Job Done!

That’s right, my dears! In spite of the cold from hell today has been a rousing success. I got my final test results tonight and my total score is a nice, healthy 90%. That… is an A. In anatomy. An A.

This means that barring some sort of horrible mental car fire I should be getting an A in phonetics, I have an A in anatomy, and there is an outside chance, however slim, that I might pull off an A in my intro class.

Still, even if it’s an A, A, and a B, what’s not to like about that?

Waaahhaaayy!

Now, if you’ll excuse; it’s a chug of Nyquil and off to bed for me.

In more good news: MoVo had an ultrasound today and Bean is measuring on target and his environs are thus far safe and secure. NBHHY. YAY!

Goodnight, sweet reader.

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One of the joys of having a child in day care is that of course they bring everything home. Every cold or bug hitches a ride through holding hands, shared toys and shared binkies. My little incubator has felt rotten for the past two weeks, and so has his mama.

I woke up this morning fairly convinced I had strep, and four hours later I’m not convinced I don’t. Strep frightens me because before I had my tonsilectomy I went into the ER and horrified all the doctors. It used to be that I would feel kind of crappy in the morning and by 5pm I’d be in serious trouble. It’s not like that any more, but I’m still pretty fearful of contracting Strep B.

Just for kicks I have a final exam today in Anatomy class and I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. I’m hopped up on Dayquil and Halls, and I don’t feel much better.

Wish me luck!

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The Things I Learn

I have my final anatomy test tomorrow morning so I’m studying hard.

Did you know, Fabulous Reader, that babies can breathe and swallow at the same time? What kind of freaky-deeky shit is that? So those marathon feeds that little babies go on where they have that boob stuffed in their mouth for two hours; it doesn’t phase them. They are unimpressed. Hell, they could LIVE with that boob stuffed in their mouth 24/7.

I think that for the first time since I started school I am truly boggled.

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If she can get through this pregnancy, teenagerhood should be a breeze

In a former post I told you about MoVo and her Bean and how she was contracting and likely to go on bed rest. Bed rest officially happened; she’s currently working from home and still regularly contracting. However, Bean has been staying put thus-far and we’re down to needing him to stay put for five and a half weeks instead of seven. Every week, every day, every hour makes a great deal of difference in the Bean’s development. Good boy, Bean! Stay!

The bed rest really cramped the turkey-day plans with family, so Andy and I went over to the MoVo house and played Trivial Pursuit and watched Wallace destroy their lovely home. It was wonderful to see them and I’m glad they had a little company. We made sure to bring plenty of dessert goodies.

However, because nothing is ever easy, last night apparently Mr. MoVo lost his job for no reason that anyone can pinpoint. They just kept repeating that he wasn’t “a good fit anymore”. This has come out of the blue, and anyone who knows Mr. MV knows that he’s an amazing guy who works his ass off. If you knew him, you’d be horrified.

Now MoVo is contracting, on bed rest, working from home, and is soely responsible for the income for the baby.

That kind of stress is not good for a gestating mommy.

As soon as I hear from MoVo what the best way is to help her and Bean, I’ll pass the information along. Until then please keep her in your good thoughts and prayers. The family has had a rough, rough pregnancy, and any good wishes would be greatly appreciated.

Hang in there, MV family!

Love,

Aunt K

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Sometimes you do the best you can

Back in my swing dancing days I used to listen to a group called Indigo Swing. Their website is defunct, but their CDs are still for sale. On the album Red Light they have a song called “The Best You Can”. Scroll down the Amazon Link to hear a snippit.

It’s no crime to eat humility pie.
To love your neighbor and get socked in the eye.
Even Cagney knew when he needed a hand.
Sometimes you do the best you can.

There’ll be days of silver and evenings of lead.
When you’re lovin’ your livin’ or you’re wishin’ for dead.
You got to sit down, partner, till you’re ready to stand.
Sometimes you do the best you can.

Well, I’ve been where you are and I know the score;
It’s all you can do to keep your chin off the floor,
But if you’re wearing a grin when they hand you your hat,
The world’s grinnin’ too and baby, that’s where it’s at.

