Book Club!

I am joining a book club of sorts and would like to invite you to join as well. It actually works more like a book "chain"... let me explain... I was sent an invitation by my mother-in-law to join the club. Now, to join I will send ONE paperback book of my choice (obviously something I enjoyed reading - and something I already have at home) to the person who sent the invitation to my mother-in-law. Then I will send an invitation out to 6 of my friends who will each send ONE paperback book of their choice to my mother-in-law. My 6 friends will then send the invitation on to six of THEIR friends who will send ONE paperback book each to me... If you are keeping up with this, I will have sent ONE book, and received THIRTY-SIX books in return. You would do the same. Talk about some good reading!

Now, I didn't want to send the invitation out to anyone who would not want to participate, so I thought I would put "feelers" out for anyone interested first. So, if you are up for some good reading and would like to join our "club", please let me know and I will gladly send you your invitation with all the information you will need.

Update

Well, the eggplant parmesan didn't work very well (but it sure was good!!). We went to the dr. on Monday for my weekly appointment. She said that I've actually started to progress (2cm, 80% effaced, -3 station), but it's a slow-go. I've had contractions on and off since then, but nothing worth writing home about. Each night before we go to bed, I make sure our bags are all set and everything is laid out that we might need quickly if we had to leave in the middle of the night. Then, every morning before we leave for work I ask Kevin to make sure his cell phone is on and in his pocket. We've pretty much developed a well-oiled "any minute now" routine. And so we just wait... and wait... and wait...

Notice of Eviction

Tenant: Addison Reese Stewart

Landlord: Your Mommy

Address: My Uterus

You are hereby notified, in any event, that your tenancy is hereby terminated effective immediately. You are hereby requested to quit, vacate, and deliver possession therefore to the undersigned on or before Saturday, November 1, 2008. This notice to vacate is due to your following breach of tenancy: Outstaying your welcome. Should you fail, refuse or neglect to cure the breach, or vacate said premises within 6 days of this notice, I will take such legal action as the law requires to evict you from the premises. Notice is further given that failure to respond to this notice on or before the date specified in the above paragraph, shall result in due process of the law for eviction and collection of amounts due to be commenced and for other remedies available to landlord for which you will be responsible for costs and attorney fees.

Your Mother

40 week picture

Eggplant Parmesan at Provino's

Things NOT to say to a 9 months pregnant woman...

I will be the first one to admit that I am guilty of saying some (if not all) of these things to pregnant women before... but now that I'm at this point of pregnancy, and I'm hearing them multiple times EVERY day, I vow to be very careful of what I say from now on... While I know they are all well-meaning, good natured, sincere questions and comments, nothing makes me grind my teeth more than hearing one of these:

1. (at work) You're STILL here?! (except for Leigh and Anne because I know you say it JUST to make me grind my teeth!)

"Yes, I'm still here... I will be here until the baby comes, which she obviously hasn't yet...Thank you for stating the obvious - the baby is NOT here."

2. When are you going to have that baby?"

"Well, my crystal ball says she will be here on X date. If you find out differently, please let me know!"

3. How are you feeling? (asked with the sympathetic head tilt)

"I'm 3 days from my due date... I'm quite positive I'm carrying a 25 pound child... My feet and hands are swollen beyond recognition... And I couldn't tell you the last night I strung together 3 hours of solid sleep... Other than that, I'm just GREAT!!"

4. What is it?

"'IT' is a baby. HER name is Addison."

and my all-time favorite...

5. Are you SURE there is only one in there?

"While I know you are just trying to be funny and cute, yes, I'm sure there is only one in there. I have had 7 ultrasounds in the last 9 months. If there is another one in there, and we don't know about it, I will be firing my doctor. But, thanks for making me feel like a truck!"

OK... I've vented... It's out there... Like I said, I'm guilty of saying or asking these in the past... From now on I will simply smile, say congratulations, and "yes, I know it's tough, but there is an end in sight... hang in there... it will all be so worth it!"

Any of you mommies out there have any more to add?!

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...

Still nothing new from the dr... I feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever... any home induction suggestions? I'll go for just about anything at this point... 5 days until due date and counting...

Really?! Part II

Again, the stupid stuff kids say...

