holiday observations

1. Right before Josh and I met, I got E. Coli from a turkey that had been left out all night by a hostess that then served it to her guests. Apparently, several people thought it tasted "funny" but didn't mention it out loud, so I ended up being the one that consumed the most at the party. I spent the next 5 days slumped on the bathroom floor begging my grandmother not to call an ambulance, slipping in and out of delirium due to the crazy high fever and vomiting. I lost 11 pounds in 4 days. So perhaps Josh should lend me some credence when I ask him to ask his mother not to leave the turkey out all night on the front porch instead of in the refrigerator? Perhaps his response shouldn't just be "well, it's colder outside than it is in the fridge."

2. I am apparently also overreacting about eating undercooked stuffing that was baked inside of the undercooked turkey that was left outside all night long.

3. Black Friday at the outlets is not bad at all, at least not at the outlets in the Berkshires. We were able to run in and out of stores with no problems at all, short lines, no waiting. The only exception was the Gap Outlet, but the line still moved expeditiously. And I was able to find a diaper bag on super duper 50% off clearance at Coach! I'm not 110% sure that this is the one for me, but I do think it is pretty cute.

4. Last night after work, Josh and I went out for roasted artichokes and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. Sitting at our table, with not a care in the world, discussing everything from his final classes, to the stroller that we are coveting, felt like a delicious indulgence. Josh would reach over every so often to feel the baby's kicks and hiccups, as we munched away on carrot cake (my new craving) and cheesecake for him. This is what you meant by plan some dates together now while we still have time, huh?

5. I don't want to jinx myself, but I think that you aren't supposed to feel this good at 36 and a half weeks, are you? I sleep through the night like the dead, rarely getting up to pee. The acid reflux has dwindled to a bare minimum, and except for the dull ache in my pelvic bone and the occasional kicks to internal organs, I feel fantastic. Tons of energy, and no problems moving around. I spent an hour outside on Sunday afternoon planting tulips that we'd purchased in Amsterdam that I'd forgotten about until then. You're sure that I'll want this pregnancy to be over at some point, right? The only thing that keeps me from wanting to be pregnant forever, is that I'm tired of being weighed and tired of STILL GAINING WEIGHT. I thought it was supposed to stop in the last month, but maybe the carrot cake is doing me in.

6. I am, however, tired of the kitchen remodel. Everything needs to just be done ALREADY. The only benefit to my lack of patience has been the ease with which I make decisions these days. Normally, I'd spend an hour and 4 trips to the store pondering the different types of cabinet hardware there are, but these days I walk in and out. I picked a sink in 20 minutes, a faucet in 5. Lights? One look through a catalog and I was done. Cabinet hardware on sale? Perfect. Now, if only everything could be that easy. I'll fail to mention that picking a play pen/pack and play for this baby took me 3 hours.

7. Ninotchka asked in the last post whether I'm still working, and I am. The plan is to keep working until I give birth, unless something happens to change things. My doctor has threatened a couple of times that working until 9pm every night is allegedly "not ok", but we'll just have to see what happens.

8. I hope all of your Thanksgivings were great!