wanderings at 4:07 AM

I'm up. I can't sleep. I've been up for 2 hours now.

What's going on inside the hamster wheel?

How big is my baby right now? I've gained 20 lbs according to my last dr. visit... how much of this is baby? how much of this is all the food I've been loving.

How will I feel in the morning when Aaliyah is up and around? (I hope I won't be the grouchy mama everyone knows and loves.)

Swine flu.

How much can one baby move? My belly looks like it's been taken over by that thing in Alien!

Will I make it to my due date?

Will Shabbar and I decide on a boy name ever?

I need to clear the pictures off my other computer before we give it to my folks this weekend.

Why am I blogging, when I could be productive and doing that.

Should I go snuggle Aaliyah? I love that but don't want to take two steps backward with the whole, "sleeping on her own" big girl thing.

Why did I give ALL my preemie clothes away to Teddy and his wife? Now I have nothing to remember Aaliyah's first tiny days.

Why has getting together with friends gotten so hard?

I can't wait to get back to enjoying coffee.

How much diet soda and tuna sandwiches from subway have I had this pregnancy? And will this effect my baby?

Why has al-Qaida decided to wreck Islam for American Muslims? This is leftover resentment from 2001 + a new litany of code oranges of an impending new attack. Why can't we just live in peace?

How have I missed so many seasons of The Office all these years? Grey's isn't as good and Thursday abc has been lacking on the whole. Here's been this hilarious show that I've missed out on. Thank goodness for TBS!

When will I be able to overlook my problems with certain people and feel warmly towards them? For some it's been years and I still can't do it. For others I am so forgiving. Why is that?

Why am I so jealous that an old good friend of mine outspokenly thinks I am the least attractive member of my family?

How often do I put My foot in my mouth without realizing?

Of course I can... but I can't wait to meet this baby!

Been Busy Nesting Part Deux

Just a quick update... I should be sewing but my fingers hurt!

Well, the freezer meals are done. We prepped the night before as planned and I awoke and began cooking at 8 the next morning... A full day of cooking (excluding time to feed Aaliyah, get her ready, get her on the bus, take her off the bus etc.) and I truly came out with 32 meals bagged or plated and labeled in my freezer. All I have left to do is creat my list so I know what we've eaten and what is still left. That gives the family 40 meals in all for when the baby decides to appear! *For extra credit, I even provided dinner for the fam that evening-- beef roast with grape juice reduction, veggies and mashed potatoes!

As for the bumper... it is cut, batted, seamed, ribbons have been placed and now the binding is going on... S.L.O.W.L.Y... it is killing my fingers to get it on but the results are pretty! I'll post pictures of the freezer and the bumper when I get them all done.

Life continues to roll on although I do feel like I'm in uncharted territory-- I've never been more than 8 months pregnant before. The baby kicks and moves MUCH more than Aaliyah and at nearly 33 weeks I am JUST beginning to swell. If we make it to Saturday (yes, I am really taking things THAT day by day) we will actually make it to our lamaze class this pregnancy!

What do I have left to do:

• finish bumper


• sew up blanket


• put final touches on nursery


• pack hospital bag


• start driving around with infant car seat in the back of the car

Oh, I'm sure there are 1 million more things but I'll keep it to five items today... We're getting there though and that is pretty gratifying!

Been Busy Nesting

For whatever reason, with this pregnancy, I've decided to go crazy "providing" for my family and the next coming months. What have I been doing?

Freezer meals: Because I belong to a MOMS Club, I stand to receive meals once the baby arrives... BUT... this group has been through 2 miscarriages with me as well and they have provided meals and childcare for me both times. With this occasion, I have decided to wave meals... but I'm not dumb either. I KNOW... I remember that when a baby enters the world, pretty much everything else stops. SO... I picked up a recipe book at Barnes and Noble (Frozen Assets- Cook for a Day-- Eat for a Month by Deborah Taylor-Hough) and have gone through the Eggplant recipes so far.... they smelled good but I didn't taste. This provided 8 meals for our family of 3! Today I finish shopping for the Chicken, Beef and Ground Meat mini-sessions. Tonight Shabbar and I will do the prep and tomorrow I will cook all day. By the end, I should have 32 meals complete and stored in my basement freezer! Wish me luck that it all goes with the plan!

Sewing: I decided on a crib bumper that I loved at Target but didn't get it soon enough and the darn line went out of vogue.... story of my life! :) And so I took Aaliyah to JoAnn and we found material and stuff to MAKE a bumper for the baby. I cut and sewed the strips yesterday based on some directions I found on the internet-- very simple... Make a pattern out of computer paper and just tape the ends together to figure out how much material you need.... material-wise, I bought too much (surprise surprise) and should have enough to make a blanket when I'm done! Today I have to go back to Hancock and buy more batting (I used a crib sizebatting cut into 5 strips. This took care of about 1/2 of the bumper. I will need to buy two more today but should have enough left to make that blanket!) This was NOT a cost saving idea-- to be clear-- but I am making it-- and therefore am very proud of myself! Left to do? seam the sides, add the binding and ribbon to tie the bumper on... and of course now the blanket!

Going healthier and greener: We have decided to get the plastic out of our house (mostly) and one step we took was to switch to glass bottles for this baby. They are washed and ready to go. No plastic (bpa free or otherwise) will effect my little one...

Cloth diapers!!! I've been "approved" to spend about $400.00 on the purchase of 36 diapers for the baby. I am going with Bum Genius white, blue, green and yellow one size fits all pockets! I am so excited! I will however be the mom that brings the disposables with me when we venture out and about.

My only thought is this... what will happen to the projects I don't get done? And will I look back at this time of life and think I was absolutely crazy to go to all these preparations? Will I think I was suffering from type of survival psychosis? Or will I think-- wow, I was a pretty smart lady? Time will tell...

