Don't leave it near the t.v., since the radiation will not be good for it. That is why pet shops tell people not to put an aquarium or terrarium near a t.v. Also move it outside to get as much sunlight as possible, if it is not cold where you live. As a sprout don't let it be exposed to any temps below about 40F, and your days should be in the 60's or warmer. Don't repot it for a few months after the first green shoot has emerged from the soil, then very carefully repot it into a good organic potting soil that has some sand, since date palms are desert palms and don't like to be too wet. When you do repot it, repot it at the same depth it was growing in in the other container. Watering it about 3 times per week in warmer weather and only once a week in cooler weather should be plenty. When they are full grown, they are hardy down to about 18F, which means they can survive the warmer parts of a Zone 8B Climate. John

Clarification on the house itself... It was (and still is underneath) originally a hot dog stand in the 1940's. Then, in the mid-80's converted to a residential. There are two windows in our garage...they are the original hot dog stand windows still in their untouched original paint (blue). All of the other windows are white. So, some of the building's history remains. At the time it was converted, the sunroom with the killer view was added. It adjoins the kitchen & has a 15' open beam ceiling. On the south wall (Connecticut's shores face south)...there's a 10' wall of arched windows. When we purchased the property we: completely re-roofed; replaced countertops with granite (leaving the original, custom-built oak cabinets); added propane for a gas stove; put in new Koehler cast-iron sink, range, & frig as I noted above; the tile floors were in excellent condition so we left those; recarpeted the living room, hall, & den, & bedroom; added central air-conditioning; replaced the garage door & all of the exterior window shutters; added a new 1,600 s.f. patio to the front of the property (there are two additional brick patios in the rear); replaced the atrium door leading from the sunroom to the rear patios (all windows are Anderson so we didn't replace anything except this atrium door which had some rot); tore out all of the old landscaping & redid in an English cottage-style; redid some plumbing; the bathroom was already in great shape so we haven't touched it; repainted the interior; added tumbled marble to the kitchen wall that faces the sunroom; and probably other stuff that I can't remember right now. So, it's a small (1,255 s.f.) home with only one bedroom plus a den, one bathroom, living room, eat-in kitchen, and a large sunroom. There's an attached over-sized one car garage with workshop in the back. There's also a garden shed on the property. The home is that New England brown with white trim, windows, doors, etc. Oh yeah, that's something else we did...we replaced the front door with a really pretty leaded-glass door & replaced the storm door with a ridiculously expensive powder coated, stainless steel-framed door with glass center section & a screen for summer. But, with the salt air we thought the SS would ultimately hold up much better & cost less than replacing the door every 3-5 years. The home's size is quite typical of the area...some larger & some smaller. I still can't see it being a tear down but who knows...Sooey says they are tearing cottages down just 30-40 west of me so, maybe, someone would tear ours down too? Tricia

Thanks everyone! You've give me some food for thought and some good online places to look at. My husband was home this afternoon and could watch the youngest kiddo and supervise the painters while I slipped out to the closest tile store. It's not the best tile store and they don't have any of the more feminine glazed tiles I would prefer. But I did find this option I'll attach. It would be the travertine subway everywhere with some sort of decorative spot above my cooktop out of the darker tiles. Probably put them on a diagonal or something. They also sell those in a smaller size. They coordinate nicely with the darker spots in the granite. It's still more masculine than I would like but at least I have one option. Any opinions? Momto3kiddos I looked at Pratt and Larson online and they have some beautiful tiles! Really up my alley with the floral stuff. I see they have a dealer downtown so I might try and swing by at some point if I can. I'll look more online too. Can I ask what their price point is though? I know some people on here spend a ton on their backsplash but I'm not in a position to do that.

If they give you the pitocin, get the epidural. I didn't want the epidural but after a while, the pain left me no choice. They gave me another drug before the epidural and all it did was calm the contractions - prolong labor for a what seemed an eternity. Depending on how much they give you, Pit, as others have said here, can be very very uncomfortable. DD was 10lbs and wouldn't stay turned. There was talk of a C-section but she eventually decided it was time to say Hi. The trend is to walk a lot even with pit and contractions going at the same time. That will help, but it can be rough too. I've never heard of any fetal distress from the pit but you and the baby will be monitored. Unless you have a strong coach, I wouldn't try the pit without the epidural or some other paid meds. You will wear yourself out - and you want to have all of your strength to hold that beautiful bundle of joy!! Congratulations and best wishes. Babies are such a joy, and bring you so much fun and love. gneegirl