Archive for August, 2008

This is the month I become a mother. I would have been happy with an August baby, but Dagmar decided to stick around a bit longer, which is fine and not exactly unexpected. My “due date” is Wednesday, though most women go past 40 weeks so it seems like a silly day to define it. First-timers like myself usually go longer than others, but I really am hoping to get the birth in while my mother is still here. Speaking of my mother, she’ll be arriving any minute now so I’m keeping this short. She’s been visiting for several days and she pops by weekday mornings and helps me do whatever needs doing until T gets home. Mom is good.  :)

For examples of what has needed doing, check out some new pics of our preparations around the flat to make room for Dagmar.

That tank top used to cover my belly.

A friend of mine decided to order a package and have it shipped to my address, and for whatever reason, decided to go ahead and place the order before checking with me that it’s ok to do so. He assumed that I would be home when he wouldn’t, and therefore he’d get his package faster. Not a horrible assumption considering how exhausted I’ve been lately, but more importantly, he didn’t get a chance to verify my address beforehand. He didn’t put the address exactly right. I do not blame DHL for this part. I will say, though, that every online map service I know of is able to find our flat with the address as he gave it, so although I do totally blame said friend for doing something stupid, we both thought the package would still arrive. 

I’m sure you have guessed by now that it didn’t, or I wouldn’t be writing about it. DHL attempted delivery a couple times, somewhere. Not here. I was home all day. But apparently they’re trying to deliver it somewhere and it’s not working. With no “sorry we missed you” notice, it can’t be picked up at their office, not that I know where that is or care enough about someone else’s package to go there. I figure it will get sent back to the sender eventually and maybe next time my friend can ship it to his damn self. I guess we’ll see. 

After a couple failed deliveries of that package, I was expecting delivery of something we actually ordered for ourselves: the Amby Baby. This one had the correct address on it, because my husband knows his own address. DHL had it on Tuesday, and apparently the driver couldn’t find our flat. Don’t ask me why because I have no idea. It’s not exactly hidden. So what do you figure the driver does? Well, he has Thomas’ phone number. So he could call and ask where the flat is, right? Oh no. That’s not what you use phone numbers for! No, you use them to enter into some weird database and try to find an alternate address. For some reason, DHL has a database that connects Thomas’ phone number to his old address, where his parents live. Don’t ask me why. We’ve lived here over a year and have already changed all the billing addresses and whatnot to the new address. So this DHL driver, no doubt seriously pleased with himself for his ingenuity, decides to deliver our package to Nivå, 31 km away, instead. 

One wonders how this story could have ended if Thomas’ parents didn’t still live there. But it’s not even over yet. He tries to deliver to Thomas’ parents, but they aren’t home. So he goes next door and delivers to Thomas’ parents’ neighbor. I wish I could make this stuff up. Suppose Thomas’ parents and their neighbors were not on good terms. Or again, if Thomas’ parents aren’t even the ones living at the old address. Maybe delivering a €300 package to someone who has no connection to the intended recipient is a bad idea, right? So many awesome possibilities here. Plus, it’s a large, heavy package. Imagine if Thomas’ parents had their car in the shop and couldn’t bring it to us. We’d have to carry it on the train. Gosh, that would be fun. Especially when I’m nine months pregnant. 

Yes, yes, none of these worst-case scenarios happened, but seriously… what was this DHL guy thinking? As it was, we had to wait two days for T’s dad to have the time to bring it to us. Not so bad, but why the heck should he have to bring it to us in the first place? We requested delivery to our own damn address! Isn’t that DHL’s job? To bring it to the address we bloody provided? 

Then on Wednesday, I received another package from DHL. I guess this must be a different driver, because he didn’t even mention how hard it was to find our flat or anything. Just delivered the package. How clever. He needs to have a talk with the other guy about how that works.

Comment from old blog

Do they have a complaints section on their website? I would complain, its not fair that your FIL had to drive 31 km to deliver the package that you paid to have delivered to your door. You should not have to make further arrangements, at the very least they should reimburse the fuel charges incurred to bring the package to you. Hope that any further deliveries are delivered by the last delivery guy. And that you and baby are feeling good.
Janine AKA Blushingrose | 2008-08-23 23:52

