itsy bitsy mama

This heat has me feeling constantly tired, almost as if I’m drugged.  I don’t remember the last time I slept in so much and took naps.  Maybe college? In any event, if I’m tired now, imagine how tired I’ll be with a little bug looking for food every two hours or so…

So today was momentous.  I met La.  I also met Pessimistic Redhead, but for those who didn’t know, I knew PR in a previous life (work).  She’s a cool, down-to-Earth chick with perfect red hair that behaves (unlike mine), who I wish I could have formed a friendship with a bit better before I resigned from that job…but so here we are again, reconnecting in person, for longer than a second like we did at the work event I went to right before I ventured off on my babymoon. 

La is as cute as a button.  A girly girl in her fun skirt and accessories, she is exactly what I expected her to be: easy going, fun, and stylish.  I felt like I rained on her and PR’s parade by sabatoging their lunch plans since I woke up late (again with the sleeping!) and did not make a separate plan with La.  However, it seemed to work out. 

We ate. We shopped.  We ate more (ice cream!).  We talked about boys and blogging and babies (of course!).  I love easy-going first time meetings and that is what I felt like this afternoon was.  Thanks, ladies, for a fun time!

PR found an adorable onesie that I think may just be the one we dress baby in when we take he or she home from the hospital.  And with it I found a matching hat and bib that I bought.  Bub asked why we need so many clothes for a baby that young if it’s going to grow and grow.  It’s just the way it is I say.  Plus the bonus being that if and when we have a baby #2, the gender neutral yellow will work either way, for a boy or girl.

The 4th of July weekend has been nice, I must say.  With work doldrums not too far off, I have had a good share of (sleep) and relaxation, but also getting things organized in our home.  I hit Target on Thursday as planned and there I bought diapers for the first time ever.  I know, pretty momentous, huh?

It was strange.  But good strange.

I spent almost 2 hours there looking carefully at first aid stuff, nursing supplies, and baby clothes, of course.  I felt good that I made a dent in what I will supposedly need at some point in the near future.

But a highlight of the weekend outside of the really fantastic fireworks in our town on Thursday night (I always get teary-eyed during fireworks, the loud noise and lights make me reflect on my life more so than when one does at the start of a new year when the ball drops), was when my parents came over for a barbecue on the 4th (which was yummy).  It was what they brought that was most exciting: our baby stroller system! This was their shower gift to us and immediately after they left we put it together.  I’ve mastered how to open and close it easily, snap in the car seat and so forth.  When Bub went out yesterday I took it for a spin in the house on my own and imagined all the places I could stroll to.  Down the street, to the local Starbucks, on the beach, on the sidewalks of neighborhoods we love, anywhere.

It smells like new sneakers, rubbery and new and it’s right by the entrance to our kitchen so I see it often and it makes me smile.

A mommy toy, for sure.

So laundry awaits me. 

La, here’s hoping you made it home safely; come back and visit soon (and bring Boots! : )

Love,

itsy bitsy mama

PS: Bub made good progress on the nursery; an update will follow soon!

So let me tell you about writing from the comfort of home with my husband’s bathrobe on because, yes, they closed our office for the 4th one day early and I couldn’t be more grateful because I feel burned out at the office and was ready to pull my hair out.

Well, maybe not.

But I’m still happy to have the day off today.  Today is diaper day.  Today I’m doing a Target run for all those goodies I was not going to register for: nipple cream, bum medicine a.k.a. diaper ointment and so forth.  It’s a date with myself really, and I hope I make it to Starbucks for a frappacinio treat because it’s forecasted to be hot as hell here today and slushy [decaf] coffee goodness is always in order in hell, not that I would know.

So moving right along…

My husband called me bipolar recently which would be an insult if it were the first time he’s called me this, but I can fully understand where he’s coming from because you see? With the inevitable questions of when I’m due from strangers, acquaintances, and such, come questions like how do you feel, but then? Is the nursery set? Is the baby’s room ready? And to those questions my face falls and I get silent and then say with confidence: No.  No, no, no!

You see, my husband, Bub, love of my life who I married almost 2 years ago, but have known for 7? Well he takes pride in the whole do-it-yourself the Bob Villa way.  And I admire that because I’m the person who likes to Google for the best contractor to do something.  Can’t clean anymore due to my growing belly? Call that maid service! And voila, we’re done and making another mess.  But the whole paint thing? My husband feels it’s his duty and believe me, I’ve been right there sleeping on the drop cloth helping him all the way when we lived in our condo.  Now, as a pregnant woman? And living in an old house? I stay away from the dust and the fumes and I become well, a monster.

