dianaschnuth

This date, as with the Childbirth Express class, has been on my calendar for months. It seemed so far away for so long (just like my impending due date) that it seems weird to have it over already.

I was genuinely surprised when a total of 22 people RSVP’ed with a Yes to Sheryl’s baby shower Evite. In the end, though, only a dozen people could make it — Aaron’s aunt and uncle had to work, his one cousin with a car had to work (which took the rest of them out of the running), Aaron’s brother had to work, my BFF from junior high ended up unable to wrangle a 2½ hour trip with two little ones, and I’m sure I’m forgetting someone. Although I missed them all, I think it worked out better with a smaller group: we all fit around one hibachi table, and I was able to socialize with everyone without feeling like I was slighting anyone too much.

The evening started with appetizers and dinner at Sakura Japanese Steakhouse. I hadn’t been there for a couple of years, maybe, and had forgotten how much fun watching the crazy hibachi chef can be.

Almost everyone else had something from the grill; Aaron and I got sushi. Along with the appetizers that Sheryl ordered, I think we were all stuffed to the gills after dinner. And cake. Oh, my.

After dinner, most of us drove around the corner to Starbucks for the opening of presents, since Sakura wasn’t amenable to having us take up valuable table space (and there really wasn’t enough space for proper present-opening, anyway). Starbucks was pretty deserted, so the dozen of us didn’t feel too bad about invading for a while. I opened presents, girlie giggles were had by all (even the guys), and I really enjoyed connecting with everyone in a slightly more intimate and less noisy setting.

After all the presents were opened, I thanked everyone for coming and let them know that I wouldn’t be offended if they opted to leave at that point. I knew that Traeonna wasn’t feeling well after getting a tad sunburnt that morning/afternoon, and Erika needed to take eight-month-old Naomi home before she got too cranky (she was such a trooper, though, through two hours of dinner and maybe an hour of Starbucks). The rest of us hung around and talked about the random stuff that friends talk about.

Mark and Rocky took off after a while (she’s still experiencing first-trimester fatigue, so I didn’t blame them in the slightest), and we all hung around for a while longer before I just couldn’t hold my yawns in anymore (I’m experiencing third-trimester fatigue myself, and every night is an early one these days). Aaron and I got to take the cake leftovers home, along with all the cupcakes that didn’t get eaten due to the last-minute cancellations. (EVIL. Pure, delicious evil.)

That was a super fun time, and a perfect fit for my style in general. Sheryl and Amy were fantastic co-hosts (props to Sheryl for doing most of the legwork, being the local one and all), and they totally planned an evening that fit my personality and my social preferences. I had such a great time reconnecting with people I hadn’t seen in a while, and feeling loved and appreciated is always a good thing, too.

At the time of this writing, I’ve posted all but Aaron’s iPhone photos to my Flickr. We brought multiple digital point-and-shoot cameras and passed them around to everyone to get lots of pictures… and here they are.

(For a blast from the past, check out the pics from my bridal shower from Spring 2003, also hosted by Sheryl and Amy.)

Thanks again to everyone who showed up, and who wanted to show up but couldn’t. You all rock. I feel seriously loved, and you’re all welcome to stop by sometime in late October or November to meet our little one — just be sure to set up a date and time with us first, or you’re likely to spend some quality time with cranky, sleep-deprived parents and a potentially fussy newborn. 😉

Most expecting parents who take childbirth classes through ProMedica go to class one evening a week for five weeks. Since Aaron works nights, that wasn’t an option for us, so we signed up for one of the monthly Friday/Saturday Childbirth Express classes (aka The Weekender). After months of having this event so far away on the calendar, it finally happened this past weekend. (Which means that The Big Event is that much closer, as well. Yikes.)

Overall, I only picked up a few things I didn’t already know: Lamaze breathing patterns, pros and cons of analgesic pain relief options (as opposed to the ubiquitous epidural), different labor positions, and lots of videos. Aaron, not having read the crapload of books and websites I have, definitely got more of a data dump than I did, but we both feel much better having gone. We had some unexpectedly close bonding time with massage and relaxation, and we both got more used to the idea of not just going through the act of childbirth, but having a child of our own to bring home after it’s all said and done.

This Cabbage Patch Kid (Brett George, my only boy Cabbage Patch of six, in case you were wondering) was the first object Aaron has ever diapered. As a first try, I think he did great. Granted, as a couple of our friends pointed out over Facebook, a Cabbage Patch Kid doesn’t squirm or have explosive diarrhea, but I still think it was a good start.

That brings up something else that’s been an intriguing exercise in observation: Aaron and I imagine that we can tell what kind of parental experiences our parent-friends have had so far by what kind of “advice” they give. A few people have been so positive and supportive and helpful; others tend to dwell on the negative and the “you just wait until…” factor.

We’re not kidding ourselves. We know about the feedings every two hours and the loose poops and the sleep deprivation. We understand about the frazzled nights and the bleary days. We expect the crying for no discernible reason (both from me and from the baby). We honestly don’t need to be reminded — if you’ll all recall, this wasn’t our idea. But we’ve accepted and embraced the reality that we’re going to be parents soon, and what we need now is support. Friendship. Helpful tips. A few last adults-only meals with friends, perhaps, since we might be holed up in our house for a while this Fall.

Next Saturday is our baby shower, thrown by my bestest gal-pals Sheryl and Amy. We’ll get to see people from out of town whom we haven’t seen in years — Aaron will get to meet some people for the first time ever — and we’ll get to touch base with some local friends we rarely see anymore. Honestly, while it’ll be nice to get more baby stuff, I’m more interested in being social with my friends one last time.

It’s only going to be The Two Of Us (Plus Our Cat) for as many weeks as I can count on one hand.

Holy crap.

Our baby acquisitions are finally winding down. This weekend’s purchase was a crib mattress from Baby Depot, with a 15% off coupon. Score! Even more win: the cheaper mattress was the firmer mattress (and firm is good when it comes to crib mattresses).

Now we wait until the baby shower on the 27th to see what our friends and family have decided to bestow upon us — then we hit up Amazon.com or Baby Depot to purchase the necessities that may be left, like a play yard (aka playpen) or changing pad or bottles or bouncy seat or whatnot.

Next weekend is our Childbirth Express class: Friday evening and all day Saturday. Normally, the class would be taken for five weeks, one day a week, for two or three hours each session. Since the only sessions are in the evenings, though, and Aaron works nights, we’re rocking the two-day express course. We’re both looking forward to learning about our options and how this is going to go down: pain management ideas, labor positions, and so forth. Aaron’s never changed a diaper in his life, and it’s been YEARS since I have, so learning/relearning some basic childcare skills will be mighty helpful, too.

The breastfeeding class comes separately with this option, so I’ll be flying solo one of these evenings to take that (because I’m definitely going to be breastfeeding, Flying Spaghetti Monster willing).

New and notable this week: increased fatigue, continued swelling of hands and feet, sore and achy knuckles, and a change from feeling hungry to feeling queasy and lightheaded (which apparently means the same thing now: eat something). Also, I’m not entirely convinced that today’s chiropractic adjustment helped a whole lot, as I’m still feeling the very slight numbness of sciatica in my right buttcheek.

Overall? Feeling mighty pregnant right now. Starting to get used to the idea of being someone’s Mom soon, although it’s still a little freaky (and I’m guessing it still will be, even after we bring our son home). I’ll probably feel more secure after this weekend’s class, though.