Holiday Sports- Gingerbread Style

Our family has a tradition. Every year my Aunt and Uncle Host a gingerbread house competition. Generally, its them, my cousin, my crazy grandma, and Hubby and I. This year, my Sis joined us, and Little E observed. We all start with the same constructed house, and a bunch of candy. You're also allowed to suppliment with other goodies, as long as they're edible.

Now, I'm sure you're all picturing a warm and fuzzy day with all of us enjoying the holiday spirit. No way. No how. First things first, this competition is usually fueled with wine and beer. I was only allowed to have a single glass, or the Champers would have been flowing. Everyone else still had fun, while I nursed a single glass of Chardonnay over the four-hour competition. There's trash talking (especially at Grandma, who manages to use about 3 lbs of icing each year, makes a giant mess, and always complains that her stuff doesn't work), there can be full contact, if a situation calls for it.... I look forward to this all year. Every year we step up our game. As you can see from this year's entries- we're all pretty good. This year, I made team uniforms for our little fam. Hubby, E and I all wore reindeer headgear.

I have the reputation for being a little overzealous, and planning too far ahead. Maaaaybe it's true. This year, I painted my house with food coloring and water and used thin icing to create the look of brick, added a classic neco wafer roof, and added candy touches throughout. I'm very proud of my creation.

Hubby has, in the past, been the Zen Gingerbread guy. His designs were always simplistic. We're not sure what happened this year. He sat there for about an hour, just looking at his house, and then next thing we knew, it was covered in giant Peeps, and he was squirting icing everywhere. Despite that, it turned out really fun, and now they're both gracing our dining room, waiting to be fawned over at our annual holiday bash.

My little elf....

It didn't take long.

Emma and I are full on into the holiday spirit.

And when you have all day... you end up finding stuff like THIS.

The Holiday Season is upon us....

And we're having so much fun with it. As you can see from the photos here, Emma likes her warm clothes as much as mommy does. She also loves singing Christmas carols. She'll stare and grin when I sing to her, and then starts singing "oooh, oooh" right along with me.

We went to get the tree this weekend, and ended up with a beautiful, tall and skinny, 8 ft. Noble Fir. The decorating is pretty simple. We have big bulb lights that are kind of fun, and different than the "usual." Most of our ornaments are blown glass. I just think they look beautiful, and we have tons of different "themes" to them. This year we added new garland and a tree topper. I think it's gorgeous, and will be just right for adding all the cute ornaments E will someday make for us in school. Right now, she does little more than stare at the tree, but it's good to know we can entertain her so easily.

No one tells you this, but the Holidays are just so much more fun when you have a teeny person in your life. I know E isn't going to remember anything from this Christmas, but the house is decorated, and we're going a little nuts with presents, and we'll bake cookies for Santa. I've never been so joyful, so this is just the right season to be enjoying E's babyhood.

Gobble Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving, all! This was a great year. Because Little E isn't ready to travel, the 'Rents In-Law flew out from Buffalo, and I got to host my first holiday. There were six of us in all, including a special appearance from our buddy, El D.

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of how the table turned out. I made a pretty and simple centerpiece from autumn leaves and gourds (And that pie pumpkin in the center is going to become bread, or pie or something...), dressed up the candles with seasonal fruit and flowers, and used our wedding china for the second time. The food was pretty great as well. I can't boast about my bird, because MIL was in charge of the cranberries and Murray the turkey (yes, I named him), but I made the stuffing, taters (mashed, and sweet with marshmallows), beans, pies, etc. It was quite a spread. I'm so full, in fact, that I'm not nibbling on leftovers. What is THAT about? I suppose it just means there will be more around tomorrow. Mmmm, toasted sourdough with tons of butter and dark meat turkey. Heaven.

Little E didn't really get it, but she looked festive. The best I can do right now is to dress her appropriately. I can't say she was crazy about the turkey hat, but maybe next year. And now, it's time to decorate for Christmas! Woohoo. The holiday before my favorite holiday is done, and I get to shop for presents, and read E the Grinch, and watch Elf and Christmas Vacation. Yahoo!

