:: Brinna's ::

:: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 ::

Yesterday was my monthly obstetrical appointment. It was the day I'm 9 wks pregnant. Now I'm in my 10th week! Almost out of the 1st trimester. (I can almost start eating again! Oh for the days when I could eat anything that was in the fridge..) We looked (listened) for the heartbeat but didn't find it. I'm not worried, of course--the baby is about the size of a large marble.

I also went Christmas shopping again, I've nearly got everything I think. $5 each is very hard to do when you think about it! Maybe it's because the cost of living is so high here. I bought a larger (artificial) Christmas tree, as well as some trimmings for it. It was somewhat hard to find because I wanted one that wasn't pre-lit, and for some reason people nowadays will pay exorbitant prices for the simple fact that it comes from the factory with lights on it. Insane! A 6ft, pre-lit tree (it has about 200 lights) is around a hundred dollars. The one I bought? $16. So, after buying a quality 200ct. light set to put on my unlit tree, the same result is $25, a quarter of the price. Besides, putting lights on is part of the experience! Like listening to Bing Crosby or Steven Curtis Chapman.

It's been so humid here lately, when we left the pumpkin pie out it molded by Saturday. Gross!

At work Sunday night the major game was Oakland Raiders vs Denver Broncos, at Denver. Whoa was the snow coming down! I wonder if it snowed that hard in GJ after it made its way over the Rockies?

:: Brinna 10:10 AM [+] ::
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Now for some T-Giving blogging...
my aunt came down, we met at a grocery store to see what else we'd like to eat with our pie, and we found mini turkeys! They take turkey breast and press it together in the shape of a turkey. So we had a real holiday dinner...turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing/dressing, and pumpkin pie. I was thinking we didn't need to do the whole turkey thing, but once it was there I was really glad.

So...for the last couple days we've had leftovers for every meal. Still yummy! Turkey sandwiches yesterday, a little twist.

I decorated a bit for Christmas, I'm such a Christmas person!! I love the songs, and everything. I might post a pic of my tree later. Maybe I'll make 2 trees!! :)

:: Brinna 3:29 PM [+] ::
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Alrighty, here's my first belly pic since the first. I really was going to take them more often, but my camera was in my aunt's car. So here's the first chance I got. I am now nearly to my 10th week! On Monday I will have 'achieved' 9 weeks, and I'll be 'in' my 10th. So I'm in my 3rd month now I'd say.

Me with my belly hanging out:



As you can see, I'm not too large yet, but larger than a first pregnancy normally is, don't you think? I haven't gained any weight yet as far as I know. But like I said before, I hope I'm huge! But I don't know how I'd feel about twins...

:: Brinna 2:06 PM [+] ::
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4th day alone

Well, I'm doing pretty well considering. I'm working too much to feel lonely...I was scheduled for 3 days this week and now I'm working 6. That's what I get for being a good worker, huh? Well at least I got a little printed card today from the manager. He gave little 'thank you' cards to me and 2 other employees. Something about times being tough lately, and thanks for being there. All I gotta say is, thanks for the overtime pay! My checks are nearly double the ones that most people get at this place. You'd think they'd be trying to save money. Today was my day off, but since one of the formerly 'reliable' employees decided he'd had enough, I'm the only one who can work that shift. It's back in my old department, Room Service. All the other room service employees have picked up shifts too, and I'm the only other one trained for it. But, anyhow, today is the day I'd set aside to cleaning all day. So I'll just have to clean half today and half tomorrow. Definitely looking forward to Wednesday, my first day off...provided it remains a day off!!

Speaking of Wednesday, my aunt is coming back from San Fran for Thanksgiving. We'll go out to eat that night and spend the rest of the weekend doing what everyone REALLY wants to do--just eat pie and ice cream, with a little bit of mashed potatoes thrown in...maybe a dash of meat here and there...

