Quickie

This is gonna be short (or a collection of short thoughts) because I REALLY need to run out and get some errands done and this morning just took WAY too long.


My hair isn't always my best friend, but now it's like it's trying to be my worst enemy. Well, my cowlick is. I'd finally decided to come to terms with it and embrace it as part of me earlier this year. Then I got pregnant and thought "hey! Perfect timing. I didn't want to have bangs while I was pregnant anyway." (Don't ask) But now, instead of the moderately attractive swoop they do, they're swooping back away from my forehead like they've got something against being anything remotely close in proximity to my face.


My belly keeps getting bigger. It's kind of awesome. Mostly because now it's pretty obvious even at first glance that I'm pregnant. Though I tend to think that if I hadn't been overweight to begin with, I might still be looking tubby at this point. I just feel like that extra insulation I'm carrying is helping in the visuals department, y'know?


Speaking of, I've gone down a pant size, while working my way up to roughly 190lbs. I think, anyway. Last time I checked (when I went to the doctor about my sinus infection) I was this close to 190, so I figure - with how I eat lately - that I'm pretty well over by now. Which is good. My OBGYN was VERY insistent that I start gaining weight, especially more consistently.
But anyway, I know about the pant size because I happened to be wearing my Old Navy jeans from pre-pregnancy when Pooh took me shopping with a Groupon for maternity stuff (because I only have one pair of preggo-pants), and the jeans I ended up fitting were 12s when I had been wearing 14s (and that was AFTER some significant weight loss!). It was a happy discovery.


I'm excited and nervous for Christmas in Cali. It'll be nice weather, we'll miss the snow, but that's ok. I'm not terribly used to snow at Christmas, anyway. I AM however wary of the warmth. I've become somewhat adapted to the whole 65 degrees inside being 20-50 degrees warmer than outside. I don't know how I'll handle it being roughly 60 degrees outside in my condition.


Caffeine affects Piglet. A LOT. Within 30 minutes he's squirming away at my insides like there're ants in my uterus. When I discovered this, I kinda decided to not drink Dr. Pepper anymore. Especially when the effect on Piglet, in concert with me staying up past midnight, made for an unpleasant following morning. My mom will read this and think "finally!", and it has been a long time coming. My sisters will probably smile in a polite but smug way, or chuckle, and maybe text me and say "welcome to the club" or something like that. The mission was the only time I'd ever been off caffeine for any decent amount of time (and sugar, for that matter), and it wasn't so bad then. I should get off the drugs before this kid is born so I won't be as tempted later. Not that I've been drinking it a lot. On the contrary, I only have a few sips when I DO have it. It'd just be best to be off it entirely.


Enough ranting. Get on with your lives.

Guard your heart, bro.

This is one amazing post and I'll be forever grateful to Pinterest for bringing it to my attention.

Jamie the Very Worst Missionary: Guard your heart, bro.

Confrontation

Oh so good. Oh so very, very good.

Hello, Sir

Yes, I'm wearing pajama pants. I put them on as soon as I get home from whatever errand I run, or I just don't change out of them if I'm not leaving the house. You can be jealous. It's allowed.

At 23 weeks, Piglet is doing good. He's movin' and shakin' and generally making his presence known at all times. He's apparently just over a foot long now and over a pound. I wish I knew what position he's in, but I guess I'll be able to tell soon enough when he gets even bigger and moving even more emphatically.

I'm SO excited for his cousin, Mack, to be born! He's coming soon and it just gets me so excited for - well, for everything! It could be Christmas, too, though. I've always loved this time of year.

I did make gingerbread the other day and it was aMAzing! Pooh and I are going to finally bake the cookies today. I might make more gingerbread (it was so easy and so delicious), and some chocolate chip cookies while I'm at it.

I apparently love baking and IBC rootbeer when I'm pregnant. Ah, the mysteries of life.

Don't Mock Tim Tebow from CNN

Couldn't say it better myself, so I'll just let Mr. Bennett take it from here. Just sorry that it's CNN.com and not on CNN itself.

Don't mock Tim Tebow - CNN.com By William J. Bennett , CNN Contributor 2011-12-06T17:02:06Z

CNN.com

Quarterback Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos delivers a pass against the Detroit Lions in October in Denver.

Editor's note: William J. Bennett, a CNN contributor, is the author of the newly published "The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood." Bennett, the Washington fellow of the Claremont Institute, was U.S. secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 and was director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under President George H.W. Bush.

(CNN) -- Sports loom large in the public's mind today. From the Penn State and Syracuse scandals to the upcoming BCS Bowl Series and the NFL playoffs, much attention is being paid to our athletes and coaches.

These men have enormous impact on the lives of our children, which makes the focus on actions at Penn State and Syracuse universities necessary and the mockery of the actions of honorable men, such as Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, so disheartening.

Tebow continues to win games. This Sunday he again led the Broncos to victory. He's now 6-1 this year as a starter, the Broncos are in first place in their division, and he has led the team to the most road wins in a row since John Elway.

Tebow is a good man and a good football player. He's a man of character, faith and integrity. He's also a Heisman Trophy winner, a two-time BCS national champion and arguably one of the greatest college football players of all time.

Tebow is a role model for sports fans everywhere. But instead of lifting him up, too many commentators, critics and even fellow athletes mock and deride him and hope that he fails.

The latest example is "Tebowing," where one kneels in prayer with his or her head bent in mockery of Tebow's usual touchdown celebration prayer. Several weeks ago, Detroit Lions' linebacker Stephen Tulloch "Tebowed" after sacking Tebow and Detroit tight end Tony Scheffler "Tebowed" after catching a touchdown against the Broncos.

