Sitting in the car to use the U's internet.

Jared is back at work already so I’m back to staring at boxes to unpack by myself. Its lonely being here all alone.. I wish I had a dog or a cat to talk to at least.

I had a lot to do this weekend but I didn’t want to do much of it because I was spending time with Jared. We went to Build-A-Bear finally and fulfilled the Mother’s Day moose idea. We named him Wallace. Even though it was kind of embarrassing to be there, it was fun. We weren’t even the only adults there. My hands and my feet swelled up from too much mall walking, though, so next time I’ll have to be more direct and spend less time window shopping.

Saturday night we drove the truck back home to LaCrosse and then turned around to come back. We came within 5 feet of hitting a deer while going 70 mph.  I don’t know how my little car would have handled that, but it probably wouldn’t have been very well. The only reason I avoided the deer was because I noticed one of the side reflectors on the road suddenly “go out.” I thought.. huh.. that’s weird. Reflectors aren’t electric so what could make a reflector stop reflecting? …DEER! *Slam on breaks. Skid to a stop in front of what looked like a gigantic deer. Honk at deer. Deer stares and does nothing for a while before running across the other lanes of traffic.* Talk about my astute driving skills.

I always tell Jared to be my deer watcher for me, but I realized last night that he probably isn’t worth much for that. He didn’t even see the deer until it was almost through our windshield. At first he thought I was crazy for slamming on the breaks. But then again, maybe we didn’t hit the deer because he prayed not to hit a deer before we left. So maybe he’s worth having as deer watcher after all.

After a near death experience, most things I have to post about seem pretty bland. I got a new table & chairs from a church sale. They look pretty impressive in the dining room. I got the crib all assembled and put the mattress in it only to find out that the mattress is somehow too narrow. There is a 5 inch gap between the sides of the mattress and the railings. I’m going to look to see if they make a mattress that’s a tad wider. I hope they do, because after hauling that crib across country and taking the time I did to spiff it up with pledge… I’m a bit invested.

I have a garbage can now. Its luxurious to not have a trash bag pile in the center of the kitchen anymore. My bathtub finally has a drain plug so I can take a bath. Its kind of hard to get in and out of the bathtub though. I didn’t think my stomach was really much in the way, but I guess when you’re trying to maneuver in a deep claw-foot tub it’s a bit of an obstacle. I kind of made a tidal wave splash onto the floor that I had to get out and clean up. Oops.

I hung  my Ikea artwork above my bed, but I think I mis-measured a bit or something because it doesn’t seem to be in the middle of the wall to me. I may end up redoing it but for now its staying where it is.

Government rebate coupons are coming in the mail for the digital TV box. I really hope they get here soon so I can get to ordering the converter box and have AWESOME television. Yay. I’ve already researched the best boxes on Amazon and I know which one I’m going to get. Its $2 more than the rebate coupon, but for its awesome ratings I think I’m willing to shell out the extra two bucks.

That’s all the excitement of the apartment I can think of for now. If you get bored, don’t hesitate to call.. I welcome the entertainment. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday and then after that I’m heading back to LaCrosse so I can go to my niece’s graduation and hang out with my brother. 

Give me an "F"

Garage saled today. Man can I sell. It ought to be my profession. We got a good amount of traffic and sold a good amount of stuff.

Then we went for lunch while people were viewing the house and we stopped at Once Upon A Child. I got some MATERNITY CLOTHES. And they fit me. And they weren't arm and a leg expensive, either. I tried on a lot of things, and probably 50% of what I tried on looked pretty good. My mom tried to scare me by setting off the fire alarm though. It scared the crap out of Babyzilla and made him practically break my rib when he jumped. 

But... Once Upon A Child was a hit. LOTS of stuff. Some new, some used. I got some shorts and some tops that make me look pregnant, but not gigantic. At least in my opinion anyway. I'm pretty sure everything will end up making me look gignatic when I am actually gigantic but.. you know.. for now, everythign is gravy. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.. I found a bra that fits me and makes me look pretty good! What a miracle! I thought size "F" was seriously a joke size that somebody made up, but no... I am an "F" now. As embarrassing as it is, I am just going to throw that out there in case some othe rpregnant people are also reading this and lamenting their boobs. Sometimes, "F" is a reality.

