Sunday, August 31

I hate phones

So, apparently Russ called again on Thursday. It was "the" phone call they get. And my phone never even rang. It didn't register a missed call... nothing... just... a message. While that is all wonderful, I had my phone next to me the ENTIRE day, knowing that he would probably call... and then my phone malfunctions or the cell phone towers are busted or whatever. I should have had him call his parent's land line. But I can't remember if I was out or not. I know that Vincente and I took a long nap Thursday afternoon, because we slept through playgroup. We did a lot of shopping earlier that day, so I can't imagine that we were gone anywhere in the evening.

So I am now very very depressed. The only thing that was keeping me going this weekend was the thought that he would call sometime this week. And now I don't even have that. Now I have nothing until he sends a letter, because he didn't even have a mailing address. Maybe I'll just send something to the fort addressed to him and hope it gets to him. I miss him sooo much and I really need to have some form of communication or things will get really bad.

If I disappear from the face of the planet for the next 48 hours, don't send the search parties. Unless I don't show up for school on Tuesday... then start looking.

Friday, August 29

phone calls

Okay, so you know you're pathetically aching for a person when you use their phone to call your phone (so you can find your phone) and then when you finally find your phone, you see that you've missed calls from that person, and your heart jumps... then you remember that it was really just you calling yourself... and you feel really stupid.

On a lighter note, I have talked to Russ about three times since he's been gone, and since he's only been gone since Monday night, I'd say that's pretty good! The phone call on Thursday morning was definitely sorely needed. He had to call to ask some questions about his top secret security clearance background check thing. That's right. My husband is going to have top secret security clearance. Actually, knowing that makes me a little more afraid for him serving in the military. I mean, the people in the most danger in times of war are the infantry men, the guys holding the guns on the front lines and actually killing people. But next to that, and even in times of "peace" - the guys with the top secret knowledge - those are the ones whose names are probably top on the hit lists. Now, Russ is just a grunt, so it's not like he's going to know some crazy official confidential government secrets... but just the same... it makes me more nervous.

But he's going to love his military job - I just know it. It's totally him - learning languages, talking to people from all over the world and traveling all over the world. It just suits him perfectly. And I don't mind the military-wife life. In fact, it's something I always expected that I would do. I knew that if I married the kind of man I wanted to marry, he would probably either be in the military, or end up serving at some point in our marriage. We'll see how much I like it if he ever gets deployed to Iraq :-{

wee hours

Maybe my body is just used to getting 5 hours of sleep instead of 8. That compounded with the fact that I'm just finishing my first trimester, so I'm going from the stage where I can't eat anything substantial or I'll puke, to the stage where I have to be constantly stuffing my face with whatever I can get my hands on. So I keep waking up at 3:45 (and yes... it is about 3:45 every morning... not 3:30, not 4:00... 3:45) with my nose stuffed beyond breathability, my bladder so full I feel like I might explode, and my stomach growling obscenities at me. Yes. That is second trimester bliss. I am soooo excited...

Anyway, this morning it worked out okay, because I'm leaving around 5:20 to go to a step aerobics class with my MIL. I've worked it out now so I'll go to step on Mondays and Fridays, run Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and go for an evening walk with my neighbor on Wednesday evenings. So I've got my life pretty active. Hopefully it also helps me distract myself from the fact that my sweet husband is gone for a few months. I got to talk to him yesterday morning, so that makes three time since he left Monday night. That's pretty good, if you ask me! It's been keeping me sane. I can't wait to get letters. Just the anticipation of knowing that eventually there will be something in the mailbox for you makes the missing someone more bearable.

Wednesday, August 27

the loneliness bird

"Deep inside me the loneliness bird laid a large stone egg."
 - The Power of One

I'm really missing Russ. It hits me the hardest when I'm alone... so I try not to be alone. I try to just stay around Vincente and the rest of the huge Rowley clan whenever I can. Then I get distracted and I can't think about it too much.

But when I'm hanging out by myself... that's when it starts getting to me.

I think I was starting to get really used to Russ... and now that he's gone, I realize what I had all that time. Sometimes you take for granted what is right in front of you... and once it's gone, you realize what you would do to keep it there forever. Good thing this BCT thing is only a few months. Of course, then it's on to MORE training... *sigh* I'm just anxious for the day when we get to live in the same house again. Which actually won't be until the spring... that's a looong time!! :( I miss my Russell-head...

