Stand Up, Sit Down....

Whelp - I officially did to much yesterday and my body fought back.

Friday I drove to New Buffalo to meet up with Allan who was there for the day on a "math retreat". (yes, these are things I just don't really ask about). I left early with plans to hit the outlet mall on the way, traffic had other plans. As it was, I arrived at the Red Arrow Roadhouse in Union Pier, Michigan somewhat late and sat down to a new fun game. The people at the table each say the name of a move in in turn that everyone else has seen. The goal is to get to ten movies that everyone has seen. epic fail, I think the highest we made it was to three movies. It was fun though and something to keep in mind for future events with strangers at a table (well, I was a stranger, everyone else knew each other). Thankfully, traffic was fine on the way home and it took literally 1/2 the time for the return trip. We hit the sack.

Saturday we were up early and el'd it downtown for Allan to run the Hot Chocolate 5k. We hoofed it from the el, I then walked with a friend to get coffee who was running the 15k (which started 30 minutes later), walked back to the finish line (not the start), then walked to Buckingham Fountain to meet Allan, walked back to the el, had brunch at Glenn's Diner (yum, totally worth the hype) and went home. By the time we got to the front door, I was a mess. My stomach felt hard and tight and my pelvis hurt (I don't know how else to describe it).

My downfall was that it was a beautiful day. In Chicago ,when we get these days in November in Chicago there is this sense that you CAN"T waste them. So after a nap, Allan and I walked (slowly) into Lincoln Square to try to buy a book for Uncle Kent (they did not have it at the Book Cellar) and try on Vibram's at Fleet Feet (neither of us were sold). We stopped for a gelato at Pachiugo and sat on a bench in the sun eating (coconut for me, banana for Allan, vanilla for both of us).

Unfortunately, this was just to much exercise and put me over the edge. I walked VERY slowly home and needed to stop every few minutes to take a few breaths. It felt like my stomach was getting tight and squeezing While it did not hurt, it was not comfortable. When we got home, I immediatley lay down with some water and "encouraged" Allan (aka Mr. Energizer Bunny) to go get a haircut and see the Red Bull Snowmobile thing at Wrigley that we had printed out tickets for. I started writing down the times that my stomach was getting tight and hard - pretty consistently 4-5 minutes apart.

After two hours (and a period when I thought things were slowing down), I called the Dr. The fact of the matter is, it is to early for this baby to come out and while I did not want to go down to the hospital, I am willing to do what it takes for a happy, healthy baby. The Dr. on call was great. She said it was fine for me to hang out at home as long as things did not get worse and told me I had done the right thing in calling her and letting her know what was going on. We agreed on a plan of action and when I should call back/go to the hospital. Luckily, things did not progress and I am supposed to call early tomorrow morning to go see the Dr before my Friday afternoon appointment.

Today we headed up to Lake Forest for the day to meet up with N&B who were in town for the weekend. They were staying in the "tennis house" of this AMAZING estate off Lake Road. This place was crazy beautiful and huge with an indoor tennis court, guest houses, old overgrown outdoor grass court, gardens, and a main house across Lake St (on the lake side). Must be nice, I am glad I get to visit!

We picked up Aunt JT and headed to Onwentsia Club for a really lovely lunch. Aunt JT was good friend of Allan's mom and a charming lunch companion. I told Allan that I want to get to know his Lake Forest relatives better so I can take the baby up without him in the spring and build some connections. This is really the first baby of a new generation and people are thrilled. I am thrilled to have family close and we already have invitations to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since I won't be with my family, I am happy to be with new family!

After lunch we tried again to get a book for Uncle Kent (the bookstore was closed) and then dropped in for a quick visit. He looked good and it was a nice visit. He was thrilled to hear that Allan had been to Game 6 of the world series and wanted to talk about playing golf next summer. We drove back into the city (Allan drove, I napped) and I crawled into bed. Trying to keep the baby happy and don't want a repeat of yesterday! Must.keep.baby.healthy My lesson for the weekend is that I really have to take it easy. I know this, putting it into practice is not as easy for me. 34 weeks tomorrow - 2 more weeks till I am "full term".

AND...I MUST take some belly pictures this week....it is huge!

My Funny Husband

Who is usually funny only when he is not trying to be funny (and not when he is). Was making me laugh hysterically last night (Wed). The first awesoeme thing that he did was bring home pringles - which I ate and was then not hungry for dinner. No wonder my fingers are puffy today!

