Eric Bowlin and his wife, Stephanie welcomed their new baby girl on May 21st. They are the first of a couple of my pregnant friends to deliver. Rachel will be next, on the 28th, to say hello to her daughter. And I still have a few weeks to go. Or do I? I've turned into a walking (waddling) fiend. Every night after dinner, I put on my sneaks and head out the door. Brian has joined me on a few trips. Some evenings are easier than others. Is it possible to walk a baby out of you? I'm determined to find out. At the very least, I'm doing something good for my body. That is something I've been desperate to do for the last eight months.
I've come to realize how much I've let myself go. Granted, weight has never been an issue for me. It's more my physical condition. I used to be the workout queen. Up before dawn, swimming at least a mile before work. All that stopped after the Navy. Can I apologize to my own body? I'm sorry I stopped doing the things you love and replaced it with the sofa and wine and cigarettes. I will be better once the baby is out. Just get me through this delivery and I will love you back into shape. I promise.
This pregnancy isn't the only thing that has me suddenly health-conscious. About a month ago, Brian and I got life insurance. His tests came back a little weird, and we finally got the results on Friday. High cholesterol. It scared me to death. We just got married! You're telling me my husband is at risk for heart disease in his early thirties? Something has to change. I love him too much to ignore it. In with the fruits and veggies. Out with the trips to Burger King. He wondered aloud the other day if he should just get on medication for it. My response? Get thee to the doctor, who will undoubtedly suggest a diet and lifestyle change before sticking him on a lifetime of medication. Brian isn't going to like it, but I'm forcing him off the sofa and out into the world. I'm not ready to lose my husband.
On a happier note, we spent Saturday at the berry farm in Varina. It was the 5th annual Strawberry Fields Festival. It certainly was the most family friendly thing the two of us have ever done. Kids and babies and pregnant women everywhere. Coolers were welcome, and a few people were drinking, but by no means was it the lets-chug-and-get-wasted kind of thing we're used to. It was nice. I packed us a lunch and we brough along our chairs and a blanket. We set up shop under a big tree and spent the day listening to music and watching kids play. Brian even picked some strawberries for us. Given that I've never been berry-pickin', I gave it an honest effort. For about 30 seconds. It just wasn't condusive to Pregnant's mobility. Next year, though. I'll berry-pick him to shame! :-)
That's all the excitement from our corner. Baby's still on the inside. Patience. Must. Find. Patience.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A morning at the market
Spring is finally here. It's not the warm weather that gave it away, or the high pollen count, or the blooming magnolia tree I saw yesterday. For me, spring equals farmer's markets and they're back in full swing! Richmond has quite a few. My favorite, by far, is the South of the James in Forest Hill Park. Every Saturday morning vendors unload their goodies in one of my favorite neighborhoods in town. I'm super jealous of anyone that lives close enough to walk. Brian and I went a couple of times last year, but I've learned that I can have more fun (dare I type it?) by myself. He just can't get excited about asparagus and radishes.
This morning, I made my way to the 17th Street market downtown. I found some nice Romaine lettuce, which is going to make awesome Caesar salads for dinner tonight. I completely flipped out over the strawberries at Amy's Garden. What more could you want out of life? I'm going to make my first attempt at homemade shortcakes for our dessert this evening. Yum! I just hope my husband can appreciate the effort. He's in love with the standard-issue sponge cake variety you can pick up at any grocery store. Good, but I can do better. Three huge tomatoes also found their way into my bag. They're not in season quite yet, but I made homemade bread recently and instantly thought about slicing those bad boys up and eating tomato sandwiches. There were list of other things I wanted to spend money on, but I was a good girl and stuck to my budget.
In other, non-foodie news, my doctors appointment yesterday went well. Miss Virginia has officially dropped. Dr. Lucas even said she might be a little early. That's when I told him that I love him. We're on a once-a-week visitation schedule now. Luckily, my weight seems to have tapered off (thank you, Jesus!). Dr. Lucas sent me away armed with his pager number, instructions on when to go to the hospital, and hope that the end is finally near! Maybe today I'll try to pick out which bottle of wine we'll open to celebrate her arrival....Mmmmmm......wine.
