Charlie Brown and Me

I’m not sure if it’s a sign that yes, I actually am getting older, but my right eye seems a touch fuzzy. Hope it’s just lack of sleep…

I’m trying to have ‘tummy time’ with Victoria, scratch Ginger with my right foot, and eat a cheese stick with my right hand - A true master of multi-tasking. But, I’m drawn to A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV. I’m not watching it, it’s just on.

I don’t get it.

This is going to be a very unpopular thought on a beloved staple of Americana – perhaps even un-American… but I don’t get it. And truthfully, I never have. Oh sure, as a kid I remember thinking I liked it. I remember getting excited when I saw that it was on, but I think that’s mostly because that’s what I thought I should do…it was a cartoon so it must be good, right?

Well, between you and me, I don’t think it is.

I guess for me, it’s just a show of a bunch of mean little kids. I know that Charles Shultz was making a social commentary portrayed through the eyes of children. But they’re mean.

Let’s take a look:

The ‘hero’ of the show, Charlie Brown, is an utter loser. No one sees Charlie Brown’s redeeming qualities, other than his cute round head. No one likes him, even Man’s Best Friend, Snoopy, laughs at him. His own dog?!?! How sad is that?! Charlie tries hard. He’s friendly, he tries to participate, he tries to be involved, he tries to make friends; even at the risk of trusting the wrong people, and he always gets dumped on.

As I look down at Victoria, I find myself thinking. “If she turned out like Charlie Brown I’d be SO disappointed!” Who wants a child who can’t stand up for themselves, can’t even see their own self worth and whose sis and dog won’t even back you up? Not me.

Of the whole cast of little characters, one of the most popular is Lucy. Why? Why do all the other little kids like her?... or maybe they’re just afraid of her? She’s awful! She’s mean to basically everyone. She’s shallow, she’s narcissistic, she’s a know-it-all, she’s selfish and she’s mean, mean, mean. Again, a great disappointment if Victoria or my nieces turned out like Lucy.

I’ve always thought this about Charlie Brown. So tonight I watched it with fresh eyes to see if I’ve been wrong all these years. Turns out, I haven’t been.

Here’s my biggest beef: No one redeems themselves at the end of the story. Charlie Brown goes and gets the littlest, scrawniest Christmas tree – the only character who can see any good in the ‘underdog,’ the ‘weakest link.’ Of course the chorus of “Geez Charlie you suck!” begins. They all talk about how lame Charlie is, he agrees and leaves.

Only when he’s not around do they decide they’ll take a second look at the tree and decorate it. They never apologize for being so mean, they never tell Charlie to his face that he’s alright after all, he never tells them to buzz off and no one ever tells Lucy to SHUT UP!!

The Grinch has a change of heart at the end. We all learn something and the lesson is uplifting. Same with Rudolph - We learn not to judge, to love everyone and especially those who are different from us.

Not so with Charlie Brown. Everyone just goes on being the same crummy person they were in the beginning of the show.

So I’m sorry Mr. Shultz, and I’m sorry America, I just don’t get the love affair and I never have.

But I love apple pie and… well I don’t really love baseball either. But I love figure skating, that’s American, right?

Showtuners In Primetime

Hey Showtune fans!


Have you been watching primetime TV this season? Some of our Broadway faves are making a great showing!

Of course, the lovely and very talented Sara Ramirez has been gracing the Seattle Grace Hospital on Grey's Anatomy for a while now (still waiting for a karaoke night though). She's great in the show, but it always takes me back to seeing her in Spamalot from the 3rd row. Sara was utterly captivating! Her stage presence was unparalleled and that is something that, sadly, a TV camera can't capture. Alas, I enjoy watching her.


How about Pushing Daisies? It's a quirky, new show on ABC (Wednesday night at 7p). They're swimming in Broadway folks which is great for us geeks. Kristin Chenoweth steals her scenes, for starters. She plays Olive – a slightly less-than-bright, innocently sexy server in a pie shop with a crush on her boss. She is wonderful! Again, I'm always sad to see outstanding singers doing something in which they're not singing... but I'm sure the money is a hard thing to turn down. And, it's great to see her up close and personal!


But the show boasts other Broadway folks as well. Imagine my delight when Raul Esparza walked into the pie shop a few weeks ago. I sat there with Mark and shrieked “That's Raul!”



“Raul who?”




