mark n' erin sittin' in a tree, b-i-t-ch-i-n-g . . .

yep we sure are getting tired of sittin' in this tree, and even worse still our landlords are going to put it back onto the market in the spring.  this, and strong desire to make another startling announcement, led us to decide it was time to buy a home.

now i know what you're thinking - you don't just buy a home over the weekend out of the blue - especially if your name is mark.  mark is infamous for taking two years to buy his television, and even then he felt he was diving into it too quickly.  he has to shop, compare, contemplate, strategize, seek opinion, contemplate again - and by then, usually the technology has changed so the process has to begin all over again.

but if mark is known for his reluctance to make quick decisions, then I am infamous for thwarting all mark's plans.  unbeknownst to mc, i had already been shopping for a house for nearly a year, on the off-hand chance that he might suddenly drop his guard and agree it might be time to buy.  (and okay, so what if i helped him to that point with two bottles of cheap wine and a Wendy's burger?  a girl's gotta do . . . )

so, once mark drunkenly agreed it was time to buy, it only took us two days and five houses to find The One.  i'd already had a short-list of potentials but both mc and i knew as soon as we pulled up that we'd soon be living in the two-story symmetrical tree-flanked doll-house with the for sale sign on the gently-sloped lawn.  i kid you not, i had visions of little vegas floating down the staircase in her prom dress.  admittedly, we will likely only be there for the next three to five years - but you get my drift!

so, we decided to buy on saturday, looked on sunday, put in an offer on monday and called it home on tuesday!  so happy.  our possession date is february 19th.

here's a picture, and of course i'll be re-doing EVERYTHING so i'll probably get into some before and after reno shots.  btw,  baby vegas is great, due up for the sex-clarifying ultrasound in a month - (i'll see if i can get some video of that for you, thomas, since you have taken a particular interest ;-))

my inner nerd meets my outer ... well, dork.

one thing i've noticed about expecting a child is the incredible amount of Baby Stuff that needs to be begged, borrowed, stolen or bought before the grand debut of our little debutant, not to mention the ever-growing list of things needed in order to complete the posh mommy role.  some may see an opportunity to allow their highly defined fashion sense kick into gear and wow the world with their pregnancy style brand.  myself, i see it as a dozen or so additional ways to prove how un-cool i continue to be.

what's my mommy style?  am i the yoga-pant pony-tail eco-friendly stroller-jogger on my way to meet other  mom's for a starbang self-help book of the week retreat? or perhaps i'm the patchouli-scented tree-hugging baby-slinging mommy in the gauzy white sundress.  i could be the fashion-savvy museum-going political-rally yummy mummy in the jackie o sunglasses, couldn't i?  or the spiffily-coiffed invitation-sending highly informed baby-signing just-made-this-souffle-from-scratch martha mom?

perhaps not too sadly, no.  i could never do any of those styles any justice, and more than likely i'd end up as a yoga-pant wearing patchouli-scented political-rally martha stewart-worshiping monster, un-cool in as many ways as i was trying to be trendy.  cool, i simply am not.

but if there ever emerges a pickle-loving book-hoarding theatre-loving info-junkie olivia-idoling trend in the world of mommy styles - well, i've got the market cornered.

perspectives

so my (beautiful lovely helpful gifted nutty) sister came over today and told me she caught this on tv and i have to share because it's totally my life right now.

the husband comes home after a long and stressful day at work and as he's unwrapping himself from the layers of winter clothes he complains, "god what a day!  my boss was on my back all day about this one deal and then i had three other deals fall through because these people just DON'T know what they're doing, and i had to pay our insurance today - again! - i think they're charging us double rates, and of course i didn't even have a moment to eat or take a break, i've been on the phone all day and - " husband suddenly notices pregnant wife on sofa, calmly sipping tea and eating crackers while reading a novel - "well, what did YOU do all day?  did you even move since i left this morning?"

wife, without looking up, "oh, today i made a lung.  it was exhausting, but i'm feeling better now."

what happens in vegas...

mark and i waited almost an hour and a half for the ultrasound before we were finally ushered into the dimly lit room and belly-gunked up.  in no time were seeing the little heart beat for the first time.  we've all seen ultrasound pics before and so i wasn't feeling too emotional until that little baby stretched out her arms and legs and arched her back and i - usually the model of composure - couldn't help the gasp that escaped me as  i watched our little frankenstein come to life!  mark of course was bawling like a baby and between inconsolable sobs managed to say, "that's pretty cool".  i think we could have watched that little gremlin kick her legs and slam high fives for hours but mark had to get back to work.

so the technician took measurements and consulted charts and pretty much confirmed what i had suspected all along, that this little devil was conceived on halloween in vegas.  thus she (he) shall be henceforth referred to as baby vegas.  according to her size, vegas is scheduled to make her global debut on july 23rd, 2010.  let the predictions begin!  i'll be posting a baby pool on this space quite shortly.

mum's the word . . . literally.

good lord love a duck, i'm pregnant. nobody was more surprised than i when i first saw that little plus sign on the test, and sure enough - six tests later - i was still pregnant. mark, of course, was thrilled to the gills and after shaking my hand with a congratulatory slap on the back and offering such sentiments as "good for you!" he proceeded to intensely study the pregnancy tests with the seeming sole purpose of finding a loop-hole.

nothing could contain mark's excitement, and he wanted to share our news with everyone straight away but i - being the more calm and rational of us both - insisted on waiting for visual confirmation before publicly declaring our successful spawning. nonetheless, mark's cup runneth over and he couldn't help but tell a small circle of close friends and family, and everyone at work, the guy at the movie store, and anyone he came into physical contact with. thus, though most of you are already aware of our good news, let this suffice as our official announcement.

check back for updates, photos, betting pools, and other info (if you're so inclined) and i'll do my best to keep interested parties entertained. all joking aside, this little monster is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to us, and we can't wait to meet her. him. them?

either way, today is the first ultrasound and i guess we'll know numbers pretty quick!