Week In Review
Yes, I know it's only Tuesday, but the week I speak of is last week. It was the first week of classes and everyone knows how fun that can be. I did have one new experience, I needed to add a class. Why should that be so hard, one might ask. Well...the answer would be: too many bodies, not enough room. The class I wanted to add was so full that students were sitting on the floor, trying to get in. I sat in the hallway and waited for the end of class to speak with the instructor. She didn't have much hope, but maybe the desperation in my eyes, or my general "I'm a good student and you'll love having me in class" vibe, paid off. I was told to e-mail her and keep showing up. Perhaps she'd find some room for me.
The rest of the scheduled week was great. I'm in a production class for writers. We'll be putting out both a newsletter for the English Department and a compilation of writing for the class. I'm hoping to get some good experience in this class for future freelance work. We'll be covering all kinds of styles from the genre of creative non-fiction. It's exactly what I need. Yeah! My goal for the year that I'm doing "baby life" is to get my feet wet in the freelance world. I'm going to start with trade magazines for the restaurant industry. I've read that trade work is good work, and I would be qualified to write for them. And all you mom's out there...please don't laugh. I know I'm going to be too busy to do anything but baby life, but jeez, I have to have another project on the burner or I don't feel like I'm doing enough. It is just my way.
So...I am excited about this semester. I did get in to the really full class yesterday, so, Yeah! Food and Culture! I am going to the fun class this afternoon to see what project and production assignment I will be concentrating on this semester. Right now I have to finish up a little piece of Beowulf and do some binder organization. Woo-hoo. I love being in school.
Oh! Happy 22 weeks to baby today. Please keep your fingers crossed for a full 40 week pregnancy. I have finals during week 37-38. I know. But I like to live on the edge.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
*Note* My mom sent out an e-mail last week encouraging a laundry list of friends, children, and relatives to share an ordinary day with each other. She sees it an an interesting "slice of life" experiment. So far I've enjoyed reading about other's "normal" days. I wrote up mine and decided to share it on my blog, as well as sending it back with my mom's original e-mail. I figure my blog is pretty much the chronicle of my ordinary days...but it doesn't usually distill down entire days. Here it is, and I hope this encourages others to share their ordinary and normal days with me.
My “Normal” Day
I have to begin this by stating that I don’t really have any “normal” days…right now. I am blissfully between semesters and lucky enough to not be working. That leaves me a lot of time to myself, and I am enjoying it. Right before the holidays, I was busy shopping, cleaning, cooking and the like…right now I wish all of my days were like this:
Monday January 23, 2006
I woke up right before the 8:00 AM alarm and spent some time just dozing. When the radio turned on, I just listened to the morning show…the new one on Live 105. It’s not bad, kind of juvenile, but hey, they do play music. The latest song from Matisyahu, the Hasidic reggae star (for some reason I see Mom getting a kick out of that) came on and I thought about how annoying reggae is in the morning. Then I ruminated on how I just really don’t dig reggae music. Give me some good roots rock and ska or rock steady…I’m there. Whatever. Mind you, this is coming from the girl going to Jamaica next year.
Finally managed to pull myself out of bed at 10:00 AM. Yeah. I spent almost two hours listening to the radio, chatting with Hubby, and being a complete slug-a-bed. I am truly going to miss this when my 9:00 AM class starts up Wednesday. I ate breakfast. It was a big bowl of Kashi Good Friends cereal. I have eaten more cereal in the past few months than I have in the past few years. Something about the crunchy sweet-ish cereal and colds milk…yum. Good food for baby, we both like it. Hubby took off for work and little sis made an appearance. She was planning on running errands and taking a placement test at her new school. I needed to: finish cleaning the kitchen and living room from Mom’s fab-o dinner party the night before, wash the tablecloth and napkins, move the table, run to Good Will, clean out my backpack, get school supplies ready and repair some chair cushions on the chairs we are going to be selling on Craig’s List.
All right. So, I began by running the dishwasher. Then sitting down to the Internet to check e-mail. Then I painted my stapler with sparkle nail polish to create a unique sparkly stapler. It’s really cute. I cleaned out the backpack and re-organized my supplies. I have four yellow barrel number two pencils, four back up black ink medium point click-y pens, plus the one Dr. Grip pen that I love to death. I made a note on my school-shopping list to pick up some refills for the Dr. Grip. I have all my multi-colored Sharpies: little keychain ones key chained to the inner backpack pocket and big ones in the hidden zipper pouch in the top of the backpack. I’m not sure exactly why I need Sharpies…I just do. I have my highlighters at the ready; I have my Post-It flag highlighters at the ready…made a note to pick up some plain Post-It flags for noting important pieces of text. One can never have too many flags of various colors. I have my red editing pencils. They might come in handy for my Career Writing class. Then things got really fun. I color-coordinated my notebooks to my pocket folders and labeled them for my classes with the corresponding Sharpie color. Yellow is for Food & Culture, red is Career Writing, green is for English Lit and black for Astronomy. All notebooks and folders have labels with the class name and days of the week I have the class. It makes getting ready and out the door to class in the morning so much eaiser.
And…the morning was burning by now. It was noon…Hubby called to ask me to mail some books off. We have been selling my old textbooks on Half.com. We’ve done really well this semester. In fact, we’ve almost covered the cost of the current semester books by the selling of past semester books. I like it. Back to the computer for me, where I was promptly sidetracked from my mission by blog reading. I have my daily blog check: Confessions of a Restroom Attendant, Soy Mama, Manic Mom, the communal ummmm blog, chronicles of the existence of divine comestibles, the Garden of Insanity…these are the ones I check, if not every day, then on a regular basis. Oh, I also check my own for comments. I know, kind of sad, but sometimes they pop up and I get happy. I don’t often post on other’s blog’s, so I don’t get too down when I don’t get posts on mine. I digress. I also checked on a Due in June message board at iParenting.com. Message boards are really the same. This one was full of It’s a Boy! and It’s A Girl! posts…’cause all the mommies are getting the 18-22 week ultrasound done, and most everyone in the normal universe finds out the baby’s sex before hand. Well, Hubby and I are different…we don’t know and don’t want to know. I like to think of it as a reward for all the hard work of labor…the announcement that Dr. D will make as soon as the little one pops out. I like having surprises to look forward to.
So, another hour down, I decide to eat some lunch before heading to the Post Office. I have leftover salad, artichokes with garlic and lemon, and crackers with olive spread. I read a couple chapters of “Guns, Germs, and Steel” while eating. I am so loving this book. It is really a fascinating way of looking at human development. I just finished agriculture and am well into the domestication of animals for food and labor. Wild stuff. Finish lunch up, package the books and decide to wear slippers to the Post Office, cause I don’t feel like putting on shoes. Right. Mail the books; realize I have forgotten to bring the Good Will donations with me, so oh well, that won’t get done today.
By the time I get back, it’s three o’clock and I have yet to clean or do anything significant. I debate on whether to take a nap or not. I decide not to, and instead do my nails. Hey, that’s important. I clean up nail stuff, clean up the living room and begin to think about cleaning the kitchen. Yeah right. Instead I make a bunch of music play lists on our home stereo set up. The Myth Box takes too long to explain…so I’m going to skip it. I will mention, Hubby taught me how to make play lists the day before and I have been very excited to do so. It’s fun making hours…nay…days of music to play that suit whatever mood I happen to be in. Little sis comes in and goes over her day with me…but this is my day so she’ll have to write her own. I decide that it’s time to nap…sleep past the yoga class I was going to take, get up and need to clean the kitchen. Cheery little sister pitches in and in no time at all, it sparkles. She did the laundry, dried dishes, put the weird serving platters-in their puzzle like configurations-away and generally was a huge help. I’m going to miss her when she’s gone.
