Week 28

Mario and I spent this morning at the OB office waiting for my body to process the orange Crush glucose drink. The drink went down fine, I'm cleared for gestational diabetes, and am now graduating to bi-weekly visits. During the wait we wandered up to the nursery on the 2nd floor of Lexington Medical Center...the babies seemed gigantic~I freaked a bit when I realized that the baby I thought was HUGE was only 7 lbs. Ouch, ouch, ouch. The short visit made the entire process a bit more real. Later at lunch Mario looked at me and said, "You know, when we leave here there will be three of us."

Vital Statistics:

• Pounds gained since last visit: 5
• Blood Pressure: 108/74
• Glucose in blood post test: 134
• Baby's Weight: shy of 3 lbs.
• Baby's heart beat: 150 BPM
• Baby's position: head down, curved to the left
• Next visit: 7/13/05
• Hemoglobin: 13

What the web says about Week 28:

By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open her eyes — which now sport lashes — and she'll turn her head toward a continuous, bright light from the outside. Her fat layers are beginning to form, too, as she gets ready for life outside the womb.

A Few Photos

Cousins
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Below are a few photos from my recent trip to Madison, Wi. Here Emily and I pose at the airport before my journey back South.

Backpack

Backpack
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Looking the part at the airport. Just in case you need to know: a breast pump is a 'personal medical device' and doesn't count as a carry on...however a back pack does.

Rock Star

Rock Star
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Kudos to Abby for passing to the next level on her swimming lessons! Great job!

Ethan

Ethan
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Ethan chills in his stroller while waiting for us to gather up the pool toys.

Crocs

Crocs
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Abby tries out my crocs at the pool Monday afternoon. The temperatures soared to 100 degrees making the pool the best place to be.

Things I Love

Salted peanuts, rasins, and M&M's
Culver's lemon ice
Baby hand-me-downs
Watermelon
Swimming Pools
Bailey's forehead
New stationary

Wisconsin

I'm back from a wonderful weekend in Madison, Wisconsin! Thank heaven for e-savers and brother's who live in Charlotte which made the trip possible.

Over the weekend I visited my friend Fred and enjoyed breakfast on the University of Wisconsin terrace overlooking lake Mendota, a walk in the square to take in the farmer's market (along with squeaky cheese curds), and an organ concert. He introduced me to lots of folks I've heard about but never met and entertained me with stories. No flying this time...maybe next time?

Miriam (my roommate from India) and I enjoyed an Indian feast at Taj, her favorite place in town. The chai tasted amazing and I'm also happy to report that I didn't get sick afterwards...I've been avoiding Indian food since my last visit resulted in 48 hours of stomach grief. We got caught in a downpour, met her parents, and chatted to catch up. I think she's even planning to come South for a visit this Spring!

I spent Sunday and Monday with Emily, Scott, Abby, and Ethan out in Sun Prairie. The kids made me laugh and I've got a new appreciation for mothering siblings close together. I'm sure this appreciation will continue to grow after I spend a few days in Atlanta with Savannah and Brenden too.

We went to church where I witnessed my first full dunking baptisms, out for pancakes, played Barbies (I'm still not very good at it), grilled out, went to swimming lessons, and hung out at the health club pool. Both kids loved the water and it offered great relief from the 100 degree temps! I've got a bit more color than I thought I would have upon my return, but I'm dousing the skin in a mixture of stretch mark creme and lavender lotions.

Emily passed along lots of treats for Baby P and advice. It's great to know there's another Mom out there to call with all of my zany questions!

Reading

Just Finished

Bee Season
by: Myra Goldberg

Currently Reading

The Pregnant Woman's Comfort Book
by: Jennifer Louden

Can you feel the Love?

Just got this email from my mother:

i just snared tickets to a red sox game on september 15th. you must realize, and if you don't talk to mario, how difficult it is to get tickets to a world champions game. anyway do not even think about having baby p early....got it???
love ya gigi

Belly Button

I can see the bottom of my belly button!!!! I don't think I'll 'pop' because I have the deepest belly button known to man, but I'm seeing something I've NEVER seen before!

Hot or Not?

Hot or Not?
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Michael hoists a beer at San Jose on Monday nite. He had a few sips for Baby P and me. He's come quite a distance from his days of posting on Am I Hot or Not? and then voting for himself repeatedly to boost his score.

Bunco!

Last night I had a doozy of a windfall at bunco! Elizabeth hosted the group of 14 at her house with baked pimento cheese, fresh fruit, and beverages. I think I'm finally starting to like pimento cheese spread, it's growing on me. Soon I'll be officially Southern with my acquired tastes for

• Pimento Cheese
• Boiled Peanuts
• Low Country Boil
• Grits
• Cheese Straws
• Greens

Anyhow, I had a great night with the dice and ended up winning SIXTY dollars! I had the most wins and the most Bunco's. Now I've got to decide what to do with my winnings that are burning a hole in my pocket. I think the bookstore might be calling, I need to start a new novel soon.

