Well, we're home! Obviously, I did not have an opportunity to do any posting while we were gone. Here is a briefish rundown of things (i'll give more info here and there as we get the photos onto the computer and i post some of them):

May 20th - Had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything is still looking fine. I had another growth spurt (7.5 pounds in 3.5 weeks!), but the doctor says not to start worrying yet!

Around lunchtime, we went and saw Star Wars, Episode III. This one was much better than the previous two, though much of the dialogue was still gag-worthy.

After the movie, we left town and drove to my mom's in Seven Points (nearish to dallas). We hung out and did dinner there and then drove on to my dad's in Mesquite where we crashed!

May 21st - Our first baby shower was this morning and it was, of course, fun. I didn't get to see as many old friends as I'd hoped, but we did get to catch up with family and a couple of friends and play games and open presents and eat until we were nearly comatose!

This was also Doug's birthday, so we went out in the evening for Tex-Mex with Daddy and Susan. Doug had already gotten his presents from Lila and I on Thursday because I figured he wouldn't want to open any more presents after the shower!

May 22nd - This morning we flew to New York and it was really a very quick and easy flight. I fell asleep in my seat which meant that I didn't get up and walk around as much as I was supposed to so I didn't have any ankles by the time we got there, but a little foot elevating in the hotel room helped that considerably.

After getting checked in and settled at the hotel (upper west side) we wandered out to find our first slice of New York pizza. We found a little place very close to the hotel that was quite yummy (new york pizza, part one).

We also discovered that it was cold and raining and we hadn't brought an umbrella, so we stopped and bought one at a drug store. It actually stayed cold and wet almost the entire time we were in the city and I didn't take any long sleeved shirts because the forecast before we left Austin said it would be 70 degrees every day and might rain only once!

In the evening, we met up with a couple of friends (doug knows the wife from study group days in college) who live in the city and went out to eat. We had some yummy Italian food in the Upper West Side.

After that we went to a cool, four-level movie theater and saw The Hitchhiker's Guide.... We had scoffed at the idea of seeing a movie while in New York because there's so much else to do, but as it was cold and raining and we didn't have tickets to any shows yet... it turned out to be a good option!

May 23rd - Today we got up and found a yummy little deli on the corner by our hotel that had yummy breakfast sandwiches. This is where I had breakfast every morning for the time we were there, but Doug alternated between that and the bagel place next door.

After breakfast we got acquainted with the subway and found our way over to FAO Schwarz. It was, of course, very fun to explore and we got a very cute teddy bear for Lila.

From there we went to Times Square, which is really a lot like being in Disneyland. It was lound and crowded and there were huge signs everywhere and gigantic stores and it was fun to look at for a while, but there was not a ton to do.

When I thought my legs were going to absolutely fall off my body, we finally found a place to have lunch. Doug had a panini sandwich thing and I had a yummy wrap - nothing spectacular, but it was tasty.

After a rest at the hotel, we went back out and had dinner at Ellen's Stardust Cafe. This is a place where all the wait staff are dressed up and they take turns singing and periodically harassing the customers.

From there, we went next door to the Iridium jazz club where we saw Les Paul. For those who don't know, Les Paul is not a guitar, but he is the man who invented the electric guitar and he was quite good and quite old and quite entertaining!

May 24th - Today we wandered across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (we were very close to the park on the west side and the museum is right next to the park on the east side). I was convinced that we were going to be lost in Central Park forever, but thankfully for me my husband has a sense of direction.

We were only at the Met for about an hour, which is hardly enough time to find the restroom, but we did get to see the Chanel exhibit and we wandered through some modern art and found some other really cool things as we were trying to navigate the maze to get back out. I experienced the museum in a wheelchair because there was no way I was going to be able to walk around and stand for that long without crying and/or hurting someone.

The reason we only stayed a short time is because we had to eat lunch and hustle back over to Times Square to the 1/2 price tickets line. We went with a recommendation and had lunch at John's pizzaria in Times Square (new york pizza, part two) which was delicious and in a neat and shockingly large building (we think it was an old theater).

The half-price tickets line was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated - we were only standing in line for about half an hour. It took us most of the way through the line to make up our minds, but we finally got tickets to see Beauty and the Beast (disney version - has been playing on broadway for 10 years now).

After that we went back across town and squeezed in one more hour at the Met before it closed. We saw the ancient musical instruments and we wanted to see the Arms and Armory section (which we spotted from the floor above), but we ran out of time.

