Baby Update: Week 33

Baby:  The big news of the week has been that Thor has flipped!!  He is no longer feet-down, but is now head-down and ready to go.  Baby is now about 4 1/2 pounds and up to 19 inches long.  With his size, he is starting to get cramped, and so his moves and kicks are becoming increasingly more pronounced (and painful!).  Antibodies being created by Mom are being passed on to baby to keep him healthy when he arrives in the world.  

Baby and I had a checkup last week, and the baby/I am now measuring at 35 cm, about 2 cm larger than I should be.  I asked the doctor if that means I can go two weeks early, and she just laughed.....

Mom and Dad:  Mitch and I attended our childbirth class on Saturday, which was the first of two classes we will take together.  (This is the only one that deals with the actual birth - the other one talks about what to do once the baby comes home.)  We were both excited to learn what we were in for, and we did indeed learn a lot!  Mitch became squeamish once during the childbirthing video (which is quite impressive, as I had anticipated him to be much worse), and I was squeamish during the epidural video (while the thought of childbirth is scary, that needle (and the rare, but possible side effects is scarier to me).  The most informative parts of the class were the timing of the contractions and when it indeed is time to go to the hospital, and the breathing techniques that we practiced.  While I feel prepared as to what is exactly going to happen, I haven't quite connected it to the fact that I actually have to go through it all!  Maybe I should have thought about this a little more before we got ourselves in this predicament....

We had a beautiful final shower this past weekend, and now our house looks like a baby tornado has gone through it.  We have done a lot of washing and folding and organizing, and we're hoping to have the nursery completely done and ready in two weeks.  Hopefully.

Here is my 33-week photo:

 

I feel like a giant, and women at the grocery store and Target have given me sympathetic "Oh, you poor thing!" comments when I tell them when I'm due.  They really make you feel good about yourself.  To make myself feel even larger, I thought I'd post a picture with this same shirt on, taken at the beginning of April - 

Not only is this shirt extremely faded, but it is stretched (almost) to the max.  I used to like this shirt, but I'm so sick of wearing it.  I'm ready for regular clothes again......with the exception of those pregnancy pants.  I can get used to elastic for life.  

My Latest Pride and Joy - Revised to Make Pa Happy!

Behold, the beauty that is my first window trim job - 

While Katie assisted me when she was here, I did all of the measuring, cutting, nailing, spackling, sanding, and painting.  

I'm pretty badass, if I do say so myself.  However, I learned these mad skillz from Pa Poke, who thought that a miter saw and accompanying tutorial was the best shower gift.  (It's really a good one!)  Where would I be without you, Pa?  Thank you for always showing me the error of my ways.  

First the Plumbing, Now the Garage

Last night when I came home from teaching lessons, I walked into the house (just like always) and hit the button to close the garage door (just like always).  The garage door stopped just before it got to the ground.  As our garage door can be a bit finicky, I hit the button to continue it going down, and it didn't move.  It was then that I noticed the garage door was a little crooked in the tracks.  

Long story short - one of the cables broke on the garage door, causing the door to get stuck in the tracks, and it wouldn't budge.  Luckily, one of my (very nice) neighbors was outside watering flowers when he saw me struggling to figure out what the hell to do, and he came over to help.  We got one of the cars out of the garage, he went and grabbed another neighbor, and the two of them got the garage door down.  One of the tracks is pretty much destroyed, both cables now need replacing, and some brackets on the door (and quite possibly the door itself) will need to be repaired or replaced.  

On today's to-do list:  get some garage guys out here so they can tell me how much this disaster will cost.  I'm ready for Mitch to come home, as while I am Superwoman when it comes to home improvement (see today's later post), I'm sick of dealing with all of this stuff that's breaking!

My Trip to Illinois

In no random order, I present visual evidence that I spent a week and a half visiting as many family and friends as I could.

The Mrs. and Katie threw me a beautiful baby shower.  Thanks so much ladies!  It was so nice to see so many friends and family at the shower, most of whom I rarely see now.  

The Mrs. brought Punkin and Shortcake out to the farm for an afternoon of swimming - Punkin sure enjoyed spitting the pool water on Pa Poke (she didn't get the idea by herself - Pa Poke may have started it.  He also made both girls cry in 25 minutes.  Way to go, Pa Poke.  Better practice up those grandparenting skills!)

