Weather Alert! Weather Alert! Right now in Dallas, TX there is actual falling snow. Freezing precipitation, coming down with some serious gusto. Yesterday is was 75 degrees. According to my computer, it is currently 28. The news stations last night were buzzing with warnings of this Artic Blast that was sure to come. Everyone- stock up on batteries, milk, canned goods, bottled water! Find your ice scraper and your big huge jackets! It's cold, it's frozen, it's Armageddon, it's...WINTER!
Well, at least for the next week.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
An Open Letter to My Blog
Dear Blog,
Hi, it's me. Ahem. Mandolyn. Remember me? Sorry I haven't been around much lately. As much as I love the holidays, (fine, I long for them all year long) the workload here at the office is always ridiculous. I'm in a good place this year, right now. My Thanksgiving was considerably better than last year and I really wanted to come here and pour out all of my good things in the form of an amazing blog entry. And then I didn't. I'd think about it while at a football game or the grocery store, or when I was knee-deep in craftiness (read: Mandolyn's Heaven) and I just never got around to it. I'd start playing with ideas in my head, but I never thought any were blog-worthy. Still, for the record, I am insanely thankful for so many things right now: for pumpkin cheesecake pie, football games, days off from work to spend with Mr. Mandolyn, seeing my brother and his furry children (wishing I could add another creature to my zoo...his foster kitten is too cute), sips of Dr. Pepper, for getting a teensy weensy bit better at not worrying about the Gummy Bear, having the Gummy Bear at all, Mr. Mandolyn's patience while untangling stands of Christmas lights, and on and on and on.
Good catching up with you, Blog. I hope all is well with you. We'll talk soon!
Love,
Mandolyn
Hi, it's me. Ahem. Mandolyn. Remember me? Sorry I haven't been around much lately. As much as I love the holidays, (fine, I long for them all year long) the workload here at the office is always ridiculous. I'm in a good place this year, right now. My Thanksgiving was considerably better than last year and I really wanted to come here and pour out all of my good things in the form of an amazing blog entry. And then I didn't. I'd think about it while at a football game or the grocery store, or when I was knee-deep in craftiness (read: Mandolyn's Heaven) and I just never got around to it. I'd start playing with ideas in my head, but I never thought any were blog-worthy. Still, for the record, I am insanely thankful for so many things right now: for pumpkin cheesecake pie, football games, days off from work to spend with Mr. Mandolyn, seeing my brother and his furry children (wishing I could add another creature to my zoo...his foster kitten is too cute), sips of Dr. Pepper, for getting a teensy weensy bit better at not worrying about the Gummy Bear, having the Gummy Bear at all, Mr. Mandolyn's patience while untangling stands of Christmas lights, and on and on and on.
Good catching up with you, Blog. I hope all is well with you. We'll talk soon!
Love,
Mandolyn
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
In my head, it was a clever idea.
So I made the official announcement today at work. It's rather frightening, being exposed. I baked cupcakes and put them in a pan with a sign underneath that said, "I'm having a baby!" The plan was for my coworkers to take the cupcakes and then discover the hidden message. I thought I was so clever...
Well, the two people that already know went ahead and got their cupcakes, and everyone else followed suit, getting a cupcake and telling me thanks for the sugary, delicious, healthy breakfast. No one saw the sign- no one saw past the chocolate frosting. The two that knew and I had to lightly encourage people to grab a second. It soon turned into heavily urging, followed by, "Tim, are you sure that you don't want to reconsider having that second one? Ahem." That worked, we all cracked up, the girls squealed. It was a little odd to be the center of attention and more odd with the inevitable questions.
Q: "So, how did you tell your husband?"
A: "Huh? Oh, he knew. It wasn't a surprise at all."
Inside my head: "When did I tell him what? Which part? He's been around for all the betas and pills and hormone surges, the failed cycles, the BFNs, the heartbreaks, the BFPs, the scary ultrasounds. Dude, he read the pee stick before I did."
Q: "How did you tell your family?"
A: "Um, we surprised them with paper mache balls that had messages inside."
Inside my head: "Well, that's what we did last time, anyway. This time lacked the fun because we were all on vacation together and I had to POAS in my parent's hotel room after a round of severe cramps during lunch at a nice restaurant. Then I got into a huge fight with my parents because they didn't wear the appropriate kidgloves that the situation required."
