Rubbing Elbows with the Rich & Famous

Because life is a little slow right now, I figure I'll report some of my sister's exciting news. She's currently freelancing for MTV in NYC, and over the past two days she's been rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. Okay, I don't know that she actually made contact with these folks, but she was in the same room. It's more than I've got going on right now! ; )

• Justin Timberlake
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Ashanti
• John Legend
• Taylor Swift
• Steven Colbert
• Jon Stewart
• Dr. Drew Pensky
• Lauren Conrad

Guaranteed Money

It appears I am now more than just an eyeful for the general public. I am also a lawsuit waiting to happen, at least according to one store clerk. Today, Jax and I ventured out to shop for wall-mounted shelving for the nursery. I figure Anh doesn't have enough to do right now and would love to install shelving on top of dealing with a super hectic week of call. Much to his dismay, I had no luck finding the "perfect" shelves, but I did have a rather interesting conversation along the way.

While wandering the aisles of a home store, I passed by a store clerk and she asked, "Do you know what you're having, a boy or girl or both maybe?" (Don't you just love how creatively she threw in the size insult?!) I responded, "It's a boy. One boy." (Said in a very flat tone. I'm done being cordial.) She followed with, "When are you due?" To which I answered, "Any time now according to my doctor." Then she made this terrible face and asked, "What are you doing here then?" (Ummmm, where should I be, Lady?) Not really knowing how to respond, I said, "Killing time."

Then, the clerk notices another employee mopping an area nearby and yells at him, "Hey! Watch out! There's a pregnant lady here and if she slips and falls she'll own this place!" Gee, thanks for the concern for my well-being. In response to her "concern" I said, "It's okay. He's just getting ready in case my water breaks." I guess I scared her because she went back to stocking her area, and Jax and I went along our merry way. Maybe next week, assuming I'm still pregnant, I'll go back and throw myself on the floor. It's faster than waiting to win the lottery. Hey, it was her idea!

37 Weeks

Should we start a pool betting on the baby's birth weight? At today's 37 week appointment, my regular doc, Dr. T, said that the baby was probably already over 8 lbs! Jax was 4 days LATE and weighed 8 lb, 1 oz. This kid is going to be a monster if, at 37 weeks, he has already matched Jax's birth weight. Thank God I'm having a c-section! I'm also thinking that maybe I shouldn't have opened the package of Newborn-sized diapers. They only work up to 10 lbs! Looks like we might be starting out with the Size 1's. Good Lord!

Other than that things look good. Blood pressure and my weight were labeled as excellent. A+ for me! Alright, seriously, let's hear your birth weight guesses. Post them as a comment. I'll guess 8 lbs, 6 oz.

Never Mind

"Never mind" is Jax's new favorite phrase. I hear it a lot, especially when he gets frustrated with me because I don't understand something he's trying to communicate. For example, here's a conversation we had this morning.

Jax: "Mommy, ________ is on."

Me: "What's on?"

Jax: "_______."

Me: "Oh really."

(My response is a phrase stolen from Jax's Ba Ba, Anh's Mom. She uses it when she doesn't understand what you're saying, but wants to try to play it off. Usually, it's directed at me when we try to have one of our broken English/Vietnamese conversations.)

Jax: "Never mind," followed by a huge sigh which quite clearly translates to "My Mommy is an idiot!"

Obviously, he knows Ba Ba's phrase too! I thought I was the only one she didn't understand.

Back to School

Today is Jaxon's first day back at pre-school after being out last week with an upper respiratory infection. The poor kid had the worst cough, but he didn't let it slow him down. He was his usual chipper self and still running around like a madman. We went about our usual activities, just occasionally he'd stop to cough up a lung. I thought he would get bored after a week at home with Mom, but he actually seemed okay with having some one-on-one time with me. I tried to keep him entertained, but I know he enjoys hanging out with his buddies and figured he'd be thrilled to return to school.

Well, let's just say he wasn't "thrilled" when we woke him up this morning. He was quite the grump as we were getting him ready. He didn't want to get out of bed. He was not cooperative about brushing his teeth and getting dressed. He didn't want to eat breakfast. He was just an all-around delightful child! We were completely convinced that we had made a sound decision to have another! He's never really been a morning a person, a trait he inherited from his mother, but I thought he would be a little more pleasant about seeing his friends again.

Happily, Anh reported a dramatic mood change when they arrived at the school. Jax smiled when they pulled up and bounded out of the car, eager to get inside. When they entered his classroom, all of his little buddies immediately ran over to greet him. Jax flipped the switch and became Mr. Personality. I guess he was happy to return afterall!

Oh, Grandfather

Do NOT head off to Toys 'R Us to try to figure out which Jeep he wants!

Does He Really Think We'll Fall for This?

Playing in the yard yesterday reminded me of a story I had not shared from last week. On Thursday, Jax and I ventured out to Toys 'R Us/Babies 'R Us to buy BPA-free bottles for the new baby. For those that don't know, there's some controversy now about whether the chemical used to harden plastic can cause health/hormonal problems. Part of me feels like it's silly to buy all new bottles when they aren't even sure about whether the chemical is dangerous. This chemical has been in bottles for years. I mean, Jax didn't grow a third eye or anything. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that if I didn't buy the new "safe" bottles and the baby ended up sprouting a tail, people would blame me for being cheap.

So we were off to the store to buy some piece of mind. When I told Jax where we were headed, he said, "Toys 'R Us is closed." I guess I should stop telling him that when he asks to go! It's just hard to imagine working a Toys 'R Us stop into the daily routine. Anyway, while there, we kind of got off track and started looking at toys. We ended up in Jax's favorite section of the store, the ride-on aisle. Every time we go to Toys 'R Us, he has to get in every single battery-powered ride-on. To him, it never gets old. For me, it's not quite so fascinating. Over the past few visits, I have noticed that he always starts and ends with the same vehicle, a pretty rugged looking Jeep. It's obviously his favorite.

After letting him play for a bit, I told him it was time to go. He ran over to the Jeep for one last ride. While he was sitting in it, he told me, "Mommy, the baby is going to buy me a Jeep!" Needless to say, I'm was a little caught off guard. Then I remembered a conversation from days earlier when Anh asked Jax what kind of present he would want the baby to bring him. I had told Anh about how some people recommend having "the baby" bring presents home from the hospital for their brothers and sisters. Jax didn't have an answer for Anh when asked, but he certainly does now! Somehow, I think Anh was looking for a gift suggestion on a much smaller scale.

I don't know why, but I glanced at the price tag after Jax's declaration, and wouldn't you know it! Jax's favorite vehicle also happens to be the most expensive vehicle in the store at $450! I don't even know why I looked at the price. Subconsciously, I must have considered the purchase for a brief nano-second. I can't believe I would do this, even subconsciously. You should see our garage. There is no room! Not to mention, $450 is a payment on a real car! I think Jax is going to be a little disappointed when the baby doesn't pull up to the house in his new Jeep. Hopefully, he won't hold a grudge.

So you don't feel too bad for the kid and you know I'm not exaggerating, here are some pictures of his current ride-ons. He deserves no pity. All but one of these toys were gifts, by the way. We really do try not to spoil him. Others, however, seem to have a different agenda. ; )