Spring Break and 16 Weeks of Fun!

This week is my Spring Break.  Many of my friends headed to warmer locales like Florida and The Cayman Islands, but my week is filled with exciting things like 10 minute OB appointments, yoga classes and what seems like constant snacking.

My mom went with me this week to the doctor.  She took my 16 week "bump" picture.  Courtney is growing tired of my bump updates, as she claims she can't see anything.  I'm doing it for posterity, people.  I know there isn't a lot to see.  I'm sure that before I know it I will look like Jessica Simpson.  For now I'll settle for slightly tighter pants.

The weather has been nice  here, so I have spent a little time outdoors, by myself. 

Today I went to yoga and then to Goose the Market, one of my favorite spots for lunch.  I got my favorite sandwich and a giant cookie and went to the Lilly Gardens at the IMA.  

I enjoyed a picnic for one.  

I have been doing some shopping too.  I'm not buying clothes for obvious reasons.  I have launched myself full scale into overpriced beauty products.  I have a beachy theme going on, minus the stretch mark creme.  That stuff makes me feel so pretty, let me tell you.  I am slathering myself up nightly.  That crap is expensive.  It also smells funky.  The other purchases smell great.

I did set up a photo shoot of beauty products in my bathroom.  I am really busy.  I recommend all of this goo, if you're in the market to buy some goodies.

A Little Trip Down Memory Lane

My mother unloaded a bunch of things on me this past weekend.  She has cleaned out my bedroom closet and is planning on putting a crib in there for le bebe.  

One of the random things she unearthed was my ancient Canon Elph camera that weighs a ton.  It's amazing how much technology has changed in the past 8 years.  

I managed to download the pictures that were left on that camera  card to my computer.  

As I rubbed overpriced stretch mark cream all over my abdomen, I started to look through these pictures and think how much life really have changed in the last several years.  Most of these pictures are celebrations from around 2005-2006.

Enjoy-

We start with Court's birthday.  I believe this is 25.  She will be 32 in May-

Nice t-shirt, nerd.

Sisters at Kirby's summer 2005 bachelorette soiree.

Cinda and Lisa.

Cinda now has twins.

My sorority sister, Christy, at her Chicago bachelorette party in 2005.

Geez, I liked that khaki blazer.

The irony is I wore it to the OB this week.

Delta Gammas at her wedding in Chicago that summer.

Nicole, Angel and Lynn.  

Sidenote:  Angel is an actress in Los Angeles now.  She will be on the show Devious Maids which I believe starts this fall.  I'll be able to say I knew her way back when at IU-

Allison's 30th birthday

Courtney will never live down breaking out the hot rollers that night. I got really toasted and may have thrown my purse in the street.

Ah, 26 was awesomesauce.

This is my favorite picture of me and Jamie at the lake

Nic's brother wore a baby blue tuxedo to her wedding rehearsal in 2006.  I thought he was really funny.

 College besties

 Meg delivered flowers as a bridesmaid in Nicole's wedding with me 6 years ago.  Now she delivers babies.  Dr. Megan is pretty fabulous.

I went solo to Conine's wedding in 2006 or 2007.  

Mom and Katie dropped me off at the venue in Nashville and I was terribly self conscious about being alone.  Girl didn't have a boyfriend.  I remember thinking I was pitiful.  Thinking I was pitiful was pitiful, as I remember now.  Break ups and singledom brought me to Sweet T.  Thank you, Lord.

She was the sweetest and tiniest little bride.

Lastly, Kate and I used to rock many a weekend in the Windy City.  Here we were stuffing ourselves in Ethel's Chocolate Lounge.

Palm Sunday

We went home to see my parents for the night on Saturday.  We spent the evening watching the Final Four games and eating Chinese food from Panda Garden, one of my favorite spots.  

We woke up Palm Sunday to an Easter basket filled with some baby goodies.  Mother has decided that henceforth (for the next four weeks) our baby shall be known as Bunny.  This non-gender specific moniker shall stick until we know what kind of baby we are having.  

What?  

An Easter basket for my bambino?

What about me?

No dark chocolate Reece cups?

Operation Bunny tops Betsy has commenced.

He/she did receive a Sophie giraffe, which I just think is darling.  I was a little tickled about that.  

Dad knew I was feeling a tad jealous so he made a classic TH donut run.

These things defy description.

