Has it really been 3 months since I’ve blogged? Wow! I wish I had some profound explanation for my absence but I really don’t. I only seem to be willing to blog while I’m at work. Work has been busy for a while. When I actually feel like blogging, my site is unavailable to me here. Today the stars aligned and here I am.
I don’t have a great way to return to blogging so I’ll just do some randoms today and try to post more frequently.
- As of Thursday, I will be 32 weeks pregnant. Everything is going well so far and this thing is flying by so quickly. I had a bit of a “scare” when an ultrasound at the perinatologist revealed that my kid has six fingers on one hand. Well, 5 fingers and what looks to be a “nub.” That can mean scary things if there is no family history of this issue. Thankfully, I recalled my mom telling me that she had a nub removed when she was born. She also told me that it happens a lot on our side of the family. That eased my fears (and the docs) and I declined further testing (amnio). If the finger is indeed a nub they just tie it off at birth and it falls off and dies. My mother has a tiny bump on the side of her pinky that is the only indication that anything was ever different about her.
- I think I’ve finally accepted the fact that this is a girl. I even bought her a dress! The quality was great (Jason Wu for Target) and the clearance price was right ($59->$17). It also met my qualifications of not making me gag. I’m not a tomboy when it comes to fashion, but I’m pretty basic. I like simple but feminine things. The sheer volume of pink, lacy, sparkly, frilly clothing available for girls requires a major adjustment for me coming from toddler boy land.
- Sister P got engaged over the holidays. Huzzah! She is such an organized person that she has already set a post-Christmas wedding date. I’ll have about 8 months to focus on not looking like a cow in my bridesmaids dress. I like having a “deadline” even though I plan to be gentle with myself.
- I’m not running anymore. I completed the Peachtree City 25K in mid-November @ 19 weeks pregnant. It took me 3:22:57. I didn’t even finish in last place! There was another girl there that was more pregnant than I was at the time. She’s a real speedster when not pregnant, so she finished in a little more than 2 hours. I don’t think I could pull off 15 miles in less than 2:10 on a good non-pregnant day (my half-PR is 1:53-ish).
- Regarding the 25K, the first 5 mile loop felt great and I ran 95% of it. The second loop was harder and my walk/run ratio increased. The third loop felt more like walking than running. I could have continued on in that manner because “running” a marathon pregnant sounded like a cool idea in theory. The reality was that my back was starting to hurt and I was tired of feeling like my bladder was going to explode with every step. They had potties about every 2.5 miles and I stopped at every single time I saw one. I think 15 minutes of my race time was spent in the bathroom! As soon as I left the PoP, I felt like I had to go again within 5 minutes – insanity. This was annoying to say the least. Since I had nothing to prove, I called it a day at 25K with no regrets. I’ll talk about my pregnancy exercise experience so far in another post soon.
- The reality of finances with two kids in daycare has me shaken up. Daycare will cost me more than my mortgage payment. I completely realize that having children is something I voluntarily chose to do. It is just sobering to look at the hard numbers. It is going to be a very tight few years until September 2016 when Lewis is able to enroll in public kindergarten and use school aftercare ($8/day). His birth date of Sept 12th just misses the county kindergarten cutoff of Sept 1st. He won’t be able to enroll in K until he is 6 so we’ll have to pay for private care until then. Sigh. Why didn’t we think about this when planning to have a baby?!?
- I’m very happy that I only want 2 kids because having another is simply not financially practical given my “advanced maternal age.” We’ve been making little changes to save money the past few months and continue to look for ways to cut expenses. I got some great news the other day about a situation and I’m awaiting final written confirmation. Fingers crossed.
Welcome back! You have been missed.
Congrats to Sister P!
Pink, purple, girly…get ready to embrace it!
One of my nephews had the nub…but they didn’t know until he was born and then they fixed it easy peasy. I think it is really quite common…but no one says anything.
One thing you can do is write your posts and then email them to yourself so you can access the blog later and just copy and paste.
It is more common for African-Americans than other races. I had no idea! The specialist can just really freak you out about it. If it comes out of nowhere it can be a sign some kind of bad genetic problems.
I’ll try the email thing. That could work. I think I can even post straight from email.
well hello and welcome back. I figured you’d be showing us this baby girl by the time you blogged again.
congrats to your sister! Thats exciting news. I’m sure you’ll look great for her wedding.
I actually have a few pictures but I have no idea what week they were taken. I have semi-perfected the Iphone mirror shot now though so I will take one tonight for Wordless Wed. My bump looks better now anyway.
Awww, congrats on your new bundle of joy! And don’t worry about the “nub”. I have one of my left hand and it has never caused me any problems…half the time I forget it’s there until someone mentions it. It runs in my family though…my brother has one on both hands and my younger cousins have them as well. I think it makes me unique to say I have 11 fingers, so your new addition will be unique as well!
