Check it out!!!!!
Now all you mofo’s can get off my back about it. 
I am pleased that it is a adequately awful photo for the first one too. It only seems right.
Man, what a year, and it’s not even over yet! Whoever said it’s over when you hit 30 must be in their 20’s or earlier …because really things get so much better. I think that 31 is the the year of Laura. 
You know, bathroom photos are like glamor shots — I always look good. So, I thought I would take a picture …. outside of the bathroom. Here is what I look like normally.
There, is that narcissistic enough for you? Ha ha.
24 week update — aka six months!!!
I am up far too late. I blame on the chai that I had with Hilary while we sat and walked on State Street — taking in some of the downtown life. Man, Hilary looked AWESOME! Like those pregnant models you see in Target that you secretly think “Yeah right, that’s totally a prosthetic.”
The day I had was sort of lame. I had a headache at noon that went away after some tylenol but came back around 5 after I took a nap. I have been waking up at night with my hips in pain. I got up last night and did some hip exercises which seemed to help….but now it’s both sides of the hips hurting. It goes away after I am up and about. I heard it described as pressure points. I think I am going to try some exercises that was recommended to Hilary by a doctor this past week. After discussing it with her, it would appear it the same pain we are experiencing (at least in the hips).
I am also having a thirsty week. I can’t get enough to drink. Well, actually, I can get enough to drink…it’s just that my mouth feels dry like it wants to drink more. That in turn, makes me have to go pee more — and seriously, Bacon Bit does not like to have it’s space invaded…and getting punched/kicked/poked from in the inside to the bladder…feels incredibly strange and uncomfortable.
I flossed last night and nearly bleed to death doing so. Everywhere that floss touched, blood started to gush out. I had to floss three or four teeth and then rinse to empty my mouth of all the blood. It was incredibly disgusting and disturbing. Here I thought I was better because my gums stopped being sore after brushing them. I guess I was wrong. I hate flossing…but I am committed to trying to remember to do it at least once a week.
My nose is still trying to suffocate me. I have to get up sometimes and cleanse it out with some water…I use the neti pot about twice a week — but it’s a pain to do because that area is so clogged it takes FOREVER for the water to go through…and honestly I didn’t notice that much of a difference.
I think I had some round ligament pain today. It went away after coming home and laying down for awhile. I expect I’ll just get more as the time progresses…still not to shabby for where I am at.
Overall, I think everything is going really good. I am not uncomfortable all the time. I am starting to sort of believe that this might be real, and in doing so am thinking about starting a registry….we are still going to go with the amazon idea — but I am going to need to compile a list of things that other Mom’s/Dad’s think one must have for a new baby.
So there it is. What do we really need to make sure we are ready (as one can be) for a baby? Suggestions appreciated.
Tim is off to his Monday night gaming session after scaring the hell out of me by coming home one minute after I did. I was in the bathroom and heard the door open and though “Shit! Who is coming in the house?!?!?” It was Tim. He took a long nap because he hasn’t been feeling well.
For dinner I made a chicken and rice dish/soup type thing that would Samsa approved (gluten free — no wait, it used 3 tbsp of flour as a thickening agent…so if you replaced that with whatever gluten free thickening agent you want….then it would still be good). It was quite good and if you want the recipe give me a shout out. I ate a whole bowl of it and even thought about seconds but then I got full. I have a piece of banana creme pie thawing on the counter for me though.
This weekend was good. My friend Mike (whom I met on the Midnight Sun mud) came to visit. On Friday, after an afternoon of shopping at Maxwell Street days with Kathleen and getting wonderful deals — we met up with Mike and and headed over to Oliver’s to sit on his front porch and drink beer. Oliver had even gotten me root beer! Then we tried out this taco delivery place called Burrito Drive and I watched in horror as Oliver ordered AND ate a:
White Trash Burrito: spam, tater tots, boston baked beans, veveeta cheese and el camino salsa (read ketchup).
After that, we headed back for another beer, and then went out to watch the fireworks display over Monona Terrace. They were having a 10 year anniversary celebration. The fireworks were amazing! They really spent a lot of money on a bunch of fireworks that many of us hadn’t seen before…they totally spent more money on that display — for a building, than they did in Elver Park for the United States. Isn’t that typical?
