so when there's a baby on the way, you need to retrain your first baby (read: dog) to realize that he is no longer front and center. nathan has always been a spoiled puppy - he's a good dog, but he knows that we turn to butter if he gives us his puppy dog eyes. he sleeps on the bed w/ us most of the time, curls up w/ us on the couch, and gets undivided attention when he wants playtime. well, the earlier you train the dog that a lot of these things will change, the better.
we've been reading tips on how to prepare the dog for Chicklet, and as sad as it is, he can no longer sleep on the bed w/ us. honestly, i'm not too sure why that matters, b/c it's not like the baby is really going to be sleeping in the bed w/ us, but i suppose its a territorial thing. he supposedly shouldn't be allowed up on the sofa or other furniture either, but i don't know how far we can go w/ this aspect - otherwise the only way to curl up w/ him will be by lying on the ground (he's a really good cuddle puppy). the most important thing we need to get him started on is his interaction w/ other people - i.e. jumping on people. that's how he greets us when we come in the door, and that's how he greets new people (after sniffing them out, of course). jumping is obviously a big no-no when there's a baby.
another thing that i'd like to work on is somehow desensitizing him just a bit to squirrels and the other assorted wildlife (birds) in our backyard. he sits by the sliding glass door half the day, watching things go on outside, and if there is even the slightest hint that a squirrel is in the vicinity he goes nuts. "come on - let me at him! i'll bring home dinner for a week if you wouldn't impede me w/ your stupid 'sit' and 'stay' commands before letting me out the door!" this behavior is characterized by jumping up and down next to the door, barking, and whining. yes, dogs whine. it's kind of cute, but he can totally overdo it. this behavior modification would be for the benefit of some peace and quiet - i mean, who wants to wake a sleeping baby?
we saw an ad for a training course called preparing fido in the back of fit pregnancy magazine. it looks promising, but its mostly for getting the dog used to the arrival of the baby - it's essentially a cd that plays baby sounds so that when the real baby starts crying and cooing, the dog recognizes the sounds and doesn't flip his shit. it's also recommended to bring home a blanket that the baby was swaddled in as soon as you can after the birth so that by the time you bring the baby home, the dog recognizes the smell and doesn't get all up in Chicklet's grill. we're definitely going to have to take Nathan back to a doggie school for some basic training classes again.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
productivity tips:
if you ever need a kick in the ass to ramp up your productivity, remember that you have a baby on the way. that ought to do it.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
so there she was...crying
ok emotional roller-coaster - here we come! this afternoon, a few hours after the taco excursion, cindy and i went to a book store to buy some pregnancy books w/ a gift certificate cindy got from giving one of her many fantastic margin tax lectures. we probably spent 30 minutes sitting on the floor looking at pictures of the baby developing through its nine months in the womb. that was kind of cool - do you know that the baby is actually an alien implanted in the woman's uterus? that's what it looked like, at least.
anyway, cindy got a book called 'You & Your Baby: Pregnancy' (i got her 'You & Your Baby: Eating Healthy' for her birthday, and it was so good that we got another one in the series) and i got 'My Boys Can Swim! The Official Guy's Guide to Pregnancy'. it looked like a quick and funny read. little did i know that it had the capacity to bring on the waterworks.
after we got home, i went outside to play w/ the dog, and cindy stayed inside reading our new books. 5 minutes later, as i'm rolling on the ground growling and wrestling w/ the dog, cindy comes out laughing. i know it's cute when i play w/ the dog, but not that funny! but wait - i think she's crying! no, she's laughing! what the hell is she doing?! all and none. cindy was reading my guy's guide to pregnancy, and apparently the story of the author's wife's delivery was something else. nope, actually it was nothing special. she had no idea why she was crying, so she started laughing, but then fell back to crying. it was pretty cute - i love pregnancy symptoms.
ultimately, i read the page that set cindy off. the author was in the delivery room as triplets were born - to his incredible surprise, having expected a single daughter. then his wife woke him up, saying 'honey, you were having a bad dream.' 'no', he replied, 'i was having a nightmare.' take note fathers-to-be, anything can set your wife to crying.
