For my Texas Peeps

In Texas, Fritos are their own food group. I distinctly recall my mother sneaking them into salads and sandwiches (particularly frito, peanut butter, and mayo sandwiches-don't hate) and the result was usually pretty awesome. The corn makes them healthy.

To say I have had a sweet tooth this pregnancy would be a bit of an understatement, and with this cold, it's really all I can taste. So when tasked with bringing a dish to a trivia night tonight, I just had to figure out which dessert I wanted to bring. While unconventional, I like to think this is delish even if you: a) aren't pregnant, b) are not from Texas.

I present to you, the Funky Frito Fruckies (not my name). There is chocolate, peanut butter and loads of sugar involved in the recipe. Super just gave me an in-womb fist-bump at the mere description.

I'm sure my Mom can work this into a sandwich somehow.

And the best news is that there are Fritos left over! Rick (whose love language is breakfast) will surely find a good use for these golden morsels in the days to come. I am thinking a breakfast frito chili pie. God bless Texas.

Melons and leafy greens

The fancy Swiss Chard. I only know of this because I watch Top Chef. I am guessing Super is about as long as a swiss chard.

Super is around 6.5 pounds and 19.25 inches long. That's even larger than my computer keyboard, to put it in non-edible terms. As of this week, we are officially FULL TERM! No more premie business. The lungs should be ready to go, so Super officially has the green light to make a grand entrance from here forward.

I spent some time today (please see earlier mention of Senioritis) reviewing the blog and it's crazy to see how much we have gone through during this pregnancy. I remember talking to Parker and Chloe and telling them about the baby and Chloe immediately looking down at my stomach in disappointment when there weren't any visible signs of pregnancy. This was back when she was the size of a raisin, cherry, grape, grape tomato, etc. I guess I never really allowed myself to think about what it would feel like when she was the size of a coffee maker rather than just a coffee bean. That's probably for the best. I feel like we've really packed a lot of living into the past 37 weeks with two trips to Miami, trips to Boston and Austin, a half marathon, the finishing of the basement, and the loss of our sweet Bexar/Bear.

When I am not wasting time on the internet, I spend time trying to figure out what our lives will be like when she's here and how Rick and I will be as parents. I even started a letter to Super, but I break down crying every time I add to it, which is not encouraged in the office (though the ladies I work with are probably used to my mood swings by now). Maybe I'll get myself together enough soon to finish it, or at least reach a stopping point. It seems impossible to really capture the emotions I have felt for these past 37 weeks so I struggle with the letter.

As it stands now, I just can't wait to get her here and see how she looks/feels/smells. And if I feel this way, I can't imagine how Rick is surviving as he's the one that can't stand surprises. It's like having a gift that you know is amazing, but it's all wrapped up and you can't touch it for 10 months. I guess knowing that the gift just gets better with each passing day makes the waiting a bit easier, but not by much. At this point, I think we are both the adult equivalents of kids perched at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning, waiting to race down and see all the great things waiting for us. Just give us the green light, little girl!

You can keep the change....

...because as of yesterday's appointment, there is none. Still no contractions, no effacement, nothing. We have now transitioned to discussions of how far past my due date Dr. J will let me go (not more than one week). I choose to be flattered that Super finds her current home so comfy that she is making no plans to leave. And while I am crazy excited to meet her, I also like having her safe with me at all times.

The belly this morning, just shy of 37 weeks.

Rick seems confident that there won't be any action any time soon. He's not going to let any pending baby birthing slow down his jet-set lifestyle, no siree. He is flying to Chicago for the day today for a speaking engagement (he's very important). He's even making appointments the day before she's due, which is brazen. I guess in reality he's trying to get as much accomplished before she arrives, which is a novel concept. Meanwhile, I appear to have a bit of Senioritis and can't seem to focus on anything other than my next meal. At least one of us is being productive.

Mortified

If you will notice, there is a "next blog" icon at the top of this page, that when pressed will advance you to someone else's blog. When I have a little extra time, I will often play a little "blog roulette". I won't even waste my time on a blog if one of the two situations are observed:

1) They haven't posted anything in over a month
2) There is some sort of grammatical error in the first paragraph

So imagine my dismay when my lovely brother, Patrick (who has become the blog police, apparently/thankfully) sent me a text on Saturday morning pointing out my use of "your welcome", not once but TWICE in Saturday's post. I felt immediate shame, yet was thankful that he was up at 7:15 in the morning reading the blog, which likely prevented many of you from seeing my errors.

