25 Weeks: Rutabaga

What is a rutabaga? I mean, I have heard of a rutabaga, but I am certain that I have not knowingly consumed one.

Rad is now about 13 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 pounds. He's starting to fill out! I can tell by the movements in my belly that he has less room to move around in there than he did before. It now feels like he's stretching more than flipping around.

I am SO ready to have his room together, but I still have to wait. The bedding wont be here for a couple more weeks, plus our baby showers are a few weeks out still. I am so excited for them. I can't wait to see everyone, with this huge belly!

I feel good. I am less tired than I have been, and I think I am on day 10 of no nap, if you don't count the 5 minutes that I closed my eyes on Sunday. After a weekend of rushing Pugs to the vet, yard work, and a bit of work frustration, I needed those 5 minutes.

In less-than-roses pregnancy news, my nose has started bleeding this week. I am so thankful that I was not one of those children who suffered the embarrassment of having red fluid flow from their faces and having very few options of how to stop it other than putting their heads between their knees. I now feel sorry for those children; back in the day I just thought they were gross. Nose bleeds really are gross though. I hope these are short lived.

Also, I have no undergarments that fit my rear end. Technically it is probably not my rear because I have no real rear, as my sisters remind me frequently. It's probably just the ever-expanding everything that's causing this issue. Luckily for my body, I gave the manties to Paul for his bday. (The manties are a pair maternity panties found under a bed in Galveston several years ago that make their way around a group of friends.) I am serious...I need something bigger...loincloth or time to go shopping?


Above is me lounging late last night on the couch. KP couldn't figure out how to turn the flash on, but all three pugs are all snuggled in. KP said we all looked...well...not alive.

Here's me today, at 25 weeks and +16 pounds. The pugs wanted to appear on the blog today.

24 Weeks: An Ear of Corn

Technically, today is 24 weeks, 6 days. It's been a very busy week. Thankfully, my little ear of corn is growing right along. He's about a foot long and over a pound. The bulletin said that he gained 4 oz last week. That's 1/4 of a pound! So, why did I gain 2 pounds??? Probably because I can't stop eating sweets. Rad loves sweets. He loves them for breakfast, after lunch, and especially after dinner. In fact, I am thinking about making a milkshake right now. Yummmm.

In the past week, I had a great visit from my college friend Darby. It's been at least 2 years since I have seen her and we didn't miss a beat. I sure wish I could have participated in the Sunday Funday she and KP shared though!

I also went to Houston for Eva's 30th bday dinner and got to see some of the BDC. While there, I got to spend some good time with my Mom and my nephews, with a little bit of time squeezed in for Dad, older sis, brother-in-law, and little sis.

I came home with a carload of things for Rad, many packaged in a boot box hand colored by my very creative and helpful nephews. I now am in possession of a breast pump, "the mobile that is best for development," toys, some clothes (3 more boxes will be here in a couple of weeks), and some accessories that I don't even know how to use.

KP has been working for his sculpture professor, which he's loving. Plus, I picked up a new client and got their house on the market in less than 12 hours, with Jane's help of course; Mac had to be rushed to the doggie ER because he decided to eat a bee; and we did enough yard work to hopefully last the winter...of until the leaves fall.

I am sharing all of this as my excuse of why I am updating at the 11th hour! Oh, and no picture. I am currently wearing sweats, a tight tie-died t-shirt, and a towel on my head. +16 lbs. Catch y'all next week...

Name Update: I will be giving y'all a present on my birthday...THE NAME. Don't fret...it's only two weeks away.

A Name Clue

I don't have time for the big reveal today...I hope to update for 24 weeks this evening, but here's a name clue. Mostly for Lauren.

The Floor Police: Generation Next

Everyone who knows me and my family knows that I am a chip off of my Mom's block. I look like her. I laugh like her. I am emotional and sensitive like her. I am sure that I have some of my Dad's traits as well, but really, Older Sis got most of his strongest characteristics like the sarcasm, flowing sense of humor, and even his ears. In case you are wondering, Little Sis got a good mixture of both, plus the milk man's blond hair.

But, I am developing one of my Dad's traits at a point in my life where I almost cannot handle it. I have become the Floor Police.

You see, my Dad cannot go a day without cleaning the floor. On Whitehaven, he vacuumed and swept compulsively. Sometimes he'd ask us to vacuum, and because we complained so much about the weight of my parents' 1976 Kirby, he bought some lighter, crappier sucking machine. He's a little bit better now, as their new home has dirt colored tile and keeping flooring spotless in the country is just not possible. I am not sure who named Dad the Floor Police, but it fit, and stuck.

