Rock of Love 2....there, I said it. I feel dirty, yes, but I said it.
I got an email a little while ago from a friend from college. She confided in me that this mindless reality show is among her guilty pleasures. I don't think I've admitted this on the blog before, but I have not missed a single episode of Rock of Love, season 1 or season 2. In fact, I hope Bret Michaels never finds true love so this show can air new episodes year after year. I know, I'm sorry Bret. I just don't know who else could host such a phenomenal show.
So last week's season finale got me a little fired up. I'm going to insert an email I sent to my sister that captures my feelings on Bret's choice...his Rock of Love....
So here's my email to my sister:
Okay....seriously...I think the bottom line is that Bret is stupid. Daisy is stupid. Amber is annoying. They are all just bluchgh!!!!! Here's my arm chair psychologist analysis....
Bret:
Just like last season, Bret over-thought the whole thing...he chose the girl that most people would deem the "right choice" but Amber is not the right choice for him....his reservations about her were dead-on...do you really think she's the person to go on tour with and watch him make out with other girls and have threesomes with???? Bret chose the girl who he thinks he would like to match up with, but the bottom line is that he's a trashy aging rock star who will always think with his penis and be drawn to the Daisys in the world. He's not up for a real relationship with Amber, and that's okay...a leopard can't change his spots!
Amber:
I don't think she'll be happy with life on the road. I don't think she'd be okay with an "open" relationship either if she stays behind. But Bret is a bad boy...he needs a girl on the road with him if he has any hope of staying loyal to her. And another thing...in the beginning of the finale show, when Daisy, Amber and Bret were having dinner in Cancun, it felt like Amber was trying to win in an interview...she just had the perfect answer for everything and really "handled" things...only in real life, people don't like to be handled or managed. So she made her point...I don't even remember what the point was...but it just felt like she was on a job interview and she's clueless about that characteristic in herself. I really believe Bret's gut feeling was right...this competition was something for Amber to win.
Daisy:
Oh good lord. She should just shut up and look pretty. When they were out on the boat down below having a conversation, Daisy's lack of brains and lack in ability to articulate thoughts and feelings was just painful. Bret posed some very straightforward thoughts and questions, and it was like Daisy just couldn't form thoughts or sentences. And why was she so horrible to Amber...it really did show how immature she was and how she just didn't get it. Her little attempts to start fights and say mean things were just dumb. She looked like she was just out of her league when she tried to interact with Amber.
In conclusion, the whole thing left me feeling like whatever...y'all all deserve each other. Amber will go on being perky and obnoxious and bubbly and keep on trying to prove to herself and everyone else that she is in fact sexy even though that's not really who she is, and Daisy will enter into adult entertainment and have a really nice XXX film career...or maybe she'll end up with Tommy Lee or Eddie Van Halen...who knows. And Bret? He'll have Rock of Love 3 within another year.
Now, just to keep it real, I have to say that my sister had the exact opposite opinion. She felt that Bret did in fact make the right decision by choosing Amber. She's closer to his age, is able to communicate her thoughts, and they seemed to be very comfortable with each other. My sister went on to point out that yes, Bret has lived his life on the road with tons of slutty girls throwing themselves at him, but maybe he's outgrown that at 44 years of age.
My sister has a point...if I were Bret, I would feel like a child molester dating a 25 year old. I mean, he could actually be Daisy's Dad...and that's creepy! I remember after my parents divorced, my sweet lonely Dad dated a girl...a young girl...like, my sister's age...and that was just yucky....but that's a different story for another day. Anyway...maybe Bret is ready for some one with substance...maybe he would like to be with a woman he can be proud of. Maybe Amber is his Rock of Love...I for one hope not. I'm looking forward to Rock of Love 3!!!!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
What's going on
So there's been a lot of little things going on over the past weeks...first and most importantly, yesterday my little niece, Ciela was born after 5 in the afternoon. She weighed in just shy of 7 pounds...what a little sweetie. I can't wait to meet her!
