That's not my mom below, by the way, that's the dreaded Mother-in-law. Who is not really dreaded at all. But whatever. I promised my moms I would post a picture of her here after this weekend, so I will. Because I love my mom and give her what she wants!

My right boob hurts. I'm hungry and gassy. And it's hotter than hell in my office. I wish I was home with Bill and Eva but instead I am waiting for a meeting that starts at five. Bitch and moan. Bitch and moan.

Big plans for Saturday!

My mom is coming and we are taking the Junior Miss to Santa come into Essex on the ferry. We will also see alpacas, and do tractor rides and book sales and tea and all those fun things at the Essex Christmas Celebration.

I am also considering taking E to see the Holiday train on Sunday night, but it comes through Port Henry right around her bedtime and through P'burgh right around MY bedtime, so I think we will probably skip it.

Since she seems to be teething again, Miss E is having the occassional meltdown. Last night she lost it right when we got home. Bill cuddled and soothed her while I made her bottle, then the three of us snuggled up on the couch together. It was over soon enough, but I hate to see those tears rolling...Bill just called me at work and said "I hope she won't be depressed tonight again." Depressed. He is too funny.

And her latest tick is too wait til she thinks no one is looking and crawl full speed toward the kitchen or the stairs. When you scoop her up she LAUGHS. The baby gate is getting a lot of use!

Lovely weekend. Where's winter?

Grams is headed home, Bill's grouse hunting, and I am wearing too much makeup. I was interviewed about our HIV Testing coalition and since I had advanced notice, I was able to actually prepare my face. Usually I find myself scambling for a comb and some lip gloss while a cameraman and reporter pace in the front office. Look for me and my colleagues on 5 at 5 and 11 on Thursday!

Another success! We went from thinking we would be just five (plus Eva) to being nine (plus Eva)...Bruce brought his mom and brother and Eric (one of the two boys who lives upstairs in the winter) had a surprise visit from his girlfriend Brooke, who attempted to sneak out in the early afternoon, only to be apprehended by Momily and me on her way out the door. We had already set her a place, she couldn't leave! She wondered how we knew she was there since she arrived in the middle of the night...gee, could it have been her car out front?

The stuffing was a smash hit. The Prosecco was delish. The turkey roasted and not fried, and deemed "perfect" by Bill.

Let me tell you about how Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The general reasons are typical: good food, no present stress, and lots of love. But the specifics are what it's all about...some of my favorite thanksgivings have been:

The one after we graduated college and I stayed at Z's in DC in the room with the treetop deck and heard the lions roaring at the zoo in the morning. We made cornish game hens and ate cool whip.

The second one in Austin when everyone and their brother came to our house and it was a fabulous mixed mash of SLC people, and ILAS friends, and MBA students, and we played games into the night and drank and ate from the 20 pound turkey that I made all by myself.

The one with my Dad at my house, before I had actually moved in. It featured Canadians, and the beloved mother in law and the FIRST FRIED TURKEY.

Last year, when I was bursting with Eva and napped all day while everyone else cooked and the kids played in the snow and there were just people EVERYWHERE.

It's been a long time since I spent Thanksgiving with my mom, so that's a goal for a Thanksgiving future.

This year, I am thankful for the Junior Miss and to Bill for bringing her into our lives with me and to the Junior Miss for bringing Bill and me even closer. I'm thankful for our families and their support of us. I'm thankful for the people I work with and their commitment to women and to each other. I am thankful for a warm house and lots of food, and love love love. But most off all, I am pretty sure the thing I will be most thankful for tomorrow is Emeril's recipe for stuffing which has artichokes and spinach and BRIE CHEESE.

I did some more Christmas shopping that I can not write about...except to say the Sur la Table's snowman stuff is made for Sitter A, who loves snowmen AND loves to bake...so she's getting a spatula embedded with snowmens and a silicone snowman potholder/trivet. Will my geniuosity ever end? I doubt it.

Last night, while observing E. in her high chair, Bill remarked: "She grew up a lot today." Heh.

And also I purchased prosecco for Thanksgiving libating. Because I dreamed about it.

And this morning I nearly impaled myself on a skirt hanger. After whacking my head on the corner of my bedside table.

Saturday night was picture night at our house. We were hoping to catch Miss E midstep, as Sitter A claimed to have seen her take three steps in a row on Friday. We got nothing.

I did see her take one step on Saturday morning...she raised her hands in the air like she was being held up and added some spirit fingers for good measure. She's so fancy, that baby o' mine!

We eagerly await the arrival of the Grams tomorrow!

