Week 19: Heirloom Tomato

Ok so first off, since when is an heirloom tomato 6" in diameter? Pretty sure they're just old-school regular tomatoes. Anyway, I'll get to the important stuff. So these last couple weeks have been pretty fun for the most part. Even though my belly is getting huger by the day, it seems like the back aches, especially while sleeping, have really let up. I've also started to feel this little baby moving around. It's really subtle and feels sort of like a pulsing or a really gentle finger poke. So far it's not strong enough that I can feel it with my hand or let Seth feel, but there's definitely some movement going on in there!

It's also funny to see people's reactions to my pregnancy. Acquaintances at work who I haven't told about the pregnancy directly, are really starting to be more confident in asking direct pregnancy questions like "oh, when are you due?" or "how's the baby coming along?" It's much more apparent that I'm pregnant and not just getting fat! It is humorous to watch people's eyes when they first see me because they'll look at my stomach first and then at my face. They try to be discrete about it but fail miserably... like my belly is a magnet and they can't help but look.

This week was a bit more rough because I got knocked out by a cold for a few days. Sure is a lot tougher being sick and not being able to take any good strong medicine. But the good and bad news is, the night before I ended up taking off sick from work I noticed our freezer died so the repairman came out to fix it the next day while I was home! And luckily our fridge still had another month left under warranty. Score! Ha ha...

And I know you've all been dying to see my pregnant belly so here it is in all its glory!

Book Review: The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is basically a historical fiction novel about Hadley, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. However, I think most of the book is pretty accurate because of research and letters and such that Paula McLain used when writing it. It took me a couple tries to get through this book. I'd start and stop and then forget what was going on so ultimately I started all the way over and re-read it before I lost the drive. Now as far as the writing goes, it was ok. I didn't find it very compelling. I think McLain tried to copy Hemingway's style but didn't succeed. Instead of the dreamy, flowing prose of Hemingway, McLain's attempt was more of a dragging narrative.

So... what did I think. Hmm. Mainly I ended up being frustrated and angry with this book, more specifically Hadley. She constantly allows her husband to walk all over her, flirt openly with other women, and eventually engage in an open affair! Have some respect for yourself! It's no wonder the relationship fell apart. She was spineless and lost her identity in her husband as a way to keep him. Nobody wants a push-over who doesn't have a life of their own. I mean, you don't buy a new dress to replace the rags you're wearing because you think it'll make your husband dislike your friends? WHO CARES?! I'm not saying Hemingway was a perfect saint in this but this woman really made my blood boil. If you feel bad for your husband because he's in love with (and can't choose between) two women and allow him to go back and forth openly during the day between hotel rooms (and shockingly don't stand up for yourself when the other woman jumps into bed naked with you and your husband), well, I just don't have much sympathy for you. You've essentially condoned his actions and shouldn't be surprised when you're the one that gets kicked to the curb.

In other words, I believe you teach people how to treat you and Hadley's story is a perfect example of that.

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Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I avoided reading this book for a long time mainly because I thought the title was really dumb and sounded cheesy. But eventually I gave in because it had such good reviews. I really should have gone with my gut on this one because I really didn't care for this much at all.

I actually tried to like this book but it was really just so-so. In fact the only reason I finished it was because I didn't have any other audiobook to switch to during my commute. The first half of the book was almost unbearably boring. I admit, the second half of the book was much better, but still nothing Earth-shattering. My main problem was I didn't care for the main character Juliet at all. I found her to be annoying, one dimensional, and dull. The other characters are the ones that made the book tolerable, but seeing as how most of the back and forth letter writing was between Juliet and these characters, there was a lot of drivel to wade through. I think the author should have taken her own book writing advice and written a story about Elizabeth and left out the boring parts about Juliet and her dating life. How many more books do we need about past-their-prime women and their "happily ever after" romances that they never thought would happen? It's tired and predictable.

One thing I did like about this audio version were the voices of the characters. It was well done. And I especially liked that one of the women's voices sounded just like my great grandma.

Overall I'd say this is a book that could easily be skipped. There are better written, more original ideas out there to be found.

Opening a Can of Worms

This year Seth has really gotten into politics. Because of this, I have been exposed to and learned much more about this topic than I ever have. Together we've watched all but one of the Republican debates and we watch Meet the Press every Sunday. I must be getting old because it's not nearly as intolerable as it used to be.

Now, I'm not the most dedicated person ever when it comes to voting, but I try to at least participate in major elections. I don't like to peg myself as being part of one party or another and have registered as an Independent. I tend to follow a moderate Democratic way of thinking, but I think it's good to keep your options open and look at both sides to see who better fits your ideals and ways of thinking. I don't think it's possible to side with just one party on every single issue and each party's stance seems to evolve over the years.

