11 weeks and counting (me and the fig-sized baby)

Someone asked me recently if I'm getting a baby bump. I said "no." But the more I look at it, the more I think I should be saying "kinda." I thought my belly just looked kinda bloated because it's nighttime and I'm always more bloated in the evenings, even normally. But when I wasn't pregnant, I could suck in my belly and go back to relatively-flat (for me, keep in mind).


Now when I suck in my belly, even as hard as I can, there is still a noticeable bump. So, yeah, I guess I do have a bit of a baby bump, even this early.

I told my boss today that I am pregnant, almost 3 mos (on Friday). And she was shocked, she said she couldn't even tell. So that's great. But before I get a big head about it, I haven't seen her since the holiday party in December, so it might just be because she hasn't seen me in awhile. I am going to see M this weekend in Miami and will try to get him to tell me the truth--is there a bump or isn't there?!


One thing's for sure--I am definitely not in my normal clothes anymore. I stopped even trying to use the Rock Star Mama pants adjuster as of late. Last time I wore it to dinner, I couldnt wait to get home and rip my pants off. So I figured it was time to move on. Sadly. I probably could get away with wearing my old pants longer. But it's like, why bother? I'd rather be comfortable and be wearing clothes that actually fit rather than living under the delusion that I can continue to wear my old pre-pregnancy clothes well into my second trimester, like so many women I've heard of. (skinny bitches:-)


So I've acquired some new cute clothes lately. I bought a cute pair of Citizen Maternity jeans and Seven Maternity capris from a girl on Craigslist, inherited a pair of Seven Maternity (and 2 other pairs of old navy jeans), and got a super cute dress I could definitely wear to at least 2 of the summer weddings we have coming up. Oddly, packing for my Miami trip was easy because I'm so limited in what I have that fits, I just packed what I have and what I recently bought. Done!

So far, 11 weeks of pregnancy have gone well. I've been able to hear the baby's heartbeat on our Doppler on a regular basis, so that's a nice relief. And I have another ultrasound on Monday (with BT) so we'll get to see the baby at 12 weeks. Woo hoo! I've been told this will be a super cool ultrasound, so I'm really excited.

On another note: my folks were here visiting last weekend (since M is gone for a month). It was surprisingly pleasant! We got to catch up about the baby and my progress, I got to hear about my mom's pregnancies and easy labor and deliveries with me and my brother (both of us were early by almost 2 weeks and her labor was short and sweet, YEAH!), and I was able to get the baby's heartbeat so they could hear it. Very cool.

I can tell they are excited. They are already planning what they won't be doing in September (going anywhere on vacation) so they can be here when the baby is born. And my mom has already told me to reserve a baby-shopping trip for her. It's so odd!! But also oddly nice. I think BT was on to something when she told me the story of her mom and her grandmother's relationship changing dramatically when BT was born. Good stuff.

More at Week 12!

I'm goin' to Miami.. bienvenidos a Miami

I have been mighty lame about posting this week. Perhaps it's because I've been sick since Sunday. When you're sick, it's pretty much the same from day to day--sneeze, cough, flem. Sudafed, Kleenex and Mucinex. Nothin' anyone wants to read about, right? Or just plain ole lazy. Probably a combo of both. But maybe after a weekend visiting M in Miami I'll have more to blog about.

Even though I'm going to Miami (apparently folks think this is a cool destination) we don't have much planned. I'm totally planning to just hang out with M, see The Other Boleyn Girl, read, sleep in and eat out. It's going to be fabulous. I can't wait to see him! M desperately needs a mental break from training and physical removal from his extended-stay hotel prison. I know the feeling, it sounds a lot like studying for the bar. The pressure is enormous and the training materials are [1] organized so poorly because it's a start up airline and they haven't yet created their own training program so they are relying on Airbus' and [2] translated from French. And not well. So it's been rough for him.

I've got us booked in a nice room in the Grove (Coconut Grove). I don't know what the hell is going on in Miami this weekend, but a hotel anywhere near the beach was outrageous and/or completely booked, even in North Miami Beach continuing all the way up to Fort Lauderdale (we're talking $500/night for the cheap rooms). So I opted for the Grove. It's like Burlingame but tropical. Cute restaurants, bars, boutique shops and rich people. But they hang in South Beach too (which I loathe), so I'm glad not to be in that scene. Plus it's supposed to be cooler than normal and a chance of scattered showers, so I think we'll be happy we opted for the nicer, somewhat-inland hotel rather than the sketchy beachfront hotel.

So, have a wonderful weekend here! I hear it's going to rain pretty good. But I don't feel sorry for y'all staying here at home for two reasons: [1] We've had awesome weather here the past few days, even in the City and [2] Over the gorgeous holiday weekend we had a couple weeks ago when you all were having romantic weekends with your SO's, I was flyin' solo (it was a total "couples getaway-post-Valentine's-day-long weekend" holiday.)

Cheers! Perhaps more from Miami.... or at least upon my return.

A new reason to shop

Ever since I left the practice, I've become quite an infrequent shopper. I've even stopped (gasp) shopping in stores unless it's required! I pretty much do all of my clothes and shoe shopping online now. Until recently, I've had no reason to buy anything. I have everything I need and since we were in pay-off-debt mode, I really didn't have a reason to spend money.

Now I do. Getting fatter creates a whole new need of new clothes and it's not that bad! I forgot that I like to shop! Albeit, still online, but dude. Maternity clothes have gotten a whole lot cuter, that's fo sho.

