I have energy!!! (April fools....)

Welcome, friends, to the month when James will enter the world:)
So, I am now 37.5 weeks along, and I am soooo ready to have this baby. Jess and I went to childbirth classes last weekend, which I found very helpful. I think it was a lot of estrogen for Jess to handle, but he says he got some good info out of it, too. Everyone in the class had to write down one word that summed up our ideas about birth. Jess wrote Genesis. I wrote Privilege.  I guess someone had to be the esoteric couple:) If I don't have a baby by Saturday, I'll be going back for breastfeeding and newborn care classes over the weekend. Tonight I went to Meriter Hospital (where I'll be delivering) for the UW midwives' open house. It was nice because I met the two midwives I hadn't had appointments with yet. I also ran into one of the couples from my birth class there, and they kept me company while Jess was off being the breadwinner.
I'm having a tough time balancing my desire to nest with my desire to lay motionless and stare at the wall. It seems like TV+knitting is a nice combo that way. I shouldn't make it sound like I'm doing nothing, though. Today I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen, typed my birth plan, wrote some thank-you notes, and sanded our beloved rocker for a little over an hour. I feel like there is still a ton that I want to get done, and I'm making progress, but it feels slow and I just can't seem to keep the pace I'd like. Being that I'm getting so close to my due date, I'm trying to cut myself a little slack on that front. I'm being very choosy about my subbing assignments at this point, and I probably won't do much more official work between now and when James is out and about. Just too tired... and I also would really hate to have my water break in front of a room full of kindergarteners!
I am trying not to get too worked up about the "any day now" idea. It really could be as long as 5 more weeks and that would still be normal... but it's hard not to get antsy. I am trying to keep this Emerson quote as my mantra: "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." I have complete faith that if I can tune into that peaceful space, and trust my body to do what it is meant to do, this labor will be a beautiful experience.

That said... labor is imminent! :) Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers as we begin the final countdown to James's birthday (whenever that might be!)!
Love,
Your favorite well-informed birth industry consumers, and their reason for learning

P.S. I quit at pictures this week. Better luck next time!

a head cold and a head case... poor Jesse!

Hello friends:)
I am in good spirits today (so far...) because I get to sit home and relax, and I had a very nice midwife appointment this morning. I am measuring right on track (my belly is 36cm top to bottom!) and everything looks normal. The baby's heart rate today was 142 (very normal) and he appears to have dropped securely into launch position. The midwife said that they usually have people come in every week at this point, but I'm so fabulously normal that I can wait for two weeks if I want (though I can call anytime and talk to a midwife immediately if I have any big concerns). So... looks like I'll be in week 38 or in labor next time I see a midwife:)

In other news, mom came down to visit on Friday. I requested her help in cleaning up the dust disaster I made in the nursery (ok, so power sanding next to the bookcase may not have been my brightest move) and to inspire me to finish out some of my preparations. We have made huge progress, including the mounting of the watercolors my baby shower buddies made for me in Chicago, and location of a table that fits the bassinet securely at goodwill (see picture for results). Unfortunately, mom's plan to leave on Sunday was foiled by a nasty cold which has kept her pretty incapacitated since Saturday evening. Jess and I are certainly happy to host her for as long as she needs to stay, but I feel badly that she hasn't been well! She does seem better today, and will probably head back north tomorrow. It has been really nice to have a little extra help and support around as I near the end of this escapade. I'll miss her a lot when she goes! Jesse may miss her, too, but I think he'll be glad to be back down to one incapacitated female in his home:)

Subbing is getting tough to face, especially since this week I am spending 4 days filling in for a music teacher who goes between two schools, has NO books or supplies at one of the schools, and left no plans of any sort during her month-long absence. sigh. At least it's music. I had some fun planning for it this afternoon, but I'm not a big fan of doing work that I'm not getting paid for. It frustrates me that I don't have a real job lined up for next year yet, but it's pretty hard to envision myself in an interview in my jeans (the only pair of non-pj pants I have right now) with my giant belly saying, "I have priorities that have nothing to do with this job! My baby will make me exhausted and ineffective on a regular basis! Please don't hire me!" Better to have patience and hope for the best in a few months.

