Catching Up

Well!  That was a hellaciously busy several weeks.  This was the first weekend I've had off in...I don't even know how long.  But I somehow made it through, and now I'm back.  So.  Hello!  What have I missed?  Y'all haven't missed much of anything around here; I have no winning anecdotes or witty bon mots to show for my time away, so instead I will ramble in a rambly fashion.  The usual, basically.

1.  As much as it pains me to say this, I am wholly underwhelmed by this season of "So You Think You Can Dance."  I think it's too soon, honestly; the awesomeness that was Brandon and Kayla and Kuponu, et al, is too fresh, and this motley blend of too-old, too-smug, too-cheesy and too-immature dancers has no hope of comparing.  Also, the choreography has been feh at best, and even the change of the stage set-up, which appears to have been inspired by Vegas and cruise ship aesthetics, irks me.  Oh, I'll keep watching, of course, because I can't be kept away, but I won't LIKE it.

2.  I finally got the H1N1 vaccine last Friday, after weeks of chasing down every lead I could find on where to get the damn thing.  Apparently I said the magic words at my internist's office and they gave it to me, even after having claimed over the phone that they'd already run out.  This saved me from having to stand on line for probably eight hours at one of the walk-in clinics that opened up to pregnant women over the weekend, or having to go to a sketchy community health center where I had an appointment for later in the month.  It has also saved me untold weeks of agita, since I was plenty paranoid about the stupid swine flu, thanks to the ever-alarmist media and the climbing statistics of dead/ventilator-dependent expectant moms. 

3.  Evidently bums are not immune to swine flu hysteria, either.  A couple of weeks ago, I had a cold, complete with prolific mucus production and a barking cough (but no fever or pig-like symptoms).  I had little choice but to soldier on since I was in the midst of a big Work Thing, but I took every precaution to keep from spreading it around to everyone else.  Anyway, I was on the subway headed home one evening and I DARED to emit a slight cough, which I covered with a tissue to protect my fellow commuters.  A rather raggedy guy who was seated about seven feet away from me got up and started yelling, "This bitch SICK.  Bitch be COUGHIN'.  Stay HOME when you sick.  DAMN."  He went on for a good ten minutes in this vein.  Uh...sorry?

4.  I think I may have entered a slightly more...dynamic emotional phase of my pregnancy.  Or else I have been a bit overtired and prone to mood swings.  I'm not sure yet.  Regardless, I had a slight emotional breakdown the other day (also on the subway, where apparently half of my life plays out) when...um..."A New Day" came on my iPod.  Yes.  Celine Dion did me in.  Because a NEW DAY HAS COME.  And I have WAITED SO LONG FOR A MIRACLE, and now where there was darkness THERE'S LIGHT.  And so on.  Then, this weekend I happened upon "Juno" on one of the movie channels, and even though I've seen it before and had a fairly neutral reaction to it, this time I couldn't tear myself away, and then she gave BIRTH and Jennifer Garner HAD A SON and it was all too much because we're going to have a BABY OMG.  Wah.  (But in a good way).   

And then yesterday I worked myself into a STATE because we went out and bought a baby sling, and then we got it home and it was too small for either of us (dude, it was like a CHOKER, and it was a size MEDIUM).  You can see how upsetting that is.  Even thought we can just, you know, EXCHANGE IT next weekend.

5.  The belly!  It has grown.  Here's a progression from the last...I don't know, month or so.  I am terrible about keeping track of exactly when I took the pictures; but I think this is week 17 (or maybe 18), then week 19(ish), then week 21 (which I know for sure since I just took it yesterday):

 

6.  Among the dumber things that people have said to me:  "Wow, I can really see the weight gain in your face!"  (Gosh, thanks!  And in fact, I think my face is one of the few places you CAN'T see it, so that's just plain INACCURATE as well as rude).  "Whoa, you got BIG."  (Always a welcome observation.) 

