27 & Still Has His Hair!

A Happy Birthday to the Doc. He is 27 today and he still has all his hair...unlike some other 27 year old I know (wink).

We actually celebrated on Monday because it is too hard during the week and we had baby class tonight. He is spoiled rotten by me. About a month ago he got an early birthday surprise when he came home and found the brand new X-Box 360 with the game Oblivion waiting for him. That was supposed to be his only birthday present but again - he is spoiled so I ended up having more surprises for him when he came home Monday (post call).

He got a gift card to Footlocker so he can get himself a new pair of sneakers (I won't even begin to describe the condition his are in now and horrible smell of death they have). He also got three new shirts (and surprisingly he like all three). And last, he got the new Tool CD. See spoiled!

To top it all off he got what everyone should get on their birthday....AN EFFIN' CAKE! I know I don't have to remind you of a certain person's birthday story last September when a certain someone had to make their own cake...but again the Doc is SPOILED!!

So Happy Birthday Doc and many more!

P. Sophie's A Baby Story: Bloody Nose & Too Much Candy

Friday was a very interesting day. I woke up with the Doc at 5:30am - we were lazy the night before and didn't get the trash together for trash day. The Doc left the house at ten to 6. As soon as he left the house it was time for me to get ready for work. I go into the bathroom and blow my nose - all of a sudden blood is gushing from my nose and I can't stop it. I ran to the door to see if the Doc was still there - he was gone. I panic. I have never had a bloody nose before (or if I did I was too young to remember) and so I had no idea what to do. Do I hold my head back? Do I hold it forward? It won't stop!! Finally I take a handful of tissues and just hold my nose tight. After about 5 minutes - it had stopped. I have not even the slightest idea what caused the bloody nose and thankfully it didn't happen again.

Later that day was our doctors appointment. The appointments are pretty much a waste of time except that we do get to listen to the baby's heartbeat each time. I show up, check in, wait then get called by the nurse who takes my blood pressure and weighs me (that's the FUN part). After that we go into the room where we wait for the Doctor. Since this is a group of OB/GYN's we usually see a different doctor each time. This time we saw Dr. Chen. In the appointment I get the same questions: "how are you feeling?" or "any problems?" Now it is time to talk about my weight. This time I added four pounds since my last appointment. Total weight gain has been a little over 20lbs so far. In my opinion that is not horrible. Unless I am having an "I feel disgusting" day I feel pretty good about my weight and don't feel like I look that big.

But it's a concern by the doctor's. I know why I have put on so much weight in the last eight weeks - it's the ice cream, water ice and candy (mostly the candy) that I can't stop eating! My eating habits are no different than before. I actually eat a more well balanced diet - well except for the daily candy and frequent trips between getting water ice and ice cream. I told Dr. Chen that I especially like M&M's because it's little pieces so when I have the munchies I can munch on those. He suggested (get ready to laugh) that maybe I substitute the M&M's for some carrot sticks. CARROT STICKS??!! Are you effin' kidding me?! Please explain to me how carrot sticks are even close to tasty chocolaty M&M's.

After I laughed at him - I told him that I would cut back on my sweets but I couldn't cut them out completely. The weird part is that I have never been a sweets person. Normally when I get the munchies I want something salty. Not now, though. I don't know what would be worse though...chowing on a couple M&M's or a bag of potato chips. I suppose it's not really that different.

So we have hit the 30 week mark and so that means we’ll be going to the Doctor’s every two weeks now. 30 weeks! Holy Crap! That means 7-10 weeks left. No more...if he hasn't made his arrival by the 8th - we're smoking him out! That is strictly because of the Doc’s new schedule. Right now he has a nice block of elective time for the two weeks before and two weeks after our due date. So if wait it out and he arrives too late – the Doc won’t be able to spend time with the little guy before he begins a two week rotation on the Cardiac Care Unit. I suppose we’ll have to see if the Doctor’s will be on our side for that. I never wanted to plan my baby’s arrival but I also don’t want the Doc to have only a couple days to adjust to a new baby in the house and being a Jr. Resident.

Trot's Changing Table?

Normally the cats don't climb up onto things that are high up in our house. We consider ourselves lucky for this. No cats on the counters, etc. So imagine my surprise when I went upstairs and saw my Trot asleep on the new changing table for the baby! Usually we just find him under the new crib.

