Weekend Wrap Up

Saturday
We went to scope out potential camcorders. Lately, Jerry has been dedicatedly researching various camcorders since, well, since we got pregnant; for men, it's all about the gadgets. Anyway, in the past few weeks, the decision about which one to buy has reached "stage critical" and he had narrowed his search to 3 potential candidates, and he wanted me to see them and test them in person before ordering one online. After looking at them, we decided on one and Jerry ordered it from Amazon. (Jerry cashed in some change this weekend, and it turned out that he had $175 in his change jar! Whoa! I guess those poker evenings with the guys really do pay out. Anyway, with his change-jar cha-ching and some giftcards he'd been hoarding, our new camcorder felt like a bargain!)

The funny thing is that after he ordered it, he proudly announced, "Well, our new video camera will be here in 5-9 business days!"

"Well, I hope it gets here before the baby does," I told him.

His face fell with the sudden realization that that may be a possibility. Now is probably the one time he wishes he would have paid the extra $$ for the rush shipping :)

After we shopped for the camcorder, we went to see a matinee of Harry Potter, and I have to say, it was fabulous. In my opinion, probably the best of the Potter adaptations so far. Of course, it was like 2 hours and 40 minutes, so I had to get up and pee twice during that time, but other than the long sit, I really thought it was great. Now, it sucks that we have to wait until Nov of 2010 for the first installment of Deathly Hallows!

Sunday
I ran some errands, and then went and treated myself to a pedicure. Pedicures are one of my few beauty indulgences, but I have really come to appreciate them since I got pregnant, and they are a special treasure to me right now since I can't really paint my own toenails (managing to shave my legs feels like it deserves a gold medal).

So, it's been a nice weekend, but everywhere I go I have been getting the following:

Questions from strangers about when I'm due.
Comments from strangers about how I look like I'm gonna "pop" any day now.
Pats on my belly from strangers.
Question from a stranger if the iced coffee I was drinking is decaf.
Question from a stranger about which prenatal vitamins she should buy.
Pat on my belly from pedicure-girl and comment that I'm lucky not to have swollen ankles.

So, am I ready to have this kid? Hell, yes! If for no other reason than to have an end to the above.

Dog Beach Friday

Thanks for the compliments on the pics I posted earlier today (below); I feel ginormous. And yes, I'm ready, but at the same time, I'm practical and I know that while it could be "any time now," it could also be 5 weeks from now. We'll see when she's ready!

Anyhoo...this afternoon when Jerry got home from work, we packed up some beach stuff and took Scooter to Hollywood! Hollywood, FL that is. They have a "dog beach" there, where on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, you pay $5 for access to a section of beach that allows dogs to roam off leash. We had a blast and Scooter loved it. And, of course, I took about 3 dozen pics. Here's a sampling:

Scooter, ears flapping in the ocean breeze: He looks like he's smiling, doesn't he? Jerry and Scooter running: It's like my own version of "Baywatch"!

Jerry and Scooter playing in the waves: Waves kinda freak Scooter out, and each time he'd muster up the courage to go out and swim, he'd get a wave big enough to splash over him and then he'd be done with that for a bit.

Scooter and I:

Scooter looking contemplative off into the distance. There's just something about the sea that brings out the thinker in a dog :) Note the slobber encrusted with sand. Yummy.

After we beached it up for awhile, we went to a restaurant where we could sit on the patio with Scooter and we enjoyed a nice, relaxing dinner. It was really a great Friday evening -- the perfect way to kick off the weekend!

37 Weeks: Full Term

Packing My Bags

So, I started to pack my hospital bagbut I think it will sit open like this until the last minute simply because there's so much I'll probably throw in at the last minute: camera, cosmetics, snacks. So, packing my stuff took about 5 minutes: 2 changes of clothes, nursing bras, nightgown, slippers, etc , but deciding on what to bring for the baby took decidedly more time. Following a suggested list, I packed some swaddling blankets and burp clothes, but when it came time to deciding on which outfit we should bring her home in, I was kinda stumped. So, I ended up packing 3 outfits!

The first is this yellow ducky ensemble that has a matching hat and booties:
I know you're wondering, why yellow? Well, a colleague of mine told me it's good luck, no matter the baby's sex, to bring a baby home in yellow. So, Jerry and I had settled on this outfit long ago (Jerry has a particular affinity for baby animals on baby outfits, and he seems to especially favor ducks), but as I was packing it yesterday, I thought to myself: "What if the size is slightly off? What if she doesn't look good in yellow? What if I just plain want her in something else?"

