Katrina

Very interesting and worrying information about the geopolitical impact of Katrina.

Also, because the Times-Picayne news offices were flooded, they've moved to a new location and are now blogging the news from the area. The situation is getting worse by the minute.

Since he's done a great job of listing all the organizations set up to help, here's a link to Rude Cactus.

UPDATE: You can also donate coins to the Red Cross through CoinStar.

Etc.

The kitties are en route to my dad's vet clinic this morning to get their annual shots and have some bumps checked out. They tend to behave themselves at the doctor's office mostly because they are terrified. (Unlike SOME kitties I know...*cough* Artie *cough*) Otto tends to just push his head against us because if he can't see the scary vet and room then it must not exist. We'll also find out how "well" the diet has been working. Which is probably not at all. They also have to get the feline leukemia shot because we have been letting them out a bit. Supervised, still, but they do occasionally come in contact with neighbor kitties. Very scruffy, hardcore neighbor kitties.

It was hot, hot, hot last night. Very muggy and because it was raining, we had to close the windows. Lots of tossing and turning. Plus, babycakes was kicking and squirming all day long and my belly was starting to get sore.

We received a fabulous baby blanket in the mail from Aaron's aunt and uncle. It is SO SOFT and cute and lovely. I'll take pictures soon. They also sent a very cute baby book that I read to babycakes last night. From the kicking the ensued, I think she really likes it.

Friday is the next OB appointment. Not sure if they are going to check my nethers or not this time. I guess I'll have to prepare, um, things for the off-chance I'm shedding my drawers.

Photoshoot

Just got back from dinner with my grandmother, aunt, mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law. Feeling a little crampy from the tuscan calamari (too many jalapenos and olives, I think). I thought I'd upload some of the photos from today's photoshoot. I'm very happy with the results. I decided to not go nude - as I don't think I would print and frame nude photos of myself.

Anyhoo, click on this photo for more. (This was taken using a wide-angle lens, hence the distortion).

Weekend

Ah. I love sleeping in. Babycakes? Not so big on the sleeping in.

As tomorrow is the big photography session, we've got some organizing to do around here. Sweeping up of fur, making sure I know what clothes I'm going to wear (or not), making of a chocolate torte cake and cookies. Since he is going to be here with his wife around 11, I should probably prepare a lunch as well. Maybe a veggie lasagne? Perfect.

Today we have to get the oil changed, maybe get some breakfast in town, buy some more fancy chocolate and fancy vanilla for the cake.

See? Big plans.

Our Dear Leader

Bush Leagues
Bush's Obscene Tirades Rattle White House Aides
By DOUG THOMPSON
Aug 25, 2005, 06:19

"While President George W. Bush travels around the country in a last-ditch effort to sell his Iraq war, White House aides scramble frantically behind the scenes to hide the dark mood of an increasingly angry leader who unleashes obscenity-filled outbursts at anyone who dares disagree with him."

"'I’m not meeting again with that goddamned bitch,' Bush screamed at aides who suggested he meet again with Cindy Sheehan, the war-protesting mother whose son died in Iraq. 'She can go to hell as far as I’m concerned!'"

There's more...

New Ultrasound Photos

She is facing the camera in this one. To the right is her head. Next to her head is a little fist. She let go of her toes long enough for this photo to be taken. Click on this photo for a profile view.

If she hasn't locked and loaded by 36 weeks, they will do another ultrasound to check on her position.

We received the missing crib parts in the mail and I got the bedding all set up in the crib. Not that she will use that bed at first - we plan on using the bassinet in the Pack-n-Play in our room for the first couple of weeks. At least that's the plan. We are still waiting for the dresser/changing table so I won't take photos of the nursery yet. We also need to move a couch into the room for nursing, etc. There is also a rocking chair to be used for nursing. Yes, it's a pretty big room. So far, the kitties haven't gotten into the crib.

The hubster did an amazing job on his GREs - even getting an 800 on the math portion. Out of 800 - who does that? Lower on his verbal, but still rating very high for mathematicians. Now he just has to take the much harder subject test. In math again.

This weekend is another baking weekend. I owe my friend M mass amounts of cookies for helping me to translate some work stuff into French for a tradeshow. And my brother is coming to take preggers photos and I bartered with him for his time. He gets a Chocolate Oblivion Torte and I get photos. He just took photos of his wife (who is about 4 weeks farther along than me) and did some great abstract nude ones. She's very happy with them. I'm still undecided on what to do. I guess I'll just go with the flow.

