Today is Cinco de Mayo, and I'm gearing up to make tacos in celebration. I don't really know what Cinco de Mayo is. It's just an excuse to make tacos. I would have waited to blog until after I'm done, so I could post photos, but I'm not sure I would have the energy to actually make the tacos, photograph the tacos, upload the photos, and then do a blog before the end of the day. I spend much of my days now thinking about things I would be doing in a more active life. I'm looking forward to returning to that life soon.

I would elaborate, but it's just going to sound like whining, a page right out of My Big Book of Grievances. Let's just say that I am told by my doctor that the baby has dropped, whatever that means, and therefore I am less mobile than ever and it is literally impossible to bend over. As I explained to Mike, "it's as though there's another person in my abdomen! One that refuses to bend!" Which makes driving a bit difficult, especially when our driveway is on a hill. You'd be surprised how much flexibility you need at the waistline in order to perform simple driving maneuvers. Putting groceries on the bottom shelf? Not impossible, not if you sit on the floor. But then, how to get up again? And I dropped a bottle of Sunny D on my foot and absent-mindedly bent over to pick it up, which the baby DID NOT LIKE ONE BIT and so it turned into an even more upsetting incident. As a result, I don't spend as much time on my feet as I used to. If I had the energy to take a photo of myself, it would be of me sitting around thinking about all things I'd rather be doing, such as taking more photos. I've been pondering a few photo projects lately. But they can't be done while sitting.

But, you may ask, I thought you also could not sit due to the abdomen "tearing" situation!

Yes, that is true, but starting maternity leave from work has already improved the symptoms and I discovered that there are certain chairs or sitting positions that make it worse. Happily, our new sofa does not make it worse. Yes! We have a new sofa! In our efforts to not live like trailer trash in spite of the fact that I am forced to admit our pre-fab does resemble a "trailer", we have been decluttering and redecorating our house, and it is now about 50% done. We have finished the master bedroom, master bath, kitchen, and living room, with grownup furniture and decor not from Ikea. We still have to finish the guest room, guest bath, office, and storage room. And the deck. The deck will have to be finished this summer. But the remaining 50% of the house will ideally be completed by Sunday because that is when Mike's mom is coming to visit.

The new sofa came from a newer furniture store in the Portland area that has been advertising on our local TV channels. Mike and I have been wanting a new sofa for years, but we didn't like anything at Ikea and couldn't really invest in a real sofa before. Our existing Ikea sofa was really a loveseat, and Miss Jack had pretty much destroyed it with her claws. We finally decided an upgrade was a priority to us, so I started checking out used sofas on Craiglist and found that even used (quality) sofas are quite a cash investment, and not easy to find - the ones you'll find are usually old and outdated, and we really wanted a modern look. Thanks to late night local TV I found this furniture store that had real sofas for a relatively cheap price, or, the same price that you might pay for a used quality sofa on Craigslist. Then I saw their delivery truck in our area one day, and felt hopeful. So last week we made the 90 minute drive to their showroom and found a sectional that was a price we wanted and modern and also quite flexible (pillow back, easy to change the look). We got a sale price and also managed to get on a delivery truck for the very next day - lucky because it is possible we could have had to wait up to a month before they came out our way again.

I did feel bad for the delivery guys. They did not get to our house until 9:30pm and they had brought a full size semitruck which I specifically told the showroom would not be acceptable on our property. But, with me biting my nails, they made it up our driveway in the dark and brought my sofa inside. Bravo!

Zack has become quite the hunter and adores going outside as soon as the sun goes down. It takes him less than 5 minutes to find some kind of tasty treat and devour it on our deck. We have learned not to let him back in the house without pre-approval (checking his mouth). This happened after a couple of times his gifts to us were still very much alive, and once inside, Zack seems content to have us chase the critter around while he watches. He is really freaking cute, though, and is good company for me.

I do have more random thoughts but I will write more later.