Deaf Dogs, Dead Elephants, and a Darn Fine House!

Well, Phase 1 of the big move is pretty much complete. Thanks to some friends and family we were able to get quite a bit done. Our bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are fully livable so that makes life all that much easier. Phase 2 of the move happens in about 3 weeks when mom and Ditty make the big move to Austin, TX. And with them comes a whole nother truck full of furniture and "stuff." But for now, Michael and I are enjoying the house - just the two of us. This morning as we sat out on our balcony overlooking the greenbelt, I welled up with thankfulness for this house that is so perfect for ALL of us who will be living here. It is the perfect house for us. I spent the morning sipping 1/2 caf coffee :) , reading and writing, and enjoying the cool breeze from our balcony. It was beautiful...


On the baby front: I am definitely looking pregnant - there's no mistaking me for the girl who just ate too many tacos. It's all baby, baby! I'm in my 23rd week and have felt baby girl move and kick more than I ever have before. It's sooo cool! I've had a few mild discomforts where she's pressing up into my diaphragm and it's a little hard to breathe, but it's just all part of it. I still have the usual forgetfulness (although it seems to be getting worse!) and other "baby brain" symptoms. And I guess I must mention...you know you're pregnant when you side swipe your other car while backing out of the garage! My friends warned me of this...something with car garages and pregnancy don't mix??!! Luckily, all I could do was laugh about it. And I was even more lucky that Michael didn't give me too much grief about the incident. Did I mention I have the most amazing husband! So I thought that I was doing really well managing the influx of all these pregnancy hormones...so I thought...Today I got emotional over an article I read in TIME magazine about how many animals think and feel at a far higher level than we or scientists had previously thought. I became so sad about how elephants mourn the death of those in their families and how they show respect for the bones of other deceased elephants that they pass. That got me thinking about the treatment of animals at zoos and circuses and then it just spiraled on.


On a happier note - we got our bedding in on Friday! I love it, love it! We can't wait to paint her room and get her bedroom furniture ordered. Michael's parents and Ditty have also been working hard to refinish a beautiful bassinet that not only Michael slept in as a baby, but his mom, his grandmother, and his grandmother's mother!! What a special gift that is to our daughter.



Other notables:

• This is my last week of the current school year. I'll be stepping down from a Lead Teacher role into a temporary position as an Assistant Teacher so that I can give more attention to the needs at home and with our baby.


• At eleven years old, Molly is starting to show a few signs of aging :( Poor beagle -we thinks she's starting to go deaf. The last three weeks we've noticed that she often doesn't respond to our calling - it's only when we touch her does she realize we're there. But other than that, she's still her same ole' spunky hungry self :)