Q and A

Answers from the previous list: Q: And you're pregnant??? (J&J'sMom) A: Yes, I am pregnant. 30 weeks to be exact. Sometimes it is even hard for me to believe. Q: Do you ever sleep? (J&J'sMom) A: I sleep restlessly. I can't hold my eyes open past 9pm. We go to bed and I sleep a few hours wake for the bathroom run, go back to bed and sleep or toss and turn a couple hours and have to get up again for the bathroom. By this time Steven is getting up for work, sometimes I go back to sleep from 4:30am until 6:45am when Steven calls to make sure I am up to get Gracie to school. I don't nap during the day. If I do I do not sleep well at all at night. Q: Just how many days did this actually take you? (Jennifer) A: 4 days. The bathroom was finished in 36 hours. The bedroom wainscoting took several hours over the weekend. Q: How do you make your fudge? (Jennifer) A: The fudge I made is a quick fudge. You can find the recipe for it on my recipe journal. Sometimes I add more nuts than the recipe calls for. Depends on how nutty you prefer your fudge. You can also leave them out completely. Q: Somehow I can't imagine you lollygaggin around. (Raehan) A: Oh I can lollygag with the best of them. Do not let this flurry of activity fool you. If I stayed on top of all the cleaning every minute of the day I would not need a week to get ready for my mother's visit. I have better things to do with my time than spending it cleaning every minute of the day. That is when I flop on the couch with my laptop and lose myself in your world and all the other lovely people I visit daily. I love you guys! Q: I have a serious question for you. Before I had Daniel I was a whirlwind of productive activity. Once I had him I was nurturing him 24/7 for the first month and I found the adjustment from competent achiever to passive nursing mother very difficult. The transition was easier and more pleasurable with Abby but still, I gave myself over to motherhood 100% in those first weeks and months. You have older children so you've been through this and know your own style. How do you think it's going to be for you? I'd love your vision of February. (Vicki) A: I have already asked Steven to forgive me for the nuerosis I will suffer after the birth of this baby. I am one of those mothers who doesn't like a new baby to be handled by everyone continuously. I know how badly I feel physically after birth and surely a new baby's little body is sore from all of the labor and forced travel through the birth canal. I do not like my babies passed from person to person. Leave me and the baby alone for about 2 weeks and let us recover. Then you are welcome to hold and visit to your hearts content. I have one of those weird old fashioned conditions doctors don't see very often called by old midwives by the term "milk fever". When my milk lets down for the first time I become congested and fevered. It lasts about 8-12 hours and goes away as quickly as it starts about 4 - 5 days after birth. It leaves me weak and wishing for a hot tub to soak in. Usually for 3 days after the birth when the uterus is doing the big time shrinking, at the same time every day I suffer what feels like contractions and cramps that leave me doubled over for about 30 minutes to an hour. Blindingly painful. I can't even stand up. During this first week because of the 2 above occurances I need someone (Steven) to be capable of taking care of a baby without getting in my face asking questions or bothering me with details. Just take care of the baby and leave me alone to cope and get through my pain. For the first two weeks after the birth this is what I picture: Steven will be home for at least the first week. I will hover and watch keeping people and animals at bay. We will be eating out of the freezer alot. The snow will be falling or already on the ground. The fire will be crackling. The baby will be nursing and I will wince with every latching on until I toughen up and the blisters go away. I will refuse to talk to people on the phone making Steven spend his time feilding the questions and conversation. Laundry will getdone, floors will be vacuumed and dishes will get washed because 1.) I have kids who have chores to do 2.) Steven will drive me insane looking for something to do 3.) I can delegate well. I won't sleep alot because I will be paranoid and will check the baby every 15 minutes to make sure it is breathing. When I finally convince myself all is well The baby will wake and I will have lost my chance to sleep. My mother will come sometime during that first week. She will be helpful but also drive me insane because she is the type who thinks every baby is freezing even in a room the temperature of tropical island. She will wash and clean and try to take over. She will shake her head and consider both Steven and I completely incompetent to care for a new baby. Just the same as she has at the birth of every single one of her grandchildren. I will smile grit my teeth and get through the visit and wave with relief when she leaves. The next day I will wish she were here to help out again. Everything will take its toll on me and eventually I'll get my bearings back and pick up where I left off before the birth about 3 weeks later. Q: Can you please please please come organize me while you are still nesting? Or even better, after you have him come here and organize me and I'll get to hold the baby :) (CountryMom) A: Of course I can. My hourly rate is far more than MerryMaid, though. You'll be getting the services of a Professional Organizer (like on Clean Sweep.). If you've got the money, honey, I've got the time - well, I'll have the time after Christmas and before last week of January. Plans for tomorrow: My mother arrives tomorrow. All I have left to do now is clean my living room to perfection and have Steven carry some heavy boxes up to the attic. I have some cooking preparations I will start this evening. Other than that I think I am ready. Thursday night/Friday morning my Christmas decorations start going up. Yayyyyyyy!! The most wonderful time of the year.