Leaving NYC

I'm heading to Woodstock, New York, today for a few days with my friend E, also a SMC, and her darling daughter, A, almost 3 years old.

A is an inspiration to any SMC Thinker. She's brilliant and sweet and totally adorable. She gets SOOO excited everytime she sees me. I like that in a person. Apparently she was having a melt down on Friday morning because she wanted to talk to me and no one else would do. I'm quite sure this was not what her mother was hoping for when she needed to get to work... but it made me feel GREAT!

After Woodstock, I am taking the bus to see my sister and nieces, and oh yeah, my brother in law in the Berkshires. I will get to break the exciting news to my nieces! Hopefully they will be excited, too.

I'm so happy to get out of NYC. The last couple of weeks, I'm so sick of it I could scream. When we had tons of snow, dog owners apparently decided that their dogs' messes were invisible... and now the snow is gone and their yuckiness is everywhere.

Mostly I just miss trees and grass and cows and birds singing and MOUNTAINS. So much. When my online friend, C, posts pictures of going hiking with her little girl, my heart hurts. I always thought I would be the cool mama who taught her little one that hiking was fun by setting out on a new outdoor adventure every weekend. And here I am, instead, in my urban jungle.

I think the fact that I switched to the elliptical from running once I got pregnant is hurting me here. Well, I am guessing it might be. Even though I didn't often run long enough to not only run to, but also inside, the park, I think being outside and breathing hard made me more connected with the outside world than just walking to and from the subway. And now I work out in my living room. Not the same at all.

I'm hoping my week away will really help. I know it would be crazy to move just when I need my support system the most.

In other news, Albees was a disappointment. Even though we got there early, the place filled up fast. I was in the stroller section and this expectant mom was desperately trying to engage her bored husband's interest in strollers, explaining the virtues of each, based upon her hours of research ahead of time... He basically said, "I like the yellow one. But not in yellow." Poor girl looked about ready to scream.

I smirked. I couldn't help it.

Being single is not all bad, girls.

Albees, anyway. The staff were not so nice. Harried and impatient and not particularly patient. One guy did show me the snap n go with the car seat I wanted... but he wasn't sure of the weight of the car seat. And you know, I'm a New Yorker. It's all about the weight.

Worst of all, their store registry is not connected to their website.

So what's the point???

Back to Amazon it is.

My jeans were driving me crazy yesterday. Apparently I am carrying a baby in my thighs. The waist, meanwhile, is just fine. I mean, it's a bit swollen, but it's not where the issue is at with these jeans. I still need a belt, only the buckle digs into my slightly protruberant belly when I sit down. But with the buckle at only one notch, the jeans sit too low, and make me waddle all the more. But there's no longer much of a hip ledge for the belt to ride above, so I can't buckle the belt any tighter, even if that belly wasn't there.

So my brunch-mate, who is nice and curvy (unlike my friend Salt Lick, who went to Albees with me and is built like Jessica Rabbit -- stick skinny with huge boobs), went with me to the Gap and helped me buy two pairs of jeans. I have never bought two pairs of jeans together in my life. What would be the point? Why would you need more than one pair? But I suppose I am finally succumbing to the advice that I buy some bigger, non-maternity clothes, for now as well as post-baby. Because I am clearly not ready for maternity clothes... but if I had to wear those jeans one more minute, I was going to scream. So I got one pair that fits pretty well now (still a little snug in the thighs, but I reckon they will stretch, as all new jeans do, unlike the ones I was already wearing, which are no longer new), plus one slightly baggier pair for a bit later.

Immediately afterwards, I went to Starbucks to go to the bathroom again and then put on the new jeans. Phew. I do not like thinking about the size of my expanding thighs every minute, which was what was happening with the old jeans. I think this should help. Once they stretch. Hopefully very, very soon.

Speaking of the bathroom, two of my close friends do not have this bathroom issue. That is totally unfair. Going to the bathroom every thirty minutes only to pee a scant amount.... completely annoying.