Is he mocking me?

Now whenever I tell Mizz something, he says "just like we talked about yesterday". That's right little man, and the day before, and probably the week before as well. I need a serious infusion of patience right now and since I can't have wine, Hawaii is gonna have to do. :)

I loved this book

I just finished The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint and let's just say that I have some sleep to catch up on because I could not put it down. I have been reading a lot and lately nothing has come close to captivating me like this book has. I can't remember the last time I have rooted for a character so fervently and I have to admit actually read ahead at one point because I couldn't stand the suspense. I'll let the critics dish on the meaning of the novel and will simply say that it is a great story that also made me think about spirituality quite a bit.

Economics 101

I admit I, regrettably, never took Econ in college but this article makes sense to me. It is seriously difficult for me to get excited about the political process at all when this short sighted, vote driven garbage is the best that they can come up with to improve the economy. I realize that many, many factors drive our economy besides the whims of our government, but for all the talk of fiscal accountability the reality indicates otherwise.

Where has the week gone?

This week has, in fact, flown by and has been a really good one despite Dave's absence. I'm not sure why it has been easier, except I have to admit, I my overall mindset was much more positive (as in I can handle this and I will only think about one day at a time yada, yada, yada). Shockingly, positive thinking seems to help or at least hasn't hurt. We've filled our time with visiting friends, going to the OMSI, getting some cute portraits, and lots of singing and reading. Aside from some mind numbing conversations about traffic lights (I have a two year old backseat driver) and freezing my butt off while he debates the merits of getting into his car seat this century, we have been having lots of fun.

Mizz also had two babysitters this week, with another scheduled for tomorrow. He loves them and I am so grateful to have such awesome friends who are so good with children. On the way out the door, I heard Mizz say "Daddy is in Hawaii and Mama is going out", so matter of factly that I question whether he cares about us at all. Or maybe he is just super comfortable around people he trusts. I'm pretty sure it is the latter explanation.

I don't want to jinx anything but I feel great physically too. People keep asking the usual pregnant lady question "How are you feeling?" and I feel strange saying "just fine". Aside from being slightly unwieldy bending and getting off the floor, I have none of the ailments that seem to go with the territory. Also, like last time, my immune system seems to have amped up and I have resisted getting all of the colds and bugs flying around the daycare center and even in my own house (feel better Dave!) . I better not get sick tomorrow.

And finally, I received some wonderful professional feedback this week. One message came delivered via a former coworker who passed along great feedback and news from a former client. Then on Wednesday night my co facilitator and I were pleasantly surprised by all the really outstanding verbal and written comments after the last session of class. Sweet! It seems that I can still be a social worker when the time is right. Which is important for me to keep in mind, because although I have mostly dealt with the doubt, it is sometimes hard to not worry about getting back into the field after who knows how long.

It's been twelve years...

...and I still get really sad when Dave goes away. Sure an over night's no big deal and offers an excuse to eat nachos and ice cream for dinner (in no particular order and not that I need an excuse....) but the onset of a two week trip apart leaves me pretty bummed out. At least on this trip I don't have to worry about him getting buried by an avalanche, in fact I should start praying for some mildly yucky Hawaii weather or he just might not come home. In the meantime though, I plan on loading up on some chick flicks (ie movies Dave doesn't care about), ransacking the library for some good reads, and hanging out with friends as much as possible.

Reruns

Speaking of tv, if they can play reruns, so can I. Here are some of the precious few clips we have managed to post online. Hey, maybe every year or so, we'll post another one.

Feng Shui

I don't know much about Feng Shui, but I do know that a having a huge tv directly across from your bed is not okay. I now know this from experience because up until yesterday, we had one set up just like that. Not because I like watching tv in bed, but because we didn't have a better place for it. For weeks now, though, it has been bothering me that I have no dresser space out of the Mizz's reach and so last night the tv got the boot. The room feels infinitely more peaceful and the tv is no longer the focal point which is good since it is pretty much a worthless piece of junk especially considering the strike.

