waiting on the world to change

I guess I'm a walking puzzle that can't be solved. Rarely does a woman walk around this dilated and effaced without going into labor. My doctor is confused. I'm confused. Tony's confused. Everyone is simply stumped.

I'm still as healthy as can be, though, and actually have another week until my due date, so there is nothing to be too concerned about and no need to take any drastic measures or anything...

I wish I could say I feel great, but I can't. Well, I can. Sometimes. It's up and down. At times, I have bursts of energy and feel strong and think profound thoughts. Thoughts like, when a child is born, the entire world changes. It is monumental. Mind-blowing. Other times, I am numb and my mind is blank and I just want to sit and stare at nothingness. Those are the times when all the songs I know with the word "waiting" in them come into my head and just run over and over and over and over and over and over and over again and again and again.

And that's where I'm at right now. Singing this song in my head. Over and over and over....

Thanks for listening. Let's hope the next post is one with a picture of a newborn!

bump on the blog

38 weeks + 4 days...

Going to the doctor and hearing that one's cervix is already dilated to 3 centimeters (almost 4!) while simultaneously feeling all of the "pre-labor" symptoms tends to get one very excited that she will be giving birth in the next couple of days (even though one is still 10 plus days away from her prescribed due date), so one tends to tell all her friends and get her son excited, too, only to sort of wish she wouldn't have jumped the gun on telling people and getting so excited when she wakes up two days later still pregnant with no real contractions....

Graham's expression says it all. "Come on, little baby. I need you to start coming out so I can go over to my friend's house to play, and I would really love if you came at night so that I can have a sleepover." It's a good thing I've learned a bit about child development and know that a four-year-old is rather egocentric and is not capable of seeing a world much bigger than the one that revolves solely around himself. I'm just glad he's looking forward to the whole thing.

So, Graham's ready, I'm ready, Tony's ready, and even the baby is in position and ready to go. I mean, the doctor said he could feel his head. Right there. Ready to come out! We're all just wait, wait, waiting for my uterus to decide that it's ready, too.

I woke up last night feeling some more intense contractions, but then I told my uterus that I needed some more sleep and asked it to please start the process in a couple of hours... Now, it's 5 hours later and I sort of wish I wouldn't have done that, because now I have to keep waiting. Woops. But at least I feel rested!

Here's hoping that this is the last installment of my "bump on the blog series," and that I don't have to continue reporting on my cervix and uterus, because I realize that might make some of you a little uncomfortable.

Keep us in your thoughts and well-wishes, and we'll keep you posted!

la vigna

Since we've been hunkered down waiting for the baby this winter, we have stumbled upon some more gems in our area.

One of which is an agritourismo close to our home that does hands-on cooking classes on Friday evenings.

We get to learn how to prepare the food, and then we get to do some of the preparing ourselves, and then we get sit down and have it all served to us for an incredibly reasonable price.

 

 It's educational. It's social. It's filling. It's delicious. And the best part is that kids are welcome, too!

It's a win-win-win situation where good times are had by all!

bump on the blog

37 weeks!

I experienced a bit of "false labor" last night. Such a strange sensation, but I knew what it was this time, since I'd experienced it with Graham. It got me all excited and nervous, though. I tell you what!

I also had a visit with the doctor yesterday, and discovered that the baby's head is down, and my belly has dropped a bit. All signs point to a healthy baby being born any day now. Or it could be a week from now. Or two weeks. Or four.

And, so I wait, wait, wait.

Anyway, here's a picture of the old bump. It was taken on Tuesday. By Graham, because I can't seem to wrangle Tony during the daylight hours that are more flattering for photos. He's always busy working. I could only get Graham to take the time to take one picture of me. He said he really needed to go to the bathroom, so he wouldn't take another one. Little rascal. So, I cropped my head off, because I really didn't like the look on my face, and I didn't think you would, either.

In other news, it's my big brother's birthday today.

Happy birthday, Big Brother! I hope you're having a good, good, day.

my love

 

There's nothing I love better than the look on Tony's face after he's been skiing all afternoon.

