Things Never Expected AKA Pull a Dexter?

Like buying baby and adult diapers at the same time.

 

Friday we went and picked up our glider that we ordered when we did the registry completion. Collin put it together like a rockstar, and it is super comfy. I was surprised to find how much the heathen beast enjoys it. I didn't think she would like trying to climb into it since it moves with the lightest of touches and she likes to play like she is old and infirmed...

 

Yea, I've caught her more than once lately running UP the stairs, whereas she has been going up them one at a time like a little old kitty. Also she will leap up onto the furniture like a psycho and then act like it's just too much exertion to be bothered with... I know she does have good and bad days at this point with her joints and she is getting along in age. I believe the protein diet is working great for her, and we also have hip & joint treats with glucosamine that we give her almost daily.

 

Saturday we picked up all the non-perishable Thanksgiving items, so I am good to go there. Oh, yea, did I mention I will be cooking for ten people (including us) on Thanksgiving? Yea, I will be thirty seven weeks pregnant and making a massive dinner for my family. Should be good times. Collin, I know, will be an indispensible ally in the kitchen this day.

 

After that we got the nursery as put together as it will ever be. There are still a couple things that need to be put in place, but for the most part it's ready. Also packed the diaper bag and started to amass what we can for the go bag; it's hard to set aside clothing when I might want to wear some of it between now and then. I figure around Thanksgiving we will put the car seat bases in our respective vehicles, and set aside the clothing items that we can live without for up to a few weeks.

 

We also made a trip to Freddie's for hand towels, a cheap duffel bag, and some passable veggie rolls from their sushi bar. There were some things that distracted us here:

 

They had a GIANT STUFFED UNICORN on sale for $20, and I swear if we bought it it would have been for the baby... I swear. 

 

And then we saw it. It wasn't a unicorn, but it was awesome!

 

There was a HUMONGOUS STUFFED CATEPILLAR. And when I say humongous, I mean like six or seven feet long. It was on sale for $40... It would have used up the gift card we were shopping with. Somehow we convinced ourselves we didn't need it for the baby.

 

Another thought we had when discussing the purchase of the duffle bag, was that it would be great fun to buy the duffle bag, some plastic sheeting, rope, duct tape, and a shovel with the gift card. Then we remembered that we like the person who gave us the gift card and didn't want to bring that sort of heat down on them.

 

We consumed our veggie rolls with vigor upon our return home (I can't wait to get to eat real sushi after the pregnancy). On one of my pieces I took a little more wasabi than I normally would and thought someone had lit a propane torch in my mouth. The sensation lasted a few seconds, and was actually quite good. Interesting, and different from the normal heat burn I feel from spicy foods, but really good at the same time.

 

We then enjoyed some gaming and relaxing for the afternoon before heading out for Collin's birthday dinner. We went to this awesome little place in Forest Grove called Grendel's. They have British style fare including cottage pie and pasties. A pasty is a delectable pastry wrapped creation. Think pot pie meets calzone. Collin had the Corleone pasty; which is meatballs and provolone wrapped in this amazingly flaky moist pastry. I nommed on the cottage pie; which is ground chuck and veggies topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese and baked. We both sampled eachother's entree and agreed we will need to go back and make our way through their menu. We are both eager to try their bangers and mash, and I want to try their signature carrot cake sometime. We managed to catch a time when they were between services so it was quiet. The service was outstanding and super friendly. Oh! And the corn & potato chowder we got with our meals was fantastic too!

 

We were treated to an awesome hockey game once home. Our boys (Detroit Red Wings) annihilated Edmonton in a 5-0 shut out. Tonight we are in Winnipeg looking to close out a four game sweep of western Canada. Our odds are pretty good considering the Jets have lost their last three or four games.

 

Sunday I made us pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes... They were sooo freaking good. Then we went for a nice long (for the moment) walk before going to Walgreen's for some post delivery "supplies" that many new mommies suggest having on hand, or wish they had already had on hand for when they got home from the hospital. From Walgreen's we hit up our trusty neighborhood Dutch Bros, and I was over the moon to see the Candycane mocha was back on the menu! I love this time of year! I've been enjoying the pumpkin pie breve, but I LOVES me some candycane mocha. Collin tried the Caramel Nog, which was really good too.

 

I finished our thank you cards and then we enjoyed soup and sammies for lunch while watching a movie. After the movie, we went for another walk and gamed some more before it was time for me to make dinner and take showers. While making dinner, I got a nice little call from my niece who wanted to wish Collin a happy birthday.

 

For dinner I made a turkey meatloaf that was loaded with stuffing (instead of crackers), onions, and craisins. It came out perfectly. While I was in the shower (and the meatloaf was in the oven) I decided to bake up a quick healthy apple crisp for dessert. I had some granny smith apples I didn't want to see go to waste. I peeled them, sliced them, and mixed them with cornstarch, cinnamon, craisins (I am kind of into craisins right now...) and salt before topping them with 1 cup of old fashioned oats mixed with a tablespoon of flour and two tablespoons of brown sugar (the only sugar used in the entire dish), cinnamon and a dash of salt. I also sprinkled a quarter cup of butter over the topping and then just threw it in the oven for about thirty five minutes after removing the meatloaf. (The oven was at 375 in case you were wondering) It turned out perfect, and was nice and tart.

 

We finished off the weekend with a couple episodes of Raising Hope before the new episode of Once Upon a Time started.

 

Tonight we shall watch The Walking Dead and HOCKEY!!! Can't go wrong there. Especially after a rough day. I was inches from calling in today, and if it weren't for the fact I can't afford to be short anything beyond Black Friday I would have.

 

As we were retiring for the night I developed this wicked, nightmare of a monster headache. Kind of like a railroad spike was driven into the left side base of my skull, and then wrapped up to the front. I just kind of wanted to remove the left hemisphere of my brain. The pain lessened over night, but for some reason I kept waking up every forty five minutes. I later realized, around four in the morning, that the sound machine wasn't turned on. So no sleep and still a dull ache that has plagued me all effing day has not made for a nice Monday. I would have killed for caffeine and a nap. I am settling for a bath, and hopefully a decent neck and shoulder massage from my adoring husband. I am not too terribly concerned with the headache. I am about 95% confident it was a combination of tension and a little bit dehydration. I have been drinking water and trying to relax my neck and shoulders as much as I can. The bath should help.

