bittersweet saturday

so, the only way to describe yesterday is to call it bittersweet.

1. it was my grandma's birthday...and i still miss her like crazy.
2. my aunt's store, the century house in glendale, burned to the ground.
3. my first baby shower was thrown by my aunts.

so the first meant that i cried a little thinking about how there was never a gift that my grandma wanted other than time with her...and maybe a nice letter...and i wish i could have given her that yesterday.

the second left me stunned. and deeply sad for my aunt susy who has everything wrapped up in that beautiful old store. and amazed at what one little candle and something falling on it can do in such a short time. i know there is a silver lining in this situation somewhere...and i really hope that she finds it.

the third happened as the century house was burning...therefore my aunt susy and my mom could not attend my shower...but it was okay cause i barely felt like i was there myself... i was thinking about a billion things other than my shower...so when i heard my cousin say to my sister "man she sounds just like your mom" while i was trying to do my best at entertaining as my mom would have done - i have to admit i felt better and tried to be more present.



and pj got some fantastic stuff...all of her carseats and strollers...her monitor, changing pad and covers, lots of rattles, toys, pacifiers, cute stuffed animals, her first doll, and clothes of course. its all been put away in her room in great anticipation of her arrival. she is one very lucky little girl. daddy even put together her first stroller, and we practiced hooking the pumpkin seat into it...cause she will be in there in less than 12 weeks now. wow.

12 weeks to go...

now that i am in my third trimester...for some reason all i can think about is what she looks like.

i've been up to my elbows in family pictures, creating a photo gallery for my mom.

i look at each baby photo a little more closely these days...imagining a similar face smiling back at me in a few short weeks. but who knows, right?

but it doesn't matter who she ends up looking like, i just want her to be a happy little girl, smiles and all.

(by the way, that is me...somewhere around 2-3 months...go ahead...seriously...make that gushy little awwwww sound...you know you want to)

no news is great news...

so i am assuming by the NON-communication between my midwives and myself that ALL IS WELL with the glucose test....just in case you couldn't get anything accomplished without knowing for sure that i am going to be fine.
soooooo....i say,

happiness is a warm, fresh donut. covered in icing...and sprinkles.

sugar is gooood. sugar is my friend.

room to grow...

so, this weekend LOTS has been accomplished. I can only imagine what I will get finished while on Thanksgiving break.

here are some pics to give you a glimpse into pj's world 'to be'... thanks dad, thanks nick...

27 and measuring 29

so tomorrow i am officially 27 weeks. today, pj, who does not like heartbeat monitoring machines proved herself to be in a bubble that measures two weeks ahead of herself, at a whopping 29 weeks.

i am so proud.

and wait, how do i know that she does not like those sound monitoring wands...cause she kicked so hard that i actually saw her push out my skin this time. oh my defiant little one. this is going to get interesting. but we got her heartbeat anyway, a strong 140. so she can kick all she wants, as long as she stays strong. i say bring it on.

and i was brave today too. two vials of blood for the glucose test. and one major flu shot.

and to top it off, the nice woman who needled me told me how she found out a few years ago that she has chloroid plexis cysts on her brain. that they are normal things, that my daughter, even if they haven't dissolved by week 28, will be totally fine.

so, the next ultrasound to check for dissolution of cysts is scheduled dec.16. they have to use some major piece of equipment...atleast that is how they described it to me. so i have to take a bit off from school for the first time during this pregnancy.

i have high hopes. she is obviously a force to be wreckon with...i have no doubt she will be fine no matter what the outcome of the ultrasound is...

ahhh...there she goes again, kick kick kick

just a little hiccup...

just for record keeping sake...pj has begun to hiccup. it is the strangest and sweetest feeling. i love it. my students were laughing at the idea of it...but she hiccupped straight for like 15 minutes in my class this morning. my students tried to suggest ways to make her stop...somehow i don't think i can get a pencil in her mouth while she drinks water, OR, better yet try to scare her out of them...

....7th graders are too funny. they can't wait to meet her, and its so sweet to hear that from them.

i think she is hiccupping cause she is nervous about our appointment today...its the glucose test.

don't worry pj - your mommy is doing enough of that for both of us.

that's right...i'm a medal winning mama

so i woke up early this morning...actually i had been up since about 1 am due to my non-sleeping habit. what i meant to say is i woke up my friend stacy very early this morning. the two of us participated in the Ursuline 5K Run/Walk.

and even though it was sleeting...and so cold that my nose was breathing in ice crystals...we walked 3.1 miles around the Blue Ash area.

stacy walked in place of my mom. so she was registered in the 60 and over category. but me...i was registered as myself, and therefore, WON A MEDAL for my age group.

now, i know, i know. there weren't that many people in my age group there...and walking.

but you know, i will take that gosh darn medal. cause i was the only one there 6 months pregnant and busting my ass up and down those hills. thank you very much.

i think pj would be proud of me. of course i think my walking lulled her back to sleep - only after she started the race sitting on some nerve of mine and causing me terrible cramping. who knows maybe this will be a new thing for me, entering races and winning medals...

or maybe this was the last time-so i can keep my glowing position.

