Friday, March 23, 2012

toilet troubles


alright, im gonna cut straight to the chase...i pee way too much nowadays. in fact, i think i have pee'd more this past 9 months than i have in my whole life put together! (okay, maybe i exaggerate?). but seriously, i dont think i have enough digits on which to count the number of times i go in one day (now that isnt an exaggeration!). i can pee on demand, i tell you! of course, it doesn't help that my one outstanding craving this pregnancy has been ice water, and LOTS of it. come on now really, thats not a fair balance!

now, the thing about having a bladder that is constantly being sat on by a tiny human being, is you have to be prepared to use any available toilet at any given time! and you cant be choosy! you take what you can get. i never have been so weird to where i refuse to use public toilets, certainly not. but i have never used public toilets as many times as i have these past few months either! now there are a few that i would frequent if i am around town because of their overall goodness, but there are also a few that i stay far away from knowing the state in which i have found them in the past. for instance, the toilet in the local sandwich shop is always out of hand soap and the toilet in the big grocery store smells like someone thought the walls were the toilet bowl.

anyway, i think i may have gotten this public toilet thing down to a science. and it has been quite the adventure, to be honest. would you like to hear about it? probably not, but i'm going to keep typing anyway. there are many things i've discovered and kept a mental note, on which i will now expound! here goes!

is there anything worse than trying to get your hands dried by some machine that feels like someone is just breathing on you? or, walking out looking like you didn't actually make it to the toilet because of the sad empty paper towel dispenser?
or, can i tell you how many times there hasn't been toilet paper in bathroom? no, i cant because it would have been too many times to count. and me, being too embarrassed to tell the staff because, "here comes the giant demanding pregnant lady who just used the toilet without toilet paper. gross."
or, isnt it the worst when you close the stall door and there is no where to hang your purse and coat? i mean, what am i supposed to do then?
or, what about when its a fancy schmancy automatic flusher, but without you moving an inch, you get a free bidet treatment? the worst!
or, how about how all public toilets here in ireland don't have sanitary sheets for the seats! very frustrating, but also easy enough to get over, free quadricep workout!
or, what about those toilet paper dispensers that hang to each and every sheet so tightly, that you end up with just a handful of torn pieces that you have to make work somehow? is that done on purpose to keep cost down? hey, i guess its better than nothing at all, right?
also, is there anything better than walking into a restaurant or cafe or other public place, and expect the worst bathroom ever, but then are pleasantly surprised when you walk into a well stocked and well cleaned toilet? i don't think there is!

ok, thats all my mental notes. aaaaand i have to pee. ok bye.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

nusery time

yesterday was the day we set aside to get started/attempt to finish (yeah, we're really on top of things around here) the nursery. and for the time and energy we had, we got pretty far! we put together the cot and bookcase, picked the layout and arranged the furniture accordingly, folded and hung up all the tiny little clothes, etc. below is a picture of the mess!

(yes, instead of just reaching for the scissors, i bite to open things.)

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also, i got started on a couple little projects (see, i told you we were on top of things), and now its just a few little finishing touches that will bring it all together! those are a few mysterious close ups of said various projects. 

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and as a bonus, my husband took pictures of me taking the "before" pictures. for some reason, i had my shirt up, it was just what was comfortable at the time, ok?



the end.


Thursday, March 08, 2012

home birth


im not sure how many of you know, but we are planning to have our baby at home. isn't it very exciting? 
to have a natural childbirth isn't something i had always wanted or imagined myself doing, i didn't ever think about it, to be honest. and even after finding out i was pregnant, i never felt a strong pull in either direction (to drugs, or not to drugs? that is the question!). so do you want to hear about how we came to this decision? the progression is as follows!

1) it started with "ill think about it", "maybe", "kinda want to", "ok i think so", "yeah sure why not", "for sure", "definitely", want to go natural. 
2) then, one day we were in Waterford Regional Hospital waiting (2 hours!) for a checkup appointment. i found myself sitting in as small as a position as possible, in an effort to avoid contact with as many surfaces as possible (which is hard for a pregnant lady, mind you!). i looked at everyone around me, who, for some reason, had a cough or the sniffles, and preceded to touch as many surfaces around them as possible. i listened to the loud slamming of the opening and closing of doors, and the clatter of heels or squeak of shoes going up and down the hallways. i probably broke a sweat from just sitting there because of the heat cranked up to an unnecessary level with all the windows duck taped shut (i tell no lies!). plus, i looked far to closely along the place where the floor met the walls (not a good idea!). and i just felt generally uncomfortable. 
3) after that, i started thinking, if i'm committed to a natural childbirth (that means, if the bonus of drugs isn't an option!), why on earth would i bring this child into a world like the one i just described? now, don't worry, i'm not so silly that i wouldn't go into the hospital if its necessary for the well being of myself or the babe. of course, i wouldn't be so stubborn. but seriously, why?
4) by this time i was already 24 weeks along, and i found out that there happens to be this amazing option under the mother and infant care scheme (free healthcare for all prenatal and postnatal visits up to six weeks after birth) called the "domino scheme". its a team of four midwives who all rotate to care for you before the delivery and when you go into labour you have the baby with whoever is on call at the time (if there is any kind of emergency you'll get a doctor of course). if all goes well, you can then leave the hospital as early as 6 hours after delivery. to be able to be a part of this, you have to have an all natural approach, with a plan to breastfeed and be in ideal health with no red flags in your medical history. woop! thats me! oh yes, and they also offer home births as an (apparently unpopular) option. BUT i needed to get on the waiting list at 12 weeks (i didn't know how things worked here, i was just stoked to be getting free healthcare!) so i was major bumming at the thought of this not being an option for me. but after a series of people who know people calling other people, and the grace of God, i got accepted into the scheme. thank you Jesus for hooking us up despite our naivety!
5) now, all my prenatal visits are on my own couch. and as of midnight this friday, (as i will be 38 weeks) the midwives are officially on call to come out to our home, should i go into labour!


(where the magic will happen!)

anyway, the more we think about how blessed we are for this to be our plan, we can see it being no other way (God willing). to be able to be in our cozy home that we made together, the place this child will call home for years to come, to be in familiar and comfortable surroundings with the freedom to do whatever we wish. it all just feels so right.
we can light some candles, burn some aromatherapy oils, or turn on calming music. we can create a warm and welcoming atmosphere to bring our child into. my body was made to handle labour and delivery, and i want to experience it, not just endure it. i know i'm in for a world of pain, i'm not that disillusioned, but isn't that a part of the miracle of life? isn't that a part of all things good and from God? isn't it only through great pain that something truly good can come? and with that pain, to be able to give birth, only for it to disappear the moment we hold our child. to have that instant skin to skin contact and bond. for her not to be swept away under blinding lights and be poked and prodded with all sorts of cold instruments. to look into her eyes, and see straight into the soul that will bind and change our lives forever as brand new parents. and for us to crawl into our own bed, after all is said and done, and sleep as a new little family.