I have been on bed rest for 23 days. During that time, I have read seven books (not including baby name books; magazines; or kids books to the Noodle). Here is the somewhat eclectic list of what I've read and my thoughts on the books:
1. Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller. Fiction. Grade: C
Typical mopey chick lit. Lots of tragedies befalling lots of characters. Not a lot of plot. I actually hated this one midway through but it got a little better toward the end. I'm glad I finished it, but I would not recommend it.
2. The Politician by Andrew Young. Political; non-fiction. Grade: A-
I could not put this one down. This is the behind-the-scenes John Edwards book. It was way trashy, but very interesting. I am sure it is not ACTUALLY all non-fiction but it was a great read.
3. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. Memoir; humor. Grade: A-
David Sedaris is freaking hilarious. My favorite story of his is "Naked" from his other book, "Naked," but this book also had a lot of great stories. It is nice how it is broken down into short stories too, so you can easily read it in bits and chunks. Made me laugh out loud several times.
4. Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox. Memoir. Grade: B-
This is the 2nd of MJF's memoirs. Maybe the first one is better. This one was sortof hard to follow and didn't have as many good stories as I was hoping for. He seemed to gloss over a lot of things and situations (such as when he was in Paris for the end of the Tour de France) that I would have thought might have had some better inside scoop about them (just hearing that Robin Williams is furry does not constitute inside scoop). Don't really recommend this one.
5. Anonymous Lawyer by Jeremy Blachman. Fiction. Grade: B
If you have ever worked at a big law firm, this book is for you. Wow, there were so so many parts that rang true. The plot was a little silly, so I would only recommend it to other lawyers who have been through the situation. It was a very fast fun read though.
6. Life Laughs by Jenny McCarthy. Humor. Grade: C-
This was pretty dumb and less funny than I thought it would be. It was about her divorce so at the end of the day, it was sortof sad. I think I might like her "Baby Laughs" book better.
7. In-N-Out Burger: A History by Stacy Perman. Non-fiction. Grade: B+
This book was great, although it had two big drawbacks for someone on bed rest in Kansas. (1) It made me want In-N-Out burger which is IMPOSSIBLE since the nearest one is in Utah! and (2) It made me hungry for burgers period which was also next to impossible since I am stuck in bed. At least the hubby went out and got me Wendy's midway through (which is a pale pale shadow of In-N-Out, but at least was something. I learned a lot about the fast food industry from the 50s today, and now I know why In-N-Out will not be coming to Kansas anytime soon.
I'm still reading...and bedridden for several more weeks, so any suggestions of other books I should try are appreciated!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
32 Weeks
This is the first of my three pregnancies where I have been quite so aware of "what week" I'm in. And as of today, I am 32 weeks! According to babycenter.com, this little guy is the size of "a large jicama" and approximately 3.5 lbs.
I went to the doctor yesterday and had gained four pounds in the last 9 days. Yowza! But since bed rest doesn't exactly afford a lot of "calorie burning", it shouldn't have surprised me. I have now gained 34 lbs. to date with this pregnancy.
For kicks, I went back through my pregnancy journals with Squash and Noodle to see how my weight gain has stacked up... with Squash, I gained a total of 57 lbs. With Noodle, 44 lbs. I basically weighed the same each month with all three of them...until we hit the 7th month! Entering month 6 with all 3 babies, I weighed about 137 lbs. (so a gain of about 20-22). Entering month 7 with Squash, I weighed 151. But with Noodle at the same time, I only weighed 139. With this baby, I weighed 141. It will be interesting to see where I end up. I don't really care, because after each of the other two, I've managed to get back to normal (although with the other two, I was 27 and 30...and now I'm 34, so who knows if that will hold true). However, this was an interesting little stroll through my records. Made me glad I kept those pregnancy journals!!
We still don't have a name for the little guy. Kicking around several, but not settling on anything. Here are our parameters - we like three syllable names that you can abbreviate to a solid one syllable nickname. We generally like "Old Testament" slash "Classic" names. Three that we love, that are out of the running due to selfish relatives whjo have already snatched them up (ha, ha) are Samuel, Alexander and Noah. Suggestions welcome!!