Then I just saw the VERY SAME mistake in another post. I am an idiot. So, thank you for tolerating my ignorance and you ARE welcome to make fun of me for this at any given time.

Blessed upon Blessed

As if it's not enough that Rick and I have been able to take some great vacations, we have also been blessed to meet some amazing people on our travels. Particularly noteworthy are Patt and Dan Crane.

Backstory:
We met Patt and Dan in 2009 when we were on vacation in Roatan, Honduras. They were staying at the same small hotel (hardly seems like the right word for it, but there's a pic of the main house of the lovely Cocolobo below) and we were fast friends. They live in both LAs (lower Alabama and Los Angeles) and from what I can tell, they are on fabulous vacations about 99% of the time. If they weren't so charming and fun to be around, I would probably hate them. We parted ways in Roatan and became friends on Facebook and about a year later I put a question out (after we had already booked our February vacation) if anyone had ever been to Bonaire. Well, guess who was also planning on being there in February at the same time??? PATT AND DAN!!!

Cocolobo

We hooked back up while in Bonaire (when they could fit us in between all their diving excursions and various other fabulous activities). They were on vacation with their daughter and son in law, Pam and Jon, who happened to be around our age. Pam and Jon are also nauseatingly interesting and are professional sailors or something like that out in Seattle. My awareness of my own lack of interesting tales often made it difficult to focus/remember details of theirs. That, and the wine. Apologies. They had us over for an evening of feeding the eels and Jon (who is some sort of professional chef I think) made us dinner. Saying it was a huge treat doesn't seem to do it justice.

Rick and Dan feeding the eels.

These were real-deal eels. And so you know, eels eat chicken wings. Patt and Dan knew this instinctively. I think they also ate sardines.

I believe the meal was beef tenderloin and some crazy good potato dish. Of course, I have pictures of the food and not the company. I really need to get my priorities straight at some point. We also got to spend Rick's birthday with the Crane clan while on Bonaire and I think it's safe to say that birthday dinner is one of Rick's top five favorite.

So as I was saying, we have been blessed with both great vacations coupled with amazing travel companions. As if that's not enough, we received this in the mail today:

There are no words. I am thankful for a world where such generous and thoughtful people exist and am beside myself to have people like this in our life. Hopefully the Erwins +1 and the Cranes can meet back up in February of 2012. We'll be contacting you for fabulous vacation ideas shortly!

The reason for the season

The message of Easter was a bit skewed at the parent's house this year, but the grandparents really know how to stir up some excitement in the 7-9 set.

Both girls were prepared to make it rain this holy day. That's what it's all about.

Happy Easter!

Point of Clarification

To the makers of Chloraseptic,
You are welcome for probably being one of the last humans still using your product. With that being said, I have a question regarding your usage directions. Do the "5 sprays" you recommend include the first 12-15 sprays necessary to finally land a spray on your intended target? Or is it your intent that we just call it after the first 5 sprays for the first few rounds when only our cheeks and tongue are numb with the hopes that by the fourth time we use it, our aim has finally improved? And to your knowledge, in spite of all the aforementioned waste, has anyone ever in the history of mankind ever used an entire bottle of the stuff before the expiration date? You can probably take the bottle size down a notch.

Thanks and You're Welcome,
Kaly

And to God,
I know this is a big weekend for you, so maybe this slipped through the cracks, but the sore throat was really enough for right now. To throw heartburn on top of that is a bit cruel. Please look into this at your earliest convenience.

Hugs,
Kaly

Earth Day

Most of you know I was an Environmental Science major in college. I was among the first three people to graduate with this degree from Westminster College. The other two people joined the Peace Corps and I went to work as a consultant for a major oil company. Hey, someone has to do it, right? I have always been a bit torn and cautious regarding the issue of environmentalism as a whole. I think that it has largely become a fear-based industry that often has little regard for science, which is pretty ironic. Coming from a geology background, I have always been more concerned with the over-use of our natural resources than I am with global warming. I think it is naive for us to think we can track trends in weather based on around 100 years of data. My Geology 101 professor once rolled out an entire roll of toilet paper for us and stated that this represented the earth's history. Then she cut of the tiniest of slivers of the last square, and said that that tiny slip of paper represented the time humans had been present on the Earth. So while I don't deny there are changes in climate, I am not 100% sold that humans are the sole source of those changes. This doesn't make me a lot of friends in my tree-hugger friend crowd.





