Daddy's funny!

I just had to post this picture from last night. He's getting stronger and stronger!

Fingers Crossed!

We have the house inspection today. I'm not really nervous, I just hope they don't find a termite family decided to move in before we did! Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Our New House!!!

It's official! We are waiting on all the papers to be signed, then we'll get an inspection and survey, and close on May 17th!!!

Leave it to the Bubbas to be efficient....2 cars and a house in the first 2 weeks we live in Houston!

Car-ma

So, the new car I bought on Tuesday? It's a beautiful silver Honda Accord. I love it, and Bubba got us a great deal on it (he has the best credit of anyone I know).

But, the Karma Gods decided to mess with us yesterday. I got rear-ended while turning left into a Dairy Queen for a Blizzard (haven't had one since I hit DQ Country). :( No one was hurt, but my car will need body work done, the bumper is all crunched.

It gets better.

The jack-ass that hit me was driving a POS suburban from the early 90s that looked like it was being held together with duct tape. He had to be towed away. But you know what that means....there is NO WAY this guy has insurance. Which, of course, he didn't. I've never seen Bubba's Mom so mad....she screamed so much at that guy I'm sure she scared the be-jesus out of him! The car also wasn't registered in his name, and turns out he JUST got out of jail last week for TOO MANY DRIVING TICKETS and doesn't even have a license!!! Why do I have to always get hit by morons like this!?! Why? Ironically, in the state of Texas, the cop would have arrested him on the spot if his license was SUSPENDED, but the fact that he didn't have one in the first place just gets him a ticket. WTF? &*(#$*)#(*!

So, my brand new beautiful car will be in the shop getting a little cosmetic work done. Luckily Bubba's Sis's husband works at a dealership and is going to get it taken care of for us. We're letting our insurance go after this jack-ass and maybe we'll get the $250 we're out for being hit by an un-insured motorist. But I doubt it.

The good news is that no one was hurt, not even the two kids the jack-ass had in the front seat of his two-seater suburban, likely un-buckled. We're going to be at Bubba's Mom's for another week, so we don't need the car right now anyway. And Drew wasn't with us, so I didn't have to worry about him.

Needless to say, I'm not thrilled to be driving a car again after 3 years of not having to deal with this shit. If you are driving the streets of Houston, I won't be hard to spot....I'll be the young woman driving like an old lady in the right lane, going just under the speed limit and shaking my fist at all the jack-asses passing me.

We're Ba-ack!!!

Well, after taking a few days for blogger to figure out who I am (I ALWAYS seem to have problems with the new blogger), I can update y'all!

We made the Grand Move just fabulously! Drew did wonderful on both flights to TX (to Dallas, then on to Amarillo), and we all decided that First Class is the WAY to go. We got warm nuts in a little bowl before our fabulous lunch! Anyway, we had a great time hanging out with my family in Wellington. Drew met his Papa and his Mu (my grandmother) and a bunch of other people, and even got a little baby Bible from my home-town church! We made our final flight to Houston on Monday, and that went fine as well. We officially live in Houston now. Although I feel like I'm still on vacation because I'm living out of a suitcase at Bubba's Mom's house. But that's ok, because there's lots of people around to help take care of the Drew-Bear!

We bought two cars this week, and made our first house-hunting trip. We're back in the swing of things, Texas-Style.

Poop

No, not what you're thinking....

It SNOWED here yesterday! Off and on several times during the day. It's APRIL for God's sake!! I am so sick of this crappy, cold weather. It's ruining my plans for my last weekend in New York.

~Harumph~

De-Nile

They say denial is a river in Africa.

Well, it's also an apartment on the Upper West Side in Manhattan.

I am moving in a week, and I'm in denial of this fact. It doesn't seem possible that in a few short days, I won't live here anymore. I won't be a New Yorker. But does living here only 3 years even qualify you as a New Yorker? I'm thinking no. But hey, I've definitely been 'a local.' But then again, I've always been a Texan, and I don't think you can claim two locations at once. So I'll stick with Texas.

I think the reason for the state I'm in is due to the fact that we are not packing ourselves for this Great Migration across the country. The Packers are coming next Monday. So my apartment looks like it has for the past few months or so, with only my boxes from work and my boxed up maternity clothes sitting in one corner to signify that Change is in the air. Mentally I'm preparing only for an extended 3-week vacation to TX, as that's all I have to pack for. It's very weird.

I waiver back and forth every day as to whether or not I'm actually ready to leave this great city. On the days that I have to fight the ladies in the laundry room, I'm desperate to get out of here. And on the days when I can't get a cab and need to get somewhere with the munchkin, and the subway is out because I can't easily get up and down the subway stairs with the stroller. But most of the rest of the time, I'm still enjoying living here. I love walking everywhere in my neighborhood. I like the close access to the parks. I even enjoy NOT owning a car. But mainly, this has been my home for the past 3 years, and it's going to be hard to say good-bye.

I think THAT is the main reason I'm in De-Nile. Good-bye seems like forever. And I'm not ready for that. I'm ready to get on with my life, and I know this is a good thing for my family. But it's still hard.

Sticking My Neck Out

Look at my strong little man! The first of many hurdles.

They Just Don't Come No Better Than A Bear

He was thrilled to be in this, once again. Sadly, he's about to out-grow it. The bears grow so fast. ~sigh~

The Onesies Don't Lie

Boggie Man

My son has the biggest boogers. Now that I've mastered the use of the snot sucker, I pull one out of each nostril almost daily. It never ceases to amaze me that something so big could come out of something so small.

He takes after his Daddy.

Star Treatment

Am I the only person who thinks Star Jones looks gross? I mean, she was grossly overweight, and I'm glad she's trimmed down, but I think she went a little far. I'm not a fan.

Patting My Own Back

I bought our tickets for The Great Texas Move today. And I only paid $267 for 2 first-class tickets to Amarillo (one way, of course)!!! Well, the flight to Dallas is first class, as there is only coach on the small plane to Amarillo.

This should make flying with a newborn MUCH easier. Plus, we get a meal AND cocktails! I rule!!!

OK, self-promotion segment over.

Post-bath Fist Eating

The Sweetest Thing

It is just the joy of my life to watch my son nurse. It is the sweetest picture EVER!!! Nothin' better than that....

(A close second is watching my son sleep on his daddy's chest while Daddy naps.)

3 Weeks Later....

Aren't we too cute? Well, he is, at least!

Scheduling

Either my son is slightly constipated, and has been for two days, or he's already figured out that poopy diapers are more fun when Daddy changes them, and he knows Daddy is back at work now, so he saves them all for the evening.

Talk about being regular! That's one smart kid....

(The only problem with this scenario is that he's pretty fussy due to being backed-up, and that's what Mama gets all day.)

The Rest of the Story....

For the inquiring minds that want to know, here's my birth story.

Sunday Night:

We went around the corner to our friends' apt. to watch the Super Bowl and hang out with them. During the second half of the game, I started having some stronger contractions and Bubba and I decided it was probably best if we went home and got to bed early and got some rest. We were in bed by 10, but I was too distracted and somewhat excited to do anything but lay there. I was resting, just not sleeping. By about midnight I got up to go lay on the couch, because the contractions were really starting to ache in my back, and I thought I'd lay on the heating pad and not bother Bubba all night.

Very Early Monday Morning:

Around 2am, the contractions started getting serious. When I say serious, I mean that I could no longer just lay there and try to ignore them, I had to breathe through them, and they hurt in my back like a b@$*#. I was used to regular ol' Braxton Hicks, been having them for about 6 weeks, but this was a whole different animal. I am pretty sure I slept at least a little bit in between, because the night went WAY too fast for me to have been up and suffering all night, but I'll tell you that they got so bad that I had to start rolling off the couch and onto the floor on my hands and knees just to be able to get through them.

Early Monday Morning:

I went to the bathroom about 5:30am and had more mucus plug (hey, I didn't say this was going to not be gross....birth is a beautiful thing, but it's pretty gross, too), so I woke Bubba up and we started getting ready with the final 'checks' on things. We started timing contractions about 6am, and by 8:30 they were the required 5 minutes or less apart and 1 minute in duration, so we decided it was time to go to the hospital. We arrived about 9am and went to triage so they could verify that yes, indeed, I was in labor. Well, turns out, I wasn't in ACTIVE labor, and was only 1cm dilated and only partially effaced. So the chipper resident came back to tell me that they would NOT admit me, and told me to go walk around. WALK AROUND?! It was a balmy 8 degrees outside, with a stiff wind, and she wants me to WALK!!! I cried. I was already tired from not sleeping. But, I was determined to get this labor going, so we decided to walk down the street to the Time Warner Center, probably the only place in Manhattan to walk around inside for free. It was about 10:45am by now, and they told us to not come back for two hours, or if the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. At least they were nice enough to let me keep my bag there, so we didn't have to lug it around. And when I say 'we' I mean Bubba.

