what the wha!?

Holy cannoli - apparently I'm popular.  My blog was spam attacked!  LAME.

If you have the same issue, by the way, you can find a fix here:

http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?&answer=187141

I feel like someone is following me...

This week has been like a giant IV of acid - slowly killing me, and yet I can't pull it out because it is incapacitating me too.  So a bit of silliness to relieve the giant {BLEAGH} my life is currently...

New favorite procrastination source...
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Also, did you know you can nominate yourself for the Best Blog award?  I did not know that.
http://bloggerschoiceawards.com

Also, going CAMPING!!!!! this weekend. (I'm excited, can you tell?)

World Breastfeeding Week!

Everyone is always asking where I get my nursing cover... 

These ladies are my source:

This week (August 1st - 7th) is World Breastfeeding Week and we wanted
to show our support for breastfeeding so we are running a promotion where
you can get any of our nursing covers (regular price $32) free! The code is
"Breastfeeding". If you're not currently nursing, this is your chance to
stock up on great baby shower and Holiday gifts and a great promo code to
pass along to your expecting friends - (they will thank you)! 

Once you get to www.uddercovers.com, click on "Shop Now" and select the
cover you would like. Type Breastfeeding into the promo code box
and it will bring your product total to $0. All you pay is the shipping
fees. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new
browser window to do so. 

You can also use this promo code to get a 3 piece gift set for only $5!

They are currently in stock and selling fast so please hurry and good Luck!

Sincerely,
Jenny Pierce
Uddercovers.com

Yet another excuse for a cocktail party...

Chiffon should make a comeback… nay, I declare it so – CHIFFON IS MAKING A COMEBACK. Now go my fashion minions, and make it so! via Maggeh

I'm not dead yet...

Just a note to let you know I am not dead yet...

I'll be picking the pen back up here - probably once a week at the most.  Life is going on, and my writing somehow got left behind.  But now that the wheels are turning even faster, I feel the need to document it all so that I don't forget it!

patchwork time...

Somehow I managed to piece together 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there, to get our baby blog up and running.  Due to privacy concerns (and to appease the many request for pictures from all my far-flung friends), I set it up so it's invitation only.  I will certainly write about the baby here, but pictures are going to be limited to that baby blog.

Now if I could only patch together time to sleep...

Ladies and gentlemen...

We have a BABY boy - born March 3 after a short, no-epidural labor. He is healthy and LOUD, and growing more everyday.

First month lows -

• cluster feeding the second night we got home - he would not let me put him down, but he kept falling asleep while I was nursing him.
• Pee on the walls. Multiple times.
• learning to breastfeed - OW.

First month highs -

• First smile - on March 23, after he was done eating. And no, it was NOT gas.
• Pee on the walls - hey, it wasn't fun to clean up but it was FUNNY.
• Finally getting the hang of breastfeeding - WOW.
• Watching my parents hold him.

FYI - due to privacy concerns (it's a long story you may have already heard...), pictures are not going to be made publicly available. So you won't see any here or via Facebook. SORRY, but family safety comes first.

four weeks and counting

The Nesting Crazy is rearing its ugly head. In the last week I have:

• had my husband pull out the fridge so that I could scrub the side (that is hidden when it is pushed back against the wall and beside our dishwasher)
• insisted that the new sink we've been saving for HAD to be installed this month
• randomly scrubbed the inside of my microwave for 30 minutes
• used a toothbrush to clean my bathroom sink
• seriously considered remodeling the master bath, instead of just fixing what we have currently
• worn an N-95 mask to do household chores my husband is afraid to do (ever wash a moldy tupperware container? anyone? anyone? No?... I guess we are the only ones who forget their lunch in the car...)
• had to resist the urge to BLEACH-SANITIZE EVERYTHING IN THE NURSERY to kill any errant viruses/microbes

Strangely, I do not feel it necessary to NOT do any of these things. Instead, I feel validated by the pregnancy to let my OCD get the better of me. Some of these things do need done (like the microwave - it was GROSS, I hadn't cleaned it in the last YEAR.), but most of them are totally unnecessary (e.g. BLEACH). I suppose it's a good thing that I have coping techniques to keep me from engaging in the truly OCD behaviors. Probably safer for all involved... after all, bleach fumes can't be good for anyone, pregnant or not.

signs you are growing up - Holiday Edition

• The discussion is about whether you should encourage the kid to believe Santa, not whether you believe.



• You decide to "give" each other a new sink (and are excited about it).
  You buy an extra jello mold, so you can make two cranberry rings (one for each side of the family).



• It's more important to make room for the nativity set under the tree than presents.



• You hang on to the stocking tradition for dear life (it's an excuse for the good chocolate to get in your shopping cart).



• You put clothes (even underwear) on your Christmas list.
  

Swenatic

I'm going to the Akron v. Kent game today. Go Zips!!!!!!!!

Any excuse to go to Swenson's is a good one.

Everyone keeps asking...

"What are you having?" - Well, I'm hoping a HUMAN baby.  If there's kittens in there, then we have a problem - I'm more of a dog person.

 

"Are you going to find out the gender?" - Hopefully this will be pretty evident when the baby is born.  If not, then we'll pursue genetic testing.