It has cooled off a bit around here - even to the point of us needing a comforter at night again. And the kitties are now warming our feet on the bed again. Much, much better than the oppressive heat. Hopefully it will stay this way. Next child? Definitely born in the Spring or early Summer. That way I can incubate during the winter and stay comfortable.

The art of fart muffling

How to Muffle Your Farts:

As soon as you get into the bathroom, get a handful of toilet paper ready. Use this to muffle your farts when you sit down and as you are attending to your business. (do I have to explain how?) It really helps to have this ready in advance of pulling down the undies, etc., because as you get to be more and more pregnant, you do seem to lose control of your squeezing ability. Or maybe you just don't realize that the pressure you feel is going to be very LOUD on the way out. And will echo in the bathroom by which everyone in the office seems to walk.

Not that I would know from experience or anything.

Is it breechy in here?

"Some others are music & light (mag flashlight) near the crotch area especially while sleeping, music on lower abdomen also may work during the day (classical or very soothing)...." (from here)

I can just see the hubster creeping up on me and shining a light in my 'crotch area' while I'm sleeping. ;)

"Something I have seen work with several of my moms and myself is having the Daddy put his mouth down where the babies head should be, then Daddy should talk to his baby and tell him/her to turn around and put its head where it should be." (from here)

Oh yeah, baby. Come to Daddy.

(I mock what I'll probably be trying at home tonight)

Mondays

We went to a BBQ/Bocce party on Saturday for which I made about 5 dozen peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies. And since today is the hubby's GRE general test - there was lots of studying by him and lots of non-disturbing by me. I read and finished 'The Da Vinci Code' - very good and very interesting book. And have now convince the hubster to read it because it fills in some gaps in what he already knows about the history of Christianity and history in general. We also watched 'P.S.' with Laura Linney and Topher Grace (very good - Topher looked yummy in this movie), 'The Motorcycle Diaries' (also very good - I haven't read much about Che Guevara and it was really well done), 'Vanity Fair' (eh.), and last night 'Bad Education' (by Pedro Almodovar. Very good.).

I also found a couple of articles with advice on how to move a baby out of breech position. A lot of them mainly say 'wait a few more weeks' because the baby may move out of that position by itself. Others say you can lay down with your butt above your head (propped up by pillows or a low sofa or something) and sit there for a few minutes. Stop if you feel dizzy. I tried it last night and man, was she kicking afterwards! Has anyone else been in this situation? Let me know if you have tips.

Ultrasound

So, no worries on the "not growing" front. Babycakes is a solid 4 lbs 10 oz at this point. Above normal for weight. And she's currently frank breech. She was literally folded in half, holding her toes with her fingers. The technician couldn't get a good look at her fingers because they were wrapped around her toes. She has a huge big toe (we were trying to get another look at the longer second toe, but she wasn't cooperating). She is definitely still a girl. She is moving all over the place and even kicked the doppler wand while the OB was trying to hear her heartbeat. So everything is good. Except the fact that I gained another 6 pounds!!! I'm now at 26 pounds gained. Ugh. This is going to be a long 2 months. I guess I need to keep up with the walking - even though it is getting a lot more uncomfortable. It definitely feels like she is folded in half and sitting all snug up by my ribs.

Babycakes Update!

Belly at 32+ weeks! More photos if you click on this one.

I've also uploaded more garden photos. More so you can see the overall impact of the garden. Plus some closeups for which I don't know the names.

And, for your viewing pleasure, THE SPIDER who no longer dwells beneath the counter.

Today is my next OB appointment. We are also getting another ultrasound to check how the babycakes is growing. Because my blood pressure still seems a bit high, they want to make sure she is growing normally. I can tell you that she is extremely active. The hubby was amazed by the rib kicking that occurred last night was we were deciding whether or not to order Chinese food (we did). She is quite the squirmer. All day long. Despite the kicking and the squirming, I'm still feeling good. I can't eat as big of portions because my stomach is squished by the little one. Lots more farting at the moment. "But it's all air, not stink!" Now that it has cooled off a bit (if you don't count the farting), I'm able to sleep a little better at night. Which is a relief because I was starting to lose it a bit. I'm still a big steam engine radiating heat, but now it is just me and not the whole room that is hot.

