From the Hills of PA

I have been having a great time in Pennsylvania. I’ve enjoyed a visit to Allentown, the Outhouse Races, visiting family, and eating all my fave foods. I need to put in a plug for Dushore – if you’ve never seen an outhouse race, do yourself a favor. Next August, go to Dushore Founder’s Day and witness the spectacle that is racing outdoor toilets.

I have a little less than a month left here, and I still have some things to get done, plus go to my baby shower. As much as I will miss being here, I am so excited to see Zac again. And I’m also pretty excited for Part II of Living in India, especially now that we’re having A BABY GIRL!!!!

I just found out today that Baby Bean is a girl, and she has the cutest buttcheeks ever! And I’m gonna try not to brag, but I totally had a feeling that she was a girl. No idea why I had that notion – all the “myths” about how I’m carrying should have pointed to a boy – I haven’t gained too much weight so far, and I’m carrying very low. So low that it seems like I’m running for the bathroom every 30 minutes.

I feel like I have learned things about her already, mostly about her movements. She likes to party the most while I’m getting ready for bed and when I get up in the morning. She also responds to The Beach Boys’ music. And only them. I listen to all kinds of stuff, but I only get kicks when I play “California Girls” or “Good Vibrations.” I haven’t figured out if that means anything, or if it’s just a coincidence. And another thing – I think she really responds to my stress levels. One night, about a week ago, I got really upset about something, and she was bouncing around for the rest of the night.

You know, I was going to be one of those women who tried not to read too much about pregnancy stuff, but that didn’t work out at all. I made some decisions easily, like breastfeeding and cloth diapers, but others have been a real pain. Like where is the baby going to sleep? I have Western culture telling me to get the baby into her own room AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, but then I have Eastern culture telling me to let the baby sleep in our room for as long as needed – when she needs her own room, it’ll work out. Another problem – to have an epidural or not. I thought at the beginning that I was going to have an epidural, no questions asked, but yeah, then I started reading about it. Do I really want to risk the side effects of a spinal headache, slowed labor, needing a catheter? But then again, I want to be able to somewhat enjoy the labor and not be in so much pain that I want to throw myself out the hospital window. Perhaps I’ll make the decision that day – I don’t think they have silly things like birth plans in India.

I have this image in my mind of Zac, Bean, and me all cuddling together on our bed. I know that’s not going to be the complete reality – she’ll scream and cry, wake us a million times during the night, poop and pee all the time, eat all the time, and cry some more. But who cares? What matters most to me is that image in my mind. It’s so sweet that sometimes when I think about it I’m almost moved to tears. I know that those moments will make all the times I am horrendously sleep-deprived worth it. This is going to be the greatest adventure. I really cannot wait for her to arrive.