A ROUGH Day. Rough.

Someone please tell me why in the WORLD I still let our dog, Duncan, sleep in our bed?  

Seriously.  Why?  

Michael was given the boot when he was like two weeks old from our bed. And, somehow Duncan is still there.  

Last night was so incredibly long.  Josh is working really long hours right now so that he can take some time off when the baby is born.  As a result he worked in the office upstairs until midnight.  The entire time he worked, I tossed and turned because I could hear the tapping of the keyboard and could see the lights in the office.  Finally he came to bed, which meant that Duncan was moved from his spot and began his ANNOYING new ritual of licking his chops and grinding his teeth.  (Teeth grinding drives me crazy.)  At this point, it was 12:50 am and Michael decided to wake up.  I then sent Michael to his bed and dumped Duncan in his crate because of the licking.  

From about one o'clock until four-thirty, I slept pretty well!  

Duncan then started to bark because he hates to sleep in the crate.  And, Michael woke up crying.  And, of course, my stomach was killing me!  My girlfriends had a running party today, and I had to get up at 4:45 to get myself ready on time.  Obviously, I bagged the party in hope of catching at least another hour or two of sleep.  Unfortunately THAT didn't happen because of my stomach and Josh.  Josh decided to get up at five for work this morning.  He clicked on the lights and took a shower, and I was then UP!  for the day.  Grrrr....

I have felt ill ALL day from last night's escapades.  I'm WISHING that this pain is labor, but I have a strong suspicion that it is far from labor and is a result of sleeping for only three hours last evening.  Michael, THANKFULLY, spent the day with his sitter, so I was able to sleep a teensy bit this morning.  I also got my hair trimmed today and bought some new shampoo and conditioner.  (I love new products!  Love them!)  

And, I took Duncan's licking issue into my own hands this evening.  I cut off his beard.  (Not kidding.)  Josh came home to one messed up looking dog.  Whatever.  As long as I get some sleep this evening...Pictures to come of this hair cut tomorrow!  : )  

How much longer?

Seriously.  How much longer?!  I'm pretty sure that my ribs, on my right side,  are going to spilt in half. (If they haven't already.)  My back just might spilt in half, as well.  This baby has not dropped one bit.  And, considering the fact that the baby is packing on the pounds right now, I'm in pain. 

Pain. Pain. Pain.  And, it's not even labor!  How do women have triplets or twins?  I can't even imagine the rib pain while carrying two or three babies.  And, how do women deal with labor on top of this constant, nagging pain?  

This evening I told Josh that if I go into labor on my own, I'm going to ask for the epidural as soon as I walk in the door.  (That's how crappy I have felt for the past week.)  Actually, I'd take an epidural right now, if I could.  I'm now resorting to crying a couple times a day because I'm so incredibly uncomfortable.  I don't even cry during marathons, for goodness sake!  (Actually, I did cry once...the MCM marathon in 2003, it was an awful marathon.)

We've had a great weekend.  Josh has been dragging Michael and me all over the place.  There are pictures to share, but that would require some extra effort on my part this evening.  And, I'm all about wallowing in self pity right now.  

More cheerfulness tomorrow!  I am incredibly grateful, though.  The baby is moving quite a bit, and is very healthy.  And, that is certainly what is most important right now.  I can make it a few more weeks...at least I'm not teaching and on my feet all day.

36 Weeks- Entering the "Home Stretch"

I like to think of the last month of pregnancy, just as I think of the last three miles of a marathon: misery, with a hint of accomplishment.

This morning I went to my 36 week appointment with the most awful rib and back pain ever. On my way to the hospital, I kept thinking, "Maybe today is the day!" I knew better, though. We're not even close to being done.

The appointment went well. The baby is still head down, yay. My cervix has not dilated at all, (insert cuss word). I gained two pounds in a week, and I don't even care at this point. I could gain fifty over the next month and not care, as long as this back/rib pain is here. My bp is good 104/60, and the baby's heartrate was in the 140's today. Things are looking great, according to the doc. I sure do wish I "felt" great, though. At many points during the day, I could rip someone's head off- that's how terrible I feel right now. : (

The doctor and I talked a smidgen more about the VBAC. I had to schedule the c-section date, just in case I go past the baby's due date. We don't have a time set, though, so it's all very tentative. There is a definite end in sight, however.

