P. T. Day

          No, not physical therapy. Not physical training either, though I could definitely benefit from some. No, P. T. quite simply stands for Pregnancy Test. You see, it was a year ago today that we discovered that we were with child. A very happy and nerve wracking day indeed. A day for treats and celebration! A day, the anniversary of which shall be henceforth celebrated as one of thanksgiving. One year ago today we found out that we were parents, and from that day forth our lives would be so radically changed for the better.  Oh, it hasn't been easy - that first trimester was rough, these newborn days haven't been all peaches and cream, and there will most assuredly be many challenging times ahead - but it sure has been worth it overall.
          And, if you ask me, such days should be days of celebration for every pro-lifer. Why? Because it seems like celebrating the days we first found out about our children would have a little bit of impact on those who believe that murdering them in the name of "choice" is okay. Thanks to the great advances in science, it is becoming much more difficult for people to deny the humanity of the unborn, but why not do what we can to reinforce that knowledge? My thinking mostly follows the same kind of path it had when I wrote about whether or not to find out if we were having a boy or girl - discussing an unborn child in terms of he/she and names does wonders for remembering their humanity.  
          In a similar way, if we believe life begins at conception, then shouldn't we be celebrating life from the very beginning? Now, since celebrating 'conception day' would most likely be difficult for most because of uncertainty in regards to the actual day, and quite honestly, that would be a bit on the awkward side. I mean, really. Thus Pregnancy Test Day to the rescue! No "ick" factor, easy to explain, and still gets the point across. Seriously, how difficult is it to explain to a child (or anyone, for that matter) that "This was the day that we found out that God had given you to us, love, mushiness, cake, etc."? P. T. Day could even surpass birthdays in celebration! Personally, I'd like to celebrate both; who wouldn't like more frequent parties? And treats?  Anyway, those are just my two cents worth, and since J.B. has woken from his slumbers, that's all I'm going to have time for.  

Where Have All My Page-views Gone?

          Yes, that is a silly question.  Obviously, page-views will be lost when one stops posting, because there is quite simply nothing new to read.  So this shall be a post full of random things, mostly Facebook statuses that never were.  Yes, I'm narcissistic like that - but somewhere, deep down, aren't we all?  Don't we all have moments where we have the need to just put some thought out in the open where someone else might find it, no matter how silly or trivial it may be?  Some of us, no doubt, feel this urge stronger than others and such impulse is often exacerbated by solitariness and isolation.  Well, that's the boat I'm in, currently, and you all are the someones who get to find my jetsam.
Ready?  Here we go!

• This is currently the longest J.B. has ever slept at night, I think.  I started putting him to bed at quarter past ten last night, put him down at five past eleven, he woke up and I started the process again at twenty past, and put him down for the night at midnight, and he is still asleep at quarter to ten this morning.  (It usually takes about an hour to nurse him to sleep enough that I am able to put him down without him waking up, so I'm never really sure how long he actually sleeps.  I usually just count the hours from when I put him down to when he gets up in the morning.)
• How does one tactfully mention that his name is Joe or Joseph in real life, and that J.B. is only his blogosphere moniker? 
• Thank you, post pregnancy hair loss - I'm shedding faster than a woolly mammoth in the Mojave.  (Is it just me, or does "woolly" look like it's spelled funny?)
• Why is it that the only pair of pre-pregnancy pants that fit feel like they might be too big, but none of the others will fit?
• *sigh*  I was so excited about not being pregnant anymore and my regular clothes fitting that I kinda forgot all about the fact that I would be nursing, and as such certain clothes are not nursing friendly; namely, all of my dresses!
• Now, you may not believe this one, but it isn't the size on the clothes or the number on the scale that I find bothersome, but the fact that none of my pants or skirts fit!  Honestly, I think I look darn good for being nearly 16 weeks postpartum, and if I never fit into my clothes again I guess that'll be alright, but it sure would be nice to know so I can get rid of what I have and get new stuff!  It is so awful having tons of clothes and not being able to wear hardly any.  :(  I know it hasn't been that long, and I should give it more time...and probably start exercising regularly...and it's really good for developing patience...
• Finally!  Real winter weather!  Unfortunately, the cold means J.B. and I really shouldn't go for walks, especially now that he stays awake and wants to see what's going on.  
• There are days, where it seems if we stay in this small space for any longer I'm going to go nuts; at other times I think we could make it work for quite a bit more time, if only we had a washing machine and a dryer...  Now is one of the latter times.  
• Chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting is my new favorite.  
• All clothing, except for maybe dresses and shirts, should be sized according to units of length measurement.  That way, I won't be shocked when my 15 week old fits into 6 month clothes and 3-6 month clothes simultaneously.  It would really make knowing what clothes actually fit so much easier - no more trying them on until we get it right!

Well, I think J.B. might be waking up (finally!), So I suppose I ought to go tend to him.  Not a particularly intelligent post, but at least I got to write one!  Hopefully next time will be better.  I have lots of ideas, but no time...

March For Life 2013

We can't go, but that doesn't mean we can't show our support!

Little Mama Milestones

          So this post is dedicated to the little milestones in a first-time-mom's life.  You know, the ones where you can spend the day not in bed and not end up with a fever by supper.  Or when that little run in with mastitis is gone, only to be replaced by a tiny turn with thrush.  Okay, so maybe not everyone encounters those.  But there ought to be small celebrations for spending the day outside of the bedroom; for no longer feeling like you've been run over by a truck.  (Giving birth for the first time is a full body experience, let me tell you.)  The day nursing actually doesn't hurt anymore.  Your first little outing as a family - for us it was to mass - and the baby doesn't scream bloody murder or want to be fed.  The first large gathering where everyone gets to meet the new arrival.  The first trip out, just baby and me.  Being able to vacuum and do dishes without Daddy being home.  I would probably be able to add laundry to that list if we had a washer here - juggling laundry baskets and the baby at the laundromat is a bit too much for me at the moment.  That first grocery shopping trip.  Figuring out that nursing in public is almost no big deal.  That first shower where you don't have to rush, because the baby no longer thinks he needs to eat every hour on the dot.  
          Though it was such an awesome thing being able to take that shower, the best thing is realizing that I can do this whole mothering thing.  Not only am I capable of it, I rather enjoy it.  Feeling confident in myself, that I can take care of the baby and the house too.  No longer feeling useless.  I know feeding and changing and feeding the baby are good things, and housework can wait, but it really is much better now that I can spend my time in a clean, mostly uncluttered apartment.  And stretching.  Oh my goodness, is stretching just the most amazing thing ever!  In all seriousness, though, it is good to be back to feeling like me again.  :)