Thursday, August 31, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Things Are Going Great
Life is good, what can I say? Paprika is blending in well to the family. Mr. Mustard went to all of the big Emmy parties last night while Paprika and I watched the broadcast on TV. Mr. Mustard got a big gift bag from the Entertainment Weekly party at the Sky Bar and met a bunch of celebs. Seal tried to steal Mr. Mustard's Emmy to give it to wife Heidi Klum (since her show Project Runway lost to the Amazing Race). He also met Jeremy Piven, Jerry Bruckheimer, Lauren Holly, Kathy Griffin, and a bunch of people from the cast of Deadwood and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Mr. Mustard also went to the HBO party and met up with all of his comrades from The Amazing Race. I think he had a good time- he definitely deserved to go after all of his hard work on the show. :-)
Thursday, August 24, 2006
First Outing and One Week Birthday!
Yesterday we had our first outing to the Pediatrician's office. Paprika saw a pediatrician every day we were in the hospital, but this was her first office visit.I was very nervous about taking her to the doctor's office, since it is full of sick kids and I really really don't want her to get sick. So, I was a bit nervous about the whole thing and really dreading it all week.
Everything went great- I was SO happy to find out that she is still jaundice free (about 50% of newborns get jaundice), AND that she has gained 7 oz since birth. Most babies lose 10 to 20 percent of their birth weight the first week and don't make it up until 2 or more weeks after birth. So, at one week she weighs 8 pounds, 14 ounces- which is just fantastic, especially for a breastfed baby. She will be going back for another checkup when she's 3 weeks old, and then for another at 2 months.
Yesterday was also Paprika's one week birthday! We celebrated by watching Gone With the Wind on dvd- and just hanging out the three of us. Time is going by too fast- I really can't believe it's already been a week since she was born! I want to make time stop already. :-)
Hauser and Meg have both been phenomenal with Paprika and adjusting to life in our new, busy household. Hauser is very mellow and protective of her. He licked her feet the other day, which was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. We are really lucky that our pets have been so relaxed and not jealous of Paprika- they have accepted her as one of the family. I am so grateful.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Home From the Hospital!
Paprika is now 5 days old. We are home from the hospital and everything is going great so far. She is a bit of a night owl and likes to sleep all day long (like her mom) and party all night. She is a wonderful baby- so perfect and sweet! We are so incredibly lucky and blessed- not a second goes by that we don't realize it. We are still catching up on everything- from email to simply downloading pictures. We have a bunch more pictures from after the hospital- but we haven't transferred them over. We will be doing that in the next few days, time permitting! Mr. Mustard has at least this week off of work- and possibly will have two more weeks off after that, which is just wonderful. He is in love with Paprika as much as I am and doesn't want to EVER go back to work- but I suppose he will have to.
In other news, on Saturday Mr. Mustard won an Emmy for Best Non-Fiction Picture Editing! He was surprised to win two years in a row! Go Mr. Mustard! He is so talented! We are SO proud of him- he definitely deserves it!
Here are a few more pictures- all taken shortly after birth (within a few hours or minutes). I will update with more photos once we figure out how to get the photos off of our new camera digital card.
Edited to add: UGH!!! The Photo Uploader isn't working right now- I'll try again later today to post the photos- so frustrating!!!!
In other news, on Saturday Mr. Mustard won an Emmy for Best Non-Fiction Picture Editing! He was surprised to win two years in a row! Go Mr. Mustard! He is so talented! We are SO proud of him- he definitely deserves it!
Here are a few more pictures- all taken shortly after birth (within a few hours or minutes). I will update with more photos once we figure out how to get the photos off of our new camera digital card.
Edited to add: UGH!!! The Photo Uploader isn't working right now- I'll try again later today to post the photos- so frustrating!!!!
