It’s a Friday and everyone knowns that on Fridays something happens. In offices around the country and cubes to the ends of the earth, joyous bursts of “It’s a Friday” erupt on faces. Bounces return to once-dragging steps. And “good-mornings” feel a little less like a mockery. It’s the light in a co-worker’s eyes as the clock nears 4 or 5pm and the excuses of “anything to get me out of here” begin formulating in heads. It’s the breaking of silence, the stretching of arms and legs from beneath flimsy “steel” desks and ice-age computers. It’s the first step toward the door, quickly followed by the second and third as if forty-hours of sole-sucking wasn’t enough for one week and we feel bad for leaving before the forty-plus mark is hit. It’s the blissful cries of hearts as the sun hits our faces and the parking lot draws near. The sound of the trees rusting in the wind, foreignly loud to once-deaf ears. The thoughts of “two whole days!” overwhelming hot-dog roasting car interiors. And that first engine turning… and the sound of the windows gliding down… and the feeling of the breeze on your face as the jail cell is left in the rear-view mirror…

Ahhhhhh yes!!!! The weekend is so near I can taste it!!!

What is the value of human life?

“I would rather one random man die than a poor little mouse.” My co-worker explained her flowing tears and frantic running about the room after finding a “baby” mouse with broken leg struggling on a glue trap in the group room.

Just days before she had cursed the mouse who left it’s droppings and ate group snacks.

This same mouse that could drive an otherwise opinionatedly strong woman to stand on a chair screaming and flailing her arms as the preschoolers looked on calmly.

Two of us stood there watching – me with bare toes a few feet from the whiskered one.
And three screamed, climbed on furniture, and otherwise convinced the six children that the world was ending.

– I just found the whole situation odd. That’s all.
Overwhelmingly odd. –

Ellen had her ultrasound this morning and it’s a boy! I’m so excited for her. She called me all bubbly and obviously smiling as she shared the “healthy boy” news. And it was cool to hear her joy as she shared that Ron and she had a conversation in which they both marveled at having “children” not just child. The concept really made me smile and has brightened my day completely. I’m so happy for them.

Saturday I drove to Guitar Center to pick up some strings. And as I looked in the rear-view mirror the thought hit my mind in a more solid form than before, “I’m going to be running errands with a little person in the backseat soon.” I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. I can’t tell you how wonderful of a thought it was to think of a little sleeping one in the backseat as being “my baby” and not just a niece or friend’s kiddo. Oh they’re just as cute sleeping in the backseat, but “my baby” thoughts fluttered in my mind.

Well, friends, the nursery is done. Robin and I started and finished it last night. That’s right, it’s simple and totally us (that is Matt and I, not Robin and I us). Touches of blue (cause I love the color and so does Matt) and beautiful little painted on butterflies, bees and flowers. With a touch of ivy leaves and classic Winnie the Pooh wallpaper pieces, it’s a warm little room of simplistic welcoming. And the bassinet/cradle Mom gave us adds this wonderful feel of new and comfort to the room. I absolutely love it. I absolutely love it. And I spent a little while last night just rocking away in the rocking chair Jes and I had the privilege of teething on and sleeping in. I gazed at the newly stamped walls and the sparkles of the blue glittered lava lamp on the wall… it was better than I had imagined. Simply wonderful.

Can’t wait for Matt to get home and see it. I hope he’s as pleasantly surprised as I was… and still am.

July 28th’s our ultrasound. And I’m looking forward to “seeing” our little one for the first time.
The little fingers… the little toes… that’s just going to be fun!

– take care, all. back to the grind here at work. –

A pregnancy tracker through emails. What a novel concept. And more than one place has learned their run of prenatal baby facts to bombard an expectee’s account with useless rantings and spam. So of course I had to sign up!

Today’s 18 week update (sent 2 days late) showed picture of little “alien baby” (Matt’s words) with much detail of development. And then came the “have to” s and “gotta have”s that every pregnant woman apparently is completely insufficient in raising a prenatal baby without. “Just what in the world did we ever do before it all,” Matt commonly comments in overwhelmed sarcasm. =)

Babysit for a day. Came the suggestion for those freaking out about childcare. Ask you best friend to babysit their child for a day and make it up as you go along was the meat and potatoes of the text. The title should have been “mess you friend’s kid up for a day.” But I did find it interesting of a concept. You know, a little experimentation upon close relationships… such a great idea. Hehe. Burn those that love you the most. j/k

But then I thought.. see the funny different in raising a child and raising someone else’s child is you call the shots. You are the authority. It’s not asking friend what their rules are and the baby’s eating times are and nap times, etc. It’s shoot from the hip, make it up and figure it out. Being one who has babysat MANY a time, this new concept of parenting sounds like fun. And I am fully confident that we’re gonna mess this kid up good! Yeah buddy!!!! =)

I tease. But I was thinking after reading the article that this parenting thing is going to be quite funny. See, initially Ellen spoke about feeling so in shock that the baby crying down the hallway was hers. And that realization that the fussy and poopy one was being handed back to her to change, not anyone else. She was the default. But then life became so normal as the default that she had a hard time imagining life without the baby’s toothless gurgling.

A soon-to-be second mom speaks with confidence in raising two children. But the fact is… she’ll be making it up as well as Matt and I will be. Yes, she has more experience in raising one child, but she has no experience in raising two.

I guess it just makes me feel a lot better to see each parent with one child on the same playing field… shooting from the hip and trying not to break their kid too much. And while another friend’s report of 3rd and 4th children just falling into the mix of regular life with ease makes sense, it’s nice to know that when it is all boiled down… we parents are just making parenting up; one rule at a time.