The appointment today seemed to go really well. The midwife said things were looking pretty good all around, and that I am very textbook in a lot of my stuff where I have been worried or nervous. She gave me further specifics of things I would need to tell her immediately if they happen or if I think they might be happening – we had already discussed some of the main ones due to questions and concerns I had had going into it all in the first place.
My mom was at the appointment, and I appreciated and valued that. I have a blood test next appointment, which is in a month. Fingers crossed that I can take enough iron (and the other vitamins) for everything to look good on that blood test, and so we don’t have to do any last-minute adjustments or IVs. There was an almost-week-long delay with the auto-shipping for the iron a couple weeks ago, so I went maybe six days with no iron supplement at all. As a reminder, my iron was at 19. A healthy person’s iron is 150-300. Pregnancy takes a lot of iron, which is why mine had gotten so low in the first place. However, since I have had so much trouble eating, I have to take these supplements in order to have a chance of reaching even close to 40 on my iron, which she said is kind of a necessity for these next couple months or so. So, didn’t do the blood test today. Working on taking the iron twice a day every day going forward. Managed it two of the last three days already, which is progress for me(!).
Uh…. I got a fun airplane shelf for the baby’s room (I guess). It seems to be solid wood, possibly handmade, and definitely old. it’s basically a double-shelf where the shelves are the wings of the airplane. It’s just the front half of a plane, though, like it’s coming through the wall. But the propeller actually spins if you move it, so that’s cool. The wheels spin, too.
And I told my brother, who is a teacher and who is not doing the hottest right now financially, and is really working on saving up for a house next year with his wife – he’s not broke or anything, but being a teacher necessarily means not earning a lot of money – that he and his wife didn’t need to get anything for the baby shower. They just needed to show up, she to the shower and he to the men’s Biergarten gathering. In an unintentional and unexpected way, I found out this afternoon that he got me a gift from the registry. I had turned off all notifications for the registry. But it was an e-mail that came from a separate website, from which I had listed a single item on my registry. It was a very expensive rocking horse that is not a horse but an airplane. It’s super cute and cool and seems sturdy enough. And the rocker pieces can come off and the thing becomes a rolling riding toy for the kid. It’s kind of swanky, really. But it is aesthetically pleasing, too, not like a plastic-y, fake-looking, super colorful kids toy. It just looks like a tiny airplane made of wood instead of metal.
So, I had put it on the registry in case someone wanted to spend a small chunk of change on us, maybe one of the wealthier relatives my husband and I each have. That makes sense, right? I was also considering watching it for a Black Friday sale, in the likely case that no one got it for us. Also makes sense. But, instead, I get an e-mail saying my teacher brother has gotten me a gift from this website – remember that it was the only item I had from that website. So, I know that he basically spent $200 on us and our baby. He put a sweet message with it, saying he hoped we’d have a great time together with our kid with this gift, and that it hopefully would last a long time. He didn’t say what it was, of course, but, again, only item… So, yeah… I truly am grateful for it. But it does hurt just a bit to know that he gifted us that somewhat out of sacrifice, versus out of overflow. I know he loves me. I hope he is comfortable giving us this gift. I probably would do something similar, if the roles were reversed. After all, he isn’t expecting to have loads of expensive costs for the next year straight, and then the general costs of having a child after that. For me, I can’t even fathom spending so much on a gift, even for family, right now. That impending ‘cost of living the upcoming life’ weighs heavily on me. Perhaps, if we were back to a year ago, my husband and I both would say it were a worthy cause and we’d easily manage adjusting to pay for the $200 gift. I just can’t get there mentally right now. Haha
God, please, help take care of my brother and his wife. Help them find your way in life. Ease them of their biggest stresses and most constant stresses. Make them well, please. Thank you for their love. Please, make me and the baby and my husband well, and keep us safe. Help us always to see and follow your will, being the people you call us to be. In your name, I pray. Amen.
P.S. Happy Feast Day of St. Jude Thaddeus!! St. Jude, pray for us! ❤
Post-a-day 2024
hannah ananas 