Interesting fact about being pregnant: once you hit a certain point, there's no hiding the fact that you're baking a baby in your belly. No sweatshirt is large enough to cover the ever-rounding stomach, the waddling, the wheezing. So that means when you go into a gas station to grab a Snapple, the cashier is going to look at your belly, smile, and ask (in rapid succession) When are you due? Do you know if it's a boy or girl? Do you have names picked out? As if 1)it were any of her business any of it and 2)the answers actually mattered to her.
Granted, there are women out there who love the attention that comes with incubating life. I have a friend who's that way. She takes every opportunity to rub her belly in public. She'll shake her head no, say she wasn't out on Saturday night because (and here's where she points to her belly) she's expecting. She likes to giggle and talk about names, cravings, weight gain, night sweats--all things baby. But I'm not really that way. I like to pretend that I have other interesting things to talk about--my graduate classes, stories I'm working on, that trip to Europe I took last summer, the state of our nation, who should be kicked off American Idol--but no one wants to hear about that. They want to know if I've started mixing pickles with peanut butter or ice cream and summer sausage. They want to know if I can feel the baby kick, if I've picked out a crib, if I'm enjoying sleeping in while I can. Because that's going to stop as soon as you have a kid, they all say.
Hmm. I had a point when I started this. But I've forgotten, as I've forgotten so many things lately. I can say this--on CNN today there was a post about a study done on pregnant women and their memories. They've proven a link between being pregnant and being forgetful. The study also showed that three months after giving birth, memory usually improves (thank goodness!).
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
First of all, congratulations Baby Clay. You are officially a girl. We have the potentially embarrassing pictures to prove it--amazing that they can do with a sonogram machine these days. This is good news. It would be difficult for me to start switching pronouns now after calling you a she for the last month and a half. Plus Daddy Clay and I had pretty much stopped discussing boy names. We have a short list of girl names, but nothing definitive. So you're still stuck with Baby Clay for now.
Secondly, you'll be pleased to know that our weekend was spent clearing out the baby room of all things Mommy's. Unfortunately, most of it has ended up in our living room. We're working on consolidating it into the two rooms downstairs. We also put together the crib. Yay! Turns out putting together furniture is one of those things Daddy and I are pretty good at. We've made some bookcases, a kitchen table, that IKEA shelf thing. We don't even fight when we do it. That's gotta be a good sign of something.
Tomorrow we're going to look at a house about 5 miles out in the country. I'm torn about this. While I like the idea of having a bit more space and trees, and a place to plant a really big garden (and did I mention it has this huge outdoor pool), it means not having neighbors and block parties and a place to borrow an egg. Then again, I wouldn't ask any of our neighbors now to borrow an egg. But the point is, I grew up in a neighborhood with no less than 5 girls within a year of me. That meant for some sweet games of capture the flag and flashlight tag. But in the country? Then again, if we have a pool I'm pretty sure you'll never be hurting for friends. Neither will Mommy and Daddy. We'll see how the inside looks tomorrow. It's definitely older than this house: 1967 versus 2003. Do I really want to start the remodeling process all over again? Especially while pregnant? I'll keep you updated.
Food update: I am eating lots of the following--cereal (especially Golden Grahams and Honey Nut Cheerios), iced oatmeal cookies (I had a dream about them and needed to buy them immediately), orange juice, grape juice, pink lemonade (not technically foods, I know), yogurt, and bananas.
And finally, I need another new bra. I've outgrown the first maternity bra I bought. It was an ambitious purchase, I know, getting it at month 3. But really, who would have thought they'd get even bigger? Eesh.
Secondly, you'll be pleased to know that our weekend was spent clearing out the baby room of all things Mommy's. Unfortunately, most of it has ended up in our living room. We're working on consolidating it into the two rooms downstairs. We also put together the crib. Yay! Turns out putting together furniture is one of those things Daddy and I are pretty good at. We've made some bookcases, a kitchen table, that IKEA shelf thing. We don't even fight when we do it. That's gotta be a good sign of something.
