Puke-Free Friday

This has been a challenging week.

Baby Henry had stomach flu and managed to cut two molars at the same time. Needness to say, both of his parents are sleep deprived. But our happy boy is back and puke free (I got the total non-formula, chunky puke christening on Monday night--lucky me!).

Had a meeting yesterday with the folks I've been working for re: my new contract. It was actually quite pleasant and the partner I met with was very complementary about me and my work for the company.

Seriously, sometimes I think that I get myself so tightly wound and stressed out about things for no good reason. I was dreading the meeting all week and it turned out to be totally reasonable and pleasant.

My own head is often my own worst enemy. I think it's time to re-read A New Earth. Time to stop with the self-defeating dialogue and arguements that I have with people in my own head. For whatever reason, I often think that people are angry with me when they are not angry at all. Need to start living in the moment and stop needlessly stressing over non-existant issues that are just of my own imagining.

Seriously!

Snow Day!

Nanny's car broke down this morning (well, her room-mates car really), so no nanny today. Work was quiet so it turned out to be a nice day, just the two of us.

Baby Henry and I played, had lunch (he ate cottage cheese, peas, pears, and hummus on whole wheat bread, oh, and some cucumber), he napped some, I did some laundry and wrote some belated bday cards and then he did a little art project for Daddy for Valentine's day. All while the snow fell and fell outside creating a deep and quiet blanket of white.

At least four inches out there now if not more. I think once Craze gets home I'll head outside and do a little shoveling. It will be nice to get some fresh air and shoveling always seems so gratifying for some reason. Not sure how to go forward?. . .Just shovel, shovel, shovel. . .voila, a clear path ahead. If only life in general was so straight forward.

Not so stressed out by my work situation. After 10 days of intense online research and numerous emails to old work colleagues, I still don't have any new business opportunities. But I'm just taking a Candide sort of attitude, "everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds."

It will all work out, one way or another. I'll figure it out. I always have. I'm a superior figureitouter.

So Much Time Gone By. . .

So much time has elapsed since my last blog entry that I actually forgot how to log into this thing again!

What to say? My little newborn is now one year and 17 days old. He is a funny, chatty, expressive little wonder. And I wonder daily what I ever did to deserve this amazing (and amazingly blond) little babe. (Said his dark-haired mother.)

I did finally get three job offers. I turned down the "big" job with a fat paycheck, fancy title and big office in downtown Chicago in favor of working 3-4 days per week for a consulting firm where I can continue to work from home. I think it was a great decision. I have a nanny now on my working days, but see my son often during my work day and never feel like I've missed something important. And my job doesn't own my life. I still own it.

Working more frequently while caring for a baby has been a big adjustment, but we are in a much better financial place now. So, much better than last Christmas when we were broke and I used my holiday gift cards on diapers and formula and prayed at Christmas that I would keep finding ways to scrimp, sell or earn in order to cover the mortgage.

Nevertheless, with our new-found income, we have continued to be pretty frugal. Paying down debt accumulated in leaner times and hitting the yard/garage sales like crazy this past summer. I'm still amazed at how well I can do buying lots of things second hand (baby stuff especially). Better financially and better for the environment. A real win-win.

We are still living in that little, sometimes drafty, almost 90-year-old house in Chicago. I'm still thinking of replacing the kitchen floor and redoing the downstairs bathroom and, lately, with a crawling-trying-to-walk baby around, thinking of getting the hardwoods covered with less injurious carpet. But none of the above has been done. My frugal nature insists that I get rid of remaining debt before incurring new costs. So, new kitchen floor and living room carpet in 2010? We'll see.

Craze and I are still going strong. Next June marks 10 years of togetherness. For a guy who seemed to have no interest in kids, he has proved to be a committed, funny and tender dad, who never shirks a diaper change and loves nothing better than the sound of his son's laugh and his beaming little face.

