The Moose is Loose

You might be wondering about the title of this blog. Let me explain - I am the moose. As for "the moose is loose" - well, when my family would go skiing every year, there was a shop named just that, and for some reason it popped in my head today and I thought it was funny. So there you go. JBB doesn't like it when I call myself a moose, but hey, I call 'em like I see 'em, and when I look in the mirror, I see a moose. A very happy, tired, expectant moose.

I remember a time in the not so distant past when I would wake up, go to the mirror and examine my stomach to see if I "looked pregnant." I'd ambush JBB when I got home from work, and ask him the same thing, sticking my belly out as far as it could go. He'd study my profile and say, "Maybe a little Bertie", or "not today." HA! How naive I was. I mean, logically I knew I would eventually look pregnant, but it just seemed like that day would never come. Well, I'm here to tell you blog readers, it has come. Oh how it has come.

I'm 33.5 weeks as I write this blog. Over the weekend, I wore the same outfit three days in a row. Black Old Navy maternity leggings, a long gray comfy sweatshirt/tunic maternity top from the Gap, and my Uggs. JBB eventually made me throw it in the hamper when it was starting to get up and walk to the fridge for a snack by itself. I've reached the point where the only pants that are comfy are either leggings or those with the full belly panel , aka, big girl pants. Those little half panels are for sissies, I've decided. They dig into my stomach, and I picture Cookie inside there saying, "Hey mom, I'm squished in here." Similarly, a lot of my tops are getting snug now too, but I'm stubborn and don't want to buy new maternity shirts when I'm less than seven weeks from my due date. Hence wearing the same outfit three days in a row.

Another thing I've embraced in the home stretch: dry shampoo! This might seem like an odd side effect of pregnancy, but it has been a godsend. I have a very hard time falling asleep at night, and inevitably get settled and sleep the soundest in the few hours before I'm supposed to wake up. As a result, I often end up sleeping late and forgoing a morning shower so I can snooze for fifteen more minutes. In the past, I could never do this because my hair is so greasy that if I don't wash it in the morning you can scramble an egg on my head by noon. Well, someone suggested dry shampoo, and I haven't looked back! I use the Victoria's Secret brand, and I love it! My hair honestly looks just as good (some days better) than when I wash it fresh that morning. I know there will be many days with a newborn where I don't get around to showering, so my follicles and I are thrilled to have discovered dry shampoo. (Victoria didn't even pay me for this advertisement).

Other moose-like things happening around our house - I can't take my boots off by myself. Bending all the way over, maneuvering around my belly, and tugging them off is just too much effort for Cookie and I. Enter JBB to save the day! I feel like while on the whole I'm very glad to be pregnant in the winter, there are some possible advantages to a summer baby. It would be miserable to be in the final stages of pregnancy in hot weather, but you could at least throw on a sundress and flip flops every morning and call it day. Although, you'd also have to shave your legs more than once every two months, so that's a definite minus.

I also no longer feel comfortable wearing my wedding bands. Most days they fit fine, but sometimes when I go to pull them off at night, they are awfully snug, and I would be distraught if they got stuck and had to be cut off. So, they're staying put for now in my nightstand. I contemplated wearing them around a necklace, but was worried if the chain broke I would lose them. I have followed the lead of my friend Jill, who bought the biggest, showiest fake diamond ring she could find when she was pregnant with her daughter. Monday night I picked up a big ol' sparkler from Target; go big or go home, right? It has gotten several compliments, which cracks me up.

A few other things to note - my skin - it does not glow while pregnant. It does the opposite of glow, whatever that is. (Grimace? Glower?) If you don't believe me, I'll show you my passport picture, sans makeup. I look like I should show up on the 6:00 news as the latest Hoosier to be busted for cooking meth. It's terrifying. So, while my skin doesn't glow, my toenails GROW. And grow. And grow. And, you guessed it - there's no way in hell I'm contorting myself to cut them. Even I won't ask JBB to do that for me; instead, I view it as a nice excuse to get regular pedicures. My piggies have never looked so nice or felt so loved. (All the ladies at the nail salon think I'm having a boy, FYI.)

JBB would like me to let you all in on his million dollar, Shark Tank worthy idea - "Adult Pregnancy Bibs!" It doesn't matter what I eat, or how many napkins/towels/drop cloths I put on the front of me - I manage to get at least a fourth of my meal down the front of me. My belly is a magnet for food and water. JBB can't keep up with the laundry I generate. I also have a bad habit of eating in bed, so a lot of my dinner/breakfasts/snacks end up in the bed. It's a good thing I have a patient husband! We recently created a "bib drawer" for Cooks in the kitchen...I think mama's bibs need their own drawer too!

