A Shark is Not a Mammal

Dear Sharkbaby,

So, you're due in 6 days. I can hardly believe it! Sometimes I feel like I've been pregnant with you forever, but really it's gone so quickly. The midwife says you'll probably be late, so I'm trying not to get too worked up about your actual due date (January 16th, the day before my 26th birthday), but it's hard not to. I feel like I've been waiting for you for a long time.

Your daddy is so excited to meet you, too. He keeps talking about all of the cool stuff he gets to teach you. He is really happy that you're a boy. I think he was worried about sharing his hobbies with a little girl. He really hopes that you love motorcycles, guns, camping, and all that other boy-type stuff he loves. I keep telling him that he gets to teach you about all of that stuff, but I'm still going to read you stories, teach you how to cook, and do lots of other things too.

We've almost got your room ready for you. The last thing we have to do is put the vinyl on the wall. I let your daddy pick it and he's so excited about it. It is pretty awesome. We've had your crib for a long time, your Nana and Pops helped us with that part, and your rocking chair came from your Oma. She used to rock your dad and Uncle Richard in it. I think that makes it pretty special. Your Aunt Maddie, and Uncles Zach and Mac got a really awesome picture to hang in your bedroom. Now every time you look at it you can be reminded of how much Jesus loves you. I've got a bunch of your clothes washed for you, I just hope you don't grow too fast otherwise they won't fit for long.

I'm pretty sure that you're going to be a big baby. As of 3 weeks ago you were already over 7 pounds. I think you're long, too. You're at least long enough to get your feet up under my ribs.

You're probably wondering about your nickname... I guess I should share. Early on in my pregnancy I kept dreaming that you weren't a human baby, but a baby shark. When daddy and I couldn't decide on a name, we started calling you Sharky and it just kind of stuck. It has since evolved into Sharkbaby, The Sharkman, and Sharkleton. We still haven't decided what we're going to name you, for real. We're hoping that once we see you we'll know what your name is. We have some good ideas, though.

All in all, everyone is pretty excited for you to get here. We're trying to wait patiently, but it's getting really hard. I've got three more shifts at work, and then it's really just down to waiting. So, basically what I'm saying is... could you hurry up and be born?

I love you!

Love,

Mommy

The End

Dear Blogging World,

Sorry I have been such a slacker lately. Life has been a little bit crazy in the Longstocking house lately.

I've been trying to figure out how to do a year end wrap-up, but I just don't know how to go about it. There have been some big things going on for us this year, but also a whole lot of nothing new. Anyone who reads this blog regularly is going to know about the big stuff, but I'll recap just for something to write about.

Big news number one was when we found out we were pregnant back in May. The first trimester was rough, and working nights didn't help, but I managed to hang onto my sanity (if not my lunch). I'm sure there were times that Curious George wanted to throw me out the window because I was being overly-emotional, ridiculous, or any number of other things. However, he managed to hold back and we've both survived to almost the bitter end.

Big news number two was buying our house in August. We've been so happy here, but are still working on finding out where we fit in our ward/neighborhood. Curious George is working with the priest quorum and I'm the personal progress advisor for the young women. I've got my work cut out for me in the new year with those girls... PP has not been a priority in this ward for awhile.

We are both so grateful to have jobs in this crazy economy. We are grateful for a beautiful home to live in. We are grateful for the opportunity we will have to be parents in a few short weeks. We are grateful to have our families close by and so supportive. We are so grateful for all of the many blessings we receive on a daily basis.

We hope the holidays have treated you well, and wish you health and happiness in the year to come!

The Great Christmas Surprise of 2010

So, I'm pretty much the coolest wife ever (no, I'm not feeling terribly humble right now, thanks for asking). Let me explain:

About a month ago I started pumping Curious George for information on what he wants for Christmas. We generally just do one big gift for each other, and then donate to a Sub for Santa, Angel Tree, etc. Anyway, his list this year was pretty short (and so NOT fun!). It consisted of three things: an air compressor, a new concealed carry gun, or a jack and some workbench space for the garage. Yawn!

