Some Monday Musings...

1) I taught The Bucket List in my American Film class today.  Sure, its not really a classic or anything, but its got some great slang. The vocabulary list included: terminal illness, chemotherapy, cremation, and bucket.  The two slang phrases were "Kick the bucket" and "You're shitting me".  I think the students were interested and actually, they identified a lot with the main characters since several of them are in their 60s.  The assignment is to create a Bucket List and then explain three items on the list in detail.  I am finding that this is a tough assignment for me to do.  I don't think I've done it all or seen it all, but I feel kind of content right now and very far from death.  Doing ordinary things like completing this pregnancy seem to be more monumental than going skydiving or hiking the Great Wall.

2) Very dramatic weather predictions are dominating the news here.  Its pretty ridiculous the adjectives they are using.  Let's just stick to numbers, okay? 16 to 20 inches. Fine.  Historic, epic, snowpocalypse? Not fine!  The lead stories were about stores running out of shovels and bread.  So far, there is no snow fall and a glaze of ice.  Apparently the conditions are so severe that both my husband's and my workplaces have cancelled and closed tomorrow... preemptively!  And we have a state of emergency already... before there is even snow!  Maybe we are more prepared as a society, or maybe we are just a bunch of drama queens who want to go play in the snow.   I know I should take this a bit more seriously because probably it will be a fatal storm for some, but I can't help but thinking of the Little House on the Prairie books and the blizzards described there.  They would wake up surprised by snow up to the rafters.

3) Back in a great place in our marriage.  Its been EIGHT years since we started to fall in love.  This week is our anniversary of dating week.  It was snowing several of those days, too, which meant that we couldn't go on any Official Off Campus dates for nearly a month!  What a great eight years, and what a fun time for a love anniversary.

4) Our son was acting really strangely today.  I ordered my husband to watch him like a hawk in case he'd had a seizure or was ill or something.  I think he was just moody today!  If we laughed and it didn't suit him, he'd growl at us.  He wept when we said, "No more fuice (foos?) today, son... water, milk, or tea".  He searched the house for me and yelled Ma!Ma! Mamamama! but then wasn't interested in me when he found me.  Puzzling.  He'll have a rough time being kept indoors the next several days, I imagine.

5) I'm coordinating a long distance baby shower for a friend on bed rest.  Apparently, very few people have any suggestions or resources on this subject (according to the Google searches I've done).  So far, I've got the stationary and a few ideas, but I would welcome any GREAT ideas.

 6) Did I mention I won't be going anywhere for the next two to four days or so... and that all three of us might need a vacation from each other afterwards?

Pregnancy and Body Image: Why I Don't Do Maternity Pictures.

I am not going to lie.  Being pregnant and having long term issues with body image, food, eating, not eating, excessive exercise, perfectionism, and anxiety is TOUGH.

I've had a long term friend who had some of my same struggles and sought intensive treatment, and she is currently pregnant, too.  I haven't talked all that much to her about these issues, but from what I understand, pregnancy is a total relief for her and she is practicing great self care.  I wonder though how she calms those mean ED thoughts.  It seems like ED recovery is a continual process, not a destination, so I assume sometimes she has rough patches, too.

I think I am practicing really good self care at this point in the pregnancy.  I am being very honest with myself about food choices and nutrition and feelings.  I had a great nurse who helped me through a terrible hump I had with eating and weight loss and tons of issues during the fall.  I am so thankful for that.

I think one of the ways I am helping myself is by not photographing myself each week.  It might be a little pregnancy denial going on... like, "I can't possibly be THAT big", but I think its okay for me right now.  I am not denying that there's a baby and she'll be here in a few months.  I am denying myself the chance to be overly critical about the shape of my body, stretch marks, or poor muscle tone.  I don't need that right now!

So I won't be taking many photos of myself pregnant.  I hope this baby can understand one day that I am happy to have her, even if I was unhappy with how to cope with pregnancy and my own self image.

Perhaps professional photos would be helpful.  But I would def. want them to be photoshopped and retouched to be magazine-ready quality.  And that doesn't seem very genuine! If I picture maternity photos, I picture really cheesy ones with bellies exposed in unnatural situations and sentimental expressions on parents faces.  Or I picture Christina or Britney or Demi's pictures, which I think are way, WAY better.  But not realistic for how I've spent this pregnancy in minimal makeup and hair spray!  If I did get maternity photos made, I would have intense pressure to do Pilates and look really hot.  That's not the best way for me to be, either.

