Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Strange Things About Me

I was asked by Laura to name seven strange/odd things about myself. Here goes:

1. I hate fingerprints on my kitchen faucet. It drives me absolutely insane. Fingerprints on switch plates and other faucets are annoying also, but the kitchen faucet is the WORST.

2. I am a compulsive hand washer. I counted once and I washed my hands ten times while putting away groceries.

3. I think about death constantly, mine and others. There is rarely a day that passes that I don't think about it. I often get in the car and think, "Will I die today?" I hate it.

4. I'm a spill all. There is very little about me I keep to myself. Someone always knows what I am thinking. I can guard the secrets of others, but I am an open book.

5. I have little confidence in myself as a mother. I constantly question myself. I have no doubt that love my daughter, and soon-to-arrive son, but being responsible for other human beings STILL overwhelms me. I just don't want to do anything wrong.

6. I am anything BUT a pack rat. In fact, I've kicked myself in the butt several times for giving things to Goodwill before their time. I cannot stand clutter, but yet I still have it. There are things I will not part with that drives Marc absolutely crazy. He, unlike me, is a TRUE PACK RAT! I think he would keep every t-shirt he ever owned if I didn't throw them out.

7. I cannot be in a dark bathroom standing before a mirror. I will freak myself out. I guess it is all the silly games I played as a child. We have a giant mirror in our bathroom that connects to our bedroom. Some nights, I swear I can see someone (other than myself) in it. It will make me do a double take. I hate it. :)

I thought it would be difficult coming up with seven things, but I think I could go on for a while. I will spare you though.

Today? I think not.

Today is my official due date and I am at work. I don't expect to be leaving either. I'm just following my normal routine. :) Just wanted to give you an update.

I finished 'Marley and Me' this weekend. I enjoyed it immensely and could certainly relate. Sunday evening I started 'The Glass Castle' by Jeannette Walls. Already, I am halfway through. It is a very quick read and I was hooked in the first ten pages. If you haven't already, you should definitely read this book. I have several other books waiting for me and I hope to get to them shortly. It is so nice to read books for fun! What a switch!

I decided yesterday afternoon, after speaking with Sydney's principal, that I am going to attempt to keep Sydney at home with me while I am on maternity leave. I will have help the first week or two so, that will be a good time to assess the situation. I was worried that I might completely disrupt Sydney's schedule and progress in school or overwhelm myself. Sydney was a very demanding baby and we had a very rough first few months. It makes me curious about Nathan's temperament, which remains to be seen. Regardless, I decided that this is a rare opportunity to spend additional time with my daughter and do some bonding. I didn't want to kick myself in the butt later for not even attempting to make it work. So, we're going to give it a go. After all, people do it all the time right? So can I (I hope). Can any of you great moms out there offer advice?

Well, I'm off to do some work. Thanks for checking in!

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Good Morning!

I'm about to call in an order for mozzarella sticks. Yes, I know it is only 9am. Do I care? Nope.


Last night, after I had read Sydney her bedtime story and tucked her in, she climbed out of bed. This is nothing new. It has become quite an ordeal to put her to bed at night and can sometimes take up to an hour. Typically, it lasts for about a half hour. I believe it was the third time she had gotten up when I witnessed the following pretty silly exchange:


Syd: Daddy, I want...(don't remember what it was that time)

Marc: Sydney, get your tail in the bed

Syd: I don't have a tail, Daddy. I have a butt.



I think she got up once or twice more before she eventually went to sleep. I was downstairs sweeping when I heard her tell her dad that she had a butt and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Children are quick to correct their parents, aren't they? I'm sure I did it a million times.



Now, remember I told you that I had gotten the coolest painting of our pups for Christmas? I decided to ask my MIL for the artist's contact information so that I could send her a little note telling her what a wonderful job she did. Turns out, she has her own website (http://www.sheilathomasart.com/index.php?showimage=138). Her painting of our babies is below:



Sheila did a stellar job and we will treasure this painting forever! We miss Mr. Colby so much and it is so nice to have such a beautiful keepsake.

Well, I'm off to hunt down some mozzarella sticks. Have a great day!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Cute or Creepy?

I took a quick ride down the elevator today to get a drink from the downstairs deli. On my way down, an older gentleman got on at the 3rd floor. Here is the exchange:

GUY: Hello.
ME: Hello.
GUY: Do you feel beautiful today?
ME: (Looking at him like he is nuts)
GUY: Because you certainly look beautiful. I think pregnant women are the most beautiful women in the world.
ME: (Still looking at him strangely) Uh, thank you.
GUY: I should know because my wife and I had five children together.
ME: So, she was lovely a lot of your marriage. That is good. (Smile)
GUY: Yes, still is, but there is something extra special about pregnant women.

You've got that right! They bring out the strangeness in a lot of people. From valets that try to kiss your bellies (Yeah! I'm serious!) to strangers telling you that you look huge or uncomfortable. The public response runs the gamut.

