Someone is deluding herself

Yesterday I bought a pair of jeans in my pre-pregnancy size at the Banana Republic outlet store because they were such a good deal (everything in the store was 50% off) and so cute. [sigh] I wistfully hung them in my closet last night next to the maternity clothes.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a peaceful and merry Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2009.

31 weeks, 1 day appointment

On Friday I had another doctor's appointment. I'm trying to see all of the doctors in the practice before I deliver, so I saw Dr. JH today. I really liked him. I won't be disappointed if he's on call on the big day.

My BP: 100/60
Val's heart rate: 130
Weight gain: +6. And still I gain like someone is paying me.

Dr. JH remarked that Val was "just chillin' in there." Based on our low BP's, I guess we were both very relaxed. I asked him what her position is, because some days it feels like she has woven her little feet in between my ribs. She was head down and sort of diagonal across my body. He said, "I can feel her hip bone right here," then he grabbed my hand and pressed down a few inches above my belly button. Sure enough, there was a big, hard lump. When I got home, she hadn't shifted, and Sweet LJ got to feel it, too.

Open letter to pants

Dear maternity jeans,
Could I hate you any more than I do? I submit I could not. You have a very wide, stretchy waistband. How can you not stay up? My belly is big, but aren't you designed to stay up even a little bit?

Please stop sliding down. I'm tired of having a saggy crotch and constantly having to pull you up. It's embarrassing.

Signed,
Hater

31 weeks

I don't know how I can get any bigger.

New dresser

Sweet LJ put together this large IKEA dresser for Val on Sunday. He should be in an IKEA furniture assembly contest, because I would bet that no one in the history of IKEA has ever put together a piece of IKEA furniture faster. He is a machine. I should've taken a picture of the pieces and hardware beforehand but didn't. There were about 1500 pieces, give or take. I helped by sorting the hardware, holding a few things, and making spaghetti for dinner.

It's so big that Sweet LJ probably can use half for his large wardrobe and/or we can return the crib and let Val sleep in a drawer.

A new hat

Sweet LJ couldn't resist picking this hat up for Val while he was at the SEC championship game a few weeks ago. So now Val's wardrobe consists of two hats and a chicken outfit.

Modeled by sock monkey

Baby dream

Last night I dreamed that Emily had a baby girl! Any news to share with us, Emily? :)

"Prepared Childbirth"

Apparently I was on hiatus last week. I really didn't have anything to report. I took the entire week off from running and ate approximately 6 lbs. of peanut M&Ms. I can only think that all the candy I eat will make Val sweeter. On Friday night, Sweet LJ and I went with cousins to see Santaland Diaries. Funny show! If you don't plan to travel to Atlanta to see the play, you should read it, and then read all the other David Sedaris books.

On Saturday Sweet LJ and I went to a class offered by our hospital called "Prepared Childbirth." We could've gone for like 4 Thursdays for 2 hours each night, but we opted for the day-long, one-shot that lasted from 9 AM - 4 PM. (It was supposed to last until 5 PM, but I guess you can only be so prepared.)

Nurse Tory led the class, which consisted of a few childbirth videos, a tour of the labor and delivery parts of the hospital, Nurse Tory telling us how things will really be, and massage techniques our coaches should use on us while we're in labor. Our hospital is in midtown, and I thought my classmates would be much funnier than they were, given our urban location. They were pretty normal, but there still were a few entertaining moments:

• The guy who asked how long it would take "her stomach to be flat again"
  
• The guy who asked whether the nurses "would take care of it" or was he responsible for cleaning up the lochia. I guess he was hoping Nurse Tory would go home with them after the birth.
  
• Nurse Tory telling us that stage two contractions would "give us the business"
• The guy who texted through about 50% of the class

My husband did not text during the class or ask when my stomach was going to be flat again, because he knows better. He probably wanted to know whether my snoring will stop once the baby is born, but he didn't ask that, either. I do feel more prepared; mainly because I've seen where everything will happen. I remain calm when I think about the birth process and curious as to how everything will go.

Thanks, Val!

Dear sweet baby Val,

Thank you so much for moving off my sciatic nerve. I've been pain-free for about 3 weeks, and it's been glorious! I owe you a special treat! The deal is off, however, if you pinch it again, so try to be a good girl.

Love you,
Mom

Georgians, don't forget to vote!

Go vote! The future of the Senate is in your hands!

I'm so sick of the Chambliss-Martin commercials on TV--Chambliss hates soldiers and wants them to die in battle! Martin hates children and wants them to be prostitutes!--but I'll miss the evening phone calls from our pals Hillary, Bill, Al, and Barack. Who was stumping for the candidates yesterday? Well, you betcha, Sarah Palin was all over Georgia with Chambliss, and apparently Ludacris, Young Jeezy, and T.I. were at the capitol with Martin.

I'm also ready for this runoff to be over, because then maybe the governor will decide how much money he wants to take back from higher education to cover the budget shortfall, and whether I'll get my 2% raise. (It's all about me.)

Sweet Memory Lane

Carrying it on...

Do you remember when? Here are the rules:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends or if you're a blog hopper who happens upon my blog regularly...leave me a comment. There must be reason you keep stopping by! Say something! If you don't have a blog or don't know how to sign in, sign up for an account! You won't regret it!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog (if you have one) and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty fun to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you. . . either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you back!