First, thanks for all the well wishes for me and my boob. We're doing much better! I think it will all be back to normal in about a week.
I am unemployed again. I just got the call from the people I've been temping for and they don't need me anymore. Too bad, it was fun going to work with J. The upside is now I will know all the people he talks about when he gets home from the office. Downside, I will have no money and will once again have to stay off the temptations of daytime TLC programming. Though I do miss Stacy and Clinton. I've told J that after the baby is born he should "turn me in" for becoming a frumpy mom so I can get a cool 5K shopping spree in NYC. I just have to be sure not to cry when Stacy throws away my brown hoodie jacket and tattered wicker flip flops.
I plan to use my free time this week to find a prenatal yoga class and birthing class. Also, finally do the research on cloth diapering so I can get my shit in order. Though working made me feel useful, it also made me feel too busy to do much else. And there is so much to do to get ready for this little guy.
Speaking of the little guy, he has transformed from a gurgly floppy swimmer to a kung fu master. His favorite target? My bladder. He's helping reinforce the old wives tale and is sitting low, very low. My bladder was already getting squished and now with this new actvity, time between bathroom visits is alarmingly short. While working I probably went to the bathroom at least 6 times a day. Maybe that's why they don't want me anymore. They realized how much they were paying me while I peed.
In strange news (no, I'm not talking about Lance, which isn't really that strange when I think about it, in hindsight. Kinda like George Micheal. Though Lance didn't hop around in flouresent pink hot pants and where dayglo lipstick, so admittedly more on the DL than George) I have the Chicken Pox! Well, to be more accurate, Shingles. Though they are really the same thing, except with Shingles I only get the nasty rash on one single nerve and I'm ony contagious if my pustules ooze on you. Which the chances of are pretty slim since the nerve these nasty buggers have decided to occupy is right under my left breast (yes, I'm old enough and my boobs are big enough that there is an "under" section to my boob), around my ribcage and to my back. I have a stripe! Of red swollen blisters. Which is oh so pleasant when you factor in the humdity and a bra strap.
Don't worry, the doctor assured me the baby is fine. I just have to watch that I don't get Shingle juice on people who haven't had the chicken pox, so it's best to stay away from the little kiddies and those who aren't immune, especially pregnant ladies. So I guess I'll have to cancel the Soon-To-Be-Mama wrestling class I had planned.
In sadly less strange news, I am the worst friend ever, as I forgot Mrs. T's Bday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. T! I could throw out excuses (birthdays should never be on Mondays...ever) but in the end, I just suck.
Js folks came up with his sister Amy and our nephew Henry this past weekend. If only the weather had cooperated a little more...*sigh*. So we spent a lot of time on the couch and going out to eat. Not exactly exciting, but it gave me a chance to kick some booty at The World Series of Pop Trivia! Boo yeah! It was so nice to have Amy around to just laugh and talk with. Sure, J's cool, but sometimes you need a girl around, ya know? Hopefully she got to relax a little with the Grandparents and Uncle J tag teaming Henry, keeping him engaged and happy. He's such a great kid and he did so well in a strange environment. It was nice to have a full house. Though I felt guilty that Js folks were sleeping on the couch. Not to mention Js mom spent most of the time we were driving around sitting in the trunk of the car. I swear, if I wasn't pregnant and super uncomfortable, I would have been more hospitable. Not that J's mom would have let me...she's cool like that. I felt like such a big whiner complaining about my back and constantly squirming in my seat. (God, and I still have over 3 months to go...and yes, I will be complaining here too.)
Amy and her mom got me some super cute presents! Included was a Boppy which works perfect for a back pillow on the Ikea chair until it's needed for other things. I also got some adorable blue outfits, nail clippers, a snot sucker and Amy knitted me some awesome maroon and orange longies! Oh, I should take a picture...to follow shortly.
And I wasn't the only person getting presents. Henry just turned 3, so we had a little birthday celebration. He's getting so big! He's talking up a storm too. It's hard to believe we're going to have one of those soon. It's quite sobering to see what attention and patience he requires.
I didn't take a single picture all weekend. Bummer. I charged my battery, but I never managed to get in the camera. But luckily that made it good to go for last night. We finally got on the water! A guy who J works and his wife with took us out on their sailboat. It was so nice. A sailboat really is the way to go. It was so peaceful that I felt bad for the people cruising by in their noisy, smelly motorboats.
This is them calling J to tell us where to meet the boat.
And we were off!
This island is a major landscape fixture, therefore I have taken a bazillion pictures of it. Getting on the water allowed a closer up view. And now I know it's called "juniper island." I can only assume that there are junipers on it.
Heading off into the sunset.
Heading back into dock as it's getting dark.
It was so beautiful. I now have a hankerin' to get a boat. I suppose we should be thinking about a house first. Getting on the lake definitely raised my opinion of Burlington. I really do like it here. I would say "I hope it becomes home", but let's wait until we get through a winter first.