In 2008 I proudly voted for Obama. I liked what he stood for and I liked his charisma and I just plain liked him. He was an intelligent speaker,  genuine, and down to Earth without being simple-minded. Those things count for a lot in my book. I think Obama has done a pretty good job over the last several years. I believe he's tried to keep his promises and done his best with the crappy situation he inherited. I don't know that I agree with everything he's done, but I think he's used the best resources and people available to make well informed decisions. It's hard to predict the outcome of every plan all the time so it's reasonable to think that any leader will have some failures. I don't think Obama is the anti-Christ or a diabolical genius with secret plans to bring down the United States. That's just craziness. And ignorant comments made to encourage these opinions make my blood boil (where's the 'loathe' button on Facebook?). I think most of the presidents we've had really do what they can to succeed, Republican or Democrat, although some are definitely not as intelligent as others *cough* Bush *cough.*

Which brings me to the current election. I've tried going into this election season with an open mind. Yes I still really like Obama. I can't help it. He's a smart, decent guy. I've listened to all the candidates and my opinions of them have evolved over the last few months.

I was sad to see Jon Huntsman's short-lived, lack-luster candidacy and hope that he has plans to return in 2016. I really liked him as Utah governor. Yes he was Mormon, but he was also reasonable and didn't try to force his religious beliefs on the entire community. Sure he was a little awkward in the debates, but he held up pretty well. Would I have voted for him this time around? I'm not sure. He didn't get far enough to show me what he was about and whether he'd be better than Obama.

Up until recently I didn't mind Rick Santorum. I was giving him a slight chance of success. He seemed intelligent and genuine. But, he went and ruined his chances by being a right-wing religious nut-job. When you start to impose your specific hard-core religious beliefs and act like it's different than the other side pushing their agenda, we're going to have problems. I don't handle hypocrisy well. Why is it so hard to give people the freedom to choose whether they want to adhere to the rules of their religion? We're adults. We don't need government rules to make sure our religious morality stays in tact.

Then we have Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Quite frankly I just don't like Gingrich. The fact that a lot of the people who have worked with him over the years don't back him gives me good reason to think I wouldn't like him either. Plus his wife looks like a fembot. Creepy. Next we have Ron Paul. What a cute little old man. Makes me want to give him a hug, sit him down in the kitchen with a piece of pie, and listen to his crazy stories. I really think that he's got some great ideas and theories. The Libertarian party has really good insights to some of our crappiest problems. Problem is, Ron Paul is just a little too crazy. I'm not completely ruling him out though. I think our government system of checks and balances would keep him from doing anything too insane. And to be honest I'd be kind of curious to see what he could do. Do I think he has any chance of actually becoming president? Hell no. But I'm not against throwing my vote away on him if I don't like any of the other options. That way I could complain about whoever won!

Finally we come to Mitt Romney. Yes, I know he saved the 2002 Winter Olympics. Yes, he's very successful and smart. Yes, I think he'd probably do an ok job as president. I don't care that he's Mormon... that doesn't affect my opinion of him either way. In fact I don't think religious beliefs should ever factor into the presidential elections unless like Santorum, they're trying to force their beliefs on the entire country. You keep your beliefs to yourself and you can believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster for all I care. Thing is, I don't think I could stomach voting for him. I just can't. To me Romney comes off as a slimy douche bag and I don't like him. I don't trust him. I don't think I could listen to his patronizing tone for 4+ years. His only saving grace (maybe) would be to have a killer running mate. But I just don't see that happening.

With all that said, I'm about 95% sure I'm voting for Obama again unless something amazing happens during the final debates to change my mind. I want to see him let loose and aggressively go after the things he really wants to do in a second term where he doesn't have to worry about re-election. Plus it would make a lot of people mad. HA! So? What do you think? Have you been following all this stuff? Which candidate do you like? Do you think I'm insane? Don't be shy... let it loose!

Week 17: Onion

Well here we are in week 17 and I'm still feeling pretty good. I have noticed all through the pregnancy that I've had short bursts of heartburn every now and then which I never get otherwise. And I know it sounds crazy, but most of the time the trigger is.... WATER. Not the super spicey Mexican food I get every Thursday for lunch or the bowl of icecream after dinner or a couple slices of garlicy pizza. WATER. I swear that stupid water is going to be the end of me. Can't live with it and can't live without it. Wish I could just drink Gatorade or diet coke all day.

I had another doctor appointment this week. Everything is going great and baby's heart rate is currently at 154 bpm. We finally got to make the appointment for the ultrasound where we'll find out if we're having a girl or a boy. March 19th is the big day! I can't wait!


