Count it Pure Joy

Moving...

2010-02-09T17:06:00.003-05:00

That new blog I mentioned? It's mostly up. It's probably not going to be as anonymous, so I haven't decided if I'm going to link from this one to the new one. If you'd like the address, just send me an email (reneec73 at gmail) and I'll share the new site. I have no current plans to delete this blog, just don't know that I'll be updating it.

Seven Quick Takes, aka I'm Back (Maybe)

2010-01-08T08:43:00.006-05:00

1. Last year I kept meaning to participate in Jennifer at Conversion Diary's Seven Quick Takes Friday's, but never managed to, in part because I hadn't started at the beginning of the year. For whatever reason, it really bugged me that I would be coming into it later in the year and I just couldn't do that. Yes, I'm nuts. But hey! It's January! Fresh start time & all of that, so here goes.

2. No posts here for quite awhile. I'm not entirely sure what happened to me other than what you can imagine; still trying to figure out a schedule and routine for me to blog while taking care of the baby. My respect for writers who manage to continue posting regularly through personal upheaval of all sorts is immense, because when life gets hectic, my blog gets ignored completely.

3. I have not read a single book so far in 2010. I haven't even started one. That alone should tell you all that something is wrong with me, or at least has been. And you would be correct. I have been siiiiiiiiccccccckkkkkkkk. I think we picked up something from one of L's relatives at Christmas. He was the first to go down, while I hoped that G & I would avoid it - not an impossible dream since I often avoid colds or even the flu when L is knocked out by them. Alas, not to be this time. New Years Eve Eve it began and I'm still a snotty mess. Fortunately G had a mild case so other than a couple of miserable nights where he slept on me, coughing and hacking and dripping mucus everywhere, he's mostly been ok. And still amazingly happy throughout it all.

4. I'm trying to set up a new blog but have run into some difficulties. I'm about to concede defeat and go ask L for help. I was trying to avoid that because all he's been doing lately is helping friends and family with their computers. At least this will be a change of pace from the hardware stuff.

5. Since getting married, we've purchased at least 3 shredders, usually whatever is on sale. Our cheap purchases last for maybe a year or two, then they slowly start dying until eventually they conk out entirely and we begin the process again. After six-months of no working shredder, I finally purchased a new one, and we're sick of buying them so regularly so we bought a more substantial one. One with good ratings that will hopefully take care of our shredding needs long into the future. And it even has some kind of sensor so that if little fingers come too close to it, it shuts down. So no worries of G finding it and shredding himself. Although we should worry about G finding it and pulling it over onto himself, because this thing is HEAVY.

6. Wondering why I'm taking about G finding things as if he's mobile? Oh, that's because he is. He started army-crawling for real shortly after Thanksgiving. ("For real" = more than just one or two pulls forward.) He crosses the room in seconds if he's motivated (i.e. there's a toy or something he wants over there.) The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas also brought forth his first tooth - a cute little bottom one.

7. He turns six months tomorrow.

Poor Baby...

2009-11-17T15:08:00.002-05:00

G had his 4-month doctor's visit yesterday. He looks great, and the doctor couldn't hear the heart murmur he had at his 1-month visit so that's wonderful.

What's not so wonderful is the bad timing of the visit in relation to when he wanted to nap, and then the oral vaccine & two shots he received. He was soooooo tired that he was crying when the doctor was just listening to his heart & lungs; he wanted to be left alone to sleep! Then when he got that stuff squirted into his mouth the tears really flowed. All topped off by two shots in his thigh. He was such a sad baby after that. I nursed him for a bit in the room to get him settled down, then he fell asleep in his car set on the drive home, and slept in that for another hour (usually even if he's fallen asleep in the car seat, he wakes up as soon as we stop moving).

He was restless all day yesterday, and fairly cranky and tired. He also had a ROUGH night (which means I had a rough night too.) He's napping well today, but I'm trying to decide if I should think about discouring him from napping too much in hopes of a better night's sleep for both of us tonight.

Fortunately we won't have to do that again until January.

Weekend Recap

2009-11-15T22:17:00.005-05:00

I washed a mountain of laundry this weekend.
I have not yet folded or put away said mountain. It currently resides on the futon in the family room.
I got to the library BY MYSELF. As in, sans child, which meant that I got to drive my car since there was no need for the car seat. I'd forgotten how much fun my car is to drive.
G has his four-month well-baby doctor's visit tomorrow. I've been dreading it because the poor guy gets shots. Based on how he cries, I'd say that the shots are much harder on his momma than on him.
~~Not such a good sports weekend. Can I pretend it didn't happen?~~ I wrote too soon! All was redeemed by the amazing finish last night. Which I didn't manage to see thanks to going to bed so early, but the highlights sure were nice. :)
I made some AWESOME coconut bread. Unfortunately L also thinks it's awesome and he keeps eating it! I thought it would be all mine, but instead I'm having to share. Drat.
I also made some rice pudding that is not even close to awesome. Unfortunately this one is all mine.
I cut my finger on the inside of a can while opening it. Now I keep catching it on everything and realizing what an obnoxious spot it's in. Typing isn't easy with it either.
I think I've postponed enough. Time for me to get to bed.

I Am Such a Dork

2009-11-13T16:52:00.003-05:00

I just ordered some stuff for myself from one of my favorite stores. Seriously, it's kind of ridiculous how excited I get about ordering from them. I've always got a wish list of items I'd like, and every so often (usually when they've got free shipping offered) I put in an order. And now I just have to wait for my stuff to arrive!

What I'm most excited about this time is some bread pans. I've been using incorrectly sized pans for years, and I finally decided to get the 8 inch pans instead of continuing to use 9 inch pans. I hope to see improved results now!

I've also got a dough whisk coming, and I'm hoping it's as wonderful as it sounds. Assorted other goodies rounds out my order.

So yes, I think my enthusiasm for this officially makes me a dork. But that's ok, I'll admit to it.

Change of Plans

2009-11-11T09:56:00.003-05:00

Due to a sick child (not my own, fortunately) today's visit by L's aunt and grandmother has been canceled.

I feel like my day has just opened up tremendously.

L wants to go to Chili's for lunch. I'd hate to disappoint him, so I suppose he'll just have to drag us along. ;)

I'm sure that will mean he won't be up for lasagna for dinner. I'm beginning to think that this lasagna is destined to not ever happen. Although I guess if I have the energy to make it, I could then just stash it in the fridge to bake tomorrow. That would probaby work pretty well, just depending on if I can get to it today. Because despite it being a holiday, L will be working.

Dinnertime Scramble

2009-11-10T18:15:00.003-05:00

I've got potato cheese soup cooking for dinner, but it's not looking or tasting right, so I'm not sure if we'll be eating it or scrambling for something else instead.

It's been a rough stretch recently for dinners - unsuccessful new recipes and uninspired meals scrounged up when I haven't had a plan at all.

Lasagna would have been good, I'm pretty sure anyway, I just never managed to fix it because the baby wasn't letting me put him down long enough to make it. I'm hoping to try tomorrow since L has the day off and should be able to wrangle his son.

The only reason I'm not sure it will happen is because L's grandmother and aunt are both coming over to see the baby and may make it so I can't get to the lasagna. You'd think it'd be easier with them around (and it should), but I'll probably have to visit with them. (These crazy extraverts who otherwise get their feelings hurt if I'm trying to hide in the kitchen.)

I'll guess I'll just see what happens...

Turning into a Stereotype

2009-11-09T16:29:00.003-05:00

G and I had quite the outing today. I took him in to my old workplace to show him off. He was so good throughout his time being handed from one person to the next. Then we went to lunch together - he fell asleep during the drive so I went through the drive-thru and then ate my sandwich in the truck so I wouldn't disturb him by moving him. After I finished I went to Trader Joe's and read in the parking lot until he woke up (I was trying to avoid him having too short of a nap leading to extreme crankiness later in the day.) We made a semi-quick trip through the store once he was awake, then it was back home.

He's fallen asleep again now, I think all the excitement did wear him out. And I need to see about getting some more accomplished with my day. Like perhaps paying bills and laundry and wonderful things like that.

So Successful

2009-11-08T12:41:00.002-05:00

At this blogging every day thing I mean. I lasted less than a week. Gah.

So it's Sunday and that means FOOTBALL. In addition to watching the Colts play, I plan to make lasagna and tollhouse pie. Yummm. We'll see how that goes because the baby does not always cooperate with my plans. He's snoozing now, which gives me the chance to get a post up and then get myself some lunch.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-05T13:57:00.002-05:00

It's only three weeks away. I repeat, it's only. three. weeks. away.

How is this possible?

I'm kind of freaking myself out with thoughts of what I'd like to accomplish before the end of the year. I think I need to rein myself in a bit, even if I'd like to go for it all. (sound familiar?)

I should probably start with a list of absolute, must do's, then expand from there into would like to do's.

New Door!

2009-11-04T15:28:00.002-05:00

Our new garage door is in and looks great! We've got a new motor, keypad, trim etc. Much better than the old one with the huge crack and large hole in it, as well as a motor that needed lots of encouragement when the temperatures dipped. It should make it much warmer too this winter - the new door has significantly more insulation than the old one (something like a 10 versus a 3 I think it was).

Happily, they even had one available in a good color that coordinates with the house already and doesn't seem to need to be painted. I say "seem to" because it might be a little too glossy and end up looking odd, but it'll make it through the winter and in the spring we'll reevaluate it and may paint it if it'll look better with a flatter finish.

Baby Stuff

2009-11-03T21:11:00.003-05:00

How do I balance enjoying the baby & all of that with also documenting/preserving memories? I thought of a story about him today that I should blog. Of course right at that moment I was in the midst of feeding him, so I couldn't write it down. Now, I have no idea what it was.

I don't want to forget his babyhood, but I also want to enjoy it while it's happening and not ignore him to write things down or photograph him etc.

Things I Haven't Been Doing Lately

2009-11-02T15:26:00.003-05:00

Posting the books I've read. I've read them, just haven't updated my widget or posted the monthly lists.
The exercises my physical therapist gave me. And my back and wrist are letting me know I've been neglecting them.
Sending those last few thank you notes. They're not really that late; I got a couple of gift cards in the mail in the last month, so it's not like they're from before G was born. But still, I need to get them written.
Walking with G. The weather is beautiful right now, but it seems like I only think about it when he's sleeping or about to go to sleep. Such as right now, he's napping but I'm ready to go.
Driving my car. Our garage door is broken, and the car is trapped behind the non-working door. At least the truck was outside when the door broke so we can use it.
Stopping by my former place of employment to show off the baby. This I blame on L who has had doctor's appointments every morning since our return due to his back. He's got the truck, so I can't go anywhere, and by the time he gets back it's been too late for me to leave. However! We're getting our garage door replaced on Wednesday so we will now be able to get the car out of the garage so we can both go to different places at the same time. Amazing how that will work.
Returning a few phone calls. No good reason other than by the time they'd be home from work, I'm tired and not up for talking, and they're going to want more than a five-minute conversation. I think I need to try and reach them on a weekend.

The above may make me seem like a huge slacker. Not true, I've been busy and have gotten lots of other stuff done, some items even that had been waiting awhile. I just still have more before I feel caught-up from, oh, last fall.

NaBlPoMo, Again

2009-11-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

I did it in 2007 (more or less, but the effort was there). So I'm trying again.

And this counts as a post, as far as I'm concerned. I spent the day baking and cooking and cleaning. Oh, and taking care of a almost-four-month-old. Now it's late & my bed is calling me...

Time Management

2009-10-27T21:14:00.002-04:00

During a discussion at lunch today, I came to a sad realization. I can't do it all. Earth-shattering, I know.

I want to be able to do more. But it really hit me this afternoon that no matter how much I want it, I can't manage to do everything I'd like. I'm not sure why I'm having such a hard time accepting this, but there you have it.

Outside of the "have-to's" that I'd be happy not doing (house cleaning, grocery shopping, bill paying, etc.) there are four big areas where I choose to spend my time: pleasure reading, baking, blogging, and watching tv. I can do two of them easily. I can generally manage three of them when things aren't completely crazy on the home front (say, with a new baby or a husband disabled by a bad back and unable to do ANYTHING. It's been exhausting.) All four just doesn't happen.

My preference would be to drop tv. Other than Colts games and Top Chef I could skip it all and not miss it. But L really prefers me to watch some with him in the evenings, and so I do. This month it's pretty obviously been blogging that's been ignored. Actually, it's been baking too but that's due to L's injury requiring so much more time from me.

I'm debating how to handle it. So far I'm leaning towards lumping reading & blogging and alternating them; one day I do one and then next day the other. Or more likely, two days reading, one day blogging. That should hopefully keep my reading needs satisfied and still keep me writing (because I don't want to stop).

What I really need to do is stop the aimless internet surfing which I find myself doing at times. Why do I do that?

September Baking

2009-09-30T21:09:00.000-04:00

I almost made it 30-for-30, but one Monday tripped me up. G was cluster-feeding and I didn't manage to get semi-prepared during his one real nap of the day and then by the time I did have time it was 9:30 and I just was too tired to do anything. Sigh. I was surprisingly disappointed that I couldn't make it to a perfect string.

But, here's what I learned in my month of baking:

It's easiest if I prep for whatever it is I'm going to bake as soon as I can. What I mean is measuring everything and having it ready to go, so that if need be I can dump ingredients into a mixing bowl with one hand while the other holds the baby.
Bread is not that scary. And it is sooooo goooood it's worth the effort.
Apparently I do not ever get tired of chocolate.
Tyler Florence has a killer coconut bread recipe.
Everything I've ever tried by Dorie Greenspan is killer.
Pie crust is also not that scary. But it is impossible to roll while holding a baby or even wearing him, so plan accordingly.
I counted baking from a mix twice. Because my point in this month was mostly to clear out my backlog of new recipes, but also to clear out my baking cabinet of odds-and-ends, which included some mixes.
I love love LOVE trying new recipes. I thought I'd get annoyed by it or something, but nope, never did. In fact it inspired me to continue with it even more. Details to follow.
I need to trust my instincts, because I had a recipe that was a complete disaster and I thought it seemed weird when I was preparing it. I should have followed my gut.
L never questioned what I was doing with all the baking, or what was going on. He just enjoyed it.

I Love This Time of Year

2009-09-28T10:58:00.002-04:00

And by "this time of year," I mean, of course, football season. (Something tells me Jennifer knew what I meant).

I watched a ridiculous amount of football both Saturday and Sunday. I completely enjoyed some of the games (see: USF on Saturday, and the Colts on Sunday), and was very disappointed in others (see: IU on Saturday, and the Steelers, Dolphins, and Falcons on Sunday).

What I am NOT crazy about is the late start for Sunday (and Monday) night games for those of us in the Eastern time zone. I fell asleep before the end of the Colts game yesterday. So what if the game was all but over, I still couldn't manage to stay awake to actually see it end. Tonight I don't even know if I'll make it to halftime of the game. This is when I miss living in the Mountain or Pacific time zones. I could watch games until the end! And not regret it the next day even!

I forgot to put G in his Colts outfit yesterday. He's got an aunt who is a RABID Colts fan so she made sure he would be appropriately attired for the season. That and she wanted to preempt him from possibly having his first sports clothing be for any other team.

Baby Updates

2009-09-19T12:58:00.007-04:00

G had his 2 month appointment this week. Two months! I know, every mom says it, but still. It seems impossible that it's been two months already. And I still haven't managed to write up his birth story.

The big news from his appointment was his stats - 26 inches long and 14 pounds 5 ounces. Let me repeat that: FOURTEEN POUNDS, FIVE OUNCES. a.k.a. a whole lotta baby.

And let's not overlook that length; it's 99th percentile and 4 inches more than his birth length. No wonder I feel like he eats a lot.

