Life with Paisley

Well, to be honest, it's not too bad. We were really prepared for NO sleep, constant crying, and lots of ubiquitous poop. I must say, none of this has been the case. Sure we've had our nights where Missie just wasn't ready to sleep when we were, but we generally have to wake her up to feed her and notify her of diaper changes. We really thought it would be us at her beck and call. And other than my constant need to hold her and talk to her, we've not been too terribly disrupted. (Does that sound horribly selfish?!) Her joining us has been completely enjoyable. She's like a house guest that we heard was going to be complete mess, who actually turned out to be a delight and adds something to the place. PLUS, we really like her! Haha!! Kidding aside, we're quite happy with how "NOT rough" it's been. She's just a doll and we're both so completely smitten!

We're on an eating schedule of every 4 hours, using a combo of breast milk and formula (apparently my supply was a bit inadequate and she had actually lost a lot of weight since leaving the hospital - pediatrician's orders were to pump, measure it, and supplement the rest of the required amount with formula). Oh and we play the projectile spit-up game every time we eat. That's lots of fun. I'm not sure I understand what's up with that, but she's got some velocity on that stuff! We've tried different formula, different bottles, sitting upright, etc. Nothing seems to help. But she doesn't really seem to mind, so oh well... (i think...I'm sure I'll read somewhere that I'm scarring her for life or something)

On a completely unrelated note, is Christmas really 10 days away? What happened to my last month? I have done NOTHING for Christmas except put up a tree. Other than that, I haven't even heard Christmas music! Nor have I seen Christmas Vacation or A Christmas Story. To me, these things signal Christmas, without them, I'm still on November time! Oh, and speaking of things that fly by without my noticing - aren't I supposed to be scheduling portrait sittings of our little one? What are the rules for that? Am I going to be the mother of a 1 year old and have no portraits? What about the obligatory "Christmas" portrait? Am I a bad mom for not scheduling this? Yeesh!! I washed the spit up out of her hair and thought I was doing alright, but then I thought of this portrait issue and my air of confidence and poise vanished!

Okay here are some cute pictures. I am developing a thing for these cute pictures of her on her tummy. Something about them...










And I love these. My dad and I had a tradition of always putting the angel on our Christmas tree and so when Josh and I decorated our Christmas tree (right after Thanksgiving - B.P. -- before Paisley) we kept the angel off of it so that she and her dad could put it on together. It was like 60 something degrees out so I made Josh at least wear a Christmas hat to "winterize" his shorts and t-shirt look. But isn't this sweet?










Merry Christmas!!

Introducing...

...Miss Paisley

Catherine

King!!!

She arrived in her own sweet time on November 29th at 8:43pm. After waking up to the wash of warm water flooding our bed (yep, my water broke at 2am), we arrived at our hospital at about 4:30 or so. We labored for 18 hours and then found out my pelvis was in fact too narrow for her to get through. And looking at the ring that was on her head when she was born, there was clearly no way. Apparently the one small thing on my body...why couldn't it have been my thighs?? So, delivered via c-section, she weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and stretched out at 20 inches. She has big blue eyes and is surprisingly mellow. After Paisley's harrowing 18 hours of labor, she was a little stressed and in the operating room during the C-section. She aspirated some amniotic fluid and as a result wasn't breathing. They whisked her away from me immediately and sparing the emotional and horrific details (yes, some details were horrific -- to be honest, I guess it looked bleak, but I didn't know this at the time...Josh however, heard and saw everything that they weren't telling me), she spent her first 3 days after that in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit. Suffice it to say, it was beyond devastating to me. You take a hormonal post-partum woman's baby away with minimal explanation after 18 hours of labor and a disappointing c-section and you've got an emotional trainwreck. Luckily Josh reminded me in a very emotional moment two nights later that we are lucky to have her. So many of those babies up in the NICU won't come home for weeks. Months. Some of them not at all. He made me realize that we get to take a healthy daughter home in a few days and I realized quickly that he was right. She got to room in with us on her final night there and that helped tremendously. And alas, we got to come home with our angel last night. So of course we're drooling on ourselves with sleepiness at this point, but we're really doing okay I think. It's true what they say about your heart bursting open when you become a parent. She just takes my breath away. I know Josh feels the same way. I overheard him bragging to our real estate agent (who held our hand for so many months of this pregnancy in our search for a new house - she became like family). He was so sweet, he simply said "she's so beautiful." And my heart melted.

So, basking in an interesting haze of sleep deprived stupor and an almost explosive joy, we stumble along, trying to find our way as parents. It's really an honor and such an overwhelming blessing.

And on that note, I think I'm being summonsed....Mommy's coming Miss Paisley!!

Lights, camera....

Yep, it's go time kids! At two am today my water broke (or I wet the bed...at that point, who cares?). And the fun began! I'm currently at the hospital, partaking of the heavenly epidural (prior to that I was not very comfortable to say the least -- I was at a 10 on the pain reference scale!!) And now we're slowing dilating, and it's 8:30 in the morning. We just can't believe that we go home with a baby at the end of this... so surreal.

Okay, going to put the nerd box down now and do whatever it is I'm supposed to do. I'll come back with gory details!!

Happy Day!!!

Contractions

I have nothing reflective to say, I've completely lost my sense of humor. Here are the graphic details: constant contractions and according to what I should be experiencing, I'm pretty certain there is no dilation happening. That ain't funny. This is what I've found is called "false labor" ----- it's really like the most horrible practical joke. "haha, it's false! sucker!!!!"

So the wait continues....

Dress Rehearsal!

Wow, what an afternoon! We got a real trial run of what our trip to Labor & Delivery would be like. Other than the pain, it wasn't so bad. But alas, we were sent home - sans baby. Anatomically speaking, contractions are supposed to dilate one's cervix. Long story short, my contractions are not doing this. They are just being contractions, um, for fun I guess. And what fun it was. GRRR! I'm so mad at my cervix -- no dilation whatsoever!! Although, these contractions were strong enough to rattle the earth, perhaps you felt them too. (It was nice, however, just to have it confirmed that these were in fact contractions.) So now, here we sit, back at home, and now I'm supposed to go back if they "get really bad" HUH!??? They WERE!!!! I really have no clue now WHEN to go back to the hospital.

So who knows, we could be one of those artsy fartsy hippie couples who give birth at home in the bathtub.

I am so not down with that.

Our instructions were to eat a spicy meal and have sex!! I guess the spicy food doesn't sound so bad.....

Interesting evening

Well in spite of my previous post (yesterday) saying nothing was going on, I think I should stand corrected. Last night we actually got the "stopwatch" out and began timing what I think were contractions. Like the textbooks say, early labor tends to produce contractions that are 10-15 minutes apart and last 15-30 seconds. Welp, last night produced contractions (I guess that's what they were, they didn't feel like a gripping "contraction" of a muscle per se, just excessive pain all at once) that were 13 minutes apart and lasted about 25 seconds each. We are well-studied on the facts and figures (Josh took copious notes at birthing class, just in case there was a quiz...) and we know that we aren't to go to the hospital until they're 5 minutes apart and last one minute each. So we just kept timing them. However - much to our dismay - they eventually subsided. But good heavens how they hurt; the relief was honestly quite welcomed! Anyway, I have no idea what they were all about but I'm guessing it's a good sign. It's kinda strange, I'm having on-going pains, but nothing that I could time today, I'm just sitting here in constant "ache". Imagine the gassiest you've ever been, now hold it! That's PRECISELY what this feels like. SO uncomfortable. I can't imagine this NOT being associated with something like labor, if it's not, what on earth is it? Oh and for the record, it is NOT gas. Thanks for asking. Updates to come soon! ...oh mercy this is hurting...I just hollered at Josh to get the watch again...I'll keep ya posted.

Here we are...the 21st.

But where is our stork? We had an appointment yesterday (took our bags and everything) and I still show no sign that labor is imminent. (We were pretty bummed) In medical terms, no dilation. So today I'm going to start walking and walk until a baby falls out. Don't worry, I'll take a map and a compass. I should be fine....

Here's the prognosis: can't induce because I'm too closed up. Our original due date was the 28th and it got moved when we did our sonogram, so based on "mother nature" I should be due NEXT Tuesday. She is not too big at this point so I'm okay with waiting another week. Our midwife is guessing she's about 7 pounds at this point. I'm okay with that. However, she said yesterday that I have a narrow pelvis (huh??! with THESE hips?? are you kidding?) and if we get into the 9 pound range we could have trouble, but by next week she doesn't expect us to be out of the 7 pound range -so again, I'm still okay with that. So we wait some more. The good news is, I'm not at work, the baby's still fine, and she's going to get here eventually, RIGHT?

Oh, and our midwife is going out of town for Thanksgiving and won't be back till Monday evening, so I really need to hold on till then....I think......we're really getting antsy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

PS, again for my own records: cramping - a lot. Midwife says this could be occasional contractions attempting to do their thing. We'll see. It could just be one more addition to the litany of complaints.

Picture time!

A few quick updates. - Nada - there's your update. Yep, after subjecting myself to about eighteen needles and posing as a human pin cushion, I go to the doc today and I got nothin! Nothing!!! I think I'm going to enroll in Jazzercise or something because that's the only thing I can do at this point to jostle this baby loose. Oh, and our midwife is leaving town next Wednesday for Thanksgiving. SO now our next step is seeing where I'm at next Monday, if anything is going on, she'll induce me so she can be there with me. I can't imagine someone else doing the delivery. It would just seem inappropriate...we have a relationship!! That's like cheating.

