I'm fairly certain that I felt the baby move for the first time a few nights ago. I've been half waiting for this for a couple of weeks now, even though I knew it was likely I wouldn't feel anything for a couple more weeks. But as we were going to bed on Sunday, I'm pretty sure I got feel the first kicks or flips or wiggles or whatever it is the kid is doing.
On ultrasounds and the doppler it's been clear the the kid is moving quite a bit. It was really cool to finally feel that for myself. It was a bit like the rumble you get in your stomach when your hungry, but lower than the stomach. I'm excited for it to become more definite, and to get to the point where other people can feel it, too. For now, I'm going with it: 18 weeks is when I first felt the kid move.
More updates in two weeks, by which time we should know the sex!
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Monday, May 23, 2016
Preparing to Sell
Once we knew I was pregnant, Kevin and I knew that we wanted to try and move into a bigger house by the time the kid came. Before he went to Hawaii we figured out what we could afford and looked at a few open houses. We developed a pretty good idea of what we wanted and what we could afford. But there wasn't much else we could do until he came home.
We hit the ground running when he did get home. We made a list of the work we knew needed to be done to the house (paint and new carpeting). We went to a few more open houses to make sure we were still on the same page. And then we met with a realtor to figure out some of the details.
The meeting left me reeling a little. It turns out there's a lot you need to do to get a house ready to sell. And considering that it takes 60 days to close we suddenly realized that we needed to move fast. Our to-do list exploded, our time frame shrank, and both of us are busy enough at work that we're not sure how it's going to all get done.
It was incredibly stressful for a while. I was already wondering if we could actually get into a new house in time to prepare for the baby, or if there would end up being a major crunch. But we made a to do list, and we've slowly been knocking things off of it all weekend. Most of the work right now is packing up stuff we don't need to get ready for an open house. This includes my library, a bunch of clothes, and a surprising amount of furniture and kitchen stuff.
At the moment our house is a mess of boxes and trash bags. Despite the way it looks, we've made good progress this weekend, and we're much more confident about our time table. The goal is to have the open house in three weeks, or at least be ready to. We won't put the house on the market until we're ready to make an offer, because we're expecting it to sell very quickly. But we want to be ready to pull that trigger at a moment's notice.
Now we just have to hope that everything else comes together. The goal is to be in a new place by August, which would then give us two months to unpack and prepare for the baby. Which should be enough time. If we can't get our act together, then it isn't the end of the world. We can have a kid in our current house, we'd just have to forfeit the guest room to do it. But we could make it work. I just hope we can get this all settled before hand.
We hit the ground running when he did get home. We made a list of the work we knew needed to be done to the house (paint and new carpeting). We went to a few more open houses to make sure we were still on the same page. And then we met with a realtor to figure out some of the details.
The meeting left me reeling a little. It turns out there's a lot you need to do to get a house ready to sell. And considering that it takes 60 days to close we suddenly realized that we needed to move fast. Our to-do list exploded, our time frame shrank, and both of us are busy enough at work that we're not sure how it's going to all get done.
It was incredibly stressful for a while. I was already wondering if we could actually get into a new house in time to prepare for the baby, or if there would end up being a major crunch. But we made a to do list, and we've slowly been knocking things off of it all weekend. Most of the work right now is packing up stuff we don't need to get ready for an open house. This includes my library, a bunch of clothes, and a surprising amount of furniture and kitchen stuff.
At the moment our house is a mess of boxes and trash bags. Despite the way it looks, we've made good progress this weekend, and we're much more confident about our time table. The goal is to have the open house in three weeks, or at least be ready to. We won't put the house on the market until we're ready to make an offer, because we're expecting it to sell very quickly. But we want to be ready to pull that trigger at a moment's notice.
