Happy Birthday, Ava!

Welcome Ava Louise Rinehart, born December 9th, 2007 at 9:48am. She weighed in at 8lbs and measured 20.75 inches. Happy Birthday little girl!

Dancing wedding couple from youtube

Heard about this from some friends. I think they saw them on the Ellen Degeneres show, but they were also on youTube. If only I had guts to do something this fun!

Indi embraces warmth

This morning Indi and I spent some quiet time in the living room sitting by the fire. Until now, she's kept her distance from the flames. This morning she finally realized how warm and cozy the fireplace can be.

The sleepy girl in my most favorite Indi pose.

D-day update

No baby.

No twinges.

No nothing.

So I've been keeping myself busy designing birth announcements that will hopefully turn out nicely when printed. I'm being hopeful - in the dummy text I put date of birth as December 7th. Of course, I've been using 2:30pm as the time of birth, so unless I suddenly go into the quickest first-time labor EVER, I should probably change the time on that!

Still no baby.

D-day?

Well, I made it. According to all the little calendars the doctors have to predict (ha!) delivery, today is D-day - good thing the little ticker on the right side of this page agrees - 0 days to go!

Let's see. What's going on?

Two days in a row I'm up at 2, tossing and turning.

No baby.

LOTS of discomfort when walking (can't tell if it's ligaments, muscle or bone) and last night had several crazy leg spasms. Those are fun when trying to maneuver the stairs.

No baby.

Have tried all forms of "natural induction" (ie. eggplant, herbal tea, leg pressure point massage, hand pressure point massage, positive thinking, walking, s.e.x).

No baby.

Did I mention the eggplant? (I really hate the stuff but suffered through two different meals - no one can say I'm not a team player!)

No baby.

So what's next? Next appointment with doctor is on Monday morning (hopefully we'll have to cancel for having to rush to the hospital this weekend to deliver!) where she'll do another exam (and better tell me that I'm more progressed than I was last week!) and then schedule an induction for the end of the week. Not the way I hope to bring Ava into the world (I know labor and delivery can be painful, but the thought of increased pain and increased intensity of induced labor and the increased chances of screaming for an epidural were things I was hoping to avoid). I keep telling her that she needs to get here soon to avoid unpleasantries for the both of us. Unfortunately, given the track record (her refusing to budge on her own and the planned version), I think there's some breakdown of communication between me and the unborn babe.

Sigh.

Oh. Still no baby.

Pac-Man Christmas Tree

I love Pac-Man! How cool is this tree!? Found this link on a Gmail google ad - sometimes they're worth following!

Calypso Christmas

It finally arrived - and is now in the 21st century (on CD rather than vinyl)! Boney M's Christmas CD. Since we moved to the US, after eating Christmas dinner, my family busts out the Boney M Christmas record (yes, record!) and cranks up the volume while we clean up the dishes. It usually takes two repeats of "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" song before we're done (we're that fast in the kitchen!). The CD version features slightly different versions of all the songs, but only a discerning listener such as myself would notice.

And on a popularity note, Amazon now notes that they're temporarily out-of-stock! Who knew so many people liked to rock to calypso Christmas music (especially when it hasn't been available on CD for the past 17 years!). Go Boney M!

Favorite Christmas Songs

Spent a little time today searching through iTunes for some of my favorite Christmas songs for a mixed CD. And as I type this entry, I'm rockin' out to my favorite song: Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses - my favorite radio station in DC (the now defunct 99.1 WHFS) would always play this at the start of the holiday season; for me, the holidays didn't start until 99.1 played this song.

Some of the others on the list:

* Last Christmas by Wham! (and the remake by Jimmy Eat World)
* Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt
* God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan
* I Won't Be Home for Christmas by Blink 182 (ok, so this isn't probably the most child-friendly song, but I still love it!)

A song that did not and will not make the list:

* Grandma got run over by a reindeer - If there's a song that brings out the bah-humbug in me, it's this one!

Pregnancy joke from our neighbor Judy

PREGNANCY Q & A

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labour, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college

Man Cold

Was speaking to a friend this morning about how her husband has a bad head cold. This little viideo from YouTube shows just how woosie men can be when they have a little cold. (Stars the friend from "Shaun of the Dead" - good stuff!)

Belly shot

The latest belly shot (37 weeks) was taken as we were walking out the door to go to the hospital for the external version. Figured since there was a slight possibility that I might end up having a c-section, it was best to get this photo in before there was no more belly to document.