 

Which is what I am off to do right now before dinner.

 

I miss you Excedrin Tension Headache... I miss you so much.

Piece Four of The Puzzle

The after math. This will also be the final piece to get current.

 

After all of our guests left the shower we cleaned the house up, put everything away, and got all the furniture back where it neeeded to be. We had dinner around 7:30 and then finally crawled up to bed somewhere around ten or so.

 

I got about six hours of sleep that night and combined with the four or five hours from Saturday night I was completely exhausted (keeping in mind we did all the decorating and furniture arrangement [mostly Collin on that] and so on). I don't even remember that Monday at work. My only goal was to make it through the day so we could go to Babies'r'us and do our registry completion.

 

They offer you a fat discount to purchase anything left on your registry, AND you can add stuff to the registry while you are there (as you put it in the cart)! We got all the big items we had left to get, plus scored an awesomely comfy glider ottoman set that was on clearance for 199.98 before the registry completion discount. We made it home from that shopping spree around 7:30, and then ate dinner real quick with the plan to go crash... 

That didn't exactly happen as we decided to go through our loots from the store. Collin put together the stroller and played with the gadgety stuff while I separated everything else into other groupings; feeding; bathing; clothing; etc.

 

Of course it was during this fun stuff that I got my second wind for the day... We didn't get to bed until almost ten... Again.

 

The only thing I remember about Tuesday is that we had a doctor's appointment after work and then finally got to watch that weeks epsiode of Walking Dead. The doctors appointment went great. My OB loves how my pregnancy has been going (especially since I am "technically" high risk because of my weight), and he is confident labor and delivery should be pretty smooth. Obviously, we all realize anything could happen when I pop, but I am keeping a positive attitude about it and actually really looking forward to the life experience of it. The best part of the appointment was when I went to lay back so he could measure and check the fetal heart rate and, I swear, the girl had her ass sticking out. It was where I believe her backside to be and it was sticking out quite significantly from the normal "belly" shape. 

 

Honestly the whole rest of the week is kind of a blur until the weekend. I do remember that the weather was gorgeous and I enjoyed the couple of walks we managed to get in.

 

Friday night I had a ton of energy for some reason so I made pancakes for the weekend's breakfasts. Partially so we could heat and eat in the morning before going for a walk and then heading to the coast to take my father groceries. I am fairly confident that there will only be one more trip over there before our little girl makes her way into this world.

 

After going to and from the coast, we forced ourselves to run the handful of errands we had left for the weekend before going home so that Sunday we wouldn't have to go anywhere or do anything. After we got home from the errands we enjoyed a lovely evening of gaming and ate WAY too much food. We ended up staying up until around eleven so that our stomachs could digest it. The sucky part is that I am at this point where I normally don't/can't eat large amounts in one sitting except on the occasion where my little princess shifts and my stomach is suddenly HUGE and wanting food. Saturday night was one such night... Only I hadn't taken the moment to consider her shifting back into her (now) normal positioning, thereby causing my stomach to not exist as quickly as it had begun it's existance. Kind of reminiscent of the whale and the bowl of petunias.

 

When we did crawl into bed, we managed to stay there until after eight the next morning (which is LATE for us even on the weekends). We shuffled downstairs for coffee and left over pancakes and found that it had been raining. This made the decision to do nothing for the day so much easier to make. We watched all we needed to be caught up with one of our shows, did some gaming, and I made lasagna for dinner. Great way to close out the weekend.

 

Monday was a normal day, and after work we ran to the store for Halloween candy to hand out, fake blood, and a baby doll to dismember for my costume (which I have since dubbed "I think I am starting to show...").

 

Tuesday followed much the same as Monday, the only difference being that I made the cheesecake for Collin's birthday, and uploaded new preggo pics and shower pics to my computer (finally).

 

And now we are to yesterday, another "normal" weekday. Collin had his weekly "Man Date" with his best mate, and I made the previously mentioned (in the last post) four dozen chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, one loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and completed assembling/decorating Collin's super awesome birthday cheesecake. After my mini bake-athon I enjoyed a very well matched hockey game that my team won!!!

 

Today I wore my super awesome Halloween costume to work. There was a mixed response of mostly laughter (as intended) and a few slightly startled associates. Here's a picture to help get the point across of 1. Why did I dismember a baby doll, and 2. why were some people a little freaked:

Yes, those are baby (doll) limbs protruding from my abdomen. Thirty three weeks today.

For Collin's birthday (which is also today; I love my Halloween hubby) I made him this awesome "Choose Your Adventure" style birthday card/booklet. I gave him the choice of five countries:

Mexico

China

India

Italy

Great Britain

Each one is for a different restaurant for his birthday dinner (which we will be doing Saturday night), and a fun little "thing" that we have to do. Like Mexico - I would have done a mexican hat dance for him. China was to eat the entire meal with chopsticks. India; we would have to try one dish we have never had and one that we have.

 

I also bought him something he has been in need of (and is actually pretty important with the impending event we have coming up): a new cell phone battery. His has been having charge retention issues.

 

The cake I made is from a pin I found on Pinterest. It did not turn out nearly as pretty as the original but I am happy with it, and I'm sure Collin is too!

Original Pin (if you click the pic it will take you to the recipe):

 

My attempt (I left off the white chocolate and the didn't get super fancy with the piping):

 

And with that I am going to go and chillax the rest of the evening away.

Have a spooktacular evening!

Piece Three of The Puzzle

The baby shower!

 

It was a great day. The weather was beautiful, and for what ever reason I woke up at 3:30 that morning and could not get back to sleep. I tried. For over an HOUR. Just wouldn't happen. Lame.

 

I figured I could get up, work on stuff, and take a nap at some point through the course of the morning. Yea, no. That didn't happen either. Before I knew it it was time to get the cake, and then I still needed to shower and eat something before people started to show up.

 

I was super excited by all the people that came. K came over from the coast, my brother came up, and two of my dad's sisters attended (one of which drove over TWO HUNDRED MILES ONE WAY to be there). A bunch of our closest friends and coworkers came to the party as well. It was just great the whole way around. The first hour was spent visiting and socializing, then we moved on to the games, followed by the nomilicious cake and me opening the gifts.

 

For the games we had four word/puzzle games and then the penultimate shower game: "Don't Say Baby." For the prizes (which if you remember I was five shades of stoked about), I made cookie mixes in jars. A picture's worth a thousand words so here's about three thousand words:

And for the favors we had little bottles filled with jelly beans (since we have preferred to call her a jelly bean as opposed to the popular "Peanut" moniker).

