Have a Lovely (Long) Weekend.
3 hours ago
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Evenings
Tonight, after Michael came home from his run and I woke up from my nap, we sat our bed in the guest room and read. Before we knew it, the sun had set, and the only lights on in our whole apartment were from the guest room. It was such a peaceful, relaxed and quiet way to spend a part of the evening we haven't been able to share for the past year and a half. Pretty fantastic...
Home Bound
Today is my first day of maternity leave. For the next three months or so, I am not going to be trekking downtown to my office everyday, punching in my 8 hours and trekking home. Saying goodbye yesterday was surprisingly difficult, made harder by the lack of actual baby in tow. The trip to the office and back just became too much, and hours sitting in a chair were more than my lower back could handle any more.
The other big news of the day yesterday was that we scheduled an induction for Monday night. If our little girl doesn't show up this weekend, Michael and I will go out for a nice dinner on Monday (because I'm sure I'll be really ready to eat something), and then check in to the hospital to get this baby born. I would much prefer for her to come on her own, so I warned Michael that we're spending the weekend walking, taking stairs, and maybe even visiting the acupuncturist. Hopefully we'll see her before next week, but it is amazing to know that there is an end date in sight. In a week, Michael and I will have a new addition to our family.
I was surprised by how emotional yesterday made me. Between saying goodbye to my friends at work and setting my mind on a different type of delivery, I guess it was a lot to soak up. Thankfully the weather is going to be stunning for the next few days, and Michael and I will have time to enjoy together. It will be a quiet Easter weekend, but one to savor.
The other big news of the day yesterday was that we scheduled an induction for Monday night. If our little girl doesn't show up this weekend, Michael and I will go out for a nice dinner on Monday (because I'm sure I'll be really ready to eat something), and then check in to the hospital to get this baby born. I would much prefer for her to come on her own, so I warned Michael that we're spending the weekend walking, taking stairs, and maybe even visiting the acupuncturist. Hopefully we'll see her before next week, but it is amazing to know that there is an end date in sight. In a week, Michael and I will have a new addition to our family.
I was surprised by how emotional yesterday made me. Between saying goodbye to my friends at work and setting my mind on a different type of delivery, I guess it was a lot to soak up. Thankfully the weather is going to be stunning for the next few days, and Michael and I will have time to enjoy together. It will be a quiet Easter weekend, but one to savor.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Good morning!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
March 30, 2010
Today is our baby's due date! Michael and I woke up this morning, registering first that the baby didn't arrive last night and then realizing that today was the day we've been holding on to for months. That said, there's been no activity to indicate today will be any different than yesterday, or any in the last couple of weeks. It looks like our little girl is just going to stay put for a bit longer.
I've been trying to remind myself that keeping her healthy, safe, and growing is a blessing. She's a little one, and it's good for her to bake a little bit longer. But Michael's and my patience is wearing thin - we are just so excited to meet her!! I'm utterly uncomfortable, am tired of being in transition, and have silly day dreams about laying on my stomach and resuming a life in my old body. Plus, if one more person says, "No baby?!" or "How are you feeling?" I'm going to flip. I'm ready for this next phase, to embrace my little girl, to not fear labor any more. One day soon...
Simultaneously, I must say, when I feel my little lady's foot kicking, I am reminded just how much I'm going to miss feeling her presence every day.
I've been trying to remind myself that keeping her healthy, safe, and growing is a blessing. She's a little one, and it's good for her to bake a little bit longer. But Michael's and my patience is wearing thin - we are just so excited to meet her!! I'm utterly uncomfortable, am tired of being in transition, and have silly day dreams about laying on my stomach and resuming a life in my old body. Plus, if one more person says, "No baby?!" or "How are you feeling?" I'm going to flip. I'm ready for this next phase, to embrace my little girl, to not fear labor any more. One day soon...
Simultaneously, I must say, when I feel my little lady's foot kicking, I am reminded just how much I'm going to miss feeling her presence every day.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
39-Week Baby Bump (cont.)
A few weeks ago, our doctors changed my due date from the 27th to the 30th. So here we are again, still at 39!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Relax...
Today I didn't go to work. Instead, I have been sleeping, putting together our baby book, watching horrifically bad television, and enjoying some peace and quiet. I stupidly put together a "to do" list, but I'm successfully avoiding almost all of the items on it. And I'm hoping that this calm will encourage our little girl to join us.
Our due date is Tuesday!
Our due date is Tuesday!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Nerds
On Sunday night, Michael and I watched C-Span and celebrated as the House passed health care reform - what an utter thrill!
Because this is my job and I love it, I've been reading as much as I can about the implications of the reform, the analysis of its passage and the impact of the process. Two strikingly different articles struck me today, one by Bob Herbert and one by Alex Massie (found via Andrew Sullivan on The Atlantic). The Herbert piece highlights all that's wrong in American politics, while the Massie article commends the uniquely American democratic process. I highly recommend both!
(This should be a longer post, but let's be real - I can barely think about anything unrelated to this baby. So it is the best I can do!)
Because this is my job and I love it, I've been reading as much as I can about the implications of the reform, the analysis of its passage and the impact of the process. Two strikingly different articles struck me today, one by Bob Herbert and one by Alex Massie (found via Andrew Sullivan on The Atlantic). The Herbert piece highlights all that's wrong in American politics, while the Massie article commends the uniquely American democratic process. I highly recommend both!
(This should be a longer post, but let's be real - I can barely think about anything unrelated to this baby. So it is the best I can do!)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
39-Week Baby Bump!
Today has been amazing.Michael is free from the tyranny of his work email account. We spent four hours walking for 6 miles around the City, enjoying the sunshine, stopping randomly at Chipotle and PinkBerry and Gap and random stationary stores. We enjoyed a Saturday without fear of Michael's job, and that was a blessing beyond words.
