21 Weeks

This week was pretty miserable honestly. Thursday night my lower back started to hurt on my right side, and by Friday morning I knew the reason why: kidney stones. I had to go to the OB for the second time in a week so they could run some test to make sure I didn't have an infection on top of the stones. (Luckily I did not.) The only things they could recommend were water, Tylenol every 6 hours, water, heating pad, and water. I spent the whole weekend on the couch trying to get some comfort. It wasn't until Tuesday that I felt better, and still sometimes it hurts, but my back hurts all the time anyway now that the belly is getting bigger. Now I am adamant about getting plenty to drink in a day, which means lots more visits to the bathroom day or night. The upside, by the time the baby gets here I will be pretty used to not getting a normal nights sleep.
When I went to the OB they weighed me again and I had gained a pound from Monday (some of which may be from water retention cause I did have some swelling in my hands and face.) It hit me a day or two later that I am almost 140 pounds, which is right where I am supposed to be for weight gain, but it is the heaviest I have ever been in my life. The weird thing was not being concerned about it for the first time in my life. I have always been weight conscious, sometimes unhealthily so, but pregnancy has changed my frame of mind about it. Hopefully I can keep this healthy prospective for the rest of my life.

20 Weeks

I have reached the halfway point (so long as I go the full 40 weeks, which I surely hope I do.) It is amazing to think that I have come so far but have so much more to grow.
We had our ultrasound on Monday, two days earlier than scheduled, due to a minor scare. Everything was fine, but they wanted to check me out just in case. T came with me because I was freaked out, and I am glad he did. Not only was he a great comfort but after they finished they asked if we wanted to get our ultrasound while we were there. My instincts were completely wrong and we are having a girl, but I am very happy. T and my mother are even happier, ecstatic even, since they both really wanted it to be a girl. Everything looked great in the ultrasound. She has all her fingers and toes (even had a glowing hand in one picture), her back shows no sign of spinae bifida, and her lip looked normal. She would not stop moving the whole time, which doesn't surprise me since I feel her several times a day usually. At one point she had her arms over her face so the tech had to jiggle my tummy a bit to get her to move them away. Of course, that made me laugh and then she wouldn't stop moving enough for them to get a good heart scan. She is right on track for her due date although the tech thought she looked a little small at first. So come early December we will have ourselves a little girl who will have her father wrapped around her finger from day one.

19 Weeks and My Birthday

More moving, more grooving, and more growing. That pretty much sums up this week. Went to Harry Potter for my birthday and spent the whole moving feeling the little one move around. I think it was the noise of the theater. Or maybe it could tell how mad I was at the persons two rows back who kept whispering loudly. At least I managed not to have to get up once during the movie.
Before we went to the movie, I opened my presents (which were awesome and nothing baby related) and then we went to dinner with the two couples who were also going to the movie with us. I ate the most amazing crab cake sandwich and fries. I finished everything on my plate it was that good (and I was that hungry.) My favorite present has to the be the Russian Communist Leader nesting dolls I asked for. I have always wanted a set, and I found a really detailed one on eBay but they wanted way too much for it, so I looked on Amazon and found an equally interesting set for much less. They are so detailed that Gorbachev's right eye droops like it does in real life.
It still seems hard to believe that next birthday, the big 30, I will a mother. I know my birthdays will never be the same again, but I am alright with that.

18 Weeks

The little one is moving and grooving more each day. I was helping a professor clean out his office (he retired and needs help packing and sorting) and I had to stop for a minute because of all the moment inside. T still can't feel it on the outside, but with how strong it is getting I can't imagine it will be much longer before he can.
Other than that it has just been slow growing, few aches and pains that come with said growth, and a distaste for chicken. It has been fun to compare my pregnancy with others who are at different stages. Right now I have 4 relatives and 5 friends who are expecting between September and February. I am the next to find out the gender, and so far it has gone girl, boy, girl. I can't wait to find out.
I went maternity clothes shopping with a friend and while we were out we jumped over to the baby department in one store. I saw the cutest sleep snuggly with rubber duckies so it just had to come home. I can't wait to pick out cute clothes.

