I now remember why I no longer work in politics

I returned from Boston with a cold and very, very tired.

It was an interesting trip.

Night #1

I am in Beantown and am having a great time.

Last night, I spotted John Cusack. He is much shorter than I expected. Unfortunately, he wasn't looking his best; the trucker hat does not flatter everyone.

 

 

Proud to be a Democrat!!

Yesterday, I decided to attend the Democratic Convention with Wonderful Husband. I got over my stubbornness and realized how much Grumpy Girl would hate sitting at home when she could have been in Boston. Thankfully, I had enough frequent flyer miles for a flight.

I will see tons of friends, hear from Gov. Ann Richards and meet Sarah Jessica Parker. Who could pass that up?

If we go down, we go down together standing up for what we believe in.

You Have Been Warned

Poor Grumpy Girl… I was hoping her holiday would last a little longer than it did. She is back and not happy about it.
 
When I started this blog, I thought that my Wonderful Husband would be the only person to read it. He actually decided he wasn’t going to visit the site so I would not worry about writing something that would offend him. Amazingly, there are some of you out there who visit this site and actually return… please feel free to introduce yourselves.
 
I mention Wonderful Husband because last night I went dinner with him and his father. I have problems with his father. Namely, he is a very selfish person who loves to lay guilt trips on his spouse and son. If the world isn’t revolving around him, he is a complete asshole. When we mention the baby, he always starts talking about his latest woe - never fails. He can’t just be happy for us; he has to make it about him. 
  
When you own a rather pricey loft, several motorcycles, a vacation home, you take 3+ week vacation to exotic countries at least twice a year, and have the money to retire and maintain such a  lifestyle – life is not that bad.  Lighten up… or Grumpy Girl may just end up giving you the ass whooping you deserve.

It has come to this...

Today my brain is slow. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was worrying about Wonderful Husband. His work is taking him to the Democratic convention next week and I am convinced that there will be a terrorist attack on Boston during the activities. I woke him up to tell him we needed to get life insurance before he left. Isn’t that awful?
 
We lived in DC on September 11th and I worked a block from the White House.  That morning, Wonderful Husband and I took the Metro to work together and he walked me to my building. When we parted, we commented on what an amazing day it was - the skies were crystal, clear blue. Little did we know what would happen 15 minutes later.
 
I clearly did not comprehend the gravity of the situation and stupidly went to the roof of my building where I had full view of the Pentagon – it was ablaze.  Soon after, Wonderful Husband met me on a corner and we walked six miles to our house with throngs of others too scared to get on the subway. We sat in our basement apartment, two blocks from the Israeli embassy, for two days straight watching the news and shivering each time we heard the jets and helicopters flying overhead. It was awful but not anywhere near as awful as the experiences of New Yorkers.
 
I can’t quite figure out what I am madder about today, the culture of fear being perpetuated by the leaders of our country or that I am falling victim to it.
 
Grumpy Girl is clearly back and she is tired.

The Best Post EVER!!!

I just discovered that two of my favorite blogs recently intermingled.
 
Dooce.com is one of the best blogs I have stumbled across. Dooce's ability to articulate her extreme love for her child and what it can feel like to be a new mother frequently brings me to laughter and tears. She does the best she can for her sweet daughter and no one should expect anything else from her.
 
If you don't like what she has to say or how she lives her life, QUIT READING HER FUCKING BLOG. Don't try to "change" her by working to enlist others to tell her she is a bad mom.
 
Chez Miscarriage is a wonderful writer who eloquently and concisely expresses what is wrong with the judgments of others. Her strength is evident in her words and I encourage you to frequently visit her website.
 
Both of these women are strong and face struggles many of us are blessed to not have in our lives. Support them and learn from them – do not ever judge them.
 
Take a look at what I am referring to: You Go Grrrl!

Time will tell…

No ultrasound today… boooo! I completely chickened out and didn’t ask my doctor for one. Wonderful Husband was amazed by my lack of conviction. (Mind you, he didn’t open his trap and ask for one either)  I wasn’t at all – deep down, I am a wimp who talks a big game.
 
The Bean’s heart is beating strong and fast. I wonder if the old wives tale will turn out to be true and we are having a girl. Wonderful Husband has thought from the beginning that the Bean is a she; I have gone back and forth. 
 

