Well...we have about four and a half weeks to go - and guess who decided that being head-down, like he's supposed to be, just wasn't fun anymore? Yep. Two stubborn parents apparently make equally stubborn babies and he his now resting his little head on my ribs. My doctor told me that maybe she's wrong but she doesn't think so, and then told me NOT to Google breech babies. Which, to me, tells me that there is something she doesn't want me to worry about. So I came back to work after my appointment and Googled breech babies. I get on my own nerves sometimes. She was right, I should not have read all that. However, we're just going to hope he's a good little boy and goes back to where he was (and soon) so that I do not have to wallow in a new set of fears. Ultrasound in two weeks - he has two weeks to make me proud. MOMMY DOES NOT WANT A C-SECTION!
In the meantime, we have boxes to unpack that seem to go on forever, a shower to go to pretty soon, and maybe someday we'll even start looking into daycares and pediatricians. I used to be so good at planning things. What on earth made me stop now, of all the times in my life...? I've even influenced my unborn baby to not plan ahead.
Zoe seems to be liking her new digs enough to not pee all over them for now. She (so far) has the run of her new home while we are not there, and she's either holding it all day, or doing a really superb job of hiding her little indiscretions. However, I am spending much more of my day walking around in freezing temps waiting for her to sniff every blade of grass we encounter, but whatever works, right? The concept she clearly has not grasped yet is that Peyton lives with her now, and so he gets five times the greeting I do when we walk in the door. For me it's, "Oh heeeey....*yawn*....you're home, huh? That's nice." Peyton gets, "OMG, OMG, I thought I was never going to see you again, but you're here, you actually came back! Let's HUG!" Cute. She forgets who feeds her, obviously.
As far as hoping the baby comes early, I think I've changed my mind. For today at least. I just realized yesterday that all of the things we do without thinking about them or planning ahead are coming to an end. Like deciding to go out to eat at the last minute. Or going to bed early because we're tired. Or watching a movie all the way through. Or wearing the same shirt for six straight hours without getting any pee or poop or spit-up on it. You know, all the luxuries that we don't even know are luxuries just yet. I think I need every day I can get right now to bask in them. But I reserve the right to change my mind once again when I can't tie my own shoes later today.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New Year, New Everything
Unbelievably...finally...THANKFULLY...it's moving week. I keep shoving it to the back of my mind how much it's going to really suck, especially for Peyton, but once it's done...the BIGGEST thing on our list will be done. I have no words for how happy that makes me. Maybe I'll be able to relax afterwards. Because even when it looks like I'm just sitting in bed looking like a lazy, oversized blob, I'm actually very busy inside my own head and it can get pretty exhausting. Yes, I do it to myself, but it's pretty hard to change me, I've noticed. Luckily, at a very young age, I learned that I can also disappear inside my own head - ironically the very place that all that needless panic and worry comes from - so I've been using that technique a lot lately. I've lounged in some really great imaginary bubble baths, while sipping imaginary wine. I've taken some imaginary naps in a hammock in the middle of nowhere, gone for walks in lots of faraway places, and all with the background soundtrack of David Gray's "This Years Love". Only one of my favorite songs of all time and guaranteed to calm the crazy me every time.
After this weekend, the real countdown can begin. As of yesterday, we had six weeks left until the unlikely-to-be-punctual arrival of BabyKer. I have other plans for his birth date however, and none of them involve me still being pregnant during the 3rd week of February. Nine months is entirely too long to be pregnant. And it's ten months, if anyone's really counting. It's not just normal months, either. Each month is the kind that lasts at least seven to eight weeks in perceptive time (and perception is reality) and so by mid-February, I will have been pregnant for most of my 30's and that is just ridiculous. I cannot believe elephants are pregnant for two years. It's even more surprising that we still have elephants. I'm going to high five the next elephant I see and offer to rub her feet.
While it's still January, I'm going to lay down some resolutions for myself. Maybe if I write it here and make it public, I'll actually stick with a few of them.
After this weekend, the real countdown can begin. As of yesterday, we had six weeks left until the unlikely-to-be-punctual arrival of BabyKer. I have other plans for his birth date however, and none of them involve me still being pregnant during the 3rd week of February. Nine months is entirely too long to be pregnant. And it's ten months, if anyone's really counting. It's not just normal months, either. Each month is the kind that lasts at least seven to eight weeks in perceptive time (and perception is reality) and so by mid-February, I will have been pregnant for most of my 30's and that is just ridiculous. I cannot believe elephants are pregnant for two years. It's even more surprising that we still have elephants. I'm going to high five the next elephant I see and offer to rub her feet.
While it's still January, I'm going to lay down some resolutions for myself. Maybe if I write it here and make it public, I'll actually stick with a few of them.
- Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight MINUS another ten pounds by summer. If this is accomplished, I'll spend the remaining six months getting into Jillian Michaels shape.
- Find a church that I like, ignore my grandmother's criticisms of it, and attend on a regular basis.
- Become more tolerant. Of everything. Including my grandmother.
- Stop allowing people to disappoint me and surround myself with people who respect me.
- Move into a HOUSE.
- Build new friendships with people not being referred to in #4.
- Learn how to relax and not worry so much.