“Raul Esparza!”



"Who's that?"



*exasperated sigh*



He was a traveling salesman of sorts peddling homeopathic mood lifters. Such a treat to watch Raul and Kristin have witty banter with each other... with a sort of a flirtatious undertone. I'm hoping they bring that character back – they left the story line open for such a return and I'm anxiously waiting!


Then Mark spotted Ellen Greene on the show. I know, I know, the name didn't ring a bell with me either. But she was none other than Audrey in the Steve Martin movie version of Little Shop Of Horrors. Mark was sure of it. It had been so long since I'd seen the show that I wasn't quite sure. We looked it up that night and sure enough, it was! She played that role on Broadway also for a few years. Again, in another non-singing role. She plays Vivian Charles a very eccentric former water ballerina (would that be the proper verbage?).


Tony Award winning Swoosie Kurtz is also in Pushing Daisies. She's the twin sister of Ellen Greene's character. Though not a musical gal, she's graced the Great White Way and is doing a great job in Pushing Daisies.


Taye Diggs is walking around, looking quite nice in his very-fitted shirts, in LA starring in the new Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice (ABC Wednesday, 8p). Don't you think they really should write some type of singing thing for these stars? He's a doctor in Private Practice and he's great. Of course, any time he smiles he absolutely steals the scene!! More Taye, more smiling and a some singing would be good too!


Then there's Ugly Betty. I have some thoughts on a recent episode where the lead couple went to Wicked. Yes, I have some issues with it and we'll talk about that next week.


In meantime, tune in and support our Broadway stars. I know, we'd all rather have them on Broadway. But, since we're all interested in making a paycheck and hopefully it'll allow them the opportunity to grace the stage again, we should support them in their TV shows too! Besides, at least we still get to see them perform!!

Baby & Ginger & Stuff

Hey gang!

I know it’s been a while. I’m continually amazed at where the time goes. I mean really…. Does changing diapers and feeding a 6 pound infant REALLY take THAT much time?

Answer: yes. Yes it does.

Not to mention the continual changes of her outfit, my outfits (not because we’re fashion plates, but because we hate smelling like milk). Plus changing of the cover of her changing table, the constant search for burp cloths that are never where I want them to be, and the constant battle of binky, no binky, binky, no binky, binky, no binky. She loves the binky and wants the binky, but she’s really good at spitting it out and not so good at putting it back in (and when she can put it back in, I suppose it’s time to get rid of them!). Ugh. That’s where my blogging time has gone. Oh, and I still try to get a good cuddle or two in with Ginger.

Ging has done really well with the change but I think it’s been tough for her. She’s very gentle with Victoria and for the most part is uninterested in all the goings-on (except for the dirty diapers…. She’s VERY interested in those!). But I think she’s sad. The stroller takes up half of her car space which leaves her looking concerned and whimpering while we’re out and about. She has less cuddle-time. Initially I thought our cuddle-times were more for me than her, but I’ve changed my mind. Now when we cuddle she really cozies right up and nestles in to get as much out of it as she can. I guess my dog-voice and my baby-voice are about the same which leads to much confusion for Ging. But I think we’re adjusting.

Anyway, the good news for me is: I can finally drive!! They told me not to after having surgery and I was going a little stir crazy. It’s amazing how being able to take a trip to the grocery store can boost your spirits – it’s the little things. So, now we’re two gals about town which should be remarkably better than two gals still sitting on the couch!

New discoveries:

Victoria gets better and better at holding her head up. It’s cute to watch because her little head finally gets SO heavy it crashes back on my shoulder in utter exhaustion.

She’s also focusing more on different objects and faces.

And, her cord fell off! Rather startling for this first-time mom, but it’s gone. She’s a big girl now!!

Thanksgiving 2007

So, I’m not sure how long you’ve been reading my blog but if you’ve been around for longer than a year, you may remember reading about my last Thanksgiving.

Quick recap: I was assigned rolls and, as an afterthought, and appetizer. I wasn’t smart or organized enough to show up early with the stupid appetizer, so they were fairly useless (the rolls were great). But I was completely shown-up by my LITTLE sister!! So much so, that I walked away deciding to make some Thanksgiving Resolutions that included:

(Taken directly from last year’s blog!) "I hereby resolve:

1. To learn a new dish or two – something OTHER than cookies.
2. Show up at Thanksgiving with a little more than I was asked to bring.
3. Figure out a treat NOW to show the young-‘uns how it’s done at the summer BBQ."

