David Frank arrived a bit early. He decided November 14th was his day. Good thing. He weighed in at a lofty 8 pounds 13 ounces. Nice and long. 21 inches. My OB wasn’t sure where I hid all of that baby. I knew exactly where I hid him. He was safely tucked in my rib cage through most of this pregnancy!
Well, maybe not times. Dates are a changing though. My son, David Frank, was scheduled to join this world via C-Section on Monday the 19th of November. Due to a scheduling error, the date has been bumped up to Friday, November 16th. That’s 5 more days folks!
The last few weeks of pregnancy are meant to be miserable so you mentally lose any concern over what it might take to get the baby out. Two weeks from today I am scheduled to deliver my son via c-section. I am not a fan of hospitals or surgery. As of this very moment, I would hop up on that operating table with a smile and thank you cards in hand.
I keep hearing from friends and strangers how small I am for this stage of pregnancy. Small? The other day I had to change parking spaces because I couldn’t get the driver’s side door of my van open far enough for me to fit through. I ended up parking way out where there were no other cars near by. Yeah, I’m one tiny broad.
It is exciting to know I will be meeting David soon. I really am looking forward to holding him. He must be getting excited too. Lord knows he hasn’t been able to sleep for weeks! Poor guy tosses and turns all day and night. His nerves must be working him a bit too. The endless pacing is a dead give away. Nothing I do, no position I wiggle into seems to help. I’m sure once he’s born he will sleep non-stop for the first few months just to catch up on his rest. That’s a possibility, right? C’mon, say yes.
On a more positive note, my daughter recently crossed the 18 month mark. This is such a wonderful age of discovery. Everything is a big deal. Inspecting the contents of drawers, boxes, purses and books is never ending entertainment. We spend a great time together as she seeks out new things to explore and learn about. She asks “what’s that” and I do what I can to teach her what is in the world that surrounds her.
Olivia’s excitement over the most basic things in life makes me realize I haven’t done much to notice new things in my world. I’ve been on this planet 36 years, but I’ve hardly seen all there is to enjoy and know. Every day Olivia strives to a new height. My days aren’t as much about accomplishing anything new as they are about repeating what I have done previous days. My greatest accomplishment is often doing something better the 30th time around than I did the first.
Stability is something I relish. Trouble is, stable means nothing is changing. You are experiencing no less and no more. I have a definite fascination of those who like to step beyond stability no matter what age they are. Perhaps it is the inner me appreciating they haven’t turned off the desire to reach out and grab all there is to discover and experience.
I am disappointed my mind clearly tells me “there is no way I could be like them.” Why not though? I imagine I was adventurous and curious when I was 18 months old. When did it turn off between then and now? What shut that part of me down? Was it an internal or external message? I am curious to know the answer to this because it would be a shame if our parents are the external source that launch us into a life of mere stability. I’d hate to be the reason my little adventurer shuts down and stops looking at and experiencing her world.
If catfood gets any fancier, my husband is really going to start complaining about my cooking. The commercials lately make the dinner I serve my husband look like catfood from 10 years ago! Hmmmm, I wonder if I popped a can….??? Nah, I’d hate to feed it to him and have an embarrassing recall force a confession.
You all must be madly in love with me by now. Sorry I’ve been MIA. The first few months of pregnancy are always rough for me. I’m nearing the 5 month mark. The sickies are subsiding a bit and I’m in the mood to rejoin the world and write again. Stay tuned and thanks for the messages and hellos.
With all of these baby hormones floating around in my body, I’ve been a tad emotional lately. That probably explains a song that seems to get to me each time I hear it play. The song is “You Find Out Who Your Friends Are” by Mr. Tracy Lawrence. Though you lose some of the effect by simply reading the lyrics and not hearing the music, I’ll include the chorus and a small snip-it of the song.
Chorus:
You find out who your friends are,
somebody’s gonna drop everything,
run out and crank up their car,
hit the gas, get there fast, never stop to think
“What’s in it for meâ€, or “its way to farâ€
They just show on up…with their big ‘ol heart…
You find out who your friends are……
Everybody wants to slap your back,
wants to shake your hand when
you’re up on top of that mountain.
Let one of those rocks give way,
then you slide back down,
look up and see who’s around then.
This is ain’t where the road comes to an end,
this ain’t where the bandwagon stops,
This is just one of those times when…a lot of folks jump off
Chorus:
You find out who your friends are,
somebody’s gonna drop everything,
run out and crank up their car,
hit the gas, get there fast, never stop to think
“What’s in it for meâ€, or “its way to far 
They just show on up…with their big ‘ol heart.
You find out who your friends are…
This song makes me think a lot about my one true friend, Shauntay. We’ve been friends now for 10 years. There have been so many changes in our lives and we no longer live a stones throw from one another. It doesn’t matter though. I know if something were to come up in my life, she would be there in a hot second with a helping hand and words of encouragement and support. Hopefully she knows the same is true of me for her.
You really do find your true friends when life starts tossing wrenches in your plans. I’ve had many acquaintances in life who have been there for the fun and easy times. The crowd seemed to thin considerably when obstacles popped up. Part of it is my fault. Before people can be there for you, you have to be comfortable enough with them to let them know when you need help. Few people read minds. Asking for a hand has never come easy for me. That’s the great thing about Shauntay. She never waits for me to ask. She inserts herself into my life and makes it clear we are riding the waves together.
One time I was complaining to my Grandma about how few friends I really have. She didn’t let me get away with that complaint one bit. She knows Shauntay, you see. She was quick to point out many people in this world have stacks of friends yet still lack what I have found with Shauntay, one TRUE friend in this world
It is 4:45 p.m. and my morning sickness is still going strong. It was like this with Olivia too. It’s like my body wants to pay homage to all of the glorious mornings this wonderous globe has to offer.
The great thing about having a baby to push around in a stroller is you can talk to yourself to your heart’s content and no one will think you crazy. Never mind she couldn’t possibly understand my recipe for chicken fettuccine or care whether or not I remember to put the towels in the drier when we get home.
Stealing candy from a baby isn’t nearly as easy as the cliche’ makes it sound. My daughter’s grip is tighter than most 30 year olds. If a child is holding something in his/her hand that he/she really wants, don’t count on it being an easy acquisition. I think one might be better off buying the candy than stealing if from a wee mite.