Let's see, what else...
I've mentioned before how much I love all foods in the cake family...to include cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes...you name it. And I've especially grown fond of this food group over the last month. I've been baking quite a bit, which means I've been eating quite a bit, and I've been gaining weight (quite a bit)!
So yesterday, I decided that I can either reel this habit in, or have to lose 100 pounds after this baby is born...so I'm making a conscious effort to try to eat better. I've also been trying to take a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood everyday. With less than 15 weeks to go, and entering into the most weight-gainy portion of pregnancy, my brain is starting to wrap around the fact that the weight I gain now will eventually have to be lost in a few short months.
Yesterday I realized that I've never really dieted. Sure, my weight fluctuates, and I'm always conscious if my pants get tight, but we're talking about a 5 pound fluctuation. I've never grown out of all my clothes before, and I've never formally dieted long-term for a large weight loss. Before if I'd gain 5 pounds, I'd nip it in the bud very quickly and the weight gain never became permanent. I'd work out more, eat less for a week, and it would be gone. I haven't done Weight Watchers or Jenny Craigh...I always just turned to healthier foods and increased exercise and that would be enough.
But then before pregnancy, the infertility meds and steroids and hormones and thyroid medication and all that awful stuff piled on about 10 pounds before I even got pregnant. So looking at the reality, my 20 pound weight gain so far from the point of conception (that would have been perfectly healthy for a twin pregnancy) is a little on the high side for the six month singleton pregnancy, and let's not forget the 10 pounds I gained before getting pregnant. So really, if you really look at the situation honestly, I'm already up 30 pounds. AAAAAAAGH! That scares the bajeezus out of me! And I still have a lot of weeks to grow in this rapid-growth phase.
Inhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaale.........
Exhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaale.........
This stresses me out....somebody, pass me a cookie.
Let's see, what else...
I've mentioned before how much I love all foods in the cake family...to include cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes...you name it. And I've especially grown fond of this food group over the last month. I've been baking quite a bit, which means I've been eating quite a bit, and I've been gaining weight (quite a bit)!
So yesterday, I decided that I can either reel this habit in, or have to lose 100 pounds after this baby is born...so I'm making a conscious effort to try to eat better. I've also been trying to take a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood everyday. With less than 15 weeks to go, and entering into the most weight-gainy portion of pregnancy, my brain is starting to wrap around the fact that the weight I gain now will eventually have to be lost in a few short months.
Yesterday I realized that I've never really dieted. Sure, my weight fluctuates, and I'm always conscious if my pants get tight, but we're talking about a 5 pound fluctuation. I've never grown out of all my clothes before, and I've never formally dieted long-term for a large weight loss. Before if I'd gain 5 pounds, I'd nip it in the bud very quickly and the weight gain never became permanent. I'd work out more, eat less for a week, and it would be gone. I haven't done Weight Watchers or Jenny Craigh...I always just turned to healthier foods and increased exercise and that would be enough.
But then before pregnancy, the infertility meds and steroids and hormones and thyroid medication and all that awful stuff piled on about 10 pounds before I even got pregnant. So looking at the reality, my 20 pound weight gain so far from the point of conception (that would have been perfectly healthy for a twin pregnancy) is a little on the high side for the six month singleton pregnancy, and let's not forget the 10 pounds I gained before getting pregnant. So really, if you really look at the situation honestly, I'm already up 30 pounds. AAAAAAAGH! That scares the bajeezus out of me! And I still have a lot of weeks to grow in this rapid-growth phase.
Inhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaale.........
Exhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaale.........
This stresses me out....somebody, pass me a cookie.
25 weeks development
Here's what Babycenter.com has to say about the 25th week...
How your baby's growing:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.
How your life's changing:
Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but the hair you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. You may also notice darker or thicker body hair. It will return to normal in the weeks after you give birth. You probably can't move around as gracefully as before. It's fine to continue to exercise, but use your common sense: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired, and stop if you feel any pain or when you begin to feel at all fatigued, dizzy, or short of breath. Don't lie on your back too long or do any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.
