Comfort Food
Being pregnant does afford one certain indulgences. Living in North Carolina affords one many opportunities to accomodate the desire.
Today a bunch of us from work went to a friend/coworker's farewell luncheon (she's not going far, just another department, but any excuse to leave campus to eat is a good one). We went to a Southern farmhouse comfort-food place that had nothing on the menu that I'd consider making at home. It was all stuff like chicken & dumplings, country fried steak, meatloaf, chopped beef with onion gravy, BBQ pulled pork, thick-cut ham with red-eye gravy, fried bologna, stuff like that.
Will it make you hungry if I tell you what I had? Oh well, I'm telling you anyway:
BBQ chicken
Collard greens
Yellow squash with onions
Iced tea (unsweetened)
1 hushpuppy
and
crispy, fluffy buttermilk biscuits with blackstrap molasses.
And some of you just got a panging yearning to be back in the South again.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Nesting??
They say that if you get the nesting instinct, then labor is just around the corner. Trouble is, I've ALWAYS got the nesting instinct. SNG has laughted about how I get fixated on little around-the-house projects since we started dating 13 years ago. Besides, if that's true, then my cousin, who is 17 weeks pregnant, should have already had her baby weeks ago. ;-)
But anyway, last week as I reviewed and updated my list of "the things in life that have to get done at this point in time" (everyone has a list like that, right?), I took inventory of the minimum requirements for having a baby tomorrow. This was, in part, motivated by the fact that we finished our childbirth classes Thursday night.
They included:
Car Seat ready-to-install
Bag for the hospital Packed and Ready To Go
A bed, diapers, blanket and a few onesies for the baby since I won't be shopping the day after the baby comes home.
Sure, there are a few other things that we'll still have to buy at some point, but we can live without a baby bathtub and a diaper champ (a stinky-free diaper pail) for awhile. After all, she can bathe in the sink and SNG can carry smelly diapers outside every evening. We already had some diapers, blankets, baby bed (we have 3, in fact!) and the car seat. The bag is packed and ready to go. We had onesies and lots of size 3mo+ outfits, but not much in size Newborn. So we bought a new pack of onesies in size 0-3mo. (Aside to PartnerInCrime-- OMG, they're so little. SO LITTLE. so little. And so cute. I was totally feeling just like you said the other day.)
Friday night, SNG got the nesting bug. He carried the crib and changing table upstairs and assembled them in about 1 1/2 hours, totally stress-free. Such a handy boy. Then Saturday we moved the dresser up to the nursery, I washed all the baby clothes and blankets, and Sunday we decorated the walls with the Pooh decals I found the other day (we had already painted the room a week ago). In short, the nursery is ALMOST FINISHED! All that's left to do is move the big eggplant-colored giant overszed chair-and-a-half into there, which we can't do until Fuzzy comes over to help carry it.
Want to see how it looks? Here are some pictures:
They say that if you get the nesting instinct, then labor is just around the corner. Trouble is, I've ALWAYS got the nesting instinct. SNG has laughted about how I get fixated on little around-the-house projects since we started dating 13 years ago. Besides, if that's true, then my cousin, who is 17 weeks pregnant, should have already had her baby weeks ago. ;-)
But anyway, last week as I reviewed and updated my list of "the things in life that have to get done at this point in time" (everyone has a list like that, right?), I took inventory of the minimum requirements for having a baby tomorrow. This was, in part, motivated by the fact that we finished our childbirth classes Thursday night.
They included:
Car Seat ready-to-install
Bag for the hospital Packed and Ready To Go
A bed, diapers, blanket and a few onesies for the baby since I won't be shopping the day after the baby comes home.
Sure, there are a few other things that we'll still have to buy at some point, but we can live without a baby bathtub and a diaper champ (a stinky-free diaper pail) for awhile. After all, she can bathe in the sink and SNG can carry smelly diapers outside every evening. We already had some diapers, blankets, baby bed (we have 3, in fact!) and the car seat. The bag is packed and ready to go. We had onesies and lots of size 3mo+ outfits, but not much in size Newborn. So we bought a new pack of onesies in size 0-3mo. (Aside to PartnerInCrime-- OMG, they're so little. SO LITTLE. so little. And so cute. I was totally feeling just like you said the other day.)
Friday night, SNG got the nesting bug. He carried the crib and changing table upstairs and assembled them in about 1 1/2 hours, totally stress-free. Such a handy boy. Then Saturday we moved the dresser up to the nursery, I washed all the baby clothes and blankets, and Sunday we decorated the walls with the Pooh decals I found the other day (we had already painted the room a week ago). In short, the nursery is ALMOST FINISHED! All that's left to do is move the big eggplant-colored giant overszed chair-and-a-half into there, which we can't do until Fuzzy comes over to help carry it.
Want to see how it looks? Here are some pictures:
Friday, August 25, 2006
A Post That Katrin will be More Interested in than Most People
Tuesday we took The Goofch to The Vet to see whether they had any more ideas about how to treat his lack of appetite, weight loss, incontinence, intestinal distress, etc. In short: our dog was dying right in front of us and there was nothing we could do about it!! The vet agreed, and said it was time for a different tactic.
She took him off one of the antibiotics he was on (Clavamox) and added Prednisone, which is a steroid that makes him hungry and thirsty. Modean was on it when he was sick and I'm certain that's what kept him alive for the last 3 months. So far, it seems to have worked!
So in all, (really only Katrin cares about this) he's taking: Pepcid, Carafate, Metronidazole, Prednisone, and Imodium. Oh, and some eye drops for dry eye.
He's still got the intestinal distress, but he's continent again and most importantly, he's EATING! Not a ton, mind you, but enough to hopefully put some meat back on his bones. Last night we added yogurt (organic, plain, lowfat) to his diet and he slept through the night for the first time in a long while. Today I gave him more yogurt about an hour after breakfast and he has been a happy dog all day. Maybe it'll get his "good" bacteria reestablished and put a slowdown to the intestinal stuff. If nothing else, the yogurt adds more calories (and water).
He also has some energy back. He took a walk the other night for about a mile, which is about twice as far as he was able to go the 2 weeks before. Gooooood Dog!
I really REALLY hope this sorts itself out before the Due Date, because if it doesn't then my mother will be sentenced to Doggie Duty, and I'm not sure she's too excited about the prospect.
That's a good segue to another topic... 29 days and counting!!! Hooray! Mom and Dad have their airline reservations made: Mom gets here the 20th, Dad gets here Oct. 5. Due date is the 23rd. I'm hoping for a Sep 21 arrival to maximize the use of Mom's helping skills. She has MadSkilz for helping. But, if there's any truth to heredity and one's natural cycle (mine is usually 30 days, not 28) then the baby will probably come Oct 2. Has anyone started a betting pool yet?
Tuesday we took The Goofch to The Vet to see whether they had any more ideas about how to treat his lack of appetite, weight loss, incontinence, intestinal distress, etc. In short: our dog was dying right in front of us and there was nothing we could do about it!! The vet agreed, and said it was time for a different tactic.
She took him off one of the antibiotics he was on (Clavamox) and added Prednisone, which is a steroid that makes him hungry and thirsty. Modean was on it when he was sick and I'm certain that's what kept him alive for the last 3 months. So far, it seems to have worked!
