I have to talk about last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy right now.  I also want to strangle my husband, but that's not nearly as important as talking about Grey's Anatomy. 

Let me just start by saying that Sara Ramirez is amazing.  I seriously love that woman.  I'm sure I'm going to get stoned to death by Grey's Anatomy fanatics for saying this, but...I was completely losing interest in that show until Callie came along in all her gorgeous weirdo glory.  Spamalot alone is enough to prove Sara's talent, but acting in a musical and acting in a television drama are two different animals.  Fortunately, she has managed to show us she has the chops for both.  Her facial expressions make the show.  Seriously.

I'm a bit disturbed by the things people say about her appearance on message boards though.   So what she's not rail thin like Ellen Pompeo, there are enough stick-figure Barbies on that show.  Personally I like a woman with a little extra meat on her bones ( I should really put that preference to practice...Ryan and I are like banging two skeletons together).  She looks like all woman to me, and a lickable one at that...ok, let me retrieve my mind from her pants and get back to the show...

Excellent episode overall, though I'm truly sick of Meredith and Derek.  Izzie was still annoying, but her short interaction with Callie at the beginning of the episode was good.  Of course nothing really matters in this episode except the ending.  I kind of saw both proposals coming, but they were somehow still shocking.  I predict that Christina will say yes and Callie will say no.

I'm optimistic about Christina and Burke because of that whole "I'm in it for the long haul" speech she gave him.  Considering Christina's personality, that really means something coming from her.   Callie should say no.  George might actually love her, but I think he just proposed because he's trying to fill the void left by his father.  This dude was pounding her into the mattress the night before with no regard for how she was feeling.  Then he suddenly proposes?  There's no way I would say yes.  I never thought they worked together.  George is and will always be Meredith and Izzie's puppy.  Callie is much too strong for him and she deserves better.  He always goes running to her for his own selfish reasons, not because he's concerned about her happiness at all.

There's lots of buzz about an upcoming pregnancy.  If there's any truth to it I hope it's not Callie...at least not with George anyway.  If it is her, it should be McSteamy's baby.  That would certainly create some interesting drama...especially after they had that conversation about whether he'd be a good father.  Would she be the second to abort his baby or would she stick it out?

Oh well,  I can't wait to see what's going to happen next! 

 I came home yesterday to find the kids gone, my husband home, and a fabulous dinner in progress.  Needless to say, it was a surprise.  We've both been so busy lately we barely see each other.  He told me to go get dressed, and by the time I came back he had managed to finish dinner, start a fire (in the fireplace not the kitchen), and put together an elegant table in the middle of our living room.  I'm sure he had help but he refuses to reveal his secrets.  I had been waiting for an occasion to wear this fabulous little vintage (50s) silk taffeta party dress I have (not the one you see to the left, mine is navy blue, but its the same style.  It just screams for a crinoline slip and stilettos doesn't it?).  He poured me a glass of champage and turned on one of my favorite CDs (Feist's Let It Die album) while he went off to get dressed. 

He came back looking especially dashing in a vintage Rat Pack style suit and a fedora (we are so made for each other).  Anyway, we had grilled prawns with garlic and lemon, lemon spaghetti, Tuscan salad, and some much needed conversation.  Oh...and he also made chocolate mousse cake for dessert.  He is so my domestic god.  We had a really great time, and also managed to set a date for our trip to Rome.  It's really the last of my Christmas presents, but we're going to go the weekend of my birthday so it's extra special (handmade shoes!).

In other news...

~Ryan had the surgery yesterday.  Everything went well and she's home recovering now. 

~Scott and I spent the remainder of our night catching up on Grey's Anatomy...and we now have a mutual crush on Sara Ramirez.  For those of you who don't know, she plays Dr. Callie Torres (she was also the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot and has an amazing voice).  Where has she been all my life?  She is so sexy.  She kind of looks like a hybrid of Mia Tyler and Kat Von D from Miami ink (two equally goreous women).  I saw a lot of talk about her sleeping with McSteamy on Grey's Anatomy.  Granted McSteamy is the hottest guy on the show, but I still don't understand how so many people keep saying they're amazed he went for her or she should feel lucky that he did.  Damn that, HE should feel lucky that she let him get a piece.  That woman is smokin' HOT.  They should forget this George/Callie thing and hook her up with McSteamy. 

Ryan is having surgery this week.  At 29 years old, she gets to be the proud recipient of a pacemaker.  Her doctor's have been trying to convince her for a while, but they couldn't force her so she has been putting it off.  Her love for her children and her husband is much more effective than the opinions of medical professionals...and that's the only reason this is happening now.

Last week James came home to both of his daughter's screaming at the top of their lungs and his wife passed out on the sofa in the midst of a seizure. Apparently, Ryan had an episode and blacked out.  When James came through the door Ash was crying because her mother wouldn't answer her and Brody probably started crying because her sister did. Thankfully, the kids were only left alone for 20 minutes or so before he got home (Ryan remembered what time it was before she blacked out) and Ry hadn't been standing or holding either of them when she fainted. 

