Happy New Year's Eve! Enjoy!

The first Christmas that we lived together, Taylor's mom got us a shower radio. It was a giant yellow M&M dressed in scuba gear. She got him at Sam's Club. I'll be honest, I thought it was a strange gift. It turned out to be something we love more than life! M&M Man has been with us for years. We've listened to weather reports, traffic reports, I've had school closings. Sunday mornings Taylor listened to pre-game and I listened to Casey counting down the hits, almost always hitting a long distance dedication. He was part of the family.

Something happened to M&M Man when we moved from our house to the apartment. He stopped working shortly after we arrived. We hoped it was just batteries, but alas, the problem was more severe. M&M Man passed away. Still, neither Taylor nor I could do it-we couldn't throw him away-so he has been sitting in a place of honor on the bathroom counter (not easy since it is a tiny apartment bathroom) where we see him and think of him daily.

For Taylor's birthday, his mom got us a new shower radio. This one is fancy, with preset stations, a digital clock, and an antenna. Taylor has it all hooked up and in the shower and enjoys listening every morning. I have to have the baby monitor on when I'm showering, so I haven't had the opportunity to use the radio yet, but look forward to trying it out this weekend. Still, today when I was brushing my teeth, I looked at M&M Man and sighed, realizing it is really time for him to move to greener pastures. It feels like the end of an era, a closing of a chapter of our lives. We love you M&M Man and just because it is time to let go, we'll never forget!

(See-I can post about something other than the baby. I don't want to be that Mom (and you know who I'm talking about JJ) who only talks about her kids and is super annoying. For the record though, Grant is now 10 pounds! He has a cold, so we had to go see the doctor and got to get weighed. What a Moose!)

Happy belated Birthday to Taylor, Alexander, and Golic. Three of my favorite men!

Stay dry and safe in all this snow. I just walked up to get the mail-it is freaking crazy out there! We've already got at least 6 inches in a few hours. It is going to be one of those winters here in New England. The best part of renting an apartment...no snow shoveling! Aces!

Superbad is a naughty movie. I can't believe we're watching it with the kid in the room. Later in life when he has a dirty mouth amongst other issues we'll remember this moment and know why!

What a long day! Grant didn't do well sleeping last night so Mommy didn't get great sleep. Normally, I would have just gone back to sleep after I fed him at 7 like he did, but I knew that the little people were coming over to fix our broken heater at 9, so I got him cleaned up and back to sleep, took a super fast shower, and got the living room furniture all moved so they could fix things. I thought about running out to the grocery store or something so I could be out of their way, but Grant was tired so we just stayed home. It was a good thing we did-because they were literally here for the entire day! That would have been a hell of a lot of groceries! So, not only did we not have heat in the living room, we had a pair of strangers, so Grant and I hung out upstairs in the bedroom all day. Like it isn't hard enough to entertain an infant that you can't really lay down because of the spitting problem all day, try doing it in a bedroom with no toys, no radio, no computer, nothing! We bonded and had fun playing things like practice sticking out your tongue like Mommy, but that gets old for everyone after about 19 seconds. They just left at 4:00 and god bless them, we have heat! Grant is down for a nap (in his bassinet like a big boy) and now it is time to start dinner-too late for the nap I wanted this morning at 7:00. Oh well, the joys of motherhood!

Grant and I had a big adventure yesterday. I took him to visit my coworkers. It was our first time going out to someplace other than Grammies or the Doctors. I wouldn't say it went well, but it wasn't a total disaster. He was super cute and had a nice visit while he was sleeping, but then decided to wake up and be someone who is absolutely not my child! He was hungry-so I fed him-and then changed him because he spit up all over himself (and Mom) and he screamed the whole time. He is such a good baby usually-only cries when he is getting changed, but not yesterday! It was like he could smell the bad karma all over the place and wanted out. I felt like I was getting judged by people because he was crying or because he spit up (not just on me, on sweet Julie who was trying to help me out!) or just because I brought a three week old baby out of the house. I did take him to new work as a trial run for going to old work, where I really care much more about the people and what they think of me, but it was a tramatic experience for both the Grant Man and I, so I think it will be a few more days before we try another major outing!

Sounds like Grant is waking up-shocking-he's been asleep for a whole 25 minutes! More later!

Congratulations to Taylor on the promotion! We're really proud of you baby!
Also congratulations to Julie on her new job. I hate you for leaving-but I couldn't be happier for you!

Grant is learning all about holiday music today. I've introduced him to my two favorite holiday CDs--Hillary Duff and Clay Aiken. Seriously-they are the two best cds I've ever heard for the holidays. You should check them out before you judge!

It looks like a great day outside, but I think we're just going to hang out at home today. Grant is a tired little man-napping again instead of being up with mommy-so I'm just going to leave him be instead of trying to get him all dressed and dragging him outside. The few things we were thinking of doing can wait for another day!

I should be napping now-that adage about sleeping when the baby sleeps is really good advice. Still, it is also really hard advice to follow. I'm a terrible napper and since he only sleeps two hours at a time (and really only the first hour is quiet sleeping) it is really hard for me to nap when he does. I try to sleep at night when he is sleeping. Since the doctor still has us holding him when he sleeps at night to help with the spitting up, I get a few hours when he does. I knew that having a baby meant exhaustion, but I had never really done the math before. He eats every three hours for an hour at a time. That means I spend about 8 hours a day feeding him. That's a lot of time sitting around without a shirt on acting like a milk machine! Still, I know he is the very best thing I'll ever accomplish in my lifetime, so it is well worth it. What a gift!

Wow-my blog must be annoying now. The scope of my life is so much smaller than it ever was before-it is amazing. I'm sorry if you aren't enjoying the reading at this point-I promise eventually it will get juicer than talk of breastfeeding and naps! Give us time and thank you for all sticking by us and making us feel so loved!

No comments? Come on people! I had a baby for goodness sake-it seems comment worthy!

Happy Birthday Krissy! We love you!

Grant has a stuffy nose today. Poor little bug! I'm going to try to put him in the bathroom while I shower. Wish us luck!

First day home alone with the kid today...what a long day! Taylor has a late meeting tonight, so we're looking at like 13 hours of bonding time. My only goal of the day was to take a shower and I'm proud to say I accomplished this by noon. It is amazing how priorities shift so fast! Right now Grant is napping-but I'm holding him-so I'm blogging with just one hand-not easy! I've got about 15 good minutes until we restart the eat, pooh, sleep cycle. Oh, and probably spit up-we're on outfit 7 or so today! And by the way, daytime television is terrible! I can't wait until Grant is big enough to go out!

I have the best friends in the world. My old work friends just called to try to take me out tomorrow night. I'm not really ready for that-though I have left him on two different occasions already-but it made me feel so nice. Plus-all of you have been calling and though I'm not really good at answering just yet knowing that you are all there and are thinking of our young family means the world to us. Thank you for everything.

Heather's Daily Rant is proud to present...
Heather's Baby Grant!

Grant arrived in a hurry-three weeks early-but came in a stable 6 pounds 15 ounces and 19.5 inches long. He arrived at 8:45 at night and already has Mommy and Daddy wrapped around his finger!

Grant is the most amazing blessing. We've been at home together for a week already at this point and are all starting to get to know one another. Grant is the ideal baby by day-eating and sleeping on a predictable schedule. He eats for an hour, goes to the bathroom, then sleeps for two and we do it all over again. He's having some issues going to sleep at nighttime in his bed, which is strange because he sleeps laying down all day long without a problem. We're adjusting and working out a system. We keep trying and find ways that work for everyone in the family.

Taylor is a great dad already. He has been taking care of both Grant and I. He's going back to work on Monday, which is pretty terrifying for me, but I know it is time. I've loved having him home with us, not just for the extra hands, but because it has given our family time to come together and bond quite a bit.

We took our first big outing yesterday when we went to Grammie and Poppa's for Thanksgiving dinner. Grant was a trooper and loved all the attention from the family. Taylor and I were grateful for the good hot meal and all of the love for our family. Grant did fine in the car and didn't mind coming out of his routine too much. I hope he can keep up this laid back attitude as he continues to grow and change.

