Tomorrow morning I have my 37 week appointment with Dr. N, and I am DYING to find out if I've progressed any. ...and trying not to get my hopes up if she tells me I haven't.
We're ready. -- Or rather, we think we're ready. DH is nervous as can be -- I think the reality and increasing proximity of my due date is really freaking him out...
Case in point - packing the hospital bags.
We had talked about needed to have bags packed for the hospital even prior to our 'babymoon' a few weeks ago... and you would think that last week's news from Dr. N would have jump-started that process.
Nope!
I brought it up that very evening, when we got home from work - need to get those bags packed!
I brought it up that Thursday - he assured me we'd tackle it Friday night.
Friday night came and went - we got home later than anticipated, and DH suggested we wait 'til Saturday when we'd have 'more time' and were better-rested.
Saturday came and went -- and while I did some pre-packing laundry to get ready for packing -- DH did everything he could to avoid it. ...He even started working on our tax return as his procrastination!
When we went to bed that evening, I cornered him on the issue -- and he admitted that the procrastination was all stemming from his nervousness about it all (L&D, bringing the baby home, my impending retirement from work--and the pressure that puts on HIM to provide for us), and that packing the hospital bag made it seem that much more imminent and real...so he'd been avoiding it.
But we know that God has, in all things, provided abundantly more than we've needed for each and every circumstance... and we know that He will continue to do so after I 'retire' from the working world. So I tried as best I could to comfort my hubby with reminders of how He's provided for us in the past... As to the nervousness about the baby's impending arrival -- I told him he's not the only one nervous about it (and also QUITE anxious for it to get here already!!). And while I know it will be tough and a major blur for a few (or more) weeks, I know we're ready for this.
We're practically there... the moment we've been praying for and dreaming of for almost 5 years now.
So we woke up Sunday morning, went to sunday school, and then skipped big church to come back home and pack our bags. They're now residing in the hallway upstairs, all set and ready to go.
Every time I see them, I get a little thrill down my spine. ...and I can't help but wonder when we'll need them.
I wake up most mornings with the same thought... will today be the day that Baby J makes her grand entrance? Will I get to meet my little one today?
Only God knows!
Hoping tomorrow's appointment brings good news --- and if not, that my walk with a good friend after work will get things moving!
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thirty Days and Counting...
So in the next 4 weeks (give or take one), we're going to be leaving a hospital with a teeny tiny baby girl... and life as we've known it will never be the same.
This is all starting to feel very, very real.
As in a, wow-oh-my-gosh-am-I-ready-no-help-we're-not-ready-yet sort of way.
Since my last post, we've had our 4 baby showers, and baby things have now taken over our house. ...Mostly in the form of pink clothing, but thankfully not all of it!
I've done four loads of baby-specific laundry.... and pulling out one teeny-tiny outfit after another doesn't seem to lessen the shock of how very small this little one may be.
The baby's room is set up - furniture in place, bedding washed and on the bed, clothes and blankets and bibs and socks and sleepers either folded and in drawers or hung up, all just waiting to be used.
Only a few things left to purchase from our registries -- and thanks to an overabundance of newborn clothes and duplicate books/other items, we have a good bit of store credit to use towards fulfilling the 'basics' we still need. (DH is pretty darn excited about that!)
The baby showers were absolutely beautiful, each one. It was fun to see the different groups of people at each, and of course everyone was overwhelmingly generous and so thoughtful in how each one was planned, decorated, presented. But they were also hard, in a way. Even though it's an amazing feeling to finally be at a baby shower thrown for your own baby -- it doesn't lessen the strange feeling over being at a baby shower--even one you've looked forward to!--after having avoided them or suffered through so many for so long. That's a weird transition. I also don't relish being the center of attention -- so just having that many people eyeing me all at once was a tad disconcerting!
I almost made it through all four with no crying... almost.
But in the end, I am blessed with beautiful memories of each - and DH, Baby J, and I are most definitely blessed by the love and generosity of so many friends and family.
Last weekend we took our 'babymoon' trip down to Seagrove Beach, FL - so nice to get away for a few days! We both took off Thursday and Friday to make it a good long weekend trip and man, was it. We did a whole lotta nothing... which was absolutely fine in my book. Every day we'd walk on the beach for a few hours after breakfast, then go explore the area - either Seaside, which we could walk into, or another local beach town within a short drive of Seagrove. Then we'd have lunch wherever we were, head back to the beach cottage for a short rest (or more Sportscenter, as in the case of DH), and then hit the beach again around 4 or 5 to watch the sun go down and walk more. Every night we tried a different local restaurant - which is always fun in my book. Then we'd stop and get a dollar movie from Redbox and call it an evening. (Note to self - never subject yourself to "The Other Guys" again - it was awful! and move "Red" up in your queue)
We lucked into sunny weather while there, but sadly, it wasn't terribly warm... it was mostly in the low-to-mid 50's during the day, and 30's at night. But at least a) that gave me an additional excuse to avoid any sort of bathing suit experience at 35 weeks, and b) we never really got sweaty during all our beach walking! So there were definitely some good advantages to the cool weather. ..That, and I could cuddle up more to the hubby. Always a plus!
As of Saturday, I'll be 36 weeks and officially in the 'no travel' zone... craziness. This pregnancy has just been flying by for me. ...Which means I need to get a move on getting everything else set up or put away and organized! (yikes) Before I know it, she'll be here!