But, seeing him trying to teach Graham to ski comes in as a very close second.

buon San Valentino

We don't usually get gifts for one another on Valentine's Day. Or any holiday, for that matter. I guess we're just not gift-givers. Tony usually likes to lament about how Valentine's Day is so commercial, so fake, created to sell cards, etc..., and how love should be celebrated everyday! Something must have come over him this year, though (cue pregnant wife), because he bought me the entire remaining supply of cinnamon hearts from the Commissary. Because, you see, I had a sliiiight craving for cinnamon candy and couldn't find any anywhere.

Another example of the amazing power of hormones.

Anyway, I hope you have a love-filled day!

And, because you know you love it, too (no need to deny), here is my gift to you:



Love,
Katherine

progress in my fleeting desire to sometimes procrastinate less

Well, it's Thursday evening over here, and I am just now showing you what we did last weekend.

It could be worse. It could be next Thursday that I'm just now getting around to showing you what we did last weekend.

A true optimist am I. Always looking on the bright side.

Last Saturday, we went down to the waterfront in Naples, and then we walked up and down some of its alley ways and streets and found an art museum where they had a display of guitars, but I'll tell you about the museum tomorrow.

I love to walk and observe and soak in all the character of Naples.

 

I'm pretty sure the people here are true optimists, too. Because, clearly, they believe that their clothes will still dry in the rain if they just put a tarp over them. 

Naples + Katherine = Love. 

In other news, the progress I've made in my fleeting desire to sometimes procrastinate less is that I got out the ole infant car seat today and cleared away all the dust and cobwebs. I also got the bassinet all cleaned and ready to be put together. Then, I got out some newborn clothes and washed them and put them away, along with some diapers. So, I'd say I'm doing pretty darn good considering the fact that I am still a few weeks away from my due date, rather than doing all of this several weeks postpartum.

And, since we're being positive here, I won't mention the mess I left in the storage room that will most likely still be there for months.

Okay, fine, I'll be real for a minute and admit that it will probably be there for years.

reasons to celebrate

 Today is a day worth celebrating, folks. It's not everyday that your namesake and grandmother turns 70 years old and your pregnancy reaches its 36th week all at the same time!  Pretty exciting, if you ask me. I mean, a 70 year birthday needs no explanation, but you're probably wondering why 36 weeks is so exciting. It's not like I'm to full term or anything, right?  But it does mean I have 2 weeks until I reach 38 weeks, which is considered full term, which means that I am 2 weeks away from being to the point where I could go into labor in 2 to 4 weeks. It means that this pregnancy is coming to an end and we'll have a new little life to celebrate pretty soon. It means I need to clean the basement and clear away some of the mold growing on the ceiling. It means that I AM GOING TO GIVE BIRTH! AGAIN! SOON! It means it's ALL HAPPENING! Now, do you understand why I'm so excited about reaching 36 weeks of pregnancy?

Anyway, happy, happy, happy birthday, Grandma. I wish I could give you a big hug and sit and talk with you all day long. You inspire me as I continue this crazy trek through motherhood. I hope you have yourself a great day and do something wonderful to celebrate.

Like, buy a baby changing table/dresser, which is what I did! Never did get around to getting one for Graham, so I'd call this progress in my fleeting desire to sometimes procrastinate a little less. Yay! Another reason to celebrate!

snow on Ischia?

Told you things might get weird around here.

four verbs to describe what I will be doing this month

Waiting. Which, we all know, is the hardest part.

Nesting. Well, okay, I'm not really nesting, because, well, you know me and home decor... But, I've been thinking about washing the diapers and Graham's old newborn clothes and putting them away, and I'm two clicks away from ordering a dresser for the baby, and last weekend, Tony rearranged Graham's room in order to fit the crib since Graham insists on sharing a room with the baby, and he rearranged our room since that is where the baby will be at first, and since we're a unit, I can sort of say that I am nesting.

Savoring. The quiet. The calm. The sleep. The time to myself. My time with Tony. My time with Graham. Just Graham. We've had a wonderful 4.5 year relationship, and, pretty soon, we will get to make room for someone else. I don't know what to expect, so, for now, I am enjoying what we have.

Quenching. My thirst. I am just soooo thirsty. I spend half my time drinking water, and the other half going pee. Doesn't exactly make for good blogging material, I suppose... Sorry.  I promise to make things more interesting on here in the future (like, when we have a newborn and when my mom comes to visit and when we take said newborn on trips around Italy), but this month could get weird as I simply relax and wait.

Please, bear with me.