Sunday, July 26, 2009

The Twin Factor

Justin painting the bathroom

The crazy cute crib bedding

Another angle on bedding



The Dresser Justin Refinished



The dresser/future changing table
Last Wednesday I went to the doctor who confirmed that my belly was 41 inches. This is a big deal since women carrying one child gain an inch each week. Simply put, I am the size of a woman pregnant for 41 weeks yet I am only 30. The twin factor has officially kicked in. She also put an end to my yoga practice and insisted I not leave Bellingham until the babies are born, so sadly I will not be teaching at the Women’s Debate Institute this year. This stage of pregnancy is a bit weird. On one hand I cannot wait for it to end. I am big and swollen and very uncomfortable a great deal of the time. A good night is when I get up only about seven times. Since the girls are now head down my rib pain has mostly gone away and my bladder feels as though it is always full. Oh the bathrooms I have seen. Loews, school and the local smoothy shop are always safe clean bets. Although I try hard to avoid the ladies room in Walgreens, the Bagelry, Target. Anyway, I want the girls to continue to cook so to speak. If they came before 35 weeks we could be facing all sorts of complications I would rather avoid. Further, the next phase is not going to be any easier than this one. Quite the contrary. So I am in limbo, and since I really have no say on the matter, I will just continue to do what I do.

What do I do? Well my time these days is divided between resting, working, and nesting. The resting front is going well although temperatures are going to be in the 90’s this week and with no air conditioning I might have to trade in the bed for a raft on the lake. Work is also going well although the carpul tunnel in my hands in really slowing me down. Do not be surprised if the commentary on the blog gets shorter and shorter.
I have three days left of summer school left which is great because among other things I no longer fit in the classroom desks. After classes finish I have grading, one conference paper, one conference abstract, and one grant to finish before my hands get a rest. I will try to do it all, but my pace is not my strength at this point.
The nest, however, is going very well. Danna Mauch sent the nicest baby bedding. I can only hope my girls are as cute as their sheets. Mica picked up great knobs for the dresser Justin refinished and it looks awesome. We also had to get a new sink for the upstairs bathroom (long story) which motivated Justin to do some painting before installing it. All and all the nest looks awesome.

For now, I continue to remain grateful for every week of extra growth the girls get. I am pleased at how relatively easy they are to carry around. And I am thankful for the helpful and supportive husband I have. Till next week.