Holiday Weekend

Here we are on Thanksgiving; The McBride Family. We were missing B's big sister Dr. Andy and her hubby Coach Matich but we managed to have a great time without them anyway. I'm so lucky to have great in-laws. Their neighborhood has all these weird fence laws, so what your seeing is us on their swing with the neighbor's house behind. Their yard with its swing, patio, furniture, landscaping and grill, is the envy of the block.

Spend the weekend cooking, eating, relaxing, watching movies (I'd recommend Muppets in Space), playing frisbee, playing Halo, doing Dance Dance Revolution, board games, and talking. I enjoyed every minute!

Casino Royale

Even though I found the new Bond to be unattractive I decided to see the movie anyway. I was not disappointed (neither were any of the professional reviewers). I think we may have found our best Bond and Bond girl ever. Definitely my favorite Bond film, even better than the Sean Connery days. No, it wasn't perfect, but yes, it was excellent. I may have to see it again this weekend. And if you like amazing physical stunts, not just car chases and things blowing up, the first 20 minutes (a foot chase thru a city in Madagascar) will delight you in a Jackie Chan-type way. A-. Go see it!

Giving Thanks

I am still basking in the glow of the holiday. I sit here at a computer in the home of my mother-in-law and her family. We arrived here in Illinios on Wednesday evening. Thursday was a fun family day of cooking and play and eating. Friday I did some shopping, got everything for Brandon's Christmas. Today I'm doing not much of anything but a little bit of helping Tori prepare for her 11th birthday party tonight. Tori is my youngest sister-in-law.
I'm thankful for:
1) A wonderful, loving, crazy family
2) Great in-laws
3) Fantastic friends
4) Good health
5) Modern medicine
6) A baby in my belly
7) A good education
8) Never going without the necessities in life
9) Delicious food
10) The ability to travel the country quickly and comfortably (unlike generations past)
11) Being able to keep in touch with loved ones online
12) The gospel of Jesus Christ
13) Online shopping
14) Holiday cheer
15) Good movies
16) Christmas music
17) A reliable car
18) A comfortable home
19) A talented, loving, ambitious husband and his enthusiasm for fatherhood
20) A great pregnancy

Thanks for reading. I'm thankful for you!

In Memorium

Yesterday we said goodbye to Uncle Danny.
At only 55, he suffered a brain aneurysm, probably from heavy smoking for years.

He leaves behind a wonderful wife and three Florida panthers (and I believe 2 dogs).
He had a wonderful sense of humor and was a good, kind man. He was a great storyteller. If that is hereditary, than he passed it on to my brother, Adam. Oh, and what stories he had to tell! I wish I could have heard them all. He will be greatly missed.

My poor grandparents, have lost 4 of their 8 children. Please pray especially for them and for my aunt Bonnie, but also for my mom and the other surviving 3 siblings.

I love you Uncle Danny and I am sorry that you never got to meet my better half, he would have loved you too.

What is that smell?

Last night we noticed a bad odor in the kitchen. It wasn't the diswasher, it wasn't the disposal. There were hardly any dirty dishes, so it wasn't old food in/on them. It didn't seem to be the fridge or the trash.
This morning we discovered it was a rotten potato in a small bag of potatoes on the counter. Rotten potatoes rank up there with old flower water on my list of worst smells. It had leaked its oozy liquid out onto my counter. I cleaned it up and disinfected, but the smell has dispursed throughout the house. I have two candles lit right now. What I'm concerned about is that some of the liquid has probably leaked down the side of the counter on to the floor next to/under the fridge. The crack between the fridge and the counter is a scary place. It is too thin to get a broom into and it is full of lint and cat hair and probably a few magnents, etc. I know for a fact there is a postcard and a dehydrated (by now) cherry tomato down there. If the potato stench isn't gone in an hour I will loose my mind. How do I get in there to clean?!