How your baby's growing:
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.
How your life's changing:
Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but the hair you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. You may also notice darker or thicker body hair. It will return to normal in the weeks after you give birth. You probably can't move around as gracefully as before. It's fine to continue to exercise, but use your common sense: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired, and stop if you feel any pain or when you begin to feel at all fatigued, dizzy, or short of breath. Don't lie on your back too long or do any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Definitely the cutest thing I've heard today...
Ajay's Mom, Maya is visiting his brother and sister-in-law, Amar and Lena, in anticipation of their second baby being born any day now. Maya lives in Turkey, and Amar and Lena live in New York. Amar and Lena already have a two and a half year old cutie named Haylah.
Maya told us that Amar took Haylah for the whole afternoon yesterday. After their usual stops, she wanted to go to a park, then another park. When Maya asked Haylah why she went to two parks, Haylah replied "one had no sand and then one had yes sand!"
Maya told us that Amar took Haylah for the whole afternoon yesterday. After their usual stops, she wanted to go to a park, then another park. When Maya asked Haylah why she went to two parks, Haylah replied "one had no sand and then one had yes sand!"
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Season Opener
This weekend it was hot. Really hot. Like, 90 degrees hot here in Laguna---unheard of! ... and 100 degrees plus inland. Sometime within the last several weeks, I reprogrammed our pool to run longer during the day, and added the solar heat to the daily program. Before now, the solar couldn't heat the pool up to temperature due to the shortness of days and the coolness of the nights, not to mention, summer temperatures hadn't arrived yet to fuel the heat.
So yesterday we had been out in the hot weather all day...did I mention it was really hot? When we got home, Ajay and I decide to give the pool a try and WOW...what an experience.
First of all, let's talk about my new bathing suit. This year I opted for a very large pregnancy tankini...quite a different look than what I'm used to. All I can say is this body doesn't look so hot in a bathing suit anymore, so the more of it I cover up, the happier the people around me are likely to be. I took my sister in law's advice of "when in doubt, buy the bigger size" when I bought the suit a couple of months back, and let's just say that was fantastic advice.
So here I am, in my very modest black tankini, heading for the water. I checked myself in our magical slimming bedroom mirror, and thought for a girl who's gained 20 pounds and hasn't worked out consistently since last summer, not too terribly awful...especially if I squint my eyes a little and stand way back from the magical slimming mirror. Note: I feel I should explain this mirror...I don't know why or how, but the mirror in our bedroom magically makes you look taller and thinner than you are...it's fantastic for self confidence.
So into the water I go. Ahhhh. 87 degrees....perfect water temperature. Ajay was already in the pool with the hand-held skimmer, working away. The water felt great. And even better than the cooling affect of the water was the buoyancy of the water. I felt light, bouncy, like a balloon filled with helium. I felt my normal size. And then I looked down...the roomy tankini top had grown in the water and now was floating freely around me and showed the great white beast of a belly prominently just below the water's surface. Wow, that's white. And Big. I'll bet at night time it would reflect the moonlight and act as another pool light.
So we floated around for awhile, and true to form, I concocted ways to make Ajay hold me and carry me, both on his back and in the front like a baby. I don't know why the pool brings out this behavior, but there is something inherently fun to be held and carried around.
When it was time to go back inside, sadly reality hit. As I climbed the pool stairs, I noticed the weight being poured back into my body. With every step I climbed, I got heavier, and once out of the pool, I realized exactly how a hippo would feel when exiting a river and having to go about their day in their full weight on all their joints. For just a moment, I thought this had to be a joke...how am I supposed to lumber around with all this body?
So yesterday we had been out in the hot weather all day...did I mention it was really hot? When we got home, Ajay and I decide to give the pool a try and WOW...what an experience.
