Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot...

Happy New Years Eve! It will be a quiet night for me and Andrew, as I'm still fighting fatigue and can't stay up much past 11pm anyway. I was hoping to have a glass of champagne tonight, but due to the driving snowstorm, I didn't stop to pick some up on my way home. If Andrew doesn't stop either, I'll just have to have a glass another time!

Yeah... about that snowstorm. It took me an hour and a half to get home. That's no record, but it's still extremely frustrating. The snow is pretty though, and it's covering up the nasty dirty snow that was left over from the last storm.

So have a happy new year everyone! Stay safe and warm!

strangely at peace...

Did someone spike my coffee with Valium this morning? I'm strangely okay with the Pats being out the playoffs. I'm even okay with the fact that Brady might not be back next season - as long as we keep Cassel, and I'm outwardly laughing at Mangini getting fired. Freaking Jets cannot do anything correctly. Okay, maybe I'd be laughing at Mangini without the suspect coffee.

I don't understand the point of the divisions in the NFL

I know why the Patriots have a better record than some teams going to the playoffs, but I think it's a terrible way to decide who is going to the post season. Almost as stupid as deciding the college championship game.

There's a minute and forty four seconds left in the 1st quarter. And its been a whole lot of wind and not a whole lot of scoring. 3-0 Pats right now. Lets hope we stay ahead for the remainder of the game.

As you can see by the ticker on the top of my blog, I'll be finishing up grad school in a few months. It's been a long and difficult road, and I'm buying myself a graduation present in May. What I want retails for about $799 (see here and image below)

It's a Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black). Which means that $634 will get you a really nice camera with an attachable zoom lens. But let's face it, I probably will not be able to afford that. The XSi is the top of the line, but there's also the XTi which retails for $699 and be currently purchased for $529 on Amazon, and the XT which retails for $599, but can be found on Amazon for $549. That last price leaves me scratching my head, you could get the XTi, which retails for $100 MORE than the XT but can currently be purchased for $20 less than the XT. Riddle me that. So while I would love the XSi, it will have to depend on what the prices on Amazon are when I go to make my purchase. If they remain similar to what they are now, I'll get the XTi. So that's my HAPPY GRADUATION present to Meghan from Meghan with love. It doesn't make the past 4 years worth it, but since I can't have my all you can drink Margarita party of 1 on my gradation day, it will have to suffice.

and it's over...

All of our holiday celebrations are over. Time to rest up for about 9 months before it starts again! Most of our presents are put away now - thanks to a small scare we had about losing a gift certificate... 30 minutes, 2 frantic phone calls, 1 car ripped apart, and the decimation of every piece of gift wrapping in the house later, it was located at my parents' house. THANK GOD. We got a lot of nice things and for the most part people seemed to like what we gave them.

Now we focus on..... nothing. There's nothing exciting going on in our lives until the middle of May when we both finish up our semesters and graduate. Then there's the whole arrival of the baby. Actually, January and February weekends will be spent doing things we need to get done before the baby arrives including cleaning out his bedroom, getting rid of some furniture, buying more furniture, cleaning out the attic, and other fun things like that. Not as much fun as skiing, but I guess the baby has to sleep somewhere. And in something other than a cardboard box.

So that's our life right now, a whole lot of nothing for the foreseeable future. If you have any bright ideas on what we can do to entertain ourselves, leave some suggestions!

Merry Christmas!

I hope Santa was good to everyone this year, and everyone has made it through the holidays without too much stress. Because let's face it, Christmas can be really fun but also really stressful. I've had a really nice Christmas morning so far, and I hope everyone else has too! Andrew must have been getting sick of being my car starter on the really cold mornings because I got a remote starter! Yay! Toys for grown ups are so much fun. Andrew is currently rocking out to Guitar Hero World Tour, so I think we are both pretty happy. Next year Santa is coming to our house with a boatload of toys and noise so we are taking advantage of the quiet Christmas while we can.

Have a wonderful day!

37 hours of snow

Well, it really was a Winter Wonderland from 2pm Friday afternoon through 3am Sunday morning. I don't know the official snow amounts, but I'd say my area got in the 1.5 foot range. It's kind of hard to tell because the wind created some pretty big snow drifts. It was a crazy storm - it just wouldn't end. It must have been powered by the Energizer Bunny, because it literally kept going and going and going.... I enjoyed the storm. I really do like snow, and in December I'm not sick of it yet. It was another slap in the face, reminding me that I can't ski this winter, but I'm starting to accept that (okay, no I'm not, but I try to tell myself that I am)

These pictures were taken about 2:30 on Friday afternoon. It looks like any other dusting of snow.


Then we fast forward about an hour and a half to 4pm

You can see the plow has already been through. The plowing company would return many many times.

