37 weeks: Nursery complete (almost).

I vetoed American Idol when I found out they were doing a night of country. I can't imagine why I would need to sit through an hour of mediocre renditions of mediocre songs. And Kenny Rogers? Don't get me started…he's no Johnny Cash is all I'll say on the matter. So, no review this week. Besides, from the lack of comments I'm thinking people just don't give a shit about American Idol this year and I can't really blame them.

Good news on the nursery front - it is almost done. The only things left are to put a couple of pictures up and install the drawer on the crib once Storkcraft sends me the screws that were missing from my order. As you may recall, Scott and I went back and forth on how to decorate the room. I didn't want anything that screamed BOY-MUST HAVE LOCOMOTIVES TO EXPRESS EARLY MASCULINITY and Scott didn't want anything that he perceived as wimpy (ix-nay on the amb-lay). Because I mean, gawd forbid we introduce anything soft and wooly to our little boy, right? When I found the monkey bedding online, I figured I had a winner and I guessed right. Scott approved so the order was placed. The only problem with ordering stuff online, sight unseen is you really don't know exactly what you are getting. I am pleased to say that the bedding is awesome - much nicer than anything I had pictured!
My mom also sewed a matching window valance for the room (thanks mom!) and I completely stole Daymented's carpet idea. And I ordered the exact same glider that our friends Jen and Brad put in their little girl Maya's nursery. What can I say, all of my creativity is going towards making this baby, I got nothing left. I have 3 weeks less a day to go until the little guy's due date. He has already dropped, so my bladder is non-existent, my hips feel like they are being wrenched apart and I am really ready to not be pregnant anymore. I think these last few weeks will be the toughest weeks of all, but at least the beginning my next adventure is in sight.

36 weeks: I don't think you're ready for this belly.

I have received a few requests for an updated belly shot, so here you go - this picture was taken just moments ago. Scott is out doing Raptor things tonight so I had to take the picture myself (check out my sexy sweat socks). My belly is as hard as a rock (it feels like an inflated basketball) and the little guy is running out of room. These days he mostly just rolls back and forth and gets the hiccups. When I wake up in the morning he tends to be mostly on one side, so my belly is all lopsided - quite a sight!

I took today off work so I could rest and get my hair did. I figured that I might scare my baby if he came out and saw my horrible roots and straggly hair. Now I am back to bonafide blonde and the length is more manageable. So, if he is a blonde haired baby, at least he'll know who is mama is. I meant to just sit on my butt today, that didn't happen (though I had 2 naps). The urge to nest is creeping up on me so I had the kitchen clean, laundry done and house organized by 11am. I'm hoping this is a good sign that the little guy is going to come sooner rather than later. The nursery is almost done (just waiting on the bedding and window treatment which should arrive sometime next week) and the baby clothes are washed. We'll get the carseat installed next week sometime and then we wait.

PS: I got a really great message today on my voicemail that went something like this..."Hi Katrina, you must be HUGE by now. Give me a call."

Hey - fuck you! Seriously, go fuck yourself! And that isn't the hormones talking either. I still mean it. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck Yooooooooooooooooooou.

26 Weeks | 21 Weeks | Baby Makes 3

American Idol: Obscure songs of the 21st century.

As much as I was relieved to see that last night's American Idol was only an hour long, I knew that something had to give, and it wasn't going to be the number of commercials. Moving from a two hour format with 11 singers to a one hour format with 10 singers means one thing and one thing only - shorter song arrangements. The combination of these shorter song arrangements (basically verse-chorus-bridge-outro) and some very odd, safe song selections led to an underwhelming night of singing. Part of me was left wondering, why the hell don't the producers of American Idol help these singers out with their song selection? To just say "pick a song from the 21st century" is likely too much leeway. After a couple of weeks of being forced out of their comfort zones (Stevie Wonder and Songs of the 50's) each and every one of these singers picked songs that they were very familiar and comfortable with, regardless of if they would be songs that would showcase their talent or be something that the audience would connect with. It seems to me that most of these singers have not yet figured out the importance of picking songs that the masses are familiar with. We are not connected to these singers yet, so if they want our votes, they need to sing songs that we know and love and sing them well. I would have limited their selections to Billboard #1's of the 21st century. I'm just sayin' is all.

Here we go:

Lisa Tucker: Because of You
When I heard she was singing a Kelly Clarkson song that is still getting radio play I thought "uh oh that's going nowhere good". And I was right. For her to do this song, she needed to bring something special to it, she needed to sing it better than Kelly and that just wasn't going to happen. Her over belting forced her to sing slightly under pitch for the entire song and my throat ached just listening to her. Simon was dead on with his comment that "the song was too big for your voice". Much to big. Lisa, I hope you have your bags packed.

Kellie Pickler: Suds In the Bucket
I'm guessing that country music fans know this song? I'm not familiar with it, so I didn't feel the connection I did with last week's Patsy Cline cover. The song was cute and she sang it well (except that last note on "Loooooooooooooove" - that was pretty rank). I never understand why singers let a good song end on a bad note - pull it together and leave your audience wanting more! The song was not vocally challenging and didn't really show off her voice (we all know she can sing country). I would have liked to see her sing something a bit tougher like a Faith Hill or Shania Twain ballad. Then we would have been able to compare her to something we are familiar with, and figure out where she stacks up against the greats.

Ace Young: Drops of Jupiter
I had to laugh when Ace said he wanted to do something that rocked...lol...this rocks...if you're Coldplay. Again, not a challenging song, but I actually disagreed with the judges. I thought this was one of his better performances of the last three weeks. This genre suited his voice much better and I found him a lot more tolerable to listen to this week. Best part was Paula offering to inspect his scar a little closer - I guess she didn't learn her lesson from last season's scandal?

Taylor Hicks: Trouble
With six years of songs to choose from, this is the song he selects? I mean, I know Footloose was off the table, but this really was an odd pick. I suppose I should be happy that he stood still and didn't torture us with his horrible dancing. The song didn't go anywhere, it was a bad arrangement and the short song format didn't help matters. Hey Taylor - Jay Leno called and he wants his hair and chin back. 29 my ass.

Mandisa: Praise You
The key was too low for the first verse, though she got it sorted out when she vaulted into her upper register. We all know Mandisa has a great gospel voice and she reinforced it with her performance. If I were her, I would have done a song by Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, or Mary J. Blige. To sing something obscure like this didn't help her connect with anyone who doesn't already listen to a lot of gospel music (and those folks are already voting for her anyway). In addition, this song was never able to settle in with the short arrangement. It sounded like one verse plus a bunch of vocal improvisation - not something my ear was able to nail down and relate to.

Chris Daughtry: What If
Okay, so I absolutely loathe Creed. With every cell of my being... so it is hard for me to judge this song. He certainly rocked, but as Scott pointed out (Scott got stuck watching the show with me because dinner was ready just as American Idol came on - hah!) he seemed pretty stiff. When he got into the repetitive "What if, what if, what if" part of the song it sounded like he was a pregnant lady straining to have a bowel movement (too much information you say?). Again, not vocally challenging and definitely playing it safe. It will take more to win this than contest than performances like this.

Katharine McPhee: The Voice Within
Similar to Lisa's performance, if you are going to tackle a song by an artist with the talent of Christina Aguilera, you better be able to knock it out of the park. She started her performance in her upper register which sounded weak because it is actually a part of the song where Christina Aguilera is belting. It only succeeded in highlighting that she isn't in the same league as our favourite Lady Marmalade. If anything, this song gave me a lot more respect for the strength of Christina Aguilera's live performances. Katharine sang this at about 65% of the original - and again, the short arrangement killed her.

Bucky Covington: Real Good Man
This may shock you, but this was one of my favourite performances of the night. As much as I don't like Bucky's voice, this was the perfect song for him. It was mainstream enough that even I was familiar with it and it didn't tax him vocally or highlight his weaknesses. Since Bucky isn't a singer with a lot of vocal prowess, this is a good thing. He seemed relaxed and comfortable and that helped me sit back and enjoy his performance for what it was.

Paris Bennett: Work It Out
Paris is awesome. She is probably a better singer than Beyonce (live anyway) and she has great stage presence. She was the only singer all night who came out and nailed her song right from the start, straight through to the end. She might want to work on those dance moves, she and Beyonce should take some classes together (as Beyonce could also use some help in that arena). I think Paris's challenge in this competition will be singing with more emotional maturity (she's great when she is singing hip/upbeat songs, but I have yet to hear her dig deep and sing beyond her 17 years).