Tomorrow we're going to look at a house about 5 miles out in the country. I'm torn about this. While I like the idea of having a bit more space and trees, and a place to plant a really big garden (and did I mention it has this huge outdoor pool), it means not having neighbors and block parties and a place to borrow an egg. Then again, I wouldn't ask any of our neighbors now to borrow an egg. But the point is, I grew up in a neighborhood with no less than 5 girls within a year of me. That meant for some sweet games of capture the flag and flashlight tag. But in the country? Then again, if we have a pool I'm pretty sure you'll never be hurting for friends. Neither will Mommy and Daddy. We'll see how the inside looks tomorrow. It's definitely older than this house: 1967 versus 2003. Do I really want to start the remodeling process all over again? Especially while pregnant? I'll keep you updated.
Food update: I am eating lots of the following--cereal (especially Golden Grahams and Honey Nut Cheerios), iced oatmeal cookies (I had a dream about them and needed to buy them immediately), orange juice, grape juice, pink lemonade (not technically foods, I know), yogurt, and bananas.
And finally, I need another new bra. I've outgrown the first maternity bra I bought. It was an ambitious purchase, I know, getting it at month 3. But really, who would have thought they'd get even bigger? Eesh.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Dear Baby Clay,
It's 10:30 and I should probably be in bed based on all those pregnancy books that say things about getting enough sleep for the baby and blah blah blah. I think they'd have something to say about me not getting enough fruits and vegetables and substituting fruit snacks and oj instead. Then again, so would your Auntie Jess.
And since it's late but I really felt the need to update, I'll just do this is bulleted list format. That sounds nice.
It's 10:30 and I should probably be in bed based on all those pregnancy books that say things about getting enough sleep for the baby and blah blah blah. I think they'd have something to say about me not getting enough fruits and vegetables and substituting fruit snacks and oj instead. Then again, so would your Auntie Jess.
And since it's late but I really felt the need to update, I'll just do this is bulleted list format. That sounds nice.
- Your Uncle Joe and Aunt Kari are having a baby boy. They found out a couple weeks ago, but I sensed that the whole time. This will be your cousin who will only be a week or two older than you. Or maybe more or less. Guess we don't really know these things until they happen. Really, you could come first. Who knows?
- Your Aunt Rachel and Uncle Dan (Yes, you're going to have a lot of "Aunts" and Uncles"--not to be confused with Joel and Kari from the last bulleted point. They're blood relatives, not necessarily the people I chose to associate with because of their super coolness [think: Aunt Jess]) Anyway, they're also having a boy. And again, I suspected that was such from the beginning. Unfortunately, Aunt Rachel needs some time to adjust. She was really thinking girl. But if she's lucky, that boy will come out with eyelashes like his dad. That man has some beeyootiful eyelashes. You'll likely get to know this boy well too. And if all goes well, in 25 or so years you will come to realize your lifelong love for each other, marry, and have babies with those beeyootiful eyelashes. That is, assuming that first sonographer was right and you are a girl. But don't get this confused with me saying I have a problem with you two getting together if you are both boys. I certainly don't. You'll learn early on that your mama is a proud liberal who will gladly accept you no matter who you fall in love with. (Okay, that's a lie. Even I have my limits. You'll know when you've hit them.)
- Wow, that was a long bulleted point. I may have forgotten what else I was going to note. Oh yes, the heartburn. I'd read about that in the baby book too. I thought that, much like that morning sickness they'd talked about, this would skip me too. But it hasn't. And it's come with a frenzy. At first I wasn't even sure what it was because it was like no heartburn I'd had before. It felt like when you walk outside on the coldest winter days and your breath just escapes you. Or like when you chug a glass of ice water too fast. It's a cool buring from top of throat to chest. I've basically been chasing my meals with Tums.
- Gas. It's also come back with a vengance. Mostly I feel bad for you father. He has to share a bed with me.
- Speaking of your father, he's already tracking down the best possible daycare facility for you. Good thing he's here. If it were up to me, I'd forget about it until a week before I went back to work and then drop you off at the closest available home with no time to check if the owner has locks on the lower cabinets where she stores her toilet bowl cleaner. Ok, maybe that's not entirely true. But you can be sure it wouldn't be on my radar until a bit closer to your birth (or just afterward, I promise).
- I'm officially wearing maternity pants. Okay, that started closer to Christmas. But I was really trying to get myself into my jeans for as long as possible. And yes, that meant threading a ponytail holder through the button hole to add a couple extra inches. That added another week to my pre-maternity clothes time. But now I'm into the stretchy panel pants. And I gotta say, I'm not missing zippers. These are seriously the most comfortable pants I've ever owned aside from sweatpants. In fact, it really feels like I'm wearing pajamas to work. I give this two thumbs up.
