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Originally uploaded by jen_rab
I had an informal meeting yesterday and when I sat down, the person I was meeting with, said, “Thar she blows!”
He was kidding, but c’mon man! I’ve got a few more months of this. Good grief.
I’m not feeling as great this week. A lot of that has to do with the fact that my commute via bus and train have been ATROCIOUS. It took me 2 hours to get home one day– in 90 degree heat, no less. I was not happy when I got home close to 8pm. Surprisingly, this week’s belly pic was taken after I got home from the aforementioned hellacious commute.
And speaking of heat, holy crap, is it hot this week! The humidity is almost unbearable which makes public transit unthinkable. I’m literally a walking oven this week, and summer has just begun!!
Because I’ve been so miserable on the bus and train, I started to take the ferry. Wow, what a difference. It’s more expensive, but you really do get what you pay for. How much is your comfort worth in the midst of summer at 7 months pregnant? Mine is worth at least $6/way considering I practically get door to door service and a guaranteed seat. Oh, and lots of AC!
Besides the misery of the heat, I’m getting more and more uncomfortable. That honeymoon phase was short-lived, wasn’t it? My belly is starting to get way heavy and I think I’m getting familiarized with heartburn, or is it acid reflux. haha.
I’m so ready for vacation, it’s not even funny!
By the way, did I mention I passed my glucose screening! I ended up scoring a 79 and came well within my dr’s acceptable range of 65-135. Sweet!
It’s my lovely mother in law’s birthday today, so I wanted to extend some very special wishes her way! I believe my inlaws are/will be on their way up north for a long weekend, and luckily, we’ll get to see them on Saturday. It’s rare that we get to see our family for their birthdays anymore. So, as you can imagine, Jeff is one big kid in anticipation of seeing his parents.
Quick story about my mother in law:
Seven or 8 years ago, the last Christmas that I spent as a Va. resident, I planned to celebrate the holidays with my family as usual. And even though we were broken up and about to go our separate ways, Jeff asked me to spend “one last” Christmas with his family. At that point, because we’d been friends for so long and dated for almost as long, of course I obliged.
At his family’s house, everyone exchanged gifts and admired one another’s new toys. When it was my turn to open my gift from his parents, all eyes were on me. When I unwrapped the heavy square box, my eyes almost started to water as I unpacked the box. As I opened the box, I pulled out a beautiful snowglobe that encased a pair of dolphins. I shook it, held it up to the lights of the Christmas tree and smiled at my mother in law in total appreciation.
“I thought we could give you a little piece of home to take with you. That way, you could always remember us and the beach.” She told me.
I was so touched. It was a gesture that I’ll never forget. That next month, Jeff asked me to marry him before I left for NYC.
I still have that snowglobe. It sits on the very top shelf of my bookcase as a reminder of all of the wonderful things back home… and how lucky I am for having married into such a loving family.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, Men are what their mothers made them.
It’s said you can tell a lot about a man by the relationship he has with his mother. If you know Jeff, then you must know that he is a wonderful person because of the woman who raised him 🙂
Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!!
P.S. I’ll be forever grateful for letting me take your “baby” up to NYC.
Just when I thought I could rest my brain and lay off the tv for the summer, I go and get hooked on another show. As if I need to get hooked on another show!
As I flipped the channels on Sunday night while cooking dinner, I came across a show on Discovery that was titled “Sextuplets.” Jeff came into the room and was immediately hooked.
“You’ve GOT to see this!” he yelled to me from the living room.
When I poked my head out of the kitchen, I saw this woman’s very engorged pregnant belly. eek. I was immediately hooked too.
Discovery had a marathon and I ended up watching about 5 or 6 episodes. I just couldn’t turn away! This young couple, probably no older than us, had fertility treatments and had their twins. Several years later, they endured treatments again and had six more babies. I can barely imagine life with one baby, nevermind 8!
This family is so incredible. They’ve been on Martha and Dr. Phil before, so it’s cool that they’ve got their own show. Though things seem inevitably hectic, there was so much organization and structure. I was amazed when Kate, the mom, went grocery shopping for her family of 10. She was a coupon cutting-fiend and a religious sale paper checker. I believe she said, to feed all 10 of them per week, she aimed to spend around $150. Amazing to me, considering we spend that amount on takeout when we’re too lazy to brown bag it.
