I have read some truly heartbreaking messages from the 99 percent. And while I realize that the Occupy Wall Street movement is no joke, that doesn’t mean that we can’t garner some laughs from it…right? 😉
Via Best Week Ever.
P.S. — Posting will be light and fluffy today because I’m suffering from another pregnancy-induced migraine. 🙁
A clever and season-appropriate poster by Ben Douglass (available for purchase via society6). Is it just me, or does “The Half-Breed Assassin” look like he wants to butcher “The Sparkly One”? 😛
My own question above reminded me of this classic Photoshop job:
Via Laughing Squid.
This morning I went in for what may be my last regular OB visit before BebeDeux arrives. Once again the exam went perfectly fine and the doctor tells me that there is no need for any worries.
I declined an internal exam because heck, I was only 1cm dilated 12 hours before I went into full-on labor with Claire, and while the doctor offered to strip my membranes if I were wildly uncomfortable, I refused because when I had my membranes stripped with Claire I went into labor within 48 hours…and I still want BebeDeux to stay in there for another week! (Exactly one more week would give us the 11/1/11 birthday I’ve been hoping for!)
Now that I am in the home stretch, my weight gain seems to have leveled off, and I have even lost a couple of pounds between last week and today (which is perfectly normal). Comparing my belly pictures from 36 weeks and today, there doesn’t seem to be too much of a difference:
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I still remain VERY uncomfortable. As you can tell from the picture, BebeDeux has certainly “dropped” and has her head firmly planted right above my nether regions. This, unfortunately, adds another two symptoms to my already-mile-long “ohmigawd this pregnancy is going to KILL me” list:
I can wait it out one more week. I will wait it out at least another week.
The good news is that I have finally made the preparations for BebeDeux’s arrival. I got all of Claire’s old clothes out of storage, washed them, and organized them in drawers. (I can’t believe how SMALL she used to be — she was too small even for premie-sized clothes, and they look like they can only fit dolls!) We purchased items such as newborn-sized diapers and nursing pads. We’ve packed a hospital bag, and I’ve even started sleeping with puppy training pads under me just in case my water breaks in the middle of the night.
I still can’t believe there’s a full-sized baby inside of me right now! (image source)
As was the case with Claire, I am not too worried about labor & delivery. I do not have a birth plan, and I trust the doctors and nurses to do what is the best for me and the baby. I was not too scared about pain the first time around, and this time I am even more relaxed — after all, I’ve been through it before, and even the doctors tell me that the pain I experienced from my appendicitis was worse than labor pain.
And if I end up having to get a c-section? No big deal. I’ll get through it.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers in this final phase of the pregnancy!
In Claire news…
She said her third word! Her first was “umma” (the Korean word for mommy), her second was “baba” (the Chinese word for daddy), and her third was…
Can you guess?
“NO!”
As in, shaking her head while proclaiming her refusal “No!”
We’re in for one heck of a ride.
She just said her fourth word hours after I published this post! Her fourth word was “Bye,” which she said while waving to her dad as he left to walk Comang. 😀
Don’t you know it’s a “doggy dog” world? (Ten points for the first person who knows what television show I’m referencing!)
Via final ellipsis.
Last week, audiences all around the world were shocked by the viral video footage of a 2-year-old girl, Yue Yue, who was run over twice near a hardware market in Foshan, China, only to be ignored by as many as 18 passerbys before receiving help.
(image source)
Yue Yue remained in critical condition for the next few days, but eventually succumbed to her injuries and died on the 20th.
I could not bring myself to watch the video because I knew that I would get overly upset and shed bucketfuls of tears. (Ever since becoming a mother myself, cruel and heart-wrenching stories of babies and children have always had this effect…and I’m sure that I am not alone.)
Today, I read that the two drivers responsible for the hit-and-run have been arrested. And while I am grateful that justice is being served, and still remain angry at those who chose to ignore the injured child, I could not help but think back to the conversation I had with my in-laws regarding this tragic event…
Upon first hearing of the 18 people who walked past Yue Yue without helping, I experienced a mixture of fury and sadness at the human condition. I was reminded of Kitty Genovese and wondered how the bystander effect could apply to even a 2-year-old child.