Tuesday, August 26

going solo

So Russ is officially Active Duty and off to Basic Training. I'm starting to feel lonely a little bit, but it's not too bad, yet. I'm keeping myself distracted, and Vincente is keeping me company. I've been collecting syllabi for my classes this semester so I can go buy books and start on homework a week early. I know... lame-0 me. But I might as well... this semester is going to be the hardest ever. It is the last, though, so hopefully I can make it to the end.

We found out that Russ is going to AIT right after Basic Training, so that means this baby is going to have to be born on a weekend. Since my due date is a weekend, I'm thinking that I can just be induced on my due date (hopefully I don't go earlier!). I'm not sure they would let him take time off training in order to see his baby born. It's important for us that he is there for the birth, so induction is starting to sound like a good idea. I had to be on Pitocin for Vincente's delivery, so I already know that my body responds well to the drug. It's not incredibly dangerous or risking, especially if I get induced on or after my due date. I'm pretty sure of my due date, since we were trying to get pregnant for a few months before it actually happened. I was keeping track of dates :) Anyway, I've been talking to my friend, another Becca, who had to be induced with her first. She did it without an epidural or any other drugs at all (besides the GBS anti-biotic). Of course, she didn't feel any of the contractions except during transition. I was in (hard) labor for six days with Vincente, and I took it without an epidural. I won't say it was pleasant, or that I would EVER want to do it again, but I think if I can take hard contractions that long, I should be able to take the Pitocin induced contractions for a while. Not to mention that I had to sit through about an hour of REALLY strong Pitocin induced contractions before I delivered Vincente... that was probably the worst thing I have ever had to endure. Anyway, so I'm feeling more and more confident about that possibility. I've found a CNM in Sierra Vista (probably where we will live), and the hospital sounds really nice. I'm going to talk to my CNMs about it at my next prenatal checkup in a few weeks to see what they think.

Other than that, it's school... and school.... and being a mom! Alone. For the next 4 months. How depressing. I love Russ, and I miss him so much already, and he's only been gone less than 24 hours!! I don't want to admit it, but I'm in really bad shape... I'm still in my PJs and it's after 3pm. I haven't really had much to eat - just enough to keep me from being nauseas, and I haven't really done much productive today... even though I really should. Tomorrow I'm going to go to campus to get my books and get ready for school... maybe that will help me pull out of it. I'm sure once school starts I won't have a problem - I'll be too busy to think about it.

Monday, August 18

Ship the Grad

So it's been a while - things have been crazy with school and getting Russ ready to ship, not to mention raising a 1 1/2 year old and being pregnant all at the same time! Every time you think life is going to get a little easier, it never does, the challenges are just different at different stages in your life.

The plan is to ship Russ to Basic Training here in about a week. There's a lot to do this week - a huge to do list that hopefully will get done before he leaves. He'll be there for about three months, then hopefully we'll be able to go out for his graduation. The plan will probably be to fly into Little Rock and then drive up with my folks. After that it's either 6 months of AIT, or 2 years of learning Chinese in Cali at the DLI. I'm hoping for DLI first, since he can live with us and has the evenings off and such. With AIT, he lives in the barracks and only has the weekends off. In that case, when I have baby, it better come on a weekend!

The two minutes that I had to write are gone, and now Vincente is begging me to take him outside... sooo... outside we go!!

Tuesday, August 5

queasy

So I thought I had staved off morning sickness, but it just turns out that it didn't make its full force entrance until this past week. I'm trying to take it easy and try to get over the nausea, but some days it's really hard.

Bleh... hopefully it only lasts a few more weeks (like last pregnancy).

We'll see.

Saturday, August 2

the countdown

As is probably obvious from the lack of posts for the past few days, the boredom has ceased. Or at least eased. Life is picking up again, what with Russ leaving for Basic in a few weeks, school winding down, and Vincente becoming more and more of a toddler. Oh yeah, and the pregnancy. I've been trying to take it easy so I don't become a puking machine like I was with Vince. So far no vomit - but it's getting close. As long as I eat some dry cereal first thing in the morning while I'm laying down with a baby ice pack alternating from my stomach to my neck to my forehead and back again, I'm usually pretty good by lunch time. And I have to keep eating. I've also discovered hard mints work wonders as well, especially if I can't eat something right away. The little sugar rush spikes my blood sugar for a minute, and sucking on sometime helps ease the nausea. So I'm learning how to deal.

