Happy Fox-o-ween!

We had a superfun time at the Halloween party last night. We are still currently recovering. I wanted to share a sampling of costumes. I was good about getting photos of the guests early on in a designated photo spot, but am afraid I missed several great costumes (I am especially sad I didn't get a photo of the Pools as Dexter Morgan and a plastic-wrapped victim). Regardless, here are some quality attendees.

My cake icing border came out the best it ever has -- I think it's because I'm a mom now.

Chef Fox, Oven, and the Bun

Jenny & Ben as Lucy Van Pelt & Oscar the Grouch (in amazing homemade costumes). Makes you wonder why these two characters didn't get together sooner.

Phillip as the Atlanta legal community's most notorious future inmate

Jessica gets the perfect cheer, and Audrey as Hedi Klum votes you out.

Russ as Homie the Clown and Paula as an extrascary scarecrow

Laura and Mike as creepy Alice and Mad Hatter

Stephen as a fantastic (and handsewn) Aladdin

Dawn as Bon Temps' favorite waitress, Sookie Stackhouse, tends the oven

Reunited and it feels so good

Oh Vandy, Vandy, Vandy... how I miss your carefree and crazy days (I mean, as carefree as law school can be and probably crazier than it should). We attempted to relive said days this weekend. Some of us were more successful than others. I was probably one of the least successful in the reliving.

We headed to Nashville late Thursday afternoon. We made it to the Springwater Supper Club right on time for Fox's and Libby's show. Unfortunately, the show started an hour later than we thought. Fortunately, we had some really good friends show up and got to catch up with them. The Gobbles and the Biaches were a strong showing from the Columbia contingent. Fox's mom, sister, and aunt were a strong showing from the Fox contingent. We also had several Class of 2005ers show up. My long-time friend Clark Simmons showed up and accompanied Libby on drums for a few songs. Fox's set was less murder-ballads and more love songs. I enjoyed myself and forgot to take pictures, as usual. We stayed up late catching up.

Friday, we met the Fonnesbecks for lunch at Fido, which is a big favorite of ours. Then we met up with the 2005 gang at Satco, where I watched the consumption of beers and queso. We went to a reception honoring Professor Belton and unveiling his portrait. We went to a cocktail reception for all the alums where I watched more beers (and wine!) be consumed. Then we went to Flying Saucer, where, you guessed it, I watched more beers be consumed.

Nick, Baker, Dave, Fox, me, and Libs at the Saucer

The night ended (for the Foxes) at Second Fiddle, one of the many fine honky-tonks on lower Broadway. I made it until 2 a.m. (central time!). The rest of the 2005 crew ended their night an hour or so later after a trip to Lonnie's, the world's best karaoke bar. I'm sure it was epic. Rumor is Nick sang Journey's Open Arms.

The next day, we met the Fonnesbecks again for lunch, this time at one of Nashville's many fine Indian buffets. We then met the 2005ers at Sam's to watch football for many hours. The big scheduled event for Saturday was the class dinner. The Class 0f 2005 shared its dinner with the Classes of 1995 and 2000 at Sambuca, which did not exist when any of us were in school. The dinner was open bar, which is never a good idea for a room full of lawyers. I also think we intimidated the Classes of 1995 and 2000 with our great turn out, and good looks.

The Bakers, Collinses, and Foxes at Sambuca

After Sambuca, we headed over to Red Door. I made it until 1:30, of which I was proud. Then it was time to say goodbyes to everyone. I'm not sure how long everyone else stayed out or what momentous events occurred. It was a fun reunion, and it was so nice to catch up with everyone.

Kelley, Monifa, and I say our goodbyes at Red Door

On the Baby Fox front, the big news is that we started our third trimester. Woot! I'm very excited about this. I've been busy making fingernails. Also, I passed the Glucose Challenge!, which is good news because it was incredibly uncomfortable for me. Drinking the flat orange beverage wasn't so bad -- it was the crashing and burning feeling I had for the rest of the day. Apparently it doesn't feel good to have spikes in your blood sugar. It also made Baby Fox very hyper, so I got a lot of kicks and punches. I'm not sure how we would have made it through the three-hour test if we had failed the challenge.