Our animal family is still here, too. Bug, who is mostly terrified of kids, loves Henry. She is so very good with him. The formerly-stinky-big-headed-foster-dog who became our dog is still here, too. He is, however, the most expensive dog of all time (at least in our experience) because of his hip issues and previous leg break (was hit by a car years before we adopted him), but we love him and he loves us and now, at least, I'm actually making some money to pay for his care. And who needs a beach vacation when instead you've got a 70-lb golden haired boyfriend who likes to try and sit in your lap most days? And the Alley Cat and Grey round out that little pack. Both are purring along, soft and sleek and lovable as ever.

I am still heavy. Yeah, I lost the baby weight, but was pretty big to begin with and it's all still there. I'm the frumpiest I've ever been, but mostly zen about it all. On a whim, I had a bunch of my long hair cut off a couple months ago into an impossibly high-maintenance hair cut that made me look like a scarecrow if I didn't straighten it daily. The bleach blond peek-a-boo highlights didn't help. Needless to say, I looked like a scarecrow post-cut most days. Thankfully, two months of growth and a ten-minute hair color session has made me look more presentable (no more peek-aboo!) and I'm looking forward to more hair (along with other changes) in 2010.

I joined Weight Watchers just before Thanksgiving and have lost 5.4 lbs in five weeks. Not bad considering this has included Thanksgiving, baby bday party (and homemade chocolate cake!) and run-up to Christmas. And frankly, while it would be nice to break out of the frump rut, I am more committed to just being in better shape. I would love nothing better than to be able to sit on the floor and play with my son and get up from said floor with ease. It's the "ease" part that I need to work on and Weight Watchers is a first step in that direction.

Not to mention, I have a cute, thin husband who still manages to love me even though I look pretty awful most days lately. Looking and feeling better certainly couldn't hurt in the relationship department.

And like myself, my house is sort of frumpy, too. Aside from the old, chipped kitchen floor, crummy downstairs loo and lack of living room carpet, the onslaught of baby toys and gear has made our clutter issues seem so much worse (and I think caring for a little one has made it a lot easier for the clutter to pile up and stay piled up). My wish for 2010 is that I can streamline myself and my stuff and make my home more livable and easy to clean/maintain in order. It's time for a big purge, all around.

All that said, 2009 was a financially stressful year and the lack of sleep from 7+ months of night-time feedings/baby not sleeping through the night made it harder. But at the same time, it was really an amazing, pivotal year in my life. Having birthed my babe last December, 2009 is the year when I really became a mother in caring for that little boy every single day. It has been the most amazing gift of my life. And even with no money coming in and sitting up for those 4 am feedings, I remember sitting in the dark in his room and reminding myself to cherish every moment. And I think I will remember those middle-of-the-night hours spent nursing and quietly singing to him, looking outside at the snow quietly falling or the shadows on the wall, wondering what this little person would grow to be, for the rest of my life.

And I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude. That my child is healthy and happy, tall and bright. That we still have a warm, cozy roof over our heads. That we find a reason to laugh at least once a day. That I have met new people who shine a light into my life through their own faith and selflessness. That I have founds ways to give back to others who have less.

So, I guess really 2009 was more about riches than anything. I may be frumpy, but I'm sort of fantastic as well. And I guess that's pretty great.

Working Mama Maggie?

I actually have a job interview on Tuesday. Not just any interview. . .a breakfast meeting. . .FANCY!

We'll see what happens. I'm in two minds about the whole thing. On one hand, I'm excited about the prospect of making good money again (pay off the credit cards and not have to worry every month about how to pay the mortgage!) and having interesting work to do. On the other hand, I'm not relishing going back to the daily downtown commute and being away from my baby during the day.

Clearly these are issues that most working moms have and find ways to overcome, but it just seems SO hard. Couple that with the fact that at five months, I have never left baby Henry with anyone but my husband and you have a mom with serious separation anxiety. I feel sad about being away from my little babe.

What to do?

I'm hoping I can work part-time three or four days a week (and if four days, maybe one day working from home). That would make the whole thing more do-able for me. More palatable.

