Waiting for Baby Jack

I know it's been a while since I last updated the blog, what else is new? We're down to 2 short weeks before Jack's eagerly anticipated arrival - can you believe it? What have we been doing over the past month? Lots of waiting, some preparing, and a few other random things. Here's what's been keeping us busy as we wait for baby Jack's arrival (in no particular order):

1) Preparation and more preparation

I know we'll never be completely and totally prepared for the life changes that await us, but we're trying to do as much as we can. We've made multiple trips to Babies 'R Us, only one of which resulted in a pregnancy hormone-induced breakdown because the right color of pack and play had been discontinued. We've attended classes at our local hospital - a day long childbirth class, a "basics of infant care" class and a breastfeeding class. I'm sure we now know absolutely everything we need to be perfect parents (Yeah, right!). Tommy has put together a pack and play and a baby rocker and installed a car seat base, I've packed a hospital bag and washed some tiny baby clothes, and we've both watched the Happiest Baby on the Block. We still have a few more things on the list - hopefully Mom can help out when she arrives next week - but I think we're getting as close to being as prepared as we'll ever be. Now all we need is Jack!

2) Girls Night, the Musical

One Saturday night in October, Mindy, Shannon and I set off to Torrington, Connecticut to the Warner Theatre to see Girls Night, the Musical. I must say I was not too impressed by the musical, and I think we were the youngest people there by 5-10 years. Nonetheless, we had fun together, as always. The highlight of the night was definitely dinner. We ate at a restaurant called "At the Corner" in Litchfield, CT. The menu was seasonal, fresh, and delicious. We split 3 entrees - butternut squash ravioli, lobster risotto and halibut over mixed greens with candied walnuts and dried cranberries, and 3 desserts - pumpkin cheesecake, carrot cake, and molten chocolate cake - all delicious!!

3) Brunch in Astoria

I think she's crazy, but one of the newest members of our SEC Services group, AJ, commutes all the way to Wilton from Astoria, Queens, where she lives in an apartment with her husband, Vojtek and adorable 10 month old daughter, Julia. They were nice enough to invite Tommy and I and Shawn and his wife Priscilla (also pregnant and due in December) to brunch a few Sundays ago. Their apartment is large, I'm sure, by New York standards - 2 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths. It is right on the Hudson and one whole wall of the living room is windows looking straight out onto the Manhattan skyline - pretty cool! After some snacks at the apartment, we all walked to a small neighborhood restaurant for brunch - a nice afternoon!

4) New Restaurants

I've been really wimpy and tired lately, but we've still managed to hit a few new restaurants before Jack arrives - nothing fancy for sure. A few weeks ago, we headed east down I-95 a few miles to Westport, CT to try out a restaurant I'd seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, the Black Duck Cafe. It was definitely a dive, but our food was good - I had clam chowder, salad and sweet potato fries and Tommy had one of their famous stuffed burgers,with the cheese on the inside. Last week, a new pizza place opened right down the street from us, Coalhouse Pizza. We sat at the bar and watched the pizzas come out of the coal-fired oven. Our meal started with an antipasto plate - mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, kalamata olives, proscuitto, and roasted red peppers, followed by a mozzarella and basil pizza. Actually, due to some glitches in their new ordering system, we got the pizza first, followed by the appetizer. Either way, the food was delicious, and we're glad to have a yummy, casual pizza place so close to our house.

Other than that, we really haven't done much. We've both worked a lot (yes, even Tommy), watched every UT football game that we've been able to get here in CT (Hook 'Em Horns!), and actually found ourselves rooting for the evil Yankees in the World Series. I have 4 days of work left before maternity leave, 7 days before Mom arrives, and 14 days until Jack's estimated arrival - I am both really excited and really terrified at the same time. I'll keep everyone updated!

Finally, since this has been a picture-free blog entry so far, I am going to add, by popular demand, my most recent belly picture - 37 weeks and 5 days - enjoy!