And no, none of those involve BabyKer. That is because anything pertaining to him will be life-long, not just this year. I'm sure I'll have plenty for that list once he is born. Right now, I just want him to be born healthy and perfect and to not kill me in the process.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Fat, But Productive
You know that heavy/loud breathing thing that really obese people do? Yeah...I do that now. I just caught myself. It's one of my pet peeves too, so this is really not an exciting development for me. I remember sitting across the desk from this one boss I had a few years ago and just feeling disgusted, because as he rummaged around forever trying to find the file on his computer he was talking about, the only sound in the room was his heavy-for-no-reason breathing and the occasional ticking coming from his personal fridge full of snacks. Which never kept him from pilfering from MY snack drawer anytime I left my office. I even started to bring only cold food for lunch because if I put anything in the microwave, he'd come bounding down the stairs looking like it was Christmas morning and asking "Ooooooooh, what are we cooking??!!" Also, he'd always stop in my office every morning and sit down to chat about nothing for a few minutes because his office was up a flight of stairs and he had to rest between the walk from his car and that large upward journey. Ugh. Now I'm THAT GUY. Not that I've become obese, but still...just to count myself among the people that sound obese is not a good feeling. What if I'm on the phone with someone I've never met? I bet they're going to just assume. They'll think to themselves, "It's a good thing this lady is canceling her cable, it sounds like she needs a reason to get off the couch." You can tell I spent a good portion of my twenties being overweight, right? Now I'm paranoid.
So other than my laborious breathing, everything is still pretty boring on the pregnancy front. Still have a butt in my ribs, but I imagine it's a pretty cute one, so it's not really a big deal. The baby is 90% named, I think. Not that we're sharing, but we've been sort of stuck on one for a while now. And guess what? We ran it by Zoe and BabyKer and they both like it as well, so it's 100% approved. Just have to see if it sticks now. There's no telling with me though, my favorite color was green yesterday and today it's orange. We have 49 days left (although I'd be perfectly happy with a few less than that), baby's head is getting bigger because my favorite part - his brain, is growing rapidly right now. He is changing colors, from red to pink, and putting on some more body fat. Hopefully, he's taking it from my reserves and not wasting resources. Mom likes to recycle.
Exciting news! We have a place to live. It's hopefully pretty short-term. We resigned ourselves to living in an apartment since no one seems to want to move out of their house during Christmas, which turned out to be incredibly inconvenient for us. We'll try again in a few months. But the good news is, BabyKer has his own room for me to paint some undecided (and surely to be re-decided) color. Peyton has been busy working on some paintings for his room too, so it's going to be pretty cute. Bad news...Peyton is about to meet a new side of me, and I bet the first few days of living together are going to be rough. Once we get over the initial control-freak decorator that lives deep down inside me, I think it's going to be fun, but please pray for our first week together :). He has opinions and I am going to do my best to respect them. Even though I think men should have no say in the matter. I'm still going to try and be a better person than I've been in the past. But this part of my personality is something I was born with and cannot be completely ignored, as demonstrated by the constant battle my parents faced with me when they would come home from work to find all of their furniture rearranged. They had horrible taste, but could not be convinced of it. I never gave up though. If they came home today to find a certain ugly hall table missing, they would probably still know exactly which closet in which to find it. It's like I was raised by apes, really - we have nothing in common. But I digress.
Christmas was wonderful. We had great visits with both of our families. My grandmother was on great behavior, which made things much easier. However, she was sporting a new wig and I kept seeing her across the room and not recognizing her, which was strange. I giggled to myself a little when I saw she had slipped a copy of her Christmas letter into one of my gifts though. Oh thank you...it's just what I wanted. But everyone, including her, was more than generous to us and I have no complaints. Well, except that I didn't get to drink wine with all my Christmas dinners, but there's always next year.
So other than my laborious breathing, everything is still pretty boring on the pregnancy front. Still have a butt in my ribs, but I imagine it's a pretty cute one, so it's not really a big deal. The baby is 90% named, I think. Not that we're sharing, but we've been sort of stuck on one for a while now. And guess what? We ran it by Zoe and BabyKer and they both like it as well, so it's 100% approved. Just have to see if it sticks now. There's no telling with me though, my favorite color was green yesterday and today it's orange. We have 49 days left (although I'd be perfectly happy with a few less than that), baby's head is getting bigger because my favorite part - his brain, is growing rapidly right now. He is changing colors, from red to pink, and putting on some more body fat. Hopefully, he's taking it from my reserves and not wasting resources. Mom likes to recycle.
Exciting news! We have a place to live. It's hopefully pretty short-term. We resigned ourselves to living in an apartment since no one seems to want to move out of their house during Christmas, which turned out to be incredibly inconvenient for us. We'll try again in a few months. But the good news is, BabyKer has his own room for me to paint some undecided (and surely to be re-decided) color. Peyton has been busy working on some paintings for his room too, so it's going to be pretty cute. Bad news...Peyton is about to meet a new side of me, and I bet the first few days of living together are going to be rough. Once we get over the initial control-freak decorator that lives deep down inside me, I think it's going to be fun, but please pray for our first week together :). He has opinions and I am going to do my best to respect them. Even though I think men should have no say in the matter. I'm still going to try and be a better person than I've been in the past. But this part of my personality is something I was born with and cannot be completely ignored, as demonstrated by the constant battle my parents faced with me when they would come home from work to find all of their furniture rearranged. They had horrible taste, but could not be convinced of it. I never gave up though. If they came home today to find a certain ugly hall table missing, they would probably still know exactly which closet in which to find it. It's like I was raised by apes, really - we have nothing in common. But I digress.
