Travel and choice comments...week 13

This was the first full week of classes and things ARE GETTING CRAZY already. In our office, we have lots of fall events so there will be some long nights. I'm reveling in the weekends already, cleaning closets (sometimes), baking, cooking, and finding crafty home projects--it helps me to balance and center :) On an even more exciting note, we booked our cottage in Ireland and we'll be there in a few short weeks! I can't believe it! It hasn't fully sunk in that we're heading across the Atlantic (avec mama and mes amies) to see Jane, and oh, yeah, she's getting married! It's going to be incredible. Not much more to get except my very sexy compression socks to wear on the plane. Maybe one pair of [expandable] pants, but other than that, I think I'm set.

Not much to report in Baby Land; I'm happy to be getting more energy back since these busy days are demanding more of me. Some friends have lent me some really great books and maternity clothes (thanks, ladies!) so it's good to have a developing collection of items to peruse and organize.

Last, a mental note of items: I know this little gummy bear inside has a long ways to go before s/he is going to visit us on the outside, and although I've only had my reveal public at work for the last two weeks, it's amazing how quickly the unsolicited comments begin to surface. I'm going to keep track for posterity, so here's the beginning, which I'm sure will continue to grow (pun intended):

"Was this a planned pregnancy?" (x2)
"Wow--you're really getting big." (After I returned from having food poisoning, fyi.)
"You're not going to be able to hide this much longer."

(P.S. I had to change so many misspellings and incorrect words in this post before I published it...apparently the work of developing a baby has left my brain unable to process some other tasks.)

There's a fetus in there...week 12

...or so the ultrasound tech says. We've been very slow to tell people but we're havin' a baby! We found out in mid-July and have been navigating through Trimester One with relatively few hiccups.

I've felt a tich guilty at deceiving some and shying away from lots of [cocktail-related] visits with others, but now I'm kind of ready to put it out there. This week I decided to tell my co-workers. Yes, I am extroverted. However, I like to keep some parts of my private life private. Part of it is that my spouse and I work at the same place and since it's rather small, it seems like everyone is on a need-to-know basis about who knows what. Also, I have boundaries, which I know I'm becoming more lax about (i.e. I told new class of freshman to call me by my first name. That was a big step for me.) I clearly realize that very soon I will not be able to hide the fact that I am growing another person inside of me, but I've held out this long.

On the other hand...I am clearly living in I-Feel-As-Though-I'm-the-First-Woman-to-Ever-Have-a-Baby Land, minus the people to whom I've been asking questions, and in that respect, I think the glow factor/public excited-ness is indeed growing. I bought this cute, tongue-in-cheek pregnancy book so I've been journaling in there and just bought a few books for reference. I'm trying to keep the websites to a minimum, but their pictures are amazing.

Some of my favorite moments in the last few weeks about our reveal:

Overhearing Corey tell people about the pregnancy. It's soooo cute. And loving. And makes me want to cry every time. Even if I can't see his face I know he's grinning by the way he talks.

Corey's brother, Brian, and wife, Carlie, who are ALSO having a baby in March. I got the giggles when I heard her jaw drop on the other line. Cousins who will be the same age! It's so fun to think about them growing up together.

My lovelies who claimed they suspected but were kind enough not to ask me every time they saw/talked to me.

The friend who screamed into the phone.

Two friends who are due right around the same time! It's been so amazing to ask questions to those who are experiencing it right now.

Corey telling his team this past weekend--they clapped. I died a little bit when picturing 42 twenty-somethings doing this. I saw one of them in the hallway this morning and he exclaimed "Congratulations!"

Getting our very first baby gift--from our neighbors (a little gender-neutral sailor outfit.) I've never bought a baby outfit for myself, even though I love to shop for virtually anything.

We've actually been to the OB three times now; the second appointment, which we thought was 12 weeks was actually more like 10.5. So we got to go back this past Tuesday and now have three sets of pictures. It's AMAZING how different the fetus looked within eight days! A skull, a nose bone, hands, arms--that was the speechless moment for me so far.

