Halfway there, homies!

October 30, 2015

Forgive me, Blogger, for I have sinned. It’s been over a month since my last post. :) My sincerest apologies for the extended hiatus! As most of you know, I do have a pretty good excuse – it’s been quite the month of nuptials, and I’ve been living in a constant state of airplanes and suitcases for the last 4 weeks.

Fort Lauderdale view

I’m finally home in Iowa for a few days this week – and then back to STL on Monday for a full workweek in the office and a grand finale to the Fall wedding event(s) with a dual evening of receptions on Saturday. Adam and I are literally going to be driving from one party to another; I’ll be changing my dress in the car (praying they both still fit), and dutifully making a bloated bridesmaid appearance for both of my gals. Woop!

#isurvived2soberweddings

I’ve warned Adam that as soon as that wraps up – it’s gonna be full on Baby T Prep time. I’m already feeling anxiety about getting the nursery ready and registering, etc.  We’re going to turn the guest room upstairs into the baby room – which means finding a way to move and/or consolidate a massive dresser that I have in there… full of MY clothes. Admittedly, I’m a hoarder – especially with clothes and shoes – and I just don’t know how I’m going to get rid of and/or dramatically decrease what’s in those drawers. Reality check #27 on this pregnancy train: the kid and his or her presence will take precedence over your 6 drawers full of workout clothes and pajama pants.

Pinterest example that will never end up like it's supposed to: I like the idea of a family tree for decor in there... but I do NOT want to paint. 

We hit 20 weeks on Monday - which is super EXCITING! But also daunting (here comes negative Nancy) – I’m only halfway there?!? Twenty more weeks to go… how can that be? In all seriousness, I feel like I’ve come a long way – hopefully the latter half will be an even better experience. And I’m sure that with the holidays around the corner, time is gonna fly… March will be here before we know it.

With the passing of 20 weeks, we got to have a big appointment with the weird gel that gets squirted on my stomach and a slightly strange technician who rubs a device all over and stares at a screen: the ultrasound! All in all – everything is good – Truebe Tyke is right on track! All fingers/toes and organs are looking good; and he or she is even measuring in the 82^nd percentile for growth at this stage – 1) how in the world do they figure this stuff out? And 2) why am I so proud of this factoid??

This is the time when we could find out the sex, as well – but we asked to be kept in the dark. Adam is wavering big time – he’s never been as resolute as me in keeping the sex a surprise (which is kind of shocking) – so I asked Ron (the technician) to put the results in an envelope that we could take home in case it strikes our fancy or we decide we just can’t wait any longer to find out. Which wasn’t really the brightest moment for me, because now that it’s here… in my possession… and I’m home all day long by myself… I’m kind of dying to find out. But I’ve stayed strong thus far! (It’s been ~30 hours).

I do think that regardless, we’re going to keep it a surprise for the rest of the world, so I’m sorry, my friends – you’ll probably have to wait with bated breath for the news to hit the livewire come March! Which drives my mom crazy, I’m aware. And since I can’t have a few drinks, get a little loose-lipped and let the secret slip (which has been known to happen in my younger days) – I think it’ll actually stay on lock-down!

What’s funny is that Adam and I are both just so excited about having a baby, I can HONESTLY say I don’t have a preference – and he agrees. Other than the name debacle weighing on my psyche, I am seriously going to be happy and content as a clam - no matter if we have a girl that I will ridiculously spoil with adorable dresses and headbands, or a boy who will undoubtedly have extremely stylish hats and suspender outfits to flaunt.

I’m pretty much full-blown showing now – but it’s not always totally noticeable, depending on what I’m wearing. And I’m still not putting on weight quite like I should, but the doctor’s not concerned as I’m just under the average and wasn’t a Nicole Richie before getting pregnant. It’s a difficult and strange thing to grapple with… feeling yourself expand and get heavier and not fight the urge to be upset or do something about it. I have taken it upon myself to eat more of what I want and indulge more frequently… and I’ve also taken advantage of being a little lazier than I might normally – but I’m also making sure I’ve got the good stuff happening too – tons of H20, fruit and staying pretty active when I can. And when I don’t want to get off the couch and make myself a smoothie, I use the time-honored excuse to Adam that I’m growing a life inside of me, and I’d love his assistance. He takes good care of me!

