week 24 October 23, 2006

O.K….so i’ve been slacking on posting to this thing…..but here it is..my week 24 picture (i’m losing track of where i’m actually at….but I believe I have 107 days to go=)

It dawned on me just the other night that I was really going to have a baby. Yes, I know, of course Karen, you are having a baby….you told us all that a few months ago, you started this blog, your belly is getting inexplicably large.

But you know when you finish your Christmas shopping and filling out and sending all your cards you think to yourself, next year I’m going to get ready for Christmas way ahead of time and not put myself through this stress again? And then July comes around and you think, I should really start getting ready for Christmas soon…you sorta pat yourself on the back for even thinking of it so early, but it’s WAY too early to start in July, so August goes by and you think end of October….then all of a sudden it’s December 15th and you haven’t done or gotten ready for anything and the reality hits you that, “oh my god, it’s really Christmas, it’s here!” I think that’s what this is like.

When you find out 7 or 8 months seems so far away. Heck, I’m not having a baby till “next year”. I’ve been doing all the organizational things….getting things done, making lists, balancing budgets, picking names….but every once in awhile it hits me….we will actually have a baby. In about 100 and some odd days a little living being is going to come out of my body. WHOOOAAA.

Don’t worry, I’m not like one of those stories you hear about every once in awhile of the woman who shows up at the E.R. not knowing why she feels so sick and it turns out she’s in labor….*and she didn’t even know…..* GIVE ME A BREAK! liar….it’s a river in Egypt called deNial….or your mentally unstable…..or you did/do a LOT of drugs….I’m not her…..just every once in awhile I unplug from “do mode” and think about “be mode”….it can be a bit overwhelming =)

what the “F” ?? October 10, 2006

Well…yesterday was an eye opener…

For the last few weeks I’ve known that a shopping trip was in order and I’ve been avoiding it. Finding maternity clothes has been interesting…but not so bad since Old Navy and Target have started carrying Maternity items and they are cheap and a lot of them actually almost cute….but there is one piece of maternity clothing that you can’t get at those stores, and it may be the most important. Yes…it’s the maternity bra. (insert mystery suspense music here)

So yesterday I broke down and went to the mall…and went to a “maternity store” in the mall…the real deal, right down to having the little strap-on bellies in the fitting room so you can see how things will fit when you get bigger. My only mission was to find a bra that didn’t cause pain or leave unattractive marks or cause the lovely “4-boob” scenario. To my horror…I have already OUTGROWN the maternity bras. YES… that’s right…there was no bra in that store that would fit me.

The sales girl took me aside and broke the news. She told me in a hushed voice, “unfortunately you aren’t going to be able to find bras in your size here. You are going to have to go to either Nordstrom’s or Lane Bryant. I would suggest, since you’re only at 6 months and are going to continue to grow that you go to Lane Bryant, they’re much cheaper there.” gulp “oh and when you start to nurse it will be even worse. And since Lane Bryant doesn’t carry nursing bras you will have to go to Nordstrom’s…they don’t keep them on the floor there, so you’re going to have to ask someone to get them out of the back, hopefully they’ll have your size!”

I am now the proud owner of a bomber of a double-barreled-sling-shot like you’ve never seen, and apparently soon I will be acquiring more. I can’t wait. When I’m done we might use them as a two-person umbrella, or maybe a sail on the kayak, I’ll keep you posted.

The Stereotypes are true….I am Crazy October 4, 2006

I had to post this just because. I always thought the stereotype was just that….at least a little blown out of proportion. But I’m sorry to report that in my case it’s true….these hormones have made me crazy. I can fly off the handle at the drop of a bat…..say things to people that I never would’ve let leave my mouth, and cook up ideas of things that I am just sure must be going on. My brain can tell me that I’m being illogical…but it doesn’t matter….my body is sure of whatever it is that it’s sure of. Thank God that Greg was warned of this and took this warning to heart. He somehow has been able to just calmly look at me and tell me that’s it’s all o.k. and reassure me that whatever it is today that I’m in tears over or am worrying about is going to be o.k. and I don’t have to worry. He really has been great…of course he’s commented several times that he hopes this is short lived…at least till a while after the baby…but so far he’s taking it like a champ!

Today I even spent about 10 minutes looking for my phone in my car (I was parked) WHILE I WAS TALKING ON THE PHONE TO MY MOM!!

Please tell me this does go away…

Babies R Us Mania October 4, 2006

This last weekend my sister and I went to BabiesR’Us in Tukwilla so that I could walk up and down every single aisle to see what all this stuff is that I keep hearing about. A friend of mine let me borrow her book “Baby Bargains”…which is like the consumer reports of baby schtuff…it’s 500 pages long, so i haven’t made it through it all yet…who knew there was so much information!

It was OVERWHELMING. They have everything you need there and more…and MY GOD IT’S EXPENSIVE!!! and that’s the cheap store. I learned a lot, figured a few things out and more then anything was able to conjure up a million more questions to have answered. At the very least I have a better idea of what I’m reading about while I’m making my way through the 500 page Bible of Baby Products.

So far I’ve made it through all this with only buying one absolutely adorable hat! My sister hasn’t done so well…she is going to go broke buying baby clothes for her neice….that’s just fine by me =)

Here’s my picture from week 22….126 days to go!!!