SuperBowl Musings…

As you all know, my husband and I are faithful Steelers fans.  Hell, my entire FAMILY are Steelers fans; it’s a Pittsburgh thing.

Since they’re in the SuperBowl this year there’s lots of fun stuff floating around on the Internet that I figured I’d share with you.  Yes, some of this duplicates what’s on Ben’s site as well oh well.

• Steeler Ladies – Remake of the Beyonce song, “Single Ladies.”   Refrain includes, “Gonna win it and they’re gonna put a ring on it, in the SuperBowl the Steelers will be bringin’ it,  here we go!”  It makes me wanna get up and dance.
• Stairway to Seven – Remake of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”  First line in the song is classic – “By the Three Rivers Shore a team wears Black & Gold with a QB that wears Number Seven.”
• Legacy of the Terrible Towel – You’ve all seen the yellow Terrible Towels that are waved at home and away games, but do you know how they came to be and how they continue to help families of autistic and handicapped people in the Pittsburgh area?  Not just a marketing ploy, these towels provide help for today and hope for tomorrow.
• Heartbreakers – remake of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” only done in true black & gold style.  Funny thing is that none of the kids in the video are over age 13.  Not your typical kid video.  Refrain includes, “We’re the Steel Curtain, you’ll be hurtin’, that’s for certain, don’t you mess with the Steelers D.”
• The quintissential Here We Go – Ah, an oldie but a goodie.  Remixed and updated for SuperBowl 43.  Refrain includes, “Here we go… Steelers, here we go… Pittsburgh’s going to the SuperBowl.”

Ben and I will be viewing the big game on the *BIG* big screen at a theater here in town.  We’re packing up our picture of Myron and going on the road! 

You know, Ben’s car is up for his renewal and I’m seriously thinking of having his car’s license plate be ‘Yoi” and my license plate be, “Double Yoi” in honor of Myron.  Only a Steelers fan, eh?

Asked and Answered Meme from DarcsFalcon

Recently, DarcsFalcon did a little meme over on her blog, which she borrowed from WIGSF .  I was curious as to what questions she would come up with for me… you know what they say about curiosity.

Here’s the ground rules…

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Here are the five questions Falcon has posed to me:

1). What’s my favorite Christmas Song?

Easy – I blogged about it already this year!  It’s the Guster cover of “Mamacita… Donde Esta Santa Claus” from the 70s.  Check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOganSDZyLM

2). PC games or stand-alone systems?

Again… easy!  I love Ben’s XBox 360.  I can play all sorts of fun puzzle games on there like Boogie Bunnies or the crazy pinball games.  I can download whatever I want to my heart’s content as long as I have enough Xbox Live points.

However, I have also recently been bitten by the MindJolt bug thanks to Sherri.  Gee, thanks Sherri!  Does that count as PC games?

Bring on the hard stuff, the true investigative questions!

3). Michael Jackson – guilty or innocent?

Ooohhh… you’ve really got me there.  He’s guilty of being creepy, strange, and overall out of touch with the rest of the world.  As for the criminal case against him – I have no idea.  I coulda hit it out of the park with an OJ question, but I just can’t think about it with MJ… it makes me feel dirty.

4). If I could work for pleasure and not income, what job would I want?

I see how this works.. you lobbed me easy questions at the beginning of this thingie to make me unaware of the harder questions that were yet to come.  Evil, evil woman!

With that said… I think I’d like to work for a non-profit again helping people in some fashion without my job (and paycheck) being dependent on how much money people fundraised for me.  I’ve been involved in two health-care charities and have seen the good that people in the community can do.  I’d like to start my own organization that would take the resources that are available and distribute them to the people who need them without having to go through all sorts of red tape and government crap.  Please let the next question be easy peasy Japanesey.

5). Silver or gold?

I don’t like gold personally… I don’t know why.  I tried white gold once but didn’t realize it was an alloy of gold mixed with a lot of other crap (mainly nickel) and it made me break out.  I had to have my engagement and wedding ring set in platinum after that little debacle. 

It’s funny, whatever the chemicals in my skin are, they ‘break down’ the white gold back into regular gold.  I kept having to have my rings replated with some metal.  Friends of mine after hearing those stories have nicknamed me ‘Corrupto.’  Everyone needs a comic book superhero name, yanno.

