Any day now...

Those were my doctor's words at Wednesday's appointment. "It could be any day now!" Hmm... yeah, I'm not feeling it. This kid will probably have to be unwillingly yanked from her uterine home just like her big brother. At this point she is showing absolutely zero interest in greeting the outside world.

But, I am considered full term today. 37 whole weeks pregnant. I feel like I've been pregnant for 37 years. Because we'd been trying for so long I knew exactly when my period was due, and when it didn't show that day, I took the pregnancy test the next morning. I couldn't look at it as it "developed"; I sat on the toilet and stared into the shower, literally shaking from nerves. After what seemed like the longest 120 seconds in history, I turned around and looked at the test on the counter. Two lines. TWO. I picked it up and almost dropped it because I was still shaking so hard. I carried it into the bedroom and sat down on the bed next to Paul and said "I'm pregnant." Of course he was still half asleep so just kind of said "Really? That's great, babe." I think I was sobbing.

That seems like an eternity ago. So much has happened since then. I don't know when I actually started to believe this baby would make it, or when I allowed myself to really "feel" anything. I was so guarded, so scared, so uncertain. Each ultrasound (I've had four), every heartbeat check, every kick has given me a little more confidence, a little more faith that we'd make it to this point. But even now I am still afraid. I still worry that something will go wrong here in the eleventh hour, that she's not moving enough or the cord's wrapped around her neck, or one of the other umpteen thousand possibilities. I know I need to let go and trust that everything will be fine. Why is that so hard for me? Why can't I relax? Part of me wants to have the cesarean next week, simply because then I could see her and know that she's okay. I know I am irrational! At least I know this about myself.

So I guess I've rambled on long enough. Sadie will be here very soon and I cannot wait to meet her. She will be so cute. I was looking at Ethan's baby pictures yesterday, remembering what an adorable baby he was. I can't wait to see the female version! I told Paul last night that we should try to have the baby today so that she'll only have a birthday every four years. He said "Yeah, so then she can hate us for the rest of her life." Oh Paul, you silly man. Don't you realize that when she grew up she would think it was awesome? On her 40th birthday she'd technically only be 11! That's every woman's dream!!

Last Weekend's Exploits

Last weekend we continued exploring DC by hitting up a bunch of museums with the Hobbs. First, we made a stop at the National Geographic Society's museum. Below is Ethan enjoy the only dinosaur skeleton on display.

We then wandered up the Scottish Rite's Freemasonry Temple but missed the family day activities. Below are some pictures of Ethan with Blake and Grant, trying to break into the temple.

We finished off with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Big thanks to the Hobbs for taking pictures for us.

We are Nepalese if You Please

We just got some great jackets and shirts from Nepal in the mail from Grandpa Snow. Paul’s family spent Christmas in India and spent some time in Nepal. The pictures below show the sweet swag we got out of the deal (note: Sarah got a cute red and white striped hoodie. Haven't been able to get her to pose for a picture with it yet though).

We aren’t exactly sure what the jackets are made out of but Jabba doesn’t like them. He growls and barks every time we wear them. Funny stuff.

Ice T and the Smithsonian: Match Made in Heaven?

http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/index.html

Math for dummies

Raging hormones + Dumbo = me in a puddle of tears.

Why did I do this to myself? I *know* that Dumbo always makes me cry, even when I'm not nine months pregnant. So what on earth made me think I could make it through without crying tonight? I put it on for Ethan just before bed, and as soon as it got to the part where Mrs. Jumbo reaches her trunk out of the window and rocks Dumbo while the song "Child of Mine" plays in the background... that was it. I was sobbing. I'm even getting teary-eyed right now just thinking about it. Really, what was I thinking???

Am I the only one who dissolves into a blubbering mess while watching this movie? Please tell me I'm not alone.

Denise, this one's for you

Paul stayed home from work today because he had a doctor's appointment (no worries- just routine). While he's been home he has helped me with Ethan here and there, starting with getting Ethan his breakfast while I walked the dog. Paul's appointment was at 10:00, so while he was gone I went into the kitchen to get Ethan a snack. As I stood at the counter pouring Ethan a drink, I glanced over at the sink. It was *full* of crap. The dirty bowl from the brownies I made last night (at Paul's request), every single dish from Ethan's breakfast, a couple tupperware containers, various eating and serving utensils from dinner the night before. Okay... the brownie bowl I can kind of understand still being there. But the other stuff? Our dishwasher is literally RIGHT NEXT TO THE SINK. Why is it so hard to open the dishwasher, place the aforementioned items INTO the dishwasher, then close it again? Is this rocket science??? I am perfectly capable of performing this task unassisted. Why not Paul? I've had this discussion with him numerous times, yet he continues to pile things in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher. Sigh...

