First of all, congratulations to Angie who had her baby boy today. He looks so cute!
So, it is viability day today, 24 weeks. I cannot believe that I have made it this far. It seems that I am going through this pregnancy week after week and nothing bad happens (knock on wood), it is so unreal that it is barely registering. And I feel absolutely great since the nausea has disappeared, other than the insomnia, restless legs and occasional shortness of breath. Oh, and the inability to eat as much as I would like.
So how did I spend the day? I was planning on celebrating, but the festivities will be deferred until this weekend, as MrH was out of town and my bird Max was sick. For the last two days, he did not eat much, only tasting the food cautiously with the side of his beak and the tip of his tongue. His little beak was warmer than usual, and his breath smelled a bit different, sweeter that usual as well. He was also very subdued, did not do much but sit around with his feathers all fluffed up, and all he wanted to do is cuddle. In other words, he did not make a mess and did not destroy a single thing. This, my friends, is definitely a cause to worry in a parrot. So today I decided to give him some leftover amoxicillin that I borrowed in liquid form, and calculated the dose according to weight (I weigh him on the Salter Harris kitchen scale) at 0.06 ml (hahaha). In other words, I put some on my finger and allowed him to lick it off, which he dutifully did. I probably overdosed him even with that little bit, but fortunately amoxicillin gets pooped out quite quickly.
My personal suspicion is that he probably burned his tongue on a hot edamame bean two days ago, and is still recovering, but I would rather be safe than sorry, especially since we don't have any vets in town who deal with parrots. He seemed much better tonight, and even ate some popcorn and messed up my salad, so Maxie is coming back. The return of the destructive bird! Love it.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Congratulations to my friend!
My friend I. had her baby girl and I am so happy for her and wish them good health and a wonderful life together. This is exciting, and I can't wait to go to Vancouver and meet little A. who by the sound of it must be very delicate and pretty. I bet she has long thin fingers. I love that in a little girl. I can't wait!!!!
On the sad news front, my other friend I. (another I.) lost her little dog today. He was really a cute dog, and used to love to sit on my tummy. I know we are all going to miss him. I don't even know how her husband is going to burry him because the ground is still frozen. Such a sad, sad thing to happen.
In another order of ideas, I think someone should stop me from baking. I just made cremsnit pudding (i.e. the inside only) as I did not have the crazy mindset that I am going to make French pastry dough by hand today, and I am not buying tenderflake unless it is imperative. The lady who posted the recipe obviously had the patience to wait for the cremsnit to cool off so that she can cut it into squares, I don't have such patience...
My little seedlings are coming along just great, will post a picture tonight. I am also amazed by how organized and clean the whole house is, there is no corner that I have not turned, and my cleaning lady has helped immensely, as most heavy physical work things like vacuuming and washing carpets or windows is not possible for me. She is definitely worth it for us, and not too expensive. When I am at home and can tell her what I actually want, her value doubles, because I get so much satisfaction out of seeing the things done. (when we both work, she just tidies up and does the bathrooms and kitchen flooring, as she has no time for anything else). I have even organized my kitchen drawers, and figured out a good way to store purses off the floor of my wardrobe. I need to sew some purse covers for the ones that are not covered yet. The storage compartment is a vertical shelving unit made from polyester that I got at wall.mart.
All in all, the house looks scary clean! I think I need to relax about it a bit before my husband sends me packing ;)
I think when I am at home we tend to be easier on the environment. This lead me to think that we all work so hard, and that might be contributing as to why we are such bad consumers and don't spend time caring about the environment. For example, I make much less trash, as most things are either recyclable or compostable. I also had time to investigate where to donate unwanted items, or sell some, instead of taking them to the garbage dump. When I work long days, I am often too exhausted to care. I also tend to use more packaged goods, for example I tend to buy yogourt instead of making my own (thus generating a plastic receptacle) and instead of buying the beans in bulk and boiling them at home, I buy them in cans, and thus again generate more recycling. Our food bill is also only 75% of what it was before, despite the Easter Holidays and all the lamb and baking. Partly because I waste just about nothing, knowing exactly what is in the fridge, and partly because I had time to look at where to get some good deals on flour, eggs, and milk. (We spend a lot on food in general because we almost exclusively buy organic, except for the flour and the asparagus, both of which I cannot find organic anywhere).
Anyway, that is it for today's ramblings. Will post again tomorrow.
On the sad news front, my other friend I. (another I.) lost her little dog today. He was really a cute dog, and used to love to sit on my tummy. I know we are all going to miss him. I don't even know how her husband is going to burry him because the ground is still frozen. Such a sad, sad thing to happen.
In another order of ideas, I think someone should stop me from baking. I just made cremsnit pudding (i.e. the inside only) as I did not have the crazy mindset that I am going to make French pastry dough by hand today, and I am not buying tenderflake unless it is imperative. The lady who posted the recipe obviously had the patience to wait for the cremsnit to cool off so that she can cut it into squares, I don't have such patience...