Christmas was wonderful. We had great visits with both of our families. My grandmother was on great behavior, which made things much easier. However, she was sporting a new wig and I kept seeing her across the room and not recognizing her, which was strange. I giggled to myself a little when I saw she had slipped a copy of her Christmas letter into one of my gifts though. Oh thank you...it's just what I wanted. But everyone, including her, was more than generous to us and I have no complaints. Well, except that I didn't get to drink wine with all my Christmas dinners, but there's always next year.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Fa La La La Laaaaaaaaa!
Well, I mailed my Christmas cards. It was the easiest of the tasks on my list, and I'm ever so proud of myself. It is also the one and only thing I have accomplished since then, but hey, I did something!
Sleep has not been coming so easily the past few days. I think I may be permanently uncomfortable with no other option but to wait it out. I think I'd rather have baby-interrupted spurts of super-comfy sleep than the painful kind at this point, but patience is a virtue.
Thirty-two weeks tomorrow! And right on schedule, my 8-weeks-ahead-of-me coworker is in labor today. On her due date. If you knew her, you'd know how fitting it is that her baby is so punctual already. So if my baby's like me, he'll either be really early or won't want to bother coming out at all, depending on his mood.
This weekend, I really wanted to have a day where we didn't do anything important - no chores, no errands, nothing. So we did that Saturday and it was so great. Slept in late, went to get some breakfast, did some half-hearted, unproductive shopping, rented movies, napped, and went out for dinner. Unfortunately, dinner took place in Rockwall, so it was a little bit of a nightmare to get out there, but other than that...one of the best no-obligation days so far. I plan to have a few more in the next few weeks. Here's hoping.
Christmas is this weekend - and if only it weren't almost 80 degrees outside (as well as inside, or is it just me?) I'd almost believe it. But since I have no tree up, the sun is blazing, I haven't done any shopping and I'm not really in the mood...it just doesn't seem like it's really coming up in a matter of days. Well, there is my friendly neighbor across the hall at work who doesn't own a pair of headphones and prefers Celine Dion over any other Christmas album...but that's the last thing that would get me in the mood for festivities. I bet once I stop sweating, I'll be more into it. Christmas, that is...not Celine Dion.
As of my last doctor visit, my pregnancy is still decidedly boring (which is great), according to my doctor. I've grown 33 centimeters, and BabyKer is between 3 and 4 lbs. I also asked for confirmation of his position so I'll know I'm not causing brain damage to him when I try to push him away from my soon-to-be broken ribs. Good news! I'm not - it's just his tiny, very boney hiney, which he likes to wiggle a lot. It'll be a really cute trick in person, I'm sure. He moves around a lot lately. Not so much kicking as squirming...I can tell he's running out of room. Poor thing. Wait till he finds out he's sleeping in a basket on a nightstand when he gets here.
Sleep has not been coming so easily the past few days. I think I may be permanently uncomfortable with no other option but to wait it out. I think I'd rather have baby-interrupted spurts of super-comfy sleep than the painful kind at this point, but patience is a virtue.
Thirty-two weeks tomorrow! And right on schedule, my 8-weeks-ahead-of-me coworker is in labor today. On her due date. If you knew her, you'd know how fitting it is that her baby is so punctual already. So if my baby's like me, he'll either be really early or won't want to bother coming out at all, depending on his mood.
This weekend, I really wanted to have a day where we didn't do anything important - no chores, no errands, nothing. So we did that Saturday and it was so great. Slept in late, went to get some breakfast, did some half-hearted, unproductive shopping, rented movies, napped, and went out for dinner. Unfortunately, dinner took place in Rockwall, so it was a little bit of a nightmare to get out there, but other than that...one of the best no-obligation days so far. I plan to have a few more in the next few weeks. Here's hoping.
Christmas is this weekend - and if only it weren't almost 80 degrees outside (as well as inside, or is it just me?) I'd almost believe it. But since I have no tree up, the sun is blazing, I haven't done any shopping and I'm not really in the mood...it just doesn't seem like it's really coming up in a matter of days. Well, there is my friendly neighbor across the hall at work who doesn't own a pair of headphones and prefers Celine Dion over any other Christmas album...but that's the last thing that would get me in the mood for festivities. I bet once I stop sweating, I'll be more into it. Christmas, that is...not Celine Dion.
As of my last doctor visit, my pregnancy is still decidedly boring (which is great), according to my doctor. I've grown 33 centimeters, and BabyKer is between 3 and 4 lbs. I also asked for confirmation of his position so I'll know I'm not causing brain damage to him when I try to push him away from my soon-to-be broken ribs. Good news! I'm not - it's just his tiny, very boney hiney, which he likes to wiggle a lot. It'll be a really cute trick in person, I'm sure. He moves around a lot lately. Not so much kicking as squirming...I can tell he's running out of room. Poor thing. Wait till he finds out he's sleeping in a basket on a nightstand when he gets here.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Maybe Tomorrow...
Remember when I used to blog? Yeah, me either. But don't worry, my neglect of you is widely and evenly spread amongst everything in my life right now, so please don't feel like I've singled you out. My laundry? Ingored. (As always). Dishes? What dishes? Daycare? Ehh...eventually. Pediatrician? I'll get around to it. Place to live? There's always next week. Christmas cards? Addressed! But not signed. I did the hard part and now can't make myself do the easy part. I wrapped three out of four Christmas gifts last night. Why not just go ahead and wrap the last one, you ask? Didn't feel like it. And what about naming the baby? Noooo....we will not be getting around to that anytime soon, I promise.