And speaking of smoothies – you guys will love to hear the spectrum of sizing that my apps gave me this week: papaya, mango, banana! That totally sounds like a delicious concoction you'd get at Jamba Juice, doesn’t it?!  Maybe if I bring back the Jamaican spirit of a few weeks ago, we’ll name the kid Triple T: Thunder (our favorite resort employee) Tropical Truebe.

Mandatory: if we name our child that, we have to move here.

I must wrap this up as on the one weekend in the next 2+ months where we actually did not have plans, I’ve managed to book us up on both nights – tonight, we’re hosting a neighborhood bonfire, and I’ve got cheesy potatoes to whip up and ghost paper lanterns to finish; and tomorrow, we’re heading to Ursa/Mendon for the big hometown high school football playoff game. Supportin’ the U – Go Mustangs!

In the spirit of the holiday, tonight I’m thinking about wearing a black shirt for the party, and then gluing a white circle with an “8” on it to my bump and answering people all night with snarky one-liners –

Little kid from down the street: “Annie, can I have another s’more?”

Me: “Outlook not so good.”

LOL – Q: do I maybe have too much time on my hands today to think about these things?

A: As I see it, yes.

Happy Halloween!

Awesome, little crafty item I found while antiquing in Muskie a few weeks ago.
I'm old, I've accepted it. 

Current Name Prospect: Avocado Dill Pickle Truebe

September 27, 2015

It’s a strange phenomenon, this thing called pregnancy. Time both creeps and flies. I feel energetic and great one minute and then feel exhausted and gross the next. I am absolutely starving any given hour, but then can only eat a few bites and end up being disgusted at what I ingested. And I experience such strong, overwhelming feelings of love and gracious adoration for Adam -- and then feel like I hate every stupid smirk on his face and word out of his mouth. It is a GD rollercoaster! For the record, I always go back to loving him – he just really pisses me off sometimes. Like when he leaves huge puddles of water on the bathroom sink, and I set my phone, makeup brush, etc. right in them.

I bought a chalkboard for easier "bump" photo documentation. 
And I told Adam if he made a snarky comment, I'd throw it at him or break it over his head. 
I'm joking - but I honestly can't be held responsible for what Hormonal Annie might do. 

Needless to say, I’m pretty sure he’s always thought I was a little crazy – but it’s on another level at this stage in our lives. But just as I have promised to try to rein it in sometimes, he’s vowed to work on his sensitivity to my over-sensitivity right now.

And speaking of crazy, I have several of these ridiculous, but quite interesting and informative apps on my phone that give daily updates and send major hoopla to my inbox with each passing week. According to several of them, the baby is the size of an avocado in Week 16 and is the length of a dill pickle.  Ummmm…. what?! Come on! Most of these make us laugh, because it’s really hard to imagine and quite comical to compare – but I still read every damn word.  I feel like it’s extremely important to soak up every tip, trick and to-do list possible right now – because most days, I honestly feel overwhelmed.  I finally bit the bullet and shared our news into the viral world of social media. I’m actually just glad it’s done and out now – due to the “announcement” being so overhyped these days, I was spending far too much time thinking about it, looking up ideas and stressing out over it. And Adam was (again) pissing me off about it. But it is so nice how many friends and family are sending their well wishes.

It only took about 38 takes - Murph's a pro.

