Is it bad that I laughed?*

This morning, I was presenting information to third grade students about the Chess class that I am teaching this semester.

Towards the end of my little talk, one child raised his hand with a comment:

"My dad was a national Chess champion. We have all sorts of trophies and awards."

"Great!" I replied. "Maybe he can come and be a speaker in our class one day."

"Oh, no..." he said. "My dad died when I was three."

Oh. Uh.... Okay... Well, then I guess he wouldn't be able to make it into our class to speak to us, would he?

I mean, what do you say to that with over one hundred third graders staring at you...???

*I didn't laugh at that moment... But afterwards, a couple of the other teachers and I did have a good giggle... and not at the expense of the kid... Just at the fact that the situation happened at all... I mean, what are the chances??

Does anyone have any Pepto?

When I found out I was pregnant, I thought I was pretty much aware of all the dietary restrictions I would have to abide by for the next nine months or so.

I immediately voluntarily quit drinking caffeinated beverages and suffered slight withdrawal headaches for a couple of days, but, hey... this is for the baby, right?

I also gave up on steak with any tint of pink in it; the first time I ordered a steak, it wasn't cooked enough, so I politely asked for the waitress to have the cook throw it back on the grill for a few more minutes. When the steak was returned to me, it had the distinct rubbery taste of having been nuked in the microwave. Yum...

Then at the first doctor appointment, the nurse practioner suggested that I stay away from all fish. Not just the fish like shark, albacore tuna, or tilefish that contain high mercury content, but every type of fish - you know, just to be safe.

(She did, however, give me a prescription for a fish oil supplement, since DHA is good for a developing embryo/fetus... How's that for irony?)

I was then admonished at work for eating a roast beef sandwich for lunch. Apparently, lunch meat has nitrates, which are bad for the baby.

At the most recent doctor appointment, I was instructed to avoid any foods that have partially-hydrogenated oils. This includes most peanut butter and microwave popcorn.

Lucky for me, though, I don't really feel like I'm being restricted from much of anything, because although the food that I'm "allowed" to eat is an ever-dwindling list, none of it is appetizing, anyway. Or, if I do find something that is approved by the pregnancy diet, I eat it and then barf it up. Just thinking of eggs or ice cream makes me feel swirly.

I'm glad Mac & Cheese is on the approved list, because that is about the only thing that sounds digestable to me these days...

One fun side note, though - - I am experimenting with the various flavors of Freezoni's and Smoothies at the local QuikTrip. They make the whole vomiting experience lots more exciting, to see what those bright colors (pink, lime green, purple) make the rest of the food look like on the way up!!!

Go on... Click the "Play Button"

You'll be glad that you did...

Thanks, Aly... Priceless!

Goodbye, Harry...

I finished reading the final book in the Harry Potter series yesterday...

I bought it about a week after it came out and was too busy to start it until about a week ago, but once I opened it I couldn't put it down. Plus, I had to finish it before the students get back to school because they are not good about keeping secrets about the ending.

All I have to say is... "Brilliant!"

I've loved every page of every book. I'm not really into fantasy, but, I've always enjoyed great children's literature. One of my favorite authors of all time is Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time. But let's be honest: This series was never just for children.

I love how the characters really grow throughout the series. Instead of a series where the characters are a static age in time, never changing, you watch Harry, Ron, and Hermione experience life from pre-adolescents to young adults. They are real characters with flaws that change throughout, as are the other secondary characters in the series.

But, the part that amazes me the most is that J. K. Rowling was able to arc a wonderful, detailed, intricate story over seven novels. Details that seemed insignificant in Book 3 come back in the epic's close to tie together a wonderful tale of adventure and mystery and love.

I read my little brother's copies of the first five books and own the hardcover first edition prints of numbers six and seven. I am now on an EBay mission to find the others to add to my own collection. I can't wait to share these new classics with my own child...

Mama always said...

Direct quotes from my mother:

"I love my kids, but if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have any."

"Don't have grandkids on account of me."

"I'm almost free!" (referring to the fact that my youngest brother will enter college this fall)

"After you have kids, your relationship will change... Everything will be different."

And with these words of wisdom from my mother, my mind begins to race. What have Dave and I gotten ourselves into? What if our relationship does change, similar to how my parents' did, losing focus on each other and growing distant? What if I end up feeling trapped by the baby, unable to pursue my own goals, because I can't find a sitter? How will I watch my child suffer through the growing pains of life, forced to stand idly by, unable to do much other than offer my feeble advice?

I know that these are selfish concerns and that becoming a loving parent is ultimately an altruistic act. I assume that other mothers-to-be excitedly anticipate the arrival of their babies, spending their days decorating the nursery and buying toys and clothing... But perhaps, some of them have some of the same worries and concerns...?

Here's a basic breakdown of my feelings about having a baby:

• 50% excited about starting a family with Dave
• 20% worried about something going wrong with the pregnancy/baby
• 20% unsurity of whether I have what it takes to be a good mother
• 10% concerned about whether the food I ate at my last meal is on the approved pre-natal food list

And, I'll be honest... Although my mother has been very supportive, I wouldn't say that she is "thrilled" at the aspect of me having a baby. She has called to see how I'm feeling and make sure that I'm doing all right... She even bought me a copy of the "What to Expect" book. But, I can hear her voice echoing in my mind all the time - and I worry... what if she is right?

I Can't Promise Anything...

...but I will try not to become a complete and total "Mommy Blogger."

I won't titillate you with tales from the ob/gyn and I swear I won't share every little sh!t (I mean, poop) that Baby Morris makes.

I'll reserve those stories for my friends in person (ahem, Dr. Mike and Paula, since we've heard our share of your stories) and I'll keep them on my baby's website. (Speaking of which, if you'd like to read all about the first week of pregnancy, please feel free to click here and read all about it.)

But I have to tell you, I'm pretty excited. As somebody whose never felt the "need" for a child to complete my life, the prospect of becoming a parent with somebody who I love as much as I do Dave is pretty thrilling. (Scary, too... Okay, terrifying... But thrilling.)

In the meantime, though, please participate in the poll on the right sidebar: Do you think that Baby Morris will be a girl or a boy?