Home and Family

OK!!  She’s finally here!  After being 9 days late and a little drama, my baby girl is finally here.  And, I finally feel human enough to start writing again.  My beautiful baby girl was born two weeks ago and she weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces (oy!) and she was 21 inches long.  She is healthy and lovely and doing very well.  I still can’t believe that I’m a mommy!!!  I look at her and feel completely overwhelmed and inadequate but my husband is amazing and supportive and he tells me all of the time that I’m doing a great job.  She gained one pound in one week, so I guess I’m doing something right!  Speaking of doing something right, I’m going to go take a nap before my little beastie wakes up!!  lol!

OK, So this is my first pregnancy so I am fully aware that I have no idea what is going on or what to expect.  But, I really thought that when you became pregnant, you would eventually, oh, I don’t know, have a baby!!  I mean, isn’t pregnancy supposed to end at some point?  The only thing that I can think of is that, since I’m as big as an elephant, I’m just going to stay pregnant for as long as they do.  Since elephants carry their babies for 2 years, I only have 14 months to go.  WHOO-HOO!!!  I’ve started having dreams about having a detachable tummy and giving birth to a 12 year old.

I am now two days past my due date.  I am getting so frustrated because I have to go to the doctor twice a week now and nothing is progressing…NOTHING!!  I actually looked up a bunch of ways that people have claimed to use to start their labor.  They are all stupid and I think that I have tried them all…in the same day.  Let’s see, walking, squatting, nipple stimulation (don’t ask), sex, eating spicy food, scrubbing floors, and drinking raspberry tea.  Not one twinge or hint of a contraction.  I guess that it is a testament as to how desperate that I am that I would even try this stuff.  I mean, someone even told me that eating McDonald’s food would bring on labor.  I didn’t even bother…I have to draw the line somewhere.

OK, so my cell phone died and I needed to get another one right away.  Well, my husband decided to just get one too so we could both get rid of Verizon.  My husband went from loving Verizon to uncontrolable cursing at the mere mention of their name in about a week (let’s just say they were less than spectacular when we moved!).  Anyway, I just wanted a phone.  A nice, simple ordinary phone that I could figure out how to use without having to go back to school for my Ph.D.  Instead, I ended up with the Tilt by at&t.  I was resistant but I have to admit that the thing is pretty cool.  I can check my email, read my blog :), watch tv, play games, use the GPS to get my directionally challanged self out of downtown Pittsburgh, surf the web, send texts using its little tiny keypad…hmmm…what else???  Oh yeah, I can talk on the phone!!!  It’s worth checking out and it’s a pretty cool alternative to the iPhone.

OK, today is my due date.  The baby has no more reasons for stalling!!!!  I look like a swollen water buffalo.  I literally CANNOT wait to feel my first contraction.  I told my husband to remind me of this when I’m 12 hours into labor!  This is pretty crazy though.  Even though today is my due date, I feel that I’m late or something.  I guess it’s just because I’m so big and uncomfortable that I can’t imagine getting even bigger and more uncomfortable the longer that I go past my due date.  I’m so nervous and anxious about having natural childbirth.  It’s really hard to basically wait around for something to start happening that you know is just going to hurt really, REALLY badly!!!  But, at least when it starts, I’ll know that it will be over eventually.  Then comes the really hard part…actually taking care of my baby!  When I think of all of the things that I can mess up and probably will mess up…Geez!!!  I actually just started sweating!  Good grief.  I need to go lie down……….

I am truly sick of being pregnant.  I mean, I really can’t take it any more.  My due date is August 11th and I’m really at the end of my rapidly fraying rope.  Is there something wrong with me?  I feel guilty that I feel this way but at the same time, I WANT THIS KID OUT!!!!  I have an OB appointment tomorrow and I’m actually thinking of ways that I can convince her to induce me.  I mean, I’ve gone through the entire nine months without taking so much as a Tylenol, watching what I eat, not being around smokers, not using my face wash or eye drops and now, I’m all like, “Give me drugs and get this kid out!!”  The doctor said that they will induce if I am ten days past my due date.  What the….!?!?!?!?!  I don’t think I can make it.  Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.  I crossed the line between being uncomfortable to just honestly being in pain about four days ago.  I’ve also reached the point where I’m nasty and cranky…which really stinks because that is not me at all.  I’m just thankful that my husband is so understanding…the poor guy!  I just wish I knew if other moms felt this way at the end of their pregnancy or if I really am just awful.  Any comments about this would be sincerely appreciated!!!

These are truly the weirdest, most disgusting things that I have had the misfortune to be exposed to.  I saw a pair of high-heeled crocs the other day and I actually had a seizure.  Being 9 months pregnant, I have been on a quest for the past month to find shoes that would actually fit on my ginormous, swollen hoofs.  The only shoes that I can find that fit are crocs.  I refuse.  I tried a pair on in the store and I died a little inside.  I would rather wear sandles that cut into my feet and cut the circulation off from my toes. 

I am, apparently, not alone in my hate for crocs (it wouldn’t matter if I were alone, I would still hate them!!!!)

The Case Against Crocs

I Hate Crocs Dot Com

Best Page In The Universe (this site is hysterical but NOT FOR KIDS!!!!)

Crocs have inspired parodies:

Even Crocs makes fun of Crocs!!!!!

Ok, I told myself that I wasn’t going to write a whiney pregnancy post but I need to give my poor husband a break.  I have 6 days until my due day and I am freaking MISERABLE!!!!  I’m anxious, swollen, achy, ouchy, pukey, sleepy, and cranky.  I sound like a dysfunctional version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  I guess that nature makes women miserable during the last couple of weeks so labor doesn’t seem so bad.  I mean, I’m still really scared about it but, at the same time, I am SO ready to have this baby.  I just want to be physically comfortable again!!  I would like to be able to get off of the couch without it taking 30 minutes and a small crane.  I would like to run into people I know without them laughing at me and saying brilliant things like, ‘Holy crap!  You’re so big!’  I want to be able to wear my shoes again!!!  But most of all, I just want to meet my daughter!  I want to see her and hold her and know that she is all right.  Well, OK, being able to eat sushi again is going to be awsome too!! 

Welcome to my continuing quest to get my husband to eat breakfast.  It started with the breakfast wrap and has moved on to these muffins.  They are relatively healthy (I mean, apples are good for you!! ) and I can actually get him to take them to work and eat them for breakfast.  They are really yummy and I wanted to share the recipe.

APPLE PECAN MUFFINS

 Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 egg whites

1/2 cup skim milk

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons applesauce

1 medium tart apple, peeled and grated

Topping:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cold butter or margarine

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil and applesauce. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple. Fill greased or paper-lined muffing cups two-thirds full.

For topping, combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans.  Sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for five minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.  Makes 12 muffins.

I ran across a couple of interesting things today.  One is a book called:  The Mom’s Guide to Earning and Saving Thousands on the Internet.  It talks about some of the stuff I mentioned in my previous posts such as mystery shopping and internet surverys.  It also addresses how to use the internet to SAVE money as well as how to earn it.  It also talks about how to avoid scams and, unfortunately, there are a ton of those out there.  The book also has a complimentary website:  MOMdotCOM.net   It’s actually a blog that has tons of websites and advice for stay at home moms.