What is Going in Life of Late

Life has pretty much been the same ol' same ol' here in Northern Virginia. Not that I am complaining. As usual, I have an obsession, which of late has been my FADs (Friday Adventure Day). I started a blog about these weekly adventures, adding in traveling tips for moms with little kids at www.adventureday.wordpress.com. So far, I really haven't gotten too much done. I am learning a lot about official REAL blogging (not like this personal blog here) which is a whole new set of information to me. Web design, themes, and SLO & SEO  was equivalent to SOS in my thinking when I started! Considering it was kinda throwing off my focus, I think God helped remind me that its all cool and I don't need to be obsessed. And, with that gentle reminder, I am not obsessed! I guess we will see where it ends up now, if anywhere.

Also, as is typical, I am still taking classes. I am so very ready to be done. Which is why it is especially nice that I will be done SOON- three more classes left! I have fun writing papers on poverty, justice issues, international relationships, and interpersonal relationships. I love what I learn, I just hate doing the work to learn it. This coming week I have a huge paper due on intercultural business. Fun, fun, fun! So, if I keep up with my homework after the kids are tucked in to their beds, I should graduate from Ashford University at the beginning of August. Thanks to Josh, the Hills, and Becky for getting me through this! I know I won't regret it!

And, as usual, I am still involved in my church, facilitating a Bible study, hanging out with the people in my SPHERE (and hopefully making a difference in their lives, as they often make in mine) and helping Jill out with L2F Needs Network. Within this past month I've been helping a Pakistani family settle into their new home in America after they fled religious persecution. L2F, other community members, and people in churches have almost entirely provided everything they need. Also, we collected, packed-up, and had a team deliver a bunch of stuff (baby necessities and medicine) to an area in Haiti which was very close to the earthquake epicenter, and is not very reachable to large relief organizations. Here is a cool video about it:





In addition, I have been trying to create a home-garden. Its a fun activity for us to do outside and, yes, it was my obsession just prior to the Adventure Day Blog. I think my obsessions are always semi-creative (music, cooking, blogging, painting, gardening) which might mean I can blame them on my partial artistic personality.  I am even on the map as a Triscuit Home Garden! Wow, how THRILLING! Josh has even been adding to the flowers and vegetables, by practicing his slingshot off the porch, to his targets. Okay, I guess he doesn't shoot my plants, but its nice to all have something fun to do in the same area together outdoors.


Lastly, and most importantly, I've been taking care of the kids. I like them. They are growing up. Maybe in honor of Josiah's first birthday next month I'll actually write out his birth story! He still has no teeth, but he is cruising around pretty good. He is a happy baby. Sweet little Avi is a mischievous lover of her brother. I don't even know how to begin to describe Avilynne these days. Sometimes she makes my heart melt, yet other times I just want to lock her outside of our house. She is trying very hard to speak English, repeating our pronunciation of words over and over. I am terrible at pronunciation, as is she. But, unlike me, she is improving. Here is a link to a Spring 2010 photo album of them.

As always, if you haven't, please support Thai Song, and what is going on in the makings of this awesome inspired fair-trade organization. Buying a bag, which these sweet women create from nasty trash, helps change lives! Feel free to check out and support the co-director (yes, my cousin's) blog at: http://brittanyfox.missionsplace.com

So, these are the updates on the Johnston Family of late!

Global Socioeconomic Perspectives: Sustainable Development

 The following is my intro & thesis for the class research paper in Global Socioeconomic Perspectives (International Relations, LIB 320). I am really proud of it, because it took me forever to say just what I wanted to say! If you have any grammar corrections, feel free to tell me before 2am EST.

As Americans, we tend to be focused on our own security, comfort, and happiness. Considering, what lies beyond our borders tends not to be our concern unless it profits one of the above American values.  On occasion, there actually is awareness of the poverty and the issues associated with this poverty, which governs large portions of our globe. Often this awareness is created because of crises which peak our compassion, such as the Tsunami of 2004, or the recent earthquake in Haiti. Its not that we forget that there are still people living in hunger, after all, we tell our children to eat their food because those poor kids in Africa are still starving. Yet, this is just vaguely understood common knowledge, so far removed from our reality that we rarely actually feel any obligation to help. Instead we often work against humanity’s plight by increasing our own riches, even if unintentionally. Yet, on those valiant occasions where we do help, it often comes in the form of quick relief aid, which does not always foster sustainable development. Moving beyond indifference or brief compassion which our charity is typically guided by, rich nations need to have an awareness of and opportunities to invest in types of aid which does foster sustainable development, as to not create unnecessary dependence on foreign assistance.

Adventure Day

Did I tell you that I am starting a new blog? I was thinking, if I am doing all the work to drag my kids around D.C., anyway, I might as well write about it to help other moms out. Deep down, I want to be the travel guru for every local mom of young kids. In reality, I am trying to set something up so that I can help at least a few people like me. It is far from done yet, but your welcome to check it out Adventure Day Blog. Feel free to give me any feedback! Maybe I'll change the name, maybe I'll change the format, who knows. But, this is something new and exciting for me. I'm learning the new skill of basic web design, too, which is different.

Avi's Phraseology

Her new phrase of the past couple days has been "Where is kitty? Where did kitty go? I don't know!" and says it over and over again in her cute, hard to understand way.

Today when leaving Josh's friends' home, Josh asked me a question. I said "Oh, I don't care." In the backseat Avi pipped up "I care. I CARE. I CARE!!!" It was so funny; we had no clue she was even listening, why she said that, or that she even knew those words! She regularly comes up with phrases like this that send us reeling. Or, depending, we must attempt to hide our laughter so she won't be offended, confused, or be commended for something bad.

Here is another one: We had a fire going which made a popping noise, as fires do. She looked at us and declared "Fire burped! Fire, it burped!" (Please note, she also calls farting "burping." So I guess that would be a 'butt burp'? Or as she calls it, a bum. So, a 'bum burp'!).

