Sunday, July 6, 2008

Painting and Paranoia

Paintfest 2008 is over!  Yea!  My sister, Stacy, is an amazing person.  She came in Thursday night, we started painting Friday morning and by Saturday at 3pm we were done painting 2 rooms (with primer and 2 coats) and the hallway.  I cannot believe how fast things went.  Alicia and I did help a little on Friday, but, because of the whole pregnancy thing and the fact that Alicia threw out her back again, Stacy mostly did it all herself.  

One of the best things about Paintfest was that it contained no aspects of crazy Sharp-ness (which we have all acquired from our mother.)  We didn't get up ridiculously early or stay up way into the night.  We had time to enjoy a Fourth of July Barbeque with my brother and sister-in-law as well as play some games.  It was a lot of work (again, mostly for my sister), but it was nice to visit as well.  (Even if I was sitting by the open window, practically hanging my head out like a dog,  trying to breathe in non-fumey air and she was maneuvering around me and all the crap we didn't take out of the rooms trying to paint.) 

It occurred to me as Stacy was leaving that I most likely will not see her before the baby arrives.  That kind of made me sad.  As excited as I am about finally having the baby, it's also weird and a little sad to think that the next time I see her, I will be a mother - which I think will make me a different person (not drastically, mind you, but still different.)  I guess it's just a little sad when an era comes to an end.

Onto the paranoia part of this post....For about the last week, I have been extremely paranoid that something is wrong with the baby.  This stems from two things.  First, last week, I read the horrible section in the baby book about how to cope when something goes wrong or, God forbid, a baby dies.  I have no idea why I read this section.  I was just a little bored, laying on the couch and thought, "I haven't read this part yet."  BAD DECISION!!!!  I am convinced that something awful is going wrong.  This coupled with the fact that the baby has been or perhaps, has seemed, less active is causing me some trauma.  

I think that our baby is less active than others people's babies. I hear stories about people who say that their baby moves 'all the time.'  Our baby, not so much.  Generally, I feel her move or kick  in short spurts about 3 or 4 times a day.  The last few days, I have been pretty busy and, I guess, have not been noticing her movement at all.  This makes me nervous.  Additionally, once I actually fall asleep, I am a pretty heavy sleeper.  Alicia has mentioned that she has felt the baby move in the night, but I am sleeping and do not feel her.  So, once you add all these things together, I am convinced that something has gone wrong and the baby is not okay.

Today, I actually resorted to eating a super sugary, M&M cookie sandwich (M&M cookies with ice cream in the middle) and laying on the couch in order to convince myself that she was okay.  Luckily, she complied and about 15 minutes later she was moving around.  I cannot wait to go to the doctor again Friday to make sure that everything is indeed okay.  

This week should be, shockingly, pretty busy.  We have several small projects to complete before our next wave of family (and massive work) arrives.  Wish us luck!!!!!!

3 comments:

Andrea said...

Oooh if only I had known, I would have told you to step away from the book! I stopped reading "What to expect..." after the first month because all the little tibits of things that can go wrong were making me extremely paranoid. I'm sure everything is completely fine and if you ever want to feel movement, sugar of some kind is definitely the way to do it (and an excuse to eat an extra treat!). :) If you are ever really concerned though, call the doctor - that's why they get paid the big bucks!

Cathy said...

Yes, all those details can make you super paranoid. However, by being informed, then if something happens during the birth or immediately thereafter, you are familiar with what they're doing. It ended up being handy in our case, it made my stress level decrease a bit during Chris's birth. I guess lots of Moms freak out, but information is helpful. But, yeah, I agree with Andrea, don't recommend What to Expect, and yes, absolutely call your doctor. A. You are the Mommy, your instinct is the most important key in a good healthy baby. Seriously. 2.They're used to dealing with crazy hormonal women, indeed that's why they get paid, and D. they have tons of nurses and whatnot who specialize in calming the freaking mother, live and in person, and will let you listen to the heartbeat. Also, keep in mind, the wiggle will change as they have less room to go. Our nurse told us "anytime, you feel the need to come in and listen, you just call." That's what they are there for. But sugar works nicely too, I did that trick.
Peace of mind is priceless.

amypfan said...

If you read that stuff in the book I loaned you, I apologize about a million times over--I should have just ripped those pages out. :) I like that you ate one of those yummy M&M ice cream sandwiches; I always just opted for a large cup of orange juice to get the baby moving when I became paranoid. Your choice sounds much tastier!

Oh, and the next time you see Stacy, she will be an aunt and will be all googly-eyed over P!