christmas shopping, friends, and ducky

[same_sky]

I am relieved to announce that I have completed my Christmas shopping with one semi-exception (picking up a gift card, which hardly counts, since the decision has been made.) I have to start again with the wrapping now, but that's a manageable task now that I know what I have left to wrap. I've even done my master Christmas list with amounts and totals of what I've spent. Last year, I never got around to finishing up the last bits of it, and it stayed on my to-do list until late summer, when I realized that I was never going to finish it and let's move on already. We were home before lunch, even! I was afraid we would end up driving aimlessly around Lexington all day, trying to figure out what to buy. I am not so pleased to announce that we totally went over budget.. in one notable case, we spent more than double what we should have when we bought a bread machine for my grandfather. It was sweet, though, because it was M who insisted that we buy it. It's easier for him to have the final say on doubling the budget for someone in my family, and I think it's sweet that he likes my grandfather enough to want to do special stuff for him. My grandfather, by the way, is becoming more and more anti-preservatives healthy living (with a bit of semi-quackery thrown in for good measure) in the last few years, so he's expressed interest several times in our bread machine And really, the budget is less important than picking out the Right Gift, as opposed to finding the first crappy thing that comes along at the right price. So I guess what I am saying is that ironically, I believe that spending more on one present is less about the commercialization of the holidays than spending less. That makes absolutely no sense.

We had friends over last night and had a very nice time. We ate a Mexican restaraunt with a waiter that defies description, but he and I apparently had a serious language barrier because I made a total dork of myself by not understanding a single word he said. The evening's highlight was a little boy, perhaps five, who stopped at our table, did a little dance and then topped it off by singing, "I like to move it, move it!" I think maybe you would have had to be there but it was really funny. Also funny was the following exchange, just as they walked in the front door. (Please note that while we haven't seen them since their wedding in May, the two men, J and M, have exchanged several emails in that time.)

L enters the house, with a significant but unexpected pregnant belly.

J: Oh, I guess I didn't tell you. She's pregnant!

M: Yeah. I didn't mention it either, but so is she!

MEN!

Speaking of the whole pregnancy deal.. I'm now officially seventeen weeks along. That sounds like a lot! He's had a pretty active week. I have a tendency to sit so that my keyboard tray is pressed against my belly.. not hard, just a bit of pressure. Ducky apparently does not care for this. I also have lovely stretch marks popping out. My mom asked me if I had been putting anything on them to keep them from showing. Is it that horrible that I can't really work up the energy to care about stretch marks? I might even like the things. As it turns out, my body can do cool stuff! I guess maybe I will regret this attitude later on, but I've always been pretty skeptical that you really have any control over this anyway. My next appointment is Tuesday, and I think that the one after that is the one with the big ultrasound. My mom keeps asking me when it'll be. I think she's afraid that I won't tell her about it. I don't know why because I did tell her that she could come to that one. I wasn't too keen on having an audience with the first one we had, but this one should be okay. Hopefully. I'm pretty excited to find out if it's a he or a she because this alternating days is getting very hard to keep straight. Also, I'd like to buy things. AND MAKE LISTS. I don't really need to know if it's a boy or a girl to make lists, but I scheduled "thinking about things to do and things to buy" for after Christmas. I guess maybe scheduling things to think about is kind of weird but that's how I am.

Anyway, I guess it's time to go find something productive to do. We ran around cleaning all day yesterday (the house looks fantastic) and then we were up early this morning to go shopping. Now it feels hard to settle into doing nothing, which is why I started writing this in the first place. I might as well take advantage of that while it lasts, though, and go wrap something.

Comments

[mamakoolaid.livejournal.com]

My sister went nuts trying everything imaginable to avoid stretch marks and she still got them, so I wouldn't even worry about it. I mean, you're housing a human in there, things are going to stretch, lol! 17 weeks already, that's wonderful!! =D

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

That's kind of what I've always thought. It really doesn't bother me that much. I've got uglier things! ;)

[helloheather.livejournal.com]

I'm with you about the stretch marks. I'm very skeptical that there's anything you can do about them. I think you're prettymuch destined to either have them or not. I have ones that I've had since puberty, so I knew I was going to get them with pregnancy. And yep! I did. But it's not like I was wearing a lot of belly-revealing clothing before my pregnancy, so it's not like things have changed a whole lot.

And besides, they don't bother me much at all. They are a mark of something really awesome that my body did! (Just like you're saying.) :)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

I've had them since puberty, too, though I'm getting new ones now--maybe it's that I've always known that I would get more of them in pregnancy it doesn't bother me. Or maybe it's that like you said, I wasn't wearing belly-revealing clothes before. I just asked M, and he claims he'll divorce me over them, so I take it that he doesn't care that much, either. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

[dbrus.livejournal.com]

I prided myself that I had no stretch marks (did not do anything to avoid them) and then at 37 weeks...BAM! ALL OVER. And I've still got them too. I don't mind them though, I never was a bikini fan anyway (except when I was really pregnant, then it was fun)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Bikinis were fun when pregnant? Oi. You are much braver than I am! ;)

[dbrus.livejournal.com]

6 months or so here I think....

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Wow! You look cute!

Photos of hot brunettes in skimpy swimsuits--that's a new one for this journal!

[courtesy.livejournal.com]

Fuck the stretch marks. I mean, not literally, but you know, bugger it, they're natural.

God, what an Australian comment....

Will you tell us if it's a boy or girl????!!!!

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

That's what I'm thinking about the stretch marks. I just can't bring myself to care about them that much.

Assuming the little duckling isn't being shy and we find out something, I'll tell you all if it's a boy or a girl. I'm guessing that it'll probably be another month, though. Bah, humbug! Wouldn't it have been nice to know for Christmas?

p.s. Am mailing Christmas cards today. I'm thinking there isn't a chance in hell that you'll get it before you leave. Sorry!

[e11en.livejournal.com]

Strecth marks. The same thing that happened to Dawn happened with me when I was pregnant with Ingrid. I thought I'd made it free and clear and then one evening at about 36 weeks during Lamaze class, I went to the ladies room and they had a mirror in front of the sink for people in a wheelchair that was tilted. I was wearing a sundress and, as no one else was in there, I took a moment to adjust my slip while standing in front of this mirror. Because of the angle of the sink, I suddenly could see the underside of my huge belly (which I had never been able to see) and lo and behold, I had these angry, purple stretch marks! Then they started to itch and that wasn't much fun.

I also never bothered with cream because by the time I realized I had them, it was August and hot as blazes and the last thing I wanted was to slather cream on my belly. Baby powder more likely, and the two don't mix.

And don't believe people who tell you they will fade away. So NOT true. Or I'm very unlukcy.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

What a surprise that must have been! Well, at least I found out early, and don't have to be confronted with it after I thought the danger had passed! :)