HD rocks!

I watched my first Blu-Ray DVD last night and IT WAS AWESOME! The picture was so crisp and clear (we are still waiting for DirecTV to install our HD dish, fuckers) and for the first time I actually appreciated the big ass TV we just got. The movie: Tropic Thunder. Hi-larious!

Cutest booties ever.

A huge shout out to my friend Jessie, who sent us the cutest baby booties ever!

Jessie is super crafty and talented and has her own etsy store which is definitely worth a check out. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5899112

Thanks Jessie!

I'm thankful its almost over.

I can't possibly get too much bigger in a week, right??

Thanksgiving was nice.

Worked today and got a pedicure. Came home and had lots o' contractions. Enough to compel us to pack my hospital bag, and put the carseat together and anchor it in the car. Enough to make me call the doctor, but not wait to talk to the answering service. Decided to sit on the couch and ignore it and hope they went away. Oh, and to send the Big Man for some chicken mcnuggets. All better now. Thank god--we aren't ready YET!

Behold, the second living room filled w/baby crap. Will be the daytime/downstairs setup.

My friend Jessie sent me the CUTEST baby booties today--will post pics soon!

It's all coming together.

Baby's room is pretty much set up. (notice the free glider and ottoman we scored from the lawyer guy--way better quality than I would have actually paid for)

We are organized (kind of). (Do plastic bins count?)

We have clothes. (No newborn stuff though, figuring on a big baby.)

We have wipes. (And more wipes.)

We have diapers and assorted creams. (And the little newborn diapers actually smell like baby powder!)

We have baby wash, and a baby bathtub. (Although my first purchase of wash was apparently not for use until 3 months, so I had to get something tamer.)

We have baby bottles, bottle washers, bottle storage, etc. (And pumps and containers and bags, oh my!)

Now, we just need the baby!

(Yes, I know that the stuffed animals can't stay in the bassinet. I just tossed them in for the photo. I would have used one of the cats, but Big Man would have a fit if he thought I let one of our animals (gasp!) come into contact with something our baby might sleep in! **although if we had a dog, I am sure it would be different**)

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!

I'm up late tonight. Big Man's at work and I'm not in bed. Sure, I'm tired, but ninja baby has decided to attempt to arrive early by kicking its way through my abdomen. So sleep ain't comin' anytime soon. Next step is some benadryl to calm that thing down!

Big Man thinks I'm crazy but this whole, "I'm going to have a baby" thing is finally, after all this time, starting to become real. I've talked to lots of moms who have said it was the baby kicks, or the teensie baby clothes at the baby shower that made them finally start to comprehend the impending mommyhood. Not me. It wasn't the shower gifts, or my ever-expanding belly. It happened this morning.

Big Man went to the doctor yesterday and while he was there, scheduled the baby's first appointment for a few days after I get out of the hospital. When I was getting ready for work this morning, I saw the appointment card, sitting in the butler's pantry. The appointment was for Baby McGhee. Baby's first appointment. That did it. I'm having a baby, and that baby already is a busy little thing--her very first appointment is just a few weeks away. That card's going in the baby book for sure.

Nothing to see here.

Nothing much to report.

My feet are swollen and look like this:

Had a dream last night that I gave birth to a 30" baby boy. (Hope he doesn't mind pink.)

Big Man baked me carrot cake cupcakes yesterday because he rules.

Two weeks to go!!!

My bags are packed.

Well, almost packed. (16 days to go)

I'm trying to get ready for the hospital and baby arrival just in case I go into labor early. I packed a toiletries bag, and picked up the last of the clothes I think I'll need: nursing gown, nursing sportsbra, and a zip up nightgown thingie I can nurse in if I need to. We've washed all the parts of the bassinet, carseat and swing, and now just need to put it all together. Baby's starting to drop, and I'm starting to get uncomfortable.

We've got diapers and wipes on hand, baby wash and lotion. We have baby things that I don't fully understand or know what they do, like little baby straightjackets (so she can be swaddled) little baby first aid kit with snot sucker tool, mitts, hats, booties and something that has a stuffed frog head with a little blanket thingie attached? I think we have many things that may never be used, but have already been laundered and have been rendered unreturnable. My friend Aimee's going to check out our wares next weekend to tell us what else we may want to have on hand. I just don't know where it is all going to go--baby stuff is everywhere.