Wonder child.

Little E slept for 5 hours, ate, then slept for 4 hours last night. That last four was interrupted by a little whimpering, but at about 6, when Hubby's alarm went off, we just brought her to bed (she's quite the snugglebug) and we slept another two hours. She's been consistantly sleeping for one 4 or 5 hour shift, but every few days I get a night like this, and it makes me feel like a whole new mommy!

She ate and we came downstairs, and now she's asleep again. What an angel! This is my favorite sleepy E pic so far. She poses so pretty without even knowing it!

Baby E's New Tricks

This kid is oh-so-much fun. In the last week, she's getting even more expressive and engaging. She'll follow the sound of my voice around the room. She'll sleep for a 5-hour tear some nights. She'll pull her head up during tummy time, and is just so big and strong. We think she's at 10 lbs. She visibly gets excited over things now (mostly the sight of my boobs), and I really REALLY think we're getting close to smiles. (How many weeks have I said that?) Oh, and now, every night, instead of napping, she likes to help me cook dinner. This is a very good thing considering that I'm hosting Thanksgiving for 5 this year (6 including Little E). She'll be good company during pie making. What do you think? Do I dare try to make my own piecrusts on my first go-round?

She's finally big enough to enjoy a trip around the house in the Bjorn. I'm going to try it the next time we go to the grocery store, too. Unfortunately, she generally passes out after just a few minutes of us dancing together. Then she goes limp. But it makes for good pictures.

Meet the newest Domestic Diva in town...

It's official, folks. I'm a full-time Mommy. I quit my job. It was bittersweet, as I loved my job, and the folks I worked with, but like I told my former boss: Here at home is where my most important work is these days. Other than the Hubby, no one loves this little girl as much as I do, and I'm convinced that no one could do as good a job as I will do in taking care of her. She may end up a little smothered, at least at first. Poor child- she has a lot of this to look forward to.

Trick or Treat!

E's first Halloween was pretty low-key. We didn't have time to get a pumpkin, and we didn't go anywhere, but we had to dress up our little darlin. As with most things E, she wasn't sure about how she felt about this... So, she fussed a little at first.


Then calmed down.


Then went to sleep.

2007- The Best Year E-V-A

Emma is born, and we win the World Series, with Lowell as MVP. Ah, bliss.

Baby E's One-Month Check-up....

Apparently, we're still doing well. E has gained almost another pound- 9 lb.s 5 oz. and is now over 22" tall. Her diaper rash is minor, and totally not our fault. Newborns just poop all the time and it's impossible to keep them perfectly clean. Her gas is also normal, although, I'm going to start avoiding more of the foods that couple be the problem. She appears to be developing perfectly, has good head control, and the doc thinks she'll start smiling in the next month. YAHOO. I can't wait for that moment.

And P.S. We're up 2-0 in the World Series! Go Sox!

Today is a very good day.

It's October.
Emma let me sleep 8 (non-consecutive) hours last night.
John Williams is conducting the National Anthem.
Beckett is hot stuff on the mound.
We're leading the World Series 1-0.
Even Lugo and Drew are pulling their weight.
Since losing Judas Damon, I have a new Sox Crush.
I heart Mike Lowell.
Oh, and Manny doesn't know what day it is....

I love Autumn.

Happy Duedate, E!

E is 4-weeks old today, and we've officially hit her duedate. She's getting so big, and learning so much. She's really looking at us now, and may be getting ready to start smiling.

She's also hungry ALL the time. Other than that.... we're all as happy as can be.

Let's just forget about math altogether.....

So, I just saw a commercial for the new "Electronic Banking" version of Monopoly. It's supposed to be modernized to reflect today's cashless system, and allows for huge amounts of money to be used in transaction. In fact, each player starts with $15 Million. However, does anyone even pause to think that this takes away from kids (and adults for that matter) having to do the math of the simple transactions in their head. Working with "cash" also teaches players the value of money in a way that credit just doesn't. This makes me sad. We're now raising a generation of children that will not be able to function without the assistance of a calculator. I, for one, will be holding on to my ORIGINAL edition Monopoly, so Emma can learn to add and subtract in her head. She's also going to play Scrabble as soon as she can spell.

