Top 100 Things I Hate About Pregnancy

Just kidding. Although I could easily list 100 reasons, I'll just stick to 10 for now.

10. Stretch marks.
9. Men telling me about their wife's extreme minimal weight gain during pregnancy. (No woman would be stupid enough to talk about gaining less than 30 lbs to another pregnant lady).
8. People telling me I look like I'm going to pop and then asking me if I'm due soon. (And those comments started last month too).
7. Bad skin due to stupid extra hormones.
6. Not being able to sleep on my stomach or with less than nineteen billion pillows holding me up on my side.
5. Co-workers rudely commenting about me wearing tight shirts. (Come on people! I'm outgrowing maternity shirts and I've got 9 more weeks to go, so cut me a break).
4. Not being able to exercise for very long because baby is damaging my siatic nerve.
3. Wicked bad heart burn.
2. Hypothetically speaking, knowing I would pass up a $100 bill on the ground because I'd have to bend over to pick it up.
1. People looking at my belly instead of my face when they talk to me.

Please don't ask me how I'm doing. I'm not a pleasant person. Just be grateful you're not living with me.

Something New

I finally have a few hours to do something I've been delaying for far too long.  I'm sitting at a debate tournament, so I didn't make a mistake when I wrote hours.  People usually write minutes, but I have hours.  The best part about debate for students is the tournament.  On the other hand, it is the worst for the coaches.  It is so boring.  Luckily, I have internet access. Usually, that is not the case.  

I have seen Erin and India awake for about 6 hours this week.  Don't get me wrong, those were quality hours, but come one. That's ridiculous.  For a change, it wasn't even my fault.  Erin worked Monday night, so we had about 30 minutes from the time she got home until I fell asleep.  I've been sick this week, so I've been going to bed early.  The rest of the week Erin spent in Centerville tending for her siblings while her parents were out of town.  Now tonight, I'm at this debate tournament.  Wonderful.  I feel a little bad for leaving tomorrow to go to a soccer game, but I already committed to it.  I'm going with the soccer team to watch the state girls soccer final.  It should be a really good game.

I'm hopefull that this type of week will soon become less frequent.  I'm done with soccer ish.  I'll begin training the boys soon, but only twice a week for an hour or two.  Not near the committment it will become in February.  Then, it'll be back to business.  For now I just have Debate tournaments on the weekend without much during the week.  

I do have something novel that I'll be trying.  I've recruited a few people I work with to start working out together after school twice a week.  For the first session, there were two of us.  We have committments for two more to join us next Tuesday.  I'm hoping that we can get a whole thing going were it will become a sociall/physically positive time shared be colleagues without mention of students. I will also start playing basketball with some guys at an elementary school once a week with some teachers and some friends of teachers.  I did that last year.  It's fun.

On the home front... 

India continues to blow me away.  She has such an awesome personality.  She's definitely her own person.  The other day I was getting her ready for bed.  I changed her diaper and put her down.  She scuttled away to play.  A few minutes later I called her into the living room and said "India go get your pajamas."  She looked right into my eyes and said in her most matter of fact confident posture "YOU get your pajamas."  I was shocked and said "ooh." She cracked up laughing and ran away. I was mad for almost a second 'til I cracked up too.  It was awesome.  She's about a foot and a half tall weighs 25 pounds and owns the house.

Another thing that she says that I love actually really bugs Erin.  Whenever Erin is frustrated by the long day of India has a perfect way of completely deligitimating all of Erin's frustration.  When India can tell that Erin is fed up she tells her "you're happy mommy." Erin will usually respond "No.  I'm mad."  India -- again in her matter of fact way -- says "No.  You're happy."  and smiles.  I love it.  I usually cheer up when she does it too me.  Of course, I don't deal with her all day.  It usually makes Erin even more frustrated.

In short I have plenty right now to keep me busy and even more to keep me satisfied with life. 

My Personality Type

After so long being dismayed by the Color Code test, I've come across another test that I'm not disenchanted by.  I don't know that much about it, so my opinion may change in the future.  Reading the discription below, I actually kind of agree -- and that scares me.  It is so rare for me to agree.  You can take the test too if you would like.  You know how it works.  Follow the link.