Nubs all around LOL! My mom actually mis-remembered me as having been born with one. Then she figured it must have been some other cousin or something. She said someone in our family is always being born with a nub so it is no big deal. I just hope it is a nub for certain without a bone. If it has a bone, they have to do surgery and that always sounds scary for a little one.
I’d like to think I help encourage this blog post, after I called you out for not blogging! LOL
I am team nub and got mine tied off at birth. My grandma, my dad and me all have the nub. None of my sisters got it. Genetics is so fascinating.
Acknowledges your encouragement to stop being so lazy.
Amazing to read about so many “nubbins” in the small number of people who have read this post. Before I confirmed that it ran in my family with that doc, he had me thinking my child could likely have serious unknown genetic issues. 
Welcome back! You’re so close – how exciting =) Wishing you a happy and healthy delivery!
Thank you! Fingers crossed that I get a healthy baby girl *and* my VBAC!
Yay! You’re back
I so get you on the style. I am pretty basic…nothing to crazy. I am not a fan of pink. MY poor unborn girls will be so confused. wearing grey when everyone else has on pink lace
Don’t disappear for 3 months again!
I’ll try! There is a happy medium between pink and grey. I think I can find it.
helloooooo! (that’s my Mrs. Doubfire impression)
Thanks for the updates, we’ve missed ya! Can’t wait to meet the newest member of the brown baby brigade.
Girl! I can’t comment on your blog at work anymore. Grrr! Hang in there lady.
oh and about daycare, that reason alone is why i think i want to wait until jasmine is in kindergarten before i have a second child. i don’t want to pay daycare twice
It is ridiculous! You want quality care so you pay but it’s hard. I should have made sure my son was born before Sept 1st so I don’t have to float and extra year.
Welcome back!!!
I’m glad to hear things are going well for you and baby girl so far. I have to say I’m right there with you when it comes to the pink/sparkle/frilly explosion that is girls’ clothing today. I wore Osh-Kosh bib pants as a kid (just like my brother) and I grew up into a perfectly competent female. Why, oh why, must everything be frilly??? A kid can’t run/hike/bike/climb in those ruffles! I’m not anti-pink, but some variety would be nice, no?
Ruffles, sparkles, sequins, flowers and bows – good gracious! I swear it wasn’t this bad when I was an infant. In all the pictures that I find, I am wearing basic looking stuff…and my mother was a big fashionista!
I hear you on the girl stuff, but just imagine what a tough cookie she will be – whether she’s in lace or not!
Webbed toes run in our family (men only though).
As for the nub…that’s pretty interesting. She can pull out that little-known fact later in life to impress people
Webbed toes? Do they fix that or just let it slide?
welcome back!
You ran/walked 25 miles when 19 weeks, LAWD. I feel like such a slacker!
I hear you about the two in daycare. I think that’s another reason I have put off having another. It pains me as it is to pay as much as we do for daycare. But I’ve got to get busy soon if I want another. that advanced maternal age thing…
That is the conundrum, right? You hit 35 and you’re scared that it will never happen or take a long time. You have to start trying and just figure out the money thing later.
Welcome back! We have definitely missed you, but I totally understand your busy schedule. My mom had nubs at birth as well. Now she just has the bumps like you mentioned. No worries at all. I don’t have children, but I agree some of the girl stuff can be overwhelming. It’s cute, but some of it is just too much for me. Looks like you found a nice balance in your dress. Congrats to your sister! Are you still doing CrossFit? I know you said running had to be paused, but I was just wondering what you’re doing physically. I’m sure you’re staying active some way. Thanks for checking in with us and sharing. Can’t wait to hear more and see pics!
I still do CrossFit. I haven’t been in a few weeks because of scheduling and a bit of laziness.
HUZZAH! I love it. hehe. Last week thought I might be pregnant. (err, which I’m NOT) But at the time, the thought of 3 kids in daycare scared the shizz outta me. I can’t afford anymore kids. 4 is enough. Nor do I want to give up the slow gains in personal freedom I have as the kids get older. I just wanna do me. But a side note: the cost of kids may never end. My oldest is 20 now and she’s still got aim at my pockets. ((sigh))
Enjoy the pregnancy home stretch. xo
I don’t know how you have 4! And no more pregnancy scares for you, mmkay?
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel already in the next 5 and 10 years. It looks so bright!
Hey lady, I’ve been drifting in and out of blogland too. Wow, can’t believe the little princess is always here. Congrats on doing that November race. You are the bomb! I totally feel you on the price of having little people. Hoping things work out for the family.
Me either! Little people cost a lot financially and emotionally. But they are worth it.