Friday, September 25, 2009

Cake on your "Birth" day!

We had our tour of the maternity floor at the hospital the other night, and I'm very impressed. It's a smaller unit, which makes it very cozy, but has ALL the technology you could ask for.

A few things that really stood out; even though I'll be having a c-section the baby can stay with me in recovery. Which is way different than when Logan was born, him and daddy went off to the nursery right away and I didn't get to 'meet' him for almost two hours. I did however have a rough recovery in reaction to the anesthesia so maybe that's why.

Also, you get to have a party! Yes an actual birthday party, complete with cake and ice cream provided by the hospital. How fun is that? We're very excited about the cake at our house, yes we're excited about the baby too, but how fun is it to have cake. Who doesn't love cake? Logan thinks a party for the baby is a pretty cool idea too.

They also do another program called BirthNotes where you can meet with a nurse, get all your paperwork done ahead of time, take a tour if you haven't done so already, and just make sure the experience your own. There are a few special things we would like done, so we want to make sure that's noted, and also make sure they're extra aware of me not being able to have IV's etc in my cancer side, and my previous reactions to anesthesia, just things to make it go smoother.

I just felt very comfortable when we were there, so I think it's going to be a great experience overall. I recovered very quickly from my last c-section even after almost 24 hours of labor, so I'm hoping this time will be a breeze. And I won't have labor exhaustion so I might actually recall meeting the baby for the first time.

Now if it would just hurry up and be December :)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Reindeer, Meatballs and more, OH MY!

We made it through our first ever bought with a bad dream. The other night I was woken out of a dead sleep by my son screaming "mommy" at the top of his lungs, boy that will shake you out of a fog quicker than anything! I wasn't even aware of what time it was. He crawled in bed with us, trembling lip and all, but not really awake enough to tell me about it. So he laid with me and I rubbed his back, and after about a half hour, shipped him back to his bed (otherwise I wouldn't have gotten any sleep, the boy is a cement mixer!). The next morning, vaguely aware of what happened during the night, he told me that he remembered his dream, but wanted to get dressed first. Guess being in his underwear made it seem scarier?? His dream involved him finding a dead reindeer in our backyard, crazy how a 4-year old mind works. Poor guy, do we now have to worry when Santa visits about the reindeer falling off the roof? Hopefully its forgotten by then. Although getting him to sleep alone in his bed the next night was a bit of a task, but I think he'll survive.

The next night we tackled a very large batch of meatballs. I've been on this make ahead food kick lately, hopefully it sticks around until the baby is born and we'll be eating good for awhile. I mixed up a large bowl and Logan helped me shape them. He did a whole pan all by himself, he was not however too keen on the idea of eating them. He's always been skeptical about "meat" of any kind, goofy boy, his carnivore instincts will kick in soon enough. He would try one of the ones that HE had made though. They were so easy to make, and very tasty, but the heartburn wreaked havoc on me for a few days.

And I did have a doctors appointment yesterday. As always everything is looking great, measuring right where I should be, blood pressure was good, and weight gain has been very minimal (YAY!). Once again this baby, like its older brother, likes to hide out in the back of my uterus, so finding a heartbeat with the little Doppler was tricky, and it made it known that it did not want to be found by letting out two HUGE kicks. Still not having any feelings as to what it is, unlike with Logan, I knew he was a boy. Nothing yet with this one. One more appointment on the every 4 week schedule, then I have the lovely Glucose test, yuck! Although I was pleasantly surprised to learn they don't make you fast anymore, just avoid sweets prior to. Always wondered what evil monster would make a pregnant woman fast! Then after that, we'll be on the every 2 week appointment schedule, makes it seem closer!

Also was able to get a flu shot, but seem to be suffering some side effects today with a sore throat and running nose. The nurse at the doc's office assured me it was common, and because it was effects from the shot because it contains an active virus, that my chances of being contagious are very unlikely, and symptoms should pass in a few days. So in the meantime, I'm drinking up the OJ (always my favorite).

Friday, September 11, 2009

Music is my heart

"Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

I stumbled across this quote yesterday, and realized that it really is true. It also got me thinking just how much a part of my daily life music is. I've been pondering this as a blog topic for quite some time, finding this quote is just a sign I guess.

I LOVE music, any and all types of music. If you were to flip through my iPod you'd find quite the range, from Carrie Underwood, AC/DC, Black Eyed Peas, Willie Nelson, Jim Brickman, Third Day, etc. Any and all genres, I just can't get enough of music.

All day at work I'm plugged into either my iPod or Pandora radio on my phone. Music helps me focus, tune out the background noise and just make me feel good. It 'soothes my soul'. It has a way of drawing out emotions of all kinds.

As a kid mom always had music playing, then factor in band and choir throughout high school. I actually miss the good old band days, of diving into a new piece of music and picking apart its parts to make up this whole divine production. It helped that I had the most fantastic band director a person could ask for, it was easy to love it learning it from someone as passionate about music as Mr. Stender was. I do kind of regret not keeping up with piano throughout college, now I might be able to plunk out twinkle, twinkle little star, but that's about it. And someday I think I might like to learn to play guitar.

In college when Richard and I started dating, I found that he too liked quite the range of music. It was him I think that turned me on to some of the things I listen to now. But he listens to all genres as well. Also when we first started dating and were at separate schools, I'd check my email in the mornings and would often find a message containing lyrics to a song that he found and had written to me, such a romantic :)

And now I'm so glad to be back in choir, however singing this fall/winter is going to be a challenge. I am diaphragmatically (yes I know not a word) challenged these days and get out of breath quite easily. So my choir director and I have worked out a plan that I can practice with the group, but I won't be performing until after the baby is born, keeps me part of the group, but also prevents me from passing out wearing wool choir robes. And now since rejoining church that genre of music and ignited a new passion in me, those composers back then new what they were doing, the harmonies, the melodies, such beautiful music.

One fun thing that I like to do with music is challenge my mom! We play a lyric game on occasion where I will send her the first verse to the song and she has to come back with the artist and title. She always does quite well. I'm sure it doesn't help that no matter what the topic of discussion she can come up with a lyric to match, I think she was a rock star in a former life, haha!

Besides all the big ways music is in me, just small things, the ringtones on our cellphones, being put on hold with the doctors office, commercials on tv and radio, music is everywhere. Also one of the new things I learned is that the hospital where I will be delivering plays Brahms Lullaby every time a new baby enters the world, very cool.

I can only hope that my love and passion for music gets passed onto my children. I can already see it in Logan as he will sometimes sing "You are my sunshine" to my belly, makes a momma proud!