Body-wise, I am definitely feeling very pregnant these days. Big, uncomfortable, easily flushed and hot, and starting to notice slight swelling in my hands, legs & feet. Even a slight spreading of my feet, which I'd long been praying to avoid (please don't be permanent! I love my fun heels and all my boots!!) The pregnancy waddle is definitely unavoidable now, for which DH gets endless entertainment -- that, and the sound of my groaning as I try to roll from one side to the other during the night... not an easy task, at this point. Braxton-Hicks are becoming a companion to any form of activity - even just walking up the stairs, or from my desk to the restroom at work.
But despite it all, I am grateful for every single second of discomfort. I am just so grateful to be here - to be carrying Little Miss - and to be this close to meeting our little girl.
The next 30 days can't pass quickly enough!
This is all starting to feel very, very real.
As in a, wow-oh-my-gosh-am-I-ready-no-help-we're-not-ready-yet sort of way.
Since my last post, we've had our 4 baby showers, and baby things have now taken over our house. ...Mostly in the form of pink clothing, but thankfully not all of it!
I've done four loads of baby-specific laundry.... and pulling out one teeny-tiny outfit after another doesn't seem to lessen the shock of how very small this little one may be.
The baby's room is set up - furniture in place, bedding washed and on the bed, clothes and blankets and bibs and socks and sleepers either folded and in drawers or hung up, all just waiting to be used.
Only a few things left to purchase from our registries -- and thanks to an overabundance of newborn clothes and duplicate books/other items, we have a good bit of store credit to use towards fulfilling the 'basics' we still need. (DH is pretty darn excited about that!)
The baby showers were absolutely beautiful, each one. It was fun to see the different groups of people at each, and of course everyone was overwhelmingly generous and so thoughtful in how each one was planned, decorated, presented. But they were also hard, in a way. Even though it's an amazing feeling to finally be at a baby shower thrown for your own baby -- it doesn't lessen the strange feeling over being at a baby shower--even one you've looked forward to!--after having avoided them or suffered through so many for so long. That's a weird transition. I also don't relish being the center of attention -- so just having that many people eyeing me all at once was a tad disconcerting!
I almost made it through all four with no crying... almost.
But in the end, I am blessed with beautiful memories of each - and DH, Baby J, and I are most definitely blessed by the love and generosity of so many friends and family.
Last weekend we took our 'babymoon' trip down to Seagrove Beach, FL - so nice to get away for a few days! We both took off Thursday and Friday to make it a good long weekend trip and man, was it. We did a whole lotta nothing... which was absolutely fine in my book. Every day we'd walk on the beach for a few hours after breakfast, then go explore the area - either Seaside, which we could walk into, or another local beach town within a short drive of Seagrove. Then we'd have lunch wherever we were, head back to the beach cottage for a short rest (or more Sportscenter, as in the case of DH), and then hit the beach again around 4 or 5 to watch the sun go down and walk more. Every night we tried a different local restaurant - which is always fun in my book. Then we'd stop and get a dollar movie from Redbox and call it an evening. (Note to self - never subject yourself to "The Other Guys" again - it was awful! and move "Red" up in your queue)
We lucked into sunny weather while there, but sadly, it wasn't terribly warm... it was mostly in the low-to-mid 50's during the day, and 30's at night. But at least a) that gave me an additional excuse to avoid any sort of bathing suit experience at 35 weeks, and b) we never really got sweaty during all our beach walking! So there were definitely some good advantages to the cool weather. ..That, and I could cuddle up more to the hubby. Always a plus!
As of Saturday, I'll be 36 weeks and officially in the 'no travel' zone... craziness. This pregnancy has just been flying by for me. ...Which means I need to get a move on getting everything else set up or put away and organized! (yikes) Before I know it, she'll be here!
Body-wise, I am definitely feeling very pregnant these days. Big, uncomfortable, easily flushed and hot, and starting to notice slight swelling in my hands, legs & feet. Even a slight spreading of my feet, which I'd long been praying to avoid (please don't be permanent! I love my fun heels and all my boots!!) The pregnancy waddle is definitely unavoidable now, for which DH gets endless entertainment -- that, and the sound of my groaning as I try to roll from one side to the other during the night... not an easy task, at this point. Braxton-Hicks are becoming a companion to any form of activity - even just walking up the stairs, or from my desk to the restroom at work.
But despite it all, I am grateful for every single second of discomfort. I am just so grateful to be here - to be carrying Little Miss - and to be this close to meeting our little girl.
The next 30 days can't pass quickly enough!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Snow Daze
Snow Day #4 here in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA... restlessness is setting in, and our store of food is quickly dwindling. The fact that I can easily walk into the kitchen to grab a snack every hour and a half, isn't helping!
Here's a great pictorial of a southerner's mentality regarding snow, as shared by one of my co-workers:
It really wasn't so bad in the first 2 days... I was still able to get outside and walk the dogs with DH, and felt relaxed and happy getting to work from the comfort of my couch, still in my pj's all day. Rolling out of bed at 9 and not worrying about getting ready, the commute, etc., is certainly nothing to complain about!
