it's the little things...

month (gulp) twelve

2012-01-24T10:58:00.002-06:00

Twelve months. One entire year. Over the weekend I was thinking, "This time last year I started having contractions." "This time last year, my water broke." "This is when we went to the hospital."
I've been working on a video and photo slideshow for your birthday party (that we're having on Saturday). It's been fun to go through the entire last year. I can't get over how small you were. And then I can't get over how much you changed so quickly. And, finally, I can't believe how many details I've already forgotten (like when you did what). I'm so glad we took so many pictures and that I wrote so much down. I hope you appreciate it one day when you're a mother. Keeping good records for you this first year was definitely a priority. As this was the last day for monthly pictures, I'm really proud of myself for making it through (with Daddy's help). I'm also proud of us all for making it through the year.

This month you've gotten even more chatty. You "talk" so much and it sounds like it all makes sense to you. I think you're starting to say "hi." You wave much more easily. And I swear sometimes you wave and say, "Hi, Daddy." Or you try to say "Maggie." Granddad thinks you said "Daisy" and "Tessa" the other day. I can't confirm but I do know that you love all the dogs. Even ones you don't know.

Not much has changed with eating. Still haven't gotten you off the bottle. We have started to introduce whole eggs and cow's milk in the last week or so. You've been having some digestive issues but you are even if we lay off the new things. Not sure what's going on there. Your 12-month doctor's appointment is on Thursday so I'll have to make a list of things to ask the doctor about. And I'll have to update your height and weight then. It seems like you're spreading out, though.

Sleep has been going better again (except for last night). I wasn't sure how things would go for us while we were on vacation and then making the transition back to the real world. But you did fine.

You still haven't taken more than one or two random steps at a time. You cruise all over the place while holding onto things and you still love walking while holding on to your push toys. Daddy didn't walk until he was 15 1/2 months old and who knows about me. My records aren't exactly stellar. I'm not concerned, though, as you've seemed to be progressing pretty well. You crawl like a speed demon these days, too.

The very beginning of this 12th month had us celebrating Christmas. People were so generous towards you, as usual. You didn't really open presents but you've enjoyed playing with everything. I'll be honest, though, I'm hoarding some of them in your closet for now. You'll get them throughout the year.

I mentioned vacation before. We went to Costa Rica for 10 days this month. It was wonderful. Your grandparents, auntie, and the three of us went. It was nice for us all to spend time together and for there to really be a village to take care of you. I luxuriously got to nap and read. It was awesome. You had so many firsts this trip. Your first flight, your first time out of the state/country, your first time in the Pacific ocean. You were very well behaved nearly the entire time. You did great when we ate at restaurants. You love the water but were hesitant about the wet sand at first. You eventually got over that. I think you had fun as well. When we got back it was weird to go back to work. We had seen each other so much over the previous month--I realized even more how much you've grown up lately.

Tonight we're going to your grandparents' to have a small celebration since it is your birthday proper. Then, like I said, a bigger party on Saturday. I'm excited for it. Now that I've actually given birth, a birthday seems a little different. And that it's yours makes it even better.

Last night, I was trying to think of words of wisdom for you. I'll probably only write you long letters like this once a year now so I figured it should be something really meaningful. I guess what I've learned this year is that everyone--parents, grandparents, kids, everyone--we're all just people. Most of us are just trying to do our best. All of us are figuring it all out as we go along. Turning a certain age or giving birth doesn't suddenly make you more mature or give you all the answers. And so far in life, I've never really felt like what I thought I'd feel like when I reached a certain age or milestone. You're just you. You'll be you at 5 years old and you'll be you when you graduate from high school. The same when you get married and have kids and find a job. You just add on these other roles or add another candle to the cake. And in time, you realize you need to cut people some slack (and yourself, too). Because, like I said, we're all just making it up as we go along. Happiest of birthdays, my tiny lurve. (I almost made it through this without crying.)

Update to add that you weighed 23 pounds 10 ounces and were 30 1/4" long at your appointment on the 26th. About the 85th percentile for both!

2011 reads

2012-01-11T08:06:00.000-06:00

I'm way, way behind on end-of-year blog activities. So it goes... Here's the reading list from 2011. Sadly short but I was busy keeping a baby alive for nearly the entire year.

Mostly read:

Baby 411

I'm Too Sexy For My Volvo

What to Expect the First Year

Read:

16. Hello, My Name is Mommy

15. The Helps

14. Sizzling Sixteen

13. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

12. The Complete Adventures of Curious George

11. Charlotte's Web

10. Baby Massage

9. Healer

8. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

7. The Girlfriend's Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood

6. Because I Said So

5. Pregnancy Day By Day

4. Homebirth in the Hospital: Integrating Natural Childbirth With Modern Medicine

3. The Everything Pregnancy Book

2. What to Expect When You're Expecting

1. Happiest Baby on the Block

While the pregnancy/baby books were quite helpful (especially "Happiest Baby on the Block"), I really enjoyed the other books and highly recommend them all. So I guess while I'm low on quantity, I made up for it in quality. Read any good books lately?

month eleven

2011-12-26T21:26:00.000-06:00

I think Christmas is a pretty good reason to be behind on writing to you, don't you? We did take pictures on Christmas Eve, though, so Mama has made it 11 months taking pictures on the 24th. I'm pretty impressed with that. One more to go!

Let's see. What's been going on with you this month? Your eating is pretty much the same. We're trying to start the weaning from the bottle. We really need to put more effort into this one. So far you drink really well from the sippy cup. Unfortunately, that means you are very efficient at getting water out only to let it fall right back out of your mouth. We've recently started giving you a cup with a straw and, while you still spill some, you swallow some as well. Progress! You're still a good eater and are eating more table foods as the weeks progress.

Sleep has been a bit of a challenge at times this month. You've taken to waking up somewhere between 2 and 4:00 to cry. I don't know what's going on with that. I was suspecting you were cold. You now go to sleep with the quilt Mama made you and a little owl lovey. I hand you that owl and you hug it and nestle into my shoulder. I love it. And then I'm forced to put you in bed and walk away. You still sleep on your stomach all night. We've had to start pulling the front of your diaper up a little higher (so that you almost have a plumber's crack in the back) so that there are no diaper fails at night. And we've gone up to size 4 at night. I guess after we finish off these size 3s that we have, we'll make the switch completely. I can't believe you're that big.

Just a note on what we call you these days...Mama still says "Chicken" but has added Chicken Nugget, Munchkin, and Munchkinland. Sometimes you get called "Sista" as does Maggie. You two are sisters, afterall.

Early this month we went to your great grandmother's funeral. It was very nicely done and you were quite well-behaved. You got to meet a bunch of people for the first time, some relatives and some friends. Everyone really enjoys you and that makes me happy. People comment on how happy and cute you are. I, of course, agree.

You and I also ate lunch with one of Mama's friends the other day. She hadn't seen you in awhile and couldn't get over how big you have gotten. It's true. You're still a baby but are creeping closer to turning into a little girl. We don't have a doctor's appointment until next month but I think you're about 29" (as you can't stand up fully underneath the breakfast table anymore) and weigh not quite 23 pounds (up about 2/3 of a pound since last month so your weight gain is definitely slowing).

I think I mentioned last month how we all thought it would be fun for you and your cousin to take pictures together every Christmas. Well, the day we were supposed to get you two together you came down with conjunctivitis. In both eyes. It was awful and you looked absolutely terrible. Everyone who saw you was reminded of Quasimodo. Luckily, it was caused by a bacteria so we were able to treat it. Sadly, it was with an ointment we had to put in both of your eyes. I think that was the hardest thing I've had to do as a parent so far. It was definitely a 2-person job and even then it was near impossible. But you got better quickly so I guess it was worth it.

And we finally got those pictures in your Christmas dress! You and your cousin looked so cute. I'm glad we got matching dresses this year. And we finally took your picture for our Christmas card. It turned out pretty well, too. We did have lots of outtakes, though.

We also finally got to take you to meet Santa. He was at the credit union--short line and free pictures with him. You just stared at him; no tears or screaming like some other kids. He was very nice and gave you a candy cane and a little Santa toy. You laugh when you see that toy.

One of the things Mama ordered you for Christmas was a Radio Flyer walker. It's kind of like a wagon but it has a handle that you can hold onto and walk behind. It came a few days before Christmas and Daddy couldn't wait to open it. So we put it together and let you have it early. The reviews I had read online said that it helped kids learn to walk. In fact, one woman mentioned that her child was walking within 2 weeks. I wasn't sure if this was a good or bad idea. At first, you didn't like that it moved but Daddy showed you how to do it a few times. Then you really got the hang of it. Because it doesn't steer, you'd walk it all the way across the living room until it hit a dining room chair. And then you figured out that you could just stand on the side of it and push it back the way you came. We were very proud of you for figuring that out. I think you really like it and it seems like you're cruising more already. On Christmas Eve night, you were standing up and weren't holding onto anything (a newly-acquired skill) and there was a look on your face that said you were thinking about walking. You paused and kind of shuffled one foot before quickly falling down. It was exciting to see but also a bit unbelievable. That Radio Flyer works wonders!

While you didn't open your own Christmas presents, you did enjoy playing with them. You got so many things that Mama is putting some away for later. You also enjoyed visiting with your family during the holidays. We have one more celebration left on New Year's Day.

One final new development is that you started saying "uh oh" the day you turned 11 months old. You said something that kind of sounded like it and I repeated it. You said it back to me. You've since said it multiple times. And you seem to know when to say it. It's very exciting. I can't believe you are going to start using words. I think you're going to be even more entertaining once you start telling me stories.

Well, Chicken. You kicked off this last month of your first year with a bang. I wonder if you'll be walking by the end of it? It's going to be a fun month--you get to go on your first big vacation. I hope it all goes well. One last bit of advice for you. If--when you're a grown-up--you find that you can take several days off around the Christmas holidays, I think it's a great idea to take a few days before and a few days after. It was a happy coincidence that that's how things worked out for me this year. It gave me time to prepare and a little time to recover. And, of course, time to enjoy you and the rest of the family. Get ready for next month's last letter! (Well, maybe the last one until you're 2.)

facelift

2011-12-02T16:36:00.003-06:00

Oooh, ahhh. A little blog re-design. I'd imagine more tweaks are possible.

What's everybody up to? Is anyone still out there?

month ten

2011-11-24T23:59:00.002-06:00

Chicken, can I start this out with some whining? For the second time this year, your month birthday is landing on a major holiday. This time it's one of my favorites--Thanksgiving. Mama woke up feeling ok, walked Maggie, took your monthly pictures, and then started feeling bad. I was hoping it was just my non-gallbladder acting up but I think it's a stomach virus. Woe is me. So I had Daddy help me finish food prep and sent the two of you to your aunt and uncle's. I'm so disappointed I'm not there with you--your entire family is there (both sides of our family--Mama's and Daddy's). Sigh... But I'm sure you're having a good time and that everyone is enjoying the kick-off to the real holiday season with not one but two babies. Ok, rant over.

What all happened this month? You got bit by the other little girl at daycare. Sometimes she doesn't want to share with you (meaning she wants what you have) and you give in but I've heard that other times you stand your ground. Good for you. Since you're cruising pretty well now (along furniture, etc) daycare has become a 3-ring circus. Two of you are walking and then you're cruising. Well, I guess some days it's a 4-ring circus as your little cousin has joined y'all this month. I'm very excited that y'all will hopefully get to spend a lot of time together growing up.

No doctor's visit this month so I'm not sure how long you are. It seems like your weight gain has slowed down (right around 22 lb) and your thunder thighs are thinning out a bit. I was oddly sad to see that. You're just such a big girl now. I can't believe you were so little and helpless such a short time ago.

Even though your weight has evened out, you still LOVE eating. You feel very mistreated if you are around others who are eating and you're not. Even if you have JUST eaten. Sometimes distraction works but usually we just give you a tiny bit of something appropriate for you. You still love feeding yourself. And you have 6 teeth!

You are very chatty these days but still mostly "dadadada" with an occasional "mamamama" thrown in. No real words yet but I do think you're starting to understand more. You kind of know how to turn light switches on and off if I hold you next to them--a skill I'm fond of right now as 1) you can't reach them on your own and 2) sometimes my hands are full so you provide an extra one.

The funniest thing this month is that we figured out that your favorite joke is when someone puts something on their head. You laugh and laugh. It doesn't matter if it's a hat or a towel or a toy. The other evening, I kept putting a toy on my head and then would let it fall off (sometimes you like to remove it yourself). You started picking it up and handing it back to me so I could put it on my head again. It was quite a fun game.

That same night you pulled yourself up on the jogging stroller to try to get a toy in the seat. You couldn't quite reach it so the stroller started rolling. You almost fell down once but regained composure. Then it started rolling again. I think you would have fallen that time if it hadn't hit the coat rack. Part of me is a little surprised that you're not walking unassisted yet but I'm in no rush for it. You haven't stood alone yet either.

This month was also your first Halloween. You were, of course, a chicken. And a quite cute one at that. Mama went as a farmer and Daddy as a fireman. We went to a scary adult party but since you were so little none of the scary stuff scared you. I think that will be the last time we can go for awhile. That's ok, though, because next year we'll go trick-or-treating. I predict Daddy will eat all of the candy. The weekend before Halloween our family and your uncle's family ran and/or walked a 5k. It was cold but we all bundled up. You did great and we did way better on our time. It was, after all, your 2nd 5k. Mama has started running again so you come with me a few times a week.

Toward the end of this month you got sick (probably a virus) and rashy. You also got a yeasty diaper rash. We are still battling it. The fun part for you is that you get nakie time. Or at least pants-free time, depending on the temperature. I sure hope this goes away soon. If not, to the doctor we will go.

Last weekend we started a tradition with your cousin, auntie, and her mother. We all went to lunch and then shopped for Christmas dresses. Since y'all are so little this year, we got matching dresses. I think y'all will both be awfully cute. We hope to take pictures of y'all together and do this every year. Mama's thinking about a few other holiday traditions to start as well.

Sad news is that two days ago your great-grandmother died. Mama was very sad to hear this. Great-grandma was one day short of being 100 years and 10 months old. That's a VERY long time. And you know what? She was in mighty good shape until about the last 3 days. Chicken, that's pretty much the best we can hope for in this life. I'm so glad the two of you were able to meet.

I guess that's all I can think of today. As it's Thanksgiving, I'll tell you a few things I'm thankful for. The number 1 thing is you. I'm so thankful that you're here and that you're happy and healthy. The same goes for Daddy and the rest of our family. I'm thankful we both have Daddy. That Mama and Daddy have jobs that let us live a pretty comfortable life. That we have this fun house that you're growing up in. That we live close to lots of our family. And for things like the internet and pie and leftovers and safe transportation and literacy and free speech and did I mention you?

occupy

2011-11-21T14:39:00.000-06:00

Interesting article:

I've been watching the news lately. I'm amused by the hordes of people camping out and demonstrating (or whatever they're doing). They say they're "occupying."

Well, occupying isn't enough.

A rock occupies a spot on the ground. Does the rock do anything? Not much.

And that's the point. A rock can be a formidable weapon (if it's a big enough rock, or if it carries a significant velocity), but when it's just occupying a space on the ground, all its energy is "potential" energy. It doesn't do anything but have potential.

Money can be used for great good, but until it's put into motion, it's got a lot of potential, but it really doesn't do a lot of good (except make those of us who worry a lot feel a little better).

People have great potential -- but unless they/we use that potential, move in the right direction, and do more than occupy a spot, people don't do a heck of a lot of good.

The key in all of these scenarios is to do something with the object or person. When a person or an object is put into motion, all sorts of things can happen. Lives can change, worlds can be transformed, countries can be altered.

But all these instances require someone or something to do more than just sit there.

We have great potential, you and I. We can accomplish great things, for good or for evil. We can make a difference in the lives of every person we meet. We can alter companies, change nations, influence the world for good. We can make a difference. We can be great if we only will.

We can do all these things -- if we don't just sit there, but rather get out and move.

Potential energy is wonderful -- but it's not good for a lot until it's put into motion. Velocity is what counts here, not just sitting there, waiting for your world to mysteriously change around you to what you hope it will become.

Copyright, 2011, by Daryl R. Gibson.

month 9

2011-10-24T12:26:00.000-05:00

It's official. You have now been alive on the outside as long as you were on the inside. That is so hard for me to believe--3/4 of a year. I just know the last 1/4 will fly by because of all the upcoming holiday craziness.

Chicken, it has been a big month. Huge. And your changes mean my changes, especially this time. You started this month out by pulling up to a kneeling position in your crib. You were very pleased with yourself. Daddy and I lowered it that day. You're a sneaky one and you tend to make big leaps with your physical development. I didn't want to take any chances. Maybe halfway through the month, you were able to pull up to a standing position so I think we made the right choice.

You have also started crawling. You just went from looking close to suddenly being able to crawl the next day. No "almost crawling" for you. You could just immediately make your way across the room. And wow, what a difference this has made. The next day I did a cursory baby proofing in the key rooms and then just watched you interact with your environment. It was easier to finish baby proofing that way. It's been an ongoing battle ever since. I'm not gonna lie. It has been a huge adjustment for me. You can get into everything now. And you do. This weekend I had to problem-solve to try to figure out what changes we needed to make around here so that I could still do things like cook dinner and keep you alive at the same time.

Very shortly after the crawling came the pulling up on furniture. Then the pulling up on everything. You'll crawl across the room to me and pull up on me. You'd try to pull up on Maggie if she'd only stay still long enough. You love the low windowsills in this old house. They are perfect for you. And the upstairs bathroom window has a ledge in front of it that I like keeping plants on. You like pulling plants off. I think for the safety (and sanity) of everyone, those little guys may need a temporary home elsewhere.

You are very, very busy. Towards the end of the month you started being able to follow me around from room to room. It's really cute to see you coming around the corner. And as big of a change as this mobility is, I'm so glad you're still pretty slow. Things are going to get insane around here once you're walking. I have a feeling that's going to be sooner than later. You already started doing a little cruising when holding on to the couch. And I think your newest trick is that you can get back to crawling/sitting after you've been standing. Oh, and you can hold onto something with one hand and bend down to grab something off the floor and then stand up again. You're fancy pantsy.

No waving yet but you enjoy giving people 5 (usually a low-5 instead of a high one) and you clap. Most of the time when I start clapping and saying "yea" you will join in. And you say something that sounds a little like "yea" as well. You're still pretty happy but you do get cranky more. I'm thinking it's just because you have so much changing right now. That, and you have a little separation anxiety sometimes. You're fine with strangers, though.

We all got sick this month. Daddy brought home an upper respiratory infection I think. We just suffered through it. It hit you and I harder than Daddy. But it's so funny how you're in good spirits even when sick. Boy were you snotty this time. Sheesh. And again, you cut not one but two teeth while you were sicky. Chicken, you are determined to do things the hard way. I think you get that from me. Or actually you probably get that from your Daddy, too. You didn't stand a chance.

The weather has finally turned (except for today where it is nearly November and the high is 88). Fall is such a great season. I'm looking forward to being outside with you more. Of course, now there are tons of mosquitoes after our full day of rain a few weeks ago. The rain was sorely needed, and it was also fun to hang out with you during stormy weather. The little cold front we got let me make you into a little fashionista. But it's challenging to dress a crawling baby when it's chilly outside and you have wood floors inside. You can slip and slide all over the place. Oh, speaking of, you got into Maggie's water bowl yesterday...

We made it back to Austin to visit your great-grandmother, great uncle, and first cousin once removed. (Huh, huh? Mama will teach you the rules on that one day so that you, too, can feel fancy to know them.) It was a short, hectic weekend but it's so fun to see you visiting with folks. Afterwards, you started having issues with sleeping. I think we got your schedule all wacky and it's had a hard time working itself out. You know, in addition to all these new skills you're learning and the separation anxiety thing. That seems to be worst at bedtime. And you've woken up in the middle of the night several nights just wanting to be held. Mama's going to have to psych herself up to let you cry it out. Again. Gah, kid. It's going to be even worse to do that now since you can STAND there in your crib just sobbing. Not looking forward to it. But what makes up for it? This bootie in the air thing:

We also went to one of your little friend's 2nd birthday party on Saturday. You got to see a lot of people you hadn't seen in awhile. And people just love you. I think you're pretty charming like that. I'm looking forward to you growing up knowing my friends' children. I hope y'all are friends, too.

You're pretty chatty these days. You still favor "dadadada" but you've brought back "mamamama." The only thing is that the "mamamama" comes out in the saddest way possible and only when you're tired and/or upset. Good times. I don't know if we should count any of these as your first word. We haven't. Still waiting till we're clear you know what you're saying I think.

On the eating front, you are going gangbusters, too. You've had plum, potato, nectarine, yogurt, pears, peas, kiwi, beans (refried like a good little Texan), zucchini, turkey, spinach, mango, chicken, asparagus, cheese. I think we're pretty free to add new things now (with a few exceptions). You still enjoy everything you eat and really love finger foods. My new tactic at dinnertime is to feed you and then give you puffs or pieces of banana or something so you can feed yourself while I cook. You don't really like to be in the high chair without a task. For that matter, you don't really like being confined in anything for too long. The exersaucer? The Johny Jumper? Sure. Fine. For about 5 minutes.

At your doctor's appointment today you were 21 pounds and 28.5" (so I must have stretched you last month--pretty sure you're not shrinking). You're around the 85th percentile for both. The doctor said we've been doing everything right regarding feeding. And you seem to be progressing nicely with everything. I can't tell you how much that means to me.

Throughout the month I think of all sorts of things that I want to tell you in these letters. Sometimes I think about it when I'm falling asleep. I always think I should right them down but I hardly ever do. I'll try to do better about that for next month. I do want you to know how much I enjoy being your mom. Even when I'm holding you at 3am on a work night because you just seem to need love, I think about how one day I'll yearn to have that exact moment back. I love that you seem to love me now. I love that I can comfort you. Recently, I was talking to some moms with older kids, some of them my age even. They were telling me about their favorite times with their kids and lots of them (not surprisingly) listed ages that we haven't gotten to yet. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to all of it. All of it. And hopefully you'll still let me hug you and hopefully that will sometimes still be all you need to feel better.

date a girl who reads

2011-10-04T09:56:00.003-05:00

Funny that I stumbled across this this morning. I've been sick the last several days and finally read "The Help" during that time. When I read a lot in a short period, my mind starts thinking in the same style of the book I'm reading. Last night I mentioned this to The Husband, saying that I was thinking in poor grammar...

“Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.
She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.”

— Rosemarie Urquico

reminiscin'

2011-09-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

I definitely have work I should be doing but I didn't sleep well last night so I'm moving a little slowly. Hubby is sick. I think he's getting me sick. So instead of working, I got distracted by this:

Can you believe she now looks like this?

