sladkaya: January 2007

the proof is in the puddin'

this is our boy's profile...he has his thumb up to his face but not quite in his mouth.

this is a side view--his butt is up in the air and his legs scrunched in fetal position. his elbow is resting on his knee and you can faintly see part of his neck and head toward the far right.

yup, he's really a boy! this is a view looking up at his butt from between his legs.
his boy parts are circled and you can see why the nurse made that comment--his package is a third the size of his femur!

it's a...

it's a BOY! we couldn't be more thrilled. of course, we would have been happy either way, but this is what we were hoping for.
i've been trying for the love of god to scan some photos of the ultrasound we received, but my scanner is rather uncooperative this evening. i shall try again later.
a funny story, though. when we were in there and the ultrasound tech told us it was a boy and showed us, she commented that "the baby has a rather large package." i'm serious. why would i make that up? j turned red instantly, but it was hilarious.
photos forthcoming...

help! i'm addicted!

did you ever make muddy buddies with your grandma when you were younger? i have very distinct memories of spending summer vacations with my grandmother (back then i called her "mimi") at her summer house in north carolina. the three things i remember about those vacations are going fishing with my grandpa, eating hot dogs, and making chex muddy buddies. okay, i have some other memories, but those come to mind first.
well, i wanted to make something different and exciting for my husband's mundane lunches, and my pregnancy hormones have been leading me to crave all sorts of sweet things, something that is rather unusual for me. i actually went to the store the other day with the sole purpose of buying bread and only bread, and i left the store with mint milanos, some sort of hazelnut chocolate wafers, fudge bars, and chocolate-peanut butter wafers. seriously, that is not like me. so anyway muddy buddies came to mind (back to making something for j). well, of course he didn't like them (which is more a result of his mouth sensitivity from not having seen a dentist in eons than my cooking abilities) and so the entire bag was left for me. every night the past week i've been having 2-3 bowls full. tiny bowls, but 2-3 nonetheless. it's pathetic. and i can't stop. as much as i love salads and healthy food (and i've had my share of that, too), i cannot stop the muddy buddy madness. happily, i finished off the bag tonight and can say that i WILL not be making another batch (much to soren's dismay i'm sure), but at least the temptation is gone.

btw, we find out THIS FRIDAY if what is currently growing inide me belly has a twig and berries or an abyss. we're all anxious here...it's almost like christmas morning when you're a kid...

bahama mama

yes, i really was. see for yourself.

updates

the bahamas was amazing. i've never been on a warm and sunny resort-type vacation; i used to live in florida, so when i go it's to see family and a good friend, not for the sunshine and the beaches (though, it's a nice perk, and i wouldn't discount shamu in that list, either). but this was the real deal. we flew into freeport and it looked dead, seriously, very desolate and rather run down. but of course you drive 10 or so miles away through the gates that were our lucaya resort and bam, it's all green and lush and palm trees everywhere you look. oh, and water. i'm a big fan of water. in fact, being there almost (and i emphasize almost) made me miss being closer to the ocean enough to consider moving. i mean, we're considering moving anyway and, well, with all the snow we've been getting who wouldn't think warm and water? anyway, it was gorgeous. myself and my roommate had both requested an ocean-front view, which we got, and the sights were breathtaking. so, basically i hung out by the pools and on the beach the entire time. had i not been pregnant i would have permanently planted my arse at the infinity pool bar, a bar literally in the water complete with underwater stools and everything. staying there all day and drinking virgin pina coladas just wouldn't have been the same. i did find one place that served a killer virgin colada, though, and frequented the bar there as often as they were open. hanging out with a big group of women isn't so bad, i guess. lucky for me i was feeling rather girly and dressed up the entire time, perhaps even more than the other girls, so i fit in just fine. and i received a lot of compliments on my pregnant belly and someone even asked me how i managed to keep from looking like a whale while she couldn't fit through a doorway when she was pregnant. that made me feel, well, good after i felt a little awkward. i mean, who goes up to someone and says that? most of all, though, the vacation reaffirmed that i love what i'm doing with this company, how it's enabled me to stay home and still contribute to our income and decorate my home with cool products and even earn free vacations! so now i'm working toward earning the next one...and on this one my husband can accompany me! actually, i can take anyone. are there any bidders?

in other news, it's horribly fucking cold outside these days. the temp gauge currently reads -14 degrees. that's cold. my fire isn't even heating up the entire house. thank god for down comforters! i'm considering taking soren skiing tomorrow, as she desperately needs to get outside and exercise (as do i), but i won't in these miserable conditions. i guess another storm is due in this weekend...is it even possible for us to get MORE snow?!

my belly continues to grow; in fact, i'm a bit uncomfortable sitting here right now. i've been feeling the baby move for about two weeks now, though, which is always amazing. it can't be felt from the outside yet, so now it's just kind of my own little connection. we find out what we're having a week from friday, and if it's a boy, geez, we're having a difficult time coming up with a good name. any suggestions?!

oh, and i suppose i can go public with this now: my parents are moving. this really puts a damper in my life. they are incredibly close to soren, and us, we're all just very close and it will probably be more difficult than i can even imagine not having them at an arm's distance. they are leaving the state, probably as far as washington. at least it will be a cool place to visit, and it is certainly helping us detach from the valley. but i do hate to see them go, and soren will absolutely die when she finds out we can just go visit gammi whenever we want anymore. but, like all things in life, it will be an adjustment.

she's growing up so fast. i've started doing some "school work" with her, as she calls it. she was hung up on the idea of going to school, so we spend a little time each day learning the alphabet and learning how to write uppercase letters. i never realized how much time and effort goes into teaching kids how to write. holding a pencil is a lesson in and of itself. she's doing quite well, though, which comes as no surprise, and can already recognize about ten letters. her skiing is also improving by leaps and bounds. we took her last week and she literally just placed her hands on her hips, pointed her skiis downhill, and went for it. quickly, i might add. she can stop and turn and she does a wicked pie. it's a lot of fun to see!

as i cannot think of any other pertinent information, that'll be it for now.