She often jumps up and down declaring "I did it!" and "I made it!" when accomplishing minor or major, good, or not so good, feats. I credit this to my dad, her 'grampy,' who taught her how to play her fun, beloved, "mawn-key" (monkey) game on his iPhone.

When she wants to show us herself, she says "I'm me!" which she then repeats over and over again. Tonight she wrapped a towel around her waist, which I can only guess made her feel like a little princess. Either that, or she was reminiscent of the glories of taking a bath. Whatever it made her feel, she wanted us to take part in her excitement. Josh kept trying to teach her to add in "look at" but she just didn't really get it. So, if you her a little voice saying "I'm me" over and over, it really is a statement of more than just self-awareness. Its more of a 'everybody else be aware of me.'

When my parents came to visit at Thanksgiving, Avi could only say "tanks" for "thank you." We were content with that, as it was a major step-up to actually be vocalizing anything when she previously only would use baby-sign language to communicate this phrase. Yet, my dad quickly got her to say "thank you." So now she makes us melt by saying "Tank-you daddy" and "Tank-you mommy." Its one of those amazingly precious phrases that makes me think of the Grinch that Stole Christmas. How? Well, "The Grinch's heart grew 3 sizes that day . . ." and the picture that accompanies this quote must be exactly what happens to my heart each time I hear her speak her gratitude. Is this why I am a parent?

As the parental units, I am generally referred to as "mom-mom" or "mommy" while Josh is "Daddy." Sometimes we are loved and needed. Yet, other times she likes us to go away. Her "Moove mommy" has been a new one (which needs to be tempered). But we secretly laugh when she tries to push us away, saying this, so she can resume hiding under her blanket, or in the cupboard so she can secretly suck on Josiah's "pass"(pacifier) or take care of her business. The other day she didn't want to go home, so I tried to bribe her with being able to see Josh. Although this normally works, this time she replied with "no, no daddy" and a few minutes later she added to this with "no, no titol" (tickle) multiple times.

She rarely outright says "no!" anymore. I am so grateful for this as when she previously did so it made me crazy. Now she always says "no, no" as if she is wagging a finger at her students in her one-room school house.

She continues to call Josiah "buddy" though she also refers to him as "Boder" (brother). Others are generally "People." A few weeks back she used her classic phrase, as she does countless times throughout the day, "wat is TAT?" while pointing to a group of kids in a parking lot. I told her that those were teenagers, that they were "people." Since then she refers to most others as either a "fwind" (friend) or a people. So, its not uncommon to here "Its a people!"

These are some of her phrases, mannerisms and words. Of course, this barely scratches the surface of Avi-speak, but it will have to do for tonight. So, in Avi-speak I bid you "nite-nite, fwind," while offering you a kiss with smacking lips and protruding tongue.

A Social Problem: Stay-At-Home-Parent

This is one of the short essay discussions I did a couple weeks ago for the current class I am in, Social Problems in the workplace (SOC 402). Please note that for reading ease, I used the term "mom" but this would really apply to any male or female caretaker and guardian who does not work outside the home. This post is not intended to prove that this job is harder than any other or better than any other. It is only intended to bring awareness to that fact that being a stay-at-home caretaker is a difficult task which can be improved with society's help.

A Social Problem is defined by Lauer and Lauer as ". . . one whose causes and solutions lie outside the individual and immediate environment" (2008). Although being a Stay-at-home parent is not technically a paid job, anyone who has done it before can assure you that it is a very real job none-the-less. I became a Stay-at-home-mom because I didn't have a career job outside the home. It was not worth it for me to work because of the child-care/traveling/income differences just were not logical. I could work, but would it be worth it to have someone else raise my child, instilling their values and not necessarily able to give them the attention they might thrive in, just so I could have a couple thousand extra dollars a month I can do without (if even that much)? Although I often wish I could work part-time outside the home, I was content with this decision when we made it.

Now I am not so sure I am as content with this job. Why? Well, let's just say if I worked for a company in this job, I probably would have quit by now. I consider it a social problem because, firstly, it is a relational job. There is great social responsibility on my shoulders including taking care of kids/spouse, managing a household in which must respond to the repairman, teachers, insurance companies, etc..., and socially expected to act in certain ways towards people I should be involved with (such as volunteering, church, neighborhood, other moms, contacting family, etc...). I am my own manager in my own start up business. This "business," The Johnston Estate, does not make money in itself, but I keep it running smoothly so my husband, the bread-winner, can do so.


A large portion of America's children are raised by a family member who does not work. I read an article the other day, telling mom's to ask for help, that they weren't meant to raise their children alone. It was kinda going with the "it takes a village" theme, encouraging mothers to not be afraid of having their parents, in-laws, relatives, friends, and neighbors take some of the load. I thought that was sweet. Sweet and totally not possible. After all, who can I ask to "take my load?" With change in the economy and business, the workforce has moved to where there are jobs, whether it be in the city or the other side of the country. Extended family and life-long local friends don't always follow each other around, let alone life-long acquaintances like your pastor and dentist. My community has a population of 60,000; it is a community which didn't even exist as more than a few small farms 15 years ago. Very rarely do I meet anyone is from here. East-coast Americans do not typically sit on eachother's front porches drinking lemonade together, and neither do they ask the other neighbors for help if they have even met. I am luckily to live on a street which defies this status-quo, but its abnormal. I have a close church-family in my area too. Yet, for the typical mom in my area, there is no one.

All to say, I am aware of many moms who struggle with the difficulties of the task that is expected of them when help is just not there. Its easy for moms to become so stressed mentally and tired physically that they start to become less-than-mediocre in their childcare, and on occasion flat-out terrible parents. Or others deal with extreme depression due to being overworked, so much so they are not able to handle any other difficulties in life. I know a few moms who are suicidal because of the pressures they have on them, most which are not their fault. I also know many couples who have become separated for the same reasons, having too much to manage and without a local support network. These are not solely just personal problems, although the individual really can do more to help themselves. Yet these problems will not go away unless there is social help.

