Almost four months....

Here are some new pictures of my big boy! We have his four-month well baby appointment tomorrow. Can't wait to see how much he weighs! Shots on the other hand I could do without. :)

Fast asleep in dreamland. What a sweet boy!

Looks like he's talking to us. Can't wait for that day!

We got home from shopping and I put him in the swing so I could put groceries away and make myself some lunch. This is what I came back to. Just couldn't keep those eyes open!

Tummy time! I swear, he'll be crawling anyday now.

Teething, teething, teething. He is in a constant state of drool. :)

Why I think my dad is awesome

So my dad turned 51 yesterday. And being the adventurous guy that he is, he decided that he wanted to bike a "century" today (100 miles at once). So he planned to bike until he reached 51 miles and then turn around, for a grand total of 102 miles (two miles for every year he's been alive). And he did it! He's amazing. I would have been calling for a ride home at about mile 17. Here's a picture of my dad with my mom and Jack (old picture!). I know, he doesn't look a day over 38, right? :)
Love you, Dad!

Getting sleep

Well, this book, Sleeping Through the Night, is awesome. We decided to start the "program" on Thursday night. The first night he cried for a half hour and then slept for seven hours. Friday night he cried for 10 minutes and then slept for seven hours again. Tonight he only cried for five minutes! He's also taking more naps during the day. Life is good. Sleep is good. Baby is good. :)

Sleeping? Not so much....

So, the "crying it out" didn't last too long. Actually, I think he's teething now, so we have a whole other fish to fry. Anyway, I'm reading a book called Sleeping Through the Night, which will hopefully give us some strategies. Until then, we cherish the nights like last night: Down at 10:30, up at 4:45. Then we took a super long nap together this morning. He does know what he's doing sometimes. :)
Here are a few recent pictures!

Here's Jackson sporting the latest look in infantwear: burp cloth on the head!

Here's a new take on tummy time--using the Boppy pillow to lean on. I got the idea when the Target photographer used it during Jack's 3-month pictures!

Hi Uncle John! I miss you! Look, I'm wearing the shirt you brought back for me last summer! :)

Bye!

This is what three months looks like!

I know, what a cooperative little boy to let me blog twice in one day. He must know I'm posting about him....

I'd love to know what he dreams about. He smiles and laughs in his sleep so much! What is funny to a person with no life experience to speak of? :)

Here's our daily "tummy time." Sometimes he enjoys himself. Sometimes he fights it. I like to think it will make him crawl sooner. Who knows.

Here he is snuggling with a burp cloth. Hey, whatever works.

Now, where is my finger supposed to go? Mouth or eye?

Buzzing lips with Mimi!

This is how he fell asleep while I was in the shower this morning. With his finger in the toy.

Happy baby!

Three months

Dear Jack,

I know I could start every month saying this, but it's so true: I can't believe it's been three months! The time goes entirely too fast. When we see newborn pictures of you, we can't believe that's what you used to look like! You have matured so much and are becoming a handsome young man. :)

After about a month of being very confused at night and getting up way too often, you have recently begun sleeping through the night. You sleep for about seven hours, which is just heavenly for Mom! (And Dad, but he doesn't wake up much when you do!) You always wake up so happy. After you eat, we smile and laugh at each other. And your new trick is imitating us buzzing our lips. You had Mimi hysterical the other night!

You had a two-month appointment on May 24th. Dr. O'Brien was excited to see that you are smiling and have quite the personality! The nurse weighed and measured you. You were 16 pounds, 8 ounces (exactly 7 pounds gained since birth) and 25 inches long. Big boy! You also got some shots. You cried when they happened, but then you slept all day. A couple weeks later, we decided that you had officially outgrown your infant car seat. Now you are in one that will take you all the way to 80 pounds! And at the rate you're going, that could happen within the year. Just kidding!

It's summer now, so I get to be home with you everyday. I am so excited about that. Going back to school for the last five weeks of the year was no big deal, and it was so easy to leave you at home with people we knew and loved, but it is nice to be home myself now. I see many outings in our future! Yesterday was Dad's first Father's Day. It is so fun to celebrate these new holidays that we couldn't before. And someday, you'll know what they mean!

Right now, we are awaiting the arrival of two new babies. My friend Holly is having a boy named Caeden. We know you will be great friends! And my cousin Renee is having a baby any day now, but we don't know if it's a boy or a girl. I'm sure you'd love a little boy cousin to play with! And we're excited to share the clothes you've outgrown with both of these new moms.

Sometimes I try to think about what our lives were like before you came into the world. It's hard to remember! What did we do when we could sleep in without interruptions? What did we do when we didn't have to leave for someplace with enough time to pack your diaper bag and strap you into the car? What did we do when our garbage can wasn't overflowing with diapers and boxes from a highchair and a car seat? These probably sound like negative things to people, but I wouldn't trade them in for anything if it means that I get to keep you! You bring us so much joy, and everyday is a new adventure. We love you like crazy!

Happy 1/4 of a year,
Mom :)

Crying, part deux

So last night was our second "cry it out" night. He actually stayed asleep when I put him down, which eliminated the initial crying period. I woke up to him making some noise at 2:00 or so, and I turned the monitor off. (Am I a horrible mother?) So I have no idea if he cried much at that time. Then I woke up to him crying again (without the monitor) at about 5:00. Not bad! I'm gonna call that our fourth "sleeping through the night"!!! We can SO do this. :)

Crying update

Jackson did, indeed, cry it out. He cried for about 40 minutes and fell asleep. He woke up at about 2:15 to eat. A little over four hours. Not bad compared to how he's been sleeping lately! I guess we'll try again tonight!

Just cry it out!

As I write this, I am doing just that--letting my little one cry it out. At this point in the parenting game, we know he can sleep through the night. He has done it three times. And he was even getting to the point where he would sleep for five or six hours, get up to eat, and then sleep for another two or three hours. Then a couple of weeks ago, Jackson decided that it was time to revert back to the sleeping patterns of the early weeks of his life. He would be up every couple of hours. It was not fun! Then last night happened. Last night took the cake. Jack was asleep at 10:00, up at 11:45, down at 12:30, up at 1:20, down at 2:00, up at 2:20, down at 3:00, up at 4:15. Finally at 4:45, I gave him to Dan and got about an hour of sleep. At 6:00, Dan decided to call in sick. I had a ton to do today and we were both exhausted. We assumed after a night like that, Jackson would be very sleepy today. Not so. He finally took about a two-hour nap this afternoon and slept for another hour after dinner. He was getting super restless and cranky around 9:00 this evening, so I decided to feed him and put him down. He was asleep when I put him down, and woke up about 10 minutes later. So I decided just to let him figure it out. He's bound to wear himself out, right? I had to come downstairs so I couldn't hear him as well. It's not easy to listen to his cries and screams. So I'm kind of killing time. I'm hoping that when I go back upstairs, he'll be fast asleep. Hope with me....

Here's my boy!

Okay, these updated pictures are SO overdue. Hopefully the number of pictures will make up for it!

Here's Jackson asleep with Daddy. They like napping together.

Before I went back to work, I painted the lower level of our house. You know, the paint job that started last year at this time. :) Anyway, my little trouper hung out right here while Mom painted. It was so nice of him!