Driving around in my automobile

My BIG automobile. For those of you that don't know, Dave and I have had the privilege of taking our five month car into the body shop this week since someone was kind enough to whack it while it was parked. Fortunately, they left a note, so it is a fairly painless process once I stopped freaking out that the warranty would be voided. While little Hyundai is getting fixed Mizz and I get to cruise around Portland in a Chevy Trailblazer which, I have to admit, is really fun. It is definitely more TRUCK than car and that appeals to my sense of machismo. I was pretty struck by how influential both the brand and type of vehicle influence my mood and behavior. My first thought while backing the beast up was that I either needed to drive to Costco and fill it up with giant everything or drive straight up the side of Mt Hood. Since I have thrown in the towel on potty training for awhile (until I get a better indicator that Mizz is ready), we headed to Costco and spent $400 on diapers and a few other items. OK, I exaggerate. In fact, we were quite reasonable and exited with exactly what we came for diapers, batteries, crackers, and milk, the staples of Mizz's cultured life. So I didn't exactly did justice to the sheer potential of that HUGE trunk space. But now I can understand the allure of the big behemoths and perhaps why Americans feel the need to buy so much stuff. While I could feel righteous in my little Corolla, I certainly never felt powerful. .

R U Kidding Me?

There are many things about parenting that have stressed me out. This is not one of them. C'mon people, the short answer is when they smell or when you have the time, patience, energy to do so. Give me a break.

The Best Movie I've Ever Seen. Period.

We just watched Gandhi this week. I am a little embarrassed that it took me 31 years to see it. I'm just gonna go ahead and blame the educational system. Because really, everyone should see it. Although to be honest I am not sure it would have affected me the same way when I was in high school. Dazed and Confused and Reality Bites was more my worldview at that point. In any case, if you haven't seen it, see it, and if you saw it a long time ago, see it again. And I recommend watching it in 45 min increments. I know the director and other film aficionados might have a heart attack at this advice, but I found watching it in four pieces allowed me to digest it and think about all of its implications then and now.

And Drumroll Please...

This is what 21 weeks of eating chocolate will do to you.

Thank You Lisa!

They were delicious.

It pays to live very close to a friend that gets the occasional baking urge...and who likes to share.

Mizz bits

Tea Party for three?

Mizz regularly enjoys "locking" us out of the fridge. Payback's a %$#$&*!

Mizz had other plans for his sticker chart.

Mizz demonstrates once again that ANYTHING can be made into a hat. He asked for it, I swear.

Slow News Week

What can I say? Mizz and I have been up to our usual hi jinks. We visited the OMSI with some friends. Got mama and baby checked out with the midwives (we're both doing well). And we both made tons of sarcastic remarks about the lunacy of our primary/caucus system and the media hype that does a major disservice to the American people by focusing on irrelevant and sensational issues instead of things like voting records, policy proposals, etc. Mizz and I are feeling pretty disenfranchised right now living in Oregon and can only dream of living in a state where one day we might have a say about who our political party picks for the nomination.

The Name Game

So, just like last time, we're not talking. Both of us like the idea of keeping something to ourselves and having something to share with everyone after the baby is born (besides the baby of course). The are of course exceptions to this rule. For example if Dave BLOWS it AGAIN someone may find out earlier than we were intending. Or, if I change my mind, because I also reserve the right to do so and have been known to 1) have a really hard time keeping secrets and 2) Be extremely fickle.

In any case feel free to suggest all the names you want, we will neither confirm, nor deny anything. And, I am definitely ruling out all names that include George (no offense to anyone other than George W.) no matter how much money is offered.

Updates

I successfully finished, addressed, and mailed 8 of the ten New Year's cards that I previously posted about. Go me.

Also, I think the sonogram may have been wrong. As in, I think I am growing a baby elephant. That is the only explanation for why I just dumped a cup of choc chips into my pudding and for why I keep wanting hot chocolate milkshakes, which I realize make no sense but sound incredible to me.

