so it's been a fairly nutsy time since i graduated the other week - flying up to boston, moving my sister back to ny, house hunting, stroller shopping, car shopping, web design work, and finally packing for my camping trip w/ my dad. as Cindy mentioned in an earlier post, i get great kicks out of talking to Chicklet on a nightly basis. it's kind of like blogging - summarize the day while making fun of everything that happened. i never bring politics and Bush-bashing into it though. Chicklet will learn very quickly the politics in our house. :) in tonight's belly broadcast, i discussed with Chicklet that i'll be leaving tomorrow and won't be back until tuesday, as i'm going camping w/ Grandpa (my dad). i then explained to Chicklet that, as he/she will soon discover, Grandpa has bad eyes. he's legally blind in one eye, i believe. i hope that he'll be able to see the park! i then explained that Grandpa also has bad feet, so he gets uncomfortable when he walks for too long. hopefully we'll make it past the parking lot and into the park! Grandpa's never been camping, never slept in a tent. while i love Dad/Grandpa, and have been looking forward to this trip for a long time, hopefully Chicklet will one day be able to see the humor in this.
also, Cindy's mentioned that Chicklet's been more and more active. just as Chicklet decided to say hello for the first time at my graduation, he/she must realize that i'm going away for a few days (probably b/c i've been telling him through the Belly Intercom, aka Cindy's belly button) b/c i was able to feel him move! it was really light, and kind of hard to decipher, but Cindy verified that what i felt was indeed Chicklet! a very nice send-off indeed.
Showing posts with label observations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label observations. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
On Mother's Day
even though Chicklet has not yet been born, this is the first Mother's Day that Cindy can experience as not just the daughter. technically, we obviously can't celebrate Mother's Day since Cindy is not yet a mother, but we are inhabiting that weird existential region where we kind of are and yet aren't parents. i won't really be a father on Father's Day, yet Chicklet's presence in Cindy's belly makes the concept very real. it's more like pseudo-Mother's Day today. sort of like your un-birthday from Alice in Wonderland (were there un-birthdays in Through the Looking Glass?).
anyway, there hasn't been too much in the way of funny observations lately. aside from the fact that Cindy's belly is starting to pop - she finally had to buy some maternity pants - not a whole lot has happened in terms of pregnancy. Cindy's going to a new job in June, as am i, so there's a lot going on in our non-Chicklet lives. i'm also graduating from architecture school next weekend (finally), and will have a fun few weeks afterwards - helping my sister move to her new pad in NY, going camping w/ my Dad in Canyonlands NP in Utah (he's never been camping before!), and generally getting odds and ends done before work starts.
i should note, though, that Cindy's forgetfulness has continued - full steam ahead! she had a really funny post to write last week, but promptly forgot it. in her defense, i also can't remember it. today she made us lunch while i finished a paper for school, and she forgot to make half the meal she had planned. later i came back to the kitchen to see that she had also forgotten to put away all of the ingredients. she also asked me the other night what i want as a graduation present, but by the next morning had apparently forgotten my answer. i think the problem there was that i answered her when she was asleep.
anyway, there hasn't been too much in the way of funny observations lately. aside from the fact that Cindy's belly is starting to pop - she finally had to buy some maternity pants - not a whole lot has happened in terms of pregnancy. Cindy's going to a new job in June, as am i, so there's a lot going on in our non-Chicklet lives. i'm also graduating from architecture school next weekend (finally), and will have a fun few weeks afterwards - helping my sister move to her new pad in NY, going camping w/ my Dad in Canyonlands NP in Utah (he's never been camping before!), and generally getting odds and ends done before work starts.
