So if you have heard work stories from Tony, you have invariably heard of "Don the Sea Captain." Don, whose real name is Don Topham, is a public defender as a second career (after the sea captain thing). Aside from being a fantastic trial lawyer, Don is a master woodworker, built his own house by hand in Utah, and probably the most practical dude I know. Example: all of his button down shirts are monogrammed, but none of the monograms are the same. He gets the shirts from super premium brands, but as seconds because they were unwanted and monogrammed, so they tip the scales at like $3 each. He turned me on the Klingspor for sandpaper and the like and again it is a great value.

Aside from being a very wise and interestin' dude, Don is a super nice guy. And his mom is also super nice. Don had his elderly mother make Peanut a baby blanket and it is truly beautiful. It uses a quilt pattern and baseball-themed fabric. The little details, like tiny bows, are really well done. Apparently Don's mom is as good a seamstress as Don is a woodworker and trial lawyer.

Here is the simply stunning baby blanket:



So thanks to Don and his mom. Both Bianca and I love it and I am sure it will keep little Peanut warm and thinking about the right things as the Equipment Truck leaves Fenway for Spring Training.

Fun fact: Don's brother Lee was my first boss, serving the Managing Attorney in the Concord Office of the New Hampshire Public Defender.

In the midst of preparing for a jury trial and grading papers, we were still focused on getting things ready for the Peanut's arrival. Sunday was a bright, crisp New England winter day with a gleaming sun and a frigid temperature. We hopped in Sue B and went back to Magic Beans. There we found a little bar that made our stroller work with the infant seat that Lenora and Tony gave us. As is the case with all things that come from the D'alenos, it was it pristine condition (yes, I know she is technically a Manna now but, those clean genes dominant EVERYTHING). So for thirty bucks (which we had in store credit from our stroller) we have a travel system all ready to go.

We also stopped by an old haunt in Needham called New England Soup Factory. With a veggie chicken noodle soup that batters back the bone chilling winds, we had as hardy a lunch as you could imagine. The carrots in their chicken noodle soup are as thick as an adult's wrist and they are delicious. The chicken is super savory and I think the entire lunch tickles your umami taste buds. It was also Peanut approved as it has yet to cause raging heartburn which Bianca has had a lot of recently. PEANUT BE GOOD TO YOUR MOMMY!

After that it was off to Babies R Us for the baby registry. We spent what seemed like 7 or 8 days wandering around the store. I would run and find the most ridiculous item and trick Bianca into coming to see it, telling her each time, "come see this it is PERFECT!" Baby Tempurpedic? Sure. Baby sling that looks exactly like my old Xenia Daily Gazette newspaper bag (sans Jolly Rancher wrappers) and costs $80? Excellent. It even had the reflective material on the shoulder strap. We are still messing around with the registry, but the little barcode gun was pretty sweet.

One thing that I noticed is that the newer the parent, the more prevalent the 1000 yard stare. There was an especially old couple (like mid 40s, early 50s; this is Newton, remember so they were almost certainly parents and not grandparents) with a new born and the guy looked as if he had been living in a homeless shelter or a refrigerator box--dirty sweat pants, matted greasy hair, and a fleece pull over. It was scary and hopefully not a preview of perpetual existence come June. I can take the occasional or even regular hobo chic, but as a constant state of existence I think that is not good for a person. He also had the largest public display of plumber's crack I have ever seen. It was like a glacial crevasse.

Happy Birthday Livi. And remember: Lady GaGa STINKS!

Being pregnant is all about change. Everyday something new happens. Peanut's continued growth makes everyday a surprise. It also makes it difficult to buy clothes, especially in the winter. So when we woke up on Saturday and the temperature was really 8 degrees, no windchill measurement, which is total baloney, Bianca was stuck. Her normal winter jacket fits, but it is a little tight around the baby bump. So she doned my Nanook of the North jacket that I got last summer at Sears for $19 and we made our way to Panera, a favorite Saturday breakfast spot. It was one of those days that if I would have grown a moustache, it would have froze on my face. Another con in the lip ferret debate.

As the bitterly cold day got colder, Bianca, Peanut, and I had the delicious Harrow's Chicken Pie I referenced a few posts ago for dinner. It was spectacular. It was Mimi-quality comfort food--simple, hearty, and delicious. If Mimi made a chicken pie, this would be it. It had only a handful of ingredients (chicken, potatoes, carrots, flour, chicken broth, and butter, the key to any comfort food), but it was AWESOME. A true New England tradition for a truly New England winter night. All three of us crashed on the couch watching Antiques Roadshow (a favorite of mine), warm with full bellies. It was great.

On Sunday we woke up early and made our way down to Rhode Island for Joe's birthday. For the first time in years poor Joe did not have to share his birthday with the Super Bowl (though Livi now has that burden). Our early arrival allowed Bianca and Nancy to go maternity clothes shopping. I am grateful for this. Clothes shopping is normally a painful experience. Maternity clothes shopping, with all of the added hormones and stress and body changes is even worse. Mall coma in 0-5 seconds flat. So thanks to Nancy for the assist.

It also allowed Domenic Sr. and I to go on a Dudeventure to a Harbor Freight retail store. For those of you unfamiliar with the tool importer, Harbor Freight made its name in the 70s and 80s by offering Chinese knock off tools for super cheap through a paper catalog and flyer. Buying stuff at Harbor Freight is really kinda cool. First, there is the price. Want a $70 wet saw? Harbor Freight. How 'bout a 6 ton engine lift for $699? Harbor Freight. Oh yes and then there is the "Criminal's Friend" a truly massive set of bolt cutters with FOUR FOOT fiberglass handles...for $29.99. Then there are the oddities. For example Dom and I both got a set of huge, full tang, screwdrivers. The hex "blade" of the driver goes through the handle and out the other end allowing you to attach a ratchet to the screwdriver for some extra torque. I had never seen anything like them before, but that is another thing Harbor Freight specializes in...weird stuff. Then there is the gambling aspect to the purchases. As you can imagine with prices that are 20% of what they should be and manufacturers in some of the shadier parts of China, the tools are not exactly Lie Nielsen quality. Buddy, one of Dom's friends, bought a "Stanley-type" pry bar (that is what they are called, I checked today) and the thing went flat as board the instant it was used for leverage. But it was $1.98. Finally, there are the off brand names--things that are vaguely blue collar sounding like "Chicago Eletric" or "Minnesota" (instead of Milwaukee). It's like the food court at an outlet mall, you know, the one with "Uncle Andy's Pretzels" instead of Auntie Anne's. All in all it was pretty cool. Hey I got "Irwin-style" pistol grip clamps in a good size (12") for $3 each! Sure, they pinch the skin between your trigger finger and your thumb and the pad fell off in the parking lot (I found it), but that is part of their charm.

Very good weekend.