28 weeks down- and my mind is running rabid :)

Yesterday the bump and I had our 28 week OB appointment. I had to drink the glucose cocktail and have blood drawn. I was a tad nervous, seeing that they closely time you in drink the sugar bevy. You get two minutes- that's it, or the test is compromised. I think I made all co-eds proud by finish the drink in a record 15 seconds! (There was an old Chi-O chant going through my head, but I won't repeat it here. You still might catch fragments of it on the patio of the College Delly on Thursday nights, around 11 pm. That chant was my mantra to get the juice down.) It wasn't too bad- it tasted like a 100 year old Sunkist soda. The after-effects were interesting. I didn't get hyper, but I got really hot. Lucky for me, I had to wait for the doc in my socks and a paper gown for 45 minutes. That turned out to be a quick fix to the sugar induced heat flash, though I spent most of the time wiggling around. (There is never enough paper to cover all the essentials.) The test results will be back in a few days. I really hope I don't have to take the extended 4 hour version of this test- more funky Sunkist and even more blood drawn. To ensure that a false-positive result would be reached, I fasted on all things sugar 2 days prior to the test. What a huge sacrifice to make when you've got a kitchen full of Christmas goodies! Not fair.

Now it's time to explain the pictures above. . .
The worst part is that dreaded needle- with it's menacing hollow shaft and big tubed friends. I had been fretting about this over my entire break. Thoughts of sugar plum fairies and phlebotomists danced in my head Christmas Eve; like I was stuck in the remake of "The Nutcracker" starring Dr. Mengele and the Golden Girls. But as always, and you can verify this with Jesse, my imagination never lives up to the actual event. I blow everything out of proportion. This is what happens to unharnessed creativity- when it's allowed to run-a-muck. In reality, the OB's resident phlebotomist is actcually very nice and does a great job. Also, I am a big chicken.

Not So Silent Night

Arrangement and modifcations
by: Anna W. Thomas


Silnet night, Holy night
All is calm, my pants are tight
Round yon belly full of child
Holy, this infant is kicking so wild
Hope I get some heavely peace
but I'll be up late havin' to pee

Merry Christmas from Anna and the Bump!

Happy Holidays!

I wanted to send a warm Season's Greetings to you before the 25th. Jesse and I will be skating around the peninsula for the next four days. Know that I love you all and have enjoyed sharing our journey with you! Have a safe and wonderful winter holiday. Happy Holidays to you and your families! xoxo, Anna

3-2-1 Contact!

Jesse met Miles this week. They gave each other high 5's through my belly. For weeks this kid has been a whirling dervish in tummy, but Jesse would always miss the show. Every time I called him over, the baby would swim in the opposite directions- playing tag with Daddy. I was starting to feel that Jesse didn't believe me. However, on a whim earlier this week, I was talking to Jesse- he was sitting, and he reached up and placed his hand on the baby bump. Amazingly, as soon as he did, Miles swam by. I have never seen a happier face than I did on Jesse. His grin would have put the Cheshire Cat to shame. He glowed like a compact fluorescent light bulb. I think he felt proud. I am so glad that he had this belly bonding experience; I know he's waited months for this to happen. What Jesse positively react to our son's presence is a huge vote of confidence. I know he love this child so much- already!

Life Imitating Art

We teach our students to build connections with literature. In fact, we spend most of our time scaffolding this type of thinking. Research shows that when a reader can form a personal connection to a text, their comprehension and retention of information soars. Today, I connected with a text, in a fashion that I had never before done. My 5th and 7th period classes are reading "Gift of the Magi", by O. Henry. Now, I've read this story many times. I even taught it last year. This is not a new story. However, as I read it today, I found myself reading with a new set of eyes, and these eyes began to water by 7th period. O. Henry is a master of irony. For those of you not familiar with the story, I will give you a quick and dirty synopsis. There is a down-on-their luck working class couple that makes huge personal sacrifices to ensure that their beloved has an amazing Christmas gift. Enter the dramatic and situational ironies- the sacrifices they make prohibit them from using their respective holiday surprises- Della sells her beautiful hair, and Jim sells his gold watch. Jim buys Della lavish hair clips, and Della buys Jim a watch chain to match his watch. They learn in the end that their love and sacrifice are gifts enough. My connection to the story is that I want to shower my husband and soon-to-be-here baby with presents that represent my love. Unlike Della, my husband has already told me from the beginning that my love is gift enough for him. That is enough to make me cry, right there. I know, in my mind, that spoiling a person is not giving true love. And until I taught the story today, I didn't know that in my heart. As I read today, I felt like Della, poised and ready to chop off my hair to score my husband an expensive trinket. Though unlike Della, I opted for a special Christmas card which I filled with a heart-felt message. This card will symbolize more accurately my love and thankfulness- more than any electronic gizmo or watch chain could ever do. Thank you O. Henry. Granted, there will be a few items under our tree- but the real gifts will rest in our relationship, love, and excitement for the future.

hot mama

It's 30 degrees outside, and I am lounging around in a tank top and flip flops (and pants, too.) Now, I am not always this sultry. Some days I feel frozen to the core. Other days I snap back and form like a thermometer that's being used a racket ball. I am learning the ancient art of layering. I also keep a back-up pair of Reefs in my office at school- the feet get the roastiest toastiest!

freak out mystery solved!

