Tuesday

Today is Tuesday, and the last day of my 6-day weekend. Sad. I have to go back to work tomorrow. Which is fine, I have to go sometime. Besides, it won't be long before I'm off of work for quite a while anyway. I should probably try and work as much as possible before Sofie makes her appearance and I have to go on maternity leave. It's hard to work more than 9 hours a day though. I get so TIRED. I hit a wall around 2pm, so I have been going in extra early so that I can get my entire day in by that time and then some extra so I can leave early on Fridays.

I'm hungry. I want ice cream. I might get some after my pedicure.

Husband was supposed to go fishing today but... the weather forecast has strong storms and wind for the afternoon. Since he's still sound asleep, I think that by the time he gets up, fishing is going to be a no-go. He and his buddy will have to find something else to do. I hear it isn't safe to be out on a boat when there is wind and lightning.

I finally got my thank-you cards written out from my work-baby shower. I'll bring them to work tomorrow since I'm not there today.

Notes on the pregnancy...

So far I've been lucky enough to only have my feet swell up twice, both times from just being on them for too long. Now that the humid weather has started to set in, I know it's only a matter of time before my feet look bad. So I think today I'll go and get a pedicure so that they can look nice for at least a day or two. My polish is all peeling anyway. I tried to remove it myself the other day, and that was hilarious. I am glad nobody saw! My belly is in the way and if I bend over wrong or even try to reposition myself in bed, it's really painful. Just a few more weeks though!

My most recent appointment was last week Friday. She's measuring ahead still. I asked the midwife if this means that my uterus is just big or if it means that Sofie is bigger. She said it could be either one. There's no concern regarding the possibility of her being ahead because I don't have gestational diabetes, but it is possible that the due date may be slightly off, OR Sofie is just growing faster. She said they aren't wanting to check just yet, but if I haven't had her by 38 weeks, we'll have an ultrasound. If she's good sized, they'll induce me at 39 weeks if they feel it would be better for me. Which is good. I'm thinking she'll just come early on her own though.

She's super active all the time. She is head down as well, which is good. I figured she was based on where I was feeling most of her kicking, but they checked just to make sure, and she is definitely head down. I think she wants out. Sometimes I feel like her foot is going to bust right through my belly. She needs to cook a little longer. But I will be surprised if we make it to July 27th. Watch, now that I said that, I'll go until the first week of August...

I have my baby shower this upcoming Sunday. I'm really excited and happy that my friends and my mom are doing that for me.

Nothing much more to say right now. I need to find something to eat. Do you like wallpapers? I do. Here's one. I stole it off of Flickr. I have no idea who to give credit to. Sorry. But it's pretty.

it always turns toward food.

Conversations, that is. With pregnant women. I never really noticed it, but my friend is right. See e-mail thread:

Me: I stopped having dreams of Husband being gay. Now I've been dreaming of black musicians or movie stars delivering my baby. Last night it was Morgan Freeman. He was narrating the entire process like he does in nature documentaries. I wanted him to shut up and he wouldn't. Then he started narrating about ME and why I was so upset and agitated.

The night before it was Lenny Kravitz. And before that it was Prince. Does Prince count as a black guy? I think he does. The night before THAT was some black TV star with an afro, and I think I may have seen him on Grey's Anatomy or some other medical drama. Or maybe it was John Legend.

On top of that, each time they deliver the baby, they just hand it over to me and I don't know what to do. In one of those dreams I was wheeled into a closet and the lights were turned off and everyone went to lunch.

Friend #1: I think Prince counts as a black gay guy. Hopefully once Husband gets home, you will be able to sleep better. Stop watching the Discovery Channel or any other documentary with Morgan Freeman. That might help, too.

Friend #2: Is Prince gay?

Is there a 50/50 chance that your baby might be black? I mean, since you're getting close to the end, maybe you are subconsciously worrying and fretting that the baby will be black and Husband will demand answers.

I know a chick who did that. Her man didn't suspect a thing. Until what should have been a white baby came out half black. OMG! Can you imagine?

Friend #1: Seriously he wears higher heels than (coworker A and coworker B) combined. Prince HAS to be gay. Hey, how did that family situation turn out?

Friend #2: I think he walked out of the delivery room! I didn't really know her. I knew of her though. It happened to the brother of a guy I was dating. I met the girl a few times while she was pregnant. Never saw her again after the baby was born. Saw the brother a few times afterward and he wasn't a happy camper. Didn't have much good to say about her.

Me: No kidding. That's stuff that only happens in movies. I can't imagine what it would be like to have that happen or know someone who had that happen. I wouldn't know what to say. It would be an awkward conversation. What do you say? Do you tell them, "I'm sorry that happened to you" and then offer them a cookie? Cookies always make me feel better. I have a feeling that cookies might not help with this situation though. Especially if they were Oreos. I love Oreos...

