When he's good and ready

Yes, I’ve been feeling anxious about Espen's arrival. I think a lot of it has to do with the notion of a “due date.” It’s hard for me to remember that I’m not technically overdue yet—and I won’t be overdue for a few more weeks! A true overdue pregnancy is one that goes beyond a full 42 weeks. My EDD (which stands for estimated due date) really is just an estimate, and the fact that I'm still nursing Eowyn (which can effect ovulation) means the EDD can be especially hard to pinpoint.

Still, I’m asked frequently by well-meaning, caring friends and family why the baby isn’t here yet. I ask myself that, too--especially since Eowyn came a week early! The fact that Meredith had her baby on Monday causes me to wonder even more.

This time around, I’m not that uncomfortable, and I know that babies are a lot easier to care for while they’re still inside your body. My main concern is for Espen’s health, but I also know that the risk of complications from a true overdue pregnancy is actually very low, and the chance of me going truly overdue is very low as well. I still feel Espen move plenty, and all the other vitals check out fine at my office visits.

Mostly, it’s that I’ve got to combat this expectation that he should have been here by now. You can pray that I trust the Lord for Espen, and that I will take this extra time as a gift. I’m also thankful that I’m seeing a midwife, who doesn’t pressure me at all about induction.

I need to cultivate patience in myself.

Dressed for Success

Believe it or not, Eowyn started this morning with pants on, onesie buttoned, and socks on feet. She had other ideas, though.

Scooba Woes

Way back in the beginning of this blog, I posted about my longing for the iRobot Scooba. I received one from Christian for Christmas, and it's been great. Our house felt cleaner than it ever did before. The single best thing about it was that it actually got Christian proactive about housecleaning. Mopping the floors became fun for him, because he was getting to play with a robot to do it. He inadvertently took charge of this realm of the housework. For this reason alone, I consider the machine nearly miraculous.

But, I must qualify my above statement. The iRobot Scooba has been great, but only while it lasted. You would think that a piece of electronic equipment which costs as much or more than an iPhone (the purchase of which Christian sweetly postponed in order to get this for me) would work reliably for more than two weeks. Alas, that is not the case. Within those first two weeks, strange beeping and flashing of indicator lights began. The Scooba would refuse to clean. Our internet research uncovered that it was getting stuck in 'diagnostic mode.' This problem came and went at first, but now no manner of prompting on our part will get it to clean again.

Fortunately, it's still under warranty, but we have to pay to ship the robot back to the company, then wait up to a month to receive a replacement. Just the matter of finding an appropriate box and packing the thing irks me. For such an expensive piece of equipment, I think this is colossaly lame.

Start planning the intervention

Have you heard of the nasal decongestant, Afrin? I'm not sure how I ever missed this stuff. With my due date only days away, I'm suffering once more from the kind of cold and ensuing congestion that make you feel like you're about to suffocate if you ever close your mouth. At this point, I've lost my patience with "natural" remedies and self-hypnosis. My midwife would not be pleased to hear this. She advised me to consume copious amounts of garlic and Emergen-C. No, thanks. Espen's almost here. Let's bring on some drugs!

On the recommendation of friends, I picked up this little wonder spray. But with their recommendation came warnings--stories of people addicted to the stuff, unable to breathe clearly without it, continuing to use it even when it was tearing up their nasal cavity. 'And this is available over the counter?' I wondered incredulously. Somehow, yes. But even the package warns not to use for more than three days.

Well, I tried it, and it works so well, it's scary. Within five minutes, my monster congestion disappeared, and I was breathing clearer than when I have no cold at all (allergies also give me trouble at night). Sudafed used to be my go-to drug of choice for colds, but now I can see it has nothing on Afrin. I used to wait around for a half-hour for limited relief with that stuff. What a sucker I was!

I've used it two days in a row now. Only one more day before I have to lay off the drug. I'm afraid. Will I soon be sneaking around, hording stockpiles of Afrin, addicted and ashamed? I think Christian is already planning the intevention.

