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Saturday, 19 December 2009

Tuesday, 08 December 2009

  • The Santa Claus Debate

    So this baby isn't even born yet but I'm already having the Santa Claus debate in my head. I have no real issue with Santa Claus. I quite like him actually. I don't think people are trying to use him to replace Christ or anything like that. I know there are some religious people who try to cut Santa out of their Christmas completely but I don't feel that way. Besides, the kids are exposed to Santa at school anyway. I grew up knowing what Christmas was REALLY about, and never got Christ confused with Santa. I think he's fun and helps make Christmas morning a magical event for those first few years of a child's life. However, I DO want Christmas in our home to be more focused on the Savior, Jesus Christ, than on Santa or gifts. I also don't want my kids thinking I lied to them. I didn't feel that way as a child when I found out Santa wasn't real, but I know some do and feel utterly betrayed.

    I don't know if I was ever a true believer. If I was, I was to young to remember. I only remember having doubts about Santa Claus. One year a few weeks before Christmas I found a huge Barbie Dream House in my parents closet that later came from "Santa." I told my parents privately after I opened it that I'd already seen it and knew it was from them. I think my mom called me a "little snot" for peeking, haha. I know that sounds mean but she meant it with love. I wonder what she called Lauren when Lauren used a screwdriver to take off the locked doorknob to the extra bedroom in the basement where all the gifts were hidden...haha. Lauren was older then though, like 5th or 6th grade. I didn't tell mom what Lauren had done until after Christmas...but I had to make sure Lauren didn't tell me what I was getting. I wanted to be surprised! I've always loved surprises.

    I noticed in kindergarten that Santa and my mom had the same handwriting and wrapping paper. (My mom covered that one well though, she said Santa didn't wrap gifts so she had to wrap them for him.) I also had major issues with why poor kids didn't get nice presents like I did. Why wouldn't Santa give them extra special gifts since they didn't get special birthdays or even basic needs met? When I finally asked my Dad if Santa was real, he said yes, and I trusted my Dad more than anyone. I asked him how he knew and he said it was because he had seen Santa as a child. I was skeptical, but he convinced me that he'd seen the real Santa. And of course, he had. He'd once snuck out of bed and caught his parents setting out the gifts as being "Santa." I didn't feel like he lied to me. Even at the time I figured he was talking about his parents. I kinda wanted to believe in Santa, but it wasn't a big deal for me. I knew my parents were just making it special for me. I didn't feel betrayed or anything. And I never had a big moment when I realized he wasn't real. I just gradually grew out of it. Pretty early, mostly because of the poor kids thing. I could swallow the idea of him riding around the world in one night, but I couldn't believe that a man as nice and kind as Santa wouldn't give poor kids a lot of really neat stuff. I think I believed in him far longer than the tooth fairy or Easter Bunny, but that's only because I never really believed in them at all. Also my mom said anyone who didn't believe in Santa didn't get presents so I played along for a while. She just didn't want me to spoil it for my younger sisters. And I also didn't want to spoil it for my parents that I was growing up. Even at five years old, I knew it would make them sad to think I didn't wholeheartedly believe in Santa and reindeer.

    So for our kids, I don't think we'll make a huge deal about Santa. Maybe he will just bring one gift. Like something that an elf could have made. So no Easy Bake Oven or Barbie dolls, but maybe something handmade from Etsy. That was another issue of mine. I knew Barbie was made by Mattel. Not elves.

    And when they ask me if Santa is real, I will just ask what THEY think, and make sure that they understand that it's not nice to try to influence how their friends think. We'll have to play it by ear after that.

    What was your experience with Santa Claus? What kind of experience do you want your kids to have?

Tuesday, 01 December 2009

  • Week 26, The Moment I Wake Up, and Three Weeks

    These days I count my life three ways:

    1. In Pregnancy Weeks: 26. (Maybe 27? I'm getting confused again.)
    Every week that passes is a lovely treat. It's one week closer to meeting my baby, finding out whether she looks like me or Jeremy or some other random family member, one week closer to feeling like a normal, female human being, one week closer to my body not hating me so much...I could go on. My back is getting ridiculous. Today I was only out of bed for a few hours, but the pain sent me back to bed again, begging Jeremy for a back rub. (He did...though he played a game on his iPhone with the other hand, but you know. When I'm asking for multiple backrubs a day I assume he gets bored.)

    Notice I said one week closer to feeling like a normal FEMALE human being. Yes, growing a baby is seriously feminine, but sometimes I feel downright masculine. The excess saliva forces me to randomly spit into the trash can, toilet, or sink, whatever's available. I'm sure it's not attractive and I would still never do it in public or when company is over but if I swallow it, I get the burps. Burps like I've never had in my life. It's not pleasant. I'll spare you the rest of my gassiness woes. I know Jeremy would like to be able to forget. Hehe.

    Did anyone ever tell you about the excess saliva or hips popping? Morning Sickness gets all the glory and these other lovely symptoms just show up unannounced.

    Sometimes I think my body really does hate me. The baby has already used her cuteness to turn it against me. My back hurts, my butt hurts, my hips hurt and they are constantly popping out of place. Today my hips popped five times. And I'm a big girl. I'm tall and big boned. When my hips pop the sound is like a bone being snapped in half. It scares the crap out of me every time. I don't remember it happening hardly at all before I got pregnant. I suppose things are loosening up down there in anticipation of a baby coming out, but geez. The popping is making anxious. I suppose the same hormones loosen everything up because my shoulders randomly pop all the time too.

    I get headaches frequently throughout the day. Today I woke up with one. The heartburn has become a nightly bedtime ritual. Right now my throat burns a fire that neither milk, hot chocolate, ice cream, nor Tums can douse. The worst part is my bladder. It has forgotten how to work and has turned into quite a pansy. I suppose two pounds of baby sitting on top of it and how ever many baby-related fluids are starting to put a strain on it. I can't sneeze or really laugh much at all without dashing to the bathroom. And forget coughing! Coughing is no good. So I do every trick in the book to stop sneezes, I giggle politely, and I weakly clear my throat instead of actually coughing. It works. For now.

    But the news isn't all bad, of course. The little girl in my belly should be around two pounds now, and about 14 inches long. She moves, rolls, and kicks all the time! She's kicking the laptop right now, and can make it move. It's impressive. She seems most active in the morning when I wake up and at night before I go to bed, but it may only seem that way because that's when I'm in bed being still and more likely to notice. Jeremy and I were an hour late for Date Night on Wednesday because we were having such a good time watching her acrobatics. My stomach looked like an earthquake zone. I love it and will gladly put up with all the aches, pains, and discomforts for however long it takes to get her here.

    2. When I Can Eat Again: The Moment I Wake Up

    Food is my very best friend right now. It tastes better than ever, and I can't get enough of it. I daydream about food, I plan my day around food, I want food right now actually. I procrastinate everything so I can have just ONE MORE SNACK.

    I'm extremely possessive of my food these days, especially sweets and my favorite dishes. A few weeks ago I got so angry that I cried because someone ate my last Swiss Cake Roll. At the grocery store, we had all chosen a snack. I chose Swiss Cake Rolls for myself and the boys each chose something for themselves. When I found out someone had ate it, THE LAST ONE, without telling me, I was furious. I went to the pantry, so excited for a Swiss Cake Roll, and there was nothing but an empty box mocking me. (Why leave an empty box? That's another rant.) I can laugh about it now, but at the time I didn't speak to the offender for an entire day. Even now, I hide my stash of Little Debbie Christmas Trees and Wreaths so that I know exactly how many I have and how many I'm allowed to have per week, etc. And holy crap if somebody were to eat one without asking my permission, SOMETHING WOULD HIT THE FAN. I don't mind buying snacks for other people, and I keep extras in the closet, but don't touch my personal Little Debbies! I also get extremely irritated if food is left out to go bad or stale. Don't get me started on how to correctly fold down a cereal bag or squeeze all the air out of the flour tortillas bag.

    I usually bring a snack to eat in bed, and something to nibble on while I get ready in the morning. I can't eat large meals because my stomach is getting squished, but I seem to graze all day. As soon as I'm done eating I'm thinking about what I could be eating next. I never really feel full. I always feel like I could eat more, but I try to limit myself so I don't weigh more than everyone in this house combined by the end of this pregnancy. I still eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which I think is good. I figure if I'm going to be eating nearly constantly, they better be good things. Right now I really enjoy bean burritos. I make them with 96% fat free tortillas, fat free refried beans, and 2% milk cheese. So I don't think it's too bad. When I was doing Weight Watchers the whole thing was only like two points. (I kinda miss Weight Watchers.) I also eat a lot of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup with 25% less sodium, PB&Js, and banana sandwiches with Miracle Whip. (I know half of you just threw up a little but maybe it's a southern thing? My Dad always ate them and they are DELICIOUS. Especially when the bananas are at their perfect ripeness and you cut them really thin.)

    So yeah. Food, I will see you in eight hours!


    3. Time Until This Semester is Over: Three Weeks

    This has been a horrible school semester for me. I love most of my classes (except math) and I enjoy the university experience. I really do. BYU is a top notch school in my opinion and I feel so blessed to be able to get a top-ranked education.

    However, sometimes it makes me want to die. Do the classes really have to be so hard? So intense? So stressful? Apparently the answer is OF COURSE. And my professors don't forget it. BYU classes do not play around. There's always some super scary assignment looming over my head and I always feel confused because I am missing so many classes due to pregnancy complications. They expect 2-3 hours of reading and studying outside of class for every hour in class. So if you're taking 15 credits like I am, that's at least 30 hours of outside work. Add that to my pregnancy, my wife duties, my parenting duties, little odds and ends for my family (we're pretty much their IT team,) my Disney responsibilities, and my church calling, and I'm swamped. I know I did this all to myself. I could have waited until I graduated to get married. I could have waited to get pregnant. But there were just a lot of factors and honestly, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it the same. The last five and a half years with Jeremy are worth taking the slow route to my degree. And the baby is only putting me behind a semester. Not even a semester really. I just have to survive.

    The stress is really getting to me though. Jeremy made a less than loving remark to me in the mall the other day and I just lost it. Sure, he wasn't being particularly nice, but it wasn't something that I should have gotten all upset about. But I did. Bad. I stomped (figuratively) out of the mall with tears in my eyes and we went home and had the biggest fight we've had in a long time. The whole thing lasted maybe an hour or two and we got it worked out and were totally fine and gooey-lovey-dovey by that evening, but still. I'm stressed to the max. When this semester is over, pass or fail, I will feel like the happiest little free bird. I can't wait. I just want it to be OVER. I want to be able to enjoy the holidays. Right now I can't. I can't even put up my Christmas tree because I know I should be studying and I feel guilty doing anything else. I shouldn't even be writing on this blog right now but I needed a vent.

    Next semester though...I originally wasn't going to take any classes, but I really need to take one. If I don't take it, then I won't be able to graduate until April 2011. It's only offered in Winter, so if I can manage it, I think it will be more than worth it. I know the professor really well and I think he will work with me. And I will still have tons of free time. Time for nesting, time to be a better blogger, time to think about my parenting strategies and goals, time to work on my photography skills before my little muse gets here, time to start outlining and writing my novel(s). It's a lot to accomplish before the baby gets here, but I want to have that "me" time before it's totally gone.

    Well I feel better, and my back has calmed to a dull ache. I think I can sleep now! Although I'm more than a little hungry by this point, I'm making myself wait for morning. Gotta take my sister to the airport. She gets to have a little trip home! Wish me luck that I don't dislocate a hip trying to get in my car...haha! Goodnight!

Sunday, 15 November 2009

  • Originally written on Thursday night/Friday morning...

    Where is home?

    It’s 2:00am. As I lay here in my childhood home, alone in a king-size bed with only a dozen ornate pillows to keep me company, I can’t help but feel desperately homesick.

    It doesn’t make sense. This is where I made most of my childhood memories. This is where I experienced life through my preteen years. My family and I built this house with our own hands. I remember the summers when all my neighborhood friends were out riding golf carts and jumping on trampolines while I was busy drying and staining cedar siding. The smell of the wood was so luxurious and I was amazed that it had been shipped from the somewhere far away. With my dad’s knowledgeable guidance, I hammered nails into the framework of the wall I’m leaning against now. I remember the weeks and months I spent with my mom and sister painting every surface of this immense interior space. Six thousand square feet of literal love and sweat.

    When I had my accident and endured three months in a far away hospital, I ached to come home to this spot. To this street. I wanted to badly to get away from the harsh white walls of the rehab center, the terrible smells and sounds of fellow patients weeping in frustration and depression at night. When I finally came home to a small room on the first floor of my house, I worked hard to get well enough and strong enough that I could move back upstairs to my big room full of my beloved 1950’s antique mahogany furniture.

    But this place feels foreign to me. My family is as wonderful as ever, but I just can’t feel completely comfortable here. Not while they’re away and sleeping. The sheetrock has all been replaced since the fire of 2007, and the paint colors are all new to me. The wooden floors are all new, and the familiar wood details have been replaced with strange new ones. The family room furniture is nicer, more comfortable, and way more functional—yet it bears no scars from childhood forts gone awry nor memories of sneaked late-night kisses with the boy I would someday marry.

    I forgot my toothpaste and face lotion. I had to brush my teeth with water since everyone was already asleep, and I followed it with flossing and gum in an effort to achieve the same effect. There were no towels in the bathroom closet so I used a rough paper towel to dry my face and hands. My entire nighttime routine was damaged. Now I can’t sleep. Those habits were formed in this house, yet tonight I couldn’t even complete them. I feel…off.

    I can’t remember where the light switches are. I stumble around in the dark looking for them and when I find one, it rarely achieves the desired result. Even many of the lighting arrangements have been changed since the fire. There are new can lights in new places and ceiling fans once operated with the flick of a switch are now at the mercy of a mysteriously hidden remote. Once I finally find what I believe to be the correct light switch, I often realize I can’t reach it. A new or shifted piece of furniture is blocking my grasp.

    The house just isn’t as wheelchair friendly as it used to be. It doesn’t need to be. I’ve been gone for over five years. But it still makes me feel uncomfortable. The guest bathroom and bedroom were actually remodeled after the fire to make them easier for me to use, but somehow I still feel trapped. My stair lift that used to take me upstairs is gone. I don’t even know where it is.

    Memories are fading. Like the one from when I found got the news that I made the cheerleading squad in 6th grade, and I couldn’t contain my adrenaline and excitement. The gaudy rose-colored carpet covering the stairs took a beating as I ran up and down it over and over again while shouting in delight at my good fortune, telephone still in hand. The two-toned carpeting has since been replaced with beautiful wood and stone, but the memories don’t seem to be as vivid in the grain.

    It is oddly quiet here. There are no occasional fire truck sirens. There are no young married couples laughing and talking outside my window. There are no TiVo bumps and chirps drifting down from the friendly neighbors above. There are no happy babies squealing out on the sidewalk.

    There is no sidewalk. Only a very dark street.

    I can only hear the ticking and hourly chiming of the large living room clock. While growing up, that clock was such an integral part of my daily white noise that I often didn’t even hear it. Since I’ve been here, it has pealed out four times. And every time I jump at the surprise. It is no longer a comforting tone of home; it is the distant, frightening gong of a stranger.

    Outside I can hear the wind and rain beating against the house. The tall evergreen trees rustle chillingly and my body reactively tenses up.

    I’ve always been terrified of the wind.

    I remember sleeping in the room above me—MY room with the light lavender walls and deep plush purple carpet—the same room where my younger sister is sleeping now amidst bright pink walls and cold hardwood flooring. I can't even bear to go up and see it because it makes me so sad that it's gone. The wind would whip and whistle around my corner of the house, and cause me to run panicked down the stairs screaming about tornado nightmares and snapped pine trees that were certain to fall upon me at any minute. This house is certainly the safest house in town. My dad built it to withstand almost all of the natural disasters possible in this area. The basement has it’s own tornado room, a fort of cinderblock reinforced with poured concrete and rebar. There were even bunks for sleeping, and during particularly scary storms, I would sleep down there in an uncomfortable bunk, happy to be in silence and far away from the screams of the wind.

    Often I would squeeze my eyes closed and fantasize about the day that I could have a strong husband to share a bed with, one that would protect me from the wind and make me feel safe. I’d pray for guidance to find him, and to be blessed to find him quickly. I imagined he was far away, in some distant land I’d never visited. I waited for him to suddenly appear in my life. I didn’t realize he was sitting right behind me in class every day. I never knew he was merely across town, listening to the same eerie wind through the thin walls of his family’s modest home.

    My heart aches to have him here. This king-size bed in this huge room is so very lonely. I’m cold and there’s no one to snuggle with. I’m hugging a pillow with a myriad of annoying little tassels instead of a warm, breathing human whose mere breathing pattern makes me feel safe and loved.

    As ridiculous as it is, I find my self crying real, stinging tears even as I think of him. I can see him alone in our smaller bed, in our smaller room, in our much smaller house—our little kingdom that we built together.

    It’s an elegant though humble space, but it is unquestioningly, undoubtedly home.

    Not so much because of the walls we painted or furniture we bought, but because that’s where he is. He IS my home. If he were here, I know this bed would not feel so empty, this place would not feel so unknown.

    I sat with my parents in their room tonight and came up with any excuse to sit and chat. I didn’t want to come to this room alone. I knew the despair I would feel. My mom could sense my distress and offered to watch Big Bang Theory with me. This was comforting, watching a show that Jeremy and I watch together every week. I laughed and immersed myself in the silly nerd stories. But every mention of Battlestar Galactica or technical computer lingo only reminded me of who I was missing—my brave, heroic, funny, kind, gorgeous geek of a knight in shining armor. After three episodes my mom was too tired to continue, and I grudgingly brought myself here to this spot. Alone.

    Now it's 3:00 and I’ve had my cry, and convinced myself—somewhat--that the gusty winds will probably not get me tonight. The little life inside me has woken up, and every little kick and stretch is a comforting reminder of her Daddy, the very same amazing person whose absence is currently flooding my being. I know she misses him too. I know she is missing his voice telling her goodnight through my belly, and missing his warmth as we snuggle together as a family. I don’t think I’ll separate us from him again for a very long time. Maybe never.



Thursday, 12 November 2009

  • Just a random blurb...

    Life has been a little rough and stressful recently. I tend to clean, and I mean DEEP clean, when I'm angry. And let me tell you, I have a sparkling clean kitchen tonight! I didn't even watch GLEE! I needed to let off some major steam that has been building for several weeks and I feel a little better. Me and Jeremy are fine though, it's not about him. I know you can all sleep better tonight knowing me and Jeremy are still completely, unfailingly, immovably, and disgustingly in L-O-V-E. My marriage is my favorite thing in my whole life right now. That and my baby. And really, my problems are small compared to many people. But not that small. It takes a lot to bring me down.

    It's hard because I can't really talk to anyone about it except Jeremy and sometimes my parents. And I hate that. I much prefer my life to be an open book.

    So I'm going to pass on the big 24 Weeks update. Just not in the mood. Nothing has changed really. She moves around and squirms all the time now and still, every single time I am shocked and entertained. Every single time I feel a twinge I want to interrupt me and Jeremy's conversation and scream, "SHE MOVED! FEEL MY BELLY!" But if I did that we'd never get any talking done because I'd constantly be giving him baby movement updates...haha. Today while researching for a paper in bed, I had the laptop on my belly, and she would move it! That was really cool. I was impressed.

    One really exciting piece of news is that we booked the Disney Cruise to Alaska in 2011! Whoo hoo! We were very blessed and were able to work it all out. We have about zero disposable income for the next two weeks but we'll survive. I'll just eat enough at the baby shower to hold me over for a week. Haha. (Like I could even eat enough to hold myself over for an hour these days!) I'll talk more about the cruise later. But the best part is that my immediate family is coming too. I hope more and more extended family members end up coming though. The more the merrier!

    Another thing keeping me looking on the bright side is my baby shower on Saturday! My mom and a few other ladies in the family have made this thing a lot bigger than I expected. Bigger is better in this case. I'm so excited! It will be so great to be able to just hang out, eat, and catch up with so many friends and relatives. I can't wait!

    I'm actually leaving for the airport in about 5 1/2 hours and I still have to take a shower, finish my paper, do another load of laundry, and finish packing the toiletry stuff that has to wait for the last minute. Yeah. Probably not gonna get to all of that...

    Anyways, that's it for tonight! Pray that I have a safe landing in Raleigh. Former Hurricane Ida will be there causing 24 mph winds. I know that won't bring a plane down, but I'm sure it will be bumpy enough to make me nervous. Which is bad because I'm also nervous that we'll crash some other way, that the baby will freak out from the pressure, that I'll go into pre-term labor, that uterine pressure changes secretly cause autism or something, that I'll have to pee and not be able to get to the airplane bathroom, and a myriad of other concerns. Ha! At least it's not Friday the 13th yet. I don't have a good track record with those either.

    Until next week!


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asecheer221

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    • Name: Amanda
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    • Birthday: 2/21/1986
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  • I've been married to the most fantastic guy since June 22nd, 2006 and I'm loving life as a newlywed! We have two furbabies. Our kitties are Crookshanks and Mr. Potter. Our little family is living in Utah while we finish school. Jeremy is going for film, and I'm going into Travel and Tourism with Communications and Theater minors. Then we'll be off to Florida and I'm hoping to work permanently for my favorite and current company, Disney!

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