7 Quick Takes, Vol. 58

It's Friday, so you know what that means . . . 7QT with Jen (author extraordinaire), of course!! Book tour? Yes please. I'm so there if you are anywhere near wherever we are when you're there.

1. Last weekend was so amazing -- busy, fun, full of friends and family and love and life! Once I get some more pictures tracked down (I am so terrible at taking my own pictures at these things!), I will put together a longer post. Suffice to say I am terribly, terribly blessed.

Clare and her Auntie at Auntie's shower

2. I would like to say that we've spent this week recovering, and we have, but I've also been doing my fair share of keeping busy, catching up on chores, getting baby stuff in order, and stocking up on odds and ends. Hopefully, the last of it will get done this weekend and the beginning of next week so that I can rest.

3. Ha! The day I went into labor with Clare, I was in desperate need of a grocery store run, and had big plans to run some errands before things got going. None of it ever happened, but now I feel a (somewhat) paranoid need to keep up with laundry and keep basics in the kitchen (cereal, milk, dry goods, etc.), so that I don't put myself through that again when this one arrives, especially since the time is ticking away on this pregnancy. (See also, #7.)

4. On top of that, there is some pesky pollen out there that has hit every single member of this household (all 3 of us ex utero people!), so we're collectively a sneezy, sniffly, allergic mess. The whole thing has left me exhausted. I even took a long nap Tuesday afternoon, and if you know me, you know that that just doesn't happen. It's a real testament to my exhaustion.

5. Meanwhile, we're gearing up for Match Week. And by "gearing up" I mean "anxiously, nerve wrackingly chomping at the bit." There is a preliminary Big News email that will come out on Monday. It tells residency candidates whether they matched or whether they have to pray super extra hard and work their butts off finding an unfilled position, which no one wants to do. Then comes the Big, Big News on Friday, which is the identity of the program where you matched. One piece of information that will disclose our fate for the next 3 years (and more for many residencies): where we'll live, what Charles will do, etc. Gah! The anticipation is crazy and mounting. Some schools have a big to-do on Match Day (Friday), but because of the spread out nature of everyone in Charles' school, they don't do anything special, so we'll have to have our own little celebration. :)

6. This is how Clare played for a good chunk of Tuesday morning after discovering her hat in the sock drawer. Crazy kid. You can't quite tell in the picture, but those are, indeed, ruffle socks.

7. I am now 37 weeks pregnant. People, that puts me in the "any time now" club. *deep breath* I don't think anything is imminent, but then, no one ever really knows. I have told Mr. Man that he needs to stay put through the end of Match Week, and if I were a betting person, I'd guess he'll come at the end of week 38 or beginning of week 39 (Clare was born at 39 weeks), but again, you never know. I'm trying not to get too caught up in the idea of going early, just in case it doesn't happen. But, oh!, how happy my hips would be!! I had my first weekly appointment on Monday, and everything is still good. Just a matter of letting him cook cook cook.

I have also joined the gigantic belly club.

Have a lovely weekend!