  I had a chance to get wonderful mother/son photos with my newborn, and I absolutely will do this for the next baby. I think that can be good enough.

Earlier I did a lot of research about pregnancy and eating disorder relapse.  I tried to find some information about pregnancy and body image tips for people who have experienced similar medical histories as me, but there was so little information out there.  Some of the journals I found through my university, and they were really interesting.  I will summarize these articles and post them here one day so that maybe others can have a resource.

Snapping Mental Photos...

I realized I have been taking less and less photographs of how I spend my days this past week.  Maybe its because I prefer taking photos outdoors rather than in, or that nothing really fantastic has happened and our ordinary days are already captured pretty well from other times I had the camera out this winter.

I think I have been in the moment a bit more.  There were two really distinct times this week wherein I wished I had my camera to capture the moment, but at the same time, it was truly delightful to just enjoy the moment as it was happening.

So obviously, this post will be lacking in photos!

One of the moments was playing with my son.  He has started to play independently with toys, which is really a nice thing.  I am able to have some down time on the couch with my feet up for a half an hour while he plays a game nearby.  However, one of these afternoons we both enjoyed a more than two hour nap, so we were well rested.  I got on the floor and played with him.

We used his Mega Blocks, a Mega Blocks school bus and bus driver, finger puppets, and a tiny, blue duck for this pretend world we made.  We built a structure with windows and had the finger puppets peek in at the school bus driver.  DHH would make high pitched squeaky sounds for the conversation, which are the noises he makes when he sees something really cute or funny.  It tickled him so much to have this small house with small people peeking through a small window.   I could tell that he was totally delighted by this little play scene and so happy that I was there playing with him.  I was very happy, too, that I had the chance to be home with him at 3:30 in the afternoon and be in a comfortable, safe home with fun toys.  I appreciated seeing the looks of curiosity and delight on his face.  I appreciated that he was communicating and playing WITH me, not alone or just copying me.  We took the puppets on school bus rides and parked the school bus inside the structure. We rebuilt the structure when the blocks crashed down when the duck and puppets jumped to hard through the windows.  It was a really neat time for me.

The other time this week that I want to clearly remember is watching my son experience his shadow.  We were walking from Memorial Union before noon, with the sun to our backs.  At first he was more interested in dipping the toe of his shoe into the snow and shouting, "Foof!" than taking in any of the sights on campus.  We were holding hands and suddenly, I saw him point to his shadow.  I told him to wave, and he obeyed.  He looked at me with such wonderment!  Then he veered off to the left and walked a path that only made sense in the angle that the sun was behind us.  He was following his shadow forward and leftward.  He would stop, wiggle, raise a hand, and marvel at the shadow.  He was interested in my shadow, too, but not nearly as much as his own.

He followed his shadow off the sidewalk and nearby to a row of bike racks.  The bike racks were made of one long pipe and curled up and down like a lasagna noodle.  Instead of walking into the rack and hurting himself, he stopped and noticed his shadow was on the other side of the pipe.  He ducked under one up curl and laughed.  He was on the other side!  Then he wove his way under and over the bike rack, and each time he would squeeze under the up curl of the pipe, he would look at me with a peekaboo face.  It was wonderful.

He stopped at a snow bank and dug out two leaves.  At first I went to stop him, because it was cold and I didn't have mittens on him, and also because I noticed he was bringing them up to his lips.  I didn't want him to eat those slimy leaves!  But I stopped.  He clutched one leaf in a pincher grasp with each hand.  He blew the leaves and laughed when they moved.  Then he held his hands parallel to the ground and spun.  He danced with the leaves with such silliness and joy.  He laughed when he saw his shadow doing the same thing.

I had to look around to see if there were any other adults watching this scene, but it was my honor to be the only witness of my son taking delight in nature and his own antics.It was such a wonderful sight.

Perhaps only a parent would get joy from these scenes, and my judgement about their merit is biased by a mother's heart.  I have a feeling though if I had either scene on video that they could cheer and boost any one's spirit.

I am glad I experienced them live, rather than on screen.  I am so fortunate to be an active participant in my son's life, rather than have to hear about these things from a baby sitter or miss them entirely because I was too self-absorbed in my own life.

Lots To Do, Not A Lot To Say...

I think I haven't had too much to say because I have been so tired lately.  Usually, I've found that I have a certain quota of words I need to meet each day as a semi-chatty, semi-quiet person.  In the last few days, I used my quota up talking and talking and talking.

