Black Lesbians on Broadway!

We saw The Color Purple last night, on Broadway. Tita had tickets that she had won. Turns out the tickets were in the rear mezzanine, row Q: that's somewhere between Bumblefuck and New Jersey, I'm afraid. The first act was kind of a bummer because we were far away and I was craning in between two heads to see. But the second act, we moved down to the orchestra section, where there were plenty of open seats, and it was fabulous! The Celie/Shug lesbian subplot was definitely not shied-away-from, and by the second act, it really seemed like the two were longtime companions, which Shug upsets by wanting to shag a 19-y.o. boy, out of her insecurity that men don't find her attractive anymore. The cast was fantastic, and it really was like watching a gospel choir, but with incredible set design. And I can't decide if it was upliftiing or depressing that the audience was VERY mixed racially--uplifting that there were so many black people seeing a Broadway show, but depressing that that was a notable change from the norm.

Grandpa helps out

My stepdad, Fred, flew to NYC from his home in California to help us with some house projects before Tiny comes. We had to do some projects big and small, like adding knobs to all of our cabinets (right now we just open the cabinets using the bottoms of the cabinet doors), cutting the legs off of our kitchen stools because they are too high, installing a dimmer on our living room light fixture, attaching our cable cord flush to the wall, and replacing the faucet in our tenant's apartment. All of these things have been DONE! Or are in progress. Ingrid's family owns a lumberyard, so we have quite a set of tools for a lesbian couple. We have a sanding machine, a jig saw, a power drill with an entire suitcase of attachments, a very heavy tool box, three hammers, and some other crazy stuff. Fred was like a kid at the Lego store when he saw the sanding machine. He was like, "You have a sanding machine?" His eyes lit up. Guys are weird. But we got it done! And today Ing and I went to Home Depot before work to buy the faucet. Easy! Fingers crossed that Fred can install it without any problems.

Tonight seeing The Color Purple on Broadway. Sunday we saw The Guttenberg Musical off-off-Broadway with Ing's mom and Fred. It was really cute and funny. And affordable! And across from Sushi Samba in the West Village. Go!

A Lesbian Basketball Team, and 10 Fingers and 10 Toes

We had a lesbian basketball team over on Saturday night for cocktails. They all loved Tiny! I tried to shake a vodka martini for someone, and the shaker burst and I was covered with vodka. Tiny needs to get used to that.

Today was the 20-week anatomy scan. Tiny seems to have all of its parts, with a beautiful brain and beautiful spine, Dr. Margano says. Everything seems to look normal, we are happy to report. 10 fingers, 10 toes, two ears, two eyes, two heart valves, a bladder, legs, arms, etc. That sonogram took a darn long time--like an hour and a half! After awhile, we were even starting to get tired... but thrilled that all is good.

My stepdad came over yesterday to help us do projects on the house. We put knobs on all the kitchen cabinets and cut down the legs on our kitchen barstools for a better fit. Trying to get things in order before Tiny gets here.

20 Weeks, and SuperOva is feeling it

Wow! I looked at this picture of me, frontview, and I am starting to feel like a hot pregnant mama! I did a spin class yesterday--really needed it after a kind of stressy day at work--and I just can't work up a sweat at the gym like I used to. Maybe there's some reason for that, hormonally or whatever, but I just can't get a "good workout." I have to be OK with that, though.

My friend Kara introduced me to this new site developed by nerve, called Babble (babble.com) that's has parenting content, but geared to a Nerve-like sexy audience. I decided I have to write something for it. (Sorry about the non-embedded links here, people, but on the Mac, I'm not offered the option of embedding. It's annoying.)

Did we all see that Paris Hilton's secrets (did she have anymore?) are unleashed now, thanks to that dumb storage unit that she forgot to pay? And that Anne Heche left her husband for her costar in Men in Trees, hot lumberjack Jack?

I'm starting to need maternity clothes, and am not sure where to turn. Don't really want to maternity shop. I need pants!