Here is Jackson on my first Mother's Day.

Mimi with her little man.

Smiley guy!

Sleeping in with Daddy. AKA enabling Mom to take a shower!

Such a happy baby!

This is Lucy, the newest member of the Bennett family. :)

Awesome moms, big babies, and crazy cats

1) Awesome moms. As of yesterday, my mom is a two-year breast cancer survivor. Hooray! Someone asked me if the time has gone fast or slow. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that I was sitting on the kindergartener-sized chair in my classroom, listening to my mom's voice on the other end of the phone telling me news no one ever wants to hear. But in other ways, the whole ordeal seems like forever ago. Even dream-like (or nightmare-like). But it was reality. And my mother was the trouper of the year! I told her yesterday that she is my hero. And it wasn't just to sound cute. I'm totally serious. To go through something as ugly as cancer with the grace she did is beautiful to me. I love you Mom!

2) Big babies. I took Jack in for his two-month appointment yesterday. He is 16 pounds, 8 ounces, and 25 inches long. Wow! He is officially off the charts. :)) (That's his double chin). He also got three shots, but he was so good. It did kind of knock him out for the rest of the day, though. I will try to post some new Jack pictures this weekend. Not that he's changing before our very eyes or anything!

3) Crazy cats. Since Maddie died last week, we decided to get a new friend for Ruby. She had been walking around the house meowing and just looking so depressed and confused. My mom and I met at the Humane Society on Monday night and I left with Lucy. She is just beautiful and very sweet. Ruby is still deciding if she likes Lucy. She was a little hissy at first, but she's coming around. I know they'll be great friends eventually!

Two months

Dear Jack,

We can't believe you have already been in this world for two whole months. Time goes by too fast! You are growing up so much. A couple of weeks ago, we officially switched out all of your 0-3 month clothes with 3-6 month clothes. I can't wait to find out your weight and length at your two-month appointment next Wednesday. You are definitely off the charts!

You like water a lot. At this point, the only water you have experienced is in the bathtub. But we're sure you will love swimming this summer. You also like swinging. Sometimes it puts you right to sleep! You are focusing your eyes on things a lot and even grabbing at objects. Your smiles are ever abundant and just make my day! You are chewing on your fists a lot lately. We're not sure if you are trying to suck your thumb or a finger or if you are already feeling teeth come in. It seems to early for teeth! Then again, you are wearing clothes that most 6-month-olds could fit into. You have become a little more of a spitter. Somedays you spit up every time you eat. Other days, you hardly do at all!

I went back to work last week. I have missed spending my days with you. But you have so much fun at home. On Mondays and Thursdays, your grandma comes and watches you. On Tuesdays, Mandie Bolton comes to play. On Wednesdays, Kathleen Kale is your babysitter. And on Fridays, Mimi is with you. They all have so much fun with you! But I think you are happy to see me when I get home. And even though you take a bottle just fine, I know you prefer the real thing. :)

I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day this year! We had a lovely day with brunch after church. You gave me a wonderful gift (besides the Pier 1 gift card that Dad signed your name on). You allowed me to take a 3-hour nap on Sunday afternoon. It was so heavenly! You have also been sleeping longer at night. For two nights in a row now, you have slept for six hours straight! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the beginning of a routine.

We had kind of a sad week. One of our cats (and surely one of your future play mates) Maddie died. We knew she had gotten outside, and we assumed she had run away. But she had only gotten into the garage and got stuck in Dad's car. I'm sure we'll get another cat someday, but for now we just miss our little girl. I think Ruby misses her the most!

Here's to another month of wonderful life with our little man. I am so excited to have the summer with you! We will have so much fun. Keep smiling and laughing and cooing and kicking and even spitting up. I like it all. All of that makes you the cutest baby in the world! I love you so much. I never knew life could be so much fun. I love being a mother. And I love that you are my son.

Love,
Mom

Can't make it up!

I warned my husband that if he didn't blog about this, I would....


Dan was walking downtown yesterday and saw a man with a cardboard sign that read:

"My family was killed by ninjas. I need money for karate lessons."


Is "Will work for food" getting too predictable?

How do you define irony?

Kare11 news has been advertising the fact that they are moving to High Definition television. They have been remodeling the whole set, counting down the days, and doing "Extras" on various aspects of HD. The picture was to be amazingly clear. The pixels would be greatly increased. Needless to say, last night's 5:00 broadcast of the news was very highly anticipated. The problem?

For the first 10 minutes, there was no sound.

I'm so cute!

Here I am sporting some very cute booties and a matching hat. My great aunt Marian made them. I haven't met her yet, but I hear she's cool! I really like the hat and booties. (Despite how my kicking one of the booties off makes it look...)


This is me lounging around this evening. I enjoy sitting up without help (but with plenty of supervision) and I'm only 5 1/2 weeks old! Mom is pretty sure she gave birth to a 2-month-old.

"I miss Mimi & Papa"

This is me sleeping. I did that a lot this weekend. That's because my mom's parents, Mimi and Papa, went to Florida. I'm not sure what to do with myself. It's so boring here without them. So for now, I'm just sleeping. Except for at night when I'm supposed to (sorry, Mom). I hope Mimi and Papa are having a fun time. I will miss them, but they'll be back next Wednesday. I'll try to find more exciting things to pass the time until they get back. I love you, Mimi and Papa!
Love,
Jack

One month

My dearest Jackson Reed,

Today you are one month old. Happy birthday! One month ago, after 30 hours in labor, I held you for the first time and couldn't believe that you were finally here! After 9 months inside me, it was so fantastic to meet you!
Just the other day, I finally got some of our digital pictures printed at Target. As I looked through them today, I was shocked at how long ago that first day seems. You look so tiny and a little beat up. Honestly, we knew you'd be a cute baby, but you looked as though you'd been through a couple rounds with Tyson. Within a few days, though, you started to look a little more like a human. The most common comment that we got (and still get) from people is "Look how big his hands are!" You do have very big hands. Actually, you have big everything. You were a big newborn, and you haven't stopped growing!
The first night at home wasn't exactly ideal. We had let them take you to the nursery while we were at the hospital, and the nurse said that they had to wake you up to feed you. I thought that was such good news and that you were going to be a great sleeper! I was wrong. You had trouble even staying asleep unless I was holding you. So we spent much of the first few nights together sleeping in a chair in the bedroom. Pretty soon you got used to the bassinet. At this point, you are still waking up every couple of hours to nurse. But once in a while you sleep for 3 or 4 hours straight, and it's like heaven! I have faith that there will be more long stretches in the future. :)
We have brought you to church a few times, and you really like it. You just sleep through worship and wake up ready for a bottle from Dad just in time for Dave's sermon! How fun it will be to make new friends in the church nursery someday!
One of your favorite people in the world is your Mimi. Actually, YOU are one of HER favorite people. You do love her--you just don't know it yet. :) You have two pretty cool uncles who love you too, but only when you're happy.
Ever since you were brand new, you have smiled (and laughed!) in your sleep. Well, in just the last couple days, you have started smiling when you are awake, and it'st just the cutest thing. I feel like you are interacting with us. Today was the best timing smile so far. Your diaper was in desperate need of being changed. It was a terrible mess, and as I took it away, you decided it was a good time to pee. Once you were all diapered and dressed again, I put you on a blanket on the floor so I could clean up the changing table pad. As I was getting the new one on and taking care of the laundry, you very audibly filled your pants again. I looked down at you and said, "Did you just poop again?" And you smiled the biggest smile, as if to say right back to me, "Yup--just like to keep you on your toes!"
We're still getting the hang of outings. We've had some lovely days, and have tried to walk. You aren't crazy about the stroller, but you eventually fall asleep. Sometimes you are asleep when we start out, and then you wake up in the middle of the walk and cry all the way home. I'm sure people look at me like, "Gee, your child really seems to be enjoying that!" We've also tried to run errands a couple times. Sometimes you stay asleep the whole time. That is great. More often, though, you are awake and crabby, and I end up holding you in one arm and pushing my cart through the store with the other arm. Oh well. You'll learn.
One of my favorite things is that sometimes I'm the only one who can make you happy. I guess I just smell good. More than likely, I smell like milk and that's a good sign that you will get some of it in the near future. It's okay--it makes me feel needed.
I love you, dear one. You have blessed our hearts so much in just one month. We can't even begin to fathom what the next months and years will bring. You are an amazing gift from God to us.

