Baby's first shuttle launch

Saturday afternoon, Khan, Ivan, Tere, and I got in the Altima and drove across the state to Kennedy Space Center to see the shuttle Discovery launch. With few launches on Saturday afternoons and few launches before the program ends, we figured we should take the opportunity while we still have it.

We didn’t have a good spot; we were near the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, which is a ways from the launch pads. It was as far as people were allowed to go in this area, but I think there are better viewing areas along the beaches nearby. Live and learn, right?

Traffic wasn’t great, but it could’ve been worse. The worst part was how hot it was. I had figured we’d stay near the car, but we had to get out and walk to get a better view. There was very little shade and a lot of people, so it made for a really uncomfortable, sweaty hour of waiting before the launch.

The launch itself was pretty cool. We couldn’t see it at first because we were just too far away and the big crowd of people, but it was thanks to the Hummer that parked right in front of us at the last second that really obstructed our view. As though I needed another reason to hate those things.

But we did see it as it got higher and higher until it was out of sight. We felt the ground shake a little, and we could hear the loud rumblings – even over the Hummer and the police noises. So there it is, another thing we can check off life’s to-do list.

The highlight of the day for me, though, was our stop at Ikea on the way home. As we were walking through the home office section, I said, “Do you think they’ll have a nice chair for about $30?” I was kidding, of course, but lately my scrapbooking chair had gotten so uncomfortable that it just pisses me off and then I get so crabby that I can’t do anything. But at the same time, really isn't money for a new chair right now. And that’s when we found the Handsley. Or Hanselby. Or something like that. And it was perfectly comfortable with a nice high back – for $29.99. I heart Ikea.

Belated baby shower post

Well, May was a busy month. After a few weekends of birthday parties and home improvements, we had our baby shower. Marina and Tere put everything together for it, and they did an amazing job. Especially with the decorations; I thought it was the prettiest baby shower ever.

And Mom was here for the shower, too, so of course that was especially cool. Mom and I also got all of Lily’s stuff washed, organized, and put away. (I added some pictures of the shower and Mom’s visit in a photo album on the left.) So, I guess we’re ready now. Well, at least the nursery is ready…

Man, that contraction really hurt.

So we had the second of our four Prepared Childbirth classes last night. Last night’s class was all about pain management and relaxation. It’s nice to be informed about these things, but at the same time it’s completely freaking me out.

But we learned all about medicated labor versus an unmedicated labor. Our instructor gave us a lot of strategies for going unmedicated, from massage to aromatherapy, and other relaxation techniques. Actually, her techniques would be useful for a medicated labor, too, because apparently the doctors don’t like to give the epidural you’re 3 or 4 centimeters dilated.

So we tried out a few of the strategies. We tried “focused distraction,” where we saw how concentrating our focus on a relaxing or meaningful image could distract from the pain, or at least make it go by faster. We focused on a seashore scene and watched waves roll in. It really just made me have to pee.

And then we tried a breathing technique along with the imagery/distraction technique. We laid on the floor with our pillows and blankets and listened to the waves roll in while Kathy, our really-good-but-with-an-annoying-preschool-teacher-like-voice instructor described the sounds and the sensations of being at the beach. I think some of the moms fell asleep. But the floor was hurting my hipbone and I was annoyed by how long it was lasting. The imagery is lovely, but I’ll take the epidural, thank you very much. (Choose your words wisely if you want to challenge me on this.)

But my favorite pain management technique of the evening was “vocalization.” Kathy suggested that after each contraction, we could say, “Man, that contraction really hurt,” to help release the pain. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Pretty sure my words will be a little more colorful.

Good morning, third trimester

Can’t believe I’m in the third trimester already. Time flies, I guess, almost as quickly as our banana split. I can’t take the credit for this ice cream treat – this was Khan’s craving. And I was perfectly happy to share it with him.

Look, Dad! The fern is still alive.

Ok, I admit it: I’m nesting. But I think I’ve always been a nester, so this isn’t really THAT much different. Of course it started with the nursery, but it’s spreading from there.

The outside of our house has been in sorry shape since we moved in. The roof needed cleaning, the windows and screens need cleaning, and our patio could be beautiful, but we have nothing out there and it’s just ugly.

But suddenly I need the outside to be nicer. I need more plants. We have a row of hooks by the front door that have been empty (except for the two weeks after our July wedding) since we moved in. But on my birthday, I had to pot some flower baskets there. And we repotted some plants for the patio to add some beauty back there.

And of course, the house needs to be inviting not just for babies, but also for birds and butterflies. There’s a space next to the lanai where it looks like a garden should be. Not quite ready for a garden, but we did hang a bird feeder. And when the birds started to show up, I wanted to get a bird bath for them, too. Right next to the butterfly-attracting plant that has somehow survived for more than a year.

The crazy thing about all these plants and bird feeder is that we’re actually taking care of them. We’re watering the plants. Filling the bird feeder. This is new territory for both of us.

And then I decided that the bathroom update we’ve talked about several times is something we have to do right now. So we got new fixtures for the bathroom and picked out some paint. That little project is about 30% complete. The new faucet is in, so the hard part is done. I’m hoping we’ll finish it up with the light fixture and the new paint and accessories next weekend.

And, of course, there’s the nursery. This has been my favorite house project ever. I love Lily’s nursery. And, yes, I know she won’t care, it’s for me, and I love it. There are a couple of little things to add, but it’s about 90% done. Now we just need to add the baby.

I added pictures in the album called “nesting.” They start with the most recent first. This little process goes way back to January when we started clearing out rooms.