Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Cool As A...

It's week 26, and baby is the size of an...

English Hothouse Cucumber!


Not just ANY cucumber mind you, an ENGLISH HOTHOUSE cucumber. I hope she's a little thicker than a cucumber though... otherwise she'll look like a bowling pin!

Meanwhile, I'm the size of a...

On Being Heckled at Walgreens

While standing at the cash register at Walgreens buying a bag of cat food.

Me: Oh look, Crackerjacks! Can we get them?

Eric: Sure, I guess. Is that what you're going to eat for dinner?

Me: No, obviously I'll eat real food too...

Woman at Register: (Laughs) Oh boy, you better get her those crackerjacks.

Me and Eric: (Laughing to be nice.)

Woman: Good thing it's a big bag. Maybe you can stop and get a McChicken on your way home too. She's gonna eat everything. Oh boy, better make sure she doesn't tear into the bag of cat food on the way home and start eating that.

Eric: (Laughing nervously with a look at me as if wondering if I'm going to hit him if he keeps laughing.)

Me: (Death glare at both Eric and Walgreen's Lady.)

Woman: Ha ha! She HUNGRY!! Have a good night!

Back in the car...

Eric: I love coming to this Walgreens...everyone who works here is so strange.

Me: Hardy-har lady, I get it, I'm fat! At least I'm not ugly and work at Walgreens.

Eric: .....wow...

Me: Ohh, that was really mean wasn't it? Oops, I feel bad. I take it back. Sorry Walgreens lady. (Try to open bag with my teeth.) Dammit! Why won't this bag of crackerjacks open?!?!?

Monday, June 28, 2010

I Can't Wait to...

Bring baby to Vermont!



Eric and I are very lucky because, not only do we have the summers off, but we also have really great places to visit. My parents have a cabin on Lake Champlain in Vermont, and Eric's parents have a house in Montauk, NY. ( I know, we're quite spoiled.)

We spent the weekend up in Vermont eating good food, relaxing in the sun, reading in the rain, and taking in the beautiful scenery. It's so nice and relaxing there!

I like to picture baby splashing in the lake or sitting in the little, child-sized orange chair my parents have out on the deck. A year from now she'll probably still be too small to plop in the kayak with daddy, but we've started thinking about that too.

We've got such fun times ahead, and I can't wait to take her on lots of adventures!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Week 25



It's week 25 and our little family is still pushing ahead at full steam. I can't believe I'm in month six. Only three months left! It's pretty wild to think that at the end of this little social experiment we're going to have like, you know, an infant to take care of and stuff.

The first week of summer vacation is always a bit "tough" because I feel guilty if we aren't doing something every second of the day. I'm sure by next week I'll be eating bonbons and lounging on the couch watching reruns of Law and Order without even the slightest twinge of regret. It just takes some time to mentally prepare for such laziness. Meanwhile, I'm sure I'm driving Eric nuts with lots of little mini projects and errands to complete. He's being a very good sport though.

We also bought a video camera this week so we can record the important milestones of our future offspring. I figure you can't fully scar your teenage children for life unless you have home movies of them taking baths and pooping on the potty for the first time to show their friends.

The best thing about the new camera?? It has a time-lapse feature! I've time lapsed myself rearranging the bookshelves by color (don't ask), the cat watching the birds, and Eric watching the TV. Yes, I realize that I'm a total nerd...but I'm okay with that.

We put the crib together on Father's Day. (And by "we," I mean mostly Eric.) It looks great. I'm happy with the blue color. The room is starting to look like cotton candy threw up all over it, which was the look I was going for actually.

Lucky for you, our new time-lapse video camera makes it possible for you to be part of the action! I know it's pretty riveting stuff...

I don't quite know how to use the new video camera or imovie yet, so the video is a bit lame, but I tried.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The Human Cornucopia!

It's week 25, and depending on which website you consult, baby is currently the size of an...

Eggplant!

Or a...
Rutabaga!


Meanwhile, I'm the size of a...

I Can't Wait to...

Bring baby to the aquarium!