Crazy.

month eight

2011-09-24T12:35:00.001-05:00

Oh, Chicken. Another month. The biggest news this month may be that you're, um, big. I weighed you on the Wii a few days ago and you were about 20.5 lbs. Seriously?! Where did my petite little baby go? That's around the 87th percentile according to an app I got for the new iPad. Your length? About 30.25"--this is off the charts percentile-wise. I guess you're relatively height-weight proportionate. That's pretty important to society once you're older. Now you're just a chunky monkey. In your brief life you've gone from being too small for the clothes that you're allegedly supposed to fit into to being too big.

You're still sleeping well at night and are pretty easy to put to bed on most nights. Sometimes you are angry and not quite ready for bed. You generally still take 2 naps each day. You only napped once a few days this week and I don't think it was good for you. You were ready for bed super early and were a little grumpy/overtired. Overall, though, you are still amazingly happy. You smile a lot and giggle a little more now. You occasionally get mad if I put you down or if you're sitting and would rather be standing.

You're eating well. Obviously. You normally have 5 bottles a day and you're eating solids for breakfast and dinner. I'm still making your food. New this month? Cantaloupe, broccoli, cauliflower, cottage cheese, brussel sprouts, barley cereal, and blueberries. You've liked everything ok so far except for cottage cheese. I don't blame you. You eat more solids at each sitting and we're trying to give you a little more texture. You gum those bananas like nobody's business.

I don't get to hear "mamamama" anymore. Ever. You have taken to saying "dadadada" and sometimes "nanana." Granddad is trying to get a "gran" in front of that "dadada" but no luck so far. You babble a lot. Sometimes it is a pretty noise, sometimes not so pretty, and sometimes high-pitched. I've been trying to get you to wave, clap, and kiss this month. No progress on waving. You do enjoy clapping but you don't do it on your own. And I think you've kissed a few times. You are pretty good at squeezing when I tell you to "hug Mama." I'm going to force physical affection while I still can.

You're getting a little better at standing but always while you're holding onto something. Still no cruising. You are *this close* to crawling, though. I thought you may do it before I wrote this but I guess we'll have to save it for next month. You get yourself on your tummy from a sitting position and vice versa. You can maneuver yourself backwards pretty easily and forwards using a series of slightly awkward movements. You also get yourself into crawling position and rock back and forth, sometimes lunging. Once you get those knees working I don't think there will be any stopping you. Earlier this week I realized how close you were to crawling and it freaked me out a little. I was proud of you but at the same time was a little sad at how fast you're growing up. I'm just trying to enjoy it all.

One thing you've done for months that I don't think I've ever mentioned is twirling your wrists and ankles. You just spin your hands and feet in circles, sometimes when you're sitting on the floor and often when you're in the stroller. I like it in the stroller the best because you stick your little legs and arms straight out and spin, spin, spin. We'll have to get video of it since I know one day you'll stop. I'll miss it.

Speaking of strollers, we got a secondhand jogging stroller this month. I've jogged with you a whopping one time. Mama is freakishly busy and seriously needs to figure out better time management. Anyway, you seemed to like it and then you fell asleep. We took it out again this morning just for a walk. It's a much smoother ride but we tend to have a harder time not running over Maggie.

You had your first eye doctor appointment earlier this month. We wanted to make sure everything was ok since Daddy had some issues as a little boy. You seem to be fine. You handled everything really well. Even eye dilation--and Mama hates that.

We're finally done with Daddy going out-of-town for work. Praise tiny baby Jesus. He was in New York a week, home a week, rinse, repeat for August and half of September. Maggie, you, and I managed on our own fairly well. The first week was the hardest but we kind of fell into a pattern. On Daddy's last trip, I joined him for a few days. That meant we left you (both of us at the same time) for the first time. You stayed with your grandparents from that Thursday till Sunday. Everyone managed ok. It wasn't as hard to leave you as I thought it would be but it was still nice to be back home.

This month was the 10th anniversary of 9-11. One day you'll know what that means. One day we'll take you (and possibly a little brother or sister) to the memorial and tell you all about it. It's a weird day every year now but I think this year was more emotional for a lot of people than it had been previously. For me, it was the first year it came around since becoming a mother. I think I was particularly emotional because of that. Then when Daddy and I were at the memorial only days later, I cried when I saw women's names listed followed by "and her unborn child." So sad.

What kind of knowledge would I like to impart this month? I've thought about a lot of things but didn't make notes at all during the month this time. Maybe my first tidbit is to keep lists. Seriously, things have been so busy. I'm not sure how I'm managing everything and the answer is probably that I'm not. Chicken, life is busy. You will have many obligations and opportunities. There will be chores that you just have to do and fun things that you'll be grateful for. Sometimes you'll have to say no. But sometimes you will over commit yourself. Sometimes you will feel overwhelmed and overworked and overloaded and under appreciated. Try to figure out a way to manage it all. Delegate. Figure out your priorities. Take deep breaths. Do something fun. Change what you can and ignore what you can't. And ask me for advice. By the time you get there maybe I'll have figured it out for the both of us.

(Blurry as you went from looking out the window to nosediving into the basket of toys in about half a second. Mama had to grab your leg.)

I don't often think about us and where we'll be way down the road but I sure hope we're nice to one another. I hope you still give me hugs and that I still get so happy just seeing you, whether it's after being away for 4 days or just while we were sleeping. I hope no matter how crazy things get we'll always make time for one another.

something fun everyday: days 29 and 30

2011-09-22T08:38:00.002-05:00

And, thus, the conclusion. You'd think I'd have some fantastic Day 30 but work is so crazy now...

Monday/Day 29: I ordered delivery pasta from Pizza Hut. If you have a household with two >40-hour jobs, a baby, and a dog, you know how fun this really is.

Tuesday/Day 30: I unexpectedly shared the conference room with another person from my company. Sometimes it's nice to just visit with someone. Commiserate. Hadn't met her before but it was nice to share the ridiculous day with someone.

Off to what will surely end up being another ridiculous day...

something fun everyday: days 25-28 (or "i heart ny")

2011-09-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

Every other week since August, Hubby has been in New York for work. He's left around lunchtime on Sundays and returned around midnight (or later) on Fridays. Huge, huge props to you single moms because it is HARD. The first week was the worst but we kind of fell into a rhythm after that. And, in a way, I think it was good for our marriage since we got to miss each other again and got to appreciate all the other does (since I often had to travel on the weeks Hubby was home).

On Thursday, I left the baby with the grandparents and met him in NY. Yeehaw! My plane ended up having a mechanical issue that caused the flight to be delayed by 4 hours. Good thing I jumped ship and got the next-to-last seat on another flight. Unfortunately, it was to a different airport and during rush hour so I was still fairly late in my arrival. But I made it! Hubby met me in the hotel lobby and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I changed clothes, admired the view from our room, and we grabbed some Italian food. We hung out in the room eating cupcakes and called it a night.

I had the day to myself on Friday as Hubby had training. I grabbed some coffee and made my way to MoMA. I stayed there until it was time to meet Hubby and his co-workers for lunch (at Tri Tip) but I had to head back afterwards. When I left I was in a room devoted to fonts. Seriously. I dorkily love fonts... After finishing up there, I needed a nap. Hubby finished training early to we both made it back to the hotel around the same time. After resting, we got gussied up and went to dinner (French this time at Pigalle). Then we had tickets to "Book of Mormon." I know that show is a little contraversial and Mormons aren't big fans of it. I had super close Mormon friends growing up and have probably seen more Temples than any non-Mormon. I totally respect the religion. But I LOVED the show. It was the most fun I've ever had at a theatre by far. And I love the theatre. We had great seats and one of the stars was this guy, who we had just seen in "Love and Other Drugs." If you are not offended by South Park, I cannot recommend this show enough. I hear it's going to tour and they're also making it into a movie. That should be interesting. Friday was a great day.

On Saturday, we woke up fairly early and grabbed some To Go breakfast while headed to the 9-11 Memorial. They did a fantastic job on it. The waterfalls are huge and impressive. The park area is nice. You can picture people really using this space once it's all completed. It was an emotional place. We'll go back one day with the kid(s) and visit the museum. It's not opening for another year but the little snippets they had in the visitors center were enough to make you realize it's going to be an impactful space as well. After our visit there, we made the walk many of the survivors made that day and headed to Battery Park. We took a few pictures of the Statue of Liberty and walked around the gardens a little bit. Then we headed back up to Central Park and stumbled upon a parade. Lunch at Lexington Grill, a good little diner. After ducking in to Central Park, we had a short trip to the Met where I got to see some of my favorite French painters and sculptures. Then back to the hotel for a little rest before yet another good dinner (L'Ybane) and show. This time we saw "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" starring this guy who we had recently seen in, oh, "Harry Potter." It was very entertaining, too. He had an American accent and can really sing and dance. Oh, yeah, and it also starred John Laroquette (who was fantastic).

Sunday was mostly spent just making it back home. To the dog and baby. Very excited to see them. Watched "Something Borrowed" on the plane and read most of "The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" during the trip. So yea for many, many fun things over the course of a few days. Good first trip without/post baby. So glad this concludes Hubby's travels.

something fun everyday: days 23 & 24

2011-09-14T20:20:00.002-05:00

Yesterday...I enjoyed the baby. And marked a lot of stuff off the list. And turned blueberries into baby food. I get really excited seeing little frozen blocks of bold colors in the freezer.

Today...I FINALLY gave myself a pedicure. During a conference call but still. I can't even tell you the last time I did that. It was way too long. And I bought a pair of orange Converse for $13. Yeehaw.

something fun everyday: days 19-22

2011-09-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

Friday--Pizza delivery! We have instituted Dine-Out Fridays around here as Mama is too tired to cook sometimes. Last Friday, there was too much going on to even go out but delivery is always an option. I also got to spend a little extra time with the baby and that's always fun.

Saturday--The iPad came! Had the extended family over for dinner and tried out several new recipes. Fun. Cranky baby at bedtime? Not so much.

Sunday--Starbucks while picking out paint colors for best friend's house. There is no part of that sentence that isn't fun. Seriously.

Monday--Going to a site for work for the first time and finding out that they're actually GOOD. And local. That rarely happens. Also, last day on-site for about a week. And the odd satisfaction I get from maneuvering about the Med Center.

something fun everyday: days 15-18

2011-09-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

On Monday, I had the day off. That would be fun except that I had to travel for work instead of spending the entire day with the family. So sad. To top it all off, I had to leave the baby who felt suspiciously warm to me. Turns out she was getting some sort of virus. She's better today. So what was fun about Monday? Nachos. For real.

Tuesday--chatting with a 7th grader while we were in line to board the flight from Orlando to Houston. I had caught an earlier flight (woohoo!) and ended up close to the end of the line. The kid in front of me started chatting it up. I don't often talk to people his age so that was fun. And? He told me I looked good for having a baby 7 months ago. Sweet kid. :)

Wednesday--Eating lunch outside! And not sweating! I don't know about other folks here in Texas (and Louisiana where I was eating lunch), but the break in heat has been really surprising. It had been so hot for so long it just felt like it was never going to end. Like it would be over 100 degrees for the rest of our lives. Temps in the 90s never felt so good (thank you, low humidity).

Thursday--Something fun? Keeping my feet firmly on the ground all day. No flying! And having a healthy baby again. And complimenting the Luby's drive-thru employee. It was crazy busy and she really moved the line. That's hard to do at a Luby's drive-thru. She deserved props, I gave 'em, and it felt good.

something fun everyday: days 12, 13 & 14

2011-09-04T21:28:00.000-05:00

Friday--Hubby catching an early flight home (after being gone all week). Getting to spend some time with him before midnight. Woohoo! Also, hanging out with the niece (and, you know, her parents).

Saturday--Running errands as a family. I know. This shouldn't be counted as fun but when you've had the whole family together as infrequently as we have lately, it counts. We bought some things to use up my technology bonus at work (finally!) and a jogging stroller we found on Craiglist. And rain! We enjoyed the rain.

Sunday--Ordered an iPad (using up that bonus money). Ran for the first time in, oh, 9 years. Finished the new Bay Fest sign--the neighborhood fundraiser. Old sign and new sign.

something fun everyday: days 10 & 11

2011-09-01T21:24:00.001-05:00

I guess the real point of this is to actually do more fun things. It's not so much about blogging about it--which is good since I can't seem to write here on a daily basis.

Yesterday while I was in the airport I chatted with another mom. She had a not-quite-1-year-old daughter who obviously had had a challenging year medically. The mom loved her kid so much and told me how she'd do it all again. It was really inspiring but at the same time I was extremely grateful that my Chicken has only had very minor issues. But, you know? It all boiled down to the fact that we're both new moms. We immediately had something in common and just felt like friends chatting.

I also had dinner with the in-laws last night. A home-cooked meal that I didn't cook? Fun. And it was nice to visit with them since they had been on vacation for so long.

Today? I talked to my husband on the phone for 38 minutes. THIRTY. EIGHT. He's not much of a phone talker so that was crazy. And I went clothes shopping! For me! For my upcoming leisure travel! And I felt good! In clothes! Too many exclamation points? I don't think so. Dressing yourself post-baby is challenging even if you lose all the weight. Or at least it has been for me. I don't think everything goes back the way it was. And things are, um, softer. Sigh... Ok, don't lose sight of the fun. Clothes! That fit! And flattered! Ok. I think that may have pushed me past the exclamation point limit.

something fun everyday: days 8 & 9

2011-08-30T18:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening we went for our usual walk. Dog, baby, and me. We have fairly friendly folks in our neighborhood but there's nothing to get people talking like being accompanied by and dog AND a baby. We chatted with multiple people we hadn't met before. One woman asked how old the baby was. She said she remembers seeing me walk the dog when I was pregnant. One man showed us his old Boxer so I could see what Maggie would look like one day (not that I needed that but it was still nice to chat). The most fun thing, however, was watching the kids on the basketball court. The fire department was using a truck to water the grass and trees in the park but they were spraying the water really high so that the kids could run crazily under it. I swear, if I hadn't been so tired I might have joined them. Their "something fun everyday" may have ended when the crazy woman (dog & baby) ran around with them.

Today the fun was finishing up with work a little early. It bought me a bit of time to be able to visit with The Brother, SIL, and new niece. Yea!

Unfortunately, the baby is now napping. At 6:30. This won't end well...

something fun everyday: days 5, 6 & 7

2011-08-28T17:56:00.005-05:00

Friday = Day 5. I treated myself to a facial. My skin has been a wreck post-baby. Recent stress, travel, and drought conditions have done nothing to improve things. So yea for the facial. But these days? Even just lying around for an hour is heavenly.

Saturday = Day 6. Eeeee! The babies got to meet! We captured the moment on video. Perhaps one day of these 30 will be me figuring out how to get that on here. But something tells me that would fall into a 30 Days of Frustration list... Also? We got Tookie's! Praise tiny baby Jesus, they're open again.

Sunday = Day 7. We had lunch with the in-laws. They're back from their long European vacation. It was good to catch up over Mexican food. Later, Hubby and I got to nap on the couch while the baby slept in her crib. Priceless.

month seven

2011-08-26T09:59:00.008-05:00

What a month! Chicken, it has been very eventful whether you realize it or not. (I'm going with not.) And, for the record, I wrote most of this on the right day--I was just out-of-town. Daddy took your Month 7 pics.

First, you were a little sick this month. You had a cold and were quite snotty. You had to miss your auntie's baby shower but you recovered without a doctor's visit. You were not a fan of the bulb syringe. Mama ordered a new-fangled alternative where we'll have to suck the snot out. Don't worry, though, it's not supposed to actually go into Mama's mouth. Gag. Hopefully we won't need to try it out for a long time but folks tell me it's great.

You also had some follow-up tests for your UTI. You did great during them. Well, you actually weren't really thrilled with the ultrasound portion but I think that was because you thought I was putting you down for a nap. Towards the end of the x-ray portion you really were ready for a nap so you were a tiny bit grumpy but, honestly, you did so well. And even better, the tests came back fine.

You remain very chatty. You've also started playing with volume a bit more. There has been some shrill screaming. I've tried to tell you no but I don't think you heard me. You still say "mamamama" but now you've added "dadadada." You said something that sounded a lot like "nothin'" the other day and I was suddenly thrown. I know you didn't mean "nothing" but I was thinking that one day you will actually use words. On purpose. That's going to be crazy and awesome.

Tummy time is going better. You push up and can stay that way for longer. You even sleep on your stomach now. Still no signs of crawling but that's ok. Mama is REALLY enjoying that you are great at sitting up but not yet mobile. This is a fleeting time of perfection if you ask me.

In other fun news, you have now really taken to eating solids. I'm so glad. It turns out you're just not a big fan of cereal. I've been mixing rice cereal into your veggies and oatmeal into your fruit. You're now eating breakfast at daycare and dinner at home. Yea for solids! You seem to like everything we've given you but some a little more than others. You've had sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, bananas, peaches, green beans, and squash. Up next is cantaloupe and broccoli. Yeehaw!

So our biggest challenge this month has been Daddy in New York for work. He's been gone 2 weeks of the last month. Holy moly. That first week was hard but we did way better the second time he left. The first week he was gone, Mama decided to do some sleep training. Oh my. It didn't start out that well but we both did great. You are now sleeping through the night about 95% of the time. Praise tiny baby Jesus. Seriously. Praise him. This is the best thing ever.

As if all this wasn't exciting enough, I have two stories for you. First, one day after I picked you up from daycare, we were driving home and there was a roach IN. THE. CAR. Holy smokes, Chicken. If Mama is phobic about anything, it's that. This was my worst nightmare come true. I pulled over and tried to see if I could find it to kill it but I couldn't. Then I had to get back in the car--knowing it was just hiding somewhere--and actually drive home. I never did find it and I'm at least pretending it left. But let me tell you, I was pretty freaked out when driving for the next few days. What if it would have flown around in the car? How would I have not killed us all?

And just in case Mama wasn't putting us in enough danger already, there was an incident with a deer. The first day Daddy left, the three of us girls went for a walk. There’s a big field next to a fenced horse pasture that we often let Maggie run in. I’m the hesitant one, however, when it comes to letting her off the leash. Daddy usually doesn't think twice. But since Maggie was missing Daddy already, I thought I’d let her have a little fun. Sometimes lately there have been deer in the field and I don’t let her off then since she thinks she could catch them. We didn't see any deer, though, so I let her go. Maggie and I both notice a deer at about the same time, hiding behind some shrubs. Turns out it’s a mama with 2 fawns. Maggie runs after them. The mama and babies run off but when the babies get past the mama, the mama stops and starts chasing Maggie! She caught up to Maggie a few times but luckily didn’t hurt her. Maggie was running back towards you and me, leading the angry deer closer to us! Maggie ends up running into the horse pasture, through the barbed-wire fence, cutting herself in several places. I was quickly trying to figure out what I’d do with an attacking deer and mashed you and me up against the gate of the horse enclosure (you were in the Bjorn). When I did, Maggie's leash (the metal clip part) hit the metal fence and that, along with my crazy screaming, stopped the deer and she ran off. Goodness, Chicken. Who else has stuff like this happen to them? We were all very lucky to be fine. Maggie's cuts healed and Mama isn't freaked out about it anymore.

And, finally, the day before you turned 7 months old you became a cousin. You haven't been able to meet her yet but that should be fun. I can't wait to see y'all grow up together. I hope you two will be great friends.

I'm not sure how we'll top this month but I know we will. There's at least one "first" up our sleeves for next month. And who knows? Maybe you'll be crawling. Eeek! You're growing up so fast (almost 19 pounds!). It's so fun to watch. Until next time...

something fun everyday: day 4

2011-08-25T23:41:00.003-05:00

Today was full of fun. I worked on-site with my manager. She's really awesome. Best one I've ever had. It's not often that I get to work with someone while on-site so that was fun. And since it was such an easy day (at a good site) we ended up just visiting most of the time. I also was able to come home and finally hold my new little niece! She's so cute and small and snuggly. So light weight compared to the Chicken. And, finally, I was able to make it home home. Chicken was in bed already but at least I got to stare at her. Oh, and I also got Freebirds. Was a good day.

something fun everyday: day 3

2011-08-24T17:44:00.002-05:00

Sometimes you plan fun and sometimes it just happens to you. I had to travel today. Blah. I don't like being away from home very much anymore unless I can take my family with me. I'm rarely able to do that. I especially don't want to leave when my husband had been gone the entire week before. But work is work. This morning I made it through security (which was bad--why? Shouldn't you people have kids in school now?) and had been seated at my gate for about 2 minutes when my cousin walked up. We were on the same flight. We chatted for a few minutes and then we needed to board. We ended up sitting together (sorry, her boss, for neglecting you) and chatted the whole way. It was so nice to visit and so unexpected. A much nicer way to start the day than doing work on the plane. But because I need to, I'll be doing work here in a bit. Here's to inviting the fun in...

something fun everyday: day 2

2011-08-23T20:33:00.000-05:00

It's a big one...

Become an auntie!!! I was so excited to meet her this morning that I had to distract myself with WORK until visiting hours started. But since her Mommy and Daddy haven't posted any pictures, I won't yet either. Instead, you can get a few of the Chicken from this morning (with photo bombing Maggie). She's awfully excited to meet her cousin but won't be able to for a few days. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to these two baby girls growing up together. It's going to be awesome.

I like how she looks suspicious in this first one.

something fun everyday: day 1

2011-08-22T13:01:00.003-05:00

I'm late jumping on this bandwagon. So late that I'm probably not even on the wagon but dragging behind it--way behind it--hanging on by a rope, bouncing along kicking up dust. That, by the way, will not be something I do for fun over the next 30 days...

Who doesn't need more fun? Also? Who doesn't need something light and quick to post about because she's feeling like the blog is super neglected? Me. And also me.

Today, I'm making banana yeast bread. It's a new recipe, per Hubby's request, that doesn't use baking soda or baking powder but (shockingly) yeast to make the dough rise. You know, hopefully. It's currently sitting in the warm ~~junk~~ sunroom and, boy howdy, does it smell good.

Fun thing #2 is that I'm at home and not in Florida for work.

month six

2011-07-26T21:40:00.005-05:00

Dear Chicken,

I know what you think I'm going to say. "I can't believe it's 6 months blah blah." Well, I can't but what I really want to say is that this month has be jam-packed. This letter could take days to write but unfortunately Mama just has a little time this morning. It's been an awfully busy month for everyone.

