Rollin' With the Punches

Believe it or not (sometimes I'm in the "not" category!)... I'm 6 months along with little Mara Lou! In two days, I'll be 26 weeks...and I've got the belly to show for it, finally! For a long time, I wasn't sure if what I was feeling inside was Mara or simply my body doin' it's thang, but now I KNOW she is an active little girl! Not only does she roll around and tickle my belly for my pleasure, but Mike got to feel her for the first time as well! On August 11th, the day of Maria's (Mike's sister's) wedding, Mike felt his daughter for the first time.

(Awwwww... "his daughter"... for some reason, referring to Mara as our daughter is significantly more real to me than using her name or the term 'baby.')

24 weeks

Ready for another cute little anecdote? Okay. I warned you that it's cute. So you can't complain. :)

The other night, I decided to read to Mara while rocking in the rocking chair my grandma gave us... I read a Fancy Nancy book about butterflies (appropriate, since I seem to be drawn to butterflies and nature-y things for her nursery). I love Fancy Nancy, by the way, because the books are always fun and educational - Fancy Nancy LOVES using big words, and always explains them with parentheses...double-whammy! You can teach vocabulary AND the implication of parentheses in a text! Anyway, the cute part of this story is that later, I told Mike that he should read to Mara, since she hears my voice to the point of exhaustion all day. He chose I Wish I Had Duck Feet by Theo. LeSieg, a funny little book about a boy who wishes he had all these different animals' body parts so he could do different things. I'm not sure which made me delightedly giggle more - the fact that Mike was reading to our daughter with my legs draped over his lap, or his voice as he read the funny book. :) After he was finished reading, I rubbed my belly and told Mara that that was her daddy reading to her and... did she like the book? Mike put his hand on with me, and she KICKED in response! Homegirl likes a good book, apparently. :)

Ah, but don't fret, you Negative Nancys out there... all isn't perfect in Lindsay-Baby-World.. Mara's kicks have caused some sleepless nights already (yes, yes, I know... they'll get worse... she'll get under my ribs...she'll make it difficult to breathe... yadda yadda yadda... but for now, I'm happy to feel her little body.. so there). :) I am choosing to be a Positive Penny (you like that alliteration, don't you?? Yeah, you do..).

Mike got me a prenatal massage as my 28th birthday gift, and of course as I laid on my back, I could feel my body start to get all funny... as in, the "I am getting hot and queasy and sweaty and I can tell I'll pass out if I don't lay on my side" funny. Luckily, I told the massage therapist that I needed to lay on my side before anything happened. All I suffered was the embarrassment of being slicker than oil while she continued the massage. I kept thinking, "Maybe she won't notice... maybe she'll just think it's the lotion..." Probably not, but she didn't say anything, so NBD. C'est la vie. At least I didn't have to cut my massage short! See.. Positive Penny!

Speaking of Penny... my sweet little cousin Penny was born about a month ago! Penelope Jayne. She and Mara Louise are going to be best of friends, even if they do live a few states away from each other. :) Isn't she adorable??

Oh, and I almost forgot... my massage was in Mike's gym near his office.. and this sign was posted on the glass next to the door:

...wait... so you mean I can't come packin' to the gym?? ....I'm not joking. This was totally on the door. I understand that I'm now living in a place where people more commonly exercise their right to bear arms (there are signs along the highways between here and Chicago in support of this)... but who brings their gun to the gym, honestly? (Say this with a British accent a la Austin Powers..way more fun...) How about another movie reference?  "Exercise causes endorphins..endorphins make people happy..happy people don't shoot their husbands." Name that movie. Seriously. Be my blog's second comment-maker and name the film. I dare you...

This past weekend, Mara experienced her first baseball game.. the Royals played the White Sox in KC. I thought it fitting that we should see our old-home team play our new-home team. Oddly enough, it took a move to Kansas City to see the Sox play for the first time! (I'm a Cubbie at heart - I couldn't finish the 'root root root for the Royals' line in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" because it just felt weird.)

All in all, things are great here in the Anderson baby world! I am absolutely beyond blessed ...healthy mama, loving and supportive husband/daddy..and a healthy and active little Mara Lou :)

...Like Bein' 16 Again...

You know how when you turned 16 you jumped at any excuse to drive anywhere? On my 16th birthday, I drove 20 minutes to Meijer just to buy Lipsmackers lip gloss. I was SO excited to just get behind the wheel and experience that sense of freedom and independence! Well..that little 16-year-old Lindsay is ME in KC right now! My dad and Suzanne graciously brought down our second car from Michigan last weekend (thank-you, thank-you, THANK-YOU to them and Patti and Dick for the gift) and now I am driving wherever I can. I honestly kind-of enjoyed driving around downtown and spending time at the DMV yesterday...now THAT should communicate my desperation to get out of the apartment! ;)

As August begins, I can't help but think about teaching. It's a very weird feeling, after always being busy and working...to know that I won't be working as a full-time teacher this fall. It's almost like a bit of an identity crisis...not a crisis, maybe an ... ummm... identity struggle? I am excited to have the opportunity to tutor and maybe even volunteer at a school or for an after-school program, though. Not just to work with kids (which I miss already, just knowing I won't be in my usual capacity), but to simply have a purpose - something that demands my time and challenges me intellectually.

Yesterday was my first OBGYN appointment in KC! Dr. Bishop was recommended to me by my Aunt Sissy, who lived here 18 years ago.. "The Bish," as she fondly refers to him, was her OBGYN during her pregnancy for my cousin Jack... crazy! He was absolutely LOVELY. I learned about his family and a little about his travels as he learned about me. He made a point of mentioning how the doctors at his practice focus on personal relationships with patients and I seriously felt like I was living in a dream - I thought nice doctors like him only existed in the movies!! As he left, he told me, "Make yourself at home, this is your second home now!" with a smile. OMG I couldn't stop smiling and thinking about how lucky I was to have such a rockstar doctor!

Little updates with me and Mara:

• Baby girl keeps streeeetching her little self out and putting pressure on my bladder. Not painful, but definitely lets me know she's there. :)
• Had another weird little episode where I felt nauseous, light-headed, and went into a cold sweat again...while laying down...and waiting for The Bish to come in to the appointment... luckily, he just smiled and nodded as I told him of the ER visit and this second episode, so apparently I'm fine.
• Still working on the most comfortable way to sleep on my side without my hips or shoulders hurting, but it seems that a body pillow between the knees, one pillow under my head, and another pillow layered between the two gives the best positioning without forcing me to clench my teeth or wake up whining about my joints aching. It also helps if Shermie props up against my back. :)
• Mara Lou's heartbeat is strong, so she's growing well and staying healthy! Maybe that's part of the reason why I feel tired unless I get 11 hours of sleep every night!