30 Weeks Update

30 Weeks Update.

  

How far along: 30 Weeks

Gender: BOY!

Weight gain: 11 lbs

Maternity clothes: Only and always.  I tried to wear on of my non-maternity dresses (one that I always thought "this is a little poochy and would look great when I'm pregnant) for Easter and ended up hurling it and several others across the room in tears.  Big, striped, Easter COW.

Stretch marks: One new one, just above my bellybutton.

Belly button in or out: It's safe to say it's out for the count.

Best moment this week: Finishing a 5k.  Yes, I walked.  Slowly.  So slow that I was the last person of our group (and probably the last of all registered participants) to finish.  But I only stopped once!

Worst moment this week: Being at work overnight a few nights.  I missed my Ben, baby and bed terribly.  

Miss anything: I long for the days when not everything I ate tasted like burn-y.

Movement: He is a party animal in there!  So often, my belly is lopsided because he is crammed all the way to the right.  Felix did the same thing.  Started getting the whole "THESE ARE ALL MY LIMBS" movement, where I feel a punch up near my ribs and a kick down on my hip at the same time.  

Cravings: Anything cold.  And getting my to do list down to a minimum.

Queasy or sick: Heartburn o'clock.

Mood: Pretty good.  I only wanted to stab someone in the neck with a shrimp fork a few times this week.  Once because a repairman wouldn't talk to me since I was a woman (it was my fault I was out of the kitchen in the first place) and a few people who just couldn't be bothered to say please and thank you (one of normal Christi's biggest pet peeves - pregnant Christi lost her shit a little over it this week).

Looking forward to: Felix's birthday party, birthday family lunch and actual birthday.  This week is crazy busy but at least it's all (mostly) fun tasks.  

4/15/14

Every once in a while there comes a need to step away from every loud piece of life.  
Shut out all intruding interjections, the beeps and clicks, dings and alerts.
And just be peaceful.  

Embrace the moment of energy flowing from the fingertips.  
Recognize the rise of strength drawn from the air and ground.  
Pull close to you the swell of calm.
Bask in the beauty and mystery of it all.
If only for a moment.

There is enormous responsibility in this kind of peace.  
Feel it as full as possible.
Allow it to wrap tight round your soul like the tingling arms of sleep.  

For you won't always feel this way.  
And you won't always feel this way.

Breathe deep.

26 Weeks

26 Weeks Update.

  

Or, as I like to call it - 99 DAYS LEFT.  We are in double digits, people.

How far along: 26 Weeks

Gender: BOY!

Weight gain: Surprisingly slow.  I think -10 to 8 lbs now.  Midwife said it was fine if I was eating healthy.  I told her I eat a lot of Fruit Loops.

Maternity clothes: Yes, all others have been banished for a good 3-5 months

Stretch marks: One new one, just above my bellybutton.

Belly button in or out: Neither.  It's flat and pulled tight.  My scar from my hernia repair 15 years ago is so little and visible!

Best moment this week: Swimming with Ben, Felix, Beth, Ari and The Fury.  Felix had a BLAST.  Went down the slide, played ball, kicked and splashed.  Such fun.

Worst moment this week: I ate six Olive Garden breadsticks and pasta.  I was up until like 1 AM griping about my stomach.  Worth. it. 

Miss anything: Reisling, and now with the "good" weather I want to go kayaking so badly.

Movement: Lots and lots.  Went to EMP yesterday and he was rocking out to Jimmy Hendrix.

Cravings: Caramel Frappuchinos and anything strawberry flavored.

Queasy or sick: I puked twice this week.  Random, weird and I blame vegetables.

Mood: Mostly good!  I'm happy and agreeable as long as I get exactly what I want when I want it.  

Looking forward to: Painting baby's room, massively cleaning the house and garage, finishing up landscaping, knocking out projects.  Nesting = getting shit done.

22 Weeks

How far along: 22 Weeks

Gender: BOY!

Weight gain: -11 lbs.  I lost 18 lbs in the first trimester thanks to my best friend, nausea.  I've gained 7 of it back thanks to my new best friend, frosting.

Maternity clothes: Oh yes.  I have a few shirts that aren't maternity still trying to cover the belly for dear life.  Give it another few days or few donuts and they will begin to fail miserably.  I'm wearing the crap out of maternity leggings and jammies.

Stretch marks: Just the old ones from when I was growing Felix.

Belly button in or out: In...ish.  And weird looking.  I can no longer hide things in there.  On the plus side, it's a great time to clean all the lint out.

Sleep: Excellent!  Pregnancy produces wickedly vivid dreams.  Which is fine, unless they're nightmares.  I'm so done waking up thinking I've given birth to a clown or velociraptor.

Best moment this week: Baby kicking me after a particularly bad dream.  As if to say, "It's okay, Mom.  I'm here!" 

Worst moment this week: Running out of cream cheese.

Miss anything: Reisling.  

Movement: Baby boy started this thing where it feels like he gets a running start and rams his tiny shoulder into my uterus like he's trying to bust down a locked door.

Cravings: Maraschino cherries, cream cheese, Taco Bell chicken quesidilla, pears

Queasy or sick: All is well unless I run across a particularly bad smell.  Coffee, gasoline, doody.

Mood: Like, just one?  Is that possible?  I'm usually pretty happy with bouts of blind rage and Downton Abbey-induced weeping.

Looking forward to: Our mini-vacay coming up in Mid-March.  The weather turning nice so we can play outside with Felix and the dogs.

Forever Home

Dear Floyd,

Welcome to our family.  Welcome to your forever home. We are so glad you're here.

