22 Weeks

We attended a breastfeeding class bright and early Saturday morning. It was taught by one of Kaiser’s lactation consultants and it was very informative! I felt like we learned a lot, but we both we not sure what to think of the two videos that the class had to offer- one showcasing latching on techniques and the other, feeding positions. I know that breastfeeding is perfectly natural, but looking at the women in the video as they exposed themselves for all to see made us both a little uncomfortable. I think it still calls for a little modesty! Plus, it kind of made me think about the warped concept of breasts that society holds- specifically the idea that the full, supple breasts that a breastfeeding mother has, are somehow so desirable and so highly sexually referenced. It’s odd to think about sometimes.

Then we went to RJ’s first birthday party at Heather Farms Park, near our old condo in Walnut Creek. We had gone to Target the night before and picked out toy for him and a little outfit. He got so many toys that day! It was fun to watch him dive into his very own cake and make a complete mess of himself. While we were at Target, we also bought a floral onesie and pretty dress for baby to wear next summer (both on clearance). Baby now has four outfits hanging in her closet- footsie jammies, twodresses, and a onesie.

I’ve been busy trying to plan all the details for Eric’s 30th birthday coming up- unfortunately he has to work on his birthday weekend. But with his dad, stepmom, and stepsister coming out to visit the weekend after, we thought it a good idea to plan a party for everyone while they’d be here. My original ideas were to do either a 80s themed party or a fiesta party. I eventually decided that Eric may not enjoy a costumed 80s party as much as he would a fiesta, so then I went to work creating invitations and ordered some dorky sombreros for everyone to wear. We’ll be having the party at his mom’s house, since it’s plenty big for a nice party and she has the outdoor space we’ll need for a piñata! My other plans are to make a cactus cake, order dinner from our favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa O’rozco, and possibly even order some Blue Bell ice-cream overnight all the way from Texas!

Elaine and I went to the party store last night and went a little crazy picking out decorations, plates, streamers, balloons, and party favors. I’m really starting to look forward to the big fiesta! I think Eric will enjoy it and I’m sure it will be a good time!!

In other news, I received an odd letter from mother… via JoEllen’s address. We read and reviewed it again last night and are still confused why she’s trying to contact us. We’re also undecided about how exactly we want to respond.

I’ve also been stressing about the house again- we only have three months to go before baby gets here and I really wanted to be settled into a secure plan well before then. We revisited the ideas of renting out the house and even selling it as for-sale-by-owner, but both options have their own significant drawbacks, financially and otherwise. I think we have little choice but to put the place on the market next month and take the loss that will most likely come along with it- it’s just not feasible to try to afford it with our current job situations (I’ve lost most of my hope for Eric getting the position at Children’s Hospital at this point). And we’re decided that we do not want to rely on child care of some form. I hope we’ll be able to figure things out, and soon…