6 months along

As of yesterday, my wedding ring no longer fits. I think I may size it up a quarter size, as Brandon always swore it was too tight anyway. If it gets too tight again, I'll buy a bigger size cz ring and wear the fake one til the pregnancy is over. I just don't know if I want to wear my ring on a chain around my neck for the next three months. What do you all think? I'm okay not wearing a ring at all, but someone mentioned that they always look at pregnant women's hands for a ring and then feel sorry for those who don't have one. Weird. And though I shouldn't care what people think, maybe I kind of do. But maybe I just like an excuse to buy jewelry.

Oh, and my baby kicks back when you press on him now instead of moving away. That's his new thing as of today. So fun!

Learned a new Oklahoma word yesterday: mudding. You can probably guess what it is. In Wyoming it's called, "diggin'." In Utah it is called, "four-wheeling." Lacey says my Utah phraseology is boring.

A guy at the gym today said, "You look like you're about to pop." I said, "far from it." I bet with that kind of finesse he gets a lot of dates.

I told a friend today that we are probably going to name the baby Jonah Charles. She said (very unenthusiastically), "Jonah is good. I like Jonah." Listen babe, I wasn't asking for your approval or your opinion. Then she said (very distastefully), "Why Charles? Tell me that's a family name." Well yes, it actually is a family name but could you be any more bitchy? I didn't say that though, but hey, if you happen to read this, that is what I was thinking. Those who speak without thinking are the reason we considered keeping the name a secret. But actually, I don't think I've had any other negative comments on the name. But strangers treat you like some kind of freak if you tell them you haven't decided on a name. Sometimes they'll even press you, "Well, which names do you like? Are you trying to decide between two?" Are they just dying to hand out their unasked for opinion?? People are strange.

Last, and most fun, bit of news. This weekend we went to the Blue Man Group concert.
It was excellent!
Brandon called me the day the Oklahoma concert tickets went on sale, sounding a little bit frantic. Fortunately it was my morning off and I had an hour til the tickets went on sale. I didn't really know that much about the group, and I only learned a little more before going to see them. They are musicians and performers; great entertainers. This photo is of them with one of their instruments. Very creative. It is the only concert I've ever been to where I feel pretty confident saying that ANYone would enjoy their show. I would take a 5 year old, I would take my parents. If you ever get the chance to see them, do it.

Cocoa Butter?

Last night, while laying in bed looking at my belly, Brandon discovered a stretch mark! It's my first pregnancy stretch mark. It doesn't really look stretchy, although it is low enough that I can hardly see it, even in the mirror. It is dark reddish and looks more like a hickey or a bruise than anything, only it is pretty much a short straight line.
My mom gave birth to nine children and only has one belly stretch mark. My older sister got hundreds of stretch marks during her first pregnancy. Hopefully I've got good elastin (or is it collagen?) and more of Mom's genes. Most of my stretching will happen over the next 3 months so I will probably get more, but let's hope for the best.
I've been using an anti-stretch mark cream whenever I get out of the shower, but I'm almost out of it. I know genetics play a much bigger role than anything else, but does any body have any favorite belly creams they'd like to recommend?

List Lady requests your assistance

Attention all Mothers:
I would love you to email me a list of "new mom/baby essentials". If you are a stranger and want to participate, that is fine. You can email me thru my other webpage at: http://www.myspace.com/listlady by clicking on the "send message" button under my main photo. Can't wait to hear from all you mommies.

Baby Showers!

