Friday, March 31, 2006

The Mean Lady in the White Coat

From Friday to Saturday I gained 4 lbs, which can only be a result of water retention from the Vietnamese food we ate on Saturday.

Background: I have always been, shall we say 'weight conscious', some might even say obsessive, maybe even a touch of body dimorphic-ness.
I work out, we have no car and therefore I walk everywhere the T can't take me. Bottom line, I get my workout on.

This morning I woke up puffy, but nothing unusual--my rings still fit.

We walked to the train. I sat on the train and watched my fingers turn into sausages.

This had me a bit worried and had me thinking I had a raging case of preeclampsia.

I get to work, call the clinic and they tell me to come in immediately to see a Dr.--my midwife wasn’t in today.

Background: My opinion of MIT medical? Let's just say I don't much care for it. Bedside manners have a lot to be desired there, which is why I went with a midwife, and even that decision wasn't without it’s problems (The downs syndrome scare of 2006).

So I get to the clinic this morning and the nurse says it's weighing time. I told her I had divorced the scale but she begged to differ. The number was as I expected.

Background: I decided last Sunday night that the next morning's 20 week appointment was going to be the time I rebel against the scale. After himming and haaing about my Vietnamese water weight, I decided to divorce the Drs office scale. At my appointment I declared "You will not be weighing me from this appointment forward". The nurse was of course a bit taken aback but I felt totally justified because my first visit with my midwife she told me that if I ever got to a point where seeing the scale numbers was too much to bear that they would just stop weighing me. She let me know that this was very unconventional in MIT's eyes and the Drs at MIT are very old school. She told me that there is no evidence that weighing expectant mothers does any good--they don't usually do anything with the numbers except berate you if they're too high. She said they don't weight in the UK and as long as it's clear I'm not starving, which it is, then I can decide to take the scale or leave it.

I'm put in a room for the usual extended Dr. wait time. She finally arrives.

Question: What's the first thing she says to me?

Answer: "Gaining too much weight, that's your problem." "You need to see a nutritionist and exercise." I wanted to cry but held it together. What this has to do with the puffiness and water retention I called about, I have no idea.

She ordered some lab tests which she said were unnecessary because there's nothing wrong with me other than gaining too much weight.

I go to the lab. They draw the blood. I leave the lab and blood starts gushing out of my arm, dripping all over the floor. They put me in the emergency room until I stop blood letting.

The blood didn't freak me out but the people in the ER thought I was clearly shaken because they could see I was teary-eyed. What they didn't know what that it was because of the meany in the white coat who made me feel like Miss Piggy.

On the way back to my office someone asked me if I was due in May--don't I wish jerk!

The End.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006


10, 15, and 20 weeks! Half Baked!

Saturday, March 25, 2006


No whining!

Whiners with Elephant Ears

Remember that whiney tattle-tale in elementary school?
Wonder what kind of adult he turned out to be?
Check out the Toronto Star's article if you're curious.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

More Stuff, in list form

I love and hate Boston for its garbage.
Love what you come across on the street on garbage day (couches, chairs, books, bookcases, etc). Hate all the trash littered, everywhere.

Yesterday was a Boston love day as I came across a bag labeled FREE outside a swanky house. Being the daughter of Chuck Todd, the world's most prolific salvageer of things deemed junk, I naturally had to inspect. What I found is now mine. Inside that bag: fancy damask bed linens from Spain, complete with embroidered pillow shams. SCORE! I'm sure something dark is associated with these sheets. Perhaps a body was rolled in them, or maybe a wife came home to her husband having a nooner on them. Whatever the dark secret of these linens, I don't care because they are LOV-E-LY.

Alex felt Little Man Mallet kick last night.

We saw a great bumper sticker the other day. "BOYCOTT SHAMPOO! Demand Real Poo!"

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Stuff

I'm not feeling particularly long winded these days so here's a list of the latest.

Spring is officially here, but unfortunately that is not yet apparent to Boston's Mother Nature.

We got our first baby presents and I think they are just about the bestest presents eva. They prove just how cool my friends are and just how well they know what I'd like. Thanks to Lori, Paul, Claire and William for:Lullabies from the Axis of Evil , The Baby Owner's Manual : Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance; & a super groovy handmade mobile of Savanna creatures, which Sandeep loves ;)

This May, in The Land of Milk and Honey my sister Rhonda is throwing us a 'goodbye to adult life' party (aka: baby shower). It's going to be co-ed and people will be required to sign a "I promise not to 'ohhhh', 'ahhhh', or say the words 'cute', 'precious' or 'adorable' at any time during this adult soiree which will have adult food and beverages." I've had a hard time stomaching my sister's vision of us all "sitting in a circle watching you open baby presents", which prompted the above mentioned contract. I'm just not really the cutsey wootsey baby showering sort, so living out of town and coming home for it makes it seem more like a 'Hey, we're home! Let's Party Like Rock Stars' sort of affair. Not that I've ever partied like a rock star, but maybe I should try before I'm "MOM".

Speaking of Seattle, I've discovered I'm really bummed out that el NiƱo won't be born in Seattle, like me. If he's going to be American then I wish he were brought into the world on the west coast, because we all know the west is best. He'll be the first East Coaster in my family.

I only have 15 weeks, or 103 days (including weekends), left at work. June 30th will be a glorious glorious day.

My rib cage has expanded 4 inches, which from what I've read is due to the fact that my lung capacity has increased 40%. If ever there were a time to run a marathon..... ya right.

The End

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Shot with Hopes for Bought



I recently sent in a submission to Age Fotostock, the photo agency I have a contract with, and this is what they picked up.

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Message From The Womb



Hi, I'm a boy and a happy boy because this house I'm in has gotten a lot more comfortable and relaxing since last Friday when my parents got word that I'm healthy and normal. See, a couple of weeks ago there was this big ol' needle that seriously harshed on my amniotic-fluid mellow.

Now, for the adult version on this go to my dad's web thingy.

Thursday, March 02, 2006