Love,
Mom

Happy Easter...or Keester

My mom sent this to me, and I couldn't help but share it with you. There's just nothing like a baby's butt. :)
Have a wonderful Easter, all!

Growing boy

Jackson seems big to me this week. Frankly, he seemed big when they plopped him on my belly immediately after delivery. But this week, he just seems to be growing. When I am holding him or changing him or just looking at him, I have to remind myself that he's only 3 1/2 weeks old. That's just brand new! Here are some cute pics.

I love this picture. He's on my shoulder, and clearly not having a great time. But his little face is just so precious!

Jackson is letting us know that he is very happy to be resting on Dad's shoulder.

This is Maddie. She is so starved for attention that she will let us do whatever we want with her. Including putting Jackson's hospital hat on her head. What a sweet girl.

Conked out with Mimi. We went for a walk in the lovely weather, which apparently wore him out!

Nothing like a naked baby! This is one of many changes that happens in a typical day. Just today, in fact, we had gone through three outfits by 4:00!

Jackson and I had our first major outing on Monday. I had to get fitted for a bridesmaid dress (something no woman should EVER have to do 3 weeks postpartum), so I dropped Jack off at my Aunt Sue's house. It was his first official babysitting experience, and I think he did quite well. :)

Time for bed. I really should be sleeping right now because my little man is sleeping. I'm getting better at "sleep when the baby sleeps." We took a nice hour-long nap yesterday. It's was heavenly!

Jackson, week 3

We've gotten through yet another week! And our little man is just growing up. Here are some highlights:

Here is Jackson enjoying a new toy. Well, enjoying it might be a bit much. He tolerated it long enough for me to take a picture.

This is Jackson's content "I just ate" look. Some would say he looks drunk. What can I say--breast milk must be intoxicating!

This is Jackson with his Mimi (my mom). That's one of the sweetest faces he makes!

Maddie has recently started to realize that this little thing we brought home certainly takes a lot of our attention. She's one jealous kitty! Here's Dan doing double duty.

A bouncy seat like this is a must-have for new parents. This model vibrates, which Jackson apparently finds quite soothing. This is how we eat dinner. It's also how I take a shower every day!

Jackson hanging out with cool Uncle John.

We had a reunion last night with the couples and babies from our childbirth class. It was great to see everyone and hear their birth stories. Here are all of the babies together. Jackson is the one who is clearly peeved with all of us. I can see the report cards now--"Does not play nice with others." :) Here's a fun fact--Jackson is two months younger than the baby next to him with the striped shirt. They are about the same weight now. What a bruiser!

Well, there's the weekly installment. Enjoy your weekend!

Bath time

This is how Jackson feels about taking a bath. It's a very traumatic experience!

Jackson, week 2

Here are some pictures from dinner at my parent's house last night. Yes, he's in two different outfits. He had his first projectile vomiting experience. It was terrific!

We've almost survived two weeks now. Very little sleep has been had, but we are so in love with this baby that it doesn't seem to matter! He has had a couple 3-hour stretches of sleep this week, which is just heavenly. I wake up and think, "You are still breathing, right?" But he does wake up and we have a nice long nursing time while watching middle-of-the-night television. It's a blast. It makes you wonder who else is actually awake at that hour.
Jackson and I took a field trip to school today. It was a staff planning day, so we didn't have to deal with middle schooler germs quite yet. It was fun to see everyone. And kind of fun to think that I don't have to go back for five more weeks. :)
Here's my favorite thing about my son. He laughs in his sleep. He must have some awesome dreams. Sometimes he just smiles and looks absolutely adorable. But sometimes he actually giggles! It's so cute.
Dan's favorite thing about Jackson is his ears. Overheard just a few minutes ago: "I could just eat them up!" Careful, dear.
I guess that's it for now. Here's to a night with more sleep time than awake time!

Our little man!

This is Jackson very soon after delivery. He looks a little roughed up. I guess he didn't expect to be pushed out in 25 minutes. Sorry buddy!

Proud grandparents!

Some mommy time before leaving the hospital.

Now that's a content look!

Some down time with daddy.

Blogworld, meet Jackson

Here is our little guy! This was a rare "eyes open" moment. He's also showing off one of the benefits of being born at 9 1/2 pounds--he can already hold up his own head. What a guy! We have yet to get any of our pictures onto the computer (my dad took this one), but now that I know how to do this, there will be many more coming.
We've made it almost a week! I haven't gotten more than two hours of sleep at a time all week, but he's SO worth it. :)

Welcome, baby

I don't have the time (or more than one free hand, for that matter) to write much right now, but I have to let you all know that Jackson has indeed arrived. All 9 pounds, 8 ounces, 22 1/2 inches of him! He's a nice big boy. :)
Jackson entered the world at 1:36 on Sunday morning, after roughly 20 hours of labor. We are ecstatic and blessed and SO in love with this little guy. We have many pictures to post, so stay tuned!

Due

Dear little one,

Well, we have successfully made it to your due date. I have to tell you that way back when we first learned that you would be joining our family, March 15th felt like years away.

The good news came with a little blue line on a home pregnancy test. Your dad and I were ecstatic! We couldn't believe it. So much that I took two more tests over the course of the week. I got through a couple of weeks without feeling too icky. Unfortunately, I counted my blessings too early and ended up feeling pretty pukey for over a month. Luckily it was summer and I could just stay in bed if I wanted to. :)

In August, we took you to the Boundary Waters. Actually, we took you into the waters quite literally. But I think you liked it. In October, we had an ultrasound that showed us you were a boy. We were so excited to know! So were your grandparents--they enjoy referring to you by name.

The holidays were fun. We loved thinking about how things would be next year with you around. You'll surely be the center of our attention! Around Christmas, you really started to move and groove. Dad even got to feel you kick. Feeling (and watching) you move is one of my favorite things. And soon I'll get to see it in real life!