To boot, all of these kids are the cutest little individuals and so adorable. It looks like the new season of Jon and Kate + 8 starts tonight at 10 on the Discovery. So for you people that go to bed early, if you have a chance to DVR/TiVo definitely check it out.
literally.
A few weeks ago, Jeff was walking home from his friend’s house. Before he got to our house, he noticed an older family taking a picture on the stoop a few doors down. He generously offered to take the picture so that the entire family could fit in the photo.
“Try to get the house address in the pic,” the old man told Jeff.
Jeff took the picture and struck up a conversation with the family.
“Did you guys live here?” Jeff asked pointing to the recently refurbished brownstone.
“We lived here for many years, but moved about 20 years ago.” the old man explained. “Where do you live?” he asked Jeff.
Jeff pointed to our brownstone, 2 doors down.
“Ahhhh. The Randazzi family lived there. What a nice family. You know, the father was a hard working man. And the mother, she was a kind soul. And would you believe, they had 5 kids in that 1 bedroom!” the man told Jeff.
“Really? No way! It’s just my wife and me now, and we struggle with space as it is. I can’t even begin to imagine if there were 7 of us.” he told the old man.
When Jeff told me about the encounter with the family, I almost choked. It’s true that our town and other surrounding neighborhoods evoke an old world vitality, but I could never really envision what things were like ‘back then.’ I’ve said before, if generations could do the city living and small spaces, then we could too. But, I can’t even begin to imagine how 7 people could coexist in less than 1,000 square feet.
Though, there will be less of us, we’re about to find out!
After much indecision about buying vs. renting and based on several other factors, Jeff and I are going to stay urbanites for another year. Now that we’re adding another roommate, needless to say, we have to compromise even more with space. We have TALL ceilings and an unusual layout since our apartment is part of an old brownstone that was once single family home. In the years that we’ve been up here, we’ve learned to be creative, resourceful and willing to compromise in terms of space.
And that’s where the “closet” comes in. We have a walk “through” closet that’s actually awesome. It’s right next to our bedroom and right after the living room. And so, we decided the closet will be baby’s faux nursery.
closet before:
For the past few months, I’ve been researching various city-living sites that are geared toward the many families in a similar predicament. I have to say, of all the sites I’ve been scouring for ideas, Apartment Therapy Nursery is byfar my favorite. They had a contest not too long ago for the smallest, coolest spaces. These resources are amazing and have been nothing short of inspiring.
We were quite excited to start working on his space this weekend. Well, actually, we started a few months ago by deciding on his specific crib. I mentioned before that we’re not doing a conventional crib, but have chosen to go with an oval shaped crib that starts out as a small bassinet, then becomes a crib. So, we have his sleeping situation in place.
Now, where will his stuff go? Jeff’s sad he’s already losing closet space. My closet is busting at the seams. My closets already house all of my clothes, in addition to our winter gear and Christmas decorations. So, we have no choice but to go up! We decided to take advantage of the height and install some shelving above the thresholds.
The birds were chirping quite loudly on Saturday morning when we made our way to IKEA to pick up our nursery supplies. That place is usually a madhouse on the weekends so, we made sure to get up bright and early to beat that madness. We browsed the children’s area, studied the lighting options, checked out window treatments and made our way to organizing options. We picked up a set of really cool velvet curtains to serve as a “divider” for the nursery. Out of the hundreds of options for shelving, we decided to go the most efficient and inexpensive route–a set of unfinished shelves and brackets. Since this apartment isn’t ours, it pains me to spend too much on home improvements. But baby needs some shelves, and we’ll gladly do it ourselves to save a few bucks! So, while everyone was at the beach or enjoying summer vacation, Jeff and I were painting and installing shelves!
Even though we’re not going “all out” on a nursery with themes and matching lampshades, we’re so excited for this little transition in our home. Jeff had a fun time playing with all of his tools and gadgets, and did a phenomenal job with the quirky installation. Though it’s nothing of monumental proportions, I can’t wait to show off the finished product in a few weeks!
Nursery in progress:
Happy happy summer everyone! With today being the first full day of summer AND it being Friday, I have to say I’m most excited about today marking the beginning of my third trimester!
