Celebrate good times, come on!

We had an awesome Memorial weekend. JA and I drove up to Cincy to visit my brother Josh and sister-in-law Amy. While there I cashed in some gift certificates for a haircut, manicure and pedicure- much needed Mama pampering, that should really happen more often. See results of lopping of about nine inches below. I did not go to the salon intending to cut off so much, and was honestly not very happy with the service I received, although I do like the cut. Had I known the stylist was going to cut my hair so much shorter than I indicated, I would have asked that it be donated to Locks of Love, but she had other plans and did not care to listen to much I said. Boo. Ah, well. Now I have a nice, cool summer cut, that will undoubtedly grow back to its original length by Fall thanks to pregnancy hormones and prenatal vitamins.

 

We also went to meet my friend Jessica's new daughter, Kendall. I was curious to see how Miss June Apple would react to another baby and me holding another baby. More than anything she was very intrigued and wanted get as close as possible to her, trying to sit in my lap to get a closer look. I have a feeling I will, literally have my hands full when Baby Boy comes around! Jessica already has a 2 1/2 year old son of her own, so I will be calling her for tips on how to juggle a toddler and a baby, for sure!

 

After we returned from Cincinnati, June Apple and I took advantage of our newly acquired zoo pass. It was a blistering hot day, so our first stop was the splash park, and then on to see the polar bear cub, who was having quite the time swimming in a big bucket of ice water. June Apple roared at her several times. I ate too much cotton candy. It was a good day. 

 The week ended with my birthday! Holy smokes, I'm 31! June Apple joined me for work and posed for Week 23's shot. My friend, Emily even decorated our office door! Then Amos came and met us for lunch at the ever delicious Taco Punk. Mmmmm, shrimp and fish tacos and Mexican Coke. Yummy! My mom came dwn that evening to hang out, since Amos had a gig. We went out for dinner and got caught in an awesome thunderstorm. June Apple proved at dinner that her days of playing quietly at restaurants may be behind us, as she had all the waitresses engaged in the ever-popular, "I will drop 10 million things on the floor, and you will pick them up, because I'm cute" game. An excellent day surrounded by some of my most favorite people.

Dear Baby Bear,

I was so happy to see you on the ultrasound this week and see how awesomely healthy you look. The doctor came in to take a look himself and reported that everything, from your heart to your head, from your cord to the placenta looked "perfect" and assured me that I will have a great rest of my pregnancy with little concern for any complications. After the scares we had with your sister, I was so relieved to hear, and see, that everything looked great and in tip top shape. You also made sure to show us, that yes, indeed you are a boy, to remove any and all doubt. 

I am so so happy to know that you are healthy, hanging out in Mama, living the good life. We're on a roll, you and me. Lets keep this party going strong!

Papa, June Apple and I love you very much,

Love,

Mama

Hot fun in the summer sun

 

There is a baby in that big belly! I have felt especially huge this week and am dreading what its going to be like when it gets hotter and hotter. I will say that the relief of not having to study for comps is slowly and surely seeping and sinking in.....now just to have to wait for the results! This past weekend Amos played at the Foxhollow Farm Springfest and my friends, Emily, Rachel and Thomas joined June Apple and I for some fun in the hot sun. A good time was had by all (although I neglected to get any shots of Emily, boo.) Rachel, June Apple and I followed the fest by going shopping for wedding shoes for Rachel and Tom Toms upcoming nuptials, which of course resulted in my purchase of the above rockin' "I survived comps, so I deserve that shit" Frye boots, as well as some yellow patent leather sandals for JA, which caused her to ooooooh in delight when I put them on her feet. A girl after my own shoe heart. Upon arriving home we were greeted by a poor lost snapper who somehow managed to survive the journey to our street, albeit far from home. Luckily some kind neighborhood gents returned her/him to the creek. Below are some highlights of the day:

 

With so much happening its hard to believe I am already 22 weeks, over halfway there to meeting this Baby Boy face to face! The second trimester has brought a surge of energy that I hope sticks around through the summer, as I brave the heat and remain large and in charge.

Dear Baby Bear,

What shall we call you? You probably already know, so if you could let us in on the 411, we'd greatly appreciate it. Choosing a name for you seems much easier than choosing a name for your sister, perhaps because, for some reason, boy names seem easier, or because, since we know what it means to go through names and choose one, as we did for June Apple, and then have it stick and feel so right, part of me knows that we will make the right decision when we see you.
As always, you are constantly letting me know you are there, kicking and somersaulting. I get to see you again next week when I go for a level 2 ultrasound to make sure that your placenta and cord are in tip top shape. I can't wait to see your sweet little face again and see you wiggling, as I know you will. Be sure to wave!

We love you very much,
Mama

Beast Week

It has been an utterly insane week, with 13 hours of comprehensive exams over three days. And save for a few unexpected hiccups, like my computer shutting down 45 minutes into the stats exam and all my work getting lost, I, and my fellow cohortees survived! Yay!  Here we are celebrating right after our last test:

 See, I'm so excited, I'm jumping for joy

I wish I could say I felt some giant sense of relief, but with all the energy and stress leading up to this week, combined with the fact that we won't find out whether or not we passed for another 3 weeks or so, all I can say is I feel...less overwhelmed, and with each passing day, more relaxed. Of course, as soon as I finished, my first thought was: "Okay, now onto my dissertation." Egads. Our fellow classmates threw us a party called, "Comps 2012: Lets Get Crunked!" I did not get crunked. I had some ginger ale and left when everyone started playing flip cup with red wine and shooting consecutive brandy jello shots. That our cue, June Apple, time to go home and go to bed. 

