Sunshine on a cloudy day...

One day you are pregnant, the next day the baby is born and before you know it, the child is starting preschool.

Well that is where we are right now. Yesterday, we went for an ice cream social at Sophia's preschool. It was a way to introduce the kids to the school and their teachers in a nice gentle way. Sophia loved it. She wanted to go back right after we left.

I never thought that I would be one of those moms who would worry so much about Sophia going to school. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that she is going. I think she will love going and enjoy making new friends. She will also love it, because she likes to learn knew things and I think she will look on it as an adventure. I have a feeling that I will be sad on her first official day. This will be the first time I will have taken her to somebody besides a personal friend or family member.

We have been so lucky that Bob's parents will take Sophia when we need them to and besides them, the only other people who have ever watched her have been Sophia's godparents and my friends Rhonda and Christy. I then think about how this is the beginning of her time away from me and in two years, she will be going to kindergarten, which, by the time she gets there will be all day, which means I will see her less than half of the time that she is awake. I will have to miss a good deal of the funny things that she says and does each day. I wonder how I will survive without her smile all day long. Her smile makes the bad times, so worth it. Just like the song says, "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day."

Maybe I am selfish. Many moms don't get the opportunity to stay at home with their kids. I am sure that they miss seeing their kids while they are at work. I could not imagine having to have gone back to work full time when Sophia was just three months old, but moms (and dads) make this sacrifice each day. Maybe I need to concentrate on this fact and think about how lucky I am to have had her all to myself for almost three years.

So when I feel the tears welling up on September 12th when I drop Sophia off to school, I will think about her smile and how lucky I have been over the last three years. Maybe that will help (in my heart I doubt it).

Give your mom and/or dad a special thought today for the sacrifices that they made for you (even if the sacrifices they made are not obvious).

Small town...

This past week was the week for the annual carnival in our town. We only live a few blocks away, so we went three times last week. It is not much more than an excuse for me to eat very yummy very bad for me food. I just can't resist the french fries. Sophia loved every minute of being there. She was mesmerized from the moment we got there until we left. She ate junk food, rode rides and played games. What a great week to be a kid.

I had my OB appointment on Thursday. The appointment could not have went better, if I would have asked for it. The doctor said he was pleased and that everything was going extremely well. He verified again that I will deliver the week after Thanksgiving. This should make for one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I have ever had. Imagine being very pregnant and hungry all of the time and a table full of some of your favorite foods. MMMMMM!!!

Sophia went to Dutch Wonderland with Bob's parents on Friday. She had so much fun, but was very tired and was a handful on the way home. Bob's Dad dropped her off and she went right to bed.

Sophia has had some very rough days and nights the past two weeks. She has always used a pacifier and two weeks ago she physically lost the last one we had. I told her that I was not able to find them in the store any more (which was not a complete lie, I tried to find them two weeks before she lost hers and was unable to find the right size). She was sad and did not sleep well for a few nights. Because of the lost pacifier, she has decided that she no longer wants to take her afternoon nap (this really sucks for me), although she still really needs it. She is a very action packed kid and needs all the rest that she can get. When she does not take an afternoon nap, she has a tendency to be very grouchy by the evening. I have talked to a few people and we agree it has got to be a bit like trying to quit smoking, it gets better after the first three weeks. I can only hope that it does.

Other than these things, I have been feeling pretty good, that is until Saturday. I actually started to feel very pregnant when I walked back from the carnival Saturday night. I knew that it was only a matter of time before my body started to catch up with me. Now my damn back has been hurting since Saturday and I feel like I am starting to get that late in pregnancy waddle. How attractive is that? Oh well, what did I expect.

I hope that you all are well. Have a great day!!!

Friends...

I have been very bad about posting lately. Honestly, I have been busy. I have kept on reading and commenting on my friends blogs, but have been remiss in posting to my own.

Last week I got an email from an old friend. This friend and I shared a lot of memories together. We had both left home at an early age. Needless to say, things were not always easy, but we had a good deal of fun together. I can remember rolling change (pennies) to buy smokes at the store across the street from where we lived (which was down the street from Otter's WMC). We never had money for food (and barely rent), but always managed to have beer and other things to have fun with. Those were totally different times, not bad, just different.

Things changed, we both got married and she had two children. She moved away. We lost track of each other. It is not a hard thing to do, because you are so busy with your own life. I have tried to find her over the years and she me. Finally last week she found me on this blog.

We have talked to each other every day since then. And even though things are different in our lives (like a child for me and two more for her) it was so great to reconnect. Reconnecting in a lot of ways makes you feel good, because you know that there is somebody out there in the world who had been thinking of you. I am glad that she found me, it made my week. Hopefully, we will continue to stay in contact.

So forgive me for spending the week with an old friend. I would understand if you did the same.

If you have an old friend that you have lost track of, you should really try to get out there and find them. It might just make their week.

Mish Mosh...

I have had a good deal on my mind lately, none of which is worth reading. Every time I thought about posting, I thought better of it. For better or for worse here are some things that have been on my mind.

My aunt told my mom that I was pregnant last week and would you know that my mom has not called to congratulate me. She apparently thinks I am pissed at her, well if I wasn't, I might be now. Oh well, I would rather not have to deal with her. She just makes me nervous anyway.

Last week Sophia and I went to visit a friend of my grandmother's (Grandma died 3/17/2000). I occasionally run into this friend and she really wanted us to stop by for a visit. So last week was the time to go. She had two gifts that my grandmother had given her that she wanted Sophia to have (a pearl necklace and a quilted wall hanging made by my grandmother). I thought this was wonderful Since Sophia never got to know her.

I had been thinking about my Grandmother quite a bit lately. I really miss her. With pregnancy hormones raging I am easily brought to tears these days, so thoughts of something that my grandmother touched makes the tears flow. I am not sure if the tears are happy or sad. That is sort of the way things have been going lately. I hate to feel all weepy for no reason. That is just way too emotional for me.

Bob's parents left for Russia on July 30. Since then I have been going to their house each day to check the pool and the kitty cats. I have had some people over and have been swimming most days. This has been great. Sophia is learning to be more self reliant in the pool, which gives me more of a comfort level with her in the pool. I would love for her to learn to swim before summer is over, but I doubt that will happen. She is so cautious and I can not convince her that it is okay to get her whole head wet. I guess that it will come with time. If worse comes to worse, we can get her into some winter swimming lessons.

I have to go back for the follow-up sonogram this week. I am still debating with myself about finding out the sex of the baby. Part of me really wants to know, but then I really don't want to take that surprise away from myself. I did not find out for Sophia and it was so wonderful to hear the words, "It's a girl." Bob does not want to know and I can go either way. I guess I have a few more days to think it over.

We still have not settled on any names for the baby yet. This kid may never be named. Bob likes such weird names for boys that I just don't want to discuss it. It seems that girls names are easier for us to decide on. We picked Sophia's name right away and we like the following for girls this time; Claire, Katherine or Mollie. Of course, they could still change, too!

I hope that you all are staying cool. It has been so hot over the last two weeks. Thankfully, it seems that you can finally get some relief in the shade now.

Be well!!!