Insomnia, Outsomnia

Have you all watched this excellent program on Discovery Health called "I'm Pregnant And..."? It's a series on high-risk pregnancies. I've watched all of the episodes available on On Demand and now I'm begging for more more MORE addicted, anorexic, imprisoned pregnancies! More of your stories! On with the confessions! Show us yet more of those beautiful fleshy little miracle dumplings coming out of your cooches! I can't get enough of it! Loverpants does not approve of my addiction to shows on preggos addicted to meth, but it really is a good show. I've had the worst insomnia this past week (the last time it was this bad, I was pining over some lad which leads me to think that perhaps a Y chromosome en utero is upsetting my sleep?) so I've been catching up with heaps of reading and televizzling.

But I would appreciate it if the insomnia would depart this week. It's the last week of teaching this intensive course and I need to reserve some energy, n'ah mean?

One book I can recommend to you, though, is called by Live Through This by Debra Gwartney. Absolutely one of my favorite memoirs. It's about a mother whose oldest two daughters spend years as runaways. There is no question she shies from answering, no feeling that Gwartney denies feeling. It didn't feel raw and vindictive in the way that some memoirs do. Just very well written with a lot of wisdom gained from hindsight. Let me know if you check it!

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I've wanted to brag on the seamstressing my mother-in-law did for us while we visited her over the holidays. She and my own mother are brilliant at the sewing machines. I am nothing if not envious!

I asked my MIL to make me a shawl and she set about to make me two! She completed one for me while we were there -- and with the leftover fabric, she made two for Baby Girl. Here she is modeling:

As you can see, she was STOKED about it.

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I forgot that kids are better in pictures with props.

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And the final picture is one purely for chasing away your case of the Mondays. I am now at the point where I have a limited rotation of maternity clothes suitable for work and church. It being the frozen tundra here of late, I have to layer on so that I am a roving clothes mound. This past sabbath, I could not help but take a picture of myself. I really try to look my best for church each week, but this week I was straight-up hobo. At least I showered.

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Little Brother, Little Sister

IMG_3891 "Mom keeps asking me if I want to talk to the baby in her belly. And to that I'm all Tina Fey, 'Shut That Down, woman!' I just think this whole 'talk to the belly baby' is silly business. There is no baby here to talk to besides my lily-white Fisher Price dolly of the perma-grin, and she doesn't have much to say in response. She'd never be mistaken for a Chatty Cathy doll, let's be honest. And maybe that is all right for me sometimes...but I do get a little restless as a Lonely Only, you know? But the whole charade over this Little Brother, Little Sister hoopla is just a little bit insane, don't you agree? We went to the ultrasound altogether, Pops, Mama and I. I saw the skeletor baby on the screen and, meh, I wasn't impressed. Whatever was in there wasn't doing much but a lot of kicking OOOH LOOK AT THE FEMUR! and after I get rebuked all day long for kicking, it all gave me pause. Who does this kid think he/she is? Getting everyone's maternity panties in a bunch over some flamboyant kicks? I'm not fooled. I've been the only act in town for almost 2 years. I've been performing for sold-out audiences. This kid is a mere amateur. If he/she thinks there is a show to steal, he/she's got another thing coming to them. 'Round here it's All Baby Girl, All the Time!"

Plum Tuckered

I went away for a weekend to visit my sister in O-HI-O. While I was busy eating dinner uninterrupted by a toddler littering sugar packets all over the floor MESSSSYYYYY, sleeping in until the obscene hour of 10 blessed 30, and generally basking in the flatland friendliness of the Mid-West, my Baby Girl was steamrolling every last sapling of energy from my Lovey Loverpants' veins. He was plum-tuckered out when I arrived home. Here's what happened while I was away:

Someone finally took out the trash.

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Vehicles were ridden without seatbelts.

IMG_3779 Monkeys were pushed.

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Hair-raising experiences were had.

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Oh, and while in Ohio, I got to tell my sister that she was going to be an auntie...again. :) Pee Wee Loverpants, volume II, due May 2010

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