Thursday, June 28, 2007

Matching Knees.

Well, gosh darn it, I fell again. Right outside the door of Agriculture Hall on my way to lunch. I decided to be much more interested in what sidewalks were open than paying attention to the big step down right outside the door. Stupid construction on campus. Stupid pregnancy brain. Stupid being off-balance because of my belly. GRRRR.

Anyway, I'm fine. I banged up my other knee, but my left knee is much more of a scrape/bruise than a true rasberry scab like my Chili Cook-Off wound. I guess wearing pants isn't a bad thing.

I'm mostly mad because I scraped up my new mommy's day sandals along with my knee. GRRRR.

And yes, before you all comment and yell at me, I will be more careful when walking. It is very odd, but I have been subconsciously conscious of my belly when falling. Baby Cute is just fine inside his/her magical watery womb. I had Cherry Coke with lunch because A) It sounded good. and B) It would ensure some afternoon acrobatics so I could be sure that Baby Cute is ok. Both A & B are working out well. Delicious Cherry Coke and some serious internal pummeling from Baby Cute, check.

I am taking tomorrow OFF. I haven't taken a day OFF without feeling like throwing up or sleeping all day since before I was pregnant. Probably when we moved. So a solid 6 months later I am going to leave all of this work craziness behind me and enjoy a day in my lovely home with my fabulous parents. Come on 5pm!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Margarita Pie makes me long for ABQ.

One of my coworkers made margarita pie (sans tequila) and brought it in to share today. It was delish, and made an excellent accompaniment to my cheese ravioli main course and canned spinach/italian dressing side dish.



I am so pregnant.



The margarita pie made me long for the day when I can go back to Albuquerque and enjoy a margarita. Coincidentally, my coworker Michelle was kind enough to send on her photos today. Good thing I lugged my camera halfway around the country so it could sit in the bag... But the good news is Michelle is an excellent photographer.

Mmmmmmountains!

A little slice of Old Town Albuquerque.

Laura and I at the manager's reception. I was posing with Michelle's margarita.


At El Pinto restaurant on our last night. Am I pondering the meaning of quantum mechanics or picking salsa chunks out of my teeth? We may never know...

I'm 25 weeks today and gosh darn it I look cute. My Mom bought me this sassy black/white polka dot dress way back in my first trimester and today was my first chance to wear it. I've gotten lots of compliments, which is always good for one's self esteem.



Oh, and to update from yesterday, I scheduled my ultrasound at the community college for July 10. Heck, it's only 6 days before the other one, but I'm not passing up an opportunity to solve the "great gender mystery of 2007" AND see my precious little fetus dancing around. Plus, it's for education. There are two senior students who have to do a prenatal ultrasound for their final exam and I am happy to help. :)


Here are my updates. I have to get back to work pronto!


BabyCenter: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.


BabyGaga: Your tiny grower’s physical proportions are evening out at this point and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and lots and lots of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child is born premature now they’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as their lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day. Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back—all that hard work and conscientious living is really getting your child prepared for a healthy delivery. Keep up the fabulous work mama! This week they’ll be scootching slowly out of the old breech position and start rotating (already!) into a better position for exit during their birth. Their head and feet are slowly rotating so that the head is pointed down towards the birth canal. Time is short (or really long, depending on who you ask)—just (still!) 14 weeks left before you can go back to being a single-resident human.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Adventures in Girl Scouting.




My Mom likes kids. My Dad likes babies. There are distinct differences between the two, and thankfully I am somewhere in the middle. I definitely prefer babies, but spending the weekend with ten 10-year-olds makes me look forward to Baby Cute being a kid and all of the adventure that comes along with it.

They are odd creatures, 10-year old girls. They're not quite adolescent, but they've lost the "sit on your lap cuddliness" that was there when I first took on the troop in 2003... It's been a lot of fun to watch them grow. I was lucky to be paired with Tammy, successful working mother of three, for the ride up and back. She has great perspective and life experience, and was a great listening ear as well. If she got tired of talking about pregnancy and kids and all of the ensuing drama, she didn't show it. The girls watched Cheetah Girls, Charlotte's Web and then Cheetah Girls again. Having only listened to Cheetah Girls, I still feel safe recommending that you NEVER watch it.

My feet are finally returning to normal size after a weekend of flip flops and bare feet on hard surfaces and sleeping with Malorie, who we shall call "the kicker." I wore both my pre-preggo and preggo swimsuits. Both were fine, but I like to refer to the preggo suit as "flattering" and the pre-preggo suit as "stylish." You will note I am not including any photos of myself in a swimsuit, thank you very much. But my girls are super cute:

While I was gone, Dave got the entire nursery floor stripped of two layers of paint and one layer of varnish. Way to go Dave! The rest of the house looked rather chaotic, but no complaints. I don't work any evenings this week, so we will dig ourselves out of the messy piles and cat hair day by day.

My email to the local community college about volunteering as an ultrasound subject was finally returned today with a lovely reply. All I need is a note from my OB saying it's ok and I can go in as a practice dummy (not that I'm a dummy, but you know) in the coming weeks. So we may perhaps know Baby Cute's gender sooner rather than later! In case you needed further indication that I'm excited, the note from Dr. Tucker is already waiting at the OB office. Hooray!

