Spring "break"

Let me put this in context first. Yes, I REALIZE that having all these things happen over break rather than on a normal work week is actually a good thing... But it's not feeling so great at the moment. Also, I tried to balance a happy spring break thing for every less-happy thing

1- (good news) We had our 35 week appointment. Eli is doing well, still head down. My bp is good too. I got to give myself the strep b swab- so that was substantially less awkward than predicted. I also overheard a lady making her next monthly appointment on Eli's due date. Less than a month now- whaaaaat?!

2- after the appointment I was still super sore (the hips/pelvis and now the back too), and I couldn't do much except lay. No buying groceries, no making dinner. Just laying. So much for productivity.

3-  I made a LOT of appointments. From fun ones (maternity photos on Thursday with Joyful Beginnings) to less fun ones (the dog needs his shots) to ones I didn't even plan on making.... That's right- I've gone full blown hippie. I have now seen a chiropractor.

AND I'm doing it again.

And again.

1 session and I felt much better (I still hurt, but there is hope- AND it is bearable) now to get back to almost normal and maybe even get my joints nice and stretchy for labor.

25% of what she did felt amazing. 25% was surprising- but didn't hurt. 25% hurt (but she warned me it would), 10% tickled, and 15% is just my lack of thinking through my addition- but I am writing on my phone and don't feel like going back to fix it.

I really walked in planning on making an appointment but they got me in right away and I walked out... Well, actually walking.

The downside: my insurance card didn't work AGAIN. It was supposed to be so easy!

4- my car window broke. Yes, again. I planned on procrastinating fixing it, but then I went to go to work today (with Max, because our real estate agent was hosting a luncheon at our house, so I was given the boot). As I went to shut the door behind the dog- it stopped short. Yep- the DOOR broke too. Now I HAD to get it fixed because it was keeping my interior lights on and would otherwise drain my battery.

So Max and I made the trip to the dealership. I should have had someone take a picture. A lady who looks like she has a beach ball stuffed under her shirt and can't walk/bend (this was before the chiro), with 3 bags of stuff for school, a dog doing anxiety circles in front of her. with dirty hair and a wrinkly shirt. In the service center. Standing. Homeless. Carless. Like a schmuck.

5- great news: they not only fixed it for free (because it had been less than a year since we had gotten the exact same thing fixed)- they ALSO fixed my front window that at one point they had told is was going to be $700. No more opening the door at toll booths for us- we're living the fancy life now! (Although I am pretty sure Rico will still do it because he is convinced it's just going to break if we use it- which all evidence points to)

6- high on this extra bonus window- we drove out of the lot.... When RICO's check engine light came on. Jeep- you're letting us down. (Which is ironic, because I am about to go buy a used jeep running stroller. Some people never learn... But for $20- I'll risk it.

7- I got a lot of work done at work, unfortunately, I also ended up adding so much to my to-do list that I actually feel just as behind as before I spent 8 hours at work on spring break. Huh.

at least I had Max to keep me entertained.

8- I took care of exchanges and returns for duplicate gift items at not 1- but 2 stores. Then I made the mistake of making a list of all the things Eli still needs before he gets here. You know, like more than just the 1 crib sheet he has now, or a boppy cover, or ANY bottles/nipples (I figure I've got some time before he needs those anyway), or disposable diapers for the first few weeks (I just can't bring myself to buy them- I spent so much time learning about cloth that disposables seem overwhelming. How can there be THAT many options? I need a cut out for his cord? Really? And what is this nonsense about sizes?! Come on.) Maybe I'll drop some hints with Rico's co-workers tonight and they will stock him up on what we need- because I'm clueless. I still need to: find a pediatrician, find a photo album for the quote card (side note- guess what is nearly extinct in this day of digital photos. Photo albums. Remember when there were aisles of them- cheap? Now when you DO find them- they are too expensive!), and buy some depends. Oh, that's right, I went there. I'm not at a hospital, so no mesh undies for me. Rather than ruining the perfectly cute new "mom" underwear my mom is bringing me instead of flowers at the delivery (isn't she awesome? Flowers die- cute underwear are a gift that keeps giving for years), I plan to just rock out some adult diapers for a day or two. Don't be jealous.

9- I went to pick up my breast pump- 

The one I tried to get taken care of in December (but they acted like I was crazy and told me no because it was too far ahead). 

The one that I wrote down the FIRST day she told me I could get it, and I called ON THAT DAY to make an appointment to get it (and they acted like I was crazy because "we aren't THAT formal!"). 