The ice that set in Tuesday night, however, has really made me start to feel more 'stuck.' I tried walking the dogs with DH yesterday, but after I'd gingerly made it 4 driveways down the road, DH suggested that I turn back, worried that there might be too much ice and not enough slush or powder left for me to retain good footing on the walk. And let's face it -- our dogs don't exactly pay attention to my pleas to be well-behaved and not pull their mommy when they get excited. They're only 35 lbs each -- but that's more than enough to throw me off balance if they decided to start pulling suddenly.
Observations on Day 4 of Snow in GA:
- Daytime TV really is abysmal.
- There's only so much soup you can eat during cold weather... DH keep saying he's going through chewing withdrawals.
- On the other hand --Soup is so stinkin' easy to make, and so good... other things seems so much more complicated to make. Or maybe it's that I don't have enough 'one-and-done' meal options in my repetoire?
- I keep telling myself today's the day I'm going to try out that "perfect preg.nancy" video I got for Christmas... and then I go back, sit on the couch, and watch more trash tv.
- People in the south really don't know how to drive when there's any sort of precipitation falling from the sky or stuck on the ground. All traffic laws and standards are immediately cast aside for a 'whatever works for me' mentality... so drivers beware!
- I would love to paint my toenails, but am not sure I can bend over to reach them, for that length of time anymore... (how pathetic is that??)
- Baking sounds really appealing to me right now... but I can't find any recipes that don't call for eggs, which we're out of already.
- My dogs sleep all stinkin' day! No wonder they're usually maniacs by the time we get home from work at night... lazy bums.
- On a positive note, day #4 of procrastination on housecleaning is going QUITE well... thanks to crap daytime tv.
Honestly, it hasn't been entirely bad. Being home more than usual has allowed DH and I to make great strides in cleaning out closets, organizing, storing things in the basement, and switching around some of the furniture in anticipation of setting up nursery upstairs. He even got REALLY motivated yesterday, and ended up removing the old rod/shelf in the closet, and started trimming out the room in the new paint color. ...So progress is being made! --By him, anyways.
Now if I could just kick myself into high gear.
This weekend is our first baby shower (gah!) in Nashville. Praying for clear roads, and no icy remnants through the mountains near Chattanooga! Also praying that I get through it without any breakdowns. I get teary even thinking of being at a shower that's being thrown in honor of a baby of our own... being there is going to be surreal.
But I am quite excited. Just need to figure out good hostess gifts - and quickly. My plan of using lunchbreaks these past few days to run over to the mall and pick out something for the hosts have been completely foiled...now I just have tomorrow to find something perfect for each of the 3 hostesses.
Any ideas from the peanut gallery? Here's to successful shopping!
Here's a great pictorial of a southerner's mentality regarding snow, as shared by one of my co-workers:
It really wasn't so bad in the first 2 days... I was still able to get outside and walk the dogs with DH, and felt relaxed and happy getting to work from the comfort of my couch, still in my pj's all day. Rolling out of bed at 9 and not worrying about getting ready, the commute, etc., is certainly nothing to complain about!
The ice that set in Tuesday night, however, has really made me start to feel more 'stuck.' I tried walking the dogs with DH yesterday, but after I'd gingerly made it 4 driveways down the road, DH suggested that I turn back, worried that there might be too much ice and not enough slush or powder left for me to retain good footing on the walk. And let's face it -- our dogs don't exactly pay attention to my pleas to be well-behaved and not pull their mommy when they get excited. They're only 35 lbs each -- but that's more than enough to throw me off balance if they decided to start pulling suddenly.
Observations on Day 4 of Snow in GA:
- Daytime TV really is abysmal.
- There's only so much soup you can eat during cold weather... DH keep saying he's going through chewing withdrawals.
- On the other hand --Soup is so stinkin' easy to make, and so good... other things seems so much more complicated to make. Or maybe it's that I don't have enough 'one-and-done' meal options in my repetoire?
- I keep telling myself today's the day I'm going to try out that "perfect preg.nancy" video I got for Christmas... and then I go back, sit on the couch, and watch more trash tv.
- People in the south really don't know how to drive when there's any sort of precipitation falling from the sky or stuck on the ground. All traffic laws and standards are immediately cast aside for a 'whatever works for me' mentality... so drivers beware!
- I would love to paint my toenails, but am not sure I can bend over to reach them, for that length of time anymore... (how pathetic is that??)
- Baking sounds really appealing to me right now... but I can't find any recipes that don't call for eggs, which we're out of already.
- My dogs sleep all stinkin' day! No wonder they're usually maniacs by the time we get home from work at night... lazy bums.
- On a positive note, day #4 of procrastination on housecleaning is going QUITE well... thanks to crap daytime tv.
Honestly, it hasn't been entirely bad. Being home more than usual has allowed DH and I to make great strides in cleaning out closets, organizing, storing things in the basement, and switching around some of the furniture in anticipation of setting up nursery upstairs. He even got REALLY motivated yesterday, and ended up removing the old rod/shelf in the closet, and started trimming out the room in the new paint color. ...So progress is being made! --By him, anyways.
Now if I could just kick myself into high gear.
This weekend is our first baby shower (gah!) in Nashville. Praying for clear roads, and no icy remnants through the mountains near Chattanooga! Also praying that I get through it without any breakdowns. I get teary even thinking of being at a shower that's being thrown in honor of a baby of our own... being there is going to be surreal.
But I am quite excited. Just need to figure out good hostess gifts - and quickly. My plan of using lunchbreaks these past few days to run over to the mall and pick out something for the hosts have been completely foiled...now I just have tomorrow to find something perfect for each of the 3 hostesses.
