Spring Break… Friday, March 14 (Mommy's Journal)

Well, here we are at Day 7 of Spring Break. I had high hopes for a restful week, but once again vacation is ending and I wish I had ANOTHER week just to recover from this one! It’s been a whirlwind week—a quick trip to Kansas, then home and straight into home-shopping. Today we’re going to look at round 2 of houses, and we’re starting to get really excited. James is dreading the moving part of it; it’s weird for me to think about not being able to help much with the actual work part of it. Last time, James and I moved everything out of storage and into this house by ourselves in one day. This time, we’ll have to bribe our friends to help. Hopefully they’ll take pity on a pregnant woman!

I’m excited about living closer to my school and the church, and I’m also excited about putting together the home where Kayci will start her life. She’ll actually have a closet (those are very rare out here in the Heights; her current room has NO storage). It’s the little things, you know? J

It’s funny—I’ve made several journal entries about the DEC audit we just went through at school, the search for a priest, and my trip to Kansas. I just can’t think of anything interesting to post on the website. So, feel free to come over and read my journal for the rest of the story! 

Weight news: last Friday, we went in for our 6th month checkup. Everything’s great. Kayci’s strong and healthy, and right on target for size (my mom thinks she must be huge, so that was a weight off!). I’m doing well, and yes, I’ve actually gained weight! I think it must be all of the fast food I ate while preparing for the DEC audit, and the fact that all of my time has been spent at school for the last month going over final details. Anyway, I gained 8 pounds last month! Now I’ve got to get back on the healthy eating and exercising wagon to make sure that doesn’t happen again J. But I was excited—I was starting to wonder if I was doing something wrong!

My mom finished Kayci’s quilt last week; now she’s starting on baby blankets. Once we move, she’ll bring the sewing machine over and put together the crib bumpers and bed skirt. We have the rocking chair; James is going to strip it and see if it can be stained to match the rest of her furniture. We’ve got lots of little projects on hold until we figure out our living situation.

Speaking of “on hold,” this will come as a shock to most of you, but I haven’t cleaned house in ALMOST 2 WEEKS! Between DEC and Kansas, I didn’t have the time or energy. Now that I’m back, James keeps telling me “it’s okay—we’re about to have to clean it all and pack anyway. Wait ‘til tomorrow…” But, there are dishes in the sink and folded laundry on the dining room table, and I’m getting tired of messy. I guess I’ll break down and get things back together before I go back to school on Monday. My goal is to start my “mommy schedule” next week—be at work at 7, leave by 4. We’ll see how it works out, but I really want to get in the habit of getting home early so I can work on house or baby stuff before we go to the park or the Y. Also, I know in a month or so I’ll be worn out by 4, and I want to have some built-in rest time. We’ll see how it goes! 

James will be back from his bike ride any time now; I need to go iron and get dressed for our meeting with the realtor. Later today we’re going over to Ronny & Amy’s for dinner—we haven’t played with the kids in forever, so we’re excited. We talked about going to the Bob Bullock museum in Austin tomorrow, but now I’m thinking a quiet day at home sounds good. I’d like to rent some old movies and just veg on the couch—guess I’d better get busy on the house today so I can enjoy being lazy! 

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As I’m writing this it’s early May and the time since my last journal entry has been a blur, but I’ll try my best to remember what’s been going on.

Pregnancy Journal, Misc... Part 3

The MS150 – OR- Getting to Austin the Hard Way

During the month of March and the first part of April I was training for the MS150, which is an annual bike ride from Houston to Austin benefiting the National MS Society. I was training, and ultimately riding, with David Smith and David Powell, two of the guys from our church and also members of the worship band. 

So on April 12 we set out, along with 11,000 others, in this massive sea of people and metal on our journey. I’ll save the details of the ride for another time and place, but I have to mention that I was incredibly moved on the ride. I guess the prospect of being a father really changes the way you think about things because I’m not the most emotional guy in the world. I think the only movie I’ve ever cried in was “The Bridges of Madison County”- and then only because my left arm had fallen asleep and I was afraid I might have to amputate it.

But riding along, I would pass (or be passed by, as was most often the case) someone who had a sign on their back that said they were riding for (insert name here). I thought, “wow. That’s great. What a nice guy.” Then I ran across a guy who actually had a picture of his family on his back- himself, his wife, and two good-looking kids. 

Underneath he had written, “riding for Sarah- wife and mother – diagnosed with MS April 2002.”

