Eight Months and Counting

So the Red Sox are back in play and my team is already beset by controversy and disappointment. The way the Sox treated Mike Lowell was appalling; there was no dignity in that. I know it's a business and I know that he knows it too, but there's still something so awful about it. They're benching a guy who makes more than some of the starting players because he slowed down in the field. I think he showed last season his bat was still in good shape. As much as I love Papi, he's not the same guy. Split the DHing duties until you trade Lowell. Honestly.

Baby Starr is almost eight months old. He is awesome. Without question. He's such a smiley, happy kid. He's rolling over, scooting around, grabbing at things. He's so, so close to crawling. I'm scared he'll do it for the first time at daycare and I'll miss it.

I weaned him at seven months and he eats more solids than he does formula at this point. His appetite is seemingly neverending. He's such a little ham, too. He sees the camera and breaks into a great big grin. He's just such a great kid and I feel so lucky to know him let alone be his mother. Watching him learn and figure things out and try things for the first time is so amazing.

Fox Sux

I didn't realize that it had been almost two months since I updated this. In those two months, the Red Sox have crushed the Yankees every time they've played them, moved into first place, and benched Lugo. All good things. In those two months, Baby Starr has gotten much bigger, Omar has been the awesomest person alive, and my mother has driven me around the bend and back again.

The Sox appear to be in the Halladay hunt, sort of, but I don't know that they necessarily need him. He's a good pitcher, yes, but what they would have to give up for him seems a bit excessive. Toronto will not let him go cheaply and the Sox are a team that is very protective of its farm system and prospects. Which is why they don't need assholes like Texeira because they're home growing the guys they need. With Dice K on the DL, I've been able to watch all the starters without going red with rage by the third inning. Lord even knows what they'll do with him when he gets back.

Wakefield has been the best part of the season for me so far. Inconsistent, sometimes, yes. But he is by far the best story. Eleven wins, most in the league, and his first All Star game in 17 years in the majors. I always liked Tim Wakefield. He's never bitched about his role, never demanded ridiculous money, never complained about "respect" or whatever it is the rest of the whiny bitches complain about. He has always played his role with dignity and volunteered in the community quietly, never making a big deal about all the work he does for the team and for charity. He deserves this so much more than anyone else in the organization.

It's the usual shit show for Fox, though, starting the All Star Game late and the inanity of Buck and McCarver. Honestly, could they find a more annoying network to show this game on? I suppose ESPN is more annoying, but that's cable and they won't put this on cable. God, I hate Fox.

As for Baby Starr, I can only say this pregnancy thing is both wonderful and draining. I am, thankfully, mostly all belly. I am also carrying very high right now because Baby Starr is frank breech. Which means butt first. The head is near my right rib cage and the feet near my left. It's like the baby is in a V shape. The doctor has assured me that the baby is comfortable like this. They have also told me if the baby doesn't turn in another month, I will be scheduled for a C section, which was not my first choice for delivery. Part of me wonders if I will feel like my pregnancy experience was complete without going through labor, but another part of me is grateful to be spared what I have been told is pretty agonizing pain. My doctor will turn the baby if I ask, but she told me straight up that it doesn't usually work and she doesn't like doing them. That's fine with me; Baby Sis was footling breech, they turned her twice and it didn't work, so Mom had the C section anyway.

The baby is 4 lbs, 2 oz now, so we are looking at a birth weight of between 7 1/2 or 8 lbs. Bigger than Omar and I had anticipated. But all we care about is the health of our Baby Starr. It's the most amazing thing we have every experienced. Even with the disgusting heartburn and the nasty swollen feet and the irritating acne, I would not change this for anything. At the end of it all, I will have my Baby Starr and I could not love that idea more.

My shower was this past weekend and I was astonished and touched by the generosity of my friends and family. After weeks of driving me INSANE, my mother threw an amazing party for her grandbaby. The daily phone calls have not ceased, but they are slightly less annoying than they were. We got a lot of wonderful gifts, including some beautiful handmade sweaters, blankets, quilts, booties, and bonnets from friends, Baby Sis, and my mother. They are absolutely stunning and it took a lot to keep me from crying. The workmanship on those handmade items was just stunning and I could see the care that people had put into them. Especially my sister's. It just touched me so much to know how many people are excited about the birth of my baby and it makes me so thankful for my friends and family and extended family. Baby Starr will be born into so much love and I am beyond grateful for that.