First of all, let's talk about my new bathing suit. This year I opted for a very large pregnancy tankini...quite a different look than what I'm used to. All I can say is this body doesn't look so hot in a bathing suit anymore, so the more of it I cover up, the happier the people around me are likely to be. I took my sister in law's advice of "when in doubt, buy the bigger size" when I bought the suit a couple of months back, and let's just say that was fantastic advice.
So here I am, in my very modest black tankini, heading for the water. I checked myself in our magical slimming bedroom mirror, and thought for a girl who's gained 20 pounds and hasn't worked out consistently since last summer, not too terribly awful...especially if I squint my eyes a little and stand way back from the magical slimming mirror. Note: I feel I should explain this mirror...I don't know why or how, but the mirror in our bedroom magically makes you look taller and thinner than you are...it's fantastic for self confidence.
So into the water I go. Ahhhh. 87 degrees....perfect water temperature. Ajay was already in the pool with the hand-held skimmer, working away. The water felt great. And even better than the cooling affect of the water was the buoyancy of the water. I felt light, bouncy, like a balloon filled with helium. I felt my normal size. And then I looked down...the roomy tankini top had grown in the water and now was floating freely around me and showed the great white beast of a belly prominently just below the water's surface. Wow, that's white. And Big. I'll bet at night time it would reflect the moonlight and act as another pool light.
So we floated around for awhile, and true to form, I concocted ways to make Ajay hold me and carry me, both on his back and in the front like a baby. I don't know why the pool brings out this behavior, but there is something inherently fun to be held and carried around.
When it was time to go back inside, sadly reality hit. As I climbed the pool stairs, I noticed the weight being poured back into my body. With every step I climbed, I got heavier, and once out of the pool, I realized exactly how a hippo would feel when exiting a river and having to go about their day in their full weight on all their joints. For just a moment, I thought this had to be a joke...how am I supposed to lumber around with all this body?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hungry for....well everything, but right now travel
This week I've had a definite dip in my energy...the burst of energy I felt for the past couple of weeks seems to have been replaced with lethargy and laziness. I think pregnancy just goes through phases. It could also be that for the first time in a long time, I've been having a lot of growing pains. I can imagine my little girl thinking, "it sure is tight in here...maybe if I kick at this exact spot over and over again, it'll give me some space". Two nights ago, I was convinced that she had kicked a hernia into my abdominal wall!
While I've been low-energy, I've been spending time on low-energy things. One day, I decided to re-organize my photos on my computer. I came across trip after trip after trip that Ajay and I have taken since we got together in 2003. Greece, Australia, Turkey, the Middle East, Paris, Belgium, Amsterdam, Spain, and shorter trips within the U.S. to New York, Miami, the Keys, San Francisco, San Diego, and weekends up in Los Angeles...as well as family visits back to Indiana and Florida. All the photos made me yearn for travel. This is probably the longest we've ever gone without a trip that requires an airplane. And don't get me wrong, I don't love flying. I don't even like flying. In fact, one might say at any given time, flying may just terrify me to the point of need a lot of cocktails mixed with anti-anxiety pills!
Last summer we took a break in our infertility treatments so we could go to Turkey for a family wedding. Since then, we really haven't gone anywhere...with a full schedule of month to month fertility treatments and procedures, and now being fortunate enough to be pregnant and grounded from travel, for the first time, summer is approaching and there are no trips on the horizon. I'm itching to go some place where I don't understand the language and cars look different! Some place I haven't been before, and if I've been there before, let it be Paris or Turkey!
With the weakness of the dollar and the strength of the Euro, Ajay and I talked about checking out South America this winter. By then the baby will be about 6 months old and ready to go explore the world. We're thinking Buenos Aires, or even wine country in Chile. Or how about Tierra del Fuego...the southern most tip of South America? I don't know if there is a single point of interest there, but ever since I took a Latin American studies class in college, I've loved the name Tierra del Fuego...I don't know why. Regardless, I imagine us traipsing around with a baby back pack of supplies on one of us, and a baby back pack with a baby in it on the other. Getting the lay of a foreign land with a new member in our little family.
