Life Choices

I realized I'm a few weeks late in posting some entries! Last week I just forgot to publish one, so thank you pregnancy brain for that oopsie poopsie. I'm remembering to do one right now, mainly because I just got back from a doctors appointment. The heart is beating away.... about 147 today. I've gained about 3 1/2 pounds. That blows my mind, because I'm literally walking around in jeans that are unbuttoned & unzipped... even when I had hungover "puffy" days, I could always zip up my pants. I would have assumed I was more along the lines of the freshmen 15 status. And if I had had any doubts, today my doctor so politely asked me if I'd ever seen numbers like this on the scale. He then told me, "We're going to blow these numbers out of the water soon enough." I then began to hear my jeans silently rip past the zipper line, and spread to the inner thigh.

You know those days when you wake up and just feel extremely fortunate? That's how I've felt the last week or so. My life seems to be so... on track, even though I don't necessarily agree with the term "on track" because life always throws you curve balls, and whose track are you really following anyway? My mind bounces from here-to-there so often, I barely even leave a trail of dust in my path. (These days, there is a chance its more of a trail of crop dust.... pardon this lovely pregnancy side affect, SO sorry to those of you that are reading this and judging me. Just be glad you don't share an office with me). I've got to Skype with my younger sister and spend time with my family that lives in AZ; I flew to Denver to visit my best friend who gave birth just 2 months ago to her first baby; the director and our video team at work got nominated and WON an Emmy, and I'm headed to New Orleans this weekend to celebrate my 1 year anniversary. It feels like a lot of my choices in life are just.... working out?

Speaking of choices (I bet you were afraid I was going to say "Speaking of working out" but don't you worry, I would never do that to you).... I logged into Facebook today (and by logging in, I mean I clicked on one of my windows that has Facebook already open, 24/7 on my computer) and the following poll was located on my right-hand side nav:
"Sara, Which Do You Like Better?"
-Peter Piper Pizza
-JPs Doghouse

Has Facebook been STALKING ME? I don't use the "check-in" feature... most likely because I have a lame blackberry and not a "cool" iphone. I don't have a little Siri to talk to me. So how in the world does Facebook know that my two favorite foods (besides spaghetti, and all baked goods) are PIZZA (specifically PPP) and HOTDOGS! And I love JP's. So much in fact, I have a separate hot dog blog, and 3 of the posts are about JP himself!! I honestly couldn't choose between the two, so I quickly logged out so Facebook could stop looking into my hungry soul. Tonight I'm going to have a nightmare, full of pizza and hot dogs taunting me, screaming "pick me pick me"... totally cruel.  I will never ask my child to make such a decision as hard as the one Facebook proposed to me today. Whatever choices they make in life, I will try to fully support. Unless, of course, they choose to dislike Peter Piper Pizza, JPs Doghouse, Spaghetti, and baked goods. Then we have a whole other problem on our hands.

Liking boys & other items you should/shouldn't do

I'd like to preface this entry by stating I've worked two 12 hour days back-to-back, along with attending an Incubus concert - to only come home at midnight and work some more. I'm stating this for two obvious reasons: one, so you're aware if this blog post sounds fuzzy or jumps around, you know why... and two, to once again prove my theory that pregnant women can definitely still rock. <3

While attending the Incubus concert, I was full of nostalgia. Dating back to high school and then moving through college, it was like a flash back & flash forward of my "previous life" merging with the current. And then I started wondering... oh dear god, if I have a daughter... will she be just like me? And if I have son, will he be the kind of gentleman I hope to raise? I think this chain reaction of thoughts began because I laid eyes on this...

Mmmhmm. Every girl loves a rocker. Or a bad boy. Or just a super sexy man without his shirt on. So then I mentally started to draft a "Things You Probably Should/Shouldn't Do" to my unborn child.

Dear Daughter...
1) Please be careful with boys. Talking to them, spending time with them, or even riding in the car with them.
Unless they have a Facebook page dedicated to their driving capabilities, and in that case, I really have nothing more to say on the matter.

And just like that, I stopped drafting this letter in my head. Because I realized everything I wanted to tell her she shouldn't do, I've probably done. So maybe I want to have a boy after all?

Letting my hair down....