On the "baby prep" front, we are basically done. We have two more classes to go, and one more shower, but the baby could come tomorrow and we'd be okay. We have our pediatrician, we are pre-registered at the hospital, and we have car seats, crib, stroller, bassinet, and swing. With the exception of packing our overnight bags and installing our car seats, we are ready! Every night when JBB and I peek in the nursery, we look at each other and say, "All that's missing is the baby..." JBB has "read" several of the books to Cookie that we got at the shower. So far, we think "Where's Spot?" is her favorite, as that elicited the most wiggles. So, there you have it. Just some of the more fun side effects of the 3rd trimester. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. Every time I feel Cookie move (which is a lot) I fall in love all over again. I'd go through 1,000 3rd trimesters for one baby.

Nesting has begun!

 54 days until our due date!

This past week has been babycentric - I'm convinced I'm now just making up stuff to do to keep myself busy. JBB and I kicked into overdrive with setting up the nursery, and I'm sooo excited with how it looks! We still need to put finishing touches up on the walls, but we have the furniture in place, and all gifts, clothes, and supplies are washed, de-tagged, and put away. We are ready for you, Cookie McGee! I love to walk past the nursery every night before I go to bed. It just makes me happy. Out of everything in the nursery, I think I'm most excited about...her door! JBB had the great idea to paint Cookie's door in chalkboard paint, and as she grows up she can scribble on it, doodle, make countdowns to Christmas, etc. I just think it's such a fun idea, and I love that her daddy thought of it.

Cookie's animals are already watching over the nursery, just waiting for their roommate. 

Clifford, the big white dog, takes the glider for a spin.

In addition to working on the nursery, my "nesting instinct" has kicked into high gear, and for whatever reason I have fixated on reorganizing/de-cluttering the kitchen cabinets and pantry. It's become a running joke between JBB and I. Every day I decide a new way I think we should organize the pantry, and what additional shelves should go in the cabinets. It's like I open my mouth, and my inner Martha Stewart (who has never reared her head before) starts spouting off about  how we can "best maximize our under the sink space". I'm convinced the key to the first six months of parenthood is having a well organized kitchen. Why I choose this particular fixation is anyone's guess. JBB has threatened to take Pinterest off of my Ipad if this continues.

Sadly, the kitchen isn't the only area I've become minorly obsessed with. I also get a little crazed about where our "home office" should be located. Should it go in the roll top desk in the living room, or should it be in the kitchen next to...the pantry! The dreaded pantry. JBB, bless his heart, plays along with me and pretends to really think about it when I ask questions like "But seriously...do you think we should keep the ink pens in the kitchen next to the spare change, or on the roll top next to our return address stamp?" This baby needs to get here quickly before I do something drastic like attempt to do my own back splash in the kitchen. (Don't think I haven't thought about it).

In addition to terrorizing our cabinets, I also had my first work event of the "season" at the 500 Festival. As we both rolled out of bed at 4:30 am so we could be downtown by 5:45, JBB looked at me and said, "Soon we'll be getting up this early every morning." Oof. Reality check. Not sure I'm ready for daily 4:30 wake-up calls. Luckily this event was a quick one, but if I wasn't feeling the effects of being 8 months pregnant before, I certainly felt them at this event. It was held at the NCAA Hall of Champions, which is a great venue. However, a few things I never noticed in past year's events - there is no bathroom on the second floor, where I am stationed. That made for a LOT of trips up and down to the bathroom. Second, I never realized just how many damned steps there are from the first floor to the second. I was huffing and puffing climbing that staircase, and eventually caved and used the elevator. Cooks and I were worn out.

Sunday was my second baby shower, and it was even more fun that I anticipated! Thanks so much to Emily, Katie, and Lauren for throwing such a fun shower, and to all my friends for coming! My friends certainly know me well - chicken fingers and ruffled chips were the main course, and homemade cake pops and brownie/Oreo/peanut butter concoctions for dessert. Not to toot my own horn, but I cleaned up (100%, baby!) in the celebrity/baby name matching competition. I didn't fare so well at "Baby Price is Right"...Jason's sister, however, swept that game, so I think we'll dispatch her to do all of our baby shopping from now on. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone who took the time to come and spend two hours of their Sunday celebrating Cookie's arrival - friends from Tipton, Special Olympics, "girls' nights", friends I've made through JBB, grad school - it was quite a group! Last night JBB and I went through all the gifts, and marveled at how tiny everything is, and how many diapers one little booty can need; we just kept looking at each other and laughing as we went through the goodies.

Thanks for such yummy cake pops! Cookie can't wait to meet Aunt Emily...

Some of the ladies from the shower. 

Egads! How did that Purdue onsie sneak in there?!?

The daddy to be surveys the loot and reads up on "What to Expect in the First Year"...

