It's gettin' there

It has been sooo long since I last blogged - I don't know where all of this time has gone! Life has been busy lately, as I'm sure its been for everyone else! The school year is coming to a close (1 more full week, 1 more 4-day week, and 1 more 3 1/2 day week)! With that comes a TON of extra work, but its all worth it! The days go much faster when I'm running around trying to get everything done. As always, I'll miss the kiddos, but I'm looking forward to some time off (and that time off will be extended by a few months with baby Pierce on the way)! I'm also just 3 class sessions away from finishing my ASD certificate, which will be nice to finally close up. My last class is on June 5th!!!! I'm glad I finally decided to just buck up, pay the $4 grand for classes and finish the work. Once I have my certificate, I will officially have 5 different types of teaching licenses (well, the ASD is a certificate, but its yet another area of education in which I can teach). The extra bonus is that the graduate credits I took will bump me up another lane on the payscale, which will clearly be needed once this little munchkin in my belly arrives.

Speaking of my little munchkin, there has been a TON of growth since I last blogged. I was SO worried that my baby/belly was too small and that I was going to be behind with growth, etc, but I'm not worried any longer. I literally feel like my belly is bigger every morning, which obviously means that the baby is getting bigger. I measure this by how much my bellybutton disappears. I have a feeling I will not have an "outtie" button, rather, just a big sphere of a belly with no sign of a bellybutton having ever been there. Little Pierce has been moving lots lately, which definitely helps ease mommy's constant anxiety that something is wrong. Aaron loves to talk to the baby, and the baby will actually move in response to his voice sometimes. Its very sweet and it reminds me of how excited I am to see Aaron as a father! I talk to the baby all the time and find myself constantly rubbing my belly - it must be my subconscious way of soothing the baby. All of the appointments are going well and I totally love my OB nurse! I will get to my feelings about my OB Dr. some other time...oh, and we've officially decided on names for baby boy Pierce or baby girl Pierce. But that'll be a surprise (sorry Bets)! The nursery is really on its way to being inhabitable. I plan on trying to get most of it finished by the end of June. Wish me luck!

Ok - 1 quick story:

1. My sister is pretty much insane. I'm not talking mental-ward insane, I'm talking crazy hippy, cult-like wackado insane. It all started when she found out I eat...wait for it...candy!! She has accused me of harming the baby because I sometimes eat candy - and candy has "HFCS" as she phrases it (aka high fructose corn syrup). Supposedly, HFCS was created by Japan (in retaliation to the bomb) after WWII in an attempt to poison America (I've been hearing about this from her for the past 5 years). HFCS is whats wrong with America and people who knowingly eat it are poisoning their children. She buys nothing that isn't natural or organic and spends a minimum of $1000 for groceries per month. Let me share with you some of my favorite snippets from her most recent message: "please promise me you will educate yourself on what you and your family are consuming...I suggest watching "food inc." then "the cove"...I can tell within 10 minutes if the boys have eaten anything with high fructose corn syrup, they basically get ADD...HFCS was invented by Japan right after the USA nuked them...if anyone gives my kids HFCS, I basically feel like they are trying to poison them...I am not being an organic snob, just a naturalist...as a parent I wish you would just educate yourself...did you know that 1 in 3 kids will have type two diabetes before middle school...it all stems from HFCS....sometimes you may have to pay more to not get poisoned, but your family is worth it...please know that I am telling you out of love for you and your unborn child...your concerned sister, Julie"
So...pretty much, my sister, who has been smoking joint after bowl after blunt after bong of weed for the past 18 years, is trying to give me advice on how to live? If the parent police (or real police, for that matter) were going to arrest anyone for what they are consuming, it would definitely be her.

Note to everyone out there - if someone doesn't ask for advice, DON'T GIVE IT!

Okay, I've vented enough. All, have a fabulous weekend!!!