Punkin and Shortcake in the pool - they had so much fun!

Cin and I at the Art Institute on our DAY OF FUN! - we checked out the new Modern Wing, which was really nice.  Although I have to admit, there was a lot of it I didn't "get".  I was happy to know that Cin, the art teacher, didn't get some of it, either.

 

Cin, #1 Rush Fan, and I at my favorite eating establishment in Morris, LaMex.  Man, I had been craving those flautas for months, and they didn't disappoint.  The company I was with didn't, either!  

Lar-Dog and Steph joined us at LaMex,

 - as did Artsy, PE, and Hanky.  Zanadoo was there, too - I'm not sure how she avoided my camera!  It was so nice to catch up with my former colleagues.  I really miss working with all of them!

In addition to these fun activities, I also had really nice visits with Grama and Grapa Poke and Grandpa Hougie, a day of shopping with Mom, a tutorial on miter saws from Dad (look for my latest home improvement project soon!), a visit from Auntie M, bonding time with Boston and Gus-Gus,  and a lot of lounging around the pool and relaxing.  I had a great time at home on the farm!

Baby Update: Week 32

Baby:  "What to Expect" says that this week, the beginning of the eighth (!) month, the baby is approximately 4 pounds and about 19 inches long.  He's practicing his breathing and swallowing and kicking in order to survive outside the womb.  He's also not an alien-looking baby anymore - he has accumulated enough body fat to make his skin opaque.  Yay!

Mom:  The physical aspects of the pregnancy are certainly starting to take its toll on me.  I am getting increasingly bigger and more uncomfortable, feeling much less mobile and miserable.  Between the stretch marks, the aching pelvis, the swollen appendages, and the breech baby that is doing a tap-dance on my bladder, I'm starting to think it wouldn't be so bad if I had Thor a couple of weeks early.  I'm also more and more annoyed that I can't do normal things without  getting tired.  There is still so much to do before Thor gets here, and while I want to get it done, all I really want to do is relax.  Work a little, relax a little will have to become my motto for the next eight weeks.  

This picture is from week 31 (I forgot to take one this week).  I especially like how my very large belly makes my neck look so slim.  

Dad:  Mitch gets to come home this week!  It was 103 degrees in Dallas yesterday, and I know he's miserable and ready to get out of there.  (Not that he'll be coming to cool MN - the heat index today is 105 degrees.  Yuck!)  I have no doubt that Mitch will be shocked at my physical transformation in the last five weeks that he's been gone.

Mitch and I also celebrated our 7th anniversary yesterday.  It's hard to believe that we've been married this long already - I can remember our wedding like we got married last weekend.  I don't know what I would do without him, as he is my rock, my voice of reason, the one who can always make me laugh, and the one who takes care of me better than anyone else.  I can't wait until he comes home and we can celebrate!

A Pictureless Fathers Day Shout-Out

To our Dads and Grandpas (and Pop-Pops) -

Thank you for being such strong influences in our lives. You are all different and have enriched our lives in wonderful ways. You all have great stories to tell, and we love hearing them over and over again. You take care of us when we need anything - the lawn mowed, the trim installed, a gardening lesson, or just a laugh or a shoulder to vent on. We appreciate and love you all.

Happy Fathers Day!

Training Update #5 - updated!

Hello from the Magnolia Hotel Dallas! The hotel was once the office of Magnolia Oil, the company that would someday become Mobil. The red neon Pegasus sign on the roof is a Dallas landmark (and familiar corporate logo).

This is one of my classmates, Boston Tom. He really is from Boston and has a great accent. He needs a little wardrobe help though, because this is his idea of business casual. It was a Thursday so don't try and defend him with a Casual Friday remark. Note to Boston Tom - a Celtics t-shirt is not business appropriate. Neither are a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt, jeans, or shorts.

Here's a good look at some really interesting clouds we had in Dallas last week. I think this was the day after the big storm from a previous post.