Everything looks good with him other than his moderate-to-severe case of cradle cap. He's quite scaly, and the doctor suggested using dandruff shampoo twice a week. If only I'd remembered to buy some at the store...

Not so good news is his bottle strike. It began with just him needing lots of encouragement to take a bottle. Then it was refusing a bottle now & then. Then always refusing the bottle. And now it doesn't matter what's in the bottle; he reacts as if we're torturing him by offering it.

This does not bode well for me ever leaving the boy.

He's still super cute though!

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-09-13T09:45:00.007-04:00

Sunday - leftovers

Monday - baked gnocchi

Tuesday - black bean quesadillas

Wednesday - baked mushroom risotto with steak

Thursday - linguine with butter and pecorino

Friday - minestrone soup and homemade bread

Saturday - pizza

August Books

2009-09-08T13:22:00.000-04:00

Robin Elise Weiss - 150 Tips and Tricks for New Moms: From Those Frantic First Days to Baby’s First Birthday: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Your New Addition

Charlaine Harris - Shakespeare’s Trollop

Alan Gordon – The Lark’s Lament

Elizabeth George - A Mom After God’s Own Heart: 10 Ways To Love Your Children

Nevada Barr - Borderline

Elizabeth M. Ward - Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, & After Pregnancy

George Barna - Finding a Church You Can Call Home: The Complete Guide to Making One of the Most Signifi-cant Decisions of Your Life

Laura Hunter and Jennifer Walker - The Moms on Call Guide to Basic Baby Care: The First 6 Months

Beverly Connor - One Grave Too Many

Jan Burke - Nine

Sue Grafton - T is for Trespass

Erin Hart - Lake of Sorrows

Gladys M. Hunt - Honey for a Child's Heart: The Imaginative Use of Books in Family Life

Royal College of Midwives - Successful Breastfeeding

La Reine Chabut - Lose That Baby Fat! Bouncing Back the First Year after Having a Baby

Rick Warren - Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God’s Word

Stephanie Barron - Jane and the Stillroom Maid

Conrad Allen - Murder on the Marmora

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-09-07T06:08:00.001-04:00

Sunday - Leftovers supplemented with fresh corn on the cob.

Monday - Mexican rice skillet.

Tuesday - Penne with beef & arugula.

Wednesday - Lentil sloppy joes.

Thursday - Homemade PIZZA in honor of the NFL season starting.

Friday - Clean out the fridge!

September Goals

2009-09-06T12:33:00.007-04:00

For no other reasons then I think it's time for me to start accomplishing more than just surviving day to day, I'm setting some goals for myself for the month:

Read the Bible everyday. I'm out of the habit since having the baby, and need to get back into it.
Bake something new every day. So far I'm 5-for-5, and have a variety of recipes picked out that require varying amounts of energy so I can tailor them to my day. Update: I'm 12-for-12!
Blog twice a week at minimum.
Meet people for lunch twice (one down!)
Take G in to work to show him off
~~Set up online portfolio with pictures of G to share with friends & family easily.~~
Submit receipts for FSA reimbursement.
~~Call the hospital about bill; think they've forgotten to credit me with some that was already paid.~~
Take recycling to bin & glass to store for deposit.
Buy some (3 or so) new tops that work for nursing. (Update: I've got 1. I'm going to have to order some online for the rest.)
Pay the hospital & doctor bills

Still Here

2009-09-03T19:50:00.003-04:00

I *hope* (no, really, I'm serious) to start blogging more regularly this month. And by regularly, I'm thinking twice a week. Last week I had a visitor (hi Susan!) and felt like my limited time with a functioning brain should be spent talking with her rather than writing here. She can attest to just how little time that is; I felt like most of the time I was saying how tired I am and how I couldn't wait to go to bed as soon as G would let me.

And speaking of G, he's doing well. He's generally very happy, as long as mama holds him. He's content to spend a little time with others, or in his bouncy seat, or gazing at his activity gym, but generally he tires of that after about 10 minutes or so and wants to go back to me. I've almost perfected internet surfing with one hand, because I've got a lot of time where he's dozing in my arms, and will wake up if I put him down, but is out of it enough where I can fritter my time away looking at blogs or recipe sites. If I could figure out how to write using only a mouse there would be a lot more posts here I can tell you.

G discovered his mobile a couple of weeks ago and that's a sure-fire way for me to get some time for me to run to the bathroom, or get a snack, and he's so enthralled in the motion that he doesn't care that I've left him. I'm trying not to overuse it lest it loses its effectiveness.

I'm hoping to get out of the house soon to go shopping - I fairly desperately need a few nursing tops; making do with my old shirts isn't working so well and if I hope to nurse in public I'll be better off with more than two shirts that allow it modestly. So far my desire for the shirts hasn't outweighed my reluctance to drag him with me to shops & squeeze into the dressing room as I try things on - just the logistics seem like more trouble than I'm wanting to handle right now. I could leave him with L and go out alone, but in the evenings after dinner I'm too tired to face it. Perhaps this weekend...

G still has some issues with his dad - he won't look at him (as in make eye contact or even look at his face in general), and often in the evenings he doesn't want to be held by him at all. He does better earlier in the day still fortunately, but I hope that the outgrows this evening thing soon. I just feel so bad for L!

Obviously...

2009-08-21T17:21:00.004-04:00

I'm not doing so well at regularly blogging right now. Can't imagine why.

Some of it is just that there isn't much going on in my life other than the obvious, taking care of G. And that isn't really very different day-to-day. Life at six weeks is about the same as it was at four weeks. I'm trying to get as much sleep as possible, and keep us fed and the house somewhat presentable. Beyond that... I've got nothing.

I am thinking about some bloggy changes. Not quitting the blog, just some changes...

I have lots of ideas of things I'd like to do, both online and in real life, but naptime is too short. And I have to remind myself that I've still been recovering from the c-section. At what point is that excuse too old to use anymore? Probably today, since I'm officially no longer "disabled" as far as work is concerned and I should have been back at work today. I still have another 6 weeks through FMLA, but if I couldn't take unpaid leave I'd have had to be back today.

Honestly, that seems completely crazy to me. In no way are either of us ready for me to be working full time again already. I am so grateful that I have the flexibility & didn't have to return so soon.

Six weeks. It's flown by. I'm sure the next six weeks will too.

I'm so blessed.

One Month

2009-08-13T16:20:00.002-04:00

G had his one month well baby visit yesterday. He's not gained as much weight as they would like, so I'm being encouraged to supplement with formula. I am discouraged about that.

G also has a small heart murmur which the doctor said is not uncommon, and with most kids it disappears by their first birthday, but still, I'd rather he not have one at all.

And, G has now decided that he hates his father and only wants me to hold him. I feel so bad for L and also would like to rest my arms and back at times.

I sound really negative with that, so let's focus on the positive. G is starting to smile, especially if you tickle his chin or cheek. It's absolutely enchanting.

He also is quite strong, and turns himself from one side to the other when we put him to sleep. I fully expect him to completely turn over in the not so distant future. He also tries to stand and is more successful at it than I'd expect from such a young baby.

His face is still a mess - too many hormones have him quite rashy. I hope that clears up soon so his pictures start looking better.

Nursing is absolutely one of his favorite things - and he seems to be quite the foodie in that he smacks his lips and nibbles at me as if he's proclaiming over an exquisite morsel or fine bottle of wine. And then he's had enough of that and he dive-bombs right in for his meal. It's one of the funniest sights! And sounds too, because he's very vocal about it - lots of coos and grunts and other noises.

I'm finding more time to read than I'd expected (what with all the nursing) but less time to write or do anything else that requires more than one hand. We're still not on any real routine, but I'm hoping that soon it will happen. I seem to be able to manage maybe 3 tasks in a day besides taking care of him. Typically that means dinner, a load of laundry and one other thing.

I'd hoped to make a dash to the library today during lunch, leaving G with his father, but G decided he wasn't interested in eating anywhere near a time that would allow that to happen. Maybe tomorrow, or else I'll be paying some late fees.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-08-11T16:13:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I did one of these...

For a healthy son!
For a healthy mamma. :)

Really, it seems like I should just leave it at that for this week lest anything else seem to detract from the magnitude of those two, especially considering how things ended up working out.

July Books

2009-08-07T15:37:00.000-04:00

I finished more than I would have expected in July but most of the credit for that goes to G being very very late & the bedrest I was on for the first week. Lots of nursing time doesn't hurt either; I've been able to read more than I would have thought while he's eating.

For anyone who wonders, it was the Polly Evans book I read during labor. I'd been holding off on reading it for ages, saving it for a special occasion. I suppose that qualifies.

Laura Lippman - Every Secret Thing

Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt - Couples Who Pray: The Most Intimate Act Between a Man and a Woman

Michael J. Collins - Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon

Margaret Frazer - The Apostate's Tale

Stephen Booth - One Last Breath

Stephanie Barron - A Flaw in the Blood

Earlene Fowler - Delectable Mountains

Polly Evans - Mad Dogs and an Englishwoman: Travels with Sled Dogs in Canada’s Frozen North

Ellie Mathews - The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir

Clay & Sally Clarkson - Educating the WholeHearted Child: A Handbook for Christian Home Education

Leo Babauta - The Power of less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential … in Business and in Life

Donald S. Whitney - Simplify Your Spiritual Life

Bryan Chapell - Praying Backwards: Transform Your Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus’ Name

Janet P. Penley with Diane Eble - MotherStyles: Using Personality Type to Discover Your Parenting Strengths

Elizabeth Pantley - The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

Kathleen Huggins - The Nursing Mother’s Companion

Holly Pierlot - A Mother’s Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul

Sally Clarkson - The Mom Walk: Keeping in Step with God’s Heart for Motherhood

Getting it Together

2009-08-03T19:10:00.006-04:00

So the baby is a little over 3 weeks old, and we've been home not quite 2 weeks. We've had both sets of grandparents visit, but they've all gone back to their homes now. We're on our own.

And so far it's ok. G is such a good baby - he doesn't cry that much. Tears are mostly reserved for times of extreme hunger. And ok, for him any hunger is extreme, but hey, he's a big boy & has to keep fueled. Tears also frequently accompany diaper changes because apparently those are EEEEEVVVVVVIIIIILLLLLL. The real fury is reserved for the most hated event of all - bath time! He SCREAMS in rage when I have the nerve to bathe him. Unsurprisingly, I bathe him as infrequently as possible because I hate doing something that gets him into such a temper. I'm hoping he'll grow to love bath time, or else there will be a lot of screaming in our future.

Breastfeeding is improving; I went almost a week without having to give him any formula supplement, and if it wasn't for our first outing over the weekend, and a lengthy doctor's appointment for me today, I think we'd still be continuing our formula-free streak. I just couldn't pump enough before my appointment, so I was pretty sure he'd be hungry before my return and my little bottle wouldn't last him. And I ended up giving him a bottle as we drove home from our outing; I don't think he'd gotten as much food as normal throughout the day as we were at the relative's house, and then our long drive home had him in a fit. Hopefully we'll get better at eating away from home soon. He still usually refuses to eat unless I'm using a shield so I hope to get him weaned off of that soon.

I managed to cook dinner tonight for the first time in a LONG time. I picked the menu carefully; it required no last minute work from me and was a very simple one to put together. The bonus was it was cheap, healthy and very tasty too! I love finding new recipes that are great. I'll share the recipe eventually.

Finally!

2009-07-20T12:30:00.004-04:00

Garrett was born on 7/9/09 (and I was hoping he'd be a 7/8/9 baby), following 43 hours of labor capped off by a c-section. He just wouldn't come out!

Once the doctor pulled him out the reason he wouldn't budge became obvious - our little guy wasn't so little! He was a very unexpected 10 pounds, 3.8 ounces. No, that's not a typo, he really was that big. Since L was 8 pounds 6 ounces, and I was 6 pounds 6 ounces, we're not sure what happened with G.

Unfortunately, G had inhaled some meconium, and we knew he'd have to be immediately suctioned out. What we hadn't known was just how much he'd inhaled, and the fact that he would end up with a collapsed lung and other breathing issues that sent him to the NICU. L got to accompany G to the NICU as they worked on him, but I wasn't able to see him for several hours, and even then we couldn't hold him until the next day. On the 10th I was able to hold him just long enough to shift him to be weighed, and then back into his oxygen tent.

Saturday (the 11th) he'd improved enough where he could come out of the oxygen tent, so we were both able to hold him. L gave him his first bath (helped by the nurse), and I started attempting to nurse.

We were finally able to bring G home on Tuesday, so he spent 5 days in the NICU. We're recuperating, and G is doing great. Nursing is ok; because he was supplemented with formula while I was unable to hold him (and obviously nurse), I'm still working to get my supply up to what he needs. It's been a bit of a struggle.

I'm also slowly recovering from the section. I'm gradually feeling able to accomplish a little more during the brief moments of time I have between feeding G and feeding myself. ;) I hope to be able to start posting semi-regularly again soonish.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers. We needed them.

The picture is of G in his NICU room, just before we left for home. His going home outfit choice was limited because he was so much bigger than we'd expected; those cute newborn outfits just wouldn't fit!

Induction Attempt, Take Two (a.k.a. we're off to the hospital)

2009-07-07T17:21:00.002-04:00

We're leaving in a few minutes for the hospital. Unfortunately I am not in labor so they're going to have to induce me. I was really hoping I'd start on my own.

I'll update when I can - can't wait to show off the little guy!

Prayers appreciated. Thanks!

Week Forty

2009-07-06T18:01:00.005-04:00

And this will hopefully be my last post before baby. Even though I'm currently into week forty-one, I think I'll just skip ahead to the birth post.

So! Week forty was filled with adventure and excitement. Or not. Actually it was filled with sitting on the couch, frequent visits to the bathroom, and two doctor's visits which entailed sitting in a chair (for much longer than the 20 minutes they always claimed it would be) while trying to keep the baby heart rate monitor registering his heart rate. Which meant that I had to hold the monitor down at the right angle, and occasionally chase the little guy as he moved enough to no longer be registering. But it was fun hearing his lovely heart beat.

Oh, and cervix checks each visit too because those are so much fun too. Especially when it ends up being no change at all. Woo-hoo! I'm 1 cm dilated and have been for over a week! I'll be at 10 cm before I know it!

I'm really not as cranky as that previous paragraph may make me sound. I just kind of wish I could have skipped several of those earlier cervix checks since it's not like anything is happening and they're not really comfortable if you know what I mean.

Besides the doctor's visits Monday and Thursday, I've basically been on the couch. When I'm not in bed that is, but that's only for sleeping because it's not as comfortable for me as the couch is.

May I just say how much I appreciate my laptop during this? It's been awesome, because daytime TV is dreadful. And I love being able to (usually) watch baseball games over the computer thanks to L's subscription (which is technically thanks to my parents, because that's been their birthday gift to L for I forget how many years it's been.)

I've had occasional contractions, but I'm certainly not in labor yet. I have not quite 24 more hours to start on my own before they'll begin induction proceedings, so I'm thinking this baby will have to be forced out.

We're due to show up at the hospital tomorrow at 6 PM. Depending on the state of my cervix they may do several more doses of gel, or they may go straight to pitocin, or they may break my water. I won't know until then. What I do know is that they won't let me go home this time without having delivered the baby.

So unless I get really inspired tomorrow, I probably won't post again until after he's arrived. I won't have my laptop in the hospital, but I may see if I can text an update via twitter or something.

Yeah, we're excited. :)

Update (but no real news)

2009-07-02T07:39:00.002-04:00

You'd think I'd have been posting a lot, considering that I've had nothing else to do but sit on the couch since last week. But I haven't been up for writing that nothing is going on, other than me sitting on the couch.

I've been home from the hospital since last Thursday. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday, and then another on Monday. I've got still another one at 9:00 today (we'll see if I get this posted before I need to get ready to leave for the appointment). In between appointments, I've been on the couch. Notice a theme here?