Whoever once said that the world loves a clown,
He never had his heart booted all over town.
You got to look up, brother, it’s part of the plan.
Sometimes you do the best you can.

Well, I’ve been where you are and I know the tale;
You’re ready for rain but then it’s starting to hail.
So today is a lemon, it’s over and done
It could be tomorrow is your day in the sun

Oh, whoever once said that silence is gold
She never felt lonely and she never felt old.
You got to ease up, sister, and dig your man.
Sometimes you do the best you can.

Sometimes you do the best you can.

Sometimes… you gotta do the best you can.

As campy as it is, this song has gotten me through many a crapity day and a low time. Sometimes you are ready for rain but then that fucker starts to hail and all you can do is get your head down and hunker in and wait for the sun to break through.

I keep posting here, periodically, about how overwhelmed I am and it’s true. It’s true to such an extent that I’m having to do something about it. This means that my Performing Arts Blog, the one that is doing the cool merger with the b5media community, is going to have to be helmed by someone else.

I can’t tell you how exciting it was to have someone want me to write under their banner. I can’t describe what a great source of pride it’s been. I love writing, and if someone else can stomach what I type out, so much the better. Unfortunately other things have been neglected because of that blog, and it’s just not going to work anymore.

Life, it is hailing. It’s not terrible, it’s just more than I bargained for and I’m going to have to get my head down and wait out the storm.

But don’t worry, Fabulous Reader, I will never abandon Speckblog.

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or: Norman finds a home

With a special thank you at the end to Young At Heart Pet Rescue

The Norman saga has been going on at our house since he was rescued from under a car. I had interviewed several people to be his family and for various reasons, none of them worked out. No matter how much we loved him up, it wasn’t as much as he deserved, and he was going stir-crazy stuck in the cage. I was getting desperate and despairing. Then came the L family.

They came to see him on Tuesday night and wound up taking him home with them. Since then he’s become even happier and laid-back than he’s been at our house and I’ve been getting regular rabbit updates. So, essentially, he’s turned into a little bunny puddle of joy. Mrs. L has had bunnies before and knows how to treat them properly!

Check it out! Life is good if you’re a bunny at the L house:

Norman checking out his new digs the first night home.

Norman giving the family dog a firm talking-to. Apparently, Norman fears nothing.

Norman chilling in his cage after having spent the day in his pen** talking with the guinea pigs. Apparently he was so determined to relax that Mrs. L had to clean around His Floppiness.

A closeup and proof that I wasn’t lying and that he’s the most relaxed bun in the whole world!

Welcome home, Norman. You could not have gone to a better family and we’re just so happy that you have somewhere to be your sweet self.

I love a happy ending!

**I interviewed some real flakes to try and find Norman a home, however the A-family was world-class. They had a bun and all the trimmings and were ready to take Norman home, when their first rabbit, Cleo, showed signs of being ill. Nonetheless when they came to see Norman they donated the amazing pen seen in the pictures above, as well as carrots and chew toys and a litterbox and litter!It’s people like Mrs. A and Mrs. L that keep me from despairing in the world altogether.

A special thank-you to Young At Heart Pet Rescue!

YAH is the group we worked with to find Joey and they could not be more professional or more needed. They take in older animals who have little chance of being adopted from a kill shelter and find them good homes. They DON’T DO RABBITS, so if you have a lost bunny it’s no good calling them to place him or her, but since taking home Joey, the head of YAH has become a good friend of mine.

She offered endless advice, the paperwork I needed, and was a rock of sanity during this whole ‘rescue an animal find him a home’ process. She loaned us a cage and a litter box… She even donated a special page at YAH to Norman (who can now be seen on their Happily Ever After page), and it was through YAH that Mrs. A and Mrs. L both came to find us.

We could not have done it without YAH. They are fantastic people.

I’d like to point out that this year’s Fundraising Calendar is adorable, makes a great gift, and has a photo of both our Jack the Cat (as Mr. October) and Wallace and Joey (as Misters June). If you have the time or the inclination, please check out their fundraising gallary online and see if there isn’t something you’d like to order.

THANK YOU, YAH!!

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Happy Turkey Day, Everyone!