So, Denise: next time you think you want Troy to be just like Paul, remember this little lesson and be grateful for what you have. BTW, I know you will be miffed when you read this Paul, but you know it's true. You also know that I love you and appreciate your other valiant efforts. But the dish thing really bugs me. Really.

Strike a pose

Ethan has been in this weird "funk" lately where he absolutely flips out when you try to take his picture. Literally, as soon as he sees you pull out the camera he starts screaming "NO PICTURE! NO PICTURE!!!!!" and runs away. He is such a butt.

Well, tonight I got the camera out to take a picture of something completely unrelated to Ethan. But I had to take the picture in his room because Paul was on a conference call in our room. He saw me with the camera and said (in Ethan-ese) "Take my picture?" Needless to say, I was shocked. But he actually struck this little pose and told me to take a picture of it, and then he immediately wanted to see it. Then he ran over to his rocking chair, grabbed a book and again told me to take his picture. So weird!

So here he is in his awesome rocker stance. What a ham!

Look at me, I'm reading a book!

I snapped this picture yesterday right before I woke him up from his nap. I just thought he looked so adorable I had to take his picture!

There Comes a Time in Every Boy's Life When He Has to Decide Which Star Wars Character He Most Resembles

Food for thought.

If Admiral Akabar is a chick, Sarah would totally be him. No question.

Scottish Rite Temple Trip

The Scottish Rite Freemason Temple in DC is having a family day/ open house this Saturday. One thing it will have that LDS temple open houses have neglected? A moon bounce.

http://www.scottishrite.org/visitors/calendar.html

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the District

Alright. Here is our latest list of things to do in DC. Still a work in progress and it needs to be broken down into specific trips but this should give you an idea of what we're aiming for. Feel free to let us know if there is a particular gem you know of that is not represented. Always interested in new ideas.

1. Woodrow Wilson's House
2. Dinosaur Land
3. Carlyle House
4. Vienna RR Station Museum
5. Marine Corps Museum
6. US Patent Museum
7. Tudor Place
8. Scottish Rite Masonic Temple
9. President Lincoln's Cottage
10. GM Masonic Memorial
11. Madame Tussauds (?)
12. Gadsby's Tavern (Alexandria)
13. Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House
14. Discovery Creek Park (MD)
15. Smithsonian Kite Festival (March 29th)
16. Federal Reserve Building (?)
17. Williamsburg
18. Old Post Office Building (for the view)
19. Rock Creek Park (?)
20. Navy Museum
21. National Cathedral
22. Supreme Court
23. Freer Gallery
24. Sackler Gallery
25. Holocaust Memorial
26. Exorcist Steps
27. Ford's Theater
28. National Portrait Gallery
29. Aquarium
30. Nat Geographic Society Museum
31. Old Town Alexandria
32. Wolf Trap
33. Hotel Washington Resturant
34. Capital Children's Museum
35. Georgetown University
36. Shine of Immaculate Conception
37. Hain's Pt/ Awakening Statue
38. Nat Building Museum
39. Wizards Game
40. Nationals Game
41. Annapolis (?)
42. Nat Arb/ US Botanic Gardens
43. Library of Congress
44. East Egg Roll
45. Georgetown - Dinner/ Movie
46. Kennedy Center
47. Pick Berries
48. National Cathedral Concert
49. Tour/ Concert DAR
50. Crystal City
51. Ben's Chili Bowl

Hain's, Planes and Automobiles

Turns out our first trip to The Awakening statue this weekend will be our last. This Wednesday the statue is being moved from Hain's Point out to Maryland after twenty-eight years. Talk about luck. Read more about the Giant's move in the Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/16/AR2008021602254.html?hpid=artslot

My Buddha belly

It's been a little while since I've taken a shot of my growing belly. So this morning I decided to do another one and compare it to previous pictures just for kicks.

Here I am at 27 weeks back in December

And here I am this morning at 35 weeks

Come on out, Baby Sadie!