The very thought of this mother being diagnosed with a debilitating disease sent chills down my spine. Even though we were out on the road, in the middle of climbing a hill, I couldn’t help but tear up. I finally realized that I was about to bawl like a baby and re-focused on the task at hand, which at the time was not running into this really fat lady that I was about to pass. But it really hit a soft spot for some reason- much like I would have done if I had smacked into that fat lady.

My sister was diagnosed with Leukemia just days before she turned two, so I was pretty accustomed to being around sick people. I had actually become pretty numb to it. But that was 20 years ago (holy crap- I’m telling a story from 20 years ago!) Now, the very thought of something bad happening to Kayci terrifies me. I try not to dwell on that, but the thought does cross my mind occasionally when I’m watching some health report on the news or when I see a young cancer patient. I consider those people among the bravest in the world- so young, with so much to see and do still- fighting for their very existence. I pray every chance I get that Kayci will turn out healthy. I imagine that most parents do. I’ve seen the other side, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
So all of a sudden the MS150 became about a lot more than just a butt-kicking challenge to ride 182 miles on a bike. It suddenly became real.

Then, later in the ride, there would be wheelchair-bound people with MS on the side of the road cheering us on and thanking us for riding. That made it that much more real. I almost lost it then, and even now the thought and image of those people moves me to the point of tears.

DADDY’S WEIGHT CHECK
Well, training for and riding in the MS150 has taken care of my weight problem. I now weight 68 pounds and am getting hate mail from Calista Flockhart.

Packing & Moving – Instructions for Spouses of Pregnant Women
When planning to move and packing up your house, it is vital that every crappy job be justified in your mind by making it about your baby. By having your family and friends come over to help you pack, it saves her stress and therefore puts less stress on the baby. By cleaning the ceiling fans- scrubbing them so they damn near shine (also known as Kristi clean), it saves her from having to get up on a chair and do it, avoiding the possibility that she’ll fall and hurt the baby.

Packing with a hormonal 7-month pregnant woman is NOT easy. During the entire process, I didn’t feel as if I could do ANYTHING right. Chalk that one up to the baby, also. I started packing my office up early for the move. 

Suddenly I was in trouble because that wasn’t a priority. I should be packing other parts of the house. Okay. Then, when it came time for the movers to come my office was still not packed. I was in trouble again. So I went into my office to pack up. Well, I was doing wrong. It seems that now I had played around and there wasn’t time to pack my office the way I wanted to- going through stuff and throwing away things as I went. Now I was only to “throw stuff in boxes and sort through it later.” Well, hell.

Looking back, I can’t really recall WHAT I did during the packing phase. I sort of remember packing nick-nacks from the living room into boxes, but that’s about it. I know- because Kristi told me exactly 397 times- that she packed up the kitchen and cleaned all the floors so I could shampoo the carpets and polish the wood floors. I honestly have no idea how I contributed to the move, other than renting a truck and calling the movers. I probably walked around in circles mumbling incoherently to myself like Ozzy does on the Osbournes. 

But I’m sure I only did it for the baby. I mean, really… Babies need to learn how to mumble somehow.

How to Travel 1500 miles with a Pregnant Woman
In typical James & Kristi fashion, two days after we moved- with lots of stuff still in the old house yet to be moved and a new houseful of nothing but boxes- we loaded up the car and drove to Kansas for Kristi’s family reunion. It’s roughly 600 miles to Iola, Kansas from Houston and the trip- pre-pregnancy- takes about 11 or 12 hours, depending on traffic and how many stop we take.

Well, with a pregnant lady in the car the bathroom breaks increase exponentially. In addition to that, we have to stop to walk for about 15 minutes. Then there’s meal stops. 

So basically, the once 12-hour trip now takes 3 and a half weeks.

That’s not to say that the trip was bad. It was actually a very nice trip, but it just seemed to take forever getting there. Kristi was a trooper, though. I know she was uncomfortable most of the time, but she didn’t complain. I, on the other hand, would have been complaining the entire time if I were in her shoes. They probably would have had to put up a soundproof divider between the front and back seat, like in a limousine. 

The only tip I have for traveling with a 7-and-a-half month pregnant woman is the same I would give to someone who just adopted a Bengal tiger- keep her well fed, well watered and as comfortable as possible. And if she says she wants to stop- by God stop ASAP.