So in all, (really only Katrin cares about this) he's taking: Pepcid, Carafate, Metronidazole, Prednisone, and Imodium. Oh, and some eye drops for dry eye.
He's still got the intestinal distress, but he's continent again and most importantly, he's EATING! Not a ton, mind you, but enough to hopefully put some meat back on his bones. Last night we added yogurt (organic, plain, lowfat) to his diet and he slept through the night for the first time in a long while. Today I gave him more yogurt about an hour after breakfast and he has been a happy dog all day. Maybe it'll get his "good" bacteria reestablished and put a slowdown to the intestinal stuff. If nothing else, the yogurt adds more calories (and water).
He also has some energy back. He took a walk the other night for about a mile, which is about twice as far as he was able to go the 2 weeks before. Gooooood Dog!
I really REALLY hope this sorts itself out before the Due Date, because if it doesn't then my mother will be sentenced to Doggie Duty, and I'm not sure she's too excited about the prospect.
That's a good segue to another topic... 29 days and counting!!! Hooray! Mom and Dad have their airline reservations made: Mom gets here the 20th, Dad gets here Oct. 5. Due date is the 23rd. I'm hoping for a Sep 21 arrival to maximize the use of Mom's helping skills. She has MadSkilz for helping. But, if there's any truth to heredity and one's natural cycle (mine is usually 30 days, not 28) then the baby will probably come Oct 2. Has anyone started a betting pool yet?
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Dreams of Roller-Derby Queendom are Dashed!
Goofch has a certain type of incontinence problem that I won't describe here and so yesterday I was desperate to get our expensive rug rolled up, and there's a BIG coffee table on it, and no one else was home, so I pushed it across the room to roll up the rug. Five minutes later I couldn't stand up from a seated position because I threw out my back!!! What the...? I'm super strong! But the 25+ lbs of extra leverage out front was apparently enough to twing something on my low back, left side and put me out of commission for most of the day yesterday.
It seems much better today after lots of rest, ice, and some exercises my mom suggested (not so much exercises as horizontal dance-moves for an injured back. Kind of funny looking, but it helped. Everyone should have a pilates coach on-call 24/7.).
Goofch goes to the vet this afternoon to see if they can make him continent again (is that the right expression? If you're incontinent, doesn't that imply a lack of continence? What the heck is continence anyway? Yuck.). In the meantime, he's sleeping under the old camper-top from our truck, like a true Appalachian family hound. Anyone got a spare dead-refrigerator we can put out there with him? An old sofa? The guys next door are out of town. Think they'd mind if I jacked up their Porsches on blocks in the yard to make Goofch feel more at home?
Goofch has a certain type of incontinence problem that I won't describe here and so yesterday I was desperate to get our expensive rug rolled up, and there's a BIG coffee table on it, and no one else was home, so I pushed it across the room to roll up the rug. Five minutes later I couldn't stand up from a seated position because I threw out my back!!! What the...? I'm super strong! But the 25+ lbs of extra leverage out front was apparently enough to twing something on my low back, left side and put me out of commission for most of the day yesterday.
It seems much better today after lots of rest, ice, and some exercises my mom suggested (not so much exercises as horizontal dance-moves for an injured back. Kind of funny looking, but it helped. Everyone should have a pilates coach on-call 24/7.).
Goofch goes to the vet this afternoon to see if they can make him continent again (is that the right expression? If you're incontinent, doesn't that imply a lack of continence? What the heck is continence anyway? Yuck.). In the meantime, he's sleeping under the old camper-top from our truck, like a true Appalachian family hound. Anyone got a spare dead-refrigerator we can put out there with him? An old sofa? The guys next door are out of town. Think they'd mind if I jacked up their Porsches on blocks in the yard to make Goofch feel more at home?
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Tonight we went to see a bout (they're not games, not matches, but bouts) of Carolina Roller Girls roller derby. It was the league championship, and while the Debutante Brawlers put up a strong fight, it was the T'ai Chi-tahs who took home the Golden Skate. SNG held aloft a sign for Eva Lye, and I had a sign to support Elle Anthnofury. Big points were scored by Penelope Bruz, Princess America, and Teflon Donna. Trainwreck and Shirley Temper did some fine blocking, and Julie Jawbreaker slammed a number of opponents right into the crowd.
Actually, I don't really know what I'm talking about, as this was my first-ever roller derby bout, but it was really fun. A coworker of SNG's is a huge supporter of the local league, and I think is in training to try out for a team next year.
Anyway, if you ever get a chance to go to a roller derby bout, I highly recommend it. It's not very long (3 20 minute periods, minimal stoppage), and there's a lot of action. Just don't be surprised at the teensy mini skirts and tattoos on the skaters or the tongue-in-cheek butch-grrrrl culture.
It's actually the kind of thing I'd have loved to do in college. Throwing around 200-pound guys on the judo team was fun, but our costumes were not nearly so fancy.
Actually, I don't really know what I'm talking about, as this was my first-ever roller derby bout, but it was really fun. A coworker of SNG's is a huge supporter of the local league, and I think is in training to try out for a team next year.
Anyway, if you ever get a chance to go to a roller derby bout, I highly recommend it. It's not very long (3 20 minute periods, minimal stoppage), and there's a lot of action. Just don't be surprised at the teensy mini skirts and tattoos on the skaters or the tongue-in-cheek butch-grrrrl culture.
It's actually the kind of thing I'd have loved to do in college. Throwing around 200-pound guys on the judo team was fun, but our costumes were not nearly so fancy.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
The Goofch is home again, but he's still not a well-puppy. The vet school said he's getting better, but I'll just have to take their word for it. He's got 4 weeks of antibiotics in the form of 5 pills twice a day. He's so skinny and still not very interested in eating or going for walks, and what he eats makes a hasty exit...one way or another. Yeah, I know, you really wanted to know that about my dog.
But on a happier note, it's 38 days until my due date. Yay! The dog should be better by then. And then he can start work as our new nanny.
In all the craziness of sick dog drama, I forgot to tell about our Sunday. We spent most of the day working on getting stuff cleared out of the soon-to-be nursery (still a long way to go) and then at 5:00 we headed down for a neighborhood cookout in the cul-de-sac at the other end of our street. Well, it turned out to be a surprise baby shower! Our awesome neighbors put together this little shin-dig and managed to get SNG to keep the secret and to make sure I wouldn't have a fit of narcolepsy and try to weasel out of going anywhere. It was so much fun! I was really touched by how sweet and thoughtful that was.
So there was a bright side to our weekend, too. :-)
But on a happier note, it's 38 days until my due date. Yay! The dog should be better by then. And then he can start work as our new nanny.
In all the craziness of sick dog drama, I forgot to tell about our Sunday. We spent most of the day working on getting stuff cleared out of the soon-to-be nursery (still a long way to go) and then at 5:00 we headed down for a neighborhood cookout in the cul-de-sac at the other end of our street. Well, it turned out to be a surprise baby shower! Our awesome neighbors put together this little shin-dig and managed to get SNG to keep the secret and to make sure I wouldn't have a fit of narcolepsy and try to weasel out of going anywhere. It was so much fun! I was really touched by how sweet and thoughtful that was.