The 5.5 is from the Russian Judge.

So, my mother-in-law just left after coming to visit and meet E. It was wonderful to have her here, and she was a big help in a lot of ways- paying for stuff, helping with dinners and dishes... but my hormones were playing mean tricks on me.

All weekend, while I was in the nursing chair constantly.... (she's on a feed or fuss every two hours and only calm down for mom kick) and Hubby and MIL were on the sofa, I kept feeling as though I was performing an unknown sport in front of a panel of judges. I hate Baby Blues.

On a positive note. My baby is still the cutest thing ever- and she loves leaving the house, which is really good news for me. We took her out to the grocery store, and out for a walk to the nearby park this weekend. She loves being in her carrier and stroller, and behaved like an angel. This means that as soon as the weather warms up again (it's cold and cloudy today), she and I are going for walks every day. I'm ready to lose the last of this pooch.

Currently, my little angel is trying to pass some gas while asleep in her bouncy seat. We just finished lunch, so maybe we can both catch a nap soon. Naps make everything better.

And in this corner....

The heavyweight champ of SoCal..... Baby E!

Went by the Doc's office today because I thought E might have a cold. She doesn't, but she is carrying an additional 1.5 lbs. She hit 8 lbs on her 3 week birthday. Yahoo. This means we can chill in the BabyBjorn and sleep without waking her for feeding in the middle of the night.

I may feel like a milk-cow, but at least I'm a potent one.

Pup's Second Week Highlights

1. Baby poop has remarkable range. This particular explosion left Hubby standing over the sink, holding our nekid baby, proclaiming, "My daughter just [pooped] in my hand." I sat on the bed, leaked milk and laughed. Hard. But then the same thing happened to me the next day.



2. I'd say she's filling out just a little bit. We call this the sumo-baby picture. "Give me milk. Rawr!"


3. Reading to babies is good. So far it's been Erik Larson from Daddy, and Jenny McCarthy from mom, but it puts her right to sleep, and I like to think that, and the classical music we play during quiet times is have some positive effect on her rapidly growing grey matter.


4. The cats are both happier now that I'm not pregnant. The Romeo has even stopped peeing outside his box. Now that he can sleep on my belly again, he's a happy boy. He's even been so brave as to get close enough to sniff our little one.


5. This is cuteness to the extreme. She may be mostly a bit of a "blob" to quote Jenny McCarthy, but already she's spending more time awake, she's looking right at us, and starting to check out the world...... smiles are on the way, I just KNOW it. But in the meantime, she's still the cutest, best thing in the history of history.

MOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So, um, this whole breastfeeding thing isn't easy. Not at all. They make look fabulous, but the first two weeks have been excruciatingly painful, not to mention frustrating, AND expensive. You think you save money by doing it this way, but not so much when you send your husband out every 10 minutes to buy another "sore nipple" product at Babies R Us. I've got Guards, whichkeep fabric, etc off the nipple to prevent chafing and to keep it dry if you leak (which you do), as well as lanolin cream, and soothing gel pads. And today, I paid $100 to have a sweet little Kiwi woman come over, grab my boobs and try and teach me how to do it better. It's a tough row to hoe- the process of feeding and diapering her takes at least 45 min, usually, closer to an hour or hour and a half, and we have to repeat this dance every three hours.

In between bouts of crying in pain and frustration, I'm trying to keep my sense of humor. I mean, how can you not when a stranger is fondling you, trying to get your boob in your baby's mouth, and instead it squirts her in the face. HA!

All in all, I currently feel a little more like a barnyard animal being used for its goods more than a wife and mommy, but I'm dealing. Baby E is thriving, and that's what matters. And the weight loss helps. A lot. I'm trying not to think about the fact that the Lactation Consultant said I should only be losing a pound a month. Oops. I'll slow down to that rate as soon as I hit the same weight as hubby, who is currently still 10 lbs below my current weight. Not that this fact makes me feel like a heifer or anything....... Like I said..... MOOOOOO!