I think that's about it for now. As of this Saturday, James will be full term, and as far as I'm concerned he could come anytime now and I'd be thrilled. We're getting very anxious to meet our little man!

Lots of love,
The Bornselhofts

power naps and power tools: week 35

Hello all!
Wow. I'm a bad blogger. But really, not too much has changed since my last post. I had my Chicago baby shower a little over a week ago, and it was fantastic. My creative buddies played songs, made up interpretive dances, and painted watercolors for baby James and me! I got lots of neat stuff, including a hooded pirate towel (which says "Argh! Dry me booty!" on the tag), and a music curriculum for early childhood with all kinds of amazing ideas for sharing music with babies (also something I could use to teach classes to other young moms!)
Other than that, it's business as usual. Just waiting and watching as James pushes the limits of my patience and my epidermis! He keeps stretching his feet out along my side, and it can get pretty uncomfortable. It's getting harder to lug myself out of bed to go teach, but I've been getting a lot more music-sub days lately which helps me stay motivated. Jess seems to be holding up pretty well. As I write this he is finishing up the sanding of our beloved craigslist rocking chair. Both of us have worked pretty hard on refinishing it, so we're hoping it comes out well. (Regardless, I'm really proud of myself for learning to use a new power tool here in month eight!!!) Anyway, Jesse is doing a great job of continuing to go with the flow and navigating my mood swings. I bought him a book called "Pregnancy Sucks: For Men" which caught my eye at goodwill, and I think he's finding some comrodery there. Also, the book seems to have a lot of anticdotes about women who are significantly more horrific than I am, so I'm seeing him develop an appreciation for my finer points (like the part where I don't wake him up in the middle of the night to go to the store for product X and food item Y).

We are using some of our final baby-free days to explore our new hometown together. I decided not to work today so we could share a day off, and we went to "The Grumpy Troll Brew Pub" in Mt Horeb for some excellent cheesecurds and home-brewed rootbeer as well as to "Cave of the Mounds" on a stalactite-o-riffic tour of the underground treasures of Wisconsin. It was neat:)

So, I guess what is the most important new development for me since I last wrote, is that I actually feel ready. Sure, I could use a few more weeks to go to childbirth classes (last weekend in March, 1st in April), set up the nursery (currently covered in chair dust), work (so we don't run out of $$ in August!) and rest (sort of...).... but when it comes down to it, the last few days have left me feeling like if I went into labor immediately, we could handle it. Very cool stuff.
Love,
The empowered but exhausted Lady Bornselhoft and her ever-attentive family

Sweet baby James

Hello all:)
For those who don't already know, Jess and I have decided on the first name of James for the baby. This was my grandpa Hubbard's name, and is also the name of Jess's grandpa and his brother, and his father's middle name. James's last name will be Born, like Jesse. The middle name, however, is still a point of debate. Jess likes Braeburn. I like Patterson, Michael, and Jonathan. My guess is we will go with none of those, but who knows. I figure James can tell us what he likes best when he comes out to meet us:)
My first voice teacher, Debbie Wahlberg, threw me a baby shower in Ironwood last weekend. It was apple themed, because Jess works for apple and I'm a teacher so I have my own apple career affiliations! They made a macbook cake, and one of the shower games was to unscramble names of apples. A grand time was had by all (I think... although if that's not the case, I choose to ignore the facts!) I know there are some Chicago-area folks looking for updates to my list of recieved items, so please check my previous post, entitled "about the registry" for the new scoop. As I looked at my pile of beautiful baby gifts, I think the reality of this little guy in my belly as a PERSON hit me full force for the first time... I mean, I had thought about that he would be a BABY, and then I thought about that he would be a BOY, but it hadn't truly registered that he's going to be a whole PERSON... a MAN even, eventually. Madness. I'm growing a man in my belly. Nature is a strange and tempermental beast. It makes me sleepy. Or perhaps that's James sapping me of all my energy. 7.5 weeks and counting. I need a nap.
Love,
a very sleepy, very round version of the lady previously known as leanne

