just a post

I haven't posted in a few days, so I figure I'd best write something up here.  :o)   On one hand, not a lot has been going on this week and on the other hand, lots has happened. 

I have 10 days left of school.  I have 1 kid I still need to see, and I'm done.  There really isn't much for me to do at work, so I usually sit, and sit, and walk around, and sit.  I spend time browsing the world via my phone and I help out with mindless paperwork for the sped office when they have something I can work on.   But, for the most part, I get here a little late, and leave a little early.  

However, there have been several exciting developments this week.  On Tuesday, I got a new laptop.  It's one of the little white macbooks, which I like.  The best part is that it was completely free.  It's part of the BPS initiative.  All teachers and itinerate workers got macs this year.  It is much faster than my old laptop...which is in need of some major care.  So, new computer, cool.  

On Wednesday, Jennifer and Ben flew in to town.  They'll be here for almost a week, gallivanting around the city and enjoying the abundance of museums, art, and hard to find independent films.  So, family coming to visit, very cool.

Last night I had to go to a retirement party for some psychs that I don't really know.  I was a little down, just because I would have rather spent the time with Jennifer and Ben.  But, I got to get dressed up and drive an hour to a little country club where I had a cherry coke from the bar and enjoyed a mediocre catered meal....actually, the food wasn't great.  Nevertheless, it was good to go and to be a part of the department, and the ladies who were retiring deserved a good turnout.  So, fancy retirement party, mildly cool.

Oh, and I feel like I finally look the tiniest big preggo.  I've officially grown out of most of my pants, so skirts and dresses are the clothing of choice this week.  So, little poppy is growing right along.  I promised Leah another belly shot soon, so stay posted.  

As for the rest of the week, I imagine we'll try to get out and see some sights with Jen and Ben and take it easy.  I'll be sure to post something a bit more interesting soon.  :o)

water

From the time I was in middle school through high school, my favorite drink was water.  I liked water and salads and weird things like lettuce sandwiches and cucumbers with salt, and tuna straight out of the can.  Overall, I was pretty healthy...and pretty active, and I Loved water.  It was almost always my first choice.

Then something happened and I stopped craving water all the time.  I drank it of course, and still ordered it more often than not at restaurants...and I would still have a glass or two with my meal, but it wasn't the same.  I didn't love it anymore.  It was just...there.

However, in the past week, I have become a human sponge once again.  When we first found out about lil' poppy here, I read up on all sorts of stuff and started carrying a big water thermos with me everywhere I went.  That's what the website said to do.  Always stay hydrated and drink 8-10 glasses a day.   But, by the end of the day, I had rarely finished half of it.  Now, however, I can't get enough!  

I think it's a good thing, and it makes me feel good because I know it's healthier than root beer or coke.  Yesterday, I drank 36 ounces at lunch alone.  And I stopped counting for the rest of the day.  Today, it's been the same.  I'm sure some of it has to do with the heat outside, and the rest with poppy probably...but its a welcomed change.  

On a slight sidenote...my favorite kind of water is the kind that has been sitting in a glass full of ice long enough that the outside of the glass has collected condensation all over it and all the ice cubes in the glass are starting to get soft and look round instead of shaped.  That water...it's sooo cold, and it's my absolute favorite way to drink it.  I've been known to make a glass of water before I start making dinner just so it'll be perfect by the time I'm done.  

Anyway, no real point to all this except to chronicle a new observation.  It's a good thing.  

Happy Birthday Jennifer

      

Today is my sister's birthday.  

So, I thought I would write a quick note about the things I like about her.  

1.  I like that she is my sister and genetically closer to me than any other being on Earth. 

2.  I like that we talk on the phone nearly every day and that it doesn't really matter if we have anything interesting to say or not.

3.  I'm glad she took the time to sit down with me when I was in 1st grade and walk me through the soundtrack of Phantom of the Opera, explaining to me what each song was about and describing the plot.  In hindsight, I think this was a big moment in my character development. 

4. I'm glad she never ate my nose with a fork as she so often threatened....but I'm glad she chased me and pretended to anyway.