So there was a bright side to our weekend, too. :-)
Monday, August 14, 2006
So many things going on!
The Boston trip was a lot of fun, although I was pretty pooped most of the time. There was an exhibit called Americans in Paris at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts which included works from late 19th-century American painters living in post-revolutionary Paris. It was fantastic. That's not usually a period of art that I'm so crazy about, but the various works were presented as part of a cohesive narrative about life in Paris as an American expat during such an amazing time of transition and it really worked. I'd recommend it if you get a chance to visit Boston before the end of September. Just to see one painting called "Madame X" was worth the price of admission alone.
The trip home on Friday was easier than I had feared. I printed my boarding pass before leaving for the airport, got there at 3:50 for a 6:30 flight, and hardly anyone was at the airport. For once, it was good that Logan airport is such a dump, and that the American Eagle flights go from only 5 little gates with no bathrooms or shops beyond security. It kept the lines very short. I managed to squeak onto a 4:50 flight and got home about the time my original flight was taking off. Yay!
The weekend was a flurry of working on the nursery and sitting around at the small animal hospital of the vet school. Poor Goofch is very sick. Please light a votive for him if you have the chance, because no one seems to know what's wrong with him, but he has lost about 15 pounds since we came home from the Marquette trip and last week he stopped drinking water. Our vet did lots of tests and couldn't nail down any causes and none of the treatments they tried helped. His vet suggested sending him over to the vet school hospital (sort of the Johns Hopkins of the small animal world, as far as I can figure) and we decided to go ahead and try them after K suggested it-- thank you for the advice! We would have hesitated if not for that advice from one of the nations BEST vets (can we send him down to Alabama for treatment?). But really, if anyone can figure out what the problem is, it's the people at NCSU, but it's already cost us a couple of mortgage payments to have no answers.
UPDATE SINCE I WROTE THAT:
I just spoke to the vet at NCSU, and after a lot of testing and such, it's starting to look more like a liver infection, maybe some kind of hepatitis thing. TREATABLE! Yay! They haven't entirely ruled out cancer, but he's showing signs of improving since they've given him more antibiotics, IV fluids, anti-vomit drugs and some food he can keep down. He's such a sweet dog that he has a bunch of new friends who are loving on him lots, which is good because I bet he's scared. Hopefully we'll get to take him home soon, all healed and it'll be worth the mortgage payments.
SNG made an astute observation: if the dog has hepatitis, can it be passed to one of us or to the baby? I better ask about that when I talk to them next...
The Boston trip was a lot of fun, although I was pretty pooped most of the time. There was an exhibit called Americans in Paris at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts which included works from late 19th-century American painters living in post-revolutionary Paris. It was fantastic. That's not usually a period of art that I'm so crazy about, but the various works were presented as part of a cohesive narrative about life in Paris as an American expat during such an amazing time of transition and it really worked. I'd recommend it if you get a chance to visit Boston before the end of September. Just to see one painting called "Madame X" was worth the price of admission alone.
The trip home on Friday was easier than I had feared. I printed my boarding pass before leaving for the airport, got there at 3:50 for a 6:30 flight, and hardly anyone was at the airport. For once, it was good that Logan airport is such a dump, and that the American Eagle flights go from only 5 little gates with no bathrooms or shops beyond security. It kept the lines very short. I managed to squeak onto a 4:50 flight and got home about the time my original flight was taking off. Yay!
The weekend was a flurry of working on the nursery and sitting around at the small animal hospital of the vet school. Poor Goofch is very sick. Please light a votive for him if you have the chance, because no one seems to know what's wrong with him, but he has lost about 15 pounds since we came home from the Marquette trip and last week he stopped drinking water. Our vet did lots of tests and couldn't nail down any causes and none of the treatments they tried helped. His vet suggested sending him over to the vet school hospital (sort of the Johns Hopkins of the small animal world, as far as I can figure) and we decided to go ahead and try them after K suggested it-- thank you for the advice! We would have hesitated if not for that advice from one of the nations BEST vets (can we send him down to Alabama for treatment?). But really, if anyone can figure out what the problem is, it's the people at NCSU, but it's already cost us a couple of mortgage payments to have no answers.
UPDATE SINCE I WROTE THAT:
I just spoke to the vet at NCSU, and after a lot of testing and such, it's starting to look more like a liver infection, maybe some kind of hepatitis thing. TREATABLE! Yay! They haven't entirely ruled out cancer, but he's showing signs of improving since they've given him more antibiotics, IV fluids, anti-vomit drugs and some food he can keep down. He's such a sweet dog that he has a bunch of new friends who are loving on him lots, which is good because I bet he's scared. Hopefully we'll get to take him home soon, all healed and it'll be worth the mortgage payments.
SNG made an astute observation: if the dog has hepatitis, can it be passed to one of us or to the baby? I better ask about that when I talk to them next...
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Quick update: SHE DIDN'T FLIP! Yay! Those are her FEET jamming into my right-side rib cage. Some big feet, it seems. Well, it's both feet at once and I thought it was her head. What had me confused is that whenever she has hiccups, the feet kick out. Bump! Bump! Bump! Bump!
The Neil Diamond reverse-therapy will not be required after all. Thank goodness for that (sorry again, mom!)
SNG and I went to the doctor this morning and she felt around, said she was pretty sure that IHPE is still head-down, and did a quickie ultrasound just to make sure. Sorry, no 3D pictures this time. It was a strictly-business ultrasound.
The doctor also told me that she wanted to revise my travel deadline by about a week, just to be on the safe side since I'm carrying fairly big. It's a shame because I had a trip scheduled for the week of the 22nd, but it's also a relief because as I've mentioned, air travel is HORRIBLE when you're pregnant, and the bigger you get, the less pleasant it is. It's made even worse by the fact that I'm not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds, and so I can't actually carry any luggage. I have to ask strangers to lift my bag for me to get into a car, on a train, through security, etc. So although I would have loved to teach that class, it would have been pretty tough that late in the game.
I'm still going to Boston today, though! I love Boston. Lobster Roll, here I come!!
The Neil Diamond reverse-therapy will not be required after all. Thank goodness for that (sorry again, mom!)
SNG and I went to the doctor this morning and she felt around, said she was pretty sure that IHPE is still head-down, and did a quickie ultrasound just to make sure. Sorry, no 3D pictures this time. It was a strictly-business ultrasound.
The doctor also told me that she wanted to revise my travel deadline by about a week, just to be on the safe side since I'm carrying fairly big. It's a shame because I had a trip scheduled for the week of the 22nd, but it's also a relief because as I've mentioned, air travel is HORRIBLE when you're pregnant, and the bigger you get, the less pleasant it is. It's made even worse by the fact that I'm not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds, and so I can't actually carry any luggage. I have to ask strangers to lift my bag for me to get into a car, on a train, through security, etc. So although I would have loved to teach that class, it would have been pretty tough that late in the game.
I'm still going to Boston today, though! I love Boston. Lobster Roll, here I come!!