By this time, dinner needed to be made. Stir-fry to the rescue! Put on some brown rice, sliced some lean pork and tossed in a bag of Trader Ming’s (Joe’s) Asian veggies and volia! Dinner was ready. Now if only Hubby was home…he got there around 7:45, put on Desperate Housewives and we ate and chuckled and ate and enjoyed the evening. Little sis took off to visit her boyfriend, and Hubby and I finished the evening by watching “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”. Neither of us had seen it in some time, and it was so very funny. That’s a movie that can be enjoyed over and over again. 11:00 PM showed up…time to gag down an absolutely awful pre-natal vitamin (yup…I have to refill my chewable prescription…another thing I forgot to do) and brush teeth in preparation for bed. We then snuggled down with the cats, which is a very rare occurrence in our house. The cats are not usually allowed to sleep with us…they get restless, we wake up…they start to jump on our heads…we toss them out. It’s better to just let them have the house to themselves at night. Little Violet was being a snuggle kitty and slept on me all night. I can’t complain, it was pretty nice and kept me from tossing and turning, I didn’t want to wake her up.
That’s it. That was my normal day…when not in school. When I have a schedule the days become much more…well…structured. I have the feeling though, my days will not be quite as relaxed and opened-ended in the very near future. At least not until the kids are grown and I can “retire” again…
Much love,
Valerie
01.24.06
My “Normal” Day
I have to begin this by stating that I don’t really have any “normal” days…right now. I am blissfully between semesters and lucky enough to not be working. That leaves me a lot of time to myself, and I am enjoying it. Right before the holidays, I was busy shopping, cleaning, cooking and the like…right now I wish all of my days were like this:
Monday January 23, 2006
I woke up right before the 8:00 AM alarm and spent some time just dozing. When the radio turned on, I just listened to the morning show…the new one on Live 105. It’s not bad, kind of juvenile, but hey, they do play music. The latest song from Matisyahu, the Hasidic reggae star (for some reason I see Mom getting a kick out of that) came on and I thought about how annoying reggae is in the morning. Then I ruminated on how I just really don’t dig reggae music. Give me some good roots rock and ska or rock steady…I’m there. Whatever. Mind you, this is coming from the girl going to Jamaica next year.
Finally managed to pull myself out of bed at 10:00 AM. Yeah. I spent almost two hours listening to the radio, chatting with Hubby, and being a complete slug-a-bed. I am truly going to miss this when my 9:00 AM class starts up Wednesday. I ate breakfast. It was a big bowl of Kashi Good Friends cereal. I have eaten more cereal in the past few months than I have in the past few years. Something about the crunchy sweet-ish cereal and colds milk…yum. Good food for baby, we both like it. Hubby took off for work and little sis made an appearance. She was planning on running errands and taking a placement test at her new school. I needed to: finish cleaning the kitchen and living room from Mom’s fab-o dinner party the night before, wash the tablecloth and napkins, move the table, run to Good Will, clean out my backpack, get school supplies ready and repair some chair cushions on the chairs we are going to be selling on Craig’s List.
All right. So, I began by running the dishwasher. Then sitting down to the Internet to check e-mail. Then I painted my stapler with sparkle nail polish to create a unique sparkly stapler. It’s really cute. I cleaned out the backpack and re-organized my supplies. I have four yellow barrel number two pencils, four back up black ink medium point click-y pens, plus the one Dr. Grip pen that I love to death. I made a note on my school-shopping list to pick up some refills for the Dr. Grip. I have all my multi-colored Sharpies: little keychain ones key chained to the inner backpack pocket and big ones in the hidden zipper pouch in the top of the backpack. I’m not sure exactly why I need Sharpies…I just do. I have my highlighters at the ready; I have my Post-It flag highlighters at the ready…made a note to pick up some plain Post-It flags for noting important pieces of text. One can never have too many flags of various colors. I have my red editing pencils. They might come in handy for my Career Writing class. Then things got really fun. I color-coordinated my notebooks to my pocket folders and labeled them for my classes with the corresponding Sharpie color. Yellow is for Food & Culture, red is Career Writing, green is for English Lit and black for Astronomy. All notebooks and folders have labels with the class name and days of the week I have the class. It makes getting ready and out the door to class in the morning so much eaiser.
And…the morning was burning by now. It was noon…Hubby called to ask me to mail some books off. We have been selling my old textbooks on Half.com. We’ve done really well this semester. In fact, we’ve almost covered the cost of the current semester books by the selling of past semester books. I like it. Back to the computer for me, where I was promptly sidetracked from my mission by blog reading. I have my daily blog check: Confessions of a Restroom Attendant, Soy Mama, Manic Mom, the communal ummmm blog, chronicles of the existence of divine comestibles, the Garden of Insanity…these are the ones I check, if not every day, then on a regular basis. Oh, I also check my own for comments. I know, kind of sad, but sometimes they pop up and I get happy. I don’t often post on other’s blog’s, so I don’t get too down when I don’t get posts on mine. I digress. I also checked on a Due in June message board at iParenting.com. Message boards are really the same. This one was full of It’s a Boy! and It’s A Girl! posts…’cause all the mommies are getting the 18-22 week ultrasound done, and most everyone in the normal universe finds out the baby’s sex before hand. Well, Hubby and I are different…we don’t know and don’t want to know. I like to think of it as a reward for all the hard work of labor…the announcement that Dr. D will make as soon as the little one pops out. I like having surprises to look forward to.
So, another hour down, I decide to eat some lunch before heading to the Post Office. I have leftover salad, artichokes with garlic and lemon, and crackers with olive spread. I read a couple chapters of “Guns, Germs, and Steel” while eating. I am so loving this book. It is really a fascinating way of looking at human development. I just finished agriculture and am well into the domestication of animals for food and labor. Wild stuff. Finish lunch up, package the books and decide to wear slippers to the Post Office, cause I don’t feel like putting on shoes. Right. Mail the books; realize I have forgotten to bring the Good Will donations with me, so oh well, that won’t get done today.
By the time I get back, it’s three o’clock and I have yet to clean or do anything significant. I debate on whether to take a nap or not. I decide not to, and instead do my nails. Hey, that’s important. I clean up nail stuff, clean up the living room and begin to think about cleaning the kitchen. Yeah right. Instead I make a bunch of music play lists on our home stereo set up. The Myth Box takes too long to explain…so I’m going to skip it. I will mention, Hubby taught me how to make play lists the day before and I have been very excited to do so. It’s fun making hours…nay…days of music to play that suit whatever mood I happen to be in. Little sis comes in and goes over her day with me…but this is my day so she’ll have to write her own. I decide that it’s time to nap…sleep past the yoga class I was going to take, get up and need to clean the kitchen. Cheery little sister pitches in and in no time at all, it sparkles. She did the laundry, dried dishes, put the weird serving platters-in their puzzle like configurations-away and generally was a huge help. I’m going to miss her when she’s gone.
By this time, dinner needed to be made. Stir-fry to the rescue! Put on some brown rice, sliced some lean pork and tossed in a bag of Trader Ming’s (Joe’s) Asian veggies and volia! Dinner was ready. Now if only Hubby was home…he got there around 7:45, put on Desperate Housewives and we ate and chuckled and ate and enjoyed the evening. Little sis took off to visit her boyfriend, and Hubby and I finished the evening by watching “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”. Neither of us had seen it in some time, and it was so very funny. That’s a movie that can be enjoyed over and over again. 11:00 PM showed up…time to gag down an absolutely awful pre-natal vitamin (yup…I have to refill my chewable prescription…another thing I forgot to do) and brush teeth in preparation for bed. We then snuggled down with the cats, which is a very rare occurrence in our house. The cats are not usually allowed to sleep with us…they get restless, we wake up…they start to jump on our heads…we toss them out. It’s better to just let them have the house to themselves at night. Little Violet was being a snuggle kitty and slept on me all night. I can’t complain, it was pretty nice and kept me from tossing and turning, I didn’t want to wake her up.
That’s it. That was my normal day…when not in school. When I have a schedule the days become much more…well…structured. I have the feeling though, my days will not be quite as relaxed and opened-ended in the very near future. At least not until the kids are grown and I can “retire” again…
Much love,
Valerie
01.24.06
Monday, January 23, 2006
Headache
Last night I dreamed I got drunk. I was drinking very small glasses of scotch and beer and wine, but way too many of them. I kept thinking in my dream: "Oh this glass is so small I can have one more with no problem. The baby won't mind..."
The problem is, I awoke this morning with a massive headache. And the kid has been doing flips all morning, adding to the general feeling of bodily discomfort. Time to drink more water.