Well, I still have a belly but no 38 week photo yet. The belly isn't much bigger, but I did have to buy some new clothes this past weekend at Target. I have no winter clothes that fit so a couple of long-sleeve maternity shirts were definitely in order! Felt silly buying new clothes so close to delivery time, but I figure my neighbors would rather me spend some money on new clothes than prance around the 'hood with my belly hanging out from under a too-small-t-shirt!

On the delivery front: things are progressing but s.l.o.w.l.y.... but at least Ava is still head down and looks to be in that position for the long haul!

What will Ava do?

Before birth, mothers-to-be nest. They clean, they scrub, they organize. But what do dads do?

Joe codes. Last night he worked on a small application that allows folks to guess Ava's birth date, time, weight and length.

I guess the men need something to do!

What do you think Ava will do?

"She's fully delighted!"

Caught a snippet of dialogue on an episode of Baby Story on TLC this morning. A nurse, of unknown origin (perhaps from somewhere in Europe), exclaimed of her patient: "She's fully delighted!"

We all know what she said was really "dilated" but I loved how her accent put such a positive spin on the whole situation.

Let's just hope that when I am fully dilated, I'm also fully delighted!

Christmas is done!

Ok, so the tree and all decorations are still in their boxes in our storage area, but that doesn't mean we're not ready for Christmas. All presents are purchased and wrapped and ready for delivery! WOOHOO! Having all gifts taken care of takes a lot of stress off my life right now, given the fact that Ava is still head down (woohoo!) and things in that general region are moving along in the appropriate manner. There is some dilation, some effacement and Ava's head is in a good position. The doctor said he doubts she'll flip back (whew!) and believes her head will have no trouble fitting through the birth canal (she doesn't measure huge, which is a relief). Now... I know women have walked around for weeks with dilation and effacement continuing, but Joe and I are hoping that doesn't happen to me - I'd like to get through Thanksgiving as I have a tasty menu planned out for the two of us - but anytime after Turkey day would be just fine with us!

McDreamy, McNewborn and McChristmas Tree!

Despite having driven to the hospital two mornings in a row (first on Friday for the ECV and then on Saturday to attend Newborn Basics class), we've had a really nice weekend . . . that is shaping up to continue with a nice relaxing Sunday at home.

McDreamy is back! We love Grey's Anatomy but love it even more when it arrives at our house in the 4-episodes-per-disc format. We're a season behind (just started 3, while the rest of the world watches 4 on TV) but not for long. The good - and bad - thing about getting the show on DVD is that it's really easy to just sit for 3 hours glued to the television. But it's an enjoyable three hours, filled with McDreamy, McSteamy, McSlutty, McB*tchy. All the good stuff we look forward to when the Netflix envelopes arrive. We already watched two episodes this morning but are saving the next two on the disc for later this afternoon when the need for more mindless relaxation kicks in.

Christmas is officially here - we spotted Santa last night in Durham! Joe and I met up with Mike and Kim and Tristan for dinner at Chammps (yummy salad!) and a walk through the outdoor plaza to view the lighting of the christmas tree. Santa was onstage for a bit and the tree was beautiful all lit up. And after the lights were on, it started (fake) snowing - a nice way to ring in the holiday season (even though we're not yet at Thanksgiving!).

Christmas is almost complete at our house - christmas gift buying, that is. I have some more wrapping to do and then we'll be done! The decorations and tree will be brought out of storage and assembled after Thanksgiving, so if Ava decides to make an early entrance into the world (post Thanksgiving), she'll come home to a house all decorated for the holidays.

On tap for the remainder of the relaxing Sunday at home: grocery list for the week, grocery list for Thanksgiving dinner, thank you notes for the baby shower (I'm the worst at those), more work on a secret project, laundry and some general house cleaning. Oh, and no trips to the hospital for painful procedures or baby seminars. All in all, a good forecast for the day!

The head is down!

Woohoo! After a 53 second (Joe counted) external cephalic version this morning, baby Ava is now in the head-down ready-for-birth-provided-she-stays-there position! We're both very excited and are very glad we went ahead with the procedure. It was definitely not pleasant; in fact it was very painful but at a minute, it was do-able. I am not so sure I would have been able to stand it if it continued for 3 or more minutes, but luckily it was quick.

Now we have to a) hope she stays in that position and b) wait.

But for now we do a little happy head-down dance and hope all continues well!

Turn baby, turn!