Tomorrow we might be heading back to the cities iwth a load of boxes. As long as the weather holds out, I think thats where we'll be. We're definitely going to go over to Sears to check out strollers. I found a really great option today at Once Upon a Child and it turns out there are a couple other similar models that might work well for me too. They're less expensive and more hwat I want than the one on my registry so I think I'll end up making some changes.  Who would've thought that Sears would be a goldmine for baby gear? Now, if I need baby gear, a Maytag appliance, or power tools... I'll keep Sears in mind.

Oh, yeah. I heard from Jared tonight and he is not dead either. In case some of you were wondering. But he still has no phone number so I'll probably talk to him when I see him again either Saturday or Sunday. I guess he is having a good time at his job, even if he has to work all day every day. 

Back for more.

So, I thought being home at my parents' house would mean that I'd have plenty of food options. There ought to be at least 10 different dinner options I can make for myself at any time here.

But then, I opened the fridge door and... EMPTY! I was so shocked I didn't even noticed that I had wandered to the kitchen cabinets and opened them and... EMPTIER!! Not even any fruit on the counter! I never thought I'd live to see the day when my pantry and fridge are better stocked than my parents'. I had to scavenge the freezer for forgotten frozen food items I left behind when I went to school. I found some pizza bursts, which I mysteriously forgot ever existed until I saw the bag 5 minutes ago. I'm willing to bet this will be some serious heartburn but now that I've seen them, I  must eat them.

I caught up a bit on my facebook stalking. I realized that maybe I'm not the only one having a baby. I can think of 4 others in my grade, but considering that I am somewhat snotty and think I'm better htan them... It only semi makes me feel better.

I made sure to comment on Irene's page. She's due to pop any time starting um... around now or something, I guess. I'm not totally sure I just know it should be soon. And the craziest thing came over me... I wanted to pester her. In the same way that people pester me about being pregnant. I mean, the last thing I want to tell somebody again is when I'm due or hear them make jokes/give advice about labor/handswelling/unwieldyness. I HATE everyone saying crap like that to me, yet what do I feel compelled to do to Irene? I want to make some sort of birthing/labor comment. I even had one typed out. And then, in a moment of strength, I deleted it and added something less pregnanty. What has come over me that I was even tempted to BUG another pregnant person?! Insanity.

Yeah, so its been a while..

Some of you thought I was dead. Some of you just worry too much. I can assure you, I'm not dead. I mean... if you were REALLY that worried, you should've picked up the phone and called. My blog isn't a one way street!

But anyway... I've been away because I've been moving into the new apartment, and alas, in its new status, it has no internet. Also I've been making trips back and forth to home to try and recover as many treasures as I can before my parents give them all away to Kentucky or put them in a rummage sale. I've made a good haul. I'm feeling pretty confident about hte stocked-ness of my kitchen. I've got... potS now. 

I spoke to some of you about my pots and pans dilemma. I wanted ot make things on the stove, but I realized I had no pots or pans. Jared and I went to Goodwill and found one that looked brand new, took her home, washed her up, and she was great. I should've picked up a pan, however, because making pancakes in a pot is near impossible. Especially without a spatula. I ahve the burns to prove it.

BUT! That problem has been overcome and I've got most of the kitchen utinsels I'll need. (Except a pan. I have a tortilla grill thing for the stove though which works great for pancakes.) So... if any of you have a blender you don't use, a neglected breadmaker, or... A PAMPERED CHEF FOOD CHOPPER... 

I will pay you in fine eating if you feel fit to bestow those items upon me.

Otherwise, moving in has been a slow, tedious process. Everything must be dusted and cleaned before it can be used as a place to store all of my junk. Ceiling fans, blinds, closets, drawers... EVERYTHING had a thick layer of dust. I actually took down the blinds and took them into the shower with me. I'm trying to make the place as dust free as possible so I don't have to put up with Jared's sneezing and "mouth itching." His so-called "mouth itching" makes a swishing water noise and it drives me nuts. So hopefully no dust = no mouth itching. 

Speaking of Jared, he ahs started his job which means he has started.... (be ready for a shock here!) ... wearing shorts! He looks so cute. I can't beleive he thinks its so hot here that he is willing to wear shorts, even after refusing to wear them in Florida.  Wonders never cease. 

