Friday, September 28, 2007

random thoughts for friday

• This week has been a mixture of activity and exhaustion. I can summon up the energy to go to play group or Target, but then I come home and crash for hours. I guess that's part of the recovery process.

• We need a new coffee maker. Mom accidentally broke the glass carafe on our mid-1990s-model Krups 4-cup machine, and I stupidly threw out the whole machine, thinking it would be easier to find a new one than to buy a replacement carafe. They don't make as many 4-cup coffee makers anymore, though. I guess part of my thinking was that I inherited the Krups from my old boyfriend Billy, and I figured it was as good a time as any to get rid of old boyfriend stuff. (Never mind that we still sleep on the mattress he gave me.) So ... if anyone can recommend a well-designed 4-cup coffee maker that doesn't leak and uses cone filters instead of basket filters (though I guess that's not a big deal), let me know.

• My scar was looking a little green and leaky at one end yesterday, so we had to drive all the way to Maple Grove, where Dr. T. is on Thursdays, to have it checked out. Turns out it was minor, and he dabbed it up and patched it and sent us off. But the incision on the whole is still a little painful, which is normal. This thing is nearly 12 inches long and looks like an ugly, red slash across my abdomen, curving upward like a highway leading from LA to somewhere around Ohio. Every time I look in the mirror, I am surprised by it, and sometimes a little horrified. I hope it fades before too long.

• Daniel is so bonded with Steve right now. It's nice to see them so close, but I miss our old attachment. I feel like it's going to take some time to build it back up once I can lift him, and that's not for another three weeks. (I'm halfway through the six-week recovery!) Sometimes, with some coaxing, he will come up to me and give me a big hug, and that's so gratifying. At the same time, with my energy level the way it is now, I'm daunted by the prospect of taking care of him by myself again. It's going to be hard to transition back into that, especially since I'll be nearly 17 weeks pregnant by then. Oh well. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

• We're stuck on names for the baby. I think it will be easier this time around to pick a girl's name than a boy's name, which is the opposite of Daniel, whose name we chose right from the get-go. I walk around with one name in my head one day, another name another day, as if my subconscious is trying them on for size. Anyway, we have plenty of time, so I'm not too worried about it. It's still about six weeks or so until we have the big ultrasound and find out the baby's gender — and, of course, we don't really need to decide until the baby is born. But it's a little disconcerting not to have anything fixed.

• I've been thinking a lot about my friend Kerry, mother of a 3-year-old and a set of young triplets, who broke her foot this week. Ouch! I hope you are coping OK, Kerry.

• The weather here has been pretty much perfect lately. The leaves are changing color, and the air is cool but not unpleasantly so. I really should get outside more often (though this would call for me to actually get dressed!). Maybe this afternoon we will go for a walk or a long drive.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

About the coffee maker, I'd get another Krups. They're the best.

As with your scar, I can't help thinking of "Sectumsempra," which is the slashing curse that Snape invented.

Monkeymama said...

In early pregnancy, going to Target or a play group was enough to wear me out for the whole day and I was just pregnant! :)

kristine said...

Aww...hopefully you regain some energy soon! That's also too bad about the coffee maker, but like you said, time to get rid of the old boyfriend stuff..... good luck fnding one you love!

Anonymous said...

My 4-cupper is a Mr. Coffee, but it takes small basket filters. But they're cheaper. The pack I found at Wal-Mart for $2 will last for at least another two years. My favorite feature on the maker is the pre-set, so I can get it ready the night before to brew in the morning. I have used it almost every day since last Christmas when the 'rents gave it to me as a gift, and so far so good. No leaking.

Congratulations on purging Billy one thing in your home at a time! You need it...he deserves it.

I love the topographical description you used to describe the shape of your scar. It's an example of how incredible your writing has gotten. Not that it ever wasn't...Remember a year ago when you thought staying home after D. was born would reduce your intellectual growth? :-)

I found a name that might be nice for your baby (girl): Anna. Or Hannah. Both mean "grace," "gracious" and "one who gives" in Biblical translations. Hannah is also "merciful."

Here are other names that have meaning specific to what's been going on, but that aren't cheezy: Eva (enlivening).
Maria (rebellious - Miriam and Mary is another version but might sound funny with Lemmons).
Victoria (victorious).

Anonymous said...

Emilie, it took us 9 days AFTER he was born to name Harry. Or was it 10 days?!!! The rignt name and coffee maker will come.

-- Laura D'ECFE

Anonymous said...

My 4-cup Mr. Coffee with the wake-up setting declined to turn off and subsequently blew out. I have a Krups for the larger coffee maker, which every adult caffeine monster needs. In any case, I've ordered a Black and Decker one-cup thing for Mr. Coffee's replacement (great reviews at Amazon), even though ... well, I wonder if you could use it as a power drill as well.
Ray