Last night I dreamed I got drunk. I was drinking very small glasses of scotch and beer and wine, but way too many of them. I kept thinking in my dream: "Oh this glass is so small I can have one more with no problem. The baby won't mind..."
The problem is, I awoke this morning with a massive headache. And the kid has been doing flips all morning, adding to the general feeling of bodily discomfort. Time to drink more water.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Tired Girl
I have been so lazy this past week. Yup. Too lazy to post even. I've taken to two hour naps and commercial-free hours of TV. Lazy lazy girl. I haven't even finished my stack of reading, and now the semester is just around the corner. Ooh well, this is the other half of vacation, the half I really love, the week of being a total lay-about.
I have seen the doctor, and all is well in baby land. I have maintained a certain level of house cleanliness. I have gone grocery shopping and have cooked dinners. I just haven't done much else. I am currently avoiding cleaning the office, but it is now a desperate situation...as my youngest sister is staying with us for the next couple of months, and she needs a place for her clothes and a place to sleep. Sigh. I hate cleaning the office, but it must be done. Perhaps I will enlist her help in this endeavor...but if I don't even know what to do with it, how can she? That is the question of the hour.
Speaking of hours...I must get up and get going. She has to sleep somewhere tonight.
I have been so lazy this past week. Yup. Too lazy to post even. I've taken to two hour naps and commercial-free hours of TV. Lazy lazy girl. I haven't even finished my stack of reading, and now the semester is just around the corner. Ooh well, this is the other half of vacation, the half I really love, the week of being a total lay-about.
I have seen the doctor, and all is well in baby land. I have maintained a certain level of house cleanliness. I have gone grocery shopping and have cooked dinners. I just haven't done much else. I am currently avoiding cleaning the office, but it is now a desperate situation...as my youngest sister is staying with us for the next couple of months, and she needs a place for her clothes and a place to sleep. Sigh. I hate cleaning the office, but it must be done. Perhaps I will enlist her help in this endeavor...but if I don't even know what to do with it, how can she? That is the question of the hour.
Speaking of hours...I must get up and get going. She has to sleep somewhere tonight.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Moon Baby Dreams
Last night I had a series of strange dreams, most of which centered around sushi. At first, I was hosting a party with a bunch of people I haven't seen in ages, and decided that sushi would make the evening complete. So off I and another friend went to pick up some platters. I was checking off my order in the car on the way over...spider rolls, cucumber rolls, California rolls, shrimp tempura rolls...even in my sleep I know I can't eat the raw stuff! Somehow from there my dream morphed into another one...one where I worked in a sushi restaurant and my sole table was an older couple from the mid-west experiencing sushi for the first time. It was my job to make sure they ordered right. They were there for my entire lunch shift, and left me a $24 tip...which I thought was great, but it was the only money I made that day.
I'm blaming both the moon and the baby for those dreams. The moon was so bright it hurt my eyes last night. I felt like a reverse vampire.
On another note...do I have a lunch date set for the near future, and if so, can we eat sushi? Really, I think I must be craving it big time.
Last night I had a series of strange dreams, most of which centered around sushi. At first, I was hosting a party with a bunch of people I haven't seen in ages, and decided that sushi would make the evening complete. So off I and another friend went to pick up some platters. I was checking off my order in the car on the way over...spider rolls, cucumber rolls, California rolls, shrimp tempura rolls...even in my sleep I know I can't eat the raw stuff! Somehow from there my dream morphed into another one...one where I worked in a sushi restaurant and my sole table was an older couple from the mid-west experiencing sushi for the first time. It was my job to make sure they ordered right. They were there for my entire lunch shift, and left me a $24 tip...which I thought was great, but it was the only money I made that day.
I'm blaming both the moon and the baby for those dreams. The moon was so bright it hurt my eyes last night. I felt like a reverse vampire.
On another note...do I have a lunch date set for the near future, and if so, can we eat sushi? Really, I think I must be craving it big time.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
New Toys
Every year I like to add a little something new to my kitchen collection. I have all the basics, nice basics too, but sometimes you just need to add that pot or dish that has only one purpose. It’s a toy. You’ll use it maybe two times a year, but when you do…you love it.
Last year was a cast iron fondue pot. It sat for almost a year until I busted it out for a goat cheese fondue. But, boy was I happy to have it then.
This year the new toy is a tagine oven. Tagine refers to both the cooking vessel and the dish…much like the term “casserole”. Tagines are North African in origin and most folks would have experienced them as being a Moroccan dish. Yum. The food is cooked in a conical lidded clay pot. The clay heats the food at a slow, even rate and keeps it from drying out. The conical lid has a small steam hole and the entire dish can be used on the stovetop or in the oven. Genius I tell you. I love cooking tagines, and usually do them in a standard pot. Well, last night I busted out the official oven and am in love with the real cooking vessel now. I’m going to have to make some type of Moroccan stew at least once a month now, just to use my tagine.
Having the right pot to cook in, I wanted to cook an authentic dish. I chose chicken with preserved lemon and olives. The oven worked very well…and I was a touch skeptical at first. I’m not used to cooking in a clay pot over a hot flame. I kept worrying about it cracking, or not getting hot enough to brown the chicken or the dish taking way to long to cook. Little should I have worried; there is reason clay pots have been in vogue all over the world for a very long time. They work great. The chicken turned out very nice indeed. I can’t wait to make a lamb and prune tagine…I’m sure the lamb will turn out to be as tender as I’ve always dreamed it could be. Yes, I sometimes dream about tender lamb.
Who doesn’t?
Every year I like to add a little something new to my kitchen collection. I have all the basics, nice basics too, but sometimes you just need to add that pot or dish that has only one purpose. It’s a toy. You’ll use it maybe two times a year, but when you do…you love it.
Last year was a cast iron fondue pot. It sat for almost a year until I busted it out for a goat cheese fondue. But, boy was I happy to have it then.
This year the new toy is a tagine oven. Tagine refers to both the cooking vessel and the dish…much like the term “casserole”. Tagines are North African in origin and most folks would have experienced them as being a Moroccan dish. Yum. The food is cooked in a conical lidded clay pot. The clay heats the food at a slow, even rate and keeps it from drying out. The conical lid has a small steam hole and the entire dish can be used on the stovetop or in the oven. Genius I tell you. I love cooking tagines, and usually do them in a standard pot. Well, last night I busted out the official oven and am in love with the real cooking vessel now. I’m going to have to make some type of Moroccan stew at least once a month now, just to use my tagine.
Having the right pot to cook in, I wanted to cook an authentic dish. I chose chicken with preserved lemon and olives. The oven worked very well…and I was a touch skeptical at first. I’m not used to cooking in a clay pot over a hot flame. I kept worrying about it cracking, or not getting hot enough to brown the chicken or the dish taking way to long to cook. Little should I have worried; there is reason clay pots have been in vogue all over the world for a very long time. They work great. The chicken turned out very nice indeed. I can’t wait to make a lamb and prune tagine…I’m sure the lamb will turn out to be as tender as I’ve always dreamed it could be. Yes, I sometimes dream about tender lamb.
Who doesn’t?
Monday, January 9, 2006
Good Baby
I have been tempted to find out the sex of the baby. Yes, deep down in my heart I love surprises, but there is that little nagging feeling that wants to know. You know the feeling...someone tells you that have found the perfect gift for you, you're going to love it, but your birthday is still six months away. You know you don't want to ruin the surprise. Yet, at the same time it's driving you crazy wanting to know.
So, today we went for our first big ultrasound. This is the one where if we were going to find out now would be the time. I have been dithering for the last couple of days, thinking (hoping) that maybe the tech would slip and we'd find out, or that the baby would be positioned in such a way that it would be obvious. Then, hey, we didn't ask to know, it just happened so no harm no foul, we know now and names would be easier to decide upon.
We have a good baby. A good baby and a great tech.