Hmm.. This is a random post. I feel like I should have tons to say but maybe the truth is that my life is boring. More stuff:

-I started "lessons" for Babyzilla. A well meaning, unnamed family member purchased the BabyPlus Prenatal Learning System for him. I'm skeptical, but I figure the worst thing it'll do is drive me nuts for a few months, and at best it will cause our baby to be born with superpowers. Right now I lean towards the superpowers option. Either BZ really hates it or he really loves it because he goes hyperactive ninja on me whenever its time to do a session of it. Each "lesson" is basically just a series of beats that play into my stomach... Its supposed to teach basic pattern awareness or something so that the baby can self-soothe himself? I don't know. The doctor says it won't hurt anything and may even help so... sure. I'll do it since its supposed to help him be more alert, nurse better, sleep through the night, and save the world... (Well, I made up that last one.)

-Just FYI: I cleaned my toilet with vinegar and it really worked magic on the bowl ring. Jared won't let me use ANY cleaners of any sorts, so I tried just plain vinegar in desperation and it was miraculous how clean my bowl came.

-I may have to sink to the level of maternity undies, but I'm not quite ready to go that low yet. I think I'll move up to size L cheap Target-ies before I have to get those gigantic monsters.

-Can anyone tell me how well the Swiffer vacuum thing works? I was looking at it in the store and it just looks so wimpy and smalll.... but then again, I don't need anything heavy duty. Any experience in that area?

-Also, things have been strangely breaking down for me this past month. First, the demise of my car's starting capability. Y'all know that story. But then, with my brutish strength, I pulled off a doorknob to a closet, broke a wooden spoon, and gave myself a gigantic gash while trying to shave my legs. My car's AC/fan broke randomly out of nowhere and I've got to get that fixed tomorrow. The drive home was interesting because without being able to turn on the fan (it makes a dentist drill noise and smells burny chemical-y) I had to defog my windows by having the windows rolled down. In the rain. For the 2.5 hour drive. While it was freezing out. Thats not it. When I plugged in my computer to write this post, I noticed that the magnet in my laptop charger has gotten magnetified the wrong way because it won't fit correctly in the slot anymore. Why me!?

Jared is working every day this week and without a cell phone that means no talking to him. I miss him him around to do things for me -- I mean, I miss having him around. :)

I'll try to post more while I'm here at my parents house but I've been quite forgetfully lately. No promises here. Just know that I'm not dead.

Savage, from the front steps.

I'm waiting for my sister on the front steps of her house so I thought I'd take the time to post. Today was mostly productive. I moved a car load of my stuff to the apartment and went sale-ing with my parents to try and pick up things for the mission in Kentucky or for my apartment/baby. We got most of a truckload full. My acquisitions for the day were an awesome rug, a picture room divider & a glider.

Also, I got to eat a Mr. D's donut this morning for breakfast so that part was pretty good. No one makes a donut better than Mr. D's. Mmmm.. old fashioned cruller.

When my sister gets done working we're going to go out to eat and maybe stop by this kids clothing sale I just found on Craigslist. Its only a mile or so away so.. how could we not go?

Tomorrow I hope I can get all of my stuff packed and at least most of it moved. Then I should have some time to study for my soil final on Saturday. After that I'll head home a few days to pick up some things I've got at the house and help my mom go through some rooms to clear our some of their accumulations before putting hte house up for sale.

Interesting things I saw today but did not purchase:
-An old brass diver's helmet.
-A rocking horse which was actually a big plush labrador.
-"Pooping Cow" - a child's board game about pooping cows.
-Lots of crap they couldn't pay me to take.

I think thats all I've got for today. Maybe more later.

And on the third day, he rested.

Jared stayed up all night last night studying. This time I don't care, because he wasn't in my room to bug me. He had a final exam this morning at 8 so he was convinced it was NECESSARY to stay up all night studying. Whatever. I don't care, I got to sleep so it really didn't affect me at all.

He came to my room after his test. We were going to go eat breakfast together, but then he sat down and promptly fell asleep. He's been sleeping for uh... the last 3.5 hours while I tiptoe around trying to think of what to do  but actually doing nothing. I almost took a picture of him because he is sleeping with his thumb in his mouth. But then I thought... no. He'd get angry. So instead I'll just embarrass him by telling you all he sucks his thumb in his sleep. :)

Like I said before, I've been trying to get something done. I actually haven't gotten anything done because really I can't focus. I started sorting laundry and then I saw that I could probably get all of my books together to sell back. Then, while I was doing that, I realized that my bag o' baby clothes NEEDED at that very moment to be sorted through. You know, I might've forgotten about something I bought in there. Or else maybe there was my favorite onesie polo in there that I needed to fix the collar on or something. I don't know why. It just had to be done.