So, with that update in mind, here are some random pictures (oh, well, the nursery isn't random, but these ARE going to be a bit disjointed). I need to put these on here for the "record books" ya know? Enjoy! :)

I think I'm going to try and take some video or something because this room isn't quite coming through with my skills here...or lack thereof...





That's the best shot I could get of the crib...the rest of these are just pieces here and there.













Can you believe my mom made all this? I'm telling you, she shares none of this skill with me, and really keeps her talents under wraps.





Oh and I love this picture - Mimi bought us this beautiful and, clearly, impractical flokati rug, it's plush and wonderful but white and...well, WHITE. In a baby's room. You can make your own call on that one. It looks great, and I'm sure it will be a different color (or pattern) in a year. But it has made another certain princess feel quite at home in this room. Which ultimately is probably a good thing. We don't need any territory wars here.






Now here are some random shower pics. I had three showers thrown for me. They were all completely different and each wonderful in their own way.

This was the one that my super sweet co-workers threw for me on October 13th. That's Mimi who flew in early from a trip just to be there. (Ignore my wrinkled self...I look like a bag lady, in all reality though, this is what a disheveled teacher looks like at the end of the day.) But do take note of the flowers and the cupcakes. My fabulous co-worker Todd was in charge of decor. I love him (he never looks disheveled)! He SO nailed the colors and the decor!! In fact, the whole group that worked on this shower is just adorable.





And this one is one that is so near and dear to both of us because it was the one with all of our best friends - this was October 20th. It was at our new house and all of our favorite people were in attendance. My girlfriends threw it for us and did an amazing job. It was excellent - exactly what I had always hoped for. Just good friends, food, drink, mingling, etc. And our house was officially "warmed"! And our first house guest, one of my best friends made the long trek in from the east coast. She was only able to stay one night, but she officially broke in the "star wars" themed guest room. (Serene, next time I promise, you won't have glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling!) I wasn't very good at taking pictures that night because Mimi & Poppa presented us with a video camera and I spent more time behind that lens than the lens of my regular camera (and judging by the video I shot, I should have stayed the course and gotten to know my video camera better before running wild with it!)



That's us both partaking in the gift opening. Not using a flash camera. You can see this awesome basket at our feet, our friends Jim & Sara got that for us - it was SO full of baby necessities and I'm certain we'll never need to purchase diaper rash cream (at least I think...). They totally hooked us up!!



And that's me with the Baby Papasan. My adorable friends Rhonda & Stacy got that for us. They have both been around this baby-having block and informed me that this little device is handy for "encouraging" baby's, um, digestive system when it's being stubborn. Isn't that cute? Good to know, ain't it?

And finally this is more of a family shower that Aunt Gale threw for us. First of all, let me just say that the entire family is convinced that Aunt Gale is like super-human or something. She hosts events like none other and cooks like one of them fancy tv cooks er something and makes it all look and sound easy. Seriously, she is just a hostess extraordinaire. To briefly summarize, I have no idea how many people were there, but she plated everyone's meal and served a full luncheon including Pumpkin Soup, finger sandwiches, Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut salads, and petit fours. It was delightful. And to be really honest - we got a TON of nice stuff at this shower. Our friends impressed us, but this party had more "grown ups" at it. And these folks went all out! (Oh and I got through this party without any ridiculous shower-ritual type games as well! I went 3 for 3 ---- unscathed!!)So here's me under the picture, Mimi to my right and way over on the left is Aunt Bev - another amazing hostess, but her parties involve her pool, sunscreen, and frosty beverages...a hostess extraordinaire in her own right!!






Okay, I think that's it for now - fun stuff, huh? I'll try and get some more fun shots on here soon. What else am I going to do? Gestate, I guess. Oh, and Jazzercise.

Single digits......

Do you see that?! NINE DAYS?! When did that happen? I don't have a whole lot to say to people these days. I've become rather impatient in general. Not much of a talker. Somewhat rare, but it's like there's just too much on my mind to focus on normal things. But here are some updates that I definitly need to mention.

Last night was kind of a milestone. I washed her clothes for her 0-3 month sizes!! Weird. It was pretty funny though, we both went out to the washer together and loaded her clothes into the washer very ceremonially. Then, something I never do, I poured the detergent (brand new "Baby" detergent!) in and then actually "stirred" it with my hand...like I wanted every garment to be equally clean or something. HUH?? It was pretty funny. Then we sat attentively listening for it to be done so we could promptly move everything into the dryer. Like it was gonna mold or something.... kooky! But nonetheless, her wardrobe for the first 3 months is freshly washed, dried (promptly), folded/hung, and organized with care. It's very comforting.

Does it make me a bad mom if every time I think about all this fuss I've made over this little princess, I think, what if she never gets here? What if this is all a hoax - like we don't get to keep her or something. Or, better yet, what if I've gone completely mental and I've made this whole thing up? Wouldn't that be a hoot? But in all honestly, it's getting so close and we're so "ready" - bags packed, house perpetually cleaned, clothes washed, and we wait, and wait... I feel like the cast of Waiting for Guffman....what if it's all been a big misunderstanding? What if she's just imaginary?

Oh and here's one more thing making it all the more surreal - I am done with work. I left on Friday. I have some paperwork I filled out incorrectly and forgot to sign that is a requirement of my school district's bureaucrats. Then it has to get "approved" ---- but I have a doctor's note saying I should not be working anymore. What school district would ignore that though, wouldn't that be like asking for trouble? So I'm officially off on Monday and barring any ridiculous decisions on their part, I should be off from then on, until January!! Yippee!

Now, *cue the wacky new age music* I'm doing something a bit unconventional tomorrow. My chiropractor (who I am certain walks on water and has the capacity to heal anything!) suggested this to me... I'm getting acupuncture on Monday that is said to induce labor. My chiropractor's husband does the acupuncture side of their practice and she says he typically sees about a 65% success rate of a natural labor onset within 48 hours. Now, she has also indicated that I need to be "favorable" with other areas of my progression for it to really work. BUT as of last Monday, I was not showing any sign of being "favorable" whatsoever. Missie was still completely tucked away and had not begun a descent of any nature. However, I've been trying to walk more, still popping the primrose oil pills, still chugging the herbal tea, and so on, but I personally don't feel (instinctively) any signs of progress. Occasionally I feel achey in my hips and legs, which really is just a sign that ligaments are stretching and that sort of thing, but really doesn't point too much to Miss Baby per se. However, we're still going ahead with the acupuncture and hoping the magic beans will produce magical results! :)

From the department of nesting and cravings: I just sent Josh to the grocery store for some baked goods. I have a serious urge to cook "holiday treats". I think I'm going to make a pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, and maybe cream cheese mints. OH and I found an old "giant" pixie stick in the cabinet and I just ate that. Does that sound like the behavior of a normal, stable, adult woman? I think not, but I am seriously ravenous for sugar. I'm gonna go ahead and blame the baby for that - I think she wants me to have sugar from a physical standpoint because it's just the kick start she needs to make the journey here. And from an emotional standpoint, she is ready for Thanksgiving and wants to join in the preparations. Should either of these be the case, well, I'm happy to help! Who's hungry???

By the way, my pixie stick has given her hiccups. Hee hee!!! Baby hiccups are just cute.

Oh shoot, one more thing, Josh is walking a million times better, although he still walks with a pretty significant little hobble, he's definitely walking and we're both SO grateful for that!

And finally, I have a CAR SEAT loaded in my car..............

Super Brief

Yes, I know, I SO need to update. So much has happened. But, alas, no baby yet. I'm quite ready for her though. All of our showers are wrapped up, and our exchanges and returns complete...and I'm excited to say, we have our nest ready for our little arrival! Can't wait! Just yesterday we had a doc appointment and we discussed herbal remedies to "encourage" the process. So we immediately ran to the health food store to buy "Red Raspberry Leaf Tea" (sipping it as I type this!) and "Evening Primrose Oil". I am all over that!!

I just can't get over that ticker at the top of our blog. When did we pass the half-way mark?? Did I miss something? I feel like time has handed me one of those soap opera kids who one minute is like newborn and a year later is a teenager with a major storyline. I just can't believe it.

Oh, and here are a few random weird things:
We own a stroller. And it's assembled in our mud room. Just sitting there.
Second, we have a baby swing. In our bedroom. What the hell?! I do a double take every time I see it!!
Next, I have a bag packed. With gargantuan pads that claim to do God-knows-what and a cute Betsy Johnson robe to fend off the "dowdy frumptitude" that pregnant hall walkers tend to sport.
And finally, who would have ever thought we would have spent Halloween at Babies R Us wrapping up our final purchases? Surely not us.

And from the Complaints Desk:
Really surprisingly, not too many right now. I have a very heavy sensation in my low low abdomen, stretch marks have finally made their appearance, my hands are more swollen than ever, and finally, I was diagnosed with a yeast infection on my FEET! (it is clearing up but not without itching in the fiercest way possible) HOWEVER, this whole pregnancy thing is just getting uncomfortable - not unbearable just uncomfortable. I'm lumbering, huffing and puffing to do anything. And the really irritating part is, this little bundle is nearly 6 pounds at this point... she is clearly capable of seeking residence in her adorable little nursery and vacating her island paradise. I say, most lovingly of course, "move it kid, rent is about to go up!"