Well, come one, was I REALLY expected to remember, let alone ACT on said resolutions? How many of you have truly kept your resolutions? That’s what I thought.

Needless to say, I completely forgot about what happened last year. But in my defense, my life is slightly different this year: I’m a new mom of an infant who did NOT want to sleep the night before the big feast leaving both Mark and I quite bleary-eyed. I’m still unemployed and in preparation to move (which we were planning to do before I got fired) but a good chunk of our belongings (including some pots and pans) have been boxed up and moved to storage. I feel like we’re newlyweds all over again.

At any rate, I was assigned the very difficult task of Stove Top stuffing (perhaps Mom knows I’m not able to offer up much?) True to Erica fashion, I waited until Thanksgiving morning to dash to Albertson’s to pick up said boxes of stuffing. Luckily they store still had some AND they were on sale. Mom said I could make them up at her house (another cop-out on my part). We arrived and everyone was sitting around waiting for us. I kept thinking…. Technically I still have 8 minutes before designated time. 8 minutes is GOBS of time to whip up this fabulous stuffing!

I got the water and block of butter boiling and started opening the packages. Imagine my slight, or great, embarrassment when the pot boils over, water splashes all over the burner and smoke fills the kitchen so rapidly that soon we’re listening to the ear-piercing wails of my dad’s new fancy smoke detectors. My mom’s running around opening windows and the kitchen fills with even more commotion.

My little sister, on the other hand, arrived early and prepared some fabulous yams topped with some type of wonderfully crunchy crust. And, she also did a homemade, fresh, cranberry sauce. UGH!! Again, I was shown up again by my little sister. We sat down at the table and I looked at her and it all came back to me, “I blogged about you and your contribution last year, as I recall.”

I became the butt of many jokes – again – around the Hansen feast. Everyone especially getting a big kick at my lighting water on fire, except my Dad who was actually really glad I tested his new detectors.

I promise THIS time, I’ll remember my resolutions. I would really like to show up with something real to serve.

Thanksgiving 2008 is MINE!!

First Week

I’ve been a Mom for one week now. One week and 10 hours, to be exact.

I never expected newborns to really do much, and truthfully, they don’t. Victoria basically sleeps most of the day, until her hunger gets so severe it overwhelms her and catapults her from a state of deep sleep to a state of agony – wails, and tears until she tastes the milk. She blissfully eats, burps, poops, gets her diaper changed and starts all over again. That’s her day in a nutshell.

But, I’ve had some great moments of discovery already.

- She seems to recognize my singing!! My first evening with her, after everyone left, I sat in the bed with my baby and talked to her. As soon as I started singing, her eyes opened up and looked at me. Every time I sang to her that night, her eyes opened. How amazing!! That brought tears to my eyes… my little girl seems to recognize my voice, my singing and the songs I love.

-I still love staring at her sweet face. I stare at her for very long periods of time. She pulls the most wonderful little faces while she sleeps. I think it’s an insight into what her expressions will be like once she starts using them. I think she’ll have a killer smile, be able to raise one eyebrow and be able to do an Elvis-like lip snarl.

- Mark is great with her! He’s wonderful with jumping in to help feed, change and comfort her. I love watching him with her – especially when he makes up words to songs since he doesn’t know the real words.

- I love how smitten the grandparents are with her. They just coo, cuddle, stare and marvel at her as much as I do. Plus, I love watching my folks as grandparents – it’s a new role and it’s a pleasure to sit back and watch.

- I’m amazed how quickly time goes. Just when I think we’re going to be ready to actually do something on time, I look at the clock and am just stunned at how much time such a little person can take. At least Mark can’t blame ALL of our lateness on me!

- After I feed Victoria, she purses her little lips together in the most beautiful little pucker. She already seems totally proper, dignified… it’s such a distinguished little pucker. As if to say, “Mom, will you please wipe my mouth?... I’d hate to be seen like this.” I watch for it every time I feed her.

- When newborns rest, they seem to practice their facial expressions, flexing their muscles. Sunday night while visiting the fam, my Mom and I were staring at her. Suddenly her face just lit up in the most beautiful, wonderfully, big smile. Her whole face was alive with the biggest, gummy, happy grin I’ve ever seen. It was beautiful and again, brought tears to my eyes. I know she doesn’t know that she’s smiling yet, but if that’s any indication – are we in for a treat!!