It seems like the holiday weekend is going to be gorgeous. We don't have any plans yet. I'm thinking maybe a picnic by the river. Brian didn't seem too enthused about the idea when I mentioned it this morning, though. Sigh. My husband is a lot of things, but romantic isn't one of them. Gotta love him.
Well folks, that's all I have for now. I need to try to find the recipe for those shortcakes. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
This morning, I made my way to the 17th Street market downtown. I found some nice Romaine lettuce, which is going to make awesome Caesar salads for dinner tonight. I completely flipped out over the strawberries at Amy's Garden. What more could you want out of life? I'm going to make my first attempt at homemade shortcakes for our dessert this evening. Yum! I just hope my husband can appreciate the effort. He's in love with the standard-issue sponge cake variety you can pick up at any grocery store. Good, but I can do better. Three huge tomatoes also found their way into my bag. They're not in season quite yet, but I made homemade bread recently and instantly thought about slicing those bad boys up and eating tomato sandwiches. There were list of other things I wanted to spend money on, but I was a good girl and stuck to my budget.
In other, non-foodie news, my doctors appointment yesterday went well. Miss Virginia has officially dropped. Dr. Lucas even said she might be a little early. That's when I told him that I love him. We're on a once-a-week visitation schedule now. Luckily, my weight seems to have tapered off (thank you, Jesus!). Dr. Lucas sent me away armed with his pager number, instructions on when to go to the hospital, and hope that the end is finally near! Maybe today I'll try to pick out which bottle of wine we'll open to celebrate her arrival....Mmmmmm......wine.
It seems like the holiday weekend is going to be gorgeous. We don't have any plans yet. I'm thinking maybe a picnic by the river. Brian didn't seem too enthused about the idea when I mentioned it this morning, though. Sigh. My husband is a lot of things, but romantic isn't one of them. Gotta love him.
Well folks, that's all I have for now. I need to try to find the recipe for those shortcakes. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Time is on my side
Welcome to the world of the stay at home mom. I know I'm not officially a mother yet, but let's not get hung up on technicalities. I wasn't sure how I would like not working. It's been a week, and I have nothing to complain about. I've gotten quite a bit accomplished from my list. I'm thinking about adding some things. Then again, I'm (almost!) nine months pregnant. Who needs a to-do list when there are naps to be had?
Last Friday, I organized the closet in Virginia's room. It took a lot longer than I expected. I'm not sure how we've managed to accumulate so much stuff. Especially living in a two bedroom apartment. The spare room used to be a catch-all. Don't know where to put it? Throw it in the spare bedroom! About half-way through the organization war path, I realized we need a house. My Christmas decorations still take up the bulk of the closet. So much so that I'm considering getting a small storage space. We'll have to wait and see.
We spent Saturday afternoon at Jeff and Beth's house for a baby-frenzy cook-out. Good times! Brian's good friends Dan and Meg were there, as well as Ted and Katie, and Courtney and Aaron. Three toddlers and one very pregnant Kelly Sue probably convinced Dan and Meg that there's plenty of time to spend together before taking the plunge into parenthood! I love hanging out with everyone, though. It's nice to be around people who are in the same place in life as Brian and me. The light at the end of the tunnel, you know?
I woke up early on Sunday and drove to Newport News to spend Mother's Day with my mom. She mentioned a few weeks ago that she wanted a lounge chair for her back patio. I got her two hanging flower pots, a bird feeder with seed, and the chair. She was thrilled. We spent the morning sweeping off her patio and hanging her gifts, then we sat for a while and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. She called me last night to tell me, again, that she was thoroughly enjoying her presents. Job well done, Kelly Sue! I took her out to lunch and headed back to Richmond for dinner with Brian's mom, Rhonda. She chose to have us over to her house for a little cook-out instead of going out to eat. Brian and I stopped on the way for some steaks and flowers for her. Here's the big surprise....Brian cooked the steaks and they were wonderful! Perfectly seasoned. For those of you unaware of my husband's culinary abilities, let's just say this was a complete shocker! I'm filing it away as another reason for getting a house. Brian cooking ME dinner for a change on a grill.
