Why I Haven't Blogged/Things I Have Learned

I am not sure why I haven't blogged in three months. I think it stems mostly from not carrying my cameras around and such. The best blogs always seem to start with a good picture.

Also, we moved, which has brought lots of new tasks, most of which involve Swiffers, furniture bargain hunting online, and looking for the perfect throw pillows. I am also trying to cram as much actual paid work into these months before maternity leave, and I'm working on a few unpaid research projects. Its a lot.

Also I have been very preoccupied with the Baby Momo experience. Which brings me to the second portion of my current blog -

Things I Have Learned (About Being Pregnant)

1. The more pregnant you feel, the more excited and ready you are for the big arrival. I don't mean this in an "I-can't-wait-to-not-be-pregnant-anymore" way (although in a few months I am sure I will!) I mean this as in each day my body is less old Kara and more Mommy Kara, and Mommy Kara is every day even more joyful about Baby Momo's upcoming arrival.

2. When you are pregnant, people are really, really nice to you. "Please go ahead." "Oh, aren't you cute." "Do you want this chair?" They also like to feed you, which is good because you are very hungry (to be discussed in more detail later). Total strangers will make eye contact with you and smile knowlingly, which is lovely. Flip side: My wise sister Kelly thinks that this is one reason for post-partum depression. After the baby arrives, its all about them (and rightly so!). But mommies miss those kind acts and that attention. I'm glad I know this in advance.

3. When you are pregnant you will eat a lot more than you normally do. You will think about food a lot more than you used to. You will eat odd combinations of foods, like tortilla chips and ranch dressing. You will go to the store for cold medicine for your husby and return with three pints of ice cream. You may stop in at a UDF for milk and leave with an additional dozen Krispy Kremes. It is lovely and somewhat startling and you will be completely unable to rationalize yourself out of it. The ice cream always wins. Or in this case, Sister Kiki's yummy raspberry cheesecake.

4. After gorging yourself into a delightful sugar coma, you will want to take a nap. You will want to nap a lot, actually. You may also want to elevate your feet. Good thing you have all those pillows.

Pregnancy is a wonderful, happy experience.

As is child rearing, so I am told.

Two Kinds of Ovens

This one...

...in our new house in Worthington.

And that one...

Guess who?

With any luck, Baby Morris arrives 4/29/11!

Prayers appreciated. God is great.

Husby and the Triangle.

My husband is a simple man. This is good because I am very complicated. The list of things that Jeremy loves is actually pretty short. It goes something like this:

Things I Know Jeremy Loves (Other than the requisite faith, family, and Furball)

1. Sports

2. Beef in all forms

3. Conservative politics

4. Sleeping in on Saturdays (only Saturdays)

5. Football (wait, I think already said that)

6. White cake (especially the grocery store bakery day-glo variety loaded with high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Shiver. I think he does this on purpose because I won't ask for a bite of that junk!)

7. Coffee

8. Law & Order

9. Rocking chairs

10. 80's hair band rock, especially Guns -n- Roses, which he will argue incessantly is NOT a hair band at all.

Seriously it took me fifteen minutes to come up with that list of ten. Simple man, like I said. I am sure I put more than ten products on my face alone before I leave the house in the morning, and I know I love them all.

Things Jeremy Does Not Love:

5. Technology

4. Open-ended questions

3. Football officials

2. Vegetables, especially tomatoes

2. Me, but only when I try to talk him into getting orthodontics

1. Mornings

Indeed, his "Not Love" list is much shorter than his "Love" list. To that effect, here are a few pictures of something Jeremy loveslovesloves: Duke basketball. Earlier this summer, we jaunted off to The Triangle for a dear friend's wedding. This afforded us lots of QT at Duke Chapel, and several Locopops, which are were so cold they didn't melt or drip at all in the scorching July sun. How do those Duke geniuses do it? We also made a stop in Krzyzewskiville, visited our pals Ray and Tina and their new little buddy, Ray Jr, and brunched with the lovely Karen, Rex, and Noelle, my old friends from my UT days.