My blood pressure has been good; it was slightly high when I first got to the doctor's office Friday, but when they retested it after I'd been sitting/lying on the table it was fine. On Monday I got smart and made sure to arrive at the office early so that I'd have time to rest in the waiting room instead of going straight from the long walk from my car to having my bp tested. What do you know, it worked; my bp was 128/82 on Monday, my best showing in awhile.

The baby continues to test well on the non stress tests (NST). He's doing so well it's hard to get him to cooperate and stay in the same spot so the heart rate monitor can get a continuous reading. I'll have another one of those tests this morning. They're probably the easiest test of the whole pregnancy. Sit in a comfy chair with a monitor on my enormous belly and listen to my baby's heartbeat. I can handle that.

After the NST test I'll meet with my doctor again to see what she says. Assuming everything still looks good, I'll come home and get back on the couch.

We do have a firm deadline: if the kid hasn't made his appearance before then, I am to appear at the hospital at 6:00 PM Tuesday the 7th. I'll have another dose or two or three of the gel, then bright and early the next morning they'll start pitocin. One way or another he will be evicted, so he'd probably arrive on the 8th. I suppose if I was slow but steady it might not be until the early hours of the 9th, but most likely it'd be the 8th.

This assumes that he doesn't decide to show up on his own, which he is more than welcome to do. I mean, I don't have any other plans for the weekend, so come on son, let's get acquainted!

I don't think I mentioned that on Friday they did another ultrasound, to make sure there was enough fluid around the baby. There was, but what I enjoyed (besides just getting to see him again) was the fact that they could tell that he has hair! I had no idea that that would be visible on an ultrasound, but it could clearly be seen floating around. So amazing!

Also amazing to me is the fact that they estimated his weight at 8 pounds 8 ounces. I did not think he'd be that big. I keep reminding myself that it was just an estimate. An educated guess if you will. No guarantees. (Please hold back on any stories of babies who ended up being significantly larger than the estimates).

There really isn't much else to share. I'm just hanging out, wishing I could be getting stuff done (like cooking or baking; I want some good food!) and bemoaning the sad state of daytime and summer TV. I'm not even reading much because I can't seem to concentrate. Sad, isn't it?

June Books

2009-07-01T11:36:00.006-04:00

This should be the last month for a long, long time where I have finished so many books. I have a goal of reading 10 books in July, but we'll see if I'm wildly overestimating what I'll be able to accomplish with a newborn. The only reason I think it might be possible is because I've already finished one, and have a few others that are very close to being done.

Robin Lim - Eating for Two: Recipes for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

Donald S. Whitney - Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health

Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler - Your Pregnancy Week by Week

Steve Brown - Approaching God: Accepting the Invitation to Stand in the Presence of God

Nina Planck - Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods

Bill Hybels - Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith

Becky Tirabassi - Sacred Obsession: What You Chase After, You Become

David Lebovitz - The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

Chip Ingram - Effective Parenting in a Defective World: How to Raise Kids Who Stand Out from the Crowd

Eileen Behan - Eat Well, Lose Weight, While Breastfeeding: The Complete Nutrition Book for Nursing Mothers

Anthony DeStefano - Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To: Divine Answers to Life’s Difficult Problems

Hannah Keeley - Hannah Keeley’s Total Mom Makeover: The Six-Week Plan to Completely Transform Your Home, Health, Family, and Life

Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman - White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen

Janet Tamaro - So That’s What They’re For! The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide

Tedd & Margy Tripp - Instructing a Child's Heart

Sally Clarkson - The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child’s Heart for Eternity

Linda Dillow - A Deeper Kind of Calm: Steadfast Faith in the Midst of Adversity

Lori J. Davis and Sally Beacham - Picture Yourself Creating Digital Scrapbooks: Step-by-Step Instruction for Preserving Memories Using Your Computer

Janice Newell Bissex & Liz Weiss - The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time!

Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler - Your Pregnancy for the Father-to-Be: Everything Dads Need to Know about Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Getting Ready for a New Baby

Will Davis - Pray Big for Your Marriage: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Relationship

Linda Dillow - Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman’s Guide to Finding Contentment

Michael Ruhlman - Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking

R. C. Sproul - Knowing Scripture

Glade B. Curtis and Judith Schuler - Bouncing Back after Your Pregnancy: What You Need to Know about Recovering from Labor and Delivery and Caring for Your New Family

Henry Blackaby & Carrie Blackaby Webb - Prepared to be God’s Vessel: Lessons from the Life of Mary / How God Can Use an Obedient Life to Bless Others

Tedd Trip - Shepherding a Child’s Heart

Cheri Fuller - The Mom You’re Meant to Be: Loving Your Kids While Leaning on God

Nick Kelsh - How to Photograph Your Life: Capturing Everyday Moments with with Your Camera and Your Heart

Linda Dillow & Lorraine Pintus - Intimate Issues

Donald S. Whitney - Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Kerry Madden - Jessie's Mountain

Rhonda Barfield - Feed Your Family for $12 a Day: A Complete Guide to Nutritious, Delicious Meals for Less Money

Bill Hurter - Digital Portrait Photography 101: Learn to Take Better Pictures of Your Friends and Family!

Robyn O'Brien with Rachel Kranz - The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It

Nick Kelsh - How to Photograph Your Family: Getting Closer with Your Camera and Your Heart

Danielle Bean - Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice & Support for Catholic Living

John MacArthur - Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do with You

I'm Not Quite as Ready as They Thought

2009-06-25T17:02:00.006-04:00

The important summary details: I'm home, and the baby is not here yet. We're both doing well. Lots more details follow...

We arrived at the hospital last night and settled in for our evening induction. After getting settled with a hep lock /soon to be IV, and an hour of monitoring the baby's heartbeat, I received the first of two planned prostin gel insertions. That was lots of fun, but the bigger issue was being so tied down to machines - I had two monitors (baby's heartbeat and a contraction monitor), and the IV fluid line.

That was around 11:15, and then L and I tried to settle in and get some rest before my second gel insertion which was schedule for 4 hours later (i.e. 3:15). Unfortunately, between the straps and lines and beeping and the nurse coming in to adjust the monitors or turn of the IV alarm which kept going off, it made for a very rough night. L was about 5 feet away in the guest area of the suite but the privacy curtain didn't let him miss much of the commotion, so he didn't get a lot more sleep than I did. I think I managed about 1.5 or maybe 2 hours total, split up in 30 minute segments, and he *maybe* doubled that, also in broken up segments.

The second dose of prostin was as effective as the first, which is to say not at all. My cervix didn't budge, and no contractions started.

I expected the pitocin to be started around 7:30, but instead my nurse contacted the doctor and filled her in on the lack of progress. Because my blood pressure had been dropping all evening and was looking great, the doctor was willing to discuss sending me home on strict bed rest instead of continuing on with the induction since apparently this baby wasn't ready to budge.

I was *thrilled* to have that option. After the long night, I was exhausted and hungry and uncomfortable, and labor hadn't even started - I wondered how I'd manage and thought it was just setting up to really make a c-section more likely.

So finally after instructions and an appointment set up for tomorrow morning involving an ultrasound/blood work/blood pressue check/etc, I was sent home.

Where I took a shower and planned to update the blog but instead fell asleep on the couch and have only just woken up enough to write this update. :)

Tomorrow at 11:00 I've got that appointment, and we'll see. I hope that my blood pressure continues to look good enough and he looks good enough that they let me start labor naturally. It's just a real wait and see time.

Oh, and since I haven't said this clearly enough, the only other reason they allowed me to go home was because the baby looked GREAT. He was monitored for around 15 hours at the hospital, plus 2+ hours in triage yesterday afternoon and his heartbeat was always fantastic. I was the one in bad shape yesterday.

I'll try and update tomorrow after my appointment. If nothing else, I've been in text contact with Jennifer and she may be willing and able to put updates in the comments if & when things get started for real.

Thanks everyone for your well-wishes and prayers (and continued prayers.) :) Hope to have good news soon!

Updated to add the super fun chore I do have to do as part of my condition to coming home. Collecting all my urine for 24 hours so they can test it for protein to make sure my kidneys are functioning well. Yes, that's right, I'm collecting my pee. Pee into a "hat" that's set in the toilet, pour it into a measuring cup and record how much I peed and when, and the pour that into the collection jug which is kept in the fridge. Lovely. Fortunately the collection jug is dark so it's not quite as obvious what the jug in the fridge actually contains, but man this is weird. And I'm sure I'm going to love walking into the doctor's office with that jug tomorrow. What a fun prize for them!

Week Thirty-Nine a.k.a This Is It!

2009-06-24T18:16:00.003-04:00

Why yes, this post is early. Because it's all I'm going to say about week thirty-nine.

Regular doctor's visit. Uh-oh. High blood pressure. Off to triage at the hospital to monitor me. Several hours later, despite otherwise good labs & test results, the consistently high blood pressure readings are leading them to say this is it.

They gave me a hour or two to come home & get my stuff & then I'm back to the hospital TONIGHT to be induced.

Prayers for a good delivery with a healthy baby & mom would be very much appreciated.

I plan to bring my laptop to the hospital, so tweets might happen to update the situation, but I can't promise anything.

Week Thirty-Eight

2009-06-21T21:20:00.003-04:00

This week was mostly a repeat of last week. I'm still just waiting for him to arrive, and wrapping up household & work stuff until then.

We did get our changing table & it's in the room. I got a pad & cover (which is very cute!) and I've even got items in some of the drawers.

It hit me the other day that while we have enough diapers for probably the first two weeks, we had very few wipes, so on our next trip out we got a big tub. I know, you don't have to use them for every change, but still. I'd prefer not to have to make an emergency dash to the store (or send someone else on one) for something like that.

I also got a nursing bra and nursing cami, so I'm content with that until I see what size I end up being. And I got a boppy, but there's still a few things I'd like to get sooner rather than later.

Work is basically wrapped up, with me conceding that I'm just not going to manage to get everything accomplished I would have liked. Since I could not have this baby until 2011 without accomplishing everything at work, I'm content with that. I've only got two days left at work, and I'm only planning on working half days for both of them. A full day just tires me out way too much, so I'll deal with driving in twice. It's kind of a weird feeling knowing that I'm almost done there.

As of Wednesday, I still wasn't dilated at all, but I am about 50% effaced, so that is progress I guess.

We've got the guest room almost as ready as it will ever be, so I don't have to feel bad about the setup when my parents arrive. In a perfect world I'd get a little closet space cleared out for them, but that may not happen. They'll manage.

I've been reading as much as I possibly can, especially of books that either deal with childbirth/breastfeeding/child rearing that may be useful to know soonish, or Christian topics that may be harder for me to focus on after his arrival. Some of the books I'm realizing that I'm skimming too much, so I'm noting them as ones that I want to reread someday. And a couple I even want to purchase. I'll still never get through all the books I've got out from the library, so I'm sure many will be going back unread.

Almost forgot - I didn't truly pack my hospital bag this week, but I did gather most items I'll want and they're all on the top of my dresser, so L can easily scoop them into a bag if it's necessary. A few items are still elsewhere in the house, but they should all be reasonably findable by L if I go into labor too suddenly for me to get them myself (items such as my eyeglasses, iPod & charger, camera, and cell phone & charger.

Updated to add that I did forget to mention the stretch marks that have appeared from nowhere suddenly. And they ITCH. Bad enough that the doctor noticed and recommended hydrocortisone cream (which is not helping much). I'm doing my best not to scratch them, but I'll catch myself throughout the day, and I woke up one morning to discover that I'd apparently scratched them during the night enough to make them bleed. Yuck. It's really not pretty, and I'm glad that I've managed to avoid having L see the mess that is my lower belly. He doesn't need that image in his brain.

To Do before D-Day

2009-06-15T07:39:00.012-04:00

Wishful thinking perhaps, but here goes. Some are obviously more important/urgent than others:

Baby Related

Find a pediatrician
~~Pack bag for hospital (first, create a packing list so I don't forget anything important~~)
Send out thank you notes for all baby gifts (these are all done for everything we've received so far; I just know that we've been told there are some additional items on their way to us, so I can't let myself cross it off yet)
~~Charge batteries for cameras~~
Wash crib bedding & make up crib
~~Put together pack & play~~
Wash clothing & other items we'll use the first month or so
Figure out how to use breast pump
Get some pictures of me (?)

Still to Get

~~Changing table~~
~~Changing table pad & cover~~
~~Boppy & cover~~
Sling
~~Diaper bag~~
Cloth diapers
Diaper pail liner
Wet bag
Stroller
~~Nursing bras or camis or both~~
~~Waterproof pads (for crib or wherever)~~
~~Wipes~~

Maybe Get?

Car seat base for my car
Diaper sprayer
Valence or curtains
~~Car seat protector~~ - one of L's coworkers gave us one unexpectedly!
Swaddler
Play mat
~~Bassinet or co-sleeper~~ & sheets (I may have sheets that will fit already thanks to some hand-me-downs. Waiting to see if they work).
Travel swing
Diaper changer kit
Feeding seat

House Related

~~Call about switching futon order~~
~~Pay bills~~
Caught up on filing (in progress; have it mostly done)
~~Returns to JoAnn~~
~~Returns to Kohls~~
~~Returns to Meijer~~
Returns to WalMart
Mail Reiman return (find invoice first)
Mail package to France
~~Submit expenses for FSA reimbursement (sent off the physical therapy receipts but can't find the ob receipts. Must look harder. I blame the desk move.)~~
Donations to library (in progress; made one trip but have another one to do still)
~~Paper recycling to bin~~
~~Office closet organized (i.e. books & supplies stashed!)~~
~~Find Lowe's receipt for L to make return~~
~~Returns to Lowes (need L's help to carry it)~~
~~Clean out fridge~~
Clean out freezer (didn't get it 100%, but I made progress on it.)
~~Wash guest room sheets & make bed~~
~~Get guest room ready (i.e. move the rest of the baby stuff into the nursery) (in progress)~~
~~Mail credit card dispute statement~~
~~Buy CD storage things for L~~
~~Donations to Goodwill~~

More to be added as I think of it. And hopefully things will get crossed off soon!

Week Thirty-Seven

2009-06-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

Not a whole lot to report from this week, just that I'm feeling really big and awkward and alternate between wanting this baby out already to hoping he'll stay put for a while longer because we're really not ready for him.

I guess that's pretty typical.

We ordered a changing table this week after finally giving up on finding one on craigslist. Perhaps if I'd started looking sooner (like perhaps when I first found out?) but by the time I started looking there wasn't as much time to wait for something we liked to appear. At least we got something off clearance so it was cheaper than normal.

There is still a lot of stuff I need (want) to buy before the baby arrives. Like a stroller. And a wrap or sling. And a changing table pad. And maybe a bassinet even? And some cloth diapers. And a diaper bag. And a waterproof pad for the crib/bassinet. And at least one nursing bra. And a boppy. And a diaper pail.

I'm working on my list of things to do before the baby arrives. Ha! There's no way it'll all get done. Perhaps I should post it so everyone can laugh at me.

He's been fairly quiet today, just occasional thumps and bumps, but still enough so that I know he's in there & moving around.

At my last doctor's appointment I found out that I'm still not dilated at all so there was really no change from the week before. But I did find out that I tested negative for group b beta strep, so that's good news.

I keep thinking I should get some pictures of myself. Susan, I really wish you were around to take my picture. :( L is horrid when it comes to photographing me. I could have had his sister take a few while she was here if I'd thought about it.

Week Thirty-Six

2009-06-07T22:15:00.002-04:00

Last of the classes this week with a long one on breastfeeding. I think the most useful part of all of the classes was that L got a lot of info he wouldn't otherwise, and it wasn't just me telling him stuff. The breastfeeding info was pretty much all things I'd read, but L hearing it and learning specifics on what he can do to help me (and why it's such a beneficial thing to do that it's worth the effort) was fantastic.