I would like to clarify one thing that I think has confused some of my readers who know me well. Some of my previous posts may make it appear that Baby Fox will be clothed in nothing but very traditional and girly dresses. And for those who know me, that seems strange. I do have a great love of vintage clothing, because no one else will be wearing it and it has a feeling of history to it. In the picture of me above at the Flying Saucer, I'm wearing my favorite dress, which my mom got in 1969. There is a picture of her pregnant with me in it that I love. So yes, I'm very excited about dressing Baby Fox in my old dresses. However, she will also be in some funkier clothes as well. Just wait, you'll see. She'll get her own style.

Check in with us next week for the 29th week of pregnancy. Baby Fox will weigh 2 and a half pounds (like a butternut squash). Her bones will be hardening, just in time to be a spooky Halloween skeleton. We'll be sure to have tons of pictures from the annual Fox Howl-o-ween Bash. Halloween is a big deal around the Fox Lair. What will we be? You'll have to check back in to see!

I leave you with this gem. My hilarious friend Tiffany has wanted to make this shirt for a long time. I had forgotten that she planned to do so, when a package arrived at my office. Here I am in the trademark file room showing it off. In case you can't tell, it says "The World Just Needs a Little Moore Fox." This is funny because Baby Fox is a little Moore (my maiden name) Fox (our last name). Hee-hee!

Groove is in the heart...

So this was the first weekend I stayed in town since August 28. We took the opportunity to do some much-needed work around the house. Gutters were cleaned, windows were weatherstripped, a bathtub was caulked, loads of laundry were done, and a hearty dose of thank you notes was drafted. Of course, I still feel like there is so much left to do and so little time to do it.



We also found some time to relax together. On Friday we checked out a new restaurant in Inman Park called Park's Edge. It was one of those long dinners where you just sit and talk forever -- I think they're called "dates." I enjoyed it immensely. Then we got caught up on the most recent season of Friday Night Lights. Oh Tim Riggins, when will you ever learn?!

The big excitement for the coming week is the five-year reunion for the Vanderbilt University Law School Class of 2005. I really can't believe it's been five years since we graduated. It should be a great weekend -- Fox and Libby are playing a show at the Springwater Supper Club Thursday night, which is where Fox's band played their first show in law school (it was also ranked one of the top dive bars in the country by the illustrious Stuff Magazine). If you are unfamiliar with the Supper Club, you should take an opportunity to familiarize yourself. It is basically a two-room structure that adjoins Hog Heaven next to the Parthenon in Nashville. You may have seen it and dismissed it as an abandoned building. It's delightful. It seems like yesterday we were crammed in the Supper Club awaiting Dirt's Wife to take the stage when our property professor and former chief of staff of the EPA, Michael Vandenbergh, sauntered in wearing a leather bomber jacket rivaling Miles Davis for cool. To a bar full of first year law students, it was a banner moment. It was also eight years ago. Dang.

If I know the VULS Class of 2005, there will be lots of excitement to post on the blog next week. I should be able to get some fantastic pictures, especially since I'll be the most sober person in the room at all times. The big question is, will Baby Fox fit into the swell black and gold dress I bought in February to wear to the reunion...

The excitement for the blog this week will be the unveiling of the current incarnation of the birth mix. Creating the list was an interesting exercise. This is not a list of my favorite songs; however, I do love all of them. I left off anything too aggressive or sad or discordant or that I wouldn't want to tell Baby Fox was the song she was born to. There was really only rule, which I broke. No artist is allowed to have more than two songs, but I just couldn't cull The Cure to two. For some reason, when I envision how I'll feel during birth, it feels like I'll need a song from The Cure or something really atmospheric. It is strangely relieving and good to already break the only rule imposed so far for the birth. We estimate this to be about five hours worth of music, which may not be enough, but seemed like a reasonable amount. Who knows, it may change some as we get closer to time. Or I may find that what I really want to hear during labor is the entire Rage Against the Machine catalog. Who knows. The songs are in no particular order.

