Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween!



Today is lots of things. Halloween, 32 weeks, and I just got done with my doctor's appointment.

The doctor's appointment was fine. I forgot to ask how fast the heart rate was, but it sounded very fast. We talked about my side, and she thinks it could be rib pain from all of the expansion in my belly, but it could also be my gall bladder. Because it tends to hurt worse after I eat, this is a symptom of the gall bladder issue. We should have a better idea on Monday when I go for the ultrasound. Even if it is my gall bladder, there is nothing they can do for it until after the baby is born, at which point they will refer me to a specialist. Apparently pregnancy can sometimes cause problems with your gall bladder. In the mean time, it's just going to hurt.

In other news, they did this scary thing again (they did it last time, too) where my blood pressure was high when the nurse took it the first time, and then they took it again, and said it was fine. This time, the doctor took it two times in my room while I was laying down. She said it was fine, but it was sort of scary having them do that. I don't understand why it can come across as high at first and then normal the second time, but I guess that's why I'm not a doctor... :)

I hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween and gets lots of candy! I can't wait to see pictures of all the little ones in my family in their costumes. Maybe I'll be creepy and camp out somewhere in our neighborhood and watch all the little kids in their costumes. I can't wait for Hosey to be here next year. We'll go trick or treating... Even though Hosey won't be walking yet.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

I like this picture



I just wanted to share this family photo from Saturday that my dad sent me. It's a little shady, but you get the idea.

Nothing much new to report. Yesterday was a usually yucky Monday, where the phone rings off the hook from all the frantic questions that the foreign nationals have been holding all weekend.


Hosey is getting more and more aggressive with movements, and I honestly think sometimes I'm going to be sitting at my desk and a foot will just come straight through my belly button. I'm not sure where Hosey is, but I'm inclined to think that he/she is head down, only because of how much pushing is happening at the top of my belly. It feels like kicks. Although I'm not totally sure...
Justin and I have started composing our hospital call list. We're going to have to designate another family member to make the actual phone calls, since Justin will probably be a little busy, but this is the first time we've thought about who might actually want to be at the hospital. At this point, I think we'll just have someone making phone calls, and people can decide on their own whether or not they want to come. Our feelings won't be hurt either way. We're also trying to decide when we want to go ahead and put the car seat in. We're thinking at the end of November. I'd like to be a nervous nancy and put it in, and then go to a fire station and ask them to do a safety check to make sure it is installed correctly. Those things can be like rocket science...
The other detail I'm puzzling over is the bassinet. I still think I'll borrow my mom's (or Leah's, I guess I should say), but my doctor recommended having one upstairs and one downstairs... I'm not sure, but I've looked at some portable cribs from Graco, which are sort of like mini play-yards, and a lot of them have bassinet attachments. They have mostly glowing reviews on the Babies R Us and Target websites, and they seem like they would be useful, since you can use them for the baby to sleep in for travel for about 6 months or so, and they fold up to the size of a folding chair. And they are much more reasonably priced than a lot of things out there. We'll see!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Very Merry Birthday


It's strange. I've had the Alice in Wonderland song, "A Very Merry Un-birthday to Me" stuck in my head all weekend. I'm not sure where it came from, but it's still kicking around in there.


I had a very nice birthday weekend. And thanks to everyone who called, or sent cards, and generally made me feel special to be turning 24. I don't feel 24. I guess I just haven't noticed a difference in birthdays in a long time. Not since I turned 21. Not that that was all too long ago...


Our weekend was very fun. We had a great time at Andretti's. Justin got to race one of the karts, and he had a lot of fun, although he went a little slower than our friends. It was him, two of our friends, and then some guys who apparently are there all the time racing and thought they were really cool and tough. Right. Being in your early thirties and racing go-karts all the time makes you awesome. Especially when you are surly and mean and make nasty comments about the other racers... Either way, it was fun. I played lots of skee ball, and other fun arcade games. Everyone gave me their tickets, and I ended up with a billion. I got a stuffed Mogwai from the Gremlins movies. He's very cute. I also got an Atomic Homer, and he's wearing a super hero outfit. I'm not sure what it's in reference to, but I like it. I also got a little game with a suction ball and paddles. The ball lights up when it hits the paddles. I always dreamt of having that many tickets when I was a kid at Showbiz Pizza, but I never really got out of the plastic dinosaur and friendship bracelet range.


The farm on Saturday was fun. There was a petting zoo, and lots of little stands set up with exhibits, and of course, the historic home where the original farmers lived in the 1940's. It was interesting. Ella and Chloe had a good time playing with the animals, and I fell in love with Holly the pig. She was very little and fat fat fat. She would eat and eat and eat, ignoring everyone, and then fall over on her side and pant for a while. She was on a harness and leash that a little boy was holding. There was also a pony, goats, bunnies, ducks, a turkey, chickens, a ten day old calf, and a snake exhibit. Then there was some old gadgety stuff like engines that I didn't really get, but it seemed neat. We didn't go see the Civil War Reinactors, but you couldn't miss them stalking around in their costumes. They were very proud. It was also nice to see my dad and stepmom and stepsister, and I met my stepsister's boyfriend for the first time.


