Where oh where have the zoo monkeys gone?

They're still here!!!

No, really. I can barely get pictures off of the camera these days. The blog is seriously suffering. Shoot, I don't know how in the world I'm going to find time to actually get the photo albums made for the grandparents this year. Yikes.

But here are some new pics to help everyone keep up with the fast-growing weed that we call our baby.

I guess if we were going to mail out a birth announcement, this might be the picture that we'd use. These days, with blogs and Facebooks and emails, there's almost no need for a picture laden birth announcement other than for tradition's sake. Jmk took this one - she was a couple of weeks old.

Poodle with two of her friends at her birthday party a couple of weekends ago. This is Spencer and Lydia. Darling girls, both of them!

Poodle and Bridget, at the party. B is the daughter of my sweet friend Kathleen. We don't get to see them enough, but the girls have fun when they do get to hook up!

Tooter, right before being tossed in the air by Daddy. Yeah, he didn't have any fun at the party. Not at all.

See, now, if I were cool and knew some basketball terms, I could add a witty and sports-themed caption to this picture that would brilliantly describe what he's doing.

But I'm not. And I can't.

My poor mother and sister are cringing right now. They both played basketball. I embarrass them.

Audrey loved this car. Loved it. It was the bomb.

A reminder why I call them monkeys and this place the Zoo. Ahem.

The week after Poodle's party, the Toot man and I weathered a horrid stomach virus and then I developed mastitis. Loads of fun. This was followed by Jmk's birthday last weekend. We were tired from either being sick (me) or from taking care of sick people (Jmk). So there wasn't a whole lot of celebratin' going on. But Lollypop did don the onesie her sister wore 6 years ago.

(unfortunately, I was a day late getting it on her, because the sieve that I call my brain didn't remember the onesie until the day after his birthday. Bad wife).

We tried to get them in a similar pose, because the sisters have moments of looking like twins. But we couldn't do it this time.

The beautiful Aunt Amy with Sparkie. This little baby was all snuggled up and soooo comfortable!

I know we've always said Poodle is a mini-me to Amy. And she is. But, MAN, is she not a mini-me to Sue Sue in this picture??? Wowie.

Buncha gorgeous girls in this picture!

And now, just some more pictures of the wee'est one, a.k.a. Lollypop. Or Sparkie. I just love her smile. :-)

Her eyes are still developing their color, but they are looking like they're going to go blue like the other two. She's also going to be all squishy like the other two were as babies as well. Love me some fat babies!

This is a little lovey brought back from Scotland by MooMoo and GaGa. It's as big as she is!

Last picture, and I'll probably disappear for another two weeks. :-) I start so many fabulous posts in my head during the day, but none of them make their way to the computer. You'll just have to believe me that I have brilliant and witty things to say. You believe me, yes?

Oh! And one more thing! Lollypop has laughed. Seriously. I know a 6-week old baby shouldn't, wouldn't laugh. But Jmk was talking to her the other night and blowing in her face or something like that, and she was grinning at him.... and he gave her some big eyes... All of sudden, she let out this blast of sound with an open-mouthed, squinted-eye, joyous smile, and I would put money on that sound being a laugh. I'm just sayin'.

Six Years

Sweet Poodle girl,

Six years ago, you began your journey in this world and in our hearts.  And this past year has been so many things for you!

You finished kindergarten at home and you have begun first grade.  Although, if you were in "outside school", you would have started kindergarten this year.  Which is mind-boggling to me and your daddy.  It's hard for us to believe that so much time has passed already!  You're reading now, and always asking how to spell this word and that word.

You went into the garage a few months back, got some of your daddy's tools and took your training wheels off of your bike yourself.  And you are riding that little bike like a pro!  It's actually time for us to go and get you a slightly bigger bike because you've gotten so tall.

You love to "cook" and you are always wanting to help in the kitchen.  You can make pancakes from scratch all by yourself, as long as you have help with the hard things like cracking eggs and pouring milk into a measuring cup.

You've made some wonderful new friends over the past year, and your BFF Spencer is just as precious as she can be.  Watching you two together is like watching peas in a pod.  We are excited that she can be at your party that's coming up!  Yep, you're getting a "real" party this year because you've turned six.  It's a big-deal birthday, so you're getting to celebrate in a big-deal way.

