Thursday, May 15, 2008

A Bay-Bay

I haven't put this on the blog yet, but I'm excited to announce that David and I are having a baby! Yay! As of today, I am 11 weeks along and my estimated due date is December 4th. We are pretty excited, although since it is so early, it still doesn't really seem real. We already had one doctor's appointment (when I was 7 weeks, 5 days) where we got to see the little guy and see his little heartbeat. I have another appointment on the 27th - hopefully then I'll get to hear the heartbeat! Plus, the doctor told me he'd get me better baby shots then. Can't wait!

So, to answer a few of the many baby questions that come:

1. Yes, we are sure we aren't having twins. Like I said, we already got to see the little guy, and he was the only one in there.
2. Yes, we will find out the baby's sex - on July 15th.
3. Yes, we have names picked out. No, we will not tell you them. You will find out when the baby is born. Until then, you may refer to the baby as "Hipolito"

David and I have been (trying) to remember to take shots of me to track the progress of my big stomach. Here is me as of last night. The little bump on my stomach is not baby, nor is it really bloat. It's more just the chunk I like to carry along to keep me warm. However, I am pretending it's babe, because it makes me feel better. :)

Monday, May 12, 2008

Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster



Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
finished 5/11/08
400 pages












I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Jen Lancaster is definitely a girl you want to go have drinks with. In her newest memoir, she tackles her weight, and then publishes for the world to see. I found with this book, that while I love Jen and the person that she is (or should I say "character"?), this book definitely wasn't as good as the first two. I'm not sure why - in some parts it just felt a little forced, like she was trying too hard to be witty (which really wasn't necessary, since she's pretty darn funny in her own right).

There were a few parts that I had to read out loud to David - a part where she talks about how she can't be held responsible for her actions when she is tired or hungry, a part where she discusses The Real World/Road Rules Challenges, and a sentence where she mentions looking at a website for hours that has pictures of cats with funny sayings (!!). David immediately asked if I was sure I didn't write the book.

Still a good book (light-hearted and amusing) and she definitely makes some good points about losing weight (basically all that I tend to agree with). Definitely a funny read, but I would recommend checking out her other two books first.

Still, three and a half stars.

Six Book Updates

I know I typically put books into their own separate posts, but I'm so far behind and I just don't have the energy to type up six different reviews on books. Sorry. The good news is that I will give one recently read book it's own post. The bad news is, as mentioned, six are combined in this post. Here's a shortened version, and hopefully I'll be back on track.

Insomnia by Stephen King (finished 4/26/08) - Meh. Unfortunately, there is not much to say other than it is a typically Stephen King book. Quirky characters and out there ideas. Because not much can diminish my SK love, I still give it three stars. It started off slow, but got better in the last half of the book.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur (finished 4/27/08) - A pretty fast read about a women who is half werewolf, half vampire. The book is also supposed to be erotic and sexy, but it was definitely lacking in that department. Still, the book is the first in a series of four, and it definitely leaves more questions than answers (meaning that I now feel compelled to finish the series. I am currently on book three). Three stars.

L.A. Connections by Jackie Collins
(finished 4/29/08) - A HPB dollar bin find that lived up to it's expectations - very fluffy and trashy, and quite the fast read. (I think the book was originally published as four separate stories). I will say I was curiously unsatisfied with the ending, because it didn't end the way most books of this type do (and usually, I like books that go against the grain. Oh well). I still gave it three stars, although I really don't remember why.

The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen
(finished 4/30/08) - How sad is it that I barely remember this book, and I finished it what? two weeks ago? I do know that the whole time I was reading it, I had a sense of deja vu - I'd either read the book a long time ago and couldn't remember the details, or it was so generic it felt like a book I've already read. Either way, it was just an ok read. Three stars.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
(finished 5/9/08) - Yay! Finally, a really good book. I loved it. I found this book in a box of books my mom gave me and decided to check it out because the name was familiar, and it wasn't a book I'd typically read (as you can tell by the 4 books mentioned above, I have been in a bit of a book rut). I ended up loving it, it was really good. Set in Australia from 1915-1970 (or therebout, I don't remember the exact date), the story follows on family. It was a really good book - a little long-winded in places, but still a great story. I'm really glad I picked it up, I feel like it got me reading again (there's something else that got me out of my rut, I'll follow up more below). Anyway, I give this book four and a half stars.

Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur (finished 5/11/08) - The second book in the Riley Jenson series (mentioned above). Not quite as good as the first in storyline, although a little bit better in the erotic parts. Still has me hooked, and like I said, I'm currently reading the third book. I give this one three stars.

Whew. I just have one more book to update, and then I will finally be back on track. Yay! One thing I realized over the weekend - one, that I miss reading really good books, and two, that there is nothing like being able to share your love of books with a good friend. I met my best friend from middle school/high school for a bagel Saturday morning, and it was so nice to be able to talk about great books that we've read lately (and some all time favorites). The whole conversation made me want to read a ton (in fact, I went to HPB that night and picked up a bunch)! Of course, while I still miss reading quality novels, I have still somehow dedicated myself to finishing a series on a vampire/werewolf.

I guess you can take the girl out of the trailer, but not the trailer out of the girl. :)

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Bad Me!

I know I've been really bad about updating lately, but I'm planning on doing some new updates this weekends. The updates should include some books I've read (I finally started reading again near the end of the month), plus an update on life in general...

In the mean time, here are two pictures of the cutest kittens ever.

Toby chillin' on the couch

Gabby hanging out in the hall (probably pulling out her hair)