14 weeks andplusalso.

I’ve been posting so much stuff about the new baby that I feel like I’ve neglected my other baby.  So, I’m going to start off this week’s post with some Anna cuteness.

We stayed at my mom’s house this weekend and decided to take a trip to the zoo aka rip-off central.  Look, I’m the first to admit that I’m pretty frugal with most things, so my opinion may be a bit skewed, but a simple day at the zoo shouldn’t set you and your mom back $80, should it?  $40 to get in, $40 on crappy food. 

I guess the part that makes me most bitter about our zoo experience, other than the fact that none of the animals were out and about and every square inch was being renovated, was that we had to pay the initial admission to get in and then an additional fee to do other “fun stuff” within the zoo.  Want to ride the “train”?  $5!  Cha-ching.  Want to play in the cool water part of the park?  $5!  Cha-ching.  Basically, the zoo is like the nickel and dime DirecTV packages – you pay for basics, but if you want the truly cool stuff, expect to double your bill! 

Being the cheap bastard that I am, I opted out of all of the fun stuff which was just wonderful every time Anna saw the train pass by.  There’s only so many times you can tell your child the train is full and that we won’t fit before she starts giving you the side-eye and totally doubting you as a mom.  And then the mom guilt sets in and you really feel like a piece of crap for not spending an extra $15 for the three of you to ride on the train for a whopping 5 minutes. 

Nah, I don’t feel that bad.

Here are some pics of our day:

Yay, we’re finally here!


I tried to get her to stand on one leg like a flamingo.  She obviously didn’t listen. 


Anna’s lovely locks!


This child refuses to pose for a photo!


Now that’s how you take a nap!


Yes, that’s a tongue.


Soooo serious!




This picture makes me laugh.


The coat of many colors.


Sill refusing to look at the camera!  Oh, and she refused to let go of that map for hours!

Despite the rip-off effect, we managed to have a very nice day at the zoo.  The weather was mild, Anna was relatively well-behaved – it was a good day.  I did realize, however, that she is impatient just like me.  We’d see an animal, and before I could tell her a little about it, she’d say, “More animals, mommy!”  No dilly dallying with Anna!

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Anna’s Birthday:

October 10th came and went rather quickly since it fell on a Monday.  Anna’s actual birthday party is this Saturday, but I still wanted to honor my baby’s birth date and do a little something special for her.  So, Joe and I blew up balloons the night before and put them all over her bedroom floor.  Since I had to leave for work early that day and wanted to sing her Happy Birthday before I left, I decided to wake her up by showering her with balloons on her bed. 


She woke up and said, “MOMMY, WHAT’S THIS?!”  She was so excited.  I really wish I had it on video because the images just don’t do it justice.  I also snuck in one of the cupcakes that we bought for her daycare class.  A child should never be without cake on her birthday!

Of course I’ve waited ‘til the last minute to do everything for her birthday party, so I have to spend most of my evenings this week getting everything prepared.  I’m not sure if many people will show up since it seems to be a busy weekend for everyone, but that’s OK – she’ll still have a blast!

PSA: No, that’s not a ring-worm on her shoulder.  It’s a mosquito bite.  Yep, every bite she gets looks like that. 

PSA: Yes, that’s her real hair.  No, it’s not a fro wig. 
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The New Baby Stuffs:
—  Growth spurt! My weight increased 60% this past week.
(Seems like mine did, too.)
—  There are taste buds all over the inside of my mouth.
   
—  I touch my mouth—a lot!
   
—  Now my arms don't seem so small compared to the rest of my body.
— From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.

 
The details:

How far along: 14 weeks

Total weight gain: According to Natalie’s naked scale, +4. Up 2 lbs. from last week, ouch!

Sleep habits: I’ve actually been sleeping a bit better.  If I wake up in the middle of the night, I haven’t been having as many problems falling back asleep – even with Joe snoring in the background.  My mind is also a lot more relaxed, less anxiety, so I don’t “think” too much when I wake up.  This allows me to just fall back asleep without many issues.  My dreams have been super intense and super vivid. 

Maternity clothes: This past weekend I was convinced that I was officially bumped out.  However, today, nada.  It’s so insane to me how you can look 4 months pregnant on Monday and not pregnant at all on Tuesday.  I blame it on the fact that all of my innards are shifting and perhaps this is making digesting a bit slower.  All of the food just sits there creating a faux bump.  Oh well, I’ll enjoy these last few weeks of flat bellydom because once I do bump out and can’t even put on socks, I’ll be missing this time of ease!

Best moment of the week: Not really baby related, but singing Happy Birthday to Anna Kate!