I've been talking about:
- how find and get tech support if you are an older Korean adult and quite new to the country (and no, I cannot set up your wireless connectivity on your iPhone for the university because I am iPhone illiterate)
- you must say the word please rather than demanding something from your mother (as in, yelling, "UP!!!!" is not the way to go, you must say, "Up please!")
- how to have excellent lesson plans for a teenage ELL classroom for brand new teachers fresh from college and TESOL programs
- the pregnancy, how I am doing, what are our baby plans and etc. because its the first question on anyone's lips.

Plus, as a nice treat, my husband and I sat up late talking and having nice conversation well past our usual bedtimes, which was totally pleasant and reminded me of six years ago or so when we couldn't STOP asking each other questions and listening and being happy with each other just with talking late at night.  It was great, but I sort of know now why couples don't do that sort of talking when they have kids and its after 10 PM... its late and 5:15 AM alarm clocks are especially annoying the next day.

All this talking has worn me out.

Fortunately, I have an enthusiastic helper who follows me around begging to do some of the tasks I do each day!  I do have to talk a lot to teach and explain to him, as well as build his vocabulary, but honestly, it is nice to have an extra set of hands help a little bit, even if its just taking a wrapper to the trashcan or picking up clothes to put in a basket.  He's a helpful kid.  Here's proof!

He also uses Clorox wipes to clean the toilet and sinks, which is pretty cool.  Maybe I'll be able to get him to do some of my least favorite chores, like mop and dust one day soon!  We could be a power team.

Or we could have another baby and have twice as much work to do.  Which seems likely!

Snow... still!

We still have snow!  Up until about two days ago, DHH was afraid of touching the "Fuff" or "Floof" with anything but his index finger.  He did not want to step in it, especially if he could not see the ground below.  

He has since changed and acts the way I remember acting as a child (or even now!) but wanting to edge his toe into the snow anytime I allow him to walk from here to there (I don't always do this because I don't like his shoes being filthy in the house or wet and then falling down on noncarpeted floors).

My husband likes to experiement with him, or perhaps torture him a little... he wanted to see what would happen if he put him on a giant mound of snow.  The result was not as funny at first as we had hoped... no king of the mountain.  But now when we look back at the photos, it is funny to see his angry face!

The roads and sidewalks have been cleared, but we've still got several inches unmelted from that ten inch accumulation last week.  It may melt some this week, and I'd love for it to be 40 degrees... we could go for a stroller walk and it would feel almost like spring time after 15 degree temps for so long!

Second Child, First Girl...

Which means I do think she can have a baby registry without the world seeing her as a greedy little thing.

These will be on the registry, for sure! Perhaps in every size because they are so sweet!

 

Little Girl is Healthy, Prenatal Massage, and a Movie of our Family at Laptop

The appointment today was fine. I just had the jitters... but I always get a little nervous before OB appointments and before seeing an unfamiliar face that should be very, very familiar.  Info: she's 2.4 lbs (not the 4.5 lbs my husband estimated jokingly) and her heart rate is 154 BPM.  She did a lot of wiggling and practice breathing, her belly and bladder are full of liquids, and all my anatomy looks healthy.  PHEW!  I didn't have to take the gestational diabetes test, but I will next Wednesday.  I'll also start weekly appointments, unless I talk my doc into a less-high risk diagnosis for this pregnancy.

However, I might want to go bi-weekly if I can also schedule a massage for the same date!  The office has a massage therapist and WOW.  It was impressive. I didn't realize that massage therapists are different than masseuses found at places like Massage Envy or hair salons.  This woman had a lot of talent, but it was much more medically oriented (less healing crystals, more stretching of ligaments and pressure points) and actually was a rehab nurse before her first retirement.  It was an incredible, wonderful, positive, lovely, and needed experience.  I am still sore, but I have been informed the whys behind my neck and upper body tension (actually, ITB issues! resolved by stretches like this) and the hows to alleivate a lot of pain.  It was a really, really, really beneficial visit and I want all my friends and family to meet this lady and have the same healing experience I did!  And I remembered my love of lavender scent after this visit.  Its also quite relaxing.

