Lists and my love of Facebook

First of all, please note that Chris did his first blog post (at least here) yesterday. Since this will now appear on top, please don't miss his. He is a funny dude and, of course, a good writer.

Okay, I am ready to admit that I am loving Facebook these days. It's an obsession I must get over at some point but just can't shake. My sisters are always mocking me for it but I figure it's much better than many guilty pleasures I could, or sometimes do, indulge (I hardly watch TV, but snack on too much cheese, for example). I anticipate that I will scale back my Facebook-ing (I have somewhat already now that I'm at work three days per week and working some at home on top of that) once I am done with breastfeeding; you see, that's when I typically indulge. When I was at home full-time Facebook was a great way to feel connected, and find some great folks from my past I'd lost touch with.
So, here I am, a Facebook junkie.
One of the latest fads on Facebook is people posting lists of information about themselves. Again, I think I'm supposed to mock these but instead I admit that I love them. As many of you (this assumes there are many readers... who knows?!?!?!?) know, I am nosy. Very nosy. So, finding out information about other people is a favorite activity for me. I like to think I am not hypocritical-- I also share information pretty much whenever asked. Case in point: if any of you want to see the graphic pictures of my labor next time you are in my apartment, feel free to ask.

Since many of you are not on Facebook, I figured I'd post my lists here as well. The instructions for this first list on Facebook is that you were supposed to post 25 things (random, whatever) about yourself. Here was mine:
1. Despite the fact that I bug my husband about spending too much time reading blogs, I am now a blogger of sorts (http://rookieindc.blogspot.com/)
2. I don't own a car-- a great way for me to reduce my carbon footprint, interact more with my city (DC) and make sure I walk a lot daily.
3. I've probably walked over 150 miles carrying my three month old ex utero (and at least that much while I was pregnant).
4. I really enjoyed being pregnant-- I feel like the world is full of good wishes and love for soon-to-be-parents.
5. It blows my mind that a small human being is nourished entirely by a product produced by my body. (I recently saw a t shirt referencing this as a "super power" and I think it really is!)
6. I often can't believe I have a child, with all the responsibility it entails, but also love it so much I can't imagine life without it.
7. In comparison to my DC friends, I feel young to have a baby. But in comparison to many folks I grew up with, I'm a late addition to the parenting world.
8. I've enjoyed reading about other people and their kids on Facebook.
9. My life partner is probably the kindest and most open-minded person I've ever met.
10. Chris and I dated for 12 years, and lived together for 8 years, before we officially got married.
11. I wore a purple knee-length dress to my wedding.
12. I am very close to my family and consider my mother the best parent I've ever met.
13. My father died unexpectedly in 1998 and that has probably been the toughest thing I've ever had to go through.
14. My family is full of strong women. Three generations of us once took a trip through the American Southwest called "The Estrogen Express."
15. We're also hard core Red Sox fans. I still tear up when I think of the 2004 World Series, and my grandmother had season tickets to Fenway during the Depression.
16. There was once a cow named after my in Norway, and she was the highest milk producer on the farm!
17. I think the five day backpacking trip in New Hampshire in February my senior year of high school (through Cirrus) is directly related to my decision to go to college in Southern California a few months later.
18. I miss my college friends every day (and especially now)-- they are all so far away!
19. I spent 11 years of my life as a goalie (soccer as a kid and field hockey in high school) and have spent about 9 years trying to score goals/points (lacrosse in college and ultimate frisbee now) to make up for those scored on me.
20. I learned how to cradle for lacrosse, in part, by dancing with my friend Nicole in our dorm rooms.
21. I find the news out of Zimbabwe, where I spent a semester in college, so heart-breaking I often deliberately ignore it.
22. I've worked at the same organization for over ten years, though my job there has changed several times.
23. I am lucky that I got to "test drive" being an (co-)ED at such a young age, and know that it's probably not for me.
24. My sister, sister-in-law and best friend all live a short walk away from me.
25. I love karaoke and singing random songs (especially to Sean) in general, though I have no talent in this area.
... I have been amazed at the humor and insight of others as they posted theirs. Feel free to add yours in the Comments section on this blog if you want to share, or send it my way directly.

This second one was a series of questions about your first born, so I figured it's fitting:
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Excited, overwhelmed. Felt a bit surreal
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Not then.
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 33
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Home pregnancy test, though I had suspected for a few days before testing.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Chris, then my Mom within an hour.
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes, though everyone was surprised we did.
9. DUE DATE? October 20, 2008
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? A tiny bit nausea, mostly on the Metro. And, I went through a month of finding even the smell of meat (which I don't eat) and the idea of eating dairy gross.
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? I'd like to claim I ate all that ice cream because it was a craving, but I always crave it! So, I'd call it "an indulgence" instead.
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? I have to say I loved being pregnant. But, I did not like how it compromised my tennis serve almost immediately, and the frequent trips to the bathroom.
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? I was a bit overwhelmed given that I grew up with just sisters. But, I'm pleased that we are perhaps at less risk of a princess phase.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? Not sure, since I hadn't weighed myself for a while before I got pregnant. I'd guess about 33.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, 2: one Red Sox themed one in Mom's backyard in MA (awesome!) and a co-ed barbecue (more of a party than a shower) in Rock Creek Park.
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The MA shower was not a surprise but the Sox theme aspect was. :)
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Nope.
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Was first admitted to the Family Health and Birth Center, then moved to Washington Hospital Center.
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 38.5
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Chris, in Mandy's car.
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Chris, my Mom and sister Kate.
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural.
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Wanted to get nubain but I was too far along, so I broke down and went w/the epidural.
25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
7 pounds 10 ounces
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? October 28, 2008
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Sean Bradford Dodson-Green
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? Three months, one week.

Sean magically is waking up just as a ponder how to end this post... he's rescuing me from any deper thoughts, so instead I'll just wish you all a great weekend!