Ok, so for some reason that silly disco song is now in my brain - and while there is no "disco inferno" at my house, at least it offers a good blog title!

Tomorrow morning at about 9am, Joe and I will be on our way to the hospital where I'll undergo an external cephalic version (ECV). Basically, that's a fancy way to say that my doctor will manually try (from the outside of my belly) to turn the baby.

At our appointment this past Monday, we had confirmed what both Joe and I already knew: Ava is still breech. Unfortunately, while most babies will turn to the birth-appropriate head-down position, Ava is not situated in a position where she will likely do that on her own. So, unless we want to pass Go, collect $200 and move straight to scheduled c-section, we both have decided that trying to turn her into is the best thing we can do at the moment.

Here's what'll happen:

After some fetal monitoring and giving me a muscle relaxant, the doctor will ultrasound my belly to confirm Ava's position before trying to move her. It can take a few minutes to half an hour (each case is so different). After moving her (if she moves willingly) they do another ultrasound and more monitoring to make sure that she has turned and that she is not in stress. If she doesn't move easily, they stop and call it quits. I've heard from three different people who have had this procedure. The rain in discomfort goes something like this:

* no big deal
to
* uncomfortable
to
* if I'd known what it would feel like, I would have requested an epidural

Yikes! Safety of Ava aside (as that's always a concern) I'm most afraid of what it will feel like. I don't know how I handle real pain. I've never had much real pain to deal with. I can imagine that this pain / discomfort is not like labor pain - different sensation altogether. I do know that when I accidentally bump into something with my belly, it hurts. I can only imagine what that would feel like magnified with someone pushing on my belly rather than a small bump.

There are risks involved with the ECV. If any of these risks occur, we'll skip Go and head directly towards an emergency c-section (forget collecting $200). If the version is unsuccessful (ie. Ava is fine but refuses to budge), we'll move onto Plan B and schedule a c-section for one or after December 1st. Of course the doctor will perform an ultrasound before any c-section begins in the slim chance that she turns on her own in the next few weeks. If the ECV is successful, we'll do a little jump for joy and continue with the game . . . the waiting game, that is, which is what we've wanted for this birth since the beginning.

Turn baby, turn! I keep telling Ava that she has only (now) a day left to turn on her own and avoid any unpleasantries, but so far she has been unresponsive to my suggestion.

To Ava: Don't make me come in there and turn you myself!

Good practice for what's to come, I suppose . . .

Insomnia strikes . . . again.

So, while I'm up at 3:30 for perhaps the fourth time in the past week, I figured I may as well use this time for good (instead of evil) so I'm uploading some pretty fall pictures that Joe and I took on our walk around the lake last night. We have no fancy flashes for the camera, so the walk around the lake quickly became an exercise in "how still can you stay while clicking the button and waiting for the shutter to close" and how many non-blurry pictures can we end up with.

Indi's snoozing in the corner - she refuses to stay in the bedroom when I get out of bed, so at least I have some company.

Joe is snoozing in the bedroom.

It might rain outside. Usually that's very soothing when sleeping but unfortunately it hasn't started raining . . . yet. With my luck it'll be time to get actually be awake when it does start raining.

Should also finish writing my to-do list before tomorrow and our trip to the hospital. And then use the rest of today to actually complete the to-do list!

I'd go bake but I baked a cake yesterday and don't have any reason to bake at the moment. I have some baking projects in mind, but they're for a later date (the cookie swap isn't until December 1st) and Ava's birthday is yet-to-be-determined.

On to the pictures!

The evolution of a new backyard

Demolition day has arrived.

When we moved into our house a year and a half ago, we had a nice wooded lot behind ours. We knew one day this wooded lot would be demolished to make way for a new house, but in the meantime, we enjoyed watching the birds make use of the small forest.

Bye bye trees. Bye bye birds. But also bye bye ticks and icky spiders. I'll definitely miss the trees (but hope that the birds will find their way to the trees in our yard) but I won't miss all the scrub plants behind our yard that were a safe haven for ticks.

Going . . . going . . . gone.

I must say, though, that despite how destructive one crane can be, it's weird to watch how strangely gentle and delicate the machine is while tearing down trees. The claw part almost acts like an elephant's trunk as it carefully picks up debris. Very strange to me.

Cheesy CSI: Miami line

What I love about CSI: Miami are the increasingly cheesy lines the actors are forced to say each week. Inevitably, one of the speakers is Horatio Cane (played by David Caruso). Here's the line from last night's episode.