Silly, yes, but I wouldn't label myself the most rational of people right now. So, I picked out two other onesies (and matching socks) to bring along as back ups. This one:
And this one:

They are all close to the same size, but each has a slight variation either in length or width, and frankly, I think I will want to decide on the appropriate color in the moment, and like any woman, I need choices. Logically, I know that we live less than 5 miles from the hospital, and Jerry will probably go home at some point and will be able to pick up anything we need; still, my crazy preggo brain insists that this selection of outfits is critical right now.

Of course, with 3 outfits packed to chose from, it now seems highly probably that we'll just bring her home naked, wrapped in a blanket.

This and That

Still no Jury Duty, but I had to write myself the above note so that I remember to continue to check in every day this week; otherwise, I think I'd totally forget it at this point.

Had another doctor check up this morning, and everything was pretty much as it was last week: My weight remains the same, blood pressure is still good, and Norah's HR is still good. The only notable thing is that the strep test I mentioned last week came back positive. All that means is that they'll administer an antibiotic during delivery to prevent the baby's "catching" it. No big deal.

Aside from the dr appointment, my primary task for today has been cooking. See, I figure that after we arrive home from the hospital, we won't feel up to cooking, nor may we have much time to do so, so we've devised some freezable meals to prep ahead of time, so that especially in that first week home we won't have to worry about dinner. Today's meal? Lasagna.
In my opinion, lasagna is one of the best freezable meals there is: Something about it just freezes well and then heats up perfectly. Here it is in it's freezable container, all set to go:I also plan to make a chicken enchilada recipe I found online that looks good and reportedly freezes well, and Jerry is going to make his delicious baked potato soup that should also do well in the freezer. Additionally, I've purchased a few "bag" meals -- prepackaged frozen meals that are easy to heat up and serve.

I don't think we'll need much more than that, and I don't think our freezer is big enough for much more than that, but does anyone have any suggestions for make-ahead meals that might work well for my endeavor?

Toothy Tuesday

Today, Jerry and I had our standard 6 month teef cleaning and dental check up (I always schedule us at the same time, so that it's easier to keep track of), and because we're together, we always get the same two dental hygienists who are in the same room together. And today, seeing how visibly preggo I am, they both felt it incumbent to share with us their own pregnancy and labor stories and also tell us what hellions their teenagers now are.

And, of course, we heard for the upteenth time: "Oh, your lives are going to be SO different!"

But aside from the repetitious advice, stories, and shockingly detailed anecdotes, the benefit was that the hygienist I always get (who I refer to as the "Floss Nazi") was more gentle with me this time than usual (even back in Feb, when she knew I was preggo, she still gave my gums a thorough lashing with her brutal flossing), so that was a relief.

Plus, the dentist declared my teeth "perfect" as always, and seriously, who tires of hearing such praise? So, all in all, a good visit. And the next time we go in for our 6 month check up, our lives will be SO different!

Mocha Monday

So, I saw an ad last week that McDonald's is giving away free samples of their mochas on Mondays. I like free stuff, so this morning, I went to Mickey D's and got me a sample:It was really the perfect size, maybe 6 ounces, and it was pretty delish. Of course, I wouldn't really label it "coffee" because it was more like a milkshake, and it was pretty sweet so I don't think I'd be interested in a full size serving. (Plus, I looked up the nutritional info, and a small, which is 12 oz, has 280 calories and has a whopping 33 grams of sugar!) But, after getting a little caffeine and a lot of sugar, I set to work on my primary task for the day: cleaning Jerry's truck.

After my epic car cleaning last Monday, I vounteered to clean out his truck, and he readily agreed. So, he took the Escape today, and I cleaned out his Ranger, aka "Bold Gold" as we call it.

This is a much bigger task than cleaning out my Escape. I keep my car relatively clean, but when I opened the passenger door to Bold Gold, this is the mess that greeted me:
I cleaned out two bags of recyclable stuff (empty water bottles and soda cans) and one bag that was just trash. I also made about $5 in change that was floating around in there. Next, I gave it the same treatment I gave the Escape last week: Windexed the windows, wiped down all non-cloth surfaces, and finally, vacuumed.

It's not sparkling clean, and there's still a strange smell that I just can't identify (I might just label it "man smell"), but it's as clean as two hours worth of cleaning can get it. Plus, I gassed it up and washed the outside at the car wash, so the truck is probably cleaner now than it has been in a loooooooong time.

Now, I think I have earned an afternoon of laying on the couch with a book. Toodles!

Lazy Sunday