Eleven

My friend Katrina tagged me in her post, so here goes.

First Things First… The Rules:

• You must post the rules.
• Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
• Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
• Tag eleven people and link them on your post
• Let them know you’ve tagged them!

Eleven Fun Facts:

 

1. I'm learning to sew.  I got a sewing machine for Christmas and I've been playing with it ever since.  I've wanted to learn to sew for a while, and since I'm now pregnant I figured I better get started.  In my world, moms should know how to sew.  

2. My first instrument was the piano.  I started when I was 5 at the beginning of kindergarten.  I decided I wanted to play the piano the Christmas prior to that when we were at my grandparents' house and most of my cousins could play the piano.  I wanted to play, too.  So, several months later, my parents procured a piano and found me a teacher.  Thus began my musical career. 

3. I make my own yogurt.

4. I often wish I had the ability to teleport.  I don't think I'd like to be able to read people's minds, but teleportation would be an extremely handy skill.  I used to think the Star Trek method of beaming people would be nice, but after reading The Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy (in 5 books), I'm not so sure that would be such a nice way to travel after all. 

5. I like seeing new places, but I don't really like the actual traveling part.  Whether it's flying or driving, it's just not that much fun.  With flying you have all the airport security silliness and you're at the mercy of the airline for the entire time.  With driving it takes longer and I can't read because I get carsick.  I suppose that's why I fantasize about #4.

6. I make my own soap and lotion bars.  I'm trying to find a good shampoo bar recipe, but I haven't found one yet.

7. I'm a hermit.  I don't leave my property very often.  I go outside pretty much everyday because I have animals to take care of, but I can go for days without getting in a car and going anywhere.  If my students didn't come to my house, I'd also go for long periods of time without seeing anyone except Michael.  Probably once the baby comes that will happen, since I will be taking time off from teaching.

8. I'm excited about having a kid to do all the things that are fun to do, but not so much fun as a childless adult.  Like going to the pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, sledding, building forts, and so many other things.  It's difficult for me to imagine what life will really be like, and it's strange to think it won't just be Michael and me in a few more months, but I think there will be a lot of fun stuff.  I know it's not all rainbows and unicorns, but I'm excited about the fun stuff to come.

9. I still like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  And I still eat them sometimes.

10. My favorite part about college was finding people who got me.  I never tried to be anyone other than who I am, but I didn't really fit in very well growing up.  I had some friends, but even they didn't always really get my sense of humor a lot of the time.  It was nice to find people who I could be goofy and quirky with and they didn't give me weird looks because they were the same way. 

11. I'm a voracious reader.  Sometimes I go through spells where I don't read very much, but then a switch flips somewhere and I can't stop reading.  I'll easily read entire novels in a day or two (of the 300-500 page variety) and just keep going until I've fulfilled my need for books.  I'm in the middle of one such spell right now.  Though it has calmed down the last couple of days.  I'm currently finishing Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams.  It's the 5th book in the aforementioned Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy.  And, for the record, if you've seen the movie and haven't read the books, you should read the books, they're way better. 

 

Here are the questions Katrina posted for me:

1. If you won a gift certificate good for a year’s service from either a maid or a private chef, which one would you choose?  I would get a maid.  I hate cleaning.  I can deal with cooking, but cleaning is awful.  What would be better though is if I got both, even if it were only for 6 months.

2. Name something you’ve done that was totally out of character for you. 

3. Imagine we discovered a life-sustaining planet and a way to get there in a five year space journey. If invited to go, would you be willing to leave behind your life on Earth to explore a new world? (Your family can go with you, of course.)  It depends, really.  What's the condition of the Earth at the time of discovery?  I'd say probably not.  Mostly because I'm a hermit and don't like to go anywhere.  And 5 years is a long time to travel to get somewhere.

4. If someone gave you $500 on the condition that you somehow use it to help someone in need, how would you spend it?  I'd probably sit on it for quite a while looking for someone specific to help.  While I think charitable organizations are great and serve a definite need, I would want to find a person or family that I could specifically help.

5. What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen?  The Ninth Gate.  It started out interesting and about halfway through it starts going downhill fast.

6. If you lost your U.S. citizenship and had to relocate permanently to another country, where would you go? Why?  I've actually thought about where I would go if for some reason we felt the need to leave the country.  The United Kingdom is appealing because they speak English and I've always wanted to spend a lot of time there.  Chile is an option because I've actually spent a fair amount of time there and would be happy to go back.  If we had to flee or leave quickly, we'd probably go to Canada first, then decide on where we really wanted to be after that.

