work/life balance

The week is halfway over! In the middle of a week full of transition meetings, being swamped with work and working on my resume... we went out for a farewell lunch for Marie, the first of all of us to move on to bigger and much much better things. It makes me sad to think that in the next few months it's certain that we won't all be working together anymore... I don't like it! Not one bit. :(

P.S. Iceberry is my new addiction!
P.P.S. Ryan's glider is being delivered Saturday!

it's raining baby clothes

My shower was on Saturday and it was wonderful! I wasn't expecting it to be as great as it was but it was absolutely perfect - tons of friends and family in one place, tons of delicious food, adorable decorations, perfect weather and our baby girl will have enough clothes to last her for the next few years. People bought the most adorable outfits for her - I can't wait to dress her! I was just so happy that so many people were able to make it during the summer when everyone is on vacation... especially those that drove far (I love you, Taryn and Ashley!!) and all of my relatives and even friends from work. It was awesome. I was too busy to take photos but I am collecting some from my sister and others and will put them in my photo album - link to the right.

Right now, it looks like a bomb went off in the nursery. It's organized chaos - clothing made into piles according to size, a toiletries section, stuffed animals, blankets... I haven't had the energy to start putting things away in her dresser and closet just yet. First, I'll need to get some more hangers and then I'll need some more energy. Then, project organize the nursery can begin.

I am now 32 weeks (!) and my back hurts all the time and my feet hurt if I walk for too long (anything longer than 10 minutes is too long nowadays) and sleeping is a b-i-t-c-h. Once I fall asleep I'm fine (until the urge to pee wakes me up) but falling asleep is a task when there's a giant (I swear, she's huge) creature in your belly rolling around. She'll even wake Luke up if his head is resting near my midsection. Steve has to yank me out of the car and I must move so slowly and look so achy that he feels the need to hold my hand 24/7... which is cute. Still, I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty good this late in the game. Our tri-weekly visits to the pool help, too. It's a scary thought to think that she's due next month but we're getting used to the idea. Steve can't wait to walk her in her stroller (and what an awesome stroller it is) and have Christmas with her and dress her in her new Redskins cheerleader outfit and plop her on the couch next to him on Sunday afternoons... unfortunately, my daughter has already been dubbed a Redskins fan. This certainly wasn't my first choice (although it's hard being a Chiefs fan on the East Coast - hell, it's hard being a Chiefs fan period) but she is being born here... and it could have been worse. What if we lived in Dallas? I shudder at the thought.

so adorable!

My best friend in the whole wide world just finished her 18-20 week ultrasound... and she is having a little BOY! In a family full of girls! I had a gut feeling she was having a boy and now I can't wait for our babies to meet and play together and grow up flying to visit each other... and one day they'll get married, of course. :)

Now I can buy all those cute boy clothes I'd fallen in love with!

retourner

We are back and we are tan. Mission accomplished. The return to northern Virginia was so depressing that we went straight to our HOA office after unpacking and picked up our pool passes (about two months later than we were supposed to). We spent a few hours each day at the pool on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (until we were rained out) but it wasn’t quite the same without the palm trees and fruity drinks in coconuts. The Russian lifeguards smoking Parliaments also gave it away. Still, it was nice to have a few days off after we came back even if it made getting up for work this morning even more difficult. The weekend just flew by… We celebrated Morgan’s birthday on Saturday night and picked up the baby’s dresser yesterday. It’s actually starting to feel like a room now that there is a piece of furniture in there… and it looks so good! I’m cutting this update short because I’m a little backed up at work… but here’s to this week going by quickly! Baby shower on Saturday - can't wait to see all of my friends and family in one place. :)

m.i.a.

If you need me, I'll be here all week. :)

seven months!

I was thinking about how crazy it is that I'm seven months along, when I realized I missed a baby update! Now that they’re monthly I have started to lose track… there’s only two more fruits/veggies left after this! “This week the baby is getting a workout! How 'bout those jabs in the ribs? … She’s the size of a squash! Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.” As I’m writing this, she is literally balled up and rolling around on my right side and has been for the entire day. She is EXTREMELY active when she’s awake – perhaps a sign of things to come! I don’t even think you could call these kicks anymore… they’re MUCH bigger than kicks. I also feel what one can only describe as "baby quakes" because the whole side of my belly shakes like she's dancing inside... from what I've read, it's completely normal, but we may have a huge ball of energy on our hands once she's born.

Steve is beginning to get frustrated because he thinks it's taking too long. I know he just wants to meet her but lets get real here - who is the one dealing with the heartburn, back pain and crazy weight gain? That's me. Right here. Want to switch places? I'm kidding - he has been absolutely wonderful and is catering to my every whim and I appreciate it all... and I'm anxious to meet her, too. I could just do without the whole labor and delivery aspect, though.

We’re leaving in a couple of days to go to Florida for an entire week. I hope I can last until then. Steve can already taste the all-you-can-eat crab legs so I hope he can make it until then, too. Oh yeah, check out the finished walls of the most adorable nursery ever! I had to make sure Lukey was in the photo, of course. We're ordering the furniture on Friday so hopefully the next time we take a photo of the nursery it'll be filled. :)

3rd dimension

Last night was pretty much all about the baby! Steve, myself, my mom, his mom, my grandma and my sister went to my 3d ultrasound (and they all got to sit on a huge leather couch and watch on a big screen - this place has a great setup!) to watch baby Ryan in action. She was adorable (of course) and kept opening her mouth and covering her face... she even sucked on her umbilical cord (practicing, I suppose) for a little bit. I finally discovered why I feel so lopsided and why she kicks me like crazy on my right side more than my left... her head is stuck up under my right ribcage with her butt down to the bottom left of my abdomen -- but her feet are back up above her head! She is breech and jacknifed in there... pretty squished! Hopefully she'll figure out a new position sometime soon and make a lot more room for herself (and less discomfort for me). The craziest part was that in some of the photos you can absolutely see Steve's mouth and chin. There is no denying that! Her feet are in a lot of the photos, too. You can see the rest of the photos in my Picasa album - the link is to the right. Pretty amazing stuff.

Afterwards, we went with Steve's mom to Cradle and Crayon in Reston to order the glider/recliner for the nursery. We picked out the most comfortable chair you could ever imagine and ordered it in the absolute most comfortable fabric ever... unfortunately it won't be here for another ten weeks (literally just in the nick of time) but I can't wait for it to be delivered. It reclines completely flat and is long enough for Steve to fall asleep in during those nights he's on baby duty and mommy is catching up on her sleep. :) We're going to finish painting the nursery tomorrow (finally!) so then it just becomes a matter of filling it up with furniture and cute baby stuff!

We spent today celebrating my wonderful little sister's 15th birthday! We went downtown to see the Newseum at their new location at 6th and Penn. (even cooler than when it was in Arlington) and had lunch in Georgetown... then did cake and presents at their house with the rest of the family. Little Ethan came and he's getting so big now - it's fun to watch him wander around on his own and interact with people... it feels like yesterday that he was helpless in my arms as a newborn so I'm sure time will fly once Ryan is born, too.

In non-baby news (doesn't involve all that much anymore - most everything in our lives is baby-related at this point... sorry!), work is crazy. I spoke with HR and they couldn't give me a clear answer regarding my maternity leave. At first they said that my leave would end as soon as our contract ends, which would cut my leave about in half. If I don't take another job within the company, I'll receive a severance package which would at least make up for my missed leave. Then, they weren't sure if they were right. Then they had to get back to me. Then rumors started flying that we were protesting the results of the bid. So... we know nothing. We hear a hundred different stories a day, but we have no idea which ones are right so I am trying to stay calm until I hear actual news from HR or management.

We're leaving for Florida on Saturday and I'm ready for a week away from the office... I'll be relaxing by the pool with an umbrella drink even if it doesn't have any liquor in it.