I turn into this bossy dictator (and what kind of dictator are you if you’re not bossy?).  WHEN is the room going to be set? How LONG is this going to take to get done? So yeah, Bub is making great strides.  He is almost done with the sanding, spackling, more sanding, and the latest: priming, of the nursery.  We *think* we’ve nailed down a paint color (light green, a celery if you will), but might check out some other shades, and I’m just ready for him to FINISH! And so when he is sweating after working on getting the walls ready for paint, paint our baby will probably not notice the first bit of his or her life, I am his cheerleader.  Great work!! I say.  Keep it up!!! I wish I could help!! (ahem) But when I call him from staying at work late and he is watching TV mere moments after he’s arrived home from his job (because being a nursery painter is not his day job), I get all psycho and say, you know I may go into labor early and the clock is ticking! And the threats to hire someone to finish off this home project have risen a good amount as a result and I may or may not have hung up on him while stressing about this.  Yes, I can understand how he calls me bipolar and how I’ve turned into nursery monster.

So this weekend? This weekend is a long weekend and of course, tomorrow being the holiday, I can’t possibly expect Bub to want to work on the nursery…

So I know that I need to chill but I’ve given him a number of outs on this so that we can just have someone finish the room off.  So help me brainstorm, what are good bribes that may work in this case? I mean, not that I would bribe my husband, but you know, he may just use it for motivation.  : )

That is how my doctor described my current state yesterday.

You’re getting close.

Not as close as my friend who is due in about 2 short weeks.  Not as close as having to be admitted for having contractions or being dilated.  Not close like I’m about to leave the hospital with my newborn and be a mom.  For the rest of my life. 

But close.

Today, I have hit the 8th month mark.  32 weeks.  And although there are 8 weeks left to go, there could be less.  And that is whoa-worthy.

These kicks are the best; they come regularly and I can see them just by looking at my belly.  I’m reminded that there is a little nose and mouth in there and the fingernails have grown all they will until birth.

I’m still convinced baby is a boy.  Last weekend at my shower there were a plethora of predictions.  We’re just going to have to wait and see.  Either way I just pray for a healthy little bug.  Everything is really out of our hands.  That’s why the pregnancy has been an emotional one.  I like control.

This week went by relatively quickly.  There’s much work to do in the office, yet I procrastinate here. 

I hope I don’t turn into a procrastinating mama.  That’s not a very good blog title anyway.

It’s the day school children long for all year round, the day almost as important as Christmas and Santa Clause and if their parents did get them that new shiny something they wanted.  It’s the taste of freedom from assignments and chalkboards and daily routines. 

Families unite to go away to exotic places where water is abundant and sunshine, too.  Women who were reluctant to wear their whites, don those shorts, and wonder if it was too soon to hit the beach now can.

Seven years ago I met my husband, in a bar, on a night I thought would be just any other night consisting of banter and beer.  A night where I remember thinking this sucks.  No job for the last summer before college and yet a mile-long list of wishes for what it may bring.  A man across the room whose eyes I see clearly into now, whose heart I love most, suddenly makes history.

A summer baby I keep saying, a summer baby. 

Now summer is here.

-I love cherry tomatoes.  I love their sweetness and I only appreciate them that much more if they are sliced in half (at least) and sprinkled throughout my salad AND in order for me to make/want to eat a salad? I must have the cherry tomatoes.  Can you guess what I’m eating now?

-Birth class was an eye-opening experience.  I’ve been enjoying the belly and trying not to stress lately (lately is key), but the class made me realize that this little bug has to come out.  And the diagrams I keep seeing still show a growing baby, but a very small opening for this little bug to travel.

-My boss is on Facebook and she knows I have an account.  I haven’t asked her to be my friend and vice versa.  I think I’m OK with that, but have I broken some etiquette rule?

-We saw a daycare we think we liked yesterday.  Except I keep thinking the same thing when I go see these places: I don’t want to have to use one! I fell in love with a baby there and wanted to scoop him up as his dad dropped him off for his first day.  If those parents can do it, so can I, except the place (so far) is the most pricey out of the ones I’ve checked out. 

-My other food obsession (not-pregnancy related) is avocados.  I love them.  Love.  Them.  LOVE.  They now appear in salads I prepare all the time.  I think Bub finds it odd since it’s not a usual salad staple, but I MUST have them.  Must have.  MUST.

