A Yipee Sort of Day!

First things first...

We got the ultrasound done this afternoon and it's....another boy! I'm quite happy to be the mother of boys; there's enough estrogen in this house already. He put up a high five for us, and we even got to watch him practice breathing (apparently a rare thing this early). I've been feeling odd the last few days, and I had a completely irrational fear that something was wrong. Turns out I'm already having Braxton Hicks (i.e. "false") contractions. That could explain the out of sorts feeling.

More water is supposed to help, but I already feel like my back teeth are floating. And I'm already planning a potty redecorate since I spend so much time there.

But something else wonderful happened to me today! I won a copy of the amazing book Visual Chronicles from the incredible sisters over at Journal Revolution. Their blog is one of my favorites, and I can't wait to dive into their book. It may be exactly what I need as I move into the 2nd half of this pregnancy.

Just FYI, M is flying to Germany tomorrow so Q and I will be spending the next few days in Phoenix with family and friends.

Knock Knock

Just in case you need a place to write yours down...

I discovered a great little gift and stationery store on the web this morning, Knock Knock. I bought their kids' travel journal at Target yesterday (which unfortunately they don't seem to carry on their website), and decided to check out their website for more fun stuff. And fun stuff it is!

Of course there's the Shit List shown, but I'm also partial to the Log Books, Sex Flashcards, and Paper Email. I also think any of the sticky pads would make a great addition to any corporate office. You may not ever be able to actually use them, but it might make you feel better to have them in your desk!

Please Tell Me Why I Do This

All of my toddler's pjs neatly stacked in the basket after being freshly washed - I make sure they're all in matching sets. And tonight, when Q goes to change into his pjs, he will throw them all on the ground searching for the single set of long sleeve, long pants pair all the way at the bottom (where I thought it safely hidden). Or he'll randomly pick a bottom and a top not from the same set, preferably from near the bottom of the basket. Then he'll stuff all the discards back in the basket.

So why do I bother putting them away so nicely? Why don't I just toss the clean pieces in the basket willy-nilly so he can pick through them all even more easily? It's not like I keep a generally clean and tidy house; I just seem unable to not fold these pjs neatly. Maybe I'm trying to make up for a chaotic house with this one small gesture?

Not Quite the Monsoon

Today brought the first summer thunderstorm to our house. Q dressed in a jacket and shoes to go play in it and quickly shed all but his tighty-whiteys to frolic. It may be raining, but it's still 80 degrees! But it's a welcome reprive; temps should be back above 100 by the end of the week...

Baby Names

I recently downloaded the top 1000 names given to babies in 2006 from the Social Security website. Of course I'm not just content to look at the list as given because they don't recognize different spellings so the rankings can be misleading. Isabella for instance only comes in around number 8, but when you add all the Isabelles, Isabels, Isabelas, Isabells, Izabellas, and Izabelles, it suddenly jumps to number 1. And sorry if you don't agree (no, I'm not really), but those are not different names.

Yes, combing through the lists and combining all the different spellings is quite tedious and time consuming so I'm probably admitting to being a little crazy here. But the exercise appeals to the part of me that craves structure and order, and I needed something to do while I was on strict orders from my husband to sit on my ass all day Monday.

Anyway, I'm done. Unfortunately not many names jumped out at me nor have I had my faith in humanity restored. Nine different spellings for Aiden? Really? And we're only talking the spellings that were popular enough to make the list. The best (worst?) is coming across a name you think is truly awful and then realizing that not only did it make the list, but a number of its alternative spellings have made the list. How is it that almost 1000 babies a year can be given a name I don't even know how to pronounce? And it has multiple spellings. At least I think it does.

For truly funny, acerbic comments about baby naming madness please see Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing. A dear friend pointed me to this website when I was pregnant with Q, and it's still as hilarious 4 years later.

And feel free to forward any baby name ideas you have that you wouldn't mind me stealing. I promise I won't even tell you if I don't like it!

No Really, I'm Fine

OK, so I already think it's funny but M's still freaked out. Apparently I pass out with my eyes wide open - not rolled back, mind you, wide open. M says it's an image he'll continue to have nightmares about. The midwives said it was just a blood pressure thing. I got super relaxed and my body decided that since I wasn't actually using my brain at that moment, it didn't need nearly as much blood.

Things That Are Annoying the Already Grumpy Pregnant Lady:

• Ants. On my stove. I know I'm supposed to get extra protein, but this is ridiculous.
• The sun coming up so damn early. It wakes the toddler up before 6. So the whole house is up. Before 6.
• Still vomiting. 17 weeks and still vomiting.
• My heart murmur. It becomes more pronounced with the increase in blood volume so my heart becomes much less efficient. Haven't gained an ounce but I huff and puff like I put on 20 pounds overnight.

