Nesting
I can't believe it's been almost a week since I updated my blog. Where has the time gone?
Monday my supervisor called and told me that they decided that they are not going to give me any more claims of my own, but in turn, I needed to start coming into the office whenever I wasn't riding with other adjusters so I could be there to help with paperwork, pay supplemental claims, train new adjusters, answer questions, answer phone calls, etcetera...kind of like a catch-all whatever job. I wasn't excited about starting to go into the office, but considering that all I'm doing at home is staring at the walls and watching the clock and the calendar, I figured it might be good to keep me busy this last month and pass the time. Which it did. This week seemed to fly by, so I guess it's working, and it is nice to see everyone at the office, but I'm getting really tired of answering "are you ready to have this baby?" questions. I had heard when you reached eight months that you got really tired of being pregnant, and jeez, is it TRUE! Anyway, so that's where I was all week this week. It wasn't bad, although I'm not terribly comfortable sitting at my desk, and it's hard to get up early in the morning since my supervisor wants me to be at work between 8-8:30. That's usually what time I'm rolling out of bed. Plus, since I'm still going out in the field a little bit, every day I make sure I've got an extra change of clothes so I can change when I get back to the office. It's kind of annoying.
The other annoying thing this week that happened was that I lost my voice. Completely. I couldn't speak above a whisper. It was SO annoying. And it was accompanied by a horrible hacking cough. I called my doctor's office Monday and begged for some relief. They told me to take Robitussin. I did that, and it helped a little bit, but not much. Finally on Wednesday when I went to see my doctor, she told me to get a 12-hour decongestant and take that before bed. Three days later, my voice is totally back and I'm not coughing. I wake up at night feeling TOTALLY parched since it dries you out, but I'll take that over coughing and gagging any day. Guess my doctor is good for some things! She's actually being really cool now that the end is almost here...but I'm being a bad kid. I have a long list of "homework" assignments to complete for her, and I haven't done any of them because I've been so busy...things like preregistering at the hospital so I can just walk in when I'm ready to pop, finding a pediatrician, taking a tour of Labor and Delivery, completing my final cord blood donation paperwork, finalizing my birth plan, etcetera.
Saturday when I was going through all my shower stuff, I threw it all in my baby crib because I wanted to spend time with my friend S and not be organizing my nursery, thinking that I'd get to it the next night or whatever. I was SO tired this week, I didn't get to it until last night. I spent all night last night nesting and organizing the nursery. It was SO much fun. I took all my clothes out and went through them to make sure I had a variety of sizes, which I DO! It's great. (Although I have fifty onesies!) I took all my handmade blankets that I had gotten and hung them on the crib walls kind of like crib bumper pads sort of. I just couldn't bear to put them all away since they are so beautiful. So you kind ladies that made me blankies, A, my stepmom, T, and my mom, they are all hanging with honor. P finished the trundle drawer for under the crib, so all the other blankets are folded neatly under there. I also hung the antique mirror that I got from my friend at work above the bookshelf so that looks neat there, washed the crib sheets I got from my friend E in Florida and put one on (they are a PERFECT fit by the way, E, thank you!), washed the onesie that I bought for McKenna for her coming-home, washed the pack and play sheet I got from my dad and stepmom, the Finding Nemo blanket that I had in the crib, and everything has that great baby smell from the baby All that I bought to wash the stuff in. It's fantastic. I feel somewhat organized...
...and then again I feel like I still need SO MUCH STUFF! After I was finished playing around in there, I came in HERE and worked on my registries. Now that the shower is over, I'm using them as a shopping list for what I really need. I went through and deleted everything off that I've already gotten and ALL the clothes, since I clearly don't need any more of those. I added some stuff to both lists and deleted some things that I've decided that I don't need so much, and now I have a list of things that I must have, and some things that can clearly wait, like a high chair. So today, we're hitting Babies R Us. We have a few duplicate items that we received from our registry at Target, and one of them is a play yard that I got from one of my very close friends at the shower. I agonized over asking her for the gift receipt, but unfortunately Target will NOT accept returns without it, and I just don't need two play yards. But it's fine...K understood and is going to give us the gift receipt tomorrow night, and then we'll go back to Target and return it and the other two duplicates, and get some stuff that we really need. I selected some crib bedding last night on the Target website that I think I'm going to have to order online, and it's really cute, so I'm going to order that probably within the next week so I have it. I really only want one or two sets of crib bumpers, but I've heard from a lot of experienced moms that it's a good idea to have a couple of crib sheets. So far, I have four courtesy of my buddy E!
