36.5 weeks and counting....

Wide load comin' through!

now we're ready.

I have bought not one single item of clothing for this impending baby. I have always felt like I was jinxing it. But as I get countless reminders from babycenter.com, pregnancy magazines, and friends to pack my bag for the hospital, I knew I had to have the perfect "coming home" outfit for the baby. And for all of the truly wonderful things we've been given, I just couldn't pick one thing.

As I was walking by BabyGap tonight, on my way to return some baby clothes to another store because we already have waaay to much, I saw the Product (RED) display at the front of the store and immediately had to check it out. Greg and I bought our Product (RED) shirts at the Gap the first day they came out last year - come on, when Bono tells Greg to do something, he does it - so when I saw this onesie, I knew I had to buy it. HAD TO. It was too perfect. I am hoping that instead of jinxing everything, instead it brings us good karma, as half of the proceeds go to help people with AIDS in Africa. I know, I know, I could have just written a $15 check and had all of the proceeds to go help people, but I want my baby to be an activist from DAY ONE. And I know khaki green isn't really a "girlie" color, but really, is this baby's mother very girlie either? I think not. Well, except for the huge belly.

hot fun in the summer

Yup, we took not one, but two trips to Babies R Us tonight to stock up on gear. We had to go to the Manchester store to pick up the changing table/dresser because it wasn't in stock in New Britain. Also bought loads of other stuff, like diapers and wipes and glamorous things like that. Slowly but surely, we're getting ready.

cake and punch....

....are two wonderfully delicious things I let myself have today. Today was my surprise baby shower at work. It ruled because I got nice gifts and I gave myself a free pass to have cake and punch. And it. was. awesome.

I heart sugar!

tick tock tick tock

That's my internal countdown clock. I'm due one month from today. I feel this overwhelming urgency to get so many things done - the room isn't ready, I don't have my bag packed for the hospital, I haven't washed all the baby clothes in Dreft, I haven't installed the carseat - etc, etc, etc - we don't even have a single diaper in the house. And we're gonna need those diapers the second we realize this is really happening, because I think we're gonna crap our pants. It still seems somewhat unreal to me.

Here's a little snapshot from my weekend. I started to feel like the house was disgusting. We are in a real state of transition - we are getting the nursery ready, which means everything in there had to be moved somewhere else, and Greg is doing all kinds of major yard projects, and it feels like everything is is a major state of disarray. So I felt the need to clean the kitchen in a serious way. So I'm bent down, trying to clean the bottom of the fridge, and I could hardly stand back up. At this point, I can hardly hoist myself out of bed, never mind out of a crouching position. So, I started to cry. I cried and cried and felt so sorry for myself, because I couldn't do the cleaning I wanted to do.

Something else from my weekend - I told Greg that, this is IT, we only have a few truly free weekends left, after this we'll have a baby and we'll need to get a sitter, so we've got to live it up! Here's us living it up - yesterday we went to Home Depot and Borders, and then home for the rest of the day. Greg did yard work and I sat there and read/fell asleep. Today I went to a baby shower.

Obviously we know how to party like it's 1999.

Don't stop....

So, I've seen like 3.5 episodes, mostly by mistake, of "The Sopranos." Greg's a fan so I tried the show out a long time ago, but it wasn't for me. Too violent. But I've read many, many opinion pieces about the finale, and I feel like I've seen it myself. Which is why I found this campaign video of Hillary Clinton's, which is a spoof of the last few seconds of the finale of "The Sopranos," to be pretty amusing. Check it out.

oooh...that's gonna leave a mark

So today was our childbirth preparation class. It was supposed to run from 8:30 to 5, but we got out at 3 instead. Thank God for it too, because I had reached my limit for things-that-will-freak-me-out-to-the-point-of-not-sleeping. Actually, it was really informative - learned a lot about the stages of labor, which range from "ouch" to "*!&*(!^&*!^&*^ ouch" and the glories of epidurals, natural childbirth, c-sections, labor positions, episiotomies (yeesh), all that stuff. We also got to watch a video which featured four women going through different kinds of labors - with drugs, without drugs, with a doula, a c-section - it was somewhat horrifying to think that's where I'll be in less than six weeks. But, at the same time, it was kind of cool - because, holy sh**, that's where I'll be in less than six weeks.

I wish I could blog more, but I'm tiii......zzzzzzz

Remember all of those other times I've complained about being tired? Either here on the blog, or in real life? Or perhaps I sent you an email, complaining about being tired? I had no idea what tired was.

I can't believe how exhausted I am these days. My eyes are literally shutting when I'm driving home from work at 4:30. I want to stay longer - I have so much work to do - but I can feel my brain shutting down beginning around 2, and by 4, I'm cooked. I come home, and find the chores of eating dinner, doing some laundry, getting my lunch ready for the next day, cleaning Jimmy's ears and giving him his medicine, and maybe writing some thank you notes too much to even think about. I slug through these easy-in-real-life things and try to stay awake until 9:30. If I've done that, I let myself fall asleep. Of course, I'm up half the night with leg cramps and bathroom trips.

