Sunday, July 29, 2007
Harry Potter
...was AWESOME. We just finished it this afternoon. So good. I've never cried so much over a book in my life. Now Huz and I need to find something else to read together - that was fun! |Thursday, July 26, 2007
Update
First, let me all thank you for your kind words and comments on that last post. I was very hurt and you helped me through that. Thank you. You guys are awesome!Second, I'm sorry for the serious lack of blogging this week, but I've been crazy busy training a temp who's taking over my position until a full-time replacement is found. No time to check my own personal email with a stranger looking over my shoulder all day, much less time to blog.
I was going to go on and tell you all about my week, how busy I was with dinner parties, pre-natal water aerobics (Daddy's Night is this Tuesday, so Huz will get a wet work-out too!), and the lovely 3 hour gestational diabetes test I got called back to take on Friday. But, no. I'm simply going to tell you this: Damn it all, I've got gestational diabetes! :(
My midwife called me at home this morning to tell me the results of yesterday's blood-letting (four holes poked in my left arm over a 4 hour period - good times) and said I FAILED. Way to make me feel good on a Saturday morning. Sigh. So, now I have to go see an endocrinologist and see if we can get this controlled by diet alone (which is not bad to begin with, I swear!) and then we'll progress to drugs (oral and then insulin shots) if that doesn't correct the problem. This sucks. She said you'd never guess by looking at me that I'd have it, which is why they test for it - I'm not obese, I work-out, I haven't had it before, it's not in my family (at least I don't think so, I know my siblings have been tested, but I'm not clear on if anyone in my family actually HAS diabetes. Mo? Can you help me out on that one?). It's fairly common, I guess, with up to 5% of all pregnant women getting it, but I never expected to have it or ANY condition for that matter. On top of that, I also have a minor heart murmur that they need to watch. GREAT. I've had it since childhood with no symptoms or need for meds, but because I currently have one and half times the volume of blood pumping through my body, I have to get a cardiac work-up to see if my heart is managing it all okay. Also, I may have to take antibiotics during labor to protect from any heart infection. WTF!? All of a sudden I feel old and full of "conditions," even though I know this is all relatively minor and easily managed. Still. It bothers me.
I'll keep you all posted on what the endocrinologist says and what diet plan I get put on. I suppose it will be low-sugar, high protein and complex carbs, but I don't know. I've never dieted in my life, never counted calories or fat, sugar, or carb grams. Sigh. |
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Venting and a Belly Update
You know, I started this blog as a way to express myself both through photographs I was taking in college and through words - as an outlet and a diary of sorts. I also thought it would be a great way to keep my family, whom I have lived very far away from since the age of 18, in my life. I think all three of these goals have been accomplished, but it hasn't been a smooth junction. While I do express my feelings and opinions fairly openly here, I also self-censor quite a bit because I'm aware of who is reading. I do feel the need to say, however, that one of my siblings really insulted me the other day by attempting to assert her superiority by telling me (her 6 month pregnant sister, who openly shares how difficult it is to see her body change in such significant ways [read: getting fat]) that she has "rock-hard yoga abs; is 98 pounds and hot." The 5 minute phone conversation was filled to the brim with such insults (and ridiculous guilt trips) which ended in me hanging up and not wanting to converse or share my life with her for a long time. So, there, I've vented a little without going into all the details and I feel better. That is, after all, one of the main reasons I have a blog.Exhale.
Now, to embrace my changing and growing body and to be PROUD of the fact that I'm happily married and expecting a child - one of the happiest moments in a person's life - I leave you some belly shots (it's been a while since I've shared!).
