The attack of Frankenfeet

How can a long weekend be so short? My husband and I left Friday evening for a three-day weekend at my family's cabin on Marion Lake in northern Minnesota. By the time we left, I was more than ready for a few days of rest and relaxation. Getting my test results on Friday made me realize that I really did need a few days off. The humidity on Friday did not help the situation. I didn't think it felt that hot, so I didn't turn the air conditioning on in my area of hte office that day. No one else was in the "back room" where I work, so no one else turned it on, either. I had an appointment to do an interview at 2:30, and when I came back, I looked down and was shocked to see that my ankles and feet had swelled considerably. They looked like someone else's feet, or rather feet belonging to Frankenstein's monster. I was terrified that I'd be stuck with them for the next two months.
I went home and we loaded up the car. Sitting in the air-conditioned vehicle must have helped, because by the time we arrived at the cabin my feet were improving already.
It was the first time we had been to the cabin since it was completely remodeled, and I just have to say, it is gorgeous. The old breezeway and garage were torn off and a new breezeway/great room, garage, and two additional bedrooms were built. The old section of the cabin was remodeled as well, including an updated kitchen with an island and even a dishwasher! It was truly luxurious.
On Saturday I did basically ... well, nothing. I sat with my feet up and read, put my feet in the water, watched the dog swim, took a nap, and went out for pizza. We did go into town for a few snacks and other supplies (we brought most of our food from home), and ended up buying mostly fruit. In two days we demolished a bag of grapes, a bag of cherries, and a whole pineapple. We were going to go swimming in the afternoon, but the lake was turning that day and it was disgusting. Dead fish and unidentified floaties that looked suspiciously like poop were enough to keep me out of the water.
On Sunday it was cloudy and rainy in the morning. My aunt stopped by late morning and we visited with her for a while. We had lunch and Tim had a nap, and then we went over to my aunt and uncle's cabin. Two of my cousins and my cousin's husband were there. We enjoyed a pontoon ride and then headed home, went for a swim, made a nice dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the evening. We got two inches of rain that day, so I was grateful that we got to spend any time at all outside.
On Monday it was time to head home already. We generally don't like to get home too late, so we spent the morning cleaning and headed out by noon. We also thought we might find something interesting to do on the way home. We stopped in Battle Lake for lunch at "The Shoreline." This has been a family favorite since my grandpa's time, and I had not been there for years. The food is still excellent, and my husband is still raving about the burger he had there. Afterward we stopped at Prospect House, a new museum in Battle Lake. The gentleman who owns it inherited the house and its contents from his mother. He has spent endless hours going through everything and has arranged it beautifully. During his work he discovered 200 Civil War letters, and has devoted the basement of the house into a Civil War Museum. It is still a work in progress, but is definitely worth the stop. I can't wait to stop in again when it is completed.
We finally made it home that evening and reality set in. The good news was that it was already Monday, meaning a short work week following a long weekend. What could be better? The fact that the Frankenfeet are gone. Yes, my relaxing weekend did the trick and the swelling has gone almost completely down. I'm very relieved and hope there's no sequel to that horror movie.

This 'n' that

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. It's amazing how quickly the time flies between those! Plus now I have to start going every two weeks.
I took my gestational diabetes test. It definitely was not as bad as I thought it would be. Basically the drink tasted like an orange freeze pop. I also had my thyroid and hemoglobin tested.
I got the results today and in this case I'd say one out of three isn't too bad. I passed the most important one, the gestational diabetes test. They did find that my hemoglobin was a tad low, making me mildly anemic. I'm guessing that my iron is low because I don't eat that much meat. I never have. I'm just not crazy about the stuff. So I need to start taking some extra iron in addition to my prenatal vitamin. I have to be careful with iron supplements, though, because iron can affect the absorption of my thyroid meds. As long as I space them out, I should be fine. Speaking of which, my thyroid was also a bit low so I need to up my dosage there. The good news is that the two things I didn't test so well on are the two things that are easy to fix. It also explains why I've been a bit more tired recently. I had just been blaming it on the third trimester, but I guess there's more to it than that!
This weekend my husband and I are going to my family's cabin. We're taking a long weekend, going up after work tomorrow and coming back on Monday. I'm excited and hoping to feel nice and refreshed when we come home.

Whoa, Nellie!