As you sat in the car on the way to the vet yesterday, you kept looking at me like "Are you getting rid of me? Am I going away? Where am I going?"

Well, sweet guy, you're not going anywhere except back home with me, back to snoozing on your pillow in front of the fire or at the feet of your new humans.  Back home.

It's not a perfect home. But it's pretty damn close. It's loud at times.  There's a lot going on. Some real goofballs live here and even more come over.  There are dice rolling all over the place, a rambunctious kid, one big-eared dog, spills and messes.  But it's my favorite place to be. There's lots of love and laughter, random dance parties and superhero flying and crayons and hugs. It's our home.

I know, since you were a possibility to come live with us, that I've been kind of quiet on what I think or how I feel about you. And it's not because I don't love you. It's because I do.

I was wrong. I was beyond wrong about you. I'm rarely so wrong, so you can imagine my shock. I thought this would be a disaster.  I didn't think I would like you, much less love you. I mean, on paper, I think we sound a little nuts.

We have a 2 year old.
Another baby coming.
Let's adopt a shelter dog.

And, on paper, we might be a little nuts.  I worried about you.  Not because of your breed or your size (you 60.5 lb baby). Not because of Indy or Felix. simply because we didn't raise you. We don't know you.  It really worried me.

But in the real world, the world where Christi is (occasionally) wrong, it may have been the best decision we've made in a while.

You are the sweetest, calmest, happiest, laziest dog I've ever met. You've made such a difference in the few short weeks you've been here.  I can't imagine this house without you and your giant, flat head.  Everyone you meet loves you.  You are the poster dog for pitbulls.  And the reason I'm sitting sitting in front of a giant plate of delicious words, eating them until I puke. Nom, nom, nom.  

You fit right in.  I think you'll do just fine.

Felix and his new best friend.

Welcome home, sweet boy.

Love,

Christi

(BTW, I'm fully aware dogs can't use computers or read.)

Felix at 18 Months

Felix turned 18 months last week but we all had the flu so I'm just posting about it now.  

I can't believe how cool this kid is.  How much he knows and remembers.  How much imagination is already in his giant noggin.  It's crazy sauce.  He got a little tikes car for his first birthday.  He pushes it over on it's side so it becomes "airplane neeeroooom".  No idea where he got this idea.  He's brilliant and hilarious and so, so sweet.  Sometimes he'll just stop whatever he's doing and come over to Ben or I and hug us or smile at us before the whirling dervish is off and running again.  

He can recognize most letters and points them out wherever we go.
He can repeat pretty much everything we say.  Easy on the swears.
Loves to yell "TOUCHDOWN!!"
His favorite food is chicken and french fries.  Or grapes.  Or teddy grahams.  The kid eats everything.
Likes to read his books to his stuffed animals.
Getting into puzzles.  Elsie (a cow) is his favorite these days.
Gets really, really concerned when Grover crashes into the signpost at the beginning of Sesame Street and (spoilers) when Nemo gets taken in Finding Nemo.  
Sleeps 12-14 hours a night and is down to 1 nap in the day.
My favorite time of night is when Ben goes in to give binks and Felix is so sleepy.  They have conversations and Felix says, "love you," all droopy and tired.
Such a vain little baby.  He ADORES looking at pictures of himself.

CHEESE!

Straight up gansta

So big in his big boy chair!

Monster face.

Lil punkin

"Mommy.  Daddy.  Me!"

Hilarity personified. 

I AM Batman.

Class of 2003

This weekend is my ten-year high school reunion. While I feel social media has helped reunions go the way of the VHS tape, I still can't help feeling nostalgic, pensive and proud. It's kind of awesome to belong to a group of individuals with something as singular and random as graduating the same high school. It is a odd and excellent thing to celebrate.  But then, we're an odd and excellent group.  

Movies and TV shows depict high school reunions as a place of petty, malicious, see who's now ugly, fat or a failure kinds of affairs. However, much like my high school experience, I find that, coming up on the reflection of the last 10 years to be anything but those gritty thoughts.

Sure, high school was challenging. It wasn't always the place we wanted to be. We all had that girl we wished would just get flattened while cow tipping. All had that one boy who never looked in our direction once, let alone twice. That unfair teacher. That haunting school picture with the frizz and the braces.

But we all had that partner in crime. Perhaps that one moment that outshines the crap. One inspiration. One day that makes us nostalgic for cookies at break and our decorated hall lockers.

It was such a huge part, and at the same time, such a small period of time in our lives. It shaped who we were when we first faced the world. It showed us life wasn't fair. It set the scene for first intense loves and equally as painful partings. There were questionable fashion choices and even worse music. But in the 10 years since, it has diminished in importance and luster, making way for new dreams, new friends, new life.

Funny how our ideals change. We, who once fantasized about being famous, in a band, on Broadway an astronaut, the president, now find the dreams we dream are perhaps of smaller scale but just as vivid and real. We dream of family, true love, travel, creative release, freedom, purpose and simple, pure happiness. I see so many of those dreams coming true for those I knew back when we were all still growing into who we would one day be.

I look around at the people I admired and I still do. I look for those I expected greatness of and see it. I look at myself, who I was and who I've become, who I could be, and I smile. It's that sweet spot, people. We've had some life, we've learned some things. We can grow from here. The potential is endless.

Like the song goes, "the more you need the people you knew when you were young." Growing up in a small town provided us an incredible (though I doubt many of us felt it while we were there) gift of home, of people to return to when we're feeling too rattled by the world, of friends regardless of distance or days between calls. Where we come from and who we knew back then will always be with us. 

We're an odd and excellent group.