No one would argue that the world and “today’s generation” is more materialistic than past generations or even “our generation” (which is funny since even I say that in reference to the “youngsters” who are only like 7 years younger than me and are probably technically in MY generation). People seem to feel the need to surpass the success and wealth their parents (a convenient benchmark) accumulated over 25 years as quickly as possible.
Cases in point:
My brother has a friend who has a 100” projection TV. He’s 25.
One of my uncle’s proudest accomplishments is that he pays more in tax than his father made during the highest earning year of his career.
I think deep down we all want to prove we’ve “made it” and that we’re successful at what we do. Material things are a convenient way to showcase that fact. Obviously some people take that too far, end up in debt and while they appear to be well-off, they’re really struggling and emotionally breaking as a result of the stress. I certainly don’t advocate anyone doing that.
I expect that many of us have a “made it” item that they hope to acquire at some point in their lives (whether they want to admit it or not). Something they know indicates success; even if others don’t fully appreciate its value (sometimes that facet makes it even better!). It seems that at Jim’s work, very high-end watches are a common signifier.
I used to think that my item would be an original piece of art. Not a Picasso or anything, but something that cost several thousand dollars and I buy it just because I can and stick it in some room with a museum light over it. The older I get the less that particular acquisition seems important, but the concept of some thing hasn’t died in my mind as something I “should” do. I just haven’t come up with what to replace it with yet…
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Movin' on up
I went shopping yesterday and it sucked. My cantaloupes have officially become a nuisance. Normally I wear a medium in clothes. Now that I’ve outgrown most of my normal stuff, I took the opportunity to go shopping yesterday. I found some cute stuff, on sale no less, except that the body of the shirts (where Nicole will grow) is plenty big, it’s just the stupid chest area that is already too fitted and requires the larger size. An Extra Large size to be exact. I know that it’s more important to have clothes that fit and look good and size shouldn’t matter, but GEEZ.
The one positive of the whole experience...
When I called Jim on my way home the conversation went like this:
Me: “I’ll be home in 15 minutes. I stopped to buy dress shirts and I’m unhappy with my body.”
Jim: “What’s to be unhappy about? Your body’s great.”
How wonderful is he!?
The one positive of the whole experience...
When I called Jim on my way home the conversation went like this:
Me: “I’ll be home in 15 minutes. I stopped to buy dress shirts and I’m unhappy with my body.”
Jim: “What’s to be unhappy about? Your body’s great.”
How wonderful is he!?
Monday, February 26, 2007
Eating Habits
A lot of people have “weird” food-isms.
My grandpa Templin would only eat bananas if they were completely brown (therefore sweet and mushy) whereas other people won’t touch a banana with any significant spotting at all.
My brother Greg mixes cottage cheese and applesauce together before he eats it.
Jim likes his cookies undercooked so they’re still semi-doughy in the middle.
I have my own food-isms too that are probably a little neurotic.
I think one of the best inventions in serving are the plates with individual sections for food. That way, I can more easily separate every item on my plate so that nothing touches and therefore sauces/flavors don’t intrude on each other.
I also eat in order. That is, I will eat one item on my plate in its entirety and then move on to the next one; of course never mixing the two in the process. I can take this so far as to eat beef stew item by item- all the carrots first, then potatoes, then meat, etc., even if it’s in the same bowl. There are a few exceptions to this- Chinese food and soup come to mind.
I have conflicting views as to the order of eating at a picnic. Inevitably there are a lot of really good items like baked beans, deviled eggs, etc. Most of the time you also get some kind of sweet item like a Waldorf salad or that green pistachio/pineapple fluff stuff. Which to eat first can be hard to choose– do I eat the sweet stuff first so I'm sure I have room and therefore ensure I get to taste it OR do I eat all the other stuff first and save that for the end so I have a good taste in my mouth when I'm done?? Tough one…
My grandpa Templin would only eat bananas if they were completely brown (therefore sweet and mushy) whereas other people won’t touch a banana with any significant spotting at all.
My brother Greg mixes cottage cheese and applesauce together before he eats it.
Jim likes his cookies undercooked so they’re still semi-doughy in the middle.
I have my own food-isms too that are probably a little neurotic.
I think one of the best inventions in serving are the plates with individual sections for food. That way, I can more easily separate every item on my plate so that nothing touches and therefore sauces/flavors don’t intrude on each other.I also eat in order. That is, I will eat one item on my plate in its entirety and then move on to the next one; of course never mixing the two in the process. I can take this so far as to eat beef stew item by item- all the carrots first, then potatoes, then meat, etc., even if it’s in the same bowl. There are a few exceptions to this- Chinese food and soup come to mind.
I have conflicting views as to the order of eating at a picnic. Inevitably there are a lot of really good items like baked beans, deviled eggs, etc. Most of the time you also get some kind of sweet item like a Waldorf salad or that green pistachio/pineapple fluff stuff. Which to eat first can be hard to choose– do I eat the sweet stuff first so I'm sure I have room and therefore ensure I get to taste it OR do I eat all the other stuff first and save that for the end so I have a good taste in my mouth when I'm done?? Tough one…
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Weekend of 2/23/07
I had an appointment in Dayton Friday afternoon so I got to be treated to lunch by Sarah W on my way back into the office. She’s so sweet! We even got milkshakes at Steak N Shake (special treat!), which I’ve not had a full-sized one of ever.
Jim and I left Friday a bit early from work so we could head up to Spencerville (Jim’s hometown) to have dinner with his cousin Derrick and Derrick’s girlfriend. Jim suggested his favorite restaurant, Red Lobster (yeah, I know some of you are cringing that that is his favorite), and Derrick replied “after checking with Jessie, she has some Catholic crap going on so fish works good.” Ha! “Catholic crap”!
Anyway, we got back to Rusty’s (Jim’s uncle) and slept in until 8:30am. That’s when the real work began. Jim’s uncle helped him TREMENDOUSLY when we redid the bathroom and kitchen, so it was time to return the favor and help him with his kitchen/family room remodeling. Not fun work, but it was good to be able to help.
Rich (Jim’s cousin) brought baby Noah over for us to see. He’s a good baby- very pleasant and such soft skin!
We left at 8:45 to beat the winter storm that was predicted to hit and I drove in probably the worst conditions of my life. The sleet was so bad I couldn’t see the road and semis from the other side of the road kept spraying the car with huge amounts of it. The Erdahls were nice enough to offer us a bed for the night, but it slowed down to rain by the time we hit Dayton so we pushed on through.
This afternoon is the monthly Girls’ Lunch. Sarah W is coming down for it!
Jim and I left Friday a bit early from work so we could head up to Spencerville (Jim’s hometown) to have dinner with his cousin Derrick and Derrick’s girlfriend. Jim suggested his favorite restaurant, Red Lobster (yeah, I know some of you are cringing that that is his favorite), and Derrick replied “after checking with Jessie, she has some Catholic crap going on so fish works good.” Ha! “Catholic crap”!
Anyway, we got back to Rusty’s (Jim’s uncle) and slept in until 8:30am. That’s when the real work began. Jim’s uncle helped him TREMENDOUSLY when we redid the bathroom and kitchen, so it was time to return the favor and help him with his kitchen/family room remodeling. Not fun work, but it was good to be able to help.
Rich (Jim’s cousin) brought baby Noah over for us to see. He’s a good baby- very pleasant and such soft skin!
We left at 8:45 to beat the winter storm that was predicted to hit and I drove in probably the worst conditions of my life. The sleet was so bad I couldn’t see the road and semis from the other side of the road kept spraying the car with huge amounts of it. The Erdahls were nice enough to offer us a bed for the night, but it slowed down to rain by the time we hit Dayton so we pushed on through.
This afternoon is the monthly Girls’ Lunch. Sarah W is coming down for it!
Friday, February 23, 2007
21 Weeks (a day early, but I'm going out of town!)
How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And you can certainly feel him move. He's oblivious to your schedule, though, so don't be surprised if he starts working out just when you're settling down for the night. If you're having a girl, her vagina is formed now, though it will continue to develop until birth.
My Take: Well, I can feel Nicole moving if I'm being still but it’s definitely “ignorable” if I'm preoccupied with something else. What did make me happy was that during the ultrasound she was VERY active even though I couldn’t feel a thing. It was quite reassuring to know that she’s busy even when I don’t know it.
Other personal progress notes: I’ve gained 9lbs. total (I should be 10-15 according to my books) and they moved my due date up to the Fourth of July.
Nicole’s middle name is currently being debated so any suggestions are welcome! We had initially picked Jeanine which is a combo of my grandmother Jean’s name and Jim’s grandmother’s middle name, Genine. Now Jim’s not so enthused and is leaning towards Elizabeth.
My Take: Well, I can feel Nicole moving if I'm being still but it’s definitely “ignorable” if I'm preoccupied with something else. What did make me happy was that during the ultrasound she was VERY active even though I couldn’t feel a thing. It was quite reassuring to know that she’s busy even when I don’t know it.
Other personal progress notes: I’ve gained 9lbs. total (I should be 10-15 according to my books) and they moved my due date up to the Fourth of July.
Nicole’s middle name is currently being debated so any suggestions are welcome! We had initially picked Jeanine which is a combo of my grandmother Jean’s name and Jim’s grandmother’s middle name, Genine. Now Jim’s not so enthused and is leaning towards Elizabeth.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Ultrasound Pictures
Profile
Lookin' Right at You!and as for what we're having??
** drumroll **
a Nicole.
Unsolicited Opinions
Everyone has an opinion. Everyone’s personal way of thinking about a subject is “right” according to them which means a lot of other people are therefore “wrong” about said issue.
I just got back from my uncle’s office who said “so today’s the big day, huh? You’re still going to find out what it is, right?” in reference to this afternoon’s ultrasound where we’ll hopefully find out the gender of the baby.
Why he, and others, feel the need to blatantly state their opinion of “that’s a mistake” as a follow-up to my “yes we are” answer is beyond me.
Did I ask his/their thoughts on whether or not I should find out my baby’s gender? No, I did not.
Did I ask his/their take on whether or not I was “ruining the surprise?” No, I did not.
So why do people feel they have the right to call out the “mistake” I'm making when their opinion was not requested? I don’t come up to people and say “oh, so you got dressed this morning, huh? Well, what you picked is a total disaster.” Somehow though, this facet of my pregnancy seems to be fair game for unsolicited opinions, often very rudely stated.
Carol’s approach to the matter was right on. When she confirmed that I was going to find out the gender today she said “I wouldn’t want to know if it was my kid”. Great, no problem, I respect that. She also respected the fact that I DO want to know. She was polite and supportive of my decision even though it was different from her own.
I guess the bottom line to this rant is that I’ve been surprised by how many people are really outspoken about this subject when it’s an item I would consider "not your concern". I'm further taken aback by the outright rudeness of the condescending tone that the opinions are given in. It’s definitely made me more aware of keeping my descending opinions to myself, on this and nearly every other subject, until I'm asked.
I just got back from my uncle’s office who said “so today’s the big day, huh? You’re still going to find out what it is, right?” in reference to this afternoon’s ultrasound where we’ll hopefully find out the gender of the baby.
Why he, and others, feel the need to blatantly state their opinion of “that’s a mistake” as a follow-up to my “yes we are” answer is beyond me.
Did I ask his/their thoughts on whether or not I should find out my baby’s gender? No, I did not.
Did I ask his/their take on whether or not I was “ruining the surprise?” No, I did not.
So why do people feel they have the right to call out the “mistake” I'm making when their opinion was not requested? I don’t come up to people and say “oh, so you got dressed this morning, huh? Well, what you picked is a total disaster.” Somehow though, this facet of my pregnancy seems to be fair game for unsolicited opinions, often very rudely stated.
Carol’s approach to the matter was right on. When she confirmed that I was going to find out the gender today she said “I wouldn’t want to know if it was my kid”. Great, no problem, I respect that. She also respected the fact that I DO want to know. She was polite and supportive of my decision even though it was different from her own.
I guess the bottom line to this rant is that I’ve been surprised by how many people are really outspoken about this subject when it’s an item I would consider "not your concern". I'm further taken aback by the outright rudeness of the condescending tone that the opinions are given in. It’s definitely made me more aware of keeping my descending opinions to myself, on this and nearly every other subject, until I'm asked.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Weekend of 2/16/07
Some highlights from the weekend:
Friday: Greg and his girlfriend, Holley, came over for dinner. She was very pleasant to have – good conversationalist, got involved in the games, and generally seemed to have a good time! She even admitted she can’t cook at all but offered to help several times!
Saturday: I got an oil change (oh those necessary evils!) and Jim and I ran some errands in preparation for his family to come. When they did we all went to LaRosa’s for dinner and hung out until midnight- way past all our bedtimes!
Sunday: we got up around 8 and I made breakfast for everyone and we got all dolled up for the baby shower. As mentioned, this was the most over-the-top shower ever. Lots of fun though! Here’s the promised video of Jim’s game participation:
Friday: Greg and his girlfriend, Holley, came over for dinner. She was very pleasant to have – good conversationalist, got involved in the games, and generally seemed to have a good time! She even admitted she can’t cook at all but offered to help several times!
Saturday: I got an oil change (oh those necessary evils!) and Jim and I ran some errands in preparation for his family to come. When they did we all went to LaRosa’s for dinner and hung out until midnight- way past all our bedtimes!
Sunday: we got up around 8 and I made breakfast for everyone and we got all dolled up for the baby shower. As mentioned, this was the most over-the-top shower ever. Lots of fun though! Here’s the promised video of Jim’s game participation:
Monday, February 19, 2007
20 Weeks - 1/2 Way There!
How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to her bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)
A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system.
She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).
