an addendum

Shortly after I wrote my last blog post, Annabelle threw up in her bed. After we finally calmed her down, put her to sleep in our bed, I got up to pee. As I got back into bed I felt a pop and my water broke. It was one in the morning. We loaded up Annabelle, took her to the people who we have been friends with for half of our lives, and then my water broke some more on their front porch. Hope they get that cleaned up in time--their house is on an upcoming home tour. We headed to the hospital and everything looked like it was going to be great, until I had two contractions in a row and her heart rate dropped. Nurses came dashing into the room and scared me a little bit. I was then put on a gradual pitocin drip and I called my mom to get the prayer chain going. She started it, and then with an ankle broken in three places, got in the car and came down to be here for me and the wee babe. And so as a reward, I let her see the whole birth from a front row seat, if you know what I mean.

So there we were, my mom, a nurse who was married to a Trooper I used to work with, and a doctor who was an exact combination me of my Aunt Belia and Magda C_________ and of course, my dear and loving husband. And some other lady nurses, who I don't remember.

If there is one thing I'll never forget about Annabelle's birth it is the look of joy on my husband's face after she was born.

If there is one thing I'll never forget about Tallulah's birth it is the alternating looks of joy, worry and encouragement on my mother's face as she watched me push my second born out of my body.

And now she is here. Tallulah Rose Nguyen. Perfect Joy. And I can say that still, after a night with no sleep.

overtime

When I was on the last night of my 38th week with Annabelle we went to the Rajun Cajun. I felt very odd, like I was inside of a jar and everyone around me was outside of the jar. My friends were talking and laughing and having a good time and I was watching them with a hazy, detached interest. I had some boudain balls and then we went home. I took a bath, called my sister and we chatted for a bit and then I settled into bed. I was wearing my navy blue flowered pajama bottoms from the gap. I felt something moist between my legs and got out of bed, thinking my mucus plug had come out (sorry to any squeamish readers, but it is totally natural and probably happened to your mom, so get over it). I hopped out of bed and there was a trickle coming down my legs. It continued as I walked to the bathroom and I realized that my water had broken. It was at 10:30 at night. Twleve hours later, we had a baby on the first day of my 39th week.

I am writing this at 10:30. On the last night of my 38th week. Tomorrow is the first day of my 39th week.

Okay, now it is 10:32. We are in pregnancy overtime according to my way of looking at things.

the proper way to clean a kitchen

The Proper Way to Clean a Kitchen

By Ann Stevens, Martha Stewart, Toni Stevens and me

1. Cleaning the kitchen begins before you begin eating. There should always be a properly set table, which means serving food on platters and bowls rather than plating it restaurant style. This allows you to let the pots and pans soak during dinner.

2. Completely clear the table, that way the dining room can look neat while you are cleaning,

3. Wash dishes from least dirty to most dirty.

4. Dry dishes ****

5. Put dishes away ****

6. Clean table with soapy rag.

7. Clean countertops.

8. Clean stove.

9. Sweep floor.

10. Put dirty dish cloths in hamper.

11. Empty trash can.

12. Set out dish cloths for the next day's use.

Now admittedly I don't do these things all of the time. But at a minimum, I put the dishes away.

It is not, I repeat it is not, under any circumstances appropriate to leave clean dishes all over the countertop and sink. One would think that certain people, who are always touting their neatness, and telling other certain people how messy they are would know this. It would be as natural as breathing to a neat person to put away the dishes.

But apparently not.

Certain people have lots of little idiosyncrasies (or idiosycrazies) that they need to have in a certain way in order to function. Like doors closed, lights at a certain level, blinds drawn, clutter put away, etc. Other certain people have very few idiosyncrasies. Very few.

Just one.

One.

Put the dishes away dammit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

waiting

At the end of your pregnancy, you become something other. You are not really female anymore. You are a gestating individual. Your body is not recognizable, not even to you. You wear the same thing every day because you can't bear to spend any money on anything that you will only wear for a couple of weeks. Your shoes don't fit the same. And so you wear crocs everywhere and even contemplate wearing them to church. You are not yourself. You haven't been yourself for months, but at the end, you are really not the same. You are no longer feminine and it happens so gradually you don't even notice it until one day you are looking at a catalog, or watching a fashion segment on the Today show and realize, "oh yeah, I used to care about that sort of thing. I used to wear belts and tuck my shirt into my pants"

For someone like me, who used to take great delight in choosing what I would wear every day this realization is especially hard. Even after I quit my job, I always tried to wear something semi-cute around the house and put on makeup and style my hair every day. I don't want to be the shlubby mom and wife who walks around in sweats and a t-shirt with holes. Even during pregnancy, I tried to be the cute pregnant mama. But now, I am down to one pair of jeans, two pairs of yoga pants and a couple of dresses that I can really only wear to church. Oh, and crocs, of course. Thank Lord, for giving us crocs.

And I am waiting. Waiting for my girl so I can be a girl again.

into every pregnancy a little rain must fall

1. completed baby room? check
2. house in order? check
3. presents to annabelle from Tallulah? check
4. big sister t-shirt? check
5. dilated half a centimeter? check
6. 60 percent effaced? check
7. mom who broke her ankle in three places and now cannot come to take care of me and Annabelle?

check.

rain, monsoon, tsunami, whatever.