Travelers Return for Week 18

Yesterday, Zeus and I gladly returned home. We were ready to sleep in our own quiet house in our nice comfortable bed. Zeus' first stop was the dog yard which I found kind of funny since he had gone potty a few times that day already. Then he got a flea bath. P gave him another one tonight because he's still scratching.

I hit the ground running at work today and put in nearly 10 hours before I went to an after-work meeting. Luckily, Maureen provides good snacks, so Potus and I didn't suffer. Had a light salad supper, because I feel super stuffed by the end of the day. I think I had a little too much salt in my soup today and am retaining more water than usual.

Our trip was very good, even if we did do more driving than visiting. Still, I was able to spend some quality time with my sisters and parents. Visited with the Flamingos and saw some old friends at the baby shower. Even made a trip to big D to visit Aunt d. She treated me to yummy cheese enchiladas, which was my primary food objective on the trip. Sister C and I logged a lot of walking in super hot Fredericksburg for a couple of days. We did actually go into the stores we'd previously dismissed. But, we really only bought food and a Christmas party dress for me. I've been obsessing (quietly) about what to wear to this party that is about 2 weeks after my due date. I figure I'm about the size I'll be then, so last week was the perfect time to try stuff on. It's not super fancy, but it's flattering, forgiving, and I believe washable and wearable for many future occasions. All in all, the kind of purchase that is highly satisfying.

The baby shower was nice, co-ed, and not really like a baby shower at all, except for the gifts. People I hadn't seen in years were very generous and made a good sized dent in the list of "must-haves". I'll go through the registries and make sure what we got is marked off.

Zeus got to visit lots of dogs too. He met a couple at the rest stops, had a minor flirtation with a boxer in a massive truck on the highway, and after a rough start, became best friends with his goofy Cousin Sam. Sam is a largish black and white shelter dog of unknown parentage with a super sweet and klutzy temperament. He thinks he's a little dog, which makes it a little awkward when he tries to crawl in your lap. He's also very playful, which meant Zeus had a ready play buddy. Zeus thinks he's a big dog, but found the spinning butt move he uses in scuffles with his sister to be utterly ineffective against Sam's greater height and weight. Later, Zeus met Aunt d's menagerie, but didn't quite hit it off with any of them like he did with Sam. I think he would have gotten along with Bubba the Cat though, had they a longer acquaintance.

We missed the Week 17 update, since the little rental house didn't have wi-fi as promised. However, at Week 18, which begins tomorrow, Potus should be about the size of a bell pepper. Started feeling more pregnant today. It could have been all the salt, but it could just be about time. I believe I felt Potus quicken when we went bowling about a week and a half ago. The fireworks at the picnic also got a pretty major response. So, the kid is either going to be terrified of loud noises or a drummer.

Century Mark & Road Trippers

Today is the BIG party of the family business' 100 year celebration. P is running around like mad trying to solve last minute snafus and reset things after the 70 mph winds from last night's two storms. Apparently, there is the world's largest non-circus tent out there at the picnic grounds. At least, we're hoping it's still intact.... It's got 12 peaks! I've heard the food will be fabulous, but with Strongbow catering, how could it be otherwise? To top it all off, almost all the company employees are coming with their families. And, the International staff and sales teams are here in force. All told, there should be around 1100 folks there tonight. And, a really extensive fireworks show at the end (yippee!).

Tomorrow, Zeuser and I embark on an ambitious journey of 1200 miles (20 hours) to Texas. He's going to meet his cousin Sam and I'm going to enjoy a little R&R with the family and celebrate a couple birthdays. There's also a baby shower tucked in there for the Texas contingent. My last trip was in March, right before we confirmed the pregnancy. So, this is a semi-spontaneous trip because I don't know when my next visit down will be. Before, we'd planned to fly down for Dad's graduation in December and Christmas a couple weeks later. Now, it largely depends on Potus' temperament.

I hope to catch a nap between my hospice shift and the picnic. Who knows how long the fireworks will last tonight, and with our ambitious departure of 6 am tomorrow, I'd like to start 12 hours of driving off fully rested.

16 Weeks

Today marks 4 months. We went to our doctor appointment this afternoon and got to hear Potus' heartbeat again. P even remembered to record the heartbeat a little before they set me off laughing. Basically, we checked on when I need to stop flying/traveling (34 weeks). If I needed to do anything to prevent the awful calf cramps from waking me up (runner's stretch before bed and extra potassium). And, if he had any words of caution before I started using the prenatal yoga dvd. Since Potus is a mover and a shaker (very positive), Dr. W had trouble pinning down the location, but because there was a heartbeat, we're still on track for our ultrasound next month. I just need to schedule it in the morning.

So, now we're just waiting around again. Tomorrow, Zeus & I embark on our Fabulous Road Trip to Texas. With an estimated 20 hours in the car (each way) plus assorted potty and sustenance breaks, I really HOPE it's fabulous. We plan to leave early Sunday and reach Austin Monday evening. With luck, we'll miss the worst of rush hour, although IH-35 from Dallas to Austin is one giant traffic jam. Cross your fingers.