Saturday night, we went to dinner with Justin's Dad and Susan. It was a surprise, but we ended up going to Watershed in Decatur. It was very very good. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. Everything there is delicious. I had a pork chop with collards and macaroni cheese, and it was oddly elegant. It was really good. Justin ordered a 19 oz steak. It was gigantic. Then we had the "Very Good Chocolate Cake" for dessert. They put a candle in it for me, and it was very nice. And very good.


Sunday we went to Justin's sister Jessica's house for her daughter's second birthday party. It was very fun. She was dressed as a princess the whole time (Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty if I'm not mistaken) and her cake was an elaborate castle. It was nice to see everyone, and we also picked up the crib mattress from Justin's Mom and Terry, who were nice enough to bring it with them.


We finished our bedroom on Saturday, so we are now left with just the nursery. I think we figured out how we want the furniture oriented, we just have to move it. Then we can make the bed and hang pictures, and we'll just be waiting for Hosey! I still want to do lots of laundry, but I've got so many little things I keep forgetting to do. Mainly little stuff like my short term disability paperwork for work, and my hospital admission papers. But I also have to finish thank you notes and catch up on Hosey's baby book. I need to learn better time management skills... :)

Friday, October 26, 2007

TGIF

It's been a long week. I'm really glad it's already Friday. I just returned from lunch at Pleasant Peasant with some co-workers. Two of us have birthdays right around now (hers is today, and mine is tomorrow) so we went to lunch to celebrate. It was nice. I had salmon, asparagus and risotto. mmm, cheesey risotto.

This weekend is promising to be very busy, with lots of fun things going on, including a trip to Andretti's Speed Lab in Roswell tonight for my friend's birthday. I'm hoping they have skee ball there...

Tomorrow we've got my birthday party with my sister and her family and my Dad, stepmom and stepsister. We're going to a farm in Duluth where they have pig racing. I think it's supposed to be an authentic farm from the 40's. Then, Saturday night is dinner with Justin's Dad and Susan.

Sunday is a birthday party for Justin's niece, Mary Ansley. I'm sure that will be very fun as well!

So we'll be busy, but I think it will be nice. These days, it's just nice to keep my mind off work. :)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Another 3 in one day... Sorry!

I just got back from Target. I skipped out for the drill, and went to Target (and to get my emissions tested) and it was a nice break. I got a pumpkin spice latte, too. It's delicious. Probably only about 3000 calories, too...

And just for the record, lots of people have asked where the pain is in my side. It's very high, up in my rib cage on the right side. It feels similar to when you go running and get a stitch in your side. And it is sometimes on the front side, and sometimes in the back. Lots of people have suggested round ligament pain, which I've had, and continue to have, but that's usually much lower. That's also gotten a lot better the further along I've gotten. Now I mainly have it when I sneeze, or get up too fast.

I appreciate everyone's concern. And suggestions! There's nothing I'd like more than to figure out what is going on over there! There's this one thing that Hosey does with his/her little fists (or feet...?) pushing really hard on that side up top, and it actually makes it feel a little better. It's like an internal massage. I know that sounds kind of icky, but I see it as Hosey's emerging personality, which is obviously caring and attentive. My mom suggested I check my blood pressure frequently at the drug store to make sure that it is not too elevated, and I think I'll try that. Those chair things are awesome!

Grumble grumble

The earliest appointment for the ultrasound is November 5. On the upside, maybe the pain will be gone by then... Either way, the doctor doesn't seem too worried about it, so that should be a relief. I tried taking Tylenol during the movie, and it didn't work at all. And I try not to take unnecessary medicine these days.

I'm sure it will work itself out eventually. In the mean time, at least I can whine on my blog...

Oh, and we have an evacuation drill in our building today. However, I don't have to walk down the 20 flights of stairs (I feel bad for those people on the 56th floor) since I'm pregant, but I will have to stand in the emergency stair landing while the alarm sounds for 20 minutes. Should be enjoyable... :)

So much for Wes

The movie was really really good last night! It was very funny, and definitely had that sad element that Wes Anderson seems to love to slip into his movies. The only disappointing thing was that Wes Anderson did not show up. Yesterday, Christa pointed out on the Pecanne Log that the Fox Searchlight website showed that it would only be Jason Schwartzman at the Atlanta screening. I'm not sure if it always said that and we just missed it somehow, or if it's changed...

Either way, the movie was very good, and Jason Schwartzman was fun to listen to. People asked (mostly) good questions, and since Jason was a co-writer on this film, he had a lot of interesting information. And of course, the visual aspects of the film were stunning, and he talked a lot about filming in India.

In baby news, I'm going in for an ultrasound sometime soon (not sure when exactly) just to double check that this pain in my side is not anything serious. It was really awful during the movie last night, and of course the theater was sold out, so I was squirming around between Justin and some poor guy on my other side, trying to find a way to sit and have it not hurt. I never did, but I did actually consider leaving early on because I was so uncomfortable. Lots of people have suggested it might be digestion related, but I've been eating Maalox with GasX every single day, and it doesn't make any difference. I'm guessing it's a pulled muscle that just won't get better.