Now we just have to hope that everything else comes together. The goal is to be in a new place by August, which would then give us two months to unpack and prepare for the baby. Which should be enough time. If we can't get our act together, then it isn't the end of the world. We can have a kid in our current house, we'd just have to forfeit the guest room to do it. But we could make it work. I just hope we can get this all settled before hand.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Houses, and Parties, and Moms, Oh My
About three hours after Kevin got home from 6+ weeks in Hawaii, my mom arrived to visit for a week. My brother had time off between Spring and Summer term, so the two of them did a bunch of tourist stuff, including the Air and Space Museum/Hangar and a visit to Monticello. Meanwhile Kevin and I worked and tried to catch up with life and met them for dinner.
We spent most of the weekend looking at open houses. Kevin and I are getting ready to start looking in earnest, and my mom wanted to see the sorts of houses we're looking out. Plus it's always fun to go tour homes that aren't your own.
We saw a big variety of homes. There were one or two we could see working out (ideally we would move one of the houses onto the lot of a different house, but that's not really an option). There were a few that had stark deal breakers (lack of yard, unworkable kitchen, stuck in the 70s). Most fell somewhere in the middle, and by the end of the weekend many of them had begun to bleed together. The upshot is that Kevin and I have a pretty solid idea of what we want, but we haven't found it yet.
We also went to a party thrown by Kevin's party on Saturday night. It was a Moulin Rouge themed casino night, and I had an absolute blast even though I couldn't drink and didn't really know anyone. There was fantastic food, including a mac-and-cheese bar. There were lots of gambling options, and I sort of learned how to play craps. I had more fun playing Texas Hold'em, though. And since everyone was playing with fake money, the dealers were pretty forgiving. Especially the blackjack dealer who routinely gave herself a worse hand if she was initially dealt 20.
It ended up being a jam-packed but thoroughly enjoyable weekend. And someday soon I'll have a weekend to myself again. Maybe. Actually, it doesn't look like that's going to happen for the foreseeable future, which makes me even happier that I refused to make any plans the weekend before Kevin came home.
We spent most of the weekend looking at open houses. Kevin and I are getting ready to start looking in earnest, and my mom wanted to see the sorts of houses we're looking out. Plus it's always fun to go tour homes that aren't your own.
We saw a big variety of homes. There were one or two we could see working out (ideally we would move one of the houses onto the lot of a different house, but that's not really an option). There were a few that had stark deal breakers (lack of yard, unworkable kitchen, stuck in the 70s). Most fell somewhere in the middle, and by the end of the weekend many of them had begun to bleed together. The upshot is that Kevin and I have a pretty solid idea of what we want, but we haven't found it yet.
We also went to a party thrown by Kevin's party on Saturday night. It was a Moulin Rouge themed casino night, and I had an absolute blast even though I couldn't drink and didn't really know anyone. There was fantastic food, including a mac-and-cheese bar. There were lots of gambling options, and I sort of learned how to play craps. I had more fun playing Texas Hold'em, though. And since everyone was playing with fake money, the dealers were pretty forgiving. Especially the blackjack dealer who routinely gave herself a worse hand if she was initially dealt 20.
It ended up being a jam-packed but thoroughly enjoyable weekend. And someday soon I'll have a weekend to myself again. Maybe. Actually, it doesn't look like that's going to happen for the foreseeable future, which makes me even happier that I refused to make any plans the weekend before Kevin came home.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Second Trimester
During the first trimester, it seemed like I was coming up against a new symptom or strange thing every day. But now that I'm in to the second trimester, I seem to have settled into pregnancy. My belly is starting to grow, which is exciting. And I'm definitely moving slower and have less energy towards the end of the day. For the most part, this whole pregnancy thing remains pretty easy.
The never-ending butt pain I was dealing with towards the end of the first trimester seems to have finally cleared up entirely. It will reappear if I have a particularly active day (> 15,000 steps), but I've mostly cut back on those, too. I've got some new aches and pains - round ligament pain is, surprisingly and specifically, a round pain. Those are mostly only triggered by sudden movements, though. So long as I move slowly and deliberately, everything is fine.
Of course that means that I'm moving a lot slower. Getting off the couch at the end of the night has become a process. Regular chairs, and even my bed, are still fine though. That may be because I can more or less roll out of my bed and catch myself. That's harder to do on the couch, especially when the cat and dog decide to get in my way.