My current pregnancy woe is my lack of desire to eat. I used to love to eat...it's like my tummy and throat are on lockdown. I don't feel like eating anything. I never feel hungry anymore...every 4 hours or so, my stomach spontaneously makes it known to me that I need to eat, but I wouldn't say that's hunger. I miss not feeling aversion to nearly all food! I can't wait till the 2nd trimester, it's supposed to be the best time. Just one more month! Fortunately I do feel better towards eating than I did a couple weeks ago..probably because I've discovered ways to fight back somewhat. Take vitamins, calcium supplements, drink fruit juice (to keep sugar levels...well, level), and have the most appetizing foods available. Those seem to be, at the moment: yogurt, string cheese, applesauce, and burritos. I think the burritos are good because they're quick, and you don't taste a whole lot other than the tortilla. Another great tool when you need to eat but solids make you gag...baby food! I stocked up on the fruit purees, the little meat sticks that are like healthy vienna sausages, and the veggie purees (don't forget to salt liberally, lol). The baby food goes down really smoothly. For one meal I make myself eat some really high fiber cereal. Have to prevent constipation!! :) One thing that's out of the question is seafood! I told myself, before I got pregnant, I'd eat salmon all the time, since that was my favorite meat...most other meats don't appeal that much. I even bought scallops. Then the 2nd month hit, with the raised preggo hormone...and seafood went right out the window. You never realize before you're pregnant that when they say you won't want to eat certain foods when you're pregnant, you don't just not want to eat them, like a choice. It's more like, 'get that away from me!!' You don't even want to look at it. The mere THOUGHT of seafood right now makes me shudder. Sometimes I have to have my coworkers deliver the food for me. I can't stand the smell.

Next week sometime I'm going to try and get Moby neutered. He's doing awesome as far as regular 'elimination' goes, but his marking is getting out of control again. We were thinking about possibly using him as a stud, but we're too lazy to ever get around to that, and I'd much rather have a house that doesn't smell like urine!

:: Brinna 11:23 PM [+] ::
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Well, I'm in the final days of having my hubby around. At the moment he's 'out-processing', so he only has to go to work for an hour and then comes home. Sooo not fair. :)

I got a fairly big check this last week...and I've been thinking on it for a week or two...so a couple days ago I went to the local music store and bought me an electric guitar. I don't know anything about the brand but the store's got a great rep, and I got a pretty good deal. $300 got me the guitar, an amp, a stand, a fancy tuner, a strap, a music book, a decent cable, and some picks. I took some free beginner's lessons at guitar.about.com, and now my main obstacle is time.

Woohoo! 7 wks preggo yesterday. In 2 wks is my next doctor's appointment, and I might hear the heartbeat for the first time. Too bad my hubby won't be able to...sigh. I'll be around 6 mo. preggo by the time I see him again. Hopefully I'll be big, for some reason I want to show a lot. I think preggo bellies are cool. I'd take a pic of my current belly but our camera is stuck in my aunt's car.. I wonder if it's gotten any bigger? My boobs have, at least...

:: Brinna 6:58 AM [+] ::
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Well, my aunt has come and gone. It was pretty fun..we went out to eat at the restaurant in my hotel, the 'fine-dining' one. I get 50% off there. I had 'cioppino' pasta minus the prawns. Delicious!

No baby stuff at the yard sale, really...an interesting crib, but not one Andrew wanted to buy. I did buy a car seat on ebay, though--it matches some fabric I got. (I'm a sewer/quilter.)

I'm really frustrated with my Yorkie, Moby...I thought we were doing really well as far as his housetraining goes, and this morning I found he's lifted his leg on the corner of my bed! Eww!! I think it's time to seriously consider neutering him....

:: Brinna 7:02 AM [+] ::
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Pregnant in the USA

Today I'm doing lots of cleaning. My aunt who lives in San Francisco is coming down to visit this weekend. Fortunately, it's a small place--less to clean!

I'm also having fun making a baby registry at Target. I have no idea if anyone will find it or buy anything off it, but it's fun anyway! Eventually, I will tell ppl it's there, probably a month or two before my shower. Which I don't know if I'm getting either! :)

Tomorrow is the military's 'post-wide' yard sale. Maybe I'll find some good used baby stuff there.

:: Brinna 9:49 AM [+] ::
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Well, guess who won? Anyhow, not much going on. I made a new baby ticker, if we're lucky I'll figure out how to stick it somewhere more permanent.



