Kids Really Do Get On Your Nerves

Except for the first trimester nausea, this pregnancy has been super easy...until now. Luigi is sitting on my sciatic nerve and it really smarts. It is weird having to slow down and not do everything I want...and we all know how I like things done my way. But Bobby has been super kind, rubbing my back and helping to do anything that requires standing or walking.

So with all this sitting time I realized I need more books to keep me entertained. So I went to the library yesterday, got a library card and 2 books - The Handmaid's Tale and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. Both were recommendations. I've started the former, but it is a little too Twilight Zone for my taste...but I still have to finish it. Costco has the new Dan Brown novel on sale, so I plan on picking that up on our next trip. Anyone else have any books to share or recommend?

Ewww...Gross...My Finger

Evidently it is normal, but not very common, for pregnant women to have these overactive blood blisters, called pyogenic granuloma. I have seen the dermo 3 times in the past 2 months to have this thing burned off my finger, but it keeps growing back bigger. It is now 1/4" in diameter and 1/8" tall. I hope that today's lancing and cauterization will last me until the end of my labor. If not, if I bump or squeeze my finger during labor I could end up with blood gushing out for an extended period of time. Seriously, this is nasty and painful.

They say it normally goes away after the baby is born...I sure hope so! The only other alternative is to surgically scoop out the entire thing and replace it with skin from somewhere else.


Do not scroll down if you have a squeamish stomach... This is a picture of what it looks like after the doctor cut it down in height and cauterized the blood vessels.

Amazon.com Frenzie

We ordered the last of the stuff we need for Luigi on Amazon.com. Thus, packages have been arriving everyday since last week. (Does it count that we also bought a Twilight tshirt for me and a book about the experiences of a Secret Service agent for Bob?) Today we got our chux (disposable pee pads, like the ones you lay on the floor for pets)! Bob asked, "So, what are these for again?" Immediately an image popped into my head of Luigi peeing and pooing all over the Aabalat office carpet...well, it would only happen once I guess.

Bob has his own diaper bag - a replica of a WWII army backpack - so I will be putting some chux in there tonight. And, of course, some will go in my bag too. This weekend I bought Bob a travel case for baby wipes to put in his bag, so he'll be pretty well set!

Our New Country Home

On August 1 we finally moved into our new rental house, which is an in-law cottage on a 2-acre estate in Petaluma, California. The landlord is still building the main house, so we have the entire place to ourselves...for at least a year. This is our first time living in the country, so our learning curve is fairly steep.

Description of the property: Our cottage is a 1 bedroom, 1 bath new construction SFR with a 1-car garage and a massive "breezeway" that connects the cottage to the garage. The breezeway is built just like the house with radiant floor heating, indoor mouldings and paint, electrical outlets, cable and a chandalier. The cottage has radiant floor heating under the finished/stained concrete floor...which we've covered with several rugs to avoid accidents with Luigi. The bathroom and kitchen are tiled with travertine and the cabinets are fairly ornate and beautiful!

Our minimalist living style: Since we don't plan to live here more than 1 year, as I will likely find a job with a commute, we are only moving in the bare essentials of our belongings. For example, instead of unpacking our 16 placesettings, we only unloaded 6. We left everything else we own scattered across 4 bay area counties (thanks to all the family for continuing to store our stuff). It's amazing, though, to realize that we have everything we really need and the place doesn't feel cramped at all.

Preparing for baby Luigi: The bedroom and the living room have enough space to accomodate Luigi's crib and dresser, so we are still deciding where to put him. The bassinet will go in the bedroom for sure. Bob has very understanding as I stocked up on plastic bins and miscellanous household organizers. I organized all of Luigi's clothes, such that NB-3mo are in his drawers and the rest are sorted into containers by size/age. The changing table has all the provisions, the toy drawers are filled and all the feeding accessories are in Luigi's own kitchen cabinet. We are having a hard time figuring out where to store the baby bathtub and the tub toys just won't stay suctioned to the travertine. We are nearly ready!

What's left? We need a washer and dryer, so I've been looking all week for the best option.

Baby Shower Recap

I know I waited too long after the baby shower to write this, but we've been busy moving and setting up for Luigi's arrival.

The baby shower was wonderful! About 30 of our closest friends and family attended the event, which was hosted by Aunt Liz and Cousin Tracy at Liz's house in Pinole. The food was amazing! We played a couple of games - word search and guess that baby food flavor - before eating a buffet lunch. Then presents were opened, followed by tea and petit fours. It was really hot out, approximately 92-degrees, but luckily aunt liz has a lot of shade in her back yard. Even my visiting LA friends were melting! Thankfully I brought my sun hat to wear with my sundress (made by my mom). Despite the heat, it was a lovely garden tea party and I had a fantastic time.

Everyone was so generous with their gifts! Bob and I ended up receiving nearly everything on our registries! So thank you, again, to everyone for your thoughtfulness!

I am posting some pictures above for your enjoyment. The diaper cake, made by my mom and aunt liz, was super creative. There are no pictures of the decorations, but aunt liz hung clothes on a clothesline - our favorite onesies featured had "My father rules...the galaxy (a Star Wars shirt)" and "Ladies get in line..." written on them. You might also be able to spot my blue finger and toe nails, which I selected in honor of my baby boy, Luigi, for his party.