Friend #2: Pregnant women are SO fun to have conversations with. It always turns to food.

I didn't die......

Yes. It has been a while. I'm sorry. I could say that it's because I am busy. Or that I'm lazy. Or just really tired. I think it's a combination of all of those things. But a lot of stuff happened!

The last time I posted was about the diaper bag and the shopping. That was on a Friday. The following Sunday I felt really sick. Flu-like sick, and nasty things were happening to me. Monday I went to work and went home right away because I felt sick. As soon as I got home, I spent 20 minutes in the bathroom throwing up in a garbage can while I sat on the toilet doing... other things. It was pretty terrible. The puking didn't get better later on in the day either, and I wasn't able to keep any food or liquids down.

Off to the emergency room!

Seriously, who gets hospitalized for the flu? Me, apparently. Don't get the flu when you are pregnant. It doesn't act like a normal flu. It acts like a radioactive flu on steroids. It's horrible. HORRIBLE! I spent the night in labor and delivery. It was nice to know that the baby was fine, and I got to hear her heartbeat a lot. That was fun. I discovered Zofran, which I still have a prescription for and it's a total lifesaver when it comes to nausea. It also tastes like oranges.

I only had to stay in the hospital overnight. I was released the following afternoon. I was sick for about a week. Then I got better.

The following week was back to normal. On April 29th, my coworkers threw a baby shower for me and two other girls in the office. It was nice. I got a lot of nice things. I still have to do thank-you cards.

The following week started a three-week hiatus of mine and Husband's marriage. Okay, not really. But he did leave on 5/1/11 for his annual deployment and will not be back until 5/20/11. I'm super lonely now. And super tired. I am well aware of how much Husband does to help me but I'm even more aware of it now that he is gone and I have to do everything myself! But, I am managing, and I find that if you are forced to do something, after a while it isn't so bad. I have been eating like a college student though - by going to my mom and dad's for supper most nights. I also baked a casserole and have been eating that since Thursday of last week and I should probably throw it out. The plan today after work is to go home, do some laundry, and clean the bathroom. Huge events, let me tell you. It should be interesting to see what it feels like to bend down on my hands and knees to scrub the bathtub. BUT, the bathtub will be clean so that's exciting. You should strap a basketball to your belly and try to do things. Fun times!

Oh, I went to the park with a friend of mine and her babies last Saturday. We saw animals. There were bears. I enjoyed it.

I've also done other things recently. I baked a tuna casserole. It was mediocre. I'm not posting the recipe. I was totally craving it, and have been forcing myself to eat it (see above regarding said casserole) but I just can't finish it and will be throwing the rest out today. It's probably getting old anyway.

I've also been reading about raw/live vegan food and recipes, and let me tell you - a lot of it sounds really good. I'm sort of focused on sweets right now though. I figure, if I am going to eat something chocolaty, I might as well make it healthy. So, I did. I found this recipe for raw chocolate fudge cookies. I will make them again and blog the recipe now that I know it actually tastes good. I have another recipe for raw lemon cookies which I will also try. No, it isn't raw cookie dough. You use fresh unprocessed ingredients and you do not cook it. When you cook fruits and vegetables, the enzymes break down you don't get the health benefits. So my new goal is to learn how to make yummy things totally raw and pass them off as normal food. And eat them. And make my friends eat them. Or at least make Husband eat them.

So, that's it for now. Sorry for the lapse in posting. But I'm alive, I swear.

story of a diaper bag...and other things

Today was good.

I love Fridays for a lot of reasons. First off, I only work half-days, which is sweet. I'm done by 11am and I love it. Secondly, Husband has the day free so we always spend the afternoons together. It's special because we go shopping and go out to lunch and just do fun things that we don't really get to do during the week.

Today was especially great because we had an ultrasound scheduled. I love seeing our baby. I invited my friend Nicole to the ultrasound. I originally invited her because we thought Husband was going to be out of town. Turned out he didn't have to go anywhere, but I still wanted Nicole to come along because I don't get to see her as much as I would like. The three of us met for lunch around noon. We discussed pregnancy and how it's synonymous with being an old person. Actually, Nicole and I discussed it while Husband sat and ate his sandwich. It started because I was complaining about my swollen feet. Nicole suggested I buy those support stockings and I said I didn't want to because that's for old people. Turns out, a lot of things apply to pregnancy that also apply to being old. Here are a few similarities.

• Swollen feet
• Back pain
• Incontinence
• Constipation
• Poor posture
• Slow to move
• Fatigue
• Poor immune system
• Irritability
• Forgetfulness/memory loss
• Dental problems
• High/low blood pressure
• Shortness of breath
• Naps and early bedtime
• Insomnia

I don't think I need to go on. No wonder nobody likes getting old.