17 Weeks

I gained those two lost pounds back already, although it is almost surely water weight. I have been diligent about drinking the recommended amounts of water so I haven't had any more dizzy spells. I had a nice sore throat on Monday after I visited campus for a couple of hours and thought I was sick, but after talking to two other friends who also got sore throats for a few hours, it looks like it was a reaction to all the construction dust. Unfortunately, since I am pregnant my sore throat lasted a lot longer than a few hours.
I received the results of my AFP this week and they came back negative which means I am a low risk for the spinae bifida. That doesn't completely rule out the chance of having a kid with a genetic disorder, but I have better odds in Vegas. It was a nice feeling to get that information.
I have been cruising Craigslist day after day scoping out a crib. I found one a few weeks back that was exactly what we wanted for $75 but it has sold by the time I called. This week I lucked out and got the same crib for $60 plus a mattress (still wrapped in plastic.) The owner never got to use it because her baby didn't like being in a crib and they coslept instead. It has some minor dings and scratches from being shoved under their bed and being moved, but nothing we couldn't take care of. The mattress may have to go though because it turns out they smoked and I don't know if the mattress smells or not, or if I can get that smell out with the carpet cleaner. I am going to try just to see, but my guess and preference would be to get a new one. The crib however only slightly smelled and as soon as I disinfected it the smell went away.
The floors in the nursery are about half way done, and with the long weekend we might be able to get them completed. They look amazing and I can't wait till they are finished and we can start arranging the room for the little one. The theme is going to be rubber duckies and a I have a few things to decorate but not a whole lot yet. It gives me an excuse to be crafty again though, which I enjoy.

16 Weeks

I had another appointment this week. I had them draw the AFP test to see how high of a risk I am for spina bifida, which runs on my grandfather's side apparently. I am not worried, but I thought I should find out just in case. I also found out I lost two pounds from the last appointment. The doctor isn't concerned, but I sure was shocked. I thought for sure my bathroom scale was wrong. Trust me, I have been eating and keeping it down 95% of the time. They think it is from dehydration. My blood pressure was lower than last time, thank goodness, so everything is still going great. (And I heard the little heartbeat again.)
The only complaint I have had this week is a slight case of dizziness. Again, I seem to have gotten dehydrated, which is easy to do in this weather. So I have been sucking down so much water I swear my stomach makes a sloshing noise when I walk. Of course this also means that the nightly routine of getting up every few hours to remove said water has returned. Hopefully my body gets used to this amount of water soon and I won't have to get up so often.
Everyone still remarks on how little my stomach is, but it seems so much bigger to me. I can hide it pretty well with clothing still, but when I look in the mirror or when T pulls my clothes tight it is definitely there and getting bigger every day. I am sure it won't be too much longer before I have a cute belly like everyone else I know who is pregnant right now.
But I guess the best thing about this week was that I felt the baby. I have felt little things here and there and not been sure because they were near where my stomach muscles ache from being stretched. This time though I was sure because it was just below my belly button, right where the doctor had taken the heartbeat. This didn't feel like flutters though, which is another reason I was sure. This was more like someone was poking me ever so slightly over and over for a few minutes. T tried desperately to feel it himself, but I told him it was probably too soon for that. I can't wait till he does get to feel it. Now that I know what it feels like I notice it more and more, although most of the time it is more like a fluttering sensation.
I have another appointment on July 22 where we get our next ultrasound and get to see if I am correct about the gender. I can't wait!

