Happy New Year!

It's official - our daughter will be born in 2009. I can't really say there were any close calls at the end of 2008, but I feel much better now knowing that I will not be having a "Christmas baby." I've always felt bad for my friends that have birthdays in late December. So, now that the calendar has flipped, the baby is welcome to make her appearance at any time!

I went to the gym yesterday and was asked "When are you due?" three times. It felt very surreal to answer, "Next week!" My official due date is 1/10. My mom arrives next Wednesday, so my preference would be to have her a few days early. I am already feeling like she is going to be late, as I've not had any contractions and I am not dilated at all. So, I am preparing myself for next week to be a LONG week.

Speaking of long weeks, I have a case of cabin fever like no other. Not only am I not working and home all day, but Seattle has been slammed with really bad weather in the past couple of weeks. Remember how everyone told me that it never rains here in the summer? Then, I planned a July wedding and experienced record rainfall on what is supposedly the dryest weekend of the year? Well, Seattle also "supposedly" rarely gets snow. The yearly average is under 3 inches. The week before Christmas, however, the city was pummeled with snow... so much snow that schools, offices, and malls closed. Coming from Chicago, I thought this was absurd. The difference is that Chicago is prepared for snow and Seattle is not. Snow plows here are hard to find, as are snow shovels. Tommy and I were snowed in for several days. I can understand how most people loved the snow days, but I was about to go nuts. Below are some pictures from a walk we took to the grocery store one morning. As you can tell, the streets were empty!

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Tommy's parents and brother Brian. Brian is just about to graduate from culinary school in New York, so we were spoiled by his cooking. On Christmas night, Tom and Elaine's close friends, Tony and Jackie Tamfer, came over for dinner. Overall, our Christmas was low-key, but it was relaxing and fun to spend time with Tommy's family. We know our Christmases going forward will be a little more chaotic with a little one!

Below is a Bligh family photo taken on Christmas Eve. We went to church and then headed to Maggiano's for dinner.

My niece, Alexa, made up a Christmas quiz that she gave to my family at the annual Akers family Christmas get together. She then emailed the quiz to Tommy and me, so we printed out several copies and had Tommy's family take the quiz too (see below). Jackie had the highest score -she got five out of 15 correct!

Below are just a couple more pictures taken in the past week. The weekend after Christmas, Tommy and I had his high school buddies and spouses over for drinks. We went to the Issaquah brewery for dinner and then hit a wine bar on the way home. I was like a kid in a candy store that night because (1) we had an excuse to leave the house and (2) I had a few sips of wine. I figure that Baby Bligh is fully cooked now and a couple of sips won't hurt.

Collin and Fletcher were trying to feel "Little Tommie" as they call her...

Finally, Tommy and I rang in the new year last night at home. Tommy has had a stomach virus for the past couple of days. Throw in a 9-month pregnant spouse, and we weren't up for the party circuit. It was truly one of the more pathetic New Year's Eves of my life, but at least I got to spend it with my honey. We brought the aerobed down and set it up on our living room floor, so we had a nice little set up. We watched some stupid motorcross show on ESPN and then watched the movie "Burn After Reading." I made it through the New Year in the Eastern, Central, and Mountain time zones, but the last hour until midnight here was a struggle. After we watched the fireworks off of the Seattle Space Needle (on TV), we headed up to bed by 12:30. I cannot tell you the last time I was in bed by 12:30 on NYE without a drop of alcohol in my body!

So, I'll leave you with one last picture in this novel of a post... my sick husband eating his NYE dinner on the couch. Good tidings 2008!