Monday, August 29, 2011

I am now 31 weeks pregnant. Steve and I can't wait to meet our baby.

In the meantime - I cannot believe the wildabeast-like creature I now am. I am so emotional it makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I am a pretty empathetic person to begin with, but now I find myself empathizing with inanimate objects. I cry when the cereal is gone. I love cereal more than words can say. I am humungous. I make the state puff marshmallow man from Ghostbusters look like a little tiny baby. This is going to be an interesting two months!

We went to a birthing class Saturday. It was at the hospital, and it was all day long. We saw videos that were eye-opening, and videos that were eye-shutting.

We had to sit a very long time, and normally I am great with that - except that when I'm the size of an orangutang I prefer to do as they do - walk around a little, lay down, and maybe eat a banana ( or put a banana on top of my cereal ). So--sitting and watching the miracle of birth in various different manners - it just made me feel achy and wanting to get up and move around and just be like an orangutang for a while and live in denial that I will ever have to encounter whatever those ladies in those videos were encountering.

We did get to walk around for a little bit - during the hospital tour. It was a very nice tour, but I'm glad it was at the end of the class, because the way some people asked questions, it was beginning to feel like we were in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and all the crazies were showing their faces. One couple only asked about how much the t.v. would cost and if it was possible to have a fridge in the room. Seriously? You're going to have a baby and all you care about is t.v. and food? Now - I do admit I love food, but when we are talking about the day you give birth and the only thing you care about is what's on cable and whether or not you can eat your sixteen bagel bites while you watch - that just makes me mad. Anyway - they eventually were quiet with no more questions, and it was time to leave. This also reminded me of Willy Wonka, because of that crazy elevator scene at the end. 12 women who are 7, 8 and 9 months pregnant along with their husbands/significant others fitting into an elevator really made me wonder about the cable buckling under that kind of pressure and it made me hope that this elevator was the kind of super elevator that Willy Wonka had.

Luckily we made it out alive. All in all it was an informative day, but I was exhausted afterward and slept pretty much the rest of the weekend, and ate bananas, and walked around a little bit. It's not so bad being an orangutan sometimes.


Even though I haven't posted in about a week, I have been busy, and there are some fun events coming up:

--The goal date of the baby room being ready is September 18.

--The baby showers are September 10 and 15

--The baby is due October 28

:)

Despite being an emotional hugeasaurus, I still like being pregnant - but only because of babe. I love babe and can't wait for the day we get to meet!

Saturday, August 20, 2011



Don't these deep-fried oreos look delicious? Oh man.

I don't have to talk about those, though.

I'm very glad we started the baby's room in June. If we had waited until now to start it, I know we would not be finished by the time the baby is here.

We have made some progress, yet it is still taking a long time.

I want to talk about those oreos again.

We did take a small trip to the fair early in the week- which was very fun but I ate most of the food they had available. If the weight gain I've accomplished during pregnancy scares on-lookers, I am blaming the fair. Even if that's not fair.

The oreos were great. So was the caramel apple. And the french fries. And the burger. And the cupcake that looked like an ice cream sandwich. And I should stop.

We had a minor setback this week when our pets were itching like crazy. At this first sign of fleas, we deep-cleaned the house a few times, got special flea meds for both the dog and cat, and waited. Hopefully there will be no more itching! Ugh that wasn't fun.

We went from delicousness at the fair to sad, sad cleaning and bugs at home. Fair is way better. Fair wins.

Anyway- some updates on the baby's room:
Thursday, Steve's brother was able to come over and show Steve how to do the "mudding" of the drywall.

Friday, we bought the laminate flooring that will replace the bright pink rug floor from the '80s. My parents were dropping off my brother Andrew at college, and stopped in on the way back to help us pick it out. We also had enough time to visit the new addition to the family, Missie and Ali's brand new baby boy!(9 pounds 9 ounces and still no name yet: ) )


Today, there was no time to do any "mudding" because Steve worked for his uncle all day pressure washing a barn. He just got back home and we're making dinner with our veggies from the farm (Pasta with spicy red sauce with the veggies mixed in, and I'm going to make some zuchinni bread with chocolate chips.