7. What’s your guilty pleasure?  The book equivalent to chick flicks.  They're like candy for your brain.

8. Who would win in a street fight between the Black Eyed Peas and the Fugees?  Umm...your mom?  I have no idea. 

9. If you could go back in time and change just ONE decision that you’ve made, what would it be? (I’m not talking about mistakes, but about a time you had to choose between two or more paths.)  I honestly can't think of anything.  I'm pretty happy with my life and where it's going.

10. What superpower would you like to have?  Teleportation.

11. Do you have a weird body quirk? What is it?  I have a birthmark on my right knee.  It's actually darker now than it was when I was little.  When I was a kid and played in the dirt a lot, my mom used to try to scrub it off in the bath because it was light enough to pass for dirt.  It never did come off.

Since the very few people that I might tag have already been tagged, I will not participate in that aspect of this.  You're welcome.


 

 

Pregnancy Update

So, I'm now 17 weeks and 3 days.  I have felt the baby move twice now.  It's certainly not a regular occurrence at this point.  In a few more weeks I'm sure it will be. 

I'm starting to have more energy again.  I've made it through several days in a row without taking a nap.  In fact, I haven't taken a nap since last Thursday.  I think that's the longest I've gone without a nap this pregnancy.  I thought about taking one today, but decided I felt tired from staring at a computer screen for too long and decided to go for a walk instead.  It wasn't a very long walk (just around the back of our property), but that's the first time since October that the thought of doing something requiring physical activity didn't make me want to curl under a blanket and go to sleep.  Not only did I not want to crawl into bed and go to sleep at the mere thought of physical activity, but I actually got all bundled up and went out.  And I felt better for having done it.  I enjoy walking in the snow and I haven't really gotten to do it this winter.  Since we have snow now and I have a bit more energy, it looks like we'll even get to try out our new snowshoes this weekend.

It really helps that we've discovered the culprit for my extreme, bone deep weariness.  My blood test results came back and my midwife called me last week to let me know what they said.  Most things were pretty normal, but my Vitamin D level was at 13.  For some perspective, people develop rickets at 10 or below.  The bare minimum for recommended Vitamin D levels is 30 and 50-70 is considered optimal.  I was at 13.  So, I started taking 4,000IU of Vitamin D supplements daily.  And I've started going to a tanning salon. 

I know, I know.  Before everyone freaks out about me cooking my baby or how tanning gives you cancer, let me say that I put a lot of thought and research into this and my midwife is totally on board, as is my husband.  Tanning beds will not cook a person or their unborn baby.  The salon I'm going to uses electronic beds (rather than the older style magnetic beds).  The electronic beds don't get terribly hot, so the risk of overheating (which, as far as I can tell, is the only real concern) is minimal.  So far, they're just pleasantly warm.  Plus, if I feel too hot, I can turn off the bed and get out, simple as that. The electronic beds have a ratio of UVA/UVB light that more closely approximates natural sunlight (the magnetic ones tend to have a higher UVA output.)  UVB light is what causes your skin to produce Vitamin D.  UVA light is what oxidizes your skin pigment and potentially causes damage.  Having a balanced ratio is important.  Also, sun exposure is not what causes skin cancer.  Overexposure, i.e. sunburn, eventually can cause skin cancer.  The more frequent and the worse the burns, the greater your chances of developing skin cancer.  In a good tanning salon, they will set your tanning times so that you don't risk getting burned and will slowly work you up to optimal exposure levels for your skin type, Vitamin D production, and tanning preferences.  I'm not so much worried about the actual tan (I don't really change colors anyway), but UVB exposure produces far more Vitamin D than a supplement or food source can possibly supply, and it's in a form that the body uses much more readily than that of an oral supplement.  Altogether, the supplements and the tanning, are making me feel much more like myself.  I'm not completely back to my normal feeling self, but I'm well on my way.  And for that, I'm quite thankful. 

To My Unborn Child

Dear Baby,

I know you like our midnight snacks.  I'm not entirely opposed to them myself, especially when they include hot chocolate (which is fairly frequently).  However, this whole keeping me up all night thing has got to stop.  I can't even feel you yet and you're already wreaking havoc with my sleep schedule.  That's just not fair.  And sometimes you just mess with me.  Like tonight.  You let me fall asleep at a reasonable hour (9:00 pm or so), but then decided I needed to get up at 11:30 pm.  It's now 3:45 am and I'm still awake.  That's just not right.  We're going back to bed now, and we'll stay there for quite a while, okay?  We have things to do tomorrow (well, today, I suppose) and Mama needs more than two hours of sleep for that to happen.  And let's try not to repeat this tomorrow night.  I'm okay with staying up until midnight or a bit later to give you your midnight snack (you seem very insistent on that point), but I'd like to go to bed by 1:00 so we can get our beauty rest. 