Elliot Yamin: I Don't Want to Be
I have a hate on for this guy. Plus he forgot some of the words right off the top. Boo. Yet again, he wasn't singing in the pocket. It's all well and good to switch up the rhythm of a song if you can stay in the groove and if it actually improves upon the original, but all he ended up doing was singing slightly behind (two-shoes-in-a-dryer syndrome). He seemed almost out of breath as well. Perhaps those bad hip hop dance moves (bouncing on the spot) wore him out. I got tired just having to watch and listen to him.

Worst Performances: Lisa, Katharine, Taylor
Best Performances: Paris, Mandisa, Bucky

"No need to rush baby-mama, take your time."

Before I get started, I have to tell you about one of the best things someone has said to me during my entire pregnancy. On Thursday I was waddling into a building at College and University, and I was about to cross pathes with a very big guy, so I tried to speed up to avoid getting in his way. He looked at me and smiled and said "no need to rush baby-mama, take your time". Love that. I am a baby-mama!

One of the things people keep saying to me is that I should enjoy my last few weeks of "freedom" and do things that I will likely not be able to do for a while once the little bebe is born. This makes me laugh as it is really hard to enjoy much when you can't walk, can't sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time, and are in general completely uncomfortable. It's not like I'm in the Bahamas sipping rum-laced girly drinks...the highlight of my day is getting home from work so I can take my socks off and put my feet up. If I'm lucky Scott will bring me a Perrier with lemon over ice. Pretty exciting stuff I tell you. With only 8 days of work left it's no wonder I'm getting excited (read impatient) to meet our baby. This morning I bemoaned that fact that it could actually be as much as 6 weeks if he is overdue, to which Scott responded, "but it could also only be 2 weeks (gulp)".
Anyway, one thing I knew was an absolute must (in the vein of enjoying my last days of "freedom") was to get together with my girlfriends Vera and Brandie. These ladies remind me what it is like to be single, living the life in Toronto, partying all the time, up on all the latest and greatest...plus they are gorgeous and always hella fun. They threw my infamous bachelorette party (pre-blog days) and while there are pictures, which are scandalous, I will not be sharing them with you, dear readers (okay, maybe just one - this is me on Richmond Street, completely hammered, with cops). They also gave me lingerie at my bridal shower that had more holes than fabric, and what fabric there was...it was completely sheer or mesh (hawt!).Scott and I met up with Vera and Brandie at Young Thailand for dinner last Thursday so they could rub my belly for good luck and I could have one last meal with the lovely ladies before I officially get stranded in the burbs for a year with the little ankle biter. Vera promised me that she will come visit me and that she will not forget about me. I don't think I got that same promise out of Brandie...lol. Vera also spoiled the little guy with a Whoozit toy and a kickass Nike Basketball outfit (her goal being to brand the kid right off the bat). I'll let the branding thing slide as Vera is the cool shit and has style to spare. This after my ongoing battle to keep all things Disney out of the nursery...I figure there is no need to market to a baby straight out of the womb...the exposure to all things Barney will happen soon enough, right?

American Idol: To Barry Manilow (and all your cheesy ass stylin').

Last night's theme was music from the 50's - a much more singer friendly theme than last week's Stevie Wonder debacle. Barry Manilow was the artist in residence who was there to supposedly coach/inspire the singers. Turns out that all he did was shill his new Greatest Hits album and add in unnecessary key changes to almost every song. Thanks for that Barry. Because of you I had to endure 2 hours of over the top song endings and key modulations that would make a Band Arranging 101 professor cry.

Okay, on with it:

Mandisa: I Don't Hurt Anymore
This woman can sing, there is no denying it and this was a fantastic song choice for her. She was in her comfort zone and knocked it out of the park. She is one of those singers that really has no vocal limitations and her only challenge is reigning in all that power. To top it off she has incredible stage presence and oozes personality. One of my favourites to go the duration for sure.

Bucky Covington: Oh Boy
Dude. I don't think he hit the right notes on the words "all my love" (think "trumpet/taps") once. His pitch was all over the place and his gravely voice is really working my last nerve. Thanks to Barry we were treated to a gratuitous key change that added nothing to the song. I completely agree with Simon on this one on the karaoke/"so what" comments. Bucky's days are numbered (if America has any kind of sense...).

Paris Bennett: Fever
Right off the bat I was wondering if she could keep this song reigned in before she blew the doors off (I call this Celine Dion syndrome - starting at 95% and quickly escalating to 200%). She did a pretty good job, though I thought there were some weird rhythmic things going on that made her sound not quite in the pocket. In the second half of the song she completely lost the melody and made some poor note choices (speaking strictly from a jazz perspective). But she's too young to know that and I doubt most people have the training/ears to even understand what I am talking about. Just trust me. Still a favourite though - the girl has a great voice and spunk.

Chris Daughtry: Walk the Line
He started out really well but completely missed the low note on "Because your MINE". Gotta hit that note dude - it's what makes the song. Anyway, I do like Chris as a singer/performer, I think he'll likely go quite far in the competition - but - I do take issue with his cover/interpretation of this classic. The thing about covering a song, is you are supposed to do two things: the first is make it your own, the second is pay tribute while respecting the key elements of the song. He altered this song so much that I wouldn't have even recognized it if they hadn't told me what he was singing. There is a reason the song was written the way it was and he pretty much just rewrote the melody using the same chord structure. But the judges loved it and they think he is being "true" to himself and that he is an "artist". I just can't wait to see what he does when he has to sing a show tune (I'm picturing a thrash metal version of "Pennies From Heaven"!).

Katharine McPhee: Come Rain or Come Shine
I think Katharine is a great performer and has a nice big voice, but she has some weird vocal quirks that she needs to work on. At the beginning of her song she was doing something weird with her jaw that made her voice sound a bit strange and messed up her vowels - I think she likes the overly stylized/Liza Minnelli sound this produces, but it doesn't work on her. I thought her performance was very Vegas/Miss America Pageantish. The band was awesome and it was a real big band arrangement which I don't think she capitalized on at all. Her last note was horribly out of tune. Wow - am I being hard on these singers or what? Bottom line is that America will love this girl for all of her cheesy-Kathy-Lee-Gifford qualities and she'll be in the final 5 for sure.

Taylor Hicks: Not Fade Away
I just don't get this guy's appeal. He truly is a cross between Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald - with all the cheesy moves and über white guy appeal to go along with it. By the way - why aren't there any black men in the top 12 this year? How can that be? In fact, aren't they all about as vanilla as you can get? No Latin flava either? What the funk? I have nothing to say about Taylor except that his song didn't go anywhere and I wish he would stand up straight for once. He'll probably do decently in the competition because all the old people will vote for him because they feel like he is their peer. Silver fox my ass.

Lisa Tucker: Why Do Fools Fall In Love
What the hell was she wearing? She looked like something Banarama threw up. She started out a little behind the beat and out of sync. I think she never really recovered from the weak start. The band arrangement really distracted from the vocals, and it didn't help that she forgot the words. Clearly her nerves got the best of her as she delivered what was easily the weakest performance of the evening. Bottom three for sure, if not a ticket home.

Kevin Covais: When I Fall In Love
Singing softly and intimately does not mean singing with no support. Chicken Little also sang with way too much vibrato and was really pitchy throughout. The song never went anywhere and at times I thought he sounded like a little lamb bahing at the moon. I know that he has the Clay Aitken fan club supporting him, so unfortunately we're going to be listening to this little runt for quite a while, which truly saddens me. Also? Who's Hugh? "When I Fall in Love with Hugh?". Maybe he's more like Clay Aitken than I thought...

Elliot Yamin: Teach Me Tonight
I almost snorted my Perrier through my nose when Barry Manilow told him to try back phrasing a little. This guy is so white he couldn't back phrase his pickup truck into a parking spot let alone phrase something behind the beat. I find Elliot incredibly unmusical - his word stresses are completely wrong and of course we got treated to yet another unnecessary key change. Argh! His closing vocal riff was brutal - I don't understand why the judges love this guy so much. While he may be able to belt out a few high notes, he is as musical as a tree frog.

Kellie Pickler: Walkin' After Midnight
Has Barry Manilow never seen "Coal Miner's Daughter"? How can he not know this song? Regardless, this was a great choice for Kelly to sing. I'm not sure she captured the melancholy nature of the song, but she certainly delivered a strong vocal performance. Another key change out of nowhere - and it threw her off a little, so it really didn't help things. Also, she's a little dim in the brains department...they probably shouldn't let her talk so much. I think she'll make it to about the half way mark in this competition. We don't need another Carrie Underwood just yet.

