Hormones, Starbucks, and the True Meaning of Christmas

There isn't always a wrong answer to a question. For example: If you would ask me if I have been hormonal through this pregnancy, I would likely say no. I feel like I have acted appropriately given all most situations. However, if you would ask Mitch if I have been hormonal during this pregnancy, he would hesitate, and probably inwardly debate just how emphatically he should answer with a resounding "yes!". As far as I'm concerned, we're both a little bit right. How? Don't worry about it. We just are.

Last night was one of those nights were maybe Mitch would have been more right than me...I was not happy. I can't explain why, but it was just not a good night. Even watching Seinfeld made me mad because it was a stupid episode. So Mitch, being the good man that he is, asked me several times throughout the early evening what he could do to make my life better. I couldn't think of anything to even let him try to do, which made me madder. But then it hit me...he could take me christmas decoration shopping. As soon as I mentioned this, I saw great regret come across Mitch's face, though he should have known that if you ask me enough times what I want to do, it will generally result in me going shopping. However, Mitch was so good about it. He agreed, and took me shopping. This didn't help my mood once we had arrived at Pier One, because after walking around for 45 minutes I decided that I really am a terrible decorator and anything I purchase won't look good anyway so we left the store empty handed. Mitch did not understand this at all, but instead of getting angry with me, simply took me to Starbucks.

Okay I had a point behind writing about all this, but I just had to write about the evening first. Getting past the hormones dire situation of the evening, I was thinking about it today and realized something. Christmas anticipation has taken on a whole new meaning for me this year. (Christmas decoration shopping...christmas anticipation...see? that's my tie-in). I said to someone the other day that I'm having a harder time than usual anticipating Christmas because I'm just so excited for what's happening just a few short months AFTER Christmas. However I need to make sure that I'm anticipating the most important birth FIRST. Not just in celebration order, but in priority order. God sent his son to die for us, and while I hope my child will accomplish many wonderful and amazing things in their life, nothing can compare to the great gift of Jesus' life. So I will slow down this Christmas and think not only of my child, but of Jesus, given the task from birth of saving the world.

Baby Feet

This is the size of the feet that kick me daily at 25 weeks. What a miracle.



photo courtesy of www.blogs.usatoday.com

Wishlist

On a completely secular note...here is my christmas list! :)

Boots. I want a nice dressy pair of boots. According to Mitch I already have every other kind of shoe under the sun, so why not these?

Absolutely any season of Grey's. I could watch it over and over again.

If I could just add Michael Buble to my list...trust me. I would. But I don't think he'd feel fulfilled in his career if his only job was to follow me around and sing to me, so I'll settle for owning his newest cd.

Pretty much my favorite chick flick out there, and I really don't own enough chick flicks.

My new favorite hair stylist is at Visions Salon and Spa, and they use "Surface" hair products. I will settle for a gift card since she's probably not willing to live in my basement and give me haircuts and styles whenever I want.

I may be forced to promise to quit quoting The Office before I'm given this, but I can't help it. I pertains to every situation perfectly.

And last, but certainly not least, this beautiful Nixon "Cougar" watch. Do I want it just because it's called Cougar? No. But that is one of two reasons on my list.

Photos courtesy of www.amazon.com

Saturday Mornings

I love Saturday mornings. Especially ones that turn out like today. Mitch and I like to take advantage of our weekends, and this morning we did what we do on Saturday mornings when we don't have anything up. We sleep in (well I sleep in, and Mitch lays there and waits until I wake up) and then Mitch gets up and makes us coffee, and one of us (mostly Mitch these days) will make a good breakfast. Today was scrambled eggs and toast with freshly ground starbucks coffee. So good. Then today we just ended up sitting at the table for over an hour just talking. I love my husband. I am so blessed to be married to a man that I can sit and talk with for hours. We started dating because of those kind of long conversations over coffee, and three years later I enjoy it even more than I did before. I was thinking about it a lot today because I realized that our lives will soon change and these mornings will look rather different.

One thing that's funny about being pregnant is that suddenly everyone feels like it's their duty to give you advice about how to manage your family life. I don't actually mind this so much and have been given many good pointers and things to think about. The other day somone I work with was talking to me and mentioned how he wished that he and his wife had taken the time for each other after their kids were born. Now they've been married for years, have teenage kids, busy lives, and don't know each other any more. Hearing that made me so sad, and thinking about that today I realized how much I need to value the time I have with Mitch now, and remember to take that time as often as we can or need to after the baby is born. God has given me such a wonderful guy and I am bound and determined to remember that and value him always.