Happy Belly Button Day!

Tonight at 10:20 p.m., E's creepy umbilical stump fell off, leaving what I'm sure will end up being a very cute belly button. Yay for nothing on my baby being creepy!!!!

One Week at Home.....

So, one week out of the hospital, I’d like to say that I’m pretty alright at this parenting thing. Hubby is amazing. E is a champ, and we’re all working together to make this thing work.

She is feeding, sleeping and pooping exactly as she should. I never thought I’d care so much about another human’s feces, but there you have it. The day it turned colors like it was supposed to, it was a cause for celebration. It’s also a great sign that I am not yet a failure at the whole breastfeeding thing. For anyone thinking about attempting this feat- think about how far you made it in labor before begging for the epidural. If you made it halfway, or had the epi turned off prior to birth, then you can attempt it. If you rolled into the hospital at 1 cm and mild contractions and begging for the drugs, you may want to think again. Next to labor, this pain is the most mind-numbing and toe-curling I’ve ever experienced. However, it’s best for the Pup and that’s good enough for me. You also have to be prepared for your baby to make this horrible face when offered a boob.

Other than that, we’re settling into a rhythm, and really enjoying being a family. We did the first sponge bath, mostly to fix up her totally hot hair. We've finally gotten everything organized. And I've already lost 19 of the 26 lbs. I gained. If this keeps up, by the time I quit feeding E, I'll be at my goal weight rather than my prepregnancy weight. Yahoo!

I’m going to be so depressed when Hubby goes back to work. Why can’t we be independently wealthy so he can stay home for a long, long time? To make myself feel better about this issue- that’s not going to be an issue for at least another week… I went on a bit of a retail binge this evening- spending the gift cards we had left. That’s always fun. Pottery Barn kids has lots of cute holiday décor- I got a little something for Halloween, a little something for Thanksgiving, and a little something for Christmas. Emma is the perfect excuse to go crazy for every holiday

She's so teeny and amazing.

Life is so good....

I'm feeling better, my baby is better, we're going home, and I get to spend the rest of my life loving this.

Not Going Home Yet....

Thought we'd be going home this a.m., but unfortunately, baby E was a little early, has a severe cae of jaundice, and needs to finish toasting up in her little EasyBake Oven. Doesn't she look fetching in her goggles. The good news is that I was finally moved to a private room.

I'm very intimidated by this whole motherhood thing. I want so badly to take good care of E. She's already too smart for her own good, and has learned to remove her little goggles and roll off of her glo-blanket. Recovery is still pretty tough.

The bad news is that I had a major meltdown at the nurses station at 3 a.m. last night. Just so tires, and feeling like I wasn't giving E what she needed, and to top it all off - she invented a new cry.... high pitched, and hoarse, and almost inaudible. It completely breaks my heart.

Emma's Birth Story- the Unabridged Volume

Sept. 19, 2007, 2:30 a.m. - Woke up with what I assumed were gas cramps. Except they were happening pretty regularly - at first 1/2 an hour, then 15 min. I also started feeling very "leaky"- never quite making it to the bathroom, which I thought couple have been my waters breaking. By 4 a.m., I was not able to get comfortable between the cramps, and was pacing the living room reading as many versions as I could find of the differences between false and real labor. When Hubby's alarm went off at 6, I interrupted his tooth brushing to tell him that he was not going to work, but taking me to the hospital.... as soon as possible. The pain, by this point was so bad and close together (Between 5 and 7 minutes and lasting over a minute each) that I didn't care if they told me I was just consipated and incontinent. I just wanted to be seen by a doctor.