15 Weeks

Starting to show a little more each day. I haven't been keeping up with the pound a week I am supposed to be gaining, so I am a little surprised by the growing belly, but encouraged as well. I have been working really hard in the yard lately and around the house and I often forget to eat my snacks between meals. At least that is better than never stopping right?
I am still not sure if I have felt the baby move yet. I feel little things sometimes, but they often come when I sneeze or something else like it. I am sure as the baby gets bigger, and the movements get bigger, I will be sure what they are.
We are still working on the nursery. We have the dresser/changing table refinished thanks to T and his hard work. It looks amazing. We have the nursery floor ready for the wood to be laid down, so in the next few weeks that should slowly get done. I will post before and after pics when all is said and done. I also painted a shelf for the room and it has little rubber duckies on it that I painted as well.
My friend mailed me a care package this week filled with maternity clothes, a baby blanket, little socks, some medical supplies, a diaper bag and a book. It was the sweetest thing. I can't believe how generous my friends are.
Other than that we have nothing to report. I go to another appointment next week and with any luck the one following will be where we find out if I am right about the gender.

14 Weeks

Somethings remain the same such as occasional morning sickness, the need for naps, etc. this week. Somethings are different such as naps being shorter and the inability to complete sentences or thoughts. But everything is still going well. I went to Colorado to see some family. I was fine on the flight out, not so lucky on the flight back, but at least I made it to the home airport and to the bathroom before I tossed my cookies. The airline was really nice about switching my seat too so that I didn't have to beg some poor sleepy soul to let me out every so often to walk around. I also realized that I am very lucky to be feeling as well as I do. My poor aunt, who is 22 weeks along, still has morning sickness and has to take medication occasionally. She is also starting to get swollen ankles and heartburn, which I know will be coming, but at least I feel good now.

13 weeks

Well depending on who you ask, I am either out of my first trimester, or will be out of as of the end of the week. I only threw up once this week and it was because I had gone too long without food. I have noticed I am getting hungry every few hours and I find myself forgetting to snack before my stomach starts growling. I am pretty sure I will be gaining that pound a week they said starts about now. I just hope that is all I gain. I dread getting large because I am not exactly an avid runner or walker and I can't imagine I will somehow pick up the habit when the baby comes.
I did go for a walk this week, but only managed it once so far. I had an early morning dentist appointment today, which took so long due to all pregnancy related issues that when I got home it was already close to 90 degrees and super humid. This weekend I imagine I will be hiking a lot at my family reunion, so I will get some exercise there, and I plan on getting up quite often during the flights. Maybe when I get back I will have such Rocky Mountain high I will keep walking each and every day for the rest of the pregnancy. (I know, I giggled too.)
I bought a few maternity shirts and shorts for the summer this week. I don't want to get too many things, so I just bought two of each. There are some really cute things out there, but there are some really horrible things too. I found one shirt that was multiple reds, yellows and oranges in this weird pattern but looked like something a clown would wear. I am noticing that most of the maternity shirts are simply longer versions of the empire waist baby dolls that so many girls are wearing these days any ways. It has been nice since I own about four of these shirts already, so I just wear these and put a cami under the ones that show the elastic of my pants. Kind of nice to still be fashionable.
And finally, a picture of the baby bump. (I don't post pictures of myself on here, hence the cropping.)

12 Weeks

This is the last week of my first trimester. I can't believe it has been three months already. It feels like I took the pregnancy test last week.

The morning sickness only seems to hit me when I have to get out of bed earlier than usual or in a rush, which could not be avoided when I had an OB appointment downtown on Tuesday. At least I feel better after and the constant nausea is completely gone. I have, however, found out what heartburn feels like for the first time. Of course I don't have any Tums in my house so I am relying on ice cream until tomorrow. I think it came on because I laid down on the couch immediately after eating.

Tuesday was my first appointment with my new OB office. I had to switch because my previous OB/Gyno was in another town and they only deliver at one hospital that was 40 minutes away in absolutely no traffic, up to 1.5 hours if there was traffic. So I switched to an OB who delivers at the hospital I wanted to deliver at, and they came highly recommended. Now that I have been to an appointment with them, I can see why. They have seven physicians that you meet during the course of your care because which ever one is on call is the one who delivers. I met with the head nurse who discussed what my genetic testing options were, what that day's appointment would entail and how the OB suite operated. From now on I am separated from the lowly masses and get to enter through a special entrance exclusively for pregnant women. You never have to wait very long before they have your vitals taken and if they need to take any urine they do it right away so you don't have to sit there holding it. Plus the nurse on that side of the office lives two doors down from me, so I get hugs when she sees me.

