Metal Meredith

Or, as my father likes to say, my 35th year on the planet. Yep. It is true.

I suppose at some point I should start acting like everyone else I know and really trying to feel the sting of getting older. I am not sure why it doesn’t bother me like it does some other friends of mine. Maybe there just wasn’t a lot to hold on to in the past. I like thinking ahead and figuring out what could be around the bend much better than sulking about what I miss from before.

With that said, I can’t remember last year’s celebration. I suppose I could go back in the blog and see what I did, but I imagine it is a lot like today. I woke up to a balloon and a tiara from Vivienne. We went downstairs and had mini cupcakes that she picked out (excitedly) from the store last night with Phil. Phil sang while Vivienne looked on in shyness. She sings non-stop on a daily basis. But when it counts she freezes all up.

Vivienne gave me a giant Hershey bar, some mint chocolate candy and Mint Milano cookies. Phil gave me a book and a personal organizer. I am still deciding on whether or not that was a dig or if he is trying to tell me something. Most importantly, is has an “agenda” area. When I get one, I will know right where to record it.

We will surely go to the fair this weekend and eat funnel cakes, corn dogs and other greasy good things. I like to see the chickens and all the baby animals that were born on my birthday. It is the only way you will see me ‘getting back to nature’ anytime soon.

Can anyone believe it? It has been 6 damn months. I am the last person people would ever think to admit that a pregnancy is flying by, but it is. I am less sick than last time. I feel a bit better and although all of the annoying things from last time are still present (the gagging, oh god, the gagging), I am functioning better on a daily basis than I was with Vivienne. Of course, Phil would disagree solely based on how clean the house is not.

Tiny Boy Human is now kicking the crap out of my insides. Phil is even shocked at how strong the kicks are. I am just a bit terrified that they are this hard and he only weighs a pound and a half. What the heck will they feel like when he is 6 lbs?

Vivienne has started school and is loving it. She comes home every day with a new story or song or tale about something she did that day. Mostly, she just sings songs and makes up words. Last night, Phil and I were serenaded with a lovely song about how Vivienne and Mommy and Daddy cleaned up, ate dinner and went to the playground. Hooray!

We spent a good portion of this weekend cleaning up and clearing out, getting the baby’s room cleaned up and ready for paint. During this time, Phil went crazy on the floors downstairs, vacuuming, mopping and practically buffing on hands and knees. They look wonderful and the whole house shows it. However.....he did crack at one point.

We have always had quirky cats. I am not sure if we are just a magnet for cats with some unusual behavoirs, or if this blanket statement really encompasses all felines. With Kitcha, she would pull her water dish with her paw. At first, she would dip her paw in and feel where the water level was. Then, she would hook her paw over the side of the dish and pull it toward her. The dish would lurch forward, spilling the water all over the floor. Sometimes, once was enough. More often than not, we would wake up in the morning to find the water bowl anywhere from 6 inches to 6 feet from where it was the night before. Many times, it was moved into a totally different room than where it started, leaving a trail of cat water in its wake.

We tried many things to keep the water bowl in place, rubber bottom bowls, heavier dishes and even those rubber shelf liners, which worked for a good while. Finally, we bought a large bowl with a water reservior that made the dish almost too heavy to move.

Once Kitcha was gone, we enjoyed a few months of stationary water and food bowls. Then I had to go get these kittens. Much to our dismay, the female of the two, Liesl, is a water dish puller. We bought a plastic mat and watched in amazement as she pulled and yanked at it until it dislodged off and spilled all over the place.

My husband, being the competitive sort and with a wild look in his eyes, fastened two hook and eyes on the back of the water dish and affixed it permanently to the wall. He put it down, showed it to the cats and watched in glee as Liesl pulled and pulled but to no avail. He looked up, smiled and let out an evil laugh.

“I WIN!”, he shouts. Yes, dear. you won.

Yesterday, I turned the camera on and Vivienne asked if she could take some pictures. So while I gathered and created piles of my future eBay listings, Vivienne took time to create a walking tour of the house through her eyes. Enjoy!

God help me, we are having a boy.

Before Vivienne came along I would have rejoiced at the thought of having a boy. I didn’t want to deal with all the baggage that comes with ovaries and estrogen. I certainly don’t want to deal with overactive hormones at 11 years old, obsessiveness with clothing and hair, the stomping of feet and slamming of doors that was all too prevalent on our home. Phil and I fell silent for a good 20 minutes when the ultrasound technician told us it was a girl back in 2003.

Of course, soon the idea grew on me and now I wouldn’t choose differently. However, girls are now what I know. The thought of dealing with ‘boy parts’ and the constant need to reassure themselves that their penises are still attached from the unbelievably early age of 2 months or some such nonsense, makes me a little faint. Phil, of course, beams with pride due to the size of the newly formed member that was pictured in the ultrasound.

So, I have attempted to pump myself up by looking at boy clothing to see if I can locate anything without bears or sports. Yesterday, I hit the jackpot.

Oh goodness gracious, how sweet is this? There is a whole line of rock inspired clothing with nice saying like “My Mom is a Rock Star”. *swoon* Needless to say, I emailed the proud soon-to-be grandmother of 2 and pointed these out. I am lucky enough to have an email in my inbox with a 5 day shipping notification that these are on the way. Hooray!

Do you think it is sad that it takes things like this to make me excited? I suppose the ultrasound made it all the more real while the clothes make it that much more fun.

While trying to find some older photos of myself, I ran across some videos of Vivienne from her very early months. I am sharing my favorite with you all. It is only 15 seconds long, but sweet and it makes me that much more ready to have a new baby.