Ahhh, brunch. My favorite meal.

Hi, we're the Tsengs and we're adorable.

The happy couple. They hosted a fabulous reception at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science...

...but first they said their vows at Duke Chapel

So handsome

"Stop making me pose, Kara."

Old school.

Duke University has lovely, peaceful campus. We toured the Sarah P. Duke gardens before our flight home. We spent most of our time in the well-manicured Terrace Garden and also enjoyed the frosty air-conditioning at the idyllic Terrace Cafe. This cute stone cottage had icy bottled water and a cute collegiate working the register. It was a great afternoon.

(Jeremy at the reception in the Apollo Test Module)

Happy Anniversary, darling. You are out of this world.

Happy Ever After in the Marketplace

You could say I love The Beatles.

So its a good thing Paul McCartney came to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati so Jeremy, Mom, Dad and I could enjoy some of their songs.

True, Dad's favorite Beatle, John, wasn't there. I was hoping he would show up. Miracles happen!

The show was INCREDIBLE. "Live and Let Die" with perfectly-timed, out-of-this-world fireworks. "Something" by ukulele. TWO encores. And to cap it all off, finale with my personal favorite (and tagline of this blog!): the last songs from Abbey Road.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

(That there links to probably my favorite piece of television ever.)

Marvelous.

And Dad even smiled. He may have danced, but I'll never tell.

Zoo Friends, New Friends, I like YOU, Friend!

A few weeks ago I went to the Columbus Zoo with my friend, Jen, and her little man, Aidan, both of The Stoycheffs' Saga fame.

I have lived in Columbus for almost ten years and have been to the zoo exactly once, for the annual Teddy Bear Safari.

I only went for my required 2-hour shift to support the NCH Dental Clinic table, then high-tailed it outta there.

(Not a huge fan of crowds...but also walking the zoo alone is kinda depressing).

This is a shame, because our zoo really is amazing.

Jen to the rescue! Hooray!

Mrs. Stoycheff is a true zoo veteran, seasoned by weekly zoo adventures with the munchkin since near infancy. Armed with a sturdy stroller and icy bottles of water, we saw almost the whole place in under three hours, and nary a crowd in sight. Good animal advice from Jen: Get there early to avoid the lines, the "Zoombezi Bay" crowd, and the sweltering July heat.

Slow moving, overheated primates + personal baby fever + overexcitable pediatric dentist = TONS OF PICTURES

Zonked and its only 9:00.

This kangaroo was raised by humans and was very comfortable letting us get up close and personal. G'day! I couldn't believe how close we were! No fence, either!

Aidan loved the water sprayers. A lot. His lady companions also enjoyed the refreshing spray.

At 8 inches, the detail of this baboon's face was incredible.

Polite advice from the gorilla house.

Thanks ever so much, Jen and Mr. Aidan!

Sometime soon we have to BBQ with the rest of the boys!

Seriously super day. How cute are they? Seriously, I say.

Any Minute Now...

...my bestie, Katie, is going to have a baby.

Need proof?

Despite being 9 months pregnant, in the last week of her pregnancy Katie managed to take me out to dinner for my birthday AND complete 1,203 patient visits in her dental office in Marysville. Even on that sweltering July day, Katie was the same cheerful, beautiful friend I have grown to love over the past 9 years.

"I just have too many cases to complete to have this baby this week." - Dr. Montgomery

What. A. Trooper.

Here's to the 2011 Mom of the Year, Katie Montgomery! :)

The Elusive Ashok

The Ashok has never been captured on film in its natural habitat -- until now.

A largely noctural mammal that is also shy of humans, the Ashok can be found in children's dental clinics and Hindu temples, but its preferred habitat is the South Indian restaurant, Dosa Corner, on Old Henderson Road.

He does exist!