After a quick costume change at the hotel, we hurried over to the theater for B & the B. We didn't have time for a proper dinner, so we just grabbed a couple of dogs from a stand along the way and they were the most satisfying hot dogs I've ever eaten!

The show was, of course, amazing. The sets and costumes and special effects (only a few) were spectacular and the whole thing was quite entertaining.

When we left the show it was COLD and WET and we found the closest place that was still serving food. We squeaked into a pub just before they closed the kitchen and shared a salad and appetizer and rounded it out with some hot coffee to get us back to the hotel without freezing.

May 25th - Today was another cold and wet day, not at all suitable for the things we still wanted to do while in the city. So, we set aside our desire to see the Empire State Building and to take a boat tour around the island and settled for the American Museum of Natural History instead (which was half a block from our hotel).

The museum was neat and we stuck around for a few hours. Of course, we didn't get to see everything because it was so huge and we ended up getting worn out, but we enjoyed what we saw and I enjoyed wheeling around again and not having to walk.

After a rest at the hotel, we made our way down to Greenwich Village and had dinner at the Jekyl & Hyde Club. This turned out to be rather a disappointment because we were there on a quiet night and not much was happening, but we could see how it would have been cool if there had been more people there and more of a show going on.

We found a Starbucks nearby for fuel to keep me warm (and where someone had apparently locked themselves in the ladies' room and decided never to come out) and then wandered around the Village a bit. We passed some rather questionable establishments and some interesting characters, but ended up being way too cold so we headed back to the hotel.

May 26th - This morning we got up and got ourselves together and hit the road. We took the subway to Penn Station and after much confusion figured out how to take the train to Morristown, New Jersey.

We were picked up at the station by Doug's uncle, Bill, and he drove us to Mendham, NJ (nearby town where they actually live). The first thing we did was pick up a pizza (ny/nj pizza, take three) and take it back to the house for lunch.

After that we went for a short walk around the immediate neighborhood. The town is beautiful and full of big tall trees.

We got a tour of the house and then I broke in the room where we were staying by taking a nice, long nap. I woke up to find Doug and Bill sifting through albums (the music kind) and making a mess.

Doug's aunt, Mary, came home and we had a dinner of steaks cooked on the grill. After a lot of food and coffee and chatting and a birthday cake for Doug, we called it a night and went to sleep in our very cold room!

May 27th - Today we drove to Liberty Park in New Jersey and took the ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. As soon as we left the city, the rain cleared up and the termperature came up a bit so we had wonderful weather for this adventure.

Ellis Island was a neat place to visit and I bought a book while I was there that is full of immigrant interviews. I was tired and reaching a point of no return at this point in the trip, so I spent most of my time sitting on benches and listening to the audio guide, but I still really enjoyed it.

Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty were also very neat to see. We couldn't go into the statue at all (they only sell a limited number of those passes and we were too late), but the island itself is very pretty and the weather was still beautiful.

We took the last ferry back to shore, during which trip my bladder nearly exploded! They had the restrooms on the ferry closed off and I hadn't had time to go before we left the island - ack!

Anyway, we went back to Mendham and met up with Mary and went out to dinner at a litte Italian place nearby. Afterward we wound down with some more coffee and sweet stuff and a couple of games of Scrabble (i suffered two terrible defeats).

May 28th - In an effort to head off a pregnancy-related meltdown due to overstimulation, I did absolutely nothing for the first half of this day. Doug and Bill went for a little hike and Mary did some gardening and I hung around in my pajamas and read and enjoyed the inactivity.

In the early afternoon, we packed up and headed an hour and a half north to visit some distant family members who were having a barbecue. Doug and I really knew no one there, but we got to see some beautiful scenery along the way and the people were nice and the food was plentiful and tastey and we all had a good time.

After that we drove an hour and a half back to Mendham and crashed hard! Doesn't the drive home always seem longer? (especially when you're tired)

May 29th - Today we got up and lounged around, reading and enjoying the beautiful weather outside. Doug was borderline sick when we went to bed (hot to the touch, but with aches and chills), but thankfully was feeling much better by this afternoon.

We had lunch at another pizza joint nearby (ny/nj pizza, part four) and then packed up our stuff and got ready to go. Bill drove us to the airport in Newark and we left for Dallas.

This leg of the flight was longer and not as enjoyable, but at least my ankles and feet didn't swell up like sausages. We arrived safely in Dallas where Daddy and Susan picked us up from the the airport and drove us back to Mesquite.

