Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Ninja is Loose!!!!!!

They say you forget the pains of labor once you see your beautiful baby. I’d like to correct that statement; its not that you forget, its that once they hand you the most precious being in the world, you know the pain was a small price for such a beautiful bundle.
            I never really put much thought about what it would be like once I became a mother, probably because I am mothering by nature. Now that I have my own precious little ninja I know how much I love it, and how much I love her. I love the little sounds she makes when she sleeps, her squeals when she’s frustrated, and even her hysterical cries when she’s hungry. I’d always thought before I’d had a baby that I’d wish the newborn days would pass swiftly, but the reality is I cherish every minute I have with her. I want to hold her in my arms forever and kiss her kicking feet. And yes, now that she’s out of me I laugh when those little ninja feet go crazy. Its strange to think she's only been around a short time, cuz it feels like she's always been a part of our family.
            On the recovery side of things, I never realized having a baby is actually a trauma to your body. I ignorantly thought that it’s just natural and normal and that maternity leave was to adjust to the sleepless nights the baby’s schedule brings. Well, it is natural, but there needs to be recovery time for mama and baby needs to build up her immunity so she has a fighting chance in our disease riddled world. Squeezing a child out of you takes awhile to recover from. I will get a spurt of energy and do a load of laundry, and then have to go lie down for a few hours to recover. This is why I’m super grateful for my awesome mama who flew out to help with the baby, and also managed to act as a merry maid and meal service, as well as a home organizer and baby expert. I may just have to hire a maid after she leaves, although hired help couldn’t hold a candle to the incredible changes she’s done, or the priceless advice she gave. Gotta love mamas, we are quite awesome because we inherited it from the mothers who came before us. 

Friday, August 2, 2013

Nearing the end - Can't come soon enough!

I finally made it to full term. I know technically this still means I have 3 weeks left, but I'm not going by that date, in part to keep my sanity and the other part to give myself some relief that its over soon! Baby girl is restless and very uncomfortable which makes mama restless and uncomfortable. Her not liking my cramped little womb makes me think she's not going to be a fan of swaddling. She wants her feet to kick freely, like any ninja would.
     Some may find it odd or surprising that I'm still working. I'm either a tough chick or just completely nuts. I think I worry people at work when I waddle around with my massive baby bump. My co-workers can't seem to remember the due date, cuz they fill the need to ask every time they see me. I should tape a calendar to my belly with that date highlighted, just to see if it helps them remember.  It cracks me up when they see me coming down the hallway, they step to the side and smash their bodies against the wall, like I really need that extra 4 feet to get by them.  Really, thanks for the thought, but I'm not that huge people!  I consider it a blessing I am still able to work and not on bed-rest. I think I would have gone insane if that happened.
     I don't sleep much these days. Between the writhing child inside of me and not being able to find a comfortable enough position to lay in... and not to mention having to pee every hour on the hour.  I just can't seem to stay asleep. I have to get up rock baby girl to sleep, clean, stretch and read a book. I repeat in this order till baby falls asleep and I get tired enough to lay down. I blame the brain being affected by all these extra hormones. That chemical that gives you vivid dreams while pregnant, also seems to like to continue whatever preview I saw on TV or continue the episode of whatever show I just watched. My mind will continue playing the episode. I've predicted the winner of Master Chef, who the killer is in Whodunnit, and even rewrote the ending of August Rush since I didn't find the ending very satisfying. Its the default setting on my brain, I can't seem to turn off. If I were a scientist researching the cure for cancer my brain would have no-doubt solved it by now.
     I have become quite the spectacle at the pool. All eyes focus on my giant belly when I walk in. I've outgrown my towels, so I can't really wrap it around myself, so I just waddle in proudly and swim a few laps. Sometimes the kids at the pool ask if I'm pregnant. Yea, kids. This ain't no bee sting! And when I start wadding in the water, one kids shouted "You're baby's gonna get wet!" Too late, she's already there, little one.  She's already having a swim party in my belly.  The thing I love about swimming the most is its the perfect anti-gravity device to help me forget about my unproportioned body and pregnancy pains.
     What I'm really excited about when its all over is being able to eat cupcakes again. That and massive quantities of pasta and rice. I have gestational diabetes, and what that translates to is, for the duration of my pregnancy I have to limit my glucose intake because my placenta give off too much glucose and my body isn't absorbing it like it should. Which means all that glucose goes to the baby, making her at risk for not only being too big a baby, but it could cause her blood sugar to drop too low when we cut that umbilical chord. There's no better motivation to keep to a diet than this. I've always had issues with diets, but I've not had any issues sticking to one for the baby's well-being. Awww, aren't I a super mom? Its okay, just agree with me :)
     But I am mostly excited to get this little Kung Fu Panda out of me and in my arms, its the way it should be. I have so many clothes to dress her in, I want to start now! I have a months worth of diapers on standby and a bag all packed ready for the hospital trip. The car seat is already strapped in, the crib and bassinet are prepped. All i need now is a baby. So, baby come out. We want to meet you!