But when discussing the story over dinner last week, my in-laws told me a couple of things that set things in perspective:
This isn’t to say that I — or even my in-laws — believe what the 18 passerbys did was right. Neither am I justifying their actions (or lack thereof, in this case).
But now that I have been informed these cultural factors, I can better understand what had happened.
One sad result of Yue Yue’s case has been the finger-pointing and blame that has been running amok in the various websites and news outlets that have run the story. “This is why I hate Chinese people,” is a common one. But I hope that at least one person who has felt the need to blame an entire city, state, or race for the tragic event will read this post, and realize that things are not always so black-and-white.
Dear Hulu,
Thanks for even having a Korean Dramas section. I really appreciate it.
And thank you for spotlighting the Korean Dramas genre on your front page today:
But wait. Something isn’t quite right.
Can it be that the first “Korean” drama you featured is The Legend of Bruce Lee?
Just to make sure, I clicked on over and watched a few minutes.
I was right. It clearly is a CHINESE drama.
Look, I have nothing against the Chinese. Heck, I even married a Chinese guy.
But as someone who grew up with numerous people asking me, “What ethnicity are you? Chinese?….No? Japanese?…No? Then what ARE you?” I can’t help but laugh at such a high-profile company making such a mistake.
Can’t you make a better effort?
Sincerely,
A Loyal (Korean) Hulu Plus Customer
One of my biggest pet peeves is the annoying labels that grocery stores stick on their produce. I get that there needs to be a way to label the items. But they just seem so wasteful and bothersome…and it’s the worst when they are difficult to remove, sometimes even leaving behind a sticky residue!
Enter designer/inventor Scott Amron. His Vanishing Fruitwash Labels are simply ingenius: they “dissolve into an organic, fruit-cleansing produce wash that helps remove wax, pesticides, dirt and bacteria.”
That’s right. Just like regular labels, they display PLU (price look-up) codes and can be peeled off…but if they are washed or rubbed with water — they are water-resistant to a degree — they dissolve into an organic produce wash!
Unfortunately, these labels seem to be in the initial stages of production. The good news is that Amron is currently seeking investors via a 10% stake in the Fruitwash Label Intellectual Property (patents). For more information, email support-at-Moq7-dot-com.
Via Core77.
Finnish graphic design student Jirka Väätäinen has been creating a collection of illustrations that gives us a vision of what Disney princesses would look like in real life. These have to be the best I’ve seen over the years, as they look lifelike while staying true to their animated selves (e.g., Belle’s cocked eyebrow).
Via Neatorama.
So last night, after my freak-out, I tried my best to calm my nerves by doing what comes most natural to me at 2am: surfing the web.
And by the dim light of my laptop, I noticed something interesting about my nipples.
(I have been sleeping topless for the past month or so, because this is the most comfortable in my heavily-pregnant state. Don’t judge. :-))
The skin on very tips of my nipples was flaking.
😯
So of course I had to carefully grab a piece of hanging skin and pull…and it came right off.
I then grabbed a pair of tweezers to continue peeling off every last bit of the flaking skin. For a moment, I reminded myself of Goldmember, except with humongous, pregnant boobs. (Oh, and I didn’t eat the skin.)
(image source)
I remember the bleeding, cracked nipples from breastfeeding. And I remember the skin on my nipples regenerating itself over and over again to compensate for the bleeding and cracked nipples.
As such, I can only conclude that my breasts must be readying themselves for the new baby. Because the new skin that now covers my nipples? A bit tender, but pink and new, as if to say, “I’m ready for some sucking action!”
Has this happened to any other moms? Or are my skin-shedding nipples just abnormal?
In related news, now I am craving a shot of buttery nipple. Damn you, pregnancy cravings…
I like books, gadgets, spicy food, and art. I dislike shopping, hot weather, and the laws of entropy. Although I am a self-proclaimed computer nerd, I still have a love for handbags and makeup... and I am always teetering on high heels. To learn more about me, visit the "About" page.
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