The Tale of the Baby Monitor

Kristi and I went to Target to pick up a couple of maternity shirts one night with a gift certificate that Melissa gave us as a thank you for letting her pretend to sleep on our couch while being constantly barraged by Buddy and Big Kitty. On our way toward the front we decided to go ahead and make our normal cruise through the baby section to ooh and aaw at all the cute baby clothes. As we were about to leave, we happened to pass by a shelf of baby monitors. At the very beginning of her pregnancy, Kristi saw a monitor that could also be used as a pre-natal listening device but hadn’t seen it since. Lo and behold, sitting on the top shelf was the very monitor she had been looking for. We picked up the box and immediately noticed that it had been opened and most probably returned. So we decided to scan it using one of the little scanners on the aisles.

Naturally, it wasn’t in the computer. Then Kristi happened to notice the remnants of a Wal-Mart price tag on the side of the box. We knew immediately what had happened… someone had bought it cheap at Wal-Mart and returned it at Target to make a few bucks on the transaction. So we took the box to Customer Service to see if they could tell us how much it was.

I smelled blood in the water and when the customer service lady couldn’t find it in the computer, either. I knew it was time to haggle. 

Haggling is a lost art that runs deep in my family. Kristi and I once got a grill for $2. My entire living room in college was furnished for $5 (a $3 book case and $2 recliner). My dad even talked a guy out of a glass-top table for my college dining room for $10.

The customer service lady finally called her manager over to determine a price for the baby monitor. The manager wanted us to find a monitor on the shelf and use a price from one of those. Kristi and I were never a better team:

Kristi: “This one’s been opened. Besides, it was really cheap when you used to carry it.”

James: “Yeah… look how dirty this is. It’s obviously been used.”
Kristi: “And look. This is a Wal-Mart price tag.”
Manager: “Well, it’s not in the computer.”
James: “I’ll give you three bucks for it.”
Manager: “Uh…”
James: “I’ll even go as high as five dollars.” (I was joking, of course, but you never know…)
(long pause)
Manager: Okay, charge them $4.48 for it. But the problem comes if you try to return it since it’s not in the computer.”
Kristi: “Believe me. For four dollars, we’re not going to return it.”
James: “We’ll even promise not to return it.”
Kristi: “You can even write ‘Do Not Return’ on the box.”
Manager: “Okay.”

We paid cash and got the hell out of there before they changed their mind.

When we got home we hooked it up and put the baby monitor on Kristi’s belly. I moved it around a little and we heard various gurglings and thumps. After a minute or so I took the monitor away. As soon as I did, Kayci kicked. Not just any kick, but a HUGE kick. Kristi’s belly actually moved! I saw it. It looked like somebody trying to kick through the inside of a waterbed. I actually saw a place raise where she kicked.

We couldn’t get her to do it again like that, so we figured we probably pissed her off pretty well with all the poking and prodding. Kristi felt her move inside, but I never did feel her kick again that night. And I’ll bet she went and hid behind Kristi’s spleen or something because we never really could hear her heartbeat that night either.

Daddy’s Weight Check – Wednesday, March 5

178 lbs (Kristi gets weighed again on Friday the 7th… more on that later)

Feeling the Kick – Sunday, March 2

Kristi’s belly has been getting really big the past couple of weeks. And the cool thing is that you can really feel where Kayci is now. Sometimes she’s down low on the right side, sometimes she’s up high. Sometimes she goes deep inside and you can barely feel her. One night last week Kristi woke me up in the middle of the night and told me to “feel my baby.” Naturally, I placed my hand on my belly. But she grabbed my hand and put it on her belly instead. Kayci was straight up and down. It was really cool. It almost felt as if Kristi had swallowed a dachshund. It’s amazing to me how much that little girl moves around in there…

On that subject, we went down to Kristi’s parents’ beach house to spend the night. When we woke up this morning, Kayci was still asleep apparently, but she was big and down low. I’ve been very jealous for some time because Kristi can feel her kick and move and when she wakes up. But I always try to feel her anyway. So this morning lying in bed Kristi announced that Kayci was awake, so I put my hand on The Belly. 

I had only had my hand there for a few seconds when I felt this little push from inside. It was very definite. Now, other times I’ve thought I’ve felt Kayci, but I was never sure it was more than some kind of violent pregnant-lady gas thing because it didn’t really feel like anything. But this was a kick. It was hard! Not so hard that it kicked my hand away, but it was a definite pressure… a message from the inner depths of Baby Land. Kristi confirmed that when she said, “did you feel that?” Apparently, Kayci was hungry and not too happy about it…

I kept feeling for a little while longer, but never did get the same type of kick again. Finally, we had to get up, but I was happy knowing that I had actually felt a kick. Mommy’s baby monopoly is over!!!