Since it's Sunday, I'll have to update your stats after Daddy takes you to the pediatrician tomorrow. But you and I were there on Thursday. It was your first legitimately sick baby appointment. I'm not sure how long you are since they don't measure that when you're sick but you were 17 lb 4 oz. My guess at your length? 27 inches. We'll see. Ok, so this was about as far as I got on Sunday... I can now tell you (as I'm late finishing this letter) that you had gained 2 ounces by your Monday appointment and I was only off by 1/4" on your length (26.75"). You're in the 78th percentile for weight and 84th for length.

So why were we at the pedi on Thursday? You had fever off and on (mostly on) all week. On Wednesday night, it was just you and me--Daddy was in Ft. Worth. You woke up around 10:45 and were unhappy and shaking. You seemed a little cold and I tried to warm you up. I took your temperature and confirmed that it was low. I called Daddy and was just scared for you. About 30 minutes later you threw up and then seemed better. I made an appointment for you for the next morning and found out you had a urinary tract infection. I was glad it was something relatively easy to fix, and you're now on the mend. You have been a cranky baby, though. But I can't blame you.

On to happier things. You went to your first July 4th party (held here at our house). You looked very cute and patriotic in a little red, white, and blue floral dress. You had a good time with everyone. You also attended your first family reunion. Now, these reunions are a big deal and this year we hosted it. The next time our branch hosts it, I hope you're old enough to run the show because it is a lot of hard work. Mama was exhausted. But again, everyone was very excited to meet you (or see you again). You hung out with some of your cousins and were exhausted. I'd never seen you so tired. The last big event was your Great Uncle Bob's funeral (actually, that was one day past your 6-month mark and is also the reason I'm writing this late). You again got to meet more family members and you helped make a sad time a little less so. Chicken, I wish you could have known him. He was a great man and whenever I picture him I don't have recent images of him when he was so sick. I see him about 15 years ago, a little younger, and laughing. I think that says a lot about a person. I hope you grow up to be the kind of woman who people think of that way.

Ok, so seriously. On to happier things. In addition to having the UTI this last week, you had another interesting health issue. You cut not only your first but also your second tooth. Crazy! I can't say for sure, but it doesn't seem like they bothered you much. Hopefully tooth number 3 will come without any other illness so we'll know for sure. They're both just barely peeking out so your grin is still gummy. I can't believe it's soon going to include teeth. That makes you seem so grown up.

You also seem grown up because I cut your hair for the first time this month. It's already growing out some so it doesn't look as weird to me anymore. I just couldn't leave you with that mullet any longer. I see pictures of other people's daughters and some of them have hair that looks just awful. I wonder why no one tells them that. And I didn't want to be those people.

Let's see. You're also saying "mamamamama." You don't know what you're doing but I like it. One day when you stop at just two "mas," we may be able to count that as your first word. But feel free to pick whatever first word you'd like. I can't wait to hear it.

You still don't sleep through the night very often. I sure wish that would change. We're working on it. BUT! When you turned 5 months old, we moved you from the co-sleeper upstairs to your crib in your room downstairs. It was hard for me the first few nights but I think we've all adjusted to it now. We had been trying to put you down for the night without a pacifier but since you've gotten sick, we've given in. You're awfully sad in the evenings right now.

Speaking of, you have recently discovered anger and frustration. Sometimes it's actually kind of cute. One of the things we got at your last doctor's visit mentioned that around now we may start seeing dramatic mood swings. I think you're ahead of the curve on that one. The good thing, though, is that you are somewhat easily distracted when mad. And also? Maybe this means you'll end up with red hair afterall.

You got a few new toys this month. You're still enjoying the exersaucer. You sometimes like the high chair and sometimes REALLY DON'T. You got a Johnny Jumper and you like sitting in it and spinning but have only jumped a few times. Since you like kicking so much, I thought you'd like jumping. We'll see if you catch on. And I got you a tummy time mat. You really don't mind tummy time quite so much when on it. We make you roll over from front to back before picking you up. You're getting a little better at that but don't roll back to front hardly ever. You do, however, sit up on your own now. You're a little shaky sometimes but you suddenly just got quite good at it. That makes you feel pretty grown up, too. You just change so quickly. Oh, and you now use your wrist. I think you first started using your shoulder joint, then elbow, then wrist (over the last 6 months). It's funny because you sometimes just sit there and twist it like you're revving a motorcycle.

And eating. Now, you've always been a good eater and I've been grateful for that. We decided a few weeks ago, however, to see what you'd do with rice cereal. It's been challenging. Some days you're almost close to being somewhat good at not spitting too much of it out and some days you're the worst eater ever. Like I think you'll drink nothing but smoothies the rest of your life. Out of a bottle. Given all the craziness lately, we haven't been the best at trying solids everyday. And practice makes perfect so I guess Daddy and I better buckle down. When you take a bottle now, though, you often at least try to hold it. Some days you do better than others at that, too. I'm very much looking forward to that skill. It will make things easier on me since you still seem to eat so frequently. You're also 100% on formula now. I made it 5 1/2 months which was pretty close to my 6 month goal. I think we're both happier for it, and I think it was the best decision. I didn't love breastfeeding like some mothers do but I was glad to do what I could to give you a good start.

Well, that's about all I can think of right now. Oh! Except that we got your passport on Saturday--or the paperwork submitted anyway. In a few weeks you will be free to move about the world. But before then, we have to make it through this next month, which is going to be a toughie. I've really enjoyed our first 6 months together and I know the next 6 are going to be even more exciting. Now, Chicken. Do me a favor and sleep till 7:00 tomorrow morning, will ya?

besides the baby

2011-07-19T08:48:00.003-05:00

I realize that 99% of posts now have to do with the baby. I was thinking about that and wondering what else is going on in my life. Honestly, the baby really is taking up most of it (which is fine and awesome) but there have been a few other things to keep me busy.

Work has gotten much busier. To the point of overwhelm at times. I've been traveling more and August isn't looking much better.

We had our annual July 4th party. Everything turned out really well. I didn't put as much work into it as I usually do. No new craft projects--just used what I already had and bought (gasp) one new decoration. Didn't make as many food items as normal and the pot luck ended up working out perfectly. It's amazing how that happens. For the first time, we had multiple little ones running around (as well as one being held--that would be mine). No fireworks this year since we had the party on the 3rd but I think that was the best option. Good times.

The following weekend we had our family reunion. Good. Grief. It's a lot of work. If you are a descendant of my mother's father's parents, you get an invitation. So my great grandparents. I think the youngest generation adds 2 more "greats" on top of that. Sheesh. I think we invite around 400 people but only (only!) about 150 come. We do this every other year and a different branch is in charge each time. My grandfather's branch hadn't done it in awhile so it was our year. The night before, my brother was talking about how decorating shouldn't take long..."it's not like this is a wedding." But we rent a hall, design and send invitations, plan and buy decorations, hire catering, have a guest book, etc. We also have a pot luck dessert table (yum), silent auction, and raffle. We had lots of great items in the auction (The Brother built a fishing rod holder and Hubby brewed beer) but the raffle item was the best. SIL and I made a quilt. Yep. Made. In a stupidly short period of time. It turned out great, made a pretty good amount of money, and went to a good home. We were, however, sad to part with it. It was fun to make jointly so maybe we'll have to do that again. You know, way down the road.

And my last in the commitment trifecta is a baby shower I'm throwing for my SIL on Saturday. It's for my/The Brother's side of the family, and I'm doing a brunch this time. I enjoy brunch and thought it would be a fun way to mix it up a little. I've done most of the prep work already but just to through in an added level of difficulty, the baby is teething, she had a fever last night, Hubby is out-of-town tomorrow night, and we have tickets to Gary Chapman on Friday night. I'm totally taking the day off on Friday.

So, yeah, pretty busy around these parts. Luckily, all my hosting duties will wrap up before Hubby is gone for lots of August.

trials

2011-07-07T11:49:00.001-05:00

No, I didn't watch any of the trial but I do remember when the incident happened. I must have been traveling more then and watched the morning news programs' coverage. From what little I do know, I can't believe the verdict. I do know that if my daughter were missing for any amount of time, I'd be concerned. I'd be calling everyone I knew and then the police. I would do everything I could to find her. And if I needed a drink during that time? It would not be found at a nightclub.

+++++++++

My husband is going to be out-of-town about half the time for about a month and a half starting in August. I'm going to get a much better taste of life as a single mom. Thank goodness it's temporary. I don't know how people do it (and I saw my mom do it). I had a glimpse of it when he'd work long hours and I was alone with the baby and the dog and the chores but he always came home. Some of my support system won't be around during much of the time he's gone. And some others will be knee-deep in nesting and having a baby. Our awesome daycare will help. And I'll force my work schedule to cooperate. I tell ya what, though. I will be the happiest person in the world on September 16th.

+++++++++

My uncle is dying. He is. That's a hard thing to admit but I'm sure it's even harder for my aunt. He's at home. Hospice is helping. From what I've heard, he's not in pain and is alert. He's had a great, long life and really won't be sick for very long in the scheme of things. I know when you get married (something they did over 53 years ago) this is what you hope for. You hope for a long life together, children, grandchildren. If you're lucky, great-grandchildren, health, happiness. You get all those things and still it ends. When you are fortunate enough to have some warning, what do you talk about? How do you spend those days? It's not like country songs that talk about how you are able to do all these grand activities like bullriding or skydiving before your time is up. (And if you could, would those be the things you'd do?) You just have quiet moments. You have your people. My aunt is awesome and will hold up as well as anyone could be expected to. I've recently realized how similar we are in some ways and I can only hope that my marriage, my life can follow a similar path.

month five

2011-06-24T22:19:00.003-05:00

Oh, Chicken. I know I say this every month, but come on…FIVE MONTHS?! Even though this past month has been particularly challenging, it has flown by. I was thinking the other day that you haven’t had any huge milestones or “firsts” this month and that’s true. But a few days ago you suddenly just seemed so much bigger and more grown-up. I’m already that reminiscing parent who sees a newborn and thinks, “I remember when you were that small!”

So no doctor visit for Month 5. I weighed you on the Wii about a week ago and you were around 15 pounds. Not a big gain since last month and I think that’s because I was starving you. No, seriously. I think my production is down but I didn’t realize that’s what was going on. So for most of the last month you’ve been a cranky baby during the evenings. And you’ve woken up much more often at night. Not. Fun. (We even tried to put you to sleep in your bed downstairs because Daddy was thinking that maybe you didn't like the temperature swings upstairs...we never left you downstairs the entire night, though.) I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out that’s what was going on. I mean, the only times you’ve been really mad in the past were due to hunger. Duh. Oh, well. We’ve been giving you more formula along with me feeding you and you’re back to your chipper self and have even slept through the night twice this week. You don’t really seem worse for the wear so that’s good. We have another month before we start you on solids, and I’m oddly looking forward to that. We’ll fatten you up in no time.

You went swimming for the first time this month. Your daddy took you out into the water in our neighborhood. You didn’t even have a swimsuit. You were nakey baby. Then your granddad (and later your grandmother joined you) took you to the pool. I bought you a swimsuit by then. He thinks it’s very cute, as did the other kids and grandmas at the pool. You are such a water baby like your dad. I hope you continue to enjoy it and are comfortable swimming. I’m not even though I like the water. It’s on my Life List, though, so I guess I’ll have to get comfortable with swimming before you and your (hopefully) future little brother or sister get too big.

We also celebrated Father’s Day this month. It was the first time it had applied to my life since 1984. Wow, that was a long time ago. We took Daddy and Granddad to the St. Arnold’s Brewery that Saturday. They enjoyed the beer while I had root beer and you had formula. It was very crowded so we didn’t do a tour. But, hey, your first brewery. On Sunday, we went to your grandparents’ and had lunch with them and your aunt. It was a good weekend.

I had my first out-of-town travel for work this month. Luckily, I was able to work it out so that I could drive. That made it much easier regarding pumping. I wasn't looking forward to the trip; I didn't want to leave you overnight. I did ok until I saw lots of other kids on vacation with their families. I missed you some but a margarita helped. When I got in bed that night, however, I was a bit sad and lonely. I really missed our typically full bedroom--you, Daddy, Maggie. I love that you are all part of my life now. I have my first flying trip on Monday/Tuesday and I'm again not looking forward to it.

I continue to be battling some health stuff—this time some lingering post-delivery issues. Chicken, I swear I had a good pregnancy. It was a relatively easy pregnancy. And while childbirth wasn’t without its challenges, it went pretty smoothly, too. It’s this darn recovery that has been so difficult. Hopefully things are being taken care of and at least there’s a plan to fix the last bit of it. Regardless, you were worth it. I’ll just be excited to be in good health again. Don’t ever take that for granted. People say, “Well, at least you have your health” like it’s some sort of consolation prize when it really is everything.

This week, we had rain. Now why would I be mentioning that in a monthly letter to you? Because the last time we had a significant amount of rain was on January 24th. Your birthday. While I was in labor with you. At the time, I thought that I’d forever be transported back to laboring whenever there was a rainy night. I think that’s even more true now since we haven’t had a rainy anything in so long. I had been telling people you were a harbinger of drought so when it started raining I was half-wondering if that meant something bad had happened to you. Like it could never rain during your ENTIRE LIFE. I guess it just couldn’t rain for nearly the first 5 months of your life. Seems like an interesting thing to note.

Like I said before, you haven’t had too many new developments this month. It just seems like you’re getting better at what you know. You’re an old pro at holding your head and smiling. You still love standing up (assisted) as well as kicking. You still hate tummy time but you have rolled over both ways now—only a few times. You laugh some but don’t have giggle fits. It’s more like “huh huh.” You love looking at yourself in the mirror. You smile at that other baby and then sometimes get shy and hide your face in my neck. Oh! One new thing is that you blow raspberries. Daddy really likes that about you. You like dogs and smile at Maggie, Daisy, and Tessa. You don’t mind it when Daisy licks you—she loves to lick ‘em. We’re borrowing an exersaucer that you’ve really enjoyed. Sometimes when you’re talking, I can’t tell what your mood is based solely on your voice. A few weeks ago you were talking and I thought you were upset. I went to check on you and you were fine. You were just giving this little bear on the exersaucer a stern talking to. I’m not sure what that bear did to you but I imagine he deserved his little lecture…

You've also met a lot of new people this month. You went to a Memorial Day party at your aunt and uncles. You had your first "school" party. You went to your second Astros' game with a group of Daddy's Georgia Tech alumni. You met my oldest friend and her daughter. You joined us at a neighborhood pot luck. You met a lot of my co-workers today. The constant here is that everyone loves you, Chicken. It's not just me. Looking forward to the next month (you know, like always).

happy wooden* blogoversary to me!

2011-06-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

And I almost missed it! I just randomly was thinking about it yesterday and checked the ol' ticker and it said "1 Day." Goodness, to think that when I started writing I was living with The Brother, saving for a home of my own. I had just started a new job. I was single single single. Today I have that home, a husband, a dog, a baby (and the same job). Thanks for sticking around through it all. Now who is sending me some cake?

(*Wood is the traditional gift for the 5th anniversary.)

quick update

2011-06-20T08:05:00.002-05:00

Things are going much better. Unhappy baby may have taken a hiatus. I think she just wasn't getting enough food. That, and gas. But things have been mostly better since Friday. And the weekend always (well, usually) makes Mommy better, too. Thanks for all the advice. I may actually try to listen to some of it. :) Hope everyone had a great Father's Day. New post on Friday when the Chicken turns FIVE MONTHS.

solicited advice

2011-06-17T08:57:00.000-05:00

Let's pretend you have a nearly-5-month-old baby. Let's also pretend that you have a full-time job that sometimes takes you out of town, a dog, a house, a husband who is gone 55-ish hours a week, and tons of personal commitments. Now let's pretend that your infant has regressed to acting like a newborn in the evenings and at night (you know, the only time you get to see her) more often than not for about 3 1/2 weeks--crying more, screaming sometimes, turning breastfeeding into a nightmare, waking up not once but sometimes 2 and 3 times a night. You love this baby (and husband and house and dog and most of the personal commitments). You miss the baby while she's gone, while you're working. But the screaming baby? The baby who is suddenly high-maintenance? The sleep deprivation of the parent of a newborn? You don't love that so much. You at times want to run away. You probably need to run away. You need free time that doesn't involve your job. Your idea of free time isn't even something terribly exciting. It's more like running errands by yourself. Perhaps talking to a friend on the phone. Marking something off the To Do list. Maybe even washing the new pots and pans you bought 3 weeks ago that are still sitting in their unopened box in the dining room. So if you're pretending all that, how do you leave for that free time? How do you justify spending even less time with your kid?

i miss home

2011-06-08T10:35:00.000-05:00

Last night was my first night away from the baby. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but I'm not gonna lie. I really missed her (and the rest of the family) when I got in bed last night. It was a little lonely.

It's crazy to think that not even two years ago it was normal for me to sleep alone both at home and on the road. Now we're a whole pack. I have my lovely husband on one side of me, the super cute baby in the co-sleeper on the other side, and usually a snoring dog somewhere in the room as well. It's just so full. My life is full. Cheesily, my heart is full. I love those guys. Can't wait to get home tonight.

(But don't get me wrong...I enjoyed the margarita last night, a little responsibility-free time, and about 7 hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep.)

month four

2011-05-25T10:56:00.004-05:00

Dear Chicken,

You turned 4 months old yesterday. Can you believe it? A third of a year? I'm a day late writing this because Daddy and I have been sick sick. We're not sure if you started this tummy bug or if your vomiting on Saturday morning was just a fluke. It's hard to tell with babies. Regardless, you've been in fine spirits (unlike Daddy and me). Daddy got sick first and was feeling better by last night. I was just kind of hanging in there so this month's pictures were taken by Daddy and edited by me (gotta give Daddy props). I like how in this picture you're giving the zebra the "mom arm."

It's been a very interesting month around here. I finally had surgery to remove my gallbladder. The pain I was having here and there since you were 3 weeks old should stop now. Recovery was a bit harder than I expected but was fairly short-lived. One of the worst parts for me, though, was not being able to take care of you properly. I wasn't supposed to lift you up for 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS?! Can you imagine? Well, that lasted maybe 3 or 4 days. Daddy took good care of you (actually, of both of us). But it was hard for me to hear the two of you upstairs, getting ready for bed, chatting while I was stuck sleeping downstairs. I really enjoy bedtime.

The surgery and my subsequent limited nutrition and hydration really impacted my milk supply. It took some effort but we got it going again. I really wanted to quit breastfeeding multiple times so far but we've kept going. It's not that I dislike it; I just don't LOVE it. I love that it's best for you, though. I guess my point there is sometimes you just need to stick it out even if it's hard or not particularly thrilling as long as the benefits outweigh those things. You'll likely be in situations like that more than once in your life.

This month we did a 5 mile walk for the March of Dimes. You rode in the stroller this time and were a champ, napping off and on. Now that you're here, it's harder for me to think of all the people who lost their babies or had to struggle with them being born too early. We're so lucky you came out perfect and fully-cooked. We're so lucky to have you.

We decided to baptize you the weekend before my surgery. It just happened to be Mother's Day. I think that was a perfect time. I made First Communion on Mother's Day 1985 so it seemed like a fun little tradition to start. I was so proud of you for being so good that day. Everyone loved you. It was fun to see strangers after church come up and talk to you, telling you how cute you looked, and calling you by name. We had brunch at home afterwards and it was great to see so many people hold you and talk to you. These people are some of the folks I love most in the world and it makes me happy to see that they love you already.

Even though we baptized you, I want you to know that when it comes to religion I want you to make your own choices. I don't want you to go into it blindly. We'll try to expose you to a lot of different things and then you can decide for yourself. As long as you're a good person, I don't care what religion you are (if any). If you're not a good person? Well, we'll have to have a come-to-Jesus meetin'.

This past weekend you got to meet your new little friend who happens to be the son of one of my friends (and one of Auntie N's best friends). You and he were so cute together. You just stared at each other and smiled. He reached out and touched your foot and then y'all briefly held hands. It was very cute and we, of course, didn't have a camera. It's so fun to think of getting to watch all you babies grow up.

Because I was sick yesterday, your grandmother was nice enough to take you to your doctor's appointment. You're about 14 1/2 pounds and 24 3/4 inches. That's so long! You're still doing great. You sleep and eat well. You're so happy and chatty. You only really cry if you're hungry. You make it so easy for me to tell what's going on with you.

The month started out kind of boring regarding your milestones but you kicked it into high gear over the last week. First, you finally laughed. It was just a "ha ha" and then a short pause to allow me to realize what just happened and then another "ha ha." Daddy missed it--he was downstairs. You've done it again a few times but never while he's here. Although I love being there for these things, you can give Daddy the privilege of witnessing a "first" first sometime. I won't hold it against you. You've also found your feet. You love hanging on to them and sometimes pulling off your socks. Ms. Doris at daycare worries about your cold toes so we had to get some better socks that are harder for you to remove. And, finally, you rolled over! Just once, from back to front (which is allegedly the harder way). I shockingly had the camcorder rolling so we captured both your milestone and my crazily excited reaction.

This month definitely had its ups and downs for me. Hopefully I'm on the road to recovery regarding all these health issues. I just want to be able to enjoy you without random physical pain. The "ups?" Yeah, they're mostly you. Thanks for bringing so much joy into our lives even if it means it makes Mommy's abs hurt.

chicken soup

2011-05-16T17:35:00.001-05:00

Ok, so that's not a very reverent or religious title for a post about the baby's baptism. We baptized the baby on Mother's Day. I figured that would be a good day to do it (I made First Communion on Mother's Day 1985) and gave me a reason to have a little party. Considering it was Mother's Day and people may want to celebrate it in other ways, I was very surprised and honored that we had such a big group of our closest friends and family join us at church and for brunch afterwards.

A few notes about the day...

Chicken wore the dress I wore when I was baptized.

Would you like to see pictures of little cjm 34-ish years ago? Me, too. Unfortunately all the pictures from my baptism were destroyed by the photo processing place. Mom was sad/mad until she realized that the photo place had destroyed all of the wedding photos of another customer. Baptism photos didn't seem like quite as big of a deal to lose after hearing that. Maybe we can photoshop my head onto that chicken neck.

Speaking of her neck, how good is it working to hold up her head? And she totally paid attention during the baptism. And surveyed her crowd. So cute.

She also did really well with the water. And didn't do anything embarrassing during church. No diaper blowouts. No tears.

She did take a brief nap during church. You know, a girl has to be perky for her party.

She also wore her first accessories. The bracelet and ring belonged to her Great GREAT grandmother. Two greats, people. Thank goodness she didn't fling any of it off. Who would be able to find that tiny ring?! And her necklace was a gift (from one of her honorary grandmothers) to commemorate the day.

Brunch is my favorite meal to make. The menu included two items I craved during pregnancy--mimosas (yea!) and Paula Deen's hashbrown casserole (YUM).

