Sunday, May 30, 2010

Thirty, Flirty & Thriving

Annora turned 30 on May 29th! I know this day is supposed to be about her, but eww. Not only do I now have a sibling in their 30's, but I am only 2 years behind her! We tried to make it a happy, light-hearted day for her. In a vain attempt to recreate youth, we got 30 balloons and a Rainbow Brite cake (so fabulously decorated by Molly Groebe). But let's be honest, is there any birthday worse than 30? I feel like it is the arbitrary line that once crossed you undeniably become Misses, or Miss, or Ma'am. You are an ADULT. Period.

It's a good thing I like adults. Happy Birthday, big sister!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

A Wedding Trifecta

Patrick & Kathleen Saysoff
May 22nd, 2010
The Intercontinental

Matthew & Andrea Soles

May 22nd, 2010
The Uptown

Vincent & Lara Bennett

May 22nd, 2010
Club 1000
The 3 couples very conveniently stacked their weddings in a manner that made attendance to each one possible. Not only were the reception sites lined nicely starting at 50th street, moving to 30th then to 10th and Broadway[ish], but the starting times were approx. 1.5 hours apart. An excellent dinner with the Saysoff's, then cake and dancing with the Soles' and lastly, the after party & CANDY BAR (perfect option for the pregnant lady) with the Bennett's! And, of course, open bar for all; how convenient for Matthew to have a permanent DD. Quite a wonderful evening filled with friends and family.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

You Know What THEY say:

I think every single grandparent relishes in the moment when they see their grandchild behave in an undesirable manner, identical to the one they put up with for so many years, a manner that was consistently performed by none other than their own child. Their ever hopeful expression of "what goes around, comes around" or "just wait until you have a kid, you'll see" has finally manifested. I am sure this moment if filled with a mixture of relief - this behavior wasn't due to a lack in parenting skill, it was just the kid's personality and here is the genetic proof. Joy - because who isn't happy when they are right? And lastly, a bit of sympathy - though the retribution may be sweet, no parent truly enjoys seeing their child frustrated.

I write this thought, because at 18 months, I see everyday, a little bit more personality in Brock. And many of these characteristics directly correlate to my and Matt's behavior as young children (so we hear). I almost find these little things he does to be endearing, albeit frustrating at times. And he did not come away with only negative attributes from his parents, in fact, he really seems to carry more positives - but, I could just be biased, or in denial.
What are these behaviors, you ask? And who did he get them from? Well, let me divulge.

Nonstop energy. Though I have never heard that Matt was a lazy child, I have also never heard the opposite. Therefore, this gets pinned on me. My mother likes to joke that I came out in a hurry, and never turned back from there (quite literally, I was almost 4 weeks early with by far the shortest labor.) Which can also be used as proof for his next charming trait:

Impatience. If you have ever met me, and you have ever met Matt, enough said. We all know which one that comes from...

Independence. This one is his father for sure. Matt insisted on discovering, building, creating and doing everything for himself from the beginning. That he became an engineer is absolutely no shock to anyone. Brock is exactly the same. This being nice sometimes, as he is perfectly content to play alone fairly often, but becomes a nuisance when this independence turns into...

Stubborness. Ha! You tell me who this comes from!! Pretty sure it's a tie. I think I can say with 99% confidence that ALL of our children will acquire this trait as well as...

Curiosity. Brock does not just watch what we do, he dissects it. He really desires to know how things work, why they work, what causes them, etc. Unfortunately, this curiosity, combined with the impatience and the fact that he is 18 months old and can't possibly understand 50% of what is going on, is a recipe for disaster. Luckily, neither of us had temper problems, so his frustration is relatively short-lived.

Particular-ness. Not really sure how to phrase this one. He is picky? OCD? Anal? Orderly? None of those are right. He is particular. Particular with his food (all mom, baby), particular with his clothing (all dad), particular with the books we read to him, and well, just all around particular. Again, he probably got this from both parents, though, I tend more on the OCD side, where as Matt hovers on the picky side.

Passionate. Currently, one would probably more describe the trait I am referencing as compulsive, moreso than passionate, but seeing as I suffer from the same affliction, I know it will eventually become passion. When he rather intensely and suddenly grips Tater's ear or Tali's stump tail and squeezes as hard as toddlerly possible, until the animal yelps. I know this is not in anger, or to be mean, but because he loves that animal so much he just has to squeeze it. I get it, trust me, I get it. And when he comes up and just gazes at me, then hits me in the face, I know it's for the same reason. Sometimes when you are filled with that much love, passion, desire, there is no outlet for it, except a little violence. Ask my mother, siblings, or Matt, this may or may not continue to be a problem for me as well...good thing I took up swimming as an outlet for all that passion, energy and impatience. My guess? Brock is going to HAVE to be an athlete.

Disclaimer: Though I realize many of these behaviors are privy to toddlers in general, they manifest for each child in a different, idosyncratic way. And as a parent, you can see what they will become with just a bit of maturity.

