The waiting game

Hello!

Thought I'd try to squeeze in one last blog post before this baby arrives.  Tomorrow marks week 40 and I'm hoping this baby will enter the outside world early or on time, as opposed to late....I'm not sure I can handle being pregnant for 2 more weeks. But, the baby will come when it's ready, so I may as well just relax.

I don't have a lot to write about, but I thought I'd at least post some pictures from our trip to Rhode Island.  Mark has spent his last 5 birthdays in a different state each year, so we figured we may as well make this year six.  We also decided to head a little farther away, so we could save the closer states for the next few years, in case the newest member of our family isn't into road trips.  Here's where we've been on April 9th the past 6 years:  2013-Rhode Island, 2012- Brooklyn, 2011-Vermont, 2010-Colorado, 2009-Texas, 2008-Oregon.

Turns out, Rhode Island is great!  People seemed a little skeptical when we told them we were heading there for vacation. We left a cold, snowy Vermont and ended up in a tropical wonderland (ie: 70 degrees) full of sunshine and flowers. It was amazing.

Mark and baby

Thirty-fun

Our first stop in Rhode Island was the ocean.  We went to Beavertail State Park and it was gorgeous.  Mark even went for a quick dip in the frigid waters.  I made it in shin deep before retreating to the sand.

While in Rhode Island we ate Asian food at least 4 times, I drank a lot of avocado smoothies, we hung out with our friend Angela in Providence and went to a show in the warehouse where she lives.  Providence has a familiar feel, kind of a cross between Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine.  After 3 glorious days in Rhode Island, we arrived back in VT to freezing temperatures and snow.  T.S. Eliot said, 'April is the cruelest month,' and I am inclined to agree.

Right after returning from our magical getaway, Mark started work at Harvest Hill for his fourth season.  This year's crew is great so far and he loves being back outside with his hands in the soil.  Maggie also loves being back at the farm. None of this year's interns has a dog, so she spends more of the day snoozing than in years past.  I suppose this is to be expected as she'll turn 13 in August.  Luckily, she is still active and healthy, if not a little grey around the muzzle and prone to grumbling.  She is still obsessed with Hank and sprints in circles when she gets excited, so we're not too worried about her.  And she loves tacos!

Mmmmm...chicken skin taco!

On May 4th we began our Summer of selling tacos at the Montpelier Farmer's Market.  Every Saturday from May 4th-October 26th (with the exception of one Saturday in July and perhaps another one when I give birth) you'll find us peddling the best tacos in Central Vermont!

Where the magic happens.

Our menu from 5-18-13

So far the stand has been doing well.  Our hope is that being there every week will create a following of loyal taco eaters.  I'm particularly hoping that breakfast tacos take off, mainly because they taste amazing and everyone should love them.  But perhaps I'm biased.

My last day of work was Thursday, so now I'm mostly biding my time, waiting for this baby to make an appearance.  My Blessingway was May 11th and it was great.  Lots of lovely women and good wishes for both myself and the baby.  Here's a shot of the mandala we created during the blessingway.  The ladies would sprinkle/place an item on the fabric while saying a blessing or hope for the baby.  After everyone was done, we tied it up and one day I'll get to share it with whoever this little person is, to let them know how loved and anticipated he or she was before even coming out.

Mark had his own male blessingway the following weekend and then we had a few close friends over for a house/space blessing last week.  Now all we need is the baby!

The other new thing in our life is Mark's tattoo.  I got him a gift certificate for his b-day and a couple weeks ago he went and got this seahorse with day of the dead markings.  Pretty cool.  The seahorse is a representation of fatherhood as seahorses are one of the only animals where the male of the species actually carries the babies.  The mom seahorse lays her eggs into the dad's pouch and then he carries them around until they hatch and then keeps them in his pouch until they are ready to be out on their own.

Well friends, that's about it.  Perhaps next time I write, it will be to tell all about birth!  Or perhaps it will be a rant over the fact that I'm still pregnant....I've always considered myself a fairly patient person, but waiting to have a baby has really tested my limits.  All in good time, though, all in good time.