So, what makes this job so difficult? I might get help at my job from my spouse or friends, but I do not have time off (except when scheduled with my husband or babysitter for a few hours here and there). I work most of 24x7 hours a week. Although there are moments in my job I am able to sleep (like a firefighter can, still on alert for the siren to go off). Sometimes my job is very fun and enjoyable. But, can you imagine if your boss at XYZ INC. required you to work over 150 hours a week?

Monotony is another major issue. I do the same thing almost everyday. It can get very boring. I listen to my baby cry and my daughter babble mostly unintelligible words throughout the day. This is anything but stimulating. I can improve this situation by getting involved in as much as I can or trying to use any freer-time for stimulating activity. Yet still, there are days when I can't get out or do anything I find stimulating. In general, not having goals set from outside can be hard. Days, weeks, months turn into years and nothing changes much.

At a typical job, management gives incentives. You are rewarded with bonuses, pay-increases, have performance reviews, and often have general encouragement, and feedback. As a mom, you often only get negative feedback (Your screaming child does not say "thanks mom for changing my blow-out again" while the dirty floor and piles of laundry testify that you are a failure). Your spouse might encourage and thank you but that is not a guarantee, and it might not be often enough. There is little recognition for the countless tasks you do all day.


Awareness needs to be increased of the challenges of stay-at-home parenting through the media, as well as encouragement for those with careers to look at us as equal members of society (besides grandma talking about it at Thanksgiving dinner). From most of what I see, being a working parent is what is glamorized. I often feel that other people think something is wrong with me because I choose to stay at home. Maybe I am lazy, not able to handle working a real job and being a mom (Which is why those who work have daycare, its not like they can do it all either). Or others just assume I am not smart, educated, and underclass. It is true that I am just shy of receiving my Bachelor's degree yet, and it would be hard for me to find a high-paying job to make it worth me working outside the home. Yet, even if I did I know I would still be staying at home with my kids, at least until they are in school and I could work part-time elsewhere. Besides, the fields I enjoy working in the most are generally within the non-profit sector in which I would still not be able to make it worth it to pay for childcare from a financial perspective. Or on the other hand a stay-at-home mom can also both be looked at as too traditional or too hoity-toity, like a country club yuppie. Funny how all these perspectives of a stay-at-home mom of little children do not logically fit together. Can I be undereducated, poor, rich, snobby, and uber-traditional at the same time? Apparently. I don't consider myself uneducated, snobby, or having characteristics worthy of discrimination. Yet, the Stay-at-home is often looked at oddly. I guess this is typical to encounter some prejudice, as most are partial and skeptical of anything outside of their experience.

Ways to ease this social problem can first start with the spouses. Ideally, spouses should try to balance the workload rather than just using their off-work time for their own pleasure. The mom, whether working or not generally takes care of the lump of the household and childcare for whatever reason. The more the husband can help, I have no doubt the more he will like who his wife is as relieved of burden. Also, local friends and family members can exchange favors, taking turns watching eachother's kids. Although meeting trustworthy people is difficult when you are in a new place, challenging yourself to join a moms group, a church, and other organizations along with going out of your way to introduce yourself to neighbors and other moms at the park can go a long way. Even increasing encouragement in all forms is probably the best way to help us moms, especially moms with little children.

Communities/towns themselves, along with local organizations and churches should really go to greater effort to make support networks. Or if there already are, have ways to contact moms who are so secluded and depressed they don't look for help themselves. Catchy yet simple mailers, signs, door-to-door invites, or even articles in the HOA magazine can all be effective. Although this seems ridiculous to even myself, could the communities provide free quality babysitting services once a week for stay-at-home parents? Yes, that is ridiculous. But I know having babysitting services in my community are very appreciated. A local grocery store offers has a childcare center in it for those who are shopping. Our HOA provides very low-cost babysitting at our gym, something which many gyms in our area do. A break from your children for even just an hour can be a life-saver sometimes. I wish there was a way I could have my children be watched long-enough to get some paperwork done, take a nap, or have some time to just breath. Or even cooking a meal, or sharing the responsibility with another family is an amazing blessing. I am so thankful to my friends and spouse who give me this on occasion. Giving moms a little more help a long the way might be cheaper than waiting until they go crazy and have to take their kids from them. This might sound extreme, but I know that this is actually a reality for some moms who are not handling the pressure very well.

In conclusion, Stay-at-home mothering is a job in itself, with challenges and difficulties. Some of these can be eased by outside help. If you have the ability to help a mom with small children, on their behalf, I ask you to please do so. Often the mom is in denial that she needs help, so don't give her generic offers like "ask me for help sometime" because if you do it is almost guaranteed that she will not ask. Yet offer specifics instead. Offer to babysit a certain day so she can grab a coffee and read a book for an hour, ask her family for dinner a specific night of the week, or tell her you will come over at 11 a.m. the next day to talk with her while folding laundry. Do these things and you will make a very frazzled woman sigh and she will probably even give you a genuine smile.


References:

Lauer, R., & Lauer, J. (Eds.). (2008). Social Problems and the Quality of Life (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

PhilD41. (2009, August 12). Life Support for the Stay-At-Home-Mom. Hubpages. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from http://hubpages.com/hub/Stay-At-Home-Mother?utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=newsfeed

The Targeted Objective

I went to Target the other day. Ironically, I was thrilled about going, although I knew deep down in the pit of my stomach that it would be a terrible disaster, as most prolonged shopping trips toting two tiny tots become. I know buying things shouldn't make one happy, but I have to say, the act of getting out of the house does make me happy. Sadly, in NOVA, the only locations a person toting the tiniest of kids can 'successfully' go to (at least on a rainy day) are only places you buy crap at (i.e., stores).

