Simply Having A Wondeful Christmastime

Last week I had a very exciting moment: I won something! From a blog! For the first time ever! And to make it even more special it was something for baby bean: Belly Buds. Just in case you haven't heard of these (I mean, get with it), they are like little headphones that attach onto my belly and allow the babe to hear awesome music. We can even listen to the same music at the same time! Pretty sweet, huh?! Also, it came from a wonderful lady in SF who is expecting her little lady any day now. So that was awesome.

Since we're uber sentimental and all, the first song we played for bean was our wedding song: Today by Joshua Radin. It's a good one. And if I knew how to link to it, I would. But I don't. And since our bestests were in town for the "event," babe was also forced (just kidding!) to listen to several WSP songs. All in all, a good playlist I'd have to say. The whole thing was quite special and surprisingly emotional.

Anyway, I am so super duper stoked to go home for Christmas tomorrow! Yippee! I haven't been home to my parents house for Christmas for the past two years and I hope that doesn't have to happen again. Sadcakes. This whole holiday sharing thing gets confusing, but let's just get pumped for this year, okay!

I wish you all a joyful, merry-filled, and hopeful holiday season!

Baby Mamas

Just in time for Christmas, our house is ALMOST done being poked and cut and painted and prodded. Almost. 9 months later, we officially have no more roof leaks! It's a Christmas miracle. I hope the weekly mental/emotional breakdowns can take a hiatus for a while. I think Fiji was getting a little worn out from it all. There's still more work to be done and little things here and there that need to be fixed up, but we can use every room in our house and even walk around barefoot (if it weren't freezing cold, that is) if we so choose. WHEW.

Yesterday was a big productive Sunday that started off with my prenatal yoga class (followed immediately by church, errands, cookie-baking, present-wrapping, baby-room-organizing, etc.). I'm not exactly sure what maternal instincts are kicking in, but I have had this intensely strong desire to cultivate a community lately. A community of like-minded folks in the parents-to-be category. I never realized that it would be such a challenge.

I go to several different prenatal exercise/yoga classes each week and have continued to be disappointed and/or frustrated by the coldness and competitiveness I find there. It's not at all a group of glowing and supportive pregnant ladies encouraging one another. It's like a big old judgment stew of ladies with rotund bellies. Not even any smiles! I just don' get it. I'm sure a big part of it is the yuppie/competitive neighborhood we live in, but I SO wish it didn't have to be this way. It makes me sad. These classes could offer so much more. I've heard great things about other yoga studios that focus mainly on pre/post-natal stuff, but I already pay to go to my gym and the classes are included and, oh yeah, it's like 3 blocks away. I would think that of any time in your life to open yourself up and share your experience with others, pregnancy would be the time. Even for occasionally (FINE, most of the time) anti-social me. But apparently NOT. Guess they never got the memo.

When I got home Sunday morning, discouraged instead of rejuvenated by my yoga sesh, I explained (aka complained) to Fiji about all this and asked him if he thought I was also setting off the closed-off, cold, uninterested vibe. He (correctly) answered No. But he did encourage me to start making the "first move." Scary! So that's my goal for next time--say hi. Too bad it'll be NEXT YEAR! Ah well. TwentyTen is going to be an awesomely incredible life-altering year.

In other news, 4 days until Christmas!! And Baby, it really IS cold outside.

p.s. Bean is the size of a bag of flour. WHAT.

Butternut

We had our 29 week appointment last night and all is well. Babe's heartbeat is right around 140 and I'm measuring right on time too. Go bean. I also had my gestational diabetes test which meant that I had to fast all afternoon and then drink a rather large bottle of peach nectar (for the high-sucrose content) 45 minutes prior to my meeting and then get my blood drawn. It was my "lucky" day as there was a midwife-in-training in our meeting and she got to PRACTICE drawing blood. On ME. For her FIRST time. Isn't that nice? She declined the opportunity at first (which I fully and openly supported since she looked SCARED), but apparently I have "perfect veins"--lucky for her I always said no to all those intravenous drug offers, huh--and me and my perfect veins (I just had to mention that again) were too good to pass up. All in all, pretty painless. Then Fiji got to feel the baby's BRAIN. Well, technically the head. FINE. So that was pretty awesome.

