Note to Self

This is a note to myself if we decide to have another baby sometime in the future.

Dear Bean,

Don't forget:

Labor hurts.

Random people you have never met and will never see again will see you naked and at times put their fingers inside you.

The epidural can never come early enough.

Be prepared to watch someone sew up your vag, while your new baby is getting weighed and measured.

Ice packs in surgical gloves can be your best friend.

Someone will come in every four hours with the drugs and to check your stitches.

A very cheery nurse will wake you up one morning saying "I have to check your bottom," this means she will be looking at your ass.

Your boobs will be chaffed. very chaffed, get the nipple guards in advance.

The squirt bottle will become your best friend.

Two words: stool softener.

Please remember,

You did this before, you can do it again.

The lack of sleep and general delirium will eventually wear off.

Your husband can actually do dishes, laundry and change the baby, remind him of this down the road when you are back to doing it all, but don't forget to tell him how much you appreciate it now.

Having friends and family around is great, rely on them as much as you can, but take some time for yourself and to just hang out with the babes.

Throw away your old nursing bra, it is gross and milk stained and you can afford to buy a few new ones.

That a 2 year old yelling "baby awake?" in the infants face three to four hundred times a day is much better than her hitting, rocking or squeezing too hard.

Getting out of the house is going to be pretty hard at first. No more throwing a diaper in your purse and heading out down the stairs.

Napping is not going to happen.

That this little life is in your hands and that everything you had to endure for the baby to arrive is well worth it, even if you haven't slept in what feels like days.

And finally, you can love another baby as much as the first, even if you have to let her cry a little more because the Lady need to be changed, read a book, do a puzzle, eat lunch, take a nap, or wants to run, run, run, really fast around the house.

love,

Your delirious, sleep-deprived, haven't showered in two days self.

The Little Lady

Last Friday we added another little lady to the family.

I was able to go into the hospital for induction on Thursday night and once the pittossin kicked in at 5 a.m. and the contractions seriously started by 7:30 it was a pretty quick labor, as the littlest lady was out and about at 9:37 a.m. She weighed 8lbs and 1oz and was 19.5 inches tall.

I won't bore you with all the gruesome details of labor and delivery, but I will say that it is probably a good idea not to have your two-year old in the room when the nurse is using a catheter on you and she keeps asking why mommy is wearing a diaper.

We are very glad to be home and I am really trying to get to know this little human being that I helped create and who is now living in my home. I haven't thought of anything clever to call her yet on this blog. The little Lady seems like a cop out and I want her to develop her own sense of self outside of her big sister. I will think of something once I come out of this fog of lack of sleep.

Here is a pic of the Lady and her little sister. She has been great, but we will see how it goes in the next few weeks, when she realizes that this little person isn't going anywhere.

I will say that although I am tired and it has been an adjustment here, I am grateful that the baby is finally out and finally a part of our family.

And We Are Still Waiting. . .

I don't want to be one of those complaining pregnant ladies who feel that they have such a huge burden to bear. I just really want to meet this kid.

Granted, being 6 days overdue isn't great, but it isn't so terrible that the Lady and I haven't been out and about this last week trying to spend some QT together and getting things organized.

We got a chance to see my brother and sister-in-law's new house that they just bought, visit a sprinkler park, play with the Wild Man, and bake a cake together. We also hit up a few daycare centers to see what they have to offer us in terms of part time availability when I go back to work mid-September. (Remind me to blog about this after the baby comes--I can't believe some of the pricing that is out there!!!)

The Lady has also learned all about traffic signals this week and likes to shout out that a stop sign is red and is an octagon, this I think is better than shouting "fuck you doing" from the backseat.

So overall, we have spent these past six days living our lives and waiting very, very, patiently for this new little one to arrive.

However, in the next half-hour I will be calling the hospital and seeing if they can take me tonight for a scheduled induction. Do I feel like this is a cop out? No. Do I feel justified in making this decision? Yes, because this time around I really do have a reason to be induced. This kid is late and is getting bigger by the minute. I am predicting it weighs between 8.5 and 9lbs. It has to at this point it has been cooking for a while now.

I am going to try not to post every tiny detail on facebook, or twitter my way through delivery like this woman did, but I feel it is important that my family and friends are involved, because they too have been waiting along with me.

So, hopefully to the hospital we will go this evening and hopefully, I will be able to share with you all some good news at some point tomorrow.

BTW. . . if the hospital can't take me tonight, be prepared for an obscenity laced tirade in about an hour on this blog. I can only be so Zen for so long. . .

Still Waiting

I am trying to distract myself from the fact that this baby hasn't come yet. Not working so well. Going to the dr. this afternoon and we will see if there has been any progress.

Trying to figure out what to do with the Lady in the meantime. Right now she is glued to a Dora episode, and yelling Spanish phrases at the TV, but I am turning it off in ten minutes. We will probably head out after that. UGH. I am tired of waiting!

US Weekly Coming To Me

Here is a small article I found in the local paper today.