If you know me at all or have read my "about me" section, you're most likely already aware that, even before pregnancy... I was a homebody (and that's putting it mildly). Rewind about 7 years and I was be-bopping around my college campus Sunday through Sunday, filling my afternoons with a little Lifetime Movie Special and naps - just enough downtime to enable me to get up and do it again the next night. Current time: I have kept the routine of Lifetime movies & naps, but pretty much have skipped over and forgotten about the gallivanting I used to be so good at. It seems like there is always something "I have to do" the next morning, or how "busy my day was at work and how all I want is to go home, eat dinner, and go to bed".... cue sad music here! But in all honesty, I like the way my week and weekends go. I love going to dinner, and I love being home before my bedtime. I love walking my dog in the morning, and running errands when the stores open at 9 or 10 in the morning. So I'm not really complaining... I suppose it's just preparing me for the future. In 6 months I will be staring down at a beautiful new human-being, that will consume every second of my life from here until eternity. I think about this... and then I start to shake. Oh my god... should I have gone out more? Should I have been one of those people that raged on weekdays, and went to work in the morning with a double espresso and worked through their day with one eye open? Should I have gone out more on the weekend, and stayed up to watch the sunset..... in my late 20's? Should I have lived more and slept less, isn't that what people say?

On Monday, I had to travel for work and stay overnight before a video shoot the following morning. My office roommate and I hopped in my car and hit the road after work. We spent the 2 1/2 hour drive talking about our plans to order room service, get in our jammies, watch TV... and fall asleep by 9pm (apparently I'm not the only one with this schedule). Well, there was a change of plans, and once we arrived, we met the video team out for dinner to celebrate a birthday. Two hours later, I looked down at my watch and realized it was past my bedtime. I started to sweat! I must get home I thought!... I reminded myself of a senior citizen that realized 4pm was upon him, and it was imperative he get to the closest restaurant before the early-bird special ends. Or maybe I was acting more like a modern day pre-teen Cinderella. I felt like my car was going to turn into a pumpkin, and my jeans and tshirt were going to disappear and turn into old tattered pajamas if I let another minute pass. Before I knew it, I was leaving the restaurant and driving... to... a karaoke bar? Wait... What? This isn't my hotel!? How did I drive myself to a karaoke bar at 9pm on a MONDAY? Am I going crazy? These pregnancy hormones are leaving me so confused. But guess what? I spent the next 3 hours having the time.of.my.life. 


Within ten minutes of entering the karaoke bar, I ordered an ice water and hopped up on stage. I grabbed a mic, told the DJ to "hit it" and SHOOP by salt n peppa came on. I have never once sang karaoke. I might have been an active little Gleek in high school with Varsity Choir, Honor Choir, Womens Choir, and Jazz Choir all on my resume... but this was so out of my element. And, I kind of looked like this....

Granted, Ellen is a beautiful blonde lesbian, and I am a 27 year old pregnant brunette, wearing jeans and a belly bandit to camouflage the fact that my pants were unbuttoned and most likely unzipped while I was rapping across the karaoke stage. So the resemble is a little off, but still. After my white girl rendition came to a close, I hopped off stage, took a shot of my ice water, and hit the dance floor (party of one.. literally.) I suppose my resemblance of the evening was a little less Ellen and a little more like.... this gem below?

The morale of the story is that you (or I) can still have fun. Single, married, pregnant, or I'm assuming, as a mother. I think Monday night was exactly what I needed... a little "pick-me-up, while my pants were falling off", so to speak. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror before I went to bed, and as I wiped the remnants of my Karaoke induced sweat from my forehead, I thought... "pregnancy glow, is that you?" And I went to bed happier than I have in a long time. 

Absolutely.... not.

So last week, I sent a few people the following text message...
"I just walked out of work, and a guy on a bike turned around to check me out. Even with a baby in my belly, and my pants unbuttoned, I still got it... ha".

About 10 minutes later, I sent a follow up text message...
"Do you think he'd still check me out if he knew I just bought this... for myself?" with the attached picture.

The best response I got was "Absolutely... not".

I've got a pocket full of sunshine, and a belly full of baby!

It's my favorite clip from any movie (well, except Anchorman... I have too many favorite moments in that movie to count), and I feel like it totally represents how I feel today. I've got a pocket full of sunshine & a baby in my belly - and I sing it in the shower, in the car, and behind my desk at work!