While I've been low-energy, I've been spending time on low-energy things. One day, I decided to re-organize my photos on my computer. I came across trip after trip after trip that Ajay and I have taken since we got together in 2003. Greece, Australia, Turkey, the Middle East, Paris, Belgium, Amsterdam, Spain, and shorter trips within the U.S. to New York, Miami, the Keys, San Francisco, San Diego, and weekends up in Los Angeles...as well as family visits back to Indiana and Florida. All the photos made me yearn for travel. This is probably the longest we've ever gone without a trip that requires an airplane. And don't get me wrong, I don't love flying. I don't even like flying. In fact, one might say at any given time, flying may just terrify me to the point of need a lot of cocktails mixed with anti-anxiety pills!
Last summer we took a break in our infertility treatments so we could go to Turkey for a family wedding. Since then, we really haven't gone anywhere...with a full schedule of month to month fertility treatments and procedures, and now being fortunate enough to be pregnant and grounded from travel, for the first time, summer is approaching and there are no trips on the horizon. I'm itching to go some place where I don't understand the language and cars look different! Some place I haven't been before, and if I've been there before, let it be Paris or Turkey!
With the weakness of the dollar and the strength of the Euro, Ajay and I talked about checking out South America this winter. By then the baby will be about 6 months old and ready to go explore the world. We're thinking Buenos Aires, or even wine country in Chile. Or how about Tierra del Fuego...the southern most tip of South America? I don't know if there is a single point of interest there, but ever since I took a Latin American studies class in college, I've loved the name Tierra del Fuego...I don't know why. Regardless, I imagine us traipsing around with a baby back pack of supplies on one of us, and a baby back pack with a baby in it on the other. Getting the lay of a foreign land with a new member in our little family.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Cake
I've noticed that my love for all things cakey has grown throughout this pregnancy. From New Year's Eve when I had a migraine and a nice neighbor dropped off banana bread...it was the only thing in the whole world that tasted good at that moment...to yesterday's orange Chiffon cake with citrus cream cheese frosting, this love of mine for cake is blooming.
Yesterday for example, I woke up and my first words to Ajay were "I would like an orange cake with cream cheese frosting". And considering I love to bake things, I spent the morning going through my favorite cookbooks to find just the right recipe. I decided on a Chiffon cake because I had never made one before, and after a quick kitchen inventory, I had gathered 95% of the ingredients I needed. With a quick call to the neighbor to borrow some Cream of Tartar (what's Tartar and how does one go about creaming it?), I was up and baking.
Several hours later, I was polishing the water spots off my cake pedestal dish, and admiring my work. We invited our neighbors to join us for cake in the evening, and it was a hit. Delicious. I was right...I DID want an orange cake with sour cream frosting.
Fast forward to today. Before my a.m. shower, I got on the scale to find that I had gained 3 pounds since my last weigh-in at the doctor's last week. Not good. Then I recounted the amount of things cakey I had consumed in the past few days....let's see...Friday night we picked up a piece of my favorite chocolate mocha cake to take home for dessert after a nice dinner out, and the piece of cake was big enough to be cut into not two, but three pieces, which lasted all of 11 hours in our house (not bad considering only 8 or so hours were spent sleeping). And, oh! Let's not forget the brownie I had for dessert at lunch on Friday with my girlfriend. So that makes it a brownie and a piece of cake on Friday, another piece of cake on Saturday, and orange chiffon cake on Sunday...oh yeah, and let's count back to Thursday, shall we? I baked a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies for a nurse at Ajay's work who had done some really nice things for us when we lost our little guy...well, let's just say that the whole batch wouldn't fit in the cookie box, so I had to keep a dozen or so for us. So that makes the cakey count to cookies on Thursday, a brownie and a piece of cake on Friday, more chocolate cake on Saturday, and orange cake on Sunday. And I wonder where those 3 pounds came from? Palease! Has cake become it's own food group?