Critics like to pretend that it's Tebow's football style that bothers them. Tebow hasn't yet proven to be a natural pocket passer, but in his last start he threw for more than 200 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating near 150, and he continues to lead game-winning drives almost every week. There is always room for healthy criticism in sports, especially at the quarterback position, but Tebow is subject to something uglier. Sportscasters love to take extra shots at Tebow; take Merril Hoge, who at one point tweeted, "It's embarrassing to think the Broncos could win with Tebow!!"

Critics have a problem with who Tebow is as a man. They are bothered by his faith, character and conviction. Jake Plummer, former Broncos quarterback, said in a recent interview, "I wish he'd just shut up." They tell him to take his "holier than thou" faith off the field.

Too many in our culture deride good men such as Tebow because they make them feel uncomfortable. These same critics believe the Aha! theory of human behavior. This theory assumes that the real character of a person is always base and hidden from the eye and that all good actions are a front for ulterior and bad or low motives. Aha! Tim Tebow, you say you're Christian, but we know it's a facade for sympathy and attention. You're just like the rest of us.

C.S. Lewis warned us of this. He wrote in "The Abolition of Man," "We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst." We scoff at Tebow and all that he represents and are horrified at the scandals at Penn State and Syracuse. We are right to be horrified, but we shouldn't make fun of our good men.

Men such as Tebow are not in over supply. Despite what his critics say, he should not stop what he is doing. We need men like him, the type of men many fathers would want their daughters to marry and many mothers would want their sons to grow up to be.

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of William J. Bennett.

Winter Is Officially Here

It snowed! And stuck for most of the day yesterday. It was a powdery dusting, yes, but it was snow.
And now it's St. Nikolaus Tag (and I'm going to be celebrating late because I didn't bother to look up when celebrations start and I ALWAYS forget...), so when Pooh gets home we're going to go ornament shopping and maybe I'll bake some cookies. Maybe even gingerbread people (or as my mom and sister would say, gingersnaps, teehee)!
It's not going to get up to 30 degrees today (in fact, it's just 16 right now), so the plan is to stay indoors. I even turned up the heat a bit to see what it would be like to be warm in my house in winter. Just to see. I'm sure the baking will help.
Piglet has taken to squirming at the most interesting times. When I'm trying to sleep, when I'm driving, when I'm sitting/wearing jeans, just basically whenever I'd rather him not. 
Updated pictures to come soon. Growth has been made apparent by the fact that my innie seems to be having outie aspirations of late. Pooh loves it. It feels weird to me. I've always been a severe innie. This will take some adjustment.

Wednesday Night

Yesterday was an intense day. I'm gonna try to keep it short, but, it's me.
Pick up McKenna and Calvin at 9am and head off to the airport to pick up Natalie. She went into the MTC yesterday, and I was lucky enough to drive her around for her last errands, lunch, and the final drop-off. 
Well, things got a bit complicated when I locked my keys in the trunk of my car after loading up her luggage (I swear this kid is stealing every last brain cell in my head).
I called Pooh hoping to catch him on his lunch break. No dice. McKenna found an emergency phone which we used and got transferred around before being told someone would be out to give us the number for a locksmith. 
30 minutes later, still no one. It was FREEZING outside.
Went over to SkyCap and asked the guy there if he knew any numbers. We had to wait while he helped an actual customer. He said that we should use the phone and ask for a cop to pop the car. 
We found the cop and he said he couldn't do it because of airport liability issues.
Finally got someone on the phone who gave me locksmith numbers and the guy was out in 30 minutes.
In the meantime, Natalie had called ahead to report her impending tardiness and was informed that she should just arrive safely and preferably that day.
So, on to lunch! Zupas and more food than I've eaten in one sitting since Thanksgiving. Yum!
Errands were done and Natalie taken to the MTC (only 1 1/2 hours late!). 
Since I was already out and about I hit up Old Navy's maternity section. Disappointingly small for our area, but I managed to come away with some great stuff.
Met up with Pooh at WinCo (it's been so long and I love that store!) and managed to walk out after only $10.
THEN we met up with Megan, Kevin, and Virginia for the university's production of White Christmas. SO! GOOD!
I was grinning the entire time. So funny, so well acted, choreographed, sung... Just a great play. Different from the movie, too, so it was a nice.
Overall, nearly 2 hours of standing in the cold stressed out and being up and about with no nap and then up way past bedtime = No Movement Thursday.
I'm not doing a blessed thing. And it's beautiful.

Irrational Irritation

Thanksgiving in my family developed a tradition when I was in high school: we'd watch the National Dog Show. Yes, yes, it took forever. Yes, we ignored the Toy Group (we're big dog people). And we tried not to praise the pups too much so as not to hurt Asia's feelings.
See how beautiful she was?

We had to protect her ego.

Anyway, onto the irritation.

It didn't take long, but the dog show eventually became popularized and shown right after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (my sister's personal favorite). With that, however, they started editing down the dogs they'd show for time's sake. 

Oh, they parade them all out and introduce them all, but typically we only get to see the judging of the ones that the judge pulls out before he/she picks the final four.

And since the Malamute is ALWAYS skipped, this is a crime.

LOOK AT HER! Don't you think she deserved her time in the limelight?

So now I don't get to see them all and it makes me sad. Especially because they also edit down the commentators so they'll reference breeds WE didn't get to see.
Jerks.

A Long Way To Say "It's Been A Great Holiday Weekend!"