Overall, we’ve had a good couple of weeks – I’m trying to sign up for short 5K races every few months to keep my exercise on track. There’s been quite a bit of traveling with weekend excursions here and there, and I’ve reached the point where I no longer have to demonstrably hide the fact that I’m not my usual, old self, so that’s a plus. What I am attempting to still do at this point is what I’m calling “conceal and carry.” As in – until it’s completely and totally noticeable that I have a bump that is directly tied to a human growing in my stomach, I’d prefer it not look like I have put on some pudge or let the beer gut get out of hand.  So, I’m more purposeful with my wardrobe choices and am looking forward to wearing more clothes and layering as the seasons change. I had to take the plunge and pull the ol’ hairtie through the buttonhole trick to get some jeans on yesterday. But in my defense – they were a high-waisted pair that didn’t have a lot of “give”!

What’s currently both exciting me to no end, and stressing me to the max is attempting to execute my packing plan of attack for Jenn’s Jamaican wedding.  The guest room is a total disaster with piles of clothes and shoes (I’m nine days from departure, mind you) – and I’m ordering last minute items that I think I might need like a wild woman. Today’s purchase: three new (larger) strapless bandeau bras. Exciting stuff, folks!

It's gonna get way worse...

I’ll wrap up this post with a quick summary of the pros and cons of life as I know it right now.

Pros: Way more energy, better appetite, Fall is here (it’s my favorite season), and I found out that I officially have 3 other friends expecting at the same time as me (Cynthia, Kallie and Miranda).  My current favorite foods are most desserts, peaches with a little dusting of sugar and milk (something my mom always used to make), white cheddar Cheetos, anything with peanut butter, and yogurt with blueberries and granola.

Cons: Sporadic, debilitating headaches (luckily only had 2 so far), Charlie horses in my legs and feet that come on in the middle of the night and lead to difficulty falling back to sleep, some lower back pain/discomfort, just a few bouts with crying and moodiness (Adam might disagree), and feeling large and in charge and bloated.

Prepare yourselves... it's about to get schmaltzy.

However, even with all of my whining – I pray every night that everything is okay and he or she is healthy and growing; and every day, I’m so thankful that I get to experience what I am – and we have such an exciting adventure to look forward to.  It’s totally nuts and magical and exhilarating, yet overwhelming to think that in under six months – we’re going to have a child to take care of. There’s going to be something in the world so much more important than either of us (or Murphy) – and for all the trouble the first three months have been (and it hasn’t even been that bad compared to what I’ve read about and heard from others) – I am just straight-up grateful and thrilled. And as Owen Wilson's character from Armageddon says “I’ve got that excited/scared feeling. Like 98% excited, 2% scared. Or maybe it’s more – it could be two – it could be 98% scared, 2% excited, but that’s what makes it so intense – it’s so confusing!”

And I am not blind to the fact that I just associated my pending childbirth and parenting role to an outer space shuttle takeoff towards a destructive, world-ending asteroid.

Totally comparable, right? :)

Week 14... here I come!

Since we last conversed via the blog, my dear friends and family, I have entered a new stage of life known as the 2^nd trimester of pregnancy – and although many people PROMISED me it would be… I have to say it’s not all sunshine and roses… not yet anyway. I will say that I have WAY more energy – and it’s one of those things where I don’t totally notice that I feel that much better, but I look back on the day and think, “Wow – I didn’t desperately feel like I needed a nap at 1pm today. That’s gotta be good, right?”

Unfortunately, in nausea and exhaustion’s place have come headaches and dizziness – which aren’t as bad, but aren’t what I’d consider to be a fair and even trade at this point either. In addition to those pleasant ailments, I have horrible seasonal allergies that have attacked with some serious punch as Fall blows in – and the number of used Kleenex’s in every trash can in the house and violent sneezing that can be heard from 2 houses down is out of control. Fortunately, I’ve been given clearance to take Tylenol for the head and Claritin for the nose by my lady doctor, so I’m medicated when I need to be – although it rarely helps. Okay -- enough complaining!