I went to get the veggies today and walked with the dog in the park. tried taking a nap but couldn't get comfortable. This is happening more and more. It is also VERY hot and our room air conditioner was not up to snuff today. I just can't wait until August is over. Then MAYBE the hot weather will be gone (I can't believe I'm saying this, I've never wanted August to be over) and also, hopefully, the room will be done by then. I would be so happy. I would post pictures but I'd rather do that when it's starting to look nice. Posting them now would just be depressing.

So, let's just say hopefully by September it will be done. Or almost done. We are thankful for everyone who have helped us, because we definitely wanted to do this is well as we could, and also without breaking the bank, and their help is very much appreciated!!

Speaking of making progress, or trying to, I'm making progress on my novel. Does anyone want a little sneak peak at the first page or two? If even one person says yes, I will think about posting it next! See, this is my new thing, trying to be more "interactive" with my blog. We shall see how it goes.

Also, if anyone has any ideas about the baby room, please let us know! Any little decorative ideas that have to do with a forest theme would be great! So far we have a decal we'll put on the wall, the walls will be tan, the floor will be laminate (that looks just like hard wood), and the wood on the furniture will be dark. A lot of it will be hand-me-down but we will stain it to match. The trim on the windows will be dark as well, to match. We will add accents of either girl colors or boy colors when the baby is born!

Anyway, hope all is well with everyone. I've been writing but I haven't been posting that I've been writing. Feel free to check out this blog when I don't "share" it on a social networking website, because I'll add to it here and there...and might not post it. I guess I will try to be more diligent though, if it means there are more readers!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

How we are trying to be ecologically friendly:

1. We joined a CSA where we get vegetables weekly, organic, no pesticides, which we use for our dinners. We eat healthier this way, too, and save money!

2. We got some materials together to make recycle and make paper/cards out of old paper/cards.

3. We recycle.

4. We grow a garden.

5. We are making a small compost.

6. We use one car.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please let us know! In the meantime...I'll be making paper...or not using up paper and writing on the computer...or...trying to do something useful and ecologically safe. Or just hanging out, in general.

Saturday, August 13, 2011



I chose this picture because it reminds me of my garden. There are a lot of orange flowers in it. I was just doing dishes and there's a window above my sink and I can see it from there...so I just wanted to include it in the post.

I got up early today. I didn't sleep much. I kept getting up to head to the ladies room and it was impossible to get back to sleep again. I'm not complaining, though, I wasn't the only one moving. Babe was kicking for most of the night, it was great. Of course, they say the baby has developed sleep patterns by now....so...maybe this means the baby will just kick a lot when he or she sleeps ;)

The cat thinks he's an alleycat now that it's summertime and he goes outside. He meows underneath our windows at 1 a.m. if we let him out before bed. He has a loud meow, too. I don't mind him thinking he's an alleycat, but I do mind him meowing as loudly as possible in the middle of the night. Not cool.

Steve put up pictures of the baby's ultrasounds this week. I might post on here as well, but I am not sure if that would be redundant. Babe is camera-shy after all. When the sonogram woman tried to get a picture of the baby's face, the baby turned away. Each time. So we got some profile pictures instead :)

I know that it could be a boy or a girl, but lately I think it's a girl. I might change my mind, though. Steve thinks it's a girl, too. Babe has a high heartbeat, and I did this thing I saw on Ellen where you dangle your wedding ring on a string and see what direction it turns in and that should tell you if it's a boy or a girl. We also heard someone shout "It's a girl!" from a few aisles away in Target when we first found out I was pregnant and we were walking through the baby aisle talking about the possibilities. But, it could certainly be a boy of course. Either way, Steve and I can't wait to meet babe in person (although we have met in kicks a lot so far).

I think Babe loves the sound of Steve's voice. When he talks to my belly, babe kicks and kicks, just like when I eat chocolate or something sweet. Steve's voice is as sweet as chocolate to the baby :) I love that.

We are making progress on the baby's room. We are making progress on everything, and that makes me very happy. There is sort of a lull for the rest of August, but September should be pretty busy. Baby showers and baby classes and finishing up the room, oh my!

SPEAKING of baby showers, my Mom in law showed me this website the other day. My goodness!
http://www.ivillage.com/deliciously-awkward-baby-shower-cakes/6-b-368385?nlcid=in|08-11-2011| She sent it to us saying "Which cake does Katie want?" I think there should have been a rated R warning. It should be an INTERESTING day in a couple of months....