I took this little movie tonight when I was sitting down for our semi-nightly ritual with our son wherein he begs to sit on my lap and look at the laptop. He has started to LOVE being at the computer and begs or forces his way up into our laps if we have made the unwise decision to check email, facebook, etc while home during the day with him. He is not interested in looking at these websites. He wants to watch only a fewthings:

1.  himself on the webcam (its like a mirror for him, I suppose)
2.   movies of himself as a younger baby, 
3.  youtube movies of cats, 
4.  a slideshow of photos taken during the last month. 

If I take him off of my lap, he gets so upset. If I turn off one of these viewing options, he gets upset. If I do not let him finish watching the entire stream of photos... he gets upset. He is really, really happy when watching himself (or cats) on the computer and is learning NOT to touch the keyboard. I am not very interested in teaching him the educational websites or games because it would mean he would be hooked on the computer! And we don't need that at 17 months old.... we've got more bad habits to eliminate, like chewing with mouth open, interupting others when talking on the phone, and pushing to get in front and closet to Some Neat Thing.  Having a computer addiction so early would be good for no one!

Jelly Bean Test Tomorrow, 7 Months Pregnant Update, But No Maternity Pics.

Today I return to the maternal fetal specialist for our seventh month check up.  In this appointment, I'll be having the glucose test for gestational diabetes.  Last month, Dr. Kimberly eagerly let me know that they've got a new procedure for this test... and it involves jellybeans instead of the icky drink.

I also get another peak at Baby H2 who is telling me in nonverbal ways that she is growing and is super cramped inside her current apartment.  I think she has good muscle tone and probably is doing Pilates in there.

 I'd like to get a non stress test done as well as the bio-physical profile, because I'd like some baseline data on all these contractions I am having.  I'd like to see and hear that they are normal so I can have peace of mind and a better idea for The Time To Go To The Hospital.  The pains have been intense and frequent and internal, a lot like I remember during the pitocin I had.  I've been reacting to them like... hm, well, water's not broken, let's just ride it out, drink some water, and rest for the remainder of the day.  If I am in so much pain I  can't cuddle my child, then I need to go.  Or if I can't enjoy The Bachelor or other junk TV, I'll go.

I also have a PRENATAL MASSAGE scheduled.  I sure hope its more of a chiropractor experience than a gentle little pat on the skin.  I could really use some realignment through my spine and a deep tissue neck and scalp massage.

I haven't been photographed in a while, and that's okay.  I don't love the silhouette.  My abdomen is large and obviously pregnant, but I think its shaped like the letter D, with a really flat spot at the belly button.  Its not round and small like a basketball, its much more of an oval.  I think that short women with short torsos have much cuter pregnant abdomens, so that's why I don't have a photo fo me beaming and looking into a mirror as I take a cell phone photo of myself to publish.

Today's Accomplishments

- Sat through entire church sermon without using restroom or standing up to shift weight through my pelvis... actually, this was really challenging!

-Scrubbed all things scrubbable in my bathroom, including the doors and door jam.

- Mopped up all kinds of toddler residues on floors.

- De-funked diapers by doing a complicated washing, stripping, and soaking process.  Involved lots of research online and emails to a few diaper company and detergent execs and customer service.  I am happy that I have never had to do this and hope I won't have to for a very long time!  I guess after 1.5 years, a day battling ammonia smells and stink isn't too bad.

- Alienated my husband by not communicating with him... I am so moody these days and I cannot express frustration in any kind or positive way, so this is the WORST accomplishment of my day.

- Tolerated a grouchy child (molars are coming in, he's bored of indoors, a diaper rash issue caused by the funk-ed diapers, refused to eat dinner, etc.)

- Sorted cleaning supplies that seem to just mound up in the bins in our laundry room. Noticed that all the products I used up were recyclable... so finally its come to the point where I see results in recycling since I now only buy recyclable products (like Method and Charlie's!)

- Filled in three photo albums of photos that had been taken but had been yet to be categorized into appropriate albums.  Since I had some random photos from summer 2008 but no room for them near similar 2008 events, they sure did go into an album with this year's Christmas.  I also put all of DHH's ultrasound photos in his first baby album and worked on putting H2's ultrasounds in her first baby album.  I cannot find the October ultrasound photos though... so not complete task.  I had to do a LOT of trimming... why can't ultrasound images print to a standard 4x6 size? Why must I trim, trim, trim a fraction off each time?

Do you notice the need for Kleenex?  Its DHH's biggest challenge so far learning to blow his nose.  At least he is less likely to freak out about me touching his nose in the last week.  I think teaching him to wipe his nose by himself using those great smelling Boogie Wipes is helping. However, I'd be cool with him wiping snot on his shirt sleeve if it meant that a lovely photo like this one was unscathed by those two runs of mucos!

