Best Park Day Ever

I love this park. The concept of park day this week was a dress up and play in the flowers day. Despite a bad case of the grumps, Lil'Bug had a blast! 4 hours in the sun, playing hide and seek in the lilac grove, and plenty of friendship. Good stuff there.

Friends

You know those Hallmark commercials that can move certain people at certain times to tearful sobbing masses (ice cream in hand.....)?

I had a real life moment. Actually a series of them over the past week.

It started with a freak out from me over the Cardiologist appointment and not being ready for the new baby, then.......

My Dearest has been his sweet and wonderful self, but more so because he took extra time off work to help out around the house with stupid chores he hates, take us to various medical appointments and then ice cream, and bring me anything I want anytime with no complaint. No, not fried pickles with chocolate, but still. He's made an extra effort to reassure me and ask what I need to feel better/more ready.

Friends. You know, I think I am just about over the whole, "former friend really sucked and now I'm lonely forever, waaaaaaa," thing. This past week friends both local and online have really been awesome. Phone calls, emails, and comments all at the right time saying the right things. Seriously, I really needed all the love.

This morning a friend emailed and offered to drive us to the park day (the one I was afraid we'd miss because I can't drive); it occurred to her that we can't drive right now, so she offered! It was amazingly sweet and perfectly timed. This park day is special too, it's an annual dress up in the park and play in the flowers day.

And my sweet daughters. Lil'Bug has been singing and talking to June Bug. Today she told her, as her big sister so she should listen up, it is time to come out. Sweetie, I wish it was that simple.

Local Sights and Eats

A while back Child's Play posted this challenge: share your favorite National Park, or local sight see adventure.

Iowa's one and only National park is about 8 hours from here, we've been but only for my work and only for a couple hours when Lil'Bug was about 10 months old. It's neat, but not nearby.

1/4 of the entire state is inside a National Heritage Area called Silos and Smokestacks. It's really just a gimmick to tie together some tourist stuff. The website has a neat online cirriculum thing for kids called CampSilos. The travel section has a really cool history program.

Ok..... now for the place....

We do have the Iowa State Fair (and it's grounds are part of that National Heritage Area....). The Iowa State fair is different from other fairs? Maybe.

We have the butter cow. I'm not kidding. An entire life size cow made from butter.
The artist also does a second sculpture, also life size, also butter. Last year it was Harry Potter, I kid you not.

Amazing hot dogs. I know, I don't eat hot dogs usually BUT every year I eat corn dogs and hot dogs all day long at the fair. Mmmmmm....corn dogs. They also have amazing lemonade and this pineapple freeze thing that is simply divine. They also serve fried Twinkies and Snickers but I have never eaten one.

Aside from that, last year we got to see a real live pig deliver piglets. That was cool. There are shows all day long every day and lots of stuff for kids to do hands on. That's neat.

The traditional food contests were also neat. This year I am going to enter my raspberry jam. I want to enter an "ugly" cake too, but I just won't have time (or really the skill, just the morbid and gross ideas....). We enjoy seeing the animals and vegetables.

And then, when the day is all done, we head home exhausted (and belly sick from the fried food of course....).

Baby Update, 37 Weeks

I tested Strep +. Other than that everything was uneventful. No exam, all stats good. Dr. Pointy Shoes still optimistic about VBAC. Really optimistic. This is so different from what the online VBAC mother local community has been chatting about, I half expected to be putting up a fight by now and looking for a different provider- but so far so good!

So now we wait. In the meantime......

I don't feel ready. I don't feel put together. My laundry is undone again. I don't have all the diapers yet. The clothes pulled from the closet are not yet bagged up to go to donation. My class isn't released to students.

It is as if all my weekend anxiety over my Lil'Bug has transformed into an full blown raging tearful pregnancy mess of OMG I am not ready yet! I am also about ready to burst.

Part of it is cabin fever. Part of it is real. Part of it is hormones. Part of it is just everything being overwhelming.

And I know we are not using a nursery, but I totally see how that helped me prepare for Lil'Bug emotionally in a way that I have not done with June Bug. There is no way I am going out and purchasing a room suite to satisfy this either. That would be stupid. I have everything I need, really (except the last 1/2 of the diapers and a washable pail liner). I even bought a Moby Wrap on clearance so I have a 3rd baby carrier option.

But still panic, panic, panic.

Through it all Dearest Husband has been wonderful. He stopped and bought onsies, socks, hats and a diaper pail (a step pedal kitchen can really) on his way home from work. We moved the dresser we use as a changing table into the bathroom and strapped the changing pad to it. He planted the tomatoes, I planted the beans. Those little things have helped me feel more ready, but still.

We still need a name.

Matters of the Heart

Last week we saw our new pediatrician/family doctor for the first time. He was awesome, patient, accommodating. He saw Dearest and Lil'Bug in a double appointment with little notice. He explained things well.

Then.

Then he heard a heart murmur.

When Lil'Bug was born she had a faint heart murmur. We had to sleep her on her side instead of her back because of this. Then it went away. It was back? The places I observed him hear it and what he explained to us and then his referral to a Pediatric Cardiologist sent me into a minor (ok, major) heart flutter. I spent hours on the Internet. I sent even more time cuddling Lil'Bug hoping that it was nothing serious......but there were possibilities that everything was not ok. Very not ok. I laid awake at night thinking about it. I didn't blog about it because of the potential that everything would be ok and I was just blowing it out of proportion. I didn't want sympathy I didn't really deserve.

Today we saw the specialist. He and his staff were kind and efficient. Lil'Bug was cooperative but scared and I wasn't allowed in the x-ray room with her (big, fat preggo belly and all). Thank goodness for Dearest.