Now we fast forward again, this time a few hours to about 7pm. Andrew and I went outside to see what we could see (and also to take the trash out). We waked around the complex a bit, and by that time, the snow was halfway to my knees - or depending on where we were walking, all the way up to my knees.
And then we went inside and watched Fellowship of the Ring, and watched the snow fall from inside. The next morning, around 9:00ish we went outside to clean off the cars and move them to already plowed sots. I had to shovel my way around the car before I could get near enough to it to get off the snow.
And this morning about 8:30, 5 hours after it had finally stopped snowing, I took these pictures of the total snowfall. We might get more snow later tonight, some stations are saying wintry mix and some are saying straight snow. We'll have to wait and see!

curfew

Did you have a curfew when you were younger? I did - and I'm slightly embarrassed to tell you how early I had to come home when I was in high school. Although I never ever gave them any reason to not trust me (in high school, anyway) my parents apparently didn't trust me as far as they could throw me. All 4 years of high school I had to be HOME by 10:00. Unless I was with a boy - then I had to be home by 11:00. Have I left you scratching your head trying to figure that one out? Well let me know if you find the logic, I never could.

Having such an early curfew was almost dangerous. On more than one occasion, I'd be going down Rt 3 from somewhere on the south shore (usually the Hanover area) going as fast that that van could go so I could be home as close to 10pm as possible. There was just nothing safe about that scenario. Of course, you have to remember I didn't have a cell phone, as teenagers do now, so I couldn't call my mother and tell her that I was on my way home and I'd be there at 10:15.

I remember one night quite clearly, I was out with my boyfriend and we were at his friends house with a whole bunch of other kids. We weren't in the same room, I was hanging out with the girls in one room, he was with the guys in another room. I had to be home by 11 (which is humiliating when you are out with a whole bunch of people you don't know) and he came in to the room I was in at about 10:50 with NO PANTS ON! I kid you not, he had his boxers, a shirt, and nothing else. I never found out what the boys were doing that night, but it apparently did not require pants. We had a conversation similar to this:

Me: Um... you don't have any pants on
Boyfriend: nope. Don't know where they went
Me: Do you see how I have to be home in 10 minutes and we are about 20 minutes away from my house?
Boyfriend: I can drive like this
Me: You cannot drive me home with no pants on
Boyfriend: why not?
Me: Because I SAID SO, and also, what if your car breaks down and my father has to come get us?
Boyfriend: ....

that was him saying nothing as he bolted out the door to find some pants. I don't think I made it home by 11 that night, but I'm sure everyone was better off for it.

In college, when I was home for the summer, my curfew extended to about midnight. That ended up with the same scenario: me going about 100mph, trying to get home by midnight. That lasted one summer, and then my mother started spending the summers down the cape and I was free. Thus, the era of Meghan's curfew was over.

I still do not believe that strict curfews are safe. Now that the technology exists, I'd rather tell my children they have to be on their way home by a certain time, but not impose a specific time they have to be walking in the door. I'll have about a million different ways to check up on them and make sure they are really on their way home, so I guess I have it easier than my parents did.

I can promise you, my daughter will not get to stay out LATER when she's with a boy than when she's with her girl friend!

Introducing....

This has been a big baby week in the OG household. I don't think we'll have another week this baby intensive until week 18ish when our Big Ultrasound will take place and we can determine the sex. Maybe. I'm still not sure which way I lean on that issue - I understand both the "there are so few surprises in life, let this be a surprise" and the "it's just as big a surprise at week 20 than it is at week 40". And if we do decide to find out, that doesn't necessarily mean that Baby will cooperate with us. But, regardless, that will be the next Big Baby Week.

As you read, we heard the heartbeat on Wednesday. That was cool. Up until then, we had no real proof (other than the 4 HPTs that I took) that I was getting sick and craving cheeseburgers for any real reason. But then once we heard that crazy fast heartbeat, we knew that SOMETHING was alive in there.

But on Friday, I had an ultrasound (finally!). The point of the ultrasound was technically to determine what the probability of having a baby with Down's Syndrome is going to be. I'm not particualy concerned with that, if the baby has Down's then that's the way it's going to be. I really got the ultrasound just to get an ultrasound to see this baby! And on Friday afternoon, Andrew and I traveled to Brookline (via Roxbury.... thanks Garmin) to see what the little parasite looks like. I have to say, seeing an actual BABY on the screen was slightly overpowering. There is an actual human in there! Granted, he's only 2 inches long and doesn't really have brain power yet, but he's in there.

Here we go

If you would like to see Baby in his Christmas finery, please go to Andrew's facebook page :)

freakishly real

I had an appointment today with my overly friendly OBGYN. At the practice I go to, you see midwives more than you see doctors, so this is the first time I met the doctor. She is crazy peppy and happy to be alive. Which I guess is good for an OBGYN, you certainly wouldn't want a Debbie Downer seeing your pregnancy through the end.

One of the first things she said to me was something along the lines of "so you're far enough along to determine the 'glow' of pregnancy is a myth, probably made up by men who have never been pregnant?". Yes..... yes I am. And I came to that realization about six weeks ago when I first spent my morning vomiting up bile. Disgusting? Yes. Oversharing? Yes, but I could care less. It sucks.