Since I had only had an ultrasound at that point this appointment meant a full exam and lab work. The exam was easy and I got to hear the heartbeat again with the doppler. The doctor warned that it might be hard since they can hide, but as soon as he put down the wand you could hear the heartbeat. I don't know that I will ever tire or stop feeling comfort when I hear that noise. The lab tech had to take seven viles of blood and despite it really hurting afterward, I didn't have any bruising whatsoever. I was amazed and believe the woman must really have been a vampire to remove so much without leaving a mark.

We are starting to get stuff ready in the nursery now. T and I bought bamboo flooring for the room and will install it as soon as it gets here. In the meantime, T is going to refinish the dresser that matches the desk he already refinished. We are going to use it as a dresser but also as the changing table. One of our friends wanted desperately to clean out her attic of baby stuff, so she gave us a stroller, a car seat (that fits in the stroller), two bases for the car seat, a bouncer, a play mat, a swing with lights and sounds, a diaper champ, and some clothes. The only big things we have left are the crib and a highchair, because T bought me the rocker and ottoman for my Mother's Day present. I have been making several gift registries looking for all the small stuff for the baby showers but haven't added any clothes until we know the gender.

After this week we are going to start taking pics of the baby bump, so the next installment will have one.

11 weeks

The morning sickness appears to be making a once daily appearance again, but at least the constant nausea is gone. I will be so glad when I no longer have to sit in front of the toilet.
I braved getting on the scale the other day to find out I have only gained 3 pounds so far. Not too shabby. I have started getting bouts occasionally where I am really hungry, but I usually eat healthy foods like apples and string cheese, so hopefully I can keep my weight gain at a good pace. I know it will be far easier to keep it in check then to try to shed more after.
I went to IKEA with a friend the other day to check out what they had for the baby's room. I found a few things I liked, but for the most part it wasn't the right color of wood. I did buy a few duckie pictures they had and some really cheap frames to put them in to decorate the room. (We decided to do a rubber duckie themed room.) I am going to the fabric store tomorrow to see what cross stitch patterns and duckie fabric they have available.
We should be getting a few things next week when one friend takes me to the consignment store where she finds amazing finds and another is giving us a bunch of her old stuff. I don't know where we are going to put this stuff yet, because we still need to put in the wood floors before we move in furniture and goods. We are sweating how little room for storage we have right now and how much worse it is going to get in the next few years. We need to figure out a better way to store things in the attic or the closets. Or maybe we will buy a bigger house.

10 weeks

Today I had to give in and buy maternity pants. I had been stalling on this one just in case I started to gain weight other than around my belly, but so far that has been the only place besides my chin that shows signs of being pregnant. I have been sitting in a slouched position a lot of the time with the jeans unbuttoned, but now I won't have to with the awesome belly band that doesn't dig into my belly. I also needed a new purse, so I went with a rather large one, which is the trend anyways, so that I can use it as a diaper bag as well. It even had little side pouches that could perfectly fit bottles for later on. (And my mother-in-law gave me a little trendy pouch for diapees and wipees this weekend.)
T says I occasionally get cravings were I salivate about certain foods, but I haven't really noticed. I have noticed though that I now like to eat bananas. This is a miracle I tell you. Prior to pregnancy I couldn't stand to chew or smell a banana. They were just so very gross to me. But I had been using them in smoothies for the potassium, and when I was preparing some for the freezer, I ate a bite of one that had broken and proceeded to eat an entire one after that.
Luckily I am also moving away from morning sickness. About a week ago I would be able to delay it till later in the morning, and then it moved to just dry heaves, and for the last three days I haven't even had those. The idea of not hovering over the toilet morning after morning is a glorious one. I still get the occasional bouts of nausea, but I just eat a bite or two of something and it wanes away. Hopefully that will go away soon too.
We haven't even begun to plan or buy anything for the baby. Some friends have offered to sell us a slightly used car seat, which I am sure we will take, and I have had several offers of maternity clothes and stuff but haven't received or had the time to go get them. But we still have more than 6 months, so I think we are alright for now.