It's not like I'm tired. In fact, I'm sleeping really well for the most part. I'm just sort of a little bit in denial, maybe. Because just in case you thought that by the third trimester, it would have sunk in that I'm actually going to have a baby at the end of all this, it so hasn't. It never did and still does not feel real. Oh, I get that I'm pregnant...that part is pretty much impossible to ignore. But the fact that there is going to be an actual human to take care of pretty soon - it just makes no sense. I'm still puppy shopping, in fact. When I tell people this, they look at me as if I'm absolutely insane, but with a puppy, I know what I'm getting into and that I can also change my mind if it doesn't seem to be going well. I'm ready for a puppy. A baby? Not so much.
I'm in for a pretty big reality check, right? Trust me, I'm aware. But it's hard to picture bringing the baby home, when we don't even know where home is. We can, however, picture what he'll be wearing because BabyKer officially has a closetful of clothes. A literal closetful. And Peyton has a bigger closet than I do, and that is where all things baby are living right now, so did I mention baby has a lot of clothes? And oh my gosh, are they the cutest things ever. So are the tiny shoes! He already has five pairs of shoes and yes, I know he doesn't need them, but I promise he will be wearing them anyway. With Christmas around the corner, however, I'm having to constantly remind myself that the baby isn't actually here and that he will be just fine if I don't buy him gifts this year. The toys for six month old babies will do him no good whatsoever for at least eight months and by then...I can start shopping for next Christmas. It's so fun though.
Speaking of Christmas, I found out last night that my grandmother is sending out her annual Christmas letter as per the usual, and that yours truly and my exciting news of this super-long-cooking baby did not even earn a mention. Apparently, it's just too embarrassing to share that her unwed granddaughter will be gracing the world with an illegitimate baby while shacking up in sin with the baby daddy. Suffice it to say, I'm not surprised in the least by her omission, but my feelings are very hurt. In fact, I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I kept working myself up by imagining the Julia Sugarbaker-type rants ("and FURTHERMOOOOOORE, Grandma....") I wish I could unleash on her if only I wouldn't have to end up being the one to apologize for hurting her feelings. I cannot wait for all of you to get to meet her at the baby shower. With no men around to keep her in line, I'm not really sure what she'll feel compelled to say. But in the spirit of forgiveness, she's still invited. (Or is it in the spirit of entertainment? Kids...and old ladies, it turns out, can say the darnedest things). I understand that she grew up in another time and things were different, and BLAH BLAH BLAH....which is why she'll never know how I feel. I just wish I could make her see that the same God that she is using as the foundation for her judgement and pride is the God who made sure this baby happened in the first place and that He certainly wouldn't leave me out of His Christmas letter out of embarrassment, no matter what. And that's all I have to say about that...
In other news, my projects are starting to roll in! What projects? Why the ones you are working on, of course. Duh. While in Houston this weekend, one aunt gave me the three projects she made for BabyKer's room. One of them with a post-it note placeholder where his name will later be added. For the record, I swear we have no idea what we are naming him. It's true that we're not telling anyone until he's born, but it may turn out that we don't know until he's born either. But I digress. I also have a beautiful new watercolor from my incredibly talented cousin, Jax. He whipped it up in about an hour. Just saying. Another aunt got started making origami creatures for a mobile. And last but not least, my cousin, Jacob, somehow thought that his project was complete when he painted a watercolor four years ago, but that isn't how this works...so I'm excited to see what he creates just for the baby in the next few weeks. I hope I'm not being too subtle for you, Jacob. P.S. I like trees.
Even though I am unmotivated and becoming the champion of not getting things done, I am currently working on a new to-do list, one that I hope will have some check-marks on it the next time I write. If you happen to get a Christmas card in the mail before Christmas, for example, you will know that I've taken at least one step in that direction. Luckily, other people are in charge of sending out baby shower invitations, so that actually stands a chance of getting done - be checking the mail for them! It's January 22nd and will probably be the time of your life, so you should just go ahead and mark your calendars now. Start making travel arrangements too, if you need to. You can come stay with me in my tent that weekend. (Guess I better get a tent.)
It's not like I'm tired. In fact, I'm sleeping really well for the most part. I'm just sort of a little bit in denial, maybe. Because just in case you thought that by the third trimester, it would have sunk in that I'm actually going to have a baby at the end of all this, it so hasn't. It never did and still does not feel real. Oh, I get that I'm pregnant...that part is pretty much impossible to ignore. But the fact that there is going to be an actual human to take care of pretty soon - it just makes no sense. I'm still puppy shopping, in fact. When I tell people this, they look at me as if I'm absolutely insane, but with a puppy, I know what I'm getting into and that I can also change my mind if it doesn't seem to be going well. I'm ready for a puppy. A baby? Not so much.
I'm in for a pretty big reality check, right? Trust me, I'm aware. But it's hard to picture bringing the baby home, when we don't even know where home is. We can, however, picture what he'll be wearing because BabyKer officially has a closetful of clothes. A literal closetful. And Peyton has a bigger closet than I do, and that is where all things baby are living right now, so did I mention baby has a lot of clothes? And oh my gosh, are they the cutest things ever. So are the tiny shoes! He already has five pairs of shoes and yes, I know he doesn't need them, but I promise he will be wearing them anyway. With Christmas around the corner, however, I'm having to constantly remind myself that the baby isn't actually here and that he will be just fine if I don't buy him gifts this year. The toys for six month old babies will do him no good whatsoever for at least eight months and by then...I can start shopping for next Christmas. It's so fun though.
