This ain't Harvard folks

I always wonder what possesses people to line up in the dark, sometimes in the freezing cold, and spend hours waiting in line for that store to open so they can get their hands on that new phone, or video game, or gadget, that they have to have the second it is released to the public. I just don't get that. I mean, I love me some technology, but not that much. Things I'm willing to stand in line for include amazing bargains (i.e. buy one get TWO free candles from Walgreens the day after Thanksgiving), amusement park rides (love them!), and Graeter's Ice cream. Everything else I prefer to get a much better deal on used from Craigslist. I digress...

This morning began open registration at the preschool we are hoping to enroll Eli in this fall. And we were warned at the open house, that spots for the 3-year-olds go really quickly and we needed to be there right when the doors opened at 7:30am today. John kindly volunteered to take in the paperwork and registration fee so long as I had hot coffee ready for him when he stumbled out the door. Done! I thought it best we play it safe and asked him to get there at 6:30am in order to be first in line and ensure out spot. WRONG! When John arrived he called to let me know that he was 18th in line and there were couples--yes couples who had arranged childcare priorly--who had been camped out since 3am. Did I mention that this is a church preschool? Not even a very big church preschool. Seriously? Apparently the competition is a little more intense than we were aware of.

We wont find out for a couple weeks if he got into the program or not. But if those 3am'ers kids beat him out, well then I think they deserve that. Their parents are way more dedicated to them learning their colors than we will ever be.

Day 3....

I am beginning to feel like a janitor. I've even contemplated purchasing some blue coveralls with an embroidered name badge.

This is hard work. I feel like we are making progress at times, and at other times I feel like jumping ship. The low point of my day yesterday occurred when I found that Eli had peed a river under the kitchen table, had donned his rain boots, and was happily splashing and stomping around in his "rain puddle." Awesome, thank you buddy.

Today has been better. We even managed to make it to Norah's doctor's appointment and back without any accidents. I can see the wheels starting to turn in his head and I know that he will get the hang of it soon.

Now back to my bucket and mop...

Pregnancy then and now

Well I've officially reached the 20 week mark in my pregnancy, which means I am halfway through this journey. This is where I step back, thank God (again), and give a huge sigh of relief. The 20 week mark is momentous to me in many ways, of which I wont bother to bore you with all the emotional details. It's amazing to me how different this pregnancy is from my one with Eli simply because, well, of Eli. Here are my top 10 pregnancy then vs. pregnancy now observations...

1. Then, in the weeks of the first trimester when I felt so very sick, I could vomit in a discrete and dignified manner, privately.

Now, in the weeks of the first trimester when I felt so very sick, my then 16 month old would stand over me and not only laugh but also attempt to imitate my retching and thus make himself laugh harder. Dignity, gone.

2. Then, I had the luxury of laying in bed for an extra hour in the morning after snacking on crackers until my stomach felt more settled.

Now, 7am is wake-up time and toddler's don't have a snooze button.

3. Then, if you were to ask me how far along I was I could tell you in hours, as in I'm 15 weeks, 2 days and 3 hours.

Now, I actually have to keep a written reminder in my planner of the weeks passage and I usually answer people in terms of 25% through, halfway through, etc.

4. Then, I invested in the expensive stretch mark creams "guaranteed" to prevent any evidence that you were ever pregnant at all.

Now, I slather those lovely scars in Jergens and just pray that no new atrocities will form this time around.

5. Then, I spent hours watching live birthing videos on Youtube and trying to prepare myself for my big moment by apparently scaring myself to death.

Now, been there, seen that.

6. Then, every day at 4pm was my "me" time where I would pop a bag of popcorn, make a big ole' mug of hot chocolate and kick up my feet for an hour while I watched Oprah, perhaps dozing in and out of consciousness.

Now, I can get 24 minutes of "me" time thanks to free Barney on Demand, if I'm lucky. Popcorn must be shared with a ferociously hungry boy repeating the phrase "moe pease" while clambering for a place on my lap. Relaxing? Not so much.

7. Then, I spent days writing and perfecting my birth plan and then proudly presented it to my OB explaining how I wanted things to go.

Now, I laugh in the face of birth plans. My plan is end up at the hospital and go home with a baby. Preferably mine.

8. Then, I hoped my belly would grow really fast so everyone would know I was pregnant and I could wear all the cute maternity fashions.

Now, I'm pretty much always sucking in and just counting down the days until my tummy tuck.

9. Then, I thought one baby would be a cinch. All it takes is organization, preparation, and proper planning. I planned on having 4-5 kids back to back.

Now, Eli struggles to understand my organizational needs. I am amazed at the utter destruction one child can cause to a clean house. I still want 4-5 kids, maybe.

10. Then, I was pretty sure I would like being a mom. I was pretty sure I had everything figured out already and could conquer parenting like I conquer home improvement projects.

Now, it's all the more exciting knowing the miraculous gift that birth and babies and parenting is. I certainly have realized that I have nothing figured out except that you cannot conquer parenting. You survive each day and pray that God empowers you to be a better mom tomorrow than you were yesterday.