Up to Speed

Ups and downs
Highs and lows
That's just the way
Pregnancy goes

Things have been hopping around here lately. My mom came for a visit just over two weeks ago. It was fantastic to have family around. Especially the day she helped me deep clean the house! I can't tell you how much Wesley and I appreciated that. Mom and I did a little "touristing" as well. Her favorite part of the trip, I believe, was going to Jonas Gerard's studio, where we got to meet him and attend a live painting. He was quite a trip. Neat guy. Pretty darn good at what he does too. Wesley and I took Mom up to Mt Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi, where it was a cool 62 degrees. I think she would have stayed up there all summer if she could have! Truthfully, I would have too. It felt good to get out of the heat. Even if Asheville is cooler than Mississippi (by a long shot), it has still been too hot this summer. I'm ready for fall- for more reasons than one!

Not long after my mom left, Wesley's mom Lucy and brother William came up for a short visit. Lucy insisted we stop by her "summer home" and make sure things were running smoothly in her absence. I commiserated that it is so hard to find good help these days... We had a very nice visit and again, it was great to see family.

I am proud to report that both moms approve and, dare I say, like the nursery. Hooray! I have commissioned my favorite artist to do a painting with a peacock theme for the nursery but I hear she is quite busy lately with other (better paying- I offer hugs and gratitude) commissions and an Artist's Reception at Southern Breeze, the premier art gallery in Jackson. Go Mom!

On the other side of the coin, Wesley and I had a little adventure last Friday. In the wee hours of the morning I woke up having contractions. I'm pretty sure they had been going on for a few hours and I never quite woke up enough to realize what was happening until I groggily stacked all my pillows and crouched in a way that we learned about in birthing class. It was that realization that finally woke me up. I woke Wesley up and we timed the contractions. I laid on my side and drank water like they say to do. Then we called the doctor. He told us a couple of more things to try and said to head to the hospital to be checked out if things did not get better. We did end up going to the hospital, but not before Wesley ran around the house packing our bags for what we were concerned could be "the big stay" at the hospital. I must say, he did a darn good job. He even remembered my exercise ball (for sitting on) and a onesie for the critter.
We got to the hospital and had a fantastic nurse. She was just awesome. I ended up getting a bag of IV fluids and a drug called terbuteline. Let me tell you. Terbutaline is not fun. They gave it to me to relax the uterine muscle and stop the contractions. It did what it was supposed to do, which was great. It also sped up my heart and made it feel like it was going to pound out of my chest. I felt like crap for a couple of hours. Then it passed, the contractions had stopped and we got word that baby was doing great and not going anywhere for a while.

Since all that has happened something has changed and I have been able to eat a lot more food than I had been able to before. In fact, I ate a family sized bag of fruit loops by myself in about 24 hours earlier this week. I have also eaten healthier and more balanced meals than that but my own need to devour all that cereal and milk amazed me. I haven't eaten like that since way, way early in the first trimester before I started getting sick. Yeah food!

On Sunday Wesley and I went to Looking Glass Falls and sat on the rocks like lounging lizards. There was quite a crowd and I enjoyed people watching. We left there and went up the Parkway to Graveyard Fields in hopes of picking some blueberries and blackberries. They weren't quite ready yet but you could see the fruit beginning to bud. We sat by the stream there too. The water was refreshingly cool. We heard thunder overhead after a while and headed back to the car to wait out the storm. They often don't last long in the mountains. We had a phenomenal view of the storm rolling East over the mountains. It was simply stunning. Once we headed home we saw 3 or 4 rainbows in the valleys surrounding the Parkway. Wesley got some great photos that he has shared on Facebook. You should really check them out.

Today's agenda started with a coffee break with Jody Burnett, an old friend of ours from Hattiesburg who is now a priest outside of DC. It was great to see Jody and meet his friendly dog Charlie. They make a fine pair. Jody blessed the Bump, the first priest to do that. I think it's pretty special that baby's first blessing comes from such a good friend of Mom and Dad.

My next stop is the pool with Kelly and her kids. I am looking forward to floating in the cool water and taking a nap- if it's not too loud, which it may be. I've never been to a public pool before. I'm not sure what to expect but I imagine I'll get splashed. Bombs away!

Dear Nausea

Dear Nausea,
We have been together for over seven months now, long enough to get to know each other pretty well. After six months of being in my face all of the time, keeping me from my friends, and dominating my life, you finally got the hint and gave me a little space. But now, when we do hang out you make me twice as miserable.
I missed a fantastic meal prepared especially for me last night because of you. Your jealousy is making me sick. I just can't do this anymore. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Delete my number. I'm unfriending you. Really, it was just a fling that got dragged out too long. All those times you embarrassed me in public- remember the parking lot screaming matches? That time at the restaurant? I'm over it. I'm a stronger woman than that and I won't tolerate it anymore. Don't beg. Just go. It's over.
Sincerely,
Eryn

Childbirth Classes

Wesley and I have attended two of six in a series of childbirth classes. We go on Tuesday nights. Our classmates are an interesting hodgepodge of people and our teacher is stellar. She is a mother of four and an obviously very experienced labor and delivery nurse. Her knowledge is extensive and she discusses things in a way that are easy for everyone to understand but not patronizing.

Our first class was basic anatomy and physiology. Wesley and I didn't get much new information out of that one but we did get a good review of when to call the MD and when to go to the hospital. It was the second class that I really enjoyed and felt like we both learned something. We discussed the stages of labor and the different aspects and needs for each. We talked about different comfort measures and what emotions and reactions we can both expect to have during the delivery.

Chalayne, our instructor, also showed us a video with real births. The video was very edited to only show these women breathing calmly and looking peaceful as they endured contractions and birth. I call BS, but whatever. I am proud (though not surprised) to say that Wesley didn't bat an eye. The guy next to him, however, turned three shades of green and slipped down in his seat a little. In fact, he got woozy at a line drawing of the vagina that Chalayne drew on the marker board. That man has a looong day ahead of him in the not-so-distant future!

Chalayne sent us home with a few worksheets to spark discussion about how each of us deals with stress and discomfort and what Wesley can do to help me through the birth. We went to our local Greek restaurant Apollo Flame and had dinner while going through the worksheets after class. It was a great discussion that I think not only helped us prepare for the birth but helped us learn more about each other. I really enjoyed our conversation and I think it helped us both feel a little more at ease in a time when we are both feeling exhausted from the challenges and stressors of this pregnancy.

I am looking forward to class tomorrow night and what we may learn from it not just about the delivery but about ourselves and our marriage. I hope that every pregnant couple out there gets the chance to attend such a useful childbirth class.

Sneak Peak

Wesley and I have spent most of today cleaning, organizing, and taking care of "honey-dos" around the house. With our progress I am finally ready to show you what the nursery is shaping up to look like. There still isn't any art on the walls and that crib skirt is a nice stack of cut fabric waiting to be sewn together, but there is still something to show for our work so far. I'm stoked with how the room is coming together.

Also, my good friend Kelly came over last week and helped me organize the plethora of baby items that I now have thanks to the folks in Mississippi. Seeing all those baby items nested in their proper places in Baby DB's nursery makes it all just a little more real.

Without further adieu, here are pictures from the nursery.



For those reading this through email, if you cannot see the slideshow, go to www.babyduffeebraun.org to view the photos on the website.