Daddy's Weight Check - Thursday, February 20

179 pounds. Yes! Lost one pound and back in the 70s!!! It's a minor victory, but I consider it a victory all the same because there are some people who diet for WEEKS and can't seem to lose a single pound. And I haven't really been dieting, just cutting down on the sweets. Just think how much weight I would have lost if I hadn't had that double mustard Whopper with Cheese, onion rings and 44oz drink just before I went...

A Three-Cat Bunk Bed

After we found out that Kayci would be a girl, the task of getting the nursery ready kicked a little more into high gear. We had previously gotten a crib from one of Kristi's former coworkers in Dallas. I had painted the nursery while Kristi was out of town a few weeks before. Now, of course, it was time to begin thinking about all the other furniture and crap we would throw in there. 

My dad had told us that he wanted to "sponsor" the changing table. So while Kristi and I were out shopping one day we found a changing table that she liked and matched the crib really well. So we got it. Dad and my brother Adam came over around lunch time to see the ultrasound video and to have lunch. Afterward, we decided to put the changing table together. We made short work of it.

I should back up at this point and point out that the "nursery" is actually a sunroom attached to the master bedroom. There's no door (yet), just a wide opening and a room that, at some time during our home's 82-year history, was outside and probably a screen room. In that room we used to have a little antique bed (the "little green bed"), Kristi's granmother's antique dresser, a rocker and an Elliptix- a piece of excercise equipment that Kristi HAD to have to improve her life back at the end of college but had actually only been used a handful of times for anything other than a clothes hanger. The room was our cats' domain. They spent most of their days in there either sleeping on the little green bed or peering out the window at the world.

So it came as quite a shock to them when I took the bed apart and put it in the attic, moved the rocker and dresser out and we gave away the elliptix. They still hung around the empty room all day, leaving wads of cat hair everywhere. They figured that we had cleared out the room for them, of course, as a playroom. Then the crib showed up. They thought, "hey! We got a new bed!" and took turns jumping in and out of it until we put the railing up.

So then this changing table appears. The changing table consists of an upper area, padded for chaging the baby, and two lower shelves for storing diapers and wipes and other stuff I'm deathly afraid of. So there are three flat surfaces. We have three cats. Coincidence? The cats didn't think so.

It wasn't long before the cats descended and began inspecting this new thing in their room. Big Kitty and Buddy were the most bold and jumped up to the top immediately. Then Lucy got in on the act and settled into the lower shelf. This alternated periodically and at various times each of them got to be on the "top bunk." Sometimes two of them would curl up together on top and bask in the sun. Three cats never had it so good.

Then one day Buddy got in a bad mood over something and went on a tear. He first ripped into a garbage bag that was full of paper. He chewed up some paper that Kristi had to take to work and ripped a hole in the padding of the changing table. We know it was Buddy because (1) he's the only one with claws and (2) I caught him on the changing table. As soon as he saw me, he apparently knew he had done something wrong and took off like a shot. I didin't see him for awhile.

So now there's a hole in the padding and the cats are no longer allowed on the changing table at all. It took a couple of days- and Big Kitty didn't seem to understand at all- but they've been pretty good about staying down.

Daddy's Weight Check... Friday, February 14, 2003

180.5 lbs - slipped a little. Damn! That's okay... with what I've eaten in the past couple of days, I'm surprised I haven't gained 10 pounds.

Daddy's Weight Check - Tuesday, February 11, 2003

180 lbs. - (whew!) Kristi argued with this since I was fully clothed in the doctor's office and wearing my big clunky shoes. In the gym, obviously I wear significantly less. Apparently, she thinks that since it wasn't the same EXACT scale that the reading couldn't possibly correspond to the one at the doctors office. "Apples and oranges..." she told me. I'll give her the clothing thing, but zeroing out a scale isn't rocket science.

Pregnancy Journal, Misc... Part 2

The Kid Loves Jazz!

We decided one night after reading in one of the pregnancy books that the baby could hear, we decided that it was time to play a little music for the baby. Kristi was already able to feel her a little bit- it felt like a little flutter inside- so the idea was that I would play music into her belly and she would tell me when the baby moved and what she liked.