For anyone who is local, visitors are always welcomed. We're doing okay at this point and would love to share Grant and his awesomeness with anyone who available. We thank you all for your well-wishes and support.

Elizabeth and Tim Hasselback and family now have even more in common with my family. Not only do they have a baby girl named Grace like we do, they just had their son and named him Taylor! My Taylor is going to be so excited that there was a little boy born somewhere in the States this year named Taylor and the name is again gaining more credence as a boys name. After all, as little Brianna told us all those years ago, "Taylor is a girls name!". Welcome baby Taylor. Baby Mac will not be another Taylor, girl or boy.

We had a nice dinner with Mason and Dan last night. We were totally late though because we got stuck with the dumbest check out person ever at Target. Her name was Lady--we certainly won't be naming the baby after her!

We went over to check out the house today and met our new neighbors. This is already more interaction than we had with all of our neighbors in our old house! They seem nice enough and we thought it was great that they came over to say hello. Of course, once I got into the house, I couldn't really get out of the house to go talk to them-so I talked through the partial walls a bit. I think once they saw my incredible girth they understood that I wasn't a total snob! Here are a few photos from today.

View of the kitchen

My Tub (imagine I took the time to turn the photo)

Ross is currently visiting and telling us about the joys of dating. I seriously don't miss being single! Now he is making his own Mii for the Wii. Now he can hang out in the bar and drink with the rest of us during bowling. He's the one with the orange ray bans. We are so sad-this is what happens on bye-week Sunday!

I came down the stairs this morning to music I haven't heard in years. Taylor looked up from his place on the couch with the grin of a small child, then focused his attention back to the television. What, do you ask, was he doing? Why he was playing Tecmo Bowl! Yup-he downloaded it for the Wii and is slowly making his way through the season. He is, of course, playing with the 49ers and every ocne in awhile will yell out, "oh, the unstoppable play" and I'll hear his little guys cheer as they score. Now it should be stated that I didn't have this game growing up for my Nintendo, but the music still sounds familiar because as a Junior in College I got a new IMac (Marina for those who remember her) and for some reason let Taylor, whom I was "taking a semester off" from, download this and many other old school Nintendo games to. He would come sit in my room and play for hours at a time-usually not even talking to each other while we focused on completely different things. I'm not sure why he did this, or why I left him, but we enjoyed hanging out even when we weren't chatting and so I really credit Tecmo Bowl (the Patriots, and Star Wars) for my marriage, so I'll admit that the music I heard as I came down the stairs this morning put a smile on my face as well! Long life the 49ers and the unstoppable play!

ABC Family and I are in a huge fight. I've been watching the Gilmore Girls at 5:00 every night I can squeak home in time since I started my new job almost a year ago. I was at the season where Rory was a Junior at Yale-only one more season or so until the end. Suddenly today we're back at the very first episode! Now I never saw the pilot, so that is exciting, but I want to see how they ended it! I saw the very last episode, but I think I'm missing about two and a half seasons from the end-you know-the good part! Rory is just a kid now-like 14 or 15-she isn't living on her own or having all the drama and angst. I'm hurt ABC Family. I'm really hurt!

By the way, for all of you who went nuts over the collapsible basket that Jen gave me at my baby shower, I have found them in my local Marshall's! I'm probably going to pick up another one for my trunk (am I the only one who carries a bunch on nonsense in her trunk in an old shoe box-disposable camera, gloves, tennis ball, Frisbee, things like that? what, Taylor carries a football and a football tee for any pick up games-I can't be that weird). Anyway, if anyone wants me to get them one, I would be happy to. They come in the blue JJ got for me as well as a few other colors. Just give me a call and I'll become your supplier! They would make great baskets for holiday gifts to go in and are perfect for crafty projects, or, in my case, to put supplies in next to the changing table!

New house photos-we have siding! The color is "Sandalwood". The shutters will be a darker version of the tan and the door will be "wild currant", or maroon if you will. It was raining today when I took these, so please excuse the yuckiness of the photos

Taylor is watching public access TV right now. We're having a planning board meeting and he's all into finding out what's up in town. The planning board here is more interesting than in our old town, but the people are less ridiculous, so it takes away some of the fun because I can't make fun of them. Oh well.

I worked all weekend at a Craft Fair. Yeah-it was about as much fun as it sounds. I took today off because I have been exhausted. I'm also going through what I assume is some sort of nesting instinct, because I've probably done about 12 loads of laundry in the last day or so, as well as cleaning and organizing everything in sight. The apartment is still a mess, but at least the baby has clean clothes and a place to get a bath and a diaper change. Now if we can just make a final sleeping decision for the kid, I'll feel better. The diaper bag we ordered came in today, so I'm going to get that packed for the hospital tonight or tomorrow and I guess I should get my bag packed too!

I'm still trying to knock out thank you notes from my shower. I did another batch today, so that feels good. I still have a bunch to get done-so if I haven't gotten to you, Thank you and know it is on the way!

Sorry kids-I should write more tonight, but I'm beat and I think I'll fold this last load of laundry and head to bed!

I'm behind on shout outs.
Happy Belated to the following:
Belated Anniversary to Alex and Emilie
Belated Birthday to Jeniffer
Belated thank you to all involved in my shower
Belated Happy Halloween

Now, to clear up a falsehood on my blog. While the photo "from Disneyland" is very funny, and I was laughing so hard that I actually though it was 100% correct when I posted it. I should have realized it was a fake. I think the boobies are real, but it is the location that is wrong. She's holding a cup of beer in that photo-and the Magic Kingdom is a beer free location. Thanks to Taylor for pointing this out. I hope you all got a chuckle regardless of the authenticity of the photo.

I think many of you wonder why we love Disney so much. Here is a good reason why!

MOTHER & DAUGHTER BANNED FOR LIFE FROM DISNEYLAND

YEP - Those are their real boobs!

Giuliani is backing the Red Sox in the series. Giuliani-the former Mayer of NYC-is backing the Red Sox. The man is friends with Joe Torrey. He is at every Yankees game there is, and he's backing the Sox. Now he says he always backs the American League team-and I understand that because that is how I usually feel in football too on the off year that the Pats don't make the Super Bowl-but there is something different about one of the greatest rivalries in sports. It's been a tough week for me with news like this and then finding out that Dumbledore is gay (Not that there's anything wrong with that!), Bricker didn't answer his cell phone one day. Things are not right-the planets are out of alignment or something. I just hope Giuliani doesn't wear a Red Sox hat or anything. Not cool...just not cool.

Our builder is trying to mess with the washer and dryer. What this poor, poor man doesn't realize is that he has touched the ultimate nerve with me. I'm the woman who named her washer and dryer. Oh, it is going to be so much fun to rip this guy apart. I've got so much pent up stress from work and I've been looking for a healthy outlet. I think I just found it! Good luck sir!

Here is the house on Sunday. I haven't been back since, but you can see that we have a whole second floor and a roof now! Outstanding!

The bloodbath at work continues and makes things harder and harder. Six weeks until maternity leave! Bring on the baby!

I'm excited to see everyone this weekend. The baby wants to visit with Grandma and the aunts. She's sad that Aunt Em won't be there, but is excited to be with the rest of the ladies.

We had baby class this weekend. We got an exercise ball as a result and though it is for me, I have to fight Taylor all the time for the space. We were totally the slacker class and our little teacher essentially told us so. But, there was cake, so I'm a happy girl!

Yummy brunch at book club this weekend. I love the pancake!

Go Rockies!

Here's the house as of Wednesday night. We have a second floor now! Outstanding!

Emilie leaves for Paris in the morning. We called her to wish her good luck and a safe journey, but Taylor pressed all of her stress buttons so I didn't get to wish her farewell, so I'll do it now. Have a ball Em! Give Alex our love and bring back some great Parishian stuff!