Late Monday Morning:

We walked the frigid 2 blocks to the Time Warner Center and made it inside, all the while I was having contractions that were really starting to hurt! Went inside Williams Sonoma, and were actually asked if we needed any help when I was bent over double next to the display of Kitchen Aid Mixers. We stayed there for a while, then pressed on, going inside the Borders Books, and walking around the 'mall' a bit longer. At one point I thought I was going to be sick, and I was starting to lean over the second-story railing during the contractions and making Bubba very nervous, so we went downstairs to the Whole Foods to get some lunch. We found a table, and I concentrated on not making a big scene in the middle of the store while Bubba went to get us something for lunch. (A little aside here, while Bubba was gone, I saw Alfred Molina walk by!!) Ate lunch, but continued to feel like I was going to lose it at any minute, and the contractions were getting much closer together, AND we were nearing our two-hour mark, so we decided to go back to the hospital.

Early Monday Afternoon:

By the time we got there, I was in some serious pain. The resident showed up again to check me, and I was almost 3 cm dilated and almost completely effaced!!! I was officially in Active Labor! PROGRESS!!! She said that was enough to admit me, and if I wanted to get an epidural, now would be a good time to get that ball rolling, as it takes a little time to get everything set up for that because I had to have an hour of fluids via IV. Fine, great, whatever. I promptly lost my lunch in the trash and didn't really care at this point. We got to our labor and delivery room (ironically the room we saw when we did the hospital tour) and got the IV started. Bubba would come help me when a contraction started, and basically we just labored for a few hours waiting for the IV to pump me full and the anesthesiologist to show up. My doctor was not on call, but her partner was, and she came in to check me. I was 4cm by this time and she said things looked great. But by 3pm, I could no longer really make it through the contractions, and I was really tired, so I sent Bubba to find out where the hell the anesthesiologist was, because I NEEDED HIM!!! He came in a few minutes later, and I had to sit up on the end of the bed very still while they put the needle in my back. I got the 'walking epidural,' which meant that I got the spinal blocker portion of the epidural first, and he would come back later to give me the narcotic part of it prior to the heavy-duty pushing (if you get it too early, it wears off before you actually get to the 'real' part of it, so they just get it all ready to insert into the catheter). But the blocker portion would relieve a significant part of the back pain, and it certainly did! It took a few minutes, but MAN, did that feel great!!! The best part was that I still could feel my legs, and actually move them and stuff, just didn't feel the pain. I highly recommend this to those of you out there about to do this....you know who you are.

Late Monday Afternoon:

Around 5pm, everything was going smoothly, but I was starting to feel the contractions on the side I wasn't laying on, so I asked the doctor if I could switch sides. She decided to check me to see how far along I was, and I was pretty much completely dilated the full 10cm! 5 cm in 4 hours, she was impressed. She said I could try pushing through the contraction if I wanted to, and I said ok, let's try it. After one push, she hustled out to get the nurses so they could remove the end of the bed for the birthing part. The next contraction came, and I started pushing, and 20 minutes later, Drew was born!!! At the very end, they had to suction him out because his heart-rate was dropping a little more than the pediatrician liked, and he was almost out anyway, so they got the suction cup on his head and just pulled him right outta there! I actually saw that part, and it was kind of freaky. Turned out the problem was that the umbilical cord was tangled up in his legs and kind of inhibiting him from descending all the way. So he had a little ring around his head for the first few days, but he didn't even have a cone head the next day! Oh, and Bubba's best intentions of staying at the 'head' end went by the wayside....he was holding one of my legs and the nurse was holding the other, and he was everything. I actually went so fast that I didn't even get the narcotic part of the epidural, there wasn't time. I did all that with just the spinal blocker!

Monday Night:

Drew got all checked out, which was of course perfect. After they got everything taken care of, we had to wait for the 7pm shift change before we could go over to the post-partum rooms, which I think was a blessing, because we got some time alone with Drew and I got to eat my dinner in peace.

It was a wonderful experience, and I'd do it again. I knew I'd probably have a quick labor, my mom had quick labors with all 3 of her babies, so that part wasn't that surprising.

So, there you have it! The Rest of the Story....

Fist Sucking

I know this is slightly blurry, but I think it conveys the action rather well. Drew likes to eat his fists, especially right before his dinner! I think it is just too cute! He gets all worked up trying to get both fists in his mouth at once....

 

Bear-y Happy Day!

Drew is here! He's all bundled up and ready for his first cab ride! It's freezing up here, ya know....

(He was born Monday afternoon, weighing 8lbs. 5oz., 19.5 inches long. He's doing great, and so am I!)

Progress, So-To-Speak

On Thursday I found out that I'm 1cm dilated and 30% effaced (thinned). Not great, but definitely better than nothing. Prior to that, I'd been 'tight as a tick,' as my Grandadder would have said. Progress! But not enough for me to think I'd be going into labor over the weekend. Which Bubba was very happy to hear. I really want to go into labor this weekend, as my dr. is on call all weekend, and I'm ready for this baby to not be inside me any more!

On Friday afternoon, after a walk, I lost part of my mucus plug! (This is really gross, and for those of you who really didn't want to know that, too bad. Pregnancy is not that gross, but birth really kind of is. It's beautiful, but it's gross at the same time.) This is very exciting, as the majority of women go into labor within 3 days of losing it. PROGRESS!!! Bubba and I went out for a dinner and a movie date, and he kept looking at me like I might pop at any time. And, he was not too excited to hear that I might go into labor that night. I was having some contractions, but not a whole lot, and they weren't bad at all.

Nothing happened Friday night, but Saturday morning after another walk, I lost MORE plug! Took it easy yesterday, bounced on my ball, nothing happening. But at dinner last night I lost MORE of it! How big is this stupid thing? How much more if it can there be?

So now it's Sunday morning, and I'm still here. ~sigh~ Better go for a walk and bounce on my ball. Hopefully that will get things moving!

Duck, Duck, Duck, GOOSE!!!

You Are Duck

Exotic and unusual, you are a bit of a rare bird - literally. You're known for being soft and succulent, though at times you can be a bit greasy.

What Kind of Meat Are You?

Day 3

Pat Sajack is co-hosting Regis and Kelly while Regis is out of town. I have discovered that Pat is quite funny! I have actually laughed out loud while sipping my coffee a couple of times this morning! Who knew?

Oh, and he used to be a weatherman before the Wheel gig. Who knew?

I also think Kelly Rippa is quite cute. I am a fan. Wish I could look that good after 2 kids. And have great hair like that.

Don't worry, I'm not watching the entire program, but I do like their opening 'monologue' thing that is really pretty entertaining. After that, I'm done. I got things to do with my leisure!

Today, it's a walk across Central Park! Well, that's the plan, we'll see how far I get. I gotta jump start this labor thing.

It has begun....

Day 1 of Maternity Leave--Laundry.

I discovered that Monday in the laundry room (that was closed all last week, incidentally, but I'm not sure if that was a factor) is every man for himself. The house-cleaners (maids) are all down there, doing their clients laundry, too (I hope they at least get paid more to fluff and fold). How do I know they don't actually live in this building? I just know. Demographics, mainly. But anyway, not the point. You have to sit down there the entire time or your laundry will just be casually thrown to the side the SECOND the washer or dryer you are using is done. I am used to doing my laundry in the evening, and it's a much more relaxed, laid back atmosphere. Not so during the day.

Those bitches are vicious, I tell ya.

This being a housewife thing ain't easy. Especially without your own washer/dryer.

End of an Era

Today is my last day in the working force for the forseeable future. Not that my current employer knows that yet. Which makes this, my last day of work in NYC, rather strange. No big good-byes, no tears (did I mention I'm an emotional wreck these days?), no packing up and taking my boxes of stuff away. For all they know, I'll be returning in 3 months. It's all a charade. I will be giving my notice of intent NOT to return at the end of March, with the news that I'm also leaving the city and heading back to God's Country. So today I am acting the part. I really will see all these people again, just when I come to say goodbye and pack up my stuff.

I am lucky that Bubba's new job will leave us in a more stable financial situation so that I can choose to stay at home or go back to work after we get settled. I like choices. Who knows? I may really enjoy staying at home and have NO desire whatsoever to return until my children are school age (at which point I think I better be going back to work). Or, I may REALLY miss my sexy life as a civil engineer and can't WAIT to get back to the work force. (I'm really doubting it will be this black-and-white, and I'll want some sort of compromise. But we'll see.) Regardless, it is my choice, and I'm relishing it.

Still, it is somewhat hard to imagine right now NOT getting up to go to work every day. I'm sure I'll get used to it, start enjoying all my 'free time,' and then BAM! I'll have a kid that demands all my attention and I'll only WISH all I had to do today was get myself up and ready and to work on time. But hey, I'm up for the challenge!