Or, as the immortal Yukon Cornelius  Sam the Snowman once said:

~Silver and gold~
~Silver and gold~
~Everyone wishes for silver and gold~
~How do you measure its worth?~
~Just by the pleasure it gives here on Earth.~

Week 27… Third Trimester, Here We Come!

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended.  Wow… I *know* what a head of cauliflower weighs.  This gets more real every week, huh?

She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. No kidding!  She’s extremely active from about 8-10PM now and sometimes even later.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that she’s not a night owl! 

With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now.  Ummmm… lets hold off on this for now, shall we?  I can wait a little longer (three months worth) to see her in person.

Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.  Tiny?  TINY!?  Her hiccups are by no means tiny.  Last night I was lying in bed and I could feel a hiccup start on one side where it felt like her head was and then ‘ripple’ across my stomach.  It happened about 11 times and was pretty evenly spaced out.  Funny thing was, *I* got the hiccups a few minutes after she was done.  Weird, huh? 

Other news… I now officially have only TWO pairs of pre-pregnancy pants that I can wear *sigh*.  Well, that amount only includes button-up kinds of pants (work / jeans /cords) and not the yoga pants I wear around the house.  Shirts are becoming increasingly shorter as I get bigger too.  Luckily, I’m fond of longer sweaters so this hasn’t really started being a problem yet.  I’ve got about $40 left at Motherhood Maternity… looks like I need to splurge on 2 pairs of pants to get me through the time I have left. 

Baby Registry Questions…

We’re registered at Babies R Us (BRU) and will soon have our Target registry started.  The plan is to get most of the big baby stuff at BRU and the diapers, wipes, and other miscellany from Target.  Here’s some of the questions that I have as we’re going through this process:

1. Diapers – how many of each size to get?  I *think* we’re set on Pampers Swaddlers for now but have no idea how many boxes / bundles to get of them.  I don’t want to register for too many little ones and then not be able to use them all.  Plus, people LOVE to buy diapers and if they can buy enough of them for the first few months, that’s be great.
2. Pacifiers – When should you give your baby a pacifier?  I’ve seen some that are rated 2+ months, others are rated 6+ months.  Will this cause confusion? 
3. Baby Bath / Diaper Cream Stuff – what’s necessary and what’s crap?  I’ve seen some stuff on the shelves that I wouldn’t let near my baby.
4. Clothing – How many onesies should we request?  What sizes should we ask for?  (I know – no newborn!) but should we ask for clothing in the 3-6 month range, too?  That’s primetime for summer!
5. Activity Stuff – do we REALLY need a bouncer or an exermat or whatever these baby things are?  Isn’t a blanket on the floor away from the dogs and a few toys good enough?  Grrr…
6. Diaper Disposal – How do you recommend we get rid of those stinky things?  Have a receptacle in the garage or should it be in the baby’s room?  Diaper Genie? 
7. Should Nots – What SHOULDN’T we register for?  I felt weird registering for the furniture but Mom said it’s just easier to buy it from there than to have us with her when she does it.

Also, how did you guys handle returns of obviously ugly stuff you didn’t request and will never use?  Hopefully, people provide receipts!

Here’s a link to our BRU registry – if you can, take a look at it and tell us where we’re being idiots.  Keep in mind, just the ‘big’ decisions have been made and registered for.  We haven’t even delved into the world of onesies and wash cloths yet.

Babies R Us Registry

Baby Registry Hell

Baby registries are great for getting what you want from people before your baby is born – I get that.  What I don’t get is how someone who has never used (and sometimes never even HEARD of this stuff!) is supposed to figure out what they need for this alien little person that’s about to enter their lives.  I thought my wedding registry was tough but at least I could roughly estimate how many towels I’d need or place settings, even when company came to visit.  This baby stuff completely discombobulates me.

For example,  I had to have someone much more knowledgeable explain to me the difference in a receiving blanket and a burp cloth.  They should have an encyclopedia for these things.  Also, how many of each do I need?  What type of laundry load per day am I looking at?  Those of you who know me well know that I’m pretty anal retentive and want to know this stuff… and know it NOW!