My coworker Laura also returned on Monday with my Albuquerque treasure--my opal and turquoise bracelet. Wahooey!

I feel good. Work is kicking my butt. Baby Cute is kicking my insides, but I must say baby has been quieter since I cut down on my juice consumption and am trying to drink more water... I wonder, does Baby Cute miss the sugar highs as much as I do?

Oh, and I would be remiss if I left out the Chili Cook-Off story. So we pick up Kate and make our way downtown to join the droves going to mow chili. We cross the major intersection in downtown Lansing--Pennsylvania and Grand. I choose at that moment to catch the tip of my Birkenstock sandal on a slight rise in the sidewalk and take a rather ungraceful tumble onto the pavement. This is the most painful result:

Dave and Kate flipped out, but I am fine. I caught myself with my right arm, which makes for an ouchy shoulder, but other than a few scrapes, bruises and major embarrassment I am fine and dandy. Baby's been kicking and moving fine since then, so I'm not concerned. I'm much more concerned about how I am going to teach my children not to pick scabs when I want nothing more than to pick at my new one. *sigh* Growing up is hard to do.

I can't even begin to describe my excitement about our weekend visitors! My parents and David's are coming for a weekend of home improvement and decorating fun. Perhaps fun is an overstatement, but it's my blog, damn it. Dave and Carolyn are coming Thursday night, and my Mom is trucking her sewing machine and crafty skills down Thursday or Friday, maybe Saturday depending on the funeral arrangements for a dear friend of the family.

I made a lovely list of things to ask Dave and my Dad for help with along with the floors, but we'll see how far we get. We can also pick up Baby Cute's changing table and the chest freezer--finally! I am mostly looking forward to having people in my house again and for the fun and satisfaction that goes along with spending time improving our home. I love being a homeowner.

Friday, June 22, 2007

110 days.

Time is flying. It's almost the end of June. This is nice because I get paid on the last day of the month, but also frightening. I distinctly remember thinking about the 4th of July and wondering what my belly would look like, how I would be feeling, WHAT I would be feeling. The 4th of July is FAST approaching.

I feel like I'm trapped in warp speed. There is so much I want to do, personally and professionally, that hinges around October 10. I sent a request to a journalist friend of mine today to sit on a panel at the MSU Extension Fall Conference. The date of the panel is October 10. Whoa, why are we planning things in October already? That is REALLY far away. Yeah right.

David and I got some good news today! Our "check engine soon" light had come on in our one-and-only car, Belinda the Bonneville, on Wednesday morning. Being a one-car family and assuming the worst, we figured we'd have to rent a car while Belinda was in for whatever kind of expensive repairs she would require now that the dreaded "check engine soon" light had activated. Dave took her in this morning knowing that Enterprise would only charge us $19/day for a car Dave would fit into. Our nice mechanic Mike (aren't all mechanics named Mike? Or Bill? Or Ray? Or Steve?) informed us that our gas cap area was a little corroded and we just needed to wire brush it out and that would solve the vapor lapse problem. Hooray! Belinda has also been "clunking" when we move her from park to drive, and Mike also had good news there. Our motor mount is wearing out. I'm ok with that! Better that than the transmission! It's a "make an appointment and we'll have it done by noon" fix too. Thank you Mike (and the mechanics)! :)

Tonight we are heading to the Board of Water and Light Chili Cook-Off. Afterwards, I will do a fashion show of swimsuits with Dave and prepare for a weekend of fun in the chlorinated world of an indoor waterpark.

We got mixed reviews last night when we googled "pregnancy" and "waterslides." Basically, some docs say go for it, some say 'oh God no!' I think I'll go somewhere in between, thanks.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Hommmmmmme.

Hooray for home!

I told David to take my picture (so ya'll could see my growing belly), but I was not specific about what kind of shot, so you just get head and shoulders. Check out my straight top teeth instead of my belly, I guess.




I got home safe, with two more uneventful plane rides under my belt. My coworker Michelle is an excellent travel partner, so we enjoyed each other's company and got home safe and sound at 11pm last night. Dave was on time to pick me up (of course, he's on "dave time" which is about 10 minutes early) and was very happy with my ABQ purchase for Baby Cute.


(the onesie says "hug me, i'm a little chili" Albuquerque. It is SO CUTE!)

I only bought one other thing (other than cranberry juice, chocolate milk, water, cheese sticks and granola bars at Walgreens, ha ha ha). It will surprise those of you who know me well, but I bought jewelry. A bracelet. It spoke to me. Loudly. The bracelet is still in New Mexico because the nice people are adding links to make it fit my fat wrist. My coworker Laura is staying for a few extra days and is going to pick it up and bring it home for me. Hooray! I will post a photo of it and its turquoise and opal gloriousness.