- Last night she did a really strong grip for the first time. My Father-in-law was holding her and she reached out and cupped her little hand around his thumb – like his thumb was a stick-shift. She gripped it like that for quite a while and of course, we were all abuzz with her progress!

- I think she has my eyebrows. Can’t tell for sure, but they seem to be the same shape. Weird, huh?... fun too!

What a busy week, 10+ hours we’ve had!

Hospital

I read a lot of books and magazines about labor and birth long before I got there. I’d heard the warnings - that your emotions can really do a roller coaster. They even cautioned me NOT to worry if I didn’t feel like I loved my new baby. That sometimes that can take time - Time to get to know one another, time to build a relationship. That made perfect sense to me. I was prepared to not be upset if I wasn’t blown away with love - which, as you read in my last posting, luckily I was.

I was surprised with how happy I felt. I was really happy in the hospital. I felt on top of the world. I didn’t mind the pain, for the most part (as long as we stayed up on the serving-time - Another story for another entry).

I woke up the morning after and had a smile on my face. I felt calm, relaxes, relieved, and ultimately happy.

Some women talk about how they couldn’t get out of the hospital fast enough. I was just the opposite. I loved my stay – is that weird? My sis was the same way so we’re either somewhat normal and our weirdness runs in the family.

I basically just laid in bed and held my baby all day. What could beat that?! Mark was there all day so he was super-helpful with feedings and changings. The Nursery would take Victoria at night so I could get a good-night’s sleep which was a tremendous gift (since now we’re not getting that at all!) Mark and I chatted, watched our TV shows and walked our ‘laps’ around the floor for my exercise. His folks would stop by, my family would visit - It was just a really fun time.

I sort of felt sad when I had to go home. I think a lot of that was knowing that I didn’t have a floor full of experts at the push of a button. How nice to have them to ask about my health issues and my baby’s. It was great peace of mind. Now it’s just us. A truly daunting task but so far, so good!

My Real Moment (sort of)

I talked earlier about not having that ‘moment’ in the delivery room.

Victoria was born at 4:41pm and by 6p, 6:15p, 6:30p, I still hadn’t seen my baby girl. I’d finally mostly stopped shivering and had been wheeled up to recovery and I was waiting.

How strange to nurture something in your belly for 9 months, it’s taken from you and then you’re the only one who hasn’t seen it.

Mark went to find out when we’d get her and was gone for a while. I sat in the recovery room by myself thinking ‘this seems odd…. Shouldn’t someone be here?’ I talked to my folks and Mark’s folks and they were on their way. They’d been there earlier for the birth and were told it’d be an hour or so before I’d be able to visit so they took off for a bite.

Mark finally came back and happily told me he got to bathe our daughter. I’m SO glad that he happened in the nursery when he did. What a wonderful experience for him to be the first to clean her sweet, little body. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I’m sure he’ll always remember that moment.

So together we sat… waiting for our daughter. Mark, who was very diligent about posting pictures and blog updates was eager to get the birth pics posted. He was told she’d be in soon and she still wasn’t. He was convinced he could get them posted so off he went (just down the hall for the internet connection). There I sat.

I had so many questions, was she pretty? Did she have hair? Eyebrows? My ears? My thumbs? (Not my favorite features) What does she look like?

My folks got there. It was good to see them – I was in such lousy shape last time I saw them as I was being wheeled into surgery. I was glad they were there.

Then the door opened, the sound of a bassinet rattled into the room and from my bed I could see a little bundled dob of a baby with a striped cap on. The nurse scooped her up, brought her to me and I finally laid eyes on my new daughter.

I’ve never felt anything like I did that moment. I looked down at this creature who’d been growing inside me for months and I finally got to see her sweet face. I was completely overwhelmed. I burst into tears and only remember saying “She’s so pretty!” I touched her pink cheek, her hairy head, looked at her perfect lips and I wept. I openly wept, along with my parents, at this amazing miracle. This truly was my moment. I hope to always remember the complete awe I felt at that moment, the overwhelming gratitude and disbelief that I’d done anything so right in my life to be blessed with such an angel. She was perfect and she was mine. I did that, I made that, I was part of such an amazing creation. THAT was the moment.