We, meaning hubby and I, went in to the office and at first I was put off. There was a huge line and I had a full bladder, per instructions. Not a good combo. I waited half an hour in line to have my paperwork processed, and was told that darling hubby would only be allowed to join me in the room for the very last part of the exam. That sucks. I think the medical profession needs to reward more dads for coming to appointments. They need to be involved in the whole thing if they choose to take time out and visit the doctor...when they don't have to. I don't like that for the most part they are expected to wait outside during the exams and only get to hear the tail end of everything. Our OB is great in this respect, hubby is allowed for the entire check-up and he is as encouraged as I to ask questions. I digress...
I was shuffled off to the "women's only" waiting room. Before I knew it, our tech had arrived and not only was asking for me, but she called hubby in right away. Cheers! Next, she said that she didn't need to do the exam with a full bladder, so I was instructed to go ahead and let it out. Whew! That made a huge difference. It was so much more fun to watch, without wondering when it would end, so I could pee.
The exam was very, very cool. Warm gel, dark room, and little baby pictures on a screen. We did remain strong, and let the tech know that we didn't want to know the sex. No sweat, she said, she didn't want to know either (not medically relevant). The good baby part comes in with the fact that while swooping around with the sound stick, it was discovered that the baby was lying with legs firmly shut. Modest child. We would have had to have done some real poking about to get the child's sex...baby wants to be a surprise and so mommy is happy with that. I will note that hubby was looking; he was interested in seeing if he could figure it out on his own. He came away thinking "girl"...so that's his guess in the baby poll. I still say it's anybody’s game.
All we really care about is that the little one's heart is still beating strong, organs have developed, there are little tiny legs and feet and arms and hands that wave and wiggle. It is truly an amazing sight, this little tiny life living inside of me right now. The little head was right under my belly button...I am blown away every time I think about that.
At our next doctor’s appointment, we'll find out what all the pictures mean. Nothing seemed to look weird, but as our tech explained, it's her job to record, not interpret. I'll also get the blood work results...the prenatal screens that can give a clue as to any problems that might develop. I'm gunning for the "all clear". So far, everything seems to be going along just fine...and in a few more months we'll know for sure. We'll also know if we have a Charlotte* or an Isaac* on our hands. Good baby. :)
*Just trying names out...nothing has yet been decided; so don't hold us to any names I might post here.
I have been tempted to find out the sex of the baby. Yes, deep down in my heart I love surprises, but there is that little nagging feeling that wants to know. You know the feeling...someone tells you that have found the perfect gift for you, you're going to love it, but your birthday is still six months away. You know you don't want to ruin the surprise. Yet, at the same time it's driving you crazy wanting to know.
So, today we went for our first big ultrasound. This is the one where if we were going to find out now would be the time. I have been dithering for the last couple of days, thinking (hoping) that maybe the tech would slip and we'd find out, or that the baby would be positioned in such a way that it would be obvious. Then, hey, we didn't ask to know, it just happened so no harm no foul, we know now and names would be easier to decide upon.
We have a good baby. A good baby and a great tech.
We, meaning hubby and I, went in to the office and at first I was put off. There was a huge line and I had a full bladder, per instructions. Not a good combo. I waited half an hour in line to have my paperwork processed, and was told that darling hubby would only be allowed to join me in the room for the very last part of the exam. That sucks. I think the medical profession needs to reward more dads for coming to appointments. They need to be involved in the whole thing if they choose to take time out and visit the doctor...when they don't have to. I don't like that for the most part they are expected to wait outside during the exams and only get to hear the tail end of everything. Our OB is great in this respect, hubby is allowed for the entire check-up and he is as encouraged as I to ask questions. I digress...
I was shuffled off to the "women's only" waiting room. Before I knew it, our tech had arrived and not only was asking for me, but she called hubby in right away. Cheers! Next, she said that she didn't need to do the exam with a full bladder, so I was instructed to go ahead and let it out. Whew! That made a huge difference. It was so much more fun to watch, without wondering when it would end, so I could pee.
The exam was very, very cool. Warm gel, dark room, and little baby pictures on a screen. We did remain strong, and let the tech know that we didn't want to know the sex. No sweat, she said, she didn't want to know either (not medically relevant). The good baby part comes in with the fact that while swooping around with the sound stick, it was discovered that the baby was lying with legs firmly shut. Modest child. We would have had to have done some real poking about to get the child's sex...baby wants to be a surprise and so mommy is happy with that. I will note that hubby was looking; he was interested in seeing if he could figure it out on his own. He came away thinking "girl"...so that's his guess in the baby poll. I still say it's anybody’s game.
All we really care about is that the little one's heart is still beating strong, organs have developed, there are little tiny legs and feet and arms and hands that wave and wiggle. It is truly an amazing sight, this little tiny life living inside of me right now. The little head was right under my belly button...I am blown away every time I think about that.
At our next doctor’s appointment, we'll find out what all the pictures mean. Nothing seemed to look weird, but as our tech explained, it's her job to record, not interpret. I'll also get the blood work results...the prenatal screens that can give a clue as to any problems that might develop. I'm gunning for the "all clear". So far, everything seems to be going along just fine...and in a few more months we'll know for sure. We'll also know if we have a Charlotte* or an Isaac* on our hands. Good baby. :)
*Just trying names out...nothing has yet been decided; so don't hold us to any names I might post here.
Friday, January 6, 2006
Vacation...Does It Have To End?
We are back from the wilds of Louisiana. While we were there I managed to eat (with the help of Darling Hubby):
crawfish: two ways, in an etouffe (super yum creamy sauce over rice) and fried
alligator: two ways, tailpieces battered and fried, and in a wonderful croquette-style ball blended with meat, bread, herbs, and then fried
catfish: in a brown butter wine sauce
soft-shell crab: stuffed with crawfish(!)
gumbo: yum
jambalaya: double yum
dirty rice: good with the creamy crab sauce
beignets and chicory coffee au lait: good, but not as good as I was hoping for...
And one out-of-this-world bread pudding with rum sauce. Oh yeah, it was that good.
The surprise meal came from a little hole in the wall cafe in a refinery town on a lake. The town was a disappointment, but the dinner was the best. Andouille sausage stuffed chicken breasts (presented as little chicken breast rolls, beautiful) with a raspberry demi-glace served over mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus. To die for good. The sweet potatoes were worth the trip alone.
We had a very good time. Some parts of the state were very distressing to look at, though. It's very hard to imagine the devastation in some areas, and the relative intact-ness of others. We did cruise down the Gulf Coast, before we were turned around...local traffic only...and that was the worst of it. I could not go back and rebuild, I don't think I would have the strength, but there were folks building and plowing; resetting houses and fields. That was an inspirational sight. Amazing.
The wedding was very nice, and Darling and I danced the night away. I was saving myself for a rare treat...a 1/4 glass of the bubbly for midnight, but when the time came the champagne was not so good for simple sipping and I didn't even finish my 1/4 glass. Oh well...everyone else was so tossed, they simply assumed I was as well...at least, those who didn't know that I am pregnant. Little do they know that it does not take the magic of alcohol to get me to dance like a fool.
Daring is still on vacation from work, so we are still bopping around the house doing nothing. We watched 12 hours of television yesterday. We finished "The Two Towers" went straight into "Return of the King"...then we continued through two disks of "Firefly". We didn't even really eat...we scrounged on what was left in the house. Yeah, lots of chocolate, cookies, crackers, cheese, peanut butter, yogurt and for dinner...microwave green beans with Parmesan cheese. Looking at all my food lists, it's no wonder I've gained 5 pounds in the last week and a half. As long as the baby takes his/her share, I'm fine. And, I'm going grocery shopping today.
Perhaps now is the time to begin acting like a real person again. Do some cleaning, some present putting away, vacuum, and grocery shop. Oh well. Vacation is nice, but if it lasted forever, would it really be as fun?
We are back from the wilds of Louisiana. While we were there I managed to eat (with the help of Darling Hubby):
crawfish: two ways, in an etouffe (super yum creamy sauce over rice) and fried
alligator: two ways, tailpieces battered and fried, and in a wonderful croquette-style ball blended with meat, bread, herbs, and then fried
catfish: in a brown butter wine sauce
soft-shell crab: stuffed with crawfish(!)
gumbo: yum
jambalaya: double yum
dirty rice: good with the creamy crab sauce
beignets and chicory coffee au lait: good, but not as good as I was hoping for...
