Funny Ad

My pal Maggie sent me this ad that was created at the place I used to work. Thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Goin' To Town!

Actually downtown Chicago this Sunday. I feel kinda weird leaving someone else to give Little Buddy his nap, but keep telling myself that he will be fine. I am going to go with my art pal Maggie to see the new wing at the Art Institute. Yeah!!! We used to work together years ago in publishing in my old graphic design days. She lives in a loft with her boyfriend in Greek Town. We used to do outings regularly both when and after we worked together. She is in her early 50's and has a lot of worldly wisdom no matter what topic comes up between us. PLUS, more youth than many people I know in their 30's.

So, I know very little about the new wing at the Art Institute. I'm so out of the loop nowadays. I promise to share as much as pregnantly possible after my visit. If I remember right they built the wing where the old unused train tracks were on the side of the Institute. It opens on Saturday so Sunday will probably be pretty busy as well. Papa (grandpa who lives in PD town) will be taking LB to the town parade that day. He was in the parade last year as his last with the PD after 30 long, hard years. Cop dad and Sessie (grandma Leslie) will be on duty for the parade. The whole PD has to work that day, this parade is a big deal. I took LB last year and it was a lot of fun and plan on going to many more in the future.

Anyway, thrilled to go visit my pal Maggie and have a girls, art day out like old times. It's been years since we have had an art Val & Maggie outing. We have gotten together since but always had LB with or she would babysit. She is awesome and only one of my two art pals I have left. E-Goose is faraway now and very busy with her job/baby/family, miss her. Hoping that maybe Maggie and I can grab a bite of Greek food in her hood or maybe some other fabulous food, Chicago is loaded with it!

Anyone seen any great art lately (museum, local, children's)? Would this be something that you would go to? Ever been to the Art Institute of Chicago? Besides Watching Ferris Beuller?

13 Weeks And All's Well

Went to the maternal fetal medicine today with cop dad for the testing for Downes as well as a consultation for my bicornuate uterus. I was a regular in this department at the hospital last pregnancy (3 years ago) for the same reason. Last time I had to go every 2 weeks for a level 2 ultrasound and cervical length check. With a bicornuate uterus the cervix can shorten and premature labor can happen depending on the degree of the septum of the bicornuate uterus, baby and the mother. I did well and made it last pregnancy to 20 minutes shy of term (37 weeks). Little Buddy is pretty smart, (despite the fact that he ran out of room in my misshapen uterus and was crouched in the end) he made it to 36 weeks, 6 days, 23 hours and 40 minutes. Not bad. Though he was still only 6 pound and 15 ounces, I fear that if this baby makes it to be a bigger size I may go really fast. I dilated to 7 in 3 hours with Little Buddy and had just left the hospital where the nurses were trying to "chase away my contractions." Ha, it worked for a few hours anyway. When I returned in hard labor just hours later, the next shift was in complete shock that I was sent home by the previous shift. I was raced into the OR cause LB was breech and ready to come out feet first. I usually have faith in doctors but when I saw the urgency in their faces, I too started to freak. Little Buddy was delivered in less than 10 minutes in the OR via cesarean section. It was amazing.

So, for the Downes testing they measure the skin on the back of the baby's neck through ultrasound and send some blood drops to a lab. Our awesome doctor said that the skin measurement looked really good and that they will phone me with the lab results as soon as they arrive. He also said that my uterus held up considerably well with my last pregnancy and that I will not have to come to get checked this pregnancy every two weeks but every three weeks and if all looks good he may extend that to every 4 weeks in a month or so. Hurray! Not that I don't like going for peace of mind BUT it's a lot of running around and I have to keep getting referrals this time cause we switched to HMO last year. Also glad they aren't giving me too much slack because I'd hate for them to not be checking it and miss a potential problem. If they notice a shortening in the cervix early on they can give me a cerclage stitch to help hold me all together and the baby in. These checks are in combination with my regular OB visits. It was kind of an advantage last pregnancy that I got to peek at Little Buddy on a regular basis. I would go to work all the time and show my new ultrasound pics to E-Goose who got a big kick out of it with me. That E-Goose, I miss her, though neither of us miss our old jobs in retail together.

Little Buddy spent the morning with Grandma Leslie (aka Sessie by Little Buddy). She took him to the lake and playground and fed the geese. What a great grandma!

Still have not actually felt an actual kick yet but have at times felt a little something here and there in the spot where the kicking starts. I felt Little Buddy on the very first day that you are supposed to start feeling kicks, think it was 16 weeks exactly. Looking forward to that AND when the baby gets bigger and your entire stomach is jumping all over the place and people can see your shirt moving from across a room. Then people can feel the baby, it's very funny to imagine what the heck's going in in there. We even put a stethoscope up to my tummy last time and cop dad could hear big bang, pow, boom through the ear pieces. Funny! Also hysterical if you eat a brownie and sit really still, they get all crazy.

Feeling bad I have been waking up on my back often. Not too big yet BUT I know that it's a no, no. BUT boy, does it feel good to not be on one side or another. Perhaps I will invest in a pregnancy pillow this time around. I was so miserably uncomfortable last time and then cop husband wasn't around so I got the whole bed to myself. This time he's rolling right over me and taking over the bed too. Who's the pregnant one here? Move over!

Have any fond pregnancy memories of yourself or a friend or family member? Soaking it all in for when you get pregnant one day?

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -Albert Einstein

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope all you mothers have a nice day tomorrow. Hope someone remembers to do something nice for you and you get to do something fun and/or relaxing. I believe that being a mother is the hardest job I will ever have and love :)

Am I The Only One?

