all is well...

we begin a birthing class geared for home birthers on thursday. my baby shower is in less than 2 weeks. a baby shower... it's time for that already! i've only 9 weeks left to go! i'm doing the "nesting" thing. i rearranged stuff in the house today (no heavy lifting, mind you), i'm washing all of her clothes, cleaning stuff, etc. i'm even doing dishes on a regular basis; i HATE dishes!!! my boy hasn't had to do them in more than a month. we don't have a dishwasher, either. i don't know what's wrong with me. i've gone from slightly slobbish to this domestic goddess during the pregnancy. i wonder if my newfound cleanliness will stick around after the baby is born.

sleeping is getting progressively more difficult. i have to lay on my left side, but i can't figure out what to do with my left arm. i can never keep it in one position for too long, because it gets so uncomfortable. i'm getting an aching upper back too. the mounting number of pillows in our bed is leaving the poor boy with very little room. i'm glad he's so understanding. i must take up 3/4 of the bed with all those damn things!

it's off to do some laundry and dishes...i can't believe i'm admitting that!

30 weeks tomorrow!! my belly is rounding, but not enormous by any means. i want to take some pregnancy artful pics for my personal collection. some groovy lovin' pics of me, dad and baby. our first family pictures, if you will.

i went to the steel pulse concert on valentine's day. my little girl danced around with me and her dad; we had soo much fun! it was a strange time though, as i and her daddy were very protective of the baby bump. most everyone there, however, was respectful of our space. it was a reggae concert, so in all honesty that wasn't very surprising. the crowd that reggae attracts is an awesome one in my experience. several groovy ladies congradulated us.

there was even a woman who asked me "are you going to have your baby at home?". i nearly burst into tears!! that is the only person who has asked me such a wonderful question.

i usually get "so what hospital are you having your baby at?", or "who is your doctor?". the ever popular "what about an epidural?!" after i convey that i am planning a home birth. the natural approach to birth is foreign to most people i encounter. it is quite sad, really, because birth is NORMAL, and a process that works- the human race wouldn't have survived back in the day if it didn't work. we've been birthing naturally since the beginnning of humans... the medicalization of birth is not necessary in most cases, but it happens anyhow, and the c-section rate is ever-climbing because of it. horrible, horrible, horrible. unless mom or baby is in danger, i see no reason that birth can't happen the way nature intended.

i have even had a few debates with people arguing with me about how "unsafe" homebirth is. i point them in the direction of few books and the british journal of medicine, telling them that they are obiously misinformed, and to do their research in order to be certain thy know what they're talking about. i am such a bitch sometimes, but i really could care less when the person i'm talking to is an ignorant fool.


ok, *off my soapbox*

so, life is good, the baby moves like crazy. i seriously feel this baby move every hour at least a few times, if not more my stomach takes on many different shapes as of late. it's surreal. i can't believe i have about 2 more months before i meet her in the flesh. i feel like i know her already, though. i just want to see her little face. the anticipation is getting to me.

hope all is well out there for everybody

28 weeks tomorrow! 12 weeks to go! getting close to meeting my groovy little baby

so, my mom managed to get her jury duty done and over with last week, meaning she'll be able to come here for her graddaughter's birth. that makes me a very happy mama.

i got a new car! a 2004 nissan xterra, it's no jeep wrangler, but i needed a safer vehicle with non-plastic windows for my little baby. my jeep is parked on the side of my house now. i cried about it, i have had that jeep for 8 years! i always wanted a jeep, i even have my jeep tattooed on my leg (it's representative of my ruggedness) i guess a girl's gotta grow up some time...having a baby is what has done it in my case. at any rate, i have a car with cup holders and windshield wipers with more than two speeds now. i have power everything too, all of which i never had in a car before. my first car was a base model 1990 ford escort- ghetto, but i loved that car. the xterra is my 3rd car ever, and it's like a bmw compared to my other cars.

my sister is throwing a baby shower for me. it's a flower power baby shower- how appropriate i have pretty much everything i'll need for my baby, but i need some more clothes and cloth diapers for when she gets bigger. i have a pretty good newborn and size small cloth diaper stash. i did't really put many clothes on my babies r us registry, as i didn't really think that the clothes were my or my baby's style. i have a lot of clothes on my amazon registry, but i'm not sure how internet savvy some of the guests are, or if they will be inclined to shop an online baby registry. we included the registry on the invitations, so i guess we'll see.

ah, heartburn... so much fun it's rough sometimes, especially when her head pushes on my diaphragm. she gets up under my ribs now too, and i have a pretty short torso. her father is 6'4", so i imagine she's gonna be a long baby. all that baby packed into a short waisted maryjane is interseting to say the least.

bonaroo is coming in june, 1 month after i am said to give birth. i want to go. i think i may in fact do so. go ahead, call me crazy, but this baby is gonna go with me everywhere, she's just gonna be a part of what i've always done. our first little family vacation, how exciting!. string cheese incident, widespread panic, and tool, just to name a few bands that will be there. i have to go!!! especially since SCI is no longer holding their "festivals" at horning's during the summer. too many trespassers through private land or something... people get all bent out of shape about trespassers on their land. if ony they knew how worth it trespassing to see that band is

hope all is well out there for all who read this.

ahh, yes, you knew it was coming, the baby registry, check it out! they have some of the grooviest little karate pants, and one baby can never have enough karate pants!

