Views from my garden...

We've had two warm and muggy days here in the Magical Mitten State.   I was able to enjoy the A/C and do some nesting because a co-worker wanted to take my shift.  I also was able to snap some pictures of my garden's spring blooms.  

Eventually what I hope to have is a cottage-look garden.  Lots of foxgloves, columbines, perennials that will spread and fill in for minimum maintenance. I have a long way to go, but I think that by documenting the garden in photos this year will help with planning the mass planting for fall bulbs and next spring's perennial planting.  Hopefully next year I can work on my shade garden where my hammock hangs too. 

Columbine

Please excuse the lack of proper mulching and sad looking yew behind the columbine.  When we first moved into the house, the yews had been gnawed down by the neighborhood deer population.  Thanks to spreading coyote urine around the yews, it looks like they may actually resemble a bush someday.

When asshats attack or people say the darnedest things to you when you're pregnant..

I'd like to say that I think of myself as a pretty mild-mannered person.  I try to be polite to strangers, for the most part if I come into contact with someone I've never met I tend to be quiet and observe.  I guess that's why I've been so floored by some of the ignorant and ridiculous things people have said to me since I began showing my baby bump.

I work in retail, so I come into contact with people all the time.   I don't know if perhaps because I am so available to them they feel so free to say things, or if I have a "humiliate me, I enjoy it" sign on my back.  My first awkward encounter happened during my fifth month, my bump barely visible.  An older man approached me, asked where something was and as I started walking him to the item's location, he said,"Oh you don't need to take me over there in your delicate condition."  I brushed off the comment told him I was tough and took him over to the product.  After he thanked me for helping him he grabbed my stomach and asked when the "blessed event" was.  I normally don't get grabbed like that, if someone is grateful I've helped them I've gotten hugged, but that's the extent of it. I was flabbergasted and if I wasn't at work I probably would have reacted much worse than I did.  I backed away and told him that I had personal space issues and to unhand my unborn child. 

I thought because I didn't have any strange things happen during my sixth month that I was home-free.  Well you know what happens when you assume and boy did I get hit with a barrage of stuff during my first week of month seven.   This merely was just the quiet before the storm.

It's done!

Okay, so it's been a few weeks, but the Pepto Bismol nightmare is now over.

Pink, pink, PINK!  My eyes!

Now here's the more serene color...

 

Ahh, much better. :-)

Excuse the mess on the floor,  I forgot to vacuum before I took the picture.  The next couple of things we need to do involve buying a crib, which is easier said than done, buy and apply the tree decal to the wall, and paint the dresser, desk, and chair.  I can tell that the nesting is starting to set in, I want to clean all the time, which is driving the hubby nuts.

Here is the decal I am thinking about ordering for the room:

I found it on Etsy and I like the fact that it has a growth chart on it.  I'm thinking I'll change the main tree to dark brown, but not sure if I want to have the owl to be pink still or perhaps green or orange.  I guess I should allow some pink in the room.

Glucose nightmare

I had to go in to take my glucose screening test today.  Let me start by letting anyone who hasn't had the "privilege" of drinking the stuff they give you before you go in for the blood draw that it tastes very similar to McDonald's orange drink that has been sitting out for a week and is starting to turn.  This liquid must be consumed within fifteen minutes of starting to ingest it and an hour after finishing it, not eat or drink anything until after you have your blood drawn.  Sounds like a good time, right?   Halfway through the hour of waiting to get my blood drawn I began to get nauseous.  Normally I would combat this with oyster crackers, but alas, eating not permitted.  Luckily the last half hour went by quickly and I was called in so the phlebotomist could do her thing.  She must have noticed that I was uncomfortable because she asked if I was feeling well.  I made it through the blood draw process and then promptly lost my cookies in the parking lot.  I am sure if some random stranger stumbled upon the neon orange splatter in the parking lot they would think some kid went crazy eating pop rocks and then lost it.
 

One of the Extreme Couponers and her "stockpile."  This is one of three rooms she has full of stuff.