I'm going to go with cute for this older man rather than creepy. It is most likely true and just makes me feel better. :)

Still Here! :)

So it is a good thing my crazy client has a day job! :) She had predicted that Nathan's delivery would be yesterday. That is obviously not the case since I am at work this morning. Oh well, I look at it as one more day away from Christmas. I know he'll be here very soon, one way or another.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I spent most of the weekend hanging out at the house. In fact, I didn't leave until 8pm last night when I made a Wendy's run. Did you know that they now have vanilla and chocolate frosties? I had no clue.

Another thing-remember a few weeks back I mentioned the man that is in our Starbucks every day? I haven't seen him for weeks. At first I thought he was away for the holiday, but again this morning, he wasn't there. I wonder what happened to him.

Well, I'm off to find some work. I hope you all have a great day.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Vanity Shoved Aside!

So, my apt went very well yesterday. My blood pressure was good, which had been a problem for the last few weeks and I'm 1.5cm. I'm starting to think that really means nothing. :)

My latest issue is shoving my butt and belly into my maternity clothes. I REFUSE to buy new clothes this close to the end and I'm really starting to look ridiculous. So much so, my boss told me that my shirt was too small today, as if I didn't notice. He didn't mean to be mean about it. He just thought I would be more comfortable in one of his shirts, but...I just wanted to cry. I even went to the thrift store last weekend in search of some larger maternity clothes, but didn't have any luck. I will just have to suck it up because I'm not budging. Perhaps I will steal some of Marc's sweaters. I'm sure the sleeves will be an issue. :) This couldn't possibly go on much longer.

On a lighter note, we decided to hire the receptionist that has been working hourly for us since the holiday. She seems quite pleasant and has done a TON of work. It is still too early to tell for sure, but so far it seems to be a good fit. I'm glad I took that direction this time.

Well, I hope you have a great day and a great weekend!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Still Here! Still Pregnant! :)

The buzz has definitely started about when this baby will make his appearance. He's been quite content in his mommy's tummy thus far. Honestly, I am happy he's still there. I remember I was quite "over it" about this time with Sydney. I had just had enough of the uncomfortable ick. This time, not so much. This pregnancy has been so different. I've got the typical complaints, but other than that, it has been a pretty easy road. I understand now why women say they enjoy their pregnancies. After Sydney, I thought they were lying. So, I will relish the last few days I have my boy close to me, where his daddy cannot get him. :) Ha! Ha!

I hope everyone had a nice holiday and that you spent time with those you love. I got to spend time with many of those I love and, although it was odd, I had a wonderful holiday just the same. For the first time in years, I woke up on Christmas morning in my OWN bed, in my OWN house and was snuggled by my husband and baby girl. I have to admit that I loved it. I couldn't help but think that morning how fortunate I was to wake up with those blessings. The feeling of gratitude was overwhelming and brought tears to my eyes. There is nothing sweeter than a heart full of love for your family. In that moment, it was Christmas to me.

After about an hour of showering, dressing and just plain stalling Sydney upstairs in the house, my side of the family arrived. When Sydney entered the room, she was completely overwhelmed with all of the packages that were stacked all around the room. Sydney started opening and there were so many we had to break to eat. Sydney wasn't the only one spoiled this year. Marc and I were bombarded by wonderful and thoughtful gifts. Our friends and families went nuts. I couldn't even begin to list all of the wonderful gifts we received, but some of the biggies were: a handycam, an amazing painting of our puppies, a gps, new clothes, gifts cards and the like. We are so thankful for all we received and know we don't deserve any of it. My husband went equally insane on me this year. I received a new camera, which you heard about earlier, a photo printer and a beautiful topaz/diamond necklace that matches the jewelry he purchased for me while on the cruise in August.

I certainly bit off more than I could handle this year as far as the holiday dinner was concerned. :) I had really no idea just how tired I would be at this stage and it was much more difficult than I expected it to be. I'm so thankful that my mother-in-law was there to help me by washing up my colossal messes. :) I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise.

The menu for Christmas this year was:

Sausage Balls
Shrimp Cocktail
Stuffed Picatta Mushrooms
Cheese and Crackers

Ham
Beef Wellington
Green Bean Casserole
Spinach, Corn and Carrot Casserole
Macaroni and Cheese
Butternut Squash Casserole
Rolls
*I feel like I'm forgetting something.

Pecan Pie
Cookies
Butter Bars

First, I didn't cook any of the desserts. They were made by others or purchased. I also didn't make the macaroni, my MIL made it and it was so yummy. :)

Second, I purchased the wrong pastry dough for the Wellingtons and they were a complete disaster! :) Lesson learned. I didn't even serve them. I will know better next time.

Other than that, I received recipe requests for the casseroles. That is a positive right? Or, they are being overly kind. :)

What an experience! I'm so glad I did it. I learned so much and I was so excited to get some use out of my beautiful china. That is why I have it, right?

Well, I'm off to a bump visit (that's what they call my dr apts here). We'll see how it goes.

I cannot wait to catch up with you all.

Take care!
Jess