I just came across this article about breastfeeding on the front page of Slate...it's pretty interesting.

*sigh* I'm about to go back onto that godforsaken microscope for the next few hours...hopefully I'll get some good images and this recent push will come to an end. I'm by no means done with this microscope work, but maybe I'll move onto more interesting experiments soon. Tracey used to complain to me about having to get the 'perfect' gel, and I totally sympathize now. Looking at the same samples over and over trying to capture the perfect image...it gets old.

 

Jay and I went to a financial seminar last night regarding a new benefit that he has - a Roth 401(k) plan. We're going to enroll in it even though it might not be renewed by Congress when it expires in 2010. It just seems like tax savings 30 years from now is a useful goal! Hopefully Congress will renew the program, but even if they don't we'll have socked some money away to it by then. It's weird to think about retirement at this point in life, but hey, this is when it really matters, right? It's all about compound growth.

 

OK, before I run, two fun things to mention: 1. My ob appt is less than a week away! 2. We're booking our trip to Hawaii this weekend! Oh, and 3. my birthday is on Wednesday! It's going to be a fun couple of days...

So everyone knows anecdotally that pregnant women are 'overly' emotional and moody because of all the hormones. I've been feeling pretty immune from this issue so far; I've thought that I may be slightly more moody than normal, but that's hard to judge. Last night, however, the question of whether I have hormones coursing through my bloodstream was put to rest. I watched Grey's Anatomy last night - it was a rerun that I hadn't seen - and was just a mess. There was a train crash and these two people were both speared by the same metal pole. There was no way to save each of them, so one of the patients had to die. I was a sobbing mess. Now I cry pretty easily (huge understatement), so no matter what my condition I probably would have cried about this. The thing was that I just couldn't stop. After the show was over I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed and just lost it while I was washing my face. I came into the bedroom and Jay was just like, what the heck? Poor guy. So I cried for a little while and then finally got it together. Sheesh. I'm not sure if the emotional fluctuations are supposed to continue for the rest of the pregnancy or if they even out a bit after this trimester is over...

I'm currently collecting high resolution images on a very fancy microscope, but each image set takes ~3 minutes to collect, and I'm up here for a few hours. It gets a little boring, watching a computer collect data. Luckily I remembered to bring my iPod with me today - on Friday I was up here in the dark and quiet for three hours and almost lost my mind toward the end.

 

Today is a very tired day. My soccer game was at 8:45 last night, and my recent bedtime is 9:30, so you can imagine that I was pretty pooped by the end of the game at 10:15. I didn't turn off the light until almost 11:15, but got up at my normal time, so today I'm short almost two hours of sleep plus I played soccer last night. Ugh. I was supposed to take a nap yesterday afternoon in anticipation of this situation, but I wasn't able to. Jay and I are going out to a nice dinner with friends tonight, so I think it'll be another late night without a preperatory nap. Tomorrow should be fun! *sigh*

 

Soccer last night was horrible. We played a team that was much better than us, particularly on their offensive end. Of course that means that I, as the sweeper, had my work cut out for me. It was really rough, and I was really frustrated by the end. A huge part of the problem is that noone wants to play outside fullback, so whoever is in that position tends to be a little too aggressive making runs up to the front of our play - leaving a huge problem for the rest of us on defense when the other team inevitably gets the ball. SO frustrating.

 

The good thing about last night was that my game was about a mile from Carmen's house, so I stopped by to see them before the game. I was there for about an hour, and Tyler kept us pretty entertained - he's getting to be so cute! Matt took him upstairs for his bedtime routine, and Carmen and I sat around and talked about baby supplies. I love having these conversations! I think I'll definitely take her with me to a baby store to get a sense of what she thinks is worth investing in, etc. - everyone's different of course, but it's great to have some direction from a recent mom!

 

Alright, this running back and forth between computers is getting a little old. I guess I'll go watch the other computer take pictures...