Q: "Are you showing yet?"
A: "Not really enough for anyone to notice that doesn't already know."
Inside my head: "Oh Dear God, let's all just look at my stomach now, shall we?"
Well, the two people that already know went ahead and got their cupcakes, and everyone else followed suit, getting a cupcake and telling me thanks for the sugary, delicious, healthy breakfast. No one saw the sign- no one saw past the chocolate frosting. The two that knew and I had to lightly encourage people to grab a second. It soon turned into heavily urging, followed by, "Tim, are you sure that you don't want to reconsider having that second one? Ahem." That worked, we all cracked up, the girls squealed. It was a little odd to be the center of attention and more odd with the inevitable questions.
Q: "So, how did you tell your husband?"
A: "Huh? Oh, he knew. It wasn't a surprise at all."
Inside my head: "When did I tell him what? Which part? He's been around for all the betas and pills and hormone surges, the failed cycles, the BFNs, the heartbreaks, the BFPs, the scary ultrasounds. Dude, he read the pee stick before I did."
Q: "How did you tell your family?"
A: "Um, we surprised them with paper mache balls that had messages inside."
Inside my head: "Well, that's what we did last time, anyway. This time lacked the fun because we were all on vacation together and I had to POAS in my parent's hotel room after a round of severe cramps during lunch at a nice restaurant. Then I got into a huge fight with my parents because they didn't wear the appropriate kidgloves that the situation required."
Q: "Are you showing yet?"
A: "Not really enough for anyone to notice that doesn't already know."
Inside my head: "Oh Dear God, let's all just look at my stomach now, shall we?"
All good. Well, at least for the Gummy Bear.
Today's appointment went well. I'm still not sure exactly how it happened, but I haven't yet gained weight. I was sure after all the mac and cheese that I've had lately that I would get a lecture rather than a thumbs up, so I'll just take it and be happy. The doctor came in we listened for the Gummy Bear's heartbeat with the doppler. At first he said, "There it is, can you hear it?" To which I sheepishly replied, "Um...no." He found a place where the sweet melody of whoosh-whooshing was unmistakable. And I let a big sigh out.
I still feel like an oddball in the waiting room. Once I get behind the door and start joking around with Awesome Nurse, I'm good, but for the ten or so minutes that I'm waiting with the Other People, I feel like an alien. Is that strange?
I called my parents to tell them that we still have good news and my evening quickly deteriorated. Quick back story: my dad does anesthesia and is opposed to the methyldopa (aldomet) I take for hypertension. He says that the way it works can interfere should something go awry with an epidural. Ok, fine. My general doc (he is incredibly amazing) and my OB (ditto) have decided that it's the safest for me and for Gummy Bear. That's good enough for me. So, upon my dad's insistence, I brought his issue up today. My doctor acknowledged it and said that he'd never had any issues with anything happening, nor had anyone that he's ever worked with. Again, good enough for me. NOT apparently good enough for my father, who immediately elevated his voice to SHOUTING and called my doctors "yay-hoos" who need to "get with the program and read some damn research." That's an abridged, censored version, but suffice it to say that it made me absolutely pissed. My mother quickly tried to do damage control. (And when I say "damage control" I of course mean "made ridiculous excuses and wrote me an email with more vomit-inducing powers than Chicken Soup for the Soul.") I realize that he's my dad and therefore overprotective of me and my well-being, but this has really escalated lately. I also know that my dad has an I-have-to-be-right-and-there-are-no-exceptions complex. He and my mom suggested that he talk to my doctors (that got a loud HELL NO from me, thankyouverymuch.) Apparently, he knows absolutely everything and that's the end of the story. Right. I'll do some internet research (always dangerous, I know) but I just don't think the man gets it. He's concerned right now with my pills and an epidural. I'm just trying to get through this thing one day at a time without completely freaking out. We simply aren't on the same page. Anyway, I've decided to avoid my parents for today (and tomorrow) and cool down, because I need to step out of Soap Opera World for a bit.
Oh, I just finished a batch of cupcakes to bring to work tomorrow. I made a sign that says "I'm having a baby!" and put the cupcakes on top of it. Tomorrow I'll offer the coworkers cupcakes, and they'll eventually get the message. Hopefully that will go smoothly...