Russ is still working and working out and drilling for the National Guard. We only have three weeks left until he leaves for Basic. It's kind of depressing. We're making videos for Vince so he can remember Russ while he's gone. I don't want Vincente to forget his Pai in four months! But he's so little, it's going to be hard.

School this fall is going to be a challenge. Mostly because I will be away from Vincente for so much time every day. That is just going to be hard for me. It's already hard being away from him for 5 hours three days a week. But this fall it will be every day, and more time than that! :( I think I will start driving to school all the time so I can get there faster. We'll have to see how finances are in the fall.

Anyway, so there's life right now. Russ and I are planning a little weekend getaway right before he leaves, but we have to find a cheap place to stay first. Hopefully we can find something soon.

Thursday, July 17

bored

I think this is the first day I have been bored for... at least a year. The first few months of Vincente's life were a little boring - no school, no entertaining toddler, no work, etc. But after that, he got pretty entertaining (not to mention a HANDFUL!) and on top of that there was work and school. But now... school is so easy it's a joke. I don't work. Vincente has so many people to keep him occupied here at the in-laws. I have nothing. The time he is distracted isn't quite enough time to do anything particularly productive, but it's just enough time to leave me wondering what I should do. Bored. Bored. Bored.

Maybe I should start making little lists of short things to do when I get bored. And if it wasn't so freaking hot outside, Vincente and I could spend all our time outside! But it's so hot, so I can't stand to be out there for more than a few minutes. Vince doesn't seem to mind, which is great for him, but a pain for me, since we don't have a fenced yard, which means I have to keep chasing after him so he doesn't run into the street. He's pretty good about staying out of the street, but only if no one else is outside. He loves the dogs, and he loves to get wet. I've been trying to buy him a kiddie pool so I can just set that up, sit myself next to it under the big umbrella and watch him have a blast. He would probably play in a kiddie pool for hours, especially if it was the kind with sprinklers. I've thought of building one on my own, but I don't really have the desire all the time. Only when I'm laying in bed in the morning, savoring the moments of quiet I get while he is still asleep.

The high tomorrow in Monterey is 67 degrees. I almost started crying when I read that. I LOVE MILD WEATHER!! It is WAY to hot in the freaking Utah sun, and it makes me cranky. I love to be outside, but there is no shade for miles, and the sun is so blazing hot. Living in Arkansas I never thought I would miss the humid, lazy summer days... but Arkansas heat is so much more bearable. Plus, my parents yard? I think there is a cumulative 700 square feet of their yard NOT covered in beautiful, blissful shade. Everyone's yards are shady. I miss sitting in the humid shade, still sweaty, but not uncomfortably sweating. Just that little moisture to your skin that makes you feel like you're cuddling with someone. I would take Vincente outside every day in Arkansas. And I would probably play with him in the yard, too, instead of sit in the shade while he runs around getting hot and sweaty. Kids seem to have a high tolerance for weather (at least, they think they do!)

I can't wait to live in Monterey. We're going to go outside every day. All day. For the whole year. We're going to go on walks, go swim in the neighborhood pool on the hotter days (like the ones that get in the 80s!!!), and ride bikes, run around, be crazy and enjoy the outside air ... FINALLY. I can't wait for fall weather... cool breezes... shade... a little rain maybe... ooooh..... I'm crying just thinking about it!

On another note, today I finally made a trip to WalMart, since I had a list for all the things I needed - a belt for the vacuum, Vincente's WIC food, a few new sippy cups, and some protein bars. So I get to Wally World, find everything non-food that I need, then I go to round up the WIC food. The first disappointment - no Life cereal. It's Vince's favorite, and my favorite for him, since it is relatively low-sugar, and still has some good fiber. So I go for Multi-grain Cheerios - still a little sweet (more sugar than Life) but still a little healthy. But the Cheerios only come in the weirdest box weights - 12.8 oz. I don't think I have ever seen a cereal box that came in 12.8 oz. Now, 12.8+12.8 = 25.6 Show me a box of cereal that is 10.4 oz? They don't exist. The smallest cereal (WIC approved, of course) I could find was regular oatmeal, and it was something like 11.5oz. So, here I can't get Vince's favorite cereal AND I can't even get 36oz of cereal that he will eat. So, I resign myself to forgoing the 10.4oz - it's not really worth the frustration.

