The reason for starting a blog was to document my life throughout the pregnancy and after my first child is born. As you can see, I have written about a post a month so I really need to step it up a bit. Since I'm not keeping a diary or journal of my pregnancy this is pretty much it. So I better document some details about this journey.
Right now I am a 26 weeks. I have gained 18 lbs (ugh) and am wearing a combination of maternity clothes and my pre pregnancy clothes that I am stretching to the max. I feel great! I had about 3 weeks of nausea in the first trimester (about 8-11 weeks) but no actual throwing up. My belly has gotten pretty big and my top half has too- just what I didn't need! Nik says I'm starting to waddle a little bit and I have to swing my legs in order to get off the couch. I went to the gym today and would like to get into more of a routine, but it sure is hard to get motivated, especially when it's cold out like this. I am finally feeling him kick, which has been the neatest experience. It started happening around 23 weeks. Now I can feel him kicking every day, many times throughout the day. Like right now. Nik was able to feel it one time, but it's so sporatic that you kind of have to be there at the right time. I am really starting to get excited about this. At first I was scared to death, and all I could think about was how my life would change forever and all the things I would not be able to do anymore (take a spontaneous trip somewhere, go out to dinner and spend a obscene amount of money, for example). I am still thinking about how things will change forever, but now I can't wait to meet him and see what he looks like and watch him grow up. In a little over 3 months he will be here. It seems like just yesterday when I was at my friend's house getting ready to take a maternity test with shaking hands. That was July, and now it is almost the new year. So many exciting things to come in 2010!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
What a great weekend!
This is actually referring to the weekend of November 14th but I'm a little late to getting to writing about it. Friday the 13th is the day that I found out Nik and I were having a baby boy. Friday started out great since I had a 1/2 day planned and there's nothing better than starting the weekend early. My mom was flying in the for a few days so Nik picked her up at the airport in the morning and then I met them at home when I left work for the day. We then met Nik's mom at Houlihans for lunch. Nik and I barely ate, we were so nervous for the ultrasound. At that point I had not felt the baby move at all and it had been so long since the first ultrasound and in that time I had read too much information on the internet about things that could go wrong during the pregnancy. So I picked at my salad and Nik scarfed down his meal (he doesn't pick at any food) but we both were pretty quiet during the meal. Our moms were chatty Kathys the whole time because they were so excited. So we headed over to the doctor and Nik's mom knew the ultrasound tech which made it an great experience. As soon as we told her we wanted to know the sex she blurted out without hesitation "You're having a boy!". We all squealed and cheered and I got a little emotional. It was so neat to watch him moving around and I could have sat there all day watching him. It was also a huge relief to see all limbs and 4 chambers of the heart. Nik was grinning ear to ear, already thinking about his little hunting buddy-to-be. Afterward the ladies went shopping to buy one boy outfit each. Then we went down to the casino and had dinner with Nik and his dad. After a great meal and a long night of gambling the three us girls had a sleepover at the casino. Of course, I was so worried about snoring and keeping my mom and Nik's mom up that I tossed and turned all night, and had to listen to them singing a chorus of snores the entire night! Even though they would deny it, they both snore, haha. We had a coffee the next morning and then I took my mom back to the airport. I think she was in town for exactly 24 hours but we got so much accomplished and had such a great time! I walked around with a smile on my face for the next week. I will never forget that very lucky Friday the 13th of November.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
My favorite tv show
I finished watching The Amazing Race about a 1/2 hour ago and I still have knots in my stomach from the close race at the end and the general anxiety I feel at each detour and task. I think AR is the best show on TV right now and I would have loved to have been on it, especially this season. Nik and I applied to be on at, the application had to be in this February. In typical Laura fashion, I procrastinated the application process and Nik had to send our application overnight delivery to be delivery on the final date they were accepting applications. It was like a 10 page written application and we had to include pictures and proof of a passport. The last part of it was a 3 minute dvd that had to be sent with it. We filmed the dvd at our friend Jon's house and while Jon is the funniest person we know Nik and I could not quite pull off the humor on the video we made. We were both nervous and awkward and the funniest part of the whole dvd was when Jon (who is still trying to burn off his baby weight) put the camera on himself and asked if whomever was viewing could also sending the video into Biggest Loser on his behalf! After filming the video we drove in the snow to Nik's friend's house who edited and tried to make us look good (thanks Erik!). Unfortunately, when we sent the video and application we neglected to read the part of the rules written in bold that the dvd must be clearly marked with the team names, city, and cell phone numbers on it. All incorrect or incomplete applications would not be considered. So...after all that we missed the last step. It's entirely possible and very likely that we did not make the show because we just aren't that interesting. But I still blame it on us not following directions!