1. Pavement - Stereo
2. The Cure - Lovesong
3. The Smiths - There Is a Light that Never Goes Out
4. Smashing Pumpkins - Mayonaise
5. Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles
6. Lucero - Nights Like These
7. Black Crowes - She Talks to Angels
8. Smashing Pumpkins - In the Arms of Sleep
9. Tom Petty - Into the Great Wide Open
10. Pearl Jam - Rearviewmirror
11. Replacements - Left of the Dial
12. The Cure - Pictures of You
13. Big Star - Thirteen

14. R.E.M. - Near Wild Heaven
15. R.E.M. - Nightswimming
16. Radiohead - No Surprises
17. Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
18. Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
19. Pink Floyd - Breathe in the Air
20. Nada Surf - Blizzard of '77
21. My Morning Jacket - Mahgeeta
22. My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday
23. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
24. Gram Parsons - A Song For You
25. Iron & Wine - Trapeze Swinger
26. Gillian Welch - Wrecking Ball
27. Gaslight Anthem - Great Expectations
28. Elton John - Tiny Dancer
29. David Bowie - Life on Mars
30. Built to Spill - Car
31. Bright Eyes - Four Winds
32. Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City
33. Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You Like I Do
34. Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1
35. Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump
36. Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
37. Beastie Boys - Body Movin'
38. Wilco - Jesus Etc.
39. Uncle Tupelo - Gun
40. Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone
41. Van Morrison - Moondance
42. The Thrills - Santa Cruz
43. Steve Earle - The Rain Came Down
44. Ryan Adams - To Be Sad
45. Whiskeytown - Jacksonville Skyline
46. Self - Marathon Shirt
47. Nirvana - Drain You
48. Lucero - Sweet Little Thing
49. Gillian Welch - Annabelle
50. Hole - Asking For It
51. Felice Brothers - Run Chicken Run
52. Flaming Lips - Do You Realize
53. Drive By Truckers - Carl Perkins Cadillac
54. Neil Young - Helpless
55. Pixies - Gigantic
56. Rage Against the Machine - New Millennium Homes

57. Weezer - The Good Life
58. White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl
59. Bobby Bare Jr. - Dig Down
60. The Clash - Lost in the Supermarket
61. The Allman Brothers - Blue Sky
62. Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey
63. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
64. Arcade Fire - Ready to Start
65. Animal Collective - My Girls
66. Beck - The Golden Age
67. Counting Crows - Goodnight Elisabeth
68. Replacements - Alex Chilton
69. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
70. Fox - Lullaby
71. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
72. The Beatles - I Will
73. Pearl Jam - State of Love and Trust
74. The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
75. Nirvana - Love Buzz

76. Stone Temple Pilots - Lady Picture Show

Also exciting about the coming week is that I begin my third trimester. This week, Baby Fox is opening and closing her eyes for the first time (with eyelashes!) and is busy developing her brain tissue. We go to the doctor on Wednesday to take the Glucose Challenge! to determine if I have gestational diabetes. I don't think I do, but everyone takes the test. I also think it is funny that it's called the Glucose Challenge!, which to me, demands an exclamation point.

I hope you all have a great week and check in on us to see how the reunion went, if the dress fit, and how the third trimester is going. Baby Fox will be the size of a Chinese cabbage.

I'll leave you with a little graphic I made for some t-shirts for Fox's band eight years ago. You know, before I concerned myself with things like intellectual property. Ironic.

Welcome to our crib

Last week was a busy one at work. Four of the five work days had a major deadline, so there's really nothing exciting to report for those days unless you enjoy reading about motions to dismiss or answers to amended complaints or discovery responses. Trust me, you probably don't. One event of note -- I did get heartburn for the first time in my life on Tuesday, and no sir, I don't like it. Apparently tomato soup is not the thing to eat when pregnant (but it goes so well with a grilled cheese!), so I will be avoiding that in the future, lest my esophagus feel that it has caught fire.

After work on Friday, I headed north to Columbia, Tennessee, land of my birth and first 18 years of my life. I headed out solo, which was scary and exciting all at the same time. For some reason, it feels like you are being crazy when you go somewhere alone later in pregnancy (other than Target). Fox was going to the UT/Georgia game (of which we will not speak) on Saturday with our friend Bobby, and he also needed some time with the band to work on recording their album. So it was a great opportunity for him to accomplish those things while I went through a cedar chest full of dresses with my mom. I spent the four hour drive listening to four podcasts -- one about cloth diapering, one about breastfeeding, one about natural labor, and one about "baby friendly" hospitals. Not coincidentally, three of these things are my least favorite topics of conversations these days. ** WARNING -- BABY RANT** I am really getting tired of people telling me what I won't be able to do. I know I have no idea what giving birth or being the mother of an infant is like -- I have not yet done it. However, I do know what my druthers are, and I would like to have them, dang it. In my perfect world I can handle a delivery without drugs. In my perfect world, I can cloth diaper our baby. In my perfect world, breastfeeding is going to be a wonderful thing and not a nightmare. I don't need people constantly telling me what I can't do because it will hurt too much or be too much work or too inconvenient. It just makes me more stubborn and grumpy. I'm not delusional -- I'm prepared to say, "I can't do this, change of plans." The Foxes are not afraid to call an audible. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try. How sad would that be if I let a bunch of boo bears talk me out of trying to do what I really think is right for me? And how sad would that be for you, dear reader, to not experience the joy and inevitable humor of these trials? Besides, aren't people supposed to be nice and encouraging to pregnant ladies? After all, my uterus, which used to be the size of a small pear, is now the size of a soccer ball. Doesn't that entitle me to some goodwill here?! All right, now that I'm finished sounding like John Locke from LOST ("Don't tell me what I can't do!!"), on with the post.

