Moonlighting in the Northeast

Already a month has passed...

2009-06-25T07:18:00.002-05:00

I was reminded this week that with parenthood, "the days are long but the years are short." Only a month in and I can't believe how true it is. The days have been run into each other in a blur of feedings, naps and diaper changes. And now my little man is almost a month old. I'll have to do a photo shoot today or tomorrow.

Already, Henry has changed so much. He's crying less, and occasionally awake without being hungry (hallelujah)! Yesterday he smiled for me, which was absolutely thrilling! His tear ducts are starting to produce tears. His little cheeks are chunking up (oh so cute). And, last night he slept for six hours, what an angel baby. Just in the past week I feel like I'm really starting to fall in love with him. Not that I didn't before, but it's just becoming more intense and, dare I say, obsessive.

The drama for the past week has involved Henry and his weight gain. At birth he was 7lb 3oz, and at hospital discharge he was 6lb 13oz. A couple days later when we went to the pediatricians office he was 7lb 4oz already and I was thrilled! I figured I had this breastfeeding thing nailed and relaxed about it. We had a lot of eager helping hands at home, which was good because it seemed like Henry was often fussy. Well, when we went to the doctor's office the following week, Henry was only 7lb 7oz. I had already seen the lactation consultant and she said our latch looked great and Henry had a strong suck. So, our pediatrician recommended that I get a breast pump and pump after I feed Henry to boost my supply.

We ordered the pump online a couple days later, but I didn't worry too much about Henry's weight. I figured he had such a big gain to begin with he was evening out. Well, when we went in for a weight check the following week he again only gained 3 oz (as opposed to the 5-7 oz he should be gaining). Now, I needed to feed Henry, give him an ounce of formula or expressed breast milk, and then pump for 10 minutes! It turns out my supply had decreased, probably because Henry didn't have the stamina to suck for longer than 5-7 minutes per side and because we were misinterpreting his hungry cues as other problems and soothing him to sleep when he needed to eat.

So, I finally started pumping. Which I truly hated to begin with, and I could only get a few drops at a time. So, we had to give Henry formula. I tried to make it a fun thing and take pictures while Tom fed Henry, but I couldn't shake a nagging feeling of failure. I had always wanted to breastfeed exclusively, and only imagined using formula as a choice if I wanted extra sleep or to go out and do something on my own away from Henry. I had certainly never anticipated using formula as a medical necessity to help my son grow. We had a weight check after two days and Henry was up to 7lbs 13.5oz. Good for Henry, but I felt like it was because of the formula not because I had done a good job.

We had an exhausting weekend since I felt like I was feeding times three. But Henry was a much happier baby-- he was barely even crying! I felt awful that we were starving our son and didn't even know it. But, I was still resenting every bottle of formula and encouraging Tom to only feed him the minimal amount from the bottle. I was afraid Henry wouldn't want to eat at the breast if he was full of formula, and I couldn't make more milk for him if he didn't ask for it.

Then came Monday and Henry had a growth spurt day. He was feeding at the breast from 10am-noon straight taking breaks only for a couple diaper changes. I couldn't believe he stayed awake the whole time, and I figured it was great for my supply. I switch fed him from one side to the other until he was fussing on both sides because my milk was too slow and then finally gave him over to Tom for a bottle of formula. Even though he had been eating for two hours from me he still sucked down a full two ounces and still wanted more-- I was just crushed and completely broke down. I couldn't shake the feeling that the formula was sabotaging our breastfeeding efforts. And, despite knowing otherwise, I felt like my inability to satisfy Henry at the breast said something about me as a mother. I was devastated.

That night Henry slept for two four hour stretches and it truly felt like a brand new day. I was able to express enough to replace one formula bottle, which made me feel better. And Henry was in such a good mood. He slept soundly for much of the day, and we went to visit my coworkers at the library. And yesterday, he was still quite happy and awake more than he has been since he was born. Seeing how much happier he is when he's well-fed and seeing him plump up a bit has me feeling so much better. I just need to remember he's still getting the benefits of breastmilk and my supply is getting better day by day. And, it's not the end of the world if we have to buy some formula from here on out to keep him fed-- at least it's an option.

Well, that's my super long post on breastfeeding, which has to end now because Henry needs to eat again (surprise, surprise)!

Our New Arrival

2009-06-01T20:16:00.003-05:00

The last couple weeks were tough with anxiety and waiting, and now it seems like it was ages ago I was pregnant! (When really it was less than a week ago).

Henry Julian 7lbs 30z

We're back from the hospital already, and getting used to each other. We had a rough night the first night home, but I hear that's normal. Milk came in today so it's making him much happier- which makes mommy and daddy happier, too.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:39:00.002-05:00

17 days until baby's due date! The not knowing when exactly is killing me though. Every time I leave work I try to clean up my desk a bit, but I keep going back! It feels like baby is dropping (and doc agrees), but that could mean anything from a few days to a few weeks. Last week I was having a few contractions, but this week nothing. I keep expecting my water to break or contractions to start and I'm still waiting. Everything's been going to perfectly this whole pregnancy, I wouldn't be surprised if baby comes pretty close to his due date, but we still don't know.