I just talked to Leo about my dissertation and timeline, and he's totally onboard with my plans. So I'm going to spend a couple of days figuring out the detailed outline for my dissertation and then send that around to my committee for approval along with a first pass at scheduling my defense! Woo-hoo! I'm looking at the last week of July or first week of August for my defense. That gives me essentially until mid-June to finish up my writing. While that sounds far away, it really is not. So, a-writing I will be for the next few months while I finish up my experiments. Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I was cheering about finishing up one major leg of my work? Well, that fell apart soon afterward, so I haven't made as much progress on the experiment front as I'd have liked - that's always the way it is, though. Oh well. In any case, I don't think Leo's going to make me stick around if I can't get some of these things to work; he's not that kind of guy. Besides, now there is this October deadline looming...

We have had the most amazing weather here for the last week or so. It's been sunny almost everyday, but more importantly, it's been warm. We hit 68 on Wednesday! This weekend was equally beautiful, although not quite that warm.

 

Saturday was a productive day; I made a to-do list in the morning, and we managed to cross off almost every single item before the day was over. We did the laundry, the yard work, bathed Cory, I ran to some stores, etc. We even got outside and shot some hoops for about an hour - I beat Jay at HORSE twice!!! Unbelievable. Believe me, it's not that I'm a good shot, he just stopped concentrating. My shoulders are still sore...Anyway, Saturday was productive and nice.

 

Yesterday was somewhat less productive...I had soccer in the morning. I played a fantastic game, but we were just not able to score so we ended up tied 1-1. Very frustrating because we definitely dominated. After I ate lunch I went to a laundromat to wash our down comforter in larger machines (to ensure adequate fluffing). I came home, changed the sheets on the bed, got the comforter into the duvet cover, and made the bed up. Then I brushed the cats and clipped their nails. I bought an ultralight vacuum on Saturday in an attempt to keep our wood floors a little cleaner, and I love it, so I ran through the house again (the best part is that it's cordless). After all of those chores I talked to my parents and made cookies. Kat is finding out today if she was accepted into the UW medical school for this fall, so I figured we'd celebrate (or sympathize) with cookies. Jay came home when I was in the middle of baking, so he took care of making dinner, and we watched tv for the rest of the night. So that was our weekend - probably in more detail than you cared to read.

 

I'm still feeling just fine. I'm sleeping a lot at night, but I've started waking up a couple of times a night - I think I might be a little too rested. Oh, and my appt is only 10 days away! My new obsession is that we'll hear more than one heartbeat...

 

WHY do we continue to let him get away with this bs??? If I hear of any upcoming marches on Washington, Claire, you can expect me to be paying you a visit...

 

I've wanted children for as long as I can remember, and I've looked forward to being pregnant for nearly as long. For one thing, I've always found pregnant women to be adorable. Now, there's no saying that I'm going to be adorable, but still I'd like to think that there's the possibility anyway. However, the most enticing part of being pregnant for me has always been the accompanying boobage. I've always been very small on top, and I've always hated it. (I have a friend who is - shockingly - smaller than I, and she loves it. I've never understood that.) So, anyway, the anticipation of having an actual chest has always been great. So, here I am, finally pregnant. The first trimester is 'supposed' to bring breast tenderness, but I haven't really had any. In the last week, though, I've noticed that there seems to be a little growth going on, and I'm now certain that this is the case. YES!! Since I'm not showing yet the extra bit on top is just fun for now. What a fun spring it'll be.

 

Obviously there are other benefits to pregnancy - the opportunity to shop for all new clothes, for example! There's actually a whole lot of shopping to be done, and you all know that shopping is one of my absolutely favorite things to do. Too bad that the shopping won't be starting anytime soon...

 

Anyway, today I've been caught offguard by the profile of my chest that I see out of the corner of my eye. How exciting! Carmen insists that once I have big boobs I'll be thrilled that I don't normally have them, but I'm not so sure that I'll agree with that sentiment. I can imagine that for women that already have a big chest the prospect of a larger one isn't very appealing. For us little gals, though, it feels like party time! Too bad I can't actually  party...

My stomach is really bothering me right now. I'm not sure why, and I wouldn't really call it nausea. It's just not feeling well. I have some saltines in my desk, so I just ate some of those - maybe they'll help.

 

I went and took a nap today around 1:30, and man, was I out like a light. The other day I went over to the union for a nap and wasn't really sure at the end of it if I'd really slept at all. Not today. Something woke me up a few minutes before my timer went off, and I was laying there thinking, where the heck am I? Kind of funny. It definitely helped to take that nap, but I'm feeling pretty tired again already. It'll be another early night, I think.