The one where I told her that I would be out of town that weekend (and since they close before any humans could possibly get to them after work, I wouldn't be able to pick it up until Monday of Spring break). 

The one where I drove out to the middle of nowhere just to pull up to see a sign on the ground inside that said they had moved down the strip mall (mind you, this was when I was still in a lot of pain, and I was just proud of myself for getting OUT of the car, now I had to get back in and do it all over). 

You know, the one where I walked in and there was no one there and even the person I heard in the back room didn't come out? 

Yes, the one where when the lady did arrive she disappeared for a few minutes only to re-appear and inform me that THEY WERE OUT OF BREAST PUMPS. 

You know, the MEDICAL SUPPLY company that was out of medical supplies. 

She asked how far I'd driven. When I told her (and I presume when she saw that I was about to cry), she said they'd ship it to me. I should have asked a lot more questions, but I didn't. I just made sure she had my address, gave her my only copy of my Rx (in retrospect- not my best plan), and left. 

10- I still GET to have lunch with some friends on Friday. Outside of school! In the real world. That will be sooo good. Like, so, so good.

So, basically my spring break is filled with checking things off my to-do list- and adding on things I never planned for. It's spending money where I didn't plan. It's stressing to make appointments and get things done. It's a microcosm of life. So much for an ocean side babymoon with my toes in the sand. Hello reality.

The Crazy Spiral

Something you should NOT do when your hips hurt: go on a long walk around the lake.

But, our house was being shown to 2 different groups and we promised Maximus the dog park- until we got there and saw the mayhem. 

No way dude, you'll have to settle for a boring walk by the lake because SOMEONE is getting eaten at that dog park with the massive over crowding and we are NOT letting that dog be you.

Here's the thing. Getting STARTED doing anything hurts like mother…(have I mentioned that little Eli has turned his mom into a potty mouthed sailor- pretty fitting with the shirt and all) BUT once I am going it feels great. 

Well, it was very clear that night WHY we should have stopped. 

Ah hem, "Why RICO WAS RIGHT and we should have stopped"

We went to a movie for the first time in months. (Rico really wanted to see the new 300 movie for his birthday- and we had free passes at our favorite movie theatre- where all the seats are recliners so I can go comfortably). You should have seen me trying to get in and out of those chairs. 

I mean it HURT.

I made some really bad faces- like faces that people could have thought, "This girl is in labor"

I also made some noises. Mostly grunting. My doula and birthing instructors would be proud- no high pitched noises- nice low growling grunts! 

but I can imagine it was pretty entertaining to watch if you weren't me (or Rico, who had progressed from shaking his head at my soreness to being genuinely concerned that something might be seriously wrong)

Sidenote: For all mothers (both birth and in-law varieties) reading this: I have an appointment with the midwives in a few hours and Rico has already assured me that we WILL be asking them about this, so you can exhale now and continue reading without worry for my health.

The bad news- we accidentally showed up for the 3-d movie. We're kind of over the 3d thing- especially with the price, so we decided to kill time until the non-3d showing. 

I had a gift card for TjMaxx, so I thought we might go see if we could find things we need for the baby. 

Things this baby will never be short on

cute blankets

clothing

love (had to do it, sorry)

We DID find some sun shades for Rico's car, but then Rico found a book he wanted (for Eli). He LOVES Eric Carl- he met him when he was little and is obsessed, so anytime he sees something by Eric Carl he has to pick it up. It was a cool book about opposites (not really developmentally appropriate for a while- but it had flaps Rico was really enjoying).  We looked at the price and that's when I started spiraling down.

The thought spiral:

I like this book.

Awww, Rico likes this book!

He should have this book because Rico will be excited to read it to him and Rico hates to read.

We need to read to him a lot.

Should I already be reading to him?

Oh no, is he already behind?

He is going to need a LOT of books.

Oh no, we don't have enough books (this is not ACTUAL reality, as he does have about 15 books already in his nursery- but it felt real at the time)

Me: "How much is the book?"

Rico: "Too much"

What does that mean, like $8? $8 a book times 25 books, but then he'll destroy some, so….

Oh no, we aren't going to be able to afford to give him all the books he needs. 

He's going to be lacking books!

He's going to be behind in cognitive and language development!

No, I can't let that happen- we'll just have to be poor because we'll spend all our money on books. 

Then I felt the crazy bubbling up out of just my mind and starting to spew out into the real world. 

"Oh no!" (*note- things NOT to say out loud to your husband without context, when you're only about a month from your dues date, on a day that you've been walking around like a 90 year old person and he is already super worried about you) 

"He's not going to have enough books!"

and then my husband had one of those moments where I just have to stop and kiss him and I think, "THIS is why I married you." 

