October 14

My middle son has been waiting since the beginning of our journey into the Middle Ages to read the story of William the Conqueror. He adopted the name "Guillaume," the French version of William, for his French and history studies this year, because he thought William sounded like an admirably tough warrior.

Serendipitously, we arrived at that chapter of "Famous Men" today -- on the 945th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. Sometimes I manage to plan these things, but today had nothing to do with me. I didn't realize the date beyond 1066!

Unfortunately, Middlest was devastated to discover that his chosen namesake was disliked by his northern English subjects, punished the rebels by destroying their land and leaving them to starve to death, enacted an 8 o'clock couvre feu (curfew; to cover fire), and was deserted on his deathbed by his own sons and assistants. (The biggest betrayal, I think, was the 8 o'clock curfew!)

As disappointing as it was to find out that a Norman conqueror was a bit of a bully, the boys still enjoyed this video of the Bayeux Tapestry by PotionGraphics.

(Warning: bloody embroidered war scenes)

In other coincidental news (if you believe in coincidences, which I don't)... tomorrow -- October 15 -- is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I learned this through Pam, who linked to Niki, both of whom lost unborn babies this year. My heart is aching along with theirs right now.

I know now that the Lord directed me to Pam's post last weekend as a merciful whisper of things to come.

I counted myself fortunate enough to have made it through 10 years of motherhood without experiencing that kind of loss -- until this week. I was hoping to be able to tell you all of our joyous news in another month or so. I found out only last week that I would be due on June 10 -- Littlest's birthday -- with baby number 4.

But I started bleeding a few days ago. Just a little at first, and I tried not to worry. A dear friend of mine bled consistently through two of her pregnancies, and the boys are 4 and 6 now. But that is not my normal, and something (or Someone) inside me whispered, "It's your turn. Get ready."

Yesterday, UberDad and I spent the afternoon in the waiting room at the doctor's office with the 16-week pregnant mamas about to get their ultrasounds. We were probably kind of annoying, sitting there obnoxiously guffawing and making sarcastic remarks about the so-called "health news" coming from the waiting room TV. Our nervous energy was obvious. As was the picture of my already empty uterus.

The tears are flowing freely today. Normally, Fridays are our Racing Days. Race through homeschool and chores in the morning. Race through lunch so we can race to music lessons. Race from music lessons to the car wash to the library. Race home and collapse.

Today, the boys read to me on my bed, and I tried not to cringe too much when they bounced. We moved slowly next door to find some lunch. I tried not to get frustrated when no one had their shoes on or their instruments in hand when it was time to go. I dropped them off at the music studio, which I never do.

And then I came home to rest. I'll go back to pick them up soon. My boys are so amazing. They have been such comforters, even as I know they are sad themselves. I would not have told them so soon, but that's just how it worked out. They are amazingly trusting of how Life comes and goes.

I feel so blessed. To have three healthy children. To have known this pregnancy even in its brevity. To have compassionate friends, both close by and online. To have heard the Spirit's whisper, and to feel His comforting presence with me through this process.

I know the Lord is in control at all times, trustworthy at all times, and merciful at all times. And I know that this experience puts me in good company with so many mothers who also have had to let go when they least wanted to.

The Pregnant Pause

We interrupt this Giveaway to bring you news of an embarrassing sort. Warning: This post is rated PG-13. (Yes, Iris, that means you should probably skip it, less your innocence be scarred. Thanks for understanding.)

So, remember how I was complaining awhile back about all the people around me getting pregnant with their fourth babies? The conspiracy continues.

My favorite bloggers are mothering newborns, and now I'm surrounded by pregnant people in real life. This would be understandable if I were still teaching birth classes. I am not. I stopped teaching birth classes because they made me want to be pregnant all the time, and I finally realized that was not going to work.

Anyhow, as I was saying, I am surrounded by pregnant people. Yay, babies! Ahem. Two of my closest friends, their pregnant bellies (still tiny yet), and their many already-born children were here today in order to give me a reason to bake Valentine cookies. One lives across the street from me.