It was a really lovely way to spend my first Mother's Day. Big thanks to everyone who shared in the day.

thanks, blogger

2011-05-13T15:18:00.003-05:00

So why would they delete my cholecystectomy post? It's gone. Not even in draft... That took a lot of effort from my poor little brain cells yesterday, too. Effort I don't think they can repeat. Short story? Surgery went well, recovering, 2 small incisions (one that looks yucky thru my belly button), loopy/sleepy from drugs, sad to not be able to take care of my daughter. Things are going better today. You know, except for my stolen post...

cholecystectomy

2011-05-12T08:17:00.001-05:00

When I first started working in this field, I had no idea what that word meant when I ran across it in medical histories. You find it a lot. Now I'd like to go back and see how many women had to have their gallbladder removed shortly after a pregnancy. You know, just out of curiosity.

Had it removed on Tuesday morning. Anesthesia is awesome. That was the second time in about a month that I've woken up and thought, "Yea! I'm alive!" Of course, that was after a few seconds of getting my bearings. I had really good medical folks around me. I especially liked the anesthesiologist. She took extra time explaining things and gave me my IV just because she had a little free time. Great placement, almost no bruising. Apparently everything went well, and I hear that my surgeon said I would not have an outtie during the next pregnancy. (Just for the record, I didn't have one during the last pregnancy and no stitches were required to keep it that way.)

So, yeah. Only 2 small incisions--one in my belly button (which looks freaking awful right now) and one around the middle of my abdomen. Very small. I'm glad I read up on how people feel post-surgery. I assumed I'd be sore and in some pain (yes and yes) but I would have been totally thrown by the right shoulder pain. When they pump you full of air so they can see what they're doing, some of it stays in you and travels to your shoulder apparently. It's oddly been one of the worst parts. I'm very grateful that I didn't have nausea or vomiting. I have no idea how someone could throw up feeling this way. It would make me want to cry and then I'd be in pain from surgery, vomiting, and crying. Whew, so glad I dodged that bullet.

This morning I'm feeling a little better. I feel more of the pain when it's getting close to the time I'm supposed to take my meds. And then they make me drowsy so I'm just all kinds of fun to be around right now. The other unexpected part of this? I knew I wouldn't be able to lift the little Chicken or really take care of her like I normally do but goodness. It's hard to not be able to do that. And I'm now very aware at how often she makes me laugh because I have to do what I can to avoid that and the subsequent discomfort.

Well, I think that's it. Just wanted to jot a little down but it may not be that coherent--yea drugs! (Like baby brain wasn't bad enough...) Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, etc.

easter, an excuse for cute outfits

2011-05-09T13:43:00.001-05:00

I'm very slow at posting things these days... So, yeah. Easter. We had a jam-packed weekend of festivities and that meant Miss Chicken could pull out her finery. First up? Easter eve. We celebrated with a very nice dinner out with the in-laws. One gratuitous pic sans baby because look! We're out! At a fancy dinner! Second pic I love because she's smiling at me. Third, well, does it make us slightly less white trash because she's holding wine instead of beer?

Then her actual Easter dress. She was pooped before we even got started with the day. I was only pooped after.

And, no. I don't ever hold her when other people are around. :) Last up, her casual outfit and her Easter basket stuffed toys. And just some fun pics. The quilt she's posing with is her new, super cute Easter quilt from The Brother's MIL. She's awesome.

I'll try to get baptism pics up a little more quickly.

month three

2011-04-24T19:32:00.002-05:00

Dear Chicken,

Maybe I should start by saying your dad has given you your first nickname that's coming from him. It's Starbit. Maybe it will make you love Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. You have a Mii on the Wii so that we can weigh you on the Wii Fit game. Your name there? Baby bear. And sometimes I've taken to calling you Scarlettina. Or if I'm talking to you and Maggie, you two are Maggie May and Scarlett Sue.

So many changes have come this month! In one of the childcare books I had read before you were born, the author stated that when people picture a baby they often picture a three-month-old instead of the much less developed newborn. I can totally see why. Those smiles that were only for me last month? You give them away for free these days. You also talk a lot more and are awake even more. You're really starting to get fun.

You're also bigger. I'm guessing close to 13 pounds now. When I tried to measure your length recently, you seemed around 24 inches. We'll have to wait one more month to have the doctor's office officially take your measurements.

Another first this month was your first poo strike. I had to have a few procedures done (one of which required sedation) so you ended up with three straight formula feedings. It was good practice to starting daycare (more on that later). Yep, those 3 feedings seemed to cause you not to poo for SIX DAYS. If you were an adult you'd be very disturbed by this but babies don't really seem to mind. I called the doctor's office to see what they had to say about it and we ended up giving you a little Karo syrup in your bottle and it cleared you right out. You were a bit of a mess but at least I was expecting it and we were home. I did, however, get poo on my wedding ring. Since your grandmother (my mother) also wore these rings, I was struck with the thought that they've likely seen poo before. I love having that tangible connection to my mother (more so now that you're here).

Chicken, I'd like to insert here that we rarely discussed poo in this house before you came along. Even less so before Maggie.

So, yes, Mama's had to have some procedures done. In a few weeks I get to have surgery for the first time. Now I'm not blaming you, just pregnancy. :) I'll be happy to feel better afterwards and really hope everything goes smoothly. I've been told I won't be able to pick you up (or anything over 10 pounds) for 2 weeks. Somehow I doubt I'll follow that rule.

You know, most people haven't had my experiences with death. We are fortunate enough to live in a part of the world where it's relatively rare to have a parent die when the child is as young as I was when my dad died. I say this to tell you that I'm no stranger to it. I've thought about mortality most of my life in ways that other people my age probably didn't. That said, nothing changes your perspective on life and death quite like having a child. I'd hate for something to happen to me now or when the inevitable happens (hopefully when I'm an old lady). I don't want to leave you in that way. I can't imagine how my dad must have felt when he knew that was coming in his own life. It was probably worse than the pain we felt as the kids left behind. Sorry to get so deep and sad, little Chicken. Just want you to know where I am with this parenting gig right now.

Slightly less deep... Your dad and I went on our first date night since you were born. Your grandparents watched you for us. When we got back to pick you up, your grandmother said that when she looked at you that evening she saw your father. She even pulled out his baby book to compare. Let me tell you, you look just like him when he was a baby. All along people were saying that you had my nose and mouth. In reality, I think you have my eyes and that's about it. We'll see how you change as time goes on (something I'm greatly looking forward to). I hope you are at least a good balance of the two of us. (But you can favor me more if you'd like.)

This month you went to your first baseball game. Astros' Opening Day at Minute Maid Park. I wonder if we can get you to Opening Day every year of your life? We'll do our part. Eventually it will be up to you. You also "ran" your first 5k. I carried you on my chest and I didn't even run so those quotations are more than justified. We were really slow but it was a start.

So many firsts... The biggest and by far most difficult for me was going back to work and leaving you at daycare. Sob. I thought I was so prepared for leaving you. I had all the supplies in two piles--one for daycare and one for your grandparents' house. Sure, I forgot a few things but quickly remembered. I knew I wasn't ready to go back to work but I felt pretty good emotionally about leaving you. I had left you with people before. I was fine then. Well, I left you at daycare and as soon as I walked out of the building I started crying. I was really surprised by it. That first day was hard. I had difficulty concentrating and would leak a few tears off an on. I kept you home on Tuesday and Friday to kind of ease into things. Wednesday and Thursday were much better.

You, on the other hand, were a champ. You charmed both of your caregivers (Ms. Gwen and Ms. Doris). They told me how cute you are and what a good baby your are (despite pooping all over Ms. Doris on your second day). They're such nice ladies and I think they'll treat you right. I'm glad we went with this daycare but am still sad we have to be apart so much.

Well, Chicken, today is Easter Sunday and the official beginning of your 4th month. I'm most looking forward to hearing you laugh. I think I heard a tiny "sleep laugh" last night but your daddy doesn't believe me. I might remind you that he said the same thing about your first smile so fingers crossed that laugh is coming soon. Just that glimpse of it broke my heart wide open. Again. Something tells me it won't be the last time.

university

2011-04-18T12:23:00.000-05:00

It's always amused me that people call daycare "school" now. So Hubby and I prepped Daughter for the university last night. Told her to be good and not cry and whatnot. Nobody prepped me apparently. Momma needs chocolate and liquor and a part-time job. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this...it's been a surprisingly difficult morning. No way I'm making it to 5:00. So here's the Chicken, first day of daycare. You know, before she left and we were both still smiling.

baby's first baseball

2011-04-11T09:23:00.001-05:00

Friday was the Astros' home opener. This was maybe my 5th consecutive Opening Day--I'd have to do some serious thinking to confirm that statement. But I do know that it was Daughter's first Opening Day and her first game period. She did great. Let people hold and feed her, wasn't bothered by the noise, and since we left during the bottom of the 7th she wasn't saddened by the team's loss.

Her gifted Astros attire is still too big for her so I had to craft a onesie for her. She also had tiny Astros socks on. So cute! And call me crazy but I think her red-haired gene is showing in this first photo.

ABCs of cjm

2011-04-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

Seriously, everyone is doing this meme right now. I figure since I've been falling down on posting (and just about every post is baby-related), I'd jump on the bandwagon.

A. Age: 34. I have to do the math sometimes. I can't believe that second number is 4. I think because it happened only about 3 weeks after the baby was born.

B. Bed size: Queen. Oh, to have a King. Oh, to have a way to get a King up the stairs. Oh, well. We have an awesome new mattress and it will make for more fun cuddling once the baby (or babies) are bigger).

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning the tub/shower.

D. Dogs: Maggie!

E. Essential start to your day: Making the rounds on the internet--blogs, e-mail, Facebook. More recently? Breastfeeding.

F. Favorite color: Can you love them all equally? I'm loving aqua/grass green combo right now.

G. Gold or silver: Silver? White gold?

H. Height: 5'6-ish

I. Instruments: Flute

J. Job title: Sr. Clinical Research Associate III, Momma

K. Kids: Just the one--10 weeks already!

L. Live: Houston suburbs, Texas

M. Mom’s name: Josephine

N. Nicknames: Canda Bear, CB, Red

O. Overnight hospital stays: Having a baby

P. Pet peeve: Bad grammar in general and "I could care less"--Really? You could?

Q. Quote from a movie: You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: The Brother

T. Time you wake up: Which time? Approximately 1:30, 5, and 7:30.

U. Underwear: Ones that fit pre-baby!

V. Vegetables you dislike: Cooked spinach, beets, green beans

W. What makes you run late: Poor planning. More specifically? Not liking how my hair or any clothes look.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, boobies, knees. More recently all sorts of images of pretty much my entire abdomin (but not in boring x-ray form).

Y. Yummy food you make: Banana cake, a new zucchini bread recipe, fried foods.

Z. Zoo--favorite animal: Monkeys, manatees, elephants. I pretty much like mammals.

spring wreath

2011-04-03T13:54:00.001-05:00

So I finished this wreath today. I don't think it's Hubby's favorite craft project of mine. I think it's fun and am seeking reassurance. For your help, you get a gratuitous baby shot. Thank you.

month two

2011-03-24T13:36:00.000-05:00

Dear Chicken,

I can't believe we're about to begin Month 3! This month I really did start using your name more (instead of all the nicknames) but for some reason, "Chicken" has stuck with me. I've started to call you the dog's name and caught myself but this week I almost called her your name. I think that's an oddly good sign. What I'm wondering is how do those families do it? You know, the ones with like 12 kids with names that all start with the same letter? Do they ever get the kid's name right? Or does the common first letter give them a split second more to come up with the right one?

So if there had to be a theme for this month, I think it would be The Month That You Christened Us As Parents. I know Month 1 was the one where I gave birth but this one has been a bit more challenging/interesting in several areas. I had mentioned at the end of last month that you had gotten your little bodily fluids on both your father and me. Well, I've now had the trifecta--pee, poop, and vomit. Good times. Your dad foolishly had you sitting sans diaper on his lap/chest while he was lying down one evening. You had bad poo (of course) aimed directly at him.

We're still not sure what's going on with you but gone are your lovely fair-smelling poos and in their place is crazy diarrhea that often finds its way out of your diaper. That poor bouncy chair has taken a beating. As have numerous outfits (yours and ours), blankets, burp cloths, a throw pillow, the changing pad, and your carseat. Luckily, it hasn't yet happened in a socially unacceptable place. It's only a matter of time. Because of this poo, however, you got to go to your first sick baby appointment. And to Urgent Care. Medical folks have told me not to worry about this--changes just happen in babies. Don't I know it. That could be the alternate theme of this month...

We don't really enjoy this new poo and you seem to be uncomfortable with your digestive system so we've made some changes this month. I'm limiting lactose/dairy. You're taking a bottle of formula once a day. That one's because you would get so grumpy by that last feeding or two of the day that we would both be really frustrated and that was pretty much the only time Daddy was home. Not good all around. And we've been trying Mylicon. I'm not 100% sure it's working but it kind of seems to. We started that at the suggestion of a lactation consultant. We went to our first breastfeeding group last week and those super new babies seemed so little! There was a 4.5-month-old there, however, and she seemed so much more developed compared to you. It's crazy to think that you'll be rolling over and giggling and shaking rattles before we know it.

At your 2-month pediatrician appointment today, you were 10 pounds 12 ounces and 22.5 inches--our petite little baby. You do seem so much bigger to me now than when you were born. You're still kind of in-between sizes for clothes--only the smaller 0-3 month things fit you but newborn stuff makes you look like an older woman going through a mid-life crisis who tries to reclaim her youth by squeezing into that size 4... (Might I add that that sentence could describe me right now.) Sadly, you're kind of in-between sizes of diapers, too. I think this makes for more diaper failures.

You're making progress with holding your head up and generally having more head control. We also make you bear weight on your legs and you're getting better at that as well. It's so funny seeing your little body "stand." And you've found your hands! You have much more control over your movements, often putting those hands in your mouth or rubbing your tired eyes with them. You're much more alert and are awake much more often than in your early weeks. You track things much better with your eyes and sometimes enjoy looking at toys but really just want to see faces. By far the most exciting development this month has been your first real, social smile. I was so excited and, of course, also teared up. It was awesome. Your gummy grin and crinkly eyes. Sigh... You do it more and more frequently but I'm not sure if anyone except me has seen it. Just like when you'd stop moving in the womb when Daddy came around, you hide your smiles these days.

A few other firsts... You used your stroller for the first time. Maggie, you, and I walked down to the water. You've done great in it even though it's still a little big for you. You generally stay awake and quiet the whole ride, just looking around. You also attended your first wedding that happened to take you to Jackson County for the first time (where I grew up). You were very well-behaved at the wedding. I was a bridesmaid so Daddy had to tend to you. At one point a baby started crying and it didn't even phase me. Then I realized, "Hey, a baby is crying. HEY! It's not my baby!"

Chicken, this month has had its challenges but it's also been great watching you grow. I love cuddling with you and plan to do that as much as I can while you'll let me. You're just so soft and cute. I love seeing your little expressions and how you immediately have the grandpa-types wrapped around your little finger. I've had some weird stuff going on with my health for awhile now and the main reason I want to figure out what's going on and to be ok is because I want to stick around for you. It's weird how quickly you became the most important thing.

meeting great grandma

2011-03-15T15:56:00.001-05:00

Last month we took the baby to Austin to meet her great grandmother. She is Hubby's mother's mother and turned 100 the day before Daughter was born. Multiple things about that sentence are awesome. Anyway, I was very excited that they got to meet.

This was the second time Grandma was in a 4-generation situation. She was the grandmother that time. I can't imagine being a great grandmother. I doubt it will happen since I got started with children fairly late and I don't think I have these crazy longevity genes that Hubby's family seem to have. I guess I'll have to settle for being a grandma one day. No pressure, dear Daughter.

She also got to meet one of her first cousins once removed. I think he was smitten. And she seemed pretty comfortable with him, too.

baby model

2011-03-05T14:58:00.000-06:00

I'm going to have to start keeping notes if I plan on writing a letter to this baby every month. I forgot to say anything about her meeting her great-grandmother or about her having her first pro pics taken. I guess I'll be forced to post about each individually. Here are a few of my favorite shots (all by the fabulously talented Monique Montoya).

spring!

2011-02-28T16:32:00.001-06:00

I'm eating watermelon. Granted, it's from Honduras. (How big is my carbon footprint today?) Earlier I had some sweet tea. And planted tomatoes and cucumbers. Spring, my friends? Has sprung. It could not be a more lovely day. (And loving the macro lens. Thank, Hubby.)

month one

2011-02-25T16:21:00.006-06:00

Dear Daughter,

First, I know your one month birthday has come and gone before I could get this written. I'm going to cut myself some slack, though, because (1) I did remember that it was your one month birthday on the actual day, (2), I actually took pictures of you on that day, and (3) I've kept us both alive and doing at least fairly well this past month.

I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly. I think about the new moms who go back to work after 6 weeks and have no idea how they do that. I have no idea how I'm going to do it at 12. Whenever that thought pops into my head ("I'm 1/4 of the way through leave," "I'm 1/3 of the way through leave") I try to ignore it.

You have really been quite an easy addition to the family. Knock on wood. You've been an eating champ since day one (literally). When you were a few days old, you were diagnosed with jaundice and we had to supplement with formula for a few days. You had no trouble taking the bottle. No trouble switching back and forth between bottle and boob. As the month wore on and I forced you to take a pacifier a few times instead of screaming in public (or whipping out a boob at the bank, etc.) you took right to it, too. And, again, didn't have any problems eating. This has been awesome.

I'll be honest with you, though. Pumping has been a challenge for me. I wanted to start as soon as I could so that we'd have enough food for you to eat when I go back to work. Right now I'm having doubts that I'll be able to successfully do this. I'm really trying since I know it's best for you.

One thing that I hadn't expected was to feel so differently (emotionally) so soon. I don't want to let you down. Or for you to feel pain or disappointment. And seeing or hearing anything regarding hurt children or parents somehow being separated from their children? Lordy. It impacts me much more now. I'm pretty fond of you, kiddo. It didn't take long to feel attached.

Your #1 activity this month has been sleeping (although I feel like eating tries to overtake that spot sometimes). The first week or so was great. You slept a lot and it didn't take much to get you to fall asleep. You hardly ever cried and when you did, it was almost always because you were hungry. Then you got to be a little crankypants during the evenings. This was a little sad because it was often right when your dad was coming home and would last until bedtime. Fortunately, your crying doesn't hurt him like it does me. If our roles were reversed, I would have felt awful that the only time I saw you was during your least, um, endearing part of the day. But, lo! It seems like your pattern has been broken this last week or so. Thank God! You do seem to want to eat more during those evening hours and still do get cranky to some degree but it's not 3 hours of screaming. Your daddy was great at getting you to sleep during those hard nights. He'd walk with you and "shhh" or hum or sing made up songs. Many a time he'd put you down only to have you immediately start screaming again and have to start all over. And then he'd have to go to work the next day. He's been really good with you and with me. One day you'll understand how hormones can make you crazy and you'll understand that sentence a bit more.

Your daddy has also been great with bath time. The first time we tried it, you did not like it. But since then, it really calms you down. He bathed you this morning and then handed you to me to dry off. I foolishly didn't bring a diaper with me so you proceeded to pee through the towel and onto my pants. I think it was the first time someone else had wet my pants. And you know what? Pee, poo, barf, etc? None of it bothers me, even when it's on me (but I'm guessing only if it came from you).

During the month you've increased the amount of time you're awake and not eating. I don't know if there was more than 5 minutes of this at first. Now you'll sometimes go between feedings without sleeping at all. You like looking at faces and just this last week have gotten really good at imitating people when they make their mouth into an O or stick out their tongue. You smile sometimes but never intentionally. Even that, though, gives me such an emotional reaction. I can't wait until you do it and mean it. I was also thinking the other day about what it will be like when you hug me back. It's enough to make me tear up just thinking about it. This motherhood stuff is crazy...

We've also been working on strengthening your neck and leg muscles and giving you a bit of tummy time. We talk about how hard it is to hold up that giant head but really I think it's that you have such a dainty little neck. It's usually squished down so when we see it, I'm surprised at how thin it is. You're getting better at using it, though.

When we've gone out, people often think you're a boy. I think folks may default to this especially when you don't have a girl in all pink with a giant hair bow. Since you're still in newborn clothes, most of the things you wear are gender-neutral. Some of the newborn stuff is really rather form-fitting these days, though. But the 0-3 month stuff is too big. Go figure. People have been super generous by sending gifts and you'll have some awesome little outfits to wear when you get a bit bigger. And strangers often comment on your hair, of course. There's just so much of it and it looks a little crazy sometimes (which I love). We're not sure if it will stay light brown or if it will all fall out and come back completely different. Your roots look blonde so maybe... I'm still holding out for a hint of red, though.

It's been an interesting first month. Thanks for being such a good baby and for hanging in there while we figure all of this out. And thanks for making me a mother. I'll thank both you and the hormones for making me emotional after typing that sentence. Looking forward to Month 2.

the birth story

2011-02-08T11:06:00.001-06:00

Finally, right? Still getting the hang of this whole parenting gig but things are going better than I expected. I think we've started the first growth spurt because Little Miss Thang has been Cranky. Pants. And hungry. Often. Good thing she's cute. I was looking at her over the weekend and thinking that it seemed like she was longer and hoped she had at least reached her birth weight since she lost the higher end of normal within the first four days. She had her 2-week pedi follow-up yesterday and it was confirmed. She was up 1 lb 1 oz and over an inch from Day 4. Yea! Ok, so on with the story (which you'll want to avoid if you're squeamish)...

On Saturday evening (the 22nd), I started having some random light contractions. It wasn't just that the crappy movie Hubby was watching was making me sick. (Seriously, what's with men and watching bad movies? Like Jean Claude Van Damme bad.) They were just light cramping but I felt good knowing that something was happening and that there would at least be progress at my next OB visit on Tuesday. And it was nice to know that I could actually feel them since my entire belly had been so tight for so long. The contractions stopped around 9 pm but I had also started to lose my mucus plug (I know, TMI--more to come). A little freaky but progress! Real contractions doing real work!

At around 3:30 am on Sunday morning I woke up to a little stronger contractions. They were also a little more regular but still spread apart (maybe 12-15 minutes). I timed them for about an hour and then went back to sleep. They were kind of off and on throughout the early part of Sunday but I figured this was the beginning of real labor. Hubby was still skeptical. He had a To Do list for the day and I told him he may want to get started on it that morning. So he got a haircut and honestly I can't remember what else. We went for a walk with Maggie and the neighbors' dog sometime in the early afternoon. Contractions were a little stronger as I felt like I needed to at least pause when they came on but I could still relax and breathe through them.