Baby On Board

I figured I should start blogging about my experience being pregnant so in the future I can remember how I felt. As of today I am nine weeks pregnant. I have already had my first ultrasound that let me see the baby and hear the heartbeat. I will admit I cried because it was such a special moment and it assuaged all my fears at that point. I started having nausea at about six weeks and morning sickness (in all its toilet hugging glory) started about a week and a half ago. Some days I think I have succeeded in keeping it at bay, but no matter what I get sick at least once a day.
I am very surprised to be showing already, but I guess I shouldn't be since I am not big normally. My jeans are starting to get uncomfortable when I have to sit up for any length of time. I spend most of my days in my yoga pants that are nice and stretchy with a low tummy band. I imagine it won't be too many more weeks before I have to give in and go get a pair of maternity jeans.
Actually it is starting to get uncomfortable to sit straight or forward no matter what I am wearing. I also find it hard to stay crouched for too long. I need to start doing squats so that when I get bigger I can still pick things up off the ground.
From the beginning I found myself fearing all sorts of things that I never dreamed. First, I hate being in the car cause I worry about the crazy people around me. I do everything in my power to not travel during heavy traffic times so lessen the chances of congestion. Second, I worry that I am going to trip over the cat and hurt myself. She has a tendency to get underfoot when I am in the kitchen anyway. I fear that the less balanced I get and the more I can't see my own feet the more likely it will be for the cat to trip me. Third, I am paranoid about certain foods. I have practically memorized the list of don't or cautions and I try not to keep any leftover in the fridge for more than four days just in case.
I am sure my fears will only be replaced or added to by others for the next 18 or more years. Hopefully this blog will allow me to remind myself in the near future and with upcoming pregnancies how I felt and how it will all be alright.

For the Moms out there

The Meanest Mom
This is my favorite blog out there, and I'm not even a mother. And right now she has this amazing contest going on. Check it out.

Week Two Update

I started the great weight loss/fitness challenge last Wednesday and I can say I am doing really well. I lost 4 pounds in the first week due to some minor calories counting errors. Now I am actually eating enough in the day to lose weight and still feel energized, which is good cause I am have spend every day exercising at least 30 minutes. I have been rotating between pilates, cardio, and weight training. On days I stay home I switch between pilates and cardio, and days I go to campus I switch between riding the stationary bike for at least 30 minutes or doing an intensive weight training with my classmate who used to be a personal trainer. Our first session was yesterday, and it lasted two hours because there are three of us that rotate on the machines. Each time I push myself in any of the exercises I get pretty sore, but it is a good sore and I can still function.
Although I don't see the pounds instantly melting away like I magically want them to, I can tell a difference because I actually HAD to wear a belt today. If I can keep up this pace though (the healthy one not the 4 pounds a week) I should easily make my goals by the end of April. I can also reach my toes on the V stretch the first time, so that is getting better too.

One of my goals in life is to visit this place. Look at that amazing starscape.

Weight Loss/Fitness Goals

Remember when you were a freshman in college and you gained the "Freshman 15?" Well in grad school that happens again, each and every semester it feels like. The constant reading and writing leaves little time for exercise for most of us. Plus the food choices on our side of campus are not the greatest unless you want everything with mayo or dressings. (Which I like, but not this much.)
I came up with the idea of having a competition of grad students against the department faculty to try to lose weight or get in shape. Today was the weigh in. I must say that my BMI was higher than I expected. Within the healthy range, but just barely. My measurements were also higher than I thought.
So I have to come up with my goals and I figured if I write them down for my family and friends to see it will add more pressure. By April 27 I want to:
1. Lose 10 pounds or drop two pant sizes which ever comes first.
2. I want to have a tone body, or at least be on my way.
3. I want to be flexible again. I can still touch my toes, but not on the first try. I used to be able to lay my palms on the floor. I want that again.
4. I want to routinely exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes or more. Both cardio and strength will be my focus.
5. I want to be able to run again without needing my inhaler.

