Things I Love on Friday

• I love the fact that I have NOTHING to do today.  Who knows what the day will bring!
• I LOVE summer vacation.  I'm so glad that I'm a teacher, and even more glad that I reap the benefits of being off for the summer.  I do NOT miss going in to work early for band camp.
• I love Fridays. 
• I love the beautiful sleeping weather we've had, and the nice cool weather we've been having, for that matter.  It's been the perfect summer to be pregnant.
• I love that Thor has been slightly calmer during the evening hours and doesn't seem to be trying to escape through my stomach.  Let's hope that's a sign.
• I love payday.  
• I love that there are great deals to go to Las Vegas right now.  I do NOT love the fact that I can't take advantage of them.  :(

Heard at Fifty Below Zero

The Scene:  our kitchen table, after cleaning up the dinner dishes and enjoying dessert:

Tina:  "I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach....."

Mitch:  "I'm gonna finish, because I'm a man, and a MAN finishes his brownie sundae!"

(said in all seriousness, while wearing a GI Joe t-shirt)

Tina:  almost spits out her iced tea.

Baby Update: Week 37

Baby:  According to "What to Expect", the baby is now considered full term!  Baby is probably somewhere around 6 1/2 lbs and continues to accumulate fat on his/her body.  Thor is also practicing his breathing, blinking his eyes, sucking his thumb, and moving from side to side, since that's about all he can do in there.  

Mom:  All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go......last night I loaded up the hospital bag in anticipation for that mad dash out the door if necessary.  Saturday I cooked all day and my freezer is holding the product of my hard work.  Mitch and I are putting the finishing touches on our to-do list (only two more things to go!).  Last week at my dr's appointment I was 50% effaced, and so this week I'm hoping for some dilation.  Think thin, people!  All I have to do this week is clean my house (again), teach my last week of piano lessons, get a haircut, and get into school to get my maternity leave ready.  

Oh, and for those of you who are feeling so strongly towards either a boy or a girl, here's something to make you think - throughout the pregnancy, I've had girl dreams, which I've thought were so weird, because I think the baby is a boy.  (Mitch has been having boy dreams)  It's kept me guessing, that's for sure. HOWEVER, this past week I've had TWO very vivid baby dreams where the baby was a boy, we had named him our baby name (to be announced soon), and I was dressing him in the clothes in our closet.  A sign?  We shall see.

Here's the week 37 picture:

 

Dad: Mitch spent the weekend relaxing for his birthday, since I have basically been working him nonstop to get everything ready.  And it was really nice to relax!  Mitch has his hospital bag packed as well (he packed the Goldfish crackers for snacks and the Twins DVD to watch with Thor when he arrives - thanks for all your input!).  He made this comment this weekend:  "I'm not really sure if I've prepared myself for the call at work, the wake-up in the middle of the night, when it's time to go to the hospital...."  Honestly, I'm not sure, either.  How will it happen?  When?  Will I be out somewhere when the contractions start?  Some scary, but exciting, things to anticipate!  Because people, it could happen any time, now!  

Happy 30th Birthday Mitch!

Today Mitch finally joins me in the 30 club.  For his birthday, we went out in Minneapolis for dinner with his family.  

And no, that isn't the limo we took, but it sure was cool!

Anyway, I've been asking Mitch what he wanted to do for his birthday for a few days now, and he has yet to come up with any ideas.  I have told him that he can do whatever he wants.  So this is what he decided to do:

Sit on the couch in his letterman's jacket with his new Twins t-shirt (for Thor).  

Because very few pictures of Mitch have been posted to the blog recently, I found some classics in recent past (i.e., as long as I've had my digital camera) to share with our readers.  

Happy Birthday, Mitch.  I love you.

'Bout Time!

Sorry to disappoint, but this post is not about the baby coming.  Although I'd be happy if that happened, too!

No, this post is to announce:

I finally have employment for the fall!

