And the verdict is...

I had another ultrasound today. The pictures weren't as amazing as the ones we saw the first time around but it was nice that the ultrasound technician actually described the baby as "perfect." All major organs accounted for and the growth rate is normal, so it looks like we're still up for sometime around the middle of October.

Another interesting picture:


What on earth could THAT be???

Well, lets just say that we'll be painting the nursery Altlanta Braves Blue.

new beginnings

Currently I am making coffe and going through a file I kept in my drawer at work. I am working out the details on my job search. Or maybe I should say JobS search. I need a teaching position for the fall and a summer job to keep us from living on Ramen noodles and beans.

So later this morning I will dress and drive myself over to a few close schools and try to drop off copies of my resume with principals. This is not something I excel at. I feel more comfortble if I think I'm not bothering anyone- however, I am ready to risk bugging someone for the sake of our new house.

I love this house. I know- I KNOW! Everyone keeps asking me to post some pictures of the amazing house, and I probably will tonight after we get a few more things taken care of. We intended to get more done this weekend, but got interupted by Louise.

Who is Louise you ask? My fabulous new niece who decided to come five days early!! Her name is actually Louise Jane (and it fits her) and she is the essence of perfection. Sigh! Laura had maybe the easiest labor of nyone I've ever heard of. As soon as you get pregnent everyone wants to tell you their horrific birth stories, but my little sister went into labor at 1:30 on Sunday morning, spent the next 8 or 9 hours relaxing, drove to the hospital, checked in, and gave birth right around 4:00pm to a 7 lb baby without a single hitch!! We drove up to see her yesterday and she looked like she was ready for anything- she'd even done her hair. I'm hoping that I can copy that.There were other worthwhile things this week, though nothing as exciting as Louise. We planted some flowers around the house and I was able to cut a bunch of roses for the house and for Laura from our bush out front. Also we got a grill and saw some good friends of ours who have also been expecting and who also gave birth this weekend. Josh and I are looking forward to meeting Brady Stover pretty soon.

Tune in next time: Is it a boy or a girl? We'll know tomorrow!!!

Chara

Deep thought of the day

"I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated, and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming."

- Goethe

poppies

Poppies

By Carl Sandburg

SHE loves blood-red poppies for a garden to walk in.

In a loose white gown she walks

and a new child tugs at cords in her body.

Her head to the west at evening when the dew is creeping,

A shudder of gladness runs in her bones and torsal fiber:

She loves blood-red poppies for a garden to walk in.

busy weekend

I am currently sitting amid piles of boxes and assorted "things" which we have yet to find a home for in our new home.

We closed on the house on Thursday and Dewayne (saintly brother-in-law!) came over and helped us load up all the really heavy stuff into the moving van. Friday morning I went to work and when I got off at three Josh had moved the majority of our stuff out of Bellvue and into the new house. I was pretty shocked. It's not that I'm really all that helpful right now (I'm averaging three boxes before I have to rest and I have to pee about every hour), but I had thought that Josh would want me to pack up a lot of the stuff in closets- but he didn't. My insane husband moved just about everything with the help of our friend Roger, my family and a moving van that we only had for 24 hours.

Saturday we went over to Bellvue, got the last of the few things left in the house and cleaned up as well as we could with no electricity or water. I think we managed quite well. Today we are resting. The kitchen is basically unpacked and our clothes are hanging in the closet (though I still can't find some shoes) and we actually had dinner at our own table last night, followed by a few hours out by our fire pit. I'll have to post pictures of the house when we get things more settled in.

3 1/2 days left of school
10 days until we find out the sex of the baby! (I've been picking up paint samples lately)

That's all for now!

Chara

Grupster??

So I've got the day off- I'm going to the OBGYN in a few hours and I thought I could use a day away from the little monsters. I slept in a bit (8 o'clock! Well, okay 7:30?) and then i made some decaf and watched some morning news shows. Nothing interesting, until this news piece comes on about grupsters.

About what?

Grupsters: The Child specialist who was featured on the morning show explained the term this way..." “Grupsters” is derived from hipster, yuppies and “grups” - (those so-called adults on a planet ruled by children in a “star Trek” episode)." and "These 30-something “adults” do have jobs and mortgages and families. They are also very trendy, love to write blogs, hate Barney, indie-culture affilaitions, and look quite “cool.”" See her full page here

Apparently without knowing it I have already set myself up on a road to become one of these oddly named individuals. I read blogs like Mom-101 and ((Sm))all ages (which has gone strangely silent for a while now) and Heidi Kenney's My Paper Crane (if ever there was a grupster, it would be this chick!). All of these fine ladies would qualify as parents who are attempting to keep thier own identity and interests while raising children.

However, Ms. Borba seems to think that there is a bit too much narcisism in the idea that "This child is entering our lives, not the other way around." I can see her point. You can't force a lifestyle on your child- particularly when their personality isn't geared toward an extroverted, punk style celebrating Blondie and wearing all black.

However, I also see the point the parents are making- Do I have to suddenly drink Barney's kool-aid to be a good parent?? I really hope not. My parents didn't change their beliefs or their "style" to have kids- they are still strong Christians who have their own interests that didn't necesarily include Poochie or Cabage Patch Kids. Why is it different because these parents tend to be trendy? I have no intention of buying my children Barbie dolls (I am no worse for wear for mine really, but I will never forget Laura's complaint that her Skipper didn't have any boobs! I don't want that to be a concern for my daughter.) and I will probably not play preschool music around the house very often. I'd like my kids to have interests in the music I like. We've already managed to corrupt our niece with the love of the banjo (okay, that was more Kermit the Frog than Josh, but he's not disappointed!) so why not our own kids? My Mom got me hooked on Anne Murray and the Carpenters- why can't I get my kids to listen to Jack Johnson and Brandi Carlisle? Isn't it all just our right as parents to corrupt our kids with our own tastes for a while? My Mom also tried to get me to like Jim Neighbors and I had the presence of mind to reject him. My kids should feel free to reject Sylvie Lewis if they choose, but I shouldn't be accused of being narcissistic just because I want to retain my own sense of style and taste?

So what does this mean for me and Josh? We'll hopefully be taking our small child camping in a tent, looking for waterfalls and listening to bluegrass music. Certainly we will take the lump to see Robinella if she ever comes back to Nashville. Beyond that- I don't know what it is that defines us, exactly, but we'll be passing it on.

There's my rant- do with it as you would like.

On another note- probably we'll find out the sex in another month. Josh is holding onto the idea that we're having a boy, even though he referred to the baby as "our daugh-" the other day. Feel free to give him grief.

16 days until we close on our house and 22 days until school ends.