I sure hope the baby gets musical talent. I'm listening to a Best of College Acappella CD that I jacked from the boat in like 1998 right now, and it is some of the most amazing and inspiring music ever. Baby-if you get musical talent (first thank mommy-because it didn't come from your father), learn Spanish. all music sounds cooler in Spanish-you'll totally get the girl, mommy promises!

So, it has been 20 years since Baby Jessica fell into the well. Okay-I remember this even thought I was little. I was watching Friday night television with my mom when they broke to live coverage of her being brought up from the well. Good for her-glad she lived and has had really no major issues other than some media hype through the years. See, now she is getting close to 25 (I think she is 21-22 now) and soon she'll become a millionaire. She will be able to tap into the trust fund of money that people sent to her when she was a baby to help take care of her medical needs and stuff. I'm sure the hospitals and surgeons comped all of her visits when she was kid for the publicity so I guess her family just didn't need the cash. My real problem is why does she deserve this cash now. She is a stay at home mom. I would like to be a stay at home mom. If I promise to fall down will someone give me a million dollars for no reason? I don't get it! I feel like she needs to split that money up and give it to people and places that deserve it. What about the family of the guy who went down in the well and literally saved her life-then later took his own life from the stress and drama of all of the hype and spotlight that came with being the good Samaritan? I bet his kids could use that money for college. It just seems wrong that she's talking to her family, who is then talking to the media, about the windfall she is about to cash in on, all because she had really irresponsible parents as a child who went to answer the phone and let her fall down a well. How about spreading the wealth to other kids of dumb parents instead! I bet there are lots of folks she could help. And she can keep some, I know a million isn't what it used to be, but come on now! And that concludes my really random bitter rant for the morning. Told you I was in a terrible mood today!

I FINALLY WON A GAME! I'M NO LONGER O-FER!
Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I beat the other team that hadn't won yet, but I would have beat literally everyone else in the league (pre-Monday night game). I seriously didn't want to get out of bed this morning-I'm not into work and I just didn't want to come face the day (and the baby is sucking the energy from me this week-I need more sleep), but logging on and finding that I won really made my day. I'm such a dork!

In the immortal words of Taylor "Oh Snap!". Vinny Testaverte, age 43, might get the start today. And I thought it was exciting when the 47 year old kicker, Morten Anderson came back this season. This is the greatest! God I love Sunday!

It is girls gone wild weekend here at the house. Taylor is in New Jersey/Pennsylvania with his family for Uncle Norman's 90th birthday party. I'm grounded (the doctor won't let me go that far at this point) so that leaves me home alone with Grace and Liz and the baby-who for the purpose of a girls weekend, we're assuming is a girl. I had lots of big plans for the weekend, but I've been a little lazier than I initially planned. I did tear apart the upstairs and do some cleaning, but then I watched some serious food network. I think they will all rush back a little earlier than they normally might today because of the football game (fill in your name: the Bleadsoe Back-up Bowl, the Duel in Dallas...), so I figure I have until about 3 or 4 before the family descends on the apartment.

I did go check on the statues of the house yesterday. No, we haven't signed our final paperwork yet, but they have started building. We have a foundation now and some really big stacks of wood. We had a rainy week, so it looks like they didn't really get anything done. Still, it looks like January might be time for the big Mac move across the street (literally the house is like half a mile from the apartment-just across the road). Here's a photo of the hole:

I've been a crummy blogger lately. This is somewhat ironic, because I now read Alexander's blog from France and know how annoying it is to check everyday and have someone not post. It started that I was obscenely busy at work with Reunion Weekend. Then, I was exhausted from working so much and I was too tired to write, then it all just seemed like there was too much to say so I didn't say anything. Sorry kids. Here are some of the highlights of the last month or so:

• Cassie got a new job and left me. Thursday was her last day-but I'm pretending she is just on vacation. Healthy, I'm sure...
• I bought the Ocean Wonders for the crib that I wanted last weekend at a yard sale. Instead of paying $35 I paid $2! I was so excited! We went out and got batteries on the spot. I'm not really a yard sale person, but baby stuff is so expensive for things they use for just a few months. I'm trying to be all about the recycling! I guess I'm going green!
• We're starting to look for a new car. I totally have picked out a boy car. It literally doesn't come in any colors but shades of gray, black, white, and ORANGE! We might need to rethink this.
• We have baby classes next weekend. That should be terrifying.
• Speaking of baby, all is well. We went to see the doctor on Thursday and all is well. Kiddo weighs about 3.5 to 4 pounds already and should gain about a half a pound or so a week until birth-which is still 7 weeks away!
• I'm totally a fan of Trot Nixon!!
• It is a cool New England Weekend-I think I'll make some good comfort food for dinner-lasagna or baked mac and cheese or something great like that!
• They've extended the year of a million dreams at Disney so Baby Mac can get her chance to visit and celebrate. Maybe she'll be able to save Little Red!
• This is probably my last weekend in my football jersey. Alexander was making fun of me last weekend from Paris because it is so snug. It's a kid's jersey! It wasn't made for a knocked up 10 year old! And seriously, can someone watching a football game via a webcam really throw stones?
• Last night was the black tie dinner at my old job. I've never been so depressed about not working at an event. I miss that job so much!
• Does the world really need Bobby Flay? Couldn't we just have extra time with Tyler Florence?
• My hair is so long right now-it is driving me crazy! I'm trying to make sure all of my layers fit into a ponytail and I'm finally there now. Long layers tucked behind your ear just don't seem like something worth having to fuss over while pushing.
• Still enjoying the yummy apples from our apple picking trip with Jenny a few weeks ago. Here are a few pictures from the day:

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'll try to be a better blogger!

Andre? Where's Andre?

I found him! He's on "How Do I Look" on the Style Network. I was so excited to see him I yelled "Andre!". Lizzy, who has no idea what her name is, came running, but at least she was excited with me!

Did I mention how much I love my baby? I decided it was a really good idea to start exposing the baby to The West Wing. This way, when she comes out, she'll be all ready for a nice marathon of shows while Mommy packs the house and gets ready for the move. So, in an effort to get many good scenes in, I've been showing the baby clips I find on myspace of the show. We've got a little sarcastic one on the way, because the baby is going nuts, especially for C.J. I think she likes the smart ass. I can see why, I like the smart ass too. And all of my Wheaton education makes me happy that the baby has decided to respond to the only female senior staff member. Go baby! Go girl power! Perhaps we will name you Claudia!

Good luck on your test today Emilie!

Good luck in your new job Cassie-I'll miss you!

Good luck to the Moon Pies tonight in my fantasy game. I only need a complete miracle to win, but I've already doubled my points total from last week (nothing to be proud of-I should be scoring around 85, not 35).

Pray for Jenny and Erin. Lots of positive thoughts from New England headed your way!

Congratulations to Kenny who had baby Erica three weeks early. What a looker!

in case you ever need to know how to properly plan for a building dedication...notes from the Mac Boys!

Get a triangular metal file and score around the entire bottle in a circle so it breaks easier. Put it in a cutoff stocking (flying glass is bad!) Put duct tape on 4-5 inches of the handle so that the handle doesn't break and cut the hand Wrap the duct tape with ribbon so it's not ugly - it looks nice if it hangs down some too. Get white gloves for her to wear - helpful for the glass factor again. Tell her to swing through the building to be sure it breaks.

My favorite part...swing through the building-this was advice for a 78 year old woman...swing through the building!

I'm alive...more on that another day.

So, I am in last place in my own fantasy league. I played Taylor this week, and we don't take any prisoners with each other because we are married or anything sappy like that. We were schedule, according to Yahoo, to tie with a score of 87 points each. I scored a total of 15 points. 15 POINTS! For reference, Taylor's kicker scored 16 points by himself! I had two players go down hurt, both of my QB's got me negative points (enter Alexander's cynical laugh about how that wouldn't have happened if I didn't have two kickers starting in my league), and even my good players only scored in the single digits. I'm completely done for the year. If only I could sell off my team for draft picks. Maybe I'll do some sort of lottery where I give away my guys (and for the record, I've got great guys) in favor of baby sitting hours or something like that.

15 points...in the 6 years we've been playing, I think that is an all time league worst!

