Brace Yourselves

So... what has been going on:
Oscar is still kicking - getting all his weight back - and we're thankful. Although the return of "the personality" can be a little frustrating at times. :) See the video to understand...

Continuing from the second-last post: I worked a 12-hour shift on Friday and came home totally pooped out. Yes. Totally. Not only have I not worked a "day" in a month, but I also had 3 discharges and one admission before noon. This baby-boom is crazy! I sent one couple home without vital papers being signed (managed to page them on the hospital overhead so disaster averted), and another couple had something else happen that I can't remember right now... ugh. Enough Friday meditation!
This carpal tunnel syndrome is starting to give me some grief - my thumb will actually spasm if I hold my hand a certain way. At first it was kinda funny (in a "Hey Kurt, look at my thumb spasm!" kinda way) but now it is just annoying - and painful. Hopefully that goes away with the swelling after the baby comes.
Add to that the hip pain, the foot swelling and the mental exhaustion - woo-hoo... Friday is done! :) The blessing of that day was that our dear friends Sheldon and Shiela came over with a luscious (and do I mean luscious!) desert for us to share after work and I was able to distance myself from the craziness of the day. Oh - and one couple I sent home had the car seat that we're probably going to get: and I still liked it even in the "real world". :)
Okay - deep breath: This is where I restate that I am thrilled to be a RN working in postpartum... and that being pregnant is a joy to me - it is just that I don't find I respond to hectic motion and craziness as well as I used to (and if I drop things I'm doomed!)... but that is only going to be another month, right? Right?? :) Yeah - today one of my coworkers said to me, "Sleep lots during your time off - 'cause it will never, ever happen again." How encouraging! :)
Saturday was official "recovery" day. Or "dread going back to work the next day" day. Whichever makes the most sense - both applied to my state of mind. I don't really remember what happened that day - probably lots of sleeping. :) Oh yeah - and... sleeping. :)
Sunday - shucks - back to work again. But - and I praised God for this out loud on one of my many bathroom breaks - it was a slow day! No discharges and therefore no admissions. Glory! I got to work with the breastfeeding moms and do teaching for the first shift in ages. However, while enjoyable, I was also running back and forth all day - and by the time I got home I was pretty sore. That's the issue, though: if it was just mental exhaustion - fine. But the fact that I wake up in the morning and limp out of bed and can't feel the thumb, index and middle fingers of my right hand... not fun. Oh - and Charlie-Horses - I thought I was supposed to be done them when I stopped growing (at 12... lol!)?
I had a discussion with my manager about this on Monday and she told me to take my last shift off: so I am done work until Baby Manz graces us with his/her presence! :)
Speaking of which: Kurt got trial by fire when he had to watch a video about "The Stages of Labor" at our first prenatal class on Monday night. That's right... we finally got to class! Everyone else in the class is due in November - middle to late - and when we said we were due in 5 weeks everyone gasped. I'm guessing they'll take bets as to whether we'll make it to the next two classes...
As long as we make it to the next: that is where Kurt leans to rub my back, get me ice-chips, and stay calm. ;) Essential information, if you ask me! (lol) The class after that is about postpartum care: and although I'm sure it is very different to be a patient from a nurse, I'm not sure there is too much actual data in that class that will surprise me. But, Lord-willing, we will make it to all three.
I've also been thinking about packing a hospital bag: just in case. It seems silly where I am mentally. Even though I'm having Braxton Hicks contractions all the time, the baby seems very snug. I'll admit that finding out I was completely undilated last week kinda convinced me (in a pessimistic way) that the baby will be "in there" until Halloween (or Reformation Day - smiling and humming "A Mighty Fortress"... lol!) . But I purchased Ivory soap (with which to wash baby clothes) yesterday - so I suppose I'm starting to think like a mother. At least that is what the commercials tell me... :)
I'd start washing baby things: but I have it on good authority that my mother-in-law has a bunch of other things to bring in... so I'll stave off washing and folding baby-things until the rest of the baby-ish things arrive. :) (Probably Saturday.) I'm actually looking forward to it - although Kurt sniffed the Ivory last night, grimaced and said, "Um... do you like the smell of this stuff?" I told him that smell is irrelevant - that we must care for baby's sensitive skin... blah-blah-blah. He probably could've handled that, but then he sniffed the fabric softener (also baby-friendly) and didn't like that either. Hopefully he can still handle holding the child. (lol)
Today was another doctor appointment: baby's heart-rate is at 150, and he/she gave a few choice kicks to the Doppler while the doctor was trying to listen. So thankful to our Lord for that! At lunch Kurt and I were marveling at how God could take half of each our DNA in it's tiniest form and create this rolling, kicking creature that gets hiccups (all the time - it keeps me awake!), responds to his/her Daddy's voice, and lets me know if I'm squishing him/her (I just can't give up laying on my stomach sometimes!). I never could have pictured crying when the baby "comes out"... but now, I'm not so sure - the anticipation to see who God has created within me is almost overwhelming sometimes. So much better than Christmas! :) I almost cried during the video on Monday - or maybe that was the portrayal of labor in all it's glorious agony. Yeah - it held nothing back. The questions from the audience afterward were along the lines of "How soon can we get the epidural?" :)
Oh - and we got our car back yesterday. For those who knew: on June 9th (yes - over 3 months ago) we bought at 2005 Mazda 3 GT Hatchback - with only 16,000 km (that is 9941.9391 miles for my American friends) It is our "grownup" car. You know: 4 doors, room for the dog and a baby-seat etc. but it is still sporty enough to be fun: we're not quite at the minivan stage yet! (In fact, the joke goes that I have to be ready to push out number 4 before we purchase one... lol!)

(License plate blurred on the second picture because I'm not THAT trusting. LOL!)
Brief (and I do mean "brief") summary: it ended up in the shop for the last 3 months with various "issues" and battles about who would pay for what. About 4 weeks ago we finally decided we'd had enough and said to the shop, "Just fix it - we'll pay you." God has taught us a lot of things through this situation: contentment, the true meaning of "turning the other cheek", humility, joy regardless of circumstances (or the amount of money spent even though the problem isn't being fixed)... and now that we have it "back" we're happy to fix it properly (yes - even if that means spending more money!)... and that might not have happened if the Lord had given it to us sooner in the process.
It seems like all these things that were standing in the way of me being 'ready' for Baby (work, car, EI - oops - that isn't solved yet!) yard, nursery... one by one they are dropping away and leaving me facing the fact that in 3-7 weeks I'll be holding our newborn child in my arms and thinking "Wow." :)
Oh - one more thing to take care of: a yard sale on Friday and Saturday... we need more room in the garage to store stuff - so it is time to off-load our "treasures" onto other willing buyers. :) So if you're driving by - stop in and pick up a few video games, computer desks and stoneware plates (can also be used for self-defense!). Kurt is also putting in a sidewalk to encircle the parking area at the back of our yard... it is cute to see him jump on the slabs of concrete to make them even. It's like a tantrum: but not really. :)

So there you go: I haven't just been sitting here watching the count go up and giggling - although the fact that it is nearly 1000 is amazing. Kurt says I should do something to celebrate. Not sure what - but I'll commemorate it somehow, I'm sure. :)
Thanks for reading, everyone! :)