 

"Do you have names picked out?" - Yes.  But you may refer to the kid as "baby" until we see the kid in person.

 

"How are you feeling?" - I feel pregnant.  Thanks for asking.

 

"Is your doctor concerned about your weight?" - Um, do you really think it's a good idea to ask any woman this question, pregnant or not? (By the way...the answer is NO. I lost 15 pounds in my first four months because I was too nauseous to eat.  My doc has yet to say anything about this, so I'm not worrying about it either.)

 

"Are you going to breastfeed?" - What I do with the Girls is my business...  why are you asking such personal questions of any woman anyway?

Most days I only feel pregnant

I will be 23 weeks Friday, and I still don't think I LOOK very pregnant. I have a very small bump, but a lot of it is pre-pregnancy belly. So a lot of my non-maternity clothes still fit and still hide the belly.

The problem is that my pants don't fit correctly. None of my pants - maternity, non-maternity. My body mass has redistributed (thankfully, this includes my butt shrinking and the girls getting bigger), and thus I spend the entire day hiking up my maternity jeans or dress pants.

So today, I wore a dress. With tights. So far, so good.

But I still don't look pregnant.

of tea cups and impressionists

I have, hanging over my desk at work, a calendar.  I don't really write on it - it's just there for reference and looks.  This year I chose one that included works by Impressionist artists.  My favorite is Degas. 

 

For some reason, I always connected to his paintings, particularly the ones of dancers.  They seem to show a fascination with movement to me.  But not just movement - also that graceful pause in the arabesque, the moment before a jete, or just a break to allow the prima ballerina her solo. 

 

I think that's why I like them - they remind me to slow down. To pause.  To take a moment to savor and point out the anticipation of things to come and appreciate all that is now done.

 

I think after I move my cube that I'll bring in another Impressionist calendar for the new year.  And a nice china tea cup to use in my pauses.

new name

Can I just say that the whole pregnancy thing is seriously messing with my self-identity? Because now, I am not just “Nicole, Steve’s wife”, I am also going to be “Mommy”. Freaky. Neat… but freaky.

belated

I commit to a month of something and I can't even make it to day 2. So I am posting this on 11/3 and dating it 11/2 to make up for it!

NaBloPoMo09

Okay... here we go.

Since I haven't updated this since, oh, I don't know SEPTEMBER... I figured I would start off NaBloPoMo right and get y'all caught up properly.

1. I still have a job, for those of you know where I work and have heard about recent happenings. I was not affected. In fact, I will be getting a new cube in the next month. But not a better cube, just a different cube. Same job.

2. We painted one of the extra bedrooms. Guess why. If you can't guess, or haven't heard, see number 3.

3. I'm pregnant. Seriously. No... seriously. You can stop laughing now. And maybe pick up your jaw off the floor. I'm due March 5, no baby belly yet (thanks to my LONG torso/height), cravings so far include Sour Patch Kids, green olives, and pickles. And no, we don't know the sex, and we are going to wait until it gets here to find out. Because, I figure, that way, I have a reason to push the SMALL HUMAN BEING in my STOMACH out when it's time. And no, I will not tell you the names we have picked out. I don't want judging or copying going on.

4. I miss dippy eggs and rare steak. And Brie. Oh what I wouldn't give for some Brie with green apples.

That's about it. More to come in the next month.

HOW long has it been?

Oh crap. It has been a while. But y'all will forgive me right? That's what friends do. Right? :-)

It's been a busy summer. I built a raised bed for my garden - which has been a success despite the cool summer.

We are about to embark on major home improvements this weekend and this month (fixing rotted trim, repainting it and installing new outdoor lights - and waterproofing, cleaning, and repairing basement walls via some contractors).

Not to mention, I am teaching Steve to cook on his own. Pray that we don't burn the house down or break the new stove.

Not to mention my sister is pushing me to turn this blog into something that I could make a living at. Now - I love my job. But how cool would it be to have more than a few people reading this thing? The question is - what do I do?

I've considered adding a section on basic home improvement projects and/or dealing with contractors, from a woman's perspective; making your own traditions; and a few other ideas that are not well-formed enough to mention here. But seriously, it's hard to think about what idea would get me a larger audience. Who knows?

All I know for sure today is that I want to finish watching the Zips (even if they are going to get pounded) and get out and take advantage of this three day weekend.

speechless

I'm pale and proud of it...

"Consumers should worry more about wearing enough sunscreen, several doctors said, rather than how high their SPF is.

Skimp and you lose. To get the SPF advertised, you must use a full shot glass on your body. That’s an ounce, which means a three-ounce tube should last, at most, a few outings.

Considering that slim tube could cost roughly $10, careful sunscreen use is a significant investment for park-going parents, beachgoers or daily joggers."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/fashion/14SKIN.html?ref=health

Put on a fresh coat of lipstick and deal with it...

I do tend to pick out bright colors, but it could be a dress or pants. Depends on the event. But I have found that there are a few things that I ALWAYS put on when it's an important day: lipstick and perfume. I guess that is from seeing my grandmother dressed up for church every week. She tended to always have those things on too. It was important to her, and it wasn't about impressing, but about showing that SHE took something seriously - and putting herself in the mindset to take it seriously. I think that little extra effort to show it's important to me goes a LONG way in impressing someone else.