I knew I wanted to start blogging again, and blogging about the pregnancy, so this seemed like a good time/reason to have some consistency of posts. The first six weeks brought with it some serious fatigue (lots of post-work activity of lying on the couch) and nausea, which actually took place mostly in the mornings. Since about week 10, I've been getting more energy back and the nausea is more or less gone, except if I smell cigarette smoke, car exhaust or become incredibly overheated. Then I need to head for the hills.

Things I'm Consuming Regularly:
Chocolate-related items
Potato chips (the full-fat, salty kind)
Salads
Fruit
Baked goods (even though I'm trying to keep it somewhat healthy)

Checklist Items I've Completed:
Taking several bikini-clad photos (unabashedly)
Scary/gross illness while pregnant (see below)

Last Wednesday night I came down with food poisoning, which was scary and I'm assuming potentially more intense due to pregnancy. Not great luck that I missed the second day of class, but it took a good 2.5 days of consuming massive amounts of Gatorade and crackers to feel back to normal. I did, however pass the time by re-watching seasons I and II of "Mad Men" (in preparation for January's new season premiere), checking emails and concocting my harvest decor plans.

Time for bed!

Dumbfounded

Why haven't I had one of these yet this year???? That's a sad realization. And then I saw these. That's it.

Are goal setting and fun mutually exclusive?

Today was the culmination of Duluth's best-known weekend and I finished the Half Marathon, which was the first I've completed in several years. While I felt more prepared than I ever had for a race before, the last two weeks were stressful--physically and emotionally. I was gone at a work conference and came down with the flu. Then I found out I had strep so the grossness that usually plagues me in the winter was now occurring in June. Special. Although chilly, for the first 4 or 5 miles I was sort of floating around, feeling very zen. I was also caught up in the excitement of it all and was going WAY too fast for my pace. Then I had to go the bathroom...really bad. I should have just gone before the start time but the lines were so long. I thought about just peeing down my leg...but I REALLY like my running shoes and don't think a long-term pee smell was very pleasing. So at mile 9 I had to wait in line for the biffy (there were no bushes/wooded areas around) and that took about 4.5 minutes. Annoying. Thank goodness I came upon some familiar faces that popped up a few times and braved the cold.

What I find most irritating about myself is I was so consumed with not meeting my goal time and having to stop at the bathroom that I was kind of in a bad mood when I finished. I was crabby about my time instead of reveling wholeheartedly about my accomplishment. What a dumb reaction, but when you work hard at something you have expectations that can distract you from all the good stuff. Last night after picking up my race packet, I thought I could put a full marathon on my "Complete before 35 or 40" List. Then about 1 mile from the finish, I decided maybe I didn't need to do that... : ) I was also thinking about some new workout plans that were briefer and potentially more effective.

Am I the only one who sabotages a fun moment? Why do we let our expectations get in the way? I will relax about it tonight as I have a steak or cheeseburger and some wine.

Back from obscurity

I had perused my blog a few times over the last six months or so, and really didn't feel like I had anything particularly monumental to say. I've kind of returned to the belief that it's rather narcissistic of me to think anyone wants to read my thoughts, but I suppose it's more personal than FB, right? I completely forgot to read others' posts, so I'm sorry if there was a major life event that occurred and I didn't ask you about it--again, unawareness of others' lives due to my not posting. But on the flip side, hopefully I've seen you during this interim and the power of our personal conversations have far exceeded technological communication!

A few weeks ago, I was approached to be one of the faculty/staff/students to be profiled in a new ad campaign, which will include a weekly blog post from yours truly. I mentioned to the account manager from the ad company that I blogged personally (which was a quick note to self that I should make this site private) and she wanted to not only know my url but also my blog mantra. I suppose my title should allude something about the "message" I'm trying to portray (whether or not anyone's reading, right?) and honestly, I wasn't sure I'd really live up to that. Okay, enough ranting about quality. Quantity works, too.