He kinda looks like Skeletor, but the Dr. assured me that's normal. Yes, I said HE! It's a boy! If you don't quite see it, he's on his side and that cirlce is his big round head! The top of his head is on the right. The dark areas are his eye sockets and his nose in the middle.
It was so cool! He was squirming while we watched him on the screen. At one point, he started opening and closing his mouth. The Dr. caught a picture...
I must admit, that's a little creeping looking in still form, but to watch it like a movie was amazing. We even saw him move his arms and open and close his hands. It's so much more real now. And as Amy pointed out to me, there's a penis inside of me...which is weird. It seems strange to think a little boy can be grown inside of a woman, but I guess that's how it's always done. And big bonus, we can forget about all those pesky girl names. If he only knew how close he came to being Mary, or Adelaide, or Eliza or the many others we couldn't quite agree on.
Below is a post I did last week on my "family blog" (aka, The Blog My Mom Reads)... I would write something else, but I have to go to work! Sorry if some of it is repetative of other posts...I don't write a lot at the other blog so the cannibalization tends to go the other direction. I wanted to share my frustration with 'shopping for baby' here. Maybe some mamas out there will have some advice. Oh, today is our ultrasound...pray for 10 fingers, 10 toes and 1 head! I'll be sure to let you know if there's an extra appendage in certain other areas too...
Hello from DC! I've spent the last week here at my folks' place. Mon-Wed I took a Web Development class, which was very enlightening.
You can even click it! Not that it does anything.
I'm sure I can whip up something a little more exciting, but I don't have my cheat sheets here. So keep posted. Currently I am sitting at my Dad's office, waiting for my friend Dianne to pick me up. We're going shopping. I would be more excited about it if my mom and I hadn't just gone yesterday. It's not that it wasn't fruitful, just exhausting.
We started at the mall and hit the maternity store. My mom genoursly offered to buy me some new outfits. Which she did! Though I find some of the maternity wear a little poofy. Of course, I think once I get bigger, that poof will go away as the material strains to contain my expanding mid-section. I am at 20 weeks now and feel pretty big. Really big after chatting with a nice girl at the store who was also 20 weeks...she didn't look pregnant at all! Now I'm paranoid that I'm having twins. I know this is contrary to the single hearbeat I got to hear at 8 weeks. But the kicking and movement does seem to cover a lot of geography. The only theory I've devised that supports the twin scenario is that the babies take after their father and started a little rock band in there, and as a result, became synchorinized! We'll find out on Tuesday.
After the maternity store we head to Babies R Us (or BRU as the message board ladies like to call it). This was the main reason we were out in the first place...to get me registered for some baby gear. Well, after a significant wait at the registry booth, an attempt to placate us with coupons that expire in 4 days, we had our little scanner gun and were off!
There is so much stuff. Half of it, I have no idea whether I need or not. I know I want a breast pump, but do I need the Ferrari of breast pumps? or will the Kia suffice. And do I need the accessory pack, the bottles, the cleaner, the pads...who knows? Then it's car seat time. In hand I had a list of recommendations from various mommies on the internet. But there are so many. Really, sometimes too many choices is a bad thing (something I've learned from watching Super Nanny). After looking at my list, and seeing the pretty colors and evaluating the um, plasttic-ness of it all I resort to my stand-by method of product selection. Most expensive? No. Least expensive? Out. Middle of the road, Ok....now, which one is pretty...ok,SCAN. This is the method I used for the pack n play as well. And some other stuff. I bypassed the bouncey chair, the swing, the highchair...how many things does a immobile, motor-skill challenged infant need in order to sit there and do nothing! I suppose since a baby can't really do anything, you need things that do stuff for it, or to it.
In the end, I think I'm registered for 8 things. I figured I could go to the internet and register for the rest, once I figure out what those things are. We call it a day after my swelling feet begin to throb and my bladder needs some relief...not that BRU doesn't have bathrooms. The biggest sign in the store is for the bathrooms. I suppose if your store is full of pregnant women and little people who use their pants as a toilet, you better make it clear where the facilities are.
So, feel free to buy me some stuff! But you better do it quick, since there is so little on the list. It's just so overwhelming. I realize this is opening me up to individual interpretations of "cute" and "must-have", which is ok by me. I'll be sure to snap a picture of the new arrivial in whatever gets sent my way...but I can't promise to take the child in public. Especially if I get one of those headband bows... Those poor little girls have enough trouble holding up their own heads, is it really necessary to raise their center of gravity just to be sure the world knows it's a girl. Honestly, the pink feathers get the message across. (let me apologize right now to anyone who thinks the headband bow is adorable and a necessary accessory to any baby girl...though I don't agree, I understand we all have our own taste. Afterall, I can't wait to get me kid in this!
So It's been a great trip so far. I'm looking forward to hanging out with some friends tonight...if I can stay awake. I'm in danger of losing my status of "party girl", but had to happen sooner or later.