:)

Settling In

Well we're officially at our new address. I love it! We are so fortunate to have had the help of our friends and family. My parents came over on Sunday and helped us get truly settled. They surprised us with a microwave - an awesome microwave. I had taken note, during our initial tours of this house, that there was no microwave, but it wasn't until I went to use the *nonexistent* microwave that I about had a small panic attack. You turn to heat up some leftovers and start looking for the microwave and, alas, there isn't one. It's a very discomforting experience. I guess my parents took pity on us, knowing a microwave could play a vital role in our future...they bought us a Cadillac of microwaves. And then Poppa installed it for us - it looks perfect.

Another exciting bundle of treats I've acquired since the move -- every single kind of Swiffer product available! Mimi took me to Lowe's and we nearly cleaned the place out. Everything from the aforementioned Swiffers to a dimmer switch for the baby's room. We got two awesome lamps - oh and a really cute chandelier for little missie's room as well. We got trash cans, room accesories, a broom, and SO much more. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to get it all in my car! But really, back to the Swiffers. I got the Swiffer Wet Jet, the Swiffer Sticky Carpet cleaner thingy, and just the plain old Swiffer Sweeper. We are a Swiffer household! Haha! It's pretty funny. I guess the obsession stems from the fact that my old house had lots of carpet and this one has hardly any. Lots of wood and dust bunnies. But not anymore...Bunnies Beware!! I'm armed and dangerous! Perhaps it's the hormones and the nesting instinct but I cannot sit down when I get home from school. I'm tired beyond belief, but dammit, this place is CLEAN! (By the way, that Wet Jet is AMAZING!)

Next subject - broken legs. Josh's is healing nicely, but he's the most overly compliant patient EVER. Just this evening he started attempting to walk short distances without crutches. I'm like the pushy stage mom prodding him from behind...dance, Monkey! I know he's frustrated because he hasn't been able to participate in this move-in thing and all of the "settling in" that ensues. But yeesh, this is his first major injury and the swelling that comes standard with something like this really freaks him out. He feels compelled to "get off of it" the second it swells. Again, maybe it's the hormones, but I am SO over this leg break at this point. However, tonight I'm rather impressed. I'm able to sit here and leisurely type this blog most likely because of the meltdown I had last night. I couldn't stop sobbing about how tired I was and how I felt like I was never going to be done with all that I wanted to do. SO tonight, he cooked tacos for dinner and has hobbled around doing random chores and even cleaned up the kitchen after dinner. I was able to cross off about three things on my to-do list tonight when got home. So refreshing. I don't think he wants anymore meltdowns. Good to know I have those in my arsenal when necessary.

Oh and I got a new car! (Change is good, right -- while we're changing addresses, adding a baby, and healing from broken legs, why not add a new car, right?) It's a Honda CRV. It's SUPER awesome - silver exterior, XM radio, black leather interior (strategically chosen for its "wipe-up-ability"), sun roof, etc!! It's my first SUV - Josh already had one, but this is in place of where I've traditionally had an Accord. Such a life change. Not just the fact that it's an SUV, but because of what it represents. I keep looking in the back seat just picturing what will be riding back there. A car seat?! Me?! Now there's an accessory I never pictured in my vehicle.

Now here's some fun medical info for the record books:

My feet have been swelling in a cartoon-like capacity. No matter what socks I wear, at the end of the day, I have a massive pooling right above them. It's ridiculous. The swelling is so bad that I'm down to about four pairs of shoes I can wear. One is tennis shoes, which I can't exactly wear and look professional, so I live for jeans days! The other shoes are a really stretched out pair of somewhat cute black loafer type shoes. They're Steve Maddens, but they're also like 6 years old. Not overly cute, but I kept them on stand-by all these years for when I needed something with a lower heel and a comfy fit. But these are SO not my everyday style. It's really bugging me to feel like such a shoe frump everyday. And the other two are like one strap sandal type things, like Dr. Scholl's but a little cuter. As we approach November, we clearly have a problem. When these are out of the question, I'm going to be left with little choice. Oh, and did I point out I have nothing in brown? So when I wear an outfit of the "brown/tan" persuasion, what are my options?? I tried to squeeze into my brown boots the other day and it wore me out simply trying to pull the zipper up the side and it never budged. I had to give up, totally winded and defeated. I ended up wearing the sandals. Yes, I know enough rant about the shoe issue, but it's clearly plaguing me every morning before I leave the house. OH and more "feet fun", I have some kind of rash or athletes foot going on. Many pregnancy books/magazines say that you can get itchy soles with pregnancy due to hormones -- how random is that??! Well, I can't figure it out, but it's enough to make me want to saw my feet off. I wake up itching and I've given myself like blood blister/bruise type things as a result. It's just ugly. Swollen, bruised, rashy, no fresh pedicure.... hot. Really really hot. And you put that together with the fact that I'm still wearing sandals... 'nuff said.

Little Missie is of course getting HUGE - all the books and stuff say she's well over 4 pounds. That's perfectly big enough to get born, right? If it weren't for the logistics of "where is she going to sleep" (Mimi's crib bedding is coming along and looking absolutely dreamy!!) I'd say, I'm ready. Bring it on. But, AGGHH!! Every time I say that, I come to a screeching stop and realize I have no idea what I'm talking about. I have no idea what I've gotten myself in to!! Neither one of us do!!

Well on a final note, and speaking of preparing for the baby, tomorrow is my first shower. My co-workers are throwing it right after school. It's so bizarre. I know it sounds so stupid and obvious to say, but it's my first shower. That's just strange to me - showers aren't something you get very often. You know, like a birthday. You get those every year. Christmas, an annual treat. But a BABY shower. Not something you do very often in life. So it's such a milestone. It's like, she's really coming. We're even getting presents because of it. Hmm. Just...wow! (Oh, and good thing we spent all that time this summer registering - it's nice to finally see that this did, in fact, have a purpose!!)

Alright, that's all for now. I'm going to rub some salve on my itchy, repulsive feet and pick out my not-brown outfit for tomorrow. I will be unloading a lot of fun pictures soon - new house, new car, baby shower, etc. FUN TIMES!!

We're not the only ones moving!

So of course tomorrow is moving day and we have a handful of health updates. First, Josh went to the doc today and can now take his massive wrap thing (it was not a cast) off occasionally and even begin to rotate his ankle. Isn't that crazy? Doesn't it seem like I just posted the pictures of that ankle-wreckage? (Hell, I guess my sense of time isn't exactly telling as it seems like only yesterday I was posting my first entry about harboring a tiny little newt!) He goes back in two weeks and, hopefully, at that time can begin putting weight on it and, I guess, essentially walking on it. Yeaaah! I can go back to being a princess for the final weeks of the pregnancy! Alas, the way nature intended! ;)

Now, another little medical issue. I'm not sure what's going on with me or with Miss Baby, but I had to call the "emergencies only" line today. I hate doing that, but this pain I was experiencing was, well, painful. And not normal. The baby was still moving and rolling around like she normally would, and I was not having any other alarming symptoms of any sort. My midwife told me to get off my feet quickly and to flood myself with fluids. She said what I was describing could be mild contractions, but didn't seem too alarmed. Honestly though, neither was I - I like to err to the side of "not panicking". But I complied as best I could and taught my last two classes sitting down. I came home and took a three hour nap (oh that was SO indulgent and awesome!!) and then got up and began the upheaval normally referred to as "packing". Yeesh. I will never get this done. Luckily the house I live in stays in my family and I don't have to have everything out immediately. I'm not sure that's a good thing, that's "giving me an inch" and I have a feeling in the current state of things, I will take several miles. I have now decided I need to sit down and rest. The mystery pain still persists, but it's not unbearable and it's not like a contraction that has a "on/off" rhythm to it, it's just a constant ache. I'm actually wondering if the baby has dropped. That would be a bit on the early side, but nothing alarming. I am noticing that I'm breathing a bit easier and she doesn't seem to be up as high as she normally is...YIKES. Do I realize what this means?? I can't think about it just yet.

Let's just tackle one major life altering experience at a time..... *sigh*

New address tomorrow!!!

Home Sweet Home

Short post -- we're closing on our new house tomorrow afternoon! Yipppeee!! We did our final walk through tonight and it's just perfect. It's very much "home" and it is precisely what I picture bringing our little bundle home to. And, it's the house I finally get to start "nesting" in! Tonight I've been setting up all the utilities and it's just all so surreal. See, we have been looking to move, ironically, since the day we found out about our impending arrival and now to actually be moving puts such a capstone on this whole baby-having thing. Like we have one shoe that has dropped and now we sit and wait for the proverbial other shoe to...well, drop. (So to speak.) Mmm. So exciting. :)

Oh, and yes, Josh's leg is still broken - we've recruited a motley crew of movers who are hopefully willing to work for the sheer extravagance of beer and pizza. I'm sure they'll love two bossy, incapacitated, disorganized jerks (us) sitting on their tails barking orders. Who wouldn't, right?

I'd say it's a face of an angel...

The 3D sonogram was fantastic. She is just precious. I think we were both taken aback by how sweet she seems. I'm not sure what we thought we'd see, but she just seemed so angelic, very peaceful. Her dad says he was taken most with how "picture perfect" she seems. She was very bundled up in her own hands and feet thus making it hard to get a clear face shot. Oh, but one thing was really neat -- every time Josh or I said "move your little hands for us" or anything of this sort -- she DID! That's nice, in utero she appears to be rather obedient! Okay, so that's probably a bit presumptuous, but it was cute. Only having 8 weeks to go now, and having seen her this wait could be tough. :)














So surreal to see a person you've never met before, who has yet to join the world and yet you know her and feel such an overwhelming passion for her and her well-being. Really amazing.

