olive you!

Our little thing (or "it" as my sister so generously likes to call it) is now the size of a green olive. This week, "your little embryo has now officially graduated to fetus-hood. Adding to the excitement, a Doppler ultrasound device might be able to pick up the beating heart. With basic physical structures in place and increasingly distinct facial features, baby is kind of starting to look like... well... a baby!" Pretty amazing! I'm going to call this week to find out exactly what our appointment on Friday will entail (other than the piles of paperwork and family history questions). I'm hoping we'll be able to hear the heartbeat and not have to wait another two-three weeks. I took off the entire day (just because!) so I only have a four day work week! Hallelujah.

It's been a long weekend without the hubby and I'm exhausted... I'm off to watch some Oscar red carpet and eat Ben and Jerry's (just because!) all night. Oh yeah, p.s. screw you, Ralph Nader.

change we can believe in

I’m quickly tiring of the Obama bashing that the Clinton campaign has been stirring up… the way to come from behind and reclaim your lead isn’t by desperately negative attacks on your opponents character and “truthiness” (I’d like to thank Stephen Colbert for that golden nugget). How can we unite as a Democratic party if you continually attempt to divide us? How can we band together to win in November when at every campaign stop and in every debate you make disparaging and inaccurate remarks about a man who, although he is competing against you, is technically on your side in this political war? Unfortunately for us, the conservatives have selected a man to back (for the most part) and have months to build steam… we, on the other hand, have Hillary’s negative commentary driving a wedge in the middle of our party. I’m just praying that she’s unsuccessful in the weeks to come.

So, where’s this snow we’re supposed to have? All I see is rain and yet every school district and government agency is closed for the day… I’m jealous. Only two more hours before I leave work and get to go home and sleep all afternoon… zzZzZZZzzzZz...

only tuesday

We won our basketball game on Sunday, 32-31. It was a nail biter. The vacation list has been whittled down to Cancun/Isla Mujeres, Costa Rica, St. Thomas or St. Kitts... I'm okay with all of the above - I just want a beach to look forward to. June can't come soon enough. I just realized that last week's Valentine's Day was our tenth Valentine's Day together (!) and I still can't imagine my life any other way. Take that whoever won future Mr. and Mrs. senior year of high school (Steve was bitter). I'm over two months pregnant now (crazy!) and feeling it. My mom just came back from a week in Ireland with the most adorable wool baby hat and gloves... the small collection of miniature clothes that we're accruing is exciting. Our first appointment is next week... it'll be the first of hundreds, so I'm enjoying my appointment-less schedule right now. Steve will be out of town this weekend at a race with his dad, so we know what that means - time to shop. Jimmy Eat World/Paramore tickets also go on sale this weekend - we'll take six. Unfortunately, they're playing at Bender Arena (what's up with that?) and not 9:30/Rams Head/Sonar/Toad's Place... too bad. We'll still take six, thanks. I'm being ultra-productive at work today which I'm sure is hard to believe considering I'm blogging... but I'm finished now. Back to work.

i love raspberries

Baby is now a raspberry! That is beyond bizarre to me because it's definitely not a microscopic tiny little thing anymore... it's a tangible size that's moving around despite the fact that I can't feel it yet. In week eight, "your baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy." How adorable is that. I like this better than the blueberry because (sorry, Steve) I don't like blueberrys but raspberries are delicious.

Our Valentine's Day present to ourselves - our new bedroom furniture - is finally purchased and in our room. Last night was the first night of heavenly sleep in our king sized bed - the first time I've slept in a king without being on vacation (way better at home). We've put off painting for now simply because we have no time this weekend and I'm exhausted... it's a daunting task. Our bedroom is huge and there's a lot of wall space to be painted - I considered for a second just painting an accent wall and calling it a day, but that's not how I imagined it... and I don't want to settle since we're obviously stuck in northern Virginia until the market picks up. We'll be sleeping in this room for awhile, unfortunately. On the bright side, we get to have our first baby at a hospital near our parents, my grandparents and extended family and all of our friends... so it's not all bad. :) Now that our room is (for the most part) finished, we can look forward to getting the nursery ready in the next few months.