Greenville

I'm headed out the door to teach a leadership class for healthcare professionals in the Upstate. It's odd to be up and dressed with Mario again but it also feels really good. I guess when Baby P arrives we'll be up and nursing so I'll continue to enjoy the leisure while I can.

Last night before bed I laid on the bed while we both stared intently at the alien creature movements in my belly. The baby is moving around so much right now my entire tummy moves with each flip. It's odd that there's something in there but we both enjoyed the show the baby gave us.

Perhaps it had something to do with the double Mexican I ate yesterday. First lunch with Elizabeth at Monterry's and then dinner with Michael and Mikie at San Jose. Spicy salsa = spicy Baby?

M and M

M and M
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

I just liked this photo of Michael and Mikie taken at the concert last night...

Music at the Lighthouse

Music at the Lighthouse
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Sunday night we enjoyed a concert at lighthouse. During the full moon high tide each month on Sundays, the lighthouse hosts a summer concert series in the lawn.

We prepared a cooler, a big pasta salad, and a watermelon for the evening. The weather cooperated with cool breezes, moonlight on the water, and great music. The kids running around provided the bulk of our entertainment in addition to the Irish jokes told by the performer in between songs.

Chef Michael

BBQ
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Who knew Michael would turn out to be such a good cook! We finally got our new grill for the beach on Saturday morning (thanks M and M) and put it to good use all weekend.

Our menu's included a low country boil, kebobs, steaks, pasta salads, grilled chicken, and Mikie's awesome birthday cake. We always manage to eat really well when the four of us get together.

Movement

Movement
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Saturday night Michael, Mikie, Mario and I hit the Village Inn (our favorite SSI bar) for a bottle of wine and several hands of spades. Mario and I lost in spades...who can compete with Michael's love of a good blind nill?

Baby P got into the action later in the evening and began squriming around doing flips. Michael finally got to feel the baby move after a bit of patience and when I stopped laughing.

Reading

I'm embarassed to admit it, but today I picked up and finished:

The Washingtonienne by Jessica Cutler

A totally trashy but addictive read.

Here's one review:

From Publishers Weekly

Cutler, the lowly Senate staffer who rocked the Capital last year with her salacious online diary, rehashes her ride into infamy in a tart, shallow tell-all that begs off as fiction. Smart but spoiled Jacqueline heads for the Hill after a broken engagement in New York. Soon this party girl is cavorting through the Capitol, where shameless flirting and sex appeal take her a long way. In Jacqueline's opinion, government is "Hollywood for the Ugly," and she coasts on her looks to score a fluffy job in a senator's office and effortlessly entice politicos on the prowl. She mines her dizzying array of casual sexploits, dished in callous, raunchy detail, for a blog to keep her friends in the loop ("I was a bitchy slut and so were all of my friends. Why not put it out there?"). Jacqueline winds up on D.C. gossip site Blogette—prompting her abrupt dismissal, an underdeveloped bit of soul-searching and lots of media attention. The flimsy garb of fiction makes for one coy striptease: just how much of Jessica emerges in Jacqueline? Who are the real-life counterparts to her paramours? For those who can conjure last summer's scandal, the reprise will liven up this year's beach batch.

Sweets

So I broke down this morning.

I drove up to our local mini mart aka Smoker's Express and bought a package of chocolate covered doughnuts. And the new dark chocolate Twix bar.

The doughnuts were good, but the dark chocolate Twix bars are rocking my world.

Craving

Those little chocolate dipped doughnuts with about 100 grams of fat per piece.

Kudos

Kudos to Holly! She's now an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church! What power!

She can perform any ceremony except for exorcisms, circumcisions, and a few others. Good luck to her as she prepares to marry her brother this July!

Ebay Update

Ebay still bites.

Itchy, Rides, and Yoga

Ahhhh...I need a calamine lotion bath! I woke up this morning and every part of me is itchy! Not sure what's going on but I need to fix it soon.

I'm back in Columbia after a great trip up to Richmond to visit with friends. Lola and I bonded over the Michael Jackson verdict, bargain shopping and lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang's on Monday night. I'm super inspired by her scrapbooking empire and can't wait to visit again to play.

The ride home flew by with my new back massager from Dad and new tunes loaded in my iPod from Courtnee's music collection. I drove to the hits of the 80's, the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack, The Corrs, and Jem. I love my new comfy ride with back relief.