*Insert some cliche title here...*

"Oh my stars, when it's rains it pours!" That seems like a suitable one. Seriously...it's pouring. Hard. So let this be your warning, this post will be a buffet of complaints, many of which lots of folks would give anything to have -- but I am not in a selfless mood right now. Brace yourself.

Well, first off, we have the leg situation. Josh had surgery last Friday and this just made a bad situation worse because after the surgery he required the kid gloves even more. Lots of ice, fresh water in his cup next to him, pillows to prop up the leg, pain meds, etc. And his being in this situation has not exactly brought out his sweet side. Being cooped up all day in one position has been been pretty stressful in and of itself (frankly, I don't see what the problem is, that's what I did all summer and I loved it!). Hopefully Mr. Crankypants will be at least on a walking cast in about 2 1/2 more weeks and this will eliminate his fussiness.

Now let's add another layer to this mess - I've been quite sick. As I've stated repeatedly, this is SO not my thing. I'm not a sickly person and I am typically too stubborn to do anything about a pesky sore throat or stuffy nose or whatever, but this has now officially been going on for going on 10 DAYS! And it's been pretty darn bad, too. Complete nasal congestion, a barking cough, a clogged ear, etc. Bad enough that I called my midwife and got antibiotics, which did nothing. NOTHING!! I guess it's just a virus and I should ride it out. Frankly, I'm over the ride already!!

Now, let's add yet another dash of mayhem - we're moving next FRIDAY! Which implies two things, 1. We need to physically MOVE (not our forte these days) and 2. all of the paperwork associated with finalizing the loan, insurance, title, etc. is enough to make me jump off a medium sized building. Random things like, getting a copy of my pension which I get a copy of annually (and apparently had not saved) this was NOT a small, quick phone call. After routing my way through the Pentagon, NASA, and various third world countries I finally found the guy in charge of faxing me my teachers' pension documentation. Well, after talking with Pension Man he indicated he would handle submitting the request!! "WHAT?! Submitting? Can't you just fax it to me??" Nope. Had to wait. Eventually it came.....BUT, alas, I digress. Let's just summarize: sending stuff off to loan underwriters never gets easy, no matter how many times you've done it. It's ALWAYS more stuff than you realized you would need. And every phone call takes twice as long as you had anticipated.

Oh, and in the meantime, I'm supposed to teach children everyday. Luckily I have good kids and I've yet to strike a violent rage with any of them. All has been going well at this point. But when all of this other stuff is going on, this is not exactly an audience who, well, CARES, frankly. "Kids, let me tell you about my how the inspection for our new house came back." "Kids, let's talk about mortgage insurance and the things Teacher is going through to avoid it." I'm pretty certain I would be greeted with blank stares and perhaps even a hint of a the stock "chirping cricket" in the background. So, I go to work and there's no real "water cooler" type opportunity for me to gripe it all out. Ultimately all of these stressors just rumble around inside my head and have minimal outlet. I'm sure that's super healthy.....

And finally, did I mention we're about to have a baby in like 8 weeks? Yah. That's kind of a big deal from what I've heard. So....we got that goin on... too.

*and...exhale...good*

Okay, Onto a bunch of exciting notes:

Our crib came in -- it's spectacular. I absolutely LOVE it! I did a colorful rendering this weekend (my mothers overzealous nature got to me, I guess!!) and we established exactly what fabric would go where. It was just too cool, and a little bizarre honestly.

Also, we "test drove" our two stroller/travel systems and carrying the two car seat infant carrier things was also a bit bizarre. I don't know how to do that...carry a baby? drive with a baby? I'm just hoping the "babies are so resilient" stuff is really true.

Our 3D sonogram is tomorrow!!! More excitement and reality colliding -- it's like actually getting to SEE HER! I don't think we are really prepared for the smack of reality we're going to experience when we see her. I'm rendered speechless even thinking about it. There will be pictures on here ASAP!

Okay, that's enough for now, I have my laptop sitting on my lap and my sausagey-rollie-polie feet are not elevated. They clearly need to be as I have not ONE PAIR OF SHOES that fit comfortably. So, I'll be elevating them now, while continuing to ignore the laundry that could most likely walk by itself at this point, and taking a moment to disappear in a nap.

Light a candle for us. Just try not to "burn it at both ends" Har har har!!

WOW! How's that for starting and ending with deliciously bad cliches?

Miss Baby makes her debut tomorrow!! Stay tuned!

Your dad, the super-cool skateboarder

Well Josh has definitely put an interesting spin on the last two months of our pregnancy. Yesterday in an attempt to hang with the cool kids he visited a new local skate park. As the story goes, all was well until... Well 'cool guy' completely dislocated and subsequently broke his ankle -- in two places. He'll go to the orthopedic tomorrow and get an official cast (his first in all 33 years! Sidebar: we do offer nice bone dna to our offspring - both of us are broken-bone free for all of our collective 66 years!) For now he's well-splinted and wrapped and sporting a shiny new set of crutches.

So the story goes like this, Josh had a class at 8 and then when it was over thought he'd take in a quick spot of skateboarding (unbeknownst to me). And here's where it all went awry. A quick recap of the call that came in to me:
Him: [in a very chipper, cheerful voice] Hey, I'm up at the skate park.
Me: Okay, cool, you want some lunch?
Him: No, I broke my ankle
Me: What?!
Him: Yeah, I broke it.

(noise of the other kids at the skatepark, staring and laughing in awe at the trainwreck at the end of Josh's leg which, now having seen it, makes sense as it defied all laws of general anatomy!!)

Me: Do you need me to come get you?
Him: No, the ambulance is on the way
Me: WHAT?!
Him: Yeah, it's bad. I don't want to be moved.
ETC...

Wow. That's a call I didn't expect.

Immediately all the ramifications of this incident started to hit me. Mainly, who's going to put pillows under my feet at night? Well, no, I'm kidding. Sorta. Actually we're supposed to move in like three weeks. That should be interesting. And he's supposed to take a practical exam for his EMT course in St. Louis in a few weeks. Should also be interesting. And I've become quite accustomed to how much he spoils me - the dog gets taken care of, I get lunch made for me daily, I get things brought to me, I get my car loaded up every day...the list goes on. Seriously. I get a lot of spoiling! And now, well, I guess this is the universe's way of training me to get off my can and do something for someone else. For instance, our first night at this new regime, Sir Pees-a-lot got up 4 TIMES!! So, each time, I help him up, get him in the appropriate location, (go visit the other facilities myself - of course), come back just in time to see him attempting to walk with these crutches which are not exactly operating as an extension of himself just yet. (More like some kind of multi-legged extra-terrestrial being where everyone and everything within a 4 foot radius should take cover) Then I get him back in bed with gently placed and ample pillow elevation under the peg-leg. I cover the rest of him and place fresh ice from the freezer on the injury, offer a pain pill and water (and I think I make one more trip the restroom myself, just to be sure) and finally I can crawl into bed. However, it takes me a good 30 minutes to fall back asleep - so each one of these trips was about an hour. And this was night one. What are the odds it's dramatically different tonight? I'd guess fairly slim. Hence, the theory that this is a little baby bootcamp sans the baby.

(Well, sans the *newborn* baby...ahem...)

Okay, use caution...here are the photos. They're graphic!!!
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Keep scrolling if you're feeling tough...oh, and by the way, i finally figured out how to make my pictures not so small. Great timing, eh??
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Skateboarding is cool.

Ode de toilette

Good grief. I don't think I could make it through the entire pregnancy without some sort of commentary about what this little princess has done to my plumbing. So here we are - the plumbing blog. First off, I'll make this one nice and simple: Jenny McCarthy wrote a book called Belly Laughs which chronicles the journey of pregnancy in an extraordinarily candid light, touching on subjects that many consider too offensive for casual conversation. She has one chapter entitled "Passing Stonehenge"...... let's just say, I get it. Totally. I so totally get it. Luckily, I have a new prenatal vitamin that seems to be a little more, ahem, helpful in that area. So, enough on that.

Alright, onto another plumbing function that isn't exactly performing up to expectation: Today I was at the mall and while walking at what felt like a snail's pace, the hike to the restroom seemed never-ending. I mean, I thought we were going to have an accident - it was bad. So I'm racing to the restroom - not the public riff-raff one, but the one in Nordstrom (always reliable!) which forces me to walk a little further than necessary for relief (thus, tempting nature - like passing a rest stop thinking you can make it a few more miles before stopping; you know you have to go, but you think you can cram in "just a few more miles"?) So, alas, I make it to Nordie's and, accidents averted, I prepare to be greeted by sweet relief when... Hmm. How shall I put this? I was expecting Niagara Falls and I experienced more of a kinked backyard hose. Nothing short of disappointing. How could "this" have been the culprit of this much emergency? I mean, I could have proceeded with the aforementioned "accident" and no one would have been the wiser. I'm sure there is some medical explanation for this, one I don't really care about...I'm sure we blame the baby for it, as that's what we do these days. But I felt ripped off, like I needed my money back! Nonetheless, I was able to drive home in comfort with my mind and overzealous bladder at ease. However, this feeling of consternation (and no, I didn't say "constipation") every time I visit the powder room can really have an effect on one's sense of satisfaction, ya know? And I think I'll just leave it at that.

:)

House update: We have a contract! We close September 28th!!!

Mimi and Poppa ordered our crib! Yipppeeee!!!This picture is the crib, but we ordered it in chocolate brown (cherry wood)





Mimi (Betsy Ross) is taking her advertising-agency-quality story board of fabrics and colors to the next level...her fabric samples are fabulous! I can't WAIT to see our Pink and Cocoa Explosion of bedding and accessories!