Lil'Bug has a murmur, an innocent murmur, with a musical tonality. We'll observe at check ups and that's it.

Tears were shed. Ice cream was had by all of us.

That's it. She's not going to drop dead during soccer practice or need heart surgery or need to be on machines or medicine or die. We feel very, very blessed. The waiting room was filled with families just like us, only some of them did not get the all clear. I cried for them tonight too.

That saying about a mother's heart walking around out in the world every time she becomes a mother to another precious babe? .....so very, very true.

Or Not To Bee....

This spring I have noticed an almost total absence of bees. I've only seen two wasps and they were both sluggish and died soon after with no assistance.

I didn't think much of it until the strawberries bloomed. Usually those are crawling with big fat bumble bees, but this year they are strangely devoid of not just bees but any insects at all. True, we have been able to document a handful of buggers over the last few weeks, but come on! This is Iowa! We usually swarm in the buzzing life by now to the point most people would be begging to bathe in DDT..... (Not us, of course).

So what's the deal?

Meme Time!

Ten Years Ago what were you doing, Mama P?

We were buying and moving into our first house. There were tornadoes through May and June. I was a nanny and a freshman in college. Just after we moved in, Dearest proposed to me. The following January we were married. That spring was magical despite the storms.

Five Things on Today’s “To Do” List

Bathe Lil'Bug

Battle tangles in her hair

Make lasagnas for the freezer

Sunday dinner with family

Work on summer syllabus (oops, forgot until just now!)

If I were a Billionaire

I'd no doubt have to get a lawyer, first. Much of my world is litigious. Then I'd pay the balance of my student loans, but then I wouldn't be a billionaire anymore! Just kidding, sort of.

I'd love to have thousands of wilderness acres and that farm life we've dreamed of.

I'd figure out some good things to do. The interest alone would fund several endeavours. In practice though I don't like most non-profit groups. More money goes to paying people to beg for more salary money (fundraising) than to do the actual program. Operating costs are often overblown. Just saying.

Three Bad Habits

Trusting the people to the point of getting taken advantage of, then not trusting enough, and oscillating between the two extremes.

Not saying thank you often enough.

I'm a sentimental packrat.

Five Places I’ve Lived

Greeley, Co

Deertrail, Co

Kankakee, Il

Jennings, La

Des Moines, Ia

Five Jobs I’ve Had

- Nanny
- Bookseller
- Credit Card Customer Service (thing learned: mostly, furniture salespeople in NJ are not to be trusted).
- Museum Curator/ Site Manager (re: underpaid secretary/bookkeeper who had to wear a 1900's costume when people visited the site)
- College Professor

You know, I wouldn't trade any of those jobs for the precious one I am entrusted to now.

Tag - you’re it!

How to Make a Raised Bed Garden.....

....from a spot of yard that used to be a parking lot for an apartment building and before that the foundation for a garage. Oh, and add to that a limited and unwilling budget.

First, construct the boxes. We used scrap wood from other projects, cut them into 4 ft lengths and 1x1 stakes at the corners to screw, (not nail) them together. The above photo shows the box upside down. The stake gets pounded into the ground so the end is cut at an angle to make that a bit easier. Dearest thinks it might be a good idea to use 4x4's instead, but 1x's are what we had on hand.


These are the two new boxes lined up where they will go so we can mark where the sod needs to be cut/dug out. Still upside down.


Now, here's the thing. Our yard used to be a parking lot when our house was cut up into 9 apartments. Before that there was a garage that burned down in this spot. So various parts of the yard have ft deep of gravel, concrete, or this:


Foundation stone, rebar rods, glass, and other debris. Then the clay soil has to be dug through and removed because of the lead in the soil. MUST be done. Our area has the highest rate of juvenile lead poisoning in the entire USA. We also have Lil'Bug tested regularly, just in case.



Anyway, the soil must be removed 12-18 inches. This is beneficial too, because clay soil is not ideal for vegetable gardening. We use the soil to build up around our foundation.



Haul away debris and bad soil. Then set the boxes with the long steak side down. Level them. Do your best anyway. Ours are levelish.


Then fill with compost, top soil, and cow manure. Top with deep cedar mulch. Plant plants.

We still don't do root veggies like carrots or beets or potatoes because of the lead issue. Can't be too careful with developing brains. Lil'Bug helped a lot with almost every step of the process. The handyman who did the heavy work (Dearest) is camera shy when in work mode.

What is in a Name?

A Baby by any other name.....

Yes, naming a baby is an enormous task. We still have not settled on a name and have actually been calling her June Bug. We have a month or less to decide and still nada. Dearest Husband thinks he has a good name, Lil'Bug has a different one, and Nana has a third name she's decided on. Great.

With Lil'Bug it was easy, inspiration hit and that was it. This time, not so much and every name I have come up with has been either yucked at, decided that...."it's a good name for a pet fish," or just plain discarded by me a day later.

Snuzzel and Afrog

Lil'Bug has a vocabulary that is growing by leaps and bounds and sometimes adds new words to our repertoire: "Snuzzeling" is a snuggle and a cuddle initiated by a nose rubbing. She says it's what giraffes do. Ok.

Then there is Afrog the lallygagging alligator. She saw Muppet's' Treasure Island and loves the word lallygagging. Not sure she knows what it means, but still very cute. Afrog, she says, is a funny name for an alligator because he's not a frog. Chomp chomp chomp, mmmmm, yum yum yum.

Soupy is her bear. Purple Baby, who's other name is Kate, is her baby. And then there are a whole host of other animals and babies that she plays with too. She named a pair of hotwheels, Dog and Cat. Dog is the orange one and she says a girl gets to drive Dog. Why? Because it's fast!