My Take: There are several people who have anxiety about the world they’re bringing their child into. Watch the news and it’s enough to give a non-pregnant person heartache about the state of humanity and the planet. I have to admit, I never felt this way. There are a lot of bad people in the world – child abusers, warlords who support horrible environments for the citizens of their countries, people who knowingly pollute the Earth and make it unsafe for others, etc. – but there are so many good people that surround me on a regular basis that I'm not very concerned about all that stuff I have little/no control over.
I also had a really fabulous baby shower this weekend, my first! My aunt and uncle rented a country club, catered in lunch for about 45 people, and had some of the funniest games I’ve ever seen. I’ll post a video of Jim eating baby food later this week. I was crying and laughing so hard I couldn't' keep the camera steady!
Ultrasound is on Wednesday at 4!!
A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system.
She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).
My Take: There are several people who have anxiety about the world they’re bringing their child into. Watch the news and it’s enough to give a non-pregnant person heartache about the state of humanity and the planet. I have to admit, I never felt this way. There are a lot of bad people in the world – child abusers, warlords who support horrible environments for the citizens of their countries, people who knowingly pollute the Earth and make it unsafe for others, etc. – but there are so many good people that surround me on a regular basis that I'm not very concerned about all that stuff I have little/no control over.
I also had a really fabulous baby shower this weekend, my first! My aunt and uncle rented a country club, catered in lunch for about 45 people, and had some of the funniest games I’ve ever seen. I’ll post a video of Jim eating baby food later this week. I was crying and laughing so hard I couldn't' keep the camera steady!
Ultrasound is on Wednesday at 4!!
Friday, February 16, 2007
What I've Been Up To
What a week- with a snow and ice storm bad enough to cancel ½ a day of work on Tuesday and all of Wednesday, Jim and I had a chance to start Lost Season 1 on DVD (Thank you, Sean!). I see why people get addicted to it- I'm really intrigued by the whole thing! The disappointing aspect of it is that since we’re watching a season from three years ago, I’ve been privy to all the recent complaining about the series going downhill plot/story-line wise. Disappointing to know it’s not going to get better from here or at least stay par…
Class has been going really well. The students have their first exam next week and I'm sure they’ll all do well. So much of sales is common sense.
My sales though, took a turn for the worse yesterday at 4:00 when I lost a deal I assumed I was going to get. The customer really irked me about it too and I had to walk out of my office to not blow a fuse and call her out on the whole thing when I was emotional (read “super pissed off”) about it. Fear not, now that I'm “more rational” after a night’s rest, I will be calling her today to discuss the matter more thoroughly. I do not take to losing well. At board games or my job.
Speaking of board games, G-Scott and his girlfriend are coming over for dinner and games tonight. On his wish-list: mozzarella sticks, pork loin, ranch potatoes, cranberries, pie, ice cream, etc. I did change my plan on a few items I was thinking of preparing to accommodate my youngest brother. He’s too cute not to, what can I say?
Class has been going really well. The students have their first exam next week and I'm sure they’ll all do well. So much of sales is common sense.
My sales though, took a turn for the worse yesterday at 4:00 when I lost a deal I assumed I was going to get. The customer really irked me about it too and I had to walk out of my office to not blow a fuse and call her out on the whole thing when I was emotional (read “super pissed off”) about it. Fear not, now that I'm “more rational” after a night’s rest, I will be calling her today to discuss the matter more thoroughly. I do not take to losing well. At board games or my job.
Speaking of board games, G-Scott and his girlfriend are coming over for dinner and games tonight. On his wish-list: mozzarella sticks, pork loin, ranch potatoes, cranberries, pie, ice cream, etc. I did change my plan on a few items I was thinking of preparing to accommodate my youngest brother. He’s too cute not to, what can I say?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
5 Random Things About Me
- I like wet food. Basically, whatever I eat I want it to be moist so I top it with condiments and sauces like sour cream, gravy, etc. whenever possible.
- If I have to use a laptop, I use two hands to control the mouse, 1 on the mouse pad and the other on the clicking button
- I always get at least 8 hours of sleep.
- I’m nervous about moving into my “grown up” house and am glad I have a few months to get used to the idea
- I like it just as much as Jim when my girl friends fawn all over his toned, muscular physique
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Weekend of 2/9/07
OK, I'm losing my mind because I seriously can not remember what I did 60% of this weekend, namely Friday and Saturday afternoon. I'm sure it was fun. *eye roll at myself*
Saturday Jim and I went to PF Changs for dinner with Erin and Scott – had a good time. I tried the Chow Mein for the first time and it was okay but I don’t see myself craving it any time in the future.
Sunday Sarah W came over and we rode to Lindsay’s baby shower together. Lots of presents, lots of cake, lots of people! She made out like a bandit! On the way home I took Sarah by the lot where our new house will be built and promptly got her stuck on a snowy, icy hill. Love-ly. At least we could laugh about it. At one point I was driving and she was pushing. I was in D and I was still going backwards! Anyway, I got my first taste of how convenient it is to have my parents nearby, we called them and they helped dig us out and help us up the hill.
I made it home just in time to go to our bowling league that evening. We only won 2/4 of the games but that was enough to put us in 4th place out of 15 going into next week! I did not do particularly well, however Dave kicked butt by bowling a 729 series with one game being a 269 (his highest game ever!). It was AWESOME. He only had 3 open frames the entire night! Jimmy did great too with 2 games in the 200’s! Definitely made up for me being off.
Anyway, it’s snowing and freezing rain out and our office closes at 2:00 today as a result. Jim’s home cleaning off the driveway for us (he is the best!!) and I'm going to try to con him into coming here for lunch this afternoon. :)
I'm starting to get a little anxious about the ultrasound next week. I’ve been firm on it being a boy but now that we’re so close to finding out I'm starting to doubt my own predictions a bit...
Saturday Jim and I went to PF Changs for dinner with Erin and Scott – had a good time. I tried the Chow Mein for the first time and it was okay but I don’t see myself craving it any time in the future.
Sunday Sarah W came over and we rode to Lindsay’s baby shower together. Lots of presents, lots of cake, lots of people! She made out like a bandit! On the way home I took Sarah by the lot where our new house will be built and promptly got her stuck on a snowy, icy hill. Love-ly. At least we could laugh about it. At one point I was driving and she was pushing. I was in D and I was still going backwards! Anyway, I got my first taste of how convenient it is to have my parents nearby, we called them and they helped dig us out and help us up the hill.
I made it home just in time to go to our bowling league that evening. We only won 2/4 of the games but that was enough to put us in 4th place out of 15 going into next week! I did not do particularly well, however Dave kicked butt by bowling a 729 series with one game being a 269 (his highest game ever!). It was AWESOME. He only had 3 open frames the entire night! Jimmy did great too with 2 games in the 200’s! Definitely made up for me being off.
Anyway, it’s snowing and freezing rain out and our office closes at 2:00 today as a result. Jim’s home cleaning off the driveway for us (he is the best!!) and I'm going to try to con him into coming here for lunch this afternoon. :)
I'm starting to get a little anxious about the ultrasound next week. I’ve been firm on it being a boy but now that we’re so close to finding out I'm starting to doubt my own predictions a bit...
Monday, February 12, 2007
19 Weeks!
How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, 
and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.
My take: The kid is moving but not as much as before. This had me frustrated for a bit and prompted Jim to ask “do you want it to move like every 10 minutes?” Well, duh, yes! How else do I know it’s doing okay!? I'm happy to report it’s moving right now!
I’ve almost run out of clothes. I bought 2 pairs of jeans and have 2 dress pants from Sarah and that’s it as far as slacks go. It’s time to go shopping!
and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They'll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she's born.My take: The kid is moving but not as much as before. This had me frustrated for a bit and prompted Jim to ask “do you want it to move like every 10 minutes?” Well, duh, yes! How else do I know it’s doing okay!? I'm happy to report it’s moving right now!
I’ve almost run out of clothes. I bought 2 pairs of jeans and have 2 dress pants from Sarah and that’s it as far as slacks go. It’s time to go shopping!
Friday, February 09, 2007
Who's coming to my home?
I read a lot of blogs. Only one is from someone I’ve never met, Katrin from Austria, and the rest are all friends of mine from grade school, high school, college, and the “real world”. I'm sure I'm not the only person to use their own blog page as the hub to get to everyone else’s (by clicking on my friends’ links off my page), but I wonder if others use my page for that same reason rather than their own?
I am surprised when people drop into conversation something they read on my blog about my life when I didn’t know they were readers (I don’t know they read principally because they don’t comment, which is okay too!). I will say, I also am impressed when people I don’t know, like Jim’s co-worker, read along when they’ve never met me! How flattering!!
Sarah’s counter also intrigued me. Chuck pointed out that I have 850+ views on my page over the last year as stated on my profile page (even I didn’t know that information was there ‘til he told me!) but I wonder how many of those are unique individuals on separate days, or if they're the same people multiple times a day like me racking up the tally because I keep bouncing from my page to everyone else’s.
I am surprised when people drop into conversation something they read on my blog about my life when I didn’t know they were readers (I don’t know they read principally because they don’t comment, which is okay too!). I will say, I also am impressed when people I don’t know, like Jim’s co-worker, read along when they’ve never met me! How flattering!!
Sarah’s counter also intrigued me. Chuck pointed out that I have 850+ views on my page over the last year as stated on my profile page (even I didn’t know that information was there ‘til he told me!) but I wonder how many of those are unique individuals on separate days, or if they're the same people multiple times a day like me racking up the tally because I keep bouncing from my page to everyone else’s.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Snowed Out, then In
The big snow of ’07 hit yesterday. It took my normal 13 minute commute to 1 hour and 28 minutes. Still, while long, it doesn’t frustrate me because everyone else is just as backed up as I am. Further, when there are so many cars on the road they’re going to be bad because salt trucks can’t get through. So, even though I left work early, I didn’t get home until about 5, so it wasn’t that much extra time than normal.
It did, however, feel like a lot of extra time. Jim finished up our taxes, I finished part of Lindsay’s baby shower gift, we ate dinner and watched After the Sunset. It was a neat movie because the protagonists in the flick are thieves and the cop is the “bad guy”. Salma Hayek was the female lead and I’ll admit that even I was in awe of her figure which she kept scantily clad for most of the show. Final rating: B.
After that Jim conned me into watching a second movie, Just Friends. This was cute though kind of quirky. Several good lines and scenes, but a little too cheesy in other places. I gave it a B, Jim gave it an A-.
The kid is moving again though not near as much as before. Perhaps it’s time to pull out the oranges again. I had SEVERE stomach (not abdomen) cramps last night, dead on to some I had in early December that, while very painful when I was vertical, were tolerable when I laid down.
Other interesting news, I was VERY touched and impressed that my brother Greg’s girlfriend reached out to me this week via email in an effort to get to know me better. She even proposed an evening where the four of us (she and Greg, Jim and I) can hang out. I do feel very protective of my little brothers and I am innately skeptical that anyone they date isn’t good enough for them. Jim says I can be intimidating because of this protectiveness and how dear Mike and Greg are to me. Not that my approval means too much to anyone probably in the big picture, but her friendliness and enthusiasm to reach out to me goes a long way. Not that I didn't like her before, but I like her more already!
It did, however, feel like a lot of extra time. Jim finished up our taxes, I finished part of Lindsay’s baby shower gift, we ate dinner and watched After the Sunset. It was a neat movie because the protagonists in the flick are thieves and the cop is the “bad guy”. Salma Hayek was the female lead and I’ll admit that even I was in awe of her figure which she kept scantily clad for most of the show. Final rating: B.
After that Jim conned me into watching a second movie, Just Friends. This was cute though kind of quirky. Several good lines and scenes, but a little too cheesy in other places. I gave it a B, Jim gave it an A-.
The kid is moving again though not near as much as before. Perhaps it’s time to pull out the oranges again. I had SEVERE stomach (not abdomen) cramps last night, dead on to some I had in early December that, while very painful when I was vertical, were tolerable when I laid down.
Other interesting news, I was VERY touched and impressed that my brother Greg’s girlfriend reached out to me this week via email in an effort to get to know me better. She even proposed an evening where the four of us (she and Greg, Jim and I) can hang out. I do feel very protective of my little brothers and I am innately skeptical that anyone they date isn’t good enough for them. Jim says I can be intimidating because of this protectiveness and how dear Mike and Greg are to me. Not that my approval means too much to anyone probably in the big picture, but her friendliness and enthusiasm to reach out to me goes a long way. Not that I didn't like her before, but I like her more already!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Weekend of 2/2/07
This weekend, like all of February will be, was a whirlwind. Some highlights:
- We went to my parents for dinner, cake, and presents for Mike’s birthday on Friday. You can tell Mike just bought a new house- between Christmas and his birthday he’s gone from like 1 screwdriver set to owning dozens of tools, including power tools and a shop vac! M, L and G left to be social not long after presents so mom, dad, jim and I hung out and played cards where I did TERRIBLY.
- Saturday we took our *&%@! taxes to a CPA to do because we owe $7000+ to the federal government PLUS penalties. This seemed crazy to us and we (Jim) determined we needed to pay to confirm that we really owe that much. Unfortunately, we do. UGH. The source of the problem is that my OLD payroll company never changed me to married status so when we switched and I did, I had too many deductions/exemptions/whatever and I paid that way too little throughout the year.
- We picked out all the stuff (carpet, hardwood, brick, cabinets, etc.) for the house in “record time” according to our builder rep! Jim and I have very similar taste and had nothing we didn’t agree on!
