Life is beautiful

Not much to report on of late. I enjoyed a fantastic Friday lounging at the beach with my fellow bloghers JoJotheKnitster and Punk Rock HR, as well as my fantastic hubby, who insisted on driving the gas guzzler as the check engine light is once again on in the vdub. A minor irritation however I'll let it slide as long as it continues to get me where I need to go on 28 mpg.

After our beachisode we were desperately in need of snacks and beverages so we headed to the Idler to waste the rest of our day in nothing to do luxury with our much more motivated friends (who had just woken up from a nap after biking the 34 miles from Kalamazoo to South Haven). And I thought waddling my phat pregnant ass around all day was tough.

I just took a glance around and noticed laziness seems to have taken over my household this evening. (And shakiness apparently has overtaken my arm.)

Ramblin'

It's been a loooonngg week. I'm not sure if its the pregnancy or my zeal for over scheduling and packing as much as possible into every day, but I'm feeling a little worn down and over tired. So far this week I've worked, cleaned, made cookies to celebrate a birthday, walked the dog, swam, volunteered, knitted, shopped, gardened, and tried to sleep - though the heat is kicking my ass. Miser that I am, over the weekend we ran the central air AND the window unit in our bedroom and I was still dreaming of a bathtub full of cold water. It's interesting how all winter I dreamed of laying out in the hot sun on the beach only to find myself this summer trying to find a walk-in cooler to crawl into.

I've also noticed this week that it seems like I'm having increasing trouble breathing - almost like I can't get enough air in. It's likely due to the baby taking up more and more space but this doesn't help to quell my already high anxiety level at all, but I just keep thinking about the 15 more weeks to go.

Thanks to the slightly less humid weather this week the garden is finally mostly in - I do need to stop and get some straw to mulch the onions and greens but other than that most of the hard labor is done. The tomatoes, zucchini, and cukes are quickly making twining the supports necessary, and the eggplant and brussel sprouts are creeping higher and higher. I'm hoping to get some pictures up this weekend when I get the mulch down.

On another pregnancy caused accident prone note, last weekend I endured an almost injury - while sleeping. I had just gotten back to bed after spending some time in front of the tv - I was having some problems sleeping so I had gotten up extremely early and gone down to watch some tv until I was able to snooze again - and I was looking forward to a few delicious hours of sleeping late with nothing to do. The hubby and the critters were of course still snoozing away as I snuggled into my (tiny) spot. I had no sooner started to drift off when the hubby started to snore - loud. Frustrated and half asleep, I flopped my giant pregnant self over (which is getting to be a production) and ...fell off the bed.

NO, I wasn't hurt at all, but I was a little "surprised" to say it nicely. On a brighter note, it woke the hubby up so I was able to get back into bed and asleep before he started snoring again.

Food not lawns

I finally planted some things in the garden this weekend - tomatoes (yellow pear, roma, currant, paste and beefsteak), eggplant, cukes (pickling and burpless), zucchini squash, and brussel sprouts. This week I need to get in the peppers (sweet and jalapeño), greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, swiss chard and collards), herbs, beans, onions, beets, and radishes. I'm trying a new "caging" system for the tomatoes and vine crops that was recommended in my Veg Gardening 101 class through MSU's extension program - it involves building "fences" for the vines to grow up, reducing the amount of horizontal space they take up (and allowing hopefully for more plants in a smaller space). Courtesy of my overzealous hubby our garden is also larger this year - almost double the space of last year and slowly encroaching over more and more of our yard. (Food not lawns!) We've also got plans in the works to add a new back door to the house onto a new back patio - to be complete with space for a fire pit and seating area, so I'm slowly inching closer to my goal of no wasted lawnscape.
I spent Saturday afternoon volunteering at Gull Meadows Farms in Richland and we all know no trip to a greenhouse can be complete without a purchase...hence two new shade loving perennials joined me for the trip home. Though we disappointingly didn't get very many questions (other than where do I find x?) I did enjoy my time wandering among the greenhouse plants and watching people excitedly fill their carts. It's nice to know people do care about and want to add to their landscape - I did even see a couple filling several carts with perennials (awesome) for their house.
As much as I'm still dedicated to it, it is harder this year to work on the yard - harder to bend over and I'm so much slower at working through things. The heat definitely is having a greater effect on me as well. I'm determined though to spend as much time as I can on it hoping it will have a positive effect on the little person in utero and they'll come out a little garden loving dirty footed hippie child.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is such an magical process. One day your body is it's own, strong and flexible and energetic. Suddenly it becomes a vessel for a tiny idea, a promise months from becoming reality. Your body swells and changes shape, still hiding a treasure that it feeds and protects, encouraging it to develop and grow. And suddenly in a act of true strength and physical endurance, it opens to allow this tiny idea to become a reality. And even after your body no longer carries this treasure in it's cocoon, your body still provides it food and comfort as it returns to it's more normal shape.

I want to say being pregnant is one of the best times of my life. I want to say I feel strong and beautiful and sensual. I want to say I'm proud of my body for being able to accomplish this wonderful act of creation, to grow and nourish and change. Unfortunately the way I feel is mainly tired and full and unattractive. I feel ashamed of my stretch marks and uncomfortable in my own changing shape.

Today at a birthday party I reconnected with a wonderful girl full of love and excitement and energy. She's also a doula. She reminded me what a fantastic adventure the next 20 weeks (and beyond) should be. How amazing and natural this process is. And I'm trying to remember. I want to remember.

Baby NP - First look

Luck of the draw

I have strep throat.

And I'm 11 weeks pregnant.

How did one girl get so lucky?

Like really?

I threw up 5 times yesterday.

For reals.

This baby better be worth it.

Truth in Advertising

I'm all about preparation and an open and honest flow of information so for all you non-mommies (yet or ever) I've decided to break the momma-code-of-silence that we're convinced is the only way to continue the permanence of our species (there's enough of us anyway) and tell you what my journey to mommahood is really like...

It sucks.

Morning sickness (as you all know) is a misnomer - there's nothing restricted to the morning about it and it's not sickness - it's the overwhelming urge to immediately (if not sooner) barf no matter where you are (for me parking lots, at the grocery store and at work all have been wonderful places) and it strikes randomly and suddenly at any time of day. Yum.

Cocoa butter does not prevent stretch marks - it gives one an incredibly itchy rash on one's stomach that persists for days (and days).

Pregnancy does not give you a glow - scrubbing your face aggressively to try to banish the crop of zealous acne that has suddenly popped up all over your face gives you a red tint that is often mistaken for a glow.

32 more weeks (and updates) to go and counting...

LOVE

Happy VD!

How will this pregnant fabulousita be spending her VD? Making a delicious homemade dinner and dessert with the hub (and then trying to keep it all down and not fall asleep by 8:00 p.m.)

September 27th

Yes, that's the big day, though statistically it won't be. Babies hate to be predictable you know, and I'm sure mine will be as crafty as the rest of them.

So I'm two months today and doing relatively well minus the heartburn. I'm dreading having to purchase new (stretchy) clothes and having to spend the entire summer completely covered (there's no way I'm wearing a bathing suit).

On a brighter note, I dropped my friends off at the airport this morning bound for LA and they've promised to bring me George Clooney when they return. So at least I have something to look forward to.