I planned well; I would try to quickly get the "essential" items done with and save browsing for what else I needed for later. Just in case. One of my main objectives was to get a wedding present for a couple we know. Yet, when I finally checked through the line, I realize I completely fell-short of reaching that main objective. Apparently the myriad of soap, juice, and toys around me forced me to forget. Mind you, so far I actually had successfully made it through the shopping trip. Of course Avi was hungry, tired and whinny while Josiah was on the verge of waking up hungry. But, I although I stood on the verge of said cliff, we had not yet fallen off. In fact, hungry children could maybe be used for my benefit: I could let Avi eat and scribble while I would fed Josiah in the adjacent food area. During these precious moments I could attempt to relax, sip my coffee contentedly and possibly even be able to read a few lines in my book! Yet such daydreams never last long enough. I woke up to the cashier handing me a receipt who's total did not include that all-important present. And, there were unhappy children in my cart.

Did this deter me? Oh no, I was in denial, not following wisdom's whisper. I still thought I could make it to that possibly relaxing dream in the stupid food court. So quickly I got their registry list, found something on it and a few other random things which I could make into a fun present, and went back to the check out.

Well, actually, it took me forever to find their registry for some odd reason. I am not too sure if it was because I was just not smart enough to know the names of my friends, or if it was because Avi kept running behind the return counter in hopes of playing it off as an employee to get a paycheck. And, "quickly" finding stuff wasn't as quick as quick is actually defined. To be more accurate, I would say that we moved faster than two kids and I generally do. Which, you can imagine, is not exactly quick or fast. So, by the second time at checkout, Josiah is screaming. Avi keeps running and disappearing down the aisles. Or she is throwing a tantrum while flinging herself out of the shopping cart (it doesn't help that she knows how to unbuckle her strap and has no fear of falling). In other words, I was the lady with THOSE kids. Whose kids really just needed some sleep, food, and in the case of the older one, maybe a good spanking.

To my dismay, the registry item kept showing up as not on the registry and as more expensive. While going "quickly" through the store the second time, I did take a moment to double check that I had the right thing. And the checkout lady also thought it was right, as we re-read the item description multiple times. Eventually we realized that I did get the right thing but the wrong size. You can imagine that at this moment I felt extreme dismay. Luckily, while noting my unhappy feelings, a profound idea hit me: to my left, hanging in perfect rows, were lovely plastic cards. Right then gift cards seemed like an answer from heaven to a question I refused to ask.

After all, I could have gotten them a gift card the first time I realized I missed my targeted objective at Target. I was bitter because I was so excited to give a REAL present of fun stuff; I had a creative idea for one! But I got them a gift card. And everyone was happy: My screaming children stopped screaming shortly afterwards, as I gave them food. My kids were happy, as were the people around us having to hear my kids cry. The newlyweds were probably even more happy with a gift card than actual presents. Everyone was happy but me. Go figure. Suck it up Elisa! One moment less of creativity on my part brought peace and happiness to many. These are the times I get what it means to put others interests before your own. But I wouldn't be surprised if I find myself in almost an identical situation next week. I easily fall into denial that everyone can't do what I want them too : )

These kids, this week.

Avi:

My darling little girl-

• Handed me a living flying ant she was apparently playing with.
• Decorated our banister by laying pens down on it, in a neat row.
• Decorated her arms with a permanent marker.
• Rearranged all the furniture in the living room she could (chairs, stools, rocking horse)
• Strep culture was negative! Yey!
• Figured out how to climb up the play gym in our backyard to slide down.
• Obeyed me! She was totally disobeying me multiple times. Finally I made her look at me directly and told her she was in big trouble if she didn't listen with my stern facial expression. She looked like she was thinking about it, could tell I was unhappy, and actually did what I asked! Discipline DOES pay off!
  
• Is getting good at telling us when she needs to do her number 2, but hates us actually doing something about it.
• Is ridiculously cute, good and naughty!
  

Josiah:

My handsome five week old-

• Has regularly been waking up every 2.5-4 hours at night, much more often than he had been doing. He also seems to believe 6am is wake up time. I am going to have to re-educate him on the way this household works! 9am, baby!
  
• Has become chubby in the last 1.5 weeks....He has rolls now on his arms and legs!
• Looks more like a 2.5 month old (to me, at least)
• Has been smiling a ton! He gets in these happy moments where he smiles like crazy.
  
• He likes to whine his way to sleep.

New Photos

Hi! I have finally gotten around to putting up some photos from Josiah's almost first full month of life. Check them out:

Josiah (First Month)

Adjustment

"You are a beautiful daisy. You have many tiny seeds. They are the future. Your children are your 1st mission field. You are a world changer and a diaper changer . . ."
~A Mothering Friend

I have been marveling that my fingernails are a millimeter long. I don't think they've been that long since I was four. Too busy to bite or pick. Hallelujah.

Today was AMAZINGLY beautiful outside. In general, it has been a wonderful world outdoors. My irises are blooming. It never ceases to amaze me that plants spring up from the ground out of no life and become bright shades of colors. Abet, mostly green. I just love color.

Josiah is a week old today. He did not like his first sponge bath. He is a handsome sleepy little man. But when he is awake he is takes the world in with alertness and softness. I like him a lot. He eats 2-3 hours around the clock, though at night sometimes he will do 3.5 hours. I long for the day when he will sleep through the night.

Avi is handling the new little brother well. She calls him "I-ah" and always tells him "hi" with great amounts of exuberance. She also likes to kiss him (i.e., try to crawl up on, or tackle without grace while extending pouting lips). Yet, she has also been very whinny and more tandtrumish. There is an aspect of jealousy for her mommy and daddy. Actually, she is probably getting more attention in general, though, with both of us at home, and daddy having to take care of her more when I am with "I-ah."

