J'Espere

So I just checked on the last blog post I wrote and- GASP!- it was over a month ago. I'm pulling the new mom card as I write this, and also want to point out that it is almost 3 on a Monday and I have yet to take a shower. It is one of those days. Baby Girl is not feeling well, which means I'm not feeling well either. Since if she doesn't sleep, nobody sleeps. But that's not what the focus of this post is. The focus of this post is a recap of all that I thought I would get done during maternity leave and to let y'all know how that went.... 1. Unpacking boxes: We moved when she was 1.5 weeks old. Enough said. Lesson learned- don't purchase a house shortly before your baby is born. Really. As I write this in our "office" (read: Junk Room, I can see around me roughly 15 boxes. The good news is they are getting unpacked, albeit slowly. Very, very slowly. And I almost daily groan/sigh and say "Why can't I find ----? Where is it?...

When I last posted, I was 37 weeks pregnant, incredibly uncomfortable, and very warm. I questioned the validity of doing the pregnancy thing another whole 3 weeks, then rationalized that it was better since we would get to move and kind of get settled in before the baby got here. Um, WRONG. So. WRONG. That afternoon I felt "weird" (obviously I wasn't in labor- I had just gone to the doctor on Wednesday and they said everything looked great, see you next week.). So I went by the house, where one of the workers outright told me I should go put my feet up, then I went home, called Matt, and told him I was skipping my workout and just hanging out. He went to the house that night and started painting, but called me around 10, saying he was coming home. Also, he said he was exhausted (obviously neither of us knew how to define that word at the time) and he would work on painting the next night. WRONG. So. WRONG. So he came home, and walked in the door, and came to ...

Okay, so I have been super slack since school let out. And yet, so ridiculously busy! Turns out nesting is a real pregnant lady syndrome, and is NOT fun in your temporary apartment. When I was told that Baby Girl was in "go" position, I immediately thought, "She's coming while we're in this apartment", and went home and did two loads of laundry, folding up her tiny clothes and selecting the ever important going home outfit (for me, not her- she will look great in whatever she wears. Her mama, however...jury is out.). So the last two weeks have flown by and now, technically (by the skin of my teeth) we have reached full term together. I have asked her, every day since, to please hang in there for a couple more weeks, no matter how much I curse her feet in my rib cage. I have to say that 37 weeks pregnant is much different than even 35 weeks pregnant. I had not a clue how much more this girl could GROW, but she has. And now I'm awake much more, and I...

I can think of one summer I have missed family beach week. There might be two, but I can only think of one. I'm being serious. I didn't even miss beach week the summer I was born. My mom packed herself up along with 6 week old me, and hauled me to Holden, where I proceeded to spend the week in various people's arms on the front porch, even though there is one picture of a stroller or carseat covered in a sheet or something on the beach that supposedly contained me. We are serious Southern beach goers.I am always shocked when I meet people who did not go to the beach as a kid. It makes me wonder, "What did you do with your family vacation?" You may try to impress me with your trips to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, but I'll take the sand between my toes and a giant hat over that any day. Which is why there was no reason to think that I wasn't going this year. Just a few short weeks ago, my MD gave me the travel clear and just suggested I stay hydra...

This post is not about our house, just as a warning. You are about to delve into the mind of an educator who believes in public education, in the right to that education, and also believes that if you are able, you should be helping the needy. So I'm talking politics today. Just remember I'm not an expert, I just believe that everyone should get and deserves a good education. I dread Thursdays because I know I'll find out what happened in the Legislature on Wednesday, and no matter how hard I pray it seems that it always ends up being bad news overall. Like passing the initial vote on the motorcycle helmet law (I can't even write about it without getting angry), or deciding that Water quality in some parts of NC is too high a priority so we're going to pass a law to literally lower standards for drinking water. But I think the School Voucher Debate takes the cake. First, I'll touch on my understanding of the school voucher (please, correct me if I...

The above photos are the befores. It was right after we bought the house, before demo began and when we believed this project was not only completely doable but totally going to be worth it. On my optimistic mornings I still believe that but currently I question the rationale, especially as the baby kicks me. I believe her athletic future is great. Anyway, back to the photos. What you have is the way the kitchen looked when we purchased. It's not the original kitchen- it was most likely redone in the 80s when some things were replaced in other parts of the house and then never touched again. But the concept fascinates me. Hopefully you can see that even the ceiling is wallpapered in blue gingham. The second photo is of the sunroom directly off the kitchen and dining room. Why, yes m'am, those ARE real Confederate bonds that are the backs of the shelves! Matt and I would be rolling in cash had the "Great Conflict" come to a different end. Of course if it had I h...

When I opened my 32 week email, I had no idea what a jicama was (pronounced hi-ca-ma) but apparently it’s a large root vegetable, used primarily in Central America, and weighing an impressive 3.75 pounds. What this means is I have close to 4 pounds of baby, and about 16” in there. First reaction: Yay! She’s growing and healthy! Second reaction: Oh, No! Isn’t she supposed to at least double this over the next 7-8 weeks? We are in the single digits, people, and reality is setting in. We went through childbirth education classes over the past two weeks and determined that they let you out of the hospital with next to nothing. But Sweden has a recovery center where you can go for up to 3 weeks after the child is born to do just that, and learn about taking care of your baby under the watchful guidance of nurses and consultants. They will also cook your meals and do laundry for you. What’s up, United States- why aren’t you on top of this? When I went to the doctor this week, the reality b...