We went ahead and got a used glider rocker this week. It stills feels like there are things we need, but it's hard to know which are impending needs and which can wait.

I guess I'm still feeling pretty good. No heartburn (yay)! But, I'm exhausted on and off and taking as many naps as I feel like. My back bothers me on and off as well, and naturally getting up and turning over in bed is hard work. Although when he's rolling around and bumping me I don't seem to mind the discomforts so much. Tom's been doing a good job helping out around the house which helps a lot.

So, we continue to wait...

Happy Birthday To Me

2009-05-03T19:38:00.002-05:00

Today's my birthday, yay! It's amazing how unimportant it seems with other things looming in our future, though. As shocking as it is, baby and I will be full-term on Wednesday! So, Tom and I went out and got our car seat and stroller this week so we at least have those. And, we have a load of baby clothes and blankets in the wash right now.

We did have lots of other things going on this week. Tom had his 3rd year review which he successfully passed, so he's okay to continue his work. I went to the CLA (Connecticut Library Association) conference on Thursday. The conference was interesting but left me exhausted, and I'm only starting to feel a little rejuvenated this afternoon. I'm hoping after three exhausted days I'm due for a few good days here. Although I was super emotional today so Tom's thinking the baby is coming this week! My bet's on the week of the 20th so we'll see who gets bragging rights.

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-19T10:57:00.004-05:00

Happy Belated Easter!

To celebrate Easter Tom and I went to church in the morning. Then, we bundled up in winter coats and hats and took a walk on the very windy West Haven Beach. It was nice to get out though and see the water. Then we had baked chicken for dinner, and I made a cake. So, fairly uneventful but we tried to make it special.

I went to the dentist this week and got my teeth cleaned. I love clean teeth! The hygenist and dentist though were both telling me how small I looked for how far along I am. Funny- I don't feel "small"! I also had a couple coworkers shocked this week when I mentioned it was only 6 weeks until my due date.

With time getting short I'm actually getting around to getting a lot of things done that I've been putting off for awhile. I've had the yarn to knit up a baby hat for months, but was having trouble just getting started with it. After a couple false starts I'm finally plugging along on it, and it's turning out pretty cute. I also got my hair trimmed this week and got an oil change on the car. The haircut was fine, the oil change I was a little disappointed.

I went ahead and took the car into a Firestone for the oil change, and it felt like just the oil change was a little overpriced. But, I asked when I went in if they could "fit me in". I guess I should've been more specific and asked if they could fit me in "now". I waited 30-45 minutes before they even took my car in to the shop. And, pregnant lady on uncomfortable chairs was none too pleased.

When they finally finished with my car they told me that the clunking that I had been informed by a couple mechanics was just a normal part of my Chevy Malibu was actually dangerous. It was a malfunctioning steering shaft that could leave me without steering at any time if it goes! They said the factory wasn't recalling the part but recommended replacement. About, $300 "which isn't that much as far as car repairs go". Ha! (As if I don't know that.) But, $300 for an unecessary repair sure as heck isn't in our budget right now. I bet they didn't even notice the problem, it was just flagged in their computer system as a potential repair to offer.

When I left the shop I noticed they hadn't reset the oil life in the computer so I had to go back. Thankfully it didn't take long, but I was still a little annoyed. Then on the way home I noticed a burning rubber smell at the stoplights and really strong smelling in the garage once I got home. It's been going away as I drive more, but I think they must have spilled some oil. Tom and I looked in the engine and didn't see anything like a loose cap or forgotten rubber gloves. I was a little uncomfortable though that's it's difficult to see our belt from the top looking down. On the Taurus it was right there to see, but it's underneath a bunch of stuff in the Malibu so we couldn't check that. Tom did notice though that we were very low on windshield wiper fluid. That really ticked me off! That's part of an oil change is that they top off all your fluids!

So, guess who won't be getting my repeat business? I sure miss my shop right by my old library. I told Tom he needs to check with people who have cars and find out where they get their work done because I don't want to be stuck with a shop I don't like when something really goes wrong. Otherwise, all is well out here. Anxiety is beginning to mount, especially for Tom. At least I know at any given moment that I'm not having contractions. Tom says he's beginning to jump every time the phone rings and I'm not home.

It's a gorgeous weekend here in Connecticut. We've had windows open and are thinking of going out for a walk later today. The cat can't get enough of the open windows and birds!

And the Spring Ants Return

2009-04-05T19:58:00.002-05:00

Another Spring, and the ants are back! We must have a nest right outside our front door. No matter what Tom plugs up they still seem to come back. Last year Tom caulked around the front door and that seemed to keep them out. But, this year they somehow squirreled in through a crack in a tile by the front door, which Tom caulked. And today we saw some again. So, Tom will inspect outside in the daylight, but we'll probably need to get some ant poison to go outside. I don't know what they're eating inside because they're not in the pantry or the cabinets. I found a bunch under some old root beer bottles, but we've since gotten rid of those-- determined little buggers.