Yesterday the Doc thought it would be funny to put him into the crib - I didn't have the camera - so there is not picture but he freaked out before too long anyway. It makes me feel safer knowing he wouldn't try to jump into the crib. I don't think they understand that this new "stuff" in the room is not for them!

Hooray Birthdays!

Birthday shout outs to Lucy (wife to I.A) and the Master. How weird that two friends would have share a birthday! And even though it isn't the BEST day of the year, because everyone knows that would be MY birthday, September 4th, but it is still a good day!

Anyway - A Very Happy Birthday to both of you!!!

Fraggle Rock - Complete First Season

I can't believe it! Fraggle Rock on DVD! I LOVED this show!!

Dance your cares away, (clap,clap)
Worries for another day.
Let the music play, (clap, clap)
Down at Fraggle Rock.

The Doc and I were at Best Buy tonight so that he could buy a new X-Box 360 game since he just beat Oblivion*. I always like to peruse the DVD section and saw this DVD!! The Doc was like - "YUCK! I HATED that show". ARGH! I am married to a Fraggle hater...I think that may be grounds for divorce (wink).

I know I am not alone here...who's with me? Who's a Fraggle lover?!

*oh yeah the Doc bought Perfect Dark as his next x-box game...

The Nursery - We Have Some Furniture!

Thanks to MIL, FIL and Grammy we have some baby furniture! We picked up two pieces this weekend, the Combo Changing Table/Dresser and the Crib. We chose to use Cherry as our furniture color because we thought it would look fabulous against the green wall and we were right!

It was a little adventure to get the furniture. We went to three Babies R Us stores. The first store in NJ didn't have the furniture pieces we wanted. So it was back to the Bensalem store (where we usually go). They had the changing table combo unit but not the crib so we were sent to Oxford Valley to get the crib and I was very impressed with how helpful everyone was at the Bensalem store. I think we'll skip NJ in the future!

The mattress and crib box fit nicely in the back seat of my 1996 Oldsmobile LSS (damn you GM for not manufacturing Olds anymore) and the changing table went into the trunk of the car. That box probably weighed about 150lbs and since I couldn't really help lift it - it was all on the Doc!

I found out yesterday that The Doc is the really He-Man Master of the Universe. Not only did he have to get all three things into the car - but he also had to get them out of the car and up the stairs to the second floor. Time for the fun part - putting them together! The crib was a piece of cake to put together. While I went to the supermarket - The Doc started to work on the crib and by the time I got back he was practically finished!

The changing table on the otherhand was a lot more involved. We ended up having to finish it today. But it is done! And we have entered the next phase in our nursery. It is really nice to walk by and not see an empty room!! The cats even had some fun.

They were very curious about what we were building in what used to be their room. They're in for an interesting surprise come August. I can't wait to see how they react to a new baby in the house. We have gotten a few stuffed toys as gifts which Trot and Drew thought were theirs! Looking forward to our shower so we can finish off the room!

P. Sophie's A Baby Story: Chocolate Cake

27 Weeks now and I am ready to be done with this. The fatter I get the more ready I am! Now you can add swollen ankles and fingers to the list! Sleeping on my left side isn't very comfortable either. My mattress has shrunk along with my belly button!

So where does the chocolate cake come into this story? Well while we were on vacation last week - all I wanted all week was a nice big piece of chocolate cake. I knew we would be heading to VA to visit Benny, Robyn and Maddie and so I would bring some cake there. We head to the local Giant supermarket in VA towards the bakery. NO Bakery?! NO Cake?! All they had in the teeniest supermarket bakery of all time was some bread and lame ass pastries.

I couldn't believe it. Pregnancy hormones took over and my eyes got a little watery (although if you ask the Doc he would tell you I cried right there in the supermarket - not true). I didn't cry but I was very disappointed that there was no cake. The Doc, being the nice guy he is, made it his mission after seeing how upset I was, to find me some chocolate cake. So off to the other Giant supermarket in town and lo and behold - CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! He even relented and got me ice cream to go with the cake. I have to say that Benny was pretty happy about cake too!

