Pregnancy Chronicles - Week 13

We started to tell people! Just immediate family. I’m still trying to keep the news off Facebook until after Labor Day, which is just two weeks away.

It’s actually nice to share the news with people. I’ll admit, I was digging the secret between my husband and I, and some part of me thought telling other people would just add stress. Not the case though. It’s been fun to share the excitement and talk about it with others.

People ask fun questions too, like what am I craving and how often did I puke. For the record, I vomited once (go me!), and I’m craving cheese fries, white rice, and beer.

I miss beer.

Generally, I feel fine. Mosquitoes tend to swarm around me to get some of that tasty pregnancy blood. I can’t use DEET either. I feel like a West Nile factory.

The fatigue is killer, but I’m getting used to being tired all the time. The pregnancy headaches are something else though. I woke up this morning with an intense pounding in my head. Tylenol is no more effective than sugar pills. At least my husband was around to press on my skull and reshape my brain. I don’t think I could’ve gone to work without him.

I also miss sleep.

I may be crashing at 9:30, 10:00 at night, but I wake up 1-2 times in the night to pee. Then it’s hard to go back to sleep. I also wake up 30 minutes before my alarm goes off, despite being more tired than all those Olympians who collapse at the finish line. My dog also thinks it’s funny to take my spot when I get up to pee. I have to wrestle a four-legged dead weight to get back into bed.

Speaking of the dog, he’s not the most behaved domesticated animal. He likes to steal shoes and socks. Last night he got into my sewing supplies. We are concerned about him taking the baby’s things and generally being a real jealous asshole. I have a book on resource guarding, and I have some time to work with him. But the book doesn’t say anything that we haven’t tried in the last 4 years. It might be as simple as getting the dog more exercise. If he’s a couch ornament, he’s not stealing shoes.

Still, that’s pretty hard to do with fatigue and headaches. I dunno, I’ll figure something out.

Book Review - Prince of Thorns

Dude, what just happened? That sums up my reaction to Prince of Thorns. It's like reading about the villain and cheering for him as he razes villages and rapes farmer's daughters. It's messed up, and I loved it.

The protagonist is Prince Jorg, who saw his mother get raped to death and his younger brother get his head smashed in after a rival nation attacked their coach. He survived because one of the guards tossed him into a nasty briar patch that hid him, but also dug thorns into his flesh preventing him from helping his mother.

Not long after that, when he was 13 years old, Jorg got himself a band of ruthless outlaws and went charging through the countryside to get revenge. He burned, pillaged, raped, and tortured people. Completely without a conscience.

It's like Game of Thrones except he's badder than any of those characters and is an incredible strategist. His band of two dozen takes on armies due to Jorg's intelligence and battle tactics.

Another thing I loved about this book, the writing was tight. No unnecessary words or description. The flashbacks had purpose. No long analyses on why Jorg is the nasty 14 year old that he is. No worldbuilding other than a few clues about Builders. Jorg had some fantastic quotes:

“You soon learn there’s no elegance or dignity in death if you spend time in the castle kitchens. You learn how ugly it is, and how good it tastes.”

“Some men are too dull to feel what might happen. Others torture themselves with maybes and populate their dreams with horrors more terrible than their worst enemy could inflict upon them.” 

“There’s something brittle in me that will break before it bends.” 

Anyway, this book is crazy. There's not many like it, so it's definitely worth the read.

Pregnancy Chronicles - Week 12.5

The screening went well. I was very impressed with the ultrasound office. There was a monitor high up on the wall, so I could view it without moving my head. Everything was very comfortable and they let us know exactly what we were seeing before we asked. There was an ultrasound tech and a doctor attending the screening.

The doctor said the measurements and nuchal fold looked perfect. The blood results said we are a very low risk for Down’s Syndrome and two other genetic tests.

Which is good, because I don’t want to have to make that call.

Meanwhile, yes, I am starting to show. I can’t believe people aren’t noticing. Granted, I’m trying to dress to hide it, but when I turn sideways to the mirror, dang people. You don’t see it? Also, I have stopped buttoning my pants on the weekend. My tummy is comfortable but my butt is hanging out.

I have yet another doctor’s appointment in a few days. I think they want to take more blood from me. Or poke at me for the fun of it. I’m not sure; I can’t keep track. It does seem excessive.

Symptom wise, my feet hurt and my back hurts. I’m also losing a LOT of hair, particularly in the shower, but a significant amount during the day. My desk chair looks like a wig. I did not read this in any of the books and will bring it up to the doctor. There’s no way a person can lose this much hair and replace it at the same rate. Mildly concerned here.

I’m not the only one having symptoms. Mine are physical; Hubby’s are mostly mental. I think he’s nesting. He’s been talking about all these projects he has to do on the house. Suddenly new floors are a MAJOR issue even though I’ve been asking for 2 years. We even tucked away money to buy them, which is a big deal because we usually negotiate each month about where the savings will go. He wants to invest in our retirement accounts; I want to spend it on the house. First time ever he opted for the house.

Not only that, but he wants to clean out the garage and basement. He’s also talking about what tools he needs to buy to finish the basement. I can’t even remember him talking about the basement before. Suddenly we need more living space?

Right now he’s covered in poison ivy from belly button to eyelid. (no really, he has some in his belly button). I told him to relax while he heals, but nope. He’s fixing the fence ASAP because omg the fence is down! The dog will escape! It must be done! We need trees and plants and a fish pond!

Look, whatever. The dog doesn’t even go back that far into the property. And if you know my dog, the fish will probably swim in pee.

But hey, we all deal with things differently. Who am I to say his method is wrong? So we’ll get new floors, maybe new countertops and a new kitchen sink. As long as we’re not in debt over it, have at it.

