5 Years/Baby Sequins Indeed

It's official - Tim and I have been officially married for five years as of Friday. I feel like now we're an actual old married couple, and have passed "starter marriage" territory. I am ready to throw out his receipt and commit to not returning him. I shall keep Timmy Joe for life!

Because I'm training my replacement, I had to go into the office on Friday. Tim ran out and got us bagels for breakfast, so we got to eat together in the morning, and then I was allowed to leave a little early so I was in Irvine by 5:45 instead of 7. We got cheap pizza and used our free movie pass to see Dinner with Schmucks. Only the best for the two us!

Tonight we had our actual fancy time celebration, and went to Le Hirondelle in San Juan. We had escargot, I had french onion soup and a porterhouse with gorgonzola and mushrooms, and Tim had a filet with artichoke hearts and a chicken curry soup. I had their coupe maison for dessert (vanilla ice cream with a home made caramel sauce) and Tim had chocolate torte. They took great care of us for our anniversary, and actually comped the ice cream. The waitress asked us why we were so "dressed up" and when I said our anniversary, she goes, "is it your first?" I guess we can still pass for young punks.

Here is the funny part. While we were getting ready to go out, I decided to see if I could fit into the sequined dress I wore for our anniversary last year. It's not very fitted and it's got some stretch, so I thought maybe Baby Sequins and I could go out in it.



I managed to pull it over my head and tug it far enough down to be decent. So, I don't know if being able to squeeze into it improves my self esteem about my giant pregnant body, or if the fact that I can wear the same dress 7 months pregnant gives me low self esteem about the size of my butt a year ago. Either way, the seams were barely holding and I didn't dare sit down, so I did not actually wear the dress to dinner. Tim and I had a great laugh about it though. His statement was "that dress is so tight and shiny that it makes the baby look like a disco ball." She's my Baby Sequins indeed.

For reference, I also tried on my wedding dress, and we couldn't get it zipped more than about three inches. So, no pretend-shotgun-wedding photos.

Lucky #7

Well, I am officially 7 months pregnant as of today. The good news is that my back isn't bothering me as much as it was earlier in the week (when it hurt to try to lean over to get pants on) and though I've realized that my non-pregnancy shirts are getting almost too short in the front, I'm managing to get along pretty okay. (don't worry Grandma, I ordered more maternity shirts, I'm not going to walk around with my gut hanging out.)

Now that I've got 12 weeks left to go (plus or minus) I'm starting to actually worry about things like how we're going to get the baby out, and what we'll do with her once she's out. Suddenly, I really feel pregnant. I AM GOING TO BE SOMEONE'S PARENT! WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA? So. I've signed us up for childbirth 101 class at our hospital (it's more tour-y and less lamaze-y) and for infant CPR. I've ordered books about giving birth. I have a list of questions to bring to my OB, and we're starting to figure it out. I just keep reminding myself that women have given birth for centuries, and my body will know what to do. And of course, no matter how prepared I am, I'll still have no idea what to expect (other than that it will probably hurt a lot.) The best news is that Tim is a truly wonderful partner to have around - he's been so helpful as I become less and less useful, and I know he'll be great in the delivery room with me. And he's going to be an absolutely fabulous father to our little Sequins. Even if half the time when he talks to my stomach, he accidentally swears. Baby earmuffs! Truthfully though, we are both very much looking forward to becoming a family of three and getting a chance to hold and snuggle our little girl.

Monday morning starts my last two weeks at work. I have a couple of important reports to wrap up and a grant or two left to send. I feel like I'll be going out on a good note - it doesn't hurt that on Tuesday we got $125,000 in funding that we weren't expecting. Trena and I did happy pregnant dances of joy (thankfully, no one went into labor.) My replacement starts shadowing me on Monday, so hopefully I can impart all of my worldly knowledge on him. The good news is that I truly love and appreciate my coworkers, my boss and my department, so if they need anything from me after I leave, I will answer their phone calls. And I've already promised Anja that when they start stuffing annual funding envelopes in November, I will bring Sequins up for a visit (she needs to start learning about volunteerism early!)