We had a few lovely days this week in between the rain which has helped to cheer me up tremendously. So, aside from lingering anxiety about upcoming irreversible changes to our lives, things are going well. Baby's growing quickly. It felt like he grew an entire pound last Thursday night the way my back and body were complaining Friday. But, I've since adjusted as well as can be expected. Apparently, he's the size of a large jicama. Which looks like this-- I guess. Again, I don't eat jicama. Last week he was the size of four oranges. Next week he'll be the size of a pineapple. At least I know those! Knowing we're eight weeks away is mind-boggling. It feels like we have so much left to do, but a lot of it has to wait until he's here. All my good eating habits from the first trimester and a half have flown out the window. I just don't feel like expending energy on cooking and frankly, all I want is junk. At least my weight gain is steady at this point, and it's comforting to know most of what I'm gaining is actually baby weight considering how quickly he's growing. Sometimes I can feel a solid bump against my hand when I rest it on my belly, and I'm fairly certain it's his little bottom. Then, I think about how big that bottom is already and get a little nervous about how that little bottom is going to get out. But, really, what's the point in thinking about that? It's going to happen and it won't be pleasant, but then it will be over and I can forget all about it.

Tom and I went down to my new library this afternoon. They have a Sunday Showcase series and this week they were featuring a family group that peformed folk music. I'm a sucker for anything with a banjo and a fiddle, and Tom seemed to enjoy himself, too. I started tapping my belly in rhythm with one of the songs, and baby danced a bit to the music. (We'll call it "danced" as opposed to "tried to get away" or "tried to plug his ears").

In a Funk

2009-03-29T12:40:00.002-05:00

Well, we're 31 weeks now! I'm still blown away by the fact that my sister was born at 32 weeks, and I'm almost there. I have a ton of appointments and things set up for April already. Hopefully most of the business will get taken care of, and then we can have a nice quiet May to settle in and wait.

Although nice and quiet doesn't sound that great right now. I have a ton of little hobby things I could work on, but I haven't been. So, I'm feeling underwhelmed and in a rut in general. And, unfortunately, lacking in motivation to start things as well. Cooped up and uncomfortable would probably sum up how I feel. Certainly, the rainy day today isn't helping either.

Another thing that isn't helping are the disappointing sermons at church lately. I've never been entirely satisfied with our church choice here, but it's so convenient to walk to church every Sunday. Two Sundays ago we got some political rhetoric from the pulpit about the proposed Bill 1098, which had something to do with targeting the Catholic church's finances and who controls them. Not that we got any of the facts mind you, instead we were forced to watch a video of the archbishop at a rally and all the wonderful things the Catholic church does and how dare the government target us. For actual background on the issue you can see this article "Catholic Church Battle Intensifies At State Capitol", but it's no longer under consideration. Then, we had to watch a second video on the Archbishop's Annual Appeal. Oh so spiritually satisfying.

This week we had a visiting priest who was a chaplain in the army for 30 years. His homily was extremely disjointed, jumping from topic to topic with nothing really to connect the thoughts. Most of the homily was snippets about how priests fight for our souls while soldiers fight for our freedom. And, I was extremely frustrated when he threw in something about how heaven has different levels for people based on how good they are on earth. Where in the bible is that? If he had discussed that idea I think it would've been a much more interesting homily. I would've liked to hear him articulate why there are "heaven levels" when I distinctly remember something about the first being last and the last being first.

I was talking with Tom a bit about it on the way home, and he mentioned that the problem is probably that we see church as an intellectual thing, and for some priests it's more about us coming and filling our spiritual gas tanks. I suppose that's true, but I think it's sad when I get more out of the blurbs discussing the readings in the missalette than I get from my priests in homilies.

Only 10 weeks to go

2009-03-18T18:59:00.002-05:00

We are 30 weeks today! 70 days until baby is here... holy crap! And here's hoping baby doesn't decide to come on May 1st, because Tom has both his 3rd Year Review and Dana Club Skit Night that day. Which happen to be his only obligations for months. But, once his 3rd Year Review is complete he doesn't have any big hurdles until he needs to submit his dissertation and defend.

I didn't post this past Sunday because I actually had some girlfriends over during the day. I went out to the grocery store for some last minute things at 9am, and saw people already getting started drinking in one of our favorite local bars even though the St. Patty's Day Parade wasn't until 1pm. Then, we went to church. And my friends came at noon and stayed until 7pm. We had homemade mac and cheese and lots of snacks and watched some movies (High School Musical 3, Clueless, and Horton Hears a Who). We also played Apples to Apples, which was fun.

I suppose I should actually link to our baby registries (as I'm starting to hear about showers and whatnot). Here is our Babies R Us Registry, and our Amazon Registry. If family from Iowa is worried about shipping, you can order from Babies R Us by phone, and we can pick up the item here and no one gets charged shipping (yay!). Also, Babies R Us has some coupons good until March 26th that I found. Not that I'm telling you all to get us things for the baby, I'm just trying to make it easier if you are anyway.