I still feel like an oddball in the waiting room. Once I get behind the door and start joking around with Awesome Nurse, I'm good, but for the ten or so minutes that I'm waiting with the Other People, I feel like an alien. Is that strange?
I called my parents to tell them that we still have good news and my evening quickly deteriorated. Quick back story: my dad does anesthesia and is opposed to the methyldopa (aldomet) I take for hypertension. He says that the way it works can interfere should something go awry with an epidural. Ok, fine. My general doc (he is incredibly amazing) and my OB (ditto) have decided that it's the safest for me and for Gummy Bear. That's good enough for me. So, upon my dad's insistence, I brought his issue up today. My doctor acknowledged it and said that he'd never had any issues with anything happening, nor had anyone that he's ever worked with. Again, good enough for me. NOT apparently good enough for my father, who immediately elevated his voice to SHOUTING and called my doctors "yay-hoos" who need to "get with the program and read some damn research." That's an abridged, censored version, but suffice it to say that it made me absolutely pissed. My mother quickly tried to do damage control. (And when I say "damage control" I of course mean "made ridiculous excuses and wrote me an email with more vomit-inducing powers than Chicken Soup for the Soul.") I realize that he's my dad and therefore overprotective of me and my well-being, but this has really escalated lately. I also know that my dad has an I-have-to-be-right-and-there-are-no-exceptions complex. He and my mom suggested that he talk to my doctors (that got a loud HELL NO from me, thankyouverymuch.) Apparently, he knows absolutely everything and that's the end of the story. Right. I'll do some internet research (always dangerous, I know) but I just don't think the man gets it. He's concerned right now with my pills and an epidural. I'm just trying to get through this thing one day at a time without completely freaking out. We simply aren't on the same page. Anyway, I've decided to avoid my parents for today (and tomorrow) and cool down, because I need to step out of Soap Opera World for a bit.
Oh, I just finished a batch of cupcakes to bring to work tomorrow. I made a sign that says "I'm having a baby!" and put the cupcakes on top of it. Tomorrow I'll offer the coworkers cupcakes, and they'll eventually get the message. Hopefully that will go smoothly...
Monday, November 13, 2006
Wednesday should be interesting.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Provided all goes well, I plan on telling my boss and co-workers that I'm expecting on Wednesday. I have a few issues with this:
1. Right now, very few people at work know. Honestly, I don't care about anyone else outside of that small circle. I also don't care if that makes me a crappy human.
2. Outside of those very few people, no one knows about pregnancy #1. It's still too hard for me to be completely "out" at work. In my department of nine people, there are two "whoops, we didn't mean to get pregnant" babies and a recent "we were actually trying not to have a baby" baby. Call me bitter.
3. My boss (the big boss, in NY) likes me well enough, but historically doesn't take pregnancy news well. There have been occasions when a friend and I have been told that we "simply can't get pregnant." I think it was a backhanded compliment, but still... Also, I plan to ask if there is any way I can work from home, which is a complete joke, but I figure it can't hurt to try. I've been brushing up on my eggshell walking skills.
4. I still want to come up with some creative way of announcing this pregnancy. Part of me wants to avoid the awkward round-everyone-up-and-blurt-it-out method because that would be, well...awkward. My normally active creative juices are in hibernation.
For now, I can really only worry about tomorrow. And when I say "worry" it's really with a capital "W." Ok, and capital "O", "R", "R", and "Y" as well. I can't help it. Most of the time I just don't feel pregnant outside of feeling a bit "pudgy" (thanks to mom for that lovely adjective), and I need validation that all is well. I'm hoping that hearing a nice strong heartbeat tomorrow will sooth me for a little while.
1. Right now, very few people at work know. Honestly, I don't care about anyone else outside of that small circle. I also don't care if that makes me a crappy human.
2. Outside of those very few people, no one knows about pregnancy #1. It's still too hard for me to be completely "out" at work. In my department of nine people, there are two "whoops, we didn't mean to get pregnant" babies and a recent "we were actually trying not to have a baby" baby. Call me bitter.
3. My boss (the big boss, in NY) likes me well enough, but historically doesn't take pregnancy news well. There have been occasions when a friend and I have been told that we "simply can't get pregnant." I think it was a backhanded compliment, but still... Also, I plan to ask if there is any way I can work from home, which is a complete joke, but I figure it can't hurt to try. I've been brushing up on my eggshell walking skills.