Friday, August 18, 2006
Sunday, August 13, 2006
39 Weeks 1 Day
This weekend was pretty low-key. Mr. Mustard and I installed the car seat today, which was a good accomplishment. I had envisioned Mr. Mustard having to install it in the hospital parking garage- which is a smelly place that's about 125 degrees right now. So, it was good to get it done ahead of time. We went to Swinger's last night- one of our favorite diners and came home and watched "Failure to Launch." We also watched "Matchpoint"- which was better than I thought it would be. I'm not a huge Woody Allen fan, but it was a pretty good movie.
We're in a holding pattern right now- it's relaxing, actually. I really can't remember not being pregnant- it feels like I've always been this way. So, I guess you could say that I'm used to it now. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and should be getting an ultrasound to estimate fetal weight and size, etc. That is always exciting!
The Emmy's are next Saturday. I really want to go, but of course, we're playing it by ear. If I have the baby before next Saturday, then I definitely won't be going to the ceremony. I still really want Mr. Mustard to go, though- I don't think he should miss it for anything (unless I'm in the middle of labor). Everything is so up in the air, it's frustrating. I guess I'm a planner, and there's not a whole lot of planning that I can do when everything is contingent on the baby's arrival- and I have no idea when that will be! I guess you could say it's a good learning experience for me. :-)
We're in a holding pattern right now- it's relaxing, actually. I really can't remember not being pregnant- it feels like I've always been this way. So, I guess you could say that I'm used to it now. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and should be getting an ultrasound to estimate fetal weight and size, etc. That is always exciting!
The Emmy's are next Saturday. I really want to go, but of course, we're playing it by ear. If I have the baby before next Saturday, then I definitely won't be going to the ceremony. I still really want Mr. Mustard to go, though- I don't think he should miss it for anything (unless I'm in the middle of labor). Everything is so up in the air, it's frustrating. I guess I'm a planner, and there's not a whole lot of planning that I can do when everything is contingent on the baby's arrival- and I have no idea when that will be! I guess you could say it's a good learning experience for me. :-)
Friday, August 11, 2006
False Labor Excitement
Last night Mr. Mustard and I decided to go see Superman Returns when he got home from work. He has been working so much on his current show that he didn't get home until around 9:00, so as soon as he walked in the door, we headed back out to the movie since it started at 9:30.
The baby has a history of being really active whenever we go to the movies- I think it's the Dolby Digital Surround Sound that does it. So, she was doing her usual moving all over the place, especially during the big sound effects parts. All of a sudden I started having really painful contractions. I didn't want to spoil the movie for Mr. Mustard so I didn't say anything, but silently started timing them. They were pretty far apart- maybe 7 or 8 minutes- so I wasn't too concerned. I knew that if my water broke, that would definitley be a sign to get up and leave the movie. But what I was feeling were more sharp, jabbing, rhythmic pains.
After the movie, we had to get up and walk out (obviously) and the pain and pressure became much more intense. I told Mr. Mustard about it and we decided to start officially timing the contractions. Mr. Mustard rushed home as I was sort of yelling "ooh- ahh!" each time I got a painful set of contractions or a jab.
All day long the animals had been really attentive to me. Meg followed me around all day meowing at me. Hasuer, who is usually oblivious, was very nice to me on both of our walks during the day. He didn't pull at the leash at all and kept circling back to me as we were walking. So, I thought maybe they knew something that I didn't know.
Well, we walked into the apartment after the movie only to find that our little angel, Hauser, had knocked over the very full garbage can and had evenly distributed its contents throughout the apartment. It was a nightmare- very disgusting trashy stuff. It was very strange because Hauser never does that anymore. When we first got him a year ago, he did that a few times, but in the past 8 months, it hasn't been an issue at all. Usually when he does something wrong when we're gone he acts really contrite, even if it's just a minor thing. Well, this time he was laying on the bed looking perfectly pleased with himself and not in the least bit sad about his latest contribution.
I was at this point in a lot of pain, so Mr. Mustard told me to go lie down. I tried to help Mr. Mustard clean up the mess, but he would have none of that. There was a lot of trash- and I do mean a lot of it. Mr. Mustard cleaned up the whole thing while I laid down- I felt so bad for him. I think he deserves the husband of the year award for that. I got the online contraction timer going and started timing officially. The contractions were strong, but not getting any closer together, so I figured it was probably just a tease and not the real thing. After Mr. Mustard cleaned everything up, he made me a sandwich and brought it to me in bed. It was the best! I'm so lucky.