Speaking of Christmas, I found out last night that my grandmother is sending out her annual Christmas letter as per the usual, and that yours truly and my exciting news of this super-long-cooking baby did not even earn a mention. Apparently, it's just too embarrassing to share that her unwed granddaughter will be gracing the world with an illegitimate baby while shacking up in sin with the baby daddy. Suffice it to say, I'm not surprised in the least by her omission, but my feelings are very hurt. In fact, I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I kept working myself up by imagining the Julia Sugarbaker-type rants ("and FURTHERMOOOOOORE, Grandma....") I wish I could unleash on her if only I wouldn't have to end up being the one to apologize for hurting her feelings. I cannot wait for all of you to get to meet her at the baby shower. With no men around to keep her in line, I'm not really sure what she'll feel compelled to say. But in the spirit of forgiveness, she's still invited. (Or is it in the spirit of entertainment? Kids...and old ladies, it turns out, can say the darnedest things). I understand that she grew up in another time and things were different, and BLAH BLAH BLAH....which is why she'll never know how I feel. I just wish I could make her see that the same God that she is using as the foundation for her judgement and pride is the God who made sure this baby happened in the first place and that He certainly wouldn't leave me out of His Christmas letter out of embarrassment, no matter what. And that's all I have to say about that...
In other news, my projects are starting to roll in! What projects? Why the ones you are working on, of course. Duh. While in Houston this weekend, one aunt gave me the three projects she made for BabyKer's room. One of them with a post-it note placeholder where his name will later be added. For the record, I swear we have no idea what we are naming him. It's true that we're not telling anyone until he's born, but it may turn out that we don't know until he's born either. But I digress. I also have a beautiful new watercolor from my incredibly talented cousin, Jax. He whipped it up in about an hour. Just saying. Another aunt got started making origami creatures for a mobile. And last but not least, my cousin, Jacob, somehow thought that his project was complete when he painted a watercolor four years ago, but that isn't how this works...so I'm excited to see what he creates just for the baby in the next few weeks. I hope I'm not being too subtle for you, Jacob. P.S. I like trees.
Even though I am unmotivated and becoming the champion of not getting things done, I am currently working on a new to-do list, one that I hope will have some check-marks on it the next time I write. If you happen to get a Christmas card in the mail before Christmas, for example, you will know that I've taken at least one step in that direction. Luckily, other people are in charge of sending out baby shower invitations, so that actually stands a chance of getting done - be checking the mail for them! It's January 22nd and will probably be the time of your life, so you should just go ahead and mark your calendars now. Start making travel arrangements too, if you need to. You can come stay with me in my tent that weekend. (Guess I better get a tent.)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Think Twice, Speak Once
This past Thursday, we accomplished something I didn’t think was possible. A short doctor visit. Hopefully, now that I have to go every two weeks, they will all be short. For this one, I drank a glucose tolerance beverage which didn’t taste as bad as I thought it would, but I immediately felt sick. Add to that the fact that they took blood for the test, and my afternoon was close to ruined. By the time my stomach felt better, I was falling asleep at my desk. But the good news is, I do not have gestational diabetes. Not even close. So cupcakes still get to be a big part of my life. So happy! I do have low blood count though, so I’m taking iron supplements, but I can live with that. I’m hoping that now I won’t be so tired all the time. Although, it’s been a really great excuse for not doing the things I don’t want to do. Unfortunately, I was too freaked out about the blood and the needle to pay attention to anything else going on, but Peyton tells me that BabyKer’s heartbeat was fine and I’m still growing (getting fatter) at the normal rate. He’s big, I’m big…everybody’s big. Yay.
I also had dinner with a friend a couple of weeks ago and we decided on a date for my baby shower. January 22nd. Three weeks before my due date. So assuming I’m still pregnant, which I probably will be, I will also be huge AND on display!! Oh well…the holidays sucked up all the good dates, so this is what was left. And I know I’m supposed to just sit back and let the rest of the planning play out, but I’m a little handsy when it comes to these things. I’m going to try not to be, though. TRY being the key word. Good luck, me!
So we have not picked out a name for BabyKer yet, but have decided that once we do, it’s going to be our little secret until he’s here. It took just a couple of times of getting our feelings hurt to realize that this is our decision, and ours alone…and there are going to be people who don’t like his name, no matter what it is. The important thing is WE will like it, and it will be awesome. Trust me.
Speaking of feelings…I really want to know what it is about being pregnant that makes me look like my feelings can’t get hurt. It’s like the whole world switches their tact button to “off” when they see me (or any other pregnant woman) approaching. I know I’ve complained about it before, but it just keeps happening, and every time it shocks me. This weekend, a lady at Walgreens asked me when I’m due and when I told her February, her eyes popped and she said, “Wow…you’re so BIG already!” Yeah well…thank you? What the heck am I supposed to say to that?! Other than, “Wow…so are YOU.” (Even though she wasn’t…but let her see what it feels like). Poor Peyton gets to deal with this for way longer than any of these rude people do. They just blurt out their insult and then happily go about their day, while Peyton gets to wait around for me for 20 extra minutes while I change clothes five times and complain about how huge I look in everything, thanks to the new complex I’ve just been given. So I’m going to break it down into simple terms. Woman = overly sensitive. Pregnant woman = overly sensitive with no emotional control and a tendency to leave the brain-to-mouth filter next to the other important items she can’t find. Tread carefully!!! Okay?
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Product Placement Alert
You know how you get when you're in love? When you just want to go around telling everyone about it, but you worry about gushing too much and being annoying? Well this is my blog, so I don't have to worry about that.
