2 days!!!

My anatomy scan is in 2 days!! The primary reason for this ultrasound is, of course, to make sure that the baby is growing and healthy. I'm feeling pretty positive about this- all signs point to a healthy baby so far- good strong heartbeat, LOTS of movement, and my general good health.
Of course the plus side to this scan is that we will hopefully find out whether we are having a boy or a girl!! (Provided that the baby cooperates- it wouldn't surprise me at all if it crosses its legs just to torment me!)
I'm finding the wait this week to be rather difficult!
My guess is a boy, which is what my Mom is guessing as well. My dad and aunt are guessing girl. Benjy has no guess, or is at least not telling me what he thinks.
So, any guesses? :) I like hearing guesses- it amuses me!
I think that I tend to gravitate towards gender neutral clothes and baby stuff b/c I like the idea of being able to reuse stuff for the next baby, regardless of gender- and I gravitate towards themes of animals and travel in terms of baby decor, so I'm hoping I don't end up with a giant explosion of pink or blue once stuff once I know the gender. (That being said, I would totally put a little girl in blue stuff- it's been my favorite color since I was tiny!)
Also, I found a T-shirt w/ a Viking on it and promptly told Benjy that Vikings are totally gender neutral- haha!
I mean seriously, I can imagine a Viking shirt w/ a tutu looking pretty cool! Sadly, it sold out in a hot minute.

My first Mother's Day weekend was awesome. Benjy and I stayed at a B&B in the White Mountains and went hiking. The hikes we went on were gorgeous and we were able to see lots of waterfalls, cascades, and rapids thanks to the Spring Thaw. It was amazing. I've learned that being pretty active in this pregnancy makes me feel the best- when I don't at least go on walks and do yoga, I feel SO sluggish. Fortunately, the weather is getting nicer and nicer, so walking in the evening is a real treat. It's definitely preferable to hitting the treadmill when it's freezing outside! Yoga is always wonderful. :) So my goal for the next 5ish months is to get outside as much as I can!

A not entirely practical list of things I want to wear while I'm pregnant

Some days, I really want to shop. Making a fantasy list helps me avoid needlessly spending money. Some of these things are remotely practical, but I will certainly not be getting everything on this list. :)

Also, I'm entirely sure this post is NOT what my mother had in mind when she said I should blog more about my pregnancy. :)

A long, hippy skirt to wear low on my hips with a long tank top.

More maxi dresses- mind you, I already have 3...

Something galaxy print- I'm obsessing over all the DIY stuff from this post on buzzfeed, so I may try to get an oversized black shirt from goodwill and DIY it.

Also, I found this shirt on amazon (galaxy print w/ a giant, crowned cat! OMG!) and I'm trying really hard not to buy it and wear it every day for the next two weeks at which point I'm sure I'll outgrow it.

Birkenstock clogs- since bending down is quickly becoming uncomfortable.

Converse- slip ons for the same reason as the Birks. Space print high tops b/c I'm obsessed.

Zip Front Hoodies- b/c my pullover hoodies aren't going to fit forever...

A maternity chambray shirt that isn't annoyingly gathered within an inch of it's life. (Can't even find a link for this one!)

Givenchy Dahlia Noir Perfume. Love love love love love. Though I hate it when I fall for pricey scents. I blame Sephora free samples for this!

News!

It's been a while since I've blogged (which is how all my blogs seem to start off!) but I wanted to make sure I shared my good news here, even though I think anyone who reads this already knows....so it's more for posterity.

I'm pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And super excited, obviously! :)

Little Baby L is due in October 2013 and Benjy and I couldn't be more thrilled. :)

My first baby purchase was a super cute (and super impractical) pair of cowboy (or girl!) boots suitable for a 1 year old. We love them so much we used them for our baby announcement.

The Amazing Health Benefits of Complete and Utter Nonsense

Things I have recently listened to people proclaim the health benefits of in person or on facebook.

Raisins soaked in Gin for arthritis
A combination of Cinnamon and Honey
Strawberries for teeth whitening
A combination of lemon, ginger, garlic, honey, pineapple, and cayenne in lieu of a flu shot
Bananas
WD-40 also for arthritis

Obviously some of these are less bunk than others, and most won't hurt you as long as you don't take them in lieu of treatments you've been prescribed (with the notable exception of spraying yourself with WD-40).