Today we went to the doctor and heard a heartbeat, it was amazing! Today is also the day we are announcing to everyone we are expecting.... so this blog entry is short & sweet! :)

Sister Visits and Maternity Coordinator Thoughts

I went to visit Amy, my youngest sister, in her new "home" city, Sacramento. Kate (middle sister) & I got to spend 4 days gallivanting around "Old Sac" "East Sac" "Mid Sac" and any other types of Sac's we could think of.

My beautiful sissys!

Ricks Hot Fudge Sundae

If you really want to know what we did - these words came out of Amy's good friends mouth on Sunday afternoon, as we were about to leave for the airport. "All you guys did was eat this weekend!" <-- Sad, but true. We spent the entire 4 days visiting all of Amy's favorite restaurants. In between those favorite restaurants, we stopped by places such as Candy Heaven & Ricks Desert Bar.

Who knew 3 girls could spend this much on a lunch?

And after lunch, at the airport... snacks.

One night we all went to dinner, went to a friends rooftop preparty, and then the girls went out for drinks. I departed the rooftop preparty around 10 and headed for home. I sat there from 10pm until 130am when they finally got home, tossing and turning. Being the oldest, I feel like you already have some sort of "motherly" craziness. Where are they? Are they safe? When are they coming home? I cant sleep with all those thoughts! This could also be due to the fact that I already was on the end of one not-so-fun phone call in the middle of the night regarding my baby sister!

Phone Call: After graduating college, I moved back home with my parents. A while after I had fallen asleep, my phone started ringing with "AMY" on display. I picked it up, figuring I was getting a fun-filled drunk dial. Instead, it was Amy's sorority sister who said "Hey Sara. Ummm Amys head was just cracked open, but the ambulance is on the way." Not exactly the phone call I had imagined. So then I had to get out of bed and wake up my roommate mom and fill her in on the news (my dad was out of town for business). So all of a sudden I became the bearer of bad news. Everything turned out fine, she got a few stitches and that was that, but still. "Cracked her head open" isn't exactly a phrase I'd like to hear again on the receiving end of a phone call.

All this tossing and turning got me thinking, and I thought of my dear friend (ok, facebook friend) Rosie Pope. I love her show "Pregnant in Heels"... and although some of it is completely offbase and unrealistic, I realized how much easier your pregnancy could be if you had a magic maternity coordinator. Kind of like a fairy godmother, someone to answer all your silly (or not so silly) questions on pregnancy, labor and bringing home your baby! When do you order nursery furniture? When do you tell everyone you are expecting? When am I going to get fat? Since I'm short on the fairy godmother deal, I did the next best thing. My girlfriend Natalie had sent me a surprise package with Jenny McCarthy s "Belly Laughs" book. I picked it up, and read it in one sitting. She pretty much nails everything dead on with the way you are feeling, why strange things are happening to you, and what to expect. So, thanks to Jenny, I'm feeling a little better.

Until next week, when I make the official announcement, and then weird people may start to think its OK to touch my belly.

Oh, and I thought I'd let you know that I listened to my mother (shouldn't you always?). From last weeks entry - I put a rubber band around my button and I'm feeling so much better about myself. It almost makes me forget I'm walking around with unbuttoned pants.

Almost.

My makeshift button-closer with a hairband... apparently I can't find any rubber bands.

It Officially Happened....

Let's be honest. I've been unbuttoning my pants for years, for comfort reasons only. Today was the first day I unbuttoned my pants out of necessity. It wasn't even an option. They... simply.... won't.... button.
My youngest sister said its time for maternity pants. Um... no: it's certainly not time for maternity pants. I am only 10 weeks!! My mom said I should just tie my button to the button hole with string. Again, I'm going to pass. I'm going to continue walking around at work with my pants unbuttoned, and my baggy shirt thrown over it. I've told a few girlfriends at my office, so for fun, I'll flash them my unbuttoned pants, laugh, and run away. But honestly, the jokes on me.

So, I'm sitting at my desk, eating a triple chocolate chip cookie my office roomie got me... all the while staring at my unbuttoned pants, and listening to amazing yet depressing music like the example below. Only 2 more weeks of hiding this, and then I can flash EVERYONE my unbuttoned pants!! And I'm not even ashamed. My husband on the other hand, might be.