Nesting, I am pretty sure.

We took advantage of the long weekend and breaks from Ben's 13+ hour work days to spend over 13 hours a day PAINTING THE BASEMENT and moving Cooper to the former toy room. Have I ever been this tired? MAYBE NOT.

Remember, the room was purple, full of toys, and sporting a vinyl floor.  WHICH IT STILL HAS because 1. PANDEMIC and 2. Cooper likes a flat space to build LEGO **shrug**

 BUT SERIOUSLY!!! IT'S SO CUTE!!!

 It's a YUGE room, so we kept a lot of communal toys, and all three younger kids have been playing in there TOGETHER which is amazing.

The second half of the project was painting the basement hallway and family room, which we have not done since we moved in NINE YEARS (what!) ago. We went with Sherwin Williams Grayish, and I completely love it, even though it is bluer underneath than I thought it would be. We might even slop it on the yellow walls upstairs because I NEED TO NOT HAVE YELLOW WALLS IN MY HOUSE. RIGHT NOW.

 We made Dorothy a little play corner because we had to evict that ugly black shelf (which might not be the kind of shelf that adults have outside their closets, but what are you going to do? It looked fine up against a chalkboard wall), and Ben even hung up some kid are instead of his amazing sportsball memorabilia in the corner (ONLY IN THAT CORNER-- HE'S NOT INSANE).

 So much cleaner and neater!

 Buuuut, we had an extra IKEA shelf because Coop had one in his old room that didn't fit in his new room, so we decided to go ahead and junk up the hallways becasue we are drowning in CRAP.

Seriously, though, I am thrilled with how it looks. Next up, Dorothy's room and the living room/upstairs hallway/stair well. But first, I have to do some serious fall course prep. GAH.

(I think this is what they call nesting).

Elderly pregnancy update

Greetings from elderly pregnancy-ville.  I wasn't going to write about this at all, but I can totally see myself NOT BLOGGING ever because I feel like I am hiding something, so, here goes:

I have a thick placenta, and it might be impacting the baby's growth.

She was measuring perfectly on track at my 20-week ultrasound, but they thought maybe my placenta was thicker than it should be, so they asked me to come back between 24-26 weeks to see it again. I came at 25 weeks and 4 days, on May 15. I got a semi-not-good vibe from the tech, who was not chatty and kept measuring certain things again and again in a way that did not reassure me at all. When my midwives' office called to tell me about the results of my labs (glucose test and CBC-- both fine), I specifically asked about the ultrasound, saying I wanted someone to call me as soon as they read the report if there as any kind of issue.  No one called, so I thought I was fine.

On Wednesday the 20th, I had my first midwife appointment since 16 weeks, and when the midwife asked if I had done my ultrasound yet, I felt a little sick to my stomach. I assumed that no one called me because it was fine. Apparently no one called me because they just didn't call me.

The baby looks good-- her organs are still great. She still has plenty of fluid. Her heartbeat is strong, etc. BUT. My placenta still looks thick, and this time they do not think it is the angle. The baby has also fallen off the typical baby growth curve. The midwife was quick to tell me that this can be a normal thing and that after 20 weeks, babies DO start to follow their own curves. I haven't ever had a post-20-week ultrasound before, so I don't know how the others were measuring at this point. I do have small babies. Cooper has been the biggest at 7lbs 5 oz-- and he was overdue! Harry has been the smallest at 6lbs 4 oz, and Jack and Dorothy were both in the 6lb and change range. So, it could still be totally OK.

BUT. It also might not be. I have an ultrasound at the perinatology clinic (at the hospital I will use for delivery) on June  9th. I could not get in sooner, and I called my midwives' group to see if they thought I needed to get in sooner, and they reassured me that June 9 was fine, as did the ultrasound scheduler who told me it was OK to wait based on the order. I guess that should make me feel better, but in light of no one calling me about the 5-15 ultrasound, it just makes me think no one is paying super close attention to my chart. And because I am super anxious about ALL OF THE THINGS all of the time, I have no good sense of what my gut feeling is about the care I am receiving.

On one hand, I feel great (they gave me a belly support band for my back during my visit!). My blood pressure is great. My weight is fine. My labs are fine. The bay's heartbeat is fine. I can feel her move, etc. On the other hand, I am old as shit, so I want someone to pay more attention to me-- but is that because I am anxious and selfish or because I legit need a closer eye on this pregnancy? Should I have chosen the same OB group I used before instead of midwives? (We have never been able to use midwives with our insurance before this pregnancy, but that was always the model of care I thought I wanted).

IF the baby is growth restricted, I will have weekly ultrasounds and monitoring at the hospital. The midwife said based on her read of the report that she did not think I would end up as a candidate for this. She also said that despite my age, I have no pregnancy risk factors and said I could keep spacing out my visits. I have to come back at 31 weeks, at the end of June.

