My Superman Husband

It's been a looong but good day. The kids got up and out in a timely manner this morning. During Max's morning nap, I was able to wrap up most of our pictures and pack up all our desk/office/file stuff. Then we went to UPS to buy more bubble wrap and picked up lunch. We came home, wrapped more pictures, and then both of us took an afternoon nap. Matt brought the kids home, and we had an impromptu play date with the Searfoorce kids and pizza at the playground. And I'm totally dead after a day like that.

But tomorrow we are moving! Tomorrow is THE moving day! So that means its up to Matt to do all the rest of the packing - and there's still a ton to pack. I should also mention that aside from the 1.5 boxes I packed today, Matt's packed ALL our boxes. And there are 50.

My plan for tonight is to sit and watch Matt pack for the whole night. Well, I'll probably fall asleep early. The pregnancy related aches and pains are finally to the point that I'm calling it quits earlier and earlier in the day. My sweet husband has brought the rocking chair into the kitchen so I can hang out with him while he packs up the dishes. If only it didn't take being 8 months pregnant to get this kind of work out of him!

Breech Baby - The Webster Technique

So ever since Max decided to be a butt, I've been looking into ways to flip him around, and one of the most legitimate looking methods is chiropractic care. I've had back issues that have progressively worsened over the three pregnancies, and according to a bunch of internet sources, spine/sacrum/pelvis can put undue strain on the uterus, which is attached with ligaments to these bones.

The Webster Technique is a specific 'adjustment' a chiropractor does to pop these things back in place and lessen the tension on those ligaments, thus giving the baby more freedom to move. I'm hoping firstly that this will end or seriously curb the lower back pain I've had off and on for 3 years and secondly give Max some room to flip around.

So I had my first adjustment this morning, and while walking is still a challenge (Max is definitely still breech) I think I feel a little better in that my back certainly doesn't hurt. I go back in two days to do other adjustments if necessary. Hopefully Max will turn head down in the next few days!

In the meantime, I hope to do some pool floating and belly rubbing, and maybe get a manicure/pedicure...

In other news, I just got a Baby Center email today telling me "your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds..." ha! try nearly 6 pounds - that could be part of why his being breech is causing me so much (pelvic) stress!

Max's Ultrasound

Here's the report:

We are 32 weeks and 3 days along.

Max is measuring at 34 weeks and 1 day (so he's big).

He's estimated to be about 5.5 lbs right now, and should gain about half a pound every week until then - that's FOUR more pounds! There's a very good chance he'll be as big or slightly bigger than

Patrick was (born at 9 lbs 3 oz).

Max is 'frank breech' right now (I felt him turn into this position a few days ago and was kind of afraid they might say that). That means if he were to come out today he'd be coming out bottom first and his head and feet are up at the tippity-top of my belly. Apparently there isn't much outside of wive's tale sorts of remedies for this, but I intend to try some of them. There's still plenty of time for him to turn around, and the vast majority of babies will turn before they are born. If need be, I'll have the doctor turn him because I really don't want to have a C-section!

The ultrasound tech seems to think he'll have a significant head of hair.

Max had a good heartbeat and everything looks perfectly healthy!

This was our LAST appointment in Silver Spring with our great doctors at Capital Women's Care. The next doctor's appointment we have will be in New York! It's already scheduled for July 7th.

Last but not least - here are some pics!

Dear Baby

Dear Maximilian,

It's been almost 8 months since we started living together, and...we need to talk. I'm feeling a little like you think you can just do whatever you want around here. You stay up until all hours of the night and then you sleep all day, and you do very little to contribute to society. In fact, it's starting to giving me heartburn. I feel like I have to drag you around anywhere, and you never take the initiative to do anything for me. If you don't start pulling your weight around here, I'm going to have to start charging you rent. I love you dearly, son, but really - something's gotta give.

Love,

Your Mother

A New World Order

This was week 1 of Daddy Duty. Since Matt's completely done with school, we've set the childcare tech free to pursue bigger and better things, and now Matt is stay-at-home-dad...I know what you're thinking - I'm scared, too!

No, just kidding. The kids survived and Matt's actually got them on a pretty tight schedule. I've been trying to help out as much as I can before work and at lunchtime, other than that, he's on his own. No surprise here, Karol is eating it up having Daddy around 24/7. She is such a daddy's girl.

Last weekend we both GRADUATED!!! And now we have Master's degrees. It still hasn't sunken in yet. Matt's got his post-grad job, now I have to figure out what I'm going to do with mine, after Max arrives, of course.

Speaking of which, he's been a pain in the back recently, literally. I've always had a little acute lower back pain during pregnancy, but in the past couple of days its been debilitating. It started Friday, and luckily, being at work is actually easier on the muscles than being at home is (Patrick loves his mommy but he's heavy!).

So now it's back to work on Monday. Only 11 1/2 more weeks of lugging this kid around the hard way!

Montessori Mommy?

I'm back to reading Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three and back on a Montessori kick again.  I think I wrote in an earlier post that we found exactly the right school for our kids - it's a Catholic Montessori preschool - and last month we were finally able to go there for observation.

I'm even more convinced that this is where I want Karol to be next year, but alas, there's no space available.  Well, Sister Lucy, the lady that runs the place, said they may have an opening depending on if one family moves...so we're keeping our fingers crossed, but won't be surprised if it doesn't happen until the 2011-12 school year.

So what do we do until then?  I really don't see the point in sticking her in a different preschool for a year and then switching.  That just seems like it would cause undue stress for all of us.  So I'm seriously considering teaching her (as best I can) from home, in the Montessori Method.

Of course, it doesn't seem fair at all to put that kind of time and effort into Karol and not Patrick, who's nipping at Karol's heels right now, developmentally speaking.  But he's in a totally different sensitive period, so the work he should be doing is totally different from what Karol is on.

Oh, and let's not forget little Max (that's Fetus Plomin's new name, now that we know he's a boy for sure)!  I have the chance to start from the very beginning with him.  But just taking care of the basic needs of an infant is enough work for one mom.  I'm already depriving the poor little guy of much needed sleep (for mommy) most nights in order to research Montessori homeschooling, apartments in NYC and preschool options.  Do I really think I'm going to be able to teach all my kids at the same time all by myself?

Well, yes.  I guess I do.  My plan?  Be prepared well in advance.  I'm going to have to tackle this 'stay at home mom' thing (makes me cringe to type that) with a strategic campaign plan.  That's why I'm so glad I discovered this awesome blog, Wanting What You Have.  It's written by a professional 'housewife' (cringe) who's come up with what she calls a Home Management Guide.  It is the greatest idea ever.  Not that its a new one.  Basically, it's a business plan for the home.  I've already started building mine.  I've got two whole sections done, and I'm totally stoked about it.

I'm doing mine a little differently, though, since, well, every household is a little different, and in our case, a lot different.  I'm planning for all my Montessori tools and research to be a huge section of this binder.  I think I'm going to come up with a different name for mine though.  Something like, 'Jillian's World Domination Strategic Campaign Plan.'  So far I've got all my work schedules done, pretty similar to how Heather does it, and a cleaning section.  I'm going to add a food section, but I still don't really know enough about cooking yet to put it together, and Matt's in charge of the groceries right now, so I'm at a loss for a price book (I'm just going to take over his).  The Montessori section I'm going to start building tonight right after I write this post.  As for the World Domination-specific sections, that's classified, sorry.

Busting Out The Maternity Gear

Here's a pic of me wearing maternity clothes again for the first time this pregnancy.  This was late February.

Not too bad, eh?  I'm still stretching regular shirts over the belly, but maternity pants or skirts are a  must since about two weeks ago.