So, then I had my baby clothes all spread out on my bed when I decided I should probably go back to sorting the laundry. I decided at the last minute that I shouldn't do a load of clothes because, hey, hasn't it been a while since I washed my bedding & towels? That meant, for some reason, that I had to dump out all of my previously sorted laundry onto the floor. I don't know why I did it. I know it makes no sense, but I did it anyway. And then I decided I was tired of "working" so hard and the laundry basket sits empty. Because, yes, I needed a break before I could do (or pretend to do) anything more. So now I sat down, and I can't continue.

Why? Because its time to eat Oreos and watch TV, thats why.

Oh Yeah, Happy Mother's Day!

Almost forgot to write that it was Mother's Day. I almost also forgot to send good wishes to my mom, even though I've spoken twice on the phone with her today. But anyway, Happy Mother's Day, Mommy! You rock. You always made me lunch when I was home sick, and I miss that the most. I love you!

Jared surprised me with a trip to Build-A-Bear. I've been secretly yearning to build one for the baby for umm.. ever. I know, I know...  I've always sorta thought Build-A-Bear was trendy gimmick, but I saw the cutest ever moose and I like buying things for our baby and... Yeah. I admit it. I wanted to Build-A-Bear. Even Jared is excited. The moose will be an adorable reminder that Babyzilla was born in MN, especially if we end up moving out of state like we think we will. We were going to go build him today but I decided I had too much studying to do, and for some reason I've been exceptionally dizzy today. So.. we're going to go on Tuesday, I think.

JURASSIC PARK!

Today I practiced my Jurassic Park special effects. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, a bunch of people are trapped in an electric car and the power goes out and they're stuck waiting for it to come back on. A little boy notices that a cup of water is rippling, and people start to realize that the ground is trembling because A GIANT DINO IS AFTER THEM!

That is the part I can do. I can put a cup of water on my stomach and Babyzilla hits it and makes the water ripple. Its the closest to Jurassic Park I'll ever get. 

My other pregnancy skills are not nearly so glamorous. Its not like swelling hands is a superhero power or anything.  There is no Forgetfullness Woman heroin that I know of.  Nor is there a Miss Acne, a Lady of Poor Balance, or an If-I-Smell-That-Stinky-Thing-Again-I'll-Barf Woman. So yeah.. I'll stick to my stomach, which moves all by itself. That will be my trick.

We got the apartment we wanted. Its official now. We've got keys and everything. We even have.. A HUTCH. What do people like Jared & I put inside a built-in hutch? I don't know. 

Its a basic 2 bedroom apartment. Virtual written tour:

Enter in from the main hall and you're in our living room. Its big, and at the moment, empty. The living room connects to the dining room via a big arched opening. The dining room has a built in hutch, and connects to a big walk-in sized closet which I am going to use as  a combination pantry & coat closet.  Down the hall from the dining room, there are two bedrooms on the right. Each is of modest proportions, but has its own closet. One bedroom even has a ceiling fan. To the left of the hallway is the bathroom. It has a footed bathtub, which Jared is excited about because all the other apartments we looked at only had showers. There isn't much space in the bathroom, but well, its a bathroom. At the end of the hall lies the kitchen. It has the usual fridge & oven, but also a dishwasher. Luxurious, huh? The sink is nice and big, which I like, but the counter space is meager. I do feel like there is a lot of cabinet space now, but I'm sure once I get food and other junk in there it'll seem like I need more.  Excepting the kitchen, the whole place is hardwood floors and pretty bright. There are some nice big windows that let a lot of light in. 

We're not sure which room we should devote to Babyzilla. One bedroom is larger, but only has one window and lacks a ceiling fan. The other bedroom, although smaller, has two windows and the fan. Do we give him the bigger room because we could block out the light in there and make it easier for him to nap? That would leave us with the smaller room, but I could enjoy the ceiling fan in there. Or, should we give him the smaller room just because he's smaller? For some reason it seems like a complicated issue, but when I write it out it really isn't. But still... I can't make up my mind. 

Strangers beware.

If I had $34 to burn, I might purchase this tshirt which reads: "Unless you're the person who put this baby IN here or the person who'll take this baby OUT, then you are NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH MY BELLY!" 

