My first So Cal earthquake

Hey! I just had my 1st earthquake in Cali! A 5.8, no damage- at least in my area. Have some pretty freaked out kitties, but everything is OK. Nothing fell, still have power. Just generating a lot of news coverage, but no pictures of damage or gore.

I recall the 2001 Nisqually quake in Seattle - it was a 6.8, and that one was a real rattler. I could see the rolling of the floor. That one was awesome!

Cats, cats, cats

more cat pictures

Another post on cats, you ask? Well, until the baby is born, the cats do provide the bulk of entertainment and mischief around here.

In fact, preparing the cats for the baby has been a bit of a challenge too.

They used to have run of the 2nd bedroom where we kept the cat condo, but began shutting them out last month. It is slowly getting turned into the nursery. When we open the door, one cat goes running in, but another - more sneaky- comes in commando style. She moves reallllllyyy slowly, like she thinks we can't see her. She keeps to the perimeter of the room, moving stealth-like under the furniture until she edges her way under the crib where she remains completely still. It cracks me up. After a few minutes, she starts her reconnoitering by slowly crawling out from under the crib. She gets up on her hind legs and peers into the crib with all the fluffy baby blankets and you can just see her little gears turning "oooohh, that looks cozy!"

Then she gets kicked out of the room. I will not be one of those parents that lets the cats in the crib or in the baby room, for that matter.

We screened in our porch to make a 'cat room' for our critters, as they are inside cats. Sorry, I don't have my camera right now to show you how it looks. They LOVE it! They have a great view, and can be 'outside' without being outside. The condo, litter box, and food are out there, and we installed a cat door on our slider too.

Yes, they are spoiled, but we love them.

And the baby is going to be a....

GIRL!

Everything is going practically textbook so far in the pregnancy. Baby is perfectly healthy, I'm doing great, and Victor is slowly losing that 'deer in the headlight' look. Until I brought up that he will have to suffer through puberty and adolescence with a girl. I may have set his road to daddy preparedness back a few weeks.... ha ha ha.

Cravings and random stuff

Hmmm...
Lately, I've been craving pizza, which I really haven't been much of a fan the last few years. I blame my friends in Chicago for taking us to Due Pizza when we were out visiting, and I felt I couldn't eat enough of it.

I'd been ordering take-out, but that starting getting pricey. So, this weekend I bought some Bobobli and tons of toppings. I just finished off a homemade 8 inch with salami, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, feta, sun-dried tomato, pine nuts, and mozzarella. Finger. Lickin. Fab. Oh, and did I mention I'm washing it down with low-sodium, caffiene free root beer??? Life is good.

Here I am tip-toeing through some rattlesnake infested flower gardens at the Reagan museum. Please note the blatant product placement where I'm drinking a grande iced caramel macchioto.

Here is a Chicago picture. My sister and good friends, the Wehunts, went on a lake tour. This silly girl had several incidents of a wardrobe malfunction. Poor Nate couldn't even bring himself to look over at that side of the boat. C'mon, it IS called the windy city!!!!! At least she was wearing some underoos - and modest ones at that. Everyone else on the boat were groups of families, and then...these yahoos. Whatever. Such a treat to view. :-( But I can't think of anyone else cooler to see and mock this with than Caroyln and especially Traci.
This is my new body pillow I use to find a somewhat comfortable position to sleep in. I am by nature a tummy sleeper, and that is obviously out of the question with the little critter growing in my belly. However, Osa thinks this new pillow is for her. Doesn't she look smug? And next, here is Victor encouraging her ego and rewarding her behavior. He spoils her so badly. I can't wait to see him as a daddy.
Next, I'll update some home inprovement projects and nursery pics!

Please don't shoot me!

Yes, I'm very behind behind on posts. I'll post updates later this week. I have a 2nd ultrasound this Thursday and hopefully will be able to post a really great baby update. Last month, the u/s tech gave us an "80%' chance it will be a girl, but we also know there's a 100% chance we will have a baby we are really excited to meet the end of October.

I just got back from 2+ weeks of vacations with family and hubby, and have lots to catch up on!

The heat down here is oppressive while I'm pregnant. I feel great, but the heat really slows me down, and I'm finding it hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Other than that, I am doing great!

OH! The baby moves and kicks like crazy, and Victor finally felt the baby kick last week.

Stay tuned for updates later this week!