Spaghetti is a good morning snack.

At least it is when you are pregnant.  Because who's gonna tell you NOT to eat spaghetti at 10 a.m.?

PJ walked all the way from his room to the front door this morning (holding mama's hand, of course).   He's so close, he just needs to have a little more confidence in himself, I think.   He also loves strawberries (not sure how those two things are related, they probably are not).

I hate that lately I am consumed with HATING that I can't be home with him.  It's really bothering me lately, and I am not sure why it is bothering me SO MUCH so OFTEN.  It's always bothered me, but it's all I can think about while I am at work these few weeks.  Is it because it's nicer out?  Or because he's having so much fun playing now?  I don't know, but I do know that I hate it with a passion.  Damn women's lib.   I would be perfectly happy cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the kids while John made the money.   Guess we're gonna have to win that $252 million powerball.

I think, because it's all I can really do, is that after maternity leave is over, I am going to start looking for a job in the burbs.  In the Oak Brook/Downers Grove/Burr Ridge area.  I don't want a raise.  I want to be able to leave the house at 745 for a job that starts at 8:30, and be home by 5 for a job I get out of at 4:30.  I want to be able to leave at 3 p.m. and not wait for 30 minutes for a train, instead being home in 30 minutes.  I'd even be willing to take a small paycut if it meant no more commuting by train and waiting for bullshit.   I'd have to pay K&E back some tuition reimbursement most likely, but not too much.  We'd figure it out.  I might actually not apply for any more after this quarter so the amount I have to pay back would be minimal -- only like $1000.  Which sucks, but would be worth it to be gone from 745 to 5 instead of 7 to 530.

Today's edition of what happens after the baby comes out.

The first time you pee.
Okay, so my only experience with this is after having an epidural.    You won't really be able to stand/walk on your own.   So hopefully your husband will help you to the bathroom, which is hopefully not that far away.  The nurse will most likely have handed him a peri bottle  (a small bottle that you fill with warm water with a squirty top -- remember this, it will become your new love) filled with hot water, a huge pad, and some -- wait for it -- mesh panties (more on that stuff later, this is strictly about peeing).

When you go to sit down to pee, you will be instructed to take the bottle and squirt it all over your vagina, the lips, etc -- don't TOUCH it, just squirt.  It will feel WONDERFUL.  Maybe even a little orgasmic. Don't wipe.  The water is enough.  You don't want to wipe.   What you need to be ready for though, is what you will see (and what your husband will see) when you stand up.

There's going to be A LOT of blood in that toilet.  A LOT.  Like  I-just-killed-a-small-animal-over-the-toilet amount of blood.  This is TOTALLY normal.  Don't freak out.  Your after peeing toilet bowl is going to look like this for AWHILE.  Some will probably drip down your leg.  Have your husband  wipe this up for you.  He just saw you give birth, he can handle this.

We sort of took a step.

PJ's been getting a little more secure in standing on his own - he stood several times yesterday for a decent amount of time, and he even tried to take a couple steps towards me!  YAY!! I think he'll be full out walking in a few weeks or so.  I can't wait.  We were at Wildfire yesterday and he wanted to walk so I took his hand and we walked around the lobby while he yelled things and smiled at people.

He was also enamored with the little babies at the G2G on Saturday.   He just looks at them -- like HEY!  You're SMALLER than me! 

My little happiness also slept till 8 both days this weekend -- of course Saturday, I woke up at 7 and didn't go back to sleep because I figured he'd wake up any second and I'd have to get up so what was the point.  But it was cute laying there and cuddling with him in our bed since John went to golf.  Last night he woke up a few times though, not like the normal STTN he's been doing.  Not sure what the problem was.  But then I had to go wake him up this morning which I hate doing, even though he is all smiley and cuddling and so happy to see his mama.

I am 14 weeks pregnant.  Feeling some flutters on occasion, which when I was pregnant with PJ I chalked up to gas, but that's how you learn.  I am excited to feel real kicks.  My naked belly also looks "pregnancy shaped" although to people it probably is still questionable.  I've had some people give me the "look" about the wondering if I'm pregnant. Sometimes it's funny to just let them wonder.

And today's installment of what happens after the baby comes out.

Stitches

So although you dialate to 10 cm (which, let's face it, is this much): ___________________________________________

you still might need a little help to push your little happiness out.  So you might tear.  Now DON'T FREAK OUT because you will NOT feel this.   You'll have know idea when, or if this happens, till after your baby is here and out and they say we have to stitch you up.  Some of you might have heard of an episiotomy, which is where you actually get cut, with scissors.  This is very uncommon nowadays.  Most doctors don't do it because it isn't necessary.

Okay, so if you tear, you'll need to be sewn up like the Thanksgiving turkey after you stuff it (nice visual).  Again, you won't feel this, because they numb the area.   However, if you don't want to SEE the stitching, I suggest you do not look forward.  Look to the right, left, close your eyes, whatever.  There's something a little unnerving about seeing a long piece of string coming up from your vajayjay.

Anyway, not painful, not a big deal, and the stitches disslove. And if you are lucky, you'll have a joker husband like mine that tells you, "I asked the doc to put a couple extra in there.  You know.  To make it tighter."

Nice work, honey.

Well hello there, 2nd Trimester

So I am officially in the second trimester today.  Or yesterday.  Or whatever.  I'm over 13 weeks, so there you go.

This is the slow, boring part of the pregnancy.  I feel better, but I'm still tired, and I still get nauseous and that OMG IF I DON'T EAT IN THE NEXT FOUR SECONDS I AM GOING TO DIE feeling.  But this is pretty uneventful.  I feel some flutters, but no real movement.   Nothing exciting at the next appt -- hear the heartbeat again, which is super cool, but we'll hear it at every appointment here on out.   So we are in the boring part of pregnancy.

PJ has started to walk just holding on to one hand now.  He usually starts cracking up and ends up falling down, but we're getting there.  I think he'll be walking on his own in the next month or so.   He crawled pretty late, and since he's so good at that now he probably is just taking a bit longer.  I'm okay with that.

My good friend Rita, who has a 7 month old, is pregnant again.  She's due November 20, so she's about 5 weeks behind me.  She's a little freaked out (her little ones will be 14 months apart) but I know she'll be able to handle it.   Her older brothers are 15 months apart and she and her middle bro are 18 months apart.   So I guess she's following in mama's footsteps. :)

I've decided in each blog post, I'm gonna post something that's going to go in my "What happens after labor is over" book.  Today's topic:  Afterbirth.

Afterbirth is pretty much all the shit (literally and figuratively) that is still inside after your beautiful bundle of happiness is out.   Before they stitch you up (we'll talk about that later), a nurse will pretty much straddle you and push down on your "I had a baby in there about two minutes ago and it's stretched out to proportions I didn't know possible" uterus to get it all out.   It's painful -- not excruciating, not terrible, but your abdomen feels like someone is dropping a car on it.    It's important that this all comes out though. 

This might be a good time for your husband to go see the baby in the nursery.  John was a trooper during the entire birth, and was not grossed out.  But even he, upon hearing what was coming, kissed my forehead, and said "I'm gonna go see PJ, babe."