When we arrived at the hospital, the security guard who approached to let us know that we had to use the new, far away entrance took one look at me and jogged off for a wheelchair. We then spent 15 minutes in registration, despite being preregistered, before FINALLY getting to Labor and Delivery and strapped into the monitors. Contractions were coming at 4 minutes (photo is of me mid-contraction). Luckily, Dr. Hannah answered her page quickly and arrived shortly thereafter to check me for dialation and membrane rupture. She attempted to break my water, since I wasn't sure. Let me tell you, this isn't a gentle or delicate procedure. YOW! She also determined that I was at 4 cm dialated. She couldn't remember the last time a patient made it to 4 cm at home and told me that I was super-tough. I promptly requested my epidural. The anesthesiologist was AWESOME, and within 10 minutes, I wouldn't have been able to tell I was in labor, were it not for the fact that I was strapped down to a bed by an IV, heart rate monitor, fetal heart rate monitor, contraction monitor, amniotic fluid re-filler, catheter, epidural.... and possibly another few gadgets... I stopped counting. The nurse checked me a short while later and I had progressed to 6 cm. She estimated at that point, that we'd be having a baby shortly after the lunch hour.

It then became a game of hurry up and wait- until it was time to push. Unfortunately, this good time was cut short by the fact that Baby Girl's heartrate began to drop. They started pushing more fluids into the uterus, to help float her off her cord if that was the problem, and moving me from side to side. They also put me on oxygen. When that wasn't working as well as they'd like, they paged the doc again. Minutes later Dr. Robert - my primary ob, and Dr. Hannah's Hubby, arrived and said that since I was progressing so fast, we should try to push out the baby rather than go for major surgery. Still, he had the nurses check for an OR. I was at 8 cm, at this point so he didn't think it would be long. 20 minutes and a couple of heartrate dips later, I was at 10 cm, and he nonchalantly put on his scrubs and told Hubby to grab a leg. We were both taken aback at how quickly the moment had arrived. At this point, they also turned off the epidural, so I could feel things better, and push her out more quickly.

Pushing wasn't exactly fun, and got more an more painful at all times, but Baby Girl was headed for trouble, so I had to get her out quick. At 45 minutes of pushing, I hit the was and didn't think I was going to be able to do it. It hurt so badly, and I was so tired. Thank goodness for nurses. One of my nurses talked me through the pain, let me cry a little and got me ready for the next push. Not long after, out popped our baby girl. All three of us cried. As she emerged- which looked like the doctor trying to a salmon at Pike Place Market, I was overwhelmed by that parenting instinct to count the little pink toes (all I could see). Due to her technical prematurity (she was born at exactly 36 weeks), she had to be whisked away by the NICU staff to be checked for breathing. I could only hear her cry and listen to everyone tell me how gorgeous she was while the doctor fixed me up. They put her on my chest soon enough, though, and despite a seriously gnarly looking head, being covered in womb-cheese, and medical eye goop, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Emma is here!

Emma Kate
September 19, 2007
1:12 PM
6 lbs, 8 oz, 18.75 in


More details to come, when mom gets some sleep!

Muggleblog- At Long Last

Hubby has finally finished reading Deathly Hallows, and I've had time to digest my feelings on the book, so I think it's time to post a blog entry on the subject. There are some spoilers here, so if you haven't finished it, or don't want to know, skip this blog entry.

Let me start by saying that I love the Harry Potter series. I love the universe that J.K. Rowling has created, and all in all, I loved this book. I had big problems with it, but it was mostly a very appropriate ending for a great story.

Now the bad: I had a big problem with the deaths of Lupin and Tonks. I understand the choice to kill off their characters, particularly after they had just found love, and had a child. That is the cruelty of war. It's a paralell to Harry's own character. However, to do it so unceremoniously, was tragic. I felt they deserved better. Hubby and I both also feel that Rowling gave herself a few too many outs. This book suffered from what some of the other had, which is a lack of action (not a lack of story, or richness, or information, but simply a lack of action) in most of the book, leaving 200 pages at the end to pack in all the most important action. For this book, it left many many horcruxes to be destroyed in a short amount of time. In order to do that, things became a little too convenient for our heroes. Wanna destroy a locket, the sword will just show up. We gotta get rid of the diadem, let's create FiendFire. That'll do it. That bothered us both, along with the first 500 pages of camping in different locations while not finding or destroying anything.