Mark came in shortly after that having missed the first introduction but he was there in time to still see tears - Buckets of tears rolling over my cheeks as I held our sweet little girl for the first time. I’m sure I said other things. But I have no idea what they were. I was completely lost in this moment.

Except for the fact that the nurse was still standing there rattling off all my instructions for having her in there. How many times to feed her, how much to feed her, where the supplies were, blah, blah, blah. I didn’t hear a word she said. She talked through my tears, my excitement, my awe, my moment.

I should have asked her to come back later – funny she didn’t just decide to do that on her own.

But who cares? I had in my arms, the most amazing thing I’d ever done. And she was breathtaking.

The Big Moment

Perhaps everyone is like this, perhaps it’s just me. But I always envisioned ‘the moment’ of childbirth. You know, the moment the kid is pulled out and a grand exclamation is made “IT’S A GIRL!!” I’m weeping with joy, my husband is crying too and kissing me on the forehead for this miraculous gift I’ve just given him.

Turns out, life isn’t like the movies.

My first disappointment came at finding out we had to have a C-section. It’s not quite what I bargained for, and not what I was prepared for. Who wants major surgery if they can avoid it? In fact, I couldn’t have been more stunned to hear the doctor suggest that would be the best way to go. But our little girl wasn’t budging on her own, and her little heart rate was having a hard time climbing back up after each time I pushed. So, why risk it?

Okay. C-section isn’t the end of the world. I know many, many women who’ve had them – no big deal. Mark can still be in there and I’ll be awake to hear things and see her.

Here is my second disappointment. I guess I’m a tad sensitive to the epidural – which is what they give you for a C-section so you don't feel the pain. The goal is to numb you from the chest down and your arms, shoulders, head will all be awake. The anesthesiologist didn’t seem too concerned when I first said “Should I be feeling this in my hands?” He suggested that I may have been sleeping on my arms and they were asleep. I kept saying “But they’re really numb… both of them.” But it was when I finally said “I can’t breathe” that got his attention. He quickly moved into high gear, checking me out and realizing that I’m a touch more sensitive than most. So, off we went to the Operating Room.

I felt terrible! I truly couldn’t breathe and thought I was going to die. I knew I was in good hands and I had Mark by my side the whole time, but I just knew I was going to die. I had to focus ALL energy on “Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…” That’s all I could think about, that’s all I could do. I spent the whole surgery focusing on breathing and barely remember hearing a cry, I barely remember Mark saying something to make the doctors laugh, I vaguely remember them bringing my brand new baby girl over by my head and letting me look at her. But I was miserable looking at her: I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think of anything other then ‘inhale, exhale’ and didn’t even get to look at Mark when he saw her for the first time. Talk about major disappointment.

What happened to my moment?

Then I got to thinking… What if I had waited to find out what we were having? I originally wanted to wait to find out, you know, for the moment. I would have been lying there in a stupor while they announced what I had and I’d have to wait for the meds to wear off before I’d find out.

I guess expectations can always get the best of us. They surely did me.

I sat there after surgery, shivering uncontrollably – which I’ve heard can be normal after birth and especially after a C-section. I had the most violent chills of anything I’d ever experienced. Again, thinking I was dying, I asked the nurses for help. They brought me some warm blankets and wrapped one around my head. I was dopey, uncomfortable, still shivering uncontrollably and still hadn’t seem my baby.

What happened to my moment? I’m sure others have similar stories.

I guess it’s best to do what my birthing class instructor told us to: Be open!! Be open to having anything happen – anything at all. Child birth is never ‘the norm’ and can really take many interesting twists and turns so be ready to roll with the punches – all of them.

Why don’t we ever see THAT in the movies?

Labor Thoughts

It’s Saturday morning and I’m sitting in the hospital bed. The nursery has taken my baby to assess her and I’m watching the Karate Kid on TV. There really isn’t much to watch on Saturday morning. Luckily, I had Victoria at the beginning of the week so we had better viewing options.

Wow…. What a difference week makes, huh? Last week at this time we were sitting around moaning that we still hadn’t had the baby and today I’ve joined the ranks of women with stories to tell of labor pains, epdiurals, pushing, c-sections etc. Today, I’m a mom.

There are so many places to start. So many things I want to share, so many observations, so many thoughts. I don’t even know where to begin.