I do wish I could have enjoyed a good ol' dirty martini, and perhaps one of the harder parts of this process is that between being pregnant and running after a toddler, I didn't feel like I had any ways of relieving stress. Enter Amos with the sweetest Mother's Day gift a pregnant gal could ask for: A snow cone machine! That and loads of chocolate. My mom also bought me a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure, as well as a foot massage, and a gift certificate to Graeter's Ice Scream (!) so I'm feeling like I probably won't miss that martini so much after all...well perhaps a little bit.

Comps felt so much more manageable because of how awesome all my friends and family were. Emily and Kim and my Mama-in-Law Bet were rock stars who entertained June Apple at fun places like the dog park while I buried my nose in books. My saintly mother not only took off work to  June Apple wrangle, but also made me meals and divine cupcakes. And of course, none of it could have happened without Amos who did all of the above plus put of with quite a few minor (and major) breakdowns that usually involved me screaming and crying- so for that, I am eternally grateful.

June Apple, of course, did her fair share of bringing levity to the whole situation. I mean, who can feel stressed when you have a 16 month old growling at you like a bear and demanding that you sing Itsy Bitsy Spider, so she can do the hand gestures? Its all relative with that kind of deliciousness.

I must say that my little guy was the ultimate grounding force during the tests themselves, reminding me to stay calm and keep it all in perspective- plus demanding that I take frequent pee breaks! I think he will prove to be my good luck charm, for sure!

And so, here I am at 21 weeks, tired, and ready to recharge!

 

Dear Baby Bear,

You and I had quite a week together! I am sorry for those couple extra cups of coffee and those many bags of gummy candy I consumed this week to keep me going. I promise to eat and drink much better from here on out to make up for it.

I hope that you didn't even realize how much stress I was under, as I tried really hard to stay relaxed throughout it all, if not in my mind, at least in my body.

We are already quite a team, you and I. I was certainly (as far as I know) the only person taking comps who had two brains collaborating on the exams! Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

So the next week will be focused on fun and relaxation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I will.

Your Papa and sister and I love you very much,

Mama

Hey you! I see you!

We got to see our precious bundle this week! We got to count all of the important body parts and organs, including the ones we were most curious about, and the verdict is...a healthy baby BOY! Amos was literally jumping around the ultrasound office for joy, with June Apple in his arms. I cried tears of joy, just to see his face and his little body. I feel so incredibly blessed. Words do not suffice. Amos made the ultrasound tech verify several times and she seemed annoyed that we were questioning her expertise at knowing what boy parts look like (we didn't know what we were looking at!) So, even though she showed us several times, and went so far as to circle and place strategic arrows, we are still, well, taking her word for it. But, so exciting, none the less. Baby Boy was rolling and tumbling the whole time, perhaps as excited to say hello to us, as we were to say hello to him.


We are very happy to know that he is healthy and doing well. And the fact that he is a boy, well, that is awesome, too. I was excited at the prospect of a boy or a girl, but now that we know, I can really get excited about all the possibilities. I know so many awesome little boys (and men), so I am excited to see who this guy becomes. 


Comps is less than a week away and shit is getting REAL. So I really need to stop writing this post and go figure out how to explain causal inference in a quasi-experimental design. Don't ask. I don't have a clue. But I better.


Here's the pic from this week. Although I am jutting out my belly, I do have to say, there is no denying or hiding this pregnancy.

 

Dear Baby Bear,

I was so happy to see you and get to know you a little bit this week! Papa is already making big plans for you and is very excited to take you hunting, fishing and do all of his man things with him. Of course, if you don't want to do those things, I am sure you will finds lots of adventures to do together. 

I sometimes worry that my stress from my exams is affecting you, or that you can sense it, so I am trying very, very hard to stay relaxed. Hopefully you will be cool as a cucumber and relaxed, especially next week when I have to take the test for 13 hours. Maybe your relaxation will rub off on me. I have to say, helping you stay relaxed is a huge motivator for me not to get too stressed out.

Keep grooving (just not so hard on my bladder)

Your Papa, Big Sister, and I love you very much.

Love,

Mama 

19 weeks and counting

Studying has gone into full swing around here  but we have had snippets of fun this week, particularly as it heats up and there are outdoor adventures are to be had. And in very important news, June Apple is finally calling me 'Mama,' although she still calls me 'Baba,' too. Other favorite words include 'diaper' which she says while violently slapping her nether regions. There's some baby sign language for ya. At first we thought she was only saying it when she needed a change, and we were highly excited about this level of bodily awareness. But, alas, she just likes to let us know she has a diaper- like twenty times a day. Favorite animal sounds of the week include bear growls and pig snorts.

 

 

So here I am at 19 weeks! This time next week, we will know the sex of this little butter bean, as we have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday. I am really excited to see what this bambino looks like and find out a little bit more about them. Lots of people have been asking me what I think the sex of the baby will be, and honestly, I have no idea. I find that I am very influenced by what other people think its going to be. It seems like everyone is pretty 50/50, but anyone who has an opinion about it, are sure that they are right, so we'll see....I'll be happy as long as its a healthy baby. And human. I can see how either a boy or a girl would be great. I love the idea of two little sisters running around, but, gosh, do I have a soft spot for little boys. Of course, Amos is hoping for a boy to continue his "dynasty." So any guesses? What do you think this little bundle will be?          

 

Dear Baby Bear,

I am so excited to get to see you in just a few short days! I am eager to know all about you and this is will be one of the first times I will get to find out just a little bit. What will you show us? Who will you be? I hope you can hear us and that you'll wave when we see you. 
I've been craving beer and margaritas lately. Don't worry, I haven't given into the cravings. I wonder if its a sign of your tastes (Oh, help me) or just a sign that its summertime and that's what I like in the summer. Who knows? Only popsicles and grape juice for us.


I love you and will "see" you soon!


Love,
Mama