Wisdom I've gained from being pregnant.

Disclaimer #1: I have definitely done all of these don'ts.  So don't feel bad if you've done some or all of them. 
Disclaimer #2: I was really cranky when I wrote this post and apparently needed to blow off some steam.  I felt much better afterwards.

Here it is.

I have learned a lot of things being pregnant these last 8 months.  Here's a list of some of them.

1. Eating can become a chore.  Even eating ice cream can be a chore.
2. Garlic and onions cooking is not always the best smell. Sometimes it's the worst.
3. Bodies are amazing and will stretch in ways you may never have imagined.
4. Growing another person inside your body is pretty wild.
5. The uterus is the coolest organ. It goes from being about the size of a pear, to about the size of a basketball, filling up your abdomen, and then back again.
 6. Putting on pants and socks can be an aerobic activity.
7. Regular bowel movements should never be taken for granted.

However, the most important thing I've learned, is how to talk to and act around pregnant women.  Here are some do's and don'ts when interacting with pregnant ladies in your life.

Don't comment on her size!  It may be tempting to tell her how huge her belly is getting. It may also be tempting to say how tiny she is, especially for how far along she may be. Neither of these are great things to hear. As someone who has struggled to gain weight during my pregnancy, due to heartburn and a wicked high metabolism, being constantly told how tiny I am does not make me feel awesome.  I, of course, love it when people tell me I look huge, but someone who is legitimately huge, probably doesn't want to be told that all the time.

Do tell her she looks great! Or gorgeous. Or beautiful.  Tell her her belly looks amazing. Just don't put a size qualifier in there. It's not necessary.

Don't put your hands all over her belly without permission. Especially if she is a stranger or an acquaintance.  Just because we are pregnant, our bodies are not suddenly public property.

Do ask for permission before touching the belly.  Even if you are a close friend or family member, don't assume there is implied consent just because you have touched the belly before.  Some days I love when people touch my belly. Others, I'm not into it.  So much of ourselves have already been given up to this growing being, the last thing we need is people assuming we want to be touched or that it is their right to touch us.  Unless someone has specifically told you that you can touch her belly whenever you want to, asking is always nice.

Don't ask her how she's feeling every time you see her.  Unless you did this before the pregnancy, don't do it!  It's ok to ask occasionally  but please remember you are one person and though you may be genuinely interested, this is probably the 20th time she's been asked today.  This can be particularly frustrating on days when we're not feeling so great.  Then it's just a reminder every 10, 30, 60 minutes that "Oh, that's right, I feel pretty lousy today. Thanks for bringing that to my attention." Disclaimer #3: After I re-read this, I remembered that I work in a very public place, so I do get asked many, many, many times a day how I'm feeling. I was talking to a friend yesterday who was a nanny during her pregnancy and she loved it when people asked how she was feeling because being in a more solitary job she didn't hear it as often. I will acknowledge that this gripe may not be universal.

Do ask her about what else is going on in her life.  This isn't to say you should avoid all mention of the pregnancy, it is simply a reminder that once pregnant, a woman's mind does not suddenly shift to all baby thoughts all the time.  Soon enough our entire lives will be consumed with feeding and diapers and sleep deprivation. There's no need to funnel our minds onto one track before go that way naturally.

Don't tell her your birth horror story. Or that of your cousin, best friend, random acquaintance etc.  If she wants to hear about your birth, chances are she'll ask.  Horror stories are not helpful.  It may be cathartic for you, but it's terrifying for us.

Do offer to be there if she has any questions or if she just needs someone to talk to. Sometimes listening without judgement can be the best thing you can do for a pregnant lady.

35 weeks

7 weeks

                                                                                                              

Just for a point of reference on why I get so irritated when people tell me I'm tiny.  

Ok. Rant over. Marisa out!

9 Weeks

Hey Kiddos.

Well, the count down has begun. Less than 9 weeks until my due date.  Are we excited? Yes. Are we ready? Not really.  Moments ago I ordered our midwives home birth kit and over the past week or so we've begun gathering the supplies off our home birth list. It's gonna be a pretty wild ride, but an exciting one!  Here's what I look like these days. 