Monday, August 7, 2006
Cracklin' Rose, You're a Store-bought Woman.
I'm sick of summer. It really is true that if you leave the weather you're accustomed to, it only takes a couple of years to completely de-acclimate and re-acclimate to the new place. I'm certainly more cold-weather hearty than I ever thought I'd be, and I am much less hot-weather-ready than I used to be. Although to be honest, I've never liked the heat of August, regardless of where I lived. August in a record-breaking summer while 8 months pregnant is miserable. I told SNG that if we do this again, we're only going to "try" in July, August, or September, so I won't have to be pregnant (or at least, late in the term) during the hot months. If the pasta won't stick to the fridge* during that time, then it'll have to wait another year.
(* this refers to the old standard for testing done-ness of pasta by taking out a strand and throwing it at the fridge. More reliable than tasting it and certainly more fun.)
When we first moved here, and in fact for the first 4 summers we were here, I thought we were in summertime heaven. I still think it's a lot nicer than NOLA or Texas, since NC does occasionally get a week or 2 in the summer where the temperatures don't exceed the low 80s. But this year has just been uncomfortable.
Tomorrow I'm flying up to Boston, where the news says that the heat wave has broken. Yay! Not like it matters though, since I stay in a hotel at one end of a big shopping mall/ office building complex with skyways and the office is at another end of the shopping mall/ office building complex. Regardless of the weather, I'll be in climate-controlled 76 degrees. Yay again!
Tomorrow is also my 33 week appointment at the doctor. Last time I went in, they were well pleased because IHPE was head-down and in the chute, in an advantageous position for being born. Since she likes to do the Safety Dance and Hand Jive, my bladder was getting pretty well pummeled for the last 4 weeks, but it was still nice to know that if I spontaneously went into labor, say, NOW that everthing would still come out OK.
Over the weekend, while I was dancing to some catchy tune (Cracklin' Rose by Neil Diamond, with apologies to ANYONE with half-decent taste in music and even bigger apologies to my mom for having just said that), IHPE got really wiggly. Dancing, of course. But it felt suspiciously like a "flip." And today, her head is in my right-side rib cage. OH NO! Breech! And she's about big enough that it was probably a Herculean effort to make that flip and I don't know that we can expect her to flip back the right way again. So I guess tomorrow I'll ask the doctor whether we need to pencil in an appointment for a c-section just in case her days as a dancing acrobat are over.
SNG will probably say that she was flipping to try to hide from that song. He was hiding under the furniture but you can't NOT sing and dance to that song. However awful it may be. (sorry, mom)
I'm sick of summer. It really is true that if you leave the weather you're accustomed to, it only takes a couple of years to completely de-acclimate and re-acclimate to the new place. I'm certainly more cold-weather hearty than I ever thought I'd be, and I am much less hot-weather-ready than I used to be. Although to be honest, I've never liked the heat of August, regardless of where I lived. August in a record-breaking summer while 8 months pregnant is miserable. I told SNG that if we do this again, we're only going to "try" in July, August, or September, so I won't have to be pregnant (or at least, late in the term) during the hot months. If the pasta won't stick to the fridge* during that time, then it'll have to wait another year.
(* this refers to the old standard for testing done-ness of pasta by taking out a strand and throwing it at the fridge. More reliable than tasting it and certainly more fun.)
When we first moved here, and in fact for the first 4 summers we were here, I thought we were in summertime heaven. I still think it's a lot nicer than NOLA or Texas, since NC does occasionally get a week or 2 in the summer where the temperatures don't exceed the low 80s. But this year has just been uncomfortable.
Tomorrow I'm flying up to Boston, where the news says that the heat wave has broken. Yay! Not like it matters though, since I stay in a hotel at one end of a big shopping mall/ office building complex with skyways and the office is at another end of the shopping mall/ office building complex. Regardless of the weather, I'll be in climate-controlled 76 degrees. Yay again!
Tomorrow is also my 33 week appointment at the doctor. Last time I went in, they were well pleased because IHPE was head-down and in the chute, in an advantageous position for being born. Since she likes to do the Safety Dance and Hand Jive, my bladder was getting pretty well pummeled for the last 4 weeks, but it was still nice to know that if I spontaneously went into labor, say, NOW that everthing would still come out OK.
Over the weekend, while I was dancing to some catchy tune (Cracklin' Rose by Neil Diamond, with apologies to ANYONE with half-decent taste in music and even bigger apologies to my mom for having just said that), IHPE got really wiggly. Dancing, of course. But it felt suspiciously like a "flip." And today, her head is in my right-side rib cage. OH NO! Breech! And she's about big enough that it was probably a Herculean effort to make that flip and I don't know that we can expect her to flip back the right way again. So I guess tomorrow I'll ask the doctor whether we need to pencil in an appointment for a c-section just in case her days as a dancing acrobat are over.
SNG will probably say that she was flipping to try to hide from that song. He was hiding under the furniture but you can't NOT sing and dance to that song. However awful it may be. (sorry, mom)
Friday, July 28, 2006
Air Travel Adventure Time Again! Or, Why I Love Summer Travel
Monday I left for Chicago, and naturally there were some delays. I was pleased, however, to only arrive in Chicago about an hour and a half later than scheduled. Since there were several conferences in town that week, I stayed at a hotel I don't usually stay at, but I might pick it again. It was an Embassy Suites (fridge! microwave! separate living room!) across the street from a big, nice grocery store and about half-way between Navy Pier and The Good Part of Michigan Ave. It was also only about an 8-9 block walk from the office and 2 blocks from the best italian restaurant downtown, and that's a fact!! (in my opinion). Guaranteed!! (not a guarantee). If you're ever in Chicago, check out Volare at the corner of Grand and Santa Clara. Good prices, terrific service, great food, loud and crowded. Get a reservation.
The plan was to fly home Thursday evening after class, arrive in Raleigh a bit before midnight, work Friday, and fly to Austin after work on Friday afternoon. Then I'd spend a fabulous weekend in Austin with family and friends, and fly home on Monday at the crotch of dawn and go straight to work.
But O'Hare had other plans. I should have suspected something was up when I never received notification that my first-class upgrade request went through. When I arrived at the airport, the airline had annouced that my flight home was cancelled and there was no way to get me home that night. They offered to put me on standby for a flight the next morning, but there were LOTS of people already on that stnadby list, so my chances weren't great. I decided it would be easy enough to work from the Austin office on Friday, so I asked to be rebooked on a flight directly to Austin. I could just wash a few things and buy some more things when I got there, since all I had were 2 workout outfits and 3 business dresses.
The Austin flight was full. I was 3rd on the standby list. No one on standby made it onto the plane, including the poor guy who had left India 30 hours before and was trying to get home to Austin.
Then I made friends with the nicest lady at O'Hare, Yolanda. She had been rebooked for a Houston flight, planning to rent a car, drive, and get to Austin around 3am. I asked if she wanted company, and she said sure, so we teamed up to rent a car from Houston to Austin, and everything was working out. Until the Houston flight cancelled. By this time, of course, every flight out of O'Hare was cancelled, so there were somewhere around 100000 people with nowhere to go, and the hotels were filling up fast. Yolanda and I managed to reserve the last room at a Doubletree in the distant suburbs and get rebooked for flights to Dallas and then to Austin the next day (there was no way to get to Raleigh in time to make the flight from Raleigh to Austin, so it was really the only choice). After waiting over an hour for a cab, we got to the Doubletree around 11:30 and they rolled out the red carpet for us-- cookies, free breakfast coupons, replacement deodorant, the whole 9.