- Wrote this blog post. Decided to add pictures to pep it up.

Hopefully by bed time I'll have patched things up with my husband, taken my pregnancy medications, gotten sorted out for tomorrow's teaching, finished the diaper de funking process, and showered.  Maybe also I'll do prenatal yoga and chill out.  Hopefully.

Post wipe-age.  Yes, I used my mitten.

5QF on Saturday

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?

I met my husband at this exact location.    Its not creepy to post that, I don't think, since its a public place and its actually a neat little place, too. 

We had just arrived that afternoon as student staff members in those (not yet under construction) residence halls. We had been given instructions to meet just outside of that building to go as a group to dinner.  He was wearing a red ball cap and had a thick, curly mop of hair and I was wearing a jacket over my tank top because all the buildings were so cold and my hair was longer and redder.   I don't really remember getting a very good look at him - just a first glance, and I think a really deep eye contact gaze is necessary for love at first sight.  I think I was a little intimidated by the situation, and I assumed he was older and tough, what with that ball cap and being so tall.  It was not love at first sight, and I didn't think he would even talk to me since he seemed so much cooler than me. He told me that he thought I was hot at first sight and was confused why I would wear a jacket in the summer time.  We fell in love about six months later to the date of when we first met, and that was within a week of becoming BFFs.

2. What is your favorite room in your house?

My bedroom. Its the only room that is consistently peaceful and is private from the rest of the house.  I also really, really love my bed.  It is fluffy and tall and perfect.  The bedding is luxe.  Its just wonderful.

3. Can you wiggle your ears?

No.   I think this is a recessive trait passed on in families, and we're all dominant for non-wiggling.  I am okay with this lack of skills.

4. What is your evening ritual?

I don't really have one, nor have I ever really had one.  I do usually watch some TV and check facebook before bed.  I have started to use some anti-aging facial moisturizer now that I am close to 30, but I even forget that sometimes.   My son and husband have very regular routines for evenings.  My son's includes a bath and three stories and my husband's includes an ice cream milkshake and falling asleep reading in bed.  

5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?

I don't know.   I get between 6 and 8 these days, and I think that might be my average for the last decade or so. I got less sleep in college some years that I did in the months of having a newborn night-nursling. I do really well with a few hours of napping per week, however!  

Here is a bonus photo story for you...  its my baby sampling snow... and probably thinking his dad is nuts for offering him this flavorless cold bite!

Not Yet, Please.

Dear little girl living in my tired, sore abdomen, 

Its not time yet.  Its not time for the labor and delivery process at only 7 months gestation.  We could be actually organized for you in two or three weeks... but that is pushing it.

So these painful contractions need to stop.  And daughter, you need to stop pounding your fists and kicking your legs at me all the time.  Sorry if you are cramped... I think you will feel cramped your whole life as a younger child that has to share many things.

Here are some more reasons why its NOT TIME YET.

We don't have any clothes for you yet, so you should really stay inside where your nakedness is an advantage.  

Also, you are nameless, still.  You'll just get some generic name that we randomly pick, like Lucy or Betty or something, because we are so surprised to meet you so soon.

Your brother hasn't learned how to be gentle when touching others' eyes or other facial features.  If you come out soon, you'll get his finger up your nostril all time time... and I promise you that is not fun.

Also, I think you'd prefer a warm spring day for your birth, rather than this chilly weather.  Its snowy, girl! It will snow several more times this month!  Just avoid that, okay?

Last reason... if you time it just right... you and I can laze around in the hospital watching THE WEDDING of Kate and William and we won't be bothered by your dad or brother wanting to do other things.  We can oogle Kate's dress and start your love affair with large scale parties and party planning at an early age.  We can't do this if you don't wait until the end of April.

Love,

Your mama 

Sharing a Valentines' Day Project Idea from Me and Shutterfly...

I am so excited about these beautiful Valentines' Day cards. I stayed up until the wee hours of the night last night editing photos of DHH that I took during the day, putting the finishing touches on these cards, and getting them ready to order!

Love Hugs Kisses Valentine's Day 5x7 folded card

Create personalized greeting cards and invitations by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

 Its true... I dressed him in red with the intention to use the photos of him in the snow for Valentines' Day!  His expressions were so lovable that they are PERFECT for the cards. I had a hard time selecting which photos to use... and then I saw how many different formats and layouts were on the Shutterfly website for VDay cards... and that made it even trickier to pick the PERFECT card!

