Catch Up Entry

Thanksgiving: I ended up cooking the bulk of the meal, but it was all good. My Mom helped and no one had to lose a digit. It was a much smaller gathering than usual but it’s all good, it made it much easier to speak with everyone.

Baby Shower: It ended up a surprise after all. I knew it was supposed to occur. I figured the most logical time would have been this past weekend. I thought it would have happened on Saturday (and I was right) but Aaron threw me off. His aunt has been up from Florida and I know she was supposed to head back soon. He said we were supposed to have lunch with them. I then figured it was going to happen on Sunday instead. Then we got to Aaron’s sister’s place and I heard the voices. :)

I got a lot of really great things and a few things that I hadn’t expected. It made me really happy and made me realize that the wee girl is going to be here before I know it. I mean, according to the ticker, I have 60 days left to the due date. That’s nothing!

House Keeping: So now I’ve given Aaron the task of making room in our closets during his days off. As it is most of the baby stuff is in our living room. The crazy part is that we have to get creative in putting her stuff out. I think I am going to ask Aaron to pack up our book shelf to make room for a small dresser and the basinet. I don’t think he’s going to be too thrilled with the idea, but we have to pack them up anyway. We’re house hunting and if all goes well, we’ll have a new place by mid-to-late spring and hopefully be set to move by the beginning of the summer.

House Hunt: Speaking of a new place… we’ve hit a milestone! We wanted to have a certain amount socked away in our house fund by the beginning of November. We’re a month behind BUT we made the number. Now Aaron is saying that he’s getting back in full house hunting mode (as if he actually stopped or slowed). I’m pretty excited about this. Granted, yes, it brings up a whole new set of issues, like what is the commute going to be like, what are we going to do about daycare, what are we going to do about his brother, but we can get to those when the time comes. Besides, the whole brother thing is just a big headache and makes us both get really irritated. Quickly touching on it, I have been helping him with cover letters and helping him hunt for full time jobs. BUT what gets to both Aaron and I, is the fact that unless we’re there hounding him about getting a full-time job, he doesn’t do jack to search or to reply to things. YET he says he wants to keep the apartment. Yeah… not bloody likely at this rate. All I know is that he’s NOT moving in with us.

Christmas and Chanukah: I can’t believe he’s already ahead of me. I thought I had a jump start on him but no. Aaron is just about finished. Ah well. The good news is that we should be pretty much done by this weekend. I have a few more items to pick up and voila! And I’ll have a Chanukah gift for him for whenever he decides he wants to exchange gifts. I know he’s really anxious to give me a gift. He even said last night that he hates buying me things and then having to wait to give them to me. He doesn’t really care that I got him anything since I’m already giving him a very big gift.

The sad thing is that I really think I have to skip decorating after all. I looked into our hall closet and there is NO WAY I can actually get to any of my decorations— at least, not with all the new baby stuff in the way. Boo… but it’s all good. I’ll just have to make up for it once we’re in our new home and get to throw a big Christmas party.

Sad News: I haven’t spoken about this but I think it’s time… Aaron and I have two aunts who are coming to the end of their days. As a matter of fact, one is in hospice care and the other elected to remain at home, rather than be moved into a hospice. I can’t say exactly why I haven’t mentioned it sooner, I just haven’t. Now of course, with the new baby, house and all the other good stuff happening, I can’t help but think that my two aunts are going to be missed. These are the kinds of things they would love being there for. The aunt on my Dad’s side, while she has had her issues, has always been pretty great with me growing up. She used to take care of me when we first moved to NYC, and was the one who encouraged me to break the rules every now and then, much to my Dad’s chagrin. But she’s also the one who made me realize that you simply can’t take things so seriously all the damn time. And the scarier part is that, as I get older, I am starting to look a lot more like her. Aaron’s aunt (on his Dad’s side) is just about one of the happiest, sweetest people I have ever encountered. She’s a kook and he grandchildren even call her “Cuckoo” rather than grandma. Apparently, she and Aaron’s Mom used be pretty tight when they were younger, which doesn’t surprise me. We’re not sure how long either one of them has. But unfortunately, doctors have told them their cancer treatments have gone as far as possible, and that it is now in God’s hands. It’s odd; while thinking about them makes me sad, I really think I’m still in denial about both their cases. I’m just thankful for the nurses they have caring for them. These people really are doing God’s work here on earth. God bless them.

And They Say Time Flies…

I can’t believe it. This morning I turned on the radio and there they were; two stations playing Christmas music. Holy crap we’re back in the holidays!
I feel like I’m a few steps behind already. Blech… I mean usually, I have some gifts worked out and I have a good idea of what I’m getting Aaron, but it feels like the whole thing just snuck up on me.

The good thing is; I DO have Thanksgiving worked out. Even though my “sous chef” (Aaron) is going to have work overtime the day before the big day. Yes. You read that correctly, this year, for obvious reasons, I am actually calling in an assistant. I’ve also modified the side dishes. They’ll be a lot less complicated.