Bison and big men

For a while now, Paul has been telling me that I need to go to Ted's Montana Grill for a buffalo burger. Now, I am not in the habit of eating bison on a regular basis so was a bit hesitant. But he put it on "the list" so we decided to tackle it yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised. And it doesn't taste exactly like ground beef, but I can't put my finger on precisely how it is different. I will say that they had the best onion rings I think I have ever had in my entire life. Mmmmmm..... deep fried rings of gold......

Yet another stop on our whirlwind tour of DC's lesser known sights was Hains Point, which we did before hitting up the Naval Museum. The big thing to see there is "The Awakening," a rather creepy ginormous statue of a man shooting up out of the ground. It was crowded when we got there, and all the kids were scrambling to climb on the statue's face and arm. Ethan was much more interested in the nearby water and ducks, and even picked up a few long sticks to use for "fishing." There's also a golf course in the middle of the park, but it looked kind of run-down. Not that I play golf anyway.

Three things down, 50 more to go. Oy.

Come on and join your fellow man... in the Navy

Sorry for the Village People reference. It was just too tempting.

In an attempt to "see the sights" of DC before we inevitably move this summer, we made this huge list of things we want to do and see. I think there are currently 53 items on said list, and it continues to grow. Our goal is to knock out a few sights every weekend before the baby comes, though we just realized yesterday that this goal conflicts with our previous "one house project per weekend" goal. Hmm. We're still hammering out the details.

Yesterday we visited the virtually unknown Naval Museum in Southeast. And I have to say it was super cool. The museum itself was huge, and full of all kinds of naval artifacts, rifles, machine guns, airplanes, you name it. Ethan loved running wild through the whole place, as I think there were only three other people in the entire building. But the sweetest part by far was the gigantic battleship in the harbor. It was just a self-guided tour, up and down and all through the ship. Pretty cool. Of course Ethan loved that too, even though he now refuses to pose for pictures. Nevertheless, we still got some decent shots of the whole experience.

So, we can check the Naval Museum off the list. We could also see the new Nats stadium from the deck of the ship. Does that mean we can cross that off the list too?

A friend is someone with whom you dare to be yourself

Not sure I need a designated day in mid-February to fall in love with my wife all over again but I'm happy for any excuse for romance that comes along. I always think our marriage involved just constantly falling in love again and again with each other anyways.I've known Sarah for ten years. Each one has been more exciting than the last. Each has brought new growth opportunities. Having Sarah lead me, walk beside me and, at times, push me, has made all the difference. Sarah, you're my valentine each and every day. I'm eternally grateful you said yes that late summer night in Oklahoma. Thanks for choosing me. Happy Valentine's Day.

California Dreamin'

We ended up having a blast in California. We went out unsure of what to expect in regards to Great Grandpa Snow's health, but he has recovered remarkably and is doing well at home. So we were able to enjoy some of the sights in SoCal while we were there. We made our second trek to Disneyland with Ethan (first time was Christmas '06). He had a blast, though it was the day after we arrived so he was still a little jet-lagged and bratty. We drove down and walked around the temple grounds (Ethan toting a Nerf gun the whole time- classy) and had dinner with Paul's brother Kevin. Mainly we hung out with family, which was great. It was unseasonably warm the whole time we were there- when we left yesterday it was 80 degrees. Made it even harder to come home to an ice storm.

It's always *something*

Those of you who know us well know that when we travel we don't just travel, we survive. Sometimes barely.

This past week/weekend we were in Los Angeles visiting Paul's grandparents (who are doing great, BTW). Our flight out of LAX was set to depart at 2:50 yesterday afternoon. We had to drop off the rental car, which we did, and we got to the gate about 15-20 minutes before it was supposed to take off. They hadn't started boarding yet so we sat down in the waiting area. About half an hour later they let us on the plane. We were in the second row from the back and got all settled with Ethan, then waited for the rest of the passengers to board. Everyone got on and we just sat there. And kept sitting there... for an hour. Why, you ask? All because the first class lavatory was broken and the maintenance crew was trying to repair it. At 4:00 we finally pulled away from the gate, even though they never fixed the bathroom. Which meant the only working bathrooms were the two in the back, right behind us. So we had people lined up beside our seats for the entire 5-hour flight. Oy. Luckily Paul sat on the aisle. At one point he turned to me and said "Do you know how many butts have touched me in the last three hours?" Poor Paul.