Dinner was a quick stop by Subway on the way home and then yummy brownies. Doug and I held our eyelids open with toothpicks until 10 p.m. and then crashed again.

May 30th - Sadly, I woke up this morning not feeling well. I don't know if it's just something I picked up somewhere in all those masses of humanity or if it's just allergies, but my throat hurts and my head is full of stuff and I have no energy.

We stuck around my dad's until about 11 a.m., then loaded up ourselves and all our luggage and all the loot from the baby shower and headed back to Austin. After a rainy, pit-stop filled trip during which Doug did most of the driving because I felt rotten, we were finally home!

The kitties were very happy to see us and did lots of talking and following us around. Charlie has been attached to me like a wart ever since then and it's quite cute and pitiful.

We just unloaded the car and checked our zillions of messages and then relaxed and had dinner and watched a movie until bedtime. I'm still feeling rotten, but am so happy to be rotten in my own home!

May 31st - And now we're back to the current time. The kitties are still being very cute and Charlie is still not letting me get more than three feet away from him. This morning he kept licking me, which he usually only does when he's getting really good scratches. While I was still trying to sleep he actually kissed me on the lips, which was unexpected and rather disturbing! Cordelia has spent most of her waking hours (well, minutes really) sneezing. Poor baby has allergies! She got up between our pillows on the bed this morning and had a sneezing fit during which she managed to snot all over both of us! Yes, it's gross, but I figure it's good training for all the bodily fluids that our darling daughter will soon be blessing us with.

And speaking of Lila, she seems to be doing quite well in there. She should now weigh about 2.5 pounds and be 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature and her head is growing bigger to accommodate her brain. Said brain is busy developing billions of neurons. Go brain, go! Since she's growing so rapidly, Baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester. I wonder how much protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium are found in pizza... :) Don't worry - I'm still eating my veggies! It's actually really important to get enough calcium because your body will take it from your bones and give it to your baby which could cause problems for mom later in life! Lila's movements are strong and frequent now and I'm quite enjoying them!

Whew! (more than) Enough for one day! I have to go unpack our bags now and maybe even buy some food so we can eat dinner...

We're leaving for our vacation tomorrow and the morning is going to be busy, so I don't think I'll have time to post then. I figured I'd get one more in before we go. :) We have another doctor's appointment in the morning (our ultrasound on tuesday was at another office - we didn't see our doctor). This is the week when I have to drink the nasty glucose beverage and have my blood drawn to test for gestational diabetes. I'm more disturbed by the Glucola than the blood drawing!

It turns out that we're also going to watch Star Wars, Episode III before we leave town. Doug was able to get a free ticket from work and we just got one for the same time for me. Let's hope this one is better than the previous two! I don't see how the dialogue could get any worse! Anyway, after that we leave for Dallas, then New York...

For those who haven't heard yet, we had our latest ultrasound yesterday. Looks like we're having a girl! She still didn't want to cooperate and kept her legs together the whole time, but the sono tech and the doctor both said they thought it was a girl. That's also what the sono tech and doctor (different ones) said last time. I guess we can trust the opinions of four professionals... :o)~

I think I'm going to go out and buy some oil for my belly today. It's starting to get itchy, what with the skin getting all stretched out. I don't have any stretch marks yet, but I figure it's only a matter of time. From what I've read, oils and lotions do nothing to prevent stretch marks - it's genetically determined. They do help with itchiness though!

The baby was mean to me this morning! He/she woke up at 3:30 a.m. and started violently attacking the inside of my body! Feeling the baby move is my favorite part of being pregnant, but this was disturbing!

Anyway, I'm at 27 weeks now and the baby is growing steadily. At least, it would appear that way from out here! Word is that Baby should weigh almost 2 pounds and be about 14.4 inches from head to foot. I'm starting to think and read more about the actual labor and delivery aspect of all this and I gotta say I'm not real excited about it. It's not even so much the pain itself that I fear, but the overwhelming physical trauma and exhuastion!

Apparently the baby is acting more and more like a newborn in there. Opening and closing its eyes. Sleeping and waking at regular intervals. Maybe even sucking its fingers. And it's definitely got the hiccuping thing down. That's only happened a couple of times so far, but it feels so odd!

There is a person living inside my body! How bizarre...

Cordelia just did the cutest thing she has ever done in her life. It would take too long to explain, but trust me. It was so sweet that I almost started crying! Of course, that's not saying a lot, coming from a pregnant woman...