|
Friday, July 20, 2007
Crime - Southern Style
Here's the kind of stuff that apparently happens in this city. Crazy."A minor traffic accident led to a strange sequence of events this
afternoon. The accident was near Opry Mills, a female passenger in one
vehicle got out slapped the other driver. The female slapper did not
want to talk to police so she jumped in the river and swam across. The
police on the mall side found out that the female was on her way to
rehab, but decided to hit the crack pipe one more time. So now she is on
Mossrose Dr, and naked. East officers are trying to cover her and are
calling for female officer assistance." |
Monday, July 16, 2007
Weekend Report
Friday: Got job offer and celebrated that evening by going to dinner and a movie with Huz. Damn, those 3 sips of mojito were good! And, if you haven't seen it yet, get thee out there and watch this movie. It is by far the best of all HP films so far. So good!Saturday: Hung out a local coffee shop with friends for a few hours; went to see if we could find an antique dresser for Cletus (we didn't - found old crock to keep kitchen utensils in instead); went to the brewery shop for Huz (who is finally finding the time to make another 5 gallon batch of brew); lazed around while Huz finished the bathroom (caulked, baseboards installed, touched up paint - he's a rock star).
Sunday: Went to church; finally unpacked the final 2 boxes in the study and filed paperwork that had been neglected for 6 months while Huz mowed the lawn. My back hurt from lifting and organizing all afternoon, but it's worth it. The room is livable again.
This morning: Drank a bottle of nasty sweet glucose stuff on way to my midwife appointment; heard Cletus' heartbeat; got my fundus measured; got my blood drawn (scheduled check for gestational diabetes - will know results sometime this week); found out that I have indeed gained a pound a week over the last 6 weeks (OMG!!). Scary thing is? I have 15 weeks to go. That means 15 more pounds!
(For those you who miss that pregnancy ticker I had on the top of my page, I moved it to the very bottom because it was kind of obnoxious. But, it's still funny to read.) |
Friday, July 13, 2007
Product of My T.V. Watching
I'm really grumpy this morning. Like I said before, it's getting more difficult to get out of bed (both because of my vastness and because it's just too damn early). When the alarm so rudely bleated like a goat in my ear at 6:00 this morning, it was particularly difficult, namely, because I was still dreaming when it went off. And what an interesting dream it was - clearly I watch too much t.v. because it was all a result of shows I've recently seen. Huz and I were in some random diner (I think in Nashville because it felt Southern) and were dancing (clearly inspired by this). Rico (from this) comes in and starts dancing with me, showing me some new moves and tells me that my hair smells good. Then Huz and I go up to the counter and order a piece of their most expensive pie - $12 a slice for deep fried key lime pie (I guess from this and very strange, huh?). Anyway, it was a tough one to wake up from. Blah.I do have some good news, though. I just got an official offer for a new position and I'm very excited! Finally! Someone recognizes that I have more to offer and deserve more dough (not much more, but more). Yippee! I start in 2 weeks and will have LOTS to learn in the 3 months before leaving for a 2 month maternity leave. Wish me luck!
Our plans this weekend? Sleep in, finish the bathroom (install new toilet handle - brushed nickle to match sink faucets, caulk around bathtub, install shoe board on the baseboards), water the trees, visit antique shops to find a dresser for the nursery, see Harry Potter on Sunday, and, ultimately, chill. Can't wait. What are you up to? |
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Love/Hate
Love:How Huz looks at me lately when my belly is peeking out of my non-pregnancy shirts, then smiles and says "awesome."
Hate:
How my co-worker who I share a small office with butchers the English language on a regular basis. The latest gem? "I don't know if she's came back." Pity the misunderstood passive voice.
[Another gem just overheard: "...she said she had just ate."] |
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Picture Parade
Okay, kids, it's picture time!As I previously mentioned, I had to go back to the opthalmologist to get my eye checked on after that floater scare (um, anyone else tremble at the words "retinal detachment?" Yeah, me too.). Huz refused to look at me all through dinner and the rest of the evening. Would you avoid this lovely gaze too?
That's not so bad, is it?
Whoa. I guess it is. Sorry. You can call your screaming children back to the computer now if you promise never to show them the Scary Monster-Eyed Lady again (and give them a cookie as an extra bonus).