Ace Young: In the Still of the Night
While Ace is definitely the cutie of the competition I think his talent is limited. This was a pretty wishy washy vocal delivery, with a bit of Vegas stylin' thrown in for good measure. Also, he was doing something weird with his mouth (singing out the side of it?) that really impacted his vowels and pitch. I'm not sure why they decided to close the show with him, maybe because they made him go first last time? I'd put him in the bottom three again.

Worst Performances: Lisa, Bucky, Ace
Best Performances: Mandisa, Paris, Chris

35 weeks tomorrow, X number of weeks to go.

Oh my gawd I am tired and uncomfortable and in pain. The little guy has dropped a bit in the last few days and wow, am I ever feeling it. I thought I had to go to the bathroom a lot before? Hah. Whatevs. If I don't go every 15 minutes the result is crippling pain that has me hobbling to the bathroom, likely requiring Scott's assistance. Poor guy, the romance is truly gone, for the next while anyway. My ankles are puffy and swollen, I haven't worn my wedding ring for over a month, and I checked my pride at the door this morning when I asked Scott to go to the pharmacy to get me Metamucil capsules and Prep H. Hawt! No wonder Scott questions that I will ever want to do this again. I figure it will take me at least a few years to forget how hard this is. I used to think I'd want to have kids really close together in age, now I say "no way no how".

What is strange is that from 37 weeks on, our son really could arrive at any moment. So, technically, he could be here in 2 weeks. But I have a feeling that he will be on the latter side of 40 weeks rather than early (I see the scene playing out with me in tears at my obgyn's office begging to be induced). My mom keeps saying she thinks he will be "right on time" but I know she is just trying to keep my spirits up. If this boy takes after his father he will be super late and then rush through the labour. If he is like me, he will be a bit early or on schedule and give Jennifer just the right amount of time to get here from Ottawa to help get me through this.

I am trying not to think too much about the whole labouring process. I figure he has to come out one way or another. If for some horrible, terrible, unthinkable reason my doctor actually lets me go the standard 2 weeks overdue before helping me out, that means that I will be a mom by May 9th at the latest. That's still seven weeks away. Oi. I don't think I can wait that long little guy. Please don't make me wait that long. Besides, I'm getting excited to meet this little bundle of joy ;-) What is kind of cool is that I will be a Mom on Mother's Day. And this year, I will get to spend Mother's Day with my Mom! I think that will be a bit of trip for her.

The countdown of days left at work started a few weeks ago. I am actually marking off each day as it passes. As of this morning, I have twelve days left in the office. Some mornings I doubt I will make it through to my last day of April 7th. I just want to stay in my pyjamas and lay on the couch and watch recorded episodes of Miami Ink and daydream about Chris Garver. This morning I could barely walk, but somehow, after putting my pants on backwards and then starting to cry when I realized what I had done, I managed to get myself properly dressed, made-up, hair did, and out the door. If it weren't for Scott chauffeuring me door-to-door I doubt I would ever get to work. So, for that I am thankful. He's probably reading this thinking "she's so grumpy and tired right now, I had no idea she appreciated me". But I do. I really do.
The Sopranos Update:
Turns out that The Sopranos without Tony Soprano kind of blows. At first I thought the whole first episode had been a dream sequence (don't you dare go all Dallas on my ass!). Tony needs to wake the fuck up asap because I don't need to spend my Sunday night watching a bunch of mobsters squabbling over his spoils. Also, Carmela looks ROUGH without any makeup on. No need for that!

Grey's Anatomy Update:
Still no sex. But let me just say that I was cheering when Alex told George off for being such a puss about Meredith. As much as I don't dig Alex's scene and I hated him for being so crappy to Izzie's patient/love interest, I totally agree with him on the George front. And would someone fix that dude's hair while they are at it? It looks like he let a 2 year old cut his bangs...well, he is acting like a 2 year old...

American Idol: To Stevie with Love (and apologies).

This is the first American Idol episode I have watched this season. I don't dig on watching a bunch of bad singers get dissed and I don't have enough time to watch Simon et al vet out all the hopefuls to get down to the final 12. So, I am coming at this with no background as to how these singers have performed in previous weeks, I have no connections, I have no idea how much progress anyone has made or if they just had a bad night last night. Nothing.
My first thought in watching the show was "Holy shit, they are making these guys cover Stevie Wonder songs their first night out of the gate?" This seems like a bad idea to me for a few reasons.

1) Stevie Wonder writes some of the hardest material to cover on the face of the earth (he sings it brilliantly and nobody else should ever really try).

2) For the most part, these songs are written for him to sing, and he is a tenor. This means that they don't translate well in other keys so women will have a hard time sounding good covering his material. More on this later.

Okay, my review of last night's performances:

Ace Young: Do I Do
Talk about a porno name, eh? Ace Young? Nice. I thought he started out with high energy and overall he has a good voice. He just never owned the song, he couldn't seem to wrap his voice around it. Also, he's a bit earnest for my liking. Keeners to the back of the bus!

Kellie Pickler: Blame It On the Sun
Carrie Underwood called and she said "you suck!". This was really hard to listen to. She sang with low energy overall and just sounded like she hated the song. I understand that she typically sings country, but man, thank gawd for the short song arrangements. This is a good example of point #2.

Elliot Yamin: Knocks Me Off My Feet
Nice bangs dude. Did you mom cut them for you? This guy is hard to watch. He's the white guy that they let sing in the black gospel choir because he really loves Jesus. I bet Stevie was thinking "damn, how you gonna let some fool mess up my song like that?".

Mandisa: Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing
One name, eh? That's pretty confident, no? She was pitchy at the start but seemed to sing more in the pocket when she got into her higher register. Again, point #2 - it is hard for women to sing songs meant for tenors without completely reworking the melody.

Bucky Covington: Superstition
This is the point in the show where I really started to question my decision to commit two hours of my life to review these singers. Is this really the best that America has to offer us? That said, of all the singers so far, Bucky did the best of making the song his own, gravely voice and all.

Melissa McGhee: Lately
Yet another woman sounding pitchy and low energy, gee, what a surprise. She shouldn't be sitting down at all given this song is already challenging for her. All that does it restrict her breathing and she needs all the help she can get. I thought this performance was brutal, but the judges seemed to like it. A clear case of them hearing something different than what is coming across to the viewers at home.

Lisa Tucker: Signed, Sealed, Delivered
If I were at Healey's, I'd think, "she's a pretty good karaoke singer". But this is American Idol, so I'm thinking "she's pretty weak in her upper register" and she's trying to rock out but it just isn't happening. Again, the judges are hearing something different in the studio than we are hearing at home. This performance didn't translate for me.

Kevin Covais: Part-time Lover
Lol. The fact that this little guy even picked this song is funny. He is the white Erkle. At least he seems to have a sense of humour about it. I can't really hate this guy, it's like watching your little brother at a talent show. You cringe, but hope he does okay.

Katharine McPhee: Until You Come Back to Me
What the hell was she wearing? Regardless, this is the first singer tonight who has actually sang in the pocket. She made a smart choice to sing a song written for a woman to sing, it was actually in a good key for her. I didn't even mind the little bit of twang she added in, I was so happy to hear someone sing decently.

Taylor Hicks: Livin For the City
How old is this dude? I feel like they let Michael McDonald into a high school talent show or something? Isn't there an age limit on this show? He dances like the old people at weddings. Just. Stop.
Paris Bennett: All I Do
She owned this song right off the bat and her voice has an edge to it that works for her. I loved her energy throughout the song and this was by far my favourite performance of the night. The singing during her little Seacrest interview was a bit much, but whatevs.

Chris Daughtry: Higher Ground
This guy has a great rock voice and made a wise choice in terms of song selection. He sang in tune, and didn't try to do all the crazy vocal runs that other singers fell victim to in tonight's show. I didn't love the whole dragging the mic stand around the stage bit, but I always think that looks odd. I'll be interested to see what he does next week.

Worst Performances: Kellie, Elliot, Bucky
Best Performances: Katharine, Paris, Chris

Woke up this mornin', got yourself a gun.

I had to laugh this morning when I was reading Tina's blog about watching The Sopranos. First off, I'm glad that there is someone else who is as hooked in as me. I friggin' love movies and tv shows about the mob. Love. Them. Not sure why, I mean, I don't typically dig on gore and violence and misogynistic men. But I can't get enough of The Sopranos. There I was on Sunday night, settled into bed with this huge baby bump eagerly awaiting the season premiere. Scott will tell you it was all I could talk about all weekend, and I even shut off the ringer on the phone lest I be interrupted.