- Saturday night we went to Jamie, Jason and Ryan’s for dinner. Ryan, who turns 2 this week, has grown up so much. I still think of him as a baby and he most certainly is not any more. When everyone sat down to dinner and I was using the bathroom, he actually asked where I was by name!! awwwww! Kids always learn Jim’s name (typically pronounced "Jeeeem") first- I was very excited!
- Sunday was cleaning day and super bowl day. We had 18 of JIM’s friends over (sans Karen) but that’s the tradition and they're my friends too, right? right? We had a good time and ate nearly all the food. I need my dad to come back next year so we have more appetizers!
- Because of our company, our fridge has 5X more beer in it than normal (normal = 2-3). Jim drank one last night with dinner, something he has no real desire to do other than to clear out fridge space, and didn’t want to finish it. Jim thought I was kidding when I told him what I was going to do with his last 3 inches of brew; I decided to take Rachel up on our SB conversation and wash my hair with the remainder this morning. She (Rachel) had enthusiastically told me she used to do this and it made her hair soft and shiny. I think my hair is about as soft as it is with conditioner and it’s not any shinier, however, it was a breeze to straighten and that made it worth the effort.
- Kid hasn’t moved much/at all since Sunday and the car seat catching incident. This of course is probably a fluke but now my mind’s going in directions that make me worry… It’s most likely not that something is wrong but more that I’ve been too busy with my own life to notice the little fluttering that’s happening. Still, I have my classical back on today and am hoping for some activity.
Monday, February 05, 2007
18 Weeks- 3 weeks until the Ultrasound!
How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.
My Take: The more people I see whom I’ve never met or don’t see frequently, the more I'm aware that I must have a small tummy. I apparently don’t look pregnant! While this might be disappointing to some, it’s turned into a funny conversation starter more than anything.
Since we bought the house and now know the timing, we’ve (I’ve) decided not to set up any baby thing except the changing table before we move. It’s only 2 months and it seems silly to set up a full crib when the kid will be in a bassinet in our room for a few weeks anyway. If we get tired of a guest in our room we’ll simply move the bassinet to his/her room for the remaining time.
I got yelled at by the Wal-Mart lady yesterday when I caught the car seat that fell out of the stroller that Jim was lifting. It was only about 10lbs. and I caught it mostly with my arm out of general reflexes, but this lady was all concerned about me just letting it fall. “That’s why we have insurance” she kept reminding me. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but afterwards I realized she was right – I shouldn’t be catching large objects falling 7 feet from the “sky”. Then again, no body probably should...
My Take: The more people I see whom I’ve never met or don’t see frequently, the more I'm aware that I must have a small tummy. I apparently don’t look pregnant! While this might be disappointing to some, it’s turned into a funny conversation starter more than anything.
Since we bought the house and now know the timing, we’ve (I’ve) decided not to set up any baby thing except the changing table before we move. It’s only 2 months and it seems silly to set up a full crib when the kid will be in a bassinet in our room for a few weeks anyway. If we get tired of a guest in our room we’ll simply move the bassinet to his/her room for the remaining time.
I got yelled at by the Wal-Mart lady yesterday when I caught the car seat that fell out of the stroller that Jim was lifting. It was only about 10lbs. and I caught it mostly with my arm out of general reflexes, but this lady was all concerned about me just letting it fall. “That’s why we have insurance” she kept reminding me. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but afterwards I realized she was right – I shouldn’t be catching large objects falling 7 feet from the “sky”. Then again, no body probably should...
Friday, February 02, 2007
A little Chopin in the morning... and all day long
First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MIKE – he’s 25 today! Engaged, with a new house, and a new baby coming very soon... my little brother’s all grown up! awwwwww!
Tom P was a wonderful guy and gave me 7 CDs of classical piano music to play during work. This is intended to stimulate the baby’s brain development and make it smarter. I'm not sure if it’s all bologna or if there’s merit (and there’s no way to tell what they would have been like without it if you played it), but I figure I'm not taking any chances.
So, for the last 3 days, I’ve been a Classical music junkie. No joke, the kid moves a LOT more than normal when it’s on. I assume it’s because s/he likes it, but I think it was Trey who proposed movement is perhaps a DISlike on the baby’s part… oh well. It's stuck with it since I have no way of knowing!
Tom P was a wonderful guy and gave me 7 CDs of classical piano music to play during work. This is intended to stimulate the baby’s brain development and make it smarter. I'm not sure if it’s all bologna or if there’s merit (and there’s no way to tell what they would have been like without it if you played it), but I figure I'm not taking any chances.
So, for the last 3 days, I’ve been a Classical music junkie. No joke, the kid moves a LOT more than normal when it’s on. I assume it’s because s/he likes it, but I think it was Trey who proposed movement is perhaps a DISlike on the baby’s part… oh well. It's stuck with it since I have no way of knowing!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!
Our efforts worked and we spent 4 hours signing our life away on the house last night! We agreed to a close date of September 15, mostly in order to give my dear brother some time to save so he can buy our current house!
Here are some pictures of what you'll get to walk through in September! If you click on them they'll blow up a bit so you can see them more clearly.
We will have a 3 car, side-entry garage instead of this front-facing one but all the windows are the same! We pick out brick and shutter patterns on Saturday! Our house will be flipped (with the garage on the left) because of the lot we picked which is the first on the left once you enter our section of the neighborhood.
This is the upstairs. Only options we took here were the 2 sinks in the "kids' bathroom" and jets in the owners bathtub! Jim claims I won't use them, but I beg to differ!
We upgraded all of the starred items on this diagram including the 3-car garage, morning room, kitchen island, large flat window in the living room, fireplace, and 4' extension to the great room.
This is the basement which we are not finishing. So, what you'll see is all concrete walls, support beams, and plumbing!
Here are some pictures of what you'll get to walk through in September! If you click on them they'll blow up a bit so you can see them more clearly.
We will have a 3 car, side-entry garage instead of this front-facing one but all the windows are the same! We pick out brick and shutter patterns on Saturday! Our house will be flipped (with the garage on the left) because of the lot we picked which is the first on the left once you enter our section of the neighborhood.
This is the upstairs. Only options we took here were the 2 sinks in the "kids' bathroom" and jets in the owners bathtub! Jim claims I won't use them, but I beg to differ!
We upgraded all of the starred items on this diagram including the 3-car garage, morning room, kitchen island, large flat window in the living room, fireplace, and 4' extension to the great room.
This is the basement which we are not finishing. So, what you'll see is all concrete walls, support beams, and plumbing!So, let the home-building advice start flowing!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Avalon Update
Yesterday was a day of anticipation and frustration. Around 11:00am we put an official offer in for the house… and then waited… and waited… and waited. I finally got a call back around 6:00 when I was having dinner with Tom so I called Sheri back around 8 to get the scoop.
They don’t want to negotiate.
This was very frustrating because I had really gotten my hopes up that this would be an easy process. I spent about 24 minutes on the phone with Sheri and we re-strategized. I took out the quartz countertop (figuring we can upgrade it on our own) and raised our offer. She didn’t sound too optimistic but she has all the incentive in the world to get this accomplished as she’s paid on quantity of houses sold not on the price of the house.
Anyway, Jim and I talked at length last night and agreed that this is our final offer on this house. If they don’t accept it we’re not willing to pay essentially $20K over our asking price for the house while they’d only come down $8K. As we see it, we really like this house and location, but the other houses we see online are literally $40,000 less and look very nice on their own. Even if we did major additions/upgrades to one of those to make it our own we’d still probably break even compared to this house. And those houses come painted, with trees and grass, and neighbors, and… Besides, how can we move into Chuck/Kristi’s area of town or Dave/Rachel’s if we went here?? ; )
Bottom line, we feel comfortable with this decision though disappointed that it’s not be an easier 22 hours.
They don’t want to negotiate.
This was very frustrating because I had really gotten my hopes up that this would be an easy process. I spent about 24 minutes on the phone with Sheri and we re-strategized. I took out the quartz countertop (figuring we can upgrade it on our own) and raised our offer. She didn’t sound too optimistic but she has all the incentive in the world to get this accomplished as she’s paid on quantity of houses sold not on the price of the house.
Anyway, Jim and I talked at length last night and agreed that this is our final offer on this house. If they don’t accept it we’re not willing to pay essentially $20K over our asking price for the house while they’d only come down $8K. As we see it, we really like this house and location, but the other houses we see online are literally $40,000 less and look very nice on their own. Even if we did major additions/upgrades to one of those to make it our own we’d still probably break even compared to this house. And those houses come painted, with trees and grass, and neighbors, and… Besides, how can we move into Chuck/Kristi’s area of town or Dave/Rachel’s if we went here?? ; )
Bottom line, we feel comfortable with this decision though disappointed that it’s not be an easier 22 hours.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Birth Order & Friendships
There are many theories about how individual’s personalities are partially shaped by their birth order. There are stereotypes about oldest children being Type A and protective, middle children constantly fighting for attention their whole lives, and youngest children being wild and free-spirited. Thinking about this, I (the oldest of 3) fall into nearly all of the stereotypes of my birth-order position.
Other, unrelated studies show that people are drawn to others like them. This manifests itself in the ratio of friends we have of the same race/ethnicity, extroverts/introverts, driven/relaxed, etc. Thinking about this a few weeks ago, I see this coming to life in my friendships as well. The people I am closest with have personalities very much like mine. I assume this is because we understand each other’s thinking. Obviously this doesn’t help when you need an unbiased opinion – many times, if your situation is like mine, those like-minded friends of yours will just reaffirm that you’re right when asked for advice!
Putting these theories together...
Looking at my friends, I have come to the following tallies:
Oldest Friends: 14
Middle Friends: 4
Youngest Friends: ~3
Only Child Friends: 2
Friends with large number of years between them and their next closest sibling: 2
Granted this doesn’t encompass everyone I know, but it’s a group I pulled in about 90 seconds of the people I see most frequently/am closest to. What screws up my “Youngest” catagory is 2 sets of twins- Sturgises and Auchters- who of course technically only have 1 person as the youngest and the other gets to be a “middle” but that’s complicated so I did what no friend should do and counted them together.
Interesting note – the two Only children I'm friends with, Mike C and Jim E, are people I dated for over 3 years each! and obviously married one!
Interesting note 2- both children with large gaps between them and their next sibling, Kristi S and Mark J, in my opinion have more oldest children tendencies than youngest children tendencies even though they technically are the youngest child. Perhaps when you’re brought up mostly as an “only” you “start over” on the personality traits of an oldest?
Interesting note 3- My brother Mike is a Middle and he’s marrying another Middle, Lindsay. This pattern repeated itself through many of the couples I know too!
Other, unrelated studies show that people are drawn to others like them. This manifests itself in the ratio of friends we have of the same race/ethnicity, extroverts/introverts, driven/relaxed, etc. Thinking about this a few weeks ago, I see this coming to life in my friendships as well. The people I am closest with have personalities very much like mine. I assume this is because we understand each other’s thinking. Obviously this doesn’t help when you need an unbiased opinion – many times, if your situation is like mine, those like-minded friends of yours will just reaffirm that you’re right when asked for advice!
Putting these theories together...
Looking at my friends, I have come to the following tallies:
Oldest Friends: 14
Middle Friends: 4
Youngest Friends: ~3
Only Child Friends: 2
Friends with large number of years between them and their next closest sibling: 2
Granted this doesn’t encompass everyone I know, but it’s a group I pulled in about 90 seconds of the people I see most frequently/am closest to. What screws up my “Youngest” catagory is 2 sets of twins- Sturgises and Auchters- who of course technically only have 1 person as the youngest and the other gets to be a “middle” but that’s complicated so I did what no friend should do and counted them together.
Interesting note – the two Only children I'm friends with, Mike C and Jim E, are people I dated for over 3 years each! and obviously married one!
Interesting note 2- both children with large gaps between them and their next sibling, Kristi S and Mark J, in my opinion have more oldest children tendencies than youngest children tendencies even though they technically are the youngest child. Perhaps when you’re brought up mostly as an “only” you “start over” on the personality traits of an oldest?
Interesting note 3- My brother Mike is a Middle and he’s marrying another Middle, Lindsay. This pattern repeated itself through many of the couples I know too!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Weekend of 1/26/07
This weekend was another good one. We went to Outback with Jessy and Sean on Friday night. I FINALLY got the hang of their dice game (Can’t Stop I think it’s called) and won a match of it. We also played 24 the boardgame which was challenging from a frustration level, though engaging because it was quite different than any other DVD game I’ve played. Good time in general, but it always is with them.
Saturday afternoon we took mom and dad to go see the Avalon model in Lebanon. We made some significant changes to the design based on what we saw under closer inspection and these changes will ultimately save us another $5K or so. I asked for a final quote and then we start the negotiation process. Good news – we’re willing to walk if they don’t get where we want price-wise. Bad news – we’ve invested a lot of time into this and would have to start all over.
Saturday night we went to Rachel’s Sweet 26-teen party. I got to watch Guitar Hero for the first time. What a riot. I have a true appreciation for anyone who can be coordinated with BOTH hands at the same time. Amazing. Way out of my league.
Sunday we ran errands, watched Rocky Balboa (B) at the cheap theatre, and went bowling. Dave scored a 257 in his final game (wa-hoo!) and we won ¾ for the night!
The morning was rough as I was up a lot through the night – dreams, thirst, dry eyes, you name it. Ah well… work week starts again!
Saturday afternoon we took mom and dad to go see the Avalon model in Lebanon. We made some significant changes to the design based on what we saw under closer inspection and these changes will ultimately save us another $5K or so. I asked for a final quote and then we start the negotiation process. Good news – we’re willing to walk if they don’t get where we want price-wise. Bad news – we’ve invested a lot of time into this and would have to start all over.
