My First Day!

After a month of having background check, fingerprinting, and all sorts of other hoops to jump through, I finally started with the City of Livermore in their planning department.  I am going to be working on a couple historic preservation projects they've had sitting around for the last eight years, and hopefully be able to get them sorted out and finished up.  It was so nice to be back in the field and in my professional setting.   I've missed it, tremendously, and am enjoying it thus far.  It is weird to be in such a small city government setting.  I'm used to the City of Long Beach, which has a population of over 500,000 and a a huge local government.  Livermore has a population of approx. 80,000 people and a very small local government.  It will be an interesting journey and I'm excited for all the possibilities there.  But yay!  I'm back in the field.  And I'm loving it!

Dueling Doctors

I seem to have two OBGYN's for this pregnancy process.  My regular doc has called out sick a few times and those appointments were transferred to a substitute doctor.  As you may recall, the substitute said we would be due at the beginning of July (around the 5th).  She conferred with my regular OBGYN, who says that our official due date is July 28th.  The substitute sent me an email letting me know the results, and said "it will be interesting to find out when this baby comes."  There is apparently a difference of opinion on the matter.  So we went in for a formal utlrasound this afternoon, and the results are in: The opinion of the ultrasound tech lines up with that of the regular OBGYN and it looks like we'll be having this kid towards the end of July.  Not the stunningly convenient time frame I had worked out in my head (the beginning of July was just better for so many reasons), but at least I have a time-frame and can plan around that.  It feels good to have it narrowed down, finally.

The Placebo Effect

I went to the psychiatrist the other day for my routine appointment.  When asked how I was, I told him the same, which is apparently a not-so-good thing.  It actually means that I'm doing worse in the mental department since, if it were really the same, I would be feeling better (the mind is a tricky thing).  That was a little bit of a letdown, but we're near the end, so there is only a short-ish amount of time to soldier through.

I asked about going back on meds, since I had checked in with the OBGYN and her expert in the field about the situation, and they confirmed that it was fine to go back on in the beginning of June since the kid's development was over, and it was just weight gain at that point.  All I have to do was up my folic acid intake.  No big deal.  I brought that up to my psychiatrist (he's wonderful; I adore him), and he agreed to prescribe a very low dose in order to help bring me back up to speed.  A normal daily dose of Depakote for me is 1500 mg, and I will be taking 250 mg a day for the next month or so, which is better than nothing.  It turns out that due to pregnancy, I have tons of extra proteins flowing through my body and bloodstream, which the Depakote will attach itself to, rather than making its way to my brain, which is where I need it the most.  My psychiatrist is pretty sure that still going back on meds will be good for me; not because it builds a base for the postpartum period like I was planning, but because it will cause a placebo effect and help me to be more calm and, hopefully, stable, going forward.  Once the baby comes, we'll be able to address going back on meds seriously and get my levels up again.

I'm a little disappointed.  I had grand plans of going back up to my normal dose of Depakote, having it in my system and helping me along before the kid comes, so that I can be more prepared and stable after.  There is enough going on without adding the mental health stuff into the mix.  But if all the meds are is a placebo, and the doctor feels that will help me, I am all for it.  I will try pretty much anything to keep from falling off the cliff again.  That just does no one any good; least of all the baby, Kevin, and myself.  Luckily, my mom will be here to help me out as soon as the baby comes and can step in to handle me or the kid, whichever one of us Kevin isn't dealing with.    

Baby Shower Fun

My baby shower was on Saturday and it was amazing.  The fabulous Vanessa Thurmond, Mallory Watkins, and Stefeni Butterworth joined forces and created a pink fantasyland for me.  I loved it, and was overwhelmed by the love from the ladies in the ward and my friends.  I had to call Kevin to come haul the loot home in the Jeep since I did not have room in my car.  The kid definitely has a fan base in place when she arrives.  It was such a fun evening, and I definitely enjoyed spending a girls weekend with my mom.  She had saved a few of my dresses, a couple of blankets, and my first stuffed animal from my baby days and brought them down to me.  It was cool to go through that stuff.  But thanks to my fabulous friends for such a wonderful evening; it was one to remember!

 Maggie cuddles with my first stuffed animal.  My dad gave it to me the day I was born.

 There was a hair accessory-making station set up at the shower.

 Baby photos of Kevin and myself were displayed.

A few of my girls; Amy, Vanessa, Lisa II, Lisa, and "The Real" Katy Perry. :-)

Baby Updates!