I'll miss riding the train with Bubba, though....

Just so you have a good visual...

This is what I look like 37 weeks (9 months) pregnant. That's a Biggo Preggo belly!

 

Under Pressure

Dun, dun, dun, dunda dun-dun. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dunda dun-dun. Sing it with me now!

The Tater is really giving it to me good today. Lots of pressure from my bulging belly. I am so uncomfortable, it's distracting me from getting anything done. Not that I have much to do, but there is one thing on my desk that I feel needs to be done before I take my leave. And it's not that much fun, and kind of boring, and thus easy to be distracted from.

On that topic, I have about decided to make THIS Friday my last day, as opposed to the originally planned NEXT Friday. It's just not fun anymore to traipse to work every day (more like shuffle to work on Bubba's arm every day) via the NYC Subway system and my own two feet. Feet that are so tired and swollen-up that you can't even see my bony ankles....I look like I sprained both my ankles playing basketball. That's what happens when you carry around 35 extra pounds in your mid-section. I'm surprised my arches haven't collapsed (and they are VERY high arches!). The other reason for an early departure is that I'm just tired of it all. I don't sleep well, I don't walk well, I am swelling up, none of my clothes fit anymore, and I just want to sit at home on the couch and do whatever I damn well feel like! We'll see what my doctor says on Thursday, but I'm 95% sure I'm going to wimp out and call it quits a week earlier than I told everyone at work I was. And, Bubba says it's ok.

I know Bubba is sick of me complaining. I try not to, but it's hard when all anyone ever says to me is 'How ya doin? You're still here?!? Geez, when are you going to HAVE that baby! You're HUGE!' It is starting to really irritate me, even though people mean well. Yes, I'm huge. Try finding a 9-months+2-weeks pregnant lady who ISN'T! The comments are just not funny anymore. Neither are the pitying looks from other women who have been there, done that. At least my size gets me an automatic seat on the subway. People take one look at me and hop up, as if I'm going to fall down right then and there. It's rather nice, actually. :)

OK, rant over. I'm ready for this kid to BE HERE!!!

A Change in the Weather?

Once again, it is colder in Texas than it is here. This has been a pretty frequent occurance thus far this winter. The temp is dropping steadily today in NYC, but no falling precipitation, which is a blessing, I guess. It's all north of us. I'd likely just stay home to avoid falling on my pregnant butt again. (Hey, maybe that's not such a bad thing!) But the Texan in me is still wanting a big storm! Snow is still a novelty for me (and for Bubba), and I am feeling cheated out of my last winter here.

Of course, now this means that February and March will just be terrible, right when I'm wanting to get out and about with the Tater! ~sigh~

Snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW!!!! I wanna wash my hair, my face and hands with SNOW!!!

We Have A Crib!!!

After much ado, Drew has a place to sleep now!

 

I Don't Know Why

I thought I'd copy Bubba and write a little note to Baby Drew. However, I have to admit that I didn't come up with this. Shawn Colvin wrote this song for her daughter when she was born. I can't wait to sing it to my little boy when he arrives. The tune is good, too, but for now, you'll just have to read the lyrics.

I don’t know why
The sky is so blue.
And I don’t know why
I’m so in love with you.
But if there were no music,
Then I would not get through.
I don’t know why I know these things.
But I do.

I don’t know why
But somewhere dreams come true.
And I don’t know where
But there will be a place for you.
Every time you look that way
I would lay down my life for you.
I don’t know why I know these things.
But I do.

I don’t know why
But some are going to make you cry.
I don’t know how
But I will get you by.
I will try.
‘Cause they’re not trying to cause you pain
They’re just afraid of loving you.
I don’t know why I know these things.
But I do.

I don’t know why
Trees grow so tall.
I don’t know why
I don’t know anything at all.
But if there were no music,
Then I would not get through.
I don’t know why I know these things.
But I do.

I don’t know why I know these things.
But I do.

Thanks, Shawn. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Fall Down Go Boom

I spent the day in labor and delivery.

The short story is that I fell in the street (how embarrassing!) on my way to work this morning, landing mainly on my knees and hands, but with the face-forward fall, I wasn't sure if I hit my belly or not. We were a block from home, so Bubba and I came home to settle down, see if the baby was moving, and call my doctor. She recommend we go to the hospital for monitoring, just to be safe. So, we did, and I'm glad we did. Makes me feel better to see/hear the heartbeat. Ironically, Bubba and I JUST toured the hospital's maternity ward last night! So we knew where to go this morning! I got hooked up, everything was fine, but my doctor wanted 6 hours of monitoring, just to make sure there was no trauma that would show up after my adrenaline levels dropped back down. I was having some contractions show up on the monitor, too, but no worse than I've been having.

The bad thing was that my back started hurting because I was laying on it instead of my side. And, I couldn't eat. I could have water, though, so I drank enough to stay hydrated and ensure I could get up for potty breaks!

Needless to say, we are glad to be home, glad The Tater is fine, and glad we got our dry run through before we have to deal with the real thing!

In The Round

Per cjh's request, a belly picture! This is from a few weeks ago. I'm getting very round....




























And here's one of Bubba and his belly! I think he's jealous....

It's Going To Be A Long Month

It's not even January yet (well, in another 7 hours it will be), and I already feel sorry for Bubba.

He is going to be TOTALLY bored by the time this baby arrives. Why? Because he likes to go out and do things and go for walks and see the City, and my pregnant ass can't really do that anymore, and I've about decided that I WON'T do it anymore. It is just too hard for me to get around with this extra 35 pounds hanging off my front. I'm doing good just to get from my apartment to the subway, then up the stairs and the several blocks from the subway to work. It is still a toss-up as to whether 3 long blocks+2 short blocks with no subway transfers is better than 4 short blocks plus a bunch of stairs to transfer. Right now, I'm going with the extra walking, but we'll see....

And, and! I'm sure Bubba is sick of hearing how my back/feet/legs hurt. There's another month+ of that, too.

So, I sit on my butt on 'my' couch (the love seat) with my feet up reading/cross stitching/writing thank yous/surfing the internet. And Bubba takes care of everything. I can not be more thankful for that, he's the bestest hubby EVER!

My Mind is Blank

Why is it so hard to come up with titles?

This was always my No. 1 problem when writing an essay or something in school. I would get the whole damn thing finished and STILL not have a catchy title. When my English teacher was always telling me that the title should come FIRST! I think it just proves that I really am NOT that creative. I could never be a writer, as I'd have to come up with good titles for my writing. Otherwise no one would read my extremely intelligent drivel. Like they don't right now.

You! Out there right now reading this! What would YOU title this blog entry? What about the one after?

Crowd Control

I am sick of all the damn people that have flooded my town for the holiday week. After yesterday, I am convinced that it is, in fact, the TOURISTS that are the rude people in NYC. Locals are quite nice and accommodating and only get riled up because some damn out-of-towner was acting like an IDIOT!

I worked a half-day yesterday, and took off at lunch to hang out and run around with my parents and sister for the afternoon. They got in on Tuesday and left today, so it was my last chance to spend time with them. I met my parents and Bubba at Rockefeller Center because they wanted to see the Big Tree, and then we were going to do a little shopping, maybe stroll up to Bloomies to look at their after-Christmas-ornament sale. I beat them to the rendevous point, which was the concourse level of 30 Rock, where they have some lunch places and a Starbucks and lots of tables like a mall food-court. It's also the way to get to the skating rink entrance. I figured I'd just plop my large-overly-pregnant self into a chair and wait for them, then we'd be on our way. There were GOBS of people already looking like they needed a nap from their stressed-out demeanors and sour faces....like they'd be doing this for HOURS. I realized that there was no way I'd be able to get a whole table for myself, as there were lots of other table-stalkers, so I started looking for just a CHAIR to sit in, thinking I don't need a table at all, I just want to take a load off and sit my body down for a few minutes. I start heading to a table that looks like they're getting up, when I get elbowed out of the way by a couple who then said 'WE WERE HERE FIRST!' I almost fell down, but managed to say "I just wanted a chair, take the damn table, and I hope you get heartburn for making a great-with-child preggo lady stand up! A pox on you AND your children!" Well, I didn't say that, but I really wanted to. I just shrugged at no one in particular, because no one was paying me ANY mind, and waddled over to the wall. They don't let you sit on the floor in Rockefeller Center, and I know this, but I though 'WTH, I DARE anyone to come and get me up!' So I slid to the floor, got out my cross-word, and proceeded to wait for Bubba and the 'Rents. The 2 security guards glanced over at me a few times and started heading my way, then realized the 'state' I was in and left me alone. Finally they both came over and asked if I'd like to find a seat and I said, in my sweetest voice, 'I'd LOVE to find a seat, but good luck getting anyone to give theirs up for a pregnant lady!' He kind of nodded sympathetically, told me to stay there, and he headed off. Bubba calls about the time the guy shows back up with a chair, and I tell him thanks, but I really was just waiting for someone, and he helped haul me off the floor.

