Jasmine’s a week old today! After a rough start, she’s now thriving.

Briefly, after a week of irregular, painful contractions that weren’t bringing me any closer to active labor, I asked my doctor if we could induce. Once the pitocin was introduced, my doctor discovered complications that meant that a vaginal birth would be very bad for the baby, and WAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM, an hour later, the cesarean was done, and Jasmine was born.

I’ve made jokes on Facebook about having Grandma down the hall, but moving in with my parents for my maternity leave is the best thing that Bertrand and I could have done for ourselves. Sure, it means that we have to actually get dressed, shower, and keep up with housework, all struggles for parents of newborns, but it also means that Mom and Dad (now Grandma and Grandpa!) are around as resources, babysitters, and shoulders to cry on.

So what now?

1) I’m back to blogging. There are 11 days to Christmas, and I’m going to blog every single one of them.

2) This isn’t going to become a Mommy Blog. Sorry. Baby-J is certainly the cutest baby in the WHOLE WORLD, but she deserves her privacy just as much as anyone else.

3) Food and health are back on the (writing) table! My doctor put me on a (non calorie restricted) low sodium (thanks, postpartum and post-operation swelling), high fiber (thanks, post-operation digestive … issues), high protein (postpartum weight control), diet.

I’m exhausted. Bertrad’s exhausted. Jasmine’s the sweetest cutest thing on the planet.

We’re happy as can be.

Jasmine Sena Sondjo was born on Wednesday, December 12, 2011, at 1:07 p.m.

Apparently, there is “pre” labor, “active” labor, but also “false” labor. By anything but “active,” my doctor means, “incredibly painful contractions that aren’t quite close enough to merit a visit to the hospital.”

Today is Day 3 of regular contractions that aren’t actually getting me anywhere. 1 out of every 10 minutes is spent in agony as my gut clenches and gets ready to push the baby out. 9 of every 10 minutes are spent comfortably ensconced in my parents’ house, waiting for “real” labor to begin. Happy fun times, let me tell you.

In the meantime, Bertrand and I have been entertaining ourselves with my shiny new camera.

<3 <3 <3

Breakfast

My very pregnant shadow

Snack

Damn, I should eat like this every day.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been creating life for 36 weeks now. Oh, I’m sorry, does the reference to “creating life” sound smug? That’s because it is! Smugness is my only defense against the frustration I’m feeling right now.

Accomplish one task everyday.

Advice to live by, given to Peace Corps Volunteers newly arrived in Benin. I discounted it then because I was in a situation where I could accomplish much much more. Today, with a belly the size of Alaska, achy joints, a lot of soreness, and no possibility of drugs to relieve the discomfort, I’m happy to get one thing done in a day, no matter how small.

Friday, I finished an online class AND applied for my diplomatic passport, AND went grocery shopping. Total walking = about 2.5 miles.

Saturday, I went to brunch AND went to Costco. Total walking = 1.5 miles. I’ve used a pedometer in Costco before, and some days we walk almost a mile inside! Yesterday, only half a mile.

Today, I brunched (again!) AND went to L.L.Bean. I didn’t get the waterproof boots I was hoping to get, as pregnancy swelling apparently has made my already-fat calves too fat for even L.L. Bean Wellies I wanted. I did, however, get some cold-weather baby clothes. I now have no more excuses to freak out about having a baby during an American winter.

I’ve been pretty laissez-faire about food during my pregnancy, focusing more on variety and getting a lot of fruits and vegetables, rather than paying attention to saturated fat and calorie content. Bertrand got some bad news in regards to cholesterol from the doctor the other day, and I’m now in the home stretch, so we’re going to start paying close attention to diet again.

Dinner was baked wings (B’s, pictured, were smothered in BBQ sauce), broiled sweet potato fries, and steamed broccoli sprinkled with delicious cheddar cheese. I probably could have done without following the healthy meal with pumpkin spice ice cream, but hey! pumpkin obsession!

Costco frozen pizza is superior to anything we can get delivered here in Crystal City. Yum. As spending time on my feet gets progressively more uncomfortable, we’re getting more and more enthusiastic about dinners that don’t require any effort to make. Like pizza and salad.

Last night we went to a good-bye party for some of my colleagues who are heading out to post this week. My burgeoning belly makes for great conversation, especially since I have no patience for glowing happy OMG pregnancy is AWESOME narratives. I’m uncomfortable. My legs hurt. My abs hurt. My groin hurts. And I can’t sleep through the night because I ALWAYS HAVE TO PEE.

On the other hand, I’m creating life, and that’s kind of awesome.

And here’s a bonus photo: Bertrand saw snow for the first time last weekend!

Liz was in town this weekend, and instead of spending a couple of days exploring DC, we holed up in my apartment and tested granola recipes. I’d made up my mind to make Christmas presents this year, but wasn’t sure if granola would be a) feasible time-wise and b) classy and pretty enough.

Trust me, it’s both.

We started the day with homemade pumpkin spice lattes, before getting to work!

My plan was to test 5 different recipes: pumpkin spice, apple cinnamin, vanilla blueberry, orange cranberry, and coconut almond. We got out lots of oats, flax, sweeteners, nuts, and dried fruits, before getting to work in my tiny kitchen. Yum.

Pumpkin spice was a success! I’d already found a great recipe, and knew how to modify it to make things a bit more … pumpkin-y. It turned out really well.

Before finishing up the apple cinnamon granola, we went out to lunch at a creperie in Pentagon Row.

Bertrand was disappointed to discover that his smoked salmon was actually a smoked salmon salad, but Liz and I had delicious delicious crepes.

By the time we got home, post lunch, grocery store, and beer run, I was exhausted! We were able to finish up the apple cinnamon and vanilla blueberry granolas before friends came over for dinner, but didn’t get to the last two on our list.

Bertrand made Beninese food for dinner, and we washed it down with pumpkin beer.

I’ve tried to convince him that he should write up his recipes, but he really doesn’t have any. He’s a good cook, but does everything by feel. He can’t tell me how much broth, salt, or oil he uses in anything at all. No Beninese cook I’ve ever met actually mesures. Everything is done by taste, smell, and feel. I wish I could cook like that!