I think it is funnier than she finds it that she gets amusement by "naming" things other things that they are not. Does that make sense? :) Needleroozer will get it. ;)

Driving Podkayne

Driving. I thought I could handle the 2-5 minute rule. Seemed easy enough.

Not.

We went to a park, no problem today to meet friends. Then driving home a car almost hit us. I hit the break in time but 1)barely, my toes extended to completely compress said brake pedal and 2) I am way to close to the steering wheel and 3)OMG OMG OMG I cannot apparently handle the stress of a close call.

Bugger that. We have plans for next week that we may just have to cancel.

The Ninth Inning

Yay! This weekend we plan on planting. It is a couple days from the frost free date, but I will be so relieved to get it out of the way.

My courses for summer are almost designed and ready to allow student access to. Whew. That was a challenge.

Summer/winter clothes are almost changed out.

Now I have to get to the craft room/office area and make a baby friendly nook. I have to get the baby's clothes ready, diapers washed, etc. Set up a changing area upstairs. Simple things. I am going to repack our hospital bag, again.

Oh, and food. This next week I will make an extra casserole every day and freeze it. Each one is two 4 serving meals, so that's 14 + the 10 servings of chili we have frozen (we like chili!). I think that will do.

So we will be all set for when the baby comes after this weekend. Yes, perhaps I am trying to jinx myself into going into labor before we get it all done. It won't work though. :)

Photo Challenge 13: BURST

BURST!

As in I ate so much watermelon I'm going to burst, or the soap bubbles bursting at the touch of a tot, or the bursting open of Spring buds and leaves........a burst of energy at the end of a long day....

Seriously????

I just finished ALL the laundry. Washed, dried, and put away. It had been looming as a giant pile of clean clothes in baskets on my bed for a week now, with an ever growing pile of dirty in the laundry room. No more!

And then....I cleaned out my closets. I have about three bags of clothes to go to donation, all mine. Why? Most of those were "work" clothes that I have not worn for over FOUR years! Now I work from home, mostly in jeans and a punk rock t-shirts (ok, sometimes my PJ's too.....), why would I need 11 pairs of teacher pants, 25 dresses, and various other dress jackets? So I pared it down to 5 sweaters, turtlenecks, 3 dress pants, and three nice dresses (two of which are feeding friendly and the other just too cute to get rid of just yet....). I kept my comfy jeans and cargo pants (5), most of my t-shirts (about 10).

It still feels like too much. I think once I pack up for storage the winter clothes I will feel better about quantities. Am I being weird? I know people with huge rooms full of clothes and others who have even less than I do, but really, laundry should have NEVER gotten so out of hand and I think the sheer quantity of clothing was party to blame.

So why was I hanging on to so many items of clothing? Part of it was that little inkling on me that was having a hard time letting go of being in the traditional work world. I still work, but the dress code has changed! Now I will allow myself the freedom to buy more punk rock t-shirts, you know, since they are required at my new job, ;P.

I also packed up the maternity clothes that no longer fit me to go to storage. Last time I just gave them all away and then had nothing to wear this time! (You know, just in case......) Which reminds me, thank you to Saratar and LifeDreamed and my MIL for helping me with that problem! MIL actually bought and had tailored pants for me and my friends graciously lent me LOTS of clothes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

****edited to add****
Lil'Bug has gone through 3 outfits today, ruined two of mine, filthied 2 towels, and the mess continues as I pause to take note of it. There will be at least three loads of laundry by the end of her joyous rampage. Ah, the virtue of childhood! :)

Sounds Like.....

Before I forget about this....

Lil'Bug and I went swimming last week. She experimented with floating, diving, and sounds under the water. Then we met friends on the kid gym equipment. Lil'Bug purposely jammed her finger into the treadmill gear to stop it a'la Brave Little Toaster because she wanted a turn and her friend didn't stop (didn't hear her ask or she didn't ask......). Yike. Her finger was purple for about a day but she's fine. Is it wrong for me to be impressed that she understood gears well enough to know that it would stop the machine?

Ok, now here's the treasure:

At dinner Dearest asked her about swimming and she told him about her sound experiments, specifically laughing under water. "What does it sound like?"

"Well, actually, it sounds like a sheep meowing."

Indeed.

Baby Update: the Docs AND Park Day

We got there early. She saw us early. That was good.

Lily was really impressed by how pointy her shoes were. That was hilarious. Doc is now known as Dr. Pointy Shoes.

I had to have a Strep test, but not a cervical check. She asked if I wanted one and I asked if I needed it. She said no, not really, not yet. That was good.

She asked me questions about how Lil'Bug's pregnancy and birth went, in my perspective. She had studied my file thoroughly. That was good and reassuring.

She verified that we are measuring right at date, BP, protein, and sugar are all good. I asked her about the BH contractions, she said totally normal and actually good preparation. She said, I likely just didn't feel them the first time around, but they are usually more self detectable in second pregnancies and exactly how I described too.

She went over with me some of the things we do not want to happen this time, that could lead to a C-section. If my water breaks and labor has not progressed (like last time), they will advise for surgery (like last time). She said that if I test Strep positive, I'll have the IV hook up in and get the antibiotics, but I can disconnect and not have saline after that (so I can walk around). I'll have the belly monitor on, but free movement. I knew that already. No surprises there.

She spent quite a lot of time with me. She also explained that I'll have to see the Docs now, but I can opt to just see her or whomever I choose. She'd like for me not to drive out to the other clinic unless someone else is driving because of physical logistics (don't fit behind the wheel) and distance (35 minute drive there). So I will see her at the office 2 minutes from my house. That distance is ok for now, unless I feel it isn't. I really relaxed at her concern for my daily well being, my sunburn, and my feelings in general.

