Finish Line

ZPJ finished his test yesterday - he seems to feel relatively good about it. When I talked to him yesterday after he had finished, he sounded like he was walking on air. Not surprising, given the burden that he's been carrying around with him for the last few months. I'm just pleased as punch that I'm going to get my husband back now. I was almost getting to the end of being able to entertain myself every evening. A person can only watch so many reruns of House before you've seen them all several times. Of course, he won't be home until Sunday, but I think I'll keep pretty busy before then as my dad is coming into town.

Thanks to all for the well-wishes.

Lucas Dillon

I have a new nephew, as of 12:02pm today! Huzzah!!!! Amelia is going to be such a good big sister! Isn't he beautiful?!?!?!

Burning Both Ends

Someone has been keeping late hours at our house lately...it's not me...it's not Stella...it's not Hank...its ZPJ. He has been studying for the Bar Exam of a certain green state out west. And he's been studying hard. Doesn't look like we'll be moving any time soon, but it can't hurt to be admitted in more than one state these days. For the last six weeks, every evening after work he either stays at the office or locks himself up in the spare room and pours over piles of books about trusts and estates and contracts and property and constitutional law. Every weekend he spends hours and hours doing practice essays and piles of multiple choice questions. And next week is the test.

ZPJ has been working so hard, on top of still having a full-time job as a fancy-schmancy downtown lawyer. And this is the second test this year, so it adds up to almost four months out of the last year that he's put all his spare time into studying. We will be very glad when it is over. Granted, my efforts this campaign consist of mostly just pep talks and finally doing my half of the kitchen-cleaning. But I miss having my man around in the evenings. ZPJ is usually the more easy-going and laid back of the two of us, and I will be glad when things regain their normal patterns.

Wish him luck this week. He's working so hard and I am so proud of him, and he deserves to be applauded for the monumental effort of taking this bitch of a test while still working full-time and taking care of a hormonal wife and demanding cats. Poor guy deserves a medal. I should get him one.

Left to Right: Hank hard at work holding down the blue pillow, ZPJ hard at work studying.

No, please, I insist...

Today was my first official subway-seat-offering from a stranger on account of the pregnancy. A nice lady sitting in front of me offered me her seat. I smiled and declined, but almost immediately regretted it. I should have taken it because I'm kind of on the cusp of looking pregnant instead of just chubby from some angles, and she probably felt like she might have made the wrong assumption when I didn't confirm it for her by sitting down. And NO ONE likes that feeling. Also, two stops later when the train stalled on the bridge, my feet and back really started hurting and I seriously wished I had that damn seat. Can you change your mind five minutes later? "Pardon me...about that seat..."

Hopefully more seat-offerings to come, especially now that the season of bulky coats is almost behind us. Seriously. It's the only benefit to being pregnant in the city. Come on, people. Give 'em up!

Renew

After another brutally cold week during which every other phrase that I uttered contained "too effing cold!", we had a miraculous and muddy day of almost 60 degrees. The sheets of ice melted by midmorning, and millions of New Yorkers stumbled, pasty and bleary-eyed, onto the streets and into the parks to remind themselves of why they chose to live in this horrible city of extremes.

I was so happy, I was literally singing show tunes to myself and I pranced down my yoga class.

ZPJ and I put on our walking shoes and headed out to the park (along with the rest of Brooklyn) to try and remember what it felt like to move around outdoors when you aren't just scuttling as quickly as possible back and forth from the subway. It was delightful. We were inspired to begin planning our yearly improvements in the backyard. I am so incredibly excited for spring. But I am also sadly resigned to the fact that we'll probably have at least another two-week cold snap before it arrives for good. But just for today I could pretend like winter was behind me and summer ahead of me, and that 2009 was picking up speed at last!

Sweet Sentiments

My sister-in-law has a new Etsy shop with some delightful stationary for the upcoming Day of Love. If you're looking for something hand-crafted and special, check it out at HotTeaDesigns.etsy.com.

I love having creative people in my life.

Gym Woes

Stupid gym.

I got a free 3-month membership to a fancy-schmancy gym in the city, and I thought it would be perfect for those cold winter months when the park is not a good spot for being active. It was relatively close to work and I thought I could just swing by before or after work and get my cardio on.

But now that I'm not working in the city, it seems silly to travel 45 minutes each way to get to the gym, especially when I don't have anything else going on. Add to that the cold weather that makes it miserable to go ANYWHERE, not to mention my rapidly increasing belly and decreasing stamina, and its lucky if I get in once a week.

I've been going to yoga twice a week, so I'm still being active, but its a real bummer that the gym isn't working out better. Its a shame to waste the free stuff. Maybe tomorrow after my class...maybe Friday when I don't have anything planned...

Stupid gym.