Convex

This evening I caught glimpse of myself in the mirror and exclaimed, "Holy cow, I'm BIG!"

"Poochie!" Terry commented agreeably.

So I had to get him to take a picture.

Here I am at five months pregnant, in front of the fridge - my newly favorite appliance in the world.

Update on how I'm doing

I'm sick - I started getting a sore throat a few days ago, and then it developed into stuffy nose, feeling tired and run-down, and now a dry cough. But I saw the Dr. today and she said I could take Sudafed safely. But mostly I should drink lots of liquids (which I have been - just short of hooking up an orange juice IV! I warm it up in the microwave and add honey - yum!) and get enough rest. Last night I slept really well for 11 hours (with the usual bathroom/snack breaks of course). I've taken to leaving a banana on the kitchen counter so that when I get up in the night, I have a bite to eat and drink some water. It seems to help me get back to sleep after I wake up.

I'm feeling better today; I was very energized for my class that I'm teaching and have felt pretty good since then. Nothing like standing up in front of 17 pairs of eyes to get the adrenaline going!

In further medical news, the Dr. said that I'm "young, healthy, in good shape, tall" and overall low-risk - so there's no reason I couldn't have a midwife-assisted birth! I liked it that she said I'm young :-) But it's up to me. So I'm going to schedule an appt. to talk with the midwives and just check 'em out. The clinic I go to was described by Terry as somewhat "impersonal" and by another woman who goes there as "not much love," but they're very competent and efficient and those things are more reassuring to me than touchy-feely-ness. In any case, I just want to see if the midwives are more personable while maintaining the overall professionalism of the practice.

Next month I get to do the routine glucose test, as well.

So far this semester is going really well. It's great having Terry here full-time! I had a little (hormonal?) melt-down this morning when I couldn't find my keys, but other than that I'm having a great time - the class I'm teaching is going phenomenally well, and the classes I'm taking are likewise good. I find myself looking forward to the work of each day. Of course... this could be hormonal too! But I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!!!

Baby pictures!

These are not as cute as the ones you'll get after June, but they're what we have right now. In some ways I think they're a little creepy, but also kind of cool. Top to bottom:

1) View of back and head - head is to the right; you can see the outline of the cranium.

2) The money shot! This one was taken for cuteness, rather than for measurement (which is the primary purpose of the sonogram). Here you can see the face, at the right of the screen, at a 3/4 angle. The easiest part to pick out is the nose (I think it looks like Terry!), with two dark spots for eyes, and a dark area above that is the brain. Right next to the cheek you can see the little hand in a fist!



3) Here you see the legs and feet; what shows up most clearly are the bones, but the legs are probably pretty skinny right now anyway. Although baby is definitely developing muscles, as I can attest from the kicking! The feet are at the far left.

4) This is the hardest to make out: forearms and hands. You see that lighter spot surrounded by dark? That's the nose and mouth, and the rest of the face is in "shadow." The two horizontal bits are the forearms, and the hands are at the right-end of each.

The technician had to try some pretty odd angles to get these shots, because of how the baby is oriented right now. Basically s/he is head down, with back and bottom up along my left. Knees are curled up against the belly and the arms are as you see them. I feel the most kicks and prods on the right and in the middle.

The Pea Pod sweater in progress is turning out rather big - I think it might get put away until summer '09 . . . so I'm thinking for the moment I might go back to baby blankets. I'm really not sure what to knit for a summer baby!

I'm such a nerd...

I love the first day of school... I'm so ready to be back, and I feel so lucky to be here. It's bitterly cold outside but we have heat and electricity and internet connections and libraries full of books. I'm flush with second-trimester energy and looking forward to meeting my students in about an hour! I even brought my own apple :-)

Loves Music!

Last night Terry and I went to see a play, which turned out to be a musical comedy - it was terrific, very funny, creative, with warm and likeable characters. The best part was that during all the most lively (loudest?) songs I could feel the baby moving A LOT - kicking, wiggling, ... dancing? It was really, really fun. In fact, the first time I felt movement at all I had my laptop on my lap playing music with the speakers right next to my belly. I think this baby likes music!

Back in the Game

I knew the first trimester was over when I got my knitting mojo back. For three months I didn't even really feel like picking up the needles... now I'm definitely back in the game!

Last week I finished knitting the Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl, and here it is! The top two photos show the finished shawl before (left) and after (right) washing and blocking. It is so drapey and soft, I just love touching it.

These dimly lit pictures show what it looks like during blocking - big picture and close-up. It was a much faster knit than I expected - took me almost exactly four weeks - and was quite fun. I only had a little trouble at the point, and had to improvise to make it symmetrical.

Currently I have on the needles another version of the convertible mitten/gloves I made before, and the Pea Pod sweater I also made before. Next in queue: scarf/hat set from Australian yarn!

p.s. forgot to say - I used alpaca yarn I bought in Peru, 1 kilo on a cone with no manufacturers label - but it was perfect for this project :-)

smells like...spring?

We've been taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather by taking long walks outside - although today the wind nearly took our breath away! Almost all the ice on Beebe has melted, and the grass is a brilliant green everywhere. It's very strange!

I'm knitting the lace border on the shawl and hope to block it this weekend.

We had a good visit with the doctor yesterday; heard a healthy heartbeat and got back integrated screening test results - all normal :-) Yay! Also my blood pressure was down to 122/64, which is possibly my lowest reading ever. I'm feeling little kicks every day now - it's great :-)

Back in Ithaca!

It's a dreary winter day here, but I'm cozy in our little apartment. We had the perfect break in VA: sleeping, reading, knitting, and a little baking. I put together two jigsaw puzzles with Dot (MIL) and ate and napped whenever I felt like it!

Meanwhile, these pictures are old but they make me happy :-) Congratulations, Anita and David!