Friday, January 20, 2012

I Seem to Remember Being a Little Bored...

This has been the longest week. The longest, toughest week. I am overwhelmed and sad about what is ahead of us in this severe allergy diagnosis. Way, way overwhelmed. I'm certain it doesn't help that I got this news at 36 weeks gestation. :( Hormones galore! I'm going to try my best not to whine and cry about it, but there's not a ton of information out there so I am going to post things I learn every once in a while. There's information, but not the daily life kind...and that's what I'm looking for right now. I'm not going to lie, this stuff TERRIFIES me.

I've been running through all the stupid "what ifs" in my head. "What if we forget his EpiPen at home?" "What if someone doesn't read a label and he has a reaction?" "What if someone tries to 'test' his allergy?" (Y'all, the amount of stories I've heard about family members "TESTING" a severe food allergy is remarkable. Let it be known that mama bear will HURT someone who does that.) "Will we ever be able to travel out of the country with him?" "What if a restaurant doesn't have their ingredients listed somewhere? Can we still eat there?" See? Overwhelmed. Suffice it to say that my sweet family is in for it in the next few weeks. Those of you who are around James all the time are about to be BOMBARDED with information and dos and don'ts.

A family friend was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy when she was three. Her mama and my mama have known each other practically since they were born so she's probably going to be my sounding board for a while. Yesterday, she mentioned to Mama that she STILL has to remind people around her daughter that she cannot have peanuts in anything. Her daughter is twenty-one. Y'all. This is lifelong, here. I texted another friend last night who's been dealing with MAJOR health issues with her son for about a year now. I asked her if she just felt like she was in the pit of despair when they first found out. Thankfully, she told me it was normal! :) She said I just have to get used to our new normal. I think instead I'll put James in a bubble and we'll stay home forever. Y'all feel free to visit, though! :)

Okay, I'm making this post way longer than necessary. More about Baby Brother, less about James now!

I've mentioned before that the first go 'round of pregnancy was way different than this one has been.

For one thing, I worked (outside the home) through week 20 of my pregnancy with James. Because I taught school, summer began WAY before I would've begun a maternity leave and I was free to lounge the day away (inside, with air conditioning) weeks 21-40. Now, I'm sure I wasn't lounging all the time, but I wasn't doing much! This time I, of course, have the job that never ends. I (mostly) love it, but it is work. Eddie has been FANTASTIC when he's home from work, but between 8-6, James and I are almost exclusively on our own.

At home isn't as big a deal as being out and about. I have a HUGE mama bus and he has a HUGE toddler carseat. Some of you know what I'm talking about. I need the running board to easily get into my vehicle. I have to lift James to about chest height to get him into his seat. At the doctor's office last week he weighed 30.5 pounds. You'd think my arms would be way more toned by now. Lifting him and carrying him makes my arms and back ache. Last time I carried a purse...and that was it. And if I sat my purse down for a second it didn't run screaming into another direction. :)

Another difference has been the time of year of these pregnancies. Last time I was HOT all.the.time. It was the hottest summer of my life. Hottest EVER. Our house was hot. The car was hot. Outside was hot. It was hot everywhere. The only relief I ever got was in a swimming pool. And we don't have one.

This time, obviously, hasn't been in the middle of the summer. And it also apparently hasn't been in the middle of the winter since we're having one of the warmest winters I can ever remember. (If you're from the north, feel free to laugh at me. It's 70-something* today and I'm wearing jeans and long sleeves. I'm not cold, but it ain't hot!)

Last time, I had the nursery completed by Week 36. I really had it completed before then. I got my bedding from my aunt as a baby shower gift at with exactly one month to go until James' due date. The only thing not completed were the letters I had painted for his room and I think I got those about two months later. No biggie!

This time, I couldn't ever find bedding that I liked so I broke down and bought pre-made. I don't have much against pre-made but the skirts never seem to fit just right. I've ordered his skirt and I've ordered a duvet cover that matches so that my aunt can turn it into a bumper. (The pre-made bumpers that matched this set are all sold out.) We've sort of started leaning toward a theme. We're not all gung-ho about a theme, but we have something that we'll probably do anyway. I'm going to have a canvas painted with his name on it (yes, he has one; no, I can't tell you) to hang over his crib but I'm in no rush on it. I still need to clean his room out.

Last time, I washed clothes as I received them and had them hanging sweetly in his closet. I'd go and peek in every once in a while and think how BIG they looked!

This time, I scrambled the past two weekends to pull clothes out of the attic. Some of them are hanging, some are in the dryer, some are piled in the rocking chair in his room. I keep walking by the sofa (where some of them are folded) and thinking how TINY they look! Surely that's not 3-6 months! It looks like a newborn outfit! :)

We were excited then and we're excited now but last time the last four weeks dragged along like they'd never end. This time I actually told a friend that I had my fingers crossed that I wouldn't have made any progress at my 36 week appointment. :) What pregnant woman thinks that way?

I know that a lot of it has to do with having had a child already (and knowing just enough to be terrified) and that a lot of it has to do with how sick we've been lately. I'm not making progress while I'm sleeping and trying to recover. BUT...the good news is that I do know that Baby Brother won't care whether his room is finished. He won't care whether my house is clean. And he won't care whether I've stocked my freezer with meals. He's going to come when he's good and ready (or when Dr. W. is good and ready to induce!). We're excited and can't wait to meet him!

1 comment:

Lauren said...

Do you have someone to paint the canvas for him? I have a friend who does it...she's in Macon. I dont know how much she charges but let me know if you need a recommendation.