Any ideas from the peanut gallery? Here's to successful shopping!
Monday, September 27, 2010
15 Weeks
I give myself one to two more weeks of a very few number of non-maternity clothing, and that's it... I'm seriously about to pop out of most of my pants/skirts/shorts these days. And not only does it not sound pretty, it doesn't look or feel pretty, either.
Another week has flown by me, and here we are at week 15 -- on the cusp of another few firsts: feeling baby J kick or move, and (hopefully) finding out the gender at our next dr. visit.
I'm anxious to start feeling the baby move... it will be a welcome and (I'm assuming?) reassuring sign to me that all is going well in there... I've said before that this pregnancy feels surreal, and despite my burgeoning belly, it still feels that way, most days... so a nice constant stream of movements and flutters wouldn't be a bad thing!
I'm also getting more and more excited to learn what we're having, so we can start getting more serious about our thoughts & ideas regarding the baby's room. Either way, I'd like to keep it somewhat gender-neutral in paint/furniture/crib bedding and such -- and then add gender-specific details in with the add-on decorations, curtains, etc. At least that's my idea in theory! That could all go out the window as soon as we know, or whenever I see something super-cute in a store.
Tomorrow morning is my next OB appointment. As far as I know, there's no u/s scheduled -- but that could change if the Dr has a repeat performance of a hard-to-find heartbeat for Baby J, like she did last time. If that's the case, then we have a shot of getting the gender results tomorrow! If not, it'll be a long 4 weeks of waiting 'til our next appointment to find out.
I know some people have a gut instinct or feeling as to what they're having... I have none. And we really don't have a preference, either. Growing up, I always thought it would be nice to have an older brother, so while I wouldn't mind that for any future baby girl of mine, I wouldn't be disappointed, either way. We're just excited to be having a baby, no matter what we have!
This friday DH and I are heading to Washington, D.C., to spend 5 days with my entire family, see the sites, and walk ALL over the town. No doubt we'll get plenty of exercise, with our current list of things to do/see while there. Anyone have any good ideas for anything to do off the beaten path, or for good restaurants we should hit while there? We'll have 8 adults and 4 kids, so it's gotta be kid-friendly, whatever it is!
If I learn anything at tomorrow's appointment, I'll keep you all posted...
Another week has flown by me, and here we are at week 15 -- on the cusp of another few firsts: feeling baby J kick or move, and (hopefully) finding out the gender at our next dr. visit.
I'm anxious to start feeling the baby move... it will be a welcome and (I'm assuming?) reassuring sign to me that all is going well in there... I've said before that this pregnancy feels surreal, and despite my burgeoning belly, it still feels that way, most days... so a nice constant stream of movements and flutters wouldn't be a bad thing!
I'm also getting more and more excited to learn what we're having, so we can start getting more serious about our thoughts & ideas regarding the baby's room. Either way, I'd like to keep it somewhat gender-neutral in paint/furniture/crib bedding and such -- and then add gender-specific details in with the add-on decorations, curtains, etc. At least that's my idea in theory! That could all go out the window as soon as we know, or whenever I see something super-cute in a store.
Tomorrow morning is my next OB appointment. As far as I know, there's no u/s scheduled -- but that could change if the Dr has a repeat performance of a hard-to-find heartbeat for Baby J, like she did last time. If that's the case, then we have a shot of getting the gender results tomorrow! If not, it'll be a long 4 weeks of waiting 'til our next appointment to find out.
I know some people have a gut instinct or feeling as to what they're having... I have none. And we really don't have a preference, either. Growing up, I always thought it would be nice to have an older brother, so while I wouldn't mind that for any future baby girl of mine, I wouldn't be disappointed, either way. We're just excited to be having a baby, no matter what we have!
This friday DH and I are heading to Washington, D.C., to spend 5 days with my entire family, see the sites, and walk ALL over the town. No doubt we'll get plenty of exercise, with our current list of things to do/see while there. Anyone have any good ideas for anything to do off the beaten path, or for good restaurants we should hit while there? We'll have 8 adults and 4 kids, so it's gotta be kid-friendly, whatever it is!
If I learn anything at tomorrow's appointment, I'll keep you all posted...
Monday, September 20, 2010
Wiped
This weekend was fun--but good gracious, it was exhausting!
Friday we had a nice dinner with the in-laws, and had fun catching up with them. Despite the fact that my DH mis-informing his mom about my 'complete' maternity wardrobe (whaaat??? umm, NO), my MIL offered to take me shopping to get a few 'extra' things this week. I was quick to inform her that two pairs of maternity pants does NOT a complete wardrobe make--and she was actually excited to hear that. ...She's a shopper, like me. Woman after my own heart. :)
Later that evening, after we made it home from the in-law's, we were able to get in touch with our friend Taylor, who's currently living in Bolivia, teaching english at an international school in Santa Cruz. He's a friend from college, who actually lived with us one summer while between apartment leases, so we're quite close. He was the last close friend that did not yet know our news, so sharing that with him via Sky.pe was fun. Going to bed at midnight -- not so fun. But the conversation with our friend so far from home was well worth it.
Saturday morning had me rushing around, trying desperately to clean up our house before the girls from my book club arrived. We read a fantastic book, called A Shad.ow in the Wi.nd, set in Barcelona, Spain, back in the mid 1940's. It's part mystery, slight bit of romance, big part 'coming of age' book... and so, so good.
