MISSING THE GRANDMOTHERS

We certainly enjoyed our visits from Patty, Ernie, and Krista! It was a lot of socializing and physical activity for this couch potato, all very good for me. Vanessa loved it too.

We showed them all the eBay baby clothes I had acquired while on bed rest. Krista suggested the collection was woefully scant in Baby Gap pieces and has indicated she knows how to remedy that. Sure! In fact, let it be known to all that we accept any and all hand-me-downs. (Jack surprised me the other day when he gently inquired, "No more eBay clothes?" I had no idea how he looked forward to those tiny packages in the mail!)

Patty, Ernie and Krista, all RNs, were a bit concerned about my pitting ankle edema. Who stole my ankle bones??? Lately I have to try to forcibly hide my pink sausage hands from Jack while we sit together in church. He just wants to play with them, but I'm too self conscious. The good news is I can now stand for the duration of a shower, and I did pass my 3 hour glucose tolerance test, so no gestational diabetes.

Granny Ernie brought us a photo of herself from boarding school days. We think she is about 11 years old. We also have a photo of Grandma Patty, around about age 7. We'd do well to have a daughter like either one of them! We are intensely curious about this daughter inside. We can't wait to meet her - see what she looks like and get to know her personality. My mother gave us some vintage photos of me as a youngster. I do recall my father having to hide these at a certain point, for fear I would burn them. Now that I'm all growed up, I can handle the truth. Let's just say I'm relieved that my husband doesn't freak out over the fact that my nickname was Michelin Mary for the first 3 years of my life. My extended family insists I was packed with personality.

We begin our birthing classes November 1st. We finally ordered a crib online (a white one after all) and now need to get a mattress. I'm on the verge of picking up a Maclaren stroller - the brand preferred by tall parents. Jack will not have much luck getting time off in January, but has much of December off. Our OB intimated that the intense stretching of the end of pregnancy could cause so much pain to my weakened abdominal wall that we'd want to entice Vanessa out early. So we're hoping she'll arrive in December!