Sage passed her two month exam with flying colors. She now weighs 9 lbs 10oz and is 22 inches long! She’s getting to be a big baby and has already outgrown a couple of her outfits. She stays awake longer and spends most of that time checking out her scenery. She’s more interested in my shelf of nailpolishes than in the faces before her and she’s beginning to clutch at things and can hold her head up. Her next step is rolling over.
She’s sleeping about six hours at night, waking for a quick feed, then drifting off again for another couple of hours. It’s not so bad so long as I can get to sleep at a decent hour (tonight that’s not happening) . This morning, I plopped her into her vibrating chair and took a shower, blew dry my hair and headed to a commercial audition in Salt Lake City. I can’t say that I have the mommy thing down 100 percent but it’s not too overwhelming. Now if I could only motivate to work. I waste sooo much time playing on the internet, loading photos, emailing friends and working on the Sports Guide that I have neglected my other writing avenues. Sage occupies a significant portion of my day but more because I want her to rather than because she demands it. Like her little onesie reads “It’s all about me.” You also begin to feel that nothing else is as important as taking care of a child. This is what it’s all about. This is what we’re here for. Everything else is busy work.
My parents return from Europe this week and I may scoop Sage up and fly out to San Diego so the rest of my family can meet her. Once the ski season starts, they won’t see her until the spring. She’ll be seven or eight months old by that time. Plus, we have a Thanksgiving in Massachusetts that’s bound to challenge even a sentry at Buckingham Palace. San Diego will be an effective trial run if I can corrdinate a time to fly.
I’m beat now. One last thing. It snowed today. It was a blizzard actually- our third winter storm in the fall. I never told you this but it snowed on the day Sage was born- Aug. 12. Ryan and I got a kick out of that. It was a sign!
More Photos: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcskigal/album?.dir=/4e44scd&.src=ph&.tok=ph2jwqFB1awdge4J

It seems like just last week that I was still collecting maternity clothes and playing around with outfits. Today, I’m all about nursing tops. The 39 weeks flew by. I can barely remember being pregnant now except for the excrutiating contractions that preceded the big day.
The Outdoor Retailer Show cruised into Salt Lake last week and, determined not to miss an appointment, I booked up the days and made my way to Willard Bay for the outdoor demo day. Why the organizers insist on running that event so far away from everything is beyond me- especially when we have at least three other great reservoirs within 30 minutes of the Salt Palace. Instead I hauled my butt about an hour from town to hang on the shore in the 90-degree heat and meet with a few manufacturers like Teva, Garmin, Hobie. I felt fine and still no one really said anything to me about being pregnant (except when I pointed it out myself and then they offered statements of disbelief.) When are you due? they’d ask. Next week! I’d eagerly and proudly reply. If only to be so lucky. The due date came early.
I hit the show on Thursday, making all of my appointments – including the party at the Depot featuring Flock of Seagulls. I stayed the night at Ryan’s place with every intention of hitting the show bright and early the next day. Then those damn contractions. Imagine your worst menstral cramps (or, guys, diarrhea) then times by 10. Every five minutes they hit, driving me to screams, pillow clutching and pummeling, and thoughts of guns and bullets. I couldn’t take the pain but the hospital told me to wait until these contractions were THREE minutes apart rather than five. You have got to be joking, I thought. After three hours, the status hadn’t changed but I couldn’t sit around. We drove home to Park City at 6 a.m. where I collapsed on my bed from exhaustion and managed to sleep…for 15 minutes before the next round of contractions. Stef called in a prescription for Lortab and I laid low on Friday. By nightfall, I was sick of sitting in the house. Ryan and I headed back to Salt Lake for the OWIC Ramp It Up Party at Port O’Call.
The room spun and the appetizers swing-danced in my belly until I was grabbing for empty glasses on the table and hurling into them. I swear to God, I’m telling the truth. I filled four glasses with puke then covered them with napkins. It was too crowded to make a dash for the bathroom safely.
Home by midnight. Contractions by 2 a.m. it had begun again. At 4 a.m. Ryan drove me to St. Mark’s. At 5 a.m. I was four centimeters dialated and the epidural flowed. A sigh of relief sped through my body. They left us in the delivery room to sleep and wait for further dialation. at 6 a.m. Stef arrived to tell me that they were going to dose me with pitocin because the epidural had slowed the dilation. More drugs? Cool.
At 10:25 a.m., game on. The head was already peeking and though I could feel absolutely nothing from the belly button down, I held my parapalegic-legs and did an upright version of ab crunches to the delight of my doctor. Three ‘pushes’ and out popped Sage. It was 10:33 a.m.
Ryan and I can’t stop staring at this little girl. She’s gorgeous. Of course, I wonder if I just think that because she’s mine but who cares. The 6 lb, 17″ tiny creature is beyond anything I could imagine. She’s a week old now and still I can’t get enough time with her. It’s hard to get anything else done as I find myself watching her every little movement and facial expression. She stretches often- like a kitten. She purses her lips like Betty Boop when she’s about to wake up for feeding; she scrunches her face when she squeezes out a little green poop. And she’s so quiet! Rarely cries and almost always asleep, she’s too tiny for much more.
Sage isn’t sleeping through the night but she’s making a valiant attempt. She’ll wake at 2 a.m., 4:30 a.m. and then 10 a.m. I can handle the hours (look, I’m writing this blog at 2) but Ryan is a mess and can be quite irritating when he’s woken like this. His mom has been here all week as well but she leaves Monday. She came to help out but I don’t need it- not yet. So this was more a time for them to bond. My mom will be here Thursday.
Well, I’ve babbled enough and need to try to sleep before the baby wakes and needs a boob. I’ve posted photos at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcskigal/album?.dir=/e9dere2&.src=ph&.tok=phO3WXFB4LlCA7Fa if you care to surf over to yahoo!
P.S.-We’re still in need of small Happy Heinys pocket and Wallypop All In One cloth diapers if you are thinking of sending a gift. We need about 20 of these things to start cloth diapering her but we only have 5 so far. They are pretty cool inventions. You can check them out at http://babysbottomline.com & http://www.thestorkwearhouse.com.