I'll be sure to update after the ultrasound on Tuesday. I'm predicting GIRL.
I guess all it took was for me to leave town and stop looking. J is the one to thank for this wonderful occurance. The place he works needs someone for 2-3 weeks to do some basic editing/proofreading/formating stuff and he put my name in for it. I start Monday!
We have a pretty strict rule of not working at the same place, but since this is short-term and I don't want the Gap Police to come after me, we figured the potential colliding of worlds is worth it. I'll actually be sitting 20 feet away from him. I suggested that we pretend I'm the 'new girl' and that we're having a torrid office affair...
The only thing I am actually worried about is my back. It hurts. When I sit for more than 2 hours it begins to throb. I'm thinking this is not so much because of my growing belly, but my growing boobs. They are weighing heavily on my posture. Right now I am sitting in my class (waiting for it to start) with my blue travel pillow wedged behind my back. Yes, I walked into class with a travel pillow. Obviously everyone thinks I am the coolest person in school.
Quick hello from DC. It's my lunch break! I'm taking a web development class. Today is class #2...going well so far. I have learned some stuff I didn't know.
Do you find this to be...
facinating
shocking
stupid
Excuse me while I go watch some paint dry
Wow! Aren't you impressed...I suppose if you selected the last option, probably not. Now I can have mindless surveys and take quantitative analysis of Nacho readership opinions! Ok, well, maybe not. But I can also make a button..look.
I haven't really learned how to make it do anything yet. I know the grey standard "god, why does every button on the internet look like that" format is oh so exciting.
Ho Hum. Trying to get motivated to get out the door. I have some arrands to do this morning. Post Office, Bank...try to find some buttons. I don't want to drive if I don't have to, but I think I'll probably have to go to Michael's to get buttons. I'm toying with the idea of heading by Baby Gap and picking up a couple summery shirts with my gift certificate. I still haven't gotten my bill from my last visit, but surprise! I did get my GAP credit card. So I can spend, I just can't pay for it. Dangerous. I see the card right now and I'm seriously considering cutting it up. I'm for sure not bringing it with me.
Two more days and I'll be in DC! My flight is as 6AM...ugh!! That means I'll have to get up at like, 4:30...god. At least it's a direct flight. My poor Pops has to pick me up at the airport at 7:48, so he'll be getting up early too. I'll probably hug my folks, unpack and then crash on the bed for a few hours. Bliss.
Only bummer about the trip is that I'll be missing this. Sounds like fun :-( J and I could relive our younger days. I'd be curious to see the crowd it draws too. It hasn't been greatly advertised so probably just some local folks. Could be my chance to meet Trey and become best friends with his wife, though I think he's still on tour with Tom Petty, no? Hmm. I guess I'll have to wait until next time.
(how great of a picture would this have been if I had remembered the clip that connects my camera to my tripod...)
The 5th of July...hopefully marking the end of bottle rockets and firecrackers that are annoying the hell out of the dog, who, as a result, is annoying the hell out of me.
But not as much as the freakin' car commercials! I don't know about anybody else out there, and whether Toyota has purchased as big of a chunk of air time in your market, but the Summer Sales Event is ON people! Let's go for a ride, it's summer time! Oh, and I don't know if it's in a Chevy or Ford, but American Idol dude goes where he wants, and does as he pleases...in case you didn't know.
This morning Tubbs was to go to the vet for his expensive heart scan thingamagiggy, but the traveling doctor-with-scanner cancelled. Did they call to tell me? Um, no. They waited until I loaded Tubby in the car, drove there and walked in the door. Needless to say I was a little annoyed, but the dog was happy to make a quick getaway. Poor guy. With all this vet activity his enthusiasm to get in the car is beginning to wane.
Perhaps I should change the format of my blog into BAD NEWS, and GOOD NEWS...since I always seem to start with the bitching? So what's some good news?
I finished another sweater! Actually 2. Yay! My super smart SIL mapped out the VT logo so I could put it on the plain white sweater I made. Awesome. I decided to do an outline instead of a solid, so I kinda messed it up. The V part looks a little thick and I may tweak, but check it out.
I also made a super-cute lilac cardigan for a friend of mine who is having a girl in September. I need to buy some cool buttons for it. I love this sweater. I'm thinking of making one with white body and navy sleeves as a little Red Sox jacket. The baseball theme works so well with the raglan sleeves. This is the first thing I've ever knitted where the seams aren't all wacky. I feel like I'm actually progressing!
I just started another cardigan, a two-toned V-neck. Not sure if I'll finish before I leave for DC on Sunday. If so, I'll have to figure out another project for the plane ride. I am SO looking forward to going home. I think it's because I haven't seen my folks since I've been pregnant. Hopefully my mother will want to go shopping! For me, not baby...I need some shirts that don't reveal the big stretchy belly panel on my pants. Slim pickins around here...there isn't even a Target. And I haven't worked up the desire to return to Baby Gap.