The season that is airing is the one Nik and I tried out for. It would have been AWESOME. On the application they ask what city in the world you would love to visit, and I wrote Tokyo because I'm fascinated by it. Where did they go already in this season? Tokyo! grrr. They also went to Dubai which would probably be a close second for me. That city is pure grandeur and excess and it would be so unbelievable to experience it. This season has been pretty easy so far, I don't see any tasks that would have been impossible for me and Nik. The wasabi challenge would have been fun for me because I am obsessed with anything that makes my eyes water and my nose run. Anything that would require strength, well Nik would be the go-to guy for that.
I do think that being put in such a high stress situation would have made Nik and me look slightly (okay, very) dysfunctional. Despite our best efforts to try and remain calm and not yell at each other I can imagine it's not that easy. The feelings that I get just watching it when I have no connection to the people that are participating are so strong that I wonder if I could actually handle it if I was experiencing it firsthand. I would probably not come off very well and then my curiosity would get the best of me and I would look up the AR blogs to see what they were saying about me. I would probably become obsessed with reading the negative comments about me and neglect my husband and job while I buried myself in my laptop every night. Maybe it's a good thing we didn't make the show....
But that million dollars sure could have come in handy!!
The season that is airing is the one Nik and I tried out for. It would have been AWESOME. On the application they ask what city in the world you would love to visit, and I wrote Tokyo because I'm fascinated by it. Where did they go already in this season? Tokyo! grrr. They also went to Dubai which would probably be a close second for me. That city is pure grandeur and excess and it would be so unbelievable to experience it. This season has been pretty easy so far, I don't see any tasks that would have been impossible for me and Nik. The wasabi challenge would have been fun for me because I am obsessed with anything that makes my eyes water and my nose run. Anything that would require strength, well Nik would be the go-to guy for that.
I do think that being put in such a high stress situation would have made Nik and me look slightly (okay, very) dysfunctional. Despite our best efforts to try and remain calm and not yell at each other I can imagine it's not that easy. The feelings that I get just watching it when I have no connection to the people that are participating are so strong that I wonder if I could actually handle it if I was experiencing it firsthand. I would probably not come off very well and then my curiosity would get the best of me and I would look up the AR blogs to see what they were saying about me. I would probably become obsessed with reading the negative comments about me and neglect my husband and job while I buried myself in my laptop every night. Maybe it's a good thing we didn't make the show....
But that million dollars sure could have come in handy!!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Happy 1 year Anniversary Nik!
Wow, it's amazing to me that 1 year ago at this time I was getting ready to say my vows. Thinking about my anniversary made me reflect on the day and events leading up to the day. I could not have been more stressed out, all my doing of course.
The entire planning process was something I did not enjoy at all. Which is weird, because I thought about my "dream wedding" for many years. In between class at college I used to watch a Wedding Story on TLC religiously and cried along with them and and I had my wedding song planned out since high school (more about that later). When it came down to it, there are just too many details to worry about and I started becoming overwhelmed by all the emails I was getting in my inbox from wedding planner sites, stationary sites, honeymoon sites, ugh it was non stop. Thinking about how much everything cost was another source of stress since everything adds up so quickly.
So basically I did nothing.. for a very long time. My sister in law finally had to drag me out dress shopping and push me towards getting those invitations picked out. I am a huge procrastinator and just figured things would work themselves out, which doesn't happen without a wedding planner or a fairy godmother working behind the scenes. I lucked out and found a dress off the shelf that needed few alterations. The invitations were another thing. Wow I did not realize how much work they are! You have to put one envelope in other, put names on both, address the outer one, all while making sure you have updated addresses for everyone. Oh, and spend a ton of money on stamps! Needless to say I hated this part and got my invites out pretty late. Some people even got them after the RSVP date! And some people I didn't even get invites to because I waited too long and it just seemed rude at that point and I still feel bad about that.
The other source of stress was my birth certificate. I was born in California and remember seeing my yellowed and torn birth cert many years ago when I applied for a passport, but that was back in 2000. I just assumed my parents still had it, because even at age 28 I was used to going to my parents and them solving all my problems. Nik and I went back to WI one weekend with the mission to get our marriage license and my dad looked through his safe but there was no bc. Uh oh. Nik and I went to the courthouse anyway to see if we could charm our way to getting a marriage license but nope, you need a bc. No biggie, I didn't know where it was but I could just apply for a new one. So I sent my check and request to the county in Hayward, CA where I was born with a post it note from me saying "Hi, please expedite this, my wedding is 9/20- thanks!". I'm sure they looked at it and rolled their eyes. Let's just say yes I did get it....around February the next year! As time was getting closer I really didn't think about it, I mean, if I didn't get it Nik and I would still get married it just wouldn't necessarily be legal but we could work out all the logistics when we got back from our honeymoon and I got my birth cert. Just so I didn't completely catch him off guard, I put in a call to our pastor 3 days before our wedding. Just to say "hey we don't have a marriage cert. but the important part is that we will be standing up in front of our friends and family saying these vows". Well, apparently it's illegal for a pastor to perform a wedding without a marriage cert and he could go to jail!? He was NOT happy with me at all. He said he was not supposed to do our wedding. I was on the verge of tears thinking about what I had done (or not done actually). He told me to look again- everywhere for it- because the alternative was most likely cancelling the ceremony.
