First Halloween!

What a great Halloween we had! Nicholas really enjoyed his first holiday, but I think it pooped him out. He wore a great jack o'lantern onesie that Mrs. Reneau gave him; he also had jack o'lantern shoes, hat, and bib, courtesy of his Grandma Jenni. As a result, he basically ended up going as a pumpkin patch:

Grandma and Grandpa Malahowski came over for Dad's birthday and Halloween fun; we didn't have as many trick or treaters as in the past two years, I think because of the flu issue, but we still had a great time hosting lots of kids in fabulous costumes!

I had already baked the annual pumpkin patch brownies:

In addition, Daniel made his wonderful tortilla soup in the slow cooker, I made cast iron skillet Mexican cornbread, and I baked a pumpkin pie with homemade crust (of course!) for dessert. I made ghost napkin rings for the placesettings:

I don't have pictures of the rest of the house, but needless to say, it was mega-decorated inside and out! On with Thanksgiving preparations and fun fall cooking and crafts!

Bedrest, week 2

So we had a little excitement the other night.

I had been a good girl, staying in bed and resting up, when my blood pressure spiked for no apparent reason. I hadn't even been up to use the bathroom in awhile, and suddenly I felt flushed and... well, FUNNY. I took my bp, and it was up to 145/102. It was after-hours Thursday evening, so I called the on-call doctor at my ob's office. He told me to keep an eye on things and, if it got any worse, to go on in to Labor and Delivery at the hospital. Daniel and I waited about 20 minutes and then took my bp again-- 156/101. Off we went... ultimately, they ended up keeping me overnight in the hospital (overnight means I went home at about 4 pm the next day) to monitor me and run some additional tests. The good news is that all of my labwork came back just fine, and as there was no protein in my urine, I can definitely say that I don't have preeclampsia as of this post (but they are still keeping an eye on my labs to make sure it doesn't become this). My bp ended up coming down, and what was great was that the doctor doing rounds on Friday was MY ob, who I absolutely love. Not only is she great at what she does, she has about the best bedside manner of any practitioner I've ever seen. She let me go home, and said that I should be on the lookout for warning signs such as visual disturbances, abdominal pain, or a headache that doesn't go away with Tylenol, or if my bp goes to 160/110 and stays there for a couple of hours. I'm to check my bp twice a day; while it's definitely elevated more at night, we haven't entered the scary zone since coming back from the hospital (knock wood).

Staying in the hospital was a drag (even though I was in bed, sleep was hard to come by and sporadic), but there were some positives: a) I didn't have to have an IV; I've had IVs and I can deal, but I have also had to sleep with them and I'm not fond of having to do so; b) it gave me a chance to become much more familiar with the hospital surroundings, which I think will be good for when it's actually showtime; c) I got to meet so many members of the nursing staff, and they are just wonderful there, and d) Daniel, as always, really came through for me in terms of getting stuff from home to make me more comfortable, staying up with me playing Scrabble, and all of those things good husbands do. He really deserves props for how he's been during this bedrest thing; he's been making the most wonderful meals that beat the heck out of the room service at the Four Seasons, visually and culinarily, and he's been so great about keeping up with the housework on top of his own job and taking care of me, and with never a frown or a complaint. I struck gold with him, I did. I know I've said all this before, but really, I can't brag about him enough.

Nicholas continues to do so well; he's not even born yet and I'm already so proud of him. He had a couple of fetal monitors when I was in the hospital, and he performed like a champ, moving so much that he was actually scooting the monitor sensor across my belly even with that tight band attached! Both times, he started out asleep, but he always wakes right up and moves when I look down and say, "Little BOYYYYY!", and it worked again for the monitors. He's also been hiccuping every day, sometimes several times a day, which is evidently a good thing because it means he's practicing breathing in the amniotic fluid and working out his little lungs in preparation for his first breaths. His size is great; he was estimated at 5 lbs, 3 ounces at his 34 week ultrasound, and even though I've lost weight on bedrest just due to the reduction in edema, his body parts that protrude from time to time have become markedly bigger. I actually had a dream last night in which I could see an outline of his foot on my abdomen, and it was six inches long. His foot isn't REALLY that big yet. I hope.

So a little bit has happened...

Well, it HAS been awhile, hasn't it??

I haven't really been in the blogging groove in awhile, but kept it open in case I felt like getting back into it. Now's as good a time as any, as we are expecting the birth of... our son, Nicholas! I am 35 weeks into the pregnancy today (I mentioned it had been awhile, no?), and anticipate his arrival in mid to late August per my ob's estimation (official due date is September 3).