Once the new year arrived, your coming seemed very close and very real. We registered for baby gifts, finished your room, and packed our bags for the hospital. Better safe (and early) than sorry! We had many showers in your honor (and there are more to come once you're here!) and people blessed us with lots of gifts.

And now we are here. March 15th. We are very anxious to meet you! We're sure you are already a pretty cool kid. There are so many people out here who are anxious for your arrival and already love you. Maddie and Ruby will be sad that all of this fun baby stuff isn't for them. Maybe you can share. :)

We are thanking God for bringing you into our lives and we pray that he will bless you. See you soon!

Love,
Mom

What a bunch of crap

I really don't have the time or energy to write much right now, but I just want to make it clear that I think it's ridiculous that Anoka-Hennepin did not cancel school today.

That's all.

Oscar review!

Okay, I'm almost a week late on this one.

The Academy Awards were great. I was pleasantly surprised with John Stewart as the host. There were plenty of lovely dresses to admire. And Crash winning best picture? The highlight of my evening! Seriously, it's the only one in the category that deserved it, but I just figured that Brokeback would walk away with it (not because of the quality of the movie, but because of the controversy--luckily it only got three awards).

"In other news," I'm still pregnant. :) 39 weeks and 2 days to be exact. And although I'm still not dilating, as of today I am effacing. Very exciting stuff, people! Encouragement that I will not be pregnant forever! But even if I'm pregnant for another 2 or 3 weeks, I think I'll be fine. Other than heartburn and swollen ankles, I'm not terribly uncomfortable. Yet...

Keep the due date guesses coming!

Movies and babies

Or, lack thereof.

I was hoping to have two more Oscar movie reviews for you this weekend, as the awards are tomorrow night. I had planned to see "Good Night and Good Luck" and "Transamerica." But, I don't think I will. I had an insane week, and I'm just too worn out to make it work. I'll see them eventually, and probably when they come out on DVD. (New parents have advised me to get in all the movie theater time I can now, because once baby comes, that won't happen anymore).

I went to the doctor yesterday. I hadn't had an internal exam for a few weeks, so I was anxious to see if anything was progressing. Nope. Basically, we shouldn't expect to meet our little boy until after his due date. But who knows. She also said as soon as he decides to drop, everything could change rather quickly. I am dealing with some swelling in my legs and hands, which is causing neuropathy in my right hand. I guess the swelling constricts some nerves around my wrist, and my hand always feels like it's falling asleep. I'm getting used to it, but it's annoying. Other than that, I'm not terribly uncomfortable, and I really don't mind being pregnant for however long I need to be. Except that we want to see this kid! I want to feel his little feet--and not through the walls of my uterus! So, here's a new game (now that the Christmas light fiasco is over). Guess Jackson's birthday! Official due date is March 15th. Let's see who can get the closest to his actual arrival date. Let the guessing begin. (You should know that I don't plan to be induced unless medically necessary).

Well, I'm off to take down our Christmas lights. Gotta take advantage of a sunny, somewhat-above-freezing day in March!

Crazy neighbors and Oscar movie review #9

Just because this Christmas light ordeal couldn't get any funnier...

As you know, our neighbors across from us finally turned off their lights the other night. It was very exciting. Our next door neighbor thought it was exciting too. So much in fact, that she decided to turn hers back ON. Now, this is a woman who has been known to talk to herself while sitting on her front steps in a cloud of what we can only assume to be illegally-produced smoke. So seeing Christmas lights adorning her deck on a solitary night in July isn't completely weird. But this time she took it to the next level--her lights have been on the last three nights. Thus giving us no reprieve from neighborhood Christmas lights. It's just so humorous, I can't hardly stand it. Maybe we'll turn ours on when Jackson is born.

On to the movie. I saw Munich last night with my parents. I was really looking forward to it. I had heard great things from people who had seen it and Dan had learned a bunch of stuff online about it. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. First of all, it was entirely too long. Pushing three hours. Second of all, it was extremely violent. Doesn't normally bother me, but this time it did. Maybe it was the length with which the violence was dragged out. The movie started with the terrorist incident with the Israeli team at the Olympics. That took about 15 minutes. The rest of the movie was devoted to assassins hunting down the attackers. I wanted to know more about what led up to it and see more of the Olympics. It would have set the scene a lot better. Eric Bana is the main character, and he does very well. However, this isn't a movie I would have put in the best picture category. But I could say that about a lot of the best picture nominees this year. Just not a great year for movies, I guess. Oddly enough, the movie is also nominated for best original score. At one point in the movie, I leaned over and said to my mom, "John Williams is nominated for the music in this. I can't think of any music I've heard yet." Bottom line? Not the best movie I've seen this Oscar season. Worth renting when it comes out? I wouldn't. But again, there are so many people who said great things about it, so clearly there is something in it for some people. Just not for me.

The Oscars are one week from tomorrow!

Very exciting news

No, I'm not in labor. :)

The lights

are

off.

Actually, they were off last night, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't just a fluke thing before announcing it to blogworld. We had company for dinner and as they left, I said, "Check out our neighbors. They still have their....WAIT! They're gone!" Alas, they are not gone (neither are ours, actually). But at least they are off.

Now, on to the winner. The person who guessed closest to yesterday was Lalimama, with a guess of February 18th. The next closest was David, who guessed March 3rd. So close. And sorry, Lisa, but now you'll have to actually figure out how to get to our house without the landmark lights.

And now for Lalimama's prize. You get to play a game! Just click here. The red and green are in honor of our holiday-minded neighbors. Enjoy!

And celebrate! Today begins about eight months of a Christmas light-free neighborhood. :)

Black raspberry avalanche & Oscar movie reviews #7 and #8

Black raspberry avalanche is the ice cream flavor of the day. Edy's Dreamery. It was heavenly.

We rented two movies this weekend. Actually, we rented them last weekend and watched them this weekend. Blockbuster "no late fees" can be a nice thing.

Hustle and Flow. Very interesting movie, and I really enjoyed it. In only the way a white suburban girl can enjoy a movie about a pimp who follows his rap dream. With plenty of colorful words to boot. Terrence Howard is nominated for best actor. He does a nice job, but I think his competition in the category will be too much for him. The movie is also nominated for original song--"It's hard out here for a pimp"--which I have had in my head since seeing the movie Saturday night. :)

Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Cute movie. I have not seen any other Wallace and Gromit work, so this was very new for me. But who doesn't love claymation characters with British accents?! The thing that made me laugh the hardest was how they got away with a "G" rating. At one point, the main female character is lamenting to Wallace that her husband is no longer interested in her produce--at which point the "camera" shoots her strategically standing behind two canteloupes. Then at the end, Wallace ends up naked (which you don't actually see), so Gromit hands him a box to hold around his mid-section. The box is for some sort of food product and clearly bears the warning "May contain nuts." Anyway, this was an enjoyable movie and will probably win best animated film--its only nomination.

Now, before I'm done, here's an Olympic question for you. I've actually gotten into some of the sports this weekend, and it got me thinking about what kind of event I would want to compete in. I still don't know, but here's my question. Would you rather compete in a sport where the results were determined by time or by a judge's subjective scoring?