Alex: Not a very private place to kill someone.
Horatio: He wanted it to be seen.
Alex: Do you think someone was trying to send a message?
Horatio: I do . . . and I just got it. [then puts on dark glasses as he usually does after delivery of such cheese]

Gotta love it! I had dropped CSI: Miami from my tv lineup but couldn't give up those goofy lines so easily.

Time check

Ugh. Went to bed last night feeling quite yucky (without leaving any gross details, lets just say it started with really bad heartburn and quickly proceeded to worse than that). Woke up once to pee and then woke up again at 3:40. After over an hour of just laying in bed awake, I decided to get up and check some baby stuff online (since that was most likely the reason for keeping me awake - my brain constantly thinking). It was 5:15 at this point, so I figured it was near wake-up time anyway.

So, I'm sitting at my computer and I glance at the clock and it says: 4:40am. No way. I got up after 5. And then I remember . . .

DAMN DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!!

So really, I've been awake and lying in bed since 2:40 and up since 4:15.

This is going to be a long day.

Pretty in Pink

So, I've received a lot of flack from people due to the fact that I don't "do pink" - I have been given a lot of hand-me-down clothes and a lot of them are pink. I'm not complaining. I am extremely grateful for all the clothes we've been given. However, when it came to the baby's room or what I would buy in the store, I did not gravitate towards pink . . . until I found this outfit online.

This is what Ava will wear home from the hospital. It's from Zutano and I love it! It may be pink (Ok, the little pants are hot pink) but at least she'll be stylin' in pink on her way to her new home!

Ava's Room

Here are some photos of Ava's room - I think it's done, but with each day, I find something new to tweak or rearrange! This truly was a labor of love and has been underway since earlier this summer when Joe was out of town and his dad came in to help me paint. He and Joe worked on the chair rail a few weeks before that, and the finishing touches have been added gradually. I hope Ava loves her room and doesn't demand a pink princess room as soon as she's old enough to speak!

Our new ride!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a . . . mini van? Yup. Joe and I are now officially ready for the baby. It wasn't enough to have diapers and clothing; we needed to get a bigger car also. Really, it's not so silly once you hear our reason - the Liberty (while fun to drive) just wasn't going to be a practical fit when you factor in our stuff, baby stuff, baby and dog when going on trips to visit family and friends. I did not want to get into the (expensive) habit of having to board Indi while we visited folks, and I didn't want her to be shoved in the back of the liberty with all the stuff we'll have to pack, so the only option we could see was a mini van.

The dreaded "M" word. It was Joe's idea really. I had always said I would drive a nice Volvo station wagon, but when looking at and pricing those, we realized they offered no more room than the Liberty and were MUCH more expensive. So, we'll be selling the Liberty and keeping the Camry (Joe has finally learned to embrace the Camry after much resistance) so all in all, a great deal! And we were able to GET a great deal on the Odyssey because the 2008s were coming into the stores and the dealers were anxious to get rid of the 2007s. Suited us just fine!

Aside from a minor snafu involving the color of the van (Joe requested a dark gray; the dealer heard him say dark cherry) and an extra day to fix said snafu, it was a very painless quick transaction. The way every car buying experience should be but rarely is. I strongly recommend test driving one day, deciding on the car, then calling dealers who have that car and haggling price over the phone. We arrived at the dealer and all we had to do was sign paperwork. No high pressure sales, only small amounts of sleaze.

Meet the new member of our family: a 2007 Honda Odyssey in Nimbus Gray. (And before you all say "Eeww! A mini van!" you should see how smoothly it drives!)

Where's Indi?

Today was spa day - Indi's least favorite day of every month. She usually starts hiding the moment she hears the tub filling with water and me saying "I'm going to clean your ears and trim your nails." Little did she know that Joe was not going to be her safe haven this time. I can no longer lift 50 pounds of Indi into the tub, so while she thought hiding out with Joe in his office would be a surefire way to avoid spa day, in the end her safe harbor turned into her enemy as he was the one to actually put her into the tub. Poor Indi. She tried so hard.

Happy Halloween!

No photos of our Halloween evening - which involved sitting on our porch and socializing with our friends while handing out candy to kids - but I found this cute Frankenstein cake at the grocery store and had to buy it. As usual we purchased too much candy, so towards the end, Joe started giving out handfuls. Unfortunately the kids got away with the good stuff; all we have leftover now are a bag full of lollipops. Yuck.

