I didn't do much of value this weekend. I did make some mulligatawny yesterday, which included first making chicken stock so the whole operation ended up taking about 4 hours. I've decided that soup is a good way to eat more vegetables. We'll see how that goes. I talked to Shannon. I vacuumed. I laundered. I watched far to much of the Olympics. The opening ceremonies should be taken as proof that Europeans should not ever design an event for television, at least not something that shows outside of Europe.

We had dinner with Leo's family last night. Leo's grandfather recently gave a eulogy at the funeral of an acquaintance. Another eulogist(?) was my grandfather's brother. This is remarkable because A) my family only consists of a dozen people B) I don't think I've even ever met my grandfather's brother and C) it's not like he lives anywhere near Detroit so its even less likely that they'd have a mutual friend.

I am tired. I'm in pain. I don't want to be at work. And I do not give a DAMN about systems security at the moment. And I am reminded on a daily basis that my European coworkers have the entire month off. I do not get three weeks vacation until I've been here five years, which starts next year (since I was a contract worker my first year and that doesn't count). Stupid Protestant work ethic.

And, just when you think I couldn't bitch about another single thing, let me tell you how Cap'n Crunch has pissed me off lately. It seems as if the dear Cap'n thought that hiding blue food coloring in his Crunch Berries cereal was a good idea. Because that's what slightly nauseous pregnant ladies looking for childhood comfort food really need, to look down at the cereal that they've already eaten several bites of to realize that the milk is a disturbingly anti-freeze shade of blue. I can accept it when my Fruity Pebbles turn the milk pink. Because that is a color in the cereal. But Crunch Berries are yellow and red. As much as I enjoy eating Cap'n Crunch at work (because it sounds like I'm gnawing on rocks) I think I'm going to have to switch back to Pebbles, at least until this crazy blue food coloring thing goes away.

Here's my preggo update for week 11:

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

You may be suffering with more frequent headaches as a result of the change in your hormone levels. Your can help prevent headaches before they start by eating regularly, drinking plenty of fluids, getting adequate sleep and keeping stress levels low. Ask your care provider if you can treat headaches with Tylenol (acetaminophen), a pain medication that is considered safe for pregnant women. If you experience frequent headaches, if the headache is the byproduct of a fever or if it causes visual disturbances or puffiness in the hands and face, call your practitioner immediately.

Bitchiness is, apparently, a normal symptom and not something to call my care provider about

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby-to-be is about 50 millimeters crown to rump and weighs about eight grams. If I had any concept of the metric system, I'm sure I'd find that meaningful. The irises are now forming. The liver, intestines, brain and lungs are beginning to function on their own. The primitive "tail" is now gone. WOOHOO! The intestines are beginning to migrate into the abdominal cavity and the external genitalia are present but difficult to distinguish. Now that most of the major organ work is done, your baby adds such details as hair, fingernails and toenails. While your baby's head is nearly as large as the rest of its body, head growth begins to slow during this period.

EATING FOR TWO

Actually, you aren't eating for two. You are eating for one and .000007865! Realistically, at this time, you only need to increase consumption by 300 to 500 calories per day. That's just one bran muffin and a baked potato! It's important that every calorie you consume be one that is nutrient-dense. So you use a baked potato as an example? Okay, you can splurge on chocolate every so often, but you might not want to always gobble it down with a glass of milk. While milk is great for your baby, chocolate slightly decreases your body's ability to absorb calcium.