Saving for a Flying Day

I broke down and purchased my airline tickets this weekend. It was terrible! I've never paid so much for airline tickets before. I suppose I should just be grateful they weren't more than what they were (over $400). The car rental was easy and inexpensive, thank goodness. I already had my hotel arrangements, so everything is finally done. In fact, today is the day my dress is supposed to be ready. Won't it be interesting, trying it on now!

Hooray! I'm so happy that the funding for PBS came through. I actually wrote my congressman and expressed my distress over the proposal last week. It was good to see that the public was heard and congress restored the funding. There's so much garbage on t.v. these days that I really worried about what my daughter would watch (during those times when she is allowed to watch t.v.). She has video tapes and DVDs, but they get reptitive. In the morning, the easiest thing to do (after all the chores are done and she's eating her morning snack) is to turn on PBS Kids and have Arthur or Clifford on. Good quality shows, where I know she'll actually learn something while being entertained. Again, I am thrilled the programming is sticking around.

The weekend was good. I saw Batman Begins yesterday and was utterly impressed. I've always liked Christian Bale, but he was superb in this opening to the new franchise. Hooray for good actors and writers! I don't think that the Quatro Fantasticos (The Fantastic Four)will be up to this caliber, but should be entertaining enough. I'll go to see that as well.

I thought I saw my stomach move yesterday, when I felt some flutters. Are they turning into real kicks already? It might be a bit early or it could have been a muscle twitch, but it was sure cool to see.

Why can't I find a decent price?!

It's been days of checking, checking and rechecking with no success. I'm supposed to be in Nashville in two weeks, and I cannot for the life of me find a RT less than a king's ransom. What is going on? What's crazy is that just last year, I managed to snag a great flight for my girlfriend (the same girlfriend I, myself am going to see). It's making me nuts! I've got one more day before I'm officially pushing it. I'll be on the computer tonight, checking on rates and praying to God that I don't have to hock any jewelry to go. What a mess! I've been looking since late April with no luck at all. I'd say I wasn't mean to go but, dammit...I've already bought my dress! Fitting or not, I'm going to be there. Perky or not, I'm going to be there (and I guess broke or desolate, I'm going to be there).

The roundness factor increases daily and the nausea is kind of there, but not really. It's still not like my first pregnancy. I'm thinking that I want to go swimming today, but I'm not sure if I'll have the energy to keep up with my totally hyper daughter. Maybe I'll wait until tomorrow night. I know I don't want to go on the weekend because everybody and their granddad will be there.

I'll keep hoping for a miracle with these tickets. I really don't want to pay over $300, but it's looking more and more like I'm going to have to. I'll keep checking, and checking and praying.

A Restful Weekend

I spent the weekend sleeping in (which I never do) and taking naps. It was bliss! I also ate a lot. I'm still eating...all the time. I feel like I just shovel the food in but thankfully, most of it is good food. I actually wanted an apple this weekend and ended up mooching it from my daughter. I need to go buy some. It's seems to be one of the few sweet items I can stand. Everything else makes me ill.

I'm going to have a hard time getting through the next couple of weeks, I just know it. I've had a day off for the past three weeks for one reason or another. These next couple will be hot and long. I'll try to withstand what I can, but it's hard when there's nothing to look forward too (except, of course, the up and coming fourth of July holiday and my trip out of town, if I can ever find a cheap enough ticket). We'll see what becomes of that issue in the next few days. I'm down to the wire.

I was watching Family Guy and American Dad last night and was really marveling at how they "take it there" with their jokes. It's really outstanding how much they're getting away with and the comedy is truly clever, but I'm very glad that my little one is sound asleep in bed when these shows come on. Most of the references, I don't think she'd get but others...I really wonder how many questions parents are getting from their older children.

I want to give myself something to look forward to this week, but I don't know if we'll have time for swimming or even if I'll have the energy for it. Restaurants have become pretty standard, so no excitement there. I'm not sure what to do. Oh, well. I guess I just wait patiently through the next two weeks (and watch my belly expand).

The Surreal Sets In

It's really amazing! When I had the ultrasound on Wednesday, I guess I hadn't fully excepted that I am, indeed, a pregnant lady again. Then, we saw that little baby kicking and moving furiously, her/his little heart pounding. It was miraculous. My daughter and hubby were in total awe and asked lots of questions. I was happy that they were so into the experience.

