An-ti-ci-pay-ay-tion... [ARCHIVE]

Patience is not a virtue in large supply at our house. Any news on the aforementioned "Big News!" topic will have to be delayed until at least tomorrow. Yes, I know this is unfair and cruel. We are in the same boat. It's not fun to have someone else pulling the strings of our respective destinies. Please join us in a stare of disapproval in the general direction of Washington, DC. Meanwhile, we will be attempting to channel (*insert very patient saint's name here*) to keep from going insane while we continue to... yes, wait.

To continue in that vein, there are still 3.5 weeks until the estimated delivery date of the little bean. Yes, we are walking and feeding me lots and lots of spicy food. Thus far, I have indigestion and swollen ankles.. but as of yet, no baby. We're hoping maybe the fireworks on Friday will scare him out. If not, we're fully prepared to begin the psychological war by strapping headphones to my belly and inundating him with old Donnie Osmond hits. That would scare us out, anyway.

Check back soon for something more interesting than the above. Again, I'm really very sorry. I'd love to be able to tell you something more exciting. I can make something up if you like, but with everything exciting that is ALMOST happening to us, it would seem a bit silly at this point. Thanks for standing with me. Now go away before I am tempted to start singing "Kum-ba-yah".

Points to Ponder... [ARCHIVE]

***WARNING***

If you don't want to know the exact state of my anatomy, may I suggest you turn away now.

Okay, so you're still here? Well, yesterday was the 36 week check-up, among other things. As of yesterday morning my cervix is dilated exactly 1cm. There is not much effacement happening yet, but that will come on its own. Jack is still in the correct, proper, and head-down position (go kid!) so it looks like we will be good to go whenever he decides he is ready to join the outside world. Hopefully, this will be sooner rather than later, as I am fully prepared to serve him with an eviction notice if he doesn't vacate my premises on his own in the very near future. Be smart, kid, and don't go against your mother. She usually gets what she wants in the end. Just ask your dad.

Speaking of Jack's dad, check here Monday for some SERIOUSLY BIG news. No spoilers here, you'll have to wait for the big announcement... we can only say it may involve a paycheck and full medical benefits...(*insert "bum-bum-BUM" music here*)

In other family news, a quick check-up at the vet yesterday confirmed that Casper (the fuzziest of our two furry children) has a low grade temperature and has lost some weight. A blood test confirmed her negative for anything truly horrible, so she's now on a special diet to see if that will help her sensitive kitty digestive system. We're glad it doesn't appear to be anything serious, and should probably clear up on its own given a little time and TLC. Go Super Kitties!

That's it for today.. check Monday for seriously cool updates.

Countdown to baby time... [ARCHIVE]

5 or so weeks to go and counting... As far as pregnancies go, I have not had it so bad. I skipped the morning sickness pretty much entirely and, other than increasingly uncomfortable nights and some minor swelling, I've "breezed through" as much as that is possible. (Hey, pregnant is pregnant... it's never REALLY easy.) SO, we are, as the saying goes, in the home stretch. I cut my hours down, so I am now officially working 30 hours a week instead of 40. I also worked my last shift at the hospital, until after the baby, last Saturday. The nurses threw me an amazing surprise shower, and any necessities for the baby that were conspicuously absent have now been accounted for.

Who The Hell Is MeL?!

Hi there.

I'm MeL.

I'm a stay at home mom, which means I spend my days wrangling my 4 children. It also means my life is full of nearly equal measures of joy and desperation.

I grew up all over the US, moving about every two years until I started High School. No, my dad wasn't in the military, nor was he a spy or a member of the witness protection program. We just moved a lot.

After graduating from high school in California I attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, until it made my head explode. You could not lure me back there with any enticement, not even a limitless supply of curries and a bottomless vanilla latte. And that is saying something.

I landed in the DC area in 1999 and lived there, in various residences spanning the metro area, for 13 years. In that span I met Trip, moved in with him, married him, and made a couple of kids with him. in 2012 we relocated to Denver, where we plan to finish raising small humans into respectable adults. We hope.

I am the ninth of ten kids. I was raised a mormon, but my membership officially ended in July 2006, and now we sporadically chill with the Unitarian Universalists. They're awesome.

I started blogging in 2003 as a way to let friends and family know what we were up to, but it slowly evolved into a way for me to vent all the chaos in my head.

Please feel free to comment or join in on my conversations with myself. Please note, however, that I do reserve the right to remove your comment if I deem it offensive or in any way threatening.

Welcome, and thanks for stopping by.

We added our daughter after this photo.  

When I can find the time, we will get another family picture.

Until then, here she is...

Yes, she really is that awesome.