It's Either an Early Morning or Very Late Night...

Night owls beware! It's 3:30am and I am fairly certain that I am slipping into labor. I won't provide all of the details, lest I frighten away any of you who have not had children! I will say that so far it's fairly mild but definitely annoying - I was looking forward to a good nights' sleep, tonight! Sadly, the one thing that really helps me sleep at a time like this, is to curl up into a tight ball...and that ain't gonna happen with the little guy residing in his own tight little ball, in my belly!

Speaking of the little guy, he measured up at a reasonable 8.2lbs today via ultra-sound. I admit to being quite relieved that he hadn't made up to the 9lb mark! Everyone is happy with his looks, breathing and hearbeat...predictions are that by Monday, baby will make three in our house! We'll see, I certainly hope so!

Off to bed again & hopefully to sleep!

Birthday Season

I turned 39 yesterday. Simple as that, I'm not concerned about being that particular age, the "9's" don't bother me, nor do the 'new decade years' such as 30, 40 etc...I admit, I might feel differently about this if I wasn't happy with all that I have in my life. The word 'happy' is somewhat inadequate, only half expressing the emotion; I am very thankful for all that I have and have accomplished.


Today, January 29 is my dad's birthday...64 if I remember correctly. Funny story - he always thought that January 28 was his birthday. So when I came along, he told everyone that I was his birthday gift, that is until he needed a copy of his birth certificate. His poor mom, mother of 13 kids, couldn't actually remember his birthday! To do this day though, he still gets the dates mixed up...and now we're going to add a 3rd birthday to the late January / early February mix! Suffice to say that Grandpa is going to be one confused guy!

I'm not sure how I feel about all these birthdays being bunched up together. I like the idea of never forgetting the dates, because they are so close together but also like having them spread throughout the year - it's more fun that way...lots of celebrations, rather than one long one.

Oh well, there are more important things to worry about...I'll get to that tomorrow.

Getting More Out of a Day

Yep, it's official...I am compulsive; as in once it's in my head, I cannot get rid of it no matter what.

Those closets and shelves I spoke of earlier in the week - done. As in completely reorganized and sorted thru. The baby can now arrive anytime he wants - my nest is fully feathered.

The best part of all of this is that I didn't sacrifice some quality time out with a friend for a lovely lunch and fantastic conversation. Yep - I got more out of the day just by focusing on doing just that! I made up my mind at 6:00am that come hell or high water, the list would be completed today!

I am sure that I will pay for it tomorrow but that's fine, for now I am satisfied. Of course, a new to-do list will begin to form between now & tomorrow morning but let's deal with that issue another time.

The Afternoon Nap

I know I should consider myself lucky that at the moment I can just plop down on the sofa, wedge a small pillow under my belly, close my eyes & drift peacefully off into a light afternoon nap. So why don't I? Well it's not that I don't, it's just that today I had all of these other things that I wanted to-do...remember yesterday's post? I was going to go for that glorious walk around the seawall!

I did however have a chance to meet up with a friend, who is also expecting only this will be her second son. Beverly & I have 'known' each for some time now but it's really quite recent we are becoming friends. I really enjoyed the morning. Her first son is absolutely adorable and she is glowing with her love for him and for her new little guy, due in the not too distant future.

So back to the afternoon nap...The funny thing about today's nap is that just before nodding off, I was reading about establishing healthy sleep habits with your child as soon as you can, as in beginning at 7 or 8 weeks of age. Oh, I love that idea! Sleep is one of the things that I cherish most and frankly am really looking forward to having in my life again, soon.

However, I know of exactly ONE couple who were able to actually get their children to sleep on a regular schedule. Guess how many couples I know who have children - must be 20 or more. That's a terrible success rate, 1 in 20. Maybe there are one or two more but I doubt it as everyone I talk to tells me how elusive sleep will be for the next couple of years, yes, I said years?

So, what is the solution...afternoon naps of course, whenever and wherever they occur! I'll worry about the litte guy's sleep habits in a few weeks, when I am truly desperate for more of it myself. They say that mothers can accomplish great feats when faced with tremdous stress related to their children - including getting them to sleep.

The 'to-do' list

What I call a 'to-do list' is more commonly known amongst the pregnant set as 'nesting'. Perhaps nesting is more appropriate only because lately all of my 'to-do's' revolve entirely around household items - that is, chores & cooking & baking & just about anything else I can think of to keep myself busy.

I have always had lots on my to-do lists but this past week away from work has really set a new standard. Things like baking & purposely filling the freezer with multiple portions of, easily reheated food stuffs has NEVER been on my to-do's before. Bake? Are you kidding me? Reheating food? Um, no thanks. Organizing stuff on the other hand, now we're talking and it's exactly what I'm planning for tomorrow! There is no end to the closets, shelves, drawers and various piles of 'stuff' that now, urgently require a good reorganization!

On a similar note, an entire day can be filled with 'errands', also known as 'running around trying to get things done'. It's amazing how many of these pesky little items can suddenly fill your to-do list! I really have no idea how all of these things got done when I was at work all day. Really, when did I have time to renew insurance, grocery shop, pick-up/drop-off various things like movie rentals, dry cleaning, items for repair, items for donation, go to the post-office, visit the hair-dresser, drive out to Ikea, take the car in for maintenance, manically search for the exact perfect whatever it is that is possessing me, etc, etc, etc...I think you get my point.

Maybe the point is that we are all living these busy lives, with lots of 'things' to-do and sometimes (most times?) our lives become more about these to-do's & less about making time to visit with friends and family or enjoy a little time to relax, in whatever fashion suits you. So I've decided that the closets, shelves, drawers and various piles of stuff can wait. I'm going to take the day to visit with a friend and if the sun is out, I think I'll go for a walk around the seawall instead - who knows it could be the last time I can do that solo for a good long time!

Let's get caught up with each other

After sending out an e-mail introducing this project I realized that quite a number of folks in my life didn't even know that Michael and I are expecting...whoops! Just goes to prove that often times, without meaning too, we get so caught up in our own lives that we forget to share it with others!

To correct that faux pas I'll take a few minutes to get us all on the same page, the simple way, with a photo! This was taken at 36/37 weeks and as you can see the 'belly' is um, large & I confirmed that this does mean that our son is also going to be rather on the big side when he arrives. At first this gave me some pause. The thought of how in the world a 9lb baby was going to make it out of my womb is a titch on the frightening side; and then I reminded myself that I am not exactly a petite, small frame of a girl - no, I am a woman who is blessed with good British Isle genes and a set of hips that were meant for this!

I have been lucky with this pregnancy. Not just that we were able to become pregnant quickly(!) but also in that it's really been quite uneventful. No problems thus far and somehow I've carved out enough time to 'get ready' for it. That's a topic all unto itself, so I think that I'll leave it for another post - if you're a parent, you know what I mean!

So this is a blog

Is a year a long time?

It always sounds like it but somehow a year can gently slip through your fingers with hardly a thought.

So, rather than letting that happen to the upcoming year I am going to do my best to document it. Rather like keeping a journal but with a more 'modern' feeling than hand writing entries into a book that no one else will have a chance to read. This blog will serve as my vehicle to share with all of you 'My Year at Home' and for those of you who know me well, you know that a year away from my career is, well, really quite strange, no matter the reason. In this case though the reason is pretty damn good. You see I am about to become a mother - yes, you read correctly...a mother...any day now actually.

So over the next 12 months, check back here for the latest on what's happening around the house as I learn to be a mom and explore a whole new side of life - one without a blackberry, sales reports and all the trappings that come with a career in retail!