(this picture is just the fabric she ordered...not her handiwork. We will not be having any of those stuffy looking silk bow tie looking things. We've essentially decided our theme is "Whimsy Chic". We're like "Queer Eye" but way gayer.)

We're signed up for birthing class - October 14! The idea of our cynical, inappropriate selves trying to sit through this class with a bunch of "good students" just makes me laugh. I hope we don't get kicked out for too much giggling and not enough panting and ....whatever the hell else they make you do in there.

And finally, we also have some shower dates nailed down (more on this later as I have amazing friends



who will not do any of the cliche, ridiculous baby shower rituals we've all been witness to over the years and for this I will be eternally grateful!!)-- October is going to be a madhouse!

Alright, that's all for now. I have to visit the toilet. Wish me luck!

Miss Photogenic

I took this at the urgent request of my mother and my eccentric aunt who, when together, can get giddy beyond control, to say the least (picture two little old ladies...But not old. That's them.). I get a text message this afternoon that said "we want to see a picture of your belly right now" ...okay. So I take my immaculately groomed self to the mirror and the photo session began. So, thanks to these two, I'm able to share my "end of 26 weeks" photo marker.



Stunning. I know.

Let's see, while I'm at it. Updates? Not much. We made an offer on the house today. If all goes as planned, we should close in a month! My carpal tunnel is getting markedly worse on a daily basis. I struggled to hold a pen today. This could get pretty troublesome. Oh, this is kinda funny. Tomorrow we're going to have dinner at some friends' house who are due in a matter of weeks. Normally, I would take a bottle of wine and help our host/hostess consume it (read: hog it for myself). However, under the circumstances, I was stumped for an appropriate hostess gift. Never in my life did I picture this happening...I actually picked up a pack of Pampers. How can they not like this gift, right? Unlike a bottle of wine, I will not be stumbling away with half the pack of diapers.

Oh, and in lieu of anything else interesting to read, I'll post some pictures for posterity. Someday when Miss Baby reads through this she'll have some pictures of her dad. Here's Josh and my current baby, Sophie:



Okay, that's all for now. All is well on our front and I guess no news is good news!

:)

WHOA MAMA!!

Mercy. Things are gettin' ugly around here. Our last baby appointment revealed that I had had quite a productive month. I've produced a 15 pound weight gain in one month. Someone call Guinness -- the record book, not the beer company -- that's a LOT! I honestly don't feel like it, and very truthfully, I didn't think I looked like it either. I mean, YES, I look big. Bigger, for sure. No question, but THAT big?! Dang. And I haven't even been eating the "usual suspects" where weight gain is concerned. I mean, seriously, no chips, no pop, no Little-Debbie-brand-anything, not even an abundance of fried food! I even eat lots of good stuff, too. I eat carrots, yogurt, raisins, skim milk, and even an occasional protein bar for a boost! Now, I will say, I've been visiting McDonald's more than the traditional bi-annual throw-down. BUT 15 POUNDS?? HOLY MAC-MAMA!! Luckily, baby is right on track and is not turning into a stuffed piglet like her mother. Because if my growth was any indication of hers...we'd be exploring voodoo, herb ingesting, early labor tactics or something.

Next item of business, we found a HOUSE!! Yippee! We're going to look at it again tomorrow with my parental units. You'd think I was 18 trying to find my first apartment. I have drug these nice people an hour away from their neighborhood on more than one occasion just to look at a potential house, only to watch us let it get taken away by another buyer. Not this time, cousin! We're buying this one! It was built in the 20's, has a huge gorgeous yard with a killer side yard with great landscaping. It has plenty of bedrooms, great hardwoods, and a really peaceful pretty neighborhood surrounding it. It's SO perfect for us and Miss Baby and our three fur babies. We're all pre-approved so I'm hoping to ask for a fast closing and getting this party started! Nesting TIME!!

Fun little baby bit. Here's a first, I felt Missie roll - er, something. It was the strangest sensation, I felt her in one spot and then, as though she were on a little conveyor belt, she suddenly and smoothly transitioned to another spot. My little fishy felt like a little mermaid! So bizarre! She better enjoy it, as the countdown rolls on, her cozy little abode is going to get cozier and cozier. Roll while the rollin's good, kiddo! :)

Not so fun little employment bit. It's game time for school again. I started meetings and greetings on Wednesday and as of my "work day" tomorrow, I'm done with the pre-game festivities and kids are rumored to be starting on Wednesday. Eek. It's really pretty easy when it's just me, alone in my room, putting up adorable bulletin boards, mumbling explicatives to myself, etc.. But then it hits me, I'm going to have hoards of kids in there in a matter of hours and they'll all be looking to me (like cattle) to teach them something. Then I realize, I should probably think about what that "something" should be. Hmm. Is it bad to show a video the first week of school?

Okay, I think that about does it. Lots of changes afoot. Baby progress is rolling along and apparently, in considering my weight gain, so am I!

P.S. Chiropractor rocks. Rib still pops in and out. But we're managing. But I NOW have carpal tunnel syndrome. My hands and arms fall asleep at random at the rate of like 4-5 times in an hour, it's been happening for about a week. It's annoying and uncomfortable, but not excessively painful. From what I read I have a pretty severe case affecting both arms in their entirety. Apparently this condition is common in pregnancy and is due to excess of fluids in one's system. Carpal tunnel is supposed to go away upon delivery and while maintaining stride with my being extremely predictable and "text book" in about every step of this pregnancy, often makes its debut at the start of the third trimester. Ta-dah - trimester three starts next week....And, yes I am, fashionably speaking, above wearing those goofy librarian/professional bowler wrist braces (that's hot) to curtail my symptoms. I'll take numb arms...not numb fashion sense. Call me shallow - but that look just ain't me even with a great manicure.

Is my daughter a lush?!

No, I'm kidding. She's not a lush -- I think she just had her first bout of hiccups today! We're at the point now where we can see her movement crystal clear when my tummy pops up. It's been rather entertaining. I'm also happy that Josh can finally feel her movements, now he can surrender to the fact that this baby is not an elaborate hoax. ;) Now, he can not only feel them, but he can see them as well. Some of these movements are strong enough to be seen through my shirt when I'm lying down. Well, today I kept feeling really strong movements, so I took a peek to see what was happening and I was seeing my belly contract and pop up in the same spot like every 5 seconds or so. It happened like 7 times in a row and I could only assume that this was hiccups. They say this can happen, but I forgot to be watching for it, so it took me a while to catch on to what this probably was. I guess it's good, all the books say that hiccups are a sign that she's learning to use all of her reflexes. Which is ironic because when I get the hiccups it's not a sign that I've mastered anything other than incessant giggling or too many pints of ale!

Cheers!

PS - Two side notes, I got my first stranger comment --- we were handing our tickets to be torn at an outdoor theatre performance and the guy goes, "what about one for the baby". I literally had to think for a second who out of the two of us was the baby... Yeah. That might take me a second to get used to.

And a second note, all of my eBay treasures are starting to roll in. That has been SUPER fun!! I'll try and find some of the links to some of the little darlings.

I got this little Ralph Lauren dress in hot pink and in light pink. She'll be ready for Aunt Bev's first pool party for sure!

Ralph Lauren terry dress & hat set -- needing yet another pool party!

Tralala jumpsuit - isn't this sweet?

Baby Nay Pink/Chocolate Kimono set - I love this, it matches her nursery decor. Like baby camouflage...I hope we can find her.

Baby Nay sleeper sac -- this picture doesn't show the traditional sleeper sack, it kind of flares out, but I couldn't find another picture. (It's NOT pink!!)

Baby Nay "Harvest Toile Kimono Set" -- I got this in the 6 months size and it is SO teeeeeny. We just kept looking at it going "WOW, that's small!"

Okay, yeah, there's more...but that's a bit much for now (from a posting stand-point, not from a shopping stand-point, of course!)

I'm no Heidi Klum...

These were taken today at 24 weeks and 4 days. I'm not sporting the adorable round ball that so many pregnant women do - I have like a droopy beer belly needless to say, SANS the beer. Oreos, perhaps.



  

  

  


And while I'm displaying my fancy foto footwork I thought I'd post these from 18 weeks when we were at Epcot in Florida. One is in "Moroco" and the other is in "Jolly Old England" and I think I shrank them down so small that you can see nothing...effective, ain't it...look how petite I am. Hee hee.












Alright, I don't think I shrank this one down too much. Again, it's Florida, Gatorland -- Josh's favorite! And this is me by the pink flamingos. They have better legs than I do.




Oh and here's Josh being eaten by a shark

My aching back

I'll just start this by saying that when I recently told my midwife that my lower back was really starting to hurt, BADLY, her response was, "oh nooo, already??"

Yeah. Already.

So anyway, apparently I'm having severe back pain a bit early in the game. I had battled low back pain before but only when I was on my feet for an extended period of time, not the daily dose that I've recently gotten to experience.

Well after some investigation I found that my insurance is marvelous and I'm allowed 26 annual visits with NO co-pay! I received a referral from my OB office and the next day made my first visit. Ahhh! Sweet relief.

FOR ABOUT AN HOUR!!!

