O Christmas Tree Where Art Thou?

My parents were able to come visit for a few days after Christmas. We had Mama make a picture of us in front of the tree. I'm wondering why since I'm completely blocking the view of the tree. (I keep telling myself that light colored shirts make you look bigger.) So for any of you who've been wondering what I'm looking like. Here ya go.

I've had Dave make pictures of me occasionally, but that hasn't gone to well. He says he doesn't know how to photograph me. It seems he wants to focus on the tummy and forgets that I have a face. Though, with my double chin, I'm OK with him forgetting that I have a face sometimes.

In another morale booster, a random lady approached me in an antique mall Monday while Mama, Daddy, and I were out shopping. No, she didn't touch my belly; I think I would have preferred that to the question she asked, "Oh you're due any day now aren't you?" I had to reply that I'm not due for another 2.5 months. She then said, "But you're carrying so high. I thought you were close." That made me feel so much better. Even with my previously purposely limited knowledge of pregnancy, I know that carrying low indicates that the due date is approaching. But really, do I look like I'm about to deliver? And if I do, heaven help me in 10 more weeks.

Christmas Morning 2008

Dave and I celebrated Christmas differently this year. We enjoyed being at home for the first time. We were able to go to our church's Christmas Eve service after having a delicious Christmas Eve dinner of lobster lasagna with friends.

On Christmas morning, I woke up early and spent time reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol, before deciding to start breakfast. Dave got up in time to help cook sausage while I cooked pancakes. As you saw in an earlier post, Mason laid right behind us as we cooked. Dave neglected to mention that he was standing to my left turning the sausage links while Mason laid there. With the edge of the island right behind us; it was a tight squeeze, but nothing we aren't used to. After our pancake breakfast, we headed to the sofa to open our gifts. Dave's family shipped everything to us, so there was plenty to open.

Mason got to spend his first Christmas at home, as well, since he is usually boarded during our travels. We started by checking our stockings. Mason's had a Beggin' Strip in it, which he'd been sniffing all morning after Santa put it in the night before. After getting the edibles from our stockings, we started opening gifts. Mason loves to destroy gift wrap tubes, so we decided that he could surely handle opening a wrapped gift. He was a little tentative on the first gift, his moose. The moose must have smelled odd because all Mason really cared to do was sniff it. (He didn't play with it until Friday or Saturday, which broke Dave's heart. Dave's spirit's raised when he saw Mason running through the house flailing it about.)


But by the second package containing his rope, he was an old pro. He carried it over to show me the unopened package.

Then, he went over to have some more room and tore into the package.

Mason comes over to greet me while I open my gifts.

Dave sheepishly smiles while opening a gift.
After opening packages, Dave and I headed out for a morning walk. We watched Home Alone and Disney's animated Robin Hood--both gifts that we love. We talked to our families. We relaxed. We had a great steak dinner. We went on another walk. We ate pieces of the coconut cake. We gave thanks for a God who loves us enough to send a Savior and who has blessed us with the impending birth of Baby Mac. It was a great, quiet, simple day.

The Colossal Coconut Cake

Miranda spent way too much time whipping up this awesome coconut cake on Christmas Eve. I won't go into details on the ingredients (they are too sinful to even think about), but the cake is huge and tastes soooo good. Days later there is still a huge chunk of cake left - a little bit of this rich cake goes a long way. Anybody want to help out eating some cake?

Mason Cooking

Mason has been known to help out in the kitchen when he is available. I have said it for years....we have a 2700 sqft. house and there is rarely a time when all three (soon to be four) of us aren't within 10 feet from each other. Here's Mason showing his culinary prowess on Christmas morning.

Baby Mac Meets Big Mac

When lunchtime rolled around Monday, I was starving. In very atypical fashion, I pulled into McDonald's for lunch. My odd behavior continued when I ordered a Big Mac combo instead of the cheeseburger Happy Meal that I eat a few times a year. But I was HUNGRY. I drove home to rescue Mason from the 27 degree weather and to enjoy my Big Mac. It was tasty. I ate every bite and every fry. I couldn't tell you the last time I had a Big Mac. And, I certainly can't predict the next time I'll have one. But at that moment Monday afternoon, only a Big Mac could hit the spot.