We met with our doula as well for almost an hour and a half, and she asked me a slew of questions about my goals for having this baby (me: #1 healthy baby & healthy mama. #2 breastfeeding not hindered by anything that could be prevented). I really liked her and am glad I decided to go with a doula & hope that it helps make for a better birth experience.

The big event this week was that the shower with L's family was Saturday (hence the delayed posting). I was about 99% certain that his sister from Las Vegas was going to be there because of some things she'd posted on FaceBook, but what I had NOT known was that she was going to show up at our house with her two kids on Wednesday evening. Shortly afterward I found out that someone else was going to be arriving at midnight & L would be making a run to the airport to pick her up (I was guessing it would be the other sister from Phoenix, but wasn't certain).

I may have never blogged this, but I HATE HATE HATE surprises. I am a planner. I like knowing what's going on.

The above + pregnancy hormones + generally feeling lousy = me in a horrifically bad mood. I knew I was overreacting. I knew they all meant well & all that but I was beyond ticked that L hadn't told me (I know I've told him that I hate surprises). I felt like he was favoring his family over me (ridiculous, I know, but I think the whacked out hormones were not helping me be rational). I was so upset I couldn't even talk to him about it that evening since I was afraid I'd start shrieking or crying and that was not something I wanted to do with 3 visitors in the house. Even him telling me that they were staying at a hotel wasn't appeasing me; I had had my routines disrupted, the house was a wreck & I was embarrassed for it to be seen, and d*mmit, I HATE SURPRISES.

Deep breath.

Lots of prayers that evening/night and next morning, for God to help me get a handle on my out-of-control emotional reaction to something that really wasn't anything as big as I was feeling it to be. And they'd all meant well, just most of them were thinking about what they'd like.

The next day, despite still feeling pretty awful, I was almost delighted to head out for work. I just wished I could have been home alone and rested. That evening I eventually managed to talk to L & explain my feelings & admitted that I knew I was overreacting, but that I was really hurt by having the visitors sprung on me. He quickly apologized and then admitted that two more were arriving the next day - my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were also coming in from Arizona.

I think my prayers worked, along with talking it out with L (that and finally feeling better too) because by Friday afternoon when the final two arrived I was able to enjoy the visitors and not try to fake pleasure at seeing them like I had been doing.

The shower itself was a blast.

And I think L knows, for future reference, that it really doesn't matter if everyone else thinks that a surprise for me would be So! Much! Fun! because it really won't be for me. And if the point of the event is to do something nice for me, a surprise is the last way to go about it.

In other news, the nursery is progressing. And at my 36-week appointment I learned that the baby is definitely head down (yay!), and I'm not dilated at all, but my cervix is "nice and soft." We are getting close!

May Books

2009-06-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

Tracy Klehn - Prayer Starters for Busy Moms: How to Pray All Day and Still Put the Laundry Away

Chip Ingram - The Invisible War: What Every Believer Needs to Know about Satan, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare

Kerry Madden - Louisiana's Song

Nick Kelsh - How to Photograph Your Baby: Getting Closer with Your Camera and Your Heart

Nancy Leigh DeMoss - Lies Women Believe: And the Truth That Sets Them Free

Kerry Madden - Gentle's Holler

The 100 Most Important Bible Verses for Mothers

Don Piper with Cecil Murphey - 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life

Richard Stearns - The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer That Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World

Jan Burke - Bloodlines

Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice - For Parents Only: Getting Inside the Head of Your Kid

Sheila Walsh - Get Off Your Knees & Pray: A Woman’s Guide to Life-Changing Prayer

Laura A. Jana and Jennifer Shu - Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality

Ann Kroeker - The Contemplative Mom: Restoring Rich Relationship with God in the Midst of Motherhood

Mark Littleton - The Ten-Second Prayer Principle: Praying Powerfully As You Go

Diana M. Raab - Regina’s Closet: Finding My Grandmother’s Secret Journal

Don Everts and Doug Schaupp - I Once Was Lost: What Postmodern Skeptics Taught Us About Their Path to Jesus

Mark Bittman - Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating

Ginger Plowman - “Don’t Make Me Count to Three!” A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline

Victoria McKernan - The Devil’s Paintbox

Penny Shore - How Your Baby & Child Learns: Give Your Baby & Child the Best Start

Rennie Airth - The Blood-Dimmed Tide

Kelli B. Trujillo - The Busy Mom’s Guide to Spiritual Survival

Cheri Fuller - When Mothers Pray: The Greatest Influence in a Child’s Life (I think it's now out in a newer edition with a different subtitle)

Penny Simkin - The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and all Other Labor Companions

Ellen Banks Elwell - The Christian Mom’s Idea Book: Hundreds of Ideas, Tips, and Activities to Help You Be a Great Mom

Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw - Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and Not Be Overwhelmed

Natalie Bovis Nelson - Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be

Dr. Deborah Newman - Loving Your Body: Embracing Your True Beauty in Christ

Michael Ruhlman - The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchen

Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn - For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women

Bill Dallas - Lessons from San Quentin: Everything I Needed to Know about Life I Learned in Prison

Shaunti Feldhahn - For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men

Shannon Ethridge - Completely His: Loving Jesus Without Limits

Stephen Booth - Blind to the Bones

Memory Verse

2009-05-31T21:59:00.000-04:00

1 John 4:4, English Standard Version

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Week Thirty-Five

2009-05-29T21:51:00.002-04:00

We wrapped up our childbirth prep class series this week. The final session was on postpartum and newborn care. I continued to be impressed at how interesting the instructor made some topics that could have been pretty unpleasant.

We also had a class on natural labor at the beginning of the week, and it also ended up being a terrific class. This one was taught by a woman who is usually a labor & delivery nurse at the hospital, but she LOVES natural labor and teaches a class on it once a month. Her enthusiasm and support for it was fantastic and really made us (i.e., me) think I can do it. Or at least give it a very good shot. :)

I've spoken on the phone with the woman who will most likely be my doula. The way our hospital works is they have doulas, and after I answered questions on my personality & what I wanted & the type of person I thought I'd most be comfortable with, the coordinator matched me with one of the available doulas. We'll meet next week in person to get to know one another & make sure we both think the match will work. She seemed very nice on the phone, so I've got good hopes for it. :)

My belly button is slowly but surely turning into an outie. I'll be honest, it kind of disturbs me. I have no idea why this aspect of pregnancy gets to me so much, but it does. I try to pretend it's not happening.

We hope to get a lot of work done around the house this week so that we feel more prepared for the baby's arrival. I've had a contraction every 3 - 4 hours today so I realize that the end is definitely approaching. And if you're wondering, by "we" I really mean that L will be doing a lot while I do what I can and take lots of breaks on the couch. I don't want to encourage this baby to arrive early!

Memory Verse

2009-05-24T18:25:00.000-04:00

Romans 11:33, English Standard Version

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Week Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three & Thirty-Four

2009-05-22T19:23:00.001-04:00

I'm feeling huge. Which scares me a bit because I am so not huge and still have a ways to go.

Physical therapy has made a huge difference for my back, and the doctor has even prescribed massage therapy for me to help my back even more. I am definitely not complaining about that!

The baby is still nicely head-down, and I hope he stays that way. His bottom is pushing against my belly kind of below my sternum if that makes sense. He moves enough now that my whole belly sometimes shifts & bulges, which is just weird.

I can tell he's getting bigger because he's crowding out my lungs - I'm having a terrible time breathing and the doctor says it may get worse before it improves. I definitely understand now why women are so relieved when the baby drops, and it's not just because it's a sign that there isn't much longer until the baby arrives.

My energy level is basically nonexistant (hence the very very sporadic blogging). If I go to work, I am just about worthless once I get home. Weekends when I'm not at work I've been trying to use my limited energy to get work done around the house.

Speaking of work around the house, my desk has finally been moved out of what will be the nursery, so this coming weekend we hope to get the crib set up. There's a love seat in there that will have to go downstairs, but L has to find some help with that since I can't. Then there's a rocker/recliner downstairs that needs to come upstairs to go into the baby's room that would also probably be easier if he has help too.

I signed up for doula services at the hospital. The way their program works is they will match me with an available doula, we'll have a meeting with her to make sure we get along, and assuming we do, that's who we'll stay in touch with until we call her to say I'm in labor. The program coordinator asked me a slew of questions to get an idea of what I'm like and which doula will probably be the best fit. I'm waiting for a call back from the coordinator with the meeting date & time.

L & I are halfway through our classes - we're taking a series of 4 childbirth prep and basic baby care courses, then a course on natural labor & one on breastfeeding. All we've done so far are the first three of the series, but we'll have the final three in 7 days - Tuesday the 26th (natural labor), Thursday the 28th (#4 of the series - on basic baby care), and Monday the 1st (breastfeeding). So far the classes have been great - the instructor has been fantastic. We'll have different instructors for the Tuesday & Monday classes, and I hope we get as good of an instructor in those two. So far we've covered labor, relaxation & comfort measures, and the medical side of childbirth (drugs & c-sections basically). And a tour of the maternity ward & a view of the rooms which are AMAZING. I'll have the same room for my entire stay - labor, delivery & recovery. They're very very nice & I've heard the setup at the other hospital we almost went to are nowhere near as good so I'm glad we went where we did.

We had another shower this past weekend - L's coworkers & friends. It was a couples shower & it ended up being a lot of fun. The hosts had a baseball them for it and I was very impressed with how they carried the theme through the entire event. The invitations were super cute and so was the "concession" stand with all the food. Now I'm just trying to get up the energy to write the thank you notes. Maybe I can convince L that he should write some too (or instead) since they're from his friends & coworkers...

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-05-19T20:25:00.004-04:00

Is it tacky to say that on my own blog? Despite the risk, I'm going to do it.

Because yeah, it is. And it's been a nice one. It included this, so how could it not be? And that was after a steak dinner and receiving some beautiful flowers, so it's definitely been nice. And there were cupcakes at work!

Real blog entries coming again soon. I have been sooooooo tired lately that I come home & just collapse. Twittering even has been beyond me. I should start drafting entries during lunch because then I might actually get something posted.

(And Jennifer, hope this counts as enough of a post to knock the cake picture off the top of your screen. Sorry for tormenting you with it for so long!)

Cake From My Baby Shower!

2009-05-07T15:26:00.005-04:00

Why yes, that is a smoking baby cake topper. And yes, it really smokes. Which is just so inappropriate it is wonderfully hilarious. Thanks Jennifer for coordinating the great party & for contributing your smoking baby to temporarily top the cake! And if anyone is insanely jealous and needs a smoking baby of their own - they're still available.

Sadly my beautiful necklace of red hot chili peppers is mostly hidden by the cake. I was going with the Tex-Mex fiesta theme. If they'd found a fiesta tiara at the party store I'm sure they would have had me in that instead of just the necklace.

Most importantly, the cake was delicious. Rich and chocolately and all together decadent.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-05-05T07:40:00.003-04:00

I won a giveaway from Carrie! I'm quite excited about receiving the book. I do have a thing about books.
L is finally feeling better after the terrible cold he caught while we were on vacation. At first we joked that he had the flu that's making headlines, but after every other person who found out he was sick asked us if he had it, the joke got stale. No, just a cold.
Dinner last night was delicious, and since the last couple of new recipes I've tried have been busts of varying degree, I was glad to find one we both liked. That it's cheap, easy, and healthy make it even better!
I think a family situation that was looking like it could become an issue (sorry to be so vague, but just in case family were to stumble across the blog) is resolving itself nicely without me having to upset anyone when I put my foot down. Which I was going to have to do. Although prayers that work scheduling difficulties would completely remove this from even being a possibility would still be appreciated. Then work becomes the bad guy and not me. :)

Week Thirty-One

2009-05-02T22:06:00.003-04:00

LOTS of comments this week from people finally realizing I'm pregnant. I think I've popped quite a bit over the past week or two. I do have a couple of picture that I may post if/when I get them cropped/blurred so I'm comfortable posting them.

No dizzy spells this week (unlike last), so either my emphasis on protein is helping or it was something else entirely that is no longer happening.

I'd say that maybe the nosebleeds have gotten better but I don't want to jinx myself again. The heartburn is definitely not better at all. Anything and everything seems to bring it on.

The physical therapy appointments do seem to be helping my back so that's a good thing. I've got two more appointments for each of the next two weeks and then he reevaluates me and sees if I need to continue seeing him, and if so, how frequently.

The baby either loves or hates me rocking. The chair that I sit in downstairs when I watch TV is a rocker/recliner, and I've noticed that if I rock in it, he starts kicking up a storm. It's kind of fun to get him going. :)

Friday was my shower at work. It was AWESOME. Great food and just a lot of fun. And some super-cute gifts! If I get really motivated I might post some pictures of some of the items we received. It just makes me that much more excited about him arriving so I can dress him in some of the adorable outfits.

I do seem to be slowing down again as far as my stamina - I thought perhaps I'd get some more energy back after resting up from our vacation, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I get super tired at night and when I need to go to bed, I need to go immediately. I'm also hitting a wall in the afternoon where I'm wondering if I should be trying for a brief nap or at least a lie-down.

April Books

2009-04-30T23:21:00.000-04:00

Kami Gray - The Denim Diet: 16 Simple Habits To Get You Into Your Dream Pair of Jeans

Michael Ruhlman - The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection

Beth Moore - Get Out of that Pit: Straight Talk about God’s Deliverance

Regina Leeds - The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Decluttering

Lennard Bickel - Mawson's Will: The Greatest Polar Survival Story Ever Written

Cindy Glovinsky - Making Peace with the Things in Your Life

Lisa Whelchel - Taking Care of the Me in Mommy: Realistic Tips for Becoming a Better Mom - Spirit, Body & Soul

Michael Ruhlman - The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America

Val Frankel - Thin is the New Happy: A Memoir

Jan Burke - Flight

I. J. Parker - The Dragon Scroll

Peter Robinson - Friend of the Devil

Peter Tremayne - Absolution by Murder

Rennie Airth - River of Darkness

Jennifer Block - Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care

Robert Jordan - Knife of Dreams

Peter Heller - Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River

Jan Wong - A Comrade Lost and Found: A Beijing Story

Regina Leeds - One Year to an Organized Work Life: From Your Desks to Your Deadlines, the Week-by-Week Guide to Eliminating Office Stress for Good

Laura Lippman - Baltimore Blues

Richard J. Foster - Life with God: Reading the Bible for Spiritual Transformation

Judith S. Beck - The Complete Beck Diet for Life: The 5-Stage Program for Permanent Weight Loss

Patricia Reilly Giff - Willow Run

Jim Fay & Charles Fay - Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years

Robert Jordan - Crossroads of Twilight

Marq De Villiers and Sheila Hirtle - Sable Island: The Strange Origins and Curious History of a Dune Adrift in the Atlantic

Thelma A. Meyer - Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home: No-Nonsense Advice That Will Inspire You to Clean Like the Dickens

Jan Burke - Bones

Memory Verse

2009-04-26T22:48:00.000-04:00

Matthew 4:19, English Standard Version

And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Week Twenty-Nine & Thirty

2009-04-24T17:08:00.000-04:00

Combining into one post since I was out of town last week & didn't get to post anything.

We had a huge 8-day road trip over these weeks and I discovered that my stamina is definitely not what it usually is. I would CRASH in the evening and fall asleep very quickly. That actually was kind of nice; usually I have trouble falling asleep but most nights I was lucky if I could make it past 10:00.

I tried to be very careful and not overdo it, but a couple of the days I could tell that I probably had. By the time I'd get to the hotel room in the evening I was having lots of pain & even some contractions. Resting on the bed & drinking lots of water seemed to be all I needed however.

I must be looking significantly more pregnant now too, because I had lots of comments during the trip. I'm not quite used to it! And it felt weird being offered some special privileges on one of our tours but by the end of the tour I was glad I'd said yes. I climbed up the 54 stairs at the first tour stop, but took the elevator down and used the elevator on the other stop. There were only a few of us allowed to use the elevator, but I'm glad I could (and I probably shouldn't have climbed them the first time; it wore me out and I had a heck of a time catching my breath!)