25 weeks, 2 days! i'm more than halfway through the pregnancy, and time doesn't seem to be slowing down. the weeks fly by, and we get closer to meeting our little lady. i'm due may 15th, but my mother emailed me from her home in arizona, asking me to beg the baby not to be born until the 18th. my mama was called for jury duty on may 17th, and apparently in arizona, it is exceedingly hard to get out of. she even tried to get her doctor to write a medical excuse, which he would not do i really want my mom to be there, as she missed the birth of her first grandbaby (my nephew). she wants to come here and stay for a week or so after baby is born. i don't know how i will make this baby wait, i mean, she's gonna arrive when she says it's time. then again, they say most first babies are born after their due date. i've seen it ring true with a few of my friends' kids. i know the exact date we conceived though. i suppose pregnancy isn't exactly 40 weeks. it really can be plus or minus a few days to a week at least i would think.

this little girl woke me up at 2am the other morning, moving up a storm, and didn't quit until i went to bed at 11pm that night! this morning she was causing some siesmic (sp?) activity in utero, rumbling my belly from the outside to my core. i love to know that she is so active! i wonder if it's any indication of how she'll be when she comes into the world. if so, i will have my hands full!!

i hope all is well with everyone

24 weeks, 2 days! an ultrasound pic for your viewing pleasure. this is from january 2, 2007, when i was 21 weeks along. (i erased my name to protect my privacy)


as you may see, she is a smart ass like her mama- her tongue is sticking out in this pic!


this baby moves a ton, she makes my belly do the wave on a regular basis.

we have decided on a name, which wasn't as hard as i thought it would be. the boy and i agreed very readily on names for both boys and girls. well the middle name for a boy was a bit of a struggle, and it has since resolved, but we needn't worry about it anyhow since our baby is a girl i suppose i will announce her name when she arrives, but until then, i'll give you some hints. her middle name has something to do with nature, and her first name is something in hindu.

her nursery is almost finished. i'll post some pictures as soon as it's done, as well as a pic of my growing belly. maybe a pic of my growing belly in the nursery!

i realize that nearly the entire content of all my blogs over the last several months has been baby related, but seriously, that is pretty much all that is going on in my life. i'm ok with that. i no longer miss my partying days as bad as i did. i'm gonna be a mama, and it's getting more and more real for me each day. it's also getting more tangible for dad; he told me last night about having his first rush of emotion when he imagined holding our baby for the first time. it made me cry, but i cry about everything these days

i hope all is well for those who have taken the time to read this. i am always wishing for worldwide happiness, peace and love. it's a eutopian dream, but the fact that i'm groovy and pregnant make me all emotional like that.

so, i had our first "official" ultrasound- and despite the fact that i wanted to be surprised, the minute the tech put the ultrasound probe on my belly- THERE SHE WAS!!! my baby, spread eagle, obviously a girl! i knew it this whole time!!!! all appears just fine, and we are thrilled about it! i even went on ebay and bought her nursery bedding se! pink, girly, and all natured out! not to mention a great deal... of course the nusery won't get much use until she's a little older, as we plan on co-sleeping. the baby/mama bond is something i am dedicated to honor, and co-sleeping is one of the many good ways to facilitate such a bond. i want my baby to feel secure and safe in her first months. the world can be a scary place

my tummy is poking out more and more, 21 weeks yesterday

i will be cutting my hours at work to part-time begining february. my job activities are not well suited to a woman with a baby in her tummy. i may end up doing some receptionist duties to reduce time spent standing. currently i stand for 9 hours a day at work, and my back is payin' for it. honestly i dont know how some women tax their bodies like that when pregnant. i'm surely not cut out for it.

so, this was the first new year's in many years that i was not wasted before midnight. in fact i wasn't wasted at all because i didn't drink, and i was in bed my 10pm! i'm all responsible with our little baby i actually wanted to have a glass of wine, but i chickened out. i decided i'm gonna wait to get my kid drunk until she's at least 10

i will, at some point, post a preggo pic in a future bog, or my pics. it takes me forever to get around to that sort of stuff. just look at how infrequently i update

christmas was great, we asked for baby stuff for presents, and got what we asked for. yay! we are well on our way to being well equiped to meet certain demands of our baby, once in the outside world.