Tomorrow we're going to dinner at my parents house to make the big decision: summer vacation 2008. Everyone is compiling their own lists and we're going to compare and settle on our top three so my mom can book everything. We've put a ban on the UK as well as any country using the Euro because my mom just spend $1.60 per Euro in Ireland last week... and it's painful. My list consists of the usual suspects - Thailand, Alaska, road trip across the northern US (which I know tops my dad's as well), Costa Rica (monkeys!), Puerto Vallarta or Cabo. I'll be a little larger than I currently am but I'll enjoy the trip just the same.

On the previous topic of organic fruit, do you know how much organic green seedless grapes cost??? Lets just say, I spent $2.49 a pound on the regular variety (aka chemically soaked) and the organic grapes were almost double. So, I just scrubbed them really well.

valentine

Steve is pretty cute. He's not really a flowers and chocolates kind of guy (nor am I generally a flowers and chocolates kind of girl) but he still had flowers and chocolates delivered to my office today. I got an e-mail around noon from the mail center on the plaza level saying I had a package... and it ends up being a gigantic box from Pro Flowers. Brownie points for the husband - especially for using Pro Flowers. The flowers they deliver are wrapped so well and include a vase and are usually 2-3 days from blooming, so you really get to enjoy them for awhile. We don't normally go big on Valentine's Day... especially this year because we're buying new bedroom furniture this weekend... but that was sweet.

I was reading up on organic fruits and vegetables and was sad to discover that peaches, spinach and grapes were some of the most pesticide-ridden food on the market. Nearly 98% of peaches/nectarines were found to have pesticides on them (or so says the Department of Agriculture) and nearly 45 pesticides are regularly applied to them in conventional orchards! I supposed it's not so much about going green anymore as it is about protecting yourself. For example, I'll keep buying my cage-free eggs but moreso for my own health reasons than for the simple fact that the chickens live a happier life. Although, it is a nice thought.

A woman who sits near me at work (aka "hell") hums a lot during the day... it's barely audible therefore I would feel like a ginormous jerk ever saying anything about it (who am I kidding? I'm anti-confrontation anyways!) but it's driving me b-a-n-a-n-a-s. My job is still ridiculous and monotonous and, although there is an opening which would bring a much better paycheck (albeit more responsibility and I'd probably lose my half days on Fridays), I think there are so many people on our project desperate for a change in pace/pay that it could be a battle royale for that position. Drats.

No updates on the blueberry, aside from the fact that it's draining me of any energy I have and making me super boated all the time. TMI - nice!

nooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooo.......!

Only making enough film to last into next year??! Who came up with this idea??! I love my Polaroid!! It's a classic!! Kiddies, get your Polaroids before they're gone forever... before you're stuck with purely digital. What next? No more 35mm regular SLRs???

hello, little blueberry!

The Blaze suffered a disappointing loss yesterday, 35-30 at the very last second. Our record definitely doesn’t reflect how well the girls play every week and nearly all of the games we’ve lost have been decided by two or three baskets… it’s very frustrating, even more so for the girls than for me as a coach. We’ve cut practice down to an hour this week (they deserve it) and we really should win this weekend – I’m crossing my fingers.