4. I still want to come up with some creative way of announcing this pregnancy. Part of me wants to avoid the awkward round-everyone-up-and-blurt-it-out method because that would be, well...awkward. My normally active creative juices are in hibernation.
For now, I can really only worry about tomorrow. And when I say "worry" it's really with a capital "W." Ok, and capital "O", "R", "R", and "Y" as well. I can't help it. Most of the time I just don't feel pregnant outside of feeling a bit "pudgy" (thanks to mom for that lovely adjective), and I need validation that all is well. I'm hoping that hearing a nice strong heartbeat tomorrow will sooth me for a little while.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
As if the fire needs any fuel
I opened my daily free paper, skimming all the contents before landing on the crossword puzzle, as I do every weekday morning. This caught my eye:
Vacay = baby
Miami- A vacation made Lucinda Hughes sick. Hughes is sick every morning and expecting her first baby in April.
She got pregnant after she and her husband went on a three-day Procreation Vacation at a resort on the Grand Bahama Island.
It's part of a trend in which hotels around the world are luring couples who are trying to have a baby. Resorts are offering on-site sex doctors, romantic advice and exotic food and drink calculated to put lovers in the mood.
Even some obstetricians are promoting the trend. Dr. Jason James of Miami said he often encourages couples trying to have a baby to sneak away for a few days, and he often sees it work.
"One of the most easy, therapeutic interventions is to recommend a vacation," James said. "I think the effect of the stress on physiology is truly underestimated."
Seriously? For a good ten minutes, all I could think of was, "Ugh." (in a real frustrated tone) You know, infertility issues aside, this is ludicrous. All the money in the world spent on a "Procreation Vacation" to the Bahamas, including famous love doctors and delicious aphrodisiacs won't force a crazy little thing like ovulation to happen during the three-day window. I wonder if they tell the couples to plan for that, give them a calendar, thermometer and an OPK before officially booking.
***UPDATE
I found it referenced online, too. Part of the expanded article:
"My husband and I thought that we would go on the vacation and learn all these nice fertility secrets and we'd be practicing them for a number of months for them to work," said Hughes, 35, who conceived the day she got back from the trip. "We were stunned. There's definitely some truths to the foods and the elixirs."
The couple had been trying for only two months, since their wedding in May. But like most couples they have hectic schedules in Washington, where she is a freelance writer and he is a city employee. Cell phones are always ringing, day planners are jammed. "We're all overscheduled," Hughes said.
Excuse me, I'm going to throw up. For the whole nauseating experience, here's the article.
Vacay = baby
Miami- A vacation made Lucinda Hughes sick. Hughes is sick every morning and expecting her first baby in April.
She got pregnant after she and her husband went on a three-day Procreation Vacation at a resort on the Grand Bahama Island.
It's part of a trend in which hotels around the world are luring couples who are trying to have a baby. Resorts are offering on-site sex doctors, romantic advice and exotic food and drink calculated to put lovers in the mood.
Even some obstetricians are promoting the trend. Dr. Jason James of Miami said he often encourages couples trying to have a baby to sneak away for a few days, and he often sees it work.
"One of the most easy, therapeutic interventions is to recommend a vacation," James said. "I think the effect of the stress on physiology is truly underestimated."
Seriously? For a good ten minutes, all I could think of was, "Ugh." (in a real frustrated tone) You know, infertility issues aside, this is ludicrous. All the money in the world spent on a "Procreation Vacation" to the Bahamas, including famous love doctors and delicious aphrodisiacs won't force a crazy little thing like ovulation to happen during the three-day window. I wonder if they tell the couples to plan for that, give them a calendar, thermometer and an OPK before officially booking.
***UPDATE
I found it referenced online, too. Part of the expanded article:
"My husband and I thought that we would go on the vacation and learn all these nice fertility secrets and we'd be practicing them for a number of months for them to work," said Hughes, 35, who conceived the day she got back from the trip. "We were stunned. There's definitely some truths to the foods and the elixirs."
The couple had been trying for only two months, since their wedding in May. But like most couples they have hectic schedules in Washington, where she is a freelance writer and he is a city employee. Cell phones are always ringing, day planners are jammed. "We're all overscheduled," Hughes said.
Excuse me, I'm going to throw up. For the whole nauseating experience, here's the article.
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