Right now, Baby Starr is pushing against my ribs in such a way that it almost hurts to take a breath. Sleeping is most uncomfortable and I have to pee at work about every hour and every two to three when I go to bed. I'm tired all the time and I'm sort of out of breath a lot since the baby presses on my lungs slightly. But this is all normal. And Baby Starr is worth every discomfort.

Colds Suck

Especially when you're four months pregnant. Especially when you have a horrific sinus headache. Especially when you have a cough that makes your temples hurt every time you cough. Especially when you feel like shit, can't sleep, and can't take much of anything that will put a dent in this misery.

The WBC sucks, too, especially when two players come home with injuries.

Twilight comes out on DVD this weekend and I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon because I am pathetic.

Peanut

My little peanut is getting bigger. I have to pee all the time (that is not an exaggeration; I literally went to the ladies' room eight times today at work. Once an hour). I still have horrible food aversions (like right now I am procrastinating going upstairs to put the chicken in the oven because raw chicken makes me sick). None of my clothes fit, so I had to buy maternity clothes (maternity pantyhose are quite possibly the worse things I have ever owned in my entire life). I bought four dressed, 3 pairs of pants, three blouses and five t-shirts. I don't have enough shirts. It's upsetting. I don't want a lot more tops, just three or four more that I can wear to work.

My mother is so ridiculously excited it's not even funny. Even Baby Sis, who is famous for her blase-ness, seems to be looking forward to auntihood. I personally cannot wait to meet my little peanut. We are not going to find out what the peanut is because we truly don't care. Boy or girl, this baby is perfect as is and we don't feel a need to know or have a preference.

On a completely non-peanut related note, Lester signed a long-term contract, Lugo is hurt (shock, I know), Manny is gone, and Pedroia and Youk are also locked up for long-term deals. My boys are getting ready for the season and I am so excited about that. Not to mention that A-Fraud's out with a hip injury and may never see the hall because he's a lying cheater who should burn in hell.

How Stephenie Meyer Is Ruining My Life

Let's be honest. The Twilight saga is not exactly the most witty, charming, well-written stuff every produced in literature. In fact, it's pretty much downright crap. Baby Sis and I have spent an inordinate amount of time dissecting why these books are so appealing and not really coming up with a reason that satisfies. There is something to be said, though, for epic love stories and no teenage girl can resist that. And apparently no woman in her thirties can either because I have been sucked in by those books.

I read the first two before we saw the movie and then bought the last copies of the last two at Target last weekend. They're a pretty fast read, despite the length of them, and I had finished both books by the time Monday night rolled around (I have a disgusting capacity for fast reading which drives my family insane because I also retain about 99% of what I read when I read that fast. And since I rarely, if ever, read a book just once [it has to be a really horribly written book for me to read it just once], that 1% I miss the first time around I catch on the second).

I don't think they're especially great literature and she can't write characterization for shit, but there is something to be said for the plot. It's kind of addictive. And forbidden love is such a tempting subject. It would be nice if the so-called heroine of the story were a little bit more likable (the way she tortures herself, Jacob, and Edward makes me want to slap her, often. One of the last two books mentions Wuthering Heights a few times and has a horrified Bella drawing comparisons to herself and Cathy and I actually liked that part of it. My feelings on Wuthering Heights are well documented: incredible descriptive prose (really, Emily Bronte was gifted), but the most unlikable characters ever to appear as protagonists in literature. My loathing for Cathy and Heathcliff make it hard for me to read that book more than once every couple years, but the literary critic and English lit devotee in me knows it's an incredibly important piece of literature. Plus, I just like Bronte's rhythms. Her writing is a little more complex than Charlotte Bronte's and definitely has more depth to it than Anne's did (although The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a great read).

Still, the books are addictive and I can't put them down. I will probably end up re-reading the series within the next few weeks and I can't figure out for the life of me why.

It's the plot of the whole series, really. The first book is the most poorly written; like Rowling, Meyer got better at it as she went along; unlike Rowling, though, the books didn't get more entertaining as she went along. The last book has the least consistency: she switches from Bella's POV after almost 200 pages to Jacob's, then switches back to Bella's another 250 pages or so later. I heard a rumor that she's written the saga from Edward's POV and I would be interested to read that. In a more competent writer's hands, I think these books could be even more powerful. She's not great with imagery in the sense that she doesn't make you feel like you're there. You get a sense of what things look like, but not the breathless sense of being there with the characters. And Edward's supposed to be this perfect man and Bella's devotion to him so all-consuming she'd willing to give up her humanity for him, but I couldn't understand what about her he loved and why she fell in love with him either. There just didn't seem to be a catalyst there that made me go, "God, no wonder."