Now to gush about the new baby!! As you can see from the picture on the right she is a doll! At two weeks old, however, all she does really is eat, sleep and poop! But it was so fun to hold her. As you can see in the picture to the right she loves to watch her Red Sox Wally Mobile. In fact we loved that mobile so much that we had to add it to our registry!

We had such a blast hanging out with the new mom and dad. Robyn, Maddie, Charlie and I went out for lunch on Friday to Five Guys and then took a walk into the park. Maddie was so good she slept the whole time we were out! I hope Baby David will be as good! Seeing her and holding her made the Doc and I more anxious to meet our little guy! August can't come soon enough now! Until next time!

Kat over Chris??!!

OK I am super excited that Elliot didn't get the boot!! He has been my favorite throughout the show. But how in the hell did Kat manage to squeeze by??!! She was terrible this week and has been in previous weeks. So she makes it and Chris doesn't. I don't know about you - but I was hoping for an all male top three. Kat ruined it. How can people vote for her. She didn't even show off her knockers which would be good for some male votes I am sure. I think even she expected to go....this is why America shouldn't be trusted to vote!

I thought for sure Chris would be the winner (yes even though Elliot is my favorite) and now I guess it could be Taylor - which is weird but hopefully it will be bye bye for Kat next week.

Back to Work:

After a nice relaxing week off from work - it is time to go back. Oh well. Now I only have about 12 weeks or so before I go on maternity leave!

The Other David

Pictured here is my brother David. Not to be confused with the baby. Pictured with my brother is his girlfriend Krystal. Aren't they cute! Awwwwwww. They just got back from Miami on Sunday. I know lucky huh! It was brought to my attention that I had never posted any pictures of them and so here it is. During their visit - they spent some time at Universal Studios and at Busch Gardens. My brother who is 21 years old mind you - refused to go on any roller coaster until he was allowed to see the giraffes. I know what your thinking - what is he - 8 years old?! Apparently that didn't bother him. So they went to the Animal Zoo area of Busch Gardens and he was happy as a clam.

They like to drink - as you can see from the above picture. A tip for those planning on a trip to the amusement park...a lot of alcohol the night before = hung-over = queasy on the roller coasters. Let's just say that Back to the Future was not as fun as it may have been sober!

However probably the thing I am most jealous about is that my baby brother and his girlfriend got to meet the newest member of the Miami Dolphins. Quarterback extraordinaire Daunte Culpepper. Lucky! Pictured above is Krystal and Daunte. Apparently he took a liking to her! My brother was able to shake his hand but didn't bother to get his autograph for his big sister who loves football more than life itself. Thanks a lot bro! He said it would've been on a napkin and that would've been lame. Um hello, it wouldn't bother me how lame you look if it meant that I got an autograph! Ah well - a picture is much better anyway!

Glad that you guys had fun and hope this post makes up for the fact that I didn't return your call while you were vacationing!

The Nursery - Phase 2

Here we are at phase 2 of the soon to be nursery! As I mentioned before our plan was to take out the carpet and add a pergo floor. I suppose we kinda cheated on this part since we hired someone to do it. We figured the extra $250 bucks was worth knowing the job was done right!

The first picture is the before. We were able to knock $80 bucks off the price for taking the carpet off beforehand. It was kinda neat - I have never done anything like it. The next picture on the right is the mat that goes under the carpet. That was stapled to the floor - my job was to pull all the staples off the floor with a wrench! Fun! Now as you can see in the other pictures below the floor underneath the carpet was nasty!

Once the rug was completely off we just had to wait for the guys to come today. They arrived at about 11:30 and were finished in about an hour and 15 minutes. A job that would've (had we tried) taken us most of the day if not longer. We're not as skilled as Brian is when he tells Erica "It will ONLY take an hour"!

As you can see from the finished photo on the right - the room came out awesome! I am so happy we did this!!
The cost was a bit much but it looks so good it was worth every penny! The next phase will be the decorating! I'll have to wait a month for that though since that is when our baby shower is! For now I will enjoy my new floor!

And the Texans Take....Wait...What???!!!

They didn't take Reggie Bush or Matt Leinart...no instead they drafted some defensive end...

Yeah…because that is what will bring fans to the games. Now I know that they have a stud running back in Domanick Davis, who despite one of the worst offensive lines in the league still manages to run the ball well, but still it all comes down to bringing in the fans.

