Robin | Farewell Stranger

Things I took for granted before I was pregnant

August 29, 2012 by Farewell Stranger ·

You’d think since this is my second time being pregnant I’d be more used to all the stuff that comes with it.

Nope.

I’ve realized that I took a lot for granted before I was pregnant. Like, you know, being comfortable. And also:

Doing up a pair of pants around my waist.
Being able to see my bikini line when I shave.
Peeing on MY schedule and not every four minutes because someone is sitting on my bladder.
Picking things up off the floor.
My ribs. I never really thought about them. (I’m sorry, ribs. I’m well aware of you now that you have a foot lodged in you. Which I really shouldn’t complain about because a foot is better than a head.)
Sleeping on my stomach.
Sleeping on my back.
Sleeping without heartburn.
Being able to turn over when I’m sleeping without hauling another person with me.
Eating without wondering if I’m going to be able to choke it down.

There are others, I’m sure, but that’s probably enough complaining for now.

I’m not even especially big this time – the opposite, in fact, as I keep having to get this babe’s growth checked because I’m measuring small. (Apparently he’s fine.) But I feel big. Or maybe just awkward.

In any case I’m trying to appreciate all this and remember what it’s like while wondering if I’m really going to make it to the end without going nuts.

6 1/2 weeks to go…

PS I know, I really should post a belly picture. I promise to try to do that soon.

PPS I also have a post up at Just.Be.Enough about how I’ve banned parenting books. Can you relate?

Filed Under: Pregnancy · Tagged With: lists

Eight Years

August 28, 2012 by Farewell Stranger ·

One year ago I was closing doors behind me. I had returned to work after being on leave, had ditched some of the hard-core medication and figured life was returning to normal.

Except there’s no such thing as normal, which I now know and, I think, am better able to accept.

When life spins you around, the path ahead looks different. Even if you end up pointed in the same direction, things are not as they once were.

I thought I would just carry on as before, except that under all those layers of trying to find normal I knew it wasn’t going to work like that. And it didn’t. Instead of carrying on with my job, I quit. We sold our house and moved to another city, another province. I think maybe there was a part of me that thought it would be like sweeping the debris off the path of my past and starting anew.

But that’s not how it works.

After loving the change at first I went through a phase where I felt lost. It seemed as though I had lost not only the stuff in my past but the whole of me. And in that situation, it doesn’t matter which way on the path you’re facing. The road ahead simply looks unnavigable.

Now, though, the road is clear. Or maybe it’s my ability to see it that has improved.

So here I sit, three weeks away from being done with work again as I prepare to go on mat leave for a year. Seven weeks away from my due date with a second child I at one point thought wasn’t meant to be. And eight years from one of the most important days in my life.

Except that important day is in my past.

Eight years ago today I stood up in front of family and friends and cried as I married the man I loved.

At the time I had a very “first comes love” view of what it meant to be getting married and planning a family. We’d carry on, I imagined, simply doing the things we liked to do, eventually adding a kid or two into the mix.

But that’s not how it works.

And in a way I’m glad it’s not. Because if life really was just “first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage” I think that would be awfully boring.

Today we’ve been married for eight years. And one thing is for sure – none of it has been boring.

Linked up with Pour Your Heart Out.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: family, gratitude, living life, meds

Fast Talker

August 26, 2012 by Farewell Stranger ·

I’m a fast talker. Or used to be. Now confessing to my (former?) shortfall over at Just.Be.Enough.

Comments here closed.

Filed Under: Be enough me ·

Bathroom Etiquette for Women

August 24, 2012 by Farewell Stranger ·

This is a rant, and a ridiculous one at that. Consider yourself warned.

At work we have a bathroom with several stalls. No, lots of stalls. More than enough, thankyouverymuch.

Why then must people come into the bathroom and choose a stall RIGHT NEXT to the one I’m in when there’s a whole bank of other options?!

(I told you this was a ridiculous rant.)

If I happen to be in there at a busy time, fine. Choose the stall next to me if you must. I get that there might not be other options. But most of the time there ARE other options and yet there I am peeking at your shoes under the stall. And you better believe I’m checking out your shoes so I can give you a silent death glare next time I pass you in the hall.

Men have urinal etiquette. Why is there no such thing as stall etiquette for women? I mean, I know it’s not the same. I can’t see anything except your shoes. It’s not like women are at risk of that awkward moment where it looks like we’ve been caught looking.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking at your shoes, honest!”

Yeah, it’s really not the same.

But seriously – so many other stalls to choose from. GO PEE OVER THERE!

From commenting on this in passing I know I’m not the only one bothered by this stall stalking. So let’s all agree, shall we ladies? If there’s a choice of stall thou shalt not choose the one next to the only occupied stall in the whole damn bathroom.

There. I’ve had my say. Now go forth and pee in peace (just not in an adjacent stall).

Filed Under: Randomness · Tagged With: rants

Five random things that make me smile

August 23, 2012 by Farewell Stranger ·

I was driving the other day when I saw something that, quite literally, made me smile.

Noticing things reminds me I’m feeling good. When I’m not it’s like I can only see a foot in front of my face and all the little, everyday life things blur into the background.

In the spirit of noticing things, here are five totally random things that make me smile.

1. Bikers acknowledging each other on the highway in the spirit of a shared lifestyle and passion.

2. Dark clouds to the west that signal a coming thunderstorm. I love the emotion and the energy of the weather here.

3. A sticker in a bathroom stall in my old office building that says, “You are beautiful.” I have no idea who stuck it there or why or when, but I still smile every time I think about it.

4. Ritter Sport chocolate, which is now available in the market in my current office building. Every time I see them I get a rush of memories of my time spent going to school in Germany.

5. My one word ring sitting quietly on my giraffe ring holder. I dare not wear it in case I have to get it cut off, but it reminds me of the word I chose for the year. I’m now, finally, feeling a little more vibrant.