One Week to Go

Well, I'm almost there.  It's Week 39, and I'm just one week from my due date.  The finish line is coming into sight, but we're not there quite yet.  Unfortunately, time has also started to feel like it's slowing down--as my friends who have been through pregnancy warned me it would.  Physicists say that if you move fast enough--faster than the speed of light--you actually travel into the future.  That said, maybe time does slow down for pregnant women at the end of their pregnancies because the bigger they get the slower they move.  Ha!  Okay...bad joke.  Entertaining as that image is, I'm sure the feel of a time lag has more to do with the waiting and anticipation than with physics.  I had quite a list of things to do before the baby arrives, but (curse my efficiency) I blew threw it in the first week of my maternity leave.  I've found the great irony that strikes at the end of pregnancy is that just when you most want to keep going and get more accomplished, you are most incapable of doing it.  I can't even begin to describe how it irks me to see something I want to do but having to wait for help to do it.  That reality is something I'm not accustomed to and it frustrates me to no end.  Thankfully the baby will be here soon.  I am very much looking forward to losing this big, heavy belly!

For now, the wait continues...

The baby room is ready!

Erin & Ethan's Wedding

Last week I did my last bit of traveling before the baby is due and went home to Illinois for my little sister's wedding.  It was a hectic few days from start to finish, but everything came off wonderfully, which is a credit to Erin since she did most of the planning herself.  Over the wedding weekend everyone pitched in to help out with arrangements, decorating, and anything else that needed done.  One of those who stepped up admirably was my husband--sweetheart that he is, he was there to help wherever and whenever he was needed and proved to be our invaluable go-to guy all weekend.  All of the hustle and bustle aside, the important thing was that by Sunday morning Erin and Ethan had become Mr. and Mrs. Steinacher and had both enjoyed a wonderful wedding day.  In many ways it's difficult to believe that my little sister is married...but then it's also hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to be a parent in a little over two months!

Me, Erin, Dad, and Mom before the ceremony.

Eric, me, and the baby belly.

Erin and I after the ceremony in the gardens at SIUE.

The seven month belly picture.

The newlyweds: Erin and Ethan.

Entering the Home Stretch

Well, we've finally entered the home stretch.  Today marks the beginning of the third trimester--approximately 84 days to go!  Without question, this pregnancy has gone extremely well up to this point...which is why the start of the final trimester has me feeling a bit trepidacious.  Since things have gone so well so far, I figure that must mean I'm in for it in the last twelve weeks.  Thanks to my increasingly heavy belly and regular backaches, my nights have been more restless in the past week than they have for most of the second trimester.  On top of that, I've been noticing subtle signs that the fatigue I experienced in the first trimester is gradually making a comeback.  Considering how energetic I've felt in the past few months, I'm in a bit of denial about it, but in this case I don't think mind is ultimately going to win out over matter.

As for the baby, all indications are that he's doing very well.  On my last visit the doctor seemed pleased to hear that the little guy is very active.  The baby has his quiet times throughout the day and night, but he spends a lot of time rockin' and rollin' around in there.  It's amazing how quickly I got used to seeing my belly quivering and twitching.  He's even getting big enough now that--depending which side he occupies at the time--you can see a subtle lopsidedness in my belly.  So far he seems to prefer the right side, which probably explains why that's the side of my lower back which aches the most...

This week Eric and I are off to my home state of Illinois for my sister's wedding.  Erin and Ethan's big event is planned for Saturday, so last-minute preparations are in full swing.  I'm sure with everybody pitching in here and there everything will come off well.  The main point of suspense from my perspective is this:  Will my bridesmaid dress still fit by Saturday?  I waited as long as I could to get the alterations done so that the dress could be fitted as well as possible.  Really, it seems I did a good job all those months ago predicting my size at around seven months pregnant, and although the dress isn't a maternity dress, the style and length of it are about as flattering to a pregnant body as you could hope for.  The only part that has me worried is the bust.  My bust line, jacked up on hormones, has expanded with eye-popping speed the past few months.  Every time I think it has stabilized for the time being, I'm proven wrong.  So, here's hoping that I can get through the next few days without bursting the bust of my bridesmaid dress!

