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January 2008


Our daughter, now 2.25, is a total delight. She almost always listens to what I tell her to do(!), eats well, sleeps through the night in her own bed most nights, gets hyper when she's tired instead of having a tantrum, and is always in a good mood. She is excited about the upcoming arrival her sibling. Her areas for improvement are that she is terrible about cleaning up (this is my fault for not teaching her this better) and hates going to bed (both for her midday nap and at night). She loves taking a bath, brushing her teeth (using the new step stool I got her two weeks ago), washing her hands, throwing away trash in her own trash can, recycling (we have a bag out for paper and a bag out for bottles), and going to the farmers' market. I'm going to get her a Learning Tower or a Kitchen Helper soon so she can help cook.

My husband-friend is travelling a ridiculous amount (he was out of town nearly half of this month). He has been really stressed out from work and I have had less patience than normal due to pregnancy moodiness. He unexpectedly got me a new harddrive for my computer this month and I am loving it! Our daughter is obsessed with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russel) and loves to have me sing her all the songs. When I sing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", I occasionally change the line "I prefer a man who lives and gives expensive jewels..." to "I prefer a man who lives and gives expensive electronics." We are a family of gadget geeks. My husband-friend has ordered and is eagerly awaiting a new Apple desktop, his first new (non-work) computer in nearly nine years!

Our house needs a lot of work. Most pressing is the bad leak in the bathroom, that will rot the subfloor if not fixed. Since we have to tear out the floor, we though we should use that opportunity to remodel. We've bought a new sink and toilet. We still need to get tile for the floor, tile for the bath, decide on wall color and wainscoting, etc. We'd also like to install radiant heat under the floor tile.

We also need to redo the roof and pool, both of which are in disrepair. The pool has no leaks, but the tiles have been falling off since we moved in. The roof has no leaks (thank goodness!!!) but the shingles have been falling off since we moved in. We are short on both the time and money for these projects. And, of course, it's raining non-stop right now.

I've been thinking a lot about money and how I do and don't spend it. I'm kind of cheap about buying things, except food, on which I will spend a ridiculous amount without thinking. I'll be at a store and think, "No, I don't really need that $12 thing I want..." and then walk over to a restaurant and spend $20 on a meal for myself. It makes no sense.

I am excluded from large categories of expenditure: clothes, make-up, hair products, most salon/spa services, pet supplies, meat and seafood (the priciest stuff at restaurants), wine and beer (I hate the taste), etc. In addition, while I do like to buy the occasional purse, because I only buy vegan items, they never cost very much. My husband and I have spent a bit of time discussing how our spending patterns work. I've been wanting to shop a lot lately, which is very out of character for me, and which I attribute to the pregnancy (nesting instinct).

My list of projects is as absurd as usual. I am going to try to group everything, and I will updating throughout the month to see what I actually get done.

 

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Summary:

It's a new year. I'm pregnant again with a baby due in June. Like last time, baby's gender will be a surprise. I work part time and am cooking up plans to run a very small home-based business once the little one arrives. I have lot of plans. I am having a serious burst of a desire to get things done.

 

Photo:


Me on New Year's Day

 

Pregnancy:

My first trimester ended December 1st but my all-day "morning" sickness lasted several more weeks. It finally seems to have abated. My second trimester ends March 15th and baby is due Saturday, 14 June 2008.

Everyting looked perfect at my ultrasound two weeks ago. My AFP test for chromosomal disorders came back normal. At my last check-up, I had gain the average amount of weight (a half pound per week).

I had very few pregnancy symptoms last time besides a constantly runny nose and unhappy teeth. This time I am having moodiness (which is really irritating) and a crazy nesting instinct that has me wanting to buy hundreds of things (I've updated both my wish list and my daughter's wish list dozens of times even though no one will be looking at them until next fall; I've also made a baby registry). I also want to paint the house (I bought paint but then decided not to expose myself to the fumes even though it's ultra low VOC), remodel, clean out the cupboards, build furniture, etc. I have signed up for two woodworking classes and a sewing lesson. It's weird to feel myself not acting like myself.

 

Tidbits:

I got a letter from my high school saying that a woman in my class had just died at age 30, after losing a 4-year battle with breast cancer. I dreampt about it that night.

My daughter has recently gotten into requesting diaper cream, which she used to hate, but she almost always calls it "ice cream".

I take my daughter to storytime at the library and the bookstore. She really doesn't get the sit-and-listen routine yet, but I'm sure she will soon.

Not writing regularly is disappointing, in that it doesn't help capture the preciousness of each day. But it does let me embrace the big picture more easily. I've come to really appreciate the importance of health. I've noticed that I've added beets to my diet in recent years. I can see that since I got pregnant the first time, I crave and eat more dessert and I am "warm all the time" (I used to be "cold all the time"). I know I need to end my pack-rat ways, but even when I get rid of stuff, I don't feel better about it.

I got an e-mail from the Republican Party of Los Angeles County. It says, "P.S. We have to start NOW to stop Hillary Clinton from taking America down the road to defeatism and socialism. Your contribution in any amount will help us defeat her this year." Socialism, really? I'm not registered with any party. I'm voiting for Obama, and was delighted I can do so in the primaries even though I am not registered as a democrat.

 

Links:

 

 

This is Chapter 124, in which Rachel tries to get a lot done. The bulk of this page was written on 27 January 2008.