If you climb A LOT of stairs, you can get to the roof on top of the Magnolia. The door wasn't locked so I went out and snapped a pic of the neon Pegasus. It was a lot of stairs but it was worth it, and I got an even better view of Dallas. For those of you interested in this type of information, I was only out there for about 30 seconds before I worried about getting blown off the edge so I didn't take any pictures of the view.

Classroom Update:

I had my final two tests this week, and did pretty well. On Tuesday I made a stupid mistake and missed a question that caused me to fail an objective. Overall in the course I passed 44 out of 45 objectives, well above the 70% necessary. My on the job instructor will go over the one I missed with me back in St. Paul, but clearly I know what I'm doing.

Classmates Bring the Funny:

These are all real quotes from my classmates over the last week.

Instructor: "You need to know this for when the 'customer' is in front of you."
Classmate: "Can't we just go ask the manager?"
Instructor: "The manager's going to ask 'Can I write you a pink slip?'"

(reading aloud) Is Gloria illegible to claim the credit? (word was eligible)

I know what you're saying, but I don't like the words.

OK, I got a bat in my hand and I got to hit the dead horse.

I heard if you can't sleep to imagine a black wall, so I did it and every time I saw the wall I depreciated it.

(reading aloud) Ms. Ass...bury. Is it Ashbury or Ass-bury? I'll go with Azz-bury. (Asbury)

Who got the hole punch?

They was supposed to do what?

There's a bank right down the street - Jose Bank. (actually, it was the clothing store Jos. A. Bank)

(reading aloud) Computate the penalty. (compute)

(reading aloud) His position is based on a court case from the district where he presides. (resides)

Instructor: "You're up next."
Classmate: "What?"
Instructor: "Do you want to explain the answer?"
Classmate: "What?"
Instructor: "You wrote it on the board 2 minutes ago."
Classmate: "Oh, yeah. OK."

6/21 Update - Found another sheet with more quotes written down.

My last job was either at a non-profit or a not-for-profit. I'm not sure which.

I have the wrong hat on my head so to speak.

Classmate: I read that as the business providing it for free.
Instructor: It doesn't say anything about free.
Classmate: I know but that's how I'm reading it.

My ears were trying to pop when you were talking, can you say that again?

I'm still looking for something that says it is 15 years. (materials clearly state use 15 years)

(in a whiny voice) Is this on the test?

Classmate: You erased the stuff on the board!
Instructor: It's on the previous page. I know, it's a lot of page turning.

Is there anywhere we haven't gone that we haven't gone?

Instructor: Did everybody get $803?
Classmate: No, I got $802.50. (all number have been rounded to the nearest dollar for the entire course)

Classmate: I'm looking at this example and it says September 1st. Do we need to worry about the September 11th rules?
Instructor: No.

Baby Update: Week 31

Baby: According to "What to Expect", baby weighs in at almost four pounds and is approximately 16-18 inches long. Baby's senses are working, as he can perceive light, sound and taste. This is mostly due to brain development, which is working overtime right now to make sure baby is ready for his arrival. The baby is pushing more on the diaphragm, causing poor mommy to be frequently out of breath (this is true), and has more defined patterns of sleep and awake.

Mom: I can definitely attest to the breathlessness that I feel whenever I try to do ANYTHING. I feel so out of shape. I also can feel when Thor is really awake, which is usually late morning, late afternoon, and late evening. He particularly likes to be up around 2am (a trend I'm hoping he quits before he arrives). I had no idea what "birthing hips" really meant until they started to hurt - my pelvis is pretty sore as my body gets ready for birth. I'm in Illinois for the week to let my mom pamper me (because I sure won't get it when the baby comes), and it's been a great visit so far. Between the resting, I have big plans to see plenty of great friends that I have missed, and look forward to catching up with all of them.

Dad: As you saw on the last post, Mitch really did take my "better start living" to heart, as his old roommate Dr. Martin was in Dallas with him for the weekend. And boy, did they think they were 21 again. (That is, until the next morning, when the hangovers nearly did them in.) I know they had a great time, and I'm glad that they were able to be carefree and silly, just like in college. Mitch has two more weeks to go in Dallas, and I'm ready for him to come home. I think he's about ready, too - one can only take so much hotel living.

