Growing...

Okay, I'm not sure what planet my husband is from that he thought that taking a photo from this angle would be even mildly flattering... it's not! That being said, it's the most recent (though nearly 4 weeks old!) picture that I have of my belly. As you can see, Jared decided to do a bit of artwork with Ruby's washable markers. Of course once Ruby saw that Mommy's tummy was getting colored on, she thought that looked like something SHE needed too! So, she lifted up her top and Jared got to work...

I think that she was pretty pleased with her "Big Sister" tatoo. Pleased enough not to want to look at the camera anyway! Ruby still doesn't much like Mama's growing tummy. She thinks it's pretty creepy when she cuddles up to read with me and starts getting kicked by her little brother! Who knew they'd start fighting before he was born! She also has had a hard time adjusting to Mom not wanting to carry her all the time (not that I did before!). She is really a feather-light girl, but it's just plain uncomfortable to hold a toddler once your waistline exceeds 40"!

We've had several less-than-lovely highlights this month. First, our washing machine refused to drain. This is a fairly serious problem with any washing machine, but with a front loader, it's just plain ridiculous! After some investigation, we decided that the pump or filter or something needed cleaning. That was, I'm told, a messy and thoroughly disgusting job. Thank you God for husbands!! Once the filter was clean we thought we'd be smooth sailing...wrong. We then discovered that the drain in the floor was totally clogged. We're talking about a drain at least 4 inches in diameter filled in with mineral deposits...lovely. Jared scraped and clawed away at it with very inferior tools up to his shoulder in muck with no luck. So, when a whole bottle of drain-o failed us completely we were forced to call the plumber. Fifteen minutes and over $100 later, we had a flowing drain--hurrah!

Our latest adventure has had to do with the trash collectors. They're on strike. I really can't imagine anyone I'd rather NOT have go on strike. As it is, our trash can is pitifully small and barely holds one week of dirty diapers, kitchen refuse, and general trash. It has now been two weeks and I have some hope that they will return today. Jared, of course, decided that the way to deal with our problem was to become the human trash compactor and just PUSH HARDER! The problem with this tactic is that our trash container is paper! After a while, the bag tore and now I'm really wondering what they're going to do when they see the mess (if they come that is!). Jared says, "It serves them right for going on a stupid strike!". On this, I would have to agree. The silliest part is that they weren't going on strike for any problem they were personally having, it was a "sympathy strike" for work conditions at another company somewhere else in Denmark. Good grief!!

Well, that's about all the nitty gritty from our neck of the woods. I have a feeling that between piles of trash and stinking drains we aren't going to see any visitors anytime soon!