And for the record, I didn't call the doctor this time, the doctor called me yesterday to tell me that she wanted me to come in. So I'll update once that's over.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Flu Shots

I just got my flu shot, and while it did hurt, and I'm now feeling a little icky, it's done.

So that's a big relief! And Justin is getting his at work. They sent an e-mail out offering $20 shots for faculty and staff sometime soon, so he promised he'd get one.

Of course, everyone keeps saying, "you got a flu shot????" in this really worried voice, and I have to explain over and over again that my doctor told me to get one and that pregnant women are high risk for the flu. Sigh.

Tonight we are going to see a movie! It's been a while, but I'm excited. We're going to see the new Wes Anderson movie, Darjeeling Limited. It's playing at Tara Cinema, and the show that we're going to features a Q&A session with WES ANDERSON (directed Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore, among other great films) and JASON SCHWARTZMAN! There's only the one showing that features the Q&A, and we're really excited. Of course, the event sold out like 2 days ago, so we're going to try and get there early and make sure we don't get stuck sitting in the front row. Justin might try and leave work a little early for it. It's going to be great!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Geez

So my doctor's office called to tell me that all my tests came back negative. Which is good news, but goes no further to explain this weird sharp pain in my side. I'm sure it's just muscle-related, or maybe how the baby is positioned, but it hurts! It seems to get worse after sitting at my desk for too long, which is great when you have a desk job... :) It also seems to get worse after I eat.

In any case, the nurse asked me if the pain was better, and when I told her it wasn't, she said she'd talk to the doctor and try to figure out what to do next. I somehow felt a little guilty and/or embarrassed saying that the pain wasn't better even though all my bloodwork was normal, like I should just admit that I was faking it this whole time, but I figured that would not necessarily be productive.

Either way, Hosey has been very active, so I'm not nearly as worried about it, just tired of it hurting. It makes it harder to sleep.

Tomorrow I am going to get my flu shot at work. Our firm has offered to pay for them, so I figure I'm saving myself a good $30 or so. I was thinking I could try and sneak Justin in, too. Pretend that he's one of my co-workers.

I'm also waiting to hear back from a fun program at work where I might be able to get an "expectant mother" parking space in my building. So I'd park, get out of the car, get on an elevator and be at work. Now I cross Peachtree Road every morning and evening to get to my parking lot, which has been fine, but I'm sure will be a little less fun the more and more pregnant I get. Basically, I apply now, and get a pass whenever one comes available. There are 8 spots. And you can only have it in your final trimester. My sources (ie co-workers who park in the building) tell me that all 8 of them are always empty, but we'll see. The wheels always move a little slowly around here...

Again, we hope everyone is doing wonderfully!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Another lovely weekend



I can't believe it's already Sunday afternoon. Weekends go by way too quickly.

Here's my 30 week photo, taken today. I still think my rear is keeping up with my belly, but whatever.

After a nice dinner with friends on Friday, we worked on the apartment yesterday, after my mom came down and helped us shop for some missing things. We had a nice lunch at Fox Brothers Barbeque (brisket...yum) and then went to IKEA and the new Super Target at Atlantic Station. We got curtains for the bedroom, and fun curtain rods at Target. I also bought replacement blinds for Hosey's room, as one of the sets was really manky and old.

We were slated to go to a going away pot luck dinner after stopping at the Little Five Points Halloween Parade, but after shopping all day, and then hanging curtains (I sort of supervised...) we really didn't feel great. So instead we sat around and watched The Office on www.nbc.com (a handy resource for people who don't have TV). My feet were painfully swollen, which in and of itself made me feel a little less than excited about going to a party, and my toes looked like hot dogs. It's lovely. My friend who is moving has a 7 month old, so hopefully she will understand what these days are like. :)

Today we went to Lenox to look for a rug at the Urban Outfitters (I found it online, and wanted to go buy it) for the upstairs hall. The rug was only $8, and it is perfectly sized to fit over this bizarre grate in the floor that we previously thought was for the AC. I lifted up the grate yesterday to measure what we thought was an air filter, only to find it's a huge piece of metal hammered into an old hole. I guess it used to serve a purpose... Anyways, I was very excited to see that I could cover that thing up, as it hurts my feet when I walk across it. And the new rug is the PERFECT size. I took pictures for my mom to see, as she was witness to the hopeless search yesterday for the perfect rug.

While at Lenox, Justin got a few new shirts, which is always fun at the season change. I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, which I love even more than new clothes... :) I decided a while ago that I don't want to buy any more maternity clothes, as my mom and sister have given me a healthy supply, and I've only got two more months. As much as that scares me, it's true. Justin was trying to pick me out a birthday present, and I found the perfect sweater at the Gap, that is like a cape but with some buttons at the neck. It seemed perfect for me, since with no arm holes, it would be perfect for a pregnant belly. And for after the baby is born and it's still cold out... Then came two realizations: 1. The sweater was RIDICULOUSLY expensive, at $76, I'm sure I could find one at Old Navy for a much more reasonable price and 2. The Gap had the sweater stocked only in size XS/S. For the second reason, I decided that I was blacklisting the Gap and promptly left.

