Iris, the Practical Joker

  So I know many of you are wondering what the heck is going on over here… has Iris arrived yet?

 

Well, the answer is no, but she’s quite the trickster, keeping us on our toes this week.  Over the weekend I felt cramps and light contractions, and knew she was getting started on her long journey out.  When we went to the doctor on Tuesday, she confirmed the progress (I am dilated enough that the doctor could reach through and touch the baby), but then the doctor said “I’m not sure she’s head down”.  Yipes!  This late, it would be difficult to get her to change position, so as Sandy said, “my heart was in my throat.”  But, it turns out that it was just that Iris wanted to play a little joke on mom and dad, by putting her hand by her head so the doctor wouldn’t be able to tell which way she was facing.  The ultrasound machine revealed that she was actually head down.

 

Then the doctor wanted to check the amniotic fluid levels, since she would decide to induce labor if they were too low.  Again we got good news – all is normal and we can let Iris decide when she wants to arrive.  Phew! 

 

This was all very good news, and especially because it’s been a busier week than we thought – among other things, our hot water heater decided to explode on Saturday, and I’m glad it wasn’t at the same time that I was going into active labor!

 

But it’s all getting much more real now, as I know of people who were due after me that have already had their babies, so it really could be any time.  Mom arrives Sunday, so I told her I’d ask Iris to wait at least that long.  We’ll see!

The True Meaning of Parenthood

I think the most common advice I get from current parents is that I won’t be able to completely fathom the feelings I will have for Iris until she is actually here.  Amidst all the discussions about completely dependent human beings and someone that is so fun/cute/etc is this instinctive reaction to being a parent that you don’t understand until you’ve actually done it.  It’s as if there’s some unique adrenaline rush that doesn’t go away for the rest of your life.  I’ll admit that I am ill-prepared for what’s to come, but I am probably more aware than they realize.  You see, my mom was extremely effusive in her love and affection for me.  I was her world and the day my brother was born, her kids were her world.  She was never shy in sharing how much I meant to her or how she’d give up her world for me.  At 12, it’s just sort of embarrassing.  As I turn 34 today, I’m saddened by the thought of having Iris come into this world without her around.  It will ten years this coming January since my mom passed away.  She never got to meet Cherise (who I am certain she would have loved) and she’ll never get to meet her granddaughter.  I don’t know who will miss out more in that case.  My mom always wanted a girl (who are we kidding—she named me Sandy!). She loved babies and always dreamed of grandkids, especially the girl she never had on her own  As for Iris, she’ll never get to know what I got to know—someone who gave selflessly and tirelessly for many years.  So while I am certain to be overwhelmed by the feelings of being a parent, I think I know what I’m getting into–I’ve see it first-hand.  I only hope I can give of myself to Iris what my mother did for me…

Thank you!!!

  As we get closer to Iris’ arrival and such a huge change in our lives, it is heartening to know that we have such an incredible group of friends and family surrounding us. The baby showers were such a wonderful time to remember that. Thank you so much to Kymber and Julie and Lisa for organizing the showers, and to everyone who came. We had so much fun!

 

The first shower began with a massage for the big mama… wow, so I sat in the chair getting limbered up as everyone else arrived and got to know each other. Then after I was good and relaxed, I got quizzed on parenting skills – yeah! – Sandy had been asked how he’d deal with various scenarios, and now my job was to figure out what he’d said.

 

Try this one: “You find your daughter and the little boy from the neighborhood playing naked. What do you do?”

 

Yipes!  But, my reward was getting to sit back and be entertained by Charades, with incredible renditions of things like “birthmark” and “hypno-birthing”.

 

My only regret was that after all the presents were opened and people went home, I realized we didn’t take any pictures… the party was just so engaging that I didn’t even stop to think where the camera was!

 

The 2nd shower was co-ed, completely informal, with no games at all. (perfect to keep Sandy and the other guys from running scared from too much “girlie” stuff…) Just good food, good wine (yeah, not for me), and yummy dinner out by the lake at Lisa’s house.

 

And the biggest form of entertainment turned out to be little Zoe, who stole the show with her adorable goo goo’s and ga ga’s – inspiration for Sandy and I to get even more excited about Iris joining our lives.

 

We definitely feel prepared for Iris’ arrival now, with all the essentials. And we’re taking advantage of every last moment of time with friends before we get taken over by parenthood!