The other thing that has happened this week is that I'm getting reinspired to start Body For Life again. My old workout buddy S (same one that gave me the mirror) asked me this week if I would be interested in working out with her again once McKenna is here. My answer? A resounding YES. P had promised me two hours of gym time every day as soon as I was able to start lifting again, and the idea of doing it with a girlfriend and having some adult conversation just makes that seem even better and more appealing. I'm not relishing getting back to the gym and showing the same guys my cellulitey butt and thighs that saw me at my very very leanest and ripped when I was squatting over 120#, but it has to be done, and my goal that I've set is to be back in my prepregnancy clothes by summer, which gives me about six months. I know some things I won't be able to wear, like my old bras and probably some of my shirts since I'm going to breast-feed, and chances are my abs will never be that ripped ever again, but I really want to do this and get back down to a size and a "me" that I'd be happy with. My replacement A yesterday asked to see my transformation pictures, which I haven't looked at in a LONG time, and I showed her...and she was absolutely amazed. And frankly, so was I! I never thought that I myself would inspire myself, but it was like looking at photographs of a different person.
Now, I'm starting over. And this time during my transformation, I'm going to do it better. No freaky food habits or weighing my food. No obsession. No free day free-for-alls. Reasonable, sensible eating, and enough calories so that my milk production stays up, McKenna gets what she needs as do I, and my muscles can regenerate. Although, I can still feel them under the fat...I know they are there. I've done a good job eating a good amount of protein so that my muscles won't cannabalize. To be honest, if I can just make it to the gym four times a week minimum and start cutting some of the idiotic calories out, I'll be ecstatic. I know this weight gain happens to everyone when they get pregnant, and there's nothing I can do about it now being so close to giving birth, but next time I get pregnant, I'm going to do it better and eat much better so I don't pack on the pounds. And I'm not stacking pregnancy weight either...I told P that I don't want to even talk about trying to conceive #2 until I have lost this pregnancy weight. I want to be totally healthy and in shape again for when I get pregnant again.
So...that's what's going on in my world. The baby is getting very big, my feet hurt a lot, I'm tired a lot, but I have my very good days (yesterday was one of them) and then my very bad days. But it's going okay and I'm hanging in there. I only have a few more weeks to go. P and I talked about it last night and I think we are going to ask my doctor if we have a choice on "when" to induce me on the evening of November 3 so I can give birth hopefully on November 4, or November 10 so I can give birth on November 11...the idea is that P would have the weekend to be home and then wouldn't have to take so much time off work to be with me and can save it for over the holidays in December. So weird to be sitting here talking about scheduling my daughter's arrival into the world, but if this is what I have to do, this is what I have to do!
Oh, I didn't see any guesses on the toilet paper game, but if anyone is curious, it takes twelve squares of toilet paper to wrap around my belly. Thanks, McKenna. *smile*
Monday my supervisor called and told me that they decided that they are not going to give me any more claims of my own, but in turn, I needed to start coming into the office whenever I wasn't riding with other adjusters so I could be there to help with paperwork, pay supplemental claims, train new adjusters, answer questions, answer phone calls, etcetera...kind of like a catch-all whatever job. I wasn't excited about starting to go into the office, but considering that all I'm doing at home is staring at the walls and watching the clock and the calendar, I figured it might be good to keep me busy this last month and pass the time. Which it did. This week seemed to fly by, so I guess it's working, and it is nice to see everyone at the office, but I'm getting really tired of answering "are you ready to have this baby?" questions. I had heard when you reached eight months that you got really tired of being pregnant, and jeez, is it TRUE! Anyway, so that's where I was all week this week. It wasn't bad, although I'm not terribly comfortable sitting at my desk, and it's hard to get up early in the morning since my supervisor wants me to be at work between 8-8:30. That's usually what time I'm rolling out of bed. Plus, since I'm still going out in the field a little bit, every day I make sure I've got an extra change of clothes so I can change when I get back to the office. It's kind of annoying.
