Tummy Tuesday - 25 Weeks

15 weeks to go!
Weight gain: 11 pounds
Tummy girth: 41 inches (right at belly button)

Only 1 pound gained this week - better than 4! But I don't feel well. I'm so tired that I need to nap after taking a shower. Getting any kind of exercise makes me so sleepy that I'm afraid to drive. I'm already taking extra iron because I was anemic during my last pregnancy. Last night the midwife recommended an herbal supplement that I'll go pick up today. We'll see if that helps.

I'm also changing my diet. My gestational diabetes test is scheduled in 3 weeks. I asked to have it sooner since gd can cause fatigue, but the midwife said it wouldn't be helpful (if it came back negative I'd have to do it again anyway). Well I don't need an actual diagnosis to follow dietary guidelines for diabetics. It can't hurt.

I Don't Really Like You Either

My in-laws visited over the weekend. Which is great, really. I love having people at the house, and it's even better when those people want to whisk away the toddler for hours at a time. But...

The toddler didn't have a nap for two days.

The kid's a high energy spazz so it doesn't seem to be a big problem. Until Mommy tries to put him down for a nap today. Much weeping, screaming, and gnashing of the teeth. From both of us. But my favorite part?

"You don't love me anymore!"

Wow. That's a new one. I guess since the standard, "I don't like you anymore," was still failing to get the response he was hoping for, he was forced to bring out the big guns.

I wonder how old he'll be before he realizes that despite my reassurances to the contrary, I'm not a big fan of the screaming, snotty monster who refuses to nap. If my life is any indication he'll be about 35.

And to those of you who think maybe he didn't really need the nap...he slept for almost 3 hours. No, he wasn't tired at all!

Smells Like Toddler Spirit

Warning! Toddlers can smell weakness!

I haven't had a great week. I've been super tired, like first trimester tired, and even with a daily nap I've been struggling to get through my days. I feel like a zombie. I probably look a bit like a zombie. A well fed zombie but still.

I had a number of errands to run Friday morning so the toddler and I packed up and headed out, shopping list in hand. I should have known better.

My usually sunny, usually agreeable little boy turned into a whining, fit-throwing monster on our second stop. And with two more stops to go, I found myself with no defenses against the alien that had taken over my child.

Well except for buying it chocolate and running through Target as fast as possible with a medicine ball attached to my middle. I'm still recovering.

Crazy Making Questions

I can’t handle the constant questions.

I was sort of prepared for things like “Why is the sky blue?” But my little darling isn’t nearly that abstract. All the way to the midwife’s office yesterday he was full of his special kind of questions.

“Why are we stopping?” Because the car in front of me is stopping.
“Why is the car in front of us stopping?” I don’t know.
“Why are we turning here?” Because this is how we get to the midwife.
“Why is the midwife here?” I don’t know.
“Where is my doctor?” His office is that direction.
“Why is he that direction?” I. Don’t. Know.
“Where did that bird come from?” Evolution.

The nicknames I acquired in my family of origin always went along the lines of Little Miss Know It All or Little Miss Smarty Pants. I’d tell you they were uttered with affection, but I’d be lying. My parents wanted me to get an education and do well in school but were dismayed when I did really well in school, and they certainly didn’t want me to be smart.

So I suppose all those toddler questions that I can't even begin to answer should humble me. They just irritate me.

I was filled with sweet relief when he started singing, "Baby poop! Baby poops out baby butt!"

Tummy Tuesday - Week 24

16 weeks to go!
Weight gain: 10 pounds
Tummy girth: 41 inches (right at belly button)

Four pounds in one week?! Holy cripes! I guess feeling like I was getting bigger last week was a little psychic foreshadowing.

But it wasn't all bad news this morning. M turned on Dora for Q while he took a shower after they woke up. When Dora was over, Q crawled into bed to snuggle with me. He threw an arm around my neck and said, "You're the best mommy in the world!"

Same Old Me

I'm in a contemplative mood, i.e. grumpy.

I have a bit of a restless streak. I always wanted to be one of those women who lived an unconventional life, but it seems I've settled into supreme conventionality with aplomb. And I'm suprisingly quite happy with it. Perhaps not surprising to everyone, but surprising to me.

But still...

It seems this mood hits me about every 18 months into a new thing - a city, a house, a job. We've been in Tucson for 2 years now, in this house for 18 months, and I've been a stay-at-home mom for 3.5 years!

I've started dreaming of moving to a new town, starting over. I've started a running list in my head of all the things the next place and the next house will have. I'm even using my precious time to browse job listings.

Because having another baby is apparently not enough of a change for me.

Mostly I think I don't like myself very much. Moving and changing careers feels like reinventing myself, and I love the idea of becoming someone new, someone different, someone who isn't me. Of course all the moving and job hopping I've done over the years has never really accomplished the transformation that I crave. How could it?

I'm trying to be more accepting of myself. I'm trying to not be so critical of myself. I'm trying. In the meantime I think I'll sneak a peek at a few more realty and job sites and indulge in my favorite kind of fantasy.

Back from Camping

We made it back from our camping trip. It was lots of fun, especially for the preschooler and the dog! It didn't rain nearly as much as last year - always a good thing.