So, anyway. I am worried because I am a worrier. I did a brief Google search, BUT NEVER AGAIN, so please don't tell me what Dr. Google says.

I just feel really selfish for having another baby-- which was already pretty selfish. I mean how many resources does one family need to consume?? I really thought, though, that everything would be fine because it has always been fine, and one little bump in the not fine direction has sent me into a tailspin.

Writing, yoga, lots of water-- all of these things help me feel less stressed, and less stressed? Is my goal for the rest of this pregnancy.

Also as a friend pointed out on Instagram-- a thick placenta has to to weigh like 15 of those 20 pounds I have gained, right?

Room re-do's

Yesterday we sampled S E V E N paint colors-- three for upstairs/downstairs, two for Dorothy's new room, and two for Cooper's new room, AKA THE OLD TOY ROOM.

I am really sad to be repurposing the toy room, but it seemed silly to cram Dorothy and Cooper in Cooper's room when we have a large 5th bedroom just sitting there. Filled with toys. And sporting vinyl flooring that we're not switching out any time soon because SOCIAL DISTANCING. In lieu of spring break this year, we were supposed to get new carpet in the 3 upstairs bedrooms, but instead, we did NOTHING. Thanks, pandemic.

It's the biggest bedroom in the house (besides ours, I think...), so the plan is to get a rug to sort of delineate Cooper's space and keep the majority of the toys in there with him. I think it will be kind of a disaster while  the kids work out boundaries, etc, so we are starting early (painting this weekend?!) so everyone can be adjusted to their new spaces before the baby comes. Besides a rug, we need an Alexa, a lamp for his nightstand, and maybe one more lamp of some sort to mark off his space and give him lighting options because he is afraid of the dark.

We let Dorothy choose between staying in her room or moving to Cooper's, and she decided to move next door, which is fine with me because her room has made a perfect baby room since we moved in NINE YEARS AGO next month (what?!?!). We don't need anything for her room except new big kid art for the walls and a new light fixture (she wants a chandelier).

We had a cute white IKEA crib for the baby, but friends of ours dropped off an even cuter white crib with a matching changing table, so the only thing we really need for that room is a dresser. And I think I am finally going to buy a glider, which is a dumb purchase after all these babies, but knowing us, we would have given ours away by now anyway and would be buying our second glider. So I am actually saving money.

But really: a rug, an Alexa, a couple of lamps, some wall art, a chandelier, a dresser, and glider. Not a bad list for THREE new bedrooms.

We decided to paint the basement because we haven't painted it ever, and buy does it need a refresh. And we're painting the upstairs because I suddenly HATE yellow walls. HATE.

So, if you need us between now and July (my self-imposed deadline) we will be painting.

Cooper had a Zoom meeting, so he decided to wear Ben's old Space Camp NASA suit.

 Homework anywhere, any time, even while I am blowing my hair dry.

 This is a good one!

 Speaking of eating all the carbs: french toast lunch buffet.

I do NOT have gestational diabetes and am currently stuffing myself on carbs

Since we never go anywhere anymore, I have to be content with taking pics of this kids wherever they may be IN OUR HOUSE.

Look at this exciting cup of cocoa:

 We found some excellent walking paths behind our favorite library.

 Cooper decided to randomly make a kite.

 I try to snap lots of pics of the kids working wherever they happen to be. Like right now, I am no the elliptical, and Dorothy is camped out in the hallways with pillows and a beach towel (?). I would for sure snap that, but Cooper has my phone to listen to Armada (he really wanted to join Harry and Jack's pandemic book club). So I will just describe it and then show you a few from last week.

 I am trying really hard to go outside with the kids for at least an hour a day, no0t just send them outside to play,. I was doing this in March before I got sick, and we all had happier days. Plus, it's not like I can get too much exercise, you know?

 I am mostly just washing Dorothy's clothes for the bbay, but I can't resist a few new things here and there.

 This is so gross.

 NAILED IT!

Unfortunately, I had the first ultrasound appointment of the day, and I wanted to do my glucose challenge WHILE I was getting my ultrasound so I wouldn't have to just sit around in a germy waiting room. I drank the drink at 7:30 on a stomach empty of everything but coffee and really felt fine until  was about 2 minutes from home when I almost passed out. Like, spots in front of my eyes, couldn't really see, vision getting black, etc. I pulled the car over and opened my door so I could put my head between my legs for a minute and then I drove home sweating profusely and feeling like I was  going to black out again.  I made it home and immediately flung myself on the bed with my legs on the wall, ate a clementine, and drank about a gallon of water while soaking myself in sweat. It was gross.  But then I felt fine and took a shower. (I have low blood pressure and feel light headed sometimes, like when my shower is too hot or when I don't drink enough water, so I was familiar with a scenario like this one).

Hey-- check out my awesome video set up for a freshman orientation a segment I taped with a fried on Saturday. Who needs a Ring light when you have GARAGE LIGHTS and a ladder?