-I plan to make avocado baby food.

-Someone at the office (and sorry if I offend anyone who does this) leaves the microwave door open.  They do their business of heating, cooking, whatever and then instead of shutting the door after retrieving their food, they just leave it open.  It appears to be something intentional as it’s not just left swinging open or slightly ajar, it’s at a perfect 90-degree angle and therefore the light is on and it’s just so…weird.  Shut the door!

-I am procrastinating at work because I have about two book fairs I still have follow up from to finish, documentation of my job responsibilities to give my boss so that whomever (her) will cover for me knows what I do and how to do it (she already knows).  All I want to do instead is get organized at home.

-We had a maid service come clean our house today.  I’m not sure how I like the way that sounds since I am capable of cleaning and so is Bub, but let me tell you, the belly gets in the way and Bub? Well he’s on nursery painting and home projects duty and if you had seen our bathroom and the dust? Well, you would have shelled out some cash for a maid, too.  They did a good job, not perfect (I’m very particular about the way the bed is made), but they were thorough.  Now if only we can keep it up.

-I went to this coffee place during lunch for an iced decaf mocha.  It’s a drivethrough and not a Starbucks.  I get to the window and say my order starting out with “Tall” and think “Crap, this is not Starbucks” so I retract my order and start again with normal words like “Small”.  I get to the pickup window and the woman repeats my order to me before handing off the coffee.  She works there all the time and has never done this before.  I half expected her to ask for my name so she could appropriately identify me for the pickup.

That’s all I got for Tuesday, kids. 

Love,

itsy bitsy mama

A woman I’ve worked closely with for the past three years stops by my office this morning.  She is not empty handed.

Three delicious peonies are blossoming from a disposable vase and they’re for me from her garden.  It made me realize the random acts of kindness, things of which I’m thankful for in my life that brighten it so.

Here’s my June list:

Co-workers who constantly tell me how nice I look even if I may feel particularly large at times.

The kicks.  They never get old.

Waking up next to my husband.

Walking outside and breathing in summer deeply, now that the humidity has subsided.

Pulling out of the driveway to see our new hanging plant.  Now we have a place to hang one! (We won’t speak of the one I just killed, though.)

Iced decaf coffee.  So much better than the hot stuff.

Ice cream; it always tastes better in the summer.

When a co-worker openly praises you on an email that your boss is copied on.

Dreams of our new grill which we hope to get as early as Thursday.  Again, now we have a place to barbecue!

Steaming wallpaper off the nursery walls.  Feeling like I’m able to participate in this process is satisfying even though the painting will be done by Bub.

Birthing class on Saturday.

Seeing the tiny ones in the hospital nursery last weekend at our maternity ward tour.

Reminiscing about our wedding and how our 2nd year anniversary is right around the corner!

Receiving baby gifts; we just got our first two yesterday!

Living in the moment.

I’m back from our babymoon and glad to be back.  Traveling to London was easy compared to the two flights I took to and from CA, the larger belly, and the fact that I now have no grace when trying to pull on socks and shoes. 

The work event went well.  I saw Pessimistic Redhead for a brief moment.  I felt bad that we couldn’t socialize for longer.  She works at a place I once did and it’s always interesting to see the characters I had daily interaction with, let alone the woman I had to share a hotel room with at one of these events a few years ago.  To think she saw me in my PJ’s and brushing my teeth… Weird! But anyway, it was a good show.  I had lots of energy the first day and felt like roadkill the next, just in time for the relaxation part of the trip–the babymoon!

Bub met me late on Saturday night.  His flights always seem to get delayed which I feel bad about since he’s coming to see me when it happens.  We embarked in our rental car Sunday morning to a yummy brunch place in LA before driving the coast to Santa Barbara.  For anyone planning a wedding and not sure where to have it, I suggest Santa Barbara.  The weather was always a guaranteed A+.  We did have some rain the morning we left, but the consistent sunshine and warm temps were easy to enjoy for the duration of the trip.

We walked around a lot, ate well (ate really, really well one night at the Four Seasons with a complete view of the ocean and saw dolphins!), tried to shop (but I wasn’t feeling it–maybe because I’m wearing a beach ball), and swam.  We swam the most in the heated hotel pool since the breeze kept the beaches cool.

The only downside to Santa Barbara that we noticed? The homelessness.  Bub had read how it’s prevelant in that area but I wondered how different it could be from any other city? From Boston? But it was everywhere.  People who looked like you and me just sitting on benches, on urine-stained streets with signs that they were hungry.  Could they have our dinner leftovers, etc., etc.?