Whoa! Where does the time go? All of a sudden, my doctor (Stef Singer) is telling me I’m 60 percent effaced and ready to pop. I still haven’t swollen up or gotten any of the usual pregnant chick symptoms. Just lots of peeing. I find that the occasional Ambien (as prescribed!) will get me a good night’s sleep without running to the toilet at 4 a.m. I highly recommend keeping a small stash on hand if you are thinking of getting knocked up. When I get to that point where I am sooo tired I’m beyond able to fall asleep, out comes my little blue friend.

But I’m told that no matter how icky I feel now, once I give birth I will wish I could put her back inside.
My mom predicts the Big Day to occur between Aug. 15 – 20 (instead of the Aug.22 due date). If only Sage can forestall her entry into this world until after the Outdoor Retailer Show next week. I have people to see and places to go! Tis not the time for hospital visits.

It’s getting progressively more unbearable to work. All I want to do is lie down and take the pressure off my belly. It doesn’t help to have 100-degree heat for the past two weeks. Thankfully, we have rain and 70 degrees this week.

Hats off to you women out there who put on 30 to 60 pounds during a pregnancy. I’ve gained 19 and feel like a Thanksgiving Turkey 24-7. Only during the first few moments of waking in the morning do I forget I’m pregnant. I wake up, lie still and it’s as if it were all a dream…until I swing my feet over the mattress edge and scamper for the toilet. Another tip: when you urinate, lift your belly up to make sure you totally empty your bladder. I liken it to that extra shake guys do just as they’re finishing up.

Sage doesn’t move much and when she does it’s only a soft rolling feel, she’s adjusting her position? There’s just no room for her in there. She gets the hiccups a ton and that can be annoying but just like when you get them, as soon as you ignore them, they go away. They feel like someone flicking your belly from the inside with an index finger – a rhythmic thumping. She had them tonight during the movie. I went to a screening of The Descent – a horror film about a group of girls who go caving and find themselves stuck in a cavern with these subhuman naked dudes that feast on them one by one. The tension from their trapped situation alone was enough to get my heartrate up. What a ride. I screamed my head off. I’m sure that’s not something most babies hear in utero. If you’ve ever wondered whether horror films can bring on labor, I’ll let you know.

Ryan is home this week visting his family and has asked me to wait until he gets back to have my baby. Uh, sure, Babe. My mother and father were here last week and then Ryan’s mom will be in town as soon as the baby’s born. Nothing like a pregnancy to get everyone involved I guess. But I welcome the attention. I’m completely at a loss and expect to feel overwhelmed shortly. All I know about babies is from what I’ve read recently. I never had to raise any kids; and babysitting was just a way to make some extra bucks on weeknights when I was 13.

My mom has surprised me. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but she has gone from pretending I’m not pregnant and telling me “this is your thing, you’ll have to do it alone”, to flying out here, taking me shopping for baby stuff and going to the doctor with me. I tried so hard not to let her aloofness bother me that I had no idea how much I really needed and wanted her love and support through this experience. It was incredible having them here. They got to see my growing belly in the flesh and not just here on my blog. Better late than never!

I think the house is just about in order. Tenaya’s been groomed, the baby clothes washed and organized, an overnight bag packed for the hospital, my friend Deb (the coolest B&B owner in Park City- Old Town Guest House) on standby for the ride to St. Mark’s Hospital and soon I’ll set up the bassinet in my room. Thank you again for your gifts and hand-me-downs. I couldn’t have stocked up like this on my own. No way. So a zillion hugs, kisses and good karma to you.

I have another doctor’s appt. on Wednesday. Check back this weekend as I’ll let you know what Stef says.