The other annoying thing this week that happened was that I lost my voice. Completely. I couldn't speak above a whisper. It was SO annoying. And it was accompanied by a horrible hacking cough. I called my doctor's office Monday and begged for some relief. They told me to take Robitussin. I did that, and it helped a little bit, but not much. Finally on Wednesday when I went to see my doctor, she told me to get a 12-hour decongestant and take that before bed. Three days later, my voice is totally back and I'm not coughing. I wake up at night feeling TOTALLY parched since it dries you out, but I'll take that over coughing and gagging any day. Guess my doctor is good for some things! She's actually being really cool now that the end is almost here...but I'm being a bad kid. I have a long list of "homework" assignments to complete for her, and I haven't done any of them because I've been so busy...things like preregistering at the hospital so I can just walk in when I'm ready to pop, finding a pediatrician, taking a tour of Labor and Delivery, completing my final cord blood donation paperwork, finalizing my birth plan, etcetera.
Saturday when I was going through all my shower stuff, I threw it all in my baby crib because I wanted to spend time with my friend S and not be organizing my nursery, thinking that I'd get to it the next night or whatever. I was SO tired this week, I didn't get to it until last night. I spent all night last night nesting and organizing the nursery. It was SO much fun. I took all my clothes out and went through them to make sure I had a variety of sizes, which I DO! It's great. (Although I have fifty onesies!) I took all my handmade blankets that I had gotten and hung them on the crib walls kind of like crib bumper pads sort of. I just couldn't bear to put them all away since they are so beautiful. So you kind ladies that made me blankies, A, my stepmom, T, and my mom, they are all hanging with honor. P finished the trundle drawer for under the crib, so all the other blankets are folded neatly under there. I also hung the antique mirror that I got from my friend at work above the bookshelf so that looks neat there, washed the crib sheets I got from my friend E in Florida and put one on (they are a PERFECT fit by the way, E, thank you!), washed the onesie that I bought for McKenna for her coming-home, washed the pack and play sheet I got from my dad and stepmom, the Finding Nemo blanket that I had in the crib, and everything has that great baby smell from the baby All that I bought to wash the stuff in. It's fantastic. I feel somewhat organized...
...and then again I feel like I still need SO MUCH STUFF! After I was finished playing around in there, I came in HERE and worked on my registries. Now that the shower is over, I'm using them as a shopping list for what I really need. I went through and deleted everything off that I've already gotten and ALL the clothes, since I clearly don't need any more of those. I added some stuff to both lists and deleted some things that I've decided that I don't need so much, and now I have a list of things that I must have, and some things that can clearly wait, like a high chair. So today, we're hitting Babies R Us. We have a few duplicate items that we received from our registry at Target, and one of them is a play yard that I got from one of my very close friends at the shower. I agonized over asking her for the gift receipt, but unfortunately Target will NOT accept returns without it, and I just don't need two play yards. But it's fine...K understood and is going to give us the gift receipt tomorrow night, and then we'll go back to Target and return it and the other two duplicates, and get some stuff that we really need. I selected some crib bedding last night on the Target website that I think I'm going to have to order online, and it's really cute, so I'm going to order that probably within the next week so I have it. I really only want one or two sets of crib bumpers, but I've heard from a lot of experienced moms that it's a good idea to have a couple of crib sheets. So far, I have four courtesy of my buddy E!