James feels like this is all his fault.  For the past couple of weeks Ry has been severely exhausted and sluggish.  When he gets home from work she's generally so tired she goes straight to bed and doesn't wake up until he leaves for work the next morning.  She barely has the energy to eat.  He feels like he should have forced her to go to the doctor, but I told him you can't make a grown woman do anything she doesn't want to do...no matter how good your intentions are. 

Ryan wasn't going to do this until she got it right in her head. Realizing that her kids could have been hurt and most likely will be if this happens again is the thing that made it right in her head.  She's upset about it of course.  She's young and she's pissed that she's going to be stuck with this thing inside her for the rest of her life.  The only thing that made her feel a little better was that her doctors told her that it won't affect her ability to get pregnant or carry a baby.    

She's going through an emotional roller coaster right now, so we're going to hang out and try to keep her mind off of everything.  James is great, but he's coddling her too much and it's getting on her nerves.   This is an occasion for good movies, lots of food, and several bottles of alcohol.

It's finally starting to calm down in my house, so I actually have time to update this thing.  Christmas is always a hectic and annoying time for me.  Emily Gilmore (aka my mother, Angie) is Christmas obsessed.  Every year the house is fully decked out in over-the-top, Martha Stewart style seasonal decoration...you know, gorgeous and tastefully done, but the work of someone with way too much free time.  I hate being smacked in the face with festive.  It always makes me feel obligated to act cheery. To top it all off she decided to extend her wrath to my house this year (thanks Scott!).  I came home one day only to be assaulted by the sight of wreaths and garland and bows...bah humbug.

Anyway, the evil spawn had a blast.  Between Scott and my parents, they got more toys than they could ever need in a lifetime.  Scott took them to FAO Schwarz the week before Christmas and pretty much let them pick out anything they wanted.  I'm still working my way through all their old toys so I can donate those and make room for the new stuff.  My dear husband didn't dare forget about me though.  I got custom tailored button down dress shirts, a vintage 50s shirt dress, and the promise of a trip to Rome and handmade shoes from Dal Co.  I got him a new closet...he's very excited.  Of course the entire walk-in closet in the master bedroom belongs to me, so Scott has been using the one in the guest room.  It's terribly inconvenient and I feel slightly guilty (eh, not really).  There's a small office beside our bedroom that I'm going to have converted into his closet. They'll remove the original door and wall that opening, then relocate the door to our bedroom.  I'll have to rearrange the sitting area to accomodate the door, but that's no big deal.  I figured I might as well have all of the closets redone, including mine (yay!).  The people who owned this house before us just had that useless wire shelving everywhere. Ugh.  I've got a serious wardrobe; I need serious custom closets.

I'm afraid my baby Asha didn't have a very good Christmas.  When I went back to drop off all the B family gifts she and mommy were both curled up on the sofa looking miserable.  They're feeling a lot better now though.  In between taking care of his girls, James managed to drop a gorgeous black and white diamond bracelet on me.  Did I mention James is the man?  I got him some Prada boots he's been drooling over for months. Mrs. B got cufflinks and some double cuff shirts from Thomas Pink.

After all that I'm in desperate need of a low key New Year's Eve, so my door is open for whoever decides to stop by and hang out, but I'm staying home. 

Hell no, not me.  I've been down that road...not going there again.  Scott's been snipped and we made sure it was for good before we gave up the condoms.  The title refers to my baby factory friend, Ryan (of course). 

She and James have always wanted children, so after Asha was born they decided to take the "whatever happens, happens" approach to reproduction...meaning they don't want the stress of planning a pregnancy, but they're not going to do anything to prevent it.  Everyone I know who has actually planned a pregnancy has said it was a huge ordeal.  When you plan and it doesn't happen when you want it to it's extremely frustrating and stressful.  Ry and James are taking a more relaxed approach to parenthood, but at the same time, it's not ideal because she could end up pregnant again before her body is ready for it.  I don't think anyone is ready to watch her go through another miscarriage.

Lately she's been exhausted and suffering from bouts of nausea...not that those symptoms are exclusive to pregnancy, but I think it's the first place every woman's mind goes when she's in her reproductive prime and has had unprotected sex.  She did the pregnancy test thing and it was negative, so I only have one babyshower to throw and that's for D.

She and James' anniversary weekend is in full swing right now, so who knows how long that will last.  Their anniversary is actually not until Monday, but he has to work so they're celebrating this weekend and enjoying some much needed alone time together.  It almost didn't happen though.  Ry's parents had to back out of babysitting, but I saved the day (or weekend).  

There's no lack of lovin' in either of our marriages, but I totally understand the need for that time together.  Once you have kids, you still have sex...but only when homework has been done, dinner has been served, and the kids have been bathed and put to bed.  By that time it's necessary stress relief, but not exactly the most romantic thing in the world.  When you have a whole weekend alone you get to do the things you did before there were babies.  Take baths together, lie in bed naked all day and alternate between making love and watching movies...as opposed to the usual quickie in the bathroom while the kids are watching Dora the Explorer (which is all Scott and I managed to have time for today).

Four kids in the house, yay me!  It's cool though, we'll definitely let them return the favor soon enough.