I did have another doctor's appointment this week. So far, all is well!! :) The baby is 3 pounds. I can't believe 3 pounds of my body is a little baby, with me wherever I go. It makes me so happy I could cry.

My horoscope said I'll probably cry at the drop of a hat today. I wonder if it knows I'm pregnant? ;)

Anyway - the topic is probably to change, because I got up and then came back down again to sit. I woke up early today (I actually like to do that on the weekends, I'm strange, I know)...and I've been baking chocolate chip cookies. It has been a cooler morning and I wanted to bake more cookies because it relaxes me. I figure this batch can go to whoever I see today. The batch I made a few weeks ago went to some friends and work, the one I made last week went to my side of the family, and I think this week I'll give it to Steve's side of the family (who I see, anyway) and whatever friends I might bump into.

Anyway, now I'm thinking about work. I kept getting distracted yesterday and thinking about the most random things. Of course, I think I have a serious case of "Baby Brain"...though I probably shouldn't blame it on the baby. I'm flighty to begin with! I put syran wrap in the fridge yesterday. Apparently everything I touch must go in the fridge. Unless it actually goes in the fridge, then it should go in the cupboards. Because that is how I have been putting things away lately. More often than I would like to admit!

So, I was drinking some Aquafina, and the label said the company had something to do with "Clinton's Ditch"....does this mean the water came from a ditch? Maybe I should have just drank from the tap! Anyway....I was just wondering about that. Of course, there is an entire internet I can scan through to see if that even means anything, but I'd rather be ignorant about it for now, because I just drank it yesterday, and I don't want to know at this time.

I just trusted it. I trust things from vending machines but I don't trust the weatherman. Is that weird? I trust things without brains and the ones with brains I'm leary of. Eh...I guess I'm leary of lions and they have brains. OK I'm running off on tangents.

But while I am running off on tangents, I finally found a website where it shows volunteering opportunities locally! I love that if you ask for something, somehow it has a way of showing up in one way or another. I once had no pencils left while I was teaching in the city, and I looked up and said out loud that I really needed pencils, and I had 50 by the end of the day. 50. It was amazing.

Then, the other day, I said, I really want to volunteer but don't know how to find opportunities. I then really had the urge to buy an Oprah magazine (because I love Oprah very much) and she had a website posted! It's amazing! It's called allforgood.org and I think you should check it out. I've already found about 5 things I want to get involved with.

If I become a famous writer I definitely want to involve myself with charities. I want to involve myself with volunteering as much as I can before that as well. I think charity begins at home, though, so even just hanging out with my family and friends I think is a good way to spend time. But, I do want to give more, just because I really want to, and it's important.

I should go. My cookies are almost done. And I'm going to walk the dog soon in the park. I hope whoever is reading this has a really good day. It is Saturday, and hopefully it's a good one for you guys.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The goal for this week is to get paint for the baby's room. We had a few other goals, but we scratched them off the list. We fixed the registry, we got the drywall up, we got going with baby shower preparations, we picked out a crib, we signed up for childbirth classes, and chose a pediatrician, and I had some more doctor appointments. Once we get the paint, I'm really looking forward to getting the room painted. Then it will be just a matter of time before we fix the floor and add the furniture. So: paint. Thursday. Looking forward to it.

ON another note, I think I'm going to post some of my writing for the novel soon. I've just got to get the guts!

Sunday, August 7, 2011




It's hard to believe sometimes that we all exist. But, we do...well, at least you do, who are reading this, and me, who is writing this, and the people we see around us...we're here. We exist.

SO, while we are here. I've decided I want to use my time in more meaningful ways. I want to volunteer more, and so does Steve. We started going to church more. If anyone knows of any local volunteering opportunities, please let us know.

I saw on the news that the most stressed person in America is the woman in her 30s and 40s and 50s with a family and a husband and who is trying to keep in shape and keep up with a job and keep the family together and keep the house from falling apart and....you know. The experts say this woman will not outlast her husband, like women of the past did.

