Inappropriate Comments

Apparently, every single random stranger on the street knows more about pregnancy and your pregnancy than you or your doctors. Now that I'm showing, I've found people have some seriously loose tongues. I figured I would write up a list of no-no's when talking to a pregnant woman unless A. you are her OB or midwife or B. you have been asked your opinion.

Saying the following comments to a pregnant woman are not, and never will be, a smart thing to do.

• You look like you are due tomorrow! (You're actually due in 3 months)
• When are you due? (June 9th) Wow....you're really....big.
• Are you sure you aren't having twins?
• (Your father to your mother when he thought you were out of earshot) I don't think you were that big at 25 weeks...
• Just wait until other body parts start growing along with your belly!
• It's going to be hard to lose all that weight after you give birth.
• Are you eating enough fruits and vegetables?
• Should you be eating that?
• Are you eating enough? You're eating for two, you know.
• Saying "But you're so cute" immediately after saying, "wow, you're so big!" is not making your first comment any better.

If you decide you just can't help yourself and MUST make a comment like the ones above, be prepared for the following emotional responses. Please note: the woman is PREGNANT. That means hormones.

• Smiling at you, then walking away cursing you under her breath - this is probably the kindest response you could get.
• Walking away before bursting into tears
• Bursting into tears in front of you
• Telling you that she has never heard that one before
• The pregnant woman makes some mean comment back at you such as, "Well, you're not looking too svelte these days either."

While we're on that topic, let's discuss pregnant bellies. Touching the belly of someone you don't know well or someone who is a complete stranger is NOT okay unless they give you their permission and offer it up for rubbing. If you are a stranger, don't be shocked if you reach out to touch my belly and I reach out to touch yours back.

Just so I don't end this on a totally negative note, I thought I would give some feedback on comments I have heard (some over and over again) that are totally okay.

• How are you feeling?
• You look great!
• You can't tell you're pregnant from behind but as soon as you turn around BAM! Baby! In the face! (haha, this one just made me laugh)
• Do you know what you're having? (I can't get enough of telling people we're having a girl)
• Are you sleeping okay?
• The time is just flying by!
• Are you excited? (This one can be taken weird, I know - why wouldn't I be excited? It's still okay to ask, though).

Gratuitous Pregnancy Photo from Week 24 (aka: the week I really popped out):

The Weird Sisters - Book Review

I joined BlogHer about a year ago when I first started blogging from Home Sweet Hopkins. You've probably noticed (if you come to my blog and don't just read in Google Reader) that I have BlogHer ads running on the side of my blog now. I have also signed up for the option to do book reviews for BlogHer. I chose to read and review The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown as it caught my attention as something I might actually pick up at the library. I am being compensated for this review, but that in no way effects what my feelings are about the book. I also want to mention, I'm not a book reviewer or writer by trade. I like to talk about books and I figure I can learn as I go with reviewing them.

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The Weird Sisters is a book about 3 sisters, all in different paths of life who decide to head back to their childhood home after a series of events takes place in each of their lives. The story follows Rose, Bean and Cordy. Each girl is named after Shakespearean characters by their father, the Shakespeare Professor at the University in their small town. The story follows Rose, the oldest, who stayed in town after graduation to teach math. She is the one who is assisting to care for their mother when the other two move home. Bean, the middle child, was living in New York City, found herself in a bad situation and horribly in debt. She decided she had no other choice than to head home. Cordy, the youngest and essentially a nomad for a few years, comes home pregnant by a man she met in a weekend and doesn't care to keep in touch with.

The narration of the story is interesting, it is from the perspective of all three sisters, instead of just one or bouncing between the three of them. It took me quite some time to get used to this, thus it took me quite some time to finish this book! The story follows the sisters through their troubles and moving home. It then shows the sisters growing in their relationships and finally opening up and letting each other know about the struggles each one of them has faced during the time they haven't been in touch. They bond through working together to help their ailing mother and finding new paths for their lives. 

I would have preferred if the story had been told by all three different perspectives but understand the reason behind telling it from all three at once. The story did not captivate me, but it was likable enough that I wanted to finish the book to find out what happened to the characters. I enjoyed the stories of Bean and Cordy but didn't feel like the author went as in depth into Rose as she did with the other two sisters. While the parents played background characters, they obviously had a huge part in the story itself. I think I might check out other books by the same author, just to see what other types of writing she does.

We are discussing The Weird Sisters over at BlogHer. If you have read the book, join in the conversation!

Nursery Update - Progress

We've made some progress on the nursery. If you remember, this is what it looked like before:

We have since sold the bed and the armoir on Craigslist for a good sum of money combined, so that made me quite happy. We were able to put that towards some baby stuff we bought a few weekends ago. We have also moved the Christmas items back up into the attic because I couldn't handle them laying around the house any longer!