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

Your Type is  INTP

Introverted	Intuitive	Thinking	Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
22	62	62	11

Rational Portrait of the Architect (INTP)

Architects need not be thought of as only interested in drawing blueprints for buildings or roads or bridges. They are the master designers of all kinds of theoretical systems, including school curricula, corporate strategies, and new technologies. For Architects, the world exists primarily to be analyzed, understood, explained - and re-designed. External reality in itself is unimportant, little more than raw material to be organized into structural models. What is important for Architects is that they grasp fundamental principles and natural laws, and that their designs are elegant, that is, efficient and coherent.

Architects are rare - maybe one percent of the population - and show the greatest precision in thought and speech of all the types. They tend to see distinctions and inconsistencies instantaneously, and can detect contradictions no matter when or where they were made. It is difficult for an Architect to listen to nonsense, even in a casual conversation, without pointing out the speaker's error. And in any serious discussion or debate Architects are devastating, their skill in framing arguments giving them an enormous advantage. Architects regard all discussions as a search for understanding, and believe their function is to eliminate inconsistencies, which can make communication with them an uncomfortable experience for many.

Ruthless pragmatists about ideas, and insatiably curious, Architects are driven to find the most efficient means to their ends, and they will learn in any manner and degree they can. They will listen to amateurs if their ideas are useful, and will ignore the experts if theirs are not. Authority derived from office, credential, or celebrity does not impress them. Architects are interested only in what make sense, and thus only statements that are consistent and coherent carry any weight with them.

Architects often seem difficult to know. They are inclined to be shy except with close friends, and their reserve is difficult to penetrate. Able to concentrate better than any other type, they prefer to work quietly at their computers or drafting tables, and often alone. Architects also become obsessed with analysis, and this can seem to shut others out. Once caught up in a thought process, Architects close off and persevere until they comprehend the issue in all its complexity. Architects prize intelligence, and with their grand desire to grasp the structure of the universe, they can seem arrogant and may show impatience with others who have less ability, or who are less driven.

Albert Einstein as the iconic Rational is an Architect

Dr. David Keirsey, Robert Rosen, George Soros, Gregory Peck, James Madison, Ludwig Boltzman, Charles Darwin, Adam Smith, and Thomas Jefferson" /> are examples of the Architect Rationals

"I was never a liberal until I moved to Utah." ~Ammon

And he wasn't a "pinko commie lib" until he became an English teacher. Real quotes from real people.

This was fun. I'm not guaranteeing the validity of a test from a website called okcupid, but I really enjoyed the thought-provoking questions on the quiz. Here's the link: http://www.okcupid.com/politics.

Erin's Results Social Moderate (56% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (18% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat

Ammon's Results Social Moderate (41% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (11% permissive) You are best described as a: Strong Democrat

Guess what pregnant bellies are good for?

Catching stuff. Especially contacts when you drop them. If I had had a flat tummy today, who knows how long I would have been blindly searching on my knees.

Isn't this picture amazing and somewhat disturbing? For the record, no, this is not a picture of my belly. Mine is a thousand shades whiter and more grotesque.

I Need a Personal Assistant

Our summer honey

I am completely overwhelmed now that Ammon has gone back to work full-time. I got in the bad habit of using him as a crutch while he was home during June, July, and August. Now I'm all on my own, and I've got to relearn how to juggle India, housecleaning, work, primary, and my extensive michellaneous list again. If any of you life orgazining gurus out there have any helpful advice, do tell. However, if that advice has anything to do with Stephen R. Covey or Oprah, do me a favor and just claim it as your own because Ammon will delete it.

Rare footage: India hardly ever plays with her toys on her own. She'd rather run around with friends or help me with "grown up" stuff.

Our "Things"

Thing 1 is our favorite little girl. But make room . . . today we found out that Thing 2 is also a girl!

First of all, thank you Brittany and Camille for coming to the ultrasound, taking care of India, and being super excited with me! India looked at the ultrasound pictures and told Ammon and me that it was a scary monkey monster, (which is true for one of the pictures - ugh).

Ammon was a wee bit disappointed. However,
his compromise is "Whatever we're having, I'm raising it a boy." Alright Ammon. You tried that with India, and she still fell in love with princesses and high heels. We've got no names picked out yet. Hopefully, Thing 2 will be another cute little girl and not a scary monkey monster.