So, all in all, she thinks we can do the VBAC. No reason not to try, preferable than unnecessary surgery if we can do it, she said. Now we just let nature take its course.

So that's the baby update. Now, what that means is: Driving no more than 2-5 minutes at a time? We live in a sprawled out urban area. Some regular activities are now off the table. Like one of the weekly park days. To be specific, Lil'Bug's favorite park day with her friends and the big climbing tree. So we started a new park day on a different day at the park by our house. So far so good, only one other family came, but better than nothing AND it was another unschooling family with kids Lil'Bug's age! Whoo hoo!

What that also means is: Dearest must now do the grocery shopping and run Lil'Bug out to Nana's and Pawpaw's if she goes. It means I have to find someone (like wonderful Aunt Bee) to drive us to work things when needed. It means getting the house clean enough to have play dates here. That is harder than it sounds since I can't pick up things near my feet easily like laundry and toys. But, I think I have the system beat. For larger items I've been using the sucker hose on my vacuum to grab said items and lift them up! Ha ha!

Yard Sale Spectacular

I only made 62$, minus the ad and food.

I got a sunburn ON MY FACE even though it was only 55 degrees out? It was early and I forgot to put on face lotion w/ sunscreen as my usual routine dictates + I am pregnant = really bad sunburn. Don't worry, I've tried to photoshop this to you can't blow it up (Aunt Bee.....) to see every little maimed pore. My freckles are coming back though!We cleared out at least 10 x 10 x 4 ft of space. Whoo hoo! This was the spare room of DOOM. I think I will paint it a pale shade of pink. Maybe hand paint roses here and there. Ideas welcome. Those of you local mamas.....this is that closed off bedroom that had boxes stacked 6 ft high.I spent two days with LifeDreamed and her beautiful family, chomping on veggies and trail mix, sharing good conversation, and exchanging pregnancy sympathy with alternating (read numerous) "potty breaks". Lil'Bug and K. are complete opposites and yet were fast friends. On Friday they played together for almost 10 hours and only wearied at the very end (ok, and when they got hungry in the middle).We had a seriously good time. I am so grateful to have this friend in my life right now. I may have made more moolah at garage sales past, but this one by far was the best.

Backyard Bugs May 4

Lil'Bug Update

Lil'Bug read her first words last week.

We were out in the garden working on the raised bed when she pointed and read this:

Cool. She read COW! She also picked up a book at the book store and asked to buy it. I said, "Sure, if you can tell me what it is called."

"Space. Mom, it says Space right here," she pointed to the cover title.

So now she is the proud owner of a book about space and a bag of cow poop. :) She asked to keep it a secret for a while, but finally relented to letting me blog about it. For those of you who don't know, we do not do active reading/writing lessons. We read to her a lot. She HATES the ABC song and people quizzing her on the alphabet, so we don't. She knows her letters though and can write most of them when she wants to. I suspected she was reading when I heard her screaming at Super Why last week that they got the wrong answer AGAIN, but I did not push her on it.

She will and is now reading at her own pace. She does it for curiosity and not performance. She is growing and learning naturally.

Baby Update, Almost 36 Weeks

Almost, but not quite. I will meet with the Doctors tomorrow, as anticipated. I have a couple questions in mind, mostly about the Braxton Hicks contractions that settle in around 2:30 pm everyday and last through dinner. Around 6 per hour. Doesn't seem to matter if I am active or not, how much water I drink, what position I am in. Everyday. Done by bedtime. I can't find anything about this online, just that BH are normal. I didn't have anything like this with Lil'Bug.

I am guessing it's a good thing anyway since a baby hasn't fallen out yet. :) I might just skip asking until I see the midwife next week. Depends on how comfortable I feel with the Doc.

I am huge, BTW. Now every time I go out someone asks if I am having twins, due yesterday, or carrying a big boy. When I say due in June, one little girl, the reply is anything from, "Right...." to "You know, docs can get it wrong, you may have twin boys in there...." Ugh. Why does pregnancy invite strangers to comment on my reproductive organs anyway? Or my weight. I know I am huge. HUGE, but that doesn't make it ok to guess my poundage. Or comment on my butt, thighs, or lack of neck (which I think is weird, since I still have a chin line). Anyway, it makes me not want to go out.

Also, I have a question for anyone who'll take it up:
What, if anything, did you take to the hospital that you ended up using? Last time we packed tons of things and used very few. So far I have PJ's, robe, socks with treads, baby outfit, de-tangler, comb, hair ties, receiving blanket, underwear, camera. That's it. Oh, and the outfit I wear there, I'll wear home. I feel like I am missing something......

Blogoversary

I started this blog last May, towards the end of the month when I finally got up the courage. For a couple of years my only experience with blogs was MySpace and LiveJournal and only reading them. It wasn't until I joined the local homeschool network that I discovered the other formats and possibilities. Now I can't even imagine doing a Meme by email!

So in honor of my upcoming one year blogoversary, I am resurrecting the first blog Meme I ever did: The Seven Random Things and I will update and reflect!

Seven random things (that bug me):

1) People who ask for input or ideas when really they don't want input or ideas. What they want is for you to do something for them. I would really rather they just asked directly.

*Last week I might have also added "People who do this and then when you do the implied thing for them do not say thank you." But, whatever. I will do a whole new post on this next.

2) People who think they are cars. Yes, we have sidewalks, perfectly good ones that are always cleared of debris and snow....but yet I almost run over at least 30 people while I am driving in and out of my neighborhood because they refuse to use said perfectly good sidewalks. Why? They think they are cars. Beep beep.

