So we have some snow. A lot of snow.
A few days ago we had no snow on the ground and now we have almost two feet. For a while, the snow had been light and fluffy, which was helpful for shoveling, but not great for playing. Finally, one night Tom came running into the house. I'd been napping, and he'd been out shoveling.
Alternatively titled, "Anatomy Scan: How I Scared Tom Half to Death"
Ultrasounds - An exciting experience where you get to watch a TV screen showing your baby moving around. Or the time to figure out any and all genetic problems, health issues, and life ending debilitations. One of those is a lot more fun than the other, but the reality is, both are true.
So after the last, not so encouraging ultrasound, Tom and I were ready for a do over. That chance came when we were given the option of doing a down syndrome test, which requires an ultrasound. I'll be honest, I just heard ultrasound and said I was in. Especially because it was at a different office where they had the new, high tech ultrasounds. I knew we'd be able to see a lot more, and have a much better chance at hearing a heartbeat. The results of the test meant very little to me compared to that.
Heading into the appointment, I was mostly excited and just a little bit nervous. I knew things were probably okay, but I still really wanted to hear that heartbeat as confirmation. Then I checked the website and looked at the pre-appointment instructions... and that's when I became very nervous.
Alternatively titled, "How I almost gave Tom a heart attack."
So the first appointment I had was with a midwife, and was supposed to be mostly a checkup for me, and gathering a medical history. It was in the middle of the day and Tom had to work, so I went alone. I'd already gotten all the medical information from him, so it wasn't a big deal. At the very end of the appointment, the midwife decided to try and do a quick ultrasound to check and make sure it wasn't an ectopic pregnancy.
I mostly didn't know what to expect for pregnancy symptoms. I figured I'd be puking in garbage cans left and right and making Tom go out in the middle of the night to buy me pickles. (Again, thanks movies). I've seen friends and family members pregnant before, and it didn't seem that bad? But as I soon found out, most of pregnancy is about suffering in private.
Seriously, who decided that the worst pregnancy symptoms would happen at the beginning when you're not supposed to be telling anyone you're pregnant!? It's the worst cruel joke nature could play on you. I was lying and faking my way through life while feeling like I was going to die at the same time. I was also feeling a bit dramatic haha.
For another post about how life is different from movies, let's explore what we did after finding out I was pregnant.
In the movies, this is a huge turning point! Lots of things happen very quickly! Symptoms start immediately. A visit to the doctor is planned for the next day. Funny things happen. People are told. In reality, none of this happens.
Maybe it's because I'm pregnant and don't have a ton of energy. Or maybe I'm just not a registry person. After all, we never really did a wedding registry. We had a super small one that we did online. We never went to a store to pick things out. Either way, setting up a baby registry was a nightmare for me!
I'd been putting it off for a while. For some reason it didn't sound fun. Even though I love shopping and I love babies, something about the registry made me want to avoid it at all costs. It was Tom who finally convinced me to go. Convinced, begged.. same difference.
I'm not going to lie, I've questioned whether this is the greatest time to bring a child into the world. Our political climate scares me, and it makes me scared for our future children. What type of world will they grow up in? How will I teach tolerance and love and equality when the leader of our country preaches the opposite?
If you've been on pinterest (or anywhere on the internet pretty much) lately, you know that finding a unique and special way to tell your husband you're pregnant is very much a thing. However, it always struck me as odd. Wouldn't you find out together? How could you keep a secret like that from your husband? I pretty much knew I wouldn't be able to pull something like that off.
Plus in my mind, it would go something like this: One day we'd be talking and maybe I'd notice I missed a period, or I'd throw up randomly, or otherwise feel off. And we'd both look at each other and go, "Oh my gosh! Could you/I be pregnant!?" and we'd run off, buy a test, and wait for the results together. As a totally unrelated comment, I think I watch too much TV and movies haha.
Although it's snowed a few times already this winter, I'm declaring this our first official snow storm of the new house. Topping in at around 7 inches at our snow stake, I'm pretty sure this isn't going to disappear overnight like the rest of the show we've had this season so far.
While I'm not a huge fan of snow, I will say that having a house makes me enjoy it a lot more than living in an apartment does. I'm not sure Tom will agree with this, since he has the added task of shoveling, but just look how pretty it is!
Okay, confession time. We've been hiding something.
Not well, because most of you know, but still not actively talking about it online anyway. That's not to say I haven't been writing about it, because I have. They're all just stored in draft form, and will slowly be shared with you over the coming weeks.
Is January the least liked month of the year? Apologies to anyone with a January birthday, but honestly, it doesn't have much going for it. It's dark, it's cold, and there's a big excitement letdown from the non stop holidays and fun we've had for the past two months.
It's also the busiest month of the year for me at work, which makes it even less enjoyable. I've been debating taking a random day off to do some stuff around the house, or maybe just take a nap, but I feel like when 5:00 hits and it's dark out, I'll still feel like it's time for bed, and stop whatever I'm doing.
Phew!
So I've been MIA for a bit huh? Where did December go?
Well first we hosted a mini Colgate reunion. One great thing about Christmas is that people who live far away come home for a few weeks and give us a chance to hang out. Then there were more Christmas parties, and a trivia competitions (winning team over here! woot!), and we even found some time to take in Penny for service!
I was pretty sure I wrote this post last year. Or maybe the year before. But maybe not. Because I searched my posts, and unless I did a Christmas in July special, I can't find it. So if someone else gets deja vu from reading this, help me out, okay?
And yes I know, I've missed a few posts lately. I swear every year I'm going to start holiday stuff in August, and every December I'm running around in circles with lists of my lists that I need to complete. Every. Year.
If you've been to our house recently, you've already seen the end result of this project, but I figured it was about time I shared the journey of how we got here. After all, I only started this project back in July!
As I said before, we needed a lot of new furniture to fill up our house, including a dining room table and chairs. I spent a day shopping with Nicole and found a table I liked (as did Tom when I brought him back later to look at it) but no one really liked the chairs that went with it. So we bought the tables and started the search for chairs. At some point I got the idea that I wanted the chairs to be blue. Of course I couldn't find what I was looking for anywhere, so shortly after, I decided that I'd paint the chairs myself.
I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend! Although I spent a large chunk of it driving, it was certainly nice to have some time off of work, and to see some family members.
It's one of those holidays where it's impossible to get everyone together at once, but I think we did a pretty good job this year.
It's Thanksgiving week, which means a slower pace to life (unless of course you're in charge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, which I thankfully am not). Work isn't that busy, the commute is easier, and everyone is gearing up for time with family.
Tom and I still have some decorations to put out and some lights to hang up, so hopefully we'll get to that this weekend. Other things on my to-do list are finishing my book, and maybe watching a movie?
Let's focus on something good in the world right now, like art - sound good?
One of my favorite things about working where I do, is the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. It's a long, winding park that replaced I-93 once the big dig was completed. It runs from the North End to Chinatown, and there's always something new to see or do. Farmers markets, food trucks, water fountains, art installations... it really is a fun part of the city.
This kind of seems like a metaphor for how life's been going lately, but this is a sign I saw this morning on my way to work:
ROAD UNDER CONSTRUCTION. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Wonderful. The only problem is that this sign is at the end of the exit ramp from I-93. There is no option to turn around or go another way once you're at this point. Even if you decide you don't want to risk it, you have no alternative.