Bump Update - Week 39

Whoa guys... one week left? How did that happen? I know, I know, it could be longer, but man, 'one week until my due date' is a crazy thing to write out. 

I had my last pedicure appointment. I'm not much for getting my nails done unless it's a very special occasion, but I sure have enjoyed these sessions. It's been lovely having Joy at the Whole Body Salon chat with me while helping me reach these forgotten toes. If you plan on visiting me, you should absolutely stop in at Whole Foods to enjoy a little time at this salon. 

The pretty flowers get me every time!

The cats got their 'spa day' as well. Baths, treatments, kitty caps... the works! They tolerated it pretty well though they wanted nothing to do with us for a few hours afterwards. I can't blame them. But they're so soft and clean now!

Not sparkling with joy on the inside, but they are on the outside!

It's been a lovely week of final preparation all in all. The last minute shopping is done, the house is as clean as it's gonna get for visitors, and all the baby stuff is cleaned and ready. I've been talking to this munchkin, telling him/her that we are ready and that anytime now would be perfect. :) I'm doing my 'pain coping' exercises with a bowl of ice and practicing my affirmations. I'm generally feeling pretty good... just cumbersome and heavy. And a bit like a punching bag. Midwife says all looks good and all my numbers are on track. So... any day now!

We also took advantage of our dwindling time to have dinner at the food trucks again. So amazing. Pulled pork sandwich, chicken and mushrooms sandwich, and fantastic tater tots... and maybe some delicious cupcakes. A blueberry cheesecake and a churro cupcake! To share of course... ;)  It's nice seeing all the families here, I like imagining meeting Ed here after work with the baby. Give the Ergo carrier some good use!

I've been spending time sitting on the patio now that it's a little warmer and the garden is blooming like crazy. I figure 10-20 minutes of sun is good for my vitamin D as well. If I'm not up to walking, the least I can do is sit out in the fresh air. Few things in life make me as happy as sitting and looking at healthy plants.

And! The Pentatonix concert was amaaaazing. 

It was actually a perfect concert for a full term pregnant lady. Started on time, ended early, and the crowd was all theater/choral people and some middle aged folks. In other words, a very chill crowd. The lighting? Incredible. There's only so much you can do with a show made of 4 people singing with minimal dancing. But the set and the lighting, were amazing. They opened with their Daft Punk medley and it was just... it's hard to describe how inspiring it is when you see performers live and they sound just as good, if not better, than their produced pieces. Baby was dancing away the whoooole show - which was a little uncomfortable, but super great for me being able to sleep the rest of the night. Baby was exhausted I guess! 

Also hearing Avi do his overtone singing in person was really awesome (you gotta listen for the whistle tones):

They also did "Let's Get It On" which they had done on the Sing Off, but this time they added a little audience participation by bringing up a female fan. She was jumping out of her skin she was so excited. 

The audience member is seated on the far left of the stage.

The event staff was lovely too. The VIP room was a great break area away from the concert but when they found out I was 10 days away from my due date they offered to get me handicapped seating! We tried to make our way down to the area but it was pretty cram packed with people already situated. Thankfully, a very nice couple offered me their seat so I got to enjoy the concert up close while off my feet. I didn't get to see much, but honestly, all I wanted was to be in the room and enjoy the singing. Feel the bass in my bones you know? It was amazing. Ed keeps out doing himself with these gifts!

Well, bump time! One of the few left! 

Feelin' pretty big these days!

How far along? 39 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? 20in-ish and as heavy as a mini watermelon!

Sleep: Same, same, same. Which is hopefully a good thing. Hope it's a sign of things to come in a week or so.

Best moment this week: Of course, the Pentatonix concert. There are few things as much fun as seeing a brilliant performance, singing along with a friendly audience, and getting to dance around to thumping bass. We haven't been out to as many concerts these days unfortunately, and I know that number will be even fewer for awhile, so I really, really enjoyed this evening out.

Movement: A lot more uncomfortable for me these days because there's just no room in there. Every move feels like the last inch my skin can stretch, but we're still dancing and partying in there.

Food cravings/aversions: I want a beer people. No. I want a case of beer. A delicious case of deliciousness. 

Symptoms: Little bit of ankle swelling going on here. Thank god it didn't happen until just now at the end, how miserable it would be to have this for months like some of the women I've seen along the way. Otherwise, just normal stuff - fatigue and what not.

It's not horrible, but my right foot is definitely a bit more swollen than the left!