On Sunday I got to meet someone who just about everyone knows: Nellie Oleson. If you don't know who she is, you've obviously been living under a rock.
Well, she isn't really Nellie Oleson, she just played her on TV. "She" is the lovely Alison Arngrim. Arngrim has a new book, called "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch," and her stop in Walnut Grove over the weekend was part of her promotional tour. A month or so ago, I had the opportunity to interview her, as well as Dean Butler (Almanzo) about their planned trips to Walnut Grove. My job may not be the most glamorous in the world, but it does sometimes have its perks. I've interviewed Butler before, as well as the Greenbush twins, who played Carrie on the "Little House" series. I've gotten to interview and meet several other famous people as well, mostly politicians. Highlights have included Jesse Ventura and Paul Wellstone.
My phone interview with Arngrim was a rather surreal experience. It's not quite so obvious in person, but over the phone, it is in-your-face obvious that you are speaking with Nellie Oleson. She told me that she often has people recognize her voice when she calls to make airline reservations or do other business over the phone.
At the time I interviewed her, "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" was not yet available. Since then I bought it and devoured it. In it, she talks about her childhood (her mother was the voice of Gumby and Casper the Friendly Ghost, among other cartoon personalities), how she was sexually abused, her time on the show, the death of her TV husband Steve Tracy, how she became a stand-up comedienne, and her life now. I couldn't put it down. Arngrim's book is well-written and witty, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the show.
I decided that having the book signed was an opportunity I really shouldn't pass up. I convinced my husband to make the trip with me, and I'd buy him lunch afterward. Piece of cake (or, in this case, pie). I had my book signed, "To a fellow Prairie Bitch." Fitting, I think.
Nellie was undoubtedly my favorite "Little House" character. I like bad girls. They're interesting. Certainly more interesting than that goody-two-shoes Mary Ingalls, who never did anything wrong (except the time she and Laura bought the box of medicine and tried to lie about it ... telling Pa they had laryngitis) and was a tattle-tale to boot. At least Laura had flaws that made her interesting. And what reward did Mary get for being good all the time? She went blind. Remember that, kids.

Who you gonna call?

We attended the second round of our labor & delivery class last night, and it gave me nightmares. Well, not nightmares, exactly, but I did dream about birth and baby all night. I think it was the combination of being inundated with information and being overly tired. I had spent the previous evening at a two-hour-plus school board meeting and really could have done with a night at home, but what can you do?
We had speakers at this class, which made it more interesting. The first was the anesthetist, who appeared far too young to be sticking needles in peoples' backs. He was wearing a wedding ring and a shirt that said "Dad," though, so I guess he's okay.
The next speaker was a doctor, who just happens to be our doctor. He answered a lot of questions and did his best to scare the bejeezus out of everyone. At one point, he asked all of us, "When you go into labor, who you gonna call?" Now, everyone knows that the correct answer to "Who you gonna call?" is always "Ghostbusters." Or at least they should. Yet, my husband and I were the only ones to whisper, "Ghostbusters." This child doesn't stand a chance of not being a smartass.
The doctor also gave us the opportunity for another smart comment. He was talking about doctors being on call, and my husband asked what the chances are of actually getting your own doctor. You know, the one you actually like, trust, and have been seeing for the past eight months? After he answered, I whispered to my husband, "Yes, but we know where he lives. We can just show up at his house." After which, my husband promptly repeated what I had just said to the doctor. Fortunately he has a good sense of humor. And really, that's what you get when you tell your patients that your house is just across the parking lot.
We also got to tour the rooms. They're very nice, but I am dreading having to spend time in that bed, which looks dreadfully uncomfortable. I'm also beginning to dread having visitors while I'm there. Though, I guess I'd rather have them visit in the hospital than show up at our house uninvited in the week or two following. Why is it that everyone needs to see a new baby instantly after it's born? Give it a day or a week! Although I'm sure that will fall on deaf ears for most people. Still, I'd really like to spend those few hours after the birth alone with our little family. I'd like to be given the chance to breastfeed and bond with the baby, take a shower or bath, and make myself presentable before the brigade shows up. My husband suggested not telling anyone when we go to the hospital. That's a great idea, except when you're close to your due date and disappear, people are going to notice. Plus, I won't be at work so that will be a dead giveaway.
One more thing: at one point in the class the instructor was talking about consent forms for epidurals and such, and mentioned that there are terrible side effects listed, including death. She said something to the effect that things can happen anywhere. "You can die at the dentist's office!" Yes, but the dentist doesn't go around sticking needles into my back! Just saying ...
I've rambled on long enough for one day, but soon I need to post some pictures of the baby's room. I'm no expert, but I'd say we're almost done. We just have a touch more decorating to do. I'm glad we have all of this out of the way while I'm still feeling well ... though hopefully I will continue to feel that way!

