Whew! Sorry for the looooong absence.

I am very pleased that my computer is back in working order, but the last few weeks have been spent trying to recover all my lost data. Darned external drive with ALL my photos on it is now not being recognized on my desktop. *banging head on keyboard*

So sweet looking, isn't she? I love Nora and most of the time, I'm certain that she loves me too....

until she does something like she did last week. She feasted on my Teva sandals, but that was only the appetizer. She moved on the the main course of my all-terrain Adidas, but only liked the tongue of those shoes. And just to make sure it was a balanced meal: she finished with my 8 year old Chacos, like they were a fine wine. I don't have a photo of the carnage, mostly because I scooped them up and chased her around the house like a mad woman, yelling obscenities that I hope my unborn child doesn't repeat back to me in the form of his first words.

Please note: my husband's shoes were sitting RIGHT NEXT to mine and yet, she left them completely untouched. In fact, if anything I think she polished them with her tongue and they looked better then new.

So over it...and there's an app for that

My doctor ordered another ultrasound that we had done at 26 weeks (so...this past Monday). I always get this weird mixture of absolute awe and concern when I see him on the monitor. The fact that his toes are touching his forehead makes me laugh and worry all at the same time. "My son is auditioning for Cirque du Sole!" and yet I think to myself, the human body shouldn't be able to contort like that.

Vincent is slightly above average weight at this point and we asked the doctor if he could calculate his length. The doc said that they really didn't have a machine in the office that could do that, but he pulled out his iPhone....as if on cue, my husband says "there's an app for that?" Good Lord...there is. The folks at Apple would have been so proud.

The technician was kind enough to try to get us some 3D images, but because my son is breech and hiding behind his feet, the photos looked like something that should be selling souls to the underworld, but we appreciated the effort.

Not only is Vincent shying away from the camera (he'll have to get over that quick), my home computer is still MIA. Which means all the images I have on my camera are just sitting there. No place to download them, no CS3 editing, no online posting. I'm nearing meltdown. It might actually be better then Christmas when I get it all back.

Dear Santa, I have been extremely good this year. One could say phenomenal! Please bring back my PC and dole out harsh punishment for those at HP whom have made my life nearly unbearable. Thanks! -Ruth

Rings around the collar

Well, I always knew this day would come. I just didn't think it would be this soon...

My husband officially took my wedding rings from me the other night. He deemed them a bit too tight. I immediately went scrouging through my jewelry in search of a replacement ring. No luck though. I felt so off balance, that I nearly threw on clothes and ran out to buy something, but Vincent started kicking me in protest (hey kid, you better get those jabs in while you can. That kicking and punching won't fly after your birthday.)

The following day, my wonderful, amazing, loving husband surprised me with a necklace and hanging from it were my wedding rings. What can I say...I married a romantic.

The good, the bad, the ugly

Life pulled me away from the computer this weekend, but in a good way (mostly). The past few week has been a roller-coaster of emotions. Nick and I were absolutely THRILLED to see a healthy, foot-grabbing baby boy on the ultrasound screen. We spent the past weekend starting registries and you'd have thought Target have given Nick an air-rifle to play with. He was a pro at "shooting" the tags and racking up a long registry list.

He finally relinquished the gun when nature called, so I had 2 minutes of browsing before he was back in the aisles, eyes lighting up as he found bedding and diapers. I love my husband.

Unfortunately, all of this Baby bliss was dampened by the fact that my Grandfather passed away Monday morning. I don't have too much to say about him, except that he was my grandfather and I have no complaints about that. There is a lot of family drama, strained relationships, and questionable intentions associated with him, so his passing is a mixed blessing.

Thankfully, Grandpa was able to be at our wedding in November and I will forever remember the way he wore those fabulous Leopard cat ears at the rehearsal dinner (Halloween night).

"Flapper" Shirley and "Purr-fectly Divine"Grandpa Coy

My husband tells me on a weekly basis that without the internet, I would probably be rolled up in the fetal position, rocking, and mumbling to myself. I wouldn't go THAT far, but......I will admit to my strong addiction to certain blogs and my uncanny ability to find ANYTHING on the web.

Aside from my usual browser tabs of the weather, main email accounts, and Facebook, I typically have 1 of these three blogs up:



love, Love, LOVE reading her posts! Ree Drummond (aka PW) has shown me all kinds of wonderful things to do with my camera and in Photoshop. I will say that I spend most of my time lingering over her cooking and recipes photo blogs. Gotta check her out!

Here is my latest blog crush:


I'm near the point of wanting to create an occasion to make these little beauties! And the best part: She's local!

And this was my very first blog love: DOOCE



I have followed her for about 5 years now and, in all honesty, get a kick out of her writing. Plus, I adore her dogs.

There are sooooooo many resources out there, but I don't mind sharing these. Enjoy!

Scared Poopless

This is Nora. Isn't she just an angel? Careful. She is also the world's greatest actress.

Nora is our 8 month old rescue from Tenn-eh-see. She came into our life 1 week before our wedding. I guess we didn't think all that wedding stress was enough, so we piled more on.

I have tons of horrifying stories starring Nora, but I'll save those for another time. Today is the tale of my husband being a manly man as he saved Nora from what she thought was certain death.

After an afternoon of being slobbered and chewed on at the dog park, Nick gave both our dogs a bath (a feat in and of itself). Nick let Nora out into the backyard as she had that pained expression on her face and high-pitched squeal that signals "Let me out NOW or I will desecrate this new carpet you just had installed!". From the backdoor, he watched her scramble to her usual spot.

The next thing I hear is Nick laughing to the point that it brought him to his knees. Nora had explosive diarrhea and was terrified of what was happening to her lower extremities. After her episode passed, she quickly came to the door begging to be let in, but I spotted more black spots then usual on her tail.

I handed Nick some paper towels and Greenworks cleaner and sent him out into the backyard. Poor Nora kept trying to lick Nick as he wiped her butt, tail, and legs. She walked back into the house looking completely violated..... as did my husband.

Parenting is going to be interesting.

Outnumbered

I grew up in a house filled with girls: my sister, my Mom, and even the dogs. So, my Dad was the consumate male presence in the house, not that he ever let that get to him. He had plenty of macho to spare.

My husband also grew up in a house filled with females. Not that his Dad wasn't around, but his parents separated when he was young and he spent most of his time with his Mom and his twin sisters. He did all the manly things: played football, worked on cars, chased girls, made his sister's lives a living hell.

Our upbringing should make our son's life interesting. Let me rephrase that: it will make OUR lives a test kitchen of sorts. Mixing things together to see what works, throwing out the duds, and taking notes as we go. Does anyone have any recipe cards I can borrow?