Now that I have that out of my system, I loved, LOVED the richness that the characters developed in this book, particularly the characters of Snape and Dumbledore. Until this point, most of the characters in the series had either been good or bad, plain and simply, with the notable exception of Snape.... With him, we could never tell.

Having a shadow of doubt cast on Dumbledore was great for me. It made him fallable. Human. Real. While this is a magical universe, the ties to reality are wonderful. He was still a great man. But having been tried by the bad in his life is probably what made him that way.

As for Snape, the end of his story really choked me up. He was still a nasty piece of work. He never cared for Harry. Not one bit. However, the love he once felt, tied him to the good in the world. He was lonely, and power hungry, and willing to do almost anything to get what he wanted- just like Voldy, but he had the ability to love, even if unrequited. And it was the love for that woman that made him the second biggest hero of the books in my opinion. I heart Severus Snape. And I can't WAIT to see what Alan Rickman does with it in the next two films.

Viva Harry Potter! I can't wait until baby girl is old enough to start reading the books.

59th Annual Emmy Awards

Ummmm.... I thought they sucked. Ryan Seacrest was not the right host for this type of event, and was wearing what appeared to be a patent leather tie. I really disliked the "Theater in the Round" feel- everyone looked uncomfortable. The writing was TERRIBLE, and all in all the fashion was boring. Most everyone looked good, although, Vanessa Williams needs to learn that Green Feathers are almost always the wrong answer. My good friends Say and TK didn't have much to say. Maybe Oscar night will be more exciting this year...

Quote of the Day/Pregnancy Update Weeks 33 and 34

Made me laugh so hard I might have peed my pants a little. Says Hubby while gazing upon my 84 months pregnant visage... complete with unzipped maternity pants and a t-shirt that creeping up to my chest.....

"Jesus. Your navel looks like a bullet wound."

He's very concerned that the stretch marks hurt. They don't. They're just scary looking. All in all though, I'm really not that huge. She's a little overwhelming from the side, but I haven't gained a lot of width, and in all truth, the safe money was on my ass expanding to about four times it's size. That didn't happen.

As for the last two weeks of the pregnancy, they've been interesting. Week 33 was a good one, with only 1 dose of medicine. Then, last Friday, it hit. Our friend K was in town, and my shower was the next morning. I woke up at midnight in a state of hurtin. I then proceeded to puke violently every 1/2 an hour until 9 a.m., with one last round at 11:45 (5 minutes before I had to leave for my baby shower). The doc said as long as I could keep some liquid down and the baby was moving that I'd be fine. Unfortunately, I wasn't the most energetic at my baby shower, but still had a great time. The Cuz made it a beautiful party, and I've got some great group of friends that spoiled me rotten. I slept from the moment I got home til about noon the next morning- only rousing when Hubby made me drink an ounce or two of Gatorade or sip some soup. I had pretty much recovered by Monday a.m., in time to be left alone for another week of 90210 reruns, crossword puzzles, and general staring at the walls.

Since that time, I've had one more day where I needed a dose of meds, and had to skip childbirth class. Then, the Grandma decided she had something better to do, and half the family got the black lung, so my family shower, scheduled for tomorrow, was cancelled. No biggie. Instead, Hubby and I are staging a siege. Babies R Us won't know what hit 'em. Every day that goes by, I realize that Baby Girl could be here at any moment. After an incredibly generous gift basket arrived from Hubby's office, we have more than half the credit we need to get all our gear. Hubby stopped today to get the final linens for the Nursery, and to order my superhot diaperbag. By Sunday evening, we will be ready gear and room-wise for her arrival. I'm sure I'll post about the siege, the set-up, and all the fun we're going to have doing it.

Can we prepare mentally or emotionally? I really think not.

The coolest new TV show....

Okay, so I'm a year late. However, when Heroes came out on DVD, Hubby Netflixed the first disc to see if I would get into it. By the next morning, we were at Best Buy, buying the season. This is the greatest show since Grey's Anatomy. I'm equally thrilled - to have something that Hubby and I are both so into. He gets so excited when I get into anything even remotely Sci-Fi- and horrified - because I need another television appointment like I need a fat hole in my head. Still. The stories are great, the characters are great, and I CANNOT wait for the premiere in 2 weeks. It gets 4 out of 4 Spuds in my TV Reviewing Pantheon. Here's hoping that Season 2 can live up to it.