Recent Projects, Part 3: Hybrid Ring-Sling

I'm a big fan of baby slings. When Eowyn was tiny, I used a ring sling. This type of sling, though it can be difficult and/or tedious to adjust, offers the most versatility in terms of positions you can wear your baby. Eowyn loved being curled upright against my chest in those early months, so this sling was quite a boon for those times when, for example, I wanted to use the bathroom or eat without incessant crying.

After Eowyn gained head, neck, and back control, I began using a pouch sling.The pouch sling accommodates fewer positions, but there's no adjusting so it's easy to slip on and off quickly. Eowyn sat in the forward-facing hold (also called the kangaroo carry) and then spent months on my hip with this sling.

But, I discovered such a thing as a hybrid ring sling. Like a normal ring sling, you can use it in all kinds of different positions. But, it has a curved seam sewn into it like a pouch does, so theoretically it takes less time to adjust than a regular ring sling. Rather than paying a gazillion dollars to buy one, I decided to make one myself. The UpMama site provides instructions on how to make one yourself. Online, I purchased three yards of bottom weight cotton sateen fabric and some sling rings. One length of fabric yields enough for two slings.

The most time-consuming part of the project, for me, was cutting the three yards of fabric evenly, and hemming it. It's a lot of hemming! On the first one I made, I rather obsessively ironed a half-inch hem on the entire length of the sling (that's six yards total) before sewing. The second time, I just rolled the hem in my fingers as I sewed. It saved a bunch of time, and the results are practically the same. As far as saving time on cutting goes, I think I just need more experience in that area to accomplish accurate and quick cuts. Does anyone have any cutting tips? I use a cutting mat and a rotary blade, and I still have problems with the fabric shifting.

One more tip, if you attempt to make this sling, is to make sure to take the extra few minutes to hand-baste and then machine-baste the fabric folded over the rings before putting in the permanent stitch. There's so much fabric sewn down in such a small area, that it's almost impossible to keep it lined up evenly otherwise.

The finished hybrid sling hasn't seen any action yet. I'll report back on its usefulness after Espen's been born and I've had opportunity to use it with him.

The finished sling

Recent Projects, Part 2: Upholstered Headboard

In the course of redecorating Espen's room, I decided to reuse the decades-old headboard instead of simply throwing it out as I was tempted. Christian helped me reupholster it, and I'm quite happy with the transformation.

I started off by buying a few yards of cheap cotton duck cloth at Walmart, and a quarter yard of duck cloth in a contrasting color for the buttons. I also purchased a package of queen-size quilt batting there, and some button-making sets (here are some sold at Joann's). At Joann's, I purchased some florist's wire (I think around 22 gauge) to attach the buttons. We tried to use jewelry wire (also from Walmart) at first, but it was too thin and kept snapping. We already owned a heavy-duty stapler and staples.

We stapled two layers of quilt batting over the headboard, pulling it tight (but not too tight) all around. We experimented with just one layer at first, but it wasn't fluffy enough. Then, we stapled the duck cloth over. It took some trial and error to get it to lie mostly right, as the headboard has a lot of curves on top that cause the fabric to wrinkle when it's pulled over. We covered the buttons with fabric, which was very easy to do, then attached them with florist's wire to staples we put on the front of the headboard.

In all, this project cost about $20. It could cost more or less depending on the quality of the fabric you use and how many buttons (if any) you decide to make. If you don't have an old headboard to start with, you can cut a shape out of plywood, attach legs, and cover that.

Happy Little Chef

For Christmas, Eowyn received a play kitchen. At first, I was a little concerned about purchasing such a large and fairly pricey gift for my not-yet-two-year-old daughter. However, it's been wonderful. I'm so glad we got it!

Eowyn will play with it for hours. That's saying a lot, considering her age. On mornings when we don't have errands to run or places to be, it keeps her occupied from almost the time she wakes up until lunch. It's also been quite helpful in that, while I'm finishing up dinner, she will "cook" at her own kitchen too. This doesn't usually last the entire time I'm cooking, but any respite from a screaming toddler hanging on your ankles while you are working with hot pans is welcome.

Below are some pictures of Eowyn at her kitchen. Upon taking these pictures, I learned that she knows to say "cheese" when a camera is pointed at her (that accounts for the grimace on her face). I didn't teach her that, but it's awfully cute!