My favourite parts of Sunday night's premiere included:

- Tony and Carmela's new favourite dinner spot is a sushi restaurant (how cultured)
- hearing Carmela say "Porsha Kai-anne" in her Jersey accent. So classy!
- wondering how they get Gene to hang himself and look so convincing without actually hanging the actor?
- seeing Uncle Junior shoot Tony and then go hide in the closet - what a way to end the show! Holy crap!

The Sopranos almost made up for Grey's Anatomy being such a dud. Bor-ing. I don't think anybody had the sex all episode? How disappointing. Thank gawd American Idol is down the 12 singers. Now that they have skimmed off the non-talent I can start watching and giving my weekly review. For the next 6 weeks anyway, until the little guy arrives and MY LIFE CHANGES FOREVER. I'm not scared. I'm not overwhelmed. Not me. Not at all.

GRR ARGH. I'll take the Fishstick over the Oscars any day of the week.

Was I the only one who felt super bummed that Grey's Anatomy got bumped for the Oscars last night? My Sunday night just wasn't the same. After a weekend of baby classes (more on that later), I felt like I had earned my special hour of tv on Sunday night that somehow makes it okay that Monday is only hours away and work is just around the corner. But no, instead I watched Jon Stewart's monologue (he was very good by the way), saw George Clooney win his best supporting actor Oscar for Syriana (which was the only Oscar nominated movie I saw this year anyway) and then I did exciting things like laundry. And I wrote thank you cards for all of the awesome gifts we got at the shower. But it really wasn't the same without Grey's Anatomy to look forward to.

See, after last week's episode, when Madison got the poison ivy rash all over her ve-jay-jay, and she was laughing and Derek was laughing, I kind of stopped hating her. I hate that I don't hate her anymore. GRR ARGH (more on that later). And wow, George is some kind of pussy. Dude, what did you expect to happen? You know that girl will sleep with pretty much any guy who propositions her. Get over it. And wow (again), how bad an idea is it for Derek and Miranda to start going for walks together in the morning and being "friends". How long do you think it will take before they are rolling around in the leaves? I mean, I can't wait for them to get back to having the sex, don't get me wrong. Just didn't picture it happening that way is all. Nothing wrong with a good nature(d) bonk.

So, anyway, a few months ago I signed Scott and I up for this new parents/labour/newborns class at the hospital where the little guy will be born. I figured better to get it over with in one weekend (2 days) then to drag him out once a week for 2 months. And while I was probably right, boy does sitting in an auditorium looking at spread eagle ve-jay-jays being stretched to kingdom come for 2 days get tiresome. What was good about it was seeing 20 other pregnant ladies, of all shapes and sizes and realizing, hey, I'm about normal. I'm average in the spectrum of pregnant lady size. So suck on that all you people with your comments. By Sunday afternoon Scott and I had about had our fill of slides of newborns and were ready to go home to veg (actually, Scott went to the gym, I napped). Driving out of the parking lot we saw what we both deemed to be the best license plate ever: "GRR ARGH". Damn, why didn't I think of that? That sums up most of feelings as of late to perfection. So GRR ARGH - my hips are killing me! GRR ARGH this kid has had the hiccups all day! GRR ARGH why are cribs so hard to put together?! GRR ARGH I haven't seen below my navel in months! Just GRR ARGH, okay?

32 weeks and counting.

With only 8 weeks to go until the little guy's due date, I gotta say, I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed. We picked up the nursery furniture on Saturday (despite The Bay's best efforts to make that impossible...long boring story) and Jennifer also came to Oakville for the weekend to co-host my baby shower with Stephanie. Jennifer and I got in a day full of girl fun (aka "things Scott won't do with me") which included Japanese food at Sushi Niwa, (where I apparently mortified the woman sitting behind us with talk of circumcision and regaling the details of recent attempts at being intimate where I broke into tears exclaiming "I feel like a beached whale"). We also went to H & M, rented "In Her Shoes", caught up on gossip, all things baby, and Jennifer's new book. Lucky for Scott, he escaped this by going away for a night of male bonding with his buddies which involved copious amounts of beer, poker, and chest thumping. I think he feels like he better get his fill before he officially becomes a dad and his life ends. Funny how men and women prepare for parenthood different. Me, I am researching nursing pillows and getting the carpets cleaned. Scott, not so much.
So, the shower. Ahh, the shower. It was wonderful! Stephanie appeared at our house around 11:30am with Shane and Charlotte in tow, arms laden with decorations and cake and punch ingredients. She and Jennifer went to work and decorated (crazy Monkey theme!) and got the house ready. Scott reappeared from his man cave excursion to pick up our Toronto friends from the GO station (bloggers Adam, Chris and Lulu, non-blogger Karem). Shane entertained Charlotte and helped move heavy things. And then people started arriving. Our little house filled up quickly with friends and presents.

We were completely spoiled (gifts included everything from a breast pump, baby bath and ducky towel set, lots of super cute and stylin' clothes, books (that crinkle!), albums, designer diaperbag, robeez shoes, diapering essentials and nipple cream (gasp!). And there was cake - have I mentioned my love of cake? Also, Stephanie made this super yummy punch that had pineapple juice and raspberries and it was terrific. Almost made me not miss wine. Almost. Scott and I are very blessed to have such wonderful supportive friends.

Yesterday we had another ultrasound to check out the little guy. We confirmed that he is still a he. His heartbeat (156 beats per minute!) is strong, and he weighs about 4 pounds (so we are on track for a 7 poundish baby). Good stuff. We saw him wiggle his eyebrows, and he waved his fingers at us. He is officially in "head down" position, which my sad little flattened bladder can attest to. So now we wait while he cooks a bit longer. This weekend we have baby classes on Saturday and Sunday where we will learn baby things. Not sure exactly what - I hear tell of things like bathing your baby, burping your baby, and we were told to bring 2 pillows and a blanket, which sounds a bit ominous, if you ask me. What have we gotten ourselves into?

McDreamy vs. McSteamy.

Goodness, Grey's Anatomy sure is going hard on the cliff hangers (you had me at hello!). Let's see, since the infamous Superbowl Shower Scene show, they have ended with Meredith holding a bazooka in some dude's chest, had one action packed bomb exploding extravaganza (with a baby to boot), and now we are left with Meredith peeling George's clothes off him? Wowza. Doesn't take much to get that girl on her back (whachoosay!). My main thoughts about this week's show include:

- McSteamy looked like an older, beefier, hawter version of Leonardo DiCaprio - and if I were Madison, I wouldn't stick around waiting for Derek to forgive my cheatin' ass, I'd be back in NYC with McSteamy who actually loves me and wants me

- I loved the Preston and Cristina dancing scene (nice ipod advertisement...), but I loved it even more when Preston gave her the "I am Preston Burke speech". He is so fine...especially when he is acting all indignant and put upon

- I am still in shock about Meredith gettin' jiggy with George, she is going to break his heart and make things super awkward at work. I think she was so sad from seeing her father she let George's promise of never leaving her win her over, but man, this is going to be some drama...brings to mind the phrase "don't shit where you eat" as in, don't bring the craziness into your household or your workplace Meredith!

Okay, now that I got THAT out of my system -
The SNIPPITY SNIP DEBATE

Up until yesterday morning, I thought that Scott and I had decided to have the little guy circumcised. Mind you, I have always felt the decision was Scott's to make (what do I know about having a penis?). The only opinion I offered was from a "aesthetics" point of view (which is biased because it's all I know), and also the fact that with part of my family being Jewish, most of the men I am related to have in fact been "cut" for religious reasons.

Well, let me tell you, Scott went and done changed his mind! Seems like Scott did some reading (damn internet) and found out that not only is there no proof that circumcision has any medical benefits, but the rate of circumcision in Canada has been dropping steadily in the past ten years. In fact, in 2003, only 12 - 13% of baby boys in Canada were circumcised. I was a bit surprised that this issue was back on the table, so I emailed my best friend Jennifer, asking her what Lisa, her boss at Octopus had done (she is known to be informed in the matters of childbirth and little boys). I promptly received the following email from her:

Lisa says Elliot is not circumcised and this is why:

1. She says, "My friends all had boys and only one of them circumcised her kid and she said it was the worst day of her life. You've spent nine months making this perfect baby and then you cut his skin off."