Busted

Ok. I have somewhat of a confession to make. Sometimes when Erin wants me to clean, I tell her that I can't help 'cause I'm watching India. Usually this means that I want to watch TV, take a nap, or both. Usually it works. Yesterday my plan completely backfired. Oh, it started out like clockwork, but ended a disaster. I was laying down on the couch about to fall asleep. Then guess what happened? David and Susan wanted us to watch Tristan. That's ok 'cause I had my way out of helping. It was even a neighbor's kid I was watching. There was no way Erin could expect me to help. So there I was laying on the couch "watching" Tristan. Really, he was just sitting there and I was doing no work. Ok that was great until India woke up from her nap. She wanted to snuggle Daddy. That's fine, I could still fall asleep holding her with Tristan sitting beside. I got comfortable and about to fall asleep when Whamo -- Hannah knocked on the door and wanted "us" to watch Asher. Great, now I was holding Asher while snuggling India with Tristan sitting beside. There was still a possibility that I might get to take a nap if I was persistent. I started one final attempt at getting comfortable enough to nod off. Then another knock at the door. Josie, Bryce, and Collin came over to visit. No Nap.

Hubba Hubba

Our nephew, Asher-man. Cutest boy in the world.

Style Lesson #1

Personal Style: Princess-Rock Star. What's a girl without her heels . . .
princess crown . . .
bling-bling shades . . .
and, of course, her purse?

Super Adorable India

Since I have been feeling better, I've tried to use my time to be somewhat productive in life. (That doesn't include making dinner though). Ammon has been home for the summer, and we are soaking in our time with him since we don't plan on seeing him till Christmas Break once school starts. India's latest accomplishments are being able to count to 10 and saying her full name.

Picking rasberries at Grandpa and Grandma's house with David, Marshall, Rachel, Nathanael, and Jared. We missed seeing you this last time Grandpa!!!
Satisfied. We love this girl.

That Amazing Brain

I recently took a trip to Orlando, Florida to attend a “Model Schools” conference for work. I initially agreed to attend based on the location and knowledge that we would get to go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. In the end, I’m glad to say that the thrill of riding the roller coasters has essentially faded, but the impression that was made by a couple of the sessions at the conference have stuck. The one that impressed me the most, in fact enough to buy and read the book the presenter wrote, was about the brain and learning.

I’ve gone to conferences before that, when finished, I was little more than bored. This one though, was not boring and kind of blew my mind. In fact, based on what I’ve learned, I’ve decided that I need to make some meaningful changes to both my professional and personal life.

Yes, contrary to what many people believe, there are some educators who actually adjust pedagogy based on current research – I know, crazy.

In this blog entry, I won’t go into too much about the educational application of the research, so you may continue reading without fear of too much teacher speak.

Instead, I’m going to report on what I feel is ultimately more universally applicable – brain health. The ideas were presented by Dr. Paul Nussbaum. He is professionally a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. For additional information, he has a website that presents most of the information in richer detail than I intend to offer in this entry. That isn’t to say that the information isn’t interesting. Rather, I feel that he said it well enough that I’ll let him give the explanation – especially the brain science part. The website is http://www.paulnussbaum.com/.

I’m really excited about the approach he suggests for brain health. I’m also excited about how I plan to implement his findings into my own life.

To start with, I will adopt his belief that the brain is the most important part of the human body – yes, even more important than the heart – and ought to be cared for as a primary concern. When I heard this, it seemed intuitive. Apparently, it isn’t though. I’ve noticed for a while labels plastered on everything that is “heart smart” or some other clever moniker. I’ve never seen one that is “brain smart.” That’s okay, nutrition is only one of five areas of concern for brain health.

With each of the areas, Dr. Nussbaum gives several suggestions. (Plagiarism Alert)

Nutrition
Salmon ( and other fish high in Omega – 3)
Walnuts
Colored fruits
Colored vegetables
Increase antioxidants
Eat 80% of portion served
Use utensils (the types of food you sit down and eat with utensils tend to be healthier)

Physical Activity
Walk daily
Aerobic exercise
Dance
Garden
Knit
Use non-dominant side (eg write with non-dominant hand for several minutes)
Jog
Purchase a pedometer (10,000 steps daily)
Biking
Swimming
weight training

Mental Stimulation
Read
Write
Board games
Computer based programs
Travel
Novel and complex
Develop language skills
Learn a musical instrument
Listen to classical music

Spirituality
Daily prayer
Meditate
Relaxation
Increase sleep
Learn to say “no”
Slow down
Yoga and Pilates
Attend formal place of worship
Identify body places of stress

.