We've ordered the missing crib piece from a crib piece store online and will pull everything together soon. The dresser/changing table/mule chest should be here in a couple of weeks as well.

Invitations have gone out for the baby shower! It's on the 25th of September! If you find yourself in Western Mass. on that day - let me know! The more the merrier! ;)

Yeah! I get to see babycakes again today!

Baby Emily

This poor woman. She meets a man, falls in love, gets married, gets pregnant, he cheats on her, then leaves her right about the time she has to go on bed rest at 30 weeks. She will be induced at 31 weeks - so her baby might end up in NICU. The soon-to-be ex-husband, in full asshole mode, decides he's going to keep all the baby things they've acquired because he's a complete jackass. So, now she's stuck at the hospital and has NOTHING.

And thanks to the power of the internets, her story has spread and some very kind people have set up a website for Baby Emily - you can read about her progress in the hospital and donate if you can. They will be adding an Amazon registry link soon. Her sister is posting for her while she's in the hospital.

Spider Update

It has now gone to spider heaven. It crept back out from under the counter while we were watching a movie ('Vanity Fair') and was just lounging in the middle of the kitchen floor in the dark. Luckily, I saw it before it had a chance to jump up on me. The hubster put on his spider-killing sandals and smooshed it. This was a spider who didn't need to be rescued, people. He had lived an obviously very good life. I save a lot of spiders, so don't get on my case. Not this creature from beneath the counter.

Spider!

Last night, as I was innocently and begrudgingly starting to bake a cheesecake for a coworker (as a 'thank you' for watching our cats while we were on vacation), I looked down and saw the BIGGEST FRICKIN' SPIDER next to my foot. About to crawl on my foot and most likely scurry up my leg so it could bite me in the belly! Or JUMP up onto my leg and then scurry around!!! LONG striped legs, big fang-like things, beady eyes, furry. No, it was not a daddy long-legs. It was some sort of wood spider that had most likely ventured up into the kitchen through the hole under the counter. Said hole most likely leads to the basement. Anyhoo, I did what anyone would do in the situation - I screamed very loudly and ran from the room. The hubby was upstairs yelling "What?! What happened?!" I couldn't speak due to the hyperventilating. He runs downstairs, thinking someone had broke into the house; something awful had happened to his pregnant wife. No, just a HUGE spider in the kitchen, NEAR MY FOOT! We both very cautiously crept into the kitchen in case it had ventured out farther than the counter (it had scurried under the counter when I screamed).

And it was not there. FINALLY, it crept back out and it was so big that the hubby had to get the camera. Not a killing implement, not the vacuum, but a frickin' camera. Zoom, adjust, fix flash, zoom, adjust. The spider was apparently camera shy because it disappeared under the counter again. So, the hubster goes to get the vacuum and some paper towels to start with the killing but the spider is smarter than that, see. The spider has picked up on the imminent doom vibe in the kitchen and has decided to HIDE UNDER THE COUNTER. We looked under the counter with a flashlight and then the hubby did vacuum under there as well because, um, it looked like we hadn't vacuumed under there in a while. No spider. Hole to basement discovered.

I still had to make the cheesecake. Which I did, LOOKING DOWN the whole time to make sure it didn't creep out and jump on my leg while I was not paying attention. So glad we got photos. No, I didn't bring the camera to work to post the photos.

Monday

Well, that was an exhausting weekend. The combination of the oppressive heat and humidity and the not sleeping very well has made me into one foggy, cranky person this Monday morning. It was great to see my sisters and their families and to see my brother's wife in all her pregnant glory (she's 4 weeks further along than I am). I feel like I sweat off about 10 pounds this weekend. Ugh. We did finalize plans for the shower, so that's excellent. We also picked out a combination changing table/dresser/mule chest for the nursery. It's unfinished pine, so we'll have to stain/varnish it when it arrives. And by "we", I mean the hubster. Very exciting. The room will finally be pulling itself together.

Photos/Videos

Large file, so beware before clicking: Otto chasing Crickets. AVI file - Size: 7.9 MB

Belly at 30 weeks. There is another, a side shot, if you click on this one.

More kitty photos if you click on this one.

