The Pregnant Rollercoaster

You'd think a woman who's been in this predicament six times would have at least made her peace with pregnancy, but I haven't. I love babies. I love children. I assume I'll love teens and adults since I generally do enjoy people. I do not love being pregnant.
There's the first three months when I feel very proud of myself for getting anything done--anything. Then there's the first month of feeling better and trying to dig out from the three months of just surviving. Now I'm finally in the sweet spot, but as always I'm getting carried away. I've got a new physical fitness regimen. (I'm overly cautious about doing my regular stuff with a spud on the way.) Harriet is on fire--my gigantic whiteboard is covered with multi-colored analysis of the plot reconstruction I'm working on. I've decided that I'm going to try and set up AP level classes for our oldest's high-school experience, so I've got lists and publishers and resources to hunt down. (Yes, I know I've got 2 and 1/2 years to prepare, but it's only 2 and1/2 years for a very ambitious goal.) I've also got a project or two cooking away for Heifer, and all the usual stuff.
I know I have to hurry with all this as the waddling phase is coming soon. Most of the stuff can continue through the waddling phase, but honestly who wants to? I know that most people consider the pregnancy over after labor, but I always lump in that first 2 months of getting baby on a schedule. At least you don't have the whole bowling ball, constantly changing center of gravity thing to deal with, and there's this beautiful little person to get to know, but you still can't get into any kind of routine.
This is most likely my last pregnancy. I suppose I should be nostalgic, but, well, pregnancy and I know each other far to well for that. :)

Carpenters

Some build houses
Some build ships
I build ships.

New-fangled Old-fashioned

When I sit down to write, I'm afraid I must write long-hand. There is something about the words scrawling over the paper that is much easier for me to connect to than typing on a keyboard. I go back and scribble over stuff, with the assurance that whatever got canned is still available under the new words. I tend to go through several colors of ink as I revise material, though my writer's group requirement that the pages I present be typed double-spaced have given me the luxury of a fresh page to scribble over as I work in the revisions and ideas my friends have suggested or inspired.
I used to work in pencil until I realized that working on a project as time consuming as a novel meant that my work was often smeary and hardly usable when I was ready to go on to the next draft. Pen has been a good move, and the regular typing up of chunks as I go has also been good, but I hate the typing up. I am not a good typist and I find all sorts of mistakes get folded into my manuscript simply because ten fingers is a lousy way for me to record bursts of creativity. I have long wished for some system that would transcribe my handwritten pages into a typewritten manuscript without my having to sit there tapping away. I may have found it.
There's this new gizmo for kids--the Fly Pen Top Computer--that promises to take my handwritten notes and automatically transcribe them. I have no idea whether or not it could make out my rather gruesome handwriting. (I have lovely penmanship when I have time, but when the muse is speaking I rush.) However, I cannot help but be drawn to the hope that it could. I shall have to do some research on such matters as durability, battery life, etc. I'll keep you posted.

The Best Way To See The Future

Eat your vegetables
Avoid fatty treats
and sweets
Exercise your body
and mind
Love!
strongly and deeply
For this is

The Best Way

Study all that is
Good and Right
Just and Merciful
Look not at
what is rather
See what SHOULD BE
For this is

To See The Future

Eagerly work to put the
World Aright
to unscrew the screwed
Where You Can
Give all that you are for
True Holiness
For this

Is To Live It.

Explaining Myself

While I've been graciously spared any confrontations about my conversion to Catholicism, I'm sure that there will be those with questions as time goes by and the word gets out. My friend Jane, who was my sponsor, gave me a wonderful book for those sticky questions that folks from the world I grew up in have about Catholicism--Catholic and Christian. I recommend it to those who can't imagine how I went from here to there as it is a respectful, Biblical book.

It's Official! I'm History.

In our family we have little rituals for growing up. Three year olds go to Build-a-Bear and build a friend. Nine year old girls receive the American Girl doll of their choice. We have an eight year old who is thinking over her American Girl options, so they were eager to receive this year's catalog. I handed it over like a good mom, and a few minutes later the four of them came giggling down the stairs to announce that I am officially ancient history. They've made an American Girl doll about growing up in the seventies.
Never mind that I was three in 1974, this is a minor technicality they are not willing to consider. Once your era is part of the American Girl collection it's over for you. :) My mother who has been waiting for a fifties era doll to come out is rather put out that the Boomers were just skipped over, but really, they'd need the blue state version and the red state version if they tried to get into that barrel of worms. Molly McIntire does lead a fairly fifties life with the added excitement of WWII as a historical backdrop. The seventies were a time of rediscovering common ground, and to be honest I thought they were a terrific time to grow up.
Our eight-year old is leaning toward Felicity who loves horses as much as she does, so I doubt that we'll be buying a Julie doll. For the record, we have a Josefina and a Samantha. I know the dolls are pricey, but we've been so impressed with the quality and the exceptional service that Fisher Price (American Girl's parent company) has provided with the dolls. We've also found our girls get very interested the period highlighted not only with their own doll, but with their sister's dolls as well. We've even had to have Josefina's head replaced because the hair was defective and they did so free of charge. For us, it's a good way to mark an important period of development and encourage the girls to learn about American history.

Car Watching

One of the perks of living in Michigan is the cars. With Motor City so close, folks hold on to classics and restore them. I love our village for a number of reasons, but I was tickled to discover a used car dealership that specializes in "classic" cars including some really old pieces from the 20's and 30's. Their slogan is "where quality is timeless."
Summer is the high season for being surprised on the road. There was a parade of Model T's and the Del Shannon Car Show in Coopersville, but my favorite is to just be driving along and suddenly there's an old beauty coming up on the right. Snow is in the forecast as this amazingly warm Fall finally becomes more seasonal. It also means the end of all the beautiful old cars and the flashy convertibles--though I did see a convertible still shivering down the road this weekend.
Life is more practical in the winter, and our vehicles reflect that. There will be lots of SUV's with 4 wheel drive and the ever popular mini-vans will bumble along as always. I hope there will still be a smattering of Bugs and PT Cruisers to perk things up. Of course with all that exhaust Spring will be back before you know it.