The other thing that has happened this week is that I'm getting reinspired to start Body For Life again. My old workout buddy S (same one that gave me the mirror) asked me this week if I would be interested in working out with her again once McKenna is here. My answer? A resounding YES. P had promised me two hours of gym time every day as soon as I was able to start lifting again, and the idea of doing it with a girlfriend and having some adult conversation just makes that seem even better and more appealing. I'm not relishing getting back to the gym and showing the same guys my cellulitey butt and thighs that saw me at my very very leanest and ripped when I was squatting over 120#, but it has to be done, and my goal that I've set is to be back in my prepregnancy clothes by summer, which gives me about six months. I know some things I won't be able to wear, like my old bras and probably some of my shirts since I'm going to breast-feed, and chances are my abs will never be that ripped ever again, but I really want to do this and get back down to a size and a "me" that I'd be happy with. My replacement A yesterday asked to see my transformation pictures, which I haven't looked at in a LONG time, and I showed her...and she was absolutely amazed. And frankly, so was I! I never thought that I myself would inspire myself, but it was like looking at photographs of a different person.
Now, I'm starting over. And this time during my transformation, I'm going to do it better. No freaky food habits or weighing my food. No obsession. No free day free-for-alls. Reasonable, sensible eating, and enough calories so that my milk production stays up, McKenna gets what she needs as do I, and my muscles can regenerate. Although, I can still feel them under the fat...I know they are there. I've done a good job eating a good amount of protein so that my muscles won't cannabalize. To be honest, if I can just make it to the gym four times a week minimum and start cutting some of the idiotic calories out, I'll be ecstatic. I know this weight gain happens to everyone when they get pregnant, and there's nothing I can do about it now being so close to giving birth, but next time I get pregnant, I'm going to do it better and eat much better so I don't pack on the pounds. And I'm not stacking pregnancy weight either...I told P that I don't want to even talk about trying to conceive #2 until I have lost this pregnancy weight. I want to be totally healthy and in shape again for when I get pregnant again.
So...that's what's going on in my world. The baby is getting very big, my feet hurt a lot, I'm tired a lot, but I have my very good days (yesterday was one of them) and then my very bad days. But it's going okay and I'm hanging in there. I only have a few more weeks to go. P and I talked about it last night and I think we are going to ask my doctor if we have a choice on "when" to induce me on the evening of November 3 so I can give birth hopefully on November 4, or November 10 so I can give birth on November 11...the idea is that P would have the weekend to be home and then wouldn't have to take so much time off work to be with me and can save it for over the holidays in December. So weird to be sitting here talking about scheduling my daughter's arrival into the world, but if this is what I have to do, this is what I have to do!
Oh, I didn't see any guesses on the toilet paper game, but if anyone is curious, it takes twelve squares of toilet paper to wrap around my belly. Thanks, McKenna. *smile*
posted by Erica at 8:49 AM
MoiraKatydid
emgonz
emgonz@msn.com
5 Comments:
Good luck with getting back in shape after your pregnancy. Just don't expect too much from yourself, k? If you're working all day, and try to work out for 2 hrs, on those days, you'll barely see McKenna. It's hard. Not that it can't be done...but you might find yourself wanting to spend the time with your baby and not lifting weights.
I'm tglad things seem to be going well. Re: P and taking time off - is his company not big enough for family leave time? Because then he wouldn't have to worry about vacation days so much.
To anonymous...the two hours really is more for before I go back to work. When I go back to work, I doubt I'll have time to make it to the gym more than 2x during the week and then some time on weekends. We'll just have to see how it goes. Thanks for the concern! :)
To Rachel: P gets family leave time, but in the United States, paternity leave is unpaid and we can't afford for him to take any time off work without pay.
Haven't been online much lately, but I HAD to see today how you're coming along. I can't believe how far along you are now!
Sorry about your virus. I had one myself and lost my voice for about a week. I had it happen twice last year, too.
Take care of yourself and know that many in the stitching communities are thinking of you!
Susan in Socal
Hi Erica - I thought of you today and I wondered if you had had your baby yet. Not yet!!!
McKenna is a sweet name!
Enjoy your time off!
Susan
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