Book Review - Stork

Stork is currently for sale for $2.99 in the Kindle Store. It was a cute story. Had some flaws, but what book doesn't? Overall, I liked it.

Katla had to move with her newly divorced mother from LA to Minnesota. I almost didn't buy the book because of that. I didn't want to read about some selfish, gadget-oriented girl who was mean to the locals. I was pleasantly surprised when Katla made friends right away and was nice to people. Even took a job as a clerk in her grandfather's store.

Yeah, she stuck out a bit with her fashion sense and struggled with the cold. I liked how she didn't blame that on the locals, or her mother for making her move there. Katla is a good person, a good character to read about.

There were some paranormal elements to this romantic YA. After she moves to the town, she discovers she's a Stork. Meaning, she gets dreams of babies wanting to be born and potential mothers. Then a council of Storks gets together and makes a decision on which mother would be best for the baby. This isn't really the focus of the story though. Honestly, this Stork council treated more like a quirk of the town. Many of the locals descend from Norse cultures and still pass on stories about Odin and the bifrost. Katla takes it in stride, like she joined a book club.

The real story was about her and a boy named Jack. It was a strange love-at-first-sight, we're-destined-to-be-together romance. Jack was a bit intense for me, actually. He said stuff like, "I waited for years for you. I didn't date anyone else because I'd just hurt them waiting for you." That's not really a teenage thing to say. I was starting to worry he'd become a stalker.

Despite that weirdness, it wasn't a bad story. I liked it. It was a quick read, worth the $2.99, and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Pregnancy Chronicles - Week 12

Blood tests are all fine, except for a minor UTI. So now I’m popping antibiotics, pre-natal vitamins, and medicated powder for an awesome sweat rash in my cleavage. Nice. Apparently when you get fatter, you sweat more, and sweat gets trapped between your fat. Instant rash.

Yes, I know I’m oversharing.

Meanwhile, I’m starting to show. It’s a little early to have a tummy like mine, so it’s possible it’s mostly gas and bloat. But when I wear a t-shirt, it’s damn obvious. I may have to start telling people earlier than I wanted. Or wear really bulky clothing.

A comfortable sleeping position is becoming difficult to find. If it weren’t for the intense fatigue, I’d have trouble sleeping. As it is, the Olympics are KILLING me. Does it have to be on so late? I’ve fallen so far behind on my Goodreads challenge, I’m thinking about reading a bunch of short stories to catch up.

Also, weird fact. Mosquitoes love me more. Maybe it’s the extra blood and hormones? I’m covered in insect bites. I can’t use bug spray because I’m not thrilled about the Deet and other chemicals.

I just want to get through this week. We have our 12 week screening in a few days. That’s where they check for abnormalities. The follow-up with the doctor is 6 days after that. Once we have confirmation the baby is not a genetic freak, I’ll reassess my plan for avoiding t-shirts.

Restaurants Need Tech

I went out to breakfast this weekend at a particularly slow diner. It took 2 hours from the time we arrived until we left. And no, there was no line when we arrived. We got seated right away.

Granted, it was a large party 10 people, but still. Two hours is obnoxious for breakfast.

So what the blazes took so long? It took forever to take our orders, then even more time to separate the checks, and even more time after that to pay and get receipts.

I watched the waitress take our orders, then go input them into the restaurant's computer. Later when it was time for our bill, she printed out the orders from the computer system.

Well, shoot. Give me access to that computer at our table. What's the point of the middle man? Put iPads or tablets at each computer with electronic menus. Let me tap on what I want to order and have it tally the bill as we go. I hit submit when I'm ready to order, the waitress brings any drinks or appetizers a minute later, then food when it's ready. She just has to make sure our drinks are filled and have plenty of ketchup. When I'm ready to leave, I swipe my credit card at the table and choose to print a receipt or not.

Overall, it's a pretty simple system. I'm surprised it's not in restaurants now. I can order a pizza online from Papa Johns and pay for my Chipotle order ahead of time so I can grab and go. Even 7-11 and WaWa allow you to customize your sandwich without having to speak to a middle man. Why not have this functionality at tables?

If it's theft or vandalism restauranteurs are worried about, tether the iPad to the table. Have alarms at the door. Have the bus boy check the thing for damage after each customer. Buy old or refurbished models.

As for the servers themselves, I don't think much will change. The waitstaff still need to wait on tables, greet people, bring food, handle complaints. They wouldn't need to write orders on a piece of paper and collect credit cards. People are used to paying 10-15% already so tips won't change. Or you could have the computer automatically calculate a 15% tip and make the customer manually change it.

It would turn tables over faster, which means more customers and more tips for the waitstaff. And it would mean I wouldn't have to sit through 2 hour breakfasts anymore.

Pregnancy Chronicles - Week 11

Ahhh......let me tell you about my new bra! It’s wonderful. Most importantly, it fits and doesn’t hurt! I had my first day without pain yesterday.

Seriously though, I bought new pants, underwear, and a few bras. I went up a size in everything. I haven’t gained that much weight (3lbs) but I guess there was no wiggle room in my current clothes. Everything but my yoga pants felt tight. The new pants are super baggy with room to grow into.

I’m not too concerned about the undies. After 9 years trapped in a cubicle, I can’t expect to wear size 5s forever. Secretary spread does and will happen.

However, the bra......I went up an entire cup size already. B to C. I’m not even out of the first trimester. I’m going to have a hunchback by the time this is done. I bought new sports bras and something loose to wear around the house.

As for me, still fatigued and forgetful. Still waiting on the results of those blood tests from last week too. I have a stomach ache today, but hopefully it’ll pass. At least my boobs aren’t sore from wearing a too small bra.