We tried again last night to catch Cow Kitty so that we could take him to have him fixed. It didn't work. We did, however, successfully catch a possum. Those things are so gross, but I actually felt sorry for it when I saw it all huddled up and scared in the trap. We just let it go and I guess we'll try to catch CK again on Sunday evening. I have a sneaking feeling that wherever he "lives", they keep him inside at night. I realized that I don't think I've ever seen him after dark. Or much after dinner time, for that matter.

I've been sitting here for five minutes trying to think of something to talk about other than being pregnant. I'm not having much success. I thought of a couple of funny kitty stories, but they do involve the baby/pregnancy in one way or another. That's not a bad thing, I'm just trying to convince myself that my entire life is not revolving around this. Apparently it is, so never mind.

I've been having all kinds of muscle pains lately. I've woken up during the night or in the morning a few times with muscle cramps in my legs. My back always hurts by morning. And I have this one muscle in my upper right back that is out of control, it hurts so bad! In the interest of trying to keep my muscles loose, I've printed out some stretches to do on the days when I don't go to the gym. I hope they work!

26 weeks now. This is starting to go by awfully quickly! :oI~ They say that now the baby might be able to (will be soon if not yet) hear people other than me talking. How fun that it will get to hear it's Daddy's voice before it's even born! Unfortunately, either my back or my tailbone or both hurt much of the time now. Standing seems to activate the back pain and sitting on anything other than a couch activates the booty pain.

We start our childbirth classes the firt week of June - right after we get back from New York. We're working on getting things ready to paint the baby's room, which will hopefully happen in early June as well. I'm still trying to eat a healthy diet and get as much rest as I can. I haven't been getting quite as tired in the afternoons lately, which is nice.

3 Rules for Dealing with Pregnant Women
(It's a short list, but it will take you far in life.)

1. Never use the word "fat" when describing a pregnant woman. We are not fat. I was even okay with the words "plump and ripe", but do not use the word fat. Your best bet is to say things like, "You look great!" or "Look at your cute belly!" We won't believe you, but it's a much safer option. **Note to husbands: When you are at the doctor's office and your wife gets weighed, never say anything that could be construed as less than supportive. It doesn't matter how much weight she's gained. And especially don't start bringing up her bad eating habits!

2. Never argue with a pregnant woman. It's really in your best interest. Pregnant women are mentally unstable and can become annoyed over virtually anything. If a pregnant woman tells you she's feeling a certain way, just go with it. Never try to talk her out of it. **Note to husbands: If you call home to tell your wife that you are running late and just leaving the office and she tells you that dinner is "taken care of", don't start asking questions. Just come home.

3. Never antagonize a pregnant woman. This may seem a lot like number two, but there is a difference. Some people enjoy harassing people just to get a rise out of them, but this is not a safe activity with a pregnant woman. Remember, we are mentally unstable and can quickly become violent. **Note to husbands: If your wife tells you that she's feeling really grumpy and easily provoked, do not reach over and poke her just to see what will happen!

Boy has it been a busy week so far! Thanks to extra "stuff" in my schedule and having to go grocery shopping because I didn't get to on Friday, I've gotten very little done around the house so far! Oh well...

I had nightmares all night last night! Thankfully I don't remember the details of most of them, but they were disturbing and I kept waking up all freaked out. People kept trying to kill us!

So, Doug and I are planning a trip to New York for the end of this month. It's a final vacation before we have the baby. It's supposed to be totally safe to fly at this point in pregnancy, but it makes me kind of nervous. Of course, flying in general makes me nervous, so that's not a big surprise. Anyway, I'm not having any complications nor am I high risk, so fly I shall! Woohoo.

I'm now 25 weeks pregnant, which feels a lot like 24 wks pregnant did. The baby is growing though. It weighs about a pound and a half now!* And he/she is now 13.5 inches long. Apparently the baby now has more hair on it's head. Enough to identify the color and texture if you could see it. How fun - I can't wait to see it! They say that pregnant women's hair gets fuller too, but I haven't noticed a difference.

The things that are on my mind these days are totally making their way into my dreams. I had so many dreams about babys this weekend! I had one where I was going into preterm labor. I had a couple where I found a baby abandoned in the woods and I got to keep it. Last night I had one where I had our baby and I was stressed out by all the people hanging around. Of course, my normal bizarre ones are still mixed in.

* All these things about baby's size, etc. are based on averages and norms, by the way. I don't know EXACTLY what's going on in my uterus. :)