Nada

This is a post that is written for the sole purpose of having posted something. It is odd to have the urge to blog when one has no idea what to say. It is more consistent with my life experience to not be anywhere near my blog but to be writing an imaginary blog in my head about whatever it is I want to say at that time.

I am work waiting for a student to finish a test they missed. Instead of being productive with work stuff, I am catching up on internet stuff.

I ate a nice combo of stir fried rice, beans and various vegetables for lunch. It's been a decent option for my finicky stomach. Recently, many of the foods in our home have suddenly become anathema to me. It is unfortunate, because we currently possess large quantities of those things. But Dirk is valiantly chipping away at our supply of these items. Also, I recently discovered that I might like to live on Annie's Homegrown Cinnamon Bunny Grahams alone, though I try to exercise restraint. I am not actually throwing up, though I think I could quite easily do so if I wished. But I fervently wish not too.

In other developments, our two new trees are looking good. The cherry tree (aka Walter) is putting out buds and the Black Hills Spruce (aka Larry, The Christmas Tree) is looking good as new. Dirk recently purchased a reel lawn mower, and spent an hour and a half pushing it around our yard last night. We're hoping to get rid of as much grass as possible, but all in due time. We'll be adding blueberry, raspberry and lilac bushes soon and cutting out a vegetable garden and a native wildflower garden. We'll also likely be getting the backyard fenced for kids and dogs. Though we'd love to just have a natural fence of lilacs, it probably isn't a practical barrier.

Olivia, our kitty, will turn one on May 15. We think she's showing a little less interest in playing now that she's almost a grown up, but are also aware that we have been less interested in playing now that we're often exhausted. She still gets plenty of affection though, and I let her hone her attack skills with me. For whatever reason, so will only directly attack me. She always stops short with Dirk. Don't worry though; she doesn't bite hard, and I could totally take her if I need to. We both admit to being pretty smitten with her.

The semester is ending. Finals are next week. Can't not be happy about that! Then I have most of the month of May to myself, as does Dirk. I'll be teaching for most of June and some of July, totaling five weeks. Then the rest of the summer is mine.

How to Count

With these pregnancy sites and books, I'm running into the classic problem: Do you start counting at 0 or 1? So either I am six weeks and five days or five weeks and five days. According to this site, which is a pretty cool pregnancy calendar with photos, it's the former. Either way, it's just a counting issue. But I like hearing the bigger number; it's more satisfying.

I'm still not experiencing morning sickness, but my stomach feels somewhat icky, which makes many foods seem unappetizing. What I really like right now is simple popcorn made on the stove.

Week Six, Day Five

This ad on the baby site made me laugh:


Not much is going on. I still feel pretty darn good. I'm just waiting for the big nausea bomb to hit me in the face. And trying to think positively of course.

This picture also gave me pause. I don't know the exact age of this kid, but he's pretty damn young.



These other pictures were interesting too. Most of the baby sites and books just have drawings, not actual photos. So I like these.

TMI Begins Today!

I don't believe my blog has loads of readers, but I do know that there are some "surprise" readers, thanks to Dirk's friendships. So plan on receiving more information via this channel than you normally might if we were meeting in person.

I am bored. This boredom has found me voting for baby names at All Baby Names Polls because that's how non-eventful my five-week-and-three-day pregnancy has been so far. It's like my body expects me to live a normal life while my brain is obsessed with this new information that simply cannot be properly grappled with. Supposedly, the Baby Awesome I am knitting together in my nether regions looks like this:



It is the size of a sesame seed, so I look the same. That did not stop me from wearing my sister's pink maternity pants to work today because well, I'm playing dress up. It reminds me of when I used to wear my mom's maxi pads in my underwear just to practice for later. They don't actually look like maternity pants, but I have to pull the strings VERY tight, or they start working their way off me while I walk. Bending over is also somewhat risque.

And yes, I have some pregnancy symptoms, but nothing intense like barfing all day long. I know it's incredibly stupid to be wishing for morning sickness and I will regret it the moment it actually starts, but something, anything more tangible would be very welcome now. Because I can only read about what this tadpole-tailed-Awesomite looks like so many times before it's all the same-old, same-old.

I think what I'm learning is that Pregnancy is not a hobby. You have to go FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO. Like work, maybe. Maybe I should do some work.

Moments with Olivia

Every night, usually after 3 am, Olivia starts making her visits to me. Sometimes there are several, sometimes just one. When she's not visiting, she's off doing her thing, or sleeping at my feet. Last night was a special visit. I awoke around 3:30 am with Olivia purring on my chest. The purring is normal. What was unusual was that she had her head right up by my chin. This led to what was either a lot of head bunting (which is sweet), or attempts to settle herself around my chin bones. She eventually placed her paws on either side of my chin, and they felt so soft on my cheeks. She was essentially cradling my face, and purring away. Ten? or twenty? minutes later, she surprised me with three rough licks on the cheek and went her own way.

I so love her.