Some of my favorite bargain spots: babycenter.org (they have great brands like Japanese Weekend and Olian for much less than the actual retailer), oldnavy.com (surprisingly cute and inexpensive) craigslist for designer jeans (hello! Paige, Citizens and Sevens used!). I just found out about this new thing, Maternity Xchange. I haven't been, but I am excited to checking it out! One of the big reasons is they speak my language, "Because You're Losing Your Waist, Not Your Taste!" That's right sister!


So ladies, fear not, you don't have to look like your mom when she was pregnant with you. Bonus for you: I will be the guinea pig this time around, and hopefully you'll see me fuller but not frumpier.


Happy shopping!

*RANT WARNING* ....I hate being micromanaged

At least once per quarter my boss pisses me the fuck off. Today is that day. Despite my undeniably good performance in 2007, Boss still feels the need to stick it to me regarding some stupid-ass meeting regarding 2007 performance. (which by the way I've never had to do in person with my former boss, we did it over the phone.) Boss is a working parent so I know s/he is trying to make the schedule work for him/her and their family. I get that. But I'm trying to make mine work for me as well. So when Boss puts unreasonable demands on my time for nothing else than personal efficiency, it really chaps my ass.

I was told over email today that Boss is DEMANDING in-person meetings in the office next week between timeslot A and timeslot B. Of course I already have client appointments during 90% of the times that Boss has alotted (although s/he was careful to be out of the office by 2pm to get home for the kids, no doubt). I was trying to coordinate and see if we could meet in the middle on one of the remaining timeframes that works to make it work for both of us.

NOPE. Just like the control freak Boss is once per quarter, s/he DEMANDED that I be in the office at a particular time because of the "importance of this meeting." It's so important that Boss can't change his/her schedule at all, even though Boss rarely meets with clients personally (which is why I can't meet with Boss any other time). I have to adjust my schedule with clients to meet with Boss's schedule.

I'm fucking pissed. This is why I left firms. Because I hated my time being micromanaged by asshole partners in Big Law who felt that their time was more important than mine even though i was doing their client's work.

ARG.

Easy yummy dinner

These days I am cooking for one, so I'm going for easy and fast (yet healthy and yummy). Sometimes a tough combo because I tend to be very lazy in the cooking department when M isn't around.

I found this little gem of a soup, so I thought I'd share. Highly recommend it. The ingredients are ones I always have on hand (as do most cooks regardless of your skill level) and it's super fast and yummy! I added chicken that I boiled with the pasta for a protein element (although the egg is protein as well):

Spinach & Egg-drop Pasta Soup

1/2 pound tubetti, ditali or other small pasta
2-3 quarts chicken stock
4-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 ounces baby spinach (basically 3-4 large handfuls)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil and lemon wedges, for drizzling

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.

In a saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer with the garlic; simmer for 3 minutes. Add the pasta and spinach and cook over moderate heat until the spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper. Gently stir in the eggs, breaking them into long strands. Gently simmer the soup until the eggs are just firm, about 1 minute. Stir in the 1/2 cup of cheese. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and serve, passing lemon wedges and more cheese on the side.

*I skipped the lemon wedges part, but I do think it'd be a great addition

Courtesy of:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spinach-and-egg-drop-pasta-soup

Sorry... must.. toot.. own..horn

I'm amazed at some information I've just learned today.. it's about me and my work, so it's not earth-shattering or even very important in the grand scheme of things. But....

Early last Fall the Company I work for announced an end-of-the-year incentive program. If you increase your numbers in Q4, you'd get a bonus. (small, but still extra cash). I didn't mean to make it. I didn't even try hard. I just did what I normally do. For some reason, I was very lucky and my territory blew the s**t out of the WATER in Q4. Not only did I meet the 2% increase they wanted... I increased my territory's sales numbers by 51% in Q4. In fact, from Oct-December my territory went from 119% of goal to 170% of goal. Damn. DUDE! I cannot believe that. Most folks were in/around the 2-14% range. In fact my closest competitor was at 4%. Wow.

When I looked at the little excel sheet they sent today, there is not a single person in my market area that came CLOSE to that. (although some poor person decreased their sales numbers by 26% in Q4.

I hate to brag and normally I would tell just M. But he's in sim and I barely get 5 mins a day to talk to him.... so I'm bragging to y'all. Sorry!

I hope you all had as fabulous a day as me. I had a presentation that went AWESOME and then got the good news that my teeny tiny bonus is FINALLY going to be here because of this nugget of info. So cheers! Have a great week!

Cutie pies

Arvay's postings of Autumn and her bunnies have inspired me to post a couple of my favorite pics of my/our kitties--Sadie and Guinness.

Befitting of their personalities, they sleep together in the afternoons like yin and yang:

Have you ever seen anything so cute? They are hugging each other while they sleep. They always clean each other around nap time too. It's absolutely heartmelting :-)

Guinness, my evil genius is constantly getting into stuff. He's completely insane and for some inexplicable reason, he loves to lay in, on and around our clothes whether they're clean or dirty. He also loves to be under any sort of cover. He *thinks* he's hiding and that he's magically become invisible. It's so hilarious. Example? Here's Guinness sleeping in my camping overalls one afternoon:

And my sweet Sadie girl. She's exactly what a girl cat named Sadie should be like. A lover, a mama's girl and always innocently watching her brother get in trouble. She and Guinness normally sleep together in the afternoons, but this particular day she got the green bed to herself (which is a rarity in this house. Guinness is always where she is or where there is *any* action in the house). Here's my sweet Sadie pie:

Thanks for indulging me! These are my babies until Baby Dixon arrives. But make no mistake, they will still get tons of love!