When last we left the deBaronGentzi's...

...Michelle was still reeling from the revelation that there was a girl baby in her uterus. Truly, it took me at least a week to wrap my head around. I was SO sure that I was having a boy. Like, the ultrasound was just a formality. It wasn't until my regular OB (a specialist had done the 20-week one) did another in her office, and when I saw a distinct vagina, that I was on board.

Now of course, I'm totally psyched. Two little girls? I know this one! I know how it should go and how it should not go, and I can steer this ship through these waters! A boy and a girl would have been totally uncharted territory, but two sisters? Honey, please. I got this. (Um, I think. Talk to me in a few months/years.)

So now begins the name picking (we have a list of about 8 that we're considering; I have a couple of favorites, but Wade's not 100% on board), the shopping (not much to get really, but there's a crib set I'm newly obsessed with but can't decide if it's justified in spending so much on it), the transitioning of Ruby to "big girl/big sister" status (do we get a big girl bed now or wait until a few months after the baby's come? She's just now starting to climb out, but no crib means a free-range Ruby, and that's scary...). Any and all suggestions are welcome.

In other news...

• My birthday was on Tuesday, and I decided to take Ruby to Disneyland on my own to celebrate. Somebody should've sat me down and said, "Honey, no. No. Not alone." I went because Disneyland is free on your birthday, and Ruby is still free, so: free day at Disneyland! But even though we only stayed for the morning, on Tuesday, I am still recovering. Being five months pregnant and chasing after a two year old (who's turning out to be a bit of a runner) is no joke, people. (I forgot to bring the camera, but honestly, the only pictures that would have been taken would have been blurry shots of half my face and her tiny disappearing body running off towards a drink display or something random.)
  
• Ruby and I went to Kansas over Memorial Day weekend (and Mom happened to be going to OP the same weekend!). Dude -- talk about tired. That trip took me more than a week to recover from. Don't get me wrong, it was SO fun. We stayed with some of my old high school friends, and then another set of friends joined us, and our kids (four total, including Ruby (2), O (2y3m), E (2y8?m), and L (the only boy, about to be 5)... it was a full house. The kids played preeeetty well together. But as taking turns and sharing is still being mastered (read: Ruby sometimes takes toys and runs away), there was a few moments here and there of refereeing. Here are some pictures from that weekend:

At the local "farm zoo"/petting zoo:

Getting mauled by teenage goats, or as I like to call them, Olathe street youth. They literally tried to eat my mom's skirt as she was taking these pictures.

A Ruby-pillar.

Two firsts: first shower and first co-ed shower (with E and L). At least they were sharing the shampoo. No need to step in there!

The posse going to the pool. Convoy!

Ruby and O playing in chairs.

Ruby and O checking out their new "tattoos"! Or maybe dancing? Can't tell, not sure.

But here, they are DEFINITELY dancing



And in this one, they started by dancing together, but then Ruby went off doing this funky chicken thing on her own.

• BUT! While that shower with E and L might have been her first co-ed shower, it was not her first co-ed bathing experience! Here she is with B and B (2y2m and 4). Rubes was psyched. I think she has a little crush on B-boy.
  

Please tell me that Ru and B-Boy are not the cutest little couple of smoochers. I defy you to tell me that after you watch this video. You cannot.

There's a vagina in my uterus.

After a two hour wait (which they advised me ahead of time was average -- apparently I was lucky it wasn't four), Ruby, my mom, Wade and I heard it from the doctor that he was 95% certain that I had a baby girl up in my business. So much for my three-month intuition.

And if you're wondering: WE'RE THRILLED! I would've been great with one of each, and I would have been great with two girls. (Multiple boys would scare the shit out of me, no offense Lora.)

Anyways, now I can start pestering Wade with names and putting away all the clothes in the dresser, and busting out all my frilly, lacey bows and shit. Har har. :)

Thanks for all your love and interest everyone. Now I'm going to veg on the couch, watch Pineapple Express and maybe order sushi. Happy Friday night, y'all.