Ben and I went to Babies R Us this weekend (Friday *and* Saturday!) to get our registry started there.  We managed to make it through the ‘big’ stuff like the furniture, stroller, car seat, monitor, etc. but I had no clue where to start when it came to blankets, washcloths, towels, and pacifiers.  What do I need?  What is just junk marketed to new mothers that we absolutely don’t need?  My poor husband – he wants to register for all the ‘fun’ stuff like clothes, blankets, and other stuff that people will completely disregard if it’s on your registry and buy what THEY think is cute.  I have a feeling we’re in for a lot of pink *sigh*.

On Saturday we also popped into Target to get him some Zune accessories before he heads off to North Carolina next week.  Sine the baby stuff aisle is conveniently close to electronics, I let him go and started looking down their aisles to see what they had compared to BRU.  Ben found me 10 minutes later completely transfixed by all of the diaper selection.  I was close to hyperventilating trying to figure out which diapers we needed to register for and how many.  Seriously – Pampers Swaddlers, Huggies, Luvs, store brand… aaaaaack!! OVERLOAD!  OVERLOAD!  OVERLOAD!  Ben talked me off the ledge and soothed me with a big ole cup of TH tea.  Thank goodness.

I might put all my registry questions into one big post and have you all leave me comments on what I need, what I DON’T need, and any other advice you can give me seeing as how this is throwing me into a tizzy.  Don’t be surprised to see emails with registry links or get panicked phone calls as my February 1st registry deadline looms ever closer.  Yes, Allison – you almost got a crazy lady call last night around 9:30 but I figured Griffin was in bed and didn’t want to chance it.

I think I have a foot jammed in my belly button…

From today’s ultrasound I know that one foot is to the left of my bellybutton and the other is to the immediate right.  The right one seems to have shifted and is now firmly lodged in/near my bellybutton causing me a good deal of pain.  I tried lying in two different positions to adjust her, but no dice.  Not as much movement this evening as in the past few nights,but we had a pretty active day. 

I was in a client meeting when my shirt just started moving;  she had the hiccups.  Luckily, I was the only person who noticed but it made me want to laugh.  It seems like when I pause for a few minutes after moving around a lot is when she really gets moving.  If I sit in a client meeting for an hour, hop in the tub for a soak, or sit on the couch in the evening, she gets antsy. 

Even now she’s starting to move more just a little below my bellybutton.  It must be her arms and head because it’s so low – what wonderful headbutts I have to look forward to 🙂  This poor kid is going to come out with two black eyes *sigh*

Week 26 Doctor’s Appointment

I had the most aggravating wait for a doctor’s appointment that I have ever had in my life today. 

I was running a little behind for my 9:15 appointment since I forgot to drink the little bottle of fake orange soda for my glucose tolerance test.  So there I was, driving down 315 at 8:40 trying to chug this 10oz bottle so I won’t have to wait for the finger stick test at the doctor’s office.  I get to the OSU hospital around 9:05 and realize that I don’t have enough time to park at the garage and walk to the doc’s office to allow myself the 5 minutes of ‘courtesy time’ before my appointment.  Instead, I valet park my car (which will end up costing me $6) and breeze into the waiting room with a good 8 minutes to spare.

I sign in, and begin the waiting game.  10 minutes… 15 minutes… 20 minutes.  Finally, I had to tell the people at the desk that I was due for my glucose tolerance test at 9:40 (a full 30+ minutes after I signed in).  The woman at the desk was snippy and informed me that I should have told them I was due when I came in.  I fired back at her that I didn’t expect to be waiting for the last half hour and it shouldn’t have been an issue. 

Needless to say, they pull me into the back and do the finger stick test in someone’s office because all of their rooms are full.  They dumped me back into the waiting room where I sat for another 15 – 20 minutes.  I was finally taken back to an exam room where I was hustled through a 7 minute ‘check up.’  The highlight of it was that they didn’t have a doppler in that room – just the ultrasound machine – so I got to catch another sneak peek of baby. 

Her head is right near my bladder (yay for me!) and her legs are up at the top of my uterus.  Essentially when I feel lower movement it’s her headbutting me.  The doctor said not to worry about my recent series of ‘accidents’ as long as I didn’t fall directly on my stomach and she’s still kicking fine.  I have to start doing kick counts in 2 weeks or so.

