Eleven Times Three

Happy birthday to my dear husband, J. Also, happy Hispanic Heritage Month. Have you hugged a (an?) Hispanic today? I have.

4.4 Months

Since the doctor informed me on Thursday that he has officially changed my due date to February 19, I am now considered 19 weeks. Though I realize due date calculation isn't an exact science so I'm prepared to be pregnant for weeks after that date, maybe even to the beginning of March.

At the appointment he found the heartbeat, which was 145. This made him suspect the baby to be a boy, but then he whipped out the mini-ultrasound machine (ie. the one where you don't need a full bladder) and little bubbles cooperated like a champ. He is now 90% sure it's a girl! We have the big U/S on Oct. 9 but I've already got it in my head that we're having a filia. The heartbeat thing isn't terribly accurate and can depend on what the baby is doing. When we first checked in on her she wasn't moving, was probably sleeping, but I guess we woke her up because she was soon tumbling and swimming around.

Though most of my friends have known what I plan to call my daughter for years now, I'm not going to announce her name until she's born. So y'all will just have to wait.

Speaking of which, I can now feel little thunks a few times a day. Not sure if they're kicks or hiccups but it's still pretty cool. I guess I skipped the whole 'fluttering' sensation entirely.

So I'm a week shy of halfway there. Weight gain to date:(date being last Thursday) 7.5 pounds.

In other news, it is finally raining! So hard it woke me up at 4 o'clock this morning. Hooray! Also hooray, the fact that someone finally came to fix our boiler, so we now have hot water and don't have to shower at the gym like homeless people. Still no oven though, sadly. But we broke down and bought a toaster oven (on sale of course), so it's not as ghetto-livin' as it was in previous weeks.

I'm It

In response to Brian's tag: (Thank you, Brian!)

1) In a perfect world, we would never have to hear another word from Bill O'Reilly.

2) In a perfect world, Stephen Colbert would be president and Dubya would have never discovered politics.

3) In a perfect world, public bathrooms in Europe would be free.

4) In a perfect world, Pharrell would give free concerts every night and the cast of "Trailer Park Boys" would be his roadies.

5) In a perfect world, the highest paid job would be the job of being me, and benefits would include being the boss of everyone.

6) In a perfect world, I'd be able to name specific people that are filling me with rage with no guilt or fear.

7) In a perfect world, smoking M.J. wouldn't be a crime but acting like you're stoned would have a much harsher sentence.

8) In a perfect world, there wouldn't be stupidity because everyone would be too busy thinking about what they say before they said it.

9) In a perfect world, Fantasy Island (the late 90s version with Malcolm MacDowell) would air a new episode every night.

10) A perfect world would require the blond chick on Crossing Jordan to be sent to another planet. (A planet where she is not on TV.)

Ok, I tag Alie.

Only the Best

I recently heard about a military base where many countries are represented. Who did the Italians send? Why, the carabinieri of course! That's like the US sending the NYPD, except with better sunglasses. If your military needs local police to protect it, then yo' country might be in trouble......I'm just saying.

Gettin' Busy In Between Holidays

It's a busy few days for birthdays so I'm posting just to give props. Happy birthday to Marilyn (today), Brian (Saturday), Sims (Sunday) and Mim (yesterday.)

While at the military air terminal today I saw a sign showing appropriate footwear for "organic" aircraft. ie. no pointy, high-heeled shoes. Does this mean the plane is made out of babies?

A Sad Day In The Life

Weight gain to date(and by date I mean last Thurs. when I remembered to weigh myself: 5lbs.

According to my cycle, I turned 16 weeks yesterday, shown above. Yesterday was also the day of the 9/11 memorial 5 K run. Though I haven't run 5 K/3.3 miles in a while, I thought I would be able to push on through. Alas, I was not able. Almost immediately I got pelvic cramps and a heavy chest (the latter I attribute to the air quality.... what with volcanic ash and constant brush fires, Sicilian air is horrible.... if you didn't have allergies before, you will get them if you move here.... thus, I always run indoors). So I was only able to run about 2 miles and had to walk the rest. It was a sad, sad, day. When I ran in a formation run last year, I was at least a mile ahead of the group by the end.

The saddest part is that besides the excruciating cramps, I feel better running (indoors, that is) than I did before I was pregnant. I don't get out of breath, I don't get shin splints or any other leg cramps, and I don't get headaches. I guess I'll have to stick to ridiculously long (and boring) power walking sessions in order to compensate for my poor pregnant limitations.