And Third Trimester Begins

2009-03-08T15:45:00.003-05:00

This week was a baby week for sure! Childbirth classes at our hospital cost $220 which I really didn't want to pay (even though Tom is willing to do anything to help me through the birth so he was fine with it). So, I decided to try borrowing a childbirth DVD from the library and I think it worked out really well.

We watched Laugh and Learn About Childbirth. The cover of the DVD makes it look new, but it was probably taped in the 90's. None of the information seemed out-of-date, though. I did learn a few things I didn't know before, and I think it helped Tom quite a bit since he hadn't heard many of the things I've run across on message boards or in books. Since it was a full childbirth class I think we probably got everything out of it we would've gotten through an in-person class, and we could take breaks whenever we needed it. Such as, oh, she's going to have us practice pushing-- I better take a potty break.

I went to Once Upon a Child this week and got a couple new onesies, and some cute little overalls for our little buddy. And today we picked up a hand-me-down crib from one of Tom's acquaintances. Not that the crib is set up yet, but we have it. We also went out last night and started a baby registry at Babies R Us. So, as of right now we're registered at Babies R Us and at Amazon, but not everything is on the registry yet. I may also be transferring some of the Amazon registry items onto the Babies R Us registry. Or maybe I'll keep them on both registries (if anyone has thoughts or opinions on this please share).

Oh, and for "springing forward" Tom and I failed to spring! Apparently, Tom didn't even know it was Daylight Savings Time already, which doesn't suprise me since he never knows when school vacations are either. And, I simply forgot to move the clocks forward. We're back with the rest of the world now, though.

Quiet Week

2009-03-01T13:18:00.002-05:00

So, no new baby news. He's still bumping me and we're still slowly growing.

I read a couple of books this week that were pretty good.

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner, I really enjoyed this novel about the French Revolution.

And I also finished a series book The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan, which had a cliffhanger ending. Grrr.
And, we've been watching the Muppet Show Season 2 which I borrowed from the library.

We had dinner with some friends last night- we had a taco bar night with chicken tacos. Very tasty. And, we have Tom's old office mate from Iowa visiting for a couple days here tonight and tomorrow. And, that's about it! See you all next week.

A Lazy Week

2009-02-22T12:30:00.003-05:00

So, we had a fairly uneventful week this week. I'm starting to settle in at my new job, slowly but surely. I've been a little obsessed with baby's movement this week. My belly is mesmerizing- I can actually see him move from the outside. I keep forcing Tom to try and feel him through my belly, but he doesn't like cooperating for Daddy yet, and Daddy doesn't always have a lot of patience. Baby is at least 2 lbs now and probably bigger! I still have a regular pre-pregnancy appetite right now, which is probably a good thing. But, I seem to be running to the bathroom all the time, without much to show for it. And I know that's only going to get worse!

Friday we went to Happy Hour at Tom's professor's house. And Saturday we had pizza for lunch and played some board games with some friends. Other than that, we've been regular old homebodies this week. I think the cat loves having me home more often, and our house is slowly looking cleaner and cleaner. A week and a half until third trimester!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T21:50:00.002-05:00

So, baby is apparently the size of a rutabaga this week. I think they're stretching it a bit with the produce comparisons. I haven't had a rutabaga, in fact I'm not even sure if it's a vegetable or a fruit. I can tell he's getting pretty big, though. I love feeling him move! I'm just waiting now to hit that 3rd trimester! Tom and I will be getting moving on the registry here soon, for anyone who's been anxious for us to start it. We're thinking about doing an Amazon registry and then supplementing it with Babies R Us or Target. Despite the fact that I'm growing a bit I still feel quite comfortable. I'm just having trouble with socks, shoes, shaving my legs, and picking things up that I've dropped. But, I can still see my feet!

My new job is going pretty well. They started me right up on the reference desk by myself already, which isn't too bad at all since I was using the same catalog system at my other library. It's just tricky learning new policies, new names, and the new collection. I was a little grumpy last week from adjusting to my new schedule (or what feels like a lack thereof). I have a large to-do list but no motivation to work on it. Hopefully this week I'll be more up to tackling it.

The cat got a regular check-up at the vet this week. It's hard to believe we've had her for two years, already! She's healthy, and the nurse declared she was "as pretty as a calendar cat". She hollered the whole way there and back, though. And after she was home she slept for two days straight! Must be hard to be a cat, when a trip to the vet is worth two days' worth of trauma. Lyla does have a little bit of tartar so I might try brushing her teeth if she can stand it. We'll be celebrating her fifth birthday on Feb. 17th, the anniversary of when we adopted her. Who doesn't want a toothbrush for their birthday?

As for Valentine's Day, I was at work during the day, and there was lots of lovely chocolate in the staff room. Then Tom and I went to Arby's for dinner, which was pretty quiet. The other diners included two elderly couples and a single guy. Then, Tom and I went and saw Slumdog Millionaire which we both enjoyed. The filmmaking was beautiful and the music was catchy. The film made you think about life in other parts of the world, but it wasn't mired in suffering. And the ending was ultimately happy enough to leave me satisfied. (I used to really enjoy gritty movies, but I'm finding I enjoy them less and less for whatever reason.) After the movie, Tom and I stopped and splurged on Cold Stone ice cream. So, a fun date night. Tom's big treat for the weekend were some Special K cookies I made for him tonight. I knew I had hit a home run when he smelled them and grinned and told me they "smelled like home".

