The best laid plans

Jen and I were supposed to have a gaggle of house guests this weekend, so yesterday we worked like dogs on the house. And I do think it looks good. We still have a lot to do, like hang artwork and put together the china closet (which means putting the china away someday) and figure out what's in the basement and of course there's the giant project called the Ugly Room that right now is a receptacle for crap because we're not touching it until we turn it into a nursery. So we have some built-in procrastination time!

But yesterday we got the blinds up in the bedroom (so we could tie the curtains up), got the cheapy furniture pieces assembled for the bathroom (so we could get the bins and boxes out of there and get the stuff put away), got the sheet off the guest room windows (gotta get some blinds or curtains or something soon), finally unpacked and put away all of the DVDs and VHSs, and did a lot of cleaning. Perhaps today I will take some pictures of the bedroom and the bathroom, since those (aside from artwork) are mostly done.

It's funny, I had to actually sit down and take breaks because I was getting weird pains - probably that round ligament pain that people talk about. I have been feeling so good with the lack of spotting that I was like, "Oh yeah, I'm pregnant." Heh.

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Last night we had dinner with stacy, which was a good time. We were going to hear her boyfriend's other band play, but the opening band was really dragging on getting started so we couldn't. The show was supposed to start around 8, and we left around 9:30 and the opening band hadn't started yet. So frustrating. I would have liked to see them.

My coworkers were supposed to come over yesterday and stay over, but they called in the middle of the afternoon to say they weren't coming because of bad weather. (What bad weather? Whatever.) So then stacy was going to sleep over, but that got thwarted because the show was going to get out late and she didn't want to wake us. So NO ONE came to stay with us! So sad, but the house looks great!

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We made our first baby purchases this weekend and also received our first baby gift! We've come out of jinx mode (a little) and did buy two really cute little baby outfits that were on super sale - and also did a little looking around some stores to get nursery ideas. And then stacy crocheted us a baby blanket that is simply /gorgeous/. (I will have to take a picture of that, too.) It's such a pretty green color, the same color we were looking into for nursery action, hence it's perfect. stacy rocks!

LBO

Just a little switch to the serious side of life for a moment...

My Jennifer has been complaining of tenderness in her left breast for quite some time now. At first I thought it was a cycle thing, or that she'd bumped it but good while moving, but she kept saying that it bothered her and it seemed to be MORE bothersome and MORE painful, and I was ready to call the doctor if she wasn't going to. But she did.

Now my single biggest fear in the whole world is that Jen will die of cancer. I don't think I ever thought of this before Jennifer Palmer died, and she was so young and so strong and so gorgeous that it really smacked me in the face. And then a couple of years later, Mark Palmer died and he was just as strong and wonderful (though he'd aged a couple of years) and man, ever since the Palmers I am /terrified/ of cancer. It's weird because there is practically no cancer in my family that I know of. My grandmother's brother died of colon cancer a billion years ago and technically my grandmother did have a bit of skin cancer removed last year, but there was never any Capital-C-Cancer or chemotherapy in my family or even in my general life.

A friend of mine had a cancerous lump removed from her breast about a year ago and it brought it all back. Cancer. It can happen to anyone. It can happen to JEN. Even the mere thought of it sucks all of the breath from my chest and tightens my throat. Every time.

So for the last couple of days, as the doctor's appointment for the LBO (left breast owwie, it's a technical term) approached, it was all I could think about. My wife was going to have breast cancer, and she's had it for so long that it's causing major pain, and we're going to have a baby and she's going to die a painful death. Sure I'm a fatalist, but it's my worst reoccuring nightmare. We laid in bed last night, my back to her front, her hand on my belly, and all I could think about was the cancer that was probably lurking behind my back hurting my wife. Cancer cancer cancer. Such an evil little word.

Thankfully the doctor thinks it's probably hormone related and suggested keeping an eye on it and changing some bras. She doesn't think it's cancer. She told her not to stress about it. Thank God.

I honestly don't know what I would do with myself.

House pictures (finally)

bedroom from hallway
Originally uploaded by judecorp.

I did go around and take a couple of pictures of different parts of the house. We are still working on the dining room, living room, basement, and Ugly Room, but these are at least functional or better. Enjoy!

You can see all of the pictures I took HERE. Excuse the weird spots that must have been on my camera lens. Oops.