I'll Take Potpourri, Alex

So, I've got a severe case of pop-corn brain today. Which means, I've been all over the place. I'm trying to finish up a somewhat tedious client piece, which is involving my least favorite part of my job. Oh. That's not true. It's not the least favorite.

Anyway, part of my job is keeping up on the newest developments in web 2.0 (a term that's evidently already on the way out...). I love that this is part of what I "need" to do. I find the coolest websites. And the most interesting applications, etc.

So, keeping in mind who reads my little blog, I decided to start sharing little gems that I think might interest some of you. For example, today I ran across a website called Etsy. I'm in love! If you like unique gifts, check it out. Etsy describes itself as a place to "buy and sell all things handmade." Don't click on the link if you have a meeting in 10 or something simmering in the kitchen. This place will suck a good 45 minutes right out of your day. Not that it did mine... ( I love these notebooks, for example.) Oh! And I've started a new "Worth a Visit" section which I've placed as a permanent fixture on the blog homepage. You'll find it below "About Us." I'll keep adding what I deem to be cool sites there!

On another note... I am so delighted to have found bedding for my little bean that I LOVE. See, my plan has been to design the room so that it still looks like it belongs with the rest of the house. And I like a more modern eclectic look.

Much of what I had found so far that I really liked was just ridiculously priced. (When the price enters territory where you think, I could put this in a money market account and have a very tidy sum in 18 years, then I don't consider it a smart purchase.) It's also unnecessary as I can create something perfectly stylish on a budget.

So I was taken completely by surprise today when my browsing led me to Wal-Mart, where they offer a line called baby mod via their website. I fell in love with a bedding set called Orchard Park. I'm sharing pictures so you can either "oooo" and "ahhhh" or gag.

The second photo is a closeup of the crib sheet. I'm all about the details. And sharing.

I love this because it matches the color already in the Bean's room. I didn't want to repaint it because I love the color. It's a blue that is similar to the blue in the bedding set.

My plans already had been to contrast the blue with a nice tangerine. When I saw the orange shade in this fabric, I was pleased. I had yet to find anything with this color combination anywhere else.

So, it should arrive within the next 7 to 10 days. Hopefully I'll be equally pleased once I unpack it!

Free Willy

Maybe I should try a new pose. I'm realizing that once this, um, "process" is over, all I'll have are these kind of funny profile shots. Next week, I think my photographer and I will get creative. Don't worry. Nothing involving our sheepskin rug; indeed nothing that you'll need to shield your eyes from... This photo was taken yesterday evening. It's the official 25.9 week photo.

I have some busy days ahead of me this week. Lots of meetings... hopefully a couple of which will turn into some quite interesting projects. On top of this, two potential clients have been referred to me. So, I'll assume something with those will be happening this week as well. (Positive way to look at it, yes?)

I met Friday with a very nice girl/woman (I have a hard time using the word woman for myself... so when I meet someone younger, imagine my struggle.) Digression. Back to the girrwoman. She's someone I hope to be working with in the future -- a potential project partner.

I'm finding that there are many incredibly talented freelance consultants who seem to work in the shadows. I didn't realize how many, actually. I'm optimistic about the partnership opportunities this will allow. These relationships, I'm hoping, will be the compensation I need in projects where a larger team is really needed.

On the Bean front, this weekend was very productive. We now have both the crib and changing table. Cool! They are an Italian brand called Pali, and are very nice. And we bought them for a song off Craigslist! I love Craigslist. Both pieces are truly like new. Once they are set up, I'll post pictures. Could be a few weeks...

OK. Back to work.

Jumpin' G. Hossifat!

In my new career venture, I am learning much quickly. For one, when something somewhat disturbing happens, there's no one to turn to and frantically gasp -- OH CRAP.

I had a gasping OH CRAP moment this morning. I was interviewed Monday for an article on social media and public relations. This was a great opportunity. My first chance to be quoted in connection with my own business. Yes. Better than advertising, baby.

Here's the kink. The article ran today. Turns out, I was somewhat misquoted. (I'll post the article in just a bit.) The journalist stated that I had plans to launch a new PR firm later this year with two partners. The firm being a new breed of PR agencies in that it would have an integrated social media practice. Anywho. That's not what I said!

The bright side -- to some extent, this is still good publicity for me. Who knows who may read this and want to give me a call? The underbelly -- once my former employers read this, and they will, the goodwill I so carefully worked to keep intact will be shot. SHOT. Not good.