I went to the doctor yesterday and had gained four pounds in the last 9 days. Yowza! But since bed rest doesn't exactly afford a lot of "calorie burning", it shouldn't have surprised me. I have now gained 34 lbs. to date with this pregnancy.
For kicks, I went back through my pregnancy journals with Squash and Noodle to see how my weight gain has stacked up... with Squash, I gained a total of 57 lbs. With Noodle, 44 lbs. I basically weighed the same each month with all three of them...until we hit the 7th month! Entering month 6 with all 3 babies, I weighed about 137 lbs. (so a gain of about 20-22). Entering month 7 with Squash, I weighed 151. But with Noodle at the same time, I only weighed 139. With this baby, I weighed 141. It will be interesting to see where I end up. I don't really care, because after each of the other two, I've managed to get back to normal (although with the other two, I was 27 and 30...and now I'm 34, so who knows if that will hold true). However, this was an interesting little stroll through my records. Made me glad I kept those pregnancy journals!!
We still don't have a name for the little guy. Kicking around several, but not settling on anything. Here are our parameters - we like three syllable names that you can abbreviate to a solid one syllable nickname. We generally like "Old Testament" slash "Classic" names. Three that we love, that are out of the running due to selfish relatives whjo have already snatched them up (ha, ha) are Samuel, Alexander and Noah. Suggestions welcome!!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
What's Happening?
Want to know what's happening with me?
A whole lot of nothing.
Baby has now been baking 31.5 weeks. I've been on bed rest for 16 days and counting. Every day from here on out is "the most important one" left for baby, so I'll be staying put for the next several weeks.
Still trying to figure out a *name* for this little guy...
And one good thing about bed rest in February is that I don't have to endure the miserable cold that is swirling outside. Of course, I also don't get to do anything else outside!
A whole lot of nothing.
Baby has now been baking 31.5 weeks. I've been on bed rest for 16 days and counting. Every day from here on out is "the most important one" left for baby, so I'll be staying put for the next several weeks.
Still trying to figure out a *name* for this little guy...
And one good thing about bed rest in February is that I don't have to endure the miserable cold that is swirling outside. Of course, I also don't get to do anything else outside!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Birthday Girl
Today, I enter my last year in the coveted 18-34 demographic. I ate a huge slab of this (my favorite) cake - chocolate with whipped cream frosting - even better because my husband made it for me and the Squash declared that it is his favorite cake too. It almost made up for the fact that I have spent the week on "bed rest," after spending last Sunday night in the hospital with contractions that were much too early for this now-30-week-cooked baby. All in all, it was a good birthday. I am wishing for a good doctor visit this week, and clearance for "more activity," and a well-behaved baby who stays put until at least late March!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Sunrise
Boy, am I sick of snow. And sub-zero temperatures. And being afraid to drive anywhere. BUT...
at least we get to see beautiful pictures out our back window like this! Sunrise in Shawnee, with light snow falling.
at least we get to see beautiful pictures out our back window like this! Sunrise in Shawnee, with light snow falling.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Goodbye, Vacation
Tomorrow, it is back to school. Tonight, Squash and Noodle had one last bubbly hurrah!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Friends
In the past 2 weeks of Christmas vacationing, we've crossed a threshold at our house: Squash (6.5) and Noodle (3) have become friends. They actually play together, talk together, have arguments that are not totally irrational and resolve issues. It has been great to witness. And for the past three nights:
sleepovers! They read together for awhile, then she retires to the trundle beside his bed and they giggle and chat for a little longer. It's been so much fun to watch this transformation. Hope it continues when they are back at school (and have options besides each other!).
sleepovers! They read together for awhile, then she retires to the trundle beside his bed and they giggle and chat for a little longer. It's been so much fun to watch this transformation. Hope it continues when they are back at school (and have options besides each other!).
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