Saturday night we went to Rachel’s Sweet 26-teen party. I got to watch Guitar Hero for the first time. What a riot. I have a true appreciation for anyone who can be coordinated with BOTH hands at the same time. Amazing. Way out of my league.
Sunday we ran errands, watched Rocky Balboa (B) at the cheap theatre, and went bowling. Dave scored a 257 in his final game (wa-hoo!) and we won ¾ for the night!
The morning was rough as I was up a lot through the night – dreams, thirst, dry eyes, you name it. Ah well… work week starts again!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
17 Weeks!
How your baby is growing: Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now, rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden into bone. Some of it will remain cartilage for years after he's born. A newborn's skeleton has 300 parts (a combination of bone and cartilage). As your child grows, some of these parts harden and fuse together. By the time your baby reaches adulthood, he'll have just 206 bones.
Friday, January 26, 2007
The Happenings
Class last night went really really well I think. It’s nice to have a class of mostly extroverts because there’s a lot of participation and idea sharing going on. I knew all my students from last semester (8), about 4 names I remembered from introductions the previous week, and I picked up another 5 or so last night (13 more to go!). As you can imagine, the students who are quiet are the ones whose names I don’t get to practice and therefore will have a hard(er) time learning. All in all though, I think the 2.5 hours went by with relative ease, which made me happy!
When I got home around 9:15 (ugh) Jim and I finished Little Miss Sunshine. There were some funny parts, but in general you more just sit and watch rather than being fully engaged in the flick. I give it a B. This is a better rating than what we have Flying Tiger, Hidden Dragon which we finished on Tuesday (B-). That movie was really not engaging and only the cool martial arts saved it from C status.
Work’s been good in general – I have a lot of great projects going on that will make my management VERY happy with me. I really enjoy the fact that most of them I'm fully running on my own. It makes me very excited to “casually” drop off a closed big deal on my boss’s desk and walk out like it’s nothing. He gets really excited about those which makes me excited. All this leads to further justification for me to come back to work in September. The company does treat me well, the work is challenging but still within my capacity to excel, and I’ve gotten my time management down so that I'm never working more than 42 hours a week. I know, I know, wait ‘till I see that little face and then try to leave it behind to come to work. We’ll see, I'm hopeful that I’ll have a Sue experience and be able to find a good balance with the kid while still earning an income.
When I got home around 9:15 (ugh) Jim and I finished Little Miss Sunshine. There were some funny parts, but in general you more just sit and watch rather than being fully engaged in the flick. I give it a B. This is a better rating than what we have Flying Tiger, Hidden Dragon which we finished on Tuesday (B-). That movie was really not engaging and only the cool martial arts saved it from C status.
Work’s been good in general – I have a lot of great projects going on that will make my management VERY happy with me. I really enjoy the fact that most of them I'm fully running on my own. It makes me very excited to “casually” drop off a closed big deal on my boss’s desk and walk out like it’s nothing. He gets really excited about those which makes me excited. All this leads to further justification for me to come back to work in September. The company does treat me well, the work is challenging but still within my capacity to excel, and I’ve gotten my time management down so that I'm never working more than 42 hours a week. I know, I know, wait ‘till I see that little face and then try to leave it behind to come to work. We’ll see, I'm hopeful that I’ll have a Sue experience and be able to find a good balance with the kid while still earning an income.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Life Changes!
Just got back from another doctor’s appointment. All’s well – heartbeat is 156, blood pressure is 110/62 and I’ve gained 5lbs so far. The doctor felt my stomach, smiled, and said I was “definitely pouching”. Glad she thinks so; I think I’ve stopped growing! What’s nice about that is I'm still wearing my “old” skirts and all my own tops. I think I had unrealistic ideas about how much I’d be showing because all the other pregnant people around me are 7+ months along and big!
Jim and I talked a long time about the house last night. We came up with a game plan on how much we’d offer for the Avalon, how much we’re willing to put down, our process for getting financing, and confirmation that we’re both comfortable with the builder, the lot and ultimately the geographic location of the house. Next steps: tour the model again, take some pictures of another Ryan neighborhood for external design ideas, knock on some doors to find out current home-owners views of their Ryan home. Things are wrapping up nicely!
Jim and I talked a long time about the house last night. We came up with a game plan on how much we’d offer for the Avalon, how much we’re willing to put down, our process for getting financing, and confirmation that we’re both comfortable with the builder, the lot and ultimately the geographic location of the house. Next steps: tour the model again, take some pictures of another Ryan neighborhood for external design ideas, knock on some doors to find out current home-owners views of their Ryan home. Things are wrapping up nicely!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Sunny Days
Today’s been a good day:
- I had a meeting this morning that could be a really big sale for me in the next few months
- I saw Tom S at my lunch restaurant and he went out of his way to say hello
- I renewed a friendship with a very wonderful friend
- I have enough to keep me busy the rest of the work-day!
What more can a girl ask for?
Monday, January 22, 2007
Weekend of 1/19/07
I feel like I do a lot on the weekends but it’s all repetitive from weekends before… On Friday night Mom, Dad, Mike & Linds came over for dinner (Italian) and a movie. Low-key but a good time. I gave Mom her birthday present (gift certificate to the spa) and told her she needs to try something new (ie a facial) and not just get a haircut with it. Somehow I'm doubtful that’ll happen. : )
Saturday was B-U-S-Y. We got up and met the builder rep at the home-sites and confirmed what she said – Lot #2 will NOT work in any way, shape or form. There’s a big hill that would leave for no backyard and in general it’s just not as great as it looks on paper. We did find 2 other lots that we liked though so all’s not lost. Of course both are $10,000 more than the one we picked… *eye roll* We thoroughly toured the Courtland model again and while it’s no Avalon, it is $35,000 less. I took a bunch of pictures of the model home and I think that this is the direction we’re leaning.
All this home stuff made me 15 minutes late to meet the girls who were waiting patiently for me in my living room when I got home. We headed to the Playhouse to see A Catholic Girl’s Guide To Losing Your Virginity (putting in the full title will probably put me back on the naughty list for Dave’s commenting ability! Grrr) which was an hour fifteen and quite funny. As you can imagine, there were some very good one-liners which I’ll refrain from posting here so Dave doesn’t get totally blocked from seeing this blog. We dined at Buca di Beppo and had a marvelous time in general.
Sunday snowed like CRAZY (first of the year) and made Sarah unable to come down to Cincy to go baby registering (I have a shower on 2/18 with Lindsay so I have to do this early). I had to get some stuff in because the invites are out, so Mom and Lindsay and I went for a little bit sans Sarah (booooo!). What a frickin’ confusing process! Especially when you don’t know what you’re having yet! There are so many choices and they are all SO expensive! I got some basics in but left a lot of the major stuff TBA until I get some mom advice from friends.
Jim and I wrapped up the weekend by some grocery shopping, dinner, and Apprentice watching. Nice wind-down to the weekend!
Saturday was B-U-S-Y. We got up and met the builder rep at the home-sites and confirmed what she said – Lot #2 will NOT work in any way, shape or form. There’s a big hill that would leave for no backyard and in general it’s just not as great as it looks on paper. We did find 2 other lots that we liked though so all’s not lost. Of course both are $10,000 more than the one we picked… *eye roll* We thoroughly toured the Courtland model again and while it’s no Avalon, it is $35,000 less. I took a bunch of pictures of the model home and I think that this is the direction we’re leaning.
All this home stuff made me 15 minutes late to meet the girls who were waiting patiently for me in my living room when I got home. We headed to the Playhouse to see A Catholic Girl’s Guide To Losing Your Virginity (putting in the full title will probably put me back on the naughty list for Dave’s commenting ability! Grrr) which was an hour fifteen and quite funny. As you can imagine, there were some very good one-liners which I’ll refrain from posting here so Dave doesn’t get totally blocked from seeing this blog. We dined at Buca di Beppo and had a marvelous time in general.
Sunday snowed like CRAZY (first of the year) and made Sarah unable to come down to Cincy to go baby registering (I have a shower on 2/18 with Lindsay so I have to do this early). I had to get some stuff in because the invites are out, so Mom and Lindsay and I went for a little bit sans Sarah (booooo!). What a frickin’ confusing process! Especially when you don’t know what you’re having yet! There are so many choices and they are all SO expensive! I got some basics in but left a lot of the major stuff TBA until I get some mom advice from friends.
Jim and I wrapped up the weekend by some grocery shopping, dinner, and Apprentice watching. Nice wind-down to the weekend!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
16 Weeks
How your baby is growing: At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, your baby is about the size of an avacado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. Your baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of your pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails. Her finger- and toenails will continue to grow throughout pregnancy, so don't be surprised if she needs them trimmed soon after birth.
My Take: Being pregnant is pretty uneventful right now. There is so little happening that I often forget that I’m pregnant! I can’t feel any kicking yet and won’t for another 2-4 weeks, I've stopped growing belly-wise from what I can tell, and there are no “symptoms” of pregnancy at all except the feeling of hunger more frequently.
Taking books’ and Jessy/Sarah’s encouragement, I’ve stopped sleeping on my back out of concern of weighing down some vein and nerve in my back (the baby smooshes it apparently) that’s dangerous to me. This (sleeping on my sides only) has been HARD to do and my subconscious is waking me up every hour or so to remind me that I’m rolling over and shouldn’t be.
I thought that when I got pregnant the world would start revolving around me but obviously no such thing happened and I see why - even I'm bored with myself and the process at this point - why should anyone else care?? I look forward to the 20 week mark where "things" are "scheduled" to get exciting.
I go in for my 4 month check-up on 1/24 (really the four month mark is on 2/7/07) and we have a scheduled appointment to get an ultrasound and find out the baby’s gender on 2/21/07!
My Take: Being pregnant is pretty uneventful right now. There is so little happening that I often forget that I’m pregnant! I can’t feel any kicking yet and won’t for another 2-4 weeks, I've stopped growing belly-wise from what I can tell, and there are no “symptoms” of pregnancy at all except the feeling of hunger more frequently.
Taking books’ and Jessy/Sarah’s encouragement, I’ve stopped sleeping on my back out of concern of weighing down some vein and nerve in my back (the baby smooshes it apparently) that’s dangerous to me. This (sleeping on my sides only) has been HARD to do and my subconscious is waking me up every hour or so to remind me that I’m rolling over and shouldn’t be.
I thought that when I got pregnant the world would start revolving around me but obviously no such thing happened and I see why - even I'm bored with myself and the process at this point - why should anyone else care?? I look forward to the 20 week mark where "things" are "scheduled" to get exciting.
I go in for my 4 month check-up on 1/24 (really the four month mark is on 2/7/07) and we have a scheduled appointment to get an ultrasound and find out the baby’s gender on 2/21/07!
Friday, January 19, 2007
First Day at School
It was a good day at school yesterday. We didn’t accomplish ½ of what I wanted to in my class tonight (only got through introductions and 1 role play, no chapters) but they were a chatty, friendly group that laughed at my jokes; all of which made me happy. I have to cram last night's text material in to the next 5 weeks which will make things tight, but I think that what we did accomplish tonight was worth the extra time.
My evaluations from last semester were great!
- My lowest score out of 25 evaluations (1-5 scale) was a 4.375 on “contrasts theories” which is fine because I don’t know how I ever contrasted any theories other than my own vs. the text!
- My highest grade was a 5.0 on “Easy to understand”.
- My overall “grade” was a 4.92 (23 “Extremely Effective”s and 2 “Very Effective”s) and the average of all categories was a 4.78.
- All the comments on the back were fantastic as well – I hope someone at a dean level reads them.
I’m thrilled! Makes me more encouraged to ask for a raise next year.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Xavier
XU is picking back up again. I start teaching (MKTG 361, Professional Selling) tonight from 6-8:30. I have 31 students, mostly junior/senior business majors, in my class and I'm in the old business building (blah!). 9 of the 31 are students from last semester which I'm taking as a sign that I'm either a good teacher or a very easy one.
A former student asked for some help on where to send resumes for sales jobs upon her graduation this May. I sent some emails to clients of mine and I already got her resume in front of 3 presidents and 1 sales director! Yeah for her! I hope she makes some positive headway so I can keep my reputation up with these clients.
Also, tonight I’ll get my evaluations from last semester. I'm anxious to see them!!!
A former student asked for some help on where to send resumes for sales jobs upon her graduation this May. I sent some emails to clients of mine and I already got her resume in front of 3 presidents and 1 sales director! Yeah for her! I hope she makes some positive headway so I can keep my reputation up with these clients.
Also, tonight I’ll get my evaluations from last semester. I'm anxious to see them!!!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Ryan Homes
We spent about four hours with the builder rep yesterday (love her!) driving around Lebanon looking at different house models. We had our initial list set at 5 potentials and I think that we’re going to narrow this down to 3 now. The Oberlin, while externally pretty, has a smaller feel on the first floor. Since I suspect most of our lives will be lived on the first floor (with all of you visiting regularly!) this weighed in heavily in the decision to cut ties with this option.
Here’s the skinny:
Jackson- this is the smallest house by square footage. We’d be upgrading the following: cabinets, countertops, 4 foot family room extension, 3-car garage, morning room, master suite bathroom. The basement in this house was awesome.
Courtland- this is the first model we went into, the middle sized house we’re considering, and the one we’re re-visiting on Saturday afternoon. We’d be upgrading the kitchen, master bathroom, and the garage only. This is the big brother to the Jackson (adds 300 sq. ft. but is the same floorplan).
Avalon- this is the model whose floorplan I like the best but the house is too big for us (3600 sq. ft plus a basement we’ll eventually finish- I'm afraid of the heating bills when this happens). The house is beautiful with great rooms, full kitchen, AMAZING master bedroom suite, etc. but we really don’t need that much space. I suspect that unless they wheel and deal on this a great bit we’ll be tossing this model out too. Why doesn’t this option come 1/3 smaller!??!
