A Pregnant Lady Walks Into A Bar...

    So the last couple of nights we've gone out with friends. It's nice to be around a group of people you know and like, having fun and doing things that non-pregnant people do for a change. However the site thumb syndrome kicks in when you realize there might be a reason that pregnant women aren't seen out in clubs that often.

    It's no longer any secret to the world that I'm pregnant. At almost 6 months, it's pretty obvious that it's not just a bunch of extra weight I've gained in the frontal stomach area over the summer. If that didn't resolve any lingering doubts, the occasional jump seen through my t-shirt would. So, when walking in the bar to meet some friends that were moving away on Thursday, I realized that I was a walking punchline. It made me feel self-conscious, but did it make me leave...? Absolutely not!

    I realized rather quickly that I'm either a public service announcement about the importance of birth control (which I personally find HILARIOUS) or just simply that pregnant lady who just ordered a Shirley Temple instead of the usual Raspberry Martini. Not only that, but there are certain perks to being the pregnant lady in the bar. People offer you a seat, which can be hard to come by in a busy bar, and waitresses don't give you that pissed off look when you only order water. Aside from the inevitable stares, it's basically business as usual otherwise; people drinking, looking at other people.

    When we went to the club last night to celebrate a friend's birthday, did I make like a wallflower and sit in the booth the whole night with the guys...? Heck no! God made me to be a joiner! Admittedly, there were some awkward "belly rubs" while on the dance floor, but thankfully they were mostly from myself!

    So, what did I learn from all this, you may ask. I learned that, at least for the time being, I'm still a young fun-loving woman, pregnant or not, and as long as the baby will let me, I'm entitled to a good time! If that includes going to bars & clubs with my friends before being on lockdown with a newborn, I think I should enjoy it as much as possible while I can. I've never cared about what people think and I don't figure now is a good time to start. As I continue to get bigger and clothes get smaller, I figure the best thing to do is milk it for all it's worth, enjoy our last few months of baby-free life, and maybe enjoy the fact that the joke may be on me, but not for much longer!!!

We Now Present...

As promised, bright and early, I am posting to announce that Adrian and I are the very proud future-parents of a sweet baby girl! I have absolutely no intentions of posting any pictures of my child's private parts on cyberspace but I can assure you that there is unequivocal photographic evidence of that fact. Instead I posted this lovely profile pic! It has also been unequivocally confirmed that there is only one baby in there. I hope this stops any future speculation about us having twins (but I doubt it).

    In addition to finally seeing between her sweet little legs, we also got a peak at all of Baby's organs. Everything is developing wonderfully! Baby wasn't really awake during the sonogram but woke up shortly after and thanked me for the Cherry Coke I had drunk beforehand (to wake her up for the sonogram). Perhaps it was for the best after all; in the past she hasn't really cooperated with the sonographer and I was dying to know if  she was a boy or girl.

    So, Adrian and I are thrilled that we will have yet another lady in the house in a few short months and, no doubt, she'll boss us all around admirably. Plans are already in the making to find a saddle for Big Bubba Buckley (just kidding). I also finally got to show Adrian all the girly stuff I've been hoarding for months! Happily, he just laughed and said he liked it. It might take him a while to get used to the "girly stuff", but something tells me that with a daughter on the way he'll learn to tolerate it eventually!

    So, in closing, I hope we didn't disappoint! Yes, we have a name picked out but I'm holding on to that one for a later post and there may be a poll on the preferred spelling to help us out. As a farewell, my baby girl wanted to wave goodbye to you guys!

Drum Roll Please!

    Today was the long-awaited sonogram that was supposed to finally reveal the gender of the baby. This time around, Baby did not disappoint. Not only are all the organs and heartbeat right on track, Baby gave us a peek between those little legs!

    As many of you know, my dream and the Chinese calendar predicted a girl, however the Cuban test and a baby heartbeat prediction predicted a boy. It goes without saying that neither of these methods is an absolute guarantee and we definitely found that to be true today.

    So, what did we see?! Come back here on Monday to find out! Yup! We've discussed it and we want our family to find out first before everyone else, but I promise the reveal will be worth the visit. We have photos and videos of the sonogram and I promise to post as much as possible ... MONDAY!

Guide to the Dominican Republic

If you're pregnant and go to the Dominican Republic, here's a few necessary tips to keep in mind:

    1. Speak Spanish (may be most important);

    2. Take bottled water and only drink bottled water;

    3. Take hand sanitizer and use after washing your hands;

    4. Trust only about 30% of the food (even if you're staying in a resort);

    5. Make friends with the natives; and

    6. Prepare yourself for an adventure!

The Happy Dance

    Not that there ever was any, but any and all doubts as to the paternity of this child, whether girl or boy, will be laid aside with this post. Every time I eat the baby commences what I have dubbed the "Mealtime Happy Dance". The baby starts kicking around like there's no tomorrow as if jumping around in anxious anticipation of the impending feeding frenzy. I attribute this trait to the paternal genes since no one appreciates a good meal like my beloved counterpart.

    When I explained this to Adrian he laughed and said that he imagines that if the baby doesn't like something that I eat, it would kink the umbilical cord as if in protest against eating. We both laughed at this but as the baby gets bigger and runs out of space to stretch I wonder if maybe the happy dance isn't just another way of the baby demanding either more or something else. The thought makes me worry about Hungry Baby in future. 

    Food for thought indeed but, regardless of the reason why, shortly after starting any meal lately, I'm sure to become a traveling baby dance floor. The plus side of this is I know that Baby is doing well and is feisty as ever. The negative side, and I don't imagine one can stress this too much, is that I have to continue to eat while a tiny human is using my abdomen as a trampoline. The undeniable fact is that, while it makes post-mealtime somewhat uncomfortable at times, I enjoy knowing that Baby is so uniquely a part of us that it is sure to fit right in upon arrival!

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...

    A dream is a funny thing. A dream is why I'm convinced the baby is a girl. Dreams are what Adrian and I sometimes discuss first thing in the morning (particularly after a really vivid or thought-provoking one).  While I've been pregnant, my dreams have been as strange as they usually are, but they've been more poignant as well.  I've had night terrors at times, and dreams that have expressed what I try to suppress to avoid being the "crazy pregnant lady".

    A dream that keeps coming back to me involves cupcakes. Sometimes they're different colors and flavors; sometimes I get to eat them, sometimes I don't.  Last night I had a dream that there were several cupcakes to choose from, and I chose a red and a blue one.  I remember they weighed a lot too!  The blue cupcake got broken and smushed a bit, but when I looked at it again, I said, "Oh well, it still looks delicious!"  Someone I don't even know decided to dip their finger into the frosting of the blue cupcake and suddenly it seemed less appetizing. I remember thinking, "At least I still have the red one." Then I took a bite of one of the cupcakes, but now I can't remember which one!

    I bet Freud would have a field day with that one.  My own interpretation is the same thing I've been stressing over for the last few months.  I've had to come to terms with the fact that I have a true gender preference and that, while I already love whatever child I have, I want the baby girl from the dream I had almost a year and a half ago so badly, I worry it might have ruined me for a boy this time around.  Then again, the dream might also be interepreted as my understanding that even if I do have a boy this time, there's always the possibility of next time and, once I see the baby, I may feel things turned out alright in the end despite my initial disappointment.  I guess I'll just have to wait the 17 days remaining until the next opportunity to find out!