Yesterday after a day of searching for Baby Shower invites (mark your calendars for August 6!) with Mikie and matching rubber ducks, I went to my second pre-natal yoga class. I wish it were offered more than once a week! My back felt so much better afterwards. During class we do these endurance excercises (this week it was balancing and holding our hands above our heads for a very long time). The instructor then talks about endurance as a trait of motherhood, our arms burned in pain, we did third stage breathing and panting, and then finally it ended.

It's an odd feeling to have your arms hurt so bad and have your head knowing that this is NOTHING compared to labor. My self talk tended to go something like this "If you can't do this, how will you give birth?" "What are you, a wuss?" "How many more minutes?" "I want a c-section." "Why are you torturing yourself now, you have plenty of torture coming up in September." "Breathe." "You can do this." "This is nothing." "My arms really hurt."

Assembly 101

Assembly 101
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

My recent purchases from Ikea proved to be a great source to test out Mario's furniture putting together skills. Here he and Bailey work hard assembling the rocker for Baby P's new room.

Had a great trip to Ikea with Dad on Monday morning. We enjoyed 99 cents breakfast, gooey cinnamon rolls when we finished, and 2 hours of wandering through Ikea land. They had a crib we liked but it's on back order so I skipped in hope of finding something else.

The Hours

Road Trip
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

$21.79

1 hour painting a brown and pink polka dotted bowl pottery piece for the first time in Carytown.

$118

1 hour getting highlights and a haircut at the Bubbles Salon.

$6.50

2 hours of film entertainment and free sobbing watching the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants with smuggled candies.

$3.44

1.5 hours of wireless internet, a bagel, and unlimited drink at Panera Sunday morning.

$25 plus tip

1 hour of pure pedicure bliss, unlimited fashion magazines and pink toe nails at My's Nails.

$20.49

3 hours of wonderful company enjoying an Italian meal, bottle of wine, and shared dessert at Brio's.

Virgin Hair

Virgin Hair
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Last night we visited the Short Point shopping center hair salon, Bubbles. I added more layers to enhance curl and Courtnee treated her virgin hair to subtle blonde/brown highlights. Both do's look great and we enjoyed the pampering.

Today we followed up with pedicures and shopping in Carytown. Life is good.

Food Cravings

Queen Anne
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

We tend to associate food with places. During my brief visit to Williamsburg I managed to squeeze in

1. Lunch at Paul's
2. Bread ends and House
3. Milk Shakes at the Queen Anne Dari-Snak on Second Street.

The caf was under construction so I had to improvise.

William and Mary

Crim Dell
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Spent a lovely day in Williamsburg with my friend Courtnee on Friday. She attended classes all day in the Executive MBA Program while I wandered around campus and CW.

It's only my second visit back to W and M since graduation in 1997. It's nice to have someplace that never changes, always welcomes you, and feels so good.

There seems to be construction most everywhere on campus. I loved having Courtnee's MAGIC parking pass that let me park anywhere, in any spot, on campus. How cool is that?

Ebay

I figured out Ebay (with a lot of help from Miss Caroline). Turns out I still had my office email as the contact so that's why I had no idea if I was winning or not. And as a result...I now have an Ebay strike against me!! Turns out I won something back in April and never paid b/c I never knew I won.

Anyhow...I lost both of my Babystyle auctions. It's a bit addictive. Last night my head rolled ideas of things that we could possibly look for instead of buying them in retail stores: Maclaren strollers, Medela Breast Pumps, car seats, maternity clothes....Mario swears that the only way to win on Ebay is to Buy It Now.

I'm off to Richmond to play with Lola, Courtnee, Joe, and Tracy. Happy Journey!

Spa Dog

Spa Dog
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Bailey has allergies. (Maybe he wasn't breastfed enough as a puppy?) Over the past few years we've spent a ton of money and time trying to figure out what he's allergic to (everything) and how to fix it.

At the end of our rope and wallet, we returned to Bailey's original vet and now have another treatment plan. This one includes nightly paw soaks in Epsom Salts.

So much fun! Bailey gets a bathtub spa treatment every night with Mario.

Double Trouble

Double Trouble
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Doggie heaven at our house over the weekend.

Bailey and his main woman (Wappoo) enjoyed a rendezvous Saturday while we attended the local concert in the park with Maria and Lawrence.

Namaste

In an effort to get out and meet folks...in addition to doing something for my body...I attended my first Pre Natal Yoga class at the local yoga center this afternoon.

And I loved it. Aside from walking and tennis I haven't done much in the exercise department and it felt really good to move around. The yoga is modified and gentle, teaches us different breathing techniques for the 3 stages of labor, and we focused a lot on opening up our hips.