I also looked at Gymboree for some potential baby clothes, and while some were very very cute, they had a woefully small section of gender neutral clothes. This always puts a bad taste in my mouth. Even once we find out what gender Hosey is, I'm not planning on buying too much in the way of super-gendered clothes. By super-gendered clothes, I mean the boys clothes with sports and trucks stuff on them, and girls clothes that have millions of princess references and lots of ponies and hearts. While I love these clothes for other people's babies, I don't think it's for me. I love the baby clothes that are orange and brown and yellow and green, and they have dinosaurs or animals. I just think that it's a little weird to go totally overboard on the sports stuff for little boys, if only because there is no reason to think that a six week old boy is going to end up any more of a "Little Slugger" than a six week old girl. Anyways, that's my rant.

After Lenox, we headed over to Young Blood Gallery in East Atlanta, as I was sure I could find the perfect birthday present there, and it would be handmade and one of a kind. Sure enough, I picked out a domino necklace made by a really cool artist from another state. I really love it, and it reminds me of Hosey. It's a little bear (see the picture above) and it's great because it won't make my skin break out. Lately, even silver makes me break out. And I wanted a special piece of jewelry to commemorate being pregnant. Justin and I think this one is perfect. And for the record, Justin didn't want to pick anything out on his own, so don't think I told him what to get me without being asked!

We hope everyone had safe and fun weekends!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Catching UP!

The crib is finished! Yay! We can't wait to put in the mattress (a generous gift from Justin's Mom and stepdad) and actually make the crib with all of our lovely sheets and blankets. I know it will just be sitting empty for a long time, but that's OK. It will look cute.

I am starting to get caught up on my thank-you notes, which feels wonderful. I always feel guilty about getting a gift until I have sent off the thank-you note. I'm about 3/4 done I think. What a wonderful problem to have!

The apartment is continuing to come together, and last night I finished up the bathroom (still complete with giant holes in the wall...) and we really just need to finish up the nursery and our bedroom. We have noticed that there are a lot of spiders around. Not like billions, but quite a few. And some of them are really big and gross. We're trying to figure out how to get rid of spiders. Do they make a spider spray? We agree that we've never seen one, but it seems likely that one must exist somewhere... In the meantime, we want to get some kind of caulk or something to seal up some of the gaps around windows and floorboards. That's where the spiders like to hang out. I think this is the time of year where they try to come inside. And that does seem to be a draw back to living in a wooded area.

Hosey is defying me and continuing to kick and punch pretty frequently. I thought it would be slowing down more now, but not really! I'm enjoying it while it lasts...

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Signs of what's to come?

I'm starting to feel a little blah these days. Just tired and cranky most of the work day. I'm sure it doesn't help that things at work have been very very stressful, and I'm not very good at leaving it here when I go home, but I think it's also due to getting more and more pregnant. I know I've got more to go, and it I'll just keep getting bigger, but these weird pains and things stretching and hurting... ick. Just ick. Not to complain all the time, but I find myself feeling sorry for myself a lot lately. How attractive.

In other news, Justin and I are going to try and finish the crib tonight. Then we will take lots of pictures of it, and post them on Flickr. I would love to just finish the nursery (or come close) and have it nice and ready in the next few weeks. I just need to prioritize. First the big stuff, then the small stuff. I can wash the baby clothes after we get the furniture done. And luckily, my sister washed all the baby clothes she gave us before giving them to us. That is a big help! But I do also agree with my mom. It's fun to have some new stuff with the tags still on. All in all, we are really getting close to being set for baby. We have most of what we need (or at least what we think we need...). Except a name. That's kind of a big one. I'm sure it will come to us. I've been reading a lot of books lately, as they help me fall asleep, and they are always full of name suggestions. I'm reading some short stories by Evelyn Waugh, who is an early 20th century British writer. He has lovely names. I had Justin going for a little while the other night that I wanted to name the baby Imogen (a main character in one of his stories). Which is not to say that I don't think it's a neat name, but I don't think I could do that to a child...

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

It is 6:48 and I'm still at work...

Bummer. But my doctor's office just called to say that my bloodwork is "in normal ranges," which I take as a good sign. This week has been a bad one at work; the kind where your work seems to be multiplying in your inbox.

Oh well. At least I have a job! That's the most positive thing I can say about it for now. If I could just go two or three days without a nasty e-mail or phone call... but that would require the government to speed up their processes and stop losing people's applications in big black holes of time. And that is not likely.