That evening, we ran into lots of trouble, mainly with trying to get our crap-heap of an evaporative cooler going. Well, the dang thing was broken so, hubby and a neighbor tossed the heap onto the ground outside then hauled up a new one to install. Just when we thought all was well, the pump wouldn't work. Ughh! It was 90 degrees on Wednesday and about 99 in our house. It was so unbearable I thought I would die! By 11:00 pm, we'd sort of given up and called it quits, leaving on the cooler in hopes that some cool air would get us. (There are some obvious electrical troubles with it. Hubby called our neighbor last night to try and get him back over to help. I hope that, between the two of them, they can fix it before it really starts to scorch this summer).

Despite all that, the household has been in happy spirits, eagerly anticipating the new arrival (which isn't due to arrive until January 12th. Remember what I said? I knew it! The date didn't change at all...such is my luck). Anyway, who knows. The baby will come when she's/he's good and ready.

I'm anxious for the weekend, not so much for any plans I've made (which there are none) but for the time to sleep, sleep, sleep. Sleeping has become my favorite pastime, next to watching the Golden Girls. I absolutely love that show! I've also been heavily fixated with Miami Vice episodes. What a great show that was. Great writing, great acting and of course pastels a plenty.

Leaving in a Few

I'm off to my ultrasound in about ten minutes (well, I'm off to pick up the babe, then home, then to the doctor's office). I'm a little nervous, but also excited. I really want a "firm" date to go on and I also want to know that (so far) all is well. I know that they can't tell much from this early, but I'm anxious to hear whatever they have to say. :-)

The Bag Lady

For as long as I can remember, I've always been one to carry lots of bags. Not because I want to, but because I always have a ton of stuff. Sometimes, the bag carrying gets totally out of control and I start having back troubles. I get sick of it, trade in my suitcase of a purse for a tiny one and refuse to bring anything anywhere. Well, with the pregnancy settling in, I've been hungry, hungry, hungry. I had to stop at Wally World this morning and pick up a few supplies (something I'll probably need to do once a week, to keep the office cabinet stocked). Anyway, I bought frozen pancakes and ready-to-serve bacon for breakfast, juice for sipping throughout the day, and popcorn for snacking. All of this in the convenience of two, very large Wally World bags. Of course, I also had my purse to carry as well as my lunch bag. Nice. I'm lugging all this "stuff" around, along with about three extra pounds up front. What a moron!

Hopefully, I won't have to do that too often. I can't afford to have any back troubles right now. So far, the baby isn't putting too much strain where that's concerned, but I do feel tired quickly and need to sit down much more often. Can't sit down comfortably when you're carrying twenty bags now, can you?

The evening was kind of rough. The commute home was filled with accident after accident. I didn't get home until a quarter to 6 (and I left here at 4:25) Yikes! The thing that irritates me to no end is that all the slowing could have been prevented if idiots weren't rubber-necking ever accident. Unless you recognize the car on first glance or the tags, keep moving buddy. I don't have time to wait for you too see if there's any carnage. Get a life! Rent a movie!

Thank goodness there were leftovers to eat and they were easy to heat up, once I did finally make it home. They were wonderful spaghetti and meat sauce leftovers. Yum! I then, went to my room and rested until I feel asleep. Thankfully, dad kept the little one outside and she enjoyed having the evening with him.

Hooray! She's gotten into Kindergarten! I got the news this past weekend. If you've been following my other blog, then you know that I've had major anxiety over getting her into this school district (we don't live in this district, but both hubby and I work in it). Anyway, she'll have registration on August 10th and we have to buy uniforms. That ought to be interesting. I think it will make things a lot easier for us, anyway. I've been talking to her about "big girl" school, but I don't think she's grasped the concept yet. I need to take her over there so that she can see the building and get an idea for where she will be. I think once she sees it, she'll be okay...I hope.

Emotions Running Wild

The hormones have certainly kicked into overdrive. Hubby and I got into the most ridiculous argument this weekend. Luckily, it all blew over yesterday. The stress was intense and the living was hard, but we made it through. It's as if I'm outside of my body and I can see myself saying things and doing things I would not normally do, but there isn't anything I can do to intercede. I'm stuck, watching myself loose it completely or suffer some sort of strange emotional breakdown. The vitamins should help, but I think I need more B-6. I'll have to ask my doctor about it on the next visit (if I remember too).

The nausea is also intensifying a bit, but it's still not like it was with my first. I wake up and taste it in my mouth. I can still smell myself and that doesn't help matters much. I immediately jump into the shower and scrub for days, then spray myself with every feminine product I can get my hands on. The wild thing is that no one else can smell it. My hubby insists that there is no strange odor emitting from me. I'm glad because I'd hate to put anyone else through this.