I drove us home and chatted a bit more before hitting the sack. I was tired! All that walking around and visiting can tire a person out. On Saturday I made a breakfast of sausage and french toast, with decaf coffee. Tim later headed out to do Coffee with the Hounds at Ground Zero and I visited with Mike until he eventually packed up his stuff and headed out. He had important airplane spotting to go and do. Yeah, airplane spotting….like looking up at the sky and taking pictures of airplanes…. I said it was like car spotting — but Tim said it was more like bird watching. Uh…okay.
The rest of Saturday I was sort of restless and bored…you know that mix. I eventually managed to make myself watch Madea’s Family Reunion (good, except I wouldn’t let any kid of mine 15 or younger watch it), made tacos and corn for dinner, and planted a little garden in the front yard with the help of Tim. It’s so adorable! I can see it now….in a few years we will qualify for Better Homes and Garden spreads….ha ha yeah right. This gardening thing is harder than it looks.
Sunday was spent at home sleeping and reading. I finished reading the Dogs of Babel — and was a little sad by it. Then I made crab stuffed fish and herbed green beans for dinner and watched the 4400. I *heart* Shawn. He’s so cute.
Anyway. I think I am going to watch a short Bollywood flick called Earth and crochet. Since it’s subtitles I am limited on my crafting options. I have the day off tomorrow and I plan on doing some serious office organizing, bill paying and card writing (which I could do tonight…hm.). A week from now I might have my license. I called today to make sure that the appointment is on..and it is! Gah. Please please please let me pass.
This week is Reverence and Tim is planning on going all four nights. I only plan on going Friday night to the High Noon Saloon event –though I would like to see Chuck play on Thursday for Stochastic Theory ...but it’s at the Inferno and that has lots of smoking..but he is playing early and it IS a Thursday so I might be able to get there before it gets too bad and then sneak out…yeah. I’ll bring it up with Tim and see what he says. But Sunday is definitely out. Oh well. I have better things to do like rest up for cherry picking and fudge eating on Sunday in Door County.
Yesterday was a bit of an adventure. I felt much like an international jetsetter — though maybe it’s more accurately like inter-county car setter. Anyway my friend Stephanie mentioned last week during a dessert run, that she was driving up to Menomonie to do a work meeting. I asked if I it would be cool if I went along — it’s was on a Thursday and I thought it would be fun to meet up with my old middle/high school friend Jessie for lunch. She asked her boss, and come Thursday morning bright and early we set off for Menomonie.
She made it in record time! I guess Tim and I are slowpokes when it comes to driving up north. Sheesh. We were an hour and a half earlier than I expected so I decided to spend it walking around the old downtown area and part of campus. I ended up buying a new pair of sunglasses at Ms. Elleanous (get it?) — since my other ones broke this past weekend. I’ll keep them for car emergencies — since it’s the nose piece that’s really effed up. I really like amber colored sunglasses…those dark black ones … they annoy me. They make everything TOO dark. I like a little tinting in my world view.
Then I went to Acoustic Cafe to sit and wait for Jessie. I hoped she would be early, but then again I had my journal so it didn’t matter. I used to hang out at the Acoustic Cafe for HOURS when I was a high school student. I mean, what else was there to do? It was rather nice to have some quiet time sitting by the window and looking out into the street I had gazed upon so many times before and reflect on how many things had changed the last time I did that.
Eventually Jessie did show up — and since I am not a fan of coffee house food in general, we headed over to one of her favorite places – China Buffet. Man, I have never seen such an array of fried Chinese food! I couldn’t believe how much of that that they had, and how many desserts! The one in Madison has way more dishes. Dang. And I was a little embarassed to gag on some food in FRONT of Jessie! Gah, it caught me totally off guard and it’s been like two weeks since that last happened. Sheesh. Bacon Bit’s can be so finicky. Oh but I have decided banana pudding is a good thing — well it was more like bananas in vanilla pudding. It’s settled. I have to make some.
After China Buffet we got some iced drinks at Caribou Coffee (a blended minty mocha thing for her, and a blending chai for me) and then walked over to the Dollar Tree to do some shopping! It’s nice to be able to go into that store with someone else who wants to be there and no just Tim — who incidentally hates it when I ask him “How much is this? Is this really only a dollar?”
Stephanie called then to say her meeting was over and she came over to pick me up (it was right next to the on ramp to the highway). So yeah, I took pictures but I have a lot more things to photograph for July before they go up. All in all it was a nice visit, though I sort of wished I had dressed up more — because Jessie looked great.
