there's a soccer game in my tummy

I spent the first half of this pregnancy anticipating the day i would feel those precious little hands and feet wiggle and kick in side me. I was so miserable that it was all i could think of to get me through the nausea and fatigue and whatever else came my way in the early weeks.

Well, now it's here... now that i have finally discovered what its like to be kicked "from the inside". About 4 weeks ago I started feeling little "flutters" of movement in my stomach and like most people on their first child, it was hard to tell the difference between that and... you know... gas! lol.

Now four weeks later... and there nothing that stands in my way of knowing the difference between a kick and a bubble blub-blubbing through my intestines. He's quite strong, i promise you, and for some reason is up to par on his anatomy. I'm not sure who taught him but he seems to know exactly where my bladder is! Have you ever seen a cartoon - like Tom and Jerry - where Tom is blindly stomping down on a box or a rabbit hole trying to get into where ever Jerry is?? Stomp stomp stomp... Until he gets through. Well, I swear thats what this little kid is doing to me. He wants out and i keep telling him its a little early ..... which in turn ensues a tempertantrum... again.. on my bladder.

There have been several sleepless nights for me in the last week or so because this little boogerhead kicks me ALL NIGHT LONG! And I'm not embellishing the truth. I lay in bed with my hands on my belly feeling those little legs and arms flailing about. I've even started feeling when he turns inside me. So last night, when we got into bed, he was kicking me again like crazy so I grabbed Rob's hand and said...don't move. Sure enough, 1 - 2 - 3 kicks... all in a row. Rob grinned from ear to ear. It was the first time he felt the baby kick and in his next breath he said "no wonder your not sleeping". Well... i told ya! LOL. You think i complain for the sake of complaining?

He does let me sleep on occasion, though. Today, on my day off, I woke with Rob, made him breakfast (because i'm a good wife that way) and then back to bed i went after he left for work. Both baby and I slept for 2 1/2 hours this morning. Best sleep I've had in quite a few weeks actually (and baby is still sleeping).

Last week when I went in for my monthly check up, i mentioned to the doctor that the baby was kicking A LOT! I don't know what i expected him to say...."would you like me to give the baby a sedative?" would have made for an interesting conversation that's for sure and.... "can you do that?" would have been my rather odd reply. An awful thing to even suggest and I only make light of it because what he DID say gave me great perspective.

I remember several years ago - we're talking 12 plus years - I was doing observation time at Stonybrook Hospital for my EMT certification when a young lady came in for some sort of treatment. She must have been about my age at the time and at least 6-7 months pregnant. I watched the nurse put one of those doplar things around her belly to monitor the heartbeat and several seconds later we all heard the little thump thump on the speaker. The young girl began to cry.

"what's wrong?"

"it's just that the baby hasn't moved or anything in some time, I wondered if there was something wrong".

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Flash forward to me laying on the examination table last week. The doctor turned to me and said "it must be reassuring to feel your baby kick all the time". Of course my mind drifted back instantly to that young girl in the ER and i began to tear up.

He's right. He's SO right. On so many levels. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of women who would trade places with me a heartbeat. I know this. And everyone once in a while, someone or something reminds me of that small, yet significant fact.

Sure... it's a hassle. Yup...this has been one of the strangest journeys ever in my life. But a wonderful one. A true blessing.... despite the numerous disguises. And although I have questioned whether or not i would do this again in the future, I will never ever regret each and every day this journey has given me. I love my baby. Always have (even before I was pregnant) and always will for the rest of my days!

oh...and by the way... he's awake and back to kicking again!

i HATE silly season

I once heard Denise Civiletti refer to the "pre-election" period as "Silly Season". Right she is! They're all silly in my opinion and they all need to be evaluated for severe mental issues.

Since moving up the Island a bit, I started regretting declaring my status as a "Democrat". Living in an area where there is a slightly higher ratio of people living in close-knit neighborhoods, campaigning has become a door-to-door process. In the last several weeks I've had several "campaigners" knocking on my door - both young and old - in support of Brian Foley. For those of you who don't know him, he's the Supervisor of Crookhaven Town (no that's not a typo).

THREE people have come to my door in the last 2 weeks. The first guy was young... couldn't have been more than 18-19 years old in sweat shirt and jeans looking to just get the word out. He also had what looked like a petition of some sort (I can only assume in support of Foley) that he wanted me to sign. I didn't really show my support one way or another other than the fact that i knew he was running. I wasn't very pleased about the house call so as a little entertainment for myself, I allowed my dogs to continue to bark frantically at him through the glass storm door. They appear to be vicious monsters, but honestly....they just want to lick you to death!

The second visitor wanted me to put a sign on my front lawn. I was like "UH... NO! do you see an Obama sign? or Bishop sign on my front lawn?". Seriously people. This guy was very pushy and actually asked who i was going to vote for in the Senate AND the presidency elections. He caught me off guard and all i could say was "i just don't know and probably wont know until i hit the polls, buddy". But what i should have said, if I were quick on my feet, was that it was none of his damn business who i vote for and that it's my right as a citizen of the United States to keep it that way.

