Christmas Footage

As promised - the first encounter with Santa:


Christmas Morning Video:


Ross and Niki open gifts with her parents by phone:

39 weeks

39 weeks, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

I put Scott through a gruelling photo shoot last night because I was bound and determined to document the ninth month this time around. Never did get any good preggo shots last time around. This isn't the most lovely picture he took, but I had to keep it G-rated since this is a family-friendly blog.

Click Here for More G-Rated Photos of Me at 39 Weeks!

PS

Can anyone remember what is supposed to go in a hospital bag??

No News

Just a quick post to say that nothin's happened yet, in case you were wondering. We made it home from the holidays safely (though slowly - my aunt and uncle made it home from NoVA to upstate New York faster than we made it home from NoVA to Heathsville - normally a 2 hour drive). Things are starting to stir below the equator, however. Acccording to the Doc, I am begining to dialate and all that good stuff - which means absolutely nothing, except that this baby is planning to greet the world sometime in the next few weeks, and we already knew that. At least we've established that we're all on the same page. Now home, the amount of stuff that needs doing seems insurmountable. Maybe I'll start by packing a hospital bag.

Countdown

Assuming that she won't be late -

-Sorry, there are no prizes for correct guesses - just the glory of knowing you were right.

Anticipation

Three weeks until this chick hatches. I had my first under the hood check up Monday and there is NOTHING to report. Nada. Zilch. Which is fine by me. Funny thing about second babies. I'd be perfectly content to be pregnant for another nine months. If you can ignore my complaints about not being able to breathe, having my ribs bruised from within, indigestion, back pain, sleepiness accompanied by sleeplessness . . . well then I am really a chipper mother-to-be. Right now, she's well fed. Her diapering needs are all taken care of. She sleeps when she wants to. She never cries. I don't have to do anything and life can just continue on like it is - so long as she remains unhatched.

It's not like that the first time around when you are so excited you just want them to be born yesterday. I looked around my house and panicked because if I went into labor tonight my neighbor, who is designated middle-of-the-night emergency person, would discover my inner slob. And there was no gas in the car. Scott gave me a good talking-to about that. I don't have extra dog food, the crib is in pieces, my car needs detailing and, dammit, I need a haircut. I am JUST NOT READY. Which is exactly what concerns me. Murphy's law dictates that, were I completely prepared, I could guarantee at least another three weeks of pregnancy. Given the current state of my life, I'll be lucky to make it through Sunday.

For Women

I would like to dedicate this BBC video to all women who have ever dealt with a sick husband.

Ho, Ho, Who?

who are you?, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

I'm not sure who looks more concerned here, Santa or Sawyer. The photo shoot was going well until Sawyer turned around to take a look at the jolly ol' fella who was holding him. (Video coming).

The gathering was called "Breakfast with Santa." S.C. arrived by boat and we met Santa in a reception hall for a snack of donuts and orange juice. Scott and I ended up at a big round table by ourselves with Sawyer. Every place was already set with three mini-donuts and a small Dixie Cup of O.J. There were three kinds of donuts: cruellers, powdered and chocolate covered. Sawyer systematically made his way around the table and ate every single chocolate-covered donut available. Hopefully nobody else sat down after we left, but at least all the plates still looked identical!

Fruit and Flowers

4 years, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

Scott and I celebrated four years of matrimony on Wedneday. Four years doesn't sound like very long, considering that it seems like we've been together forever. I suppose the fact that we lived in sin for two years before getting married may skew things.

Since we got married around Thanksgiving, smack in between Scott's birthday and Christmas, we've always been rather low-key about the anniversaries. We decided from the get-go to always follow the traditional gift list. So, the first year we gave each other paper. I got a journal and Scott got a poster. The second year was cotton. Scott got a shirt and I got a scarf. The third year was leather. I got cowgirl boots and Scott got slippers. We were kinda moving up in the world as far as the gifts go.

And then, this year, the list threw us for a loop. Fruit and flowers is the traditional fourth anniversary gift. I tried to think of clever ways to get around that - Fruit of the Loom? Fruit Flavored? But, in the end, keeping it simple was, well, the simplest thing to do. So I got Scott flowers. And he got me a pointsetta (probably should have been the other way around, no?). And we made luxurious chocolate fondue and dipped strawberries and pears and bananas. And, you know what? It was perfect. So maybe that list knows what it's talking about. After four years (and almost two kids) this was just what we needed. A little bit of romance at home.

So happy anniversary to us.