Gender: I've been getting a lot of guesses for a boy based on how I'm carrying.   

Belly Button in or out? Still have a little hood, but mostly it's just flat. We're not innie or outie, we're just stretched to within an inch of our life!

What I miss: Being able to move without as much thought. I told Ed, it's like making a 10 point turn just to get out of bed in the middle of the night. Same for sitting down, getting up off the floor, etc. It all takes way more maneuvering at this stage of the game.

What I am looking forward to: Mom! She should be here in oh, 24 hrs or so. And I am soooo ready! :)

Funny moment of the week: I joined Ed and his coworkers for lunch this week at the company cafe. At the end of the meal I stood up and noticed there was a small puddle on my chair. Ed and I both looked at each other like... oh. my. god. is this IT? But I didn't feel anything?! And we just came from the midwife and she didn't say it would happen NOW! Ack! But then I went to the bathroom and only the outside of my pants were wet. Boy did that get my heart rate up. So thank you person who sat there before me for leaving the chair wet, you scared the bejesus out of this pregnant lady and her husband.

Labor Signs: Some braxton hicks maybe? It's hard to tell. Nothing awful. But I wish more would come around... For whatever reason I feel like I'd be more ready if I had more practice sensations.

Weekly Wisdom: People generally mean well. I've been fortunate this pregnancy to be able to take a step back and not freak out on people who are just trying to be kind or friendly while not really knowing what to say. I don't blame other ladies for getting upset over some cliche pregnancy comments (are you sure there's only one in there, you're enormous!/the names you've picked are dumb or boring!/aren't you afraid of *insert some horrible pregnancy complication*)... but just try to wiggle your toes and take a deep breath and think happy thoughts! Doesn't help to get pissed, even if it feels totally justified. It'll just get you all worked up and have way less an impact on the other person than you are hoping for - and like I said, just trust that they are coming from a place of love and concern (whether it's true or not).

Milestones: Possibly the last week?! Crazy. This was the fastest pregnancy ever. :)

Annnnnnd of course, let's all celebrate my niece's 5 month mark! Such a lovebug.

Bump Update - Week 38

So much to cover so brace yourself for a longish post! Of course we can start with my birthday, which was incredible. Like I said, no big plans. I got my last prenatal massage (in theory at least, because if baby is super late, I'll be going in again to try to get things moving). I'll really miss going in regularly for those. During the day I met up with Ed for lunch at work which was really nice. I just wanted to spend time with him. I know time with just the two of us is quickly coming to an end so on my special day that's what I decided to demand. :) I treated myself to my own personal 'birthday cake':

Cinnabon I love you.

Yep, that's right, Cinnabon all the way baby. I've been thinking about it all pregnancy but haven't indulged in one all 9 months. I figure there's no better time than now! 
I was going to take a nice long nap after that, but then the mail came and I opened a gift from my sister that got me so worked up, I couldn't nap. I just stayed up and danced!

I will always love Robbie Williams. I just can't resist. Best of all, there's a song on this album he wrote for his child that I'll be able to sing to our baby.

Then for dinner, we went to my favorite Indian place here, Sakoon in Mountain View. It was lovely. I may not have a lot of space for food, but I sure enjoyed revisiting Mountain View and our old haunts. And what did Ed get me you might be wondering? Other than a perfectly wonderful relaxing day.... he got me tickets...

...to see Pentatonix! :) I'm so excited. He went all out and got us passes to the VIP room so I have an assured place to sit down if my feet get tired, a private bathroom area and even some appetizers. The concert is this Saturday so we'll see how much baby likes all my dancing and all the vibrating of the music. I can hardly contain myself. It's funny, I asked Ed how he knew I would love this, and he said one day I walked by and out of the blue apropos of nothing said, "I freakin' LOVE Pentatonix!" And he knew he should keep an eye out for that. Funny, I even posted their video last week. You'll be hearing all about the concert in next week's post... as long as I'm not in labor or if baby has made an early appearance. Guess I should post another video from them this week just to celebrate.... I'm a big fan of their cover of "Pusher Love Girl" by Justin Timberlake (I highly advise listening with headphones):

Otherwise, things have been lovely. We had our last birth prep class. One of the ladies in the class actually went into labor the day before... and she had the same due date as me! Yikes! She kindly shared a picture and her baby is beautiful, with more hair than I have ever seen on a newborn. We also had our last group prenatal session at our midwife group. Unfortunately, I was feeling pretty awful on Saturday, (maybe all the rich food?), so I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, but it was nice seeing everyone one more time and getting our little blessing from the group. There's still a chance we'll be there for another meeting, which would be on Mar. 8th, but we'll see. :)

And of course, Valentine's day was wonderful as always. We had a nice steak dinner at home and watched a romantic comedy. 