Concerns about bridesmaid dresses and bust lines aside, I am looking forward to spending some time back home in Illinois.  Since so many people will be coming together for the wedding, it will be a chance for me to see a lot more family than I usually get a chance to see on an ordinary visit.  With only three months left before the baby is born, this will be my last trip home for awhile, so I plan to have a good visit and enjoy my time away from work and the city.

Almost August

On Tuesday I returned to work after a weekend getaway to Tucson, Arizona to visit my friend Laura and her family.  As you can imagine, Tucson in July is a heck of a lot hotter than L.A., but that didn't stop me from having a great time.  All of our 21st century technology makes keeping in touch much easier than in times past, but nothing beats a good old fashioned real life visit.  As parents of two with another on the way, both Laura and Keith had lots of parenting tips to share, which I duly noted like the diligent student I am.  I also enjoyed commiserating with Laura on the joys of pregnancy.  (And yes, I use the word "joys" with a certain amount of sarcasm.)  When I left for my return trip to L.A., I was happily loaded down with all sorts of baby boy clothes that Laura very generously passed on to me.

Having all of this baby stuff slowly accumulating around the apartment is a constant reminder to me of the mission that must be accomplished by the end of next month:  Our second bedroom, which Eric has used as his personal catch-all room, must be cleared out and converted into the baby room by the end of August.  Otherwise, we will not have a place to put everything from the baby shower.  This project sounds simple enough, but the room is a total disaster area--just looking at it is enough to induce an anxiety attack in me--and it is a task that is almost entirely up to my husband to complete.  Sure, I could make it easy and just start filling trash bags, but I am pretty sure Eric would take offense at having his crap--I mean, his stuff--summarily tossed into the dumpster.  And so, I must wait patiently and encourage (he would say "incessantly nag") him to get started on this project.  It's almost August, so we'll see how things progress.  As I keep trying to tell him, the fall will be here before we know it...

Brain Drain

The past few days at work have been hectic, since we try to get in all sorts of "staff ed" professional development sessions over the summer when we don't have school groups in the mornings. Busyness at work aside, everything continues to go well. My main task these days is to figure out ways to adjust to the expected and increasing discomforts associated with pregnancy, like figuring out how to manage a comfortable night's sleep, get my pants on in the morning without face planting, and so on. (That changed center of gravity thing in a person like me, who wasn't very coordinated to start with, is a killer...) One thing I have noticed more and more as the weeks go by is evidence of what some people call "pregnancy brain." I thought I had a tendency toward absentmindedness before, but pregnancy has brought it to an entirely new level. Most incidents are harmless and laughable, but it is somewhat disturbing at how they just keep adding up as the weeks go by. Below are some of the classic pregnancy brain moments I've enjoyed so far. Mind you, given my hormone-induced mental condition, I'm impressed that I was able to keep my thought train on track long enough to come up with this list.

1. Searching the living room for my cell phone while talking I'm on it. To my credit, it only took me about two minutes or so to figure out where it was...

2. Having an inner dialogue with myself and suddenly completely forgetting what it is I'm talking to myself about.

3. Taking the elevator to the wrong floor at work. This one doesn't seem so bad, but it is somewhat awkward when you hit the button for a floor and you're the only person on the elevator going to that level, yet you stay on the elevator when it arrives and then hit the button for yet another floor. Trust me, people give you looks when you do this.

4. Neglecting to fill out my timecard at work all week. Really. Who forgets to fill out the paperwork that gets you paid?

5. Heading somewhere with a purpose and then completely forgetting why I went there in the first place. Truth be told, this type of thing was pretty typical before I got pregnant--the difference now is that I can't recall my purpose after a moment or two.

I'm sure before this is all over I'll have plenty more of these blank-out moments. On the bright side, since I rely heavily on my memory and knowledge I've built up over time for my gallery talks at work, I'm thankful that pregnancy brain appears to only effect short-term rather than long-term memory. Hopefully, once I have the baby the brain drain will cease and I can go back to my normal, more acceptable rate of forgetfulness.