And one out-of-this-world bread pudding with rum sauce. Oh yeah, it was that good.
The surprise meal came from a little hole in the wall cafe in a refinery town on a lake. The town was a disappointment, but the dinner was the best. Andouille sausage stuffed chicken breasts (presented as little chicken breast rolls, beautiful) with a raspberry demi-glace served over mashed sweet potatoes and asparagus. To die for good. The sweet potatoes were worth the trip alone.
We had a very good time. Some parts of the state were very distressing to look at, though. It's very hard to imagine the devastation in some areas, and the relative intact-ness of others. We did cruise down the Gulf Coast, before we were turned around...local traffic only...and that was the worst of it. I could not go back and rebuild, I don't think I would have the strength, but there were folks building and plowing; resetting houses and fields. That was an inspirational sight. Amazing.
The wedding was very nice, and Darling and I danced the night away. I was saving myself for a rare treat...a 1/4 glass of the bubbly for midnight, but when the time came the champagne was not so good for simple sipping and I didn't even finish my 1/4 glass. Oh well...everyone else was so tossed, they simply assumed I was as well...at least, those who didn't know that I am pregnant. Little do they know that it does not take the magic of alcohol to get me to dance like a fool.
Daring is still on vacation from work, so we are still bopping around the house doing nothing. We watched 12 hours of television yesterday. We finished "The Two Towers" went straight into "Return of the King"...then we continued through two disks of "Firefly". We didn't even really eat...we scrounged on what was left in the house. Yeah, lots of chocolate, cookies, crackers, cheese, peanut butter, yogurt and for dinner...microwave green beans with Parmesan cheese. Looking at all my food lists, it's no wonder I've gained 5 pounds in the last week and a half. As long as the baby takes his/her share, I'm fine. And, I'm going grocery shopping today.
Perhaps now is the time to begin acting like a real person again. Do some cleaning, some present putting away, vacuum, and grocery shop. Oh well. Vacation is nice, but if it lasted forever, would it really be as fun?
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
What a wicked and wonderful Christmas this year brought. Wicked only because we were so crazy up to Christmas Eve, it was hard to get into the true holiday spirit. Wonderful because we shared the time with a house full of loved ones. I waved good-bye to the last of the house guests this morning and have spent the entire day just hanging out with darling hubby, who has taken the next two weeks off from work. It is so nice to see him...the past months have been crazy for the both of us. Sigh. I love alone time with him- no housework that's getting done (what needs to be done is another matter all together)-just eating leftovers and watching stuff on the couch.
Right now he's building supports for the new speakers we picked up today. With the change in the living room configuration we are now able to put in surround sound. He is so tickled.
I managed, after two and a half years, to finish the curtains in the office and made new drapes for the living room.
I didn't bake, at all, except a caramel apple pie and a chocolate torte, but the presents we picked for family were big hits this year...so yeah team! It's always nerve wracking to buy for people you love, but don't get to spend a lot of time with. We picked brains for suggestions throughout the year and came up with some nice gifts. And as always, the reverse was true.
Tomorrow I have scheduled a manicure/pedicure with my best friend to celebrate the completion of a good semester...teaching high school for her and finishing the first upper-division semester for me. I can not wait, it's been too long since I had a nice pamper session.
Friday hubby and I are jetting off to the land of Louisiana for a New Year's Eve wedding. Should be fun, right in the heart of Cajun Country. Which reminds me, I have to check the weather and do some laundry...anyway, we'll be bopping around the south for a few days, which is an area of the country I have never explored. I really hope I can eat alligator. I'm not kidding. It's all part of the grand culinary tapestry of our country.
When we get back, I have reading and relaxing to attend to. And extended versions of LOTR to watch, with surround sound.
*Sigh* Life is good.
What a wicked and wonderful Christmas this year brought. Wicked only because we were so crazy up to Christmas Eve, it was hard to get into the true holiday spirit. Wonderful because we shared the time with a house full of loved ones. I waved good-bye to the last of the house guests this morning and have spent the entire day just hanging out with darling hubby, who has taken the next two weeks off from work. It is so nice to see him...the past months have been crazy for the both of us. Sigh. I love alone time with him- no housework that's getting done (what needs to be done is another matter all together)-just eating leftovers and watching stuff on the couch.
Right now he's building supports for the new speakers we picked up today. With the change in the living room configuration we are now able to put in surround sound. He is so tickled.
I managed, after two and a half years, to finish the curtains in the office and made new drapes for the living room.
I didn't bake, at all, except a caramel apple pie and a chocolate torte, but the presents we picked for family were big hits this year...so yeah team! It's always nerve wracking to buy for people you love, but don't get to spend a lot of time with. We picked brains for suggestions throughout the year and came up with some nice gifts. And as always, the reverse was true.
Tomorrow I have scheduled a manicure/pedicure with my best friend to celebrate the completion of a good semester...teaching high school for her and finishing the first upper-division semester for me. I can not wait, it's been too long since I had a nice pamper session.
Friday hubby and I are jetting off to the land of Louisiana for a New Year's Eve wedding. Should be fun, right in the heart of Cajun Country. Which reminds me, I have to check the weather and do some laundry...anyway, we'll be bopping around the south for a few days, which is an area of the country I have never explored. I really hope I can eat alligator. I'm not kidding. It's all part of the grand culinary tapestry of our country.
When we get back, I have reading and relaxing to attend to. And extended versions of LOTR to watch, with surround sound.
*Sigh* Life is good.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Four Down & One To Go
My first final was on December third. A standard mass writing exam where we had to give a close reading of a poem and break down the underlying structures that enforce the overall meaning. How very New Critical of us. I hated it. I am not a poetry fan, I dwell in a universe of snappy dialogue and non-elusive thought. I appreciate the complexities of the style, I admire those who can write it and those who really love it but I am not of that English major camp. I have been know to wax poetic about a new dish at a recently discovered restaurant...but that's hardly the same thing.
Anyway, my personal feelings about poetry aside, I do know how to structure a close reading and examine ideas within the lines. If only they had offered a classic poet, but we had a modern poem in all its free-verse glory to contend with. A verse acting as an answer to a 16th century Spanish poem. Don't get me started on the girl who showed up at the next (and last) class meeting who actually looked up the original poem in all its Spanish glory and brought in the translation and who then proceeded to regale the class for ten minutes (when I could have been having lunch thank you very much) on the differences between the two. Did she know all this during the test? No. Did it matter at this point? No. Then why bother? Because some students are just like that. (Perhaps I'm bothered so much because I used to be that student, but have since realized how annoying it is for everyone else to deal with.)
Anyway...to make this long story a bit shorter, I hated the test, spoke in length about punctuation and voice, and name dropped a bit. In the paper. Because I could. Ha! We, as students, are not allowed to see our grades on the test until after the semester ends. This would require a visit to my professor, and unless my grade is really lower than I am expecting in the class overall, I don't think I'm going to care all that much.
So, I have been on blog break because I have been finishing a slew of end-of-term papers (all correctly cited and noted MLA style Miss A...I thought of you) and projects leaving me with zero motivation to do any other writing. Today I used almost the last bit of brain I have left functioning and took three finals back to back. I tested from 8 am on the nose until I scrabbled my last editing notation at 2:30 pm. I had about a total of an hour and 15 minute break all day. But everything at State is done, hallelujah. I do not have to light rail it over there again until mid January. Woo-hoo!
Tomorrow I finish off Spanish Two with a flourish and then let the holiday madness consume me. I plan on baking oh...about four or five different types of cookies for the holiday visitors and then there is the pickle labeling to be done and the wrapping to complete...all things I dearly love.
Come January, I have a stack of novels to read, full of pithy lines and upfront action. I have baby stuff to acquire and lots of fun home projects. This is the first time I won't be working during my school break, and I plan on enjoying it.
Wish me luck tomorrow...I can't wait to finish this semester off!
My first final was on December third. A standard mass writing exam where we had to give a close reading of a poem and break down the underlying structures that enforce the overall meaning. How very New Critical of us. I hated it. I am not a poetry fan, I dwell in a universe of snappy dialogue and non-elusive thought. I appreciate the complexities of the style, I admire those who can write it and those who really love it but I am not of that English major camp. I have been know to wax poetic about a new dish at a recently discovered restaurant...but that's hardly the same thing.