He didn't miss a beat from my crazy, and you could tell he knew I had already had the mental spiral. He just looked me straight in the eye and said "Alli, he will have books"

Me: "HOW DO YOU KNOW?!"

Rico: " Because you are his mom"

Me: "BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD ALL THE BOOKS I WANT TO BUY HIM!" 

and then he SEALED the deal. I said it on his birthday, but I really mean it. I think Rico is all of my favorite things in all my favorite amounts. One of the things he is in JUST the right amount is logical when I am crazy. In 7 words he took me from crazy downward spiral to SUPER excited.

"Winter is almost over: garage sales, baby!"

GARAGE SALES! 

yes.

Crazy downward mental spiral ended.  

We then started a 10 minute discussion about how we had finally reached the time in life that we idealized EVERY time we went garage saling, "Dang, once we have kids we are going to TEAR SOME GARAGE SALES UP!" 

Our time has come. Watch out people with used stuff…we're coming for you.

And, because I love my dog, I had to share this little gem. In order to actually see his face, I had to take this picture from almost completely on top of me. If you were to look at my profile, you would have only been able to see the tip of little Max's nose. (apparently I can now hide more than a bowling ball behind my belly- I can hide our dog!) 

The poor guy's chin had to be almost completely vertical to lay there….but apparently it was still worth it for him- even with all the kicks and jabs going on under him.

Maybe that's why God surrounded me with so many boys. Between Rico, Max, and Eli I am bound to have a nice balance to my super-hormones that send me on irrational downward spirals in the middle of stores. Thanks boys.

Now, off to our 35 week appointment. Group B strep test (the LAST test standing between me and a needle free labor), checking to make sure Eli is still head down, getting my maternity leave paperwork filled out by the midwives, picking up my breast pump (after they write me a Rx), and picking up almond butter at Trader Joes. One of these things is not like the other…but oddly feels almost as important. 

Suck It Hips.

I finally found something I REALLY don't like about pregnancy.
There are things  that COULD annoy me, but I just find  most of them entertaining-like the contortionist moves it takes for me to put on shoes or shave.
 Seriously, nothing worth complaining about so much as commenting on. (Even the peeing constantly and illusive sleep)

WELL- I would like to OFFICIALLY register my first pregnancy complaint.
My. Hips. Are. Sore.
They've apparently decided to spread ALL at once. As in, this entire week.
I haven't felt sore like this since I used to work with a trainer- and even then, he would balance my workouts so it would never last more than a day and we spent a lot of time stretching my hip flexors. (Except that one time I decided to go run  around the lake in bad shoes and stop to do yoga on every dock for about a week without checking with him first. He basically had to (very nicely) tell me that I was being an idiot and that you shouldn't do that if you don't plan on hurting yourself....oops))

To add insult to injury- I didn't even recognize that this was pregnancy related.
Me: "my hip flexors have been really sore, for a couple of days now. I wonder if I am walking wrong or doing my squats wrong"
Rico: "I bet your hips are spreading"
Me;  (with a dumbfounded look) "oh my gosh hunny, you are so smart!"

Apparently the student has now become the teacher.
 Duh.
How did I not think of that?!
 I spend all day thinking about pregnancy and I don't even think to blame this on it?

It's now to the point that rolling over in bed is even difficult. Putting on pants is no longer a challenge because of balance- it actually hurts too! And don't even get me started on sitting  in a chair through a n 8 hour birthing class. (And I thought I was doing so well because I kept tailor sitting on the floor instead. Ha. )

I'm taking up the entire bed as I lay here writing this because the only thing that feels good is laying in a butterfly stretch.  Poor Rico. Now, not only do I have pregnancy snoring, but I also take up 3/4 of the bed with my legs and knees literally taking up as much space as humanly possible.

I know what I SHOULD be thinking: "my body is opening up for Eli"  (which, if you'll allow me a teacher moment for a second- is one of those reasons that OUR BODIES ARE SO COOL!"
I know I SHOULD be visualizing a flower opening  (preferably with the sound of a lute playing in the background)
I know it is actually something I should be VERY glad is happening- but, for some reason this seems to be the one thing that I can't just appreciate as a sign of a healthy, normal pregnancy that is getting me ready for a healthy, normal birth.
Instead, All I can think is, "suck it hips... Suck it"

Rico's Birthday

Things Rico did on his birthday:

Went to work all day.

Got taken to his birthday lunch…at Wendy's.