Got an awesome package from my best pal G this weekend--cute little sleepers with bibs, and onesies and shirts and stuff. If I weren't completely exhausted, I'd take and post some pics, but you'll just have to imagine cute little pink baby things.

Need to last until the 9th!

Went out for an awesome dinner last night with my friends Ann and Diane; a Japanese place with an extensive menu of sushi (which I don't like but Ann said was the best she'd had in the region; and it certainly deserved points for the beautiful and artistic plating ) and tons of other stuff too. Place is called Mr. Wasabi in Schenectady--highly recommend it if you are in the area. Had some fabulous shumai, and will finish my beef and noodles for lunch tomorrow. A very nice girls' night out. Funny how a few short months will change one's definition of a girls' night out. Nine months ago it would have meant pounding cosmos and getting silly until late at night. Now it means an early dinner with some hot tea, and home before 8pm. Rock on! Home in time to watch Wall*E with the Big Man.

Just watching football on the big screen with Big Man who has the night off. The Bears won by a lot (although they played a really crappy team, a win's a win). Good weekend all the way around.

17 days and counting.

I've been a bit of a posting slacker lately because I'm so damn tired. I am also working a TON to try to get my client work finished/ahead so I can take 4 weeks with minimal disturbance.

Lawyer dude from last post gave us the mother load of baby stuff, some of which I don't even recogize/know what it does.

When I go to sleep, I wake up every 90 minutes to pee, and have crazy dreams.

Last night I was up at 4am, with the tune of Edelweiss in my head. In college, my sorority used to have a song we sang to the tune. I decided at 4am that my baby needed one too, so I actually got out of bed and wrote one down. I might be losing my mind.

To the tune of Edelweiss:
Baby Danielle, baby Danielle
Just a few days 'til we get to meet you
Will you look like Mom, or look likd Dad?
We just can't wait to find out.

Baby Danielle may you breastfeed well
And may you sleep for long stretches of hours
Baby Danielle, baby Danielle
We love you baby, you're ours.

Yes, I am sleep deprived and pathetic.

I'm going to try to post every day until the big day. As you peeps know, Big Man works nights and sleeps during the day. I had to travel in the region for work this week, and dreamt that I went into labor, headed to hospital for what would be an emergency c-section, and couldn't get ahold of the Big Man as he sleeps with the ringers off. My cousin Dave has a house key, but he wasn't around to go wake Big Man up. So, last night I asked Big Man to tell the sergeants not to call him for overtime for the rest of the year so that he could take his cell phone to bed with him just in case I need him.

He's got to work the Schenectady Holiday Parade this evening. WTF with all of the pre-thanksgiving holiday stuff? I'm guessing it's because it has been so damn cold that it feels like Christmas. There are already Christmas lights up all over town and I've noticed Christmas trees in people's houses already. And it's not even thanksgiving yet. Bah.

Awesome coincidence.

So, since we shot the wad on the big screen, I've been looking for a used glider and ottoman for the baby's room. I've been looking on craiglist, but hadn't found one that wasn't sold out before I got to it. This morning I got another "too late" response. So I tried one more time and emailed one more poster on craigslist about a glider; I've been trying to find locations near where Big Man works so he can easily pick it up. He's picking up a new-ish infant carseat on Friday on his way home. (nothing but the best for my baby!).

So.

Today, I had to go to city court with a client who decided not to take a deal, against my strong recommendation. Basically, my adversary (civil action) was offering my tenant a longer period of time to stay in his apartment than he would have if an eviction proceeding was brought--so it was either take the deal for 60 days of basically rent-free living, or roll the dice in a week or two when they serve us with eviction papers. In any event, my opposing counsel was really nice, and we were very friendly; people are just downright nice to pregnant people, and he and his wife have a toddler.

So, I head to my democratic commitee meeting tonight, and come home to a voicemail on my blackberry.