Then to the juice. No apple juice. Not just no WIC approved apple juice... but no frozen apple juice. Period. By now I'm fuming. I just spent over an hour in the store looking for random things like party hats and vacuum belts, and now I can't get my WIC. I drove on my almost empty tank to WalMart to get WIC, and now I can't get WIC. My trip was almost utterly wasted. There was no way I was going to go carting Vince and everything else around WalMart to put back the WIC foods, so I just took them to the counter and told them to put them back for me. Anyway, I got home, talked to Russ for a while, and eventually felt a lot better, and less frustrated, about the whole situation. One reason it was so frustrating is that I am the only person on the vouchers, so I have to get the food, I can't send someone else to do it for me. I'm going to see if I can get my MIL to come down next week and get on the packet so she can do the shopping if I can't get out, or if she's out shopping and I'm not. That will be much better.

Anyway, so I am relieving my bored feeling by writing this insanely long post to our blog. Sorry you have to read all this. Bless you for being my friend! :)

Wednesday, July 16

mine is the best

I have officially decided that Vince is by far the cutest kid in the entire world.

He has soooo much personality for such a little guy! He's only been around for 15 months and already he thinks he knows everything. He makes the most amusing expressions, and he knows that they are amusing, and so he makes them again and again. Weirdo. We love him sooooo much.

Can't wait for the next one! :)

Tuesday, July 15

letting the cat out

So, I've decided to just come out with it - we're expecting!

The Baby isn't due until mid-March, and our insurance doesn't pay for ultrasounds unless a doctor requires it. So The Baby will probably be its official title until then. Not too big of a deal... unless it's a girl, because we don't have any girl stuff. I'm pretty certain it's a boy, but you never know!

So I had my intake appointment at the midwife clinic where I was seen for Vince. It's really far away from us now, since we've moved to the inlaws, but since we're moving to Cali in December anyway, I decided it would be just fine to make the trip so I can see the same midwives for a while. It didn't make sense to change midwives now, and then change midwives again when we move to Cali. Mostly I just filled out paper work, then they took some of my pee and some of my blood to do all the routine OB tests, then I found out that I am actually 6 weeks along! Hooray.

Things have been going well, so far. No nausea, which is way different than with Vince. With my first, I was sick by the beginning of week 5. I chalk it up to being more active this time around. I run 6-9 miles each week, at a pretty decent pace, so I feel pretty in shape. I also do more yoga and a little weight lifting (when I can squeeze it in!) I'm also eating more regularily and better food, because I started a nice healthy diet before I got pregnant. Now I'm just used to eating better food more often (in smaller amounts) which really helps with everything!

So there you have it!! The exciting news!

Monday, July 14

productivity

I felt very productive this weekend. I got my proof written for Number Theory, today I presented a different proof in class, I finished most of my Geometry homework due Wednesday, and I applied for graduation and paid a bunch of random fees (from blue books, test late fees, etc).

So anyway, I feel very productive. The bus doesn't come for about another hour and a half, so I'm going to hang out here in the computer lab and type some stuff for my book. Maybe I'll work on some homework, too, but I have time to do that later! And hopefully, I'll even be able to go for a run this evening! The weather has been really nice. Maybe we'll go on a family run and put Vince in the jogging stroller. Maybe we'll do that for our FHE activity. Who knows, Vince might even fall alseep!!

Sunday, July 13

mother vindicated

I'm going to write a book about motherhood. An LDS non-fiction kind of thing. I'm going to do a lot of research, talk to a lot of LDS scholars (MFHD people and the likes) and write a book. There is something that Janice Kapp Perry said to us at the Stake RS retreat that really struck me. About personal expression and mothering and time and order. It helped me SO much. And then I bore testimony of the truth of it during sacrament meeting last week, and today another young mother approached me about how true it rang to her as well, and how it helped her.

And it's something that I think a lot of young mothers need to hear, especially ones who before they were mothers were very active in their own personal development and personal expression.

So yeah, maybe in a few years you might find my book at Deseret Book.

Thursday, July 3

the good life

There is something really amusing about watching your one year old pretend everything and anything remotely rectangular is a car. He even makes the car sounds. What a great kid.

No school until Monday, no homework (two take home tests to being working on, but nothing high stress). I love how the weeks just keep flying by, taking me closer and closer to graduation. 

Tuesday, July 1

easy going

Russ is completely done. Officially. He passed his classes with high enough scores to graduate, so he is done. It's a big load off of him. I knew all along that he would pass his classes. He doubted himself. He's so great, and he never seems to see that.

