No Baby Yet!

It’s T minus 5 days now! I really had hoped to have some progress going on already, but nope–none! Okay, well, as of last report (last Wednesday), I’m 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated; nothing to “write home” about, though. My next appointment is this Wednesday, and I can only hope that there is more action.

Then again, I have SO MUCH that I’m trying to get done around the house, I’m actually glad that he’s giving me extra time to get it done 🙂 I think he’s going to be another due date baby. Kwabena and Ohene, I went into labor with both of them 2 days before my due date, and they came on their due dates. Sooo…….I guess I can expect things to go that way, as well. Still feels a bit unreal, actually! I mean, I can obviously tell I am pregnant. (Who can’t??!!) But last time, I was so focused on “baby” and this time, I’m focused on “house” and “kids already here.” Poor 3rd child…..I must spoil him a little extra to make up for being the last of the bunch 🙂

It’s amazing how people just overlook #3! People at work didn’t even have a little baby shower for me 🙁 Okay, okay, I’m not really a “baby shower” kind of person. I didn’t have “official” baby showers with either of the boys. But at least last time when I was pregnant with Ohene (I worked at the same place, Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center), people at work got cake and some other food was brought in, and people made an effort to acknowledge the baby. This time, no one has done ANYTHING. Even though I don’t care as much as some people may, it still bothers me, because I know the next person who announces a pregnancy, someone will go “all out” for them, the way I have seen people do. I don’t know if it’s me…..or the fact that this is a 3rd pregnancy (read: Serena has “been there, done that”)…..or the fact that people are so stressed around here that it’s just not important to them or on their agenda. But, even though I don’t mind as much as someone else who really gets into showers and stuff, it does make me feel slightly slighted. Kwasi tells me I shouldn’t expect anything from anyone, and I guess he’s right.

Part of my reasoning for doing so many home projects is JUST in case people decide to come over and see me after the baby is born, I don’t want my house looking crazy. It’s probably silly to expect people to even come by. I mean, how many friends and people do we really know? Not that many. But even Kwasi’s mom and some other family members and such. If they are coming over, I cannot have the house looking crazy.

We had some outstanding little projects looming over our heads that we’d never gotten to. For example, in the foyer, it had been painted ions ago, but I never got around to painting the doors, trim, or ceiling. They just looked dingy and dirty. No way I could have ANYone come over and see that dirtiness. Trust me–I’ve been to people’s houses where you see dingy and dirty and you wonder, “Um, don’t they see that dirt and dinginess?!” And it really influences your opinion of them if they can’t even take care of stuff like that with a little paint. So I am working my butt off to take care of the immediate stuff that people would see when they come in. The half bathroom is in ruins. I had removed a couple months ago, and found some mold on the drywall at the base in one spot, and at the top in another spot. Before moving forward, I wanted to cut a sample of drywall and make sure that there wasn’t mold growing on the other side of it. If so, then, the whole drywall would have to be replaced. So I did that this weekend, and everything appeared okay. I did see some black stuff on the back paper of the insulation, but after further Googling, found that it’s likely a black tar coating that provides a vapor barrier over insulation. Soooo….we’re all good, I think. Maybe tonight I will sand down the small bathroom, skim the walls, and then at least prime it. If we can get that done, it would look 10,000 times more presentable.

And I also have a crafting room that I want to get decorated, which will be the focus of the first month or so of maternity leave. And while on maternity leave, I’m hoping to get the other hallway bathroom done (i.e. the kids’ bathroom). That is going to take a lot of work, too, but if I can get Kwasi on board to help, then it’s all gravy, baby 🙂

Speaking of Kwasi helping…..I had to put him on blast last night. I was in the middle of painting the ceiling in the formal living room, because it was simply dingy, like all the other ceilings in the house. And this was a project that has been sitting for at least 10 months; I had painted the walls, but never went back and painting the ceiling, moulding, trim, or edged around the trim. Since this is one room people notice when they come in, it HAS to get done.

So, I was in the middle of doing that last night, from 9 – 11 p.m., actually, and when Kwasi came over to check on me, I had to throw it out there: look at me…..9 months pregnant, a week away from my due date…..and here I am painting ceilings without so much of a “do you need some help?” from him. He justified it by saying, “But, baby, I’m tired. I worked all day.” Yes, he worked all day at the shop, which I know, standing on your feet all day would be tiring. But really, staying home with 2 kids all day should be equally tiring, if not physically, definitely mentally, right? But yet, I’m able to do it. When I come home during weeknights from work, and he’s there with the kids, only after being with them for a few hours or less, most times he’s totally uptight and angry and frustrated with dealing with Kwabena and his non-listening behaviors. Add on top of that the frustration of hearing the kids make too much noise (OMG, they looove playing together, and yes, definitely get rowdy!). Anyhow, I pointed out to him that it would be nice if he were to help, because things could get done much faster.

I also pointed out to him that here we are in this larger house, where things needs to get done, but that he doesn’t want to do any of it. He doesn’t take the initiative to do these things. As man of the house, he does take care of the yard work. But even the gutters need to be cleaned (the upper gutters) and he doesn’t want to do them. If I were not pregnant, I would be up on that room, or at least get the appropriate ladder, and clean them babies out! Housework and home improvement doesn’t scare me; it energizes me. To him, I think it’s a hassle, one that he would rather not deal with. So a lot of it falls on me. The good news of that is that I can pretty much decorate and do as I please, because if I am doing it all, then he really has no say 🙂 And I’ve been lucky in that, not only does he not HELP with these projects, but he really doesn’t care WHAT I do to the house! I could paint one room stark black, and he’d probably be okay with it. LOL That’s actually a good thing for me. So, I guess if he were more involved, he’d want more say. Okay, Kwasi, you have a pass to sit out 🙂 Just let me have my turquoise crafting room, either in the office upstairs, or the basement, and I’ll be happy 🙂

So, last thing about the house, I mentioned this on my other blog about how the nursery is in progres. I’m happy that it’s moving forward and I’m getting that room done. The only other totally unfinished rooms are the half bathroom, the kids’ bathroom, and the laundry room. The basement will need to be decorated, too. But we have tons of maintenance things that need to be addressed first, like the grading around the house…..installing air exchange returns to the basement…..and most importantly, getting a bathroom vent in the bathrooms. Must budget for those things…… Oh, and don’t forget the garage. There is some stinkiness in the garage, and I can’t tell if it’s mold, or a mixture of gasoline from the lawn mower, or what, but that needs to be addressed. But we also need to paint the walls of the garage, and painting the floor a nice gray color. I would love to have a workshop in the garage at some point, but I see that at least a year away, or further.

Moving on……

I seriously cannot wait to lose weight. I am already fantasizing about running and just having a good sweat!!! I’ve got 55 pounds of weight gain, and I can safely say that about 10-12 lbs will be gone when I am leaving the hospital (baby, excess water, etc.). And maybe another 5-10 will come off as I nurse and stuff. But that still leaves me with almost an excess of 35 – 40 lbs to drop. Might take about 5-6 months to get back to where I am comfortable in my normal clothes again. We shall see! But you know me. I’m a beast, and I will bust it out, yo!!!!