I am healing great, though I have been having alot of neck and back pain and its also difficult to walk or climb stairs. My milk is starting to settle into normalcy, and in general, my body is adjusting much better with this second baby. Josh has been having to stay home, in large part, mainly to help me carry Avi as I can't carry her or Josiah in his carrier. Hopefully my body will continue healing well this week, and I'll start to know how to handle two kids plus the household well enough so that He can go back to working at work.

Emotionally, I haven't been as "well." I was crying every five minutes by day three. Thankfully, the minutes between tears has been growing exponentially, and I do believe I haven't even cried one time today. So far. Thankfully Josh seems to have decided its one of his main goals to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I think I am starting to. We WILL adjust, and we WILL survive, even thrive with two kids! In a few months I'll surely be so ecstatic about how well we are doing that I'll want to become pregnant again, asap! Okay, maybe that last one is more like the light of a train coming to smash me at the end of the tunnel than just the glow of the happy sun. But generally, I think my eyes are starting to focus more on the joy of this life-change as opposed to sleep deprivation and how overwhelming everything feels. Anyways, surely I'll forget that "we WILL adjust" in a couple minutes and start crying again, but hey, its a process.

Our Baby Boy is Born!

Hello! Our baby boy has been born!

At:
INOVA Loudoun Hospital Birthing Inn
In:
Lansdowne, Virginia
On:
May 11th, 2009
At the Time of:
3:57 p.m.
Weighing:
8 lbs. 1 oz.
Length:
19.5 inches long

And His Name Is:

Josiah Cory Michael Johnston

"The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace."
Psalm 29:11



(Labor progression Chart)

Baby Boy Johnston to Be Born

Tomorrow morning, around 7 am we will be going in to get induced and birth this little babe. Keep us in your prayers! Love and news soon,
elisa

No Little Man Yet

Today is Friday. The eighth. That, mind you, means it is three days past my due-date. Three days beyond the hoped for day. Three days more of carrying a huge mass inside. Could I get used to being pregnant eternally? Possibly. But it would be far from preferred. Three days might not sound like much. But, if you've been very immensely pregnant before you know how much that is. Avi was two days late, and although she was late, I was in labor from the end of her due date. In otherwords, I knew she was coming. Yet now, although little Johnny John Johnston still could enter this world tonight, I have no clue. I just wait. I wait biggly.

Who lied to us in the first place, declaring pregnancy to be only nine months? They sure seem evil, whoever they are! 40/4 really does equal 10. Ten months, yep. I CAN do math (sometimes). Of course, that isn't exactly counting those funky 5 week months, but who counts those when you are measuring in weeks anyways? They just want us to feel like its less time so we don't go crazy earlier. That way we are already nine months along (36 weeks) before we realize we actually have another month (at least) to go. And by then, the baby could be born at 37 weeks and we think "I can do one just more week!" And then the baby isn't born, so we think, "well, maybe this week...." and then its "well maybe next week..."etc.... Its kinda mean that they give us about 5 weeks we can deliver in. Five whole weeks of uncertainty and hope, of it being just dandy if that baby comes at any time. By the time the due date comes you've been thinking, "heck! I could have had this baby 3 weeks ago already!" Then who in blue blazes is going to want to stick around until week 42? No one! Nadie!

So, of course they will induce me on Monday if he still hasn't appeared. But I do not prefer that. I would prefer his body, my body, and whatever hormones that need to get going to create that perfect cocktail to kick this process into gear. I want those hormones to pour through out my veins crying "May-day, May-day . . . Free little human up! Free big mama up!" Or whatever those hormones say to get this going.

Honestly, there is so much to be thankful for. From having multiple nights left of good sleep, to having more time with my husband, daughter, my mom, and my good friends before baby is born. I have had to rest this week, which has driven me crazy doing so little, but its been good for me. Josh finished his class and final and has been able to not have to worry about that for a few days while baby still hasn't come. I've tried all those natural methods to get little guy out, and he is stubbornly set in (well not caster oil-yuck!). So in the meantime my skills in patience have been forced to grow, along with my trust in God that His timing is better than mine. After all, I probably would have had him at week 37 if it was my choice. So, in the meantime I still wait. I try not to be bitter as I wait. I try to happily wait being content in all situations. Em-hum. Cough. On that note, maybe I should take another walk and eat more pineapple now. Later!


(Video of Avi sliding)

Avi at Twenty Months

Avilynne is now 20 months old. Whats new with her?

Avi can point to her:
-nose
-eye
-ear
-mouth
-hands
-feet
-belly (or baby)

Avi can say (That I can recognize):
-Nose
-Eye
-No
-Tractor
-Three, two, one! (she tries at least)
-Juice
-Hi
-All done
-Ball
-Book
-Balloon
-Strawberry
-More
-Mama/mommy
-Dada/daddy
-Jill
-DebDeb
-Repeats other names we
say (joyjoy, faith, stacy, grandma)
-Say her vowels in Spanish from the rhyme "a, e, i, o, u el burro sabe mas que tu"

Avi can sign:
-All done
-Yes
-Thank you
-More
-Food/eat
-Drink
-Hi/bye

Avi makes noises for these animals when she sees them:
-doggies
-kitties
-pigs (sounding semi demonic)
-cows
(And repeats our noises for these when we point to pictures of them):
-ducks
-birds
-snakes
-bears
-lions/tigers
-bees
-horses


Avi can:
-Blow her nose
-Smell things (candles, flowers, candy).
-Follow many of our commands (picking things up, handing things to us, throwing things away, going up or down the stairs, "Be gentle," etc...)
-Is aware of her bodily functions (Which she acknowledges verbally)
-Try to wash her hair/body, brush her teeth/hair, and put clips in her hair
-Understand a whole lot more that I give her credit for!
-Dance and move to the music pretty decently.
-Run like a girl.....wagging her hips and putting her arms out funny- oh my.
-Try to work it!