Because It Hasn't Been Bad Enough

I had errands to run today. I needed to run over to Q's preschool to pay for next year and then go pick up the babysitter so I could go to my doctor's appointment unencumbered (and maybe have an excuse to spend a few minutes alone at the bookstore). And that explains why I got in the shower first thing this morning, a deviation from my usual routine.

I managed to wash my hair and put on the color glaze (the John Frieda stuff? it totally rocks!), but as M rubbed my back (mmmmmmm) I suddenly felt funny. Woozy. I told him that I felt light-headed. The next thing I remember is seeing him looking down at me and yelling. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why he was yelling at me. Then I was on my knees leaning against him, asking him what was happening to me.

M was already dialing the phone (how did he get the phone?) to call his mother, a nurse. She told him to get me on my back, and as I started to feel better he pieced together the few minutes I was missing.

I leaned against him in the shower and then went limp. He shut off the water and put me down on the floor. That's the part where he was yelling at me. My eyes were open the whole time so he couldn't tell if I was aware and was trying to get a response from me. He helped me get up and took me over to the bed where I proceeded to vomit. That's when he put me on my knees on the floor so I wouldn't choke, and then called for Q to bring him the phone.

After I talked to the midwife (eat something to bring up your blood sugar and get as many fluids as possible to help raise your blood pressure) M went to work to get his computer. From there the babysitter was mobilized to come early (and her mother brought her so I didn't have to drive), and now M is working from home and will take me to the doctor.

It's most likely what the midwife said. I usually eat breakast first thing in the morning so my blood sugar was probably low, and I've always had low blood pressure. But M and I were both badly shaken. In fact I'm not really sure it's hit me yet. This will all be a funny story. One day.

Record Keeping

Back in October I made notes every day for a few days on things I was interested in doing. Some might be considered as career paths, others just as projects. The idea was to see if I could find a pattern to help point me in the right direction. I just came across them again (guess they don't do me much good if I forget about them for 7 months) and thought they might be amusing/painful/enlightening to share. In the order they were written, dates deleted...

sewing - clothes and toys (I am a terrible seamstress)
felt story boards (promising since it only requires the use of scissors)
finding and helping artists and designers
science writing
calligraphy (my handwriting, not so good)
photography/improving photos w/ PS
design and craft
wedding gowns w/ color
stylist
fashion photographer
design design design
own a bridal shop or be a planner
baker - fance confections
librarian (archivist)
holiday decorating

Nursery Urges

I'm feeling torn today because I'm suddenly overwhelmed by a completely materialistic longing. I want a nursery for the new baby.

I've been sneering at the idea ever since I got pregnant and everyone began asking where we're going to put the nursery. You see, our extra room is currently being used as a guest room. And we tend to have lots of guests since we have family so close. And I plan on co-sleeping like we did with Q so it seems silly to have a seperate nursery. I just figured we'd put the baby in with Q once he/she was sleeping in a crib more regularly.

It seems obvious that we should be able to create a nursery that just happens to have a guest bed in it. It's not like we have guests all the time. Our rooms have windows and doors in awkward places so I've been playing with room arrangements electronically for the last few hours. Yes, I said hours. Yes, I know I need a life.

Of course once I got started on the two small bedrooms I started to see all sorts of other possibilities in our arrangements. We definitely don't use all our spaces for their original purposes so I've been getting creative. Currently we have a foosball table in our dining area, and an extra dining table is being used as a craft table in our master bedroom.

So why can't I bring my craft table into the dining nook (it has fabulous light) and consign that foosball table to the toy room? Preferably up against the wall with the sticks removed so it might actually get some use as the base for a fort. Or maybe the toy room (this is a "den" space with only 3 walls at the front of the house; our computer is in the hallway. of course.) should be a kid and grown-up toy room with my craft stuff sharing space with trucks and race cars.

Hmmmm, I'm starting to think that the "nesting" phase has started a few months early. At least at this point I can still move furniture around...

Chinese Food Cravings

I'm craving Chinese food. I'd blame it on pregnancy, but this isn't the first time I've craved Chinese food since we left California.

Of course by "Chinese food" I mean the amazing little restaurant, Tsing Tao, that we discovered in Campbell while searching for a laundromat. I cannot explain my surprise when I discovered that hot and sour soup could be more than oily brown broth with chunks of tofu and slivers of bamboo shoots. I still dream of their version, thick with tender pork and shrimp. (After reading the reviews on the link, maybe it's Korean food that I crave?)

I wonder if I could justify a trip to the Bay Area just to eat at my favorite restaurants for a few days? Today of course, I would settle for the oily brown broth. Bad Chinese food sounds better than no Chinese food.