Happy 18 months, Brock!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The Beginning of the Belly

As I attempted to do with the last pregnancy (but did not end up accomplishing), I will try to post an updated "Belly picture" every 5 weeks. Surprisingly, I am currently 15 weeks and the exact same weight I was at 15 weeks with Brock! Yet the pants are fitting a teeny bit tighter, and I believe my belly looks a tad bit fuller, but don't take my word for it: see the evidence here. Also, I noticed for the first time this morning that when I rolled to my stomach it felt like some blanket was rolled up beneath my lower abdomen - it wasn't. That was all baby, baby.

Dare I say I am feeling good? For almost the entire last week I was able to stay up from 5am to 9pm without feeling like death. I even thought about attempting to go for jog or swim. Energy? I forgot you existed! I actually look forward to meals again. But, I remain a skeptic. This could just be a blip in the graph. And even if it is, I'll take it. Amazing how feeling better makes me so much more excited for the new addition!

Baby 2.0's gender will remain a surprise until Halloween, the date I am hoping for...but probably won't be discovered until more like the 5th of November [The gunpowder, treason and plot.] My intuition is telling me this baby will arrive precisely on it's due date. As for names, we probably won't be mentioning those either, but how I do love suggestions! The current nursery will remain the nursery, and Brock will be moved to a new bedroom, at some point. And lastly, as with Brock, I have no feeling whatsoever toward boy or girl. I just have no idea. I have not given up hope for a girl, but a boy seems more likely...no matter what anyone says, there was something in the water at Indiana during the 4 years I was there (yes, a girl has been born, but not by someone in the water during my era.) Only time will tell.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Leukemia Lymphoma Marathon!

Leah is training for a marathon in June. She is running to support the cause, to get in shape, to accomplish a goal, and in honor of our father, a Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor. I believe this event takes place in early June, but no matter how many times I ask (and it's been quite a few), the date will not stick in my head. Blame it on the baby brain.

Anywho, she with the immense help of my mother and fellow siblings, hosted a fundraising barbecue last weekend, which seemed to be quite a success. It is truly amazing to witness the kindness and generosity that the community displays for someone trying to accomplish such a positive, inspiring goal. Though, being part of the "Irish Catholic Kansas City Mafia" (which is not a real thing) tends to help matters slightly. I am quite proud of my little sissy, and can't wait hear the results from San Diego.

For more information, including her running journal, please check out her Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training link.

Friday, May 7, 2010

14 Week Update

A few things have changed over the last week or so:

The indigestion is subsiding. I have been able to go to bed lying down 6 out of 9 nights! This will hopefully last until well into the 3rd trimester (or for the rest of the pregnancy, but I realize that's asking a bit much at this point).

The appetite is still a bit spotty.

The tired-all-the-time thing is still lingering, though this finding could be confounded by the current Surgery rotation (15+ hour shifts don't allow for significant amounts of sleep).

The headaches are fewer and farther between.

The vomiting, which was very minimal before, is non existent. And I stopped taking the anti-nausea meds long ago. I really only allowed myself to take those pills on absolutely unbearable days, so though I still feel waves of nausea, it must be significantly improved.

The bloating is still going strong, but it's becoming harder to distinguish; am I just bloated or am I already beginning to show a bit of baby belly?? Is it too early to switch to maternity pants!? I didn't get to that point until well into June with Brock...and they are just so comfy.

Don't worry though, it's not all a good report. The RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) has begun - just in time for me to finally be able to go to sleep lying down. Guess it's good that this symptom waited until now to pop up, I am not sure I would ever fall asleep sitting up with restless legs. Just add aching hips and back to the previous two issues and we've got 3rd trimester sleeping in a nutshell (and I wonder why I went through an entire bottle of Tylenol PM last pregnancy)!


In reality, I really do look at all these signs as positives. I am still carrying a growing, healthy baby. And I continue to hold on to the adage: a hard pregnancy means an easy baby. Is it possible to get 2 of those in a row!?

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Payback

Congrats to Ashley and Brian on little baby Ascencio!
After having many showers hosted in my honor over the past 3 years or so, it is finally my turn! A close school friend of mine, Ashley, is expecting in the middle of July (yes, the one in the teal dress is 28 weeks pregnant). So, in my spare time, otherwise known as my first weekend off in 4 weeks, I prepared for and hosted a baby shower. And by "I", I mean I prepared the food, and coordinated the acquisition of all supplies and decorations. I absolutely could not have pulled this event off without the contributions from school friend, Stephanie, Ashley's friend Rebecca and last, but not least (he really did EVERYTHING as far as house prep goes) Matt. Why he allows me to offer to do things like this amidst the busiest 3 months of our lives is beyond me.

So, now that I have properly thanked my cohorts, let me be the first to say, the shower was quite fabulous! Cute decor, great cake, cookies, food, sangria, beer, and people. This is the first time I've hosted an event where I didn't know over half the attendees previous to the occasion. I was a bit nervous about this, but I enjoyed meeting everyone. What a neat night.