McHann

As a person who grew up with pets, I feel like I have a special appreciation for their place in a home. In fact, I can confidently say that a house is not a home for me at all without pets. Growing up, we had several cats, fish, birds, gerbils, hamsters and Doc. Dr. Tubbs, or Doc for short, was a cute little black dog (1/2 cocker spaniel and 1/2 dachsund) who was with us for 17 years. He grew up along side us- there through all the growing pains, school dances, make-ups and break-ups, departures for college. I never thought I'd love another dog the way I loved Doc.


But then I got married. And with the Husband came McHann. A 2 year old German Shepherd with the sweetest disposition I have ever witnessed in a dog. Plagued by health problems her whole life, McHann has seen more of the vet than any animal ever should. When she developed a benign tumor in her ear, we actually took out a loan to pay for the surgery to fix it before it began pushing on her brain, slowly killing her. She has had an absess in her neck and once ate a dishtowel (I said she was sweet- not particularly bright ;-) and had to have her stomach cut open in 3 places to remove all the fibers. Through it all, she remained sweet, devoted, gentle and relentlessly loyal. She has never growled, snapped, bitten or been at all aggressive towards anyone- not even the Dr. who cut her head open to save her life. Now with only one ear, she has a cock-eyed goofiness that is impossible not to love.

Fast forward to the present-at 10 years old, McHann is starting to show her age. Her hips are stiff and seem painful at times, in spite of the glucosamine supplements prescribed by the vet. She moves slower and has less stamina for long walks or hikes. She sleeps more and her muzzle is gray.

But one thing has not changed: her relentless optimism and love. Each day when we walk through the door, its like Christmas- as though she has not seen us in days and days and is just SO HAPPY we have come back to her. Her big, brown eyes look up at us with the absolute love and trust that seems to be unique to her species. It may sound silly, but we feel truly blessed to have her in our lives.

When the baby comes, I know she will be wonderful. I hope we can continue to provide her with the love and attention she deserves. And as she gets older, I hope we can give her the things she has given us during the 7 years of our marriage: comfort, companionship, friendship, and unconditional love.

Tell Me Something I DON'T Know

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 5% Conservative, 95% Liberal Social Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Defense and Crime: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

Maximum Suckitude

How lame was the final episode of the Sopranos!? Boo, I say.

Would you like some cheese with that Whine?

First of all, the house is a no-go. Its just too expensive. As convincing as the realtor and lender can be, I simply cannot handle the stress of trying to force something to work that would be such a stretch for us. Especially since we know this kid is going to cost a small fortune. At this point, I think we have decided to maybe wait a year and then try again. Just get used to the kid related expenses, maybe try to save some money and pay off some debts and then re-evaluate next spring. As disappointing as this is, its probably for the best and honestly, I feel a little relieved. Going through all that financial crap and moving would be stressful right now and I kind of just want to concentrate on getting this little feller here.

And of course, as nice as it would be to have a place of our own, the rental we have right now is perfectly adequate and the kid is not going to give one monkey shit where we live as long as he is warm and dry and has easy access to a boob. So. I think we'll be just fine.

On the pregnancy related front: Oy. Things are kind of crappy right now. I'm trying to have a positive attitude but Holy Shit am I the Heaviest I've ever been in my Life and it just totally freaks me out. Plus, the midwife is worried about a varicose vein on my leg. So as if I wasn't feeling sexy enough, I am now supposed to wear TED hose. And as much as I try to curb the colorful metaphors on this blog, this majorly fucking sucks. Because- HELLO- it is summer. If it was January I don't think I'd really much care- it would just be another layer against the Wyoming wind, but now that its finally nice out, its just a cruel, cruel joke.

Now, I know things could be so. much. worse. I could be on bed rest or diabetic or losing the baby or any other number of things. I should really count my blessings that for the most part I am super healthy and the kid seems to be doing just dandy. But I think its ok to just feel like shit is crappy sometimes. And I don't think that makes me a bad person.

Shhhhh.

I don't want to jinx this. I really don't. But we saw the perfect house on Friday. Well, perfect except for that it is a bit more than we wanted to spend. That's all I'm going to say. Please send good housey vibes.

Note to self: Do NOT get your hopes up. Do NOT.

Glimpses

Life is just barreling by these days. I know I say that kind of shit alot, but its just really true right now. I feel like I'm on Space Mountain or something...just kareening through in the dark, up and down, dipping and spinning, grasping at any thing that will make me feel grounded.

Crafting, however, is one thing that helps me feel a bit more sane...

First up, a picture of the Big Bad Baby Blanket (from Stitch n' Bitch). Its about halfway done. 100% Organic cotton yarn in pretty fall colors. Knitting is such therapy for me. Sorry its a sucky picture - I just took it with my phone, but you get the idea.



And some cute robot iron-on transfers I got from The Mod Dots Shop and slapped on some onesies.

After finishing these, I think I officially have an iron-on transfer BUG and want to do more! So I'm on the lookout for cute patterns...

And just for fun, a picture of me at 24 weeks. It looks so institutional because I work at a university and work is the only place I have access to a mirror that shows anything lower than my chest.
Note the j-lo junk in the trunk phenomenon. Booty-licious.

Mini-break= Good. Weight Gain = Ugh.

Hooray for 3-day weekends! The Husband and I went on a mini-break to Boulder, CO and had some much needed couple-time. It was lovely. Even though we are kind of broke at the moment, we just said 'screw it' and had fun. We ate tons of great food, did lots of window shopping and generally enjoyed eachother's company. We even ordered room service for breakfast because that is one of my all-time favorite, decadent things to do (I had banana-stuffed french toast. OMG it was SO good.) A yummy time, all around.

The trip had a practical purpose as well: We got our baby registry squared away. Feels good to have that all done. There's so much crap out there for babies, its hard to know what will be actually needed and what is just so much fluff. Fortunately, I have lots of mommy-friends who give advice freely so I think we did ok. As long as we get the co-sleeper, the carseat, and something to wrap the little guy up in, I think we will be golden.

We also did lots of talking about this new little person who will be here soon. We are already referring to him by name so much that it is hard to remember not to use it in anyone else's company. We really want to keep the name a secret if we can, but its difficult not to let it slip. I've taken to calling him the Karate Kid lately, as his kicks (or headbutts or whatever they are) have assumed such force, I can only guess that he is practicing to be a cage fighter.

**********************************

I am 24 weeks today. I look in the mirror in the morning and just have to shake my head in wonderment at the changes that have taken place in the last month or so. I am now unmistakeably pregnant. Its a weird feeling. And I know that I will only get bigger in the next 3 1/2 months. I am also finding it difficult to not worry about the weight gain. I know its normal and healthy and blah blah blah but I have worked so hard in the last 2 years to trim down and get in great shape that it is very challenging for me to see my meticulously toned body turn to what feels like marshmallow goo. I'm still exercising every day and trying to watch what I eat but I'm just so hungry all the time! My body has taken on a mind of its own, morphing into something completely unrecognizable and decidedly not skinny.

I know that a healthy baby is the number one most important thing...but is it so selfish of me to want to keep my thighs too? Yes, probably. I am already a horrible mother. Vainly caring about my cellulite when there is a little Karate Kid who needs lots of nourishment. Sigh. I think I'll go have a cookie.