I'm sure Baby Mac enjoyed his introduction to McDonald's. Yes, this really is the first time during my pregnancy that I've eaten there. No, wait, I think I had a biscuit once this fall and maybe my cheeseburger Happy Meal this summer. But nonetheless, this was the first introduction after Baby Mac has tastebuds and is getting the flavor of what I eat. And, as all kids love McDonald's I'm sure that Baby Mac will also beg and plead to go play there. I'll just have to stick to a salad or my Happy Meal.

On a side note, Baby Mac is a play of sorts on Big Mac. My coworker Ted is the only person who has verbally made the connection to me. Mac is, of course, a play on our last name. (Though at least one person thought we'd decided to name the baby "Mac.")

We're still working on the baby name. We do not plan to share the name, though we may share initials of the contenders later. I've heard too many stories of baby names that have been picked out, shared in advance, and poo-pooed by someone who just doesn't like the name. I don't think people are quite as ready to express distaste for a name when they are presented with a snuggly, precious baby at the same time as the name.

I Think We'll Be OK

As all first time parents, Dave and I worry that we'll do everything that we need to. We worry if we'll be able to take care of Baby Mac when he cries. I worry if I'll be able to keep him away from drugs (it's the teens I deal with daily that ignite this fear).

This weekend, we worked on our gift registries for Baby Mac at the orders of a co-worker. While adding items to our registries online, I read product descriptions and reviews. While looking at the contents of a Johnson and Johnson toiletry set, I read this review.


The mom, a teenager aged 14-18, would recommend that Johnson & Johnson include "baby cologne" in the gift set. Baby cologne? Really? Hmmmm. Wouldn't you say that the baby lotion pretty much serves that purpose. And what exactly would baby cologne smell like? Baby lotion and baby oil?

Yeah, my self-confidence just improved. Given I am almost twice this girl's age, but come on. Really, I think Dave and I will be just fine.

Movin' & Shakin'

Baby Mac has been super active this week. It seems the little guy is growing and growing out of room. I frequently get jabs under my ribs on the right. When I do, I try to elongate myself by stretching out and giving the little guy some more room. I'm also feeling and seeing a lot more movement in the middle area of my growing belly.
While talking to a co-worker Thursday, I grabbed at my belly as Baby Mac started to move. Glenda questioned, "Is he moving?" I replied in the affirmative. About 30 seconds later, she saw him move. I stood there with her a while as she put her hand on my stomach to feel the next movement. That night as I lay on the sofa resting, I called Dave over when the moving began. He patiently sat with his hand on my tummy and was rewarded with some movements. Then Dave pulled his hand away and sat to watch. In just a minute, he saw a big jab from Baby Boy.
Many mornings this week, I've laid awake in bed feeling the baby move about before I get up. Thankfully, his acrobatics have not yet woken me in the middle of the night. I know that time will come. My aching hip or shoulder is usually what wakes me up: I can't get comfortable sleeping on my side. I occasionally wake up on my back, so I'll roll to my side. When I roll over, Baby Mac has to reposition, so I typically feel him snuggling back into a comfortable position.
Thankfully the little guy has room to move around now. I know things are quickly going to get cramped inside of there.

O Christmas Tree

I love putting up the Christmas tree. Even more than that, I love sitting and looking at it. The lights are so bright and reassuring. The ornaments all hold special memories. When living in Austin, Dave and I always headed out to Elgin to a Christmas Tree Farm where we walked around, chose and cut our own tree. Since moving to DFW, we've had to settle for trees purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot. There are tree farms in East Texas, but that would be quite a drive. Maybe when Baby Mac is bigger and can appreciate walking around in search of the perfect tree, we'll make the drive. (In my opinion, all trees are perfect. Even those bare spots can be filled in with some of the larger ornaments I possess.)