You've started taking ballet, just once a week right now, and you are enjoying it so much!

You are still very, very much into Princesses and Barbies.  Pink is still your favorite color and Lollypop and Tooter are still your favorite playtime partners.  You love to draw and create things, and you are always busy.  And, of course, you can still talk to a brick wall and make it talk back to you.  You still say "kittnens" and "mittnens" and I don't care to fix it yet.  You've lost two teeth now, and are busy growing up entirely too fast for the comfort of your mom and dad.  You love going to church and your favorite song is Amazing Grace.

You and Tooter both think that a meal at CiCi's is the greatest food ever, and you love getting to go "piddle" at stores.  (Going shopping, for the rest of us).

You can pick the healthiest foods when you get to choose whatever you want to eat.  "Brown" bread, cheese, and olives - for example.  But you love your chocolate cake and ice cream and bubble gum too!

You're still a girly girl through and through.  But you can hit a baseball in the backyard hard enough to make your Daddy duck.  You can rough and tumble play with Tooter one minute, then come in and put on a princess outfit the next minute.

Your laugh - your deep belly laugh - can make literally anyone laugh along with you.  And the sound of it is better than any symphony.

Most importantly, you love the Lord.  And you are learning more about Him every day.

We love you so much, Bear.  And we love watching you grow and learn and become the person that the Lord wants you to be.  You are our Precious Poodle and the day you were born was the day we became parents.  You changed our lives forever!

We love you-
Mommy and Daddy

Four Weeks

Sweet Lollypop,

You are 4 weeks old today, and already you are a how-did-we-live-without-you fixture in our lives. You have started lifting your head up already and can even turn it from side to side at times. You love to eat and you love to be held, but you do *not* love the hiccups which you get all the time.

Your older sister and brother ask to hold you all the time and will even argue about who you "belong" to. Tooter is so gentle with you and when he rubs your head, he treats you as if you were made out of the most delicate china in the world. Poodle can not seem to get enough of hugging you and kissing you and wants to see your eyes all the time.

You've been to church two times already, because Poodle just could not wait to introduce you to everyone at church. But, your MooMoo has made it possible for me to keep you at home pretty much the rest of the time by taking the other kids to all the this-n-thats that they have going on.

You smiled for the first time about a week ago, and of course, it was for Daddy! And that will be one of many gazillion smiles that he will get out of you. But just a couple of days later, I got a smile of my own, and it was as glorious as the morning sunrise.

You've had your two week checkup with your pediatrician, which went quite well and we discovered just how well you really were eating. We are still amazed at your dark hair, even though your eyelashes are so blond, as your eyebrows seem to be. We're still not 100% sure what color those beautiful eyes of yours will be, although we are seeing some light blue from time to time.

Sweet Sparkie/Lollypop, we have lived a lifetime in the past four weeks. And yet, it's hard to believe the time has passed by as quickly as it has. It is like we've been in a dream-state, yet the hour to hour of daily life seems really quite normal. I was overwhelmed for a moment today when I looked at you. To know that you are really, truly our baby daughter - our baby girl forever and ever - choked me up just a bit. The journey to meet you was so unlike what we ever had imagined. But God's blessings have been rich along the way. His love has been unfaltering. And you are the bundle of sweetness that I will tuck in beside me tonight as your precious Daddy and I retire for the evening.

We love you sweetheart.

Three Weeks

Thanks to my mom taking Tooter with her when she picked up Poodle for ballet, I had a few quiet minutes to organize pictures this afternoon.  Here is our Lollypop at  one week and three weeks and still sweet as sugar.  And why no two week photos?  Photos were taken, of course.  But just not with the picture quilt.  (Thanks to Susan Pilgrim for this beautiful quilt!!!)

And, story about the teddy bear in the 3 week picture.  His name is Fuzzy Wuzzy, and Jmk's dad bought that when he found out that Jmk's mom was pregnant with Jmk.  They gave Fuzzy Wuzzy to us when we were pregnant with Poodle, and he is a very special bear!