5 weeks and 2 days!! (As of this post, not the ticker...the ticker goes by your computer's clock, I think) And I'm already (kinda) showing.

For right now I'm just sitting tight eating homemade tortilla chips (much healthier) with Fritos' Hot Bean Dip w/ jalapeno peppers. Anyone who knows me knows I can't STAND jalapenos or anything else remotely spicy, which is testament to the fact that spicy foods must be my preggo craving. At least for the moment. Hopefully soon I can find my own jalapeno bean dip recipe, but at least Fritos bean dip has no preservatives. :)

:: Brinna 12:11 PM [+] ::
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Well, here I am on election day, and I haven't written in months. Who will win?? :)

Anyhows, I've had lots of things go on. I'm living here in beautiful, scenic, expensive Monterey, California. Er, well, I'm living in Seaside, 2 miles away from Monterey. In old Fort Ord. Which isn't a fort anymore, officially. It closed in '94. So it's just military housing now.

We've been kinda trying to conceive a baby ever since Andrew got out of Basic, and I'm happy to say that after 6 months, we've succeeded! All seems to be going well, and I'm due July 4th, 2005. I'm 5 weeks pregnant. My doctor is awesome--he wears an earring all the time. I have my navel pierced and when he saw it, he told me he used to have his pierced too! He never once mentioned me taking it out now that I'm pregnant (my last doctor saw it when she knew I had started trying and immediately told me 'that has to go'..). He gave me a doctor's note saying that I can't be around smoke (my waitressing job has outside tables--in CA you have to smoke outside), so I can work where it's warm and smoke-free--AND, saying that I can eat whenever I want to, 'including at work'! That just thrilled me..at my job the manager is super strict, he has a cow if he sees you eating on duty. He's okay most of the time, but he's way too much a stickler for rules. And some of the rules he's made!! He's the only drawback to the job I have. More on my job:

When I got here, I almost immediately got a job at the Portola Plaza Hotel in downtown Monterey, right next to the Old Fisherman's Wharf. I started out in room service (which I figured would be my dream job--what could be more difficult than delivering food to someone's room?), but ended up in the hotel's sports bar/brewery, called Peter B's. Room service was absolutely dead and boring, and the sports bar needed people, so I transferred over. Now I average $75/night in tips, and my best night was $155. Woohoo! And to top things off, this is the first job I've ever had that I like every person there and everyone there likes me. Other than that the manager is way too strict, but that's a different story. Besides, that issue's over now that I have the doctor's note, so I get to eat whenever I want!!! (insert evil/mischevious laugh)

Oh, and my sister is doing loads better. She moved back to Colorado to live with our parents again, and is in college now. She's learning to play the guitar, snowboard, and other social things. She's joined a good Bible study.

Speaking of the guitar, I'm in a punk rock funk lately. For Halloween we dressed up for work, and I wore a hot pink punk Hello Kitty tee from Hot Topic, with rocker Hello Kitty arm warmers, knee-highs, and shoelaces, and a black and pink pin-striped skirt that had lace on the hem. And, I put pink streaks in my (blond) hair, then put them in two pigtail/braids. It was awesome. Not too busy that day and I still made $80! ;) I've always liked punk/goth stuff, but I probably got started off with the electric guitar interest from watching Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday. I know she prolly didn't really play the guitar in it, but Jamie Lee Curtis did...and Lindsay's just cool so I'll forgive her. I dyed my hair light red like her, and it doesn't even look that bad. :)

Okay, I'm going to post a belly pic. I think I'm going to start posting preggo belly pics every couple weeks or so, just cause preggo belly pics are so cool. :) The first one is me back when I was size 3 (I'm size 5 now), trying to become a model (I wasn't tall enough). As you can see, my belly is completely flat. Following is my new, 5 wks pregnant belly shot. Granted, I have a bit more meat on my bones, but 2 weeks ago my belly was still completely flat. I'm not saying that the baby is big enough yet to do that, but the uterus is getting bigger, and my body's making room for when it DOES grow. Cool, huh?

:: Brinna 3:37 PM [+] ::
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