How Firm a Foundation

I've been a very lazy blogger of late.  With the kids out of school, there's little down time (my doctor told me "take it easy and rest more" - ha!) and I have a horrible cold on top of it.  Demon portals are feeling better though, so that certainly helps.  Gratitude to all that offered assvice on my last post. (Get a load of that assonance!)

News was good at my latest appointment.  Mei-mei's guesstimated weight at 32 weeks is 4 1/2 pounds, putting her in the 67th percentile!  She also got a perfect score on the Biophysical Profile and Non-Stress tests.  Going forward, appointments will be Tuesdays and Fridays.  It's nice to have bi-weekly reassurance that Mei-mei is doing well, but stressful too since we have crappy insurance and the bills pile up.

On Friday I went shopping for nursing bras.  This is by far the boldest act of hope I have taken during this pregnancy.  It feels dangerously hopeful, but I figure things are looking great for Mei-mei and I don't want to get caught bra-less once she arrives.  Also, my cups runneth over and there's no way I'm wasting money on giant new non-nursing bras that I hopefully won't have use for once baby arrives.

I looked in the foundation garments section of several large stores and the selection was disappointing.  Everything was flimsy, too small, and hideously unattractive.

I was hoping to find some industrial strength bras with room to grow.  What I ended up with were two double D's that are barely adequate now, but it will have to do.  Until I'm 100% sure I'll be lucky enough to need them,  I'm not prepared to invest any more effort in finding firmer foundation garments.   

Demon Portals

This week's appointment was changed to today, so I'm past 31 weeks now. Next Thursday at 32 weeks we'll check Mei-mei's growth again.  From now on appointments will be twice a week for 20-minute Non-Stress Tests (NST).  This is to monitor baby's heart rate and any contractions.  A Bio-Physical Profile (BPP) will also be done at the weekly ultrasounds.  This measures fluid level, muscle tone, movement, and breathing motions.  Mei-mei passed both tests today with a score of 10 out of 10.

This week I finally emailed my parents and officially told them NOT to visit after Mei-Mei is born.  This has caused a bit of extra drama in my very dysfunctional family, but I stand by my decision.  It's just not a good idea to invite separated spouses to a party together.  Especially when one of them is crazy.  I've learned that my mother actually thinks there are five demon portals in her house.  So that's how those wily demons keep getting in!

Yesterday was my kids' last day of school.  We have no family around to help us, so it will be tricky juggling all my appointments and their baseball, T-ball, swimming, and tennis classes.  Add in trying to make them do their jobs and things can get pretty stressful around here.  Q and I were joking yesterday that it seems our piano has a demon portal in it.  When I try to get the kids to practice, they both act like they're possessed.

And while we're on the subject, I seem to be plagued with two demon portals myself - one with a yeast infection and another with hemorrhoids.  (How's that for a segue?)  The first can be dealt with fairly easily but the second has me seriously bummed and even somewhat panicked.  If it's this bad now, what sort of hell do I have to look forward to after Mei-mei makes her grand exit?  After David was born, I was unable to walk at times until I had surgery at six months postpartum.  After Tania I was in misery, though more functional, until she was 15 months old!  This problem doesn't get much press.  It is ugly what can happen to your poorly designed undercarriage when you push a baby out.  But it's all worth it in the end.

"There's no room for demons when you're self-possessed." ~Carrie Fisher

Fat Bottomed Girl

Annie was a slacker last week and never got around to posting, but all is still well.  Mei-mei is at 30 weeks now and there are absolutely no signs of trouble.  Annie actually went out and bought a few more maternity clothes, including a two-piece swimsuit for the first time ever!  Sadly, it's a very modest two-piece swimsuit, but at least it doesn't look anything like this:

We often celebrate after good appointments by eating rich French pastries at a local bakery.  So far, Annie has put on 30+ pounds and I am a happy man. She is a Fat Bottomed Girl that makes my rockin' world go round (love Queen - great song!).  Bellies are also just damn sexy!  Here are the mud flaps I'd have if I owned a truck:

We are thinking of having maternity photos taken soon since we've never done that before and this pregnancy is our last chance.  If you know any good photographers in the Minneapolis area, let us know. We just don't want them looking like these!!!!

Well that is about it! Thank goodness it's summer! I can finally see more of Annie's rear and belly without the extra layers of clothes.