After we removed the bed and armoir, we brought in the changing table, crib and a few other miscellaneous items. We still have to remove the workout equipment (I think someone is procrastinating on this job...) but then we will finally be able to see what the room will look like. We also need to add a dresser, we're just taking one from our bedroom and putting it in there since we don't want to spend the money on one right now. We plan to wait to buy a dresser until she is a little older and moves into a big-girl bed. Then, we'll buy a headboard, bed and dresser she can keep for years and years that will all match.

Le Chat Noir photo will come down when we paint. All the workout equipment, bed rails, etc will also be moved. Eventually. The Pack 'n Play we bought at Target when it was 50% off. I went back a few weeks later and they're back to their normal price! Score! That lamp? Oh, that's going, don't worry. Hops made that in shop class in the 7th grade. Sure, sentimental to him. To me? ....well, he reads this blog and he knows how I feel about it. I don't need to write it out for him.

The crib is Gulliver by Ikea. The pad inside of the crib is actually a pad for the pack 'n play that a friend gave us. Apparently the "mattress" in the pack 'n play is pretty shoddy, so this gives a better place to lay. Yes, my stuffed turtles will be all over the room.

The black bedside table will be painted white or peach (I haven't decided yet) and will sit next to the glider that we haven't purchased yet.

The bookshelf came out of my office. I bought it from Michaels a while ago and just consolidated some stuff so we could use it as a kids bookshelf for now. I plan on stocking it with toys, books and stuffed animals once this room is fully completed.

The changing table is something we picked up at the baby sale. I'm planning on buying some baskets, painting them an accent color and will put those under the changing table to hold small items like bibs, hats, socks, pants, shirts, etc. The pictures on top of the book shelf and changing table will be hung up around the room. The other extra item in the room is something I put in here that I'm not sure will stay in here - that little black table with the wicker baskets. I think it would be good for little items, again. I'm still not convinced I want to use it in here, though.

Ah, the closet. Yes, I already have over 40 items hanging in it. Thank you Mom and the baby sale. The sea of pink is a little unnerving, but other than that, I'm pretty happy with the items we have already. The plastic tubs in the closet currently hold some toys and books. Those will probably stay just because they're easy to access. I may add a few more to put blankets and other items in.

Once we remove the workout equipment, I'll really be able to tell how much space we have and what will end up where. I can't wait to finally get to the end of this project. Removal of workout equipment and painting is up next! Currently, we're working on paint colors. The first green I selected started looking blue to me after looking at it online too long. I really don't need another blue catastrophe (I have a nice large can of blue paint in my garage...) So, I tested out this scenario and then tested another one. There are a LOT of light greens out there! I have my accent colors down, now I just need to confirm that green....

Next stop - Lowes to get a bunch of swatches!

Green - Walls
Peach - Accents
Brown - Baskets, Accents
White - Trim, Crib, Changing Table

What do you think of the color choices?

Super Bowl Sunday

We had some friends over for the Super Bowl and I over-cooked, as usual. Thankfully we had found some vegan sour cream and cream cheese at Whole Foods last weekend. I was able to make some of our favorite items without making Hops feel left out!

Rice Krispy Treat Footballs

It was suggested to dip these fully in milk chocolate and then pipe the laces on with white chocolate. I decided that was too much work/too much chocolate. Easy work here! We used Smart Balance butter, marshmallows and rice krispies. I found you must press the treats into a pan and leave them for a bit before trying to mold them. This allows them to harden some so they're easier to mold.

Jalapeno Poppers

Stuffed and bacon-wrapped. I just cut open the jalapeno's, scooped out all of the seeds and filled each half with cream cheese. For the bacon-wrapped poppers, I took regular bacon and pulled it around the jalapeno, cutting it off at the end. These are cooked at 450 for 10 minutes or until browned.

Brie and baguette

Super easy treat! Cut a baguette to the thickness which you like your slices. Top with a small slice of brie, preserves of your choice (I used raspberry) and bake at 375 until the cheese is bubbly - 8-10 minutes. Don't forget about them or the preserves will melt all over your pan and your treats will look like this!

Pumpernickel bread bowl with spinach dip

Defrost one package of frozen chopped spinach. Mix with 16oz sour cream, 8oz mayonnaise and one package of Ranch dip mix or seasoning mix of your choice. Cut open a pumpernickel boule or loaf and slice the top into dipping-sized pieces. I also add in some baguette to have extra dippers before you have to use the bowl.

We had a delicious spread and even though the better team didn't win, we still had fun. Only 212 days until the NFL season starts again!