New Baby Pics!

Saturday we went and had a 3-D Ultrasound. Here are a couple of pics. She is apparently very camera shy. She wouldn't move her hand away from her face for most of the time we were there. The 3-D pic that is my current profile picture is the best shot of her face (and hand!) we could get.

We did get another confirmation that she is in fact a girl! Whew! We have about 40 pictures of her arm and one of her leg (also up in front of her face). If you want to see them all we can let you borrow the CD-ROM. There's also a couple of movies on the CD-ROM from the ultrasound.

Ironing . . . for a newborn?

Well, I have started washing all of the clothes, blankets, towels, etc. for the new baby. Did you know you have to wash EVERYTHING before they come? And they have their own special detergent. Some women even wash their own clothes in baby detergent so as not to irritate the baby's skin. I say "toughen up little one-this is the real world!" J/K

So, I love all of the clothes I have recieved from people. But, things you have to iron for a baby? Come on people-think! Really though, some of the outfits I am referring to are my favorite ones, but I don't have too many clothes that I iron. Isn't that what the dry cleaner is for?

Nemo

We have come to the point in our parenting saga where Connor has decided to become obsessed with Nemo. Everday, all day, he wants to watch Nemo. We watched it 4 times over three days! Maybe I need to get out of the house more...

I don't think he would be happy with this picture titled "I Found Nemo".

Feelin Old

Well, It's here the big 3-0. You know how people ask you if you feel any older on your birthday? Well, today I do. But, I think it is from lack of sleep.

Connor has decided not to go to bed at night. Last night he was up past 11:00. He just plays in his room until he falls asleep-with the light on. Then the light wakes him up later and he cries. So we turn the light off and get him back into bed, but he gets out and turn the lights back on. The cycle continues. We got him a night light to no avail.

Last night he seemed scared so I got in bed with him for a few minutes, but every time I tried to leave he would start crying. Finally at about 4 in the morning I took him back to our bed. His bed is really uncomfortable! Maybe that is his problem.

Anyway, it is 10:40 and he is still asleep. Good or bad?
If anyone has any suggestions on how to curtail this problem let me know!

Countdown to the big one!

*No I am not talking about the big earthquake predicted here in California. I am talking about my 30th birthday. I will be 30 tomorrow.
I am feeling wierd about this birthday. I am no longer a 20-something. But I know there are great things to come in my life! It's just strange moving to that next decade.

*Well, I have to cover what happened on The View yesterday. I didn't see it personally, but Star Jones has quit The View. Apparently she was planning on making the announcement Friday, but shocked all on the show by announcing it yesterday. I heard she said some things on live TV that were not very nice(?). Anyway, today I made a point to watch the show and she's GONE! They took her out of the credits, they got a guest host, who Barbara thanked for agreeing to come so last minute. Then Barbara even made a cryptic joke about Star. It was wierd. I though there would be more closure (you know a farewell Star type of deal). Star has always bugged me on that show, so no big loss!

Wisdom remains...for now

Well, I did not get my wisdom teeth out after all. When I got there my dentist decided if I am not in pain he wanted to just wait until after I have the baby. Why couldn't they have told me that before I made the appointment and arranged child care??????

Well, at least I don't have to deal with the pain or grogginess...for now.

Becoming less wise

Today I become more stupid. Today I am getting my two remaining wisdom teeth out. Why do they call them wisdom teeth anyway? Is it because you get them when you are older so you are supposedly more wise? Don't most people get them in their teens? I don't know any teens I would call "wise". (maybe wise a**) Maybe they named them hundreds of years ago when people only lived to be 30 or 40 and got married in their teens, so were officially adults.

So, now that I am losing my remaining wisdom, I will be turning 30. I can't believe this day is just around the corner! I have been dreading it. Although I don't feel like a 20 something any more (married, two kids, teaching for 8 years), but I definitely don't feel like a 30 something. Identity crisis?!?!

Last Day!

Yea! The last day of school has arrived and with it 7 weeks of pre-baby maternity leave built right in! Of course I won't get paid... But 7 weeks to prepare for baby day!

I am so sick of school right now. I have had a really great year, but the last week of school is always so hard. The kids are so hyper and loud! Even if you show a movie they talk the whole time! Today I had a kid shoving another kid, then picked up his science fair project and hit the other kid over the head with it! Needless to say, I sent him to the office and he will not be attending my class tomorrow.