 

Jay's going out with co-workers tonight, so I guess I won't see him until tomorrow. I'm still going to make a full dinner, because I didn't cook last night...after all, I am supposed to be improving  my diet! Then I'll have a good lunch for tomorrow too...yum, I'm excited just thinking about it.

 

I guess I don't have much to say. Claire and I had a great conversation last night, and it got me into gear to do a little work on the sweater. I finished the left front piece last weekend; maybe I'll get the right front done this weekend. We'll see. Oh, and I sent out the blanket to Deb last weekend - I took some pictures of it. If I think of it later, I'll post them.

I will say that getting 10 hours of sleep at night makes for a very nice morning. I can't believe that I actually slept straight through another 10 hours again last night! I went to bed at 9:30 which meant that I missed Jay (he had a late flight), and apparently I wasn't too happy about being woken up at 10:30. Poor guy thought that I was upset with him or something - nope, just happy to be asleep.  He said this morning that if I'm going to be going to bed so early every night he's going to have to rethink his schedule, and I totally agreed. He isn't normally home before 8, and then we eat dinner together, but I can't wait that long to eat if I'm going to bed at 9:30. He's thinking that might try to be home around 7 and then when I go to bed get back online and finish up his work for the day. Poor guy - I'm sure this is just one in a long line of pregnancy whims he'll have to work around. It's a good thing he's excited about the baby!

 

My doc appointment is two weeks from today! I'm still feeling rather anxious about it, and the ladies suggested at dinner that I call and see if I could bump it up into next week, but...I feel like I'm just being ridiculous. I'm not a worrier; I don't get anxious about things. Yes, I can be a little overly high strung, and I have my share of anal behavior, but really I don't worry about things. I'm not a person of faith, but I do strongly live by the idea that things always work out for the best. So I don't know why I'm so freaked out about this appointment. I'm sure things are going fine; I've certainly not had any indication to the contrary. I feel like I just need to relax and wait - two weeks isn't very long, really. I've made it almost 6 since the positive test, after all. A couple more shouldn't be such a big deal. Anyway, I'm excited that it's only two weeks away.

 

OK, I'm going to go get some work done before the exhaustion inevitably sets in. We have lab meeting at 11, and we'll see if I can stay awake through it - that's exactly when I started to crash yesterday...

That's me, the one that can't stop yawning. Give me a break! I'm seriously contemplating going to go take a nap, but I do have work to do...jeez. In addition to my seemingly endless exhaustion, I'm also hungry a whole lot of the time now. Hungry in a kind of debilitating way - like, if I don't eat now I'm going to lose it completely. I generally have this type of hunger after I've been hungry for an hour or so, but this is happening within 5 or 10 minutes now. Oh, the joys of pregnancy!

Dinner last night was really fun. Put two moms and two pregnant women together, and you can imagine that our conversation never left the topic of babies and kids. That was fun because I don't really feel like I can just talk about babies with the lab, for example, or any other group that I'm normally seeing. So dinner was a lot of fun (and yummy). Because we met so early (who eats at 5:30?!), I was home before 8. I thought about going straight to bed, but dinner was still in my stomach and it didn't seem like laying down was going to be very pleasant. So I went to bed a little later but still got a full 10 hours of sleep! I'm not sure that I can swing that every night, but it sure was nice. I just think that if I go to bed around 9 or 9:30 everyday I'm not going to see Jay for months! Besides, I don't generally get home much before 7, and I need to make dinner and eat...I doubt that it's going to happen. Maybe I'll aim for 10:00...

 

OK, I should go do some work. One more day in the long line of days...

Man, I am just tired all the time these days. It's probably not helped by the three soccer games I played in the last four days, but I don't think it's going to be all that much better the rest of the week. *yawn* I took that nap yesterday mid-morning and then went home before soccer last night and slept for almost an hour and a half! Sheesh. I don't really think I'm going to be able to fit in a nap this afternoon, but maybe I'll get to bed early.

 

I'm meeting some girlfriends for dinner at 5:30, and I can't wait to see them! It's going to be a fun way to spend the evening. Jay is heading down to CA this evening, so I'm on my own once I get home - that's why I'm thinking that an early bedtime is do-able. He'll be back tomorrow, so I need to take advantage of the empty bed while I can. *lol*

 

I think I've yawned 10 times in the few minutes I've sat here writing...maybe I need to bring a pillow in to lab...

