ow.

well. autumn turned to winter and the holidays, and i missed my december and january posts. All was well with me, the hubby and the baby. Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and they've managed to freak me out completely.
I keep saying to myself, everyone complains about these things, they must be normal. But what if I'm wrong?
Anyway, apparently my baby isn't growing at a rate the doctors would like. As a rational non-pregnant person, I probably would have thought: it makes sense that he's small because I'm small. But as a pregnant woman, even the promise of getting another sneak peak at our little one in a third ultrasound is not worth all the worry.
I'm well aware that everything was fine, and then I went and had a roast beef sandwich (Deli meat is apparently a no-no for pregos), and now I'm going to worry that one stupid sandwich is going to harm my baby. I've made it so far, and now I'm wondering if I just shouldn't have listened to everyone else about how all my complaints were normal, and all pregnant woman go through them. I suppose this is also normal. ARGH!
Mostly I'm just worried about the baby. We don't have a name for him yet (oh - he's a "he" in case I hadn't mentioned that before), and it's so scary that I might not get to meet him at all. I don't think the doctors are that concerned, but this is the first, well second, cause for concern throughout my whole pregnancy.

And then there is work. There is so much work. Two of the four designers in our office quit, and we haven't been able to hire anyone else, or we have hired them and they can't handle the work. The other person in my office isn't there regularly, so it's basically me and our part-time receptionist who can't do any of the work that I do. Then our server died. DIED. As in, we lost all our information because drives weren't mirroring like they were supposed to and the backup tapes apparently haven't backed anything up since 2004. So, in addition to trying to keep up with work, I've got a new project of becoming the IT guru of our office. There have been many a panic attack lately, so it's good that I've been in the office by myself because I keep crying hysterically. Yes, I'm also aware that is a more than common side effect of pregnancy.

At least no random strangers have touched my belly yet. That would totally freak me out. ;)

Well, that was a nice venting session. I feel a little better. Also, wearing Chris' shirts helps because it's like getting an all-day hug. I can't wait for my maternity leave, which, in case anyone wants to countdown with me, begins March 3rd. :)

once a month is good...

Apparently my updates are now monthly. That's not very fun, but I'm sensing that other people's autumns are similarly busy.

I had another doctor's appointment last night - in the last month I've put on eight pounds. EIGHT pounds!!! In one month. Goodness! The Dr. said that's just my body playing catch-up from the first trimester where I lost weight, but it seems like a lot. She did suggest that I not continue to pack on eight pounds a month. No more chips for me. :(

I also started a pre-natal yoga class which is lots of fun except pregnant women fart and it's kind of hard for me not to giggle when it happens (to other people - I specifically don't eat beforehand so I won't have to do that!). Also, the room smells icky sometimes.

Other than that, I've just been working. It's really all I do and it's getting very frustrating. Apparently there was a sale on pedestals at the beginning of the school year and all the adults I have to deal with have been using theirs religously. I thought my reaction to people might be because of hormones, but other non-pregnant people agree with me - people are being downright mean. I think I just need to move off the east coast. :)

Our house is painted - FINALLY! All we have left is the nursery. Oh - and it's November and the praying mantis is STILL hanging out on our snake bush - it's amazing. It's been kind of warm, so I guess it's understandable. Also, our last rose just bloomed but is already starting to wilt. It's still nice to see that shocking pink color at Thanksgiving-time though!

Speaking of which, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy time spent with lots (or little!) of family, good food, and any other traditions you have or may be starting!

The luck of the... praying mantis?

There's a praying mantis on our mum, and on our snake bush (which is really just a boring green bush that I want to take out, but won't because there is a family of snakes that prefers it for a sun spot in the summer, ergo the name snake bush). It's been there for a couple of days now, and I greet it each morning, and bid it good night in the evening. My sister says it's good luck, which is really a nice thought, but I'm doubtful as to the authenticity of her statement. Please, feel free to prove her right. Just don't tell me it's a harbinger of evil. Thanks!

That was just a nice prelude to this entry, which is really about my sister, family members and friends. I'm having a tough time right now... I don't really speak to my mother very often; I haven't since she and my father divorced a few years back. The way I see it, she did what she needed to do - she got out of what she thought was a bad marriage, and did what she wanted to do, which is become active in the church (that's a whole other story). But the way three of four of me and my siblings feel is that when she walked out on my dad, she left her kids behind to. So I FINALLY told my mother she was going to be a grandmother, and she did what she always does, which is turn the story around so that it's about her. I won't go into detail, because the real issue I am encountering is that she didn't offer to help. No: I'll come visit and make you dinner, or help you clean - or even just sit there with me when I don't want to be alone. NOTHING.

My sister, who I am very close with, calls frequently and even sent a cute little toy. I told her the other night that I'm feeling kind of lonely - she lives 12 hours away, my closest friends are all at least an hour away, even Chris' mom is an hour away, and she has her mom and her husband's mother, both of whom are in declining health, to take of right now. So I'm lonely. That's all. I don't want people to pity me - I just want them to be here. Chris keeps saying everyone should visit us now so I can rest (he's a good Chris... he's trying really hard), but everyone is so busy. Which I understand, because I'm really busy too; I guess it's just the emotions. It would also help, probably, if I INVITED people to come see me, instead of just waiting for them to offer. I think I'll start there.

And this too...

I haven't forgotten that's it's September 11th. This has been a tough day for me since 2001, and I've never been able to write about it. Which is how it's going to stay. But I would like to direct you all here:
http://www.tomatonation.com/amertune.shtml
This is good. Thank you.

