Weekend Fun

This weekend we are taking our baby to its very first baseball game. This is a very important event; somewhat tainted by the fact that the team on the field will be the Red Sox. But, at least little Cletus will be exposed to a good old-timey stadium. My friend from high school, Juanita, is bringing his wife and little boy up from St. Louis next week, and we'll be heading to Boston for a few days and then New York for a second game at Yankee stadium.

Speaking of Cletus, he/she has grown to the size of a lemon! Here's a picture:


Pretty cute, eh?

The Resolution that Stuck Too Hard

So, this buying used thing is addictive. You can do it at home, in front of the computer, and at any hour of the day. I have not yet shopped at work (they are tracking all our internet usage, so I feel a strong reason not to). Between craigslist and Ebay I am constantly looking for bargains. Granted, right now I'm a little focused on the clothing bargains, but really I just don't want Cletusella to get too squished is all. It's all for the baby... Really. Buying baby things in any quantity is a little hard to justify now before we move. Why pay someone to ship us stuff and then pay someone else to move it halfway across the country? So, I wait. Kinda. I try to.

"Too big"?! Really?!

So, there is one woman at work who persists in telling me -- everyday -- that I am too big for only 14 weeks down. She is convinced I have a second baby hiding somewhere. Daddy P and I know that really what is going on is that we have the first pro linebacker named Cletusella in my tummy.

This on top of two kids in separate classes last week who asked if I was pregnant (in front of the whole class as I'm teaching a lesson on bullying), a mom who noticed, and my coworker who has taken to calling me "mom." It is all a little jarring to one's identity.

Did any of you mothers have a hard time adjusting to your personal life being so, well, OUT there?

Perhaps it's the whole line-of-work thing. I use self-disclosure very, very, very little at work, and only to achieve specific, well-thought-out ends. (Which is why I fired my own personal therapist who, in my opinion, was using therapy more to talk about him than me.) But then, suddenly, here I am. It is suddenly clear to all those around me that 1) I've had sex, and 2) That this has resulted in offspring. It is interesting though to see all the assumptions people make from there.

But back to the point... never tell a pregnant woman she is too big. I am already self-conscious enough as a woman who can no longer button up her size 8 pants (thank god I have pants in sizes 10 and 12 to boot!) and is only in the middle of month three. (I poo poo those who say that you do not show until month five. Who are you? Why do you state this idea in all my pregnancy books?).

I am having a fun time, though, of wearing all of my clingy tops to go ahead and make it obvious that the bulge is indeed a baby bump and not the queso that I made last week.

Speaking of which, I found a really yummy non-Velveta queso recipe for those interested...

Daffodil Festival

Daddy P and I decided to venture outdoors and go to see the daffodils at the Daffodil festival down the road. The insert in the paper made this sound like a beautiful event with flowers everywhere. And there were daffodils. Look:



Pretty, right? What we didn't realize, is that "festival" is defined as: (n) a place where people gather to eat. A huge tent dominated the park, totally packed with people ordering fried oreos, sodas, "barbeque," and other assorted sugary treats. Let me show you the extent of the daffodils...



Yes, folks. I'm serious. Those daffodils merited a festival. What was astounding was the sheer number of people there. I mean, Daddy P felt claustrophobic, and I've never met someone so calm and laid back as he. So, we went, ordered a funnel cake to pretend we were back home, sat and gazed at the masses, and then went home.

It was definitely entertaining. Just not what we expected in the way of entertainment. I took some flowery pics around the apartment to compensate for the dismal variety at the festival...

Signs of Spring

So, one of my favorite parts of being here in Connecticut has been experiencing the seasons. Everyone said how wonderful it was, and I kept on with my line about how "we have seasons too!"... But, wow! Perennials come up on their own here! Bulbs are popping up all over! And in one week all the flowers on the trees have popped! It's really been spectacular to watch -- way more amazing than the leaves turning red if you ask me.

We went to Elizabeth Park and wandered around with the mutt yesterday. People were out having picnics, sunbathing, grilling...! It was so fun. The rose garden was still just twigs, but the tulips were making their first appearance.



I'm so excited to go back once the roses have bloomed! Stay tuned for pictures...!