What else? Thory had cat heartburn this week, so on mom's recommendation we gave him a little Prevacid. It's been a long time since we've rammed a pill down his throat and he DID NOT LIKE. In the middle of it, he farted on me, and let me tell you, he STINKS. He was like a skunk, trying to spray me to get away (too bad I just soldiered through and made him take his medicine.) Tim said he woke up last night and Lulu and I were laying with the tops of our heads touching, all curled up together. She insists on spooning with me at all costs.

Our peach tree is done for the summer, but our little tomato plants are blooming, and our lemon tree has tiny baby lemons trying to grow into delicious tart friends. I'm going to turn them into cake!

This weekend we're doing dinner parties - I'm making dessert for both (carrot cupcakes!) It's nice to feel like we've got some pals in Orange County, and it's fun to have couple friends. Hooray for being grown ups!

In closing, here is a picture of me and my gestating human baby. I can't suck it in any longer.

Welcome to the Third Trimester

Thanks, third trimester, for kicking my ass so far. I've lost control of my ab muscles, so if I need to bend over or engage my stomach, it involves quite a bit of grunting. Then today I pulled something in my back (or possibly have sciatica, which is common during the ol' pregnancy) so now I have shooting pains down one leg and a pretty good limp going on. I think someone will be giving out free massages before I go to bed (hint: it's not a cat.) I am also apparently the largest and roundest woman my dad has ever seen, as he marvels at my sheer size any time I'm around him.

Otherwise, all is well! The baby kicks all the time, though never when I'm trying to get people other than Tim to feel her. I haven't felt her hiccup yet, but I'm waiting on it. She's apparently up to two pounds now, so really turning into a little human being. I'm starting to get more and more excited to actually meet her. Once I get through all the anxiety of quitting my job, setting up for a baby and getting accustomed to the idea of a totally new lifestyle!

Tim and I had a very cultural weekend - we got to see South Pacific at the Ahmanson Saturday night, and then on Sunday night went with Ed and Erl to see a theater troupe do the Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged.) It was at the park by the library, and we brought folding chairs and a picnic and had a really nice time. So artsy! So cultured!

We also got to try out our air conditioner this weekend. The house got up to 89 degrees inside on Friday, and after mom came over and yelled at me, I decided to fire up the A/C. It runs, and runs well thankfully. I'm still hoping we won't have to blast it too much this summer. I am old and frugal - I am already thinking wistfully of how our old window unit would freeze our apartment for 12 hours straight and only cost $1 when all was said and done. The good news is that our house is fine at night if we open the windows. And of course, I have my maternity suit and am unafraid to wear out my welcome at mom and dad's pool. I've already started inviting friends over like it belongs to me. Grab a beer out of the beer fridge and come to float! Don't mind me - I'll be over here grunting because I can't use my stomach or back muscles to get out of my innertube.

Nursery Plans.

Lots of people have been asking us if we've got the nursery set up yet. The answer is an emphatic no. I only have three weeks of work left, and then have almost three months to wander around my house with nothing to do, so I've held off thus far. Our hand me down crib is still jammed in the closet, and the baby's bedroom is our guest room.

When we moved in, we had the room painted a bright yellow, and that's about as much painting as I plan on doing in there (no stenciling for me.) For now, we're planning on keeping the queen mattress in there (more for me to crash onto if I need to in the middle of the night - less for overnight guests) but we'll see how things end up once we really start playing furniture jenga. Currently, we have Jacob's childhood dresser in the room. It's a million years old and not in good condition (unless you like for your drawers to not move smoothly or easily. Then, do I have the dresser for you!) Eileen gave us Tim's childhood dresser, complete with changing table, so once I'm off of work, we'll get the old dresser out... and bring the even older dresser in!

