Monday, July 25, 2005
She's here!!!
Last Thursday night, I dreamed that my daughter was born. It was weird, of course, because I pulled all kinds of things from my day into the dream. For starters, I gave birth to the baby in front of a big crowd of people. I don't really remember it if was a vaginal birth or by c-section but, I know it knocked me out for a few hours. I distinctly remember that she weight 5 lbs, 9 oz - don't know if there were details on her length. In the dream, my husband woke me up a while after having given birth and said, "Do you want to meet your daughter?". I, of course, wanted to meet her. So, he brought her to me and put her in my arms and introduced me to "Samoa". First of all, she was beautiful and look exactly like my little cousin Kanina when she was born. But, when my husband told me her name was Samoa, I flipped! I yelled at him that that wasn't the name that we had chosen for her. He responded that his mom didn't like the name that we chose so, Samoa was it. For some reason, I just let it go right there - probably because I was so anxious to nurse my little girl. So, I nursed her and she ate fine, but, then she threw up. She threw up solid food! - grilled onions and peppers to be exact. Weird!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Is it worth it?
Today at lunch I went to a place called The Chocolate Bar, which is exactly what it sounds like - a Bar that sells all things chocolate. Anyway, I went to finally pick out a little something for my hostesses at my shower this weekend. Well, I walked out of there having spent $83 on candy!!! Now, I rationalized this by saying that it is a gift - something that they wouldn't splurge on themselves. Plus, for me to spend $83 is nothing compared to what I will receive this weekend in gifts for the baby!
So, I was telling my friend here (we IM at work all day everyday) about my outing. Thought this convo was kind of interesting:
Brooke says: so, did you have any luck with the gifts?
Tomika says: I guess - I bought $83 worth of chocolate
Brooke says: I'd say you did then...good job!
Brooke says: what'd you buy?
Tomika says: 3 different kinds - mints in a baby bottle, a milk chocolate bar with pink footprints on them, and chocolate covered pretzels
Brooke says: oh, the pretzels sound delish
Brooke says: it all does, but that one definitely got my attention
Tomika says: I hope so
Brooke says: they'll like it
Brooke says: and appreciate it
Brooke says: if not, kick them in the shins and take it back to bring to me!
Tomika says: lol
Tomika says: My husband is going to explode when I tell him
Brooke says: why?
Brooke says: just that you bought that much chocolate or that you're even buying that many gifts for people?
Tomika says: spending that much money on candy
Brooke says: but it's so worth it...everyone loves candy!
Tomika says: certainly, it's not worth $83 to you
Brooke says: I mean, you could have equally spent that money on something like movie gift certificates, or something else NOT eatable, but this is so much more fun!
Brooke says: and something people don't treat themselves to
Brooke says: which is the whole point of a good gift!
Tomika says: yes - but, we have to establish the fact that no candy is indeed "worth" $83
Tomika says: I didn't get myself anything - came back here and bummed a TWIX off a co-worker...
Brooke says: that's totally worth it!!!!
Brooke says: I'd pay that for a glutenous treat of good chocolate!
I have to say that I had fun on the splurge and in actuality, I only spent $14 per person and they are wrapped in cute little purple and yellow bags. Plus, the gifts really are cute. I hope they like them!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Doctor Update
I had a doctor's appointment on Friday afternoon - such a mistake but, I had no choice. The doctor, of course, had to apologize to me by the time she got to me. She knows how I hate waiting on her and she's been doing so well with that the last few months that I cut her some slack on Friday afternoon. Anyway, just needed to document that everything is looking well. She asked me how I felt - I said fine - she replied, "You are always fine!". Blood pressure was 120/68, baby's heartbeat was 148 bpm, I measured 32cm, and only gained 1.5 pounds (in 4 weeks)...throwing out the scale was the best thing I ever did! :)
Now, if she asked me how I felt today, it might be a different story. I do believe I've gained about 3 inches in my tummy since I saw her Friday. Baby like tripled in size over the weekend or something. All of a sudden she is way heavy and starting to make me feel more uncomfortable - or at least HUGE. 8 more weeks...