It was a turnoff.  I know homelessness exists.  I know it’s not a perfect world.  I know.  It’s just that it’s something I don’t see most days on my way to work or near where I live, so it’s almost as if I had forgotten that there are people out there who aren’t fortunate.  And it’s sad.

Changing gears to baby jibber jabber, I’m beginning my 29th week of pregnancy today.  I remember when I started my 20’s.  The halfway point.  I remember thinking wow, 30 weeks is far away.  And looky here, looky at what’s happening!

So yeah.  This time thing? Is flying by.  We are in JUNE, people.  I was watching LOST last night (the season finale since I missed it last week) thinking how the peace and quiet I’ll have is soon to be limited.  And how my nightly routine of unwinding, making dinner, catching up with Bub, exercising (ha!), will all change.

And to think that we may be very close to having a first name picked out for at least one sex…

Have lovely weekends! And stay cool if this 90-degree weather is coming to a neighborhood near you!

The weather has been perfect today.  I’m wrapping up the weekend by making potato salad and wishing we had planned a tad earlier to get our grill.  Because a burger? Fish? Anything? Tastes yummy-licious on a grill and I equate long weekends, or any weekend of the summer to grilling.  I can’t wait until we get ours.

On the pregnant woman front: my back hurts, my bra is tight, and I’m currently waiting for Bub to return from the store with a new shredder which he has been talking about getting for a while.  It’s the little things.  Me? I assume buy new shoes, which I did, by the way.  Bub and I don’t really agree on my footwear selections.  He thinks anything that causes a blister or is fun is not practical and therefore not a good purchase.  I say pain or not, sometimes you have to endure hell to get to paradise, so what’s a blister or two or three (as was the case with my last pair of shoes) when the results are cute and now comfortable? A little breaking in? Is always necessary.

Between now and Thursday I need to squeeze in a pedicure and then I think I’m ready to hit Cali.  It’ll be my first trip there.  Bub is meeting me so my comfort level about traveling while pregnant? Is much less than when I went to London.  I’m going to be with the boss for the first couple of days in LA inside a convention center.  Then Bub meets me and we hit Santa Barbara.  I’m really excited because our hotel? It looks pretty fantastic from the site and I just want to swim and chill and shop and eat and walk around.  It’s our babymoon so I’m hoping for some romancing without the wine…! 

We made some good progress on home projects this weekend with plenty left to do…but that’s always the case, isn’t it?

So I must be off.  Potato salad is calling me. 

Oh, and happy summer.  It’s here.  Thank God.

Love,

itsy bitsy mama

So I haven’t really kept up with reading alot of the blogs I usually do.  I’m slammed at work and I’d rather be researching pediatricians than licensing book content.  And here I am procrastinating further and writing here.  I’ll catch up and get back on track with you all soon.  For now, I wish you lovely weekends filled with sunshine.  This is my favorite long weekend of the year, hands down…summer has arrived; I can smell it.

Without further ado, (and yes, I was late for work so that I could squeeze in a few photo opps):

The Belly:

Today was a big doctor’s day.  I had my glucose test, which I passed with flying colors, prior to that I had an ultrasound.  Yay, my placenta moved (no, really, yay!) but the baby is breech so we get another ultrasound very close to The Birth. !!!!!!!!!!!! I booked appointments for every two weeks through July which leaves the weekly August appointments to schedule… Again, !!!!!! My little bug’s eyes were open, as was his (I am convinced it’s a he!) mouth.  I love him, her, it, bug, baby, SO much.  It’s amazing that there is this thing inside of me that I am nourishing with my decaf iced drinks, sweets, carbs, oh and healthy stuff too (I’m trying!)

Thank you to those who participated in the name game.  All good suggestions.  Bub has read them too. 

We still have no frigging clue what to name him/her. 

Last night we already got into discussions as to who the godparents will be.  It got heated.  We each have a sister.  I think I know which one is going to be the godmom.  Maybe the one who goes to church each week? We have a hard time doing that. 

I am currently soaking up what juice I have left in my laptop in the car.  I am awaiting an appointment with my dentist.  And? I had pasta with pesto (I told you I was eating carbs!) about an hour ago.

I don’t think my dentist is going to appreciate that.  The green is gone from my teeth, but the garlic breath? Not so much…I am not equipped to brush before the cleaning.  Hey, that’s why I’m going there, right?

Love,

itsy bitsy mama