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  • Currently In March

    I love March, because it means spring is approaching! Here we have been enjoying quite a nice false spring, and I hope it sticks around.

    Current Book(s): I’ve had Outlander by Diana Gabaldan for quite some time, and I picked it up a couple of weeks ago. After a slow start I am now really into it. I tried to put it aside the other day to start reading my book club book, Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall, but I couldn’t quite do it. As a compromise I’m bringing the book club book on the bus with me (which is where I do the bulk of my reading) and I read Outlander at night before bed.

    Current Playlist: I got an iPod/iPhone dock for my birthday last month, so I pulled out my old iPod Nano that I haven’t used in a couple of years. I put it on shuffle and have been enjoying some of my old favorites such as “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, “More Than A Feeling” by Boston, and “Shameless” by Garth Brooks.

    Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: I just have this huge appetite that is so hard to reign in, so a lot of times I don’t even try. Like this weekend at my brother-in-law’s birthday dinner I had fruit, crackers and cheese, a decent helping of beef stroganoff, a piece of French bread and butter, green beans, a chocolate chip cookie, and a bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup. I’m still full.

    Current Color: Pink for flowers and little girls. :)

    [source]

    Current Drink: Other than trying to drink as much water as possible, I have a glass of V8 Fusion every morning and a glass of some kind of juice (lately cran-apple) at night.

    Current Food: Um, anything and everything?

    Current Favorite Show: David and I decided to watch American Idol this season. I haven’t watched it in a few years, but I’m quite enjoying it. Steven Tyler annoys me sometimes, but I love Jennifer Lopez and there are a few contestants that I really enjoy. Plus, I would watch it just to enjoy the recaps by Paul F. Tompkins on Vulture. Hilarious.

    Current Wishlist: More time! I’m on a huge reading kick right now and there are a ton of books that I want to get to, but I feel like soon I need to start doing my birthing/baby reading as well.

    Current Needs: I could really use some more yoga pants and sundresses. We’ve got to figure out our daycare situation soon, as that has changed for us recently. And still, a home for Oliver.

    Current Triumphs: I learned how to change the font on my blog! My brother designed my website on a custom theme, so most things aren’t too simple to change. He teaches me in bits and pieces, so maybe one day I’ll become a master. :)

    Current Bane(s) of my Existence: I see a nutritionist, and she has me taking what seems like ALL THE PILLS IN THE WORLD. I am not kidding you, but I take close to thirty pills every night, and several more every morning. I once had a patient who I had to practically wrestle with to get to take his meds, and now I understand his point of view. My husband sometimes has to force me.

    Current Celebrity Crush: Listen, I don’t have much variety in my celebrity crushes. They basically come down to Robert Downey, Jr., Johnny Depp, and Derek Webb. Oh! And Hugh Laurie, but I haven’t watched House since the third season so I haven’t thought about him as much lately. The strongest of the crushes lately has been RDJ because I saw him at the Oscars and he looked hot. Also, there is a new Sherlock Holmes film coming out soon which I adored him in. If I get a new crush I will be sure to tell you.

    RDJ at the Oscars – [source]

    Current Blessing(s): I have a healthy baby girl growing inside of me. I can’t tell you what a feeling it is to know that, after years of trying to get pregnant, losing my first pregnancy, and 20 weeks of nightmares of miscarriage and stillbirth. I know the worry won’t stop, but so far everything is good and I’m so happy.

    Current Outfit: I’m holding out on maternity clothes for as long as possible. Today I’m in scrubs, but yesterday I wore a long, black, flowy top from H&M that I bought in New York. It was perfect to cover up the fact that my jeans weren’t buttoned OR zipped half the time.

    Current Excitement: I just ordered a bunch of new books from Paperbackswap and Bookmooch, and most of them have come in the mail. I gave up on trying to read all the books I own before obtaining more because I realized it’s just never going to happen. I will always accumulate books. It’s my thing. I’m also going to change how I post my book reviews because I’ve been reading a lot of book blogs and now I know the kind of format that I like.

    Current Link: I just got started on Pinterest and even though I’ve only pinned one thing so far, I can tell it’s going to be an amazing tool for inspiration. Add me if you’re on it too!

