Floor Seats :)

For the last couple of weeks I've been wondering what I'll do for seating at our awesome, annual retreat, Mount 2000. Typically the majority of the seating is on a gym floor, with enough participants they'll roll out the stadium seating but those seats usually get taken petty quickly and our group tends to be slow walkers and get places last. In past years, it hasn't really been an issue because Dan and I have had similar versions of this folding seat. They are getting old however, and I'm not even sure where we put them since we didn't use them last year. I was planning on going to Target or Wal Mart this week to look for these exact things pictured and I found them, of all places, at 5 Below. If you're not familiar with 5 Below you are missing out! It's a dollar store, essentially, everything is $5 or less. Their stock changes frequently but you can usually snag some really good deals, as I did today. My mom and I went in looking for dry erase markers for her classroom (which they didn't have) and that was when I found these beauties. My plan was to check out Target and if they had had either one of these things I would have been happy, though I probably would have paid double what I did at 5 Below. Total I paid $19 with tax for two of each seat and I couldn't be happier :)

Superbowl = Cleaning the apartment!

Waiting for the floor to dry.

What started out as "just sweep and swiffer the bathroom/kitchen" has turned into a full-blown overhaul of the apartment. Dan's out at a Superbowl party. Originally I was going to go, because I'm not one to turn down free food, pregnant or not, but when I realized how late it was going to start/end and with school tomorrow, I decided not to. I've been meaning to clean the apartment anyway, I just figured I'd do it in bits and pieces with my back getting tired quickly now and with overheating being so much easier. Once I get started cleaning though, I see how quickly I get it done and I think, "Wow, that only took 15 minutes, I could also vacuum and mop. It's been a while since the kitchen got mopped..." etc.

Currently, I'm taking a cool down break with my water bottle while the fan blows on the kitchen floor to dry it faster (I can't vacuum the living room until I put everything back in the kitchen). If it's not dry soon, I'll move to packing up clothes that have been sitting in the closet that I haven't touched pretty much since we moved in. I think it's a safe bet I won't need them for a while ;) I'll also be packing up a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes as they no longer fit and aren't likely to fit before we find a house. Dan's mom has been bringing over boxes that are good for clothes, not too big, not too small. They'll be good for DVDs too, if I can bring myself to pack those up. Between Netflix and Hulu, I haven't been watching a whole lot of DVDs. But then again, my dad has been using us like Blockbuster and the TV in our room is hooked to the DVD player and not Netflix, so I'm torn. I can put off packing them for a while.

All clean!

Yarn Obsession

My knitting class is going to start their baby hats this week. We only have two classes left. I started the pattern myself and I'm unsure if we'll have anybody actually finish their hat in two classes. I have one or two students who picked up knitting pretty quickly, one who actually knits at home, and one whose mom knits so she practices at home too. I picked up baby yarn at the store today, which is always a risky venture, I love new skeins of yarn and I have a weakness if they have sale signs up. Thankfully, my impulse buying today was limited to chocolate in the checkout line (Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate & Raspberry, mmm!). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can get at least a few hats done by the time we finish class (the trimester ends first week of March, I'm doing knitting again for the third trimester but not everyone will be taking it again).

Baby Ring

My engagement and wedding rings have been too small for a week or two now. I ignored it for as long as I could but it was getting to the point where I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get them off again. I was originally thinking that I'd get a small silver ring somewhere to wear instead, something that looked like a wedding band but is a size or two larger than I normally wear. It occurred to me this morning that I have a claddagh ring Dan gave me several years ago. I originally wore it on my right hand which is at least a whole size larger than my left hand (when it comes to rings). I misplaced my jewelry boxes several months back (as in, I cleaned our bedroom way too well and hid stuff from myself!) and was hoping that the ring wasn't in one of them but in it's original box--which I still didn't know 100% where it was, though I had an idea. I was right about both the location of the original box (which is a cute Irish green, since it actually came straight from Ireland) and the fact that the ring was in the box.

I was also lucky in that my left hand is only one size larger than normal so far. Currently, I'll be able to wear my claddagh ring instead of my wedding band, we'll see if it stays comfortable for the next 3 months ;) It's much better than having a cheap silver band because I didn't have to pay for it, my husband bought it for me, it's an authentic Irish claddagh, and I already knew it would fit on at least one hand. It's the perfect solution :)

Flames of Creation

I had only a few small ones just 3-4 weeks ago, now they're all over the front of my stomach. I'm finding new ones almost every other day, there are a few on my thighs and sides too. I don't mind them, I never wore bikinis anyway, they're like badges of honor to me. I wouldn't have them if I wasn't in the middle of an awesome journey. I just think it's crazy how much the baby must be growing if I'm getting so many so fast, all in pretty much the same place. I wonder how much more I'll be getting, I'm only less than half way, I've got 16ish weeks to go.

Orson is so thoughtful ;)

There were several things pointing towards me getting wings tonight at Glory Days. Partly because it was Wing Night, partly because I was meeting our realtor at 6pm and needed to kill some time, partly because my sister was working, and partly because I really wanted wings and a chicken cheesesteak. It occurred to me today why I've been all about fast food in this pregnancy: sodium. I have been in love with salty foods pretty much since the beginning and it totally explains why during my first trimester some of the only food I could keep down was fast food. In the very, very beginning, before I even knew I was pregnant, I craved bleu cheese which never happens. I like bleu cheese but I have to be in the mood for it, normally, and there were several weeks in a row where I was eating my wings with nothing but bleu cheese. I even bought sliced bleu cheese for sandwiches from Trader Joe's. Bleu cheese has a saltier flavor than other cheeses and salty has been the one consistent flavor so far in this pregnancy.