My wonderful, sweet sister Robin called me this morning to tell me she wants to throw me a baby shower while I'm in Arizona after Christmas. Thank you Robin! I only have a couple friends in AZ but I've got lots of relatives there and it will be nice to have an excuse to see all the female ones at once! And Robin knows how to throw a great shower (just check out her most recent blog if you don't believe me).
I'd really like to have a Utah shower because I have lots of friends there plus relatives and Brandon has tons of relatives there. The real barrier is that I am only going to be there during the week of Christmas. Nobody wants to feel like they have to buy another gift right at Christmastime, do they? And worse, Saturdays seem to be the day for showers and the only Saturday I'm going to be in town is the 23rd, the day before Christmas Eve. Ah, well.
As for an Oklahoma baby shower, that is yet to be determined. I have had several people ask about it but there are no plans. Hannah, my former co-worker from Foley's, has offered to throw one for me in January, after the madness of the holidays has passed. She doesn't know many of my friends, but I don't suppose that really matters. Right now she's my only offer for a shower, so you Okies will have to wait til January to give me baby clothes and you'll get to meet my negative, yet very sweet, 50-something, kookie former co-worker.
Fortunately, since we'll more than likely be moving out of state when the baby is less than 5 months old, we'll hold off on getting some of the big baby items for now. We're going to get a Pack n' Play (bassinet on a playpen) instead of a crib, no dresser or changing table, no fancy nursery decor or anything like that. I just want clothes, books, and the necessities (you mom's will have to let me know what all that includes). I have, of course, started an amazon baby wishlist http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/baby/ZHDO17YRNI3U . I just couldn't help myself. I love amazon!

Halloween, etc.

Coach B with his little witch wife.
So last week I made the mash potatoes again on Wednesday. Still a little pastey and this time a bit lumpy too, but again, extremely delicious. I love potatoes. I think maybe I'm using too much/many liquids. I highly recommend the Klondike Golddust potatoes I've been getting from Target.
Thursday was combined Enrichment activity for the ladies from church. I think there were 8 people there, some knitting, some tying a quilt and some of us sharing scrapbooking ideas. Mostly we were talking and eating. It was fun.
Friday night Lacey and I hung out. She got a fondue pot she wanted to try out. Hers is electric and has the best non-stick coating. We made cheese fondue first; half swiss, half something else, a little wine, a pinch of ground mustard, and a pinch of nutmeg. So heavenly! We dipped apples, cooked mini-potatoes, french bread, sausage, and tomatoes. I've been craving more ever since. Then we made up a chocolate dessert fondue and dipped pound cake, raspberries, dried sweetened cranberries (our favorite), marshmellows (my unexpected next favorite), mini oreos, and bananas (another excellent choice). It was a great girl's date night! Can't wait to fondue again!! If I had room in my kitchen I'd probably have my own fondue pot by now.
Saturday night was Halloween party night. We decided to skip on the church party as it was out of the way and catering to people with kids. Then we went to Jamon & Alisha's party where we had the most delicious black bean soup (Alisha- I still need that recipe!). Mmm! Ham, lime, cilantro, sour cream.... Can you tell that my life is focused around food??
Oh, and whenever I eat now my right ribs hurt. It feels lots better when I lift my arm up though. My baby is getting big. They say he's about 2 lbs now. I had a check-up yesterday and everything still looks great. I gained four pounds in the past four weeks and my baby is very wiggly.
Back to the parties. We were the only couple there without kids but we had tons of fun. I had a small witch and a tiny bumble bee that really buddied up with me at the park. Cute kids! Brandon enjoyed playing football with the other guys at the party, I think they were all dental students. We had a great time. My favorite costume was the fat, bald Dracula with his (fake) gut hanging out under his cummerbun (sp?).
Next we stopped in at Victoria's annual Halloween bash. It was fun. We had a good time chatting with Jenny, Shaun, Victoria, and Rachel. We saw some really good costumes. My favorites were Nacho Libre, Wonder Woman, a she-devil and Michael Meyers. There were other good ones too but I can't remember.
Studying the Renaissance this week for school has been fun. Trying to condense it all hasn't been as much fun.
Tomorrow and Saturday I work 8 hour days giving makeovers at Dillards. I was excited for it a couple weeks ago but now it just sounds exhausting. I will make it fun though so that the days go by quickly. I want it to be Christmas break so I can just sit around at relatives houses being lazy. I desperately need to do laundry, etc. here but I have no motivation. Ah, well. Life is good. Write soon.