However, I'd really just like to see someone I know post a long missive or an infographic about the amazing health benefits of broccoli.

A Real Maine Winter

It was seven degrees when I woke up this morning. And I walked my dogs anyway! (I think I've got the doggie-mom of the year award pretty much in the bank. :P)
I've been saying that after last winter's mildness, I've been ready to tackle a "real Maine winter" and so far, it looks like I might get my wish. After two blizzards over the course of a week and this current stretch of bright, sunny, freeeeeeeezing days, I have a few thoughts.
1) Rice bags are essential. The one I made last winter has become my security blanket- I nuke it for a few minutes, then take it to bed every night. So toasty! (Benjy complains that it smells like cream of wheat, but that's a small price to pay.)
2) Winter isn't so bad until I have to move my car. I've had two instances where it's taken about 20 minutes and the help of either friendly neighbors or Benjy to shovel and rock my way out of on-street parking. It's waaaay easier to not go anywhere.
3) I've worn the same sweatpants and sweat shirt combo for several days in a row and I'm not ashamed.
4) Ski socks aren't just for skiing. After carefully stalking Smartwool sales, I now have a pair for every day of the week. Their socks are expensive, even when they're on sale, but my cost per use is infinitesimal at this point.
5) Fuzzy Slippers for Life! I splurged on a pair of L.L. Bean Wicked Good Slippers this year so I can wear my aging fleece lined Minnetonka Mocs as airport shoes.
6) Just like last year, my urge to cook hearty food and not exercise is back in full force. It doesn't help that my gym membership expired. I definitely need to work up the motivation to move around more- if only so I can justify all the stew I've been devouring.

Anyone have any good cold weather tips?

The Artful Dodger

I painted something today! I met up with some girlfriends at Paintnite and made this beautiful work of art. :)

It was a lot of fun and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really like the painting I made. I've gone to paint your own pottery classes in the past (we won't even speak of the disaster that was my pottery elective in college) and ended up very dissatisfied with my creations (I'm so much more verbal than I am visual) so it was a pleasant surprise for me to actually like something I've painted.

On other creative fronts, I've decided to do NANOWRIMO this year. I finished a (terrible) novel in 2008 that I'm very proud of (although no one can read it, ever) but this year I'm much more excited about my plot. Hopefully I'll end up with something that I'll let see the light of day. So far I'm 2795 words in. 47205 words to go! Wish me luck!

We Can Rebuild Him

I thought I'd write a quick follow up to my chair post. I ended up spray painting my chair a very shiny black and I couldn't be more happy with the results! It reminds me of the surface of a grand piano and looks lovely with my kitchen. The biggest problem with it is that I've managed to lose my shiny black cell phone by leaving it on the shiny black chair. (First world problems, again!)

There are a ton of spray painting tutorials online, so I won't bother adding another. But briefly, I bought a $1 plastic table cloth at Dollar General to protect my backyard- then proceeded to sand (w/ 100 grit sand paper), prime (2 coats of Valspar primer) and paint (3 coats of Rustoleum spray paint) the chair. After about 24 hours of drying, it was done.

Well, it should have been done, anyway. I learned an important lesson about trying to do touch-ups with a nearly empty can of paint. It splatters and then you have to let it dry, sand the messed up part, go buy a new can of paint since you emptied the last one, and respray a couple coats onto the part that you messed up. And once it finally dries and you put it in the kitchen, you realize that shiny black paint is incredibly forgiving and you shouldn't have been OCD about doing touchups anyway. Because a) you will always find a spot that doesn't look 100% perfect to you and b) no one else will ever be able to see it!

My other important learning from this adventure is that the can of primer was much harder to spray than the can of spray paint. I think it's a brand thing and may not use Valspar if I ever need to do this again. My wrist and hand hurt for several days after I primed my chair.

Anyway, I thought I'd end with a couple of photos of how the chair looks in the kitchen (guest starring Pancake, one of my cats!). I took them with my cell phone so I apologize in advance for the low quality!