The new week brought a house guest. One of my best friends, Lance, was in town for work at MCV and stayed with us a few nights. He brought some bittersweet news with him. He's accepted a job in Palm Springs. It's a great opportunity, and I know he's going to love it in California. On the selfish side, this puts all of my best friends on the west coast. Looks like I'm going to have to get used to flying. I'm super happy for him, though. If a little sad. Funny how stuff like this makes you realize that you have taken time with friends for granted.
I finally got our wedding pictures up on the wall in the hallway. It only took a year for me to get that taken care of! They look great. Or, looked great. I put them up on Tuesday afternoon. That evening, Lance and I walked into the apartment and the chaos with the dogs resulted in one of the frames crashing to the floor. Glass broken. Angry pregnant woman. It should have been an easy fix. I took the frame to Lowe's and had a new piece of glass cut. When I got home, I realized that the glass was cut to fit the back piece of the frame, not the front. The glass is about two centimenters too long and that prevents the back piece from fitting. Grrrrrrr! I blame myself. I should have checked it before paying for it. Lesson learned. It's still not fixed, though. Maybe Monday.
That pretty much sums up my first week of freedom. We head to the Shennandoah Valley tomorrow for Amber's wedding. I'm sure it will be beautiful. Hopefully the rain will hold off until the evening. I'll try to post some pictures. On the baby front, only four and a half weeks left! It's starting to hit Brian. He often says, "Holy crap. We're going to have a baby in here in a few weeks." She can't get here fast enough....I'm ready to share some of the baby responsibility. And I'm already contemplating which bottle of wine I'll open to celebrate!
Last Friday, I organized the closet in Virginia's room. It took a lot longer than I expected. I'm not sure how we've managed to accumulate so much stuff. Especially living in a two bedroom apartment. The spare room used to be a catch-all. Don't know where to put it? Throw it in the spare bedroom! About half-way through the organization war path, I realized we need a house. My Christmas decorations still take up the bulk of the closet. So much so that I'm considering getting a small storage space. We'll have to wait and see.
We spent Saturday afternoon at Jeff and Beth's house for a baby-frenzy cook-out. Good times! Brian's good friends Dan and Meg were there, as well as Ted and Katie, and Courtney and Aaron. Three toddlers and one very pregnant Kelly Sue probably convinced Dan and Meg that there's plenty of time to spend together before taking the plunge into parenthood! I love hanging out with everyone, though. It's nice to be around people who are in the same place in life as Brian and me. The light at the end of the tunnel, you know?
I woke up early on Sunday and drove to Newport News to spend Mother's Day with my mom. She mentioned a few weeks ago that she wanted a lounge chair for her back patio. I got her two hanging flower pots, a bird feeder with seed, and the chair. She was thrilled. We spent the morning sweeping off her patio and hanging her gifts, then we sat for a while and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. She called me last night to tell me, again, that she was thoroughly enjoying her presents. Job well done, Kelly Sue! I took her out to lunch and headed back to Richmond for dinner with Brian's mom, Rhonda. She chose to have us over to her house for a little cook-out instead of going out to eat. Brian and I stopped on the way for some steaks and flowers for her. Here's the big surprise....Brian cooked the steaks and they were wonderful! Perfectly seasoned. For those of you unaware of my husband's culinary abilities, let's just say this was a complete shocker! I'm filing it away as another reason for getting a house. Brian cooking ME dinner for a change on a grill.
The new week brought a house guest. One of my best friends, Lance, was in town for work at MCV and stayed with us a few nights. He brought some bittersweet news with him. He's accepted a job in Palm Springs. It's a great opportunity, and I know he's going to love it in California. On the selfish side, this puts all of my best friends on the west coast. Looks like I'm going to have to get used to flying. I'm super happy for him, though. If a little sad. Funny how stuff like this makes you realize that you have taken time with friends for granted.