So don't take Reggie Bush then, but how about Matt Leinart. David Carr is not that great of a QB and so why not cut your losses with him and try someone new. Although I suppose in Daivd Carr’s defense it’s hard not to get sacked more times than Drew Bledsoe when your offensive line is non-existent.

And that brings me to my last point. So you think David Carr is your guy and you’re happy with Domanick Davis as your RB and so there is no place for a Reggie Bush or Matt Leinart, fine. Then how about using that precious first round pick and pick up an effin’ OFFENSIVE LINEMAN….

Um Hello.

On a side note - the Patriots with the 21st pick of the draft take RB Laurence Maroney of Minnesota. Guess that means Corey Dillon won't be worth a 1st or 2nd round pick in the fantasy football draft. Not sure I get it - but Belichick's picks are always bizarre like that and for some reason they always seem to work out in the end (look at Tom Brady - 6th Round QB STUD!). Well I suppose they weren't going to draft a kicker in the first round...(wink).

It's a Girl!

Welcome to the world Baby Madelyn - born April 21, 2006 at 8:26pm. Weighing in at a 9lbs 7ozs and 21 inches long! All I have to say is Robyn is my hero! Mom and Dad are both well.

Congrats to Benny and Robyn and their newest addition!

P. Sophie's A Baby Story: 24 Weeks!

6 months! I can't believe it sometimes. Baby David has been using my uterus as a playground and my bladder as a trampoline. His kicks are now strong enough for people to feel. It's pretty much the coolest thing ever!

Next week I will have my glucose tolerance test. Basically that means that I have to drink this liquid that reminds me of extra concentrated orange soda and then they test to see how the body reacts to it. Mmmmm...Yummy...I know you're all jealous.

Right now we're just waiting for the big news from Benny and Robyn. In one week (cross your fingers) Baby Maddie will make her entrance into the world. Good Luck to all three of you!!

Celebrity Name Game:

Gwenyth Paltrow and husband Chris Martin (lead singer for Coldplay - for those who don't know) welcomed a baby boy over the weekend. In a surprising change from using fruits to assist in the naming of their child they turned to the bible. His name - Moses Martin.

What is the deal with this celebrity name game? Apple, Coco Riley, Moxie Crimefighter (I wish I were joking) and Banjo are just some of the weird names that celebrities have used to name their children...what ever happened to Mary or Mark?

I wonder if the Doc and I are boring choosing David for our baby's name. Thoughts? Comments or am I alone thinking that it is weird.

Birthday Shout Out Philly Style:

~Happy Birthday~


Happy Birthday to the bald one...and at 27!! When you just gonna get the courage and shave what's left of it off? I suppose I can't talk I am not even 27 yet and I have at least four distinct gray hairs....but you were balding in highschool. Your Old!

An A.I. Post:

Ok so yeah - I watch American Idol. I am not even ashamed to admit it...I am, however, ashamed by the voting that has taken place each week?! How is that Bucky has managed to survive week after week?! Or Ace for that matter (well OK I guess Ace is pretty so that is probably how he's doing it)?! I am also annoyed at how boring the last two weeks have been. The best singers are in the bottom three each week. WTF??

The last straw for me was when I read that my most favorite contestant Elliott Yamin was almost eliminated. I know he has bad teeth but he can really sing and he makes my heart melt each week (if only he didn't look like a dear in the headlights when he sings).I know the song selections have been boring and down right terrible but still the point of the show is to find the best singer!!

If you recall last year I boycotted the season when my favorite contestant Nikko Smith was voted off, and I am afraid I may have to do it again. I don't understand...why Bucky and why Ace? What do you people see in them???!!! Looks like the show will be left with a redneck, a pretty boy and a dumb blonde. I didn't realize that I was watching a soon to be rip off of The Simple Life....

P. Sophie's A Baby Story: Week 22

Halfway there! I can't believe how fast it is going by and yet it still seems so far away. Here are the updates at 22 weeks. I had my doctor's appointment on Friday, what a waste of time. It took me longer to get there then I actually spent in the office. They say Hi, check the baby's heart beat and measure the belly. So far so good, though. I suppose it is reassuring to hear the heart beat.