I went down to the lobby to mail something and I ran into a Toucher. Somebody I've never seen in my life who wanted to touch my belly, which I feel really isn't even that big yet. (Unless I try to put on regular pants. In that case, it is huge.)

I was standing at the front desk waiting for a tour group to move out of my way and The Toucher attacked. I almost elbowed her in the face because: 1. She surprised me, coming up all sneaky-like behind me. and 2. She was short, I am tall, its just something that could've easily happened.

This woman was crazy. She reaked of cigarette stink, and she was wearing a fringed leather jacket. It is more than 70 degrees outside. She is such a dedicated smoker that her skin has shriveled to nothing and everything about her looks yellow. While she was talking at me, all I could think was "....I'm talking to a shrunken head. This woman has a shrunken head." The leathery yellow skin and the freaky black ponytail really did her in.

I honestly can't even remember what she said to me. Some blathering about when am I due, pregnancy is so exciting etc etc probably, but I honestly can't remember what she said. I was WAY too freaked out. And I mean really freaked out, because honestly... who wouldn't be freaked out by a shrunken headed lady wearing a biker's jacket? Exactly. I need a witty pregnancy t-shirt to keep the weirdos away.

Besides The Toucher, today has been mostly normal:

Apartment guy is fixing something that I had a problem with in the apartment. How nice of him. Thats why he didn't call us earlier. We're going to meet up with him later this afternoon.

I woke up early this morning to pee (per usual) and Babyzilla wasn't moving. I kind of freaked out because he always moves somewhere between 8-8:30. I poked at my stomach, made loud noises at him and still he didn't wake up. Then I got up, drank a freezing cold soda and TA DA! He woke up.

I had a really strange obsessive thought this morning after drinking that soda. Since I'm a good bit larger than I was before, and I'm only a total of 5.5 pounds heavier... Does that mean I'm less dense? (Physically, not intellectually before I get any smart comments out of any of you. :P) I was always the one lagging behind when it came to the floating tasks in swimming lessons, so I REALLY feel like I have to go swimming to see if I float better now. BUT!

That would mean putting on a swimming suit, shaving my legs, and going all the way to the rec center pool. I don't know how plausible that is.

 

Spring clean!

While Jared is down at pasta night, I thought I'd write a bit.  I like the thought of eating at UDS pasta night but the fact is that the tomato sauce gives me magma-magnitude heartburn and I would just rather have some Raisin Bran than face that.

Jared's snack was a hit. Everyone said it was the best meal prepared, with the exception of the people who went overboard and had their meals catered. Our key to success was the crockpots, because most of the other students' meals had been served cold. (Even the spaghetti meal was served cold. Ew.) Also, we had foods taht went well together, and if I do say so myself the chili cheese dogs were pretty great. We got a little bit more than two hot dogs a person, and they were all gone. All of the chips & soda disappeared as well. I feel good that I was able to help him, and I'm glad he had a good day at work. 

Jared finally received his new roommate assignment and he is happy about it. He's assigned to live with two different people, which I think sucks. He has to live in one room for 3 weeks and then he has to move to a different room with a different person. His first roommate is a flamer, but Jared likes him and he's very nice. His second roommate is a quiet guy who doesn't say much but is equally nice. Jared is happy, so thats all that matters. He was just relieved that he didn't have to live iwth the guy we nicknamed shoebomber.

On a different note, all of this apartment searching has made me realize that we're pretty low on household goods. (If by "low" I mean "nonexistent" then that statement was true.)

So... I turn to you!! Once we're all settled into our apartment, I would like to extend my offer to y'all to accept your spring cleaning. Got a breadmachine you never use? I'd hold it dear to my heart. Have a spice cabinet filled with duplicate spices? They'd be the belles of my menu! Anything you've got to stock an apartment, I'd be grateful for.

Just in case you've got a bunch of stuff in storage you can part with, or you just want to clean out your house, here is a list of things we need:

Furniture:

-Dresser(s)

-Lamps

-Couch

-End table/coffee tables

-Dining room table & chairs (matching not necessary!)

Kitchen:

-Appliances: we have a toaster oven & a mixer, but beyond that we're starting from a blank slate. I'm especially interested in finding a little food processor or something for mangling regular foods into baby foods.

-Tupperware

-Bakeware

-Pots & Pans

-Cookie sheets

-Kitchen towels, oven mitts, etc.