Vincente is learning so much! At 15 months, he's already naming almost everything he sees (even if he names it incorrectly). He loves saying "Car", "Dog", "Bus", and "Show". He just walked up to the piano and said "I play?" He LOVES playing the piano. What an awesome kid! We're so lucky to have him! I especially love when he snuggles me and needs me, because he is still just a baby!!

School is going super well, just like last term. I think this final stretch is going to be a refreshing finish for me.

Then Jetters comes home from Italy! And we'll probably go visit her at home, go to her homecoming, and stuff like that.

So life is just moving along, bubbly and wonderful.

Thursday, June 26

the first day

So, now I will finally write about the first day of classes, even though it's been two days of classes. I am taking survey of Geometry (taught by a high school geometry teacher) and Number Theory, taught by the cutest British professor.

Both should be pretty easy. And Vincente gets to hang out with our portuguese speaking friend, Emily. I know it's been really good for him so far - he gets to hear another person speak Portuguese, so it's not as hard for him to learn. Anyway, he spends time with her while I'm in class, and then we come home and hang out with O Pai.

I have a feeling this summer is going to be perfect. I love my family, and hopefully we'll be able to grow into a family of four!

Monday, June 23

The Seattle Trip








So, now I write about our trip to Seattle. This was our summer vacation, since Pai will be off to basic training at the end of the summer, and until then, the Mama is in school until December. Seattle was the big trip of the year. Well, here we go:

Thursday -
Early flight out to Seattle. Russ' aunt drove us up and we flew with Sisty the whole way. Vincente did pretty well on his first airplane ride, until the end when he started getting tired and needing to relieve himself. We let him run around for a while, and then changed a few very full diapers.

Arrival in Seattle. We rented a car. Instead of being a sedan, it ended up being an Eclipse - a two door compact sports car. But since we only needed to go one way with five pieces of luggage and four people (three adults plus a baby in a car seat) and we had been traveling for so long, we decided to make it work. We packed in like sardines and made it to the hotel in Bellevue where we would stay with Mom and Dad Werner.

Then we met up with the rest of the family at Ross and Janie's house in Seattle. We spent some time hanging out, then walked a few blocks to the neighborhood golf course and driving range where we practiced on the driving range for a while, then played a 9-hole 3-person family scramble. I played on a team with Dad Werner and Ross. O Pai played on a team with Mom Werner and Wayne. My team won with +5, and Pai's team came in second, I think, with +8 or 9.

After the golf scramble we went home and hung out for a while. We did a little grocery shopping at the neighborhood market. One nice thing about Seattle - there is no big WalMart, just little neighborhood markets where you can go grocery shopping a few blocks away, whenever you need something. Then we made waffles at Ross and Janie's with strawberry, peach, or raspberry toppings.

Friday -







First thing Friday morning we drove out to Snoqualmie Falls, a BEAUTIFUL park about 20 minutes east of Seattle. First we spent some time on a neat gazebo overlooking the falls. The wind carried the spray over to the gazebo. It felt pretty nice, actually. Then we hiked down a steep 1/2 mile trail to the river feeding from the falls. We pushed Vincente in his stroller down the hill, which was tough, but not nearly as tough as pushing him back up. That's what we have Pai's for, though, so Papai pushed him back up the hill. Then we had a nice picnic lunch in the park, sandwiches and salads, etc.



Then it was back to Ross and Janie's for a little hang out time.

After that, Dad and Mom Werner tooks us out to eat at Ivar's Acres of Clams. It was GREAT food. Then we were back off home to hang out until bedtime.

Ross and Vince were munching on french fries at just about the same rate. Like uncle, like nephew?








Saturday -
Saturday morning, Russ and I ran the Puget Sound Race for the Cure. We ended up losing each other between paying for parking and picking up our bibs and shirts, so we ended up picking up two sets of shirts and bibs. Then we found each other about a minute before the race started, but still a block and a half from the start line. So we booked it to the start line, but then ended up taking a minute to get to the start line after they blew the horn to start. So our clocked time was 29 minutes an 22 seconds, but minus the time it took to get to the start line, it was probably more like 28 1/2 minutes.

After the run, we went shopping on our own at a little mall in Bellevue. Russ needed some workout gear and I needed a hairbrush.



The rest of Saturday was spent in downtown Seattle, shopping, eating, playing (Vince loved the pigeons. They didn't share the same sentiment, unfortunately, but he had fun chasing them!)

