It wouldn’t be my life if things weren’t quiet and calm for a long time and then suddenly changing all at once.
So yeah, there’s the baby, and that whole situation rocks. But there’s also the house. We’ve got a signed contract on a property right now! We’re scheduled for inspection and appraisal on Saturday. Tonight, I spent over an hour going over mortgage paperwork. And crying… for no real reason at all, thanks to hormones.
I just kept thinking things like, “We’ll never live in this apartment again!” and, “I’ll miss the view and the super-short walks to Walgreens and the grocery store!” and “Why are we even moving?! IT’S SO MUCH WORK.” And then the cars outside started honking incessantly, there were sirens, and the dog wanted to go down… forcing me to get dressed and experience the cold that has taken over our city.
So, other than just being homeowners, there will be other important benefits, like sleeping through the night without being woken 3-4 times by emergency vehicles, having the ability to just let the dog out into the yard when he needs to pee, and having a neighborhood that’s safe enough to go on long walks after dark.
3 Great Things About Yesterday
Lots of cooked roll sushi for dinner.
Two naps!
Adam had to go in to work early, which mean he got home early!
For the last 2 months, I’ve had a secret to keep. It actually made it really tough to blog because the only thing I really wanted to talk about was something I needed to keep “hush, hush.” Well, it’s finally time to announce…
We’re expecting a baby!
I’m 12 weeks and 2 days pregnant. 🙂 Here’s our first picture from the beginning of week 8.
So far, pregnancy has been pretty good. Sure, there’s been morning sickness, but I’ve had fewer seizures in the last 5 weeks than I have had at any time since I was diagnosed with seizure disorder back in 2008. It’s a trade-off I’d be happy to take for the rest of my life, if it were at all possible.
In many ways, MS prepared me for the first trimester of pregnancy. I mean, there are really a ton of ways that the symptoms of the first trimester of pregnancy looks just like having multiple sclerosis. You get intensely tired in waves without warning. You have to pee damn near all the time. You forget random things and are a bit doofy. You have random, intense mood swings. You get painful leg cramps. If it weren’t for the nausea and vomiting, I honestly wouldn’t even know that there was anything different going on. 🙂
I actually have been feeling better, health-wise, for the last 3 days than I have since 2005. If this is the beginning of what it’s like to have the neuroprotective effects of pregnancy (which happen to ladies with MS during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters), I will very seriously be considering remaining pregnant until they cure MS. 😉
3 Great Things About Yesterday
Adam and I heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. 🙂
My brother, who I haven’t seen in over a year, was in town for business, and I got to spend more than half of the day with him!
When the sellers of the house we bid on at the beginning of the month came back to us with a counter-offer and a ton of addendums, my brother (who just so happens to be both a broker and attorney) helped us get through all the paperwork and feel confident that we understand our risks and obligations.
Daily Cute
In honor of my brother’s pug, Maggie. 🙂
Everyday Earbug
I have had this song stuck in my head for a week straight. No exaggerating. Looking very forward to rocking this someday at karaoke.
Well, today’s a big day for me. I have a very important doctor’s appointment this morning, and by some beautiful twist of fate, my brother happens to be in town today! Sure, I’m gonna see him for Thanksgiving in about a month, but I haven’t seen him in over a year – so I’m excited.
Sorry for missing 2 days in a row. I’m really trying to get better at the daily thing.
Yesterday was great. Perfect weather (mostly sunny, in the low 60s), and I had the kind of experience with public transportation in Chicago that is the stuff of legend. I actually walked out of my apartment building, crossed the street, and the bus immediately appeared. When I got off at the stop for the connecting bus, I walked to the vestibule and the next bus immediately appeared. I actually got to my chiropractor appointment 10 minutes early… and after my appointment, I walked back to the stop and the same thing repeated itself. It was just as good as if I had driven myself. If only it could be like that every time!
I also was very excited to have energy, which I haven’t had for a while. I worked on a graphic design project for a new client, which was pretty awesome, since I haven’t advertised or had any clients for well over a year. I also was able to walk to and from the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner, some sushi for lunch, and the few things I needed for making Adam some of the world’s best oatmeal raisin cookies, since he gave blood yesterday. To make things even better, I was able to get some cleaning done around the house and actually bake the cookies. They were ready when Adam walked through the door from work. I was very proud of my wife-y-ness. 🙂
3 Great Things About Yesterday
Perfect transportation experience.
Had fun baking cookies.
Actually made a little bit of money using my skills.
What made YOUR Wednesday wonderful?
Daily Cute
This guy needs a dance track. So, I’m gonna put some dance music in EE.
I just finished reading a great article on “debugging” our brains. As I was reading it, I came across this gem:
Every morning, I wake up, feed the dog, text my husband, and immediately check both my email and Facebook notifications. This sometimes leads me to forgetting to eat breakfast until nearly noon. All I could think was, “How does he know?!” Rather quickly, I realized, “I’m not the only one.”
Fortunately, the article lead to me getting off the computer (for at least a few minutes) and eating breakfast. I quickly followed that up with starting this entry, lest I forget to blog today.
It’s a beautiful day outside today in Chicago, so if I don’t get dressed and walk around outside for a while, I know I’ll be sore with myself. For me, weather doesn’t get any better than mostly sunny and in the low 60s. Hoodie-optional weather. It’s the best. Fortunately, I live very close to both Marshalls and a couple of decent grocery stores. I think when I’m done with this, I’ll put up some laundry to wash, get dressed, and head out to enjoy the weather and go shopping.
Of course, it’ll be easier to finish this entry if I stop bouncing back and forth between writing this, checking a couple of message boards, and answering email… No! Right! NOW! 🙂
So, what are my priorities for today?