i should note, though, that Cindy's forgetfulness has continued - full steam ahead! she had a really funny post to write last week, but promptly forgot it. in her defense, i also can't remember it. today she made us lunch while i finished a paper for school, and she forgot to make half the meal she had planned. later i came back to the kitchen to see that she had also forgotten to put away all of the ingredients. she also asked me the other night what i want as a graduation present, but by the next morning had apparently forgotten my answer. i think the problem there was that i answered her when she was asleep.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Distractions
for the most part, Chicklet's impending arrival is a wonderful concentration device. i've posted this before, but knowing that a baby's on the way really kicks your work output into high gear (it did for me at least). but every once in a while i find myself daydreaming about Chicklet while i'm working, and it's a wonderful distraction. just now, for instance, i set myself up down in the computer lab at school to do some renderings before my next class when i decided that i would not be able to work any further unless i had a nice cold can of coke sitting next to the keyboard. so i got up and went to the coke machine, and as i stood there feeding it my dollar i heard it's innards rumble and knew that the rock hard can of carbonated beverage was rocketing its way towards the delivery tray at warp speed. thinking of the day that my child, barely able to walk, will be standing next to me, fascinated by this glorious machine that delivers drinks he/she will not be allowed to drink, i made a mental note to warn Chicklet to keep his hands away from the opening until after the can arrives. and it made me smile.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The moms are at it again
I'm glad we didn't make our moms wait too long before giving them something else to obsess over. After the wedding frenzy was over and life started to resume to a quasi-normal state (with the exception of the wedding photo proofs), Kenny and I sprang the baby news on them. On the day we told my parents, my mom wanted to immediately go out to Babies R Us, so we indulged her. That place is completely overwhelming, by the way. We had no idea what we were doing, what we were looking for, or where to begin. I think even my mom was overwhelmed. That trip wasn't the end of it, though. She called me today from USA Baby to ask me what baby monitors we had decided on because they were having a sale. I confessed to her that we hadn't even so much as glanced at baby products since we left Dallas (other than the onesies that Kenny came home with yesterday). She went on to tell me that she purchased a mattress, two baby blankets, a bath set, a new comforter for the guest bed (so the nice one that's in there now doesn't get destroyed), a set of linens for the crib, and various other things I can't remember. She also told me about the crib that they're about to buy for their house. It sounds much nicer than we one we'll probably be getting for ours.
Kenny's mom got just as excited, but her excitement has not yet turned into a shopping spree, although I'm sure that's just a matter of time. When we broke the news to her, she immediately took me down to their basement, where we pulled out the crib and sorted through some of the baby clothes and toys that she saved from when Kenny and Lauren were babies. She went down there a second time with Kenny. I have to admit, Lauren was a very well-dressed baby. And Kenny had some pretty kick ass big-kid toys, such as a complete Voltron robot, which I had to convince him to leave in New York as it's not Chicklet-appropriate for another couple of years.
This is all very fun. It's cool to see our parents get all crazy over grandkids.
UPDATE: this is Kenny writing now - i wanted to bring Voltron back for me, not Chicklet! that thing rocks!
Kenny's mom got just as excited, but her excitement has not yet turned into a shopping spree, although I'm sure that's just a matter of time. When we broke the news to her, she immediately took me down to their basement, where we pulled out the crib and sorted through some of the baby clothes and toys that she saved from when Kenny and Lauren were babies. She went down there a second time with Kenny. I have to admit, Lauren was a very well-dressed baby. And Kenny had some pretty kick ass big-kid toys, such as a complete Voltron robot, which I had to convince him to leave in New York as it's not Chicklet-appropriate for another couple of years.
This is all very fun. It's cool to see our parents get all crazy over grandkids.
UPDATE: this is Kenny writing now - i wanted to bring Voltron back for me, not Chicklet! that thing rocks!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Pregnancy might make you dumb
apparently. this past week, cindy's legal assistant remarked that she was getting dumb, and that it was a typical side-effect of pregnancy. something about her forgetting this or that. today, i wasn't intending to prove this hypothesis correct, but in the span of a very short period of time it was quite easy to see that, indeed, pregnancy somehow really does make you dumb. let's all hope it's a temporary setback.
cindy was making some salmon for dinner tonight - a delicious recipe, caramelized in sugar. a wonderful side dish of zucchini, garlic, and onion (sounds horrendous, but is quite good, and anyway we have toothpaste and mouthwash). i noticed that cindy was cooking the whole 5 lb. salmon steak, roughly 10" long, in one piece.
"perhaps that would have been easier had you cut it into smaller pieces." i remarked.
"yeah, i thought about that after i already dropped it into the pan."
then cindy proceeded to fire up another burner to saute the vegetables, and then placed a small pan on the burner. we had a huge amount of vegetables to cook.
"you know, maybe it would be easier to use a larger pan for that." i remarked.
"yeah, you're probably right." so i got out a larger pan for her.
and then cindy noticed that the light in the range hood burned out.