Hauser of course got a good scolding and was put into time out for the rest of the evening. I love that dog so much but sometimes I just want to strangle him!
After that, we went to bed and I continued to have pains but decided to just try to sleep through them. I did my usual of waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours, and by 5 this morning, I wasn't feeling anymore contractions at all. So, I guess it was false labor after all!
My doctor is going on a trip out of town starting today- and won't be back until Tuesday, so if it does happen this weekend, the timing won't be great since I want him to deliver the baby. Of course, at this point, I know I really don't have any say in the matter, anyway! She's coming when she wants to!
The baby has a history of being really active whenever we go to the movies- I think it's the Dolby Digital Surround Sound that does it. So, she was doing her usual moving all over the place, especially during the big sound effects parts. All of a sudden I started having really painful contractions. I didn't want to spoil the movie for Mr. Mustard so I didn't say anything, but silently started timing them. They were pretty far apart- maybe 7 or 8 minutes- so I wasn't too concerned. I knew that if my water broke, that would definitley be a sign to get up and leave the movie. But what I was feeling were more sharp, jabbing, rhythmic pains.
After the movie, we had to get up and walk out (obviously) and the pain and pressure became much more intense. I told Mr. Mustard about it and we decided to start officially timing the contractions. Mr. Mustard rushed home as I was sort of yelling "ooh- ahh!" each time I got a painful set of contractions or a jab.
All day long the animals had been really attentive to me. Meg followed me around all day meowing at me. Hasuer, who is usually oblivious, was very nice to me on both of our walks during the day. He didn't pull at the leash at all and kept circling back to me as we were walking. So, I thought maybe they knew something that I didn't know.
Well, we walked into the apartment after the movie only to find that our little angel, Hauser, had knocked over the very full garbage can and had evenly distributed its contents throughout the apartment. It was a nightmare- very disgusting trashy stuff. It was very strange because Hauser never does that anymore. When we first got him a year ago, he did that a few times, but in the past 8 months, it hasn't been an issue at all. Usually when he does something wrong when we're gone he acts really contrite, even if it's just a minor thing. Well, this time he was laying on the bed looking perfectly pleased with himself and not in the least bit sad about his latest contribution.
I was at this point in a lot of pain, so Mr. Mustard told me to go lie down. I tried to help Mr. Mustard clean up the mess, but he would have none of that. There was a lot of trash- and I do mean a lot of it. Mr. Mustard cleaned up the whole thing while I laid down- I felt so bad for him. I think he deserves the husband of the year award for that. I got the online contraction timer going and started timing officially. The contractions were strong, but not getting any closer together, so I figured it was probably just a tease and not the real thing. After Mr. Mustard cleaned everything up, he made me a sandwich and brought it to me in bed. It was the best! I'm so lucky.
Hauser of course got a good scolding and was put into time out for the rest of the evening. I love that dog so much but sometimes I just want to strangle him!
After that, we went to bed and I continued to have pains but decided to just try to sleep through them. I did my usual of waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours, and by 5 this morning, I wasn't feeling anymore contractions at all. So, I guess it was false labor after all!
My doctor is going on a trip out of town starting today- and won't be back until Tuesday, so if it does happen this weekend, the timing won't be great since I want him to deliver the baby. Of course, at this point, I know I really don't have any say in the matter, anyway! She's coming when she wants to!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Waiting...
Yesterday was our three year anniversary. We planned on going out to dinner, but by the time Mr. Mustard got home from work, I was feeling really exhausted and dizzy. Sort of like when you stand up and the whole room starts spinning dizzy. I laid down for awhile, and then we decided to order in Thai food and make it an at-home movie night.
