A different kind of Panda Watch

So she is here!

Panda arrived - super quick! only 40 mins in the hospital and 3 chill hours at home - on the early part of the 12th day of the watch.

We have been watching her closely and adoringly ever since!

Good news and Bad news - she is a terrific sleeper.  So I feel decently well rested but probably won't since we are back in the hospital for three hour shifts of b-feed, pump, wait b/c we couldn't feed the jaundice out of her at home b/c she wouldn't stay awake long enough to eat enough!

So its a new kind of Panda watch... the kind that in the delightful way of parenthood... never ends.

Back to my pumping for her supplemental feedings in the tanning bed...

Panda at almost an hour old w/Mommy and Daddy

Honestly, we couldn't be happier :)

Panda Watch days 9 and 10

Still no panda.

Yesterday was a super productive day with lots of cooking real food for breakfast (and getting a glamour shoot by little man as I cooked - wow you can totally see the belly!),

 cleaning, work (rehearsal) where little man played with  friends at "mommy's school"'s playground with the awesome summer nanny who is home for the Jan break who also took him to gymnastics while mommy was teaching.
Then we came home cleaned the dining table and the bathroom essentials just in time for our special NEAq Friends to come over with Indian food and tell us about their South African adventures (taking care of Penguins but also being on a nice romantic vacation!).

Today - little man had school... though he begged to stay home and have everyone just cuddle in big bed all day.  I think he knows something is up.  I stayed to play with him at school for about 10 mins b/c he asked me to stay and we've found transition-wise if I stay when he asks me to he doesn't get upset when I do leave.

Big Man has regular work and special possible start up work so it was a relief when Auntie came over to play with mommy and little man and help with the bath logistics I just can't do b/c of my nerve issues.


But I'm much better since today also included a chiropractic adjustment and an acupuncture appt specifically designed to get labor started.  We will see if it works.  I've been having decent contractions every 1/2 hour since the appointment about 9 hours ago. We shall see if they turn into anything substantial.



Still haven't packed the bag but I have the list.

Panda did her going crazy in the tummy thing from 9pm til 10.30pm.  She might turn out to be the wild one.  Is that possible?

Panda watch 2012 day 8

Trying to get things ready in case she does actually show up before an induction.
At the end of the day every stitch of laundry is done, the bedroom is as clean as it will ever be, the kitchen just needs a scrub but is picked up and the living area is slightly more liveable.

Could be worse.

Great playoff games helped the sleepy, ouchy day go by much better.

Yesterday (which was an insanely full day) didn't leave a lot of cleaning time and that was my number one goal for the weekend before I lose big man back to work, and possibly even to job two again.  However, I'm really glad we had all the fun and adventure we had yesterday :)

I don't think I even covered it all - took little man to the open house at the school I teach at and he played and played in the kindergarten room with the great teachers there.  So need to figure out how to afford at least three years of tuition! I really would love him to go there k-2.  Then dragged him directly to gymnastics with our traditional stop at Iggy's bread company after for pizza (little man) and croissants (mommy!) and this time Big Man was also with us (b/c I can't handle lifting little man b/c of the back/hip issues panda has triggered) and he got a mini-pullman of light rye fresh out of the oven.
Watching Big Man eat mini sandwiches of tuna fish later in the afternoon was uber cute!
Then we all 1/2 napped together on the couch while little man watched some of the 80's scholastic videos we got on DVD recently - Courdoroy is a favorite, but also we are rocking Harold and the purple crayon, a bunch of Ezra Jack Keats and a random book called "drummer hoff".
This was the only "bad" moment of the day.  As I was pretty much totally asleep I awake to "Mommy!!" And open my eyes to see a flying squirrel version of my 3 year old launching itself off Big Man's knees at the other end of the couch, shouting "I Loooove you!" as he lands on me just right so as to pop my back and hips.  He undid weeks of 2-3 times a week chiropractic appointments with one love filled bound.  I've been in pain ever since.
But not so much that I couldn't go back to sleep when Big Man then announced he would take little man for a run (which in temperate weather - it was 50 in January! - means time at the park as well).  I slept for almost an hour and then made myself get up b/c runs usually only last about an hour to an hour 20 if I'm lucky.
Instead, this was a 2 hour adventure that culminated in me also getting a delivered Starbucks! yay!
So I also got some cleaning/organizing done while they were gone.

But that is when the brainstorm for a double date and getting a babysitter happened, too.  I'm so glad we went out but I was up all night from the food.  So today really needed to be a couch watching football playoffs day.

The food came back again, all night long.  Thankfully it didn't come UP.

All in all a fantastic "final" (again) weekend without the panda joining us.

Due Date No 2 slides by

At first my due date was Jan 1 2012.  Then they looked at all the info and thought better of it and said Jan 7 2012.

Well I'm two for two...  :)

My body is so ready to go - TMI warning!
I'm dialated and a bit effaced, my milk is ready... but the baby... is ballotable.

What a great freakin word!!  It means able to be bounced up and down.
So she isn't "engaged".

The midwives suggested this crazy site - www.spinningbabies.com  - I'm debating if I should arm Big Man with a towel and a link or if I'm willing to wait and possibly endure another round of pitocin.  Though I do have to say the yoga ball is just about the only place I'm comfortable these days and then only for a little while.