I thought about it and I wonder if these women changed their perspective, if things would get better for them. Perhaps if they relied more on their friends and their family and the people who surround and love them, and viewed themselves as one special part of a great work of people, and not the one part that makes everyone else function, maybe the stress will be lifted? Maybe the stress comes from the compartmentalization, it comes from the mindset that that one person is who everyone else relies on....Not everyone relies on both themselves and everybody else. I don't know if I'm making sense but...it seems to me that if you view yourself as part of one big family and you care for others and let them care for you....you don't have to worry about the particulars so much. Because, life just....happens. We are here. And we can have a good time while we're here.

Just a thought.

So, anyway - I put a picture of one of my favorite pieces of artwork up on the blog today because I think it's important to create things and appreciate what is created....just like it's important to love and be loved, and work and accept what is given to you...and so on and so on and so on.


And, to get into some personal specifics - I might have gestational diabetes. I find out tomorrow. I'm just saying it because I'm finding out it's pretty common and I should be brave about it so I'm just saying it. I had some more bloodwork on Saturday. They poked me four times. So far in the pregnancy they've taken 13 viles of my blood. I really like being pregnant, but if you'd ask me what is one thing you didn't like about it I would say the bloodwork. But, I guess, some people get nausea, some people get heavy duty aches and pains, some people crave to eat dirt, and some people have more bloodwork than others. I'll deal.

I find out either tomorrow or Tuesday if I have it. I ate a lot today, just in case I'm going to have to rapidly change my diet, which was probably a horrible idea, but, I did it. Steve is very great. He stayed with me the entire 3 1/2 hours I was getting my bloodwork done on Saturday, and he even said he would help me with all the pricking if I wanted. And when I feel nauseaus thinking about it, he thinks it is justified and he says it's going to be ok. And it really, really helps.

Which brings me back to the whole relying on both yourself and others thing. I know I had to physically give up my arm a bunch of times...but it helped to have somebody there to hold my hand. Even if he couldn't make it, I would have been comforted knowing he would say "Everything will be ok."

And, I really would like to volunteer so that I can be one to tell others "Everything will be ok."

Because I think more and more that we're all a big family, and we all like feeling that we're being taken care of somehow. And I think kindness shows strength, because it shows that you are not afraid to give up some of yourself for the sake of others. Even though that sounds really really really a lot like something you would hear on Full House, and it sounds like something someone would make fun of me for saying, but I don't care...positivity shouldn't be downplayed.

I also have to give a huge shout out to Steve's brother Vinnie who has been helping us with the baby's room. The drywall is now up!! We will hopefully paint later this week!!
Thanks to my mother and my mother in law, invitations are going out soon for the baby showering, and we've got a few more things for the baby!!
Thanks to a person we work with, we now have a changing table!!
Thanks to everyone who is listening! I hope to write a post soon that says we're all done with the baby room set up. We are getting things done little by little.
Thanks to my family for having a Thanksgiving in August for David who lives in Reno and won't be back for the "real" Thanksgiving - it was nice to eat that food especially because I'm not sure what I might be able to eat the next few months
Thanks in advance to anyone who can tell me of a volunteering opportunity
And...thanks to God for the existence of everything. Because...that's important. That we exist...you...and me...and everybody around us. We're like a big family. And...that's pretty cool.

Thursday, August 4, 2011





A miracle is looking up at a night full of stars and feeling at peace after a long, long day.

A miracle is the sun coming in through the windows when you first wake up in the morning, no matter how grumpy you are.

A miracle is a little girl being adopted to a loving family who will love her and love her and love her.

A miracle is a baby kicking his or her mama, at any little time.

A miracle is a person who was really sad whistling one day, singing the next, and cooking and tapping his toes the next.

A miracle is a moment you didn't think you could have - so I count facing my fears and getting bloodwork done a miracle.

A family getting together in the middle of the summer for Thanksgiving is a miracle to me.

A brother helping out his family to rebuild their homes is a miracle.

A mother getting better after a painful surgery is a miracle.

A baby whose upset tummy is soothed is a miracle.

Having a job and a house with a fixed up roof and some kooky pets is a miracle.

A garden that makes a big fat zucchini appear is a miracle.

A person taking a small moment to say a prayer for someone else, is a miracle.

People who listen to each other to understand each other count as two or three miracles at once.

A song is a miracle.

A lonely loved one who isn't lonely for a little while, is a miracle.

Maybe the more we recognize something for what it is, it will happen more? Maybe there will be more peace and happiness if more of us say something about how great peace and happiness are?

Just wondering.