31 Weeks!

We started taking our weekly picture when I was 7 weeks along and I specifically picked this shirt because I thought it would fit over my belly for the whole pregnancy. Turns out I was wrong.  I can't wait to see how much belly shows at week 40...

Since my last post a number of things have happened.  My parents came for a visit and while they were here, Jon and Amy had their baby!  She is a little girl whom they named Luna Rose.  They had her at home and near the end there were a few complications. Jon called us at 1:30am on March 1st telling us the good news that Luna had arrived and then asking us to come over so we could drive their car to the hospital while they rode in the ambulance. We burst into action (Mark more so than me. I'm actually not super good at bursting into action after just waking up) and made it over there in record time. Luckily for everyone, they ended up not needing to go to the hospital and so we spent an hour or so with the newest member of the Pepe/Sund family.  It's pretty amazing to meet someone when they are less than 3 hours old!  Here's a photo of Luna the next afternoon when she was about 16 hours old.  Tomorrow she'll be a month old and she's growing like a champ.

The Lovely Luna Rose

Amy was 3 months ahead of me and Mark and I have really been marking my pregnancy by hers. We figured we didn't really have anything to worry about until Amy gave birth. Well, that's all said and done and now it's really settling in that we are going to have our very own baby to take care of in 2(ish) short months!

Other things that have been happening are as follows.  I have been getting bigger.  Mark started doing Cross Fit at the end of 2012 and he's been getting super into it and also getting super fit.  His goal this winter was to be ready for the farm season and I think he's accomplished it.  He's also been doing a lot of x-c skiing and general outdoor adventuring. For Amy's blessingway (I think I've talked about these before, but it's a ceremony where a bunch of women get together and tell the mother to be how much they love her, basically), a bunch of people made quilt squares and then I sewed them all together. Mark also made a quilt square:

  

Here's the finished product:

My parents visit was pretty mellow. We got a nice dumping of snow the day after they arrived and they spent one afternoon shoveling our driveway so their rental car could make it up.

Other activities included hosting a dinner for some friends, going on a snowshoe to Cheever Falls with my childhood friend Therin who lives in Burlington, sitting by the fire, feeling the baby kick around and eating lots of good food. We also went to Community Dinner in Hardwick and visited High Mowing Organic Seeds. The week went by too fast, but the goodbye was made less sad by the fact that we'll see them again when the baby arrives!  We also just bought tickets to Montana for mid-July so I can be a bridesmaid in my dear friend Ivy's wedding.  Let's hope that flying with a 6-week old is easier than I'm expecting it to be!

Family photo

Belly time. What is that baby doing in there?

Mark, Therin and Me at Cheever Falls

Therin and my Pops

Mmmmm..Pulled pork taco with sauerkraut, spinach and sunflower shoots.

 Aside from having a baby, the big news for this summer is that Mark's taco stand, 'Tacos Con Gusto' got accepted full season into the Montpelier Farmer's Market. This means that every Saturday from May 4th-October 26th, Mark and our friend Jon will be serving tacos to the good people of Montpelier. Mark started the stand with our friend Matt two summers ago, but Matt moved to South Dakota with his girlfriend/our friend Emiko so she can get a nursing degree, leaving the stand in Mark's capable hands.  I'm hoping to help out as much as possible, but what with giving birth and all I may be otherwise occupied for at least part of the summer. I will certainly help with Friday food prep and I hope to be at the markets starting in August. 

New tortilla roller and 4 burner propane stove

TCG banner. If that's not eye catching, I don't know what is.

Well, it is a lovely Spring day (by Vermont standards, which means 40 degrees and sunny with a foot of snow) and this baby and I need to get outside and go on a walk. Mark and Maggie are at our friend Jonah's helping him strip the plastic off his greenhouse. Plans for this evening involve eating tacos so we can try out the new tortilla roller and sample some of the 100lbs of organic masa that arrived in the mail today. Not only do we have yellow masa, but we also have blue!  Let's hope it tastes as good as it's gonna look.

