3 posts tagged “baby shower”
Baby shower(s): Yes, I was super blessed with 2 back - to - back showers. Here are some highlights:
1. She has enough clothes for the next 9 months. She'll mostly live in onesies, so now I have a legitimate reason to invest in Babylegs. I love the Etsy website, it's a way I can support WAHM (work at home moms), Knotty Baby Wear's creator is quitting the biz! I look forward to some deep discounts! I have yet to make a purchase so I am super excited.
Pablo was so against these if the baby was going to be a boy, even the gender neutral colors. He said leggings don't belong on boys. Ay, the machismo.
2. The cake(s)...mmmm...Love, absolutely love Porto's cakes. Ours had fresh bananas with custard between chocolate cake and Cuban cake (yellow cake with Brandy). My mom's cake was fresh strawberries between cuban cake and yellow cake.
3. Games: As a teacher, I wanted some games that required some mental skill: we had a fill-in-the-blank nursery
4. Friends and family: Vida's godmother (Lisa) and Lauren coordinated our shower. Lauren's other half, Brian shared his birthday with us (it was the same day as the shower). At my mom's place, it was emotional to look around the room and realize that most of the people have known me since I was an infant! My mom is Lisa's godmother, so it's just beautiful to see it come full circle.
8th month lessons
1. I truly feel the stomach acts like a boulder on my body. For example, to get in and out of bed I have to roll into the appropriate position. Thank goodness it's getting super warm. It's amazing that it's late February and we're having 85 degree days! At some point, I would like to go to the beach and dig a hole, burrow my belly in the sand and savor the belly down position.
2. Dreaded stretch marks...I didn't have any until this week...I made it soooo far without any signs. I have a handful of some faint, short ones in the center of my underbelly. I noticed it last night and got really teary eyed. P hugged me and said he still loved me. I lathered the cocoa butter cream before going to bed, this morning, added some more lotion when I got home from work. I will apply cocoa butter again this evening. This will be my ritual from here on out.
3. Mindset: I have always believed in 'mind over matter'. I practice mantras to help me fall asleep, I also use them to help me see the positive side of difficult situations. So I am applying the same principle to my outlook on labor and delivery. I am currently reading Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, and this idea is driven with anecdotal evidence as well as connecting it to physiology. In a future post, I will highlight some of the best quotes from the book.
4. Inconsistent sleep: This evening is the first night that I can't go back to bed right away after waking for repositioning, a drink of water, or a bathroom break. I woke up at 2:30 am and got out of bed at 2:45. I don't have to be on my best game tomorrow as I am attending a conference instead of being at school. It's close to 3:30 now, I will attempt to go back to sleep for 2 hours or so.
5. Planning: From previous posts, you can tell I am a planner, the execution is the critical piece though. I have yet to re-visit my "gotta get it done" list. I will take stock of the list this weekend. I have given thought to how I will spend my spring vacation. At that point, Vida's room will be painted and furniture will be in place. The first 5 days of vacation are 'mine', as in, doing mommy-baby prep.
All week long: 1 hour of exercise (right now, I am fitting 30 minutes/day at best) and catching up with friends.
Saturday and Sunday: Baby showers
Monday: Baby laundry, nursery organizing, & thank you notes
Tuesday: Prenatal appt, prenatal yoga class & update blog
Wednesday: Review birth plan and have doula appointment (maybe I can squeeze in a pregnancy massage)
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Thursday-Saturday: Do work stuff, prep for maternity leave
(I will be 36 weeks by Thursday, 2 more weeks and she can be born with optimal development.)
This Week:
1. Shared my 4D ultrasound pictures with the team and family at school. Everyone's first reaction was, 'wow', and 'look at all that detail'. I don't talk about the pregnancy that much with the majority of the staff, so it was refreshing to hear everyone's congrats and positive responses.
2. Mamasource: I used this website to assist a fellow pregger who is in need of a post partum doula, then I saw all the great responses she received. So I replied to a posting from a mom looking to find a better school for her child. It so happens that one of the schools she's interested in, is the same school that one of my cohort members is the president of the board. Small, small world.
3. Prenatal appointment and maternity tour: CNM says, Vida is head down, she's growing well, and heartbeat is 125. Maternity tour: The UCLA hospital is getting a new maternity wing, not ready until May 4th. The old/original side is where I will give birth, the rooms are not so bad. There are plantation shutters painted on the walls and pretty landscape murals, home-like cabinetry, and labor and delivery occur in the same room. Babies room in with mom. I asked a lot of questions, the one that received the most overwhelming response from the other couples was: "You mentioned, that a woman can labor in whatever position is most comfortable, what about delivering in her position of choice?" The director asked who my doctor was, I replied the "CNMs". To which she said I would be fine and can deliver squatting if I felt like it. Another woman followed up because she has an OB, like the rest of the couples. The director said it would be up to the doctor's discretion.
How crazy is that?!?! You are carrying the baby but the 'medical professional' gets to tell you how you will birth the child you carried for 10 months! I realize that's the norm but the women were surprised. One of the woman, Rosy, stayed behind to talk to me about my experience with the CNM group. Rosy wants to try for a VBAC but isn't receiving the support she needs to pursue that decision. She was considering switching but the OB care felt impersonal. I think I convinced her to come to the 'other side'. She asked how did I know to choose them, simple, I knew what kind of birth experience I wanted.
4. 4D Ultrasound, take 2: Last Sunday, the 16th, P, Nana, and I went to Treasured Moments to take a sneak peak at Vida. We had attempted the previous sunday at 2:30 after a lovely and super filling lunch at Porto's cafe/bakery. Well, that was a bad idea, she was in a deep sleep. The pictures posted above are from the 16th.
5. Baby Shower planning: Since we ate at Porto's after the 4D sonogram on the 2nd visit, we stopped upstairs where 'specialty' cakes are ordered. We placed our order for the baby shower on the 15th and the 16th. These cakes are so delicious. I will make sure to take good pictures and post after the shower.
6. Nursery prep: Cleaning out the 'office'. Packing up items we don't use, sort items for Goodwill or trash, post the futon and some other items on Craigslist, in order to make room for the upcoming painting project. We decided green, still torn between three shades: honeydew, garden (something), and something a little darker. I figure we'll do the actual painting the first weekend of March and just wait for the furniture to arrive. I can't wait until I can place her clothes and items in drawers and add decorations to the walls, etc.
Last week:
1. Not much on the baby front, plenty of busy activity at work. I did notice Vida's kicks and punches increasing in strength. Vida's Godmother finalized the invites and sent them out. They're so cute, pink with polka dots and a cute stroller embellishment on the top.
...and to think I thought February was going to be a slow month...so I look at my March calendar and it looks so wide open. Mmm, not so much because my grad work really picks up, along with some EOY (End of Year) projects. So I keep waiting for this 'slow' period to creep up, maybe April?
If I stop working on the 1st, I can see the next 18 (+ or - 14) days being a little slow. I will DEFINITELY stop working on Friday, April 18th. We'll see how I progress...
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