There are less than 3 months left until baby G's due date!!!

There are still many things Steve and I must do to prepare.

We've been held back by a few minor challenges, like a leaky roof and water damage and such, but we are (hopefully) ready to plow through to get important preparations done and ready.

On our "To-Do" list, we have:

Finish the dry wall of the baby's room
Paint the baby's room
Install laminate in the baby's room
Bring baby furniture into the baby's room
Take Childbirth Classes
Sign up for a Pediatrician
Add two or three things to the baby's Registry
And one or two other things...

I am feeling a little overwhelmed but focused. I have been wanting to get these things done for a while, but hopefully now we'll be able to get them done, and soon.

I just want everything ready. If I were Samantha from Bewitched, it would be ready so fast, all I would do would be wiggle my nose or touch my ear or whatever it is she does to make things happen.

I had my blood test for gestational diabetes done on Friday. I almost fainted, I saw black dots and they were populating my eyesight so fast I thought the world would go totally black for a few minutes, but after I took a little mid-day nap in the Doctor's office, I was all set to go.

I just don't like the idea of anything sucking blood out of my veins. That's why I think I'm the only girl on the planet who hasn't read Twilight. I've said it. I haven't read it. And it's because I don't like anything sucking anything out of a person's veins. It just makes my stomach turn upside down...even if they throw in men with no shirts on and tosseled hair. No difference. I would not date a vampire. There is just no way. If I had the choice to either date a hot vampire or live in my living room with three cats and a dog and eat ice cream and slowly grow a rather large butt, I would just choose that one. I would be safe from any blood sucking moments, and I could really do a lot on my couch with the internet around and these pets. I would probably train them to do a little circus act or something, I'd have plenty of time to train them to do something like that in that case.

Anyway I'm glad I don't have to make that choice, because I'm with Steve, and he is not a vampire, and that is a very, very good characteristic that he has that I rather enjoy.

So...back to my point...I think this week is "The Week" to make more progress in baby preparations. I'm in Rochester with my side of the family for the rest of the day, but as soon as Monday rolls around it's time to crack open that list and make some checkmarks appear, with a little flick of my hand. Maybe I am more like Samantha from Bewitched than I thought. I am determined, anyway.

Tomorrow I'm surprising the librarians at work with baked from scratch, homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I made them myself.

I love love love love love times one million baking cookies. The whole process is so relaxing. Lining up all of the ingredients, holding your breath that you didn't run out of something seemingly insignificant on non-cookie baking days, like vanilla or baking soda, and then mixing everything together and the whole kitchen smelling so sweet and so warm and so good and then before you know it you have a plate full of 100 cookies falling all over each other and it is so delicious and great.

I really think it's important to do something good in a day. I think baking cookies is good, because it brings happiness into the world.

I am looking forward to doing some other good things. Like tomorrow Steve and I are going out to eat with my cousin John. John has been living with us the past few months, and we keep talking about going somewhere, and now we are finally actually doing it.

Friday after work I'm going to weed the garden and walk the dog while Steve and his brother and Dad work on the baby's room again. Every time we try to do something with that project, we take a back-step. But...I guess you have to back up a little bit before you start something big.

Then, this weekend, we are going to Rochester. We are going to hopefully see lots of family, and hopefully visit my Grandmother too. Then church on Sunday and the weekend will be over. But those are the plans. And they make me happy.

I really believe that life is what you make it. I want to show our baby what a positive life is like. I want to really show what goodness is, so that he or she can grow up happy, and can spread some happiness too.

Or at least it's just nice to be with people, and just kind of be content with all of the free things in life, like family, and cookies, and walks with dogs, and sitting with the cat, and getting up at 3 am to go to the ladies room and playing some moves on words with friends when I can't get back to sleep right away, and...I don't know, stuff like that.

I could be ranting and saying all kinds of horrible things, but I don't want to. I'd rather write things like this. I think it's better and more awesome this way.

So...I'll just leave it at that. Right now, I just feel very hopeful, and pretty happy, and I just want other people to feel this way too. And, that's about it.

Isn't this a peaceful photo?

What I am about to write about isn't exactly full of peace.

We started off yesterday about to run many, many errands in a short amount of time. If we had our own t.v. show it would probably play some rinky dink music in the background as we ran around like chickens all over town.

Or something like that...oh no, I'm building this up too much. But basically what happened was a series of unfortunate events.

We had some "To-do"s, on a list. Written on a list, and crossing them off....like, picking up vegetables from a farm, something we do once a month, and going to the drycleaners, and blahblahblah items on a list that you just end up doing on a Saturday because you don't really have the time to bother with during the week.