5. I'm glad she introduced me to music of all kinds and let me copy her tapes when she was in college.

6. I like that she has a freckle on the back of her neck that makes her squeal when you touch it. 

7. I appreciate that she understands my moods. 

8.  I like her humor and I like that she's so much smarter than me. 

9. I'm happy I had somebody to idolize and bother as a little girl, but somebody I knew would always be on my side.  

10.  I'm glad she was there on my wedding day.

11.  I like that she cooks so well.

12. I love that she's a movie freak and appreciates the finer points required in the months of planning themed foods for outstanding Oscar parties.  

13. I'm glad she didn't give up on me when I refused to wear socks or turtlenecks...or jeans with buttons. 

14.  I'm glad she forgave me for coloring on all her collectable horses with paint pens...and for breaking all of her collectable glass figurines.  

15. I like that I can make her laugh. 

16. I'm happy that she still makes up Christmas songs with us to sing to mom and dad on Christmas morning.

17.  I'm glad she influenced me to play french horn...the most beautiful instrument in the world...and that we both say "french horn!" when we hear a particularly beautiful piece in a movie or tv score.

18. I like that Jennifer appreciates the small things around her.  

19.  I'm excited she's coming to visit!

20.  And finally, I'm happy I have somebody to snuggle-bunny (or snuggle raptor)  with...somebody who gets it...and why it is what it is.  

So Happy Birthday Jennifer!  Love you!

history

I'm procrastinating.  I need to write 2 reports tonight.  I just finished one...but it took me 3 hours because I wrote while watching scrubs, what not to wear, family guy, and cnn.  That tends to slow my concentration.  

So, I still need to write one more.  I will.  But I decided I needed a quick break.  

Right now, CNN is counting down how many delegates Obama needs before he's reached the "magic number" Only 4 now.  It'll be over soon.  I didn't think much about it at first...in my mind I was thinking, "well, we've known for a while that he's gonna win...about time it's final..."  But then this lady on the tv who was reporting from where Obama will be speaking later made a comment that made me think...

She said, "So many people are here with their children, because this is history, and they want their children to be here when this historic moment is made.  When America elects the first African American presidential candidate"

wow.  

She's right.  This is bigger than I've thought about in a while.  I hope he wins the presidency, I'll give him my endorsement.  I mean think about it, my child will potentially never know a world before we elected an African American president.  He or she will be born into a world that has overcome a barrier that has defined a lot of previous generations.  That's big.  And exciting. 

awareness

Everybody knows that when you're pregnant, your body changes and you become more aware of things.  Things like smells, and food and such.  

Lately I've noticed that I'm slowly becoming more and more aware of the fact that there is a little being inside me.  Probably since the ultrasound.  I knew it was in there, but seeing it move all by itself, seeing it jump around and move it's arms...made me realize more than ever that it isn't just a little shrimp anymore.  It's a baby, with a mind of it's own.  It's amazing to think about....kinda creepy...but amazing too.  

Yesterday I was laying on the couch (an increasingly common place to find me)  and I was experiencing all the little aches and pains that go along with having your body stretch from the inside out.  I was rubbing my stomach and absentmindedly watching TV.  Suddenly I realized that I'd gone from rubbing to poking, and had this moment of panic that I'd been poking lil' poppy in the head for 5 mins.  I know that in reality, I'm not going to gouge his eyes out by poking my belly...but I'm just more aware of how this baby feels now.  I'm starting to imagine it with its own thoughts and feelings.  I apologized to poppy anyway...I didn't want him to think I was poking him on purpose.  

I wake up every morning now between 5:21 and 5:24.  Every day.  That's when the light comes in my window.  It doesn't matter how much sleep I get, I've become an even lighter sleeper than usual.  I got a text on my phone last night, and I woke up from a dream when I heard my phone buzz once.  And poor Kyle, if he so much as breathes too loud, I can't fall asleep.  I'm too aware of everything at night.  I like to imagine that this is part of preparing myself to have a baby....that I'll be awake when it needs me.  At this rate, I'll be able to sleep and count the baby's every breath at the same time.  It's ridiculous. 

It's interesting watching myself change, physically, emotionally, mentally.  I enjoy it.  

Right now, for instance, I am extremely aware of my very serious need for some lucky charms.  It's a must. (Seriously, the Marshmallow Mateys that come in a 5lb bag from Wal-Mart...they're the best)  I'll write to y'all later...I'm off to the kitchen  :o)