The Brother had texted earlier in the day to see if we wanted to come over for dinner and football. I told him we might but I thought I was in labor. Around 7 pm I told him that we'd run by but just pick up food to go. I was just getting a little tired of being in the house so Hubby drove us over there (about a 5-minute drive). Contractions were about 7 minutes apart at this point. They seemed to having gotten closer together a bit more quickly than I expected. We got to The Brother's at about 7:20, I get out of the car and my water breaks. I had read/heard that if it breaks and you're standing up, it's just a trickle. Uh, not for me. Gushing. Even though the baby's head had been low for weeks. No doubt that it was my water breaking instead of me peeing because no 40-week pregnant woman has been able to pee that much at one time in months. Perhaps Hubby finally realized we were actually having a baby. So he still runs inside and goes all 911 on people. He points at The Brother and tells him to get the food. He points at SIL and tells her to get towels. I wish I could have seen that but I was just uncomfortably standing by the car. They wanted to know if we were going straight to the hospital or home and Hubby has no idea. He makes it back and I tell him we're going home. We needed to get our things, and our plan was to labor at home as long as possible.

I send a few e-mails to friends and family as well as work folks. They were all saved as drafts so I wouldn't have to think about what to say or who to send to. Hubby walked the dog and loaded the car. We called the doctor's office and basically told the on-call doctor that we were headed to the hospital. Contractions had quickly gone to about 3.5 minutes apart.

We got to the hospital room around 9:30 pm and contractions were still frequent and getting stronger and longer. I was able to make it through them until about 1:00 am (Monday now) when I decided I wanted the epidural. I don't know what would have happened without the epidural. I probably would have labored less long but who knows. Contractions were 1 minute long with only about a minute of recovery in between and they were painful. No relaxation technique was going to work for me. I couldn't really talk through them so I had to quickly try to tell Hubby what to do and what was going on before the next one came. I got the epidural at about 1:30 and was about 6-7 cm dilated at that point. Seeing that needle and hearing horror stories about epidurals had been part of the reason I wanted to avoid one but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. And I did a good job at staying still during the multiple contractions I had while he prepped and placed it. Perfect dosing because 10-15 minutes later I couldn't feel the pain. I still knew when I was having contractions because the baby's butt was STILL POKING ME. And I've heard that people couldn't feel their legs but I could. They just felt like they were a little asleep but I could move them and change positions as needed. I could also nap, which was awesome. It was a dark and stormy night--perfect for calmly laboring.

The contractions kept up their fast pace even after the epidural. I fairly quickly made it to 9 cm and the nurse thought we'd have a baby by about 3:00. But 9 to 9.5 cm took awhile. And then 9.5 to 10 cm took even longer. The baby's position was slightly off so the nurse had me change positions and it straightened her out. I could feel the pressure to push but only during contractions. The nurse told me to tell her when I felt it all the time. It's interesting that you can feel all that pressure but it doesn't really hurt.

So once I made it through transition and it was time to push, the contractions slowed WAY down. Instead of the normal few minutes in between, mine waited every 8 minutes. I pushed for about an hour but any progress I made in moving her down was lost since there was so much time before the next contraction. I ended up getting pitocin to help speed things along. I figured I already had the epidural; the pain of pitocin-induced contractions wasn't going to bother me and this baby really needed to make some progress. After that, I still ended up pushing for another 2 hours. The baby handled all these contractions and pushing quite well. I had a few hits of oxygen at one point as the baby got a bit stressed but really nothing concerning. I guess the good part about all of this is that my doctor was able to be there to deliver the baby. The on-call doctor had never even come in my room to introduce herself. Whatever. The rest of the staff was great.

My OB is wonderful. She's encouraging and empathetic. She could tell by looking at me (me=girl bits) that I had been pushing for a long time. She stayed in to watch my pushing for a bit and then left for awhile. That's a little discouraging. And might I add that even with drugs, pushing is HARD WORK. Sheesh. So she comes back in a little later and actually puts gloves on and they break down the bed so it feels like I may have a baby after all. After a few more rounds of pushing, she tells me that she thinks if she used just a little light suction the baby could be out with the next contraction. I asked Hubby if he thought that was ok and he did. I really didn't want to have to use suction but was so tired and just wanted to be done so that's what we did. My OB just needed one gentle pull to get her out. I was pushing so hard and had my eyes closed that someone had to say, "Mama, open your eyes. Here's your baby." And someone was kind enough to say that it was a girl.

Throughout my pregnancy, my OB knew I wanted limited interventions and was at least going to try to go drug-free. We had also talked about donating the cord blood but the collection kit didn't come in time (it actually never came and I still haven't heard anything back from them). Since that was out, we wanted to see if we could wait a few minutes to let the cord stop pulsing before cutting it. We also wanted the baby to stay on my belly for at least 20 minutes or so and not be immediately whisked away for weighing and cleaning and things. During our hospital tour, it didn't seem like these things would be options but they totally were with the staff who was there. After a few minutes, Hubby cut the cord. The baby was placed on me while the placenta was delivered (totally forgot about that) and I got stitches. Turns out that pushing for so long = swelling and swelling = inability to stretch as much as normal. So a few minor tears plus a whopping 3rd degree. That's the only part of me that doesn't feel recovered from the birth now 2 weeks later.

A few random things. It was amazing to have this little person out of me. While everyone over the last few weeks has commented on how small she is, I would just look at her and think that I couldn't believe that entire human was just inside me. That I had been carrying her around. When I feel her little heels and elbows I am reminded of how they felt when jabbing me from the inside. They feel so familiar. When they placed her on me, she cried pretty quickly. Then she gave me the sad lower lip. I immediately knew that that lip would break my heart for the rest of my life. She really did have a lot of hair and it wasn't at all red. I was a little surprised about that. Also surprised that of the 4 names we had narrowed it down to, the one that was my favorite going in just immediately felt wrong. So we were down to 3. We felt like we needed to see her cleaned up before deciding, though. And, finally, Hubby was fantastic through all of it. He remains fantastic 2 weeks later. We're very lucky to have him.

And about that name... We still didn't have one by the time she had her first visitors. After they left, I told Hubby that I'd be ok with any of the three we had left on the list and that he could pick. He picked Scarlett. I made sure he was sure and we went with that. I had wanted Caroline for her middle name because it was my dad's mother's middle name. She was a fantastic grandmother and woman and I can only hope our daughter somehow gets some of her characteristics. Hubby wasn't 100% sold on it but let me have it. Note to all men out there, this is a good move as your wife just pushed a human out of her. I expected her name to get lots of Scarlett Johansson references but only one person mentioned her and that was about a week and a half later. Most people go straight to Gone With the Wind. I'm ok with that since I enjoy the book/movie and also because it was Mom's favorite. I think she would have approved of the name, and I know she would have been thrilled that her daughter now has one of her own. It's really unbelievable.

So my weekly wisdom? I don't care how you get there or how it differs from your original plan...are you alive and well? Is your baby? Then you've had a successful birth. Don't let anyone (yourself included) tell you otherwise.

nicknames

2011-02-02T17:21:00.001-06:00

I don't necessarily know why for some of them, but a few things the baby has been called:

Her actual name (note, this list is not in order of frequency)
The Baby
Pterodactyl (because of her short, shrill cry)
Baby Bird (same as #3)
Chicken (no idea)
Stinkpants
Miss Petunia Stinkybottom (6 & 7 seem somewhat self-explanatory although I don't know about the "Miss Petunia" part)
Munchkin
Little One (8 & 9 also self-explanatory)
Mama
Little Mama (also call the dog #9 & 10)
Grunty
Gruntypants

about a week later

2011-02-01T18:37:00.000-06:00

The thing about pregnancy is that women only recently started to talk a little candidly about the, um, less desirable parts. Even the books kind of minimized things. You need to find frank authors and friends and pump them for information. Then comes labor and delivery. One of my friends recently mentioned that there's even less information about what comes after the baby. While friends and family coo over the wonderful new addition, mom is often left out in the cold to deal with all sorts of weird things lumped into the category of "recovery." All I have to say is thank God for the blogs and books and friends who were willing to give a realistic picture of what to expect because a lot of this stuff would freak you the heck out if blindsided by it. With that, I figure I'll do one more recap post similar to the pregnancy ones.

Total weight gain: I tell ya, I'm glad people said that you appear 6-7 months pregnant even after you've gotten rid of amniotic fluid, placenta, and that bundle of joy. And if you need fluids, Lordy. Can we say puffy? In this last week, however, I'm down about half the weight I gained. Still in maternity pants but I can wear a few of my larger pre-baby shirts. Weirdly exciting.

Movement: This baby moves around a lot still. :) One fun thing to note is that her little elbows and heels feel so familiar to me. Those things jabbed me in my left side for months.

Cravings: Let's just say we haven't had to cook at all. Everything everyone has brought over has been fantastic.

Symptoms: This is the real reason for this post even though I know it's out of order since I haven't posted the birth story yet. Just wanted to get this out there. First, it's weird that some pregnancy symptoms immediatly are gone while others unexpectedly linger. Not surprisingly, still a little bit of baby brain, lots of waking in the middle of the night. I've had limited crazy dreams because it doesn't seem like I'm dreaming as much. No more hip pain but still with the round ligament pain. I sure wish that one would have gone away. Still have good hair. Puffiness subsided enough to be able to get my rings back on. No more digestive issues, the one sensitive spot on my gums is gone, and no more snotty nose (not sure if I mentioned those last two before). After the first few nights of just wanting to make sure she's breathing, no insomnia at all. New since birth? Various types of boob uncomfortableness that has really lessened up already. And, of course, bigger boobs. Woohoo. Jiggly, Santa-like belly with that giant belly button. And really all of me feels softer--even parts that I swear didn't before. I'm pretty sure I still have wider hips. And my girl bits have seen better days. Thank goodness for drugs and sitz baths. But, honestly, it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It seems like a lot of improvement was made in such a short time. Between Wednesday when we came home (when I wasn't feeling that great) to Friday...wow, world of difference. It's nice to be able to easily go up and down the stairs, to put on shoes and socks, to pick something up off the floor.

Belly button: Never became an outie. Woohoo. Now, though? It's deep and a lot wider than before. I'm hoping that will repair itself as my skin (hopefully) gets a little more back to normal.

Preparations: As far as preparations for recovery? I bought some things that I thought I'd need but you can only prepare so much. If you've never breastfed I don't think you get how different this is for you lifestyle (even if your "lifestyle" is hanging out at home). I needed to run to Target for a few clothing items and nursing bras that would help facilitate the whole process.

Milestones: You know, there's a baby.

Weekly wisdom: For me, I think it helped to be prepared for the worst while tentatively hoping for the best. I'm hugely and pleasantly surprised by my recovery so far as well as life with a newborn. That she's super cute is just a bonus.

I know this is all pretty scattered. Tried to get it written over many baby breaks today. I have a feeling you may have to get used to this...

introducing...

2011-01-30T17:41:00.001-06:00

Little Miss Scarlett Caroline

Born at 11:07 am on January 24th

7 pounds, 11 ounces

20 inches

Pretty darn cute

More to come...

so there's a baby

2011-01-28T14:52:00.003-06:00

I'll try to put up a real post soon but in case you haven't heard, we had a baby girl on Monday morning. Everyone is doing well, and we all made it home on Wednesday. Details, pictures, birth story, etc. to come.

technically 39 weeks + 5 days

2011-01-23T11:01:00.001-06:00

I'm remiss in posting. I guess I'll go with the usual Saturday template but may have some repeat information from Tuesday:
Total weight gain: As of Tuesday at the doctor's, 28 lbs. Down a pound. I swear I'm eating more so I wonder how this weight is getting re-allocated.

Movement: Still very active and often painfully so (especially in my hip area). Those little limbs are also a bit uncomfortable. I told Hubby that after the baby's born I'm going to jab him in his sensitive areas (like his belly button and Adam's apple) with those little feet and fists.

Cravings: Not really anything.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, crazy back pain, more frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, more pressure from baby settling and ligament pain, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness a lot of the time, more daytime pottying, digestive issues, some middle insomnia, rings are still tight-ish. As of yesterday evening, some real contractions. Without getting into details, I know they're not Braxton Hicks as there has been some evidence of progress being made. So woohoo! Before you all start calling every hour on the hour, this could still mean we have days or weeks. The contractions have been manageable and it really is awesome that you feel fine in between them.

Belly button: In but shallow. Dare I count my chickens?

Preparations: Visited 4 final daycare options. Still have no idea what we're doing with the baby but at least feel like we don't need to visit any more places. I think that's about it. We're ready to go for the most part.

Milestones: Last Tuesday's appointment showed no change in dilation or effacement. Baby is still really low. If we make it to this Tuesday, I'm confident that there will be progress.

Weekly wisdom: Try not to get worked up over things, no matter how hard that might be. Educate yourself so that you don't just follow whatever the suggestions the medical staff make--ask them questions. See why they are making suggestions. If there's no risk in trying to do things like you want them done, then speak up. That is all.

crazy baby dream

2011-01-20T09:17:00.001-06:00

I figure I'll forget this by Saturday so I'd go ahead and post this morning. That and I'm still not in the mood to work (but really should try to focus today).

Last night I had what felt like a very lengthy dream. I was in labor at home and things were going fine. The next thing I knew, however, it was the day of the baby's first pediatrician appointment (which will be Day 4 of baby's life outside his/her currently way-too-comfy home). It wasn't just a flash forward, though. In the dream it seemed like I had amnesia--at least for that period of time. This was disturbing to me because I didn't know the baby's gender or date of birth or name or if I had changed diapers or how breastfeeding was going. And in the dream I felt like I couldn't ask anyone and we were suddenly at the doctor's office (via helicopter, I might add).

So there I am at the appointment and I can't refer to my own baby by name or gender-specific pronoun. Kept having to say "the baby." At some point, the baby was taken away to be examined for what felt like a long while. I asked the nurse about it and she said that it was a 4-hour exam. Uh, ok. Later, the nurse comes in with the baby's birth certificate and hands it to Hubby. I grabbed it from him and find out that the baby is a boy. Also? That Hubby had named him 5 names plus an initial (C.). His first name was Grant (not on our short list), his next-to-last name was Ulysses (I have no idea why I was feeling presidential), and his last name was NOT our last name. I was really mad in the dream. I mean, why would I go through all the hassle of changing MY last name if it's STILL not going to be the same as the baby's? And seriously? FIVE names + an initial? That hubby cannot be trusted in dreams...

I may be going insane. These pregnancy dreams are so vivid and weird. One thing that I do find interesting is that I've had multiple dreams where the baby is out and I still don't know (or am not told) the gender. And also that I dream about the beginning of labor and post-delivery but never during the grueling part of labor. Maybe because it's so hard to imagine. Maybe it's self-preservation...

week 39 (for realz)

2011-01-19T12:10:00.002-06:00

Ho hum. So just a brief update on yesterday (which was officially one week till D Day). Still feeling uncomfortable and with lots of belly tightness. I thought surely there would be progress. Nope. Still the same as last week, which left me surprisingly disappointed. All systems are go regarding trying the old wives tales but don't expect a baby anytime soon. And speaking of that, I promise I won't secretively give birth and forget to tell any of you... Scout's honor (and Hubby was/is an Eagle Scout so you know I mean business).

week 39

2011-01-15T19:08:00.000-06:00

Total weight gain: As of Tuesday at the doctor's, 29 lbs. Since the due date was altered, I really should be blogging on Tuesdays instead of Saturdays. I stuck with Saturdays because it seemed like I had more time but I think I may switch this week (on, you know, Tuesday...when I'm really 39 weeks).

Movement: Still very active and often painfully so.

Cravings: Not really anything. I have been more hungry lately but I'm tending to stick to bland foods.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, crazy back pain, more frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, more pressure from baby settling and ligament pain, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness a lot of the time, more daytime pottying, digestive issues, some middle insomnia, rings are still tight-ish. So on Tuesday my belly started feeling very tight/hard. It was like Braxton Hicks but really more constant and I couldn't really stop it with the normal methods. So almost like one giant, long, mild contraction. That's pretty much most of the time now. It's weird.

Belly button: In.

Preparations: Visited the final pediatrician. Have decided that the first one I visited is the winner. Got the car seat inspected (Hubby did a good job installing it). Took that infant CPR class last Saturday. Made appointments to visit a few final daycares. Hubby cut down the legs on the footstool, and The Brother has the headboard to make a few adjustments so that we can add it to the bed. Finished washing the last of the baby clothes and put everything away. Paid the delivery bill at the hospital.

Milestones: Dilation has begun. A whopping 1cm but that's something. Still 50% effaced.

Weekly wisdom: So I go from being ready to get this thing started and not at all. What I realized this week is that pregnancy is a series of uncomfortable symptoms/events/states of being. The interesting thing is that I adapt to them really quickly. Baby dropped? I felt awful that first day but then was ok even though I still felt the same physically. Same with these weird contractions. While almost everyone I know has said they got to the point where they wanted the baby out more than they wanted to be pregnant (even when faced with the prospect of actually pushing an entire human out of their girl bits), I haven't really reached that point yet. I've had glimpses of it, though.

See y'all on Tuesday unless something exciting happens before then. Send vibes that the baby stays in at least until Wednesday because I'm mostly husbandless until then it seems. Ah, the joys of working...

interesting post

2011-01-10T17:50:00.001-06:00

I don't want to get into a debate on Facebook or really anywhere. I've been a little out of the loop regarding the news lately but found this post at Blurb quite interesting and thought at least a few of you might as well. I'm not pointing the finger at anyone. Obviously, the Arizona shooting was a tragedy and our political climate is a little nuts. That is all.

bump progression

2011-01-10T14:56:00.000-06:00

So I mentioned that the baby dropped to ring in the new year. I know these are really awful pictures in terms of quality but they're the only ones I have that really show what a big change my belly has had in a short time. The first one is from Christmas weekend. Looking pretty big, still carrying high.

The second is from New Year's Day. Baby has dropped, belly actually looks smaller. Pardon my miserable expression. Really wasn't feeling well that day.

And then the last is from Saturday. Belly looks huge again. I think that makes it look less low but believe me. That baby's head is way down there. Just ask my poor hips.

It will be interesting to see what happens once this baby is out. I'm really surprised all the weight gain and lack of skinniness hasn't bothered me at all. I haven't been self-conscious or weirded out. I know it's normal and gradual but I still wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. Now I wonder if the extra (jiggly) weight sans baby is going to give me a complex. Perhaps I'll be too tired to notice.

week 38

2011-01-08T10:56:00.003-06:00

Total weight gain: As of Tuesday at the doctor's, 28 lbs.

Movement: Still very active and often painfully so.

Cravings: Pretty much anything that's not good for me. Eating well (or even just trying to) is tiring.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, slightly less frequent crazy back pain, more frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, more pressure from baby settling and ligament pain, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness a lot of the time, more daytime pottying, digestive issues, Braxton Hicks (probably on more than 50% of days). Middle insomnia for about 1-2 hours--but less frequently this week. Forgot to mention that my rings are fitting a little too snugly lately so I've stopped wearing them unless I'm leaving the house. They go on but almost need the jaws of life to get off. Maybe with winter weather returning, this will change.

Belly button: Still in and that 1/4 of it that was poking out last week? Not anymore--back in.

Preparations: Visited another pediatrician. I think I liked the first one better. One more to visit next week. Made the bedskirt, switched out beds with the in-laws, and finished accessorizing. Yea! But you already knew that. Progress on the baby names. We have a list of 4 for each sex and I think that's good enough until we actually see the baby. We figure the list will automatically be cut in half for gender... Received what will likely be bebe's coming home outfit. Also made an appointment for car seat inspection, did some more daycare research, and later today we have infant CPR.

Milestones: The baby did indeed drop late on Saturday/Sunday as confirmed by the doctor on Tuesday. And we technically reached full term on Tuesday as well--37 weeks with the amended due date. (Ok, I forgot to add this and I apologize to people who don't want to know it. But, hey, it's my blog and I can do what I want. That, and if it's not written down, it's forgotten these days. At the OB, the cervix was softening, 50% effaced, no dilation. About 2-2.5 inches between bebe's head and the outside world.)

Weekly wisdom: Holy moly. I don't know if a person can ever be prepared about impending labor. Or maybe it's different with subsequent pregnancies? For me? When the baby dropped, I freaked out a little. I'll actually have to deliver this baby. It took a few days to fully get over that. Also? Whatever tentative birth plan I/we have in my/our head(s) seems to go out the window (for me at least) when I'm freaked out. We'll just see how it all goes. Like I said, birth is one thing I'm not sure you can ever be prepared for as you never do anything remotely like it prior to the big day. The wisdom here? I don't know. Maybe that you'll likely continue to feel about a zillion emotions till the bitter end. :)

hey, would you like to see the nursery?

2011-01-02T17:48:00.000-06:00

After a very productive week/weekend, the nursery is just about done. I think the only thing I want to do is whip up a simple padded headboard and Hubby needs to trim down the legs on a little footstool. That's it! Finally! So without further ado...

This is what you see when you walk in the door. Too bad the baby won't be able to appreciate it right away.

(And I'll apologize right off the bat for having some wonky-colored photographs in this post. I just don't have the energy to fix things. At least on my monitor, the above pic is roughly true-to-life.)

Would you like to see that awesome rug a little better?

Man, I love it. It was the one splurge for the room but it has such great colors, fun animals and designs, and is round. All my criteria were met. Love.

Here's the corner with the crib. I wanted a clean, simple, modern, white crib. I hate to admit it but we ordered it from Wal-Mart. Hey, at least we didn't have to enter an actual store to get it. It was inexpensive, is quite sturdy, adjusts to a toddler bed, came with a highly-rated mattress, and had 98 cent delivery.

I think I've shown you these details before but I'll force them on you again. First, the mobile I made. Love the little birds. And second, the collection of fun artwork.

So starting with the big blue house and working clockwise, we have the big blue house that Hubby brought back from a past vacation. Then an angel that was given to me by one of my fake moms years ago. I've changed up the frame and the angel's background at least 3 times to fit with changing decor but I think it's so cute. The angel is made of vintage, embroidered linen (like a pillowcase or tablecloth). Next, the tiger needlework that my grandmother made (Dad made the frame and I painted part of it to fit better with the room). Then Bebe's first card (a picture of peas and it says "sweet pea"). The last two items (the clown and the Pooh driftwood) were both in Hubby's nursery when he was a little one. I love that it's such a crazy mix that somehow works together. That it's sentimental doesn't hurt either.