coming into the home stretch

hehehe. 31 weeks here. I have had a busy couple of weeks, as I have finally started subbing in the Madison public schools. It's a far cry from Winnetka, and several students have already addressed me in a way that prompted me to put the fear of God into their hearts by using pregnancy-induced outbursts to my best advantage. Amazing how terrifying a pregnant woman can be! :) Unfortunately, I am not always able to channel my new hormones for good. Jess continues to be an excellent sport as I grumble about my aches, pains, and fatness. I do my best not to get too grumpy when he teases me, since he DOES manage to cater to my every need and spoil me whenever possible.... but sometimes I am just downright mean despite my best intentions. I'm grateful that he is the forgiving sort.
Tomorrow we're going to go to a Madison store called "Happy bambino" to check out birth and parenting classes we might want to take. Goodness knows it wouldn't hurt for us to be armed with a little more information before this guy emerges from my belly and demands that we have some clue what we're doing!
Happy day-after-the-holiday-i-usually-completely-ignore-but-this-year-enjoyed-because-my-family-rocks!
~Leanne and co.

I heart my macbook

Hello all:)
I would like to give full credit to Steve Jobs for this photograph. I took it myself using Photobooth on my Mac! Anyway, week 29 is treating me well. I had my first appointment with my new care provider today, and she says everything about the pregnancy is right on track. No gestational diabetes or anemia in sight. She commented that I "must have a spectacular diet!" I decided that it was best not to mention the cheese puffs and diet coke I had for lunch... it occurred to me that our definitions of "spectacular" might not line up exactly! Joking aside, I have mostly been taking really good care of myself, so I was relieved to see it showing in my lab work today. In other health news, I will be giving birth at Meriter Hospital, under the care of the UW Midwives. Jess and I get to take a tour of the birth facilities tomorrow, but all the literature shows it to be a really nice place. (this is the address for a virtual tour:
http://www.meriter.com/about/tours/index.asp?v=14 ) And best of all, the insurance company has assured me that all of my care will be covered in full. Hoorah!
Aside from that, not much to report. Still settling into our new life and trying to find ways to get connected with the community without spending much money. I think that part will be easier once the weather starts to shape up. Jess and I went to the zoo yesterday (Madison has a neat free zoo!), and I may have imagined it, but I thought the polar bear looked a little chilled!
Much love!
~the Bornselhofts:)

whew.

Ok, so I've been neglecting my blogging duties, and I apologize. To make it up to you, I am giving you not one but TWO pictures this week:) Firstly, back to my traditional pregnant belly shots... Now at 27.5 weeks, I am obviously getting bigger and have switched into maternity pants full-time. Happily, I don't seem to be gaining much weight other than in my belly, so in THEORY it will come off easily at the end.

Secondly, I have graduated in my knitting skills from single-width, single-color scarves to BOOTIES. Having successfully completed this project in two days, I now consider myself capable of knitting anything at all, and I have every intention of doing so. Since I have about a week left before I can start subbing in Madison, I am using my down-time to play housewife. Jesse has been enjoying having his lunch packed for him every morning and coming home to find his house in better shape than he left it. I have been enjoying watching lots of movies, knitting, and nesting in our new place. I can't even express in words how happy I am to know that 2.0 has his very own nursery and Jesse and I have the physical and financial space we need to support him:)

In other news, we are still trying to navigate the fun and exciting ordeal of insurance and which birth place will best suit our philosophical and financial ideals. Things are not looking promising for the birthing center, even though we both LOVED it there. We would have to pay them up front in order to be fully reimbursed by the insurance, and I don't think we'll be able to come up with that kind of funding so quickly. I'm hoping to get quotes from the hospitals in the area within a week so that I can choose and start back up with the prenatal appointments.

I realized yesterday that in 9.5 weeks, I'll be considered full-term, which means that I 2.0 would not be considered premature from that point forward. I can't believe how much things are changing and how quickly this pregnancy is flying by! He just gave me a big kick... I guess he'd like me to say hello to all of you for him.

We all send lots of love! Thanks for checking in!!
~Leanne, Jesse, and a very active 2.0