I miss my baby already (and he's only in the next room taking a nap!).

Aside from that, this work-from-home-for-the-past-four-years-often-in-my-PJs woman needs to tart herself up for Tuesday. This afternoon sees a haircut. I already colored my grey, grey roots a couple of days ago. Next, I need to figure out what the hell I'm going to wear!!!!

A Secret Told on the Breeze?

Some days, like today, I feel sort of lost. I look for purpose in feeding the baby, cleaning the kitchen sink, loading up the dishwasher. General tidying. Trying to do what needs to be done and putting things in order. There's a momentary sense of rightness in seeing things cleaned and put away. In knowing that my baby is content and happy and that even when he cries endlessly in his cranky teething mode, I am good and patient and calming with him.

But I still feel out of place. Neither here nor there. A stay-at-home mom but not, since I really need to find a job to make ends meet. A career woman who knows she would rather be at home cleaning the sink and singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider even for the 78th time. Stuck in the middle.

My husband tells me to get out of the house, but there are few places to go that don't require spending money. I guess now that the weather is better that I just need to get into a walking habit with the baby. Fresh air and blue skies might blow away the cobwebs and help me get over the post-pregnancy frumpiness I feel. Maybe the breeze will tell me something I need to know. Let me in on the secret that holds the key to real contentment. Help me feel confident again. As a career woman AND a mom. As the woman I long to be.

April Already? Time Flies When You're Not Sleeping

Oh, how long it's been, dear blog. That's what happens. One day your little babe is just a little over a week old and suddenly fast-forward and he's four months and five days old already. And you wonder where the time went. . .well, it wasn't spent sleeping. That's for sure. Especially when you're still getting up for those middle-of-the-night feedings. . .

I guess time indeed does fly when your a new, first-time, now 44-year-old mom.

My little one continues to thrive. His formerly broken arm is pretty much as good as new. In fact, my almost three-week-early "little" babe is something of a giant now. 27 inches long and 17 pounds at the four-month mark. He's pretty much outgrowing his 6-month size clothes already. And he's an early teether--been teething already for weeks. Those bottom front teeth are about to pop any day and, oh boy, are they making him, my usually sweet and flirty little boy, a crank monster.

And me? Well, it's a mixed bag. Still no work, so money is a constant worry. And I'm torn. I love looking after my child and my home, but my husband doesn't make enough for me to stay at home full-time. Hopefully, I can find something part-time, but any job is hard to come by at the moment. I've been in touch with long-time colleagues in my profession to see if they have any openings or know of any and I've been surprisingly totally blown off for the most part. I find it hurtful and quite staggering. People that I know very little, acquaintances really, have been the most helpful in my job search. I guess it just goes to show that you can never really know some people. People are often not, in reality, who they lead you to believe they are. Well, never mind.

If I wasn't so broke, I might actually say that this was one of the happiest times of my life. Heck. I'll say it any way. This is one of the happiest times of my life.

I have a little miracle child and every day I find more reasons to be grateful. Grateful for my wonderful, hard-working, funny husband who clearly loves being the father of his child. Grateful that the sun is shining on my back and spring is finally coming to still-cold Chicago. Grateful that I can be honestly content with what I have. Grateful that even in these hard times, we will find a way to get by. This I know.

In the end, everything will be really fine. Better than fine. Possibly great.

Preparing for D-Day

This past Sunday, Craze and I went to our all-day baby delivery class. It was a long day and after a while, I was having real problems sitting in the same chair for eight hours. That said, it really was very informative and interesting. Craze said he learned a lot and we even took a tour of all the rooms we'll be staying in once I go into labor and arrive at the hospital.

It actually was quite reassuring and I have to say that I'm not really too scared about the whole labor and delivery process. I may even opt out of getting an epidural, especially in the earlier stages of labor, as I like the idea of being able to get up and move around (obviously once you have an epidural, you're in bed for the duration). I guess we'll see how painful it is and get the drugs if I feel I really need them. I do really like the idea of mobility and being able to go take a warm shower during labor though.