After a 6am wake up call, we caught a limo to Midway airport, I left my cell phone in the car, and spent 35 minutes trying to explain to the gate agent why I was going to Austin from Midway airport when I had been scheduled to go from O'Hare to Raleigh the night before, and making sure I still had a ticket from Austin to Raleigh at the end of the weekend. This was, clearly, too much to comprehend. After several false starts and nearly having my Austin-Raleigh reservation cancelled, they FINALLY figured out that, yes, I had to get to Austin today even though I didn't go to Raleigh yesterday and I had to get back to Raleigh Monday even though I didn't go to Raleigh today and that these had been, in fact, two separate itineraries even though I didn't go to Raleigh yesterday and that yes, I really was supposed to be flying out of Midway airport this morning even though I was supposed to fly out of O'Hare last night to go to Raleigh and that I really did have to get to Austin today even though I was supposed to go to Raleigh last night and I definitely had to be confirmed on a flight home to Raleigh in a few days even though I didn't go to Raleigh yesterday.
Anyway, now I'm here. My cell phone arrived in the mail at my house yesterday and the sweet Polish lady who drove the limo will get a nice, generous tip in the mail from me, and I'm absolutely having the time of my life with all my aunts, girl cousins, sister-in-law, brother, dear friends, and mom. My twinkies (brief backstory: there are 4 siblings in my mom's generation, and each had one and only one daughter, so the 4 of us are the Twinkies-- more like sisters than cousins) threw a baby shower for me, mom and her sisters made wonderful food, we had a fantastic party, and IHPE has had a TON of attention. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend. SNG is home missing out on the estrogen-fest, but I think he'd have enjoyed himself in spite of all the "ooh"ing and "aah"ing over bibs, onesies, pacifiers, little dresses, and two gorgeous hand-knitted blankets.
Gosh, what else to say? I will fill in with a few pictures later, but for now I just wanted to vent about the crazy travel adventure and dish over the wonderful weekend that followed.
Monday I left for Chicago, and naturally there were some delays. I was pleased, however, to only arrive in Chicago about an hour and a half later than scheduled. Since there were several conferences in town that week, I stayed at a hotel I don't usually stay at, but I might pick it again. It was an Embassy Suites (fridge! microwave! separate living room!) across the street from a big, nice grocery store and about half-way between Navy Pier and The Good Part of Michigan Ave. It was also only about an 8-9 block walk from the office and 2 blocks from the best italian restaurant downtown, and that's a fact!! (in my opinion). Guaranteed!! (not a guarantee). If you're ever in Chicago, check out Volare at the corner of Grand and Santa Clara. Good prices, terrific service, great food, loud and crowded. Get a reservation.
The plan was to fly home Thursday evening after class, arrive in Raleigh a bit before midnight, work Friday, and fly to Austin after work on Friday afternoon. Then I'd spend a fabulous weekend in Austin with family and friends, and fly home on Monday at the crotch of dawn and go straight to work.
But O'Hare had other plans. I should have suspected something was up when I never received notification that my first-class upgrade request went through. When I arrived at the airport, the airline had annouced that my flight home was cancelled and there was no way to get me home that night. They offered to put me on standby for a flight the next morning, but there were LOTS of people already on that stnadby list, so my chances weren't great. I decided it would be easy enough to work from the Austin office on Friday, so I asked to be rebooked on a flight directly to Austin. I could just wash a few things and buy some more things when I got there, since all I had were 2 workout outfits and 3 business dresses.
The Austin flight was full. I was 3rd on the standby list. No one on standby made it onto the plane, including the poor guy who had left India 30 hours before and was trying to get home to Austin.
Then I made friends with the nicest lady at O'Hare, Yolanda. She had been rebooked for a Houston flight, planning to rent a car, drive, and get to Austin around 3am. I asked if she wanted company, and she said sure, so we teamed up to rent a car from Houston to Austin, and everything was working out. Until the Houston flight cancelled. By this time, of course, every flight out of O'Hare was cancelled, so there were somewhere around 100000 people with nowhere to go, and the hotels were filling up fast. Yolanda and I managed to reserve the last room at a Doubletree in the distant suburbs and get rebooked for flights to Dallas and then to Austin the next day (there was no way to get to Raleigh in time to make the flight from Raleigh to Austin, so it was really the only choice). After waiting over an hour for a cab, we got to the Doubletree around 11:30 and they rolled out the red carpet for us-- cookies, free breakfast coupons, replacement deodorant, the whole 9.
After a 6am wake up call, we caught a limo to Midway airport, I left my cell phone in the car, and spent 35 minutes trying to explain to the gate agent why I was going to Austin from Midway airport when I had been scheduled to go from O'Hare to Raleigh the night before, and making sure I still had a ticket from Austin to Raleigh at the end of the weekend. This was, clearly, too much to comprehend. After several false starts and nearly having my Austin-Raleigh reservation cancelled, they FINALLY figured out that, yes, I had to get to Austin today even though I didn't go to Raleigh yesterday and I had to get back to Raleigh Monday even though I didn't go to Raleigh today and that these had been, in fact, two separate itineraries even though I didn't go to Raleigh yesterday and that yes, I really was supposed to be flying out of Midway airport this morning even though I was supposed to fly out of O'Hare last night to go to Raleigh and that I really did have to get to Austin today even though I was supposed to go to Raleigh last night and I definitely had to be confirmed on a flight home to Raleigh in a few days even though I didn't go to Raleigh yesterday.
Anyway, now I'm here. My cell phone arrived in the mail at my house yesterday and the sweet Polish lady who drove the limo will get a nice, generous tip in the mail from me, and I'm absolutely having the time of my life with all my aunts, girl cousins, sister-in-law, brother, dear friends, and mom. My twinkies (brief backstory: there are 4 siblings in my mom's generation, and each had one and only one daughter, so the 4 of us are the Twinkies-- more like sisters than cousins) threw a baby shower for me, mom and her sisters made wonderful food, we had a fantastic party, and IHPE has had a TON of attention. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend. SNG is home missing out on the estrogen-fest, but I think he'd have enjoyed himself in spite of all the "ooh"ing and "aah"ing over bibs, onesies, pacifiers, little dresses, and two gorgeous hand-knitted blankets.
Gosh, what else to say? I will fill in with a few pictures later, but for now I just wanted to vent about the crazy travel adventure and dish over the wonderful weekend that followed.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Cankles and Other Fun Stuff-- Prenatal Whining Warning
On Monday I went in for my 30-week visit and used the opportunity to raise some heck about the superfluous shot-in-the-behind and get a copy of my complete medical records. If you or someone you know is expecting, I'd suggest that they get a copy of at least their most recent ultrasound and basic bloodwork results from the Ob chart. That way, if they ever need medical care outside of normal office hours, especially away from home, they won't have to wait for the provider to track down records before providing medical attention. This was a suggestion made to me by the doctor in Michigan, and I think she had a really good point. So we got my records, SNG scanned them into a PDF, and I've got it stored on the memory stick that lives on my work badge. And good timing, with three more trips to go before I'm grounded.