I am so in love with my new body butter. Forgive me for sounding like a commercial, but I have found perfection, and it needs to be shared with the world. Yes to Carrots is the best stuff out there. It doesn't stink, which is a big deal at this point in my life when "stink" has taken on new meaning. It makes my skin softer than ever, another big deal since I'm dealing with a winter-pregnant combo that makes skin very dry and itchy. It isn't greasy, which is something a lot of good moisturizers are. And the best part....it's $12.99 at Target for a big tub of it as opposed to $40 for my second-favorite Mom and Baby Balm at L'Occitane. I could go on and on. I'm going to, actually...it's made from organic fruits and vegetables and some Dead Sea minerals, and part of it's proceeds go to planting seeds somewhere or something. It's very noble of me to use it, that's all I know. So imagine my excitement when I read today that their line has expanded to include Yes to Baby Carrots. Yep. Baby carrots. As in babies. And guess who's having a baby? Yep. Me. The universe has conspired to make this the happiest time in my life and it knew exactly what would really do it for me! Anyone who knows me knows that there is a regoshdarndiculous amount of body products residing in my bathroom at any given point. Well, now there will be even more. Don't be shocked to find some of this hiding in your stockings this Christmas, as this year's theme will be Cassidy's Favorite Things (which are better and more practical than Oprah's). You're welcome in advance.
*Insert cheesy smile here as I hold up a label-forward tub of said product*
Ok, free advertising session over. How are those projects coming?
I am so in love with my new body butter. Forgive me for sounding like a commercial, but I have found perfection, and it needs to be shared with the world. Yes to Carrots is the best stuff out there. It doesn't stink, which is a big deal at this point in my life when "stink" has taken on new meaning. It makes my skin softer than ever, another big deal since I'm dealing with a winter-pregnant combo that makes skin very dry and itchy. It isn't greasy, which is something a lot of good moisturizers are. And the best part....it's $12.99 at Target for a big tub of it as opposed to $40 for my second-favorite Mom and Baby Balm at L'Occitane. I could go on and on. I'm going to, actually...it's made from organic fruits and vegetables and some Dead Sea minerals, and part of it's proceeds go to planting seeds somewhere or something. It's very noble of me to use it, that's all I know. So imagine my excitement when I read today that their line has expanded to include Yes to Baby Carrots. Yep. Baby carrots. As in babies. And guess who's having a baby? Yep. Me. The universe has conspired to make this the happiest time in my life and it knew exactly what would really do it for me! Anyone who knows me knows that there is a regoshdarndiculous amount of body products residing in my bathroom at any given point. Well, now there will be even more. Don't be shocked to find some of this hiding in your stockings this Christmas, as this year's theme will be Cassidy's Favorite Things (which are better and more practical than Oprah's). You're welcome in advance.
*Insert cheesy smile here as I hold up a label-forward tub of said product*
Ok, free advertising session over. How are those projects coming?
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Goodnight Moon
I FINISHED MY REGISTRY! Once I have fully recovered from yesterday and allowed this monumental occasion to sink in, I'm going to do jumping jacks. Like three of them, maybe. It's hard to imagine that right now, though. Holy. Tired. Batman.
Yesterday, I spent all day working on decorating our office for halloween. We're doing A Nightmare Before Christmas and it's kind of a lot of work. Manual work. All day. I was exhausted by 2:00 and by 5:00, I was laying on the floor behind my desk with my feet in the chair and wondering how I would ever get back up. I have no idea how it happened, but I found myself right-side-up again and on my way to Babies R Us to meet Janelle and finally finish exploring the universe of baby and telling it what I need. I'm so glad she was there...I deleted several things from the list, added about forty-nine more...found out what some of this stuff actually does, learned that a receiving blanket actually does have some purpose, and maybe even lots of purpose. Who'd have guessed? Probably everyone but me, actually. Anyway, we finished up, went to dinner, then headed home. I sat on the Tollway in traffic for forty-five minutes at 9 p.m. and fell into bed when I got home. I have never been so physically and mentally tired in all my life. No really. Never. So naturally, I woke up six times, couldn't fall back asleep one of those times, spent a lot of the night listening to Zoe snore like a grown man or scratch herself and now I will spending the day in the realm of the walking dead so I can be around others like myself. It's a support system.
Seriously though...I finished something. I'm so HAPPY!
But now that I know what this kind of tired feels like, I'm wondering how to survive the next eighteen years of my life. And just so you know, there was a ten minute pause between the last sentence and this one during which I fell asleep at my desk. It's not looking good. I just did it again. I'm out.
Yesterday, I spent all day working on decorating our office for halloween. We're doing A Nightmare Before Christmas and it's kind of a lot of work. Manual work. All day. I was exhausted by 2:00 and by 5:00, I was laying on the floor behind my desk with my feet in the chair and wondering how I would ever get back up. I have no idea how it happened, but I found myself right-side-up again and on my way to Babies R Us to meet Janelle and finally finish exploring the universe of baby and telling it what I need. I'm so glad she was there...I deleted several things from the list, added about forty-nine more...found out what some of this stuff actually does, learned that a receiving blanket actually does have some purpose, and maybe even lots of purpose. Who'd have guessed? Probably everyone but me, actually. Anyway, we finished up, went to dinner, then headed home. I sat on the Tollway in traffic for forty-five minutes at 9 p.m. and fell into bed when I got home. I have never been so physically and mentally tired in all my life. No really. Never. So naturally, I woke up six times, couldn't fall back asleep one of those times, spent a lot of the night listening to Zoe snore like a grown man or scratch herself and now I will spending the day in the realm of the walking dead so I can be around others like myself. It's a support system.
