I don't know whether it's the cold weather or the fact that I am 174 lbs and 33 weeks pregnant or potentially both, but I'm feeling depressed. It also doesn't help that when I woke up this morning the first thing that greeted me was a giant pile of cat vomit.
It's hard to move around, go up and down stairs, chase after Ari, or do much of anything besides eat. I can't even sleep! This is not even the worst part. My mood is so low. I'm straight up depressed, there's no up and down anymore.
I'd really like to have this baby already. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking to have her today, that would bring on a whole new set of complications. But, it's tough to be pregnant in the winter. I suppose it's not easy to be pregnant any time of the year, but having a giant uterus with a fetus inside of it attached to you in the brutally cold weather presents it's own set of challenges.
For instance, by the time I get the energy to do anything or go anywhere, there is a limited amount of daylight left for me to experience.
I've met a bunch of moms with two kids that have told me that it feels much better (not that it's easier by any means) to have two kids (a toddler and a newborn) rather than being pregnant and having a toddler.
A newborn, they say, is very portable (I remember this with Ari) and you can put them in a baby carrier and run around after your older child.
All I know is that I am tired of being pregnant. The End!
Anyone out there feeling the same way? Or do you remember being tired of being pregnant? Or does this rant make you afraid of becoming pregnant? Don't be afraid, it's worth it in the end. I can tell you firsthand.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Winter Doldrums
I've never much liked the cold weather. I grew up here, in New York City, and my childhood winters were full of brutally cold weather and of course snow. Though global warming has changed the climate here slightly, winters in New York are still intense. What's worse about them is that these days is that the cold comes on suddenly, like someone punching you in the face.
It's warm here from the summer until November, then all of a sudden it's 33 degrees and you don't want to leave your house.
There isn't much to do outside without freezing.
When Wil, Ari and I went camping this past weekend in Western New Jersey, we met a woman who told us that by March, she had to retreat to Jekyll island in Georgia to escape the "Winter Doldrums." I'd never heard the term before so I looked it up. Apparently it means feeling depressed because of the cold weather, lacking energy, sleeping a lot, not eating or eating too much. All of this is caused by the lack of sunlight and cold weather.
There are some fun indoor things to do once you manage to get outside, like going to the library, or hitting up some fun museums. But it's the "getting outside" that's the issue. The cold can be intimidating. Ari hates it too. It's hard to convince him to get dressed and go outside because he is aware of how cold it is and doesn't want to deal with the icy winds. I asked him today:
"Do you want to go for a walk? Do you want to go to the library?"
He shook his head.
"Do you want to go outside?"
He shook his head even more vigorously than before.
Am I alone here? Is anyone else having a hard time leaving the house? How do you combat the winter doldrums?
It's warm here from the summer until November, then all of a sudden it's 33 degrees and you don't want to leave your house.There isn't much to do outside without freezing.
When Wil, Ari and I went camping this past weekend in Western New Jersey, we met a woman who told us that by March, she had to retreat to Jekyll island in Georgia to escape the "Winter Doldrums." I'd never heard the term before so I looked it up. Apparently it means feeling depressed because of the cold weather, lacking energy, sleeping a lot, not eating or eating too much. All of this is caused by the lack of sunlight and cold weather.
There are some fun indoor things to do once you manage to get outside, like going to the library, or hitting up some fun museums. But it's the "getting outside" that's the issue. The cold can be intimidating. Ari hates it too. It's hard to convince him to get dressed and go outside because he is aware of how cold it is and doesn't want to deal with the icy winds. I asked him today:
"Do you want to go for a walk? Do you want to go to the library?"
He shook his head.
"Do you want to go outside?"
He shook his head even more vigorously than before.
Am I alone here? Is anyone else having a hard time leaving the house? How do you combat the winter doldrums?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
32 Weeks and PTUSTS (Post-Traumatic Ultrasound Technician Syndrome)
Today was my 32 week ultrasound. Mint came with me to the appointment and witnessed firsthand that my baby girl is currently measuring 4lbs, stuck her tongue out, and literally put her foot in her mouth multiple times. Clearly she is genetically related to me.
At the end of the ultrasound, Mint commented that she was surprised that I didn't ask more questions during the procedure, like what body parts certain images on the screen were. She wondered if it was because I was used to having ultrasounds with Ari. I told her this was not the case, but rather I'd been traumatized by an ultrasound technician in the past.
When I was pregnant with Ari, Wil and I went to the 20 week ultrasound so excited to find out if we were having a boy or a girl.
During the procedure, I was asking the technician questions left and right;
"What's this? What's that? Is that a leg?" That sort of thing. Finally she had had enough. She turned to me and said in a very thick Russian accent:
"Do not talk during procedure!"