2. The arguments for circumcision usually go like this: a) it's cleaner, fewer infections - this is not true, no one I or Lisa knows with an uncircumcised child has ever had any trouble. b) his penis should look like his Dad's so he doesn't feel weird - Lisa says, "By the time his penis looks at all like his dad's he's going to be too old to be looking at his Dad's penis anyway."

3. Basically Lisa says there's just no good reason to do it.

And you're right, it is getting to be less and less common as the years go by. No one's going to be laughing at your little boy's penis in the locker room. Like you said, most little boys are uncircumcised these days.

Whew. That's a lot of penis talk for one e-mail.

She's right...that is a lot of penis talk! I'm not really looking for anyone else's opinion on the matter, but if you'd like to comment, feel free.

By the way - I am 31 weeks today (9 more to go!).

A hard choice to make.

Bossa's recent health problems have brought to light that having two cats is a bit unmanageable. Especially with a newborn on the way, something has to give. We haven't wanted to face it though, mostly because as much as her nickname is "Captain Bitchface", we love her dearly. I have had her since she was a kitten (she'll be 10 years old this summer) and Scott is very attached to her as well (he is the main cat caregiver in our house, the "dad" if you will).
The main challenge is that she and our other cat Samba have to be separated because Bossa refuses to accept her. This has been going on for over five years and means we are always monitoring both cats, Samba is held prisoner on the top floor of our home, and Bossa is in a constant state of agitation which plays out in different ways that I won't go into here. As I said to Scott last night, "if you are frustrated now, thing of how you will feel when you are going on 2 hours of sleep, have a screaming newborn to contend with, and you have to deal with Bossa too?". While Scott won't be the one to make the tough decision to find her a new home, at this point he has agreed that it is time. So I need to be the heavy, make the rational decision here and pull the trigger.

I wouldn't have even considered letting someone else take Bossa if I didn't know she would be in awesome hands, and hopefully in a situation that would make her happier than where she is now. But a while back, my dear friend Alana offered to take Bossa, and I can't think of a better place for her. See, Alana loves pets, is kind, fun, has a wonderful home, 2 sons, and in her home, Bossa would be the only cat. It may actually work. I include the caveat that if it doesn't work, we will take Bossa back and work on another solution. But I am praying it does work so that I can feel good about this decision and that it's a win-win for everyone.

Last night as I was laying in bed, I started thinking of all the things I needed to tell Alana about Bossa, and I started to feel really sad. There is so much to know, I hadn't even realized it until I started making a mental list.

Things about Bossa:

- she is afraid of the wind
- she likes to sleep on the hot air vent
- when you are sitting down to eat dinner, she will come in the room and give herself a bath, just to be with you, yet still ignoring you
- when you sit on the couch, she will come sit next to you, with her back to you, but leaning into you with all her weight
- she likes to lay in the sun
- she will ask to be let outside, even if it is -10 out, when you open the door she will look at you like "whachoo thinkin' crazy lady? It's too damn cold out there!"
- she likes to eat grass, but you can't let her eat too much because it will make her sick
- she will always complain at you when you empty the dishwasher
- if you are in the kitchen, it must mean that you are there to feed her
- she will greet you at the door like a dog
- she doesn't like to be picked up, but she will tolerate it for a while
- she won't bite you or scratch you (unless you are tormenting her, and even then she gives a warning hiss to let you know "this ain't cool, bitch")
- if she is outside (and you can only put her outside if you are out there with her because she is an indoor cat) but you can't get her to come inside, just shake her food container and she will come running in, at night, use a flash light on her and she will run in the house
- she doesn't have the hops she used to, and if she wants up on something high, she will look at you and meow so you know to lift her up
- she doesn't like other cats and will have a fit if one comes near the house (actually very entertaining)
- she likes to be scratched behind the ears, and she likes belly rubs (but only for a minute or so)
- it's hard to cut her claws - you have to get her when she is relaxed and you start with the front ones, wait a day or so and do the back ones
- she has beautiful eyes, even when she looks like she is eating your soul
- she is very pretty, and she knows it
- if you leave a cupboard open she will go inside to explore, deep kitchen drawers are also excellent
- she is smarter than the average cat
- she likes to wash her paws in her water fountain (a regular bowl of water is not good enough for her)
- you can't leave a big bowl of food out for her because she will eat ALL of it
- she likes to hunt little grey cats
- her favourite place to nap is on a kitchen chair, under the table

- we will miss her deeply, but this really is for the best

Le Sigh.

edited to add: Her favourite toy is a golf ball size ball of tinfoil, which she will bat around the house like a crazy cat

Stop looking at my ve-jay-jay!

Hey - happy valentine's day! I know that I have been complaining a lot lately (and rightly so), but I do want to take a few minutes to be positive. Then I will return to my regularly scheduled pregnancy symptoms (the peeing, the hiccuping baby in my belly, the fact that I haven't seen my toes in a while...).

Scott, who does not especially care for Valentine's day, bought me roses on Saturday. I consider this Valentine's day in advance. He considers this fiscally responsible. I appreciate flowers on any day, so I am not about to complain. Yesterday, I received a wonderful package from my mom, full of brand new baby clothes for the little guy. He is going to be one stylin' little baby. He got a sweater set (with matching booties and hat), designer Coccoli onesies, wee little t-shirt and pants sets (one that is special for Canada Day), and a little striped set of pyjamas from Old Navy that would break your heart. I think that he will look like a little jailbird when he wears that in his crib.

Tonight we are picking up Thai takeout for dinner. I have already bought our favourite Valentine's day dessert - Love Potion #31 (white chocolate and raspberry ice creams swirled with a raspberry ribbon and loaded with heart shaped raspberry filled cups and chocolate chips). I imagine we will exchange gifts, at least, I know I have a gift for Scott. And by then it will be 9pm and I will need to go to bed so I don't fall over. Ah yes, an exciting, lusty life at 30 weeks pregnant. Only 10 (or so) weeks to go!

Onto the other love of my life - Grey's Anatomy. Did you see the show on Sunday? Holy crap! I was on pins and needles for the entire show. Also, how relieved was I that it was only 10:45pm when that bazooka blew up and knocked Meredith on her ass? I would have hit the ceiling if it had been the end of the show, only to be left hanging for another week. I was disappointed with the whole Derek stopping by her house to see her and the whole "you almost died today" conversation. What he should have said was "when I thought I lost you I realized I have made the wrong decision by staying with Madison and I want to be with you". And then he should have taken her in his arms and kissed her, and then carried her to bed to make sweet sweet love to her little fishstick frame. But the writers want to torture me, and so they keep the lackluster Madison around and we have to be happy with Izzy getting it on (being a "doer") with Alex in the broom closet. Le sigh. Best part of the show - when Dr.Bailey was in labour and George looked up at the mirror and told her the baby was crowing and had a lot of hair and she yelled "Stop looking at my ve-jay-jay". Loller skates!

This just in: If you get too fat...

I swear to the Goddess of Fertility, if one more person makes a comment to me about:

1) how little weight they gained during their pregnancy

or

2) how little weight someone else gained during their pregnancy

I am going to blow a fucking gasket. It seems fucking odd to me that we are so grotesquely obsessed with women's weight in this culture that not even pregnant women get cut a break. In a lot of countries the concern is that mom is not getting enough nutrients for her to grow a healthy baby. But in North America, the fact that you are [shock] gaining weight as you grow another human being inside of your body gives people the right to make completely inappropriate comments under the guise of "making conversation".

So, let's just be clear - to the next person who makes a weight comment to me, our conversation will go something like this:

Person: "So-and-so only gained X number of pounds in her pregnancy." (Inference: Katrina, you are getting really really big and fat.*)

Me: "Well that's good, because I hear if you get too fat, they don't let you keep the baby."

Also while we are on the topic of people saying things they shouldn't, while it is okay for me to joke about the fact that I am a bit hormonal, it is not okay for you to joke about it, or joke about the fact that I joke about it. Got it? /rant.

*I am actually on track to gain exactly the right amount of weight to deliver a healthy baby, so shut the fuck up.

O RLY? QUITE RLY!

One thing I never seem to learn is that booking every spare moment of my weekend is not a good idea. I always think that "ah, it's no big deal, it'll be fun", but really, the weekend requires that at least one day be an empty sacred day of do-nothingness. If you don't get at least that one day, then you end up exhausted on Monday morning, feeling more tired than you were on Friday night. Not an ideal way to start the work week.