With the spanish-background to our book, we had decided to try our hand at a spanish-themed lunch (we typically meet over some sort of meal - brunch, lunch or dinner!). I tried my hand at paella AND got to use my dutch oven for the first time, and both met with resounding success, woohoo!
I'm not a huge seafood fan, so I stuck to one that included chicken, smoked sausage, and a good variety of vegetables -- it was wonderful. Definitely a keeper recipe -- good fine off of Tas.ty Kit.chen. Here's the link, if you're interested:
Hmm... not sure why this link isn't working for me. You can go to the site and look up "Paella Manantiales Calientes" though, if you'd like.
The only changes I made: used canned artichokes & tomatoes, traded in the lima beans (blech!) for frozen peas, and added in diced onion and bell pepper (would recommend yellow, orange or green, for the color). Two thumbs up to the chef-author!
After book club, a friend of mine stopped by the house to catch up for a bit --she's engaged, and I'm in her wedding on December 4th. She brought her dress over for me to see - soo soo pretty -- and tried on some jewelry I thought might work with it. Then we just talked -- her in-laws were in town all week long, so it was interesting hearing how that has been going for her. It's always an adjustment when you merge families and have to get used to the way other people live/do things... and having them around for a few days is easy-breezy compared to entertaining/hosting for over a week! Thankfully, she likes 'em.
Saturday night DH and I went downtown to see comedian Az.iz An.sari perform at the Tabernacle. It was a 10:30 pm show (I know -- what prego in her right mind would EVER sign up for a show starting at that hour??), so I wisely took a nap after dinner. ...Not that it helped much! I could have easily rolled back over and kept sleeping, but my hubby loves comedy, and considering it was my anniversary present to him--I sucked it up and made the effort to stay awake.
I must acknowledge a truth here: although I know 31 is not 'old,' per se, it is not entirely all that young anymore, either. And being up 'til 2 in the morning is just painful these days -- whether you're pregnant or not. We slept in Sunday morning, and it was still difficult to get out of bed at 10.
But get out of bed we did, so we could meet up with our small group and take a little field trip up to Ellijay, GA (the apple capital of GA), to pick apples, shot an 'apple cannon' (I'll give you 3 guesses who picked this activity!), and basically walk all over the orchard trying the various different apple varieties.
The only drawback to our lovely outing was the heat. It's still hot as blazes here in the south, with temps at least 10 degrees hotter than normal-- still in the 90's most days -- and it was definitely mid-90's on Sunday. So although we had a grand 'ole time sampling apples and walking all over creation, it was, to quote my husband "hot as balls"... which I'm sure justified the ridiculous consumption of cold apple cider, apple slushee, and shared apple fritter that was had afterwards...right?
Even though I'm not feeling so utterly tired and worn out these days, I'm not doing myself any favors by acting like I can hang w/ my husband and stay up as late as he does... I'm going to try to kick that bad habit this week, and hit the sack by 10 every night.
Oh, and our company just recently started a wellness walking challenge -- gave out pedometers to every employee and challenged them to walk as many steps as possible over the next teen weeks. First week: my average steps walked was close to 9,300, and my highest for the week was over 14,000. This week I'm going to try and raise my average to at least 10,000 --wish me luck!
Friday we had a nice dinner with the in-laws, and had fun catching up with them. Despite the fact that my DH mis-informing his mom about my 'complete' maternity wardrobe (whaaat??? umm, NO), my MIL offered to take me shopping to get a few 'extra' things this week. I was quick to inform her that two pairs of maternity pants does NOT a complete wardrobe make--and she was actually excited to hear that. ...She's a shopper, like me. Woman after my own heart. :)
Later that evening, after we made it home from the in-law's, we were able to get in touch with our friend Taylor, who's currently living in Bolivia, teaching english at an international school in Santa Cruz. He's a friend from college, who actually lived with us one summer while between apartment leases, so we're quite close. He was the last close friend that did not yet know our news, so sharing that with him via Sky.pe was fun. Going to bed at midnight -- not so fun. But the conversation with our friend so far from home was well worth it.
Saturday morning had me rushing around, trying desperately to clean up our house before the girls from my book club arrived. We read a fantastic book, called A Shad.ow in the Wi.nd, set in Barcelona, Spain, back in the mid 1940's. It's part mystery, slight bit of romance, big part 'coming of age' book... and so, so good.
With the spanish-background to our book, we had decided to try our hand at a spanish-themed lunch (we typically meet over some sort of meal - brunch, lunch or dinner!). I tried my hand at paella AND got to use my dutch oven for the first time, and both met with resounding success, woohoo!
I'm not a huge seafood fan, so I stuck to one that included chicken, smoked sausage, and a good variety of vegetables -- it was wonderful. Definitely a keeper recipe -- good fine off of Tas.ty Kit.chen. Here's the link, if you're interested:
Hmm... not sure why this link isn't working for me. You can go to the site and look up "Paella Manantiales Calientes" though, if you'd like.
The only changes I made: used canned artichokes & tomatoes, traded in the lima beans (blech!) for frozen peas, and added in diced onion and bell pepper (would recommend yellow, orange or green, for the color). Two thumbs up to the chef-author!