FOOTNOTE: according to p.23 of 'You & Your Baby: Pregnancy', "Don't be surprised if your moods are all over the place during the first few months of pregnancy. Hormone surges can certainly influence your roller-coaster ride of emotions, as can fatigue and anxiety."
anyway, cindy got a book called 'You & Your Baby: Pregnancy' (i got her 'You & Your Baby: Eating Healthy' for her birthday, and it was so good that we got another one in the series) and i got 'My Boys Can Swim! The Official Guy's Guide to Pregnancy'. it looked like a quick and funny read. little did i know that it had the capacity to bring on the waterworks.
after we got home, i went outside to play w/ the dog, and cindy stayed inside reading our new books. 5 minutes later, as i'm rolling on the ground growling and wrestling w/ the dog, cindy comes out laughing. i know it's cute when i play w/ the dog, but not that funny! but wait - i think she's crying! no, she's laughing! what the hell is she doing?! all and none. cindy was reading my guy's guide to pregnancy, and apparently the story of the author's wife's delivery was something else. nope, actually it was nothing special. she had no idea why she was crying, so she started laughing, but then fell back to crying. it was pretty cute - i love pregnancy symptoms.
ultimately, i read the page that set cindy off. the author was in the delivery room as triplets were born - to his incredible surprise, having expected a single daughter. then his wife woke him up, saying 'honey, you were having a bad dream.' 'no', he replied, 'i was having a nightmare.' take note fathers-to-be, anything can set your wife to crying.
FOOTNOTE: according to p.23 of 'You & Your Baby: Pregnancy', "Don't be surprised if your moods are all over the place during the first few months of pregnancy. Hormone surges can certainly influence your roller-coaster ride of emotions, as can fatigue and anxiety."
Pregnant Ladies Loves Them Some Fish Tacos!
Today Kenny and I went to lunch at El Chilito, because I had a hankering for some fish tacos. I think this was just a desire for them that stems from my love of fish tacos rather than my being pregnant. This didn't feel like the chocolate craving, when I felt like I would die if I didn't get some chocolate. I think I'm learning to distinguish cravings from just plain wanting some tasty food.
Anyway, we headed off to El Chilito, a little taco stand on the East Side, for some fish tacos. Yum! As we stood in line, I noticed that the woman in front of us in line was pregnant, probably 5-6 months along. Then, a couple of moments later, another woman who looked to be about 9 months pregnant came up behind us in line. That made three pregnant women in one very tiny taco stand. There must be something about pescado tortillado or conchinita con pibil that just makes them come running. Or it could be the fresh limonada. Whatever it was, there were quite a few preggos there. I remarked to Kenny that I think fish tacos are going to be my "pregnant food." Yes, I know, I have to watch out for fish because of mercury levels, but I'm allowed 2-3 servings of fish per week. I guarantee you that one of those servings will be in the form of fish tacos!
Anyway, we headed off to El Chilito, a little taco stand on the East Side, for some fish tacos. Yum! As we stood in line, I noticed that the woman in front of us in line was pregnant, probably 5-6 months along. Then, a couple of moments later, another woman who looked to be about 9 months pregnant came up behind us in line. That made three pregnant women in one very tiny taco stand. There must be something about pescado tortillado or conchinita con pibil that just makes them come running. Or it could be the fresh limonada. Whatever it was, there were quite a few preggos there. I remarked to Kenny that I think fish tacos are going to be my "pregnant food." Yes, I know, I have to watch out for fish because of mercury levels, but I'm allowed 2-3 servings of fish per week. I guarantee you that one of those servings will be in the form of fish tacos!
cravings or desires?
cindy remarked yesterday how she found it odd that she requested a chocolate cake for her office birthday party. she doesn't really like chocolate. she noted, in fact, that she had a bit of a craving for chocolate no matter its form - cake, candy, whatever. could this be the first pregnancy craving? do cravings happen this early in pregnancy? i don't know - but i do know that i will attribute just about any change in cindy's behavior right now to pregnancy, and that is totally cool. as she mentioned in the last post, i'm loving this!