As part of Mr. Mustard's present, I bought him Fight Club- which is a movie he's been wanting to own for awhile now. So, after he opened his present, we watched that and made popcorn while waiting for dinner to arrive. Even though we didn't get to go out, we still had lots of fun and made it a mellow, low-key sort of an evening. We probably won't have many quiet nights like that in the next few months, so it was good to get to spend that alone time together!
I started feeling some abdominal pain last night, accompanied by the dizziness, so I thought it might be labor. But, no cigar. Today I feel totally normal, except that my feet are really swollen again and I feel the urge to lie down whenever I get the chance. It's hard because I always want to be up and doing something, but I know that it really is best for me to get my rest now. So, I'm enjoying these last few days of waiting. Even so, I'm still on pins and needles every time I feel a weird pain or movement. I am really excited to meet our little one!
As part of Mr. Mustard's present, I bought him Fight Club- which is a movie he's been wanting to own for awhile now. So, after he opened his present, we watched that and made popcorn while waiting for dinner to arrive. Even though we didn't get to go out, we still had lots of fun and made it a mellow, low-key sort of an evening. We probably won't have many quiet nights like that in the next few months, so it was good to get to spend that alone time together!
I started feeling some abdominal pain last night, accompanied by the dizziness, so I thought it might be labor. But, no cigar. Today I feel totally normal, except that my feet are really swollen again and I feel the urge to lie down whenever I get the chance. It's hard because I always want to be up and doing something, but I know that it really is best for me to get my rest now. So, I'm enjoying these last few days of waiting. Even so, I'm still on pins and needles every time I feel a weird pain or movement. I am really excited to meet our little one!
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Three Year Anniversary!
Today is Mr. Mustard and my three year wedding anniversary! Wow- time has really flown! We have been together almost 6 years total, including our 3 years of dating. I can't believe everything that's happened in the last three years- it's been so exciting. I was hoping that our little girl would be born today- what a great anniversary present that would be! Today is the full moon, so a lot of people are predicting that she will come today- but so far, no such luck! She's taking her time in there, which is okay by me.
Last night Mr. Mustard and I went to see "The Devil Wears Prada"- it was a great movie. I think we're going to try to go out to dinner tonight and see another movie. We're getting it all in now since in a week or two we'll be staying home a lot more. We still have to see Superman, and I want to see Talladega Nights. :-)
Yesterday, I made my IPod playlist for the birth. We're bringing our IPod sound dock to the hospital, so I made a good playlist with lots of different kinds of music- mellow, upbeat, etc. Nothing too harsh- just music that will make me happy. I still need to pack my hospital bag! I don't know why I've been procrastinating so much on that. I think it's because I need all of my cosmetics and toiletries, so I don't want to pack those yet- and I only have about TWO things that fit me anymore, so I don't want to pack my clothes til the last minute. I figure we'll have a little warning and I can throw something together in the moment. Of course, if I get a chance later today maybe I'll put a bag together.
I also set up Doggy Daycare for Hauser yesterday. We had to take him in for an interview last week, which he passed with flying colors. It's a cage free facility and he's going to absolutely love it. It's sort of like summer camp for dogs. I called yesterday and told them about our situation. If we have the chance, we can bring him in when I go into labor. Otherwise, they do pick-ups, which is great. They are just down the street. I'm really glad he's going to have a fun place to be while we're at the hospital!
Last night Mr. Mustard and I went to see "The Devil Wears Prada"- it was a great movie. I think we're going to try to go out to dinner tonight and see another movie. We're getting it all in now since in a week or two we'll be staying home a lot more. We still have to see Superman, and I want to see Talladega Nights. :-)
Yesterday, I made my IPod playlist for the birth. We're bringing our IPod sound dock to the hospital, so I made a good playlist with lots of different kinds of music- mellow, upbeat, etc. Nothing too harsh- just music that will make me happy. I still need to pack my hospital bag! I don't know why I've been procrastinating so much on that. I think it's because I need all of my cosmetics and toiletries, so I don't want to pack those yet- and I only have about TWO things that fit me anymore, so I don't want to pack my clothes til the last minute. I figure we'll have a little warning and I can throw something together in the moment. Of course, if I get a chance later today maybe I'll put a bag together.
