Another Three Questions

My friend is smart is started a blog strictly about her pregnancy, which in hindsight, I probably should have done, but didn't. Oh well.

Anyway, she has 2 posts about questions that people tend to ask when you are pregnant. The post entitled "The Three Questions" answers the most obvious first questions:

1. When are you due?

2. Are you going to find out if you're having a boy or a girl?

3. Have you picked out names?

Okay, these are acceptable questions. My answers (in case you didn't know yet): 1. April 30, 2. no, 3. yes - but we're not telling). She then had another post entitled "The Other Three Questions," which revealed another set of frequent questions asked:

1. Are you going back to work next year?

2. Well, who's going to watch your kid?

3. Are you getting a new car?

Again, these are acceptable questions. My answers: 1. yes - full-time, 2. family and a wonderful neighbor, 3. my car is only 4 years old and John's has seen better days. We might get a new one for him, but we may even wait until the Fall to do that.

But there are another 3 questions that I have been asked more than once that tend to annoy me because they are a little more personal, and if the inquirer doesn't agree with your answer, they let you know. Here they are:

1. Are you going to have a natural birth?

This question is frustrating, because as a person in the medical field, the term "natural birth" refers to NO DRUGS. Most of the time, I think that people are asking if you are planning a C-section or not. Here's my plan - I am doing what I can do. And although I know that millions of women over the past hundreds of years went through childbirth with no help from the miracle of the epidural - I am totally opting for it! I am not going to be one of those mothers-to-be who completely refuses to try to have a vaginal birth. And on the other hand, I am not going to fight with the doctor if at some point in the labor I am told that a C-section is what I should do. Call me crazy, but I actually want to have the experience of childbirth - it's what our bodies are made for. But like I said before, if the baby is breech, if labor doesn't advance, if the heartbeat becomes erratic, I will totally comply with a C-section.

2. When are you going to stop working?

Um - as soon as the baby comes. I guess there are women who will voluntarily start their maternity leave before the due date. To do what? I am not totally sure. My answer to this question goes like this: "I hope that my water breaks at the hospital (work), that way I don't have to clean it up and there isn't a mess at my house." Again, if for some reason, the doctor is concerned and says that I have to stop working earlier, I will be compliant. Otherwise, my plan is to work until the last possible second.

3. Are you going to breastfeed?

This is totally a personal question. And if you glance at my registry - you'll know the answer. So, yes - I do plan to breastfeed. It's my decision. There are people who are totally grossed out by the thought, and I respect that, but don't react like you are totally disgusted with my choice if you think that strongly about the issue when you are the one who asked me. The most annoying thing about this question are the follow-ups:

How long are you going to breastfeed? Well, my goal would be the whole first year, but with working full-time and having to pump at work during a crazy schedule may present a challenge. If I can get to 6 months, I will be very happy, if I can go the first full year, that would be optimal. I have even had people say to me: Please don't breastfeed past 6 months (or other increments of time). Again - it's my decision. I do think that it is kinda gross when the child asks for the "booby," which I have heard of...I don't plan on going that far.

A little advice to people who are asking pregnant women questions - if you have a stand on a certain issue that you are asking and you have strong feelings about it - DON'T ASK IT! It's not fun to feel like others totally disagree with your plans on birth and motherhood.

They are CRAZY!

That is exactly what I kept repeating last night during "The Bachelor." What is wrong with these women? I am breaking it all down for you, one at a time:

Shannon - OMG! Seriously thank God he got rid of her...she was seriously nuts. And I want to know what exactly she was planning to do with her electric tooth brush...that was a random statement.

Megan - Like that movie coming out - "He's just not that into you." That was totally obvious at the end of her one-on-one time with Jason when she went in for the kiss and he totally didn't. She had a potty mouth that I didn't appreciate.

Lauren - They get crazier by the minute. Did she seriously think that by commanding Jason to give her the rose on the group date that she would actually get it? Then she had the nerve to reprimand him for not giving it to her. Where did these girls learn their etiquette is what I want to know.
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Side note - he booted those 3 at the end - he was only supposed to boot 2, but decided that he couldn't lead anyone on for another week if it wasn't there. Good for him!
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Nikki - She started to get a little too emotionally distressed during this show, crying all the time. Yeah, it sucks that she was with a guy for 11 years and one morning he decided that he didn't want to marry her, but if she acted anything like she did on this show, I might be able to see why. She was one of the unfortunate ladies to go on the dreaded 2-on-1 date where one girl gets the boot during the date, and she did get the boot.

