it's a...

So did I mention that we are having a girl? It was determined by some higher power that my sex shall not be outnumbered in this family. We are over the moon. I love this baby girl so much already... can't imagine how much I'll love her by the time she arrives. I just hope she doesn't hate me one day for displaying her privates in sonographic form here on this blog in this way.

sorry, another rip from the "intraweb"...

something to cheer you (and me) up after that last clip...
The Free Design/ Stereolab




ahhh. my blood pressure just lowered significantly!

My mom alerted me to this clip which she had caught one night on msnbc a week or so ago. I dug it up and am posting it here because a) it makes me feel less alone in the world as in 'thank god I'm not alone in feeling this pissed off about our illustrious president, what in the hell is going on in this country???' and b) I feel so thankful to be living in a country wherein commentary such as this can be aired in the public media. Mr. Olberman's phones are surely tapped, but that's just a whole different story. and finally, c) it calls our president out with exact evidence that he is a lying, blubbering fool surrounded by very dangerous people who have made a mockery of the essence of our 'democracy'. The clip is long, but it is worth it to watch for the fine finish, I assure you.

expensive donuts, amazing utter closeness, and other things

I'm still glowing from an excellent Mother's Day weekend. On Sunday we hosted a family brunch. These days I love so much to have people gathered in my house, eating together, relaxing, and enjoying each other's company. As long as it only lasts for a few hours (which is the beauty of a brunch). I've been realizing more and more lately how lucky we are to be surrounded by such great friends and family. Their proximity means that we can get together often, but for shorter amounts of time. I kid, I kid. But I am serious about loving my family more than ever lately. It could be because I am busy building my own strong and loving family. Perhaps I am just becoming more mom-like... mom-like without the 'mom jeans.' ever.

I will be nineteen weeks along tomorrow, and this is the part of pregnancy that I love. There is a rush of excitement and happiness that I can't quite explain- a strange sort of pure awareness. As I write this I can feel the baby rolling over inside of me and this sensation moves me- literally and emotionally. I guess I could say it is the extreme exact opposite of feeling loneliness. Which I am prone to, and I think some people just are, and I think there is absolutely nothing wrong and actually something great about the experience of feeling or being lonely. If any of that made sense. But for now I relish this sense of Amazing Utter Closeness.

Along with the giddy happiness comes the crying easily part. So cliche, yes I know, but whatever. This weekend I cried when I realized how much we spent on a dozen donuts and two pastries from the French Bakery (beware: a trip to the French Bakery might set you back um, I don't know, a good chunk of your monthly mortgage payment. Seriously. Beware.). Something else that made me cry was the mother's day card that Mike gave me on Sunday morning. It included a beautiful photo booth strip of him with Henry (My Favorite Men) and a little drawing by Henry. All attached to a fig tree, which Mike and I have been talking about wanting to get and plant forever. It was so thoughtful and touching that you would have cried too, dammit.

monday etceteras

Henry is napping so I am taking a break, sitting on the couch. This is what I see- my pansies in the window box through the screen; they are all leggy and looking very end-of-the-season, but I admire them nonetheless. I love this spring weather, warm but not hot. Cool, open-window weather. I can hear my neighbors children just arriving home from school. They are running, laughing and screaming into their backyard.

Some roses from the garden. They actually smell really nice- a sweet fragrant lemon-y scent. I love how big and floppy the petals are. They look almost like peonies from a distance, or crepe paper flowers. Lately I have been blown away by the climbing roses I've seen. That will have to be a new addition to the yard next spring.

Some cucumbers waiting to be planted. The Five Points Farmers Market re-opened this weekend in a new spot just down the street from us. We scored lots of great veggies and fresh local butter. We also scored a new Saturday morning ritual!

maple park

Another stop on Saturday brought us to the Currituck Skatepark (also known as Maple Skatepark). It is located right next to the small Currituck Airport just across the state line in North Carolina. I couldn't believe that on a Saturday afternoon there was only one other skater there. There was something sort of eerie about the place- this nice little park in the middle of (what felt like) nowhere, with tiny little prop planes taking off and landing at regular intervals. It has an 11 ft vert keyhole with pool coping and an open flow bowl attached. For awhile we were the only ones there, so Henry was able to run around the keyhole section and watch his daddy dropping in while I shot some little digital clips.
I like how the bright sun reflecting off of the concrete blew out some of my shots, making them look sort of vague, much like an old memory is sometimes remembered.

day trippers, yeah.