Then there are the neighbors to the north. Two out of three are pregnant. The third lets her boyfriend spend the night quite frequently, and better be filtering her water.

In any case, all these expectant ladies around the house lead to some interesting dinner table conversations with my six- and seven-year-old sons. They have a better-than-average understanding of birth. We have discussed many aspects of plant and animal reproduction. But we've never quite gone all the way to the question that came up tonight...

"Mom, how do you get pregnant?"

That, my friends, left me tongue-tied, looking at the clock, and noticing that it was WAAAAYYY past bedtime, and maybe-we-could-finish-this-very-interesting-conversation-Some-Other-Time.

Goodness gracious, people, I don't want to give the kids nightmares! I need a PLAN! So, when and how did you explain the S word to your kids?

Can postpartum exhaustion still be my excuse?

Last night I did my first postpartum workout, a mommy & baby yoga/pilates DVD I picked up at the thrift store a month ago.

Does it still count as postpartum if the baby's already 14 months old? Is it still "mommy & baby yoga" if the baby would rather pull all the videos out of the drawer in the media cabinet than help me work my abs by playing airplane?

It felt so good to stretch and use my stiff muscles; I don't know why it took me so long to finally get out the yoga mat again! I was pretty good about getting regular exercise for most of my pregnancy, and it made a huge difference in how I felt. I'm not sure whether I got it into my head that exercise is a "should," which takes the fun out of it, or a "luxury," which makes it feel too indulgent. Either way, for a year my neuroses have convinced me to sit on the couch and knit instead.

Knitting can be meditative, and therefore good for the mind, but it makes for a soggy body if it's your only hobby. And as it turns out, exercise is good for the mind, too, sending blood flow and endorphins to the brain, and reducing stress and depression. We all know this, right? So why do I sit on the couch every time I get a moment to myself?

Beats me. But I'm going to start lying down on the floor instead.

Must have been the moon...

He's here! Our newest little fish was born at home yesterday morning, June 10, 2006, at 4:09 a.m. He weighed in at 10 pounds, 10 ounces, and is 21 inches long. He's an expert nurser, has the sweetest cry, and is adored by his two big brothers. They were both close by to greet him immediately after his birth.

We spent yesterday attempting to recover from a night without sleep. This morning UberDad is taking Puffer and Grouper to church, and I'm headed to the shower while Baby Fish sleeps in his Nana's arms.

Maybe tonight's full moon will do it...

Last night I called my mom over after the boys were asleep so UberDad and I could take a walk while it was cool outside, and maybe get labor moving. With my labors with both Puffer and Grouper, I had to do a lot of walking to move from the latent stage of labor to active labor. My mom and I had already walked in the morning, and it helped, a little.

So, around 10 p.m., we headed out into the privacy of the darkness. The sky was clear, and the moon was high, bright and nearly full. Supposedly more babies are born when the moon is full. I was definitely having stronger contractions during the walk. But then we were home again, and getting sleepy, so we went to bed. And so far, once I go to bed, my body chooses sleep over labor.

Yesterday my neighbor took my boys and her kids to a big park where they got to watch peacocks do their mating dances. They had a blast. UberDad went grocery shopping, and I hung out with my mom, whose vacation ends Sunday. She baked my favorite cookies for me in the afternoon, and I'm trying to make them last in case we need late night energy food to share with my midwife and her assistant.

Oh! I forgot to share that UberDad got the job! He'll be teaching math at a local high school just a few miles from home. He found out the morning right after his interview, which was awesome. Thanks for your prayers! He's now officially home on vacation for the rest of the summer! YAY!!! Now, we just need the newest member of our family to arrive...

Yep, I'm still pregnant.

But I promise to post as soon as I'm not!! Thankfully, I don't have far to go from my bedroom to the computer after Baby Fish arrives. :) Unless I do as I've threatened and go to a motel for my "home" birth!!