    My first pin! – [source]

    Happy March!

  • on having a girl

    I can hardly believe it, but we are going to have a girl.

    Before this, there have been only boys born in the Forbes family for almost seventy years. It became a joke that they were incapable of producing girls. This was repeated so often as boy after boy was born that I began to believe it.

    In my head, we already had a little boy. We had a name that we both liked, I was melting over my husband’s baby pictures, and picturing them fishing together. Even though he wouldn’t say so, I knew that every man wants a boy. And my husband was terrified at the prospect of having a girl.

    This past weekend he and I went to my friend Sara’s house for dinner. I get to see her at book club, but we don’t usually hang out as couples. Sara has two daughters, aged almost three and one, and David hadn’t ever met them. We had a blast, and the three-year-old took such a liking to David that they ended up playing together for nearly three hours.

    I was so nervous about the ultrasound appointment this morning because I wanted both a boy and a girl. I knew I would be happy and sad either way, but I mainly wanted it to be healthy. It was a long scan, as they took measurements of every little thing. All the parts were in the right place though, everything symmetrical, in the 54th percentile for size–right on. I discovered that my placenta is providing an extra cushion under my belly, which is probably why I haven’t felt any movement yet. And the slightly unusual shape of my uterus was seen, but I was assured that it wouldn’t have any effect on the pregnancy (although it might possibly increase the risk of a breech baby, but that’s still rare).

    Finally, after so much buildup, the ultrasound tech told us that we were having a little girl. I asked if there was any way she could be mistaken, and she said at this point it’s hard to miss. They don’t call it based on the absence of boy parts, but they actually have to see girl parts. The parts were obvious.

    As she continued to get measurements, I surprised myself as tears began welling up in my eyes and then silently sliding down my face. In that moment I said goodbye to my little boy and all the plans we had for him. I didn’t realize how deeply I had felt that we were going to have a boy until we were having a girl.

    I looked over at David and he had a shocked look on his face, but his mouth had a slight upturn to it. He saw my tears and immediately grabbed my hand and kissed me. He told me that he was so happy, that she would be his little girl, and he would take her fishing anyway. He said that God had us go to my friend Sara’s house for a reason, to show him that girls are fun and not so scary after all.

    I recovered myself, finished out the appointment, and now it’s started to sink in a little bit. I love being able to say “she” and “her” when I’m talking about my baby. A whole new world of names has opened up to me that I never considered before. I get to look forward to adorable clothes and fixing her hair and most of all, teaching a little girl how to be a woman. I can hardly wait.

  • Ten On Tuesday

    Today I’m jumping in with these questions hosted by Chelsea:

    1. What type of cell phone do you have and how would you rate it?
    I have an iPhone 3G. I am in love with the iPhone in general but mine is the older model with the new software so it is pretty slow. I’m eligible for an upgrade but that would still cost me $200 which I just can’t justify. So for now, I’ll consider it an exercise in patience-building.

    2. What has been your most serious injury?
    I’ve never had a broken bone or needed stitches, but once in middle school my brothers and some friends and I were playing a hybrid game of tag and hide and seek on a half-built house in our neighborhood. (Stupid, I know.) I climbed up on the roof (again, so dumb) and got cornered there by whoever was “it” and the only escape was to jump off (this completes the trifecta of idiotic decisions I made that day). I ended up with a nasty sprained ankle that was impossible to walk on, but I was so embarrassed that I didn’t even tell my parents what happened, or I played it down bigtime. So I didn’t go to the doctor, and for the next week I was forced to hop around without crutches. By the end of it the other ankle hurt almost worse.

    3. What is one movie you hate and why?
    I despise raunchy comedies that have no redeeming value whatsoever. The prime example of this, in my opinion, is Superbad. I’ve only seen clips because I can’t even bring myself to sit through more than a few minutes of it.

    4. How many email addresses do you have?
    My personal email, my work email, and two old accounts that I no longer use but still have access to.

    5. What website do you waste the most time on?
    I don’t spend a lot of time Internet surfing, but I do try to keep updated with Twitter. I couldn’t do it without the app for my phone, though.