Next Step: re-visit the Courtland on Saturday, review the option sheet for it/others so we can see all the areas we want to upgrade (ie crown molding, ceiling fan runs, hardwood, etc.), and get a final offered price. Jim says he’s 75% on board with this neighborhood as the final decision.
Oh, and for those of you who expressed your distaste for houses without porches - there are some porch options I saw in another Ryan neighborhood in Fairfield. Jim and I are going to drive through and take pictures for ideas.
Here’s the skinny:
Jackson- this is the smallest house by square footage. We’d be upgrading the following: cabinets, countertops, 4 foot family room extension, 3-car garage, morning room, master suite bathroom. The basement in this house was awesome.
Courtland- this is the first model we went into, the middle sized house we’re considering, and the one we’re re-visiting on Saturday afternoon. We’d be upgrading the kitchen, master bathroom, and the garage only. This is the big brother to the Jackson (adds 300 sq. ft. but is the same floorplan).
Avalon- this is the model whose floorplan I like the best but the house is too big for us (3600 sq. ft plus a basement we’ll eventually finish- I'm afraid of the heating bills when this happens). The house is beautiful with great rooms, full kitchen, AMAZING master bedroom suite, etc. but we really don’t need that much space. I suspect that unless they wheel and deal on this a great bit we’ll be tossing this model out too. Why doesn’t this option come 1/3 smaller!??!
Next Step: re-visit the Courtland on Saturday, review the option sheet for it/others so we can see all the areas we want to upgrade (ie crown molding, ceiling fan runs, hardwood, etc.), and get a final offered price. Jim says he’s 75% on board with this neighborhood as the final decision.
Oh, and for those of you who expressed your distaste for houses without porches - there are some porch options I saw in another Ryan neighborhood in Fairfield. Jim and I are going to drive through and take pictures for ideas.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
little life updates
I’ve seen LOTS of friends over the past several days. Dave and Rachel had us over on Thursday to talk houses (and treated us to dinner! Thanks again!), we had the shower on Friday, the wedding on Saturday, and I got to have dinner with Sarah F last night before she left town. When I came home from Dayton Jim said that Sean G stopped by unexpectedly to drop of a commercial-free, burned copy of The Apprentice for us (since we missed it to watch 24 on Sunday). How cool is that!? This extended weekend was another reminder that we are really lucky to have genuinely good people in our lives.
Tonight we’re going to have dinner and see a few model homes with the builder rep for Ryan Homes. Mom did some leg work for us at the marble and granite shops and made us aware of even more savings available if we bring in our own countertops. Negotiations will be STRONG with this company if this is the route we go.
I'm also noticing that a LOT of people are getting this stomach flu that’s going around (Lisa, Emily, clients, my morning DJ, etc.). Thank God it hasn’t hit our office!
Tonight we’re going to have dinner and see a few model homes with the builder rep for Ryan Homes. Mom did some leg work for us at the marble and granite shops and made us aware of even more savings available if we bring in our own countertops. Negotiations will be STRONG with this company if this is the route we go.
I'm also noticing that a LOT of people are getting this stomach flu that’s going around (Lisa, Emily, clients, my morning DJ, etc.). Thank God it hasn’t hit our office!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Weekend of 1/12/07
The weekend had a very busy start and ended on a relaxing note.
Friday: I left work early to go to the rehearsal for Sean and Anne’s wedding. I then left there, sans dinner, to go to Mike and Lindsay’s surprise baby shower. They got some really cute gifts and had a bunch of friends there – I think everyone had a good time. Mike’s friends are good people but I always feel a little out of it with them – he got to be good friends with them when I was away at college, then, when I came back to Cincinnati he was away at college. Then, when he graduated I was living with Jim. So, it seems weird to me that I don’t know most of these people near as well as I “should” for them being such good friends. Maybe I'm making false assumptions that he feels he “knows” my friends....
Saturday: Sean and Anne’s wedding was at 1:30 and I practiced my reading in my computer room for a bit before I left. I thought I sounded pretty good, so I felt confident when I headed out the door. The ceremony was the prettiest (no offence to my other, currently married friends) I’d ever been to. The music was gorgeous (Jeremy Helmes was one of the soloists and several other friends played instruments), the cathedral was magnificent, and the amount of participation from their friends during the ceremony was really great (they had a lot of friends doing a lot of jobs- readings, bringing the gifts up, serving, etc.). Though very long (an hour forty), it was enjoyable until the end.
Sarah was nice and said I did well during my reading. As predicted I got very nervous just before I went up and I thought my voice sounded crackly as a result. At least I didn’t lose my place.
Jim joined for the reception where we talked with a lot of old friends (Katie Hitz, Jen O, Mark J, Cloppert, etc.), I scowled at Mike C’s drinking jests, and we ate good food. A nice, elegant night in general.
Sunday: I was a bum. I watched Dances with Wolves on AMC, read, and did some laundry. I bowled okay (95-135-137) which helped us win ¾ games for the league. We watched 24 on TV but missed the Apprentice as a result. Sean and Jess TIVO’d I though so we’ll catch up on it with them soon.
Friday: I left work early to go to the rehearsal for Sean and Anne’s wedding. I then left there, sans dinner, to go to Mike and Lindsay’s surprise baby shower. They got some really cute gifts and had a bunch of friends there – I think everyone had a good time. Mike’s friends are good people but I always feel a little out of it with them – he got to be good friends with them when I was away at college, then, when I came back to Cincinnati he was away at college. Then, when he graduated I was living with Jim. So, it seems weird to me that I don’t know most of these people near as well as I “should” for them being such good friends. Maybe I'm making false assumptions that he feels he “knows” my friends....
Saturday: Sean and Anne’s wedding was at 1:30 and I practiced my reading in my computer room for a bit before I left. I thought I sounded pretty good, so I felt confident when I headed out the door. The ceremony was the prettiest (no offence to my other, currently married friends) I’d ever been to. The music was gorgeous (Jeremy Helmes was one of the soloists and several other friends played instruments), the cathedral was magnificent, and the amount of participation from their friends during the ceremony was really great (they had a lot of friends doing a lot of jobs- readings, bringing the gifts up, serving, etc.). Though very long (an hour forty), it was enjoyable until the end.
Sarah was nice and said I did well during my reading. As predicted I got very nervous just before I went up and I thought my voice sounded crackly as a result. At least I didn’t lose my place.
Jim joined for the reception where we talked with a lot of old friends (Katie Hitz, Jen O, Mark J, Cloppert, etc.), I scowled at Mike C’s drinking jests, and we ate good food. A nice, elegant night in general.
Sunday: I was a bum. I watched Dances with Wolves on AMC, read, and did some laundry. I bowled okay (95-135-137) which helped us win ¾ games for the league. We watched 24 on TV but missed the Apprentice as a result. Sean and Jess TIVO’d I though so we’ll catch up on it with them soon.
Happy Birthday, Mom!!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
15 Weeks
How your baby's growing: At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form. And if you have an ultrasound, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or girl!
My Take: the headaches are gone and the spots have significantly reduced- both of which I’m quite grateful for!
At the wedding last night (where the reading went fine, thank God) a frequent question was whether or not I missed drinking alcohol. Truth be told – YES. Really the frustration is all about timing versus missing drinking. With so many holiday parties and open-bar weddings I miss the opportunity to kick back with a White Russian, especially when it’s on the house! Going out was the only time I ever really drank, especially with a husband who doesn’t like the taste of nearly any alcohol, so I do miss having a cocktail or two when I’m in the complimentary the social, casual, fun-loving atmosphere. Ah well. It’s all for the greater good.
My Take: the headaches are gone and the spots have significantly reduced- both of which I’m quite grateful for!
At the wedding last night (where the reading went fine, thank God) a frequent question was whether or not I missed drinking alcohol. Truth be told – YES. Really the frustration is all about timing versus missing drinking. With so many holiday parties and open-bar weddings I miss the opportunity to kick back with a White Russian, especially when it’s on the house! Going out was the only time I ever really drank, especially with a husband who doesn’t like the taste of nearly any alcohol, so I do miss having a cocktail or two when I’m in the complimentary the social, casual, fun-loving atmosphere. Ah well. It’s all for the greater good.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Reading for the Masses (pun intended)
I was honored to be asked to be a reader at Sean and Anne’s wedding tomorrow, a request that was very touching to me. Being a reader is cool because you get to get up in front of everybody (proof that you are important to the bride and groom), you sometimes get a corsage or your name in the program, and you don’t have to spend all the money on bridal showers, dresses, hair, etc. like the bridesmaids do. The downside of course is that you don’t just get to “stand and look pretty” like the bridesmaids, you actually serve a function (reading, duh) so people pay full attention to you and how well you do.
The first time I ever read in a wedding was at Jen O’s and I was really excited about it. As I sat in the church and the ceremony progressed my nervousness grew and grew. Same thing for Christina’s wedding. This is slightly confusing to me because I don’t normally get nervous about public speaking. I'm in sales for crying out loud- my job is to present information. I attribute my nerves to the fact that, unlike the workplace, my family and friends (people whose opinions actually matter to me) are in the audience.
So, wish me luck tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t stumble all over my words or get dyslexic when I get up there.
The first time I ever read in a wedding was at Jen O’s and I was really excited about it. As I sat in the church and the ceremony progressed my nervousness grew and grew. Same thing for Christina’s wedding. This is slightly confusing to me because I don’t normally get nervous about public speaking. I'm in sales for crying out loud- my job is to present information. I attribute my nerves to the fact that, unlike the workplace, my family and friends (people whose opinions actually matter to me) are in the audience.
So, wish me luck tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t stumble all over my words or get dyslexic when I get up there.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Love Conquers All
Yesterday was a really relaxing night. I took all the information that the builder rep sent me on features for the different models and put them into a spreadsheet to cross-compare houses. I'm still waiting on square footage information, but there seems to be a large (aka $35K) discrepancy between my preferred house and EVERY other one. Two big things that will push us closer to a decision to build or not – will homeowners association fees cover snow removal and looking at the lot again in the daylight. We’re scheduled to go see at least two other models on Tuesday. I’ll keep you posted!
Amazingly, we also had a few hours to sit down and watch Pride & Prejudice last night. Now, I know this is Lisa’s all-time favorite movie, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping. At the time we finished I would give it a B. Now, thinking back on it, I like it more, but not much more. The acting was tremendous in general but the whole plot isn’t that thrilling and therefore the movie is often slow.
A theme that I'm finding resonates with me through movies, songs, and life is people not giving up on Love. This concept was pretty big in P&P last night, Shall We Dance? from last week and Castaway from a month ago. The theme goes like this: the main characters express their feelings for each other, life gets in the way for one reason or another, and through all that they come back to where they started by still being in love with that person (P&P: Elizabeth thinks that the guy is a jerk for splitting up her sister and her boyfriend but later sees the light; SWD: Husband expresses to his wife that though he has a new hobby that's kept them apart recently, their relationship is his most prized accomplishment; Castaway: he gets stranded on an island but clings to the memory of his fiancé at home, and she him). I find this drive very moving.
I think what gets me is that when I internalize the idea, it’s what I hope someone [would] feels for me – that I'm worth all the pent up feeling and emotion and worth “fighting for”. Obviously I'm sure everyone wants someone to feel this way about them. I think it’s why people entertain or act on the idea of getting back together with an ex- they like that the other person still sees the good in them. I know I’ve been there more than once through the years.
Amazingly, we also had a few hours to sit down and watch Pride & Prejudice last night. Now, I know this is Lisa’s all-time favorite movie, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping. At the time we finished I would give it a B. Now, thinking back on it, I like it more, but not much more. The acting was tremendous in general but the whole plot isn’t that thrilling and therefore the movie is often slow.
A theme that I'm finding resonates with me through movies, songs, and life is people not giving up on Love. This concept was pretty big in P&P last night, Shall We Dance? from last week and Castaway from a month ago. The theme goes like this: the main characters express their feelings for each other, life gets in the way for one reason or another, and through all that they come back to where they started by still being in love with that person (P&P: Elizabeth thinks that the guy is a jerk for splitting up her sister and her boyfriend but later sees the light; SWD: Husband expresses to his wife that though he has a new hobby that's kept them apart recently, their relationship is his most prized accomplishment; Castaway: he gets stranded on an island but clings to the memory of his fiancé at home, and she him). I find this drive very moving.
I think what gets me is that when I internalize the idea, it’s what I hope someone [would] feels for me – that I'm worth all the pent up feeling and emotion and worth “fighting for”. Obviously I'm sure everyone wants someone to feel this way about them. I think it’s why people entertain or act on the idea of getting back together with an ex- they like that the other person still sees the good in them. I know I’ve been there more than once through the years.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Kid Comments
Some updates on this pregnancy process:
1) I claimed I wouldn’t be one of those people who unbuttons their pants and I’d just buy maternity pants when needed. Suddenly, I became that person!! So…today I'm wearing maternity pants for the first time. Once I tried the mom jeans on in the store with Megan on Monday I wondered aloud why I hadn’t bought some a week ago. What a frickin’ difference in comfort!
2) Sarah W is a mean person. She sent me this “birth plan” creator with about a million different items to consider just during the 2-3 days you’re in the hospital pre- and post-birth. HOLY CRAP is this thing scary and educational in an eye-opening way. Here are some examples of items I'm supposed to decide on:
So I can stay as mobile as possible, I would prefer to have a heparin lock administered instead of an IV. I need to look up what a heparin lock is...
