Joy II

Starting to use pintrest and other online research to get started on postpartum preparation. I need to be prepared this time. I want a freezer full of maxi pads, haha! Seriously. If anyone has any live saving postpartum recovery tips, i’d love to hear them.

I want to make sure my house is stocked with everything I need before I leave for the hospital. I want food in the fridge, tons of water bottles on hand, all the baby supplies ready, and all the ibuprofen I can stand. Of course I will need my arsenal of remedies prepped, like arnica, etc. Tucks pads, perineal bottle sprayer thingy, dermaplast spray, etc. I saw some cool products online I will be sure to get, like some things from earth mamma angel baby. I have a midwife appointment today and I will ask her when we will get another chance to talk about L&D and the recovery period. I’m nervous, but in a good healthy productive way. I’m not going to suffer like I did last time! I want so badly to avoid a tear or episiotomy too. I don’t have my hopes up but I want her to help me try.

23 weeks going on 24 today. So I know I have a lot of time. But then again, not really. I start school again on Wednesday. I will be there 4 days a week, and after a few weeks of a break, I will start my 1 or 2 days at the shop again too. I will be so busy and tired. It will be good though. Im more nervous about January but I’ve probably written that a million times. ABout going right back to classes after having Isla Joy.

Paul is on a little vacation with my dad in the Dry Tortugas. Im happy for him and hope they have fun. I want it to be a good bonding experience for them. I’m praying it goes well; it could make or break the next year with my family and paul. Or it could be simple, and not change anything. But if they bond, it could help things with their relationship after the baby is born and the craziness begins.

Pauls parents are on their way down here now…..they stayed the weekend at Brad’s and he and Jenn text me a bunch, complaining. Great. I will be seeing them Friday, on our way out of town. We are going to Asheville NC for 4 or 5 days to stay with friends. I am excited and nervous about that trip, just because of Lucy in the car for 12 hours. I really dread seeing his parents on the way, but he says it will be for an hour max.

I pray for some sort of breakthrough with them, in terms of Paul and I, and in terms of Paul’s viewpoint of their behavior. I need things to be normal moving forward. I specifically told gary in my long email to avoid getting involved in our big financial purchases and decisions. He immediately started helping paul shop for a boat and sends him links everyday. The complete opposite of what I asked. He said he wants to help paul buy it. NO NO NO. Paul hopes he will help too, of course, why wouldn’t he? Paul doesn’t see that there will be strings attached down the road. Gary will feel entitled in our relationship because he helped with the boat. He will hold it over our head later, in very subtle ways that paul wont even recognize. Paul will actually hold it over my head too, and tell me to let things go with his dad because "Erin, he helped me buy a boat". COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT!!!! He will use it against me though, I know it. His family is so fucked up. Have I said this before? Jay-sus.

So excited for my baby girl. I wonder what we will call her? nick name wise. I’m thinking the whole "joy" thing will stick. Not that we will call her Joy instead of by her first name. but I can see us incorporating the Joy part a lot, because it means so much to us.

Lucy is so amazing and brilliant. LOL

She talks in complete sentences and her hair is halfway down her back when its wet and straight. She is delightful and well behaved. Sometimes she is really hyper, like at church yesterday when she couldn’t sit still. But still a smile on her face.

Gotta get ready for the midwife.