Weekend

The plan for the weekend is to head up to my parents' house because everyone is coming to visit! Dogs, kids, sisters, brothers-in-law! We are going to celebrate my sister's birthday with shopping and Carvel cake and s'mores with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (because if you are still using Hershey's chocolate - that is like SO last year). And since it is Tax Free shopping in Massachusetts this weekend - we are going to look for a dresser for babycakes. Something low enough so that we can use it as a changing surface without having to buy a changing table. There is also a tractor pull this weekend that the boys will probably attend. And then on Sunday we are going to be having a mini baby shower for my brother and sister-in-law since she is due next month.

The crib is mostly together at this point - we're missing one piece and then we can add the mattress, bedding, etc.

My brother, the photographer, has been commissioned by us to take some preggers photos for posterity. Any suggestions? Obviously they will be of the hubby and me and I don't really want to do full nudity 'cause that is really not me.

The Pediatrician

We met with our new pediatrician on Monday. He seems very nice and calm and apparently the kids love him. A friend of mine takes her two girls to him and it was on her recommendation that we meet him. The office is great; part of a larger medical building. Lots of toys and distractions for the kids in the large waiting room. Stickers as gifts; baby and child photos all over the place; kids artwork hung at kid's-eye level. The receptionists and the nurse we met were both very friendly and excited about the impending spawn.

The hubby was a bit spastic due to eating coffee and PopTarts prior to the appointment. While we waited in the exam room, he decided he had to take his blood pressure again. Now, this is a pediatrician's office. So the cuff is sized for little people. He straps it on and starts pumping. And then the cuff explodes off his arm and I can not stop the silent giggling and shaking of shoulders. So that makes him even more spastic and he decides he has to try again even though it is medical equipment and he should really not be using it and NO I will not get up to have my blood pressure checked. The doctor will be here any moment, will you please sit down? The doctor finally enters and after all the excitement and laughing and friendly nurse conversations, he is something to get used to.

"So....this is your first child?"

"Yes!" (Big smiles; excitement apparent)

"....."

*crickets*

"Well, .......new....babies....are.......very...............exciting."
(said in the slowest possible way with almost no indication that he is at all or has ever been excited about anything).

He was actually very nice and calm, like I said, and I could see why kids like him. He was also wearing a big fish tie. So there's that.

We left the office after the interview and on the way out - two different women in the office yelled out: "Good Luck!" At least they are there to liven things up.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my gorgeous sister's birthday! Happy Birthday! We weren't all that close growing up because I was a trouble maker and our house was one in which it was not conducive to make waves. Plus, she is older than me, so I never saw her around school. I've always admired her and have always wished I could be like her. She is very successful, has a hilarious and lovely husband, two of the cutest kids in the world and a cat who drinks coffee because he is so New York. We've become much better friends now that we are both older (i.e.: I've matured a bit) and it is amazing sometimes to discover how much we are alike. At least in my mind. You only wish you had a sister who is as cool as she is. And it has been wonderful to live near her now that I'm pregnant. Because she has been through all this and she does not hesitate to tell it like it is. Even when you may not want to know the truth.

So, very happy birthday wishes and hugs to you. I can't wait to see you this weekend (even if your kids ask me how much I weigh again). Sorry your present is late - but one of them hadn't been released yet and it had to be special ordered. ;)

Horizontal Stripes

I can confirm wholeheartedly that horizontal stripes DO make you look MUCH bigger. I borrowed the hubster's shirt today and I've caught glances at myself in various reflective surfaces to my complete horror!

And I even woke up with amazing Farrah Fawcett hair today! Which was completely overshadowed by horizontal stripey hugeness! So the fabulous hair has been subdued into little pigtails. Poor hair - just when it was your day to shine and be tossed gleefully!

Monday

While the hubby was at the tractor pull all day on Saturday, I did manage to clean out the boxes, etc. from the nursery and reorganize things a bit. This weekend, my mother and I are going to look for dressers and hopefully we'll have one in there next week sometime. That will help get the rest of the bags of clothes, etc. off the floor and help me to feel more organized. The hubby will probably put together the crib this week and then help me vacuum out the room. We also got the babyseat installed in the car. We have a two-door Civic Coupe, so we are trying to see if we can manage this whole transferring the baby from the back seat to someone outside the car. Not that we have much choice as we can't afford to get a different car.