Names are flying in from far and wide, from across the pond and right down the street! Don't forget to send your baby name draft choices to Taylor and I so we can get them up on the draft board. You never know, your name could be he winner!

I'm going to be pretty MIA for the next week or so. It is Reunion Weekend next weekend at my school and I'm going a little nutty trying to get it all done. I have a fair number of people coming throughout the weekend, but it is my first Reunion here so I want it to be a home run. I've recognized that a home run is all but impossible now, but a girl can still hope for a double, maybe even stretching for a triple! If you don't hear from me for awhile, if I'm bad at returning your phone call or email, please forgive me. This is a big one for me and I'm putting lots of stress on myself for perfection. I'll be back around after the 24th, at least for a week until it is time for the new President's Inauguration ceremony...

JJ is coming back this weekend! Her other friend who was supposed to have her for the weekend can't get off work. Her loss is my gain. I'm so excited to see her-we had a nice weekend last weekend and I'm expecting and even better time this weekend. I can't wait!

The baby is kicking the heck out of me. I guess she wants to head home for the night. 5:00 would mark a very early evening for me (I've been here past 8:00 this week) and then working at home (MY HUSBAND IS A SAINT FOR NOT ONLY PUTTING UP WITH ME, BUT FOR HELPING ME WORK ON MAILINGS EVERY NIGHT THIS WEEK-I LOVE TAYLOR!), so given the chance to just take some paperwork home and work on it in front of the television instead of sitting behind this desk is a win and I think the baby knows it! We're out of here!

Baby Draft 2007 has begun!

What, do you ask, is Baby Draft 2007? Well, Taylor and I still have no baby names picked out, so we're starting a draft board to help us with the situation. We each get a certain amount of boys and girls names to pick and go on the draft board. After a few weeks, we'll name each of our "franchise players", players the other can't cross out. We'll then cross a few of the others names each out a day until we are left with a reasonable list of names that we both somewhat agree on.

Here is where you come in...we are opening the floor to "Wild Card" names. Wild card names are names that are nominated by our friends and family. We welcome you are each to send us a male and female name to add to the board. Should we choose your name, we'll have a special present for you! You can call or email or add your names to the blog and we'll add them to the board! We hope everyone will participate! Jen added the first two names this weekend so-game on!

Happy Naming!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

Somehow, I've been sucked into watching Titanic. Seriously. I didn't see the beginning, or the good part, just them fighting the water and eventually the dying part. She's about to throw the diamond into the ocean. Terrible.

We found the printer cables today, so we scanned in the now incredibly old sonogram photos of the baby. If you're interested let me know and I'll share them with you!

Alex is off in France now and so the whole family got web cams today. Right now, Taylor is talking his dad through setting his up and Emilie and I are fighting to be able to see each other. It is somewhat funny, because we all live within a few hundred miles of each other and are all talking on our cell phones at the same time. We actually say Taylor's dad today, so I even know what he'll be wearing when the phone finally rings, but in just 10 short minutes or so we'll all be chatting with each other again. Really funny-but totally time well spent so we can all visit each other and enjoy being closer. Thank goodness for technology!

I'm off to the silly Red Sox tomorrow for work. I'm not excited, but it should be a nice day and I'm dragging Cassie along so that will be fun. I think Ross and a friend are coming as well, so hopefully we'll all get to catch uo. Still, no fun to work on a three day weekend :(

Okay-David is calling-too much fun!

I was all wrong on the Gisele on the dancing with the stars thing. Sorry if I sent some of you down the wrong path. I guess it was wishful thinking on my part!

So Alexander becomes unemployed today...I can't believe he leaves so soon. While we rarely see each other, he is one of my favorite people on the planet. We're going to get a web cam so he can meet the baby once s/he is born. This will also work out well for Jenny for just such a reason.

Speaking of Jenny, after a near two year hiatus, we're going to see each other next week! I don't think anyone realizes how special this is. I feel myself withering away sometimes without good friends around. I have nice local people who I like and care about, but the girls are something all together different. I'm looking forward to a nice weekend-even if the poor thing has to sleep on the couch!

I'm having a lazy day. I have an obscene amount of work to do today (and every day for the next month or so), but I can find no motivation. It all started with both our email and database going down for the morning. I came in pumped up to do things, and ended up stuffing envelopes, and now I'm in an envelope stuffing kind of mood! I'm hoping it will pass after lunch...

Last preseason game tomorrow night! Outstanding!

Turns out I missed it...I've actually only 97 days to go until my date. Oops! Well, I'm sure I did something special to commemorate the occasion!

BBU (thank you Emilie!)

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20053528,00.html
Turns out they named the kid John Edward Thomas Monyahan. No Brady in there-if I were daddy, that would equate to no child support!

In other Brady hottie news, Gisele is rumored to be announced tomorrow as one of the dancing with the stars dancers. Good! Maybe she'll stay away from Tommy in her fancy VS undies and he can focus on the game!

I'm having a 100 days party for myself next week. A week from Monday... (we don't have a calendar in the apartment, or I would give you the date). Hope you can attend!

BBU

(Baby Brady Update)

William and Jonathan are the two leading contenders for Baby Brady's first name. Tom and Bridget wanted to name the baby something Irish. All of the people they have working for them, no one googled this? William is of English decent people! Jonathan, well that is Hebrew. Someone should get fired over this Irish leak. Of course, until they release the kid from the hospital and sign the papers, the baby doesn't have to have a name so we may still baby Declan! Let's hope not, Declan Mac won't do!

I've waited two weeks since my last post. I begged for ideas for our 200th post and planned a blogger blackout until someone shared a suggestion. I got nothing! I spent some time thinking of things that were worthy of such an important milestone. Some included...

• the almost one year anniversary of heathersdailyrant.com
• a top ten list of things Alexander might miss or should do while in France
• a top ten list as to why this August is better for Ross than last August
• My favorite moments in the Harry Potter book (because I'm still not done talking about it)
• Top baby name suggestions

Really, there were many more thoughts, but I wanted the readers to decide. Well, time and fate have decided for you. The 200th entry in my blog is now dedicated to the yet to be named Moynihan-Brady baby.

Yes, this baby has been much anticipated. First, this is the child that will destroyed Tommy's political career. I've given up on talking about politics on here, so that is all I'll say, but that is the end of President Brady. This baby also has one amazing gene pool! Bridget isn't my favorite person, nor is Tom for that matter, but they are both attractive as heck and this baby should have a string of endorsement deals before he is even released from the hospital. As soon as he has a name, that website will be bought (though hopefully one of their publicist is smart enough to do this before the name is announced) and should it be availible-I'm sure it will be used for evil instead of good! I can't wait!

Now earlier in the week, Tommy was saying he wanted some time off when the baby was born. Miraculously, this child was born two days later. I firmly believe that the baby was scheduled-by either C-section, or induced labor, so Brady knew when he made that statement that the baby would be coming mid-week, or as I like to call it-preseason. There is no way Brady was making a statement that bold and planning on missing the home opener, which is also a divisional rival, and a team that could easily be in AFC playoff contention come January. He doesn't say it-Coach B doesn't let him get away with saying it. This was carefully choreographed so Brady looks like a great dad, but is back in pads when it counts. Do I think he'll play on Friday-yes, I do. I think he'll head back to Cali Saturday morning and miss the whole next week and the 4th preseason game, but who cares about that? No chance he plays a down in that game even if he is here. Friday night's game is nationally televised (thank god-no more Randy Cross!) and so Brady will be there and he'll have some contrived statement about how amazing fatherhood is already and he'll compare the size of the baby to the size of the ball. He'll flash his aw-schucks dimples and we'll all swoon. Brady is nothing if he isn't a media darling and knocked up ex-girlfriend and hot supermodel current girlfriends won't stand in the way.

It should be said that Baby Mac is due in December. I don't think there will be a press release, but I do believe Taylor is planning on taking some time off to spend with the family. If you're curious about what we'll be naming the kid, keep an ear to the news today. Baby Mac will likely be following in the footsteps of whatever Baby Brady is named.