So little Pooh is now consistently movin' and groovin' to whatever strikes his fancy.  Big Pooh had tried in vain several times over the last few weeks to feel him. I told him they were playing hide and seek.
Finally, Pooh felt him. And boy was it a big one! I think he did a twisting somersault to finally prove to Daddy that he's really there.
I haven't felt him move like that since, and that's ok. We'll stick to the random kicks and punches and... whatever it is he's doing in there, for now.


In other news, Thanksgiving has come and gone and it was really fun this year. I was dog sitting, so I didn't get much sleeping in, but he's a big beautiful boy and I didn't mind. I will be grateful, however, for tomorrow morning when I can sleep as long as I dang well feel like it!
Mikey came into town and that was fun. We felt bad about not having much planned, but this IS Provo. During a holiday. In Provo. So yeah.
Thanksgiving dinner was at Aunt Marilyn's and then dessert and Bai and Spenson came over for the sweetness.
For Black Friday, Julie and I ventured out in the mid-afternoon for shirts, then later took Mikey back to the airport. I went home and took a bath and ate some $5 pizza after putting the dog away for the night. It was quite relaxing.
Yesterday was the Muppet Movie!! Yay!!! I love the Muppets. And I had forgotten that a friend's brother was in it, so when his name popped up in the credits I was so excited! It really was a better movie than I had been expecting ("I don't know, Jason Segel writing a Muppet Movie?"), and the Megan kept teasing me when I'd start to cry. I'm pregnant, ok? And the trailer for Big Miracle really got me started, so I was primed for any touching scene throughout the movie. Especially the end. I'm just glad Pooh was there to cuddle with when it got to be too much.

In Other News:

On our way home last night from a delightful (if long, sorry Bai) evening with my sister and brother-in-law, we encountered a young buck meandering down the street.  I was so exhausted, but the sight of the deer less than 3 feet from our car freaked me out enough to stay awake clear to Thanksgiving Point.  After that, however, I was in and out of blissful consciousness.
Thanks to the extensive amounts of construction on our little stretch of freeway, many changes frequently - well, change. You never know from one hour to the next how many lanes there will be, which exits and on-ramps are open, how long you'll be in your own little lane before merging/exiting, etc.  In one such situation we found ourselves as Pooh went to exit and it had apparently been shortened.  His sudden braking woke me up, and he was alerted by my sudden "Why? What? Aaaah!"
I really thought we were about to hit that blasted deer.
The memory still makes me chuckle at the strangest times.

Sorry These Took So Long...

Here's his arm, going down from the elbow to his hand.

Here's his face, smiling for the camera! That whitest part in the middle is his nose. Evidence he is his father's son ;)

And there's his foot! So cute, right??

And The Winner Is...

My mother-in-law, apparently.  Which makes Pooh laugh because she was wrong about all her kids but him, so that gave him the confidence to declare we were having a girl for so long. And the Natalie, of course, who simply thinks having girls would be nightmarish. I see her point, but I want one anyway.
Then we got the ultrasound.
Hello, Baby Boy!
I asked the ultrasound technician (because I heard there's usually a margin for error on these things) what percentage of certainty we had. She said "100% positive it's a boy." Well then.
Boy names have always been our downfall. Girl names we have resounding agreements on at least 3, so we're good. But boys...? It's been a struggle.
I am in love with the name Cole James. I know Cole is pretty popular (and gaining) but I love it, anyway. James is my granddad's middle name and I've always liked the idea of honoring him with my first born boy, and since his name was Carl James it even sounds similar!
Cole James. Carl James. See it?
But Pooh hates Cole. He can't say why. Just doesn't ring with him. Which I can understand. I mean, Linus (his pick) I liked at first, but it kinda grew away from me.
After prayer last night, trying to be guided to a name we both can be proud of, I started to feel like everything will work out and neither of us will get our feelings hurt over the matter any more.

Holy Cantaloupe, Batman!

This is the first time that I've consistently wondered about the supposed size of the tiny person inside me.
Cantaloupe? Really?
It's roughly the size of the melon, but more accurately described as 6 1/2 inches from stem to stern (or top of head to bottom of rump). 
6 1/2 inches?! I mean, really?! WHERE?! I guess that's what it all comes down to: where in the limited space of myself and not-so-much-showing-ness is this thing?
And since I'm Batman today, here's a reminder:

For those who can't read it, (the important part) says "READ or I'll break your face"

Santa Is A Stalker/Communist

I still don't know how my Pooh heard this... wait... never mind. It just came to me.
Arlo Guthrie's song The Pause of Mr. Claus tells it best, "Santa Claus wears a red suit, he's a communist."
Seems logical enough to me. 
Anywho, as promised, why Santa watching is more potent than Jesus watching. 
First of all, Bette Midler put it quite well with "God is watching us from a distance." Where is that, exactly? Heaven, ok. Where's heaven? Right.
Santa is watching from the North Pole. Now, that one's easy. Any kid can find the North Pole with a globe, map, or Google. 
So, the real clincher is the timing. With Jesus, He's watching, but you get your eternal reward when you die. I don't care how good of a head your kid has on his shoulders, no kid believes they're going to die until they're about 30 (I'll use that as a generic age because I know people who came to the realization sooner and I know others who still appear to be living in denial). Karma is usually a pretty good motivator, but there're lots of Christians that frown on using ideologies from religions that AREN'T Christianity, so. The other time you'd receive your reward is at the Second Coming. When's that? Right.


Santa comes EVERY YEAR on December 24th/25th while you're sleeping. That adds the extra intensity of being passed out (despite all your hard work and hot chocolate consumption in an effort to glean what little caffeine it has to offer your system to sustain you through the sugar crash), so you don't know until morning - when your Dad FINALLY gets the video camera set up - if you've been good ENOUGH that year.
So, there it is. My reasonings for why threatening the kids with "Santa is watching" is more effective than "Jesus is watching" at any time of year. 
Except maybe Easter.

