General

It’s been a while since I’ve worked from home, but the air conditioning is on here, and, well, it’s hot in the office. Besides, I was a bad girl and didn’t do my laundry earlier this week, so I’m working from home in my pajamas – at least until the dryer finishes. I think maybe I’ve finally washed through all the clothes I was just barely getting into before, because the loads really are much smaller now that I have so little that fits and I’m essentially forced to do laundry weekly.

I suppose there are advantages to having a very limited wardrobe. At least until you wake up and realize that – unlike when you’re just having a bad clothes day and don’t feel like wearing anything you’ve got – there’s really absolutely nothing to wear.

Today I’m 16 weeks pregnant. I guess I should start feeling the baby move any day now, but I haven’t yet…well, at least I don’t think I have…

It was just too hot today. I know, I know, I complained about the cold not too long ago, but we skipped spring and went straight to mid-summer temperatures and humidity. After working all day in a room with several computers that was just shy of 90°, I had band rehearsal tonight in a room with lots of people blowing hot air. I was ready to dump my bottled water over my head instead of drinking it! Oh, and I know Sousa marches are really popular with everyone, but those of us who play French horn truly hate them. Try playing off-beats every measure with no breaks and see how quickly you hyperventilate.

Anyway.

No knitting was accomplished today, because I was so overheated when I got home it was all I could do to collapse in a chair and revel in the central air. What am I going to do in July?!?

(Yes, this post is essentially one long complaint. Sorry!)

Yay! This year I get to celebrate Mother’s Day, too! Of course, I spent the bulk of it in the car on the way back from NYC. We’ve picked up the doggies from their respective vacations – Molly stayed with my parents (at one point she was looking out the window over the back of the couch, then literally fell asleep sitting there and dropped sideways so her head was on my mom’s shoulder…awww) and Murphy had a sleepover party with Oscar at Jenny’s place (apparently there was a little mishap over there involving pot holders that Murphy wasn’t even directly involved in…)

It was actually nice weather for the drive, and I got a ton of knitting done. I also got some nice little Mother’s Day gifties from Denis and my mom, but I am far too sleepy to take pictures and post. Tomorrow, maybe…

I know, I know, I’ve been a slacker about blogging lately. It’s not that I don’t have stuff to write about, I just haven’t been using the computer much during my free time. I’ve been pondering all sorts of mysterious things lately, like – why is it that I only have about a dozen articles of clothing that currently fit me, and yet I still have mountains of laundry to do? Or, how important is it that the crib we buy is capable of being converted into a full-sized bed? And then there’s the question of how to compare three different sets of family room furniture when they’re each being displayed in different furniture stores.

I really do need to finish my laundry. We’re leaving for NYC Friday after work, and (despite the fact that I’ve just done a mountain or two of laundry) I somehow have nothing clean to pack. Oh, well, work is calling, and the laundry will still be there when I get home. Unless the laundry fairies come and wash it all during the day, and organize my closet and drawers and put it all away. Hm, how does one catch a laundry fairy? I really need one!

Update (12:30): I just got a phone call saying band rehearsal is cancelled for tonight – I guess that’s as close as I’m going to come to having a laundry fairy…at least I have time to do my laundry now.

We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat today! It was very quiet and hard to find, but once found it was steady and strong. I have to admit, that’s something of a relief – I’ve been trying not to be obsessively worried, but sometimes I just can’t help it. I’m sure I will worry less once I’m getting kicked constantly.

I am 13 1/2 weeks pregnant. In just a few weeks I’ll have my ultrasound appointment to find out if the pumpkin baby is a boy or a girl! Yes, yes, I know, it spoils the surprise somewhat, but I don’t want to have to exclusively knit yellow and green things! Besides, if we don’t narrow down the possible names to something less than half the baby name dictionary, we’ll never find a name.

Actually, to be honest, I already bought some orange yarn to make a little cabled, hooded sweater. Yes, orange. Well, the pumpkin child will need something orange, right? And it won’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, since it’s a unisex design and orange can work for either. I splurged and bought the Rowan Cork yarn (on sale, no less!) the pattern called for – not machine washable, which is probably very silly for a baby sweater, but, oh, I couldn’t resist the color!

I also cast on for Rosebud at Sit & Knit last Thursday. I haven’t had a lot of knitting time since, but I really like how the yarn feels while knitting up, and I think this is going to be a lovely project.

…I want to get off. Just for a little while, please?