Oh yeah!  I passed my glucose tolerance test – no gestational diabetes for me!  My blood pressure was also fine (surprising seeing as how pissed I was when I finally got to the exam room), and I gained three pounds.  Looks like slacking off from going to the gym is really catching up with me.  Still, the doc was impressed with how I’m keeping my weight gain reasonable.  Next appointment is in 4 weeks and after that she wants to see me every 2 weeks. 

After waiting in line to check out, get my next appointment, and get the hell out of there, I realize that I only have $3 in cash in my wallet.  That would have been the perfect amount had I been able to park in the garage.  I sucked it up and got $20 in cash from a non-Chase machine and was whacked with a $3 processing fee.  Great – there’s another $3 down the drain. 

I had to wait for 15 minutes for the valets to bring my car back and when I did, some crazy lady decides to park her car in the lane right beside the valet lane and blocked me in for another 10 minutes.  She parked, took her keys out, and went into the hospital – I wonder if she missed all the valet guys in their bright green jackets?  Needless to say, I was mad from the appointment, STARVING because I couldn’t eat or drink anything due to my test, and irked that someone would be so inconsiderate as to completely block traffic.  I’m amazed I made it back to the office unscathed!

I owe it all to the soothing power of Tim Horton’s hot tea and a cinnamon raisin bagel with butter 🙂

Owie.

So, I’m an idiot.  I’ve tried to take on too much again and ended up hurting myself.  I figured that I didn’t need Ben to carry the vacuum cleaner from its ‘home’ in the hallway closet up the stairs to the top level so that I could quickly zap any spiderwebs in my linen closet.  WRONG. 

I got the Dyson mostly up the stairs before somehow losing my balance, pitching forward, and having the vacuum cleaner fall on top of me.  Luckily, I  twisted as I fell and landed on my side instead of belly flopping.  I came out of it with rug burn on my ankle, bruises on my shin, and some wounded pride.  As the day went on, I realized that I had twinged some muscles in my back and got stiff if I sat still too long.

Fast forward to this morning… I’m running late to my weekly networking meeting but I *really* want a cup of Timmy Joe’s hot tea and a cinnamon raisin bagel toasted with butter.  I pull into the plaza and realize that everyone else has the same idea as me – the drive through is PACKED with people.  Quickly assessing the parking lot outside, I see that there is no one inside.  I figure that I can pull a quick strike attack – get in, get the goods, get out.  That would have worked perfectly if there hadn’t been a patch of black ice on the ground the size of a dinner plate.

My foot hit the ice and started a chain reaction… my arms windmilled, my face must have looked REALLY funny, and I struggled to keep my balance.  Luck was again with me as I was able to catch myself on the driver’s side mirror of the Explorer before I ungraciously busted my ass in the Tim Horton’s parking lot. 

I’m starting to feel the effects from that near miss now… what were minor aches and pains in my back and side are now full blown pulled muscles, and I think I may have pulled a muscle or two in my stomach area too.  I have no idea how I’m going to feel after 3 hours in the car this afternoon spent traveling to a new client – 1.5 hours up and back. 

Good thing I’m allowed to take Tylenol.  I may just take 2 of those this evening, grab a heating pad or ice pack depending on how I feel, and enjoy the roaring fire that Ben has already promised to make for me.

I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow so I will make sure that baby has a clean bill of health after my escapades these past two days.  I’ve felt her moving pretty well after each incident so I’m not too awfully worried. 

Note to self: slow down, take it easy.  That brings to mind a Simon & Garfunkel song…

26 Weeks… What vegetable is baby now?

Here’s what’ going on with baby this week:

The network of nerves in your baby’s ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner’s as you chat with each other.   Note to self: stop dropping the F bomb now.  Ben yelled at the tv last night during the Steelers game and startled her.

She’s inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he’s born and takes that first gulp of air.  Air is good. 

And she’s continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.  As she puts on fat, I do too.  I wonder if her gaining weight is tied to my wanting Big Macs all the time?   Still no ‘eating for two’ occurrences yet where I can’t stop eating, but I’m sure my time will come.