UPDATE: Oh, and also, she's healthy, has all her parts, etc.

It's a...

...week more til we find out the sex. Sorry, y'all.

I'm entirely to blame. I made the appointment for the ultrasound for this past Friday, forgetting of course that I was coming to Kansas on Friday. At the same time as the appointment.

So I rescheduled for NEXT Friday, 5/29 at 5:30. Many many apologies to all that were waiting on the info -- especially as I forgot to mention this before the appointment was supposed to happen.

BUT! Sex Friday. So that's the consolation prize. I have to go now and entertain my daughter who has been up since 5:15 Kansas time. Which is 3:15 LA time. Wish me luck today. UGH.

Psychic?

Yesterday Ruby was drawing, and out of nowhere, she started saying "Baby sister, baby sister, baby sister..." just sort of singing to herself... Um. WHAT? The only thing I can think is that there was something on Sesame Street earlier that day about baby sisters?

BUT THEN! This morning in bed, I asked her, "What should we name the baby in mommy's uterus?" (because it's never too young to learn the word uterus).... and I won't tell you what she said exactly but I will say that usually she says "orange!" or Daddy!" when I ask her that question, and this morning she said a "word" that was really, really close to the current girl name that we're leaning towards (and that was the #2 pick for when Ruby was born). I mean, she basically said the name.

I'm very freaked out by my daughter right now.

Big month = big post

How did April feel like the longest month but still go by in such a blink? Here's what we did in that short/long time.

I kept on being pregnant. I was 17 weeks on Wednesday, and we get to find out the sex on Friday, May 22! I'm DYING. I must find out. I must know. Partially so I can stop torturing myself on the name front -- one of the nice things about having had one already is that you've narrowed down your list a lot from the first time. But now that we're in here in Cite de la Pregnancee again, I'm going a little crazy. I'm not going to share the ones that I'm constantly bombarding Wade with, but know that they're getting weirder. I'm on the verge of making shit up at this point. You want something that doesn't stray too far from "Ruby" but that's it's own sort of special. I don't know. I'll tell you the weird ass ones after either the baby comes (or after we know the sex, maybe I'll share the discards for the gender we aren't having).

We took Ruby to Disneyland's California Adventure. IT WAS AMAZING. For those of you who don't know me or don't know this about me, I am a Disneyland freak. NOT DisneyWorld. NOT random Disney movies (but if you haven't seen the extremely trippy "Three Caballeros," you aren't living). Just Disneyland. And by extension, it's neighbor and ignored step-sibling California Adventure. Dude, this place is practically brand new and has about 1/3 the crowds of Disneyland. Perfect for Ruby's first foray into the world of theme parks. We were there for about 4 hours (totally justified because I got the normally $69 tickets for W and I were only $20 each), and we only went on about 5 rides, but it was perfect. Ruby loved it, we weren't ready to kill her/each other/everyone in Anaheim by the end of the day, and it was superfun.

And here's why we only went on five rides:

Because Ruby was just as entranced by fields of flowers as by the rides. And also this:

The video's like 3 minutes long, so maybe only watch if you're a die-hard Ruby video fan and don't mind W's and my running commentary.

Also, if you're wondering what those scabs are on her face...

Um, baby fell down. Bad mommy.

Then, later in April, we went to Texas! First up: Fiesta! Or more specifically, NIOSA (Night in Old San Antonio). Typically an event wherein high school and college students drink themselves silly and make out like it's their last night alive, if you go a little earlier in the evening, it's a cute evening of good food and plenty of cascarones -- hollowed-out eggs filled with confetti that you break on people's heads. Like this:

Or more specifically, like this:

Funhouse mirror with Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa and Grandma.

Ruby's first midway game, and her first prize.

Ruby's first clown. She hasn't learned to fear them like I do.

