35 and Third Trimester

Yesterday was my 35th birthday and the first day of my third trimester. Once you're thirty-five, the medical profession officially considers you an old pregnant woman, or "elderly gravida." That's a tad depressing. On the other hand, I intend to live longer than average, so I figure in some sense I can just consider myself younger than I am. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Mostly I don't worry about it, though, because I certainly don't feel like I'm now halfway through my thirties.

And the start of my third trimester means that I need to really get in gear getting ready for Daegan's arrival! This weekend I started sorting through our boxes and boxes of Seda clothes to see which ones will work for a boy. I still need to dig out her old bottles and teething rings and the like and see which ones will work for a new baby. Poor second baby - gets everything hand-me-down. Once we sort through all of Seda's old baby stuff, we need to figure out what we are still missing and need to buy.

We have tours of Missouri Baptist and St. Luke's hospital scheduled next week. Originally, we were going to go with St. Luke's, but recently we have been reconsidering. We've been going to Mo Bap for ultrasounds and for Seda's little run to the emergency room, and we like it. We think we might stick with it.

Once we pick out a hospital, I want to sign Seda up for a sibling class. This is a two hour class at the hospital where they show the new little sisters and brothers where their mommies will be when they are in the hospital and talk about what it is like to have a sibling. I think it will make her more comfortable with mommy being gone for a couple days when the birth comes.

We are realizing that we need to figure out where to put the stuff for a second kid. Seda has pretty much maxed out the space in her dresser and closet, so we either need to consolidate her things and toss out some of them, or find more space somewhere - and soon. We are already struggling with where to put Daegan's clothes.

I still need to do all the paperwork of submitting my request for pregnancy leave of absence at work and registering at whichever hospital we pick out. I need to figure out what I will need in my hospital bag. The question of what to put in the bag for the hospital is a difficult one to answer - 90% of what we brought last time was useless, and the things I was really happy to have, like a robe for warmth and leave-in conditioner so I could whip myself into shape for post-baby pictures, were things I didn't anticipate would be very helpful. Finally, in preparation for the birth we would really like to get the carpets professionally cleaned before there is a new baby rolling on them. With three cats and a toddler, they really, really need it.

The silliest thing on my preparation-for-birth shopping list is Depends adult diapers. Last time, my water broke at home and it leaked EVERYWHERE for hours and hours and nothing absorbed it. Normal sanitary napkins didn't even touch the problem. It was very uncomfortable and annoying to be leaking fluid every where I went. On the other hand, I have to admit I'm suffering from some embarassment in thinking about buying adult diapers. I'll have to pick them up when I'm on a shopping trip with my mom and dad or my mother-in-law or someone, and then the clerk will assume the diapers are for them and not me.

I've been trying to buy the things we need used, second-hand from Craigslist or yard sales mostly. Recently, I decided that I wanted to get a sling to try with the new baby. We have a backpack-type baby carrier that we used last time, but I was interested in a sling because you're supposed to be able to nurse in them if you become skillfull. Luckily, I found a nice one for $20 on Craigslist. Here are Mac and Seda modeling the new sling. . . .