I will be returning to the same school district and doing a similar job to what I did last year, only adding elementary general music to my repertoire.  And I've added more time to my school day - I will be at a .8 position (which will be great!).  After next year, I'll be able to say that I have taught at every level K-12 and every discipline (except for orchestra stuff - but who wants to do that?!?).  

I'm so thankful that I get to go back to the same district and that they are having me back (read: they finally got their acts together and hired me back!).  Thanks to all of those who were praying and sending good thoughts.  Everything always works out the way its supposed to!

Fifty Below Zero Plans a Baby - Day Three - Snacks

After taking a suggestion by the Mrs., our next selection in planning for baby Thor's arrival is the choice of snacks to pack for Mitch while I'm in labor.  Here are the three options:

• #1 - Goldfish Crackers - these tasty treats are some of Mitch's favorites.  Small, filling, and bland in case Mitch starts to feel sick to his stomach at the thought of watching this whole labor and delivery thing go down.  

• #2 - Cossetta's Pizza - one of the staples in St. Paul, the restaurant is just mere blocks from the hospital.  While I'm sure this is Mitch's top choice, I'm not sure if I'll tolerate him eating it in front of me when I can't have any of it.  

• #3 - Maker's Mark Whiskey - Mitch might just need to take straight shots of this to make it.

As always, cast your vote in the comments section!

Fifty Below Zero Plans a Baby - Day Two - Movies

One of the things that Mitch and I are debating is what movie to watch when little Thor makes his debut.  We want to start his/her life out on the right foot, and clearly the correct cinematic choice will have a great impact on his future choices and tastes.  Here are the seven nominees, with a quick argument for each one:

• #1 - A Christmas Story - a Poke family favorite, no Christmas is complete without quoting every single line from this classic.  Thor best learn his lines quickly!

• #2 - True Illini Spirit - there's nothing wrong with starting to develop those Illini roots early.  Especially if Thor is wearing his Illini onesie.  

• #3 - Rent  - one of Tina's favorite musicals, it is important to cultivate Thor's love of the theatre early.  Nevermind that the content is clearly inappropriate for one-day-olds, the songs are great!  

• #4 - Anchorman - if the kid wants to be funny, he's got to start watching Will Ferrell movies.  Might as well start with a classic.

• #5 - Double Feature Casino Royale/Goldfinger - Mitch loves the James Bond movies, I hate them.  Our first real date was to a Bond movie (I didn't really care what we saw, I just wanted to go out on the date!).  I only hope that Thor can love them as much as his daddy does.

• #6 - Minnesota Twins '87 and '91 World Series - this is another Mitch pick - you really can't live in the Twin Cities unless you love the Twins.  It's practically grounds for revoking your residency.  The Cities love to live in the past when the Twins were great and Kirby Puckett wasn't fat (or dead).  

• #7 - Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle - speaking of living in the past, Thor will need to learn all the cool moves of Jim McMahon, Walter Payton, and the Fridge if he plans on being a Bears fan (which he does).  Plus, there's nothing better than watching Gary Fencik play a fake saxophone.    

Cast your votes now in the comments section!

Fifty Below Zero Plans a Baby

In the summertime I love watching the Today show's segment "Today Throws A Wedding".  Even though I don't do any of the voting, I love to see what viewers have picked out for the special couple that gets married on live TV.  It's with that inspiration that I present to you, the blog readers, "Fifty Below Zero Plans a Baby".  With this series, you will get to put in your two cents about various random things as we approach the due date.  (Sorry, I can't just leave it to a vote and go with it.  I'm too much of a control freak to let go.  But I do want your input!)

Choice #1 - The Homecoming Outfit

Mitch and I have selected two ensembles that Baby Thor can come home in.  Each is very coordinated, down to the hat and socks.  

• Ensemble #1:  Noah's Ark Baby - this chic outfit features baby animals in pairs moving "two by two", just like they did for the Ark.  The matching onesie and hat work well with the homemade yellow booties and cute duckie mittens, so that baby skin stays looking fresh and scratch-free.  This outfit says, "I'm here, I'm cute, I'm cuddly".  

