How cute is this?

Make sure you check out their t-shirts too!

http://www.rockandrattle.com/tshirts.html

Speaking of cute stuff - why are the neat franchises never in Cincy?

http://www.salsababies.com/home.html

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

First off - if you didn't sing that line to yourself go back and re-read and sing that line. One of the greatest songs ever.

Second - when visiting the doc this week I asked if I could go to Chicago next week. He said he doesn't recommend it. According to him there is concern that if my water broke I would be stuck there until I deliver and I have no medical care there, and blah blah blah. Yet I get online and there are women still flying internationally until 32 weeks. They say you can fly locally until 35 weeks. So what do I do?

Yeah . . . good luck with that

So we went for another ultrasound on Tuesday and then to see the OB on Wednesday. Good news is that we're no longer breach or placenta previa. Bad news is we're already measuring in the 80% for size.

Yesterday I asked the doctor if they would keep an eye on size and how we'd know if the baby was getting too big, etc. He said that sometimes they go by the father's show size. He asked Jim what size shoe he wears. Jim answers, "Size 14" - the doctor laughs and says "Yeah, good luck with that."

Oh and did I mention that the head is measuring at a due date of 11/2?

Please let this not be mine . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070926/ids_photos_wl/r1583359031.jpg

Make checks payable to . . .

Having recently graduated I finally consolidated all of my student loans - undergrad, the brief yet expensive stint in ChiChi, and grad school. My brain is much like our mortgage, we owe more than it's currently worth.

Twaxton will be out of college by the time I pay off my student loans.

*sigh* Can I make myself a tax deductible charity?

Oh the places you've been . . . sorry you missed it!

Nan loves to talk about the wonderful places she and Papa took me and Amy when we were young. We never remember them and she sighs and says "what a waste". I figure if she can "claim" (Nan doesn't know how to get online, I'm safe) to have taken us to all these wonderful places, then I can do the same.

So, Twaxton (I'm tired, I'm running out of names - you come up with something) here are all the places you've gone while in utero . . . sorry you won't remember any of it.

California - At about 6 weeks, right when I'd found out I was pregnant I traveled to Cali for work. I was out of utero and didn't see much.

School - I finished my MBA and graduated. Your father thinks this counts as your higher education, I don't agree.

The Lake House - We've been to the Lake a few times - this is one place you will probably spend a lot of time and hopefully remember fondly as you grow.

Reds & Bengals games - One of each. The teams may suck, but when we get free tickets we're there to support them!

St. Thomas - Luckily you didn't need a passport yet. We had a great time and you gave me your first real kick on this trip.

WEBN Fireworks - Mommy almost ended up in jail for manslaughter, but it would have been justified - everyone knows you don't mess with a 7 month pregnant woman. Especially one that's a little more unstable by nature.

If the doc says it's okay, you'll be going to Chicago next week as well. Aunt Jamie is going to China and she has a day layover in ChiChi. This is simply an excuse to shop for you at Ikea. Although I'm not looking forward to the drive with you on my bladder, I guess seeing AJ will make it worth it (she does know how to get online, so I have to say that).

I personally am hoping the whole thing is a farce to get me out of the house so "While You Were Out" can come in and make you a kick-ass room, but I'll play dumb so I don't ruin the surprise.

Buy this instead?

This matches the room even better and would give us a place to put the baby!
http://automobiles.honda.com/element/


:-)

I know, I'm a stinky little Schmdit . . . but you can't blame a girl for trying.

Power like this comes with responsibility . . .

I had no idea the power I hold . . .

Thank you both for trying!

I want!

Someone, please, please, please order this for me!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120162418890

It's a diaper stacker and it totally goes with the room theme.

Preeettttyyy puuuulllleeeeaaaassseee!!!!

Braxton + Twister = Brister?

Cause somehow Brister sounds slightly better than Twaxton (although I may save that for next week). I can't tell if I'm having Braxton Hicks or if Brister is grabbing my insides and twisting them. Either way it's a wee-bit painful and I'm about ready to ask for my epidural. I don't think I'll get it, but it never hurts to ask.

I've been working most of the weekend - I'm in training this week and need to get some things done before that. I'm tired of working but kind of have no choice, so whatever. Jim is upstairs working on the room, so I guess at least I'm just sitting here working and not upstairs constructing . . .

Didn't people use to bath in metal tubs?

In the midst of our construction on the nursery/bathroom we had phoned a few local tub replacement companies to get estimates. Ha! It's either a new shower surround or carpet. I think Sockhead would prefer carpet. Seriously folks, it's a place to bathe, not do rock science! I believe I was bathed in the kitchen sink for the first year or so . . . and I turned out just fine (no comments from the peanut gallery, I AM FINE DAMMIT!).

So, no new shower/tub - we'll get by like we've gotten by with this entire house. More caulk. This is the house that caulk built and caulk continues to hold it together.

So here's that's "left" to be done:

Bathroom:
- re caulk tub/shower
- new cabinet doors/knobs
- smooth/"re-tile" floor
- new toilet
- wallpaper
- new faucet
- re-do funky curved wall/ledge
- rehang med cabinet
- accessorize

Room:
- fix floor
- carpet
- sew/hang curtains
- put up blinds
- paint bathroom door
- strip/paint attic door
- strip/paint windows
- new door for hall
- paint/decorate bookshelf
- hang pictures
- accessorize
- put crib together

I might as well go ahead and add
- solve world hunger
- get US Americans more maps so they can identify "the Iraq"

*Sigh* this child is sleeping in the dinning room.