We are NOT having fun

To the Shower Crew

Ladies - 

You have made giving showers an artform.  From the delicious food to the games to the favors, not one detail has been overlooked.  It's so much fun to go to one of your showers (and not because it was thrown in my honor!) because it is so obvious that you all have a blast putting it together, and your excitement is contagious.  I feel blessed to have you in my life.  I had a great time tonight, and look forward to that "meeting" we have planned.  (We'll keep that secret, yes?)

From the bottom of my heart (and Mitch's and Thor's), thank you.

The ladies (minus the Norwegian)

That Just Happened

While enjoying a gelato after dinner in the West Village area of Dallas, we saw a camera crew and asked what was going on. Big mistake. Huge. Pretty much wish I could go back in time and erase it from my memory.

"Mothers and Daughters of Dallas - it's a new reality show on Style network!"

http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE53M0VS20090423

I would have sworn the mother was being filmed for What Not To Wear.

Training Update #4

Hello again from hot, steamy, stormy Dallas. Today we had Test #3 and I passed all the objectives, and scored 35/37. Yesterday was the halfway point of training and we had conferences with the instructors to assess our progress. The instructor who reviewed me, New Orleans Jackie, said that I am "an asset to the class" so apparently I rock.

Fifty Below Zero News:

Dr. Marty is coming to Dallas for a visit this weekend. Watch out Texas!

SUPER big congrats to Rachel Needs a Job! She needs to change her name to Rachel HAS A Job! Way to go Angel! Tina and I are very happy for you (and Tuba Lady)!

Where Is Jim Cantore And His Blue L.L. Bean Jacket?

On the way back from dinner tonight we heard tornado sirens. Thankfully, I got back up to my room just before the rain and wind started.

View of the storm clouds from the 24th floor:

(click picture to enlarge)

View of the storm from the 24th floor 5 minutes later when the rain started. What looks like fog is actually rain being blown sideways by 40-70 mph winds.

(click picture to enlarge)

South Cove's Visit to the Northland

For an Illinoisan, there's nothing more fun than coming up to Minnesota in June to enjoy the beautiful summer weather that we have here.  Unfortunately for SouthCove, she came on a cold, rainy weekend where it didn't get above 55 degrees and I had to turn the heat on in the house.  Despite the crappy weather, we had a great time!!  Here's the run-down of the weekend:

Friday:  SouthCove arrives and we chat and eat grapes.  Into St. Paul for Cosetta's pizza, then to the Liffey for a drink.  (I substituted beer for chocolate cake.  Not a bad trade-off.)

Saturday:  After a sleepy morning, we went to the Mall of America, which was ridiculously crowded.  I haven't seen it that busy ever, not even during the holidays.  We walked all three levels, with SouthCove purchasing some spiffy new sunglasses and I purchasing a super-cute onesie on sale at Carters.  We also took a stroll through Nickelodeon Universe, where SouthCove really came alive - 

-she could not have been more excited to see the WonderPets - although she didn't want to wait in line -

-and I forced her to put on this silly Spongebob hat.  She looks good in it, doesn't she?

We had grand plans for going into Minneapolis that evening for dinner and general walking around, but by the time we made it through the mall my cankles weren't going to handle more walking, so we came home and had a lazy night, complete with Buffalo Wild Wings and the "Twilight" movie.  SouthCove had resisted the Twilight craze to this point, but after viewing Robert Pattinson's dreamy eyes, she has a new respect for tween books and movies.  I give the movie two enthusiastic thumbs up, if you can get through the first ten minutes of super-cheesiness.

Sunday:  After a breakfast of waffles and sausage and another lazy morning, we met up with Al and took a trip to the Cannon River Winery.  I had been there before, and the girls really enjoyed sampling the 10+ wines the winery has to offer. (Side note - it was not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be to not sip wine with them.  Way to go me!)  After the purchase of some bottles, we headed home and went to Jake's for dinner.  Yummy!  Al went home, and we watched the Tony awards in our pjs and ate pistachio ice cream.  

While I was sad when SouthCove pulled out of the driveway, my heart warmed because she was going to have the most fun of all on the way home - stopping by the Leinenkugel's brewery to take the tour, sample the libations and buy her very own HoneyBear pitcher!  