Good Days and Bad Days.

I'm feeling so incredibly cruddy today.  : (  This morning started out fine, I ran a teensy bit, got myself to work in the nick of time, the morning was going smoothly.  And then, I got to third period and just started to feel worse as the day went on.  

Our school is pretty old, it has not been renovated since it opened (in the early 70's/late 60's).  Therefore, the HVAC is AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL. I feel like I am at the beach, without any water, sand, or sun, in my office.  It's hot and very humid.  As I was working away this morning, trying to wrap things up, I just got hotter and hotter and hotter.  I then felt like I was having some sort of panic attack because my breathing got more shallow as the period went on.  It was awful.  I never did fully recover from that morning incident, and as a result from the heat and humidity, I just started to feel more nauseous throughout the day.  By seventh period, all I wanted to do was to lay down on my couch, in the air conditioning.  

This evening I was supposed to participate in a girl's night with a group from school, so I arranged for my mom to pick up Michael and feed him dinner.  She was happy, he was happy, and I was happy about going out with friends.  However, when I got in my car to get the sitter's money and to drop it off with my mom, the nausea came back full force and the heat got to me again.  I went over to my mom's school and handed her the babysitting money for the sitter, and holding back tears I told her that I was just going to head home for a nap.  I also called Josh to let him know that the plans changed, and while we were on the phone I began to cry hysterically.  He was worried, naturally, and asked if I should go to the doctor.  Between tears, I told him no, that I was simply overreacting and hormonal, no need to worry.  : )

And, then just as I got myself settled, I pulled onto our street and heard the news about Tim Russert's death.  (Tears again.) I've had a good nap, Josh got take-out for us, my parents helped (tremendously) with Michael ; but I still feel icky this evening. Maybe I have reflux or something, maybe I just need more water, or maybe I need to turn the thermostat down another few degrees.   Also, I'm pretty sure that I'm carrying the baby just as high as I did with Michael, which hurts my ribs and makes breathing a challenge.

I sure am whinny today, aren't I?

GOOD GRIEF!

Our dear, sweet son is still plagued with this nasty, nasty cold.  As a result, his behavior has been atrocious for the past week.  Church was anything but peaceful today. Sometimes, I hate to say this, it's just so much easier to not go when he is tired or isn't feeling well.  I know that there are lots of other cranky, loud children surrounding us, and I shouldn't think twice about taking our grouchy, non-compliant three year old; but it is not fun and is stressful!  I feel like people are thinking, is she going to control him ---or the other-- she should just leave him alone-just let him flop around on the floor and suck his thumb.  Mass today felt like the longest hour of the weekend, which is really too bad, considering it should be the most peaceful hour.  

We stopped by a friend's house on the way home, which was fun for Michael and me.  However, as soon as we walked in the door he lost all composure and threw the mother of all temper tantrums.  That was a fun hour, too! 

I hope his nap is very, very, very, very, very, very LONG!  Josh is helping me out by going to the grocery store, maybe I'll take a little nap myself.  After this morning, I deserve it!  Scratch that, Josh is making me fill out insurance forms for my leave of absence.  : )  

I just really, really want him to start feeling better soon.  It's been a long and trying week, and unfortunately  it doesn't seem like the cold is behind Michael B.  

Update on the family sick day:

Well.  Michael and Josh are still under the weather.  Michael still has a fever and Josh has one, as well.  We've had an easy day: full of naps and eating "sick food"--popsicles, jello, chicken noodle soup, and toast.  Thankfully, I'm feeling great and very well rested!! : )  Both the morning nap and the afternoon nap were delicious and very much appreciated!  It's likely that we'll all be home again tomorrow, since Michael still has this nasty fever.  : ( Poor babe.