• Ensemble #2:  Illini Baby - this outfit screams "I plan on going to Illinois and getting a scholarship so Mommy and Daddy don't have to pay out-of-state tuition".  The simple blue onesie is complemented by an orange and blue hat and fashionable orange "I" booties.  Every baby that dreams of the Big Ten will be sporting this outfit this summer.    

Let us know your favorite ensemble by putting it in the comments!

Baby Update: Week 36 - The Ninth Month

Baby:  "What to Expect" doesn't really provide any new groundbreaking information for baby this week, other than saying all systems are almost go and that the baby continues to get bigger.  No kidding.  

Mom:  The beginning of the ninth month has made me even more ready to have this baby, although I've certainly been taking advantage of the things I won't be able to do once he/she arrives - sleeping in, relaxing during the day, doing whatever I want whenever I want, spending quality time with Mitch, etc.  But I am beyond uncomfortable, I can't sleep very well, the heartburn is AWFUL, and I alternate between surges of energy and surges of pure exhaustion.  

Dad:  Mitch has been dutifully knocking things off our to-do-before-the-baby-comes-list every night after work and all weekend long.  Accomplished this week:  installed a new faucet in the kitchen to replace our leaky one; replaced ripped screens in lower level; cleaned basement; worked on getting rid of the ant infestation in our yard; killed weeds and sprayed for bugs; watered our dying lawn, trimmed off some really long blinds in the lower level, and organized our lower level.  Our lower level has essentially been a storage living room since we moved in, and it feels so great to have it actually be a room.  We have it set up as a 2nd living room and room for a play area when Thor gets a little bigger.  After this weekend's work, we really have very little to do before the baby arrives!  

Send Good Thoughts....

After months of worrying about my job for next year, it seems as though things are finally starting to move and shake.....keep Mitch and me in your thoughts and prayers that things work out the way we want them to.  Hopefully we'll have a good report for you next week!

Keep In Your Prayers - UPDATED

Tomorrow my Grama Poke is having some surgery - nothing major to worry about, but she will be staying overnight in the hospital and have some recovery time.  Keep her, my Grapa Poke and her doctors and nurses in your prayers that everything goes well in surgery and recovery.  Love you both!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I talked to my dad tonight - everything with the surgery went fine, and Grama is resting now.  Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Baby Update: Week 35 - With Nursery Pics!

Baby:  In this last week of the eighth month, baby is probably 20 inches long and about 5 1/2 pounds.  Baby's brain is developing at a rapid pace as it develops so he may survive outside of the womb.  On a personal note, I had my ultrasound last Monday, and baby is head-down, butt-up, with its legs pressed right against his torso.  It sounds dreadfully uncomfortable, but I'm thankful that his feet aren't in my ribs because of this!  Baby is also measuring right on, and they are predicting that I should deliver right near my due date.  Oh, and they let me know that baby has a full head of hair.....

Mom and Dad:  We have been busy this last weekend with a tour of the birth center at our hospital and a day-long class about how to care for your child when he arrives.  The class was really beneficial, we got several great handouts and brochures that will be great resources as we dive into this parenting thing.  The best part of the class?  Getting a tutorial on bathing your baby, complete with a newborn as our example.  He was so cute!

For those of you tracking my expanding belly, here's this week's photo:

 

I am REALLY uncomfortable now (and yes, I know I say this every week, but it keeps getting worse!).  It's hard to sleep, hard to get out of the couch, and I've been having some muscle pain in the top part of my abdomen.  I am ready for this baby growing to be done.  

Mitch and I have put most of the finishing touches on the nursery, and it is with great pride and pleasure that we show off Thor's room!  Thanks to all of those who helped transform the room, purchase furniture, and generally give us a nursery that is comfortable and cozy!