I told a few kids today, that were goofing around, that I spend the whole year liking you-don't ruin it today and make me not like you on the last day of school!

I have spent the last week preparing my classroom for a long term substitute for September. It is a lot of work trying to remember everything to tell the sub. The problem is I have to think of absolutely EVERY little detail to tell the sub because he will be training my kids to do everything the way I want. I have already typed like 6 pages-single spaced! I have photocopied enough stuff to last till November and have to file it all. Anyway, I have not had a relaxing last week of school!

Well, Baby day is officially Monday, August 7th! I will be having a c-section, so we schedule it ahead of time. For those of you who don't know, when I had Connor I was in labor for 12 hours and only dialated to 5 cm. They decided to do a c-section, which ended being a good thing because the cord was wrapped around Connor's neck.

Please Help Treasure!

There is a little girl from my school district who needs surgury and the state is not doing there part to get the funding in time before she loses most of her tongue. Please visit the website for the whole story and please consider making a donation! Our school has raised thousands of dollars in just a couple of weeks! It is so good to see the kids do something philanthropic!

Oh-read the Mother's letter on the website-it will touch your heart!

http://www.friendsoftreasure.com/home.html

Footbinding

I am currently reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.
This is a novel about the life of a chinese woman I believe in the late 1800's or early 1900's. It tracks her entire life, talks about the customs and traditions of her region, explains different rituals, ceremonies, festivals, etc. It is extremely interesting and a great story. I highly recommend it!

Anyway, the book details the custom of footbinding, which I knew little about. I find it a horrible, painful, and unnecesary custom. I am wondering if this awful tradition might have been invented by a man. Here is why (a quote from pg 37 of the book):
" 'The cleft is as deep as this inner girl's folds. She will make her husband a happy man.' ... 'The way her heel curves dowm like a sac with her forefoot pointed out just so will remind her husband of his own member. All day long that lucky man will be thinking of bed business.' "
Reminds him of his member?

Ummmm-phallic looking feet...sounds like it was invented by a man.

Here is a site that shows more about footbing. WARNING: Graphic Pictures!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding
OR
http://www.sfmuseum.org/chin/foot.html

Oops-I may have caused deaths?

Apparently my rage against the shorts may have caused some overseas tragedies. Here is a post from my friend Aileen's blog:

Did you hear this story: "An Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players were shot to death this week in Baghdad because they were wearing shorts." See, k144, your animosity toward shorts has resulted in an overseas attack. Muslim extremists? Or passersby tired of pasty cheese thighs?

Shorts or die

I am not a shorts person. I hate wearing shorts (don't really like my knees). I think I have worn shorts more times in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last 5 years! I am going to die being pregnant in July and August!

Nonnor

We have been trying to get Connor to say his name for a really long time! He's over 2 now so we thought he should be able to say it. Anyway, he finally said it today!!!!! Yeah!!! We are so excited!

We asked him his name and he said "Nonnor". Close enough!

Three outfits a day?

I have gone through three outfitstoday and I don't even have a newborn spitting up on me!! The day is not over-I could end up going through more!

I went to school lookin all cute (ha ha) and made it through the day without incident (although I'm sure if I had taken mac and cheese I would have gotten it on my shirt or my expanding belly).

I went to Costco and as I got home chicken juice leaked out all over my pants and shirt!!!!! So I took my clothes off put them in the washer and proceeded to the fridge.

As I checked the steak purchased last week for freshness the thick, brown juice/blood leaked all over me as well!!!!!!! What is up??????? It also dripped all over the kitchen floor and a little on Connor's head. OH well, it is a bath day today anyway... Needless to say, the steak is no longer good. Luckily I bought the yummy rotissiree (sp?) chicken...

Great American Brown Out...

Well, today was "A Day Without Immigrants". So many people on the radio said they had a great commute or half their class didn't show up to school, etc. It took me forever to get to work (accident on the 210) and I had a couple of kids absent - almost all white kids. Not a major impact in Covina ...

Then we go out to lunch-we had to go to 4 places before we found a place that was open!!!!!! We finally chose Terriaki Bowl because it is owned by an Asian guy so we figured he would be there. Needless to say, by the time we drove all over Covina, got to Terriaki Bowl, ordered and got our food, we had to scarf it down in record time to make it back to school before the tardy bell! I guess Covina was impacted after all.
(I hope I am not offending anyone with my subject line-that's what KFI was calling it today.)