A Most Spoiled Honeydew Melon

35 weeks down folks! And here's the belly to prove it.

Baby Cade, my sweet honeydew melon of a son, is getting big. Estimates are a little over 5 pounds and 18 inches long. Which goes a long way to explaining why mama can't reach her feet to put on socks and shoes anymore. (God bless flip flops and 80 degree days in February.) Cade's main job at this point is putting on weight. And then in roughly 5 weeks - maybe a little  less if he's listening to me - he'll be here!

Our friends are helping us ensure that he's the most spoiled of babies. On Sunday our friends Mike & Lindsey hosted a SuperBowl/Diaper Shower for us. Now when Baby Boy arrives, we've got the necessary supplies to cover his cute little butt. And fortunately because we received diapers in all sizes, we're prepared for growth spurts too. Big thanks to Mike & Lindsey for hosting and for all of our friends who contributed to the baby diapering.

Today we received another Delta gift in the mail, this time from Kristin. As soon as I opened it I knew she hit a grand slam. (I expect nothing less from a pediatric physician's assistant.) A book about the Tickle Monster and accompanying Tickle Monster gloves! Ross has taken the gloves for a test drive and they work very well.

Thank you to everyone who is helping us prepare for our honeydew melon of a baby!

Call It Nesting

Call it nesting. Call it type A personality. Call it impatience. Call it what you will. The Black family is getting their butts in gear. We're tackling some of our outstanding house projects with a vengeance.

Before we moved we had this whole list of things to do. Then we moved, spent some money, freaked out and quit cold turkey. But recently we've been inspired by Meg & Stacy's impromptu home renovations. They are completely overhauling two rooms and making big-ish changes in another two rooms and here we are twiddling our thumbs about buying a grill. No more!

To keep us honest, here's our to-do list:

• Pendant lights for the kitchen
• Backyard shed
• Crib building
• Study curtains
• Front porch light
• Buy grill

The first three I'm hoping we can do before the baby arrives. The curtains in my study...eh whatever. Before I go back to work after maternity leave? That seems like a good enough goal. And I don't care at all about the front porch light but I know that's on Ross' to-do list so might as well keep it on here. And the grill needs a shed to call home so we'll get to that accordingly.

These may seem straightforward but let me tell you, the first two have more related sub-tasks than you would ever guess. From getting a quote on the lights (I have a dream of them being totally unique hand-blown glass from a local artist) to HOA approval on the shed, these are multi-step projects.

But darn it, we're doing them. Now.

Pain Threshold

Me: This morning I broke a nail, hun. I know that sounds like such a girl thing to say but I broke my thumbnail like halfway into the live part. It HURTS.

[holds up band-aided thumb]

Ross: Ooohh yeah I've done that. That does hurt.

Me: It's been killing me all day. Every time I need to use my thumb. It hurts like a son of a ...

[catches Ross smirking]

Me: Are you laughing at me!? Are you laughing because I'm hurt, jerk!?

Ross: No, no, no. It's just if you think breaking a nail hurts, you've got something coming in a few weeks...



Crap. He's right.

I have a problem

I have a problem and it is called spring. Or maybe spring fever. Or spring decor.

Bottom line every February-April, I just want to buy everything spring-ish and redecorate the house. This is a problem because

1. I do actually have a home decor budget and it is not unlimited.
2. My husband isn't as into the bright colors as I am. (I should probably just be thankful that I've pulled off a turquoise wall in the bedroom and a red kitchen with minimal objections.)
3. Most of these things don't actually match our house.
4. As good an idea as plants seem during these moments, I don't have a green thumb. I have a brownish-black thumb that kills nearly every plant it comes in contact with.
5. Because I've done this every year, I actually have spring-ish things and really all I need to do is take them out of the closets.

This is all really hard to remember when I go to Target or Pier 1 and there's yellow, pink, bright blue and grass green everything. And I want it all.

PS And then I realized I can update the blog to look springy! So I did :)

Hakuna Matata

I meant to blog about it sooner but baby and work have taken precedence. Anyways - better late than never right?

On Tuesday, the hubby and I had a big date night out. We started with dinner at an Italian restaurant in Central-ish Austin that we like, Gusto. Tasty tasty tasty! We pulled out the big guns with a shared appetizer, entrees and even dessert (well for me, coffee for him). Usually we're entree-only people so a full three courses felt fancy and luxurious.

Then it was off to Bass Concert Hall down on UT's campus for The Lion King. Back way before Christmas I had seen discounted tickets to the show via TravelZoo and had jumped on them. I'm so glad I did! Having been in my prime Disney movie years when the movie came out, it was practically a quote and sing a-long for me. According to Ross, I was a little enthusiastic/loud with my rendition of Hakuna Matata. But how can you not be? Ross is just a little too old to have seen the movie when it first came out...actually he's never seen the whole thing through. The quote anticipating moments I enjoyed were lost on him but he liked the show nonetheless.

It may come as a shocker to y'all, but Broadway shows are not in his top 3 or even top 10 list of things to go do. Originally he was really along for the ride for my sake. But he liked the show more than he was expecting and said he'd likely attend another musical theatre production with me throughout the course of life. I consider that a big win.

Next Month

Next month I'm having a baby!!