MOMMY'S JOURNAL - 7 May 2003

Okay, so I’ll be a better Mommy than a journal writer. :) 

So much has happened since I last wrote, it’s hard to know where to start. So I’ll just start…

A Day in the Life (the NEW life, when James has lots of free time!)
James surprised me by contacting BESS, the internet filter we use at school, and having them “open” his website so my friends & I can view the site at school. That was a great surprise! He came to school today to photograph my class doing our science fair project. It was verrrrrrrrrrrrrry scientific—we did an experiment with different shaped bubble blowers. Shock of shocks, no matter what, the bubbles are round. But it was fun “proving” it! It was nice to have James here during such a wild time—Elaine was absent today, so my kids were just freaking out. But to have an “outsider” made it easier to laugh at their antics and see the humor in it. So, thanks to my boy and his visit, I’m having a great day!

Home Sweet Home
We now officially live at 13213 Laguna. I won’t say we’re settled, but it’s nice to have all of our belongings in one location. Things are slowly coming together. James surprised me by unpacking the kitchen Monday night while I was at the District Awards Ceremony (I didn’t win anything, but I did get a $200 check for working 5 years in GPISD. I felt like a winner!). After a long search for the Pop-Tarts this morning it’s clear that I’ll need to do some reorganizing…eventually…but it’s sure nice to have things put away. What a boy! I think I’ll keep him :).

Mom is coming over tonight to put the finishing touches on Kayci’s crib; she finished the bedskirt and bumper pads. We’ll do curtains, etc. this weekend. Our goal is to have her room finished by the shower on the 17th. That’s our goal for the whole house, but we know people will especially want to see Kayci’s room. My $200 bonus check will buy her an IKEA dresser; guess we’ll make that trek this weekend. After the dresser and curtains, her room is basically done. Except for all of her stuff, and that will come in time. 

And back to the Mom thing, so far it’s been great living so close to Mom & Dad. They’ve been VERY helpful in setting up our house. Dad’s helped James with the manly stuff, and Mom has helped me with unpacking, etc. It’s great knowing they’re just around the corner and it’s not a big deal to drop in or have them drop by. And, the food is definitely better at their house :). We’ll try not to mooch too much, but it’s shrimp & crab time, so all bets are off for a while!

To defend myself, I think I was very patient and worked my butt off during the move. James did his share (for the record, his share was mostly moving the boxes that I had packed out of my way). And he did pack 2 boxes of knick knacks. And he did clean ceiling fans and polish the wood floor. And pack the refrigerator. And help with carpet cleaning. And piddle in his office, because that’s what it looked like to me. He just didn’t do things on MY schedule, and that was ticking me off. Thank goodness we’re through it. This week he’s really worked hard on unpacking things (the kitchen? I’d have never guessed!) and clearing out the guest room so we can bring in the furniture. He’s having fun with the backyard; he surprised me by planting sunflowers (my FAVORITE) and the fun daisy bushes, as well as some wildflowers. The sunflowers are coming up fast—I can’t wait! He’ll be embarrassed, but I have to tell you about James’ evening last night. After Bible study he wasn’t tired, so he went out and sat under the stars and ate peanuts in the backyard. Yes, peanuts. I thought he was crazy, of course, but it fulfilled some need he had. He came to bed a happy boy :). 

Down Time
This has definitely been a wild and crazy couple of weeks. I’m exhausted inside and out, but I can’t stress enough how BLESSED I have been through this whole pregnancy. All of our family & friends are soooooooo supportive (James’ mom packed my dishes for me—and wrapped every piece individually. She’s practically a saint!). My friends have been great at offering help whenever I’ve needed it, and just letting me vent at other times. Being pregnant has really shown us what a wonderful support group we have between our families, friends, people we work with, and our church family. We’ve felt nothing but loved, and we can’t wait for Kayci to meet all of the wonderful people who have been waiting on her. It’s hard to believe the wait is almost over!

Next time, remind me to talk about Childbirth Class and our trip to Kansas.