I think my basic environmental stance boils down to being a mindful steward. I try to take into consideration my consumption and overall impact my day to day activities and not shove it down the throats of others. I found this quote from Edward Abbey (Desert Solitude) that is a good representation of my environmental stance:





“The refrigerator… is a useful machine. Not indispensable but useful. It is in fact one of the few positive contributions of scientific technology to civilization and I am grateful for it. Raised in the backwoods of the Allegheny Mountains, I remember clearly how we used to chop blocks of ice out of Crooked Creek, haul them with team and wagon about a mile up the hill to the farmhouse and store them away in sawdust for use in the summer. Every time I drop a couple of ice cubes into a glass I think with favor of all the iron and coal miners, bargemen, railroaders, steelworkers, technicians, designers, factory assemblers, wholesalers, truck drivers and retailers who have combined their labors (often quite taxing) to provide me with this simple but pleasant convenience, without which the highball or the Cuba libre would be poor things indeed. Once the drink is mixed, however, I always go outside, out in the light and the air and the space and the breeze, to enjoy it. Making the best of both worlds, that’s the thing.” [96]





So today, which is also Good Friday, I will make an extra effort to be thankful for the things that are in abundance in my life, protective of things that are limited, and be forever humbled by the miracles of day to day life.

An Education in Melon Sizing: Week 36

This is the crenshaw melon. Other internet pictures make this look a lot like the cantaloupe and honeydew. I think we are running out of melons. Super is this size this week.

She is also just under 6 pounds and a smidge under 19 inches. By the end of this week, we are officially full term, which is exciting. Dr. Phone tells me that my body is starting to absorb some of the amniotic fluid, which makes things a bit more cramped (if that's even possible) for Super. It would appear that all other organs are ready to go but for those pesky little lungs. Is it a coincidence that the organs that will have to do the most adjusting after birth (meaning from breathing amniotic fluid to oxygen) are the last to develop? Seems a little last minute to me. God might want to do something about that. These are the deep thoughts I have in my late stage of pregnancy.

I am still sleeping like a champ, though I do notice some minor hip discomfort in the night. Another interesting pregnancy issue I am experiencing that I feel the need to document is the constant excessive dry skin on my face. I look like I am peeling from a mild sunburn on the regular. And no, brain trusts of the blog, I am not actually getting sun burned. I thought about that too. By the end of this thing I should have the skin of a 13 year old after all this shedding. A 13 year old with a newborn. Classy. It's exactly as my father had always dreamed. You're welcome, Dad.

Staying Put

We had another checkup with Dr J yesterday, and alas there is no progress. I was pretty sure there hadn't been since I haven't felt any contractions. Being that I have never had contractions before, I guess there stood a chance that I had been having them but didn't know it, but that didn't seem likely. He informed me that the baby had not dropped, which I didn't necessarily need him to tell me. Anyone that takes one look at my torso can see that Super is chillin' high and tight up in my biz.

If you will recall, last visit I was sort of stunned into silence and didn't ask any pertinent follow-up questions to the Doc. Well, I learned my lesson this time. I managed to learn that since I don't appear to have any issues/complications and the baby is comfy, there won't be any induction or anything until we are at least 39 weeks, regardless of the size of the baby. He did add that she seems to be within the normal range, so that was reassuring. Given the lack of progression and normal size, I think we can take the birth threat level down from orange to yellow (I am using the same color scheme as the air quality measurements, in case you are wondering: green, yellow, orange, and red).

Because she was not necessarily within reasonable range, Dr J couldn't necessarily confirm that she was head down, so we got to have an ultrasound! I was so excited to see her, I could hardly stand it. It was so great to see how much she has changed from when we last got a glimpse at 20 weeks. We saw her sweet little profile and her little baby hand that was right up against her face. If we were excited before that, I think it put us over the edge. I absolutely cannot wait to meet our daughter.

I'm the Jeff Foxworthy of Pregnancy

You know you are very pregnant when you have something stuck in your eyeball, but thanks to the sink and your large belly, you cannot get your face close enough to the mirror to see what's going on in there. In a brief moment of panic, I considered climbing up on the sink counter to get closer to the mirror, but then feared that the counter would collapse under my weight. Fear of things collapsing under your own weight is also a pretty good sign you are far along in pregnancy.

Has anyone seen my hospital bag?