It was also somewhat strange to do so much less than normal when it came to loading & unloading the truck when we left & when we'd stop for each day/start up again in the morning. L has a really bad back so usually I try to not leave him with too much stuff, but this time he did most of it. And yes, when we road trip it we don't travel especially light. We each bring a pillow (makes it so much nicer when I have my favorite pillow), I always have a sack full of books to read, he's got his laptop, etc. etc. etc.

One thing I noticed and was slightly concerned about was that I had a number of occasions of feeling really light-headed, almost to the point where I thought I'd faint. I discussed it with my doctor after my return and she said it could have been my blood sugar if I hadn't had enough protein at my last meal. Considering how difficult it was for me to get protein at every meal (carbs are so much more easily accessible, especially for breakfast and snacks), that sounded very likely to me to be the cause, and it reinforced for me how much I need to concentrate on getting enough protein. For someone like me who dislikes many sources of protein, this can be a challenge. I should have brought a jar of peanut butter with me on the trip; I've done it in the past and it would have been a great idea. I also don't know why I didn't think of packing some almonds or walnuts or something similar - they would have been another easily transportable choice.

Still having the heartburn, but the nosebleeds seem to maybe have gotten better. I hope that continues! (I started drafting this email on Thursday evening, and a couple of hours after writing this, I had one of my worst nosebleed ever, since that was the first time I've ever had it where I discovered it by noticing the blood on my shirt. Sheesh, type too soon or something??)

I've been having increasingly bad back pain, and my ob-gyn referred me to a physical therapy clinic. I had an appointment with them this week as well (Wednesday was doctor day for me; I ended up not going in to work at all because of the spacing of my two appointments). Apparently my extremely bad knees (stupid genetics) have led me to have some bad walking/sitting/standing/living practices when it comes to using my leg muscles vs. my back and abdominal muscles. Usually this compensating behavior isn't noticeable for me, but as my abdomen grows bigger and those muscles are otherwise engaged, it's putting more strain on my back & hip muscles which can't handle it. And it's manifesting in severe lower back pain. Or at least that's what I think he was saying. The good news is the doctor was very confident that he could help me, and I'll be visiting him twice a week for four weeks, then probably once a week for another 2 - 3 to learn stretches & exercises I can do, as well as receive treatment. After the baby arrives & I've recovered, I'll probably go back for a few more weeks to work on strengthening some of my underused muscles and stop compensating with some overused muscles. But, it doesn't sound like an unfixable problem or something that would mean never-ending doctor visits. So yay for that.

I'm Looking Forward To...

2009-04-23T18:04:00.000-04:00

(because when you can't think of anything else to write, lists are always easy)

This baby arriving!
Baby showers. Believe it or not, I'm having THREE of them! One at work (thanks Jennifer!), one with L's family, and one with L's friends. That makes it sound like I have no friends, doesn't it? Well, I don't really in this state outside of work, and they're already covered. I'm friendly with L's friends, but we're not close. It still kind of amazes me since I had no bridal shower(s). That's what I get for getting engaged immediately after moving to a new state - I had hardly met anyone here so...
Getting the baby's room finished. I must be nesting based on my excitement level over getting furniture arranged & all that.
Shopping for this baby. I've been waiting until the showers are done, so I know what I have & what I'll need but I so want to pick out a homecoming outfit for this little guy.
Telling everyone what his name will be! I know, we've done this to ourselves by deciding not to share before birth, but it's getting harder & harder for me not to share.
My birthday. I need to figure out (i.e. decide) what to ask for it.... Only a few more weeks!
Taking a cake decorating class with my friend Jennifer. How fun does that sound?!? Eventually I'd love to take additional classes from Jo-Ann like knitting, crochet, or sewing.
Getting a fancy manicure/pedicure at a nearby beauty school. Also with Jennifer. We really need to stop talking about it and just schedule it. Although I will admit, they also have a hair & scalp renewal treatment and stress relieving experience that both sound wonderful as well. It might be a tough choice.
Getting haircut. I am way overdue.
Finishing up some projects at work so I can leave with a clean(ish) slate.
Dinner. I'm making pita bread pizza and salad. The whole wheat pitas look delicious, and I've got some great veggies to make it a more interesting salad than just lettuce. Yum!
Strawberry pie. I've got the ingredients, I just have to get the energy to make it (before the strawberries go bad). Probably Saturday morning since it's really doubtful I will after work tomorrow, and I know it won't be tonight.
Summer fruits. I love love LOVE nectarines. I could eat them every day and I don't think I'd ever get tired of them. I certainly don't before their season ends. And the ones that are available the rest of the year don't even compare. And other summer fruits are good too.
Eating here. No plans on when this will happen, but I would love to get there soon. Mmmm, beef. Maybe I can talk Jennifer into going there with me before maternity leave starts. Jennifer??
Making homemade bagels. I'm just not yet sure which ones to try first. Or maybe I should try bialys instead?
Getting a good night's sleep tonight. Last night was not a good night, and I'm exhausted. I hope to sleep well tonight! The bed is already calling to me...
Heaven. :)

Thankful Tuesday

2009-04-21T21:47:00.004-04:00

That we're home safely after a nice trip.
That the check engine light didn't come on once during our trip (it's been about a six-week project with L working on it; he'd try one thing and it would seem to work for a few days, then the light would come back. Apparently it's fixed now.)
No real issues for me with traveling while 29/30 weeks pregnant. Some family members were shocked that we'd even consider the trip, and didn't seem too appeased to hear that we'd discussed it with my doctor. I'm glad they weren't given a chance to say "told you so."
That so far I seem to have avoided the sickness that has had L on the couch all day. Poor guy, he's miserable. Glad he made it home at least before succumbing.

We're Off

2009-04-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

To Texas that is. Back next week...

Memory Verse

2009-04-12T22:37:00.000-04:00

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 , English Standard Version

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Week Twenty-Eight

2009-04-11T07:36:00.005-04:00

This feels like a more momentous week than it probably truly is, but now my doctor's appointments shift to every two weeks. For whatever reason, that seems like it means that 28 weeks is a bigger deal than it would otherwise be.

Feeling still much like last week. Still with the back pain, occasional crampiness and contraction, occasional nausea, and continual nosebleeds, and HEARTBURN. Wow, the heartburn.

I had my 28-week labs at my doctor's appointment too - testing my iron levels, glucose tolerance (the one-hour, non-fasting test), and CBC. And I got a shot of rhogam since I'm rh negative, so that felt like a full appointment. The glucose drink was as gross as I feared; nasty sweet orange stuff, so I'm glad that I could drink some water after it to get the taste out of my mouth.

That was all Monday. Wednesday I got my lab results back and I was a big failure. Not completely; my CBC looked good, but I'm somewhat anemic so I have to go on iron pills. And I was at 140 on the glucose tolerance test, and they consider passing to be 130 and below. Which tells me they're hard-core about passing levels. That means I had to return for the three-hour, fasting test, and in order to fit it in before my next doctor's appointment I had to do it Thursday or Friday; otherwise we'll be out of town.

So instead of Friday being a leisurely day of packing and getting ready for vacation, it became a spend-hours-at-the-doctor's-office-day. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything (besides water) after midnight, then I had to show up at the doctor's office at 8:45 where they'd draw an initial blood sample, after which I'd drink twice as much of that nasty orange drink, and then get my blood drawn again at 9:45, 10:45, and 11:45. After that I'd finally be sprung to get some food.

Of course I'm up early so I was desperately wishing my appointment could have been earlier so it would all be done earlier. I easily could have been there for a 7:45 start. Instead they're running behind so I don't get started on the test until 9:05. Another 20 minutes which at that point is just killing me.

I am so glad that I'm not phobic about needles, because 4 sticks in 3 hours would probably be a little hard to handle if I was.

After the 9:45 blood draw (actually drawn at 10:05), I decided to go back to the parking garage and sit in my car and wait until I had to show up for the 10:45 draw (which actually wouldn't be until 11:10). I used my cell phone as an alarm to make sure I started walking back in in time, but the seat in my car is much more comfortable (lumbar support!) than the waiting room seats, and it was quieter which made it easier to lose myself in a book instead of checking the time every 5 minutes. I did the same before the last blood draw (anticipated time when I arrived that morning: 11:45; actual time: 12:15).

Obviously I survived it all and immediately dashed to the nearest restaurant to get some food. I wasn't going home because 1) there wasn't anything fast to eat there as we try and empty the fridge before departure 2) it was quicker to hit a drive through than driving home even if there had been something there (and I guess pb&j would have been quick) 3) if I'd gone home I'd have crashed on the couch and I HAD to try and find some additional maternity shirts, and hopefully some shorts/capris too for our trip.

McD*nalds has never tasted so good.

I spent the next 5 hours hitting various stores in the area looking for clothes. A nearby Goodwill got me 7 tops, 2 pairs of pants and even a skirt (a SKIRT!). L mentioned that he can't remember when I last wore a skirt. Poor man, he's right. My job just isn't conducive to skirt-wearing, but for $3 I'll buy this one and if I only wear it occasionally it's still worth it.

The 7 tops is a little misleading; 2 of them are tank tops which I won't wear out of the house, but still. I think I may appreciate them this summer. One of them is a nursing top too, so I definitely think I'll appreciate that during the summer. And another one is long-sleeve so again, it won't get much use now but cool spring weather has held out long enough now that I really can use it.

I got other stuff that may or may not be kept, but I'll get his opinion on the pieces before deciding what I'll keep and what I'll return. It's harder to pay regular prices after the deals I can get at Goodwill. Best of all, there's at least two other Goodwills I can hit that are in nice suburbs near here that may have some good stuff. I'm sort of hoping to make it to one this morning.

Best of all though, I got a voicemail from the doctor's office asking me to call to discuss my lab results, but she also added that everything looked good. I assume that means I passed; the office was closed by the time I got the message so I don't know for sure, but what else would that mean?

So, yeah, my latest week. Not in a nutshell because apparently once I stop typing I can't stop.

Most likely no update next week as we'll be out of town, but I may try and write it up once I get back to my computer.

Vacation

2009-04-09T07:17:00.002-04:00

We're leaving for vacation in a few days.

No, I'm not trying to be coy and unspecific when I say few days. I'm not sure when we're leaving. Could be Saturday. Or Sunday. Or Monday. Or even Tuesday I suppose. L has been so distracted with his baseball drafts that we haven't made any real plans. I haven't really done any planning either because the enjoyment I used to get out of planning trips has been destroyed by having a job that involves making travel arrangements for people in my department.

I do know that we have tickets to a baseball game for Saturday night (the 18th). So we have one date where we have to be in a specific city by a specific time. Besides that...

We're driving, obviously, because we couldn't be so flaky about it if we had plane tickets or anything. I'm just not sure how much I care about having a real plan or if I am happy to just take off and go & whatever we end up seeing/doing is fine. I usually have an itinerary to follow so we don't miss things I want to see, but now? I'm more worried about finding a couple more shirts and some shorts that will be comfortable. I have to fit some shopping in between now & departure or I'll be shopping while we're traveling with I'm sure would just thrill L to no end.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-04-07T18:47:00.000-04:00

Vacation in less than a week. So excited.
L had an indicator light on in his truck and after some visits to AutoZ*ne he figured out what the problem was, got it fixed, and got the indicator light cleared. Without having to take the truck in to the shop and pay big service fees. He's fairly handy when it comes to basic household repairs & stuff, but he's new to working on vehicles, so I'm extra proud of him.
I survived my 28-week doctor's visit with the glucose test and rhogam shot it involved. I was kind of dreading it, so I'm glad to have it behind me (extra joke there for those who've had the shot). Now I just hope that I passed that test & don't have to take the 3-hour one!

Making My Home A Haven

2009-04-06T20:26:00.005-04:00

This week Tammy builds on previous weeks routines and adds being loving to your family.

This is something I've always worked hard on; I don't ever want to fall into the trap of treating strangers or acquaintances better than I do my husband; something I've seen with others and which could be easy to do. I'm finding it especially difficult now because I think the pregnancy hormones are making me extra cranky - I can tell that things I would easily ignore irritate me so much more. I have to consciously remind myself that those things are not a big deal and I'm just overreacting.

I think this also makes me think of some of my feelings during my mother-in-law's most recent visit. She messed up my morning routine every day she was here you see, and I had to almost mentally slap myself for getting frustrated that she was trying to - horrors - talk to me while I ate my breakfast and then during what is normally my devotional and Bible reading time. Thinking about the fact that I'm trying to grow spiritually and become more Christ-like made it pretty obvious, even to me in my early morning cranky state, that I needed to close my books and respond to her. No, my morning routine never got completed those days, but it was only three days, and she didn't have to return to her home upset that her daughter-in-law would rather read spiritual materials than speak with her.

Sad that I actually had to point this out to myself, isn't it?

I'm also generally easily irritated by little things and I'm slowly getting better at reminding myself to look at the big picture and that I love my husband, whether or not he closes cabinet doors or whatever else it might be that annoys me. Would I rather have a loving home with the occasional kitchen cabinet left wide open or a husband upset at being nagged to shut the doors. Another one where it's sad how slow I am to get over myself and act with love.

This might be a little off track of where Tammy was taking her idea, but it's what her post brought to my mind...

Week Twenty-Seven

2009-04-03T17:46:00.004-04:00

Pretty similar to last week still, although I did have a few moments of extreme nausea. No vomiting, but I'd managed to not even feel like I might for a while but it came back. Hopefully not to stay. ;)

I think I've been forgetting to mention one thing I've been dealing with from the very start of the pregnancy. Nose bleeds. It's a daily thing, and it's gross. Fortunately they're pretty small, but they last for ages.

I finally had someone ask me if I was pregnant. I had been wondering how long it would take before someone got confident enough to risk being wrong. Then a couple of hours later someone else just asked me when my baby was due, so I must have really looked it that day.

This week I also received a HUGE box of baby stuff from my family. One box of hand-me-downs, and one full of stuff still in packaging. Some really cute stuff in there too! We really need to step up on getting the nursery set up so we can have a better place to store everything that is accumulating. The last couple of week have brought very little progress partially due to a houseguest, but mostly because L has two fantasy baseball drafts this weekend and he's been working on writing a program for the one draft. Plus developing his draft strategy etc, etc. He takes it all very seriously. Hopefully after Sunday night he'll spend some of his time working on his office which is holding up everything else. Of course, we're going on vacation soon after that which still needs to be planned so I don't know when that will fit in.

Finally, I think I had my first contraction. (or did I already mention this? I'm forgetting what I've told L, friends, family, and the blog). I'm just sort of guessing that's what it was, so I responded to it by drinking some more water since I've heard that that can help prevent them. And, if it wasn't, well, it's still not like more water was going to hurt me. :)

Banana-Buttermilk Muffins

2009-04-02T19:51:00.004-04:00

1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (4 oz) whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup (4 oz) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 fl oz) buttermilk
1 cup (8 oz) mashed banana
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (2 oz) chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper cups.

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.

In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, banana, oil, egg, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops evenly with the walnuts.

Bake the muffins until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn out onto the rack and let cool completely.

I followed the recipe exactly except I probably used a teaspoon and a half of vanilla, and I omitted the nuts on the tops of the muffins since L doesn't really like them enough to make the calories and expense worth it to use them. And it made 20 muffins for me; my muffin pans must be smaller than standard because I couldn't have filled them more than I did without having overflow.

I really appreciated that the recipe gave measurements in both volume and weight. I very much prefer to weigh ingredients, especially flour, and love it when recipes provide it already and I don't have to convert cups to ounces.

Once I dig out the reference, I'll update the post to include where I found the recipe.