 So – right after I last posted, AT and I took a celebratory one-year anniversary weekend trip to good ol’ Wisconsin Dells. It was great. Many pros and cons – one major PRO was the B&B/room that we rented – it was lovely and cozy. CON = very hoosh tourists at every turn. The town itself is quite hilarious with it’s likeness to Branson and being the #1 waterpark capital IN THE WORLD – but we made the best of it and dutifully divided the weekend into an Adam Day and an Annie Day. Adam’s Day consisted of hiking, kayaking and going to an affordable Wisconsin supper club dinner, where the clientele ranged in age from 65-90 years, and we walked to Dairy Queen on the way home. Annie’s Day involved a trip to the spa for massages; some lounging and reading at the pool, and a fancier sunset dinner cruise to close out the weekend. We both agreed that my day won. Boom!

But I did forget to pack my selfie stick.

First trimester symptoms were still in full force while we were away, so my bedtime came and went each night around 9pm, and I couldn’t eat as many cheese curds as I would have normally liked – but overall, it was a fabulous time. And I should really show more appreciation to Adam for it, because he planned the whole thing.  And he didn't get to take full advantage of the beer and nightlife since he had the ol' sleepy, fat bag lady to take home after dinner each evening. He’s a good egg, that Truebe kid! J

Upon our return, I had my 12-week doctor’s appointment – and thankfully, everything is looking great! We got to hear the baby’s heartbeat, and the doctor (and of course the student accompanying her – which ALWAYS happens to me) agreed that both Truebe Tyke and the gal housing him or her seem to be making wonderful progress. Phew! I don’t go back to the doctor until the very beginning of October, so I guess I’ll just plan to keep on keepin’ on at this point. My belly’s got nowhere else to go but out, right?!

Unfortunately, I have not gotten my appetite back on track quite yet… I have actually ingested a couple vegetables – steamed broccoli seems to smell great (very odd, because it usually does not) and taste delicious right now, once I load it up with some butter and S&P, of course. And I’ll still skip a meal here and there – mostly because work is absolutely freakin’ crazy and terrible right now, and I have to talk to clients and schedule meetings over the lunch hour – but Adam would be very proud of me today because I had a ½ grapefruit, some type of natural nut/honey/oat bar and cup of coffee for breakfast, some Goldfish as a snack, and a leftover hamburger, cottage cheese and a banana for lunch. Yes – these are the things that I brag about to him and ask for gratification.

Truebe Tyke sucking his/her little baby thumb

We had a very low-key and super productive Labor Day weekend that involved a hike to a local national state park near Muskie called Wildcat State Den (which was kind of awesome), a visit from my mom, major cleaning, and me bringing out the Fall decs (Adam loves the accumulation of 18 pumpkins to the home décor he sees every day), a trip to see Lena/BK and meet some of their QCA friends, and the purchase of… wait for it… a new stove and dishwasher!! I’ve been nagging the ol’ ball and chain about the need for these upgraded appliances since I moved in a year ago – so this is a very exciting milestone! Next up – new countertops and carpet for the living room upstairs J

Peach on board

We’ve been slowly but surely disseminating the news to a broader audience – Adam’s telling his work peeps, I’ve clued in a few of my colleagues – but the question remains about how we make it totally public and official…. Yes, the elusive Facebook announcement! Now, I have plans for this occasion (obvi) – BIG PLANS -- but as we all know Adam, he’s against each of my ideas, 100%. He has even threatened to “out me” with a rare status update of his own that just says “We pregs” – with Annie Truebe (via the tag). IF this happens, please be aware that a reign of terror will come down on him, and if you expect to see him at any upcoming family gatherings or trips to the brewery, he may NOT show up, because he will be black and blue from the beating I will give him. Hormonal Annie has strength beyond her means!! But really – I’m usually pretty smart, tactful and tasteful with my social media actions – and Adam claims that he loves me for it – so I’m torn between doing something girly/typical and finding something cute/unique that Adam doesn’t want to crawl in a hole and die over.

Jenn sent these to me via Etsy - and it didn't let her leave a gift message, so I literally opened it, got teary-eyed 'cause I love them, and then almost cried again 'cause I didn't know who to thank. 