Endings and a Babymoon

2009-02-08T12:17:00.003-05:00

It feels like ages since last Monday when I had my prenatal appointment. Everything's looking great. I only gained 2 lbs since my last appointment which makes up for my holiday gains. Good news. Surprisingly my appetite is back to normal, too. I had a few weeks where I was starving, but not so much now. Strange, as I thought I would just continue to get hungrier and hungrier.

I was very preoccupied this week with finishing up at my job. It was depressing cleaning all my things from my desk and taking down my pictures. It felt like the last day of school, cleaning out my desk or my locker. Seeing something familiar so bare and impersonal is very disconcerting. My coworkers were wonderful and threw a big party for me on Wednesday with more cookies than I had ever seen in one place in the library! Thursday was my last day and it was difficult. But, I'll be visiting and everything will feel better once I'm settled into my new job. A lot of people seemed shocked I was only taking a long weekend before jumping into my new job. But, honestly, when you only get two weeks on vacation a year a three day weekend feels absolutely luxurious. Also, I'll only be working three and a half days a week. You can't work much less than that.

Friday and Saturday Tom and I drove up to Amherst, MA for a little babymoon. We ate at Red Lobster for lunch and stopped at the Springfield Armory on the way up. And then Tom sat in the car with the laptop while I ran into Webs Yarn Store and got some pretty yarn to make a hat for my sister, a hat for the baby, and a scarf for myself. That evening we went to Pizza Hut for dinner and swam in the hotel pool.

Saturday we had breakfast at the hotel and then went to the Eric Carle Museum. One of the galleries was closed so we actually got in for half price. And I saw that they're going to have a Tomie DePaola exhibit this Fall which I think would be fun to see with baby and my mom (since Tomie DePaola is one of her favorite authors). We walked around Amherst and saw some bookstores and had lunch at the Amherst Brewing Company (too bad I couldn't try their beer). Our last stop was at the Amherst College Natural History Museum, which had some really interesting trace fossils on exhibit. Overall, a fun and relaxing trip.

A couple of sickos

2009-02-01T12:50:00.003-05:00

We've been going through the kleenex and oj at our house this week. I've had a head cold since last Sunday, and Tom developed a sore throat and cough towards the end of the week. Of course, what I needed was decongestants, which I'm not supposed to take. So it's been liquids, saline nose drops, and tylenol for me. Now, I've got thick mucus in the back of my throat that won't go away, but at least no more sinus headaches. And, bonus, my nose is starting to look like normal again.

As for baby, I have a prenatal appointment on Monday. I don't think I gained as much weight as last time since my appetite has been closer to normal than it had been. Our little guy has been getting stronger and stronger. I can feel some of his kicks from outside now. And Tom in the last couple days is starting to feel him, too. It's hard to believe I'm only a month away from third trimester. Even harder to believe this baby inside me will be a baby outside me in a few short months. I don't think I'll believe it until I'm holding him.

A former classmate recommended this cloth diaper trial I'm kind of excited about, http://jilliansdrawers.com/cdcm.html. I think the all-in-one diapers are super cute and look pretty easy, but I wasn't sure which brands to go with so it looks like this might be a good option for us.

Also, this coming week will be my last week at my current library, and I'll start my new job on Monday the 9th. I'm both sad and excited about the transition. My commute was awful last week with snow days and accidents leaving me stuck in traffic more than I have been in months. I suppose it's the cosmos telling me it's time to move on!

A week of minor disasters

2009-01-18T12:48:00.002-05:00

Monday I had a prenatal appointment. Baby's doing great, but I gained too much at once since my last appointment. Whoops! I'm not surprised though. What with Christmas and the stress of transitioning between jobs I can see why I wasn't as careful as I could have been. Now, that I'm watching what I'm eating I noticed I really was eating more than I normally would. So, hopefully I'll get my weight gain back on track.

Wednesday evening I went straight from work to Tom's department for a pizza party. We got home around 7:30pm. Tom went to his office to get something and felt the carpet squish under his feet. He looked up and saw that our laundry closet was drenched and dripping! We called a handyman and turned off the water, which thankfully minimized the damage. The handyman had to take out the ceiling in the laundry closet to find the leak. It turns out they were running out of pipe when building our condo and kinked a pipe instead of extending it. And, the time was right for a needle sized hole to pop open. If we had noticed the leak any later we would have had more significant damage. As it is the pipe is fixed, and the dryer vent is reconnected, it had apparently been stretched too far and disconnected as well. The handyman put up new drywall and did two tapings for us, and Tom plans to do the last and then paint the closet with Killz primer. Washer/dryer and carpet all seem to have outlasted the deluge which is a huge relief.

We've also been resettling after the siding project. With just minor things left to fix we were given the okay to move things back! It's been just wonderful to put things back where they belong after a couple months. So, more resettling and relaxing is in store for the long weekend.