Happy Spring everyone!  I'll try to post again before the bambino makes his or her appearance, but no guarantees. 

The Glorious West

Early January found us in Berthoud, Colorado visiting Mark's dad and step-mom, Joel and Deb. The morning we left Vermont it was -24 degrees outside, so flying into low 40's Colorado felt positively balmy.  I forget that Colorado is pretty much always sunny and it's always a nice surprise. We were greeted by blue skies and "warm" weather which stayed with us for most of our trip.

Colorado was lots of fun. We saw some of Mark's high school buddies, went to a birthday dinner for Adam in Boulder, had two Wykoff family lunches, went hiking in the mountains twice, had dinner with the Karspecks and did some serious lounging. Mark and Joel went ice fishing and the four of us went and saw Lincoln and The Life of Pi. I also took in a matinee of Les Miserables.  Decent flick, but it's too bad Russel Crowe can't sing. Mark's little sister Sam made us dinner one night and we also went bowling with her. It was nice to see everyone after such a long time (3 years!) away from the West. Deb also gave us some great kids books that she'd been stockpiling for the last few years and we also made out with some cute baby things from Deb and Mark's Aunt Bobby.

Here are some Colorado shots.

Mark, Me, Joel and Deb at Lily Pond

Elk!

Lily Pond

Where are the fish?

Devil's Backbone

The Keyhole at Devil's Backbone

Snow Cacti!

Mark and Sam

The only hiccup on the Colorado portion of our vacation was a little trip I took to the ER. I had been having chest pains for about 5 days, but had been attributing them to the elevation change and different foods than normal, etc, but finally on day 5 I decided it was time to get them checked out. We tried to go to urgent care, but the only out of state place that would take my VT medicaid was the ER, so at age 30 I made my first trip to an Emergency Room (I think. There's a possibility I went to one when I slammed my finger in a car door at age 4. But if I don't remember it, does it count?).  Anyway, I thought all they would do was put a stethoscope up to my heart and tell me that I was fine.

Not so.

They whisked me into the ER, gave me a gown to change into and immediately did an EKG. Then they took me to a room where they took my blood and hooked me up to an electronic blood pressure cuff and left the IV needle in my arm (gross).  Then they wheeled me around in the bed to the ultrasound tech where they gave both my legs ultrasounds to check for blood clots and then it was off to x-ray to get a chest x-ray.

So, what was wrong?  Blood clots? Heart attacks? Crazy unknown disease?

Nope. Heartburn.

I'd never had heartburn before. Turns out it can feel like a heart attack sometimes. Since returning to VT I haven't had any more heart attack heartburn, but I have had some pretty continual acid reflux. Thanks pregnancy!  Good things this baby is going to be the best and all worth it! That's my hope at least.

We left Colorado on a Saturday after having Brunch with Deb and Joel and Deb's son Chris and his wife Megan.  Even though Mark and I have been together 7 years, this trip was the first time I had met Chris. He and Megan are great and it was so nice to finally meet them!

From Denver, we flew to Phoenix and rented a car to drive to Prescott, AZ where Mark's Mom, Linda, has been for the past year and half taking care of her mother. His brother Nate also moved down there about a year ago, so we got to stay with them for two nights.  Prescott was so pretty. The town is cute and the surrounding area is gorgeous. Nice mountains, lots of cacti.  Nate made us some tasty Mexican food, too.

AZ shots:

Mark and Linda

Desert scape

Cacti and barbed wire. Very Western.

Mountains!

While at Linda's, she brought out a bunch of old pictures that her Mom and Dad had. I haven't seen many pictures of Mark as a kid, so it was really fun to go through them. Here are a couple gems.

Nate, Mark and Eric, sometime in the 80's.

Chubby baby Mark!

All the siblings! Mark, Nate, Eric and Sam.

Mark and the Saguaro.

Watch out!

Monday was a long day. We left Prescott at 7:30am, drove to Phoenix, flew to Denver and then to Boston, arriving at 11:00pm.  After a ride on the T (Boston's Subway system) and a quick taxi ride we arrived at Pearl's a little after midnight.  After sleeping in until 10:45 the next morning (Yes! I love sleeping in!), we drove back to VT. Maggie and Hank were in fine form. Our friend Beth house sat and everyone looked well fed. She even left us some ice cream in the freezer. Bonus!

