The Tuesday Ten

Today you get 10 of my random thoughts:
1. I am currently obsessed with strawberry pop tarts. They have absolutely no nutritional value but are oh, so good.
2. I hate stretch marks. Maybe they're supposed to be the battle scars of pregnancy or something. Who knows. I just think they're gross.
3. I can no longer wear high heels for an entire day. Sad. Sometimes I try to pull off a pair of cute wedges but usually by the end of the day they are kicked off underneath my desk somewhere.
4. I love to sleep. If I could go to bed at 8:00 p.m. every night I would be the happiest girl in the world.
5. In less than eight weeks I will be unemployed. Weird. It will be the first time since I was 16 that I have gone more than two weeks without a job.
6. Eating is a major nuisance in my life. I don't like having to decide what to eat, or when, or where. If I had my choice I would eat strawberry pop tarts and milk for every meal. OK, and maybe an occasional tuna sandwich.
7. I am not looking forward to triple-digit temperatures. Usually they start in early to mid-May. Ugh.
8. I wish I could wear t-shirts and flip-flops everyday. Attempting to maintain some level of professionalism in my wardrobe is very tiring. I mean, who really wants to iron when you could use that time to sleep?
9. I wonder what it would feel like to sleep completely through the night. That has not happened since at least December. I'm pretty sure it won't happen again until this December.
10. I can't wait for Baby Ryan to get here!!

So Much to Do...

So the countdown is on...Baby Ryan's scheduled debut is in 13 1/2 weeks (though I think he'll come a week early because he loves his Mama). Between now and then we have a ridiculous amount of stuff to get done, specifically finishing the nursery. I really didn't think it would be such a long process (note: ALL home improvement projects are a long process) but it's a challenge when Bryan and I both work all day and have a ton of other committments. I know we'll get it done in time, but when I walk in there and see a concrete floor and white walls it seems a little much. Especially right now, because I'm back to wanting to sleep as much as possible. I'd rather sleep than do just about anything else. Not that that matters a whole lot in terms of the nursery because in all reality, Bryan is the one doing the work. Pulling up carpet, ripping out baseboards, getting everything ready to paint...it's all him.

When I first got pregnant 40 weeks seemed like forever. Now I'm glad we have that much time to get ready!

Growing, Growing

Here's what 25 weeks and 4 days pregnant looks like...

Why I Love to Work from Home

My job is pretty flexible so when I need to do a lot of writing without a lot of interruptions, I work from home. I don't do it very frequently--not even once a month--but I always love when I do. Why, you ask? Well here are just a few of the reasons:
~I don't have to spend 2+ hours in traffic.
~Jeans and flip flops are acceptable forms of attire.
~I can get a pedicure during my lunch hour.
~Jackson curls up by my feet and naps while I work.
~I don't have to listen to a really rude guy in my office talk on speakerphone all day without closing his door.
~I can drink as much water as I want because my desk is not at the furthest point in the building away from the restroom, like it is at the office. This isn't usually an issue, but since I've been pregnant that has changed.
~I can turn my music up as loud as I want so I can get "in the zone."
~Actually getting some work done!

The Tuesday Ten

I've been racking my brain to come up with something for the Tuesday Ten. So here are 10 things I have recently purchased (in no particular order):

1. A cute leather Coach wristlet to match my diaper bag
2. New polo shirts for Bryan
3. A Phoenix Suns/Steve Nash jersey for Baby Ryan
4. A new Coach wallet
5. More maternity clothes, this time in a size bigger because yes, I am actually outgrowing some of the stuff I bought in the first round!
6. Sparkly black Kenneth Cole flip flops for work, because I am to the point where I just cannot do heels everyday
7. A bunch of cute Carter's outfits for Baby Ryan. Did you know Costco and Sam's Club carry these outfits for less than $6 a piece?
8. Sunless tanning lotion
9. A few songs from iTunes
10. Two story books about a baby polar bear for Ryan

I want...