I got home and rested for a while. Bil Phil came over to borrow the lawn mower. I gave him our yellow squash that I can’t eat, and a big piece of Pecan pie. He said he had an interview with a landscaping place — I hope he gets it. It sounds like a great job. After he left I decided to finish cleaning up the guest room, and then later moved to the living room. I would say that the whole house is offically, for the first time since January I am sure, clean this month, except….I can’t because the office is totally junky and disorganized. Hey, you can’t do it all? And five out of six rooms isn’t bad.
Today I am “working” and then meeting up with Kathleen to do some Maxwell Street Days shopping. After that I have to rush home to meet my old Czech friend Mike (aka Ook), and then Tim, he and I all go and meet Oliver for some beer and later on some mexican food. Mike is spending the night, but I don’t know his plans for Saturday.
The only things I have planned this weekend are: planting a little garden area in the front, and going to a Coffee with the Hounds thing at Ground Zero and meet up with a bunch of other crazy greyhound owners and their dogs.
Oh the best compliment yesterday was when Jessie said “You look way smaller in person than in your pictures.”
Thankfully the headache broke with the coffee, medicine and lying down combo. I don’t need to spend 85$ on a headache today. However, I think I will take Carla up on some of her other suggestions of Peppermint Oil — except…what is this Co-op she is speaking of? The hippy Coop? Would Community Pharmacy have this sort of thing? Is this a food item or an essential oil sort of thing?
HeadOn — I have NEVER tried this…do they sell it at Walgreens? Does it work on the back of the head? (the really bad headaches start at the base and wrap around).
Ice Pack – I might buy a fancy, gel, pampering type thing for this….
I mean, add it all up and it’s still less than $85 dollars, right?
I had a pretty good weekend. On Saturday we went shopping for a new vacuum cleaner and a bridal shower gift for soon to be Sil-Erica . I got her a coffee grinder, whole bean Icing on the Cake coffee, batteries (to go in the next gift) and some lights that you put in hard to see places..there are four — as seen on TV. I really don’t know how to describe them. Little round … lights that you push for light. Yeah. After Target we went to Chicago Deli off of Buckeye next to PDQ for some Chicago dogs. They aren’t as good as the ones from Home Depot, but they’ll do. After that we drove over to visit BIL Phil and see the litter of kittens they are hosting for a few weeks.
Gosh darn it, why are kittens so freaking cute? I could look at them for hours. Puppies and babies…eh. Kittens?! Let me get a closer look…
Then we went home, and I started to crochet my first doilie! One row shy of finishing we geared up the bikes with the lights and ourselves and road downtown to attend the Fete de Marquette, which is a Bastille themed neighborhood block party. It was great! Free, there were vendors and food — Tim had beer and I had Thai iced tea. We ran into an old college friend of ours — No Show Adams and his wife. It was the first time we were properly introduced to her. A month ago she was pointed out to us as a wedding reception as “No Show’s Wife” but that was it — she was SUPER nice and I really liked her. We later ran into drinking buddy Oliver and sometimes drinking friend Mark and his new girlfriend but the meeting was brief. Eventually we finished our drinks and headed home because we were getting cold.
Sunday morning we slept in. I got up and wrapped the gifts, scrawled out TaterTot casserole for a recipe thing, and got the camera. Even though I brought the camera I didn’t take too many pictures … only two really. None of the bride looking normal, none of sil-Sarah and nephew…blah. I wasn’t into it. Taking pictures at someone else’s party where I know only two people isn’t that much fun. Sil-Kandace (phil’s wife) but she bailed at the last minute. So Tim dropped me off before heading over to his brother Ben’s. The shower was okay…it was more like a wedding shower than a bridal shower. Only one gift was given to the bride for her…I guess I expect more pampering of a bride at these sort of things and for folks to save the crock pots and spatulas for wedding gifts. Yeah I am a total wedding stick in the mud — I can be.
Eventually Kelly showed up (Ben’s girlfriend) and I had someone to talk too. It was much more fun then. The mother in law showed up a 1/2 an hour before it finished (typical) and I got a ride back with Kelly to her place. I LOVE her place. It’s an old, historical barn converted to a house and she graduated with a degree in Interior design before getting into real estate. Her house is so comfortable and inviting I love it. We visited for awhile before deciding to meet up with the boys at Bastille Days. We got lucky with parking and when we showed up we saw that Tim and Ben’s dad was there too! We walked around and ate, and then eventually we got tired and full and left. It was fun though — my first time there. I had a beignet (french pastery), corn on the cob, 1/2 a cream puff and a cajun pulled pork sandwich with COLESLAW on it! I was shocked. I just looked at it and the next customer — a southerner from Tennesee — told me that is how it is served down south. Well, why not? I ate it and it was okay — not something I’m gonna start copying though.