Our first Christmas, 2001, we headed out to Elgin in a four-door Honda sleigh and strapped the tree to the top of the car to come home. In a stroke of genius, we let the windows down to tie the tree to the top of the car. Having the doors tied closed makes so much more sense than opening the doors to run the rope through to secure the tree to the top of the car. So, we then entered the car Duke's of Hazard style, through open windows--only our doors weren't welded shut and the Honda certainly wasn't a race car. When we got back to the house, I quickly surveyed whether or not neighbors were out to see my exit from the car. I went into the garage and found scissors to cut Dave out, but not before taking a picture.




Here you can see the finished result of our decorations.
The next year, we went out to Elgin with our friends Eric and Kathy. This year we came home with a super-huge tree. Look at how tiny I am next ot this tree. (Please ignore our scanty furnishings and the awful ceiling fan, which hadn't yet been replaced.)
In 2003, I know we went back out to Elgin. I've got to find a picture.

This is 2004; Dave's family was in town for Thanksgiving and went with us to pick out a tree. Here we are in the field with the tree.
Christmas 2005 found us in DFW. This is our first store bought tree.
I imagine there are pictures of our 2006 and 2007 trees somewhere, but I can't seem to find them, either. So we'll flash forward to our 2008 tree.


As we decorated the tree this year, we discussed that we would have to start an ornament collection for Baby Mac. Dave has several ornaments from his childhood that we put on the tree each year, and I have a couple of special ones. Baby Mac's ornament collection was started this year by my Secret Santa, co-worker. She found the perfect ornament for me. First, you have to know that two of the assistants at work call me "Mama Bear." Who knew you could find a pregnant bear ornament?
We look forward to decorating our tree each year; there are lots of memories held on its boughs.

Merry Christmas!

Baby Mac at 27 Weeks

****Baby Mac is now getting into the Christmas spirit*****

We got another glimpse at little baby Mac yesterday. Here are his ultrasound pictures from the doctor's visit. He was opening and closing his mouth while we were watching. We were also very glad to know that he is still a boy....For those that need a little guidance, he is looking straight at you in the first picture, and he has his mouth open in the second picture.



Evidently baby Mac likes his privacy because he was kicking Miranda like crazy after the ultrasound. Between the time we had the ultrasound pictures taken and then checked his heartbeat, he managed to turn himself all the way around. The little guy was on the move.

But, we also had some other news. With the placenta not moving up to where it should, we can't travel for the holidays. Normally it moves up and out of the way the closer you get toward your due date. But it isn't doing that....so, the doctor said it was best if we didn't travel too far from home until the baby is born. After talking about it last night, we are looking forward to having some down time over the holidays. It won't be the same, but we are optimistic that we can both get some much needed rest over Christmas this year.

A New Era has Begun

After three coaches and seven years, Georgia Tech has finally gotten back on track and beaten UGA in football. It wasn't even looking too good at halftime of the game this year. But a 26-0 scoring run by Tech in the third quarter turned the game around. Tech ended up running out the clock and winning 45-42 in Athens.

I'm not ashamed to admit it....I have a man crush on Coach Paul Johnson. He took a preseason team ranked #81 in the country and beat the preseason #1 team in the country. The guy can flat out coach. Hopefully he will be calling Tech home for a long, long time. I think the bullpups are more than a bit worried about what the future might bring for Georgia Tech. Go Jackets!

Fishy Friday not Black Friday

Last year I had so much fun on my Black Friday fishing trip that I just had to share the fun with my Dad and brother. So, I decided to book a guided striper trip on Lake Texoma with Scott Bridgess. I have fished with Scott several times and always caught fish and had a great time. For some reason though it always seems to be cold and rainy when we fish together. This day was to be no different.

We awoke at 4:00am in order to make the two hour drive and meet Scott at his boat slip at 6:30am. Some members of the party weren't too crazy about this aspect of the trip, but all were up and out the door just after 4:30. On cue, the rain started as we were driving up Interstate 35. We didn't let the rain didn't dampen our spirits too much. It was cold too - but it's amazing how you forget about the cold when you are catching fish.