Socialization
Hobbies
Join a new group
Dine with others
Do not retire (I don’t need to worry about this for a while)
Grow network of friends
Recreate and laugh
Be forgiving
Connect with family
Personal mission in life

I know, nothing earth shattering. What is impressive to me is that the things that I conventionally believed to be good are, but not in the way I thought. The exciting thing is the way that doing these things affects the brain biologically.

With that in mind, I have decided to step up my efforts in improving my brain health. I don’t have to change much. The focus just changed. I’ve created a chart that I can fill out and set a personal agenda of things to accomplish in each area of emphasis. Really, I ought to do this daily, but I’m going to start weekly.

Okay, hopefully this hasn’t been too arduous to read. I’m not sure if I’ve adequately explained everything and I’d love to discuss this further with anyone who would like on the comment section. Please ask questions along with comments.

Terrible Teens?

It happened. Tonight after I mildly got after India for doing something she wasn't supposed to she said, "I hate you." Twice. Very clearly. And then she kicked me in the face. I wasn't anticipating this for at least another eight years. I do not have a picture of her little butt sitting in time out because the camera batteries are dead. Perhaps I'll snap a picture of her tomorrow because I'm tempted to leave her in time out over night.

Don't Judge Me

First of all, thank you everyone for being so excited for us. Everyone has asked if I'm feeling well, and I'm not. But really, thanks for asking. Today has been a particulary bad morning since I have been throwing up since 3am. When I was pregnant with India, I wrote in my journal three times during the first two months. The next entry was two days after India was born. So, I thought my morning sickness this time was not as bad as last time, but it turns out I had successfully repressed those memories. Anyway, if I give you a really mean look at church, don't take it personally.

Enough whining. On the flip side, I am losing weight (though most likely pounds of brain cells). My students and boss are being very nice to me. My neighbors continue to be nice to me and help out with India a lot even when I look like a pajama-clad polygamist. We are now only using paper and plastic. I am contemplating dressing myself and India in garbage bags to cut down on laundry. I realized that India has not eaten lunch for the past week, so I splurged at the grocery store and bought tons of snacks and ready-to-eat meal-like items for her. Ammon is noble about doing everything and listening to me cry. And finally, if things go like last time, I should be feeling better in about eight more weeks!

Christmas Recap

I know this is a bit late, but better late than never. With the help of my Grandma Parker, I FINALLY made Christmas stockings for my family. Growing up, my mom always provided extrememly cute, homemade stockings. So even though I don't have a stitching gene in my body, I couldn't fathom breaking tradition.

Because I have no idea of how to sew, I also have no idea how to use a pattern. So I don't. My grandma spoiled me with her super talent by figuring out how to make these stockings from my idea. I can't wait for Christmas to come again!

India with her Great-Grandpa and Grandma Parker

The talented seamstress.

TADA! Final product! Unfortunately, I didn't quite make enough for this year, so I'll be coming by again Grandma!

Timber

My backyard.

This picture brings back a childhood memory. When I lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, I used to go to a park by the Gulf Bay, which had lots of huge trees covered by hanging spanish moss. Out of the blue, a tree branch, (much bigger than the one in our yard) fell and crushed 3 or 4 cars. Anyway, I'm glad nobody was playing in the backyard when these two branches fell.

Pajama Princess

Lately, India and I are struggling to get out of pajamas in the morning. This poor girl woke up at 6:30am (unheard of for the women in this house). By 9:30am India had zonked while watching cartoons. I just looked in my journal and noticed that India has been sucking the same two fingers since she was 2 months old. Isn't that incredible?

Again in pj's, India enjoying orange juice and "princess toast". She also enjoys "princess eggs". It's the only way I can get her to eat decent food in the morning. Hmmmm, I wonder if she'd go for "princess chores", you know, kind of like Cinderella.

Finale

Today is Ammon's last soccer game of the season. He improved the team from last year, put in countless hours of practice/coaching, and never got a yellow card. I'm so proud of you, Ammon!

Future soccer athletes: India with cousins Jack & Sophie.

Harley Trike

Thank you Ammon for setting a good example to India by wearing your helmet.

Random news: India has started singing a new song called "goo goo haw". I have no idea what that means or where she may have gotten it from. She just likes to be silly. Also, India doesn't like me to touch certain things (i.e. computer or remote). As I was doing work-related emails, India kept pushing my hands off the keyboard and saying, "Daddy's puter, Hannah's puter." When that didn't work, she gave me a severe look, pointed to the keyboard, and told me, "puter HOT."