That's not to say we didn't have a good time this weekend. We got in a birthday dinner on Friday night and a brunch on Sunday morning with Scott's family, dinner with Jen and Brad and 8-week old baby Maya on Saturday, and we also put together a small last minute gathering for Superbowl on Sunday night. It was great to catch up with Shane and Stephanie and their 10 month old daughter Charlotte. Also in attendance were Cathy and Alex, who always add to a good time. Scott served up a mess of wings, pizza, chips/dip and I made the ever popular Skor cookies. They all drank beer, I drank...milk. Have I mentioned I am REALLY looking forward to being able to enjoy a nice glass of wine once this baby of mine is born?

The Superbowl was typical in that the actual game is never really all that good. Shane agreed with me that the Indianapolis/Pittsburgh game leading up to the Superbowl was much more exciting. The half time show with the Rolling Stones was crap - I miss Janet Jackson and her bejewelled ta-tas. I can't believe the powers that be beeped out the word "cock" from the song "Rough Justice" (One time you were my baby chicken / Now you've grown into a fox / Once upon a time I was your little rooster / But am I just one of your cocks). Jessica Simpson can strut around half naked trying to seduce a teenage boy, but a they won't let an old geezer like Mick Jagger say the world "cock"? Whatevs.

In other news, I have noticed that people say the damnedest things to you when you are noticeably pregnant. Some comments are welcome, some are meant in jest (but still sting), and some are just inappropriate or downright rude/mean-spirited.

A few examples from this past week:
Nicest thing someone said to me: "Look at your belly - you look fabulous!" (thanks Stephanie)
Meanest thing someone said to me: "Hey Kat, you're getting really fat!" (thanks Alex...you big jerk)
Most inappropriate question asked: "So, are your boobs getting really big?") (thanks pseudo-dad, you friggin' weirdo)

And if you can believe it, those are just the tip of the iceberg QUITE RLY!.

I am a cranky cranky be-atch.

There, I said it. 12 weeks to go, and cranky preggo fever has taken full force. Seriously, if you can please me, you should win a prize as I am a humourless, hyper-emotional, bloated, breeding be-atch. Between almost breaking down in tears at my doctor's office (what DO YOU MEAN you can't do my gestational diabetes test here?!!) and scowling at the sales lady at Thyme Maternity for telling me my breasts "weren't THAT big" (yes but they weigh about 10 pounds each), I am a real treat. Poor Scott. He took this picture of me at Alana's birthday party on Saturday and I tearfully accused him of not only of lacking any photography skills whatsoever, but also suggested that he should KNOW BETTER than to take a picture of me from the side. So, no more pictures of the fat pregnant lady with multiple chins. Unless I get to select my "best side" which is likely when I am standing behind something larger than me (like an NFL linebacker or my fridge).
Anyway, I did manage to muster up some smiles for dear Alana's belated 25th birthday party on Saturday. I conned Adam, Marcy and Alana into coming to Oakville (I don't travel well with the constant need to pee) for the evening. I sweet talked Scott into making his killer lasagne, volun-told Adam to provide appetizers, and even got Alana to bring a salad (to her own birthday party nonetheless!). I am good, eh? I did actually contribute something - I made her a birthday cake from scratch. This is the first birthday cake I have EVER made from scratch (I always thought that a store bought cake or mix was just as good). Apparently I was dead wrong - while homemade may not be as pretty, it does in fact taste much better. I used this Carrot Cake recipe from Canadian Living - the only change I made was to make it a layer cake so I decreased the time to 28 minutes and increased the icing by 50%.

A few news updates:
1. If you think that 2006 is the year of the Dog, you are wrong. 2006 is the year of the baby. Please welcome Domestic Goddess & TilaBC to the group of impending mommies. Babies are the new Pink!

The watch list now includes:
Melanoma Uberalis
Domestic Goddess
Daymented
TilaBC/What Have I Done?

Anyone want to take bets on who is next? Through My Lens is turning 30 and has been making baby noises recently... Dooce has even made a few suspicious comments...guess only time will tell. 2. Bossa is now fully on the road to recovery (seen here making sweet sweet love to Marcy's purse). She is now a svelte 10.5 pounds, feeling much better, and no longer peeing outside her litter box or wiping her shit ass on our carpet (much to Scott's relief). Good thing, because we are out of money. Put it this way - we spent so much on her this past month that the vet sent us a "certificate of appreciation for taking such good care of Bossa". The fine print reads "and for paying my mortgage this month". It's not like we are trying to save our money or anything. Sigh.

My ass is gone.

Much to my dismay, I have fallen victim to "pregnant-lady-flat-butt" syndrome. Seriously, my ass is gone. I'm not really sure where it went either. It used to be a nice apple bottom, not too big, not too small, with a nice curve. But it is gone, and I am sad. Maybe it has reincarnated itself in the form of our new Prime Minister. That's got to be it. Though my ass was firmer and more useful than this doughy zealot we now call our leader. Admittedly, both have been known to be full of shit. By the way, I'm not saying my ass was as fine as the fine lady's ass in this picture (Scott wishes). But it does illustrate my point while offering you some eye candy.

It seems that the majority of my blogger friends are tremendously unhappy with the election results. I think they could have been far worse and there were some interesting outcomes. Notably, the NDP picked up some seats, Olivia Chow won in Trinity-Spadina (go Olivia!), Belinda Stronach retained her seat in Aurora, and Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver wisely blocked the Conservatives from even winning one seat in the biggest cities in Canada. How you like that Stevo? Not one of the major urban centres in Canada supports you.

This brings me to another point - the name Steve. Hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I don't think I've ever met a Steve I could trust. They have all had that used car salesmen thing going for them. That's just my personal experience mind you, and our new PM only helps me build my case. I can't stand him, he makes my skin crawl. I doubt we'll have to deal with him for more than a couple of years and hopefully he isn't able to take back same sex marriage while he is in office. As a new-mom-to-be I sure am happy about that $100 a month though - that's going to go really far towards my $800+ monthly daycare costs. Heck, maybe I should just quit my job and stay home and pop out a bunch of kids. $100 is sure a strong incentive. Not.

Is January the longest month of the year or what?

I feel like I have been checking off the days of January on my calendar for months. Seriously, the last three weeks have dragged by...and by the looks of it, there are 2 more weeks of this! Maybe it 's just that the days in general seem to be moving at a snail's pace, and with me starting to really feel uncomfortable in my own body, the minutes feel like hours...the hours go so slowly...you get the picture.

Also, I am getting old. Last weekend I watched "Hustle & Flow" and I kept thinking "my goodness, this movie is rough!". And really, it isn't that bad. I've see rougher. For some reason, this movie about a pimp and his hookers, it just didn't sit well with me. Especially the part where he makes one of his girls have sex with an electronics store owner so he can get a free microphone to record his demo. Not cool dude. The main character D-Jay was really hard to like or root for, maybe that was the main problem? Scott and I also watched "Broken Flowers". Love Bill Murray, not sure what I thought of the lack of resolution at the end of the movie. Guess that's life. Yep, I'm definitely getting old. Need more proof? I watch "Commander and Chief" every week and I LIKE it (though I dropped "West Wing" as a result).

Baby Update:
I decided that my last day of work is going to be April 12th (assuming I can make it that long without taking a vacation day). With the little guy due on April 25th, that should give me some time to get ready for him. That's assuming he doesn't come early (though my gut is telling me that he will be late - just like his dad - if anything). Yesterday, for the first time, I felt him get the hiccups. He got them again today. I think that both times, I had just eaten an orange. I'll have to watch out tomorrow to see if the consumption of oranges induces hiccups. Too funny. Good news is that the nursery furniture is ordered, the bedding is ordered, and the Penguin picture we ordered last week has arrived. One more thing - the "hotsling" (highly recommended by Stephanie) arrived as well. This little guy is already getting spoiled.

Baby Blog: 26 weeks and counting.

Goodbye second trimester, hello tired legs, swollen feet, sore back, and all of the other wonderful parts of the final 14 weeks of pregnancy. This weekend I asked Scott to help roll me out of bed. Pride has been placed firmly on the backburner. My wedding band no longer fits my swollen fingers so I look like a single woman. A knocked up single woman...I'm sure the fellas will be lining up for my phone number.