    6. Which Mexican restaurant makes the best salsa?
    Not technically salsa, but Los Cucos has some amazing green sauce. (Does green sauce have a real name? I don’t know.)

    7. What is your dream car?
    I’m sort of driving it, my Toyota Prius. Although mine is six years old and pretty basic, so my dream car would be the newest version with all the extras. I love owning a hybrid, and I like small cute cars.

    8. If you could spend up to $100 with no strings or restrictions or guilt, what would you buy?
    I’d probably put it toward vacation or maybe even toward a phone upgrade, but that’s a boring answer. A more fun way to spend it would be on a pedicure ($50), a new pair of yoga pants ($20), a magazine subscription ($15), a book ($10), and a drink from Starbucks ($5).

    9. What is your favorite board game?
    For party games my current favorite is Buzz Word and my all-time favorite is Catch Phrase. I’m also a fan of Scattergories and Cranium. Cranium is the only one that actually uses a board, though.

    10. How often do you change your hairstyle?
    I think it’s probably 1-2 times a year. Nothing drastic, but I like to grow my hair out for awhile and then chop it off. I usually choose a slightly different style each time.

  • pregnancy to-do list

    In my last post I talked about how I really haven’t done anything yet to prepare for the arrival of a newborn other than try to fully enjoy  myself to the max. I don’t regret taking the time to do this one single bit, but I’m approaching the midway point of my pregnancy and, let’s face it, there is a lot to be done whether I want to do it or not.

    So I got to thinking that it might help me to write down an overview of things I need to do in the next 4-5 months. I don’t want to get into specifics yet, but I also don’t want to forget anything. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

    Sooner…

    >Find a home for Oliver. This is the biggest cloud hanging over my head right now. We’ve decided not to keep our dog Oliver because he just doesn’t get along with other dogs. He has fought with 5 different dogs, in different places, and he has fought with our dog Cleo several times, the last time producing quite a deep wound. On his own, he’s a sweet, loving pet. We shipped our other dogs off to our parents’ house for a week and we found that out. We wish we had the time and resources to train him, but in our current situation it’s too overwhelming for us, and too scary to keep him around our other dogs with a baby in the house.

    >Finish painting the house. Originally I wanted to furnish and decorate the rest of the house as well, but I know that’s not going to happen. Painting, though, is a hassle that I want to complete. I have plenty of help from my family and friends, it’s just finding time to actually do it that is the problem. There are several rooms, a hallway, plus all the trim and doors to do.

    >Start childbirth classes and formulate a birth plan. Since I’ve decided to do my best to have a natural childbirth, I know I need a lot of preparation. We settled on the Bradley Method classes, and I found an instructor in my area and signed up. The classes are 8 weeks long covering 12 weeks’ worth of material, and they start March 30. From what I hear, they cover everything from natural childbirth to breastfeeding to infant care.

    >Start attending La Leche League meetings. I really want breastfeeding to work out, and I’m at least going to give it the best possible chance, so I need to be informed. I have a friend who’s really involved with La Leche League, and I want to start attending meetings with her soon.

    >Meet with my doula. I’m lucky to have a friend who is completing her doula training and she’ll have her certification by the time my due date rolls around. I want to get together with her soon to get advice, recommendations, and to discuss my situation and desires in more detail.

    At some point…

    >Get our carpet replaced. This is an expense I’d rather skip, but the future nursery used to be the dogs’ room of choice to have all of their “accidents.” We’ve since kept that room closed off, but not only are there stains galore but it smells. The rest of the carpet is stained too, as well as chewed and eaten in some places.

    >Create a nursery. This is obvious, but it still has to get done. I see so many nurseries that I love, but I need to figure out what kind of style will flow best with the rest of our house.

    >Register, have showers, & stock up on supplies. I’m a little bit terrified of this whole process, but kind of excited, too.

    >Choose a name. Right now we have several boy names that we like, because we just cannot fathom having a girl. Even after we find out (next week!) what we’re having, though, I don’t know if I’ll be able to commit to a name until the last minute. It’s so much pressure!

    >Read up on childbirth and parenting. So far on my list: Creating Your Birth Plan by Marsden Wagner, Nurtureshock by Po Bronson, The Birth Book and The Baby Book both by Dr. William Sears. Any others along the same lines that I’m missing?