I will periodically give updates on my progress.

Bahamas

Santa brought us a cruise to the Bahamas for this weekend. First we drove up to Charlotte and had no problems with our flight to Miami. Our taxi driver was a very talkative fellow who spent the whole time talking about being book smart vs common sense smart. He was from Jamaica or some other island nation, and so sometimes he was difficult to understand, but he was funny.
We got on the cruise ship with no difficulties. They have that process pretty streamlined. (Wish I could say the say for the departure.) As soon as we got on board we headed for the buffets for lunch. The food was pretty good and there was plenty of it. We wandered around the ship for awhile until we had to do the safety drill. Let me just say that if it had been a real emergency, we all would have died. We managed to entertain ourselves though by pretending to be Sumo wrestlers with the lifevests.
We booked the main seating dinner since we are used to eating at about that time. We had two other couples with at the table. One was an older couple from Charlotte, North Carolina and the other was a young couple from Miami. The older couple were very friendly and we had a good time talking to them the entire trip. The younger couple were not as talkative, mainly because the man was very seasick. (I was lucky that my pills from the flight were still working.) Once we had pulled completely out of the dock we noticed the ship was rocking pretty good because the winds were strong. I went to get myself and my fellow seasick dinner buddy some pills at the deck, and the line to get them was all around the lobby.
After dinner we went to grab our coats, because it was that cold, and went on deck. The winds were so strong you had to lean into them to make it to the front of the ship. We headed to bed pretty early but fell asleep to the Dark Knight movie. The next morning we arrived at Coco Cay, the private island of Royal Caribbean cruises. The winds were still very strong and so it was too dangerous for them to take us to shore. We had purchased the all day package to go snorkeling, so we were bummed we couldn't do that, but after watching them try to deliver supplies to the shore and have to come back, we understood.
Instead we spent the entire day in the jacuzzi or on deck. We met a family of twenty-two celebrating the birthday of the grandmother. She had bought tickets for all the members of her family to come along. (Which I think is a fantastic idea and would completely support my in-laws if they decided to do the same.) They were mostly from the NY area and were very funny. One aunt in particular kept saying, "Make you wet, make you sweat, hot tub!" So whenever she saw us the rest of the vacation she kept calling us Mr. and Mrs. Hot Tub.
We went to the fancy dinner that night and the couple from Charlotte was with us. I must say the food was amazing on this cruise. The only thing I didn't like was some empanadas I got from the buffet. Everything else was great and I ate a ton of it. We went to the Captain's reception and then to the comedy show which featured a hypnotist. It was completely unfunny, but what do you expect for free.
We arrived at Nassau in the early evening, which made dinner that much more enjoyable without the rocking. We got up early that morning, ate some breakfast, and headed to the Pirate Museum. It was more along the lines of Disney's pirate ride in the beginning, but they did have some historical facts and exhibits set up. I loved it though despite the cheesiness. We took lots of funny pictures and I got a pirate shirt (not a puffy sleeve one though) and a new rubber pirate ducky.
We went walking around to find a free beach, and found a great one not far from the ship. We went to the Straw market and picked up a few gifts. The whole area from the ship to the market is filled with people trying to sell you something, which is annoying, but they didn't keep pushing so it was bearable. Back on the ship we got some lunch and our suits and headed back to the beach.
The water was amazing, but a tad cold at first. We swam around for about an hour and then decided to try to make it to the barrier rope about 100 feet out. The water was calm and fairly shallow so I wasn't afraid despite not being a strong swimmer. We made it to the rope and I managed to wrap my leg around it to hold me up and give my arms a rest. That was a huge mistake. As we started to swim back to shore my leg felt like it was on fire. (A feeling I was very familiar with after my rash last week.) I swam all the way to shore and got out to check what was going on. The entire back of my leg was starting to turn red and swell with hives. Unfortunately I had to get T out of the water and we headed back to the boat. I was in so much pain I went straight to the medical center. There was no one there, so we had to page someone. When they arrived they could only give me a plastic bag to put ice in (they didn't even have ice) and they wanted to charge me for hydrocortozone. Luckily I had brought my tube with me fearing that I might have a relapse. I took a cold shower, some benadryl, put on the cream, and sat with ice on my legs. I am still not sure if I had a reaction to the seaweed growing on the rope or if there was critters on the rope that got me.
After a while I got tired of being in the cabin so we went on deck to read and watch the ship pull out at sunset. It was much warmer and less windy then it had been other evenings, so it was pleasant to be on deck until dinner. The couple from Miami were celebrating the girl's 21st birthday that evening, so there was singing and a cake along with our dinner.
We went to bed early because we had to wake up early to leave the ship. They had an express depart that only ran from 7-8 and we didn't want to stay until our departure time of 10 because we were going to try to catch an earlier flight. Well the express departure was chaotic due to the massive amount of people trying to do what we were doing. See the cruise tells you that you need to book your flight no earlier than 6 hours after we were scheduled to port just in case of weather delays or customs delays. (Which we had for about an hour while they searched someone's room.) So our flight was for 4pm, but we were at the airport by 9. We got on standby, but the flight was full, so we waited in the airport till our 4pm flight.
On our flight home we were making such good time that when we arrived they didn't have a gate for us yet. We sat on the tarmac for 30 minutes and then pulled forward. Then it turned out that they had too many planes trying to leave and arrive, so we along with about a dozen other planes were lined up just outside of the terminals for another 15 minutes. It looked like a parking lot for planes. We were very happy to get off that flight.
On our way home it started to rain and the weather reports were calling for 1-3 inches of snow in our area. It wasn't that much, but when we woke up this morning there was at least half an inch on the grass and it kept coming (and melting) in big fat flakes all day. It wasn't enough for work to be canceled though for T or for my dentist appointment. (But that ended up being good fortune because the internet went down right before the inauguration and I was able to watch it at the dentists while getting cavities filled.)