Saturday evening we went on the Underground Tour of Seattle. Vincente loved running around on the uneven floors underground, and had some entertaining conversations with the tour guide. The tour was about the history of Seattle - 33 city blocks were raised out of the tide flats. The problem was that when the tide was high, the streets got really muddy, and people even drowned in the streets!! (the puddles were called "chuck holes" - because of the chuck wagons that caused them) Vince also made some friends with a few girls on the tour as well. One of them received the first "stranger" high five of the trip! He probably had a crush on her :)

That night for dinner we went to Orexi, a Greek restaurant, for Ross' birthday. It was way good food, but by the time we got to our entrees, we'd filled outselves up on the appetizers! Russ could have eaten more (he got a pasta entree AND a huge salad!!) but we were so tired, and so full, we just boxed it all. Russ ended up eating some of his leftovers for breakfast the next day. He is the only person I know who eats pasta for breakfast :)



Sunday -

Sunday was our last day in Seattle. We caught sacrament meeting with Darla and Brian and their boys, then headed over to Ross and Janie's again where we cooked up some mean Tate Verdi ("Green Potatoes") - basically a creamy pesto sauce over potatoes and chicken. Yummy stuff. My dad's brother, Art, and a few of his kids and grandkids came over as well. Oh, and during all this stuff, GG Joan and Grandpa Cec came along. Art came for most things as well.

After dinner, we sat with GG Joan and looked through family pictures. GG was identifying people so Ross could scan them and preserve some of our family history. We also got Dad Werner, Art, and GG Joan telling stories about where Dad and Art grew up and some of their experiences. Ross recorded it so we can add it to our family history. Unfortunately I didn't get to find out anything new about the Werner side. GG Joan didn't know a whole lot about that side of the family.

At last came time for our flight home. We struggled finding the airport - took the wrong ramp at the interchange and ended up half way to Tacoma before realizing where we were going. But at last we made it to the airport! The flight was delayed in from Chicago, so instead of arriving in SLC at 10:30, we arrived at 11:20. Dad Rowley picked us up at the airport and drove us home to Salem, where we headed straight to bed, just in time for the Mama to get some shuteye before her first day of classes for summer term! But that is a story for another day!

Wednesday, June 11

the end

No, I don't mean the end of our blog. I just mean the end of school! Forever! Well, the end of bachelors studies for Russ. My school story is going to stretch out for a few more months (about 6 to be exact). But Russ will be an official BYU graduate next Thursday! (assuming he passes all his classes :D ) I am super excited.
Then the rest of the summer will be WAY more relaxed for us. Well, not if you count getting ready to ship to basic. But as far as time-consuming school, it's finished! I almost never thought it would happen, and here I am, waiting for my sweet husband to take his last finals! And then we're off to Seattle for a MUCH needed vacation.

Hooray for no more school for Russ. I think he deserves this!

Friday, June 6

Vincente-Speak

Vincente is getting more and more vocal. He's learning so many words. He says "luz" whenever he sees a light (luz = light, portuguese). He also says Hi, Hello, Bye, Cracker, More, Please, Uh-Oh, All Gone, Grandma, Thank You and Outside. All of these have signs with them, except Uh-Oh and Grandma (and of course, More and Please are practically the same word to him).

So, here is a Vincente translation so you can communicate with him when you see him:

"Hi" - hi
"Heh - low" - hello
"Baiyee" - bye
"Crah-crah" - cracker
"Sss" or sometimes "Ssssee" - more/please
"Uh-oh" - uh-oh
"Ah gah" - all gone
"A ma" - grandma
"Asigh, asigh" - outside
"Ayn chtoo" - thank you

He is so smart. He understands pretty much everything I say, and he is very obedient. I don't want to boast, but I think it because I try really hard to help him do whatever it is I ask him to do ("Come here," "Bring that to mama," "Sit down," etc) and then give him oodles of praise when he does what I ask. I think a child's development depends a lot on how hard you work with them, trying to communicate, playing, showing them things, letting them show you things.

Being a mom is the greatest thing I have ever done.

Friday, May 23

earthquake

The JKB is going to fall down. I just know it.

A crane just outside this building is hammering huge metal beams into the ground. A side effect is the JKB feels like it's going to crumble into a million piece. Oh, and you can't hear the professor. But that's not important anyway :) Who pays attention in class in the first place?!