I don’t want to jinx myself, but physically, I’m feeling awesome. My belly gets bigger and bigger every day, but I’m managing. I keep telling everyone that I’m feeling very turtle-like lately. You know how turtles can’t flip over if they’re on their backs? Yeah, that’s me if I’m on the couch or laying in bed.
Emotionally, I’m ok. I have my definite ups and downs as usual– sometimes the extreme mood swings scare me, so I can’t imagine what Jeff must feel like. I’m also starting to “miss” my old life. It’s finally settling in that there’s no turning back. I haven’t really missed much up until now. I miss going to the bar every Friday for what the buck and enjoying a night out with Jeff and our bar friends. I’m definitely going to miss the Sangria this summer. Summer is my favorite time of year and I have so many fond memories of being carefree and young. At the same time, my excitement for the babe and getting everything into place for his arrival is starting to cloud those missed memories.
On a happier note, I’m counting down to our vacation in July. I can’t wait to go home, go to the beach and relax!
On that note, I thought I’d do another list to commemorate the end of my second trimester.
1. My husband enjoys drinking, sometimes a little too much 🙂 And so I yell like a banshee.
2. There’s research on about everything kid-related. Everyone has an opinion, didn’t you know?
3. People like to stare at my Mr. Softee ice cream.
4. I would eat a burger every day if I could.
5. Baby B. will be a music lover for sure.
6. I dreaded the transition into maternity clothes.
7. The first flutters was an amazing feeling!
8. My late grandma left quite the indelible impression.
9. Our town floods like crazy.
10. Listening to Baby’s heartbeat made things so much more real!
11. Prenatal massages are heavenly.
12. News alert: I’m big and I’m ok with that!
13. Shirley Temple martinis are a fun substitute.
14. My mom’s still excited.
15. I hear angels when I see Target.
16. Jeff now understands the concept of muumuus.
17. I truly believe that this world deserves another person as wonderful as Jeff.
18. He’s a boy!
19. And he’s “packin‘”
20. Our moms rock.
21. Baby Bargains has been our bible.
22. Furniture was ordered.
23. Babies are still expensive.
24. If I don’t be careful, baby’s first word might be, asssssshooooole.
25. My brother’s a big kid.
26. Surprisingly, Buckler’s is a delicious non-alcoholic beer.
27. Our niece is adorable. She’s going to be a great “big sister” cousin.
28. Baby hiccups in utero are great.
29. Supernanny does no wrong in Jeff’s eyes.
30. Baby clothes shopping is fun.
31. I’m getting even rounder.
32. Change and sacrifice are hard.
33. The glucose test is gross.
34. I still like ice cream.
35. My dad’s a superhero.
36. Baseball, buddies and beer make it all better.
Where has the time gone? I really thought my pregnancy was going to drag painfully… maybe it will over the next few months, but I’m doubting that!
A few weeks ago, when we were hanging out with one of our couple friends in town, we were talking about concerts and couple-y stuff. I should re-phrase that: our friends were telling us about the concerts and fun stuff they were doing this summer. One friend asked me what concerts we were going to this summer, if any. I motioned to my growing belly and then pointed to Jeff and joked, “oh we’re probably passing on concerts this summer. And besides, Jeff is a bit agoraphobic.”
So then the other friend said in disbelief, “So what DO you guys like to do?”
As if we sit at home and watch tv every day all day. hahahaha. I looked at Jeff, shrugged my shoulders and reminded them how up until 7 months ago we were quite the bar regulars down the street. And oh yeah, we love BASEBALL!
This year doesn’t count because I’m a bit rotund which makes trekking to Queens a bit difficult. But in years past, Jeff and I loooved going to Mets games. From April until October, we watch every single game on tv unless we had tickets. Jeff’s always been a lifelong Mets fan. And since moving to the area, I can collectively say, we eat, breathe and sleep the Mets all summer long.
Sadly, our Amazins have been in a mid-season slump, but that didn’t stop us from catching a game on Monday night. Jeff’s best friend from high school surprised us with a text by saying he was in the City. Since Joe and Jeff are both die hard Mets fans, we all made plans to catch a game after work. Joe, who has worked aboard ships since he finished school, recently got engaged, so the boys were able to celebrate each other’s major milestones over beer and baseball. Seeing how happy Jeff was with his old friend makes me so excited for next season, in hopes that our little Mets fan can join us for a game or two.