Heaven in your mouth, hell on you stomach.

So worth it.

Mom and I drove to Bloomington for a fun lunch to kick off my spring break.  No trip to Btown is complete without a stopover at my old stomping' grounds, ye Delta Gamma house.  

A darling girl answered the door and welcomed us in.  I told her I was a former resident and she grew excited exclaiming that today they celebrated Founder's Day.  This date was once a big deal during the sorority era.  She even started prattling off the Delta Gamma founders' names.  She was sweet, and even said, "come on, you know them!"

Um, no, honeybun, I don't.

When you're 32 and pregnant, dates and names from 12-15 years ago go by the wayside.  

I rushed straight into the arms of this saint-

Mom Kyle, our house mother.

Love her!

My senior composite picture is probably hanging in the basement behind the treadmill.  

My parents surprised us with new porch furniture.  It is divine!

 Family portrait

Mom had some wine in our outdoor living room.

I observed, sniffed and pouted.

Look who found the only spot in the house that doesn't have her fur?

She fixed that immediately.

15 Weeks and Fancy Feast Does it Again

Our baby is now the size of an apple.  So fitting for this teacher.  T snapped a couple of photos of me this week.  We decided to pose in front of the giant piece of artwork that we hung after letting it sit on our floor, leaning against the wall for approximately 5 weeks.

The hanging of this art is almost as exciting as the bump displayed below-

Waist?

I used to have one.  It be expanding, friends.

This picture is hilarious because Trinity thinks he is so funny.  He usually takes about a dozen pictures prior to taking the official one.  Here I am getting geared up...

That's my 1st year of teaching dress.  I'm very sentimental with that old thing.  I shall wear it through this pregnancy until the buttons are bulging.  

I don't think we have very long.   Perched next to me are Trinity's 15 year old Birkenstocks that are always poised and ready to trip/kill his wife by lurking in the most inopportune spots.

The photographer got a picture himself.  This was 7 a.m.

In equally important news.  Sean and Lisa got married.  Sean and Lisa are the couple from the adorable Fancy Feast commercials.  If you haven't seen these, go to youtube immediately.  I may watch the entire series nightly.

The engagement video was an amazing commercial, but this is a close second.  I'm hoping that I'm more interested in this baby than kitties.

We are Refined

This was a particularly long week, so on Friday afternoon, after school, my dear friend Corrie and I went to see The Hunger Games.  Although we are in our early 30s, we squealed with delight and covered our eyes like two prepubescent girls.  I think Corrie cried at one point:)  I love that girl.  We are book nerds, so we had read the trilogy.  I am a pretty tough cinematic critic, and I thought it was a great film adaptation of the book.  So there.  Go see it.  you won't be disappointed.  

I must add the character who plays Gale is dashing.  I won't even hold it against him that he dates Hannah Montana aka Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter.  What a shame.

On Saturday night T and I went to the theatre.

We saw God of Carnage at the IRT.  That venue is beautiful, and the play was amazing.

The entire 90 minutes of the play had only four characters, all acting in one extended scene on one set.  Two sets of parents meet to discuss a playground fight between their 11 year old sons, and all hell breaks loose.  I thought my teaching experience made it particularly hilarious, but Trinity laughed a lot too.  

We went to dinner at Adobo and I inhaled a lion's share of guacamole.  The lady couldn't mix that heavenly concoction of cilantro, avocados, lime and tomatoes fast enough for moi.  I practically beat on the table with my fork as she mixed.  You really can't take me anywhere.

Especially when they are shaking margaritas and mamacita can't have one.  

We hit up a relatively new bar downtown, The Libertine.  The swank decor reminded me of Allison's house.  Grey walls and white antlers and busts on the walls.  Very hip.  They had Sazeracs, and boy does my man love a Sazerac.  The bartenders wore Gavin Degraw style fedoras, vests, and jeans.  I like that look.  Trinity wasn't having it.  He said if I buy him a vest he shan't be wearing it.  We'll see.

Bartender made me the "I feel sorry for you because you are getting thicker, can't drink fun cocktails, but congrats on the baby" drink.  He mixed all kinds of juice, sugar and some ginger ale stuff and put it in a fancy glass so I felt all special.

I took a picture, sans flash.

This place was cool, and I wasn't bringing it to the attention of all the other patrons that I still like to photog, sorority girl style.  

