skip to main |
skip to sidebar
In a nod to Crazy Aunt Purl, I just need to "hold on for one more day-ay." Tahoe is coming, or rather, I'm going to Tahoe on Saturday for a whole week. And I need this vacation like never before.
I feel like I've been on an emotional & physical roller coaster for the last couple of weeks. Emotionally, I've been feeling down & out. Mostly depressed and self-centered. Physically, I'm still nauseous (I now have my "special" puking place in the driveway as I sit in my car trying to leave for work) and for the last week, I've been swollen beyond belief. By the end of the day, my feet literally feel like they will split in two, or at least get horrid stretch marks. At least my hip & back pain has died down and I'm sleeping better, because I might just kill somebody if I wasn't.
Last night after work, I decided to rest my tired feet in a cold bath. It felt fabulous, but then I heard my cell phone ringing in my purse in the living room. I got up and *thought I dried my feet* and walked out into the hallway (the hallway now known as the Slip 'N Slide of Death) and promptly fell on my face. Well, my knee and hands, actually. Falling as an adult is a bit weird, especially a pregnant adult. My weight has shifted so much that my sense of balance is just a *bit* off -- not enough that I notice it all the time, but when I start to fall, I can't necessarily catch myself. So I laid on the floor and whimpered for a few minutes before I got up. And then I got the Headache of Doom, which refused to go away all night, and even into this morning.
I've just decided that I hate happy pregnant women*, and all those nonpregnant women who ask, "don't you lurvvv being pregnant?" No, I don't love being pregnant. I love Figalina, but process of bringing her into the world generally sucks.
*Not individually, but more as a class of people. Really, I'm just jealous. I just hate the fact that the general assumption is that pregnancy is wonderful, and it's only abberrant, grumpy women that can't enjoy this beautiful time of their lives. From my tally, the happy pregnant women are the abberration, not the norm.
Ok, I promised knitting, so here we go. I've decided that I want to make the Seaberry Shell by Wenlan Chia (of Twinkle by Wenlan) from the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave knits. I love her designs, and I thought it would be a fun beach project. However, the pattern calls for her yarn, Twinkle Cruise (70% silk, 30% cotton). Ok, so where would one find this yarn? Good question! Interweave directs readers to the Twinkle website, http://www.twinklebywenlan.com/. Ok, sounds reasonable. On the site, there is a tab for "twinkle handknit yarns," but when you click on it, all you get is a pretty slide show of her runway shows. Um, ok. Not so helpful. I've emailed both Interweave Knits and Twinkle by Wenlan for more info, but have yet to hear back (to be fair, I just emailed them yesterday). But um, this magazine came out more than a month ago, people. Make sure that the recommended yarn is actually available by the time the mag goes to print! If I don't hear back (and even if I do, frankly), I may just head down to A Mano and get Shannita to recommend a substitute yarn. Grr.
Whatever happened to those blissfully happy women who just love being pregnant? I've met some of them, and I used to hope that I would be one of them. Now, I think they are the spawn of Satan, sent here to make us normal, crabby pregnant women feel guilty and self-loathing.
It doesn't help that things here at Nonprofits 'R Us are less than fun. And I'm not sleeping well, because I can't get comfortable (hip, back & shoulder pain make sleeping a chore, especially when sleeping on your back isn't a comfortable option due to baby compressing your lungs and spine). My feet are beginning to swell, which somewhat limits my shoe choices. And truth be told, I'm getting a bit bored of the pregnant talk, but at the same time, I can't think of anything else.
I'm happy to be going on vacation at the end of next week. One whole week in Lake Tahoe, which is positively my favorite place on earth. Beach, trees, water and friends. Maybe I'm just in a rut, and need a change of pace.
I will admit that it's hard, not having any family around to help with the planning of the big and little stuff. It's ok in that Rich & I aren't told what we should do and what we shouldn't do, but at the same time, if we don't do it, no one else will. And that makes even the littlest thing seem overwhelming.