If fetal distress is suspected and time permits, I would like confirmation of this with a fetal scalp blood sample before proceeding with other interventions. a scalp blood sample?! If the kid is in trouble do whatever is necessary as soon as possible to remedy the situation.
If my pregnancy progresses past 40 weeks, I would prefer to base the decision to induce on the results of the baby's biophysical profiles, not on my own personal discomfort or impatience. 2 words for this one - bull shit. If I'm miserableI want this bugger out of me.
I would rather tear than have an episiotomy. This does not sound like fun
I would like the opportunity to touch my baby's head as it crowns. I do not want to delay the labor process for anything. I want it over and done with ASAP.
Please allow the umbilical cord to stop pulsating before it is cut. it does what!?
Please show me the placenta after it is delivered. like a car accident I'm strangely interested in seeing this, however, I think it's probably better to not know what gushy, non-pretty things are/were inside me
Granted I picked some of the more interesting items on the list to post here, but many of the others weren’t far off. Jim and I read the list together last night and his only and final thoughts on the subject were:
“I'm not watching, catching the baby, or cutting the umbilical cord. You can have whoever you want in there, but I wouldn’t want anyone else but us. Why in the world would anyone want to do most of this stuff? Just give me the regular old way they normally do things and I’ll be fine.”
1) I claimed I wouldn’t be one of those people who unbuttons their pants and I’d just buy maternity pants when needed. Suddenly, I became that person!! So…today I'm wearing maternity pants for the first time. Once I tried the mom jeans on in the store with Megan on Monday I wondered aloud why I hadn’t bought some a week ago. What a frickin’ difference in comfort!
2) Sarah W is a mean person. She sent me this “birth plan” creator with about a million different items to consider just during the 2-3 days you’re in the hospital pre- and post-birth. HOLY CRAP is this thing scary and educational in an eye-opening way. Here are some examples of items I'm supposed to decide on:
So I can stay as mobile as possible, I would prefer to have a heparin lock administered instead of an IV. I need to look up what a heparin lock is...
If fetal distress is suspected and time permits, I would like confirmation of this with a fetal scalp blood sample before proceeding with other interventions. a scalp blood sample?! If the kid is in trouble do whatever is necessary as soon as possible to remedy the situation.
If my pregnancy progresses past 40 weeks, I would prefer to base the decision to induce on the results of the baby's biophysical profiles, not on my own personal discomfort or impatience. 2 words for this one - bull shit. If I'm miserableI want this bugger out of me.
I would rather tear than have an episiotomy. This does not sound like fun
I would like the opportunity to touch my baby's head as it crowns. I do not want to delay the labor process for anything. I want it over and done with ASAP.
Please allow the umbilical cord to stop pulsating before it is cut. it does what!?
Please show me the placenta after it is delivered. like a car accident I'm strangely interested in seeing this, however, I think it's probably better to not know what gushy, non-pretty things are/were inside me
Granted I picked some of the more interesting items on the list to post here, but many of the others weren’t far off. Jim and I read the list together last night and his only and final thoughts on the subject were:
“I'm not watching, catching the baby, or cutting the umbilical cord. You can have whoever you want in there, but I wouldn’t want anyone else but us. Why in the world would anyone want to do most of this stuff? Just give me the regular old way they normally do things and I’ll be fine.”
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Home Buying
We’re making progress with this home building thing. The builder rep and I have gone back and forth via email several times and she’s good about answering my questions to the best of her ability or getting me answers on the things she doesn’t know. Each time we write I send her like 10 more questions to get me info on.
Last night Jim and I went through all the different models we’d consider (5) and talked about the pros and cons of each. Heating and cooling for a great room continues to be a major concern. So is the square footage – the house we designed is probably too big for us if we’re being truthful.
Last night Jim and I went through all the different models we’d consider (5) and talked about the pros and cons of each. Heating and cooling for a great room continues to be a major concern. So is the square footage – the house we designed is probably too big for us if we’re being truthful.
Here is the model that's front-running right now:
We also went to Home Depot and talked to one of their employees about the differences between Granite and Quartz. Really interesting education because we were both 100% Granite when we entered and now we’re both all for the Quartz option after learning more. Also opened our eyes to how much the builder is overcharging for these options. For example, on our 92 sq. ft. counter they wanted an upgrade cost of $10,500 on top of the counter price pre-built into the house. Home Depot wanted $7800 for the same thing installed and with a 10 year warranty!
Jim also found an article today talking about how much you can talk builders down on their houses – more ammo to negotiate!
So far the only real negative I have is that I don’t get immediate responses to my emails – I know that a lot of the stuff I ask has to be researched and priced, but I'm so eager to get answers I sit on the edge of my seat until I see her email pop into my inbox!
We also went to Home Depot and talked to one of their employees about the differences between Granite and Quartz. Really interesting education because we were both 100% Granite when we entered and now we’re both all for the Quartz option after learning more. Also opened our eyes to how much the builder is overcharging for these options. For example, on our 92 sq. ft. counter they wanted an upgrade cost of $10,500 on top of the counter price pre-built into the house. Home Depot wanted $7800 for the same thing installed and with a 10 year warranty!
Jim also found an article today talking about how much you can talk builders down on their houses – more ammo to negotiate!
So far the only real negative I have is that I don’t get immediate responses to my emails – I know that a lot of the stuff I ask has to be researched and priced, but I'm so eager to get answers I sit on the edge of my seat until I see her email pop into my inbox!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Weekend of 1/5/07
Another busy weekend and another spiteful Monday morning.
Friday night Jim and I and all the grandkids went to Grandma and Grandpa W’s for dinner. Grandma claims that she’s not a good cook anymore so she got KFC chicken and made all the side dishes. No one complained though we don’t agree with her reasoning. Greg is an amazing eater. That kid puts tons of food away and remains so skinny at like 160lbs or something on a 6’2” frame. It’s nuts.
Saturday we ran some errands and then headed up to Spencerville for Jim’s family’s Christmas. SO nice that they don’t celebrate holidays on the specific holiday- makes coordinating my family’s festivities so much easier. We got this decorative solar light that Rusty and Diane made us and of all things they decorated it with DUCKS. ; )
I got the joy of driving home in the POURING down rain on Sunday. We did some stuff around the house (took down the Christmas tree, etc.), I started and finished my ER book where Jim and I are the main characters (it certainly lived up to its claim of being a “prescription for passion”), and we went to NKY to watch The Apprentice. Jim’s got a buddy who’s a contestant in the show this year, Surya, so we were lucky to nab an invite from him and get some inside scoop about the really reallys as we watched the first show together. Quite entertaining.
Lastly, I'm having some annoying issues with headaches and floaters (seeing “spots”). Apparently the black, transparent spots I'm seeing are really shadows created by parts of my retina detaching. According to my optometrist the spots are hormone-induced and should go away post-July. Like my headaches, these have turned into “every day all day” types of visitors. This morning I literally waved my hand in front of my face trying to get the dots to move out of my line of site. Obviously didn’t work.
Friday night Jim and I and all the grandkids went to Grandma and Grandpa W’s for dinner. Grandma claims that she’s not a good cook anymore so she got KFC chicken and made all the side dishes. No one complained though we don’t agree with her reasoning. Greg is an amazing eater. That kid puts tons of food away and remains so skinny at like 160lbs or something on a 6’2” frame. It’s nuts.
Saturday we ran some errands and then headed up to Spencerville for Jim’s family’s Christmas. SO nice that they don’t celebrate holidays on the specific holiday- makes coordinating my family’s festivities so much easier. We got this decorative solar light that Rusty and Diane made us and of all things they decorated it with DUCKS. ; )
I got the joy of driving home in the POURING down rain on Sunday. We did some stuff around the house (took down the Christmas tree, etc.), I started and finished my ER book where Jim and I are the main characters (it certainly lived up to its claim of being a “prescription for passion”), and we went to NKY to watch The Apprentice. Jim’s got a buddy who’s a contestant in the show this year, Surya, so we were lucky to nab an invite from him and get some inside scoop about the really reallys as we watched the first show together. Quite entertaining.
Lastly, I'm having some annoying issues with headaches and floaters (seeing “spots”). Apparently the black, transparent spots I'm seeing are really shadows created by parts of my retina detaching. According to my optometrist the spots are hormone-induced and should go away post-July. Like my headaches, these have turned into “every day all day” types of visitors. This morning I literally waved my hand in front of my face trying to get the dots to move out of my line of site. Obviously didn’t work.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
14 Weeks
How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby's 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Her body's growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more well-defined neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have lengthened and will be in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some growing to do, though.) She's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over her body (called lanugo). Her liver starts secreting bile this week, a sign that it's already functioning properly, and her spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells. She's also producing and discharging urine into the amniotic fluid, a normal process that she'll keep up until birth. You still can't feel your baby's movements, but her hands and feet (which are now half an inch long) are more flexible and active. Thanks to brain impulses, her little facial muscles are getting a workout as she squints, frowns, and grimaces. She can grasp now, too, and she may be able to suck her thumb.
My Take: Well, I’m apparently moved out of the sickness trimester and into the best one (second). Too bad I never suffered from many of the bad elements of the first three months, namely morning sickness.
Jim and I did decide that we’ll convert the guest room into the guest room/nursery as we expect it’ll only be for a 3 month period before we move, we’ll have a bassinet with the kid in our room for a few weeks, and no one will want to visit us then anyway. We planned out how to rearrange many things in that room and are on the books to go register on 1/21 (I’m sharing a family baby shower with Lindsay so I have to do all that jazz sooner rather than later).
My Take: Well, I’m apparently moved out of the sickness trimester and into the best one (second). Too bad I never suffered from many of the bad elements of the first three months, namely morning sickness.
Jim and I did decide that we’ll convert the guest room into the guest room/nursery as we expect it’ll only be for a 3 month period before we move, we’ll have a bassinet with the kid in our room for a few weeks, and no one will want to visit us then anyway. We planned out how to rearrange many things in that room and are on the books to go register on 1/21 (I’m sharing a family baby shower with Lindsay so I have to do all that jazz sooner rather than later).
Friday, January 05, 2007
What's "Fair"?
My dear husband and I got into a conversation last night about sibling rivalry and communism last night after we got home from visiting the Polleys. I think that the reasons that we differ in opinions somewhat is because he’s an only child and has therefore never dealt with sibling rivalry. Would you mind weighing in on this situation:
Two kids in the family, one grows up to be a doctor and the other grows up to be a teacher. Obviously these two individuals have drastically different salaries. When the parents die they obviously have the free will to give whatever inheritance amount they want to the two kids (or none at all).
Should they give their children even amounts or should they give them different amounts based on need?
Two kids in the family, one grows up to be a doctor and the other grows up to be a teacher. Obviously these two individuals have drastically different salaries. When the parents die they obviously have the free will to give whatever inheritance amount they want to the two kids (or none at all).
Should they give their children even amounts or should they give them different amounts based on need?
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Thanks for noticing
Jim and I are in the process of watching Shall We Dance (2004) with Richard Gere and Jenifer Lopez. So far it’s earning a B but we’ve got 40 more minutes to go.
Anyway, there’s a quote in there that Susan Sarandan’s character says that really struck me. This is her answer to “Why do people get married?”:
We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'.
I think this is interesting too in light that the person she’s speaking too initially answered the question with the word “Love”. Really, I think love is partly all that stuff – not just noticing the other person’s life, but actually caring about the outcome.
Nearly every day I ask Jim what he had for lunch and who he ate with. Does this information affect me, especially after the fact, in any way? Of course not. But it’s a moment in his life that I didn’t get to experience with him. A choice, albeit simple, that is a reflection of who he is and what he likes to do. I laugh when he has the same thing 3X in one week. I ask more about the guy he met and dined with for the first time yesterday. I learn more about him by knowing what he did for lunch.
I'm sure you see the other, obvious connection to this quote and blogging. I think that this is the reason we all write and read here on a regular (many times a day?) basis. We appreciate the reassurance that someone is interested in what we’re doing, how our weekend went, the opinions and feelings we have. The validation that someone wants to listen to what we have to say becomes the motivation to keep writing even when we have "nothing" to say.
Anyway, there’s a quote in there that Susan Sarandan’s character says that really struck me. This is her answer to “Why do people get married?”:
We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'.
I think this is interesting too in light that the person she’s speaking too initially answered the question with the word “Love”. Really, I think love is partly all that stuff – not just noticing the other person’s life, but actually caring about the outcome.
Nearly every day I ask Jim what he had for lunch and who he ate with. Does this information affect me, especially after the fact, in any way? Of course not. But it’s a moment in his life that I didn’t get to experience with him. A choice, albeit simple, that is a reflection of who he is and what he likes to do. I laugh when he has the same thing 3X in one week. I ask more about the guy he met and dined with for the first time yesterday. I learn more about him by knowing what he did for lunch.
I'm sure you see the other, obvious connection to this quote and blogging. I think that this is the reason we all write and read here on a regular (many times a day?) basis. We appreciate the reassurance that someone is interested in what we’re doing, how our weekend went, the opinions and feelings we have. The validation that someone wants to listen to what we have to say becomes the motivation to keep writing even when we have "nothing" to say.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
2006 Recap
Just like ’05, here’s this year’s recap:
Age: 27
Weight: 146 (this increase hardly counts given my current situation)
Height 5’6”
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue, Right: 20/20, Left 20/15 (thank you, Lasik!)
NYE Activities: Sarah, Danny & Alex W, and Jessy, Sean, Em and Ben G came over to play games at our place
Best Of…
Movie: Talladega Nights (so funny!)
