My new happy place

Target has reigned as my happiest place on earth for a long time, but it’s got some real competition now. I just discovered baby stuff consignment shops, and I’m in heaven. Most moms catch on to these places a lot faster than I did, but I’m going to claim that it’s not my fault. Months ago, we stopped at one near our house, but I was really disappointed. They didn’t have much stuff, and it was really expensive. And their signs said that they had a maternity section. Sorry, but it’s going to take more than a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts to call it a section.

So I thought consignment stores suck, I’ll just keep an eye on clearance racks or something. And garage sales are an option, I guess, except that those are so hit-or-miss, and I really don’t have time for that much hunting and driving.

Then this weekend I decided to give consignment another chance. We went to Once Upon a Child, which is actually a chain but each store locally owned and franchised.

It was awesome. They had a HUGE selection of stuff. Most of it was cheap (but some of it was not). The cool thing about consignment shops is that they’re not trying to sell every piece of crap in the basement; they’re really picky about what they’ll take for resale. They won’t take anything that’s been recalled or doesn’t meet current safety standards. So it’s good stuff, in good condition, and it’s been thoroughly cleaned. Even better, they also have a lot of brand new items that they get from closeouts and such. So there’s a really nice variety.

After the shower, I’ll start looking through their clothing racks, but for now I’m in love with their book section. They had a huge selection of books – good books in good condition, hardcover even – for $1.50 to $2.50 or so. We’ll have a nice little library for Lily in no time.

A little glimpse into the future?

Yesterday was not an easy day. For anyone who has never been pregnant, to get this story, you need to know that baby moves around a lot later in the second trimester. And decreased movement is on my list of reasons to call the doctor. But some degree of decreased movement is completely normal. So the question is what’s normal, and what’s worrisome?

It all started Sunday, really, when I started to notice that Lily wasn’t as active as she usually is. I know this is normal. I know she will have party days and lazy days. I get that. I also know what her lazy days feel like. Sunday was a lazy day, but it seemed like she was moving less and less as the day went on. Even when I laid down to go to sleep – usually her party time – she seemed to go to sleep as well. Hmm.

So Monday morning rolls around and I expected to feel her wiggling around when I sat down for work like I always do. Nothing. Later that morning, I had some sugar and caffeine. I felt a couple of very subtle, almost unnoticeable movements. And then a couple more hours of nothing. I had lunch, and after lunch she always moves a little. But nothing.

And that’s when I decided I should at least call the doctor. I had a painfully busy day at work and I needed to be able to concentrate to get my work done. So I called my doctor fully expecting her to tell me that was normal, possibly offer me a reason why I couldn’t feel her, and maybe a suggestion for something to try. The nurse asked me a few questions, when was the last time I felt her, did I try this, or did I try that. And then she had to talk to the doctor and call me back. And so I waited.

She called me back and told me the doctor wanted me to go to their hospital and go into triage. She started telling me where to go when I got there and I wasn’t even hearing her. I don’t know where I was for those seconds. I had to have her repeat that to me. And then I completely fell apart.

Fast forward a few hours which were a total fog to me anyway, and it turned out that everything was completely fine. She must’ve just been positioned in a way that I couldn’t feel her moving.

Lily was totally fine. Actually, she was doing really great. She weighs two pounds and four ounces, and I’m measuring a few days ahead. My placenta moved up to where it’s supposed to be, and basically, everything is perfect.

And as I type this, she’s giving me those very reassuring little kicks.

One year later

And the cake was as awesome as it was on our wedding day. As is the marriage.

Nothing too exciting going on in our world right now – we had a really nice weekend with lots of quality time to enjoy together. We had some plans to do some crap around the house, but the weather was amazing so we blew off the chores. And we spent some time with friends as well. Having an extra day for the weekend makes a world of difference. Not enough to make me want to go back to work on Tuesday or anything, but just enough to make me feel like I had some time away from work.

I don’t have much to say today but I did add some photos Pregnant Kate, Nieces and Nephews, and I added a new album called “Cooking Club.” This is just something we do with some of our friends every month. We take turns – me and Khan, Ivan and Tere, Hugo and Haiyen, Marina and Chad, and Dan and Michelle – and cook dinner for the rest. It’s really just about getting together though.

Can I blame it on the fondue?

I know, I know. I’ve been a terrible blogger lately. Even so, I stand by my statement that it isn’t that hard, and it does only take a few minutes.

So, for my big 3-0 celebration Dad, Khan, and I went for three-hour fondue dinner at the Melting Pot. It was a total splurge with a cheese fondue, a main course fondue, and a white chocolate amaretto dessert fondue. The problem is that I guess I’ve had too many indulgences this last month. Got on the scale for my 24-week check-up (that’s six months, guys), and I’ve gained another 9 pounds in one month. And no, it’s not OK because I’m pregnant, it’s not normal, and it’s not healthy. I cried. I really did. But there’s nothing I can do right now to lose the weight; all I can do is keep it under control with no more indulgences. The reality is that I don’t have the willpower to have “occasional” good stuff because it quickly turns into every single day.

Anyway, all is well with us. Our friend Dan Kelly came over on Saturday and helped Khan put the new faucet in the bathroom sink. It was, as Dad predicted, not an easy task. They ended up having to take the whole sink off the wall to get it done, but it’s done now and my new faucet is so pretty.

Everything is fine with baby girl. She’s getting more and more active, and her patterns are more predictable. I can always feel her moving around at night when I lay down to go to bed. Apparently, that’s party time for her. It doesn’t bother me at all, though; I love it. It really is one of the coolest feelings I’ve ever had in my life. And I’d take feeling her move around over seeing her on an ultrasound any day. Ultrasounds are cool and everything, but I think I just like to imagine what she’s doing in there.

Oh, and in case you’re having a hard time keeping up with our constant name-changing, our new favorite name is Lily. Khan loved it first and then it started to grow on me. I love how simple, pretty, and feminine it is. Now watch her turn out to be a tomboy named Lily.

The last moments of 29

Well, it's here. 30th Birthday Eve. And it's not so bad. It's actually not unlike most every other night these days except that Dad is here, and I'm not going to work tomorrow.

Dad's been here since Friday and all goes well. He and Khan seemed to have a good time at that race in St. Pete, and the rain held off nicely for them.

Sunday we went to Kennedy Space Center (See above picture. This was nearly 1:30 and I'm used to eating at 11. I was not going to wait anymore. I told Dad that I didn't care if they had an alien in a fish tank somewhere, I'm going to the Moon Rocket Cafe and having lunch.) The rain held off nicely for us, too, and we had a really nice day there. I didn't know there was so much to see there; it was pretty cool.

Tomorrow, we will put the nursery together and some other stuff around the house. Then, we're off to the Melting Pot (yumm) for birthday dinner. I added the latest sonogram pictures of baby girl sucking her little tiny thumb.

On Wednesday, if work will leave me alone, I'll post some of the pictures from the weekend and the furnished nursery. Of course, I will do this as a thirty-something.