(THANKS STACY...SORRY YOU DIDN'T WIN IN THE 60 and over category...BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

26 and still kickin'

so....the nursery is coming together nicely.

i made up her crib tonight. i am in love with it. i immediately pictured some big chubby smile peering out over the top of the adorable bumper. it is perfect.

and week 26 hasn't been so bad, we've accomplished so much this week as far as the house goes, and i think pj has accomplished quite a bit of growth.

she must be bigger than the pound and half they say she is...cause, she is getting heavier to carry around, and i can feel her in my back. she kicks now in different directions...so its either the splits she is doing in there, or she is practicing for both soccer and volleyball.

hey whatever is going to get her the scholarship.

i will post pics soon of the made-up-crib...and how cute was it to get to hang two little dresses in her closet on tiny little hangers. ahhhhhhhh.

ok, i will shut up now.

a evening playdate...

so this is what happened the last time we watched miss ella so that her parents could enjoy each other's company out on the town.

but i have to say, last night, she was a perfect little angel for us - we played on my blackberry, then we cuddled while she let me read a good night story to her, then after a quick tear or two she was down for the count.

we are available...most nights...for parenting-prep-lessons (babysitting).

Only Greg requires a big screen television, and Meg requires freshly baked brownies.

mommy+fashionable=still the same meg

this is the purse/diaper bag/patent leather piece of heaven that i spoke of forever ago. it is huge, it is silver inside, it is so much fun to wear, it will kill me to put smelly diapers in here...but i will find a way to get past that for the sake of loveliness and deliciousness that comes with using it.

go ahead...drool...i did. or make fun, nothing will be as cool as pj and i and our big yellow bag.

hee hee...she is kicking just looking at it.

okay...okay...here we are...

there have been many requests for this image...not sure why. there is not a single angle of me that is still flattering. so enjoy...this is pj after cooking for 6 months. she kicks constantly, loves when i am laying down, and stretches her body out atleast twice a day. this is the only painful part so far.

i am not complaining at all though. i will take all the swelling this little miracle can throw at me for the next three months.

but then she better behave once she's out. did'ya hear that pj?...behave.

things are moving right along...

we are completely registered...which is a great relief.

although, just looking at the list of things this child needs causes great anxiety.

but she is lucky...she has a great family who have all pitched in to help give pj a fashionable start.

her grandpa schneider came over and helped put together the bottom of her changing table (which will be painted black by her loving mommy) and daddy helped out too!

soon her nana lynch will be making the cutest curtains for the windows...and even before those curtains are hung, the crib will be made up thanks to both her grandparents!

daddy spent some time this morning and put together the comfy glider for baby pj and mommy to sit in for those 3am feedings...or more like daddy and pj. ahem.

ahhh...pj's room is really starting to look like a baby could live in there. let's hope mommy can part with her closet for all the new baby clothes!

we can't wait for pj!

25 was a good week...to turn 31.

so pj celebrated my birthday week with me...well, she didn't really have a choice.

in the morning on nov. 3 - my loving husband had my favorite donuts waiting...
then my students were terrific all day for me...
then after lunch i had flowers, balloons, and the typical zips gift certificate from room moms...
then i had a book of cards from my students waiting for me...
then i came home and opened awesome gifts from greg...
then went to a memorial mass for my grandma...
then had tasty pizza...
then ate cheesecake before bed.
all in all i'd say pj and i had a perfect day on Monday.


then Tuesday happened.
and there are few words i have to express my emotions. standing in line for over an hour in the darkness of 6 am. watching the republican flyers being dismissed right and left by the line of voters that circled the entire parking lot. it was fantastic.
and then the results. those results. i immediately thought two things. how elated my grandma would have been (once she made her comment about hillary being better). she would be smiling and celebrating the change that so momentously came with that decision. she was smiling in heaven for sure. and then i thought, how proud i will be to bring a baby into a world that i am proud of...and how she will know that she can be whatever she wants to be, that we are all equal, that we all deserve opportunity. it was just delicious. and yes..i cried.

then the day-after-the-world-changed-glow was still there on weds. to say a little prayer for her 25 week turnover.

and thursday brought parent conferences. a day that usually ends in tears. usually mine. but this year, moms and dads told me that their kids loved me, that i was funny, entertaining, and one their favorites. ahhhhh shucks. gee whizzzz. thanks.

and now its friday. and parent conferences were harmless. a 180 degree difference from last year. and by 10 i was home and out of my tight pants.

what a week! i am exhausted with great amounts of happiness swirling around me. i can't complain about anything even for a second.

ahhhh she likes shopping...

well, atleast i like to think that she does.

she did very well for over two and 1/2 hours of registering. and while it wasn't everything she needed down on the list, i think it is getting more and more real - as i picked out the things she would be sleeping in, playing with, and wearing while eating.

it is UH-MAZING how much stuff a baby needs. and we aren't doing all the extra-extra stuff...just basics, and then borrowing the rest from her cousins. i really was blown away.

so, she only kicked a few times, but remained relaxed for mama so she could shoot the registry gun at a million little things and not feel sick with all the movement.

all in all it was a wonderful day. thank you mom, thank you kate...and thank you baby joshua for being such a good little sleeper.

maybe she will be a dancer

i just got back from the ballet,
my grandmother, my mom and i have been going, sitting in the first row for too many years to remember.

its drastically different without my grandma. but i think its when i feel her the most. it feels good to be there, smiling at the memories of grandma and i eating up the eye candy on stage, and winking at our favorite male dancers, while comparing their "packages". today, my favorite (also my grandmas favorite) was a soloist in Dracula.

it was dark and scary, and wonderful!

and pj kicked the ENTIRE TIME. maybe they were ballet steps, or she liked how loud the music was, or perhaps she plans on being one of those freakish goth kids wearing all black and worshipping the moon or worse..wicca.

i think i will enroll her quickly into dance classes to avoid the dog collar, white make-up and black lipstick.

yeah. dancer for sure.

dear god,

please.