Now, on my normal, everyday commute and trek through this great City, I usually have no problems with this pregnant state that I am in, and it's quite easy to get around (although it can be quite tiring). People on the subway can be kind of oblivious when hooked up to their ipods, but for the most part, when I say excuse me, they all hustle to get out of the way of the Big Giant Belly that is headed their way. And I will usually get a seat on the subway. I've even had offers from people to carry my bags, but I'm not that desperate. Yet. Bottom line, most locals that I see on a daily basis are all sympathetic to a pregnant woman trying to get around, and don't huff and puff that I'm going to slow, or glare at me as I try to move over so they can get by my huge belly. MOST of them give me a glance and a small, knowing smile, and the really brave ones ask when I'm due and wish me luck, etc. It's quite pleasant, really.

So, back to my original point of rudeness. The tourists seem to walk around the city thinking they own the place. That they are entitled to act this way because everyone else seems to. They fail to grasp that those of us who live here manage quite well by SHARING the limited space we do have! For example:

• They bump into you on the sidewalk, when it's clear that I really CAN'T get out of the way without stepping off the curb into on-coming traffic, then they glare at you for the disruption, even though THEY were the ones walking 4-across on a crowded sidewalk!
• They race for the seats on the subway, or if there aren't any, they REFUSE to move into the car and away from the door so others can get in! It's like they think they'll not be able to get OFF this crazy train once they are ON!!!
• They stop on a dime in the middle of a crowded sidwalk, and then get irritated when you run into them.
• And my favorite: they give you the look of death when you ask if they need directions somewhere. How dare I assume they don't know where they're going?! Like I'm going to steer them in the wrong direction just to amuse myself, or this is a diversion and my super-stealthy partner is currently picking their pocket!

Actually, that last one isn't a bad idea.

It's time for the rude tourists to leave and give me a last month to enjoy my city, albeit slower than before, before I become a mother and have a whole separate list of complaints about how people with babies/children are treated.

The First of 'The Lasts'

Wednesday night was my last concert with the Juilliard Choral Union. It was also my last day of choir, as I won't be coming back to rehearsals after the New Year. This was my third year with the chorus, and it really was so much fun and a fantastic experience. I've gotten to sing a huge variety of music, in several famous venues.

It kind of snuck up on me, actually. This is the first thing I've 'stopped' doing since getting pregnant, but I know it's only the beginning. It was rather bittersweet, as I am really getting tired these days and it's just hard to make it through the work day sometimes, let alone sing for 3 hours straight. But I will miss singing on a weekly basis, and miss the friends I've made.

Now I'll have to satisify my need to sing in church, and singing to my little guy! Although I think he prefers Bubba's voice to mine, as he definitely kicks more when Bubba sings to him than when I do!

Weird Guy or Super Spy?

There is an older gentleman that Bubba and I see Sunday morning's when we ride the bus to church. We call him Duane Reade Guy. We don't see him every Sunday, but almost. He gets on the bus the stop after we get on, and then always gets off at 70th Street and Broadway. There is a Duane Reade (that's a local drugstore for you non-New Yorkers) at that corner, and he ALWAYS walks over to 'window shop.' Always. He will persue the window display, which is usually non-existant because they just don't put anything in there but pictures, and that's just the beginning of the confusion. He'll walk the entire length of the store, then look in the windows at the closed Northfork Bank next door. This is his standard routine, never waivering, and he even gets very irate if the bus is late. He never goes in the store, just walks along the store-front from one end to the other, pausing to eye some particular ware. But, again, all of the Duane Reade stores recently took all their merchandise out of the store-front and there's just pictures of things you can buy there. So he can't be window shopping if there's nothing in the windows!

Bubba and I always watch him a bit bemused, and then try to figure out what the hell he's doing on a Sunday morning at 9:15, taking the bus from 103rd Street to 70th Street, just to look in the window of a Duane Reade.

• Is he meeting someone? We never see anyone, but granted, we are on the bus that leaves promptly after he gets off, so we don't get to stick around and see what happens.
• Did he use to live there and just likes that Duane Reade? But he never goes in!
• Is he a child-predator and is waiting for the mommies to walk their kids by en-route to the park?
• Does his estranged son/daughter work there and that's the only way he can get a glimpse of them? By staring in the window, pretending to be window-shopping in a window with nothing in it?
• OR, is it a sign/signal that something has happened or is about to? Like in spy novels where the spy gets 'tips' from just someone showing up at a particular time and place. It always reminds me of The Sting: when the 'mark' walks across the street and down the alley, one of the characters is in an apt. across the street and rings the bell to alert everyone else that the 'mark' is on the way.

I think it's this last one, sheerly because it is the more entertaining idea and can lead our imaginations down so many different roads. Who knows? Maybe Duane Reade Guy is really affecting the stock market by appearing when his 'client' needs to buy/sell a particular stock! We could get him for insider trading! Or, or, or, he's working for the Mob! Or he's letting a kidnapper know that he's still around and working on the ransom money! The scenarios are endless! Fine Sunday morning fun for the remaining 10-15 minutes we spend on the bus before we get off ourselves.

Also just proves that the bus is WAY more fun than a taxi!

My sentiments exactly

Bubba has a new post that I wanted everyone to read. Granted, most of you that read MY blog read his as well, but I just wanted to point you in that general direction.

32 Weeks

That's about how long I've been pregnant (well, offically 32 weeks on Friday....so I'm a few days early). 8 months. 2 to go. That's right, pregnancy is, in fact, 10 months. Do the math, people. 40 weeks at 4 weeks per month equals....that's right, 10 months!

We have been busy bees at our house, getting things put together and put away (although we are STILL waiting on the damn crib part!), doing Christmas shopping, wrapping gifts, writing thank you notes. Time is flyin' by, I tell ya! It seems like forever until my last day of work on February 2 (provided, of course, that the Tater makes it that long), but at the same time, it is just around the corner! December is flying by, and I'm hoping January does, too. While I've had an easy pregnancy for the most part, I'm about sick of my wardrobe, it's getting harder and harder for me to get up and around, and I'm ready to get on with it already!

The Tater is doing well, he moves more and more everyday. I'm starting to feel body parts and can tell what side he's laying on, etc. He's got a regular sleep/wake pattern, and he responds by poking/kicking/punching the ever-lovin' crap out of me when I put my headphones down to my belly for him to hear some soothing Mozart at work. I guess it's not so soothing. But, I get the same thing with other music, so maybe he's telling me it's too loud? It's fun watching and feeling him move, though. I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule, so we'll see what's in store for the next 2 months.

It wasn't meant to be....

My poor Longhorns. We played terrible, though. The Aggies totally deserved to win that game. They out-played us. I realize that most of you who read this blog were rooting for the Ags, and I still love you, but yesterday was a tough loss. Always hard when you lose at home to you arch-rival. And then OU won today, so we're not even in the Big 12 championship! WHY did we have to lose 2 weeks ago to K-State? Why? Ugh, two losses in a row to less-than-stellar teams. What does that make us? Yep, less than stellar, too. It wasn't meant to be.

In other news, we put the crib together before the game, only to discover that the hardware for the drop-side of the crib was not installed properly, we have a wrong part. And we can't do anything about it until Monday, when the 'parts guy' is at work at the store we ordered it from. Boo. So, instead of being done, we are half-way done, but with still all the crap out in our room/living room because we were planning on using the crib as 'storage' for a while. ~sigh~ So much for getting everything organized over the long holiday weekend. It wasn't meant to be.

Oh, and can I tell you how annoying it is to be walking around the West Village on Saturday, think what a great idea it would be to walk over to Magnolia Bakery and get the BEST cupcake in the City, only to find the usual line to be AROUND THE CORNER AND MORE THAN 3 BUILDINGS DOWN FROM THE CORNER! Ugh. Stupid tourists. All this preggo lady wanted was a cupcake at that particular time, since she couldn't just go sit here and have a beer with Bubba, and it was ruined. It wasn't meant to be. I had to settle for a black-and-white milkshake at a diner down the street.

Avoiding the plague like....the Plague

Seems everyone around me is getting a cold. Some of you out there in cyberspace, which I clearly can't catch just from reading your blog (at least, I don't think so), but there are more right here in my line of sight. While I am sorry for you sicklings out there, I am hoping to God that I don't catch the bug. Or the flu, or the Plague, or whatever IT is that's going around.

I blame the weather. It has been nice and balmy here in NYC, and I am enjoying the light-jacket-required weather before the rush of the cold arrives. But the cold-ish weather needs to get here soon and kill whatever allergens or bacteria or whatever so that my sinuses can be happy again! And, I'm just HOT most of the time, thanks to my internal heater. But that's another story. Katielady is ready for the Cold Front.

