My whole house was shaking, and the pictures on my walls were moving!
We had a much smaller earthquake, about 50 miles away, last year, but it was really early in the morning, and I slept through it. This is the first one I've ever felt. And I heard it coming, too! That was a crazy experience.
Wow, that would have freaked me out too, we only got a shake here.
I'm in MD and we got a good little shaking too.. moved the bed while I was trying to nap and rattled the dishes. Definitely got my heart rate going and I wondered if it might move the baby too, but I don't think so. ;-)
In other news, I am kind of freaking out about my hospital bag too.. i have never stayed in a hospital (had HB last time) and I also can't really remember how things were right after DD was born. I think I just sat around in a nursing bra and shorts for about a week...
I'm in MD and we got a good little shaking too.. moved the bed while I was trying to nap and rattled the dishes. Definitely got my heart rate going and I wondered if it might move the baby too, but I don't think so. ;-)
In other news, I am kind of freaking out about my hospital bag too.. i have never stayed in a hospital (had HB last time) and I also can't really remember how things were right after DD was born. I think I just sat around in a nursing bra and shorts for about a week...
I just started a thread about what to put in my hospital bag yesterday. Should be easy to find, lots of great info from Wombatclay of course.
bladder/kidney woes- Ouch! Is there anything they can do (medically) to help? That sounds terrible!
earthquake- didn't feel it, though DH did. I lived in CA as a kid and was visiting relatives in Santa barbara for the Loma Prieta quake, but upstate NY gets so few quakes I'm sort of sorry I "missed" this one. To throw in my reference librarian two cents (LOL!)... quakes on the east coast give more bang for their buck because the underlying rocks are more solid and the shock waves move through them more easily/quickly. That's why you get a relatively small quake in Virginia but you have noticable results (pictures or glasses falling for instance) hundreds of miles away. Like the historical "bells rang in Boston" quake. A similarly sized quake on the west coast doesn't go as far or do as much because the underlying rock is already broken up and fractured. You need a lot more enegry to get the same effect.
Random factoids unite! (hey, it's something to think about other than pregnancy aches, pains, and anticipation right?) ;)
Bignerpie - We have more or less the same set up here - except our FD is able to respond?. We live out of town, so our fire dept is close and staffed by volunteers. They are trained as first responders though and if we called 911 would most likely be the first ones on scene. Followed by the ambulance, and they are located about a 10 min drive from our house.
Can't believe you had an earthquake! I heard about it on the radio this morning driving home from the mw appt!!! Glad it wasn't too big!
- Wombatclay
Hubby is leaving tomorrow to head out for a NASCAR race this weekend. It's an all expense paid trip and I just couldn't tell him no. I DID tell him I was sort of uncomfortable with the idea as I will be 37 weeks on Thursday. BUT! I would also feel extremely bad if he missed it and stayed home and then no baby came. The earliest I have ever gone before was 39 weeks 1 day. And, this is a pretty rare opportunity for him to go and have some fun. SO! Off he goes and will be gone until Monday night.
Baby MUST stay in until at least Monday night. :) 
That's nice of you, Earthylady. My husband is on a pool team, and they won a trip to Las Vegas. The rest of his team is there right now, but he is sitting right beside me. I know he really wanted to go, but he also said that he wouldn't be able to enjoy himself because he would be too worried about me. I would have been able to go too, but under the circumstances...
Hi ladies!
Cathy - Sorry to hear about the hospital birth... but I agree with what someone else said about the nurses making the difference. I've met a few of the nurses at our hospital, and they are very laid back and let you do your own thing. When I went in for the tour, most of the rooms were full, but no babies in the nursery - they try to get the baby to stay in the room if at all possible. I've also heard bringing in some food for the nurses (cookies, brownies, biscuits, etc.) can go a long way to helping you get your way!
Wombat - 
So sorry to hear about all that is going on with your family's health. And the mold... yuck!
Dlynn - I hope you are feeling better with the kidney issues!
Earthylady - That's nice of you to let DH go on that trip! I don't know that I would have been as kind, but that could be because this is our first and I'd have no idea what to expect.
Not much going on here... just a lot of waiting. I'm only 35 weeks, so I still got a ways to go.
mama2chicknlil - I cried for like two days the other day.
Maybe I'll get MIL to make her special brownies for the nurses.
Friday is coming quick and I think I will be so relieved when it does. Then I can destress a little and just let her come on her own time. Even if dh isn't back by the time I go into labor, I am ready. He can fly in and then maybe move our stuff early. That wouldn't be too bad.
I am feeling so emo today about this being the end of the end. I dont have any cute artsy photos or bellycasting to commemorate it and am feeling weepy about it. Ugh. I want to treasure my last days with this gorgeous silhouette.