The crew complete with 3 GT hats, 2 GT sweatshirts, and a pair of bright yellow rain pants.The action heats up. Scott is unhooking a striper that Dad caught.

Mike's hero shot. Yes, he did catch bigger fish than this one. But this is the only picture I had of Mike with a fish.

My hero shot, and the biggest fish of the trip - a 26" striper (7lbs).

A nice striper for Dad, and some of the only sun that we saw all day.

Headed home at just before sunset, if you could only see the sun.

I can't speak for everyone, but I had a great time despite the cold and rain. Fish were caught, memories were made, and maybe a new McLaren tradition was born...I can only hope.

Bathroom ReDo

After working on and off since March, we are finished giving a fresh face to the two upstairs guest bathrooms. As I've mentioned before, there were some very questionable decorating choices in this house. While the house was built in 1999 by a couple in their 30s, some of the decorations look like the 80s--both the 1980s and chosen by an 80 year-old grandma who wants to live by the beach. Now that we've finished these, we're itching to obliterate the blue from our bathroom, but that will have to wait until after Baby Mac's arrival--and then some since we'll have to save the money.


The hall bathroom before. Look at the lovely pastel checkerboard wall paper.



Note the pink and white marble vanity top.



And after. (Ignore the mirror reflections.)

I started stripping wall paper in a leisurely manner in March. By June 90% was pulled off. In July, Dave took over finishing the stubborn parts. We had the walls textured in early August. Dave painted, put up new light fixtures, new bath hardware, and new mirrors. In September, we started working on the granite. It took two flakey granite guys and almost 3 months to get granite installed. Then, Dave had to work on the plumbing.


Sadly, I don't have a before picture of the second smaller bathroom. The wall paper in there had a yellow background with big 4x12-inch boxes that framed single stemmed flowers in shades of purple and blue. Some days I felt the wallpaper was OK; other days I hated it. The ceiling was painted pale yellow. The same pink and white marble vanity top was the icing on the cake.

The new bathroom is a lovely shade of pale green. We can't wait to paint the guest room the same color.

Baby Mac is Growing

. . . and Mama is, too. I've gained about 20 pounds at this point. I don't want to think about what the next 4 months will bring. Thankfully most of the weight is contained in my belly and pesky double chin. Dave and I keep trying to get a good photo of the soccer ball I'm carrying under my shirt, but to no avail. I think the problem is we're photographing indoors--maybe outside with some good natural light would be a better location. My tummy fades into my arm in this picture, so I still don't feel you can really see the tummy. But I can certainly feel it. It's difficult to tie my shoes. Last night I even had to sit down to take my pants off. Oi. This is only going to get worse. I'll just keep my stool handy. And Dave is a great help with the shoes. I'm also looking into slip on shoes. I have a brown pair that I wear all the time; I'm in the market for some black ones--in all my free time.

But enough about me. Baby Mac is an active little guy. His movements are increasing in frequency and intensity. When he's really moving around, I'll call Dave over. Dave will put his hand on my belly to feel Baby Mac, which tends to give him performance anxiety. Every now and again, Dave will actually feel something. I feel sorry for Baby Mac all cramped up in there. But before we all know it, he'll be out here kicking and screaming--hopefully more kicking that screaming.

According to What to Expect When You're Expecting, Baby Mac is 9 inches long from crown to rump (see his little legs are all squished up--poor guy) and weighs 1.5 pounds. During week 25, his lungs are developing.

Oopsie

I keep reading that clumsiness accompanies pregnancy. My friend Ted shared that he always knew when his wife was pregnant because she started dropping things. I had escaped this clumsy fate, until today. While having lunch in a restaurant with Ted and another male coworker, I spilled an entire glass of ice water. The waitress handed my plate over the cup. I didn't correctly gauge how quickly I was lowering the plate as I brought it down and across the table. My reaction time is completely gone. Actually, I don't even think I had a reaction other than to laugh to cover my embarrassment. Thankfully both Ted and Lorimer are understanding men. They laughed with me as we cleaned up the mess. Luckily neither Lorimer nor I were soaked by the water. And fortunately, it was water--not tea or Dr. Pepper.