"Out there ... Who says million-dollar properties in Greenwich aren't selling? Grammy Award-winning pop star Justin Timberlake thinks differently. Seems that the former lead singer of 'N Sync and boy toy of actress Jessica Beil recently purchased a sprawling home in backcountry Greenwich. I wonder which golf course he's looking to play on?"

I have to add that I love that he is referred to as a boy toy. . .

Oh, JT you did bring sexy back and now you are moving to the area. My sister-in-law and I will be stalking you soon.

Other News Happenings

Just to expose the difference between the have's and the have nots. . . here is an article from the same paper. . .


A Greenwich man apparently felt guilty about practicing personal hygiene in a neighbor's home after he had broken into it, police said.

Manuel Gonzalez, 18, of 47 Locust St., broke into a Locust Street home Wednesday while the owner was away, cut his pubic hair and left the trimmings, police said. Remorseful about his actions, the man later confessed to the woman, who then called police.

Police charged Gonzalez Thursday night with first-degree burglary. He was released on a $2,000 surety bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford Aug. 14.

So You Think You Can Dance. . .

A winner was crowned last night and as surprised as I was that it wasn't Kayla, I was happy that it turned out to be Jeanine.

I love this show. The routines are great and with TiVo you can fast forward through all the crap the judges say. I implore you tune in this fall and if you get a chance Hulu.com the finale and just watch the highlighted routines from this season. I guarantee you you won't be disappointed.

Done. Done. Done.

So today is the due date. I realize that I am not overdue at this point, but if I haven't made it totally obvious in my last couple of posts, I am done.

This kid needs to make an entrance soon.

I am still holding on to a small glimmer of hope that my water might break in the next couple of hours and I will have this kid by the time the Yanks and Sox play again tonight. We will see.

The Lady and I are going to try and get out today if we can. I am going to try to get her to the pool. I also noticed that we have nothing in the house to eat and that I should probably at some point hit the grocery store for some basic supplies.

My sister has promised to make me an eggplant parm tonight, the recipe she found has promised to be labor-inducing. Not sure if it will work, but it sounds delicious and I will do anything at this point. Here it is for future reference:

Labor-inducing Eggplant Parmesan
Nearly 300 baby pictures decorate Scalini's old-fashioned Italian restaurant in Cobb County, Ga. All of the babies pictured on the Italian restaurant wall were born after their mothers ate the Scalini's eggplant parmigiana. The $9.95 plate of breaded eggplant smothered in cheese and thick marinara sauce is "guaranteed" to induce labor, the restaurant claims.
The eggplant legend began not long after the restaurant opened 23 years ago. "Two or three years after we began, a few people had just mentioned to us they came in when they were pregnant, and ate this eggplant and had a baby a short time after that," said John Bogino, who runs the restaurant with his son, Bobby Bogino. "One person told another, and it just grew by itself by leaps and bounds." To date, more than 300 of the pregnant women customers who ordered the eggplant have given birth within 48 hours, and the restaurant dubs them the "eggplant babies." If it doesn't work in two days, the moms-to-be get a gift certificate for another meal. We make no promises, but the restaurant has graciously shared the recipe.
Eggplant Parmigiana Alla Scalini's
Ingredients
3 medium sized eggplants
1 cup flour
6 eggs, beaten
4 cups fine Italian bread crumbs, seasoned
Olive oil for sauteing
8 cups of marinara sauce (recipe below)
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 pounds of mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups of ricotta cheese
Directions
1. After you wash the eggplant, slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. You may choose to peel the eggplant before you slice it. However, you may want to leave the skin on since it contains a lot of vitamins.
2. Place the eggplant slices on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with a little salt, then cover with another layer of paper towels and hold it down with something heavy to drain the excess moisture. Let them sit for about an hour.
3. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, dust with flour, dip in beaten eggs, then coat well with breadcrumbs.
4. Saute in preheated olive oil on both sides until golden brown.
5. In baking dish, alternate layers of marinara sauce, eggplant slices, ricotta, parmesan and Romano cheeses, until you fill the baking dish, about 1/8 inch from the top.
Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese, and bake for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Scalini's Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
8 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1/8 cup of fresh chopped sweet basil
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of rosemary
One teaspoon salt
One teaspoon black pepper
Directions
1. Lightly saute the onions in olive oil in large pot for a few minutes.
2. Add garlic and saute another minute.
3. Add tomatoes and bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat low.
4. Add remaining ingredients, stir, cover and let simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

The Waiting Game

I know that my due date isn't until Friday, but I think I have made it abundantly clear to this baby that I am ready for it to arrive.

The worst part is that I am having small contractions periodically that just peter out into nothing, causing not only temporary discomfort but for my heart to really hurt.

The weird thing is that as much as I want to meet this baby and have it be a part of my life, I can't stop thinking about how tired I am going to be and that I should be grateful for these last few nights of relatively uninterrupted sleep.