As I write to you now the weather outside is well acceptable for the end of November. This month, more often than not, we’ve lucked out in the weather department. It’s been positively balmy!

It’s about 35F out there (1.5C) and while no cry is likely to go up of “getcher swimsuits!”, that’s still a reasonable number.

However, over the past several days we’ve had weathermen cackling gleefully at us and spending half-an-hour of every local newscast telling us how this Thanksgiving is going to be one of the coldest in a long, long time. They are predicting the low 20s (-6), to high teens (-8)for tomorrow during the day. And so begins the ass-chappin cold that is a Chicago winter. The kind of cold where you step outside and your eyeballs flash-freeze.

Today the university was closed so I spent the entire day cleaning the house. I did the kind of cleaning where I took our Dyson (who is actually going to father my second child, I LOVE YOU, DYSON!) to each individual couch cushion and dusted the top side of the ceiling fan blades. Wallace’s godfather gets in to town from England on Saturday and I refuse to spend Thanksgiving worrying about the state of the house. And, please believe me, dear reader, we’ve been living in a state.

However, in a deviation from the norm, neither bathroom is clean and our bedroom hasn’t been spit-shined yet. This is because sometime tonight our weather is going to go from “‘kay!” to “FUCK!”, and some of our windows are drafty. Any of you in cold-weather climbs will be familiar with plastic glazing, and for those of you who aren’t, or just need a quick tutorial on how to use it, here is a little guide:

I have been putting up plastic sheeting in my apartments and home for about ten years now. I’ve tried different things and come up with what really works. In our house I can get four windows done, about all we need, in an hour.

My good friend Kate had this post linked to her site, and I think it’s brilliant. If you want to know where you should be in life, and if you’re over 25, this post is a good self-marker.

25 And Over
Playtime’s over, kiddies.

It’s also the reason I don’t have any friends under 25. Or friends who mentally operate under 25.

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Because I am NOT BUSY ENOUGH

That’s right, fabulous reader, these blog groups are popping up left and right like bunnies and I intend to ride that bunny tide.

The latest venture I’m taking part in is called eMothersOnline, which stands for “Empowering Mothers Online”. I didn’t name it. My vote was for “Procreatin’ Bitches”, but nobody ever likes my ideas.

Anyhow, I’m the site’s Full Metal Mama and it’s launched and ready to go. If you get a chance, go and see it!

I’m also taking part in something called “Mommy Mondays” where we post something about being a mother at our personal sites and link back to the eMothers post in the comments. You can play, too, if you want to!

This week’s topic is First Mommy Moment. Here is my entry:

My First Mommy Moment

I’d love to tell you that I felt connected and attached and protective of the baby when he was in utero, but the truth is that I was far more concerned with my various aches and pains and the worry about childbirth. I knew that Wallace was in there; SOMEONE was kicking the crap out of my bladder, and I cared for him very much intellectually, but emotionally I was preoccupied.

The moment that really solidified “mommy” for me was just before he was born. I was on the operating table and right before he came out Andy and I heard a squeak that could only have been our baby. In that second we looked into each other’s eyes and gasped together and knew that something incredible was happening.

I’ve heard that for some people the love bomb doesn’t hit until later; some people prefer toddlers to newborns or they love their kids, but really don’t understand them until they are adults. For Andy and I the love bomb hit the moment we heard that squeak. The world held it’s breath and suddenly exhaled and it was the best day in the history of the entire world.

We never wanted anything else. Wallace is our dream come to life. I’m a mom, and I was a mom from the moment I heard that little squeak.

To read more about Wallace’s birth story, Click Here.

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Seriously.

Fabulous Reader, I had my test this morning after having been out all last week. This is the class that I should be acing, and yet the class in which I have the lowest marks. I think it’s because I just don’t like the class.

I came in today sure that I was going to seriously bomb it and instead it was full of questions that I knew from studying in other classes. I understood them all and was able to wax poetic in the essay portions without breaking a sweat, sure that I touched on all relevant items. Don’t quote me, but I think that this test might bring my grade in this class up.

Wouldn’t that be sweet?

Sweeeeeeeet.

Thank you for this morning, Jebus, and the Thanksgiving gift of an A you bestowed upon me. I won’t soon forget it!

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