Dear You

That's right, you.  The mini-me in my stomach.  Whether you're Afton or He-Who-Has-Not-Yet-Been-Named, you'd best calm the heck down before we enroll you in MMA while still in the delivery room.  If this is actually you. If not, then apologies.
Speaking of the Little inside me, here's a picture. Or two.

Finally, right? I know, white background+white shirt=bad bad bad! Next time they'll be better. Promise.
Thanks so much to Natalie for being so willing to take the pictures. I know they're not fabulous and I still mostly look big, but I can testify: there are definitely curling up on the couch positions that are no longer possible/generally uncomfortable/dissatisfying. Growth is happening and it's not me.

In other news: The Sing-Off. WHY have I never watched this before!?! I mean, Holy Cows on High! I was really nervous about the Aires, I mean, a medley of three Queen songs (the most untouchable band in the world, PS), and they picked the 3 most famous Queen songs and I was like "eh, that's mostly for audience appeal. They're gonna do well just because everyone loves those songs." Boy was I wrong. Honestly, I watched Glee for a few seasons because it was all about show choir. This IS show choir sans scripted drama! And a cappella to boot! What's not to love?

Confession: I listened to Christmas music yesterday. Nothing in my other lists was speaking to me, so I peeked at my Christmas list and "White Christmas" whispered seductively, 'listen to me. You know you want to...' And I did. I wanted to, and I did. MercyMe and Ella Fitzgerald wrapped it up for me, though, and I went back to my favorite list.
My moment of weakness is over.
Next time: Why the treat of "Santa is watching" is WAY more effective than "Jesus is watching."

The Doghouse Diaries Comic... Awesome.

Why you're not as awesome as a dog


It's so true.

Jesus-Ween!

Just kidding. We didn't do that. We did have tons 'o fun with friends and family last night, though. The Megan and the Natalie finally got to meet, and I think they got along well. The Calvin finally got to play with Pooh and Kevin.
We watched "Werewolf" on Mystery Science Theater 3000 first, which totally set the mood. Then we busted out Betrayal at House on the Hill (us girls played online instead), then we found out that Big Bang Theory had had a Halloween episode this week which none of us had seen! We quickly rectified this (thanks Kevin!) and it was glorious!
Then Munchkin was brought out, and before you ask, yes, it was past midnight by the time we all made it to bed. We only played one round, though, much to everyone's relief, I think.
We made caramel corn, Megan brought these cute peanut butter Ritz sandwiches with raisin eyes and pretzel stick legs! So yummy and so cute!
I wish I could've taken pictures, but we still haven't found the battery charger for the camera. Boo. So, by then we'll probably have pictures of our cute holiday-ready house and my ever expanding middle! Huzzah!
And Happy Halloween!

Epicness

First of all, you HAVE to watch this!! I'm so flippin' excited!!

Second, I was reading a comic that was about being socially awkward and it went something like this:

Go to say 'goodbye' on the phone, say 'I love you' instead.

It reminded me of 4th grade. I had procrastinated (surprise, surprise) a project that was due Monday. It was Saturday afternoon. To make sure I didn't mess around, Mom put me at the kitchen table where she would keep an eye on me when she'd periodically pass by.

Of course I was sitting there miserably staring at my work wishing it'd just go away, when the phone rang. I hopped up and grabbed it before my Mom could get to it, eager to have an excuse to not sit there staring at my failure.

Instead of 'hello?' I said 'dear Heavenly Father?'

Mom didn't hear. The person calling to talk to Mom didn't hear. But I didn't know that.

I turned bright red and sat myself back down in my spot and waited for Mom to get off the phone. She peeked in on me and I apologized, much to her confusion. I confessed my error, and she laughed (because she's cool like that) and said 'project going that badly, huh?' and walked away. 

Laughing.

I love my family.

Baby Update #2?

I'm not sure where I actually am in regards to updates, but here's another! Sorta. 
So, I thought I was feeling the baby move a few times last week, but mayhaps it was just gas bubbles... I haven't felt anything since Saturday, which got me a tad paranoid last night as Pooh and I were doing some pre-sleep chatting. But really, I'm not supposed to be feeling much of anything anyway just yet. And since this is in keeping with my "paranoia timeline", I'm sure everything's fine.
My last appointment was over 2 weeks ago, and my next one is next Friday, so I think I've actually done really well this time. 
Then again, the best time to feel movement is at night when I lay down, right? Well, I feel my pulse so strongly down there when I lay down that it might simply be covering up any movement I should be feeling...
I might break into work today to quiz my ladies who've taken early childhood development since Bai is at work (how dare she?). They know LOTS! Thank heavens for infant development classes that include pregnancy!
Watch out, ladies! Here I come!!

Fictional Minutiae

I should really take some photos of myself. I feel like my children will wonder many things about my life. Like:
Did mom date anyone before dad? (Yes, but we like to destroy evidence) 
What did you do the first two years of marriage? (Secret operations for the government. We'll tell you when you're older. Maybe.)
Was I delivered by the stork? (It's entirely possible. We don't have any proof you weren't...)
Was dad ever normal? (You'd have to ask Grandma. I came in too late to testify of any normalcy.)
Were you ever normal? (No.)
Really? (Yes. You can ask Gramere about that one. She knows.)


Ok, now I'm straying into an actual fictional conversation with my future kids.
It's time to go nap.