I finally got our wedding pictures up on the wall in the hallway. It only took a year for me to get that taken care of! They look great. Or, looked great. I put them up on Tuesday afternoon. That evening, Lance and I walked into the apartment and the chaos with the dogs resulted in one of the frames crashing to the floor. Glass broken. Angry pregnant woman. It should have been an easy fix. I took the frame to Lowe's and had a new piece of glass cut. When I got home, I realized that the glass was cut to fit the back piece of the frame, not the front. The glass is about two centimenters too long and that prevents the back piece from fitting. Grrrrrrr! I blame myself. I should have checked it before paying for it. Lesson learned. It's still not fixed, though. Maybe Monday.
That pretty much sums up my first week of freedom. We head to the Shennandoah Valley tomorrow for Amber's wedding. I'm sure it will be beautiful. Hopefully the rain will hold off until the evening. I'll try to post some pictures. On the baby front, only four and a half weeks left! It's starting to hit Brian. He often says, "Holy crap. We're going to have a baby in here in a few weeks." She can't get here fast enough....I'm ready to share some of the baby responsibility. And I'm already contemplating which bottle of wine I'll open to celebrate!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Last minute list
In twelve hours, I'll winding down from my last shift at work. My life as a working woman will be over. I thought I would be upset about it. Instead, I'm dreaming up all the things I can accomplish before Virginia Lynn gets here. Some are necessary (find pediatrician) and some are frivolous (get hair done). I find a list to be in order.
1-Go through the closet in her room. Toss, donate, and re-home everything I can
2- Install car seat.
3- Pediatrician
4- Fix and freeze a few dinners
5- Hang wedding pictures in the hallway
5- Finish current knitting project
6- get hair done
7- nap daily
8- put last minute items into hospital bag
9- order birth announcements
10- find a rocking chair, night light, and mobile for her room
11. Celebrate a few more date nights with Brian
I think that should about cover it. I'm afraid to add too much to the list because I want this list to be achievable. Attainable. Doable. The last thing I want is an unfinished list hanging over my head when I get home from the hospital...
...with our daughter. The thought still blows me away. I can't believe I'm this lucky. I'm having a girl! Six more weeks until I can hold her in my arms. Sigh. Must. Find. Patience.
1-Go through the closet in her room. Toss, donate, and re-home everything I can
2- Install car seat.
3- Pediatrician
4- Fix and freeze a few dinners
5- Hang wedding pictures in the hallway
5- Finish current knitting project
6- get hair done
7- nap daily
8- put last minute items into hospital bag
9- order birth announcements
10- find a rocking chair, night light, and mobile for her room
11. Celebrate a few more date nights with Brian
I think that should about cover it. I'm afraid to add too much to the list because I want this list to be achievable. Attainable. Doable. The last thing I want is an unfinished list hanging over my head when I get home from the hospital...
...with our daughter. The thought still blows me away. I can't believe I'm this lucky. I'm having a girl! Six more weeks until I can hold her in my arms. Sigh. Must. Find. Patience.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
"Stuck in the middle with you."
It took seven months, but I'm finally able to articulate what I dislike about being pregnant. I'm talking about the real reason. The reason beyond all the superficial explanations I've been spouting off to anyone willing to listen. ("I'm fat. I would kill for a glass of wine. I'm fat. I can't get in and out of the car. I'm fat.") I've been miserable because I feel stuck.
I've spent the last seven months in limbo land between my old life and my new life. Brian and I were very much the couple about town. We now spend our evenings trying to find a television show we both enjoy. Work is getting difficult, but I'm not ready to give that part of myself up yet. I'm watching my tummy expand, but I can't revel in the changes being made in her. The nursery is complete, but no baby to watch sleeping in the crib. It's like I'm five years old awake in bed on Christmas Eve, straining to hear the sound of Santa's sleigh on the roof, watching the minutes tick by on the alarm clock, and morning just can't come fast enough. I'm stuck in the middle with my kiddo.
I dislike being pregnant because it's the ultimate test of my patience, something that's never been my strongest quality. Where's the "easy" button button for this? In my utopia, you take a pregnancy test, go to sleep, and wake up with a beautiful little baby. No time to stress out about expanding waistlines. No time to miss evenings out with the husband the way they used to be. No time to stress about the pain of labor, or the pain of the needle in my spine to prevent the pain of labor. Sigh.