In the meantime, I'm thinking of getting some police tape and putting it up around my cube so that sick people will stay a good 20 feet away from me.

Pregnancy is Gross

It is a wonderful, beautiful, natural, glorious thing, too. But no one can really prepare you for how gross it really is.

I'm speaking right now of the extreme gasiness I tend to have all the time. Bubba will tell you that the flatulence has increased ten-fold, but that's really just at night, so he's the only one that really experiences it. Lucky him. However, the belching is just terrible! I'll be walking along, minding my own business, talking to Bubba if we're together, or just taking in the City and the fall weather, and little burps will just rise up out of nowhere! Again, I usually reserve my burping and farting to the privacy of my own home (again, poor Bubba....he learned that women really, actually do all these things when he married me), but in the 7th month of my pregnancy, it's starting to be out of my control. Especially the burps, they really do come out of NOWHERE! Then I'm embarrassed because I just burped while carrying on a conference call at work with our client! How un-lady-like of me! The shame of it all!

Other things:
- You also start to grunt and groan a lot more when moving out of a sitting/reclining position.
- Thickening membranes mean your sinuses thicken, too. Hard to breathe, lots more mucus, snotty nose, etc. Grossness.
- Sweating.

- That's all I'm going to list right now, this is a PG blog after all and I know most of you really don't want to know this stuff.

Cirque du Soleil

Tater should audition. He's certainly getting a lot of practice the past two days. There is so much movement going on in there that he's either practicing his acrobat routine, or fine-tuning his steps for his Riverdance audition.

Mama is not amused.*

The kicker is (pun intended)....did he see the need for such kicking/punching/poking/turning while he had a ready and willing audience in Texas? NO! We had a little pep talk before-hand, but it clearly didn't do any good. There was a little movement, and everyone got to feel it, but for the most part it's like Tater was having a good long nap. He really responded to the slower-paced Country Life. Now that his Pod (that's me) is back in the City, it's time to blow-and-go again. I just wish he wouldn't wake me up in the middle of the night....

*Well, she is slightly amused, as it is pretty cool and very weird to see my stomach lurch around like that. But it is starting to become uncomfortable, too. And I'm having fun imagining what the hell he's doing in there. Looks like he's having a good time. Or in distress. Can't really tell yet. Does that make me a bad Mama?

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

I'm headed for the great state of Texas this afternoon! Yay! I am very excited, even though I'll be traveling alone, as Bubba is staying here. :( I have my baby shower in Wellington, my small little home-town in the TX Panhandle, on Sunday. I get to see all of my family, and as a bonus, Bubba's Mom and Dad! It's going to be quite a party, lots of ladies coming, and I plan on eating a lot and totally letting people fawn all over me! :) I've got to have a Blizzard while I'm home, and hopefully some chicken fried steak, and maybe a Country Basket (although come to think of it, I could get both of those at the same time!). And Blue Bell ice cream. And, and, and....whatever else I can think of that I can't get up here. You'd be surprised, the list starts to add up.

Bubba is going to be lonely, he misses me when I'm gone. Go over and say howdy.

The Big 3-0

Today is Bubba's 30th Birthday! Go on over and say howdy and give him hell for officially being 'old!'

Happy 30th Bubba!

I love you bunches!

Vote

I'm handing out candy at my friends' apartment on Halloween so they can take their daughter to the party in their building and trick-or-treating.

What should I be? I'm talking low-budget, pregnant-lady-friendly, most likely something I can find in my house and put together the night before.

Ready? Go!

It's That Time of Year Again

World Series, you say? Halloween? Fall Cleaning? Saturday's filled with nothing but football?

Yes to all of the above, but not the purpose of this post.

Today is my bi-annual hair-highlighting appointment! If you haven't noticed, I have super-short hair. I have to get it cut every 5-6 weeks or so. That is expensive enough by itself, so imagine adding a foil-highlight job to that price every time! No sir-ee, Bob, we are not that loaded at my house. In fact, Bubba is rather appalled at the price I pay just for the cut-up job (and frankly, all of you who read this would be appalled, too, but that's one of the problems with living in Manhattan and wanting a decent haircut) let alone the highlights he doesn't think I need. So, I compromise and get the foils every 6 months or so, about the time that all of the blond is cut off of my hair. Because there is a small part of me that really misses when I had naturally blond hair, about 10 years ago. Now, it's light-brown.....dishwater blond at best....and I just can't seem to get used to it!

I figure it this way (just like a female to justify useless spending, even if she IS a cheap engineer-type): I don't buy expensive clothes or shoes or purses, I don't go get my nails done every week, I don't have a gambling habit, I don't get a regular massage (although that would be fab, too!) so this is what I treat myself to. An hour in a salon being pampered. I was doing it long before I met Bubba, so he lets it go.

Besides, I've got to have SOMETHING else for people to comment on besides the Big, Bulging Belly.

God Bless Maternity Pants

While my wardrobe is severly limited these days, due to the large bulge out in front, there are a few perks.

• Elastic waist pants that just pull on without zipping or buttoning or anything. L-O-V-E them.
• Borrowing, and wearing with no shame whatsoever, clothes from people you know and have seen them wear before. You will of course return the clothes when you are done with them, in perfect, pristine condition, and will do the same with clothes you purchased yourself by loaning them to other pregnant friends in the future. It's great!
• Being able to get away with WAY more-casual clothes in my Business Casual office.
• Wearing comfortable shoes. Thank God flats are stylish again these days.
• Plunging necklines that show off your new, fabulous, voloputuous figure.
• Did I mention elastic-waist pants?

Of course, I can barely bend to tie my shoes these days, but that's a minor detail. Who cares?! I can just pull on my dress-pants like they were leggings, and slip on some loafers, and I'm good to go!

Wright is GONE!!!

Congress signed the repeal of the Wright Amendment, and was signed into law by President Bush! It's about time! Yay! Dallas Love is Free!!! I'm ecstatic!!!

Out the Window

I hate our computer. It's broken. Again. I'm sick of it breaking every few months. This time seems to be a System Problem, not a virus. Can get on the internet, but can't access anything that requires a log-in. Like blogger. Can't send emails. Can't defragment. Can't update system because explorer craps out. This is bad. Very bad. I hate my computer.

Human Punching Bag

The little Tater (I think we should call him that in honor of Ron White, small-town East Texas dude and king of Blue Collar Comedy, what do you think?) has found the use of his arms and legs. Which means I get a lot of reminders that he is there. Most of the time it is quite cool, especially if he’s rolled over and kicks straight out to the ‘front,’ in which my stomach makes a very strange lurch. Bubba finally felt it the other night, in a particularly aerobic period of activity after dinner. And it really doesn’t hurt, just kind of feels strange. Like my stomach is rolling over or I’m riding a roller-coaster and experiencing some serious G-forces. But there are the times, like yesterday, when it is downright painful. I was having terrible stomach indigestion and gas pains for most of the day, which is unpleasant in and of itself (ah, the joys of pregnancy….at least I’m regular….TMI, I know). He was obviously being awoken more frequently by the rather loud sounds coming from all around him, and he sure let me know about it. I’m considering it his first tantrum. But don’t worry, he was getting an earful from me in retort to the sharp jabs in my abdomen. So, Mama got the last word after all. Hmph.

I already have a very active little one. Maybe he’s got his Daddy’s thing with shaking his leg in his sleep, like he’s chasing rabbits. Because otherwise he sure seems to be awake a lot these days.

Anyway, so Tater? What do y’all think? I think it’s great. “It’s gonna be a good day, Tater.” I’ll explain the whole thing if you insist, but it’s from one of Ron White’s stand-up routines. Too funny.

Season's Greetings

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies."

Can anyone name that movie? Please, for the love of God, SOMEONE has got to know this movie!

Fall is my favorite time of year. The crisp air, the need for a light-jacket in the morning but the warmness of the afternoon, the shortening days, the college football, the impending holiday season (which I think starts in October with Halloween....I mean, we basically start eating candy and goodies of some sort in October and don't stop until our resolutions kick into gear in January), the fresh apples, the pumpkins popping up everywhere, the reds, yellows, oranges, and browns of the trees. I just love it! Makes me want to drink coffee and take long walks in the gloaming after work.

"I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."

Belly Pic

For your viewing pleasure, fresh from my prison break!

 

To Sleep, Perchance To Dream

I can not keep my eyes open today. Happened yesterday and the day before, too. I don't know if I'm just not sleeping well at night these days or what, but for a person who has a hard time taking a nap because she just can't wind down that fast, I've set new records for myself for non-sick naps (when I'm sick, I fall asleep the minute I lay down).