Seriously though...I finished something. I'm so HAPPY!
But now that I know what this kind of tired feels like, I'm wondering how to survive the next eighteen years of my life. And just so you know, there was a ten minute pause between the last sentence and this one during which I fell asleep at my desk. It's not looking good. I just did it again. I'm out.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Cupcakes Can Save Your Life
Good news for everyone, but most of all me. I am back to a normal mood. Normal for a pregnant woman, at least. I went to the doctor on Thursday and she told me everyone goes through the crazy mood swings and that I should go home and rent a sad movie and cry it all out. I didn't do that. Why? Well...because I couldn't wait that long. When I got back to work, I had a major meltdown that required lots of Kleenex and a coworker dragging me out to the mall for a break. One red velvet cupcake later, I was starting to feel better. It's a scientific thing...endorphins being released in the brain, stuff like that. So really, in those types of situations, it's best to eat sweets. It's true. Besides, when I go back to the doctor again, I'm being tested for gestational diabetes and on the off chance that sweets become off limits at that time, I need to make sure I've met my quota. Also, when your doctor says something amazing like, "You're still under the normal weight gain for this point in your pregnancy," HOW ELSE are you going to celebrate?! I heard "cupcake" from at least three of you. Those of you who said "ice cream", that is also a correct response. I would have also accepted cookie, milkshake and/or pie. And pancakes.
It's possible that the cupcake saved some other lives as well. Because it elevated my mood to "non-murderous" on Thursday, the DAs on Friday who had stupid things to say to me lived to see another weekend. I realize that some people are socially inept and some people are men. Falling into one of those two categories is dangerous when speaking to a pregnant woman. So here are two examples of what NOT to say, ever, at any point, unless you are a very fast runner or have cat-like reflexes: "I was so sure you were having a girl because your nose is doing the same thing mine did and getting really huge!! I mean, it looks better today than it has before, but I can still see it." Her house stands a pretty good chance of getting toilet papered soon. I'm not above that. Next comment (in the same day of course, that's how this seems to work): "Wow, someone's really putting on some weight. Haha...at least it's in all the right places. Congratulations, by the way." In my head, I mashed my index finger against his lips and said, "Shhhhhhhhhh!". JUST. SAY. CONGRATS. That is all. Leave it at that. In fact, take your cue from my obviously well-informed boyfriend and say things like, "You're so skinny," and "You could be a pregnant mom model." I'm not going to believe you, but I'm also not going to punch you, so everybody wins.
The weekend was much better. I ordered BabyKer some pacifiers that are supposed to be great, we bought him some teeny tiny flip-flops that look like they could be a keychain, but for $1, he really needed them. I also bought him a copy of Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch and was going to open it up and read it in the car, but I got teary-eyed just thinking about it, so maybe another day. Sunday, we took him to his first scary movie, Paranormal Activity 2. High five to Peyton for doing something he really did not want to do and high five to BabyKer for not being scared at all. I walked out of the theater and told Peyton the movie just made me more excited for the baby because the one in the movie was so cute. He thought that was weird. If he's just now figuring this out about me, he has only himself to blame because I've done very little to hide it.
On a side note, besides being a scary movie fan, BabyKer is also now a baseball fan. He and his daddy actually got so excited during the game on Friday night that I had to separate the two of them for a few minutes. I think our house is going to be loud. Whatever, as long as it's happy.
It's possible that the cupcake saved some other lives as well. Because it elevated my mood to "non-murderous" on Thursday, the DAs on Friday who had stupid things to say to me lived to see another weekend. I realize that some people are socially inept and some people are men. Falling into one of those two categories is dangerous when speaking to a pregnant woman. So here are two examples of what NOT to say, ever, at any point, unless you are a very fast runner or have cat-like reflexes: "I was so sure you were having a girl because your nose is doing the same thing mine did and getting really huge!! I mean, it looks better today than it has before, but I can still see it." Her house stands a pretty good chance of getting toilet papered soon. I'm not above that. Next comment (in the same day of course, that's how this seems to work): "Wow, someone's really putting on some weight. Haha...at least it's in all the right places. Congratulations, by the way." In my head, I mashed my index finger against his lips and said, "Shhhhhhhhhh!". JUST. SAY. CONGRATS. That is all. Leave it at that. In fact, take your cue from my obviously well-informed boyfriend and say things like, "You're so skinny," and "You could be a pregnant mom model." I'm not going to believe you, but I'm also not going to punch you, so everybody wins.
The weekend was much better. I ordered BabyKer some pacifiers that are supposed to be great, we bought him some teeny tiny flip-flops that look like they could be a keychain, but for $1, he really needed them. I also bought him a copy of Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch and was going to open it up and read it in the car, but I got teary-eyed just thinking about it, so maybe another day. Sunday, we took him to his first scary movie, Paranormal Activity 2. High five to Peyton for doing something he really did not want to do and high five to BabyKer for not being scared at all. I walked out of the theater and told Peyton the movie just made me more excited for the baby because the one in the movie was so cute. He thought that was weird. If he's just now figuring this out about me, he has only himself to blame because I've done very little to hide it.