So, our flight that was supposed to land in Dulles at 10:35 didn't touch down until 11:40 or so (that's p.m.). We got on the stupid shuttle bus and I busted ahead to grab a taxi (for those who don't know, we always park our car at the Booz Allen office building that is just down the toll road from the airport, then one of us takes a cab to pick up the car and comes back for the other). Paul took Ethan to get the bags. I got to the taxi waiting area and the line was insane. Paul eventually came and waited in line with me. All told I think we waited 40-45 minutes for a cab. So, it was like 12:40 at this point and when we got to Paul's office and out of the cab we almost broke our necks as the street was a solid sheet of ice. I think Ethan fell at least five times just walking from the taxi to the curb as we waited for Paul to bring the car around. He ran into the parking garage to get the car, got in and... nothing. The battery was DEAD. It was almost 1a.m., but by some divine miracle there was a guy who had just come out of the office and started his car. Paul *begged* him for a jump and after four or five tries finally got the car to start. We didn't get home until 1:30 and Paul and I got to bed around 2:00a.m.

Paul had an all-day meeting in NYC today and was supposed to catch a plane at 7:00 this morning. At 3:30 this morning, the airline called to update him on the status of his flight, but we were way too out of it to answer the phone. Then at 6:20 Paul's cell phone rang; it was his taxi driver saying he would be here in 10 minutes. Poor Paul's alarm didn't go off so he was scurrying about trying to get dressed and ready. He went online to check on his flight and found out it had been cancelled. So he called around and got on an 8:00 flight and was going to drive himself to the airport but once again his car wouldn't start, so there was no making that flight either. We went out and pushed his car over to mine, jumped it and dropped it off at the mechanic (after Paul spent forever scraping all the ice off of my car). Then he got himself on a 12:20 flight and made it to the airport for that one. Unfortunately his flight was delayed indefinitely. He called and left a message around 2:30 saying his flight was about to take off so I guess he made it (I was taking a nap since I never really went back to sleep after the phone rang at 6:20). I don't think he made it in time for the meeting but will be there for the team dinner. Poor guy. I hope he goes to bed early tonight!!!

So yeah... why can't anything ever be simple when we travel?

Ethan-isms

Ethan is quite the chatterbox these days. He never seems to stop talking, even though it only makes sense about 75% of the time. The rest of the time we've learned to just smile and nod. But the things he says that we can understand can be rather amusing. Here are just a few of my favorites:

1. "I love you on vacation." He came up with that one after we got back from Boston.
2. "Mommy, Jabba pooted." Unfortunately he says that one a lot... Jabba is rather gassy.
3. "I go on a jet plane to see Daddy and Gamma and Gampa and Nielsy!" He yells this one several times a day since Paul left. He misses his daddy A LOT.
4. "Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets!" Apparently Ethan really likes this show.
5. "Grass! Look at the grass, Mommy!" We took Jabba for a walk this afternoon and Ethan came running over and hugged my leg as he showed me an especially green patch of moss.
6. "It's my baaaaaaaaaby! He's talking to Harry Potter!" He has this bear that has its hands pressed together in prayer that Ethan has decided is his "baby." And he tells us all the time that his bear is talking to Heavenly Father... but in his little three year-old diction it comes out sounding like Harry Potter. Classic.

There are many more but I just had to share a tiny fraction of his cuteness. We love our little man. You will be a great big brother, short stack!!!

...So I Married a Hopeless Romantic

Better than marrying an axe murderer.

I have to brag on Paul for a minute. He is so cute. He left for L.A. last night to visit his grandfather in the hospital and will be gone all week. All night last night and this morning I've been finding these little notes all over the house in the weirdest places- there was one in my makeup bag, one inside the detergent cup, a few on my pillow, in the jacket of my coat, etc. They're all simple little notes, but so adorable- "I love you. I really, really love you." How sweet is that??? I love finding them and deciphering his handwriting. : ) It makes me smile whenever I uncover one.

I love my Paul. Miss you, babe.

What letters?????

I went to the optometrist today.

I hate the optometrist.

I've always felt somehow inferior because I need glasses. In ancient times, natural selection would've weeded people like me out of the gene pool, as I would have been eaten by a lion before the age of ten. A lion I couldn't see coming, mind you. It is only through the power of little plastic lenses that I survive on a daily basis.