I also learned that despite rumours to the contrary, I am not nearly as girly or high maintenance as I think I am. A number of to-remain-unnamed co-campers brought (and used!) all the components of their fancy skin care routines. One of these people was a man. One woman shaved. While camping. For 2 days.

I brought lotion and a brush.

I used neither.

Now We Can Move to Springfield

What a fun way to waste 15 minutes or so! Check out the Simpsons Movie site and you can make your very own version of your Springfield self. Here I am with my darling husband and son...

Q would like you all to know that he does not approve of the color of his hair. He says that his dark blond/light brown hair is much nicer that what is shown.

Fashion Faux Pas

Let's be clear about one thing - I am not some sort of fashion diva who always manages to look fabulous. Shorts and t-shirts are my daily uniform. I rarely manage to accessorize. I'm lucky if I add lip gloss before I leave the house, and I am delighted that my hair has finally gotten long enough to pull into some sort of ponytail. Not an attractive ponytail but still.

That being said, I do think there are some basic fashion guidelines that most of us are capable of following. Simple things like not wearing skirts so short that we could get a gyno exam from anyone sitting down, or short jumpsuits (unless you're under the age of say 8), or wearing the rise of your pants so short that we all get an idea of how good your waxer is.

I do have a few personal pet peeves (not wearing a decent bra, being too tan (fake or not), high waisted pants, white shoes) that may or may not be hard and fast rules. But that's a whole different discussion.

Believe it or not, there is a story that goes with all this rambling. Getting off the plane in Tucson I was following woman wearing a brown skirt with a black shirt. Not always an easy combo, but I found myself thinking it could work if done right. Then I realized this particular woman was wearing black opaque tights. In Tucson. In July. But wait! She also had on a long sleeve knit shirt with a 3/4 sleeve chunky knit, cowl-necked cardigan. The sweater was a gorgeous coral color. But it's Tucson. In July.

At least her shoes had closed toes. Something I can not say for another woman I saw in the airport a few minutes later. Woman #2 had on a lovely, floaty, black and white, summery dress. With sheer black hose. And white, open toed sandals. No really. I had to force myself to stop staring in horror.

On the upside, it made me feel practically magazine-photo-shoot ready!

For immensely more amusing fashion snarkiness directed at people who actually pay other people to dress them, please visit what may be my favorite Internet site ever, Go Fug Yourself.

Tummy Tuesday...A Day Late

17 weeks to go!

Weight gain: 6 pounds

Tummy girth: 39.5 inches (right at belly button)

So nothing has changed this week despite feeling like I must have gained another 10 pounds while visiting my parents in Texas. And I swear my tummy looks bigger. Must be my imagination.

I had a dream last night about updating my blog. In the dream I was obsessed with fat Elvis. I posted a blog entry to confess my obsession...

Tummy Tuesday - Week 22

18 weeks to go!

Weight gain: 6 pounds
Tummy girth: 39.5 inches (right at belly button)

Baby #2 is getting quite active, especially in the evenings when I settle down. My hips ache if I move around a lot, and I have Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy whenever I get up from sitting down. I'm still sick to my stomach a few times a week, mostly at night. The summer heat is killing me! Did I actually want to move back to Tucson?

All in all I feel good, and the boy's movement reassures me that things are going well.

Can I Go to Puerto Rico for Groceries?

I haven't left the house in 3 days.

I think this should worry me, but strangely it doesn't. I've noticed over the last few years that I seem to be turning into a bit of an agoraphobic. Oh, not literally. Leaving the house doesn't send me into a sweaty panic. I merely find it easier to stay at home. Maybe it's just another symptom of my laziness.

The irony is that I used to imagine I would be one of those sophisticated, worldly women who traveled all the time. Now I dread a trip to the grocery store. I suppose it's not really the same though, is it? One is about adventure, doing something new; the other is about the drudgery of chores.

So maybe I don't have to worry about myself after all.

Not MY Happiest Place

So, Disneyland. I have to start by telling you that my husband and his family are all huge fans of the amusement park. My mother-in-law in particular is horrified whenever I express my distaste for it.

But the whole thing just seems so...manufactured. It feels so forced and not genuine, as if everyone is thinking, "We paid so much money to get into this place that we're going to have fun come hell or high water!"

Put together those kinds of crowds and the outrageous prices, and I'm not sure it isn't one of my versions of hell.

I can't be the only person out there who feels like I paid a huge sum of money for the privilege of standing in lines all day. You stand in line to get in. You stand in line for rides. You stand in line for the bathroom. You stand in line to get something to eat. You stand in line for a picture with a character. You stand in line to get out of the place!

I was 17 when I went to Disney World and 18 the first time I visited Disneyland. Was I too old by then to be lulled into the sweet caress of a fairy tale land? I had oodles of fun during both trips. Of course I went to both parks with my marching band (high school and college), and I'm pretty sure we could have managed to have fun in an open stretch of asphalt.

We also had dinner at Medieval Times, that place where you get to watch the jousting. More manufactured fun! It's a strange day indeed when I find myself yearning for a nice, quiet camping trip.

We also spent a few extra days in Yuma on the way out and back so we just got home yesterday. And M doesn't have to work this week either! I'm going to be so spoiled that when next Monday rolls around, and I have Q all to myself, I may go into shock.