And, here are some other photos:

One Week

Three Weeks

One Week

Three Weeks

Neighbor visit

Our sweet next door neighbor came by to see Miss Sparkie yesterday after church and lunch, and she took the cutest picture of Sparks and Poodle.  Thought I'd share since I've been so remiss about putting up new pictures of the wee'est one!

She also got one of our resident hambone who totally posed for this picture.  He's such a poser.
;-)

Website update with Labor Story

The website has been updated! See the previous post for the address, if you don't remember it.

But, here's the very condensed version of the labor story, for those who don't want to read the whole thing:
Water broke Friday afternoon.
Contractions never stayed in a productive and consistent pattern.
Twelve hours into labor, I finally decided to get an epidural so they could turn up the pitocin "full blast" with the hopes that I could finish dilating and avoid a c-section.
Shortly thereafter, Miss Sparkie entered the world!

The biggest problem, according to the OB and the labor nurse, was Sparkie's position. She was posterior and didn't turn during pushing at all. She was born "sunny-side up". ::shrug:: Oh well! I am actually very glad to be able to understand labor from both sides of the field. Epidural and no-epidural. I can pro and con both ways of giving birth, and I'm grateful for that. I hope it will help me to be more understanding and helpful to others who are making the decision as to whether or not to have a completely natural birth.

Here's a little picture for you. Tooter took this one! I didn't crop it at all. I let him play with the good camera, and you could see how pleased he was with this one when he got finished. Good job, little man.

Happy Two Week Birthday Little Miss Sparkie!

She's HERE!!!!

First, my apologies to anyone with a bellsouth.net account.  For some reason, my email won't talk to them at all.  The emails aren't coming back to me, though.  So check your junk or spam folders, maybe?

Sparkie is here!!!!  My water broke at 4:30pm on Friday, and she was born just before 9am Saurday.  I'll put a labor story on the family website when I can get to it.  That address is the plus our last name with an "s" dot com.  But I'm not sure how long it will take me to get to that.  There were some minor complications, but the end result is just precious!  She's eating well and sleeping well.  Poodle and Toot are wonderful with her.  And I'm healing right on schedule.  Praise God for His mercies and His love and compassion for us!!!

Here are some pictures to share...





Taken just after birth and her initial cleanup and evaluation.

The ubiquitous shot from the warmer in the delivery room.  You can't see eye color from here, but her eyes are the steely blue color that so many babies are born with.  We're not sure if she'll end up with Jmk's beautiful blue eyes like the other two or not.

About to go home from the hospital.  Poodle picked out the dress, hat, and booties (which you can't see in the picture).  We were prepared for a larger baby, as you can see!  ha!

Just got home from the hospital.  This is the little hat that I knitted for her.

I'm attempting to give some perspective on how tiny she is.  She was 7lbs 5oz.  Seriously.  Both of the other two were over 8 lbs.  Shoot.  Tooter was 1oz short of 9lbs.  We barely know what to do with such a relatively small package.  She's absolutely tiny to us!

Oh, and this is her Uncle David who got a phone call on Friday afternoon and dropped everything to drive home to see her.
:-)

We have lots of grandparent pictures, many courtesy of Uncle Robert that are on Jmk's computer now.  I'll get those up eventually.  (Time is a bit restricted right now).

Poodle is loving her little sister!  She wants to hold her constantly, and has already proven to be a big help.  She has even burped her one time.  :-)

For some reason, I don't have a good picture of Toot with Sparkie yet.  There's one on Facebook that my brother took, though.  I'll have to remember to go link to it.

This, however, is pretty indicative of our new favorite babysitter right now.  www.pbskids.org.  Both the older kids are loving it!

And one last picture from today....  you have to see that dark hair.  It's killing us.  We understand that both of her grandfathers have dark hair.  She has an uncle with dark hair.  But we're used to putting out blondies around here!  Of course, there's nothing saying that she'll keep this hair.  She's just as likely to lose it and get blond hair as she is to keep these sable locks.  But, we'll see.  It's just so strange to us!



If we have not replied to an email or a phone call, just know that we're getting around to it.  We're just acclimating to the new environment and attempting to make a smooth transition.  Jmk is taking off work as much as he can this week, and we are simply taking things easy.  I've got some healing to do, and of course, we have to adjust to the interrupted sleeping schedule.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your prayers.  We genuinely believe this little girl was prayed here, because of the challenges we encountered since the beginning of 2008.  God has been so good to us, and we are living proof of His grace (getting what we don't deserve) and mercy (not getting what we do deserve)!!!