Speaking of Kirbys, I also own one. If you are not familiar with Kirbys, they are amazing vacuum cleaners that can generally only be purchased from a door-to-door salesperson. I bought mine after about my third glass of wine. I blame the entire incident on KP, as he was lured by the cute girl who scouted for anyone who would let her "clean their carpet for free." She then did the ole switch a roo, and some guy came in to show me the awesomeness that is a Kirby. I paid $40 a month for the thing, during a time in my life when $40 was a whole lot of money. But hey, I didn't have mine repossessed, like a dear friend of mine who simply never paid for hers. It's actually a very funny story, for another time.

Unfortunately, my Kirby is shorting out. If I hold it upright, it works great, but it's sort of difficult to vacuum with the handle straight up. It needs to go in...next week.

Now, nearly 6 months pregnant and with a vacuum cleaner on the fritz, I have become the next generation of Floor Police.

I am so crazy, I am already thinking of how many people will be in my house when Rad's born and how on earth I will keep the floors clean. Today, I swept the entire house, after doing yard work, even with a very tired back. Why did I have to become even crazier now?

In the future, I foresee many shiny floored days. And driving Rad crazy. I can already imagine that I am going to have to buy him some lighter, crappier vacuum in 2020. Thanks Dad.

Week 23: A Large Mango & Names Part Two

Hey there blog friends! Rad and I are growing right along. I like mangoes, and I'll go with this week's fruit/baby size pairing. This week's bulletin also informed me that Rad is about 11 inches long, 1 pound, and his ears are developing. In theory, all of the noises he hears now, he will be used to when he arrives in the outside world. KP is taking this information to extremes, of course, and getting the dogs riled up and barking, using power tools in the house, and it seems just talking more in general.

Oh, the joy.

I feel comfortable in pregnancy, finally. While I am not sure that the concern over this little guy will ever lessen, I feel confident that he is growing and happy in there. I also just feel good. I still get a little nauseous at night sometimes, but that's probably because I am eating enough sugar daily to sweeten the coffee of all Austinites for a month. I'm pregnant, be quiet.

On to names: WE HAVE CHOSEN A NAME.

You will get to know it soon. Check back here often as it will be announced on the blog. Technically we have only known that Rad is a boy for the past 6 weeks, so it really hasn't taken that long to decide.

Here's me, at +14 pounds this morning.


Here's a view from the top (with the laptop). My very severe innie belly button is almost an outie. Weird.

A Sneak Peek at Rad's Room

Hard Hats, Please.

We are in full on moving, redecorating, renovating, and organizing mode in this here green house. To prepare for Rad's arrival, we had to empty the guest room, combine the office with a guest room, clean out all of the closets (remember this), and hey, we're throwing in a minor bathroom remodel before my birthday. I simply cannot handle the yellow shell sink in the hall bath for one more day. The shells in our bathroom will have to wait until I sell another house!

Have I ever told the story of the sleeping platforms in my office? It's riveting, I promise. Today, I'll keep it to the facts: Every time our home is full of guests, KP and I take the crummiest sleeping situation. We figure we have the best backs (this was pre-pregnancy, of course) and that our guests will appreciate this. So, over the four years that we have lived here, we have had a hand-me-down pull-out-couch from my peeps (lovely bar in the middle of the back), a futon that I paid WAY too much to have shipped from California that folded out to the width between a single and double bed, and finally the most comfortable queen bed-height air mattress. I was convinced, for years, that a bed would not fit in that room. You know what? I was wrong. There you go Internet, I admitted it. I was wrong. That's all you are getting. Wonder what happened to all of that lovely furniture? I gave the couch away, sold the futon on Craig's List and shoved it in the back of some woman's Subaru, and kept the air mattress. It's comfortable.

Remember what the office looked like before? Well, here's the new combo guest room/office:



This last picture is to prove that not everything can be perfect. The filing cabinet had to go somewhere, but it now is the base for a TV, which I know my sisters will appreciate, if they come stay. I think Mimi will like it too when she comes to help with Baby Rad. We've added a few additional touches, like art and a reading lamp, but this is pretty much it.

Week 22: Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash? My thighs are starting to look like spaghetti squash. My newsletter also says that Rad is about 1 pound now, which is awesome. Develop and grow, little dude. His eyes have also formed, but lack pigment, which is kind of creepy, but we can still hold out for a color other than brown, though it's unlikely (only 25% chance).


Speaking of genetics, a while back KP and I were talking about traits that we'd like Rad to inherit from one or the other of us. I said my nose, because it's perfect, and KP said his earlobes. He said he hopes Rad has the detached kind like KP has and not the attached ones like I have. I had to look in a freaking mirror to realize that our earlobes are different. Wow, hope he's not paying attention to my spaghetti squash thighs, but I guess there's little chance of that!


Things are pretty much just moving along. We're painting the nursery this weekend, the vintage dresser that we're going to use as a changing table will come after that. The crib's together, but lacks bedding or a mattress, so it looks more like a baby cage than anything else right now. I'll put up pics of the room transformation, in its early stages, hopefully next week.

Here's me, with my one-pounder, though I have now gained 12 pounds.