I know this must sound pretty negative. Am I even excited about our baby? Yes. YES! That's the other problem. I want to hold her. I want to kiss her little feet. I want to watch her chest rise and fall as she sleeps. I want to listen to my husband read bedtime stories to her. What color eyes will she have? Whose nose (Brian's, I hope). Is she smart? Charming? I want all this right now.
So the good news? This won't last forever, this awful, stuck-in-the-middle land of waiting. Nine more weeks of waiting. Before I know it, I'll tuck her into bed on Christmas Eve and tell her she has to wait until the morning....and I'll pour my skinny self a glass of wine and put together her toys.
I've spent the last seven months in limbo land between my old life and my new life. Brian and I were very much the couple about town. We now spend our evenings trying to find a television show we both enjoy. Work is getting difficult, but I'm not ready to give that part of myself up yet. I'm watching my tummy expand, but I can't revel in the changes being made in her. The nursery is complete, but no baby to watch sleeping in the crib. It's like I'm five years old awake in bed on Christmas Eve, straining to hear the sound of Santa's sleigh on the roof, watching the minutes tick by on the alarm clock, and morning just can't come fast enough. I'm stuck in the middle with my kiddo.
I dislike being pregnant because it's the ultimate test of my patience, something that's never been my strongest quality. Where's the "easy" button button for this? In my utopia, you take a pregnancy test, go to sleep, and wake up with a beautiful little baby. No time to stress out about expanding waistlines. No time to miss evenings out with the husband the way they used to be. No time to stress about the pain of labor, or the pain of the needle in my spine to prevent the pain of labor. Sigh.
I know this must sound pretty negative. Am I even excited about our baby? Yes. YES! That's the other problem. I want to hold her. I want to kiss her little feet. I want to watch her chest rise and fall as she sleeps. I want to listen to my husband read bedtime stories to her. What color eyes will she have? Whose nose (Brian's, I hope). Is she smart? Charming? I want all this right now.
So the good news? This won't last forever, this awful, stuck-in-the-middle land of waiting. Nine more weeks of waiting. Before I know it, I'll tuck her into bed on Christmas Eve and tell her she has to wait until the morning....and I'll pour my skinny self a glass of wine and put together her toys.
Monday, March 9, 2009
I had another restless night last night. I just can't sleep well unless Brian catches me right as I fall asleep on the sofa and sends me to bed. Otherwise, he can't wake me up. I wake up around 2 am, move to the bed, and toss and turn for about an hour before giving up and getting up. Two new episodes of "Tori & Dean" from onDemand later, I was still awake. The sandman found me around 6. Brian woke up (late) around 8, which means I did, too. I sincerely hope this is a pregnancy thing. Probably more like a getting-ready-for-baby thing. I'm afraid sound sleep is out of my reach for the better part of eight months. Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
This weekend's weather was a vast improvement over the previous week. It was in the 70's for four days, and Brian and I took advantage of it Sunday. We went to Pony Pasture for a hike/walk. I've been wanting to get out for walks to get some more activity. We lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle, and I certainly want to change that before the baby gets here. We want to be a good example for our little girl! Back to the subject....we weren't the only one's in Richmond looking for ways to enjoy the weather. The parking lot was packed. It felt really great to be outside, listening to birds and the river. With the pregnancy and the cold weather, I've been cooped up for months.
Brian and I have started playing with the idea of a small vacation this summer to Chincoteague. I'm hesitant for several reasons. First and foremost, I'm not fond of the bathing suit idea so soon after giving birth. I'm also not sure Virginia will be ready for such a trip. Then, there's the dog situation. I think of these things, then think of how desparately I need a vacation. We still haven't had our honeymoon. Money and work schedules were too tight after our wedding. Still, I'm worried this summer is too soon. I have secretly been scouting tropical vacations for December. Virginia should be sleeping through the night by then (I hope). I think I'll also be more comfortable leaving her with grandparents by then. Who knows? This warm weather sure is giving me the travel bug, though!
More to come later. Hope all is well with all of you!