This weekend flew by to say the least. We went to see BJ Novak on Friday night – he was pretty funny at parts, but I have to say that I was disappointed by his act in general. It was worth it just to hear a few of his jokes and listen to him talk about The Office, but his opening act (Dan Mintz) was absolutely hilarious. I’d pay to see him again. It was an unusually short show (only two acts???) because I think it was just recently thrown together, so I’m hoping Morgan and Peter enjoyed it enough to go to another one with us! It’s always fun to have company, especially when you’re paying to laugh for an entire evening. Plus, you get to recount the punch lines for weeks on end afterwards, as we did the next night at Pei Wei… before we realized we’d been sitting there for over two (!) hours. Either way, I’m glad we went. On Saturday I got to finally finally finally see my friend Christie again – it had been ages. We all met up at Tyson’s for lunch and got to catch up and have girl talk (minus the boys, they hate that girl talk)… which we need to do more often. Our plan on Sunday was to buy our new bedroom furniture (helloooo, king sized bed) and possibly even paint (Steve was feeling productive) but we never made it past the basketball game. It’ll give us something to look forward to next weekend and I am seriously counting down the hours until I have more room to spread out while I sleep. I tried to pull the “oh, honey… I’m not sure if it’s a good idea for me to be painting” but he’s too smart for that (or he’s quick with Google) because I, unfortunately, can paint as long as it’s well-ventilated and we make sure to buy latex paint. Afterwards I’m sure he’ll wish he’d kept the rollers away from me because he always has to fix the areas I work on. Oops.

Speaking of pregnancy, I’m falling behind on the updates. This week he/she (although I had an extremely vivid dream last night that I had a boy – it was bizarre and as realistic as I can imagine, having not actually given birth before) is the size of a blueberry. “Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.” I’m fairly sure that I’m not updating these correctly – seeing as I’m already technically past seven weeks and working towards my eighth week, I should be on week 8… but I’ll just stick with my current pattern. Also, I’m still feeling pretty good, in general. Knock on wood.

Tomorrow is the big day – Chesapeake primary day!! Polls open at 6am and will stay open until 7pm, I believe. Place your votes, choose wisely, make sure you’re going to the correct polling place (you can Google Virginia voter registration to find the state electoral board website, where you can find this information)… the Obama campaign had a successful weekend and tomorrow’s outlook is very promising!

big fan

I'm a really big fan of banana nut bread, or more specifically, banana nut muffins. Bob Evans makes the most deliciously moist banana bread (I can take it with or without nuts). I'm a big fan of skiing, though I think that's pretty obvious. I've skied all over the great state of Colorado and in Canada, and they both have their perks (quaint French-Canadian village or giant white faced Rocky Mountain trails). I’m a big fan of both professional and college football and I tend to stick to my Midwestern roots. My heart is and always will be with the Kansas City Chiefs no matter how horrible they may be and I love to follow OU and KU football (I know – I’m a big 12 traitor and can’t possibly love the Sooners and the Jayhawks, but I do – so what). I’m a big fan of photography and I go through cameras like it’s my job – which I would love, so what’s so wrong with that? I have a certain penchant for my old school SLR and the quality it produces, but I’m always on a search for a bigger and better digital. For three whole months Steve and I missed the Annie Leibovitz exhibit at the Corcoran and I’m bummed. Speaking of going downtown to see a famous person’s display of natural talent, I’m a big fan of stand up comedy. I’m pretty vague as far as the style of comedy I’m into – we’ll go see just about anyone (even Kevin Nealon, who was horrible on stage but is hilarious on Weeds). In fact, we have tickets to see BJ Novak at the Lisner on Friday – cannot wait. I’m a big fan of road trips and, thanks to my parents, I’ve been taking them my entire life. Whether it was from Kansas to Florida or California or the many times we drove to DC, my parents we able to ingrain in me that there’s nothing better than a road trip. I passed my love onto Steve when we made our DC to LA and back trip in 2006 and he’s a changed man. It’s not significantly cheaper to take your trip by road rather than by air, but it’s worth the time. Which leads me to another favorite of mine… I’m a big fan of traveling. Italy, LA, Paris, NYC, Aruba, London, Montreal, Chicago, Greece… to be able to see the Coliseum, Stonehenge, the theatre of Dionysus (the first Greek theatre), climb the Eiffel tower… books can’t compare. I need to revisit Germany now that I’m old enough to remember, because I’m also a big fan of dark beers. I was never much of a beer drinker in college but after graduation I made the attempt and grew to love a good dark ale or lager. I’m a big fan of taxi cabs, musicals, Mexican food, wedding magazines and reality television. I’m a big fan of large dogs wearing sweaters, jeans and flats (my wardrobe staples), boys with tattoos, Italian culture and chapstick. I’m a big fan of both penguins and primates, earrings and large handbags, Richmond, flying first class and Aveda hair products. I’m a big fan of blogs, LASIK, the color green, Bald Head Island and when my dogs sleep close to me. I’m a big fan of my best friends (not so much the ones who slowly disappeared), rosemary and garlic potatoes, coaching basketball, winter and being married. I’m a big fan of text messages, my amazing family, paintballing, tailgating and visiting faraway friends. I’m a big fan of Polaroid cameras, Asian politics and history, board games, calendars and other languages. I was formerly a big fan of other people’s babies, but it appears that I’ll soon be a big fan of my own.