There is nothing natural about pregnancy. The women who say they love being pregnant are either on Prozac, or lying to themselves. There is nothing natural about throwing up every morning. There is nothing natural about feel nauseous all day. There is nothing natural about having an intense desire for cheeseburgers. There is nothing natural about uncontrollable weight gain. And there is nothing natural about your face breaking out like a 16 year old. And not the Miley Cyrus version of 16 year olds. There is certainly nothing natural about not being able to eat deli meats, soft cheese, or have A SIP OF BEER!!

Luckily for me, since I'm so short I really need to gain closer to 25 pounds. Great.... I've already gained about 6. And I still have 28 weeks to go.

All that being said (and let me reiterate for those of you who still don't get it: I don't love being pregnant), I really am excited about the baby. You know, once this whole pregnancy thing is OVER. I know I don't have it as bad as some other women, for which I am supremely greatful.
And I am looking forward to the end result (also looking forward to some Sam Summer!). Hearing the heartbeat today was so cool. I hadn't heard it yet and my first is Friday, so this is the first time we've actually had proof that this little parasite is real!

So little parasite, keep on with the beating heart and don't resent your mother because she hates being pregnant :)

Let it snow!

As I write this, it's snowing outside my window. I don't think we'll get much more than an inch (though I haven't seen any forecasts, but I would have heard if we were getting more), but it's really pretty. Because it's still darkish due to the snow, I turned on the Christmas tree lights and the lights we strung up around the picture window, and our window candles. It's a really pretty sight, with the snow falling.

I'm almost starting to be in the Christmas spirit. As of Wednesday, I will be done with this semester which means I'll get about 2 weeks of peace before the holiday. If it could snow ever Sunday, that would be fantastic.

Keeping on my nostalgia theme, yesterday Katie and I found ourselves back in the SAC. The pub was closed but we went to the cafeteria. Sitting at a round table at Davison (yes, we picked a round table even though there was only going to be 2 of us, not 12 of us... old habits die hard) just brought back so many great memories. And the french fries were as good as I remembered.

Pow! Boom! Smack!

Nostalgia creeped up on me last night and smacked me right in the face. I was driving home from school (going about 80 since we were kept late. I tried to make up for lost time), and flipping through the stations when all of the sudden I received a nice right hook across my cheek. Damn nostalgia!

I hear Justin Timberlake in his pre "I'm the sexiest man in the world" days (you remember that - when he had all that curly hair, and he and Britney made the cuuuuuuutest couple?) and I was hooked. When do you hear N*sync on the radio these days? Never! And this wasn't ANY N*Sync song.... this was God Must Have Spent!

Your love is like a river
peaceful and deep
Your soul like a secret
That I never could keep.

Pure poetry from a bunch of post adolescent boys whose songs and lyrics were written for them. But - not only is God Must Have Spent a mastery of harmony, but there is also an easy to learn dance (by "dance" I mean "hand motions") that MUST be done when the song is on, even if you are barreling down the Southern Exressway dodging around cars who aren't going the appropriate speed (the aforementioned 80).

Its when I was jamming to that Grammy worthy ballad that nostalgia cought me off guard. All of the sudden it was the 2000/2001 school year at Saint Anselm College. While sophomore year had its ups and downs, I'm far enough out now to mainly remember the ups. Like how Jenn and I had a poster of Eminem (wearing his sexy baby blue runing suit) that would never stay on the wall, no matter how much tape we used. And standing outside St. Mary's in the middle of the night because boys weren't even allowed to come into the Foyer (laaaaaame). The cleaning lady who walked into Jenn and my room on the morning of a snow day and Jenn pretty much had to jump out of bed and chase her out (I think she died soon after...) and me and Katie going out to play on the Quad during a huge snowstorm and Andrew and Ian met us there. We looked like kids playing in the snow, but damn, it was fun.

Sadly, I went to college before people had digital cameras (hell, I went to college before most people had cell phones) and I've lost almost every picture of college that I had (and I had a lot). I still have a few, but they are in a frame in my hallway. I'm insanely jealous of the kids who can save all their college memories on their computers - I certainly I wish I could pull some up right now!

Am I grown up?

I've been exchanging messages with an old friend from childhood. She mentioned how I was all grown up, but she isn't (we are a year apart). Am I grown up? I don't feel like I am.

Yes, I'm married, almost done with grad school, worry about the state of my retirement accounts, pay a mortgage every month, and I'm going to have a baby. But really, does that make me grown up? Any 14 year old can have a baby (Ask Jamie Lynn Spears...). Anyone with enough cash can pay a mortgage. Why does that make me grown up? I have the maturity of a 12 year old. I have the attention span of a cocker spaniel. That would indicate I'm not really grown up. I'm beyond excited that Rudolph is on tomorrow night. Just like when I was 7.

So I don't think I'm grown up. I think that my life may seem a little more put together than some other people's lives seem, but that's just because I've done what you are "supposed" to do. You are "supposed" to get older, go to college, get a job, settle down and get married, and have a child. I threw in grad school just so I could perfect the yuppie image I seem to have going. But that doesn't make me more grown up than someone else who decided to throw that traditional plan out the window and go to grad school for 10 years or travel the world or swear not to get married until age 35. Maybe I'm traditional, maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'm not grown up.

Swearsies.