Who have heard some people's sob stories about how the economy has effected their life and had to laugh? Sincerely, I really feel very bad for people who have worked hard for years and are out of work and foreclosing, etc. BUT, then I hear how some people are crying about having to cut back and buy their kid's clothes at garage sales, not eat out with friends anymore, sell their huge house and buy a condo instead, and that kind of thing? I mean really? This is our life before any economic crisis. These are sacrifices that we have made so that I would be able to stay home and raise our children. I used to have a job as a graphic designer in publishing, a nice car, nice career clothes, etc. Big deal! Skimping would be rare and would mean passing on some meaningless materialistic thing(s) of some sort. Did I mention that the family that was crying about buying their kids clothes at garage sales were all eating Pizza Hut on the show? Like even that is a luxury in our world right now. Oh, and they were saying how they couldn't afford a high chair for their youngest. Are people that unimaginative? We have used the stroller as a high chair at many a restaurant and grandparents houses too. Seriously, I wanted to call the show and ask if they could pass some info on for me to that family. I mean, they are totally missing out. What about Freecycle? I have also on various occasions spotted good junk on the side of the road. Am I too proud to stop and grab it? Hell no! Our neighbors threw away a complete working stereo and I went out in the rain and snatched a perfectly good cd player. Sheesh! I don't know why people have such an issue with buying used things and eating at home. Now we live more frugally than this family and both parents were out of work! This is not the first time that I have felt like laughing cause somebody was voicing their hardships and it was like, "Oh, you have to skip your Mexico vacation this year? Awww, poor things." Puh-leaze. I know so many people that are able to live frugally and are OK with buying some clothes at thrifts stores, or skipping meals out, etc. People that DO have money to spend but HAVE money cause they are extremely sensible about all the other little extras that add up. Hear me knockin'?

I got almost all my maternity clothes from my friends that all had their kids before me. I also benefited by the same friends by getting boxes upon boxes of hand-me-down boys clothes for Little Buddy. We shop and have shopped at thrift stores for, well for years. Even when we have more money, I think it's fun. PLUS, then you can spend your money on other things. I have gotten LOTS of things we need for the house and Little Buddy on Freecycle. I have also given away many things on there too. I have made hundreds of dollars having garage sales in the past. Love that! Am I really an odd minority or do any of you thrift shop, garage sale, pick garbage, etc.?

Now if I went back to work full time and we had 2 kids in day care, we would be more behind than we are right now. With just one kid in day care we might be a smidgen ahead. A smidgen, please, I'd rather give up all my extravagances and stay home and watch my kids grow up and eat macaroni and cheese out of a box and pass on fancy vacations and such. I'd even give up my car to stay home. Though it would be hard cause we live in a very non-walk-friendly suburb of the Midwest. Still . . . . . . . I just don't understand people that are so dramatic about having to live more carefully. Have any of you scene or heard any of this on TV or wherever?

Little Bits

Just some random nothings from my life.

12 weeks today. Went to doc with cop husband and they could not find the heartbeat with the doppler thingymabopper so we headed across the hall for a quick ultrasound. Silence, somber mood in room, scan over a very still little baby, then suddenly, kick, kick, kick, and clawing at the side of the uterus. Little stinker, trying to scare us all and hide from the doppler. That's very typical of this family . . . . . stubborn. And wants to do it's own thing just like mommy :)

Feeling worlds better since the prenatal switch but still times slightly queasy and low appetite. Nothing sounds that fabulous usually. Mentioned it to the doc today and she said it was very common.

Possibly thinking about hitting the doc up for a possible VBAC. Though it is much riskier than typical uterus moms. Still hating and dreading all the meds and pain and over swelling-ness. Ridiculous. Hated all the effects of that damn section. Ugh!

2 days til Sesame Street Live, WOO HOO!!!!! Can hardly wait. Cop husband had to request the day off last week. Everyone was asking what he was doing cause he never requests off. Then all the guys got a big kick out of the fact that he was going to Sesame Street Live. Just wish I would have been there to tell them ALL, that it was entirely HIS idea. Too funny, how tough cops try to act around each other. Puh-leaze. lol

Cop husband has been stepping up and getting into all kinds of house projects. To many of you this may sound very normal. Now let me tell you that I am the handy one and he has hated doing any and all house projects. We have redone this house from top to bottom ourselves. Every time we would have project weekend, he would piss and moan like a teenage boy forced to go to clarinet lessons or something. He finally broke down and told me that he was suddenly into all the projects now cause he wants to make sure everything would be done if he did in fact not make it back to us one night. Huh? Very nice gesture, but this is no way for him to live. I told him, he doesn't get out of it that easy. He's bound to us for a LONG, LONG, time :)

Had a great play date with my old pal Becki and her girls the other day. So funny, watching her 2 girls play with Little Buddy. OMG! I planned it when cop husband was supposed to go fishing the other day. Then fishing was cancelled so he was looking for stuff to keep busy with the whole morning so as not to interfere with the play date. Ha! It was also great bonding with her as we talked about marital issues and feelings of being SAHM's. Came to the belief that many women probably aren't as honest as we think they are about their wonderful husbands, marriages, feelings, etc. as we thought they were? No body's that perfect. Oh, and those that are always saying how happy they are, often are trying to make themselves believe it.

Just do not have the do stuff itch like I usually do. Not so tired anymore most days just don't feel like getting all involved in anything when I can be relaxing. I despise being lazy. Bagh!

Oh, yes, feeling like a walrus already but only up a pound? Stomach really knows what to do this time around. Pop out early and fast! Oh, and so glad that my ticker baby no longer looks scrawny. Last week it was looking so thin and now filling out. Phew!

How are you doing? What's new? Got a perfect life or maybe some wisdom to impart?