Hemoglobin In The Bloodstream, In The Art-er-i!

So enough about boring old politics and saving endangered children and that nonsense, and on to my favorite subject, ME (and my burgeoning offspring)! I had my monthly prenatal check up yesterday and passed a few milestones. Primarily we got to feel the baby's butt! (Touch the butt...) It is sort of below and to the left of my sternum. So we all know what this means, the critter is making like a baby and getting ready to HEAD OUT! HA HA Ha ha ha heh heh. (But then again, not too soon little buggy, stay in there for a few more months!)

Secondly I am now almost 140 lbs. Yikes! I've already gained 24 pounds! Yikes! This weight gain thing is pretty easy, huh? Heh heh. Thirdly, I am now at the phase of this process where I go in for check ups every two weeks. Yay! An extra two days off a month! Or mornings at least, depending on how I can work it. Work it gurl, snap snap snap!

I did have one small setback however. Evidently I am a bit anemic. The critter-bug has sucked all of the hemoglobin out of my blood for his/her own diabolical schemes. No wonder I was feeling a bit piqued and weary. And positively peckish! So it is off to the wonderful world of red meats (and believe it or not, oatmeal) for me! Time to pump some iron (into my system)! I've got two weeks or it is onto the horrible constipation causing iron pills for me... Like I said, Yikes!

And speaking of which (nice segue!) The Hub and I made up a new word last night, "constemplation - spending a significant amount of time thinking while in the restroom." Hmmm, was that too much information? Ah well, happy constemplation everyone!

PS. Anyone get the obscure British pop culture reference in the title? Anyone? Bueller?

Too Successful

I have referenced my wonderful cousin here before. She works at a publicly funded, faith based, elementary school in Baltimore City. The school has been a great success over the last 9 years, which turns out to be the problem. They are currently losing their funding to help boost other non-successful public schools. If you have a moment to read about it at her blog mskathleen and perhaps read the article in the Baltimore Sun that she links to, and then possibly even send off an email or two, it might help. Or if you have a better idea to get her some press, or even a rich uncle who wants to support the entire school for the next ten years, then by all means leave a comment here or with her. Thanks for listening.

Edited later that evening to correct the egregious error of saying Baltimore County instead of Baltimore City. How embarrassing as they are vastly different entities!

Here's to happy afters...

Behold the terror that is the before and after picture....

BEFORE...


AFTER...


Why didn't you people tell me that I was walking around looking like the Bride of Frankenstein?! And what the heck is up with that forehead? Its more like a fivehead, or even the rare and illustrious sixhead!

I was actually aiming for this, (dark hair, center top panel) and it may not be quite that funky (yet), but I have to say that I'm quite pleased! A good night of napping on it, and perhaps some creative tousling, and I think I'm there. And you too can have this fabulous look, iffin you ever pass through the thriving metropolis of Oakhurst, CA and stop by the Leaping Lotus and ask for Clayton. He'll do you right.

And speaking of before and afters... Remember the Expecting Skoogs? Here's what they've been expecting the whole time...


Isn't she lovely? Congratulations kids!

Down Kitty, Down!

So good old March definitely has come in as a bit of a lion this year. Three weeks ago (in FEBRUARY) we had this...


and this...


And then yesterday and today we had this...


In fact, since that lovely spring day where I ran around taking snaps of the spring flowers, it has now snowed four times. And you say "but yes, Suz, you live in the mountains, surely that is no big deal!" To which I have to reply that actually no, we live in the foothills and those four snows were the first four we've had all year at our humble commode. So yeah, spring has officially unsprung. Its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Furthermore, due to the unseasonably cold weather we've been having, my cat has decided the warmest place to spend the wee hours of the morning is directly on my head. This is me trying to make a space to breathe amongst all the fuzz. I have to say though, that it is oddly pleasant and comforting to have a soft purring kitty blot out all of that pesky alarm clock noise!


The Hub and I also suffered minor health setbacks this weekend and therefore ratcheted our activity level down from somewhere in the vicinity of "sluglike" to "almost completely comatose". So will someone be sure and give us a hibernation wake up call when spring finally arrives?

Foetal Yoga? Resistance Training?

The other day, as I was toiling away at work, the babe-to-be performed an astonishing feat of acrobatics and strength. The critter decided to wedge itself crosswise in my womb and push with all its mitey might, and produce, from my perspective, a knob-like protrusions on either side of my belly, much akin to Frankenstein's neck bolts. I think it is a good look for me.

Wherein I Become The White Witch

So I am following the media-led crowds and reading the Chronic(what?)cles of Narnia right now. Yes, I am admitting that my childhood self discipline was amiss and I never finished reading the whole series as a tot. But now that the books are being made into movies it is time to put this grievous omission to right. And I have to say that it isn't quite what I expected.

For some reason I expected to be met with the same complexity and depth that I found last time this scenario took place, during the Lord of the Rings craze. But hey, guess what, these are kids books! I am whizzing through this hefty tome at lightning speed (despite that pesky full time job)! Good to know that I can still read on a ninth grade level, huh? So aside from the (pleasant?) surprise of an easy read I am also finding Lewis to be a tiny bit more misogynistic than Tolkien, and I quote:

"For you also are not to be in the battle."
"Why, sir?" said Lucy. "I think - I don't know - but I think I could be brave enough."
"That is not the point," he said. "But battles are ugly when women fight."

I have to say that it is a little depressing to be told, even in our fantasy books, that it isn't proper for women to pursue the same goals as men. Yes, yes, I know this was written in 1950 and Eowyn (one of the few strong female characters from LOTR) was not actually allowed to fight either, and yes, I'm not a big fan of wars anyway, but darn it, if she wants to fight, let her! But I have to say that the book does seem to be getting better in this regard, such as in the next chronicle The Horse and His Boy (bah, the NAME!) there is a character, Aravis who is a pretty feisty gal. Perhaps there were some life changing events for Mr. Lewis between 1950 and 1954.

Yes, so this is what my life has been reduced to, feminist literary reviews of 50 year old publications. I think I feel slightly less badass these days, and that is making me a tad cranky. I can't even change my hair color to funk things up a bit because of my precious belly cargo. Maybe I'll go pierce something to bring back the spark... it would be really easy to do the belly button right now, since it is starting to poke out like the timer on an Oven Stuffer Roaster. Ha ha, heh.