- Speaking of thumbs, the baby book says you have fingerprints this week. Good job! Way to go! What a great effort!
- Next week we'll know for sure if you are Baby Girl Clay or Baby Boy Clay. Frankly, it never mattered to me one way or the other. But I have started using the female pronouns, so that might get awkward if you turn out to be a boy. I'll keep you posted.
- Remind me to tell you about the moment I had with my mom in Don Pablo's. That's a good story. Instead I'll just say that I'm really excited to feel you start kicking. Any time, the book says. So...let's get on that, k? Great.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Dear Baby Clay,
Well, you survived your first family Christmas. Okay, okay...this one doesn't really count. But you did get presents already. Uncle Joe and Aunt Kari gave you a vibrating bouncy seat. It has an owl on it. And the continued to follow my requested theme with a onesie with an owl saying "Whooos the cutest?" or something similar. I'm pretty sure you're going to live in that onesie, it's that cute. Also, Grandma Sween (it's strange to type that because I had a Grandma Sween and she was really nothing like your G'ma Sween. I'll tell you about her sometime. She was a very special lady.) gave you a monkey towel. She also already has a stocking for you. I'll have to pick one up as well at some after Christmas sale for 50% off. (You'll learn early on how I like a deal. Or you can just ask Aunt Jess about that. She has some thoughts on that one.) The monkey towel went with Grandma Sween's theme of monkeys. She made sock monkeys for everyone. Homemade. Yep, your grandma is very crafty. You'll learn that soon too. Once I told her I was sad because I never had a sock monkey and always wanted one. I told someone at work this too, and she gave me a sock monkey a couple weeks ago. So it turns out I did now own a sock monkey, but there was something very cool about having my mama make one for me. And that she shared that joy with everyone. Yes, the sock monkey was my favorite gift this year (okay, maybe second if you count the stroller that Dad and I bought for each other. I can't get over those owls.)
Maybe now is a good time to apologize to you if you don't really care for owls. Because I have a feeling there will be an abundance of them around you. I can't even tell you where my sudden love for all things owls sprung from. It just kind of started that day I found that plush, pastel owl at that drug store in Maine. Your Dad and Aunt Jess convinced me to buy it and cart it all the way back home. So really, if you hate owls, you can blame them.
Love,
Mama Clay
Well, you survived your first family Christmas. Okay, okay...this one doesn't really count. But you did get presents already. Uncle Joe and Aunt Kari gave you a vibrating bouncy seat. It has an owl on it. And the continued to follow my requested theme with a onesie with an owl saying "Whooos the cutest?" or something similar. I'm pretty sure you're going to live in that onesie, it's that cute. Also, Grandma Sween (it's strange to type that because I had a Grandma Sween and she was really nothing like your G'ma Sween. I'll tell you about her sometime. She was a very special lady.) gave you a monkey towel. She also already has a stocking for you. I'll have to pick one up as well at some after Christmas sale for 50% off. (You'll learn early on how I like a deal. Or you can just ask Aunt Jess about that. She has some thoughts on that one.) The monkey towel went with Grandma Sween's theme of monkeys. She made sock monkeys for everyone. Homemade. Yep, your grandma is very crafty. You'll learn that soon too. Once I told her I was sad because I never had a sock monkey and always wanted one. I told someone at work this too, and she gave me a sock monkey a couple weeks ago. So it turns out I did now own a sock monkey, but there was something very cool about having my mama make one for me. And that she shared that joy with everyone. Yes, the sock monkey was my favorite gift this year (okay, maybe second if you count the stroller that Dad and I bought for each other. I can't get over those owls.)
Maybe now is a good time to apologize to you if you don't really care for owls. Because I have a feeling there will be an abundance of them around you. I can't even tell you where my sudden love for all things owls sprung from. It just kind of started that day I found that plush, pastel owl at that drug store in Maine. Your Dad and Aunt Jess convinced me to buy it and cart it all the way back home. So really, if you hate owls, you can blame them.
Love,
Mama Clay
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Another Doc Appointment
Had another doctor's appointment today. Nothing too interesting to report. I did gain 3 pounds since last month. But that might just be from all the Christmas goodies I've been eating. Today I had to unbutton my jeans for them to be comfortable. I originally blamed this on the fact that I put them in the dryer, but maybe it has something to do with those three pounds. Either way, I don't think I look overly pregnant yet. Still at that stage where people who don't know are probably looking at me and thinking to themselves "Is that girl pregnant or just big in the middle?" It will be nice in a few more weeks when I have conclusive proof that it's a baby and not my love of frosted sugar cookies.