We also started pulling up some of the crab grass and clover from the yard as it has gotten a bit out of control. Until it got way too hot (for me) and then we had to go inside. We also BBQed yesterday and the hubster accidentally left poor little Otto outside for about 4 hours. I had asked him at one point if Otto had come in with Tabitha and he said yes. So I sort of left it at that, but I shouldn't have ignored that nagging feeling. Finally, around 7pm, the crazy neighbor came over and rang the doorbell and told him that Otto was by our back door and he was looking a little anxious and lonely. ;( Poor kitty. He pouted for a while and we gave him lots of pets and treats and now he's back to snuggling.

We also watched 'A Very Long Engagement' (very charming) and 'Constantine' (very interesting; I really liked it).

Today is our first appointment with our possible new pediatrician. We are going to informally interview him and if all seems fine, he'll be the new guy once Babycakes decides to join us.

Speaking of, she has been very active. I can see why my sister said that it is sad once they are out because you get so used to the movements. It's like a secret little connection with each other. I know when she is awake and when she is sleeping. And she seems to recognize my voice and she wiggles a lot when I'm laughing. It's still a bit creepy (especially after seeing the exorcisms in 'Constantine'), but now it leans more towards very cool and amazing.

The New Black

So, haven't you heard? Blogging on the weekend is the new black (thx jenb). Although it doesn't really seem like anyone is reading my blog at the moment anyway. Show some love, people!

The hubby left early this morning to help my dad with the tractor pull. And apparently got very lost on the way because stupid Massachusetts names different roads the same thing and he thought he was taking the correct 8A, when in fact he should have continued to the NEXT 8A along the way. Who knew?

I walked into town to buy stamps and take out some cash and had to stop by the library to pee because Babycakes was doing the tango or something and there was probably no way I would be able to stand in line at the post office and then make it home before peeing my pants. So the library has one stall in its bathroom and there was someone in there. And she was in there for frickin' 10 minutes! I know - I timed her! I kept thinking it must be someone old (yes, ageist) or developmentally challenged. She had finished peeing and was just sitting in there. Another woman kept coming in and leaving when she saw I was still waiting. So I started thinking that maybe the woman in the stall didn't know someone was waiting. So I sighed and rattled my keys and coughed. And she just sat there. And sat there. I'm not sure if she was pooping because there were no farts and no plopping sounds. FINALLY she finished and came out. She was probably in her twenties and she avoided my dirty looks. I finished peeing and came out of the stall before she even finished washing her hands. I gave her a look like: 'See? That is how it is done.' Yes, I'm sure she didn't even get it. Ugh, some people.

Made it home, was quite sweaty and then decided to watch 'Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban'. And it turns out that the hubby was right and I HAD seen it before. Hmm. Memory no longer at full working functionality.

I'm doing some laundry and have yet to start working on the nursery. I did take some "Before" photos - so that's a start.

Anyhoo, have a lovely rest of the weekend.

So Tired

I think I slept a total of about 3 hours last night. Lots of tossing and turning. I don't think it was so much the heat as just being uncomfortable. I would get up, sit upright on the couch and start to doze off. But as soon as I dragged myself back to bed, I couldn't sleep. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Now I'm feeling quite foggy and all I need is a nap but I can't nap until I get home after work.

I have what I think is a foot jutting out above my belly button at the moment. When I press on it, it disappears and then juts out again. I'm thinking she is head down at the moment - "locked and loaded" as the hubby says. How strange that babies stay upside down for so long - but you never see anyone holding a baby upside down once they are out. Maybe they like that position? Has no one ever thought of that? oof, foot again.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I really hope the humidity ceases for a couple of days. I took a cold shower last night before heading to bed and when I woke up? My hair was a frightening mass of kinky, frizzy curls. Even Otto looked alarmed and he's seen everything.

Oh yeah, and I finished Harry Potter last night. I can barely say anything because I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't finished it yet. But it was very good and you should really read it.

GOP on the War in Bosnia

What a difference a president makes, eh?

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
---Sen Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
-Governor George W Bush (R-TX)

Cost of War

I think I've linked to this before, but here is a very useful tracker of the cost of the "war"

The kitties can jump

(link via sweetney)

Jumping Kitties!

In other news, it's hot here again. Humid, awful. Yeah, yeah, whine, whine. But you try being about 5 degrees warmer and uncomfortable. Sticky sheets, lots of tossing and turning. No, we have not set up the air conditioner yet. Because it is loud and it was for a small apartment and we are living in a huge house! Also, the house tends to cool off okay what with the ceiling fans and the open windows. And the cold showers right before going to bed.