-- Worst Movie: Miami Vice
Song: I Loved Her First by Heartland
Friend of the year: Sarah Williams- she asked me to be the Godmother of her only child for crying out loud! In addition, she’s one of the most selfless people I know
Most fun thing of 2006: Cruising Alaska with super-cool people; Reunion Weekend (from Megan’s party to The Fieldhouse) with my 1320 Honeys
Most disappointing thing of 2006: Hearing that I can’t teach during the day in ’07; and, if I'm being totally honest, that I wasn’t going to give my parents their first grandchild (selfish, but true and I was over it in a day)
Most Impressive: Realizing fully how lucky my brother Mike is to have Lindsay. I thought no one was good enough for him, but she proved me wrong.
Looking to 2007…
Most Anticipated Thing: Seeing my niece, Julia Templin ;) / Having a kid
Most Nervous About: Having a kid – the pain, the responsibility, losing my ability to plan every waking moment
Goal: To have a kid that looks like the name we pre-selected for it. How scary to see the kid and have to crash through the process of choosing a name all over again that better “fits” this person you hardly know
Resolution: Not to spend time with people who bring me down. They put me in a sour mood and wasting time on them isn’t fair to the people who consistently make me happy and want to see me.
Age: 27
Weight: 146 (this increase hardly counts given my current situation)
Height 5’6”
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue, Right: 20/20, Left 20/15 (thank you, Lasik!)
NYE Activities: Sarah, Danny & Alex W, and Jessy, Sean, Em and Ben G came over to play games at our place
Best Of…
Movie: Talladega Nights (so funny!)
-- Worst Movie: Miami Vice
Song: I Loved Her First by Heartland
Friend of the year: Sarah Williams- she asked me to be the Godmother of her only child for crying out loud! In addition, she’s one of the most selfless people I know
Most fun thing of 2006: Cruising Alaska with super-cool people; Reunion Weekend (from Megan’s party to The Fieldhouse) with my 1320 Honeys
Most disappointing thing of 2006: Hearing that I can’t teach during the day in ’07; and, if I'm being totally honest, that I wasn’t going to give my parents their first grandchild (selfish, but true and I was over it in a day)
Most Impressive: Realizing fully how lucky my brother Mike is to have Lindsay. I thought no one was good enough for him, but she proved me wrong.
Looking to 2007…
Most Anticipated Thing: Seeing my niece, Julia Templin ;) / Having a kid
Most Nervous About: Having a kid – the pain, the responsibility, losing my ability to plan every waking moment
Goal: To have a kid that looks like the name we pre-selected for it. How scary to see the kid and have to crash through the process of choosing a name all over again that better “fits” this person you hardly know
Resolution: Not to spend time with people who bring me down. They put me in a sour mood and wasting time on them isn’t fair to the people who consistently make me happy and want to see me.
Sleep Deprived and Home Dreaming
This whole week has caught up with me… too much late-night partying made me feel a bit under the weather around dinnertime last night and I sent myself to bed for some rest. Jim and I officially went to bed at 9:45pm last night as we were both afraid that our 10:30am wake-ups all week would screw us up when we had to get up before 7:30am for work. I could not sleep though until 11 and even then it was like I had a plane to catch – I woke up every two hours immediately scared that I’d overslept. Jim apparently did the same thing – he got up 45 minutes early because he couldn’t sleep.
As you can imagine, I'm dragging this morning. And feeling a little green to boot. Bleh.
A word about houses – the area we’re interested in, Blue Meadows, is going to be a Ryan Homes-built neighborhood. We’ve gone through a lot of the floor plans and I’ve made extensive notes on what we’d want to upgrade, etc. As you can imagine, the dream house with all the upgrades I’d like looks to be mucho expensive and out of our $ range. I asked the builder rep for an option sheet so I can scale myself back to reality.
Dave and Rachel mentioned that a house in their neighborhood just went up for sale. I looked for it last night and think I found it. It’s technically listed as “Springdale” rather than Glendale so that threw me off. Jim perked up when I explained the geographic area and I think he’ll want to take a drive sometime soon.
I was also intrigued by a house Lisa and Kendall mentioned on Saturday that a friend of theirs is selling. The good news there is that it’s 6 months out, exactly in line with our preferred time-frame, but I can’t obviously look it up online as it’s not listed yet. This one is in Maderia.
More to come as something happens (which could be months away)…
As you can imagine, I'm dragging this morning. And feeling a little green to boot. Bleh.
A word about houses – the area we’re interested in, Blue Meadows, is going to be a Ryan Homes-built neighborhood. We’ve gone through a lot of the floor plans and I’ve made extensive notes on what we’d want to upgrade, etc. As you can imagine, the dream house with all the upgrades I’d like looks to be mucho expensive and out of our $ range. I asked the builder rep for an option sheet so I can scale myself back to reality.
Dave and Rachel mentioned that a house in their neighborhood just went up for sale. I looked for it last night and think I found it. It’s technically listed as “Springdale” rather than Glendale so that threw me off. Jim perked up when I explained the geographic area and I think he’ll want to take a drive sometime soon.
I was also intrigued by a house Lisa and Kendall mentioned on Saturday that a friend of theirs is selling. The good news there is that it’s 6 months out, exactly in line with our preferred time-frame, but I can’t obviously look it up online as it’s not listed yet. This one is in Maderia.
More to come as something happens (which could be months away)…
Sunday, December 31, 2006
13 Weeks and Other Weekend News
How your baby's growing: Your belly may soon be big enough to announce to the world that you're expecting, but your baby is still tiny. In fact, he's only about 3 inches long crown to rump — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there's a fully formed baby inside your womb now. Much more proportional than it was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he's starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed, and your odds of miscarriage will drop considerably.
My Take: Good news- Jim says I’m not crazy. Apparently it’s a common side effect that pregnant women behave like they’re PMSing (illogical thinking, large mood swings, easily agitated, etc.) while pregnant. People keep saying “just wait” but I’m proud that Jim’s defending my sanity… so far.
Bad news- being pregnant has made my complexion break out just like when I was 13.
Other news- we had a super-cool last few days. On Thursday we celebrated G-Scott’s birthday (22) at my aunt’s and I won the Euchre tourney we had.
On Friday we had a bunch of folks over (Kathy, Martha, Dave, Rachel & Dale) who delighted us by getting along so well- they didn’t leave until 2:30am! We had a great time playing games and talking. Martha brought me this awesome tie-dye onsie and these amazing chocolates. Great time in general.
Last night we went to Benihana’s and played games (Sequence and a new dice game they taught us) with the Erdahl’s. They were very patient as I talked about the model house we went to see that afternoon extensively. Another great night!
I don’t want to go back to work! Being on vacation and sleeping until 10:30am each morning is wonderful!
My Take: Good news- Jim says I’m not crazy. Apparently it’s a common side effect that pregnant women behave like they’re PMSing (illogical thinking, large mood swings, easily agitated, etc.) while pregnant. People keep saying “just wait” but I’m proud that Jim’s defending my sanity… so far.
Bad news- being pregnant has made my complexion break out just like when I was 13.
Other news- we had a super-cool last few days. On Thursday we celebrated G-Scott’s birthday (22) at my aunt’s and I won the Euchre tourney we had.
On Friday we had a bunch of folks over (Kathy, Martha, Dave, Rachel & Dale) who delighted us by getting along so well- they didn’t leave until 2:30am! We had a great time playing games and talking. Martha brought me this awesome tie-dye onsie and these amazing chocolates. Great time in general.
Last night we went to Benihana’s and played games (Sequence and a new dice game they taught us) with the Erdahl’s. They were very patient as I talked about the model house we went to see that afternoon extensively. Another great night!
I don’t want to go back to work! Being on vacation and sleeping until 10:30am each morning is wonderful!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
After Christmas Activities
I’m trying to be conscientious of not being “that girl” who talks about nothing but being pregnant. This is strange because hour-to-hour I often forget I’m pregnant because I’m doing other things and it’s not that exciting (yet). However, every time I sit down to blog I feel the need to comment about something. Alas, I’ll make it short and sweet…
We (Jim and I) went to the doctor this afternoon to hear the heartbeat for the first time. The lady was barely done saying that “this might take a while to find” when she put the little device on me and it was there immediately. Sounded like a galloping horse. 152 beats/minute which is in the normal range of 130-160. Feeling my stomach the doc also said I’m “definitely progressing”. I have a bag of size 8 and 10 clothes for Sarah that I had been wearing and I pulled out some of my old size 12 stuff that I had shrunk out of but saved just for this occasion, so I will agree with Dr. Silver.
Christmas was great – lotsa family time between our two families Sat-Monday. And we’re goin’ back in for more on Thursday when we celebrate G-Scott and Grandpa’s birthdays. Jim got me a 5 hour spa package and a book where he, Sarah W and I are the main characters (we’re hospital nurses/doctors in a romantic escapade). My parents went overboard with kiddie stuff, pizza stones, remote controlled airplanes (Jim), roaster pan, etc.
Jimmy and I are watching 24 season 5 (?) now. After watching the 5th season of The Sopranos where each episode is a full hour (HBO) these 24 episodes seem super short at 40 minutes each.
I’m also making progress on my Professional Selling class prep. I did 2 chapters yesterday, will do at least 2 today and hope to keep that trend up the rest of this break. I ended up giving out 18 A’s and 11B’s in my B2B class- a class average that was a little higher than I expected, but like 5 people slid in with 90.0-91.0’s and that still merits an A. I get my evaluations back in about a month from the B2B class. If this semester is like last, they’ll ask me to teach the fall class around the end of January.
Anyway, this is quite long enough! Have a great day!
We (Jim and I) went to the doctor this afternoon to hear the heartbeat for the first time. The lady was barely done saying that “this might take a while to find” when she put the little device on me and it was there immediately. Sounded like a galloping horse. 152 beats/minute which is in the normal range of 130-160. Feeling my stomach the doc also said I’m “definitely progressing”. I have a bag of size 8 and 10 clothes for Sarah that I had been wearing and I pulled out some of my old size 12 stuff that I had shrunk out of but saved just for this occasion, so I will agree with Dr. Silver.
Christmas was great – lotsa family time between our two families Sat-Monday. And we’re goin’ back in for more on Thursday when we celebrate G-Scott and Grandpa’s birthdays. Jim got me a 5 hour spa package and a book where he, Sarah W and I are the main characters (we’re hospital nurses/doctors in a romantic escapade). My parents went overboard with kiddie stuff, pizza stones, remote controlled airplanes (Jim), roaster pan, etc.
Jimmy and I are watching 24 season 5 (?) now. After watching the 5th season of The Sopranos where each episode is a full hour (HBO) these 24 episodes seem super short at 40 minutes each.
I’m also making progress on my Professional Selling class prep. I did 2 chapters yesterday, will do at least 2 today and hope to keep that trend up the rest of this break. I ended up giving out 18 A’s and 11B’s in my B2B class- a class average that was a little higher than I expected, but like 5 people slid in with 90.0-91.0’s and that still merits an A. I get my evaluations back in about a month from the B2B class. If this semester is like last, they’ll ask me to teach the fall class around the end of January.
Anyway, this is quite long enough! Have a great day!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Kid Update
How your baby's growing: Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.
Karen's Take: My breasts have been replaced by cantalopes and I hear it's only going to get worse. Sometimes they hurt just existing. I've taken to full-time sleeping in a sports bra and that's a huge help. The prospect of buying all new bras is not a happy thought. The reality that they might not go back to their normal size is starting to sink in already...
Other than that, I physically feel great. Eating Spree candy in the car was a big help for the first leg of our Van Wert Christmas trip yesterday. And- bonus!- 15 of them constitutes a serving and that's only 50 caleries!
Karen's Take: My breasts have been replaced by cantalopes and I hear it's only going to get worse. Sometimes they hurt just existing. I've taken to full-time sleeping in a sports bra and that's a huge help. The prospect of buying all new bras is not a happy thought. The reality that they might not go back to their normal size is starting to sink in already...
Other than that, I physically feel great. Eating Spree candy in the car was a big help for the first leg of our Van Wert Christmas trip yesterday. And- bonus!- 15 of them constitutes a serving and that's only 50 caleries!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Time
Time is an interesting thing. When we’re young we can’t wait to grow up. A comedian once joked that “children are so eager to get older they count their age in fractions”. And it’s true. Ask a 6-year old how old they are and they’ll tell you “6 and a half”.
When we enter high school and want to feel “adult” we try to validate our relationships with time. Things that sound silly to us now as adults came out of our mouths at age 16: “Mike and I have been going out for 3 months” to which our girl friends would reply “ohhh, you guys must be serious.”
Sometime around 25, I think, we want time to start slowing down. We realize how fast we blew though our irresponsible years and now the full force of adulthood is looming- mortgages, car payment, student loans, etc. Then the cliched "anniversaries" of our 29th birthday start...
It’s curious to me how pregnant women revert back to time being measured in increments. Ask Lindsay how far along she is and she’ll tell you exactly: as stated in her blog, on Monday she was 27 weeks and 5 days. Pregnant women count in fractions, just like grade-schoolers. Even if my answer to how far along I am is “11 weeks” I know in my head that I'm 11 weeks and 4 days. WEIRD. Cute, I guess.
I wonder if Lindsay (and me, and others) will start counting in negatives nearer to the end. The answer to how far along will be: “only 36 days left”.
When we enter high school and want to feel “adult” we try to validate our relationships with time. Things that sound silly to us now as adults came out of our mouths at age 16: “Mike and I have been going out for 3 months” to which our girl friends would reply “ohhh, you guys must be serious.”
Sometime around 25, I think, we want time to start slowing down. We realize how fast we blew though our irresponsible years and now the full force of adulthood is looming- mortgages, car payment, student loans, etc. Then the cliched "anniversaries" of our 29th birthday start...