The real question...does Bridget dress the baby in a Tom Brady jersey for that great photo of the three of them coming out of the hospital tomorrow. Baby Mac won't be wearing such a thing...no baby of mine is wearing the jersey of a quarterback!

How well do you know Tiki?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18112893/

We're getting close to our 200th post. Start submitting your ideas for subject matter now!

It is the most beautiful New England day today. The humidity has finally broken, so you can breathe a little! My hair is at a fairly normal size, so that is a win for me, as I had my first official meeting with our new President today and wanted him to be able to look me in the eyes instead of searching for my face under the layers of frizz. It is the kind of day that lets you know, despite being 85, that fall is right around the corner and you should enjoy these moments because the end is near and it will be mere days before you are reaching for a fleece jacket, or even a snow shovel.

My mood is directly tied to the weather some days, and today is one of those days. I'm in such a great mood, despite being totally screwed at work. I've got no chance at catching up, but I can't be worried or even annoyed today. My windows are open and the breeze is blowing the piles of papers off my desk and I'm still just a happy girl.

The baby and I are listening to Sorcerer Radio online. I'm teaching here all of the music of Disney so when she gets here, she will feel comfortable with the sounds she will hear so often and she can start begging Daddy to take her on her first trip with her first words. This half hour is sounds of Epcot, so I think we are listening to the music of Morocco (or Meg's bathroom) right now. You can almost guarantee that we'll be rocking out to the sounds of Off Kilter, the Canadian bagpipers before the hour is over!

Football tomorrow night. Yahoo! I've already started the shopping. I need to pick up Dr. Pepper for Taylor and something light for dinner, so it doesn't interfere with the game time snacking. We should probably have a salad so the baby actually gets something nutritious. Maybe we'll get buffalo chicken salads from someplace, then it counts as healthy (lettuce) and football (buffalo)!

we had a nice family time this weekend. It was Ross's sister's wedding, so we all piled into the in laws house for the weekend. The wedding was a lot of fun. I was bummed, because with this sore ankle I wasn't really able to dance (it has re-swollen :( ) But, Emilie and David sure had a ball dancing! It was a great time, but I've realized weddings are much more fun when you can partake in the open bar!

This weekend was likely the last time we'll see Alexander for a few months too. He leaves in early September for his International MBA program in France (insert your own Alex in France joke here). We're so excited for him-and jealous-what a great thing to do. Plus, unlike Taylor and I with the world's longest graduate school, we'll be done in something like 13 months. He'll be back in the states in late December, just in time to meet his little niece or nephew. I'm sure the baby with think Auntie Em and Uncle Alex are just the coolest, so she/he will be happy that he'll be home in time for Christmas!

I'm going to have to go to a really crummy work event on Sunday night. Seriously-a semi-professional woman's softball game. Yeah-not much fun at all. Hope for good weather at least and maybe some yummy snacks!

I'm so hungry today! I haven't been able to get enough to eat. Yesterday I made Taylor stop and get me an Awful Awful on the way home, claiming that the baby needed a piece of his RI heritage. Yes, it was a stretch, but sometimes a girl needs ice cream and I had spent the morning dealing with a weepy MIL, so I had earned the darn thing! I'm trying some Italian chicken bake thing for dinner-it is from Giada, so who knows how it will turn out!

We had a blackout today at work. At the same time, our copier/fax machine broke, my phone died for the afternoon, and food service took our coffee maker. I don't know if I've ever felt more like we should just call it a day and head home. We again have power (as you can tell by the useful computer work), but going home still sounds like a nicer idea, doesn't it?

Four days until the Patriots game! Stupid NFL network! The Hall of Fame game was on last night and I missed it because we don't get that channel. I hate the makers of cable/satellite/whomever took away football from me!

The first preseason Patriot's game of the season is August 10th. To you and me, THAT IS NEXT FRIDAY NIGHT! Happiness is chips and mango salsa, curling up on the couch with a boy (I guess my husband will do), and the Patriots!

Taylor-I NEED A NEW JERSEY! STAT!

Del's! It is possible we can now get Del's close to where we work! This is a huge development in life-as before now, you had to travel over an hour for this delicious and refreshing treat! Yeah Del's! I'll be doing more research this afternoon when I go back to the garage to pick up my (again) broken down car! Yahoo for Del's!

By the way, the baby is whatever pronoun I feel like using at the time. I switch randomly between he and she, because my child is not an "it". The baby has a sex, just because we don't know it, doesn't mean we should brand her with the term "it". So, if I use one or the other, I'm not giving you a cryptic view into my womb, just being my random self! Thought that was worth clearing up :)

Also-I finished Harry. I know Emilie hasn't started yet, so don't talk about it here, but I'm willing and excited to talk about it with anyone at anytime!

Back from our weekend getaway to Maine. Nothing like 16 hours in a car in three days that says vacation! Still, we had a nice visit with my parents. It was cool and rainy most of the weekend, but we did get a chance to go walk on the beach, which is always nice. Sadly, it was so foggy there (but sunny at my house just 5 miles away) that we couldn't really see the ocean, but we knew it was there so all was well. Ask Taylor if the water was cold...

Not too much else to report. I feel in love with a house that we didn't get. It was somewhat traumatic for me, but I'm over it now. We're still looking and hoping. If you know anyone in our area, ask them to put their house up for sale so we can buy it please!

We have a wedding this weekend-Ross's big sister is getting married. It should be a fun time as the whole family is going. Alex and Emilie will be up, and I haven't seen them in forever, so that will be a nice visit. I'm off Friday, so I'll be doing some dress shopping and hoping for the best. I'm huge now-and just this week, my butt has decided it should try to grow to the size of my belly. Yeah-pregnancy is gobs of fun.

Work has been no fun lately. I've been working pretty late in an effort to get more done. August is the scariest month of the year in higher ed. It doesn't make sense, because it isn't really the busiest (though it is pretty busy), but it represents the end. It is the end of summer, the end of the rest, the end of the quiet and signals that in a few short weeks, the students will be back. Yes, we all do our jobs for the betterment of the lives of the students, but we like it when they aren't here. I enjoy not fighting for a parking spot, waiting in line in the cafeteria, the peace and quiet, and not inventing jobs for work study students. I'm just spouting off-I actually think that the students give the campus the energy it needs to come to life and be productive. Things get done in the summer, but not like when the kids are here to keep us motivated. And, hopefully our graphic design intern will be back to make my life happy and easy once more. Still, August is a scary month...ask the poor people in student affairs-to them it is the absolute worst!

Must work...three day week for Heather!

Things I miss in my current life...(in no particular order)

• muffin tins
• automatic ice maker
• a basement
• the cord to the printer
• surround sound
• lunch with the cool kids
• cookbooks
• a garbage disposal (and if they were in order-this would likely be number one)
• Tupperware in a variety of sizes
• bread pans
• pictures on the wall
• a backyard
• tomato plants
• red wine
• hardwood floors
• central vac
• blue cheese
• saucers
• a land line
• Sunday's not designed around open house times
• a kitchen table
• hot dogs
• a sunroof
• Dr. Mario
• organized chaos
• shopping at Ann Taylor
• stationary
• a football jersey that fits
• Taylor mowing the yard on a Sunday morning
• the ability to make waffles
• sleeping on my stomach
• a mailbox
• Rick's Summer Drive-In and their free Wi-Fi
• Playing the game at big y

The baby loved seeing the Harry Potter movie last night. He was dancing in there, trying to distract me with all of his movements. Me, I was just excited that the theatre had power.

There are very few things in life that annoy me as much as the automatic hand dryer. Not cool people, just not cool.

I just had a great peach for breakfast. Peaches are the greatest!

I'm working from home this morning and then heading out to a clam bake in a world far far away. I love event days, but I'm not really all that jazzed about driving three hours to get there. Oh well, a day in the car and at the beach is better than any day behind a desk!

