WTF? What Is With The Weird Dreams?

For awhile now, I have been having weird dreams. Sometimes I can remember them, sometimes I can't. I have had a couple weird ones lately that I didn't forget.

The first, I had one really hairy leg, and one that wasn't. I hadn't shaved my legs, just the right one looked like a man's leg, and the other looked like my leg.

The second, there was a knock on our door late at night. I opened to see some men who wanted us to give them stuff. I said, no thank you and closed the door. Then one of them ran around the back, and another started shooting at the picture window in our loving room. No bullets came through, and they were shooting around the perimeter of the window. I ran onto the family room to dial 911 - then I woke up. I think I had this dream because I woke up around 4 this morning and heard knocking or something. Turns out I left one of our cats on the screen porch last night and she was trying to get in the house - which leads to my next dream.

Lastly, I was either at my Mother's or my Sister's - I should mention, I have had this dream more than once - and there was a room full of cages. Cages that held various small animals, mice, hamsters, gerbils (how I could tell the difference I'll never know, they all looked alike). Anyway, I had forgotten about them. Forgotten to feed them, give them water et cetera. And one cage had a funky water bottle, not sure what that was about. Anyway, in one cage, I couldn't tell if some of the mice were sleeping or dead. Yes, bad feeling. Turned out they were fine. Yes, I realize this one is my fears about taking care of two kids, plus the menagerie of animals we have (including a mouse!).

There have been more, some really weird, some not. And vivid too. My sleep is often fitful, so I wake up remembering and then forget (especially if it happens early at night). I can only hope that my dreams return to normal after the baby comes. Of course, if I am not dreaming, it is probably because I am not sleeping.

I Am Glad I Am Glad I Am Not A Giraffe

I was looking through some "Photos in the News" at the Chicago Tribune website, when I came across this one:

This is the exact caption that was underneath the picture:

This handout photo provided by the Miami Metrozoo shows

an unnamed female giraffe being cleaned by her mother Kita

at the Miami Metrozoo. The calf was born last Tuesday and

weighed in at 135 lbs, and stands almost 6 ft. tall.

Now, the gestation period for a giraffe, according to Wikipedia, is between 400 and 460 day. Those of you who know me have heard me complain how long I have been pregnant with Charlie. And for those who haven't heard me, the answer is forever. But after hearing about poor Mrs. Giraffe, I am glad I am a human. I'll still complain, but I'll feel a bit bad when I do. Why should I complain when I give birth after 40 weeks, to something that is, most likely, less than 8 pounds?

The One Thing I Like About Being Pregnant

There is (believe it or not) something I like about being pregnant. I really like to feel the baby kick. Sometimes, if I haven't felt him/her move recently, I eat a little something sweet or give my belly a little jiggle.

My ultimate favorite, is when B is hugs "Charlie" and is laughing at the same time, or just talking to him/her, the baby kicks. B, gets a kick out of that. She says, "Charlie likes my laugh." Just this morning, after she woke up, she was talking and laughing, and the baby was moving all around.

Now, when I tell B the baby could be a boy, she says it could be a girl. Then I say, it could be a boy, and back and forth and back and forth.

Maybe she knows something I don't?

B took this photo (with her very own camera, a

birthday gift from Grandpa - cool, isn't it?) of my giant,

almost 7 month belly. This is the only one I have. Of course,

B didn't ask if she could take a picture of my belly, she

asked if she could take a picture of Charlie.

I Know, I Swore I Would Never Wear Leggings....

But, we had a parent social Friday night and i had to wear something. It seemed too hot for jeans. The shirt is from Anthropologie (unfortunately for my, not on sale like it is now), and the leggings are Liz Lange for Target. They have a little button detail at the bottom of the leg. I think I looked OK. I was a little out of my comfort zone, but I was comfortable.

I have a shower to go to this weekend and depending on the weather, I may wear this again. If not, I better do some shopping.

Pregnancy Clothes and Woes

I have been struggling with clothes. Not entirely big enough for the maternity things I bought, too big for my regular clothes (read pants). Since I am really NEVER having another baby, I hate to spend any money on maternity clothes. But, I don't want to wear workout clothes all the time (the only clothes I have with elastic waists), so I have to buy something. I bought a couple of skirts in a larger size and I ordered some things from Old Navy as well as the Gap (both have maternity) and looked at Target. Well, I found tank tops at Target. That is it. The other stuff has weird prints/colors. And leggings. I don't wear leggings. I wore that legging look ala The Limited in the eighties. At least Target doesn't have giant v-neck sweaters to go with the leggings.