greatest.

Super. Bowl. Ever. That catch by David Tyree was unbelievable - Steve and I were sitting there thinking, 'does he still have that... against his helment?' Steve made a good point, though. It's kind of nice knowing that no one has gotten to 19-0, that it still seems like some crazy unattainable goal for professional football. Oh, and that classy touch at the end? Belichick already inside the tunnel with one second left on the clock? Sore loser. Seriously, go G-men. Wow.

twice in one month?

My immune system must be out to get me. In early January, I caught whatever Steve had and suffered through that for about a week. Last weekend I hung out with my brother for a mere hour and, while he was sick, I of course thought "there's no way... I was just sick". Isn't that how it works? Catching a bug gives you a get-out-of-jail-free card for at least the next month or two, right? Wrong. I definitely caught whatever my brother had (and still had as of last night, yikes). Luckily, I only work half days on Fridays so when I started coming down with "the sickness" on Thursday night, I planned on suffering through Friday morning and sleeping all afternoon. It wasn't until I woke up Friday that I remembered our plans for that night - heading to Richmond to see Michael Ian Black/Michael Showalter! I had been looking forward to this show since December... unfortunately, there was just no way my sick little self was sitting in a car in rainy rush hour Friday traffic, standing in a crowd for a few hours and then driving back. Steve was bummed, to say the least. He loves any excuse to get down to RVA. Thankfully the tickets didn't go to waste - we passed them onto Taryn and Nate-O, so I'm sure they had fun.

By the time Steve got home from work last night I was feeling a little better so we went out to dinner and to Best Buy. Last weekend he announced he wasn't buying any more Xbox games because he has so many that it should keep him busy for awhile. That was nonsense seeing how last night he just had to have some racing game he found. We ran into my brother and Ed (what a pair) who were on a multi-Best Buy Xbox hunt of their own. Seriously, I just don't get the hype.

I failed to mention when I found out last week that... drumroll, please... Jimmy Eat World and Paramore just announced a spring/summer tour together! I flipped out when I heard. Not only am I so excited to see Paramore again (because 1. they were amazing live and 2. this time I'm bringing my little sister for her first show!) but anytime I have the opportunity to see Jimmy Eat World live I will drop everything. Those four guys from Arizona play the most unbelievable live show. The first time I listened to them was sophomore year of high school (wow, 1998? 1999?)... I was really into the emo/indie scene and I had gotten some kind of sampler CD with "Blister" on it and I immediately ran out and bought Static Prevails and Clarity (their first and second major albums, respectively and two of the greatest albums of all time). Ever since then I've been really into them and have always loved seeing them live since Steve loves them, too. Plus, it's hard to believe but they're actually better live than they are on recording. Up until this past fall, they hadn't been to DC since 2002 when they filmed their DVD at 9:30 club (my favorite show of all time until this fall). Five years later, they played at 9:30 again. One would assume they hate the East Coast but they saved a special treat for us and only us - they played Disintegration (favorite song) for the first time live in 10 years. So, I'm rambling... but I can't wait. They're awesome.

P.S. Notice the post time, why am I up so early on a Saturday??
P.P.S. I hope our tour date is towards the beginning because my pregnant rocking out self will be quite a sight late in the summer.