Here’s what’s happening with me this week:

Your uterus is about 2.5 inches above your bellybutton (check!) and you will continue to grow approximately 1 cm each week. If you have been eating a well-balanced diet, you probably have gained about 16-22 pounds so far.  Not even close!  Last doctor’s visit was 2 lbs… we’ll see what this month’s visit on Thursday brings us. 

There was a period of a few days where she wouldn’t *stop* moving… I was worried that it was an indicator of what to expect in the months to come.  The last few days she’s settled back down into more predictable patterns and I can’t see my shirt move as much.  I wonder if her legs were kicking towards the front of me before and now she’s turned so that she’s kicking INTO me instead.  I can feel her move but can’t see them as well.   Plus, I think she’s flipped so that she’s right side up – I feel her moving lower now.  It was all near /above my bellybutton before but now it’s more like lower belly.

I’ll get to hear her heartbeat on the Doppler again on Thursday.  Ben isn’t able to make the appointment so I invited Mom and Jamie to go.  They’ll love it 🙂  I’ll update on Thursday with results from the appt.

My football related thoughts of the week

With the playoffs now behind us and the SuperBowl teams set, here are my thoughts of the week:

COACHING CAROUSEL:

• I didn’t see Jon Gruden (aka Little Chuckie) getting fired in Tampa Bay and then being immediately replaced by Raheem Morris.  I can’t help but wonder if this was calculated so that Gruden wouldn’t be able to find another coaching job since most of the vacancies have been filled or are on their final interviews.
• With the Steelers in position to win their record SIXTH  SuperBowl ring, will Cowboys owner Jerry Jones rethink his decision to keep Wade Phillips around?  It’s hard to play catch up, Jerry.
• Is the newest trend in the NFL to hire assistants?  I know we had a lot of new first time coaches last year but this year we’ve got a bumper crop – Spagnuolo (Rams), Schwartz (Lions), Morris (Bucs), McDaniels (Broncos), Caldwell (Colts), and presumably Rex Ryan (Jets).  Not a single team has hired a candidate with previous HC experience (except maybe Seattle with Jim Mora).  Nearly 20% of HCs next year will be first timers.

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP:

• Congrats to the Cardinals for heading to the SuperBowl for the first time in their team’s history.
• Teams that are envious: Saints, Lions, Texans, Jacksonville, and the Browns.  They’ve never been to the holy mecca of football.  There’s always next year… or at least that’s what they’re telling themselves.
• Larry Fitzgerald is a BEAST.  Didja know he went to Pitt?  They turn boys into men in that city 😉
• I can’t help but think that the Cardinals are ‘Pittsburgh West’ since they have HC Whisenhunt and AHC Russ Grimm – both came through the ranks under Cowher.
• For whom does the bell toll in Philly?  Andy Reid?  McNabb?  Lots of playoff appearances with no hardware to show for it doesn’t bode well for either of them.  The Philly fans are going to call for their heads.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP:

• Defense wins every time.
• Apparently, the NFL is mad that the Steelers multimedia folks were playing ‘party music’ while Willis McGahee was on the field with a pretty serious head/neck injury.  I made the comment that he’s going to hate ‘that song,’ which was CCR’s Down on the Corner for the rest of his life due to the negative connotations he would have with it.
• Willis McGahee is resting comfortably at UPMC with movement in all limbs, but severe neck pain (various sources). 
• Troy Polamalu is amazing with the way he can read rookie quarterbacks.  He eats them for breakfast. 
• Notice that Roethlisberger avoided throwing ANY passes that would be in the same hemisphere as Ed Reed?  Smart cookie.
• I was a bit disappointed that the Steelers O-line let a one-armed man (Terrell Suggs) get to Roethlisberger twice.
• If the Steelers had lost, Mitch Berger would have forfeited his life in the Steel City after that horrific kick just for the eye rolling alone when he got booed.

OFFICIATING:

• I think that the refs should have a ‘mission control’  during the playoffs with the head of referees, Mike Pereira, should there be a questionable call that can determine the outcome of a game.  Notable calls during both games: the ball out of bounds in the NFC game, and the mystery pass interference call that led to the first Ravens touchdown in the AFC game.
• Buh bye Bill Carollo.  This was his last game as an official – he’s retiring.

Bring on the SuperBowl – I’m ready!