So most of the decoration is going to be on the walls. I'm not big on putting the baby's name up on the wall (she won't be able to read anyways) nor am I all about a "theme" other than "hey, you are a baby, and this is the room you sleep in," but I do like the idea of putting up cute animal pictures. I have my shelf full of Beatrix Potter figurines that I'm going to unpack and install. I also bought several prints from an artist I love. Please observe:

Everyone loves a mature antelope squirrel, don't you think?

Then today mom and I found an absolute TREASURE at the Barn Antique Mall. Check this baby out:

IT'S LIKE A CUTE LITTLE BABY LULU! I love it. It's a big print and I think it'll look really nice in her room, across the way from her crib. I plan on painting the frame white, and will have all of the other photos in white frames, against the yellow wall. I also love the picture because one of our many nicknames that reference Lulu's plumpness is "Lumpy Puff." Other sweet nothings include "Princess Chunky Butt," "Chubbins" and "Fattie Girl."

And so, in a few weeks, I will be happily pounding nails into the wall!

'Atta girl!

I would like to just quickly share two stories as to why my sister is awesome.

On Tuesday, as we were leaving the doctor's, she says "well, now that we've seen Sequins moving around, when daddy tells someone that you're not pregnant, you're just fat, we can tell people that we've seen the baby and you ARE pregnant." Dad's on notice that his lies will no longer be tolerated.

She apparently also told my mom, when noticing preggos in the waiting room with toddlers in tow, that Sequins won't have to come to my appointments with me for Wolfie II, because she'll be able to go hang out with Auntie Sara and Grandma. Which may be a bigger help for me than for Sequins.

Tonight we're picking Ma and Pa Focker up from the airport and then grabbing dinner. Hopefully Baby Sequins will cooperate and kick her grandma once or twice. She can be a real pain in the butt when it comes to moving on command. But of course, any time I wake up in the middle of the night, she thinks it's time for a big belly show. I usually give her a poke and tell her to go back to bed.

This morning I made another round of peach crisp using another round of harvest. Then this afternoon I went out with the hose and tried to sweep and scrape all of the suicidal peaches off the patio. The tree is great, but not in a fabulous spot for harvesting. And the peaches that we can't get off the top have a LONG way to fall before they explode EVERYWHERE. I'm sure the ants and flies hate me, but the side yard is a little less of a fruit salad today.

A Peek at my Little Friend.

I took today off to attend doctors visits, and to burn through my last few hours of PTO. I started with a morning endocrinologist appointment. My labs are looking good, I'm doing well, so he says he doesn't need to see me until September, unless something comes up. So I will continue to take my 'roid pills and just wait and see how it all goes.

Then this afternoon I convinced mom and Sara to come with me to see Baby Sequins at my regular monthly OB appointment. Because my blood pressure has been wonky during my visits, I've been having ultrasounds every month with the tech (my BP was slightly elevated today, but not as bad as it's been.)

Here she is, in all of her six month old glory:
Her profile is on the left side of the shot, with her little hand up by her face. Her leg is up on the right.

She put on a pretty good show for Mom and Sara - grabbing at her own little baby feet, flapping her hands, just moving around and being cute. She's right on target for growth, at a 1 pound 11 ounces, and looking beautiful. We got to hear her heartbeat for a moment, which of course makes me cry.

Now it feels like the countdown really begins. I have a month left of work, and then I'm at home full time preparing for her arrival. And by preparing, I mean floating in mom and dad's pool, meeting Tim for lunch, and annoying anyone else who happens to come within my orbit. I'm friendly!

What a Difference Year Makes.

25 weeks, barefoot and pregnant in our front yard.

365 days ago, barefoot and slightly buzzed in Door County. The shirt is the only thing from the original outfit that still fits. Well, that and the jewelry. Thank goodness that jewelry always fits (unless you are like my coworker, who at six months can't wear her wedding rings any longer.)

We spent a couple of hours cleaning house today. It's amazing how dusty things can get when you ignore your house and yard for almost a month. But we're expecting people for a Fourth of July BBQ, so we figured it was time to mow the lawn and clean the bathrooms. The joys of home ownership!