Pregnancy on the mind

I have been on a serious cleaning binge recently (ie throwing out/donating items circa 1980) as the reality of this baby nears. Dave has been energized too and as a result we are thinning our files, sorting through the garage, and emptying closets. Part of this process included me sorting through four boxes of photos from the last decade and a half. After paring it down to two boxes (due to duplicates or lame shots), I was grossed to think of the amount of chemicals used in the processing of them (and the fact that they are going to take up landfill space). I fell in love with digital cameras all over again. I was also grossed out to see that I apparently had no fashion sense whatsoever for most of the nineties. Um, why did none of my loved ones explain to me about the horrors of baggy pants? Man, I was a seriously good candidate for an intervention. Perhaps, I still am, although at least I am aware that fashion is taking a backseat to a lot of other agenda items these days.

Also, I am feeling quite wide these days and was saddened to be reminded that most women resemble their 20 week pregnant selves after giving birth. This tum is going to be around for awhile it seems. I suppose my best bet at this point is acceptance. In the same conversation my friend requested some belly pics, so if I can find a pose and outfit that won't embarass me for posterity, I may post one soon.

I'm so vain, I probably think this blog is about me.

In all seriousness though, I am actually pretty ecstastic these days and can't believe that I have to wait five months to meet this little boy. I had hoped that I would be calmer this time around, and have been really happy to find that there is definitely a lot of wisdom and serenity that comes from being a second time mom. Even if some of the wisdom is simply that we survived once and we will survive this too.

Finicky Theory

I heard a theory today that a possible explanation for the reason why toddlers are so notoriously picky eaters is that evolutionarily speaking, it is in the human race's best interest to make these walking, stubborn, newly semi-independent creatures wary of eating everything they come across. I suppose the pickiness lasts until their reasoning abilities develop a little further as in "Wow, I've never seen Mom or Dad eat anything out of the garbage, maybe I shouldn't either!" or in the olden days, "Wow, that carcass is really _____, maybe I should leave it alone". It makes sense to me and is definitely more comforting than the sociopath theory I have been tossing around in my head.

From the backseat...

"Oh! I've got it all figured out!" Mind you, I have no idea what the Mizz was talking about since the statement seemingly came out of nowhere. Perhaps he was struggling with a complex puzzle all day and had his eureka moment. Or perhaps he figured out life in general. In any case, when I called Dave to tell him, Mizz adamantly corrected me, that "No, no, no, no! Max has it all figured out!" OK, gotcha dude.

Happy Half Birthday Mizz!

It's hard to believe that two and a half years has gone by since I first got to hold Mizz. I thought about that day quite a bit today because in addition to celebrating Mizz's half birthday (complete with a black tie, catered event with ponies) we also found out by way of ultrasound that we are having another little baby boy! I am pretty thrilled with the idea of Mizz having a brother to grow up with. Although I have to admit at dinner tonight I was struck with the image of me eating the majority of my meals with Dave and two sons. I never imagined I'd be living with three men. Dave did acknowledge that I might at times feel outnumbered and as a token gesture offered to let me have more control over the decorating. My response was something along the lines of "I've given you two sons, I can do whatever I want forever now." Or something like that, but I digress...

Mizz had a great time at the ultrasound watching the baby on the tv and identifying the various lights and equipment in the room. Apparently the whole experience was really stimulating to him because he promptly fell asleep on the way home and then slept for another four hours! Which unfortunately for him, wrecked our plans of meeting up with his best friend at the OMSI.

Pacific NW grocery trip

The list:

Beer
Coffee
Milk

There was some other stuff on the list at home but I couldn't remember it.

True Confession #907

For those of you that know me well, this will come as no surprise. After all, I once thoughtfully bundled up a care package for my friend in college only to drive it around in my trunk for a good two years before finally opening it up and chucking most of the contents. Alma, it was candy, some cool pens, candles, and a bunch of other awesome collegey stuff... My most recent supreme procrastination involves holiday cards which, um, turned into New Year cards and are now still sitting on my counter unaddressed. Mind you, I have written five really carefully composed notes and just may still get them in the mail sometime this week. I suppose I might never get to the bottom of why I can be so on top of some things, and so lackadaisical, I mean downright pokey, about other tasks. Anyway I write this post for two reasons, to make people smile at my ridiculousness and as a prod to myself to get to a mailbox.