Confusion On The Airwaves

So, just now driving home from visiting with friends/family, we were listening to the radio.  It was playing "Tainted Love" which is always fun to sing along to.  Then the auto-announcer declared the next song to be a rewind. I'm anticipating Doobie Brothers or Beegees or something along those lines.  
"3 AM" by Matchbox 20.


Ok.


The very next song (back to the future) is "Don't You Want Me, Baby?"


I think this radio station needs to have their chronology updated.

Disk Vader

Irony, How I Love/Loathe Thee

I got my flu shot at my last doctor's appointment.  My flu shot gave me the flu.  Pooh insists that a flu shot always gives you the flu, you just might not have any symptoms.  
I have symptoms.*
It's not as bad as, say, actually getting the flu and having to suffer through it full force, but let's face it, the timing could be better.
So, at Friday's appointment, Pooh tagged along because he had the day off (the recup day after Parent-Teacher Conferences), so he got to hear the heartbeat. Cat's out of the bag, I guess. We set up our next appointment (another come in, check the heartbeat, etc) and then the 20 week appointment where we get the ultrasound and everything!!
Words can't express how I'm excited for that day!




*Hi, Mom. I think I figured it out. None of us are as active as we once were. Even with Bai and Smalls chasing little kids around, they're not exactly putting in the hours in the gym like we all used to. Then me and Smalls both have our immune systems repressed so as not to attack our developing tinies. That along with Spring and Fall with their schizophrenic weather and allergy attacks don't make for spring chicken feelings. So don't worry. We'll be fine. Eventually.

It All Makes Sense Now...

So, my biggest confusion during my first trimester (and even now) was why my morning sickness grew worse as the day wore on.  I'd be pretty fine in the mornings, but by dinner time I was squirming at the mention of food.
Even now (and I really noticed it yesterday), I am sqeamish in a morning sickness way.  I've managed to not take any medications, but I think now I'll have to.
On a whim, I looked up a world clock and the answer became clear: I'm still on South Korea time.  Some part of me is insisting that right now it is in fact 9:44 am and the rest of me is greatly confused.
It all makes sense.  My body's been in a different time zone all this time.


What? Stranger things have happened.

Piglet

Thanks, Mom, for your brilliant insight. Piglet it is.


So, I think this is how it's going to be for the first few months especially. I heard the heartbeat. I'm excited. Things are going well. I'm exhibiting symptoms of normal pregnancy.  A week or two later I begin to rationalize my nausea as being caused by other things. I don't feel like I'm growing enough to merit there still being anything going on down there. My appetite isn't increasing. I'm starting to freak out. 
Next Friday I go in for my first ultrasound (supposedly. My doctor never really said what we'll be doing from one appointment to the next.) and I'm sure everything will be fine. But I'm getting nervous, nonetheless. Pooh has the day off and my in-laws are coming into town so we're doubly excited (he gets to come and immediately report to his Mom how awesome our little Piglet parasite is).
I've been tired all day and went to bed at 10 (bad Roo. Bad!), but woke up around 2:30 and haven't been able to go back to sleep since. Hence this early post. I couldn't stand playing solitaire in my head anymore.
So, Piglet, if you ever read this in the future, know that yes, your mom was paranoid. But it's only because she loves you.
PS, the paranoia surrounding you may never end. Just a heads up.

Baby Update #1

Well, as I enter the second trimester I have a little more time to reflect on things.  Like how ironic it is that it took getting pregnant to start losing weight.  Not enough to be concerned about, but enough to make me wonder if this'll help get rid of the baby weight once Critter/Tiny/Little (still working on a nickname since Smalls took Squishy) is outta here.
I'm feeling better to a degree, but more tired.  I think it's the "not enough blood for two yet" that tires me out and makes me dizzy.  I'm glad I'd read about it before it hit or I might've gotten nervous.
Pooh had a dream a few weeks ago that he came home to find our teeny apartment "infested" with (2) puppies.  Upon questioning I replied that there was another one around somewhere.  His aunt interpreted it to mean we were having triplets.  Heaven forbid!
No, I'm pretty darn confident there's only one in here.  I would surely be bigger than I am now if there were more...  Surely.
In two weeks I should have my first ultrasound, and a month after that we should know what Critter/Tiny/Little is.  There's quite a war going on about whether I'm having a boy or girl.  My sister-in-law puts it all in perspective when she reminds me it could be an alien.  Knowing Pooh, that's a definite possibility.

Super-Duper Exciting News!

That's right, world. Hold on to your hats! Roo and Pooh are reproducing!! Soon, Roo will turn into Kanga (maybe. I'm still thinking about it.) and we'll have to somehow fit a very demanding Little into the family.


So, the happy backstory is that the last time I was pregnant, the first doctor's appointment happened to be the first day of my miscarriage.  I know, not really happy, but bear with me.  So yesterday was my first doctor's appointment and because of what happened last time, I'd been diligently freaking myself out for weeks.  I explained to the doctor and she agreed that if we couldn't hear the heartbeat then we'd bust out the big guns and ultrasound that baby.  


We heard it.  It took a while (I'm not terribly far along, and let's face it, there's quite a bit of fat to work through), but then there it was!  Easily 2-3 times faster than my own pulse (which we found in the process), and a distinctively breezy "whoomp whoomp whoomp" sound.


So awesome! We're so happy and can't wait to find out what it'll be (no, I'm not waiting. This is my first and I'm not that patient). 
In short: Yay!