And here's the saddest dark secret part. As I was zesting and juicing oranges for the cake, and then more zest and juice for the icing, I was actually thinking "this cake has vitamin C! It's good for me!" Note to self...cake is not fruit.
Yesterday for example, I woke up and my first words to Ajay were "I would like an orange cake with cream cheese frosting". And considering I love to bake things, I spent the morning going through my favorite cookbooks to find just the right recipe. I decided on a Chiffon cake because I had never made one before, and after a quick kitchen inventory, I had gathered 95% of the ingredients I needed. With a quick call to the neighbor to borrow some Cream of Tartar (what's Tartar and how does one go about creaming it?), I was up and baking.
Several hours later, I was polishing the water spots off my cake pedestal dish, and admiring my work. We invited our neighbors to join us for cake in the evening, and it was a hit. Delicious. I was right...I DID want an orange cake with sour cream frosting.
Fast forward to today. Before my a.m. shower, I got on the scale to find that I had gained 3 pounds since my last weigh-in at the doctor's last week. Not good. Then I recounted the amount of things cakey I had consumed in the past few days....let's see...Friday night we picked up a piece of my favorite chocolate mocha cake to take home for dessert after a nice dinner out, and the piece of cake was big enough to be cut into not two, but three pieces, which lasted all of 11 hours in our house (not bad considering only 8 or so hours were spent sleeping). And, oh! Let's not forget the brownie I had for dessert at lunch on Friday with my girlfriend. So that makes it a brownie and a piece of cake on Friday, another piece of cake on Saturday, and orange chiffon cake on Sunday...oh yeah, and let's count back to Thursday, shall we? I baked a whole batch of chocolate chip cookies for a nurse at Ajay's work who had done some really nice things for us when we lost our little guy...well, let's just say that the whole batch wouldn't fit in the cookie box, so I had to keep a dozen or so for us. So that makes the cakey count to cookies on Thursday, a brownie and a piece of cake on Friday, more chocolate cake on Saturday, and orange cake on Sunday. And I wonder where those 3 pounds came from? Palease! Has cake become it's own food group?
And here's the saddest dark secret part. As I was zesting and juicing oranges for the cake, and then more zest and juice for the icing, I was actually thinking "this cake has vitamin C! It's good for me!" Note to self...cake is not fruit.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
23 week belly shots
I haven't photographed this beach ball attached to the front of my body in awhile, so thought I'd do so...
Here, I'm just trying to figure out how to get the best angle...also important to make sure the whole thing fits!
I'm looking a little more confident in my abilities in this one...
The camera caught my surprise...who's big belly is that??? Is that really what I look like? Or is it a prosthetic like they use in the movies?
And finally, perhaps most flattering, is my full frontal shot...wow...that's quite a belly I'm growing.
Seeing these pictures, I realize that I haven't measured my belly since...12 weeks? Yes, that's when I was completely baffled that my belly had grown from 28 inches non-pregnant to a whopping 35 inches in the 3 short months of the first trimester.
So today, I got out the measuring tape...
It's big...
Very big...
40 inches big at the largest part...
How in the hell am I going to fit through a door a month from now?
Here, I'm just trying to figure out how to get the best angle...also important to make sure the whole thing fits!
I'm looking a little more confident in my abilities in this one...
The camera caught my surprise...who's big belly is that??? Is that really what I look like? Or is it a prosthetic like they use in the movies?
And finally, perhaps most flattering, is my full frontal shot...wow...that's quite a belly I'm growing.
Seeing these pictures, I realize that I haven't measured my belly since...12 weeks? Yes, that's when I was completely baffled that my belly had grown from 28 inches non-pregnant to a whopping 35 inches in the 3 short months of the first trimester.
So today, I got out the measuring tape...
It's big...
Very big...
40 inches big at the largest part...
How in the hell am I going to fit through a door a month from now?