The weekend went by way too fast, didn't it? For us that fact was emphasized by our sudden turn of weather - it's just gorgeous out. Jay and I went to Discovery Park yesterday and had a nice walk through the woods. We had intended to go down to the beach, but I had forgotten how far that was, and we were a little time crunched before my soccer game. So, we walked until we could at least see the beach - I took some photos that should give you a sense of how magnificent a day it was.

 

We won our soccer game yesterday - yay! As champions of Div 2 we were bumped up to Div 1 next season - the competition is much stiffer, so I don't think anyone is thinking that we'll be champions come June. It was a beautiful day for a soccer game, and we played well. So fun.

 

After soccer last night we had corned beef and cabbage for dinner - a couple of days late, but still in the right timeframe. It was good. I made this cabbage and klueski thing that I loved growing up; the whole meal reminded me of home. There's a lot left over, so it'll be dinner for me tonight. Jay was going to take some for lunch today...

 

After dinner there was a bunch of tv to see. A new West Wing, The Sopranos, and Grey's Anatomy. That meant I was up until 11, and I definitely should not have been. At 11:00 this morning I thought I was going to pass out, so I went and took a nap across the street at the very quiet medical school student union. I'm feeling better now. I have a feeling that I may be a frequent user of the union for the next few months...

 

OK, it's lunchtime. Hope you're having a good Monday!

Yesterday was fun but also productive. I spent the afternoon cleaning up our various files, and that was quite a task. It appears that we need more filing room, though, so I'll have to deal with that soon I guess. Last night I went out with my women's soccer team for a girls' night out, and that was great. We're trying to do it once every month or two, and the idea is that the person organizing it hosts it in their neighborhood. I hosted last night, so it was great for me - we were just 7 blocks from home. We went out for dinner (Italian) and then to a bar across the street afterward. The idea was to bar hop a bit, but we were at dinner for 3 hours, so we didn't do too much hopping after all.

 

Only a few of the girls knew that I'm pregnant, so that was the big news for the evening. As with my co-ed team, they're dismayed that I have to stop playing soon - it's good to feel appreciated. I told them that I'd be on the sidelines a lot, and I meant it. I can't imagine not seeing these ladies for the next 6 months! 4 more games with them...

 

Today I slept late again; after I ate breakfast I decided to go wash and vacuum my car. I really scrubbed it, and now it looks fantastic. My wheels get so dirty, and I was noticing them yesterday - gross. The car itself also gets dirty, but it's not that noticeable on white paint...anyway, it's a thing of beauty again now. I did find a pretty major chip on the front of the bonnet (hood, for you Americans), so that's too bad. I don't think there's much to be done about it though. I love those self-wash car wash places; I don't know why people would pay through the nose to have a car detailed by hand on a regular basis. It's so fun to wash your car! I am thinking that it should get a wax job soon, though, and that's pretty hard for me to swing without having a driveway or garage. I guess in the next month or so I'll splurge and get that done. Places normally charge extra for an SUV...I wonder if there's a discount for a Mini?

 

It's beautiful out - sunny and in the 50s. Jay and I are going to head over to Discovery Park for a nice walk out to the Sound; he hasn't been before, and I think he'll love it. I've only been once, and it was two years ago. It's been on my mind, and this is the perfect weather for it. Ah, fresh air...I'll bring the camera so you can envy our surroundings.

Poor Angela, I think I must be driving her crazy with all of my yawning. Our desks face each other, so she's very aware of my tiredness...I hadn't been feeling exceptionally tired until this week. In the last few days, I've noticed that by about 3:00 I'm really feeling the need for a nap. By about 5:00 I'm really slowing down, and then I just kind of veg at home because I'm tired. I've been sleeping in a little more, and last night I got 9 hours of sleep, but that doesn't seem to have made much of a difference. I'm definitely sleeping in tomorrow! Sleeping in on the weekends alone isn't going to cut it, though - I'm going to need a better plan than that to get through the next 31 weeks! Man, it's killing me right now.