Apparently to strangers – I look as though I am having twins. When they ask me how far along I am and I tell them 5 months they say “Wow! Your belly is so big – is it twins?” And when I tell them no, they say, “Are you sure?” Yeah I am sure! I was all set to get a picture of my giant belly to post and my digital camera broke. I thought it was the batteries but it wasn’t – it just won’t turn on, I have no idea what is wrong with it…oh well.

My mother and sister-in-law flew in this weekend. We went to a couple of baby stores to look at baby furniture. It’s so exciting! We also showed them the cute baby stuff that we registered for at Babies “R” Us. Baby stuff is so little and cute…I can’t wait to shop for stuff!

Last night was another milestone. I have felt the baby moving now for about two weeks, now and it’s really cool. Usually I feel him at night right before bedtime. Last night, though, was the first time The Doc was able to feel him. His kicks have gotten stronger over the last week.

Well until next time…

P.F. Chang's and a Sprained Ankle:

This weekend we are in VA visiting Benny and Robyn, mostly Robyn since Benny was on call yesterday. The Doc and I Left Friday afternoon and the drive was less than perfect - my nerves were shot. Three WOMEN drivers almost merged into us (three different times of course); all who were talking on their cell phones. One of the ladies was driving right next to us - so it wasn't like we were in her blind spot - she just didn't look over she just began her lane change. These are the women that give the rest of us a bad name. Anyway back to my story.

My nerves are shot and I have to pee so bad it hurts because The Doc refused pit stops - he was trying to make it before any major traffic jams. All I want to do when we arrive is pee and figure out where to eat dinner! Benny suggested P.F. Chang's which was recommended by another friend of mine and it's Chinese so you don't have to pull the Doc's arm. We were in.

The dinner was fantastic!! I got Kung Pao Scallops, the Doc got Chang's Spicy Chicken, Robyn got Chicken with Black Bean Sauce and Benny went with the Mongolian Beef. It was so yummy. The atmosphere was really great and the prices were more reasonable than I had expected. I can see why so many people like to eat there

Moving on - we paid our bill and started walking back to the car and talking about how great our dinners were when BAM - I am lying on the asphalt fetal position grabbing my ankle. I tripped over a large rock - my ankle buckled to the right and then to the left which is when I fell using my left arm to break my fall. As the Doc came running over to see what happened Benny tries searching for this "BIG" rock I just tripped over. Turns out it was teeny tiny wood chip. Oh yeah - I must have stepped on it just right that it rolled and caused my fall.

Thankfully I was in great company - two Doc's and a Nurse. Nothing was broken; (although it felt like it was) just a minor sprain. It all happened so fast but somehow I managed not to land on my belly (using my left arm instead). My only thoughts as I fell were premature labor....WAY TOO EARLY for little David to be born. Well long story short baby David and I had a little too much stress for my comfort and since I was OK - we can all laugh about it now. My pride, however, took a huge hit when Benny broke the news that it was not a GIGANTIC rock as I had thought. What??!! I tripped over a wood chip....

Yesterday was spent walking around DC all day with a very pregnant Robyn (36 weeks on Tuesday) and the Doc - who enjoyed to comment on all the wood chips that I may trip over. The Doc cracked his jokes like, "Oh I don't know if we should walk over there - I saw some twigs." Ha Ha. It wasn't too cold, however, it was the start of the Cherry Festival and since it was still a little too cold last week - many were just starting to blossom. Oh well it was still a great weekend, fall and all. Today when Benny gets home from call we'll finish it off with the best burger of all time at Five Guys.

WTF???

Uh....can someone please explain this to me??!!

Vinatieri Goes to Indy??!!! I am at a loss for words....so I will just post a blurb from the article that broke the disturbing news....

Vinatieri, who twice hit winning kicks in the Super Bowl for the Patriots, replaces former Pro Bowl kicker Mike Vanderjagt. The deal was announced on the team's Web site, though terms weren't immediately available. Messages left with the Patriots and agents for Vinatieri weren't immediately returned.

The Patriots allowed Vinatieri to test free agency rather than putting a franchise designation on him, which would have cost the team $3 million next season

First Johnny Damon goes to the Yankmes and now this??!!! Apparently the Pats don't need the most clutch kicker in the league....ARGHHHHHHHH*!!!!

*That is me screaming really loud and pulling my hair out.