The Heavens Smile Down

Yesterday, we'd kidnapped my sister-in-law and held her against her will (because she didn't have her car back yet, so she kinda had to go where we wanted to go).  So we hit up this burger place in town we'd never been to before, enjoyed a leisurely meal outside, then decided to walk around the corner to the "farmers' market" chain store.  
As we passed Yogurtland, I talked about how I'd been there once and the four little Japanese cartoon characters on the door each have their own spoons.  I ended up with one of the cats (not Hello Kitty) because they didn't have any Keroppi. That made me very sad. He was my favorite. I had shoes with him on them as a kid.
So, on our way back, as I step off the curb, what do I see??


A Keroppi spoon!!!


Julie affirmed "the yogurt gods are smiling down on you today."


Thank you, yogurt gods!

Someday

Someday I will put up pictures of my lovely family of two.


Someday I will share recipes of things I've tried and loved.


Someday I will finish that blasted afghan I've been crocheting for Pooh since we got engaged and I will post a picture of it in all its glory.


But for now, you must remain content with random stories of 6 hour work days registering new students for their orientation, at the end of which freshmen thank me for "my part," implying that my part is standing at the end of the lunch line making sure they have wristbands and only took one lunch.  Silly freshmen.  How'd they think those 4,100 box lunches got onto those tables in such neat stacks, any how?


Biggest plus sides?  Seeing the two biggest guys in our department dancing and singing along to just about every song blasted over the loud speaker (and some that didn't - Friday...), and ice cream.

End of Summer

This is a sad day in the valley.  The day after tomorrow, Pooh returns to work.  Exactly a week from today, I return to school where I'll be taking Modern Korea, Varieties of English, Survey of World Religions, and Cultural History of Medicinal Plants.  I may still try to add WWII, but then I'd have to drop something and I have no idea what.  It all sounds so fun!


Pooh has some big plans for his classroom this year, and I hope they go over well.  They sound pretty good (except, I'll be honest, his no class rules idea.  Using expectations instead of rules helps keep kids from not technically breaking them....? I don't think so), but hey, what do I know?


So, remember how I got a new job?  Through that job I got hired on to Lost and Found! Yay for 9 guaranteed hours a week!  And study time, muwahahaha!  Why that merited evil laughter I don't know.

On Pooh Leaving Me. For The Weekend.

It seems that every time he leaves I'm sick. Bleh. Luckily for me, I have awesome friends and I found a few episodes from The Big Bang Theory's fourth season online! So the laughs can continue.


On a side note, Mom (on the off chance that you read this before I next speak with you), True Grit was not that funny. I have NO idea what you were talking about. Good movie, but not much humor.


Can't wait for Pooh to get home. Can't wait to get over this bug. I'm just not that patient this week, am I?

On Another Note

Pooh's lappie stopped working.  I'm saddened because I was counting on using it this Fall semester. Now I'll have to use my stupid net book.

Goodbye, slightly longer, more elegant looking nails. It was nice while it lasted.

Old News, But...

So, the Beckhams finally got their baby girl and they named her Harper. I'm totally cool with that. I have always been fond of the name.


However, the recent (and ridiculous) spike in sales of To Kill A Mockingbird as a result of their name choice I have to find a bit insulting.


You read it in high school, people. Celebrity name choices should not dictate your literature choices.


Kudos to you who are reading it simply because you forgot that one book that you liked and couldn't remember how it ended.

There's A Word For That?

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a word for that nasty bit of satisfaction or pleasure you feel at someone else's misfortune.  It is called: schadenfreude (pronounced shaw'-den-froy'-duh. What? It's German).


Can you imagine? We actually borrowed a word to aptly describe that awful happiness when others are down from bad luck.


The craziness.

New Job!

So, I got a new job last week!  All thanks go to my friend Natalie, who not only texted me all I needed to know and told me to get on that, but also went and mentioned to her boss after I'd scheduled an interview how amazing I am, which incidentally made me a bit concerned for her mental health.


But now we get to work together! Yay!


So, I'm now a proud member of Guest Services.  We're the jerks who're enforcing the Honor Code and various other grooming and dress standards at campus events, telling you to stop moshing at the dances, mobilizing the hordes of people at Ed Week/Women's Conference, and keeping the EFY kids off the elevators.  


You should know better, are you trying to put an eye out?, I'm sorry, and you're welcome, respectively.  


Last night was my first staff meeting, and this morning I just picked up a shift for a dance.  My first actual shift! I'm excited! I need to find formal wear appropriate for a dance. Sadly, no slacks.

Great Article

Why I Won't Be Going To See "Book of Mormon"


I would even go so far as to say that the Jews and Catholics have been putting up with stuff like this (and let's face it, WAY worse besides) for centuries.  If this gets to me, then I really need to work on self-worth and charity. 


Charity, maybe. But self-worth? I think I'm good.

This Should've Been Yesterday's Post

Is it weird that no one (including us) remembers that we've been together only 2 years rather than 3?  And not in that "long" way, either.  It's more of a "really? Just 2 years? I thought you'd been in love longer than that..."


We have, world. We have. Perhaps even since that first creepy moment.


As Pooh put it last night: 2 years down, eternity to go!

I'm Not Crying

I'm really not, and to emphasize I bring you Flight of the Conchords.  Because they're hilarious.

So, now that that's been established, I have had a leaky eye since about April.  So don't be surprised if you see me "crying."  Also, it seems to be worse when I wear makeup, so get used to not seeing me look all that fab for awhile.  


I'm sure you'll all manage.

Speaking of YA Literature

I'd like to thank my friend Cassandra for posting this link on facebook.  I'm so glad to see that reputable newspapers are printing/posting articles like this (other than the Christian Science Monitor, which - while a good paper - is rather predictable in this area).


