Holder

Thank you. I ordered Patrick a bathrobe from one of your suggestions. Exactly what I was looking for. He and Steve have started going in the hot tub together in the morning (before you say what my mother immediately said when I told her, allow me to assure you that it is completely safe - Steve keeps his hot tub at 100 degrees. more of a warm tub actually) and I had gotten Steve a big cushy robe for this purpose years ago. I thought Patrick would like one too. Now that he and Steve are two sides of a single coin and all. They even wound up with the same haircut when Steve disdainfully avoided the kids' hair place I have always used in favor of having Patrick get his haircut with him at the barber.

My mother arrived this morning and Steve is leaving tonight. He will be, um, communing with nature (pheasants, mainly, but some ducks as well. geese perhaps) with five other "outdoor ethusiasts" until Sunday. He is SO excited and I take no offense from the fact that perhaps less than half of his glee is derived from the prospect of four whole days in North Dakota. I suspect he is dying to get out of here for a while and I don't blame him. He is feeling stressed and the break is well deserved. I have about twelve phone numbers for him, which I found reassuring until I contemplated that he is, at a minimum, seven hours from reaching me so if anything untoward were to happen he would miss it. Of course, what is he going to do anyway? I have an appointment this afternoon (yay!) and if god forbid I am starting to dilate or anything we will reassess from there.

You would think I would be aware of what my body is doing but I am really not. Everything right now feels like it is happening below the pantyline. I contract and I feel it in my pelvis. Someone kicks or something and I feel it in my pelvis. I assume 13a is still very low, although I think B moved again. They both prefer the right side of my body but since 13b is actually established to the left it leaves a lot of room on that side to shift about at will. Apart from the contracting and the bed rest and my weight (15 pounds. I am 28 weeks pregnant with twins and I weigh 15 pounds more than I did before IVF. I can only assume that one of the drugs I am on is affecting both my appetite and my metabolism. I am never hungry but I force myself to eat highly caloric stuff regardless - to no avail) I feel terrific. I have never slept this well in my life. Nothing hurts - not my back, not my feet, not the baby kicks... nothing. I am prepared for a downward spiral of unpleasantness but right now I am feeling quite sunny.

Patrick will, of course, be going as the letter B for Halloween. He said last year (when he went as the A) that he would be doing a letter a year and he seems determined to stick to that. When I asked what he would be if he was not completing the alphabet, he said, "A vacuum cleaner." After taking a moment to consider the complexities of creating a vacuum cleaner costume I gave the whole alphabet plan my whole-hearted support. He did point out that he will be the Z when he is twenty-six and I pointed out that he will actually be 30 as he did not start the alphabet thing until he was four. He frowned at me and said, "I am not going to argue about this" (a new expression of his - each day is just a delight, I tell you) but I noticed that he has started telling people that he will be done with the alphabet at 30. So he occasionally believes me when I say things.

Off to my appointment. More later (I finished Thursday Next and the Nursery Crimes books and I am almost done with the Dark Materials trilogy - book posts I think are in order, now that I have my laptop back).       

PS I turned 36 yesterday. It feels a whole lot like 35.

Comments

[Anna]

Happy birthday!

A book recommendation that you might enjoy: Connie Willis' "To Say Nothing of the Dog". I thought I had posted this in a previous comment, but couldn't find it.

The story is a wonderful tale, told in the style of P.G.Wodehouse about time travel travails and romance while extremely sleep-deprived. Oh, and a bishop's bird stump.

I was shocked to learn that the author, whom I assumed was British, actually lives just north of me in Colorado. I definitely think you will enjoy this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Say-Nothing-Dog-Connie-Willis/dp/0553575384/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-0992345-2259114?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193932046&sr=1-2

[terri c]

Happy birthday!!! And hope all is well in the nether regions, so that Steve gets to enjoy all that is North Dakota. Or was it South Dakota?

[liz s]

I turned 38 yesterday and I found three grey hairs. Otherwise, I still feel about 25. Happy Birthday to us!

[cherylc]

Happy Birthday! I'm pregnant and I'm about to turn 41. So you may be advanced maternal age, but I'm a geriatric pregnancy. :) I kind of feel it, too. But since the whole pregnancy feels like a miracle, I'm not complaining.

I'm looking forward to your book reviews.

[Jen]

Happy birthday, Julia!

[Ann]

Happy Birthday!!!

Yeah 35 and 36 are about the same, but things go downhill quick after 40. LOL

[Diatryma]

I have not read the big line of comments, but here is my kid-Halloween story.

In kindergarten and first grade, I was taught to read with the Letter People. They're still around, though slightly changed. Being a Cassie, I was *obsessed* with the letter C-- decided I would marry Clint in my class because that was a C, things like that.
I went as Mr C when I was six years old. Not the letter itself, no, that would be ridiculous-- I was the Letter Person version. Who is, if I remember correctly, somewhat made of cotton candy.
I don't think anyone without school-age kids got it, but I bet they laughed long and hard.

[electric boogaloo]

Happy birthday Miss J!