Changes, changes

2009-01-11T12:22:00.004-05:00

Big news this week. I turned in my notice at my current job; I will be starting a new position at a different library on Mon. Feb. 9th. The library is only 25 minutes from as opposed to my current library which is 45 minutes from home. The position is part-time which I wouldn't have considered before I was pregnant. But, being part-time with baby is very appealing.

I had a difficult time turning in my notice since I like my coworkers so much. I just had to remind myself that change is always scary but usually for the best. My new coworkers will be just wonderful, too, I'm sure.

All the work drama has left me completely unmotivated both at work and with projects at home. We have a half bath waiting for some paint and some hallway trim that I've been working on painting for, ohhh, probably a year now. I have some maternity pants that need hemming. And, I'm also dreaming of some knitting projects for baby; maybe a hat, or a sweater, or a stuffed monkey. I have every intention of tackling the bathroom today. We'll see how that goes.

The renovations on the outside of our house are still in progress. The new siding seems to be up on all units now. But, we had water bubbles under the paint in the nursery again. The contractor thinks it's from the door the previous owner put in himself on the balcony. So, we think that means a new door for us sometime soon. Hopefully, the work will be finished soon. We really want to put our furniture back as we've had everything pushed away from the windows in the nursery and the living room since early November.

Holiday Recap

2009-01-04T13:27:00.004-05:00

Tom and I managed to make it back to Iowa for the holidays. I had a little drama getting on to my flight home (arriving at the airport 90 minutes before my flight was almost not enough time). But once I was on everything went quite smoothly despite some delays. I got to spend a few days with my family. I had a minor meltdown when I realized maternity clothes were too big but I couldn't fit into my regular clothes anymore. So, I got my hair chopped off! I actually really like the haircut, so I'm glad I did it.

Christmas Eve and morning with my family was great and then we went on to spend Christmas Day with Tom's family after a slight delay. We were borrowing a car and managed to lock the keys inside it while it was running. Good old AAA got someone there within in hour even though it was a holiday. To top off our exciting Christmas Day I was sitting in my in-laws vibrating recliner couch and the baby really did not like it. Since baby was kicking up a storm I told Tom to come over. I turned off the chair, and Tom got a good hard kick in his hand! What a Merry Christmas!

Unfortunately, I did get stuck in Chicago overnight on the way home due to fog. Thankfully my sister was able to get me and I could crash at her place for the night. The next morning I was put on Tom's flight, and I got to sit in first class. So, it turned out to be not such a bad thing.

Tuesday, we had our "big ultrasound"! And the technician and two nurses separately told us that our baby is a little boy! I'm a little disappointed to be missing out on bonnets and dresses, but I think I had a hunch all along it was a little guy in there. Tom and I are winnowing down our name list, but we're going to keep a couple of options so that we can name him once we see him. I can't believe I'm halfway done with this pregnancy already. Less than 150 days until we meet our little boy. I'm able to feel his kicks pretty often now. I feel him moving every day, but he's been hanging out in my nice and roomy pelvis so the kicks tend to be in my bladder. Oof, there's one now! Ha! For those who follow this kind of thing, at 19 weeks he is the size of a large heirloom tomato. But, on Tuesday he was 3/4 lb. so Tom was calling him our "little hamburger".

Baby Boy says "hi"!

New Year's Eve involved a shortened work day for me due to snow. Then Tom and I decided the snow would keep people home so we went ahead and went out to Red Lobster for dinner. I accidentally ordered a full order of rainbow trout instead of the half order I usually get, but somehow managed to clean my plate. I'm thinking it will be a long time before I remember what being full feels like. We watched Horton Hears a Who at home, and I was in bed at 11pm! On New Year's Day we did a sparkling grape juice toast to 2009 and had some Norwegian lefse.

Here's hoping for a wonderful 2009 for all of you!

Week 16

2008-12-14T20:50:00.003-05:00

16 weeks has been an exciting baby week for me! We are the length of an avocado now, which is crazy because I remember getting excited about grape sized! I felt a couple of flutters this week, too. It felt like my eye was twitching but it was in my abdomen. And a couple mornings I've woken up to a lop-sided belly. I could feel how hard my stomach was, and knowing my baby was right under my hand was surreal. I'm starting to just barely show if I wear the right things to show it off. I'm still hoping for a baby belly for Christmas, forget the presents!

Christmas parties are in full swing out here! I had a departmental party Friday night, which was fun. And Saturday night we went to Tom's professor's house for a holiday party. We're having difficulty finding someone to watch the cat this year, though. We'll have to get that figured out soon, as we'll be heading back West for home this coming weekend.

We've got some snow

2008-12-07T11:35:00.003-05:00

Things are a little wet and slushy out here, we've got a nice coating of snow! Certainly feels festive which is good since we can't get to our Christmas decorations due to the repairs. Which, by the way, are progressing nicely. We have the framework for our new balcony railing upstairs, and our soon-to-be nursery is no longer open to the elements. Hopefully it will all be finished by Christmas.