I also set up Doggy Daycare for Hauser yesterday. We had to take him in for an interview last week, which he passed with flying colors. It's a cage free facility and he's going to absolutely love it. It's sort of like summer camp for dogs. I called yesterday and told them about our situation. If we have the chance, we can bring him in when I go into labor. Otherwise, they do pick-ups, which is great. They are just down the street. I'm really glad he's going to have a fun place to be while we're at the hospital!
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Emmy Party- 38 Weeks 3 Days
Last night Mr. Mustard and I went to an Emmy Party for the Outstanding Picture Editing Nominees. It was on the top floor of the Hotel Angeleno, and had an amazing view of the city. It was muy swanky- lots of appetizers and cocktails. Of course, I didn't have any cocktails- just cranberry juice. Towards the end of the party, they brought the nominees up on stage and gave Mr. Mustard a certificate for his nomination. Everyone applauded- and when they did, the baby started moving up and down like she was applauding! It was very cool.
Earlier in the day, I went shoe shopping and picked up some last minute baby items from Target. I had absolutely no shoes to wear because my feet are so swollen. So, after I dropped my mom off at the airport, I went to Target and looked for some shoes that would be acceptable. Since I probably will only be wearing these shoes for another week or two, I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I am usually a size 7 1/2 or 8- and the only shoes that would fit me were a size 10 (snugly) or a size 11!!
My mom's trip was a big success. We got lots of baby stuff done- and also had some good mother-daughter bonding time. Last Friday was spent going to the doctor's office, and my mom was there to help me out- which was much appreciated! Over the weekend, we managed to set up the bassinet and rearrange the furniture in our bedroom to accomodate everything. It was a big job! Mom also did lots of cleaning, which was very helpful! Now, all we need is the baby and everything is complete!
Celeb Encounters
In the past week, I've had three celeb sightings.
The first two were last week when I got my hair cut at the Beverly Center:
1) Eva Longoria from Desperate Housewives
2) Donatella Versace
The Eva Longoria sighting was pretty cool because it adds to my Desperate Housewives roster. When Ann was in town last time, we saw Felicity Huffman and ended up talking to her for awhile. But, we didn't realize who she was until after the conversation ended and someone came up to us and said, "do you know who that was?!" Well, neither one of us did until that point and then a light bulb went off...and then we ended up stalking her around the mall. Well, not stalking, but following just to make sure we were correct.
The third sighting in the last week came when my mom was in town and we saw Kelly Osbourne at the beach. Mr. Mustard happened to have out the camera to take pictures of me and my mom, so he snapped a few photos really quickly. Then today I saw online that the papparazzi had been there and had also taken pictures. http://www.thesuperficial.com/2006/08/08/kelly_osbourne_shouldnt_be_all.html
I met Jack Osbourne about four years ago (pre-weightloss) at a club on the Sunset Strip- so now I guess I just have to meet the parents to make this star sighting complete. Los Angeles is such a weird place. It's funny to see celebrities (even D-list ones like Kelly Osbourne) and know who they are, especially when they're not known for anything except being famous. It's very strange.
About two weeks ago, Mr. Mustard and I ran into a star of a reality show that never aired. Mr. Mustard edited the show- and I was there for a lot of it because I was working on the Bachelor at the same studio. So, Mr. Mustard and I both know a GREAT deal about this guy- I mean, Mr. Mustard and I have both watched countless hours of this guy's life- from his love life, to seeing his family, etc. Of course, no one else has ever seen the footage because it never aired. So, we saw him on the street and went up to him. He was exactly like he was in the footage. It was strange to know so much about a person and have him not know anything about us. For example, we knew all about his breakup with his girlfriend, where he was from, what job he had, etc. Instead of being freaked out by it, he was really psyched that we had worked on the show and wanted to know when it would air. It's a very strange world here!
