Can't Teach An Old Cat New Tricks....

As some of you know, I have a cat - his name is Jake. Jake has been with me since I was in college. When I found him, he was a tiny kitten that fit in one hand and begged for food - now he fits in a wheelbarrow and will bite you for food. Seeing as he's 12 years old - we figure that he's grown into the 'grumpy old man' cat ... meaning that he's only nice to you when he's hungry and even then he can only feign the kindness for a short amount of time before biting your leg or scratching you.

I'll admit that his kittenhood wasn't an easy one - but he always had plenty of food and water and lots of privacy as I was a chronic bar patron. I was hoping that over the years we would mature together and have a mutual respect for each other. I was wrong. Jake is still just as vengeful as he was as a kitten. He picks on the dog (Jazz) when he wants to lay on her bed or just when he's feeling irritable. He craps on the floor when his litter box isn't clean enough or when you've pissed him off. He'll bite you when he's hungry and you aren't filling up his bowl fast enough. So here I thought I'd have a warm, loving, fuzzy companion for 20 years - and what do I get? A crotchety, old, self-absorbed cat that loves poopie revenge. And you know what? I wouldn't trade him for the world! I guess this is good training for having kids. You don't always get what you expected - and yet you would never give it up.

Announcing A New Addition

As some of you may know, my brother and his wife have also been expecting a little baby boy. Well at 4:39 am on Wednesday, August 17th, they welcomed James Clifford Barrow (JC) into the world. He was a healthy 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 19.5 inches long. Even though he was born a month early, you can't tell it by looking at him. He looks perfect! Take a look for yourself and see...

Kerry (mom), Alexis (big sis) and JC

As The Belly Grows...

Well, it's official - I've finally outgrown my first set of maternity clothes. When you go to buy maternity clothes they tell you to buy your regular pre-pregnancy size. This, my friends, is a myth! I bought my pre-prego size and a size larger in my first set of maternity clothes and guess what - I busted the button on one pair of pants and the slide clip on another. Even the panel pants were getting too tight just below the panel. I'm guessing that these maternity clothes manufacturers don't take into account that more than just your belly is growing.

My butt, hips, legs, boobs, arms, hands and feet are all bigger than they were before I got pregnant! How do I know this you ask? Well, not only am I testing the seams on these clothes - but David and I have a weekly pregnancy journal where we've been taking measurements and my weight to see how much I change each week. The latest measurements show that my butt grew an inch in the last week alone! Not that I mind getting a little more junk in my trunk because I needed some, but the rest can be a little discerning.

I am starting to get a little worried about how big I'm getting at this point. I've gained about 30 lbs, my belly is huge, my hands are too swollen to wear my wedding ring and my feet are starting to get tight in my work shoes. The worst part - I have 4 MORE MONTHS TO GO! I can't imagine what I'm going to look like by November - and if anything will fit me by then. See for yourself as we post weekly pics on our family website - http://barrowbrown.blogspot.com.

Luckily, I've been blessed with a great husband who is extremely patient with me and doesn't seem to mind my expansion. We spent all day Saturday shopping for new/bigger maternity clothes that will hopefully last through November. (Seriously, I've gone from buying smalls and mediums to mediums and larges - LARGE people, I've NEVER worn a large!) We also bought the boy's first outfits this weekend. 2 cute tiny overall sets and some bootie socks. We're really getting excited about having him around!

See, being pregnant doesn't take away your vanity ;)

The Redskins Bring Some Friends To Town....

The Washington Redskins had their training camp last week near Herndon, VA. Usually, I wouldn't give a flip about training camp, but since last year's it's been a great time for me to get to see some cool friends from NC. Amy Dail and her man Scotty started coming to training camp last year and I was able to hang out with them. Well, this year it was just as cool.

I headed to Herndon on Thursday night to have dinner with Amy and Scotty. It's so nice to see them. Amy looks just like she did in high school - perfect! They had spent the day watching the training camp and were a little hot and tired - so I caught up with them while they freshened up. Then we went across the hall to visit with their friends from Canada - also hardcore Redskins fans. They are a really nice couple that I got to meet last year. After chatting for a while, we headed out to get some dinner.

We went to a little restaurant called Pomodoro near the Dulles Town Center. It wasn't anything fancy and the food was really good. You could tell we were all pretty hungry though because there wasn't even idle chatter once the food came. All you heard was the sound of forkfuls of food being shoveled into the different gullets. It was great!

So to summarize the catching up we did - here's what's new:

• Scotty just finished his first house as a solo contractor/builder. It looks really nice to - check it out - http://www.century21.com/buy/property_detail.aspx?teasers=property-detail-pic+Property+Detail+with+Pictures&tr_key=31282868&bSite=N. It's on the market and waiting to be sold.
  
• Our old friends Rob and Stacy are getting married in September at Nags Head. I'm very happy for them. They don't like to keep in touch with me after a falling out in '97 - which is a shame because I miss them. I wish them nothing but the best and hope that one day we'll be better friends again.
  
• Amy's niece is 16 - she was born on my 16th birthday - and is already on her 2nd car. That's one way to get the car you want - total the first one - ha ha. And to our dismay, we think she's more into the boys than she should be - but it's not very surprising given that most girls that age in that area are doing the same thing.
  
• Amy is attending real estate classes and hopes to be selling homes soon! What a partnership for her and Scotty - he builds them, she sells them!

All in all is was great to see the whole gang. I wish the Redskins had training camps each month so I could get to see them more often.

Minor Celebrity Sighting...

David and I like to go to Krispy Kreme about once a week for a doughnut fix. We usually go on a Saturday or Sunday morning - and believe me, we're NEVER disappointed! Yummy!! Well last Saturday as we were leaving 'The Kreme ' - all full and happy - we saw James Carville getting into his Lexus LS430. He also had his 2 kids in the back seat. From this short sighting I devised a few things about Mr. Carville.

1. He's a good dad - who can argue with a dad that takes his kids to Krispy Kreme on a Saturday morning for breakfast? The man's got good taste in breakfast foods.
   
2. He doesn't mind his minor celebrity status - while getting into his car, Mr. Carville was approached by a few patrons in the parking lot that wanted to meet him. He was gracious and kind with each, smiling and waving while getting into his car. I was impressed that he was so cordial with his 'fans' all the while not forgetting about his kids in the back seat that were ready to leave.
   
3. He's got good taste in cars - the man drives a nice Lexus. Considering the LS starts out at almost $60k, it's nothing to sneeze at. As higher end sedans go, it looked sharp.

Now, Mr. Carville may be a little crazy when it comes to his political rantings and ravings - but the fact that he'll take his kids to The Kreme for breakfast pulls him up a small notch in my book.

Another thing that just pulled him up another small notch - he got Robert Novack to say bullshit on CNN and then storm off the set like a little bitch. And all by simply accusing the man of not having a backbone - that was classic. Doesn't feel so nice when someone is pushing your buttons does it Mr. Novack? Just imagine how Valerie Plame and Judith Miller feel. You get to keep acting like a pompous ass while they having to deal with the affects of your treasonous Newsweek article - nice job ass wipe!