ding - she's almost done

My belly button popped! I have a true 'innie and I thought it would never pop. But it did. Not a huge amount.

Totally bummed

Drove myself into work today. I took the Jetta, the sweet turbo charged Jetta. While on 95 a rouge chunk of metal came at me. I know it was metal by the sound it made when it collided with the under carriage of the Jetta. I saw the car in front of me react to straddle the chunk and before I could do any maneuvering it bounded its way to me. Rather than swerve, not an option due to being in the middle lane. I remained steady and took the blow, hoping it was plastic or rubber. No such luck. Pulled over to the emergency lane as fast as I could. The emergency highway truck came minutes later and set up cones for me. He checked it out, thinking I might be able to make it to the exit ramp but as soon as he looked the Jetta was not going anywhere w/o a tow.

AAA came and towed the Jetta to our mechanic. After thanking Walter the tow truck driver for a warm ride I walked myself to work from the shop. Work is only a block away. I needed to decompress from the mornings ordeal.

The metal chunk tore a hole in the oil pan. $$$ to replace. Just super.

The dreaded call came later -- the lack of oil ruined the engine. Double super. Most likely it is totaled and the Jetta will move on to a new home.

Thank goodness Sesame and I are safe... many other things could have gone wrong but they didn't.

If anyone has been to our house the will know this but for those of you who have not take comfort in the fact that there are three other cars for us to drive. Yes living out in the country one tends to collect vehicles. We have been planning on selling one but the Jetta was not originally on the short list.

RIP Jetta Wagon.

Cantalopes and Cribs

We are at 34 weeks and sesame is active and filling out his little space. About the size of a cantalope he averages 4.5 lbs. and is plumping up with protective layers of fat to help regulate his body temp.

We picked out a crib today! Have not ordered it but this is the one we like and has good reviews. There is a dresser that matches and will be useful as a changing area. Yeah!

Bikinis at a baby shower?!

My two sisters and good friend threw me a most thoughtful baby shower this past Saturday. From little "cupcake" shower favors to a bikini cake it was full of sentimental details. It all started February 11, 1978 when good family friends threw my dad and mom a shower for my arrival. The shower cake is the image we all remember from the family photo album. As you will see in the photos below my shower cake is the mirror image of this memorable cake(I'll post the 1978 pic later). With advice coming from Auntie Karen in NH (who is a maternity nurse and has much knowledge of this style of cake) and the attention to detail my sisters painstakingly took this cake was not only a delight to the eye but also to the taste buds. Cake aside the event was full of family and friends, thoughtful gifts and extraordinary food.

33 weeks

I can't even believe we are at 33 weeks already! Imagine hefting around a pineapple strapped to your gut. Sometimes Sesame feels like a pineapple rolling around around with his sharp elbows and knees. I love it!

A wise old tree is born

Here are a few pictures of the wise old tree I painted today. It was a little daunting at first. The tree is a huge focal point to the room and it lay in my hands to create. Confidence ... that is all it took and once the first strokes were on the wall - viola - the wise old tree is born. It reminded me how much I enjoy painting in general. Most of the work is in the preparation -- mentally and supply wise. Acrylic paint comes concentrated and must be mixed/diluted to the desired consistency. I used old tupperware and soup containers to mix the two browns and sea sponge to add texture.

The Beginning of the End...

...not really but it is the start of the process of getting ready for the baby daddy position. I have ripped up the carpet, painted the trim, and put two coats on the wall. Next up will be hilary's job to add texture and depth to the sky and hills. She will also be bringing to life the tree (which is the blank spot next to the window). After the painting is all done I will be laying down hardwood floor. No, we didn't buy it for the baby we had already purchased the floor before we found out we were
pregnant.