Since being home we've settled back into our usual routines. Work, crafting, skiing for Mark, reading for me. I've been snowshoeing when the weather is in the double digits.  All our snow melted, but then came back again in the last few days. We didn't get hit like other parts of New England in this most recent snow storm, but we did get a good 6 inches.  Our friends Alex and Gwenael had a birthday brunch, complete with a t-rex pinata. Mark was the designated pinata killer after everyone else had taken a shot.

Alex in grave danger!

Get it!

This is where Hank and Maggie spend most of their time these days.

Hank in particular.

I spent a frigid morning bundled up on the couch and Maggie decided the best place to lay was right on top of me. Do you think she's jealous of the baby?

Two weeks ago we went to Ice on Fire which is a similar celebration to All Species Day, just in Winter. At the end they made a huge bonfire out of x-mas trees. It was awesome.

Though I feel like I'm getting huge, our friend Amy is about to pop! What are those babies doing in there?

Mark and Maggie hiked to Cheever Falls while I was at work last Sunday and got some really cool ice photos.

 Aside from quilting and general life living, my main project for February is to send a letter or card to someone every day that the mail gets picked up.  So far it's been really fun and I've managed to keep up. Plus, I've made some pretty sweet post cards out of old calendars that I've been saving for years. It's a great way to keep in touch and also get back in touch with people that I've been meaning to write to for ages.  Plus, when you send people letters, you usually get one back and one of my very favorite things is getting real mail!

Happy February!

Happy New Year!

2012, with all its ups and downs is officially over.

 There was no Mayan Apocalypse on the Solstice, so it's time to bring on 2013! 

2012 was a pretty big year. Here are things that happened.

1. A miscarriage in February.

2. A trip to NYC and DC in April, where Mark turned 30.

3. The launch of Mark and Matt's Farmer's Market taco stand, Tacos Con Gusto, in May. It went well and though it didn't necessarily make money, it also didn't lose money. In November, Mark bought Matt's share of the stand as Matt and Emiko are moving to South Dakota so Emiko can go to nursing school. We are awfully sad to see them go, but hopeful that life will bring them back to VT.

 

4. The birth of a number for friends' babies in April, October and November

5. Our car getting stolen from our driveway in tiny little Hardwick.

6. I started working at the Galaxy Bookshop and remembered how much I love working in bookstores.

This is our store bookmark, but it's also the cool mural I get to look at every Thursday from 3-7.

  7. In late June we put an offer on a house and then went through 3 months of loan turmoil before finally being approved and closing on September 20th. Home ownership has proved to be a whole new adventure.

This is our sweet wood stove Mark put in. Not only does it look cool, it also works really well.

8. The last day of July brought our 12th Taco Tuesday, the oh-so-delicious event we host the last Tuesday of (almost) every month. On Christmas this year we hosted our 16th Taco Tuesday, Feliz Tacodad.

9. A super fun trip to Oregon in August to see two of our best friends tie the knot. We also saw heaps of friends at the wedding and in Portland and got to spend time with my parents. It was the best.

10. In June, we celebrated our 7th year together and in August, our 5th wedding anniversary.

11. Three days before we closed on our house, we found out I was pregnant again.

12. On December 1st I turned 30 and we had a giant birthday/housewarming party.

Waiting to blow out my b-day candles.

13. Also in December, Mark gave me a piano for Solstice. It's been really awesome having a piano in my life again. I didn't realize how much I missed playing until I started again.

14. Now, this first day of the New Year, I am 19 and a half weeks pregnant and feeling great! If all continues to go well, there will be a new little person in our lives sometime around the end of May!

Truthfully, this is an 18 week picture. My belly is the slightest bit bigger this week.

  I hope 2013 is a fruitful and fun-filled year for all of you!

This is what it looks like when 2012 turns to 2013 next to a raging bonfire and blowing snow!

Happy New Year!