"i know, i told you about that 2 hrs. ago, cindy." i said.
then i walked back towards the bedroom, and noticed that the sliding glass door to the deck was open. "cindy! i asked you to close the door behind the dog 15 minutes ago!"
"oh yeah! i forgot."
"cindy, carol was totally right."
"about what?..."
:)
cindy was making some salmon for dinner tonight - a delicious recipe, caramelized in sugar. a wonderful side dish of zucchini, garlic, and onion (sounds horrendous, but is quite good, and anyway we have toothpaste and mouthwash). i noticed that cindy was cooking the whole 5 lb. salmon steak, roughly 10" long, in one piece.
"perhaps that would have been easier had you cut it into smaller pieces." i remarked.
"yeah, i thought about that after i already dropped it into the pan."
then cindy proceeded to fire up another burner to saute the vegetables, and then placed a small pan on the burner. we had a huge amount of vegetables to cook.
"you know, maybe it would be easier to use a larger pan for that." i remarked.
"yeah, you're probably right." so i got out a larger pan for her.
and then cindy noticed that the light in the range hood burned out.
"i know, i told you about that 2 hrs. ago, cindy." i said.
then i walked back towards the bedroom, and noticed that the sliding glass door to the deck was open. "cindy! i asked you to close the door behind the dog 15 minutes ago!"
"oh yeah! i forgot."
"cindy, carol was totally right."
"about what?..."
:)
Sunday, March 4, 2007
The wait is absolutely killing me...
Every day, actually several times a day, Kenny comes up with another possible way to tell his parents about Chicklet. I don't think we've found the perfect delivery method yet, but we have another 5 weeks to get it right. As for my parents, we have just under two weeks before we share the news. I'm not really sure how we'll do it. What I do know is that I really want to get it on video. I like the idea of using my "knocked up" t-shirt.
What's harder than trying to figure out how to tell my parents is waiting to do so. First of all, it's just exciting to tell them and we can't wait. But the wait is especially difficult for me because I really want to pump my mom for information on her pregnancy. I'm pretty sure I remember her telling me that she never had morning sickness, so as I'm starting week 6 with no sign of it just yet, I'm still holding out hope that I'll escape from that. I also remember her telling me that she generally felt great while she was pregnant, with fatigue as her only symptom. Although it's still early for me, I have yet to see any other symptoms (other than fatigue) emerge. I did have that weird chocolate craving during my 3rd week. I'm also thinking that the frequent bathroom trips are due to my increased fluid intake. It subsided last week, and I think that has to do with my body getting adjusted to me drinking more water. So really I'm only having fatigue issues. I can certainly deal with that. I enjoy having a good excuse to go to bed early and take naps!
Anyway, I really wish I had paid attention to her pregnancy stories back when she told me the first time around. Now I have to wait for two weeks. On top of that, our first doctor visit isn't until March 14, which is only 2 days before we go up to see my parents. Although all of the reading material we've picked up has been great, it's not quite the same as talking to a doctor, or even better, your own mom.
What's harder than trying to figure out how to tell my parents is waiting to do so. First of all, it's just exciting to tell them and we can't wait. But the wait is especially difficult for me because I really want to pump my mom for information on her pregnancy. I'm pretty sure I remember her telling me that she never had morning sickness, so as I'm starting week 6 with no sign of it just yet, I'm still holding out hope that I'll escape from that. I also remember her telling me that she generally felt great while she was pregnant, with fatigue as her only symptom. Although it's still early for me, I have yet to see any other symptoms (other than fatigue) emerge. I did have that weird chocolate craving during my 3rd week. I'm also thinking that the frequent bathroom trips are due to my increased fluid intake. It subsided last week, and I think that has to do with my body getting adjusted to me drinking more water. So really I'm only having fatigue issues. I can certainly deal with that. I enjoy having a good excuse to go to bed early and take naps!
Anyway, I really wish I had paid attention to her pregnancy stories back when she told me the first time around. Now I have to wait for two weeks. On top of that, our first doctor visit isn't until March 14, which is only 2 days before we go up to see my parents. Although all of the reading material we've picked up has been great, it's not quite the same as talking to a doctor, or even better, your own mom.
Saturday, March 3, 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."
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!