The Week that Wasn't!

Ye Gods, it's Saturday already. I have no idea where the week went. Perhaps it's hiding under my bed, or napping with the cats. One of my favorite bloggers & due date twins gave birth yesterday: Go welcome baby drab. I'm trying not to twitch with jealousy because I know that my time is coming. Also, no one deserves this more than Ollie.

Although my main accomplishment these days has been hibernating, napping, and web surfing, here's what's getting me through the waiting:

• Cooking. Freak hasn't eaten this well in months. Also, whatever the books say about loosing your appetite in the final weeks of pregnancy just isn't true. 7-8 pounds of Beta = Constant hunger. Rice pasta with pesto, rice noodles with roasted peppers, chicken curry, beef with pan roasted cabbage, beef stroganoff (gluten free). Does cooking = nesting? I'm not sure, but it sure is tasty.
• Birth Art. Birthing from Within should be mandatory pregnancy reading, but I didn't really "get" the whole birth art thing until this week when I decided that perhaps meditation and gratitude lists weren't enough to get me in the right mental space. My drawing suffers from years of neglect, but it's incredibly freeing. I'm considering doing a second body cast Wednesday to celebrate my due date.
• Reading: Floating to the top of the TBR pile this week: On Borrowed Wings (review coming next Thursday), Never Seduce a Scoundrel(Five Stars), What an Earl Wants (Five Stars), The Leopard Prince (Five Stars), and Bite Me if you Can (Four stars). Thank the goddess for good books.
• Journaling: My ability to write fiction is shot to hades at this point, but I've had fun with some non-fiction stuff, and lots and lots of journaling.
• Cleaning. Major cleaning for me translates into "everyday adult responsibilities" for the rest of the world, but hey, better late than never, right? We won't discuss how long it had been since I last dusted.(Hint: 3 microfiber clothes and 2 swiffer dusters later, my house looks like others' "before picture.")
• Spider: Um. Yeah. Cards. They help with the contractions. Total guilty pleasure. Can't stop playing.
• Feeling Beta Move: This continues to be my constant joy. I can suffer hip pain, contractions, fatigue,and crankiness as long as I get my "show and tell" with Beta.
• Cheering section. My mother, my amazing doula, and my friends (including YOU!) are amazing. Don't have contractions  for week without packing your peeps along for the ride.

What helps you wait? What time suckers help you when you're feeling a bit under the weather? Are you a productive waiter or do you suck at it like me? Inquiring minds want to know.

Comments

[Amanda]

When I have a short wait for something, I return client calls or nap if possible. For longer waits (30-45 minutes) I listen to a podcast CLE or read a book. For multi-day waits, like yours, or like before my surgery, i come up with a to do list, and try to accomplish those things. And I try not to think about it. Also, I spend time talking to my friends, or cooking. I have a new gluten free (or very low) lasagna recipe. Oh, just a thought. You might want to cook up some things to freeze in portioned containers, cos I dont think you are going to be cooking much once Beta comes along. I did it for my mom & dad, before mom started chemo and it was a huge success. Dad had healthy food he liked and mom did not have to cook. Now, she did not seem to want anything I had made, but thats chemo for you. I would be happy to share the menu and preservation techniques.

-A

[Erin]

Cooking and freezing is a great idea--don't forget lunches! I baked a couple of quiches, cut them, and froze individual pieces. Then I could take one piece out, put it on a plate, microwave it, and eat it all one-handed while carrying or nursing P. It's really easy to forget to eat lunch when you've got a newborn to care for! Everyone always freezes dinners, but don't forget the lunches!

And FWIW, I'm drooling after reading your dinners...ummmmmmmmmm.

[Day]

Ditto on the cooking suggestion - for a while you're going to need healthy microwaveable meals, and you might as well try to put some together now. To keep my mind off my upcoming surgery, I read a lot of blogs and played Boggle on-line.
Sigh. WHERE IS BETA already? :-)

[Jenn (dish)]

Well, I am spending my waiting time cleaning a bit (and mine is like yours- what I am doing now makes my house look "normal" and reading and other randome stuff. I guess we just keep waiting a bit, huh?

[SarahD]

Oh, lord, I am a TERRIBLE wait-er. Cooking is definitely a nesting thing. To agree with the other gals, using the time to set aside some meals would serve you well when you don't feel like it later. This blogger made a list of what she put away for herself, and I thought at least the categories and servings were helpful:

http://derangedwolfgrrl.blogspot.com/2007/08/meal-list-so-this-is-almost-final-list.html