What I think I’ll do, since the Karate Kid is about to meet Mr. Miyagi, I’ll give a few major thoughts and go into more depth in the upcoming week. I love that so many of you have been checking in with the blog for updates – thank you!

My quick thoughts:

1. Labor isn’t that much fun.

2. But, it’s exciting.

3. Hospital gowns are as bad as they’ve ever been – but now they have “Please wash your hands” printed on the left breast.

4. Nurses sure bustle through the hallways at break-neck speed. If you’re out there walking, say nursing an incision in your gut, it’s unsettling.

5. St. Mark’s has a great staff and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience… you know for a hospital stay.

Alright then. I’ll be home soon and I surmise, I’ll have more to update then. Please keep checking back!

And you can always contact me at showtune.erica@hotmail.com

We Have A Name!!!!!

We're not lame!!

The Name Conundrum

We are lame.

There is no name for our baby. She has been here for 48 hours now. We've known she has been on the way for months. We can't decide. I think it is such a daunting task to give someone something that will be stuck with them for the rest of their life. I think it is also because we are both afraid to pull the trigger and make a decision. It once took us 2 months to name a dog and then we gave it away.

So here are our choices so far - but they may change.

Grace

Scarlett

Lexi

Victoria

Deborah

Pamela

Birth Day + 1

It's nearly 24 hours after they pulled the little squirt out and everything is still going well. She's healthy and pink and squishy. Just like babies should be. She has been quiet most of the day and chooses sleeping over eating for now.

I can imagine her experience was just as harrowing (or more) as Erica's. The day started fine, warm and comfortable. Then it got real tight and cold. Then someone started squeezing the heck out of her. Then they tried for an hour to squeeze her head through a tiny little tube. Then they pulled her out into this cold, bright, uncomfortably quiet place and started sticking things into her. Anyway, the baby is exhausted also but handling things well.

You can check out some pictures at my webshots album.

Enjoy...

Mark's Baby Pics

6 pounds 11 ounces!

I think I may have even of cried a little bit when they showed her to me.

I sat behind the little screen in the operating room next to the anesthesiologist and Erica's head. I would sneak glances at the surgery in the reflection of some glass. I'll tell you, it is really hard to look at someone slicing into your wife and pulling things out of her. But using the reflection, it distorted what was going on and it wasn't too traumatic for me.

Anyway, welcome unnamed Girl Baby to the world.

New Update - No Video

After Erica dilated fully, she pushed and pushed and pushed and our stubborn little girl decided she wasn't going anywhere. She (the baby) also got tired and her heart rate dropped. So in an unexpected turn we will be getting a C-section.

Thanks for the text Omer. We were right in the middle of some intense pushing and Erica refused to let me text you back.

The Baby Comes - Vlog 11

On Her Way ?

She's moving!

The Baby Comes - Vlog 10

The Delivery Room

Where we are.

The Baby Comes - Vlog 9

The Magic of the Epidural

Makes quite a bit of difference, wouldn't you say.

The Baby Comes - Vlog 8

Noontime

The Baby Comes - Vlog 7

The Morning For Erica

Very Uncomfortable

The Baby Comes - Vlog 6

Tuesday Morning - 1st Thing (for Mark)

The Baby Comes - Vlog 6

The Baby Comes - Vlog 5

Contraction #2

Isn't she beautiful?

The Baby Comes - Vlog 4

Our Hospital Stay Begins

We arrive and get settled and start the medication.

These two entries start off identically because they were takes 2 & 3 but they both end up delightfully interesting in such different ways.

The Baby Comes - Vlog 3

The Drive

Not my car, not my fault.

The Baby Comes - Vlog 2

The Departure

We've showered, I've eaten, bags are packed...

The Baby Comes - Vlog 1

The Afternoon Before

The doctor advised us that we should induce labor because Erica's blood pressure was a little high. It had been that way for a couple of weeks and nothing was changing so it was decided that it was better for everyone to make it happen tonight.

So we had the day to sit around and think about that. We went about our normal routine as best that we could. Only our emotions vacillated from excited to nervous and back again. - Mark

Tonight's The Night

So, it’s Monday evening, Ginger is resting against me on the couch, "King Of The Hill" is on TV and I’m going to have a baby tomorrow morning! YIKES!!!! How crazy is that?!

We went to the Doc this morning and he doesn’t want to wait any longer (neither do I). But now that the decision has been made – it feels so final.