And now we're off to John & Anna's for dinner! Heaven.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
This Glorious Day
Yesterday was utterly exhausting. For details, read here.
Today, in an effort to listen to my bosses, I decided to work from home in the morning and then take the afternoon for myself. The morning was lovely and leisurely - I did laundry, taking the stairs each and every time, and cleaned out my inbox at work (down to just 50 messages!).
Just a little past noon, I slowly made my way downtown for a nice, easy doctor's appointment. Relieved when it finished, I set about to enjoy the day. I got my hair cut, picked up a new teapot so that we'll be able to make more than 1 cup at a time when my mom and brother are visiting, treated myself to a PinkBerry, and strolled through stationary stores in search of beautiful new cards. I soaked up every last bit of sunshine and warmth, knowing that this brief glimpse of spring will likely disappear in just a few days.
Throughout the day, I thought a lot about the way strangers treat me right now. Sometimes it was annoying - while at the beauty salon, a random woman put her hands on my belly without even looking at me, for example. But overall so many people are insanely wonderful. They tell me I look great, they ask God to bless this baby, they give me a large rather than my requested medium at PinkBerry. I feel so welcomed into a New York community I didn't even know existed. And I know I will miss it. Perhaps carrying a little girl around our fair City will open the door to yet another unknown and equally kind world...
I do have to share one more pretty funny event today. On the train, I sat next to a young man who could not keep his eyes open. He kept falling asleep and then startling himself awake as he fell. Every time his eyes closed, his head would fall almost to my shoulder and then he would jerk himself awake. It was hilarious!
Today, in an effort to listen to my bosses, I decided to work from home in the morning and then take the afternoon for myself. The morning was lovely and leisurely - I did laundry, taking the stairs each and every time, and cleaned out my inbox at work (down to just 50 messages!).
Just a little past noon, I slowly made my way downtown for a nice, easy doctor's appointment. Relieved when it finished, I set about to enjoy the day. I got my hair cut, picked up a new teapot so that we'll be able to make more than 1 cup at a time when my mom and brother are visiting, treated myself to a PinkBerry, and strolled through stationary stores in search of beautiful new cards. I soaked up every last bit of sunshine and warmth, knowing that this brief glimpse of spring will likely disappear in just a few days.
Throughout the day, I thought a lot about the way strangers treat me right now. Sometimes it was annoying - while at the beauty salon, a random woman put her hands on my belly without even looking at me, for example. But overall so many people are insanely wonderful. They tell me I look great, they ask God to bless this baby, they give me a large rather than my requested medium at PinkBerry. I feel so welcomed into a New York community I didn't even know existed. And I know I will miss it. Perhaps carrying a little girl around our fair City will open the door to yet another unknown and equally kind world...
I do have to share one more pretty funny event today. On the train, I sat next to a young man who could not keep his eyes open. He kept falling asleep and then startling himself awake as he fell. Every time his eyes closed, his head would fall almost to my shoulder and then he would jerk himself awake. It was hilarious!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Revive
Last night, Michael and I revived one of our favorite traditions: an evening stroll. His current job is one that demands late evenings, so for the past year and a half getting home in time for a walk was pretty rare. Our evening strolls, routine during our graduate school days, took a back seat to a furious rush home so that we could eat dinner before midnight.
But yesterday's warmer weather and Michael's pending departure from his current job allowed for a leisurely stroll through the streets of our new neighborhood. We've been dying to stretch our legs out around here since moving in, but the cold winter weather and late work nights kept us both from being out and about. Walking around last night - through Riverside Park, in and among the college students rushing to class nearby, to PinkBerry for ice cream and Chipotle for coke - left us both with a sense of freedom and grounding that we've been missing for quite some time. Michael's new job (and daylight savings and warmer weather) will allow for more strolls like these, and that may just be the greatest benefit of the whole transition.
But yesterday's warmer weather and Michael's pending departure from his current job allowed for a leisurely stroll through the streets of our new neighborhood. We've been dying to stretch our legs out around here since moving in, but the cold winter weather and late work nights kept us both from being out and about. Walking around last night - through Riverside Park, in and among the college students rushing to class nearby, to PinkBerry for ice cream and Chipotle for coke - left us both with a sense of freedom and grounding that we've been missing for quite some time. Michael's new job (and daylight savings and warmer weather) will allow for more strolls like these, and that may just be the greatest benefit of the whole transition.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Lunch
Today a colleague of mine took me out to lunch to wish me good luck on maternity leave. He works for the CDC, so we don't see each other too often, but meet on a weekly (disastrous) teleconference with a team of about twenty million people.
We had an incredibly pleasant meal, sitting outside and soaking up the first rays of spring.
The remarkable element of the whole lunch was the lack of one topic of conversation: the baby. For the first time in about two months, I made it through an entire event without someone asking if I'm ready for the baby, or what I've done to prepare, or how I'm feeling about motherhood. As I walked back to the office, I thought about how much I appreciated this little reprieve. Obviously all I can think about these days is this little one about to make her debut. But it felt good to talk about work and other elements of life for just a little bit this afternoon.
We had an incredibly pleasant meal, sitting outside and soaking up the first rays of spring.
The remarkable element of the whole lunch was the lack of one topic of conversation: the baby. For the first time in about two months, I made it through an entire event without someone asking if I'm ready for the baby, or what I've done to prepare, or how I'm feeling about motherhood. As I walked back to the office, I thought about how much I appreciated this little reprieve. Obviously all I can think about these days is this little one about to make her debut. But it felt good to talk about work and other elements of life for just a little bit this afternoon.
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