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Well, Leah and I have survived our first solo week at home. I was a bit apprehensive at first (well, Sunday I was downright weepy about it, but I think much of that had to do with hormones and lack of sleep), but after our first day together, I felt a bit more confident. In fact, I felt confident enough to venture out to Wegman's on Tuesday. (Granted, I timed it after one of her feedings, and strategically planned my grocery list so that I only had to hit the aisles with the necessary groceries, but still, we actually went out.) Then, after my doctor's appointment yesterday, Leah and I headed to Target for a few things. (For those of you wondering why I didn't just ask Scott to go, well, it was easier for me to go to Target, since some of the items were specific to me [ie. hair color]. As for the grocery store, Scott had actually been planning on going that night when he got home; he had no idea that I was going to go.)
All of this time with Leah has taught me a few more things about her (though I know I still have much more to learn).
1. She hates napping. Hates it. In fact, I'm surprised she's been asleep long enough this afternoon for me to check email and actually blog. Most of the time, she'll take forever to fall asleep, and then only nap for about 30 minutes or so before fussing again. (And no, it's not the active sleep fuss; it's the full out, "I'm awake and I want to be held" fuss.) We're trying to figure out how to get her to nap without becoming dependent on any one sleep "crutch".
2. Though she doesn't like to nap, she does sleep at night (for the most part). At one point at night she'll sleep between four and five hours, which is a definite blessing. I wonder if those longer periods of rest, though, make it even harder for me to get up to feed her.
3. She loves being held and cuddled; loves it! I think that's one reason why it's so hard to set her down to nap. It's as if she knows that neither I nor Scott is holding her. (At one point this week, we cuddled up on the couch since she wouldn't nap on her own, and I desperately needed one. That seemed to do the trick, and I was able to rest a bit... which was better than nothing.) Of course, I loved cuddling with her, which is why I have a hard time waking her after she eats. I'd rather just curl up with her.
4. She knows exactly when Scott and I are going to eat dinner. It's as if there's an on/ off switch that's triggered right when we're about to sit down. Thankfully, Scott has mastered holding her on his lap while eating.
Well, today was my last day at work. It still feels a bit surreal, as if I'm just getting ready for summer vacation. The fact that I'm actually done teaching (indefinitely) hasn't sunk in yet (but neither has the fact that tomorrow Scott and I both will be able to hold Leah).
Several of my students stopped by today to give me a hug, wish me well, and say good-bye. Others asked about when I might be bringing Leah by for a visit. Still others gave me a hard time about leaving in general.
What makes me laugh is that I don't think many of these same students would make the same effort to say good-bye if I had stayed until the end of the school year. Often, especially with my juniors, my students leave the last class without saying a word of parting. Yet now they're saying good-bye or telling me that they wish I would be returning to school. Why is that?
I will certainly miss certain aspects of teaching, but you know, it's rather liberating knowing that I'm done grading papers, writing lesson plans, dealing with apathetic students, or talking to parents. I'm done. Finished. What freedom!
One last pregnant picture: 40 weeks and 4 days...
Can I just tell you how much I hate Comcast? I don't know if it's really possible to despise a company, but honestly, I can't think of anything positive to say about it. Sad, huh? (For those of you not familiar with it, Comcast is the local cable company.)
Why do I hate them so? Well, let's see.
First, the cost. They nickle and dime you. We pay for basic cable in the basement and our bedroom, but have to pay separately for the HD hook-up in the family room. If we wanted HD in the other rooms, then it would be an additional $12 each (well, it might be more now). Oh, and the number of HD channels available? Not that impressive, especially compared to what we had with satellite (which was considerably cheaper than cable). And let's not mention the cost of the Internet. For high-speed Internet that's supposedly "so fast", I'm not impressed.
The cost wouldn't be such an issue if we actually got what we paid for. Which leads me to the second reason, inconsistencies with the technicians. If someone comes to our house to set-up HD for us, wouldn't it make sense for that person to know what he was doing? We've had two techs hook-up the HD two different ways. When we signed up for HD, the tech came out and set it up for us using the box. Well, recently, we'd been having problems with the reception (sound but no actual show, just a blue screen or an orange screen; then nothing on another occasion), even though we hadn't done anything to interfere with it. Scott called and talked to the customer support, but of course, they couldn't do anything, though the one agreed (with Scott) that it was probably a problem with the box itself. So enter tech number two. He came out just last week, but determined that the problem wasn't with the box, but with our setup. So, he changed a cord or two instead of replacing the box. Well, now when we turn on the (HD) TV, it doesn't immediately come in in HD. And some channels that were HD before now aren't! Sometimes, I can get a channel to come in as HD (1080 pix) if I switch channels several times first, but seriously, I shouldn't have to do that, especially since we have an HD TV and are paying for HD cable service. Argh!
And then there's reason number three, a dead phone. Yup, today Scott picked up the home phone to make a call and discovered that we don't have any service. None. Nada. Zilch. When he called customer service, he was told that the phone and cable (he also wanted to talk to somebody about the HD issue above) are handled by two separate areas, so he had to call two separate numbers. Anyway, today was too soon to get a phone service rep out here to look at the line, so we now have to wait until Friday. (I'm sure they could have sent someone out here sooner, but seeing as how I'm being induced tomorrow and will be at the hospital until Thursday, well, you get the idea.) So now we don't have phone service (translation: call us on our cell phones if you need to get in touch with us between now and Friday).
Scott and I had satellite at our other home, and we really, REALLY tried setting it up here. We had two satellite companies out here looking for signals, but due to our home's position and the trees in our backyard, neither company could establish a signal. Never once did we have the problems with satellite that we do with Comcast. Never.
Fios come quickly; we're suffering under Comcast's tyranny.
Obviously since I'm posting right now, you can deduce that Leah is still snug. There basically wasn't any change between last week and this week, so she's taking her time. Since the practice I attend doesn't like waiting a week beyond the due date to induce due to greater risks to the baby and mother, the doctor gave me some options for next week.
I could have waited one more week (so until 3/12) to see if I progressed any more before scheduling an induction, or I could go ahead and schedule one. So... I chose the latter. After all, it appears that this little lady doesn't want to move if she doesn't have to, so now she has an official eviction date: T, 3/10, at 6:30 AM (well, so the time will be up to her, but the process will begin then).
I'm not too thrilled about being induced, but I've been preparing myself lately for that possibility. Besides, my other expectations (her arriving early) were foiled, so why should I be surprised if this one isn't, too? At least I know that this time next week I'll be holding her in my arms.
And I know that there's still a chance she might arrive before then, but, again, I'm not placing any bets.
On the brighter side, I can say good-bye to all my students. I'll see half of them tomorrow, and the other half on Monday, which is nice, especially since I haven't seen the other half (the Monday crew) since last Wednesday due to doctor's appointments and snow days. Though saying good-bye to my students might not mean much to them, I'm one who prefers closure, so at least I'll feel better having a final day with them.
In the meantime, keep praying that all will go smoothly for delivery. And, I wouldn't even mind if you prayed that Leah might come before her scheduled arrival. Looks like this might be my last post for awhile, but as soon as I'm coherent and functioning again, I'll be sure to update you on Miss Leah Jordan.
