And you thought we were crazy before...

Now we begin the countdown to the day we get to meet the little person I'll tentatively call "Baby Guacamole."

We're off to a great start. Early on the doctor was able to confirm for us that it was only one. This was the source of some anxiety for us up to that point, as you might imagine.

At 8 weeks, we got to hear the surprisingly strong heartbeat and see the outline of our baby. I can't even describe how surreal, amazing, and terrifying that experience was. Suddenly the distant and abstract notion of a baby became very real, accompanied by a wave of vulnerability and protective mama-bear-ness.


On the left you can see the baby, head pointed right, with little shadows of the beginnings of arms and legs just barely visible. On the right is the heartbeat, something I will never forget.

So with all green lights on the medical side, we're thrilled and excited and very very busy. We're going to try and move before the due date, which is sometime between January 31 and February 3. As much as we love this house, it's not well-suited for adding another person to the equation, so we got to work immediately getting the house on the market.

The big kids are really excited, of course.

To my pleasant surprise, I'm feeling great. I haven't had any morning sickness at all, other than a couple of moments of light-headedness when I let myself get too hungry. And wow, let me tell you about the hungry. I'm hungry almost all the time. I snack constantly, I've discovered an unparalleled drive for guacamole, and my previously vegetarian self now attacks beef fajitas with frightening gusto.

Despite the dent I've been making in the world's avocado supply, it doesn't really show up in the photographic evidence yet. Princess Pupule, I promised you belly pics:

above: 4 weeks, and the home test results

above: 8 weeks

So we are setting in to a nice pattern of lots of guacamole, naps, ice cream, more naps, and only occasionally still looking at each other and saying "are we out of our minds?"
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Fresh Starts for Spring

Simple, minimal-expense ideas (other than the basic spring-cleaning) for some fresh-starts this spring:

Home:
- buy or make some new dish towels. take the grubbiest of the old ones and repurpose them as rags or craft supplies.
- change out the photos in some of your frames around the house, and/or re-arrange where they are.
- put a comfy chair and a throw blanked near a window. take at least 5 minutes a day to just sit and look out.

Body:
- add one small positive thing to your daily routine, like a walk, a vitamin, or flossing.
- take away one small negative thing, like staying up too late or too much coffee.
- make an appointment for a check-up if you have been putting it off (like me).

Mind:
- put a small notebook and pencil near your bed. every morning when you wake up, write 5 words about anything: how you feel, how you want your day to go, what you dreamed, etc. every evening, write another 5 words: what you want off your chest before you sleep, things you're grateful for, hopes and dreams, etc.
- think of someone in your life that you admire and appreciate, and find a way to tell them so.
- read something new: a book, a blog, or a magazine that is different from what you would normally read.

Children:
- find a child (any child you know, not just the ones related to you) and tell them something about them that you are grateful for. do this often.
- ask a child to tell you a story about what spring is, and listen attentively.
- spend time outside with children observing birds, leaves, seeds, mud puddles, and other spring changes.
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"Twins"

Do you remember that movie "Twins" with Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito? This is the dog version. Arnold = Elwood, my dog. Danny = Troy, my mom's dog.


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Something I worked on that is mostly cool.

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Because we all need some cheering up

Here is this year's gold-medal champion of the Individual Obnoxiousness Freestyle Medley:

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Welcome Cole Moslin!

Welcome baby Cole and congrats to Mama and Daddy!


"You didn't come into this world.
You came out of it,
like a wave from the ocean.
You are not a stranger here."
- Alan Watts

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Advice for "Fragrant" Individuals

I realize that I'm more sensitive to smells than a lot of people, but I'm by no means a Sniffer. There is, however, a line. There may be some debate about where that line should be, and varying sniffer-capabilities make that line awfully subjective, but by god there is a line. And it is crossed WAY TOO OFTEN.

Since I'm such a helpful individual, I'll offer up some helpful advice. Sadly, the offenders are exactly the ones that will pay no attention to my helpfulness.

ABOUT WHY YOU WEAR IT

• It's sweet that your wife got you that cologne as a gift, and that she says its soooo sexy, but if you think about it, maybe that's not something to wear to work.
• Those silly commercials that imply that women will jump on you if you wear a cloud of sinus-assaulting scent? Lies.
• Applying a fresh layer of scent to yourself just before you go to the gym does not help. You're at the gym, where sweating is expected. It just makes it impossible for me to breathe while running on the treadmill next to you.
• If you're wearing it to try and cover up cigarette smoke, don't. It's not working, and now you smell like a gardenia that's been rolled around in an ash tray.

ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU WEAR

• If I ride 3 floors up in an elevator with you and can still smell that scent on my clothes an hour later, that's too much.
• If you re-apply your scent multiple times a day, stop it. Just...stop it.
• If you're in an office environment, consider that you'll be in small meeting rooms, offices, and cubicles, and that the building creates something of a closed air-circulation system. A little goes a long, long, long, long way.

ABOUT WHAT YOU WEAR

• If you are over 21, your fragrance should not be one that is associated with a current pop music starlet, no matter what it smells like.
• Patchouli? Really? I hope you're not expecting to be taken seriously...
• If you are not a baby, you should not smell like baby powder, no matter how cute you think it is. You are wrong.
• For those of you that frequent the shops in the mall that sell food-scented lotions and sprays...I don't understand you. You smell vaguely of cucumbers, chocolate, and ginger. You are confusing me and making me hungry. Please go away.

Even though I don't enjoy wearing such things, it's of course an entirely personal choice. If you must smell, please do so responsibly.
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