More baby preparations

Mom helped by preparing several casseroles to freeze until the baby is born. We made turkey and vegetable lasagna, turkey meatloaf, chicken and broccoli, and ziti. We also ran errands and purchased more newborn-sized layette items.

Dad helped by fixing our water purifier, changing the porch light bulb, surveying our attic and flower-box repair projects, washing lots of dishes, and taking care of Coca.

I really enjoyed their visit!

Liana's birthday

Rebecca sent these beautiful tulips to mom's office on Friday.


Mom's parents came to town, and they celebrated mom's birthday at Delmonico's restaurant. They brought me home a little steak!


Here I am watching TV with dad. Who's that good-looking dog on TV? Beautiful voice too.

Uncle Larry closes Nasdaq

My blog is no longer about me, Coca the dog. If it isn't about the baby, then it seems to be about Uncle Larry. Something big is happening here, but I don't know what is going on. There's a suitcase packed, and I just got all my vaccines at the vet.

Here is Uncle Larry (center) ringing the closing bell at Nasdaq. My cousin Nina is on the far left.

Spring is here!

Susie planted a bulb and gave it to me at my shower in Madison last month. She said it should bloom about the time with the baby is due. Well, we must be getting closer! One of the buds is just about to open.


It's a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining, and it's about 55'F. The bulbs started to peak out of the earth though out the yard.

Scott bought me a little mini-camcorder for my birthday. Here's a sample movie of our friends Dana, Craig, and their dog Porter. Dana made delicious waffle batter from scratch and thick bacon for brunch this morning.



Scott and I are off to play tennis. As he said, he is totally going to cream me today because I am a bit slower and won't dive for balls.

Baby's room

We're 36 weeks pregnant this week! We start the weekly visits to the doctor this week, which include internal exams. At first I felt uncomfortable about what Scott would do while the doctor performs this exam. Would he hold my hand? Would he leave the room? Would he watch what the doctor was doing?

However, I realized that this is only the beginning of the end of my modesty and privacy...


The baby's room is pretty much ready, thanks to lots of wonderful gifts from friends and family. The special items seen in this shot:
--mobile that Scott brought back from Uganda (hanging from light)
--hand-made cradle from Scott's great-grandfather (and used by many Meads, Suidzinskis, and Green Bay friends)
--musical dog-themed mobile and blanket from Sterling and Jannea
--vibrating seat from Susie
--antique picture frame from from Scott
--soon-to-bloom magnolia tree out the window
--rug (wedding present from David and Gita)


The special items seen in this shot:
--antique dresser (that we got half price by waiting three months to purchase)
--diaper bag from Rebecca
--hand-made turtle/monkey from Erik sitting on dresser
--jogging stroller with a yellow blanket that I knitted


The special items seen in this shot:
--clown quilt hand-made by my mom
--hand-made dog-themed blanket and chair from my mom and dad
--boppy cover hand-made by Claire
--Coca's bed (even though she's still not comfortable being in the room)
--teddy bears from Scott's Aunts Lynn and Lori

Girl's Night

Sterling, Jannea, Claire, Erin, and I got together last week for a Girl's Night. They were kind enough to organize the night around a baby shower for me, too. We had delicious food which, of course, included Erin's famous taco dip.


Sterling and Nick adopted the most adorable puppy! Mario and Coca are going to be great pals as soon as he gets all his shots.

Uncle Larry on TV

Here's the American Diabetes Association response to President Obama's lifting of the ban on federally funding stem cell research.


http://www.nbcwashington.com/health/tips_info/Stem_Cell_Research_Executive_Order_Stokes_Heated_Debate_Washington_DC.html

Uncle Larry at the White House

My mom's brother, Larry, is the Chief Executive Officer at the American Diabetes Association. We're all extremely proud of his success. I have met many of Uncle Larry's friends and co-workers over the years, and I admire how they all speak of his honesty, fairness, and fun-nature. From his work with the Multiple Sclerosis Society to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Uncle Larry has steadily marched up the ladder to more important positions.

Here's a picture of Uncle Larry at last week's Summit on Health Care Reform. He's in the back row on the far right with the red tie. That's President Obama at the podium with his back turned to the camera.

Green Bay Baby Shower

Jeanine threw a lovely shower in Green Bay for us last weekend. Jeanine and Mike's house is perfect for entertaining. It's a warm home that is very open and has a lot of natural light.


We started the afternoon just relaxing and talking.
Grandma Suds, Grandma Mead, Ann, Aunt Lynn, Jen:


Aunt Lori, Jen, Lisa:

Jeanine, Wendy, Aunt Anne, Ellie:

Halie, Aunt Mary:

Aunt Lori, Linda, Aunt Deb, Kristi:

Jeanine, Lynn, Lori, Mary, and Grandma Suds made salad and dessert for a delicious lunch. Afterward, we decorated fabric squares for a quilt.
Lori, Linda, Wendy:

Mary, Ellie, Lisa:
Jeanine, Jen, Ann:
Kristi, Deb:Anne, Grandma Mead, Lynn:

The collection of beautiful quilt squares:
We received a lot of thoughtful, useful gifts. Little Jazz stole the show!

Adam and Lisa are due about four weeks after us.