OB Update - 39 weeks

Visit in brief:

Sparkie - 8 out of 8 on BPP.  All looks good, still thriving.

Me - Solid 2 cm dilated, still 60% effaced, got the doc to "stir things up" when she did the internal check.  I'm crampy now, just like I was when she did this when I was pg with Tooter.  (It was another week and a half before he was born).  And all is well!

Sniff, sniff. :-)

My baby took her first ballet class today.  It's a 5/6 combo type class where they do a little tap and then a little ballet, and an hour later, they get to leave with a butterfly stamp on their hands.  It's what is appropriate for this age of kids...  I've seen the dancers that this school puts out.  In about 3 years, the intensity will match desire, for sure.

But, for now, she's taking ballet.  And she was SO excited today.  Heck, she's been excited for months now.  She has had August 17 scored into her memory for just as long.  But today has been a mix of excitement and nerves about doing this new thing for the first time.  And she acted JUST like I used to before going on stage.  She didn't really want to talk or be talked to as she changed out of her street clothes and put on her tap shoes.  She needed to deal with her nerves in her own way.  It made me smile way deep down in my soul, because there was an understanding for her that she couldn't even know that I had.

Those who know my background know that this was probably a bigger deal for me than even for her.  But, this I promise you.  I don't expect her to love ballet.  If she does, then I'll be thrilled.  It will be such a joy to be able to share this endeavor and all its emotion with her, because I'll know where her mind is taking her and what her heart is feeling.  But I don't expect it of her.
All I really, really want for her - for any of my children - is for them to find that activity that they truly love to do.  To have a physical activity that you love to do adds a dimension to one's life that can not be matched by anything else.  To be blessed to be able to pursue that activity because of the sacrifice of your parents while you're growing up is a great thing.  To have something that may not be your profession, but is your passion, (even during the time of your life where you can't always pursue that passion), is a greater thing.  I truly believe it is a gift from God to have that in your life.

I had no idea when I was 5 years old and just starting ballet that it would turn into what it did for me.  She doesn't know where this will take her either.  But I pray that God will bless her and Toot and Sparkie with a passion for a physical activity.  It's a great, wonderful blessing.

Thank you for that verbal indulgence.  And now, what the grandmothers actually want.  Pictures!  :-)  Make sure you see the last couple of pictures.  My sweet, precious husband did a most wonderful, precious thing for his firstborn.

Poodle strikes a pose before we leave the house for the studio.

A little arabesque for the joy of dance!

We're at the studio, and she's getting her socks and tap shoes on.  They take their bags in with them and will change into ballet shoes at some point during the class.  The killer thing for me was the fact that I couldn't watch the class.  At all.  Not even through a little window in the door or anything.  At least I knew that going in - but it was still hard not to sneak in the studio so I could watch her having fun!

Waiting with her classmates to go into class.  She's all grown up and still a baby at the same time.  To me, anyway.

And when her sweet Daddy came home from work tonight, he walked in the door saying "where's my little ballerina?" and bearing beautiful flowers just for her.  I had no idea he was planning to do it.

And it meant as much to me as it did to her!!!

She can throw a baseball.  She can kick a soccer ball.  She can whack a ball with a bat better than her mom can (admittedly, this isn't a huge stretch).  She's fearless with so many things that she does, and isn't afraid to sweat.

But, for now, she's Daddy's little Ballerina Girl.

Procrastination does pay. Sometimes.

Two Christmases ago - yes, TWO Christmases ago - my sweet brother gave me a gift certificate to a nice spa here in town.  Just the right amount for a mani/pedi.  Ooooh...  I had every intention to use it right away, I tell ya!  Then life happened and I just never got around to it.  So, here I was almost two years later and had this gift card that really needed to be used.  Really.  I mean, what better time then when one is just a few weeks from giving birth to baby #3 and knows that finding a few hours like that is going to be pretty difficult for some time to come?