Figure out what on earth to make for dinner, so I can get the ingredients while I’m out.
Do laundry so we have clothes to wear.
Maybe even fold some of it… (Ok, let’s be real. This one belongs dead last on the list.)
Make an appointment for Brisco to get groomed.
Unstack the dishwasher.
Do as many of the dishes that are hanging out in the kitchen waiting to be cleaned as I can before I start feeling punk.
Make the bed and refill the humidifier.
Tidy the living room.
Go to the gym or at least get Adam to go on a walk with you for a half hour at the park.
Any more than that, and I know I am setting myself up for failure… so let’s focus on the good to get my attitude moving in the right direction!
Edit – 2 or 3 hours after I initially posted: I didn’t make it out of the house before storm clouds invaded. I constantly forget that my body is in far more control of the outcome of my day than my intentions. I figured out dinner. Laundry is up, dishes are soaking, lunch is baking… and I’m calling that a win.
3 Great Things About Yesterday
Spent some quality time with the in-laws.
Had brunch with some friends we haven’t seen in a long time who are always great to be around.
I know it’s gonna sound cheesy as hell – but there was a moment yesterday when, out of nowhere, Adam came over to me and said, “You need snuggles.” and proceeded to cuddle with me. That was, without a doubt, the best moment of the entire day. I love that man.
What made YOUR Sunday special?
Daily Cute
Please ignore that this is a commercial. Without the branding, it’s adorable.
Everyday Earbug
I can’t even explain why I like this song and particular mix so much, but I really do.
“Id, ego, and super-ego are the three parts of the psychic apparatus defined in Sigmund Freud’s structural model of the psyche; they are the three theoretical constructs in terms of whose activity and interaction our mental life is described. According to this model of the psyche, the id is the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends; the super-ego plays the critical and moralizing role; and the ego is the organized, realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego. The super-ego can stop one from doing certain things that one’s id may want to do.” (Thanks Wikipedia.)
I am actually awake 2 hours earlier than I usually wake up because my brain will not stop chewing on my mom’s response to me telling her that the meme she posted was uncool. That’s right. I’m actually losing sleep because my brain won’t let it go.
I genuinely want to drop it. I honestly know that nothing good can come from continuing the discussion, enumerating the ways that a meme that she didn’t write is innately hypocritical, or continuing to shame her for it in a public forum where her friends and coworkers can see it. There is zerobenefit there. None! It’s not like she’s going to thank me for enlightening her. The very best case scenario ends in her apologizing and admitting that I’m right, which means she’ll be upset, and I don’t relish the idea of needlessly upsetting my mother.
But my id doesn’t give a single, solitary fuck. It is chewing on it like a dog with a bone and does not want to quit fighting about it until she admits that I’m right and that the meme is stupid.
I mean, seriously, it’s one thing for someone on the internet to be wrong. But for my own mother to be the one on the internet that is wrong? *BRAINSPLOSION*
This comic does a better job of describing the situation than I ever could. I am desperately, intensely striving for Level Two. I’m already being a dick. My id, however, dwells in Dickfinity.
Well, this morning could definitely use some awesome. I gotta turn this trainwreck around.
3 Great Things About Yesterday
Got some new clothes that I feel confident and beautiful in.
Was surprised to find out that Rush Hour 3 exists, and enjoyed mostly ignoring it while doing other things.
Daily Cute
Everyday Earbug
This band is what would happen if Black Sabbath, Heart, and Jethro Tull had a 3 way gangbang and ended up with a baby. I’m pretty sure Dad will dig their stuff.
Yesterday, I hit my limit with rage porn on Facebook, so I took 24 hours off. I thought that would give me the opportunity to relax and stop getting so super angry with every annoying post that I saw.
Well, I was wrong. Time did not help. When I logged back in this morning, I saw a meme that both my mom and my mother-in-law had shared that was the internet equivalent of standing out on your front porch, shaking your fist, and screaming for kids to get off your lawn. Normally, I’d be able to let that go. But not today. No, I had to let them both know that they were being uncool and were better than that. That’s right. I mommied the moms. I actually went back to my comment 4 times, trying to figure out how I could change my response to be more kind and loving. Couldn’t change it. The voice in my head said, “No. They need to know.”
The Dark Side is strong with me right now… and I’m not proud of it.
So, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to take some serious time off from Facebook. If I can’t even be kind to my moms, I have absolutely no prayer of controlling my bitchiness with anybody else.
If I could magic Facebook into the medium I want it to be, I’d only be reading personal status updates that have to do with what’s actually happening in the lives of my family and friends, reading articles about things that make people happy, and watching videos of cute animals — and that’s it. The only way to make that reality happen is to actually contact the people I care about to catch up with them and share my daily awesomeness here. I’m not going to quit doing the things that help me keep good mental health just because I’m not doing them on that platform. And I know it sounds crazy in this day and age… but I’m going to actively check in with people to see how they’re doing… like it’s the 90s or something. Odd as it seems, I actually believe this will strengthen my friendships.
3 Great Things About Yesterday
Adam had prepared me for him having to stay late at work — but when regular quitting time rolled around, he was actually able to come home.
Getting super frustrated and angry about the rage porn on Facebook helped me to actually willfully ignore it and spend the day doing things other than scrolling and reading articles online. I actually got more chores done yesterday than I had the entire previous week.
Had a good time brainstorming on a game that I might make.
What made YOUR Friday fantastic?
Daily Cute
Scottish Fold kitties make my heart go sploosh!
Everyday Earbug
Betty Who is my new girl-crush. Berklee alum to boot! 🙂 I’m really lovin’ this track. It’s got a really late 80’s, early 90’s feel to it.
In It For The Parking 