I was asked literally 5 different times today by students, "Have you had the baby yet?!"

Yes, yes I did.... I had her Saturday morning and I'm back at school with you lovely children 48 hours later... she's at home, but I'm sure she's fine... geesh...

I'm off to the dr. for my weekly visit... keep your fingers crossed! :)

Addison's Nursery

I thought I would share a *few* pictures of Addison's nursery before she gets here and it becomes a mess! It is decorated in ladybugs and dragonflies. I love to just go in there and sit and rock while it is still peaceful and quiet...

Today's Doctor's Appointment...

Just don't even ask...

Apparently our little bundle of love is perfectly happy and content to stay put. She is in no hurry to join us... but there is always still hope for the full moon effect tonight... yeah right.

Impatiently Waiting...

38 weeks yesterday... hopefully just 2 more to go! I go back to the doctor tomorrow and I'm going to beg the midwife to just lie to me if nothing is happening yet. Hopefully I'll be posting some good news after my appointment!

We've had an exciting week this week. Both Kevin's and my school friends gave us showers this week, and some of the older volleyball and basketball players gave me a diaper shower on Friday. We truly are so fortunate to have such great friends, and I am so excited that Addison will have such amazing people to grow up around.

On a completely un-baby note... For my birthday in August, I got tickets to go see Wicked at the Fox. Kevin and I went last night and it was incredible!!! I have always been a fan of The Wizard of Oz, so I knew that I would like Wicked, but I had no idea how good it was going to be. If you have never seen the play, definitely go if you have the chance. You will not be disappointed. Addison especially loved all the music and singing. She was bouncing around like crazy the whole show. Who knows, maybe she'll go against every gene in her body and be musically inclined! :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a wonderful week ahead of them. I'll close with my 38 week picture... isn't she getting big (Addison, not me!)?! :)

Making Fiona Look Good

My Fiona feet after a 12-hour workday... not so cute...

Zip, Zero, Nada, Nothing

I had my 37 week dr. appointment yesterday afternoon. I went in really excited because I feel like Addison is really dropping down and getting ready to come. I just KNEW she was going to tell me things were getting started and labor was imminent. So imagine my disappointment when I got a big fat NOTHING. I could tell the midwife felt really bad about being the bearer of "bad news" - she kept saying "this really means nothing" and "she really could come any time now" and "enjoy your last couple of weeks of quiet relaxation"... blah, blah, blah... just shut up and tell me this kid is coming soon!!

Of course I know that Addison will come when she's good and ready. And I know that I really should just sit back and relax now while I can... but, I was always the kid that couldn't wait for Christmas, and could never keep a surprise a surprise (still can't for that matter)... I'm just not so good at this waiting game.

Hopefully next week's appointment will be a little more exciting! One can hope, right?

37 weeks!

Only 3 more to go (hopefully!)...

Happy September 31st! :)

OK, so I know there is no such thing as September 31st, but yesterday Kevin and I celebrated it. Because, you see, if there WAS such thing as September 31st, yesterday would have been our year-and-a-half wedding anniversary. For those of you that have been married forever, I know celebrating a "half-anniversary" sounds silly, but I still consider us somewhat "newlyweds" and we enjoyed it.

To be completely honest, the special day had slipped my mind. But, I got a sweet text from my husband around 5:00 asking me to meet him where we had our first dance as a married couple. At that point, obviously I knew he was up to something. When I got to Vines Botanical Gardens (where we had our wedding reception), he had a picnic set up out at the gazebo overlooking the lake. The weather was perfect and it was such a special place to us, so we really had a great time... that is, until I started having Braxton Hicks contractions so bad I was doubled over, and then got stung by a bee... does anything ever happen perfectly like it does in the movies?! :)

In addition to the wonderful dinner he had for us (steak, potatoes, and asparagus), he even had dessert - a huge bag of Peanut M&Ms that I have been CRAVING for about a week!! Anyway, after we ate, he took me up to the area where our reception took place and had our first dance song (Norah Jones' Come Away With Me) playing on a CD player. We had our "first dance" all over again - just us. It was so sweet and romantic.

I swear I have the best husband in the world. Thank you Kevin for being everything I've ever wanted and all I'll ever need. Happy September 31st! :)