Good news is that Scott and I finished up the baby registry this past weekend. Stephanie was kind enough to look at it for me and give me the rundown on things that I should add (fun baby toys!), things that I really don't need (baby food warmer), and things she will lend us (baby swing, baby bumble seat). I figured a new mom like her would be a good person to ask as it is fresh in her mind and I figured right. We tested out a stroller to make sure that I can open and close it with one hand (check) and that the baby seat rocks when placed on the floor (check). We also finally settled on the nursery bedding, and it looks like if we have a theme, the theme is monkeys. Somewhat appropriate if you know Scott. The little guy has taken up World Cup Soccer practice in my belly - practices start at 11pm every night, in case you wanted to attend. It really is quite a spectacle, my belly lurches from side to side. I am actually reduced to "navel gazing" as I see him kick and roll around. I also managed to start clearing out the nursery (formally the empty "storage/junk" room). I made a good dent in it...more work still to come once I figure out where to put the stuff that I didn't throw out.
I was emailing with my friend Lulu this morning and I said that I can already tell that the baby is going to take after Scott. Hence my prediction that he will be born after his due date and he will be a total night owl. She said that she has noticed a trend where the first born is a lot like the father. She is a first born and she said that the older she gets, the more she realizes she is like her dad (who, turns out, "is a cool dude so it's all good"). I am not at all like my birth father, so I don't share in this experience. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this trend? I expect our son will be a ball of energy, be smarter than his own good, have a bit of a mouth on him, and will give me a run for my money every chance he gets. Just like his dad. And Scott's folks will sit back and laugh their asses off, because they will know exactly what we are going through, having already been through it.

New law: Staple a biscotti to your jacket.

I don't much like talking politics on my blog, or in general, but I gotta say, this upcoming election has me torn. I'm going to vote, because not voting is just unacceptable. I was going to just vote based on the party, but I thought I should at least know what the candidates in Halton look like before I cast my ballot. Last election I voted Liberal, and that was mostly because the idea of Stephen Harper being Prime Minister and all the things that come with that scare the shit out of me. While I probably lean more to the left and would vote NDP in any other riding, living in Oakville, I knew there was a significant risk that the riding could go Conservative. So Liberal it was. I hated the fact that I was "voting strategically" but I did it anyway.

Little did I know that our Liberal MP Gary Carr would vote against same sex marriage. Mother fucker! So now I can't vote for him this time around. Just can't do it. And I sure as hell will not be voting for the Conservative candidate Garth Turner. So NDP it is. Anwar Naqvi, you have my vote, even if it means that I am helping Garth Turner win the riding. And for the record, I know that Garth Turner voted for same sex marriage, but I still cannot vote for the Conservatives. Not going to happen.

I know that many people have decided that they "don't support this election" so therefore they are not voting. And that is just dumb. Unless you are leaning towards voting for the Conservatives - then you can feel free to stay home. Just kidding! But for realz yo, get your ass off your couch and go vote. And for gawdsake, do a bit of research before you make up your mind. Deciding to vote Conservative just because "the Liberals have been in power for a long time, let's try someone new" is not a good enough reason to vote Conservative.

Someone told me the other day that they don't vote because they don't understand the issues and they just don't care to understand politics. I asked her if there was any issue that would be important enough to her that would get her to vote, and she looked at me blankly. So I gave some examples "for instance, if a woman's right to choose to have an abortion was at risk, would that inspire you to vote? How about if your right to choose who you wanted to marry was at risk? Or your day-to-day safety was put in jeopardy because the potential new leadership of this country is seriously considering getting fully in bed with a country who's policies invite terrorism upon themselves? Would that be enough?". She didn't get it. I secretly began to wonder if there was a new law forcing all Italians to staple a biscotti to their jacket to identify themselves, would that be enough to motivate her to vote? Probably not. But it was quite an image...this beautiful non-voting Italian woman with a piece of stale almond biscotti crumbling all over her jacket.

GO VOTE ON JANUARY 23RD!

The Patrick Dempsey scruffy factor.

Anyone else tired of all of the reruns/recaps/rehash of television shows over the holidays? Me too. I mean, why do the holidays have to interrupt my favourite television shows? Seems unfair to me, but that's not a battle I'm going to win. Since I am just about at my wits end with this tv dryspell, I decided to watch the Grey's Anatomy seasons one and two recap. I think this effort to get viewers up to speed is for their upcoming Super Bowl show (they get the time honoured Survivor spot following the big game). I didn't learn anything new about the show, but I did notice that Patrick Dempsey got increasingly sex-ay from season 1 to now. I was a bit tired, so I had a hard time pinpointing it. And then it came to me. The scruffy factor.

Scott - please stop reading now as this does not apply to you (I prefer the man I kiss to be clean shaven). To prove my point, I found a few pics of our man Patrick in various states of scruffiness. You can't really deny it. Early on in the show he was clean shaven with short hair. As his hair gets a little curlier and his 5'o-clock shadow takes over, so does he hawt factor. Also, when he is a bit stressed out with the whole living-a-lie-by-staying-with-Madison-when-he-lurves-scrawny-Meredith, he is pretty raw....and jumpable. Hey, I'm pregnant, not dead. And besides that, the 2nd trimester, it's a good time for these types of hormone-driven-lusty thoughts. At 25 weeks I have to embrace these feelings as I will soon be switching to beached whale mode.

What I want to see in the coming weeks...I need some Derek/Meredith action. I mean, he was a good guy, he tried to make it work with Madison, but there is no chemistry there. He needs to maybe start cheating on her with Meredith. Or just end it already and move on. We can't expect Kristina and Preston to keep us all satisfied for the rest of the season.

Unrelated ER note: Yeah! Abby and Luka are going to have a baby! Talk about good looking genes - woot!

Baby Blog: The honeymoon is over.

While it may be 2 more weeks until the 3rd trimester starts, let me tell you, the 2nd trimester honeymoon that you hear about? It's over. See, the theory is that the 2nd trimester is the fun time, when you no longer feel exhausted/nauseous/bloated and you aren't yet huge/sore/unable to sleep. After buying 3 pairs of "larger" pants this week, waking up every half hour because my hips ache, a new found love of all things tums/gaviscon/zantac, and my ever sexy strut/waddle I can honestly say that I am a bit worried about the next 16 weeks. I mean, it's not going to get any better until the little guy is born. In fact, it's going to get worse.

Scott has been a trooper. Over the holidays my crankiness increased 10-fold, culminating with me in tears at 4pm on Christmas day telling him "I haven't sat down since we got home and I am exhausted!". He steered me towards bed and told me to take a nap and not to worry. So I did. The other day he asked me "did you ever imagine it would be this hard?" and I told him "it's something that people tell you and you nod and think you get it because you are so focused on the end result of having a baby." But you can't possibly understand just how hard it really is until you are in it. The thing that has been really tough this week (besides coming back to work after being off for over a week) is that I wake up tired and worn out. My bones are tired. My brain is fuzzy. And I can't have any coffee to pull it all together. I also miss diet coke. A lot. I'm not proud.

Aside from all of my physical complaints, I am getting excited about the arrival of our little guy. I am going to order the nursery furniture this weekend. His room is painted, so we just need to empty it out, put some child safe blinds up and get the carpets cleaned. I even set up a baby registry at babiesrus.ca. There has been some disagreement on the theme of the room. I would like to do "lambs" and Scott, while he has no suggestions, is saying "no lambs!". His theory is that they won't have much staying power. I know, doesn't make much sense to me either, I mean, once the kid is 2 or so he will be moving into a big boy room and will be able to choose his own decorating, or at least help select between trains/planes/whatever it is that little boys like. Anyway, suggestions are welcome. I don't want anything macho though, so monster trucks are out!

Pee in my face (and tell me that you love me).

What a busy busy week it has been (not that the lead up to it wasn't also harried and hectic). I feel like after 2 days of hibernating with Scott I am just starting to recover. So first off, we had an awesome Christmas. My folks arrived on the 22nd and it was pretty much go-go-go right up to when they departed on the 28th. I was totally spoiled rotten this year (could be this little munchkin growing in my belly is earning me some preferential treatment). This really was the year of the "accessory" (one would be pretty daring to buy me clothes that I didn't pick out). I got a watch, several beautiful necklaces (to keep the focus on my face and not my burgeoning belly), and my most favourite gift of all, a pair of pearl earrings from Scott. He really is a keeper ladies.