Other than that, we're still in the middle of the Great House Upheaval 2008--making room for baby. We got a LOT of stuff done this past Saturday, so it's not such a mess but still a mess. The reality is, we have so much unsorted junk and clutter. Paperwork that needs to be filed, shredded or just plain thrown into the recycling bin and out of the house. Likewise, we have non-paper stuff that just needs to be gone. My husband is a pack rat who never purges anything (just moves stuff around instead of doing any actual sorting) which makes the whole process that much more time-consuming and frustrating. He even hoards old newspapers as he claims he's actually going to read them one day and/or cut out the crossword puzzles to do. I can't tell you how many times I've found 2-foot piles of old newspapers hidden in his closet, in the car trunk, in the garage, basement, even under the outside deck. I swear, I really need an intervention with that one!

I just tell him that I hope he likes this house a lot, because we're never moving until he gets his act together and has a serious purge/sorting session. Otherwise, we'll be here 'til we die. I refuse to move all his unsorted stuff again like I did when we moved into this house seven years ago. It was a real nightmare that went a month or more beyond the actual moving date (just getting the stuff out of his apartment, never mind the putting of stuff away in the new house). Never again... Never. Again.

All that said, the baby's room is almost done. Just need to buy a shelf or a small wardrobe (I've got my eye on a red bookcase from Ikea) and wash and put away a few more baby clothes. I still need to sew the valance and curtains, but that should be pretty easy.

The guest room is coming together and just more sorting of old office paper work needed to clear the bed of junk. Once the bed is made, we'll be ready for guests.

Still have the old love seat (that was in the office) turned upside down in the living room which I need to list on craigslist at an almost give-away price asap.

They'll always be more stuff to do in our cluttered home, but once all the above is complete, we'll be in really good shape. And with exactly two months to go from D-Day (Due Date, Delivery Day, whatever you want to call it), I'm confident we'll get it all together in the next couple of weeks. . .

Fingers crossed. . .

Getting Over Financial Freak-Outs, Babies and Bargains

I talked to my financial advisor lady last week and she talked me off the ledge. Thankfully, on her advise, I didn't sell anything on the stock market's worst day of trading ever and I'm less worried about ending up homeless and destitute with a tiny baby and four pets!

Yes, I've calmed down.

In the meantime, the baby's room is coming along and is at least 80% done. Just some storage and decorating things to resolve/install. My former office, i.e. the new guest room,is also making headway. At least there's a bed in there now! I'm re-purposing a lot of stuff that we already had for everything (old waterfall desk is now changing table, old bookcase + cheap, new plastic baskets = clothing storage for baby, stealing from Craze's antique Disney collection for wall decor) and it's coming along nicely. I also picked up a few great bargains, like a perfect lamp shade for the baby's room for $3 instead of $13. It looks great on my basement find lamp from Craze's old apartment. And I'm proud of my home-made custom framing of a couple cute space ship/rocket prints I ordered online for $10 (instead of the $100+ they wanted for the two pix framed and matted!). I used cheap acrylic box frames ($2.99 each) and a red plastic pocket folder as the bright red matte/background (44 cents!) instead. It took me all of 10-15 mins to frame both prints and they look GREAT in the baby's room with our mod rocket-themed crib set ($31 from walmart.com!). I'm also using the cute crib bumper as a curtain valance instead of in the crib and re-using the old white sheers from our bedroom that I took down last year. All this is completed with a bright red and white polka dot Ikea rug I stole from Craze's CD storage room (where you can't really see the floor anyway, cause there's so much stuff!).

In an increasingly industrious mood, Craze even got out and finished painting the front porch over the past weekend. Shocking!

I'm still in super frugality mode, but it's working out ok. I did break down and buy a baby sweater at Target I've been wanting for ages--but thankfully, it went on sale, so hurray for bargains!

Today I'm off to the baby doc for my 30-week check up. The babe is squirming around like crazy and I'm feeling good, so things are looking sunny.