Oscar movie review #6 and other news

Well, we braved the Maple Grove Mann theater again. (Gloria is wondering if I'll ever learn...). However, this time I was smart enough to bring a pillow in with me. You're probably wondering about the looks I got? Well, I made Dan carry it. But honestly, a pregnant woman carrying a pillow into a movie theater isn't that weird. But I digress.

Movie of the night? The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Our plan was to see Munich, but it is only playing in Oakdale, Elk River, and St. Anthony Main. And I'm glad we were forced to change our plans because Narnia was fabulous. We just loved it. I am disappointed it isn't nominated for more (or at least more important) awards. It's up for make-up, sound mixing, and special effects.

The film was so true to Lewis' book, which made me very happy. The children were adorable, the animals were fascinating, and Aslan was powerfully gentle. The music was really good, too. And the witch? Fantastic villain with wicked dreadlocked hair. (Not that all dreadlocked hair is wicked, Matt Patrick).

As Dan said when we left, this is one we'll be purchasing when it comes out. It's classic and wonderful. And that's all. If you haven't seen it yet, see it. And bring your children. With the warning that the battle can get a little frightening.

In other Bennett news, we are officially in the last month of this pregnancy. Well, Jackson and I are in the last month. Dan's just along for the ride. :) It kind of blows my mind to think that I could go into labor at any moment. It also blows my mind to think that it could still be 6 weeks away! But that's okay. I'm bound to have a big baby no matter when I deliver, so bring it on. This past week brought some real excitement as Dan and I attended a 2 1/2 hour breastfeeding class at Methodist. You might wonder, as we did, what on earth takes 2 1/2 hours to learn when it comes to breastfeeding. But our perky instructor filled every last minute with lots of very useful information. I won't bore you (or disgust or frighten you) with the details, but I do have to share the one thing that made me laugh so hard that I feared wetting myself. As she introduced engorgement, she described it as "being so full of milk that you just need to nurse somebody." Somebody? Anybody? What kind of discernment should I use when finding this "somebody" to nurse? Anyway, it was funny.

And lastly, the lights are still on. Lalimama, cross your fingers. You guessed tomorrow. You might get lucky...

Oscar movie reviews #3, 4, and 5

Yup, I had a busy movie-watching weekend. So hold onto your seats!

1) Capote, nominated for a number of awards, including best actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and best picture.
I loved this movie. I went to the theater alone, which I rarely do. I enjoyed highly over-priced popcorn and soda, which I also rarely do. But I thought the movie was so well-done. And although I didn't know anything about Truman Capote before the film, I could tell that Hoffman had nailed it. Right down to the annoying voice. It's an absolutely fascinating story.

2) Junebug, nominated for best supporting actress (Amy Adams).
Another great flick. I hadn't even heard of it until I saw the nominee list. Apparently it didn't last too long in the theaters. Adams does a fantastic job in her role (and she's hugely pregnant, which I love). Her partner is played by Ben MacKenzie (of the O.C.). The cast is rounded out by her in-laws, all of whom are classic in-law types. Anyway, this one is worth the rental fee.

3) The Constant Gardener, nominated for best supporting actress (Rachel Weisz) and a number of other awards, including adapted screenplay.
This was really well-done, but it got long for me. It was a little over two hours. It was also a little hard to follow in the beginning. It goes between present and past, and eventually the flashbacks catch up to the present, and it took me a second to get it straight (it probably didn't help that I started the movie with my back to the television, checking my e-mail). Ralph Fiennes does a great job as a charming British diplomat investigating the murder of his wife (Weisz). And don't freak out--I'm not giving any more away than the back of the DVD case does. :) I'd recommend it if you're in the mood for a not-so-happy, albeit still very well-done, movie.

There you have it! Coming up in the near future (or at least sometime before 2/20, because that's when Blockbuster wants them back): Wallace & Gromit and Hustle & Flow. And probably Munich next weekend.

Oscar movie review #2

On Friday afternoon, Dan and I had plans to see a 5:10 showing of Good Night, and Good Luck at the Maple Grove AMC. When we got there, the 5:10 show said "sold out." We knew the movie couldn't be THAT good, so we asked what was up. Apparently the film had a tear in it and they were probably going to have to cancel the rest of the night's showings of it. Bummer. Change of plans. There wasn't much else at the AMC that we both wanted to see, so we went home. My new best friend, startribune.com/movies, told us that the Maple Grove Mann theater had Memoirs of a Geisha. I was surprised that Dan even wanted to see it, but we decided to do it. Other than the facts that (1) the seats in the theater are not very nice for a pregnant back and (2) the movie was over two hours, we enjoyed the flick. It's a very intriguing story, and the costumes and scenery are beautiful. Memoirs is nominated for achievement in art direction (whatever that means), achievement in cinematography (ditto), achievement in costume design (I'd say it has a chance at this), original music score (both Dan and I were surprised to see it was nominated for this and couldn't really remember the music being that great), and achievement in both sound editing and mixing. A lot of really random awards. Surprisingly, nothing for acting. I thought Ziyi Zhang was lovely, and who doesn't love Ken Watanabe? :) Not sure when this comes out on DVD, but I'd say it's worth renting. Unless you love uncomfortable theater seats and are dying to see it now!

Christmas lights are still on. (Sorry, Gloria, that means you didn't win). I am wanting to take mine down, but I don't want that to influence them at all. It would throw off the whole experiment. Wait, there's no experiment. Nevertheless, it's entirely too cold to take Christmas lights down this weekend. Talk to me in a week. :)

And the nominees are...

It's official! The Oscar nominees have been announced. You can find a complete list of nominees at Oscar.com, but I will highlight the big categories for you.

*Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)
Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line)
David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck)

*Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney (Syriana)
Matt Dillon (Crash)
Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
William Hurt (A History of Violence)

*Best Actress
Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents)
Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice)
Charlize Theron (North Country)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)

*Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Junebug)
Catherine Keener (Capote)
Frances McDormand (North Country)
Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

*Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich

I'm not going to give official predictions yet because I want to see more movies, but here's a start:
I'd love to see Joaquin Phoenix win best actor. I think his biggest competition in that category will be Philip Seymour Hoffman. Same with best actress--I'd love to see Reese Witherspoon take it, but Judi Dench seems to be the favorite. Best Picture is anyone's guess at this point. I have a feeling Brokeback Mountain will take it, simply due to its controversial nature. I liked the movie just fine. It was very well done, but I don't think it's best picture material. I'd love to see Crash get it, but I'm thinking more along the lines of Capote.
There you have it. There are so many other categories that you can check out online. There aren't a ton of surprises in my opinion, other than Walk the Line not getting a Best Picture nod.

My list of "must see" movies just grew a mile!

My most sincere apologies

Back in December, I awarded "bloggies" to many of you. Just some fun awards for various blog accomplishments over the course of 2005.

Little did I know that there are ACTUAL blog awards called the Bloggies! I came across this fact while reading a very funny blog, waiter rant. The author of this particular blog is nominated for "Best American Weblog." And for the record, I hope he wins. He makes me laugh out loud. I think I gained more of an appreciation for his stories after Dan's experiences with PF Chang's.

