Puttin' on the Ritz

Last weekend we had "girls' weekend out" at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco. Not the poshest of Ritzes (not that I've been in many) but the service is definitely good - non-stop (ch)eating and huffin' and puffin' up and down the hills to shop and explore. Mostly we lie around the lobby on the club level, putting tasties into Gummi's system. It was nice and relaxing. It's especially nice to use pregnancy as a reason to get pre-boarding when you have a "C" boarding card and you know you'll need an aisle seat (just in case). I spent at least $1000 in maternity clothes (again) - well, Omi spent some of that, of course.

Binky's big news is that she is having a girl, Aisling. Like us, they can't decide on a middle name. I think Fintan and Aisling will be good friends, if not cute little toddler lovers... hahaha. They can play hockey together, at least. Woot!

Mamma and Baby

I had written this really long post that sounded like a big emotional whine.

And after all that ... you really wouldn't care anyway.

So in short it was this: I'm not a machine. It's not all about the baby. I'm still here too - and I'm not fragile, and I'm not "in a condition," and in fact I'm stronger and more powerful than ever. So people, don't freak when a woman is pregnant because she seems fragile or because you're worried about the baby. It's not all about the baby. She's a person too!

And that's how I want it to be in the hospital. I'm a person. The doctors, nurses, machines, lights - yeah whatever - they don't control my rite of passage to motherhood. They are focused on the baby. Well, people, it's not all about the baby. I'm becoming a MOM and I have feelings and needs that should be respected and not ignored during the birth "process."

So there. Let me do my work and earn my rite of passage. The baby will be fine, I assure you. But if you deny my needs, feelings, or the spiritual power that I desire to be connected to - I will not be fine. (And if I'm not too heavily sedated, neither will you. :P )

All love surround us, me & the baby. Me & the baby.

After New York City

Yeah yeah, it's been a while. With no ultrasounds there's not a whole heck of a lot to say. Been trying to get to yoga, walk, and eat right... (yawn)!!!

Last weekend we went to NYC and upstate a little bit to Warwick, NY. In Warwick we picked apples - our favorite apples, Cortlands, which you can't really ever find in Calif. In the city we went to the Butterfly exhibit (live butterflies!) at the Museum of Natural History, and we walked around through the regular dinosaur exhibits, and some of the anthropological exhibits. After a few hours of that we walked all the way back to the Roosevelt Island tram... man my watermelon feet were killing me!!! We also did some book shopping, hitting all the usual places Mark likes to visit - The Strand, some comic book shops near NYU, etc.

Gummi held up like a trooper but unfortunately mom didn't. The good part was having Grandma (Mark's mom - we stayed with his parents on the island) cook really good food for us, including apple tart, and Mark made his own apple crisp which was very good. We packed a bushel of apples and came home.

On the way out Gummi discovered my bladder. Thankfully I was in an aisle seat! He is getting big and wiggly - wiggling right now in fact. I'm 194 lbs. and probably should only be around 184 lbs. but what can you do. I do need to exercise more, and eat less chocolate... but that's my only vice.

Laterz!