Note: Joe dressed up again as the funky chicken, but decided to change out of the costume after scaring several of the children and their mothers. (One child: "I'm so scared of chickens"; one mother: "Who is the creepy guy in the chicken costume? Does he even have children? He could be a child molester.")

A funky chicken and ramen noodles?

Sounds like the start of a bad joke, but really, there is a story here.

We visited with Kim and Mike for a few minutes tonight and Mike tells Joe that he has two costumes: a pimp costume and a chicken costumes. Joe says he'll take the chicken costume, no contest.

The ramen noodles? Kim and Mike were dining on ramen noodles that night and we started reminiscing our college days and eating ramen noodles. Our generous friends sent us home with a chicken costume and two packs of ramen noodles, which we proceeded to devour within minutes of arriving home and capturing the event on camera.

Yummy noodles - but too much sodium! We were both left feeling full but thirsty!

34 Weeks

Does this outfit make my butt look big? The consensus between Joe and myself is YES! Pregnancy clothes, while super comfy, are not always the most flattering! While I'm nearing the end, I don't have a huge belly, so the mid-pregnancy clothes still fit (but hang under my belly) and the later pregnancy clothes fit (but slide down my belly, despite having the full belly panel). I'm in a constant state of pulling up my pants. Give me a nice butt crack and I could pass for a plumber!

A look back at the previous weeks . . .

Baby shower!

Today was my baby shower! My friends Michelle, Kim and Katie hosted it across street from me at Michelle's house. My mom, her friend Yvonne, my best friend Christie (with her 11 month old daughter Agatha) came to stay for the weekend and Joe's mom and her best friend Brenda drove in for the day. We had a wonderful weekend and a great time at the shower.

Here are some shots of the day. I hope to add another photo (taken on Kim's camera) that shows the three hosts and me.

On the invitation, there was a little rhyme: A baby is predicted, but first there will be a shower. There were lots of rubber duckies, an umbrella and a very clever flower centerpiece: flowers placed inside yellow rain boots!

On the invitation, also, were polka dots. The cake had polka dots and I was lucky enough to find a dress with polka dots!

Turn around, little baby

Had my latest doctor appointment today, and by her guestimation, the nurse that I saw believes Ava is still in the head-up position - not the optimal position for a natural birth; more like the optimal position for a scheduled c-section. I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks for my 36 week checkup (yikes - I'm at 34 weeks; that means 6 weeks left!) and will have an ultrasound before the appointment to determine how she's sitting.

If she's still breech, then we'll have the c-section and external version (where the doctors try to move the baby manually from the outside) discussion; if she has flipped over and is head-down, we'll breath a sigh of relief! At least after 36 weeks the doctors begin doing internal exams and can feel what part of her is down (hopefully they can tell the difference between a head and a foot), so we'll be able to keep tabs on her at the weekly appointments. So for now, send happy flipping vibes our way!

NC State Fair

No, this is not a random blog entry about my least favorite Rogers and Hammerstein musical. This past week marked the start of the North Carolina State Fair and yesterday afternoon Joe and I joined our friend Kim and Mike to be four of the predicted 750,000 people to partake in the fair. This was my first state fair and I had a great time!

Here are some of the highlights:

** Food consumed: 4 polish sausages, 2 orders of large french fries, 1 kosher pickle, 1 sour pickle, 4 samples of seasoned peanuts (chocolate covered, bbq, sun-dried tomato and honey roasted), 1 caramel apple, 1 corn dog, 2 ears of roasted corn, 2 hot apple ciders, 3 homemade ice-creams, 1 chocolate dipped ice-cream cone, 1 hot pretzel with mustard, and many handfuls of kettle corn. Oh, the yumminess! Note: all of the above food was not consumed by one person alone. Remember, there were four of us there!

** Animals seen: lots of cows, donkeys, goats, pigs, sheep, turkey. Amongst the judged agriculture was the best in show - a black cow that was purchased by Harris Teeter for $25,000!

** An OREO COW - I finally saw one up-close. And sadly, they are not called Oreo cows, but Belted Galloway cows. And they're used for beef. After seeing all the cute cows, I'm not sure I can eat a burger for a while. Or spaghetti for that matter. Sigh.

** Flower and garden show: mini landscapes set up and judged; lots of chrysanthemums.

** NC of years gone by: watched a blacksmith at work and saw how farmers used to dry tobacco leaves.

** Did I mention the food? Saw lots of signs for vendors serving fried things: deep-fried oreos, deep-friend twinkies, deep-fried coca cola (?!). Luckily for our intestinal tracts, we all managed to avoid those vendors.