My steak looks like Ed's steak's pet.

I even got a backrub! (To be fair, Ed's very generous with the back and foot rubs) It was all low key, which is pretty much all a big ole pregnant lady can handle. I did get to wander around Whole Foods for dinner supplies which was actually kind of fun because they were decked out! Flowers everywhere, dessert tables in every aisle... I snapped a picture of the dessert counter because I've never before seen so many princess cakes freshly made!

The princess cakes are the pink domed ones in the center

Alright, alright, bump update!  

How far along? 38 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? 19.5 inches, a leek? ~6.8 lbs (there's no way of knowing at this point really)

Sleep: Oh sleep. I'm trying to squeeze this in as much as possible but it's tough. Regular wake ups every 2 hrs, and a big wake up at 3am. Every night. Poor Ed says my dreams must be getting crazier because I'm doing more sleep yelling and singing. :) He's a good man for not kicking me out of the bedroom.

Best moment this week: Sorry, can't pick a moment. The whole week was wonderful. Turning 28, Valentine's Day, last birth prep class (which ended with a foot bath and massage from Ed), and last prenatal group... all amazing, wonderful things.

Movement: Baby is doing his/her best to make me nervous. We're in a bit of a posterior position right now. It's not a terrible thing, it can make for a more painful labor though, so we're spending a lot of our day trying to get some rotation going on there. That means lots of stretches and crawling around on the floor and no reclining for me.

Symptoms: Boy am I feeling beat these days. Baby feels significantly lower so I am waddling a ton and struggling to move gracefully when it comes to getting up and down from the couch/floor/bed...

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing really... okay maybe I could go for a biiiiig glass of wine and biiiiig beer. But past that, nothing really. 

Gender: I've been reading parenting books and I am so glad I've been insistent on primary colors and staying away from pastels and gendered messaging. No matter what we have, I'll be using the same clothing on the second baby!  

Belly Button in or out? Still half and half - this is related to the posterior positioning thingy, once baby turns, his/her back will press against my belly and push it out fully (in theory)

What I miss: Nothing really this week... just enjoying the moments. Maybe I miss the part of the pregnancy where I wasn't feeling the pressure of the due date looming.

What I am looking forward to: Mom's arrival!!!! So soon guys! :) She'll be here next Wednesday and I cannot wait. She's the first of many family visits coming in the next two months.

Funny moment of the week: For our last birth prep class we did a pot luck. I tried to make deviled eggs... I forgot that my temper is pretty short these days so the idea of peeling boiled eggs probably wasn't the smartest idea. I had made it through 5 eggs, frustratingly destroying all of them and trying to remain calm. That 6th egg though... I may have lost my cool halfway through unsuccessfully peeling it, starting laughing maniacally, and crushed it, half shell and all, in my fist, oozing out onto the counter. Like the hulk. It was about then I stepped away from the eggs and decided to just buy some pre-cut fruit from Whole Foods. :)

Labor Signs: Nothing really? It's hard to tell but I think we're just in a holding pattern until this baby gives us the go sign.

Weekly Wisdom: Your body will do what it's going to do. Yes you have input and can help things along, but there's only so much you can do at the end of the day. This week we discussed how the "full term" status has recently changed to 39 weeks, and in the home country of one of the other expectant clients, full term is considered 42 weeks. Oy!

Milestones: We are some two weeks away from the due date... Can't believe it. Where did all the time go?!

And now some Emilia for you! Just cause you read this whole crazy post :)

"Lock the doors, lower the blinds, fire up the smoke machine and put on your heels!"

A good solo weekend is never a bad thing. Ed was out in San Antonio with his friend having a man's weekend away so, I decided I was going to eat all the food that Ed doesn't particularly enjoy and see the movies Ed isn't interesting in seeing. Of course I have a couple other Carly-activities I'm throwing in just for kicks, like doing my nails and taking a nice long bath and lighting a bunch of candles and incense, and reading anywhere and everywhere, but those things I can do pretty much any day of the week while I'm home alone. This is going to be a huge lists post so... prepare yourself!