I hope everyone else is doing well! I haven't heard from anyone in a while. It's that busy time of year...almost to the big holidays. Almost time for Hosey, too. I'm 30 weeks today. That really is kind of scarey. Exciting, but scarey. I can't wait to find out Hosey's gender. It's really driving me nuts. And we are stalled out on picking names. It's sort of an exhausting process.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Roger Dodger

Everything seems to be fine. The doctor drew some blood to make sure there aren't any kidney problems or a few other things, and said if it keeps bothering me, I can come back and they will do an ultrasound to check the gall bladder. Is that the right spelling? But she said it's probably a pulled muscle or something. Blood tests should be in by the end of the week.

So I am paranoid. But I'd rather that than ignore things and end up with a bad result...

And Hosey's heart rate came in low this time, somewhere in the 140's. Maybe I was right about Hosey being sleepy this week...

Can a doctor fire you?

Just as an update, I called my doctor's office after being urged by my co-worker who has a new baby, and by my mom. So I'm going in this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning.

And just in keeping with the little stinker personality that has been evident so far, Hosey started up a flurry of kicks while I was on hold with the nurse waiting for an appointment for today. Right after I told her that the baby's activity level had decreased a little.

I also am fully aware that as things move along, the baby kicks less, simply because it is getting fatter and bigger and doesn't have nearly as much room to kick, but the timing of it slowing down right when I was having other pains... leads to mama paranoia. And Nana paranoia, as my mom says. In any case, I'll be glad to go ahead and go in today and have the doctor tell me that everything is fine. And maybe after today I'll make it the full two weeks before I'm back in again... :) I'm hoping they let me make today be my check-up so I can skip my appointment tomorrow. It seems a little silly to go two days in a row. I have to remember to show the doctor my cankle, too. It's just lovely these days. And yesterday evening when I got home and took my shoes off, I noticed that my right foot was just barely smaller than the left. So at least I'm equally puffy! Some symmetry is good, right? Poor poor Justin. That's all I can say. I always run in and show him how gross the swelling is, and I also like to show him new stretch marks on my belly. He really gets the best of everything.

That reminds me, the other morning, Justin woke up for a little while, and he put his hand on my belly before falling back asleep. For the next half hour, Hosey punched or kicked just the spot where Justin's hand was, and no where else. Justin of course slept through it, but I thought it was special. And it proves that Hosey already loves Justin.

Paranoia Paranoia

I'm actually glad that my doctor's appointments are now every two weeks. I seem to becoming more of a nervous nancy with each passing day. The pain in my side is continuing, and I'm anxious to ask my doctor about it tomorrow. I also noticed that Hosey has been especially quiet yesterday and today. Usually I get a flurry of activity every time I eat, but now it's just been a kick or two. I guess maybe Hosey is sleepy?

In any case, I'm starting to understand why expectant parents buy those $50 dopplar sets where you can listen to the baby's heartbeat any time you want. I'd probably keep it on my person at all times if I got it at this point. And that would be bad... But I do feel like I'm turning into a mother hen. Especially because strangers and aquaintances seem to love nothing more than tell you horrible stories about their friend or their cousin or their friend's friend's sister who had complications at [insert how far along I am at time of conversation] and then [insert horrible and sad situation that may or may not have ended well].

Also, apparently our landlord just realized that we are having a baby yesterday. He came to install the smoke detectors and also put in a new towel rack (yay! it's on the bead board and cannot rip out) although he left the holes in the wall for now... and saw the crib (still halfway done) and put two and two together. He asked Justin about it when he came home. I guess he was just finishing right when Justin was getting home. He did say that it wouldn't have changed anything, but he thought it was funny that we didn't mention it. In our defense, I was six and a half months pregnant when we went, and assumed that it was sort of obvious. I guess he thought I just had a weird fat belly. Awesome.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Bathroom walls made of cake frosting

This weekend was really nice, although very busy. I'm really trying to get lots done before I'm really mean and out of commission in a month or two (just joking). But we did get a lot done in the apartment this weekend. It's definitely starting to feel like a comfortable home. And we got started on the crib today, before I ran out on Justin and went to Lenox with my mom for an all day shopping extravaganza.

One of my favorite purchases is a new bathroom. My mom helped, and we got new rugs, a shower curtain, and new towels. Everything was very reasonable, since it all came from Target, and I rushed home to put the bathroom together and surprise Justin. I certainly surprised him. While hanging a hand towel on the metal rack that our landlord just installed when we moved in, the entire thing ripped out of the wall. It landed on a heap on the floor with a loud bang, and Justin came up to check on me, thinking that I might have fallen down... And of course he saw the towels... So now we have no where to hang towels, and four GIANT holes in the wall. Not quite what I was going for. The holes are especially awful because there were anchors on the screws. The landlord is supposed to come tomorrow to install new smoke detectors, so maybe we can just slip that in, too. Ooops.

The shower curtain is pretty silly, but I don't care. I like it. It's one of those photo shower curtains but it features gothic skyscrapers. It reminds both me and Justin of Gotham City, of Batman fame. Who doesn't want Gotham City in their bathroom?? I mean seriously.

Justin has been really putting blood, sweat and tears into unpacking and getting everything looking great. He's currently hanging pictures. He's tireless. So anyways, we are just about ready to start having people over. And we can't wait!