I am also in the throes of planning a Babymoon.  T thinks I'm going to be a beached whale this summer and is refusing to take me to any spots I have suggested.  Austin, Scottsdale, and Rosemary Beach, Florida are out.  He says I'll be too hot and my stomach will itch and I will lay in the air conditioned room and only want to be fanned and drink lemonade.  

I believe we have reached a compromise-

Source: tidesbeachclubmaine.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

Source: tidesbeachclubmaine.com via Cynthia on Pinterest

The Tides Beach Club in Kennebunkport, Maine.  Beach, yoga, cruiser bikes and only like 75 degrees in the summer.  Perhaps I won't melt.  We'll see. 


Lastly, damn you Pinterest.  You are a giant time suck that makes me daydream and wish my wardrobe was better.  I found this beauty-

Source: boards.weddingbee.com via Betsy on Pinterest

I have done extensive research, and this only appears to be available in Japan.  Kashmir is relieved.  Perhaps we'll Babymoon in Tokyo.

St. Patrick's Day and Other Stuff

This year's green day was not exciting.  We did zilch.  Nada.  It was a beautiful day, but I was feeling really tired.  I was in cleaning and napping mode.  I also found a picture of a much more exciting St. Patrick's Day of the past-

I think this was 2005 or 2006.

Jamie and I took personal days from our 1st graders to go rock the tent at The Golden Ace.  It was definitely the rowdiest March outing of my career.   If I recall correctly, I think we encountered a small person costumed as a leprechaun peeing in the parking area outside of the tent.  Those were good times.

This year I attempted to be festive by eating an Irish cream chocolate truffle and by wearing green to pilates.

I give you an almost 14 week bump picture.

Jazzy, right?  

T has taken countless bare belly pictures of me over the last 10 weeks and they reveal nothing more than my bare belly.  I'll spare you.

My pilates class was a bust.  Now I will begin a short description of how my life has changed in the last 2 months.

My energy/activity level ebbs and flows.  It mostly ebbs.

For example, I went to a barre pilates class on Wednesday.  I felt amazing.  I felt like Rocky in Rocky VIIII when he is training in that old barn in the snowy Soviet Union.  I could hear Eye of the Tiger playing in my head and I was a She Beast.  I almost ripped the ballet barre from the wall.  With my toes.  That's how strong and great I felt.

Then Thursday came.  By 3:00 by 3rd graders were asking if I was okay as I literally put my head down on the table as they were reading.  I got in bed at 4:00 p.m. and was only summoned from my boudoir by the smell of a Qdoba burrito at 6:30.  

Saturday was a repeat of Thursday.  I spent a lot of time lounging on my mat while others did butt lifts. 

I also realized how gnarly my feet were.  I got a pedicure and took a secret photo of my favorite pedi man.  He's adorable and barely speaks a word of English.  He rubs my feet with oil and lotion and then goes to town on my heels with a device that looks suspiciously like a potato peeler. 

Those knees are great!  

T and I watched Murray bite it against Marquette and IU win in a nail biter.  I didn't bite my nails, though!!! I gave them up for Lent.  

Here is Kashmir, with her naked and shaved baboon's butt.  She was shaved at the Vet on Tuesday, due to a plethora of matted fur on her nether regions.  

She looks as though she backed into a fan.  

The fun at our house continues.

Ooooo Baby, Baby...Baby, Baby....Ah, Push it.

I sort of always heard Salt n Pepa's iconic song in my head when I heard someone was pregnant.  It's wonderfully hilarious.

Now that I'm pregnant, I hear it more often.

Bam!

I'm with child.

I might actually not want to punch a random child who hugs me and says, "You have a baby in your belly?"  I usually want to answer in the negative, calling the kid a jerk and mentioning that I have just finished a quesadilla.

No more.

Yes, yes, I am growing a person.

That is my peanut at 8 1/2 weeks.

We went back at 13 weeks and now I'm telling people to avoid thoughts that I need to lay off the cupcakes.

I promise I won't start to opine on all things motherly.  Everyone knows I don't know squat about babies.  I'm working on that.  I'll be sure to include some anecdotes on just how clueless I am.  

T is thrilled!

I am thrilled!

In laws are thrilled!

My mother is off her rocker- say ridiculously crazy things daily thrilled!

I am due in September, a mere 9 days before Robeghan's nuptials.  Who says I don't know how to time things?

Updates to follow!