My little seedlings are coming along just great, will post a picture tonight. I am also amazed by how organized and clean the whole house is, there is no corner that I have not turned, and my cleaning lady has helped immensely, as most heavy physical work things like vacuuming and washing carpets or windows is not possible for me. She is definitely worth it for us, and not too expensive. When I am at home and can tell her what I actually want, her value doubles, because I get so much satisfaction out of seeing the things done. (when we both work, she just tidies up and does the bathrooms and kitchen flooring, as she has no time for anything else). I have even organized my kitchen drawers, and figured out a good way to store purses off the floor of my wardrobe. I need to sew some purse covers for the ones that are not covered yet. The storage compartment is a vertical shelving unit made from polyester that I got at wall.mart.
All in all, the house looks scary clean! I think I need to relax about it a bit before my husband sends me packing ;)
I think when I am at home we tend to be easier on the environment. This lead me to think that we all work so hard, and that might be contributing as to why we are such bad consumers and don't spend time caring about the environment. For example, I make much less trash, as most things are either recyclable or compostable. I also had time to investigate where to donate unwanted items, or sell some, instead of taking them to the garbage dump. When I work long days, I am often too exhausted to care. I also tend to use more packaged goods, for example I tend to buy yogourt instead of making my own (thus generating a plastic receptacle) and instead of buying the beans in bulk and boiling them at home, I buy them in cans, and thus again generate more recycling. Our food bill is also only 75% of what it was before, despite the Easter Holidays and all the lamb and baking. Partly because I waste just about nothing, knowing exactly what is in the fridge, and partly because I had time to look at where to get some good deals on flour, eggs, and milk. (We spend a lot on food in general because we almost exclusively buy organic, except for the flour and the asparagus, both of which I cannot find organic anywhere).
Anyway, that is it for today's ramblings. Will post again tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Like the French
I have gained a grand total of 2 lb over this Easter Holiday. Obviously too much cozonac (the Romanian Easter cake) and lamb. Ughhh. I am hoping that this weight will not stay around, and that it is rather composed of salt and water. Yeah, keep dreaming.
Whenever I feel that my weight balance is off kilter and that I am starting to treat food with a different attitude than my usual, I re-read (or discover new) books on interesting historical women that inspire me. They are universally thin and beautiful. If they are not beautiful, they are so well put together that nobody notices. If they are ugly, then they know how to make themselves Jolie-Laide, the French term for "an interesting, unconventional type of beautiful, that could almost be ugly but it is not because of reasons difficult to explain consciously".
Romanians raised in city where I was born have been heavily exposed to French language and culture in my day, starting from the beginning of the 20th century, when the wealthy used to send their children to study in Paris, at the Sorbonne. Pretty much everybody had to study French in school, and because I really enjoyed the culture and the air of myth surrounding the French women, I took it several steps further and took night school at the French Cultural Centre, an old bourgeois building restored and used by the French Embassy as both a library and a liaison area, including a place to take classes and do international language proficiency exams in French. In a time when all we had was the dull grey communist notebooks and manuals, the French library brimmed with white shelves, colourful books, and the smell of shiny pages, not to mention CD players, the height of luxury back then (I mean about 17 years ago).
I have learned a lot about French history and culture, and find it relaxing to read books on some of the fabulous courtesans of the time. The one that I am currently interested in is Diane de Poitiers. She managed to look good well into old age, and adhered to a rigurous physical regimen for those days. She would wake up at 6 am, and swim in the cold river to freshen her complexion. This is in a time when people only bathed at christening, after giving birth, and when prepared for the funeral, for fear that they would catch the pox. A popular hygiene book at the time advised women to wash once a month for their and their lovers' comfort. Scary. Anyway, Diane smelled clean, she was busy exercising and horseback riding for about two hours per day, and was mostly vegetarian, eating even at the king's court from her own garden's produce. She was the lover of Henry II, who was 20 years her junior. He loved her until he died (this poor woman burried both her husband and her lover in her lifetime) and gave her two castles, one of which I have visited when I was last in France, Chenonceau. Queen Catherine de Medici, Henry's wife, used to be so threatened by this mistress that she drilled holes in the ceiling of the king's chambers to spy on them and learn something that would make her more alluring to the king. On the other hand, Diane was repeatedly encouraging Henry to make love to his wife, in order to produce heirs for France. She was quite secure in her role as mistress and in her seductress powers.
I must say, I sometimes fantasize of spending time in reality with such a lady, and learning her secrets. They obviously have to do with discipline and adherence to a beauty regimen that includes diet and exercise, but they have subtleties that I might never grasp in my lifetime, things that have to do with being secure in one's skin to the point that one knows life will be ok, no matter what.
