Nearly 30

So now I am 29. It's been a mostly uneventful birthday. T got me Egg McMuffins without ham for breakfast as requested, and a beautiful pair of pink earrings, as well as brownies from some fancy New York bakery and a 2 year subscription to US Weekly. I spent a lot of the day resting and playing around with Q. And then we went shopping this afternoon to spend our clothing allowance. That is a wonderful thing. I absolutely love shopping when you know you will get paid back. Even if it is work clothes.

We had a couple over for dinner last night. T had school all day, so I was pretty much on my own to make everything. Q and I went to the grocery store. It is better to leave him at home for those kind of errands. He was fussing and reaching for me and taking my grocery list and throwing it on the ground. So, the second half of the trip I carried him, until my left bicep was burning.

I made baguettes with goat cheese and ricotta spread, farfalle with tomato sauce and big hunks of melty fresh mozzarella, and salad. For dessert we had apple-raspberry crunch. I was pretty proud of how it all turned out. We had a great time with this couple. The wife is from my mom's group, and this is the first time T met the husband, but they seemed to hit it off. It is always hard to find a couple that you both like a lot. Usually it's a little more one-sided, but we might just have gotten lucky.

They have two sons, ages 2 1/2 and 1. So, along with 1 1/2 year old Q it was kind of a madhouse. It looked like we had been ransacked by the time they left. I hope Q didn't pick up any new naughty ideas.

--MM

Fire in the belly

I have horrific heartburn today. At least that's what I think it is. I have never really had it before and didn't experience it with my first pregnancy. My stomach is just burning. It is pretty painful. I always just assumed heartburn was mildly uncomfortable, but this was pretty debilitating.

T got me some Tums, and I chewed three of them. I still felt pretty crappy and went to lay in the car for 45 minutes. It actually helped to be horizontal. I came back in and worked for a couple hours. I think I might go home for dinner to eat something mild, because I brought pretty spicy pasta. Not belly-friendly.

That is the frustrating thing about pregnancy. You are perfectly healthy and most things you are going through are normal, but a lot of the time you feel pretty sick. I feel unjustified in staying home, yet I feel like crap on days like today and know my performance is pretty half-hearted. At least this is all worth something. Being sick just sucks all around.

My belly is pretty rounded all the sudden. I haven't told our daycare provider yet, but today I think she was looking quizzically at my mid-section. I am afraid to ask her if she has room for another!

--MM

Waiting for bed

It has been a long day and there are still a few hours left. It started at 8:00 a.m. and won't stop till midnight.

Q had swim lessons this morning. We both got all dressed and ready, and then I was loading him into the car I smelled evidence of a giant baby poop. That's never a good thing in swim diapers. We got to the Y and I slapped him on the changing table. I then had a disgusting flimsy diaper and a bunch of soiled wipes and a squirmy baby on the table. A nice lady coming from water aerobics pinned Q down while I threw away the digustingness. What will I do when there are two of them??

After swim lessons, I had to get ready in record time. T deposited Q at daycare, and we hustled off for a shoot on school bullies. I actually talked to some pretty impressive high schoolers. I tend to assume they are all young and clueless, but met several very eloquent, intelligent students today. After that back to work for a regular work day. I am ridiculously tired tonight and frustrated that my job requires 13 hours some days. I feel like I have too much on my plate, yet I can't bring myself to speak up to the powers that be. I hate having to give up lots of time with Q just to work more. Why can't I work less and earn more? Is there a job like that out there?

--MM

Joy of a balloon

Q has been absolutely enthralled lately with a helium balloon. He got it at an event about a week ago, and it is slowly getting soft and deflated and sinking closer to ground. He just loves it though. He likes to wrap the purple string around his chubby hand and pull it down and watch it bounce. He crawls around with it billowing behind him.

He is also quite intrigued with our Blackberry's. He will press the buttons and then put them backward to his ear. He managed to dial 911 on T's. I guess if you hold down 9 or something it automatically dials? Anyway, now Q holds most anything to his ear. A book, a card, a block. Anything rectangular will suffice.

I think my favorite thing about having a child is just the absolute pure joy they get out of things. I love seeing things through his eyes. A doggie barking at you while on a walk is exciting, and a train blocking your path is not annoying but amazing! A cat walking by is hilarious and cause for a squeal. And even the whir of the coffee maker is pretty thrilling. It kind of makes you look at everything differently and with new appreciation.

Back to the mundane...work is getting quite a bit busier these days. A co-worker went on maternity leave, so schedules are changing, and I will have more work on my plate for at least a few months. For the next month, I am not entirely thrilled because I need time to work on four special projects for November. But, after that, it is fine. I really prefer to be busy. The guy who sits next to me would be content to play ping pong on his computer for three hours a night. But, I prefer to feel productive and occupied. Makes the days go faster.

I turn 29 this Sunday. This birthday has really snuck up on me. It don't particularly mind turning 29. I am content with where I am at this age, but I can't say I am the least bit excited about it. I feel like every birthday since 22 has just flown by. They kind of blend one into another. Sometimes I actually forget how old I am. When did all these years catch up to me, and when did I become a wife and mother? Aren't I still a 20-year-old college sophomore? I think someone is playing a trick on me. Crazy.