I'm falling deeply in love with our bed. Even moreso than when we first got it. This is the point where I'm supposed to start to have difficulty sleeping, but it hasn't happened yet. I get up once or twice a night to pee, but other than that I'm sleeping soundly. I credit the Sleep Number bed entirely with this. It's like sleeping on a combination of a cloud and a hug. It perfectly cradles and supports me so I'm not tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. And when it stops, I can adjust to a different number and get my support right back.
The other, related symptom I'm supposed to be experiencing is particularly weird and vivid dreams. Which has half happened. When I wake up to pee it's often in the middle of a dream, and I'll think that dream was weird or frightening. But by the time my alarm goes off in the morning I'll have forgotten all about it.
And then there's the lightheadedness, but that's mostly past, too. For a couple of weeks, I'd start to feel dizzy right after Kina's morning walk. It could continue for an hour or two, until I'd been sitting at my desk at work for a while. It made metro rides particularly uncomfortable, especially when they decided to turn the heat back up. But now Kevin's home and I'm not walking Kina in the morning, so this has basically gone away. Metro rides still aren't my favorite, but as long as I get a seat everything is fine. With my growing belly, I basically always get a seat. We'll see if that's still the case when single-tracking leads to over-crowded trains in a few weeks.
All in all, this whole pregnancy thing has basically been a breeze so far. I'm excited for the next couple of week. I should start to feel the kid moving around pretty soon. And we're going to find out the sex in a few weeks, which means we'll finally be able to nail down a name. In the meantime, I need to do another run for some work-appropriate maternity clothes. Everything is so exciting while still feeling not entirely real.
The never-ending butt pain I was dealing with towards the end of the first trimester seems to have finally cleared up entirely. It will reappear if I have a particularly active day (> 15,000 steps), but I've mostly cut back on those, too. I've got some new aches and pains - round ligament pain is, surprisingly and specifically, a round pain. Those are mostly only triggered by sudden movements, though. So long as I move slowly and deliberately, everything is fine.
Of course that means that I'm moving a lot slower. Getting off the couch at the end of the night has become a process. Regular chairs, and even my bed, are still fine though. That may be because I can more or less roll out of my bed and catch myself. That's harder to do on the couch, especially when the cat and dog decide to get in my way.
I'm falling deeply in love with our bed. Even moreso than when we first got it. This is the point where I'm supposed to start to have difficulty sleeping, but it hasn't happened yet. I get up once or twice a night to pee, but other than that I'm sleeping soundly. I credit the Sleep Number bed entirely with this. It's like sleeping on a combination of a cloud and a hug. It perfectly cradles and supports me so I'm not tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. And when it stops, I can adjust to a different number and get my support right back.
The other, related symptom I'm supposed to be experiencing is particularly weird and vivid dreams. Which has half happened. When I wake up to pee it's often in the middle of a dream, and I'll think that dream was weird or frightening. But by the time my alarm goes off in the morning I'll have forgotten all about it.
And then there's the lightheadedness, but that's mostly past, too. For a couple of weeks, I'd start to feel dizzy right after Kina's morning walk. It could continue for an hour or two, until I'd been sitting at my desk at work for a while. It made metro rides particularly uncomfortable, especially when they decided to turn the heat back up. But now Kevin's home and I'm not walking Kina in the morning, so this has basically gone away. Metro rides still aren't my favorite, but as long as I get a seat everything is fine. With my growing belly, I basically always get a seat. We'll see if that's still the case when single-tracking leads to over-crowded trains in a few weeks.
All in all, this whole pregnancy thing has basically been a breeze so far. I'm excited for the next couple of week. I should start to feel the kid moving around pretty soon. And we're going to find out the sex in a few weeks, which means we'll finally be able to nail down a name. In the meantime, I need to do another run for some work-appropriate maternity clothes. Everything is so exciting while still feeling not entirely real.