Thanks for making the drive, SouthCove!  It was great to see you, and I look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks!

Baby Update: Week 30

Baby:  According to "What to Expect", Thor is over 3 pounds and about 17 inches long.  His brain is getting bigger by the day, and is starting to perform tasks such as temperature regulation.  This means that the baby will now start shedding the lanugo, or hair that has been keeping him warm in the womb.  

Mom:  I'm starting to panic, knowing that there is only ten more weeks to go, that there will actually be a child in the nursery, that life will be changed forever in just a few short weeks.  I'm getting increasingly more uncomfortable as Thor gets bigger and it gets more crowded, and can feel the fatigue and lack of energy settle in for the third trimester.  And of course, I'm getting pretty big.     

Dad:  Mitch is surviving the sweltering heat in Dallas, with three weeks to go until his arrival back home.  He and I had a conversation regarding the ten-week countdown to baby, to which he commented that "he had a lot of living to pack in during those ten weeks!"  I reminded him that he can pack the fun in for three weeks, because when he returns it's full-out prep for the baby.  So has he started the living?  His weekend purchase of a bottle of Patron tequila leads me to believe he is.  

DONE!

I am done working until the end of October - what a great feeling!  

WOO HOO - SUMMER BREAK!

If you need me, I'll be sipping iced tea on the deck.  

Training Update #3 - now with more quippy goodness!

Had test #2 this morning; I passed all 9 sections and missed a total of 3 questions out of 37.

Here's some actual quotes from class today:

Instructor: "When apportioning real property taxes after the sale of a house, you have to add up the number of days the seller owned the house. So, 31 days for January plus 28 days for February, etc..."

Classmate: "WAIT! WAIT! Will we be given the number of days in each month on the test?"

I was dumbfounded.

This is what I stare in class. Tools of the trade: multiple binders of Training Materials, company issue Laptop, 0.7 mm Skilcraft mechanical pencil, BA II Plus Business Analyst calculator. Off screen: Styrofoam cup of Sweet Tea.

This is the building I'm in from 8:00-4:30 every day.

When It Rains, It Pours....

.....sorry about my water metaphor.  But it's true.  Just a few days ago I talked about how mundane my life was.  I take it back!!!  My life of going to work and then coming home to relax is so exciting!!!  Because I want all of the drama to stop!!!

Here was my not-so-fun, stress-filled day:

1.  Got up to go to work - last day with kids (that's the greatest part of the day!).  No water in the basement (also a good thing).  Found out that my current school district doesn't know their heads from their asses, and that they still have not decided on a schedule for next year.  Which means, they don't know what their music needs are, which means they can't offer me a job yet.  All this was supposed to be done two months ago.  I'm beyond annoyed and have moved to pissed off.

2.  Came home after doing some quick grocery shopping.  While putting away the groceries, had my weird heart thing.  This episode lasted for 30 minutes, but thankfully stopped right before I was going to call 911.  Thank God for Lizzie McGuire, who took care of me despite a little lady who was ready for her nap.  Thanks, Lizzie.  I owe you!

3.  Had an interview that I feel went only mediocre - I didn't feel on top of my game after the heart thing, was still mad about my current district, and didn't feel like the questions they asked would help them decide who the best candidate for the job would be.  Annoying.

There was a little bit of laughter in this no-good, very-bad day - check out Boston's latest story below.  It's real, hard-hitting journalism coming straight out of Chambana.  

http://www.wicd15.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wicd_vid_1001.shtml

Here's to hoping tomorrow goes better.

I Asked For It

I jinxed myself yesterday when I said I had been leading a pretty uneventful life.  Yesterday as I was doing laundry, I noticed that our old plastic pipe that ran to the refrigerator was draining water into the basement sink.  We had cut the line a few months ago and had closed off the valve to stop the water from running.  The valve, however, was now leaking.  After trying to tighten the valve (which didn't do a thing), I decided I needed to do something, and I wanted to try to solve this myself.  Usually I would call Mr. Fix-It, and I know he would have fixed this for me, but I've been urging Mitch to learn to do things for ourselves, and thought I better take my own advice.