Our friend Liz says we have to register, even if we don't want to, for our baby shower. Another friend Jen says that because we are "city girls," we "have to get the Bugaboo." Arrrgh. How do you figure all of this out without having to go to Buy Buy Baby, which I really don't want to do? I think we are going to register at Target. I like it there; it feels less targeting-of-mothers-to-buy-shit-we-don't-need. But maybe I'm wrong?

Also being asked to "negotiate" my maternity leave with my workplace. (To potentially get more vacation or something.) Hey, I know my rights!! I read a whole book on the Family Medical Leave Act.

And on Monday is our 20 week anatomy scan ultrasound. I'm 20 weeks--halfway through--this pregnancy! We may have the option to find out the sex on Monday. I guess we need to talk over the weekend...

Watching SherryBaby netflik tonight. Desperately seeking Maggie Gyllenhaal, who moved to the Slope last year. We are hoping to run into her this spring, on one of our walks to Prospect Park...

Gay sheep?

Now that sounds like some weird porn thing, but http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,462314,00.html apparently has been all over European media and the blogosphere. But I just read about this Oregon scientist who is studying rams who seek out other rams only (no ewes) for sex. People are up in arms because they are saying he's studying how they become same-sex-pursuing, so that he can compare it to humans in pursuit of eliminating gay humans before we're even born. But don't we want to know more about the brain and sexuality works? The argument in favor of him is, change society, don't halt scientific research.

Last night we saw Wallace Shawn's one-man show, The Fever, done by the New Group Theater. Ingrid and I both slept through the entire show, nearly. It was sooooo slow, and tearfully boring and I had to read synopses on the internet today to see what it was actually about. It was disappointing because I love Wallace Shawn, but god, that's two hours of my life I'll never get back.

The L Word is getting gooooood!

The third episode of the L Word was almost, well, enjoyable! The hyperbolic but not totally unbelievable scene of the gay-straight mixer at Tina's place, with that awful game of Celebrity. And cute Shane as a quasi-parent. But best of all, to my mind, is the Nadia-the-hot-TA (played by Jessica Capshaw) pursuit of Bette "Dean" Porter. I always liked Jessica Capshaw, daughter of Kate Capshaw and stepdaughter of Steven Spielberg, on the Practice. She was assertive, and I remember she sexually pursued Eugene, the black lawyer, which was a random but kind of hot pairing. And I'm just now remembering that she had her first awkward kiss with him in a car! And now with Bette, the fawning, the flirting, the self-confidence. And the car scene that ended WAY too early! Sad. The only thing we can hope for is for that scene to continue in the next episode but I fear it won't, since Marlee Matlin is going to appear soon. Our friend Laura says Jessica Capshaw is "fat for TV," but that's what I like, that she's bigger than normal Hollywood women, and bigger than most of the women on the L Word. More realistic, sexy, more substantial. And her characters always seem to be uber-self-confident and sexual, which I like. Let's hope to see more of her.

What do we think of Hillary Clinton?

So Hillary's entered the race officially, and she's "in it to win." I know so many people are opposed to her, but I plan to support her. How can we not? Obama just doesn't have the experience. My friend Liz, who works for the Ms. Foundation, says one of her bosses said this about Hillary Clinton, whom everyone expects perfection from and is disappointed that she isn't, in fact, the perfect female candidate: "Hillary deserves the same chance as everyone else to be mediocre." Mind you, this doesn't mean that we're aiming for mediocrity, but did anyone absolutely love John Kerry OR Al Gore? Sure, maybe we need better candidates in the Dem party, but I think there's a reality that any politician who is electable in the US is going to be someone who is compromised, because they have to appeal to both sides of the country, and everyone in the middle.

Meanwhile, happy birthday Ingrid!