 

We got a ton of amazing gifts that were all needed and greatly appreciated. Everything from nursing pads to clothes to diapers and wipes to the sound machine/projector we wanted for the nursery. It was almost overwhelming. LOL.

I still feel like I am running a week and a half behind on these posts, but oh well. That's the way of it for a couple more days at least. 

I am mildly distracted, after a mini marathon bake/decorating session there is a very important (to me) hockey game on. Oh, and my cat is acting like a psycho... But that's not new.

Just got done making four dozen chocolate chip pumpkin muffins for work, plus a loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread to freeze, AND I was decorating Collin's cake while said items were baking... I am tired. I am going to go curl up on the couch with my crocheting and watch what I hope will be a great hockey game!

Piece Two of The Puzzle

Monday through Saturday following the hospital tour.

 

The whole week is kind of a blur. I remember that we got our hair trimmed. Ummm, and then there was some other stuff. Mostly the week was centered around prepping for the baby shower.

 

Oh and now the flashbacks start...

 

It was evening upon evening spent washing and folding all the massive amounts of baby clothes we had already received pre-shower. I also had to sort through and decide which ones to try and sell at the upcoming consignment sales, and which ones to give away. Spaz attempted to help by laying next to my foot and staring at me with her loving little kitty face... Yea, loving.

 

She has actually taken all the baby stuff pretty well, which I find promising as to her adjustment to the new minion.

 

Oh and there was also the vacuuming, which in actuality I suppose was all done Friday and Saturday.

 

Somehow I managed to time it just right that not only was our baby shower this past weekend, we also needed to do our monthly BIG grocery shopping. We both got off work early on Friday and went about grocery shopping, and once we were home and had it all put away we began the super fun times of re-arranging the furniture, and last minute cleaning.

 

Saturday was suddenly upon us. 

I am currently on an oatmeal, craisin, chocolate kick. The weekend before I made what I have since dubbed Cowboy Pancakes (think the cookies but in pancake form). Basically, I made my normal from scratch pancake mix and threw in a half cup of old fashioned oats, craisins and chocolate chips. The point of this is that I decided to try making Cowboy Waffles. Yep, made my standard waffle batter and threw in oatmeal, craisins and chocolate chips. They were amazing.

 

After a VERY satisfying breakfast we took a nice long walk. It was a beautifully clear and chilly fall morning. We had a really great talk to about re-prioritizing our goals and tasks that we had set out before ourselves. Most of it is still up in the air, but I hope to have it settled by next week. After the dust is settled I will elaborate more, but I will share the fact that our decisions have put both of us at ease and given us peace on things that both of us were worried about. For the most part at least.

 

The rest of the day was spent picking up food, prepping most of it, and setting up other things as we could. We had a wonderful evening of playing our newest addiction: Terraria. It is very similar to Minecraft but it's 2D and there is so much more to do. It's super nerdy and we love it for that.

 

After enjoying a few hours of that we made ourselves blink, and crawled up to bed around ten (which is pretty late for us at this point).

 

And now we are to the day of our gloriously awesome baby shower! Stay tuned for that piece of the puzzle that is the past two weeks.

 

In current events, I am shocked to share that my oldest niece is SIXTEEN today... Crikeys, that makes me feel older than I am.

Piece One of The Puzzle

So much has been going on in the last two weeks, and every time I think, "Hey, I am going to type up a post tonight!" Something else comes along and says, "NOPE! Not tonight sucka!"

Take just now for example: barely typed first paragraph and now there is something in my right eye.... So annoying. Sheesh.

I figure over the next couple nights I will try and bring you all current with little posts of the each big thing, or maybe two things in a post depending on how big the things are. Tonight: The Hospital Tour!

We went in for our hospital tour back on the 13th. It's great because the hospital is about three quarters of a mile from where we live, so we walked to the tour. It seemed more like half a mile or less, but I guess after the mileage we have completed in the past anything under two is next to nil. (Two to three is my limit at the moment unless there is a bathroom along the way!)

So we were blessed with a crisp fall morning to walk to the hospital. After arriving we were seated in the lobby to wait for our tour leader. She arrived and started us off with a fun little lecture from an informative brochure they hand out with the NEED TO KNOW info they want the expectant mommies to have (should they opt not to take a birthing class).

Of course there was one couple in our tour group that loved to ask some of the most interesting questions (these are the collection for the tour duration):
"What's the difference between bouncing the baby and shaking the baby?"
"Can the partner order food through the hospital? Is it covered?"
"What if the partner is sick?"

Yea, they were that kind of awesome...

Other than them and the dude who insisted on opening EVERY cabinet in the patient rooms we were shown, the tour was pretty awesome.

The hospital is amazing and new and sparkly. In the labor and delivery AND the postpartum rooms there are these nifty consoles on swing arms by the patient bed that can be used to rule the world! Okay, not quite, but you can stream music and video, go online shopping (what every woman in labor wants to do...) and order food to your room. Pretty nifty. Both room types also have decent looking bathrooms; showers only, but the shower in the L&D room is big enough for you, your belly, your partner and a yoga ball! They don't offer water birth yet, but they do have a large float tub on the floor if you want to use it. There are also two operating rooms on the floor should you need a c-section (or have scheduled one).

It was all pretty freaking awesome! I am stoked to be pushing a tiny human out of my body in this facility. Oh, and I forgot to mention the super special labor and delivery parking reserved for, you guessed it, women in labor! It's right outside the entrance that popping mommies get to use to be whisked to the maternity ward via the special patient elevator!

If I can I want to walk to the hospital when I go into labor. Realistically, Collin will probably only let me walk a third of the way there because that is about how far he can legally follow me with the car and still be RIGHT there if I need him. It will also come down to the weather outside, given that I am due mid-December there is always the possibility that walking just wouldn't be safe; such as if it is icy and such.

In the next post I plan to run through the events of the five weekdays between this event and the super busy weekend we had just this past weekend. I am still trying to recover from it!

The baby says good night... She uses Morse code; punches are dots and kicks are dashes.

Okay, so she might not be THAT advanced yet, but at least it makes the kicking seem more meaningful than she just wants out...

Now That I Have Cooled Off

I know that last post was pretty heavy... LOL.