To the left of the crib and on the other side of the door to the bathroom, is a little bookshelf area. I switched out what bookshelf I wanted to put here multiple times. This one came from my office. I didn't take a picture of it but the inside back of the shelves are "wallpapered" with multi-colored striped paper just for fun. While some of these books were mine, Bebe did get many of them as gifts. I painted the previously gold mirror a brighter orange than it looks here. Got it from my neighbor's garage sale. The lamp was one I had but painted it, bought a new shade, and added some fun orange, ball trim. Miscellaneous stuff on the blue nightstand (that Hubby picked up for free in college and I painted and stenciled).

And what's that on the wall? It's part of the song lyrics to that song that made me bawl early on in my pregnancy. I think I mentioned that in a weekly post at some point. I figured if it made me have such a strong reaction, I should include it in some way. So I printed it up and put it in yet another painted frame that I had lying around. (What can I say? I'm cheap and green.)

On the other side of the bed (symmetry and all) is another framed piece I printed out that lists all the places the baby has traveled so far (except for Austin...totally forgot it and may one day add it in).

And here's the twin bed I finally caved and added. We originally had a full-sized bed in here but it was just too crowded. I didn't really want a bed at all but since Hubby got a job, I figured I we should have one since the baby and I may be spending more nights downstairs early on so that he can get some sleep. My MIL was kind enough to trade beds with us for the time being so we got this one set up today. Bedding is re-used from the full bed, pillow by my grandmother, valance by me.

Here's the rocking chair again, now in its proper home. I love this chair. I'm so glad we got to use it. It's fun to think that I'll be the one doing the rocking in it this time around (instead of being rocked). The reupholstering of this piece was by far the most expensive part of this super frugal room but worth every penny.

In/on the rocking chair is another pillow by my grandma, an afghan knitted by Hubby's 99.9-year-old grandmother, and this cute zebra gifted by Bebe's auntie:

And what's that hanging from the ceiling? Some super cute owls! One of my friends made these for the baby and actually included two more owls and two trees. All of them were meant to be grouped together as a mobile. Because they're so cute, I felt like I needed to spread them out a bit more throughout the nursery and adjacent bathroom. These 3 guys are hanging above the chair and I expect Bebe will enjoy looking up at them.

And that brings us around to the last wall which, again, I kinda love. Wall shelves that I've had for years that got a fresh coat of paint and the over 50-year-old dresser (gifted to my parents by my dad's parents for their wedding) that got several coats of paint and new hardware (and really cute drawer liners that I didn't take a picture of).

The basket to the right of the changing pad was the same one that held programs, maps, etc. at our wedding. The lamp is another one that I repainted and re-shaded (also trimmed the shade with white rickrack).

The shelves are filled with some new items for the baby as well as some old toys that were mine. There's a conch shell from Hubby's travels, some books I don't want Bebe to read by him/herself, and fun little bunting made by me (out of quilt scraps).

Given my frequent use of the word "love" in this post, you can probably tell that I'm pretty pleased with how everything turned out. My vision of lots of white with pops of fun, bright colors was achieved, I think. I put more work into this room than any other in the house redo. It's been a lot of fun but has been such a slow process that I was kind of starting to get bored with it and doubt my choices. But seeing it all come together this weekend has been pretty exciting. I'm so glad to have it done before the baby's debut!

week 37

2011-01-01T14:00:00.000-06:00

Holy crap. It's the last fruit. The watermelon. That I have to push out of my body...

Total weight gain: Uh, I think we're getting close to 30. Still not sure how that's happening since I have people frequently telling me how small I am (including medical professionals who have no need to just be nice).

Movement: Same ol', same ol... Still very active and movements continue to be bigger, sometimes uncomfortable, and occasionally painful. I thought people said that the movements slow down as the baby gets more crowded. I think this baby just shoves things out of the way.

Cravings: Really, anything I don't have to cook.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, slightly less frequent crazy back pain, more frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling and ligament pain, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness a lot of the time, more daytime pottying, Braxton Hicks (probably on more than 50% of days). Middle insomnia for about 1-2 hours about 5 days this week. Oh, and for a few weeks I've had digestive issues because the distance to my stomach is shorter. Weird. The new fun thing this week? Last night my hips started hurting. Like the ball-n-socket joint part. Multiple times where it felt like they could just pop out. Yeah, not a pleasant feeling or mental picture. What the hell do you do if your entire leg is dislocated? That's a really big part of your body. Have already had the same uneasy feeling today. I'm guessing relaxin is bad for me. Or else I'll be walking along and the baby will just fall out...

Belly button: Still in but about 1/4 of it is slightly poking out.

Preparations: Finished washing baby clothes and blankets. For real this time. Visited one of the pediatricians (liked her). And did some more daycare research. No real progress on baby names despite my nagging. Finished the dresser! Got almost everything put away and organized in the nursery. Mostly packed the hospital bag. Finished packing the diaper bag except for a potential going home outfit that I ordered online (I hope it makes it before the baby does). Ordered a few other things online and continue to buy diapers whenever I'm at the store. I really think the only 2 things left are to make the bedskirt (crib skirt?) and switch out beds with the in-laws. I didn't really want a bed in the nursery but since Hubby started his new job this week (praise tiny baby Christmas Jesus), I figure we should have an additional place to sleep. Oh, and we need to set up the car seat and have someone tell us if we did it right.

Milestones: Holy moly, it's January. This is our alleged birth month (unless we're a week late). Enter month 9. And last holiday season without a baby.

Weekly ~~wisdom~~ ponderings: I don't know about wisdom this week but I have been doing a lot of thinking.

It's weird that my hair doesn't really fall out anymore. I know this will change but for now it's kinda freaky.

I wonder what my last meal will be prior to contractions starting. I hope it's a good one that doesn't do anything bad to my tummy.

I know this isn't a shocker but having a baby is a lot of responsibility. You have to make really grown up decisions. How do teenagers do this?

They say that in addition to the regular nesting of pregnant ladies, you get a huge push immediately before labor starts. Now, seriously? If you know me, how am I supposed to even notice this? I've been off of work all week and the amount of things I've gotten done is pretty insane. I cleaned out and organized the entire sunroom (formerly, junk room). I should have taken a Before picture but here's the after. You can find stuff now (including the floor). And it wasn't on the list but I put down new tile in the master bath. I also have supplies to redo the sunroom floor but I may not get to that (especially with these stupid hip pains). So yeah... I don't know what more serious nesting could even look like.

last day

2010-12-31T08:42:00.001-06:00

Good heavens, people. It's the last day of 2010. How did that happen?

In addition to the real life housekeeping I've been doing this week, it's time for a little blog housekeeping. Here are the items I set out to try to mark off the ol' Life List this year:

~~Go to at least one new ballpark.~~ I'd love to make some comment like I knocked this one out of the park but that seems to be too much cheese for first thing on Friday... But I did. Visited 3 in fact--Rangers, Royals, and Twins.

~~And at least one new state.~~ Yep, Minnesota.

~~Maybe work on the beginnings of having that first child.~~ I think we all know I've/we've succeeded at this one.

Wouldn't hurt to have that 6-figure job I enjoy but no promises there... Yeah, dreaming big with this one. But does it count that Hubby got a job before the end of the year and together we surpassed the 6-figures? I haven't really been enjoying my job and his is kind of too early to tell. Pretty sure we can't mark this one off the list just yet.

~~If we both decide and can find one~~ (or two) ~~we like--own a dog~~ (or two). We got Maggie back in January and she's been a fabulous addition. So fabulous that I feel like we'd never get another one as good so we might as well quit while we're ahead. Hubby would still like Dog #2 but I convinced him that we could add in dog, baby, re-address dog, baby. We'll see how long I can hold him off.

~~Continue the mac and cheese recipe hunt.~~ It's been continued but not concluded.

And maybe throw in the coconut cream pie while I'm at it. Other than print out one recipe which I did not make, no progress here. It's hard when you have a Hubby who doesn't like coconut.

Run again. Uh, sure. This may be on the list for quite some time.

Take dance lessons with The Hubby. Didn't get this done either but it does seem like it would be a nice, built-in date night once the baby is a little older.

So not perfect but some progress made. Back in September, I issued myself a new challenge to get the following done over the next year:

1.Have a child. (And because that one may cause many of the others on my list to be delayed a bit...)
2.Find the perfect mac n cheese recipe (still working on this one).
3.And the perfect coconut cream pie recipe.
4.Become a confident swimmer.
5.Write a letter to a different person each week for a year.

Hmm...I don't know. I may need to think about these a bit before re-committing for 2011.

And to finish off positively, here are other items I crossed off the Life List this year:

Throw beads off a Mardi Gras float.
See professional tennis live.
Completed quilt #1 for Baby #1.
And at least started a thorough baby book for Baby #1.

All-in-all, I think it was a pretty good year. 2011 obviously will be ridiculously memorable and mind-blowing, I'm sure.

Have a happy and safe evening! Bring on 2011!

2010 reads

2010-12-31T08:35:00.000-06:00

For posterity's sake... And might I add that this number is much higher than any of the previous years.

Mostly read:
The Happiest Baby on the Block
The Everything Pregnancy Book
Pregnancy Day by Day
What to Expect When You're Expecting

Read:
30. Finger Lickin' Fifteen
29. Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method
28. Something Blue
27. It Sucked and Then I Cried
26. Creative Childbirth
25. The Cadaver's Ball
24. Childbirth: Your Choices for Managing Pain
23. Eat Pray Love
22. The Very Best Baby Name Book
21. My Sister's Keeper
20. Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana: What to Name Your Baby Now
19. A Is For Atticus
18. Three Junes
17. Your Best Birth
16. The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy
15. Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth
14. Full of Life: Mom-to Mom Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Pregnant
13. Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born
12. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pregnancy and Child Birth
11. The Time Traveler's Wife
10. Plum Lovin'
9. Fearless Fourteen
8. Something Borrowed
7. Lean Mean Thirteen
6. Taking Charge of Your Fertility
5. The Five Love Languages
4. Fire (~30%)
3. Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously (~25%)
2. The Lost Symbol
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

week 36

2010-12-25T09:37:00.000-06:00

Le sigh. One final week of the honeydew.

Total weight gain: Not near a scale today as we're in a hotel but at my appointment on Tuesday I realized the alleged 1-pound weight loss from last week was a fluke. Up 2 lbs.

Movement: Same ol', same ol... Still very active and movements continue to be bigger, sometimes uncomfortable, and occasionally painful.

Cravings: I can't really think of anything. I have been more thirsty, though.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, more frequent crazy back pain, slightly less frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling and ligament pain, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness is getting more frequent, more daytime pottying, Braxton Hicks. Yeah, Braxton Hicks. Had a more active evening of them on Thursday. Not fun. Also haven't been sleeping that great lately. And, just for fun, a mild version of one of my biggest fears came true yesterday when my (historically bad) knee popped out and back in. Mild version because it popped back in without me having to put effort into getting it back in. I was concerned that the extra weight plus relaxin would only add to my bad knee genes. Hopefully that will be the only instance of this.

Belly button: Still in.

Preparations: Finished washing baby clothes and blankets. Made appointments with 3 tentative pediatricians and visited 4 potential daycares. Continue to narrow down the baby name list. Off till the 4th so hopefully I can knock out the rest this week.

Milestones: Well, I guess I'm starting the last month. Adjusted due date is exactly one month from today...

Weekly wisdom: Just ignore giant pregnant women and their emotions. I'm crazy. More often irritable and have a shorter fuse it seems. Sorry, people. And merry Christmas. :)

week 35

2010-12-18T11:50:00.001-06:00

Holy shish...Week 35! I'm hoping it's the last week of the honeydew. But then that means we'd be on to the last fruit. Period. Yikes.

Total weight gain: This morning I seem to be down about a pound so back to 25. Interesting.

Movement: Same ol', same ol... Still very active and movements continue to be bigger, sometimes uncomfortable, and occasionally painful.

Cravings: Ooh, I wanted Freebirds this week. Got it last night. Yum!

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, more frequent crazy back pain, slightly less frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling and ligament pain (this seems a tad better this week), general feeling of uncomfortable-ness is getting more frequent, more daytime pottying, Braxton Hicks (a more reasonable amount). I can't remember if there have been any baby-related dreams this week. One quick note that I'll mention this once and then go back to ignoring. When pregnant, the digestive system is very, uh, active. I'm like a man. That is all.

Belly button: Still in (with 5 weeks to go!!!).

Preparations: Still haven't gotten to that last coat of paint on the dresser. I'm off of work starting Wednesday so hopefully I'll make lots of progress. Mostly preparations are Christmas related... We both have baby names lists, though. So we'll have to continue narrowing them down. This is going to be quite a task.

Milestones: I can't think of any. Oh, maybe that I had my last out-of-town trip for work this week? Yeehaw!

Weekly wisdom: Hmm... One thing I've been thinking about is how I hope to treat pregnant women in the future. In addition to things I've already mentioned (like not criticizing their choices or their appearance), I hope to actually help them out. Baby them a little, if you will. I know being pregnant doesn't mean you're disabled. And goodness knows I'm independent. But it seems like even independent folks get tired and don't mind being treated at least a little special. And I know that in 5 weeks I'll be old news and all the focus will be on the baby (which is fine). I'd just like to appreciate the time that's left and remember to help make future pregnant ladies have a good 3rd trimester, too.

week 34

2010-12-12T17:01:00.001-06:00

Total weight gain: About 26 pounds. A pound a week is kind of a scary proposition at this point...

Movement: Still very active and movements continue to be bigger, sometimes uncomfortable, and occasionally painful.

Cravings: Nothing major but it seems like I'm enjoying carbs and sweets more. And The Hubby thinks I'm preferring more bland foods.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, more frequent crazy back pain, slightly less frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling and ligament pain, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness is getting more frequent, more daytime pottying, Braxton Hicks (a more reasonable amount). One dream last night had Hubby telling me that he wanted to add "Nora" and "Maude" to his girl name list.

Belly button: Still in.

Preparations: Another coat of paint on the dresser. I think I just need to do one more and I'll be done. I think that will have to wait till Wednesday when it gets warmer (again). I also moved the rocking chair into the nursery (finally). And that's about it...

Milestones: Another doctor's appointment this week. I felt some validation on the belly-popping front. I had been consistently measuring about a cm/week small but was right on target at this visit. Maybe that little growth spurt contributed to my feeling worse last week. Although I don't feel unburdened by the belly this week, I've certainly felt better than last week. Also, I know I mentioned this on FB, but I apparently went from strangers not being 100% sure I was pregnant to being asked if I think I'm going to make it to my due date. It seems that I had about a week of being an appropriate amount of pregnant.

Weekly wisdom: I'm kind of tapped out this week. A couple of thoughts, though. First, I'm not sure if having a January baby is good because Christmas can take your mind off of things and help the time go by faster or bad because Christmas comes with its own To Do list and it, uh, makes time go by faster. Second, I keep forgetting to mention it but my due date was adjusted to 3 days later. So instead of Saturdays being the conclusion of a week, it should really be Tuesdays. But since I made it about 3/4 of the pregnancy before finding this out, I'm going to stick with Saturdays (or, you know, Sunday).

I'm either smuggling a baby or a basketball (all the while making crazy faces)...

week 33

2010-12-04T18:01:00.000-06:00

On to the (world's palest) honeydew!

Total weight gain: About 25 pounds. So this is about a pound more than last week but let me tell ya...I feel like I've gained even more this week. And whatever weight that was gained went straight to the baby's muscles.

Movement: Still very active. Still prefers my right side. But now it seems like he or she is trying to push his or her way out through my belly. Or is standing up to simultaneously press on my bladder and into my ribs. Movements are bigger, often uncomfortable, and occasionally painful.

Cravings: Sweet tea. And someone mentioned Oreos and I wanted to punch them because it was about an hour before bed and I was at a hotel without any cookies whatsoever. I did have two Oreos today, though. For the record and if you're concerned, I do eat more than sugar and I don't always give in to cravings if they aren't healthy.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, more frequent crazy back pain, more frequent hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling or ligament pain (this is increasing), general feeling of uncomfortable-ness is getting more frequent, more daytime pottying, Braxton Hicks. This week was my first week of feeling pretty uncomfortable. Had at least 3 baby-related dreams this week. In one, I had twins (I'm guessing because I'm feeling a little crowded these days). One baby was a blond-haired boy named James and the other was a red-haired girl named Georgia. They were cute. That is all.

Belly button: Still in.

Preparations: I was gone almost all week but last Sunday I did start painting the dresser. After sanding and filling some spots, it got two coats of primer. Now just regular paint left. Woohoo! I'm still feeling the pressure to finish this stuff up pretty soon. And pressure to find a pediatrician. And day care. And, and, and...

Milestones: I know I have 7-ish weeks left, but I had a moment on Tuesday where I felt like I understood for the first time how women get to the point where labor seems less scary because they just want the baby out. I know; it's not a pretty milestone.

Weekly wisdom: This week? Very hard week for me emotionally and somewhat harder physically. I hadn't traveled much or flown at all in the previous three weeks. Those three weeks apparently made a huge difference. My schedule included two different cities over 4 days with 3 flights. I was dreading Monday but by Tuesday night? When I arrived in city #2 after flight #2? I was done. I had planned on one more week of flying but I put myself on restricted travel. Work can just figure out how to manage without me (you know, to some degree since I'm still traveling by car and still, uh, working). I guess the wisdom is to just listen to your body. Mine was done traveling a week and a half before I planned and 3+ weeks before travel restrictions would have been forced upon me. Ooh, also? A friend's sister had her baby this week. Her due date was about 2 weeks after mine. If that doesn't freak you out and light a fire under you... As long as this poking, jabbing baby wants to stay in, I'm going to try to appreciate it.

week 32

2010-11-27T10:02:00.002-06:00

Last week of the squash!

Total weight gain: About 24 pounds per the doctor's office scale. Really packing it on now it seems...

Movement: Very active and prefers my right side. Seems like there's more activity throughout the day.

Cravings: Caffeine. And the typical Thanksgiving foods.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, some crazy back pain, some hip pain from sleeping on my side (although I've figured out how to kind of minimize this by changing how I'm sleeping), good hair, some pressure from baby settling or ligament pain (but I'm learning how to avoid this turning into pain), general feeling of uncomfortable-ness is getting more frequent, more daytime pottying, Braxton Hicks. Also a few nights were it's hard for me to get back to sleep after a bathroom break. No fun. One funny thing re: crazy dreams. On Thursday morning I dreamt that we brought the baby home without having decided a name. Baby was a boy (for the record, I've also had baby-is-a-girl dreams). Hubby was holding Baby Boy and answering the door as we had visitors. As a side note, I was doing remarkably well for just having had a baby. Anyway, the visitors ask what we named the baby and I heard Hubby answer. I asked him to repeat himself. Apparently he said we named the baby "Orel Galveston." I said, "Um, no we didn't." Baby has occasionally been called Orel since then.

Belly button: Still in.

Preparations: Washed most of the baby clothes we've received so far. Organized the shower gifts to some degree. Played a game of musical shelves so that the baby's room could have a slightly bigger/better one (instead of buying a new one). Painted it. Sanded the dresser. I really need to finish that so I can put stuff away. Started a few lists for what to pack in the diaper bag and the hospital bag. Any suggestions?

Milestones: Baby's first Thanksgiving? Really, I can't think of anything. Oh, had my first doctor's appointment on the new Q2wk schedule. Weird to be going so frequently already...

Weekly wisdom: Make lots of lists. There's always so much to do (even without pregnancy going on). But I have a harder time keeping track of it all. And because I'm almost done with my little week-long vacation, I'm feeling like I didn't get enough crossed off that list. So it's a short one today...

week 31

2010-11-20T08:14:00.001-06:00

Ugh, still with the weird squash...

Total weight gain: About 22 pounds.

Movement: Very active and prefers my right side. Since the baby tends to move more when I'm still (and vice versa), he or she is often having a dance party right before I go to bed. I asked Hubby last night if he thought the baby would sleep at appropriate times after birth if I became nocturnal for the remainder of the pregnancy...

Cravings: I ate really pretty healthily last week so I wanted fast food this week. Sorry, baby.

Belly button: Still in. Yea!

Preparations: I made a list of what needs to be done and marked two things off of it. Cleaned out the baby's bathroom and nursery closet. Granted, things from the closet haven't been properly put away yet but I'm off most of next week so that's on the agenda. Got another recommendation for a pediatrician.

Milestones: Had fabulous Baby Shower #2 last Saturday. A real post on that still to come. Also? Lamaze and hospital tour today. And it was finally time for our postponed maternity/family shoot. I go tomorrow to see the proofs and figure out what to buy. Here are the teasers that I'm totally in love with (from Week 30, Day 5)!

Might I add that it kind of even looks like fall in these? And that I love my husband and dog. They're both so cute.

Weekly wisdom: Let me preface this one by saying that I love my family. They're great and supportive and I don't know what I'd do without them. That being said, my friends are really awesome, too. Over the years I've learned that you can't get all your needs met by one person (or, for me, even by a small handful of people). I think this realization makes relationships a lot easier in a way. I think if you expected your spouse or anyone else to fill all the roles you need in life, you'd be continuously and sorely disappointed. So, for me? It takes a village. Shower #2 (the "friends" shower) reminded me how great all my people are. So many people came, some of whom I hadn't seen in quite awhile, some from long distances. And everyone was so supportive. It was exactly what I needed. I'm so grateful to all of them for loving me and this baby they still have yet to meet. So I guess the wisdom is to 1) let lots of people meet your needs and 2) appreciate it when they do.

bebe shower #1

2010-11-17T15:33:00.009-06:00

My first baby shower was the day before Halloween, hosted by my SIL (The Brother's wife) and her mother. Guests were mostly family and some friends of the family. Most of the ladies were mothers (or grandmothers or great-grandmothers) so there was a lot of experience in that room. And a little advice.

The theme was fall (with a few Halloween decorations thrown in because it was, after all, the day before Halloween). As usual, the ladies did a great job on decorations and food. I love that one guest said that she had eaten before she came and another responded with, "Oh, I didn't. The last time I was here they had great food." And she's right.

Uh, yeah. See that? Super freakin' cute pumpkin babies. I took those home and they're still sitting in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I have a feeling Hubby will use them for pie next week. So. Cute. Also? Punch. Mmmmm...

I'll spare you the crazy faces I make when opening presents and move right along to some of my favorite items we received that day. The hostesses gifted the baby a college-themed package. Both of our undergrad schools were represented.

The shower invitation suggested bringing a book for Bebe's library. People delivered:

My FIL excitedly purchased multiple books. And this cute frog. He looks like an old man to me. The frog, not my FIL.

My aunt and her children and grandchildren got us several nice things including this "I Spy" quilt that a local lady made. Each block has something fun that you can ask the baby to find, like frogs or birds.