We heard the heartbeat again too. It's always nice to know baby's still doing alright in there. It's hard to tell when I don't feel anything. Maybe in a couple weeks or so.
Oh yeah, and our stroller came last week. I know it's way to early to buy one, but I really loved the particular pattern. Papa Clay read about it online, mostly looking for safety information and what not, and found that the company was only making that pattern for a year. So if I wanted to be sure I got the brown and green stroller with the owls on it, I had better purchase it now. So we did. We took it out of the box and assembled it. Then we tested how to lock the baby seat in, recline the back, fold it down with just one hand. After that, we chased the dogs around the room with it. Then we put Emerson in it and took pictures. He was not pleased.
"I hate this, I hate this, I hate th...Oh, look at the cute owls."
We heard the heartbeat again too. It's always nice to know baby's still doing alright in there. It's hard to tell when I don't feel anything. Maybe in a couple weeks or so.
Oh yeah, and our stroller came last week. I know it's way to early to buy one, but I really loved the particular pattern. Papa Clay read about it online, mostly looking for safety information and what not, and found that the company was only making that pattern for a year. So if I wanted to be sure I got the brown and green stroller with the owls on it, I had better purchase it now. So we did. We took it out of the box and assembled it. Then we tested how to lock the baby seat in, recline the back, fold it down with just one hand. After that, we chased the dogs around the room with it. Then we put Emerson in it and took pictures. He was not pleased.
"I hate this, I hate this, I hate th...Oh, look at the cute owls."
Sunday, December 13, 2009
So I've been neglectful about the blog. But to be fair, I haven't had a whole lot to say lately. Things have felt mostly "normal." That is, I'm not really sick. I'm not really tired. I don't feel a baby yet. I only barely look like I might have one growing in there. So what does one talk about?
Well, on Thursday I had my second sonogram. That proved interesting. Certainly more than the first one, where Baby Clay looked like little more than a squiggle on the screen. This time, Baby was what the sonographer described as "wiggly." Yep, Baby was certainly moving quite a bit. In the time that I was there, Baby flipped completely over. And during most of the picture taking, Baby looked like it was bucking or something. Very cool. I can't believe it's moving so much inside there and I can't feel a thing. The baby book says I may start feeling it around 15 weeks. That's only about 2 weeks away. If the baby continues to move as much as it was, I'll never sleep again. Way to prepare me for when you're actually born, Baby.
In other news, we were at Target the other day and wandered into the baby section. Papa Clay decided he just had to buy something for the baby. So we settled on a light green/blue/yellow comforter. It has an owl on it (I guess that's going to be our theme. I like it. I've never seen an owl baby room before. Jungle animals, sure. Noah's ark, of course. But owls? I have to admit it's a little weird. But then again, aren't owls always a symbol of intelligence?). And also a big letter "C" that's supposed to stand for "caterpillar," but I'm sure it's really meant to be "Clay." Perfect. We also found a sweet stroller with owls on it. After PC read online that it's a special model made only for Target and only in limited quantities, we decided we better just purchase one while it's still available. So yesterday we hopped on Amazon and did just that. Our first major baby purchase. Looks like we'll have to start making some room for Baby and all it's stuff.
I can't believe I also forgot to mention what else I learned at the sonogram on Thursday. I asked the lady if she could tell gender, fully assuming she would say it's way too early. The book says 20 weeks. But the lady said she had a guess that was better than 50% (which I could guess at 50% accuracy). She says girl, which is what I've thought all along. I'm not getting too attached to that idea since it is so early. I'll wait until we're at about 90% accuracy. However, I did take a few minutes to browse through the baby girl section in Old Navy the other day. Eesh. If I have a girl, I'll go broke from buying clothes. There are just so many cute things out there for little girls. And I want them all.
Other things to note:
--My boobs are officially a cup size larger.
--Pepperoni and my digestive system are not friends.
--I went into a maternity clothes store looking for a new bra. I also tried on a couple pairs of pants--they have pillows in the fitting rooms that you're supposed to use to measure how big you'll be in a few months. Ack! Soon I won't see my feet.