There were two other girls in class. All of us are due within 3 days of eachother and we are all delivering at Lexington Medical Center. So we have a pink baby, a blue baby, and the green Baby P in the group.

During the relaxation pose at the end Baby P made sure to move around as much as possible. Seems that yoga revvvvveedd up the baby rather than soothed the baby.

24 Weeks

24 Weeks
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Grow baby grow. This photo taken last week by Mario in Baby P's room.

Things

Time I went to sleep last night: 3:30 a.m.

Books I am reading: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down and the Complete Book of Breastfedding

Loving: The smell of Jergen's Lotion

Food of Choice: Cheerios

Craving Staple: Watermelon (though I also want a chocolate doughnut)

Story Mario read last night: In Which Christopher Robin Leads an Expotition to the North Pole

Favorite Shirt: BROWN Liz Lange Tank Top

Stretchmark Count: Zero (but they are coming soon)

Trying to Figure Out: Ebay

Next Adventure: Richmond, Virginia

Wanting: A dirty martini

And here we are again...

It's 1:30 a.m.

I'm really tired.

Baby P is showing off his new sychronized swimming routine in my belly.

I'm really tired.

Mario is fast asleep.

There's nothing else I want to see on the Internet.

Maybe a glass of wine would calm Baby P's nerves?

Kicking

If anyone knows how to make a baby stop kicking so I can sleep tonite...let me know. Baby P tumbled, turned, tried to get out, and remodeled the living space until finally settling at 2:30 a.m.

Home

Somewhat infected by the real estate bug (and an utter lack of desire to clean and remodel our kitchen) I decided that it would be best to move.

On the way home from an appointment this morning I resolved to call an agent to tour a duplex for sale in the nearby (and much more glamourous) Elmwood Park. The property I indicated listed at $110,000 so during lunch Mario and I met the agent (adorned in his pimp pinstriped suit and cell phone earpiece) on West Confederate Street.

The house needs work, as do most 100 year plus homes, but looked doable. Especially with $400-$500 in rent coming in from the 2BR basement apartment. A gigantic project to occupy my time (because the nursery and kitchen just aren't challenging enough) and an interesting investment.

So just as we decided that we thought we should go ahead and do this, the pimping realtor realizes he gave us the wrong info on the house. It costs quite a bit more and the one for $110,000 is really the run down house next door.

Coming home after our lunch time adventure, our backyard seems so cozy, our kitchen so spacious, and our hardwoods are spectacular.

Awake

Mario sleeps soundly as I write this. I'm awake because Baby P is awake. Tumbling and turning all over the place...maybe it's training for the grand arrival?

It's really time to go to sleep though. Maybe I could rock Baby P and eventually we could both get some sleep.

Baby P's Room

Baby P's Room
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

Here's the start of the nursery based on furniture we already have. I'm hoping to find a crib and rocker at Ikea to keep the feeling in the room light.

Fell in love with a few fabrics to do pillows and extras in, but they are pretty much boy or girl and we'll have to wait.

It's odd to have this room just sort of waiting in the inbetween state right now. However I do find it comforting to sit in the rocker and soothe myself when it's all just a bit too much.

Afternoon Snack

Afternoon Snack
Originally uploaded by scindiagirl.

I've craved a few things but nothing as strong as fresh watermelon! Thank goodness I'm pregnant during watermelon season and frequent farmer's market selections.

Icedream

Me: "I'd like a small icedream please."
Chick-fil-a lady: "In a cup or a cone?"
Me: "In a cone."
Chick-fil-a lady: "Is it for you or for the baby?"
Me: "The baby."

Reading

The Complete Book of Breastfeeding
by: Marvin Eiger and Sally Wendkos Olds

Pre-Natal Week 25

Mario and I just returned from our monthly OB visit. It took forever, an hour and a half of waiting and trying not to drive ourselves silly.

All is well. The baby's heartbeat is in the 140-150 range, I measured 25 cm from the top of the pubic bone to the top of the uterus, and gained 5 lbs.

The scary part??? She thinks that I'll gain 40 plus pounds overall!!!!!!!! I hope not...we'd have to do a lot of eating to make that happen. Our next visit includes the glucose test for gestational diabetes and lots more waiting.

Did you know?

It's been raining in South Carolina for the past week. Grey, dreary, cold, and damp.

To match our moods we prepared a huge batch of Mom's chili last night and in turn prompted a huge cold BEER urge from me.

We made a trip to Publix around ten last night, grabbed a six pack of Coors Non-Alcholic beer (did you know it's only $3.79 for a six pack?) and headed to the register.

ONLY to be CARDED! Yes, they carded Mario for the purchase of non-alocholic beer. We looked at the cashier with the 'you've got to be kidding' look which was returned with the shoulder shrug and pass over the ID mister look.