Those things

This evening Mike, P, and I were watching the Super Bowl commercials and there was a commercial that featured beavers. When he saw the beavers Mike said, "Oh look, Philo, those things."

"Those are beavers," I said.

"Oh, I was going to say woodchucks," Mike said.

"Well, they're not," I said.

"I'm a city boy," Mike said, "just like P." He ruffled P's hair.

Good thing I'm around to educate them.

Getting Ready

We're getting ready for Bernamon. I guess I feel the need to prepare earlier than I did for P because we're so busy with P that our spare time is limited. I won't have as much time in my 8th and 9th months to putter around the nursery, so I have to get started earlier.

Like four months earlier. Why yes, I am compulsive.

I think part of it is because I'm so busy with P and the new job that I feel less "connected" with this pregnancy. I can't spend entire evenings sipping lemonade and sitting perfectly still, waiting to feel a tap inside my belly, or perusing pregnancy websites and books. But doing things like arranging Bernamon's room or buying a crib makes it more real for me. I can't wait for the ultrasound...that'll make it even more real. Now that Mike and I know the rollercoaster that pregnancy and parenting can be, we're more eager than ever to see that ultrasound and be reassured that we have a whole, healthy baby in there.

Anyway, I added a tag called Compulsive Lists because I do make compulsive lists, and also because that's what this is. It's what we have and what we need for the baby.

What We Need:

[X] Crib and mattress
[X] Bedding
[ ] Mattress pads
[ ] Changing table
[X] Double stroller
[X] Infant car seat/carrier
[ ] Larger car seat
[X] Clothes (we're set, especially if it's a boy!)
[X] Baby carrier
[X] Cloth diapers
[ ] Snappis (we have some, but ours are old and they need replacing after 6 months)
[X] Toys
[X] Bath tub
[X] Baby monitor
[X] Pack'n'Play
[X] Swing
[ ] Shelves
[ ] Bins/baskets for the shelves
[X] Random baby stuff that we have left over from P

We're close to being set.

Coming up Empty

After being so smug about having our baby names all worked out, my feelings about more middle names changed and now we are struggling to come up with some.

I know that middle names don't mean much in society, but I really want them to be inspirational. I want to name my kids after something. P's first name is meaningful, and his middle name is tied to his first. His first name is Philo and by coincidence we chose Alexander as a middle name...I later found out that the Catholic saint St. Philo is also known as Philo of Alexandria. I've come to love the meaning behind his name, and I want our new kid to have an equally meaningful name.

My own name is not as meaningful. It's the only name my parents could think of that wasn't taken by one of my cousins, or a girl my dad dated. Thanks a lot, Mom and Dad. I want our kid's name to have meaning.

Our boy name is pretty much set. The first name is Solomon (it means "peace," and he was a Biblical figure) and the middle name is Francis (St. Francis of Assisi and St. Francis de Sales were wonderful saints). And our girl first name is Bernadette. But the middle name is harder.

I want Catherine, after St. Catherine Laboure who I think was a very neat saint. Mike wants Blaise. I like St. Blaise, but he's a male saint. Even though there are girls named Blaise today...I dunno. Mike says that naming our kid Bernadette Catherine pretty much says, "Yes, my child is named after the 1950s," but I think that it's a good, solid Catholic name.

On the 15th we're getting an ultrasound, and hopefully Bernamon will be feeling cooperative enough to let us see if we're having a boy or a girl. Then we'll know if we need to keep deliberating about names.

*flutter*

Today I was sitting in my office at work. It was very quiet because it was Planning Day, when all the kids stay home and the teachers spend time planning their lessons for the next semester. My office is heated by a 1930s-era radiator system and sometimes it makes odd noises. Today I was reading an article online and I heard an odd, dry, fluttery sound behind me.

And my first thought was that I didn't want to turn around because I was afraid I'd see a giant moth fluttering around the back of my office.

Yes, a giant moth. That's where my mind jumped. Not "Oh, radiator noise," or "Oh, a bat" or "Oh, a standard-sized moth," all of which would have made more sense than giant moth.

I wonder how old I'll be before I stop fearing giant, nonexistent bugs.

Not much going on

I'm not going to post P's monthly milestones anymore, since he's pretty much met all of his two-year milestones. I will mention, though, that he's starting to speak in two-word sentences sometimes, and he's even starting to ask, "What that?" A lot of his speech is still jargon, but he's improving.

Recently a friend of mine asked what I've been up to lately, and I responded, "Working and being knocked up." Even though he reminded me that I'm very lucky, and I know that I am, I can't help but wish that sometimes my life consisted of being an employee, then a mama. This weekend Mike is taking P out so I can have some alone time. That'll be good.

Next week I have my OB appointment, and I'm relieved. I'm at that awkward point in pregnancy where I'm not sick anymore, but I don't feel a whole lot of movement, so I feel less pregnant than I did a month ago. It seems like at some point every day I feel a little tap-tap or swoosh, but I can't decide if it's Bernamon, or my lunch. So I'll be happy to get to the doctor and hear the heartbeat. Plus I'm pretty sure that's the appointment where I'll get the prescription for my ultrasound. I can't wait for that. I'm dying to know if we're having a boy or a girl.

So life has been pretty quiet lately, but not bad. It makes for boring reading, but pleasant living.

Frisbee Golf

Today at work I was observing a severely cognitively disabled student in gym class because I heard that it was her favorite class and that she was so interactive during gym. As it turns out, that was an overstatement. Instead I got to watch an hour of kids doing gym class.

Everyone in the class had significant cognitive disabilities so it was neat to watch how much they loved gym. The main activity was playing frisbee golf. The gym teacher divided the kids up into three teams, and because the teams were uneven asked me if I'd be on a team to even it up.

That's how I found myself participating in a high school gym class for the first time in ten years.

Now, the object of frisbee golf is to throw your frisbee into a thing that looks kind of like a bucket with an umbrella over it. You take one shot, and then walk to wherever it landed, and take another shot from there. It didn't take me long to figure out that if I just tossed it near the goal, instead of letting it fly wildly in the general direction of the goal in an attempt to hit the goal right away, I could take another shot standing a lot closer. I got all my goals within two shots, which was a lot less than most of the kids. Unfortunately the kids had a lot more energy and willingness to run than I did, so almost without fail, I was the last one to make my goals and be able to sit down.

Do you know what it's like to get schooled at frisbee golf by a bunch of teenagers?

For that matter, have you ever had to play frisbee golf?

While pregnant?

And wearing dress clothes?

And wearing dress shoes?

And running on a slippery gym floor?

It doesn't go well.

It was an interesting experience, but I'm so glad I don't have mandatory gym classes anymore.

Video on Self-Defense