I had a wonderful time in Columbia. I went through the cedar chest and trunk that mom has kept my baby clothes in, and it was amazing. Tiny Feltman Brothers dresses and handmade dresses galore smiled back at me, perfectly preserved. Mom went through each dress and told me about it -- when she made it or who it was from, how old I was when I wore it, etc. I made a pile all of the dresses sized for one year and under that didn't terrify me. Some of the dresses are layers upon layers of Batiste lace or antique French lace and are so delicate and perfect that I just couldn't bring myself to take them because I know Baby Fox and I would ruin them. Even at 30, I still can't get it together like mom did. In high school, my senior superlative was "Wittiest" with a photo of me standing in a tire swing in the park. Mom's senior superlative was "Most Dignified," and in her superlative photo, she's wearing pearls and elbow-length black gloves, with a striking resemblance to Jackie Kennedy. I hope Baby Fox can have some of both.

After our trip down memory lane, we looked at a couple of baby shops in town, both of which are run by friends of mine from growing up (Itty Bitty and Fisher Pharmacy and Gifts). They are both such cute shops with great selections of baby items. Then we headed up to Nashville for the Southern Festival of Books. Dad wanted to get an autographed copy of Governor Bredesen's new book. Unfortunately, we missed the good governor's signing time (but did secure a copy of the book). We got to see the reading and interview with Marshall Chapman, which was great. She told some stories and read some from her new book They Came to Nashville, in which she interviews different artists (Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, etc.) about how they got to Nashville. She was honest and charming and even sang us a song from her new album.

Once we had our share of books, we went to the fabric store to check out the fabric we are planning to use to make Baby Fox's crib skirt. I really like it and can't wait to see what mom can do with it. I was going to post a photo of the swatch I have, but I cannot currently lay my hands on it. Perhaps it will turn up in time for next week. After our foray in the world of fabric, we headed to the fancy, new Olive Garden in Spring Hill to celebrate mom & dad's 39th wedding anniversary with some delicious pasta. We spent the rest of the night looking through the baby toys mom had saved and getting the rocking chair they bought for the birth of my brother Bill in 1972 (sorry, Bill) ready for the next generation. On Sunday, I headed south for Atlanta after a wonderful homemade lunch.

I was thrilled to see Fox once I got home. I really miss that guy when he's not around. He had picked up our crib and mattress while I was gone and taken them upstairs to the nursery. He went to go pick up a pizza for dinner, and I sat down to read the assembly instructions. They looked incredibly simple. I figured I'd unpack the pieces and we'd start putting it together once he got back with dinner, but after seeing how simple it looked, I decided to just start the assembly. I was finished within the 20 minutes it took Fox to go get our pizza and come back. Seriously, it was the easiest assembly ever -- all the pieces were there and they all fit together right. If only birth would be this easy. I am so happy about the crib. It looks even better than I hoped.

Check back in with us next week when Baby Fox and I start our 27th week, which is also the last week of our second trimester. She will weigh as much as a head of cauliflower (2 lbs!) and will start opening and closing her eyes. I hope everyone has a great week, and I'll try to be on time with next week's post!

The dirty dozen

I would first like to apologize to both of my blog readers for being so tardy this week. Once you read the post, I think you'll see why I'm so behind. So, without further ado...