Well, we as we pulled into the drycleaners parking lot, Steve hits the brakes, and it sounds like an elderly seagull's dying song unto the world just basically saying it's time to end things, he's through. That is not a sound I look to hear when someone is braking their car, nor do I like it when it is my car, nor do I like it on a 1,000 degree day with the clock ticking and the errands that just keep coming and coming and suddenly your car is making a sound like that.

That kind of thing makes a small reflex of my own force me to utter unspeakable things, or at least to just say "Ughhhh really? Really? Really." Which doesn't HELP anything but it makes me feel like I did something...other than just making a gutteral sound that doesn't do anything.


(I just did that very same reflex because someone - who may or may not have been the driver of that car yesterday - just accidentily cancelled out of this website I was in the middle of writing on. He wanted to check our bank statement, I said, ok, just don't "x" out of this, I didn't save it yet, and he said, "ok", and when I came back, he had "x"d out of it. SO I had to write this whole thing over. The first time it sounded a little bit different, but I guess it's still ok. Anyway - back to my main story)

We called up Steve's dad, aka the amazing mechanic who saved us yesterday, and he said we can just leave our car at his house and we can take his minivan on the rest of our errands.

So this was amazing news - except that the minivan's AC went the way of the dying seagull and our brakes and the do do bird and so there was no AC and the heat was at least 1,000 degrees not even including heat index or whatever that's called and I'm not even counting the fact it felt like your pulse itself had a fat person sitting on it so it would slow down into near death heartbeat rates it was so heavy out there.

But we thought we would be fine. We said, "We will just put the windows down! We will be great."

We were so silly then.

We were on our way to a wedding about a half an hour away and the hot wind was blowing in our faces and we realized a few things.

"Steve?"

"What?"

"Steve?"

"What? I can't hear you."

"STEVE! We need to get wrapping paper. The present!"

"The present! It's in the red car."

The red car. That would not help us one bit.

So, as the sweatmarks gathered faithfully upon our very nice outfits, painting patterns on our backs, arms, underarms and butts, we devised a plan to get to the church, drive back to town to get the gift, wrap it, and then drive back to where the reception would be. Some of this was communicated with hand movements, as it was difficult to hear each other with the wind whipping through that little van that could.

Then we were trapped with no hot wind. Road work everywhere. Road work, and car accidents, and stop lights. It was enough for me to remember lyrics to Alanis Morrissette from the mid-90s when she said something about being already late, and a no smoking sign on her cigarette break. And then millions of spoons when she wants a knife, even though I guess you could hack at something for a while with a spoon if you really can't find any knife, although I don't know what would have happened to all of your knives, but anyway I'm straying from my story again.

And I almsot lost this story! My battery died on the computer. Great. That's my fault for calling Steve out on "x"ing out on my story earlier. Karma. At least It's here this time though. Anyway.

We got to the church EXACTLY on time. I mean so on time we walked past the entire wedding party that was waiting to walk down the aisle! I've never cut it that close before. My hair, of course, looked spiky at this point with a hint of beehive. The hot air had done wonders and I fully expect this new hairdo to make waves and Jennifer Anniston to be wearing it by next Sunday.

Anyway - the point is, we finally made it. And then our plan we had concocted worked, because all went well for the rest of the day. I even got to fix my hair and the brakes on our car got fixed, too.

But, I guess the whole point of this blog is, sometimes, when you just want a peaceful day, what you get is a piece ful day, when everything feels like it's just falling to pieces. I heard once if you say outloud what you want, the universe tries to give it to you. Maybe we should all be spelling out our requests, just to stay safe.

There is a hosta growing through a crack in our driveway, on the edge, right next to the house, and it is blooming a very vibrant purple flower.

Every time we take a walk with the dog and the cat is outside he follows us the whole way.

Although the heat is very heavy, when it breaks a little bit and you feel a breeze and the sun is going down behind the clouds, or trees, or orange-red sky, it just feels good.

I love catching little pieces of something unexpected or happy or good.

I like how peaceful our neighborhood is, and I like the things I get to see every day, and I think it will be good for our baby to see all of these things, too.

Speaking of babe, there are lots of kicks lately. Only about three months left! I can't believe it.

I've been reading "What to Expect While You're Expecting"...and other books too. It's kind of interesting to be reading "What to Expect" at the same time you're reading "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"....but I guess in the end, either way, there's going to be a life-altering experience filled with drugs and a story to tell when it's all over.

Anyway - going back to love and miracles and happiness - I love how there are so many people getting married. We are going to a wedding today in Niagara Falls, and are so happy for them. I think it's a really great thing to just celebrate love like that and just to dance and wear beautiful clothes and be surrounded by all kinds of people that you have met or have been connected to somehow in your life. I just think it's a really special and great thing. I am so happy to be with Steve. I can't believe it's almost two years since we got married.

I guess that's all for today. Miracles and happiness and love and drugs. And how the simple and miraculous event of a purple flower growing through pavement can really get you thinking.