Saturday, my daughter and I went with a friend to lunch at my favorite Chinese restaurant. Then, we went to the city arts festival and saw her friend perform. They were pretty good. The group is called Zion Tribe and I've linked the name, but I can't seem to get onto their site. Perhaps you'll have better luck. They had a sort of island/reggae sound that was pleasant on such a rainy day. I'm sure the turn out would have been much better too, if the weather had cooperated. Despite it, we still had a good time and my daughter met the band afterwards.

I slept a lot, yesterday. It did me good; however, I think I also spoiled myself. I have a feeling that at around lunch time, I'll need a take a nap. It's too bad there isn't a lounge area where some one could do just that. I know some offices have those types of accommodations. I think more offices should, not just for pregos like me, but for people who put in a lot of hours or just need a break away from the normal office setting.

I'm looking forward to my ultrasound on Wednesday (so is hubby). I'll finally have a firm date (You know, I say that but knowing my luck, they'll say,"We can't really determine a date for you, Ms. S. Perhaps you should just go with your doctor's guesstimate.") Yep. That's how things usually work for me.

The First Appointment

I had my first appointment yesterday. It went well, despite the fact that I was late (lots of rain plus a hubby who "found" a short-cut...draw your own conclusions). Anyway, I really like my doctor. I think I like her more than the last one, but that remains to be seen. She was very thorough and even did the "digging for buried treasure" exam (Ugh!). Anyway, she thinks that the baby is much farther along than we thought. She asked me to schedule an ultrasound for dates so that we could determine how far along I am. I'm hoping it's earlier because the less time I have to be pregnant the better.

Most of my office knows, now and I've informed all of the appropriate people, including my boss and the HR person. They've all been very happy and supportive. I am glad of it. I'm wearing a maternity dress because I just couldn't do it anymore. My stomach is huge and I just can't wear my pants. I'm really curious as to how far along I am. In fact, I'm itching to find out. Will I deliver in late December rather than early January? Could I be just super fat? What's up?

I'm still eating like a horse. Hubby is making salmon tonight and it's such an aggressive fish that I wonder if I'll be able to stomach the smell. I do love salmon and would hate to be deprived of it, just because the smell made me want to retch. Yesterday, we went to Golden Corral for lunch and I gorged on their clam chowder. It was soooo good. It really hit the spot on a cold, spring day. (Speaking of which, I don't know what's going on with the weather. It's been raining off and on all day and it's been around 50 degrees or so. What month is it again? Amazing!).

The First of Many

Today's the first doctor's appointment. From what I understand (and honestly, I can't remember if I had as many with my first child) but, you're supposed to have thirteen total visits at the doctor's office before you have your baby. Thirteen! That's like two appointments a month. Yikes! I'm not sure if that includes the radiology visit, when you have the ultrasound. If not, include one more visit with the thirteen. Crazy! I know that it's all for the health of the baby and to make sure everything is smooth sailing. Frankly, I'd be more panicked if there weren't as many appointments.

Hubby and I are excited and are even more eager to hear the due date (we're assuming some time in January, but we're not sure). We've been a bit foggy on when this child was actually conceived. I don't keep up and neither does he. I will say that, even for just a few weeks, my clothes are struggling. I can't wear any of my jeans and none of my dresses. I went to Ross Dress for Less and picked up a couple of items. I know I'll need more. I can't believe how round my belly is! I know I was into my fourth month before anyone could really see anything.

I'll leave work around noon today, and it's a good thing. It's really coming down outside and I know it will be a trial to stay focused today. The heater is right behind my chair, warming up my bum and back. Nice. I'll be in snooze heaven before long.

I'll add pictures soon. I know this site isn't nearly as visually appealing as my other one. Hopefully, when my energy returns, I can change the colors a bit and add more stuff.

I'm happy to say that Friday night, I did get my Rumbi but they didn't do my brown rice as I requested. The white rice was good, but the brown is so much better for me (and baby). I ordered a full bowl (which I've never been able to get through). I got through it with little trouble. I also slept in till 7:00 am (Woohoo! That's late for me) on Saturday. We spent the day lounging and watching movies. I made a huge breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and biscuits. So, good! We had Carls Jr. Six Dollar Burgers for dinner. I've never had one before. It was huge! I got through it (just barely). My hubby had two...TWO! Amazing. I think his stomach must have worked all night to break those down. Food has been our friend for the past few days. I really, really, really need to get on the treadmill and soon.

It's the Weekend, Baby...Yeah

I'm actually really happy about the weekend because I totally "missed" last weekend (what with being sick as a dog and all). I don't have any plans and that's okay. Being able to sleep in sounds really good to me. I'm also craving Rumbi Island Grill, so getting to have that this weekend also makes me two tons happy.