Right now, I feel bad for my dogs. All I want to do is lay down in bed and read, but Greg isn't feeling well so he's already in bed, and the dogs hate it if they don't have anyone to hang out with at night. So I'm staying up with them for a while, so they don't feel abandoned. I can't wait until we don't have to lock them out of the bedroom anymore.

I had my 34-week appointment today. Six weeks to go. I continue to not really gain weight, but my gut is still growing, which is good. Starting my next appointment (in two weeks) I go to the doctor every week, and they start checking to see if I'm progressing in terms of dilation and all of that. I won't go too much into it, as Alan doesn't like when I talk about "lady business." On Saturday we have an 8.5 hour childbirth prep class. I'm kind of dreading it because I'm scared about childbirth and I think the class will make me more anxious.

Speaking of anxious, I think I'll go read another chapter in What to Expect the First Year.

yesterday was quite the day

The reason is, because it was my big baby shower (surprise!) and the Tony Awards!

Now, I'm no fool. I knew a baby shower was a'comin'. But I didn't know exactly when. I told my mother a long time ago that I wanted it to be a surprise. At the same time, we were running out of days it could take place. Greg told me that we were supposed to go to brunch with two of his work colleagues at Avon Old Farms yesterday. This is not an impossibility at all, so I was all like, "ugh," but I went. How happy was I when the room was full of people I knew instead? With a big 'ol table of lovely presents and a big brunch to eat? Oh yeah - I gave myself a free pass on the diet for the afternoon. A girl has got to enjoy her own shower. I stuffed myself silly and didn't feel guilty for one second.

I got lots of pink, girlie things and lots of stuff we registered for, and it was great. However, it was just another event that really made it seem like this was actually going to happen...and soon.

This picture is of me and my friend Cheryl, who is due six days after me. I feel like I'm starting to look......jolly.

So I went home after and crashed hard, but did manage to stay awake for the whole Tony Awards ceremony. I am such a nerd - but this is a huge night for me. I heart the Tonys hard. The Spring Awakening cast rocked it - and that show won eight Tonys (I think) including Best Musical. It's so cool to see a show that's original, young, rockin', and cool get the shiny trophies it deserves. Not that I have seen it - I just have the soundtrack - but from all accounts it's worth seeing, and I hope to see it soon.

happy birthday, puppy pup

Today is Junior's fourth birthday. He is the best dog I will ever have. No offense to Jimmy, or any other future pups - I love/will love them all tremendously. But Junior is not only the number one pup of all time, he kind of represents my transition into so-called adulthood.

Taking care of a dog isn't easy. Unlike cats, who can take care of themselves for days at a time if you leave them enough food and a clean litter box, dogs need constant attention and care. Junior was great as a puppy - he was housebroken in just a few days, and got LOTS of attention from people everywhere we went. People would say, "Is that a GREAT DANE?," all incredulous that this little 18-pounder would soon be the 125-pounder he is today.

Some people aren't so in love with him. They think because he's big, he's some sort of vicious dog. But all you need to do is spend five minutes with him to know he's more sweet and loving than any human you know.

Some people also felt/feel the need to tell us how "short-lived" Great Danes are - as in, "Oh, is that a GREAT DANE? You know, they don't live very long." Thanks. Should I now mention how your grandparents are looking mighty old, and might not have too much longer to go?

Junior was instrumental the day I got engaged. Greg gave Junior the ring box and then called me upstairs to say that he had thought Junior had something of mine. Of course I was pissed - we were, and still are, constantly prying things out of his big jaw that doesn't belong to him - so imagine my surprise when I found out what he really had. There was no better way to get engaged, in my opinion, then to include the whole family.

And that's what he is. A true part of this family. One of my all-time best friends. The best lap dog EVER. Greg and I knew we were going to start to try to have a baby last year, so a couple of years ago, we thought it might be a good idea to get Junior a friend - to help him understand that while we might incorporate others into our family, he was still very important to us. Hence the arrival of Jimmy on Christmas, 2005. Soon, Junior will have a little sister to play with. And although people are trying to freak me out about the dogs' reactions to the baby, I know Junior will take it all in stride.

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, puppy pup!!

Note: I'm sure I've posted this picture before, but I just find it hilarious.

meet the itchy

I don't mean to brag or anything, but I think this is a particularly disgusting and impressive patch of poison ivy on my leg. You're welcome.

day off

So, I managed to work so much this week that I went well over "normal" hours yesterday and am just completely taking today off. I'm so very happy about this, because I'm totally beat and I don't have a whole lot planned. I'm supposed to go to lunch with a friend of mine - and that's hardly a difficult obligation. Looks like it's going to be a gorgeous summer day (albeit quite hot) so that's good. What I should really do is some work around the house, but we'll see how ambitious I get.