-Utensils: We have some silverware, but we could use more. Also, things like potato peelers, garlic presses, ice cream scoops, wooden spoons, spatulas... We'd love those too.

-Pantry items: Got a full pantry? We'll take things like salt, flour, canned goods, spices, condiments... Anything thats got a shelf life we'll take. 

-Kitchen garbage can

-Cleaning supplies: rags, used or unused cans of dusting spray, 409, Lysol etc., a vacuum cleaner.

Bathroom:

-A few towels

-Bathroom cleaners

-Toilet scrubber

-A bath rug or mat

Misc:

-Rugs or carpets

-Lamps

-Screwdrivers, flashlights, other tools.

-Baby gates

-Light bulbs

So... get to spring cleaning folks! Unlike Goodwill, I can promise you that a smiling face will take your items off your hands and that they may even be featured on an awesome blog. (Hint: That blog of which I speak is this one.)

Potpourri post.

Before I get to the main event of today's post, I'll give you the basic updates from last week and the first half of this week. My parents were here most of the week so I was pretty busy, and then this week I got sick a bit on Sunday and Monday so I never got around to posting. I got a lot of things done though:

• I solved the health insurance problem. I finally found the right person to talk to, and he was very understanding and helpful. Its been figured out that all I have to do is sign a paper saying I'm on "medical leave" therefore I couldn't go to class if I wanted to. How nice of that man to consider being pregnant a reason for medical leave. As far as I know, they don't normally do that. I think I was jsut very lucky to have found an understanding person who was willing to find some loopholes to help me out. So.... all of that means, I can keep my school based insurance at the same rate I'm paying now.
  
• I qualified for WIC food. It was kind of hard to call people up and say... "Uh.. yeah.. I need food." Its embarrassing to ask for that kind of help. I've always been on the opposite end of the food pantry, so asking to receive some food felt weird to me. But I'm glad I did it, because really any help I can get is good help and WIC will give me healthy food. Milk, dairy products, eggs, bread, fruit, veggies... All of those things can come to me through WIC programs. All I have to do is go down and sign papers.
• I got together all of the proofs & filled out the applications for receiving medical aid from the state of Minnesota. Again, I felt a little bad while I did it, but the more help I get the more money we have to spend on other things that will make our family's life better. If that goes through, everything the insurance doesn't cover from my doctor's visits will be paid by the state.
• I applied for an apartment. I feel pretty good about it and I'm relieved to have some place safe for our family to live.
• I went garage sale-ing with my parents and I picked up a lot of great older sized clothes. I found a lady who was closing up shop for the day and gave me any of the baby clothes I wanted for a quarter, and she had adorable boy's clothing in great shape. My parents also bought me a changing table, and we had a fun time looking for items that could be donated to my dad's church charity project. They brought home a full carload of stuff.
• I ate out at a lot of new restaurants with my parents, and found some places I liked and some I didn't. I also found other places I wanted to visit.. A Baker's Wife, Town Hall Brewery, the soup & sandwich shop near the St Paul campus. 
• I had my doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is fine. I'm still measuring bigger than my dates, but the doctor is still confident that my due date is accurate and that I just have a big baby.
• Jared can feel the baby from the outside now. He was so excited and happy about it that it made me feel happy.
• Finals week is officially next week.  My last final is on Saturday, Jared's last day is Friday.

Now... To the main event oft his post. Its sort of long and confusing, so bear with me.

Last night I screamed at Jared. I was tired, I was feeling barfy because somebody across the hall made nasty chinese food, and I really just wanted to sleep. It was 12:40, and I thought I was entitled to that. Jared was working hard to finish an assignment, which for some reason is the most aggravating thing in the world when I'm trying to sleep. His typing actually makes me feel nervous... he's a spastic nervous typist or something. This is what his typing is like:

type type TYPE TYPE TYPE

 ----silence for 20 seconds or so ---

 TYPE TYPE type type TYPE TYPE 

DELETE DELETE DELETE DELETE DELETE 

---more silence for 30 seconds or so --- 

type... 

type... 

type... 

TYPE TYPE TYPE.