Stephanie - She is a good person, but still not convinced of the romantic chemistry between her and Jason. She was the lucky girl on the 2-on-1 date who received the rose. But when she talks to Jason, she sound so philosophical with statements like "You have such a beautiful soul." Do guys really like to hear that stuff? Not so sure.

Naomi - Pouter on the group date and first to start crying. Yet she is the one who got to smooch Jason a million times as they were on the set of General Hospital pretending to tape love scenes. Not a fan of hers, but happy that others are gone.

Melissa - Sweet and cute. She cried too last night, but hers wasn't as pathetic as the rest. She and Jason have an obvious connection. Just not sure if she is mature enough to become a mother.

Molly - Her crazy song-writing won her a 1-on-1 date and she got to spend the night with Jason in a tent. There is definitely chemistry there. I don't think that she had to rub in the fact that she got no sleep all night and that she was really tired when she got back to the girls' house.

Jillian - By far my favorite. The only girl during the whole episode who was NOT catty or emotional. Jason seems to be a fan of hers and I am rooting for her to be the last one standing.
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I just want to know when DeAnna makes her grand return to the show...I thought that it would have happened by now and previews for next week didn't indicate that it was soon. Can't wait for that drama!

Poor John

I torture my husband. The poor boy. I knew that I was flirting with torture, but last night - it was confirmed.

See, I have this bad habit of watching the same movie over and over again. Our cable bundle includes Starz and HBO, and they often play the same movie over and over again (great for me!). Movies that I tend to watch like this include:

Invincible

The Holiday

Music and Lyrics

August Rush

27 Dresses

Hey - at least the first one is a football movie. But the rest are definitely chick flicks - quality chick flicks, though. It doesn't matter if the movie is just starting, in the middle, or even toward the end - I will watch it.

So last night, 27 Dresses was on, and of course I had to watch it. John of course rolled his eyes when he saw that it was on and asked "Do we have to watch this AGAIN?" To which I answered "But you like this movie." Then he replied "Yeah, the first 15 times I saw it."

For those of you who have been subjected to the opportunity of watching a movie with me know how I tend to recite lines. Well, as we were watching 27 Dresses last night, John was reciting MORE lines than I was, and he was DEAD ON with the dialogue.

That is when I knew that I have tortured my husband to no return now.

I kinda feel badly about it...but kinda not. Hee, hee!

P.S. We even went out to the movies this weekend and saw Bride Wars...he laughed throughout the movie...do you think that I am stripping him of his masculinity?

Making Progress

John and I FINALLY surrendered to the fact that we are within 100 days of the birth of our first baby, and started the dreaded baby shower registry. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had my handy-dandy "Baby Bargains" book, which helped tremendously with a lot of overwhelming decisions.

So John and I ventured out last weekend and started on it. The big stuff was very easy. We had that stuff narrowed down and knew exactly what we wanted, so we flew through that stuff.

Then came the smaller details - bottles, pacifiers, bath accessories, wash clothes, blankets, diapers, wipes - how many, which ones, which quantity? That is where the overwhelming part took over. So I decided that we should call it a night where we were comfortable with what we were sure about. We ended up leaving with a 4-page registry, which I was proud of.

I shared what we had accomplished with Dani and asked her if she would help me with the items that I was not sure about. Since I had off on Monday, we took advantage of the free time and she accompanied me to Babies R Us.

I must say, taking a "veteran" mother to help with your registry is the best thing ever. She was able to veer me from things that were totally unnecessary, and advised me to add things that I would have never looked at twice. The 4-page registry quickly turned into a 10-page registry.

So I am happy to report that it is pretty much complete. Thank goodness for the online component of the Babies R Us registry, so I am still tweaking some things by adding and deleting online. My mom and I ordered the invitations on Monday too, so things are pretty much getting set.

I just can't wait for our "Little One" (which is how I refer to the baby lately) to arrive, and making progress on the registry makes it seem that much closer!

Drama, Drama, Drama

Gotta love girls when they become catty, and that is exactly what happened last night on "The Bachelor." Seriously, I would be so embarrassed to be some of those girls right now - having America watching how ridiculous they were.