Get-Up-And-Go. . .Take-A-Nap!

Much painting was done this weekend in the soon-to-be baby's room. Craze and I spent the better part of Saturday and Sunday, painting the dark green guest room walls and ceiling (yes, thank you former owners for that little design jewel) bright yellow and white respectively.

It's amazing how much brighter it looks and how much higher the ceiling appears now that it's white versus olive drab. Still a few touch-ups to do and more work to be done overall (our house is a giant mess since the contents of the guest room are now everywhere else and my office, which will be the new guest room, is still full of office stuff). . .

I got some really great and not-too-expensive bright blue and yellow stackable plastic crates in various sizes at Target the other day that will fit nicely on an existing bookcase. They will be great for clothing and toy storage and so much cheaper than buying additional/new furniture. I'm all about using what we have to save money.

The crib needs to be put together and I'm hemming and haaing about whether I can tackle that by myself today. I guess I can give it a shot. But first, more painter's tape to remove and a few little final paint touch ups.

That said, I think all the weekend painting has robbed me of my get-up-and-go. I feel more like get-up-and-go-take-a-nap!

When Is a Yawn, Not a Yawn?

. . .When you're laying on the table at the doctor's office, getting an ultrasound of your little baby boy, and you see his little mouth open wide into a big, lazy yawn, then a s-t-r-e-t-c-h with one arm above the head before turning over, hiding from view.

I really couldn't believe what I was seeing, but it was the cutest thing. Modern technology really is a miracle.

Old-Girlfriend-Meets-Baby-Shower Weekend

We had a busy last weekend and I'm just now getting caught up!

Firstly, Friday night, we had dinner with Craze's college girlfriend who was in town from NYC. I'm not sure if it's just me and the whole wife/ex-girlfriend thing, but I just find it SO difficult to like her in the least. I find myself constantly picking wholes in her life choices (the little I know of them) and finding fault with her in general.

She's not a bad person and she was perfectly polite to me. She gave us a lovely baby gift of a little blue bathrobe and rattle. That said, she also saved seats at the restaurant so that Craze would sit next to her and I had to sit at the complete opposite end of the table next to several of her friends I didn't know in the least, which I found somewhat irritating and I wasn't able to speak to Craze or the ex throughout the whole meal.

I guess the deal is that I sometimes question her motives (like the seating arrangement). At 40, she is still unmarried and I only met her for the first time at my wedding, which I also found irritating. Who wants to meet their husband's ex on their wedding day??? And the second time I saw her, we spent a couple of days together in Washington, DC, and she made a point of wearing her skimpy bikini and showing off her terrific yoga flexibility and contortionist tricks to Craze at every occasion. I just thought she was really showing off and I found it quite annoying and inappropriate.

I don't think she wants to be with my husband, but I do think she enjoys flirting with him (right in front of me). It's irritating and immature. GRRRRRRR... And don't get me started on her restaurant choice which we weren't consulted about. We went to Mexique, a French-influenced, Mexican restaurant were we spent $100 on one of the most blase and uninspired meals I have had in a long time. Aside from hanging out with Craze's ex-girlfriends, there's nothing I hate worse than LOUD, mediocre, high-priced, hipster restaurants!

Anyway, thankfully, we only had to hang out with her for the one meal and, since the window between her visits is typically LONG--over 4 years for this last one--, I'll unlikely have to see her again any time soon, which is totally fine with me.

Then, bright and early Saturday morning, we loaded our luggage and the dogs in the car and headed for the Motor City for Sunday's baby shower. Luckily, after the six-hour drive, my mother-in-law was not too dog crazy and our fur babies weren't relegated to the basement during our stay and behaved in a perfectly lovely manner. I'm not sure what her earlier dog mania was even all about. Craze called my father-in-law prior to our visit and even he said she was acting a little nutty regarding the dogs. Anyway. . .

