March 30, 2006

Whole Foods

One of the members of one of my book clubs recently had a son who was diagnosed with a fairly rare condition (a pulmonary artery sling) and had to have semi-urgent surgery last week. Fortunately, the baby is doing just fine. The women of my book club, upon hearing about this surgery, decided to help out by providing dinners for our friend and her husband for one week so they wouldn't have to cook. Mind you, no one wants to eat what I would cook. I can sometimes throw things together, but it takes a lot of planning and patience, and even then good results are not guaranteed.

So I went to Whole Foods Market. I figured (correctly, it turns out) that I could pick up some pre-cooked entrees for them and spare them the ordeal of trying to figure out what it was I had concocted. I haven't been to Whole Foods in ages, and am glad to say that the location I went to is fully stocked and operational post-K.

I've always liked shopping there but probably for the wrong reasons. I know that they are socially conscious and try to promote organic foods and that's all to the good. I have no problem with eating beef that comes from cows that were raised in feng-shui'ed pens with classical music piped in while they were only fed by Democrats. That's fine. But that's not why I shop there. I shop there because their food looks, smells and tastes so good! Basically, I'm just a pig.

I was wandering the aisles, picking up stuff for Archi-Sapper and I along the way and as I was checking out I was thinking, "Man, why don't I shop here more?" When the person at the register rang up my total, I discovered I bought one meal for my friends, some chicken salad, a dessert for us and a couple of snacks and it was $85. That's why I don't shop there more often.

Posted by Kitty at 06:26 PM | Comments (2)

March 20, 2006

My Husband Went to Vegas and All I Got

was this lousy head cold. *sniff* The poor thing tried not to give it to me. He feels worse than I do, as he's recovering from the cold and feeling bad about passing it along. I figured that what with sharing a bed and living together in a small, not very well ventilated apartment, it was inevitable.

It really wouldn't bother me that much (I tend to get these once every spring, anyway) if I weren't pregnant. When I normally get these, I head over to Walgreen's and self-medicate with plenty of Benadryl and Robitussin and that usually takes care of it. There have been times when it snuck up on me and went out of control (like when I was a 3L and managed to get a sinus infection, a lung infection and an ear infection, like some sort of out of control toddler), but mostly the OTC stuff works pretty well for me. I'm currently lying on the couch (we got a couch! Hooray!) waiting for my OBGYN to call me back and tell me what I can and can't take.

Until then I'm going to lie on the couch, sniff a lot and watch re-runs of Matlock. I'm starting to think I went to law school with this guy.

Posted by Kitty at 01:34 PM | Comments (4)

March 13, 2006

The Captain Has Just Turned On the Neurosis Sign

What is it with all these people and their flying? Every time I turn around, someone is hopping on a plane to somewhere. Are these people insane? Yes, I know it's the most convenient form of cross-country travel, but for God's sake it still scares the hell out of me.

Who are these people who can blithely sit back in a large tube of sheet metal hurtling through the sky at 500 mph while it occasionally jerks and drops violently? My husband is one of these people, bless him. He can sleep through the scariest of turbulence, only to awaken and complain that he missed the snack cart.

My mother actually falls into the category of people who thinks flying is "fun". I always assumed that she felt this way, not because there's anything inherently fun about flying, but because she's not very observant. This is, after all, the woman who went to a themed restaurant with me in Dallas where the waiters dress up as various characters, and asked the waiter who was wearing tights, a cape and a large "R" on his chest whether he was Superman (to whch the waiter deadpanned in reply, "Yeah. That's what the "R" stands for").

I bought yet another set of plane tickets this weekend. This trip? To Phoenix for an ABA meeting. I attend this meeting every year and love it, but the travel is always an issue. My plan: (1) to watch some DVD's I purchased that are supposed to help with this sort of thing, and (2) to drive to Dallas and fly to Phoenix with my mother, who is allegedly going to provide moral support. I'm sure she'll try as long as the ennui doesn't completely knock her out mid-flight, at which point I'll spend an hour convincing the other passengers that, yes, that is just her snoring, and no, we're not having engine trouble.

Posted by Kitty at 07:27 PM | Comments (1)

March 09, 2006

Woke Up This Morning

How did I manage to miss that one of my all time favorite t.v. shows is starting a new season Sunday? Hallelujah.

Posted by Kitty at 04:46 PM | Comments (1)

March 04, 2006

What to Expect

During the weekend of my birthday in January, it all started to make sense. On Sunday afternoon, I'd had my second meal of the day and thought, "Man, why am I still hungry?" I was nodding off in my chair in the middle of the afternoon thinking, "Man, why am I so tired?" I roused myself from my sleepy hunger long enough to think, "Why is my period late?" That was my first clue.

I bought a home pregnancy test which showed, surprise surprise, that I was pregnant. I didn't believe it. Seriously, I'm supposed to gauge my major life events based on what a plastic stick from the drug store tells me? So, I went to the doctor the next day and he confirmed what the plastic stick already knew. I'm officially expecting.

I've waited to make any sort of big announcement, because I'm still early on in this adventure and there's still a fairly high risk of miscarriage. So, Archi-Sapper and I are thrilled about the news, and are cautiously optimistic that things will progress as expected.

This will be my first child, so I'm learning as I go. I mean, I've raised Archi-Sapper for the past six years, but I've never raised an actual child before. The first lesson I've learned is that all women who have been through this process before have their stories, their suggestions and their opinions. I'm absorbing as much of it as I can, but I have to admit gravitating toward the ones who are a tad more realistic about this whole experience.

Not long after I found out the news, I got an e-mail out of the blue from an old friend. This friend has several kids at home and is pregnant again, so I figured she's an expert. I had been told to expect some fatigue. That doesn't even begin to cover it. Once you let another human being live amongst your internal organs and exist off what you eat, then you will know from exhaustion. And, of course, we've all heard stories about "morning sickness." A more apt term would be a hormonal hangover, because that's basically what it feels like. You know that eating is the main thing that will make you feel better, but that's the last thing you want to do. And smells -- don't get me started on odors. I can catch a whiff of something I normally like (like my perfume) and I start making the noises my dog makes when she eats something that doesn't agree with her.

So, I sought the advice of my "expert" friend. This was a bad idea. When I asked about queasiness and fatigue, she gave me her story. It went something like this, "I simply adored every day of every one of my pregnancies. Each morning I would rise and bask in the glow of motherhood, thrilled with the gift I'd been given. My skin radiated and I never felt the least bit sick or tired or unhappy. Each passing day was better than the last....blah, blah, blah." These kind of stories only make me want to respond, "That's great, Snow White. I'm glad that little birds help you get dressed in the morning, but I am not feeling so hot over here."

My saving grace this weekend has been the new book I just purchased, The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy. Not only does most of the advice (so far) appear to be right on the money, but the tone matches how I feel. One of my favorite excerpts: "I believe that any woman who tells you that her pregnancy is, without exception, the most pleasant and fulfilling time of her life is either lying or has a personality disorder."

There may be hope for me yet.

Posted by Kitty at 08:25 PM | Comments (10)