Sep 17
Sep 16
New delivery schedule, and VIP treatment!
Angela called me from Woman’s today, and told me that since I am going
to be writing about this experience for the hospital, my schedule is
going to be a little different than the one I posted earlier (and
I get perks - woo)!
Here’s the new schedule:
Arrive at 9:00, check in, walk up to the labor and delivery area (they
think I am going to be in room 24, but that might change). They will
ask me some questions and get my IV started. After that, it will be a
waiting period pretty much like it is before a regular vaginal
delivery. I can have visitors (I think 4 at a time) for a little
while (from 9:45-10:20). They are going to come and get Q and Dad
around 10:20 to get dressed for the OR, then they will wheel me up
there around 10:30. Q and Dad have to wait outside while they do
the epidural and all of the draping. Vera should arrive around 11:10,
and then it’s going to take a little while to stitch me up
(apparently, Dr. Lee hand-stitches). While they are fixing me up,
they will be cleaning the baby and checking her lungs (sometimes c-
section babies need a little help getting the fluid out). Once she’s
clean and warm, they will give her to Q to hold until I am
transferred to a stretcher that can sit up. They said we are welcome
to take pictures and/or video through the whole thing, and I have also
agreed to let Lynn from Woman’s take pictures of the entire process
(from IVs to post-delivery), so I will get all of those pictures too!
Angela said that they can put up a mirror for me to see the point when
they actually deliver the baby (but none of the nasty stuff
beforehand) so I will probably let them do that, because I want to see
it! More awesome news: I get to recover in my own room!! So, what
will happen is that I get to stay with Q and the baby the whole
time. They will take me back to the room I was in before the surgery,
and depending on how I am feeling (and how hungry the baby is), I can
have visitors for a quick 20 minutes or so, before I have to finish
recovery and feed her. (So after that quick visit, everyone can go to
lunch or do whatever until I complete recovery). After 2 hours or so,
they will take me up to my regular room.
**Some of this could change depending on how the delivery goes***
Angela also told me who my nurse is going to be, and she said she’s
really great and sweet, so that’s exciting!!
Now everyone needs to pray that my water doesn’t break this afternoon
or in the middle of the night, because then I’ll lose my VIP perks - ha!
Sep 15
If you don't like hand-washing cars, don't buy a CR-V
Something about my car makes it impervious to drive-through car washes. I have tried 3 now, one with disastrous results, and the other two just didn’t get the car clean. I paid $15 at H20 for a car wash last month, and when I got to work I noticed that the whole back panel near the license plate, was still dirty, as were the wheels. Yesterday, I paid $7 at Benny’s and the wheels came out clean, but there were still dead bugs on the hood, the back panel was dirty, and the windshield didn’t even come clean! (I killed a lovebug with my windshield wipers the other day, and I used all my washer fluid trying to clear his remains, with no success. The whole reason I went to the car wash was to get that off, because it’s driving me crazy, and it didn’t come off! My rotund stomach does not allow me to reach the center of the windshield with windex and a paper towel, so I am going to have to get Q to do it tonight. Unbelievable)!!
Anyway, so I am going to have to start washing the car myself, or paying an actual human to do it. Bummer!
“ What is that, pictures of cats?
— Q, upon seeing Mills pass his Snow Leopard family pack disc, so I could install it on my computer. Ha!
Video of “She’s Like the Wind.” The Dirty Dancing soundtrack is the soundtrack to every holiday of my childhood. That tape went into the cassette player and didn’t come out until we were crossing the border of The Netherlands on our way home.
If I were home right now, I’d call my sister, and we’d howl “JUST A FOOOOOOOOOL, SHE’S LIKE THE WIIIIIIIIIND!” through the phone.
I really didn’t want to reblog anything about Swayze but I saw this and remembered how the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack was a huge part of my childhood. You’re right Haguenite, the cassette would seriously stay in the tape player for the entire holiday season. Sydvish and I had a dance made up to every song. Although, neither of us were big fans of the song “You Don’t Own Me” we would sing it dramatically and laugh our butts off. Syd was bossy and I didn’t care so I always had to play Swayze while she got to be Jennifer Grey. It didn’t really matter because I was always crazy for Swayze.
HA! I thought of the same thing when I read the beginning of this post. I can remember rewinding that tape over and over again. That dance to You Don’t Own Me was terrible, but thanks for always being Swayze. Whatever happened to that turtle footrest from that crazy room in your parents’ house? That thing was awesome.
Sep 14
Question
So, after reading online about the drama at the VMAs last night, I did a little online “research” to check out both videos, and although I enjoyed the “Single Ladies” video, I was a little confused…the choreography is supposed to be ironic, right?