This weekend's weather was a vast improvement over the previous week. It was in the 70's for four days, and Brian and I took advantage of it Sunday. We went to Pony Pasture for a hike/walk. I've been wanting to get out for walks to get some more activity. We lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle, and I certainly want to change that before the baby gets here. We want to be a good example for our little girl! Back to the subject....we weren't the only one's in Richmond looking for ways to enjoy the weather. The parking lot was packed. It felt really great to be outside, listening to birds and the river. With the pregnancy and the cold weather, I've been cooped up for months.
Brian and I have started playing with the idea of a small vacation this summer to Chincoteague. I'm hesitant for several reasons. First and foremost, I'm not fond of the bathing suit idea so soon after giving birth. I'm also not sure Virginia will be ready for such a trip. Then, there's the dog situation. I think of these things, then think of how desparately I need a vacation. We still haven't had our honeymoon. Money and work schedules were too tight after our wedding. Still, I'm worried this summer is too soon. I have secretly been scouting tropical vacations for December. Virginia should be sleeping through the night by then (I hope). I think I'll also be more comfortable leaving her with grandparents by then. Who knows? This warm weather sure is giving me the travel bug, though!
More to come later. Hope all is well with all of you!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The new nest
Well, we're finally in our new place. For those of you who don't know, we've moved to a new apartment in the same building. It's slightly bigger, a little cheaper, and much quieter. My wall-o-windows is gone forever, and hopefully the heating bill that went with it!
Mom came up on Saturday to help us clean. I'm so glad she did, because I completely underestimated how difficult it is to move five and a half months pregnant. Brian's friend Ted also stopped by to help my husband move the last of the furniture. We were finished with everything in the old place in the late afternoon, just as I was getting my second wind. Brian was a good sport about it. He moved the sofa twice before telling me to sit my pregnant butt on the sofa and relax! We unpacked and organized on Sunday amid talk of snow. Snow in Richmond? It doesn't snow in Richmond! (Sometimes I'm wrong....)
The snow started around five-ish Sunday evening, and immediately began to stick. We took the girls out for walks and enjoyed watching them play. We flipped back and forth between The Amazing Race and the Weather Channel all evening, listening to the forecasts. The local weather called for 3-6" and we ended up with around four or five Monday morning. It was beautiful when I woke up! Snow was still falling, and VDOT had yet to plow any off the streets. Everything was just white and silent. I desperately wanted to get pictures while it was still snowing, but was unable to find the camera. Brian got his wish and had the day off. I spent the morning pulling out all the accumulated baby stuff and organizing Virginia's room. After that, I made chocolate chip cookies and we watched movies all day! I'm just wondering if Brian will have to work today.
That's all the news from our end of the world. Virginia Lynn is kicking up a storm in my belly. Brian can finally feel her move. I'm two weeks away from my third trimester. The end is in sight! Hope all is well for everyone!
Mom came up on Saturday to help us clean. I'm so glad she did, because I completely underestimated how difficult it is to move five and a half months pregnant. Brian's friend Ted also stopped by to help my husband move the last of the furniture. We were finished with everything in the old place in the late afternoon, just as I was getting my second wind. Brian was a good sport about it. He moved the sofa twice before telling me to sit my pregnant butt on the sofa and relax! We unpacked and organized on Sunday amid talk of snow. Snow in Richmond? It doesn't snow in Richmond! (Sometimes I'm wrong....)
The snow started around five-ish Sunday evening, and immediately began to stick. We took the girls out for walks and enjoyed watching them play. We flipped back and forth between The Amazing Race and the Weather Channel all evening, listening to the forecasts. The local weather called for 3-6" and we ended up with around four or five Monday morning. It was beautiful when I woke up! Snow was still falling, and VDOT had yet to plow any off the streets. Everything was just white and silent. I desperately wanted to get pictures while it was still snowing, but was unable to find the camera. Brian got his wish and had the day off. I spent the morning pulling out all the accumulated baby stuff and organizing Virginia's room. After that, I made chocolate chip cookies and we watched movies all day! I'm just wondering if Brian will have to work today.
That's all the news from our end of the world. Virginia Lynn is kicking up a storm in my belly. Brian can finally feel her move. I'm two weeks away from my third trimester. The end is in sight! Hope all is well for everyone!
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