.monopoly money.

If I had a lot of disposable cash, which I do not (thank you very much USC), I would spend some of it on these adorable crankypants knitted baby pants. 

What else would I spend some of that imaginary cash money on? A pair, or two, of classic oxfords. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it) my big feet won't fit into these babies.

This beautiful bag from The Sak has been trying to seduce me into buying it for months now.  I've never actually owned an expensive bag before.  The last handbag I bought was from a thrift store in Oregon for $1 and I've used it for the last year.  Seriously. 

But really, if I had the money I would buy this camera for Leif.  The Canon T2i. I know that we will eventually get it before the baby is born but I would like to get it for him now (well, as soon as it becomes available).  He has been spending a lot of time researching cameras and this is the one that he wants.  I like to see him excited over new toys.

.the final countdown.

I have this sort of pseudo list in my mind of things I want to do before we leave Los Angeles later this year.  They're things that I've always wanted to do or meant to do at some point in time while I've lived here but for whatever reason I've not done yet.  One of the most important items on that list got accomplished Saturday night. I got to go to the Magic Castle.

You need an invitation from one of the members of the Magic Castle to even get into the place so it makes it somewhat exclusive.  When I say exclusive I don't mean in the pretentious chi-chi obnoxious way that many places in LA are known for being.  You don't have be a supermodel or an actor to get in.  You simply have to know someone who knows someone who happens to be a magician.  But you do have to dress formally to be allowed in, which means nice dresses for the ladies and suit and tie for the fellas.

We ended up hanging around there, flitting from magic show to magic show for over six hours.  We saw some pretty mind boggling things.  I haven't had that much fun in a long time.

There is no photography allowed in the Magic Castle so unfortunately we only snagged these two.

 

  

And now for the best part of the entire post.  A magician named Gob.

.week 22.

This week went by in such a blur. 

Getting good sleep at night has been getting more and more elusive.  My already small bladder has become even smaller and for some reason as soon as I am in bed it seems to shrink even more.  It is also at this time that the baby likes to move around the most, which I love.  It is like he is telling me goodnight.  We are still waiting for his kicks to get strong enough for Leif to feel him.  As of right now all of his little movements are for me only but I don't think that will be the case for much longer.

The nausea, my ever-present friend for the last 22 weeks, may finally be starting to leave me. No zofran today and absolutely no nausea.  In the past when I tried not taking any of the medication I would still be terribly nauseated even if I never threw up.  So I am keeping my fingers crossed that for the rest of this pregnancy the only pill I will need to take everyday is my prenatal vitamin.


Every week that goes by is one week closer to the day I get to meet my son.  It is worse than Christmas.

.i should be studying.

But instead of preparing for my board exam I have been working on making mood boards for the baby's room this morning. My review books sit lonely on the dining room table waiting for me to find the motivation to open them up.  I've never been good at getting things done until I start to feel the pressure of a looming deadline.  I guess that is what they call procrastination.

.even elephants are cooler in portland.

How cute is this short stop motion animation film from Portland based marketing agency The Curiosity Group?  I would love for Leif to be able to work at such a (seemingly) cool place when we move to Portland.


The Curious Dream– From Flat to Flight from Cre8tivegirl on Vimeo.

You can also download the elephant for yourself here.

I saw Basil Twist's Petrushka last weekend with my friend Melissa.  I had no idea puppets could be so beautiful.

 

 

This is the only video I could find of a performance.  The one I saw was a bit different.  The way it was staged I could not see the puppeteers at all and instead of an orchestra there were two pianists.  Better, I think than this version.

Scenes from Petrushka from The Phoenix Symphony on Vimeo.

Week 21

In about 18 weeks this baby is going to have to come out.  That has been the main theme running through my head for the last week.  I am simultaneously thrilled at the prospect of finally meeting my son and utterly weirded out by the idea of giving birth to him.  I know that homo sapiens have been giving birth for at least 200,000 years but that gives me no comfort.  As a student I have seen about a dozen or so vaginal deliveries (some with third degree perineal tears and if you don't know what that is then consider yourself fortunate and don't investigate any further, trust me you are better off not knowing) and I have been able to watch one cesarean section from start to finish.  I have to say that neither option looks appealing at this point.