    >Make a post-baby budget. I’m dreading this and will probably continue to put it off until I can’t anymore.

    >Take a short vacation or two. I can’t go crazy with my days off since I’m trying to save them up for maternity leave, but one of my best friends & her family are coming to stay with us in April for a long weekend and I’m looking forward to a couple extra days off to be with them. My husband and I are also planning on taking a long weekend trip this spring to visit my uncle & aunt in South Carolina.

    >Figure out maternity leave. This is really just a matter of talking to my manager. It shouldn’t be a big deal because she’s very supportive and just had a baby last year herself. I think I get six weeks plus whatever PTO I’ve managed to save up, but I’m not sure of the details and at what rate I’ll get paid.

    >Hammer out childcare details. I’m SO lucky that my mom has decided to retire and stay home to take care of our baby once I go back to work. We’ll be paying her, but it won’t be near as expensive as daycare and I hope it’ll be a little easier leaving the babe with her.

    Later…

    >Book photographer (maternity & birth). My friend Cio has agreed to be our birth photographer. I know it might be hard to coordinate since she lives a couple hours away and births don’t always happen at convenient times, but I really hope it works out!

    >Prepare birth details: phone tree, hospital bag, plans for dogs, birthday cake. Not gonna worry about this for awhile, shouldn’t be too difficult.

    >Pick out and prepare birth announcements. It’d be nice to get as much of this done as possible ahead of time, anyway.

    >Last minute stuff: go to the spa, have the house cleaned, stock up frozen meals. All very important things, am I right?

    So tell me, is there anything else I should add to the list? (Please don’t tell me I’m missing something major. Well, DO, but I just hope that I’m not.) Anything on the list that isn’t really necessary? Help me!

  • eighteen weeks

    I hope y’all don’t mind me doing these pregnancy updates. It took me a long time to get here so I want to at least write about it from time to time. I’m a little over eighteen weeks at this point, and here’s what’s going on:

    Symptoms: I now have a ravenous appetite unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s kind of awesome considering two months ago I didn’t ever know if I would enjoy food again, but it’s hard to keep under control. I also get almost-daily headaches, and Tylenol doesn’t usually cut it. I got a massage the other day, but it didn’t seem to help much either. Possibly it’s just hormone-related, or possibly I need several more massages. I like the second option better. I dry heave every night when I brush my teeth, without fail. Apparently my gag reflex is super sensitive now, and the taste of my toothpaste reminds me of all my first trimester nausea.

    Medical stuff: I’m still taking iron supplements which are no fun. My blood pressure remains excellent. I am now up about 8 pounds according to my doctor, which is fine for how far along I am, only I’m alarmed since I gained it all in four weeks. Pretty sure it’s mostly due to the aforementioned appetite. From here on out I’m focusing more on healthy foods and I’m going to attempt to get back into light exercise.

    Movement: I’m pretty sure that I feel the baby fluttering around in there from time to time, but I can’t be sure. I know the real kicks won’t come for probably a few more weeks, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to feel it now. I can’t wait for that.

    Clothes: I’ve never been so thankful to wear scrubs every day to work as I am now. I’m hoping to stay in the same scrub pants throughout my pregnancy since they have a drawstring. As you can see, my belly still isn’t very big but it’s big enough to make my normal jeans a bit uncomfortable, especially after I eat. Usually I either wear them normally or do the rubber band loop. The only major change I’ve had to make is to purchase new bras. Didn’t really expect that so early.

    Preparation: Sometimes I worry because I really haven’t done much at all to prepare for having a baby in my life. There is a to-do list a mile long that I have yet to tackle. But you know what I have been doing? Reading for pleasure. Watching lots of movies. Going to bed early and sleeping late on the weekends. Planning short vacations for this spring. I know these are things that I will soon consider a luxury, so I’m enjoying them and counting it as its own form of preparation.

    Also: We have our big anatomy scan in a week and a half, so say a prayer that everything is as it should be. Yes, we will be finding out the sex and probably I will share with you. I’m hoping that being able to think of the baby as my son or daughter will help me feel more of a connection to it, because right now I still have a hard time believing that this is actually happening.