Things I Would Never Have Dreamed

Before having a baby, there are a number of things that I would have assured you I would never allow to happen. Then I had a baby and realized that all bets are off.

I never would have thought I'd

But she's pretty sure she'll NEVER
do any of these things.

Say that 26 hours of labor was honestly not that bad. Boring, definitely, but not as bad as it sounds. I would even (no joke!) do it again.

Seriously contemplate sending out a picture of my boob to in-laws, family, and friends. (But she looks so adorable when she breastfeeds! I haven't actually done it, but I've been tempted, which is horrifying enough).

Go without ANY makeup in public.

Go out in public with vomit on my shirt (in multiple places).

And, in the same vein...Laugh as someone vomits down my cleavage.

Cheer every time someone burps, poos, or toots. (After many nights of intestinal distress, you too would cheer when your child FINALLY lets them rip.)

Consider an uninterrupted four hours of sleep "a full night's sleep."

Witness yet another reason Nathan gets attention from strangers. He's already had perfect strangers walk up to him on the street and say that he and his daughter are "so cute." Sigh. No one tells me that we're adorable when I'm out with her.

Feel the need to avoid putting mustard on my food. I just can't do it. It looks scarily like what we find in our newborn's diaper after each change.

Guess What I Did in April?

On April 15, at 2:19 PM (after 26 hours of labor--I'm so going to use this in our future arguments, Ellie) Eleanor Sinclair McArdle joined our family!

Needless to say, due to lack of sleep and general fogginess, I will likely not be updating the blog for awhile. Hopefully once she's on a bit of a sleep schedule I might start regaining my brainpower and general clever remarks, but I'm not counting on it (the regaining what brain I've lost AND the sleeping normally soon).

Just a Minute: March 2013

I'm remembering these later and later each month. I would not be surprised it I skip April's all together (not that I won't have a good reason for it). 

reading...I finished The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton, which I've been reading pretty much the whole month of March. I finished it with the same feeling I had when I read The Forgotten Garden by Morton. I didn't dislike it, but I wasn't really sure that I'd count it among my favorite books. I don't know if it's a product of the author's English literature vein of writing, but I have a hard time truly liking her main female characters so then I find I'm not very attached to them. I can't figure out what kept me from really liking this though because looking back, I liked all of the author's plot decisions.

 
watching...After the Downtown Abbey season ended, I left my DVR recording of PBS's Masterpiece Classic on and accidentally recorded Mr. Selfridge with Jeremy Piven. I watched Part 1 the other day and liked it overall. It's another good period show with fun costumes and set design. My only complaint is the weird smile that Jeremy breaks into anytime his character is uncomfortable (at least six or seven times in Part 1). It rather makes him look like a mangy werewolf.
 

listening...to all those old wives tales on how to bring about labor. Sadly, doubting that any of them are effective. Eating the hell out of spicy foods just in case.

finishing...trying to fit in all of those last minute things (eye doctor, dentist, buying birthday presents) that are easier to do now while bringing the baby along is still somewhat simple and contained. Still need to get that car seat installed though (or we may be tossing it in the car on the way to the hospital for Nathan to tackle in the parking lot).

sewing...I bought fabric to make this dress in two sizes as a baby gift for a friend at work. She's having a second daughter, so I'm making matching dresses for both girls. Unfortunately, that fabric has sat next to my sewing machine for more than a month as my time sans baby has dwindled down to single digits (slight exaggeration, as single digits starts day after tomorrow). Maybe working on them this weekend will help me keep my mind off the beached whale feeling I am now living with constantly.

cooking…One of my new favorites to make with dinner is cauliflower puree. It basically ends up tasting like mock mashed potatoes, but is healthier so you don't feel as guilty for the pat of butter that goes in. Here's how to do it: take a head of cauliflower and separate it into florets. Steam florets until their color becomes slightly more translucent (about 6-8 minutes, depending on size of florets). Throw drained florets into a blender and blend with a tablespoon of butter and a little milk. Salt and pepper to taste. It will be a little less thick than mashed potatoes.

"I Don't Understand Why A Muscle Contraction is so Painful"

or Just One of the Entertaining Things My Husband Said During Birthing Class

Nathan and I had our 2-day parenting class this weekend. Though we did learn some useful things, they could easily have fit in a two or three hour class rather than the 12 hours we spent in a basement at the hospital. It was just short of torture because the weather this weekend was positively gorgeous.

To add salt to the wound, on Saturday, the second our car pulled into the garage, it began to rain. Nathan did some general yard work anyway. I stood on the covered porch and watched most of it.

One of the obnoxious openers to the class was that we had to say one interesting thing about ourselves as an icebreaker. Nathan told the class that he planned to bike up to the hospital for my delivery (jury's still out on that one), and that he was packing his clubs in the back of the car so that in case the delivery was a long one, he could head out the back door of the hospital onto the course for a quick round of golf (straight up no on that one). I pointed out that he was clearly in need of the parenting class.

Needless to say, we were probably the most entertaining couple in the class. (And likely also the most disruptive...) Many of the videos and pictures we were shown of couple interactions during labor and what to say and when to say it were so effusive and over the top touchy-feely that we did some quiet giggling and eye rolling picturing Nathan trying to do that in the midst of my labor.

We were chosen to demonstrate a position on the birthing ball to the class that required me to be sprawled across it with my behind to the sky while he molded my hips for what felt like an eternity. I suppose that may have been payback for the giggling.

I did come away from the class feeling confident that I can make it through most, if not all, of the birth naturally, which is what I had been leaning toward initially...(I cry when the dentist gives me gas, I can only imagine what a semi-paralyzed lower half will do to me emotionally!), and feeling very confident that Nathan will be supportive and keep me laughing in the delivery room (that is, if he makes it on his bike in time).

Confessions of a Craft Addict

So yes, Eleanor may be born any day now, but I still may have just signed up for this:

Every month's box comes with instructions for an actual project that uses the craft supplies in the box, but you can always go off book and make something completely different with your supplies. Whimseybox's blog is full of DIY Craft Projects that people have shared. Love this idea!
 
How could I turn down the opportunity to not only get mail, but mail that would be a random collection of fun craft supplies?

PLUS, I got $5 off! You can too, even if you only sign on for a single month.