Sunday, August 6, 2006
38 Weeks- Malibu!
My mom came into visit on Thursday. We've been having a great time in between doctor's appointments. Yesterday, my mom, Mr. Mustard and I all went to the beach in Malibu. It was such an awesome day!
Yesterday marked 38 weeks! Time is really flying by. We are really looking forward to the birth and have been setting everything up around the apartment.
Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Bar Exam Recap
Well- probably no one wants to read this but me (and not even me!)- but I thought I should document the Bar Exam experience just for posterity and so someday our little one can hear about the fun adventure her mommy took just prior to giving birth to her!
Monday, July 24, 2006:
All packed up and ready to go by 11:30 am. Walked Hauser briefly. Mr. Mustard came home from work on his lunch break and followed me over to the Radisson/ Marriot Hotels at the airport. I checked in and got the luggage upstairs with Mr. Mustard's help. After Mr. Mustard left and I had unpacked my things, I discovered that the refrigerator in my room wasn't working. I had packed enough food for all 4 days of the Exam trip- lunchmeat, cheese, etc.- so this was a bad thing. Repacked everything and moved to a new room...then went over to the testing center to get checked in.
The testing center was totally disorganized. I got to my room and there were only two other test-takers there out of the 11 that were assigned to the room. After waiting for the proctor to show up for almost an hour, she finally did. She took my name, then I left and went back to the hotel. Took a bath and studied for awhile. Ordered room service and went to bed early.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006:
Set the hotel's alarm clock for 4:45 am the next morning- the wake up call for 5, and all three other alarms I brought for 5:15. Made some oatmeal, started studying. My body felt like a train had hit it- so much physical pain from not sleeping well from being pregnant, my ankles were swollen, and the carpal tunnel was really really bad. Headed over to the exam site at 8:30 for an 8:45 scheduled start time.
The proctor didn't show up until 9:15 and then didn't get the exam started until much later than that-- I don't know what was going on. At this point, there were 9 total people taking the exam in the room. The girl next to me noticed that there was no air coming into the room and that the windows would not open. After everyone fired up their laptops, it got really really hot in the room- above 100 degrees. In the middle of the test, someone from the hotel came by to apologize for the heat and said it would be fixed by the next day.
Everyone was boiling, and I think most of us were considering taking off our clothes at that point. It was agony! I think I may have been delirious due to the heat at a few points and I don't know if I actually wrote anything coherent during that time.
Because we got started so late, we basically missed our lunch break and only had 15 minutes in between the morning and afternoon sessions. I dashed back to my hotel room and downed a drink box, some string cheese and a turkey sandwich. Then, back to the testing site for the afternoon.
That night I was so beat. I took a bath and tried to study for the next day, but nothing would stick. My back was killing me, and my ankles were bulging. Time for bed.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006:
Woke up early again- ate some oatmeal. My body was in pain, and I had a big big headache. Everything hurt- and I knew that more pain was in order as soon as the exam started.
The Multi-State test was administered this day and it was really quite difficult. Even though I had studied for it a great deal, the questions were not what I expected and many of them made no sense at all. My backpain was increasing, and I started having painful contractions. Oh great, I thought- this is just great...even so, I kept going- why I don't know!
On a brighter note, they did fix the air conditioning by the second day, so at least that was something to be grateful for!
We got a decent lunch break (about an hour)- so I went back to the hotel and laid down. By the afternoon I was really feeling so ill that I didn't care about the exam anymore, so it all of a sudden became much easier. I wasn't thinking so hard about each question, so I just sort of went on intuition. This may have been a bad move, but I really just needed to get through it and get back to the hotel room.
That night, I ordered a very nice room service meal of pork chops with a side of garlic mashed potatos and a salad. It was the best thing I could have done after having lived on turkey sandwiches, cheese, and granola bars for the past three days. I really savored it, and watched some HBO- the movie I, Robot was on with Will Smith. Even though I don't even like that movie, I watched it and thought it was really great. I think my mind was fried.
Afterwards, I took a bath and went to bed. My back was again in agony, and my whole body was just hurting. I couldn't imagine another day of feeling this way.