We'll just have to do something about the towels...

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Hooray for Walgreen's!

After work today (and before yoga) I went to the Walgreen's by my work. Turns out they carry a generic version of Slow FE, and I saved a little over $10 getting it! I took it right before class, much to Justin's chagrin. He thinks it's very bad to take ANYTHING without food. But I'm happy to report nothing terrible happened to me from taking it with just some tap water.

Today was my last yoga class. There is a new session that starts in a couple of weeks and runs through December 15 or so, but it doesn't really fit into our budget. And I'm not sure how I'll feel about hauling myself to yoga class when I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant. Especially with how my feet have been looking lately. My teacher intentionally led a few poses in class for my benefit, and I did notice that my left foot was much less swollen after class. I made a mental note of the moves, and I plan to use them at night. It's lovely having an entire class full of dainty-ankled pregnant women oggle at your gigantic swollen feet and ankles. Seriously.

In baby news, I am convinced that Hosey is going through some changes. I've been feeling the usual punches and kicks, but all day, I've also been feeling these gentle turns and movements. And when I woke up this morning, it felt like my belly had changed shape. The other day I was convinced that I was having a pendicitis, with this horrible horrible sharp pain in my lower right side. It eventually went away after a couple of hours, but it was so bad that I couldn't walk. It's come back a few times since then to lesser degrees, and I'm now convinced that I must have pulled a muscle.

I've generally been a pretty healthy person my whole life, and never broken any bones, and I don't get sick very often. But I am sure that being pregnant turns a lot of previously stoic women into utterly helpless hypochondriacs. A lot of women in my yoga class seem convinced that they have lots of problems and are having "difficult pregnancies." I think they might be bored. To me, a "difficult pregnancy" is really one where you are put on bed rest, or have diabetes, etc. Back pain, swelling, heartburn, and all the other pregnancy symptoms that are less nice are just that. Pregnancy symptoms. Maybe it's God's way of providing some sort of natural birth control. I know I'm not looking to get back to the first trimester morning sickness any time soon. And I'll be happy to get rid of these size 10 clown shoes I had to buy last weekend since nothing but flip flops would fit on my feet. In the meantime, I'm really really enjoying the kicking and dancing that Hosey seems to be doing. I also like to have chats with Hosey sometimes at night. I ask Hosey to lay off my bladder a little bit. It's tough to sleep with four bathroom trips in a seven hour span. So far, I haven't gotten much of a response on that one. I also love being able to eat a cookie at work and have people ask why it is that I don't have two or three more. It's fun to eat one cookie and have people act like you are really depriving yourself. Only 11 more weeks. And that's if Hosey is punctual.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

3 in one day...









I'm sorry, I know it's excessive to post three blogs in one day, but I keep forgetting to post some of these pictures from my sisters Flickr. Some photos from the shower, and some from moving day. I love the ones of my nieces on moving day. The photos are tough to see when they are small, but if you click on them, they will get bigger in another window, and are much easier to see.

Photos

I finally uploaded some pictures onto Flickr of our apartment. They are kind of awful, but sorry! It's hard to take pictures of places with so many angles.

I also put up my 27 and 28 week photos. Included are also my cankle photos. I decided to document the cankle so that I can show Hosey when he or she gets older and will feel guilty. It's really gross how big my left foot and ankle get. If you look at them, beware. You might feel a little queasy afterwards... They are not for the faint of heart. Poor Justin. He has to look at them all the time.

Enjoy!

29 Weeks

So, I can't believe it, but today is 29 weeks. Next week is going to be the really scary one, when I get into the 30's. When I think that we have about 2 1/2 months left, it seems like quite a long time, but when I think 11 weeks, I pretty much have a panic attack. I feel like I should be reading all of my pregnancy books, and starting on the "What to Expect Your First Year" that a co-worker gave me. I am overwhelmed thinking about all of the skills Justin and I will need to acquire in the next decade. I know we'll figure it all out, but it's intimidating.

I took a few pictures of the apartment, but I haven't gotten around to putting them on Flickr. I didn't get home from work until 8 or so last night, and Justin cooked a lovely dinner and I pretty much fell asleep immediately. I still haven't gotten my iron supplement because after Justin searched 3 stores (including a vitamin store), I finally found it at Publix, and was shocked to find out that it is $25. So now I'm going to try and find a generic one. It's tricky, because this one is called "Slow FE" and is a slow release iron supplement, and it seems to be the only one of it's kind. Maybe that's why it's so expensive... Anyways, I'm eating more leafy greens, and Justin cooked steak for dinner last night. So I'm addressing the issue. Just being cheap about it.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

I have proof!


I have been saying that my glasses are lopsided since I got them. And my friend Sarah at work just sent me a picture from the baby shower on Friday. Here it is. And clearly, either my face, or my glasses are lopsided. So there.