We got home later at night (I had called Phil earlier and asked him to let Pluto out and he did…it’s nice to have relatives nearby), and went to bed.
Today I was exhausted. We were so tired that instead of taking the bus (me) and riding bike (Tim) we drove. I wore glasses, and black maternity pants and teal t-shirt (non maternity) and for some reason realized (okay Tim and my co worker Janet told me) that I am looking pregnant. I guess it’s true. I think I really popped this past week. I can tell you that I certainly felt more tired today. Walking home was super slow because of Bacon Bit pains in the abdomen. My stomach will get hard and sort of uncomfortable until I stop and stretch or just breath and take it easy. I got home and took a nap. I woke up with a headache, just in time to go grocery shopping with Tim.
However, though my friends and coworker’s may think I look more pregnant, I am not yet at the point where I think a stranger can comfortably ask me when my due date is. I think it will take another few weeks for that to happen.
We went to Woodman’s and near the end I was tired. I wanted to go home and just lay down awhile…truth be told I wanted to go to bed, but 8-9 is just too early for that — especially after taking a two hour nap already! So here I am catching up on the internet and yapping at you.
I think when I am done with this though, I will go to bed. I took some tyenol about an hour ago and the pain relief has made me extra sleepy. I think I just did a lot this weekend — lots of walking, and biking = a worn out me.
I had a super good weekend! I am glad that I decided to start making my days more interesting and really take advantage of the summer. For a while there I wasn’t doing jack and was feeling depressed about it.
Just a recap of last week:
Monday-Wednesday: Homebodies
Thursday: dessert with Stephanie and Hilary, followed by drinks at Escape coffee place
Friday: Fish fry with my darling at the Eastside Club and video game playing afterward
Saturday: shopping, visiting Phil and La Fete de Marquette
Sunday: Bridal shower and Bastille days, visiting with Ben and Kelly
Okay, I have two pictures for you. The first is clothed…because you know I don’t really walk around with my shirt up and exposing the belly to the world. Plus, it’s kind of cool to see how it looks … well with clothes on. I guess you could say that Bacon Bit is really showing now.
The appointment with the NP yesterday went really well. I asked my questions about weight gain, preeclampsia, blood pressure, etc. My blood pressure was 116/72 and the time before that it was 124/74 …. so I am doing REALLY well on that. I attribute the decreased blood pressure this time to making Tim drive me there. Less stress.
I had gained 7-8 pounds since my last appointment a month ago for a total of 11-12 pounds total. I am doing FINE she said, and not to worry and that she would really like to see the weight gain continue. She also said that it really is early to see preeclampsia and she really beleives I won’t have a problem. You know when she said that, I realized I believed it too (well, especially after seeing the blood pressure numbers). Whew! Tim and I celebrated the release of anxiety by going to the Eastside Business Club’s fish fry! My god, I love vanilla pudding. How is it I have never truly tasted vanilla pudding before this day? I need to make some. STAT!
She also suggested a Neti Pot for my constantly stuffy nose. The DH and I went out last night and got one at walgreens. I tried it out last night, and so did Tim. I personally didn’t wake up with any breathing problems … so I am willing to continue trying it for a least a week or two. What could it hurt? My nose also doesn’t feel dry and cracked…. Tim didn’t really notice any difference with it.
There you have it. I feel a million times better. I also found inspiration from a commercial this morning where this woman said “Decide you are going to do something and DO it.” Yes, yes. I AM going to take this driver’s test and I will pass. Just gotta whip out the old bucket of courage and take a good long drink. It hasn’t let me down in the past!
Okay. Now I need to go and get our vegetables, target to buy some kind of gift and a new vacuum cleaner…and then to the La Fete de Marquette, and maybe meet up with Oliver to say hi. (Oliver is our after work drinking buddy and Tim’s skating buddy). Tomorrow we are headed to Milwaukee so Tim can hang out with BIL Ben and I will head off with Kelly to attend a Bridal shower for Tim’s youngest brother’s fiance. It’s a salad buffet….I am looking forward to seeing if it’s a green salad buffet or if they will have different kinds of salad. I have never been to one before so …. yeah. Thank goodness I have Kelly to talk too.
