a crowd pleaser. They are quite a bit smaller than the Hostess version, and come in all the normal flavors. My favorite being cherry.
Very, very delicious.
Another thing I've finally found comfortable eating again: hotdogs. & it's totally that time of season!
So I have a list of music I want to listen to while either in labor at home, or at the hospital. They suggest music that is mostly instrumental, than lyrical. But, to be honest, I think lyrics to familiar songs may be more of a comfort than not. So! In alphabetical order, here is the list!
Whilst in Labor
Artist: Air Album(s): Moon Safari, Pocket Symphony, & Talkie Walkie
What? An 8 month pregnant woman is annoyed? That's so weird.
Numero Uno Ever since our original mid-wife left The OB/Gyn Group, they've been getting my due date wrong. Why does this annoy me? Because they're getting my appointments all messed up. Seriously, I don't care if it's a few days off. YOU are the ones who changed it, I am the one who has to remind you every appointment, WHY can't you just freaking write it down? Whatever, he's going to come when he feels like it, whether or not you idiots finally figure it out.
2 Do the freaking chores ever end? Seriously! Why can't things clean themselves? I can hardly get out of bed without chancing a hernia and I'm all over the damn place trying to keep dust away, cleaning the fish tank, vacuuming. I need a freaking maid. Either that, or I need to teach my "roommates" to clean up after themselves.
three I'm starting to go stir crazy. I'm glad I've had this extra free time to get things done and to rest, but I swear to God one more week in this apartment and I'm going to become an arsonist.
LASTLY That if I somehow out grow my last few pairs of pants that still fit today, I'm going to go naked. Totally naked. Not even a top, because what the hell is the point of wearing a shirt if I have no pants. Why didn't anyone buy me any big comfy pants for my birthday? Christmas? Baby shower gift? Seriously! My son has PLENTY of well fitting pants, and he's not even here yet. What about me?! I still have 5 or less weeks of this obesity and nobody thought, "Hey, let's get RACHAEL some pants. I'm sure the ones she had PRIOR to being pregnant don't fit anymore." Because that would of been 100% more accurate then, "Hey, let's buy her son 50 pairs of sleepers, because he might lose or shit in 49 of them & she'll thank us for the excessiveness."
Okay, I'm done with that for now, mainly because I have a fish tank that needs to be cleaned before I decide to throw myself into labor. Because I sure as hell know that it's not going to magically clean itself.
Okay, so anyone who's ever signed up for any kind of social networking website knows that any kind of level of spam is possible. As far as Facebook and Myspace go, it's usually fake profiles of unusually similar hot girls who are a little too willing to show themselves to you. Or, comments/chat/messages telling you that they've seen you in this weird photo, and give you a link to go check it out.
But, as far as Twitter is concerned, spamming can be hard. & when it's achieved, is really actually somewhat odd & creepy.
For example! Actual Twitter Friend
Creepy Twitter Spammer
It took me a few minutes to realize which one of my actual friends had at some point said this to me. Then I texted her, asking if she may or may not have a fake Twitter account (which is apparently popular these days. BEWARE OF CYBERBULLIES!). Which, of course, she didn't.
This ultimately led me to the conclusion that this was spam. Though very odd, unproductive, senseless, & quite a bit creepy.
Okay, have you ever heard the exaggeration dogs have the cleanest mouths? You have? Do you believe it?
Well, I don't. I've owned dogs ever since I was about 7 years old, & never once had I thought,
"Hmmm... maybe I'll make out with my dog. I won't get mono that way."
People: THIS IS A MYTH
So I'm not 100% sure what antiseptic rinse your dog uses every night before bed, but my dog is disgusting. He eats old food from the couch (not that we have a lot of that, though...), he is constantly licking his balls, he chews on rawhide bones, he pisses, steps in it, and later licks his paws. & while you're worried about shaking hands with another not so appealing human, he's sniffing the asses of every dog at the dog park.
So next time you really, truly believe that your dog has a clean mouth, do me a favor: throw yourself from a high altitude. If puppy put baby's binky in his mouth, wash it off. You don't know WHAT the hell that dog has had in his mouth.
I had yet another dream last night about my stupid 1997 Ford Contour. Now, if you were Phil, you'd probably understand by now the annoyance of hearing about my vehicle. No, I am not a motor-head who likes to show off my automobile. IT'S A 1997 FORD CONTOUR, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! But I keep having these weird attachment dreams about losing it. Maybe the car is a representation of the baby, & I'm really expressing my frustration over something slightly less significant than the human life I've been harboring for the past 8 months, in order to suppress any more stress... Marsha, get me Freud on the phone. I've got a bone or two to pick with him.
Kidding, of course, I don't have a secretary, or even a friend named Marsha. But if I did, she'd be one of those top notch employees I stumbled upon via Monster.com & she'd be able to find someone with the answers. Yes, she would.
By now, you think I've gone insane. So I'll move onto a little more normal of a topic.
I've finally got to the end of the 3rd book of the Twilight Saga series, & if Edward doesn't kill this bitch soon, I will. I'm a huge
supporter, so this bullshit she's pulling with Jacob is pissing me off. So bad, that I put down the book (& by put down I mean I threw it at the dining room table) and went to bed. But now, I kind of want to pick it back up again. Bella, you are SUCH a home-wrecker! Leave the wolf to his right handed fantasies, poor guy!
Either way, I'm insane & I can't wait for Eclipse to come out in theaters this July, I believe? Yay!
& here they are! The AFTER! photos! I do want to apologize for most of them turning out so blurry, but my camera refused to act nice and it is very obviously time for a new one. I honestly probably could of taken these with my phone & gotten better results. Alas, I'm lazy & you can still see what it all looks like so, I refuse to do a re-shoot.
AFTER!
Now, all we honestly need, is the baby. 'What are a few of my favorite gifts so far?' you ask? Well, for one is the glider. My Mom & my Dad bought that for us. It's way too comfortable. My second favorite gift is the Baby Things basket Phil's Mom bought for us. It fits one whole box of diapers!
I also will admit that I am extremely jealous of the Graco humidifier we got him. It's way nicer than the one we have in our room. & it shoots out cool air, not stinking hot air. I hate the hot air.
34 weeks & 4 days along. 38 days to go! 2 birthing classes left, & approximately 6 midwife appointments left!
Also, will be adding an 8 month belly photo in the sidebar soon!