Though it was uncomfortable dealing with the rush hour commuter traffic on the train and then climbing the vertical incline to the Upper Reserves at Shea, Monday night was a gorgeous night. Major milestones and MLB with good friends made for another unforgettable summer memory.
the new stadium in progress
I hope those of you who are dads had a relaxing father’s day. I wanted to send some very special wishes to my father in law, as well as my own dad.
Our hearts were a bit heavy today, simply because phone calls and mailed cards just aren’t the same. Though Jeff and I missed out on seeing our wonderful fathers and our families today, there’s no greater love than the memories and fondness we have for these wonderful men and role models.
For anyone that knows my dad is familiar with his gruff, but sincere exterior. Aptly, my cousin nicknamed my dad Uncle Grumpy because of his nonstop seriousness and dad-like attitude. (In his defense, we were usually wild whenever we got together and dad was usually our chauffeur.) Conditioned by the Navy to be meticulous and rigid sometimes to a fault, my dad is nothing but a big softie…especially when it comes to family.
Dad and I have a very special bond, one that I’d attribute to stubbornness and a passion for life. To this day, even though I’m so far away, dad and I continue to have our candid conversations like we used to do over Hardee’s soft serve ice cream. Instead of boys and college plans, we talk about the Mets lineup, the things we love and my growing family. We share a bond that every girl should have with their dad, the kind that sets the foundation for healthy relationships and a high regard for those that you love.
Dad, who was always at the helm, was rather strict whenever it came to me. I was the only girl, and a rebellious girl at that. One year as a teenager, right about when boys started to come into play, I had a slumber party for my birthday. Fifteen crazy girls, one large backyard, a huge tent= a sleepless night. Literally. That night, my dad slept on the porch just to make sure no uninvited guests came over. *ahem* boys. I’ll never forget that slumber party, partly because I was so mortified at how extreme dad can be, but now, I’m so grateful for how he would/will do anything to safeguard his family.
They say anybody can be a father, but it takes a man to be a dad. If I could reword that old adage, I’d have to say, it takes a brilliant man to be a dad.
I’m hardly exaggerating when I say that my dad is the best. For my entire life, my dad has worked extremely hard to provide for our family. His jobs weren’t always your typical office jobs, but instead, his jobs usually required him to serve time aboard a ship somewhere– months at a time. Though we’d watch him depart for many different locales over the years, he always made it a point to be around. I don’t really know how he did it, but despite his 6 month deployments, he was at every dance recital, every jazz band performance, every dentist appointment, every basketball game and every report card. The man never skipped a beat.
Dad’s strict demeanor overlapped into all of our activities, as well as into our academic careers. He stressed how important it was for us to do well in school school and go on to college. My paternal grandfather who was a high school principal stressed the same for my dad and promised him that college tuition would be his “gift” to him– a gift that noone else could give him, nor take away. Whether it meant being away for months at a time, it was dad’s mission to send us all to college so that we could one day provide for our own families.
And so, I’m forever indebted to my parents for sending me to college, giving me the gift of beginning my adult life with little debt, allowing me to pursue my dreams and giving me the inspiration to supercede my own expectations.
It melts my heart when I see Jeff interact with dad. I enjoy the laughs they share, their sports babble, but most especially, the way dad openly accepted Jeff as a ‘son’ from day 1. As Jeff is about to become a dad, I can see the resilience in my husband; it’s that same resilience that my dad exudes– the hard worker, extremely tough, but completely sincere.
They say women often gravitate towards and sometimes marry men who remind them of their fathers. I used to laugh and say, never will I do a thing like that!
Just for the record, I’m biting my tongue.
After all that whining, the appointment went well. I survived that glucose drink and the requisite diabetes screening. I imagine the results will be back in next week.
I had my favorite dr. this time around and we discussed a plethora of topics that again, made me realize how fast everything’s going. First off, my weight is still on track– something I can hardly believe. Secondly, the dr. somewhat confirmed what I kind of suspected at the very beginning: based on my size and the 2 different sets of the level II ultrasounds, I’m measuring about a week ahead. Whether the little man comes in mid-September, late September or whenever he’s done cooking, we’ll be thrilled regardless.
