First Holiday Outfits

The Grit's 2009 Halloween Outfit.

The little white hat is a ghost's face with "boo' written on it. Too stinkin' cute!

The Grit's 2009 Thanksgiving Day Outfit.

The left pant leg has "gobble" written on it.

The Grit's 2009 Christmas Eve outfit.
The "candy cane" leggings are precious!

Our New Bedroom

Finally! The furniture we order three months ago arrived last Thursday. Now our bedroom feels like a master bedroom. All it's missing is artwork. I'm thinking three framed pieces, all similar in style, will be perfect. Now I've got to find it!

P.S. Maize liked the furniture... especially the bed!

Me & Todd in St. Maarten, Dutch side, October 30, 2008

Me, Todd, Arden & Jeff, St. Thomas, October 29, 2008

Todd & I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary last month. In our usual style, we took a cruise. If you haven't gone cruisin' before, try it at least once. You'll be hooked! (Jeff & Arden (my in-laws) are. They didn't want to get of the ship!

12 down, 28 to go

Today ends my 12th week. One more week ends my 1st trimester. I will have a lot to be thankful for next Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. Here's just a few things:

• a healthy pregnancy
• a healthy baby with a strong heartbeat (and hopefully stronger spirit)
• a wonderful husband
• three beautiful furry children
• a wonderful job, boss & co-workers that I enjoy
• a wonderful family who I am sooo glad are a part of my life
• wonderful friends, new & old
• a beautiful home
• a fridge & pantry full of food
• a car that gets me from point A to point B
• money in the bank to pay all our bills, allow us to have fun, and get us from point A to point B

What are you thankful for?

1 out of a 14,000

So 15 years ago I was introduced to one of my favorite books... 14,000 Things to Be Happy About. My copy lays in my top drawer beside my bed (always has), and on occasion I get it out and see if there's anything new to add to my list. I do this with a highlighter in hand. I also do it with a pen in the other hand so I can star (*) the things I really, really, really love. Some of the pages are dog-eared, some are stained, some have bookmarks and business cards stuffed between them calling me to read those pages each time I open the book.

Anyway, one of my favorite things is

The cool underside of a pillow.

Boy or Girl?

That's the $100,000.00 question.

Today I start my 12th week. So how do I celebrate? By doing the "wedding ring test."

What is the "wedding ring test" you ask? It's an old wives' tales that is supposed to tell you whether you are having a boy or a girl. This is how it is done:

• Using a piece of string or a strand of your hair, thread your wedding ring onto it
• Lie on your back
• Hang the suspended wedding ring over your belly, making sure it is completely still
• If your ring swings back and forth, you are having a boy
• If your ring spins in a circle, you are having a girl

So guess what my wedding ring did...

It swung to and fro. If all the old wives are correct, we are having a BOY.

However, keep in mind the following:

• According to the Chinese Gender Prediction Chart, it's a girl
• According to my dreams (which are pretty special), it's a girl
• According to the way I m carrying my weight, it's a girl

Stay tuned for the official results. We should have those in several weeks, maybe even before Christmas!

Snoogle v. Boppy

Sleeping is not easy these days. Using 3 pillows of various size and firmness, I'd build a wall behind me ensuring that I don't roll over during the night. Another 3 were placed either under my head or in front of my belly just for support. I sleep under two down quilts, so the weight of the quilts made changing sides during the night a chore. I'm sure you can imagine.

So Tuesday I visited Babies R Us for a body pillow and purchased a Boppy. See below.

I returned it Wednesday.

I bought the Snoogle on Wednesday. See below.

The Snoogle is better. Trust me.

Sweet, Syrupy Smell

My grandmother gave me a trial-size box of Fiber One Caramel Delight last night since she knows I need my fiber, especially now more than ever. So in the car this morning I ate some of it sans milk. It was good for a sweet cereal. It reminded me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but better for you since it has 9 grams of fiber. However, I am not a big fan of sweet cereals, so while it was good, I won't buy a full-size box.

I also won't be buying it because my right hand has smelled like sweet syrup all day. I am going crazy! My sense of smell is obviously heightened these days, but this is ridiculous! I have washed my hands more than a dozen times and the smell remains. I'm going to have to use my onion/garlic smell remover bar tonight when I get home. First thing. When I walk in the door. It really is driving me CRAZY!!!

Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub

We had our second doctor appointment this morning. Lots of blood was drawn, I got my first flu shot of my entire life, and we heard the baby's heartbeat. The latter being the coolest by far.

Our next appointment is December 18, the day before my dad's birthday. It would be so cool if we could find out the baby's sex that day, but I won't be upset if we don't.

Who Knew Such a Day Existed

So last night my Sweetie gets home before me. We usually carpool, but not yesterday. He had a dentist appointment first thing in the morning, so he drove himself to work. So anyway, he got home before me. With this in mind, I thought he could handle dinner. Steak. Potato. Salad. So I called him and asked if he would mind cooking. His response, "Why did you have to ruin my surprise?"

While I have the ability to dream about babies, I do not dream about food. (I daydream about food, but that's not the same thing.) And since my crystal ball wasn't working, how was I supposed to KNOW what he had in mind?

So anyway, we get into this stupid. stupid. stupid. fight. I hang up, but call back a few minutes later because I am still fuming. I can't believe he's mad at me for ruining his surprise. How was I supposed to KNOW?

So less than two minutes after the second phone call, I hear a radio ad for National Men Make Dinner Day. No joke! Apparently the first Thursday of every November is reserved for such a special event. I'll be sure to remember that next year, and the year after that, etc. Anyway, here is the website...

http://menmakedinnerday.com/home/index.php

So I call him for a third time and tell him about the radio ad. He chuckled. I forgave him.

Election Day Funnies

Just thought I'd share a couple of humorous conversations I have either (1) overheard or (2) been a part of in recent weeks. Before sharing though, let me preface this by saying that I respect your right to your political opinion, even if it is different than my own, and that these stories are not meant to polarize one party against the other. They are intended to make you laugh and even shake your head. Now for the stories:

This one was overheard at the "water cooler" at work: Woman tells man that she is voting for Obama because she "likes his wrists." She "likes the way they meet his hands," and that he reminds her of Abraham Lincoln. Now while I trust there are other reasons that she is voting for him, I hope his wrists were not the deciding factor. That is the equivalent of voting for the Senior class President because you like the way he looks in his letterman jacket. So vain, so irrational, and totally stupid. I would say the same if she were voting for McCain because she liked the way he parted his hair. And if I may also suggest, that part of the conversation should have been reserved for her girlfriends when she's had one martini too many. Seriously!

And the second story involves my mom and a woman she plays trivia with on Thursdays. I had joined them one night a few weeks ago, and like most conversations these days, the topic of the elections came up. The last presidential debate had been held the previous night, so Jane wanted to know my mom's opinions of how the debate went. Fair enough. However.... she prefaced it by saying, "I know you're Republican..." (For the record, let me state that my mom is NOT Republican, nor is she a Democrat. She votes with her head. Period. End of sentence.) So when my mom asked Jane why she thought she was Republican since they had never discussed politics before, Jane's response was "the size of your diamond in your wedding ring." Excuse me? Are you to suggest that only poor people are Democrat and Republicans are rich? What an absurd assessment of people in general.

Seriously folks, the polls just closed here in Georgia, and I hope you were able to do your civic duty without too much hassle. We waited for a little over two hours this morning, but it was worth it. If you happen to be in another time zone where your polls are still open and you haven't voted yet, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE. Happy voting!