Patrick is so cool. And your description of Steve's plan to commune with nature reminds me of N's love of the Bass Pro Shop. He was thrilled by all the stuffed animal heads and tracks and camoflauge and binoculars and things. "Wow! These people are obsessed with nature JUST LIKE I AM!"

Er... yes um. Not exactly like you are...

[electric boogaloo]

Happy birthday Miss J!

Patrick is so cool. And your description of Steve's plan to commune with nature reminds me of N's love of the Bass Pro Shop. He was thrilled by all the stuffed animal heads and tracks and camoflauge and binoculars and things. "Wow! These people are obsessed with nature JUST LIKE I AM!"

Er... yes um. Not exactly like you are...

[ali]

Happy Birthday, Miss Scorpio!

[winecat]

Happy Birthday!

oh Patrick, the letter B or a vacuum cleaner, that kid has such an imagination.

[Becky]

Happy Birthday! Glad you're reading His Dark Materials. Love those books myself and can't wait for the movie. Afterwards, I'd suggest:

The Temeraire series (Naomi Novik).
I'd second Good Omens and raise you a Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman).
The Dresden Files (Jim Butcher).
Kushiel's Dart (Jacqueline Carey), if you're ready for some AU historical fantasy that's a little...risque.

[Violet]

Happy birthday! I'm so glad to hear you're feeling well! Go Julia go! :)

[Becca]

I had to make a vacuum cleaner before. Pictures available if you are interested.

Long time lurker.

[LetterB]

Excellent costume choice, Master Patrick. I am touched and flattered.

Happy Birthday Julia!! 36 is the new 35 by the way.

[Cris]

Not that you have ANYthing else going on right now, but I too am asking about the archives. Someone was just asking for a good non depressing book recommendation and I was going to send them over to that post and the massive, and massively good, set of recommendations you got. But, um, I can't.

I'm so happy you've made it this far in the pregnancy and am just pulling for the twins to stay in as long as needed to be fully 'baked.' A secondary infertility, balanced translocation, fabulous Patrick blog does not need to also be a NICU blog. Cam was only in there for a week and that was a week more than we liked!

Happy Birthday!

[FENICLE]

Happy late birthday. What a way to slide into 36....

[L]

I'm going to re-pimp the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, since you're almost done with the books you have. Very enjoyable, and long.

[kristine]

I think it's important to share with you that I was a vacuum cleaner for Halloween when I was about 7 or so. It wasn't very difficult and actually seems easier than the letter "C" (since Halloween is over for this year, of course). I made a box fit around my midsection, drew on the on/off buttons and cut holes and added a hose from a real vacuum. I didn't turn on or anything, which may disappoint Patrick...but I thought I'd put it out there.

happy birthday (37 is really a lot like 36 and 35 too)

[Kate]

I know your mother is visiting And Everything, but I would love an update.

[Monica C.]

Happy belated birthday!

By the time you turn 40, you'll be ready for a big bash like the one I just threw for myself this summer, not so much to celebrate being fab-u-lous, but to revel in the the fact that everyone in your house is potty trained and that you can officially take a poop without worrying that someone is going to swallow a button.

[colleen]

Happy Birthday! And grow, 13s, grow!

Re: Redbook: And as far as I can tell, the cough/cold medicines were recalled because babies keep dying because their parents don't read the directions and overdose them. Which I think is sort of ridiculous, but I am also glad that it is not my job to decide how many babies dying is worth some much larger number of other babies being a little more comfortable. Because yikes.

I would wager that you can still get a prescription for cough medicine or a decongestant from your pediatrician (especially Dr. Navy) to have for the 13s. I'd think with sick twins you'd want all the help you can get (placebo or no)!

[Whitney]

I am commenting on your redbook post here... largely because I've registered there like 3 times but still can't remember the password I picked. Oh well- so to it:

Cold Medicines: My 17 month old had 5 ear infections before his first birthday. My pediatrician said that it was mostly due to the wicked allergies he got from his daddy. He said the drainage pools in the his ears... bacteria.... and then infection.

About 6 months ago, an herbalist introduced me to this miracle stuff called ALJ...(http://www.theherbsplace.com/ALJ_Liquid_p_280.html).
Since we've been using it... nothing- no allergies, no colds... no ear infections... Who knows?

[Sadie]

Julia,

It occurs to me that one great side effect of bedrest will be having weaned Patrick off of you a bit, before the babies are actually out of the womb and directly blame-able. In other words, P. will have grown somewhat used to you being in bed/out of commission so that when the time comes to mother 2 newborns the change will be more the presence of new siblings, and less the sudden absence of Mama.

I also had a thought for when you're trying to entertain Patrick. As a small scientist, how interested is he in embryology? Or, actually, fetal development? I remember being four and fascinated with Lennart Neilsen(sp? Famous swedish doctor/photographer)'s insight into the womb whilst awaiting the birth of my little brother.

Thinking of you and your gorgeous family-- you're really hanging in there like a trooper and every ounce the little people gain the more relief there is to be had, yes?

Best...