On a side note, besides being a scary movie fan, BabyKer is also now a baseball fan. He and his daddy actually got so excited during the game on Friday night that I had to separate the two of them for a few minutes. I think our house is going to be loud. Whatever, as long as it's happy.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Today...I Should Be Censored
I'm over being pregnant. If there was a way to just walk into the hospital in February and pick my baby up and take him home, I would really prefer that. Actually, while I'm fantasizing, I'd sort of rather visit the Cabbage Patch and walk along rows of cute baby heads popping out of cabbage sprouts and pluck my baby from the ground, have tea with Xavier Roberts before he tattoos his name on my baby's cloth butt and head home with little Carnegie Steven. That's a happy little picture, isn't it? It certainly was when I was six and Cabbage Patch Kids were the best thing in life. Back then, they just showed up at Christmas in a weird shaped box with a birth certificate sporting the ugliest name possible...and that's where babies came from. Also, when said babies began to imaginary cry, you could just set them aside and move on to Legos.
But why should I complain? I had the luxury of sleeping through the night last night for the first time in months after all. Shouldn't I feel spoiled? Well, I don't. I am overwhelmed and unexcited, and the unexcited part has led to guilt, which makes me a little depressed and this week is just not fun. Not that I even know what fun is anymore. Fun used to be buying little presents to myself or redecorating my bedroom for no reason. Fun was meeting a friend for happy hour after a long day at work or having sushi for lunch three times in one week just because it's so yummy. Fun was running at Arbor Hills and making it all the way up the big hills without walking - then getting to watch the numbers on the scale go down, along with my pant size. THAT was fun. And that was forever ago, it seems like.
Now my body belongs to someone else and I can't do a single thing without thinking about how it will affect him. Welcome to motherhood, yes I know. At least when he's here I'll be able to take a break every now and then. Right now, I'm just watching all that weight I was so worried about not gaining in the beginning deliver itself to my doorstep (the back door, naturally) on a daily basis. Ounces a day that add up to pounds so quickly that if I did the math, I'd probably weigh around 324 pounds by the time the baby is born. I'm worrying about money every moment of every day and feeling the weight of birthday gifts, baby shower gifts, wedding gifts and Christmas gifts resting on my shoulders for weeks and weeks to come. Not to mention the huge increase in my own expenses I have to look forward to. I am drinking a cup of coffee every morning and then feeling guilty because I'm probably turning my baby into a hyper-active caffeine addicted midget from what the books say, even though I'm staying below the limit. What the books say...I've stopped reading the books. The books are evil as far as I'm concerned. There should be a book out there that, start to finish, just tells people what a load of crap all the other books are, and that they should be shelved in a section called, "How To Lose Your Mind Before The Hormones Make You Lose It Anyway." I knew I should have bought the one called Pregnancy Sucks.
So today is going to be a blast, I just know it. It's ShoveBabiesDownMyThroatDay, apparently. Soon, I leave for a doctor appointment, where I am looking forward to the startled look on her face when she sees my new scale number. Then I get to swing by BuyBuy Baby for a last minute baby shower gift for a co-worker that I will get back to the office just in time for. This is a true testament of my planning skills lately. Once that's over, the work day will be too, and I'll be heading to Babies R Us to meet a friend so she can help me with my mess of a registry and hopefully calm me down and tell me how worth it all of this is. She better be reading this before then, she has a lot of work ahead of her.
Keep your fingers crossed for another mood swing, by the way. We're hoping it swings the other way next time.
But why should I complain? I had the luxury of sleeping through the night last night for the first time in months after all. Shouldn't I feel spoiled? Well, I don't. I am overwhelmed and unexcited, and the unexcited part has led to guilt, which makes me a little depressed and this week is just not fun. Not that I even know what fun is anymore. Fun used to be buying little presents to myself or redecorating my bedroom for no reason. Fun was meeting a friend for happy hour after a long day at work or having sushi for lunch three times in one week just because it's so yummy. Fun was running at Arbor Hills and making it all the way up the big hills without walking - then getting to watch the numbers on the scale go down, along with my pant size. THAT was fun. And that was forever ago, it seems like.
Now my body belongs to someone else and I can't do a single thing without thinking about how it will affect him. Welcome to motherhood, yes I know. At least when he's here I'll be able to take a break every now and then. Right now, I'm just watching all that weight I was so worried about not gaining in the beginning deliver itself to my doorstep (the back door, naturally) on a daily basis. Ounces a day that add up to pounds so quickly that if I did the math, I'd probably weigh around 324 pounds by the time the baby is born. I'm worrying about money every moment of every day and feeling the weight of birthday gifts, baby shower gifts, wedding gifts and Christmas gifts resting on my shoulders for weeks and weeks to come. Not to mention the huge increase in my own expenses I have to look forward to. I am drinking a cup of coffee every morning and then feeling guilty because I'm probably turning my baby into a hyper-active caffeine addicted midget from what the books say, even though I'm staying below the limit. What the books say...I've stopped reading the books. The books are evil as far as I'm concerned. There should be a book out there that, start to finish, just tells people what a load of crap all the other books are, and that they should be shelved in a section called, "How To Lose Your Mind Before The Hormones Make You Lose It Anyway." I knew I should have bought the one called Pregnancy Sucks.
So today is going to be a blast, I just know it. It's ShoveBabiesDownMyThroatDay, apparently. Soon, I leave for a doctor appointment, where I am looking forward to the startled look on her face when she sees my new scale number. Then I get to swing by BuyBuy Baby for a last minute baby shower gift for a co-worker that I will get back to the office just in time for. This is a true testament of my planning skills lately. Once that's over, the work day will be too, and I'll be heading to Babies R Us to meet a friend so she can help me with my mess of a registry and hopefully calm me down and tell me how worth it all of this is. She better be reading this before then, she has a lot of work ahead of her.
Keep your fingers crossed for another mood swing, by the way. We're hoping it swings the other way next time.
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