The baby shower was really lovely. Great food. Small enough to be able to talk to everyone at a leisurely pace and an amazingly generous shower of baby gifts. So, many beautiful things from hand-made sweaters, booties and a blanket, to a stroller and a baby car seat, organic baby bath lotions and potions, books, diaper bags and so much more. We really are so blessed to have such a lovely and giving extended family. Everyone is genuinely excited about our forthcoming arrival.

It's really nice and such a difference from my own family where I have only my brother who has basically shown almost a total disregard for our forthcoming child. As opposed to Craze's family, they neither attended the baby shower or sent a card or gift to acknowledge that it was even happening. I guess not a surprise really since that's the same reaction I got to my two bridal showers. I guess selfish, self-involved people are unlikely to change so I'm not sure why I find them such a constant disappointment. I always expect better of them and it never happens. Craze wonders why I set myself up for disappointment where they are concerned and he is completely right.

As I've said before, I'm lucky my husband has such a great family and that they are now mine, too.

Rich In Lots of Ways (Just Not the Money One)

Just back from the doc's today for my monthly exam. Apparently, everything in my last ultrasound was great and looked just as it should. And my doctor also said that she is really pleased with how I've been managing my weight so far (which, as a heavy girl my entire life, is the first time anyone has every patted me on the back for weight management!).

She said, at my current rate of gaining, I may weigh less than I did before I got pregnant after I give birth. Wow! Wouldn't that be great?!? "Yes, I shed pounds with the nine-month pregnancy diet. Worked for me!"

Still no work to be had, though. Lots of people said they might need help in September, but nothing has materialized yet. I am in super frugality mode. Luckily, Craze gets his monthly bonus next week and it might be a really good one, since he's been working really hard and doing extra jobs. I just wish I'd get one good job to come a long. That would be truly great!

The good news on the money front is, we pretty much have all the baby stuff we need for our December arrival--almost all of it gleaned economically from craig's list and yard sales this summer. I just need to get the room painted and organized. And we're still having a baby shower in a couple of weeks, so more baby gifts to come from my lovely in-laws. Given my own lack of real family support, I am truly blessed with the BEST in-laws. Everyone, from my brother-in-law's wife, to my mother-in-law and even Craze's aunts, could not have been nicer or more generous to me over the past few years. I may not have a rich husband, but he's made me rich in so many other ways!

The bad news on the money front? We seem to be going through another breakdown phase. The attic fan got fixed about a week ago, which set us back $325. Then yesterday in our "Thank You, Hurricane Gustav" Day of pouring rain here in Chicago, our upstairs skylight started to leak for the first time ever. Oh. . .and today on the way to the doc appointment, I realized there's something seriously up with the car. It's a stick shift and wouldn't get in gear, literally. Lots of engine revving and SLOW moving. Luckily, it didn't break down on me on the expressway.

I guess even in disrepair and an economic crunch, there are still things to be thankful for!

Roll on September!

Yesterday I spent a good chunk of the day trying to drum up some business via email. Thankfully, I actually got some replies back from colleagues saying they'll probably need help in September. Roll on September! Maggie Mamma needs to make a mint before baby arrives!

Fingers crossed something comes through. Business has been dry as a bone for the past three months. Nada. Nothing. Not a single, tiny assignment. Weird!

Anyway, I guess that means I need to get my ass in gear on the baby room front as September will be here before you know it and I'm hoping I'll be busy making moolah.

Baby Bargains Galore!

The past week, I've scored some truly great baby bargains through a combo of yard/garage sales, craigslist and online bargain shopping. Hurray for smart shopping!

We got a nice Babi Italia light maple crib through craigslist for $150 (they normally run upwards of $300 or $400). I got a cool, mod, space-rocket-themed crib set from Walmart.com for only $31--way better than the cute organic cotton one I coveted at $400. It arrived in the mail yesterday and it looks just awesome!

We also got a TON of little baby boy clothes for just a few dollars at various neighborhood yard sales over the weekend--some look like they've never even been used. Plus, we got a Graco stoller for $15 that's pretty new and some people at a late-in-the-day yard sale actually made us take their Eddie Bauer stroller and an infant car seat FOR FREE. We still have to check them out to make sure they meet safety requirements, but you can't beat free!