What week is it?

You may be interested to learn that my new hairstyle is appropriately cute and stylish. Hip is an adjective I will leave out of the description; I have a hard time ever thinking that I look hip.

Tomorrow is my 16 week appointment. Unclear why they are calling it my 16 week check-up when I will be 17 weeks tomorrow - but I am not the doctor or the girl who makes the appointments for the doctor. I am having a hard time stomaching that I am about to enter my fifth month of pregnancy. Girls, this ride goes fast. When we were TTC, the months were so long and the time to "try" took forever to arrive each month. Once you get pregnant, someone hits the fast forward button.

Back to my appointment tomorrow ... I will have the pleasure of having my blood drawn for the tests that might tell me the Bean has a high percentage of being born with a disease. We have decided to have the tests performed not because we don't want to have an ill child but because we want to be as prepared as possible if our child does have special needs. Well, as prepared as a child will ever allow you to be.

This is actually my second pregnancy; I had a miscarriage last fall. During the sixth week of this pregnancy, I had spotting which mirrored what happened at the beginning of my miscarriage. I, understandably, expected the worse. We rushed to the doctor's office and had an ultrasound. All was well and a heartbeat was clear. The spotting stopped that day and we have been moving forward ever since.

Tomorrow, I am going to beg and bribe my doctor to give me another ultrasound. I am dying to know that everything is as it should be with the Bean. We heard the Bean's heart beat at eight weeks and at every subsequent appointment. Now I want to see my kiddo and I do not want to wait until my 20 week appointment in August. I am greedy like that.

Please send some positive "give that girl an ultrasound" vibes to my doctor. Wonderful Husband and I would much appreciate it.

Clip...Clip

This morning I called to make an appointment with my hair dresser who is also pregnant and about to begin her maternity leave. I was hoping to schedule something next week but she is full, except for tonight, until her leave begins. I am glad that I got an appointment but I am fearful that I will do something, induced by hormones, that is drastic and unfortunate.

I have a well developed phobia of becoming a “dumpy mom”. I want to be a cool, well clothed, in shape and hip mom. The fact that I am none of those things now is totally irrelevant. I do not want to look in the mirror two years from now and find myself another 10 pounds overweight, my hair in the same ponytail it has been in for the last month and wearing a shirt with kittens or flags on it. That scares the shit out of me.

Hence, I am craving a new hairstyle. I have no clue what I want – I just know that I want something hip, sassy and cute. I want to look cool. Beginning to waddle does not make me feel cool and that needs to be remedied.

I hope it is not a mistake for a pregnant woman to provide no real direction to another pregnant woman on what hip, sassy and cute looks like. While I have complete faith in her abilities and talents, hormones can do some wicked things to a person. Wish me luck….

I left my heart....

We had a wonderful time in San Francisco. We ate good food, shopped the farmers market, rode the cable cars, went to the beach, and hiked many a hill. If I lived there, all I would need to get in shape would be to walk two of those hills a day. Though, if I lived there, I would take the bus everywhere and never walk…but hey, it sounds like a great plan.

I had the pleasure of visiting almost every Starbucks bathroom in the city. I quickly learned that most Starbucks have restrooms and they are fairly clean. Any time I spotted the infamous coffee shop (about every other block) I made a pit stop – it was better to be safe than sorry. Oh the joys of pregnancy.

On July 4th we decided to splurge on a boat tour to view the fireworks. One thing we never considered - fireworks and the City of Fog do not mix. Right around 5pm the fog started rolling into the bay. We stood in line in the chilly weather and rallied enough to take a seat on the top of the boat. As we shivered while touring the bay, we channeled our optimism up to the fog hoping some of it would break up and we would be able to see something, anything. All we saw was water and a cloudy haze – the city had disappeared.

The fireworks show is certainly something I will never forget. The fog would turn red, white and green and there were massive booms. Instead of fireworks, it looked as if the city was under siege. You could do nothing but laugh. Most of the other boat patrons acted as if everything was normal, ooohing and ahhhing, mostly because they were all drunk. The entire experience was hilarious; though not at all what we expected when we shelled out $60 for the boat ride.