I went back two days later and sure enough my low back problems appeared to have subsided and after having pretty regular visits I dare say we are on the mend! Now, here's the fun part: after my low back issue subsided I began to get really painful mid-back issues. My chiropractor (she's wonderful!) proceeded to focus on this area, having me rest on ice for 20 minutes after each treatment, etc. Then this seemed to subside. For about 10 minutes, all was right with the world (or the world of my spinal column at least). Then, the excruciating happened - I had a rib pop out of place. HOOOOOLY DISCOMFORT!! Yikes. You can't breath without wincing. And then I noticed that once one area gets messed up many others flare up as well(e.g. the low-back of yester-year and the mid-back that I thought I had seen the last of, etc.) so this particular evening I was wincing with pain, which nothing seemed to relieve. She warned me of this and, really, it makes plenty of sense - if you are irritating a bunch of muscles everyday, they're bound to rebel. I know I would and, frankly, I do!

GRRR. I went in the next day and she put the rib back in place - instant relief. But she warned me that that kind of irritation to the muscles around it will probably make it sore.... YES. She was right. It did. So the rib back in place was really not any better than the rib OUT of place. This brings me to today, I'm currently having some pain where the rib was out but not near as bad as it was in the days immediately after the rib "replacement". I'm going back tomorrow and I'm hoping to either be NOT in pain, or to have this pesky rib put back in if it's, in fact, popped back out.

(On a completely RANDOM and borderline inappropriate note, why is it that all of this talk of ribs makes me only think about eating bar-b-que?)

Ultimately, I'm sure that my chiropractor will get all of this fixed up, I'm not too worried about it (for now). She indicated that over time I'll adjust more and more easily and the problems with my back, with regular visits can be eradicated fairly quickly. We'll see. And to be really honest, it's free. How many other "in preparation for baby" rituals can we say that about? I say, crack away, doc!

(Oh and on a side note Miss Baby loves going to the chiropractor. She has never missed an opportunity to make her presence known when mom's "on the rack"!)

Debate of the day

We've been discussing our jumping on the bandwagon by banking our baby's cord blood. This would be harvesting her stem cells for emergency medical purposes. After some extensive reading and research I'm actually thinking it sounds like a lot of money for something that we'll never use and will actually go bad after a relatively short amount of time. However, the option of "donating" the cord blood affords us similar liberties with our own donation, can also save other lives, but costs nothing. This is starting to look like a more sensible option. I clearly have more reading to do but I'm starting to think a lot of these for-profit cord blood companies are preying on parents' fears of "what if?" and "you only have one chance", etc. I was buying it for a while...but I'm not so sure anymore...

More on this subject to come.

By the way, I have a ballerina in my belly! Kick, leap, turn, plie! Unfortunately, Josh is starting to think this whole pregnancy is a rouse - every time I say, "quick, come here, she's kicking" he drops everything and runs in...to no avail. He's starting to wonder if I've fabricated this whole story. The ultrasounds, the weight gain, all an elaborate hoax. "Well, no honey, but damn if that doesn't sound like a great idea, a 9 month pregnancy hoax... I wish I would have thought of that. Brilliant." (rolls eyes)

;)

Glamour Shots (and kicks)

Okay this is almost like one of those glamorous Demi Moore cover-of-a-magazine shots, but not quite... Frankly this picture is a little frumpier than what I would typically post on the internet, however, I needed to do something for posterity and what not. And this is not the former neurotically weight-aware person saying this but I actually think this may make my belly look a little bit bigger than it truly is, but it's a close representation. This is a shot at 21 weeks and 3 days. And it's clearly taken with the finest in photographic technology...

I'll try and put my "good mom" medals on and get some real shots taken here soon (and no, they won't rival the recent Brittney Spears nekkid ones).

By the way, a milestone I must mark this evening - she kicked me. Hard! It startled me so much that I screamed. I screamed so much that the dog barked. It's a mad house around here! While it was a neat event and clearly a turning point in the pregnancy, I'm sure the baby activity, mixed with my screaming, and the dog barking is just a TINY little replica of the chaos that surely awaits! Weeeeee! Party party party!

My refusal to participate

I'm not wearing any leopard print baby carrier cover thing. My little girl will not be dressing like a hooker in spite of her mother's best intentions.

Joshua

Stuff that's neat.

Well here we are over half-way through week 21. They aren't kidding with that whole nesting thing. I guess in lieu of a new home to move in to, I've been a crazy window-shopping fiend. The stuff out there is just over-the-top. A Louis Vuitton (knock-off, of course) crystal binky? Necessary? Probably not. But it's the thought that counts and one which I whole-heartedly applaud. SO, the following bit of blather is just my way of remembering sites I think have something cute to offer.

But first, before we shop, a quick baby update (after all, she is the "reason for the season") - lots of movement. I'm actually starting to feel her from the outside. I can't help but laugh out loud every time I feel this. It's so funny! It's like her daily role call - just checking in! Very comforting. Oh, and I even think I'm beginning to discern one "end" from the other. On my right side I have a very distinct contour of something and on my left side it's like softer, there's nothing really solid behind it. However, I think up by my ribs on the left side I do have something else, perhaps the other end? I know she's still supposed to be taking advantage of all the room she still has, so I'm sure she hasn't committed to her permanent hang-out spot necessarily, but I think she's definitely scoping out the scene!

Oh, and I'm struggling with the logistics, but I'll be attempting my first self portrait posting soon. My belly button, I think, is in it's final hours as I once knew it -- we're about two clicks away from an outtie. Not even kidding.

Okay, first up adorable baby announcements...wait, do people still do this? Or have we been reduced to simply e-mailing the info to our mass mailing list. Be on guard...you could be getting one of these in the mail. Act surprised.

Some of the cutest baby/kids' clothes I've seen online. Mercy. Sickeningly cute.

Good heavens! This brand, Tralala, gave me a physiological tic just due to the sheer sweetness overload. However, it's entirely possible, I'm experiencing the information super highway equivalent of being "de-programmed". "...must coo at baby outfits, must coo at baby outfits..." (the main site a child's closet has links to other over-the-top kids' clothes sites)

Who knew cleaning up a poopy baby could be so chic!

I'm sure Josh will be using the baby carrier more than I will so this seems a little unfair to saddle him with this "fabulous-ness" but dang it if these aren't fashionable!

Now, I am in full support of a woman's need to address lactation/feeding issues in public places. HOWEVER, that said, it's always a little uncomfortable to see a woman in full view using no discretion or strategically placed blankie to hide the buffet. So, knowing I'd never want to be "that guy" these seem awfully cute, functional, and dare I say...hip! Oh, and please disregard the unfortunate product name that in one instance takes away all the "chic points"!

These are general ideas of the bedding I am drawn to - click here and here. I believe my mother, Betsy Ross, will be stitching the unique designs that will ultimately be our baby bedding. She is a. outrageously crafty b. a terribly fabulous "Mimi" already and c. (luckily)as obsessed as I am about our bedding! OH and d. determined to have a chandelier in the nursery.

And while we're on the subject - this is the crib we're hopefully going with. It's round - I love that!!

Love this! - cute AND functional. As you can see our carseat is kinda "boy-ish" it's navy and light blue BUT it was one of like TWO jog-type strollers (not that I'm a jogger of course, in fact the thought makes me snicker, but they're a bit more rugged for any terrain from parks, to streets, to hikes, etc.) SO whatever we can do to cute up this rig, I'll take it!

Oh goodness, this is too much cuteness and germ-free-ness. I want to ride in this!!

Great stationary!

Okay, I'll keep adding to this post as I find little goodies. I need to keep my e-thoughts organized :)

Baby Overloads 'R' Us

Okay, housekeeping issues first: I officially require a pillow pyramid to sleep comfortably at night and even then I can't say the process is exactly dreamy. Secondly, lots of baby movement. But man, is she fickle - one minute she's moving a ton and loving it, the next minute, she's refusing to do anything. It's like I already need cheerios or something to sweeten the deal. "Dance, monkey, dance!"

Now on to our top story --- The Baby Registry! Well, we did it. We spent about 5 hours yesterday polishing up our baby registry. Luckily, I have good friends who have all taken this leap prior to me so I enlisted their help and best consumer reports. This made for more advised decision-making while in the throws of RandomBabiethingsRUs. However, that said, this was by far the most overwhelming experience of the entire baby having process. I had no idea that we would spend an hour in one aisle of the store examining latex nipples. Who knew?? A year ago if someone said "latex nipple" to me, I would have had horrible, inappropriate images. Now, they're the bane of my existence.

Another spot we spent a significant amount of time was the one housing the little mini baby bathtubs. None of these looked comfortable! Would I want to be bathed in one of those? What about the one with massaging jets? Necessary? What kind of stress could this child possibly need to have "melted away" by the "soothing jet action"? We actually ended up going with a tub that has a separate sprayer nozzle thing. You see, my only experience with bathing a living entity involves something of the canine persuasion. Typically an old Big Gulp glass has proven sufficient for circulating the water over their mangy locks. I'm assuming this is grounds for dismissal from the Mother of the Year club, so we went with the sprayer nozzle thus sparing the child from the ritualistic baptism with the recycled soapy water.

And finally, we (after leaving to fuel up on a much needed and very late lunch and ultimately regaining consciousness) got to the "gear" section. This section afforded us the opportunity to browse the many ways to transport your cargo. We had high chairs (ick), car seats, strollers, "travel systems", play yards (the contraption formerly known as "Play Pins"), swings, entertainment centers (huh?), exercisers, bouncers AND jumpers! Like the nipples weren't enough! Now I'm bombarded with a section that should be entitled "places to sit your kid". Because that's precisely what this area entailed. Yeesh. Oh, and apparently an exerciser is key to good parenting. I had no idea. I had really planned on going with the baby elliptical trainer, but apparently this little saucer contraption is paramount in burning that troublesome baby fat.