Today we have another check-up, along with the first of three "Preparing for Childbirth" classes. Which take place during the Bachelor, and you all know how I feel about that. Not good. I refuse to watch the videos. The baby has to come out, right? I know this; I don't need to SEE it to prepare. I'm good and prepared; would you like to hear what I've done with my pantry? :)

Makin' Friends

65 days until due date! Yowza!! JBB and I think Cookie will arrive on April 1. 

Tuesday, JBB and I spent four hours at the doctor's office. Turns out I didn't pass my initial glucose screening, so I had to do the 3-hour test, in addition to my regularly scheduled appointment. Whoa - not fun. But, the good news is, I passed the 3-hour test "with flying colors". Thank God. Four blood draws and three hours later, I felt like a human pin cushion.

The silver lining of the doctor's visit - I made a new friend! When we checked in, the office manager told us to "get comfortable" and that there were two other women who would be doing the 3-hour test that morning also. One of the women came in shortly after we did, and took a seat near us. I immediately noticed that she had on an outfit that I seriously coveted, and that she looked like someone I would hit it off with. She pulled up a chair to prop her feet up on, and started writing thank you notes. After about an hour of uncomfortable shifting in my seat, trying to get comfortable, I asked JBB if he could snag me a chair that I could prop my feet up on, as my fellow glucoser was doing. Well. JBB has never met a stranger, so as he grabbed the chair beside my future friend, he struck up a conversation. And that was all it took.

Over the next 2.5 hours, my future friend and I covered every topic under the sun. How far along we were (she's having twins!); whether we were planning on breastfeeding or not; how we met our husbands; working in non-profits; if Khloe Kardashian was in fact the product of an affair and not Robert Kardashian's biological daughter (per the cover of my In Touch magazine); if we were going back to work or not. We didn't draw a breath. We even decided that since we didn't really know each other, or any of the same people, it would be okay to tell the baby names we had picked out. Turns out, she is my exact age, got married over the summer and then got pregnant right away, her husband is older than she is like JBB and I, and on Friday they're moving about four minutes away from where JBB and I live. A friendship ripe for the picking!

While she was in for her 3rd blood draw, I turned to JBB and said, "We will be friends. I will make this happen." After I said it, I realized - the further removed you get from college, the harder it is to make new friends. College seemed to provide a built in system for meeting friends, and for a few years after college it was easy to meet new people through co-workers, friends of your newly made college friends, apartment complexes, etc. By your 30's, most people have been at the same job for awhile, and if they've lived in the same town for a significant period of time, have met most everyone in their friends' circles. Making friends is a bit like dating - the more time passes, the harder it gets, and the more awkward you sometimes feel, putting yourself out there to see "if you click."

Luckily, I have a great group of friends that I have collected from all areas of my life - hometown, college, work, people I've met through family and friends, etc. However, I've been telling JBB, while I'm home this summer with Cookie, it is my mission to find other moms in or near our neighborhood who I can go for a walk with while pushing our kids in the stroller, or someone to go to the neighborhood pool with on a hot day. I'm sure there will be times when I don't want to load everything up in the car and drive to Tipton, Broad Ripple, or Plainfield. I'm giving fair warning now to my sister-in-law and brother, who live 5 minutes away...you will see LOTS of Cooks and I on this maternity leave. Get ready.

When JBB and I moved into our neighborhood in July, it was about 110 degrees for the rest of the summer, so people weren't outside too much. Then, we just got busy with wedding planning, honeymoon, etc. and haven't met as many neighbors as we'd like. (I'm spoiled from growing up in a neighborhood that did block 4th of July parties, neighborhood scavenger hunts, and people actually congregating on front porches and patios every night in the summer. I want this for my family). Luckily, our neighbors to one side of us have three young kids, as do the neighbors behind us. We are friendly and wave when we see each other, their kids trick or treated at our house, etc, but we haven't progressed to actually socializing. Now, we do adore our 91 year old neighbors to the south, Paul and Elnora, and Cookie and I plan on spending a lot of time visiting them this Spring. I'm just not sure they'll want to go swimming or power walking with us. So, my plan for any and all neighbors I encounter with young kids is to borderline stalk/kill them with kindness until we exchange numbers and get to walking!

Anyway, back to the doctor's visit. The new friend potential fell into my lap, and I wasn't about to let it pass by.   Once we were both pricked for the 3rd time and settled back in our chairs, I cleared my throat and said, "So, this is a little awkward and I feel like I'm asking you out, but would you want to meet up this Spring once the madness has settled and go for a walk or something?" (I'm summarizing here...) and, much to my relief as I was starting to feel like a creeper, she said "absolutely" and we set about trading numbers, with her informing me I'm in her phone as Lindsay - fellow preggo at glucose test.

I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Here's hoping to making many more. And of course, to all the great ones I already have...don't forget about Cookie and I up in Carmel! We are open for any and all play dates, girls nights, movies, etc. Have baby, will travel. (I think. I hope. I could be totally wishful thinking here.)