Avi likes to:
-Say hi to almost everyone.
-Flirt with men (and women too, but especially men).
-Kiss pictures of people. Most notably the construction workers, emergency workers, and babies in a books we have.
-Stick her fingers in her ear and sing when she is done eating at the table.
-Whine or yell when she doesn't get her way.
-Answer most questions with"no" (Ex."Do you like to obey daddy and mommy?" "no!")
-Sing notes (and now we are starting to recognize songs)
-To eat chocolate, but not too many other deserts. She likes chips.
-Be tickled!
-Play with her ball and look at her books with us.
-Go outside to explore and observe the world.
-Take baths and in general, just to play in water.
-Say "cheese" when she sees a camera while making a silly grin.
-Play with the neighbor kids and kids at church.
-Make a lot of noise and yell in the car (especially if its been more than 20 minutes).
-Try to get away with touching the computer and climbing on the couch arms/back.
-Play with the metal dish scrubbers for whatever reason.
-Run REALLY far away in stores. She doesn't have qualms about being far away from me.
-Have anything to do with shoes. She likes to find them, put on hers, put on yours (on you and her), chew on them, move them . . . She is pretty much obsessed with shoes. Oh no.

Preggo Update

I am still pregnant. I am trying not to be jealous, as my friend had her baby a week early today. Yesterday, a woman I know had her baby three weeks early (she was due after me). And, another friend of mine might get to have her's early too even though she is due a week after me (although, that is because she might have to get a c-section of which I am really NOT jealous of). I am out! Or probably not, as I will have this baby by the 11th of May at the utmost latest (according to my Doctor). And, it is much more likely I will go before May 5th, as this is my second baby. Really, if I am jealous, I am jealous of possibly two weeks less of being able to sleep through the night. There is no reason I should hurry away my sleep- I love sleep! So thank you God I still haven't had this baby because that means one more night of peace!

I have been feeling very out of sorts all weekend: jittery, heart-pounding, somewhat nauseous, trouble focusing with my eyes (And my mind!), extremely swollen feet/legs (which went away as I laid down a lot), and a slight to extremely bad headache. In case you don't know, these all happen to be the most common symptoms for preclampsia, a high blood pressure issue that happens in pregnancy which is very dangerous. I get symptoms like these with my migraines, too, though, which makes me skeptical I actually have a problem going on. Generally, though, my migraines follow a pattern that is pretty distinguished, unlike how I felt this weekend. So, as to avoid being sent to the hospital to get checked out (which I knew would happen if I called the Dr.), I took my blood pressure at those little booths in the pharmacy sections at grocery stores. It said my blood pressure was higher than typical, but it wasn't crazy. Hence, I continued sleeping or laying down very pathetically most of the weekend.

So, this morning I called the Dr. when the office opened. Sure enough, they wanted to see me. They did the typical tests, the blood pressure, pee-test, checked the baby's heart rate, etc... For the most part, it was all well. But, of course, little did I know but you can still have preclampsia and it only show up in blood work. And besides, I shouldn't be feeling this way, so they should monitor the baby. Hence, despite all my work to avoid the hospital, guess where they sent me? Yep! So, after calling around, finding someone to watch Avi (thank you Becky!) I got to be tested all over again in the hospital the rest of the morning and early afternoon. And, nope, nothing amiss with my blood work and the baby happily kicked its way through an hour of being monitored. Actually, it was somewhat relaxing, which was good because otherwise I surely would have been chasing Avi wishing I could go back to bed. I am not complaining. I am just slightly annoyed I had to go through that for nothing. Conclusion: my blood pressure is a little higher than normal, yet I do not have preclampsia. Take Tylenol and if my headache persists, please call the Doctor again (yey, so we can do the whole process one more time!).

I am still one centimeter dilated and the baby's head is still "whoa! Its right down there, I can feel it!" (according to my nurse practitioner). So, at 38 weeks, I am the same as I was last week, minus the extreme energy and feeling mostly crappy.

Surprise Baby Shower

I must say, I was extremely impressed with the baby shower that was thrown for me this Saturday. I don't think I ever have had a surprise party, so it was a new experience along with just being totally fun. I kept thinking that morning that life was just too good, and that I should appreciate all the goodness I had been blessed with while things still are "good." And that was before the shower!

Josh and I had a great morning together, I got to sleep in, take a shower while Avi was awake, and I just chilled out upstairs with a glass of juice and bowl of strawberries Josh brought me. He purposefully kept me upstairs, and I completely just thought he was being all nice giving me a break from Avilynne. He brought me my journal and Bible just to chill out next to the sunny window to spend time with God. He told me we were going to eat brunch together and he had arranged for Jill to watch Avi. When I eventually came downstairs, I realized we weren't eating brunch at home and kinda wished I did my hair or put on makeup. But, hey, at least I had taken a shower!

I thought it was odd that we were going to drop Avi off a few doors down together, when one of us could wait in the car. And why weren't we locking to house door? He didn't want me leave my purse on the car, even though I figured I could still see it from Jill's doorway. But, hey, I am a risk taker (often needlessly) so I brought my purse with me after all. Jill had me come in, and then I saw a cake and all this delicious food. I was like "Oh my goodness....its a surprise party for me- I think! But I'm here early as there is no one else here." I was then ushered towards the living room and I saw everybody hiding in the corner. They were all happy and I was all embarrassed for some reason while totally thrilled and happy. My initial thoughts were that they invited Abbie, a teenager who I mentor as well as girlfriends who weren't just from church, which I thought was cool. I just was impressed that whoever invited people invited people I'd want to come, not just people from one area of my life.