Then I can be one of the pushy parents throwing elbows so my kid can see the starfish. Also, then we won't be the only adults visiting the aquarium without children. I love summer vacation!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Mommy's Little Esther Williams



Whenever baby starts rolling around a lot in there, I picture her synchronized swimming in a large goldfish bowl. She playfully does the backstroke and underwater somersaults. She merrily points her toes over her head before diving back to the bottom. She even wears a miniature petal swimming cap and nose plugs. Of course, all of this is done while the song "The Beautiful Briny Sea" from Bedknobs and Broomsticks plays in the background. "It's lovely bobbing along, bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea..." She is a very happy baby when she does this, and she just goes about her routine blissfully unaware that there's a larger world outside of the goldfish bowl.


P.S. I just watched the underwater scene from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I used to love that movie when I was kid, but as an adult, it seems very strange. A spinster witch-in-training, the three street urchins she's adopted, and a con man ride a bed to far-away lands and then fight Nazis??? Hmmmm

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Moral to the Story: Eat More Snickers

People with experience keep telling me that being pregnant in the summertime can sometimes suck. I don't do well with heat under normal circumstances...My red hair and unnaturally white skin is genetic proof that I'm inclined toward cooler climes.
But, with the 90-plus-degree weather this week, I learned that being in heat while growing a human is just plain wrong.

I won't go into too many gory details, but there was an incident at a gas station that involved an empty tank of gas, too many cars waiting for a spot, no air conditioning, and one very agitated pregnant woman. I was in such an annoyed state that it wasn't until after the fog had cleared that I realized that people at the gas station were staring at me open-mouthed as if saying, "Who IS that unpleasant red-headed fat girl?" Note to self, when having a hormonal hissy fit, don't do it in a parking lot with the windows down.

It ended with Eric sighing good-naturedly and handing me a five dollar bill to get a cold drink while he patiently pumped the gas. I not only got the drink, I got a Snickers as well. I realized as I gave up my driving rights to Eric and crawled into the passenger seat to munch on my chocolate bar that number one: Eric has learned that calming me = feeding me candy and french fries, and two: I've reverted to the emotional intelligence of a five-year old. I didn't care. It was damn hot, and people should have moved out of my way...besides, that Snickers was tasty.

I also learned that no matter how terrible I look, I should not wear jeans when it's 95 degrees out. At home, I feel comfortable wearing shorts or sundresses or even, to be brutally honest, going pantless. But whenever possible, I like to spare the public views of the swollen logs of cookie dough that used to be my legs. But, after the gas-station incident, I went to Old Navy and bought three shapeless, gray muumuu things off the sales rack. I don't care if I look like a porpoise when I wear them; I'm wearing them for the rest of the summer.

Also, unless I'm going to be near water, I don't think I'll come out in the day much from now on. My life will closely resemble that of a vampire, which is very chic now, no? Except instead of sparkling in the sunlight a la Edward Cullen, my head will start spinning and I'll burst into flames a la Dracula. And Dracula is sooooo not as hot as Edward Cullen.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

A gift that pays off for new dads - The Boston Globe

Eric saw this in The Globe today, and it sparked a lot of discussion in our household. Don't get me wrong, I get a pretty good deal from my job for maternity leave, but I know there are a lot of women out there who do not. The options for men are even worse.

A gift that pays off for new dads - The Boston Globe

As you can see from the comments readers posted, a lot of people say the columnist is a socialist. Well, (not to get all political and what-not) but if that's socialism, then serve me up a slice of that! Mmmm, socialism sure is tasty!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Dads and Baby Names

Whenever we try to discuss baby names, the conversation ends up going a little bit like this....

Me: How about the name Anne?
Eric: Anne's OK. How about Apple?
Me: Apple? Like Gwyneth Paltrow?
Eric: Apple Nike so we can get free stuff.
Me: No. What do you think of Alice?
Eric: Or, Starbucks!
Me: (Ignoring him now.) I like the name Alice. Maybe as a middle name....
Eric: I think Starbucks would be good. Dunkin Donuts?!
Me: (annoyed voice) Baby girl Dunkin Donuts?!? Do you know what that would do to a child? Seriously, what names do you like?
Eric: (Ignoring me now.) I think it'd be good. We like coffee.
Me: Well, I've heard that there are several baby Espns out there after ESPN.
Eric: Espn? That's so stupid!

Other names he's suggested include Wharf, Anchovy, Brianna Scalabrine, and Pepsi.
Luckily, I know he's just joking. (I think...)