...a big bag of pink Starbursts. No red ones, no yellow ones, no orange ones. Just pink.

Childbirth vs. the Dentist

Many of you know I have an extreme fear of childbirth. Not the usual, “man, that’s really gonna hurt” kind of fear, but rather the “if I think or talk about it too much I will cry” kind of fear. Not a good thing considering my current condition.

I have also always hated going to the dentist. A combination of many bad dental experiences, the whirr of the drill, the pain at the injection sites of the numerous Novocain injections once said Novocain wears off…you get the idea.

Well today I had one of those lovely trips to the dentist. The dentist was really good, and a super nice guy. I had to have 4 fillings replaced. He knew that I don’t numb well so we started with 5 separate Novocain shots which we both thought would do the trick. It did, until he hit a nerve. Fun stuff. I got another shot and we ended up leaving a part of one of the old fillings in. Of course this was all after my heart was racing so badly following the initial shots that he left me to just relax for a few minutes after he took my pulse.

All of this leads me to wonder, which will be worse—childbirth or the dentist? I remember when I was about 10 or so, my mom had this horrible infection from a tooth and she had to get all of this work done and said it was definitely worse than childbirth.

So all of this gives me hope that I’ll make it through just fine. And you know, they don’t give you a cute little baby boy to take home after you go to the dentist…

There's Definitely a Baby in There!

Sorry I have been MIA and gone so long without a post. I've had some requests for prego pictures, so I'm finally obliging! My best friend Christine was here a couple of weeks ago for a quick visit and these were taken while she, her husband Gregg and her adorable new baby girl Kylee were here.

I can't believe how quickly the time is going. I am currently in my 23rd week--more than halfway there! Some of you know we had a few weeks of worrying about whether Baby Ryan had Down's Syndrome, but come to find out my doctor had given us completely false information and we had basically worried for nothing. Ugh. The good part though was that we got to see a wonderful specialist and have a very detailed ultrasound that showed how perfectly all of his little body parts are developing--his hands, feet, heart, brain, kidneys, the whole nine yards.

So for now I'm enjoying the processs and eagerly anticipating the arrival of Ryan in July.

Yay for babies!

Old Friends are the Best Friends

A few weeks ago I got to meet up with my friends Sharla, Mary Lou and Carole for dinner when we passed through Riverside. I love having friends who you can go forever without seeing, and when you are finally together again, you start up right where you left off.

Love you, girls!

Pregnancy Myths

One thing that I have found to be true about pregnancy is that it is truly different for every woman. Some women love being pregnant and have an amazing experience. And then there are the rest of us.

One other thing I’ve found is that pregnancy is full of myths. Here are a just a few:

Myth: You will have clear, beautiful skin during pregnancy.
Reality: Your chin will break out worse than anything you ever imagined possible, requiring you to purchase a variety of new cleansing products as well as full coverage foundation. These things aren’t particularly effective, but at least they make you feel like you’re doing something to address the problem.

Myth: Once you hit your 2nd trimester, you will regain your energy and feel fabulous.
Reality: While you may no longer feel like you’re going to toss your cookies from the time you get up until the time you go to bed, you are far from feeling fabulous. 8:00 is still your preferred bedtime and you continue to make as few commitments in the evenings as possible so you can make that bedtime a reality at least on occasion.

Myth: Shopping for baby stuff is fun.
Reality: If you consider spending hours researching products in books, on websites and on message boards fun, then I suppose this isn’t a myth. However when considering large purchases like a crib, car seat/travel system, etc., you become keenly aware that the wrong decision will not only lead to wasted money, but quite possibly the death of your child through some freak, 1 in a billion accident. Someone has to be that 1, right??

Don’t get me wrong—I am absolutely elated for the baby to get here. I just wish I could skip the whole pregnancy part with the same end result…

Oh yeah, and pictures will be coming soon.