There’s something so strange about choosing your ‘last meal.’ I’ve been told not to eat after 2p and to go out for a “nice lunch.” So, off we went to Famous Dave’s. A little BBQ before birth has got to good, right? That was the choice because not only do I love it, we figured it would stick with me the longest.

So, tomorrow at this time, it’ll all be over. All the anticipation, reading and worrying will be a thing of the past. Unless of course, it’s a miserable labor then I guess I could still be at it. Please keep your fingers crossed for being all done by this time tomorrow night. Please.

I feel mostly calm about the whole thing. But I get hit with moments of wanting to cry. I’m not sure what I’m crying about. I’m excited about making this step and I’m pretty sure we’re ready for it. This is silly, but I get sad for Ginger. I know she knows something is up and I think she knows it’s not going to be a good thing. So I’m sad for her – which made Mark chuckle a bit and lovingly reassure me that she’ll be okay.

I’m also sad at losing the life we have now. Not the freedom part, but our cozy little threesome. We have our threesome and our routine and we’ve been really happy. I guess that’s leaving me a little sad. We take our morning walks, Ging hops up on the bed while we’re waking up and the three of us like to pile on the couch for ‘family time’ and TV watching. The logical part of me knows that it will really be the same… We’ll just have an extra - the more the merrier, right?

So, it’s 5:30p. We call the hospital in an hour and will be checked in shortly after that. I guess I’ll go finish my bag o’ goodies and take my last fairly normal shower; take my last sip of water and give Ging a final goodbye hug and kiss…. From here on out, it’s the new frontier…

OVERDUE

Well, we’ve passed our due date and I’m still pregnant. I know, I know it’s normal. But that doesn’t make it any more fun. I’ve read that only 20% of babies arrive on time, but I was really hoping to be one of the rare few who deliver on time. Alas…

On the other hand, I’m also told to be careful what I wish for and that I should really be enjoying this time. So that’s what I’m trying to do. My in-laws are in town and so far are doing a great job not letting me do anything while they cook us great meals. That’s not a bad gig, huh?

We’re back to the doc on Monday morning so hopefully we’ll have more info then.

In the meantime, we wait…

But I have had a few other thoughts while I wait that actually have nothing to do with babies – weird huh?

1) The Elvis Lives museum is closing. The owner is selling it and has long maintained that The King is still alive and in the witness protection program. I got to thinking, I hope so. I hope The King is still alive. Just think what a treat it would be to sit back and see your name on top of all the Dead Celebrity lists and be reminded of all you’ve accomplished and the joy you’ve brought to people. I hope that he is here to see it – not necessarily while hanging out at a convenience store though… as is usually the location of the sightings.

2) Ginger caught scent of something while out on the Jordan River Parkway yesterday which, as you know if you’ve read this blog, is NEVER a good thing. At any rate, the next time we saw her, she had no collar. So, not sure if you’re ever at the Parkway, but if you are… it’s a pretty red, Hawaiian flower collar with a very scraped-up tag saying ‘Ginger.’

3) I’ve decided to always try the ‘Seasonal Special’ at restaurants. Whether it be a fancy dessert, beverage or anything really. I’ve decided that provided there are no raisins, I’m going to try it. So far, I’ve found I’ve been very happy with my decision.

4) If dogs are so eager to lick – EVERYTHING, why can’t they lick up the hair that they shed?

5) It’s hard to hide your enthusiasm for chocolate when your in-laws are in town. Don’t get me wrong, they’d never say anything and mostly we’d just laugh about my daily need for a little dose of the dark stuff. But, I still hate looking utterly pathetic. So, the stash is hidden as are all the wrappers!

See, I’ve had a few non-baby thoughts. Though most of my spare time is spent thinking about how my life will be a month from now, wondering how the whole labor-thing will be, trying to finally decide what to name the little gal, hoping Ginger will be a good big-sister, wondering when I’ll have time to read a non baby-rearing book again, anticipating when I won’t have to make bathroom trips every 45 minutes, looking forward to watching Mark as a Daddy….

It’s such a strange time; having prepared for nine months, feeling mostly ready and then just waiting for something THIS big to happen. Everything feels normal now but I know better.

It’s amazing I’ve had any coherent thoughts at all.

Keep checking – we’ll post pictures as soon as we have them which will be, hopefully, soon!