I have to confess, I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed lately, which is why I haven’t been very good about posting (or even replying to emails – I owe a few!)

There is so much to do to get ready for the baby, and there are so many other things to do, because the rest of my life hasn’t stopped or anything, and I finally feel like I have enough energy to do things again, and I don’t know where to start. So I haven’t been doing any of it, which of course is the absolute worst thing I could be doing. Sigh.

(A theremin plays in the background…)
There I was, innocently enjoying my cereal while watching TiVo. The dogs were peacefully napping by my side – with one eye open each to make sure no cereal escaped my bowl without notice.

Suddenly, the sound of a vacuum cleaner intruded into the scene…and just as quickly, stopped. I thought to myself, “Self, nobody else is home. Besides which, the vacuum cleaner is dusty from disuse and sitting in the closet right in this room. It must have been outside.”

Again, the noise. This time it did not stop. It was now obvious that the noise was coming from upstairs. The urge to throw a blanket over my head until it went away was quite strong, but instead I ran up the stairs with two dogs tearing after me, ready to come to my defense by licking any intruders to death.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, I realized that the noise was coming from the office! Visions of rogue computer fans spinning madly about the room after having burst out of their cases crossed my mind. What I actually saw, however, is not for the faint of heart. As I gingerly looked around the door frame I saw nothing amiss, except that the shredder was happily shredding nothing.

It was shredding the very air we breathe, the light streaming into the room, its own shredding sound… The off button did not work. Realizing that there were dark and mysterious forces at work here, I quickly reached back and yanked the plug. The sound stopped. The possessed shredder quieted; an eerie silence blanketed the house. Hands shaking, I slowly returned to my bowl of now soggy cereal, the dogs once more peacefully napping by my side.

It waits. Waits for some new unsuspecting soul to give it life again. It will then be able to shred the sign now hanging on it that only has three little words of warning: “Out of Order”.

Reflections on Easter while pregnant:

1. Having running water in the large, seasonal baptismal font (more like a jacuzzi) in church is a very bad thing, especially when mass is longer than usual.
2. Not eating lunch because dinner is at 4 and breakfast was at 10 is a very bad idea, especially when it causes one to pick at the velveeta cheese and artichoke leaves…all afternoon.
3. Eating for two at Grandma’s should mean eating less than is customary for one, since there just isn’t room for baby and a full stomach in there. Oh, and desserts should be completely off-limits.
4. If the above is not followed, large amounts of Tylenol and Tums should be taken before bed, to prevent agita.
5. If the above advice is also not taken, one should expect to not be able to sleep. At all.

Other than that, though, yesterday was a very nice day. Almost our whole extended family was there – just my “baby” brother who couldn’t come home from college and a significant other or two were missing. Little Benjamin was the star of the party, of course, and I tried not to hog him, but it’s just so nice to hold little babies. I kept having to remind myself that I would soon have one of my own to hold as much as I want. (And I’ll probably be happy to have other people do most of the holding in big family gatherings, too!)

I promise, tomorrow, a big crafty post. All the work is done, I just have to find some energy to write. Maybe I’ll get some sleep tonight…where’s the Tums bottle?

If the weather will ever cooperate, I’ll get some pictures of my recent knitting up. There’s still snow on my deck, and it’s been overcast. (Excuses, excuses.) I actually haven’t been knitting, this week, either. I’ve been working on that perforated paper project I gave up on several weeks ago. It seems to be going much better now…

But, wait! Sarah’s new bedtime is 9:30, and it’s well after 10. What gives? Well, I just finished watching “Under the Tuscan Sun”, which was enough to keep me awake way past my pathetically early bedtime! It’s a nice movie – not too sad, not too sappy, just nice. It did make me wish I’d gotten to see some of Italy besides Rome and Venice. I guess I’ll just have to go back someday!

It’s definitely Monday. Seems like yesterday the time change wasn’t so bad, but today I’ve been all screwed up. And the weird thing is that it feels an hour later to me, not an hour earlier. For example, I was starving for dinner by 5:00. And I’m ready to fall asleep now.

This is not helping me get anything done. Although, I think I can officially declare Mt. Laundry done. Yes, that would be the Mt. Laundry from the trip. Don’t worry, there’s another Mt. Laundry already in progress…

Oh, and yesterday’s blizzard had better be the last of the snow this year, because I can’t take the spring-winter-spring-winter see-saw any more!