Tank of Redemption? No.

Well, it appears that although we are good at repopulating the tank of death, we are still quite inept at keeping its inhabitants alive. We've seen a number of deaths over the past couple weeks - not sure what is going on. It's like we have a tank full of celebrities and it's Summer 2009.

Some of our fish have survived, so we'll keep trying. We named our algae eater that sucks up all the algae Dyson. We also have a few black fish with rhythm that are survivors so I call each of them Fishy Cent. Other than that, I'm trying not to get too attached.

Hey, so here's a fun thing that some of my fellow pregnant broads with blogs are doing - it's a pregnancy survey. I thought I'd give it a shot.

How far along? Started my 29th week today!

Total weight gain/loss: None of your damn business. Are you kidding me? Eff that.

Maternity clothes? Yes. Mostly everything I wear now, although I do have one dress and a couple tops from my pre-pregnant life that still kind of work.

Stretch marks? Haven't spotted any of these guys yet.

Sleep: That would be great. Wait - what were we talking about? Actually I'm ok with sleeping right now in my nest of pillows. I snuggle down ensconced between body pillows on both sides and two pillows below my head, and I tend to migrate more and more towards the middle of the bed with my army of pillows, requiring Gavin to cede more and more territory. Sometimes, as I'm getting up 12 times a night to go to the bathroom, I look over to see Gavin teetering precariously on his little sliver of bed. Aww.

Best moment this week: Getting the crib set up with the mattress and the bedding, washing all the clothes I have so far and putting them away, and continuing to set up the nursery. I'll post pictures soon, I promise!

Movement: The Burby has been kicking like she owns the place. She definitely perks up riiiight around the time we are all snuggled up in bed and ready to go to sleep. She's clearly a night owl. A party animal. Destined for a dance floor somewhere. I have no idea where she got this, since I've always been so demure.... I think she'd be cute with a little tiny tambourine.

Food cravings: Poached eggs for breakfast, and at night - frosted lemon squares. It's frustrating because I want them but I have none and it's not like it's something I can just send Gavin out to pick up. I'd have to actually bake them to satisfy this particular desire, and so far I haven't gotten that desperate. I think it may happen tomorrow though.

Labor Signs: None, thank goodness. This one is stupid.

Belly Button in or out? Outer than Perez Hilton.

What I miss: Drinking alcohol, sleeping on my stomach, being able to buy and wear the cute clothes I pass in the store on my way to the maternity section, cold (real) beer.

What I am looking forward to: Showers. Hells to the yes. Also, announcing the name, and the moment after I completely pop this puppy out.

Milestone: Hitting the third trimester, getting our furniture, and finally getting on track with the nursery.

Well that was fun. I seriously will take some pics of the nursery tonight and post them tomorrow.... I know so many of you are losing sleep wondering what it looks like at this very moment. I'll probably also post some pics next week of my pregnant self, since folks have been asking.

Maddie and Sugarbear are doing well, sweet as ever, probably wondering WTF is going on in the back room with all the new stuff. They probably think it's all for them. Oh Maddie and Sugs....

See you later!

Moving On.

(Not our actual fish tank, but a reasonable approximation from google images)

So this weekend we decided to forge ahead and proliferate a new fish community in Scarface’s former habitat. At first I was a little hesitant, like I felt it might be too soon, but life goes on. So now, instead of having just one big honkin’ cranky fish, we have a bunch of tiny, colorful, agreeable, community-oriented tropical fish that swim around in schools and live together in harmony, plus one algae eater that sticks to the side of the tank. It’s great. I also like how, when they die, we can just purchase a few replacements with a five-dollar bill and call it a day. Our tank is pretty big, so I think we’ll add a few new residents here and there. It’ll be a whole thing.

Other than that, we had a very productive nesting weekend… Gavin put the crib together with minimal frustration, and we finally found some nursery furniture in our price range that will fit the room and meet our needs as far as space and function. Trust me – this is harder than it sounds. Furniture, like actual furniture that you don’t inherit from your parents or grandparents, is expensive and with so many options, it’s hard to choose sometimes. Who knew?