Baby Mac: Week 23 Update

Baby Mac is moving more and more these days, and it's more apparent that I am pregnant and not fat. The movements are actually becoming pronounced enough that Dave has been able to feel a small movement on the outside. Thursday I was in a workshop and Baby Mac was moving so much that I could watch my stomach twitch. I know this is just the beginning of things to come. Of course, I (hopefully unnecessarily) worry that he's going to move so much that he'll get the umbilical cord around his neck. Just the beginning of years of worry, huh?

We had a check up on Monday. It was a quick appointment with a listen to Baby Mac's heartbeat--which still sounds strong--especially when he's moving around. Next month, I'll have a longer appointment, with a sonogram to check the status of my case of placenta previa, an update on whether or not I'll be able to travel over the Christmas holidays, and the gestational diabetes test--which will take an hour.


We've picked out our crib bedding, but have had to order it. Who knew that you couldn't just go in to the store and buy it. We're hopeful that we'll get it before Thanksgiving. I suppose if we don't then we'll survive. Our next hurdle is to pick out a crib. We do have the field narrowed to four. I need to make my list of desirable features, go back and look one more time, and then hopefully choose one. I've heard that it can take 8-12 weeks for nursery furniture to come in. We plan to buy a dresser and a crib; we're still debating whether we want a convertible crib or just a standard one. I've picked out a rocker-recliner from a furniture store. I might do a bit more looking before we buy it.

We're undecided as to which room we'll use for the nursery. All along we planned to use the blue room, but the vibrant colors in the bedding might necessitate a paint change. We don't mind painting, but Dave says we can't have another earth toned room upstairs. We then thought about using the green room. My mom mentioned that the green room is quieter than the blue room. So then we thought that the office might be a good choice because it is a quiet room. So, who knows where Baby Mac will be sleeping. We've got time to make up our minds.

Plumbing - How I Hate Thee

There are two types of home improvement that I absolutely hate. One is wiring (anything other than simple wiring), and the other is plumbing. You wouldn't think that keeping pipes watertight is all that hard, but for me it is equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest.

After getting our new vanity granite counter tops installed I had to re plumb the faucets and drains. Easy - right? Nope, not at all. Here is a list of the "issues" I have run into:

-Had to call the granite guy back out to drill a hole that they forgot to drill for one faucet and enlarge another hole for a drain for the other vanity.
- Neither drain hole is at the same location as the previous one. So I had to redo all the drain pipes.
-The AC drain pipe connects to the drain in one bathroom. This has to be cut out and rebuilt since it is all glued together.
-The hole pattern for one faucet to too close to the backsplash. So the sink stopper rod (for a lack of a better term) hits the back splash and won't go down all the way. To fix this I had to buy another extension arm and bolt two together so that it would be long enough to reach the stopper lever.
-The drain pipe for one sink is 1 1/8" diameter pipe. Standard drain pipe sizes are 1 1/2" or 1 1/4". I have 1 1/2" piping. Guess what? They don't make an adapter that goes from 1 1/8" to 1 1/2". Looks like I am going to have to get a new drain and reinstall.
-The drain for the other sink (bowl type) doesn't have holes for an overflow. This bowl sink has an overflow..... I now have to carefully drill holes in the (threaded) drain pipe so that the overflow will drain. I could just buy a new one, but that is another $40.
-And perhaps the biggest pain in the neck is that both cabinets have a stile divider board on the cabinet doors. So I can only get my head in the doorway to reach the plumbing.

The good news:

- Flexible supply hoses are very easy to install.
- That is all...