In other news, Justin finished cleaning out the old apartment yesterday. He turned in the keys, too. We are officially out of there. In the new apartment, I just put up some pictures in the living room, and we're still plugging away at getting everything done. We have a lack of storage in the apartment, with most of the closet space in Hosey's room, oddly enough. We have a lot of books, and no bookshelves, so we're trying to find a solution to that little situation. I've been half-heartedly looking on Craigslist for bookshelves, but I just don't have the energy lately. We also went to IKEA on Sunday night to get some light bulbs and a lamp shade, and we looked a little bit there. Maybe in a few months we'll finally pick something out. In the meantime, there are so many boxes with baby stuff in them, the books just sort of blend in. :)

Monday, October 8, 2007

I am avoiding work

And writing a blog quickly. Things are crazy around here, and so I am taking the responsible step of writing a blog entry. Earlier I played Excel Tetris that my co-worker sent me. It's awesome!

Anyways, our weekend was exhausting, but truly wonderful. We really realized how much help we are getting through this busy and exciting time. The baby shower on Friday night was very fun. Quite a few people came, and about half stuck it out through about 9:30, when we all split up. We had quite a haul of gifts, and everyone was incredibly generous. There were some really cute things, and some really practical things, and then some things that count for both. I actually really enjoyed having the shower at a bar, since it was Friday, everyone relaxed and had a few drinks and there wasn't so much pressure on me to open gifts in front of everyone and all of that. I think even the boys enjoyed themselves. Justin certainly did.

On Saturday, my Mom, my Sister, her husband, and their girls came down to help us move. It was amazing how fast everything came together. Justin and Jon only had to do 2 trips in the moving van before we had all of our furniture in the new place. My sister Kendree did lots and lots of unpacking for us, and her girls provided general cuteness. That's always helpful. We went to Fox Brothers Barbeque for lunch (it's near Little Five Points) and it was really really good. It was a treat from my Grandparents, who weren't there, but were still nice enough to treat us all to lunch. My mom and I went shopping at Target for a few necessities, and then Ross to look for some curtains. She ended up getting us some absolutely lovely curtains for the living room, and some really cool curtain rods to hang them on. The living room no longer has an echo! And Hosey's room is coming along. We hung the curtains in there, and put the dresser together. We still need to put the crib together, but we keep running out of steam before we get to it. We figure it will probably be an all day event. There are gifts everywhere now, too, and I've got to get all of that organized. I'm being silly and washing all the baby clothes before I put them in the dresser so that we can just go ahead and use them once the baby is born.

The shower on Sunday was perfect. It was really nice to see everyone, and the restaurant was fantastic. The food was great, and my stepmom had made some very lovely floral arrangements. My sister brought Kewpie dolls to put on the table, and there was even one on the cake! It was adorable. Again, everyone was very generous, and we got a lot of really nice gifts. My aunt also brought her changing table, and Justin and I are excited to announce that it fits perfectly in Hosey's room. As she said, it's good news for her since it means her twins are out of diapers, and good news for us because we are so thankful to have a changing table!

Back to the grind. I'm afraid I can't put it off any longer... :)

Friday, October 5, 2007

Busy busy weekend

So this weekend is very busy for us. Today Justin is picking up the Enterprise Cargo Van that my dad rented for us. We'll have it until 1:00 tomorrow, and I'm so relieved! I think it will make the move so much easier. Justin has the day off today, so the poor thing will be motoring back and forth on his own. He promised not to take anything too heavy by himself.

Tonight after work is my work baby shower. We're just going to a bar/restaurant across the street from our building, and it's co-ed. People at my work are drinkers. It should be interesting. I have no concept of whether it will be five people, or twenty people. I guess we'll see!

Saturday is moving day. My mom, my sister and her kids are coming to help me with the nursery, and my brother-in-law is coming to help Justin with the heavy stuff. We are so lucky to have so much family to utilize as labor! :) I'm very excited to finally have the apartment coming together, and we've really been enjoying it so far. It's very quiet, and feels so giant! It will be nice when there is no longer an echo in the living and dining rooms. We have about two or three times as many windows as we used to, so as soon as the budget allows, we've got to get some curtains to hang. I love curtains. They really make a house feel like a home. And they are practical when you are running the AC. I hung some curtains on one of the bedroom windows, but there are still two more. The window I hung them on is a double window, and it had no blinds on it. So it was urgent.

Sunday is the ladies family shower that my stepmom is hosting at a restaurant in Roswell. I think it will be lovely. We couldn't invite very many people because the restaurant is small, but I think it will be very nice. My sister was in charge of ordering a cake, and apparently it has a kewpie on it. That is exciting! I love kewpies. She said she made kewpie place cards, too. My stepmom and my sister have really worked hard for the shower, and I'm so appreciative of all the time they've put into it! I know my stepmom picked out beautiful invitations and she is working hard to get some lovely floral centerpieces for the tables. I'm so spoiled... :)

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

For those keeping track

I forgot to mention. Hosey's heartrate was 157 this time. At the girl end of the spectrum still. Oh well.