--We got some good cream for stretch marks from PC's mom. He's been rubbing it on my belly every night. I think he's more worried about stretch marks than I am. Isn't there just a surgery to fix that?
Well, on Thursday I had my second sonogram. That proved interesting. Certainly more than the first one, where Baby Clay looked like little more than a squiggle on the screen. This time, Baby was what the sonographer described as "wiggly." Yep, Baby was certainly moving quite a bit. In the time that I was there, Baby flipped completely over. And during most of the picture taking, Baby looked like it was bucking or something. Very cool. I can't believe it's moving so much inside there and I can't feel a thing. The baby book says I may start feeling it around 15 weeks. That's only about 2 weeks away. If the baby continues to move as much as it was, I'll never sleep again. Way to prepare me for when you're actually born, Baby.
In other news, we were at Target the other day and wandered into the baby section. Papa Clay decided he just had to buy something for the baby. So we settled on a light green/blue/yellow comforter. It has an owl on it (I guess that's going to be our theme. I like it. I've never seen an owl baby room before. Jungle animals, sure. Noah's ark, of course. But owls? I have to admit it's a little weird. But then again, aren't owls always a symbol of intelligence?). And also a big letter "C" that's supposed to stand for "caterpillar," but I'm sure it's really meant to be "Clay." Perfect. We also found a sweet stroller with owls on it. After PC read online that it's a special model made only for Target and only in limited quantities, we decided we better just purchase one while it's still available. So yesterday we hopped on Amazon and did just that. Our first major baby purchase. Looks like we'll have to start making some room for Baby and all it's stuff.
I can't believe I also forgot to mention what else I learned at the sonogram on Thursday. I asked the lady if she could tell gender, fully assuming she would say it's way too early. The book says 20 weeks. But the lady said she had a guess that was better than 50% (which I could guess at 50% accuracy). She says girl, which is what I've thought all along. I'm not getting too attached to that idea since it is so early. I'll wait until we're at about 90% accuracy. However, I did take a few minutes to browse through the baby girl section in Old Navy the other day. Eesh. If I have a girl, I'll go broke from buying clothes. There are just so many cute things out there for little girls. And I want them all.
Other things to note:
--My boobs are officially a cup size larger.
--Pepperoni and my digestive system are not friends.
--I went into a maternity clothes store looking for a new bra. I also tried on a couple pairs of pants--they have pillows in the fitting rooms that you're supposed to use to measure how big you'll be in a few months. Ack! Soon I won't see my feet.
--We got some good cream for stretch marks from PC's mom. He's been rubbing it on my belly every night. I think he's more worried about stretch marks than I am. Isn't there just a surgery to fix that?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Dear Baby,
I'm learning some interesting things about pregnancy. For instance, it is exhausting. And that's confusing to me because it doesn't really feel like I'm doing anything yet. I don't look pregnant yet. I don't feel you yet. So basically, just being awake tires me out. And that's not really normal for me. I like to spend my weekends working around the house, cleaning, catching up on laundry. But this weekend, I've pretty much wanted to sleep straight through it. That way, maybe I won't be tired when I get to work on Monday. But I know that's not true either. Because being at work tires me out too. Even though it's the beginning of the season and I can really take my time with every project. Deadlines are months away. But by about 1 or 2, I can barely look my my computer screen anymore. I really think they should have a room with some cots in them. There are plenty of open spots upstairs.
This morning I woke up pretty sure I was going to barf. And I still haven't ruled that out. But I'm pushing forward. I'm trying to forget about it. I'll let you know how that goes.
Love,
Mama Clay
I'm learning some interesting things about pregnancy. For instance, it is exhausting. And that's confusing to me because it doesn't really feel like I'm doing anything yet. I don't look pregnant yet. I don't feel you yet. So basically, just being awake tires me out. And that's not really normal for me. I like to spend my weekends working around the house, cleaning, catching up on laundry. But this weekend, I've pretty much wanted to sleep straight through it. That way, maybe I won't be tired when I get to work on Monday. But I know that's not true either. Because being at work tires me out too. Even though it's the beginning of the season and I can really take my time with every project. Deadlines are months away. But by about 1 or 2, I can barely look my my computer screen anymore. I really think they should have a room with some cots in them. There are plenty of open spots upstairs.
This morning I woke up pretty sure I was going to barf. And I still haven't ruled that out. But I'm pushing forward. I'm trying to forget about it. I'll let you know how that goes.
Love,
Mama Clay
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)