 DHH is too young to actually create them himself with glitter and paper hearts, so for now, these are the cards that our loved ones will receive from us!   There are additional photos inside the card, as well as a Bible verse about love.  We had our Christmas cards done through Shutterfly, and the quality was so amazing that we kept a few for ourselves to frame for holiday decorations!  I think this card will also be tucked away and framed one day!

I took down our Christmas wreaths after New Years Day, but I wasn't in a big hurry to put up a front door wreath, what with all these snow showers.  

Two weeks ago I got the materials I needed for this wreath, but I got around to building it just this week.

It took me a long time to get the spray painting done, but eventually my husband put the last coat on and I was all set.

Usually I walk around Hobby Lobby for inspiration or get ideas from pre-made wreaths at Target.  This time I came up with my OWN idea for the wreath!  

I sprayed a basic $4 grapevine wreath with metallic tan (maybe it was copper?) this fall and adorned it with fake fruits and some fake leaves.  It looked great.  I took apart this same wreath and spray painted it Sweet Pea Pink (awe, how cute!).  I am glad I did this rather than buying a new one.

I bought some greenery at Hobby Lobby for less than $5 and used it to add some frill to the wreath.  My goal was for it to look like a lacy Valentine.  I think I accomplished this goal!  Once we get through two more "winter weather events" I will probably hang it on the front door.  For now its on the linen closet, and I very much enjoy the frill it adds to our house.  

Hide the Pens! Hide the Markers! Graffiti Artist on the Loose!

DHH is so interested in writing these days.  He is not satisfied with the Aqua Doodle he has.  He wants the Real Deal.  Anytime I am making a shopping list, signing my name on a check, or basically doing anything that involves writing, he moseys himself onto my lap and takes over.

He also finds pens all over the house.  I had no idea we were leaving writing utensils around.  Sometimes he invents a new use as a writing utensil for objects that aren't (like chopsticks or chapsticks).  I find him scribbling away (or pretending to) on scraps of paper.

He also tries to write in books.  I think he is noticing these print concepts and mimicking them.  He points to words and says a garbled IEIIIABC (which means, "I see words, mom!" and he says the same thing when we watch Wheel of Fortune).

I scanned these into photos so I can record them as tangible progress that my baby is really growing up.  This is not a bittersweet milestone at all (don't get me wrong.  I am not teary about this... unless it was on the wall or something).  It is so exciting to see him interact with the world in real ways.  It is exciting to see that he is normal, healthy, and smart.

Therefore, I think all of these pictures aren't really pictures.  I think they are letters to friends, journal entries about his day, or shopping lists.  They are his way of doing written communication.

I think they look like art.  But I think that is probably because I am his mom  and therefore, impressed by anything he creates.

And here he is in action.  

Yes, he is using a closed marker to point to letters on a Fuzzi Bunz diaper for his sister.  He is that clever!  And also not clever... he doesn't know that underneath that cap is something that could create a household minor disaster!

 Usually we do sit at the kitchen table to do his print work.  He can only concentrate on this so long, so we often leave it taped to the table for a few days and he works in layers.

I Pack My Husband's Lunch. (Sometimes). And Pregnant Women Aren't Supposed To Eat Sandwiches.

I think its ridiculous, of course.  He can do it.  I am not doing it because I just love him oh so much that I think he shouldn't bother with it or anything.

I think I do it because I am a little control freakish.   I didn't use to do this, and then I would get really disappointed if a certain food wasn't in the fridge.  Or I'd start to worry about his nutrition and if he were getting enough and I was taking all the "good stuff" for lunch.

We used to have a deal that would include a swap of packing his lunch for him emptying the dishwasher in the mornings.  Over Christmas our dish washing routine was interrupted and sometimes we don't run it at night anymore, so his end of the bargain is over.  Also, I was too sick to cook for much of the fall, so he actually had leftovers from whatever he pieced together for dinner.  So I sort of failed my end of the bargain then, too.

Usually its easier to divide out a portion right after I put the meal on our plates and tuck it away in the fridge right then.  He really likes left overs, which is a sweet compliment to the effort I (usually) put into preparing dinner.