The pre-labor dance.

I have to admit it. I'm getting anxious for this baby to come. Me, whose always scoffed when women start complaining at the end of pregnancy. "A baby's a lot easier to take care of on the inside than on the outside!" I always say.

But I don't remember feeling this tired at the end of my first two pregnancies. I know Grouper didn't drop this early, so I wasn't feeling the pressure and prodromal labor symptoms. But maybe it's too long ago to remember accurately. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

My friend Carla took the boys' Sunday School class for me this morning. I was really hoping last night would be IT. And I did have a few contractions that woke me up periodically. But nothing that stuck. I didn't even start thinking about doing anything to get things going with Grouper until after my due date. And yet tonight, with 8 days to go, I suggested we take a family walk -- because walking always helps my contractions get stronger. Nevermind the high winds blowing up dust everywhere outside or the dark clouds above.

So, we did. After I made dinner, and went grocery shopping.

I guess I figure I've been too sedentary lately. Lots of naps, lots of knitting. I finished my first diaper soaker on Thursday! Then yesterday I dyed another skein, using coffee this time. I named the colorway it produced "caramel cappuccino." And I started another soaker. It's not that I have nothing to do if Baby Fish does wait another week or two.

Nonetheless, in the car on the way back from the store, I was bouncing him to the beat of my pre-labor theme song... "Do a little dance. Make a little love. Get down tonight. Get down tonight."

'Cause if you hadn't heard -- what gets them in, can get them out.

Ready... or not.

We're two weeks away from my due date. After wigging out a bit last week over everything I had left to do, I'm much closer to ready. I did 13 loads of laundry this weekend. Baby clothes sizes 0 to 9 months, diapers and blankets are washed, sorted, and put away. Towels and sheets for the birth are bagged up and ready to go. Infant car seat is installed between the boys' boosters. The birth kit still hasn't arrived, but I picked up a back-up from my friend Kelley yesterday. I even soaked all my plants really well this morning in case of a couple days of neglect.

Sunday afternoon and early Monday morning I had a few hours of early labor contractions about 10 minutes apart. But I wasn't quite ready. Needed to go grocery shopping yesterday, and had to take the couch cushion cover Grouper puked on to the dry cleaners. Plus, the house was still in some amount of chaos, and I was just plain tired. But I got a second wind after dinner and spent enough time straightening up before bed to feel a little more prepared for a night of labor. Instead I got a solid night's sleep -- no complaining there!

Today the boys played outside with friends for most of the day. I snuck in a nap this afternoon. And then sent them to Target with UberDad for more laundry detergent and new clothespins. While they were out I vacuumed, swept, and got to do my yoga video for the first time in two months!

I am ready for this baby to come whenever he wants. Unfortunately, UberDad's not. He has a job interview scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and his final credential exam is all day Saturday. I was kind of hoping to get out of teaching Sunday school this weekend. But Baby Fish might have to gestate for another week after all.

Happy Mother's Day!

Have you seen that Sears commercial where the little boy is sitting quietly with his face in his hands, and after a few seconds you see he's perched on the toilet, and then he straightens up and calls out, "MOMMY! I'm DONE!!"

That commercial cracks me up every time. The reality of motherhood. Twice a day. Every day.

This morning I woke up to an unusually hot Grouper curled up next to me. I turned over slowly -- because I can't move any faster than slowly -- and crawled backwards down the middle of the bed to go find the thermometer. I realized he'd been hot and not sleeping well since he'd climbed in bed with me sometime in the night. Sunday seems to be a popular day for fevers. Mother's Day is apparently not exempt.

When Grouper is sick, he doesn't talk. He just looks sad and curls up into the fetal position under my arm if it's available or on the couch with his blanket. I knew he really wasn't feeling well when he didn't want the blueberry pancakes UberDad made for breakfast. We were watching the sign language program on PBS together when he suddenly sat up and puked. I caught most of it with his blanket, then carried him into the bathroom to finish up and fill the bathtub. Meanwhile, UberDad was put in charge of finding out how to get puke off the dry-clean-only fabric on our couch.