Here are our lovely new trees. They adorn our previously barren front yard quite nicely (apparently the guy who owned the house before us got a divorce and retaliated, or coped, or whatever, by tearing up all the landscaping in the front yard which has forced us to buy 5 bushes and 2 trees so far. What an idiot!). Here's the Maple - Cambridge and Neville named him Marty. (I love being able to blame my anthropomorphism on the children. Actually? In all honesty? It was Huz's idea to name them! ha! Take that Zebra Theologian! You're weird just like me!)
Here's Rosie the Red Bud (kinda Charlie Brown at this point, what with her sideways lean, but she'll straighten out as she grows).
Here's a Clematis we planted a few weeks ago to cover the God-awful turquoise* trellis in front of our house (we'll eventually repaint all the turquoise accents black which, unfortunately for us, includes the shutters, garage door, trellis, and the trim on the roof ALL.AROUND.THE.ENTIRE.HOUSE. Turquoise? Really? Was that the best option? I don't think so.).
*And you wondered why I haven't shown you pictures of the front of our house!
We've been working on finishing up our bathroom this weekend. The tile is all finished of course, thanks to my Huzeriffic Handyman, but we've left the painting of the baseboards and doors and caulking around the tub for later. And it's much later now. I'm itching to get all of these little projects done - actually they bother me like a rusty nail in the bottom of my foot. Is this called nesting? Here's our tiny, spa-like bathroom (with a before shot thrown in for good measure).
Before
After
Ooh, ahh. The tile that my Huz laid.
The sexy new sink (and faucet) that my Huz put in.
I couldn't share pictures without giving you a belly shot, now could I? This is last weekend (the last day of my 22nd week) on the way to a friend's birthday party.
Of course I have more photos to share (namely, some of the cutest sleeping cat pictures EVER), but I'll spare you (and the screen length of this post) for now and will do those later. |
Friday, July 6, 2007
Tid Bits Redux
1. We've got two trees! We've got two trees! The red maple and red bud are great additions to our previously blank slate of a front yard and I look forward to their lovely colors in both fall and spring, as well as the welcome shade this summer. I don't believe in talking to plants, but I welcomed them both to their new home and stroked their trunks, telling them to grow and be strong. I must research how much water newly-planted trees need so that we take extra good care of our investment (which they were, by the way. 12 foot maples don't come cheap!) The cats seem pleased to have something to look at in the front yard other than grass and the occasional bird. I'll get a small bird feeder for the maple soon to add to their viewing enjoyment.2. I know you're dying to know this...and so I will tell you. Ever since about week 12 of my pregnancy coffee has been a miracle drug for the ol' digestive track. About half way through my morning mug I have to go to the potty. How nice that is for Ms. Constipated Pretty Much All The Time!
3. I've received some rude awakenings these past two mornings. See, I've become quite the snooze button hitter in my old age, so my 6:00 wake-up call gets postponed to 6:20 or 6:30 most mornings. And apparently my kids don't like this so they are all now equal and eager participants of the Get Mom Outta Bed And Stop That Annoying Beeping Sound gang (wonder what their secret handshake is?). Yesterday, after about 15 minutes of snoozing, Cletus started kicking me incessantly in my side while Neville jumped up on my side of the bed and began to lick and bite my elbow profusely. Nice. Then this morning Cletus started at it again while Cambridge (innocent little thing that she is) climbed up onto my left ribcage and began to knead my ribs like Play-Doh. I know this sounds adorable, and it is, but her tiny little feet feel like an octopus in stilettos on my ribs, people. Not very pleasant to wake up to! My white flag is up: Alright, alright! I'm awake you damn kids! (I really love them all; you know that and so do they.) |
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Tid Bits
1. I completely cracked myself up this morning sitting down to breakfast with Huz before leaving for work. He pulled out the baby name book (which has a bagajillion names in it, most of which are unusable because I don't think Shaneekwa - or it's bagajillion variations - would quite fit our child) and started naming off random weird names (I think Umbala was one). I told him to look up Swedish names because my Mom's side is Swedish, then suggested we name her Bgnerk (just start the name with a B and then snort - that's pretty much how I pronounced it). Then I said, "Hey Bgnerk! Come get your dinner" and started laughing so hard that Cletus got quite the early morning ride in there. Oh, I crack myself up sometimes.2. I read that this week my uterus is the size of a basketball. Good Lord!