It’s curious to me how pregnant women revert back to time being measured in increments. Ask Lindsay how far along she is and she’ll tell you exactly: as stated in her blog, on Monday she was 27 weeks and 5 days. Pregnant women count in fractions, just like grade-schoolers. Even if my answer to how far along I am is “11 weeks” I know in my head that I'm 11 weeks and 4 days. WEIRD. Cute, I guess.
I wonder if Lindsay (and me, and others) will start counting in negatives nearer to the end. The answer to how far along will be: “only 36 days left”.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
It all adds up to...
Another “HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN” – the big 2-8 and firmly seated in her “late twenties”. Ha! Jen was nice enough to let me tag along to her birthday dinner at the Olive Garden. Good times, good company.
After dinner with Jimmy, we settled in to watch Castaway. A movie I’ve seen before and didn’t remember liking, I literally BAWLED when the damn volleyball floated away and when Helen Hunt cries that he was the “love of her life”. Geez… I'm getting to be such a softie in my late twenties.
After the movie, Jim asked me for help with his finance model for work. Why was this exciting? Because I was so flattered that he thought I could actually help him (and I did figure it out!). I know I have my MBA and all but normally anything relating to business numbers I try to stay far far away due to distaste (not, obviously, ineptitude). I felt quite proud of myself for being able to assist.
After dinner with Jimmy, we settled in to watch Castaway. A movie I’ve seen before and didn’t remember liking, I literally BAWLED when the damn volleyball floated away and when Helen Hunt cries that he was the “love of her life”. Geez… I'm getting to be such a softie in my late twenties.
After the movie, Jim asked me for help with his finance model for work. Why was this exciting? Because I was so flattered that he thought I could actually help him (and I did figure it out!). I know I have my MBA and all but normally anything relating to business numbers I try to stay far far away due to distaste (not, obviously, ineptitude). I felt quite proud of myself for being able to assist.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Weekend of 12/15/06
Here’s the baby update for the week:
Your fig-size baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As your baby's diaphragm develops, he may also start getting the hiccups. Because he's still so small, you won't feel any of his aquatic workouts or intrauterine gulps for another month or so.
How do I feel? Like nothing is going on. If I continually graze I don’t even hit a 1/10 on a “morning sickness Richter chart”. And I feel REALLY REALLY lucky about that.
Quick weekend recap: Was off on Friday as you know, bowled out on Saturday morning and watched Sopranos (season 6) most of the afternoon with Jim. We attended my XU Marketing Christmas party, which was nice as I got to meet EVERYONE for the first time. Sunday was more Sopranos watching and then dinner with the Williamses before heading to the Polley’s Christmas Concert at their church (which was really lovely). All in all, a low-key nice weekend.
Your fig-size baby is now fully formed — measuring 1 1/2 inches long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. His skin is still transparent, allowing many of his blood vessels to show through. Some of his bones are beginning to harden. His fingers and toes have separated, and he may soon be able to open and close his fists. He's already busy kicking and stretching, and his tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as his body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As your baby's diaphragm develops, he may also start getting the hiccups. Because he's still so small, you won't feel any of his aquatic workouts or intrauterine gulps for another month or so.
How do I feel? Like nothing is going on. If I continually graze I don’t even hit a 1/10 on a “morning sickness Richter chart”. And I feel REALLY REALLY lucky about that.
Quick weekend recap: Was off on Friday as you know, bowled out on Saturday morning and watched Sopranos (season 6) most of the afternoon with Jim. We attended my XU Marketing Christmas party, which was nice as I got to meet EVERYONE for the first time. Sunday was more Sopranos watching and then dinner with the Williamses before heading to the Polley’s Christmas Concert at their church (which was really lovely). All in all, a low-key nice weekend.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Jim's another year (well, day) older!
HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, JIM!! Another decade to your name and still hot as ever!
This is the sign that was in our yard (from Dad) when I got up this morning!
This is the sign that was in our yard (from Dad) when I got up this morning! We went to Mom and Dad’s for dinner last night for Jim’s birthday “party”. Mom made lasagna for the family, Jim and I, and Dale. We opened presents and ate blueberry cobbler and ice cream and played a little Domino’s. Special shout-out to Dale for his creative b-day present to Jim: a blue t-shirt that says “wingman” on it. I got Jim some pistol laser thing he wanted. I don’t know anything about that stuff, but I can follow directions well when the online bookmark he set up is clear with the model number. :)
I’m off work!! Only 3 ½ more days left of the year!!! What have I accomplished so far at 9:30am? I got my very last Christmas card out the door (previously ran out of letters!), read everyone’s blogs, ate breakfast, writing this… I’m having lunch with Jamie C this afternoon, Christmas shopping, Christmas wrapping and then I’m going to spend HOURS on my spring class material. Fun fun…
Two final notes:
1) Lindsay is a very cute pregnant lady
2) My brother Mike vehemently bashed bloggers last night (he claims we’re “time wasters” so now we all have to hate him.
Two final notes:
1) Lindsay is a very cute pregnant lady
2) My brother Mike vehemently bashed bloggers last night (he claims we’re “time wasters” so now we all have to hate him.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Does anyone read those things?
There is much debate on the inclusion of a Holiday Letter (a formal “year in review” for friends and family) in Christmas cards. I'm predisposed to writing a letter, as I am a blog, because I assume people care about what I did all year. Also, my dad writes a letter every year so I’ve grown up with them. Thirdly, I live in Ohio… writing a letter is just too Midwestern for me specifically not to do.I also really like it when others send me their letters for the same reasons. It’s great when you see the return address on an envelope and know on you count on a little 2006 synopsis to be included. Like blogs, I harass friends who don’t write letters (ahem, Karen C) to do so. Most of the time they don’t listen to me. I'm getting used to it... :P
Anyway, my feelings won’t be hurt if people comment that they don’t care about the letter. I’ll write it anyway. It’s tradition. I will repeat again though that I really like to read others’ letters.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
This is why Christmas is so special
'Dear Santa' letters flood North Pole, Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- It's a name that needs no address. Everyone knows Santa Claus lives at the North Pole.
So letters sent to the roly-poly icon find their way to the small town of North Pole deep in Alaska's interior, including those simply addressed to Santa. Last year, 120,000 letters arrived from 26 countries, not counting the thousands with no return address.
Those that do have return addresses usually get a reply and a North Pole postmark in a holiday effort that has delighted children all over the world for decades.
Letters trickle in year-round in the community of 1,600, where light poles are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Santa Claus Lane and Kris Kringle Drive. Around Thanksgiving, they start pouring in by the thousands each day as Christmas approaches. Even stampless letters get through, a rare exception for the U.S. Postal Service.
"This is special because it has Santa's name on it," said Debra Cornelius, a supervisor at the main post office in nearby Fairbanks, where the letters are processed during the holiday rush.
"It's what makes Christmas magic for children," Cornelius said. "Why not make that available for them?"
Full Story: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/09/santa.mail.ap/index.html
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- It's a name that needs no address. Everyone knows Santa Claus lives at the North Pole.
So letters sent to the roly-poly icon find their way to the small town of North Pole deep in Alaska's interior, including those simply addressed to Santa. Last year, 120,000 letters arrived from 26 countries, not counting the thousands with no return address.
Those that do have return addresses usually get a reply and a North Pole postmark in a holiday effort that has delighted children all over the world for decades.
Letters trickle in year-round in the community of 1,600, where light poles are curved and striped like candy canes and streets have names such as Santa Claus Lane and Kris Kringle Drive. Around Thanksgiving, they start pouring in by the thousands each day as Christmas approaches. Even stampless letters get through, a rare exception for the U.S. Postal Service.
"This is special because it has Santa's name on it," said Debra Cornelius, a supervisor at the main post office in nearby Fairbanks, where the letters are processed during the holiday rush.
"It's what makes Christmas magic for children," Cornelius said. "Why not make that available for them?"
Full Story: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/09/santa.mail.ap/index.html
Monday, December 11, 2006
Weekly Update on the kid (10 weeks- 25% done with this whole pregnancy thing!)
How your baby's growing: Your baby is no longer an embryo! Though she's barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, she now has completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in her body rapidly grow and mature. Her vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function (although they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy). Her liver continues to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells, is no longer needed and begins to disappear. During the next three weeks, your baby's length will more than double to nearly 3 inches. Her head is proportionately smaller now than it was a few weeks ago, but it's still almost half the length of her entire body. Her forehead temporarily bulges with her developing brain and sits high on her head; it will later recede to give her a more human appearance.
Each day, more minute details — including tiny fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair — start to appear on her body. Her fingers are now completely separated; her arms bend at the elbow and curve slightly; her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart; her legs are lengthening; and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. She is busily swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking her legs.If you could take a peek at your baby this week, you'd be able to clearly see the outline of her spine through her parchment-thin skin. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from her spinal cord.
Each day, more minute details — including tiny fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair — start to appear on her body. Her fingers are now completely separated; her arms bend at the elbow and curve slightly; her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart; her legs are lengthening; and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. She is busily swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking her legs.If you could take a peek at your baby this week, you'd be able to clearly see the outline of her spine through her parchment-thin skin. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from her spinal cord.
Weekend of 12/8/06
Ahhh, Monday morning. Does anyone like them?
Weekend was good. We went to PF Chang’s for dinner on Friday night with Jim’s boss and his wife. Following, we came back to our house for brownies and cards. Jim’s boss, John, made a funny comment towards the end of the evening when he asked if Jim knew any card tricks. Being as how this was the manner that won me over for dear Jim, I laughed and asked if he (John) was referring to the night we (Jim and I) met. “No, I don’t know that story,” he answered, “card tricks just seem like something Jim would know how to do. He excels at all these one-off’s. Like ping pong.” Funny, and so true.
Saturday we bummed around, watched Deadwood, I read People, Jim researched CFA certifications and we did a little Christmas shopping. We had 3 party invitations for that evening (in Mason, Colerain, and Hyde Park… in that order. Can’t get much more geographically diverse). We went to the Cetti’s for dinner first – notable thing about their party was that there were no kids last year and 5 babies this year! Around 9 we arrived at the Lewis’s to hang out with them at their Christmas party. We left their place around midnight and I was way too exhausted to head to Andy’s party (I know, bad friend of the year award).
Sunday I was plagued with a horrible migraine that left me in bed the whole day except for church and lunch. Jim went out to buy me some Tylenol and that blissfully knocked me out (finally!) for an hour. I felt well enough then to go to mom’s for a Wolf tradition, strudel-making, for several hours. Then home and back to bed. Mostly wasted day. : (
Good news of the day: only 7.5 working days of the year left!
Weekend was good. We went to PF Chang’s for dinner on Friday night with Jim’s boss and his wife. Following, we came back to our house for brownies and cards. Jim’s boss, John, made a funny comment towards the end of the evening when he asked if Jim knew any card tricks. Being as how this was the manner that won me over for dear Jim, I laughed and asked if he (John) was referring to the night we (Jim and I) met. “No, I don’t know that story,” he answered, “card tricks just seem like something Jim would know how to do. He excels at all these one-off’s. Like ping pong.” Funny, and so true.
Saturday we bummed around, watched Deadwood, I read People, Jim researched CFA certifications and we did a little Christmas shopping. We had 3 party invitations for that evening (in Mason, Colerain, and Hyde Park… in that order. Can’t get much more geographically diverse). We went to the Cetti’s for dinner first – notable thing about their party was that there were no kids last year and 5 babies this year! Around 9 we arrived at the Lewis’s to hang out with them at their Christmas party. We left their place around midnight and I was way too exhausted to head to Andy’s party (I know, bad friend of the year award).
Sunday I was plagued with a horrible migraine that left me in bed the whole day except for church and lunch. Jim went out to buy me some Tylenol and that blissfully knocked me out (finally!) for an hour. I felt well enough then to go to mom’s for a Wolf tradition, strudel-making, for several hours. Then home and back to bed. Mostly wasted day. : (
Good news of the day: only 7.5 working days of the year left!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Tribute to Kisses
Unlike many women, I have to be in a special mood to actually eat plain chocolate. I'm just not normally into a simple bar of it, even Godiva. I do however enjoy a Hershey kiss every now and then. I think it’s the cute shape and the reasonable portion size.
I was very excited when Hershey expanded their Kiss line to include almonds, Hugs, peanut butter and especially the Caramel ones (still the best). While the cherry ones are good, I miss the actual cherry in the middle.
Anyway, I was going to write a nice little tribute to these adorable candies and I found this picture on the Hershey website with all the varieties of Kisses. I had no idea there were so many!! Where are these things marketed at? Obviously not anywhere I am. I’d love to try those coconut ones. And the cookie ones just look crazy.
Am I the only one who was in the dark about all these choices?!
I was very excited when Hershey expanded their Kiss line to include almonds, Hugs, peanut butter and especially the Caramel ones (still the best). While the cherry ones are good, I miss the actual cherry in the middle.
Anyway, I was going to write a nice little tribute to these adorable candies and I found this picture on the Hershey website with all the varieties of Kisses. I had no idea there were so many!! Where are these things marketed at? Obviously not anywhere I am. I’d love to try those coconut ones. And the cookie ones just look crazy.
Am I the only one who was in the dark about all these choices?!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Thursday and beyond
I’ve had a really great week at work. I haven’t hardly sold anything, but so many new opportunities have crept up that I'm really hopping and my 2007 is looking brighter. Hooray!
In other news – this weather totally screwed up Cincinnati traffic. I have no idea how it’s possible that all three lanes on I75 North can come to a complete stop for over 3 minutes at a time.
In other news – this weather totally screwed up Cincinnati traffic. I have no idea how it’s possible that all three lanes on I75 North can come to a complete stop for over 3 minutes at a time.
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