 

Of course, in my tired state, tonight I have soccer - what is wrong with this team?!? We're going to get creamed, which means that the game is going to suck for me in the highest pressure position (on the field, that is - the goalie is going to be worse off). UGH. It's cold out, but at least it's dry. I've played the entire winter season in shorts, but this past Monday seemed particularly cold so I grabbed a pair of unlined wind pants - man, was that nice! The game was late, and it ended up being really windy, so I was glad to have them. Besides, we were on turf, so I didn't have to worry about ruining them on the disgusting mud fields. It was nice to not have huge red welts on my legs from where the ball hit me - a little fabric goes a long way. I grabbed the pants again for tonight.

 

Oh, and FYI, soccer is almost over for yours truly. I've known many women that played through their first trimester, so that was my route. My trimester is going to be over in a few weeks, though, so I'll be done soon. Very sad indeed. This weekend marks the end of the current season, so I'll play as a sub for the next few weeks into the spring season...*sniff, sniff* I'm not really sure what life is going to be like without my games...I may have to attend a few as a fan just to get my fill. My goal is to start playing again next winter season, but we'll see how that goes - there's a whole lot to do between now and then!

A while back I mentioned that Jay and I were thinking about planning a tropical vacation for late summer/early fall, but that was before we knew that I was pregnant (maybe even before I was pregnant at all). So for the last few weeks we've really been debating this whole vacation thing. For one thing, figuring out when to go has been tricky. My third trimester starts at the end of July, and it's not ideal to travel after that point. Add to that restriction the fact that I'm trying to graduate in July, and July is pretty much out completely. Jay also has a huge thing happening in July for work, so he can't go in June or July. That leaves us with April and May; I'd prefer mid-April, but Jay has another work deadline to work around then, so we're thinking about the first week in May.

 

The second problem is the big one - the cost and how it dictates location. It just doesn't seem financially prudent to spend a couple thousand dollars right before becoming parents (and me losing my income, btw). On the other hand, it's pretty clear that this is the last opportunity we'll have to have a vacation for us for a very long time, and it's not like this one vacation is going to send us to the poor house. So we went back and forth - we loved Hawaii on our honeymoon, but we haven't been to Mexico...then I decided that either option was too much money, so we should just do something smaller. The Grand Canyon was then the destination because I figured we could stay at a really nice resort, get some sun, and see the GC for a lot less money. So that was the plan, until Wednesday rolled around. One of the guys in lab just got back from Maui, and in talking to him I realized how much more fun we'd have going back to Hawaii. So I started looking at the costs, and we think we're going to go to Waikiki. It's a little cheaper than Maui because we can fly straight into Honolulu and it's really developed so the lodging options are great. It's not an area I'd be thrilled to be going to normally, but we're going before the summer traffic picks up, so I'm hoping that it won't be too crowded. Also, we're not looking to do a lot of sightseeing - we just want to relax on the beach, and Waikiki Beach is obviously beautiful. So, that's where we are right now, and I guess we'll start really trying to nail it down this weekend.

 

Then in the back of my head I have this other concern that we're going to get bad news at the first ob appt, and then we'll have already committed to this vacation. It would be crazy to wait to book it for another three weeks, right?...but I don't know. I'll have to think about all of this some more.

FINALLY, I get to spill the beans: I'm pregnant!!! I've been holding off blogging about it because I didn't want my Aunt Carol to find out this way, so I sent out letters to my family last week...and now I can finally write about it. What a relief to finally be able to write about what's really on my mind!

 

I'll bet you want the details...I'm at the end of my 8th week (out of 40), so I'm still in my first trimester and have a long way to go. My first doctor appt is on 4/6 (in my 12th week), and I'm very anxious about it - I can't believe it's still another 3 weeks away! My due date is either 10/18 or 10/21 (which I favor), depending on when you start counting the weeks...I guess my doc will make the final call in April. Hmm, what else...I'm feeling totally fine, and I'm thrilled about that, but it's also a little strange. The books list all these symptoms, and I'm well into the timeframe where they should be an issue, but I don't have any. So no morning sickness, I'm not tired, etc, etc. I will say that I've had a few bouts of nausea with certain smells triggering it, but I'm really lucky that that's been it so far. I think my mom and siser are just dumbfounded - I'm sure I'll pay the price for my luck at some point.