Ate cereal for dinner…because his wife was at conferences all night.

Vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned every room in the house to get it ready to go on the market. Again, by himself.

Had a piece of Oreo ice cream cake I managed to sneak into our freezer the night before once I FINALLY got home around 8. 

Got no presents- unless you count these- which I bought just so he'd have SOMETHING to make him smile. 

I know, I know. But he WON'T ask for anything and tells me not to get him anything!

Took a break long enough to watch a recorded New Girl before going back to cleaning (where my job was to get the nursery ready). Oddly it was pretty much the only room that was "show ready" last week- but then we brought home 1 million and 1 presents and it made us start back at square 1. As HE was running up and down the stairs hard-core cleaning…I may have distracted myself on this project: 

Eli's diapers WERE under the bed in a roll-out drawer, but it looked messy and I was pretty sure I wouldn't want to bend over every time I wanted a diaper. I saw this idea at the house of one of my old sorority sisters who was nice enough to give me a cloth diapering mini-lesson and sell me some of her old ones. 

Put me (and Eli) to bed by 9- and KEPT cleaning. 

But look how good the house looked in our real estate pics!

Now THAT was a lot of cleaning. MAN am i going to miss our house.

Don't worry, the day wasn't done. He ran upstairs after I called him to clean up my puke. Yes, I gave myself a bit of food poisoning after eating my greek yogurt/almond butter/honey fruit dip even though it had been out all day and Rico had warned me NOT to eat it.  This wasn't a small amount of puke- this was a LOT of puke. I mean, in a container, but still, a lot.

Then, on his Saturday- he went to yet ANOTHER birthing class I signed us up for. 

All day. 

Literally 9 am to almost 5. 

And…he knew it all. The good news is that Bradly class made Rico a birthing super-star! The bad news is that he had a hard time staying engaged. 

I write this for 2 reasons. 

#1- I want to remember how awesome my husband is and recognize and appreciate how many sacrifices he is making for us

#2- To make me feel better about my upcoming crappy spring break. While I make sub plans and my new snow-day adjusted blockouts for the rest of the year (yeah, when you are a teacher, you can't just go on maternity leave, you have to do your job ahead and then teach someone else how to do it while you are gone). I'll also be grading and entering grades. I'll also be setting up the electronic babies to go out. SO, basically, I'll live at work. 

Rico, the one who DOESN'T get a Spring Break gets to go golf, go get BBQ and beers with a buddy,  and go to a Sporting game in his company suite (with his brother- which he has been wanting to do EVERY time he gets tickets). 

I can't be mad. 

The man deserves it. 

I CAN, however, be jealous. 

So- here I am- green with envy. 

Baby Shower!!!

Have I said lately how lucky we are? 

We have some of the sweetest, most giving family and friends.

The women behind the scenes. My sister- the hostess/creator/boss, my mom, the assistant, and Lizzie- the baby consultant.

My sister put together a woodland themed shower full of all the cutest little details.

Clearly the hedgehog cheese ball deserved his own picture.

My sister made these little cupcake toppers! 

These onsies were hung in the entryway as you walked in

I was worried, I have to admit, as we started out with a Bang. 

Literally. 

Rico's grandma missed the step down into the living room and had one of those falls where everyone stops breathing for a a good 30 seconds. 

It was one of the scarier things I have ever seen. 

She's sweet enough to come to my shower and she leaves with broken glasses and what we can only assume will be a black eye. Oh boy did I feel bad. 

Once you entered the living room (after at least 3 people now warned you about the step down)- you saw THIS!

The garland under the fireplace, and the pictures above it (Rico and I as babies) And yes, those balloons are as big as they look…HUGE.

I also felt a bit of guilt for all the things that were asked of everyone at the shower. People did a great job playing along with all the "assignments" I asked my sister to have them complete:

From filling out their own return address envelopes (which she asked them to do in the cutest possible way)

To my sister's addition of having them guess when little Eli might make his arrival. SHAME on all of you who chose my birthday! I don't mind sharing in the future (it means I'll always get to throw a themed party!) BUT I would rather NOT be in the most pain in my life ON my birthday. 

And then the thing I asked of my guests that my sister rolled her eyes at. She tolerates my sentimentality. 

She chuckles at how I make everything an event, even labor. 

So, what this time? WELL I woke up at 1 am after a Bradley class one night with my FAVORITE idea. 

We had talked about how powerful words of affirmation can be during labor. Knowing that this is one of my love languages, I took this to heart. I started thinking about Rico and I's long distance relationship time. 

It didn't go well.  