It is not that she did not suffer. She was very much human and upset by the maliciousness of the royal court ladies that hated her for her beauty and charm. Will write more in the next installment if anybody cares to read (let me know in the comments section).
Oh, yeah, two more days to viability. Emma is doing great, kicking lots, will certainly be an athletic child. I plan on putting her in dancing if she is interested.
Whenever I feel that my weight balance is off kilter and that I am starting to treat food with a different attitude than my usual, I re-read (or discover new) books on interesting historical women that inspire me. They are universally thin and beautiful. If they are not beautiful, they are so well put together that nobody notices. If they are ugly, then they know how to make themselves Jolie-Laide, the French term for "an interesting, unconventional type of beautiful, that could almost be ugly but it is not because of reasons difficult to explain consciously".
Romanians raised in city where I was born have been heavily exposed to French language and culture in my day, starting from the beginning of the 20th century, when the wealthy used to send their children to study in Paris, at the Sorbonne. Pretty much everybody had to study French in school, and because I really enjoyed the culture and the air of myth surrounding the French women, I took it several steps further and took night school at the French Cultural Centre, an old bourgeois building restored and used by the French Embassy as both a library and a liaison area, including a place to take classes and do international language proficiency exams in French. In a time when all we had was the dull grey communist notebooks and manuals, the French library brimmed with white shelves, colourful books, and the smell of shiny pages, not to mention CD players, the height of luxury back then (I mean about 17 years ago).
I have learned a lot about French history and culture, and find it relaxing to read books on some of the fabulous courtesans of the time. The one that I am currently interested in is Diane de Poitiers. She managed to look good well into old age, and adhered to a rigurous physical regimen for those days. She would wake up at 6 am, and swim in the cold river to freshen her complexion. This is in a time when people only bathed at christening, after giving birth, and when prepared for the funeral, for fear that they would catch the pox. A popular hygiene book at the time advised women to wash once a month for their and their lovers' comfort. Scary. Anyway, Diane smelled clean, she was busy exercising and horseback riding for about two hours per day, and was mostly vegetarian, eating even at the king's court from her own garden's produce. She was the lover of Henry II, who was 20 years her junior. He loved her until he died (this poor woman burried both her husband and her lover in her lifetime) and gave her two castles, one of which I have visited when I was last in France, Chenonceau. Queen Catherine de Medici, Henry's wife, used to be so threatened by this mistress that she drilled holes in the ceiling of the king's chambers to spy on them and learn something that would make her more alluring to the king. On the other hand, Diane was repeatedly encouraging Henry to make love to his wife, in order to produce heirs for France. She was quite secure in her role as mistress and in her seductress powers.
I must say, I sometimes fantasize of spending time in reality with such a lady, and learning her secrets. They obviously have to do with discipline and adherence to a beauty regimen that includes diet and exercise, but they have subtleties that I might never grasp in my lifetime, things that have to do with being secure in one's skin to the point that one knows life will be ok, no matter what.
It is not that she did not suffer. She was very much human and upset by the maliciousness of the royal court ladies that hated her for her beauty and charm. Will write more in the next installment if anybody cares to read (let me know in the comments section).
Oh, yeah, two more days to viability. Emma is doing great, kicking lots, will certainly be an athletic child. I plan on putting her in dancing if she is interested.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
Hristos a Inviat! (for my Romanian friends) and Happy Easter to everyone else.
I must confess that I ate too much today. With all this good food around, it is hard to stop on time. I mean that trifle that my friend made for lunch... who can say no to good trifle, even when one is already full? But the difference is that when one is pregnant, the food stays in the stomach for the next week. For me, the transit of food is definitely slowed down, as I can still regurgitate lunch bits about ten hours later. I should invest in Gaviscon stock, given that I am their main client at the moment. I feel heavy like a long, and very full, and not well at all, not to mention that for some reason my face swells up a bit when I eat too much as well (I think I retain fluid because of all the salt). All the more reason to remember that a. I have gestational diabetes, and b. I am pregnant and hence should not eat with abandon because I will pay for it not just for a few hours, like normal people do, but for about two days. I must stamp "restraint" on my forehead for the remainder of the holidays.
I must confess that I ate too much today. With all this good food around, it is hard to stop on time. I mean that trifle that my friend made for lunch... who can say no to good trifle, even when one is already full? But the difference is that when one is pregnant, the food stays in the stomach for the next week. For me, the transit of food is definitely slowed down, as I can still regurgitate lunch bits about ten hours later. I should invest in Gaviscon stock, given that I am their main client at the moment. I feel heavy like a long, and very full, and not well at all, not to mention that for some reason my face swells up a bit when I eat too much as well (I think I retain fluid because of all the salt). All the more reason to remember that a. I have gestational diabetes, and b. I am pregnant and hence should not eat with abandon because I will pay for it not just for a few hours, like normal people do, but for about two days. I must stamp "restraint" on my forehead for the remainder of the holidays.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)