Speaking of holidays, Thanksgiving was nice. We went to our friends' house for turkey day itself and played some wii afterwards. All in all, a lovely day. And Saturday my sister, Mary came for a visit. So we cooked her a second dinner Sunday and have been enjoying the leftovers all week! It was good to see some family if even for a little while.

In baby news we had our first trimester screening ultrasound the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and found out baby was too big to do the test! Baby was measuring 8 days bigger than he/she should have been, but they didn't change our due date. So as of last Tuesday baby was almost exactly 3.5 inches rump to head, and I'm sure we're even bigger now.

Look at our little baby tushie shot!

I think this is about where we got to see some kicks.
Tom also told me to stop squishing the baby with the placenta.

So all is well. We're already excited about our big anatomy scan on Dec. 30th. I also checked out Raising Baby Green from the library. I didn't learn much from it, but Tom and I were very interested in the diaper chapter. We're thinking about trying cloth diapers with flushable liners. Of course, we're still learning more about it, but anybody with any experience or advice, feel free to share.

Rainy Days

2008-11-16T11:47:00.004-05:00

Not too much new this week. It was damp and rainy all week, so the work on our condo was pretty much nonresistant. We ended up with a new leak through the window frame on the first floor, but the sun is shining today. Hopefully, everything will dry out and we'll they'll do lots of great work this week, and we can have everything fixed and ready to go for when my sister comes to visit over Thanksgiving!

I finished a big people book this week. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent, about the Salem witch trials. It enjoyed it enough to finish it, but it was a little bit of a downer for my tastes. But, it did get fabulous reviews in the journals.

Friday night after work I went over to the Geology building and we chatted with people and got some pizza at the night before, preemptive rain daily Princeton/Yale tailgate. Yay for free pizza and friends. And, one of Tom's fellow grad students also has a wife who's pregnant so Saturday night we went over to their house for dinner. So, a full weekend for usually, not quite so social us.

In baby news this week, we continue growing. I went out and bought the first thing I've gotten for Baby. I bought a five-set of onesies. At 12 weeks, I figured it was time I got something! This was a week of funny smells. One day at work this week, I smelled banana peels all day. What was frustrating was trying to figure out for half the day why that weird smell was so familiar. And yesterday morning our house smelled strongly of bleach, but believe me, this house has seen no bleach for quite awhile. I had to unbutton a pair of my pants this week, so I'd feel a little more comfortable but really no belly yet. I'm already really looking forward to our next ultrasound on Nov. 25th!

And construction begins!

2008-11-10T09:32:00.003-05:00

We had a lovely surprise on Saturday. There was bang, bang, banging on our building! Construction has finally started on our crumbling facade! Increased condo fees are not good, but having a deck that is not condemned and no longer having a leak in the soon-to-be nursery will be a relief. So, last night we were running around moving back furniture from the front half of our building. And, naturally we will be living in chaos for the next few weeks, but we're hoping it will all be over by Thanksgiving. Especially since that's when my sister's coming and seeing our house for the first time and meeting Lyla. Speaking of Lyla, she will not like the repairs as she's being penned in Tom's office while the work is happening. That's like torture for a cat who doesn't like to have any doors closed to her.

In this week's baby news we had an appointment with the nurse midwife this week. I'm not particularly thrilled with him, because the whole point of a nurse midwife is to have someone who will spend more time with you explaining things, and hopefully be there with you more during the labor. This guy always seems in a hurry and made it a point to emphasize that if I'm in labor on a weekend he won't be there. At least I'm getting care, and I know someone from the practice will be there when I finally do pop. And, at the appointment Tom did get to hear the heartbeat. I also agreed to have a first trimester risk assessment to check if I'm a carrier for any genetic disorders, and we get an extra ultrasound to check for any warning signs for other problems. I don't really think anything is wrong, but yay for extra ultrasounds! So, that will happen later this month.

Exciting News

2008-11-02T11:19:00.005-05:00

First bit of exciting news. I am newly committed to blogging on a regular basis. I have decided to set the timer for 30 minutes after church and make myself sit down and post a little. Partly, to keep family and friends up to date, but mostly for myself to remember what I'm up to (even if it doesn't seem like anything special at the time).

And the second bit of exciting news, and a big reason why there are things in my life I want to remember, is that Tom and I are expecting! I've been waiting to have kids for a long time, and even though we don't feel ready financially, I think Tom and I are ready as a couple and as individuals. So, yay! Due date is May 27th, 2009. Right between our birthdays and just before our five year anniversary.

I had a hunch right away that I might be pregnant because I was getting sick a lot. (Not the way you'd expect, the other way). I also had some bad anxiety attacks. I was about ready to go to the doctor because I thought I had a virus or infection or something, when I realized I should be getting my period soon. About at this time I realized it was anything carbonated that was making me so sick. And then Tom left for China. Three days after he left I took a pregnancy test, and got two pink lines immediately! So Tom got a picture of the stick in his inbox.

I waited to tell family until my parents came to visit, so I could tell somebody in person. But I didn't quite believe it until I went to the doctor and got an ultrasound. Mom came with me and we both cried. The little heartbeat was absolutely amazing, and I was so thrilled I could care less about the 10 vials of my blood they took for testing.