A couple things I want from Old Navy:

Light Weight Voile Top

Striped Boat Neck Sweater

Empire Sweater Coat

Some things I bought and really like:

Smocked Gauze Top

Side Shirred Henley

Love this skirt, all kinds of possibilities.

Low Rise Denim Pencil Skirt

I usually don't shop at Old Navy, no reason why, I just try to one stop shop at Anthropologie. And truth be told, I am still wearing tops from Anthropologie. Good thing big and blousy is "in." I bought jeans form the Gap. I want to buy my usual jeans, but in maternity, but they are so expensive. About $100 more than than usual. And I need more than one pair of jeans, since that is all I wear in the winter. The jeans from the Gap worked out pretty well. I had some length issues, but other than that. Oh, I know the frustration I felt with buying from Old Navy and Gap maternity, the return policy.

You can order from both websites, and the stuff ships together, that is nice. However, you can only return by mail. OK, I understand they don't want maternity stuff at the regular stores. However, I tried to exchange the jeans (not return) at a Gap maternity store and they said NO. Wild huh? Get this. I bought some jeans at the maternity store, one pair wasn't right, and I was able to return them at the regular Gap store. Now how does that make sense?

I am currently waiting for an order from Old Navy. They may only charge $7.00 for shipping, but it takes forever to get it. I ordered shorts (of course, it is now cold and raining) and a couple of t-shirts. Mine are getting snug around the chest and short on my belly. I want my stuff snug around my belly. I hate wearing a t-shirt, if they are not tight, they look boxy and I look fat. Bad. Bad. Bad.

Have I looked anywhere else? I online shopped at Destination Maternity. They have Pea in the Pod, Motherhood Maternity, and maybe some other lines. But I didn't like anything I saw. They all looked like maternity clothes. YUCK. I have also looked at A Pea in the Pod website. Again, nothing that floated my boat. I can go actually look in the stores, and I suppose I will have to, if I don't want to be naked in November.

I also shopped Anthropologie this week. I am still wearing their tops, so I thought they might have others I like. I found one, long sleeveless tunic. It will be cute with skinny jeans. And I liked another top, but a large was too large and the medium might only last another month or two.

Loose Leaf Tunic in the Black Motif

I am sure there are other treasures at Anthropolgie, but someone isn't napping and gets cranky in the afternoon, and that makes my shopping partner, Mike, cranky too. What else do I need? A new diaper bag. I already have a couple traditional bags, which I just don't like to carry. OK, my Skip Hop stroller bag is great for the zoo (thanks Marci and Joann! Joann, Marci's m-i-l won it at a luncheon) but I feel like mom with a diaper bag. When B was in diapers, I used a large Matt and Nat bucket bag. So, I will probably pick out another cool purse. I briefly saw this one at Anthropologie, and need to go back and check it out.

This and That Messenger Bag

I just need to make sure it has enough room inside. And pockets.

Other clothes woes? The seasons. I need to make sure I have enough warm weather clothes. Who know how long I'll need shorts. I certainly didn't buy enough shorts. I only have three maternity pairs - and only like one. And then winter stuff. Do I need a coat? Can I just let my belly (which will be how big again?) hang out my shearling? Anf workout clothes. I bought larger tanks at Target - I love the C9 stuff -but they are getting short on my belly. Most of my shorts are OK for now. I do sweat, so I don't want to wear cotton, and believe me I don't want my belly to hang out and gross anyone out.

Any other pregnancy woes - yes I know clothes are low on the woes list. Let's see. Mike and I are the oldest in our Bradley class by maybe ten years. And the only ones who already have a kid. I ache everywhere. My hips, carpal tunnel in my left arm (always feels tingly, like it was asleep and is waking up), sinusitis, you name it, mine probably hurts. I didn't have all this pain (except the carpal tunnel-but I was knitting , so I thought that is what started it) when I was pregnant with B. I even am more active this time around. I would think excercising would make everything better. What do I know? I am down all the time and quite anti-social (OK, not so our of my normal character). The endocrinologist changed my thyroid medicine, that could me some of the problem. Again, what go I know? You would think since I have been pregnant before, I would know what to expect. Be on my way to an expert. HAH! I don't remember half of B's pregnancy, and it's all different this time (I think). From needing maternity two and a half months earlier, to exhaustion. I only have, what 4 moths plus. Just the blink of an eye right? HAH!