So tonight in honor of the passing of the 2nd due date we got a last minute sitter and went on a double date with Auntie and her fiance.
Yum!

Though I'm sure its not going to sit well... even though its totally chill food...

Jan 6th - Sleep and Work... in that order

Panda Watch continues...

Dropped off M at preschool, went to the chiropractor for the nervy pinches from the baby and then pretty much slept the rest of the day, waking up just in time to go to another day of rehearsal.  Except in epically awesome fashion I locked myself out of the house without car keys or house keys on my way to rehearsal that started in 10 minutes!

Thankfully Auntie was working from home and she has an extra key and is a saint so she came over and let me back in the 16 inches that separated me from my keys on the hook hanging next to the door... sigh.

Great day at rehearsal for Sadako, though I did spill my tea all over the rug b/c I can't see my feet and I kick things or trip regularly.  sweet.

First Puke of 2012!

I can't believe I didn't get pictures of the epic pile of laundry created by one one-minute puke.

Let's be clear - not a puker and not a fan of puke.  (See last year's posts about our new years through day  six puke-tacular)

And this time he threw up ON ME and HIM in BIG BED while I was home alone with him.  I've always had back up before.  Or missed the actual puking.  But I was here and stuck for the whole shebang.  If I wasn't 9 months pregnant I probably would have been able to hop out of bed with him at the first indication of puke and then it could have been a mostly floor cleaning issue.  Instead, we were cuddled in Big Bed reading books and in such a way mommy couldn't move (no abs to sit up, have to roll and flop like a sorry fish to get out of bed without stressing my pinched nerves) as the puke came in waves 1-4 until we were both totally covered.

I managed to save the book and monkey blanket - success!

Though it remains to be seen if my brand-new maternity/post baby WHITE sparkly sweater will survive past its first wearing.  Its soaking now.

I have decided to leave today's picture to your imagination.

3yr old puke of an entire apple and bottle water, two pieces of broccoli and one bite of chicken on me, him and the whole queen size bed.

4 loads of laundry.

enjoy.

A WORK DAY!

Wow.  So it was a good thing that today was a sans panda day.

Work abounded and I rocked it.

Went to the Bank with the little man to set up Security Deposit stuffola for our new tenants in an all legal like manner, b/c taking care of the apartment is now part of "my job" for the family as I scale back my outside of the home work.

Then we went out to breakfast (@ the Breakfast Club)  instead of going to Trader Joe's to buy groceries.  Was totally worth it.  He loves to go the "the Egg place"; but he really only eats toast with Ketchup while we are there!

Then napped in the car for 17 ish minutes while he listened to an audio book of Cars.

Then the sitter came and I ran out the door for the first rehearsal of Sadako and the Thousand Cranes that I'm directing.  It was one of the best days of rehearsal ever.  I had it set to run w/o me in case I was panda occupied.  I need to plan more of my work like I won't be there.  It ran really well!

Then I had two back to back conference calls for the Harvard project.  Got lots done.  I'm really excited about this website!

So if Panda comes tomorrow at least I got a TON done today :)

The "taiko" kids hard at work analyzing the script for music cues

My internet was out all day.   MADDENING!

So I spent the day working at two different Starbucks.

A peppermint mocha decaf, vanilla roobois latte, and a santa fe sandwich later...

Got the little man from school, convinced him to eat a "burrito" of meatloaf and cheese.  And then into big bed for books where I almost fell asleep (or maybe I did?!) before he did.  He ended up getting up and heading back to his bed so he could have his ritual zbar, bottle water, monkey blanket.  (We recently instituted "no zbars in big bed!")  Of course he went to bed fully dressed (refused to change and I wasn't in the mood for a fight) and I fell asleep at 8.45p.

Big Man got home from work late around midnight and I woke up and have been doing work on my miraculously fixed internet since.

Time to go back to bed... if there is no panda tonight I have work all day today/tomorrow.

First Day of Sadako Rehearsals and then back to back evening Conference calls...

Playing with Photo booth since none of Mommy's normal "games" worked sans internet

Yep.
Panda Watch 2012 Day 2.
What you can't HEAR about this picture is Big Man clicking away on his controller for the Xbox or little Man waking up just as I was taking this by screaming in his bedroom.  Could be a nightmare, could be his incoming molars!
But here is how I sleep like the Queen of Sheba with the fancy orthotics pillows left over from my mom's knee and hip replacements years ago.
Also notice the other super hot old lady pajamas.

 

welcome 2012!

  I figure if I start off looking this ridiculous we have no where to go but up!

Panda Watch 2012 begins.  

What the hell are you wearing?! - you ask...

Ans: the only warm socks I could find (not a matching pair), the large size polar fleece jammies I had to buy at TjMaxx b/c nothing fits b/c I'm 48 inches around, the bathrobe I got on sale at TjMaxx two weeks later to wear to the hospital, the moby tied to help keep the panda centered to raise my chances of a labor that can start on its own this time, and the hair style of the fabulous who haven't showered in two or possible three days.  

A Nice New Year's Outfit if I do say so myself...