March Books

2009-04-01T19:53:00.003-04:00

Jayne Williams - Slow Fat Triathlete: Living Your Athletic Dreams in the Body You Have Now

George M. Taber - To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle

Judy Blundell - What I Saw and How I Lied

Catherine Newman - Waiting for Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Neurotic Angst, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family

Robert Jordan - Winter's Heart

Matthew Hart - The Irish Game: A True Story of Crime and Art

M. R. Montgomery - A Cow’s Life: The Surprising History of Cattle and How the Black Angus Came to Be Home on the Range

Laura Lippman - Life Sentences

Steven K. Scott - The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon's Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness

Johanna Reiss - A Hidden Life: A Memoir of August 1969

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - The Lacemaker and the Princess

Henci Goer - The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth

Robert Jordan - The Path of Daggers

David Hackett Fischer - Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America

Susan C. Pinsky - Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized

Sue Henry - Degrees of Separation

America's Test Kitchen - 834 Kitchen Quick Tips: Techniques and Shortcuts for the Curious Cook

Sharon Creech - Heartbeat

Jon & Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson - Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets

Robert Jordan - A Crown of Swords

Judith Matloff - Home Girl: Building a Dream Home on a Lawless Block

Ann Rinaldi - Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey

Lindsey Crittenden - The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray

Daniel L. Gilbert - Magi

Julie Tupler - Maternal Fitness

Robert Jordan - Lord of Chaos

Thad Carhart - The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier

Jan Burke - Liar

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - Leap of Faith

Thankful Tuesday

2009-03-31T17:36:00.003-04:00

My tulips are almost blooming! I absolutely adore tulips, so this is always a favorite time of year for me. I was so disappointed a couple of years ago when a spring hail storm destroyed all of my tulips after they'd only been out for one day. Hopefully this year I'll get to enjoy them longer!
~~Taxes are done, e-filed, and accepted. That's always such a relief. I am so thankful for the software programs that make it as painless as possible.~~ Unfortunately software programs can't substitute for a brain that's fully functional. I messed up and only caught it today after already submitting them. So now I have to file amended returns for both federal & state. And those have to be printed & mailed, so I'll finish them tomorrow, since the mail has already come today. I'm still thankful that they're (mostly) done, and that I caught my mistake before getting too excited over getting money back (and more importantly, before I was late and owed penalties or anything).
I made L some banana buttermilk muffins over the weekend. They're low-fat, and low-cholesterol too if I remember correctly, made with half whole-wheat flour. He LOVED them. I may have to see if I can continue to nudge the percentage of whole-wheat flour up and see if/when he complains. He might not ever; he loves whole-wheat. And I love that I can bake treats for him that are much healthier for him than typical bakery items.

Making My Home A Haven

2009-03-30T21:44:00.005-04:00

I missed joining in last week when Tammy first took over Making Your Home a Haven, but this week she's talking about getting to bed on time.

Not that that's something I ever struggle with. (snort.)

Since writing that post a few weeks ago, I'm doing better as I pay attention to the time and don't let myself get distracted in the evening. Recognizing that in order to be in bed ready to sleep by 10:30, I need to back everything else up and think about how long it takes me to get ready for bed, how long to wrap up whatever I'm doing, etc. I try to really start thinking about heading towards bed at 9:30, and 10:00 is my absolute get-myself-moving deadline.

And it works. Amazingly enough. I've managed to wake up shortly after 7:00 without an alarm almost every day - weekends included. I seem to need significantly more sleep currently so I'm going to gradually see if I can nudge that wakeup time earlier without it demanding a bedtime any earlier than 9:30; anything earlier than that just doesn't work well if I want to spend any time with L in the evening.

I think the pregnancy is not only causing me to need more sleep, but also to have a shift in the timing for my energy levels - used to be that I was much more productive in the late afternoon/evening. Now, I find that I have better luck tackling stuff earlier because after about 5:00 I'm exhausted, both physically and mentally. This is also motivation for me to get out of bed and start working in the morning - I got lots done last Saturday before noon and I think most of the credit goes to the fact that I got up at 7:15 and got right into my morning routine.

And now, on that note, it's definitely time for me to get to bed!

Monday night/Tuesday morning update:
Was in bed by 10:30, although not really ready to sleep until 10:45 or so. I did sleep as well as I ever do now, and woke up without the alarm at 6:50. Got up immediately too, thanks to my need to visit the bathroom which keeps me from lazing about in bed too long.

Tuesday night/Wednesday morning update:
In bed on time, and although I didn't sleep well I still woke up before the alarm at 6:45.

Wednesday night/Thursday morning update:
Yeah, not in bed on time at all. More like 11:30 - I made a phone call when I should have been making my way to bed and then I talked for much too long. Then I compounded this by reading for another half hour before finally heading to bed. Still woke up at 6:30 though somehow. (Somehow in this case was definitely due to the shrinking bladder space)

Memory Verse

2009-03-29T20:57:00.001-04:00

Acts 4:12, New International Version

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-03-28T20:54:00.001-04:00

Sunday - Out for a big lunch, so we'll just have leftovers or sandwiches for dinner.

Monday - Beef, mushroom and barley soup. With sourdough bread.

Tuesday - Homemade pizza (or that turkey tart I never have made yet).

Wednesday - Bacon pasta with lots of fresh mushrooms.

Thursday - Black bean soup, if it's cold enough, or black bean quesadillas if the temperature is too high for soup.

Friday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.

Week Twenty-Six

2009-03-27T20:19:00.003-04:00

This was probably my favorite week of pregnancy so far. I felt pretty good, I had enough energy to get stuff done, and I managed to not feel like a complete slacker at work (like I have since, oh, November.) My productivity at work this last week probably eclipsed December and January combined.

I still can't really believe that I'm ending the second trimester. I feel like I had a 5-month first trimester and a 1-month second.

This week also brought my first Braxton-Hicks contraction! And it sure was a lot of fun, what with instantaneously doubling me over wondering what on earth was going on. Then when it ended I realized what it was.

I think I've been forgetting to mention one fabulous thing I've been experiencing just about every day (multiple times a day really) since I don't remember when exactly. Heartburn. Major, flaming, searing heartburn. From eating anything. Or nothing sometimes.

I've noticed that the baby has some definite preferences. Specifically, he does NOT like me sleeping on my left side. Or even attempting to sleep on my left side. Or curling up on that side, as if I might be thinking about possibly trying to sleep. He will KICK KICK KICK if I'm on my left side. When I'm on my right, he has gentler kicks. On my left side, he gets progressively firmer with them, and more frequent. Then when I finally give up and roll over, he quits. He's won, so no more need to kick (or punch, or elbow, or whatever it is exactly he's doing). The nice thing is that it's an easy way to let L feel some baby movement - stretch out on that side, relax, and within 5 minutes he'll make his presence known. Apparently he hasn't read the baby books and websites that state that lying on my left side is best for him.

The biggest news from the week though has to be that I'm registered finally (much to the relief of L's family). Babies 'R Us, Target, and Amazon even. Lots & lots of stuff it seems like. It was ... kinda fun? But exhausting still, and I am so not a shopper, that even registering is too much in many ways.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-03-24T19:40:00.001-04:00

We've made good progress on L's office. And by we, I mean 90% of it is L, if not 95%. It has to be cleared out enough to make room for me to move my desk & file cabinet & book case in to join him. Then we'll be able to set up the baby's room in what was my office.
Plans for a last-trip-before-baby are being finalized and I am really looking forward to it. We're headed for Texas! I need to figure out some more specifics (minor little things like where we'll stay and such) but what I've spent more time on is looking at places to eat. I've already warned L that I plan to eat my weight in Tex-Mex, so he'd better be prepared. And then I'll eat his weight in Blue Bell ice cream.
I'm registered! I went to a couple of stores yesterday with my mother-in-law and spent forever, but I'm registered. Still need to straighten up the registries a bit (finding items cheaper at the second store so I want to get them off the first store's list etc), but I'm mostly done with that. And a good thing because L's family was about to riot if I didn't get the info to them.

Week Twenty-Five

2009-03-20T20:31:00.003-04:00

Pretty much the same as last week. Although I've been forgetting to mention the horrific HEARTBURN that I'm experiencing every single day, and have been for several weeks. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat, how much I eat, or when I eat. I will get heartburn.

I bought maternity clothes this week. Haven't worn them yet, but I've got two pairs of pants that I can wear to work (black and brown; the brown isn't a shade I'd usually pick since I like more of a true khaki, but I can't be that picky), and six shirts. One of the shirts is 3/4 length sleeves so I won't want to wear it once it's full summer, but it was on major clearance so I bought it anyway. I'd like to get a few more shirts that will be ok for work, and for our upcoming trip. That's my real wardrobe concern right now - that I have enough clothes to get me through this vacation without demanding a visit to a laundromat. Hopefully I'll cobble together enough items to manage it.

I've also started to really think about what all I need to get done at work before I leave, which might seem a little early, but considering how fast time is flying by, probably not. Especially since I hope to stop working at least one week before my due date, and preferably two or three. We'll see if I can manage that...

My View on the NT Use of the OT

2009-03-18T21:50:00.002-04:00

NT Use of the OT -- Test Your View!

Single Meaning, Multiple Contexts and Referents view

You seem to be most closely aligned with the Single Meaning, Multiple Contexts and Referents view, a view defended by Darrell L. Bock in the book “Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament” (edited by Kenneth Berding and Jonathan Lunde, Nov. 2008).

This view affirms the singular nature of the meanings intended by the OT and NT authors when OT texts are cited in the NT. In spite of this essential unity in meaning, however, the words of the OT authors frequently take on new dimensions of significance and are found to apply appropriately to new referents and new situations as God’s purposes unfold in the larger canonical context.

Often, these referents were not in the minds of the OT authors when they penned their texts. For more info, see the book, or attend a special session devoted to the topic at the ETS Annual Meeting in Providence, RI (Nov. 2008); Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Darrell L. Bock, and Peter Enns will all present their views.

Fun quizzes, surveys & blog quizzes by

I will be completely honest. I've got what I think is fairly good Bible knowledge, although my knowledge of theology is quite scanty (which is why I'm working to strengthen it). That might explain why I'm not completely sure what this is saying precisely, and whether or not it correctly reflects my view on the NT use of the OT. I'm feeling somewhat ignorant right now.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-03-17T20:06:00.003-04:00

That I have a slew of PTO days still available. I used one yesterday and I think I'm going to use another one tomorrow. I am so glad I've been stockpiling them for years.
L moved the dresser and one bookcase as I continue to work on my closet. They both fit perfectly.
The weather has been absolutely beautiful here lately. I'm enjoying being able to open the windows and get fresh air in the house.

This might be a sign that I'm nesting.

2009-03-16T20:25:00.002-04:00

This weekend I was supposed to work on our taxes. I didn't. Instead I tore into my closet and have purged and cleaned and rearranged like I finally had some real energy. Oh, wait, I did finally have some real energy. I had to intentionally pace myself since I knew my energy level was higher than what my back could actually take (and I should have paced myself more carefully).
Let me first explain. My closet is HUGE. It extends the length of the master bedroom which is generously sized. Hanging rod all down the long side, and wrapped around the corner. The shorter side has 3 long shelves and a dresser.

The closet is so big it became a problem - I'd kept it fairly organized until our big bathroom remodel last year. During that undertaking, the closet that was in the bathroom (L's closet) had to be emptied, along with all the bathroom items. Everything got shoved into my closet. Once the remodel was completed, L had a closet again, but it was much tinier than before, so some things had to remain in my closet. And then I just couldn't deal with it so I ignored it. And what was bad became much much worse.

Until I finally couldn't take it anymore. I had to rearrange things to make room for the bookcase from my office; it's the best place to put it and once it's tidied there will be plenty of room. And then I just got on a roll. I went through every drawer in the dresser and purged. I went through my lingerie cabinet and purged (oh, how I purged there. I had some really ratty undies that should have been tossed ages ago). I found lots of random things that had been tossed in there and now are going into the trash or on to Goodwill if they're usable.

I've got the space cleared for the bookcase. Now I just have to empty the bookcase so L can move it. I even cleared additional space so the dresser can shift down and an additional bookcase can take that spot. Yes, we have a lot of bookcases in our house, because we have a lot of books. I am so thrilled with this.

It's not completely done; I've got to sort the luggage and figure out a better way to store it. First though I need to figure out how much luggage we really need. There are several pieces that I don't think we'll ever use, but I'll see what L thinks first. Then one of those shelves has some items that can probably be purged. It's mostly language books (as in, French/German/Italian/Spanish/ASL) but surely I can acknowledge that at this point in my life, I am not using them and am not going to be using them. Well, most of them anyway. That's going to be hard.

I'll try and get a picture of the new-and-improved closet once I get the luggage stowed. Currently it's spread out in groups - duffle bags / garment bags / rolling suitcases / totes, etc.

Memory Verse

2009-03-15T09:22:00.001-04:00

Psalm 107:8-9, English Standard Version

Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!

For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-03-14T19:44:00.003-04:00

Sunday -Turkey tart. It's a new recipe for me from the cookbook Great Pies and Tarts. It sounds fantastic, but we'll see how I do at making tart dough.

Monday - Some sort of beef dish in the crock pot. Probably with mashed potatoes or egg noodles and a green veggie of some sort. I'm leaning towards mushroom round steak, although round steak Italiano also sounds good. Really, I must be too hungry right now because there are several least other recipes that sound really tasty. I'll have to ask L if he wants mushrooms or not, or a tomato vs. cream sauce. That'll help narrow it down to which one to choose, because I am just going back & forth on what I want.

Tuesday - Lentil sloppy joes. I actually really hate sloppy joes, but L loves them, so I'm going to see if a meatless version appeals to me more.

Wednesday - Most likely we'll go out to eat as we've got family in town.

Thursday - Sausage, potato, and green bean skillet. We had it last week and I loved it so much I want it again right away. That NEVER happens.

Friday - Pizza!

Week Twenty-Four

2009-03-13T18:55:00.003-04:00

Yeah, so, a little vomiting again, brought on by a coughing fit while eating dinner. Unfortunately dinner was black bean burritos with chipotle and lots of salsa, which didn't exactly feel all that great on the return.

The baby has been very active most days, although he's been fairly quiet today. L even got to feel him moving the other night when I first went to bed.

Even with the vomiting, this has probably been one of the best pregnancy weeks I've had. I've felt pretty well overall, I've gotten lots done at work which feels good (I had been accomplishing so little I was embarrassed). Next week I hope to focus on my house more.

I do feel significantly bigger lately. I was up 4 pounds at my doctor's appointment this week, so I'm now only down 15 since my week 8 visit. I don't really notice my stomach in the morning or during most of the day, but in the evening I feel like I'm bloated or something and that I'm enormous. And rolling over in bed has become a challenge some times; it's just so awkward and my lower back hurts so much it makes it more difficult.

I just typed above that he's been fairly quiet today and he decided to prove me wrong and is now letting me know he's here and won't be talked about that way. So I stand corrected. He's been very active every day this week.

Blog Personality Type

2009-03-12T20:35:00.000-04:00

I found a website that claimed it would analyze the personality type of my blog. Of course I had to try it. It says that my blog is:

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

This is especially funny to me because in real life, I'm an INTJ. So apparently I blog exactly the opposite of how I am in person?

On Night-Owl-ness and Self-Discipline

2009-03-11T20:15:00.001-04:00

What I find very frustrating about myself is that I am so naturally a night-owl, and I'm trying desperately to turn myself into an early-bird. My goal used to be to get up for work at 5:15, and have time to read the Bible and pray in addition to getting ready for work. Then leave for work at 6:30 so I'm at work shortly after 7:00 (or in the parking lot at least; it's another 10 minutes minimum to walk from my car through the parking area into the building and finally make it to my desk. 15 minutes if I've chosen my shoes poorly that morning).