That's a relief

Yesterday two things happened that gave me a sense of relief. First, I have been suffering from a horrible allergic reaction to something since last Wednesday. I would get a horrible rash that was hot to the touch and painfully itchy. I went to the doctor on Monday after being kept up two nights in a row and he gave me a course of steroids but he couldn't figure out what was giving me such a widespread but intermittent reaction. The medication made me feel better for the most part, but I would still get reactions on my feet that kept me awake. Yesterday, after a nap I finally made the connection that the new sheets I got for Christmas were the culprit despite having been washed and rinsed several times already. So I switched back to the old ones and had my first full nights sleep without waking up with red itchy feet. I am bummed that the sheets were the culprit cause they were really nice and I threw away the packaging, but I am relieved to finally be feeling better.
The other thing that happened was related to my assistantship. All last semester I was having problems with my partner doing his work and other related issues. We had several meetings with my mentor to try to work it out, but nothing seemed to get through to my partner. Well my partner left for Christmas break with no definitive answer as to when he would be coming back so that we could plan a trip to do some GIS observations before the semester started. And then he missed the deadline for turning in stuff and I never heard back the entire break. Yesterday I got an email from my mentor and my partner's friends wondering if I had heard from him because he hadn't shown up to classes yet and they were concerned. I hadn't heard from him, so one of the friends went to his apartment and found it abandoned. It is a bummer to see him fail and drop out of school and out of the project because it is huge, but it is a relief to finally have a resolution to the problem. I must also admit, and this is horrible, but it is a relief to know that my inclination about him turned out to be true.

Decluttering

School is about to start, but before it does I decided to spend a few days decluttering the house and thoroughly cleaning it as I go along. In just two short days I have already managed quite a few tasks. I love the feeling of getting rid of stuff. I never notice how cluttered things look until I have gotten rid of something. This of course has been a struggle for others in my family, so I am always proud of myself when I can get rid of stuff, and the more the better.