After being away for a week it is good to be home. :)

Last night, Kaku sat with me and talked a while. I asked her how she was and she meowed back. We sat together till Sam came to invite her to play Catching. Today she was benevolent and allowed me to pet her while she napped on a dining chair, but refused to pose when I tried to take her photo.

Boy hung out with me most of the day, coming over for a hug. I took the opportunity to inspect his claws and quickly trim one overgrown one. The rest were simply overjoyed to see me back (one more parent to feed them!). Sam and Tux lay on the couch with last night, giving us perhaps a too-intimate live viewing of their relationship!

While we watched CSI, Kaku came by for a visit. As she left the room shortly after, she seemed suddenly enthralled by the TV and actually sat down in front of it watching for about 3 minutes, her head darting back and forth at the fast-moving images before running back into the study. This is not the first time she's watched TV with us, and it is always a such a delightful sight. :D

According to The Parent Review, this is BB now:

"Blood vessels develop in its lungs and its plugged nostrils begin to open."

I hope it doesn't get lousy sinuses like its Dad and I.

"Its hearing will be developed enough to respond to outside sounds and voices, and it may jump at sudden noises."

Ok time to watch the language. :p And speak in complete sentences. And play nice soothing music.

With sleeping, here is what they say:

"While there's no risk caused by sleeping on your right, lying on your left side will improve the flow of blood and nutrients to the placenta and help your kidneys eliminate more efficiently. When your kidneys are working efficiently, you are less likely to have swelling in your ankles, feet, and hands."

Moral of the story, sleep on the left.

On manicures (which I don't bother doing) and hair dyes...

"It's wise to be cautious about exposing yourself to any chemical (even furniture polish) while you are pregnant, but you can still colour your hair or polish your nails without concern. When using any chemical, including nail polish, just be sure to do so in a well-ventilated room."

(Credit: The Parent Review)

*Caramel tastes amazing!
*Incubating a human is the closest thing to incubating an alien.
*My cats make me beam.
*Rice is anathema to weight control.
*Buy one pack of candy to test for QC before buying 2 more!
*Caramel tastes amazing!

How do you know it is a kick, punch, or head-butt, and not just a cramp?

According to Miriam Stoppard, it is like bubbles bursting against your insides.

I felt a couple of bubbles yesterday but this morning when I woke, it was more pronounced. When I turned to my left, the bubbles were on my left side (head-butt). When I turned to my right, the bubbles burst on my right side (kick or knee-butt). Then there was the random bubbling at the top (punches). :D

Later, I told the hub about it and he came by to loiter some. I lay on my right side and he placed his hands under to hopefully feel a random kick. Turns out it was his own hand shaking under my weight. Suddenly BB kicked. I asked him, did you feel that? And he said yes! That's a kick! And he beamed proudly.

On a quiet day at home, I spied Kaku sitting on her cat tree and pulled out my cam, set it on a few books, zoomed almost 12x to capture my baby girl on film (digital, actually).

Eat in 15 minutes. 2 minute prep time. Yum and healthy.

Ingredients:
1 cod fillet
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil butter
1 piece of aluminium foil
1 mini grill or toaster

Directions:
1. Wash cod.
2. Put cod on foil.
3. Put garlic and butter on cod.
4. Wrap foil around cod like gift wrapper.
5. Put in grill or toaster for 15 min.
6. Check after 15 min if cooked.
7. If not, add another 5-10 min.
8. Take out and eat.

Lovely post-Xmas news! :D

Sold Resurrection Dreams to Tales of the Talisman.

It will appear in the December 2006 issue.

... at Just Jared. Check out the Official X3 website.

At last, a night of almost uninterrupted sleep, with only one wake-up.

The secrets:

* Play Heroes of Might and Magic 3 till 1am and win heroically!
* Read positive and happy material before dozing off.
* Spray nose with nasal spray (non-steroid) before sleeping.
* Sleep on back and resist turning.
* Cover entire self with blanket (save for head).

Sweet dreams!