Today?

If this baby is truly one of us, she'll arrive today.

On my side of the family, we are SO co-dependent that we are born on each other's birthdays and anniversaries - a couple of dates are even tripled up.

Even the in-laws who marry in follow suit: David and my aunt Jewels share a birthdate of December 12; Alonso shares March 5 with my dad and Grandma F.; Melissa's birthday, Abby's birthday and my anniversary all fall on April 14; and potential in-law, Heidi, shares November 29 with me - which is also my aunt and uncle's anniversary.

Just to name a few.

As today would have been Grampa's birthday, it's a very appropriate day for the baby to arrive.

But - let's face it, this is me: for me to give birth today, I would have had to gone in to labor yesterday.

More Than 9 Months

Why is the human gestation period 40 weeks?

Because it takes that long to convince yourself that you have to give up this:

for this:

Oh, Christmas Tree

Dear Friend,

Today I will be disecting you and cramming you in to multiple plastic tubs. I hope that you can find comfort in my frigid basement.

It is not appropriate, nor socially acceptable for us to continue on with our relationship at this time.

You have brought me much warmth and happiness, and your departure will leave not only a hole in my living room, but also a hole in my heart.

When we are reunited next November, a rugrat will tug on your branches. I will try to teach her her to be gentle and to love you as I have loved you.

Thank you for spending these last two months in our home. You have been a good friend.

Sincerely,

Just Jess

Checking In

(but not into a hospital, yet)

If you're keeping track...

I'm still pregnant.

But SO ready to get this show on the road.

Fetch Me My Cane

In my ward, I'm in the older half. By far. I might even go so far as to say that I'm in the older 25%.

A couple of weeks ago, it occured to me that I'm older than our bishop and his two counselors, our high counselor representative, the Sunday school president, the YM president, the RS president, and possibly the entire Primary presidency.

Sigh.

But I'm here to report that there is a silver lining, and that the timing couldn't be better.

I have a new visiting teacher and somehow (somehow!) she's around my mom's age. I have to say that as I'm about to deliver this puppy without my mom, sisters and girls - something I've never done before - there is something reassuring in knowing that this visiting teacher (whom I don't even know that well yet but is a grandmother and full of experience) is just down the hill (I'm serious - it's Utah - our backyards touch).

5 Days Later

Today I felt a little bit of Christmas.

Sure, it's New Year's Eve eve.

But as parents, sometimes we just get caught up in the hustle and bustle that we don't stop and 'smell the roses'.

I did stop today, without even meaning to.

We went to Kneader's for lunch, all four of us, even though it wasn't our first choice (unfortunately no one else was craving creamy pesto salad dressing from Spaghetti Factory).

We sat and ate our sandwiches.

By the fire.

With classic Christmas carols playing (by classic I mean sung by the best of them, like Judy Garland).

And to complete the scene by the fireplace with the lovely music, the snow (just for our benefit) changed to the large, puffy, slow-falling flakes.

We all paused.

And enjoyed our December 30th Christmas.

SO Over It

This morning I had a dream that I was back in high school. There were a couple of familiar faces, but not everyone was there.

I was happy to see the old 'friends', but they were NOT happy to see me, and went so far as to exclude me from many, many activities.

In the dream I was so sad, just as the real-life teenage version of me would have been all of those years ago.

When I eventually woke up, my grown-up reaction couldn't have been more opposite. Unlike some other haunting dreams, I quickly shrugged off the rejection of my former peers.

"Oh, well."

"Who needs 'em?"

Hmmmm... I wonder how different things would have been if I had developed that mentality 20 years sooner.

PS There was a lot of pink-brown influences in this dream. Even in my sleep...