Yesterday I fell asleep watching a football game I was actually interested in (Jets/Colts, Payton Manning is incredible), and didn't even realize I was asleep until Bubba whispered he was going to the store. Same thing on Saturday afternoon with college football. Just drifted off while lounging on the couch.

Today I'm having an extremely difficult time keeping my eyes open while working. I just want to close them for a minute, but I know that minute will end up being several, with a small red bump on my forehead to prove that I fell asleep and hit my head on my keyboard.

This is a new thing in the Pregnancy Game....I now need naps in the afternoon. In my first trimester, I needed more sleep at night, about 2-3 hours more per night, but I was ok during the day. Now, I'm awake at night, just needing a little cat nap during the work-day. Which is frowned upon in my office, unfortunately.

Most likely my sleepiness is because I wake up to roll over, due to the fact that I have pillows in key positions to help make me more comfortable and in order to roll over, I have to move the pillows, too. I'm not even getting up to pee (yet), just waking up to re-position myself, which is starting to be an aerobic activity because it's getting harder and harder (you'd be surprised how much you use your ab muscles to perform this activity). No wonder I'm sleepy! My sleep has turned into exercise.

The Last Few Days

Bubba was right, the cable signal was too weak. But the lady came yesterday and fixed us all up. Yay! I really am impressed with Time Warner's service.

Baby B rolled over Thursday night and caused my stomach to physically lurch. I SAW it move, and it was the freakiest and coolest thing ever! Since then, he's just been hangin', not much movement to speak of other than kicking his Mama in the bladder.

We went out for our delayed anniversary/finding out the sex/Bubba done with deadlines dinner. Tried a famous steak house in East Midtown (the second of such dinners we've tried to have here), and decided we really can make a better steak at home. When you're from TX, and used to excellent beef for cheap, you have a hard time finding anything outside of TX that you'll like better. We still enjoyed it and had a good time, but I can get a better steak at Salt Grass for half the cost.

Handy Woman

Guess WHO fixed the cable last night? That's right, your's truly! Bubba was on the phone, and in a stroke of brilliance, I thought "What if I just mess with the cables back there and see what happens?" We have internet, so we know the line into the house is working, and we know that we're getting SOME sort of signal, because we get all the info and the guide from the cable company. So, I move the speaker out of the way and unscrew one of the cables from our 'splitter' (where it splits to the cable modem and the cable TV box), and voila! We have a picture on our tv! I hoot and holler and jump up and down that I fixed it! But, now the internet is not working. :( We ended up stealing someone else's wireless connection last night (which I ALSO figured out, because our modem was not plugged in, but we were still able to check email and be on the internet, and that's when I figured that out, too!), but for the most part, we are going to have to choose between internet and TV until they can come look on Friday. Bubba called The Evil Cable Company back (side bar....don't think they are really so evil, as THEY actually called US last night about 6:45 to see if they could try remotely fixing it again. How awesome is that?) to explain what happened and see if they could reset the cable modem from afar. No such luck. We think it has something to do with our signal strength not being strong enough to operate both TV and Internet at the same time. We'll see when the guy comes on Friday (yep, that's still on). I don't know how that happened, all I know is I fixed it so we could watch the Gilmore Girls season premier last night! AND the Astros! (Who are now only a game and a half back from 1st place in the NL Central....will wonders never cease?)

All is right in the world now. Except for my damn allergies. But that's for another post.

The Dark Ages

Our cable is out. As I mentioned previously, there was an outage in our neighborhood on Sunday, affecting the TV and internet. The got it back up and running yesterday morning, and our internet works, but still no TV. Bubba called the Evil Cable Company last night to try to remedy the situation, and after a 20-minute phone call where the girl on the phone tried, in vain, to remotely re-boot our system and fix it from her end (will wonders never cease?). Needless to say, it didn't work, and they are sending someone out to take a look. ON FRIDAY. As in 4 days from our original call. As in, we have NO TV for 4 days. Are you kidding me? This is the first time-slot that someone can come to our house and see what the Evil Cable Company has done to mess up BOTH our cable boxes? Because I can safely say, we did NOTHING to warrant this. We were sitting there Sunday evening, watching football and 60 Minutes, when BAM! No TV. The only good thing is that we are getting credited on our bill for our non-service.

This is usually not a problem for us, as we don't watch a lot of TV (other than sports, which should give you an indication as to who controls the remote in my house), but it's nice to know it's there. Now I'm going to miss the premier of the new season of Gilmore Girls tonight, we'll miss the last week of the regular baseball season (in my house, this borders on a travesty), and I'll miss Grey's Anatomy on Thursday night (which I've just now gotten into after 2 seasons, so I didn't want to miss it)! Not to mention the fact that my morning 'routine' is all messed up because I have no idea what time it is if Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer aren't there to keep me in line! I was 10 minutes later this morning because I got all involved in a magazine article and didn't realize what time it was. And, AND!!! How am I supposed to know the weather outside? Again, I needed a jacket this morning, but had no idea until I was actually down on the street, shivering in the morning coolness. Grrr....

At least we have internet. God help us if we didn't. We'd actually be forced to sit and TALK to each other! ~Gasp!~

D-Day!

Pigs is having a baby today! YAY!!! I'm so excited for her, I can hardly stand it!

We had cable problems yesterday, and still have no TV or internet as of this morning. Time Warner told us they were working on it yesterday when Bubba called. Well, when he called, the automatic message said there was a problem in Manhattan, close to our neighborhood, so we're guessing we were affected. You don't realize how much you rely on tv and internet until it's gone. I didn't even know what the weather would be like today before I left! And, sure enough, I could have used a light sweater this morning, which I didn't bring because I didn't know until I got downstairs. Figures.

So now I'm on the internet at work, instead of working. Oh well, what else is new? :)

Drum-roll Please....

It's a BOY!!!

No doubt about it, got a shot of 'the goods' and everything! I am thrilled, Bubba is too, and is already talking about a 'sports theme' for the nursery (that we don't have, btw) and buying a little tiny baseball glove! Isn't that too cute?!

Gender Bias?

We find out the gender today! Today is my Level II Anatomy Ultrasound, in which we get a peak at 'the goods,' among other things. I don't really care what it is, have no preference whatsoever, I just want a healthy baby that is growing properly!

Bubba just wants it to be a baby and not a turtle or puppy or anything.

Rock Out!

We got this rocker today at a 'block sale' in our neighborhood. As there aren't really garages in Manhattan, neighborhoods will close off a street for the day and have a block sale! Cool, huh? We were just strolling through, not really looking for anything particular (except for cheap baby stuff) on our morning walk, and came across this awesome rocker. We inquired as to price, and decided the $35 she was asking for it was more than reasonable. Score! It's comfortable, not too high or too low to sit in, more or less matches the rest of our furniture, and I can buy seat pads for it if I want. And, if we turn out NOT to like it after Baby B arrives, we can give it away with no guilt! I am stoked!

The Choice

Bubba sent me this blog about the passing of Ann Richards, written by a woman who writes for the NY Times, among other things.

*I am inserting the gist of it here for those that can't access the link above*

Ann Richards, Hillary Clinton – those women of that turbulent, transitional period of the 80’s into the 90’s – had it right. You can’t clean house and make it to “the dome” too. You can’t bake cookies and make it to the Senate. And that’s not just because there isn’t enough time. More profoundly, it’s because it just isn’t human to do all that. With all of our spouting off these days about the glorious variety of women’s Choice, there is one basic choice that we are not humanly able to make: we cannot choose what kind of people we are or what we are driven, drawn, destined to do. The best we can do is be ourselves – and stand up for what it takes to bring our self into being.
I hate to bake cookies. I will never have a neat house. And I am sick and tired of ruining my days – and my family’s for that matter – trying to be someone I am constitutionally incapable of being.
I want to be like Ann Richards, who in the later years of her life freed herself from the need to do things perfectly, relinquished the desire to be all things to all people, and focused, she said in a 2001 interview, on living a life filled with love, fun and work.

Now I don't always agree with the women who write for the Times, but this one really had an affect on me. I have always been of the opinion that women hold all the cards. We can stay home, we can work, we can do a little of both (God bless those women who are able to do that), we can choose NOT to have children, the list goes on and on. (Bubba says men have two choices....work or go to jail, and he's not all wrong.) Anyway, the problem is that The Choice isn't always easy, and you are damn lucky if you are actually in a position to CHOOSE one or the other. A lot of women don't have those choices. The article points out that you should also be true to yourself if you DO have the choice and not kill yourself by trying to be Super Woman. You are who you are, and no amount of Oprah or Martha Stewart day time TV will change that.

Makes me think of Baby Boom. I love that movie. Whenever I see a woman on the street here who is obviously a Career Woman pushing a stroller, I'm reminded of the scene when Diane Keaton is pushing the stroller and trying to keep up with the non-mommy woman who is passing her, dressed to the Nines in heels and a business suit, and she just gives up with complete resignation after less than a block. It is the shifting point in the movie, and one that I think most women can identify with.

