We have this thing in our family called LMR. Last Minute Rush. I inherited it — crafting things (like, oh, my wedding hair piece) at the final possible moment (like, say, in the car, on the way to my wedding). But like I’ve said, I spent the spring hurdling through deadlines in order to actually have things prepared in advance, in case this baby wanted to make an early entrance into the world. And now it’s day two past my due date, my mom is in town, and I’m still pregnant. Apparently that’s what I get for pulling myself together for once!
Here are some things I’ve been up to while waiting to have a baby:
Walk (1.7 miles – not too shabby) to the Art Center with my mom to meet Joe for lunch at the Art Center Cafe and finally see the Ai Weiwei sunflower seeds.
Browse around Beaverdale Books (clearly the baby needed this book and I needed this book), pop in Back Country and wish I had a waistline, console myself with a Snookies twist cone.
Drink about 20 cups of “Cloud 9” tea from Gong Fu, which is reported to have helped bring on labor for several women, myself not yet included. Good thing it’s actually delicious.
Watch Anne of Avonlea from the beginning to the spot where Anne spurns Gil on the bridge, and cry. (My mom has a pavlovian weeping issue with the music in Anne of Green Gables.)
Eat Jersey Guys pizza and hot wings. I grew up with Chicago style, but I’ve got to say I love their big, floppy pieces and chewy crust.
Read “Man Walks into a Room,” by Nicole Krauss. I thought this novel – about memory, loneliness and one’s sense of self – was mesmerizing. I am a big fan of Krauss’ work, although I think “The History of Love” remains my favorite of hers. I found this book on my nightstand after Joe and I cleaned our room for the first time in like, two years.
Buy Big Boggle, which is my grandpa’s current obsession, and play with Joe and my mom. I have a feeling we nerds will be Boggle tournamenting in Portland this summer. (Also, did you know there’s a pretty awesome board game/toy store “Games and More” in Valley West Mall?) I never go into that corner of the mall.
Yesterday was a great day spent with my mom, made extra special because it was the 10 year anniversary of my dad’s death. My mom thought maybe the baby would come in some sort of circle of life thing, but not so. My mom is leaving Sunday, so I’m really hoping the baby arrives by my birthday on Saturday!
I got up crazy early, so maybe I should go un-pack our hospital bags and make huge messes around my house so as not to disrupt the LMR equilibrium that I’ve had most of my life?