Stay tuned for the fallout.

Gulping Syrup

This morning was my scheduled ultrasound appointment. The purpose of this visit was to determine if the aching slight protrusion above my belly button was a hernia. It wasn't.

It was a fibroid, which the doctors assured me was tiny and innocuous. It was quite a relief. The odd thing is though, that after all the discomfort last week, the pain was magically gone this week. Strange.

Now, to my Bean news. I didn't realize they would be performing another full ultrasound. Lucky me! And the majority of it was in 3D mode. I don't think it's my imagination projecting my wishes onto the pictures -- the Bean looks like E. The lips, the spacing of the eyes -- the forehead even. Where am I? As far as I can determine, it looks to have the distinctive nose from my Mom's side of the family.

It was so sweet, during the ultrasound, the Bean yawned twice, and quite stubbornly resisted moving its hand away from its face. We poked and tried our best to disturb him/her. Evidently, the Bean was in a comfortable position.

And weight! It's weight is already well over two pounds! I was a little concerned by this, but the doctor assured me that he wasn't.

After the ultrasound, I made my way to the blood lab for the glucose test which screens for gestational diabetes. I had to down about 12 ounces of the most disgusting, sickly sweet, "lime" flavored drink before waiting an hour to have my blood drawn. (I felt like such an adult, I didn't have the dreaded panic feeling before getting jabbed.)

Regarding the diabetes, I'm really, really hoping that this won't be something that I'll have to worry about. It will be a couple days -- probably Monday -- before I know the results.

So, I'm sharing my photos of the Bean, AKA Lil' e.

La Petite Academy

Evocative name, is it not? Minimally, yet impeccably dressed French women gently instructing young children to recognize and appreciate fine art while at the same time teaching them how to properly eat patte.

Well, not at exactly. If this were a TV show or movie, this is the moment in the program that you would hear the sound effect of a record player's needle being dragged abruptly across the vinyl. This morning I took my first daycare center tour. The center, not-so-aptly named La Petite Academy, is so conveniently located just a two-minute drive from our house.

I was nervous when I left home today. What would I find?

While I wasn't greeted with a waft of freshly-baked croissants when I entered the building, I was quite pleasantly surprised. I was armed with questions regarding references, certifications and the like. The woman who greeted me and gave me the tour was very likable and had a personality that really put me at ease. (So, La Petite is at least not dumb. The fact that this woman was the one giving the tour and acting as my first point of contact with the daycare earns them kudos from me.)

Not to mention, the babies in the 6 weeks to 6 months area truly looked happy and content. I was relaxing.

I had previously dreamed up horrible visions of banks of baby beds where one adult was responsible for at least five infants. That definitely wasn't the case here. And the employee turnover wasn't bad in the infant section. Another check in the good column. (The ratio here, by the way, is one adult to three babies.)

Bottom line. Was it perfect? No. But it was good. And, with their being so close, I can drop by regularly, take the Bean in when it suits me, etc. We'll see how the rest of this "exploration project" goes. I've got a number of other options to check out in the meantime... But the end result of today's trip is that I feel much, much more relaxed.

24.9 Weeks

I left this photo larger because I am LARGE. Looks like some growth since last week. Indeed.

Kosher

This weekend, a new friend of E's, and his wife, invited us to their home to eat. They are Jewish and kosher. Since this is the second time we have been invited to their home, we of course asked if we could bring anything. They said dessert. But it needed to be kosher -- and include no dairy. May sound simple enough. Ah. It wasn't. First, I had a genius idea. I remembered a little kosher store in Rockville. I thought we could drop by and pick up something on the way. It was Saturday... you know where I'm going with this.

We pulled into the parking lot -- and they were, of course, closed. With only 15 minutes to find something, we scooted back over to Trader Joe's. Nothing! I even asked. Nothing. So Even had a brainstorm. Or rather, he was distracted by the orchids displayed by the exit. An orchid it was. In place of dessert. The were very gracious and we had a nice time.

Sometime during the next month, they'll be coming to our house to eat. I'm quite nervous! If anyone has recipe ideas -- well, don't hold back! I assume I can easily enough find something online by simply searching for kosher recipes. That's the plan. I'll make sure to post whatever I settle on. And the results!

--------------

New Slideshow
I finally posted a brief slideshow of photos from mine and Even's trip to Maine. If you're curious, check them out below in the post titled "E's Brand of Babymoon."