Soft pretzels and McDonald's french fries have been a favorite through all these months. I put salt on my baked potatoes and today at Glory Days I found myself putting it on my mashed potatoes as well, although I really didn't need to because I'm sure the melted butter-like substance they use (it's called Whirl) is probably loaded with a week's worth of sodium. I've always been a fast food fan, but I have not been able to kick the habit since I've been pregnant. I try for money and health's sake, but I keep getting drawn back in and I'd put money on the sodium content as the culprit.

This Pregnancy is Sonic Good!

The other day I realized that the new MD Sonic is literally on my way home from my OB's office. They also just came out with their new philly cheesesteak and I am a cheesesteak aficionado so it was begging me to try it. First off, it's a FOOT LONG which is awesome. It's not the best cheesesteak I've ever had, but it's pretty good, especially for fast food. I wasn't super hungry when I got to the Sonic, so I hit the drive-through and waited until I got home to eat it. The tin foil wrapping they use kept it warm the whole drive home, omg. Wish I could say the same for the Coke I got to go with it, that mostly lasted until I got home, but I drank most of it in the car. I blame the baby. For those of you who are concerned about my caffeine intake, don't be. The recommended daily amount of caffeine is 300mg and I usually shoot for less than 200mg. There is 34mg in a 12oz can of Coke and even less in fountain Coke because it's watered down by ice. 4 cans of Coke wouldn't even be half the recommended amount. Typically I drink 1 can a day, sometimes 2 and sometimes there's a fountain drink in there. Those are also the numbers from before I was pregnant, I've significantly cut back from my college days. Mountain Dew is ridiculously high in caffeine and I only drink it if it's going to be my only soda for the day.

I am in my 24th week and have 16 more to go! Hopefully anyway. Giving birth at 40 weeks would be ideal, although I have a feeling by the 30's, I'll be ready at any time. So far, I've enjoyed being pregnant. Maternity clothes are so comfortable and for the first time in a long time, I'm not worried about whether clothes make me look pregnant or not (several weeks ago I was hoping they did). My appointment today went well. I weigh 195lbs, which means I've only gained 20lbs so far. I talked to my doctor in more detail about the cyst and she was surprised but happy that the cyst isn't bothering me at all. She also reiterated the fact that they won't do anything about it while I'm pregnant (barring a medical emergency, and even then that would just be the cyst rupturing and me going to the ER) and they'll take care of it when the baby's born if it doesn't go away on it's own before then.

She's not sure why they didn't see it on my previous ultrasound unless it truly grew really fast in the three weeks between the appointments. I also suggested that they probably didn't think to look for it because I wasn't complaining of any pain at the time, though that doesn't explain why they looked in that area the second time around either. I told her I did have a nicer tech the second time around and maybe the other one was just having a bad day ;) My next appointment is my last every-four-weeks appointment and we move to every-two-weeks after that. The next one they will also do the last bit of blood work and testing. That is going to be interesting because I have to arrive early and stay at least an hour because I have to drink a weird liquid to help them test for gestational diabetes and anemia (and also syphilis which I think is hilarious that they're still testing for it, but it's required apparently). So I'll get there, they'll give me the stuff to drink, I do the regular check-up, then sit in the waiting room for an hour, then have my blood drawn. I had to make it a morning appointment because of the times when the phlebotomist is there to draw blood, so eventually I'll have to talk to work and figure out how to work going to the appointment with my sick leave and stuff. I picked as early an appointment as I could, but the office opens at 9am, so at the earliest I figure I'll be leaving around 10:30am and getting to school by 11:15am or 11:30am, just in time for lunch. It'll be a half day, but if it works out that I don't have to take a full day off, I'll be making that my goal. The less leave time I use the better. I'm already going to be off a month before the kids at the end of the school year because of my due date and I'm still not quite sure how that will work with my pay (I'm the primary breadwinner still).

I've been counting my blessings the whole way through this pregnancy. Even though our insurance isn't as great as it was, it could be worse. Even though Dan lost his main job and is now a number in the "under-employed" statistic, he's happier and less stressed (at least about work, I'm sure he's stressed about the job/money situation but we both are). Our schedules are even more opposite with my teaching and his karate, but that means that when we do get time together, we make the most of it and don't spend it arguing. I'm thankful for an easy pregnancy so far and pray that it continues and that we'll have a healthy baby. My job has it's ups and downs, but I'm developing new skills and I'm not stagnant like with the other job, plus the pay is better and I get snow days and sick leave ;) I also have the option of working the other job over the summer if I want (I doubt that I'll actually want to, but it may be that we'll need the money and I'll have to) but either way I'll be getting paid--being salary is awesome.

I just realized that I need to post a house update. Obviously we're not moving right now or there would be pictures up. We had the inspection done for the house we liked and turns out there was $30K-$40K worth of termite and various other damage to the house and foundation (the work that had been done on the house was not professional and most likely a family member, things were not up to code and not just things we could ignore or fix ourselves). Way too much money for a starter home and we're still looking around. Dan has some houses lined up to look at tomorrow and I'll be going with him if we have another day off from school. There are a few houses that have potential, but I'm worried we could end up with the same situation and pay another inspector to find equal or more damage to anything else in our price range. At some point, we'll have to bite the bullet and either accept something that needs a lot of work or accept defeat and make room in our apartment for the baby. I'm praying everything works out and we get a house before the baby's born, but that's not necessarily up to us ;)

(Jump to Part III of The Mega Cyst Saga)