Also, several people who seem to have made certain assumptions based on our initial, ill-fated decision to give adoption a (no) go have piped up with, "See, you just needed to relax!" or some comment about how they knew someone who adopted and then got pregnant despite fertility struggles or what have you.  SIGH.  You know, sometimes people just CHOOSE TO TRY TO ADOPT.  Revolutionary.

7.  Apropos of nothing:  a pretty pretty sunset, as seen from our kitchen window.

Comments

[Swistle]

1. That is such a beautiful sunset, I have the impulse to accuse you of faking it.

2. I was out with the twins, and I was 3 weeks from having Henry, and someone said, "A boy and a girl, now you can be done!" Me: "Uh...."

[terri]

Oh, what a beautiful pooch that is! And if you had only done a head shot, I would never guess you were pregnant. Fat face??? and look at those same long thin arms!

[Allison]

Okay. NOW you look pregnant.

And, WAHHHHHHH at the view from your kitchen. :( Damn you, airlines.

[beyond]

"This bitch SICK. Bitch be COUGHIN'. Stay HOME when you sick. DAMN." so funny. i love you, NYC.
i swoon for your water tower view. lovely.
your belly is looking exquisite. also? it is FINALLY bigger than my food belly. ; )

[Natasha]

I am loving the updated post...
We too are huge SYTYCD fans but the set is driving us crazy! The choreo has not been breath-taking and like you I am just not over the dancers from last year. I have some favorites that are marching ahead (like Russel)so even though I am hatin' on so many things I will be glued twice a week.

Your #6 about adoption really got me. Because we choose to adopt people will not leave this alone with us either. "You know as soon as you get home you will be pregnant" type stuff.

God builds families in so many ways. Thank you for sharing your darkness and your light! Can't wait to hear more about the little gal.

Natasha

[Dianna]

Love the belly shots! You are so darn adorable! Now, tomorrow we find time to talk and/or email excessively.

[amandam]

Yay! Thanks for the update and glad to hear all is well. So, right - unwelcome "observations" are to New Yorkers what World Series rings are to the Yankees: excessive, pretty much to the point of tastelessness. (Hey, I'm a Red Sox fan, what can I say?) But the bee-yootiful skyline sunsets go a long way, at least, in making up for it. :)

[Tara]

You look great! And I can't see the gain in your face at all. :) The worst is when you get really big and people say things like, "Are you having twins?" I hate that! It's only one baby, she's quite small, actually, about 6 lbs, and I've only gained 20 lbs. Get off my back! :)

[Marie Green]

During my first pregnancy, people would ALWAYS ask me when my due date was. When I would tell them their jaw would drop and then they'd say, all jokey-jokey "are you sure you're not having twins?" Thing was, I WAS having twins. But why would they risk saying that? It pissed me off. And made me feel even more like a lumbering giganto that needed a beeper to back up.

Your belly, your belly is awesome. So fun to see it grow and all rise higher towards your ribs. BABY!

[JudithinNYC]

Sorry Meredith, but I laughed so hard at #3 that I got a coughing fit. Sounded like you were in a Stephen King novel.

[Jen B]

The baby bump is adorable! It's nice to hear that everything is going well!

[lizgwiz]

I don't like the new set, either. Or the fact that there won't be any Mia Michaels choreography this year. But I am kind of groovin' on Russell. And I kind of want Ashleigh to do well, just because of the whole "we're only letting you in 'cause someone else turned us down" and "you're not as good as your husband" business.

[Julie]

You look so cute. So glad to hear everything is going well. Happy times for you and Joe.

[Christine]

Lady that is a gorgeous sunset. Seriously.

Also, I don't see any weight gain in your face at all. Heck at 21 weeks you are teeny and whatever is there seems to be all belly to me. Either way you look adorable.

[willikat]

Dude you are not even big. Your face definitely is not. You are cutely pregnant.
Beautiful sunset shot, BTW.