Friday, May 20, 2016
In the Room Where it Happens
Back in September, I first heard the soundtrack for Hamilton. I immediately became obsessed, listening to it 3 or 4 times a day. It wasn't long before I decided that I simply had to see it on Broadway with the original cast. Luckily, this was back when it was still possible to get tickets. And if they were for the worst seats in the house seven months in the future, well, at least I had them.
It wasn't long before it became impossible to get tickets at all, and I felt more and more justified in my impulsive purchase. Even with openings in new cities and a tour starting next year, it seems impossible to get tickets. The Kennedy Center wants people to buy season passes for this year and next year (roughly $650 per person, total) to get a shot at the tickets.
Some day, I'm sure, the excitement will die down and tickets will be available for reasonable prices. But it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon.
It's a shame. This show is spectacular, and I'd like nothing more than to see it again. And again. And again. There's so much happening on stage that there was simply no way for me to absorb everything. Seeing it performed live adds so many layers to the show. The staging is fantastic, especially during the flashback song "Satisfied", and the Rashoman sequence in "The Room Where it Happens". I didn't even realize that was a Rashoman sequence, but it makes perfect sense to have the same few beats repeat several times with slight variations to illustrate the varied and incomplete accounts of that deal.
I also discovered new things that I hadn't found, even listening to the soundtrack countless times. Like the whoa-whoa-whoas coming back in "Right Hand Man". Or that fact that Washington definitely says Virginia, not Virginny (I was almost sure it was the latter).
And I was in no way prepared for the stunning presence that Okieriete Onaodowan (Mulligan/Madison) has. I knew that Daveed Diggs and Leslie Odom Jr were amazing, because everyone raves about them. And I was excited to see Javier Munoz play Hamilton. But Onaodowan absolutely blew me away. I had a hard time not looking at him every time he was on stage. Which is really saying a lot, given that cast and choreography of this show.
This show was absolutely incredible, even from the back (top?) of the theater. It helps that the theater is small enough that there aren't really any bad seats. And it was nice to get the bird's eye view of everything, even if the actors become a bit blurry from that distance.
I really hope I get a chance to see it again in the future. Hopefully not the distant future. Or that they decide to film it, so I can just watch it over and over until I know the choreography as well as the lyrics.
It wasn't long before it became impossible to get tickets at all, and I felt more and more justified in my impulsive purchase. Even with openings in new cities and a tour starting next year, it seems impossible to get tickets. The Kennedy Center wants people to buy season passes for this year and next year (roughly $650 per person, total) to get a shot at the tickets.
Some day, I'm sure, the excitement will die down and tickets will be available for reasonable prices. But it doesn't look like that will happen anytime soon.
It's a shame. This show is spectacular, and I'd like nothing more than to see it again. And again. And again. There's so much happening on stage that there was simply no way for me to absorb everything. Seeing it performed live adds so many layers to the show. The staging is fantastic, especially during the flashback song "Satisfied", and the Rashoman sequence in "The Room Where it Happens". I didn't even realize that was a Rashoman sequence, but it makes perfect sense to have the same few beats repeat several times with slight variations to illustrate the varied and incomplete accounts of that deal.
I also discovered new things that I hadn't found, even listening to the soundtrack countless times. Like the whoa-whoa-whoas coming back in "Right Hand Man". Or that fact that Washington definitely says Virginia, not Virginny (I was almost sure it was the latter).
And I was in no way prepared for the stunning presence that Okieriete Onaodowan (Mulligan/Madison) has. I knew that Daveed Diggs and Leslie Odom Jr were amazing, because everyone raves about them. And I was excited to see Javier Munoz play Hamilton. But Onaodowan absolutely blew me away. I had a hard time not looking at him every time he was on stage. Which is really saying a lot, given that cast and choreography of this show.
This show was absolutely incredible, even from the back (top?) of the theater. It helps that the theater is small enough that there aren't really any bad seats. And it was nice to get the bird's eye view of everything, even if the actors become a bit blurry from that distance.
I really hope I get a chance to see it again in the future. Hopefully not the distant future. Or that they decide to film it, so I can just watch it over and over until I know the choreography as well as the lyrics.