I had my first little delivery scare this weekend. I started having some back pains and general queasiness on Friday night. I took a bath and was in bed by 9:15. I managed to fall asleep but was woken up at around 1:00 by excruciating back pains. I absolutely could not get comfortable and go back to sleep. After a bit the back pain got worse, so I went to find Rick (he's been sleeping very little these days, and because I am currently a huge bed hog, he's been opting do so most of his sleeping on the couch in the basement). I informed him of my symptoms and I guess I must not of made it seem too urgent because he was sliding in and out of sleep while I furiously searched the internet for information about "constant back pain 35 weeks pregnant".

I'm sure you are shocked to hear that the internet was no help. It told me I was either about to have a baby, midway through a super painful "back labor" (which only happens to a lucky 1/3 of women) or it was just the baby being in a strange position. In this moment of desperation I chose to conjure up some advice that Dr. J told me during our last appointment: You are not going to miss it when you go into labor.

I chose to focus on that advice and went back up to bed and was eventually able to fall asleep. Because I apparently have a high opinion of my tolerance for pain (and how well I have been sleeping lately, other than this one event), I checked the bed for the presence of a baby the following morning. All clear.

35 is the magic number

As of today, we have 35 weeks behind us, and 35 DAYS to go (and 27 days until my 35th birthday, which isn't quite as significant, but I am committed to the 35 theme today). Days. Count the weeks on one hand. And that is probably best case scenario. We could be meeting Soup in the next few weeks if you are the type that listens to doctors. It is getting to the point where each morning I wake up and repeat the date in my head to see how it sounds as a birthday. I always liked the sound of my birthday (May the fourth, because it sounds like "may the force") and don't want her stuck with some lame sounding birthday. I just came very close to giving an example of a date in the near future that I thought sounded lame, and then I realized there would be no better way to guarantee she was born on that day than to write about it here and it forever be documented on the internet that her Mom thought that day was lame, so I resisted. At least we are past April fool's day. The little lady's major organs are all systems go ("nearly complete"). She is now the size of a honeydew melon (not to be confused with last week's cantaloupe), is around 5.25 pounds and 18 inches long. The kidneys and liver are fully functional and she can now process waste. Good for her. That makes one of us.

Currently one of two short sleeved maternity shirts I own. Better get used to it.

BIL-FOF

The Festival of Fun, or FOF, has become a Harkins sibling tradition. Well, maybe tradition is a strong word, but I would like to think they will keep happening. The first FOF happened in my absence, at some lake in Tennessee. There was a ham. A boat was rented. I wasn't invited. I like to think it was a slow start to the FOF goodness that was to follow. The next FOF (also referred to as "Sibling Bachelorette Party") took place in Nashville. It was right before I got married and the four of us had a wonderful time. I barely remember it. I do recall there was a water park involved at some point. I think now, when any of us assemble at a time that is not a holiday or familial obligation, we call it a festival of fun. Well, since the Ricker is fastly approaching fatherhood, Patrick is living in a new place (Austin), and Dan has never been to Austin, they figured a FOF was long overdue. I present to you photos from the BIL-FOF (Brother in law festival of fun), which took place last weekend.

There's going to be a common theme to a lot of these pictures. Apparently Rick realized that he does like Bloody Marys. With celery; don't insult him with olives.

Dan and Patrick, drinks in a different location.

Animated Patrick. Somehow Rick managed to exclude the drinks from this photo.

Texas is close to the tropics, no? This was the selection purchased for the Saturday afternoon tubing trip.

More tomato-based booze. There is also a sighting of food in this photo. It appears they lived mostly on liquids for the two day trip.

Rick and Dan returned on Sunday and appeared to be a little sluggish but everyone survived. There were some more incriminating photos/videos sent, but I will resist posting to protect the sanctity of the FOF.

Lest you are confused...

We are officially at 34 weeks now. I really need to stick with what we know and not those pesky and alarming doctor measurements. I mean, the phone clearly knows best here. Dr J was just using a tape measure to deliver the 35 cm bomb, and he didn't even measure twice, which Rick assures me is necessary to get an accurate measurement (measure twice, cut once...and you think I am not listening).

This week Super is the size of an average cantaloupe. She is around 4.75 pounds and 17.75 inches long. Again, I don't recall ever seeing a cantaloupe that large, but who am I to question the phone?

This is what it looks like when you have a cantaloupe-sized human inside you. And what it looks like when you should clearly go up a size in maternity shirts.

And since I appear to be in a picture taking mood, I will present for your admiration my fancy new diaper bag made by Ruth and Rich Erwin (Rick's parents):

Jealous? I would be if I were you and I wasn't the owner of this adorable little number. They even said they would monogram her name onto the ribbon once she's born. It has pockets and everything! I can't wait to use it.