I was still feeling crappy when I got home so I vegged out on the couch and took a nap.  I woke up to the television showing Extreme Couponing.  I felt my blood begin to boil and shaking my head at these people.  I am all for people saving money and having adequate supplies of toilet paper and soap.  What really got to me was the woman who bought 300 toothbrushes and what looked to be 200 two liter bottles of soda and no plans to give them away or even use them.  It was merely the thrill of the deal and a sad sense of security of having three rooms filled from floor to ceiling with their stockpiles.  Very few of them bought produce of any kind to feed their families, most of it was processed crap.  I got so worked up I had to change the channel and I can say I would rather watch anything, even 16 & Pregnant than ever watch that hot mess again. 

Cravings

I hate sounding like a stereotypical pregnant person but I'm afraid I'm going to.  I always thought it was cheesy the way people would say that you get particular cravings when you're pregnant.  Just a coincidence, not true, that will never happen to me.  I'm here to admit and tell you, I was wrong!

Around week 14 of the pregnancy, I noticed I was really wanting ice cream a lot more than normal.  I guess I should have prefaced this by stating I am not a sugar-a-holic.  Quite the contrary, I love my salt, which is another pregnancy story for another time.  I would go to the store and pick up a couple of pints of Ben & Jerry's Stephen Colbert Americone Dream and enjoy them wrapped up in my throw on the couch.  Week 16 marked a turning point in the noticing I was suffering from cravings.  I had been eating spicy Indian food like crazy, and maybe another coincidence I found myself craving guacamole and tortilla chips.  According to those baby size tracker websites the wee lass growing inside of me was the size of an avocado.  I felt a little creepy about wanting guacamole so much while the baby was that size, almost feeling like I had just ate my young.


The guac craving seems to have subsided slightly but my intense of love bacon has been coming back to me.  I hadn't eaten it since the beginning of the first trimester because just the smell of it cooking made my stomach churn. My new want to eat all the time but I know I shouldn't is a BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado) sandwich made on a pretzel croissant.   I am proud of the fact that despite these cravings I haven't ballooned up to the size of a house.  I just hope in the last three months of all of this that I am not McMansion size bound.

Craigslist brings the lols

Being a first time mom to be doesn't mean that I want to buy everything brand new.  I've been looking on several websites for great deals, trying to be as frugal as I can be.   One site that leaves me frustrated at times is Craig's List.   The hubby and I have found several deals on CL in the past including our stove, a furniture dolly,  the hubby's motorcycles, and the list goes on.  I don't know if I am clicking on the wrong ads but I have found some real laughable listings.

 One of the examples is a listing for a crib for $300.  I click on the link, look at the picture and decided to see if this crib is actually worth that much new.  After a little google-fu I discover that the crib was one of the cribs affected by the 2010 recall because it was unsafe.  No where in the ad did it list that they have  installed one of the immobilization kits.  I sent them a message asking if they complied with recall before listing the crib. A day or two later I received an answer back from the seller saying thanks for the interest in the crib but it has sold.   Not even a week later I saw the same crib listed again, but for $25 less and using the same exact picture from the first ad.  I debated in my head to flag the ad and post a Re: ad informing people that this crib could be dangerous.  Part of me wanted to be a safety advocate and the other part of me felt like hopefully people would be smart enough to do their homework like I did.  In the end I decided it wouldn't be worth my time to keep chasing down the crib rip off artist.   It's not worth me getting my panties in a bunch over this fool, and if they get the amount that they want to sell the crib for more power to them.

In the meantime, the great crib search is still on.  Wish me luck!

Embracing pink

I was talking to a coworker today about how I've been trying to avoid being that cliche "pink buying mom" but after going shopping, I was in pink overload.   He told me to embrace the pink, some of these outfits will be cherished one day.  Sometimes it just takes me a voice of reason to come to my senses.  So here we go, pinking it up!

Turtles & kitties, oh my!

According to several sources, the baby is now 22 weeks and the size of a large mango, 11.5 inches.  I was feeling all 11.5 inches today as she was pushing up against my ribcage.  Oh the joys of being short waisted! :-p