FYI, the MI doctor said that the things they most needed to know were whether I had gestational diabetes, my blood type, and whether I had a previa placenta (if I said that right-- it's where the placenta sits really low and can be a little troublesome). Anything more is lagniappe.
While I was at my doc on Monday, he asked whether I'd had any bleeding gums, swelling in the extremities, etc. I was so proud that I've had no bleeding gums, and the only swelling I've had was my ankles when we drove home from Michigan-- and 20 hours in the car with make ANYONE's ankles swell up.
I spoke too soon. By the time I got back to my office, my right ankle had doubled! I had a cankle! Just one! And it was so uncomfortable!
I decided that it could have been caused by a lot of things, including eating too much sugar, not drinking enough water (that's unlikely- I drink a lot of water), sitting at my desk too much (better go home from work, aww shucks!) and not elevating my feet enough.
I spent Monday and Tuesday with my foot elevated, and sleeping with 5 pillows at night (head, front support, back support, under feet, and squeezed in my arms). It didn't help. I had still been walking and doing water aerobics, but that didn't help much. Then yesterday afternoon I switched to tennis shoes at work, and cut out sugar for the whole day. Today the cankle is gone, replaced by my a normal ankle again. We'll see how long that lasts. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I made it to 30 weeks without swelling feet, and even still it's just one ankle. A lot of women start getting swelling in 2nd trimester.
Today I visited my dentist, who was pleased with the status of my teeth and gums. He agreed that not visiting the dentist while pregnant will cause you to have a 3-headed baby, but also suggested that if I didn't like my job, I could quit and take the 3-headed baby on tour. We'd make a fortune. But, alas, I have visited the dentist, so no circus babies for us. Sorry, SNG. It could've been our big chance at fame.
What else? Next week I'm teaching in Chicago. I want to figure out a way to teach in tennis shoes. Maybe if I stay behind the desk the entire time? After Chicago I leave almost immediately for a long weekend in Austin with all the girls. Can't wait!
On Monday I went in for my 30-week visit and used the opportunity to raise some heck about the superfluous shot-in-the-behind and get a copy of my complete medical records. If you or someone you know is expecting, I'd suggest that they get a copy of at least their most recent ultrasound and basic bloodwork results from the Ob chart. That way, if they ever need medical care outside of normal office hours, especially away from home, they won't have to wait for the provider to track down records before providing medical attention. This was a suggestion made to me by the doctor in Michigan, and I think she had a really good point. So we got my records, SNG scanned them into a PDF, and I've got it stored on the memory stick that lives on my work badge. And good timing, with three more trips to go before I'm grounded.
FYI, the MI doctor said that the things they most needed to know were whether I had gestational diabetes, my blood type, and whether I had a previa placenta (if I said that right-- it's where the placenta sits really low and can be a little troublesome). Anything more is lagniappe.
While I was at my doc on Monday, he asked whether I'd had any bleeding gums, swelling in the extremities, etc. I was so proud that I've had no bleeding gums, and the only swelling I've had was my ankles when we drove home from Michigan-- and 20 hours in the car with make ANYONE's ankles swell up.
I spoke too soon. By the time I got back to my office, my right ankle had doubled! I had a cankle! Just one! And it was so uncomfortable!
I decided that it could have been caused by a lot of things, including eating too much sugar, not drinking enough water (that's unlikely- I drink a lot of water), sitting at my desk too much (better go home from work, aww shucks!) and not elevating my feet enough.
I spent Monday and Tuesday with my foot elevated, and sleeping with 5 pillows at night (head, front support, back support, under feet, and squeezed in my arms). It didn't help. I had still been walking and doing water aerobics, but that didn't help much. Then yesterday afternoon I switched to tennis shoes at work, and cut out sugar for the whole day. Today the cankle is gone, replaced by my a normal ankle again. We'll see how long that lasts. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I made it to 30 weeks without swelling feet, and even still it's just one ankle. A lot of women start getting swelling in 2nd trimester.
Today I visited my dentist, who was pleased with the status of my teeth and gums. He agreed that not visiting the dentist while pregnant will cause you to have a 3-headed baby, but also suggested that if I didn't like my job, I could quit and take the 3-headed baby on tour. We'd make a fortune. But, alas, I have visited the dentist, so no circus babies for us. Sorry, SNG. It could've been our big chance at fame.
What else? Next week I'm teaching in Chicago. I want to figure out a way to teach in tennis shoes. Maybe if I stay behind the desk the entire time? After Chicago I leave almost immediately for a long weekend in Austin with all the girls. Can't wait!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
I'm almost a week late in posting about the trip. We got home from vacation last Monday night, but it's been nutty at work ever since.
The Marquette trip was fantastic. I've posted some pictures here. The pics might load a little slowly, and for that I apologize. Just open it in a new window and let it load in the background, you know?
Hey, remember that Rhogam shot I told you about? You know, the shot-in-the-tooshie that cost me $134.14, that my insurance company first said they wouldn't cover, and then said they'd cover but with a $60 co-pay? Yeah, that one. Well, it's a funny story...
While on vacation, for reasons unrelated to this post, I had to pay a little visit to a doctor in Marquette (no big deal, everything is fine) and since it was after hours and my doctor's office was closed, they requested my records from the hospital back home. Bla bla bla, I mentioned in passing to the doctor that I'd had a Rhogam shot the Friday before, and she screwed up her eyes and asked, "Why did you have a Rhogam shot? It says here that you are O-positive!"
Long story short, after a few calls to the doctor back home, it turns out that I am NOT Rh-negative, and did not, in fact, need a Rhogam shot in my bootie, putting me out at least $60 and a half day of work. Somebody had transcribed the results of my blood-typing incorrectly at some point and it came back to bite me in the butt at 28 weeks.
JIVE TURKEYS!
Grr. Grrrrrr grr. Grr. Blood will flow in the streets of Raleigh! Heads will roll! Do not mess with the pregnant lady!
Well, not really. I'm sort of over it now. No harm was done in having the shot unnecessarily, the doctor's office is going to reimburse me for the whole thing, and I won't sue them or anything. But I will consider leaving burning bags of doggie-poop on their doorsteps.
In other news, we are in the midst of a dog-sitting marathon. We've got Dianaverse's dog Daisy for 2 weeks, and Peace & Fuzzy's dog DOTi for a 4-day weekend. And, The Goofch has been sick with a case of pancreatitis for the past week or so. It's a puke-tastic fun-a-thon around old Camp Windy Woods, let me tell you. We're cooking chicken and rice for The Goofch, since it's all he can keep down. At least he has a good selection of buddies to play with and keep his mind off the bellyaches.