My Mom is down for my baby shower this weekend, and she was able to come to my doctor's appointment with me.  We listened to the heartbeat (on target) and they did a quick ultrasound to double check the baby's position (head down and doing well), so Mom got to see the kid in action.  

After everything was checked, Kevin and I had some questions for the doctor.  Namely, about the due date.  We have been bounced around the entire month of July in terms of when the baby is supposed to be coming, and we just wanted it narrowed it down a little bit.  We started out with a due date of July 25th, and after the twenty week ultrasound, it was moved up to July 14th.  Then at the doctor's appointment last month, they moved us up again to July 4th.  You can see that we might be understandably confused about some of this.  So we brought it up this at yesterday's appointment.  The doctor looked at everything and agreed that things were a little off.  She told us that the due date should be July 5th and to go with that for now.  She ordered another formal ultrasound for next week to get a better idea for everything.  So maybe the due date will move down further in July again, but for now, we're looking at 4th of July week, which would actually be stunningly convenient for me.  But we'll see how it all works out.  

All I know is that I am just ready to be done.  It will be interesting to see what the ultrasound reveals next week.  

Maggie concerns

By now you all know how I feel about Maggie. I'm kind of obsessed with my little ball of fluff and she's a member of our little family. I worry about Maggie and the baby getting along, about Maggie feeling displaced by the newest member of our household. Maggie is a dog with feelings and personality and I really don't want her to feel rejected and displaced because of the kid.

I'm lobbying for Kevin to bring Maggie along when the baby and I come home from the hospital, but thus far he is refusing. I have honestly been doing some Internet research on making introducing the baby to Maggie as seamless as possible.

I realize I'm being slightly ridiculous about the situation, but I do worry about it.

I'm glad the kid gets to grow up with a dog and be comfortable around them. My brothers and I all had that opportunity and it was a great one. Hopefully Maggie learns to love the kid and gets used to her. Because there are not a lot of options.

Maggie the Wonder Pup

The Escape Artist

Maggie and Annabelle (my parents dog) don't really get along.  At all.  So, when traveling north, Maggie has a little stay-cation at my in-laws.  They have two dogs Maggie's size and everyone gets along well.  On Saturday, Kevin gets a call from some guy letting him know that Maggie somehow got out of the house while everyone was gone and just wandered into his house like she owned the place.  Luckily, my in-laws arrived home at the same time the guy was speaking with Kevin, and he was able to tell them where Maggie could be found.  She was only up the street a couple blocks and probably hadn't been gone more than 30 minutes.  She did what she does best and made a friend of the first human she found.  Maggie just assumes that everyone is on this earth to love and adore her.  No one was harmed in the execution of this little adventure, and now Maggie has a story to tell about her most recent stay-cation.  She's such a drama queen.  

Birthday/Graduation/Mothers Day Weekend

We drove up to Eureka this past weekend for a series of celebrations; birthday, graduation, Mothers Day.    And we were glad to escape Livermore's 90* weather for Eureka's 65* temperatures.  Bliss!

My birthday was on Thursday and, unlike my past exploits, it was fairly low-key.  We went to dinner at my favorite place (Eddie Papa's!) and then saw the Avengers.  Amazing!

The real fun started the next day when we got up semi-early and drove north to the hometown for my brother Chris's graduation from Humboldt State University (HSU).  We stopped in Cloverdale for lunch at the World Famous Hamburger Ranch & BBQ.  It did not disappoint.  The food was incredibly delicious and I am definitely making a point of stopping there again for some food on one of the many future occasions I will be traveling along Hwy 101.  We got to Eureka in time to go see my Dad's play, "For Better."  It was hilarious and so fast-paced.  I haven't been able to see any of Dad's plays for a long while, and Kevin has never seen his acting chops.  I loved it.

The biggest surprise was at graduation the next day.  My brother, Jeff, and SIL, Kerry, left LA at 9 pm Friday night and drove through the night to surprise Chris for graduation and Mom for Mothers Day.  They pulled up to HSU at 8:15 am, just in time for the 8:30 graduation to begin.  They definitely win the best sibling award.  The graduation was mercifully short and Chris is done!  There are now four Klima alum from HSU, and Chris marks the last time I will probably attend an HSU graduation.  Jeff and Ben matriculated elsewhere.  It was a fun weekend with lots of laughs and relaxing, and Mom was thrilled to have all her chicks under one roof for the weekend.

 Lunch!