Love,

Mom

Reader Poll

So, I have a question.  If you could have one thing from Harry Potter, what would it be?

Personally, I think I would like a house elf.  Someone to do the dishes and laundry and general household chores that I very much dislike.  And since it would be my house elf, it would put things away where I want them to go, instead of in the wrong place. 

Although, the ability to do Mrs. Weasley's spells that cause the dishes to wash themselves, food to cook itself, the knitting to knit itself, et cetera would also be pretty awesome. 

Hmm...difficult choice.

What would you choose?

I Might Be Turning Into a Vampire...

But not a sparkly one.  Because vampires don't sparkle.  Or glitter, or whatever.

Okay, so maybe that's not true.  The part about me turning into a vampire.  The other part is definitely true.  Vampires don't sparkle.  But, I don't seem to be able to sleep at night anymore.  I sleep mostly from sometime early in the morning, until as late as I can manage.  On the weekend that seems to be between 10:00 and 10:30.  On the days when Michael works, I have to be up by 9:00 because I have to give my goats hay and unfrozen water.  While 9:00 or 10:00 might sound luxuriously late to you, please bear in mind that I often don't go to sleep until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, and then I tend to wake up between 6:00 and 7:00 for a while, just for fun.  Whether I nap during the day or not makes no difference.  Yesterday I took a mid-afternoon nap, and I had a really hard time going to sleep.  Today I did not take a nap at all, and I still am having a hard time going to sleep.  Normally I'd have taken something by now (lying awake in bed for four hours isn't my idea of a fun time), but since I'm pregnant, I can't.  Well, I suppose I technically could, but I shouldn't.  Either way, the result is the same.  Me awake at 1:30 in the morning.

Also, my baby apparently likes midnight snacks.  Maybe that's why I can't go to sleep any earlier than I do.  I have to awake for snack time.  Tonight I decided I would try warm milk.  Except I don't really like plain warm milk, so I made hot cocoa instead.  Yes, I use milk to make hot cocoa, because it's delicious.  I also use a Starbucks cocoa mix that my mom got me that only has cocoa, sugar, and vanilla and if you try to use water it doesn't taste good (or so I'm told).  Before I got that, I would just use my own cocoa, sugar, and vanilla, but the premixed kind is nice, because I only have to measure one thing instead of three. 

So, I think I'm getting tired enough to go back to bed now. 

Thoughts on Pregnancy

So, I'm still in the tired phase of being pregnant.  I've had my first prenatal appointment with my midwife last week.  I really like her.  Michael came with me and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat via doppler.  That made it feel much more real.  Prior to that it seemed really surreal.  It still does to a certain extent, but not quite as much.

Mostly it's just weird to me to think that this time next year I'll have a baby.  Since I've never had one before, I have difficulty imagining what life will be like.  I mean, I read things, and have friends with kids, but still...it's hard to imagine.  I suppose that's totally normal.

Today I was thinking about the fact that I'll be able to twist their sense of humor to match my own.  I know it's a while down the road, but it'll be fun to have someone laugh at the same crazy stuff I find funny.  Michael finds some of the same stuff funny as I do, but he doesn't have the dark twist to his humor that I have.  Sometimes I miss having someone with my penchant for dark humor around.

Anyway, so that's what I'm thinking so far.

Why I Like Baths

So, I really like taking baths.  Especially when I'm tired or don't feel great, which, lately, seems to be all the time.  Part of it's that whole first trimester of pregnancy thing and part of it's that I'm sick.  So, I seem to be taking a lot more baths than showers, especially this week.  I know some people think that baths are for children or that you can't get as clean in a bath as in a shower.  Both of these thoughts are completely untrue.  First, I have a very large bathtub.  Way too big for a small child when filled up completely.  This bath is obviously intended for adults.  Second, if the nasty, filthy, smelly raw wool can get clean from being soaked in hot soapy water, I see no reason why I can't.  I'm much less dirty and smelly than raw wool.  So, here is a list of the reasons I like to take a bath:

1. You can lie down in the bath.  I suppose you could lie down in the shower, but then you'd have water hitting you in the face, which is not very nice.
2. You're completely surrounded by warm water.
3. It's relaxing.
4. You can watch a movie, read a book, or play games on your iPhone (as long as you keep your hands out of the water) while in the bath.  I wouldn't try any of those things in the shower.  
5. If someone calls while you're in the bath that you want or need to talk to, it's much less awkward to answer the phone than if you were in the shower. 
6. You don't have to stand up.

When showering seems like a monumental amount of effort, a bath is a nice alternative.