First and foremost, thank you for all the sage financial advice you offered yesterday. I like the envelope system and after a month of meticulously tracking what we spend, I think we'll try that out. I also think I'll take a stab at cutting coupons this weekend. (Funny aside: I used to enjoy cutting coupons AS A KID, AS A GAME. I'm not entirely sure how my social skills found a way to develop, but there you have it.)
I also eat out entirely too much. When I got pregnant, I stopped cooking (and applying makeup and behaving like a normal human being), but as the energy has slowly returned, I have been feeling the itch to start using our kitchen again. With cooking comes leftovers, and I'd like to try (very hard) to limit eating out to once a week for lunch and twice a week for dinner.
But how is the baby doing, one of you lovely commenters asked yesterday. (So nice of you!) From what I can tell, he seems to be doing just fine. He has active days and not-so-active ones, but the kicks are stronger and each and every time he jabs me with one of his limbs, I say, "hi there, buddy" and give him a little pat. Internal karate chops will get old, I've been told, but for now, it is the coolest (and most reassuring) feeling of my life. Mike still hasn't really felt anything, but he sometimes taps my stomach and tells me he's talking with the boy in code, and I'm not allowed to know what they're saying. Dorky, I know, but kind of adorable, too, right?
So, a little update for any of you who care: since he was measuring a bit ahead at our last ultrasound, I will officially hit 24 weeks this Saturday. Apples are still a consistent craving, but chocolate croissants have recently been added to the obsessive mix. I am still in my pre-pregnancy jeans, but I think (and physically feel) it's just a matter of time before those give out on me. Mike and I did quite a bit of registering this past weekend, but we still have some big-ticket items and some smaller, more basic things to add in the coming weeks. He still has the same name, and it is ridiculously difficult not to use it in any of these posts, but I'm resisting. It's the perfect name (for us), and I love it. When Mike and I were in the middle of arguing over THIS name and THAT name and OH MY GOD, COULD YOU NOT BE THE MOST STUBBORN MAN ALIVE FOR FIVE MINUTES, PLEASE, I really didn't think we'd ever name this child something I loved. I didn't see how that would be possible, but it's perfect. I love it. I love him. Oh, but no middle name, yet, so we're not all grand accomplishments and obstacle hurdling over here.
Finally, and off-the-subject, I'm voting tomorrow. I've never voted early, although I hear it's much easier than on-election-day voting. I hope you're voting, too (early or otherwise). And, no, I don't care who you are voting for as long as you are making the most informed choice, and the one that is best for you and your family. There are a lot of voices out there, each day getting louder about what you deserve and what you want and what you need, and some of those voices are very well-intentioned, but I do hope no one's voice becomes so loud that you aren't able to hear your own. (Also, I really hope my voting location offers me a snack of some sort for exercising my patriotic duty.)