Six people might not seem like a lot for a Tumblr meetup, but the bar has been set pretty low in the past so it qualifies. Scorning the many flakes, Erin, Lacey, Nicki, Sydney, Will, and I got together at the Chimes to discuss all the rest of you, your habits, proclivities, aberrant tendencies, and secrets. It was astonishing.
Syd’s husband also attended and took perhaps the worst photographs in history, most of which aren’t included in this Flickr set. From gaming the waitress to doing lines in the crowded bathroom, it was a night I’ll never forget.
For a while, I didn’t think this baby was going to cooperate and let me make the meet-up, but she did, and I am glad! We had fun. It was definitely an interesting night. Mills is right about Q’s photography, he tends to point the camera and shoot without looking. Mills also took some awful shots of me, which thankfully, he didn’t post! He did get some unexpected gems though, like this one, this one, and this one.
For some reason, I always expect Lacey and Erin to sound like cajuns, because Lacey used to work in Plaquemine, so I always get confused and think she’s from there, but both of them sound totally normal. They gave me an adorable baby gift, which was so sweet and unexpected! I plan to wash and pick it up today. I will be sure to post pictures of Vera in/with all her tumblrgifts as soon as I can! Anyway, it was fun meeting them, they are a lot of fun, as expected!! I hope we can do another BR meet-up soon, that includes everyone who couldn’t make it!
Sep 13
This is the most delicious n/a beer I’ve ever had!
I’ve only had about 5 kinds, but I was seriously impressed by how much this tasted like actual beer. Yum! This weekend is the last weekend before baby, so Q and I have decided to “party” as much as possible. Friday night, we went to Chimes for the tumblr meet-up (where I drank Kaliber, which was ok, but not as delicious as the Buckler), I went shopping with Fuf and James yesterday, then last night, Q and I (and Fuf) went to Emily’s to watch the game/eat barbecue/celebrate Jake’s birthday. Probably the busiest weekend we’ve had in weeks! Today we’re going to his parents’ house to celebrate his dad’s birthday.
Anyway, back to the point: Q picked up the buckler at the liquor store on the way, and I loved it. I’m sad I found it this late in the game!
Sep 11
The More You Know...
Did you know that babies aren’t capable of producing tears at birth? It can take 1-3 months for tear ducts to develop fully. [shooting star]
Anticipation for tomorrow
- Lacey: ok, so...how are we playing this thing tomorrow?
- Lacey: did you brush up on your chemistry?
- Lacey: do you know all of your philosophers?
- Lacey: what do you know about babies?
- Erin: GOD! I saw that diagram Will posted and just thought, shit, i guess me and lace will sit in the corner and talk about high school
- Erin: BUT Nicki posted about her son farting, i can totally relate to that/her
- ...
- First ever BR meetup tomorrow. Get fired up!
- This made me lawl. Seriously though, I've eaten lunch with the Ills almost every workday for two years, and I promise, you'll be fine. If the conversation gets too philosophical/biological/chemistry-laden, you can always do what I do and bring up a related (or unrelated), totally awesome and interesting childhood story!
Sep 09
FINAL Dr's appt recap
NO PROGRESS! So, they said they’d see me next Thursday at 11:00 for my scheduled c-section. I am excited. It’s exactly one week away tomorrow…whoa!!
They way I understand it, this is how it goes down (these times are obviously not exact, but at least you get the idea). (Thanks for the info, Em)!
9:00am - arrive, check-in, go to pre-op to get prepped for surgery
10:45 - get wheeled to surgery. Epidural is administered on the operating table.
11:00 - c-section. Getting the baby out is pretty quick, but closing me up will take about 30 minutes. While they are stitching me up, they’ll be cleaning, weighing, and testing the baby. (The whole operating room process should take about an hour).
12:00 - They will give me the baby, then wheel me down the hall to see family for about 10 minutes.
12:10- Baby and Wes go to the nursery for more cleaning, testing, etc. (Family can watch through the window). I go to recovery (could take up to 2 hours…it just depends. I think I have to be able to move my legs before I can leave [or something like that]. I think this is also where they push on your stomach so all of the afterbirth, etc comes out - yikes)!
2:15 - Hopefully, by 2:15, I’ll be headed to my regular room, where I can feed the baby, see family, etc.
That’s all I know! (Well, that, and that I am not supposed to eat anything after midnight Thursday). So exciting!! I admit, I am a tad nervous about having major surgery, since I’ve never had to have it before. I am also a little nervous about reactions to medications (I have had some bad experiences in the past after oral surgery). I know everything will be fine, but it’s still kind of scary.
Things to do:
- Make sure bags are packed properly
- Designate a videographer to film the wheeling down the hall and the nursery cleaning through the glass, etc
- Make sure everything is ready at home for baby’s arrival!
