A little medical update

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Welcome to parenthood and other frightening things

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Overwhelming Happiness

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A Few Words About Gender

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Midwives and pregnancy fear factor!

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Either God is comforting me with poppies or I am losing my mind…

Or it honestly could be both, I suppose. I should explain.

Two weeks ago today Cami gasped from the bathroom and I came running. It was there. “Gravid” was displayed in all its glory. I was elated, but life must continue and Sally needed her walk. Cami went up to lay in bed and we went outside. As we rounded the side of the barn, she jumping happily and floppily as only Sally can and me grinning from ear to ear, a small shock of red on the very green landscape caught my eye. One single brilliant poppy had bloomed in the middle of some uncut grass. I picked it, Sally did her business and we returned home. I gave the poppy to Cami and we talked about how at four weeks, which she was at that point, the baby is about the size of a poppy seed. I took it as a sign.

Cami had pretty bad nausea the next two days. When she returned from work on the third day, I could tell something was wrong. She said that she had felt no nausea at all that day and it scared her. She called the local health clinic and spoke with an on-call nurse who was not very reassuring. She said that while symptoms could come and go, sometimes a woman just knew that she was no longer pregnant. That’s exactly how Cami said she felt, like she wasn’t pregnant anymore. There just wasn’t a lot either of us could say to that. It was so early and so scary. I told her I was sure it was nothing and that some women would vomit all day long one day and eat everything in sight the next. I wanted to keep positive for her, but I was scared to death. Once again, Sally and I had to take a walk. We do that a LOT. All the worry and feelings of helplessness were weighing heavily on me as we rounded the barn again. There they were. Two beautiful blooming poppies. I am not saying that they miraculously bloomed in the late evening, I had just somehow managed to miss them on our 6 or 7 previous walks that day. Something made me notice them this time. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of peace. I knew our little poppy seed was just fine. Her symptoms returned a day later.

Well, the poppies are in full bloom now. There are 20-30 over in the field of wildflowers, just as bright in contrast as they could be. Every time Sally and I walk and I am thinking about the baby, which is always, they will surprise me. Every single time is like a big warm hug or feeling of peace.

Today, as we were driving back from Gothenburg (the migration meeting went very well, btw!), my mind was in overdrive. I had mentioned the pregnancy to the interviewer and they congratulated us and used our due date as one of the separate interview questions. We’d been to a baby store and picked up a free “expecting” kit. We also priced a few things we would either need or like to have. It was a beautiful, baby-centric day. As Cami was going through the papers and coupons that came with the free kit, I began to think about the ultrasound, which is still four weeks away. On one hand, I can’t wait. I think that hearing the heartbeat is going to be amazing, as it is for most expecting parents. On the other hand, there’s also the chance that no heartbeat will be present. That would be crushing. Regardless of the outcome, it’s completely out of our hands. I hate that feeling. I could feel the anxiety building as I thought about the possibility of something bad happening. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I said a prayer and told God that I was laying it all on Him. Then, in my head, of course, I joked, “Okay, big guy. Where’s my poppy?” I swear to you on everything that means anything to me, that I looked up at a hill we were passing and right there, in the middle of the tall weeds, was one big, vibrant red poppy standing as proud as you please. I think I shrieked, “Oh my God!”, started laughing and covered my mouth. I am not sure how I kept on the road.

You can call me nuts or assume I am smoking something, but with all the crazy in the world, I will take my comfort where I can get it, even in the form of wildflowers. I walked over to the ones in the field this evening and noticed the petals of the ones that had already bloomed all over the ground, but I also noticed dozens of buds ready to take their places. I know there won’t always be poppies throughout the pregnancy and I am realistic about the possible complications, but now, in the most critical of stages, they are my own little blessing. I think God works like that. He answers if you are patient and observant. I have never felt so blessed in my life.

Rosehip Soup & Ritz Crackers

These are Cami’s new morning buddies. Every day it’s one, the other or perhaps both if it’s an especially nauseated day. I try to get up with Sally most days, though I will admit to needing a little more sleep myself recently. (Sympathetic pregnancy maybe?). So, sometimes it’s a call or text from upstairs requesting her cold fruit soup (which is something her mom recommended and really helps). Other days it has been asked for groggily from beside me. She has kept the Ritz crackers on her bedside table for well over a week now. I am allowed to take one on occasion, but her rule is that you must not bite it. You must pop the entire thing in your mouth to avoid bedroom crumbs. To this, as I am learning I should just do with most things, I just respond, “Yes, dear.”. Nana also informed me that the other two most important words to remember during the pregnancy are, “I’m sorry!”. Point taken.