Movies

1. W/E 

This was pretty terrible. Half of it was bad acting, half was a terrible script. One character's whole backstory was given by one of the supporting actresses, addressing a lead with something like, 'Hey Sotheby's most accomplished researcher on Wallace Simpson, how are you today?!' Such painfully forced exposition. I was weirded out by how every woman seemed to be doing some copycat of Madonna herself. The costumes and jewelry were astoundingly beautiful, but you really can't enjoy it because the whole thing looks like an extended music video from 1994. Think, her Truth or Dare mating with the "Take a Bow" video. 

2. Magic Mike

I can't even critique this. We all know why we watched this movie and why we choose to watch it again, and it has nothing to do with any words from a review.

3. Brave

Not entirely relevant: I'm a sucker for red hair (this may have been brought up before and will be brought up many times again). It's a daily battle to not color my hair. So, I already love this character and as I told Lizzy, I think this is the most beautiful Disney movie I've ever seen. And the whole mother-daughter story? Definitely made me tear up, missing my own Mom :)

4. Margaret

 I so disliked this movie. I don't think I understood the message... people are good? bad? complicated? forced to do things by the Gods? Whatever. Now this movie, I was mad I sat through.

5. Young Adult

I strangely loved this movie. I usually loathe movies that are awkward and uncomfortable for humor's sake (i.e. Meet the Parents) but this movie was awkward in a very human way. I wouldn't say this is a 'funny' movie. It's hard to watch, and kind of sad, but because she's so unable to comprehend life and other people, I found it really interesting.

6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Mom and Ken told me to watch this and I loved it. Made me laugh and tear up. It's generally nothing new, but it's refreshing to see a bunch of actors that have been playing a limited range of roles lately, get a chance to open up into other things. This movie just made me happy.

Books

I also squeezed in a huge amount of reading. Can we talk about my reading? It's been out of control lately. I can't go to the library without checking out at least 5 novels. I'm surrounded by piles of them right now. Let me list what I've got on tap:

1. Giving Up the Ghost by Eric Nuzum (non-fiction, memoir, paranormal)
2. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson (non-fiction, memoir, LGBT)
3. When It Happens To You by Molly Ringwald (yep, that Molly Ringwald!) (Short stories, fiction, contemporary)
4. Stay Awake by Dan Chaon (short stories, horror, thriller)
5. Wild by Cheryl Strayed (non-fiction, memoir, travel)
6. Eat the City by Robin Shulman (non-fiction, history, New York, food)
7. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (Writer's guide, non-fiction, memoir)
8. Stay Close by Harlan Coben (Suspense)
9. The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli (fiction, contemporary)
10. The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt (non-fiction, politics, religion, philosophy,psychology, sociology)
11. The World Without You Joshua Henkin (fiction, contemporary, death, family)
12. A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer duBois (historical and contemporary fiction)
13. Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin (fantasy, epic, adventure) Side note: it seems I will never finish this series. Le sigh.
14. thru 22. A series of writer guides, handbooks and general inspiration for authors.

I recently finished reading This Is How You Lose Her, which was... worth reading but required Urban Dictionary and a Spanish translation aid to really get it. I don't know if I agree with the hype surrounding it, but I'm not sorry I read it. I also read the two books of short stories, When It Happens To You  and Stay Awake . The Chaon book started strong and FREAKED ME OUT. Check out this passage:

"He can remember the way the child would slip barefoot through rooms, slinking, sneaking, watching, Gene had thought, always watching him.

It is a memory he has almost succeeded in forgetting, a memory he hates and mistrusts. He was drinking heavily at the time, and he knows that alcohol grotesquely distorted his perceptions. But now that it has been dislodged, that old feeling moves through him like a breath of smoke. Back then, it had seemed to him that Mandy had turned DJ against him, that DJ had in some strange way almost physically transformed into something that wasn't Gene's real son. Gene can remember how, sometimes, he would be sitting on the couch, watching TV, and he'd get a funny feeling. He'd turn his head and DJ would be at the edge of the room, with his bony spine hunched and his long neck craned, staring with those strangely oversize eyes."

I turned around so fast to make sure that child was not behind me when I read that. I even did it just now after typing. In fact, I just went around the apartment and turned on all the lights. It is a terrible choice of book to read for a weekend when you're home alone, but I really cannot resist a good opportunity to scare myself.

