You're going to get so sick of me

1. The most money ever paid for a cow in an auction was $1.3 million.
2. My own mother has told me she does not read Sarillia for the articles. She likes to see the pictures. So it is my goal to make up for the appaling lack of visual stimulation.
3. It would take 11 Empire State Buildings, stacked one on top of the other, to measure the Gulf of Mexico at its deepest point.
4. Our baby began kicking sometime during the 5 pm hour every day this week.
5. I can blog from work. This is bad news, considering how busy I am not.

It's peanut butter-belly time!

It's been a few weeks since the last one.
I'm really starting to stick out there.



I've been catching myself hitting my belly when I open the fridge, or close a door.

Heidi & Chad are awesome

I was tearing up several times yesterday when I thought about what we received in the mail. Peder discovered this giant, and kinda heavy, box on the front porch when he was leaving for work this morning. Turns out it was from Heidi & Chad. What on Earth could it be?

Turns out it was an amazing treasure trove of baby stuff/parent stuff (and a brick). So amazingly generous and adorable.



The brick is Heidi and Peder's White Sox Legacy brick. I think we'll wait a while before we let Godot play with that.

The whole name thing.

I'm starting to come around about sharing our name choices. Or, maybe the pressure is getting to me. It seems to be a big deal to a surprising number of people.

The issue now, is that I'm kind of a commitment phobe. I just picture everyone else getting attached to particular names, and then when we meet the little bugger face to face, we'll take one look and realize that isn't his/her name. See? I'm just saving you all from future heartache! ;o)

My own parents didn't name me until after I came home from the hospital. It seemed to work really well for them. I love my name. I can't bear to part with it. Maybe it's genetic, or part of a rich tradition:

My mother, and her mother before her, and her mother before her, were all unsure of our unborn child's name at birth. And someday, little Godot, your potential child shall be nameless too.

I still haven't named the car I've had for 8 years.

It took me two weeks and 15 tries to name my cat. Every time I talk to her, I'm sure she's thinking

"That's not my name. Why does she keep calling me that?"

Of course, I can't say her actual name any more than she can say mine.

Sigh. Am I just crazy?

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, this is Sarah...

How can I help you?

They put me on the phones today. Thank God! I think they made me put up with 3 entire days of sitting and listening in on calls, just so I would be greatful for the relative excitement of sitting and listening to my own phone. The afternoon went so fast today. I actually got some stimulation. My very first call was from a spanish speaking man. Crap. I had never run into this while listening in, so I got to panic and improvise. It all worked out, he had the wrong depatment anyway. It feels real good to actually be doing something.

Wanna come to my pity party?

The past few days I have obviously had a bunch of time on my hands, so I did a little math. I am getting paid exactly what I was subbing in my highest paying district. That's right. I get paid just as much to be responsible for (and hopefully educate) 25 minors, something I have a Master's degree in and have been doing for seven years, as I do to answer 30 of the same phone calls a day and surf the internet.

Sad. So very, very sad.

Kick fest

I had about a fifteen minute kick fest this afternoon after we got home. The thumping is pretty cool!

Productive day

Feeling as though I am kind of gainfully employed, Peder and I went clothes shopping today. We actually intended to go on a field trip to baby stores so I could explain all the equipment baby will "need". We wound up at Target, which, after hitting Babies'R'Us was rather underwhelming.

I hit the clearance racks in search of t-shirts and tanks I can wear under my regular shirts to cover the awkwardness that is my waistline (various contraptions are keeping my pants up lately) I found a few at a good price. Peder, who has been losing all of the weight I have added, found some jeans and t-shirts. I also splurged on a cute "little black" maternity dress. A whole $25, but, dang it, I deserve it! ;o)

We then headed to the Saturn dealership, to find out exactly what our options are in terms of Peder's lease being up. We test drove a nice used Vue and talked prices. The sales guy was touting the great crash rating of the Vue and how much better it would be in terms of car seats. I called him on his (appropriate) fear mongering by jokingly asking "unlike that death trap we're driving now?" He back pedaled a little, and we all laughed. We really have to get going on finding me a new(er) car, and deciding what to do with Peder's car. (How I wish there was a professional to do this all for me. There probably is, but I can't afford to pay them either :o)

After a quick lunch of at Wendy's (fries dipped in frosty! yu-umm), we stopped at Savers where I snagged 4 pairs of maternity pants and a shirt for under $20. I rock. The jeans I got ($2.50) are super cute and comfy. When I first saw full panel pants, the ones that hike up to your chest, and cover all of your belly, I thought "ugh. who would wear those?" Apparently they forgive me for making fun of them before, and are now they are my new best friend.