Thursday, July 26, 2006:
Slept in until 5:15 and then started going over the subjects I thought would be covered for the day. Turns out I was wrong- but I was happy to be wrong. The subjects we got on day 3 were fair and were not my hardest, most difficult subjects, so I was grateful for that. I did the best I could- and still got a little confused in parts. But, overall, I was just really glad that this was the last day of the test.
At lunch, I went back to my hotel room and ate lunch- then back to the exam site to finish up the afternoon.
At the end, I was so glad to be done, I cheered a bit!
In retrospect, I think the Bar Exam is tough- but not as tough as doing it 9 months pregnant. I would never recommend anyone taking it in the third-trimester with pre-eclampsia signs, carpal tunnel, extreme swelling, and all the other physical stuff going on. If I take it in February, I am certain it will be so much easier just because I won't be experiencing contractions during the exam!
Anyway, it's done. I am happy. I did my best, under the circumstances. Now I just have to wait until Thanksgiving to find out the results. Luckily, there is a lot to occupy my time until then!!! :-)
Monday, July 24, 2006:
All packed up and ready to go by 11:30 am. Walked Hauser briefly. Mr. Mustard came home from work on his lunch break and followed me over to the Radisson/ Marriot Hotels at the airport. I checked in and got the luggage upstairs with Mr. Mustard's help. After Mr. Mustard left and I had unpacked my things, I discovered that the refrigerator in my room wasn't working. I had packed enough food for all 4 days of the Exam trip- lunchmeat, cheese, etc.- so this was a bad thing. Repacked everything and moved to a new room...then went over to the testing center to get checked in.
The testing center was totally disorganized. I got to my room and there were only two other test-takers there out of the 11 that were assigned to the room. After waiting for the proctor to show up for almost an hour, she finally did. She took my name, then I left and went back to the hotel. Took a bath and studied for awhile. Ordered room service and went to bed early.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006:
Set the hotel's alarm clock for 4:45 am the next morning- the wake up call for 5, and all three other alarms I brought for 5:15. Made some oatmeal, started studying. My body felt like a train had hit it- so much physical pain from not sleeping well from being pregnant, my ankles were swollen, and the carpal tunnel was really really bad. Headed over to the exam site at 8:30 for an 8:45 scheduled start time.
The proctor didn't show up until 9:15 and then didn't get the exam started until much later than that-- I don't know what was going on. At this point, there were 9 total people taking the exam in the room. The girl next to me noticed that there was no air coming into the room and that the windows would not open. After everyone fired up their laptops, it got really really hot in the room- above 100 degrees. In the middle of the test, someone from the hotel came by to apologize for the heat and said it would be fixed by the next day.
Everyone was boiling, and I think most of us were considering taking off our clothes at that point. It was agony! I think I may have been delirious due to the heat at a few points and I don't know if I actually wrote anything coherent during that time.
Because we got started so late, we basically missed our lunch break and only had 15 minutes in between the morning and afternoon sessions. I dashed back to my hotel room and downed a drink box, some string cheese and a turkey sandwich. Then, back to the testing site for the afternoon.
That night I was so beat. I took a bath and tried to study for the next day, but nothing would stick. My back was killing me, and my ankles were bulging. Time for bed.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006:
Woke up early again- ate some oatmeal. My body was in pain, and I had a big big headache. Everything hurt- and I knew that more pain was in order as soon as the exam started.
The Multi-State test was administered this day and it was really quite difficult. Even though I had studied for it a great deal, the questions were not what I expected and many of them made no sense at all. My backpain was increasing, and I started having painful contractions. Oh great, I thought- this is just great...even so, I kept going- why I don't know!
On a brighter note, they did fix the air conditioning by the second day, so at least that was something to be grateful for!
We got a decent lunch break (about an hour)- so I went back to the hotel and laid down. By the afternoon I was really feeling so ill that I didn't care about the exam anymore, so it all of a sudden became much easier. I wasn't thinking so hard about each question, so I just sort of went on intuition. This may have been a bad move, but I really just needed to get through it and get back to the hotel room.