*Still bugs me. However, I think now that my flowers are in bloom I would rather people walk as far away from my yard as possible. I'm not driving every day anymore either, so I don't encounter the people-cars as much.

3) Itty bitty parking spaces. I am perfectly between the lines and so is the big SUV on my left....and yet, I cannot open my door and thus load groceries easily, let alone get the cart up to my car.

*There is a local mall that not only has itty bitty parking spaces but they are all at a weird non-parallel to each other angle. It is so annoying especially in winter when you can't see the lines anyway and the lines of cars snake into each other, but even in good weather this arrangement of rows make zero sense to me.

4) People who take the fact that we homeschool as a personal insult to their own parenting choices. I mean, why is this?

*I used to think that was their problem. I don't think so anymore. I think I may have come off as pompous and snotty about our choice. Perhaps that was their problem? Sometimes it is easier to blame something else than to admit that people don't like me for me. I may have more degrees than 3 elementary public school teachers combined, but that does not make me a better or more qualified homeschooler. In fact, the thing I lack would: patience. So, I am working on that.

5) Myspace. Specifically, my little sister's myspace page. I won't explain it, it just bugs me. I could link to it, but I'll just leave it to your imagination.

*This doesn't bug me anymore either. Last term I would have said my students' MySpace was the cause of much angst but I'm over that now too. People seek out what they need. I think that, if anything, a factor that bugs me is people lying on their blogs about who they are and what they do, IRL. It serves no purpose. I don't mean screen names and psudonyms, but rather hobbies and interests or crisis. At one point I had created a fictional author so I could participate on a newspaper forum and my students wouldn't recognize me. I see that as stupid now. It was me with a false background. It lasted about two weeks before I came to the conclusion that it was icky and I changed my profile to me and started a blog of my own.

6) The fact that the "beep beep" cart at the grocery store doesn't fit through the checkout lane. I don't feel bad at all about leaving it by the candy/magazine rack for store employees to deal with. I have to deal with groceries and screaming tot who wants to park the darn thing in the middle of the Doritos display.

*Still a HUGE problem.

7) Laundry. It never goes away. It multiplies when you add water and gets really ugly when you feed it after midnight.

*Yup, this too. Now that I cannot easily pick things up off the floor it is much much worse. Also, standing and folding hurts my back. As much as Lil'Bug and Dearest try and help, we are slowing losing the battle. I'd rather have Gremlins.

More Spring!

This is the first time I've seen our pear and plum trees in blossom. Last year the late frost killed the buds and the year before the trees were victims of juvenile vandalism.

Perhaps we shall see some fruit this year? That would be awesome!

The same late frost was an issue with the magnolias last year. This year? Their beauty amazes me. I love magnolias!


This Spring has been full of life and wonder, even if the warmer temperatures and sunshine were late coming. It seems like the hurt and sadness that started last Spring has finally passed and we have found ourselves rooted in good ground. We've decided to stay put for another year, take the tasks of trying to sell the house more gently and enjoy the new baby and the summer and living in our home.....for once! We've always rushed around, frantic on some project, always doing it for an external factor. This summer we will simply enjoy. When we are ready, we will stick the sign in the yard and figure out where we are headed. It may be far, it may be near BUT hopefully the housing market won't be as scary!

Backyard Bugs April 29

Confirmation. Scary grub= June Bug!

Checking In/Up

I know. I know. I usually post at least one something every day and yet, I have not posted anything since last Thursday. Everything is fine here, mostly. It is finals week, which means that my soft heart gets talked into allowing students to turn in late assignments even though the syllabus says NEVER and then I get flooded with emails, assignments as late as "due Jan. 28th", and demands for final grades which are a pain to calculate without the student having finished the FINAL or even half the work assigned (but its sitting in my inbox as a forbidden late assignment). So I am up to my ears in that muck.

Still, later tonight I should finish up and I have been taking LOTS of pictures of the stuff we've been up to. So expect a deluge of posts later tonight and tomorrow.

After that I have a full month off before the baby comes and summer term starts. Whoo Hoo!

First Beautiful Signs of Spring in Iowa

Daffodils!

Raspberry leaves!

Daddy and daughter working hard!

The Story of Our Garden(ing)

Almost 10 years ago our neighbors (back in our old 'hood) gave us as a wedding gift a sweet card with a handwritten note: We will teach you to garden in the Spring.

They did. Well, to be honest, they taught Dearest Husband to garden because I wanted nothing to do with it. Even the thought of gardening made me itch. The most I wanted to do ever was nag Dearest to mow when the grass got too long, but even the thought of that made me itch. I used to have to pull weeds in the wheat field as punishment growing up and I really had my fill of any chlorophyll specimen. I didn't even like eating garden fresh veggies, preferring chemical disinfected store processed muck over what could potentially have a bug or snail slime residue on it.

Anyway, the three of them (Dearest and our neighbors) actually landscaped our tiny yards together to look like one big English cottage garden, complete with an Mexican stone fountain and winding brick walkways. Vegetables were put in with the flowers and nestled back by the porch was a Koi pond. We live near Meredith and August Home magazines headquarters and the garden has since been piecemeal featured by both of them, though it has changed a bit since we moved, the idea is the same.

One of the ways I talked Dearest into moving was the lure of more garden space (I wanted a bigger house and the lure/lust of a 3 story nightmare of a renovation project had hooked me). The house I had settled on had a bigger yard sure, but it had been a gravel/asphalt parking lot for when the house had been nine apartments. Beneath that layer was hard clay (and ants, lots of ants). It also had an empty lot diagonal and across the alley that we could potentially buy (we did) and lots of big trees.