I'm feeling guilty about taking off tomorrow, especially since I only have a few days left of school.  And, I do know that we could easily call upon our family to help, but I like taking care of Michael and Josh when they are sick.  And, Michael needs his mom throughout the night and it will be a struggle to make it through the day without sleeping all night.  (I'm hoping tonight is better, but I'm not so sure it will be.  He's already gotten up once, coughing and crying.)

My concern for the evening is getting a run in tomorrow morning.  Since I have a little extra time, I'd love to run four or five miles.  Unfortunately, though, the forecast is calling for lots and lots of thunderstorms.  Maybe the weather will clear up for just an hour, or so. (I'd be so grateful!)

In other news...How about Obama???  : ) What a historical evening for our country!!  I just hope that he gets those four delegates before I head to bed.  Did you know that he has a blog?  Here's the link:  http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog .  An hour or two later~  He did get the four delegates and now I'm watching Hillary speak on CNN.  I thought her speech was fantastic.  I got a little choked up in a couple parts, particularly when she mentioned the 90 year old women who came to out to support her cause. Those women grew up in a time when they couldn't vote! Imagine. Wrap your head around it for a second. Those women could nurse, change the diapers, feed, clothe, support, and love these future political leaders prior to the Women's Suffrage movement, but not vote?  What Hillary and Barack have brought to the 2008 primaries is the notion that anything is possible.  Anything at all.  And that is huge.  Universal healthcare would be especially huge, wouldn't it?

 

Where'd it go and when's it gonna come back?

It wasn't this way with Michael.  My brain worked during his pregnancy.  I could handle my job and daily activities without any problem.  I even remembered my purse and my lunch everyday.  Sure, my job was pretty easy in terms of not having to do much paperwork, but I taught an extra class and worked after school everyday until five.  My brain and my memory worked just fine during Michael's pregnancy.

This time?  My memory and my brain power are completely exhausted.  And, I am totally frustrated. 

I've gotten to the point where I am forgetting things like my purse, which is why I am at home blogging.  I have a dental appointment this afternoon, so I had to take time off of work today.  As I'm driving to school, I realized that I didn't have my purse.  I need my purse to pay for the appointment, and I need my insurance card.  I was also going to stop by a store or two after the appointment.  And, obviously, I am driving around without a license because my purse is at home.  So, I had to come home prior to the appointment, which was a waste of gas and time. Awesome.  Nothing like dumping money down the drain.  

My lapses in memory are so incredibly frustrating.  I forget people's names, and I have even forgotten the words for the dinner prayer.  This is insane and so frustrating.  And, if I'm making mistakes with daily, easy tasks; obviously I'm making one mistake after another at school.  Unfortunately, I have become incredibly sensitive about this, which means that now I am LOOKING for mistakes that I have made over the course of the week.  And, when you look for mistakes, you tend to find lots and lots and lots; which adds to my stress level and my forgetfulness.  

Is this related to sleep loss?  Is this because of hormones?  A combination?  Is this normal?  When will my brain come back?

"So this is what it feels like to be on ESPN"

Our team, W&M, is playing George Mason RIGHT NOW for a seed in the NCAA tournament.  We have NEVER been in the NCAA tournament before, so this is a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE game for us Tribe fans!!  HUGE!!  : ) Josh had to get home before seven so that he could watch our team right from the start, which means that he'll be working his tail off late this evening.  It's totally worth it, though.  

I'm on the mend.  Thank goodness!  I think it's all the love and comfort food that our families have provided us over the past two days.  Yesterday was really, really rough.  Even today,  I spent most of the day in the bed.  I read a little, ate a little soup,  and then went back to sleep. Michael went to the sitter and had a great day.  He's been a little hard to handle the past two evenings. I'm not sure if it's because of the change in routine, the time change, or a little of both.  Things have been going so smoothly with temper tantrums, that I have been thrown off the past two nights by his behavior.  Tomorrow we should be back on track with our evening routine, so that should help quite a bit.  

I'm going to stay home one more day so that I will be totally recovered when I start back on Wednesday.  One more day at home should help a lot.