Darkness Too Visible - Wall Street Journal


It even includes a poll where you can vote and see the results.  Unfortunately for the future, declaring these dark themes and graphic detail in youth fiction as more harmful than helpful is in the vast minority, shown by a stunning 89.5% to 10.5%, respectively.


This brings once again to the forefront of my mind the concern I have had for a while regarding the literature of today's popular culture.  With Twilight came a whole new way of viewing "the bad guy", and sure, some can validate it as saying they were "veggie-vampires" and it was a good illustration of how not all people belonging to a single nationality/sex/creed/color/etc., are bad and therefore is a good way to show youth that there are exceptions to every rule, but isn't that the problem in the first place with teenagers?  Don't they all feel like they're the exception to the rule?


But I digress.  Since the revolutionary take on the undead, suddenly it became ok for every otherworldly creature that used to be the stuff of nightmares and horror movies to just be a misunderstood victim in their own right.  And then came the attack on all that is actually good!  The newest trend is to portray angels - heaven's denizens/messengers - as manipulative and elitist, if not downright hostile towards humanity.  I know that there are many authors who are agnostic at best, but come on!  Angels evil?  Seriously?


What is most disheartening about the whole trend is that it seems to have affected the adult literature in a vastly different way.  Today's adult literature reads like YA.  It is all quick reads of angst and debauchery with little to no challenge to the reader's vocabulary.  Most authors are college graduates in the discipline of English, correct?  Why aren't they using their superior knowledge of the language to help the masses regain that intellect and use those vocabulary words from days gone by?  Why settle for titillation?  Because it sells?  Surely you're in it for more than that.


I apologize for the - once again - lengthy post with absolutely no humor.  I will redeem myself later.  At least you all know where I stand.

Girls and Sports and Literature. Just About Perfect.

Maybe it's just that time of year; all the rain is 'gone' and the local high schools can get on with their track meets.  Yes, they're out there running just about every day thanks to the no-good weather we've had the past few weeks.  I thought it very odd at first, but I guess it's better late than never?  Maybe?


Anywho, so driving by and seeing all the kids in their uniforms made me nostalgic and think of all my time in high school sports.  Also, it got me thinking about the girls in sports books I've read (one of the best so far being Catherine Murdock's Dairy Queen.  I love when characters are real!).  One I read, oh, a millenia ago, was about a girl who wanted to play hockey but her school had lacrosse for girls (yay for Title IX).  As I searched the web for it (unsuccessfully.  I really wanted to re-read that book!) I stumbled across several blogs dedicated to girls who love sports.  


This one was interesting as it included an interview between the Australian blogger and an American blogger regarding sport and gender.  At one point, the American mentioned Title IX (hey! There it is again!) and the host asked her to explain as most of the readership is not from the U.S.  She did a wonderful job of it (read it yourself, I was impressed), but she left out a key element that explains so much for readers today who may not be familiar with the Title but enjoy contemporary sports literature.  Title IX states that schools and sporting programs funded federally must give equally to boys and girls, whether it be on the field/court/arena/what have you, or in the classroom.  However, the key conflict maker here is that donations made to specific sports/extracurriculars do not have to be shared with the rest of the school or with the corresponding opposite gender teams.  That is why there are still huge discrepancies between male and female sports funding today.  Except with cheerleading (down kids, it is a sport.  Yes, it's often used by schools to justify their lack of girls' football teams, but that doesn't lessen the amount of physicality, coordination, and dedication those girls go through to be good at what they do).


Our society is still not quite ready to be totally equal, and that translates into a lot of YA fiction out there.  So, any of you english speakers out there not from the U.S. who have heard of Title IX and by random happenstance stumble on this post, don't go thinking those books are/were unrealistic.  They were.  And don't go thinking we're cavemen out here.  You've got your gender equality issues, too.  We all do.  And isn't it great that we all have something so silly in common?  Maybe we should bring that up at the next potluck for an ice breaker.

Oh How Lucky I Am

So, I have the best husband in the world.  You other ladies might think you do, but you don't. Sorry, but it's the truth.  


I was just looking through some old Pooh-isms this morning as I contributed more gems from the weekend and just found myself laughing like a crazy person all by myself on my couch.  That's how awesome Pooh is. 
And because I love all you lovely people, I want to share.  But not too much; I've built up an immunity.  Too much exposure to the Pooh-isms might make you strain something.

Steven: Do you think I look like an old man?

Me: Why? Did someone say something?

Steven: My subconscious. It's making fun of me again.

(Steven pushing down on my shoulders to make me appear shorter than him)

Steven: There, that's more like it.

Me: If you wanted to be taller than your wife, you should've thought of that when you had your growth-spurt.

Steven: Huh! Well! Next growth-spurt I'll be sure to remember that.

Steven: Don't argue with me.

Me: I didn't say anything.

Steven: You argued with your eyes.

(I raise my eyebrow)

Steven: Don't you use that condescending tone with me!

Pooh: You can't write that.

Me: Why not?

Pooh: Because I didn't say it, and it's inappropriate.

A Bright Laugh For A Not-So Bright Day

Thanks, Smalls, for the introduction to this wonderful little nugget of giggliness.  Don't you give me that look, spell check: the laws of linguistics say that if a word is said it exists, and this is not this particular word's first rodeo!
Anywho, (grr! Again, spell check?!) here's the link:


http://dandjandelin.blogspot.com/2010/12/contagious.html


Click and be happy.

A Bright Laugh For A Not-So Bright Day

Thanks, Smalls, for the introduction to this wonderful little nugget of giggliness.  Don't you give me that look, spell check; the laws of linguistics say that if a word is said it exists, and this is not this particular word's first rodeo!
Anywho, (grr! Again, spell check?!) here's the link:

http://dandjandelin.blogspot.com/2010/12/contagious.html

Click and be happy.