That's putting it lightly.

There are only so many ways to say, "I love you, and I wish you were here"

I figured that labor might end up this same way. 

After all, there really ARE only so many ways to say "You're doing great, I'm so proud of you"

…and what if I'm NOT doing great?

 There are sure to be moments where what I need isn't someone telling me I'm awesome, but encouraging me through my doubts. 

SO- I started pinning quotes that I thought would be helpful in labor. Quotes he could read to me. Then I thought- what if I put them on cards and had people I love write additional encouraging notes? 

Oh yeah. 

That had to happen. 

200 some quotes later…(taped lovingly onto cards by my mom)

I read a few already- and I have to say, it may have been my BEST ideas ever. Top 10 at least. My friends and family are witty, thoughtful, and encouraging. 

Even with the horrible weather- people still came.

I have one friend in particular that I was having a hard time waiting to see. You see, 

she has always been very clear on her stance on babies, ultrasounds, and all things in that realm. 

We are opposites. 

I am obsessed.

She tolerates it on her newsfeed because she loves stalking people more than she hates the "creepy" baby updates. 

I, clearly, needed to use my pregnancy to my full advantage. I let her know early (and often) that I was going to do my best to make her as uncomfortable as possible when I saw her next. 

I BELIEVE my exact words were, "I'm going to rub my belly ALL over you"

AND DID I EVER.

 I think she underestimated what I meant.

I think she thought I was just going to try to touch bellies with her. 

No. 

When I said RUB, I meant RUB.

AND RUB I DID. 

My belly literally rubbed her head, her back, her stomach, and yes, even down her legs (I am a fairly flexible pregnant lady when I have my mind on a mission)

You can't see my hand, but I literally held her head here. I took her head prisoner.

Even though it meant schlepping their babies across town- people still came.

Even though WSU was playing for their what, 1,000th win in a row? My WSU friends still made it. Like, one's who not only graduated from there- but works for them- and, I'm convinced, will some day run the place. Literally. 

Not only did people come to celebrate little Eli, they, and those who weren't able to be there, spoiled Eli with gifts.

For those that couldn't make it- I'm actually glad. You can't imagine how worried I was about everyone trying to get home. And, after a drive home to KC where we were both sweating (literally, we were drenched) in an effort to keep the car enough to warm the ice that kept building up on the windshield as we drove. Even then, we still had to pull over about every 45 minutes to scrape.

"We"…ha. Rico. Rico scraped. I sat my pregnant self in the passenger seat.

I was very happy to only be worried about Rico's aunt (who ended up on the side of the road. Yes, the daughter of the woman who may have been given a black eye. D'oh.) 

From maternity photo sessions, to outfits for EVERY possible occasion, to the the things we really NEED, to hand made blankets that you can literally FEEL the love stitched/ knitted in. 

Erik rubbed each and every one of these on his face and said, "oh- he's going to LOVE this one!" When I told him that his grandma made the yellow one he said, "I had one like this when I was little- I loved it SO much!" 

The quilt Rico's other grandma made for Eli- so many details!

The quilt from his aunt Terri…you have to see this closer up so you can see how cute it is!

I mean- could this BE any cuter? Even the back is cute! And check out his little owl! It even has his name stitched on the back!

I was blessed with such a great mixture of presents to ooooh and awww over. 

Rico walked in after the shower and I think his mouth nearly dropped.

My sister's ENTIRE informal living room was filled with presents. 

Here they all were before I ripped through them.

Later that night, he got to open them in our nursery and I got to have the fun ALL over again. 

He may not have had the perfect tissue paper to pull out, or have gotten to rip open the wrapping paper, but he sure did have a LOT of fun pulling everything out of the bags and hearing who they were all from. 

I can tell you all this- he LOVED it. He was so excited each time. 

He did a LOT of rubbing things against his face. 

Like, more than you might imagine. 

There wasn't a single ting he didn't get excited about. 

I have to say, one of the highlights of my day was actually a moment with my niece, after everyone else had left.

She was over by me and I showed her my belly and reminded her that  had a baby in there.

We weren't trying to get her to say his name this time…apparently that is a bit of a lost cause as "Eli" is FAAAAR too close to "E-I E-I Oh" and that is WAAAY more fun to say.

She (all on her own- I swear my heart melted a little) started gently rubbing my belly.

 THEN she started showing me HER belly.

Seriously, SO cute. I think she got a little jealous of my belly bumping with Maggie earlier- she did her best to re-create it.

A wonderful day, with wonderful people. 

Eli is a very lucky boy.