Anyways, I was starving by this point, and there was an amazing spread of breakfast casseroles, the most awesome sweet french toast (of which everyone was begging Tori for a recipe), strawberries and homemade whipped-cream, and all sorts of other beautiful and delicious foods. It was soooo very "ummy" (as Avi would say)! And then there were all these nice people around me who wanted to talk and be baby-showerishy-girl-like (though not awkward too dressed up baby-showerishy-girl-like). Deborah, Jill and Becky did an awesome job putting it together. There were all these games, from measuring my belly to guessing the time when an ugly plastic doll was "born" (meaning the ice defrosted around it into water), and a questionnaire about me and another one about nursery rhymes. I personally was entertained and I didn't even get to play half of the games : )

Then, of course, there was a massive plethora of presents which I was totally not expecting. Long ago I had come to the conclusion I wasn't going to have a shower, and so have just been assuming I had to get whatever we needed for a boy. It was very happy, though, to receive all these gifts, mostly the type of stuff which I won't buy myself as its not "necessary" such as extremely cute clothing or baby blankets or "rocket" stuff which I was totally impressed people found. I was really surprised by all the gifts I received, and, thankfully, I really liked them too. They were beyond tractors and footballs, to my glee!

Apparently, I had made it pretty difficult on the people putting it together. Deborah moved her car on Saturday morning because she told me she was going to be gone and wouldn't be able to hangout. That was smart on her part because I actually looked for her car to see if she was home and could hangout after all. I went with Becky to Costco on Friday, where she had to pick up the cake. She hid it in her cart, but didn't know how to get it in her car without me seeing it. So, she arranged a whole complicated pick-up with our other friend Amber which seems like it was just too much work to be worth it. That night I was really bored so I hungout at jill and stacy's. Yet, that kept Jill from being able to get anything done like she had wanted to because I was around (really, someone did say I should join them playing rockband, so it wasn't entirely a self-invite). I thought it was weird Deborah came in dropping stuff off, acting odd and freaked out that I was there. She told me she was bring stuff for the Needs Network, which later I noticed was only three pairs of socks. Um....I am pretty sure it doesn't take two trips between our houses for her three pairs of socks.

I was somewhat suspicious because of that. Almost two weeks ago Becky also made a comment to me, trying to keep me from buying diapers. I didn't get why because she was saying maybe people would give them to me. And I said, yes, maybe they would after the baby was born, but I would need diapers ASAP. I was trying to figure out why I should bother counting on someone else to give me diapers who knows when, when I really didn't want to have to stop at a store on the way home from the hospital. She thought I should wait a week before I bought some. I was kinda suspicious then that maybe she was having the other girls in our lunch group do presents or something for me, yet nothing big. But as nothing happened after her comment I had totally given up on the idea. But then on Friday night the possibility that maybe someone was trying to surprise me came up again; this was more so in a way in which I'd just keep my eyes open for other clues. It wasn't something I suspected or expected at all, especially not late Saturday morning.

I really like being surprised. I really enjoy being with people. I love eating good food. I don't mind getting presents in the slightest. I was very impressed by how put together and how nice the shower was, especially with me having no clue and it being put together so close to the end of my pregnancy. In generally I guess you can say I really felt loved by the whole ordeal. And who doesn't like to feel loved? Ahhh....my heart is bursting with affection! Thank you so much, guys!

Baby Registry

For those of you who have been wondering what we could use or like for baby number two, you can look on the baby registry that I have up (link below). We don't have a lot of essential items we need, as we are blessed to have many things already that we can re-use from Avilynne or that I have picked up here or there. I will continue updating it when we receive similar items that are on the registry.

Baby Registry

I can't believe I am really full-term now, at 37 weeks! It might be three, even four weeks yet before you hear from me that Mr. Baby Johnston is born. But, it could be tomorrow, too! I am pretty sure the baby dropped lower a few days ago. Although "lightening" doesn't typically occur in second pregnancies until labor, something totally changed which sure feels like it dropped, it least to an extent. He isn't in my rib cage as much, making it easier to breath. Yet he is a lot lower, pressing on my very low back and other down there areas which is sometimes very painful. Although pregnancy isn't comfortable, I am trying to have a positive view that at I can still sleep through the night without nursing, and I don't have to take care of two crying children yet!

Done with #1

Yey! I got an A! I finished my first class at Ashford last week and I just received my grade and three credits. Only 36 credits more to go (12 classes) . . . But its the process of learning that is the joy, right? Not the degree? That's what I am telling myself, at least! After all, I did enjoy this class. I was able to be introspective, thinking about who I am, where I came from and where I am going. I had fun analyzing various theories, seeing if I really agreed with them (and if so, looking at where they apply). I discovered I should have 4 or more kids if I want a better chance to live to one hundred. And, I have been validated by science that having a strong "religious" belief will help me deal with grief, death, and life much better. If anything, I have figured out "adulthood" to a greater degree, which makes me feel like I better understand people. Now that this class is done, I have slightly less "deep" things to consider, such as cloth diapers (if you read my last post). Maybe I need to be in another class ASAP!

Going Cloth

I have been obsessively reading about cloth diapers of late. I know, I know. It is such a time waster. And I know, I know, cloth diapers are "gross." Still, all that time wasted has convinced me that I want to use them. I already considered using them with Avilynne, but I just never got far enough to go for it. I tried gDiapers for awhile (part cloth, part disposable), but it took more time as I had to separate the washing parts from the disposable parts. And, the disposable parts clogged the toilet. It wasn't convenient. And, it would have ended up being slightly more expensive.