What's up with the last 6 months???

Hi World,

Why have I fallen off the face of the earth? Two reasons... 1)it's something I do at times in my life and 2) I'm pregnant and didn't know what to put in the blog-- to tell, not to tell, to obsess, not to obsess too much... the excuses go on and on... so, here is a status style listing of what life has been like since April or so... I promise to try to do this better in the future! :) Best if read from the bottom if a stickler for chronology...

September 2009:

• I don't know about the other mom's whose kids have gone off to school, but I have not layed on the couch and eaten ONE bon bon yet! What's up with that???


• so far so good...


• any other moms out there following the bus to school tomorrow? Am I excited and concerned or neurotic and micromanaging things? The truth... even if it hurts :l

August 2009:

• What did I do this weekend? Aaliyah's room is "big-girl-ified" and baby's room is still a catastrophic mess... getting anxious.


• Gross gestational diabetes test at Marshfield Clinic today-- take two! And a re-check on my travel restriction... only 9 weeks left!


• Aaliyah was a ROCK star at the dentist and the doctor today-- even through the 4 shots she received... and is now the proud owner of a Glow-Doodle. Yay for my big girl!!!!


• Aaliyah and Alicia have colds... but not of the swine persuasion... guess it's best to get it over with before school starts.


• Ramadan Mubarak everyone!


• Let the "nesting" begin!


• is almost back from vacation-- almost back to real life... sigh


• is vacationing!


• can't wait to EAT her way through the State Fair on Thursday! Cream Puffs, Corn on the Cob, baked potato and flavored milk, here I come...

July 2009:

• ahhh... camp is behind me. vacation is looming-- let the summer begin!


• hi ho, hi ho... its off to work I go! Meetings and budgets today--almost like a real working girl, how'd that happen?


• Baby looked great! Yay and alhamdullilah! Glucose test will have to be re-done, Marshfield "lost track" of me and let too much time elapse before I could get poked... oh well, guess I can look forward to the grody orange drink again next mo


• duas, prayers, crossed fingers... whatever you've got... our 3rd of 4 ultrasounds and diabetes test is tomorrow noon.


• belly is just a kickin' away-- never a dull moment with this little one! I finally get the whole, "there's the foot, there's the butt" thing..


• Camp is half over! Cheer or sigh?-- I know which one I'm doing.... but the kids, counselors and teachers may be feeling differently.


• just got back from the most enjoyable family reunion I've ever been to... Shabbar had a great time too! SO glad I went-- what a fun weekend!


• Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone! 32 is pretty great so far-- GASP, am I really that old?


• two people told me to take a nap today... think I'm looking tired? I took the hint-- went to be at 7 pm tonight!


• One more day-- can you handle the excitement??? Camp WILL happen, can't stop a train :)


• 4 days and counting...and still SO much to do


• is home and working her tail off...


• is enjoying the Chicago wedding and the visit with her Razvi relation. These folks know how to have fun!


• shouldn't be wasting time on facebook today-- or any day for the next weeks for that matter... darn you facebook and all your fun status updates, quizzes, chats....

June 2009:

• It's 4:13, been up since 3:11... dum de dumde dumb hormones!


• Ahhh.....heat you've finally come back to wisconsin. Just in time to turn on the air conditioner :)


• Are pigs flying? Has Hell frozen over? My brother has joined facebook... will wonders never cease?


• wonders if two goof ball quizzes a day is too much? I'm not so hot on the "how well do you know..." ones though.


• AHHH..... I love early bed times! For Aaliyah and for me!


• three days of rain on the horizon? Say it ain't so!


• Had a really nice long weekend!! and doesn't want to get back into the swing just yet. Sigh.


• Loves it when the baby kicks! Loves it!!


• is contemplating coffee. If I grind the beans it'll wake people up, but... hmmmmm coffee.... maybe I'll take the chance.


• loves Loves LOVES this weather! And thinks.... hmmmm. Maybe a walk to Politos for dinner...

May 2009:

• probably looked like one of those cheesey granny cut-outs in the garden today, bent at the waist, digging in plant after plant...charming!


• got to dig in the dirt today-- yay spring!


• have you ever had one of those days where nothing you eat is actually what you were craving? Argghh.


• is annoyed that she needs to move her car every two hours....


• slept GREAT! Wedged between three pillows and sleeping on her side.... not bad for the old pregnant lady!


• Day 3 and ALL is WELL! Whee Hew!


• is excited about the next 10 days!


• is diggin' the sound of the rain-- and my plants are liking it too!


• is tired but content...


• found 9 baby bunnies in her garden yesterday...


• has been waking up at 5:00 am the past few days....what's up with that???


• can do anything with maple syrup and agave nectar!


• so many things... so little time! But, can't wait for plant sales tomorrow!


• says, "Favre in PURPLE?" I give up, I'm SO done with him!


• work work work-- its a big week for camp!

April 2009:

• just got back from driving to Zubumafu and back.... whew!


• loves Madison... and Earth Day was a great day to be here.


• is alternately cleaning the house and weighing in on trivia-- not bad for a cold Sunday afternoon.


• is trivia-ing with Captain in an Ice Crisis.... and anxiously awaiting the return of her baby-girl.


• loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and mi goreng-indonesian noodles


• conqured the 7th and 8th graders at John Muir today and it was awesome! Makes me miss teaching very much...


• realized that Middle Schoolers weren't as scary as orginally thought-- it was a great day!


• is nervous about speaking at Horace Mann today-- eek! 7th and 8th graders scare me... a little....


• misses Aaliyah-- but loving nightly dates with Shabbar!
  

Guess that's enough for enquiring minds! I do love the status update!