Miss Scarlett, I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies ...

Last night we had our first labor & delivery class. I was dreading it. Big time. I think my husband was, too. In the end, it was much better than we both thought it would be. I've done a lot of reading but there were a few new things that I learned. It's definitely a great class for husbands who you know aren't reading the baby books. It would also be a great class for teenagers!
I can't wait until next week when we get to tour the rooms. I was also encouraged that didn't just emphasize using epidurals, but also gave other options. Quite frankly, I'm terrified of the epidural. I think I'm more scared of that than actually giving birth. Catheter into my spine? Catheter for pee? Not being able to feel my legs and move around? No thanks! I was relieved to hear that there are other options and definitely plan to do more research into them. My greatest fear, though, is going over my due date and having to be induced and ending up with a C-section two days later. I've heard it so many times and it freaks me out. I don't understand why things can't be allowed to progress naturally unless something is wrong. I guess I will just have to plan and hope for the best and see what happens.
I also learned that no photography or videotaping is allowed during the actual birth. Thank you, Jesus! Not that I would allow it to happen anyway, but it's nice that the hospital backs me on this.

Don't touch!

Now that the belly is finally starting to get "out there," I'm starting to get some unsolicited belly rubs. Why do people do this? I've never done it and wouldn't. I find it highly inappropriate. My motto is, "If you didn't help make it, it's not yours to touch." (The same applies to giving birth: if you didn't help make it, don't expect to be there when it comes out.) I could go on and on about this, but since I'm trying to have a sense of humor on the subject, I'll just make a little list instead. Presenting ways I am considering to prevent people from touching the belly.
1. Strap .22 pistol to belly.
2. Start shrieking and slapping myself in the face when someone tries to touch.
3. T-shirt that says "You can touch my belly if I can punch your face."
4. Rub belly/grab breast/other inappropriate touching in return.
5. Whisper, "Be careful, you don't want to anger baby Beelzebub."

98 days and counting!

Today marks 26 weeks. That means only 14 weeks to go, give or take. My belly is getting bigger now and people are actually starting to notice that I'm pregnant. At nearly 6 months, it's about time!
It hasn't been the greatest week. Aside from crying over spilled blueberries, I was not pleased at my doctor's appointment to learn how much weight I have gained since the last time I was there. Let me first of all say that I hate these women who only gain 10 pounds during their pregnancies. They suck, and if I come into contact with one in the next three months, she'd better watch out because I might just take her down. Especially if she comes between me and a plate of food.
I was blessed not to have morning sickness, but I have found that this was also a curse of sorts. Apparently many women actually lose weight during the first trimester. That's funny stuff. I definitely did not have that problem. Not that I was small to begin with. I gained about 7 pounds just trying to get pregnant because I cut down a bit on the intensity of exercise that I do.
I was going to be one of those women who only gained 20-25 pounds. I was going to continue exercising and eat healthy, and there was no way I was going to gain more than 25. Well, I'm still exercising 4-5 days a week, using the elliptical and stationary bike and lifting weights. I'm eating pretty well, despite my husband's efforts to feed me ice cream on a daily basis. (The baby needs ice cream, apparently.) So why can't I keep this under control? I guess my body is just doing what it wants to do. And I really can't complain too much. This has been a relatively easy trip so far. So I'm getting a little fat in the process. If I get a healthy baby out of the deal, I can live with it. I know I can lose it. I've done it before. And this time, I'll have breastfeeding to help me, right?
I have heard that some doctors berate women over their pregnancy weight gain. I've been waiting for this to happen, but it hasn't. My doctor has not said one word about my weight. (He did say, "awww ... you're finally starting to get a belly" at my appointment this week.) I've been tempted to ask him, but who wants to open up that can of worms? If he's not going to come right out and tell me I'm fat, who am I to encourage him?