Birthday Conspiracy

In August, my school district announced that it would be piloting the ipod touch with administrators. My principal, Becky, immediately put in the request for all six of us to be in the pilot group. In September, I got an email that instead of 35, the district was only getting 20 to pilot, so I wouldn't be getting one. I was a bit bummed. I wanted to try the WiFi in various places in the building and see what kind of functionality it would have for doing classroom walk throughs. Plus, it would be fun to have one to play with for myself.
A few weeks later, I received an email that we got in a second shipment so I would get one after all. Yippee!!!! Then two or three days later, I got an email that one of the itouch's in the second shipment was damaged, that a name had been drawn out of a hat, and that I was the unlucky person who wouldn't get one immediately, but that when it was replaced I would get one. I graciously emailed the director of technology back telling him thank you for letting me know what was happening and that I would be patient.
Monday when I opened birthday gifts, Dave had bought an itouch for me. I was excited. Then, the confession of the conspiracy came.
Evidently Dave had ordered my itouch the same day I learned that I would get one to pilot for 30 days after all. He emailed my boss asking her not to let me get one since he'd bought one for me. (Now what would it have hurt for me to play with one for 30 days?) Becky contacted the director of technology and the plan was hatched. (In retrospect, I can't believe I bought the "name out of a hat" line.)
Poor Becky had to be gracious when I whined that I wouldn't get a district itouch after all. She was as anxious for me to open my birthday gifts as Dave was.
At least I know Dave put a lot of thought into this gift. Now, maybe I'll get some time to play with it. (I've had about 45 minutes the past two nights; maybe I'll get another 45 minutes tonight.)

Happy Birthday to Miranda

Miranda and I celebrated her birthday yesterday. We did our usual birthday thing. We went to work, opened gifts after we both got home, then went out to a nice dinner. She now has a new gadget to use. I got her an ipod Touch that she has been wanting for quite some time. Now she just has to figure out how to use it....

After opening gifts, it was dinner time. She selected Truluck's for dinner. Truluck's is a seafood restaurant, and all the food was excellent! Miranda (and baby Mac) had the snapper, and I couldn't pass up the stone crab claws. We ate too much, then proceeded to slowly walk back to the car for the ride home. All in all it was a low key birthday celebration - but else would you expect from the two of us?

Happy Birthday Babe!

The "Line" Part of Book, Line & Sinker

I had to share these lines from Larry the Cable Guy. They are pretty good...and I even haven't even received them in e-mail before.


The wisdom of Larry the Cable guy

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'

22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapeno's. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Finally Fall

It has finally gotten actually cold here in Texas! The last few mornings it has dipped down into the 40's with daytime highs in the 70's. As nice as weather can get in my opinion. Miranda would strongly disagree on this point. Since my fishing days of summer are dwindling, I decided to make a trip to Lake Texoma for some kayaking and fishing.

The leaves on the oak trees around the lake were already in full fall color. Keep in mind that this is Texas, and anything other than brown for leaf colors is a really good thing. The funny thing about the tree colors was that while the leaves on the lake had changed, trees 20 miles west of the lake were still all green....Mother nature is a strange lady sometimes.

I paddled the lake for a few hours. The wind was blowing much harder than was forecasted, and I was taking waves over the side from time to time. But the wind died down around noon, and paddling in the sun was a treat.

Around 1:00 I headed to the spillway of the dam to fish the river. As I was having my lunch snack, I saw an air boat captain launch his boat and then beach it to park his truck. Evidently he didn't beach it well enough because it was drifting before he got back. I had to come to the rescue in my kayak. The boat had already drifted about 100 yards downstream by the time I got to it. I got a fishing line from one of the bank fisherman and took it out and tied it to the front of the air boat. As they gently pulled, I pushed, and we got the boat back to shore. Crisis averted...The captain was much appreciative, but I just wish that I had asked for a ride on it.

After all the excitement I finally got to fish for a little while with some success: 8 stripers and 2 channel catfish were the total for the afternoon. Not a great day as the fishing goes, but not too bad either.

Cell Phone Lamentation

Daily we battle cell phones at the high school. Our cell phone policy prohibits the use of cell phones during the school day. Students caught using their phones to call or more likely text have their phones confiscated; phones may be picked up the following day after school with a $15 fine. On the second offense, parents pick the phones up the following day after school and pay the $15 fine. Third offense, repeat #2, plus add disciplinary consequence. Most kids don't make it to 3.