Last Sunday, we went to the Tabernacle to see Pavement on their reunion tour. If you've never been to the Tabernacle, you really should find an excuse to go. It is a venue that started as a church in 1910. It is huge (for an old church) and breathtakingly decorated inside. Baby Fox and I hung out in one of the side rooms, which has beautiful exposed brick and lovely antique furniture, while the opening band played. Once Pavement took the stage, I joined Fox on the third row of the center of the top balcony -- we could see everything but were away from the real action, just in case. The crowd was great, and the band gave us two encores. Baby Fox seemed to especially enjoy "Stereo." I made a note to put it on the birth mix.


Monday we had pilates. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Fox and I both had to work pretty late. Friday morning, I got sworn into the Georgia Supreme Court. Friday afternoon, we were on the road to Memphis for our friends Jessica and Sean's rehearsal dinner and wedding. Highlights of the drive include eating at a combination Taco Bell / KFC (I killed a 7 layer burrito), seeing a huge billboard at Talledaga, Alabama that simply said "Where's the birth certificate" (I wish I was kidding about that), and hitting our 500-mile-on-one-tank-of-gas goal (Fox wants me to point out that we actually made it 502).



While in Memphis, we stayed with our friend from law school, Ryan Baker, and his lovely bride Ashley. Our last trip to Memphis was in January of this year for their nuptials. They live on Mud Island, which brought back so many memories from childhood for me -- I loved Mud Island. There was a tram you could ride, then once you were there, you could take your shoes off and stomp around in a large relief replica of the Mississippi River. We didn't do that on this trip, but we did do something pretty awesome. Baker is a the proud owner and pilot of a 1941 J5 Piper Cruiser, and he took me to his hangar in West Memphis to see it! He even let Baby Fox and me play around in the cockpit! She kicked up a storm while we were in there -- I think she can already tell when something is rad. Seriously, the plane is made of fabric! My dad used to fly little planes similar to this way back in the day, so I had to call him and tell him all about it. His response? "Don't fly in it. Remember, you're pregnant."



After all our aviation excitement, we headed over to the Memphis Botanical Gardens for wedding pictures and such (Fox was an usher in the wedding). The weather was beautiful, and it was very nice to spend time in the gardens. The ceremony occurred under a lovely wooden pavilion beneath tall and stately trees. Jessica had chosen sunflowers as decorations, and it was simply stunning. After the "I dos" were said, we headed to the ballroom for food and festivities.

I love dancing at weddings. I wasn't sure how that would go being 25 weeks pregnant. This was Baby Fox's second wedding, but her first was long ago when we were a mere 8 weeks along. ** FLASHBACK ** The wedding of our friends Shaun and Sunita occurred before the blog existed, but it was fantastic, and by far the most wedding dancing I've ever done. It was an Indian wedding, and I have to say that Indian wedding guests know how to get it done on the dance floor. I tried to sit at one point to rest, but our friend Roshan dragged me back out on the dance floor. "But I'm having a baby!" I protested. "Not tonight you aren't," he said. "Now get back out there."



I'm happy to report that we were still able to cut a rug with no problem. Of course Fox was in his usual fine form.



All that dancing made me hungry. Luckily, Jessica had chosen amazing Southern comfort food for her guests. I had a good Southern "beige plate" -- which is what I call the vegetarian options at true Southern events. All the foods that are vegetarian are always beige (greens always have some hog involved). So I loaded up on mac n' cheese, corn casserole, and grits. And I could have kissed Jessica for having fried pickles as the walk-around hors d'oeuvres. Also, in lieu of a groom's cake, Sean had donuts and coffee. After the beige plate, Fox and I split a donut.



So congrats to Jessica and Sean! The wedding was beautiful, and we had a blast. AND, we got some good pictures. Also, we got some "hard" pictures. How funny is a photo with the bride and groom looking "hard"?





On Sunday, we had a baby shower in Fox's hometown of Bruceton. It was lovely. The Fox family has some great friends, and they were so kind to Baby Fox and me. We got lots of cute outfits and blankets and toys and other necessities. There are lots of pictures, but none of them were taken with my camera, so I don't have any to share yet.

Speaking of Baby Fox, we're almost finished with our 25th week, and Baby Fox weighs 12 pounds. Actually, she doesn't -- but I've gained 12 pounds, so we are pretending that it's all Baby Fox. Aren't we? Yes, we are. I've been busy growing hair for her all week. Also, we ordered our crib! Be sure to check in with us next week (which will be here before you know it), when Baby Fox is as long as a hothouse cucumber. That doesn't even sound real -- we're just making up vegetables at this point.