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Where Does the Time Go?
I looked at the calendar today and realized that May is more than half over. And I haven't updated these blogs in going on a month. Which is unusual. I can't even plead exhaustion this time around. Or being too busy. Though I have been busy. But I've also been balancing that pretty well with down time. It seems like life is about to get crazy, though.
Before I get into that, I should back up and record all the things I've skipped over.
My trip to New York City was a lot of fun, even though Kevin had to miss it. It was nice to see the friends who live there and to catch with some people I haven't seen in nearly five years. I also enjoyed getting to spend some time wandering around the city by myself.
When I arrived, I walked from Penn Station to Union Square, stopping for lunch on the way. I was able to explore the enormous Barnes and Noble - I wish we had a book store that big in DC. And I spent some time reading and looking for public restrooms. Then I went over to the 9/11 memorial before meeting up with my friends.
The 9/11 memorial is really astonishing. I didn't know anything in Manhattan could take up that much space, but there are 8 acres devoted to the memorial and museum. There are two fountains where the buildings originally stood, each of them a full acre. Standing next to them was breathtaking and sad. The designers did a really good job, and I'd like to go back after the trees have grown up a bit more.
That evening we got dinner down in Brooklyn, and, thanks to a computer error, didn't have to pay for any of the beer we drank. (Well, any of the beer my friends drank.) The next day we had a delicious brunch, then Autumn and I went to see Hamilton before joining back up with everyone for a birthday party in Brooklyn. Then I had Sunday mostly to myself again before catching my bus back to DC.
All in all it was a surprisingly relaxing weekend. It was fun to see everyone and to balance that with time in bookstores and cafes. The bus was not fun, and I won't be going on another long bus trip until I'm no longer pregnant. But I survived it and even made it home at a reasonable time.
After that, life got a little bit non-stop. We had our all-hands meeting at work, combined with several new employees, one of whom I was in charge of training. I spent a weekend cleaning my poor, neglected house and running all manner of errands. I had dinner with my mother in law and went to a friend's house warming party. And before I knew it, Kevin was home. It still seems like we've barely had a minute to ourselves, since life is just refusing to let up. But at least he's home.
Before I get into that, I should back up and record all the things I've skipped over.
My trip to New York City was a lot of fun, even though Kevin had to miss it. It was nice to see the friends who live there and to catch with some people I haven't seen in nearly five years. I also enjoyed getting to spend some time wandering around the city by myself.
When I arrived, I walked from Penn Station to Union Square, stopping for lunch on the way. I was able to explore the enormous Barnes and Noble - I wish we had a book store that big in DC. And I spent some time reading and looking for public restrooms. Then I went over to the 9/11 memorial before meeting up with my friends.
The 9/11 memorial is really astonishing. I didn't know anything in Manhattan could take up that much space, but there are 8 acres devoted to the memorial and museum. There are two fountains where the buildings originally stood, each of them a full acre. Standing next to them was breathtaking and sad. The designers did a really good job, and I'd like to go back after the trees have grown up a bit more.
That evening we got dinner down in Brooklyn, and, thanks to a computer error, didn't have to pay for any of the beer we drank. (Well, any of the beer my friends drank.) The next day we had a delicious brunch, then Autumn and I went to see Hamilton before joining back up with everyone for a birthday party in Brooklyn. Then I had Sunday mostly to myself again before catching my bus back to DC.
All in all it was a surprisingly relaxing weekend. It was fun to see everyone and to balance that with time in bookstores and cafes. The bus was not fun, and I won't be going on another long bus trip until I'm no longer pregnant. But I survived it and even made it home at a reasonable time.
After that, life got a little bit non-stop. We had our all-hands meeting at work, combined with several new employees, one of whom I was in charge of training. I spent a weekend cleaning my poor, neglected house and running all manner of errands. I had dinner with my mother in law and went to a friend's house warming party. And before I knew it, Kevin was home. It still seems like we've barely had a minute to ourselves, since life is just refusing to let up. But at least he's home.
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