journey of life

It’s been a crazy week in our household, hence the lack of posts, and be forewarned that next week I will be somewhat on hiatus. However, I am doing fine. I’ve been to the doctor this week for a routine checkup, we heard the heartbeat (yeah!) and had a battery of blood tests (glucose screening, spinal bifida testing and a cystic fibrosis test) where we should have the results in seven days or so. For those of you who routinely check this blog, I just wanted you to know that everything is fine and will be posting more later…for now, I am taking a much needed break from reality to spend time with the hubby.

Over the past several weeks, we have consumed/used an inordinate amount of which of the following products:

a.  Reese’s peanut butter eggs
b.  Kleenex tissues
c.  Girl Scout cookies
d.  Glade air freshener

Everybody has told me how the second trimester rocks. I am patiently waiting for it to rock. However, this week I’ve had a better outlook and have been in a upbeat mood (well, maybe not early on in the week, but definitely later on). After two weeks of allergy medicine, I’m still going through snotty tissues, though I seriously think it’s not as many. According to my doctor (and the ever trusty, reliable Internet) my leg numbness seems to be normal and I think that a chiropractic visit early on in the week might just do the trick. My appetite isn’t completely normal, but I’m starting to enjoy food a little bit more than before. I really need to take a picture of my belly, because it has really started to stick out now. Not that anybody on the street would know I was pregnant, but those of you who know me would see the bump. I’ve joined another new moms group, where I will be in a group of other pregnant women due about the same time I am. Not only will it be wonderful to have pregnant women to talk to over the next six months, it will then be an instantaneous play group once the babies are born! I have a doctor’s appointment next week for another battery of blood tests and of course, to hear the heartbeat!

Tomorrow night is a full moon and for those of you who follow celestial calendars, there is a full moon on Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 21:18 and another full moon on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 9:15. I doubt that I will deliver on either of those dates, but then again, you never know.

For the most part I watch very little television.  I do watch college football in the fall and Formula One racing, but sporting events aside, I rarely have the television on.  However, I will admit that I am addicted to which of the following shows:

a.  Dancing With The Stars
b.  Dirt
c.  Celebrity Apprentice
d.  The Real Housewives of Orange County

The question I have been asked the most so far whenever I tell people I’m pregnant is, “Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?” After several weeks to seriously ponder this, and talking it through with my husband, the answer is no, because:

1. I would prefer people to purchase gender neutral clothing. Once you know the sex (from what my friends have told me and from my own observations), you tend to get all blue or all pink newborn clothes, and let’s face it…do you want your second child to be wearing the wrong gender onesies?
2. I want to keep it a secret. This totally contrasts my “planning” personality, but what’s another few more months to wait to find out? I like the idea of being surprised on the baby’s birthday. It’s kind of like opening up a package.
3. If I find out, I won’t be able to keep it a secret. I pretty much suck at keeping secrets.
4. I can be a little old fashioned about some things.
5. Once people know the sex, they start asking about names. I know this for a fact, because I have done it myself, thinking it was a completely harmless question, when in fact it really wasn’t any of my business. Now that I am pregnant myself, I don’t really want to share my name choices with the whole world.
6. I’m counter-culture. This really isn’t a good reason, but I do like to be different from the mainstream.

So, for now, our plans are not to find out the sex of our baby.

This is just one of several controversial questions will be addressed and potentially discussed in further detail. Feel free to respond, but before you do, read the fine print.

Early on in pregnancy I developed a separate blog dedicated entirely to pregnancy topics.  My intentions were to let loose a little bit. I wanted to chronicle how I was feeling (emotionally and physically) so that I could reflect back on this time in my life as well as discuss why we came to certain decisions. Because I am much better at blogging than I am journaling, I felt this was the best format for me. However, keeping multiple blogs became exhausting, so I incorporated the pregnancy posts into this blog.  Bottom line : I’m/we’re going to speak my/our mind. If you agree with me/us, great. If you disagree, feel free to do so. But, be willing to back up your story. I’m/we’re opinionated but open-minded. If we share, we can all benefit and learn. However, hateful comments get us nowhere.