There have been some really in depth and passionate threads on MDC about bringing goodies to the hospital (just search, I'm sure you'll find some). They tend to boil down to "bringing food or other gifts for the nurses will make them think well of you, and you'll be more likely to have the birth you want" on the one hand and "bringing food or other gifts for nurses in the attempt to make them think well of you is insulting to their professionalism and could backfire". With the now and then comment about how after a shift change, no one knows who those goodies are from anyway (especially in a large hospital where there may be 20+ women laboring at any given time).
Personally, when I worked at the reference desk, we sometimes had patrons who needed a lot of time and attention (it was a university, we worked with some patrons for well over a year on a topic). When those patrons brought goodies after spending time with us on a project, we were thrilled and yes... we would feel a lot more charitable towards their "emergency" emails and crazy research needs. But I think that if someone approached the desk with a gift "up front", before working with us, we'd have been a bit creeped out and assumed that this patron was going to be difficult and that they didn't think we would treat them well without some sort of bribe. Because of my own experiences, I send food and goodies to the nurses station after the babe is born as a thank you. But not before the birth. I've never had anyone be rude or inconsiderate to my face (and I don't really care what they do/say elsewhere), and if they were I'd be more likely to demand a staff change then offer them a cookie in the hopes that it would improve their blood sugar and/or attitude towards me (don't forget that you're in charge, a staffer can't leave you but you can always send them away... I know one local mom who told her OB to leave her room and she was attended from there on out by the on call OB).
But no matter what you do, if you bring edible goodies make sure to include an ingredient list and if the food was made in any specific way (as in, label it kosher, or from a celiac safe kitchen, or "from the Blah de Blah Bakery", or whatever it may be). And add a card that includes your name and some sort of personal message (even just a "Thank you!") so that after shift change there's a chance that the goodies will still be "credited" to you. :)
And sometimes it's the non-edible goodies that are the best loved and the most noticed (if you want to stand out in the birth crowd)... like little bags with sample sized hand lotions and lip balm, or bookmarks/bumper stickers that reflect their job as birth attendants, or origami birds/flowers with "thank you" written on the wings or leaves, a case of specialty soda or large box of nice coffee. That sort of thing.
I wouldnt give gifts in advance, that sounds more like bribery! lol! But a dozen bagels as a thank you gesture from the awesome bakery down the street after your amazing birth is complete and everyone is happy? Sure! Why not? I think thats a great idea! :-)
I am sad. I am angry and I am bitter :)
WooHooo for the emotional train, right?
I am thinking how this is the last baby we will have and all that goes with that.
I am also so so angry and hurt. My "edd" isn't till 9/24. I KNOW this is baby #3. I know I didn't have a "thing" for baby #2 and that hurt ONLY because my Mom WITH MY HELP (oh and I was less than a month PP myself from having #1) had a "thing" for my older sister for her second. So she got a big shower for #1 and a small (pretty much family and CLOSE friends) at my Mom's for her second. I was really hurt that they didn't do anything for my #2 and don't know why I expected anything different with #3 but I did. And now I am sad and angry. It isn't that I want gifts or anything like that. I just feel like this baby is so under celebrated and it upsets me.
When my family found out at Easter about this baby, ONE of my family members said congrats. ONE out of the 15 or so who were there.
People suck.
Awww! Hang in there Mama! Its so close we can all taste it. Everyone has their own drama and just because it isnt as intense as the next person doesnt mean we dont have the right to cry over our own stuff too! I think its healthy to use others lives to meeter the realities of our misfortune, and keep the drama where it belongs. But its been a long road for us all. Growing a human being is HARD WORK! We all deserve a hand here, a hug, a tissue..some secret special brownies from Cathy's MIL! lol! And I tell ya, pain makes anyone irrational. How on earth can we focus on anything if we have pain to distract us from the beauty growing inside us? The difference is being proactive about our ailments or sitting around whining waiting for the fairy godmother to make it go away. ((POOF))) lol... and Im not referring to maternity leave either. Even small duties at home seem monumental to me right now. And we are ALL working, btw....everyday, to grow these fabulous children, stay healthy, and have an amazing birth not only for ourselves but for our babies. Self sacrifice can take its toll and there is nothing wrong with falling apart under the pressure of it all from time to time. Your going to do great, I know it...just because you care so much!!!
big hugs all.... hang in there!
i know how you feel scsigirl!!! my MIL has been entirely uninterested my entire pregnancy. now i don't WANT to share my baby with her. it'll tick me off just seeing her hold the baby, esp if she SUDDENLY takes an interest when she finds out it's a girl. blah.
i know how you feel scsigirl!!! my MIL has been entirely uninterested my entire pregnancy. now i don't WANT to share my baby with her. it'll tick me off just seeing her hold the baby, esp if she SUDDENLY takes an interest when she finds out it's a girl. blah.
I don't know if it's the pregnancy monster that's taken me over or what, but I'm getting irritated at people that think they have a "right" to the baby. Nobody has any rights to my baby except me and my husband!
My grandma still talks about how when my son was born, and they came to help out for a few days. They assumed that they would be taking care of the baby while I rested, but they barely held him the whole time.
Follow Mothering