Saturday, the hubster is going to be helping my dad with another tractor pull - this time in Adams, MA. I'm undecided as to whether I want to go and sit in the sun all day. Leaning towards: eh, no thanks, maybe another time. Partly because I really should attempt to pull up some of the crab grass in the garden. Slowly, while drinking lots of water and wearing a big hat. Also, I really need to attempt to organize the mass load of baby clothes I've inherited from my sister. And try to attempt to get the extra boxes, etc. out of that room in preparation for a new dresser and the actual putting together of the crib. Also? there are crazy fur balls floating around the house due to the intense shedding of the kitties. Those need to be dealt with. We just can't keep ahead of them. So, ambitious half-hearted list of things that should probably be looked into this weekend.

I reserved the new Harry Potter book from the library and it came in on Tuesday! Usually it takes much longer to get a book like that from them. And I'm almost done. It's great, again. Everytime I read one of her books, I think - I could totally write something like this. And then I never do. Anyhoo, if there are still people out there who haven't read it - it's another good one.

Oh yeah, we watched 'Suspect Zero' and it was entertaining. Worth renting for suspense, etc.

OB appointment today

Just got back from my OB appointment. My blood pressure is still high - one nurse got 150/88; the doctor got 130/90. Not good. Even the hubster tried to sneak in a reading before the doctor entered the room. She totally caught him in the act. So, more blood tests to test kidney functionality, etc. The one good thing about this is that the next appointment is in two weeks and I get to have another ultrasound. So we get to see Babycakes again! They are going to do the ultrasound again to make sure she is developing normally and is not underdeveloped. I haven't had swelling in my hands or feet or face, so that is good. I just need to rest more and try to keep sleeping on my left side. I've gained another 2 pounds in 3 weeks - so I'm up to 20 pounds total so far.

Monday

It was a good weekend although it seemed to fly by. My company's annual picnic was on Saturday. Beautiful weather, lots of games for the kiddies, clam chowder, lobster, bbq chicken, etc. We failed to win any of the door prizes and the hubster was ready to GO about 2 hours before I was. Ah well. Then yesterday it rained, rained, rained. So we headed to Northampton to go see 'March of the Penguins', but as we headed to buy tickets there was a line of screaming, shrieking kids and we high-tailed it out of there. And instead headed to Trader Joe's, Barnes & Noble and then home. We also watched 'Million Dollar Baby' (which we both liked), 'Prozac Nation' (kind of random and not very well put together. Lots and lots of overacting on the part of Jessica Lange), 'Stone Cold' (because the hubby thought I needed to watch me some Tom Selleck. The movie sucked, btw), 'Hide and Seek' (okay movie. Dakota Fanning was a bit creepy. The hubs figured it out pretty early on), 'Primer' (very confusing time travel movie. Hubbage watched it several times and thinks he has figured it out). We still have 'A Very Long Engagement' to watch before Wednesday. Phew. Lots of sitting and chilling.

Crazy neighbor incident: we haven't really introduced ourselves to the neighbors to the left of us. We wave hello, etc. but with me being a total hermit, I don't tend to go out of my way. Yes, bad me. She does have two cute cats who are always in our overabundant garden so we ended up chatting on Saturday. Because I was petting one of her kitties who is very loud and talkative when she is being pet. Anyhoo, the crazy neighbor mentioned that she didn't see our kitties for THREE DAYS when we were gone and there had been a thunderstorm. She said she was considering BREAKING IN to our house to check on the kitties because she was worried. Now, one of my friends was coming every day to feed the cats and to play with them. So everything was under control. The crazy aspect comes in because she would have to be wandering around the house PEERING IN OUR WINDOWS to even notice if the cats were out and about. Creepy. Our houses are not exactly adjacent to one another. And we have shades on most of our windows. Yikes. She also said that she is convinced I'm having a boy because I'm mostly growing bigger in the belly and that babies, for the first 5 hours after they are born, can change sexes while you watch. So you would never know from an ultrasound what you are having. Thanks for that, crazy lady.

In other news, loobylu has posted the photos from the Sock Monkey Month of Softies. I know some of you are just crazy about the monkeys, hence the link.