And, I’m not saying my/our beliefs will stay the same. These are uncharted waters for me/us and while I/we have great aspirations, I/we very well might change my/our mind at some point in time. I/we reserve that right, as do you. But, again. If I/we change my mind, there’s going to be a pretty good reason behind the transition.

Bottom line is this. When it comes to making decisions involving babies and children, everyone has their own experience and there’s a multitude of ways that healthy babies come into and are raised in this world.

This is a disclaimer and disclosure.

Last revised 7/24/2008.

I had hoped that the first trimester symptoms would be gone by now, but they are still lingering. I’m still waking up in the middle of the night to urinate and sleeping is still rather uncomfortable. I seriously need to consider a body pillow and a thicker mattress pad for the bed. My moodiness is out the roof and little things can set me over the edge these days. I have started having some numbness on the left front of my leg when I stand still for a considerable amount of time. I had noticed it once before, a couple of weeks ago, but quickly dismissed it. I think that my sciatic nerve is beginning to get inflamed and will continue to pay closer attention in the future. I have read that as the uterus grows the baby can aggravate the sciatic nerve and it is not uncommon to feel numbness, even this early on in pregnancy. I’ve also read that the symptoms can come and go as the body makes way for the baby to grow. I’m sorry for yet another boring, somewhat negative, pregnancy status report. I definitely need to spice it up a bit…if only I had enough energy!

Last night we went to a community association meeting where we were able to meet others in our neighborhood as well as talk to city officials, volunteer organizations and…the neighborhood local historian, who just happens to be a diagonal neighbor or ours.  We talked to him for quite a while and he introduced us to a real estate agent who once owned our house.  For the first time since moving here, we were able to learn a little history about our house, which was one of the first built in the neighborhood.  Which leads us to this week’s question.

Our house used to be which of the following:

a.  a store
b.  a barber shop
c.  the old post office
d.  the local watering hole

The first annual Girls Weekend 2008 was a huge success. We all had a marvelous time and didn’t let the gusty wind, thunderstorms or high tide dampen our spirits. Instead, we sprung ahead with the time and washed away our winter blues while wading in the icy cold Atlantic.

Things I will remember from the weekend (totally copying Gwen’s style here, everyone):

6 - Shark Attacks at Tortuga’s Lie. Carolyn remains the Shark Attack virgin, but there’s always next year.

20 - As in twenty minutes after calling the local quilting store to see if they are open and drove there, only to find out they were closed.
3 - Hot tubbers.

1- Fully clothed hot tubber.

0 - Board games played.
1 - Trip to the local market.
35 - MPH wind gusts.
65 - Dollars per person for room and board.
1 - Toothbrush missing.
1 - Toothbrush found…while cleaning up Sunday morning.
1 - Trip to the local knitting store.
3 - Bunk beds slept in.
1 - Shower taken outside.
10 - (and a half) The time on Saturday morning Sleeping Beauty woke up. Yes, that would be me.
1 - Hat crocheted by Kristine.
1 - Scarf crocheted by Kristine.
2 - Blankets crocheted by Kristine. Okay, so she had done most of the work before coming to the beach.
3 - Girls christened by the ocean.
5 - Pictures taken of us on the beach by the sandy surfer dude with the model cocked-hip pose.
1 - Men’s basketball game watched.
3 - Dairy Queen Cookie Dough Blizzards.
1 - Bottle of rum.
1 - Bottle of Aldi Hawaiian Punch.
1 - (and a half) Pans of lasagna.
1 - Tin of mix.
1 - Jewish Apple Cake.
1 - Can of Pineapple Juice.
4 - Bottles of wine.
0 - Bottles of beer.
4 - New websites. (The Things I Want, Sugar, Joshilyn Jackson’s new book, and when Jen helps me remember the fourth I will add it here)
1 - Trip to the outlet malls.
1 - Documentary watched Sunday morning before we left.

We have already begun making plans for Girls Weekend 2009 and are all planning on earning our two-year pin next year. It’s expected that Carolyn will have a full report for us on The Wire as well as the big wedding in May and that Jen will yet again fill us in on all of the pop culture that somehow doesn’t enter most of our lives. And, we all will find ways to work around the holidays with ease. I’m also optimistic that the single ladies will find true love.