So, I was seriously considering getting him the air compressor, except for a few small logistical issues... I'm 9 months pregnant. How the heck would I move it? Also, how could I ever pick the one that he really wanted?

Then I considered getting him the jack and the workbench space. Except, seriously? Boring!

I was completely, 100%, absolutely certain I WAS NOT going to get him the gun. I do not, nor will I ever, think that a firearm is an appropriate gift. Plus, who wraps up a gun and puts it under the Christmas tree? I was not shy about giving him these reasons, either. But then I got thinking... he'd never expect it. He'd be SO excited. And it would pretty much make me the coolest wife ever in his book, especially since I told him if he wanted a new gun he'd have to get rid of one of his others (yes, we're THOSE kind of people).

So, I started doing a little shopping. I checked on KSL. I went to a few gun shops. And I bought him this thing he'd been wanting for months. I wrapped it up in a very sneaky way and put it under the Christmas tree. Yes, I'm a hypocrite. Yes, I am also pretty much the coolest wife ever.

This is where the story gets really good... or is it bad? The following day (yep, as in I bought the gun on Wednesday, and he went out on Thursday) he decided to do a little shopping of his own. He went to the gun shop, and decided to try out this little thing and see if it really was what he wanted. Our conversation went a little something like this:

CG: So, I went to Doug's today.

Me: Oh yeah?

CG: Yep. I wanted to check out the Keltec and see if I really liked it or not.

Me: Oh, ok.

CG: Yeah, I held it. I dry fired it. I really didn't like it. I felt like my finger rubbed on the finger guard weird.

Me: Well, that sucks.

CG: Nah, not a big deal. I'll figure out which one I really want.

Me: No, you don't understand. This really, REALLY sucks. (cue bursting into tears now)

So, needless to say I had to tell him why I was crying. And then he felt bad and tried to backpedal. And then he decided that maybe he was excited about it after all. And now I'm stuck with trying to decide whether to return the gun and get him something else, or just let him know what his present is and deal with it after the holidays.

I'm still a pretty awesome wife, though.

Lists are fun

So, I've been feeling a bit unmotivated to blog lately. It's not for lack of things occuring in my world. Maybe it's because there's so much going on that I just feel I can't keep up. So, just for the sake of having something to post, a few recent happenings of my life:

~I'm currently 31 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I had an appointment with the midwives again yesterday, I'm still underweight for how much I should have gained by now... and yet I'm measuring 2-3 weeks bigger than I should. I feel that this should warrant bumping my due date up by 17 days. Yes, I would like this baby to be born in 2010. Really, though, not going to happen. Other than that, things are going well. Sharky and I are both healthy, happy, and growing right along.

~Little Brother came home from his mission in October. Things were a little crazy getting ready for his grand arrival (read: Maddie and I attempting to put contact paper on his giant welcome home banner at 11 at night.), but we pulled through and gave him a pretty good welcome, minus Ma and Pops who were on their way home from St. George.

~The house is great. We're very happy in our neighborhood, and are finally starting to meet a few people. It's been a tough transition into the new ward because our last one was so outstanding, but we're finding our niche. I am pretty excited that there are like 5-6 babies due between now and May, so Sharky will have lots of little dudes and dudettes to play with. Curious George and I both got callings this last week working with the youth. He'll be the priest quorum advisor and I'm in charge of Personal Progress for the young women. I must say, I'm a little discouraged by the state of the personal progress program in this ward (1 girl out of 20 actually working on it), but I'll whip them into shape in no time.

~Work is, well, work. We recently went through a little dry spell, which is rough when you're trying to save your paid time off hours for maternity leave, but we're filling right back up. I'm thinking maternity leave is going to come at a good time for me. I've been running short on patience lately so the break will be nice.

~I still have a million and one projects in the works. My most recent ones have been for the Harry Potter release party I'm attending tonight (thanks to the fabulous Jill). I've also got a couple of things I need to get done for the house. Curious George's mom gave me her old rocking chair from when her boys were babies. I'm pretty excited about this, I love having something that we can pass down through the family. However, the chair needs some TLC and I've had to scrap the cushions completely. I'm in the process of finding a company that can strip the old finish off the chair so I can repaint it before the Shark-man gets here. Also, if anyone knows of a good piano moving company, please share.

