Last Night...

I rode a boat upriver and up a waterfall on my way to Niagara Falls - which happened to be moved to Ottawa. So what did you accomplish?

Book Challenge

Wow. My pitiful list of books is pretty sad compared to Kristin's. Way to go Kristin! There was a time when I read more, I swear.

Here is my original list.

1. The Sight - David Clement-Davies
2. Chalice - Robin McKinley
3. Number the Stars - Lois Lowry (thanks to Jen)
4. A Swiftly Tilting Planet - Madeleine L'Engle
5. Valiant - Holly Black
6. Marked - Kristin & PC Cast
7. Shadow Mountain - Renee Askins
8. Auralia's Colors - Jeffrey Overstreet

My synopsis of what I've actually read:

1. I tried valiantly to like this. All the descriptions and reviews pointed to the fact that I should like this, but I just couldn't. I rarely give up so quickly on a book, but I never got past the first few chapters. It was tedious. The descriptions and language were very overblown and flowery for me. The wolves in it had way too much human bent. Oh well. That's one more series to which I will not become addicted. (Which could maybe mean a cleaner house? Ah who am I kidding?)

2. I finished Chalice. I didn't fall in love with it like I have many of McKinley's other books, but I did enjoy it. Her writing is always masterful whether or not I like the direction it takes. She seems to try to change her style just to challenge herself, so her stories can be as different from one another as if it were a different author. The reason this book wasn't one of my favorites was that I felt the set-up was very drawn out and the secondary characters not as fleshed as they usually are. The ending, however, tied everything together so well that I ended up liking the whole story much more than I thought I would. And I really enjoyed the main character.

3. Haven't read it yet. :(

4. FINISHED! I enjoyed it very much, but for me, it still doesn't come close to A Wrinkle in Time.

5. I really didn't enjoy this book. The ideas and setting were intriguing, but it was too dark for me with too little to redeem the main characters. (Can you tell I'm a big character girl?) I also was very drawn into the characters from the first book, Tithe, and they are largely missing from this story. I was disappointed.
ADDITION: I also finished Ironside, the 3rd in the series. This one brought back my favorite characters and a lot of the humanity (as much as possible considering many of the characters are not) that the second book lacked.

6. This was a decent non-thinking sort of read. The writing wasn't stellar, but the story was good. Sometimes I feel like the authors try too hard to fit into the teenage mindset and language though. It's distracting to me. I don't know how teens feel when they read it. I'm on the second book, Betrayed, now and feel that it does some of that even more so far.

7. Haven't yet read.

8. I've read the first few chapters. The premise and world seem very interesting, but I haven't yet been drawn enough into the characters for me to feel like I can't put it down. There also isn't much action and plot development at the moment. I don't know how much of my disinterest is the book and how much is my mood. I'll pick it up again later and see. I don't dislike it at least.

I'm also still working on Silent Spring. It's a book I pick up and read in little bits. The writing is lovely, but it's hard to connect sometimes to it being so long ago. It's also not something you read for fun.

Thanks Kristin!

Relief?

After weeks of problems I slept (mostly) through the night last night! I was actually able to wake up to the alarm! The only thing I did differently was buy and wear a maternity belt that supports your belly the past 2 days. Let's hope it's that and not that Venus was in the 7th house. Ah life is so much better when you're rested.

I wish it wouldn't come to this...

I got up over an hour before I had to for work. I went to bed an hour after I usually would for work. I got far less done in the house this weekend than needed to be done. I am becoming desperate for relief. Work and doctor talks must commence I guess.

What's that SMELL?

You all know I've been leaking regularly. It's not a secret. Anyway, quite a while ago, I noticed that I smell different from my normal smell. No I'm not talking about the slaving away in the Florida sun smell. It's just your normal aroma - the one that when you bury your nose in your spouse's shoulder makes it feel like home. But a while back, I noticed that I didn't smell like me anymore. I smelled like baby. This perplexed me. How could I smell like baby? He's not even HERE. Then I realized it... yes the colostrum is partly to blame, but what if, just what if, babies actually smelled like their mommies? Revolutionary idea eh? Being an animal person, you'd think I'd already realize that was bound to happen. You don't want the mommy animals going all wild animal instinct on their babies. But you know, you don't really think about it in a human, my-nose-doesn't-work-that-way sense. Oh but mine is working that way. It's always been a bit more sensitive, and now I'm a bloodhound. So here I was, thinking that babies smell like babies, and the mommies pick that up from holding them all the time, when the correct answer was basically slapping me in the face. It was a pretty cool revelation, but I'm still getting used to it. Luckily Hub likes it. The massage therapist and I also talked about it the other day and completely agreed which is what gave me the push to post this. The funny thing is, one of my pets has finally started to relax around me. He has been acting strangely since early in the pregnancy and hates change of any kind. I'm sure the house changes are bothering him, but it can't help that I smell like a whole different human. Poor little booger.

Did You Get Your Flu Shot?

I have never gotten a flu shot before. And the last time I had the flu was when I was about 12. That being said, circumstances are a little different this time around. I caught a cold once already, and it was completely miserable. I'll be knocking on my neighborhood clinic's door tomorrow morning when it receives its supply. My doctor can then be very happy and stop recommending it at regular intervals.

As for the H1N1 shot, I've already decided to get that one too as soon as it is offered. There is one offered about 20 miles from here, but I just really don't want to schlep up there to get it. I'm hoping one will be offered closer soon and that waiting is not the wrong decision considering some of my co-workers have contracted the virus already. I don't know when they're contagious but they often come to work sick, because who has the time off or money to stay out as long as that damn flu seems to last? The vaccine is completely killed pieces of the virus, so according to what I learned in college microbiology - pretty darn safe. You can however, have various reactions to it. I found lots of information that may be helpful to others in making a decision on the CDC website.

More Letters to Babybutt

Dear Babybutt,

I'm glad you have a few things that make you happy and chill. It's nice to know that classical lullabies help keep you from kicking Mommy's guts out in the car. It's much easier to drive that way. It's also very handy to know that if Mommy sings and rocks herself while trying to sleep that you will ease up on the nightly cartwheels and somersaults that always accompany Mommy's quiet repose. (Don't worry. You'll learn these words later.)

It's also really interesting to learn that sometimes when you poke an appendage out, that Mommy touching it will startle you and you'll yank it back in. But on the other hand, a professional massage means sleepy time for baby.

Thanks for letting me know what you like. Hopefully these things hold true when you're a squirmy crazy man on the Outside.

xo
M

p.s. I love your hiccups. Sorry if they suck for you.