After book club, a friend of mine stopped by the house to catch up for a bit --she's engaged, and I'm in her wedding on December 4th. She brought her dress over for me to see - soo soo pretty -- and tried on some jewelry I thought might work with it. Then we just talked -- her in-laws were in town all week long, so it was interesting hearing how that has been going for her. It's always an adjustment when you merge families and have to get used to the way other people live/do things... and having them around for a few days is easy-breezy compared to entertaining/hosting for over a week! Thankfully, she likes 'em.
Saturday night DH and I went downtown to see comedian Az.iz An.sari perform at the Tabernacle. It was a 10:30 pm show (I know -- what prego in her right mind would EVER sign up for a show starting at that hour??), so I wisely took a nap after dinner. ...Not that it helped much! I could have easily rolled back over and kept sleeping, but my hubby loves comedy, and considering it was my anniversary present to him--I sucked it up and made the effort to stay awake.
I must acknowledge a truth here: although I know 31 is not 'old,' per se, it is not entirely all that young anymore, either. And being up 'til 2 in the morning is just painful these days -- whether you're pregnant or not. We slept in Sunday morning, and it was still difficult to get out of bed at 10.
But get out of bed we did, so we could meet up with our small group and take a little field trip up to Ellijay, GA (the apple capital of GA), to pick apples, shot an 'apple cannon' (I'll give you 3 guesses who picked this activity!), and basically walk all over the orchard trying the various different apple varieties.
The only drawback to our lovely outing was the heat. It's still hot as blazes here in the south, with temps at least 10 degrees hotter than normal-- still in the 90's most days -- and it was definitely mid-90's on Sunday. So although we had a grand 'ole time sampling apples and walking all over creation, it was, to quote my husband "hot as balls"... which I'm sure justified the ridiculous consumption of cold apple cider, apple slushee, and shared apple fritter that was had afterwards...right?
Even though I'm not feeling so utterly tired and worn out these days, I'm not doing myself any favors by acting like I can hang w/ my husband and stay up as late as he does... I'm going to try to kick that bad habit this week, and hit the sack by 10 every night.
Oh, and our company just recently started a wellness walking challenge -- gave out pedometers to every employee and challenged them to walk as many steps as possible over the next teen weeks. First week: my average steps walked was close to 9,300, and my highest for the week was over 14,000. This week I'm going to try and raise my average to at least 10,000 --wish me luck!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Just Another "First"
I'm still not pleased about yesterday's out-ing on FB by my sister, but I'm trying to just 'let it go' and forget about it... My sister's always been overly sensitive to any sort of criticism (which is how she would take it if I raised the issue), and seeing as how we're getting along better lately than we have in years -- I'd rather swallow my pride, suck it up, and keep the peace rather than make an issue out of it... wish me luck.
--Now on to my maternity-shopping experience over Labor Day weekend!
My parents had generously offered to buy some maternity clothes for me, which I was stoked about -- I think the last time they bought me clothes, I was still in college (close to a decade ago)... so not an offer I could refuse!
DH and I decided to drive in to Nashville for the weekend, so we could combine the shopping experience with actually getting to see all my family -- my baby nephew, and my newly married brother & his wife -- which was so nice. And being from Atlanta, where the variety of stores and options are endless, I had naively thought that Nashville would have a similar variety, even if on a smaller scale. --Nope!
My dad, a pediatrician in our area, had asked some of the nurses at his clinic what they'd done for maternity wear, or what stores to check out. I though that was pretty sweet of him -- 'til he told me their recommendations.
I don't know if he heard from a good majority or just an opinionated few, but he came away with two thoughts: a) maternity clothes are a total rip-off, and way over-priced, and b)I don't really need maternity clothes -- they recommended I just buy normal clothes one size up, and that should get me through 'til the last month or two.
...Ummm, no. Thanks, but no thanks.
I, of course, had been doing a little on-line research at Gap(dot)com on my own, and had found Gap Maternity prices to be pretty comparable to Gap itself... so I pooh-poohed the thought that maternity clothes would be super-expensive.
That is, until we arrived at the ONLY store in the Nashville area (outside of Ko.hl's and Tar.get) - a P__ in the Pod. There, I was shocked to find tops priced at $65 or above ($50 on sale, whoop-tee-do), pants for a cool hundred, sweaters for $80 or $90... yowzas! Definitely much worse than I expected.
The fact that the pricing was going to justify my dad's preconceived notions made me nervous. Actually, the entire outing made me nervous.
Taking into consideration the fact that there were many moons when I wondered if I would ever have the need for such a thing -- I will readily admit that even the idea of going maternity shopping freaked me out. Then tack on the fact that I was just a little clueless about it all... should the clothes fit you, like normal clothes do -- 'cause that's what I'm used to buying -- clothes that fit! Should they be a little big -- and if so, how big? What's the 'normal' here people??
Granted, while I was actually out with said sis (who really should be an expert on this by now, 4 kids in), my cutie little 4 mo. old nephew Liam, and my mom --- they were actually not much help. At all.
My mom, whom I've mentioned before had a stroke at 41 and now has bouts of narcolepsy, was pretty much snoozing through the whole experience. My sister, while very alert and present, didn't give much in terms of direction or feedback... everytime I would ask her how something looked, or whether it fit right --if it looked like it was supposed to look -- she'd just give me a big fat smile and nod... Almost as if she were too busy thinking "it's so cute that she's finally pregnant and trying on maternity clothes! I'm so excited!" instead of actually focusing on the words coming out of my mouth... Not much help there.