This worked well enough, but the weekends just kill me - I so easily slip back into staying up too late, and I can't get up in the morning, so on Saturday and Sunday I sleep in, then I'm not tired to go to bed, then I stay up way too late on Sunday and Monday I really can't get up on time.

Let's not even talk about how Sunday and Monday night football or baseball games mess with my schedule. If for no other reason than evening sports on TV, I wish I was in the Pacific or Mountain time zone instead of Eastern.

And none of this even takes into account what happened when morning sickness struck with a vengeance and I so quickly had to shift my work schedule to accommodate the daily vomiting sessions. I'm doing much better with that, but I haven't been able to get back to my previous schedule. Hence the "used to be" above. I haven't thrown up in the morning in a couple of weeks, but I haven't been able to get back to getting up before 7:30 at the earliest!

Self-discipline has never been one of my strengths and I think this is just one aspect of it. And I'm about to the point of making it a priority to work on this; I've got to get better control over myself and stop slipping into the bad habit of staying up too late because it just messes up my entire week.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-03-10T17:14:00.002-04:00

We had such nice weather over the weekend that we were able to open up the windows & doors and get lots of fresh air into the house. I always love that after a winter where things are closed up tight.
L is very accommodating - I was desperately wanting steak for dinner last night and he took me out without any real need to persuade him.
I'm feeling so much better. It's amazing.

Getting Ready

2009-03-09T20:20:00.004-04:00

I've begun making a list of what all I'd like to accomplish before the baby arrives this summer. I've started with the essentials, as in absolutely, positively, must be done. All that's on that list is buy and install a car seat, and pack a bag for the hospital. And in order to accomplish the second item, a third item: create a list of items to include in the bag. So far that list has camera, batteries, and battery charger. I've got the essentials! I tried to make this list the things that 100% had to happen; I mean, we can't bring the baby home without a car seat, and we'll have a family revolt if we don't get pictures from the hospital.

My list of things that sure would be nice to accomplish is much longer. Unrealistically long, but still. It includes some things that really ought to be done, or else we'll be scrambling to do them after the baby is here (such as setting up the baby's room), and some things that just would be convenient (like getting thank you cards/stamps/addresses ready to make sending them out much easier). I'm debating splitting this list even further; maybe into "B" or "C" priority. B priority items would be things like the nursery. It really does need to be done. C priority would be things like the thank you notes; it'd be great to set up in advance, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't happen.

I hope to get my list finished this week (the creating it part; then I'll get to start working on it), and I'll post it then. And yes, this is inspired in part by Crystal's Preparing for Baby: Master To Do List.

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-03-07T19:22:00.004-05:00

Sunday - I have lots of veggies in the fridge that I need to get cooked, so it'll probably be a strange assortment of whatever we can find. Definitely not my usual Sunday sort of meal.

Monday - Red beans & rice. Since it got booted off the menu last week (L ended up having a work event & some other stuff going on & I'm not going to make it if he won't be around to enjoy it).

Tuesday - Baked spaghetti, and I plan to freeze half of it to see how well it works, and if it works well, I'll probably make it again before the baby arrives so it'll be ready in the freezer.

Wednesday - Lentil soup if it's cool enough, pizza if it's not. The temperature can only be so high before L declares that it's too hot for soup.

Thursday - Black bean burrito bake.

Friday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.

Week Twenty-Three

2009-03-06T16:39:00.005-05:00

NO VOMITING!!! At all! Slight queasiness, but nothing too bad, and nothing came up so I don't even care about the queasiness.

L hasn't been able to feel the baby move again and he's very jealous when I report lots of movement. The baby definitely has some routine to his movement - when I first come home from work (perhaps he like the extra space my yoga pants allows?), and when I first get into bed are reliably time he'll move a lot.

I called the hospital this week because they have a doula program, and if you want to use a doula, you have to go through their program. I guess the good thing is their program is about half the price of independent doulas I'd found in the area online, although I'm curious to see the match they make. Fortunately if I don't feel comfortable with the doula match after our introductory get-to-know-you session , I can call the coordinator and try again.

I also signed up for childbirth & newborn care classes (4 weeks of classes one night a week), a natural labor class (just one class) and breastfeeding basics (one class). L is NOT looking forward to any of these.

I've got more energy this week, which is nice, although it seems like if I try to do too much the energy I had is quickly depleted. But if I pace myself I can actually do more than collapse on the couch as soon as I get home from work, and I don't have to spend all evening there, only managing to get up when I finally stagger off to bed.

Choosing Wisely

2009-03-04T19:01:00.000-05:00

1. Is this causing me to desire for something that I do not have?
2. Is it making me discontent with my current situation?
3. And, even tougher, is this drawing towards me or away from my Heavenly Father?

I want this to be my guide in choosing the things that I will read. And watch. And think about.....

Thanks to Joy for her great post where I found these questions! http://sahmissionary.blogspot.com/2008/12/guard-your-heart.html

Thankful Tuesday

2009-03-03T18:54:00.002-05:00

March is here and for whatever reason the baby's arrival is suddenly seeming much much closer. Which is so exciting.
My new contacts are so much better than my old ones.
It may sound really strange to say it, but I love Lent.
I haven't thrown up in a little over a week. I'm almost afraid to type this, because a part of me thinks I'm going to jinx myself and within 30 minutes of it being posted I'll be hanging over the toilet again. But... I think maybe I really am over the morning sickness.

Making My Home A Haven

2009-03-02T08:09:00.000-05:00

Trying to continue the habit...

Priorities. I'm really having to focus on them now. I always knew they were important, and I had my own priorities (kitchen & bathroom cleanliness was very high. Washing windows was very low). But as I continue to deal with very low energy and stamina, I'm having to focus even more sharply on the top priorities for our home.

Food. As in, that we have food to eat in the house and that as much as possible/necessary, I (or L) cook healthy & satisfying dinners.
Clothes. That are clean and wearable. Fortunately we have a washer & dryer in the house and that makes it much easier to keep up with this.
A clean-enough kitchen. Clean-enough means it's sanitary first of all. And then it also means that we have space and clean dishes/utensils with which to prepare and eat our meals. It may mean that things are not as tidy as normal, and that the pantry or cupboards are a mess. And that's ok right now.
A clean-enough bathroom. Again, it's gotta be sanitary so we're not making ourselves sick. When I spent most days throwing up, a very very clean toilet was a super high priority, and even though I'm not vomiting quite so much now (hallelujah!) I still need the toilet to be very clean. Clean sinks and countertops too, because that is a major pet peeve of mine. Lower priority than normal are clean mirrors. Spots aren't hurting anything right now, so if it's a choice between cleaning the toilet & cleaning the mirrors, I'm going with the toilet every time.
A made bed. This is just a personal thing, but it makes me feel so much happier when our bed is made; every time I see into the room I smile. Yes, this can be easily ignored and the house won't fall to pieces. But the emotional satisfaction it gives me is worth it on all but the very worst days.
Caught-up mail. I didn't do so well on this in November and December. I was late on some bills for the first time in my life, so I realize now that I've got to keep from letting the mail pile up endlessly. Once a week is good enough, but once a month isn't.
A baked treat for L. No, this isn't an essential. But it can be fairly simple, and it makes him feel so loved and treasured that I make it a high priority for myself. Banana bread (especially Tammy's banana pineapple bread) isn't that hard, but it absolutely delights him - both when I first make it, and every day when he gets a piece. He would much prefer me to spend some of my limited energy on this then on many other household tasks, and I need to remember to prioritize what he especially values.
Quick decluttering patrols. Not truly decluttering as in getting rid of stuff we've had for awhile, but more of a daily/weekly pick-up of things that just seem to sprout throughout the house. Neither of us are particularly neat by nature, so it seems that all flat surfaces quickly grow piles of stuff - magazines, junk mail, plates, glasses, etc. I've noticed that just a few minutes a couple of times a day can really make a huge difference in the amount of this kind of stuff around the house, and that makes the house look much tidier and less neglected. Plus it makes me happier not having so much random stuff strewn everywhere.

If I can only focus on these items, no, my house won't be perfect, but it'll be functional and we can manage at that level until I can accomplish more.

Memory Verse

2009-03-01T15:41:00.002-05:00

Colossians 2:8, English Standard Version.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

I think the NIV sticks in my head a little better, so I may have to go with it:

Colossians 2:8, New International Version.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

February Books

2009-03-01T13:43:00.002-05:00

Marshall H. Klaus, John H. Kennell & Phyllis H. Klaus - The Doula Book: How a Trained Labor Companion Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth

Robert Jordan - The Fires of Heaven

Olive A. Fredrickson with Ben East - The Silence of the North

Ellie Mathews - The Linden Tree

Karen Harper - The Tidal Poole

Samantha Glen and Mary Pesaresi - Search and Rescue

Robert Jordan - The Shadow Rising

Joachim Fest - Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich

Janet Taylor Lisle - Black Duck

Margaret Visser - Much Depends on Dinner

Donna Leon - Quietly in Their Sleep

Tim Stark - Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer

Robert Jordan - The Dragon Reborn

Jan Burke - The Messenger: A Novel

Marian Hale - Dark Water Rising

Jeremy Schapp - Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics

Robert Jordan - The Great Hunt

Brian Raftery - Don’t Stop Believin': How Karaoke Conquered the World and Changed My Life

Stephen Booth - Blood on the Tongue: A Crime Novel

Johanna Reiss - The Journey Back

Justin Catanoso - My Cousin the Saint: A Search for Faith, Family, and Miracles

Robert Jordan - The Eye of the World

Dave Crenshaw - The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-02-28T15:40:00.006-05:00

Sunday - Vegetable beef soup in the slow cooker. Probably something like this, although I doubt I'll follow that recipe exactly. But I know it'll have tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes in it because I love all of those in soup. And it'll definitely have chunks of beef rather than ground beef because I vastly prefer it that way. Unless it's chili, in which case ground is the way to go as far as I'm concerned. I also plan to serve it with homemade bread, because, well, YUMMM!

Monday - Red beans and rice. L has been craving it. Although truthfully, we could have it every other week and he'd probably still be craving it. This is absolutely one of his favorite meals.

Tuesday - Farmhouse chicken. I'll modify it to our tastes, but I'll start with that version.

Wednesday - Homemade pizza. I hope to make the crust Sunday and then freeze it, thawing it out again Wednesday. Both to save time on Wednesday, and to give it a try and see how it works. For future reference and thinking ahead to possibly start stocking my freezer for after the baby arrives.

Thursday - Black bean quesadillas since they got pushed off the menu last week.

Friday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.

Week Twenty-Two

2009-02-27T18:40:00.004-05:00

Slight vomiting issue Sunday night, brought about by me coughing enough to trigger my gag reflex. So much fun. L even commented "I just don't understand how coughing makes you throw up." Me neither, not really anyway, but whether or not I understand it, it happens.

Lots of movement this week, and by "lots" I mean occasional flutters and thumps and flips throughout the day. Nothing too strong, or for too long at any one time, but several times a day he lets me know he's in there and moving around. And that continues to thrill me beyond words.

I've actually had a fair amount of pain most of the week - enough so I spent a lot of time wondering if I should call the doctor or if it was just normal. So far I've assumed it's normal stuff and not called, but I do have a habit of not calling the doctor when I probably should. You'd think with 3 sisters-in-law who are nurses I'd feel like I could call one of them up and ask their thoughts, but I don't really have that kind of relationship with any of them.

I had a prenatal massage this afternoon however, so right now I'm feeling fantastic. It was just wonderful and I'd like to figure out a way to get there every week. That would require some super creative budgeting (such as eliminating our grocery budget entirely or something along those lines) so I think I'll have to go a little less frequently. I should be able to manage a couple more times between now & delivery and that will be great.

The highlight of the week (well, besides the massage which was a highlight for me personally of course) was that L felt him move last night for the first time! Only once, but still. He's been trying for a couple of weeks, hoping the baby will cooperate. He (the baby) is generally pretty active when I first lie down in bed at night, so L always comes with me and puts his hand on my belly hoping to feel some movements. Until last night, even if I was feeling things L couldn't, and I think he was feeling left out.

My Morning

2009-02-26T18:41:00.002-05:00

subtitled: Why I Didn't Get To Work Early

This morning, thanks to my shrink-sized bladder, I woke up a little over an hour before my alarm was set to ring. Which got me out of bed about an hour and a half early, since there was no hitting the snooze on my need to hit the bathroom.

I thought that might mean I could do some additional Bible reading/study/prayer etc, and possibly even get to work a little earlier.

My first mistake was getting on the computer and not immediately getting off it. I do check email every morning, to make sure nothing major has happened, and most importantly to be certain that I didn't get a library book due notice. They're emailed to me, and I can go and try to renew online, and if the book(s) won't renew, I just bring them along with me to drop in the library box on my way to work. And yes, I have that many library books checked out at once that I rely on their system to keep track of when items are due and email me. Much simpler and safer than using my brainpower.

30 minute+ later I finally made it downstairs to get breakfast and continue with the rest of my morning routine. I have no idea where those minutes went. Google Reader? A couple of moments on Twitter, but it didn't take me long to write my brief tweet. I didn't read emails for long. Really, the time just evaporated.

But, I got back into the swing of things with breakfast and tea and devotional and Bible reading. Then I spent a little time tidying up the dining room table and a couple of things in the kitchen. Still doing ok with time. And I'm dressed for work, although I still need to put on makeup (I got in the habit of holding off on that until I knew that breakfast would stay in place; I got tired of having to reapply mascara after extreme vomiting would bring me to tears).

Upstairs to put on makeup and brush my hair. That's when I really notice that my shirt just is. not. working. It's riding up weird and is showing every bump and bulge, and with the ill-fitting pants and bella band that are holding the pants up, there are a lot of strange bulges. Back to the closet, to change the shirt, and after much debating with myself grab a different shirt that's looser and more concealing of my middle section. And yet, not concealing enough. Still with the weirdness and I realize that the pants are just not going to be a good option - I can't fasten them, and the bella band isn't completely hiding that fact. Plus they're really not comfortable and are going to make me fuss with them all day and who needs that?

Back to the closet, to change my pants. Not a lot of options anymore, but I grab a pair that are probably somewhat questionable as to whether or not HR would approve (they're a very dark denim-looking trouser; HR forbids blue jeans; would they consider these blue jeans? I'm risking it). More dithering about do I really want to deal with any potential flack. Decide yes, I don't care what anyone might say. My pant options are too limited and it's these or a pair that would have to be dug out of the dirty clothes hamper.

Back downstairs where I'll need to finish packing my lunch and drink the last of my tea. And maybe read the Bible a tiny bit more, because I think I don't have time to focus on another chapter in that book on prayer I'm working through.

Before all that, another bathroom visit (see above, shrink-sized bladder). While washing my hands afterwards, notice a splotch of .... something ... on my light blue shirt. I think I've spilled tea perhaps. Grab a cloth and try to wash it out. Not sure if it's working. End up with a huge damp spot on my shirt. In an awkward spot and I certainly don't want to risk it not drying clean and unnoticeable. So back upstairs to change shirts. Again. Try a dark brown one this time, figuring I could spill anything on it other than powdered sugar and it'll hide.

Notice that my socks look rather strange with my new outfit. Change them. And find a different pair of shoes too, because again, the original shoes were to go with the original outfit.

L keeps shaking his head at my wardrobe issues.

Back downstairs. My extra time has all vanished. I wonder where it could have gone?

Lunch is packed. Tea has all been drunk (very carefully; don't want any more spills). Purse and bag are ready. Out the door and into the car.

As I drive down the street, I have a flash of fear - do I have my cell phone? Maybe not absolutely essential, but after my car issues last week I do not want to be without it. I know I had it when I left my computer this morning, but it's not in the pocket it lives in while in my purse. Check the main purse pocket. It's not there, so I circle the block and return home. Grab L's phone and use it to call mine. Go upstairs to listen for ringing. Walk around downstairs listening for it. L questions if it's in my purse. Decide to humor him and go back outside where I left my purse in the car. Hear it ringing from the bottom of my purse.