Yet, here I am at playing babies round two. I have a fresh chance to try them out again. Although cloth diapers has a starting out cost, it pays for itself within six months. I would save at least $1000, if not closer to $1500 with my son, if I don't use disposables. And, if they wear well, I can reuse them with other children. In that case, saving about $2000 (more or less) in the future per child as long as the diapers last. Of course, they aren't going to last forever, and who knows how many more kids we will have, anyways. But, it COULD not just save us money with Baby #2, but sequential children from here on out.
After all, It is amazingly better for the environment. Economic. Environmentally kind. And they have fun colors and designs! Really! Why wouldn't I want to do cloth diapers?!!

Well, there are the obvious reasons. Can it really be convenient? Can other people besides me handle cloth diapers? Isn't it more messy, nasty, and Stinky? Isn't it EXTREMELY anti-American!? Its counter-cultural! After all, It doesn't help the big market companies out, and gives into the planet-saving cult of money-making-organic-swooning-opportunists! Then there are the deeper issues: Will my friends and family reject me because of my odd decision to "go cloth?"

As I have been wrestling with these questions, I am becoming convinced that the pros still outweigh the cons. For example, they are much more convenient than they used to be. You don't have to fold them. You don't have to pin them. Heck, you don't even have to use "fitteds" with diaper covers! You can just use one piece, just like a normal disposable. Use a cloth wipe, so you don't have to separate the "throw away" from the keepable pile. Instead of throwing the dirty lump into the diaper genie, you throw it in the diaper pail. Instead of emptying the stinking diaper genie 1-2 times a week (gagging in the process), and going out to the trash with it . . . you just dump the contents of the pail in the washer every couple days. Of course, your probably still gagging : ) But, this makes cloth sound so smooth and ideal! Of course, it won't be. When is anything ideal? I have no doubt that it will be a learning curve until we get the swing of it. Then it will be ideal!

There is also the process of hoping the cloth diapers you have chosen are the best ones for your kid. Because, if not, there are consequences. Not all cloth diapers are equal, and some are better at different stages. After all, sometimes Pampers worked better for Avi. Then other times Huggies did. Sometimes the cheap brand, Loves, did also. But I never had a storebrand which worked well with her. But some people I knew could use kirland's or walmart's with no problems. So, although disposables have the same issue, if I realized she was blowing out all the time, I could always buy a new box of diapers. I might lose a good $5, $10, or even $20. But as the expense of disposables is gradual, it wasn't that big of a deal. Whereas, if I buy the wrong cloth diapers, that would be a lot more of a problem.

Hence, my plan is as follows: We will start, as a newborn, in disposables. They are in them for just a few weeks anyways, and if I used cloth for a newborn I'd have to buy a ton of them for that time period. Besides, I need to "move into" cloth. Not starting cold turkey. After the first month or so I will transition. I am collecting an assortment of the best-reviewed cloth AIO diapers and one-size Pocket diapers to have on hand. I plan of not buying enough of these, so that I can choose what works the best on him and then buy more of that brand/style. Still, I will only have a portion of those being the ones I particularly think are perfect, as I am getting quite a few now to try out. And I still plan on using all of these, whether they are the "best" for my kid or not. Besides, what might be best at the beginning will probably not be best later on.

There are two styles I am planning on using. One is the "AIO," which is an all-in-one diaper (breathable waterproof on the outside, while soaking up on the inside nice and softly). These are just great. They are convenient; they are no different than disposables. Well, except you don't trash them, obviously. Even though they are all-in-one, if all else fails and they don't soak up enough and leak, there is a place where you can add an extra liner to take care of these problems just in case. The only draw-back is that you have to buy these in multiple sizes, throughout the kids diaper-career. I.e., they will cost more. Still, as I won't be using extra small, and by toddlerhood I'll be working on potty training, I might only need two sizes. But, this is still a drawback for me.

The other type is a one-size diaper. These are awesome because you only need one set of these for the whole time your child is in diapers. They have all these snaps and adjustments to go from a 5lb. baby to a 35lb. child. Kinda like a car-seat : ) Of course, they will fit better sometimes more than other times. On a newborn, they would be extremely bulky. But hey, they are convenient if you have two kids in different size diapers wearing them (I plan on experimenting with them on Avi for my own entertainment). They bring the cost down in the long-run, and keep you from having to try to find what diaper fits today and which one doesn't. You just adjust the snaps or Velcro until it fits, because, it will (It Better!). They make these very nicely, and are almost as easy as AIOs. But they aren't as easy, though, as they are generally pocket diapers. A pocket diaper is the second most convenient type of cloth diapers. They have the whole diaper together (waterproof, and soft soaking layer) just like the AIOs. Yet, the AIOs only use inserts if you really need them. Pocket diapers need to have inserts put in them or you'll regret it. The main reason they keep them separate is that they dry much sooner when they are separated, and another reason is....I have no clue. Surely there is another reason. They wash better? They have longer lives that way? You can adjust how much wetness they hold? True, but you can already do that with an AIO. For all I know, they might be just as easy to use as an AIO, at least putting them on they would be. But I am more confused how this works when you take them off, do you actually have to take out the liner then, separating the parts to wash? Or can you just keep the liner in when you wash it? I don't know. But I do know that I will be trying these two types of diapers as I think they are the best type of cloth diapers.

Generally, I have confidence that the styles I am getting are the best after doing a ton of research. After all, their reviews are great, and are acclaimed as easiest. At least they will work if not be best, right? As of now I think I will like the BumGenius ones the best, although Thristies, Fuzzi Bunz, Kushies, and Happy Heines (among others) are some of the types I am trying. If I like a certain brand, I'll probably try just using the homemade copies from ebay of the more expensive brand names. If any of you are cloth diaper users, I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback. As I am ambitiously striving to go cloth, and become part of your cult, I need that wisdom! Afterall, I live in one of the richest counties in one of the richest countries in the twenty-first century! I am too privileged to know how to move forwards by going 'backwards' by using what is normal to the majority of other countries and thousands of years of generations. Go cloth!

(Note: If I regret this decision in the future, kindly try to not rub it in my face violently)

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.