 So tasty

 Chris decided to make his own mortarboard with some poster board and a drapery tassel.  It was easy to find him in the crowd.

 The graduate and proud parents.

 The four Klima HSU alums.

Yay Chris!

Bathtime

There is a long-held stereotype (probably based on a great deal of fact) that women LOVE to soak for long periods of time in a warm bath.  Not for hygienic purposes, but purely for relaxation and escape.  Bath & Body Works has made a fortune off of this theory.  I graduated from baths to showers when I was pretty little.  I hate baths.  I find them boring and not at all relaxing, even if I have a book with me.  My mind is going a million miles a minute and I feel kind of stupid lying in a tub of water when I could be lying on the couch doing the same thing.  If I'm going to relax in warm water, a shower is my preferred method.  I could, and sometimes do, spend long periods of time in a hot shower.  It is relaxing to me to use all my girly products, to take the time for some pampering that I usually don't during my regular "get in get out" morning showers.  Bath & Body Works has made a fortune off me indulging in my shower products (and I don't regret any of it!).   

Kevin finds this an extremely odd trait in my makeup.  Apparently, I am the only person he knows who dislikes baths and finds them boring.  I decided I cannot be alone in my disregard for a tub full of warm water and my preference for a long shower.  So tell me, am I odd and alone?  Or is there someone else who just can't get behind the relaxing bath concept?

Tutorials

If nothing else, this period of unemployment has given me an opportunity to learn some new things.  I've become a little more familiar with sewing and yesterday learned how to make strawberry jam AND bread, neither of which I've ever made before.  I don't think it's going to be something I do on a regular basis, but knowledge is knowledge and I'm all for learning new things.

 Amy learned to jam along with me.

 Simmering strawberries smelled so good (how do you like the alliteration?)

 Our fearless leader, Bethany; she gave birth to baby #3 ONE WEEK ago.  Doesn't she look great?

 Almost done!

 The finished product.  So pretty!

 Next tutorial: BREAD!  It's rising.

The finished product.  So tasty!

Maggie Defends the Homestead

This morning I come out to the living room around 8 AM and Maggie is staring a squirrel down.  She's on one side of the doggy door, and the squirrel is on the other.  With a burst of energy she rarely displays, Maggie is zipping out the dog door and after the trespassing squirrel.  She chased it around the yard, in the bushes, under the woodpile (following it the entire time), and even managed a few brief moments to chase off squirrel no. 2, who was trying to distract her from squirrel no. 1, before going back to chasing and cornering the original squirrel.  Finally the poor thing ran between the fence and the tool shed, where Maggie tried various positions to get it.  Since the squirrel was chirping the entire time it was being chased, and then ceased to make any noise at all once Maggie had it cornered, I honestly thought it was dead.  I draw the line at having to deal with dead mammals and rodents, so I got Kevin and made him deal with it.  Apparently, the squirrel was not dead, just had its face tucked in the corner and trying to keep away from the growling dog.  We locked Maggie in the house, where she continued to patrol in front of the sliding glass door and growl, scratching and pawing, whining to be let out to continue her hunt.

And then along came squirrel no. 2, peering over the fence, trying to gauge the situation and make sure it was all clear for squirrel no. 1 to escape.  That set Maggie off on another round of growling and patrolling.  Since she wouldn't allow herself to be distracted, I took her off to the dog park, hoping she'd run around and find something else to focus on.  No dice.  She kept pawing at the gate, wanting to leave the park and, presumably, go after the squirrel again.  We stayed for about 30 min., and by the time we came home around 9:30 AM, squirrel no. 1 was out of the corner and long gone with squirrel no. 2.  

It was pretty remarkable.  I often think of Maggie as kind of a lazy dog, but she was going strong this morning, making sure that her yard was left alone.  Here's hoping this mornings antics will convince the squirrels to stay out of the yard and stop digging up the lawn and the garden.  They're cute, but they are kind of pesty, too.

DISCLAIMER: No squirrels were harmed in the writing of this blog post or in the events resulting in the creation of this post.

 (Re-enactment shot) Maggie trying to get to the squirrel.

 The hiding squirrel (aka Squirrel no. 1)

 Maggie continues her patrol from inside the house.

 Distractor squirrel emerges (aka Squirrel no. 2) and is spied by the Wonder Pup

 Distractor squirrel checking out the situation, giving the all clear.

Back from the dog park, and the squirrel has left. Maggie continues her patrol.