The view from the doorway - we have yet to put the handles on the closet doors and still need curtains.  Hopefully this will get done in the next few weeks!

Another look from the doorway, showing off my thrift-store rocking chair, MomPoke's awesome Illini blanket, and Mitch's custom-drawn Thor picture.

A view of the crib, shelves, and a framed prayer that I used to have in my room when I was a little girl.  Notice Thor (the doll) is standing guard in the top right corner of the shelves.  

Another view of the crib - Mitch and I are in the process of naming all of the animals on the quilt (you can see Chico the dog and Walter the Walrus right now), and our Sleep Sheep is ready to go.

Our open closet - Mitch and I installed the closet ourselves, and I just love our hanging shelves!  I also look forward to filling up the closet with cute boy or girl clothes!

The back of the closet - we have tons of storage, which is great.  And we've had no problem filling up those shelves!

We are really happy with the way it has turned out, and still have a few final things to do, but are ready in case little Thor decides to make his debut early!  (I'm thinking Week 38 might be a good time, yes?)

Birth Center Tour

Tina getting a treat on the way home from our tour of the Birth Center where she will give birth to Thor in a few weeks.

Random Thoughts on a Thursday Night

• I have been eating Dilly Bars like they are the last food on earth.  Did you know that the signature curl is gone?  What fun is eating a Dilly Bar when there is no curl to eat first?  (Luckily, I have worked past this issue.)  I urge you to check your local Dairy Queen to see if your Dilly Bars have curls.  
• My house is finally starting to look like normal again.  Two levels are clean, and the laundry is halfway done.  I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
• Happy 32nd Anniversary to Pa and Mom Poke!  Hope you're doing something fun to celebrate!
• I was watching "America's Got Talent" last night (and I've watched it a few other times, too), and I'm really annoyed by Nick Cannon.  I'm also annoyed that he tries to drop Mariah Carey's name any chance he gets, and that one of her songs was playing in the background when someone was getting ready to go to Vegas.  Nick Cannon sucks.
• I have been very thankful for the beautiful weather we have been having here in the Twin Cities.  Today was a perfect day - cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon with a great breeze moving through the house.  If only it would stay this way through August....
• Mitch cleaned the shower tonight, because our bathroom stunk like a bunch of college guys lived here.  It smells so nice in there now!
• I hate folding laundry.  There are two baskets sitting in the living room that are calling my name, but I'm ignoring them.  
• I feel like I am singlehandedly keeping the toilet paper people in business.  I will be so glad when I don't pee every 30 minutes.  

Be Bop a Doo!

Mitch and I have this weird tradition with the "girls" that he lived with during college - SouthCove, Buttercup, TubaLady, and Rachel.  We like to write important items down on a napkin.  It started back when we all lived in Plainfield right after college graduation and we were playing cards.  We all had variations of the rules of our favorite drinking game, asshole, and in order to keep things fair, we wrote down the rules on a napkin.  Anytime we began playing, "the napkin" came out so we could reference it.  And it just stuck.  

Since then, we've used napkins to document all sorts of "important" events and details, and lately it's been used to wager bets on various things, including little Baby Thor.  The girls have created four categories - date, sex, height, and weight - and have each made their best guess as to what Thor will be.  Their predictions are as follows:

Guesser     Date     Sex     Weight      Height

 

TubaLady   Aug. 9   M       8lbs. 5 oz. 21"

Rachel       Aug. 15  M       8lbs. 3 oz. 19.5"

Buttercup  Aug. 13   F       7lbs. 2 oz.  20"

SouthCove Aug. 1    F       7lbs. 9 oz. 18"

Because we all love "The Price is Right", they are playing by those rules - person who comes closest without going over wins the category (4 points), and then 3, 2, and 1 points for the next closest, etc.  The person with the most overall points will be crowned "WORLD BABY CHAMPION" and will win the Kevin James Baby Cup.  Apparently, TubaLady thinks the baby will be as big as Kevin James.  (I don't make this up, people.  These girls are serious about their competition.)  