So far I've been very lucky with morning sickness. Between weeks 6 to 8 I felt pretty icky, but I never felt like I was going to vomit. It was more of a lingering mix of motion sickness and hunger. My most significant symptoms have been increased gas and burping.

We're at 10 1/2 weeks right now and everything still seems to be going great. I get nutritional counseling on Monday and then I won't go back to the doctor until I'm 2nd trimester.

So out East here, we're excited, nervous, excited, anxious, excited. 6 1/2 months to go!

Summer at the Library

2008-07-21T09:42:00.002-05:00

We've been very busy at the library this summer. This past week we had a very successful Hannah Montana party and our annual Pet Show. I was shocked to find out it was the 32nd Annual Pet Show! That's a lot of years of pets.

Tom's home, but feeling under the weather. And we're looking forward to seeing his folks who are coming for two weeks starting on July 25th!

In Spain

2008-06-15T11:12:00.003-05:00

Hola! Tom and I are in Madrid!

My flights went smoothly getting out here. I flew directly from Hartford to Amsterdam, which was nice. But, the plane wasn't as fancy as when I flew United to China. On that flight I had my own little tv in the seat in front of me to pick movies or watch our flight status, and they served us meals from menus. On my NWA flight here they just had a basic plane with tv's along the middle, and we all had to watch 27 Dresses which I just saw at home a week ago. The Amsterdam airport was nice, and everyone spoke English which was convenient.

Tom's flight came in 30 minutes before mine so he met me in the baggage claim and we took a taxi together to our hotel, which is really pretty by the way. http://www.hotel-atlantico.com/

My body's clock is still off. Tom and I both took siestas today and yesterday, but last night I had trouble sleeping. We'll see about tonight. When we arrived I had lunch at McDonald's (I know, very Spanish, eh?). And before dinner we walked around the area and found Puerto de Sol, and had hamburgers at a restaraunt close to our hotel, and I had Spanish red wine. Which, by the way, the wine is cheaper than the soda (not good considering Diet Coke, here called Coke Light is Tom's vice).

Today Tom and I had Dunkin Coffee (ie Dunkin Donuts) for breakfast, Tom with a mini pizza, myself with a cafe con leche. Then we went and found Puerto de Sol again and saw a protest. We walked to Plaza Mayor and found El Rastro which is an outdoor flea market. We only walked around part of it though. Then we found a restaraunt and sat al fresco. I had a dish with sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, and some jamon ham. Tom drank Coke Light and I had Vino tinto de vaino, which I think is like a wine spritzer. I wanted Sangria but it comes in a pitcher and I didn't want Tom to have to drag me back to the hotel. I'm not sure what's open this evening, but we'll at least be heading back out for dinner.

So far, I've been really impressed with how lively the streets are. The buildings are beautiful and there are performers in many of the plazas: living statues, puppets, music, a performing goat, etc.

I've been slipping...

2008-05-30T09:30:00.007-05:00

Sorry I've been letting this go for so long. Alas, if I'm going to update my blog I've been updating my work blog.

Tom and my trip to Boston way back at the beginning of the month was fantastic. We had lots of fun. The Amtrack train was really comfortable, and we much preferred it to dealing with Boston traffic. And, we got Dunkin Donuts for breakfast which we ate on the train (and Tom got chocolate chip muffin all over himself).

We arrived on Saturday and went to our hotel (which had the comfiest hotel bed I've ever stayed in). After leaving our bags we went out to Fanueil Hall for lunch. We both got pulled porksandwiches, but since we could only find a bench to sit on I managed to spill my Diet Coke all over Tom and made him drop his french fries. I felt bad, because usually my clumsiness only affects myself. I got a really cute teapot that I picked out and Tom bought for me at a store in the area (it's polka dotted and the pot sits on it's own cup, super cute).

Then, we went to the Aquarium. The aquarium was very busy so we had to wait to look into any of the tanks, and frankly there just wasn't that much there, although the penguins were very cute. Chicago's Aquarium and the Aquarium in the Omaha Zoo are both still much better than anything we've seen out east.

We went back to our hotel for a bit and then went out to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game. I think I would've had a much better time if it wasn't $7.50 for a Miller Lite (sheesh, it's like paying $7.50 for water) and it hadn't been so darn cold. But, it was a great birthday nonetheless.

Sunday we went out and walked the Freedom Trail. We stopped at the Green Dragon Tavern for lunch, and although it was touristy it was pretty good. After wandering around the Freedom Trail and Faneuil Hall area some more we got our bags and went and hung out at the train station and read for a couple hours and ate dinner at the concession area. Overall, a great trip.

Speaking of trips, Tom will be leaving me for six weeks while he goes on his European Grand Tour. Denmark, Spain, France, and Germany to look at rocks in museums. It's a good thing he's not doing anything interesting while he's out there, or I'd be jealous! I will be joining him for a week in Spain, though, which I'm super excited about. I can look at castles while he's networking, sounds like a great arrangement to me!