What did we think of Natalie's exit? Can we say "immature"? There have been many girls to get the boot on a 1-on-1 date, but I never recall such an angry response. I guess she showed her true colors and proved that Jason made the right move by sending her home. Nice to see a guy who doesn't always think with the head below the belt. How did you like the comment "I like bears." Was she drunk? She couldn't even follow-up and lost her train of thought. Classic!

Then there was the whole scene at the rose ceremony. Megan and Lauren just needed to duke it out. Yeah, it sucked that the other girls were basically cheering that Natalie was gone...but it's not like they shared their mean thoughts with Jason. And yeah, Jason did flat out ask Lauren if there were girls that he should be concerned about. But look at how tactful Naomi handled that situation - she didn't mention any names. I do think that Megan takes things too far at times, but Lauren shouldn't have been so specific either. But it all definitely was entertaining!

Also, I really like Stephanie...and she finally looked normal in her casual attire on the date. She looks way too severe when she is all done up, I think. However, I am not sure if Jason is keeping her because he is attracted to her, or if he can relate to her struggle right now as a single parent separated from a child. We'll see...

Jillian is by far my favorite...no drama, down-to-earth, fun, and just plain nice. I also still like Molly...looks like they get a little hot and heavy in a tent next week!

Oh, and has anyone noticed Nikki's sideburns other than me...seriously! John said last night that she looks like Michael Jackson as he was passing through the family room. If you look at her quickly...he's right! Pretty funny! Still not sure about her - I kinda like her, but she seems a little full of herself.

Finally - Shannon - ANNOYING!

Anyone have more thoughts to add?

No worries

For those of you who know John well know that he is a little on the crazy side. Crazy in a good way, of course. However, some people may misinterpret his out-going nature and come to the conclusion that he may struggle with taking care of a little one.

Well, this picture speaks to the contrary:

That is one of my sister's twins, Toni. She LOVES her Uncle John. Anytime he is around, she runs to him, cuddles with him, sleeps on him. And it's not forced. It is the cutest thing to witness, and I am so happy that I was able to capture the moment.

I think that the only problem that we are going to encounter when our little one arrives is some jealousy from Toni.

Feeling Yucky

So, after work yesterday I stopped by Dani's because my mom was there and we had plans to do some browsing of shower invitations at a party store in the Waterworks (keep in mind that Dani lives about 5 minutes from the hospital, which is why I mention popping over there frequently after work).

Anyway, we all ate lunch together and all of a sudden I got really tired. I have been warned that the 3rd trimester can be as bad as the 1st in terms of exhaustion. Since I am very near the end of the 2nd, I chalked this fatigue to the pregnancy. I laid on Dani's couch, and ended up sleeping for about an hour. However, as soon as I woke up - I knew that something was wrong.

Yep - I got it - that horrible GI bug that is going around. And I really don't think that it was the girls...a lot of people at work have been out with it, so I think it's just something that needs to makes it way around until it affects everyone.

So I am home today...first time I have ever called off of work for a sickness in YEARS! I just hope that I start to feel better soon because I don't want to use up PTO for this...but I will if it's necessary. And don't worry, I already spoke to my OB and they are aware of the illness. I feel much better this morning than I did all night, so hopefully it's just a 24 hour thing.

The Claws are Out!

Megan is off of my top list based on the info that Jill shared last week. However, she did not deserve to be the brunt of the drama last night. Erica needs to go...she is so annoying. Just because Megan called her out on being totally 2-faced, she felt the need to drag her down too. I hate girls like that.

I really like Jillian...I forgot about her last week. And I also still like Molly. I am not sure about Nikki yet...a little bit of a tattle-tale. Oh, and does she have side burns? If you didn't notice last night, pay attention next week. And Shannon is borderline psycho.

I think that Stephanie (the widow) is sweet, but I am not sure how long she will be there. I think that she may be too intense. Her story is sad and she is nice, but I don't think that she is right for Jason.

Oh, and I can't believe how many people he is making out with already. Lucky guy, I guess.


Stayed tuned for next week...

All Better!

I was permitted in my sister's house again this afternoon...it's been almost 2 weeks, which in the world of my sisters and me, is a long time.