But on to the purpose of this post. If anyone from The Sixth Annual Weblog Awards--The 2006 Bloggies comes across my use of "bloggies" to refer to blog awards, please know that I did not intend to steal the term from you. I thought I was being clever. Apparently I was wrong. Furthermore, if you would like me to refer to my awards by a different name, just say the word. Granted, it will take me a while to think of a new name, but I'll do it.


Also, the lights are still on.

An update

Don't get excited...the lights are still on. But I hope to God they are turned off sooner than most of you have guessed!

Not only are they still on, their presence seems to have inspired the neighbor next door to us to turn her Christmas lights on for the first time since December 25th. It's as if she saw them and said, "Oh, am I still supposed to be displaying these?" This is the same neighbor who never took her lights down last year and decided to randomly turn them on in July. It was festive.

So, keep your guesses coming. I'm sure someone will be close. Hopefully someone who has guessed a date before MARCH! :)

A game

This came to me as I crawled back into bed after my third trip to the bathroom around 3:00 this morning. You see, the neighbors across the driveway from us are still displaying their Christmas lights. I have no problem with leaving them UP until the snow is gone and the air is warmer. But turning them ON? At the end of January? That's another story. The really obnoxious part is that they have been up and on since around Halloween. It's a shame the lights aren't prettier. There are rainbow-colored icicle lights over the garage, a string of solid green lights around the front door, and two flashing light figures in their windows. Let me tell you, these people are festive!

Here's where the game comes in. All you have to do is guess the date that my neighbors will stop turning their Christmas lights on. It's that simple. And when the lights are officially off for the year, I will report back to you and let you know who wins! And I'll have a special blog treat for the winner.

Make sure to read the dates guessed by others before you and guess a date that hasn't been guessed yet. There will be no sharing of the blog treat.

In light of the approaching Olympics, let the game begin!

Crash, Clothing sizes, and Nursery

1) Crash. Fantastic movie. Definitely in Oscar line-up, in my opinion. It was nominated for a couple Golden Globes. I feel like I need to watch it again. My brother even said it was better the second time through. If you haven't seen it and are in the mood for an extremely well-done, albeit pretty heavy, movie, then head to Blockbuster and pick it up.

2) I spent much of my day sorting, washing, drying, folding, and putting away a bunch of baby clothes we have received as hand-me-downs. As I was filling up dressers and shelves with onesies and sleepers, a funny thought crossed my mind. Baby clothes are sized according to age. For instance, they are generally 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, and so on. Wouldn't it be weird if adult clothes were the same way? "Hi, I'm Erin, and I wear a size 25 years." And just like some babies are wearing 12-month clothes at 8 months, many adults would be wearing clothes outside their age range. "Yeah, I'm in 37-year clothes right now, but my goal is to be in a 32-year by summer."

3) The arrival of a changing table on Wednesday and a dresser this morning means that Jackson's room is officially complete! And adorable, I might add. So he can come any day now. Except that he'd only be about 4 pounds right now. That wouldn't be good. His lungs need some more cooking time. The cats are still pretty sure this is all for them. In fact, the bassinet in our bedroom has clearly become Ruby's favorite bedtime spot. We've got a cat hair-filled lint remover to prove it. And they are still absurdly fascinated with the mobile in the crib. Oh, cats, you have no idea how your world will change in a mere 7 weeks.

Then again, neither do I!

Beware the Ides of March!

Once in a while, when people ask when I am due and I say, "March 15th," they follow up with, "Ooh, the Ides of March!"

Huh? I have heard of the Ides of March, but before this morning, my knowledge stopped there. I decided to do some research.

And now for today's history lesson. :)

On the ancient Roman calendar, there were 45 public festivals (talk about days off galore!), as well as the "ides" of each month. In March, May, July, and October, the ides fell on the 15th. In all other months, the ides were on the 13th. In addition to ides, there were "kalends" and "nones." The kalends were the 1st of every month. The nones fell on the 7th day in March, May, July, and October, and the 5th in all other months. Until 44 BC, "The ides of March" was just a standard way of saying "March 15th."

Then came the fateful day--March 15, 44 BC. Julius Caesar was murdered in the senate. This event made the ides of March a dark day and superstitious to some. Shakespeare even refers to the day as "unlucky" in his play, "Julius Caesar." Caesar asks a soothsayer about the future, and gets the response, "Beware the ides of March."

There you have it. The ides of March. I'm going to begin celebrating days on the ancient Roman calendar. What do you say we plan a potluck for the nones of February? It just happens to be Super Bowl Sunday!

And for the record, I'm aiming for a St. Patrick's Day baby.

My favorite season

No, not winter. Not even spring. Although, I do love spring.

I'm talking Oscar season. As in the Academy Awards. For me, Oscar season officially begins with the Golden Globes, which are on tomorrow night. I think this gives us all a good idea of what movies will be big on Oscar night. The season gets even more exciting on January 31st, when the nominees are announced. And the big night itself is March 5th.

If you know me well, you know that I love the Oscars enough to throw a gigantic party. There is always lots of food, open ridicule at the appalling dresses, and prizes for those who guess the most correct winners.

If you know me really well, you also know that I am pregnant and my due date is March 15th. Yeah, that's 10 days after the Oscars. Now, you're probably thinking, "Oh, poor Erin. She's going to have to cancel her favorite party of the year because she'll be huge with child." Are you kidding me? I'm not cancelling anything. Bring it on!

Now, this is the beginning of my Oscar movie recommendations. I see more movies in the two months leading up to the Oscars than I do the entire rest of the year. That's no exaggeration. When I see a good movie, I will pass the recommendation on to you. Even though the nominations aren't officially out, I do have a few movies that I have enjoyed in the last couple weeks.

1) March of the Penguins. There is no doubt in my mind that this movie will win an Oscar for best documentary. I'm not big on documentaries, but this movie is absolutely fabulous. Family-friendly, narrated by Morgan Freeman, and only 80 minutes long. What more could you want? And it's already out on DVD!

2) Pride and Prejudice. Such a delightful film! Keira Knightly is a beautiful and charming Elizabeth Bennett, and Donald Sutherland is witty and darling as her father. It's just a feel-good movie. Unfortunately, it is not out on DVD until February 28th. But it is playing at the Maple Grove Mann, which has recently become a "cheap" theater!

2) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have to admit, Johnny Depp looked kind of creepy to me in the previews. But if it was good enough for Ashley to see twice in the theater, it was worth the rental fee. And I was pleasantly surprised by a lovely movie. The kids are great. And the actor who plays Charlie is the adorable boy who played Peter opposite Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland just last year.

More recommendations coming soon! Dan and I are seeing Narnia tomorrow since I don't have to work. Happy Birthday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. :)

Mr. Hollywood

I'm with Lisa. I'm a fan of Kare11 news. I'm also with her in the fact that I was bummed to find out that Ken Barlow was leaving. But Frank? I couldn't care less. It was a messy situation, but I was not a Frank fan. So, I was anxious to meet the new evening news man, Mike Pomeranz. Now that he has lasted a whole work week, I am ready to give him my grade.

C+.