At the same time, I feel like I shouldn't be complaining, because so many people are raising families with less support than I have. My friend Lynn is raising 2 little boys on a whole different continent than her family. Allison S. is also pregnant, and is the opposite side of the country from her family, and she's running her own business while combating nausea. I feel like I don't deserve to wallow in self-pity, not when I've got a great husband, wonderful friends, and family that love me (even if they aren't in the immediate area, which is my fault anyway, since I'm the one that decided to stay in LA instead of moving back to the Bay Area). And then I feel dumb for feeling guilty, since for god's sake, I'M PREGNANT! I'm hormonal and I can't control every single emotion that I have.
You see, people, this is what I was saving you from. The crazy rants and mood swings of this emotionally disturbed pregnant woman. But you asked for it.
Just so this isn't a completely wasted post, here's a baby update: Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. Her skin is red and wrinkled. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing. She can swallow, but she normally won't pass her first stool (called meconium) until after birth. Loud noises heard often in utero — such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze your baby when she hears them outside the womb.
I haven't posted much of late, I know. Bad blogger! But to be honest, I've been in a crappy funk lately. I'm a crabby, bitchy pregnant woman, and who the heck wants to read about that? So, if you notice that I'm more not here than here lately, just assume that I'm in a very bad mood, and that really, I'm just saving you from having to read my rants. Really, it's all about you.
June gloom is firmly ensconced here in LA, and I'm actually loving it. It's cool and breezy and about 74 degrees. I think I've slept more in the last few days that I have in weeks, which has been a luxury that I appreciate all the more because I know that, in a few months, I won't have it.
Figalina is going strong. For the first time ever, I actually felt her move on Friday night. I was up late, reading "What to Exepect..." when I felt something weird in the pit of my stomach. It felt like Figgy was... purring, for lack of a better description. Rich said she muct have her cell phone on vibrate. Since then, I've felt the occasional poke, prod or flutter. It has been so reassuring, since for the last 2 weeks, everything I've read has said I should have felt the baby move. And now I finally can. It's lovely, even though I know sometime around week 30, I'll be moaning about heels in ribs, etc.
It's finished! Yes, the granny square dress for Figgy is done. And, if I do say so myself, it is adorable. It's a large size, so it should fit her between 9 months - 1 year old. But it turned out as cute as I could ever have hoped for. Now, I'm working on a little cardigan from the book, "Candy Babies," by Candi Jensen, who writes the best crochet books for childrens clothes & blankets (other books include "Candy Blankies" and "Candy Tots"). I'm really enjoying making stuff for Figgy now, since she's so obviously real.
I'll end this post with an update from BabyCenter.com, for week 22: Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.
Anyone remember back when this blog was about craftiness, and not about pregnancy? Me neither.
But really, ever since I found out that we're having Figalina, rather than Fignacio, I've regained my craftiness! I knew instantly that I needed to make the adorable granny square bib-front dress from one of my recently purchased McCall's Needlework & Crafts magazines.
And in less than a week, I'm almost done with the skirt (I'd be further along, but we had our big fundraising walk for work on Saturday, and Sunday was so hot I felt like melting). I've updated the color palette and yarn selection a bit (no primary colors in itchy acrylic). I'm using Blue Sky Cotton, which is my absolute favorite cotton yarn. I love their colors. I'm making the dress in a size 1, so it will be wearable in time for our Indian summer.
On the baby front (because Lord knows I can't go through a whole post without mentioning her), I still can't feel her movements yet. I'm trying, but nothing yet. We signed up for our childbirth classes today. 5 weeks long, 2 1/2 hours each. I guess there is a lot to learn! The only bad thing is that they are on Thursdays, 7-9:30 p.m., so I'll miss the WeHo SnB for the entire month of July + first 2 weeks of August. Bummer! But I'm excited. It's all so real now.
a baby!
And according to the doctor, it's definitely a girl! Figoberta! Figalina! So many crafting possibilities! I'm already fast at work on an adorable granny square dress from one of my vintage McCall's Needlework & Crafts.
Posts