We have an appointment with a midwife on Friday, though the conversation was not encouraging today. Say a prayer that we can find one we are comfortable with, who respects us as a couple and equal participants in this little munchkin’s life and one who isn’t so damn negative and allows us to actually take joy in the first trimester and not treat it like we should be waiting for something bad to happen! (That could possibly have been a run-on sentence, but it’s 11 PM and I am blogging from a phone, so cut me some slack.)

Tomorrow we have an appointment in Gothenburg to discuss the renewing of my resident permit. It should be permanent this time, which is awesome. In May, I will actually qualify for dual citizenship, which I am very excited about. Chelsea is coming to stay with the fur babies tomorrow, so we can attend the meeting and throw in a little shopping.

Speaking of the furry ones, we think Sally is stressed out because of our added fears about the pregnancy and the unavoidable stress we’re under. She’s been more whiny and clingy and FOUR times since we found out Cami is pregnant, Sally has peed on our comforters. She’s done it right in front of us. Maybe she’s just prepping me for all the laundry I am going to have to do in about eight months. Maybe she’s going into heat again. She is completely housebroken and no longer has accidents. This is absolutely intentional. Whatever it is, we have now resorted to putting a diaper on her before bed to save my sanity and because we only have so many comforters. Sigh.

Well, it is late and I must get up at 6:30 tomorrow. Gah. I made coffee in advance and I just have to push the button to get the java flowing. I also packed a lunch box with snacks for the road, complete with rosehip soup and Ritz crackers. I think we’re covered.

I am not sure you can see it well or hear it at all, but it plays Brahms Lullaby. I am actually very proud of the way it turned out!

Getting Crafty

I think I am pretty crafty, although I seem to go through spells of forgetting.  I love working with my hands to create something or make it like new and useful.  I love to cook just about anything.   I like to paint furniture and build things, though mostly from IKEA flat packs.    I am not very good at sewing, but I can handle little projects.  Many years ago, my friend Jackie taught me basic crochet stitches and how to make  granny square blankets.  I made one blanket and gave it to Nana for Christmas and that was it.  Over the years, I have picked up yarn to begin other blankets, but never finished them.  In January, I got a gift certificate to the craft store for my birthday, so I bought yarn for a baby blanket.  I actually finished it!

This was the first:

This was the second:

I have also made a purse and hat for Cami and two hats for me.  And now I have finally completed my favorite crochet project so far.  I made pieces for a baby mobile.

I have a simple musical mobile that I bought on eBay for around $1.  It has seriously hideous colorful blobs hanging from it that I will replace with the pieces I made.  I can’t wait to get it all together.  All that I need is some white ribbon to hang the little critters from.

We are also very into making things ourselves to save a little money and get things exactly like we like them.  Since I have so many clothes that are too big, I am hoping to alter several shirts to make cute maternity tops for Cami.  My first project, using a pair of her jeans and a tank top with a little lycra in the fabric turned out quite well, if I do say so myself!

The belly band goes really high and turns down and is quite stretchy, so we’re hoping they will grow with her!

Date Night Turned into a Shopping Spree!

What a fun day we have just had!   Our friend Chelsea came over to stay with the fur babies so we could get out and be grown ups.   We began our little adventure in Skövde at Babyproffsen where we oohed and ahhed over most things, but only left with a clearance sippy cup and a bib that reads, “I heart mamma”.  Next we grabbed lunch at Max and bought movie tickets.   While we waited for the show to start, we went to KappAhl where we got two ADORABLE blue and white onesies (free with coupons!), matching bibs and two rompers with whales on them.  Then we quickly ran in H&M where we got a precious “My First Summer” set and a teeny little onesie with matching plaid shorts.  I am in LOVE!

The movie wasn’t too bad, but the seats were excellent.  Cami and I sat on a super comfy love seat and really relaxed.  We finished up our whirlwind day with dinner at a sports bar called O’Leary’s.  I honestly think it was the best meal I have had since moving to Sweden.  The steaks were cooked so perfectly that back in my O’C days we would have asked to meet the cook and would have hired him on the spot.  Maybe we were both just really hungry!  Somehow through our food comas, we made it back home, exhausted, but excited about our purchases.   It’s barely 9 PM and Cami is yawning and the bed is calling my name.   I think we’re getting old.

Oh, Sweden!