Today a girl did. She had her phone in use during the Math TAKS test, despite 3 pleas I had made for all phones to be at the front of the room turned off lest a test be marked unscored. Remember, we're only in the 9th week of school--or is it 8th? Her aunt was up at the school shortly after she finished her test. Yes, I made her finish the test. We'll decide whether or not to score the test after the phone's log is checked. Anyway, clearly she knows how to use regular phones in case of emergency. She and her aunt came back at the end of the day to talk to me. She can pick her phone up tomorrow; she'll be in ISS for 2 days, and she'll pay her $15 fine. I think I'll draft an agreement with her that subsequent confiscations will be at a higher cost. I just have to check to see if I can do that.

This is not the most extreme case. Kids take out their SIM cards; they carry "fake" phones--old ones they no longer use--to hand over. Parents argue and plead the case of their child. Parents demand that their child must have a cell phone. Ye gads!

I guess being 15 years older than these kids has caused me to be a bit out of touch: I just don't get their cell-phone addictions. Though, I don't know that I can blame it all on age. I know people my age who are just as addicted to their phones and being "connected". I think many lack true human connections, so they try to substitute electronic connectedness in place of a real connection with people. Does sending 50 1-sentence text messages or replies truly constitute a conversation and a relationship? Maybe these snippet conversations are more than the actual conversations that people have with their families at the end of the day.

As I drove to school yesterday, I thought about cell phones and pondered at the rate we're going, will I be sending Baby Mac to school with a cell phone in six years? I hope not. Even if the other kids have one, I hope I can be strong and resist the "if you really love me you'll give me a cell phone" guilt trip that I'll probably get. But, I'd like the boy to know how to remember a phone number, how to seek out land lines for use, how to survive without a cell phone.

Then, when I got home from work, I had this email from a friend. How timely.

---------------------------

CELL PHONE VS. BIBLE

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone.

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to our kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go... hmm...where IS my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry
about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid
the Bill.

And no dropped calls!

When Parents Visit

Mama and Daddy just left this morning after staying for a week. I'll miss having them around.

Mama had dinner ready when I got home: a blessing after a long day at work. Mama made potato salad for me. I just can't get mine to taste just like hers. I know that it can be done with my light mayo and red potatoes since she did it. It must be the mustard; I don't think I get that right. Sunday when we got up, Mama had breakfast ready: biscuits, gravy, bacon, and eggs.

Mama hemmed 2 pairs of pants for me--twice. They weren't quite short enough the first time. She and I agree that too long is better than too short.

Mama and I were able to shop together. I found a few maternity shirts to get me through the still-don't-look -pregnant-stage. No shoes for my growing feet, but I'll find some. We bought a few outfits for Baby Mac.

Since I'm saving my days for maternity leave, I didn't take any time off from work, but Mama and Daddy are self-sufficient guests. They puttered around each morning, taking a walk before heading out to explore. They shopped at Grapevine Mills, in Roanoke, in downtown Grapevine, and in Denton. Daddy says next time they'll go further west to explore. Mama laughs and says they'll have a baby to entertain them next time.

It was great to get to see them.

Zing

Friday morning during football practice one of the coaches and players had a conversation that went something like this. . .

Student: Coach, who's the gay quarterback in the NFL?

Coach: I don't know of any gay quarterbacks. Tuoalo came out a few years ago, but he wasn't a quarterback. Why are you so interested in this? Are you going to be the first gay quarterback?

Student: No, coach, I don't play quarterback.

Wait for it, wait, wait . . .

Student: Wait, Coach that didn't come out right. I'm not gay.

Wonder if this kid's been hit too hard a time or two.

A Father's Intuition

From day one Dave has insisted that we're having a girl. He's been so sure, that we've discussed many more girl names than boy names.

Monday, we went to the doctor for the big sonogram. I had no idea that so many things could be measured. Everything looks good. The heart has four chambers. The lungs, liver, kidneys, and stomach are developing. The face was measured for a cleft palate or chin. The spine was examined; I had no idea you could see all the little bones. The length of all the major bones was measured.