Wonderful Husband and I celebrated our anniversary by sleeping in and then heading to see the beach. Neither of us had seen the Pacific Ocean from San Fran, only the Bay. It was cloudy and cold but lovely in a December sort of way; the sound of the waves and the ocean smell were well worth the visit. We enjoyed a long and decadent lunch overlooking the ocean and after a stroll along the beach, we headed back to the hotel and to the airport. An amazing trip to celebrate an amazing union …if I do say so myself.

Fabulous Dog arrived home from her holiday on Tuesday complete with a spa hangover. She sleeps for about two days straight after a visit because she is so worn out. Then for about a week she contemplates that, compared to her fellow mutts at the spa, the Crazy Cats and her parents are really boring. She mopes around the house and has a depressed look on her face. Who can blame her - the truth sometimes hurts.

I am happy to report that Grumpy Girl decided to stay on vacation a bit longer –I think she is taking a little time for herself.

I left my heart....

We had a wonderful time in San Francisco. We ate good food, shopped the farmers market, rode the cable cars, went to the beach, and hiked many a hill. If I lived there, all I would need to get in shape would be to walk two of those hills a day. Though, if I lived there, I would take the bus everywhere and never walk…but hey, it sounds like a great plan.

I had the pleasure of visiting almost every Starbucks bathroom in the city. I quickly learned that most Starbucks have restrooms and they are fairly clean. Any time I spotted the infamous coffee shop (about every other block) I made a pit stop – it was better to be safe than sorry. Oh the joys of pregnancy.

On July 4th we decided to splurge on a boat tour to view the fireworks. One thing we never considered - fireworks and the City of Fog do not mix. Right around 5pm the fog started rolling into the bay. We stood in line in the chilly weather and rallied enough to take a seat on the top of the boat. As we shivered while touring the bay, we channeled our optimism up to the fog hoping some of it would break up and we would be able to see something, anything. All we saw was water and a cloudy haze – the city had disappeared.

The fireworks show is certainly something I will never forget. The fog would turn red, white and green and there were massive booms. Instead of fireworks, it looked as if the city was under siege. You could do nothing but laugh. Most of the other boat patrons acted as if everything was normal, ooohing and ahhhing, mostly because they were all drunk. The entire experience was hilarious; though not at all what we expected when we shelled out $60 for the boat ride.

Wonderful Husband and I celebrated our anniversary by sleeping in and then heading to see the beach. Neither of us had seen the Pacific Ocean from San Fran, only the Bay. It was cloudy and cold but lovely in a December sort of way; the sound of the waves and the ocean smell were well worth the visit. We enjoyed a long and decadent lunch overlooking the ocean and after a stroll along the beach, we headed back to the hotel and to the airport. An amazing trip to celebrate an amazing union …if I do say so myself.

Fabulous Dog arrived home from her holiday on Tuesday complete with a spa hangover. She sleeps for about two days straight after a visit because she is so worn out. Then for about a week she contemplates that, compared to her fellow mutts at the spa, the Crazy Cats and her parents are really boring. She mopes around the house and has a depressed look on her face. Who can blame her - the truth sometimes hurts.

I am happy to report that Grumpy Girl decided to stay on vacation a bit longer –I think she is taking a little time for herself.

TGIF

(I didn't have a chance to post this before I left)

That god it’s Friday!!! I am so looking forward to the holiday weekend.

Monday is my wedding anniversary. Wonderful Husband and I are off on an impromptu trip to San Francisco; a city we have both visited often but never together.

Fabulous Dog was ecstatic this morning when she was dropped off at the ever exclusive Doggie Spa. Because she is the cutest dog in the world, we are always able to get a slot at the Spa even at the last minute.

Crazy Cats are very happy because Fabulous Dog is gone and they can use the floor again. Refuge is only found on high surfaces when FD is in the house. When she is holidaying at the spa, they like pretending they are back in the before Fabulous Dog ages. When she returns, we will be greeted with a few sleepless nights filled with meowing and kitties running across the top of the bed near our heads. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us when the Bean arrives.

Needless to say, my cranky mood has dissipated. Grumpy Girl is on vacation and will return when she has to go to work on Tuesday.

I'm sorry... so sorry...

Today I am 15 weeks. It is another grumpy day. I worry that I am going to mess up this kiddo before I even get my hands on him or her. I am sure my negative attitude and constant crying has some impact on the baby.


My dear child, I apologize in advance.