I don't hate him, but I see room for improvement. My mom called him "Mr. Hollywood" and "too pretty" and said that she didn't like his hair. I concur with all of the above. Now, he is far from failing. In fact, there are seventh graders in my class who would pay good money for a C+. But he just doesn't do it for me yet. I just think he needs to find his groove. And frankly, I'll keep watching just because Julie Nelson is delightful.

Now, I don't want to make you jealous, but my dad called from Palm Springs, CA tonight (business trip) to report that he was relaxing in front of the television, watching Paul Majors cover the day's stories. Paul was a solid A.

Ah, the good old days.

Unwritten

Babies are on my mind lately. Obviously that is mostly because I am having one. But also because I know 16 other women who are pregnant. It's insane! In a great way. :) Anyway, the presence of a new life inside of me has me thinking about so many things lately.

Last week Dan and I went to Barnes and Noble with giftcards in hand. (Gotta love Christmas!) I happened to find a CD that I had wanted for Christmas but hadn't received, so I bought it. What CD? Hold onto your chairs--the soundtrack for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Since I teach middle school, I have read all three books and happened to see the movie as well. It was cute. But the music was really fun, so I wanted the CD.

One song on the CD coincided with my thoughts on babies and new life. It is called "Unwritten," and is performed by Natasha Bedingfield. Very fun song, especially if you remember the part of the movie it came from. Very fitting. However, as I really sat and listened to some of the lyrics, I realized how different it is for those of us with a faith in God.

"I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined.
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned."

The pen is not in my hand (for which I am eternally grateful), it's in God's. And the ending is most certainly planned. It has been since before we were born!

Now, besides a catchy tune and kickin' rhythm, this song does have some redeeming lyrics. The song takes a turn after the verse and becomes a very "get your butt out there and make something of your life" declaration.

"Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you,
Only you can let it in.
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten."

Again, the rest isn't actually unwritten, but the awesome part is that we don't know the ending!

And we can't even cheat and look at the last page. :)

2005--The Year of the Blogger

Blogs have apparently been around for a while. However, this year they clearly became the thing to do. So I did. As did all of you.

One of my favorite things about the end of the year is when news and entertainment shows highlight all of the amazing things that have happened in the last twelve months. I decided to do the same thing within our little blog community--a blog year in review. However, as I got started reviewing the many blogs, my focus changed a bit. Rather than pick a highlight from each blog, I have designated an award to each blogger for a specific reason. If I was actually handing out awards, the trophy would be Oscar-esque and most likely filled with chocolate. Pretend to enjoy. And let's get started! In no particular order (actually, in alphabetical order), here are the winners of the 2005 Bloggies!

The award for the funniest story ever goes to Ashley. You have to read it yourself to get a real feel for the story, but basically she fell off a treadmill. More than one time. And didn't give up. For that, she is my hero.

The award for the LONGEST post EVER goes to Bruce. I can't make a link to the specific post, but it is from December 9th. It seems that I am not the only person to think this was too long, as there are no comments. Sorry, Bruce.

The award for the best pictures goes to Christi. Christi doesn't write without also posting a picture, and I love them all.

The award for the most random web site links goes to my husband, Dan. The sites he recommends are both funny and frightening. My personal favorite? The mullets galore. Need I say more?

The award for the best Napoleon Dynamite dance rendition goes to David. I had a chance to see this in person at a wedding in May, and it was disturbingly amazing. Please check out the video. Bravo, David!

The award for the best save of a potential disaster goes to Diane. I sent the Patricks a package containing ingredients (sans the butter and eggs) for cookies. When Diane decided to make them, she almost used pure pork lard instead of butter. Darn language barrier. Luckily, she realized the mistake and was able to use margarine.

The award for the best addition to blogworld goes to Gloria. Gloria brought us Talia Grace in November. We even threw a virtual baby shower. My gift was a cat.

The award for referencing one of my favorite books goes to Heather. If you haven't yet checked out Blue Like Jazz, I can't say enough good things about it. Read it!

The award for the most blogs in one day goes to Jaime. On two different occasions (July 12 and August 24), Jamie posted three times in one day! Go Jaime! You could teach Joel a thing or two. (We'll get there...).

The award for the best non-blogspot site goes to Jan. Typepad has done lovely things for Jan. I like the layout and look of her blog very much. But I hear it costs money. Blogspot is free. Such a dilemma.

The award for the largest number of unnatural hair colors in less than a year goes to Jeff. My personal favorite was green. Very Irish. However, I'm glad his hair is back to normal.

The award for the fewest posts since beginning in May goes to Joel. May 19th seemed like an exciting day--we were gaining a new blogger. However, that was the first of a total of five posts. I will say that the quality of his posts ALMOST makes up for the quantity. But the quality just makes us all wish they came more frequently!

The award for the most spam comments on one entry goes to my mother-in-law, Joy. I enjoy spam comments. I don't enjoy getting them, but I do enjoy reading them when they have infected someone else. I mean, where else can you get information on aneurysm surgery and see the phrase, "My blog is just about my day to day life, as a park ranger" in the same place?

The award for the best childhood Halloween costume goes to Judy. Check it out. Need I say more?

The award for the best pretend life goes to Julie. I had a dream about Julie. She met and married a rock star and it changed her life. Julie took this story all the way, and it totally made my day!

The award for the cutest blog kids goes to Lalimama. She has showcased both her daughter and her son, and both are just too adorable for words.

The award for the best handling of an annoying client goes to Lisa. Everything ended up turning out okay, but this guy was a piece of work. Nicely done, Lisa.

The award for the most links to other blogs goes to Matt G. (Jan lost this one by 2). Matt must have a lot of friends. Or he just wants it to look that way. Just kidding, friend.

The award for the best published work goes to Matt M. I have had the chance to see this book in person, and it's fabulous!

The award for the most frequent posting goes to Matt P. Matt is in Slovakia and posts EVERY DAY to update us on the goings-on of his life across the sea. Frankly, there's no one else I would rather read this much about, so one else should aim for this kind of posting. Unless you move to another country and have lots to say, of course.

The award for the best photo of himself goes to Mike. There really isn't anything more to say about this one. Go Mike!

The award for the best photography HANDS DOWN goes to Scott. He has a truly amazing gift and I'm so glad he shares it.

The award for the funniest link to a video clip goes to Tim. This made me laugh out loud.

The award for the best weird world experience (number 5382, to be exact) goes to Tonya. At a recent Christmas concert, Steven Curtis Chapman asked the audience to hold up their lit cell phones (in leiu of lighters, of course). How 21st century of him!

There you have it. Congratulations to all of our winners!

Happy New Year! And happy blogging in 2006!

Ouch

Merry Christmas, bloggers! Actually, Happy Boxing Day in Canada. When I was younger, I thought Boxing Day had something to do with actual boxing--you know, the Rocky type boxing. However, Boxing Day refers to literally putting things in boxes. Doesn't seem like enough to warrant a real holiday on most printed calendars, but whatever. Canadians. Go figure.

Anyway, that is not what I wanted to blog about today. My material is much more entertaining than second-rate celebrations in other countries.

Late this afternoon, I went to the bathroom. (I know, already WAY more entertaining). When I was done and stood up, I said, "Ouch!" Do you want to know why? Of course you do. As it turns out, the toilet seat had completely cracked on one side. When I stood up, the crack in the seat pinched my poor skin, thus warranting the "Ouch!"