Oh, and with Thanksgiving coming up, a few things I'm grateful for this week:
~Indoor plumbing
~Zantac
~Feeling the Sharkster move, even though it doesn't always feel good
~Harry Potter parties
~Pomegranate 7-up

A Little Whodunnit...

Was it Mrs. Peacock in the hall with the revolver?

Was it Mrs. White in the dining room with the candlestick?

Was it Professor Plum in the conservatory with the wrench?

Was it Mr. Green in the bedroom with the knife?

Was it Colonel Mustard in the bathroom with the rope?

Or was it Ms. Scarlet in the kitchen with the lead pipe?

There's no mystery here... Col. Mustard did it.

The world may never know who killed Mr. Body.

Does anyone have a Clue?

Cast of Characters:

Ms. Scarlet--Pippi Longstocking
Colonel Mustard--Curious George
Mrs. Peacock--Madison Hatch (My little sister)
Mrs. White--Brianna Barnett (My Cousin)
Professor Plum--Greg Barnett (Another Cousin)
Mr. Green--Andrew Barnett (A Third Cousin)

Oh, how I love Halloween!

A Little Halloween Cheer

So, I mentioned in a previous post how much I LOVE Halloween. Well, I've been crafting and sewing up a storm over here. (It's true, my house has burlap, glitter, and mod podge EVERYWHERE!) Anyway, as promised, a few pictures of what I've been working on:
So this sweet little burlap number is now hanging on the inside of my back door. I'm pretty much in love with it!

And the start on my Halloween costume:
I've got the basic dress form sewn, I just need to finish the neck, arm holes, hem it, and add the petticoat layers underneath. Ms. Scarlet, here I come!

Happy Haunting!

P.S.- Due to the insane amount of dreams I've been having about sharks, we've all taken to calling Little Critter by a new nickname: Sharky. So, that's what I'm changing his blog name to. He will henceforth be known as Sharky.

Save the Drama

Real life drama makes me uncomfortable. It always has.

I can watch it on tv with no problem. In fact, some of my favorite shows are dramatic too a fault (stop wreaking havoc on my whacked-out-hormonal-emotions, Grey's!), and I eat them up with a spoon. But drama in my own life? Ugh. No thank you.

Maybe it's the confrontations. I don't like being forced to confront other people. I'm a girl, so of course I'd rather talk it over with my girlfriends, cry a little, and then plot revenge that I'll never take. But, if someone gets in my face about something I freeze. For example, last week at work I had a family member of a patient confront me about how he feels some aspects of his wife's care are absolutely unacceptable. What did I do? I passed his concerns on to my manager and hoped the whole thing would blow over.

And in my life, I equate controversy with drama. I don't like controversy. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable. I choose to stand where I choose to stand, and I don't like someone telling me I should choose otherwise. On this note, I would like to take a moment to share my feelings on what has become a very hot-button issue this week. You all know what's coming... President Packer's general conference talk.

It saddens me to see the amount of anti-Mormon talk, tweet, blog, what-have-you that has come about because of this. I would like to remind you all that President Packer was not speaking on a new topic. The proclamation to the family was released 15 years ago, and this has been an issue addressed many times before and since then.

I believe fully that our prophets and apostles are men of God, chosen by God to serve in his place on this earth. I believe that they very prayerfully, and carefully, prepare the talks that they will give to us at conference time. We live in a world of turmoil. We live in a world where everything we know is being changed. I believe this talk was meant as a warning to us: change is not always for the best.

Our gospel is not a gospel of hate. Hating any group of people because they are different, in whatever way, is not Heavenly Father's way. It is Satan's way. We are all entitled to our own feelings on any particular subject, but I feel that spreading hate is not an effective way to share your cause. Hate will just breed more hate.

So, believe what you will. Practice what you will. Even hate what you will. I know where I stand on this subject, and I ask you, for the sake of our friendship, to please keep your controversial feelings to yourself.