8 years later most of the trees are gone. Our neighbor's spendthrift pruning of the branches hanging over her driveway killed the two Maples, lightening hit the Locust, and my husband fought the Walnut in a Don Quiote style battle and won. Not to disparage my love in anyway though. The tree vs. man battle also involved other male family members and really was a physical manifestation of the post winter stress we endured after spending 4 very cold and expensive months in a house with indoor snowdrifts and wild animals. That's another story though.

We've replanted trees and retained two Oaks, but it is a whole lot less shady now. We've removed a good deal of the debris and gravel and old concrete, etc. BUT our garden beds are raised for a reason. The clay and the gravel are formidable enemies of gardening. We also have lead in the soil, trace, but still there. We (as in Dearest with me watching sympathetically) dug down 12 inches and then built the frames, filled with imported clean dirt and compost, topped with heavy mulch. Even so, we don't do certain root vegetables and we wash thoroughly any harvest before munching. Sometimes that means bring a bucket of clean water out with us when grazing. :) We may live amid the fertile loam of Iowa, but our urban and river areas are not quite the soil of legend.

Oh, and how did I finally get involved in this messy, itchy pastime? Pumpkins. The poet/writer in me couldn't resist the faint murmurings of fairytales and I got talked into helping choose some pumpkin seeds; I picked a packet of smiling jack o' lantern pumpkins. Somehow the magic of those growing, glowing orange babies enchanted me into garden life. The ironic and unfortunate thing is that every year since we have had MASSIVE squash beetle infestations and we maybe get two stunted pumpkins out of our harvest before the little buggers decimate the vines into scorched piles of ashen vine. Does that stop me from trying?

Oh no, never. Perhaps it bugs Dearest that I got involved (re: bossy and domineering) in his hobby but picking up the spade and shovel has changed me in ways that are harder to describe. :)

Backyard Bugs April 23

Lil'Bug's cricket friend.....

Baby Update 34 Weeks

Our 34 week check up on Tuesday went great. I expressed my fears and talked some things out a bit, asked for some special things (was granted), and made the 36 week visit with one of the doctors. I have to see the docs sometime, this next visit seemed like a good time. My iron count is good, but again they found traces of sugar. I'll track my meals this week and next, counting proteins and see if that helps at all.

Of course, Lil'Bug brought her doctor tools and followed what the midwife did and checked. It was adorable. Then she entertained the nurses with her vast knowledge of animal facts and the sounds those particular animals make when they are happy.

Then, as tradition dictates, Lil'Bug and I headed out for an adventure. We ended up at the zoo with friends and then stayed longer with other friends. We were there like five hours. Lil'Bug found the only huge accessible mud puddle and of course, as her nature dictates, jumped gleefully into it. It was in the 70's and we both, while basking in the sunshine, got sunburned! By the time we were done, our friend M. had to carry Lil'Bug the final stretch. So, too long, really. We made it home before she crashed into a nap, but just. The thing is that in doing so, she avoided the much needed nap all together. She got a second wind just as Dearest came home and that's when we hit the garden. Yay! We planted the first veggie bed of the year, hung new swings on the free swing set, and soaked up more sun.

Too much sun.

Wednesday morning we both woke up sun fried. Lil'Bug's mood was FOWL and we had a play date. Geez was that bad timing. S. and her son seem to get Lil'Bug on her bad days, but I enjoyed the visit at least. Still, Lil'Bug was in tears most of the time and was just plain mean the rest. It was very much out of character for her. My solution? I tried feeding her, thinking it may be hunger. Nope (though she ate and ate and ate). We cuddled and tried to watch a movie. Nope. Finally she asked for alone time and after a bit I ran her a Martian bath (we spent the rest of the afternoon on Mars, making Mars muffins, and exploring the life forms.....). All was much better after that. Still, she's burnt and tired. We canceled our other obligation for the evening.

What a rough day. I am pooped. I must remember that we've been inside so long that the sun needs to get reacquainted with our skin slowly and we both need to slow down a bit while running and playing in it. Spring has come late to Iowa, but we are just so joyful that it is finally here! Saturday we will plant broccoli and flowers and likely Daddy and Daughter will have a "boat day" that they both will enjoy while I take a nap.

First Planting!

Princess Lil'Bug in the Garden......

Pulling weeds......

Raking the compost smooth......

Finished bed, planted with spinach, spicy greens mix, and romaine lettuce.

Ah, and all I had to do was enjoy the sunshine!

Backyard Bugs April 22

Science Fair Project: Phase 1

Lil'Bug decided to document the bugs in our backyard. I took the pictures, but she found the bugs. She wants to keep doing this so we have a good record of what lives back there. Not all the critters are identified. She also went through our picture archive so we could put together a post of what we found last summer too, but then I realized we've already done that with the GARDEN CRITTERS tag. :) Wow, we found some neat stuff last year!

While a traditional Science Fair has one entry on one day, we are going to continue our project through the warm weather. We'll be buying a bug book to help with identification too. Any ideas on the larva thing in the first picture? Last year my aunt told me not to kill those because they turn into a beneficial bug, but I can't remember which one!

Earth Quaking News?

Our windows rattled just after 10 this morning. Not earth (or glass, rather) shattering news, our windows rattle if a big truck goes by or someone blasts rap music with heavy bass or if the washer is unbalanced in the spin cycle or any number of things......

It occurred to me later that I was not doing laundry. It was an actual earthquake. No really. Yes, here in the Midwest.

I'm not sure what else to add. I'll post more later.

Edited to Add:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2008/us2008rcar/
and
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2008/us2008qza6/

Last few days....