Another Ultrasound

So, I had my doctor's appointment yesterday. Everything with the Bean looked good. Yay! The only bit of disappointment concerns the pain above my belly button. The doctor thinks it may be a hernia. So, I am to have another ultrasound. This time, I won't be getting a glimpse of the Bean though. Boo.

"HacK" -- Pardon the germs

Well, here's the freshest photo. I MUST have graduated from bump to, well, something significantly larger than a bump. I can't believe I still have 16 weeks left. My stomach feels so stretched. If anyone whose already been through this is reading and laughing. Please don't share. I'm feeling cranky.

I've been a bit under the weather for the past several days with a sore throat and cold. Not to mention, I'm having some kind of weird pain above my belly button. Not a light kind of discomfort, but real pain. (But look at that smile. I'm such a trooper.) To make matters worse, it hurts even more when I'm laying on my side -- the one position "approved" for preggos to sleep in.
I suppose the pain is due to a growth spurt in the Bean. I mean, look at me. Whopper.

As I've written before, I don't realize how large I've become until I look at these photos. One gets a distinctly different impression looking at a photo, when compared to looking in the mirror.

On that note, I'll be visiting the doctor tomorrow for my 24-week visit. I'll let you know what she says... (By the way, my doctor is Dr. Caren Craig. I adore her. She's the reason we're driving over an hour to to Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore to have this baby when good hospitals are literally 10 minutes away from our house.)

Anyway, I'll let you know what the doctor says tomorrow...

E's Brand of Babymoon

FedEx was ringing the doorbell about five minutes past nine this morning. I couldn't believe how quickly they had arrived. The two tickets I had purchased yesterday for an upcoming UFC event in Columbus, OH, on March 1. The ticket and trip were E's Christmas present from me and my parents.

For all of you unfortunate souls who are unfamiliar with UFC, let me start by saying this isn't the average pursuit of the fine wine and cheese crowd. UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. Ground and pound. Sweaty men. Blood. E loves it. So, on Feb. 29, we'll pack a bag and drive to Columbus, which I believe is approximately five hours from here. Full recap and photos will definitely follow.

I had been daydreaming of maybe taking a last-minute getaway before the baby arrives. I had been imagining a trip more reminiscent of last spring's getaway to Maine, where we stayed in a beautiful sea-side town called Ogunquit. Blueberry pancakes and walks by ocean. Killer combination.



But if work remains as hectic as it is shaping up to be now, UFC in Columbus may be our babymoon. We'll see... Either way, we'll have a great time. We always do.

Until I take us on a four hour hike (during which E dreams of nothing else but ice cream), and then use our remaining cash on fudge before he gets a single taste of vanilla. Oops. No credit cards accepted. Ahhhh. Memories.

The Silence is Broken

So, 2008 is already shaping up to be a year of surprises. I returned from Louisiana last Thursday evening, the 3rd. Already, the next day, I was making calls pertaining to my new business and sending out a proposal. By the next day, I had two lunch meetings scheduled for the next week!

And this week has been even busier. Part of me, the part that doesn't want to be disappointed later, thinks -- is this luck? An initial flurry of activity that will subside to be replaced by more difficult days ahead of painstakingly searching for clients?

Either way, this is a great beginning. I'm already working on the PR strategy for a project that I love. This project in particular was kicked off Tuesday with a meeting that was nothing but fun.

I finally reached my accountant today. I was in a panic already because I have an invoice I am to send out ASAP. And for tax purposes and such, I was at a loss as to what to do. Much was clarified by the accountant this morning. I was more than a little surprised to find out all that I can deduct on my taxes since I am working from my home. My new blackberry? Yep. And even a percentage of the cost for getting the car washed and waxed. Lovely. The down side -- our tax bracket is significantly higher than I expected. It could be around 48 percent when all is said and done. Excluding the tax deductions.

In Norway, I paid around 45 percent (roughly, I believe) in income taxes each year. But I didn't have to pay health insurance or a plethora of other services that we do here in the states. So it puzzles me about the overriding attitude concerning socialism here in the states. People somehow still think they will find a way to "beat the system" I suppose. While dreaming the illusive dream of attaining a caviar lifestyle. I'll stop ranting now.

More to come tomorrow. And a picture will follow shortly. We've been lazy with the photos. Meanwhile, I felt a sharp angle of the bean last night ABOVE my belly button. It felt like an elbow. Very odd indeed. And my skin itches. Boooooo.