Ultimately, we finished our registry and made all of these life-altering decisions with no disagreements or emotional meltdowns. I thanked Josh for enduring this retail torture because I really would have crumbled without him. He was not only a nice, calm voice of reason, but he was also immeasurable comic relief. Had it not been for him, I would have been one of the many whaling cries echoing throughout the aisles of the store. (That place is crawling with children - now I realize the name is "babies r us" but after I give birth I can't imagine going there at will!) It was a taxing day and for now, we can rest easily (pillows and all!) knowing we have all of these critical decisions made for our little bundle. Hopefully she can fully appreciate the textured, water resistant changing pad we chose for her...... it's really nice.

:)
Week 20. Happy 4th of July!
http://www.babiesrus.com
We're registry #98922357

Massive update - with nothing massive happening.

It's our half way mark!!! I'm hoping to be induced at week 38 (and for other reasons* mentioned below) I think now at week 19 we are officially half-way there!!

**Tada dum, tada dum, tada dum**

That's the sound of me drumming my fingers in boredom. It's true what they say about the second trimester -- nothing much happens! One exciting bit - we saw another sonogram. This little girl is growing rapidly and appears to be super healthy. She's got a great heartbeat; we saw all four chambers of the heart. That was cute, it's nice to know that's working as it should be. We also got a great shot of her face. I didn't really notice it at the time (we got a still photo/printout of it) but the more I've studied it, the more surreal it seems --- that's her face! She has eye sockets and nasal bones and I can even see her whole jaw. It's like a little skull. And as creepy as that sounds, I can see her face shape. It's like it gives her a "look" like an appearance that I can already discern. She has high cheek bones that we can already see. It's very cool, particularly since those are mine! I have high cheek bones too. And so that's been exciting. In a very abstract way, we're kind of able to put a "name with a face."

Second order of business, we took a vacation. It was wonderful - so relaxing. Everything went so smoothly. It was on this trip that I was finally able to recognize baby movement. We had lots of down time, Josh did a ton of reading and I did a ton of crossword and Sodoku puzzles. This relaxed lounge time, I guess, was just what I needed to fully evaluate the ubiquitous bubbles I'd been feeling for weeks (I really thought I had some serious "tummy grumbles" that never came to, uh, fruition...) But I've been watching for her to make some clear movement for me lately and while it's faint, I can feel something going on in there. She's supposedly pretty big right now (actually bigger than she should be, so they informally *moved my due date up a week). She's 14 cm long and weighs 10 ounces. This was more consistent with a 19th week of pregnancy (which is where I am now, but then I was only at 18). It's amazing to think that there is something this big living in me and I rarely feel it. It seems like the plot of some bizarre extra terrestrial film.

Another minimal piece of info that I should make note of at this point as well: we had a "triple screening" done last week. It's an optional series of blood tests that test for many birth defects, primarily Downs Syndrome, Spina Bifida, etc. Ugly side of pregnancy, but I'm sure we'll get a clean bill. I'm not too worried. Everything about this pregnancy seems so healthy - I've been fine, the baby is fine, her pictures reflect nothing but good health. So I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. The catch to these tests are that they have a high rate of false positives - like 1 out of 10 comes back positive, even though the reality of these defects happening is statistically much lower. So it really sends a lot of worried parents to specialists for no reason. So I'm braced for this to happen, but I'm confident that everything will be fine.

And finally -- wow, and I thought I had nothing to write -- the subject of names just keeps coming up over and over again. I know I have been exactly like this when I've had girlfriends expecting - it's an obvious question for people to ask. But when you're not sure of names yet and you make the mistake early on of mentioning it, you hear it come back to you through the grapevine. It's just funny, by the time it gets back to you, you could be, like SO over that name. So we've just decided to keep mum on the subject. We've also learned that the reactions aren't always so favorable when you rattle off a list of names - you get input. The unsolicited feedback forever taints that name and you feel prematurely bad for your ill-named child. So, we have a few ideas we keep playing around with, but I think we'll wait till we actually see her to make this indelible mark on her!

Okay, I think that's it. Oh and for my own recording purposes - I've gained 14 pounds and according to many sources that's right where I should be at this point in the pregnancy. Now, if I could just maintain this pace I think I'll be okay! For anyone who knows me, I'm 100% neurotic about my weight so this is the most "under control" it's ever been - so ironic!!

*GROWL* Whoa, I hear ya, baby! Time to go feed the tiny bubbles some lunch!

josh the silent partner

This is Joshua. A Girl, I can't believe it. I hope she loves Motorcycles, Skateboards, and a father who wears a gorilla suit. This Girl will be very spoiled.
Keeping it real.
Joshua
P.S. Niki is a real trooper. She hasn't had any of the pregnancy side effects that most women have. very good for me. I'm very lucky that she is a superhero. She should get a medal.

It's a GIRL!!!

Tiny Bubbles

I think I felt it! I just had what felt like a little mouse scratching at a wall bubble up in my tummy! Now, I've had this plenty of times and I've been passing this off as gas, but this time I laughed out loud, it was like this was somehow different. And was not accompanied by any gurgling tummy or anything indicative of gas. And so I called Josh to tell him and then I said "it's either a little fart or our child!" And I'm sure you can see the obvious joke - many parents would say they eventually become one in the same. No, I would never insinuate such a thing... But anyway, we were very tickled by the experience, Josh was very amped.

Now, on a second note - we have an appointment on Thursday, just your average monthly appointment. HOWEVER, as we are now into Week 16 many reports say that we may be able to detect the sex of the baby at this time. But at our last appointment our midwife did not think we should rely on this appointment for the official sonogram. You see, insurance will pay for one, and it is technically supposed to be what's called an anatomy check - they are looking for the correct count of arms, legs, eyes, etc. You know, key parts. Now, if we go on record at this Thursday's appointment as having had our anatomy check sonogram, insurance will not pay for another one should we not get sufficient views of the "important parts". Hmph! So, I called the office today to see if they were at all booked on Thursday (this office is traditionally pretty cool about sneaking patients into a sonogram room if they're not busy and just not billing anyone)...and they are NOT booked, they're wide open that day!! Yippee! SO we might just be able to find out the sex of this little bug on Thursday! Oh, and an update on the gender vibes? Just as Josh was leaving this evening (going to a class) he looked at my high-waisted, drawstring pants all snuggly fit around my belly and said "Oh yea, it's definitely a girl." WHAT?! I thought we were both on a boy kick right now? Yeesh. This wait is excruciating! How do those with normal impulse behavior wait out the 40 weeks? Hopefully we only have to wait 4 days!!

I'll try to keep an eye on my tiny bubbles, too. I'm pretty sure our little mouse just made it's first communications to the world! :) Hellooo!

"...this line is for serious emergencies only..."

Okay, so when you're 3 and 1/2 months pregnant what constitutes an emergency? A mysterious pain? I should think so! Again, let me preface this by tooting my horn once more -- I'm really not a WUSS. In fact when it comes to being concerned about my health, my theory is, drink more water. That'll usually clear up just about anything. Headache? Drink more water! Cold/Sniffles? Drink more water! You get the idea. I'm just not a big advocate of seeking medical attention. The body is awfully resilient. Now, that said... I just made my first phone call to the "emergencies only" line at my doctors office.

I've been having a sharp pain today (currently it's a dull ache) right in the ol' baby basket. Right under my belly button, top of my pubic bone. That's like the front door to Babyville - an area I've clearly been keeping an eye on these days! So, after a few raised eyebrows (e.g. "ooh...what the hell was that?!"), a mention of the concern to the baby-daddy (who shared my concern), and a few more (higher now) raised eyebrows coupled with painful winces, I chose to use the emergency line. Well, first I looked up everything I could on line that I might use to self-diagnose/self-medicate (perhaps I'd stumble on an advocate for Cosmopolitans as a homeopathic remedy?!?) The internet generally said, when googling "stabbing" "pain" "sharp" "pregnancy", that these were not good things. I had had ligament pain in the first trimester where the ligaments that keep everything in place start stretching and it did not feel like this and it was more general acheyness. This was sharp, shooting, and like tooth-ache white hot pain - but for 1/2 a second. So it was like a "drive-by" as far as pain goes. And all of the info on the internet said "round ligament pain" was typically to the sides.

So this prompted me to use the emergency line. I had to leave a message on an answering service and I think I apologized 20 times just in case I was over-reacting and this was not a "real" emergency. Well, all this anticipation and the midwife on call called me back and confirmed that I was experiencing text-book, uber-classic, "round ligament pain". I guess my first trimester's tip-toe through round ligament pain was just an appetizer. Yum. So apparently today is the day our little guest has decided to roll out the ol' barcalounger and make him/herself at home. I hope s/he's comfy. I know I'm not - but thanks to my handy little emergency line, I can at least have some peace of mind (and from now on --- NO APOLOGIES, if it's urgent in my mind, I'm calling the damn emergency only line! I'm going to get my co-pay's worth on this ride!)

Party Pics!

Okay, so we got this like forever ago, but we just got it scanned. (Trust us, Baby, your mom and dad are NOT slackers, we do plenty of things on time -- just not your baby journal...)

This is our 8 week sonogram. The big ball at the top of the white globby pattern (yes, our child) is not the head - it's the yolk sac. The sonographer laughed at us when we asked that. Just below that is the head, which blends right in with the thickest part, which is the heart, and it was beating rapidly: 154 bpm. And then it tapers off to a tail (they assured us this was very normal and we were not, in fact, having a newt!)