Anyway, my personal feelings about poetry aside, I do know how to structure a close reading and examine ideas within the lines. If only they had offered a classic poet, but we had a modern poem in all its free-verse glory to contend with. A verse acting as an answer to a 16th century Spanish poem. Don't get me started on the girl who showed up at the next (and last) class meeting who actually looked up the original poem in all its Spanish glory and brought in the translation and who then proceeded to regale the class for ten minutes (when I could have been having lunch thank you very much) on the differences between the two. Did she know all this during the test? No. Did it matter at this point? No. Then why bother? Because some students are just like that. (Perhaps I'm bothered so much because I used to be that student, but have since realized how annoying it is for everyone else to deal with.)
Anyway...to make this long story a bit shorter, I hated the test, spoke in length about punctuation and voice, and name dropped a bit. In the paper. Because I could. Ha! We, as students, are not allowed to see our grades on the test until after the semester ends. This would require a visit to my professor, and unless my grade is really lower than I am expecting in the class overall, I don't think I'm going to care all that much.
So, I have been on blog break because I have been finishing a slew of end-of-term papers (all correctly cited and noted MLA style Miss A...I thought of you) and projects leaving me with zero motivation to do any other writing. Today I used almost the last bit of brain I have left functioning and took three finals back to back. I tested from 8 am on the nose until I scrabbled my last editing notation at 2:30 pm. I had about a total of an hour and 15 minute break all day. But everything at State is done, hallelujah. I do not have to light rail it over there again until mid January. Woo-hoo!
Tomorrow I finish off Spanish Two with a flourish and then let the holiday madness consume me. I plan on baking oh...about four or five different types of cookies for the holiday visitors and then there is the pickle labeling to be done and the wrapping to complete...all things I dearly love.
Come January, I have a stack of novels to read, full of pithy lines and upfront action. I have baby stuff to acquire and lots of fun home projects. This is the first time I won't be working during my school break, and I plan on enjoying it.
Wish me luck tomorrow...I can't wait to finish this semester off!
Wednesday, December 7, 2005
First Scare
I no longer feel guilt over my lack of nausea.
I found myself bleeding just a touch, only a small amount...but scary enough...this morning. After frantically calling the doctor, I had to wait for her or the nurse to call me back. She did, while I was in class...and I waited another hour to hear from her again. No big deal, I wasn't bleeding anymore but I was still worried.
Turns out it could be any of several reasons why I spotted a bit. Nothing out of the normal, but I am now on "pelvic rest" which boils down to lots of rest, no heavy lifting or any other activities that could cause stress on the pelvis. For a week. At least it's finals week, and I don't have to carry my really big heavy bag around. Whew!
Yes, stress could be a factor so I am done worrying about the holidays. And Finals. Finals alone will be enough, thank you very much.
I no longer feel guilt over my lack of nausea.
I found myself bleeding just a touch, only a small amount...but scary enough...this morning. After frantically calling the doctor, I had to wait for her or the nurse to call me back. She did, while I was in class...and I waited another hour to hear from her again. No big deal, I wasn't bleeding anymore but I was still worried.
Turns out it could be any of several reasons why I spotted a bit. Nothing out of the normal, but I am now on "pelvic rest" which boils down to lots of rest, no heavy lifting or any other activities that could cause stress on the pelvis. For a week. At least it's finals week, and I don't have to carry my really big heavy bag around. Whew!
Yes, stress could be a factor so I am done worrying about the holidays. And Finals. Finals alone will be enough, thank you very much.
Monday, December 5, 2005
I Feel a Little Guilty...
...for many things in my life right now. But mostly I feel guilty for having a good pregnancy. I am. I didn't have the three-month-heaves. I was tired, but I didn't get sore breasts, aching joints, or any other physical symptoms. I feel great right now, and good thing too...right in time for finals.
I feel guilty for feeling good. I have a friend that just went through an awful pregnancy and very hard delivery. We went to visit the baby and just visit in general. I haven't seen her at all since her shower. She was miserable for the first and last three months...and I was told I sounded gloatly (really...I'm not!) when I said how great I felt after being asked, "How are you doing?". I'm sorry. I didn't plan it this way, and I'm just glad to be able to function as well as I am, 'cause school is kicking me across the floor right now.
I've decided that pregnancy is the most personal thing a woman can go through. There are few normals, and even they vary widely from woman to woman. Plus...I don't like to complain if there's nothing really to complain about(those of you who know me are laughing right now...ok...I don't complain as much as I could). I could go into the stressful emotional roller coaster I'm on...most days I want to cry for no reason...lately I've been picking fights with my husband, just to get some of this tension out of me (I'm sorry to you, sweetie, for that). I could talk about bathroom ordeals, but NOBODY wants to hear about that. I could mention a hundred small things, but to what point? Basically, I feel fine and really hope it stays that way.
Right now, all I can really think about is getting through this week and next. Oh, and where my next meal is coming from...boy, am I hungry all the time. (Does that count as a pregnancy complaint?)
...for many things in my life right now. But mostly I feel guilty for having a good pregnancy. I am. I didn't have the three-month-heaves. I was tired, but I didn't get sore breasts, aching joints, or any other physical symptoms. I feel great right now, and good thing too...right in time for finals.
I feel guilty for feeling good. I have a friend that just went through an awful pregnancy and very hard delivery. We went to visit the baby and just visit in general. I haven't seen her at all since her shower. She was miserable for the first and last three months...and I was told I sounded gloatly (really...I'm not!) when I said how great I felt after being asked, "How are you doing?". I'm sorry. I didn't plan it this way, and I'm just glad to be able to function as well as I am, 'cause school is kicking me across the floor right now.
I've decided that pregnancy is the most personal thing a woman can go through. There are few normals, and even they vary widely from woman to woman. Plus...I don't like to complain if there's nothing really to complain about(those of you who know me are laughing right now...ok...I don't complain as much as I could). I could go into the stressful emotional roller coaster I'm on...most days I want to cry for no reason...lately I've been picking fights with my husband, just to get some of this tension out of me (I'm sorry to you, sweetie, for that). I could talk about bathroom ordeals, but NOBODY wants to hear about that. I could mention a hundred small things, but to what point? Basically, I feel fine and really hope it stays that way.
Right now, all I can really think about is getting through this week and next. Oh, and where my next meal is coming from...boy, am I hungry all the time. (Does that count as a pregnancy complaint?)
Sunday, November 27, 2005
A Shout-Out to my Husband
I've had a rough, irrational, emotional day. The stress of end of semester is upon me and homework plus projects keep piling up. In this mode I've been crying off and on all day, disagreeing with everything, unmotivated and a general grumpy pain in the butt. And my husband still loves me.
This is only a short list of the ways in which he shows me that this is true:
He made us breakfast. Yummy fried mashed potato cakes with cheese and green onion. Heavenly.
He sanded the new dining room table.
He's working (right at this moment) on getting our finances straightened out on the Mac version of Quicken so that I can log in and check our balances, pay bills and just be involved in where our money is going.
He shares his plate with me when we go out to eat.
He never yells or loses patience with me when I get grumpy like this. Instead he gives me extra kisses and makes me smile in spite of myself.
He doesn't yell at me, period.
He downloads "Desperate Housewives" every Sunday night so that we can keep current on the season.
He cooked dinner tonight, Cuban chicken and coconut rice, so that I could finish some homework. (Without my even asking...he just did it 'cause he's that kind of guy.)
He doesn't complain when I don't get the housework done.
He vacuums. On a regular basis. Underneath the furniture, too.
He always has a smile for me.
He takes care of my car. He spent a Saturday replacing the brakes. He changes my oil. He only sometimes rolls his eyeballs at the mess I leave in there. (I'm getting better!)
He's going to cook dinner for me for my birthday.
He always kisses me goodnight and has a snuggle for me as well. He never lets me get cold at night and he doesn't mind if I sometimes snore.
His hugs when he comes home from work make my day.
He went to Whole Foods in his pj's, tonight, just to get me carrot cake. Because I wanted some. Even after I've been grumpy all day.