Part of my apprehension stems from issues with my back and a large herniated disc.  Over the last two years I have been able to keep the pain under pretty good control through a series of facet injections, physical therapy, and exercise. The last five and a half months of pregnancy I have been good at keeping active and doing prenatal yoga two to three times a week, which I really believe has helped me last this long virtually pain free.  Still, my back is starting to feel the toll of being pregnant and sitting in class two days a week.  I worry about how bad it can get in the next few months.

This makes me wonder what kind of delivery I am going to be able to have, natural or cesarean.  Each one has it's own set or risks because of my back. At this point my OB isn't even sure as we need to consult with my orthopedic surgeon again and see how my back is doing closer to delivery time.  Now for anyone who knows me at all it is no secret that I am a planner and not having some sort of direction for delivery is causing me some significant anxiety.

For now all I can do is try to stay as fit as I can, both physically and mentally so I can handle whatever does happen when this baby decides it is time to join us out here in the real world.

Right now it is raining pretty heavily and I can feel him moving around so much.  I think he is going to like Portland weather, just like his dad.

Houston, we have a problem.

Generally speaking Leif and I enjoy our weekends to the maximum of our capability, which usually means doing as little as possible. Sure we do the normal housekeeping things like laundry and grocery shopping and I will very reluctantly study or do some homework. But aside from those things we really like to take things easy. This past weekend was an exception to our normally very quiet routine.

On Saturday we decided to start getting the "nursery" ready for the baby. Now, I use the term "nursery" very loosely because frankly, that room is the size of a large hamster's cage. So as you can imagine we are scrambling for ways to maximize our storage.

Now when Leif and I moved into this place we made a conscious decision to avoid buying any furniture at Ikea. We felt that our money would be better spent buying a sturdy piece of furniture at a thrift store and then fixing it up, which is something that we enjoy doing anyway. For the most part we've been pretty good but with the baby coming we decided to venture to Ikea to pick up some cheap pieces we could use for storage.

This cabinet and this chest of drawers are what we ended up getting. Already I have the top drawer of the dresser filled with gender-neutral baby clothing from my sister's two kids (both girls).

After our trip to Ikea we headed over to St. Vincent's De Paul, a huge thrift store the size of a wharehouse filled with some pretty cool old furniture. While on the way over there we heard a sound that at first we thought was a police helicopter until we realized that the sound slowed down when our car did. A flat tire. Not a big deal except this thrift store is in a pretty sketchy part of Los Angeles and we both were anxious to get the tire changed as quickly as possible. Of course, Leif was a champ and did the whole thing pretty quickly.

But it ended up being worth all the hassle of the flat tire as we lucked out at the thrift store. We found an old armoire that was ideal for holding all my school material and hiding it away from sight while being interesting to look at. It needs work; new knobs and some new lining on the inside but over all it works well for our purposes.

I'll be putting up some pictures of how things are coming along later this week.

This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.

It looks like six more weeks of winter. At least according to Punxsutawney Phil, the littlest meteorologist who saw his shadow today. So for those of us living in Southern California I guess this means that we will be keeping our long sleeves out for a little while longer (while our winter coats hang unused in the closet, pining away for colder climates).

I can't say that I mind the nice weather we have here but I know Leif hates it. For him day after day of sunny weather is like day after day of rain for most people. You will never see him more giddy than on days when it rains. If we are in the house and he hears it start to rain he will race to the front door, fling it open, and then stand there for a good five minutes just soaking in the sounds and smells of the rain. Of course, while he does this I am usually sitting on the couch wraped up in a blanket and asking him to "Please shut the door because it is only 55 degrees and it is freaking freezing!"

But let me just take a little step back for a minute. Ground Hog Day the movie. Bill Murray, a kidnapped marmot, ice sculptures, and the most killer game of Jeopardy ever. Seriously, is there anything better? I think not.