I proceeded to go through every bin and scap of memorabilia from high school and college that my hoarding self had saved. It was distracting since I found old pics and fun things from back in the day that kept my mind off the reality that was my potential upcoming non nuptials. Well, it was a act of god, but I did find my birth certificate!! It was tucked into an old college planner from freshman year that god only knows why I saved and why I had stuck such an important document in it, but by golly there it was. Happiest moment of my life!
Now we could leave and head to WI to get our marriage cert. and prepare for our big day, but wouldn't you know my cat got a bladder infection. And this is my cat Sophie, the cat that is scared to death of all humans other than me and Nik, that hides under our bed at all times and would try to claw to death any non Glover that would try to pet her or come near her. So my first thought was how in the world am I going to take care of her when I am leaving town? I started researching places in the area where you could drop off a sick pet at someones house and they would take care of it for you...for a hefty fee. I was going to have to do it because there is no way I could leave her un-medicated for a week and half and no one would be able to come over and get her meds either. Luckily, the vet told me they now do shots- 1 shot takes care of the problem- so that was a huge relief!
Writing this is actually bringing me back to that day and I am starting to get stressed again! The rest of the week before the wedding was full of last minute scrambling. The worst was I realized I never did my programs. So I typed it out on my computer, bought some pretty paper (not really, but it was the best they had) and put my parents' printer to work. I printed one side then put the paper back in the printer to print the other side. It took some experimentation but I finally got it right. So the day of my wedding I went to Kinkos (20 min each way) to have them cut the programs. Quick process and back home I went. I was just about to leave to head over to the hotel to get my hair done when I went to look at the programs. The front looked great but when I turned it over I realized they had cut off the names on the back so they were ruined! This just about put me over the edge but luckily my Dad said he would go back to Kinkos and take care of it (poor Kinkos guy!) and he did. Tragedy averted!
The rest of the day/night went pretty well. I think the DJ was annoyed with me because I never got him the list of songs I wanted him to play. I also told him my first dance song about 10 minutes before we danced because I changed it a million times. After all these years of thinking of the "perfect song" and having it picked out from Nsync to Celine Dion to Al Green...I panicked and picked a song that meant nothing to me and is pretty generic- True Companion. It was the moment I had dreamed of all these years and I wasted it!
I had fun at my reception, the food was good, the speeches were hilarious and everything looked beautiful. I didn't drink much because I was still a ball of stress and at one point I was feeling smothered by my dress and I had to go outside and loosen it and get some fresh air because I thought I was going to pass out. I barely saw Nik that night, I think he had fun but he was also stressed the whole day and ended up getting sick that night, I think a delayed reaction from his nervousness at the church where everyone said he looked like he was going to faint. The next day we woke up to the sounds of groaning and bed posts banging from the room next door that was so loud we thought it had to be one of the groomsman playing a trick or something. It was gross and was not a groomsman so I'm glad we got out of there shortly after because I had had just about enough of them!
The next day we left for Jamaica which was great and a much needed getaway. Unfortunately, I dropped our camera in the ocean on our first day so we have about 6 pictures to show from it that cost an absolute fortune from the Sandals photographers. But we relaxed, ate a ton, and just enjoyed our time in paradise.
So...a year later I have to say I am glad that day is over! And for my next marriage I am eloping, no doubt!!
The entire planning process was something I did not enjoy at all. Which is weird, because I thought about my "dream wedding" for many years. In between class at college I used to watch a Wedding Story on TLC religiously and cried along with them and and I had my wedding song planned out since high school (more about that later). When it came down to it, there are just too many details to worry about and I started becoming overwhelmed by all the emails I was getting in my inbox from wedding planner sites, stationary sites, honeymoon sites, ugh it was non stop. Thinking about how much everything cost was another source of stress since everything adds up so quickly.
So basically I did nothing.. for a very long time. My sister in law finally had to drag me out dress shopping and push me towards getting those invitations picked out. I am a huge procrastinator and just figured things would work themselves out, which doesn't happen without a wedding planner or a fairy godmother working behind the scenes. I lucked out and found a dress off the shelf that needed few alterations. The invitations were another thing. Wow I did not realize how much work they are! You have to put one envelope in other, put names on both, address the outer one, all while making sure you have updated addresses for everyone. Oh, and spend a ton of money on stamps! Needless to say I hated this part and got my invites out pretty late. Some people even got them after the RSVP date! And some people I didn't even get invites to because I waited too long and it just seemed rude at that point and I still feel bad about that.
