10 days overdue

I had my suspicions that our baby would be late, since most first timers arrive post-due. Not sure why they take longer to bake, but that's the word on the street. But! I didn't think I'd be 10 days late...or more. Here we are, bags are packed, house is cleaned, baby stuff is ready to go and no baby to speak of. There are some strategies you can try to get things moving but most have been traced back to folklore. Bottom line, the baby comes when it's ready.

I like to view this as my first test as a mom (I'm on the baby's clock, not vice versa). Meanwhile, I'm getting bigger by the moment; people can't avoid looking at me at Green Lake or the grocery store. And my parents have been truly good sports; they've been here for 2.5 weeks now, and I know they're getting antsy.

Honestly, I was more anxious 10 days ago when I felt like labor was gonna start AT ANY MINUTE!! The best way I can describe being overdue? It's like coming in for a landing, then the pilot pulls the plane back up, and while you're ascending and the flight attendant announces that instead of landing, you're gonna circle the airport for 2 more weeks. Ten days ago friends and family were calling me, Dave, and my folks for updates; my phone hasn't made a peep in a few days. It's pretty anticlimatic for us all.

Full term pregnancy is 37-42 weeks; the 40th week is the due date you're generally assigned, but it's not an exact science. The baby can arrive two weeks before or after and still be considered "on time". I chose to see the midwives at my hospital rather than an OB/GYN, and those lovely earth mothers take a more holistic approach to pregnancy and birth. They tell me that the latest research doesn't call for induction until 42 weeks unless there are complications. Since there aren't, I'm looking at next Saturday as the last resort. I hope it doesn't come to that...

Make Lemonade

My parents' cross country journey in a borrowed Minnie Winnie did not quite pan out as planned. After many months of planning and preparing and stocking the Winnebago, they climbed aboard and pointed it westward on July 3rd with Aunt Kitty and Uncle Steve, only to break down in Buffalo, NY. The engine was shot; the mechanic estimated it was going to be quite expensive to fix. Despite the change of plans, they kept a positive attitude. They packed only the necessary items into a rented extended cab and continued on. They visited the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Lake Erie, and then Chicago to meet up with family friends.

While Kitty and Steve returned eastward (as planned), my folks weren't sure how to best get from Chicago to Seattle- plane? train? automobile? (great movie, by the way). A one-way flight was ungodly expensive, so they booked a couple of the last remaining seats on an Amtrak train. The rest of the journey would take about 2 days.

Originally, my parents were going to help out once the baby arrives and sleep in the parked Minnie Winnie in our driveway. With no RV, that meant no place to put them. Dave and I had an idea- the upstairs apartment is vacant, and our landlords have been slowly preparing it to rent. Why not rent it to my parents? Or better yet, have them do the repairs and painting in exchange for room and board? Genius, I know. The landlords were game.

We moved our futon upstairs, along with some essentials (coffee maker, chairs, a laptop, and towels). Okay, so it's a little too minimalist, but how convenient (not to mention incredibly lucky) to have an available apartment upstairs and parents who are ready and willing to do home and yard maintenance?

A few days ago, Kitty called my mom to tell her they'd returned to the Minnie Winnie and salvaged most of the stuff they'd left behind. How awesome!? My mom is notoriously lucky. Actually, we all are.

Now that I'm done with work for a while, I'm just gonna sit back, wait for Little Kitzman, and drink lemonade.

The High Fidelity Issue

Nick Hornby's High Fidelity is one of my Top 5 all time books (and the movie's pretty good too). The protagonist, a lovelorn record shop manager, makes Top 5 lists for all sorts of things (i.e. dream jobs, songs for a Monday morning). I play this game on road trips or when conversation gets stalled at a bar with friends... but we often get distracted so we shorten the game to Top 3. In honor of two weeks to go, here's my pregnancy-related Top 3s.

Top 3 businesses that I might've single-handedly supported:
1) Molly Moon's Ice Cream
2) Dahlia Bakery
3) Chutney's Indian Bistro


Top 3 things I will miss about being pregnant:
1) Baby kicks- it really is cool to feel my little buddy move around
2) Farrah Fawcett-worthy hair...or at least that's what it feels like compared to my pre-pregnancy mane
3) Extra friendliness from strangers

Top 3 things I will not miss:
1) Limited physical ability and energy level
2) My maternity wardrobe. Most of my shirts are now belly shirts and I've started wearing skirts as tops. Holla!
3) Restless nights (although I suspect that will continue for a while...ha)

Top 3 things I'm looking forward to consuming one the baby arrives:
1) Sushi!
2) A summertime margarita (on the rocks, with salt)
3) Turkey straight out of the package

Top 3 things about being pregnant in Seattle:
1) It's not ridiculously hot or humid (but I want it to be once we have our little baby)
2) Over-abundance of prenatal yoga options
3) Cherries!

Top 3 inventions that have come in handy:
1) Skype
2) Tennis balls (for my DIY back massages)
3) Barca-lounger

Top 3 annoying people I've encountered in the last 9 months:
1) Militant natural home birthers
2) Old bags who ask "Are you sure it isn't twins?"
3) Casual acquaintances who ask if it was planned. Really?

Top 7 awesome things you can say to an expectant mother:
1) "You move well for a pregnant lady"
2) "Can I get you anything?"
3) "You don't even look pregnant from the back" (thanks Dave!)
4) "You are gonna be the coolest mother"
5) "Do you want me to order a pizza?"
6) "You look beautiful"
7) "You are a rock star. There's no way I would've worked out like that while pregnant. I bet you're gonna have an easy recovery".