Another part of the collegiate package was this awesome blanket. When I opened it up, I could just see the maroon/Aggie side. I was making a comment on how the package was biased (um, as it should be) towards A&M. Then my SIL told me to turn it over. The other side is black and gives a shout out to Georgia Tech.

I could honestly put about 30 pictures up here showing all the great stuff we got from friends and family during the shower as well as thoughtful packages we received in the mail leading up to it. Everyone was so generous and it's all greatly appreciated. I'll just show you one more item. Some receiving blankets. I don't know why I think these are so cute but seriously? Those tiny elephants? Very excited to see a little baby wrapped up in these. And proof that you don't need to know the gender of the baby to buy/receive cute things.

week 30

2010-11-13T08:56:00.000-06:00

Total weight gain: Still about 21 pounds.

Movement: Very active. Had a doctor's appointment this week where the little machine to hear the heartbeat wasn't working at first but no need to be concerned as the baby was moving just moments before...

Cravings: Not really anything this week. Weird. The Bradley Method class/instructor/medical proponents recommend a high protein diet. I never knew how hard it was to eat so much protein. I'm basically not stressing over it but trying to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, some crazy back pain, some hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling or ligament pain (but I'm learning how to avoid this turning into pain), general feeling of uncomfortable-ness at times, more daytime pottying. Sleep hasn't been great this week but still fewer potty breaks. And I know I haven't mentioned this (because of some readers), but I have boobs. For like the first time in my life. And on some days? Cleavage. What is that?! (Ok, last time I mention it.)

Belly button: Still in. Maybe we should take bets on if/when it will pop.

Preparations: Nothing. Resting on my laurels from last week. Oh, I did check into one pediatrician's office.

Milestones: Holy moly, people...30 weeks. Yikes. Let me repeat, yikes. And baby shower #2 today. Woohoo!

Weekly wisdom: Let's go for a lighter topic than last week, shall we? I think it's common knowledge that pregnant women ~~like to~~ need to nest. There's only so much you can do before the baby showers since you generally get gifts at them and you would like to see what other people are kind enough to buy before you go out and duplicate purchases. That being said, I say have your baby shower(s) early if possible. We originally scheduled them early just because I wanted to avoid the whole holiday craziness. But it's nice that I'm not horribly gigantic and miserable, I still look relatively cute in the pictures (unless you count the ones my cousin took at the last one. Bonus weekly wisdom--never give a family member the camera.), and now I can go buy cute baby things. CUTE BABY THINGS! I'm very excited. The downside of this, of course, is that I seriously need to clean out the baby's closet and finish that dresser...

week 29

2010-11-06T10:11:00.004-05:00

Holy moly, we're finally done with the eggplant! That's some sort of squash and we're in the 7th month. SEVENTH. MONTH.

Total weight gain: About 21 pounds. Moving on from the plateau. Also? I think my belly has really grown. Maybe I should have been keeping waist measurements, too.

Movement: More of the same--still very active. We're allegedly around the peak time for activity. We start going downhill a little now as the baby starts to have a little less wiggle room.

Cravings: Hmm, just reading about that taco salad from last week makes me want one. No real cravings (besides sweets). I have had a few really good sandwiches this week, though.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, less crazy back pain, some hip pain from sleeping on my side, good hair, some pressure from baby settling, general feeling of uncomfortable-ness at times. Better sleeping this week with fewer potty breaks. Woohoo! But, you know, during the day I get the feeling of having to potty more frequently. And so it begins...

Belly button: Still in. Saw a girl in the airport this week who was about as big as me (or maybe a little smaller) and had a clear outtie. Sorry, girl.

Preparations: We bought a car! That will safely hold a baby and his/her stuff! And we got the rocking chair back! Two very exciting preparations! (Pics to come...it was a long week and I feel most compelled to tidy up the house this morning. EDIT: Yea! Pictures!)

I'm really enjoying this car now that I'm back in town. Yea for that! (Notice sneaky, photobombing dog in the background.)

Rocking chair before/after:

Milestones: I DO NOT HAVE GESTATIONAL DIABETES! 3-hour glucose test wasn't as bad as I was expecting. And I could not have been more relieved at the results. Due to the weird pressure I've been feeling, I had my first internal exam in months. Everything checked out ok but we both thought we'd rather be safe than sorry.

Also? Had the first baby shower last Saturday. It was very nice. Good food, good people, good gifts. People were so generous. I'll try to do a post later this week with my favorite items of the day.

Weekly wisdom: Isn't it funny how you go about life thinking and saying things and not really thinking anything of it until you're in that situation? And then you think you were crazy before? This happened a lot during wedding planning and it's probably happening even more during pregnancy. While strangers are now freely asking me about my due date or calling me "Mama," they haven't given much advice (which is kind of nice). Friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers? They've been a little more vocal. The differences between the generations have become pretty obvious, as well as the differences between folks who are more traditional vs. more progressive in their thinking. So I try to take the things people say, think about all the crazy nonsense I've said in the past, and realize what I need to do to be less offensive and more supportive in the future. So here's my wisdom--if you hear someone say something that you disagree with (when it's a total matter of opinion, perhaps even a matter of opinion concerning that person's own body), just keep it to yourself. Try to support that person's decisions. Or just wish them luck. Or perhaps even ask them about their decision-making process. Any of those. Telling them that they'll change their mind isn't all that helpful of a response (even if you honestly think it's the truth). (I know, kind of vague to protect the well-meaning.)

The second thing I realized this week is kind of sad. Sorry for that. Certain circumstances in life have led me to not be quite as excited during this time as I'd like to be. And other circumstances kind of have me feeling like I can't be as outwardly excited as I am on the inside. The only one I care to mention is that pregnancy? It's harder (at least for me) without a mother. I have lots of friends and family who have really done a great job being supportive but there's still a hole. (Not currently wallowing in it, though.) Major life events for a motherless daughter are bittersweet.

Not to end on a horribly sad note... Here's me 5 weeks ago and again yesterday. I think this is enough of a difference for strangers to feel comfortable assuming I'm pregnant. That makes me happy.

at least the firemen could have seen my cute hair

2010-11-01T09:36:00.002-05:00

Lordy, people. So there's baby brain and then there's BABY BRAIN. Since I have the 3-hour glucose test tomorrow, I hear I'm supposed to pack in some carbs. I made breakfast tacos this morning. About an hour later, I leave the office (where I was eating) and something smells a little weird. I go in the kitchen and find this:

That's what happens to a plastic spoon when you leave it resting on a pan. An empty pan. An empty pan that is still sitting on top of a lit burner. Oh, well. This isn't the first weird plastic disaster this kitchen has seen (and no one was even pregnant then).

Good. Grief.

In other news, I keep forgetting to mention in my weekly updates that my hair is finally starting to get good. (I know that's horrible grammar but that's how I'm compelled to say it.) I didn't have the never-lose-a-strand-of-hair thing going on at the beginning of the pregnancy but the last few weeks have really turned around. I know the picture below isn't the greatest but I tell ya, I have reasonably good hair even in the mornings after going to bed with it wet (minus the Farrah Faucet bangs I end up with from sleeping on wet hair).

Here's 28 weeks +2 days:

week 28

2010-10-30T11:10:00.001-05:00

Total weight gain: About 20 pounds (confirmed by doctor's scale this week). Seems like we've hit a plateau. Not that I'm complaining...

Movement: More of the same--still very active. There have been some really big movements this week. It is entertaining and kind of freaks me out at the same time.

Cravings: Well, since I'm trying to eat less sugar and simple carbs, that's all I want. I'd love to eat all that Halloween candy. And mashed potatoes. Mac n cheese... In trying to limit the carbs yet joining in on my SIL's Masters degree celebration, I had a taco salad last night. VERY GOOD.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, less crazy back pain. At time, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable in general. And my hips sometimes are a little sore again from having to sleep on them all night. Also? Twice this week I've gotten up to go to the bathroom and my brain has actually turned on. What's this? Usually I can just stumble around to do my business and fall right back asleep. I was up for hours these two nights. It was so boring just lying there...you'd think that would cause me to fall asleep.

Belly button: It's smaller than normal but still in. I was admiring Hubby's comparatively ginormous belly button the other day.

Preparations: I've done nothing at all in the nursery this week. I have no idea why. But we've received lots of presents from folks who can't make it to our baby showers. At least someone has been trying to prepare for the baby. Oh, I did buy a baby book.

Milestones: Had the 1-hour glucose test on Monday and failed. Go in on Tuesday for the 3-hour test. In addition to all the health implications (for me and bebe), please don't let me have to make it through the holidays with gestational diabetes... In more (fun) news, first baby shower today! More on that next week but I'm looking forward to it. And I'm not sure if this is a milestone or a preparation but we had our first birth-related class this week. We're taking a 10-week Bradley Method class. It's hosted by a woman locally and one other couple is taking it with us. Interesting so far.

Weekly wisdom: After buying the new baby book yesterday, I dug out mine. Hubby says he doesn't have one. (I'll have to check to see if that's true.) Lord knows mine is very incomplete but I loved looking at it every now and then when I was growing up. Yesterday was the first time I looked at it since getting pregnant. I'm really going to try to be good about completing one for the baby (and try even harder for potential baby #2 since they always get the shaft) but I totally understand how this ends up not taking first priority. Try. You never know what's going to happen. I don't have anyone to ask how I old I was when this or that milestone happened. No one can tell me if I was a good sleeper. Write that stuff down. Somewhere. On a post-it. Whatever. The information and the sentiment and that it's in my mom's handwriting? Invaluable.

week 27

2010-10-23T12:49:00.003-05:00

Total weight gain: About 20 pounds. I swear I don't know where it's going since I still look fairly small for the beginning of the 3rd trimester. So much so that we postponed maternity pics for a few weeks. A little disappointing but at least I'll actually look pregnant in them...

Movement: Still very active. Baby likes conference calls, eating, and bedtime. Baby also likes hiding when Hubby is looking.

Cravings: Still loving the red grapes and the apples dipped in caramel. Trying to cut back on the caramel, though. And parfaits (generally yogurt, red grapes, and granola) have been tasty. Trying to cut back on the sugar, though.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night, that crazy back pain, the occasional slightly swollen ankles due to flying or overworking myself. There was some really good, crazy dream this week that I should have noted earlier since I now have no recollection. My allergies are finally starting to settle down. So glad it didn't go to a full-blown sinus infection. I would have been a sad, unmedicated camper.

Belly button: It's holding its own from last week.

Preparations: Hung the valances (which also meant I had to re-hang the drapes...long story). Finished some wall art and hung that. Figured out the final piece of art but can't finish it till the baby is here. Made some small bunting out of leftover fabric so the baby can have something fun to look at during diaper changes and because I love bunting. Recovered what will be the foot stool to accompany the rocking chair. And we finally dropped the rocking chair off today! It will allegedly be back and reupholstered in about 10 days. Awesome. What's left on the list? Painting the dresser and lining its drawers. Still need 4 new knobs for it. Make the skirt for the crib. Moving the bed out of the room (which we'll do much later since we sometimes need to sleep apart for comfort/space reasons). I may paint a small bookshelf and need to paint a frame for the last piece of art. Then clean out the closet and bathroom for baby stuff and I think that's about it. I may be forgetting something but that seems like a reasonably short list to me.

Milestones: The countdown to baby is less than 100 days. A two-digit number. Freaky. On Monday I go for my 1-hour glucose screening. Not exactly looking forward to it. Mostly cutting sugar out the 3.5 days leading up to it. Mostly. Trying not to binge even though sweets are so good.

Weekly wisdom: There were several things I thought about this week that I wanted to include in the weekly update but have since forgotten. Seriously, in 2-3 days? I can't remember things? Sigh... So write things down because you can't get this good, interesting material back. Also, take breaks. I pretty much haven't adjusted my schedule or activity level but last Sunday my ankles showed that. So I'm going to take it a little easier.

a case of the mondays

2010-10-18T10:16:00.000-05:00

Let me preface all of this by saying that it hasn't really put me in a bad mood. That's progress, right? Even with all these crazy pregnancy hormones. Go figure...

So I'm reading this book on hypnobirthing because Hubby wants me to. I think if he were to read it he'd think differently. I mean, if it's too fruity for me it will DEFINITELY be too fruity for him. I'm hoping there's at least a little to take away. That, and it's about 100 pages. Anyway, before bed I was reading a chapter about dream interpretation. So of course I wake up this morning after having this freaky long, detailed dream that ends with what? My tooth falling out. The only recurring dream I've ever had. Thanks a lot, hypnobirthing. Have I mentioned how much I HATE those dreams? And Monday arrives...
Last night I made this pretty good Mexican casserole out of some random stuff we had and only going very loosely by a recipe. I was looking forward to leftovers. What do I see sitting on the stove this morning? Meaning, sitting on the stove all night? Sigh...
I got locked out of Facebook.
Internet access is a little sketchy this morning.
I tried to log into our work network, leaving the computer to do its thing while grabbing cereal from the kitchen. Come back to find that the computer has restarted itself.
Maybe it was trying to save me from the accusatory email I got from a co-worker first thing this morning...
Take a break to take a shower. Get out of the shower to hear crazy peeps in the neighborhood screaming and cursing at each other. Why is there never a police presence then? Why must people ruin the quietness that is the neighborhood on this perfectly nice fall day?

I think I'll go eat a cookie. Happy Monday to you all.

week 26

2010-10-16T10:26:00.000-05:00

Total weight gain: Still about 19 pounds.

Movement: Still very active. I can tell the baby is getting bigger because I could only feel movements in small areas before. Now I can sometimes feel a big movement across half my belly.

Cravings: Still loving the red grapes and the apples dipped in caramel.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, lots of waking in the middle of the night. I have had a few nights in the last couple of weeks where I haven't had to get up to go to the bathroom (which is awesome). Still with the mid- to low-back pain on my right side. Got a massage yesterday. She really worked on that spot and it felt good immediately after but I think was just sore last night. Doing ok today. Also still battling the allergies.

Belly button: I think it's getting smaller.

Preparations: Finished the valances but need to hang them. Have a few more ideas for wall art. Got some yard work out of the way this morning so maybe I'll work on valances and the dresser. The Hubby has almost finished staining and sealing the wooden parts of the rocking chair. Fingers crossed that it can make it in to the upholstery shop this week.

Milestones: I think I lied last week. I think now is the official beginning of the 3rd trimester. Eh, whatever. We're in it for sure. Also, Baby got his/her first shower gift yesterday. I was a little overwhelmed that people are buying things for this little person we have yet to meet.

Weekly wisdom: I know some people say they get a pet to prepare them for having children. I think people with children think this is nuts. And I may, too. But. While working in the yard this morning, Hubby and Maggie were out at a doggie socializing walk at one of the local shelters. I started thinking that having a pet (maybe a dog in particular) probably does prepare you in a baby step sort of way (sorry for the word choice). I mean, someone else is depending on you for all their needs--exercise, food, water, shelter, health care, love, attention, training, etc. You can't just drop everything and go as easily as before. You need to depend on other people (whether kind friends and family or strangers who get paid) to provide this care when you can't. You have to work as a team with your spouse. There are things that would normally drive you a little crazy but they don't because you love this little creature. And, probably most importantly, this morning I realized that it's really nice and fortunate that Hubby and I are generally on the same page when it comes to raising her. We have the same basic rules and goals for how we'd like her to behave. I think that makes things go much more smoothly. I've really enjoyed adding Maggie to our household and seeing the change in dynamics. I love watching her interact with Hubby. I was anxious for them to get back home this morning so I could hear how it went. Basically, if this is a tiny glimpse of what parenthood is like, magnifying all the good and bad and stress and responsibility by 100, I'm pretty excited for it.

week 25

2010-10-11T17:43:00.001-05:00

A few days late... But, hey! The baby is developing into an eggplant now!

Total weight gain: Still about 19 pounds.

Movement: Generally, bouts first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Plus a few times in the middle of the day and at least once during the night. This baby is crazy active.

Cravings: Still loving the red grapes. And had some watermelon again and it was particularly good. And since it's fall? I could eat about a dozen apples dipped into that pre-made caramel sauce they sell in grocery stores.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, difficulty sleeping. I think I finally found a reasonably good pillow so while I may not be sleeping as well as I did pre-pregnancy, at least I'm not waking up with the same neck and shoulder pain. Oh, but speaking of pain, I have been getting some lower back pain on my right side after sitting for extended periods. Not fun. I foresee more massages in my future.

Belly button: Holding steady.

Preparations: Finished the quilt! Since we were pretty busy this past week and weekend, I think that's about all I did. I need to finish those valances and make a bed skirt. Crib skirt? I'm hoping we can finally take the rocking chair in this week so re-upholstery can begin. And maybe I can start painting the dresser.

Milestones: Yesterday was the official beginning of the 3rd trimester. Please excuse me while I freak out. I did have a minor wave of overwhelm as I was skimming a daycare packet that one of my friends kindly brought over. I just suddenly felt the weight of being responsible for another human. And I guess a kind of milestone is that I got sick for the first time since pregnant--battling the allergies. It looks like pollen counts will be going down tomorrow and Wednesday so hopefully I can push through.

Weekly wisdom: I feel all out of wisdom. Maybe just the "live in the moment" thing that is a general life goal. As I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable at times and the baby is moving like crazy, I try to remind myself that I should appreciate where we are now. That I'm guaranteed to get even less comfortable before it gets better. And that these baby movements were the same ones I was so anxious for (and I do enjoy them except when I get a punch in the ribs or something).

This weekend the baby traveled to the Alamo... (Also? I think my face is looking weird. Maybe it's just in pictures.)

week 24 belly shots

2010-10-06T10:37:00.001-05:00

Better late than never. I'm finally home and could finally get these off the camera. These are from last Sunday (24 weeks +1). You'll notice that sometimes I have fake smiles...

The dog didn't pose this week. So lately I've been wondering where all my weight is sticking to me since so many people are still surprised I'm even pregnant. Um, I think I found it. It's in my giant butt. Maybe there's a second baby in there...

week 24

2010-10-03T15:49:00.004-05:00

Total weight gain: About 19 pounds. We had a doctor’s appointment on Monday and I was at about 17 pounds. It seems that we’re really not imagining that the belly has grown a lot this week.

Movement: All the time. Sometimes while I’m supposed to be sleeping. Perhaps this is a sign of things to come.

Cravings: Red grapes. I decided that this craving may be trying to meet my champagne craving. Or something. Hey, at least it’s relatively healthy.
Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, all emotions (especially the crazy ones) are just under the surface. No additional leg cramps. No flights = no swelling. Difficulty sleeping. It’s just hard to get comfortable. I miss sleeping on my tummy. So sad… The most exciting (in a scary way) thing this week is that I had a full-on nosebleed. Just sitting there watching “Sicko” (of all things) and suddenly… Well, you know what happens. Yuck. Had to revert back to basic first aid but once I forced myself to quit releasing pressure to check the progress, it stopped. I had heard that this is more common in pregnant women but it’s not exactly a glamorous event. And, for the record, there are all sorts of manly bodily functions during pregnancy, too. Don’t think I’ve escaped them…just avoiding disclosing them at length here.

Belly button: I don’t think there’s been a big change from last week. We’re holding steady with an innie. I don’t know why this part freaks me out, but it does.

Preparations: I’m so close to finishing the quilt. If only I could be home one more evening… So it may be done this week. I also spackled and touched up some old holes in the walls and re-hung shelves in a different location (after repainting them). Also painted a few picture frames. Made a few final adjustments to the mobile. Bought new drawer pulls for the dresser. Did a little organizing. So basically just a few not-terribly-exciting odds-n-ends that just needed to get done. I’m excited at the progress, though. Can’t wait to have the dresser painted and the rocking chair finished.

Milestones: Baby is doing fine. The doctor was pleased with my weight gain, size, baby’s heartrate. Most exciting thing is that the baby is now considered viable. That’s a pretty big deal. However, since he or she only weighs a little over a pound, Hubby thinks we should try to keep him or her cooking a bit longer. I couldn’t agree more. Also, last night we were in bed and it seemed like my belly was a little lopsided. Hubby poked at the high point (off to the right of the belly button) and asked if it was a head. I felt it along with my left side and told him that I wasn’t sure if it was a head but it definitely was a baby. I told him it was much harder on that side than the other. He felt it and I think it freaked us both out a little. Intellectually we know there’s a baby in there but it’s still weird.

Weekly wisdom: Like I said, having a hard time sleeping. And I don’t want to make the jump to the giant body pillow. I feel crowded enough already. But I’ve added a second pillow as well as a small wedge pillow. So far I’m liking it. Still wish I had a good pillow for my actual head. I wake up so sore in my neck and shoulders. Blah. Anyway, I guess the wisdom is the wedge pillow. I just assumed it was only for use in propping up the ever-expanding belly but my doctor suggested using it under my back while lying on my back. That way I could get off my side for awhile but not risk cutting off circulation to the baby and me. Great idea! On the other hand, a kind of sad bit of wisdom? I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me sooner, but I was talking to a 38-weeks pregnant stranger in Target yesterday and she brought it to my attention that I won’t be stomach sleeping while newly breastfeeding either. Sigh… This should not come as a surprise but it still made me a little sad.

Belly pics will get added later in the week. We took them this morning but I didn’t have time to upload before flying to Chicago. And the baby is still a papaya, for the record...

once upon a time

2010-09-30T17:24:00.012-05:00

Way back in July, I marked a few things off the ol' Life List--visiting a new state (Minnesota) and a new ballpark (in, um, Minnesota). Because things got pretty crazy in August and September, I've totally neglected blogging about this.

So July 15-19. I traveled up to Minnesota with my MIL and SIL. We flew into Minneapolis and then drove on up to Pine River. It's a small, quaint little town with two motels. We chose the better one. They had a Dairy Queen and a farmer's market. We visited both. The main reason we went up this far north into the state was so that we could drive up to where my MIL spent summers as a kid. She hadn't been in a very long time and my SIL and I had never been.

One of the numerous lakes in Minnesota is Lake Ponto. It's small and quiet and has just a few lake houses on each side. We visited the house that my MIL's grandfather had built and talked to the next-door neighbors. Things were very much like my MIL remembered, and it was great to be able to see this part of the family history. We took a lot of pictures and enjoyed our time there.

The second reason we made the trip was to visit some extended family members in Minneapolis. Before we headed there, however, we had to make a few small detours to see Paul Bunyan and Babe as well as the World's Largest Ball of Twine.

These family members were kind enough to let us stay in their beautiful home for the second part of our trip. They were so nice and hospitable. We had fantastic breakfasts and got a little tour of the city. They took us out to eat at some great restaurants and were just nice to visit with. I think the best part of the trip was that it turned into a ladies weekend. There was good girl talk and lots of talk about other family members and family history. I feel like I got to know everyone so much (more). And got to know where my husband came from. It was also good to just be able to spend some time with my in-laws without Hubby there. Nice to work on our relationships separate from the relationships he has with them.