SouthCove e-mailed all this to me last weekend and said I could blog about this.  Then I decided it would be fun to invite all of the readers of Fifty Below Zero to participate in this World Baby Champion Competition.  To make your submissions, just add a comment to this post and you will be entered to win prizes!

(A note to the girls - even though I am now inviting others to play, the competition between the four of you still stands, and only one of you four can win the Kevin James Baby Cup.  I know how competitive you all are!  If one of you wins the overall blog competition, you win both the KJBC and the prize from the blog.)  

To level the playing field, my official due date is August 14.  

Good luck and have fun!

Baby Update: Week 34

Baby:  According to "What to Expect", the baby could be as big as 20 inches long and probably weighs about 5 pounds.  If the baby is a male, his testicles are making their final descent into the scrotum.  If the baby is a girl, let's hope this isn't happening.  Also, the baby's nails are probably at the ends of his/her fingertips.  

Mom:  Well, things are just moving right along and staying really consistent - baby's growing, I'm getting bigger.  Baby is moving a lot, which is great, and his kicks and moves are getting even stronger.  I have an ultrasound scheduled tomorrow, and that should tell us how big the baby is and what is going on in there.  I'm hoping it will also give us a clue as to maybe when this baby is going to come out (if I'm still measuring big, if this baby already weighs 9 pounds, etc.).  I've reluctantly posted my 34 week picture, as it was taken at the end of the day on Sunday, after Mitch and I had spent the last three days working on the house.  I am absolutely exhausted, hot, and had just dripped chocolate from my Dilly Bar on my shirt.  (Don't worry - it was the only time I dropped chocolate.  You can't let that go to waste!)

Dad:  Mitch used his three-day weekend to rip out and replace the baseboards in the living room (you get a glimpse of them in my pic - we'll post pics later this week).  He and his dad also installed our new blinds for the windows in the living room and baby's room, and he spent time working on the yard.  He is equally exhausted and is looking forward to going to work tomorrow for a much-needed break from home improvement.  (We also discussed this weekend how work might seem more like a vacation when you have to come home to an infant soon!)

Another quick note on the baby front:  the Baby Name Foam Board Choosing Index has been narrowed down to the probable names for either baby girl or boy.  It's been a tight race, but I think the best names have won.  Won't it be fun to find out what they are when the baby arrives?

This is how your baseboard corners should look

A Public Service Warning

To the check-out people at Cub, Target, Home Depot, Hallmark, the Post Office, Michaels, the crazy lady at JoAnn Fabrics, and any other place I might visit in the next six weeks:

I realize I am pregnant.  I realize that this requires you to strike up a conversation about it.  I have no problem with you asking when I'm due, or whether it's a boy or a girl.  

However, I do not need to know how big your babies were when they were born.  I don't need to know your life story when it comes to birthing your children.  You don't need to make comments like "Oh girl, how are you going to survive if you're this big already?" or "Are you having a monster?".  I know I'm large.  I know I'm "all baby" in the front.  I've come to terms with the fact that my baby is going to be slightly smaller than King Kong.  I already feel uncomfortable and self-conscious.  You don't need to point it out.  I'm well aware of it.   

You are a stranger.  You don't need to make me feel bad when I am shopping to fulfill my nesting instinct.  You can wish me well and get on to the next customer.  You don't need to continue the conversation while I pack up my groceries. 

If this continues, I will be required to check out at registers manned by males, who no doubt don't care how big I am or will dare ask any questions regarding my pregnancy.  

Thank you for your time.

A Little Something to Make You Laugh

When I was in IL, I had the pleasure of visiting with one of my favorite six-year-olds, Peanut.  While she didn't get to particpate in Cin and my Day of Fun!, she was certainly as entertaining as she demonstrated her vocal prowess.  Clearly, she is cut out for a career on Broadway.