I've also touched base with a couple recent and soon-to-be Moms I know from High School on Facebook. They made a few recommendations, not least of which are to avoid Motherhood Maternity clothes, find good bras, lotion & eat lots of fiber. The fiber really isn't a problem with my vegetarian diet. And, the bras aren't really an issue at this point, although a girl can dream.

If any other moms have suggestions or tips, please comment below. All advice is welcome here.

Notice

This morning I gave notice to my boss that I wasn't coming back from maternity leave. He seemed relieved and grateful to know. Although I'm just shy of 4 months, that gives them hopefully sufficient time to find a good candidate. Because they need someone in place and ready to roll by the time I leave around Mid-November. I'm guessing that means bringing someone in mid-September so they have a chance to experience the joys of the annual newsletter, hopefully, the open house, and a few brochures before I leave them on their own. So much has changed since I started 5 years ago. The pace has picked up and the level expected on most RFQ's has become pretty high in terms of quality of information.

So, if you know any graphic designers or marketing professionals looking for an entry-mid level job with a Northwest Indiana architecture firm have them contact me. I have to work out a job description, but that's the basics.

I was pretty conflicted about telling work. Even though we're sharing now, I've still heard too many stories of people losing babies at 5 and 7 months, so I wanted to keep my options open for another month or so. However, my husband convinced me that it would be better to get it out in the open so my employer can prepare. They've been very good to me thus far, so the least I can do is give them the courtesy of time to prepare. And, I would hope that if anything happens (knock on wood) before they hire someone else, they would let me stay.

Week 15

Today marks the beginning of week 15. One more week until the 4 month check-up. I'm supposed to have gained 5-10 pounds. We'll have to go with the doctor's scale because I show 3-4 on my home scale. Today I realized I may have to start splitting up my meals a little bit more. I had lentil soup, salad (admittedly a good sized one), crackers and cheese for lunch and it feels like Thanksgiving. I've already got 1st and 2nd breakfast. So now, it looks like I need a pre-lunch snack at 10:30-11.

A friend at Kappa last night suggested these movable buttons "as seen on TV" that they have at Kmart. I'm pretty sure I'm about past being able to squeeze into regular jeans, but I may look for them as a back up. Part of me also wants to invest in a belly band which kind of converts your pre-pregnancy pants into modest maternity wear.

I do need to find some looser yoga type pants to wear on my upcoming road trip though. (And, for if I ever make time for yoga.) Right now, the most comfortable clothes I own are dresses, a pair of insanely large sweat pants my sister got me when she worked at Nike, and a yoga waist jersey skirt that I wish I could clone.

Tonight, I went to a daycare Open House for the new Growing Kids Learning Center that is opening a half mile away from our home. It looks like it'll be a very nice facility. I especially like the flexible late hours. Their hours are 6:30am - 11:30pm. They have spots for 8 infants. But, they only do full time care for infants. No part-time care. So, for $195/week, we could put our child in daycare. Assuming we get through on the waiting list. So, the damage isn't as bad as I'd thought, but that's still a major chunk of my income. Lots of food for thought.

Yoga Mama

So this afternoon, I finally viewed the Shiva Rea "Safe & Effective Prenatal Practice" Yoga dvd I've been sitting on for a while. It had fairly decent reviews. I like that it has "models" for each trimester and doesn't waste time explaining positions. She does use a lot of props; blankets, straps, blocks, chairs, etc. It's also broken into smaller segments, but I'll probably do it as one big 50 minute chunk. A few other suggested dvds were, "Yoga Journal and Lamaze Present: Yoga for Your Pregnancy" and "Crunch Yoga Mama - Prenatal Yoga". Both are much shorter, but supposedly a little more challenging, although the Yoga Journal one reportedly has more explanation about the poses. So, I guess I'll start with the one I have and see if I can insert it to my already crammed routine and investigate the others if I start to get bored. There's also a "donations only" yoga class at the local arboretum Saturday mornings starting tomorrow, so I'll try that out if I can get motivated enough. I've taken classes from this teacher before, so I know she'll show modifications for pregnancy if I catch her before class.

And So It Begins

Our sleepy tale begins with a boy, a girl, and a broadband connection. Fast forward 6 and a half years and said boy and girl are now husband and wife with a small family of furry critters in a big house. They want to add more two legged critters to even things up a bit and one day their wish comes true. The girl is pregnant. Several nail-bitten weeks later (12 exactly), they begin sharing the news with family and friends. Everyone is delighted except perhaps one of the girl's coworkers who is rightly afraid of what this might mean for his mental health. Soon-to-be grandparents begin planning trips and what their official grandparent names will be. Future aunts contemplate moving cross-country. The happy couple gets offers of hand-me-downs, babysitting, and name suggestions. Everyone wants to keep updated. Now, at week 14, E, the mother-to-be suddenly begins to look a little pregnant and feels that maybe elasticized pants are finally justified. E has been fortunate not to suffer from morning/afternoon/evening sickness. However, she eats constantly and doesn't feel like she's gaining any weight. The father-to-be, P, begins to contemplate the future. Budgets become more than mere exercises. Life insurance is considered and purchased. Stroller reviews and carseats are contemplated. Time moves slowly. Stay tuned for updates....