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July 10, 2003
Hello, hello, hello!
The last time I got on the computer I was in the midst of a really good computer stint. I’d caught up on so many diaries, even my e-mails were under control (Tanya, I read your entries all the way back to May and in the middle of a post this long, lost it, uuggghhh!), then the keyboard smashed to the floor one too many times and everything fell apart. Only the numbers worked, I couldn’t even log on. We picked me up a new keyboard last night and holy smokes, I have 14 pages of e-mails. Since quite a few of them are what’s happening ones, I’m here for a quick update. No baby yet, but I promise to get one on the board when it’s for real.
I’m scheduled for a July 28th induction. Dr. Bray would budge over my dead body, and that’s really what will happen to me if I have to wait that long. A gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do and at least I’ll have a clean house because of it. At last check (yesterday), I was almost 3cm’s dilated with the baby as low as zero station could be. I’m about 37 weeks along according to all those ultrasounds that backdated me and very ready to get on with things. Blood pressure is 150/85 and what I didn’t really feel great about was my weight. In five weeks, I didn’t gain a pound. When last week I told Dr. Bray I was eating like a pig, he said I was obviously burning more calories than I was taking in. Busted! Stay IN bed, Allisun. This week, he said I was losing weight but the baby was gaining. Phewf. Tomorrow I go to the case room for a non-stress test. I plan on mopping all my floors before my appointment; it would be awfully convenient if I kicked something off in time for that.
Being careful about not pushing it, I’m shaking my bootie. Though I’ve done a decent job of staying on top of things, I needed to be lateral to tie loose ends. If I could hold off till Monday, I could maybe get my whole life organized. A reasonable endeavor, no? Saturday is my stepmother’s birthday, Sunday is Remo’s parents 40th anniversary, a full moon and I happen to like the numbers: 13.7.03. Though Monday would be more convenient. Since I’ve always had induced labours, fast, controlled deliveries, I’m a little nervous about what to expect. I don’t really have a plan for what happens if it’s the middle of the night but I do know either way, I want to be home for Brandan’s birthday (July 16th). And he’s in soccer camp all week and needs me to get him there. Now what if I scrub and clean and do and the baby won’t fall out? When I told Dr. Bray I didn’t want to wait two more weeks, he said the baby would probably have jaundice now. I said the baby could be born in two weeks and still have jaundice. And what I worry about is the fluke freak umbilical cord/placenta accidents that could go wrong between now and then. But on the other hand, I want most for the baby to just be safe. Last night Kaillan jumped up on my bed, it felt like she went five feet in the air and I dove across the bed to catch her. I landed flat on my stomach, she bumped on the night table anyway (children, keyboards, should I just put the mattress on the floor?). The whole night the baby barely moved and I thought what have I done. It’s the worry that gets me, when did it move last? What’s that pulling? Which contraction is real? I’m reasonable prepared for everything but the after pains. I spoke to a mother of four yesterday who said the after pains after the fourth were ten times worse than labour. Fantastic.
Kaillan? She’s a riot. A big shot two year old now, she can sing, reasonably well, three songs: Ring around the Rosie, Itsie Bitsie Spider and Pat A’Cake. The other day she walked into the kitchen and asked what’s happening? She’s much more cuddly than Brandan and I swear she can’t say anything to Remo without his eyes filling with pride. Now she’s also fiercely competitive. Everything Brandan has, everything he does, she needs NOW and must do BETTER. One real problem we have is her in the car seat. Everytime she gets in the car she contorts herself out of the straps, we may have to buy a new one.
Brandan’s been fantastic. Helpful, cheerful, accommodating. And skinny. From one day to the next, it felt like his arms and legs turned into sticks. It was bad enough when I noticed it, Remo’s father came over and saw him without a shirt on and I swear he hasn’t slept since. He’s trying to move Brandan into their house so they can fatten him up. He eats fairly well but the real problem is he runs like a maniac all day long. Good healthy food is lean and he can only stop for so much time to eat it.
The ants came back with a freaking vengence. It started with my casual, I think we licked them comment. Though I swear I’m not superstitious, every time I say something stupid like that, POOF. It started on Sunday, the day we interviewed and hired a cleaning lady. While we were speaking with her, Remo kept the kids quiet with a box of Corn Pops cereal. A Corn Pop ended up in my room and one ended up in the kitchen and four thousand tiny brown ants took over both. I flipped out. Over and over we washed the floors. I slept with the lights on and when I found them (everywhere Remo, everywhere!) in the morning (talk about eye strain, we have very dark wood floors and a lot of space to inspect), I called an exterminator who pledged safe and effective. I was surprised when they showed up eight minutes later. There was an ant on the front door. The man called it a carpenter ant and basically insisted I needed the $225 treatment right now or we would lose our house to them. My first flag went up because I knew it wasn’t a carpenter ant. Then I had a problem with the part where they would spray every wall in our entire house and we’d have to leave it there for 30 days. I have small kids, a brand new baby. He was pressuring me to do the treatment right now but I needed to check on what he was saying. I shuffled him out the door and called Gina. Gina who has a solution for everything. A product called Safers, so safe that the salesman demonstrated by putting it in his mouth. Safe and it’s working. I daresay I’m winning the war. Or should I take that back?
We had a cleaning lady for half an hour. Then we found out no busses come anywhere near our area so I would need to do some taxiing. We realized for what we’d be paying, we needed to find a someone who drives. So when I go back to work we’re in a tight routine. Back to the drawing board. Though it’s actually Remo pushing to find someone while I was insisting we could keep up, deep down I accept now that it’s worth the money. I’ll have PLENTY to keep me PLENTY busy. Just laundry is insane. I’d rather have time left for a family life.
Holy crap, I got this far in this BRIEF entry and my computer just totally turned off. And somehow, miraculously, I didn’t lose it. Whatever powers that be, I thank you. When my screen turned black, I actually swore that’s it, I quit.
Remo? He’s been fantastic. Most helpful except that I put him in charge of groceries and he gets nothing right. Like I put on the list 3 jars of Miracle Whip, with the sale price even, and he came back with 3 boxes of Nutriwhip (which we’ve never used). The big boxes of diapers that were on sale? He bought the half sized packages that cost ten dollars more. We always have whole wheat bread, he bought vitaminless white bread because “we” like it better, and Corn Pops and Fruit Loops and Toaster Strudels. All the fruit he found made it home smashed and we have chips coming out of our ying yang. I have to tell him to buy a dozen and a half corn on the cobs because he refuses to check them there first and at least 25% is not salvageable, I secretly wonder if he’s doing it on purpose so I’ll get exasperated enough to never send him out again.
Now all that said, I’m completely addicted to big, juicy plums and nectarines. I bought the knock out ones the first time at the farmer’s market and every Dr. Bray stop I go back for more. They’re so good they honestly made my eyes roll back in my head. I’m crazy jealous over all you people who live in places where you have these things all year long.
The phone’s ringing off the hook, and half the day is gone. The baby’s rolling around so that’s my ticket up. I hope I’ll be back in just days with some exciting news.
No boy name yet. Or at least I can’t live with Remo’s.
I miss you all terribly.
Allisun
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