I don't know yet which side of the Work/Stay Home line I'm going to fall on. It will likely be a little of both as our family life evolves and kids grow up, etc. At least, that's what I hope and pray. But I thank God I have The Choice in the first place.

And that I can bake a mean batch of cookies one night and talk about highway design the next day.

Super-Human Smeller

There are things about pregnancy that people always tell you, but that you never really appreciate until you are actually going through them. Which leaves you men out altogether, sorry guys.**

For example, your sense of smell is magnified beyond belief. This usually seems to apply to smells you don't care for anyway. Case-in-point, I can smell the cucumber something-or-other that the guy in the cube 2 rows over from me is having for lunch. I don't care for cucumbers. In fact, it's probably safe to say that I avoid them at all costs. It helps that I'm allergic, so I can get away with leaving them on my plate of salad and not having the hostess feel slighted. At any rate, all the books tell you that Smell Sensitivity happens almost immediately. Be it sitting in your office, walking into your own kitchen, or walking down the street, you never know when something offensive is going to float up your nose and cause you to gag. (Luckily, I am not too sensitive with smells in the first place, and never had the experience of smelling something so bad that I threw up. But I'm one of the lucky few.)

It is Murphy's Law that this only occurs on things that you'd rather not be smelling in the first place. Must be your body telling you to avoid that particular object/area/food/person/whatever because it is potentially harmful to you and therefore the fetus you are gestating. But why does it have to be so intense? I have yet to read anything explaining this phenomenon, except that it happens in most women and continues throughout the pregnancy and often times through the first few months of mother-hood. Wonderful. Why can't the smell of fresh-baked cookies be that overwhelming?

Speaking of The Nose, I HAVE found explanations as to why it is constantly stuffy--the pregnancy hormones surging through your body make various membranes in your body swell slightly, including your sinuses among other things. Great. I'm stuck with a stuffy nose and can not safely take any medication for it without consulting my physician, so I just have to suffer through. How in the world do you manage to have a stuffy nose that you can't blow AND still be able to smell BO coming down the hall before you can identify the person? How is this biologically possible?

Add it to my list of things that make you go 'Hmmm....'

**Guys, feel free to skip this post, as it is about pregnancy symptoms and therefore for the ladies. Or read on and enjoy finding out what you are missing and having new sympathy for pregnant women everywhere. And for Bubba, who has to hear about it from me all the time!**

Grey's Anatomy

How come no one told me how good this show is? IT ROCKS!

Progressive Dining

As this pregnancy progresses, it is becoming more and more clear that I am just going to be eating constantly throughout the day. Baby B has gotten much more demanding about being fed, and is growing like a weed. So, being the good gestating woman that I am, I'm more than happy to oblige. However. As the uterus gets bigger, all the internal organs above it get squished upward. Meaning my stomach now competes for space with my lungs (more or less anyway). This means that it really doesn't take much to fill me up, as the whole breathing thing totally takes precedence over digestion and my stomach seems to be smaller.

So, instead of eating regular sized meals at meal-time, with light snacks in between, I have to pretty much eat continously throughout the day. Because the minute I eat too much, Evil Bloat arrives and makes Mama Katie EXTREMELY uncomfortable and irritable and a general pain-in-the-ass to be around. But Baby B isn't going to cut me some slack on the caloric intake required for him/her to grow properly! Ah, the joys of mother-to-be-hood. Now you know why pregnant women are hungry and eating all the time. We really don't need that many more calories per day (they recommend 300-500) than the average Josephine, there's just not enough room in there with a growing baby to digest 'regular' meals properly!

Thus, I'm known around the office now as the girl with food in her mouth.

Birth Control and Blessings

So, time for a more positive post than the last, depressing, self-loathing one. Eddie, bygones.

Yesterday I had a crappy afternoon, so I decided on a little retail therapy. I am not much of a shopper, which gets a gasp from my Mama and little Sis (and Bubba's Mom, who has a black belt in shopping), so this was a new thing, because I don't usually look at shopping as 'therapy.' When I need 'therapy' I usually head for my couch and don't move from there all night (just ask Bubba, he has to do everything these days). I blame the hormones. But, seeing as how I have ZERO to wear these days, thanks to my bulging belly that is definitely broadcasting to the world that I don't just have a beer gut, I need clothes. My closet is empty, and it's not even that big to begin with. So I took my happy self to one of 2 Gap stores in Manhattan that has a maternity section. Unfortunately the store I chose happens to be catty-corner from Macy's, and was a zoo. I forgot that it's back-to-school here on Wednesday, so the place was CRAWLING with kids and their mommies doing their last-minute shopping. Did I mention that the maternity section of this store also shares a dressing room with the kids department? Pigs' Sister commented on her blog about pregnancy symptoms being excellent birth-control. This experience would have been, too, except that everyone using that extremely small dressing room was already knocked-up or had kids, and the BC theory was lost on them.

When I got on the train to go home, laden with my purchases, I was joined one stop later by a woman holding on to the arm of a screaming, writhing toddler who clearly DID NOT want to get on this particular train. He proceeded to throw himself down onto the subway floor (ew, gross!) and kick and scream, making the rest of us who had to SHARE the car with him groan inwardly and wish we'd chosen another car to get into. Mommy did nothing while the child threw the tantrum, not even apologizing to the people her offspring kicked! I hate this kind of parenting, and was sitting there thinking 'My child will never do such things in public because s/he will KNOW better. I'm going to be a better parent than that.' The tantrum continued for 3 more stops, where they (thankfully) got off. Guess he wanted to take a cab. More birth control for Katie Bonk.

The 'Blessings' part of this post is that I felt the baby kick last night for the first time! I was laying there trying to go to sleep and felt what could only be described as a gas bubble that exploded inside. Like an inward fart. Gross, I know, but I don't know how else to describe it. But it was there! Happened several times, and I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep, and am thus extra sleepy today. I know this will soon turn into me groaning that the kid wakes up when I lie down, but for now, it's just super-cool.

I'm a Bad Person

I did a very bad thing today. I made my friend, who flew all the way here from Cleveland with her 9 month old to visit me, miss her flight home. I mis-read the damn train schedules and instead of getting there with 30 minutes to spare (after getting up at 6am), she is right now at Newark Airport (I HATE THAT PLACE!) with Bubba, missing her 10:10am flight. The next one is at 2:30. Yikes! Of course, the flight before was 2 hours later, and the flight after the 2:30 is 2 hours later, but no, the time between now and the next one is 4 hours. Of course. So, what is usually not a big deal, just a hassle that you have to sit in the airport, is now a huge problem. My friend is by herself. With a child. And needing to use her breast pump before noon. Which she can't do while holding a baby in the baby bjorn. By herself. In an airport with mean people who don't care if you missed your flight and will leak milk all over the place. Also? You can't take a breast pump through security. So she can't check her bag. Meaning she is there, by herself, with a tired baby who can't take a nap because there's so much to look at, so she's cranky. And did I mention the next flight isn't for another FOUR HOURS!?

So. That's the situation, and why my friend will never visit me again. I'm a terrible host, thinking the trains run every 10-20 minutes. HAH! Not on Sunday! Only two every hour, and they are 7 minutes apart, then nothing! Why? Why can't there be one every 30 minutes? Instead of 7 after the hour and 14 after the hour? What kind of sense does this make? Stupid NJ Transit. I hate New Jersey. (Sorry Eddie, but I do.)

I am at home, because it didn't make sense for both of us to take the effing train all the way out to Newark f%$^#& airport at a grand cost of $30 each. And Bubba went instead of me because I'm knocked up and can't help with the luggage. I feel like SUCH a heel. I have the butterflies-in-my-tummy, nervous-feeling thing going on, and just feel terrible. It's half my fault, half the MTA's fault for always having construction on the weekends, making the trains run and half-speed for about a mile and making our subway ride 35 minutes instead of 20-25!!! I just want to scream or cry, and for some reason, I am not doing either. I am typing about it instead. So stressed out, instead of enjoying a relaxing, rainy Sunday. This is why I don't fly out of Newark. Too big of a hassle, too much stress involved.

Utter Disrespect

Bubba and I went to the Yankees/Orioles game last night. We always make it there for the National Anthem (those of you who know Bubba well know that bad things happen if you don't!), and I continue to be amazed at the lack of respect people have for our National Anthem. Sure, they stand and take their hats off, but no one sings (they don't know the words) or puts their hand over their heart, and few people ACTUALLY look at the flag (I know, I've cheated and looked around out of curiousity and using my peripheral vision) throughout the entire song. I know it's challenging to sing (believe me, I'm a singer, I know), but come on, people! Show some respect! Your grandfather (who likely served his country in the armed forces at some point) would yell at you if he saw your behavior! This is nothing new, it happens at every event I've ever been to. But it still chaps my hide.