After a long soak in the tub, Grouper seemed to be feeling better. He was back to his cheerful, chatty self -- ready to put on some clothes, his cape and his lightsaber. But after getting dressed and eating half a banana, his energy was spent. He soon fell asleep in costume, on a towel , on the couch.

While Grouper was in the bathtub, my mom came over with a Mother's Day gift for me -- an Oi Oi diaper bag in a cute swirly brown/blue/green/yellow pattern. It's totally washable and big enough for cloth diapers! I'd decided my felted bag was going to work for knitting projects, but not as a diaper bag/purse. Thanks, Mom! We're going to take my grandmother out for lunch later. It's her birthday. Hopefully she'll be in a good mood. She was really mean when my mom visited her on Friday, and my mom deserves to have a nice day.

As for me, I just hope Grouper feels better quickly. In the meantime, I'm going to knit, read my new cookbook by Giada that UberDad and the boys gave me this morning, and avoid doing any dishes.

Hope you have a beautiful Mother's Day!

37 weeks and counting.

There's nothing like a deadline to motivate me to go shopping!

Yesterday was the official beginning of my 38th week of pregnancy. Today I had a doctor's appointment, even though I just saw my midwife on Friday, and everything's fine. The boys and I waited for nearly an hour and a half before we finally got called in. They were amazingly patient, but getting miserable by the end of the wait.

Baby Fish kindly put his head in place just in time for the doctor to check him today. Last visit he was still breech, and the doctor mentioned the possibility of doing an external version. No, thanks. Fortunately, in the last two days baby's been wiggling into position, and is at -1 station, for those of you interested in the technicalities of labor. I'm also dilated to just under one centimeter, and 70 percent effaced. Woohoo! This means nothing in terms of when he'll arrive, of course, but the doctor was pleased to note that we've begun the process.

I've gained 31 pounds total this pregnancy. So, of course, we went out and had Coldstone ice cream tonight after hitting Babies R Us and Target for an infant car seat, diaper pail, nursing stool, changing pad, and thank you notes. A few of my dearest friends threw us a baby shower on Sunday. I could hardly sleep that night. Gift bags holding baby toiletries, cloth diapers, books, blankets, and the most adorable baby clothes covered my dining room table, and all I wanted to do was admire and sort and wash and organize everything. I'm going to be doing a lot of laundry in the next week!

But today I just wanted to get the rest of the necessities purchased. If he decides to come early, we don't even have our birth kit yet! Ordered that today, finally. Also ordered miscellaneous diaper laundering accessories. So, according to shipping calculations, he can come any time after next Tuesday. No sooner than two weeks before my due date!

Obviously I'm counting on my history of reasonably accurate due dates. Puffer was born one day before his, Grouper only four days after his. So, an arrival date of sometime between May 29 and June 3 would just fine with Baby Fish's mommy.

Nesting again.

Okay, I admit it. I'm using my re-gained computer time to obsess about getting ready for this baby. Mostly it's about cloth diapers again. Wool soakers to be precise. Wool soakers knitted from organic yarn to be more precise. My diaper/knitting bag is about halfway finished, but I just can't wait to start my first soaker for this kid! I was up until 11 last night trying to decide which yarn to buy and who to buy it from. And then I couldn't get my Paypal account to work, so I was on the phone with them this morning. Finally, I got my undyed Peace Fleece yarn ordered from Nada of Wooly Wonders! I hope it arrives soon so I can get it dyed right away. Only seven weeks to go!

I also happened to be babysitting three extra kids this morning. One went home before lunch, so we're down to four kids in the house. No biggie. Fed them, did the dishes, started laundry. Think I'll go knit now.

Apparently I'm nesting.