Fun times at Nine
I've discovered the store that will likely be my downfall during my pregnancy- it's called Nine (get it?) and it's this really adorable maternity/baby boutique about five minutes from our house. I went in yesterday looking for belly balm (I'm going to kick stretch marks in the butt before they even know what's coming), and came out with three shirts and a newborn layette, booties and bonnet. Oops. So much for this month's budget.
The shirts were fantastic. I got two for me, and one for Kenny. Kenny's was a t-shirt that said "The Man Behind the Belly." Mine was a t-shirt that had a drawing of a pregnant stick figure and reads "Knocked Up." I also bought a really cute maternity shirt. It's early, and I won't show for another several months, but it was really cute, perfect for summer, and only $25! I may loan it to my friend Jenny before I need it, since she's already 4 months along.
But my favorite purchase of the day, even though the shirts were cute, was the newborn layette, booties and bonnet. It was funny when I picked it up, because I'd been talking to Jenny about whether she and her husband will find out the sex of their child. She mentioned that she didn't want a lot of green and yellow gifts at her baby shower. As I browsed the layettes, it really occurred to me for the first time that Kenny and I will also be seeing lots of green and yellow, since, at 5 weeks, we don't know the sex, and we aren't planning on finding out until Chicklet comes out sometime in November. So I picked up a little white layette with yellow trim, white booties with yellow ribbon, and a white bonnet that also had a yellow ribbon.
The moment I was looking forward to most was showing them to Kenny. He's been really funny with this whole Cindy-is-knocked-up thing. He revels in my exhaustion and incessant peeing, not because he likes to see me uncomfortable, but I think because it's a real sign that I'm pregnant. I even saw a smile creep across his face when a wave of nausea hit me this morning. If the seven positive tests weren't enough (yes, I did two more just for good measure- I know, it's OCD. And we all thought that was gone with the wedding), the symptoms make it hit home. I guess it's tough to believe it when I still look the same on the outside. So since he gets such a kick out of pregnancy symptoms, I figured a little layette would send him over the top. And it did. I took the booties and pinned them to the corkboard that's above his desk in the office, just as a tangible reminder so that if I'm not around to remind him with my frequent bathroom trips and sleeping, he still remembers that I'm preggers. I went and put the rest of the outfit in the room that will soon be the baby's room, and which we will no doubt paint green.
The shirts were fantastic. I got two for me, and one for Kenny. Kenny's was a t-shirt that said "The Man Behind the Belly." Mine was a t-shirt that had a drawing of a pregnant stick figure and reads "Knocked Up." I also bought a really cute maternity shirt. It's early, and I won't show for another several months, but it was really cute, perfect for summer, and only $25! I may loan it to my friend Jenny before I need it, since she's already 4 months along.
But my favorite purchase of the day, even though the shirts were cute, was the newborn layette, booties and bonnet. It was funny when I picked it up, because I'd been talking to Jenny about whether she and her husband will find out the sex of their child. She mentioned that she didn't want a lot of green and yellow gifts at her baby shower. As I browsed the layettes, it really occurred to me for the first time that Kenny and I will also be seeing lots of green and yellow, since, at 5 weeks, we don't know the sex, and we aren't planning on finding out until Chicklet comes out sometime in November. So I picked up a little white layette with yellow trim, white booties with yellow ribbon, and a white bonnet that also had a yellow ribbon.