I was scolded today.
I am working on a partnership that's doing free HIV testing on December 1st (World AIDS Day) and a photographer from the newspaper came to our meeting to take pictures of us in action (if by action, you mean sitting around a table at the Health Department and talking.) And he had to tell me to sit up. TWICE. I am a bad bad sloucher. Luckily the heat was off me when my co-worker's phone rang and her daughter was on the end swearing LOUDLY and we could all hear it. Classic.

Tonight I think I am going to go Crazy and suggest we get pizza. I've been so good, but a piece or two of pizza with sausage and peppers never killed anyone. (Well maybe it did, but that was when it was coupled with years and years of abuse!)

I bought a new pair of khakis, with money my mommy gave me almost a month ago...My pants are verily falling off today, so I decided to run out before our Board meeting and hit the Gap. I also bought a 2007 planner...which is always some sort of milestone in a passing year. I am so picky about those things and I feel like what I got is just not right, but the choices were very slim at Border's, so I did the best that I could, damnit!

Eva's standing gets more and more confident by the day. She's up and down all the time and staying up for longer and longer time periods. She can also pick things up and put them down without toppling...

I've officially started my Christmas shopping, though I can't really talk about my purchases here. Let's just say this: I am brilliant.

The other night I was in the kitchen and Bill was in the living room, watching VH1, as he is wont to do when unsupervised. He is such an enigma, that husband of mine. Anyway, he must have seen Christina Aguilera because he said to me, and I quote:

"Christina Aguilera is great. She is such an artist. A true artist."

Of course he was serious! That's why I love him.

We've re-commenced teething. We shouldn't have been surprised at this when we saw the bumpy gum this am, because yesterday she was drool machine and cranky and then last night she woke up from 3 til 4:30. But we were.

Date night rules!

Date night approaches! We will be enjoying the high culture of Borat.

Have I mentioned that the Junior Miss has been a little excitable as of late? Oh yes. Lots of screaming, and laughing and tearing around the room (still on her knees....I dread the discovery of walking...). And also diving and flinging and rolling and flopping. At A.'s she CLIMBED up the drapes, or attempted to, at least. A. came into the room to find Miss E HANGING from the curtain, her little hands grasping the fabric and her feet not touching the ground.

She's also been throwing things. And sometime she aims. At people. Ooops.

Did I mention the screaming? And Shrieking. All with glee, of course!

So after work yesterday I went to the store and bought salad stuff. I put my wallet in my jacket pocket. And didn't take it out. And didn't wear the jacket today. The day I needed to buy lunch. And get my hair cut. So I had to go to McD's and get a cheeseburger off the dollar menu and will pay for my haircut with a check. And how cheesy is it to TIP with a check? It's a total faux pas, no? Sigh.

But last night I arranged for a teenaged babysitter to come watch Miss Eva on Saturday night so that Bill and I can engage in some dating and have dinner (caribbean cowboy!) and a movie! I am so proud. Plus the sitter usually charges what I got paid in 1991. Which is $2 an hour. I was aghast and offered $5 since I had planned on at least $6. She was thrilled, of course. And several people have told me that in doing this I have pretty much guaranteed a sitter at the ready.

Oh, what a beautiful morning!

I love you, South Dakotans! And it looks like locally we have an Assembly person I can actually deal with, which I have to, as part of my job. She's a Republican, and she visited with me a few months ago and expressed support for us, albeit quietly. And in a debate, our state senator (who was not defeated by a friend on mine, unfortunately) newly expressed support of our sex ed bill, so we'll be holding her feet to the fire about that one, let me tell you!

And also I'm down a total of 8.5 pounds! Which means by next week this time I should be within five pounds of being a healthy weight for my size. And out of the blasted 1%0s!!!!!!

Did you vote?

If you are a New Yorker, you can see who is pro-choice HERE!

And if you are a Californian, NO ON 85!

Oh, and also, if you live in Maryland, Bill's oldest and dearest friend's brother, Anthony Brown, is running for Lt.Governor!

My weight loss has totally plateaued. Nothing's happening, even though I am continuing to eat much less. The missing link is the exercise. I just haven't had time to walk at all in the past week and a half. What a downer.

Bill and I are already getting along much better...more making out, less bitching at each other = a good thing!

Bill's home! And so is his walrus tusk!

But why do I forget how HARD this is every year. We end up fighting a lot upon his return: because of all the unused emotions from his absence, and because now that we have a routine it feels like an imposition and an upset, and because he hates my haircut and is being really mean about it and that makes me very mad (and also pissed that apparently my hair looks like doodoo and no one told me!)

But anyway, I had a long cry about the whole thing and then we snuggled on the couch to watch Lost.

But Miss Eva is very taken by her dad. And while he just kind of enjoyed her yesterday, today she is ALL HIS because A.'s sick and had to take the day off. So he's getting a refesher course in the care and feeding of the Eva, who will also be getting flu shot number two this afternoon. BWAHAHAHAHAH!