This week the babe is the size of a butternut squash which I find to be totally and completely adorable. It's so cute it hurts. The brain development is picking up and BILLIONS of neurons are being produced in the brain, so I really have to get on my fish-eating. We want a smart babe, you know!? We also finally signed up for our birthing classes that start next month. Nothing like leaving all the learning for the end. We're winging it! (Just kidding, I've read like a million books. Don't even worry about it.) I'm really looking forward to this chance to meet other parents-to-be slash bean's-best-friends-to-be. (Sidenote: I talked to a preg lady at the gym, breaking my long-lasting gym muteness. Yay me.)

In other non-related news, our house is like THISCLOSE to being returned to a functional state of living. After a full week of eating, sleeping, and hanging out in one measily area of the house (i.e. our bed. literally. just the bed.), we can now move back into the rest of the house and start putting the pieces of our lives back together. I think this calls for a collective cheer of some sort...Or, maybe just a round of a applause. (No golf claps either--really get into it!) Ready? GO!

Gentle Words

For some reason I decided to venture into the office today after weeks of working-at-home status and it just happens to be the coldest day of the not-yet-even-winter-season. 20 below wind chill, as the radio announcer reported this morning. But to be honest, it felt good to ride the train and read my "gentle birth, gentle mothering" book as the middle-aged man seated across from me looked quizzically at the title. Part of me fully understands the curiosity--I am a curious being after all--while the other part of me would like to tell him to flip off and "MYOB*" (which I like to teasingly declare to the Feej when he asks innocent-yet inquisitive-questions about my day). There is just something about being a part of this anonymous city community that I simultaneously desire and despise. Not my only dichotomous personality trait.

When I went to fill my water at the office water cooler, I found it dry. Nothing much has changed around here. Although loading the new jug was certainly more of a challenge for this 7-month-pregster-mcgee.


I feel quiet and contemplative today and listening to this one song (Freelance Whales, Generator^First Floor) on repeat makes me want to write and write and write. Letters to friends whose addresses have long been lost, cards to new friends just to say hi from across town, notes to baby where the most-used word is sure to be amazed, messages to my lovely family that I don't get to see nearly as much as I'd like, and post-its to my forever love.


*Mind Your Own Business. Clearly.

Cauliflower Head

27 weeks, 2 pounds, 14 1/2 inches, and about the size of a head of cauliflower. (Which, unfortunately for me--and now you--reminded me immediately of the unsightly wrestler's cauliflower ear. Hope the bean doesn't go the wrestling route...I just can't get behind that sport.) Doesn't that seem, um, quite LARGE to anyone else? Eeesh. Cauliflower might be one of my least favorite vegetables, alongside the ever-despised brussel sprouts and the not-really-a-vegetable yet ever-trendy mushrooms. Try as I might, I just can't get on board the mushroom train. SORRY.

This morning I slept all the way until 4am--yay me. WTF. I got out of bed around 5 this time and again went with the age-old (slash 2-day old) remedy of watching a romantic comedy OnDemand and PRESTO! back to sleep in no time. I was planning to read, but I just couldn't bring myself to turn on the lights. It was just TOO early. I even ate my bowl of cereal in the dark. Not the smartest idea since I already spill things on myself and everywhere else when all the lights are on and it's bright and sunny. It's just my gift.

I also promised the baby I would start singing to it, which probably isn't the best idea given my "kickass" singing voice. That's why I listen to bands and am not IN one. Then I promised I would start playing my guitar again. If I can find it. Not sure what's up with me and all the promise-making, but I refuse to begin this relationship already breaking promises, so I best be getting to it.