I learned a few months ago that Korean men HATE to have leftovers and they would be annoyed if their wives packed a lunch of leftovers for them.  I guess the food is a little different style, and it doesn't reheat well... so they eat out at cafes or cafeterias.  My husband told me again how happy that he is an American because he hates to spend extra $ on lunch.  Also, that the food is a really nice treat during the day to break it up from the boredom that happens sometimes in an office during winter.

Tomorrow, there are no leftovers.  Its sandwiches.  I've heard that pregnant women are supposed to avoid deli meat, and Subway even has a disclosure on their website about not eating their cold subs if you are pregnant.  But... guess what I am hungry for?  Not a difficult guess, though... sandwiches.  I would REALLY love some Jimmy John's, but they aren't very close to our house and I am not sure if their meats are contaminated with lysteria or some other nasty bug that a pregnant woman shouldn't experience.  I bought some provolone cheese and Italian salami at the deli counter today though, and I am going to make a sandwich.  Pregnant women all around the world eat dodgier food than a cold cut sandwich, so I am going to be a rebel.  Maybe I'll satisfy the craving and it will die and he can just have these sandwiches for the rest of the week.  Who knows.

Its writing a post like this that makes me realize how ridiculous the pressures and concerns of Western women are.  If you pack your husband's lunch, does that make you like his mom? His servant? Does he owe you some other favor in exchange?  And how many things can a pregnant woman really avoid?  Will I feel guilty eating this sandwich because it could harm the fetus if I get really sick and then get an infection or get dehydrated?  Does knowing about microorganisms in food make me any more safe than a person who is unaware of them?

A Helping Tower For My Helper, Part 2

(Continuation of post from last week... this time with links and more details!)

When I made the choice to do cloth diapering, breastfeeding, and babywearing with our son's arrival in late summer 2009, I became the targetns of many natural parenting products and company advertisements.  I also got a lot of book recommendatio, like Montessori from the Start.  These sorts of advertisements and articles shaped how I wanted to raise my child and what products I wanted to purchase (ex: wooden, basic toys that the child must operate vs. plastic, noisy and battery operated toys and baby food making cookbooks vs. Gerber plastic packaged products).

I found this product while browsing on at CottonBabies and it was referenced in a lot of Montessori methods books.  Its called a Learning Tower, and it is amazing.   You can see more information about it here, if you haven't heard about it before.  Its a neat company and concept!

Its expensive though.  Even at Christmas when some sites have a 20% discount, I knew we couldn't afford this and our standard, less safe kitchen chairs seemed to be pretty good compared to paying that much!

Also, my husband is pretty handy with tools and wood working projects.  He doesn't really have the time to devote to this hobby, so its more of an occasional project than something he does with much regularity.  However, he does have lots of saws and sanders and other tools, so I thought he could probably do this.

I found one design that I liked here, but for some reason... probably TIME... it got put to the back burner and wasn't accomplished.  Its a good design, but a little bulky.

A few weeks ago I saw this pattern on Ana White's site.  WOW.  I was impressed!

I emailed this to Husby, and he was enthusiastic about it.  It took a few weeks to be completed since we had other things to do... like raise a toddler and eat dinner and such, but I think he spent only six good long sessions doing prep work, cutting, assembling, redesigning it to suit his personal taste, painting and sanding and painting, and reassembling it.  Okay, it was a long time.  The materials cost around $50, and while his time is priceless, I bet he'd say that it was worth NOT paying the original price plus shipping from the company.

Here is the finished product!

When he spots this, he shouts, "UP!!!".  I think this is what he has named the tower.

Its the aqua color from our Hosta/Pasta conversation.

He can easily get up by himself.  Sometimes he chooses to yell ask for help though.

He often needs verbal reminders for how to get down, since its more intuitive for him to just dangle like a monkey until someone guides his feet to the floor.

Its the perfect height for a a writing desk or playing with cars table.

So far, this tower has been used to "help" make banana bread and cookies, as well as wash potatoes in the sink and play with water in the sink.  Its still messy.  But I like it for being so sturdy compared to a kitchen chair.

Its also been used to teach the words and meaning of UNDER and ON.  I can't believe it only took DHH a minute to grasp this concept.  Now he does under and sort of says it on command.  He will put objects ON or UNDER and yell out their position.  I think that is neat.

Its been used as a fort, a tunnel, and a dancing tower.   I think DHH and his Dad are having more fun horsing around with it than I am... I honestly used it as a drying rack the other day.  I think we could add a chalk board or easel to one side if we wanted, too, so its pretty versatile.  

And its great to see both guys so happy about the same project!