--MM

Old friends, different lives

I had a bit of a frustrating weekend. My freshman year college roommate was scheduled to come into town Saturday afternoon. We were going to go a to a winery, get dinner, spend the night at our place, and then get brunch Sunday morning. She called about the time she was supposed to be arriving to say she hadn't left her previous stop, because she had food poisoning. She would try to sleep it off and maybe meet us for dinner. T and I waited around, not sure what to do with our day. My friend eventually called later that night to say she wouldn't make it at all that day. She would aim for lunch the next day. I felt like Saturday was sort of a waste. I got a huge plate of nachos and felt better.

So, the next day, again we weren't sure how to go about our day. When would long-lost friend arrive? I decided to go for a 5-mile run regardless. I run pretty slow right now as to not overexert myself, but I felt great and very satisfied. It was such a mild, sunny day.

We finally got word she would arrive after 1:30. So, lunch was out, but we managed to hit a winery and get a late afternoon snack before she left at 5:30. Pretty disappointing for a once very close friend you haven't seen in seven years.

I pulled out a photo album while she was here and we looked at old pictures of ourselves when we were so similar. We had the same dorm room, the same major, the same interests, we dyed our hair together, and ordered these cheesy bread sticks from the pizza place. Now, our lives are vastly different. She arrived at our home with her fresh-out-of-college boyfriend, though we earned our degrees seven years ago. She never stays in one place for more than six months and doesn't even own a bed. I own a house, two cars, am married, with one baby and another on the way. I felt so much older than her! She seems to really be looking for something. She said commitment and permanence scare her, so she constantly travels and takes temporary jobs. She just finished five months on a cruise ship and is now off to backpack in Southeast Asia with this new baby boyfriend. On the one hand it seems exciting to me, and I am envious that that opportunity is not remotely in my realm of possibility. But, on the other much bigger hand, I am glad I have found most of what I am looking for in my current home and in my family. Her spontaneity is probably fun in many ways, but it is also awfully frustrating when you have set aside a weekend and are left waiting by the phone.

I spent a lot of time in college and right after kind of floundering around, not knowing where I would land. But, I feel remarkably content right now. I feel like I am where I should be. It was nice in many ways to see my old friend and laugh at old memories. It is remarkable how different our lives have become. I am so happy to know her but realize I am also happy my life has taken a different, more stable path.

--MM

Near emergencies

Q's best friend is his yet unnamed stuffed seal. Said seal has been through a number of traumas though, and we are actually on our second version. Q received the original during a trip to the Seattle Aquarium. It quickly became his constant sleeping companion. Until one day it disappeared. We think it may have been left behind during a bleary-eyed early morning trip to a balloon rally. T quickly set about procuring another one. He found a match online, but accidentally got the next size up. This giant seal is roughly the size of Q as serves as sort of a body pillow.

He has become even more attached in recent weeks. When we go in to retrieve him from his crib, he immediately reaches for his seal and often totes it to daycare. Every night, he sticks his thumb in his mouth and curls up on his seal, before he drifts off to sleep. The seal sits on the counter and watches him during meals.

I always remind T to pick it up when Q takes it to daycare, but last night, he forgot! The seal spent the night at daycare, and Q had to go the entire night seal-less! We feared the worst, that he would refuse to go to sleep without this bedtime companion. But, Q was apparently quite drowsy, and T slipped him a stuffed doggie, and no one was the wiser. Crisis averted. I just have to make sure I get the seal from daycare this time, or it could be a long seal-free weekend.

We took Q to lunch today at a very good sandwich shop. We ordered him a peanut butter and jelly, while T got a BLT, and I got a Mediterranean. Our order took soooooo long. Why don't they put a rush on kid orders? T held a squirming, complaining Q while I tried to distract him with a straw wrapper. Relaxing lunches are such a thing of the past.

My college freshman year roommate is visiting this weekend. We did not know each other until the first day we walked into our closet-sized dorm room, but we ended up being very close friends. She was a small town pageant queen from Missouri, but she changed dramatically. Now she is this crazy world traveler who is road-tripping through my state with her current boyfriend before she goes backpacking in Southeast Asia for two months. Our lives have taken slightly different paths. I am so thrilled to see her and to introduce her to the men in my life.

--MM

Enticing Thai food

Why must Thai food be so good? I just had far too much of Spicy Thai Stir Fry. My already growing belly is now even more engorged. My pants are just not comfortable today. Thai food is one of my favorites. Though I like Italian, Mexican, American, Indian and so many others. Too many really.

A co-worker of mine welcomed a baby girl yesterday. It is making me very anxious for some reason about choosing a name for our son/daughter. I spent far too long combing through name websites today. As a person with an extremely common name, choosing a unique name is very important to me. But, I don't want something off the wall like Doorstop or made up like Sazandradine or something. I am obsessed about it right now. I think it will be easier when we know the gender.

My least favorite co-worker is talking about re-signing her contract. I had so hoped she would leave when it was over or be asked to leave, but today she was talking about sticking around. Ick. I can't let that affect my mood or my day, but I so often let it. Liking the people you work with is just so important. But, I guess you'll never like everyone.

--MM

Update: T found my planner. Just as I was all settled into me new one. It was under a stack of CD's in the garage. Of course. Why didn't I think of that?