Not being able to drive much is not such a bad thing, not when friends are so willing to come visit! We had a lovely playdate on Wednesday and it was sunny and warm (75 degrees!) so the girls played out back while the mamas talked gardening and mothering and lots of other stuff. Good times.

Thursday I had to go out to get dog food so I had to drive. Ouch. It's not the steering wheel now so much as it is the baby deciding to stretch and push in a certain way whenever I am in a moving vehicle. So I suffer as a passenger now too. Still, we got to stop by another friends BEAUTIFUL home and pick up some maternity clothes to borrow and for a short chat. Good times too!

So then we headed to Pawpaw's for lunch and soon after home.

Thursday was a rainy, cold day. The cold worked its way into me and I just felt awful. I still do. At least it's just a physical awful.

So we are here to Friday, still cold and rainy. I'm curled up with the last tiny bit of grading to do for the semester other than finals and a hot cup of tea. If I am up to it, we'll do a bit of kitchen chemistry later and make bread. ;)

Funny How Things Change

4 years ago I was planning and registering for Lil'Bugs baby shower. I registered for furniture, swings, portables, pack and plays, bedding, clothes, toys.........

I asked Dearest what he thought we should add and his response: diapers. In fact, he thought we should wipe the registry clean and register for nothing but diapers, millions of diapers. Bah, was my reply.

Last summer we sold all of the baby contraptions but for the one swing and an exersaucer. We gave away the crib (we co-sleep).

We don't really need all that stuff. Most of it got used for extra blankets and toy storage (we got rid of a lot of the extras of those as well....)

But this time I decided to start a registry anyway.... you guessed it, for diapers. Nothing but. Ok, that's not true, there's also a diaper pail, a pail liner, and some bibs. Heh. The difference is this time we registered for cloth diapers. I'm also trying to buy local, so it's a mixed registry. I picked mostly handmade products from a local WAHM, and it's all through an Internet store front run by another local WAHM. I hope it all works out and I don't end up hating cloth. I don't think I will.

It is certainly another step in the changes we have undergone as a family.

I don't think we are having a baby shower this time around either. I am undecided. I mean, we've only registered for diapers! However, Lil'Bug really wants to have a welcome baby party. I'm all for that, even considered having an after baby is born party BUT I feel uncomfortable with the tradition of passing the new baby around for all to hold. Once she's older, fine. I was like that with Lil'Bug too, the only exceptions were family and rarely very close friends. Even if people don't play pass the baby, lots of kids and people all together= germs a plenty and that's not good for new mama and baby. I've always held that the first month of the baby's life is precious family bonding time. So I am conflicted as to what to do. I need to decide soon, right?

Tuesday in the Afternoon

Today I feel really warm, from the inside out. Calm.

I went out and examined the Praying Mantis case. It vibrates to the touch, I could hear it humming. Truly amazing. That's how I feel. Buzzing with energy, a sweet hum from the deep inside. Encasing a precious new life.

I am surrounded by friends and love and the green beginnings of Spring. I feel so full of energy, yet I know to take it easy. So Lil'Bug and I are simply enjoying the sunshine. After yesterday, I really expected to feel tired, worried, and tense.

I don't. I feel reassured that my instincts were good. I feel blessed. I feel free of a burden (the fibroid) and relieved/grateful that it has passed. I want to laugh. Dr.s kept telling me that fibroids must be removed by surgery and I've lost almost a full pound of them since Lil'Bug was born, and now the last vestige during a pregnancy! I am blessed, no doubt.

I am wishing you all have a wondrous, happy day as well!

Score!

Thank you so much to Needleroozer for help in identifying our weird coccoon! After some early morning research, I have confirmed as best as I could, that it is in fact a PRAYING MANTIS EGG CASE! It is 3 feet from the ground, about the size of a quarter, right color and texture......

Totally awesome.

Photo Challenge 12: The number 7

In honor of TMBG, Seven, this week's challenge is a number. Do what you want with it! Some suggestions: a series of 7, a group of 7 things, someone who is 7, or cake. LOL.

Longest Monday Ever

I woke up to a regular Monday. Fed Lil'Bug breakfast, saw Dearest off to work, blogged a bit.....then, well, then I passed a blood clot.

Yeah.

I calmed myself down enough to call Dearest at work and tell him. He headed home. I called the Dr.s office, but no call back. I called our Doula. She said, "Go, go now." Really, there is no good reason for blood. So we went. Pawpaw came to the hospital to get Lil'Bug who was scared and worried too. I'm only almost 33 weeks.

They monitored, they prodded and poked (which hurt a lot! to the point of embarassment). The ultra sound showed June Bug a perfectly happy and active baby girl, placenta intact, mucus plug intact, cervix tight. My stats were good too. What they didn't find was the fibroid. No confirmation, but the going guess is that it broke, dissolved, and that is what passed. My gut tells me that is what happened. I am relieved, but the scare was a bit much for me and I ended up sleeping for a good deal of the afternoon. And, yes, lots of tears.

Dearest took me out to lunch and then home (after picking up Lil'Bug) and we puttered around for a bit in the garden. Here are some more progress pictures:


And a weird cocoon type thing. Any ideas? It is on a Lilac.

I really need a macro lens. I thought I would end up needing a zoom lens more, but a macro seems like it would fit better with all the close ups I've been doing. Oh, yeah, and the MAGNOLIAS are budding!

Lil'Bug loves mud bugs. Dearest and Lil'Bug also caught a nasty bug, or what they thought might be one. We took a break to look up Emerald Tree Borer. What they caught was NOT one. Whew. We don't have Ash trees in our yard, but still, nasty bug!

Then I went inside and slept. So much for getting laundry done!