I did a Google search on dads and baby names to see if this is a guy thing or if it's just an Eric being Eric thing. I suspect it's a guy thing because one of the first websites to pop up was this one from Brand New Dad. As you can see from the rules, Eric is not the first man to think you can name your baby after a science fiction character or that you can make money by naming your baby after a major corporation.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Week 24

School's out for Summer!!

I just finished my last day of the school year. I'm free for the next ten weeks! Eric will be done by the end of the week as well. I love my job.

This week is also a significant milestone for us. Ellis was born on the first day of week 24, so it's stood in our minds as a kind of checkpoint. I remember looking forward to this week when we first found out I was pregnant and I was home on bed rest. I knew it would be at the very end of the school year, and at the time, it seemed so far away. It feels really good to have come this far with a healthy baby girl. I can already feel some of the trepidation melting away, and am looking forward to experiencing the last part of my pregnancy. I've never been twenty-five weeks pregnant, I've never been seven or nine months pregnant. From here on out, everything will be new, and I'm looking forward to it.

We had a checkup with the doctor yesterday. They measured me up and down and listened to baby's heartbeat. The doctor said everything looks good. I won't be seeing them again for another month.

I plan on spending the next couple of weeks getting the baby's room ready, visiting NY and VT, and napping in the air conditioning! Life is good!



Us in Nova Scotia last summer.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Bayside Baby

Kelly Kapowski stole our baby name!

I was talking with coworkers yesterday about how I think the name Harper is becoming more and more popular because I've been seeing it everywhere lately. Then, my friend Amy sent me a text tonight telling me about Kelly Kapowski. I'm not sure if I've just been noticing it more because we're considering it as a finalist for a name or if it really is everywhere. I just hope people know that the inspiration came from Harper Lee and not from my love of all things Saved by The Bell. (Don't get me wrong--I do still love Saved by The Bell.)

Corny

It's week 24 and baby is the size of an...

Ear of corn!!



Meanwhile, I'm the size of a...

Saturday, June 12, 2010

I can't wait to...

Watch Sesame Street with baby for the following reasons:






Glad to see they haven't changed much!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Week 23



Well, here we are at week 23! The baby's a night owl, and I've already got the grey hairs to prove it!

The baby has been driving me to the brink of insanity all week because she doesn't move around much during the day. She likes to wait till around 9 pm or so to make her appearance. This causes her mama some serious anxiety because when she doesn't move for several hours at a time I start to get nervous. I spend hours of the day poking my belly hoping for some kicks in return. She doesn't usually oblige. She's a stubborn baby. Where'd she get that from? **cough**Eric**cough**

Luckily, just as I'm settling into bed, baby makes her appearance. I take a giant sigh of relief and watch my tummy start jerking around. Which, by the way, is both seriously weird and awesome. Anyone ever seen Alien?? At least I'm starting to recognize the pattern. My mother also assures me that this is typical baby behavior and that I wasn't any different when she was pregnant with me. Still, it's making me bananas.

In fact, I found a big patch of white hairs and grey roots on my head the other morning. Not just one! A whole patch! Thankfully, the patch is buried beneath a top layer of wild, thick hair and (I think) is unnoticeable. Isn't 29 too early for this nonsense? The baby's only 23 weeks along, and she's already keeping me up at nights and turning my hair grey!

In other news, Dizzy The Cat has asthma??? I didn't know cats could get asthma. I just finished reading Lord of the Flies with my kids, and there's a line in it that goes, "Sucks to your ass-mar!" I've been saying this to the cat all week, but he doesn't seem to find it as funny as I do. I think Dizzy needs to stop taking himself so seriously.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Hey Mango

We're at week 23, and baby is the size of a...

Large Mango!



I''m not sure I agree with this fruit choice for week 23. Isn't a spaghetti squash (week 22) a lot bigger than a mango?? Oh well, who am I to argue with the produce Gods?

Meanwhile, I'm the size of a...

Monday, June 7, 2010

These Booties Were Made for Walkin'



It just needs to be said that baby shoes are perhaps the cutest thing ever. We went to the SoWa Open Market in Boston on Sunday and snagged the little owl booties pictured above. They were made by Kaya's Kloset, a company from Brookline, MA. There were so many adorable patterns that I had a hard time deciding which pair to get. Eric had to fix the problem for me by settling on the owls.

I've been in baby overdrive the past week. (Is it too early to consider this nesting?) I couldn't even sleep in on Satruday because when I woke up at 6 am I was too excited to stay in bed. I've been spending all my free time on the Ipad looking at baby blogs, and baby nurseries, and baby clothes...and baby shoes. Here are some adorable examples.