Speaking of limitations, I went to a water fitness class today. I thought it was going to be some sort of aerobics class but it's actually individually focussed stroke improvement. At first I was intimidated because I really suck at swimming.... the whole breathing thing always sends panic through my bones..... but the instructor was really nice and gave me a bunch of different ways to practice various elements that I need improving on. Not to mention, it was absolutely exhausting so must be a good workout. And now I'm sleepy.....

The Not So Smiley Factor

I usually try to avoid political rants on this blog for a variety of reasons I'm sure you can all imagine. Besides, it's not really my style. I generally just walk around harboring silent contempt for anyone that presents ideas or arguments that I deem ignorant.

Something I saw the other day, however, has motivated me to make a bit of a comment without being detail specific. (Defamation over the internet tends not to end well.) Not only has it motivated me to rant, but it has also briefly torn me out of the calmer bubble pregnancy seems to have put me in. Sure, by most standards I'm still pretty high-strung (including my husband's) but to me, I'm the most even-tempered I've ever been.

So I was watching this news/opinion show the other day. A show hosted by a rather opinionated and conservative well-known figure. No name required I'm sure. The topic for that segment was whether or not, during "a time of war," movies not presenting America or Americans in a good light, should be shown. An example given was "The Bourne Ultimatum." Are you kidding me? Are....you....kidding......me?

First of all, I don't think the adventures of Jason Bourne or other such tales are what is fueling global anti-Americanism. Secondly, most non-Americans either a. don't have wide access to such films or b. have interests outside of seeing every new American movie. Seriously, I'm constantly in awe of how obsessed Americans are with seeing movies in the theatre. But, another topic for another time.

Okay so besides the premise of this show being absolutely ludicrous, some poor Canadian woman decided to be an opposing-view guest. Silly Canadians always thinking that the reason people have ultra-conservative views is because they haven't been exposed to the "truth." That they will surely change their minds once a "great white" angel comes down to enlighten them. Not so I'm afraid, and especially not so with this particular individual. The poor woman couldn't get a word in, clearly a result of the fact that the host isn't, and never is, interested in discussion of the issues, but rather in the sound of his own voice.

I seriously nearly threw something at the TV. Luckily the only thing nearby was a 150 pound Mexican and since my weight gain hasn't quite gotten me up to that poundage yet, I didn't think the douche-bag on TV was worth the health of my unborn child.

Labouring News.....in Canada We Still Use the "U"

It's been a while since you all got a belly update so here are a couple. In the green shirt, a pregnant woman at 13.5 weeks (I'm going by my cycle date and not the varying ultrasound measuring dates... they're all over the place!) and in the black, Miss Brianne at 15 weeks. (Today.)

Still doesn't look like much but I assure you there are days I wake up and am, or at least feel, much larger.

Remember that swollen, hot tomato I mentioned in the last post? Well, it landed me in the ER that same day. The doctors scratched their heads for about five hours as they tapped and poked.... I still have a huge bruise from the blood-draw... nice work! I left without knowing what was wrong but in the follow-up the next day the doctor suggested my pregnancy was making me allergic to, well, Sicily. The air, the water, the driving.... who knows. But I'm happy to report my face cleared up. Also happy to report I've only gained 0.5 pounds in the past 2.5 weeks. Not so happy to report that I'm borderline anemic and if I don't start scarfing down acres of spinach, I may have to start taking nauseating iron supplements.

Best news of all, it's much cooler this week! Not even supposed to break 90! I even put on a hoodie this morning when I got up. Yahoo!

Oh yes, and my mother is coming in November. We're going to try to get opera tickets to see "Tosca" but since her visit doesn't coincide with the days for which the military has pre-purchased tickets, I'm going to have to figure out a way to get some myself.... in Italian. Yikes.

I've been surfing various baby sites and am finding it depressing and frustrating. There's so much stuff that I don't think I need! I went ahead and registered on "Babies R Us" simply because they are one of the few companies that will deliver most items to our whacked out address. I haven't picked out very much for two reasons: a. I don't yet know the sex and b. I can't decide what I actually need, especially considering we will be packing up everything about a month after the birth and won't see it for at least 2 months. What to do, what to do. Also, I'm not familiar with registry etiquette. I've never been registered for anything except for university courses. Do you tell people only when they ask what you would like them to get for you or do you send out a general notice? I feel weird about the general notice.... kind of like, "hey! I know you really want to buy me something, so I'm making it easier for you." Seems a bit arrogant.