On Friday, some colleagues threw us a baby shower at work, and it was SO MUCH FUN. I just love showers and parties, and of course the pressies are lots of fun, too. We got some terrific baby furniture, travel stuff, clothes, blankets, and some handmade things that are so pretty, I'm not sure I can stand to ever let a baby spit-up onto them. This kid is going to be outfitted in style. Mostly I appreciated all the well-wishes and nice words from my friends at work. I've said it before, but it's true: I work with the most terrific people I could ever hope for.
Not much else going on, except that it's hot and muggy all the time, and it feels worse to me because of this big heating pad attached to my torso. Still walking or biking every day, but I've cut out the lunchtime activity. It's just too miserable. I've taken to walking with a frozen water bottle and holding it to my neck, head, arms, belly, back,...
When, oh when will autumn come?!
The Marquette trip was fantastic. I've posted some pictures here. The pics might load a little slowly, and for that I apologize. Just open it in a new window and let it load in the background, you know?
Hey, remember that Rhogam shot I told you about? You know, the shot-in-the-tooshie that cost me $134.14, that my insurance company first said they wouldn't cover, and then said they'd cover but with a $60 co-pay? Yeah, that one. Well, it's a funny story...
While on vacation, for reasons unrelated to this post, I had to pay a little visit to a doctor in Marquette (no big deal, everything is fine) and since it was after hours and my doctor's office was closed, they requested my records from the hospital back home. Bla bla bla, I mentioned in passing to the doctor that I'd had a Rhogam shot the Friday before, and she screwed up her eyes and asked, "Why did you have a Rhogam shot? It says here that you are O-positive!"
Long story short, after a few calls to the doctor back home, it turns out that I am NOT Rh-negative, and did not, in fact, need a Rhogam shot in my bootie, putting me out at least $60 and a half day of work. Somebody had transcribed the results of my blood-typing incorrectly at some point and it came back to bite me in the butt at 28 weeks.
JIVE TURKEYS!
Grr. Grrrrrr grr. Grr. Blood will flow in the streets of Raleigh! Heads will roll! Do not mess with the pregnant lady!
Well, not really. I'm sort of over it now. No harm was done in having the shot unnecessarily, the doctor's office is going to reimburse me for the whole thing, and I won't sue them or anything. But I will consider leaving burning bags of doggie-poop on their doorsteps.
In other news, we are in the midst of a dog-sitting marathon. We've got Dianaverse's dog Daisy for 2 weeks, and Peace & Fuzzy's dog DOTi for a 4-day weekend. And, The Goofch has been sick with a case of pancreatitis for the past week or so. It's a puke-tastic fun-a-thon around old Camp Windy Woods, let me tell you. We're cooking chicken and rice for The Goofch, since it's all he can keep down. At least he has a good selection of buddies to play with and keep his mind off the bellyaches.
On Friday, some colleagues threw us a baby shower at work, and it was SO MUCH FUN. I just love showers and parties, and of course the pressies are lots of fun, too. We got some terrific baby furniture, travel stuff, clothes, blankets, and some handmade things that are so pretty, I'm not sure I can stand to ever let a baby spit-up onto them. This kid is going to be outfitted in style. Mostly I appreciated all the well-wishes and nice words from my friends at work. I've said it before, but it's true: I work with the most terrific people I could ever hope for.
Not much else going on, except that it's hot and muggy all the time, and it feels worse to me because of this big heating pad attached to my torso. Still walking or biking every day, but I've cut out the lunchtime activity. It's just too miserable. I've taken to walking with a frozen water bottle and holding it to my neck, head, arms, belly, back,...
When, oh when will autumn come?!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Tomorrow afternoon SNG, Peace, Fuzzy, the 2 dogs (Goofch and DOTi), hopefully 2 kayaks, lots of luggage and I will load into a rented minivan and drive ~24 hours over 3 days to a week's vacation in Marquette, MI. SNG's family owns a house on Lake Superior right on the water, overlooking Partridge Bay and Partridge Island. My parents are also driving up with their kayaks. The six of us will have a lovely time hiking, biking, kayaking, picking wild berries, watching the storms roll in across the Lake, seeing sunset at 11:30 pm, ...
Monday this week I went in for a late utrasound (27 weeks) and got some CUTE pictures of IHPE's little face:
Monday this week I went in for a late utrasound (27 weeks) and got some CUTE pictures of IHPE's little face:
Look at that nose! Either it's squished flat, or our girl will have a right-on schnoz! So cute.
Anyway, as you'll recall, between 20 and 24 weeks, I was super-hungry, especially for sweets, possibly due (in part) to taking a glucose tolerance test (which I passed). When they did my 24-week checkup, I had gained 8 pounds and when the doc whipped out the tape measure and measured my belly from the base to the top of the uterus, her eyes bugged out of her head like Large Marge. She insisted on another ultrasound to see whether the baby was a giant, or I had too much fluid, or something like that. I Was Scared. Scared straight!! No more sweets for me! I stopped eating all those brownies, cookies, muffins, candies, cakes, ... and over the next 3 weeks, did not gain an ounce. I am not dieting, I eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full, but I'm not eating junk food. In fact, 3 1/2 weeks later, I'm still the same weight I was when the doctor went all Marge on me.
That isn't to say that IHPE is the same size. I can tell that my waist has expanded even further, but my behind has shrunk back to its pre-20-week size.
So anyway, when I went in for the ultrasound, they found that she is 61st percentile for her age (2lb8oz) which isn't at all unusual, and the fluid is normal. She just had a really quick growth spurt. But my belly measures 32 weeks. I asked how this was possible. It's just the way I carry her, the doc said. Near as I can figure, it's like this:
You've got a basketball (that's the baby + fluid + uterus). You lay the basketball on a surface such as, say, a rubber membrane or a pile of pillows (that's the torso with internal organs). Measure how much basketball sticks up. This is kind of how the fundus measurement works. If the basketball is squishy, it can push itself flat. If the rubber membrane is soft, it can drop further in. Either way, you get a smaller measurement.
Now put that basketball on a very tight membrane, or a coffee table. It sticks up further. Same size basketball, but less space for it to settle in. This is me. As I've noted before, short girls don't have a lot of room for babies in there.
So, it looks like I gained 8 weeks' worth of weight in 4 weeks, and now I'm in a slow growth period. I'm expecting to resume weight gain (1/2-1 lb a week) soon. As long as I eat when I'm hungry and avoid junk food, and continue with my walking, I can only guess that everything will be just fine.
By the way, remember how I was bemoaning the jerks at airports who don't lift a finger to help The Pregnant Lady (and even the jerks who try to run us over in cars!)? Well, I think that phase is over. The last 2 trips I've been on, everyone has been really helpful. I guess I just wasn't big enough before. Now I probably scare people into thinking I'll topple over if they don't grab that suitcase off the security conveyor belt for me.
In other news, I learned this week that I'm rh-negative, and SNG is positive, which is a gentle way of saying that if we have a 2nd baby, my body might try to fight it off like a disease. Yikes. So, to prevent this from happening, they'll give me an injection of some cold, thick substance on Friday morning that will prevent the production of anti-baby antibodies. Then they'll do it again when baby is born. And again if I get pregnant again. At $133 a pop for the medicine alone, my insurance is trying to refuse to cover it. Grrrrrrrrr. Where's Nader when I need him?