Things to try at the next state fair: funnel cake. Sadly, by the time all of the aforementioned food was consumed, Joe no longer had room for a funnel cake. Maybe next time.

Note: The food you see in front of Kim and I is actually the order for the four of us - Joe was taking the picture and Mike was off getting silverware.

NC State Fair - Having fun!

NC State Fair - Best in Show

Trees!

This Friday, our landscaper brought more Christmas to us by planting our trees a day early. We now have 3 white crape myrtles, 1 river birch, 1 maple, 1 purple leaf plum and 3 butterfly bushes. More to follow in the spring (shrubs and flowers) but for now, our yard is beautiful and no longer barren and dusty!

Woe are us

Can you exterminate a yucky cold? Joe came home from Chicago with some dirty laundry and a bad cold. His cold turned into a sinus infection. Last night, my throat started hurting and this morning it was all in my chest - not sure if it's bronchitis as my OB just called in a RX (thankfully I didn't have to make the drive to the office today and again on Thursday). Now we're both moping about (one will say the other is more mopey than the him / her) with the sniffles and bad coughs.

Yug.

Joe is heading to Ohio at the end of the month. I told him if he catches another cold while out of town, he can stay in Ohio.

Spooky spider

Last night Joe and I went to a party. When we came home, we saw a little toad in the driveway. Rather than risk squishing him, I jumped out of the car to chase him into the yard. Unfortunately - or fortunately - he decided he'd rather explore the garage. I found him right next to the wall, sitting amongst some stuff, right next to a large spider web which held a large black widow spider killing another spider.

Tomorrow we'll be calling the exterminator.

I can handle orb spiders or wolf spiders or general house spiders - well, I can tolerate them, I don't handle them - but I draw the line at black widows. There's something about their shiny black bodies and long legs and the way they walk that makes them absolutely icky and creepy.

Until we moved to NC, I had never even seen one. Since we moved, we bbq'd one on our grill, I killed one in the front garden with weed killer (I couldn't find the bug killer), Joe came face-to-face with one under the house, and the one last night met her (um)timely death at the hand of a ziploc bag box. Four black widows on my house.

First all the ticks and tick bites. Now the poisonous spiders.

Yuck.

PS. No, I did not take the picture. We weren't about to run in and grab the camera when there was spidercide to be done.

Itchy and scratchy

Seems the itchies (or rather, PUPPS) have returned. While not as bad as last time, I thought I was done with being itchy, so it's slowly driving me mad. Had my bile acids tested to make sure it wasn't the nasty liver problem that can manifest itself as itchy skin, and all that came back normal and negative. Big sigh.

Off to grab some lunch and pick up ingredients to make artichoke dip for a party tonight. Yummy! Hopefully there'll be some leftover to actually take to the party when I'm done making it!

Back from the windy city!

After a week in Chicago attending the Adobe Max conference, Joe got home last night earlier than planned as he moved his flight home up. Here is one of the pictures he posted from his architectural tour of the city. He says Chicago is awesome and that we should go there together sometime. Perhaps in the new year, the three of us (!) could go as a family.

What the heck is that picture? Take a look at this one and others from his trip.

Brain taken by aliens

So, I'm at 31 weeks and it's official: my brain has been taken by aliens. Not only am I extremely forgetful and scatterbrained, today it was playing tricks on me.

Leaf peeing? What's that? (see illustration below from weather.com for what I really saw!)

Hiccups!

Just spent the last 10 minutes laying on the couch, watching Oprah and my belly move and squiggle. Baby has hiccups! Quite funny to feel baby hiccups (they feel sorta like a much stronger pulse). Now I'm hiccuping...

Joe's in Chicago - has been there since Saturday and will fly home Thursday. I've been trying to keep myself busy and out of trouble. So that, for me (when Joe is gone), always involves home decoration of some sort. Last time Joe was out of town, his dad and I painted the nursery. This time around, I continued my nursery adventures by painting little birds around the room and hanging the baby's name above the crib. I would type her name here, but not everyone has been told and I'd rather not have people read it before we get a chance to tell folks in person. So for now, she'll continue to be "baby."

I really need to continue the nursery adventure by painting the bookshelves so Joe can get to work this weekend and hang things on the wall. Between my haircut and lunch out tomorrow and my teeth cleaning on Thursday, I'm not sure I'm going to have time. But we'll see how the next couple of days plays out.