Fancy Little Smoothie

I just made the fanciest little health nut smoothie I've ever encountered: blueberries, strawberries, spinach leaves, 1/2 nectarine, banana, yogurt, 1 raw egg yolk, and a bit of milk.

I threw the leftover egg white into the skillet with a second egg to supplement my breakfast.

My midwife told me that to eat more protein. My belly is measuring at 31 wks even though I'm a 34 wks. They recommended an ultrasound to see what's going on- it could be a number of things. The one thing I can do is eat more calories. So here I go.

...but I can't say I like it.

Two of my favorite sites are leaves falling in late autumn and blossom petals falling in late spring. (I also enjoy watching rain fall and snow fall, but those occasions are far more common than the other two and therefore not so special to me). Today's site is a very rare one indeed. I'm watching leaves fall in summer.
Hurricane Irene's effects remain in effect. The rain has subsided, but strong wind gusts still cause green summer leaves to shower down like petals, rain, snow or autumn leaves. I find the site intriguing, but I cannot say that I like it. There will be fewer leaves to turn orange in October.

Hurricane Irene

Apparently sudden drops in barometric pressure often cause women to go into labor. I am glad to say that we made it through the hurricane without this effect. Little Linus is still safe inside me inside our still safe apartment right now. No grills blew through the patio doors; the power only went out temporarily; and we didn't need the candles or the emergency water jugs and chili cans. The only difference I can see from my window is that there will be fewer leaves to turn orange this fall.

(Linus is just his "fetal name." In my March ultrasound, he looked like a peanut, so my brother dubbed him Linus after the smartest member of the peanuts gang.) Chris woke up this morning excited to tell me his great new idea for a name. I felt terrible telling him that I didn't not like it- I wish I could really like a name he came up with. I wish he could really like a name I came up with too. haha. We shall see. We shall see.

Pregnant from the back?

As I left Starbucks today, a woman that had been sitting behind me for 2 hours stopped me, "When you stood up, I was shocked to see that you were expecting. You do not look pregnant from the back at all."

And I grin. :D

6 weeks to go!

Sandy Hook. And my belly.

I accompanied Chris to a First Aid/ CPR class at CG Station Sandy Hook yesterday. The class was helpful, but draining enough to warrant a nap on the beach afterward. Sandy Hook penninsula boasts the beauty of any Northeastern beach, but is quite unique in that the New York City skyline stands only miles from its northern side. For a few hours, we laid in the sun on the empty beach watching rain clouds unleash on Manhattan and Staten Island in the distance.

Then we headed to dinner at a clam hut marina. Our fried shrimp tasted great, but sadly, I can no longer eat a full portion in one sitting because there is no room in there for my stomach to expand! Whenever I eat too much, my ribs hurt from the pressure. See, look how chubby I am.

This baby is still very active, which is fun. :) He usually wakes up when I lay down at night and I lay there and feel him for 15 mins before we both fall to sleep. Whenever he doesn't wake up, I miss him.

Common Question: So, how are you feeling? (often accompanied by belly touching,

which is actually okay as long as I know the person because I am pretty touchy myself.)

Answer: Well, I am feeling pretty darn pregnant. I am not ready for him to be out yet, but I am ready for him to not be in! Yes I am excited about motherhood, but that doesn't mean I'm ready.

With many things in life, like the end of final exams or the date of a GRE or getting to a rest stop when you really have to pee on a long road trip, we comfort and motivate ourselves by saying, "OK I just have to get to that day and it will all be over. Then I can relax!" It is not so with pregnancy. The third trimester gets pretty uncomfortable, but, while there is an end date, it is not one on which " it will all be over and I can relax." When I try to give myself the motivating pep talk, it comes out "OK I just have to make it to October... then there is going to be a needy baby! Ah!" Haha.