What I’ve got so far:

Turkey (a slightly modified version of Alton Brown’s Roast Turkey)
Stuffed Mushrooms (app.)
Butternut Squash Soup
Cornbread (the spoon bread version I make every year)
My Mac N’ Cheese
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
Sautéed Green Beans with almonds
Wild Rice w/ Red Grapes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
Cheddar and Sage Biscuits
Stuffing/Dressing

I know I’m missing an item or two but I don’t have my list with me and I can’t remember at this point.

As I said, the dishes are a lot less complicated and I can do a lot of the prep ahead of time. Unfortunately I may have already hit a bit of a snag. I have been preparing Aaron for this—well, more like training— but unfortunately, he just learned yesterday that he has to work overtime the day before. SO… I may have to work with my Mom on this. This is kind of getting me a little nervous though. My Mom and I have very different takes on how things are done. She likes to throw things in or change things up on the fly, whereas I don’t. I’ve gotten most of these dishes down to a science and it would make me freak the hell out if she starts "tweaking" or changing things up on me.

Evan, my brother-in-law volunteered to help with prep. I told him it be best for him not to. It was very sweet of him to offer, but that could potentially be disastrous. He doesn’t “cook.” His idea of cooking usually consists of throwing a group of pre-made items together and calling it a meal. I need someone who will understand what I want when I say, “mirepoix,” “chiffonade” and “finely grate,” and will know that there is a difference between, stock and broth, finely mincing and chopping. Hell, we’re talking about the same guy who, just the other day, used my pie dough cutter as a pizza cutter! (I wish I were kidding).

Don’t get me wrong, I really love cooking for the holiday. It’s one of my favorite meals to make. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. I’m just very particular about the way things are done. I mean, I plan things out weeks in advance and usually have the timing worked out so that all dishes are pretty much done at the same time. So it’s not a pretty sight when things gum up the works. Imagine if you will, one of the crabbing boat captains from Deadliest Catch… yeah I have the potential to get that cranky when things don’t work out. I almost stormed off when my brother burned one of my dishes and my one of sisters-in-law decided to not start one of her dishes until everything else was already finished. She held everything up by about an hour.

Ah well… We’ll see, perhaps I can get an even earlier start and not have to call in the reinforcements. Wish me luck!

The Great Eclipse

Now I know that pregnancy is a time of changes, the problem is I know there are changes going on; I just can’t easily them all. For example, Aaron keeps mentioning that my belly button is looking more and more like it’s going to pop. I have to take his word for it. If I were to look down on my own, I can’t really see the darn thing. Sure, I can use the mirror, but I don’t have a full length mirror to be able to get a proper perspective. Another good example: my feet. I can’t see them if I’m standing up. The belly’s in the way. I know they’re getting puffy because I’m having issues putting on shoes that just a few weeks ago, I considered comfy. Ah well at least I can still see them when I sit down. :/ It’s going to be weird not having a belly in the way after all this is over.

Ooh, ooh. I now have my quasi official leave date. It’ll be Jan 14th. This may change if my doctor tells me to stop sooner. I met with the HR people and my supervisor to iron things out and to answer the tons of questions I had. I’m just glad they were able to explain things to me. I was getting freaked out a touch. I went in with a real fear that I was only going to get 17 percent of my paycheck while I was on leave. Luckily that’s not the case. While it is a percentage, it’s a frick of a lot better than 17 percent. I’m also entitled to get 8-12 weeks off, depending on how my doctor fills out the paperwork.

Sigh… we’re getting there.

Hello Mrs. Snippy-Pants

I’m assuming the hormones have me a touch on-edge. I’ve noticed lately that I keep losing my temper with people. I mean really losing it to the point where I find myself clenching my jaw and fists to keep from lashing out at people. I feel bad but so far I’ve been able to put up a good front. The only who really seems to notice is Aaron. When he sees this happening, he smartly pulls me away from the general area and finds a way to defuse my ass.

Unfortunately, he’s not there to do this while I’m at work. And of course, this has been where my temper has been flaring up the most. I know, I know, doesn’t that happen to most of us? Yes, but I’m mean even I felt like hissing at the phone when I was in the middle of writing up an e-mail earlier today. Then of course there was the co worker who came by to just say “hi.” I almost jumped down her throat. I felt awful afterwards but I was at least able to restrain myself, smile and say a quick hello. It gets a lot tougher when I get the stupid questions or get things back that don’t make sense. Good lord!

But yes, Aaron has really stepped up his game and has been incredibly helpful (he even helped me put on my socks the other day when I was having issues reaching my feet) and even keeled when I start losing it. Luckily, he’s also there to be my Pit Bull when it I’ve had a reason to be angry.
Inhale… Exhale…


Oh yes, and just because it's suits my mood today, and because the song is catchy as hell adn makes me smile... (enjoy)

Aaron just started playing The Force Unleashed. It looks awesome!