Oh, and also--baby hiccups are like THE cutest thing ever. I DIE.

Prenatal YogaBitch

I had a great yoga session today. And yes, despite my title, I'm being completely serious. As we were practicing our breathing at the end (I forget what it's called, Manyasa?), I really started envisioning my labor and breathing like the ocean (is this getting too deep?) and letting the breath sorta flow in and out of me and even my breathing started sounding like the waves crashing. (That may or may not have been because my ear was crushed up against my arm, kinda like a seashell.) And whoa, I just reread what I have written so far and I'm scared. Of myself. Anyway, it was nice.

BUT then! Then! At the end of class we were briefly talking about our due dates and such and the other lady in my class is due on Christmas and was complaining about her daughter's potential birthday and her friends not being around for her party, and how she's probably going to hate it. And I was all (high from all that oxygen), "but maybe she'll love it and I'm sure it will be special no matter what." Which, whatever, sometimes I just should opt to NOT talk. But still. I was just trying to be KIND and POSITIVE. And then basically she goes, "Well, the month of March (which we had JUST discussed is when MY child is due) is like the WORST month around here." I just stood there somewhat stunned at her comment as she walked out of the studio. Um, uncalled for much?! WTF. I'm not getting upset about it or anything* because, let's be honest, March in Chicago isn't like the best weather or anything. But the odds are somewhat stacked against us here when winter lasts about 8 months or so. Good thing we don't plan to live in Chicago forever. BUT. Even if we did, SHUT YOUR FACE LADY.

*unless wanting to punch someone in the neck counts as "getting upset about it," because in that case...maybe just a smidge.

Thanksgiving Recap: Just for the Record

This year we had a quiet and quite lovely Thanksgiving, just the two of us. I'm sure that will probably be the last time we can say that for many, many years. We brined and roasted our turkey, made stuffing, and I randomly (and at the last minute) decided to make macaroni & cheese with broccoli from scratch (and in the process I also made my first roux because I am unknowingly awesome). While dinner was delicious, we did manage to kinda screw up each dish in it's own, unique slash minor way. We're just keepin' it real over here, folks. The (underspiced) mac'n'cheese took wayyyyyy longer than I expected, therefore the turkey sat out and got a little dry, and then I had to go and overspice the stuffing. So all that happened. However, we're still eating the leftovers (in fact, I just ate them for lunch) and I swear they're way better now than ever. Thanksgiving WIN! The best part about our Thanksgiving meal was the hash that the hub made the morning after. And then the morning after that. Now THAT was delish.

Here, take a looksee:

(Please note the best part of the meal: the sparkling cider in my champagne glass. I die. And yes, I drank the whole bottle. BOOZEHOUND. Also note the crackling fire. Please do not note the blanket covering up half our room...we are living in a construction zone. DEWAI.)

(Also of note: my over-medium egg--it was jubilantly enjoyed even though I'm not supposed to be eating OM eggs anymore. FINE.)

This past weekend was also the first time that I felt SUPER uncomfortable and politely asked the Feej to maybe just take the baby out--just for a minute!. He did not oblige. I just wanted a little breather. No biggie. I'm also back on the insomnia kick. Sucktown USA. I woke up at 3am on Tuesday morning (if you can even CALL that morning) and just couldn't get back to sleep. I mean, I was WIDE AWAKE. I tossed and turned, which is actually more like carefully and slowly pushing myself to roll from one side to the other while grunting (like the lady that I am). It's hard to turn! And to toss! Very time-consuming. Anyway, I woke up and couldn't for the life of me fall back asleep and finally got up and out of bed around 4:30am and tried to occupy myself. In the process I woke Fiji up (accidentally), so at least he could somewhat keep me company although he was working and I was lying on the couch searching for an OnDemand movie. Basically the same thing. Geez this story is getting off track. Basically sleeping is hard. The end. Bye.