Since my last post the greatest shift has been moving to a new job. I am busier than ever and professionally happier than ever. I'm challenged and energized every day by meeting and collaborating with new people outside of my comfort zone, by working in a field that I didn't have a lot of experience in, and by sharing my time and ideas with very supportive colleagues. It's challenging, busy and lots of fun. I'm thankful for all of it. And although this time of year is draining for teachers, I'm glad I'm sticking with it. My students make me laugh and challenge me to keep my lectures minimally boring. It keeps me on my toes.

Highlights: suddenly, my world is a little less boring (and grey hairs are suddenly undetectable). I learned (at 31) how to curl my hair. And it stays. Amazing.


Reveling and embracing the following:

Traveling: Booked two trips with my husband. One large and one small. I'm happy that we're planning ahead this year! Usually most of my travel is away from him, but every year for our anniversary we try to plan time away together. It's gonna be good...I passed on a last-minute trip during this (extended) winter, so I'm really looking forward to this.

Wine: Love it. A lot. Planning a tasting with a friend. Accompanied her to a massive wine sale and all of the staff knew her. The sommelier was giddy to help us find bottles.

Running: Shockingly, yes. I told someone yesterday I didn't like running, but I liked goal setting. I certainly don't live and die by it (I bailed on a 5K today because of the wind and the snow) but it does make me feel good. It's really cheap therapy: it only costs you a pair of shoes! I've never considered myself a competitive person, but I've surprised myself and want to continue to build up some distance before the half. I'm sure my typical habit of inconsistency will allow me to forget about this come June 19. Corey wants to get a road bike (even though he informed me that he'll be going at his own [much faster] pace), so yay for outdoor activities.

Decorating: As I write this, I'm waiting for the spackle to dry so I can paint our bedroom this lovely periwinkle blue. My husband picked it out. I've had my idea for this room in my head for about two years and I'm finally getting it done. I'm sick of walking in there and thinking how sad the lack of decor is. I'm going for a serene, hotel-ish type of space. I found a very cool faux leather headboard

spied this modern duvet cover

and have some wall-mounted lights for reading. We painted our living/dining/entryway this summer and hung some shelves


but I have no idea what color or layout I want for the last room, the office. Any recommendations?

I'm working toward the following:

Remaining grateful: We are lucky. I try to remind myself of that every day.

Consciously picking the positive: Life is short. Surround yourself with supportive individuals. Thank them for their gifts.

Expanding my comfort zone with music: I didn't like Cee-Lo's song until I heard it with explicatives. Liz gently reminded me that my singing tastes matched her parents'.

A good thing for the long haul but I need to broaden my horizons. My current faves are this little ditty (for running) and the more mellow genre (for working).

How's that for long-windedness?

The ladies

After much planning and date arranging, several of the ladies were able to make the trek north for a weekend getaway to this lovely townhouse in Beaver Bay. Despite the rainy conditions, we managed a walk and a chat down on the Lake Superior shore and a dinner out here. Most of our time, however, was spent chatting, eating, and just catching up on each other's lives. The newest member of the clan, Reagan, was unbelievably willing to snuggle with her mama, lulled to sleep by the crazy chatter. Thanks for a wonderful weekend, ladies! It was very rejuvenating to be around all of you. It makes me miss you a whole lot more.

Our attempt at the chic, windblown look.

The cupcakes spelled out "Happy Birthday Liz and Kat." That's a lot of cupcakes.

One of the many delicious items that we ate during the weekend. Of course there was no shortage of food, candy, drinks, etc.

Away

I drove down to see my sister and the kiddos this past weekend, yes, for a visit, but for more than that. Things have been rather heavy of late and I have been taking opportunities to leave my to-do lists and other domestic responsibilities behind. Literally and figuratively, I needed to get away. There was some soccer game watching, pool time, play time and game time. I am switching jobs and am very excited for this change. I'm ready for a new set of challenges and want to work towards putting my mark on something different and quasi yet-to-be-determined. I won't be taking my traditional time off in August, but I'll settle for some additional weekend getaways. Breathe deeply, be excited for what's to come, and enjoy the fleeting days of summer.