 

The past couple days have been exceptionally productive, as has today. The other night we got all the non-food related shopping done for the shower. Which in a way just created more work for me, but I am mostly done with those tasks too!

 

Last night I put together ALL the favors, and tonight I assembled the prizes for the handful of games we will be playing. I want to share on here now what the favors and prizes are, but don't want to spoil the surprise for any potential attendees reading my blog. I will say this: both favors and prizes play off the sugar and spice bit from the invitations which I think I mentioned in my last post. I am just that excited about it that I want to share it twice twice.

 

I am finally getting myself back into working on my "scrap" blanket. It's this blanket I began crocheting around three plus years ago. Considering how long it's been I should be SOOO much further towards completion but oh well. I only tend to crochet during the fall and winter months, and last year I took up knitting to make a baby blanket for a friend. So, what is this scrap blanket? It's compilation of all the random odd scraps skeins of yarn I have left over from a variety of other projects (mostly caps and scarves). I want to give it to my daughter when it's done. Luckily, she will be too young to remember when I finish the blanket should it take me a couple more years. LOL.

 

Today has been a Saturday Night Fever kind of day in the world of baby. At least that's the best thing I can picture/equate it to when explaining how she has been moving today. Think Travolta pointing up and out with the right hand and touch/tapping out with the toe of his left foot. Like this:

 

That's what her movements feel like today.

And now to go eat dinner... Soon..  I hope... Waiting for Collin to get home from a work function thing...  

So hungie... Here kitty... Om nom nom nom.

Save the Boobies!

Being that it is October, which means it is Breast Cancer Awareness month I felt the need to throw that in there. Boobs, after all, are super important for a wide variety of reasons; two of them being nourishment of little babies, and fun times for all! Big, small, perky, droopy, lopsided and all; boobies are an important part of the world.

Take a moment to really think, my money says that you know AT LEAST one person who has either been directly or indirectly affected by breast cancer. If you're reading my blog then BOOM! you know someone. Collin's grandma has had TWO bouts with breast cancer. She is a survivor. Sadly, there are still way too many women that perish due to detection coming too late.

This leads me into the only time I intend to comment on our current politically driven government BS. It will be short and sweet so pay attention (like religion, I purposely avoid sharing my political views because the range and scope of them might be confusing and baffling).

This is why our country needs to find a way to provide preventative care TO ALL CITIZENS. People shouldn't have to neglect their basic health needs. It's that effing simple. I know there are services available and so on and so forth, but how many of you TRULY understand the criteria a person needs to meet to get these basic health screenings for free? It disgusts me that our elected politicians would rather hold out on TONS of other services with this ridiculous government shutdown because they don't like the Affordable Healthcare Act. And so we're clear, I don't believe AHA is the BEST solution, but it's a start. I don't agree with mandating a person HAS to have coverage. The biggest thing that should have been addressed before this went into effect is em effing MEDICAL INSURANCE REFORM! Seriously, not rocket science here.

And that's it. I do believe in affordable/free healthcare for all Americans. I don't believe in mandatory insurance coverage. I do believe that medical insurance reform is a necessity in this country.

I also believe we need to see about a 95% turnover rate in both the house and the senate as elections approach. Just saying.

Back to the more normal stuff you read from me.

We spent most of the day Saturday cleaning the house in preparation of our upcoming baby shower. There is still a couple things that need to be done, but it's more last minute furniture arranging and vacuuming than actual cleaning.

Sunday was a lazy day of movies and relaxing. Again, I know we need to enjoy these days and moments while we can, because in just over two months our lives will be drastically changed by the tiny person who keeps kung fu fighting in my abdomen.

After we eat dinner tonight we are going to go and pick up the last few non-perishable items we need for the shower, such as favors and prizes for the games.

I am honestly not as stressed about throwing my own shower as I was about throwing my friend's a few months ago. One, that was the first shower I had hosted. Two, I am keeping it a little easier this time. The games won't be too intense. I am taking a cue from some friends whose shower I attended a couple months ago. Their games were all pretty straight forward and on paper. I am pleased with what we have come up with for prizes, since they play off of the "Sugar and spice" line we put on the invitations.

We shall see how it goes.

This weekend we are looking forward to our hospital tour. Yay, shiny new hospital!! It also happens to be right around the corner from our house. Weather permitting (and if I am at home rather than work) I really want to try and walk to the hospital when I go into labor. It's about a five to ten minute walk, so it should be perfect. I told Collin he can follow next to me in his car with the blinkers on. If a cop should happen along during this Collin or I will inform him that I am in labor and walking to the hospital. Lord willing any cop will be cool with that. LOL.

Well, now I need to go finish making dinner so we can run errands and then come home and chill before bed.

Remember:

Never doubt the almighty power of the boobies!!! (and dudes: respect and worship the boobies!! And remember you can get cancer in your man boobies too!)

Two Minute Touch

It is a new thing that I made up this morning at work. I plan to feature it at my baby shower. 

As of right now, it appears there will be twenty to thirty of our closest friends and family there, so this should be interesting. A couple people I think plan on coming (including my mom and grandma) still haven't RSVP'd officially so that's why I am looking at a range of guests. I sent out a reminder email to my co-workers that were personally invited, but was hesitant to do so because I don't want it to be construed as pushy or demanding their presence or some such thing. But at the same time I felt I should send it so that I am not assuming people will be there when they won't.

 

Back to the two minute touch. As I have vented about before, people want to touch pregnant bellies. I still have not figured out why, but I have loved reading various forum posts about how other moms to be have handled it. I figure once everyone is at the shower we can have an ice breaker. I will call it the Two Minute Tummy Touch. The ENTIRE group present at the shower will have two minutes to touch my belly; all of them in the same two minute window. And after that the bump is completely off limits! Muahahaha!!!

 

Today I really started trying to get all the training materials in order for my maternity leave... I feel like I am forgetting something moderately crucial, and it is bothering the crap out of me. I'm sure it will come to me. I know that I still have time, but I am hoping that I have my back up completely trained up before mid-November.

Oh well, all that matters right now is that tonight is opening night for my boys and we are into the third period and we are up two to zip! Go Red Wings!!! :-)

Shrinkage and Expansion

I'll just tell you now that this is mostly going to be going on and on about how I am feeling today and other random observations tied to these sensations.

