Grow Little One, Grow!

I am a human crock pot. I just realized it this morning as I was cramming chili ingredients into my 6-quart crock pot we received for our wedding (apparently, cooking is my form of "nesting"). I am cooking a little person in there and Squiggles will come out whenever Squiggles is good and ready (hopefully). So, it is fitting that I should include a picture of my crock pot belly for your entertainment. Sigh. I am not a flasher normally, so I am slightly embarassed to reveal my pasty, globular tummy, but it is for posterity and for Saturday Scavenger Hunt* (the word this week is "grow" by the way, in case you missed that.)

Hope everyone has a great weekend, whether it's Memorial Day weekend for you or not.

*I participate in a weekly scavenger hunt for photos related to a select word. A group of us on the internet make the rounds to see everyone else's photos and comment on how they treated the subject matter. The only rules are 1) post on Saturday (something I often fail to do) and 2) only use pictures you yourself have taken. If you want to join the fun, let us know here!

Fish-Wish

Seriously, I had nothing else to post. :P

This "fishtail" wedding gown in pale pink was one of the designer gowns I tried on for my wedding and decided against (mostly because of the $4,000 pricetag).

Saturday got away from me AGAIN, I know, but thanks for letting me continue to "play" the game*. I'll try harder next week. No really, I will... zzzzz *falls asleep at desk*

*I participate in a weekly scavenger hunt for photos related to a select word. A group of us on the internet make the rounds to see everyone else's photos and comment on how they treated the subject matter. The only rules are 1) post on Saturday (something I often fail to do) and 2) only use pictures you yourself have taken. If you want to join the fun, let us know here!

Chicken

Sometimes, you find yourself asking, "Who me?" Am I supposed to be able to handle this? Am I going to be able to overcome this next hurdle? How did I get myself into this? Am I ready? Will I mess up? Will I fail?

And you feel, not just a chicken little, but a chicken lot.

Being pregnant has been like that for me. And as I draw closer to the conclusion of this nine month odessey, I see my old life closing and a new, wide-open door to heaven open. But to get through and stay through that door will take grace every morning. I am utterly chicken. And I feel so grateful for the chance to be chicken, and to make it through anyways.

Photo is from our honeymoon in Alaska. It's not often you find a wall that makes a point. :)

My Grandpa - My Friend

So I just 'friended' my own grandfather on Facebook. He's 83 (I think, although it's possible I've lost count) and doesn't have a picture up, but there he is, in all his adorableness, friending me on Facebook like it ain't no thang. :)

I guess the next thing to do is wait for his first super-poke.

Up to Something

On top of the guardhouse on Alcatraz, a bird sits surveying the sea. And his easy path to freedom.

Next week's picker-of-the-word is DMarks. Hop to it, D! :)

*I participate in a weekly scavenger hunt for photos related to a select word. A group of us on the internet make the rounds to see everyone else's photos and comment on how they treated the subject matter. The only rules are 1) post on Saturday (something I often fail to do) and 2) only use pictures you yourself have taken. If you want to join the fun, let us know here!

Pregnancy Dictionary - Part 3

At this stage of my pregnancy, all the focus is on delivery. Having a healthy child to show for oneself is kind of the ultimate reward here and with that light at the end of the tunnel, soon-to-be-mothers like myself put our heads down and finish the course.

Third trimester is fraught with all kinds of new and interesting symptoms and curious side-effects, but none of them have interesting or scientific names. Well, if they do, I don't know what they are. So, here, without further ado, is mythird trimester pregnancy dictionary addition:

P-Brain: aka 'pregnancy brain.' This is the time when you can no longer remember where you put something, what you are wearing, if you ever called that person back, what that big word was you wanted to use two seconds ago. Pregnancy brain is the great intellectual equalizer. I just tell people, "I'll have a witty comeback for that in about two months!"

Butterfingers: Not the candy-bar (although one of those is nice every now and again), no, we're talking about the condition. Dropping the same bowl three times on your way to the sink. Overreaching the bedside table and knocking your water all over the floor. That two-pointer into the laundry basket you almost always could make? Not anymore. Somewhere between your brain and your joints, there is now a huge disconnect. And thanks to p-brain, you really don't care. Speaking of joints...

Squishy Bones: It's not really your bones that are squishy, so much as your joints. Whatever goo-gaw is holding your frame together is slowly turning into peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You can no longer 'crack your back' to relieve pressure. You hear little popping, slurpy noises when you sit down on the ground. Your spine feels like a rubber hose. As my OB puts it, "Stretching becomes very important at this stage." And, man, was she right! Stretching and deep breathing is the only thing that makes you feel half human again.

Fatigue: There's no more hiding it, you need to sleep ALL THE TIME. At first, you make plans for after work; water and prune houseplants, finish tax documentation, prepare papers for hospital registration, vacuum living room, and make dinner for hubby. After a couple of days you realize your goal is to come home, take a shower, eat a bowl of cheerios and fall into bed for two hours. That's your list of "things to do." And if you manage to get the shower and the cereal before crashing into slumber, you can feel pretty good about yourself.