3. I'm dangerously close to getting an outie. If I pull my belly up an inch, it totally sticks out. Um, gross!?
4. The Sounds suck big time, but thankfully there was an entertaining golden retriever who wooed the crowd with his stellar Frisbee catching skills. Oh, and the fireworks after the game were pretty amazing. I seriously thought they were going to land in my eyeballs* they were so close.
*Speaking of which, I came home the other night from a follow-up ophthalmologist appointment with only one eye dilated. I looked pretty freakish, apparently, because all that evening (through dinner and then hanging out in the living room) Huz refused to make eye contact with me. I took a picture of myself for your viewing enjoyment and will post it soon. I seem to like taking ugly eye pictures of myself for your viewing enjoyment, don't I?
5. Still no word on that job offer. Man does my company take their sweet ass time! Meanwhile, I'm pining away counting the hours until I go home everyday. But, hey, at least I have time to blog, right?
6. I'm really full right now. For breakfast I ate some of my homemade granola with strawberries and two sticky almond muffins I made yesterday while Huz dug a kid-sized swimming pool hole in the front yard. I'm not quite sure why we donned the stereotypical gender roles like that (he sweating and digging in the yard while I baked and did the dishes....wait for it....barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen), but we did. |
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Um, Hello?
So, am I boring you? A measly 3 comments on the last post left me melancholy. I'm dramatic, I know, but it's true. As you can clearly see in how I choose to describe myself in the left-hand sidebar, I'm a lover of comments and when honey don't get none, she gets pissed (or sad).Ahem.
So I know this has been a pregnancy blog since I found out and I'm sorry about that. As the title indicates, I write about my perspective on life (what I see through my lens) and that's been the biggest perspective of late. I'm sorry if that's boring. Really, I am.
Moving on.
I'm wasting money because I paid for a 3 month pre-natal water aerobics class and have missed the last 3 classes (packing for trip to Colorado, fatigue, more fatigue, etc.) and am planning on missing tonight too. But it's for a good reason. See? We need to celebrate spontaneity while we still are sans-kid and can afford to be spontaneous. Don't you agree? We got invited to go with friends to a Pie and Pint night at a local bar (shepherd's pie and a pint of beer, that is, not pie and a pint of ice cream like my co-worker thought I meant - WTF!?) and then to a baseball game. All for $14 a person. Sounds like a cheap date to me: I'm in!
In job news, I anticipate a job offer by the end of this week for at least one of the jobs I put in for (the better one!) so I'm excited about that. Yes, it will be a challenge to learn a brand new position when I'm pregnant, but I have confidence in myself and my motivation, so it's all good.
In cat news, I was reading over my archives yesterday and happened upon when we first adopted Neville. Boy, how things have changed! First of all, he's no longer little! Secondly, remember how I used to call Cambridge The Little Terrorist!? That title is now solely Neville's because every morning he gallops at full throttle (which is as loud as you'd imagine a ten, eleven, twelve (!?) pound cat sounding on hardwoods) chasing after his sister. She's definitely the victim every morning, but it's just so stinkin' funny. Plus, it's Neville's only exercise, so I say go for it! Cambie made a pitiful noise the other day when Huz tried picking her up (reminiscent of her post-surgery days) which made us both look at each other with the classic worried parent look. Next morning, Huz walked into the study only to be greeted by cat barf composed of a semi-digested beetle. Y-U-M-M-Y! No wonder she had a belly ache! (You're welcome for sharing; it's all an attempt to talk about something other than pregnancy. Satisfied?)
[Oh, as for tomorrow's big 4th of July plans? Huz will be digging 2 giant saucer-shaped holes in our front yard. No, we're not burying anybody; we bought 2 trees in hope to 1. up our property value and 2. to get some shade from the blistering afternoon sun. We bought a lovely red maple and a red bud from a really cool local nursery. Can't wait to see them take off!] |