So we were at a baby blessing this weekend and Seth's cousin mentioned how there are a lot of baby things people will try and guilt you into buying but aren't really necessary. Then today I was looking at all the different kinds of strollers and such and just getting overwhelmed at all the choices. So here's where you all get to help me. What were your favorite baby items? What did you end up not using? Are there absolute must-have items and/or things that were a total waste of money? Did certain styles of things like strollers and carriers work better for you than others? I don't know what I'm doing over here!

Book Review: The Lost City of Z

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is about an explorer named Percy Fawcett who disappeared in the 1920s while trying to find the lost city of Z in the Amazon.

I had mixed emotions about this book. While I did like to hear details about Fawcett's several expeditions into the Amazon, it became somewhat repetitive. Kind of the same story over and over... he gets restless living normal civilian life so he gets a group together and they trek through the Amazon looking for Z. They are immediately hounded by millions of insects and most of the men in the group get sick, hungry, and/or infections of varying degrees after which a few of them die. After finding nothing or running out of supplies, the group goes back. Repeat. The only difference is, on one of these expeditions (sadly the one where Fawcett brings his teenage son along), the group disappears, never to be heard from again.

After the Fawcett's group disappears, the book begins to repeat itself... again. Hundreds of people go into the Amazon on rescue missions, trying to find Fawcett and/or discover what happened to him. A lot of these people die either from starvation, sickness, or being killed by Amazonian natives.

Like I said, I liked this book... there were a lot of interesting details about the expeditions and such, but I thought a lot of it could have been cut out without negatively affecting the story. I listened to this on audio and probably would have stopped listening to it half-way through if I'd had another book to switch to. Not because I didn't like the book, but because it just kept telling the same story. A side note relating to the audio version: I didn't particularly care for the narrator. He wasn't horrible... just sounded a little robot-like. If you're old like me you'll remember the old film-strip movies you used to watch in school. The narrator reminded me of the voice-over dude who told about the digestive system or Pompeii.

This book did one thing for me though and that was to cure any desire I might have had to go to the Amazon. While it may be beautiful, it sounds like a wretched place to spend any amount of time. Think I'll stick to the National Geographic coverage on the t.v.

Week 16: Avocado

Geez time is going by fast! Week 16 already! I've gotten a little behind on the baby tracking, but it was sort of on purpose because not much has changed here in the last couple weeks. I've been in the sweet spot of no nausea and no other real ailments to speak of really. My back is pretty much the only thing that gives me any sort of problem and that's typically only after I've been sleeping for a while or if I've been sitting at my desk all day.

I notice that laying on my stomach is getting to be increasingly more uncomfortable and is it possible that I'm waddling? I swear I'm not that big yet but I feel like I've got a slight waddle to my walk these days.
I think the one thing that has greatly improved my quality of life over the last couple weeks is some new maternity clothes! The Walmart maternity jeans I ordered online fit great! Good thing they came when they did because this belly of mine was getting huger by the day. AND if that wasn't enough, my wonderful saint of a mother took me up to Park City to the Motherhood Maternity outlet store to find some new comfy clothes. After the horribly disappointing and frustrating shopping fiasco I had a week or so before, I was a little skeptical as to whether I'd be able to find anything. Imagine my delight and surprise when from my first steps into the store I was inundated with hoards of super cute clothes! JEANS! And t-shirts!! So many options! I had to try hard not to go overboard with my selections because they had so many things I liked that fit so well. It was worth the 50 minute drive to find one store that had everything I wanted. Plus the girl working there was so helpful. Really one of the best shopping experiences I've ever had. That's not to mention how much better I feel actually wearing all these new clothes. I feel so comfy AND stylish, not like some chunky, lumpy stuffed sausage waddling around. I swear my mood alone has improved at least 10 notches! I may just wear these clothes forever.

Other than that, we're slowly but surely getting the nursery put together. I still haven't decided on colors, but this weekend we finally moved the computer and most of the office things downstairs. Now I just need to put together that IKEA dresser we bought several weeks ago. I've also had the realization that having a baby is a lot like buying a house. You know there are going to be a lot of things you'll have to buy and things you have to prepare for, but I'm finding out just how huge of a task this is going to be. So many little furniture items and baby clothes and knick knacks. As soon as I decide on one item, I remember some other item I completely forgot about. "Oh yeah, guess we'll need to get a car seat to actually bring this kid home" or "Huh... probably should get a changing pad so we don't get poop on the carpet." It does make me feel better to know that I'll have a couple extra months to buy some of this stuff after the baby is born (because I'm sure I'll have LOADS of extra time). Things like high chairs and play pens and the like can take a backseat to other pressing items like a crib and onesies.

Well, we've got probably about 3-4 more weeks to go until we find out if this avocado is a boy or a girl. I have my next doctor appointment this coming Monday so I'm hoping we'll get to schedule the ultrasound then. So exciting!