And, like I mentioned, we also got to go to a Twins game. The ballpark is new, open air, and really nice. It was pretty chilly and overcast when we got there (most of the trip was chilly--in JULY) but the sun came out and burned me. The life of a redhead... We had good seats in the outfield. Is it bad that I don't remember a lot of details now? Freakin' baby brain... Three things, though. One, parking at a ballpark has never been easier. You literally exit the freeway into the garage that is connected to the field. Two, the side of the parking garage is visible from the field so they fancied it up a bit. The side of the structure was covered in these small, reflective metal pieces that moved in the breeze. It was really mesmerizing. I should have taken video. And, three, the "races" that they do on the jumbo-tron at Target Field (of course I liked the place), were between Babe and 2 Target characters. What did they race around? Only everything we'd seen--lakes, woods, Paul n Babe, and the GIANT BALL OF TWINE. We were very amused.

Minnesota? Beautiful. Hopefully some of these pictures will make up for my lack of ~~memory~~ details.

we interrupt the regularly scheduled program...

2010-09-28T11:42:00.002-05:00

You know, of no mid-week posting, to bring you this. If you haven't already seen it floating around the blogosphere, there was a meeting of a bunch of lovely ladies recently. They were working on their life lists and goals and dreams and whatnot. You can read about it here and here and here.

One of the things the ladies were asked to do, is to pick 5 things off their life list that they would really work on in the coming year. And then ask for help making one of them happen. You can join in, too.

Here are my five:

Have a child. (And because that one may cause many of the others on my list to be delayed a bit...)
Find the perfect mac n cheese recipe (still working on this one).
And the perfect coconut cream pie recipe.
Become a confident swimmer.
Write a letter to a different person each week for a year.

How about you? Goals? Dreams? Ability to help me with any of these--mainly 2 & 3?

week 23

2010-09-25T15:03:00.001-05:00

Total weight gain: About 16.5 pounds.

Movement: No more flutterings. There are full-on movements. Towards the end of this week you can generally see them happening. This morning was the first punch (or kick or headbutt) that actually hurt me a little. But very entertaining.

Cravings: I can't think of anything from this week. Maybe Reese's Peanut Butter cups. Sooo good.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, just a tad more emotional. No additional leg cramps. No swelling even with 5 flights this week.

Belly button:

I think it's slightly more shallow but still really deep. I wonder if I have an abnormally deep belly button? Still cracks me up that it's so obviously an innie even when I have 2 layers of maternity clothes covering it.

Preparations: Since I was gone all week, not a lot of progress. Yesterday I bought a few items I needed to get a few more projects done. I've repainted a second lamp and got new lampshades. Bought shelf liner for inside the old dresser we're repurposing (but haven't painted the dresser yet). I have blessedly more at-home time now so I hope to get a lot accomplished.

Milestones: Hubby got to feel the baby move for the first time. It was making me a little crazy that you could finally feel/see him/her move from the outside but I was never in the same city as Hubby when this happened.

Weekly wisdom: Take time for yourself. This stint of being on the road was way too long. Very glad I had the forethought to take yesterday off, schedule lunch with a friend, and book a massage and facial. Very sorely needed. And during the massage? I could lay on my stomach on top of this weird pregnant lady massage cushion thing. Heaven. Oh! And also? Got a tip from a 32-week lady on the plane. Go to the beach and dig a hole for your belly in the sand. Can lay on your belly that way, too. Freakin' awesome.

Belly pics. And just so you don't think they are all of me looking sweet and maternal and whatnot...

Maybe now that crazy travel has eased up, I'll actually post more than once a week. I'm very behind on several topics.

(Papaya courtesy of thebump.com)

week 22

2010-09-18T09:31:00.000-05:00

Total weight gain: About 16 pounds. Broke into a number I've never seen before in the tens place...

Movement: Daily flutterings. Sometimes you can see them happening. Very subtle from the outside but stronger on the inside.

Cravings: Not much this week. After I got my hair cut yesterday I was lured in by the smell of nachos.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams, baby brain, forgetfulness, side stitches (usually from not being able to change positions). For the first time I had those pesky nighttime leg cramps. They weren't really what I was expecting. Just one calf, cramped pretty strongly. I had read various ways people got rid of them but the best and easiest (especially if you're traveling solo) is to just point your toes up toward your shin (the opposite of the ballerina toe point). It hurts to force yourself to do this but then immediately relieves the cramp. I wish all pain were so easily remedied (for me at least). Another first is that I had a little swelling in my feet after my flight home from Miami. Went away by getting off of them but this doesn't make me super excited for the San Diego trip this week (except that I love San Diego and am very much looking forward to the cooler weather).

Belly button: No change. Formerly pregnant ladies, did yours pop out? If so, did it go back in post-baby? I can't believe I've never asked anyone that before.

Preparations: I rearranged some things in the nursery. Hung some art. Have finished the quilt except for the binding. Almost finished the valances. Started painting some shelves but finished the picture frames. Honestly, it's just exciting to see a few things in place in the room. Bebe (who may be called Bubbles now because of tacky, juvenile jokes from his/her parents) also got a few super cute articles of clothing from his/her aunty. Said aunty pointed out that there is no gender-neutral name for niece/nephew, no category (like son/daughter can be "child" or brother/sister can be "sibling"). So Bebe/Bubbles is the niece-phew. Finally, I got some maternity pants in the mail from katielady. Huge thanks to her! Work pants! Jeans! Capris! Cords! Looking forwards to wearing them. (Actually, wore one pair last night and packed another for the week.)

Milestones: So much for believing it is obvious to people that I'm pregnant. If you know me, it seems like you can tell but if you didn't know me before you would be surprised to hear I'm 22 weeks along. New co-workers couldn't believe it this week. But they were all very nice and chatty (in mostly happy ways) about pregnancy. It was nice.

Weekly wisdom: When people find out that you're pregnant, they will ask you when you're due, what you're having, if it's your first baby, what you're naming the baby, and how you've been feeling. This is all fine and good. I don't mind answering any of those questions (even though some do not have very satisfying answers at this point). I say come up with something creative. "What's been your favorite part about pregnancy?" "Any fun baby brain stories?" (That one is particularly entertaining because I think everyone has them.) If you can think of anything else creative, let me know.

Two bonus things. 1) The fruit analogy is now applying to multiple weeks at a time. Papaya will be around for two more weeks. And 2) bonus picture of Hubby and Maggie. This is how she curled up next to him. She loves her some daddy.

Well, I'm off yet again today (and by "off" I of course mean "leaving" instead of "not working"). At least for a few days I'll be gone for leisure. Then gone for work. Will finally get home on Thursday. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that (and not just because Friday=day off, facial, and massage).

(Papaya courtesy of thebump.com)

week 21

2010-09-11T08:02:00.000-05:00

Total weight gain: Fortunately, the large weight gain hasn't become a trend. Back to the one pound increase (bringing us to about 15...).

Movement: Daily flutterings. Usually more than once a day. I do like the constant reminder that there's someone in there but I'm looking forward to movements that outsiders can feel, too. (I know. I'll be wishing these days were back once bebe is keeping me awake with punching and kicking.)

Cravings: Finally got the Paula Deen Hashbrown Casserole. Praise tiny baby (southern) Jesus. Have also been craving the sweet tea. And fruit.

Symptoms: Crazy dreams and baby brain continue. Forgetfulness. You know, these dreams aren't just crazy. They seem to also be non-stop. That makes me a little nuts because it doesn't feel like I'm getting rest since I'm so busy while sleeping. I've also been tired (between the dreaming and the working). And I've had the feeling of side stitches a few times but it's not like I'm jogging when I get them. Posture seems even more important the bigger I get.

Belly button: No change.

Preparations: I've made tons of quilt progress. And I picked the world's wettest day (or actually the day before the wettest day) to paint some picture frames (outdoors, with good ventilation). They all still need another coat. Perhaps this weekend. And I found and purchased a rug. Finally! It's super cute and luckily matches the other colors pretty well (ordered it online so I was taking a bit of a chance there). I can't wait to see the room come together. Went to Target yesterday and added some things to the registry. There are some cute gender-neutral things. Promise.

Milestones: I believe it is obvious to people that I'm pregnant. Co-workers and strangers alike have commented this week. Just yesterday I had someone jokingly say "are you getting fat?" and another point at my belly and ask "is that a baby?" I've been wanting to deny it to tease people but I can't when put on the spot. Also, I feel bad for folks who take even longer to show. Somehow it seems a little more real when it's a visible condition.

Weekly wisdom: I say whatever you're feeling about the pregnancy at any given time is fine. Happy today? Freaked out five minutes later? Not really thinking it's real (despite all evidence to the contrary)? Eh, it's a huge life change (not to mention hormonal roller coaster). And don't they say change is good? ("They" obviously not being husbands.)

No pics this week as I'm lazy. Monday starts my super crazy travel blitz where I'm home only one day (including the weekend) and gone 10. I'll be in Miami, Dallas, San Diego and Dallas again before coming home. I've already booked a massage and a facial as a reward for surviving all that.

(Banana courtesy of thebump.com)

week 20

2010-09-04T12:28:00.001-05:00

Total weight gain: Uh, it looks like I've gained 14 lbs. Whatever I didn't gain last week, I apparently made up for this week. Hmm...

Movement: Flutterings, flutterings, flutterings. Mostly only noticeable when I'm getting ready to drift off to crazy dreamland.

Cravings: Still haven't gotten that Paula Deen Hashbrown Casserole. Perhaps tomorrow. And I've wanted sweets. Thus the weight gain?

Symptoms: Crazy dreams and baby brain continue. Forgetfulness.

Belly button: No change.

Preparations: I've worked on the quilt and the valances. Finally figured out how to problem solve the mess I had made of them. And I started our registries. Oooh, ahhh. I couldn't stop giggling over the cuteness of the tiny clothes. Even when looking online. And I scheduled family (me, baby bump, Hubby, Maggie) portraits for late October. Hopefully the belly will be more evident in 7 weeks.

More nursery sneak peeks...

Milestones: Um, we're halfway, people. Crazy! (Please note that the shorts below--which I swear are shorts--are really pinstriped. Not some crazy psychedelic thing (like my dreams).)

Weekly wisdom: With work, I generally have 1-3 months between site visits these days. That means this weight gain should be pretty obvious. I mean, 10-15 pounds? Yeah, not everyone even notices. My tip for the non-pregnant folks? DON'T sweat minor weight fluctuations. You're the only one who knows.

(Cantaloupe courtesy of thebump.com)

week 19

2010-08-28T07:22:00.000-05:00

Total weight gain: Doesn't look like there was a gain this week. Then again, when you're talking about a pound a week, any daily fluctuations can skew the data.

Movement: More flutterings. On Thursday night it felt like more intentional flutterings. Like I stopped what I was doing and thought, "Huh, I think that was the baby." Definitely moving during the ultrasound, too.

Cravings: I was struggling to make it through work on Thursday afternoon so I drug the laptop into the living room and went through emails while watching Oprah. She had Paula Deen on and she made her Hashbrown Casserole (which I've made in the past). I could have made it right then. I think it may be brunch for Sunday. I've also still been eating avocados, which is good since they're high in Vitamin E and I recently read they can help decrease the odds of allergies and asthma in the baby.

Symptoms: Lordy, the baby brain. And the dreams. Friday morning I had one where they had I giant vending machine at Wal-Mart that contained dogs. Apparently you could just kind of keep your dog in there if you had brief errands to run. The in-laws' dogs were in there. Tessa was just chillin' and Daisy was so excited she was shaking. Pretty much how they would be if actually in a giant vending machine. The dream then ended up very video game/movie-like (it was a period movie). I never have dreams like that.

Belly button: No change.

Preparations: Oooh, got to do some work over last weekend. Have the baby's bathroom done except for whatever actual baby things need to be added. And, you know, if I randomly change my mind about something. Also finished the mobile!!! And worked some on the quilt over the last week. I gave Hubby the green light to go ahead and start putting the crib together. He took it seriously and put it together last night. Looks good and sturdy.

In this first picture, I got the pair of owls pretty much for free at an estate sale recently. They were sort of cheesy but I just painted them white. And the orange bucket of towels used to be purple. Second pic is a grouping of needlepoints by my grandmother (the four seasons...we have a bit of a woodland theme in the bathroom, it seems). And a few fun bird prints that Hubby didn't hate. Yea!

And the mobile. It's currently hanging from the ceiling fan but it makes me very happy.

Milestones: Had the second screening ultrasound and anatomy scan on Thursday. I heart ultrasounds. MIL came with us so that was fun. Everything looks good on the baby. All body parts were present and accounted for. Very slim chances (like the best odds you can get) of major genetic problems. No cleft palate. We're still not finding out the sex although it was clear to the tech. Sometimes you do not want ambiguity. Heart rate was 165. Baby was measuring one day off so that's pretty darn close. To give you an idea of baby's size (other than the mango up there), his or her foot was about an inch long.

A foot and a slightly less good (compared to last time) profile pic:

Weekly wisdom: Not that we're doing this (maybe the next time around), but I heard a great idea this week. One of my co-workers said that she had some friends who had a Reveal Party. They invited their close friends and family and everyone found out what the sex of the baby was. It's how they did the telling that makes it fun. At their ultrasound, they had the tech write down what the baby's sex was and seal it up. They took that to the bakery and had a cake made. The outside was yellow with question marks. The inside they had colored to match the sex of the baby (Team Pink or Team Blue). Then when they cut the cake, everyone found out at once. Super fun idea.

(Mango courtesy of thebump.com)

week 18

2010-08-21T20:33:00.001-05:00

So I'm still alive. And I've even gotten myself slightly unburied at work. It should (fingers crossed) be a relatively uneventful two weeks there. Woohoo!

Total weight gain: Confirmed by the doctor's scale...11 lbs. I have a book I read nightly (a pregnancy day-by-day book) and I'm exactly on track according to their little graph.

Movement: Same ol' flutterings that I think I'm hallucinating. The PA said I should feel more definite things within the next few weeks. Still looking forward to that.

Cravings: I've pretty much cut out caffeine since getting pregnant but I had a little sweet tea this week. It was wonderful.

Symptoms: Still with the baby brain. This week I thought I lost my car keys and forgot where I parked at the airport (within about 15 minutes of each other). And the dreams. Oh, the dreams. It feels like I'm dreaming every minute I'm sleeping. Sometimes crazy stuff (like the baby's umbilical cord stump falling off as soon as we bring her (was a girl in the dream) home from the hospital to just a mish mash of things that happened the day before).

Belly button: Still in and feels very featured in my clothes these days. Like all parts of my belly except for it are sticking out and it's a giant sinkhole.

Preparations: Last weekend I did a little accessorizing. And I worked on the valances only to have hit a snag. I'm ignoring them for now. Baby got a teddy bear today (from an honorary grandma).

Milestones: Made the switch to maternity pants for work. So much more comfortable. Apparently starting to look pregnant from the side only. Although I have a sneaking suspicion my butt is bigger so I may look pregnant from behind. I should have been taking pictures to show its growth... Had a doctor's appointment like I mentioned. Baby's heart rate was 158. Still good.

Weekly wisdom: Some good advice I heard in the last week was to come back from maternity leave midweek. I think that's a super good idea. You can ease everyone into the new routine. I'll try to work that in.

That's about all I have today. A few pics from this morning before leaving for a bridal shower (notice my photobombing dog in the second one):

And yea for Geek having her baby on Thursday! A second girl, 8lb 7oz (which is almost a pound and a half smaller than her firstborn).

(Sweet potato courtesy of thebump.com)

buried

2010-08-17T19:58:00.000-05:00

Remember when I actually wrote about what was going on with my life? How I'd write maybe every other day? And you knew where I was traveling to and what projects were going on at the house and how the gardens were growing? Yeah, I barely remember that...

I've been traveling a lot. Work has been incredibly busy. I've worked many a late night when I've actually been in the home office. I'm torn between working over the weekends (and feeling bitter that I'm working) and working these long hours on weekdays (and giving all daylight hours to the job). I'm exhausted. And overwhelmed. And hormonal. And irritable. Yep, you should feel sorry for me but you should feel worse for the guy who has to live with me. I'm crankypants meets ticking time bomb. Sigh...

I guess the good news is that I have two sort of easy weeks coming up. Then, after some news I got today, return to crazy for another two weeks. I'm very much looking forward to upcoming travel restrictions and the subsequent 12 weeks off. I know it won't be a vacation but after the last few months it may just feel like it.

week 17

2010-08-14T09:23:00.003-05:00

Total weight gain: This morning I was the same weight as last week but I don't believe it. More on that later. Next week, I finally go back to the doctor so I'll have better data.

Movement: Still nothing exciting. I know based on what I've read that I'm not behind on this. And first-time pregnant moms usually recognize the feeling later. But, I'm sure anxious for this to start.

Cravings: I wanted guacamole since last Saturday when the baby was the size of an avocado. Finally got some this week. Thanks, Hubs, for picking up the ingredients.

Symptoms: Skin looks a little better today. And I guess I've had a little headache relief. I swear that I suddenly look pregnant this week--especially in the last few days. The number of wearable clothing items has dwindled even more. I've been a little uncomfortable (although I know I ain't seen nothin' yet). I was sitting on the plane yesterday morning and had the feeling like my pants were on too tight except it was my skin that was on too tight. That's a little freaky. Also, baby brain and its accompanying klutziness continues. This pregnancy thing? Very interesting to observe.

Belly button: Still in.

Preparations: Le sigh... Too busy for progress. The next few weeks are a little less crazy with work so hopefully I can get back to it.

Milestones: For the first time, I was called out regarding being pregnant. Now, I think I look pregnant when I'm wearing maternity clothes (even just the pants with a regular ol' shirt) and standing up. But I was at a site I hadn't been to since before the wedding and one of the girls walks in, sees me sitting down, in normal (but half-buttoned, tight pants) and asks what I was hiding in there. She proceeds to say that I got married, I'm having a baby. What?! She must be psychic because even though I know my boobs indicate that something's up, I'm still not well-endowed enough to give it away. I also bought a few more items of clothing. I culled the closet herd this morning and really don't have much that I can wear without just looking like I don't know how to dress my body. Like people would take one look at me and think, "Honey, buy a bigger shirt."

Weekly wisdom: I'm going to go superficial and stick to clothes. I had a good tip this week and it was to switch to maternity clothes as soon as you can. I think that's a good idea since comfort is a big deal already. And, you know, when you're female you kind of like to look good. It helps you feel good, which is even more important when you're having a "fat day" everyday. Suddenly--and, for the first time, literally--having nothing to wear is a bit of a downer. I know people have tricks to extend the life of your regular wardrobe but none of those have been comfortable to me. Or I don't have enough shirts that are both wide enough and long enough to hide all the engineering that's going into keeping my pants from falling down. What you can do, or at least what I can do, is still wear skirts. Sure, they're hiked up higher than Steve Urkel's pants but at least they make me feel good.

Finally, send good thought's Geek's way. She's feeling done with being pregnant with a week left until her due date. Fingers crossed the baby comes this weekend.

(image from thebump.com)

365 days

2010-08-09T20:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was our first anniversary. In some ways (like everything these days) the wedding seems both like forever ago and like last week. We've certainly been through a lot this past year. Moving in together. Taking a few trips. Adopting a dog. Growing a baby. Yeah, good year.

Because I've been traveling like crazy lately, I generally want nothing more than to stay home. But because the first anniversary is a pretty exciting one we decided we should maybe leave the house. We went to dinner at Capital Grille (fancy schmancy) where they were nice enough to cover our table with rose petals and confetti and write us a nice little anniversary note. After our fabulous dinner, they were even more kind enough to give us free creme brulee. Sigh...

Then we checked in at Hotel ZaZa which just happens to be where we spent our wedding night. The folks there were kind enough to upgrade us to a fabulous suite complete with champagne (I had a sip) and chocolate covered strawberries (I had a few).

After a lovely evening and morning of cards and presents (of the paper variety), we headed to breakfast at Empire Cafe. Then off to browse some antique stores and catch a movie. Hubby had an alumni event that we went to before heading home. Home. To cake. I tell ya, that was still some good cake a year later.

Our view (including a shot facing where we got married)...

And the best part of the day...

Here's to many more...

16 weeks

2010-08-07T09:57:00.004-05:00

Total weight gain: Yeah, this will still be inaccurate. It appears that I've probably gained another pound or two. Since the weight gain is so gradual, it's hard to tell what's baby and what's just the regular fluctuation throughout the day. Two more weeks till another doctor's appointment so we'll have to wait till then.

Movement: Nothing exciting to report. Will be nice (but perhaps a little freaky) once this starts. It's nice to know that everything is ok in there.

Cravings: While I have had several good meals, nothing that would meet the craving status.

Symptoms: My skin continues to look awful. And headaches. And it seems like I'm getting bigger since fewer of my clothes seem to fit. Oh, and baby brain. (Yes, I forgot to include this earlier and am coming back to add it.) I'm not really liking this part. Please let it be temporary. I'm too young to be senile.

Belly button: Still in.

Preparations: A little busier at work this week so most of the progress happened last weekend. Ok, all of the progress. I finished the first part of quilting the actual quilt. Just need to go back and add some designs... Cut out the fabric for the valances. Hubby and I hung the blinds and curtains. Lots of cursing from me there. Usually those go up so smoothly. Yeah, not this time. Oh! And I think I found a place to reupholster the rocking chair that The Brother and I were rocked in as babies. Very exciting! Now I just need to find time to pick out fabric. But the guy is local, gave me a good quote, and can be done in a reasonable amount of time. Woohoo!

Milestones: Busted out the maternity jeans for the first time. Seems weird since most people (even those who know me) aren't thinking I'm really showing. But, man, those old jeans would not fit this week. My MIL also bought me a couple shirts and a dress that aren't necessarily maternity clothes but are cut to last me for awhile. Wore one of those this week, too. No baby milestones that I can confirm but allegedly bebe can hear us now. It's a good thing s/he doesn't know what cursing means...

Weekly wisdom: Lordy, I feel out of wisdom this week. Not that great of a week emotionally-speaking. I guess sometimes the best you can do is keep on truckin'.
(image from thebump.com)

huh

2010-08-04T15:32:00.001-05:00

I just realized that we were engaged for 9 months before we were married. Married for 9 months before we got pregnant. Hopefully pregnant for 9(ish) months before baby.

My life is moving in 9-month periods of time. Strange.

(Ok, back to work. Clearly becoming delirious.)