I had a great time with Krissy this past weekend. We went sailing a few days, got pedicures, ate ice cream and just enjoyed being girls! We usually get about three days a year together, so we like to make the most of them. I came home nice and relaxed and with a great tan! Now I've just got to get some girl time scheduled with JJ and life will be good!

I'm off to find something that makes me look both casual and professional, while keeping in mind that I own about a dozen things...

Emilie and I like pop culture. We read people and visit eonline. Right now, I'm thinking if we had a third (you know, like another sister-in-law who was cool, for example), we could have our team in the world series of pop culture. I've always said I think everyone has a sport they could be award winning in, I guess I always thought my sport would be curling or badmintion, but now I've found my place in the world. Who knew all the reruns of Full House would come to be useful!

I'm going to see Krissy tomorrow. Her family is up, so I'm going to spend a few days with them at their summer house. I think tomorrow we're going sailing, so that should be lots of fun. Of course, that means I'm going to be wearing a maternity bathing suit, which is anything but cool, but I think I'll live! Still no more blogging this week.

There isn't really much to report from this week. Taylor and I didn't get the house we made an offer on. We're bummed, but both doing okay. We've been playing the Wii a lot. Taylor is obsessed with Zelda and I'm a fan of Animal Crossing. Yeah-we have no life.

Bring It On was just the answer to a question on the world series. I'm a very happy woman right now!

One of my coworkers quit today. I'm really proud of her, I know it wasn't an easy decision, but I do think it was the right choice for her. I'm sad to see her go, but I look at it like just another email buddy.

Oh-Shoop so has to go on the baby mix! Yeah, that came to me when they were just doing the "ass song" category. I love VH1

Happy 5th of July! Okay, so I missed the 4th, but I'm sure back in the day, the party continued to the 5th, so have a beer and play with a sparkler and call it a day! We did have a nice 4th. We watched the competitive eating hot dog contest at Conney Island. Kobi had it until he had the unfortunate "reversal" problem. Now, I'm all for American pride, especially in terms of sports, but Kobi is someone I'll always root for over the rest and so I was sad to see him lose to that darn Joey Chestnut.

After watching the eating, we went out with friends to a late lunch and to watch a parade. Well, we were able to watch the parade from lunch, otherwise we probably wouldn't have bothered. Seriously, 8 fire engines and some old, fat, line dancers does not a parade make! We had some ice cream and came home. Then we got a very random call from a friend we hadn't seen in years (Dudek) that he was going to be driving through town and did we want to get an ice cream, because he had a coupon! It was fun and we got to meet his not really new anymore, but new to us because we're crummy friends and never see him, girlfriend. She was a peach! It was a good day, and ice cream twice in one day is really my dream, so I was extra happy!

This morning we went to our big doctor's appointment. Okay folks, we've decided not to find out the sex of the baby. We like the surprise! We want the surprise! I'm sure the kiddo won't mind coming home from the hospital in something green. Actually, depending on the day, we'll probably just bring him/her home in babies first Patriots jersey and call it a gender neutral day! It was awesome to do the ultrasound. Last time we had one, it was because there was a problem and the baby was only 8 weeks old, and quite literally looked like a rice krispy. Now we've got a real, human, half pound baby! The kiddo was good and wiggled for the camera and let us get some good photos. Unfortunately for you, the cord from the printer got separated from the printer in the move, so we can't scan in the photos right away.

The rest of the doctors visit was uneventful. I finally added some weight, up two pounds, which puts me back exactly where I started. I'm almost halfway there, and more than happy to not be carrying the 10 to 13 pounds they say I should have gained by now. The excuse to eat double ice cream is helpful too! So, I'm really looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight-no worries that something is wrong and hopefully no more dreams that Drew Lachey is Taylor's brother! Yeah, I had some seriously weird dreams last night!

HSM soundtrack is a great idea! I'm going to steal a copy from you, Emilie, next time we see each other! Also added to the mix will be a song from the Lizzy McGuire soundtrack, Rascal Flats and Vanilla Ice.

I want to make a mix for my iPod for giving birth. I don't have lots of good ideas yet, but I'm a music girl and really think it will help me focus. Right now, I've got the Spice Girls (yeah-it's spice girl day), Aerosmith and Eminem. Your suggestions are welcomed. Oh, and I plan to listen to this with headphones so the doctors don't think I'm a nut, and so the baby doesn't have to hear any explicit lyrics.

It's like 1997, when I really liked the Spice Girls...well, it isn't like 1997, but I did really like the Spice Girls. God I miss Jim!

Campbell Brown is having a baby! I've seen her in person and wonder how she can even stand up she is so tiny. I'm so excited I have hips--my baby is going to shoot out compared to hers!
Still, I love Campbell and wish her all the best!

Welcome new reader Cassie! For anyone who hasn't heard me gush about Cassie, she is my work BFF. Despite the fact that she is incredibly young (there was an 8 in the wrong part of her birth year) and doesn't know Silver Spoons or Growing Pains, she is simply the greatest.

So, Cassie and I should be in Italy this week. I like to imagine I would be having breakfast with the Pope today, touring Rome with a cute boy on the back of a scooter, then performing in an International Music Awards show...wait, that's the Lizzy McGuire movie. I like to imagine I would be sleeping late, visiting some sites, eating incredible pasta, afternoon ice cream, and partaking in some seriously good red wine late into the night (in my dream of Italy, I'm not knocked up). Oh well, probably better not to be there-it is terribly hot and they are having some kind of bizarre weather pattern, all the people going are old, and the travel guide was pretty annoying. See, no reason for a passport...

Life is pretty quiet. I'm off tomorrow and have no real plans. I should go dress shopping for the weekend's fancy pants wedding, but I'm going to try to squeeze myself into a little black dress I already own. I might go get my nails done, but I might not bother. It isn't my hands that people are going to be looking at anyway! I might as well save the $10.

Taylor and I are looking at a house tonight, so that should be intersecting. I'm tired of looking at houses, so if he likes it, I'm just in. It is too exhausting to think about the number of bedrooms and the size of the yard. Besides, this house has a separate first floor laundry room, so my life would be good. We'll see.

I'm in denial that next week is the 4th of July. It is such a sad day. Not only is it kind of a stupid holiday (especially when it falls in the middle of the week), but it marks the midpoint of summer, and to be honest, we haven't done a darn thing that is either summery or fun yet this summer. There will be no floating down the river in an inner tube this year, not silly cocktail nights at book club. I am desperately looking forward to my annual fake vacation with Krissy at the Cape in two weeks. Though it is only two hours away, and in general I hate the Cape, I find Krissy's house to be the most relaxing place on the planet. It is the color scheme and the type of furniture, and the yes ma'am and no sirs. It is such an incredible time. Rumor has it Jenny might join us, so I'm super excited. PEER PRESSURE!!! PEER PRESSURE!!!! PEER PRESSURE!!!!

Okay-back to work...yahoo (from the girl with the three day work week, I know, Shut Up Heather!).

Happiness is Dawson's Creek on a Monday morning! And, I suddenly like the taste of coffee again, so I've got a warm beverage by my side and life is good.

The girls are happily staring out the screen door at a chipmunk playing on the patio. I can practically see the thought bubble over Liz's head thinking about why she doesn't have thumbs and can't open the door herself.

Sadly, on Dawson's Creek, Bessie is delivering a baby at home and is having some random complications. This is why I won't be more than 40 miles from a hospital for the last three months (so, clearly I won't be visiting my parents for Thanksgiving). I've seen later seasons, I know it goes well and we get our TBS happy ending.

I think I'm going to go do a little shopping this afternoon. Yesterday I sat home alone all day and wallowed in self-pity. Actually, I took a two hour nap, then woke up and wallowed in self-pity. Today, I'm going to be productive and have some fun. I need some clothes, and the baby must need a present or two. I'm on the lookout for a local friend to have lunch with, so if you are reading this and in a 100 mile radius, give me a call, and you can help in the fattening of Heather plan!