Mystery solved though - Ghorms is the best.

So – more to come on the Facebook debacle, and many other topics as I continue on this adventure of growing a human – and hopefully you’ll see something come out via public service announcement before the next time I write a blog post.

XOXO

Here we go...

Well, this is my first attempt at what the cool kids call “blogging.” I’ve been inspired -- and actually have been procrastinating for several weeks now to get started – due to the extremely exciting and terrifying fact that Adam and I are expecting our first child. Well, let me rephrase: we’re actually expecting for the 2^nd time – but I’ll talk more about that at a later date.

I’m approaching the 12-week mark, which makes me happier than anyone knows. That’s the time period where all of my apps, articles and other research and blog posts point to as entering the safe zone. Or when the chances of miscarriage drastically decrease. And it’s when most doctors/experts seem to agree and recommend that it’s perfectly okay to start spreading the news.

As I mentioned, I wish I’d started documenting this journey several weeks ago – because a whole lot has happened since July 6, 2015 – which is the date I took a pregnancy test, and it revealed a plus sign. Immediately after peeing on a stick that morning, I went into Adam’s changing room/my little home office, a little teary and tired/bleary-eyed (due to the fact it was around 6:30am) – and told him the news. We didn’t jump and scream, cry or shout. We hugged and kissed and both started processing the news in our own quiet ways. Adam went to work, and I finished packing for my flight to St. Louis.

Finding out you’re 4 weeks pregnant – and immediately entering a world to which you’re not really accustomed to every day (which is a regular, in-office work environment, with colleagues and friends nearby, to talk to, chat with and engage in personal interaction) is tough. You’re absolutely reeling on the inside… with excitement, fear, joy and anxiety – and you have to hide that in the kosher world of not talking about being pregnant too soon. I even spent 2 evenings with a great, close friend (Kendra Householder, the pigeon head) and couldn’t reveal what I was experiencing.

A few more weeks passed by – of course containing weekend obligations that included a 15-year class reunion, an Egan family White Sox game, a Kayser family reunion and a trip back to the Adams County Fair. All of which I had to endure while living a lie and acting as though I was the same old Annie… which is sincerely so hard to do when everything about your previous life and behavior indicates that something is off/different when you’re not enjoying a nice (probably fruity) beer or glass of wine. But I kept it under wraps as best I could… the last two weekends have been particularly brutal in that department because I had back-to-back bridal showers and bachelorette parties for my good friends, Klodt and Jenn. I’m standing up in both of their (destination) weddings, approaching in October – so bridesmaid duties were in full force!  As was the consumption of copious amounts of wine, beer, cocktails, cigarettes, party favors, gifts and late nights. I participated in the last 3 on that list. 

Revealing the news to the close friends involved in both events was also inevitable. And to be honest – that is something that’s both so exciting, but also somewhat nerve-wracking and hard to do… I have many friends in many different stages of life, and the serial people-pleaser in me experiences anxiety at the thought of dropping this type of bombshell on the friends of mine who might not necessarily be on the same timeline. It’s a major change – and I’m understanding of the fact that not only will things be changing for me, but the way I can hang/behave could have effects on my friendships too. And not in a bad way… life will just never be the same.  And it’s a little scary and will take some getting used to. Regardless, I know that all of my family and friends love me and are happy for us – and everyone has been so supportive so far. Adam and I are a couple lucky cats.