On Saturday we had a nice little day on the Outer Banks. Jockey's Ridge was our main stop, and is always amazing- it makes me feel like I am in that one desert scene from The Doors film... but without the illicit drug use. H. seemed to enjoy his first giant sand dune experience. I have so many wonderful memories of visiting the ridge as a child- the bright, wonderful kites, the hang gliders, rolling down the steep and sandy cliffs. It has been awhile since I last visited Nags Head, and I was sort of shocked at how built up it has become. It is a sad thing to see all of the crappy and tacky strip malls that have popped up. I guess people really don't care that technically this sweet little land mass is just a barrier island after all. It seems nothing is sacred, especially when people see all of those dollar signs looming about.

Exactly seventeen weeks pregnant, today. Two weeks from tomorrow we get to have a look-see at our little love and find out the um, nature of its, um, parts. Two nights ago I felt the first kicks- I had forgotten just how amazing and strange that feels.

I dug an old Beta Band album out of my closet on Monday morning and that has been my soundtrack for the week. It is the three e.p.'s album, and I remember buying it in London. That is a freaking good album.

california dreaming

I came across this and thought it was pretty cool. I have been thinking alot about the west coast lately. I have a strange strong and sudden urge to move to northern california. You can keep the southern part and even L.A. as far as the living goes (and save it for a nice visit)... but those parts above LA... they just really get me thinking. Anyhow, it is a time lapse video of a drive from L.A. to New York. By Michel and Oliver Gondry (for French musician Laquer). I can't wait to drive across the country one day (and fly back for the return portion, "prolly"). We could old school camper it up, family style!! One of those silver air streams would be nice. I can just see us now...

some flowers around the house right now:

From top to bottom are the orchids; looking a little droopy but still hanging on from my birthday weeks ago. Some dogwood and azalea branches on the mantle, collected from around the yard. I love the simplicity of a single flowering spring branch placed loosely in a vase. The bottom pictures are of esperanza and spray roses. Those esparanza roses are giant, with stems that are literally three feet tall. They are sometimes called 'cabbage roses' because their blooms have a lovely and slight greenish hue and its multiple layers of petals unfurl like a big old head of cabbage. These were bought yesterday so that we could do a dry run on some things in preparation for a wedding at the end of the month. The bride has awesome, over the top taste. She requested that her bouquet be modeled after the promo pics of Sarah Jessica Parker's (well, Carrie's, actually) bouquet from her wedding with Big in the upcoming Sex and The City movie. I love our bride's with bold and daring taste.
Her centerpieces are extravagant and over the top as well!!

Last night I ate a big bowl of black-eyed peas, some collard greens (some strange southern leftovers sent over by Mike's mom), and then finished it all off with a big bowl of cheerios, a banana, and two shots of chocolate milk (we found this heavenly organic whole chocolate milk- it is like drinking chocolate pudding). I feel like an alley cat scrounging for stray morsels of 'this' and 'that'. Yesterday I almost ran over someone because they were taking too long to cross the street and I NEEDED MY VEGGIE DELITE ON WHOLE WHEAT RIGHT NOW!!!! My appetite was not at all like this when I was pregnant with Henry. What could be different this time around? I'm wondering if it is a girl this time??

Bows + Arrows

This past weekend was fabulous. Yummy food, good times with good friends, an amazing show, a gem of a thrift..... but more on that some other time.
We scored free tickets to see The Walkmen on Saturday night, and the show did not disappoint. I don't understand how Hamilton Leithauser has any bit of voice left if he sings with such ferocity for every show (which I have heard he does). They played all of the old favorites, and some new stuff which sounded quite different, but quite good.
Mike and I dipped out early before the last band and entered the pregnant woman's paradise: Doumar's!! Now that the morning sickness has passed my appetite reaches waves of near-insatiability. Nothing a hot fudge sunday can't remedy, though. Even after an earlier dinner with two Rangels and three maki, I was able to lick the bowl clean. I figure I lost at least 15 pounds over the last several weeks, so it is time to put some of that weight back. Right?
Our good buddy Matt was visiting from Seattle and hung out a bit on Sunday. He is a veritable landmine when it comes to great film suggestions; my netflix queue has now been restocked and fine-tuned.
I had a doctor's appointment this morning. The baby has a healthy heartbeat and was doing a little gymnastics routine in my tummy in reaction to the doppler (the device the doc. uses to hear/measure the heartbeat). Fifteen weeks and..... 27? more to go... there is a long road ahead... paved with many fudge sundaes and lots of sushi, I predict.