Magnet for Ailments

That's it! I am convinced that I've become a magnet for any ailment working its way around our city. I've gotten a stomach bug, a cold, sinus infection, a touch of the flu, and pink eye (twice). What the hell?! Meanwhile Aaron, meh, he gets the sniffles and a sore throat (which I now actually have).

At this rate, I fully expect to come down with the plague or something equally unpleasant.

Photo Update

Our room at the Castle at Skylands Manor, B&B. Nov. 14, 2010
















Aaron on the staircase.

















Photos from outside the B&B, the New Jersey Botanical Garden












































Me on Christmas morning, 35 weeks.

Well, Don't I Feel Smart?

Yaaaay for thinking ahead. Sure, I feel a touch like my Mom but I don't care, I was right.

A few weeks ago, there was a whisper of a snow fall, so I went out and did the responsible thing; I went out and got snow supplies for our cars. During the warm months one of our snow shovels apparently got up and walked off. Rather than try to figure out the mystery, I just hit Home Depot. I had a feeling the supposed snow wasn't going to be bad when the store was pretty empty and all the snow supply piles were untouched. But Meh, I was already there. I picked up a heavy, flat edged shovel and a new snow shovel, a few big jugs of salt and a new snow brush/ice scraper thingy.

Yeah, I got looked at funny at the checkout but like I said, I was already there. When I got home Aaron, while very thankful, kind of rolled his eyes and TRIED not to look at me like I had monkeys flying out of my ears.

Needless to say, today, the day after the first snow storm of the season, he's really thankful I thought ahead. He otherwise would have had to dig his car out via the Force. Perhaps he'll listen to me now when I tell him he should have a small emergency blanket and keep a roll of paper towels in a waterproof bag in his trunk? We shall see...

But yes, he was also really happy I insisted on getting him duck shoes. Duck shoes are those shoes with the heavy treaded rubber bottoms, leather tops and insulated to feel like you've jammed your foot in a teddy bear's ass even when standing in a huge puddle of ice water. They also tend to make your feet look like duck feet because of the ribbing lines on the tops. But I digress. I've had a pair since my freshman year in college and still have the same shoes. The things are not pretty but they are awesome! I will never be without duck shoes. Anyway, I've been meaning to get him a pair since I realized that he just doesn't have good winter shoes. So this year I finally did it. He wasn't sure he'd have much use for them and when he tried them on all he kept saying is that they felt funny. Well, duh!

Last night, as he was pointing and laughing hysterically at the blizzard (it was more of a laugh of utter disbelief), I asked him if he wanted me to lace up his new duck shoes. He gave me a defeated, "yeah." I still have to ask him what he thinks of the ugly duck shoes now. But I'm guessing that he'll be happy with them. I also got him a set of shoe spikes that slip on over your regular shoes, I think LL Bean calls them Stabilicers. He didn't have to use those this time around but I'm sure that once he does, he'll be happy he has them. Those things are awesome.

Fumbly Hands

I've broken another cup and don't even get me started on how slowly I have to type and retype things. Yep, carpal tunnel set off by the pregnancy is taking its toll. I'm talking, I may well switch to sippy cups to keep from breaking the rest of the cups around here.

But yes, despite the numb hands, insane heartburn (I think I very well could melt paint off walls if I exhale just right), and increasing lethargy, I'm still staying chipper damn it, and I'm getting into the holiday spirit. I've got all my favorite Christmas movies out, including Nightmare Before Christmas and one of my all-time favorites, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. And although I didn't make the doughs (fear of lobbing off a hand) I bought cookie doughs and started up the oven. Sure, it's kinda cheating but meh, they're still tasty :D

Luckily, I'm just about done with my shopping. I have two more gifts to get but I have a touch of time on those. I spent a touch more than I anticipated but it's okay. Now we're just going to have to tighten the purse strings and go back into saving mode.

But yeah, since I'm apparently going with a Christmas thing for this entry, I thought I'd share some great news with all of you. My aunt made it to her birthday and is still with us today. She was over the moon when my parents showed up. The visit made her so happy she honestly started feeling better and it even gave her the strength to eat more, which has been helping her, overall. Sure, it's not a perfect miracle, but as far as I'm concerned, it's enough of a miracle for me to be extremely thankful.

How Exciting

This is very exciting. Aaron and I found a house we really, really like and we put a bid on it. Unfortunately now, like with anxiety inducing milestones in life, reaching back to SAT scores, to hearing back from a potential employer, we’re holding our breath and waiting to hear back. I’ve no inkling about what we should expect to get back because apparently there are two other bids on the place. Sigh… I’m not sure my nails are long enough for this.

Another big thing that’s been on my mind has been the passing of Aaron’s aunt and my aunt’s current condition. My brothers and I decided to send my parents down to Florida to see her. It was a complete surprise for her and it put her in great spirits. She seemed really lively and beyond ecstatic. She even managed to eat and drink a few things and kept them down. My Mom even said color started coming back to her face.

I’m just excited that my aunt has gotten one of her wishes so far. She told everyone around her that she really wanted two things before passing. The first is to make it to her 70th birthday the second is to make it to see one last Christmas. I’ll be calling her today to wish her a happy 70th. I’m also happy that my parents were still there this morning to spend some time with her on this special day.

And lastly, the baby is still doing her thing. We have about 46 days to go. I’ve been keeping track of my Braxton Hicks contractions since I’ve been getting them fairly often. Not sure what this means, but I was told to keep track of them on a daily basis till my appointment next week. I suspect my doctor is trying to predict if the wee girl will be making an early appearance.