The best part of Christmas really was having my folks here. Living in Toronto is great and all, but I really feel it during the holidays. I think it is the customs we are used to, and when they aren't there, and your folks aren't there, it just isn't the same. Christmas is a HUGE deal to me, it always has been (I must get this from my mom). I go all out, baking, decorating, trying to come up with the most thoughtful gifts, wrapping presents so they look almost too nice to open...I live for this stuff. And yes, I have been called "Martha Stewart" on several occasions, and I wear that nickname with pride. A big shout out has to go out to my mom who pretty much handled Christmas dinner on her own (I chopped up stuff, washed dishes, and set the table which she said was a big help, but who are we kidding?). Her sausage stuffing and Southern Comfort sweet potatoes were big hits and Scott deserves props for his killer mashed potatoes. The $60 turkey is still being put to good use as Scott and I made turkey soup a few nights ago (for $60 we want that turkey to go far).

Tonight we are spending a low key New Year's Eve with our friends Jen and Brad and their just short of 4 weeks old baby girl Maya. I think there will be another couple there who are also expecting, so I won't be the only preggo person not drinking. Funny how now that we are 30 a lot of our friends have moved to this next stage with us. I knew it would happen, I just wasn't able to picture it. I don't have any new year's resolutions this year because they typically focus on trying to lose weight and that just isn't going to happen in the next little while. This next year is going to be full of enough challenges/surprises/delights without adding any extra pressure of a resolution, that's for sure.

Bossa Update: Stoner cat is doing just fine, though contrary to what the vet told us, the valium has not made her any nicer (she still looks for ways to sneak onto the 2nd floor to kill Samba). Sigh. I doubt that will ever change. Though she has stopped peeing in inappropriate places, and her pee doesn't stink nearly so bad. She is fully converted onto wet food as well, and her coat is much nicer for it. She has to stay on the valium until the 6th when we will take her to the vet again to get retested. Then we get to ween her off the drugs slowly so she doesn't come down too hard from her high. That's just what I need...I detoxing kitty.

A few of the wonderful gifts I got:
Pee-pee Teepees for our little boy (to avoid the whole face peeing thing)
Pizzelle Press (still working on mastering this)
Heated Throw Blanket (because you can never be too cozy)
So Doku book (I am truly addicted)
Kanye West's latest
Coldplay's latest (aka "Music For Bedwetters according to Scott")

Couldn't we all use a little valium this time of year?

My cat Bossa is on valium. And assorted other medications to clear up a urinary tract infection and crystals in her urine. Apparently she is a little stressed out, so the vet felt it would be a good idea to help her calm down a bit to aid in her recovery. This seems unfair to me. I mean, I have never had that chance to take valium, and I've heard it's a wonderful drug! Ah well, Bossa has such a rough life, sleeping on our heating vent all day, looking for new and creative places to piss, I am sure she needs it. It is pretty funny to see her once the "happy drug" has kicked in, she really does look stoned. If she could smile, I think she would have a slightly bemused expression on her face. The holidays are a stressful time, so if she needs a little help to get through the next few weeks, then more power to her. This will be my first Christmas in years that I will not be able to drink/self-medicate, so I am wondering how I am going to hold up? What do you mean I can't spike my coffee Christmas morning?? And no wine with dinner to numb me to the yearly ritual of Scott and his brother claiming the turkey legs for themselves? Lord help me and Lord help you too!

Anyway, I am pretty much ready for the big day. My house is decorated and clean, shopping complete, gifts are wrapped, baking is done, cards long gone, errands run, so now the festivities can start. My folks arrive tonight and Scott and I are very excited to get to share Christmas with them on the actual holiday - the first time in seven years! It will be fun to see how our collective families mix with our different traditions. Scott and I are hosting Christmas dinner this year, for the first time ever, giving his mom a break from having to put a big meal on Christmas day. Luckily my mom will be here to steer the ship, otherwise I would be FREAKING OUT. She does make a kickass Christmas dinner (her sausage stuffing is famous in 50 states), so I am hoping mine will be 1/10th as good as hers.

The little guy has really gained strength this week, and is kicking up a storm (his favourite times are right after dinner and at bedtime). It really is a trip, having a human being growing inside you. The book I am reading says that at 22 weeks he is 8 inches long from crown to rump and weighs just over a pound. A pound? So, umm...what about this other 13 pounds? What is all that? No wonder I grunt like an old man when I get up and down, it's because I'm actually the size of a pie wagon. Gah! I think I am still getting used to the fact that I am not the slender young thing I used to be. Yesterday at the grocery store I tried to ease my way between two shopping carts and I got stuck. The lady next to me gave me a funny look, but smiled when I explained that I am 5 months pregnant and I have apparently not accepted my new found girth. In other news, I got my first unsolicited belly tap this week. An odd thing really, having someone you barely know reach out and touch your tummy. All this and it's my CAT WHO GETS THE VALIUM?? So unfair.

Christmas Blog #3/Belly Blog #1.

Well, we're in the home stretch - only 9 days until Christmas! I am pretty much done my shopping, except for a few little loose ends that I'll probably ask Scott to take care of (I'm using my "P" card this year, so far it has been good for several "please pick XYZ's" and a free pass on shovelling the snow). Next on the list is to get my wrapping done and to finish up the last of my baking. I have a deep freezer full of cookies just waiting to be inhaled, and with all of the trades I have done this year, the selection is unbelievable. Seriously, if you have a sweet tooth, you would do well to stop by our house.

Melanie over at Melanoma Uberalis (who is having twins!) has been posting belly shots of her progress and while I am bit shy about my belly, I thought I would post a pic of my progress to date. This pink turtleneck is fairly fitted, so it shows my tummy off nicely. And I'm only 21 weeks! I can't even imagine how big I'm going to be by the end of this journey. The little guy has been making himself known this week with lots of kicks and nudges. Seems like his most active times are when I am sitting still and he settles down with I am on the move. I can already tell that he is going to be just like his dad. Goodness.

4a.m. and I can't sleep.

It seems that the 5-month insomnia has officially kicked in. I woke up at 4a.m. this morning and here I am wide awake, and ready to go. I guess this is Mother Nature's way of getting me ready for months of no sleep. Also, it seems that between quilting, baking and growing a child inside me, pretty much all my creativity has been sapped out of my body, so apologies for the lack of posts - my blogging muse has deserted me as of late.

Scott and I went over and visited with our friend's Brad and Jen and their fresh! new! pink! babysmelling! baby Maya Jennifer! Here is a picture of me hogging her all to myself:
A few months ago Brad emailed me pictures of Maya's nursery, so I quickly hussled my butt to the local fabric store and started on a quilt. I gotta say, I am very proud of this quilt - it turned out exactly as I had envisioned, and I made a pillow to boot! Let me show off a bit:
Okay, enough of that. Did I mention it matches her nursery perfectly???

I would remiss if I did not mention how pleased I was with Sunday night's Grey's Anatomy. I LOVE that Christina is Jewish, and even more so, I am very pleased to see the plot line moving towards a Merinda and Derek reconciliation. HAH! Madison's(TM) face with Derek was all "Just because I decide to be with you doesn't mean I don't love her". Friggin' ouch dude! Now, that's honesty. Seriously, this show gets me through the Sunday-night-gotta-go-back-to-work-blues.

Baby Blog: 20 Weeks & Half Way There.

I'm about to spill the beans on the whole boy/girl news so if you are one of those people that doesn't like to know these things before the big day, please avert your eyes.

We went for the 19 week ultrasound on Friday and (drum roll please) according to one ultrasound technician and two doctors, we have a beautiful bouncing baby BOY on the way. Funny, everyone was saying girl, but I had a feeling we were having a boy. Mother's instinct, I guess! Our little guys "equipment" got pointed out to us, but to be honest, I felt like Rachel on "Friends" where she nods and smiles and says that yes she can see everything and then bursts into tears and admits she actually sees nothing. I didn't cry, and I wasn't upset, but I have to say, outside of the baby's head, hands and legs, I had a hard time figuring out what exactly I was looking at. Scott guarantees that his son is "packing" though, and well, I guess that's that. To make matters complicated, our little guy would not stay still, and he was not staying in any kind of an ideal position for the tech to take her measurements. Ah well, I can already see that he is taking after his dad (stubborn!). Which means he'll also be late, so I can make plans after my due date with no worries.

Though Scott says he would have been happy either way, I think he is secretly thrilled that he is going to have a son. While the clothes may not be quite as cute as the sea of pink girl outfits, I think that boys definitely get better toys. Now that we know I can make some decisions about his room, which is already painted green (which is how it will stay). I'm not sure what kind of colour scheme I'll go with, but I know I'll stay away from any kind of Disney theme. Maybe trains, or lambs...we're half way there so I better make up my mind. Belly shots to come...