Spring in Wilmington

Spring has officially arrived in Wilmington. With it, we Wilmingtontonians get to enjoy the beautiful blooming azaleas and dogwoods. Here is a picture of the nice arrangement that Chris picked from our yard this week.

Unfortunately, spring in Wilmington also means that everything outdoors (cars, decks, sidewalks, etc) are covered with a film of yellow dust--otherwise know as pollen. I never minded the pollen too much before. Ugly, but I'll take it with the warm weather. But since I've been pregnant, I have had sinus trouble like I never did before. I get bloody noses, headaches, and general sluggishness from stuffy sinuses. I have heard a few other pregnant women complain about this, but I understand it's not an extremely common symptom of pregnancy. Today I realized that I am suddenly sensitive to pollen, along with just about everybody else. Here's a picture of our front porch covered in it. The porch is usually dark brown.

One more note of interest. I finally found time to stop by the natural baby store in the Cotton Exchange today. I had learned about it at the Holistic Maternity and Family Fair a few weeks back, when I spoke to the owner who very patiently showed me the various types of cloth diapers that are now available. She actually made them seem usable, using her child in a sling on her hip as an example. She explained that cloth diapers have come a long way, baby--they are fitted, much more absorbent, and easier to clean than in the old days. I know that they may not work at all times in all situations, but I hope to use them in addition to disposables. The savings in cost and to the environment just make too much sense not to try them.

This quaint little store in a historic shopping area offers registries, but not on-line. They do have a web site, and people who are looking for a "green gift" can e-mail or call them for my registry. Which brings me to my favorite thing about this store--the name, "You Are My Sunshine". My mom always sang this song to me when I was younger, and she even cross-stitched a wall hanging for me with a rainbow and that phrase. Have I mentioned how much I love my mom? I love you mom!

The Black-Eyed Pea

Since I don't have much news to report at the moment, I thought I'd take this opportunity to post my early ultrasounds. I have photos from 3 that were taken in the first 10 weeks--at 5 1/2 weeks (the black-eyed pea), 6 1/2 weeks (the blob with a heart beat), and 9 1/2 weeks (when he actually started to look like a tiny baby). The last one is the photo that Chris and I and our parents loved and adored until the more recent ones at 4 months.

Because of the timing of my last visit and the fact that everything has been going smoothly so far, I have 7 weeks in between OB visits. My next one is scheduled for April 2.

My Surrogate Husband

If you read the last post, you know that I sometimes have a need for a surrogate husband. My friend Susan* has filled this role splendidly for many years, and mostly that has entailed being my date to parties that Chris didn't want to go to. Lately, though, she has taken the role to a whole new level.

On Saturday, she accompanied me to a holistic maternity and family fair. We learned about doulas and cloth diapers and got free massages and reiki treatments. When someone asked Susan if she was expecting and I said "She's expecting my baby", I immediately felt the need to clarify, "but we're just friends". We then ate pizza and took a walk on the beach.

Since Carolina did, in fact, make it to the finals of the ACC tournament, Susan came with me on Sunday to my partner prenatal yoga class. I felt bad for her, because she did very little yoga and mostly just helped me in my poses, but she said she enjoyed it. The instructor ended the class by having my surrogate husband massage my feet. I must say, she was very good at it. I am glad, too that I have a friend who can help me with the poses when I need it.

I'm sure there will be many more uses for my surrogate husband in the months and years to come, and I'm glad to have her. I hope I can fill the role for her as well as she has filled it for me.

*Most of you know I have two good friends named Susan. Here, I am of course referring to the one who lives in Wilmington, Susan Wood. Although I'm sure my other friend, Susan Wenner Jackson who lives in Cincinnati, would also make a great surrogate husband.


More on that Surrogate Husband thing...

Chris here. It is with a little guilt I write this as I didn't attend the Yoga class, but I am also very very grateful to Susan for standing in for me, which as Andrea notes, she has done before. In fact, she's done so for as long as Andrea and I have known each other, which has been upwards of 13 years. Even back in college, I would be goofing off with Ed, and Susan would be the Surrgoate date for Andrea (and vice versa of course). Susan has also volunteered to clean our cat's litter box (and her sister Melody too), while we have been away, and there have been times when she has just done nice little things. without asking.

So thank you Susan! Where would we be without you! On another note, thanks to Andrea for being a good sport and letting me go watch the game (and Nascar race). It was a thrill to see UNC win again, and my buddies Warren, Jeff, Andy and (eventually Breese) were all glad I could be there to watch it with them.

Talleybaby appreciates it, too, as somebody had to fill him in on the details of the game. :-)

Chris

A Lot Rides on This Game!

Chris here. So, today at 1ish, UNC plays Virginia Tech, and the victor goes to the ACC championship. The loser: does partner Yoga!

Yep, that's right! You see, long before this ACC tourney, Andrea signed up for her prenatal yoga class and failed to mention to me that I was signed up for particular days as well, and one of those days was the Championship Game Day of the ACC tourney--something I have always watched since I was a kid...

So here we were, confronted with this...issue. Go to Talleybaby Yoga class, or watch the ACC game. We made a compromise. If UNC wins, I can watch the game. If they lose, Yoga. Fair enough, and I think Talley Baby would agree with our decision (although he probably would rather watch the B-Ball game even if UNC isn't in it). :-)

So.......GO HEELS!

Chris

Kicking Out the the Cats

We have been married for almost 9 years, and for 9 years, it has been me, Chris, and our two cats in our household. We love our cats, and they are spoiled because of it. As you can see, napping with the cats is an art form around our house. They sleep in our bed, sit on our laps, and generally provide entertainment and lounging. For more proof about how much we love our cats, visit their blog. Of course with all the lounging about that they love to do, they haven’t found time to post lately.

But all that is getting ready to change. Not only are naps going to become a thing of the past, but the cats will be moving out. You see, they are not all fun and games. They keep a messy litter box (and don’t always use it), they jump on everything, eat any food we leave out, and would generally be a hindrance to the raising of a small baby.

Our neighborhood has lots of feral cats and even packs of wild dogs, so our pampered house cats would certainly perish in the tough animal world of our neighborhood. So we are renovating our two-story detached garage. Not only will this give our cats a place to live, but Chris will have an office in the second story. He is working from home now, so he will get to spend a lot of time with the cats out there.

Still, whenever we are snuggling with Sierra or laughing at Nevada, I feel a twinge of guilt. They have no idea how their lives are getting ready to change. While Chris will still see them a lot, I definitely won’t see them as often. And they will be sleeping somewhere other than in our bed at night. But we will have a new joy in our lives, and I’m sure that my cat-guilt will soon be replaced by another, grander guilt—the guilt of the working mom.

Half-way there!

My mom said she thinks that what our loved ones out of town are most interested in is seeing pictures of me advancing through the pregnancy. Well, at Talleybaby, you get what you ask for! I am now at 4 ½ months—exactly half-way through a 40-week term. Looking a little more pregnant, I suppose, but it is still not obvious to many, even people who know me! I have also found that some days I look much more pregnant than others, depending on my clothing. Clothing for tall pregnant women is not easy to come by, by the way. I am doing a lot of shopping and not much buying. For the first time in my life, I am having alterations done professionally.

It is hard to believe that I’m halfway already. On the one hand, it seems like the first 4 ½ months went so fast, but on the other, I can’t believe I still have 4 ½ to go! I’m glad though, because we still have so much to do to get ready. We have absolutely nothing right now, except the bedding set (which I love) and a cute bib from Grandma Talley.