April 28, 2003. I guess I haven't had that much to say lately. I'm feeling awfully pregnant. Well, actually, that's not true. A lot of the time I don't feel pregnant at all, just feel like my normal self. But then I look down and inwardly gasp every time. My belly is still a shock to me. About half the time I think I sort of forget, and then there's a microsecond of thinking, "Good gracious, I'm bloated!" before I remember. I'm also a bit concerned because I already feel like I'm pretty big, belly-wise (can't seem my feet, etc.) and if I have four more months of this, and keep growing at this same rate, I just don't see how it will be physically possible to inhabit this same skin.
I did find our ideal stroller today; very excited. It's the Chariot Cougar CTS Adventure Carrier (CTS stands for "Child Transport System" -- ha!). It's a basic shell of a stroller, kind of, and then you get conversion kits to make it a regular stroller, a jogging stroller, a hiking stroller (pulled behind you, rickshaw style), a skiing stroller, or a biking stroller. I could conceivably see us wanting all of those kinds of strollers at some point, so why not get this magical Transformer stroller that can be any of these things? I hope it's as cool as it looks in the photo.
My poor Theo has caught himself a case of pinkeye. Not sure where he got it. Peatie doesn't have it. About four days ago, I noticed his eye was a bit wetter than usual, and then a day or two later it started to swell. It doesn't seem to bother him too much, other than he keeps it closed most of the time (so he's constantly winking). I figured he had gotten something stuck in his eye, and finally on Sunday morning it was looking pretty bad, so I took him to the emergency vet, who said his eye is fine (that is, no scratches or anything), just pinkeye. I have to put goo in it twice a day, which is not the most fun part of either of our days.
April 18, 2003. This past weekend, my college roommate Jeannine gave me bags and bags of maternity clothes, some baby-related books, and a few sundry baby accessories. One of these accessories was a very helpful-looking thing that also has the Worst Name Ever: My Brest Friend. It's basically a nursing pillow, which holds the baby up so you don't have to lean over to breastfeed. I'm currently a little overwhelmed about what to do with all things baby-related, so I stuck these bags of stuff on the guest room bed until I could figure out what to do with them. Yesterday, Peatie thought he'd be helpful and come up with an alternative use for My Brest Friend.
Today, as he tends to do, Theo kicked Peatie out of the good new sleeping spot:
This thing is so clearly perfect as a cat bed, I feel bad taking it away from them. At least the cover zips off for washing.
April 14, 2003. Road trip weekend! My friend Anne's wedding shower was yesterday in Connecticut, and I somehow convinced my friend Jessica (see stick figure drawing below) that she really wanted to visit her friends in Connecticut, and drive down with me (road trips are always more fun with someone else) (I also somehow managed to convince her that we should take her car and she should do all the driving). We stopped at Rein's Deli in Vernon, Connecticut on the way down and on the return trip, for coffee cake, knishes, and pickles. Yum! I had a great time at Anne's shower and saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in forever. I finally got to meet my college roommate Jeannine's baby Sarah, and re-met my college friend Michelle's daughter Sarah. I also got to see Anne and Pete's new home, and am jealous of their home ownership. Oh! And of course I got to play with Rupert.
You can go here to see what I gave Anne for a wedding shower present.
April 10, 2003.
April 3, 2003. Hey, look at that! I have the same birthday as Erica and Lucy! I have to say, I haven't known too many people over the years with March 31 as a birthday, but everyone I have known with my birthday has been really cool. If I do say so myself.
My current rant: pregnancy magazines are, it seems, awful. I guess I've gotten too used to Budget Living and Ready Made. Most pregnancy magazines seem to be written for these fictional uber women who spend all their time buying specialty lotions and $500 maternity pants. And investigating European nursery decorating schemes. And all the articles are so touchy-feely happy-weepy. I'm thinking there might be a market for some sort of alternative pregnancy mag, because if one exists, I haven't found one (and yes, I know about Mothering, but I want something a little more DIY and crafty, I think -- and perhaps a little less preachy). I would also like a magazine that acknowledged some of the mental difficulties of pregnancy. All of the current magazines highlight so-called difficulties with articles like "Oh My Gracious, I Can't Believe I Passed Gas in Front of My Husband!" I want a magazine that isn't afraid to have articles about how it's ok to be scared out of your wits. Or that it's ok to suddenly feel like you have this looming deadline by which to become an adult and accomplish all sorts of things, or, at least, start them.
It also seems that all of the pregmags articles are heavily dictated by sponsors. They have all kinds of "articles" touting the wonders of a particular (and often, particularly expensive) crib bedding designer, or how all of these products from One Particular Manufacturer will make your baby's life wondrous. I have yet to see an article that says, "Why don't you just paint the baby's room white, and make it suit your kid through fun accessories? That way you won't have to repaint later." Or I'd like something that said that it's a fun idea to get a ton of white baby shirts and onesies, and then tie-dye them or embroider them (the latest Martha Stewart Baby actually has something about embellishing baby shirts, and this is the only thing I've seen that even mentions anything like this).
I'll mull this over. In the meantime, if anyone out there sees Budget Baby, Realistic Offspring, Crafty Tyke, or somesuch, let me know.