After that, we decided to go kill some time and Nicole asked if there was anywhere neat we could go. Since it's unseasonably cold, going for a walk or doing something outside was out of the question. I suggested we go to Whippersnapper's, this cute children's boutique downtown. She had never heard of it. I'm so glad we went! They have the cutest things for babies and toddlers (clothes, accessories, and other infant-care things like blankets and bottles). It's a bit pricey but you can find some really great things and it's all really unique. A lot of it is handmade locally as well.

I found this sweet diaper bag. These diaper bags are handmade by a lady here in town and go for $99.00. They had it on sale for $50 though, which was great. I don't think I'd spend $100 on a diaper bag unless it was a Coach bag, and even then I'd feel weird because I'd be stuffing it with dirty diapers. But I'd spend $50 on a nice bag. This bag rules. It's made from good cotton/canvas, has a ton of pockets for everything, and even comes with a wetbag and a good sized changing pad. I'm so thrilled.






I really liked it and showed it to Husband, and didn't expect him to want to spend the money on it.

But.... he did. He was very quick to do it too. I asked him if we could afford it and he said, "It's fine, we can transfer money from savings if we have to. Let's get the green one." So okay, he went and paid for it. Come to find out the real reason he wanted to get it was out of guilt. He had just taken a massive explosive dump in the fancy boutique's tiny bathroom and the smell was filling the shop quickly. Nobody would look at each other in the store. Pretty sure everyone knew it was him since he was the only guy in there. After we left, he said he wanted to spend some money in there because he felt so bad for stinking up the place.

Amazing. I should take him shopping with me more often because then I can get more stuff.

After that we went to The Chocolate Lounge to eat some truffles and waste some more time before my ultrasound. Kind of sounds gross now that I think about it, eating chocolate right after the issue with my husband taking a huge dump and stinking up a store. It was pretty good though.

Then, the ultrasound. I'll post pictures later on because they are hilarious. At one point, Sofie frowned, and then it looked like she started screaming. I shouldn't laugh because I feel bad that she might have been crying... but it looked so funny!! We couldn't stop laughing. And I can honestly say that Nicole is the only friend of mine who has now seen the inside of my body. She joked about seeing my placenta, cervix, and my vagina in real time on the ultrasound. Then said something about how it was a great bonding experience. Again, could not stop laughing! Also, based on the pictures, Sofie totally has my nose! :)

I was kind of nervous about the other part of the appointment because I was worried that my blood pressure was going to be on the high end like it has been. I was also worried that my placenta hadn't moved and that they would tell me I'd have to plan for a c-section. I was also worried that they were going to tell me that Sofie was a gigantic monster and that I was at risk for gestational diabetes. I was worried about this because I measured 4 weeks ahead at my last appointment.

Well, none of those things happened.

• Sofie is right on track for how far along she is as far as her growth. It is possible that my uterus may have been measuring large, but she is right on track.
• My placenta has migrated up to where it needs to be. 90% of women with a low-lying placenta see it migrate later on in pregnancy.
  
• My blood pressure was 120/60. It has been on the high end because I had been sick for over a month. I'm not sick anymore, and I've been drinking soy milk every day to help lower my blood pressure, which has obviously paid off. Research soy milk and lower blood pressure and you will see that it works. Husband had hypertension for a while. After having him drink a glass of soy milk every day for a couple of weeks, his blood pressure returned to normal range.
  

Additionally, my feet have begun to swell. I noticed my unsightly "cankles" last night as I was getting ready for bed and I burst into tears. Husband propped my feet up and rubbed them, which kind of hurt, but this morning they looked normal. They are swollen yet again, and I think this is going to be a regular occurrence while I'm out and about. I asked the doctor if this was normal. He took one look at my ugly swollen feet and said, "Yes, that is normal and it is fine." I asked if I should have Husband rub them. He then gave him a verbal prescription that he must rub my feet 6 times per day.

If I ever have to switch from a midwife to a doctor for whatever reason, I am going to pick this particular doctor.

Drinking water helps. The more you drink, the less you retain, which seems weird, but I'll just have to keep doing that. And peeing all the time.

All in all, it was a nice afternoon. I'm happy. :)

the real meaning of words

A coworker sent me this in an email, forgetting that I'm an emotional basketcase from the pregnancy. So, it ruined me. But it's really nice. Still. Ruined. Me.

The Real Meaning of Words..

Departure

Sorrow

Respect

Rescued

Patience

Pain

Love

Innocence

Divine

Compassion

Best Friends

fruit pizza, FTW!!

What's better than the first grill-out of the summer? When the day you have the first grill-out of the summer also includes tornado warnings! Nothing says hello summer like tornado warnings and hail damage. I love it!

I also love fruit pizza. So, I made some.