The 'ugh' news is that my back hurts. Bad. It is significantly better today, so I am hoping that it was just too many nights in a hotel bed. I've had to squat instead of bend lately, which gets old quickly and makes me walk and move slowly and oddly. Frankly, it makes me move like a pregnant lady. *sigh* Other than swollen feet and an aching back, I feel good. I have a PRSA meeting this afternoon and then I am heading home to work. I need to put my feet up and get my laundry done before I turn around and go again this weekend.


Don't be jealous, but my girl scouts are taking their "big trip" of the year to the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. I am pretty excited. Not excited about missing another weekend at home, but excited nonetheless.


Officially 6 months today. Baby Cute is mad because I haven't eaten breakfast yet and is kicking in protest. The movements are getting stronger and stronger and Baby Cute is setting up his/her own little schedule--waking and sleeping around the same times of day. It's pretty cool. In other exciting news, my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball. Whoa.


BabyCenter: Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.


BabyGaga: This is another big week for your smaller-than-life magic growing baby! Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears—done; 2) fingernails—done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles—taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls—secreting “surfactant”. What’s that? Well, surfactant is sort of what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist the air sacs (their little lungs) during inflation (as in: filling with air, not getting more expensive). Just in case you’re curious, your submerged baby is still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing and rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your child is around 2 lbs and 14 inches long—perhaps a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the cutesy “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Mountains and airplanes and jewelry, Oh My!

We're in Albuquerque. The trip was totally uneventful, thank goodness. I sat next to skinny teenage girls on both flights, thank goodness to that, too. Even the $5 snack box on Northwest Airlines and the $2.25 bottle of water at the airport cafe' was delicious. Baby Cute had a very hungry day; flying is hard work for fetuses.

I'm traveling with jewelry lovers in jewelry country. I looked at more turquoise necklaces and bracelets and anklets and pendants than I have in my 26 years of existence. Luckily, they also love food, so I had delicious New Mexican enchiladas (sans hot sauce, of course).

I heart dry heat. And mountains.

My feet are swollen, my spirits are high and I am traveling with my favorite colleagues. It's kinda like a sleepover, but in New Mexico, and in a hotel, and we have to go to sessions instead of painting our nails and watching chick flicks. *sigh* Oh well.

More later.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Sir Zucchini Kicks-A-Lot

Melanie dubbed Baby Cute "Sir Zucchini Kicks-A-Lot" after I emailed her about getting kicked on the outside yesterday. I am still giggling about it. Melanie is one of the most creative people I know, and she never fails to make me laugh.

Our appointment was anti-climactic as usual... As Dr. Bell said this morning, boring is good.

The updates:
--I gained 5 pounds, so I am officially "even steven"--the weight I was when I found out I was pregnant. It's funny how little I typically care about my weight, but the thought of gaining weight is very intimidating to me.... Yes, I'm odd.
--My blood pressure is still "a little high."
--I got my glucose drink and instructions on taking my gestational diabetes screening. The week of July 6 or after.
--Today was the first time they measured my belly from my pubic bone to the top of my uterus. This was fascinating to me. We were measuring right on today. It will be interesting to see how the measurements grow!
--And, the news you have all been waiting for, Dr. Bell DID order another ultrasound for us! So July 16 Baby Cute gets another chance to show off his/her goods.
--Oh, and Dr. Tucker had her baby boy. His name is Kinneal.

Tomorrow I leave for Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'll be gone until late on Tuesday night, but should stay pretty connected to email and the blog. It is going to be hot and dry--hooray for desert!

I had delicious conversation and ice cream with my friend Kate yesterday. We talked "shop" a lot--the local PR scene, master's degrees, our common aspiration to become comm arts teachers. We talked about fun stuff too, of course. Kate and Nate consider themselves members of the granola-crunching scene, and are also thinking about having their own Baby KateandNate someday soon. Kate brought up a funny point--zodiac signs. Apparently, they are waiting just a tad longer because she's not a fan of the quirks of Taurus/Gemini peeps. Obviously, we didn't plan Baby Cute, but I was interested to see what zodiac sign my baby is headed for.

Baby Cute will most likely be a Libra--September 24-October 23 seems like a pretty safe date range around October 10.

So for this Friday, a bunch of fun Libra facts. We can get to know a little about Baby Cute already!

Libra is the only inanimate sign of the zodiac, all the others representing either humans or animals. Many modern astrologers regard it as the most desirable of zodiacal types because it represents the zenith of the year, the high point of the seasons, when the harvest of all the hard work of the spring is reaped. There is a mellowness and sense of relaxation in the air as mankind enjoys the last of the summer sun and the fruits of his toil. Librans too are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring.

LIKES

  • The finer things in life
  • Sharing
  • Conviviality (fond of feasting, drinking, and merry company; jovial)
  • Gentleness

DISLIKES

  • Violence
  • Injustice
  • Brutishness
  • Being a slave to fashion

Famous Libras

  • Barbara Walters
  • George Gershwin (I'm hoping this mean Baby Cute has a sense of rhythm, unlike David)
  • Julie Andrews
  • David Lee Roth (HA!)
  • Eleanor Roosevelt (she was born Oct. 11)
  • Princess Leah (I mean, Carrie Fisher)
  • Friedrich Nietzsche
  • Johnny Carson