Thanks for the tag, Janine! 
1. My uncle once: got remarried, and then I haven’t really heard much about him after that. 
2. Never in my life: have I been a Jehovah’s Witness. 
3. When I was five: I demanded to have the paper crayon with my name on the door of my kindergarten classroom removed and replaced with a yellow one, because I didn’t like purple. 
4. High school was: hell. 
5. I will never forget: seeing Thomas across the airport, in person for the first time. 
6. Once I met: a guy who actually thought “once you go black, you never go back” was a good line. 
7. There’s this girl I know: who is single and had a donor baby because she really wanted to be a mom. 
8. Once, at a bar: in the Bible Belt, I requested “I Thought You Were My Boyfriend” by Magnetic Fields on the jukebox and left before it started to play. 
9. By noon, I’m usually: realizing I should probably do something productive. 
10. Last night: I watched several episodes from season 2 of Stargate SG-1. 
11. If only I had: a memo from baby Dagmar telling me when she plans to make her appearance.  
12. Next time I go to church: someone better be dead or getting married, otherwise I’ll be awfully confused about why I’m there. 
13. What worries me most: my mother being here for four weeks…. 
14. When I turn my head left I see: a dresser/diaper changing station. 
15. When I turn my head right I see: Lidja sleeping in Dagmar’s canopied crib. I really gotta get the cats to stop going in there…. 
16. You know I’m lying when: I smile too much. 
17. What I miss most about the eighties is: nothing, to be honest. It was fine, I suppose, but once was enough. 
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare, I’d be: comedic relief. 
19. By this time next year: I will have a nearly one-year-old daughter. omg 
20. A better name for me would be: picked by someone else right now. Sorry, pregnancy brain. 
21. I have a hard time understanding: Danish.  
22. If I ever go back to school, I’ll: have nothing to do with computer science. 
23. You know I like you if: I answer the phone when you call. 
24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be: Thomas! 
25. Take my advice, never: tell a heartbroken teenager there are plenty more fish in the sea. 
26. My ideal breakfast is: pretty much anything at Highland Grill, but only if you pay extra for the real maple syrup. Their regular syrup sucks. Mmmmmm Highland Grill. I miss you. 
27. A song I love but do not have is: “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John 
28. If you visit my hometown, I suggest you: go in the winter, and don’t stay longer than you have to. 
29. Why won’t people: offer their seats to the elderly and pregnant? 
30. If you spend a night at my house: you will be well-fed but you probably won’t sleep well. Sorry. It’s a small flat. 
31. I’d stop my wedding for: nothing. I didn’t stop it for bad weather, fish weigh-in ceremonies, or braindead florists, so hey. 
32. The world could do without: hypocrites. 
33. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: um no. No no no. I’m ignoring this question or else I will puke. 
34. My favorite blonde(s) is/are: strawberry! 
35. Paper clips are more useful than: pickle pickers. 
36. If I do anything well it’s: uxorial duties. 
37. And by the way: I tag Aleesha

One site I go to regularly will not let me on anymore. Another is bugging every time I log in, such that it sends the same message to one of my friends every few seconds, and I can’t make the chat window go away. Another is completely dead. Another has a couple of members that are annoying me to the point that I don’t find it worth going. Yet another has ridiculous moderators on power trips and I’m losing my patience with that too. It’s probably just as well since I’ve been ridiculously tired lately. 

I haven’t experienced any Braxton Hicks (“practice” contractions) during the pregnancy, until a few days ago. Now I’m getting a couple every day, and it’s pretty exciting. I feel like things are really gearing up and getting ready to go. Not that I have any indication how long it takes to get ready, but at least something is happening. My track record on being patient is not very strong, and I’m surprised how laid back I feel about the whole birthing thing. I’m ready to go now, but hey, if it’s another month that’s cool too. I never thought I’d feel that way! 

All our big pre-baby projects are done, so we’re pretty ready on a practical level too. The furniture is moved, stuff is stained, drilled, nailed, washed, and whatever else. There’s still a bit of straightening up before I’m ready to post pictures of our flat’s new look, but hopefully I’ll get the gumption to do that soon. I finally found a place to get a My Brest Friend nursing pillow shipped here from the UK, and it arrived yesterday. The site didn’t have pictures accompanying the pattern names, and I got to select from “pink stripe,” “blue stripe,” “oatmeal,” and “sunburst.” I chose sunburst, and I must say I was pretty darn surprised to find that is apparently blue, but I’m happy enough to have the darn thing at all that I really don’t care. 

Thomas’ mother had suggested that we get a pram to sit on the balcony so Dagmar can sleep outside. Apparently, having your baby sleep outside is a big deal in Denmark. I still don’t quite understand it, but I’m not against it, but I thought getting a pram that won’t actually go anywhere was a bit strange. Thomas really thought we needed something for outside naps on the balcony, and although we probably could have gotten a cheap used pram, I read enough reviews of the Amby Baby (for my UK readers, you may know it as a Nature’s Nest) that I decided to get that instead. It’s ordered and will arrive any day now. Apparently, Amby Baby Europe ships from Sweden, so we got a special cheap delivery for being in Scandinavia. Woo hoo! Of course, we still had to pay 25% VAT on it, but I’m looking on the bright side today. 

Tomorrow, I have the last or next-to-last (depending on if I go past 40 weeks or not) midwife appointment. Then on Thursday, my mother is arriving in Denmark for the very first time. Thomas is taking the day off, and his whole family will be with me at the airport to greet her with a barrage of Danish flags. If you’re like me, you think that’s really cheesy, but if you’re like my mother, you think that’s awesome. She will totally love this, so I’m looking forward to it because it will make her smile. Then the plan is to show Mom our flat, and then spend the day with the fam. Mom has met Thomas and his siblings, but not his parents. Mom also seems to think Denmark is the middle of nowhere, and I’m curious how she will respond to the new culture. Should be interesting! 

I’m debating setting up a new blog just for Dagmar-related stuff. This assumes I’ll still have things to talk about other than Dagmar to warrant having this site too. Still pondering.

Comment from old blog

Don’t start a new blog. Everyone who blogs and has babies ends up with a baby blog anyway, and no one faults them for it. I even read a China-PR blog that descends into personal baby stuff once in a while. I think it’s impossible to blog with a baby and not blog ABOUT the baby (at least occasionally).

Besides, it saves everyone the trouble of having to read both! 
Meg | 2008-08-20 15:48

Comment from old blog

Your bump looks so good, it makes me miss my one…
Janine AKA Blushingrose | 2008-08-09 21:40