oh yeah, and less than 2 weeks after i wrote about the 5" of snow, another storm came through, and left 24" in my neighborhood! not very much has melted, and driving on the roads is like driving on a glacier! SLIPPERY!!

hope all is well for everyone, and that your holidays were kick ass, and groovy!

it has snowed here in the desert! like 5 inches!!! it's amazing and beautiful, and slippery everywhere. a knocked up chick like me needs better tread on her shoes for this kinda weather. indoors is the only safe place for me this evening.

so, i think the baby is a girl, i just have this feelin'. i won't know until the day baby is born, but from day one, i've had quite the hunch. i guess i'll see if my motherly instincts are right come may.

i am discovering the wonderful world of the baby registry. however, it doesn't seem like i really need that much stuff for a baby. i don't feel like i would use many of the things i see in the strore or online. perhaps that will be a whole 'nother story the first few months after the baby's arrival.

i think i am learning how to wake my baby up/ make her move in utero. it's pretty cool. i'm also learning how to relax her. i wanna be close with this little baby, so i really am making the effort to connect with her now. she has to trust her momma so we can cooperate during labor. a home birth is important to me, and i wanna make sure i do all i can physically, mentally and spiritually to facilitate a gentle home birth. labor is hard work, and i have to trust my body and the baby has to trust me. quite frankly, i'm excited to give birth. i may not be saying that in the throws of labor, but as of right now, i feel pretty good about it all.

18 weeks, 2 days. this baby sure does move a lot! daddy is begining to feel movement now, but not everytime i race to put his hand to my expanding tummy. it's rather soon for him to be feeling movement already, but the position of my placenta makes it possible for movement to be felt by both of us (i feel it more though ).

this weekend was fantastic. we went up north to a great bed and breakfast. ahh, a two fireplaces and a bathtub for two really enhanced the ambiance in that room, and also aided in a bit of romance the b&b had a little punk rock terrier named tina; she was fantastic, and rather precious. i love animals, and romance, but not romance with animals. haha

so, work is alright, but it is becoming more difficult for me to do some of the things at work. my job is very physical in nature, and wrestling great danes and labs to the ground is getting tough for me and my baby. i can't really bend at the waist without being able to feel like i'm squishing down on the baby, and it's a bit uncomfortable. perhaps i'm just ultra sensitive. i can smell things practically as well as a bloodhound right now too, which sucks in a veterinary hospital most of the time i am coming to terms with the fact that i must back away from tasks of a very physical nature, everyone at work is supportive of that too.

i miss jack daniels but not bad enough to poison my baby with it. being a good mom while the baby is in utero is far more important. after i have the baby though, i'll smoke crack and drink all the time i don't know if i could even imagine myself on crack, let alone bring myself to actually do it.

it's bedtime now, me and the baby are tired.

hi everyone so the baby and i are doing good. i can feel the baby move here and there now; that's wild! i'll be 17 weeks on tuesday. i'm really getting into this pregnancy now, and am learning to surrender to my body and the changes that come with being pregnant.

work is busy and has been for a while. i do the majority of the same things, but avoid x-rays, lifting/restraining big dogs, anesthesia gas, and making certain medications. the girls at work were not thrilled at first when i could no longer do those certain tasks, but are getting used to it. it's just hard to pick up someone else's slack, i guess. to make up for it i try to do more in the other areas i can still work.

next saturday... a getaway something we won't be able to do very much once the baby gets here.

heartburn!!!!!! not fun, but it's becoming a reality for me.

i feel kinda like an old lady, but i really like it. i knit things, go to bed early, take naps. i've even eaten dinner at 4pm on the weekends.

i feel very good about the father my baby is going to have. he's a natural, that's all i can say. the baby and i are lucky to have him.

i hope everyone out there is doing well, and that good things are in your lives right now.

baby is great, momma is feeling much better too. 13 weeks tomorrow!!! baby's heart is beating at a swift 165, and is a beautiful sound to hear. no more barfy mj, no more terrible mood swings, thank the universe! I'm sporting a belly bump, perhaps i'll post a pic at some point. i never said i wasn't lazy anymore

i visited my mom this weekend. a getaway from my partner was nice for the both of us, and my mom and i had good quality time together. ever since i became pregnant i feel this incredible need to be near my own mother. it's trippy. i am and always have been rather independant, but right now i want my family around all the time, and i need lots of love right now. i'm all needy and shit, i'm not used to feeling like that on a constant basis.


that's all i have for now.