Act 2; Scene 36: Spring Craftiness

The sun is peaking out more and more and the weather is warming up. Spring time always makes me feel excited! I love the brightness in the air and the sounds of the birds chirping and the plants flowering. And in the past couple of days I've gone all spring crafty. Here are my recent creations:

Paper Daffodil-like jelly-bean decorations

A bouquet of paper flowers:

The coffee table with the decor and munchies out for my turn hosting our book group:

The delicious spring cupcakes I made (lemon, with cream cheese frosting, dyed coconut, and malt ball robin eggs):

Ah, it's been so nice and sunny and springy around here! I love my colorful bright paper that I can decorate my house with :-)

Oh, and tomorrow I am going here:


And I can hardly wait.

Hope you all have a springy, sunny, colorful weekend! 

Act 2; Scene 35: Just Practicing for Soccer

WARNING:

Just so you know, this post will contain more baby info, and most likely rather sappy info at that. I know I shouldn't have two baby-related posts in a row, but...it's sort of been on my mind lately. So if you're getting babied about and don't want to read some sappy pregnant lady's tales, choose a different post.

You were warned. :-)

I had been sitting here checking my email and looking over my "sites" when all of a sudden I felt a huge pummel, and at the same time watched my stomach literally bounce and protrude. 

Wow! That was a kick! A big kick!

Then it happened again--a regular pummel, and my tummy bounced again. 

And again.

And again.

I have been sitting here for the past 20 minutes or so just watching my tummy bounce and feeling those kicks/punches/squirms. At one point I swear he decided to roll around and my tummy looked like an ocean wave moving while he was doing it.

Where did this come from? No more popcorn or butterfly fluttering, this little guy has decided all at once that he is sick and tired of being in there (seriously--can you imagine being cooped up in a tiny space like that for 24 weeks? Too bad he still as appx 16 to go). I blame it on the sunny spring weather--we're all feeling excited to go and play outside. And I know he is dying to get out on that soccer field. I guess he's decided he'll just have to practice in the womb for now, so he'll be that much more ready when the time comes.

The best part about this little soccer scrimmage? Every kick and head but and roll not only makes my tummy bounce, but somehow it bursts a little hole in my heart that starts gushing. Yup, that's right--after each little (ok, actually, quite large) pummel there is a waterfall of emotion that goes spilling all through me. It's sort of like "kick, tingle tingle" (the tingles are the said waterfall). What with all of these kicks and rolls and tingles of love all over the place, I think I could just sit here and listen to my baby all day.

This definitely makes up for some of the other "difficulties" I have been feeling lately. No wonder pregnant women are so emotional.

I told you, it was sappy. Like I said before, you were warned. :-)

Act 2; Scene 34: The Hardest Part of Being Pregnant

Being pregnant is incredible. 

It really is a miracle--I mean how in the world is something that will one day turn into a person like me actually growing inside of me? And that it can actually exist as something too small to see and then turn into a 6-8 lb baby in a few months?

And how are all of my organs magically being moved out of the way to make room for this little guy? And how are my muscles stretching to accommodate the temporary housing of our son?

And it's really pretty amazing when I can feel little flutters and kicks and realize that my baby is actually in there and living and growing and...well, communicating with me.

Being pregnant is amazing.

That being said, it is also amazing and rather incredible how much crap (sorry Mom--couldn't think of a more fitting word for this) your body goes through in order to multiply and replenish.

I mean, seriously--it starts out with incredible nausea (that may or may not go away). Just when you think you've found a cure for nausea in a lovely medication, you realize the medication causes other side effects, namely dizziness and extreme constipation. Joy. Then you get to take miralax to counteract that. Did I mention dizziness and feeling like you might pass out or fall over every once in a while? Oh yes, and then your skin dries up and you can't wear makeup for a few weeks, which is compounded by the fact that throwing up and said constipation has created a red splotchy rash all over your face due to broken blood vessels. Then the ligament pains start. And you can forget about sleeping well--what with not being comfortable and having to go to the bathroom every second. Although I realize how the lack of sleep and discomfort is merely prepping me for parenthood in a slightly more gently manner, it still bites.