I'll Take Potent Potables For $100, Alex

Ever have random questions pop into your head?  Like:


What does a bee sting feel like?  What did people 2-4 centuries ago think about allergic reactions to bee stings?  Were they demon possessed or what?


Why does it only take one attractive, slightly mussed man in his late 20s or early 30s to make bowties cool for the younger generation, and an aristocratic older gentleman with a fabulously dry sense of humour and an awesome mustache to make them cool, period?


What on earth is making that strange clicking noise outside my window in the morning?


What makes it so exciting to see cars careening around corners at breakneck speeds in the movies, but so hilarious to see one in person at 6:30 in the morning?


Why is my heater still on?


Why do we kiss? (Answers - hopefully - to come on that one shortly)


What sort of magnet is hidden in pavement that possesses young children's minds and lures them to the street?  Can we harness this power to make bath and bedtime a little easier on Moms?

Now That's More Like It!

High of 61 today, people.  That's what I call beautiful.  Yet, despite this absolutely lovely welcome for the month of May, I am doing it again.


Again?  Doing what again, you ask?  Well, let me let you in on a little secret: roughly every month for roughly a week I can't get enough of being in water.  Now don't give me that look; the timing is completely random, trust me.  Even now I am drawing water for a nice, relaxing, warm bath.  But it's a sun shining, birds singing, not a cloud in the sky kind of day, and I'm taking a bath like it were middle of January blizzard raging outside.


I know.  Puzzling, right?


In other news, I treated my good friend Magoogan to a movie on her birthday this weekend and it was AMAZING.  The King's Speech, the PG-13 version (God bless Utah), and it was all at once smart, historical (yay!), funny, moving, and - despite the whole historical aspect and most educated people either knowing or able to figure out what happens before they even set foot in the theatre - a great sense of anticipation throughout.  I was very impressed.  Now I want said PG-13 version, but I don't know that I'll be able to find it...  Sad story.


If anyone finds one, grab one for me and one for ma mere and I'll pay you back!

Quicky

Why? Because I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now and it's not exactly enthralling. Yet. It will be.


Anywho, Spring Term has begun right after a fun trip to Cali to visit and spend Easter with the out-laws. Actually got to tour around this time and slowly develop a sense of knowing where I am when we drive places. Yippee!


I'm doing my capstone research course and a flexibility class this term. It's kind of awesome. The teacher requires a 10-15 min power nap at the end of every class (the flexibility one, not the capstone. Although, that would be awesome!)


I'm slowly helping our house recuperate from the various attempts at deep cleaning. It may be a job for Pooh when he gets out of school and I'm still in, seeing as how I'm going to be writing papers pretty constantly until family reunion.


Well, that's my 5(ish) minutes!


Bayou!

Popular!

That's how I feel.  We invited some couples from church over on Saturday afternoon.  Only two showed up, but we had a great time.  We had a shrimp boil out on the lawn under the sparse shade of our still-hibernating tree, and - thanks to the weathermen being wrong - it was a beautiful day without any rain.


Then, at church on Sunday, it felt like suddenly we were popular.  Both couples approached us and wanted to sit with us in Sunday School or Relief Society.  Even people who'd been invited but didn't/couldn't come for whatever reasons even came up and said hi.  I invited one (our neighbor whom I'd met when we first moved in and we've had a distant acquaintance relationship since) over for alfredo and the rest of the shrimp for lunch.  It was dang tasty, if I do say so myself.  Though, the sauce was a bit on the grainy side.  I chalk it up to using frozen half & half.  


So, though we know changes are coming, and we're pretty confident as to what they will be, we're still anxious.  All of us that attended the shrimp boil on Saturday have inside information regarding the changes, and that made it even harder to realize we're all finally becoming friends, and soon everything will change.  Lame but true.


Oh well.  Onward and upward!  To new friends and new faces we go!

Medical Update

I know, y'all are SO interested in my medical issues, but I feel so triumphant about this that I just have to write it.


Since my appointment in January, I've lost 16lbs.!  And that's after not really following the diet plan my doctor gave me (turns out 45 g. of carbs per meal and 15 g. per snack is typical for me. Most of the time.) and not really stepping up my exercise...  Still need to get on that.  So, my medication is supposed to help me lose around 6lbs. anyway, so that extra 10 was all me, baby!


My insulin is down from 14.3 to 7.6 (also due to the medication - that's what it's actually for) which is good because you're supposed to be under 10.  Yay for no longer being pre-diabetic!


My testosterone is down (I hate getting this kind of news over the phone because I can never hear exactly what they say unless they repeat it three times, and this time the lady wasn't having any of it, so all I know is that it's down and that's good.), and all this adds up to:


I have official permission to do what I want with my body!  Just stay on the meds and check in in 6 months.  Now, to actually exercise so I can keep this weight loss trend up!  Maybe I'll actually start yoga.  A local studio has beginner classes on Saturday mornings...  That's my biggest hang up: I have no clue what I'm doing or if I'm actually doing more harm than good when I do my video at home.  It's something to think about.


In other news, last night was an RS recipe exchange.  I didn't get the breakfast theme memo and so came with my fancy-shmancy Shepherd's Pie recipe.  It was a hit, actually, and I was so glad because it's one of those things that I chronically think I like but everyone else humors me.  I knew it was good when girls took plates of it home to their husbands (whom they'd left to fend for themselves while they were gone, haha!)  


I also found gingerbread pancakes!  I haven't tried them yet, so I'll let y'all know how that goes.