Ode to My Closed Right Nostril

• orange juice, lots of it.
• water, lots of it.
• tissues, taking over my bed.
• soup, beginning to be a really boring meal.
• tylenol: sinus (congestion and pain)--you'd better not cause long term issues in my unborn child or I Will Cut You.
• Oswald: jumping every time I get a new tissue from the box (which is about every 5 minutes), putting his ears back at the loud honking noise that then issues forth from my slightly red schnoz. His life is so hard.
• JAG, maintaining my sanity. Somewhat.
• old husband t-shirts, comfortable and comforting.
• multiple trips to the bathroom since hydrating and pregnancy are not coexisting happily.
• wanting to reach my hand all the way down my throat and scratch like a mad woman until that itching that kept me up all night STOPS.
• lived in bed.
• lips falling off my face in spite of extra moisturizing intensive chapstick.
• and last, but not least, my right nostril...permanently cemented shut.

I think I'm firing my body. What was it thinking getting sick at a time like this?! Thoughtless, I tell you. Thoughtless!

Sister Surprise!

I saw a pair of teal sandals peaking out from behind my middle sister's car... and so began the first annual Sister's Party.

This is my surprised face:

We are so cutely pregnant. Everyone loves pregnant sisters. Especially when we go out and get two large pizzas and two really dumb chick flicks...and no one knows that there's another non-pregnant sister who will help out with the eating and watching.

Somehow Jon got invited along for lunch at Satay Sarinah. Sometimes he acts like my sister... Oh wait...

Just like home.

The timer on Jo's camera was a life saver.

We had to compare belly sizes. My middle sister won.

The somewhat terrifying future of a pregnant A! Her child will have corners! (We're all so proud.)

So yeah. It was a pretty full weekend, as you can tell.

Instrumentalist Extraordinaire

I have great fun at my job.

Open Windows

I think I'm a success as a teacher. I've made it through two whole days of school, one of music and the other of library, and only one kid has tried to jump out a window! Sure, it was a third story window, but it might've been an improvement on the class if he'd actually made it out. (The next day there was a tactful note to all the teachers reminding them to keep their windows closed and locked at all times. I made it 24 hours before I got in trouble.) In his defense, maybe he doesn't like music...or maybe he thought my singing voice wasn't quite up to par...or maybe, maybe, he had perfect pitch and we just did him in. The options are endless.

At any rate, it's probably a good thing that the library is on the first floor. That way if one of my kids just absolutely HATES books or thinks that I do a really bad job interpreting the author's intent (Dr. Seuss could go so many different ways) and tries to launch him/herself out the window, they won't have very far to go.

Potato Tears

The Man is TDY for the next three weeks, and Os and I are home alone.  He tried to go with The Man, but I think in the long run he'll be glad that he stayed home with me...and his litter box...and his food bowl.

So far, I've got to say, not having my husband here is just...weird.  Considering that I'm pregnant (read: hormonal) and I really only cried yesterday over a lonely baked potato, I think I'm doing pretty well.  Oswald and I are bonding.  We eat barbeque together.  Don't tell the Man; I'm not supposed to feed the cat people food.  Yup, this is what happens when the Man leaves.  I start breaking all our family bylaws (do not, under any circumstances, feed the cat people food); I turn into an insomniac; and I cry about carbohydrates. What's next?! I can't wait to find out...

We take our cat for car rides

It's 12:41am.  The Man is sitting next to me on the couch, obsessively playing Typing Maniac on facebook.  We just finished watching Escape from New York and are about to watch Escape from L.A. My sister has been demanding for about a month now that we watch Escape from L.A. but when we sat down to watch it tonight and the Man realized that it was a sequel, we ended up watching New York first.  How? Why? I don't know. But we did.  And we ate donuts while doing it.  Donuts we picked up with the cat.  As in, Os had a great time riding in the car with us.  He did not have a great time getting out of the car as it was pouring down rain.  So worth it though.

We're on to the next movie now.

Remember

A year ago today one of my dear friends died, a heart friend who made me laugh. Since then, I've thought of him nearly every day--not morbidly, but joyfully.  His death is very hard for me to realize as he was one of those people who was so full of life that it defined who he was.  There are so many times when I have found myself telling a Jon story only to remember midway through that he's gone.  It comes as a shock.

So today, though the emotions are close to the surface, I remember the good.  And there is much good to remember.  Jon was a part of my life since I was three years old, about as long as I've known anyone who isn't immediate family.  He was my first crush (we got married when I was 4 and he was 5). He was my arch nemesis in middle school. He was my dorm brother in high school, the drummer for our worship band, the one I got in trouble with during class.  We were about as different as they come, but we made each other laugh, and in some way we balanced each other out.

Mas Jon, I miss you.  I wish you could've been at my wedding.  I wish I could've told you that the Man and I are having our first child in January.  I wish you were still a part of my life.  But I know you and Jesus are loving life together, and I love that.  Today I'm remembering you.