Yesterday, as I attempted to take a break by crashing on the couch with Giada, I wondered WHY I was so worn out and cranky. Dumb question.

I haven't napped since Sunday, and that was after entertaining eight children during Sunday School. I also managed to plant half a dozen perennials and completely clean out the fridge over the weekend.

Monday I went grocery shopping and worked on the diaper bag I'm knitting. It rained all day Tuesday, so we had a leisurely day inside. I did laundry, moved summer clothes into the boys' new dresser, baked four dozen cookies and made a big pot of soup to take to our friends whose baby boy was born Sunday night. Yesterday I did a quick cleaning of the house before my friend Emily and kids came over to scrapbook. When they left, I did some more cleanup, then dragged the boys to Home Depot to buy plants before it started raining again. Still had that credit to use, and I wanted to get veggies in the ground while it was still soft. I knew I wouldn't be able to shop AND plant during the same stretch of sunshine.

We skipped the park today and hung out in our backyard for nearly five hours with our gardening buddies. Mark and I worked on our respective vegetable patches while the kids played on the swingset, in the mud, on the trampoline, and in the nude. It was sunny and beautiful right up until 2:30 or so. Now it looks like it's going to rain again.

I forgot how much work it is to start a new planting bed. I pulled up all the weeds intertwined with the sweet peas and dug up the grass next to the swingset, worked the soil, and finally got to plant. I got the basil, cilantro, Italian parsley, lettuce and Roma tomato in the ground. I'll have to get to the rest of the tomatoes, bell pepper and onions on Saturday. Plus the ferns and cyclamen I got for under the tree.

Right now I'm waiting for the boys to be done in the bathtub so I can finally shower. Tonight I get to eat free food at a Pampered Chef party! Yay!

It's not just my mind.

The third trimester of this pregnancy apparently is bringing out not only my Inner Ditz, but also my Inner Clutz.

Have you seen that Tide commercial about the woman in the last months of pregnancy who has only one shirt that fits and keeps dripping food down her front? That's me. I even have that pink shirt.

This morning, in an attempt to feel like a grown up, I was seated on the leather sofa of a sophisticated downtown coffee house eating a slice of frittata. Two-thirds into the process, I attempted to cut the crust with my fork, and slid the entire thing off the plate, down my lap and all over the couch. Bits of egg and potato covered my shirt and one pant leg, and fell into the crevice between the cushions. I felt oh-so-chic as the barista tossed me a towel to mop myself up with.

As if that wasn't enough for one day... a few hours later I missed the bottom step of my porch, twisted my ankle, and ever so gracefully toppled onto my hands and knees. I'm fine now, thank you. No permanent damage done -- except to my self-image, perhaps.

I'm at 30.5 weeks now, and I suppose an updated photo of my front-heavy body is due. Maybe I'll get to it tomorrow.

Pregnancy brain.

As much as I hate to contribute to the stereotype that motherhood fries one's brain, there have been way too many incidents lately that prove that my own brain is definitely on the fritz.

In the last two weeks, I have locked myself out of the house twice, locked my keys in the car and nearly burned Mac & Cheese. But today I outdid all that and more. After gardening for a couple hours this morning, I changed out of my dirty overalls, and left them on the laundry room floor. Came back after my shower to put a load of laundry in, and threw the overalls in the washing machine.

Fifteen minutes later, I started wondering what I'd done with my cell phone. Where did I last have it? Oh, yes, in my pocket while I was gardening. In the pocket of my overalls. THE OVERALLS I JUST PUT IN THE WASH.

If anyone knows of a great deal on cell phones, please let me know. In the meantime, don't expect any calls from me. All my phone numbers went out with the dirty laundry water.

Thimerosal update

Now I'm even gladder I refused the Rhogam shot last week. My blood type is O-negative, which means I have "RH-negative" stamped in big red letters all over my prenatal files. If this baby had a postivie blood type, it could cause problems, primarily for the next one. Both my other boys are negative like me. The shot that RH-negative women usually get at 28 week gestation uses thimerosal as a preservative. (It's also not vegan.) This is also a big reason we avoid vaccines.