The girls are much better - eating, drinking, playing, laughing, and pooping (real poop) - sorry for the grossness there, but it was a BIG deal.

For some weird reason Nica was clinging to me. It was really sweet. And then as I was holding her and talking to my sister, she fell asleep. It's so sedating to have a little one sleeping on you...you hear their sleeping breaths and it is so relaxing. I didn't want to move her or leave. We did eventually get her onto the couch and she was out!

It was so nice to spend time with them again...I missed them tons!

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Who's ready for "The Bachelor" tonight? I AM!

Quarantine

I am forbidden to go near my sister's house, and I have been since this weekend. My nieces have been stricken with a horrendous virus (probably Rota virus) that kept Nica (twin #1) in Children's Hospital for 2 nights. Dani finally returned home with her yesterday, spent about 3 hours at home, and then was off to the hospital again with Toni (twin #2). Thankfully, they were able to hydrate her in the ED and discharge her home.

Wait, that's not the end - my Mom just called...Dani is back at the hospital with Nica and my Mom was on her way there too...with Toni. They just can't seem to keep anything down. They are only 20 months, so this is pretty devastating to the family.

I want to help but they won't let me near them. It's pretty frustrating being in the medical field and not being able to do anything for ones that I love so dearly. I know that I have to keep the well being of my little one in mind. So, I guess the best that I can do is pray...and if you could say a little extra prayer for my little nieces...it would be greatly appreciated!

3 posts in 1

Part 1 - SLACKER!

Yes, I am a slacker for I have not posted anything in 2 weeks. Bad Carla! Holidays were quite overwhelming: dinners, parties, shopping, returning, eating, eating, and eating. I am sure that everyone can relate. It didn't help that I worked through all of it...only had Christmas Day and New Years Day off. Don't feel bad for me though because it was my choice...just trying to save up PTO for maternity leave. Now that the holidays are officially over, things will start to calm done. John is back to school, which he is not happy about. I took down the outside lights and wreaths yesterday. Today I think that I am going to try to start on the tree. I like to keep it up for the Epiphany...see following post for explanation. My New Years' resolution will be to try to post more often.

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Part 2 - Epiphany

Most people know that the Epiphany celebrates the visitation of the Magi to Jesus, but what a lot of people are not aware of is the Italian spin on this celebration. Of course Italian celebrate Christmas and children receive presents from Santa, but on the Epiphany, they have another morning of presents from La Befana.

Christian legend has it that La Befana was approached by the Magi a few days before Christ's birth. They asked for directions to where the baby Jesus was, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village with the most pleasant home. They invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her housework. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the baby Jesus. She leaves all the good children toys and candy, while the bad children get coal or bags of ashes.

Because my parents were born and raised in Italy, this is a tradition they celebrated and therefore carried on. So growing up, we also received gifts on the morning of January 6th (not a ton, just a few little things in our stockings). Even in college, my mom would sneak gifts to my roommates because we would be in Puerto Rico after the New Year for winter training. And since she couldn't give me the gift, she made sure that my roommates knew what day to present it to me. Now as adults, my mom will still give us small gifts on the Epiphany...I haven't seen her yet today, so we'll see if I was good or bad this year!

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Part 3 - The Bachelor

So last night was the premiere of the new season of "The Bachelor" with Jason who was booted by DeAnna last season as he was on one knee ready to propose. They added a twist last night. The 25 ladies had to vote for 1 lady to "leave" that first night, as they were told. In the end, Megan (the girl from Pittsburgh!) received the most votes, but the joke was on the 24 other ladies because as the host explained "Megan leaves tonight with a rose." So, the most disliked girl was safe. But what was the real reason for the votes? Biggest threat? Jason seemed to like her already? Mean? Vulgar? (they did have to beep some things she said...even when she accepted her rose - I think that she called them all f-ing bitches, but I'm not sure). I wonder if she is as bad as she was portrayed last night. Maybe Jill can enlighten us - her cousin dated her in the past!

Then came the previews for the rest of the season - DeAnna makes a comeback! Now, I am sure that they edit to make it seem like she wants a second chance with Jason, but I think that maybe she is making an appearance to help him with his choices. But we will see!

Here are my top choices for the season:
-Megan (hey, gotta stick with the hometown girl for now)
-Molly
-Shannon (slightly stalker-ish, but cute)

We'll see if the list changes with time...