Okay, so I freaked out yesterday when I realized how soon the new Thomas will be here. Additionally, I freaked out when my hippie-naturalist, go-with-the-flow, embrace the experience, love your mother side gave way to my dark, type A, control freak side. I am very yin and yang- just without the balancing dots. Even-keeled has never been on my resume, and that scares me! I am so flooded with emotions- all 31 flavors of joy and fear. I need to get Ben & Jerry's with this process and mix them all together to form a tasty treat- not live by single serving bites. Man, I want some ice cream right now. There is some heartfelt truth to my need to embrace the process. I was so moved watching our friends Missy and Andy with their baby boys on Sunday. I tried to image Jesse and I with our little man and what it would be like- and then I got scared. Fears about adequacy, attention, affection, and properly equipped nursery room and house overtook my daydream. Jesse has calls me out for being a pessimist- he's right. I let fear suck the joy out of the fantasy. Well, darn it, I am only pregnant, for the first time, once, and I refuse to have the experience governed by doubt and parades of what-if's. Jesse tells me to have faith and relax- that everything will work out in the end. I respond to his glass-half-full attitude by whipping my internal worker ants into a rally-worthy furry. Together, we crash around the house doing pointless chores and grumbling about things we cannot change- me and my ants. I want to replace these proverbial ants with freedom-loving butterflies! Let me flit from dream to dream, only resting on the beautiful pieces of each day. (Can I do this and still have German ancestry?) I need a prenatal chill pill to take with my prenatal vitamin.

a case of the grumpies

I am ATing. Typically, you'd see HALTing as term- Hungry Angry Lonely Tired. I'm not hungry because I am always eating, nor am I lonely because I have a wicked case of cabin fever right now. Currently, I am just Angry and Tired. To be more exact, I am HFSDUFing- Hormonal, Freaked that in 15 weeks a baby will be here, Stressed about being prepared and my final exam tomorrow, Depressed because my butt is massive, Unfocused- haven't started studying yet- yikes, and Forgetful- wait, what am I ranting about??

This is the dark under belly of pregnancy- the loss of sanity. I wish everything were always sunshine and roses. I wish I could let go and have faith in the process-knowing that in the end all will be taken care of. I am thankful that I can recognize my evil need to control everything, but I am sad that I still initially act on those urges and push away the ones I need the most.

Enter a tiny ray of sunshine- I feel much better committing these nasty feelings to the page- like purging out anxieties. Sorry to share less than pleasant vibes, but better out with shame than in with pain.

We got the green light

Jesse and I went to a specialist today at the Newport News Riverside facility- we needed to see a doctor who has a nicer sonogram machine. Our last visit, with our regular doc, did not yield a an entire view of the new Thomas' heart. Our doc couldn't id all four chambers. Today, we saw all the chambers and reconfirmed the he is, in fact, still a he. Hee, hee. The only let down of the afternoon was the sonogram machine which was used. Both Jesse and I had been laboring under the impression that we would be treated to a 3-D image on a "$300, 000" device, or at least that is what we were told. In reality, it was basically the same machine, as in Williamsburg. The Newport News doc also reviewed blood work tests from weeks ago-he said the only thing I have to worry about is simply being pregnant. He had a very dry sense of humor. We did get some new pictures today, but you really can't make them out. If there is a public outcry, demanding to see said photos, I will post them. If not, you can wait until March 24th to see the real thing!

kicks and lit

Kicks: I felt a baby kick from the outside this morning. This is huge because, so far, all movement has been kept internal. Lots of extra padding, you see? But today, the new Thomas was able to kick my hand up. Immediately I screamed for Jesse; he's been more anxious about feeling kicks. Sadly, no motion was to be felt by his hand. Jesse gave up after a minute and left the room, but he left too soon because the baby did it again. Jesse does not believe me. I think he's just bummed that he hasn't felt the little one yet.
Lit: My dad just celebrate his birthday (62 or 29-depending on how you flip the candles-according to him), with two new children's' books. I decided to get him two titles to start a grand parents' library. I will always cherish my dad's most animated way of reading and telling stories. He even went so far as to record stories for me when he would be out of town. I still have my copy of Grover's story, "When is Saturday?" I gave Dad copies of "the Angry Caterpillar" and "Corduroy." He will turn them into masterpieces!

Mom to the Rescue!

My mother is my superhero. Forget capes and red tights, square jaws perched on mutant-human faces, and invisible flying jet-powered cars. Mom is all I need, and with the slightest hint of pain or despair in my voice, she braves the Route 5 traffic in her Prius (a truly heroic car). Today, she delivered grapefruit from my grandfather's yard in Florida, a quart of divine Brunswick stew from the Optimist Club, fresh greenery for holiday decorations, and soothing balm for my belly-aches. Her thoughtfulness leaves me in awe. For example, almost every day in college, I received in the mail a hand-painted postcard, with inspirational quote or message, from her. I saved every single card. She showed me unending love even when I was behaving in my most unlovable fashion. Just thinking about all the support and care I have received over the years from her is making my cry right now. Moms rule! And now, in about four months, I will have to morph from daughter to mother. That scares me, but I know that super grand mom will be there to help me. Actually, make that two super grand moms- because Jesse's mom is just as amazing and loving. This baby is so blessed! I just have to remember to keep my big girl britches on and keep in mind that a little one is now depending on me- just like I have depended on my mom.