Re-Wind

LOTS has happened! All good, thankfully. I'll go in date order, because I can't remember anything without looking at a calendar.

9/2 - I met my sister in Va. Beach for the 1/2 marathon we were supposed to run that Sunday. She didn't know about my pregnancy or that I wasn't running, so she was quite shocked (and happy) when I told her the truth.
And it goes a little something like this:
Bis Sis' and I are out for a big pre-race pasta dinner. Drinks arrive, before Big Sis can take a sip, I say, "Wait, I have a toast. Here's to good news and bad news. The bad news is that I'm not running tomorrow (insert Big Sis looking like she is going to strangle me at this point). The good news is you are going to be an Aunt!!"
Needles to say, she was caught off guard, but once the initial surprise wore off, she was very excited. She can't decide if she wants to be called "Auntie (On-tee)" or "Auntie (Ant-tee)," though.
We also called my oldest brother, who owns a bar. He wasn't there are first, so I left a message saying that Big Sis and I had a secret to tell him. He called back and he liked my secret! I told him I didn't want to call at night because I didn't want him to be responsible for giving the whole bar a drink on the house!

9/5 - MY FIRST ULTRASOUND!!!!
This was one of the most surreal moments of my life. The technology is absolutely amazing. Baby Mouse is healthy and happy - he/she waved at us! One little leg was crossed over the other one, and I commented to Chris: "Look, that's just the way I lay on the couch!" The technician took some pictures, and I look at them all the time. I love my baby! The tech also said she would give us an educated guess on what the gender is, even though it's better to wait to the 20th week. As soon as she put the camera thingy (I myself am quite technical, can't you tell) on my belly, she said, "Oh! I can tell you what the gender is if you want to know!" So, Chris and I know what we are having, but we are waiting until the 20th week to find out for sure. I'll let you, dear readers, vote as to whether or not you would like to know now.

9/10 - Grandparents' Day
My dad came for dinner, and as soon as he walked in the door I gave him a homemade card with an ultrasound picture on it that said "Happy Grandparents' Day to the Best Grandpa-to-be in the World!!!" It took him five seconds to comprehend what it was and then say, "Really?" He too, was shocked (At first he was more shocked that my sister kept the secret for a whole week. One of her nicknames is Mouth.). But once he got over the shock and was able to put the U/S picture away (they make him nervous), he was also very excited. Then I got to call my grandma and tell her, and she was the most excited out of anyone! That made me so happy, I love my grandma very, very much (Why do I all of sudden sound (read?) like I'm five?). So the only immediate family members who don't know are my other brother (who I am closest with, so it's odd I haven't told him yet), and my mother (who I'm not close to at all), and I'll take care of that soon. We also have to tell Chris' mom and sister.

HA - now my plan of world dominance (for at least the next six months) is underway!

mi mi mi mi mi mi

This is the trimester that never ends,
it just goes on and on my friend.
Someone opened saltines not knowing what it was,
and they'll continue munching saltines forever just because
this is the trimester that never ends...

A brief interruption

Since this blog is supposed to be about my pregnancy and all, I thought I'd mention that we had a doctor's appointment last night. We got to hear the heartbeat and the doctor said that everything sounds/feels great! Neither of those sentences appropriately conveys my excitement, but oh well. I'm eating rice for dinner, so it's only fitting that my blog also be bland.

I also told my work today. I typed out a little work plan entitled: Danger Mouse's Pregnancy Work Plan. My boss looked at it, read it out loud, and then asked: "Wait. Does this mean you're pregnant?" FYI, the second line of the document said: Due Date: 3/18/07. Heehee. And he has four kids... But, everyone at work was very excited for me, and they said that for the first couple of months, as an alternative to paying for child care, I could bring the baby to the office with me!!! (I know that's just because they want me there working, but hey, it's still a great deal.) This is after my six weeks post-delivery that I have off, and I got a raise too! Please note that if the baby has colic as I did, neither of us will be going to the office.

So, all in all, I've had a wonderful two days. :)

And, Chris helped me remember what we did the rest of the time in Munich, so I promise that is coming up soon!

After an attempted delay...

What I Did on My Summer Vacation...

Day 1:
Planes and Automobiles... somewhere in there we crossed multiple time zones, bringing us to the actual day 1 upon our late arrival in Frankfurt, where we ran to make out next flight, which had of course changed gates, so we ran a little more. I had absolutely no problem sleeping from Frankfurt to Munich, except for that turbulence bit. I'd never actually heard a person scream on a plane before!

So... we arrive in Munich. After picking up our rental car, we realize that Chris left the map and the directions to our hotel on our kitchen table. Do we ask for directions? Nooooo, we simply drive around and get lost in Dachau before finding a map so we can get back to the airport.

Cue: "They Got Lost" by They Might Be Giants

(I'm trying to make a soundtrack to go with the story lest some find it boring or uniteresting, in which case, said people could also stop reading. so nyah.)

Eventually we find our hotel and nap for a bit before going to the Italian restaurant next door, where I had yummy gnocchi and a banana split. Then back to bed.

Day 2:
In Which We Learn How to Read German Road Signs... which are mostly in English, but don't really have exit numbers, but rather, you just keep going to towards the town you need. Anyway, we drove into Munich, ate lunch and walked all over the place... Marienplatz... Altes and Neues Rathouse, a lot of little shops... then we came back home. Our plan was to go to the English Gardens, but it kept raining whenever we walked in that direction, and then our parking ran out. I did buy a swatch watch with little squirrels running all over with acorns!!!

Cue: "Bus Stop" by The Hollies

More days to follow - I seriously cannot remember what we did for two out of the ten days, I'll ask Chris tonight! :)