I asked the dr. a few questions that have been on my mind. Since Jeff and I have been grappling over whether or not to do the 3d ultrasound, I asked the dr. what his thoughts were. He said they’re great, fun and helpful in detecting any possible facial abnormalities. Cleft Palate immediately came to mind. Not to be morbid, but it happens 1.94 per 1000 live births, and because of my ethnicity that percentage is a bit higher. And, I worry. Jeff, on the other hand, wants to be completely surprised when our son arrives. Right now, we have an appointment set for a 3d ultrasound on July 6. We still have a few weeks to decide…
On a much brighter note, I asked the dr. about the correlation of genetics to size of babies. My brothers and I were all about 6 lbs. at birth. Even though my mom is 5’1″ on a good day, the doc said genetics are definitely in our favor. Though we don’t know baby’s estimated weight, all we do know is that he’s on the bigger side.
My friend at work brought in some delicious treats today. Right now, I’ve got a gorgeous cupcake from Magnolia’s taunting me at the edge of my desk. I also have a bottle of that 
orange glucose crap waiting for me in my work fridge. YUCK. Though I have temptation staring at me right in the face, I know I should resist the million grams of sugar and wait to eat that cupcake until AFTER my glucose test this afternoon. I read a little blurb on one of my 26 week pregnancy emails that I should “not eat, drink, smoke, or exercise strenuously for at least 8 hours before your first blood sample is taken”
Considering I haven’t seen the inside of our gym in a few months, I’m ok there. I quit smoking in January, so that’s ok too. The drinking part should be fine, assuming I don’t inhale the watercooler before the appointment. So really, it would behoove me to refrain from shoving that cupcake in my face, right?
Since my appointment is this afternoon, and it takes me about an hour to get to my dr. from the City, I have to drink this delicious orange drink before I commute to NJ. I’m not looking forward to it. Wish me luck on this GD test, though I know it’s not luck that has anything to do with my body’s capabilities.
Other than the GD test, there have been a handful of developments over the past few weeks that I’m not sure I’ve mentioned.
- I’m almost in my third trimester, and I’m about to hit double digits. Is it too early to panic?
- Baby has been hiccuping quite regularly– at least daily, if not twice a day. Sometimes I feel the hiccups pretty low, sometimes they’re above my belly button.
- I think he might be running out of room in there. I don’t feel the whole body rotations as often anymore.
- Baby seems to like Kelly Clarkson like his dad. The other night, while we were listening to my iPod before bed, Kelly Clarkson song came on. Jeff started dancing (!) and so did baby, at least that’s what it felt like.
- I’m already being a naughty mom. Since I read that baby can respond to touch, I’ve been tapping my belly in the mornings to say hello to the little guy. Jeff insists that I’m probably poking his eye out when I do this, but what do you know, he always kicks back, as if to say, “lady, leave me ALONE. You’ll have a lifetime to bug me.”
- I scheduled our childbirth class this week. It’s scheduled for the end of July when I’ll be 32 weeks. It’s an all day class at the hospital we plan to deliver at, so we’ll also be getting a tour of the maternity ward. Wow.
- We’re steadily purging a lot of clutter to make room for baby. Last weekend, we must’ve thrown away 8 bags of crap. It’s amazing how much stuff we (I) accumulate in such a small space. It’s an empowering feeling to make room for this little roommate of ours.
- I’ve been researching ideas for his “nursery.” I’ve scoured the web in search of affordable and non-cheesy bedding for his crib, and I’ve come to terms that I’ll probably end up doing certain things myself. Since his nursery will essentially be out in the open, I think we’re going for something modern and classic that blends in with the rest of our living space.
- I’ve been getting some hilarious and not-so appropriate comments lately. A male acquaintance recently approached me, and probably unsure how to compliment my growing changes, he simply said, “Wow. It looks like you’re going to pop any day now.” haha. This comment was as appealing as my husband’s recent comment to one of his female coworkers who recently went through a breakup. “You should join a club. You know, a break up club where you can bash men all day long.” What? Who says that?
- I haven’t stopped reading pregnancy/baby/parenting books yet. This weekend, I’m picking up 3 more books at the library and I can’t wait. I’ve read close to 30 books on various baby topics. It’s my nature to research; I love reading.
- Ben and Jerry’s AmeriCone Dream is my favorite ice cream flavor right now. It’s heaven in a pint.
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