 

Today has been one of those days where I feel HUGE. I feel as though she has doubled in size overnight and is taking up much more space than she should. My appetite is limited to what seems a tiny, tiny stomach today. I am even finding it difficult to consume my normal volume of water.

 

Normally at work I drink anywhere from four to five twenty four ounce tumblers of water along with my cup o' decaf brought from home. I think I maybe took in three and the coffee. I am not concerned with dehydration as I know I am still taking in more than enough fluids.

 

As for food consumption; I've noticed in the last week or so I might have one snack between breakfast (5am) and lunch (12:30pm) and then nothing until dinner (5:30pm). I guess I should clarify that all three meals are small to begin with because I prefer small meals and snacks to maintain energy and blood sugar and such. Of course in the same breath, there have been a couple random instances where I am ravenously hungry and feel like there is a bottomless pit where my shrinking stomach once resided.

 

I attribute most all of the above to my ever shifting and growing parasite. And today has been far from the exception.

 

I feel like she is in there sprawled out like some Vitruvian baby. There is just not enough room. If it wouldn't look odd I would have spent the day reclining in my desk chair at work. As I type this now I flash forward to the next two and a half months when she will be tripling in size and just think, "Ugh."

 

This is the first day of the pregnancy that I am really feeling "pregnant." I feel huge and slow, and I know it's just an uphill battle from here. I am hoping as I continue to walk and be active these days will be just that, random days of feeling "off", but I am expecting it to slowly become the norm.

 

As October has descended upon me, the knowledge that December is the month after next is very shallow in my mind. Being in September made it seem like December was still miles away, but now we find ourselves at October first and December is looming large and fast on the horizon. This isn't a matter of fear, but rather one of excitement.

 

The idea of welcoming my little girl into the world is both overwhelming and immense, but in all the best ways possible. I don't have that apprehension (that I had expected to have) of whether or not I will know what I am doing. I am just stoked to be sharing this experience with my (I try not to spout this term off to often) soul mate. I have no doubt in my mind that he will be a truly amazing and wonderful father to our child(ren; we plan on having another). I am confident that we will be an amazing parental team.

 

The biggest fear I have is actually quite funny from an outside perspective, but I have been over everything in my mind repeatedly and this truly is my biggest fear:

How will my training and fitness goals potentially affect my milk supply?

That right there is the biggest concern for the immediate future. I really want/need to get back into my fitness routine, but I do not want to jeopardize my ability to feed my little monster. This is something I know I will need to speak to my doctor about, and I have every intention of doing so. Is it weird that this is my biggest concern as a first time mom?

 

I don't fear dropping the baby; Collin will probably be the one to do that. LOL. (Just kidding, babe!)

 

I am not worried about whether I will have a peaceful baby versus a cranky one; she could go either way at the drop of a hat just like any other baby.

 

I am really not scared of the delivery. I am aware of all the potential issues that one can face, and I know about all the different uncomfortable possibilities. The sick part is that I am kind of looking forward to the experience just to have my own version of it. Since being preggo I have heard numerous delivery stories; from super easy to absolutely dreadful.

 

I am not worried about the financial implications of having the new baby. They are to be expected, and I (being hyper organized) have already made those adjustments for when the time comes.

 

I am not scared of the first night home. I will probably be too exhausted/excited to sleep anyways.

 

I don't fear stretch marks; I already have a full set! My tummy skin is also conveniently pre-stretched from having been so badly overweight.

 

I don't fear whether or not my significant other will still find me attractive. I know how much he loves me and the attraction he feels for me is boundless.

 

I am seriously only concerned with whether or not I will be able to supply milk for my child for the duration I want to. There is always a chance I won't ever, and I know that it is no reflection on me as a woman or a mother. But, dammit, I have to carry these bitches around all the time so they damn well better serve their purpose! LOL.

 

I don't even know where this post has ended up at this point... I have gone off on this crazy preggo rant. Oh well, I'm entitled and need to take advantage of this once and a while before I'm not pregnant anymore. 

It's the first so I am going to pay some bills now... Yay! 

 

In closing I shall leave you with this:

 

HOCKEY STARTED TODAY!!! Go Red Wings!!!

Stormy Skies

Fall came blowing in like a bat out of a wet and windy hell. I am loving it. The stormy weather gets me amped up. This may stem from a youth spent on the coast.

 

While the jet stream raged on this weekend we kept fairly busy.

 

Saturday morning and early afternoon was spent visiting family (exhausting) and friends (energizing!). Not all the family visiting was bad; mostly it was the visit with my mother that took it out of me.

 

I hadn't seen her since before I got pregnant, which in turn means before I had my teeth completed. So yea, it had been a while, and she had been dropping mommy guilt all over the place about how she hoped to feel the little one moving/kicking before I have her and so on. So I decide to bite the headache inducing bullet and stopping by to see her. I made it perfectly clear the night before that we would not have a lot of time to visit and that, no, we could not take her for a drive, nor did we have room to take her to LC. 

That in mind, she proceeded to ask not once but THREE times during our twenty minute visit that dragged on forever if we would take her to the coast. And after the THIRD NO, she then asked if I had any money... -_- Seriously. 

And as for her getting to feel the baby kick, it's really fucking difficult when the person wanting to feel the baby is apparently terrified of pushing hard enough... I managed to wake her up and get her moving around in there and my mom was barely touching my t shirt, let alone applying enough pressure to feel the baby move. I had to hold her hand down hard enough. The baby gave a really good kick and I ask her if she felt it, she responds, "No, not the kick but I feel her moving." I just looked at her for half a second and then told her that was the baby kicking.  Sigh. o.O 

And to top it off, while trying to antagonize the baby into moving about (yes, I like to call it antagonizing) my mom freaked out (for lack of better terms) and told me not to poke. I told her it is actually good for the baby and developing her reflexes. It's been over a quarter century since she had a baby and I know a lot has changed so I was trying to be understanding, but come on!

 

The whole time I swear I could hear Collin's teeth grinding. I had asked him on our way there to try not to stare at my mother the way Spaz stares at him when he is touching my bump. I know he tried, but I now know where Spaz gets that look.

 

The rest of the day breezed by (quite literally). My sister gave us two more bags of baby clothes (always welcome!). My dad was super stoked when we gave him his DVD of Iron Man 3. The deli was closed, which was kind of nice. It gave us a chance to catch up with G & K and not have to worry about customers interrupting the visit.