It appears the lawyer I met in city court is the guy who posted the glider on craigslist! He left his home number and we really had a good laugh on the phone at the coincidence that we just met in court today and he came home to an email from me about the glider. So, not only is he giving us the glider and ottoman for FREE, he's giving us a high chair, crib mattress, and swing, all FREE. He's bringing the stuff to his office tomorrow and Big Man will pick it up in the afternoon.

The odds of this happening are incomprehensively small, but how freakin' cool!

We are going to pick he and his wife up a gift certificate or something nice to thank them for doing us such a solid on the baby stuff.

Living in a sports bar.

My living room feels like a sports bar. Too bad I can't drink. We have the biggest TV ever. It is Big Man's new best friend. Surprisingly our living room actually has more space because new TVs are so thin. Pics to follow.

In other news, we are getting down to the wire with this baby thing.
25 days to go!
Ignore the timeline above--it's set for my due date. Section is scheduled for 12/9.
Set up the downstairs changing table today. We're going to have a downstairs base of operations as well as an upstairs one. Bassinet, changing table, etc., upstairs in the baby room for nighttime or mommy/daddy sleep time, and Pack N Play (w/bassinet) [thank you Bill!] and changing table downstairs for daytime, to minimize going up and down stairs a million times per day. Washed everything, like my typical self without reading any care instructions, and melted the liner of the car seat padded thing that came with the used car seat I bought......oops. Don't know if I'll be able to find a new one of those.

I bought the cutest baby outfit for the baby announcement, but can't post it yet!

Big Man's home for the weekend for the first time in a long time. Nice to sleep in with him this morning, and he made me a huge stack o' pancakes for breakfast today. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Screw you DirecTV.

So, the big screen arrives Thursday.

Big Man ordered the DirecTV HD package, which requires us to pay over $200, get a new dish, and pay a boatload more each more per month for the pleasure of HD. Perhaps I just don't fully appreciate the awesomeness?

Anyway, they scheduled our install for DECEMBER 15. What the fuck? They put us on a cancellation list in case anything opens up sooner. I am quite sure that if I were a NEW customer, they would be here tomorrow to install it (as the yellow pages promise), but since I've been a loyal, four year football-ticket ordering customer, I get the shaft. Motherfuckers.

I told BigMan to call and get service in his name as a new customer, to see if it will be faster. (Good thing the account's still in my maiden name.) More on this progress later.

Wow, I haven't posted in nearly a week and I managed to rip off three tonight. That ought to hold you for awhile, Dad!

Baby class dropout.

Sweet Jesus, I'm huuuuuuuuuuuuuge! (notice the pregame show in the background). Nothing like putting a god awful photo of yourself on the internets so the whole world can see!

That shirt used to fit my belly, back in the day. As you can see, it didn't make it to the ol' belly button on Sunday.

Anyway, a couple posts ago I mentioned I signed us up for a baby class. Showed up. Paid the $75. Got the hell out of there as soon as there was a break. Yes, we are baby class dropouts.

Big Man (and Tara) were right. No need. At all. Paul Reiser's book Babyhood's all I need!

It was probably the combination of the facts that (a) they didn't tell me the class was geared for folks much less pregnant than me; and (b) they totally lied when they said it wasn't focused on labor and delivery; and (c) the chairs hurt my butt; and (d) people kept asking stupid questions; and (e) they started with nutrition and explaining what we need to eat and what vitamins are, which made me wonder what the FUCK everyone was doing there in their second trimester if they didn't know they were supposed to be getting extra folic acid in their diets so their babies don't have six fingers or something; and (e) after the break there was going to be a discussion called the "importance of positive affirmations" which made me think of the old SNL skit with Stewart Smalley (I'm good enough; I'm smart enough; and gosh darn it, people like me.); and (f) the nutrition discussion about folic acid made me crave the orange juice which was home in the fridge.

So, one excruciatingly painful hour into the class there was a break, and I walked out, apologizing profusely to Big Man for dragging him there. (He didn't think I'd have the balls to leave. I did make him carry my coat because I was a little embarrassed.) And, off we went.

