Twas the days before...

I decided to take Wednesday off as a "Charlie - only" sanity day. I figure that I'll be plenty busy during the holidays and the next few pre- and post-baby months, so I should take the opportunity to get these days in while I still can. I visited Carrie briefly in the hospital, then went downtown to see "Avatar", which was a pretty amazing movie, not just because of the 3D or special effects, but also because the acting was (mostly) believable, and the storyline was pretty decent, if not a little hammy and predictable at times.

I had another visit with Carrie after the movie, and our good friend Refugio came in for an hour or so, during which time we exchanged gifts. After I left the hospital and came home, I followed a good movie,"Avatar", with a truly bad one, "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra". Ughh!

After an early morning visit to the hospital, I made the rounds doing some last-minute shopping:

• Cafe Verite / Cupcake Royale in Madrona
• Trader Joes in Madison Valley / Capitol Hill
• Whole Foods in Cascade / Downtown
• Bob's Meat Locker in Columbia City

At Bob's, I had to wait for about 45 minutes before the butcher took my order because of the long line. A couple of times, people attempted to jump the queue, and let me tell you, hell hath no fury like Christmas shoppers who have been waiting in line when others attempt to get in front of them.

So...

I went home, and started making our Christmas dinner - Beef Bourgninon with Collard Greens, with an appetizer of cheese curds and olives, and fig and eggnog cupcakes for desert (no, I didn't make these...). I was able to get quite a few things done while waiting for the beef dish to cook. I then took the dishes to Carrie in the hospital, where we sat, ate, talked, and just had a generally good time.

I know the hospital might not have been the best place to spend Christmas - but we did have a very special day, since we were together and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next two members of our family.

Hopefully, Carrie will be home on Monday. She'll still be on bedrest, but at least she'll be here with me, and not at Swedish. I'd like that very much!