Clockwise From Top:
1.Olivia Mary Janes by Curly Birdie.
2. Classic Stripe Rain Boots by Polarn O. Pyret
3. Cotton Linnen Baby Booties by Garden Alley.
4. Sunny Fields Baby Shoes Goody Two Shoes Shop

In reality, I actually fail to see a reason for baby shoes. I mean, does a baby who can't even find her feet really need a pair of shoes for them? No, probably not. And won't she just kick them off anyhow? Yes, probably so. But, they are just so gosh darn cute!

It's Here!

Guess what arrived today???



Our Crib!!!



I'm happy with the color, and I can't wait to see it all put together!
Unfortunately, due to a leaky air conditioning unit on the floor above us, and to our own reorganization project, the nursery currently looks like this...



I guess it's going to take a few days.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Vote for Baby!

I've been thinking a lot lately about what baby will look like.

I wonder if she'll have any birthmarks. I wonder if she'll look more like me or like Eric. I wonder if we'll think she looks like Ellis. I wonder if she'll come out with a fuzzy tuft of hair like mommy and daddy both have, or if she'll be born as bald as Daddy Warbucks. I wonder if she'll have red hair like me or brown hair like Eric...or maybe she'll be randomly blond. (Eric has red in his sideburns and beard, so I don't think red is off the table.) Will she have brown eyes like we both have, or will she surprise us with blue or green. As she gets older will she have freckles? Will her hair be curly or straight? Will she be tall or short? These are the questions I've been daydreaming about.

I'm curious to see what our family and friends think she will look like because your guess is as good as mine. I've added a "What Will Baby Look Like?" Poll to the sidebar. You can vote on baby's hair and eye color combination. It will be fun to see what people's guesses are.

I'm voting red hair and dark eyes because, not only am I a tad vain about my red hair and hope to create a mini-me; but also Eric will have to share his life with not one but two redheads!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Just because

I love Eric because he gets me watermelon in the middle of the Celtics game
And because he brushes the cat
And because he has funny hair that sticks straight up
And because he cleaned the kitchen before work this morning
And because he's nice

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Is she a fruit or a vegetable?

We've arrived at week 22, and baby's size has competition.

My usual fruit pictures come from www.thebump.com.
However, starting at week 22, The Bump stops updating baby's size weekly, and assigns a fruit of the month instead.

According to The Bump, during month five baby is the size of...

A Papaya!


While the monthly updates are all well and good, I don't think it's as much fun as finding out what the fruit of the week is going to be.
Luckily, I recently discovered that my other trusted baby website, www.babycenter.com, also has weekly fruit updates.

Therefore, baby is also the size of...

A Spaghetti-Squash!


At least one thing's for certain. I'm the size of a...


Pleasantly plump pear!

22 Weeks

There's some sad news in the land of baby blogs. A woman whose blog I've been following since shortly after losing Ellis lost another baby boy yesterday at 23 weeks. She lost her twin boys in January of 2009 at 22 weeks. Although I've never met this person, the news has hit me pretty hard. Reading her blog, her experiences are very similar to our own. The latest blogs have been about putting together baby furniture, and getting the green light from the high risk doctors, and how confident she was feeling after passing the twenty-two week milestone.

Lately, I'd been feeling that same confidence. All our tests have turned out well, and our doctors have been enthusiastic. Yet, despite all the wonderful advances in technology in medicine, having a healthy baby really just comes down to a guessing game. Nobody can know for sure what's going on in there; and if, God forbid, anything did go wrong, there's nothing anyone can do about it anyhow. Reading about her loss is a sad reminder of that.

So all we can do is continue to stay positive, wait patiently, and hope for the best. We just have to believe that we'll have our baby girl home safe and sound in October.

In happier news....

We did buy some baby furniture over the long weekend, and started getting her room set up. One can not pay a visit to Ikea without leaving with much more than anyone originally intended on buying. We bought a bookcase/changing table, which can later be used as just a bookcase as baby gets older. We also bought a toy chest bench, and will be going back for a baby wardrobe for more storage. (It wouldn't fit in my car on Saturday.)

Her room is starting to look more like a baby's room. I can't wait to see the crib when it arrives!

Pictures of Eric "The Handyman" Linsner putting together the baby furniture: