Hot Mama

Do you remember in Father of the Bride part II when Nina and Annie are pregnant and George and Franck have to wear winter coats, hats and gloves in the middle of the summer because the air conditioner is turned up so high in their house? Yeah, that's how I feel, except we don't have central air so I can only freeze Nathan out of the bedroom where we have our little window AC unit. Nathan pulled out his flannel pjs after a few nights of freezing to death (while I'm wearing minimal clothing and have thrown off all of the covers). I am SO ready for summer to be over. It's supposed to be in the 50s tonight and you can bet I'll have that window fan on all night! Don't worry, I'll make sure Nathan knows where the down comforter is before he comes to bed.

Our Practice "Baby"

Nathan and I have been collecting a few baby items here and there over the past few weeks. Erin and Forrest gave us the Moby wrap we wanted when we were in Seattle. Of course we had to try it out asap. I soon realized that wrapping it around myself is easy, the difficult thing will be positioning the baby correctly. After practicing with a teddy bear, I decided the bear wasn't quite heavy enough to simulate a real baby. I started looking around the room for something in the 9-10lb range and spotted the perfect thing...

I now feel comfortable putting a newborn in the Moby knowing she will be secure.

Nathan and I finally picked out a stroller/infant carrier travel system and I picked it up this weekend. When the cats saw the stroller for the first time, they assumed it was a vacuum, starting hissing at it and ran to hide under the bed. We thought if we kept the stroller in the family room long enough they'd get used to it and realize it's not a vacuum and doesn't make noise. Judging by this next picture, I think our plan worked! Dorothy did not climb in here on her own free will, but she did stay long enough for us to take her on a few trips around the family room.


We are very lucky to have our own practice "baby" on hand who is so willing to help us learn to be parents. Although I have a feeling she may run and hide when I bring home the first round of cloth diapers. I may be pushing my luck with those...

Her Gift

As most probably know by now, my Grandma Nan passed away in June. It was expected and everyone got to say their final goodbyes, which I guess makes it a bit easier in a way. This last weekend we all gathered at Useless Bay on Whidbey Island to have a party and do what my Grandma loved best - take the ferry to the island, walk on the beach, climb the sand dunes (so maybe Grandma didn't do that one, but us cousins always did!), watch the tide come in, roast hot dogs and marshmallows, and tell stories. It was a beautiful day and I can honestly say there were a lot more laughs than tears the whole weekend, which is just they way Grandma wanted it. On Sunday, the family gathered with my Grandma's friends in Everett for a celebration of her life. During the celebration, there was an open mic time where people could get up and share their favorite stories or lessons learned from my Grandma. She was an incredibly smart, independent, strong, stubborn woman... I like to think I inherited all of those traits! I wanted to get up and share my story of Grandma, however being the pregnant, emotional wreck that I am, I don't think anything coherent would have come out of my mouth. Instead, I have decided I will blog about it...

Everyone in my family can say they got their love of Broadway musicals from Grandma Nan. And while I also love Broadway and all the Broadway soundtracks, Grandma Nan passed on a different love of music to me... the piano. I can remember being 3 or 4 years old and visiting Grandma at her house on Tulalip Ave. where I'd sit in the living room and listen to her play the piano or organ. To me, she was amazing! Grandma gave my family her piano and it was moved from WA to our house in Roseville where my mom, sister, and I all started taking lessons. I couldn't wait to be able to play the same music as my Grandma Nan. Whenever she'd come to CA to visit, we'd put on a piano recital for her and she'd sit and hum along to the familiar tunes for as long as we wanted to play. Eventually, I got good enough to play one of her favorite pieces at a recital - The Spinning Song. To this day, it's one of the few songs I have semi-memorized and still one of my favorites to play. I no longer take lessons or care to know all the theory behind the piano music; I just like to sit and play. The piano is my sanctuary where I can block out everything going on around me and everything inside my head and just focus on the black notes on the paper in front of me. The peace I feel while playing the piano can't compare to anything else I've experienced in life. The piano has pulled me through tough times of death, sickness, break-ups, and loneliness. I have my Grandma Nan to thank for introducing me to this wonderful instrument and giving me a coping mechanism to deal with all that life throws at me. This gift is irreplaceable and whenever I sit down to play, I will always think of her and perhaps I'll play a little "Spinning Song" because I know that would make her happy. This Christmas, when I'm at my parent's house, I can't wait to sit and play Christmas carols with my daughter on my lap. Someday I hope that she'll want to learn to play just like her mom and her great-grandma Nan. This is one gift that I'll be happy and proud to pass along.

Meet Zo!

Nathan and I got the opportunity to have another ultrasound this morning to measure the growth of our baby. Women with hypertension can have smaller babies, and even though my blood pressure has been great all throughout my pregnancy, they wanted to play it safe and check her growth. It was amazing getting to see her again. It made me that much more anxious to meet her. Even though it was just your typical 2D ultrasound we could see so much detail. We got to see her adorable nose (I can't wait to give it a kiss!) and her lips and chubby cheeks. She was sucking on her fingers most of the time - we could even see her little mouth sucking away. I think she was happy and content and ready to settle down for her morning nap since we watched her give us two big yawns. They approximated that she currently weighs 2lbs 13oz so she still has some weight to gain, but everything looks right on track. 79 more days until her due date!

For those of you who have difficulty deciphering ultrasound pictures, this is little Miss Zo's profile. You can see her whole head, cute nose and right below her nose is her hand which is partly inside her mouth. You can see 3 fingers on the very left of the picture coming out of her mouth.

This was from the first ultrasound we had done at 8 weeks. She's grown a tad since then. :)

Social Security at Work

My current Social Security status...

If I die, Nathan may qualify for up to $1100/month if we have a child.

If I die prior to having a child, Nathan may qualify for a one-time payment of $255.

If I'm going to die in the next 2 months, Nathan better hope that Zo makes it out alive. ;)

Sorry if some of you find this morbid, but I find it hilarious... I've already paid over $14000 into Medicare and Nathan may get a one-time payout of $255. I guess that's our government at work for ya!

Getting Anxious...

According to the due date countdown, I have 81 days left of carrying this little one in my belly (however, I'm still convinced she's going to come early, or maybe I'm just hoping she comes early). In a past blog I was freaking out about not having enough time to get everything done. My views are quickly changing. I'm getting very anxious to meet her. It's weird having bonded with her, talked to her, learned her sleep patterns and yet never having met her or seen what she looks like. I can't wait to hold her in my arms and see Nathan hold her for the first time.

In other random notes...

We started a baby registry at Babies R' Us 2 weeks ago and have slowly been adding items to it as we think of other things we can use. We still have a few things left to pick out and put on the registry (ie: a carseat! How do I know which is the best/safest and will work with a stroller I like???), but it's nice to finally have a list of the essentials. It makes walking into Babies 'R Us a lot less overwhelming when you realize you really don't need every single baby gadget and toy!

Nathan and I almost finished the nursery. We just have some touch-up work to complete and then it's all ready for baby Zo! Even if she won't use it for awhile since she'll be sleeping in our room, it makes me happy to walk into the nursery, sit down in the glider rocker and rock back and forth enjoying the peacefulness of "Zo's Garden" (where Zo will be replaced by her real name... I'm even painting a sign for the door. :) ). Even in my tummy, Zo loves to rock. The movement calms her down (reduces the number of kicks, flips, punches and pushes I feel). It helps to rock right before bed to put her to sleep so then I can usually fall asleep before the kicking/punching starts up again.

I'd love to post pictures of the nursery, but I'd really like to have all the final touches in place first. The last major component we're missing is our bedding. It'll tie everything together. Those of you who are anxious to see the nursery in its final form, our bedding is on our Babies 'R Us registry. *hint hint* ;)

My mom and dad are coming for 5 days in September to help with all our final projects. I guess my plea for help worked.

I made a list of all the things I need to get done at work before I leave on maternity leave and I've already been able to cross 3 items off the list. Something about lists and crossing items off of lists is very relaxing. I think I inherited that from my mother.

Time just keeps flying. Nathan and I had our friend Paul here to visit all last week. We visited the zoo, attended Waterfire and listened to some live jazz music, played Settlers, cooked lots of food and desserts, and played plenty of Wii. We dropped him off at the Boston airport at 4:15am(!!!) this morning. Having him visit made last week go by very quickly. This Friday we head to Seattle to celebrate my Grandma Nan's life and gather as a family to say goodbye to her. Of course I'm not looking forward to flying, but I am looking forward to seeing cousins that I haven't seen in over 3 years. We'll also get an evening to spend with college friends, reconnecting with them for the last time as a childless couple. The next time we'll be back in Seattle will be August 2010 and baby Zo will be almost 10 months old! The following week I have a friend from London coming to stay for a few nights. Her and I worked together at Camp Hidden Falls the summer of 2003. We haven't seen each other since so I'm very excited to have someone around that calls me Paja and knows all the same crazy camp songs! Before I know it, it will be September, my parents will be visiting, and we'll be counting down to my birthday (and Hope visiting) and the final weeks of pregnancy. Until then, I'll just keep eating everything in sight (hey! I'm supposed to gain another 15 pounds in the next 2 1/2 months, those are the doctor's orders!), peeing every hour or two, putting up with all these annoying Braxton-Hicks contractions, sleeping as much as possible, and rocking my daughter to sleep every night. Life doesn't get much better than this. :)

Fashion of the Future?

I have decided that maternity pants are possibly one of fashion's greatest inventions. The main reason?... elastic waistbands. I know people claim that elastic waistbands were only hip in the 80s, and maybe that's true, but I think they need to make a comeback. Here's why:

1) Elastic waistbands fit everyone! No more having to shop for jeans that fit your waist after you've gotten them over your butt and hips. Pants-makers wouldn't have to make pants in all different sizes... now S, M, and L would suffice. Maybe they'd have to make different lengths, but it's much easier to fit one's inseam than it is to fit their butt, hips, thighs, AND waist! (and let's be honest, it's rare that you actually find a pair of jeans that fits all of the above!) My maternity jeans fit me better than any other pair of jeans I've bought, and in my opinion, they make my butt look fabulous. :)

2) If all pants had elastic waistbands, shirt designers would be forced to make longer shirts that cover the waistbands. That means no more midriffs or muffin tops being displayed in public. Who can argue against that?

3) Going to the bathroom is SO much easier and faster when there are no snaps, buttons or zippers involved. I have been wearing elastic waistband maternity pants for the past 2 1/2 months. It has become habit to walk into a bathroom stall and just pull down my pants, no other steps necessary! This is a habit that I have no desire to break once I actually fit back into my regular jeans. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt or rip something the first time I try to go to the bathroom while wearing regular jeans. If all pants had elastic waistbands, I would not have to worry about such things.

4) Girls, we all know that we have that special pair of jeans that we can still fit into when we're feeling bloated and need a little extra room. If all your jeans had elastic waistbands, you would no longer be restricted to this one pair of pants each month. All of your pants would be fair game!

5) Guys, I know you'd all like a pair of pants that you can wear to the all-you-can-eat buffet... or as Joey, from Friends, put it "my thanksgiving pants". You'd never have to worry about loosening your belt or discreetly undoing the top button.

These are just my opinions, and maybe I'm already going through maternity pant withdrawals, but really, I think everyone would be happier, more comfortable, and look awesome in elastic waistbands. What do you think?