I'll try to blog from Marquette. Happy 4th of July to everyone!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
First things first: A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!!!! to my cousin PartnerInCrime who recently learned that she and LeBon will be parents in February. She's due on Groundhog Day, which is toooooo cool. I'm pleased as punch to have a little bitty cousin almost the same age as IHPE on the way. Even though she's in Seattle, I'm sure these kids will grow up together anyway! We also have another bitty-witty girl cousin due VERY soon in Asheville. All this baby excitement! There's definitely something in the water.
Wednesday I left for New York and was reminded of the reality of summertime air travel. Our flight left late because of air traffic at La Guardia, then we weren't allowed to land when we got there because of air traffic. On Friday, we flew home late because of air traffic, because the incoming plane wasn't allowed to land due to air traffic. Then we sat on the departing runway for another 45 minutes due to air traffic. I always wonder how it is possible that the airport doesn't know we're coming, or leaving, literally months ahead of time. And if they do, in fact, know that we're coming, why not plan accordingly? Imagine a similar situation with family:
Mom: Hi honey, we're going to visit you in Raleigh next month!
Me: Oh, that's awesome, mom! We can't wait to see you!
Mom: We'll be in on July 28.
Me: Super. See you then.
a month later...
Mom: Hi, sweetie, we're all packed up and about to hit the road to come visit!
Me: Oh, you better wait a few days. We planned for 6 other guests to come stay at the house.
Mom: Oh, gollygeewillakers. Well, OK, we'll leave in a few days.
a few days later...
Mom: Hi, sweetie, we're about 2 hours from Raleigh, and wanted to make sure you'd be home to let us in!
Me: Oh, no, sorry mom. Those people I invited? Well, they've left but I've got 8 more people showing up in about 30 minutes. You'd better find a motel in Greensboro for a week or so.
Mom: Well, OK, but your dad has a bike club meeting in 10 days.
Me: Oh, no problem!!! There will DEFINITELY be room for you in 2 more days.
2 days later...
Mom: We're just outside Raleigh!
Me: Oh, sorry mom, we're really busy with MORE guests that we planned for, and I've already made THEM wait 9 days so you'll need to wait a little longer...
I don't know about your mom, but mine would just come to the house anyway and sleep on the living room floor if I tried to pull something like that. But the airports? Well, we can't be rude. We must wait until air taffic control invites us.
None of this would really be a big deal, as I'm used to airport delays and sitting on runways for hours at a time. It's all part of the road warrior territory. What bothers me is doing all of this while big and pregnant. There's almost no more uncomfortable place to be than seated in an airplane seat while big and pregnant. I'd rather do yoga Sun Salutations for 3 hours than spend 45 minutes sitting in an airplane seat while big and pregnant.
That reminds me- I have a few pregnant lady pictures, and I've posted them here. The contrast of having a giant belly and normal everything else is funny. The big belly makes my butt look tiny, which is kind of cool (sorry, no pics of my butt). On the other hand, I once saw a naked man a the beach who was built about like I am now- boobs, giant belly, little butt and legs. It was one of the scariest things I've seen in my whole life. He was also very hairy. And, did I mention?, naked.
OK, back to the NY trip. I had a good time in spite of the travel discomfort. Fuzzy asked me to try out a restaurant for him called The Modern, which was quite good. Best of all, I had company! One of my students, who was from Albany and also had nothing to do, went walking with me after class and to dinner on Thursday evening. It's always nicer to have someone to eat with on trips.
This week I'm home (yay!) and it's the last week in the office before we go on the Marquette trip. Driving for 3 days there and 2 days back is something I am dreading more than sitting on the runway at La Guardia. But, our traveling companions are terrific, and we're renting a minivan with a bench seat I can lie down on some of the time. Stopping every 45 minutes should be memorable. And once we get there, we'll have a fabulous time. No doubt you'll hear some bellyaching about it afterwards.
Wednesday I left for New York and was reminded of the reality of summertime air travel. Our flight left late because of air traffic at La Guardia, then we weren't allowed to land when we got there because of air traffic. On Friday, we flew home late because of air traffic, because the incoming plane wasn't allowed to land due to air traffic. Then we sat on the departing runway for another 45 minutes due to air traffic. I always wonder how it is possible that the airport doesn't know we're coming, or leaving, literally months ahead of time. And if they do, in fact, know that we're coming, why not plan accordingly? Imagine a similar situation with family:
Mom: Hi honey, we're going to visit you in Raleigh next month!
Me: Oh, that's awesome, mom! We can't wait to see you!
Mom: We'll be in on July 28.
Me: Super. See you then.
a month later...
Mom: Hi, sweetie, we're all packed up and about to hit the road to come visit!
Me: Oh, you better wait a few days. We planned for 6 other guests to come stay at the house.
Mom: Oh, gollygeewillakers. Well, OK, we'll leave in a few days.
a few days later...
Mom: Hi, sweetie, we're about 2 hours from Raleigh, and wanted to make sure you'd be home to let us in!
Me: Oh, no, sorry mom. Those people I invited? Well, they've left but I've got 8 more people showing up in about 30 minutes. You'd better find a motel in Greensboro for a week or so.
Mom: Well, OK, but your dad has a bike club meeting in 10 days.
Me: Oh, no problem!!! There will DEFINITELY be room for you in 2 more days.
2 days later...
Mom: We're just outside Raleigh!
Me: Oh, sorry mom, we're really busy with MORE guests that we planned for, and I've already made THEM wait 9 days so you'll need to wait a little longer...
I don't know about your mom, but mine would just come to the house anyway and sleep on the living room floor if I tried to pull something like that. But the airports? Well, we can't be rude. We must wait until air taffic control invites us.
None of this would really be a big deal, as I'm used to airport delays and sitting on runways for hours at a time. It's all part of the road warrior territory. What bothers me is doing all of this while big and pregnant. There's almost no more uncomfortable place to be than seated in an airplane seat while big and pregnant. I'd rather do yoga Sun Salutations for 3 hours than spend 45 minutes sitting in an airplane seat while big and pregnant.
That reminds me- I have a few pregnant lady pictures, and I've posted them here. The contrast of having a giant belly and normal everything else is funny. The big belly makes my butt look tiny, which is kind of cool (sorry, no pics of my butt). On the other hand, I once saw a naked man a the beach who was built about like I am now- boobs, giant belly, little butt and legs. It was one of the scariest things I've seen in my whole life. He was also very hairy. And, did I mention?, naked.
OK, back to the NY trip. I had a good time in spite of the travel discomfort. Fuzzy asked me to try out a restaurant for him called The Modern, which was quite good. Best of all, I had company! One of my students, who was from Albany and also had nothing to do, went walking with me after class and to dinner on Thursday evening. It's always nicer to have someone to eat with on trips.
This week I'm home (yay!) and it's the last week in the office before we go on the Marquette trip. Driving for 3 days there and 2 days back is something I am dreading more than sitting on the runway at La Guardia. But, our traveling companions are terrific, and we're renting a minivan with a bench seat I can lie down on some of the time. Stopping every 45 minutes should be memorable. And once we get there, we'll have a fabulous time. No doubt you'll hear some bellyaching about it afterwards.
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