Cascarones: the aftermath.

Look there. Look at it. Smile and look. SMILE AND LOOK!

And last but not least, two random favorites: naked time plus drawing and also half-naked boot-wearing plus photo-perusing. We are so all about not wearing clothes right now.

As this post took me like a week to write and upload the pictures/videos (it's the damn videos, people!), I will probably not post again for a bit, so let me just remind you: we find out the sex of the baby on 5/22. So til then, mi compadres!

Real quick.

I'll write more later on (when I'm not at work), but: I'm being kicked in the cervix right now. I'm at 15 weeks this Wednesday, and I'm (and have been all week) being kicked all to hell. This is my favorite part. :)

And also by the by, isn't life great? This morning: Wade and I in the kitchen; Ruby laying on her belly on the (very wide, don't worry) kitchen counter, up on her elbows, coloring on the back of a wedding invitation and getting pink and purple marker all over her face. Listening to a great cd (which Ruby was delighted went "around and around and around!" in the machine). Eating leftover eggplant parmesan for breakfast from my favorite restaurant when I was 12 -- that's still around and still makes amazing eggplant parm! Perfection.

And now at work, listening to the Pogues, getting kicked in the business, and it's a hot beautiful day outsdie, and this book exists and really? Truly? Life is pretty fucking fantastic.

Oh, hello there!

As you can tell, this blog has not been a priority lately. Still kind of tired (though I hit 12 weeks yesterday, so of course, today -- the first day of my second trimester -- I'm full of vim and vigor! (after a two hour nap)). Increased hours at work. Ru continues to be hilarious and fun, though she requires no small amount of time and attention. And the house is still about 75% unpacked (thank god we have a third bedroom, which has simply become an "open the door and chuck in that random thing that doesn't have a home" room). So really, absolutely NOTHING HAS CHANGED. Which is why I haven't written much lately. And unless there are some drastic changes in my life/mood, I'll probably continue to update here fairly sporadically. My goal is once every 3 weeks or so, but we'll see. Fair warning.

HOWEVER. I'm here and posting some stuff now, so enjoy!

First off, Ru displaying her nascent operatic singing, with help from her back up singers.


Then there's Ru just being generally cute, but turning into Sean Penn at the end.


Our new place has a yard, which has been such a BLESSING. Amazing being able to go play outside at any time. And I love that Ru and I can do things like "work in the yard" together. Which means I can make her water the plants for me.

And last but not least, Grandpa Mike came to visit.

Cuteness abounded.

Also, I'm pregnant, did you hear? Here's what's going on with that. Like I said, I was 12 weeks yesterday. We'll find out the sex for sure, the question is when. I have an appointment in about five weeks (at 17 weeks along), and I'm hoping that I'll be far enough along that we can tell then. I'm convinced, however, CONVINCED that it's a boy. To the point where I was talking recently with some pregnant friends who are both having boys, and I was like "That's so weird, we're all having boys!" And they were like, "Oh, you already found out?" And I was like, "Oh yeah. Um, no I haven't yet." But I'm fairly sure. Like 99% sure. Reasons other than my random certainty? With Ruby I was starving all the time, with this one I'm pretty hungry, but nowhere near the same. With Ruby I was boiling hot from the very beginning all the time, with this one I'm freezing constantly. With Ruby I would nod off in the middle of conversations I was so tired, with this one, I'm tired (see: my constant bitching about it) but I can still function (or maybe I have no choice on that one?). But yeah, all that to say: boy. All I do is look at boy-ish crib bedding, think of boy names, boyboyboyboyboy. Oh, and I'm HUGE. Enormous. At three months this time, I'm the same size as I was at like five months last time. I get that I'm all stretched out and whatever, but still. I've been in maternity clothes for two weeks now. Huh? Biggest baby of all time? Possibly. Just know to expect a 11 lb. penis-haver in mid-October, that's all I'm saying.