42 weeks and counting...

I was 42 weeks pregnant yesterday. I had a biophysical profile done on Thursday, which showed that both baby and I are perfectly healthy... so we carry on. Time is passing slowly now, and although I am showing signs of impending delivery, actual labor has yet to set in. And so we wait. This one wanted to be an aquarius, I suppose. I looked up the aquarius sign... they march to the beat of their own drummers... fitting.

In case you have never seen a pregnant person at 42 weeks (which I would guess you haven't since most women are induced by this point) here are a few shots I took this evening. I took them past sunset, so the exposures were long, up to 5 seconds long actually, and the ISO was bumped as high as it could go giving them a grainy, artsy quality. I dig it. In a few you can see my other 2 children running amok, streaks of light and color moving through the images... it was fun to shoot.

Eviction Notice

Dear Next Baby,

I know that you really like your current home, however your rent is late and although I would like to let you stay, circumstances are such that you simply cannot remain at your current location. You have until Friday to pack your belongings and vacate the premises.

Should you require more notice than this, there is the possibility of a deadline extension until Monday morning depending on the status of your liquid assents, however a detailed assessment must be done to allow an extension of this sort. Please do not make me call the authorities to have you forcibly removed, a peaceful exit would be easiest on us both.

Thanks so much,
Your mother.

Belated Christmas Post

Well, Christmas was different this year. we were scheduled to go up to Chattanooga to be with Mister's family, but the kids came down with the pink eye and I came down with a bad cold, so we opted to keep our germs to ourselves. It was a quiet family affair at home, just the 4.5 of us and the dog(s).

We do both Christmas and Hanukkah... the more holidays the merrier, I say.

So, when the munchkins awoke on Christmas morning, they rushed downstairs to see what Santa had brought them and were sorely disappointed at first because they could not see ANY change in the amount of present sunder the tree... at first. Santa had done a good job if placing the presents from the North Pole out of the line of sight from the stairs. Tricky Santa.

G got a pop up princess castle tent which was the hit of her holiday. She also got a doctor kit and some various other sundries. Little Guy got a Fisher Price Little People School Bus, a teddy bear and an M&M candy cane, which he promptly took into the bathtub with him and "melted" all of the M&Ms. Tasty. They both got playground balls, also. Never underestimate the joy that a simple rubber ball will bring. Oh and Zoie the dog got some stick on earrings. Bling, Bling, baby!

After Santa presents, we did stockings. G and Little Guy got some good stuff in their stockings, and I was surprised that my stocking was full also. Mister, however, only got a spoon rest, which the kids and I had picked out for him. When G asked why Santa didn't put anything in Daddy's stocking, I explained to her that with all of the people losing their jobs lately, he needed to supply more presents than usual. So, when it came around to stocking time, he gave to the kids and the mommies first... as well he should.

After having breakfast (a egg and rice casserole), we opened the presents from each other. G was fairly unimpressed with hers... her favorite present was a slinky. Little Guy's favorite present was his new Plasma Car... totally cool toy. He also LOVES all the Cars stuff he got. He spent hours matching up the toy cars with the books about them. They each got a cool storybook featuring them in it from Nana. I got some pajamas, and Mister got some jeans and pants that had been tailored to actually fit him...not an easy thing to find. He also got the latest Alton Brown book from my sister... a perfect gift for him.

All in all it was a fun, relaxing day, as I do believe it was meant to be.

American Girl Dolls...

We went to the American Girl Doll Store for my cousin's daughter's birthday at the end of December. G had only been there once before and wasn't unduly impressed last time.... Little Guy on the other hand, loved playing with all of the Bitty Baby accessories.

This time, G watched her cousin get so excited about her new doll and of of its accouterments that she has now decided that she wants an American Girl Doll, also. We have told her that she can earn money by doing chores and can ask for money for holidays and birthdays to save up for her own.... there is just no way Mister and I will buy her one outright. Not in our parenting philosophy (for a 5 year old who has a penchant for drawing on things anyway)... plus I think it will mean more to her if she earns it. Anyhow, I am quite certain whichever doll has the unfortunate luck of being added to our household will end up with hand-drawn permanent makeup and a super nice haircut at some point. Happily the American Girl Doll store has a hospital and a salon that may perhaps be able to mitigate the damage, when it does occur.

The American Girl Doll Store also has a Bistro where girls can have lunch or dinner with their doll companions at their side. They have a special birthday cake that you can order for celebrations like the one that we attended also. The cake was dry, but the icing was TASTY. All in all it was a very pleasant evening... a dreamy evening for Abs and G for sure.

dreamboat @ {3}

He is such a dreamboat. He loves cars and college football. (He is a huge Vols fan) He is a foodie - loves any sort of protein and is a connoseur of fine chocolates. He has an amazing sense of humor and is always the one to crack the joke when situations get tense. He never hesitates to give a good strong hug when you just deperately need that loving touch. He has the most amazing eyes... deep chocolate colored, warm and kind, with an impish gleam, framed by these lashes that go on for years. One glance from those babies can melt the coldest heart.

He adores my daughter, which is exceptionally important. And animals - he is a total dog lover. He is secure enough in himself to ask for help only when he really needs it.

He loves art and photography, and is working on giving his subjects clear direction and timing his exposures. He made these self portraits just the other day...

And today he turns three. We are so lucky to know you, Little Guy. I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and a hundred more in your lifetime. We love you more than you could ever know.

NaDa.

My cousin is here with her girls. I apparently don't go into labor if we have too much company. This is the 3rd time this has happened. I should have known.

Oh well, no tax deduction for 2008. I do hope she comes soon. I am getting very large and frustrated and uncomfortable. The girls are leaving tomorrow, though, so maybe tomorrow. Until then....

No baby yet....

Still no baby. Maybe Saturday.

So, to kill time, here are some self portraits I made. The first ones were from Christmas morning, before we opened up some presents. Ho, Ho Ho!!

The rest I took with the help of my new remote control for my camera. What a cool toy! Merry Chrismakkah to me.

And yes, I did actually measure my belly. 45"... can you imagine? And this is SMALL for me during pregnancy! You know, I usually am a 27"... in my magic mirror anyway.

Next, self portraits with faces!

Before opening presents:

After opening presents:

With help from Di:

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