 

We met for lunch at Sambo's. The food was a disappointment. I should have ordered off the breakfast menu, but I opted for the chicken strips which were just bleh. It seemed like the chicken was precooked and THEN breaded and fried. The breading was greasy and did not stay on the meat and the meat was overcooked and tough. The fries were okay...

 

When we got home, I was exhausted so we opted to take a nap... We slept from 2:45 until almost 5pm... It felt great.

 

Yesterday was spent doing laundry and baking/cooking. I made cookies for a couple of the gals Collin works with. Okay, so maybe I also made them for us, but at least by giving away over half of them I am less likely to go all Cookie Monster on them... LOL. 

I then started the sausage marinara for the lasagna I made last night. I let the sauce simmer for about three hours. It turned out amazing. 

Another meal that is plenty big to freeze half of it for a future dinner. I am working to stock pile casseroles and sauce; like lasagna, meatloaf, enchiladas, and tikka masala, for use when I just don't want to cook. I am hoping not to suffer too much pre-packaged food during the last weeks of the pregnancy and the first weeks being home with baby. I know one of my friends recently dealt with this and that (combined with advice from another new momma) inspired me to start working on filling the freezer with homemade dinners now while I have the energy. 

This is actually pretty easy as we are entering cooler weather and I love making soups, stews, and casserole type dishes that store and freeze well (and I have a hard time limiting to make only four servings). I'm sure I will still end up eating some pre-packaged meals, but I hope to curtail it as much as possible.

 

I also completed the sign for the baby's room yesterday, and must say I am quite pleased with the outcome. I was going to do the traditional individual letters, but couldn't find any in the typeface I wanted. We opted to print, stencil, and paint her name on a piece of crafting plywood. It turned out bold and bright and EXACTLY what I wanted for it.

Now I am going to go curl up on the couch and watch this stupid teen drama I got sucked into... 

Words Of Others

I try very hard to avoid posting about work stuff beyond the generic random oddities, but today there was an “encounter" that left me both amused and mildly puzzled.

 

Two co-workers were discussing the weather when I commented that as of this morning the weekend forecast isn't looking as nice. One co-worker said that's not what he saw, he saw good weather until next week. I asked him where he saw his forecast, to which he replied he reads it in the paper. Before I could speak further the second co-worker breezes past me and says to the first (as though I wasn't there) "Oh, the weather will be great. Trust in God."

 

The amusement of this encounter is that the party in question has been treating me as though I am invisible, which is actually quite nice. I have no problem with people not wanting to talk to me; makes my life easier. I am not much of a people person these days, and especially not with people who will go out of their way to cause drama (which I sadly witness all too often in this "adult" world).

 

The mild puzzlement stems from the person's necessity to site a deity having the time and energy to give two craps about the weather for the weekend for such a tiny segment of the world. It's rain, and it's not like we aren't use to it here. Also, (not that I openly share my religious preferences at work; that's a whole 'nother nightmare post) I can't help but wonder what this person must think of me to need to throw that into the conversation. So, in this person's honor I plan to do a heathenistic pagan rain dance for the weekend, and possibly sacrifice a chicken breast to the great earth spirit in the form of some gnocchi soup tomorrow night... Sheesh. Not really, it takes too much energy to treat people in kind with negativity and vengeance.

 

I will truly never understand human behavior, and every time I utter or think that I'm actually grateful for that fact. Humans are beyond weird and scare the crap out of me.

 

And in it just being one of those days at work there was another fun twist in the day.

 

I believe I mentioned previously that I bit the bullet and posted an announcement/open invite to my baby shower about two and a half weeks ago. The only reason I posted the stupid thing was to alleviate the pressure I was getting from people (that I had not meant to be aware of my pregnancy yet anyways) about whether I would host an open shower or if I wanted to host a private shower and then let them throw one for me at work. The last thing I want is to have a work shower and have ANYONE there feel obligated to care about the fact I have a tiny human growing inside me. Though it may seem contrary considering how much I share on here, I do not crave direct attention from people. I post this blog because it is a healthy and fun outlet for sharing the odd things that churn around my mind at any given moment. And if you think I share 100% you will be disappointed, I do have some couth after all.

 

Anyways, back to the work thing; I post the announcement at work right where I had previously posted the open invite for my co-worker's shower that I hosted. After posting I heard someone was complaining about it. Yea, seriously. Probably because I wouldn't let them touch my fucking belly. So, nothing was ever said directly to me about it (though I would have been glad to take the effing thing down earlier) so I left it. Well today, since someone else had posted their own thing about needing a room to rent they decided that all personal notices needed to be separate from any other notices. I just took the opportunity to take mine down. If someone wants to be there they will RSVP and I will give them a copy of the invite. And if ANYONE dares state I was discriminating them by taking it down they can take it up with the person who had an issue with it being posted in the first place.

 

Wow, I think this is the most open rant I have had about work for a while. I try not to post too much about work place crud because this is a publicly read blog, and lord only knows who may or may not read it. Plus, the ultimate goal of my blog is to share experience, not create drama or trash talk. This post is honestly very borderline for me. But both of these instances are anonymous enough I feel safe sharing them. And it also illustrates WHY I get so freaking frustrated with people's childish actions at work.  And keep in mind as you ponder these tidbits of my workday; I am once again the youngest person in my company... So sad.

 

Now on a lighter note, because all that seems to read too effing serious for my tastes:

 

I think babies are like puffer fish. I swear it feels like she puffs up to twice her size sometimes. I know in reality it's all about how she is positioned, but seriously she can go from just kind of being there to making me feel like I put on fifty pounds and I can't bend in the middle. It's yet another odd and weird observation in this whole "Growing A Tiny Person" thing.

And now I shall go and consume my dinner! 

Cold Hands

Also: The Pros and Cons of Maternity Pants

 

Around the week fourteen mark (so almost fourteen weeks ago now) I ditched the hair tie bound jeans of pre-pregnancy for the inevitable maternity pants. In hindsight, after pulling some of my old "fat clothes" out that I had saved specifically for maternity shirts, I realize I probably could have waited even longer to begin wearing the pants if I wore some of the jeans I have from two to three sizes ago. The only downside? My "fat pants" are too big when I am standing or walking around and I would CONSTANTLY be hitching them up. But I still like them for wearing around the house.