Now, if she asked me how I felt today, it might be a different story. I do believe I've gained about 3 inches in my tummy since I saw her Friday. Baby like tripled in size over the weekend or something. All of a sudden she is way heavy and starting to make me feel more uncomfortable - or at least HUGE. 8 more weeks...
In my dreams...
Okay, there is so much that I need to post about but, I wanted to definitely post about my series of dreams last week. Primarily because they're already fading in my memory. I had very vivid dreams on Monday - Friday last week but, as of now, I can only remember Monday - Wednesday...
Monday: This was the most vivid and the most interesting to analyze. There were actually two dreams but, both were clearly related to the same topic. Dream A - I was offered a job at another University in the system that I currently work in. The hiring manager loved me and offered me the job almost without interviewing me. She wanted me to come in and meet the other members of the team that I was joining. There were three females that I would be working with. (Interesting because I currently work with all males - and love it!) But, when it came time to accept the job, I kept thinking about how much I LOVE my current job. The new job came with a higher salary and a guaranteed pay raise in September. But, I just kept thinking that it didn't compare to what I have at my current job - great boss, great hours, great flexibility, great work...I spent the whole dream going back and forth - never making a decision. But, clearly favoring one job over the other. Dream B - I wanted to hangout with my husband and my ex-boyfriend from high school. For some reason, they got along well enough to do that in this dream. (They don't even know each other!) Anyway, in the dream, it was absolutely clear that I was totally in love with my husband but, just wanted my ex-boyfriend to be friends with us. Weird...I know - but, everyone that I have told this to thought both dreams clearly pointed to my inability to make decisions! My husband looked at it as a blanket problem where my female friends clearly tied it to the decision to return to work after I have the baby. I keep trying to explain to them that the decision has been made - I will be back at work in January! But, they aren't so convinced.
Tuesday: Not as much of a "deep" dream...and no real analysis on this one. But, I dreamed that me and a female co-worker were sexually harassed at work by my current manager. Oddly enough, it was in front of my parents and alot of other people at work. My manager had no remorse for it even though it showed what a creep he was. In real life, he's the greatest...
Wednesday: I dreamed I was going out somewhere and wanted to look cute. I was trying to roll my hair to make my ponytail curly. I spent the whole night tugging at my hair because it wouldn't wrap around the rollers. Hmmmm...could this mean that I feel unprepared for something that's coming up?
Monday: This was the most vivid and the most interesting to analyze. There were actually two dreams but, both were clearly related to the same topic. Dream A - I was offered a job at another University in the system that I currently work in. The hiring manager loved me and offered me the job almost without interviewing me. She wanted me to come in and meet the other members of the team that I was joining. There were three females that I would be working with. (Interesting because I currently work with all males - and love it!) But, when it came time to accept the job, I kept thinking about how much I LOVE my current job. The new job came with a higher salary and a guaranteed pay raise in September. But, I just kept thinking that it didn't compare to what I have at my current job - great boss, great hours, great flexibility, great work...I spent the whole dream going back and forth - never making a decision. But, clearly favoring one job over the other. Dream B - I wanted to hangout with my husband and my ex-boyfriend from high school. For some reason, they got along well enough to do that in this dream. (They don't even know each other!) Anyway, in the dream, it was absolutely clear that I was totally in love with my husband but, just wanted my ex-boyfriend to be friends with us. Weird...I know - but, everyone that I have told this to thought both dreams clearly pointed to my inability to make decisions! My husband looked at it as a blanket problem where my female friends clearly tied it to the decision to return to work after I have the baby. I keep trying to explain to them that the decision has been made - I will be back at work in January! But, they aren't so convinced.
Tuesday: Not as much of a "deep" dream...and no real analysis on this one. But, I dreamed that me and a female co-worker were sexually harassed at work by my current manager. Oddly enough, it was in front of my parents and alot of other people at work. My manager had no remorse for it even though it showed what a creep he was. In real life, he's the greatest...
Wednesday: I dreamed I was going out somewhere and wanted to look cute. I was trying to roll my hair to make my ponytail curly. I spent the whole night tugging at my hair because it wouldn't wrap around the rollers. Hmmmm...could this mean that I feel unprepared for something that's coming up?