So I would try on things, find a few that I liked or thought looked right on me, and then freak out over how much it cost. I tried waking my mom from her coma-like state a few times, asking if it wouldn't be easier/cheaper for me to just order a few things online-- but she just said that we were already there, "your father's okay with whatever, go ahead and get stuff now"... so, we did.
And spent waaaaay too much on too few items.
So. Morals of my story:
Yes, maternity clothing CAN be super-expensive.
It's helpful to go with people who will actually give you REAL and useful feedback.
Shop sales online -- you'll get more bang for your buck.
Oh, and never turn down a parent-funded shopportunity!
--Now on to my maternity-shopping experience over Labor Day weekend!
My parents had generously offered to buy some maternity clothes for me, which I was stoked about -- I think the last time they bought me clothes, I was still in college (close to a decade ago)... so not an offer I could refuse!
DH and I decided to drive in to Nashville for the weekend, so we could combine the shopping experience with actually getting to see all my family -- my baby nephew, and my newly married brother & his wife -- which was so nice. And being from Atlanta, where the variety of stores and options are endless, I had naively thought that Nashville would have a similar variety, even if on a smaller scale. --Nope!
My dad, a pediatrician in our area, had asked some of the nurses at his clinic what they'd done for maternity wear, or what stores to check out. I though that was pretty sweet of him -- 'til he told me their recommendations.
I don't know if he heard from a good majority or just an opinionated few, but he came away with two thoughts: a) maternity clothes are a total rip-off, and way over-priced, and b)I don't really need maternity clothes -- they recommended I just buy normal clothes one size up, and that should get me through 'til the last month or two.
...Ummm, no. Thanks, but no thanks.
I, of course, had been doing a little on-line research at Gap(dot)com on my own, and had found Gap Maternity prices to be pretty comparable to Gap itself... so I pooh-poohed the thought that maternity clothes would be super-expensive.
That is, until we arrived at the ONLY store in the Nashville area (outside of Ko.hl's and Tar.get) - a P__ in the Pod. There, I was shocked to find tops priced at $65 or above ($50 on sale, whoop-tee-do), pants for a cool hundred, sweaters for $80 or $90... yowzas! Definitely much worse than I expected.
The fact that the pricing was going to justify my dad's preconceived notions made me nervous. Actually, the entire outing made me nervous.
Taking into consideration the fact that there were many moons when I wondered if I would ever have the need for such a thing -- I will readily admit that even the idea of going maternity shopping freaked me out. Then tack on the fact that I was just a little clueless about it all... should the clothes fit you, like normal clothes do -- 'cause that's what I'm used to buying -- clothes that fit! Should they be a little big -- and if so, how big? What's the 'normal' here people??
Granted, while I was actually out with said sis (who really should be an expert on this by now, 4 kids in), my cutie little 4 mo. old nephew Liam, and my mom --- they were actually not much help. At all.
My mom, whom I've mentioned before had a stroke at 41 and now has bouts of narcolepsy, was pretty much snoozing through the whole experience. My sister, while very alert and present, didn't give much in terms of direction or feedback... everytime I would ask her how something looked, or whether it fit right --if it looked like it was supposed to look -- she'd just give me a big fat smile and nod... Almost as if she were too busy thinking "it's so cute that she's finally pregnant and trying on maternity clothes! I'm so excited!" instead of actually focusing on the words coming out of my mouth... Not much help there.
So I would try on things, find a few that I liked or thought looked right on me, and then freak out over how much it cost. I tried waking my mom from her coma-like state a few times, asking if it wouldn't be easier/cheaper for me to just order a few things online-- but she just said that we were already there, "your father's okay with whatever, go ahead and get stuff now"... so, we did.
And spent waaaaay too much on too few items.
So. Morals of my story:
Yes, maternity clothing CAN be super-expensive.
It's helpful to go with people who will actually give you REAL and useful feedback.
Shop sales online -- you'll get more bang for your buck.
Oh, and never turn down a parent-funded shopportunity!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Almost There....
Saturday, I will have made it to a new milestone... 12 weeks.
I still have trouble believing we're here. That we're pregnant--that there is, in fact, a tiny little person growing and developing in me.
...Maybe by the time I give birth I'll believe it.
My waist has slowly been disappearing over the last week or two, and many of my go-to work pants are getting increasingly tighter around the waistline. I've been able to 'mask' my growing belly with loose-fitting or empire-waisted tops thus far, but I'm starting to realize that this tactic may not succeed much longer.
Today was my first OB visit, post RE-graduation. (again, crazy!)
My OB scanned my belly, trying for a few minutes to find the HB, and had no luck. --You'd think I would have been freaking out, but for some reason, I didn't. She said that depending on where the uterus was situated, the pelvic bone can sometimes prohibit them from finding the HB easily.
Lucky for us (as my DH was there with me), this bought us the opportunity for another u/s, which they hadn't initially planned to do. So we were able to get a few more pictures of Baby J today, and see how much bigger our jumping bean had grown since our last one a few weeks ago, which was nice. The arms and legs were so much more distinctive & developed this time, and we could even see the slight shadows of a tiny little nose and eye sockets on the screen.
That made our day, to know that things are still going well, and Baby J is continuing to grow and develop on track.