A Little Bigger Everyday

It looks like summer has finally made it to Southern California. The "June gloom" hung around well into July, but looking ahead at this week's forecast, the gloom is in full retreat and summer is finally here. Like anyone else I prefer sunshine to gloom, but this year the summer heat is arriving just as my pregnant belly is really beginning to make itself felt. As any woman who has ever been pregnant can testify, one of the most common questions asked of you is, "How are you feeling?" Since I'm pretty sure most people I just being polite and really don't want to hear about heartburn, backaches, and my hatred of compression hose, I usually just smile and say, "A little bigger everyday."

And how true it is! I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but sometime in the last week or so my feet disappeared. If I want to see them, I need to lean over my belly. Not that I need any such reminder--this belly makes its presence felt a little more everyday. Each little growth spurt brings with it a few more of those pregnancy aches and pains, and there's no doubt I feel frustrated already at how certain tasks like bending over to tie my shoes are becoming increasingly difficult. In spite of these little frustrations, I'm well aware that this is only the beginning and that soon I'll look back fondly on these latter second trimester days as "the easy time."

At the Villa (24 Weeks).

126 Days to Go

Today marks my twenty-second week of pregnancy. Up to this point things have gone like gangbusters, but I will say that as my belly expands I'm beginning to get a preview of the rougher road ahead. Aside from feeling like an anorexic (yet ever-swelling) version of the Venus of Willendorf, my only trouble has been with my allergies. Thankfully the sinus and respiratory irritations have been minor compared with what they have been in the past, but I will admit that the accompanying sinus headaches can hit me pretty hard and Tylenol just isn't up to the task. Given the woeful inadequacy of pregnancy-friendly solutions, it looks like my only option is to tough it out. Here's hoping the pollen count doesn't skyrocket and wreak real misery and havoc in the next four months!

Venus of Willendorf (22,000-21,000 BCE)

At work things are shifting into summer gear--a welcome change that means the end of school groups for a few months and, this year, the close of the Aztec Pantheon and the Art of Empire exhibition. As interesting and new as it has been to have Aztec art at the Villa, I am delighted to see it go. The public was especially anxious for tours of this exhibition, and that demand has made for a crazy few months. Plus, as much as I love history of all kinds, my true knowledge base lies in the ancient Mediterranean and that background is what allows me to add the nuance and analysis that takes my teaching to the next level.

As things return to normal at work and downshift into summer mode, I'm hoping for a quiet summer at work and the opportunity to exploit what remains of my second trimester before the fall and all it will bring with it arrives. I plan to get out and make the most of summer and the ability to tie my sneakers by myself as long as I can.

Meet Baby Wells

Today was the mid-pregnancy anatomical ultrasound. The doctor checked out the baby from head to toe, and everything looks great--anatomy, size, and development are spot on for where we are in the pregnancy. The doctor was also able to determine the sex. There's no doubt in her mind, she said--we have a baby boy.

As Sam Beckett would say...Oh, boy!

A New Post--Finally!

Well, I'm back after a few months of a kind of cyber-hiatus. There were a variety of reasons for it, not the least of which being that the first few months of pregnancy are no picnic. During that time I lost all motivation for blogging, Facebooking, twittering, you name it. Unplugging for awhile actually proved to be restful, and I'm now ready to rejoin the 21st century (I think). Based on all of the inquiries I've received over the past months, it seems there are people who actually read my posts and have been especially anxious to hear how things are going now that Eric and I are parents-to-be.

So, friends and family, allow me to bring you up to speed. At the moment I am five months along. If you do the math, that means I am halfway through. Baby Wells' expected arrival is sometime around November 3rd. All things considered, everything has gone extremely well. The doctor says the baby is doing great and so am I. All indications are that we will be welcoming a healthy baby into the world come November. We'll know more in the next week when we have the more detailed "anatomical" ultrasound, at which point we also may be able to determine the sex of the baby. So, check back again next week--I may have some notable news to report.

Yesterday at Disneyland--five months and counting...