34 weeks

We saw Dr. Walton today. Seth is measuring on target at 34 weeks. The doppler looked good. Seth was taking practice breaths. He was really positive about how things were going. Dr. Walton could feel Seth moving. Seth is quite the mover, by the way. I can see him squirming around all day long. I am surprised no one at work has mentioned my belly moving. I have my next appointment scheduled for two weeks on tax day. I joked that Dr. Walton was trying to hit all the important dates. He asked me when Mother's day was and then predicted that was when Seth would make his appearance. I wish I could have thought of a good prank to play on Dr. Walton. Like got some kind of prop from Alien to put on my stomach for the ultrasound. I would be afraid I would give him a heart attack. He said my belly was getting really big and that was great. He said it was going to be a big baby.

We talked a little bit about the c-section. I need to get to the hospital and check-in around 5:30AM. I will have a spinal and then the surgery will happen around 7:15. I am still not enthralled with the idea of having a c-section. Rus keeps asking me if I want to take a child birth class like Lamaze or Bradley, but I don't really want to do that because I don't want to go in to labor either. I know it is one or the other. There is no Star Trek option.

I am starting to feel more ill effects of my pregnancy now. Probably started about a week ago. My feet are swelling, my back is starting to hurt, Seth's movements are getting uncomfortable and I am starting to feel more short of breath. I confessed to Dr. Walton that I did not think I was going to be able to work until the end of the month. He said I can go out four weeks before my c-section, so around the 12th, with pay. I said I would see how I feel. I have just decided to take it one day at a time.

Today was Wyatt's last day at day care, not that Wyatt could tell. A lot of families knew and said good bye to us. One told us Wyatt was special, which made me bristle a bit. "Special" is such a loaded word. I know she didn't mean anything by it. It's my fears seeping in. I felt uncomfortable with so many people knowing. Vanessa, the director, was not there in the afternoon. She was there in the morning, but she didn't really acknowledge us. She was friendly to Wyatt of course, but she clearly has a problem with Rus and I. We didn't end up talking to her.

I feel very conflicted over the whole thing. Rus and I visited an in-home day care on Monday. We decided against it for several reasons. We want to look more first and foremost. THis woman only started about a year and a half ago. She had no experience with premature babies. Didn't really understand adjusted age or think it was important. Pooh-poohed developmental testing. She was obviously interested in having the kids integrated from an intellectual standpoint, but when your place is that small they sort of have to be. She offered hot dogs for lunch, which I think is disgusting, although everything is organic. It would sure be nice to not have to pack up lunch and snacks for Wyatt. She didn't know what she would do with a fussy eater as she hadn't had one before. She kept saying that kids bite, which made me think she must have a biter. She has between 4-6 kids at a time since she is by herself. There is a two year old, a three year old and sixteen month old. They are there on various schedules. The real clincher was that she had Monday and Friday until June, then Tuesday and Friday. THere were a number of extra days in April she was unavailable. Later on she would have full-time. However, she only goes to 2:30pm. She started as a "mommy's helper." She will go to 3:30pm in the summer, but still, when Rus goes back to work that isn't going to work. She has kids of her own to pick up from school you see. It might be nice to have Wyatt there a couple of day a week while I am on maternity leave, but it's not a long-term solution and I don't want to keep moving Wyatt around constantly.

In the mean time, Rus is going to start taking Wyatt to Gymboree classes. Incidentally, they had no issue with putting him with his peer group (16-22 months). I also enrolled them in toddler classes on Wednesday through the Montclair Community Play Center. It's every Wednesday from 3:30 t0 5:00 for nine weeks. I think that should keep the two of them occupied through April until I go out on leave.

Wyatt is absolutely nutty about Blue's Clues right now. He calls it Clue Clue and does jazz hands when he says it. He really likes Rus and I to sing the Mail Song. We have to sing it over and over and over again. It's insane. How much tail wagging can he expect? He likes to dance around when we sing it, or just sit in his chair and jump up for the ending to do jazz hands and yell "Ail!" (mail) He is also fascinated by bubbles. He asks for them all the time. Blown bubbles, bubbles in the tub, bubble stickers - he loves them all. He doesn't like too many bubbles in the tub though. When they stick to his hands that makes him upset.

Wyatt got a little Easter basket at day care today. It included a beanie baby frog, egg with marshmallow bunny and a chocolate bunny. I let him eat the bunny. It got all over him. It was quite funny. I have to post a picture.