I also wanted to say that I started pulling the crib out of its box last night, and it's gorgeous! We probably won't put it together until this weekend, but for now, all the pieces are in perfect shape and made it through shipping fine. And the wood colors are very pretty. My doctor told me I should have the nursery done by 36 weeks at the latest. So that's what I can tell Justin. It's scary how close that is...

Also, my old pediatrician is on our insurance, so I called today. The woman I spoke to was very nice, and said that we could come in about a month before the baby is due and have a conference with the doctor. It's quite a relief to be ticking these things off one by one... :)

28 Weeks and the THIRD TRIMESTER!

I had my doctor's appointment this morning. My mom came with me this time, which was really fun. She got to hear the heartbeat, which was 157 beats this time. I had my glucose test, too, where they check to see if I'm diabetic. I'm not, but I am anemic. I don't know how anemic, but I didn't get the impression it was too bad. I do have to start taking an iron supplement, which is not going to be too much fun for my belly, but I am glad to know that I am not diabetic.

We also talked about pediatricians, and my mom actually mentioned that my pediatrician from when we lived in Buckhead is still around. My doctor knows her, too and said she thought she was wonderful. So I'm going to check and see if she is on our insurance plan. She is the doctor who told me when I was about 6 that I should never have children. Apparently I was getting blood drawn or some kind of shot and they had to have several nurses come in and hold me down. Wouldn't that be appropriate if I brought my baby to her? She has a small practice in an old house in Buckhead. It sounds cozy.

Nothing too exciting other than that. I do have to go back in two weeks instead of four, but I'm not sure if that's because I'm in the third trimester or because of the anemia. Fine with me either way. Missing work is frustrating because I have to make it up by staying late other days or coming in on the weekends, but I love hearing the baby's heartbeat. That never gets old.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

First Night in the New Home!

Justin and I were able to spend the night in our new home yesterday. Again, thanks to the heroic efforts of my stepdad, we got out bed in, as well as some other essentials, like toilet paper, and the shower curtain. We ate frozen pizza as our first supper, but we only had one chair, and Justin graciously gave it to me. He's a very considerate husband.

The apartment is great, with just a few things we want to try and get the landlord to fix, like yucky blinds on some of the windows. They are not just dirty, but sort of broken in some spots. We also found a car battery in one of the closets. That's going to need to go... :) You can tell that he does property flips in the way the apartment has been renovated. Lots of the materials seems salvaged, but not in a bad way. And the kitchen and bathroom have nice tile floors and solid materials. Just like my stepdad said, "they always renovate the kitchen and the bathroom." That's fine with us. The oven is nicer than our old one (doesn't take to much for that) and the dishwasher is great, even though it's one of those mini ones. We have to get soap for it. There is a neat little telephone cubby in the dining room, and he's painted it a chocolate dark brown to highlight it. I can't think yet what to put in there, but I'm thinking a small plant would be nice.

Anyways, we will continue to carry loads over throughout the week, and Saturday should mark the end. Justin has Friday and Monday off to help set things up and meet the internet guy, etc. He is planning on cleaning our old place on Monday.

Tomorrow is my 28 week check-up at the doctor's. I will also be getting my glucose test done. I hate that. I don't like having my finger poked. It's awful. Then again, I'm guessing that I should probably readjust my pain tolerance as much as possible, since in three months I'll be going through labor...

Monday, October 1, 2007

Boxes boxes boxes

Justin and I spent most of the weekend packing. Well, Justin did a lot of packing. I did some, but I also did a lot of reading. Justin has been very courteous and respectful of my "condition" and won't let me do a lot of things. Bending at the waist is not very enjoyable at this point, so I did lots of dish wrapping and stuff. I usually hate packing kitchen stuff more than anything else, but since I can sit in a chair and wrap things, it works well.

My Step-dad, who is also known as Super Man, will be coming down to our apartment tonight to help us move the bed to the new place. That way we can start sleeping there! I'm sure it will be a long week, with lots and lots of trips back and forth, but it is easier than moving all in one day. It's very frustrating to not be able to help. When Justin and I moved into our current apartment, Justin came down from Charlotte in an Enterprise cargo van, and the two of us moved all that heavy furniture by ourselves. I can't believe it's been a year... lots of changes!

The strange thing about being pregnant is how much is anticipatory, and how much is trying to live in the moment. I know that I will miss a lot of things about being pregnant, especially having a little buddy around all the time kicking me and moving around. It's strange, but nice. So I'm trying to focus on enjoying this while it lasts, even the bad parts, like my swollen left foot and ankle, and all the other lovely symptoms that are starting along with the third trimester. At the same time, I'm really getting ready for the baby to come. It's a strange place to be in. It's sort of like being engaged, when I had 6 months to plan a wedding and try to also enjoy being engaged. Everything changes once that big day comes, and it's easy to get caught up in looking to that big day and missing a little of what is happening in the right now. Three more months. In some ways, that seems like a very very long time. In reality, it's not. It's a blink. Less than a blink. maybe a half blink.

Anyways, I'm thinking that I could use a cup of coffee. Hosey seems to have the hiccups.