Also, as a side note: EVERY THURSDAY SINCE THE WARM UP, IT HAS RAINED OR SNOWED OR BEEN AWFUL OUT. It's not fair. That is our park day! It means we go swimming instead, but still, park days are coveted. I just looked at the week's weather forcast and lo and behold, Thursday 70 percent chance of THUNDERSTORMS but sunny all the rest of the week. Gah. It could be worse; we turned the boiler off for the season so worse would be snowing and frigid.

Also, through some strange act of fate, I reconnected with a friend from high school who is also due in June. Amazing. We had lots in common then, more now. Different things now. :) So that's a happy ending to a very, very long day.

Secret Salad

Lil'Bug and I decided to make salad smoothies last week. It caught on. This week I let her pick and add all the goodies.

Carrots
Spinach
Banana
Blueberries (lots of blueberries!)
flax seed
yogurt
Strawberries
+
food processor
=She drank the whole thing and then asked for seconds, "Delicious!" She's not sure why I am taking a picture of her though. I held up a hand mirror. That's why the "face". Too cute.

Busy Weekend

This weekend we packed, sorted, and threw out things. We are preparing for an upcoming garage sale, but it is more than that.

I threw away things from my childhood that have meant a lot to me for 30 years. They were no longer sanitary to keep around and there was no real way to clean them. Why did I hang on to stuffed animals for so long? They reminded me of refuge in the storm of abuse. They reminded me of people who actually loved me. It was time to release the baggage of those things. My husband reminded me as I cried over it that I don't need cloth and button eyes to remember people who loved me, I have many other things including the fact that I survived and thrived despite what happened. Point taken.

As we were doing this, someone knocked on the door. It was the guy down the street who wants to buy our house and borrowed my thesis. I chatted with him for about 45 minutes, he still wants to buy our house. That's cool. Also, uplifting since I know he would care for it the way I do. That is important to me, even though I know that when/if we list with an agent I won't have a choice. I've just spent 10 years loving this place and I'll admit, I still do.

Update on "the list"

Here are the items on my list to tackle:

• Put away fake tree and better label ornament boxes.
• My office/craft room: need more baskets.
• Lil'Bug's room: need room for all her new loot. Need to change out 2T to 3T clothes, pack and label the 2T crate. Hang her wall art. (Thinking about framing her art and hanging it....)
• My bedroom: finish painting the trim, find (make?) better window treatments.
• Paint hallway (fine, this has been on the to-do list since 2004.....)
• Paint laundry room.
• Paint hall, bathroom, and laundry room trim. Hang wall art.
• .......(cue drums of doom) the north bedroom: right now a staging area for pre-packing and all other "stuff". Clean out, set up spare bed. Maybe paint the walls. Maybe. Hang wall art.
• Then paint middle parlor. Oh yeah, find good colour for that room. Gah.
• * edited to add * Stain and seal the hallway floor, wash curtains, and bedding.
  
• Clean out car
  
• Does it ever end? Gah.

(red means done! Blue means in progress)

I thought I had posted another updated list in March, but now I can't find it!

Friday Fun and Movie Review

We had a busy day with lots of driving today. We took Dearest to work, then went to the mall play place (which is AWESOME (empty) at 8AM, mall opens at 10). We met friends and played until almost 11. We then headed to the library and then to lunch with Dearest. Fun stuff. Dropped him back at work and headed home. Too much driving and definitely time to switch vehicles.

Back at home we watched the movies we picked out at the library. I have to say, the one Disney movie picked really surprised me: Cinderella III. It was a neat twist with lots of action, actual character development (which I felt was lacking in the original, save for the mice and maybe the Fairy Godmother), and a great twist at the end. Better animation than most of these sequels as well. We'll watch it again later in the week.

Bah, why kid myself. At the direction of my 3 year old, we will likely watch it 30+ times before next Friday's return to library deadline.

Baby Update: 32 Weeks

Well, 32 weeks is here. I have to say today was one of my most disappointing care visits. There was trace amount of sugar in my urine. I gained 3 lbs, not 2. I have a history of GD in my family, often severe and late onset. Now the OB wants to see me, but not for those reasons. Just because they couldn't let me get away with just seeing a non-attending Midwife. It's not like the Dr. I will see will likely be attending either. Either way, I'll be birthing the baby not them, but the whole hoop jumping thing undermines my confidence. I'm tired and cranky and tired.

I also will likely not be able to drive after this week. Why? Well, I'm 4'10 1/4"- not quite a midget but really, really close. This means I have the seat of our car adjusted so I can reach the pedals and see out and the combination has my belly almost to the steering wheel. Not comfortable but definitely not safe either. Luckily the weather is warming up so we can be outside in our awesome but needs a lot of work back yard, but we will miss park days and that will be very upsetting to Lil'Bug. Looking into another option for driving, we took Dearest's beloved truck in for an oil change and look over........

Right. We had an extra paycheck coming in this month. The repair bill is 13$ off of the entire amount. All are things that MUST be fixed or the truck will catch on fire or the front axel will snap or the steering wheel fly out the window while driving down the interstate. Hmph. And the repair guy said all are things the truck was about due for anyway and it could be worse. It could be. It could have done all of those crashing while on fire things or we could have spent the extra income before finding out the bill total......so all in all a blessing. Right? Now the problem is getting in and out of the truck for me with huge belly is a big deal. If we do switch vehicles I will likely only drive to 1 or 2 park days (weather willing) a week and that's it. Also, we'll save money switching vehicles because of gas prices and me not going out and about as much.

So, today I cried. I am frustrated about lots of things and then I feel guilty because I should be joyful and then I cry some more. I never cry, but the last three days it's been like Alice in Wonderland when she floods the world. It's hormones. Hormones + laundry = tears. Ugh.