And then he flips pages, stares at what he wrote, and either hacks and slashes it all or goes on. That is his pattern. It drives me crazy, because I never know when the next silence is going to come, and the rhythm is truly nerve wracking when I'm trying to sleep. Add on top of that that he listens to pre-teen girl pop rock while he works and it drives me absolutely crazy. Crazy enough to get up at 2:00 AM and leave the room in my PJS to go for a walk, because if I stayed there for two minutes more I probably would've shanked Jared to death with the electric plug for my cell phone charger.

But anyway... I went for a walk, and of course Jared had to follow me. I mean, yeah, its probably not the best idea to go out that late by myself but really I'm tired of being so weak and lame. Pregnancy has taken over my body and my mind and at least if I can go for a walk when I know I'm not supposed to, I feel like I have some control over it.  I ahd to ditch Jared so I could just be alone for a while.

I came back to the room before Jared gave up looking for me and I surfed the internet until I felt a little better. Jared came in looking all sad and worried, and I wasn't even angry at him anymore. He said he was worried because he has so much stuff to do and he felt guilty for not going to the doctor with me that morning or having time for me that day. He was worried because he had forgotten that it was his turn to make "snack" for his work group. He asked me to help, and my immediate thought was for revenge. I wanted to just say, "Do it yourself, why should I help you?" but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wouldn't accomplish anything other than to make Jared feel even worse. We made up last night and decided to look at everything again this morning when the sun was up.

I got up at the crack of dawn this morning because I couldn't sleep anymore after I got up to pee.  I used my morning time to brainstorm ideas for Jared's snack. I remembered something that made me really upset while I was in the doctor's office yesterday.

There was this woman who  sat next to me in the waiting room and wanted to be all Chatty Cathy with me. Normally I'm fine with people talking to me, I'm not that shy. My dad's way of talking to waitresses and other strangers has probably made me realize that talking to people isn't so scary. But all this woman wanted to do was tear down her husband. All she would say were cynical jokes about how husbands don't do anything and how her life would be so much easier if not for him. She complained, complained, complained about how her husband was lazy, how he probably wasn't attracted to her anymore, how he didn't know how to take care of the kids right...

And I was so pissed at this woman. I couldn't stand her. I hated that she was being so mean to her husband, because if he really was that bad why did she marry him? How could she expect to stay married to him and be happy with him if all she could say about him was negative? If she says all of these things to a stranger in a waiting room, what does she say to her friends? I didn't know what I could say to her, so I didn't even answer her. I ignored her in favor of reading an old issue of Harper's Bazaar. I just didn't know how to react.

So when I got home, I wanted to make sure to let Jared know how appreciated he was and how helpful he is to me. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't so complainy like that woman was. I truly do appreciate everything he does for me and I couldn't even have gotten this far without him. I wanted to remember to let him know he was loved and appreciated.

But not even 12 hours later I forgot all about it and I was screaming at him for being up and working on that assignment. Once I get started, I just can't stop. Pregnant hormones take over and I'd stomp on a fresh grandmother's grave if my hormones compelled me. I screamed at him for way more than was appropriate last night. While I was lying in bed this morning, it made me feel terrible. I wanted to work extra hard to bring him an extra special snack he could bring to work. That was something I could do for him, and I wanted to do it well... So I went to work. Its always easier to feel better about a situation when you've got a project you can work on and conquer. My project today was solve the dreaded "snack" problem.

Preparing a "snack" for work isn't easy. Unlike the name implies, the "snack" is supposed to be substantial enough for a full meal. It also has to have a vegetarian and dairy free option to it. Plus, it cannot be anything that has already been done before. On top of that? Oh yeah.

We needed to have enough to feed 32 people.

Almost all of my ideas had already been done. Baked potato bar, walking tacos, spaghetti, cereal breakfast meal, sandwiches, salad, lasagna... All already used. I needed something that could be prepared easily and quickly without hte use of a full kitchen, and that fit the above requirements. In the end, the best I could come up with was chili dogs. We got the giant packs of hot dogs & buns, with chili and cheese and all the condiments to go with them. We picked up giganto bags of chips, some Coke 2-liters on sale and made a go of it. Vegetarians could choose to eat the chili, or they could eat some of the fake veggie hot dogs we got. (Sounds gross to me but who knows.) I borrowed a couple of crock pots from Beth, packed everything he needed (cups, utensils, can openers, etc) into a bag, and gave him instructions on how to set up. It may not be the most glamorous meal, but its the best I could pull together for him in the short time I had. I hope it goes well for him, and I hope he has a good day at work, because he deserves to have a good day today.