We are later sitting on the couch watching Modern Family and I am feeling the baby jump fairly rhythmically.
Susan: I think he has hiccups.
Allan: Who? River? (the dog)
susan: No you idiot, the baby! hmmmm this is facebook worthy.
Allan: You know, many of my friends on facebook don't know...
Susan: What? That you are an idiot? They are your friends, how could they not know?
Allan: *responds with finger gesture* laughing

I was in a good mood last night, have been in a pretty good mood this week.

You Know You are Pregnant When....

I bought a new waterproof matress pad becuse I have a tempurpedic mattress and am terrified my water is going to break in bed and ruin it (costing me millions). It took me no less than 15 minutes to change out the mattress pad and change the sheets this morning. I was so exhausted afterwards I had to lie down for another 15 minutes to recover.

epic fail

Cool and rainy here today. I am off to do some errands (office max, petco, ulta) before seeing some kids this afternoon.

Decaf coffee from Starbucks on the Clover machine is rocking my world today.....

Mama Said There'd be Days Like This...

Well, my Mom would be much more likely to say something like "buck up and stop whining". After playing phone tag with my OB, it turns out that I have a bladder infection (and have since last Wed). I guess the good news for this is that there is a REASON I have been feeling pretty off all week and that there is modern medicine to help me recover quickly:)

It is a grey and gloomy day here in Chicago so I plan on diving in to Starbucks on the way to my first kid. Still contemplating if I am going to get a shower in today..... I did not sleep well last night (yeah heartburn!) and Allan is gone till Friday night at a conference in St Louis. I hope he gets to see Game 7 and a hometown win! On other happy news, River is still "recovering" from boy's weekend with Allan and is flatulant with gastric distress - to put it mildly. I guess it is time to get both of our systems back on track for the weekend!

East Coast Baby Shower/32 weeks

I was in NOVA (Northern Virginia) this past weekend for my "East Coast Baby Shower" which was hosted by my Aunt Edith and cousins Elizabeth and Sarah. My Aunt Edith lives in a beautiful house on the Chesapeake Bay. I loved everything from the invitations (shaped like baby bibs) to the food to the company. There were no games (thank goodness) but an activity where people wrote messages on diapers for Allan and I to read while changing the baby at 2:00am. I am sure the diapers and messages will come in handy in the near future!

It was fun to see family and friends that I don't see as often since I live in the midwest. I am constantly amazed by the generosity of my family and friends. It is overwhelming to me at times how much I have received in the past year. I have always tried to be honestly generous with my time and money, this year, I feel that generosity has come back to me tenfold. Feeling truly blessed may be the biggest gift of all. My only real regret is that I did not get a picture of myself with my hostesses. Instead I am going to post one of me and my desserts!:)

The other major highlight of the weekend was seeing my sister's new house in Arlington. To say that I have house envy is an understatement, but I am going to work to be happy with what I have (which is A LOT).

My parents left for two weeks in Paris the night of my shower and I am thrilled that they are spending time in such a fabulous city. If I could have a second home anywhere in the world, it would be in Paris. Love, love, love.

In other pregnancy news, I gained a pound this week (as of 10/25) and am up to 14lbs gained for the pregnancy. I changed OB's and feel really comfortable with my new choice. After seeing my medical records from my previous OB, I am considering my options. At best, there was some negligence involved and I need to do some research on where to direct a letter. I know that nothing will happen for me, but if something happens to someone else in the future, I want my concerns to be on record. Even with scripts for zofran prescribed by the new Dr. I am still sick almost every other day an have issues with nausea. At this point, I figure I can deal with 8 more weeks.

Rainy Thursday

Not much going on. Worked like a dog yesterday, still working to get over this cold, lost 2lbs since Monday. grrrrrr Off to work on my indoor "to do" list. grrrrrr

Juice for Dinner

So it might look gross, but I am sick of wasting produce and was not in the mood to eat anything for dinner tonight. Since drinking is easer than eating, I decided to make some juice. The above was made with a few apples, two lemons, a few apples, a bunch of carrots and some leftover lettuce. The good news is that I have enough for breakfast tomorrow, I am getting in fruits and veggies, somewhat cleaned out the fridge and am feeding "the dean"!

I'd like to get some 30 week pictures to post but Allan has been MIA lately (leaving before I get out of bed and coming home after I am in bed). While this is not hard given how much I am sleeping, I hope to get him, me and a camera in the same room tomorrow!

Monday/30 weeks

Yeah Monday!