But all of that--and I realize I have had it easier than a lot of women and still have lots more to go--all of that is topped by the worst part of being pregnant: 

the getting fat.

You are supposed to get bigger when you are pregnant, right? I mean, how else is the little guy going to fit anywhere?  I have been so looking forward to watching my baby bump grow and experiencing all that comes along with pregnancy. However--no one warned me that baby bump would seem much less like baby and much more like my own belly just filling out. How was I supposed to know that baby bump is very squishy and not at all what I imagined a "perfect little bump" to be? How would I know that my clothes getting tighter and my pants creating rolls in my tummy would be depressing rather than exciting?

And how can I not feel like I am just getting fat when I am feeling tired and lazy, as well as super hungry all of the time? Yeah, this combination is not super comforting. 

It seems like everywhere I am seeing these really cute pregnant women with a darling, perfectly shaped, perfectly placed baby bump. You can't even tell they are pregnant from behind. And I ask you this--where are these women coming from?!?!? 

Around 20 weeks I decided I should probably try to document some of my pregnant progress through photos--I'm sure I'll want to see the progress eventually. (Although it wasn't until 19 weeks that I could even bear to take a picture of myself because I figured about halfway is an acceptable time to start looking pregnant). And who knew that getting that "baby bump picture"--you know the one I mean--could be so impossible? Every time I had Robert take a picture I would take one look and cry out "Wha? Do I really look like that?" I know it wasn't just me, because one of these episodes resulted in Robert taking a picture, suggesting a different kind of outfit, trying different angles, and then handing me the camera saying, "It's useless." Yeah, no cute baby bumps here. 

I seriously thought that getting bigger would feel like another person taking up some space, not the same person making space by pudging up. And this has been the hardest realization and physical change of all. Maybe because I wasn't expecting it to feel quite like this? Granted, while other side effects of pregnancy may sound worse, this one tops it all--feeling fat. 

Oh--and after about 10 takes on different days, I found a baby bump picture that I don't hate. It actually worked out ok...and I am daring to show it to you now. 

Me at 22 weeks:

notice the "I'm not sure this is going to turn out" smile

Oh man I am so excited to have this baby. And, despite it all, I am so glad I get to experience all of this that goes along with it. I mean...how cool?

And I think I'll probably love him all the more for getting fat for him. I wouldn't want to do that for anyone else :-)

Act 2; Scene 33: Two Random and Unrelated Happenings

1. The Daffodils

I have been feeling rather lonely being at the apartment by myself nearly all day (even if I am working--I am still at my apartment, by myself). This is a rather atypical circumstance for me--I can't remember any other time when I had so much solitude--ever. The other day, Robert surprised me and brought home these lovely ladies to keep me company during the day:

Aren't they just lovely? They bring so much sunshine and life and happiness into the apartment.


2. The Cookie Volcano

Yesterday was a very lazy Sunday--no plans except ward choir, church, and home teaching. Lovely! My parents and brother Sam were on their way home from a Lacrosse tournament in Las Vegas and called to see if they could stop by. So of course I wanted to try out one of the Pinterest dessert ideas I have been eying for a while. Now doesn't this look/sound delicious? Cookie dough wrapped around muffin tins to create a cookie ice cream cup?

 

Brilliant idea, right? So I whipped up a quick batch and went to work. I put them in the oven and started washing dishes. All of a sudden I said to Robert, "Does it smell like something's burning to you?" Robert opened the oven and this is what he found:

The cookie volcano! It had exploded and dripped all over the oven! And of course, about 2 seconds later, my mom, dad, and Sam walked in. Perfect. This was one cooking adventure that didn't quite work out. However, I learned many things, one of which is to always place a cookie sheet underneath just in case the volcano erupts.


Happy Happenings!