This morning I went to work armed with my Home Improvement book from the Home Depot and placed a call to Dad to ask for some advice.  He gave me a few suggestions, I read up on replacing valves, and then went to the local Ace store to get some more advice and supplies.  Joe at Ace was very friendly, and did a great job of explaining all of the options, and gave me the pieces I would need to take care of this.  

So, I came home after work, and in the 45 minutes I had between teaching school and teaching lessons, I took the old flexible pipe out of the valve and screwed on a cap.  It stopped the constant running of water, but still had a decent drip going into the sink.  Problem temporarily solved, and I felt better knowing that my water bill was going to be smaller now because of that cap.  Off to lessons I went.

I came home at eight o'clock and decided to just take the valve out completely and put a plate over the hole in the piping, which is what Joe said I should do if the valve continued to leak.  I shut off the water, made sure I had the tools ready and the plates, nuts and bolts set out, and started to unscrew the valve.  

I was delusional to think that shutting off the water would mean no leaking/spraying/shooting water, as of course there was still water in the pipe.  As the valve came off, water went EVERYWHERE.  I panicked, thinking that I have gotten myself way over my head, that the basement was going to flood, and wondering who I could call to come help me (Mr. Fix-It lives over 25 minutes away - I could float away by then!).  I decided that I just needed to work fast to put the new plate over the hole, took a deep breath, and got to work.  

Here is the fruit of my labor:

You can see that there is NO WATER coming out of this pipe anymore!  I'm not sure if it's the greatest long-term solution, but it has now stopped the leaking.  I had some pretty major clean-up in the basement to do, since the water was everywhere, but for the most part, I think problem is solved.

OK experts....I'm still nervous that this bracket might just break off and water will start spraying everywhere again.  I'm hoping the four bolts will be stronger than the water pressure.  What else should I do?/is this a permanent fix?/will this hold through the night?/should I have a good cry over this?

Random Thoughts I Will Share With You

Sorry, faithful blog readers - I have had really nothing exciting to blog about lately.  I sadly lead a very normal, mundane life, especially with Mitch gone.  So, I'll give you the list of things that I thought about on my way home today from work:

• I have been teaching almost the entire school day this week because many teachers are out of the building on a field trip.  I am totally out of this routine, and have decided that part-time is definitely the way to go.  How I ever managed to work as many hours as I did in my previous job is beyond me, because I am now a total softie.

• I have developed the pregnancy waddle in the last few days.  It's really attractive.

• It has been really beautiful here lately.  While it's terribly dry (we are 2 1/2 inches lower than normal), the weather has been sunny and 72 degrees almost every day.  I can get used to this.  

• Associated with the weather: our lawn is starting to look pretty bad due to the lack of moisture.  I have serious issues with watering the lawn, though.  First, we don't have a sprinkler, and second, why pay for water for the lawn?  We never watered it growing up, so I don't really see the point in doing it now.  I guess I'll be that neighbor with the ugly lawn.  Oh well.

• Also associated with the weather: combining beautiful weather with the end of the school year usually results in me doing some pretty copious amounts of drinking with my coworkers and friends on various patios and farms.  I'll admit, I'd just love to have a Summer Shandy while sitting on my deck right now.  

• One last thing associated with the weather: I'm very glad that I wasn't pregnant in Florida.  Being pregnant in the summer there must just be unbearable.  

• There is some potential good stuff brewing on the job front again.  I'll let you know when things pan out.  Until then, send good thoughts. 

• SouthCove is coming for a visit this weekend - I am really excited to hit the mall with her!  (Be ready for lots of sitting breaks, though!)

• I can't stop eating grapes. 

• I'm very excited to come to IL for a visit soon.  

What thoughts have been rolling around in your brain?  

Training Update #2

I'm pleased to report that I passed the first exam with a score of 36/39. While this is a pretty good score, I should have gotten them all right and plan on getting 100% correct next time.

In one of the more "remedial" sections of the course, we learned a few minutes ago what the different parts of a check are. See attached photo so you can brush up on your basic financial life skills too!

Meals Scorecard:
Chick-Fil-A: 2
Barbecue: 2
Tex-Mex: 1
Not memorable enough to report: all the rest of them