Pregnancy Update- Week 32

Week 32 was a heckuva lot better than week 31. I'm still on bedrest- and so is Ted. I haven't had to take meds for my contractions in a week, I'm feeling great, and every day that goes by is a day closer to the "safety zone" for little girl being born. As you can see. Romeo is also doing his best to make the little one feel cozy in the belly-house for at least a couple more weeks!

Nesting is still in full-swing. Hubby has been very good at taking instructions and putting together the baby's room. We have the mattress now, so it'll be improving day by day. I can't wait for our big shower next weekend, as I'm anticipating getting some of the gear we need to really feel prepared for her big entrance. I'm also finding myself nesting in ways that don't involve physical labor for myself.... including calling the management of our complex to see if we can upgrade our flooring mid-lease. The idea of having laminate downstairs is VERY appealing.

Upcoming this week.... not a whole lot. I'm getting a haircut and a facial in a couple of days, which will hopefully make me feel a little bit more like a human, as opposed to the bump on a log feel I've got most days.

I Wanna Be a Foodie Review II- Kitchen Confidential

Okay, so I'm on bedrest, and I can't actually go out for great food, but I can read about it, right? I just finished Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential. Let me start by saying that this guy is one messed up bastard. He's a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, decorum-lacking, frigging genius. The stories he tells are of the "I can't believe he lived to tell it"variety. And I am totally fascinated by the man. I mean, this is a guy whose website features a video clip of him eating the still-beating heart of a cobra. He has a natural inclination toward storytelling, though, and the book was highly, highly enjoyable.

I've seen his show on the travel channel a few times, and have really enjoyed his guest blogs on the Top Chef website. A few months ago, I found a blog where he railed on every Food Network chef. It was entertainment of the highest and snarkiest form.

I don't feel it's right to share any of the details of the book, because it would ruin the fun of reading the book. If you loved the TV show, Kitchen Confidential you will love this book as well, and hopefully, like me, you'll end up putting Brasserie Les Halles on your top ten Must Eat restaurants.

Pregnancy Update Week 31

This has been an exciting one, folks. At my doc's appointment a week ago, we determined that my Braxton Hicks contractions were too close together for comfort. So, Dr. G pulled me out of work, which was a bit of a shock, but not too disappointing. Doc said to put my feet up most of the day, and to call in a couple of days if they didn't slow down. Well, they didn't. So, on Saturday, I called the on-call guy, who told me to come into the hospital to see him. I was strapped to monitors for 3 hours, given two shots of a drug to calm the contractions, then sent home with a prescription.

Don't jump to conclusions, now. I'm not in real labor. Women have Braxton Hicks contractions all the time. This is just "threatened labor."

At my doc's appointment today, Dr. G said that he'd say there's less than a 50% chance that this little girl is coming early, and that I'll start feeling better a week or so from now, when I realize that how I am feeling is the norm for me, and that every practice contraction isn't the real thing.

So, in the meantime, I'm bonding with my Tivo and my Netflix, doing a bit of reading, and doing my darndest not to go stir crazy. As long as things remain calm, hopefully, I'll have more time for the blogging.

An LA Landmark Gets Another Chance

So, the Queen Mary has been bought by a group of investors that are planning to add more hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues to the area, making it more of a "destination." The article didn't mention any refurbishment to the ship itself, but I have to hope that such work is included in the plans.

Hubby and I went to visit the ship last year, and were disappointed to find it mostly rundown, with horrible gift shops, etc. It looks like they haven't done any refurbishment, let alone maintenance in the 40 years the ship has been docked in Long Beach. I'm sure it was dazzling in its day, but now needs work. No customer is going to be willing to pay over $100 a night for a musty, small stateroom with peeling paint. The touring exhibit of artifacts recovered from the Titanic, however, was absolutely amazing. If it comes near your town, I highly recommend going. But I digress. It'll be great for the City if they can do some refurbishment and start bringing in some dollars to this gre

at piece of history again.