Greg's been really great lately doing a lot of the heavy lifting around here. He's been doing a ton of work on our yard, which is a several-years-in-the-making job. He's also done a major purge of the garage and basement, and has completely cleared out the room that will be the nursery. We will probably go pick out paint and carpet today, or at some point this weekend, and he'll do that too. I feel badly that I can't do much other than to tell him what I want done, and while that sounds ideal, it's really not. I want to help.

In the meantime, I've been reading the latest Alex Cross novel by James Patterson, Cross. It's really good, although I have trouble keeping my eyes open at night to read it. I'm hoping to make a big dent in it today. Greg got me hooked on these James Patterson books while we were in San Diego. I love when I find an author that I like who has already written a ton of books. I feel like I'll have something to read for a long time. I also just read the book Dedication by Emma McLaughlan and Nicola Kraus. These are the same authors who wrote The Nanny Diaries, which is coming out in movie form this summer, I believe. Dedication was a pretty good book - didn't rock my world or anything, but worth taking out from the library.

That's it for me. Have a great weekend.

the return of the itchy

Poison ivy, you are not my friend.

Perhaps one of the most embarrassing, yet often-told, stories of my youth is the one when Heather and I, when we were maybe in 5th or 6th grade, thought it would be cool to get poison ivy. We had never had it before, and something about the shiny, forbidden plant was very alluring to us. So one afternoon we sauntered over to the patch that grew near the garage at her house, and, well, basically rubbed it all over ourselves. And, ah, sweet lady luck blessed us both with the itchies a few days later - and although it was initially very exciting to see the little red bubbles, we soon realized that actually having the poison ivy rash basically sucked big-time arse.

Although it was a lesson learned, since then, I have had poison ivy many times. One memorable time it was on the rim of my eye, and the next morning my eye was swollen completely shut. Sweet (and attractive!). Last summer I got a particularly hideous patch on the back of my leg - so hideous that I decided to take a picture of it and set it as the wallpaper for Greg's cell phone. You know - as a cute reminder of me and how lucky he is to be married to me.

The poison ivy is back with a vengance this season - we get a lot of it in our yard, and when the dogs come in, so do remnants of the vile plant. So far this year I've had patches on both my arms, my back (Jimmy likes to rest his arm on my shoulder when he sits on the back of the couch, and I must've have been wearing a tank top the day he brought in poison ivy dust), and now my foot and bottom half of my right leg.

I wish I could say it was exciting, like it was back in elementary school, but, alas, I f-ing hate it, and I hate being itchy, and this is why I'm blogging at 5:30 a.m. - because of the return of the itchy.

bits and pieces

Some random happenings in my life right now:

I am tired. I have had two extremely long work days in a row, and I'm beat like it's Friday. It's truly a phenomenon how exhausted I am these days. Oh well - 7 weeks to go.

I have burned my belly once again on the iron. Now I have two matching scars in almost the exact same place because I misjudged how big (or small) my belly was while ironing. What a dork.

I scored a pediatrician! Wahoo! I know, I know, I'm a grown-up, boring, etc, but this was high on my to-do list and I'm very happy.

I'm psyched that the Kathy Griffin show on Bravo, "My Life on the D-List," is starting again tonight. I love that show. I know a lot of people find her annoying, but I think she's hilarious. Plus, she has a new stand-up special that is on right before.

The diabetes diet is rolling along. I've lost about four pounds, which is interesting, considering I'm supposed to be gaining a pound a week, but the doctor says it's OK. My levels have been really good, and all in all I'm getting into much better eating habits.

I saw the movie Knocked Up last weekend and it was really quite good. Not as laugh-out-loud funny as I expected, but I liked it.

That's all I gots.

the simple life

I feel like a horrible person when I say I feel a little bit of glee that Paris Hilton is off to the slammer for 23 days, beginning on Monday. She's just one of these so-called celebrities who are famous for no real reason except being extremely wealthy and social. If she did things with her money, like, you know, help other people and stuff, I would have much more respect. But it seems like she just looks at life as one, giant, glitzy party just for her.

Party's over.

just like Britney, he's not that innocent

Jimmy realized this week that he hasn't been to the vet in a while, so he decided to develop yet another ear infection and, as a bonus, swollen anal glands. So, it was off to the vet this morning to get the glands expressed and another round of ear medicine. The thing is, he's getting the ear infections from eating Junior's food (Jimmy has super-expensive fancy food that doesn't give him ear infections, but he doesn't like to eat his food. The ironic thing is, Junior loves it.). You would say, well, why not feed them both the same fancy expensive food, but we get Junior's food at cost and, let's face it, he's a big pup who eats big bowls of food. As it is, Junior's food=a lot of money every year. We don't want to spend the extra $$$ on food we don't need to buy. So the vet suggested feeding Junior at specific times and making sure Jimmy doesn't get to the food. But we free-feed the dogs, and with everything going on in our house now, we don't want to change something else in their schedules. So we're going to change Junior's food to something else we can still get at the Puppy Center, but with different ingredients, so hopefully Jimmy's ears will not be affected. I know this isn't the best solution, but it's the best solution for now.