Slow motion
Yawn.
It seems like I've hit the slow spot in this pregnancy. Time is dragging. I am really thankful to be feeling so good and having all the yucky early pregnancy symptoms behind me, but here I am, right in the middle. And time seems to be standing still. 23 weeks. Over half way there but a long way to go. Still in the second trimester, with the third being nowhere in sight. And not a single sip of champagne to make it more fun! (I've always liked champagne, but why is it that now that it's off limits, my mind seems to love the idea of champagne. A champagne cocktail...or by itself...a mimosa with breakfast on Sunday. Damn you, champagne! How you taunt me!)
I know the baby is fully formed and now just needs to grow and gain weight...but knowing that she's fully formed makes me even more anxious to get her out of there and meet her! She's kicking....or more like tapping me every day now. When she taps, I tap back...it's how we interact at this point. I'm really looking forward to having my new little friend here in our house. Or in a nice baby back pack (or front pack?) traveling the world. Me and Ajay and Alia traipsing through Argentina....or India...or anywhere that requires a plane flight---which by the way, is also currently off limits.
So maybe this is the time to re-learn the lesson. I seem to be longing for things for no other reason than they're currently out of reach. So wouldn't that be a good reminder for me to enjoy the now? Enjoy the present time when I don't have to change any diapers, and my time is completely free for what I want to do?
Except drinking champagne on an airplane!
It seems like I've hit the slow spot in this pregnancy. Time is dragging. I am really thankful to be feeling so good and having all the yucky early pregnancy symptoms behind me, but here I am, right in the middle. And time seems to be standing still. 23 weeks. Over half way there but a long way to go. Still in the second trimester, with the third being nowhere in sight. And not a single sip of champagne to make it more fun! (I've always liked champagne, but why is it that now that it's off limits, my mind seems to love the idea of champagne. A champagne cocktail...or by itself...a mimosa with breakfast on Sunday. Damn you, champagne! How you taunt me!)
I know the baby is fully formed and now just needs to grow and gain weight...but knowing that she's fully formed makes me even more anxious to get her out of there and meet her! She's kicking....or more like tapping me every day now. When she taps, I tap back...it's how we interact at this point. I'm really looking forward to having my new little friend here in our house. Or in a nice baby back pack (or front pack?) traveling the world. Me and Ajay and Alia traipsing through Argentina....or India...or anywhere that requires a plane flight---which by the way, is also currently off limits.
So maybe this is the time to re-learn the lesson. I seem to be longing for things for no other reason than they're currently out of reach. So wouldn't that be a good reminder for me to enjoy the now? Enjoy the present time when I don't have to change any diapers, and my time is completely free for what I want to do?
Except drinking champagne on an airplane!
23 week development
Again, here's what Babycenter.com has to say about where we're at...
How your baby's growing
Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango). His skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. He can swallow, but he normally won't pass his first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when he hears them outside the womb.
How your life's changing
If you dealt with headaches in your first trimester, they might be subsiding now. (Many women have headaches in early pregnancy, thanks to pregnancy hormones, changes in circulation, and/or sinus congestion.)You may notice some mild swelling sometime during your pregnancy, especially in your ankles and feet. It's called edema, and it happens because changes in your blood chemistry cause fluid to shift into your tissue and because your enlarging uterus puts pressure on the veins returning blood from the lower half of your body, slowing circulation in your legs. Edema is often worse at the end of the day and in the summer. Your body will eliminate the extra fluid after you have your baby (which is why you may urinate often and sweat a lot for a few days after delivery). In the meantime, put your feet up when you can, stretch out your legs when you sit, avoid sitting still for long periods, exercise regularly to increase circulation, and wear support stockings (put them on first thing in the morning). You may be tempted to skimp on liquids, but you need to drink plenty of water, because keeping hydrated actually helps prevent swelling. If you notice severe or sudden swelling in your hands and face, be sure to call your midwife or doctor because it may be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia.
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