 Favorites!

 Facebook avatars are dumb, BTW.

 Ben totally has a future as a cook at Chili's.  We could not even face one more sit down dinner with the kids, so we had this nonsense after they went to bed.  4 stars, would do it again.

How is SIP treating you? I truly hope that even if your state is opening up despite increasing COVID cases like mine is (WHAT THE HECK?!), you are staying home as much as possible, wearing a mask when you must go out, etc. Stay safe!

Birthday Post Mortem

I was SO CRABBY yesterday even though I had a nice birthday and really except for going lout for dinner-- and/or maybe a girls' lunch-- I wouldn't have wanted to do anything differently.

Jon sent me THE BEST hammock, and I did almost finish my book in it.  I also found a pair of non-maternity shorts that fit fine and probably will continue to fit fine, so that increased what I am calling my maternity capsule wardrobe (LOLOLOL) by like 30 percent.

Our neighbors drew chalk greetings on the sidewalk.

A friend dropped off a cake.

We had takeout pizza!! Our first takeout in more than 60 days!

The boys and I took a long walk by the lake while Dorothy stayed home to ride bikes with her next door neighbor (nether family has been freaking anywhere in 60 days and has no plans to be, so I think it's OK if the kids play outside from a distance. Harry also has a friend like this down the street. They hang out near each other (across the street) or ride bikes. The issue is that Harry has a larger group of friends in the hood who have been hanging out this whole time and who have at least one parent working elsewhere and do not social distance. We won't let him hang out with those friends at all, and it/s making him the odd kid out. And! His social distance friend DOES go on long bike rides with that group, so Harry may not be able to hang with him much longer, and it's getting hard to navigate).

Ben and I started the new season of  Dead to Me after the kids went to bed and hung out with Jon and Caleb for a little while.

I got amazing gifts, including a subscription to the Book of the Month Club, which is such a treat for me because I NEVER buy books (although I have nought 4 recently because the library was closed. But now! CURBSIDE PICK UP, and they don't even want to think about getting stuff back until JULY!!!!) and my old favorite nail polish, since it looks like home pedicures are officially here to stay.

We had breakfast cake, lunch cake thanks to a friend, and dinner cookie cake. And the leftovers of all of these are texting my healthy habits theme ALREADY.

The kids made the best signs and cards.

You would think I had nothing to complain about.  And yet.

Cheers to 42!

Happy birthday to ME!

Today, I am celebrating with a homemade cookie cake and a takeout pizza, as well as my favorite kringles (yes, two of them) for breakfast.

Also, the kids have a day off from school, which is so freaking awesome I cannot even.

And-- wait for it-- MY MEETING GOT CANCELED.

I have big plans to lie in the sun** and read an entire book and take the kids for a walk someplace lovely.  Also, NAP. And-- we are getting TAKEOUT PIZZA, our first takeout food since Safer at Home began (for us) on MARCH FREAKING 13th

But! after this one more lazy lovely fatty day, I am embarking on a health-focused year. 42 is a year of healthy habits including:

1. Screen time limits. I am not going to spend 42 stuck in the scroll-- you heard it here first.
2. Daily writing practice
3. Daily yoga, even if this means I am just doing a sun salute and a quick down dog or two
4. 50 minutes of cardio 5 days a week and 30 minutes on the weekends. This is what I have been doing since January, and I really like it.
5. Healthy food habits.  Okay, this one is harder. I think after I have the baby, I should use something like Noom, but I also don't want to defer healthy habits until August. I think I need to focus on

• more water
• less sugar
• fewer snacks
• no nighttime eating after dinner
• The good news is I am KILLING IT on the no alcohol. LOLz. 
• I also need to go back portion control and 
• only eating when I am hungry. I was so good at this when I did intermittent fasting, but being stuck at home and also being pregnant has led me to snack for fun again.
•  If I can work on cutting bad eating habits out BEFORE I have the baby, I think I will be better off long term.  
• Oreos and I need to break up, which feels pretty tragic. 
• No more chocolate milk in my morning coffee. You know, the little things.

All of this is very easy to say when I am literally full of Kringle and getting ready to bake a cookie cake

TL; DR: Gluttonous day today and then HEALTHY LIVING FOR A YEAR. Gulp.

** Jon got me a GIANT HAMMOCK, and I cannot even WAIT

Picture Dump and General Catch Up

Cooper is now one million inches tall with man feet.

 Dorothy prefers to school from bed.

 We have been trying to find more out-of-the-way places to be outside

 Dorothy got to pick up her dance costumes:

i

 HAND SANITIZER

 Walking in the hood:

 Dorothy played from 6 feet away with her BFF next door fo so long she got a sun burn .

 On May the Fourth we ventured to our favorite local coffee shop for curbside Star Wars frappes

THIS IS HOW MUCH GAS COSTS IN THE APOCALYPSE

 Cookie ice cream sandwiches

 The aftermath