We left with a sample Huggies diaper that came in our orientation packet. Most expensive freakin' diaper ever.

If you're ever in Phoenix

then you have to stop by my bro's comic book shop. Well it's not actually my brother's shop; he's the manager. He's the funniest guy you'll ever meet. The shop's at 3405 W. Thunderbird Avenue in Phoenix. Or find them online at http://www.herocomicsphx.com/ or http://www.herocomicsshop.com/ . I promised him I'd post the info with a rockin' pic of him and a co-worker in their halloween costumes:

Can you guess who?

That's right. Jay and Silent Bob.

My bro, Todd, is Silent Bob and the pic's taken at the shop.

I hereby nominate myself

...for the cool wife award.
Yes, Christmas has come early to the B, Esq., household.
Last week, it was the PS3.
Today, after the ultrasound, me and the Big Man kicked it over to Best Buy, where we shot the wad on a new 67" flat screen:

and a stand:

and the protection plan and some Geek Squad calibration installation thing. And, well, now we obviously have to upgrade our regular DirecTV to HD.

Apparently this was all my fault, because what good is a blu-ray player (PS3) if you don't have the right TV? And what good is the right TV, if you don't have HD?

Anyway, we got 3 years with 0% interest on the Best Buy card we now have. I'm generally not a payments kind of girl and would have opted to put it on the ol' credit card and just pay it over our savings..........but 0% interest is less than $100/month payments for 3 years, or something.

Before anyone gets to thinking that this was an impulse buy, the Big Man is pretty frugal, and never buys himself anything. His pimpin' Caddy is a 1994. So since we just made a large discretionary purchase, it's time for the furnace to blow up or the Caddy to shit the bed. Here's hoping I'm wrong.

In any event, it's all getting delivered next Thursday.

TV = 67"

B, Esq. = 62".

Nice! Because a Big Man needs a Big Screen.

Introducing Bethany, Jr.

Ultrasound confirmed that it's a girl.
Better luck next time.

Bacon After Dark: Elected Would You Come With Me

I love this guy's site and read it regularly.
He sums up, much better than I can, what the Obama win means. I didn't grow up with brown skin. I always knew I could be anything, not because I am white, but because I grew up with parents who loved, supported and encouraged my every ambition. My husband grew up black and in the City of Chicago, public schools and all, and managed, through a supportive and loving home environment, natural abilities, and hard work, to do very well, but he's a cop, and a realist (he would say, cynic I would say), and I honestly don't think he ever thought the election would turn out this way. In fact, I'm sure of it. I know that reality, and the reality for the baby we will have in ONE MONTH (holy crap!) is somewhere in between my optimism and his cynicism, but last night, I think it moved far closer to my optimism. :)

So, hit the link, and take a minute:

Bacon After Dark: Elected Would You Come With Me

God bless America.

What an overwhelming night it was, no? I'm inspired. I'm proud. I am so happy that my baby will have no doubt that she can be absolutely anything in the world, despite being of mixed racial heritage.

I just layed in bed last night, listening to Obama's speech feeling the baby kicking and with tears in my eyes, just happy.

McCain's speech was surprisingly gracious. I even tuned into "fair and balanced" fox news, and heard Karl Rove talking about what a positive and progressive thing this was for America. I'm just downright inspired.

In local news, my old boss is now my congressman-elect!

Tomorrow's the 34 week, super-cool 3d ultrasound. Wes thinks I'm crazy, but I'm predicting that a penis will, indeed, be spotted. He thinks I'm in total denial, but I just think it's a boy. Tomorrow will tell. At the very least, I should have some cool pics to post.

EDGE OF MY SEAT.

I am bouncing off the walls.

Not going to bed until I know who our next president's going to be.

OBAMA!
OBAMA!
OBAMA!
OBAMA!

Super ebay find!

I found this lamp on ebay today, and won the auction. It's the same lamp I had in my bedroom when I was a little kid! I'm so psyched--will be perfect for the baby's room!Puppy dog went home today. I'm still trying to recover from the massive allergy attack that it brought on. But, Big Man had a great time with the dog, and he was cute and docile and all around not too bad to be around. I still like cats better though.