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Unnecessary Stress

So the last couple of weeks have been filled with lots of stupidly stressful events. Our internet went down for two days. Our refrigerator died right before our trip to California. Our flight from Santa Barbara to LA was canceled (American stuck us in a cab which got us there just in time). And my (tooth) crown didn’t fit on Weds. and had to be broken up and pulled off. Like I said, stupid stressors. Nothing catastrophic, but inconvenient and annoying. Maybe the universe is preparing me for parenting. Let’s see – unexpected delays, unplanned for expenses, yep. Sounds like parenting.

We got back to Austin just in time for some really chilly weather. We even had a little bit of snow today! I know I’m supposed to be warm all the time right now, but I don’t think it’s kicked in yet. I still get cold a lot.

I’m hoping we can make some progress on the nursery this weekend. I need to put a final coat of paint on the dresser and start figuring out what kind of decorative painting I want to do on it. David is going to (hopefully) do a second coat on the walls, and then up comes the carpet. We got our carpet tiles last week right before we left. Another good reason to get the room done is we’ve started getting gifts for the baby and they’re piling up! We now have some of the essentials, which is really nice.

I’m due three months from today, but I’m not officially in my third trimester until next Thursday. I guess that means more frequent poking and prodding from my doctor. And getting bigger. And bigger. I’m fine with the size of my stomach right now. Can it stay this size until I give birth? Probably not so much.

The countdown is on

Santa Barbara Baby ShowerNext week I’ll be officially in my third trimester. Holy. Crap. We took a whirlwind visit to California this last week and among the multiple festivities was a baby shower hosted by my mom. I get that foodie thing by way of genetics, by the way, and she’s really especially good at candies and pastries. There was lots of both on hand, and we also got to seem some great friends and family.

Friends:

Santa Barbara Baby ShowerElender

Santa Barbara Baby Shower

Roxanna and Maxine

Santa Barbara Baby Shower

My friends Jen and Scott from LA and family friend Venky

Food:

Santa Barbara Baby Shower

Lemon Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Santa Barbara Baby Shower

Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes

Santa Barbara Baby Shower

A whole lotta goodies

Family:

Santa Barbara Baby ShowerMy cousin Evan
Santa Barbara Baby Shower

My Godmother and namesake Michelann

Santa Barbara Baby Shower

My mom working her kitchen magic (and David missing the top of his head)

Santa Barbara Beach

Beach

Friday Foto

We’re off to Santa Barbara next week, so we’ll have some good new photos soon. It’s always kind of psychedelic to go from the land of fall back to the land of eternal spring. Plus beach dog pictures!

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Oct 09

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

25 Weeks

I had my prenatal appointment this morning and everything is looking good. Strong heartbeat, right sized belly, doctor is happy with the minimal weight gain. I had my glucose screening as well. Bleah. I hope I don’t have to take the 3 hour test because yuck. I had to go upstairs to get my blood drawn in another clinic. Even though I told them it was a timed test, they fubared it and I had to wander into the back to find someone to stick me. Then she failed to find a vein (which has never happened on me before) and chose to dig around in my arm rather than withdrawing the needle and trying again. I’m predicting a large, ugly bruise.

Here’s the progress in the belly department:


Sorry for the overexposed. Shining a flash in the mirror has unpredictable effects.

People keep saying I don’t look all that big yet, but man do I feel huge. TMQ is very active at times, and pummels various bits of me repeatedly. Not quite so much pummeling to the bladder this week, though it still happens.

Yoga continues to be a back-saver, along with my new shall-not-be-named pregnancy support pillow. Where has that thing been all my life? Sleep is a beautiful thing. I’ve definitely also hit the weepy phase. I melt down a lot for very lame reasons.

We’re headed to California next week for a family Thanksgiving and a baby shower. Looking forward to good company and good grub!

Time for a maintenance check

I can go several days with relatively little pain (though I won’t say discomfort  – having a tiny person inside you is not always comfortable), and then all hell breaks loose and my body goes into full rebellion mode. Currently I’ve got some round ligament pain – it was bad yesterday, not so bad today – lower back pain, and my latest issue is hip pain while sleeping. I used to get this once in a while when I slept on a soft surface like a couch, and assumed it was circulation-related. That makes sense, since pregnancy messes with circulation quite a bit. But now I wake up with one or both hips burning every couple hours and have to stretch them a bit to get back to sleep.

At first I could mitigate it by using the dreaded foam roller before bed, but now it doesn’t seem to make a dent in the pain. Luckily, I have yoga tonight and a visit to the chiropractor tomorrow (which includes a blessed massage).

However, I’m going to have to resort to buying yet another horribly named pregnancy aid, the Snoogle. Who the fuck comes up with these names? Preggie Pops? Snoogle? Could they be any more annoying? I think not. Yes, pregnant women are kind of cute. I revel in my pregnant cuteness. But please do some market research on your audience and recognize that some of us still have two brain cells to rub together. /end rant

Next week we’re flying to Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving, baby shower #1 and other assorted revelry. I’m not looking forward to the flight, but hopefully it will go smoothly. And there will be much tasty food on hand that I can enjoy. Bonus!

Missing NOLA

New Orleans, French Quarter

Vieux Carre

Blue Heron

Honey Island Swamp Tour

David caught this photo of a blue heron taking flight.

More New Orleans

French Quarter

A balcony in the French Quarter.

More Swamp

Honey Island Swamp

One of David's awesome shots.