Validation: Smile!

"So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Bigger and Better

Just about 30 weeks preggo- Only two months more or less to go!



Yes, this isn't necessarily the most proper movie scene, but I love this clip from Juno. So many great phrases about pregnancy and pregnancy tests all packed into two short minutes - "Er-a-go-is preggo." "What is the prognoses Fertile Myrtle?" and "That ain't no etch a sketch, this is one doodle that can't be un-did, Home Skillet."

Update on Avilynne (Eighteen Months)

Cute Kid, huh?
Happy 1/2 year birthday, Avilynne!
Avi peed in the toilet for the first time today! Yey Avi! I've been working on early potty training, which has been a huge challenge (probably more so for me than her!). Yet progress is being made, so I am trying not to complain.

In addition to Avi's body functions getting on the floor during her diaper-free "naked time," She also spilled all my lemonade everywhere and dumped a box of cereal all over. And this is just one day of Ms. Trouble's antics. All to say, she has a talent for making me clean our floor. Thank God for hardwood!

Avi has a few favorite toys. Her real favorites are everything but her actual toys. But among her actual toys, Avi loves ridding a rocking horse she has. This is rather scary to us as she is so small on it but rocks so hard. She also loves her "bal." She has a plethora of balls, ranging from being as huge as her, to almost small enough to put in her mouth. Avi likes to bounce her hard plastic balls along the floor. Today I discovered these sound like bombs going off from underneath, where our friend Deborah's bedroom is. Now, having heard that, I sincerely feel sorry for "Auntie Deb-deb."

Avilynne likes to climb and stand in precarious positions, tear things apart, get into everything she shouldn't, and a whole bunch of other things which toddlers do to make our life difficult. Her recent addition to her vocabulary is "mo!" For all of you who don't know what that means, this is her version of no. Oh, such a lovely word.

For the most part, though, Avi is a great kid. She is a sucker for attention from all of us, and strangers (oh yes, especially males). She still sleeps well at night, often plays well by herself, and climbs up and down the stairs when we ask her to (which helps me a ton). She responds at least 1/2 of the time the right way to our warnings and discipline. Except, she does everything but "come here" when we ask her : ) She does think everything is funny, though, which is funny in itself. Being even cuter than a button (thankfully) probably helps make her delightfully endearing. One of these cute things Avi does has been putting on Josh's, mine, or whoever's pair of shoes. Its really amazing to me that she can actually walk wearing them, tromping around somehow without falling.

One thing I am worried about is her understanding of the word "baby." To Avilynne, baby is a real baby/toddler, it is a doll, and it is also my big belly. Last night I was trying to get her to hold her baby-doll, and she kept pulling up her shirt and rubbing her belly. I've been wondering why she has been pulling up her shirt recently and rubbing her belly, and it finally dawned on me she thinks belly and baby are the same! Either that or she thinks she has a baby in her belly. Afterall, she does regularly rub my belly while doing her sign and mumble for "baby." She also did that to Josh the other day, pulling up his shirt, rubbed his belly and called it a baby. I am hoping she doesn't do this to a self-conscious, non-pregnant woman!

Her doctors said all is well with her physical self. She is pretty much average in size and developing the way she should. Avi's hair is getting longer, so I am constantly trying new hairstyles on her thin, straight, blond/brown hair. Otherwise it eventually just lays flat, going forward, slick against her forehead and over her ears. Technically, she should be the envy of any teenaged-emo-skater-boy, as her hair does that current style naturally. But that style just looks bad on a toddler girl. I am curious to see if it will curl at the bottom as it gets longer, as it seems that it might do that. Anyways, there is always more going on with our kid, but I can't think of anything else now. Hence, this update will have to suffice for her 1 1/2 year update. Take care!

Ashford University

Tomorrow I officially start at Ashford University. It is about one hundred years old, starting as a Catholic girls school in Iowa, it is now a typical little-known University. Wisely, the jumped on the wagon of doing online education, and are in competition with large online schools like Phoenix, and Kaplan, although much cheaper.

I was hoping to finish my Bachelor's Degree before I had children, yet with one year to go I had Avilynne. Of course, I prefer Avilynne to a piece of paper which said I went to school, I sorely have still wanted to finish it. I often try to figure out my motives, which I believe is a large mix of things. American culture says its wise to get a degree, yet as I don't currently need one (and won't likely in the future), and its anything but convenient at this point of my life, it is very hard to justify. As to not go into a long monologue of why I am still pursuing my degree, I'll just leave it at that I am still pursuing it. I know I will regret it in life if I do not continue to try doing so. And in doing so, I have gained much respect for the women (and even men) who go back to school and take up the challenge to complete a degree as an adult. I do not think everyone should, but I do respect those who go to the extreme work it is to do so at a later age in life, as there are so many more challenges to overcome.