I've been wearing glasses since I was nine years old. It started out fairly mild, not being able to read the chalkboard at school, etc. But over the years it has progressed to the point where I can't see more than a foot in front of my face without my glasses/contacts. That is pathetic. I take my glasses off to go to sleep at night and have to squint like a 90 year-old woman just to see the alarm clock that's a foot and a half away from my face. Paul leans over to give me a kiss goodnight and half the time I end up kissing his nose because I can't see him well enough. He of course thinks this is hilarious, as Mr. 20/10 vision can never understand what it's like for everything to be a total blur. I, on the other hand, can never understand what it's like to wake up in the morning and SEE. *Really* see. Wow, that must be incredible.

So anyway, it had been a couple years since my last eye exam and since we're about to be poor students I decided to make the appointment and get another year's worth of contacts (which I always stretch further than that because, c'mon, do they really need to be replaced every month???). They took me back, made me look at some weird farm scene that kept focusing and then getting blurry, then did the dreaded air puff glaucoma test. You would think that after nearly 20 years of routine eye exams I would be used to this, but no. I still jumped about a foot when the stupid thing puffed in my eye. And they had to do it twice in each eye. Great.

Then they made me take my contacts out.

The assistant who had been leading me around became a giant blue blob with some sort of something that resembled skin. I could no longer make out any discernable features. She told me to sit "over there" so I headed for the one thing in the room large and black enough to be the exam chair. Luckily I was right or that would have been really embarrassing. After a few minutes the doctor came in. He put that huge thing with all the different lenses in front of my face and started fiddling around with the settings. At one point he covered my right eye, leaving the left one open, and said "Do the letters look clear?" Okay... stop right there. It's kind of humiliating having to read those lines of letters. I always feel like it's this big test, and they're waiting with baited breath for each of my answers. Like there's a scorecard and they mark down each time I get one wrong. Or they're secretly laughing at me because I'm so blind, or little dollar signs are appearing before their eyes just thinking about the coke bottle glasses I will have to buy at the end of my visit. Anyway... so he asks me this question, and for the first time in my life I actually had to answer "I can't even tell there are letters up there." Oh. My. Gosh.

The fact that I couldn't even SEE the stinkin' letters, let alone READ them, says to me that I am completely blind. Not that I was blissfully unaware of this fact before today, but wow. Were I to lose my glasses on a camping trip I would most certainly be mauled by a bear because I thought it was just a really short, moving tree. That is a startling thought.

So I forked over the cash for my new contacts and so far they seem great. I can see the computer screen in front of me, which would otherwise be impossible. Ah, the miracles of modern invention. Maybe one of these days when I have roughly $3K in extra cash lying around I'll do the whole LASIK thing. I don't see that happening any time soon, so it looks like I'm stuck poking myself in the eye multiple times a day.

Thank you, Mr. Optometrist.

It's already tomorrow in Australia

Alright. We've blogged like mad over the last two weeks and I think it is time I step back to let Sarah resume full control over the Snow Globe. I was planning on writing about some of the books we've read recently as well as some of the music we bought in 2007 that I've liked. Think I've subjected everyone to enough pain though.


Many of you have compared me to Harper Lee, Jack Kerouac or Sean Connorey in Finding Forrester over the past week. Thanks but the only reason I did any of this was to impress Sarah. When I first found out she liked the Cure over ten years ago, I immediately started trying to find out more on the band. This is just an updated version of that high school ploy to impress a girl I like. What can I say? I'm head over heels for my brown-eyed girl. With you the conversation is always too short, Sarah. Love you babe.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose

Alright. We've heard back from most of the grad schools I applied to. We heard back with an acceptance from Ross (Michigan) and Darden (Virginia). Kellogg (Northwestern) and Harvard came back with rejections. I'm appealing the Harvard decision for a boring reason but we have our hearts set on Tuck (Dartmouth) right now. Won't hear back from them until late March though. Updated graphics below.

Unnecessary Objects of Our Affection

Here are a few things that are completely unnecessary. The world would keep spinning if these things had never come into being. They are totally cool though.

iPod Boombox

What do miss out of when you have an iPod? The ability to annoy your neighbors by blaring your music in a mobile fashion. Problem solved.

Gameboy Bricks
Brinks made out of old Gameboys. Completely useless and totally cool.

Pac-Man Lighting

Never really played Pac Man much but you have to admit this lighting set up sure beats a mesley little corner lamp.

Air Jordans

These actually could be essential to survial. Nike just released into twenty-third edition.


Jr Mints (Peppermint Crunch)
I've never had these and I want them (via http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/).