Today the Lady and I had to get out of the house. I feel bad for her because I can no longer get on the floor and play with her and it takes me like ten minutes to bend down and pick up anything for her as well. I took her to the mall, where the ac was pumping and the humidity wasn't a factor. She played for a while with the trains, we tried on rain boots and I made a stop at Baby Gap, where I did not purchase anything but was slightly taken aback when I saw that they were selling skinny jeans for little girls. I mean really, does a two year old need skinny jeans? And for 30 bucks a pop, I think not.

Will keep the updates coming, hopefully I will be posting pics of the new little one in the next day or two.

Taking a Moment

The Lady is at the pool with my brother and SIL. I was going to use this time to finish up a few last minute things, but have instead decided to sit down with my US Weekly and drink my Dunkies and relax.

Went to the dr. this morning, we have a bit of progress, but not much. I figure this might be the last time I am alone in this house without two kids.

Are You Watching?

People, please tell me a few of you are watching So You Think You Can Dance. The routines this year are awesome, and although, I don't think Evan should be in the final 4, I am super psyched for the finale this week. I am also glad that they have brought back the Emmy nominated dance routines. I am pretty sure my brother and SIL are doing the Ramalama routine by Wade Robson in their living room right now.

Also, they are starting a new season this fall so we don't have to wait all the way until next summer. Take some time for yourself, faithful readers and set your DVR.

More to Love? I will admit to watching about ten minutes of this show. I know I made reference to this program last year when I first heard about it. To refresh your memory, this is basically the bachelor for the overweight. The bachelor is a bit on the beefy side, but cute and not so obese that you would have to lift his belly flaps to find his penis or clean him. The women are all attractive, but definitely lack in the self-esteem department and I think in the ten minutes I tuned in, everyone of them said that they had been hurt in the dating scene due to their size. They all said this while their stats, age, height and weight were posted on the screen next to them. I mean really? Of course, I was curious, but I am hoping that they do away with this graphic and try to focus on maybe the girl themselves.

I am pretty sure I won't be tuning in for the rest of this program. I am not really a bachelor/bachelorette type reality fan, but I do hope that one of these ladies can make a love connection and live out her days with the big guy, avoiding all obesity related illnesses and complications.

The Final Countdown

Okay, I have scrubbed the bathrooms, cleaned out the Lady's room, sanitized the breast pump and all its corresponding parts. I have dusted vents, Oxy-cleaned all the couches (have you tried this Oxy clean? It works great, especially on our 5-year old white couches--impractical you say for two children in a 1300 square foot condo? Possibly, but now that Billy Mayes has passed away, I feel it my duty to plug this product!)

I have cleaned the baby swing, washed some onesies, packed my bag for the hospital, packed the Lady's bag for her stay with my brother, we have rearranged our bedroom furniture to accommodate the pack and play and have set up the bassinet downstairs. The bassinet, that the Lady has thrown all of her stuffed animals in, pushed around the room and dumped her bag of barrettes into--this should be a good time.

We are going to the hospital today for the sibling tour so the Lady gets a sense of where I will be for a couple of days and we found the car seat for the baby. I am blogging, updating our banking, and making sure we have food in the house for when we get home from the hospital. The question I have is WHERE IS MY BABY? It seems like it is very content still inside me. I am pretty sure it hasn't dropped too much in the last few days because I can still feel it kicking me in the same spot on the side of my stomach. I thought nesting and cleaning were a sign that the baby was on its way? Lies, I say. Lies. All those old wives tales about carrying the baby, eating pineapple to induce labor. Lies. I have been eating spicy gazpacho for a week. I have avoided trying sex to speed things up, but if the doctor tells me tomorrow that nothing is happening, I will sit my husband down and tell him that it is his duty to get things moving, even though he thinks that the baby should come at its own natural pace. I think the natural pace can be sped up just a bit!

Last night I was up from two to four thirty with what I thought were contractions. They could have been, or they could have been gas, but either way, I woke up this morning still feeling like a bloated, water retaining pregnant lady and faced the real possibility that this kid will not be arriving early, but that I might have to wait another week.

I know my due date isn't until Friday, but I have mentally prepared myself, I have physically cleaned this house and I have hopefully emotionally prepared the Lady. I know it is selfish, but I really want my hands and feet to stop being swollen, I want my back to stop hurting, and I want to meet this little person, who is going to quickly become an integral part of our family.

Updates to come!

Loyola Reunion

Here is a photo from last weekends Loyola Reunion in Masthope, PA.

We are missing one kid in this photo, but this year there were 22 adults and 17 kids. Next year we will be adding at least three more kids, including the one in my belly that I am very, very, very ready to have out.

I was grateful to all my ladies who picked up a bit of the slack for me in my giant, 9-month pregnant state and also very glad that the Lady had a ton of friends to play with. Friends, we still are talking about almost every day.

I am always excited to get together with the Loyola group. I will say that I am looking forward to the next few years when my kids get a bit older and I can actually have a bit more time talking to my friends and maybe join in with a few adult beverages and a game of asshole, without having to go to bed before 11p.m.