We're still thanking God every single night for this blessing, and the opportunity to grow our family...and I wake up each morning, just so thankful that I'm pregnant for another day, that we've made it this far.
Another 'first' for us this weekend: my parents, whom we'll be visiting, have offered to take me maternity-wear shopping.
...I think I was in college the last time they bought me clothes... so let's just say it's been about a decade since such an occurence has happened. --Not that I haven't tried, mind you... it's just that somehow, my wish-list for clothes at birthdays & Christmas somehow translated into Lo.wes or Ho.me De.pot gift cards. (thanks, padre)
So that's kinda exciting - new clothes, paid for by the padres!
Trouble is, I don't know much about maternity wear... what you need, or where to go, etc. Any suggestions on where to shop?
Hope everyone has fun plans for Labor Day. Hooray for 3-day weekends!
I still have trouble believing we're here. That we're pregnant--that there is, in fact, a tiny little person growing and developing in me.
...Maybe by the time I give birth I'll believe it.
My waist has slowly been disappearing over the last week or two, and many of my go-to work pants are getting increasingly tighter around the waistline. I've been able to 'mask' my growing belly with loose-fitting or empire-waisted tops thus far, but I'm starting to realize that this tactic may not succeed much longer.
Today was my first OB visit, post RE-graduation. (again, crazy!)
My OB scanned my belly, trying for a few minutes to find the HB, and had no luck. --You'd think I would have been freaking out, but for some reason, I didn't. She said that depending on where the uterus was situated, the pelvic bone can sometimes prohibit them from finding the HB easily.
Lucky for us (as my DH was there with me), this bought us the opportunity for another u/s, which they hadn't initially planned to do. So we were able to get a few more pictures of Baby J today, and see how much bigger our jumping bean had grown since our last one a few weeks ago, which was nice. The arms and legs were so much more distinctive & developed this time, and we could even see the slight shadows of a tiny little nose and eye sockets on the screen.
That made our day, to know that things are still going well, and Baby J is continuing to grow and develop on track.
We're still thanking God every single night for this blessing, and the opportunity to grow our family...and I wake up each morning, just so thankful that I'm pregnant for another day, that we've made it this far.
Another 'first' for us this weekend: my parents, whom we'll be visiting, have offered to take me maternity-wear shopping.
...I think I was in college the last time they bought me clothes... so let's just say it's been about a decade since such an occurence has happened. --Not that I haven't tried, mind you... it's just that somehow, my wish-list for clothes at birthdays & Christmas somehow translated into Lo.wes or Ho.me De.pot gift cards. (thanks, padre)
So that's kinda exciting - new clothes, paid for by the padres!
Trouble is, I don't know much about maternity wear... what you need, or where to go, etc. Any suggestions on where to shop?
Hope everyone has fun plans for Labor Day. Hooray for 3-day weekends!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Dress Size (Gasp!) and the Weekend
Soooo... let's just say that the dress shop wasn't as prepared for the 'knocked-up bridesmaid' scenario as I was hoping...
No belly prosthetic or pillows on hand to use as potential estimators of belly growth.
They just measured me as I was, and recommended I order a dress two sizes up from that, since I'll be greater than 5 months at that point.
My normal dress size: 8
My current waist size: 10
My current chest size: 12
So they had me order a dress two sizes greater than my largest measurement.... which means, you guessed it: a 16. DOUBLE my normal size.
Yowzas!
And to top it all off -- I had to ask them if there was anything that could be done about increasing the dress length, given a big poochy belly would raise the front of my dress significantly, leaving me showing a lot more leg than I'd like -- or worse. So they ordered an addition 4 inches of length to the dress.
....made me glad I asked!
But at least it's ordered, and now I don't have to really worry about it 'til mid-October, when it arrives.
I'm really hoping and praying that I will be swimming in it... just for my poor pride's sake. :)
On a happier note --- it's Friday! Woohoo! Headed out early this afternoon to see Jack Johnson in concert (love him!), and then get to visit with one of my good friends from college... one of those friends that I'm thankful to say you just grow closer to and love more and more each year, in spite of geographical distance (she's in CO, I'm here in GA).
Hope you all have some fun plans for your weekend, too. Enjoy it, ladies!
No belly prosthetic or pillows on hand to use as potential estimators of belly growth.
They just measured me as I was, and recommended I order a dress two sizes up from that, since I'll be greater than 5 months at that point.
My normal dress size: 8
My current waist size: 10
My current chest size: 12
So they had me order a dress two sizes greater than my largest measurement.... which means, you guessed it: a 16. DOUBLE my normal size.
Yowzas!
And to top it all off -- I had to ask them if there was anything that could be done about increasing the dress length, given a big poochy belly would raise the front of my dress significantly, leaving me showing a lot more leg than I'd like -- or worse. So they ordered an addition 4 inches of length to the dress.
....made me glad I asked!
But at least it's ordered, and now I don't have to really worry about it 'til mid-October, when it arrives.
I'm really hoping and praying that I will be swimming in it... just for my poor pride's sake. :)
On a happier note --- it's Friday! Woohoo! Headed out early this afternoon to see Jack Johnson in concert (love him!), and then get to visit with one of my good friends from college... one of those friends that I'm thankful to say you just grow closer to and love more and more each year, in spite of geographical distance (she's in CO, I'm here in GA).
Hope you all have some fun plans for your weekend, too. Enjoy it, ladies!
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