 

Okay, back on track here. One thing I have found quite interesting in this, my first pregnancy, is that I am almost always cold, or on the verge of being cold. This was abnormal for me even before I got knocked up, but with the significant weight loss action prior to the pregnancy I was noticing that I was cold more often than ever before. Now, (naturally) everyone I tell that I am cold 85% of the time I am awake tells me that it's weird or not normal especially since I am with child... But that is yet again one of a million things I have been told that makes me weird.

 

With this inevitable coldness my hands get colder as my blood pressure gets lower through the pregnancy. Now, if you have never worn maternity pants, or anything highwaisted such as Spanx, or similar undergarments I will give you fair warning:

If your hands are cold having to pull these types of garments down or up becomes a chilling nightmare.

 

Even just hooking with my thumbs, there is the inevitable brush of FREEZING cold skin to nice warm torso. That or snapping the material against my skin... Not fun.

 

So we shall begin the Pros and Cons list!

 

Pro - Super comfy with lots of give for those days where there seems to be more of you than there should be.

Pro - Next to impossible to have plumber's crack.

Pro - You feel like you can do yoga in them; well most of them...

Pro - As long as only your midsection grows you can wear the same couple pairs from the first trimester until you are ready to squeeze back into your pre-pregger pants.

Con - (maybe it's just me) I miss having pants with a waist band.

 

Con - If it is warm/hot out you have an extra layer of material suffocating your skin.

 

Con - I am always terrified I am going to get a tear in the belly band much like you would see in stockings.

 

Con - If your underpants try to fall down it's nearly impossible to pull said underpants back up discreetly.

 

Con - There are no belt loops or other sort of thing you can use to pull the pants themselves up (not that preggos have a need for belts, but the loops serve multiple purposes).

 

Obviously, I have listed more cons than pros and that's because I really miss my regular pants... I just keep reminding myself I can start working back towards them in about three or four months. Especially since I had just bought a new pair in my next size down when I found out I was pregnant so I only got to enjoy that feeling for a few weeks before I went back to wearing the size I had been in before then, and then a few more weeks later and I was sporting the maternity pants. -Sigh-

 

Soon.

I Am Me

What a week it has been, this is my first opportunity to be able to use my computer in over a week. I had a horrible fatal error in the OS boot sector of my hard drive and had to replace it. With the wedding last weekend, we weren't able to pick up a new hard drive until Monday when we got back. Then this week has been a whirlwind of activity so Collin has only had minutes here and there to spend getting everything back where it belongs and getting all the five million Windows updates installed on my machine. Now that I have a functioning computer I can FINALLY go through all the pictures from K & G's wedding, and also start editing the video for burning to DVD.

 

Speaking of, it was a beautiful wedding. I am so happy for the two of them. Not sure how, but I managed not to shed a single freaking tear! There were a couple moments when I thought I would; like when K walked down the aisle, and watching the emotions play across G's face. It was just awesome. The reception went great. I even gave a little speech, not what I had originally planned on saying but still something. I might have to post my original speech on here. With how emotionally charged it already was I didn't want to go too sappy, which was a good thing since the best man went full tilt.

 

The entire wedding party looked gorgeous (K looked like a princess and G had his pants pulled up!LOL). My super talented hair stylist was able to be in the area and did all of our hair. I had forty four bobby pins in my hair. She managed to make my A-line bob look like I had long hair. She is truly gifted. I will try to get a picture of that on here too.

 

The hotel we stayed at was cute and very quirky; you could tell it is a really old building, but it still managed to be quite charming. The bathroom was really the biggest downside. It was all cramped together, poorly lit, and the shower was awkward at best. Beyond that one small disappointment it was fantastic. The hospitality was great; they had free fresh cookies in the lobby, a DVD library, and free popcorn (made in one of the poppers you see at an old timey theater). And their complimentary breakfast was amazing. I only wish we had time on Sunday to see what they had. Monday they had a choice of "Kip's Plate Size vanilla Buttermilk Pancakes" or breakfast enchilada with potatoes and toast. Collin had the enchilada and I tried the pancake; we each shared ours with one another for the full experience. It was delicious.

 

We had a great weekend the whole way around, which we truly needed. This weekend has been fantastic with only minimal errands and catching an AWESOME football game yesterday, and then getting ten hours of sleep last night. One of our really good friends is coaching seventh and eighth grade kids this year and he has a phenomenal team! With the 60-36 win over Clackamas yesterday they are now 3-0. I am also working on finishing the baby's sign for her room. 

Today after this quick interlude with my computer our goal is to veg out on the couch and watch movies. Should be pretty freaking sweet. I know we need to enjoy these little moments now before the little one arrives...

 

Crazy to think how close the baby's arrival is. We are as ready as we will ever be. The other day my 87 year old boss asked me when I was "going to pop," to which I replied December 19th, and he stated that it was still a long ways off. It most certainly doesn't feel that way to me with all the activities going on between now and then: our shower, Collin's birthday, and Thanksgiving being the major ones. And then BAM! Here's baby!

 

I have been craving change lately, which I equate to this blissful change in the seasons. In an effort to allay this craving I changed my hair color. From the purpley awesomeness it has been for almost a year, I am now sporting a more fall like palette of blond and deep red woven through my mostly natural colored hair. It made the wedding up do look amazing, and I am so glad I decided to change it!

 

There are other changes that I would like to make but they will have to wait until after baby; a big one being our running. I miss running so much, but after breaking my foot and being out of commission for six weeks as it healed it just didn't seem wise to pick it back up just yet. I am still walking daily, but it doesn't quite scratch this itch. Blame it on preggo brain but I can't remember if I have shared this next bit or not. Either way, our post pregnancy training goal is to not only get our running back on track but to really amp it up. By summer I want to be able to run (not run/walk) a 5k, and then by Thanksgiving next year I want to be back up to run/walking at least ten miles. The biggest thing that I will have to keep in mind during all of this is making sure I don't jeopardize my milk supply. Another thing I will have to talk to the doctor about after the baby is here.

 

This next year is bound to be not only exciting but super busy, and I hope that I can always find a few minutes to share all the big changes with whomever takes the time to read this little blog of mine. And I am fairly confident there are going to be many big changes in my future!

 

One of the biggest changes is moving around quite a bit at the moment. In the latter half of the day she really likes to shift so that it is more difficult for me to sit up straight. She LOVES doing this when I am at work. Lord knows it will only become more fun as she grows three fold in the next three months! Right now she is just kind of punching and kicking.

