Pregnancy pics

For those of you wondering how this pregnancy is going, the answer is better and harder than last time. :D (And I'm officially 26 weeks today!)

The pros: I was nowhere near as sick during the first trimester, I still have the energy to chase a toddler daily, I can eat just about whatever I want. 

The cons: I have to chase a toddler around and my "nesting instinct" combined with the fact that there is a cockroach infestation in our new apartment makes it so I am cleaning a LOT every day. I mean, I clean a fixture in the bathroom at least every day, plus I scrub our kitchen floor, wash dishes (whether or not they've been eaten off of) by hand every day, etc. It's kind of crazy. I'm really, really hoping the roaches go away soon so I can relax before I get huge. 

Speaking of huge, here are some pictures!

August 12th (23 1/2 weeks):

 

(I'm sticking my tummy out in this one)

August 27th (25 1/2 weeks)

New Neighbors (and a rant)

We have new neighbors.

Not that we were that attached to the old ones (we saw them in person, what, like, eight times?) but at least they were considerate!

Our new neighbors moved in at some point this weekend (we don't know, we were out of town) and have been kind enough to let us know that they wake up before 6 a.m. How do we know that? Because they wake US up before 6 a.m. And I don't mean five minutes beforehand. I mean 5:10 in the morning.

That's right, kids, 5:10.

Call me old fashioned, but I've always been taught that there's a sacred bubble between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8/9 a.m. You are quiet. You don't do things like vacuum when there are neighbors downstairs or throw a dance party with open doors in the middle of a complex. And you don't freakin' yell at whoever else is in the house and have loud, personal conversations at who knows what noise levels at 5:30 in the morning. Or, for that matter, have a soccer tournament(?) before 8 in the morning. (That's my best guess--there was a lot of laughing, muffled noises, and a big WHOMP against the wall that's right next to my head when I'm still in bed trying to sleep.

Rant over. I just really wanted to vent. And have it down in writing should I need to get more proactive (seeing as it's only been two and a half days . . . )

Side note: is it evil that I keep thinking, I'll have a newborn in about three weeks and she'll keep whatever schedule/volume she wants and won't that teach them?

Goodbyes suck

Having moved more than once or twice in my life, I'm used to having to part with people.

But sometimes it just really sucks to have to say goodbye.

Some situations, while "normal" and completely expected, are still sucky goodbye moments.

Sucky.

Hot, Salty Tears

I am frequently amazed at how happy I can be and how quickly someone can take that away, or vice versa.

Two examples:
1. Yesterday was a pretty crappy day. Some stuff happened at work, my sister was trying to drive through a blizzard, other life stresses were going on. Mild consolation: I got to cook for people. I love cooking and baking and I especially love feeding people. I was grateful that it was my turn for dinner group. But it wasn't until my visiting teachers came over at 9 pm that I was truly able to turn my day around. I will forever be grateful to Jessica and Kathryn for their visit last night and for soothing my soul. They have no idea how empty my spiritual vessel was and I could never express or explain how much they helped. The rest of my night was amazing.

2. As you may have noticed, the previous blog was only posted about an hour and a half ago. I was thrilled. On cloud nine. Doing mental jumping jacks. Knowing world peace could happen. Then, a series of phone calls at work where a "phantom customer" couldn't be found among three sister companies finally got thrown in my lap, even though I tried every way I could think of to find out which company this person could call to get results and ours wasn't it. Twenty minutes full of yelling, personal fiery darts, sarcastic comments, thinly-veiled threats and a complete misunderstanding of how much we actually did the for the customer later, I finally hung up the phone and began to sob. I just had to run and hide in the bathroom because a customer walked in and I couldn't stand to face her with puffy eyes and salty tear trails still visible on my cheeks.

It's amazing what one person can do. For good or evil. Please choose good. Know that I am trying to consciously trying to choose good, too.