- Cook some more meals and freeze them
- Have conversations with Wes about how this is going to go down and make ABSOLUTELY SURE that he does not look at my stomach during surgery…we can’t have a passed out Dad on our hands.
- Email above schedule of events to family, so they’ll know what to expect.
Sep 08
My first day as a lady of leisure...
So, I am officially on leave. For the next week and a half, I am a childless housewife. Weird! Last night, Q and I celebrated by going to see District 9. This is probably going to anger some people I know, but I thought it was just ok, and Q didn’t really like it. He said it was like watching Terminator or something; just not his kind of movie. I thought it was a little slow in the beginning, but it definitely got better. I liked it, but I didn’t love it, you know? It was REALLY hot in the movie theatre, which didn’t help things. Anyway, I am glad we went, but I was a tad disappointed. Maybe we should have listened to Frank and gone to see Inglorious Bastards.
Today, I am doing my best to stay productive, while also taking time to rest (I did too much cleaning, etc on Sunday, and by 7:00pm felt like I’d been hit by a car). Anyway, this morning, I went to the UPS store to mail two packages, then came home and watched an episode of Law and Order: CI (post Labor Day marathon). This afternoon, I am going to cook dinner (pork and apple pie with a potato crust - sounds kind of weird, but it’s worth a try), which we’ll eat half of then freeze the rest for after the baby. I’m also going to pick up Heather from work and go with her to Sam’s to get the stuff for the bake sale tomorrow, then I am going to come home and make cookies for the bake sale. After all that, I should be sufficiently tired. We’ll see.
Sep 04
i dont remember how i got home last night, and i kind of dont want to find out.
but apparently i made a stop at the deli for toilet paper, soda, and ciggies.
what gets me is the toilet paper….
At least the drunken impulse was a good purchase. You can never have too much toilet paper at one time. Which is exactly why Wes received a 4 pack of Charmin from the Walgreen’s in Times Square as a souvenir. I hope you weren’t wondering the streets of Hell’s Kitchen alone in that state of mind. Although, nobody is going to mess with a girl in Manhattan with a pack of toilet paper under her arm in the middle of the night. I guess the “I hate you, F#@* off” yell would scare them off. Oh wait, that’s what you tell your friends when you’re drunk.
I’m glad I don’t live close to you because we would be a dangerous pair, but these posts make me realize I to visit more often.
P.S. I’m proud of you for not having a wine glass pyrimid at the dinner table. Sometimes Less is More….Charmin pun not intended.
YES PLEASE COME VISIT AGAIN!!! AND PLEASE BRING THE SYD CAUSE LAST TIME SHE WAS PREGGERS AND COULDNT DRINK AND I REALLY WANT TO SEE SYD DRUNK AND SANS CANCKLES.
also, i was likely alone wandering the streets of HK in that state of mind, but i dont remember. honestly…. i HOPE i was alone, but you never know with me.
I would love to be drunk and sans cankles too! Ha ha. You should see them today. So nasty…
Pregnancy Update
38 weeks pregnant!
Weight - Y’all, I can’t believe this…I broke 190! (I weigh 191.2 to be exact. That’s a 5lb gain from last week. Yikes! I didn’t gain any the week before, so I guess it evens out. I really didn’t think I was going to break 190 but whatevs.
Feeling - Great! I’m just tired and heavy, so everything is more difficult than normal. I am definitely looking forward to being able to stand at the sink/stove/ironing board/counter without having to turn sideways so as not to hurt my back; that’s really getting old.
Cravings - None. I think my stomach has FINALLY gotten to the point where I’m not starving all the time.
Update from my Dr’s appt - ABSOLUTELY NO PROGRESS :( She couldn’t even feel the head because it still hasn’t descended into the pelvis, so she went ahead and scheduled the c-section for September 17th at 11:00. (So it looks like I’ll be able to make it to the BR tumblr meet-up. Yay!). She said that if I luck out, and go into labor next week, I can try for a regular delivery, but she doesn’t think that’s going to happen. I think I’ve come to terms with the c-section though. It’s not ideal, but I am excited about the perks. I will have my house clean, fingers and toes manicured, and freezer stocked with meals when I go to the hospital. My dad will also be able to take off of work in advance (instead of leaving a bunch of sick people sitting in the waiting room). Q has warmed up to the idea of the c-section as well (I think he’s just happy my water won’t break anywhere crazy).
I also signed my LifeShare paperwork today. They ask a million questions, but I guess that’s understandable. Turns out, they partner with a bank in North Carolina, so all of the cord blood is stored at Duke University. The cord blood is available to anyone in the country who needs it, so that’s neat.
Anyway, next week is my first week of pre-baby rest. Should be pretty interesting. I am going to probably do some cooking and cleaning (and hopefully lots of napping).