 

Another change that I have been able to (re)implement now (and is good for me and the baby) is to not let people get to me (as in not let their negative "issues" stress me out). Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but lately it had been getting really rough to maintain my positive feelings about people. It just took some meditating on being the person I want to be and not letting others shape me into a nasty negative person with their behavior. I would love to be able to just excise these people from my life entirely but that's just not a possibility. The best I can do is roll with it and not let their actions factor into my own. Some days it is harder than others to keep focused on this, especially when I am exhausted and altogether burnt out, but I have been fortunate enough to surround myself with a few select people who help me through the rough days. I have taught myself that just because someone has to have the last word over me doesn't discount my words in anyway. And if a person would rather argue than try something I suggested, that is fine by me. They will figure it out for themselves; there are too many people like this to take them all on. I know who I am, and there is an immense peace in that knowledge.

Now for some vegetative practice.

I Fixed My Eye!

Wow, I can't believe it's only been a week since I last posted... Feels like a crap ton longer than that.

 

For starter's, here are the bumpers and sheets I made for the baby:

 

 

On to the super fun stuff: The glucose test! I passed that SOB like nobody's business! Realistically, I should have tried to take the one hour instead of the three hour, but when I had taken it before and failed by what I did I figured I wouldn't waste my time with it again and go straight to the torture test. So the premise, for those unaware, of a glucose tolerance test is to ensure that your insulin production is managing your blood glucose levels properly. If you blood sugar is too high it can not only be bad for you, but dangerous for the baby. There are a ton of negative side effects and if you want to check them out just google "Gestational Diabetes."

 

Anywhozit, the one hour test has you consume roughly six to eight ounces of syrupy fluid containing fifty GRAMS of sugar. After an hour has passed, they take a blood sample. In order to be passing your blood glucose needs to be under130 (or 140 depending on your medical provider).

 

The three hour test takes this mini hell to a whole other circle of torture. For the above test you don't HAVE to fast beforehand (but I think this sets people up for insta-failure), whereas you need to fast for twelve hours or more before the three hour. Yea, pretty torturous for a pregnant woman... And that's just the fasting. The fun really begins when, starving, you drag your ass to the lab and let someone jab at you with a needle (if you're lucky you can get in first thing in the morning). After they collect a sample of your blood, they run it to get your baseline or "fasting" blood sugar. If you are below the acceptable threshhold you then get to enjoy another bottle of roughly six to eight fluid ounces of horrendously flavored syrup like stuff (my provider only has lime.. Ick!) that contains ONE HUNDRED GRAMS OF SUGAR. This is roughly the sugar of FOUR twenty ounces sodas. You are given five minutes to chug the liquid; it took me four minutes in June, but I managed to take it like a shooter this time in about ninety seconds. After this they draw blood at the one, two and three hour marks.

 

The way they "grade" this torture test is as follows (I'm including both my sets of results for funnzies):

Time                Standard         Test#1(June)    Test#2(Sept)

Baseline           < 95                  93                    83

One Hour        < 179                178                  134

Two Hour        < 154                103                  80

Three Hour      < 139                72                    65

 

Pretty freaking clear I do not suffer from gestational diabetes, and as much as I hate the test I would take it again if I had to for my health and even more importantly my baby's health.

 

After the nightmare was over we headed to our favorite neighborhood pizza place and I pigged out on sweet delicious carbs and protein.

 

Saturday was K's bachelorette party. It was a blast! Even though I did not partake of any "adult" beverages it was still a great time. Most importantly the bride enjoyed herself plenty! We didn't get back to my place until two in the morning, at which point we both crashed. It took me about a half hour to fall asleep, and I woke up around 6:30 which sucked balls. I cuddled with the monster for about a half hour until my stomach (and the baby) reminded me I was hungry. I went downstairs and munched on a couple crackers before K and I went in search of breakfast. Later, after K had headed home, and Collin returned home from his night out we opted to take a much needed nap. Four hours is just not enough sleep for a pregnant woman. 

 

It just dawned on me I skipped Friday night here. Friday night I got all of our shower invites printed out and stuffed into envelopes. We mailed all of them Saturday morning except for the handful that I hand delivered to people at work. And now I remember why I hadn't got to this part yet.

 

So Monday I dropped the bomb at work. I posted my "open" shower invite by the time clock at my work, along with a cute little addendum requesting people respect boundaries and not touch the pregnant woman. Only one person so far has gone against this request, but I hear tell that others are itching to touch my belly. I really, truly do not understand this aspect of human behavior. I have worked here for almost three years and no one has craved physical contact with my abdomen UNTIL they found out I am growing a tiny human in there. It is one of the weirdest "social cues" out there: see pregnant woman, touch pregnant woman. Seriously?! If anyone can explain this to me comment below. Heck, when I was clocking out for lunch one of the women at my work stopped me as I was leaving the time clock area, circled her arms around me (without touching) and told me that she has wanted to touch my belly ever since I posted the sign. I laughed awkwardly and proceeded to go eat my lunch. I never had the desire to run up to a random pregnant person and touch them... But then again we all know I'm not human.

 

To my eyeball, at last. Whether it was something completely random, or some weird preggo side effect; for the last three weeks or so my right eye would water at random. Think crocodile tears. It was insanely annoying and I have no idea what brought it on. It typically happened around the same times each day. There was no itching, burning, or other indicator of an irritant or allergen. I was finally reaching the point of actually WANTING to talk to my doctor about it. Sunday was like any other watery eyed day, but one difference was the slight pressure I felt in the tear duct of my right eye. "Great!" I thought, "Not only does this bastard water uncontrollably at random but now I am developing a stye a week before my best friend's wedding!" I checked the mirror repeatedly throughout the day awaiting the red and swelling action but it never came. I don't know what sparked my next action, but that evening as my eye was doing its water feature impression and I was gently dabbing away the excess moisture I decided to apply light pressure to my tear duct. There was no additional pain, and as I pushed a little harder the pain disappated all together. I pulled the tissue away (WARNING: This next part may be TMI) there was a decent sized glob of healthy looking mucus. Super gross I know, but since then? My eye has not watered beyond the normal, I yawned too hard, or I poked myself in the eye type moments. It's been three days now, and I am loving it!

 

Now to go mow down on this dreamy salad I am making for dinner and then it's off to pick up my bridesmaid's dress.

 

Here's to hoping it cools down fast tonight! It made it into the mid nineties here today!