Hee hee! Say cheese, Baby! It's your debut to the world!! 8)
Hey, and come to think of it, that's my uterus's debut as well. Wow. Humbling thought.

Flavor of the week

When this whole pregnancy started, up until about yesterday, I was absolutely certain that this baby would be a girl. However, just yesterday I got a strong WAVE of "boy" vibe. And it's still there today. I'm not sure what this is about. But we're firing off boy names like crazy and they seem so right. The girl names I thought I would have an abundance of are not coming to me as readily as the boys' names. Hmm. Josh started getting boy vibes, too. Although I can't really picture me with a boy, the notion is starting to grow on me. You know....I say all this, but deep down I feel an odd, deeply-rooted sense for this baby being a girl. We will find out June 22nd. It seems so close, yet so far away (for lack of a better cliche).

On another note - I had an absolutely exhausting weekend. I am paying for it today for sure. We played so hard - visited mom an hour away (got a wonderful pedicure), went to an all-day, all-out pool party and then went to an all-day, all-out visit to Worlds of Fun (for anyone not local - it's a theme park whose name says it all...it's a "world" of fun......*insert pained eye roll here*). I think toward the end of the day yesterday my body was beginning to shut down. I was emotionally and mentally still doing great, but physically I was falling apart. My knees were so freakishly swollen they looked like fat lady knees - like the thigh never stopped and wedged in there somewhere is a chubby, forgotten knee cap dying to see the light of day. My hips hurt! This was new. I had not experienced this pre-pregnancy and did not even think about this as a physical ailment I would be contending with, although it seems to be a painfully obvious one (pun intended!). Well, my hips hurt, as did my feet. They felt like they'd been clubbed from the bottom. I did my best to avoid complaining, too. Luckily, Josh bought me some pop rocks and some laffy taffy and this got me through the final stretch.

I am in my fourth month and I can't help but wonder what my final months are going to be like - I'm typically not too much of a pansy, but I physically wanted to fall apart last night. Now, today, I'm paying for it. I guess Baby knows its limits and my exhaustion today is just one of the many "lessons" this little bugger will illustrate for me!

Dream Weaver

I've read about this happening to other pregnant women, but I have had some RIDICULOUS dreams lately! The other night I had a dream that I had taken the baby out of my stomach -- like where one's appendix would be (you'd think I'd have a better grasp as to how babies got "out"...). This was only after having a "dream" sonogram that revealed a boy and then panned over to reveal a girl right next to it. (Awesome - dream ambiguity. That's helpful!) As soon as I saw it on the monitor I ripped (uh-huh...I know...crazy) my stomach open and pulled the baby out to say hello to it and tell it how excited we were to meet it, etc. Then I realized I had to put the baby back in and now I had this gaping hole in my side. Damn. I hate it when I do that. I looked at the sonographer and said in a stupidly naive voice, "I should probably go to the emergency room, shouldn't I? I probably need to have some of this amniotic fluid put back, huh?" And the sonographer, of course, concurred... and the funny thing was, no one was particularly alarmed that I had done this - apparenlty we would just shove it back in. I guess it happens all the time.

Sigh.

Okay, so last night I had yet another similar dream. This time I was asking to be induced. I was in my 15th week and I was ready! I was explaining to everyone that we were going to induce because everything was "formed" and the baby was moving, so why not? Everyone was startled and I was becoming more and more frustrated that no one was excited for us. I mean, GEEZ PEOPLE! I was ready to have this baby - I mean, it had been three months already.

Yeah. Seriously. Every single night -- and I never wake up panicked. I wake up shaking my head because it's become so common place.

Flutter update: Still no fluttering yet. I've been feeling/listening intently, but nothing yet.

Nesting: *rolls eyes* Well, we're in this super fun housing limbo situation right now. We have to sell one house before buying the one I'm wanting -- but the seller doesn't want to take our offer since ours isn't sold yet. SO we have to at least get it on the market (no small task as we were in the midst of a pretty hairy renovation) before we can make an offer -- and then she'll let us "rent" it from her till our other one sells. Which means we'll be hella strapped until we do sell his. Anyway, it's just a hurry up and wait game. And it's hard to start doing what I'm instinctively programmed to do - NEST! Every time I look at baby furniture I have to look away because I can't get a settled feeling just yet. I'm sure that by July we'll be able to make a move, but for now...we're finishing a renovation on one house and amassing a bunch of boxes at the other house and simply driving by and looking longingly at another house. Home sweet homeless.

On a really exciting note for me personally ------ IT'S SUMMER!!! School's OUT!! Yipppeee!!

Happy summer, have a cocktail for me! (it's Memorial Day weekend, typically I spend this time on a raft, in a bikini with round the clock cocktails...I'm struggling this year.....)

Another milestone!

So, today was my first day of truly acquiescing and wearing a straight up maternity blouse. It was not one of the flowy type things - it was a very structured button up blouse with french cuffs and....tah dah...an empire waist neatly stitched under the chest. Wow. It's just bizarre I felt so comfortable. All of my fitted button up blouses were starting to pull at the belly - all I have needed was a beer/sweat stain around my gut and would totally be that slobby guy with a beer and a gaping shirt. So, I felt very at home in this shirt, but at the same time I felt like I didn't have the license just yet. It's so odd to explain -- it's like there's a secret club of REALLY pregnant women who get to wear the blatantly "maternity" type clothes and I don't quite qualify. However, today I just decided --- dammit! I DO QUALIFY! So there.

Also, our little peach is growing like crazy (according to the books). Last week we heard the heartbeat again -- and this time it was with one of those standard handheld monitors. Prior to this it was through this vaginal microphone thing. Frankly, it looked like a sex toy more than anything --- and trust me, it wasn't, uh, pleasurable. So getting the first sonogram - I have to explain this to illustrate the marvel of this latest sonogram - was very ambiguous. Sure, we heard a heartbeat up on a monitor and it was neat and all... But for all we knew the sonographer could have been playing a VCR tape with a little thump on it. In other words, there was no stomach area-baby heartbeat connection. We never saw anything happen in my tummy region to associate with baby. Okay -- so anyway, the other day we heard the heart beat and it was with the little dealie actually touching my belly. It was so cool. It was cool because after it was all over I could put my fingers exactly where the monitor had been and know that this is precisely where this baby was swimming around! Now I feel a little more connected to my stomach area now - it's like I can actually point the spot where this baby is! Josh and I both lit up when she showed us that and we agreed it was so much cooler than the "magic wand and tv monitor" version we had originally seen.

Okay, so yeah, a lot of chatter to capture the essence of our heartbeat experience, but it was really really neat. I can't wait to feel the "quickening" or the little swimming around/butterfly feeling I'm supposed to feel in the next week or so. Again, it will make everything seem so much more real. And I'll be dressed like one of the "club" members too, so that's good......

Next week, NESTING!! I'm DYING to start nesting!!!

SHOPPING!!!

It feels like Christmas!!! Yippeee!! My massive loss of control has resulted in a large batch of ebay deliveries! In spite of the ick factor of wearing a stranger's clothing and all of their random fabric softener smells (double ick) I am SO loving my new purchases!! I am sitting here wearing the MOST comfortable pair of cute jeans EVER! I may wear these forever. Why aren't most jeans this soft and cut generously (and yet "snug-ly") in all the right places. Apparently though, my boobs are not even fitting in XL type shirts... what size am I then?? Mercy. Enough of the breast tissue already!!

Okay, I know short post, but I have new shopping to dissect!!!

Hot Momma!

Week 12! I am toting around a baby right now who is about the size of a large lime. Why does this immediately make me think about fresh margaritas? Cause I'm a lush, that's why.

Anyway, here's the litany of complaints for the day. Today was one of those days where you just want to whine. SO much. I can't dress my damn self!!! I wore maternity pants for the 2nd time today, and they're just too big. So, here's the issue this created ALLLL DAYY: My pants were long in the crotch and dangling lowly on my hips, thus exposing my rotund belly out from under my barely staying buttoned shirt. Fun. ALLLL dayyy! It was one of those days where I didn't even want to get up to do my job because I knew my pants wouldn't stay up and I risked my gut poking out. OH, and so half way through the day I took the safety pin out of the middle of my blouse (the boob level pin that I discreetly affix every day) and used it to pin up my pants. So, of course I'm now contending with the shirt pull at two button levels - the boobs and the gut. Stunning. Did I mention I'm pail as a ghost too? Yeah, I'm hot. Happy summer. OH, and here's another fun little side effect of my prenatal vitamins. Haven't I heard everyone sing their praises over the years? I thought these little wonders were supposed to rock? For me, not so much. What it has done has made my hair grow like prairie grass. It's thick and heavy and has no shape whatsoever. Thus I've been forced to wear headbands like everyday. Pretty. Acrylic headbands. All the rage. Really. And back when I was thinner, more tan [tanner?], and had a generally pleasant look on my face, I put some darker "low lights" in my blonde hair... and now, well let's just say the look is ALLL gone now. I am now a fat, sloppily dressed, dishwatery flat hair havin', pale faced HOTTIE.

Now, all that said -- YES, it's all worth it. But if I could just hit my stride with my own vanity I'd sure as hell be enjoying this as it was meant to be enjoyed....

WORKING ON GLOWING,
~niki
P.S. ...I only have 9 more days of dressing up for work - then I'll be out on summer break and my daily "cutification" will not be necessary...