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Childbirth Preparation
Last night, I checked our mailbox - having not done it in probably over a week. I had a jury summons in there. I have never had to report to jury duty before. It's in a town I've never been to and I am supposed to report on Monday. When I saw it, I thought, "I don't mind missing work but, I hope this doesn't interfere with my childbirth class on Monday evening." That's when it occurred to me that I never blogged about that.
So, here goes:
My husband and I decided to attend a 4-week session on Mondays rather than stuff it all in one weekend. My attention span will only allow for so much (not alot) concentration on a single subject. So, last Monday (June 27) was our first one. We decided to meet there directly after work. Of course, I got there first and walked in to realize that I was the only person there without a mate. I felt like people were staring at the one single chick. The instructor asked me to sign in. Luckily, my husband walked in while I was doing that so then my pregnancy felt validated again. There were probably 30 couples in the class and most people are due in the August 20-something to September 20-something time frame. We started by introducing ourselves, telling due dates, boy/girl, and our biggest fears about childbirth. Then the instructor addressed the biggest fears that were named.
To everyone's delight, we then got to watch a video on pre-term labor. It was one of those awful educational films where all the actors/actresses apparently don't do that for a living and should absolutely never get paid for it! Yes, my husband and I silently made fun of it together but, I think we got the gist of the information that it was trying to convey.
After that, we practiced our relaxation techniques. Our husbands massaged us and we were asked to find a focal point while we learned to breathe through 30-second contractions. Again, a focal point doesn't work for a person with the attention span of a gnat! Focusing on anything doesn't really come natural to me. The one time that I did manage to focus for an entire 30 seconds, my contacts dried out which told me that I can't blink and focus at the same time! So, I'm not sure how this whole thing will work for me. I'm sure many women have had babies without a focal point...but, it probably helps...
Then we went on the hospital tour, which was really neat. We got to see the L&D rooms, transition nursery, and recovery rooms. The instructor explained the procedures for when we arrive at the hospital. Don't think I'll remember that in two months so hopefully my husband was paying attention. The hospital tour must be added to my ever growing list of "things that make the reality of having a baby seem more real".
So, I'm actually looking forward to this next one (there was no class this past Monday because of the 4th of July holiday)...after I report to jury duty that is!
So, here goes:
My husband and I decided to attend a 4-week session on Mondays rather than stuff it all in one weekend. My attention span will only allow for so much (not alot) concentration on a single subject. So, last Monday (June 27) was our first one. We decided to meet there directly after work. Of course, I got there first and walked in to realize that I was the only person there without a mate. I felt like people were staring at the one single chick. The instructor asked me to sign in. Luckily, my husband walked in while I was doing that so then my pregnancy felt validated again. There were probably 30 couples in the class and most people are due in the August 20-something to September 20-something time frame. We started by introducing ourselves, telling due dates, boy/girl, and our biggest fears about childbirth. Then the instructor addressed the biggest fears that were named.
To everyone's delight, we then got to watch a video on pre-term labor. It was one of those awful educational films where all the actors/actresses apparently don't do that for a living and should absolutely never get paid for it! Yes, my husband and I silently made fun of it together but, I think we got the gist of the information that it was trying to convey.
After that, we practiced our relaxation techniques. Our husbands massaged us and we were asked to find a focal point while we learned to breathe through 30-second contractions. Again, a focal point doesn't work for a person with the attention span of a gnat! Focusing on anything doesn't really come natural to me. The one time that I did manage to focus for an entire 30 seconds, my contacts dried out which told me that I can't blink and focus at the same time! So, I'm not sure how this whole thing will work for me. I'm sure many women have had babies without a focal point...but, it probably helps...
Then we went on the hospital tour, which was really neat. We got to see the L&D rooms, transition nursery, and recovery rooms. The instructor explained the procedures for when we arrive at the hospital. Don't think I'll remember that in two months so hopefully my husband was paying attention. The hospital tour must be added to my ever growing list of "things that make the reality of having a baby seem more real".