The other source of stress was my birth certificate. I was born in California and remember seeing my yellowed and torn birth cert many years ago when I applied for a passport, but that was back in 2000. I just assumed my parents still had it, because even at age 28 I was used to going to my parents and them solving all my problems. Nik and I went back to WI one weekend with the mission to get our marriage license and my dad looked through his safe but there was no bc. Uh oh. Nik and I went to the courthouse anyway to see if we could charm our way to getting a marriage license but nope, you need a bc. No biggie, I didn't know where it was but I could just apply for a new one. So I sent my check and request to the county in Hayward, CA where I was born with a post it note from me saying "Hi, please expedite this, my wedding is 9/20- thanks!". I'm sure they looked at it and rolled their eyes. Let's just say yes I did get it....around February the next year! As time was getting closer I really didn't think about it, I mean, if I didn't get it Nik and I would still get married it just wouldn't necessarily be legal but we could work out all the logistics when we got back from our honeymoon and I got my birth cert. Just so I didn't completely catch him off guard, I put in a call to our pastor 3 days before our wedding. Just to say "hey we don't have a marriage cert. but the important part is that we will be standing up in front of our friends and family saying these vows". Well, apparently it's illegal for a pastor to perform a wedding without a marriage cert and he could go to jail!? He was NOT happy with me at all. He said he was not supposed to do our wedding. I was on the verge of tears thinking about what I had done (or not done actually). He told me to look again- everywhere for it- because the alternative was most likely cancelling the ceremony.
I proceeded to go through every bin and scap of memorabilia from high school and college that my hoarding self had saved. It was distracting since I found old pics and fun things from back in the day that kept my mind off the reality that was my potential upcoming non nuptials. Well, it was a act of god, but I did find my birth certificate!! It was tucked into an old college planner from freshman year that god only knows why I saved and why I had stuck such an important document in it, but by golly there it was. Happiest moment of my life!
Now we could leave and head to WI to get our marriage cert. and prepare for our big day, but wouldn't you know my cat got a bladder infection. And this is my cat Sophie, the cat that is scared to death of all humans other than me and Nik, that hides under our bed at all times and would try to claw to death any non Glover that would try to pet her or come near her. So my first thought was how in the world am I going to take care of her when I am leaving town? I started researching places in the area where you could drop off a sick pet at someones house and they would take care of it for you...for a hefty fee. I was going to have to do it because there is no way I could leave her un-medicated for a week and half and no one would be able to come over and get her meds either. Luckily, the vet told me they now do shots- 1 shot takes care of the problem- so that was a huge relief!
Writing this is actually bringing me back to that day and I am starting to get stressed again! The rest of the week before the wedding was full of last minute scrambling. The worst was I realized I never did my programs. So I typed it out on my computer, bought some pretty paper (not really, but it was the best they had) and put my parents' printer to work. I printed one side then put the paper back in the printer to print the other side. It took some experimentation but I finally got it right. So the day of my wedding I went to Kinkos (20 min each way) to have them cut the programs. Quick process and back home I went. I was just about to leave to head over to the hotel to get my hair done when I went to look at the programs. The front looked great but when I turned it over I realized they had cut off the names on the back so they were ruined! This just about put me over the edge but luckily my Dad said he would go back to Kinkos and take care of it (poor Kinkos guy!) and he did. Tragedy averted!
The rest of the day/night went pretty well. I think the DJ was annoyed with me because I never got him the list of songs I wanted him to play. I also told him my first dance song about 10 minutes before we danced because I changed it a million times. After all these years of thinking of the "perfect song" and having it picked out from Nsync to Celine Dion to Al Green...I panicked and picked a song that meant nothing to me and is pretty generic- True Companion. It was the moment I had dreamed of all these years and I wasted it!
I had fun at my reception, the food was good, the speeches were hilarious and everything looked beautiful. I didn't drink much because I was still a ball of stress and at one point I was feeling smothered by my dress and I had to go outside and loosen it and get some fresh air because I thought I was going to pass out. I barely saw Nik that night, I think he had fun but he was also stressed the whole day and ended up getting sick that night, I think a delayed reaction from his nervousness at the church where everyone said he looked like he was going to faint. The next day we woke up to the sounds of groaning and bed posts banging from the room next door that was so loud we thought it had to be one of the groomsman playing a trick or something. It was gross and was not a groomsman so I'm glad we got out of there shortly after because I had had just about enough of them!
The next day we left for Jamaica which was great and a much needed getaway. Unfortunately, I dropped our camera in the ocean on our first day so we have about 6 pictures to show from it that cost an absolute fortune from the Sandals photographers. But we relaxed, ate a ton, and just enjoyed our time in paradise.
So...a year later I have to say I am glad that day is over! And for my next marriage I am eloping, no doubt!!
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