So I went and got my laptop. I didn't have much music loaded on it, but I did happen to have the Bambi Soundtrack (one of my favorites from when I was little). So I placed some headphone speakers up against Kristi's belly and let the music roll. Almost immediately, Kristi said she could feel the baby fluttering and moving around a little.

Then I started searching for other instrumental stuff that I had loaded on my laptop. Since it was just a few weeks after Christmas, I still had the Charlie Brown Christmas album by the Vince Giraldi Trio. I played that and the baby went nuts! She said that it felt like she was dancing in there.

Cool. The baby likes jazz. I can dig it, man. Yeah... So I naturally figured that the baby would like a little swing music and maybe some big band stuff. So I added "Jump Jive and Wail" and a bunch of Glenn Miller to the baby's playlist. I kept adding- Enya, Michael W. Smith, Dances With Wolves, a little of The Police, some Eric Johnson, some Satriani, a couple of Air Supply tunes- you know, stuff with good melodies or lots of instrumentals.

So every night like clockwork we would climb into bed and I would play music into the belly. If Kristi fell asleep, I could usually tell what the baby was doing by the way Kristi would twitch suddenly. The baby could care less about Enya or most of that stuff; the baby just wanted to hear Charlie Brown.

I figure that the baby has very advanced musical tastes already. In fact, I'm slowly adding some of my favorite muic to the playlists. Every now and then I'll slip in a new song. Before long, we'll work our way up to some Jimmy Eat World and Incubus and later some Rush and some Van Halen or Metallica.

I'll teach the baby to play the drums from inside the womb! I'll begin by using drumsticks to lightly play on the outside of Kristi's belly so that the baby can learn the basics. Then maybe in a couple of months I'll try to get Kristi to eat a snare drum so the kid can practice.

This is gonna be great...

Surfing With the Alien

On Wednesday, February 5 we went to the Women's Hospital for our long awaited BIG ultrasound when we were told we should be able to find out what the baby is. Kristi's mom and dad went with us (we couldn't have kept them away if we tried.)

After checking in, Kristi was ushered off to a little room. A few minutes later, the technician came out and told us we could come in. There was Kristi in a tiny little room wearing another paper-thn gown, lying on a table. 

The room looked like a lot of the video editing suites I've been in- dark and a little chilly and monitors and blinking lights everywhere. The technician took a white squeeze bottle and squirted blue jelly all over Kristi's belly. Surprisingly enough, the jelly tasted nothing like blueberries.

Then the magic began. The technician took her little ultrasound wand, which looks remarkably like a hand-held barcode scanner at the store, and started poking around on Kristi's belly. Pretty soon she had located the baby. The first thing we saw was the baby's head.

Looking at an ultrasound is beautiful and scary all at once. You're there looking at your baby moving around, but you have to use a lot of imagination. As you can see on the video page, the baby looks like a little skeleton and a kind of like an alien space monster in there (which might explain why most babies look like Yoda when they pop out). Soon you begin to realize what you're looking at by the bone shapes.

The technician showed us the baby's heart fluttering and began taking measurements of bone length and various other things. She took measurements for about 30 minutes. We saw a lot of the little person in there, but we still had no idea what the sex was. We saw little hands and feet and arms and legs. We saw the baby grab and play with its foot. We saw it kick and flex its hand. It was truly amazing.

Then Kristi asked if the technician thought it was a boy or a girl. The tech said she though she knew, but that she couldn't officially tell us- that was for the doctor to do.

Then the doctor came in, took a good look with the ultrasound and said that there were definitely not any boy parts.

We're having a girl!

So, for those of you who were betting- now you know. And the boy bets were running high (myself and Kristi included). I forget what the exact odds the bet makers in Vegas had on it, but those who picked a girl are gonna be rich. It also just goes to show that sometimes old wives don't
know squat 'bout birthin' no babies...

Most people thought it was a boy because: 

1. I'm so damn manly that people figured that's all I could make 

2. The baby has been VERY active. Most old wives say that points to boy

3. Kristi has been carrying the baby fairly low, and most old wives say that points to boy

4. Most little kids have been telling Kristi she's got a boy in there. Old wives think that little kids can tell. Only Hanna has consistently said she thought pink.

5. Kristi didn't have a really rough first trimester. She didn't throw up once and didn't really have any cravings to speak of. Most old wives say that points to boy.