The warnings on the phone are pretty dire these days, so I won't go too far into them. They do a great job of making me thankful for my current lack of issues. Here's a sampling of things I appear to be missing out on: sensation that my baby is about to fall out, prickling or tingling in the pevlic area, difficulty sleeping, sensation of undergoing significant physical strain, extreme fatigue, general aches and pains. Hmm. Sounds awesome. I have said it before and I think it's worth repeating: it's amazing there are any babies in this world. Luckily Super appears to be pretty low maintenance. Here's hoping that keeps up after she's born!

33 weeks? 35 weeks? I've lost count

We are now going to the doctor every two weeks, with our next appointment being 4/19. Starting 5/3 we go every week. So at yesterday's appointment, I was told that I am measuring now at 35 cm, which Dr. J informed me is equivalent to 35 weeks. He then nonchalantly stated, "we don't want anything to happen before Easter, but then after that point, the baby should have developed lung function and enough fat to regulate her body temperature." Here's a word of advice to Dr. J: I would let a patient put pants back on before delivering news like this, because I am painfully aware (NOW) that I was a bit distracted when this info was dropped. I just recall looking over at Rick who mouthed the words "that's NINETEEN DAYS!" to me silently as I gripped my little paper sheet over my lower half. Clearly I now have pants on and it's all sinking in. I guess the good news is that I am still not having any "real" contractions other than my belly turning into a hard shell every now and again. Blood pressure and weight are all still good (gained another 2 pounds) though I was reminded that only SOME of this weight is water weight (duh, the remainder is boobs and baby, right?). And it is good news that in a little bit it will be safe for Super to be born and won't be considered premature. And now that's only 18 days away.

Overwhelmed...

...but in the best possible way. As I previously mentioned, my baby shower was this past Saturday. Apparently I have been the weak link in all the baby showers I have helped throw in the past because my friends/sisters really came together and blew this thing out of the water! I couldn't have imagined anything better in my wildest dreams. I had no idea that such creative things could be done with ribbon and tissue paper. It was wonderful. Plus, to have so many special people in one place to celebrate the birth of our child was really humbling and moving. I still get a bit choked up thinking about it.

Emma created this cupcake tower, that was adorned with homemade goodness (strawberry butter cream icing with white cake and a rasperry filling). Chaney made all the pom-poms you see all over the place, which were super-cute. The table even was wrapped to look like a present. Like I said, amazing.

Ah, the presents. This party was slated for two hours. There were so many presents that I had to rush through them or I feel like we all still might be sitting in GB's living room. It was truly a generous display and I am so thankful to have such thoughtful and generous friends/family.

All of my major pregnancy food groups were represented: hummus, cadbury eggs, and peanut butter. Of course, not all together. But that could probably be arranged.

While there have been plenty of snide remarks regarding not knowing the baby's name, everyone seems to have really grabbed ahold of the "Super" designation. It wil be interesting to see if that sticks following her birth. Patrick seems convinced that it will.

It was a perfect day and Rick and I are still unpacking and sorting all of our loot. We feel tremedously lucky to have such amazing people in our lives that support us and our growing family. A special Thank You to Chaney, Liza, Jennifer, Emma, and Amy for putting this all together and for proving that a booze free (for me at least) party in the middle of the day can still be a blast. You all are the best!

Javleo

Javleo was our parakeet when I was little. Despite being the most disappointing pet known to mankind, Javleo still holds a place in my heart. You see, my parents got this bird around the time when they got married, and Javleo (haav-lee-oh) stands for "Johnny and Virginia love each other". Gross, right? Well, it was gross at the time to 6 year old Kaly. Now, on the date of their 29th wedding anniversary, it's pretty freaking adorable.

And I can honestly say that these two are just as in love today as they were 29 years ago. They have been through some crazy times and have really mastered the "never let them see you sweat" principle of parenting/marriage. Meaning, if they ever were mad at each other or in a fight, we never saw it. Well, there was that one time in San Miguel when I had to sleep in the room with them and overheard Mom deliver what was what I still to this day consider one of the most appropriate "F-you"s to Dad when he suggested we just take the train back to civilization (the same train that broke down in the middle of the night, and then transferred us to a third world cattle car). In her defense, she thought I was sleeping and she really just beat me to saying the exact same thing to him. So that really doesn't count.

Happy anniversary to my two favorite love birds. Thank you for being wonderful parents, for making it look easy, and for showing us all how it should be done.