I have so many things I want to blog about that I've been afraid to take the time to write. A brief overview of possible topics

• The AFI Top 100 Movie list
• The "Girls Maternity" section at Old Navy
• The best Father's Day gift in the planet
• 5 hours in the back of a station wagon with no air conditioning

Taylor got the Nintendo Wii for Father's Day because the kid and I are the greatest. I have to say, it is a ton of fun! For those who might not know (Julie), the controller measures your movements and mimics them on screen. For example, you swing the controller like a bat when playing baseball. It is the coolest. My right arm was actually tired after the first day we got it because we played so much. Taylor got me my own controller, so now we battle it out in bowling, golf, and baseball. I'm the better bowler, which is awesome because I stink in real life.

Jenny (who is now happily in DC and just a few hundred miles down the road, and more importantly, in my time zone) and I watched part of the AFI top 100 movies last night. I have some serious issues with this list. West Side Story and The Sound of Music were both below 40. Forrest Gump was in the low 80's. I mean, a girl is to believe that Bridge over the River Kwai is better than West Side Story? It is a classic love story and it is so beautifully done. It is a timeless movie and nothing blows up! When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way is all I've got to say. I wish I had live blogged-Jen can tell you that I was fired up and kept interrupting our first real conversation in weeks to complain about the list. Not cool.

Krissy is in Bermuda. I'm so jealous! Her dad finished the race, coming in 6Th in his class. This is very respectable, especially for their first time doing the race. 6 months ago I thought our family might be there too-but how times change quickly. Now that I'm hoarding my vacation time for the kiddo's arrival, I'm glad I didn't book a weekend trip to go with her. I hope she has a ball! She'll be here in two weeks and we'll be relaxing with a good book and our feet up. I love Krissy vacation week!

I had to use a Netflix as my proof of residency last night to get a new library card. It was pretty sad, but I haven't changed my address on anything really at this point. Luckily, my work ID also has the capability to be a library card, so it didn't end up being a huge deal, but I did have to go home and find something with my new town address. Thank god we're movie whores or I never would have been able to find my book (which was numbered wrong in the card catalog).

I've got a ton of work to do. I'm working tomorrow and taking Monday off instead. I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet of the office. It should be a relaxing day and I hope to get a ton done.

My car is at the mechanic getting new brakes right now. I can't go see my mom until I get it fixed, so it seemed like it was now or never. I'm so tired of putting money into our cars, and Taylor needs his AC fixed. oh well.

If you haven't heard from me, my work email has been up and down (and is way down right now) at work. It is very frustrating! It takes email 24 hours to get down the hall some times. Not cool!

I just got back from lunch where a woman, who I know to say hello to in passing, but who's name I'm not sure of, just said "you're blossoming nicely!". Well, what do you say to that? I'm blossoming nicely? I knew that this dress really showed that I'm knocked up, but even still, I really just look kind of chubby. It cracked me up!

Had she looked down, she would have seen the world's largest lunch. I had my leftover steak from lunch yesterday, along with Pam's veggies, Alexander's mac and cheese, and some rolls. It was awesome! I'm taking this challenge to eat for two to a whole new level! Bring it on!

CABLE ROCKS! My little 15 year old cable boy just hooked me up and I'm able to watch Bob Barker's last Price is Right. This is for some reason quite important to me. I love this guy. I guess when I was a kid I used to call him Hobby Barker-so my whole family does now. It is nice to know that on this quiet Friday that my mom is watching this in the hospital, all of my aunts in NJ are sitting around, and likely my brother and any of my cousins who are randomly home from work are all watching this show. My grandmother instilled the love to the Price is Right in all of us-so this is like our living tribute to her!

I have the apartment torn apart right now. I was working in the box room, trying to put the futon together, when the cable boy came, so I have to get back up there and straighten up because it is driving me nuts. I just want all of the boxes out of the living room, and right now there isn't really room in the box room for boxes!

Dude waited in line for five days to get in the audience for the PIR and he lost. Sucks to be him! And to think he was Bob's last guy. What a shame.

I love my Friday's off! What a great way to spend a day. I didn't put my contacts in today in an effort to try to knock out this tension headache I've been sporting on and off all week. So far so good!

Oohh...the food network! I've missed you so! Tlyler's Ultimate kitchen is an exact replica of the kitchen in his house. I learned that on Unwrapped. See-television is educational!

And how is it that the NBA finals completely happened and I didn't see a single moment or highlight. Now, I'm not saying that I really care about basketball, because I don't, but this sensory deprivation has been too much!

Have your pets spayed or neutered! Goodbye Everybody!

The baby name of the day on babynames.com is Cruella. It means evil, or cruel. Yeah, that is the perfect name for my kid...thanks for nothing! Stupid website!

Mom's out of surgery and doing fine. She's actually a little drugged up, so she's kind of funny.
Jen called and she was sitting inside of a McDonald's in Mobile, so she must have found Krissy.
And, I just had the best talk with my brother that we've had in years. He bought a Harley today-just because he decided he wanted one. He doesn't have a license and doesn't know how to drive it, but he is happy and for someone who works 100+ hours a week, that is pretty rare. Go team!

Today is a tough day for me. My mommy is having
knee surgery in a land far far away, and I'm stuck behind my desk. Also, Krissy and Jen are together for the next 24 hours or so, and again, I'm stuck behind my desk. I would rather be in either location. I'm a sad girl!

Emilie is my hero! Yesterday she taught me that Ann
Taylor Loft (ATL for those of us on a first name basis) now has a maternity line. It is super expensive, but I'm hoping they come out with a few good basic work pieces. All I want is a simple maternity suit, but I'm not sure when that will happen. Yes, I haven't gained any actual weight with the baby, but believe me when I tell you that what I've got has shifted and I've got a nice little bump going on. It literally all
happened last week. My clothes fit and then they didn't-I justdidn't understand what happened! Amy gave me some stuff this weekend, so I have to weed through it and find what I still need to get. I'm going through the in between weeks, where my stuff is too snug (for the most part)
and maternity stuff is falling down. Thank goodness for the fat clothes I saved a few years ago for just this
reason. Plus, I'm only working four day weeks, so I really can get by with a limited clothes rotation right now. I did say goodbye to my jeans this weekendthough. It was a sad day :(

What else is new...we still don't have cable. It is
tough, but watching Taylor scream at the cable company on Saturday morning was really more entertaining than a week of prime time summer television. It was the greatest!

Work is annoying right now. I'm not in the mood and everything and most everyone bugs me right now. Oh well. Part of my job this week has been researching the "beertruck". You can't really
complain about your job when it is tracking down the adult version of an ice cream truck :) I wish it was the Del's truck instead.

I finally started loading my music onto my iPod last night. I had moved a bunch of Taylor's things, and our community property music over, but now I've got NKOTB and some good, old school country, so I feel a little like me. Unfortunately my work computer is so old it doesn't have a flash drive, so I have to listen through headphones. Hey-if they can't give me what I consider basic technology, they can come to the door if they want me instead of yelling down the hall! Anything for a little Joey and Hanging Tough in the middle of the afternoon!

well, we did it! we found a place to go and we moved. I wouldn't go as far as to say life is good, but life is at least all back under one roof and is slowly finding its way out of boxes. No harassment about not blogging-we don't have real Internet at the apartment yet (just "borrowed" from a neighbor), but I'll try to write at work when there is a chance.

Things are fine with us. I start my summer schedule tomorrow, which means Friday's off! I'm super excited and I'm looking forward to sleeping late tomorrow. We don't have cable yet, so no Dawson's Creek, but I have found out where the library is, so I think I'm going to wander off and find a book to enjoy. Yes, I have serious unpacking to do, but I feel like surviving the last two weeks has earned me a bit of a break, don't you?

Just got back from the doctor's office. Turns out pregnancy is the best diet I've ever been on. Somehow, and believe me, it wasn't intentional, I've lost another pound. I'm in month four and have lost weight total! The doctor told me I'm not eating enough or often enough. You don't have to tell the fat girl that twice! I'm counting down the minutes to lunch as we speak! Otherwise, the kiddo is doing well, except her mom is under too much stress and needs to relax for every one's sake. Ever notice how when someone tells you that you are under too much stress and tells you to relax it stresses you more? I hate people sometimes!