Woes

There is a difference in mirrors. There are fat mirrors and there are skinny mirrors. What I don't understand is why all women's clothing stores don't contain the skinny mirror variety. What I REALLY don't understand is why maternity clothing stores have the fattest of mirrors. And to make matters worse, the change room at this particular maternity clothing store I was in last night had a curtain cover that was about 9 feet high. The problem with that height is that it makes you feel about 4 feet tall standing in front of it, looking into the fat mirror. So now I don't feel like a glowing blossoming pregnant women...no, I feel like a short fat dwarf. That swallowed a beach ball. My self esteem has been suffering lately...but now at least I have new clothes to help me feel better. And after I'm done writing this I'll probably go eat a pickle and drink a glass of milk which always puts me in a better mood.

*sigh*

Grocery Store Adventure

I had a little bit of an adventure today while waiting in line to pay for my groceries. It went like this:

I was standing in line waiting to have my groceries scanned and I noticed the lady in front of me in line. She was one of those women who looked entirely perfectly put together, with not a hair out of place. She had extremely expensive shoes on, was wearing a beautiful outfit (not to dressy...perfect for going out to get groceries), a huge diamond ring, and to finish it all off, had a VERY cute little boy in her cart. All of these things I had to take note of quickly, for as I was standing there, I was hit with another one of these fun 'low blood pressure' episodes. This was the worst one yet. I started to feel the beginnings of the passing out hints...you know...dizziness, sudden perspiration, blackness in the corners of your vision...

So trying to look equally as put together as the lady in front of me, I tried as nonchalontly as I could to just leeean forward on my cart and...look like I'm patiently waiting. Now what's going on at the till is that another till has a new cashier on it so our cashier has left to help her and we are not moving. So all hopes of paying and dashing back to the car are gone. The leaning is not helping. Blackness is closing in. I send up a quick prayer: "PLEASE God...not now. oh please". The lady looks back at me and gives me a funny look. I probably look like a train wreck. I feel like one. Usually what I do if I'm going to pass out is I put my head between my knees. I look around...nope, no option to try that. Not even to bend over because there's some weird guy behind me and I'm certainly not going to bend over in front of him! So...I pretend there is something extremely interesting at the bottom of my purse and lean over as far as I possible can into the depths of my large bag, WILLING away this episode. The perspiration begins to fade. The cashier comes back. Perfect lady ahead of me finishes up, and I force myself upwards and onwards, manage to bag my own groceries (thanks a lot, Extra Foods...you make my life miserable now that I have to bag my own stuff) and get the hey out of there. Crisis averted.

Phew.

Making decisions

This week was an exciting week...we put our name in for a midwife! So far I have been completely unimpressed with my doctor, and have been very disappointed by the lack of care and concern I've received thus far. My first prenatal visit was so frustrating and I literally had to go back to get one of the nurses to find my docter after being walked out on because I hadn't been given the chance to ask ANY questions about my pregnancy. This is my first child and I have not appreciated being treated like just another patient at a walkin clinic.

So anyway, I've heard from a few friends now about their positive experiences with a midwife. I've also found out that midwife services have recently become covered under health care so it now costs nothing, whereas it used to cost thousands. Our first meeting is next week, and after the first informational meeting you get scheduled in for 45 min visits every month. This is in contrast to the 5 min monthly visits I've been having with my doctor so far. I'm still planning on having the baby at the hospital, but instead of doctors around, there will be two midwives...one for me, one for baby. So far I don't know a lot more details, but I'm sure I'll be more informed after next week's vist so I'll post more then.

We'll be 20 weeks on Tuesday and I can't believe we're half way there already. I haven't felt a TON of movement, but I've been feeling more little jabs throughout the days, and every now and then I'll feel some consistent movement. It puts such a huge smile on my face to feel that little person moving inside of me.

That picture is what things are looking like right now. Tummy is popping and baby is growing!

Photo courtesy of http://www.babycenter.ca/pregnancy/fetaldevelopment/20weeks/