Random Takes of a Quickish Nature

Taking my queue from actually good bloggers like Jen and my amazing sister-in-law I decided to try my hand (again) at the "7 Quick Takes" phenomenon. I realize that this barely even counts given how late in the day it is, but "better late than never" as they say. 

1. Sleep : I love to sleep. It is one of my favorite things in life. Do I realize that that will be basically lost forever once Kiddo is born? Yes, I do. And yes, I admit that I don't fully understand what that means and I cannot truly wrap my head around the amounts of coffee that will be required for my survival. That all being said, I headed into pregnancy with this comical notion that the loss of sleep would not arrive until, well, the baby did. I am now in the latter end of my 2nd trimester and am at the mercy of sleep aids. They do not always work, however, and when that is the case the latest my body remains successfully dormant is 4:00 AM (give or take a few minutes but really, it's uncanny). After this has happened more often than not in the past two weeks I had an appointment with my doctor and, in no uncertain terms, told him that he had to fix this. Honestly I was scared that he would tell me that taking a sleeping aid every night made me a horrible person and I ought to feel ashamed. He surprised, though, and told me that I should try Tylenol PM instead. It is not perfect but it makes Unisom look like a Flinstone vitamin by comparison so I WILL TAKE IT! Speaking of things my doctor and I discussed...

2. Glucose Tolerance Test : I had been given four weeks to take my Glucose Tolerance test and like a good little soldier I was until the last possible minute (i.e. the night before my appointment with my doctor). Now, before pregnancy I was on a rather strict diet that permitted (at most) one dessert per week, one alcohol per week, and one complex grain per day (i.e. goodbye beloved French bread). This is not because I am a masochist. I loath diets and am admittedly a little angry with people who do stuff like that for funsies. No, my doctor told me this was a necessary evil due to my body's demonstrated "insulin resistance". Anyways, when I became pregnant I stuck with the diet until "morning" sickness made survival dependant on things like sleeves of crackers and toast. So the whole "one complex grain per day" thing went sailing out the window (and good riddance) but I kept up with the "one dessert per week" bit for quite some time. I am not entirely sure what spoiled it. I would like to blame time with family and Halloween candy floating around the workplace but I think I started slipping beforehand anyway. It doesn't really matter and at this point I am rambling like a fiend. The point is that when my doctor was handed the results for my Glucose Tolerance test his eyebrows disappeared into his forehead (granted, they're thin eyebrows) and he gave a little whistle. Apparently my results were bad. Very bad. I informed him that he had no business giving me such news before Christmas, much less Thanksgiving. He laughed. I laughed too, secretly picturing myself burning the results on the floor. So it seems that my beloved affair with grains, sugary cereals (oops), desserts, etc. may be at an end. I am holding onto my "one dessert per week" with an absolute death grip until the second (3 hr!) Glucose Tolerance test reveals how good or bad things really are. He hasn't agreed to the 3 hr test yet and I know he'd prefer that I buy a glucometer, lancettes, etc. but they are too darn expensive so I guess I'll just have to persuade him to let me down an absurdly sugary beverage that tastes like Kool Aid on crack. Yay pregnancy.

3. Family : The past several weeks have been a very blessed and privileged time for me regarding family. My brother and his wife welcomed their third daughter into the world and maybe it's the pregnancy, hormones, or because I'm just an absurd person, but she stole my heart the moment I saw her (nevermind the first time I got to hold her!). Ben and I got to spend some special time with her two older sisters and then my mom came into town. We had the chance to grab a few evenings with the girls, my brother and sister-in-law, and my mom and on one night I had the chance to have my mom all to myself for a few hours. My husband and I also had the chance to spend a weekend with his side of the family up at Pokagon State Park. We shared a pleasant hike, tons of fun conversations and games, a delicious dinner at a random local Italian restaurant, and I was able to avoid wearing my swimsuit without anyone making a single comment! Since then I have had some more special time with my brother and his family and am loving every moment of it. Speaking of family....

4. Holidays : I cannot wait to spend Thanksgiving in my hometown with my folks! After that it is just a few short weeks before Christmas and then we get time with BOTH sides of our family! I am very much looking forward to ridiculous amounts of games, conversations, and fun in general. I have to admit that I also look forward to getting to go to Mass at the parish where I grew up and received most of the Sacraments :)

5. TV & Movies : Still loving Fringe, tolerating Once Upon a Time (at best. why we even bother watching anymore is beyond me), and getting back into Breaking Bad (small doses - heavier shows require some pacing). We also purchased our advanced tickets for the midnight showing of The Hobbit. We opted for 3D since it was filmed in 3D but I still prefer 2D because if something is going to be headed towards my face I want to be able to punch it.

6. Election : THANK GOD POLITICAL ADS ARE DONE! That and Facebook statuses (yes, even mine) can start getting back to normal(ish).

7. Hair : I finally lopped it off and got a "mommy" cut. It is long enough to go up into a ponytail but short enough that even I can style it (hypothetically). In other words, it's a match made in Heaven.

Stylist version. My version does not get photos.