6. She hasn't gained much weight over the course of her pregnancy so far. Most old bitties say that points to boy. I say that points to healthy living (and the lack of any serious sweets cravings).

When the tech started the video, Kayci (who had been very active during the preceeding 45 minutes of ultrasound) settled down and basically just layed there. As you can see on the video, she must be getting tired because she yawns a few times. At one point, just after a big yawn, she drapes her arm over the top of her head.

During the video, I began by talking to Kayci. It's totally irrational, but just after I said hello to her, on the ultrasound the put her hand in front of her and moved it around as if she was waving or perhaps reaching for the sound. Now, I know that she has no idea what a wave is yet and doesn't have enough control of her motor skills to be able to wave, but it was a really fun coincidence. Oh, wait... this is MY baby. She's a prodigy, so it is possible- probably very likely- that not only was she waving at me through mommy's belly, she was probably telling me that she loves me using sign language. Being a dumb boy, I don't actually know and sign language- except for one- so it was totally lost one me. And had she given me the sign language that I know, well, let's just say it would mean we're in for a ROUGH ride...

AND NOW A WORD FROM MOMMY...

Okay, I’m a slacker. While I’ve enjoyed the website this past week (when I’ve had time to look at it—things have been CRAZY at work!), I’ve done nothing to actually contribute. So, here’s my first oh-fficial journal entry. Tonight we met my mom for dinner at China Ko, went shopping, then went back to mom & dad’s to deliver a light bulb and watch the ending of “The Bachelorette.” Seriously, this is our life now. Since we’ve been pregnant, we’ve been spending lots of nights doing humdrum stuff—watching TV, reading, just hanging out at home. Yes, I said watching TV. Not something we’ve done a lot of these past few years (we gave up cable to afford the Heights!), but it’s been kind of fun to rediscover the couch. I figure we better enjoy it while we can. If Kayci is this active IN the womb, I’m nervous thinking about what she’ll be like OUT of it. Aunt Mel wished for a baby with my hair & Daddy’s energy—Aunt Mel, if that happens, you’d better move back so Kayci will have a place to stay when Mommy & Daddy are worn out. ONE Daddy is enough, thank you very much.

I’m enjoying pregnancy and imagining what this little person will be like. She already has a very definite personality, and never hesitates to let me know what she thinks about what I’m doing or eating. She’s advanced from flutters to light jabs and kicks. I’m amazed at how quickly she changes. And speaking of changes, for those of you (like me) who are ignorant about pregnancy and the woman’s body, let’s just say that pregnancy is not for the faint of heart. I’ve got stretch marks (sorry, it IS genetic, the expensive creams DON’T work), hair on my tummy, and let’s not even talk about the frown my belly button has developed this week. And we’re only halfway there—it hasn’t even gotten gross, yet! I don’t even want to think about what my body is going to do over the next 5 months. I only hope I can look it in the eye when this is said and done…

I’ve enjoyed reading James’ journal entries, both on the web and in the journal we bought to write letters to the baby (now we can call her Kayci) throughout the pregnancy and, hopefully, through the years. But who are we kidding—so far, we’re averaging about one entry per month. Anyway, it’s fun to hear James’ side of this thing. I’d say it’s definitely the lighter side; he helps me to see the humor in the little things when I’m stressed out. This is definitely a team effort, and I can’t imagine it any other way. I’m not nesting yet, but all I want to do is basically hang out with my boy and dream about Kayci. That’s what got us into this in the first place…

Those of you wondering about all of the leather jacket comments on the web site, keep wondering :). As is typical of the James and Kristi saga, the story is a bit too off-color to be shared with the world, but too funny to keep to ourselves. So, you know a bit more than you should about “where Kayci’s come from.” 

It’s time for bed. That’s another thing—bedtime is running about an hour earlier than usual, and my body refuses to sleep for less than eight hours. I rarely get to school “early” anymore—shocking to some of you, I’m sure! But, alas, the bed and Kayci’s headphones are calling. Daddy loaded several new CDs today: classical, Christian, Dido, Avril Levigne, and Kenny Rogers. We’ll see what the boss likes…my money is still on Charlie Brown. Will somebody please tell her that Christmas is over, already? I wouldn’t mind if she wanted to hear just the Charlie Brown theme, but it’s the Christmassy stuff that really gets her going. As for Daddy and me, we’re staunch believers in no Christmas til after Thanksgiving. Great. Another reason to wonder who’s baby this really is…