[papaya - week 24]

Mila's Daydreams
This is such a beautiful idea. Though it makes me think the artist has a maid or else her nap times would be more precious. No? Nevertheless, I'm very impressed with how creative and simple these photos are.

[papaya - week 23]

Mike said the sweetest thing yesterday. So as a public service announcement to anyone who's around or will be around a pregnant woman, it is a very GOOD thing to say...  

"From the back you don't look pregnant at all."

I am positively aflutter with pride. Thanks honey.


p.s. Yes we're still at "papaya" stage according to the produce chart. That means about 11" long and a little over a pound. That's one big ass papaya if you ask me.

[papaya - week 22]

Dylan and The Dude are bonding.
Mike has gotten a lot of extra bonding time with Dylancat these days. He used to climb into my lap, but now my belly is occupying too much of the lap real estate. Yesterday Dylan decided he wanted to give it another shot and try to climb in. He kind of draped himself over my belly with feet in my lap. It seemed satisfactory and he began to purr. Suddenly, The Baby Dude started kicking like crazy. I guess everyone loves a good purr vibration. A cure for all your ills. Grin.

What my ass doesn't look like in these jeans:

A while back I got my first pair of maternity jeans (see above). I was young and unskilled. The pants are my "natural" size, but were conveniently upsized to accommodate a larger ass (read: Gap thinks that pregnant ladies will always be fatter than normal and in denial). They were too big. And too flare legged. And wouldn't stay up, gave me saggy dump ass (NOTHING like this marketing photo). Because I neeeed to look more frumpy. Oh yeah, I could return them if it wasn't day 53 of their 45 day return policy. Sigh. Am I actually wishing I'd gain a few pounds so they'll fit better???

They have a "demi-panel" which is shown above. Kind of a short elastic panel as opposed to the panels that come all the way up to the boobs. It gets all twisted and it's too tight. Apparently some women like this. I am not one of these women. I want my waistbands below my belly. And loose. Like they're staying up by magic skin-to-jean magnetism.

My new favorite denim leggings (minus the ridiculous heels of course):

It's a damn good thing I found these beauties. I actually went back to Gap again, even after being disappointed the first time. So yes, they are denim, but they don't have those lame fake pockets like some denim leggings, they're just superdark blue and made of thicker-than-yoga-pants cotton weave. The waist is nice and looow, but not too low to be vulgar. My holy grail of maternity pantware. I am in love. They look like skinny jeans. Nicely blousing at the ankle (cankle camoflage). Makes my legs look like tiny-ish sticks popping out from my giant belly-accommodating tops. I hope they still fit post-babe.

They are my first skinny jeans since that white pair I had in 6th grade with the zippers and ankle heart cutout. Who ever let a 6th grader get white jeans? They were filthy always. Remember those Sandi?


Oh! What's that Dude? You want what?? A frozen Snickers bar? That's not very healthy. Well yeah, I guess peanuts ARE pretty healthy-ish and full of protein. Good idea! Gotta go.

[banana - week 21]

Bubbles. That's what it feels like. As if I'm carbonated or I've taken a few too many gulps of air. At first I wasn't sure. Maybe it's just gas? When I get into bed in the evening and settle for a moment--that's when it starts up. Maybe I'm hatching a flock of gorgeous yet agitated butterflies? Something is moving in there...

Polka Dots

My cousin Jen sent me a TON of her retired maternity clothes. Here's me at the Bart station modeling the polka dot shirt. She shared a funny story...

"I was wearing the shirt while teaching one day. I was in front of the class sitting on the stool, teaching social studies. In mid sentence I had to stop because I noticed some of the kids staring at me funny with eyes wide. So I asked what was going on and one of the little girls near me pointed at my stomach and said, "The dots...they're moving!!" Apparently Nathan was being active and making the dots jump around on my stomach. It was a cute moment that I will never forget!"-- Jen

My belly isn't that jumpy bumpy yet, I'll have to wait another month or so. This shirt will be a fun one to watch then. Grin. Thanks Jen!

Crazy dreams #5, 6 & 7

5. I'm with the baby, really examining his features for the first time. It has my eyes (blue green) and Mike's lips (big). Kind of a combination of us. But he also looks like my cousin Scott with a full head of black hair. Cute but bizarre.

6. I am with the baby. He's very tiny, about 6 inches from head to toe, but that's normal. I am taking him for a walk across the Mass Ave. bridge in Boston (over the Charles River). It's fall and sunny but windy on the water. I don't have any blankets to swaddle him. He's clutching my chest like a baby monkey latched on. I keep checking him but he's not moving and his eyes are unresponsive. His body is cold. I pull him off and put my mouth over his chest to breath warm air. He stirs and I know he's okay.

7. It's a movie-like scene, very dramatic with long plot. The setting is a combination of two places. Half is at South Station (Boston) in the train yard. Down with the tracks, not on the platform. The other half is the Boston Globe warehouse with lots of gigantic reams of paper and forklift robots. The station/warehouse catches fire and portions are blocked off to prevent spreading. I am locked in and end up delivering the baby atop a very large ream of paper. A competent, but silent female security guard assists. Later I nonchalantly tell Mike and friends "Oh! I forgot to tell you, I had the baby today." But the baby isn't with me later, but that's not weird at all.

Nurseroffice? Officery?

We've been nesting. Carving out some space for The Dude in our loft office. Mike moved his workspace downstairs, so my desk is up there (to the left of my green bag, just out of frame) with what will be the Nurseroffice / Officery. The shelves have been paired down, bins purged, and drawers sorted (including our entire file cabinet). A massive effort with a very large "shred" pile leftover. 

 

The goal was to make the catch-all office storage space feel more streamlined and zen. Less visible clutter (note the white fronted cabinet doors--I covered the frosted glass to hide the shadowy contents).

Not sure how long we'll keep the guest bed, but as long as we can stand it. It's lovingly covered with the green and white striped bedspread. Hoping to get a cozy glider chair to reward my nursing efforts...

We swapped the guest bed mattress with the two low cabinets to create a changing station that wasn't under the hanging cabinets (read: perhaps questionably earthquake safe...no place for baby). I made the blue checkered runner a while back. That's an old map of Canada covering the junction box. Melly assures us that this space is peaceful and comforting. Her opinion matters. What a helpful girl.

I made a fun mobile from a simple alligator clip thingy and some swallows I found online. This highlights the "soft green / blue / with a pop of orange" color palette and the bird theme I'm working towards up here. Though I may save these birds for a few months and clip in some contrasty black and white bits if I get ambitious.

I also made the little cardboard birdhouse from a simple kit. The birds were Granny's, I'm so happy they've been integrated. Feels like a little bit of her spirit is present.

Next to the birdhouse are my three mom generations. Me as a little girl with blond(!) hair, a painting Granny did of my mom and I out for an autumn walk in New England, and a photo of the three of us few years ago gazing into a beam of sunshine in Worthington.

More to come as it progresses...stay tuned.

[canteloupe - week 20]

Holy Toledo. We're half way there.