Sit, Wonder & Wait

I feel like Carrie Bradshaw, as I sit at my desk, look out the window, reflect on things, think about what’s to come, and write my blog.

I’m really happy.  I’ll compare how I feel right now, to how I feel when Christmas, my favorite holiday, is a few days away.   I get all excited as I anticipate seeing friends and family, eating good food, giving and receiving gifts.   But it’s an even bigger and better feeling that I have right now.  I feel very special and that this is very unique time of my life.

For one, I’m not officially on maternity leave, but I’m working from home from this point forward and it’s such a treat.  I get up around 7AM, make coffee and breakfast, and hop to work without needing to shower or commute.   It’s a luxury and I’m digging it.   Jeff is digging it too.  He loves that the coffee is already made, even though he has to reheat it, because he rolls out of bed about 3 hours after me (he starts late, but works late),  and that I make his lunch each day.   When he didn’t have a stay-at-home wife, he would have a banana or pick at deli meat, but now he gets chicken salads and warm sandwiches with a side of grapes.   I even pick up after him and give me a napkin. Awe.

38 Weeks

As for real maternity leave, that’s something I have dreamt about since I graduated college, perhaps even since I was a teenager, when I got my first job.  I first started working as a waitress, when I was 14 years old, at the Holy Family Monastery, in the footsteps of my sister and cousins.  Shortly thereafter, I became addicted to money, and therefore, working, because of all the things it allowed me to do and buy.  Of course, I’ve taken breaks and vacations since then, but nothing comes close to as long as 3 months of maternity leave.   I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it. 

Per my doctor’s most recent request, my pace has slowed and the social calendar has evaporated.   As most of you know, I don’t do “slow” well.  The inability to relax and take it easy is a trait I picked up from my Mom.   We ladies, get restless and bored easily.  However, I’ve promised myself, that I cannot say "I’m bored" from this point forward. I need to enjoy these last few moments of boredom, freedom, quiet, and calm.  

I’m excited to meet our baby and see whom he/she looks most like. I think I’ve read enough material to qualify as a certified doula and lactation consultant, but I’m curious and scared to know what labor, birth, and breastfeeding actually feel like.  I wonder how Jeff will handle and support me through the process and how our relationship will change once we have a baby.   We’re as capable, ready and prepared as we’ll ever be, but it’s all new territory for us.  I’m nine months into this, and I still think “holy shit” I’m having a baby, when I walk by the mirror.   I’m sure, in a few weeks, I will walk around with a baby in my arms, and think, “holy crap” (notice, the future me, won’t swear), I’m a mother.  Perhaps, being a mother is so life-changing, it never stops surprising you.  

1. Baby, I hope you are blessed with our tan Italian skin and thick locks of hair!

                                               

2.  Little Rigs, I beg of you to have our sophistication, class, and that you carry the well-respected family name with it's due sense of dignity and pride!

3. And of course, Riglet, please have our love for adventure and travel! Plus, our fashion-sense would do you well. You'll see, fanny packs rule the school!

Riglet's Room is Finished

This week we finished Riglet's room. The crib was delivered and assembled. We added the final touches; such as the FLOR tiles, the dust ruffle, and some more art.

We also had to make some new accommodations for Zeke, since her litter box used to be in this room.  We bought her a more modern looking litter box that doesn't look horrendous in our living room.  Shawna and I joked that her poops are now also more modern; white and square.

We plan on having the baby sleep in our room, in a bassinet at first.  It's very cozy looking and we had to put aluminum foil down to prevent Zeke from using it as her own.

Just about two more weeks to go before we get to put all these pretty things to use.

Eek. I'm scared. I'm excited. I'm ready. Jeff is too.

Racing to the Finish

All this waddling around town has got me thinking more and more about running.  I've really enjoyed the break from running, but I'll be ready to pick it up again as soon as I'm physically able.  Additionally, the fact that my New Balances and a pair of flip-flips are the only footwear that fit make me love them even more than I did before.  I'm equally impressed with my my Cannondale racer back tank that also still fits, which is surpising because my belly is peaking out of maternity shirts these days. 

Half-Marathon in Seattle, Summer 2006

Yesterday, I cancelled my registration for the NYC ING Marathon, which will take place on November 6^th.  Jeff and I qualified for the 2011 marathon by running nine qualifying races and volunteering for New York Road Runners Club, organizers of the event.  Luckily, once you qualify, which definitely takes a significant amount of effort; you can cancel/postpone for as many years as you wish.  We plan on running the marathon in 2012 and I think it’s a great post-partum goal.  After, I finished the Hartford Marathon in 2005, I said I would never run another marathon, but I think it's like child labor, you forget how hard and painful it is, and only remember the good parts.  Five years later, I remember most clearly, my Mom on the sidelines handing me a dry bandana, and my Dad hugging me at the end.  I remember it being a challenge, but nothing I couldn't do again.

Last week, I received an e-mail notification reminding me to register for the Manchester Road Race, Connecticut’s largest, which takes place Thanksgiving morning.  This year will be the 75^th Anniversary and my 21^st consecutive running of the race. For the past two years, I have qualified to start at the Under 40 Minutes gate, which is a huge advantage, because navigating around 15,000 runners and maintaining pace is by far the hardest challenge.

Hartford Marathon Relay Team, Fall 2010

Everyone (i.e. Jeff, Shawna, Mom) thinks that I won’t be able to run this year because, I will have just given birth about 2 months prior, but I have to run it. It’s in my blood.  I don’t care if I run slow, leaking pee, or need to walk at times, but there’s no way I’m not starting at the Under 40 gate and giving it my all. I told Jeff, he better enjoy the ride, because this is the only year he has a shot at beating me.