SO, Jmk took charge of the kids yesterday (with the youngest coming down with a cold and being VERY cranky and whiny), and I went off for a mani/pedi all by myself!  It was something else, I tell ya.  That's the type of indulgence that we don't spend money on...  translation:  I won't allow us to spend that kind of money on something of that nature.  So, to be pampered like that for a few hours was a treat that I just enjoyed to the fullest.  No guilt, no worrying about stuff at home, not a whole lot of extracurricular thinking in general.  It was bliss!


And, if I happen to go into labor a little early, then I will do so with fabulous toes and fingernails.  Thanks David!!!

OB Update - 38 weeks

All is well!  And status quo.  :-)
Thinned out a tad more to around 60%.  Somewhere between 1 and 2 cm dilated.  Major change is that she has gained close to a pound, via the sonogram estimation.  So we may not have that under 8 lb baby like we thought.  ;-)  Another 8 out of 8 on her BPP score.  Thus, she is thriving well (praise God!) and isn't in any hurry to come out early.
I'm doing fine.  I'm in the same place as are all women at this point in their pregnancy.  And I'll save my complaining for some other time.  The more I focus on it, the more I focus on it.  And no one needs that.

The BIG news of the moment, though, is that Poodle lost another tooth!  She lost it late Sunday evening.  Interesting story to it.  Her permanent tooth was actually growing in behind the baby tooth, and while the baby tooth was as loose as a goose, it wasn't coming out on its own.  I had emailed a friend who had this same issue with her son, and she told me to go ahead and call the dentist just to get his recommendation.  So, I mentioned to Jmk, within earshot of Poodle, that I was going to call said dentist on Monday just to see what might need to be done.  Miraculously, (ha!) that tooth managed to wiggle free Sunday night!  The tooth fairy paid us a visit the same night, and I still called the dentist Monday morning to make sure that the permanent tooth would eventually work its way forward over time.  (It will).

And on we go for another couple of weeks (and hopefully not too much more!)

Sense of Humor!!!

There are so many emotions, and rightfully so, surrounding the current political debates regarding medical insurance reform.  I thought that this link that my brother sent me was just perfect for some lighthearted fun and laughter!

Oh, and p.s., please join me in calling the debate what it is.  We're not debating health care reform.  We're debating medical insurance reform.  Health care reform implies either the way we live our lives and/or the methods of care that doctors use to treat us when we are not at 100%.  What is being so hotly debated is medical insurance and how and when it should be bought and applied.  I just want a spade to be called a spade.  You know.
:-)

OB Update - 37 weeks

Good report!
First, technically, we're full term now.  Babygirl is estimated to be over 6 lbs now, and since we've hit 37 weeks, going into labor won't cause anyone any heartburn.  (except for me!  ha!)

8 out of 8 points on the BPP again, so that's good.  Still head down, so that's good.  Still 50% effaced, but 1cm dilated now, so that's good.  OB has asked me to not do any out-of-the-ordinary travel since I've started dilating, so I'll be missing a family wedding this weekend, which is not good.  But, it's understandable.  Remember, I've got one foot in the grave according to my medical charts, and they have all these different rules for us old folks.  ::ahem::

The interesting thing, to me at least, is that she is measuring quite a bit smaller at this stage of the game than our other babies did.  Honestly, there is a good chance that this one may come out under 8 lbs.  We won't know what to do with such a "small" baby around the Zoo!

Even though I have begun to make "progress", don't read too much into it.  I walked around for several weeks anywhere from 1 to 3 cm dilated when I was pregnant with Tooter, so early progress is just the way my body does things.  I have yet to go into labor before my due date.  Not that I would mind terribly if I did go into labor early.  But I am certainly not counting on it.

And there's our good report for the week!

Thanks to the Teachers

I'm beginning to see the "ugh" and "here we go" status updates from teacher friends on Facebook, because school is beginning to gear up in much of our general area.  I can only imagine how they're feeling.  In a very small, fairly different way, I do relate because we are getting ready for school around our house as well, since Poodle is about to enter 1st grade.  But while I'm getting prepared for only one student, regular teachers are gearing up for 20 to 30 students.  They are dealing with preparing lesson plans or at the very least revamping the ones that have been suddenly changed by some higher-up in the school system.  They are reviewing policy changes and getting their rooms ready so that they can create a good learning environment for their kids.  They are preparing themselves to bring those students up to speed who are currently behind and to figure out how to keep those more advanced students motivated and engaged. At the same time.  And, honestly, some are already counting down the days until summertime again!