I did not take this picture. Wouldn't it be so cool if I did?

I just thought it was a picture you can be reflective about, like thinking about how the lighthouse watches over the ships at sea, but only if someone is watching over the lighthouse.

I have been thinking a lot lately about ourselves helping ourselves, but only if we try.

And it is nice to have a support system.

I've been thinking about how people have pets and how they help them to be happier and healthier, going on more walks and improving their memories and helping them to make happy memories, but only if they take care of their pets.

And there are so many people who work endlessly in selfless professions like social workers, teachers, firemen and nurses, who are only as strong and powerful as their support systems allow them to be. They have the backs of their fellow man if only there is one person who has their backs....so to speak.

Whether you are in a romantic relationship with someone or not, it is very important to have a support system.

Do we live better if we have someone to support, or if someone is supportive to us? Or is it both?

Ultimately, what gets the cop to the donut shop before his shift every morning to start the day? Is it the job that will pay the bills to help his family, or the people he tries to help each day? Either way, he's working to help support a system, because the system has helped him, at least so much as to help him get his jelly donut every day.

Anyway- I know this is a random post, but it's about something that is important to me. Support. Love.

I think no matter what is going on, it's important to try and see what it is you're supportive of, and who it is out there who supports you...because....

it just is.

That's what I think, anyway.

Just a picture of some friends. They play together all the time, running in the park.

Friends are the greatest. A friend of mine who is very amazing is getting married this weekend to a very amazing guy. I can't wait for them!

I hope they have the greatest weekend.

That's all I wanted to say! :)

"Each day you wake up and there isn't a tag wrapped around your foot is a good one, and another chance to just...LIVE. Start the races! Do what you will."
I heard the priest say that at church on Sunday, and it stuck in my head, like a song.

I had a rough start to the day today, but I tried to keep this in mind all day. That's why I like going to church. It gives me something to think about. At least that church does.

So, even though the morning wasn't so great, I still thought about it. I moved around, I experienced the day anyway. I walked with the dog during lunch. I went to the store, and picked up blueberries and cookies (with good ingredients, I promise), and one of those cheesy bagels that you just want to last forever...or at least I do. When I bite into those I just want the part I bit off to magically appear again so I can keep eating it, because it is just that delicious.

What else did I do? I sat in an air conditioned gym on the bike for a little while reading the Oprah magazine. It was so lovely, and I'll tell you why with my three reasons why I love the Oprah magazine:
1. The cover is so predictable. It's like knowing that a loaf of bread is a loaf of bread because of how it looks like.
2. There is ALWAYS a reading list or a list of some kind, and I love lists (look at this 1, 2, 3 list I have going here as proof)
3. It is not too bad when it comes to advertisement pages clogging up the whole magazine. There are a lot of articles. I think Oprah can afford to have a great magazine, because she is just great. I love Oprah. I would tell you why but this is not a list of reasons why I love Oprah, it is a list of reasons why I love Oprah's magazine.

Anyway, today I was able to spend almost my whole entire day in air conditioning. When I walked my dog at night it was nice, because there was a cool breeze and the sun was setting and it was just...nice. I think I said that but it is well deserved to be said twice.

My point is, (you probably can already tell, of course)....even though the morning was a little difficult, the rest of the day was still there to just...LIVE and be happy. There are so many chances to be happy and spread happiness. I like that. A lot.

I didn't even say the best part of my day. The best part of my day was when Stevie's Dad and brother fixed up a guitar for him to play! I wanted to surprise him, so I went to the music store and picked up strings. His Dad and brother put them on his Dad's old fender acoustic guitar, and now he can play! He already knows some chords, but he's going to practice....the baby was kicking when Stevie was playing a little bit at his parent's house. It was really great.

I love him and just want him to be happy all the time. I think that's what I pretty much want for people in general. I think that's what that priest meant - for people to just let themselves and others try to find happiness, wherever they might go looking. At least for people to not be afraid to look for happiness. That's how I took it, anyway.

Each day can be anything.

Two weeks ago I saw an ever-burning flame underneath a waterfall on a walk.

Tonight we drove through at least a whole village of fireflies, sparkling in the dark. There were lights everywhere, and it was like the stars wanted to come down to earth for a little while just to take a look around and see what we see for a little while, when it's dark and no one would notice...it was just like that.

Anyway, no, my day didn't start off great, but I love how it ended up. Just because things aren't so great sometimes doesn't mean it's not great all times. That's how I feel.

I guess before I go (I wonder if anyone is actually still reading, this ended up being very long) - before I go I wanted to add to what I heard in church. There's always room for happiness. At least, that's how I feel right now...that's how I've felt today. Although, I guess it is now tomorrow, and time for me to go to sleep. Goodnight to whoever is reading this, or Good Day, if the sun is up. I hope you have at least a few good moments crammed into your day, no matter what in the world your day will hold.

