Getting back to normal

(Addie Mae helping Papa bring in the wood)

• After two weeks of sickies, I (and the whole household) are feeling not only better but actually...pretty good!! Which means there is work to get caught back up on. I have no reason to put off tackling a house (or laundry, or dust bunnies) post two weeks of neglect. (Rats.)

• Yesterday I tackled our bedroom, laundry, the kitchen and dining room. By the evening I was exhausted. Still lots of work to do.
  

• An odd thing has happened~ after coming off of that sickness last week, I noticed that I feel much more like ....ME....lately. Not so down-trodden, exhausted, discouraged. In fact, I feel PERKY. (It is an odd feeling to feel like you are someone else entirely than you have always been. Welcome back, Rebecca.)

• I am at week 14 (okay, two more days...) in this pregnancy which is about the time when nausea subsides. Trust me-I have been counting the days and sure enough~ it IS. Still have it at night but it is entirely manageable~especially knowing it is on its way out completely. In fact, I even have an appetite. I just fixed myself a tuna sandwich with cheddar and lettuce on toast and I could very EASILY eat another one. MUST. HAVE. WILLPOWER.

• The other day, after everyone snarfed their packed sandwiches on a long car ride, we decided to stop and get an extra snack from the gas station. After looking through the selection, I found a thing of four cookies for $3.39 or a BIG box of NuttyBuddy bar things (24 bars!) for $3.00. Knowing we had a whole van full of hungry souls, I opted for the monstrous box of Nutty Buddy Bars. It was cheaper AND you got a bunch more! Went out to the car and downed a package. I have not had ANYTHING "Little Debbie" in probably years and let me tell you---it was so STINKIN' GOOD. That's when I made the mistake. I looked on the back and saw.... there were 20 GRAMS OF FAT in one package. Um. 20 grams of WHAT?! What did they do? Inject the things with cellulite? How could something so small have SO MUCH fat? I now have a huge box of peanut butter bars in my cupboard that are calling to me, begging to be eaten, and a waistline that threatens abandonment if I do. This IS a predicament. I think I ought to burn them right here and now and be rid of the temptation. Little Debbie~ you are no friend of mine. Making something so delicious yet so inaccessible.

• I am fully aware that I have missed sharing the last two weeks worth of "crafting until spring" projects. I *HAVE* done them, I just haven't really showed you. I will. Soon. Promise. )Just wait until you see last week's...

• Speaking of which~ I was SUPPOSED to be working on THIS weeks "Craft the Winter Blues Away" project during rest time (right now) and lookie here. I am blogging.

• I read The Way Home by Mary Pride over the weekend. In it's entirety. This is surprising to me because I have picked it up no less than five times and always read up until the abortion information and then wound up so disgusted, appalled and mournful that I would close the book and put it away. This time I very nearly did it too. I spent an entire day--not weeping---but sobbing. The book was written in the 70's and even thirty some years ago, the truth was almost too much to handle. (Knowing we are thirty-some years further in the pot makes your stomach wretch.) With lots of head-stroking from Matt and after I had thoroughly saturated his pantleg with tears, I forced myself to read the rest. It was a really good book. REALLY good. I have seen a copy of ALL THE WAY HOME (same author) at the library that I think I will borrow on library day.

• Two nights agoI prepared some spaghetti and yogurt on Adele's plate and, just for kicks, gave her a spoon. Up until now she has been finger-feeding herself or I would feed her the non-fingerfoods. After giving her the spoon, I went to bring the milk cups to the table, sat down, dished food onto plates and then looked over and....ALL HER FOOD WAS GONE! When your baby stops nursing that is a seriously sad milestone but when they no longer NEED you for foodhelps? That is when they begin the downward spiral of no longer needing you at all. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

• Smootch is four inches long, which I joyfully approximate with my fingers every day. If I were to have an ultrasound, sadly, I am not (boohoo), s/he would look something like this:

Or THIS (replacing the word FETUS with BABY, thankyouverymuch)



egads! Isn't s/he DARLING?!

• I am currently working on a soapbox series on the topic of child discipline in response to several email inquiries over the last few months. For those of you inquiring minds~ I have not forgotten you (or been ignoring you)! They are to come soon. It is a tender topic and one I wanted to take my time on and try to represent *right*(Thank you for your patience) And thanks to you all, I will likely make many enemies. And it will be all your fault. ;-)
  

• We are having chicken marsala for supper tonight. I have been craving it for weeks.
  

(finally feeling like ME again...what a great feeling.)