They know they are about to enter another year where they are expected to not just educate children.  But they will also be expected to discipline, motivate, and nurture children.  They will be expected to provide therapy and be a watchdog.  They will have to know more about their children than ever before. And not just one or two or three children.  They have to be "all things" to so many kids at one time.

And they will do it to their best ability.  Not because they are getting paid big sums for it.  Not because they will enjoy huge bundles of respect for it.  Not because it is easy for them.  Not even because they really, really like going to work every day.

But because they have a passion that they refuse to ignore.  Either for people in general or for children, specifically.  Or maybe for a subject matter.  Or maybe for the community.  Whatever the focus of that passion, the passion exists nevertheless.  And I'm grateful for those women and men who pursue this field.  We here at the Zoo may be taking advantage of the freedom to homeschool, but it's not because we don't respect those people who give so much of themselves to the honorable profession of teaching.  Of educating.  Of putting up with all the junk that they have to endure in order to live that part of their passion.  To the contrary, we are actually more aware of the importance of what they do.

We have long lost the days of the one room schoolhouse where the teacher had full control over her classroom, her day, her students.  But our teachers these days deal with the nonsense and interference from others and still push forward with students' best interests at heart.  Thank you to all those who do it anyway.  Thank you to all those who give the best of their hearts and their creativity and their time.  You are appreciated so much, and you are a truly important part of the community in which you live.

Thank you.

OB Update - 36 weeks

All is good, again!

Short version for those who neither want nor need all the details:
She's still head down, in just the right position.  All her tests today were spot on, and things in general look good!  We've got about 4'ish weeks to go!

Longer version for people like me who like the details:
She is head down, and is more "straight up and down" as opposed to laying sort of over on her side.  Even better, she's in an anterior position already, meaning that she is facing my back, which is the ideal position for traveling thru the birth canal.  Again, she may not actually stay in that position, but she's there for now! She scored an 8 out of 8 on the BPP tests (the tests they run during the bio-physical profile sonogram), so everything looks great.  My iron level was within a normal range, albeit on the low end.  I guess that means I just need more cheeseburgers.  ::grin::  They did the Group B Strep test today - I guess I'll get those results next week.  So far, that has never been a problem for me, and hopefully that won't be a problem now.  And, I have begun to efface - about 50% softened up.  No dilation at this point.  (However, I will remind anxious grandparental units that I walked around for 3 weeks at anywhere from 1 to 3 cm dilated with Tooter, and he still came 3 days "late".  So, if I do start any of that early, it won't necessarily mean anything!)

No pictures from the sonogram.  She's gotten big enough now, and is in such a position, that getting a good shot is tough at best.

So - praise the Lord for good news!

I have the bags pretty much packed except for a couple of items.  Got the family photo album for 2008 finally finished.  (I know.  It's July.  Hey, at least it's done!)  Got a baby blanket and hospital hat knitted for Sparks.  Got pretty much all the books and things I need for school lined up and ready to go.  (I'm missing some music for music appreciation, but that will be easily gotten).  Jmk has the garage back under control, and he has whittled the to-do list for the house down to what can be done in the few weekends left.  Poodle's ballet gear has been purchased (how fun was THAT, let me tell you!!!) and she is ready to go for August 17.
We are pretty much ready, logistically, for the baby to get here.  So, the goal for the rest of August is to enjoy the rest of the summer.  Spend some time at the pool.  Really live the last bit of this pregnancy so that when it is in the past, I won't look back with regret that I hurried through it.  We have been blessed, truly blessed, to get to this point.  It's hard for both Jmk and me to believe it sometimes.  But we're as ready as people can be.  Praise God for His mercies on us!!!

OB Update - 35 weeks

Good news - she's head down!  There certainly aren't any assurances that she'll stay that way, but Lord willing, she will.  At the last mention of her being breech, my Keeper Of Off The Beaten Path Knowledge friend, Kathleen, sent me to a website:  www.spinningbabies.com.  Now, I don't know if utilizing some of those ideas helped Sparkie make the turn or not.  The timing is interesting, certainly.  Maybe it helped, maybe it didn't.  I dunno, but I did some of the suggested exercises and she turned.  So, infer what you will!

I have begun the once a week visits complete with BPP (biophysical profile) sonograms each time.  (Which is how we know she's head down for now).  Why the sonograms?  Nothing is wrong at all - it's that dratted AMA (advanced maternal age) nonsense.  They measure amniotic fluid levels, heart rate, breathing, and size.  So, I'm cooperating like the good little patient that I am.  :-)

All is very good from that standpoint!  And, I'm feeling fine.  All the normal aches and pains and uncomfortable'ness of late pregnancy, but nothing out of the ordinary.  So, yay for that!  We've got about 5 weeks to go now, and Lord willing, it will be uneventful and boring.

The sonogram tech couldn't get any good pictures of Sparks today, so I thought I'd share some pictures that I've been wanting to get during this pregnancy.  Good tummy shots.  Jmk got involved and helped me with the lighting and ideas and the kids, etc.  And took the pictures!  It was fun.  Yay for digital cameras!  :-)

Of Reunions and Years

Jmk and I just spend the weekend somewhat immersed in activities for my 20 year high school reunion.  (If anyone is "doing the math" in their head, please remember that I was a child genius and graduated HS at 10.  You believe me, right?)

Laying aside the fact that I have passed into that "late pregnancy" stage, where some women just swell up from head to toe and cause all their pictures to seem almost unrecognizable, even to them, we had a wonderful time.  It was easy for us, since we still live in the same area from which I graduated.  What impresses me most is the traveling that some folks did.  We had classmates come in from Washington state, California, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas....  It was impressive.

But what was more interesting to me was the different vibe, the different overall atmosphere than there was at the 10 year reunion.  The 10 year was fun, sure.  But.....  that first reunion after you have graduated, there is so much comparison, so much competitive curiosity, so much interest for the wrong reasons.  Or, at least it feels that way.  The thing is, it wasn't all that noticeable THEN.  It's just that comparing this past weekend to how things felt 10 years ago, that's when you feel the different vibe.

I came away from this weekend wishing I could have spent more one-on-one time talking with people. Get past the "how old are your kids and where do you live now" conversations and REALLY talk.  There are girls and guys alike with whom I was able to have brief conversations who really impressed me as people I'd like to get to know better all over again.  Because they have grown, their interests have widened and matured, and they have become more realistic about the world and life.  As I hope I have.

But, to borrow a phrase from the husband of a classmate that Jmk and I were talking to on Saturday night, folks are just more comfortable in their own skin now.  Actually, more to the point, if "you're not comfortable in your own skin by now, you never will be".  And it's that ability to know who we are and what is important to us (no matter what those around us declare to be important) that helps us to enjoy each other more.  The ability to be with those at different places in life and not play the comparison game.  The desire to see those around you be happy and successful and raise good families.

We've all LIVED by now.  We've worked for a long time now.  Most of us have gotten married, even if we're not still joined with that person.  A great majority of us have children.  Our collective focus on each other was one of true interest and shared experiences.  There was an honest understanding when an old friend says things like "I had to take my kids with me to my hair appointment the other day".  Suddenly, you have a connection with this person that goes beyond the mere sharing of classes or a locker.

So much of my personal life has changed from 10 years ago.  At our first reunion, I was working a "real" job (i.e. one that gave me a paycheck with my name on it), I wasn't married, had no children - my overall perspective of life in general was vastly different.  Maybe it's the changes in my life that changed my perspective on this past weekend.  Maybe it was an honestly different type of gathering this time.  Our activities thru the weekend were almost identical to the ones 10 years ago.  But the atmosphere seemed so different - and in a very good way.

We could see our classmates and see our differences and be glad for those differences.  There was no need to hide ourselves in order to fit some imaginary mold that had to be filled.  It was nice.  It was just plain nice.

If we actually DO do this again in only five years, like so very many people want to, I hope that it is again an uplifting experience and one that turns out to be as fun as this one was.

And the next time, I won't be in maternity clothes.  :-)