I never did make it out to see Twilight sadly... the longer I wait the more I think I'll just see it through Redbox. I did take some time to write. Those of you who know me remember that I used to journal somewhat obsessively. I really dropped off with that habit as soon as I finished college. In the past year and a half, I've written only about 100 pages. I found a prompt-a-day plan for December that is meant for blogs generally (named Reverb12) but I started it in my journal. It felt really good to put actual pen to paper again. I'll take pen and paper or typewriter over laptops any day of the week. I plan on posting a couple of the entries on here on other days of the week when I find them appropriate, but still leaving my big recap post for Monday mornings. So check back for more regular (and SHORTER) updates! :)

"You runnin' around in circles, but you won't find no better than this"

So let's give a quick round up....

Father's Day was a wonderful trip up to Half Moon Bay suggested by Dad and Debbie. My first visit there was back in September after we first moved to the area, and I was not as impressed. It struck me as a long drag, crammed with parking and traffic, all leading to overloaded restaurants. This time around we explored south of that first visit's area, on main street and also Francis beach. Lovely is an understatement. Of course, as it is with all California beaches, the water temperature is approximately the-coldest-water-you've-ever-felt degrees. But the blue skies, the arc of the bay, the massive waves and footpaths winding along the carved cliff coastline, create the most intense feeling of living in a picture... It's like you've walked right into the "Visit California" ad's with all the movie stars. We had a nice sushi lunch and relaxed together, catching up.

That evening we met up with our friend's Lisa and Joe, and had a fantastic time. They covered so much of the 'to-do's' in San Francisco, it was kind of incredible. It's hard to describe how even as I'm starting to feel like living out here is home, we miss our friends. If only we could afford to transplant them all out here for the time being! Having dinner and drinks in the city with close friends puts such a refreshing spin on life here. Another thing we realized, well not realized - we're aware we just forget, is that it's quite nice having other people around to do things with. To his credit, Ed is truly a good sport about seeing movies like Twilight and Hunger Games and going to the library and participating in deep discussions on the pros and cons of the three houses the featured couple on House Hunters are considering. Lord knows, I'm sure Ed would greatly appreciate someone to run off into the wilderness and jump into his scuba diving, sky diving, or general wilderness insanity that I am not all that keyed up to do. It's a small luxury people probably take for granted. 

Sunday we made our way up to Oakland for a Scissor Sisters concert which, as the was the one in D.C., a hugely fun time. Fox Theater was the nicest venue I have ever been in. The seats had been removed, so maybe the seats are terrible and would change my opinion... but this stage was immense and flanked by giant gold statues with glowing eyes. The cut out indoor windows in the theater had this Moroccan flair, and the lighting design they had set up for that night was (of course) rainbow colored. The effect was so exotic and wild. The performance wasn't my favorite, but that may also be related to their current album not sinking it's hooks into me as deeply as the last album. All in all, an incredible weekend.

Other than that, life is really good. Everyday feels like a long wedding slog, it's amazing how the time races by when I'm working on all the details. I'm not sure how anyone with a job gets any wedding stuff done... I'm grateful I have time to do this because it is certainly saving a lot of money. NPR had a piece on the average price of weddings these days. I'm glad to say we're significantly beneath it, but I now have a full appreciation for how much the wedding business really screws you over with expectation. My favorite current example is the demand for a calligrapher and that labels (which we used) are tacky. One 'professional' opinion was that labels were impersonal. A very sensible bride replied with: how is paying a stranger to do it more personal? I agree sensible bride. I agree. If you have the money, if I had the money, it's great. Calligraphy is beautiful and if it's in the budget then that is awesome. But where do these 'professionals' get the nerve to guilt money-strapped brides into nonsensical expectations? The list goes on....

Current wedding planning highlights include:

1. THE INVITATIONS ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY SENT (This is huge. I was already a few weeks late of the 'deadline' to send them out)

2. I have all the paper products and they are about 50% completed

3. We have a photographer! I'm still filling out the contract but unless I get hit by a rogue comet, her name is Debi Parker and I knew from the moment I saw her photographs she's exactly what I wanted (Also she's was an incredibly lovely person to talk to on the phone, check her out! debiparker.com)

4. I hand printed thank you cards to use when all is said and done for guests and vendors (Made while watching Melancholia - ironic I know)

5. DJ is almost in hand

6. My wonderful Uncle John has agreed to be the officiant (and I could not be more excited) 

It's almost the 2 month mark and I'm feeling pretty good. And now my favorite part of wedding preparation begins! Girly experimentation with beauty products! I'll post on that next time, so any reader not interested in my ranting and raving about the greatest moisturizer/teeth-whitener/exfoliant/serum are welcome to skip the next post. :)