 

So, anyway, the times they are a'changin! Jay and I are really excited...that's actually a huge understatement. We'd been trying for a few months, so we were very ready for a positive test. The timing really worked out for the best, though; if I was due this summer (the original goal), the PhD process would be more than a little frantic at this point. I intend to graduate in July, probably work in the lab through August, and then take September and October off. That's all very flexible, though, so we'll see what happens. I think I'll stay home for about 6 months and then get to work (finally!). Jay is entitled to some parental leave (4 weeks paid), so we'll use that for sure once I'm out of the house. There are so many details to figure out; it's really amazing. For now, though, that all seems so far away...

 

So, that's that; now you know. It sure feels good to spread the word!

I guess I just have good teeth.  I'm not sure where they came from because it seems that both of my parents have just so-so teeth. I guess I'm just lucky: I didn't have braces, I've never had a root canal or any major procedure. Sure, I had my share of cavities as a kid, but they seem to have gone away as I've gotten older. I had a dentist appt this morning for the first time in...a very long time (I'm not going to be specific because my parents will be horrified). There was obviously some plaque buildup, but no cavities and my gums are very healthy. Of course there was a lot of pick action, so my gums are really sore right now, but it's nice to know that my mouth is healthy. The dentist even said to the hygienist, it [my mouth] is kind of amazing, isn't it, after x years? Like I said, I guess I'm lucky. I have another appt scheduled already for September, so it won't be years again before I get another check up.

 

Jay and I have been using the grill, and we're quite happy with it. On Sunday Jay made burgers, and last night I grilled some chicken breasts. Both were very yummy. I think tonight is going to be nachos (with turkey), but I have more chicken breasts thawing for tomorrow; maybe I'll marinate those ones. This gas grill thing was definitely the way to go - it's just so easy! I'm really glad we got it, although we're still waiting for the IRS refund that was *supposed* to pay for it...

 

The sweater knitting is going well. I finished up the back last week and made the linings for the pockets this weekend. Yesterday I started the left front but had to stop when I had to 'place the pocket.' I brought it all in today for Laurie's opinion, and I think she's figured it out for me - sometimes a second opinion is all that's needed. We approached it with totally different ideas of how it should look at the end, with her on the right track. So tonight I'll continue with the left front. It would be great to get the two front pieces done this weekend. Then the sleeves and the hood...and the assembly. *gulp* Of course I was thinking that this might be a nice spring cardigan for Anna but now it's 81 there already! Maybe they don't really have spring in DC...hopefully it'll fit her in the fall!

I seem to go from days where I have a lot to do to days where I have very little going on. Yesterday was very productive and busy, but today I'm waiting on some things to work on later this week. Boring. I've been reading some papers, but that only keeps me occupied for so long; I just don't enjoy it.

 

Soccer last night was really bad; we lost 2-1, and we played horribly. Just across the board, noone played well, and it was very frustrating. Last week was the exact opposite - everyone played a stellar game and we beat a team that seemed to be better than us. So this week was disappointing. We were tied for 2nd place, though, and last night was the last game of the season so we thought that for sure we'd end up out of 2nd. Apparently other teams played badly too, though, because we're supposed to play the championship game on Friday night. We're not very enthusiastic about this because 4 core players will miss the game, and it's Friday night, not a time to be playing soccer in our minds. I won't be surprised if the team decides to pass on it and let the 3rd place team have a run at it. The 1st place team is really good, too; they were 9-1-0 over the season and we were 5-2-3 (they beat us 2-1 when we played earlier). It just doesn't seem very likely that we'll have much chance against them when we're short critical players...I'm hoping we just say no. Maybe that's just my sore legs talking - I feel like I've gotten more than enough exercise in the last two days!

 

Did you see last night's 24 yet? Man, if last week was chaotic and stunning, this week was just tragic. Totally unbelievable...if you don't watch the show - what the heck is wrong with you?! It's really just amazing.

 

I think I'm going to be taking off in the next hour (how lazy am I?!). I'm really pooped, and I just don't have anything to do here. It seems silly to pretend to be productive when I could actually do something useful at home (something like...take a nap. Too much exercise!). Besides, Leo is still driving me crazy...