When my friends and I decided to get together at one of our houses yesterday to grill food and hang out, I had planned on making cupcakes. I've been wanting to make cupcakes for quite some time now because I can't stop watching DC Cupcakes on TLC. I'm so obsessed with the idea of making pretty and yummy cupcakes, that when my parents were recently in Washington DC, I begged them to go there and get some. Which, they did.


But they didn't bring any back. They did, however, send me a picture of the cupcakes they got:


I felt bad that they didn't bring me any, but my mom said they would have been stale by the time they got home, and she also said that they weren't that good. At least not good enough to wait 2 hours in line for like some people did.


She is smart and ordered them a day ahead of time and didn't have to wait at all. Who waits in line for a mediocre cupcake? Not my parents. And neither would I. I would, however, take the time to make a non-mediocre cupcake. My dad said that my cupcakes taste way better. So, this is why I wanted to do it.

But then I was tired. And I realized that cupcakes.....make way too many. And they aren't that good for you. Neither is fruit pizza, but at least there is fruit on it and at least it doesn't take long to make. Plus, I've never met anyone who doesn't like fruit pizza. If you don't like fruit pizza, there is probably something wrong with you.

You should make this. There are a lot of recipes out there, and I use this one. It's really good. You'll need these things:

• A pizza pan (one with sides is best)
• 8oz of cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp of almond extract (or vanilla, or orange, or whatever you think would be good)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 roll of sugar cookie dough (the kind in the refrigerated section)
• fruit (I used 1/2 container of strawberries and 4 kiwis)

Look, this one is Italian.


Press your cookie dough into the pizza pan and bake per the instructions on the package. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.


Make the "pizza sauce" by combining the cream cheese, sugar, and extract together with your mixer using the paddle attachment on high until fluffy. Spread onto cooled crust. Like this!



Cut up your fruit. I peel the kiwi like this first, and then cut into circles.


Clean your strawberries and then cut into slices, like this.



Then arrange them onto your pizza. Then tell your friends you are bringing it to their house so they can get excited to eat it.

Then leave your house and head over to your friend's house with your fruit pizza which is around 24 minutes away, and turn around after driving 8 minutes on the highway because you realize you are driving right into a tornado. Go to your parents house and wait the storm out while eating a snack and watching The Weather Channel while your dad teaches you all about clouds and what causes thunder.

You don't have to do that last part, but that's what I did.

Kid's books that never made it

I saw a friend's status update. It said, "Daddy drinks because you cry." It reminded me of this list of kid's books that never made it. That was one of them. Here are the rest.

1. You Are Different and That's Bad
   
2. The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables
   
3. Dad's New Wife Robert
   
4. Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share
   
5. Hammers, Screwdrivers and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book
   
6. The Kids' Guide to Hitchhiking.
   
7. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
   
8. All Cats Go to Hell
   
9. The Little Sissy Who Snitched
   
10. Some Puppies Can Fly
    
11. That's it, I'm Putting You Up for Adoption
    
12. Grandpa Gets a Casket
    
13. The Magic World Inside the Abandoned Refrigerator
    
14. Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia
    
15. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
    
16. Strangers Have the Best Candy
    
17. Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get Your Way
    
18. You Were an Accident
    
19. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
    
20. Pop! Goes The Hamster...And Other Great Microwave Games
    
21. The Man in the Moon Is Actually Satan
    
22. Your Nightmares Are Real
    
23. Where Would You Like to Be Buried?
    
24. Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School
    
25. Why Can't Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet Be Friends?
    
26. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things
    
27. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry

Terrible.

But really funny!!!

Are there more? Probably.

So, as I may have mentioned before, Husband and I are currently house sitting for my parents while they're out east for a week and a half. They only live like a mile from us, so it's really a no-brainer. We stay there overnight because of Max and we go back and forth to check on our cat and bird. Husband had training this weekend so I've been on my own. Not a huge deal. It's really not a huge deal. I can handle things just fine. Right? HA! Luckily, he's coming home in a couple of hours so I waited until now to screw up.

I locked myself out of my parents house. I can't get in. My dad gave me a garage door opener to prevent this from happening but it's currently sitting on the dining room table next to my set of keys. Luckily, I have my brother's car key which happens to have my townhouse key on it, so I'm currently hanging out at my place until Husband gets home. Because he has the other key. Max is out in the yard. Good thing it's not raining. My friend Matt across the street is keeping an eye on him. Not like Max would do anything anyway. To be honest, if I was actually at the house, he'd probably still be out in the yard since he would prefer to stay out there 99% of the time anyway.

So yeah, I can say that I'm doing a swell job at house sitting. Once Husband gets home and we can get in, the first thing I am doing is putting the garage door opener in the car. Hopefully I don't lock myself out of the house without the car keys though. That would be amazing. I probably will.

I feel really stupid lately.