So, here's the news...

Thimerosal Update: The CDC's Scarlet Letter

25 weeks gestation

25 weeks gestation
Originally uploaded by The G-Ps.

I realized I haven't posted a preggo picture in a while... er, ever? This is from about two weeks ago. I'm still playing with Flickr, can you tell?

Oh, yeah, and I'm six months pregnant and tired.

I've been feeling overwhelmed and grouchy the last couple days, which might explain why I haven't written any real posts. My mom says UTIs can mess with your brain. Then there's the whole pregnancy hormone thing. Apparently I just got a surge. Why else did I go from perfectly content to completely stressed out in a matter of hours on Monday?

This morning I was thinking about everything that's been going on around me for close friends and family this month. UberDad is doing post-graduate work on top of working, and is studying for exams that will determine if he gets his contract renewed next year. My sister's struggling between following her dream to dance professionally and wanting to be with the love of her life. Another friend just ended a 2-1/2 year relationship with a man she thought she'd marry, started a new job, and had to switch day care. My friend Sarah has been dealing with the progression of her MS, and is getting an MRI this morning. Another friend's sister had a relapse of her rare disease, and has to move back home to be cared for. My neighbors are trying to deal with an aging father/-in-law who calls long distance to complain about the facility he's in every day.

And then there's my grandmother, who went on an eating strike over the weekend, and when my mom showed up with her latte on Monday, told her she was no longer her daughter. My grandmother's been harrassing the director, who told my mom the facility will do everything they can to keep her there, but her problem is not just Alzheimer's, if it is at all considering the breadth of her memory (she remembered the phone number of her bank and called it), however convoluted. She most likely has developed paranoid-schizophrenia, but everyone hesitates to give that diagnosis because there's nothing you can do about it. She won't take medication, and assisted living facilities really are not designed to deal with that issue. If she tries to get out, they'll have to call the police.

Obviously, there's a lot to be praying for. But, instead of remembering all this, I get overwhelmed by a messy playroom, maternity clothes taking over every surface and corner of my bedroom, living room walls that have been missing their pictures for seven months, trees that need trimming and empty flower beds begging to be planted -- not to mention prenatal care bills that need to be paid and have no budget for them.

Yesterday I worked on the clothes issue, so that helped. Some guy came by Monday wanting to trim our tree in the front for cheap, and UberDad hired him. Now I just hope he comes back to carry away all the branches covering our yard and blocking our porch. The mail carrier's not going to put up with that for long.

For now, though, my children are happily occupied by the Purple Flowers kids, whom I'm watching while their mother gets her MRI. I made vegan applesauce muffins yesterday, so at least we'll be well-nourished! And Friday we get to leave town to go visit my friend Kate and family to celebrate her kids' first and fourth birthdays. I think we're ready for a little escape.

Mommy has an owie in her pee-pee hole.

Remind me never to be seduced into doing something I "should" again just for a Starbucks latte.

After a lovely visit with my friend Kelley yesterday morning, my mom came by to see if the boys and I wanted to go with her to visit my grandmother. She said we'd get coffee to take with us, since my grandmother says the coffee where she lives is terrible. Having no self-control when it comes to free lattes, I took the bait -- despite the fact that it was almost my naptime, and I should know better than to skip my naptime.

The visit lasted longer than I expected it to, and was going just fine, except that my maternity jeans were digging into my belly and my back was starting to ache. I ordered new jeans last week, and they finally came on Tuesday -- but they won't stay up, so I have to send them back. The drive home took way too long. I was exhausted, my pants hurt, and Baby Fish kept kicking me in the bladder. By the time we got home, I'd tensed up so much my back was out, and I could feel a urinary tract infection coming on.