I proceeded downstairs to ask Dan about the broken seat. When I asked him what happened, he denied knowing anything about it. I thought that was weird, because I knew I would have felt it break if I had done it. And surely, the cats don't have this kind of power. But I didn't push it. I just mentioned that we would have to get a new seat tomorrow.

We had Dan's mom and brother for dinner. After they left (and yes, they both used the bathroom--ouch), I went in to assess the damage again and figure out a temporary fix to prevent furthur injury. Dan came in behind me and said, "Man, I feel like a jerk. I just heard a snap. I didn't realize the whole thing actually cracked." Ah ha! Guilty! I asked how it happened. ("Did you just sit down really hard?") Dan explained to me, and wants me to make very clear to you, that this had nothing to do with his weight or force of sitting. (In my opinion, the jury's still out on that...). He apparently heard the snap when he leaned to, well, you get the picture.

Now, back to my temporary fix of the crack. I reached for my trusty, all-purpose tool of choice, duct tape. I knew where it was because days before I'd had to tape some plastic over a hole in our shower tile. (Dan fell in the shower and took the towel bar out on the way down, smashing a tile and creating a hole into God-knows-what. He hasn't had a good week in the bathroom). So I grabbed the duct tape and proceeded to patch the crack in the seat, preventing future pinching. As I finished, I said out loud, "This looks so...." Dan was behind me and finished my sentence perfectly. "...trailer trash?" We both laughed. But it's so true. If you want to get a visual, simply apply some duct tape to any part of your toilet and admire the trashiness.

Our house has turned out to be a very adventurous place to live.

Stay tuned this week...I'm working on a blogger year-in-review. You won't want to miss this!

Glucose and Hemoglobin

These are two things in our blood. When a woman is pregnant, keeping tabs on the levels of these things is important. If they are not at the right levels, a pregnant women could be diagnosed with gestational diabetes and/or anemia. Here is the tale of my doctor's visit and the levels of these components in my blood.

My appointment was scheduled for Monday afternoon. Dan was going to meet me there. I spent the day hearing horror stories about the glucose test. I was to drink a horribly sweet syrup, wait around for an hour while my body took care of the 180 grams of glucose (roughly the equivalent 0f 4 cans of pop!), and have my blood taken. Luckily, I had my monthly appointment with my nurse practitioner scheduled for during that hour of down-time. I was a little concerned that the liquid would make me gag, and I was advised to choose the orange flavor.

We arrived and were promptly sent up to third floor OB. The woman behind the desk gave me a sheet and sent us back down to the first floor lab. The woman at the lab brought me into the back and sat me down while she retrieved the dreaded drink. She brought out two bottles--uh oh--and gave me a choice of fruit punch or orange. Being the obedient friend that I am, I chose the orange. She brought me a cup to pour the sweet nectar into. I did so, and although I had a whole 5 minutes to down the crud, I did it in about 30 seconds. It was fabulous! All right, that might be pushing it. But it certainly wasn't as bad as everyone had said. It was like McDonalds orange drink that hadn't been mixed quite right. Okay, first step done. The nice woman gave me a timer set for one hour and sent me back up to OB.

My regular appointment went just fine. She measured, prodded, and checked out my ears. What? Your ears? Yes. My ears. I have been battling a nasty cold, and she wanted to make sure it hadn't infected my ears. Now, back to business. My doctor was a sweetheart and actually chatted with us and answered questions for a long time, leaving us with only 15 minutes left on the timer! We put on our clothes (well, Dan never actually took his off, but whatever), and headed back down to the lab. I was excited. Almost done with this "dreaded" glucose test day.

After reading a bit in the waiting room, the same nice woman brought me back and sat me in the blood-taking chair. I am very good at having blood taken. Needles don't bother me and I have GREAT veins. Has anyone ever told you that you have great veins? It's quite a compliment! Anyway, the nurse proceeded to prepare the two vials and all of the equipment. She tied the rubber band thing on my arm and felt around. Nothing. No vein popping out to greet her and give her blood. She felt and felt. She tried the other arm. Even more of nothing. Back to arm number one. I didn't think she had actually felt anything, but she proceeded with the needle. I was right--she hadn't felt anything. This was evidenced by the fact that she prodded around with the needle after she had poked. Searching around in there for something to fill the vial. I was beside myself! It hurt! Finally, she hit something and SLOWLY filled the two bottles--one for glucose, one for hemoglobin.

After all of the hype, the worst part of the day ended up being the part I was least nervous about!

And the good news is that I haven't been called back about having wrong levels of glucose or hemoglobin, so all is good!

Next random pregnancy procedure, I'm ready for you. :)

Random news

1. My obsession with license plate tabs was indulged today. I passed a car with tabs from last February. What fun!

2. I was bummed that school wasn't delayed today. The closings scrolling along the bottom of the television screen went from "Annandale" to "Becker." I knew it would never happen, though. Anoka-Hennepin either closes or it doesn't. And mostly, it doesn't. None of this "two hours late" crap. Apparently it screws up our bussing system big time. Nevertheless, it took me almost twice as long to get to school.

3. Jackson is moving around like never before. In fact, sitting in class last night, I actually saw my belly move twice. Two big kicks in a row. It was crazy! And I couldn't do anything but continue to listen to a very stimulating lecture.

4. I finished Christmas shopping. I'm happy about that. Now I have a ton of stuff to wrap. I'm not happy about that. I'm pretty sure the cats will scratch them all open.

5. Speaking of the cats, this is their first Christmas experience. Maddie decided the best way to ring in the holiday season was to climb the Christmas tree. Luckily, it was not decorated yet and it is artificial. So, even if it had tipped over (which it miraculously did not), no major damage would have been done. Since that instance, they have only taken joy in removing ornaments and hiding them. They also sleep under the tree--it's their own little forest.

6. Our house is so full of baby stuff. But that's a wonderful thing. We got two big bins of baby clothes from some friends who have a one-year-old boy. There is a stroller. Two different car seats. A big bassinet. A bunch of toys. And so much more. The best part about all of this stuff is that most of it is being lent to us. We are so grateful for friends who share!

I think that's all that is on my mind. I should eat some dinner. Have a happy snowy day! May the plows find your streets!

Close to home

It has become a normal part of watching the local and national news: Soldiers being killed in Iraq. So it wasn't weird when Eric Perkins' top story on the news headlines this morning was about two Minnesota marines killed in a roadside bombing in Falujah.

So what was weird? That I knew one of them. I was really only listening at first. Then I recognized a name. "Scott Modeen, a 2000 graduate of Cooper High School." And to tell you the truth, Cooper High School caught my attention more than his name did. I went to Armstrong and we lived near Cooper. So I glanced at the screen, realizing that Scott Modeen sounded familiar. Indeed, his picture made it all very clear. This was a fellow classmate of mine at Sacred Heart School in Robbinsdale through 8th grade. It was hard to believe that the man in the sullen-looking marine pose was the same wacky kid who was easily dubbed the class clown in middle school. Scott joined the marines after 9/11/01. He left for his second tour of duty in July.

Today my thoughts are once again on the preciousness of life and my prayers are with Scott's family.