Food cravings: Sushi, sushi, sushi.  And Flips chocolate covered pretzels.  I tried the peanut butter ones, and they’re equally delicious.  Hence why I probably gained 2 lbs. in a week!


Aversions: I will pretty much eat my arm at this point.  The ravenous hunger has set in!

Symptoms: Shortness of breath is the only complaint I have this week.  Oh, and I was super fatigued yesterday and fell asleep in Anna’s bed while she was cooking me dinner in her play kitchen.
 
Movement:  No conclusive movement yet. 

What I’m looking forward to:  I’m really looking forward to finding out this baby’s sex.  I don’t know if I can make it for another 6 weeks!

What I miss: Not too much this week.

Next appointment: November 1. I need to get a flu shot before this appointment or my OB will have my head on a platter!

See ya next week!

Why, cat, why?

I love animals, I really do; however, I am quickly falling out of love with my animals.  Yes, they're cute and cuddly and warm and fuzzy, and sometimes they make me laugh or say "aww," but more often than not, I'm looking at them with malice and contempt in my eyes.  They have turned my clean house into an episode of Clean House, and I'm very bitter and disgusted, to say the least. 

The majority of floor space in my house is either hardwood or tile.  The only carpeting in our house is in the bedrooms or the random small rugs that I've placed near entrances to our home.  Basically, we've got a 70/30 ratio of hard flooring to carpet, understand?  So, will someone please explain to me why my cat Chloe, the bane of my existence, alwasy feels the need to puke up her orange cat food in the carpeted areas, just inches away from the hardwood?

Here's a visual:

Cat food companies must be on a mission to add as much dye to their food as possible.  That way, whenever an animal pukes it back up (as cats often do), it will surely permanently stain the carpet.  My mom said she wants to invent clear cat food.  I think she's on to something here, I really do.  I would buy stock in clear cat food. 

Before you get all PETA on me, trust me, animal lovers, there's nothing medically wrong with Chloe.  She's been to the vet, and we've tried multiple foods - she pukes them all up.  I think she has a kitty eating disorder.  I've watched her gorge on food like Adam Richman on Man v. Food.  She actually purrs while she eats.  Then, like clockwork, up it comes only minutes later.  If she would just eat small bites like a normal cat, she'd be fine.  There's really nothing I can do, folks.  Except follow behind her with a bottle of Resolve and a garbage bag. 

Welcome to my glamorous life.  We flyin' first class up in the sky. 

A visual.

Why do I have dark circles and bags under my eyes constantly?

Let me draw it out for you. Below is a graphical representation of our sleeping setup since my child has been teething.

As you can see from the beautiful drawing above, my child has taken ownership of our little queen bed. Joe and I have to hang on to our mattress for dear life while our precious child becomes the dash (-) to our little family H.

Throw in two fur ball cats, one of which can only sleep if she's on me in some capacity, and you have our sleeping setup in Casa de No Sleep.

I think we need a king bed, yes?

The Old Man Next Door.

My company re-located offices to a very old and quaint area of town right before Katrina hit. We're in a beautiful, old building that's situated in a residential area. I love it here because our office space feels very home-y, and the neighbors and neighborhood are just wonderful.

A few months ago I noticed an older gentleman who lives in the house next to our office. He waves to me every morning. He's usually outside in the mornings with his little dog. I never really understood what he was doing outside because he would just stand around staring off into space. My first thought was that he was an Alzheimer's patient, but after watching him one morning, I saw him get on a bus. I always wondered where he was going and what he was doing.

My co-worker's grandfather was recently in a car accident and has since had his car keys taken away from him. Old age is cruel, unfair and inevitable. I can't imagine being stripped of my independence, but when your inability to think quickly and see clearly starts affecting your ability to drive, there's no other option. I digress. After the car accident, my co-worker walked over and started talking to the old man next door. She found out that the bus brings him to a local community center where seniors get to engage in all sorts of fun activities - line dancing, bingo, aerobics classes, etc. I think this is a fantastic program!

Since she first talked to him, they've become friends of sorts. He's opened up about his life to her, and she relays all of this information to me. Today she told me that the little dog he played with every day and took on hour long walks had to be put to sleep a few weeks ago. This just broke my heart. I know he's lonely. His wife passed away, he never sees his children, no one is ever over there with him - I imagine his dog was his only companion (besides the friends he has at the community center). I just feel like running over there and giving him a big hug. My heart is connected to this man for some reason.

I'm not sure why I posted this here. I guess I just need to collect my thoughts. When she told me about his dog I started crying (like an idiot). I just feel so sorry for him. I just wish that there was something I could do for him. I can't imagine being lonely at that stage of your life - everything and everyone you love is dying around you and you're just standing there watching it happen.