The moment I was looking forward to most was showing them to Kenny. He's been really funny with this whole Cindy-is-knocked-up thing. He revels in my exhaustion and incessant peeing, not because he likes to see me uncomfortable, but I think because it's a real sign that I'm pregnant. I even saw a smile creep across his face when a wave of nausea hit me this morning. If the seven positive tests weren't enough (yes, I did two more just for good measure- I know, it's OCD. And we all thought that was gone with the wedding), the symptoms make it hit home. I guess it's tough to believe it when I still look the same on the outside. So since he gets such a kick out of pregnancy symptoms, I figured a little layette would send him over the top. And it did. I took the booties and pinned them to the corkboard that's above his desk in the office, just as a tangible reminder so that if I'm not around to remind him with my frequent bathroom trips and sleeping, he still remembers that I'm preggers. I went and put the rest of the outfit in the room that will soon be the baby's room, and which we will no doubt paint green.
sleeping, peeing, and nausea
what a trio of conditions! we didn't expect for cindy to really be feeling any pregnancy symptoms so soon, but by about three days ago, she was getting up to pee all the time. starting last friday, she started getting hit by exhaustion - she'd be fine one minute, and practically falling asleep the next. the good part about her exhaustion is that she didn't wake up at all while i tossed and turned and snored (thanks, allergies!). and now, the piece de resistance - this morning, after she finished breakfast, cindy was telling me how great she was sleeping when she decided to pay a visit to the porcelain god. as soon as the wave of nausea appeared, it also disappeared. very finicky, that one.
so here we are - 2 wks into pregnancy (by reality's time measure, 5 weeks by the period count - which seems to be the timetable by which all pregnancies are measured) and cindy is already a classic example of a mom to be. i love it!
so here we are - 2 wks into pregnancy (by reality's time measure, 5 weeks by the period count - which seems to be the timetable by which all pregnancies are measured) and cindy is already a classic example of a mom to be. i love it!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Pee Stick Obsession
Ok, I am obsessed with the pee sticks. This blog should be called "6 Little Pink Lines, One Blue Plus Sign, and A Digital "Pregnant" Readout." I had two positive tests yesterday, and we were pretty convinced that I was pregnant. That is, until I obsessively decided to test again this morning, expecting a darker, more reassuring line (the first two were vary faint). After taking the test, it was all but clear. The line was even fainter than last night's. So, I decided that I needed to take it to the next level. That's right--digital tests and blood work! I made an appointment at my doctor's office, only to discover I wouldn't get the results until tomorrow. Damnit! Those who know me know that I am possibly the most impatient person when it comes to things I want or things I want to know. So, after an excruciatingly long day at work, I stopped by the drugstore on the way home and grabbed a digital test. And another regular test. A box of them, actually. So then I ran home, peed on some sticks, and confirmed once and for all that I am pregnant. Of course, I'm still waiting on blood tests from the doctor, but the big "PREGNANT" display on the digital test left little question in my mind. So here it is, we're officially pregnant. It's nuts!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Baby Belly: recording begins...
although technically we are 11 days into the pregnancy (for some reason it is listed as 3wks and 4 days - something to do w/ date of last period), we only knew we were pregnant today. so kenny is rather militantly enforcing the daily belly picture, and though there's nothing to see yet, here is the first one:
OH. MY. GOD!
so. HAPPY!!!
my baby (the first one, Cindy) is very sneaky! we've had this blog ready to go for a month already. she had me go food shopping tonight, when i really wanted to go on Friday morning. when i got back (w/ another pregnancy test - i guess we can use them up just for the fun of it) she said that she changed the layout of the blog, and what did i think?
yeah, that took a moment to sink in. i thought it was just a test post. then the flash of realization... we're going to have a baby! :)
my baby (the first one, Cindy) is very sneaky! we've had this blog ready to go for a month already. she had me go food shopping tonight, when i really wanted to go on Friday morning. when i got back (w/ another pregnancy test - i guess we can use them up just for the fun of it) she said that she changed the layout of the blog, and what did i think?
yeah, that took a moment to sink in. i thought it was just a test post. then the flash of realization... we're going to have a baby! :)
