conversations with invisible pigs and sheep

33 weeks.

Baby Jim is 4!

As miserable as being confined to the couch has been, it seems to be working. Today at the doctor’s, my BP was well under the top range for normal. I don’t have to go back for two weeks now. But we’re keeping to the couch rest plan, with a little bit more activity.

With my good report, I got to go to Jim’s school for his birthday snack today. He finally decided to have Rice Krispie treats, that he and Dad made last night. They were a hit, and it made him very happy. It was a good time for him, especially since he won’t get a real party this year. He got a candle on his treat that he could blow out, the kids sang, and he got to wear a birthday crown. The kids were cute, and I got to help with their craft after snack time.

And tonight I got to go out of the house for dinner, even though the meal was as disappointing as is the usual around here, but Jim was good, as he had been all day.

I’m not going to soapbox or anything. As a family, we are grateful that Jim’s epilepsy is controlled and has little affect on his day-to-day life. But it doesn’t mean that this is the case for everyone.

Usually at Christmas, I do a Salvation Army angel donation for a child of Jim’s age and gender. But this year, we’re going to go toy shopping at Target, and take a bunch of goodies to the hospital where Jim’s neurologist is, for the kids who will be spending Christmas in the hospital. We’re going December 15th, and if you’re interested in making a donation, vist this page. There’s a link to a PDF of the items they’ll take.

If that’s not your thing, and you’re an online shopper, try Shop.Epilepsy.com. Epilepsy.com puts out great information, and the money earned goes to support The Epilepsy Therapy Development Project.

Perhaps it was last weekend’s quest to finish the nursery, or whatever, but last Monday I felt kind of miserable, and since I was at Target, I took my blood pressure (the machine is fast, and is the one I’ve been using as a baseline). It was well into the “High” category, after being normal even on stressful days, so I came home and stayed on the couch all day. At my regular OB appointment the next day, it was about the same, but with no other symptoms to warrant a diagnosis of pre-eclamsia (as opposed to high blood pressure).

Dad and I did some planning and shuffling, and made it through the week without me having to lift a finger (or myself off the couch). The boredom was worth it, and by Friday I was close to normal again. I also had an ultrasound, and all was good there. But I’m not off bed rest. I’m allowed to add a little activity, so now I’ll be getting Jim from school and making him lunch, which will let Dad sleep a continuous 7 or 8 hours.

Dad was a whirlwind all weekend, and now the nursery has a painted closet door and a ceiling fan. We also have a clean house again, and curtains for the slider in the kitchen. We are getting so very close, and may have the whole thing together before next weekend.

In the meantime, I have been knitting up a storm. A pair of baby socks (done), a baby sweater (done), a baby hat (done), a baby blanket (done), a pair of adult socks (started), another baby sweater (started), and an adult scarf (started). There are some pictures in the knitting gallery, but not all — I can’t get up to take the pictures.

Here’s Jim modelling the blanket:

Since it didn’t rain today, I got the second (last) coat of paint up in the baby’s room. Just the doors and some touch-ups left to do.

Thanks to the laptop and the Clifford movie for entertaining Jim. We’re actually going to try and work on the dresser some more, this time sealing up the inside of the drawers with just clear poly.