That night, I ordered a very nice room service meal of pork chops with a side of garlic mashed potatos and a salad. It was the best thing I could have done after having lived on turkey sandwiches, cheese, and granola bars for the past three days. I really savored it, and watched some HBO- the movie I, Robot was on with Will Smith. Even though I don't even like that movie, I watched it and thought it was really great. I think my mind was fried.
Afterwards, I took a bath and went to bed. My back was again in agony, and my whole body was just hurting. I couldn't imagine another day of feeling this way.
Thursday, July 26, 2006:
Slept in until 5:15 and then started going over the subjects I thought would be covered for the day. Turns out I was wrong- but I was happy to be wrong. The subjects we got on day 3 were fair and were not my hardest, most difficult subjects, so I was grateful for that. I did the best I could- and still got a little confused in parts. But, overall, I was just really glad that this was the last day of the test.
At lunch, I went back to my hotel room and ate lunch- then back to the exam site to finish up the afternoon.
At the end, I was so glad to be done, I cheered a bit!
In retrospect, I think the Bar Exam is tough- but not as tough as doing it 9 months pregnant. I would never recommend anyone taking it in the third-trimester with pre-eclampsia signs, carpal tunnel, extreme swelling, and all the other physical stuff going on. If I take it in February, I am certain it will be so much easier just because I won't be experiencing contractions during the exam!
Anyway, it's done. I am happy. I did my best, under the circumstances. Now I just have to wait until Thanksgiving to find out the results. Luckily, there is a lot to occupy my time until then!!! :-)
Up All Night!
Today I am 37 weeks, 3 days- which is pretty darn close! I am enjoying being pregnant still, but the physical discomforts are doing a good job of helping to keep the end in sight. Even so, I've managed to be somewhat productive.
Sunday, Mr. Mustard and I went to Babies R Us (BRU)- which is a baby superstore where you can buy just about anything "baby-related." The nearest one to us is in Van Nuys, which is about a 45 minute drive-- so not a trek to be taken lightly.
We went to BRU in search of a carseat, a crib, and other baby-related items. I think we bit off more than we could handle in one trip. After a frustrating time of looking at all the stuff and weighing the benefits of each- and nothing really working- we decided to leave without buying anything. No carseat, no crib, nada!
We got home and I realized that we have nowhere for the baby to sleep and no carseat- and time is running out.
So, today I went to BRU by myself and made some hard decisions...well, not too hard really. I picked out an infant carseat that will work just fine for the first 6 months to a year. We'll have to switch to a bigger carseat later, but initally this one will be great because it doubles as a carrier, so if the baby falls asleep in the car, then there's no need to wake her up when we take her out of the car...excellent.
I also got a bassinet- which will be great for the first 4 months- after that, we'll switch to a crib, but this buys us some time to figure out exactly which crib, which mattress, and all that other earth-shattering stuff. :-)
Sunday, Mr. Mustard and I went to Babies R Us (BRU)- which is a baby superstore where you can buy just about anything "baby-related." The nearest one to us is in Van Nuys, which is about a 45 minute drive-- so not a trek to be taken lightly.
We went to BRU in search of a carseat, a crib, and other baby-related items. I think we bit off more than we could handle in one trip. After a frustrating time of looking at all the stuff and weighing the benefits of each- and nothing really working- we decided to leave without buying anything. No carseat, no crib, nada!
We got home and I realized that we have nowhere for the baby to sleep and no carseat- and time is running out.
So, today I went to BRU by myself and made some hard decisions...well, not too hard really. I picked out an infant carseat that will work just fine for the first 6 months to a year. We'll have to switch to a bigger carseat later, but initally this one will be great because it doubles as a carrier, so if the baby falls asleep in the car, then there's no need to wake her up when we take her out of the car...excellent.
I also got a bassinet- which will be great for the first 4 months- after that, we'll switch to a crib, but this buys us some time to figure out exactly which crib, which mattress, and all that other earth-shattering stuff. :-)
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