baby shower

Summer begins

| thedarwinsgirl

Summer officially begins on Thursday, and so does my maternity leave!

I went to see the Midwife for my 36 week appointment on Friday and asked when I could go out on leave, and she said any time I felt ready. I said, yup, I am ready and she wrote me out! I emailed (I was too chicken to tell him over the phone) my boss on Friday afternoon telling him the great news (he of course, wont find this great news), and letting him know I wanted to work through Wednesday since we have a new client on the calendar for Mon-Wed, and then start my leave on Thursday. He hasn’t responded yet. I left him a voice mail to be sure he wasn’t in cardiac arrest.

A side note about my boss…a nice enough guy. A real charming guy actually. We get along very well, and our work relationship is awesome. But, on a personal level…we are very different kinds of people. He is religious, conservative, and a bit of a sexist. He doesn’t like gays, and thinks that everyone is California is immoral and loose. We both have a strong work ethic and respect one another, so our personal feelings rarely collide. But, dealing with him as it relates to my leave has been a bit of a challenge in interpersonal skills and diplomacy on my part.

I offered to work from home if need be, and sit in on the new gals mock/practice training sessions. I doubt he will take me up on my offer, but I want him to know that I am team player and willing to assist him, even from home until Elliott arrives.

With perfect timing, my co-workers threw a baby shower for me on Friday, which was very nice! They had the cutest little shirts made with our company logo silk screened on them, and on the back it says my mommy loves her company. They also gave me a fat gift certificate for BabiesRUs. It was very nice and extremely thoughtful. I was flattered by the sentiment.

Tuesday I will be 37 weeks along, and I am ready to be on leave. I admire those women who work till the very end. But, either I am not one of them by nature, or this pregnancy is challenging for my body. Either way, I have worked through all of my guilt and feel ready to relax and accept the next few weeks as they come. I want to ensure that I am rested, and ready to accept the inevitable. I have been reading a great book that has helped me see that I need to be relaxed and willing in order to have a strong and positive birth experience. It says you don’t want to harbor feelings of stress or resentment as these may slow your labor down and cause you undo harm.

As for what I will do to fill my days, I don’t know. But, I suspect they might go something like this.

  • Get up and walk to the coffee shop for a half caff vanilla latte
  • walk a few blocks with the dog
  • eat some breakfast
  • do a few chores
  • read
  • call my aunt or some friends to see how everyone is doing
  • blog, read blogs, play on the www
  • eat lunch
  • take a nap
  • do some other chores
  • wash, and re-fold some of Elliott’s clothes
  • wait for hubby to come home
  • prepare dinner

Doesn’t that sound wonderful! On a few days, I may venture out of the house, and to the mall. Maybe to a friends house to lounge by the pool, or meet up with some other gals for a play date. It is an interesting time, because while its the first time I will have had soooo much time off with nothing scheduled, it is also a time where I have very little energy and my discomfort level is so high that leaving the house is sometimes more work than it is worth.

I am certain, that all things considered, being home will be much nicer and more enjoyable than sitting at work all day. Congrats to me! And a peaceful wish for Elliott’s eminent arrival.

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Labor Necklace

| thedarwinsgirl

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IMG_0013, originally uploaded by darwinsgirl.

I finished it this morning! What do you think!

Nursing Necklace/Labor Beads

| thedarwinsgirl

For my shower, the hostesses did something I had never seen or heard of, and it was awesome! Included in the invitations that were sent, they crafted a lovely letter explaining the project at hand. The project was to collect a bead from each person, and to string these beads into a necklace to be worn while I was laboring and later breastfeeding. The idea of the necklace when worn during labor is to encircle the recipient in love and community, to act as a reminder of my extended support network, and of the strength of the women in my life. When you wear the necklace while breastfeeding, it can act again as reminder of your support group, but it also gives your baby something to focus on while nursing.

My shower here in SD was intimate, only 9 gals. But, the letter went out to more than my local peeps, it was sent to all of my friends and family asking for their support and contribution. Each person was also asked to include a note, or wish, or explanation of the bead that they sent.

The gals presented this gift to me at my shower, and I was speechless (a very rare event for me). They asked me to read some of the cards aloud, which I attempted and failed. I was so moved by the sentiment, and the words that people shared on their cards, and the overall thought of wearing this necklace while laboring and breastfeeding-knowing that the community of women that surround me are supporting me in my efforts and pains-well, it was overwhelming. I felt very loved by everyone.

I haven’t strung the beads yet, as there are a few more still trickling in. I also want to capture photos of each bead so I can remember who contributed each one, and of the project coming to completion. Lastly, of course I want to post a picture of the outcome for all to see and envy. Be on the look out!

Could a girl be any luckier?

| thedarwinsgirl

During my baby shower (more details and picture from the event soon!) this past Saturday, one of the very crafty games that we played was to determine if Elliott would take after hubby or I, given a list of pre-defined attributes. One of the attributes on the list was Luck. Most of the gals said that Elliott would take after hubby in this regard since hubby has lived a semi-charmed life. But, I said our son would take after me. I thought a bit about this after the shower, and hubby and I even talked about the reasons I choose myself over him in this category.

I want to affirm that I would want Elliott to take after my luck factor, and these 2 pictures attest to my good luck and fortune. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such loving, kind, and generous women. I am constantly amazed at how lucky I am to have a circle of friends that are so selfless, open and willing to give (to me of all people!). And I can only hope that Elliott gets to know, appreciate, and experience the love and creativity of these gals. I am the luckiest girl I know!