We had every intention of setting ourselves up with a midwife today, as we had checked the website and knew what the call hours were. Sweden really likes the concept of call hours. There are specific times that you can call many places like doctors offices, government offices and similar fields to schedule an appointment or get information. The American Embassy allows calls between 12 and 1 each day. That’s it. Well, we slept in today and it felt awesome. I am guessing in about 8 months, sleeping until 10:30 will only be a fond memory. It was okay because the clinic has morning and afternoon hours. We decided to run a few errands in the meantime. Sally needed a manicure and, having checked the website, I knew the groomer opened at noon. We got there only to discover they only work Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the summer. Back home we headed. Then we tried to call the midwife, only to discover that in the summer, they only take calls in the morning. Oh well. At least they aren’t closed for the entire month like some places. Swedes take their summers very seriously.

On a fun note, we switched mobile service providers so that we’ll have better coverage and the package includes 5000 worldwide SMS messages, including pictures, each month. Hopefully that means baby picture sharing. We ordered new iPhones that came with a year of Spotify Premium, so we ordered cute cases, tiny radio transmitters for each car and new matching ear buds. (I hate the Apple earphones!). We also ordered a pregnancy seatbelt for Cami.

We’re both looking forward to our first ultrasound on August 8th and if all goes well, we’ll celebrate with a little baby shopping and perhaps an IKEA romp. We truly do live the charmed life. Now, it’s time to turn in. I have been typing this while walking Sally at 10:30 PM. It’s still as bright as 5 PM back home. Despite the phone hours, Sweden does have its perks. We had better set an alarm so we don’t sleep past the acceptable time to snag us a midwife. Oh, blissful sleep. How I will miss you.

And so it begins…

What do you do when you 6 weeks pregnant wife announces that she wants macaroni & cheese at 12:40 AM?

You get up and make her some macaroni & cheese, of course.  Sigh.

I Love My Brother

My brother and I have not always had the best of relationships.  We can get angrier with each other than with anyone else in the world.  We don’t have a lot of patience with each other, probably because each we knew what the other was capable of when we were younger.  Maturity was rather slow coming in both of us, I must admit.  The relationship tends to be better when we are far apart, but I also know there is no one who would have my back faster than my brother.   He knows the same about me.

When Cami and I got together, he was the first person in the family to ask me point blank.  He was very supportive and just wanted to know what was going on.  He’s always tried to smooth things over when they were not so easy for everyone else to grasp.   After we told mom about the pregnancy, I got a text from my brother that said, “I heard you’re having a baby!”  lol  Very typical.  Then a couple of days ago he asked me to call him.   We talked about us having a baby and how happy we were and he told us he was very excited to be an uncle.

Then, this morning, I got another text from him asking me to call him.  At 8:30 AM my time and 1:30 AM, I did.  He said, “Hey, I forgot to ask you… which one of you is pregnant?”  You cannot imagine what that meant to me.  He just accepted point blank that we were having a baby and that he would be an uncle and it didn’t even occur to him to ask which one was actually carrying the baby.  We had a great long talk while I walked Sally.  (She was pretty happy to get a much longer morning romp than she usually does.)  He said some pretty amazing things.  The boy has grown into a pretty wonderful man.  We are lucky to have him and our children will be lucky to have him.

First Post-Positive Major Baby Purchase

I am a Southern girl and I just don’t believe it’s possible to bring a baby into this world without a proper rocking chair!   We had looked around here and couldn’t find much.  The dream was a nice glider, but they just don’t have them here. (I have spent more than my fair share of time gliding in Babies R’ Us and wishing.)  IKEA has a nice rocker, but it’s just that and not proper for nursing or getting up and down with a baby.  The discovery of free shipping to Sweden on Amazon UK’s site opened up a new realm of possibilities, but I didn’t consider buying a chair.  Then I just happened to check.  Not only do they have a few, but they ship here for free!  

As soon as it’s back in stock, Amazon will be delivering this to us:

We won’t have a nursery, really, but this will go in the guest room for middle of the night bonding time.  :D

We’re pregnant!! (4+6)

Yay, it finally happened – little Snobbit is in place, and growing as we speak. This day, according to one of the pregnancy calenders, little Snobbet’s liver starts to function. Isn’t that crazy?! It has been 2½ weeks since conception, and already he has a liver?! :D It’s wild, and we are so happy.

So far, I feel pretty good. A little nausea, but not crazy bad. More tired than usual, and much more sensitive. But you know what? Even if the next 8 months were to be sickness like I’ve never known it before, it would be okay! Just bring it on, as long as little Snobbet is safe. <3 

-Camilla