And probably my favorite items are a cool, '70s turquoise vinyl swivel chair and a cute orange vinyl ottoman. They go great together and will be perfect instead of an ugly, space-sucking glider for the baby's room. All it took to get them was $4 plus a thorough cleaning.

Yesterday, I found a JJ Cole Bundle Me for my December babe on craigslist for $10 (the one I wanted at Babies R Us was $50!). It's brown, faux suede and looks exactly like my husband's vintage '70s "McCloud" coat that he always wears. I'm so excited that my husband's coat and my baby carrier bundle me will match.

I think I might be losing my mind!

We were thinking of painting the baby's room bright yellow or turquoise. But now that I've been looking at paint swatches, I think cheery yellow is the way to go.

Aside for the color, saving money always makes me cheerful!

I Need Some Crib Notes

I am contemplating buying nursery furniture on Craigslist. So, here's the dilemma. . .Today I fold this great deal, $175 for a used Jenny Lind oak crib, changing table, chest of drawers and matching hamper (and crib mattress, but I'd get a new one anyway). The crib looks in good condition, but the seller says it's six years old.

Is this unsafe? Am I a terrible mother for even considering buying a used, six-year-old crib? I am totally torn. But I hate the idea of plonking down a few hundred bucks just for a crib that my child will only sleep in for a couple of years. But on the other hand, his safety is the very most important thing.

What to do???

Did I Really Say. . . Gulp. . . . . . . . . . .Mini Van?!?

I spent some time yesterday emailing more business contacts to try and drum up some work. I've actually had a couple of replies and one potential opportunity--so fingers crossed I get some work soon!

Today was the monthly appointment with my baby parts doctor. My little boy's heartbeat was beating for the band and everything else was A-OK. I'm now 14 weeks 3 days. Hurray for the Crazen (or Baby Craze or, oddly, Banjo, as he is sometimes called)!

The nurse asked me if I have an "fetal movement" yet, which I don't. But I'm excited for the moment it finally happens--probably in the next few weeks.

Oh, and about that stinky, big-headed foster dog. You know. . .the one who likes to stick his wet nose up your butt while you're asleep. Yeah. . .that's the one. Well, since his adoption fell through, we've had no other interested parties stepping up to adopt him. He's been shedding like crazy (like vacuuming at least four times a week crazy) but otherwise he's really settled into life in the Sumner household. We've had him now for over two months and I hate to admit it. . .but I think we're going to have to keep him.

I guess I'll have to make some $$$ soon cause we'll be needing a mini van for transporting our hairy (and not-so-hairy) brood of pets and baby. . .and all that extra dog chow. Yikes!

Food of the Day? Homemade Egg Salad

Maybe it's the protein? Though it smells and looks somewhat disgusting, it's a perfect nausea killer for me.

Other than keeping nausea at bay, I'm actually feeling better. More normal. Less exhausted. I'm hoping my consulting work gets busy again soon. I want to make as much $$$ this year as possible before baby time. I was just online looking at cribs and that stuff ain't cheap. Though, IKEA has a nice crib for $99--what a bargain!

I keep picking out baby boudoir stuff for a girl, so it will be a shocker if I have to revisit my mental design plans. I've always felt that if I had a child, it would be a girl. I even have a name I like. Just wait though. . .I'll probably find out before I know it that my pink and chocolate brown baby's room plans are up in smoke and I'll be going green (or yellow) instead of pink. I guess we'll find out soon enough but in the meantime it's a weird and exciting mystery.

Craze would like a boy. But with all brothers in his family (zero sisters) and the sole grandchild also male, I think it's time for a little lady in the Craze Clan. We shall see. If we have a girl, I think my mother-in-law (AKA, the Baby Stalker--that woman LOVES babies) just might combust from pure joy. That would be really fun to see.