Liars!

You know, I have a number of friends who have been pregnant and I've assumed the things they've been telling me about pregnancy and labor and parenthood have been true. As of last night I find them all to be liars . . . or at least omitters

Here's more information than anyone needs, but what the heck. Last night I was looking at my boobs. Since becoming pregnant they've gotten larger and changed color and are doing all sorts of funky things. Apparently they also now leak. I expected that after the baby is born, but not 2-3 months before. Perhaps I was wrong in thinking I was close with my friends because this is something I would have thought they would have mentioned - while they were pregnant, when I became pregnant - at any point in time. But because this was omitted I've begun to wonder what else they aren't telling me. Is labor really not that bad? Is parenthood really a wonderful thing?

Amy believes it is a giant conspiracy to ensure the continuation of the human race. Upon having a child you receive the double secret probation instruction manual and an access code to a website. The website contains the most recent list of all things about pregnancy and parenting that you are not allowed to tell those who do not yet have a child. In exchange for the double secret probation instruction manual and continual updates you promise to abide by the omitting laws.

I think she's on to something. If they (meaning the mothers) were free to really discuss how things really are while pregnant, delivering, or after - only stupid people would decide to have children. This way, we have stupid and smart babies.

Anything else I should know, friends?

We're certifiable, I mean certified

Jim and I spent a lovely Saturday in Lamaze class - one we assumed would focus on natural birth and the evils of drugs. We were surprised to find an instructor with an epidural and a C-section under her belt. It turned out to be more informative than we were expecting and we feel slightly more prepared. At least we did until we said that and my dad laughed at us and said you forget it all in the heat of the moment. Thanks for the confidence.

Speaking of my father, he's decided that there may be another name he would like to be called, as opposed to Czar (which he spells Zar) - GrandDude, which would make mom GrandDudette. Good luck finding that on a Grandparent's Day card.

We made our way down to Romweber today, a local furniture manufacturer. They have sales every six months or so and this year they had cribs. GrandDudette bought us one! Sockhead (Jim selected the name this week) will not have to sleep in a drawer! I swear when we said that out loud I got a little internal high five. It looks a little like this, but in a slightly darker color. We have no where to put it, so it sits in the box, in the dinning room until the room is done.

Who remembers Johhny's Toys? Remember this? I use to LOVE getting this card in the mail. It was addressed to ME and it meant that I was getting a toy! Apparently they still have the cards, the keys, and the castle.

Not only that, but there is also Totter's Otterville. I'd never heard of this until I saw some pictures the other day. Tonya looked at me like I had 3 heads - I'd never heard of Totter's Otterville? Apparently it's a mini children's museum/play area/birthday party location. http://www.johnnystoys.com/tottermain.html you can check it out if you like. They have a ballet studio and train tables and a min-grocery store and a play house and bunch of other fun stuff. If I'd known about this place my 30th would have been there!

Recent Email Conversation

Me: Should I start my wish list now, or wait until later?
UJ (my uncle who works for a toy company): You know the routine, you whine, you get.
Me: I love that routine!
UJ: You created that routine.


Not only can I create human beings, I can create kick-a$$ routines too!

Forget the kid . . .

Forget the kid - I want one! Remember these? They're back and I want one! Did I say I want one? I want one!

Check out this site http://www.yourbabycanread.com/

It's for ages 3 months to 5 years and there are videos on the site of these little babies reading flash cards! The library has the system, but only in VHS - who has VHS anymore? There are all these letters about kids reading at so many months, I have no clue if that's good or not. When do I get the chart that says they should do this when they're this old and that when they're that old. When do kids typically get a 20 word vocab or start reading?

2007 WEBN Fireworks

Aren't these pictures awesome? Thank you very much, I took them! Thanks to Billiam and Ms. Helen we had the amazing opportunity to watch the fireworks from One Lytle Place. The barge was stopped right in front of us and we were directly between the two bridges. We've watched the fireworks from a houseboat, our couch, the shore, and a row house - these were by far the best. We hadn't expected the invite and the chance to watch from an air conditioned structure while sitting on a comfy chair was more than we could pass up.

You can see some of the other pictures here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/catsmine/sets/72157601846693199/

The evening was almost perfect, but in the end some sphinxter face had to pull the fire alarm. We had to evacuate the building - for us this meant walking down 15 flights of stairs! By the time we walked the couple of blocks to the car I was exhausted!

WEBN Fireworks Finale 2007

I didn't take the video, but thought it would be a good supplement to my pictures.

Chipotle it is!

Aunt Amy got to pick the name this week. The baby is around two pounds this week and Amy says that's the size of a Chipotle burrito - so there you go.

Last week we went to class for Baby Care Basics and Breastfeeding, Saturday it's all day Lamaze. I know I want drugs, but it's supposed to be good for getting prepared and you never know when you'll be stuck in a Taco Bell parking lot. After that we have Save-A-Baby, which is CPR basics.

The image is supposed to show a baby at 27 weeks - however it looks nothing like me. Add a much larger butt, a gut under the baby bump, and make the baby bigger (at least that's what I think).

We won't more measurements or images until the end of the month after our next ultrasound. At that point I'll find out if we're still breach and placenta previa and if I'm giving birth to a giant. I've been holding off on buying diapers or clothes because I'm not sure what size. Issue is from everything I've read they say the weight estimates are normally off by one to two pounds . . . so then what?