The Catholic church hates vaginas

This is me at 19 weeks, today! Ingrid says you can't really tell a difference between today and 18 weeks, or 17... from the side, you really can't. I took a picture of myself in the mirror today that really showed a dramatic belly, but it showed pubic hair too, and I decided not to subject anyone else to that. (Nick, if you want to see it, I can send to you privee.)

Today, the Post reported that St. John's University is cancelling its plans to stage The Vagina Monologues there in February, for V Day. The Catholic university deemed it "inappropriate." In its caption, the Post called the play "genitalia-obsessed." Hellloooo? What's genitalia obsessed is our fucking culture--until it comes to women taking back their vaginas from MTV, Maxim, Brandon Davis (Paris Hilton's worthless, sad buddy who penned the name "Firecrotch" for Linds), hiphop culture, and the White House and the Supreme Court. This really rankles the old-school radical feminist in me. Also, this is sad for the students who no doubt put a lot of work into planning this. I thought about posting a picture of my vagina, in protest, but I can't reach it by myself with a camera. (Who knew!)

Next thing SuperOva is fascinated with is this story that transfats actually lower your fertility. Is that wack?? Does this mean that people who eat McDonald's will have their fertility impeded? This is probably not any surprise to the hippie fertility experts out there, mind you, who have been saying nutrition and fertility are linked for ages.

At dinner with new friends the other night, someone asked this question: What's the difference between a doula and a birthing coach? Here's what I've figured out so far, from the Doulas of North America: a doula is someone who is trained and experienced in childbirth, and administers emotional and physical support to an expectant mother before, during and after labor. A birthing coach can be your partner, husband, a close friend--someone who might help you through the birth. You could have both a birthing coach and a doula. This leads to my question: What is a midwife? A midwife attends a birth and provides support during labor and delivery. How is she different from a doula? She has medical training? If anyone can weigh in... Is the issue that midwives help deliver at home?

Our future families

Lindsay Lohan has entered rehab. She's 20. Drew Barrymore did this, too, but like, 15 years ago. This can only be good for Lindsay, as I think she needs to stay home for a little while, and not get her picture taken. She was destined for self-immolation for years now, but we'll see how long it lasts. She's already worked with Robert Altman and Meryl Streep, so don't fuck it up, Linds!

Last night we saw some friends, one of whom is 24 weeks pregnant, about six weeks ahead of me, and one whom we found out last night is 12 weeks pregnant, six weeks behind me. I was so thrilled. It's nice to have other friends pregnant at the same time, and fun to think about how our kids could grow up being friends.

After dinner, I dreamt last night about my childbirth. In my dream, my friend who is 12 weeks pregnant was giving birth right before me. It was like a factory of deliveries, but not in a bad way. Dr. Dodson was there, encouraging me. The labor wasn't as horrible as I had expected, and I recall breathing through the pain. And being scared, nonetheless, about what was to come.

18 Weeks, in Puerto Rico

Ingrid and I took our "golden trimester" vacation this past weekend, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Aside from hurricane-like winds, the trip was a success and I did get a little bit of sun. Neither Tiny nor I liked the food in PR--they don't eat vegetables in restaurants there, unless you count rice and beans, and every piece of meat comes fried. The only thing I liked were our morning pastries. On the last day, we splurged and bought breakfast for $20 a person at the Hilton Caribe--there was a beautiful buffet with tropical fruits and champagne and jamon and cheeses. I stuffed some extra fruits and cheeses and breads into my bag for the plane ride. I've always fancied myself as a reincarnated Jewish grandmother. I decided I wasn't eating as much as the American men there, so that's how I justified that buffet thievery.

Body's changing: Have gained 13 lbs now, and all the bread (the other thing I liked in PR) is starting to add up. As well as the leftover chocolate from France. Am behind on our baby schedule that Ingrid devised. Was supposed to look into childbirth classes last week, and child care this week. Child care!! I'm not even 20 weeks pregnant!! I'm trying to relax about it. Our 20 week visit and ultrasound is in a week and a half, and I'm excited about that. People say that's when it really starts to hit you that you're having a baby.

