During my perusals of family newsletter archives (see today's earlier post), I decided to find out what was going on in my life during the month before Gavin was born. I remember feeling great and being very productive, but I wondered if those memories were simply born out of my current grumpiness at being bedridden and feeling utterly useless.
I was pleased to discover that my memory was accurate. Here's an excerpt from the November 10, 2007 issue:
We returned school photos to Young Learners Preschool on Tuesday, which made us feel like we'd finished a big race. There is still a reorder period, but in a couple of weeks this chapter of life will be closed for another year and we are glad.
The rest of the week was filled with projects, mostly to satisfy Heidi's insatiable "nesting" instincts. She finally made freezer jam from the berries she froze in June when she was too sick to think straight. 36 pints later, we are set for a long time! She finished a quilt, fixed ripped seams in bed pillows (thanks, boys), caught up the ironing, cleaned carpets in the whole house, and helped Garry prepare for and finish up the great office painting project. After five years of putting it off, we finally tackled painting the office. Garry did all the major labor in this monumental effort, which included moving desks, bookcases, and chairs, complex cabling for all of our electronics, and reorganizing both desks, not to mention the painting itself! The room is about 90% put together again and we are thrilled with the new olive green color.
It turns out that Heidi's nesting instincts were on target this week. Although her due date is 4.5 weeks out, her body shows signs of progress that point to the possibility of early delivery. Her doctor was also concerned about indications of preeclampsia. A panel of labs ruled that out for the time being, but Dr. Riley prescribed extra rest and suggested we watch out for a list of symptoms. We aren't particularly worried yet, but we're definitely getting our proverbial ducks in a row in case we get a November surprise!
Gavin was born November 30, which was two weeks before his due date. You can read the full account here, but the part that relates to this post is below. I was healthy and busy right up to (literally) the final hour!
Gavin was awfully considerate in his timing. He waited just long enough for us to finish a lot of things this week, like home and visiting teaching, final piano lessons [I had 10 students at the time], work obligations, photo orders, dental appointments, a Smart Cookies field trip, and even laundry and housework! Heidi was happy to attend a wonderful party in her honor on Thursday night, where she enjoyed the company of great friends, delicious food, and luxuries like a foot massage and mini-pedicure. She had only been home from the party half an hour when labor signs became apparent.
I guess that's why sitting around so much is driving me insane. The weekend before I got this "light duty" order, I bought a gallon of paint for the baby's bedroom walls, spray paint for a headboard, and material and curtain rods for some fabulous drapes for the kitchen and adjacent living area. I also pulled out the carpet cleaner so I could tackle the used-to-be-white carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. Sigh.
Instead of functioning in high gear like I'm used to, I sit and sleep and use the computer way too much. Nice ladies do my laundry, mop my floor, clean my bathrooms, and run to Costco for me. Garry handles dinner and evening childcare. I know I should be grateful for all of the service and appreciate so much down time, but it's really just making me crazy!
When I was assigned partial bed rest thirty days ago, I never imagined that I'd survive it. But survive I have -- baby intact, no less -- and the light at the end of the tunnel is drawing nigh. On Monday I will reach 37 weeks, when I can get out of bed and do a jig!