Wil and I looked at one another shocked. Needless to say, I shut my mouth. At the end of the procedure, she handed Wil a picture of Ari's penis and said:
"Congratulations! It's a boy!"
Upon reflection, I figured that the questions were distracting this technician from doing her job, but I really wanted to know what I was looking at on the screen!
From that day forth, I haven't attempted to ask what things were doing an an ultrasound procedure, but rather, I wait until the end to ask anything. Yes, I am the victim of PTUSTS: Post-Traumatic Ultrasound Technician Syndrome.
At the end of the ultrasound, Mint commented that she was surprised that I didn't ask more questions during the procedure, like what body parts certain images on the screen were. She wondered if it was because I was used to having ultrasounds with Ari. I told her this was not the case, but rather I'd been traumatized by an ultrasound technician in the past.
When I was pregnant with Ari, Wil and I went to the 20 week ultrasound so excited to find out if we were having a boy or a girl.
During the procedure, I was asking the technician questions left and right;
"What's this? What's that? Is that a leg?" That sort of thing. Finally she had had enough. She turned to me and said in a very thick Russian accent:
"Do not talk during procedure!"
Wil and I looked at one another shocked. Needless to say, I shut my mouth. At the end of the procedure, she handed Wil a picture of Ari's penis and said:
"Congratulations! It's a boy!"
Upon reflection, I figured that the questions were distracting this technician from doing her job, but I really wanted to know what I was looking at on the screen!
From that day forth, I haven't attempted to ask what things were doing an an ultrasound procedure, but rather, I wait until the end to ask anything. Yes, I am the victim of PTUSTS: Post-Traumatic Ultrasound Technician Syndrome.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Being on The Same Page
When you have two people telling you what to do all the time, as Ari does, life can be confusing. In addition to having different personalities, Wil and I also have different parenting styles.
I try to be consistent with discipline, particularly time-outs. Yesterday, Ari decided that he didn't want to clean up his toy cars. I put him in time-out and he still did not want to do it. He was in time-out three times in a row before he actually did what I asked him to do.
It took every once of energy I had not to give up and clean the cars up myself.
Wil, on the other hand, does do time-outs with Ari, but he also gets frustrated and just cleans up Ari's mess because a) he doesn't want the house to be a wreck, which is fair enough and b) he is annoyed that Ari won't do what he's asking him to do.
I'm not always consistent either, sometimes, I'm too tired to deal with the screaming and the whining and I end up cleaning up after Ari out of sheer frustration.
However, I think it's important for Wil and I to be on the same page with discipline. I want Ari to be able to have a predictable response when he acts up. But is this even possible? I remember as a child, if my dad said "no" to something, immediately, the next step was to ask my mom. I knew that I could divide them.
I'm afraid that Ari will learn to do the same.
How do you, as parents, stay on the same page?
I try to be consistent with discipline, particularly time-outs. Yesterday, Ari decided that he didn't want to clean up his toy cars. I put him in time-out and he still did not want to do it. He was in time-out three times in a row before he actually did what I asked him to do.It took every once of energy I had not to give up and clean the cars up myself.
Wil, on the other hand, does do time-outs with Ari, but he also gets frustrated and just cleans up Ari's mess because a) he doesn't want the house to be a wreck, which is fair enough and b) he is annoyed that Ari won't do what he's asking him to do.
I'm not always consistent either, sometimes, I'm too tired to deal with the screaming and the whining and I end up cleaning up after Ari out of sheer frustration.
However, I think it's important for Wil and I to be on the same page with discipline. I want Ari to be able to have a predictable response when he acts up. But is this even possible? I remember as a child, if my dad said "no" to something, immediately, the next step was to ask my mom. I knew that I could divide them.
I'm afraid that Ari will learn to do the same.
How do you, as parents, stay on the same page?
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Last Trip Before New Baby
Wil and I took Ari on a last minute camping trip this weekend. Okay, to be fair, it wasn't true camping, it was more like staying in a cabin in the woods. This trip was important to me because I'm 32 weeks pregnant, and this would be the last trip that would include just the three of us. I wanted Ari to have some special time with me and Wil before the new baby arrives.
Here are some pictures from our journey in no particular order of importance:
Here are some pictures from our journey in no particular order of importance:
Friday, December 3, 2010
My New Best Friend
I'd like to introduce you to my new best friend:
She's really cool. Ari likes her too:
Well, to be fair, we first met two years ago, when I was pregnant with Ari. Maybe that's why he likes her so much. But then we lost touch. We've recently reunited. Have you guys ever met?
She's really cool. Ari likes her too:
Well, to be fair, we first met two years ago, when I was pregnant with Ari. Maybe that's why he likes her so much. But then we lost touch. We've recently reunited. Have you guys ever met?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
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