all that's past is prologue...

Tonight Elaine presented me with my very own Hot Priests calendar. 12 months of Thorn Birds-like lusciousness -- yeah!! We are having a long, hard week with things hitting us from all angles, so a little fun break was nice. Happy birthday David, and tomorrow to Jennifer and Chris H -- and Friday to Jason!

Last night we went on an impromptu, but much needed. "date night" dinner to a new-ish restaurant, Blackbird in south Minneapolis. Blackbird and another new restaurant, Heidi's, replace our dear departed Pan Vino Dolce. Can't speak for Heidi's, but I am in love with Blackbird. Fantastic food -- started with a "tidbit" of crispy duck rolls from the large "tidbit" menu. Had great (and huge) sandwiches with excellent fries, though the entrees looked good as well. Lovely, eclectic decor (as in "how I want my house to look"), and friendly service. And a good wine list I am dying to try. Yum.

My legs have suddenly swollen up like fat little sausages, especially my feet. I guess it means I can't do the stacks of errands I am used to bundling together to save gas/time/etc. — but right now it means I can't even reliably walk downstairs to make coffee. It's the first truly sucky pregnancy symptom. In some sort of consolation, she is really kick-y, so I just lie around watching my belly.

So tonight after a tasty dinner of spicy chicken at Vina, we hit Ikea (also known as the romantic site of one of our first dates). We had a couple of small things to pick up; Patrick wanted to show me a potential dresser for the nursery (which I nixed, sorry honey!); we both wanted to get some basement shelving and continue progress on planning wardrobes for the front room (the one with the new floor). We had already determined we liked the Pax wardrobe in brown/black, because of the way it contrasted with the koa floor. It looked even better in real life than in pictures! Plus, they were running a special where you got 20% of the cost of the wardrobe back in a gift card, AND delivery was free if you purchased $299+ worth. I will point out that each wardrobe weights almost 100 lbs. So our new wardrobes arrive tomorrow! We only got the bases, but now I am considering the doors as well... edited: the delivery people called as promised this morning, promised a slot between 11-2,...

Because that's all that really seems to be going on right now as we get ready. Of course, that means house prep and the like, and working hard to get a ton of stuff pre-arranged for Nautilus and for clients. Beatrix has turned -- yeah! That means her head is firmly lodged in my pelvis, which is about as uncomfortable as one might think. I feel very elephantine and tired. There is A LOT more movement visible when she is feet-up, however. Meanwhile I am writing grants, paying bills, and doing year-end taxes, plus a plethora of errands. Again, not too exciting.

Most of my friends who are pregnant and due soon are very anxious to have their babies. Despite the discomfort in my right side (she's still trying to get out the top), I like being pregnant and still have a lot to do. So I am hoping she stays put for the next month!

You may or may not know that we have had a lot of flooring issues this fall. It started when I got 100 square feet of engineered hardwood off of Twin Cities Freemarket for the nursery. The floors on the 2F are all rough subfloor, so need some kind of surface over them. In the bathroom, it's tile; in another room, intricately painted; in a third, carpeted. I tried to sand them down to that British honey pine look, but to no avail. I then put up an ad on CraigsList, trading the 500 square feet of vintage maple flooring I had in the basement for the installation of that and new flooring in the front room. Through that ad, I found incredible handyman Bob Fortner -- if you ever need anyone to work on your renovation project let me know, he's great! Bob installed the nursery flooring, and cleared out space in our basement by removing the maple (cue new Gorm shelving from Ikea and the beginnings of a basement reorganization that we are still in the throes of). Then he installed ...

Really, all of this month has been sort of focused on getting ready for the baby. So maybe this info should go on the baby blog (teamtrixie.com), but here we are: - I finished the crib set! Pics on teamtrixie. I am very proud. But then my machine died while trying to make more bed pockets, so I have to solve that. - We looked at EVERY possible bedding place in the Twin Cities, and finally found a duvet cover. We now snuggle up at night under that, the new duvet Patrick got me for Christmas, and the new pillows from my dad. Comfy! We are still working on a bedskirt and caddies (see above sewing note), and generally finalizing details on the 3F re-do. - With the crib set done, we are also trying to finish the final touches on the nursery. - My friend Geri had her gorgeous son Ravi, and we attended his very touching bris ceremony. My online friend Aprille had her baby a month early — and since she's due only a week before me, that's scarey! - I am trucking through the...

I made lots of Christmas presents this year, like record bowls, sequined cocktail napkins (channeling my grandmother), and floppy disc coasters. Plus cute polarfleece hats for kids! I was especially proud of these bed pockets, that I made for storing books, iPods, and the like at the side of the bed. Then, to reward myself, I made a sewing jar so it's easier for me to hand sew and work up on the 3rd floor. Patrick took the picture with his new Nikon D40 that I got him for Christmas, and especially likes the craft/technology juxtaposition.