I need to learn to get up with Allan in the morning when I am "up". While I think I did a lot today and am pretty happy with everything, I wish I had gotten up with him and gotten EVEN more done!:) The good news is that the house is ready for the cleaning lady tomorrow.

Did some errands, saw some kids, normal Monday. The bummer is that I only gained .02lbs this week. I am now on the VERY low end of weight gain for the pregnancy. I hope to gain a pound this week to stay on track. The baby is kicking a lot though and my stomach is getting lots bigger so I guess all is well.

The highlight was dinner with my neighbor A. We walked into the square and had dinner at Trattoria Trullo. With the help of my trusty zofran, I ate a piece of bread and FOUR ravioli! woot! It was really fun to sit and catch up with a good friend. I really appreciate my friends (more and more) and am so thankful for them.

Facebook

I have been MIA lately. Things have been a little rough and I tend to only post happier things. Given that my blog readership is about 3, I think I need to use it more as intended, as a journal.

Anyway, I got home from Michigan last night to an email that really upset me. A facebook "friend" had taken a photo from a friend's blog and posted it on her wall with a nasty comment. Honestly, I could not believe it. First, this person has no room to throw stones in her glass house. Second, I just don't understand why you would even put that out there. Yes, I have my bitchy moments, and will own them, but really try not to every say something hurtful to others in a public forum. I actually even try not to put things in email or print so that they could not be forwarded on/misinterpreted by others.

Again, I am NOT perfect and have certainly said hurtful things to others (behind their back and unintentionally to their faces). I will say though, I have made a REAL effort in the past few years to keep my thoughts positive and give people the benefit of the doubt. My motto lately has been "always choose love". I don't care what others do or say, I can only control myself and to some extent my impact on others.

This is just bring up an ongoing issue with Facebook that I have been thinking about more and more. In the past year, I have hidden people who have hurt my feelings by posting about parties and events that pretty much my entire social scene (except me) were invited to attend. I have hidden people who seem to have nothing good to say about anything. I used to get drunk and go through my friends and delete a bunch of people I decided I did not care about and did not want poking around my business. The problem is that not I don't get drunk anymore.

So here is where I stand now. Do I:
1. Close down and delete my facebook account.
The pros to this are: more time, less drama in my life, no more worries about privacy issues.
Cons: I do like it as a way to keep up with family and friends who I don't see much. It is a good way to contact people I would otherwise be unable to contact.

2. Spend the time and make some real "lists" not that facebook has changed format. I could then do a better job of managing who sees what and what I see of others.
pros: better management - not throwing out the baby with the bathwater
cons: more time needed, not a perfect situation

Hmmmm - will ponder this today and make a decision soon. I think I will start with lists and see if it makes me happier with facebook overall.

I am still bothered though the whole situation.

Michigan, October 2011

This weekend we headed up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to see some of Allan's family and get in some hiking (or more to the point, walking). Allan's family house is EIGHT hours away. The good news is that this trip, we made it up and back with no major delays either way. It is the first time that I have not been ready to kill Allan after one leg of the trip.

We got in late Friday night (after 11) and saw this..... apparently there had been a giant windstorm right before we arrived and a huge tree fell over the road. The good news about the UP is that there always seem to be guys around with pickup trucks, chains and chainsaws. The delay was less than 30 minutes and we got to the house and fell into bed, twin beds.....Lucy and Desi style!:)


After breakfast the next morning, we headed out to Mountain Stream Falls. The wind had blown down lots of trees so we had to do some of off roading to get there.


When we got there, we sat for awhile and ate lunch. I needed a break after the hike. Apparently, these falls are in the top 10 most beautiful waterfalls in Michigan. Did I take a picture? iroll


We walked down via the road (I could not have made it back by the trail) and headed back to the house where we took a nap and rested up for family dinner! Again, we fell into bed but had trouble sleeping because it was HOT!!? When it is in the upper 70's in northern Michigan in October, there is really no other evidence needed for climate change in my book.

Sunday we were up fairly early and then headed out as a family to "the narrows" via row boat. This was Allan's mom's favorite fishing spot and she had wanted it to be the place where we scattered her ashes. I am glad that we were able to respect her wishes. We then headed out for a hike around a lake (or walked 30 minutes or so an then turned around). Again, the weather was beautiful: sunny, warm, with beautiful leaves. The UP really is a beautiful place.

We headed out by 12:00 and were home by 8:30! Yeah! Weekend!