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.

hello, little sweet pea

Like I previously mentioned, the pregnancy fatigue is seriously wearing me down. Shannon warned me that I would constantly be tired and I waved it off, saying “well I’m always tired (I really am) so I probably won’t even notice it!” Haha. Hahahaha. I was so naïve. You know that feeling you had in college when you’d be slumped down in your chair, lights off, watching some video (for argument's sake, how about my terrorism course senior year – watching a video about Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or 17 November) and you stayed up too late last night? Your eyes are crossing… burning… and your head keeps dropping every twenty seconds. It’s a struggle to keep your eyes open, much less stay awake. That's me. All day. Every single day this week. I don’t know how to stop it since I’m not supposed to be overloading on caffeine. There are some times when I just can’t get anymore sleep – Tuesday night I got home, made and ate dinner, went to basketball practice, came home just short of 10 o’clock and passed out and yet all day yesterday I fought to stay awake.

Speaking of the little bean, this week it’s the size of a sweet pea (cute nickname). Here’s what we know this week: “Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as yours!) and blood is starting to circulate.” I’m updating my weeks according to when they are updated on this pregnancy site I belong to… I think they change once I hit however many weeks and four days, although I can’t quite figure out the logic behind it. I want to keep them the same so I don’t confuse myself – this entire ordeal is already confusing enough. My first real OB appointment is a few weeks away (apparently that's normal - still seems far away to me) but I've taken the liberty of educating myself on a few pregnancy rules. I've checked out the list of diet no-no's and I don't tend to eat much of that stuff anyways, so I'm fairly safe. I don't drink much caffeine aside from maybe some iced tea at a restaurant, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum. I've taken a huge step by leaving my Excedrin at home - I've moved onto extra strength Tylenol (never works for me, but it's all I can use). We also have What to Expect When You're Expecting on our nightstand. Note to self: No more flipping to the ninth month/delivery section! All the talk about episiotomies, breaking your water (what if it happens at work?!) and "push like you're pooping!" is freaking me out.

I’m nervous about Super Tuesday. Of course I have faith that things will turn out the way I’m hoping, but for some reason I keep getting a bad feeling about it. Obama’s winning the delegate numbers right now (though not by much) but there’s some big states coming up. Obviously Clinton will win New York as Obama will win Illinois. Easy enough, although she comes away with bigger numbers there. California is huge, something like 400-500 delegates. New Jersey and Massachusetts have big numbers. Unfortunately, it’s probably going to be so close throughout the month of February that we don’t see a clear nominee emerge until March (or whenever Texas goes to the polling booths). Can I vote yet? I’m anxious.

P.S. Taryn, I'm jealous that you're on a mountain today.

wow...

So, the fatigue I gratefully noted that I didn't have? Spoke too soon.

On a side note, getting a voicemail from a friend who's just calling to say 'I love you' makes my day. You're a wonderful friend, Smashley. Within the past few days I've witnessed the full spectrum of friendship (from brilliant friends to the disloyal) and have learned that, at some point, you should really let go and accept it.

boo, strikers

Actually, I completely understand the writer's strike. I get their cause, I feel for them, I know why they're doing what they're doing... I do... but a girl needs her primetime television for cryin' out loud! Steve and I have found ourselves watching a number of Iron Chef reruns (why do they always challenge Mario Batali???) and visiting the Red Box at Giant more than usual. The damn Red Box is even running out of movies that we're even remotely interested in renting... Friday night we stooped to "Good Luck Chuck" level. I hate Jessica Alba. Although it was entertaining (and she worked at a penguin exhibit at the zoo!), it just can't replace the Office or Lost. Speaking of Lost, only three more days until the two hour season premiere. Unfortunately, they'd only filmed eight episodes before the strike hit - so we're expected to get so enthralled in one of the greatest shows ever and right as it hits its peak of the season, it's over? They just can't do that to us - it's torture.

Steve and I were cleaning machines this weekend. Our normally clean and organized place is now spotless, sparkling and smells like Lysol (clean linen scent). I love it. The Dyson is also the greatest machine ever invented (and the best wedding present ever - thanks, Robbie and Shannon). Sometimes I use that vacuum just for the hell of it. Our carpets don't even need it and I'll whip out the Dyson just to hear the whir and watch it work (and to chase Luke).

We went out to dinner with our parents last night to celebrate the future grandchild. Why on earth everyone is convinced it will be a girl is beyond me - I'm crossing my fingers for a baby Steve. Obviously I'll be happy no matter what and just pray for a healthy baby, but I've always imagined having a boy first. Steve prodded me to share some names that we (me, mostly) like but I really don't feel like sharing that. I don't necessary want to know how people feel about the names I like - if I like it, I'll use it... and I don't want to constantly think about how somebody thought it was odd. When our baby is born, Nicolas (our nephew) will be barely a year old and Ethan (my cousin) will be almost two-and-a-half. It would just be cute to add another boy to the mix. My mom's side of the family has almost all baby girls, so Ethan needs to be rescued. Also, through many great Nestie recommendations I think I have found my new OB (or at least the practice I'll be seeing a lot of for the next 7+ months). Score!

baby appleseed

It's been settling in a little more as the week went on that yes, I'm still pregnant. It's hard to physically believe it considering I haven't gained a pound or grown a belly overnight... so for Steve, he just keeps asking how I'm feeling. That's really the only way to measure how far along we are until we see some belly. So how am I feeling? Compared to the nausea and fatigue that I've heard others complain about, I think I'm doing fairly well. I'm sore and super sleepy, but I'm not sure if I can attribute the sleepiness to the pregnancy since I'm always sleepy during the week. It's also hard to pinpoint the stomach issues I've been having lately because I have so many stomach issues on a regular basis... but it has felt strange and heavy and really acidic all week. My acid reflux medication is doing absolutely nothing for it so perhaps it's just a symptom I'm stuck with until October. Ewww.

The little sprout is no longer a poppyseed, which is so sad. It was a cute little nickname for the few days we used it. It has moved onto an appleseed, also known as "the creature" (as Ryan likes to call it). Here's what we know: "In week five, your embryo (looking kind of like a tadpole) is starting to form major organs (heart, kidney, liver, stomach) and systems (nervous, circulatory, digestive). Baby's presence in your uterus triggers production of hCG (the hormone detected by pregnancy tests)... which triggers production of other hormones like estrogen and progesterone... which trigger all those great symptoms you've probably been noticing!"

Pretty bizarre, right? You bet it is. We're going out to dinner on Sunday with our parents to celebrate... my parents are so far beyond excited, it's hilarious. On another topic, in connection with an old post I made defending my main man, Barack... I came across this the other day and saved it: "I've been to the same church - the same Christian church - for almost 20 years," Obama said, stressing the word Christian and drawing cheers from the faithful in reply. "I was sworn in with my hand on the family Bible. Whenever I'm in the United States Senate, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. So if you get some silly e-mail ... send it back to whoever sent it and tell them this is all crazy. Educate."

Scary thought: Why am I so intrigued by John McCain? Pleasepleaseplease don't make me have to choose between Hillary and McCain.