7 Quick Takes

Inspired by my sister-in-law and Jen, I have decided to try my hand at writing a "7 Quick Takes" blog post. I actually find it quite helpful because it gives me the freedom to do what I already do - write a bunch of different thoughts that don't have to be related! So here goes nothing....

1. Family : My parents and three younger brothers came to Indiana earlier this week and provided me with three fantastic evenings of hanging out/talking, games, two meals neither Ben nor I had to make, and the best pizza in the world! I know the last two are basically the same thing, but I was so hoping for and craving Bruno's pizza that I felt it deserved its own special mention. While our time together was truly wonderful, it happened to coincide with a surprise bombardment of intense nausea. I am an admitted pregnancy wuss, but the past few days have certainly had me at a loss as to how to fight back. When even crackers, water, and lying down no longer work, you start to feel a little discouraged. Anyway, I have started to take my B-Complex Vitamin again and hope that that will help.

2. Desserts : I may have mentioned before that I have developed a fondness for/obsession with foods of a very sugary nature. Well, this past Tuesday marked the New Week (ie I can have a dessert now) and I have been planning an epic trip to Coldstone Creamery! My sister-in-law made an exceptionally tempting alternative, however, and it took extraordinary self-restraint not to devour more than a borrowed bite from my husbands piece. The plan was to grab ice cream with Ben and my parents after we had dinner together Wednesday night, but nausea made that impossible. Plan #2 was to get dessert Thursday night, just Ben and me.... but even after a small bowl of cold cereal and some fruit it was clear that our little one was not going to permit me my sugar fix. Plan #3 is for us to make it to Coldstone at some point this weekend.... I promise to post a picture as proof!

The Cake Made to Challenge Willpower

3. Our Baby : One of my coworkers is in training to do ultrasounds at the Women's Care Center and was in need of practice so baby and I were asked to be of assistance this afternoon. It never ceases to blow my mind when I get to see our Little One on the ultrasound screen! Our first ultrasound was right at 5 weeks and I have been lucky enough to have several since then. So it is that I have been able to see our child's developmental milestones occur before my very eyes! The appearance of the heartbeat, emergence of arms and legs, the feet and hands, and now movement and thumb-sucking! Our Little One was VERY active today and was less like a baby and more like a spastic acrobat, bouncing all around, going upside down, and barely staying still long enough for y coworker to get the measurements she needed. It is moments like those that put nausea, sleepiness, and emotions in perspective. I know it's several months until I get hold this new life and I haven't even reached the point where I can feel the actual kicks and movements, but I can't wait!

Baby Reinhard (sorry about the side angle)

Baby Reinhard (again)

4. Scarves : Yes, I know this is super random but I am a bit of a scarf fiend. I have a ridiculous amount of scarves that fill up all three drawers of my little Tupperware dresser. Still, the majority of them are on the bulkier side and are difficult to wear as accent pieces and are more suited for winter coats or autumn jackets. I have 2 scarves that successfully work as clothing accessories but I am rather sick of them and don't like that the dominant colors are pink. I am much more of a brown, green, and gray kind of girl. That is to say, yes, I am totally boring. So imagine my absolute delight when I stumbled across this gem of a website! It is taking a considerable amount of restraint not to add about 30 scarves to my virtual cart but so far I am staying strong... 

5. Music : Yes, I know - music again? The answer is Yes, ALWAYS! I go through phases with music. Last week was more of a Nostalgia & Indie/Rock Phase. This week is a Soundtrack/Classical Phase. If you are someone who does not tend to enjoy instrumental music, I encourage you to listen to this rendition Viva La Vida or Fields of Gold . I am a super sucker for string instruments in general, but cellos end the discussion. I have a 30 minute commute to and from work each day and while this is a source of frustration for me, it also provides me with the perfect opportunity to get in my daily prayer and listen to music without any interruption or distraction (provided no one ticks me off... I am a little bit of a road-rager).

6. Politics : I cannot stand them or the practice of discussing them. To be honest this is probably more due to my own ignorance on the issues and people involved, but when I do try to understand them or look into things I just get more disgusted. The end.  

7. Parenting Advice : Despite only being in the 1st Trimester of pregnancy I have already received unsolicited advice regarding the topic of parenting and raising a child. I need to emphasize the first part of the previous sentence - despite only being in the 1st Trimester of pregnancy - just so you can try to imagine my internal reaction. The best part of all is that the advice is not coming from people I actually respect (e.g. family) but clients and other individuals who I barely know! I am sure this is merely the beginning and I will try to accept such advice with gratitude and without any baring of teeth or rolling of eyes. That being said, when my sister-in-law posted THIS, I found myself in a much more pleasant mood.

HAPPY WEEKEND!