I was awake early this morning and The Parkers was on. I've never been a fan of that show and realized even more this morning how ridiculous it is. I hope that the viewing audiences are intelligent enough to know that all African-Americans don't act like that. We're not all ghetto and crazy. I also think it's interesting that they put in the "token white" instead of the "token black" in this show to kind of balance the odds. We've been doing it for years. I wonder how Jenna von Oy handled it? Not that there's anything wrong, I just wonder how big of a change that was for her going from Blossom to The Parkers. Anyway, it was just an observation I made for the 2.5 minutes I watched (that's about all I could stand).

The nausea is still hanging around, but I seem to do alright about an hour after I've eaten. Eating seems to help, especially protein. I've been having a hankering for some of my famous fried chicken. I know. Fried - not good. Baked - Good, but dammit, I want the fried and I use olive oil instead of canola or vegetable, so that's gotta count for something, right?

Nausea, Yuck!

It's here and in full force. This morning, I awakened to my first real bout of morning sickness. It was terrible and also coupled with a throat full of mucus. Nice. I ate a couple of pieces of watermelon and the sweet wet taste soothed me for about 2.2 seconds. The nausea returned in full effect. Ugh! I then thought about bacon and eggs and how good it sounded to me. Would it help? I stopped at Mickey D's for a big breakfast (minus the sausage) and shortly after the eggs touched my tongue, my stomach settled. I guess the protein factor made the difference. I'm still feeling a little queasy, but nothing like this morning. I'm not sure if I'll have it as bad as my first pregnancy or not. Let's hope not. My first trimester was rough, I tell yah!

So far so good. I've been taking power naps and getting much more rest at night, now that this cold seems to be heading out of my system (Thank, God!). I thought I'd end up in the hospital on Sunday. Today, I feel 80% better. It's nice to feel healthy (for the most part) again.

I had my Wee Care interview yesterday. The lady on the phone, Kathy, was one of those giggly types...constantly. She was pleasant and knowledgeable, but I really wasn't in the mood for the giggles. The odd thing is that when someone does that, you start doing it too. I found myself giggling after ever sentence. Yuck! Gimme a break here, lady.

I left the office early because I still felt the horribleness of my cold. I ate lunch and fell straight to sleep. It was exactly what I needed. My hubby picked up The Boogeyman at Hollywood video and brought it home. What crap! Other than the very beginning and the end, it was extremely slow moving with very little suspense and the story was sort of transparent. I really had hoped for better. Hubby fell asleep through most of it. I consider myself a horror
connoisseur and horror this garbage was not.

I've got my raspberry ginger ale next to me, which I'll probably sip on throughout the day. I've got to remember to pick up some more of this stuff for home. Water just hasn't tasted very good the last few days, but I know I need some desperately. It just heightens the bathroom visits even more (like I really need to be in there every fifteen minutes. I don't think so). Till tomorrow...

Recovery is Here

What a bust! I spent the whole weekend in bed sick with one of the worst colds I've ever had. The awful part was that I couldn't take any meds, so I used every would-be natural remedy I could think of (lots of sitting in the bathroom with the shower going, hot baths, soup, coffee to open my lungs, humidifier blowing directly in my face). Finally on Tuesday, I called the doctor's office to see if there was anything I could take (the last time I was pregnant, I could only take tylenol and one form of Robitussin). This time, the doctor's nurse said Sudafed. I ran to the store and bought some. Boy, do I feel like a different person. It made me feel 70% better and I actually made it to work today. The bummer is that I really feel I should have my holiday back, since it really wasn't a holiday for me. I know. Good luck with that.

So far, all seems to be well. I don't really have morning sickness, but the blood-hound in me has returned. I can smell everything! It's crazy! I also have little tolerance for some foods. They just don't appeal to me right now. I'm starting to get really tired of hotpockets (which I really love) and, I don't want cereal. That one's the really strange thing. How can someone not want cereal? When nothing else sounds good, you can usually settle in with your favorite cereal and feel satisfied. Oh, well. I hope my love for it returns after the baby's born.

I have my phone interview with the prenatal care program this morning. It's for those on my hubby's insurance...some sort of "good start" program for pregnant moms. They're supposed to offer support and guidance during this "special" time in my life (yeah, like I haven't done this before). Anyway, maybe some things have changed in the last five years. Perhaps even for the better! One can hope. I'll at least let them know what my primary physician said about the Sudafed (I didn't call my obgyn because I don't meet with her until next week. I thought it would be kind of weird if I called before then). We'll see how it all goes.

I hope I make it through the day. I'm really not feeling work, but I know there's lots to be done. I'd better get on it.