Our garden may be small, but it is pretty. It makes us very happy.

I'm finding the things I like to do the most are free - be outside, go on walks with the dog, go to the gym (ok, not free, but I've got about a year and a few months left on the contract, so it's pretty much in our budget already)....

We even cut cable out and it doesn't matter! You can do so much and have a lot of fun without money. I love it.

At the vet, there are creatures of all kinds.

There are certainly people who look exactly like their animals. Like the skinny lady with the weiner dog or the fat old man with the fat cat.

There are also Vet Techs, who care for each furry patient with a soft tenderness that you would think a cloud would have if it had to take care of others....all while wearing what seems to be a different tablecloth each day to work.

I just trekked to this mystical place with both my cat and my dog for a check-up.

The cat was first.

Now, the vet, bless his soul, let's just call him Mr. Vet, shall we? Mr. Vet has a little tiny dot of a mole that hangs off the edge of his nose as if it's about to finally jump for good. It's getting ready for the big jump, I can tell. Any moment that thing is going to fly off his face. You can feel it.

It always seems to distract me (bless my soul, please) from answering him in any semblance of a normal way of speaking and communicating.

"How old is your cat?" He asks. So straight forward. Bless him again. And that little moley friend of his, which just so happens to be directly in my line of vision at this point. I try to look away - I try to think about what looking away would look like without looking obvious. I try to mash words together to form a sentence at the same time. What comes out is this:

"He's three," I say. "I mean -- four. He's four. No...wait. " I look away and count quietly, quickly....1...2... "Oh yes. He's three. I mean four."

The cat is three years old. His birthday was May 29th. If he asked me when his birthday was I would have probably answered him with "Party" or "Candles". Who knows.

He then went to pick up the cat and touched Murray's bottom, which immediately flung straight in the air. "Must have a sweet spot," he says, non-chalantly.

"Really? I never noticed. I mean....I just did that before we came here. I mean...this cat must really like you!"

Moving on from the cat, it was now the dog's turn. My dog is 78(0) pounds of sweet baby puppy and he became very, very tense as three or four vet techs in bright colored tablecloth outfits came forth to keep him from running away. He did fine with his shots, though - he was a real champ.

We all were, really, especially that doctor, and his little mole, too.

WHY am I so easily distracted? Why can't I just see the person on the inside? There's always next time, I guess. I guess I'll just look past the mole, and right at the soul. That is a good motto.

I mean....

Unless the mole really does jump down and join the rest of us as a free citizen of the world.

We'll see.

Erma Bombeck has said, "I got to thinking one day about all those women on the titanic who passed up dessert at dinner on that fateful night in an effort to cut back."

I believe this is a very important thought for us all to take a moment to think about. I mean, first of all, they probably had some pretty great desserts on that boat. I mean - it was supposed to be this "unsinkable" ship - so I would imagine that they would jam-pack an unsinkable ship with as many delicious desserts as humanly possible. With this train of thought, it is also a shame all those desserts went down.

Also, on another note, we really don't know what's going to happen in life. As much as we might plan and prepare, life does what life does. SO, why worry about something like dessert? Have some. You can exercise if you want, too. You can do a little boogie and get down in your kitchen while you eat that cupcake if it makes you feel better.

The reason why I'm thinking about this and writing about this is I've been trying to eat a lot better since I've found out I was pregnant, and then I started getting what can only be described is a ravenous hunger like what a hippo who has not seen food in days must only experience. Then I started thinking about trying to strike a balance, and while I'm trying to think about that I get this idea that eating some ice cream would really help with my thinking process....and then by the time I'm done thinking about whatever it was I was thinking about I've gained another 3 pounds.

Don't get me wrong, it's very delightful to think this way - but it is just like that of a ravenous hippo. And I only eat when I'm hungry! And I exercise! But I will not stress about it. I will just be. And eat. It's for a good cause, anyway. Now, if I weren't pregnant and I were this hungry - I would probably take a pregnancy test. Because I have never, ever been this hungry. I never used to finish a plate! Now I eat TWO! Probably the plate itself too if I had the chance. I wouldn't surprise myself.

But, I am very happy that through all of this getting very fat business, my husband Steve is very supportive. He likes my belly. I do too. It is kind of fun to get fat. It's just a little difficult to balance and walk around the right way, sometimes. I have found myself waddling more and more. That's ok, though. I'll waddle if it means my baby is ok. I will waddle all day. And eat more ice cream, too, if that's helping anyone.

Steve even made me this little sign last night as we sat by a fire. I think we're going to stain it and put it in the house.

He made it while we ate s'mores. I was eating s'mores and he was making that sign. It was a great night. So maybe....to add on to Erma's thoughts...actually eating desserts can in fact lead to beauty.