I am on bedrest as of last Friday; when I went to my appointment that day, my blood pressure was high, I had such bad edema that I had gained 7 pounds in two weeks with no dietary changes, and there was protein in my urine. As a result, I cannot do ANYTHING but lie in bed or the couch, take a brief shower each day, and get up to use the bathroom, as we are trying to prevent full-blown preeclampsia or worse. So, in addition to my "advanced maternal age", I can now add the label "high risk pregnancy" to my medical history. I'm super-lucky, though; Daniel has a new job and is still working at home, and has been such a trouper as far as multitasking work, keeping the house running smoothly, and taking care of Yours Truly. The baby is doing great; they are monitoring him a little more closely, but his activity is awesome and he's almost fully cooked at this point. I didn't have computer access for awhile, as we have a desktop that is upstairs, and I cannot go upstairs. Daniel, however, went out and got a Netbook, so I'm back online! Hooray! It's going to be a long few weeks, but I know that it could be worse and I'm grateful that the problem is being managed and that Nicholas is okay.

The timing of this was lousy; Keb came down to see me for the weekend, and we pretty much had to ditch our going-out plans during her stay here. I must say, though, that it was a treat to be sequestered with my best friend! She also left me with two great books that I have already read-- and she left three days ago. :)

Now that I have time on my hands, I'll probably update this blog more. Ironically, my updates will be far less, um, interesting, as my repertoire is somewhat limited. :)

My suitcase is definitely making it home!

Now my flight's been delayed two hours!

Fortunately, I have an Admiral's Club membership, and they have an extensive salad menu. I had a nummy lunch. I am also in my own cubicle doing some work (and procrastinating by blogging).

Nobody's done it yet, but I'm waiting for someone to blow up at one of the agents for the delay. That always seems to happen, and I don't understand it. The way I see it, if a flight is delayed, either because of violent weather or mechanical difficulties, I would just as soon the pilot not take off right then, thank you very much. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? You think you're gonna have to live there? It's not as if the agent has anything to do with the decision, at any rate. And blah, blah, blah, you're inconvenienced and you have an important meeting/ wedding/ bris that the delay might cause you to miss out on. Guess what? (*stage whisper*) So does everyone else on the plane. You are not as special as you think you are.

Just a little PSA from Yours Truly.

Debates, Part III!

... which I'm hoping that I'll be able to see tonight, as I'm stuck in St. Louis. My flight's been delayed an hour and a half.

... which doesn't particularly bother me, as 1) I have two reports to finalize that need to be dated today, and 2) it increases the odds that my suitcase will end up in the same city as I.

T minus 2 1/2 days until I can see my husband again... I miss him when we have entire work weeks apart.

Can't wait to see what happens during the pres debate tonight. I love election years!

Delays, delays...

My title conjures the image of the mad scientist on the old "Bugs Bunny" cartoon; you know, the one in which Bugs makes an unlikely watery journey on his mattress to the Draculean castle, wherein the orange furball of a monster with sneakers (but no arms or nose) chases him menacingly until Bugs resourcefully distracts him with a TNT-fueled mani/pedi. Ah, good times...

NOT good times, however: I flew to Springfield, IL last night and the inevitable finally happened. The airline lost my luggage.

Why, oh, why, you ask, do you still check a bag, with the amount of travel that you do? I realize it's not the best move. I have a lot of toiletry items that, frankly, would be a pain to pare down, and I am a product snob when it comes to the prefab travel-sized toiletries. So the irony was not lost on me when my luggage was: the only emporium open in town was Wal-Mart (gasp!), and I was between a rock and a hard place from a product standpoint. After learning that the 8 pm flight was the last flight of the night (an odd concept when you come from DFW, the land of We Have a Flight to the North Pole Every Fifteen Minutes Around the Clock), I realized that I would have to attend my business meeting the next day in the clothes on my back, while the airline worked on locating my wayward suitcase. First off, I assessed what I had:

• my briefcase with my work, the most important aspect, but not enough for Vainly Yours
• a Nars lipstick in Gypsy in my handbag
• my travel outfit: jeans, a red zip-front sweater, black headband, black flats, silver necklace, diamond studs

Not nearly enough to feel comfy the next day if I slept in the aforementioned outfit. The nice man at baggage claim, however, told me that there was a 24-hour Wal-Mart in town, and printed out MapQuest directions there.

At the risk of sounding like even more of a snob (but I'm sure I haven't reached my max for this post yet), I hate Wal-Mart. I think I've been in one twice in my life, and I avoid it like the plague because I find it depressing. Now, don't get me wrong: I am not anti-discount stores. We have a Super Target near our house, and I go there on a regular basis. They have the best Lean Cuisine selection I've ever seen, seriously cute handmade greeting cards, and I'm a nut for their holiday decorations, to the extent of buying a ridiculous amount for each holiday like a demented Martha Stewart on a seasonal-ornament-tree bender. I have a workout outfit from there that is cuter than a puppy stuck under a blanket. Wal-Mart, however, I think is just... well, CHEAP. The customer service is abysmal, the products are horrible, the stores are sloppy, and the denizen are often downright frightening. I just don't do it.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, however, and I am happy to report that I was able to get things to sleep in, new undies, and toiletries and makeup/hair stuff a go-go, and felt pretty normal when I left for my site. As a bonus, my jeans were dark and trouser-cut, so I didn't look as unprofessional as I would have if I had worn my navy track suit and flip-flops as I had considered doing prior to my flight. Some products, however, impressed me more than others. Following is a comprehensive list of my purchases and the subsequent product reviews:

• Clothing: I thought about buying a business suit. The clothes were so bad, frankly, that jeans were a much more attractive option. But I did need a
• Nightgown: It was hard times finding an attractive thing to sleep in, and I didn't even need it to be attractive, but this was Bad Housecoat City. I did find a not-horrible nightie, but I will probably toss it because it is just kind of cheap and synthetic-feeling... and it's cotton.
• Underwear: Clean undies are a must. These are pretty atrocious, though, and I am also treating them like disposable clothing.
• Clean and Clear facial cleanser: Not so good for the eye makeup (it burns! it burns!), but kind of tingly and effective for the face. However, I use Proactiv, and I've found my skin doesn't really do as well with anything else.
• Purpose facial moisturizer: In the words of Dom Deluise as Caesar in "History of the World, Part I": "Nice, nice. Not thrilling... but nice." I've been using Laura Mercier, but it's been irritating my skin lately. If you have a recommendation of a good lightweight moisturizer, by all means, let me know-- but not if it contains the word "Mer". Even a product snob has her budgetary limits.
• Disposable razor: Yeah, I'm sticking to my Mach III.
• Rimmel mousse foundation: I've heard a lot about this line and have never used anything in it... oh, MAN, it was bad! I mean BAD bad (cakey icky bad bad). Under that heading, I was also not fond of their mascara (brownies in my eyelashes), their eyeliner (cheapy icky), or their eyebrow pencil (on the whole, not awful, but I love me my Anastasia brow powder duo).
• Cover Girl pressed powder: Not a horrible product, not horrible at all... but I prefer my T. LeClerc loose in Banane because it counteracts facial redness very well. In the CG line, I also bought a blush that ended up being the same color as the skin on my face and you couldn't see it, and an eyeshadow trio that, although kind of cheap and flakey and a little too sparkly for a powder, ended up looking kind of pretty once I blended the living daylights out of it.
• Contact case and fluid: Oh, fine-- those are the same everywhere you go.
• Velcro rollers: I found velcro rollers! Oh, hooray! I always use these after blow-drying and before putting on my makeup as it seriously saves time versus styling but still looks polished. The paddle brush was pretty cheap and not great, but did the trick.
• Dep styling gel: A bit too heavy for me. I like Aveda root lifter spray. I also use Aveda hairspray, which still leaves your hair silky and able to receive fingertips, but the little travel hairspray I got made my hair a little too crispy-crunchy for my taste.
• Toothbrush and paste: Just regular toothpaste, but the toothbrush is AWESOME! It is a little travel toothbrush that UNFOLDS into FULL-SIZED and is ANTI-BACTERIAL. I'm keeping it in my suitcase...

...which arrived in the hotel while I was at my site! Fingers crossed that it makes it back home with me tomorrow, since I have another overnight trip the following day...

Oh, good night NURSE, but I'm high-maintenance.

Oh, yeah... I have a blog!

Okay, I haven't posted in a long time. I mean, a LONG time. Blame it on blogging burnout, blame it on an excess of things to do at home, or blame it on the rain... we'll just call it summer vacation, shall we?

Lots has happened, and I have taken pictures; I will get to uploading these in due time, but some of the things that have happened (which may or may not have corresponding pictures but which I will try to elaborate on when I have more than a couple of minutes) are:

1) Daniel and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary! We actually give each other gifts each year according to the "traditional" gift ideas that you can Google if you're curious; the 3rd is leather. This ended up being fun; I am just happy that Daniel did not buy me leather underwear, which would have been a one-way ticket to Low Self-Esteemville for anyone over a size 2. The best gift of all, of course, is that I am married to the greatest man in the world!
2) Laurie Barnard got married in Dallas, with a loverly reception at the Warwick Melrose hotel. Highlights included the first dance that the couple did the choreographed routine from "Dirty Dancing" to, and when Daniel choked on his chicken and Puddie saved his life with the Heimlich.
3) We went to a Ranger game with Kevin and Anita, and our Rangers... well, let's just say they didn't bathe themselves in glory.
4) I learned how to fabricate a chicken properly.
5) I'm almost totally caught up at work!
6) We went to a couples shower for John and Nicki, who made it up from Houston to the event at Cacharel despite the hurricane!
7) We've been taking Mom and Dad's dough at "31", tee-hee! (Sorry, Mom, you guys beat us for so long that you know I had to mention it on the blog.)

Accompanying pictures and new posts to come!