I put on pajama pants, did some yoga stretching, tried to get comfortable on the couch, and drank two gallons of water, cranberry juice and herbal tea over the next few hours. After rubbing my back for 30 minutes, UberDad had to make dinner while I stayed in the one position that didn't hurt too badly. By bedtime I felt better, but the house was a disaster. I hadn't done any housekeeping all day.

Unfortunately, the two gallons of liquids went completely through me by 4 a.m., and I woke up feeling like someone was sticking a needle up my urethra -- then pulling it out and doing it again. I scrambled out of bed, downed two Tylenol and a full glass of water, and spent the next 30 minutes on the toilet doing Lamaze breathing and moaning. I would have rather been in labor.

So, this morning it was off to the lab to pee in a cup, and then wait for the results so I could pick up my prescription on the way to the grocery store. I can't remember the last time I took antibiotics, but UTIs are not something to mess around with when you're pregnant. We were out of all the basics, so I couldn't put off grocery shopping despite the fact that I was cranky and tired. The boys put up with me pretty well, and we made it home just before the rain started falling and in time for me to take a nap. I don't know what they did while I was asleep, but they were quiet and left me alone. Poor neglected children.

Tomorrow I plan to wear my comfy unfashionable overalls while I pull weeds out of the damp ground and try to resist dairy and sugar so these darn antibiotics don't bring back the yeast I'd finally gotten rid of.

There were five in a bed and the pregnant one said...

My computer's been crashing on me everyday this week, but I still haven't called anyone to fix it. It's annoying, but I think... hmm, I have friends I haven't called in months, do I really want to spend phone time on hold with the cable company?

Because I am a phone phobic, I call neither friend nor geek squad. And take my chances on whether anything I write will actually get posted.

By the way, Happy Valentine's Day! The boys are making valentines in their own special way -- Puffer's are made out of Kid K'nex. And I helped Grouper put together scraps from our Sunday School valentine craft to make a heart-shaped notebook to draw in.

I swapped Sundays with the other pre-k teacher so I'd have a fun theme to work with. I hate the 3-4yo curriculum. It's overly complicated and boring at the same time. And I don't know how making them cut, paste and color whether they want to or not, and then sit at the table twiddling their thumbs until everyone's finished teaches them anything about Jesus.

I discovered on Sunday that none of the kids know the song "Jesus Loves Me"!! How can that NOT be part of a pre-K Sunday School curriculum?? How can their parents not have sung it to them? Anyhow, we made lollypop flower valentines, decorated strawberry-flavored cupcakes, and sang "Jesus Loves Me" and "I Love Jesus," and then we went outside to play, which they never get to do with the other teacher. The weather's been so beautiful, how could I keep them inside any longer?

I got some weeding done this weekend, too, and if I get a little more done, I'm going to go get some more lavender plants. The only things I planted last spring that survived the July heat were the asparagus ferns and lavender plants. I sat on the lawn pulling weeds by hand for an hour on Saturday. Didn't reseed for the winter, so the bermuda's filled with them. I'd like to have an actual lawn back there again this summer, so I can get outside with the baby and have something green to look at.

I have to go make myself do some housework this morning, then we're going to the bakery after lunch for Valentine sugar cookies. I thought it might be better to go buy one each than to bake a couple dozen at home, since I'd be likely to eat most of them myself. NO, I am not being lazy. I just want to have sex again before there's yet another person competing for access to my body and bed -- and eating a dozen sugar cookies would put me out of commission for a week. The second trimester is VERY precious time.

Maybe it's the sudden weight gain and growth of my burgeoning belly -- or maybe our mattress has always had a dip in the middle. Whatever the reason, I keep ending up sandwiched between UberDad, Grouper and Emma the cat -- while Baby Fish kicks me in the bladder all night. I wake up from nightmares all sweaty and having to de-wedge myself out of the first three in order to get up and pee.

My neighbor's coming over to scrapbook during her kids' naptime. Yay!