Now, when I’m not faking it till I make it on the weekends, I’m experiencing what I’ve come to learn are very dreaded and debilitating first trimester symptoms. Starting right around week 7 (after which I decided to run a 7 mile Bix race with Adam and his mom) – I started feeling very weird and sick to my stomach… just smack in the middle of the day. And exhausted – I’ve had to start taking naps when I can. And my boobs are sore like nothing I’ve ever felt before. But the worst kicker is what this growing child has done to my appetite/taste buds. NOTHING really sounds good to me to eat. And I’m an eater. I LOVE food and everything it represents. With Adam being the primary chef in the household, we typically eat a lot of meat and veggies for dinner. And normally, I’m perfectly okay with that. But for close to 2 months now, if he comes at me with a piece of grilled chicken, beef or pork – he knows to expect a mean mug and possible vomit coming his way, because I can’t handle it! Now – if the beef patty is encompassed by a bun, cheese and mustard/pickle/onion – and it arrived in a bag with a big M on it… then miraculously, I’m okay with it. Damn you, hormones!! I still can’t do chicken at all yet though… hopefully that will retreat so I can take advantage of my life-long love of the 6-piece nugs soon. 

Ironically, what really seems to strike my fancy these days is the paleo-lovers nightmare: pasta, bread, potatoes and cereal. Gimme the carbs, my friends! I have done what I can to decrease the caffeine in my life… although I wasn’t really a fiend before. One cup of coffee every couple of days gets me by. And I drink H20 like it’s my job. Which results in peeing ALL THE TIME.  I think due to the fact that I can’t eat regularly or adequately, I’ve actually lost a few pounds since getting pregnant… but I’m fully prepared for that boat to turn south.  I’m really trying to keep October in mind though – and although I can’t do anything about my midsection at this point, I’m trying to stay on the up-and-up with cardio (hence my Fitbit/step-count obsession), my arms (I really need to find a good arm workout), and my butt/legs (I need to get on the squat train). However, I’ve been so damn tired and feeling disgusting lately, that it’s a big win if I simply get Murph out on a long walk any given day. 

Speaking of Murph, Adam and I have been talking to him quite a bit about how he’ll have a new sibling arriving in March. He’ll actually be 12 at that point – which is ~80 in dog years. So technically, I’m envisioning this to be more of a grouchy, but loving, grandpa situation on our hands. I’d be lying if I said I’m not a tiny bit worried with how he’ll handle it. After all, he’s been my little boy and only dog-child for many years now… and he’s fiercely and erratically protective, as most family and friends are aware. I’m reading up on best ways to acclimate your dog to a new baby, and we’ll just have to make the best of it.

We think we’ve decided to be surprised by the sex of the baby – although, we’ll see how I handle the patience and curiosity after 20 weeks comes along. I’ve started a list of names – but of course, there aren’t really any Girl names that Adam and I completely agree on yet. Hopefully, I can wear him down… I do have 6 months after all!

What I’m most excited about at this stage is just owning and embracing what’s happening to my body and our futures… Adam and I have never faked that we don’t love the lives we lead right now. We do. We love our young(ish), married life together. With few responsibilities (besides Murph) and the flexibility that gives us, neither of us are blind to the fact that this new stage of life and transition is going to be hard. I know it will be… there will be days where we hate it. But I also know that the end result and getting through the hard times will be so worth it. We’ll get to bring up a child with all of the values, knowledge and unrealistic judgment that we think we’ve garnered from watching other people raise kids and telling ourselves we won't do the exact same things… haha! And it’s going to be an amazing thing to have someone call me “Mom” and watch Adam become the wonderful father that I know he will be.

Also, we might be giving birth to a true leprechaun if we play our cards right – so that’s an exciting prospect. First, both my mom and Adam’s dad are redheads and Irish heritage in my family is strong. Second, my due date is March 13^th, which is dangerously close to St. Patrick’s Day. I feel it’s only fitting that God gives my mom another ginger grandchild on or near her favorite holiday… the kid will be eating corned beef and cabbage by his or her 1^st birthday.

But first… let’s get through the next few months, shall we? Who am I kidding – with the way I feel, let’s please get me through the next few hours, days and weeks with no mean outbursts towards Adam, no barfing in public and maybe a vegetable or two in my life. Many friends of mine with kids promise that after week 12, it’s like a fog is lifted and suddenly you feel like yourself again… or even better. 

I CANNOT wait.