Plus, the stuff on sex in there is pretty funny. She's definitely promoting abstinence in these books, unless you're married, and even then there's not really any sex without consequences. I was surprised that she included some non-explicit love scenes, but these kids probably know more about sex than she does these days (if Gossip Girl and the other shows of its ilk are to be believed). When I was growing up, books aimed at girls my age didn't even hint at sex like she does. The last two books are pretty centered on when, how, and where Bella and Edward are going to have sex and there's some innuendo there that would be pretty tame for a book at adults, but seems racy to me for books aimed at a younger audience. Of course, kids are having sex young these days (god, I feel a hundred and ten writing this), so maybe they think it's tame (I actually typed lame there by accident, but maybe they think it's lame, too). Also, it's all couched in these romantic moments that are supposed to seem heavenly and ultra-romantic and epic. And maybe they would be to a teenage girl who thinks sex and love are the same thing, but as a married, adult woman who's trying to get knocked up, they just seemed kind of... not cute because that's the wrong word, but maybe too contrived. Of course Bella and Edward are going to have great sex. Epic love stories would never disappoint the reader with bad sex. But the sex (and again, it's very non-explicit) is so idealized and no one's first time is ever that great. Not even if it is with a hot vampire.

The whole series is just addictive. Like I said, women are suckers for epic love stories. Lord knows if I could think of a good epic love story, I would try to write one. But I feel like every time I try to tell a love story, I'm sinking into cliches. And I loathe relying on contrivances to tell a story. It's a cop out.

PS Sox just signed Pedroia to a 6 year, 40.5 million deal. Cheap for the Sox, awesome for the fans. Now, if they'd just lock in Pap...

Settle Down

Lester needs to relax. I realize the Angels are a big scary team this season (and hello, am I the only person who thinks Guerrero looks stoned in his publicity stills??), but he needs to chill. They've kicked the Angels' asses in previous post season games; there is no need to panic. That being said, I'm worried they're not going to make it past the Angels this year.

I took serious joy in the Yankees sucking so badly this year, but I worry that Manny Douchebag may end up there next spring, in which case it will just be a bloodbath at every game. The ugliness will just be horrific. Omar and I were discussing whether or not Tim Wakefield is a starter next year and we decided we wouldn't be surprised if the Sox pursue Derek Lowe as a possible fifth starter next year. He's had a good year in LA and he's become a better pitcher since leaving Boston. Theo's always looking for good talent, but I don't know if he'd look at someone he kicked so long ago.

Who knows? There's a reason why Theo's the GM and I'm not (although if I were, I'd dump Lugo's sorry ass and lock up Jed Lowrie for the starting position next year. Hands down, he is a better player than Lugo. $36 million my ass.).

Come on, Jon! Settle down, take a deep breath and kick some ass.

What A Week!

The home inspection revealed termites. But it's okay! Really. They have not done any structural damage to the house and the owner is footing the bill to put a system in place to prevent them from coming back. We will also get a service contract that has the exterminator coming out four times a year to spray for them and it won't cost much (it'll cost less than what the seller is paying to put the initial system in, that's for sure).

So the house is good to go and I am psyched.

Ran into Baby Sis this morning in South Station. How freaking weird is that? I'm walking along and there's this girl walking ahead of me and I'm thinking, "I know that red ponytail." I yelled out to her and lo and behold, there was Baby Sis! It was a really great way to start the day, spending even five minutes with her while we walked down to the red and silver lines together.

Manny Ramirez has left the Red Sox and I don't know how I feel about that. On the one hand, I will miss his quirky ways (taking a pee break in the Wall, losing track of the outs, high fiving fans in the outfield). I will certainly miss his awesome bat and the way he and Ortiz kicked ass together. However, I will not miss him quitting in the middle of a penant race nor I will miss his attitude about management. He gets paid ridiculous money to chase a ball in left field and to make contact at the plate. He clearly loves his job. Shut up and be grateful they're willing to pay you for that.

Omar got us tickets for Sunday's game; we're going with his parents because they were a birthday gift to his mom. So I'm psyched because I haven't been to a game all season. But I'm also bummed because I used to love to watch Manny bat. Now he's a Dodger. Well, good on him. He can bitch with Nomar about how much the Red Sox suck.

Purchase and sale takes place Tuesday and the closing is on Aug 28. I can't believe I'm about to own property!