Oh and thanks for the encouragement Carla, Jen and Sarah — I appreciate it.
I am having an anxious sort of week. I know I probably just need to divorce myself from these thoughts and feelings and give me a vacation of trashy movies, crafting and .. guilt free.
What am I worried about?
-preeclampsia — I have a doctors appointment tomorrow where I will have my blood pressure taken, and I’ll probably ask for the pee on a stick test (they don’t normally do that at this office until 28 weeks or so) and just bring it up with the NP to see what she has to say. But the whole reason this got into my head is because I said my feet started to swell if I was sitting for too long in one place, and my night time vision with contacts is blurry. I posted that and some people started saying “You might have preeclampsia!” Gah. I looked up the symptoms and mine are NOT what they are really referring too (they mean really swollen feet/ankles, hands and face and vision with spotters/tunnel and massively blurry) …but then again, what do I know?
-I have gained weight. It’s really starting to come on, despite me feeling like I am still not eating that much. Total right now it’s about 10 pounds according to my scale, but you know home scales NEVER reflect what the doctor’s scale does. I have clearance to gain from 15-25 (and I even got a few doctors saying 30) but I guess I was sort of mentally thinking I could do closer to 20. Well, geez, I know I am more than 1/2 way there … and really 10 pounds isn’t that much to complain about and it’s healthy and for the baby (who should weigh about a pound right now)…but is 5-6 pounds in a month too much? Will it keep up at this point? Why do I fucking care?! I am finally pregnant and I promised myself I would never worry about it. As long as I eat reasonable, like I did before then I shouldn’t worry.
Wait I know why I am worried about it because since I got this preeclampsia idea in my head part of their warning is “if you gain too much weight too fast you might….” Well, is this too much? I don’t know! I am sure it’s not. I will ask tomorrow….I should calm down. But maybe it’s just I am overly anxious right now.
-I have a bridal shower to go to this weekend and I am worried about what my darling will do because he has to go with me. If I had my own license I would go myself…but then I thought realistically about that …would I? If I had my license RIGHT now in my grubby hand, would I feel safe about driving anywhere that wasn’t the Madison East side? The truthful answer is no. I wouldn’t. I need some time driving in the home territory before I can work up the courage to go into strange lands armed only with directions and my wits. So while I might be anxious about making Tim be someplace he doesn’t want to be (and isn’t invited to) because of me — maybe I also feel worried about this whole driving thing again. It’s coming up. Only two weeks awayish. I should probably call at some point and make sure this is confirmed with the driving company. Which I am pretty sure it is, but you know…you never know.
-Bacon Bit is the most active I have ever noticed this morning…but then the thoughts started to creep in “Is Bacon Bit TOO active?” Ridiculous I know. Plus my bladder seems to be a favorite kicking spot…I wouldn’t care (and really I don’t honestly) but it sort of hurts!
-I feel like I should be doing so much more with my days off than I am doing. I know for a fact that if I was doing things I should be doing like cleaning, catching up with correspondence, organizing the darn office…then I wouldn’t be worrying so much. Right? Right. So I should at least vacuum the living room floor and pick up around this house. Or maybe I should just pop in a movie, make some popcorn and crochet and relax for a few hours to get a freakin’ grip.
I guess this is what happens to me when I am relatively relaxed for too long? I mean, last week I wasn’t worry about any of this. This week I am. It seems to happen every few weeks. Everything builds up and then erupts into this lava flow of anxiety. Then it goes away and I get on with my life.
Today is the first bill day of the month — as in I pay bills and reconcile twice a month. Anyway, it usually takes all morning, but you know when I am done I feel all important and responsible.
It’s probably because we still have plenty of money after the first bill day, it’s the second bill day that I dread — the end of the month reconciliation where we see how bad or how good we did. The one I really hate to do is the one after vacation. Oh speaking of which I need go get on the horn about renting a car for that week. Let’s see:
That’s all I have for now. I wonder what I am missing. Hm.
Bacon Bit: 22w1d
My feet are already too big, I can’t afford for them to get permanently bigger.Okay I have to stop now and put these feet up for awhile before they get uncomfortable. I need to move to the laptop in the living room instead of the desktop in the office. Which is where I need to be when I pay bills …. anyway.
What a boring post. … maybe I’ll post later and recap the weekend.