The third, and hopefully final, visitor came to my door last Thursday evening. Rob and I were both sitting on the couch and i was in my pajamas trying to rest my aching pregnancy back. The doorbell rang and my dogs began barking frantically. We both looked at each other (his parents were out of town and anyone else would have called first - even his parents would have called at that hour). Rob asked me to peek out the window to see who it was but my view was limited because it was so dark. Yes folks... it was 8PM at night. Brian Foley sent someone out on the streets to knock on doors at 8pm at night. I was FURIOUS. Rob opened the door and as soon as he said where he was from i said "buddy...it's 8PM...what are you thinking??? You guys have been to this house 3 times in the last 2 weeks. When will it stop?" Again, I allowed my dogs to bark frantically as I yelled at his sorry ass. My husband, at that point, took a back seat this pathetic scene. I didn't argue for long before i closed the door on his face and decided that someone would be receiving the wrath of me in the morning at Foley's campaign headquarters.

The next day i was still furious and not wanting to completely blow up on the phone, I wrote an email to his campaign. Basically..i told them not to come to my house any more otherwise I would consider it harassment and would call the police. I still haven't heard back from them... pathetic. You would think an apology would be in order but perhaps they wrote me off as a potential voter. SO SAD.

One more week of this and I have decided to forever move myself to the "Independent" line and then vote for whoever i want without being inundated with mailings and phone calls and house calls... especially those at 8pm in the evening.

I still say i should have moved to Europe 10 years ago when i was truly entertaining the idea. Sigh.

baby stuff up the wazzooo

It's amazing what comes out of the woodwork when you tell someone you're having a baby, particularly when you know if its a boy or a girl. My neighbor is already off loading her boy clothes on me and just yesterday i paid a visit to an old high school friend who gave me a TON of stuff, including a couple of brand new packs of diapers. She warned me that she hasnt even gone into the attic to pull out the boxes of things (some with tags still on them). It's like christmas all over again! We have basically jam packed the changing table with clothing and other things (as you can see). Aren't those little rainboots so cute??

Among the many wonderful things she gave me was a side basket to hook onto the changing table to hold diapers and wipes etc. The contraption has a cool name: "The Munchkin", which is ironic because that's what i have been calling my little boy. Amusingly, I was more excited about the cool bumper sticker that says "I love my munchkin" included in the box than the actual item in the box itself (though im pretty sure i'll be thankful in a few months). LOL. Pathetic i know. Sometimes it doesnt take much to amuse me! And you try not to get caught up in all the "STUFF" but sometimes its just fun to sit and browse all the cute little stuff.

We're still working on the nursery. We found gorgeous pine floors under the dingy carpet we pulled up last weekend. Very excited about that. We decided to just find a big area rug instead of re-carpeting. It will definitely add character to the room. One of the things Rob and I talked about was the fact that we really wanted to make sure that we buy things that the kid can grow into...such as the rug on the floor or the dresser (one we already have). We didnt want to spend a couple hundred dollars on a froo froo rug with baby bonnets and sailboats only to toss it or sell it after a year or two. We wanted something that he can use when he's 10 and even 17. I explained that if we do it right, only a few things need to be "babyish" in the room...like the curtains, the crib set and the big block letters spelling out his name on the wall. These are replaceable, less expensive things that really dont matter much in the long run. I'm glad we're both in agreement on this philosophy.

This little monster inside me has been kicking me like crazy...and hard too. For some reason he likes to kick down onto my bladder, particularly when its full. He must think thats funny or something! I am not so amused. But other times it just feels like my insides are squirming around. Its an odd feeling. My belly is not getting big as much as it is defined. And i still havent gained any more weight. Im quite happy about that. I havent been restricting myself too much, but I do try to eat healthy and watch the sweets. I must admit though I am craving them. It's nice to have my appetite back but at the same time... its not! LOL.

Rob and i are heading to the hospital next week to take a tour of the maternity ward. Im delivering in Southampton which I hear is really nice. It's also quite a hike from our house up the Island. Luckily my parents live in Westhampton and if we feel the day is coming or things are not quite right we may stay there for a few days. We're trying not to plan too much because we know things can change at any moment and last minute decisions will need to be made anyway. But we are prepared to make the important decisions should they arise.

Overall im feeling so much better these days. A little sore from my stomach stretching and tired from not sleeping well, but im getting used to that! lol. We're so excited, even more so since finding out we're having a little boy. I think it it makes it that much more real.

baby chronicles...continued

Well... there's not much else to say except...

IT'S A BOY!!

Life Lesson #239

Never put your $300 Blackberry in the washing machine. There's no exception to this rule, not even pregnancy (although there should be).