cool baby brains

my friend sent me this link to a ny times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16gopnik.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&em

also, seattlites, there is a town hall presentation on sept.9 (wednesday) discussing "breakthroughs in infant development." http://www.townhallseattle.org/calendar.cfm if any of you think you'll go, it might be neat to meet there, if you're interested.

have a great weekend!

bad kat

i've been a touch neglectful of the blog recently. i just haven't felt like i've had the time to write, and there are so many things to share. where to start....

anna and i are buying a house. we just had the appraisal. it was appraised $5,000 above the sellers asking price. phew. we had the inspection this past sunday and that went smoothly. the deck needs to be replaced. hopefully the sellers will approve that request. the deck could cost $5,500 to $7,000. not small change.

the house itself is great. 3 bdrm, 1.75 bath, two stories. we'll have our bedroom and the nursery on the main level and the guest room in the finished basement. the basement actually is set up so you could potentially have a renter. we'll be using the kitchenette as a wet bar:) can't wait to actually have a place to put my family/friends up instead of sticking them on an air mattress. the yard is super. we have plum, pear, and apple trees. there is a tiered, raised bed garden in back. we've already been snacking on the cherry tomatoes that are exploding back there. the onions are ready too. next summer we'll be able to make fresh strawberry rhubarb pie with our own supply. i'll be able to eat as many raspberries as i can fit in my tummy:) there is a covered patio too. we don't really have close neighbors either. i think it will be fairly quiet. the neighborhood is one we're really excited about. it's called columbia city. it was a bit run down, but it's been improving. there are some great shops and restaurants just a couple blocks from the house. i can see the library from my front door. there is a lot of green space around too. i can't wait to bust out the bob stroller with little arden.

if you can't tell, i'm really excited about this move:) it's turned out a lot better/easier than i expected. i had mentioned a long time ago that i wasn't sure about moving/buying while pregnant. my worries are very small now compared to my excitement for this adventure.

speaking of pregnancy, it's going well. i've been slowly decreasing my unisom intake. last night i tried going without. man, i had no idea how active arden could be. she wouldn't stop squirming and punching/kicking me. it was exhausting by 1 am, so i ended up taking a tablet, after trying to pee and eat PB toast with a banana. another night, i suppose. i think we're going through a growth spurt this week. on monday, i was going to go into work to make up for some time off i took last week. i ended up staying home and sleeping from 10 to 1. guess i was tired:) also the night before last, i slept straight through the night. that rarely happens now. i've been feeling tighter in the abdomen. i felt my uterus last night and it is just a few fingers below my ribcage. according to one book, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball:) all this growing has started causing me some pubic bone pain (pubic symphysis diastasis). for those that don't know what that is- "the hormone relaxin causes the pelvis, particularly at the pubic bone, to loosen. In general, this is a good thing as it makes birth easier for mom and baby. However, sometimes the separation is exaggerated and can become quite painful for the mother at the end of pregnancy or in the early postpartum period." right now it's bugging me. not so much that walking hurts. i hope it doesn't get worse.

i have my next midwife appointment on monday. i'm doing my 1-hr glucose test. i hope it goes well. they'll also test my iron, which i think is what i'll actually have an issue with. i'm trying to get my protein, but i'm always tired. i fear low iron could be the culprit (besides the obvious growing baby).

i hope the results come back before we leave for vacation. we're going to the east coast to see my mom's side of the family, and go to the national gaelic tournament in boston. we'll be gone for 10 days (w/ travel). i can't wait to be off work:) i can't wait to get a big dose of family. my grandparents were the last to find out i'm pregnant. my mom told them a few weeks ago when she was out there. they're strict catholic. we had some bumps with introducing anna to them, but they were very kind last summer when we saw them. they handled the baby news well. we'll see what it's like around them.

my sister, dad, and step-mom just visited last week. it was good to see them all. we went for a couple 2 mile hikes. i faired well. hills are so damn hard! haha :) i got to go to orcas island, and can't wait to go back. we found a spot that i would love to go camping at. right at the beach. gorgeous. ate way more food than we all should have. didn't stay up too late most nights. they were just as excited about the house as we are. good trip overall.

my mom, sister-in-law, and sister will be here at the beginning of october to help us settle into the house. i'm hoping we can do a baby shower at that time and get the ladies from anna's side there too. my sis-in-law hasn't gotten to see me at all during the pregnancy. it'll be fun to have her here. she's been sending us great things for arden. she's a pro at bargain hunting :)

i think that's all for the update. i've got photos to show also:) enjoy!

the house

the belly- 22w4d (guess it was too hot for a shirt that night)

and the newest belly shot- 25w

busy busy busy

i have a lot to write about: buying a house, being 6 mos preggers, family trips. but i have no time!! sorry folks. hopefully i'll be able to write a full post (maybe with pictures!) next week.

back to work!

just a little whine, please

i'm tired of not feeling completely like myself. i don't sleep through the night, and there seems to be no particular reason i'm waking up. i don't have to pee, my back doesn't hurt, i'm not large enough that moving my belly wakes me. it's frustrating.

i don't have as much energy. i think this is a combo of not sleeping well and being incredibly bored at work. i just don't care about work anymore. there isn't enough business coming in the door to make be more active, so i waste a lot of time. i do what needs to be done, then i sit on my duff.

i don't know what's going on with my stomache. it just doesn't feel right. not like my morning sickness, just off. am i hungry? am i getting squished in there? why is it bothering me?

where did i go? people tell me i look great and have a glow about me. i call bullshit cause that's not how i feel.