I only have to remember how blessed I am to have such a partner in my life when I feel blue. I know this stress will pass and I'll feel fine again soon...and I know that everything in my life is just easier because my husband is just perfect for me.
Thanks hon. *smooch*
I've had a rough, irrational, emotional day. The stress of end of semester is upon me and homework plus projects keep piling up. In this mode I've been crying off and on all day, disagreeing with everything, unmotivated and a general grumpy pain in the butt. And my husband still loves me.
This is only a short list of the ways in which he shows me that this is true:
He made us breakfast. Yummy fried mashed potato cakes with cheese and green onion. Heavenly.
He sanded the new dining room table.
He's working (right at this moment) on getting our finances straightened out on the Mac version of Quicken so that I can log in and check our balances, pay bills and just be involved in where our money is going.
He shares his plate with me when we go out to eat.
He never yells or loses patience with me when I get grumpy like this. Instead he gives me extra kisses and makes me smile in spite of myself.
He doesn't yell at me, period.
He downloads "Desperate Housewives" every Sunday night so that we can keep current on the season.
He cooked dinner tonight, Cuban chicken and coconut rice, so that I could finish some homework. (Without my even asking...he just did it 'cause he's that kind of guy.)
He doesn't complain when I don't get the housework done.
He vacuums. On a regular basis. Underneath the furniture, too.
He always has a smile for me.
He takes care of my car. He spent a Saturday replacing the brakes. He changes my oil. He only sometimes rolls his eyeballs at the mess I leave in there. (I'm getting better!)
He's going to cook dinner for me for my birthday.
He always kisses me goodnight and has a snuggle for me as well. He never lets me get cold at night and he doesn't mind if I sometimes snore.
His hugs when he comes home from work make my day.
He went to Whole Foods in his pj's, tonight, just to get me carrot cake. Because I wanted some. Even after I've been grumpy all day.
I only have to remember how blessed I am to have such a partner in my life when I feel blue. I know this stress will pass and I'll feel fine again soon...and I know that everything in my life is just easier because my husband is just perfect for me.
Thanks hon. *smooch*
Friday, November 18, 2005
Where Did The Week Go?
Darling Husband was out of town on business for two days at the beginning of the week. I had all sorts of plans and goals to accomplish. Yeah right. I spent Monday night on the couch eating take out Indian food (so so yummy) and watching random recorded shows on the Myth Box. I was up until about 1am. Then about 3am I was awoken from my slumber by a gigantic wind storm rushing through the neighborhood. So very strong it rocked out the gate across the driveway and caused very loud, very scary noises to be made. About 3:15 I got up the courage to look outside and figured out what was going on. Around 3:30 I decided I couldn't "sleep through it" and had to take decisive action. This involved me running outside in my comfy robe and slippers and propping the gate open with a large and heavy rock. Problem solved. The wind still kept me up for the remainder of the night. Sigh.
Tuesday I babysat and chatted with a friend way to late. Nothing but goodwill and friendship accomplished. Oh, I did manage to get the dishes in to the dishwasher before the roommate came home. Whew. That was a lot.
The rest of the week remains a blur. I am now staring Thanksgiving in the face. I'm helping with 30 people in my mom's two bedroom home. Tomorrow I must shop...as I also have the pre-Thanksgiving happy fun time party in the City with friends on Sunday. I am so looking forward to it. It'll be nice to have a great relaxed dinner with friends before the huge production of Thanksgiving with the family happens.
I have come to the realization that Thanksgiving is the biggest production holiday my family does. It is the one holiday my mom hates to give up. She revels in cooking a large fancy meal for bunches of people. Thanksgiving was always a bigger dinner than Christmas or Easter. I too, revel in it now. The prospect of making huge quantities of food for a crowd pleases me. We've been planning this dinner since roughly, July. No joke.
After this, I have to get Christmas planned. It's happening here this year, and the construction on the street has left the house dusty. I'll be cleaning windows and curtains...and making new drapes for the living room...in preparation for Darling's family staying with us.
I have already started my gift shopping, though. When you order on-line, now is the time! OK, I know most of you out there have finished your shopping, but this is good for me. Trust me on this one.
--
...everybody eats when they come to my house!
Darling Husband was out of town on business for two days at the beginning of the week. I had all sorts of plans and goals to accomplish. Yeah right. I spent Monday night on the couch eating take out Indian food (so so yummy) and watching random recorded shows on the Myth Box. I was up until about 1am. Then about 3am I was awoken from my slumber by a gigantic wind storm rushing through the neighborhood. So very strong it rocked out the gate across the driveway and caused very loud, very scary noises to be made. About 3:15 I got up the courage to look outside and figured out what was going on. Around 3:30 I decided I couldn't "sleep through it" and had to take decisive action. This involved me running outside in my comfy robe and slippers and propping the gate open with a large and heavy rock. Problem solved. The wind still kept me up for the remainder of the night. Sigh.
Tuesday I babysat and chatted with a friend way to late. Nothing but goodwill and friendship accomplished. Oh, I did manage to get the dishes in to the dishwasher before the roommate came home. Whew. That was a lot.
The rest of the week remains a blur. I am now staring Thanksgiving in the face. I'm helping with 30 people in my mom's two bedroom home. Tomorrow I must shop...as I also have the pre-Thanksgiving happy fun time party in the City with friends on Sunday. I am so looking forward to it. It'll be nice to have a great relaxed dinner with friends before the huge production of Thanksgiving with the family happens.
I have come to the realization that Thanksgiving is the biggest production holiday my family does. It is the one holiday my mom hates to give up. She revels in cooking a large fancy meal for bunches of people. Thanksgiving was always a bigger dinner than Christmas or Easter. I too, revel in it now. The prospect of making huge quantities of food for a crowd pleases me. We've been planning this dinner since roughly, July. No joke.
After this, I have to get Christmas planned. It's happening here this year, and the construction on the street has left the house dusty. I'll be cleaning windows and curtains...and making new drapes for the living room...in preparation for Darling's family staying with us.
I have already started my gift shopping, though. When you order on-line, now is the time! OK, I know most of you out there have finished your shopping, but this is good for me. Trust me on this one.
--
...everybody eats when they come to my house!
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
A Little Salad Crazy
I went grocery shopping for the first time in, like, two weeks on Sunday. It was good. It's very nice to have a wide selection of healthy food options in the house. I did manage to go a touch crazy with one item. I bought four new bottles of salad dressing. Yes, four. This brings my salad dressing total to six in house. I could be a restaurant. Before you judge me a salad dressing loon....let me explain. We eat a lot of salad around here. I need a wide range of flavors to make sure my salad complements the overall tastes of the entire meal. Plus, I hate having to make a dressing every time I want to munch some lettuce. Oil and vinegar only go so far, you know. So...I had to replace the standards, Cilantro Lime and Newman's Own Cesar (the not creamy kind) and I added two new flavors to the line up: Lemon Chive and Goddess. Both are refreshing changes for the palette and plate. So I can salad on with the assurance of good taste. Yum.
I went grocery shopping for the first time in, like, two weeks on Sunday. It was good. It's very nice to have a wide selection of healthy food options in the house. I did manage to go a touch crazy with one item. I bought four new bottles of salad dressing. Yes, four. This brings my salad dressing total to six in house. I could be a restaurant. Before you judge me a salad dressing loon....let me explain. We eat a lot of salad around here. I need a wide range of flavors to make sure my salad complements the overall tastes of the entire meal. Plus, I hate having to make a dressing every time I want to munch some lettuce. Oil and vinegar only go so far, you know. So...I had to replace the standards, Cilantro Lime and Newman's Own Cesar (the not creamy kind) and I added two new flavors to the line up: Lemon Chive and Goddess. Both are refreshing changes for the palette and plate. So I can salad on with the assurance of good taste. Yum.
Thursday, November 3, 2005
*Shopping*
My pants are getting a little snug. Not so much when I put them on in the morning, but I notice it when I sit down or bend over or otherwise use the lower half of my body. Right now it's pretty limited to my jeans, but as cold weather approaches with the walk to school my Capri's aren't going to cut it any more.
