We're getting so close to the big day, that my mind is just constantly racing... I feel like there is so much to do and so many things to remember! We took a baby care / breastfeeding and infant CPR class a few weeks ago and I keep reviewing my notes from the classes, as well as the many handouts they gave us. I feel like I'm studying for a big exam, but don't know when it's going to take place!
On top of that, I recently joined this group of mom's in my new neighborhood. It's called HRP (Hudson River Park) Mamas and it's for mom's in the Battery Park, FiDi and Tribeca areas of the city (basically all of lower Manhattan). I've joined their message boards and am cc'ed on the gazillions of emails that mom's are constantly sending with questions about everything from baby nurse recommendations and theories on CIO (crying it out/sleep training) to play date gatherings and even classifieds.
The classifieds are actually awesome!! I was able to find a mom in Battery Park who was selling her $1000+ glider for $50! It's in amazing condition and matches our nursery perfectly.... It's also super comfortable (I'm sitting in it right now!) I'm so glad that I didn't buy a brand new one!! We picked it up this weekend and I couldn't be happier with it! (And upon pickup I spent no less than two hours vacumming it, spot cleaning it, dusting it and then febreezing the hell out of it... I'm not one for used items, but this was a deal that couldn't be passed up!)
This weekend we also set up most of the nursery. My mom drove in most of our gifts and we did lots of loads of baby laundry, assembled the stroller and got the car seat out of the box. The nursery is looking pretty cute. We have all of the furniture now accept the crib, which should come next week. We don't have any pics on the walls yet, or anything like that... but I'm not going to worry about that stuff until Brady arrives. I just wanted to make sure I had all the bare essentials in place if he decides to come a week or two early! I got the diapers, the wipes, some nursing bras/tanks, packed my hospital bag, etc...
Oh, and funny story about the stroller... So, it arrived via Fedex on Friday (thanks mom!). We decided to wait to put it together until Sat or Sun. But at about 10pm on Fri night, I don't think hubby could contain his excitement (he LOVES the stroller) so we decided to put it together (I napped from 6 - 8, so I was feeling good!). Actually, hubby was putting it together, I just sat there for moral support. He actually followed the instruction manual, which was kind of odd for him... He usually just uses his intuition, but given that this is our son's chariot, he decided to stick to the rule book. He did a great job until we got to the sun canopy for the bassinet part of the stroller... That's when things started to unravel. In his defense, he followed the instructions, which were poor... But when the canopy wouldn't work properly, he started to lose it... This thing is defective... we have to take it back... I can't believe such an expensive stroller would come with a piece that's broken... yada yada yada... I tried to keep him calm, but when frustration sets in, it's tough to keep him calm. I decided to walk away and consult my good friend, google... I had a feeling that this may be an assembly issue that others encountered as well... And I was right. The directions were missing a crucial piece of information that once we had, quickly rectified the situation and hubby was a happy camper once again! Once the stroller was assembled, he strolled it all around the apartment (and apparently he did the same thing the following morning before I woke up!) Very cute! Every day he pretty much takes it for a stroll around the apartment... he is so excited for it!! It's pretty adorable.
It was actually a miracle that we got the nursery set up on Saturday, because it did not start off as a good day... I woke up just not feeling well. Hubby advised me to take a kytril, but it had been a few weeks since I last got sick, so I didn't think it was necessary. I thought a bowl of cereal would make it all better... I was wrong... I promptly puked up the cereal... So, our new master bathroom sink (at least hubby's) has been officially christened! Post puke, I took the kytril. I really wanted to enjoy the day of setting up the nursery!
It's so weird... lately, I have had some really good days and then just some not so good days. I've been pretty tired and my sleep has been kinda crazy... I pretty much sleep a few hours, then am up (wide awake) for a few... And the peeing every 2-3 hours doesn't help things... I'm also pretty hungry and some nights I have to wake up 2-3 times to feed... I'm not only adjusting to the "baby schedule," I'm turning into the baby. I've also gotten more unwieldy... I'm so middle heavy, that I wobble (kind of like how baby's look when they're learning to walk - a bit drunk!). And once simple tasks are proving very challenging... like getting up from the couch and tying my shoes. Luckily, hubby helps with these things... I just find it frustrating not to be able to comfortably do them myself. And you're probably thinking... who needs to tie shoelaces in August? Hello, flip flops! Well... my feet are a wreck! I thought they hurt a few weeks ago, but that's NOTHING compared to right now... They throb! And NYC is such a walking city and I always prefer walking to public transport / cabs, so it's been quite a struggle for me... It's such a trade off... to keep cool, flip flops are the best... and I bought these nerdy Aerosoles ones that are actually much more comfortable than my others, but they still aren't as comfortable as sneakers... The problem with wearing sneakers is that I don't own shorts and you can't wear sneakers with dresses, so when I wear the sneaks, I have to wear jeans and it's just too darn hot to do that. Why don't I own shorts? Well, first of all, I don't think they're flattering on girls (unless you have long beautiful, slender, toned legs and wear them with high heels). Unfortunately, none of those adjectives describe my legs, which are short and stumpy... (And don't go getting all offended if you wear shorts... It's just my personal preference to wear skirts instead.) So, needless to say, I feel pretty immobile, which is pretty disappointing, because everyone in my life keeps telling me to get outside now, run my errands, stay active, etc... Once baby comes, things are going to be much harder, I will be more tired, etc... But with this heat and my stupid feet, I'm very conflicted.
Today I'm 37 weeks and 2 days preggers and at my doc appointment in a few days they will start checking me for dilation and effacement. At my last appt they gave me the Strep B test to see if I need to be treated with antibiotics when I go into labor. I can't believe that labor is near. I'm kinda scared about the pain, but trying not to think about it... Luckily for me, I have a mile long to-do list that's keeping me busy! This evening I am visiting with a pediatrician in the area to see if the practice is the right fit for me and Brady... I'm not really sure what to expect, but I definitely need to have someone on deck for that first newborn appointment once we bring him home... I have appts set up for some other pediatricians as well... Not really sure what to be looking for in a doc, but I guess I will figure it out. Assuming it's going to be one of those 'go with your gut' kinda things.