The baby was sitting with its head just to the left of my belly button and its legs were tucked beneath. I hope the little one has enough room to stretch out in there. Right now the baby is still quite small weighing maybe one-half pound.

And with all the measuring, we were able to find out if Daddy's intuition was right. Turns out this time, not so much. We're having a boy! The third picture is a look from below. You'll see his bottom at the top, with both of his little legs below him. And in the middle, his manhood.

I think the gender explains my recent inability to properly navigate to a new destination; you know guys--they never ask for directions. I think Baby Mac's testosterone was blocking my usual savvy navigation skills.

Dave will have a fishing buddy. He's decided he'll be buying the Scooby Doo rod and reel combo. I'll have a football watching buddy; the sad thing is, I'm sure Baby Mac will figure out how what the flag is going to be long before I do, even though I've got a 15 year head start on watching football.

Dave doesn't have to paint the nursery; the soft blue we have in there will be perfect. Now we just have to come up with a theme. And a name . . .

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In case you need some help with the sonogram pictures . . . first let me say, the print quality is terrible compared to what we see on the screen.
The top picture is the baby's face. He's looking at us. You can see the left eye socket distinctly. You can also see the arms.
Picture two is self-explanatory.
And, I've already explained the third one.

Raised Right

When I met Devin in 1997, I knew I was in the presence of SuperMom. Throughout the years, I continue to hold my opinion of her. Today I received another example of what she has done to ensure that her children have been raised right.

Last week was Sutton's birthday. Dave and I sent a birthday gift, complete with homemade brownies, to her college dorm in Virginia. The day the gift arrived, Sutton emailed me to tell me thank you. Today, I received a handwritten thank you note in the mail. I am so impressed. I have given many gifts to adults over the years, sometimes without receiving a thank you via email, let alone two thank you's.

Sutton, thank you for reassuring me that children can be raised right and that they will carry good manners with them when they leave your home.

Many days before deciding to embark upon the journey to motherhood, I grappled with the question, "Do I want to bring a child into this world?" My response has been that I have a moral responsibility to society to ensure that a few kids are raised right to band together with all the other good kids to outweigh those kids whose parents haven't taken the time to instill good manners and a code of ethics and morals in the very fabric of their being. But I digress . . .

Thank you, Sutton. And thank you, Devin.

Hmmm. . . now the Miss Manners in me must wonder, "Is a blog thank you adequate?"

A Little Financial Crisis Humor

What's the difference between an investment banker and a pigeon?

Wait for it............







A pigeon can still make a deposit on a Ferrari!

What I'm Reading

I need to update the reading portion of the blog. I have at least 3 books to add. But, I have to talk about the book I'm reading now . . .

My boss, Becky and I exchange books. When I returned from Minnesota I found a book I had loaned her for her Bar Harbor trip on my desk with another book and a thank you gift of a notepad and pen. (Another thing we do when loaning books.) When I told her I started reading it, she was surprised that I hadn't given it to her. Guess I'll have to finish it so she can find the rightful owner.

I'm reading Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, & Covered in Cat Hair. Laurie Perry is hilarious! I have laughed out loud several times while reading this diary. One chapter is about the importance of wearing clean underwear. On a laundry day in August, she's down to her last pair, red and green Christmas thongs. Sadly that day, the zipper in her skirt separates. While I've never had a zipper separate--yet--I can absolutely relate to waiting until the last decent pair of panties is dirty before doing laundry. I don't know why I do this. I just do. Perhaps it's because I wash my underwear separately, and it takes many pairs to make even a small load. And, I'm not quite as bad as Perry, I don't wait until I have only holiday underwear. Actually, I don't think I own holiday underwear anymore, but I digress . . . While I'm at a very different point in my marriage, Perry's book isn't just about divorcing. Bits of everyday life are woven into her diary, like the fear of meeting friends. Thankfully, she finds knitting to help her as an introduction to new people.
Perry also maintains a blog. It's also been added to my "Blogs You Should Check Out." The few entries I've read talk about cooking and recipes. She's come a long way from being Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair.