Not Holding My Breath

Okay, Here's My Deal...

My motto in the winter in the particular place we live in Iowa is, "I'll believe it when I see it." Too many times have I heard predicitons of huge amounts of snow and 100% chance of snow and yada yada yada...only to have it materialize into just a dusting or nothing at all. I am convinced that much of it has to do with the fact that we live so close to the Mississippi River and also that the river actually runs east and west through the town. Now, meteorlogically (how is that for a polysyllabic word?) speaking, that may not mean beans, but I believe it has to have some influence.

Now, I also know that predicting the weather is not an accurate science, although I am led to beleive that it is getting better and better each year, but right here where I live, I am not convinced. Not that I could do a better job, nor do I want to try. The forcast here has changed so much over the last 36 hour period that I have lost track of what the latest thing is.

First, today was supposed to be bad when we got up...expect and inch of ice with 2 or 3 inches of snow on top...no, make that 1/4 of an inch of ice and 3-5 inches of snow...no, no ice, just a trace of snow, but watch out for Thursday after noon and night!! Snow starting in the afternoon and not stopping unitil Friday morning...10-12 inches....wait, it won't start until the evening and will be done by early morning with 3-5 inches...oh, maybe not until after midnight and ending Friday at noon...we're in an advisory, no make it a watch with 1-3 inches of snow..maybe a warning...no, was right the first time, an advisory...but, yeah, better make it a warning wiht 12-14 inches, but with locally heavy amounts...heavy wet snow...no, dry light snow so watch the blowing and drifting...positively a warning with 6-10 inches...AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Like I said, I will believe it when I see it.

5---5---5---5---1

Okay, Here's My Deal...

When the sitcom Roseanne was on, ther was a flashback episode to one of the kids being born and I remember Dan right after the baby was delivered saying, "5---5---5---5---1...YES!! Its' a boy!!!!!!!!!"

Well, the ultrasound revealed that we are indeed having another boy. So, we are on the hunt for a name. We have a middle name, but no need a first name. The technician was funny when she told us. She asked if we wanted to know and when we said yes, she poked around a little and said, "Well, he's not shy!!" and we saw the baby spread eagle leaving no doubt as to his gender.

Oh, and both mothers decided that they wanted to know.

By the way, in case you didn't catch what the numbers meant, it was for 5 fingers, 5 fingers, 5 toes, 5 toes and 1 penis.

To Know or Not to Know

Okay, Here's My Deal...

Well, in a couple of days we will be traveling to a local university hospital to have a detailed ultrasound done. It is one offered at about 18 weeks of pregnancy for women 35 and over to screen for visible birth defects and then they offer further diagnostic testing for things like Down's.

We made the decision even before we were pregnant the first time NOT to do the ultrasound or have the testing done because (1) we did not want ot know the sex of the baby and (2) there are too many stories of false positives for things and (3) even if the tests showed something wrong, we would not have aborted anyway, so why bother?

This time, we want to know if we are having a boy or a girl for basically one reason...yard sale or not? Do we need to keep all of the boys clothes that we have from the first time around or do we need to have a big sale and start over?

Now here is the big thing...neither of our mothers (the fathers have not been too vocal on this) are sure if they want to know or not when we find out. I know my brother and his wife want to know. It will be interesting to tell some and not others and then wonder if they will spill the beans by accident.

What the @#$% ?!

Okay, Here's My Deal...

We are at the point, well, we have been, but it really was driven home yesterday, where we really need to watch what we say in front of our 2 1/2 year old. I went to the store yesterday to have some prints made from my digital camera and the machine was busy. So we strolled around the area to be sure to be next in line when they were done. I had jsut turned into an isle and at the end was a man on his cell phone. Here is the one-sided conversation...in a normal tone of voice, mind you:

"In the blue bottle with a black cap?"

"Oh, sure, the one that is 35 f#$%ing dollars!"

"You're sure that is the f#$%ing stuff you want?"

"Just f#$%ing great...well, then happy f#$%ing birthday!!"

I walked by and muttered...barely audible to myself, or so I thought, "Nice f#$%ing language" and I heard my son say as plain as day f#$%ing. I quickly distracted him with something that had Nemo on it and picked up my jaw off of the floor. Now, I don't know if it was me or the man who he was immitating...and it doesn't really matter as neither one of us should have been saying that at all let alone around kids...but I feel bad.

My husband blames me for all kinds of stuff our son says. Probably rightly so...

Another example, I was mad at the dog one night about two months ago and siad, again, I thought to myself, "damn dog!" and I had my son pointing at the dog saying, "da dog!"

But the most infamous, was during a diapering...it was off and he had pulled his legs up together and well, it squished down his penis...he reached down and couldn't find it. I said, jokingly, and no, not to myself, I admit tht this time, "Where'd it go?" He opened his legs and I said, "Tada! There is is!" Well, you guessed it, for a while after that (it has waned a little now) everytime he had a diaper change, we heard in the best toddler possible, "where'd it go?" and "tada! there it is!"

Yeah, I will be the topic of therapy sessions in the future...

Spin Discovery

Okay, Here's My Deal...

Our son discovered spinning today. You know, spinning until you are dizzy and falling down. Yeah, that means we are leaving in about an hour to go see the doctor to see if he needs to have a stitch in his ear.

He watches the original Willy Wonka and likes to dance like an Oompa Loopa. Well, he discovered that they spin, so he spun. I stopped him once when he was a little wobbly and thought he was fine. That would be a negative.

He walked some more, and then fell. Hard. Right on the front of the entertainment center and hit the side of his face and ear. There was gushing blood from the cut and even though we got it stopped, there is still a gape and we are taking him in to see if he needs a stitch or if we can just "glue" it together with that dermabond stuff.

Yeah, the excitement is just beginning, I am afraid.

Are You in the Right Class?!

Okay, Here's My Deal...

I teach gifted ed. At least, taht is what they tell me. Yesterday, I began a new unit with my seventh graders about the criminal justice system. Admittedly, the first activity is a bit dry, but necessary. All they had to do was read two and a half pages about Larry, a suspected kidnapper, and everything that happened to him from his arrest to his sentencing and put 13 events in order.

"I don't get what we are supposed to do." Read the pages and put these 13 things in order.

"What?" Read through the material and then decide what from the list came first, then second and so on until you get to the last thing.

"I don't know anything about the law." You don't have to--that is why we are reading this and putting the things that happen to Larry in order.

"I just don't understand what to do." Okay, let's read the first paragraph together...while we also have the list of things to put in order in front of us. Larry gets arrested in this paragraph...see? That is the first thing to happen from the list, so put a 1 by the word arrest.

"But that is like the eighth thing listed...why isn't is first?" Because YOU have to put them in order. They are supposed to be scrambled. Let's read on. See the first sentence in the next paragraph? The one that starts with After his arrest...do you think that what happens next needs to have a 2 beside it on the list? You read the next few things on your own and tell me what you think number 3 is.

"I still don't get it." I almost cried...

The Prodigal Pooch and Caninesque Cat

Okay, Here's My Deal...

Yeah, the dog is home. Got back about an hour after I posted. He was fine...thirsty and hungry, but otherwise fine. We still need to find a home for him, though.

My husband observed the other day that our animls seem to have reversed roles. The dog, is a grooming fiend. Grooms all of the time. I hate it...the sound he makes with the big tongue is just gross. Lots of times when he pees outside, he tries to cover it up like the cat does. Weird. My husband says dogs do that sometimes. I have never seen it, but I don't doubt it.

The cat? Does she like bits of meat like some cats do? No. Not even chicken. Tuna, yes. But what food really drive her crazy? Olive juice and pickle juice. Seriously. And, her favorite pasttime? Chasing her tail...like a dog, for 10-15 minutes at a time--sometimes getting so into it she falls off of the dresser or a chair or whacks her head against a wall or door frame. And I don't know what her deal is with the litter box...she will dig and dig and dig and NEVER actually cover anything.

And the dog? Likes to eat out of the litter box. They are not normal.

One last feline fact? When we put baby gates up to keep our son out of the kitchen, she got "trapped" in the kitchen. That is right, even though she was capable of and had in the past, jumping higher than the gate, she did not uinderstand that she could jump the gate to get out of the kitchen. After almost an hour of whimpering and whining and meowing, my husband had to literally pick her up and show her she could jump the gate.

See what we work with?

Canine Conundrum...

Okay, Here's My Deal...

I let the dog out at 6 this morning. It is now almost 3 in the afternoon. Have we seen or heard the dog since 6? No. Am I really very upset about this?

Yes, in a way...I hope that nothing has happened to him, like getting hit by a car or attacked by another dog or hurt by some mean kids or adults or picked up by the catcher.

No, in a way, because we are wanting to get rid of him--but the optimal solution was to find a new home for him, not disappearance. We like him so much we want to find a place for him that can give him the love and attention that he needs and deserves.

We have been out driving hoping to see him and bring him home--it is not like was have just let him roam free for nine hours. In fact, the last time we went out and were on our way home, I thought I saw him, so my husband parked the van and called him, but the dog just looked at him, barked and sat down on the ground. There is a dog nearby that looks almost identical to our dog...I know because the first week or two that we had him, on the way home from the sitter's house, I thought I saw him running loose even though I was sure he was on his chain in the yard. So, I stopped the van and yelled for him to come, but he wouldn't come near me. I got home only to find our dog indeed on his chain in the yard. I mean those dogs were identical right down the the red collar.

I am sure he is fine and will be home soon, when he is hungry enough or cold enough.