I’ve also been baking a lot. I never really baked much before I was pregnant, but now I’m like… mmm brownies/cupcakes/cookies/random bake-able treat….. that’s happening tonight. Then I realize I can’t keep them in the house or I’ll eat them all so I endeavor to give them away. Last night I baked some chocolate chip caramel cookie bars. They were really good – even Gavin, who doesn’t really have a sweet tooth, wolfed one down. Note that I have made no attempt to divest myself of these.

So that’s about it for our weekend – hope everyone else had a great one!

Scarface Burgess (b. Circa 2003 – d. 2009)

Well I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I regret to inform you that our longtime fish companion, Scarface Burgess, perished last week at the age of 6, from an unknown fish disease.

Scarfy was a South African Cichlid, also known as an Oscar. We got him a little over 4 years ago from a friend who could no longer take care of him, when he was about a year old. He was smaller then. He grew to be pretty big, and people thought he was a grouper, living right there in our living room. He was a great conversation starter.

The fact is, Scarfy and I had a bit of a rocky relationship. He could be sweet and conversant at times, but usually he was just moody and difficult, making sarcastic comments or dramatically whipping himself around as I walked by to avoid making any eye contact.

Truthfully, our falling out began when he ate the face off Sugar Ray, one of the other two fish we had in the tank. That really stuck in my craw. I then had to remove the surviving fish and take him to work, where I accidentally dumped sprite in his bowl, which may have killed him, since he died not long after that. I know that was my fault but I kind of blamed Scarf for that death too.

But over the years I will say that we forged a grudging mutual respect. He was with us through three different residences, was a good fish, a real character, and we’ll miss him. So Scarface, this O’Doul’s is for you.

Happy AnniversaWii... and other updates

Ok, first things first. Yes, it's been a while since I've updated. A long time. I know. Ice ages have come and gone since the last time I updated this blog. I get it. No excuses! The good news is I've got lots to bloviate about.

First of all, last week, Gav turned 30 and the very next day, we had our 5th wedding anniversary! We kind of thought of this as our first "milestone" anniversary other than the 1st, so we decided to purchase each other a traditional anniversary gift: a family Wii that we shall pass down through the generations. Really, we've been wanting one for about 8 months now so we went for it. Yayyyy wii! We love to play bowling and golf the most.

Second, folks, I keep getting pregnanter. I'm pretty large and in charge these days. I hear this is to be expected but it still manages to come as a shock to me. Frankly, aside from the fact that you get a baby at the end, there aren't that many perks to the actual state of being knocked up. But there are a few things here and there that comprise a silver lining.

For example, and this may be my favorite, when you're pregs, people will bring you food, no questions asked. Sometimes you don't even have to ask for it. Niiiiiice. Another is that people just magically get out of your way, holding doors, giving up seats, like you're an explosive about to go off, and they need to clear the area fast.

Yet another perk - showers! My best pals from college threw one for me and two of my other friends a couple weeks ago in Auburn, the greatest place ever. I hadn't been there in a few years, and let me just tell you they have sunk a fortune into that place since my last visit. There are a ton of brand new dorms and buildings and the campus, which has always been beautiful, has been taken to a completely new level. I was so proud. I also cleared some excellent loot. Here are some pics. I deliberately chose ones where I look a little less huge than I do in reality.

The whole gang! I hate being on the end - I never know what to do with my arms.

Partial group picture at Amsterdam's for lunch....

Me opening one of my many SUPER cute gifts. I so love anything with furry ears, animals, clothes, etc.

The three moms-to-be showing off the new Auburn gear. Thanks Aunt April!

Me and my old roomie Susan.

Another perk - boobs. It's true. I've always been a little on the diminutive side when it came to my chesticles, so this is a welcome development. Hells to the yes.

Hmmm what else.... random stuff. I have a new favorite word: kerfuffle. I realized that I hate Teen Jeopardy and that it essentially fracks up my whole week when the teen tournament is on. Same for Kids Jeopardy. Children have no business being on Jeopardy. (I'm going to be such a great mom.)

Well that should pretty much bring you up to speed! I promise not to leave my faithful blog readership hanging like that ever again. It' s not fair to either of you, mom and dad. I'll do better. Lata!