My parents spent their wedding night on the Queen Mary, and someday I'd love to stay onboard too – preferably when it doesn't so closely resemble a roach motel. And as long as they never make me go in the propeller room again. That place has some serious bad juju. It is the place on Earth that I am most frightened of. I didn't have a bad experience in there or anything, it just felt so wrong. Bad, bad juju. Karma don't lie, people. Look at this creepy picture!

A Sweet Treat in an Unfriendly Land

Bakersfield may not be the greatest place on Earth. There's not a lot there. But one thing that IS there is Dewar' s. This confectioner makes the best taffy chews ever. Because my mom and her sibs grew up out there, we generally have a few boxes around at the holidays. Here at work, one of the bigwigs makes an annual trip and brings each department a box. I think I destroyed our department's box in 72 hours. I especially like the peanut butter and almond flavors. Peppermint is good, as is the caramel. The chocolate caramel, I can take or leave. Y'all should really try this stuff.

Pregnancy Update- Week 30

And friggin falling apart..... Pardon me while I bitch and moan for a few minutes. I honestly had my first moments of "GET THIS THING OUT OF ME!" this week. Sleeping on my side has caused me to throw out my neck so that I get a searing pain if I turn it wrong, or particularly if I laugh. And I like to laugh. I've been sleeping on my back to try to relieve this, which has left me waking up totally out of breath each morning, because the baby is resting on my lungs.

I've also started to experience calf cramps the likes of which I didn't think existed. Yesterday, I was nearly screaming while trying to work it out.

For these ills, I have gotten a membership at Massage Envy, and taken advantage of my first massage. It was nice, but didn't do the trick. Tomorrow, I try the accupuncturist. Yes, me, the girl afraid of needles. Should be interesting to say the least.

My vision is also going downhill. Everything seems to be blurry these days. I'm getting that taken care of this week.

Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more frequent, some days nearly constant (2 an hour), and others just in reaction to doing too much or getting stressed out. We'll see what the doc has to say about that on Thursday. I can't say I'd be disappointed if he put me on medical leave. I'd just rather not be on total bedrest.

There were good parts to these last couple weeks as well. As hard as it is to get around now, I love my big belly, and love the connection I have with the little girl in it. I'm getting so excited about the things we're going to get to share with her- particularly books. Today I ordered her the Beatrix Potter anthology. Oh how I love Beatrix Potter. Oh, that reminds me.... I need to put Ms. Potter on my Netflix queue. But I digress, I can really feel Baby Girl each time she moves, Hubby has felt her a few more times now, we think there may be a name.... maybe.... and I started a Theater Glut that will last for the next 4 weeks. I saw Wicked with a friend on Thursday, we have tickets for next Sunday, and will be seeing Jersey Boys next Sunday, and have tickets for Avenue Q in early September. I figured we won't be getting out to the theater terribly often after the little one arrives, so find cheap tickets and do it now. Lucky for me, Hubby agrees. I just hope I keep this level of mobility. At least for a while.

The nesting instinct has also kicked in with a vengence. I spent yesterday out with Mom and got just about everything I need to create a baby's room. Art is on order, and linens will wait until after the showers (I'm certainly not going to spend the money if someone's going to buy it for me!) . Other than that, we'll start putting the room together this week. To the left is a picture of the empty crib.... it's about all she's got going on in her room for now. More pictures to come as I do some decoratin'.

Busy week coming up that will hopefully solve some of these issues. Like I said, Monday, I'll be going to the accupuncturist, Tuesday is the eye doc, Wednesday I meet the Pediatrician I've been referred to, Thursday I go see Dr. G for my 31 week appointment, and Saturday Hubby and I go for our Hospital Orientation. Lots of fun, but all things that will make me feel more in control of this whole situation.

P.S. On another happy note, Hubby just helped me figure out how to show my line breaks in my entries. This should make it easier for those of you out there that read this. All three or four of you.