And then, THEN! The 7th inning stretch rolls around, and the Yankees have a moment of silence for our service men and women, then play God Bless America (thankfully no one sings it anymore). Been doing it since 9/11 (and frankly, I'm sick of it....just one more thing to squeeze in to an already too-long game). And EVERYONE takes their hats off and sings the ENTIRE song! Yes, it's easier to sing AND the words are simpler, AND they put them up on the jumbo-tron, but IT WAS WRITTEN FOR A BROADWAY MUSICAL AND IS NOT OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM!!! On top of all that, you ARE NOT required to remove your hat! Bubba removes his for the moment of silence, then puts it back on for the song (which I've started not singing out of protest). He actually got yelled at last night that it was disrespectful by some jack-ass behind us. He turned around and asked if it was our National Anthem, and the guy said 'everyone else is doing it!' which, frankly, is not the answer to the question. And, it shut him up pretty quick.

I have friends and family that have served or are currently serving in our armed forces, and I think they would agree with me that it is disrespectful to our country and to them to remove your cover (hat) for anything other than the National Anthem or the presentation of the Colors (which is basically what happens when we sing the National Anthem).

On a similar topic, Bubba attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Yankee stadium (which he's been working on the design for) yesterday morning. He said NO ONE took their hats off for the presentation of the Colors, by men and women actually in uniform! People sometimes surprise me with their ignorance.

Can you tell this REALLY chaps my hide? I suppose I should be used to it, but people never cease to amaze me. It brings up an interesting question....how many of YOU out there in cyber space actually know the words to the National Anthem and sing them (more or less) when it's played? How many of you know all the words to God Bless America? I hope you surprise me, but I'm not too optimistic.

Cravings

I'm craving Mexican food these days. Enchiladas, burritos, refried beans, salsa, tacos, tamales. You name it, I want it. Sounds yummy to my swelling tummy! The problem is that there is no good place except my own kitchen to find these items (except maybe the quac). The only place even remotely close that I'll actually go in to is Taco Bell, which does satisfy my taco and burrito needs. But for enchiladas, I have to make them at home. Which is not hard, but relatively time consuming, and I don't ever feel much like cooking a whole lot in the summer, as the kitchen is the warmest place in my apt.

So you Texans out there eat some good ol' Mexican food for me sometime this week. And think of my poor child who has to get by with Taco Bell. ~Sigh~

Inhumane?

Bubba and I walked to work yesterday morning behind a Great Dane. He was huge. H-U-G-E. Probably bigger than Bubba if he stood up, which I guess is normal for a Great Dane. But this is not something you normally see on a NYC sidewalk. Tiny dogs you can fit in your purse, a la Paris Hilton? Yes. Dogs that you KNOW weigh more than you? Not so much. Where in the hell do they put this dog? I think it's a crime to have big dogs in small apartments. And that's pretty much all that's left in NYC.

Inhumane, I tell ya.

It's Official!!

For those of you who have been in the dark, I'm pregnant! 14 weeks, to be exact. I figured it was time for me to come out of the closet. I'm sorry if you are just hearing this news now, please forgive me and continue to come visit!

This picture is my 12 week ultrasound. I'll get another on Sept. 19th to find the out the gender. So, for the time being, meet Baby B!

Edited for content....

(I had to edit this previous post because of sensitive info on the picture! Whoops!)

That's One I Haven't Seen Before

On our walk tonight in Riverside Park, I spied a RACCOON in a tree! That's right. A nocturnal animal known for foraging trash (guess that makes Manhattan his Gold Mine). Up in a pretty tall tree that no one I know could have climbed. It was dusk, an appropriate time for raccoon's to be out and about getting their breakfast, but still disconcerting considering we're in the middle of a huge city and it was out in the open. We stopped and stared, then went on about our business, like we normally do when we see anything strange in the city.

I wonder if it goes to visit it's 'Coon cousins in the country and tells them all his city stories?

Sex Ed., or Lack Thereof

Japruf wrote an interesting post yesterday (you might check it out before reading further, so you know what I'm talking about). It touched on a subject near and dear to my heart, the appalling lack of sex education to teens in school. I know this is a touchy subject, and we can go on and on about whether to preach Abstinence or Protection. But I think most of the women who read this blog (and hopefully some of the men, too) will agree that most of what we learn regarding how our bodies work, we most likely didn't learn in Health. How many of us sat in a classroom where the health class was taught by a man, and most often a coach? (I can only speak from the TX school system, so I hope those of you not educated in TX will chime in here.) It's like driver's ed....one of those classes the off-season coach gets to teach. That's not the point of this post, really, except to point out that most men don't really know how the female body actually works, so it's not really their fault that we don't learn it any sooner.

I guess my point is that whether you are on the Abstinence side or the Protection side, we can all agree that having all the information up front about pregnancy and STDs and the consequences of the choices you make is very important. I think it would help drive the point home that if you choose to mess around with sex and not protect yourself, you really are playing with fire. Granted, I think there is an age-appropriate time and place for learning this information, and I don't think my 7th grade health class would have been the best place. But, I think several of you out there would agree with me when I say that if I'd known in high school what I know now about the how wonderful and amazing 'machine' that is the female body works, and how finely tuned it has to be for everything to 'work' properly, I wouldn't have spent so much money on birth control over the past 10 years!

Another thing to point out is the fact that most of this information is a relatively recent discovery. I'd say within the last 100 years or so. Teen pregnancy is a sad but true reality, but the fact of the matter is that women have been having babies in their teens for centuries. 150 years ago, it was not uncommon for a woman to be married and have at least one baby before her 20th birthday. In fact, in certain societies, it was a social stigma to be un-wed after 20....you were deemed an old maid (the shame of it all!). Thank God we have moved past those times. But in light of the fact that kids are 'growing up' faster than ever, and have all of this information to learn and take in, we should keep up with the times and improve our methods and means of education.

Freakin' Weird

For a while now, Bubba and I have been finishing each other's sentences. Or he'll say something that I was JUST thinking and about to say. This is getting weird to me. Almost as if someone is invading my thoughts and I don't have one to myself anymore. Well, not really, but it's strange that we both have the same comment about things like...the girl walking down the street with HUGE tracks of land, or the fact that one of Bubba's Astros just made a big play in the outfield, or that we need milk from the store.

Guess that's what 5 years of marriage will do to you....make nothing you say to your spouse surprising anymore.

A Shift in Style

I walked in my office building today, and was followed by a woman who commented that she loved the dress I'm wearing. It is what you would call a 'shift' dress, not much shape, short, and very comfortable. (Not the most stylish these days, I realize that, but still. I like to wear them in the summer because they are just so damn cool....much more comfortable body-temperature wise than pants, and most men in my office would never comment on the seemingly-casual look because, after all, it is a dress.) Anyway, the amazing thing about the woman commenting about it is because it's most likely more than 5 years old, and I inherited it from my mom when she lost a lot of weight! It's still a little big on me, but in the hot and humid days of July in NYC, I don't really care that much. The woman also asked where I got it, and was shocked when I said "Gap, a few years ago." She said she thought it was a new style from Saks! Made me feel so stylish in my shift-dress.

Everlasting Gobstopper

I watched the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory last night on ABC Family. I had forgotten how much I enjoy that movie, even though I've seen it hundreds of times. My favorite part is when they first go in the 'candy' part of the factory, with the chocolate river, and Mr. Wonka sings 'Come with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination,' while sipping tea out of a daffodil then eating the cup when he's done. That song always makes me remember my childhood, and how much fun I had 'Playing Pretend.' I had a very active imagination, and sometimes I wonder what happened to it in adult-hood. Maybe when I have kids of my own I'll find it again.

~Sigh~

I'm at work today, on what SHOULD be a holiday, Monday, July 3rd. Not one of the 'big bosses' is at work today. Probably because they have more vacation than they know what to do with (I like to call these people Workaholics That Make The Rest Of Us Look Bad). It was so depressing to get on the [usually crowded] train today. Why do engineering firms INSIST on making their employees suffer? Not many other professionals are working today, why must we?

Bubba isn't even at work today, his firm gave him the day off because they've all been working so hard. Hmph. Guess we slackers over here at my firm haven't been. I'm sad that I don't get to hang around and do nothing with him today. Instead, I'm suffering here in boredom because I'm kind of at a cross-roads and my project manager isn't here to help enlighten me.

Oh well. In a sheer stroke of luck, I returned home from Texas to find out that we are going to have Summer Hours this summer for the first time ever! This is where you work 4 - 10 hour days and get a day off instead of 5 - 8 hour days. I've requested Friday off, so we'll see if I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to take Monday (40% of each department has to be here either Monday or Friday). Either way, YAY FOR ME!!!