So, I'm actually looking forward to this next one (there was no class this past Monday because of the 4th of July holiday)...after I report to jury duty that is!
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Help me if you're out there...
I don't know how many people actually ever stumble across this blog. But, if you're reading this, I need your opinion. My baby shower is in 3 weeks (July 23). I have 6 hostesses and no clue as to what to get them as gifts. I'm not really versed in this thing. Just wondering if any of you have either given hostess gifts or received hostess gifts at a baby shower. If so, what did you get/give? All ideas are welcome!
Friday, July 01, 2005
Smorgasboard Update
So, the birthday celebration was great!!! We went out to Double Dave's with about 6 other couples (and one cute newborn). Then, we all came back to our house to have cake and watch most of the NBA Finals Game. The guys had a blast. Of course, we girls were upstairs ooohing and aaahing over the baby and the progress on our nursery. My husband enjoyed his birthday alot and then the next night the two of us celebrated at a Brian McKnight/New Edition concert. Brian McKnight is my husband's favorite artist. We've probably seen him 4 or 5 times together since 1998. The New Edition thing was a HUGE bonus for me - I loved it!!! Two funny things happened that day:
1. The lady comes to deliver our baby furniture. My husband opens the door to let them in. She asks, "Is your mother home?" I know we both look young but, not that young!! That absolutely cracked me up for about a week every time I thought about it.
2. My shoes disintegrated at the concert. When I left home, I had on platform (2.5 inches or so) sandles. When I left the concert, I had on soles. That's it!! Again, still cracking up over that one. My husband asked me if I stepped in acid or something. I have no idea!! They just literally started falling apart!
This past weekend, we were in Nashville for my family reunion. My two girl cousins that are closest to me in age have both had baby boys since the last time I saw them. One had an 11-month-old and the other had a 3-week-old. Oh my God - they were both adorable and it made me want mine so much more. I think I'm actually getting ready for this girl mentally and emotionally!!!
One last thing (I think): I felt her hiccup. Monday morning, I got up a little early to do some work before I came to work (is that obsessive?) and while I was sitting at the computer checking my email - doesn't take much to distract me even at 6am - I got these really jerky, huge, rhythmic movements going on. My entire belly was jumping around. After about the 10th one, I yelled for my husband to come see. Yeah - apparently, you can scare the hiccups out of a fetus. She stopped as soon as I yelled for him. So, she continually makes me look like an idiot when I try to show her tricks to other people. Maybe she's just a really private person...
Okay, one more last thing: I have not touched a scale since I vowed to never do it again. I feel so free!! :) I can say that I've been eating worse too but, I don't really care anymore because I feel just fine.
1. The lady comes to deliver our baby furniture. My husband opens the door to let them in. She asks, "Is your mother home?" I know we both look young but, not that young!! That absolutely cracked me up for about a week every time I thought about it.
2. My shoes disintegrated at the concert. When I left home, I had on platform (2.5 inches or so) sandles. When I left the concert, I had on soles. That's it!! Again, still cracking up over that one. My husband asked me if I stepped in acid or something. I have no idea!! They just literally started falling apart!
This past weekend, we were in Nashville for my family reunion. My two girl cousins that are closest to me in age have both had baby boys since the last time I saw them. One had an 11-month-old and the other had a 3-week-old. Oh my God - they were both adorable and it made me want mine so much more. I think I'm actually getting ready for this girl mentally and emotionally!!!
One last thing (I think): I felt her hiccup. Monday morning, I got up a little early to do some work before I came to work (is that obsessive?) and while I was sitting at the computer checking my email - doesn't take much to distract me even at 6am - I got these really jerky, huge, rhythmic movements going on. My entire belly was jumping around. After about the 10th one, I yelled for my husband to come see. Yeah - apparently, you can scare the hiccups out of a fetus. She stopped as soon as I yelled for him. So, she continually makes me look like an idiot when I try to show her tricks to other people. Maybe she's just a really private person...
Okay, one more last thing: I have not touched a scale since I vowed to never do it again. I feel so free!! :) I can say that I've been eating worse too but, I don't really care anymore because I feel just fine.
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