A year ago I discovered Ashford after spending hours online researching and talking on the phone with a myriad of enrollment counselors from many a school. My main qualification was that they would have a degree I was actually interested in, at least in many ways similar to what I was studying at George Mason. That, and that they would accept pretty much all my credits, which would be a very rare find as I am a senior. It turned out that I would actually have to do less courses with Ashford than I would at GMU, and it would end up being cheaper and quicker (if I did it all at once). It will take me a little more than a year to complete my degree if I took a 6 week class regularly (about 8-12 hours of work a week). I don't plan on doing that, as my class schedule will be based upon how busy I am with my kids and everything else in life, as well as how much we can afford for me to take a class at a time. Even though I probably won't finish by next Spring, at least I actually might finish, and hopefully so within a few years, if not less! My degree has changed from a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology (concentrating on cultural and public anthro) to Bachelor of Art in Social Sciences (with a concentration in anthropology). Anyways, I am excited and I thought you'd all like to know.

Fight FOCA!

I really am not too sure about how much we can currently do to "fight" off legislation such as the Freedom of Choice Act. Write your congress member, as the invisible they always says to do. Sure, give money if you know of a wise way to invest it in the cause. Pray. Yet at least, heck, sign a freakin' petition! Who knows if it even really helps (I like to think it does). If nothing else, it at least makes you take a stand and become educated about something that is rather important.

Although most of you know I am anti-abortion (but please note, I am NOT anti- those who have had them), even those I know who are pro-abortion would most likely be against this all-encompassing piece of legislation. Really, partial birth abortion is just sick (look it up if you aren't sure), at least let parents be informed to what goes on with their child (how can you be a parent if they take that away?), PLEASE tell the women about the risks and facts of abortion (isn't that a given for all medical procedures?), and at least let the Dr. be licensed to perform them! Okay, maybe the whole thing of FOCA isn't terrible, but many of the things which it would legalize or outlaw are just totally not necessary, and, in honesty, are ridiculous. It has too much within it to be passed as one single piece of legislation. This Act goes far beyond being "neutral" to the pro- or anti- abortion cause, in which one could adhere to either moral conviction. Yes, I know I don't really agree that morally neutral law is generally possible anyways, or good, even. But FOCA strictly forces on our society a moral acceptance, elevating abortion to a fundamental right in which even common sense must be disregarded. Even the monies, resources and medical skills of those against abortion (or at least not in favor of) would be used to help abortion happen, no choice about it. Research FOCA if you aren't too sure, but at least look at it from multiple sources and view of how the legislation would work, if for some reason it seems ok to you.

All to say, just sign a petition! Really.
And here is my activism for the week : )

Imbalanced Unbalancement

I know at times I appear to despise my life in Northern Virginia. And other times I act fully engrossed and happy with it. Rather, its generally neither, not at least fully. I am happy often. I hate it often. Sometimes I am content and sometimes I am not. My melody is one of contradiction.

Recently, I realized, I don't think its so much a hate or an enjoyment of my life here which is worth considering. Those are just the emotions I feel at the moment depending on how my life is pushing or pulling or just sitting here. I think in reality the deeper force is not so much what I feel but how balanced I am. There's the rub.

I am a firm believer in balance. Yoga lovers, PHD holders, Pastor Mike and Jimmy down at the bar, would probably all describe 'balance' differently. Even so, I think most of us feel or at least get out of control when we are unbalanced. And I venture to say, most of us are unbalanced, extremely so in many a case. I generally consider 'balance' not doing too much of one thing and too little of another. I think one should exercise their brain (not sitting watching TV all day). I think people should know what they feel, especially as it almost always effects their actions. I believe its good to eat healthy food, sleep enough, feel well and take walks and such (although being physically fit is often lowest on my priorities because I take my health for granted). I think its important to have relationships, and healthy to have alone time (Yes, even though I am an extrovert I still value alone time). And most importantly, I know the spiritual side of me needs that void constantly filled by a relationship with God, which helps everything else fall into line.

I, I am not balanced. There are many ways in which I see I am unbalanced in my life, and maybe I'll go into those another time. But yes, I think this explains a lot about my rantings and ravings. I am unbalanced. And as such, I am often discontent.

NYC

Avilynne did amazingly well with Deborah, her weekend babysitter. It was such a good thing that we didn't try to bring her with us. I also did amazingly well without Avi (I'll blame it on pregnancy hormones, but I did shed a tear or two on my way out the door).

We almost missed our bus. But, hey, we didn't. It was freakin' cold in NYC! I am SOOOOO ready for spring. I am pretty sure my bum was about to be amputated due to frostbite. We stayed with Josh's childhood friend, Adam, and his wife Erin in their nice, small Manhattan apartment on the tenth floor (last picture is a view from their place).



We took the metro a lot. We saw Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, and Ground Zero. We went into Macy's and smelled perfume, bought cheap "I love NYC" T-shirts, took the Staten Island Ferry, and stood at the top of the Empire State Building. We ate amazing halal street food, and had an exciting experience eating at a vegetarian Indian food restaurant (while I braved onions). It was hard moving around so much with my big belly, but I managed thanks to our gracious hosts and Josh constantly checking on me. I don't think pregnant people live in NYC. I might of seen just one on the whole trip, but that person might not have even been pregnant.

In a nutshell was our trip to New York City. It was a much needed distraction from life at home for myself, and it was fun to be together without Avilynne. I think New York City fell from grace in my mind from being poetically romantic as the greatest city to being just a really big city where I am glad I don't live. We both enjoyed the NYC and the trip a lot, though.