ready already

Hi, it's me, and I'm still pregnant! Every week I can't imagine being yet another week pregnant - but somehow time passes by and sure enough I find myself another week pregnant! The estimated due date for baby's arrival is July 9th ... but to be honest I have felt "done" since June 9th!!!

Right now I am 38 weeks and 4 days. If you don't believe me, here's my trusty ticker:


isn't that great? I found it at lilypie.com. Seems like just yesterday that baby was on the faaarrrrr left of that scale. My how time flies... and yet sometimes it feels as though it is standing still.

I have been having a lot of contractions lately but nothing that is uncomfortable or hurts. In fact, I barely notice them. I have been really lucky in terms of common pregnancy woes, too. For instance, I haven't experienced the lower back pain many people complain about or the swollen ankles, plus I think I sleep really well for the most part. The only "common" pregnancy symptom I have on occassion is heartburn.

I have had some of my own unique discomforts, however. Below my right rib cage is quite sore. I actually woke up yesterday morning around 4 a.m. in pain in that area, and I mean all-out pain (opposed to the usual discomfort). Luckily it subsided a couple hours after I sat up and got out of bed. I think it is due to running out of room for this long-legged baby! All that poking starts to hurt. Another thing that was bothering me was a muscle group in my right upper-back shoulder-blade area. It started in late April and lasted until early June. After an astronomical investment in Icy-Hot patches and Therma Care heat wraps, massages with Aspercreme (thank you honey) and just some general attention to not putting stress on the area, the problem slowly receded as inscrutably as it came.

Enough of my paltry ordeals, though. They are small potatoes in comparison to ... well, the big potato. (And is that potato getting ever so big - this oven's dinger is going off - she's cooked!!!) Yep, I'm done, and I sure can't wait to meet this little marvel that's inside me!

the impending birth

I am 37 weeks and 5 days today and this little lifeform can make her debut at any moment. The suspense is killing me. When, oh when, is she going to come???

On tuesday Steven's co-workers threw us a Jack and Jill baby shower at work in the conference room. It was absolutely great and I still can't get over how extremely generous they were. Fun was had by all and pictures were taken to capture the afternoon. Yay!

Here are pictures of what I'm looking like about now...


37 weeks & 3 days


a nice profile view...

So here I am playing the waiting game. Nursery is set. Clothes are washed and folded. I'm armed with diapers. It is only a matter of when...

putzing around; looking at art

When She Was Young
Jeff H.

I have the day to myself today and I feel kind of lost. It's not like there aren't things to do or things that need to get done; I am experiencing a sort of lack of motivation I guess you could say. Aside from doing small insignificant things I really haven't done much. Sadly enough, I can't even experience a sense of satisfaction about "taking it easy", either.

I've putzed around on the computer a bit... some fellow grad students have been e-mailing about how their summers are going. It is nice to hear what others are up to. I just got through looking at one of their websites: Jeff's Big, Rat-Faced Page of Self-Promotion. A website is a piece of art. A technical one. I want to make a really nice site one day.

At his site he has a bunch of his artwork displayed. It is nice to see others art and gain insight to their style and personality. There is something about his style I am drawn to... that's what is so neat about art... it's not how accurate or true to reality you create your art, but it is the imperfect - the personal elucidation you convey by your own unique perception of the world. Every artist has their own sensitivity to the experience of life. I believe that sensitivity is conveyed in their art.

a child is born

My cousin Heather and her new baby boy: Walker

No, not mine; not yet. My cousin Heather, who is (or now, rather, was) a week ahead of me along in her pregnancy, had her baby. She had a boy, 6 lbs 8 oz, named Walker, on the evening of Sunday June 12th. Her first child, EMS, just celebrated her 5th birthday on the 11th. Now she has a little brother... which makes her a big sister.

Heather went into labor early a couple weeks ago and was told to rest. As soon as her 36th or 37th week came around she was allowed to resume normal activities... and sure enough the baby came with no delay. As I type this I am 36 1/2 weeks and am eager to have my baby come; I am quite uncomfortable.

Heather was early with her first child, too. Since this is my first baby, I do not know if I will be one who goes early, goes late, or goes "on time" (if there is such a thing as on time...) My mother was exactly 12 days past 40 weeks with both my brother and me. I hope I don't have that much longer to go...

another blog, a new beginning

The first blog I ever created hasn't been touched since fall of 2004. It now being the summer of 2005, I felt awkward picking up somewhere I left off which seems to be so long ago, and so instead of an awkward time gap, I decided it was time for new beginnings. So here is a new blog. Let's see if I stick to it this time around. (shya right... baby due any day now; something tells me I'll have more pressing responsibilities to tend to) Either way, it never hurts to try. Welcome. Enjoy.