Mind numbing

That is the only way to describe my day. How can doing nothing be so tiring?
I am going to have a very boring job for the time being. We'll see how long I can stand it. The people are very nice, the cafeteria has a great view, the commute cannot be beat, and I can now tell you more about reverse mortgages than you'll ever want to know.

New job!

Wednesday I start working for Office Team at the Wells Fargo Mortgage office that really close to our house (used to be the Honeywell campus). It sounds like a good gig. An "ongoing" position that has something to do with reverse mortgages, so most likely taking calls from older people.

Even though we are super close, it has been agreed by my husband and father that I am not allowed to walk the five blocks across Lake Street to get to work. Fortunately, parking isn't an issue there, and if my car were to give up the ghost, I could walk, pepper spray in hand, to work easily.

Back in MN

I made a spur of the moment trip to Iowa on Thursday night. My parents had planned to go for my grandmother's (M-) 91st birthday. I called them up at the last minute and asked if I could tag along. They picked me up in the new Subaru they had purchased that day, and we arrived in Toledo about 1AM.

Grandma hasn't been doing so well, and it was strange to look at pictures from her big birthday party just last year. She has changed so much. However, over the course of our visit she improved a lot. She was proving a real challenge in our Upwords games by saturday night. I think she just isn't getting enough stimulation. We even got her to come out to lunch with us before we left on Sunday. It is so frustrating to be so far away and so limited in what we can do for her.

While we were out and about with grandma we stopped to take a picture on the Lincoln Highway Bridge in Tama, the town where my dad went to high school.

The hotel where we stayed is less than 5 miles from a giant casino, so it fills up fast. For saturday night they didn't have any double rooms. We took a room with a bed and a pull out. I offered to take the pullout (after all, I wasn't the one paying for the room)

We all know that these are less than ideal beds, but this one happened to be positioned in a small alcove of floor to ceiling windows, facing the highway, with nothing but mini blinds to "block" the light from the multitude of signs outside. Not to mention the noise from the rather lumpy highway. The first night was awful. I called Peder from the lobby around 11:30 almost in tears. He reminded me that I had packed some benedryl for just such an occasion. Thank God for Benedryl! The second night, we hung up blankets over the windows and I wound up getting a halfway decent night's sleep.

One up side to the ordeal: It will feel like heaven to get into our bed and snuggle up with two cats and a Peder tonight.

I have always teased Peder about his plans for the baby. That he seemed to think I'd be giving birth to a nine-year-old.

Then I found this at a bookstore:

It's a hilarious book, that I would never buy, but is a riot to browse through.
It even has a spinner on the front to decide whose "turn" it is, mom's or dad's.

The view from inside

Check it out:


Get the full story here

And while you're at it, check out Blame it on the Baby Maker

I can't believe...

...it was just 10 days ago we were digging out from at least 2 feet of snow.
Today I went downtown to meet with someone from a temp agency. I took the bus and I am sooo glad I did because it was wonderful to walk along Nicollet mall in the sunshine with only a light sweater on! I'm sure we got up to 60. When I got home I opened all of the second floor windows.

If it were like this in October I'd be reveling in the crispness of the air. THIS is when I love Minnesota. The dramatic changes are so refreshing.

---

This temp agency experience was much better than my last one. Dolphin told me my 10-key skills suck (it took two hours of testing to get to that point. I could have told them that over the phone) and that they couldn't use me. Apparently they have no use for responsible, loyal, technically inclined workers.

Office Team said they weren't concerned and would work to match my skills with a position. We'll see what comes of it. I have never worked in an large office in my life. I processed books in a library back room, and I did scheduling at the U of MN Language Center. Ten employees tops. I'm a little nervous about the prospect.

Ozzie -then and now

Quarantined in May 2006	Playing on the sunporch in March 2007

It's hard for me to believe!

Squirrel Wars secret documents:

Bill and I have been spend an inordinate amount of time lately giving each other things to look up on the internet. He discovered a secret weapon in the battle with the squirrels:

Here's a time tested tip by myself and other RVers. Cut up steel wool and mix the shreads with foam-in-a-can. You know that nasty stuff that hardly never rubs off? As you slowly spray foam into cracks and crevices, mix in some steel wool - I use a stick or wear a disposable glove. Works every time - mice, chipmunks have never chewed through, and really don't even nibble off much. Can't say for tree rats. GL!

I think the grammar lends an air of credibility, don't you?
So as he is reading this bit of wisdom to me over the phone, I asked if he knew if they were talking about a specific brand of foam, or just any insulating foam. His response: Just read the back of the can and find the stuff that "don't hardly never rub off"

Does anyone know, off-hand, which brand that is?
I really am going to try it. I'll have to see if I can trade in my broken squirrel trap for the stuff.