We Have An Apartment! We aren't going to be homeless!

Tiki's on the Today Show! He is talking about kids vitamins, so I could care, but he is so cute! I love this guys!!!!

Okay-so update--we're closing on Tuesday. We didn't get the lake house and so we don't have anyplace to go. I'm home today looking for apartments and packing up. Wish us luck-we know we'll be okay, so don't worry, but it is a going to be a long couple of days.

Apocalypto is the most violent movie I've ever seen!

Taylor was hogging the computer during the finale of American Idol. You don't know it blog readers, but you missed out of some very hysterical reading! The material they were providing for a live blog would have been great-but he had to play his silly pirate game online. Oh well, it is better than VMK (right Emilie!).

Speaking of live blogs, there was no Internet access at the golf course on Wednesday. I was more sad than you, believe me. The day went well and was very successful. I spent most of my day riding around on a golf cart providing water and bag lunches to the players. It was a good day overall. You would think a day in the sun might have given me some color, but I'm still nearly transparent. I need a few hours in the sun with a good book!

This weekend isn't a time for sun worshipping sadly. I'm packing like a mad woman! The spare bedroom is totally packed and is about to become the land of a million boxes. The living room is in good shape too. I've got most of the linens in the bathroom packed and really just need to tackle the clothes in the bedroom. We've got to pack summer and work clothes to get us through the summer in one place, and everything else in another. My best guess on how to do this is to pack summer stuff into big plastic containers and suitcases,and then use the empty drawer space for items from the closet that are going to storage. I bring a whole new wrinkle to the plan with my expanding belly. Most of my clothes won't fit in about two weeks. Most of my shorts already don't fit, which was a tough development yesterday morning. Like every other woman in New England, I put on 5-7 pounds every winter while inside watching football and hiding from the snow. We all lose this weight in the springtime when we're running around outside, gardening, and enjoying the nice weather. This spring, the 5-7 pounds didn't get to come off, so my normal shorts are snug already! I was definitely bummed to find this out yesterday, but I'm still well within my weight range for this stage of the game. I'll be interested to see how much weight I've gained with the little munchkin when I go to the doctors next week. I had lost weight last time I was there, but think I might be showing a little bit already, so it is really any mans guess.

This is my packing break. Taylor is snoozing on the couch and I don't want to wake him by dragging more empty boxes up the stairs. I'm running the move like I used to run my old golf tournament. I'm in charge, I like to do all of the planning and organization myself, then have people come in and help execute my plan. There is a clip board involved, index cards, sharpie markers, and a detailed time line. I love this kind of thing-this level of organization is what I'm cut out to do in life! Luckily, after years of helping me carry things at the golf tournament, Taylor understands and recognizes the beauty of my plans and basically stays out of the way and lets me do my thing. It takes a strong man to be married to a control freak at the level I am at and to handle it and me with grace. It also takes the occasional nap :)

I'm watching the NBA lottery right now. Given all the time in the world, I wouldn't have guessed that this is what I would be doing tonight. I hate the NBA, but I love a good lottery and a good draft! Go Celtics, I guess.

I'm flipping to American Idol. I picked Jordin for the winner when she made it to the top 12, which I didn't think she would ever do. She isn't great, but she is certainly better than beat box Blake! Plus, right now she is singing Martina and I love Martina! Oh, but her hair is caught on her lip gloss! Whatever, she's living my dream, so I shouldn't judge...

I'm doing a golf marathon tomorrow. Dear lord I'm ready to be done with golf. I'm taking my laptop and if there is wireless, I'll be blogging from my assigned location on the deck. I'm playing the role of concierge. Just call if you would like a warm towel!

What the hell is Randy wearing? Are you kidding me? Randy, Michael Jackson circa 1992 called and he wants his jacket back!

Evil Stephano is still alive? Or is that Tony something or other?

Amy Fisher and Joey B are getting their own reality tv show. You should know that I once had a real obsession with these two in high school. My best friend Jodi and I made the Amy Fisher Memorial Bridge out of toothpicks for a high school assignment. We had real problems, but I guarantee that I'll be glued to this show!

I've gotta go make the bed. Lizzie threw up on it this morning--while I was in it. Gross! If I wasn't already queasy this morning, that would have done it!

Hi Friends-

I'm a delinquent blogger. Things have been hectic. We signed the papers on the house on Monday. We've been looking around for a summer rental and have decided that it would be cool to rent a lake house if we have to rent anyway. We found two to go look at this weekend, so that will be cool.

Work is nutty, so there likely won't be many from work posts, unless I'm having one of those moments when it feels like the world is spinning away. If that is the case, expect lots of posts!

It is pouring here right now-like build an ark pouring. I'm glad I'm inside.
Yes, I'm home early. We had a plumber and an electrician here today to do work on the house. Luckily the electrician is a friend, because all of the things I dragged him to the house to fix weren't really broken...

I balled my eyes out last night at the series finale of the Gilmore Girls. Taylor thought I was losing my mind. And, to be honest, I felt that way too. I don't even really watch Gilmore Girls, though have seen plenty of episodes through the years, but it was the end of an era and so I was sad. Sue me for being a sap!

I wonder what to make for dinner...trying to clean out the freezer right now...moving is Hell!

WEEKEND UPDATE:

Friday: we received two offers to buy our house! let the bidding war begin!
Saturday: I graduated. It was a lovely day and we were joined by Taylor's Dad and Ross for the festivities. I was 40 minutes late to line up and almost missed the processional, but all was well that ended well. The bidding war continues!
Sunday: Happy Mother's Day! We got two new and higher offers on the house and began the great debate-money versus stability of buyers. Dinner with Taylor's "School Wife" Sarah who is off to Chicago. Ironically, we ate at Uno's Chicago Bar and Grille!
Monday: We accepted the higher offer on our house. We have to be out in two weeks! Anyone know someone in the area who is looking to sublet an apartment for the summer? We come with two cats, which makes things a little difficult, but we're sure we'll find someplace to go!

So, all is well. We're a little stressed, but nothing we can't handle. I'll be packing non-stop for the next two weeks if you need me!

Janel Maloney is getting a new show! She's going to be on Brotherhood, a show that takes place outside Providence airing on Showtime. I think seeing the news article and photo about it counts as part of the cycle. Jeniffer? A ruling?

We had an offer put in on the house this morning. We haven't talked to our real estate yet, so we don't know if it is good or not really. I'll keep you all in the loop!

It turns out the flowers my coworker got were for Mother's Day. 20 long-stem red roses sent to work in honor of Mother's Day. You can tell that she is the mother of four!

Just got to work, and an off campus appt. this morning. It is beautiful out, but it is going to be muggy this afternoon. My building doesn't have central air, as it was built in 1778 or something like that, and my window unit isn't in yet. I fear as the sun comes around the building it is going to get HOT! I might have to use my mom's theory of closing the blinds and windows to keep the heat out. What a great problem to have! A month ago, I was still using my portable heater.

I have a meeting in 12 minutes. I could do work, but I thought I would blog instead :) I'm a naughty worker!

Have you talked to me in person in the last two weeks or so? If you haven't, you need to call the house so I can catch up with you. I think I've talked to all of my loyal blog readers, but I miss you all and want to make sure we've all touched base recently. So, Call Me!

Commencement is this weekend. What an utter waste of time. Poor Ross is being dragged up so Taylor doesn't have to sit alone. I still don't know why I'm bothering to go, especially a year out, but I'm committed and I even have my cap and gown now, so I guess I'm in. At least this year it should be sunny instead of raining like the last few.

I was recently thinking about the vast difference between graduating College and Grad School. Leaving college is so bittersweet. You say goodbye to your friends, your home, the place that you've grown up. You're sad--especially if you're a girl. Finishing graduate school is sheer joy. Nothing to be sad about. You make more money in your pocket (no more books or classes), you make more in your pay check, and you get your life back. It is all positive!

Someone in my office just got the most beautiful flowers from her husband. What's that about? Flowers on a random Wednesday? He must have done something wrong...