Baby Update

Homeschooling continues, but all thoughts are on the impending arrival.

I am 2 weeks away from my due date, and I am locked, loaded, and ready to go. Just waiting for God to pull the trigger and get this baby rollin’. The doctor says the baby is fully in position, and that I may feel “some pressure.” MmmmHmmmm. I feel like I have a sumo wrestler sitting on me. Of course, sometimes that is almost true. Max thinks that climbing my stomach is one of the great joys of life. I think this baby is so terrified of Max that he is going to try hiding inside for as long as he can!

The doctor seems to think I will be right on time since I have been one day late, one day early, and right on time. Still, he asked if I was having contractions. I did have 4 hours of them last Sunday night, and spent 3 hours hovering at 7-8 minute intervals with them getting stronger. When I told him that, he said, “If the contractions stop, you know you aren’t in labor.”

I just stared at him. I wondered if I should ask for my co-pay back, but thought I shouldn’t push my luck. I may ask for pain meds if things get rough, and I’ll need him to be on my side.

As much as I appreciate that this kid needs this time in the womb, I don’t wait well. I met someone who is being induced 2 weeks early because she is so tired. If being tired is the criteria, I should have been induced a long time ago. I had to look it up on the internet. Naturally, I found several references for ways to induce labor naturally.

I like pineapple a lot, and I was willing to eat a few slices, but I thought that eating 7 raw pineapples in a row would be too much. I was afraid I get half way through the 6th one and get tired of pineapple, and then I would have consumed 1500 calories for nothing.

We went for a drive yesterday in search of bumpy roads, but couldn’t find many. I think I’ll write a letter to the editor to complain that there aren’t as many as there used to be, and they should leave a few around for emergencies like this.

I also found a website that showed various acupressure points that are supposed to either induce labor or make it less painful, depending on which you use. I tried pressing on my legs, 4 fingers’ width above my ankle bone, but nothing happened. I just figured that with all Max’s climbing, he has probably pushed the anti-induction pressure points so many times that the trigger has shut off.

Then there was the castor oil. Let’s just say I’m not that desperate. Yet. There were 2 suggestions: take it with orange juice or take it with eggs. I like eggs and I like OJ, so I don’t see how it would help me to mess them up. If I did ever take it, I’d want to take it with liver or Brussels sprouts so I wouldn’t have to worry about hating those foods for the rest of my life. Am I the only one who thinks of these things?

Since today was Sunday, I thought I might get a nap. If taking a nap on Sunday counts as keeping the Sabbath holy, then I’ll get an A for effort. Brian got a movie, we put Max down for a nap, and I settled in. They say that pregnancy makes a woman’s thermostat go up, and I am no exception to this rule. My internal body temp has reset from a constant of 97.1 all the way up to 97.2.

I piled on a down comforter and took another one and doubled it up to put on top. I used a lap blanket to cover up the one arm and my ear that were sticking out. After listening to Brian breathe for a quarter of an hour, I felt myself getting warm and falling asleep. I woke up in great pain, wondering if my bladder could possibly hold any more. This was that “some pressure” the doctor had warmed me about. It had been a half hour since I’d been in the bathroom, and I was afraid my bladder would burst, sending urine icicles spewing all over the room. I ran to the bathroom. There must have been 3 tablespoons’ worth in there. Whew!

The clock said I’d been asleep for 20 minutes. I settled in again and tried to get comfortable. I’m afraid to lie on my back for fear that I’ll get stuck and spend a half hour trying to roll over with my arms and legs flailing, like one of those beetles you see on the nature shows. I finally got into a position that wasn’t painful and relaxed. I felt myself drifting off. That is when Max woke up, screaming.

I think I’ll go eat some more pineapple.

Graduation rates

Our local paper today had a story which stated that, in California, it is impossible to know the correct graduation rate in public schools. Something about not being able to track that info accurately so they give an official and unofficial estimate.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm thinking someone needs to go back to class and figure out a way to count students and follow them along to see who is graduating. By the article's estimate, it will be 4 years before the CDE is able to track that info. Interesting.

Science at home

Hmmm, it has been a while, I see. We're still here, still homeschooling. Our latest science project is raising the 25 chicks we just received from Belt Hatchery in Fresno. The kids are having a blast. Unfortunately, we seem to be losing 3 of them. Not sure what went wrong, but the others seem hale and hearty.