Ozzie's sock monster

My dear friend Miranda makes these sweet little monsters out of socks. Ozzie has adopted one of them as his own. Every morning he brings the monster to our bed and commences a fierce wrestling match. He claws it, bites it, and tosses it up in the air. Every once in a while, his back feet try to help, but they usually wind up just hitting him in the face. then he gets very irritated with them and tries to bite them. It is both adorable and hilarious.

Squirrel Wars: Episode II - The empire strikes back

A long time ago, in a attic far, far, away...

It is a dark time for the Rebellion. Although the attic has
been opened, Squirrel troops have driven the trapper forces from
their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.
Evading the dreaded Imperial Trap, a group of freedom fighters
led by Sarah Treewalker has established a new secret base on the remote
ice world of Minnesota.
The evil lord Darth Squirrel, obsessed with finding young Treewalker,
has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of
the house...

I didn't tell you that the squirrels basically dismantled the trap I got. I found it upside down and the release mechanism in pieces a good 6 feet away.

This morning we heard a large metallic thump. I figured it was snow and/or ice falling off the roof onto the air conditioner. A bit later we noticed the cats acting strange and focusing on the grate in the living room that leads to the basement. We could hear something moving around down there. Ugh. Something was loose in the basement. We were just heading out for a walk, so we decided we'd let the cats go down there later when we could keep an eye on them.

Later in the afternoon the cats were still obsessed with the vent and there were more, louder noises. I finally put two and two together and realized that a squirrel had gotten into the vent they had chewed through, and fallen from the third floor to the basement and was now running around in the basement vents!

So what could I do? Of course I called my father. Mom & Dad came over with tools and a giant garbage can in hand. We locked Ozzie on the porch, for his own safety and then found the squirrel conveniently huddled in a flexible, easily removed section of vent. We all gathered to hold the garbage can and a cover for it while Poppa took apart and prodded the squirrel loose.

Well the squirrel came loose, but missed the can and took off for a corner of the basement. I have to say squirrels move fast and quietly. I started working on getting the cellar door open, but before we knew anything, it had gotten up the stairs and crawled under the basement door.

Crap! It was in the main part of the house! We opened the front and back doors. Mom took a post at the stairs, hopefully, preventing the battle from moving to the second floor. It is hard to heard squirrels. Really, really hard. It ran all over the place. Climbed the living room curtains, jumped over me, then Peder, and tried to run through the doors to the porch (freaking out poor Ozzie). It took forever to get this stupid squirrel out the door. Looking back, it was completely hilarious.

I'm glad we got it out, but I know it's just going to go right back to the attic. I did plug up the vent with insulation so hopefully we won't have to go through this again.

Fire Pig!

Find out more about the significance of the Fire Pig by visiting your local library or at:
www.bundleofjoys.com/sites/babydefor







Hint: Click "News" on the left side.

Snow Day!

Holy crap! They canceled school in Minneapolis. The last time they did that was in February of 1999. That's right, it has been 8 years since the students in Minneapolis had a snow day. Seniors in High School had their last snow day in 5th grade. 7th graders have never had one. Amazing.

I remember, because I was fresh out of college and subbing. Since I had a job already scheduled, I got paid anyway. I also got a call from a principal for an interview. I drove through snow (not as much as we have right now, I'm sure) to meet with her that day. I got the job which eventually led to me working at Sheridan.

Okay, seriously, that's enough already

I has been snowing all freakin' day. Peder and I went out to get groceries around 11:30 and while he was cleaning off the car I decided to do a littel shoveling of the font walk. By the time we got back an hour or so later it was like I hadn't even been there.

I'm not really upset. I still find it exciting to have an outright blizzard going on while I am all warm and cozy at home.

Carrie's (Leah's?) Booklist

From Carrie's blog,
This was pretty interesting. I was surprised at how many of them I'd read.

In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) I made it through the first one and that was enough.
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. +Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery) Recently, after having read every other L.M. Mongomery book on the face of the planet as a preteen, I never read any of the "Anne" books. I enjoyed the PBS series though.
9. *Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) I'm pretty sure most of my +'s will be kids books, or related to teaching/philosophy. Otherwise I tend to pass my books on.
12. *Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) Half bolded, because I'm in the middle of it and stuck there
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. +Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. *Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. +The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. *The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. +The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible (parts of it)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. *One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. +The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. +The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. +Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. *Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. *The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

My favorite that are not on the list (AKA the ones I could read over and over):
Our Lady of the Lost and Found (Diane Schoemperlen)
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (Alexander McCall Smith)