Compounding this small problem is the fact that I really don't own a whole lot of pants. How can this be? I worked in a kitchen. I have four pairs of cheffing pants, which at one point in time I wore seven days a week between school and work. No joke. I own more chef clothes than jeans, cause that was the smart way to spend the clothing budget. Last year I splurged on honeymoon wear, but only bought light, packable pants. I think the last time I purchased a pair of regular old blue jeans was three years ago. And those were for work.
There is a reason behind this. I. hate. buying. pants. Especially jeans. It takes me weeks of hunting and shopping and malling...all things I could do without, thank you very much, to find one pair I really like. Then I stick with those until I can not wear them anymore. It has been suggested by some that I buy several pairs of said jeans when I find that right pair...but boys don't understand that girls can not own multiple pairs of the same jeans. Every pair must be slightly different. Every pair serves a slightly different purpose. If the same style came in different washes and you like them all, well, that might be alright, but how often does that happen?
So today I decided to go ahead and take the bull by the horns and go buy some pants. I have been holding out on buying new jeans, because I knew I would be getting pregnancy soon and did not want to have to go through the shopping process twice. I did some Internet looking, to get an idea of what was out there and what other women were wearing and hit the local mall. I was feeling kind of out of it and slightly head-achy...perfect for a shopping expedition. It keeps me focused, and I know if I find something I like when I'm feeling blah it's a real match and not a "feel good" purchase I'll regret later.
I began my journey at Target. Oh yeah. I didn't feel like plunking down the normal $45-$50 for jeans that have only a limited life span. Say, a year...maybe two with another kiddo, but not of constant wear. I'm saving the big spending for maternity/nursing bras. (Yeah...TMI for all my male friends, sorry.) I can usually find some cute things there and they at least have a maternity section (a problem I would encounter later with stores that don't carry any maternity in-house). Big disappointment. Everything that fit the waist dragged on the floor and for some unknown reason, 'boot cut' was huge. I'm not going to be wearing heeled boots and have a baby belly out to there. Plus, boot cut, unless done oh so subtly, leaves my hips and thighs looking enormous. Not pretty. I finally found one pair I could live with after I hem the bottoms. Yeah, the dressing room girl didn't like me very much.
Next stop...Old Navy. This used to be a haven for me and regular jeans, so I thought I'd give maternity a shot. I like the fact that they give you options like short or regular inseam (short please!) and have little tags that tell the expectant mother which trimesters the pants are good for. I was going for the whole package, 1-2-3 (also good for post birth!) as I'm just about out of my first trimester and wanting to get the most wear out of the pants. Back to not wanting to have to do this all over again. I found one pair I could live with. Actually, they are very cute and I really like them...but one pair. Out of the six I tried on. Out of the dozen I searched through. One pair. This is how picky I am and this is why I don't take anyone with me when I shop serious for clothes. At least I found a 'short' pair. No hemming required.
Now I was beginning to feel really frustrated. I had wanted to acquire at least three pairs of jeans...and I had exhausted the know shopping stops. I tried a big national store. Not one singe piece of maternity clothing. I was surprised, given the amount of children's clothes they carried.
I decided to wander the mall and see what jumped out at me. What I found was Motherhood Maternity. An entire store devoted to pregnant women. No $200 pants in sight (A Pea In The Pod really really charges $200 for a pair of maternity jeans). I was stoked. The staff was super friendly and helpful, plus the fitting rooms were outfitted with little strap-on tummy pillows to help you visualize the pants as the baby gets bigger. Cool. I just did the good old stretch them out test, worked just fine. I ended up with another pair of super comfy jeans and a bonus pair of green cargo pants. The cargo pants are rather large...I won't be wearing them for at least another month...but the jeans are going to go into immediate rotation. Much happiness. Of course, I am now on their mailing list and who knows what kind of scary baby related stuff is going to show up. I've been promised two issues of 'Parents' magazine and samples of Huggies. Great. But I really like the jeans. I might even break my rule and go get another pair. Just like the first. I'll just have to remember when I wore which where.
My pants are getting a little snug. Not so much when I put them on in the morning, but I notice it when I sit down or bend over or otherwise use the lower half of my body. Right now it's pretty limited to my jeans, but as cold weather approaches with the walk to school my Capri's aren't going to cut it any more.
Compounding this small problem is the fact that I really don't own a whole lot of pants. How can this be? I worked in a kitchen. I have four pairs of cheffing pants, which at one point in time I wore seven days a week between school and work. No joke. I own more chef clothes than jeans, cause that was the smart way to spend the clothing budget. Last year I splurged on honeymoon wear, but only bought light, packable pants. I think the last time I purchased a pair of regular old blue jeans was three years ago. And those were for work.
There is a reason behind this. I. hate. buying. pants. Especially jeans. It takes me weeks of hunting and shopping and malling...all things I could do without, thank you very much, to find one pair I really like. Then I stick with those until I can not wear them anymore. It has been suggested by some that I buy several pairs of said jeans when I find that right pair...but boys don't understand that girls can not own multiple pairs of the same jeans. Every pair must be slightly different. Every pair serves a slightly different purpose. If the same style came in different washes and you like them all, well, that might be alright, but how often does that happen?
So today I decided to go ahead and take the bull by the horns and go buy some pants. I have been holding out on buying new jeans, because I knew I would be getting pregnancy soon and did not want to have to go through the shopping process twice. I did some Internet looking, to get an idea of what was out there and what other women were wearing and hit the local mall. I was feeling kind of out of it and slightly head-achy...perfect for a shopping expedition. It keeps me focused, and I know if I find something I like when I'm feeling blah it's a real match and not a "feel good" purchase I'll regret later.
I began my journey at Target. Oh yeah. I didn't feel like plunking down the normal $45-$50 for jeans that have only a limited life span. Say, a year...maybe two with another kiddo, but not of constant wear. I'm saving the big spending for maternity/nursing bras. (Yeah...TMI for all my male friends, sorry.) I can usually find some cute things there and they at least have a maternity section (a problem I would encounter later with stores that don't carry any maternity in-house). Big disappointment. Everything that fit the waist dragged on the floor and for some unknown reason, 'boot cut' was huge. I'm not going to be wearing heeled boots and have a baby belly out to there. Plus, boot cut, unless done oh so subtly, leaves my hips and thighs looking enormous. Not pretty. I finally found one pair I could live with after I hem the bottoms. Yeah, the dressing room girl didn't like me very much.
Next stop...Old Navy. This used to be a haven for me and regular jeans, so I thought I'd give maternity a shot. I like the fact that they give you options like short or regular inseam (short please!) and have little tags that tell the expectant mother which trimesters the pants are good for. I was going for the whole package, 1-2-3 (also good for post birth!) as I'm just about out of my first trimester and wanting to get the most wear out of the pants. Back to not wanting to have to do this all over again. I found one pair I could live with. Actually, they are very cute and I really like them...but one pair. Out of the six I tried on. Out of the dozen I searched through. One pair. This is how picky I am and this is why I don't take anyone with me when I shop serious for clothes. At least I found a 'short' pair. No hemming required.
Now I was beginning to feel really frustrated. I had wanted to acquire at least three pairs of jeans...and I had exhausted the know shopping stops. I tried a big national store. Not one singe piece of maternity clothing. I was surprised, given the amount of children's clothes they carried.
I decided to wander the mall and see what jumped out at me. What I found was Motherhood Maternity. An entire store devoted to pregnant women. No $200 pants in sight (A Pea In The Pod really really charges $200 for a pair of maternity jeans). I was stoked. The staff was super friendly and helpful, plus the fitting rooms were outfitted with little strap-on tummy pillows to help you visualize the pants as the baby gets bigger. Cool. I just did the good old stretch them out test, worked just fine. I ended up with another pair of super comfy jeans and a bonus pair of green cargo pants. The cargo pants are rather large...I won't be wearing them for at least another month...but the jeans are going to go into immediate rotation. Much happiness. Of course, I am now on their mailing list and who knows what kind of scary baby related stuff is going to show up. I've been promised two issues of 'Parents' magazine and samples of Huggies. Great. But I really like the jeans. I might even break my rule and go get another pair. Just like the first. I'll just have to remember when I wore which where.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
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