My cousin Julie from France had her baby, Killian Jean-Claude Sascha Renaut, on January 1, by C-section!! Bienvenue, Killian!

Rosie & Barbara and difficult women

So the Rosie/Babs fight is all over, and I believe it. Both of them are supposed to be very difficult to work with. I would've loved to be in the dressing room that morning.

The L Word was a major disappointment. Cybill didn't appear yet, neither did Marlee--they're saving them for episode 2, I guess. But the show had a ton of drama, and almost no sex, save for a tiny, sad S&M scene with Mia Kirshner and Elodie Bouchez (who is hot generally but looks like a drag queen in this character--one that resembles French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld), and a failed attempt at a threeway. Bring back the actual sex! And Shane, grow the F up, for goodness sake! Get over your daddy issues and move ON!

Dr. Dodson called today. The second half of our Integrated Screen, the diagnostic for Down Syndrome and other chromosomal disorders, came back normal. We are very relieved. Tiny is hanging in there, it seems!

Ok, Without a Trace is back on...

Cybill Shepherd is on the L Word!

The other night I had a sexy dream about Cybill Shepherd. Yeah, I, too, thought it was random, until I realized she joins the cast of The L Word this season, starting tomorrow night! As a married woman, and Bette (Jennifer Beals)'s boss, who comes out in her 50s. Whoo-hoo! OMG, almost forgot: And Marlee Matlin! She hasn't aged since her debut, in the movie Children of a Lesser God. She's getting more beautiful. Watch a promo of next season of the L Word.

17 weeks, and "I won't miss that asshole"

This is what 17 weeks looks like. Not too dramatically different from 16 weeks.

The other night we had dinner with our friends Esther and Paul, who have a 2-month-old. Paul was talking about changing Luke's diapers, and Paul said, "I'm not sure if we are going to have more kids or not, but if we don't, believe me, I won't miss seeing that asshole every two hours."

Esther had a childbirth at St. Vincent's, with a doula and NO PAIN MEDICATION. I was bowing down to her. She said it's rough, really rough. She said having the doula was absolutely necessary for her--not just a luxury, and she really recommended we hire one. I've been resisting the doula concept because of the "doula mafia," a concept a friend of mine came up with, wherein the doulas pressure you not to use an epidural, to do the childbirth as naturally as possible, etc. Who wants additional pressure when you're already pressured as a pre-parent?

Ingrid says I'd better start writing more about celebrities, that the blog is losing focus. I said, "It has been the holidays and Britney's been keeping quiet!" But, over New Year's Eve, she passed out after reportedly too many champagne cocktails. Then, the Post published this picture saying she looks bloated, haggard and old. I can identify. But Britney's checked into a "spa" in Arizona, and has vowed to get her shit together, for her own sake, her kids' and her fans'. She's had her bender moment, now baby's gonna get back.

16 weeks

Got new bras at TJ Maxx, since the boobs are growing so much. See the tags here?

Saw Dr. Dodson this morning, and heard Tiny's heartbeat. Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum... so fast!

Mommy-to-be on meth?

Happy new year, everyone! Tita, my mother-in-law, said that in the second trimester, I could expect a great surge of energy. I didn't believe this when last week, at 15 weeks, I was in California and fell asleep at 8:30 every night. But Friday, at 16 weeks, I turned a corner. Ingrid and I had a beautiful day in the city, having a relaxed lunch and trying to go to MoMA, but not going because the lines were too long, and just walking down to Chelsea to look at galleries and having an egg cream and coconut pie at a diner. I stayed up past 11! Then Saturday night, I cooked for us and again went to bed at 11. Last night, New Year's Eve, I was up til 12:30 and felt fine. I also haven't taken a nap in five days.

Today, I decided to mop the floors upstairs! I felt like a suburban mom on amphetamines!! Ingrid's been a machine this weekend: she cleaned out all our closets and put storage bins and shelving into the basement. Thanks, DaMa.