Back inside and yell upstairs that I found the phone, and I'm leaving for real this time. Gloss over where exactly I found the phone.

Out to my car. Can't turn the key in the ignition because of a charming little quirk that my car has. If I park the car without the steering wheel being fairly straight, the wheel locks up and then the key won't turn. To fix this, the wheel has to be straightened, which takes a fair amount of upper body strength. A few minutes of attempts later, I concede that my upper body strength is nonexistent in the morning, and go inside to ask L to assist.

Wait for him to finish getting his stuff ready for work, and then he comes outside to help me. Sits down, asks what I need again, and immediately turns the wheel so that it starts. He questioned that it needed anything at all, while I claimed that it was just his hugely strong self that made it look so easy.

Back into the drivers seat. Check - no warning lights on - filled up yesterday so I won't run out of gas - have my lunch - have my purse - have my phone - have my calendar - have my employee badge so I can get inside - yes, I think I might finally be ready to leave.

Pull out of the driveway right at my newly usual time. All the while feeling like I've put in a full days worth of work already and I should be able to just go back inside and sit on the couch.

Lent

2009-02-25T07:07:00.002-05:00

I'm not Catholic or Anglican or even Lutheran. I grew up knowing virtually nothing about Lent, and remember hearing about it for the first time when my mom said something fairly scornful of people giving things up for it. Apparently she had a friend while growing up who in January would start a habit that she didn't really care about so she could give it up for Lent and not have it "hurt." From this my mom decided that the whole idea of Lent was ridiculous.

And I didn't think anything more about it until a few years ago, when I got curious about many things religious. I've turned away from so much I was taught growing up (which is a good thing; I grew up in a very weird religious group) and so I am slowly reading and studying about many things that were before all lumped together as "wrong/sinful/misguided/whatever it was that church thought"

The more I read about it the more it resonated with me - the idea of 40 days of dying to self, symbolized by something of my choosing. It could be as meaningful or meaningless as I made it, in other words, as in so much of life, I'd get out of it what I put into it. So to speak.

So in 2007 I gave up leisure reading. If you had any idea of my love for and habit of reading you'd know what a big deal this was. This also included reading blogs and internet sites. My only exceptions were for real-life friends blogs (and at that time I think I had two). I said "leisure reading" because I still read the Bible, and devotional materials. I also read some religious biographies, so it's not that I quit reading, it's that I focused my reading time onto spiritual material only. It was very beneficial, but I don't want to just get in the habit of doing the same thing.

In 2008 I don't even remember what I tried to give up - I know it was food-related. Maybe eating after 8:00? No sweets at the computer? I don't really remember because while I succeeded in following it, it really wasn't that beneficial, not like 2007 was. There was no significant impact on my spiritual life, either short- or long-term.

So, for 2009. What to do? I don't want to do leisure reading again, in large part because I know that this is one of the last seasons of my life for awhile where I'll have as much time for it, and I'm appreciating it so much. I watch very little TV and virtually no movies, so those are bad choices - so simple as to be meaningless.

Something food-related seems like not the wisest choice. Last year I almost chose giving up sodas, since I knew it'd be difficult enough to be beneficial for me. But this year I'm virtually soda-free ever since getting that positive pregnancy test, so it's no longer such a big deal. Last year I also considered following the Catholic Lenten Fasting Regulations, but I've had such food issues with the pregnancy I sort of hate to try and put anything additional on me related to that - I'm not sure any possible spiritual benefit would outweigh what I can see as real drawbacks.

What will I do? Well, not that long ago I listed to a podcast sermon on praying with God for one hour. It spoke to me in a way I wasn't expecting, and I've decided to try their suggestion. One hour a week. Not split up into small chunks of time. One hour. It still seems doable to me because it's not one hour a day, which would be such a huge jump in my current meagre prayer life that I'm not sure I'd sustain it long. But one day a week? I can manage that, but it's still significant enough that I think it will have an obvious impact in my life and routine. I've found a few resources online about praying one hour, including one from the church that gave the sermon that inspired me.

Because I don't want to only have Lent be about something that I do one day a week, I'm also going to add 30 minutes a day of Bible study on prayer. I'm not sure that I could do anything else right now for my spiritual growth that would have more impact than to strengthen myself as a woman of prayer.

Some sites on Lent:
Praying Through Lent
Lent I especially like his six tips at the end, especially #1 - what is holding me back from being the Christian I want to be?

And anyone would is willing to pray for me to be diligent about sticking with this plan, I would appreciate it!

Thankful Tuesday

2009-02-24T18:47:00.000-05:00

My vomit-free streak continues. Ok, so I had to start over after Sunday night, but still. That's over 24 hours of a new streak, and I am looking on the bright side.
Car issues last week are all resolved. Fairly inexpensive too; certainly less expensively that we originally feared.
Cadbury creme eggs are back in stores. Oohhhh, yeah.

Making My Home A Haven

2009-02-23T19:09:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I even had the energy to think about this, but I'm obviously feeling at least well enough now to think I can get the house looking better, so I'm going to try and get back into the habit of focusing Mondays on making my home a haven.

The most amazingly effective trick I've discovered over the past couple of weeks is really only amazing in it's obviousness. Work first. What I mean by that is I only have so much energy. I need to spend it wisely, and pick the highest priority things and do them whenever I have any energy. Later, if I have more, I can do more.

In practice, where this has been most useful is on Saturdays. I never used to like to do lots of housework on the weekend, preferring to do as much as possible during the week, leaving Saturday open for fun stuff or running errands with L, etc. (I never really considered running errands with L to be work in the same way, so that didn't bother me). Sundays were always held open from that sort of thing; not a legalistic Sabbath, but trying to make the day special.

But now, I don't have anywhere near enough energy to accomplish much when I get home from work during the week. I've got to be more productive on Saturdays. And the best way for me to be productive is to not allow myself to get sidetracked by more fun stuff, but to concentrate on doing what needs to be done.

I know, it's an obvious thing, and people who are more naturally organized and all that are probably shaking their heads at my ignorance that this kind of thing makes a difference. But it's not just the time spent on other things that seems to cause the issue for me - if I sit down for an hour to read, I'm that much less likely to do anything more productive even after the hour is up. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to put me into a different mindset, and it's hard to get out of it and focus on what needs to be done.

So I've been not allowing myself to pick up a book until Saturday evening (or late afternoon at least) when I've gotten done what I need to for the day. I do briefly check email that morning, but don't spend lots of time on the internet either.

Someday perhaps I'd have the self-discipline to not have to be so strict with myself, but for now, this is what I'm needing to do to ensure that I keep up with what has to be done.

*Checking my blog archives, I see that the last Homemaking post for me was just before leaving town in October. It was right after returning from that trip that I got the positive pregnancy test result, so it's not just my imagination that it's been awhile, but I guess I do have an understandable reason for it.

Memory Verse

2009-02-22T08:44:00.000-05:00

Psalm 40:8, English Standard Version

I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-02-21T18:03:00.001-05:00

Sunday - Pot roast in the crock pot. Specific version still to be determined, but it will involve carrots, onions, and potatoes.

Monday - Black bean soup - one of our favorites. Saute an onion, add some garlic, then chicken broth, cans of black beans (rinsed & drained), some diced tomatoes, SALSA & lots of it, and corn. Serve with shredded cheese and/or sour cream and additional salsa.

Tuesday - Leftovers/sandwiches/whatever we can scrounge.

Wednesday - Spaghetti. Because I've been craving it. I'm completely lazy with it - jarred sauce over angel hair. L loves it when I make sauce with ground beef, but I actually prefer just the jarred sauce (the natural or organic versions because they don't have all the sugar & other stuff of the regular versions). So usually I alternate, and this time it's my turn for my favorite. Actually, we may have some of his preferred sauce in the freezer, which is the best of all - we each get it the way we like it best.

Thursday - Repeat Tuesday.

Friday - If we need something, then the cheesy potato skillet dish or grilled cheese or cheese quesadillas. Lately though we haven't needed anything on Friday for varying reasons, so I'm not really going to plan anything.

Week Twenty-One

2009-02-20T20:19:00.000-05:00

Nothing quite so exciting to report this week as last, and no big changes either. The baby is still moving around, but too faintly for anyone other than me to feel (although there were two kicks one night that I think would have been strong enough, if L had had his hand on my stomach right then).

This is the first week that I've noticed I've gotten a few long, possibly questioning looks at my belly from people. I think they're wondering, but it's not to the point where anyone with any sense would go ahead and ask me if I am.

What am I saying? There was big news this week: IT WAS COMPLETELY VOMIT-FREE!!! It's been just over a week actually; I threw up on Thursday the 12th, and haven't since. I'm still being very very careful with when, what, and how much I eat, but I'm doing so much better. Tuesday was actually a bad day where I felt like I was about to throw up most of the day, but I didn't, so that definitely counts for something.

I'm still waiting for the supposed second-trimester energy surge, because my stamina is still much lower than normal (although, yes, it is higher than it was weeks 5 - 10 or so). Yesterday I was fairly exhausted at the end of the work week (despite the fact that I didn't actually work all 5 days). I left work and would have been home close to 4:30 if traffic had been the usual Friday afternoon level. Instead, my car wouldn't start - dead battery even though it was just purchased in November? who knows - and after a few attempts to jump start it, phone calls to my husband, debating calling AAA, etc. etc, I finally caved and called a coworker who lives near me more or less, and he gave me a ride home. He works later than I do though so I wasn't home until after 6 and that extra hour and a half just about finished me off for the evening. Dinner was cereal, followed by ice cream, and all I did was move between couch and chair and finally to bed. I can tell I'm more hormonal than normal now, because I was fighting back tears when my car wouldn't start. I would never normally get teary over something like that.

Other changes I've noticed in myself include leg cramps, especially as I'm either trying to fall asleep, or am already asleep. Heartburn, although it's not anywhere near as bad as some stories I've heard, shortness of breath - I have to be careful as I walk to & from the garage at work or I'll exhaust myself and have to pause and rest and try to catch my breath again. And of course the apparently shrinking bladder which means I have to visit the bathroom constantly throughout the day and night. Oh, and fabulous backaches, which I'm really really hoping the massage I'm scheduled to get Friday will ease.

I think that last paragraph makes it sound like I'm completely miserable, and I'm not. I'm actually doing ok, and feeling him move is so wonderful that really, who cares about the rest. I'm just acknowledging that those are some pregnancy symptoms with which I'm familiar.

And one finale nice thing about pregnancy: the slightest whim for a food item is treated by L and my friends as a full-on pregnancy craving and while they may not rush out to indulge me in it, they're at least not judging in at all. Why of course I need a hot-fudge sundae right now! Who wouldn't? Sure we can go out and have steak for lunch!

It's awesome.

Random Thoughts on a Thursday

2009-02-19T17:37:00.005-05:00

I would really like it if someone would make me this apple cake. It's got apples, so that makes it healthy, right? It's not even a difficult cake, but grating the apples is more work than I feel able to manage. Plus the whole clean-up thing. L's a great guy, but kitchen cleanup is done on his own schedule. Which usually means the weekend, and I hate seeing dirty dishes out for that long, so I always have to wash them before then. Maybe I'll have the energy to make it tomorrow night, because I could probably ignore the dishes until Saturday morning, and he might do them then.
I'm not the least bit hungry, but I'm craving Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. I love that cereal, preservatives and other non-ideal ingredients and all.
I also love regular Cap'n Crunch. The advantage with the Peanut Butter version is L doesn't like it, so a box lasts longer than 2 days.
I do not love Choco Crunch. I pretty much hate all chocolate breakfast items, which seems odd considering how much I love chocolate generally.
I had to buy a new mouse the other day (computer mouse of course; I don't buy the other kind). I found a red one and it makes me happy whenever I see it. I was so happy it was the same price as the boring black/grey/white ones so I didn't have to debate whether the color was worth the extra cost. But no, I'm not sure why it pleases me so much to have it be in red. It also pleases me that the price was much less than their website shows. (And why the website doesn't show it in red I don't know.)
I always have great ideas for blog posts when I'm at work. By the time I'm home I can't remember them or think of anything to write. Either I need to start writing them down or emailing them to myself, or concede that maybe they're not that great anyway, and it's just that they seem that way in retrospect. Of course it might also have something to do with the fact that nowadays when I get home I'm TIRED and want nothing more than to crash on the couch; certainly not attempt to string words together in coherent fashion.
Hence the bulleted lists. I can maybe manage that. Paragraphs of text that all tie together in an intelligible way? Not so easy.
I actually tried to buy some clothes yesterday. It was a completely unsuccessful effort, though I hope to have more luck this weekend.
I finished a book yesterday that really really bothered me. It was just a poor book, and I'm annoyed at myself for finishing it and wasting my reading time on something that was so worthless. It wasn't uplifting, it wasn't edifying, it wasn't educational, and it wasn't entertaining. Generally I like my reading to hit on at least one of those categories. I've got to get pickier on what I'll read as my reading time will be drastically curtailed in the near future. I want to use it well! This review really gets at my issues with it, and I wish I hadn't bothere. I'm probably done with the series.
If I held this off to Friday I would probably try to justify including it in Jen's Seven Quick Takes. It doesn't seem worthy of that however. I'd have to lump the Cap'n Crunch comments all together though.

Thankful Tuesday

2009-02-17T20:59:00.003-05:00

The baby is definitely letting me know he's doing well. Lots of movement lately.
I have a massage scheduled for next week. I can hardly wait!
Got a nice deal on a recent frivolous purchase; $10 instead of the $25 I thought it would be. Sweet! That's another $15 I can spend another day.
My mom has confirmed that she'll come for a visit after the baby arrives. That will be a big help.

Weekly Menu Plan

2009-02-15T10:59:00.007-05:00

Sunday - Layered enchilada casserole in the slow cooker. It's a new recipe, but it's from Taste of Home so I'm pretty confident that we'll like it.
Update: we loved it with lots of salsa and sour cream. It was very easy to make and tasted great. Lots of leftovers too!

Monday - Colcannon soup. That isn't the recipe I'll be using, but it's awfully close.

Tuesday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.

Wednesday - Reuben mac & cheese. The other week when I was sick I watched her make it and it just sounded so good that I knew I'd have to make it soon. I sure hope it lives up to what my taste buds dreamt of that afternoon.

Thursday - Repeat Tuesday.

Friday - Cheesy potato skillet with mixed vegetables. Yup, the stuff I made last week. It was super quick and easy, and more than tasty enough to want it again.

Week Twenty

2009-02-14T17:12:00.003-05:00

Obviously the big news this week was the revealing ultrasound. And just the enjoyment of watching him move around and learning that he looks fine and everything about the pregnancy looks good.

Weight update: Success? I'm down only 1 pound since week sixteen. And that's after almost 5 days of regular non-pregnancy-related illness that left me not eating much at all, so really, excluding that week where I had the what felt like the plague, I'm sure I would have gained weight.

Honestly, I have never once before in my life had any issue with gaining weight. This is beyond bizarre.

I've been feeling the baby move a LOT more this week which is completely awesome. And I feel like the last two weeks have definitely included a significant "pop" in the size of my stomach. There's no doubt now. Well, ok, there still is plenty of doubt when I'm wearing my winter coat, but as long as I'm not wrapped up in a big coat it's obvious.

As a joke I've been calling him Giuseppe. Because I think that name is great but would be an odd choice for us. So it's fun to use it for him until he arrives and we reveal the real name. We also have been tossing around completely ridiculous options to be silly, and telling them to L's brother just because his responses are so funny.

Introducing...

2009-02-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's a boy! We are so excited. The first grandson & even great-grandson for L's family. We can't wait to meet him in June (or July or whenever he shows up!)