Call Me Ishmael

I think it should be possible for all pregnant women to live in a swimming pool from week 25 onward. It finally got warm enough yesterday for me to venture into the pool -- I'd forgotten what it felt like to be able to move around like a normal person. ;) On solid ground I can't spend more than 5-10 minutes on my feet before I have to sit down and rest (I'm sure the fact that I have to spend the vast majority of my day sitting or lying down is mostly responsible for this, rather than my pregnancy). It's a sad fact that after I take my shower, I have to sit down and rest before I can finish getting ready. :P

Max took his first dip too and it was nice to finally be able to carry around my baby again! He thought it was a little strange at first, but quickly decided that pools are great fun. I do have to say that it is hard to find a decent maternity bathing suit. The pickings were pretty slim and Dad did an admirable job (you know your husband loves you when he's willing to brave the maternity section to find you some desperately needed attire), but I feel like a super-stylish 1950s housewife when I go swimming. I just need the Jackie O sunglasses and a headscarf to complete the look. ;) Of course, once in a bathing suit, I realize that house arrest has not been kind to my already pale skin -- bring on the Moby Dick jokes! But, since only my family will be subjected to my stylish suit and my blindingly white skin, I'll just continue to float around the pool in extreme comfort.

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday -- everything still looks good. Since my contractions were better and my last early labor test was negative, I was spared the full exam. I passed my glucose tolerance test with flying colors and my doctor said my bloodwork looked great and to keep eating whatever it was I've been eating (I didn't have the heart to tell her that, frequently, that included a healthy dose of Ben & Jerry's ;). I'll have an ultrasound next week to check and make sure my cervix is still behaving. If I can make it as far as 34 weeks, the doctor said I should be able to deliver in a regular labor and delivery room (although in the high-risk wing), rather than the operating room. Wouldn't that be nice!

The only other exciting news (well, to me) is that we just got a new washer and dryer. Our wonderful 5-year-old washing machine finally broke (again) and we swore that next time either the washer or dryer broke, we were getting new ones. We've spent more money repairing those machines than it cost to originally buy them (and they were nice, new machines). So, we Freecycled them and went out and bought the new LG washer and dryer. You know you're old and boring when you get totally excited about home appliances ... but I think I'm in love. We've already done five loads of laundry and we're very impressed so far. As the ultimate test, we ran a load of baby lights that had been sitting in the hamper for a respectable amount of time. I usually pre-treat and soak baby laundry for a couple of hours before washing it. This time I just hit the stained items with stain remover, threw everything in the washer, and let it go. The clothes came out sparkly clean! I usually wash Max's burp cloths separately, in hot water and bleach, and they still come out with stains. I threw a couple in with the clothes, just for fun, and was amazed when they came out white and the old stains were gone. I could wax poetic about the washer and dryer for many more paragraphs, but I'll spare you that torture. Maybe I can ask Dad to move the couch into the laundry room ... ;)