#8,9,and 10

Dear Bean-

I finally felt you move! I thought it was gas at first. Now I recognize that you don't like it when mama crouches down or bends at the waist too much. Sorry for squishing you.

Oh! and I have been nesting a lot thanks to you. Recently, I reorganized our Budget Binder, created some new accounts/expense spreadsheets, vacuum 3 times a week, meal planned until April, cleaned the fridge, made a list for everything (i.e. baby essentials, my to-do list before you get here, what to pack in my hospital bag, a postpartum care kit, freezer meal list, and lots of other things.) I really like list-making. I think its one of my favorite tasks. Even more, I love actually crossing things off of lists. I do an internal fist pump every time I cross stuff off.

Your daddy and I had a super romantic Valentine's Day. And by romantic I mean that we did about 4 hours of homework then went to Burger King and ordered off of the regular menu, not the dollar menu! Your dad was even thoughtful enough to surprise me with my favorite cheap-o chocolates. They were so good. I got your dad a Toy Story Valentine's card that said something about him being a great "partner".

This is an accurate depiction of our relationship.

The latest laughing fit was brought on by this video, that showed babies that had been taught self-rescue skills. If I can manage to not laugh myself to death, I would want you to learn this. Maybe. Probably not?

I've also been reading a lot about baby wearing. I'm really excited to wrap you up and carry you around and snuggle. I'm so glad you're being born in the summer! This means more adventure time for us...when I can start walking around again.

Since I was a slacker last week, I will include 3 things this week!

#8- 5 things you're passionate about:

1- Learning. I LOVE learning. There are so many people out there that are much smarter than me, have more life experience than me, more skills than me, and have different perspectives and opinions than I do. I love learning as much as I can because I feel like it makes me a more well-rounded, open-minded and pleasant person. Some of the most unpleasant people I've known are the ones that think they already know everything. I hope you come to enjoy learning as much as I do and realize that you don't, nor will you ever, know everything.

2- Organizing. I love to clean. I love to make lists. I love to see a pile of chaos and turn it into something manageable and easy to deal with. I feel much more sane and calm when I have things planned, cleaned and organized. Not that I am a control freak about everything, I think that this kind of selective O.C.D, actually frees me up to be flexible.  I know that Thursdays are "noodle night" at our house, I know the days our bills are due, I know what our entertainment and adventure options are when we get to California because I've researched nearly everything to do from Santa Barbara to San Diego, which means no "I don't know, whatever you want to do" conversations.

3- Music. So many folks are gifted and I love when they share their gift. I love how I feel when I hear a favorite song or one that reminds me of a place or certain people. I think its a beautiful thing when people can share a piece of themselves and have it touch many lives in many ways.

4- Family. The definition of family has changed for me over the years to include many friends and kind people that I'm not bound to by blood. And, there are some people that are bound by blood to me who are turds and I'd rather not know them. That being said, anyone whom I consider family are my favorite kind of people and there is little that I wouldn't do for them. Family means a lot to me. I hope that you will understand how much you are loved and how long we have waited to add you to our family. It wasn't the same before you joined it and I'm certain it won't be the same once you are physically here.

5- Travel. I have been very fortunate to travel quite a bit so far in my life. I haven't been able to travel as extensively as some of my friends, but I feel lucky nonetheless. I love the new experiences that come from visiting new places; the sights, sounds, people and food. There are a lot of different people all over this planet, and traveling allows you to see what life is like for someone outside of your zip code. Sometimes this can humble you, as it should. My biggest traveling lesson has been that I am extremely lucky to be from America, to live at this time in history and to enjoy as many freedoms as I do. For many, their day consists of finding something to eat or drink, or living in fear of their freedoms and property being taken away for speaking their minds. I hope you get to travel a lot, little one, and that it opens your eyes as much as it has opened mine.

#9- 5 people who have inspired you and describe how:

1- Carl Jensen- this man was an old softball coach that I had the privilege of playing under for many years. He was tireless in making sure that us girls were not just the best players, but the best kinds of people that we could be. I remember once, swearing out of frustration after a game. He overheard me, and pulled me aside. He told me that I was a better person than that, that I shouldn't let my emotions get the best of me, and to remember that someone is always watching me- good or bad. I have never forgotten that he taught me what it was like to have someone place complete, implicit faith in you. Rather than telling me which pitches to call, or what to do in the batter's box, he let me call the pitches and always gave me the "swing away" signal when I was at bat. It made me feel so good about myself, knowing that someone believed in me that much. I actually ran into him by chance at a gas station earlier this week, and after 8 years, he still knew my nickname, and gave me a hug. I hope that you will come to know what its like to have someone believe in you and make you feel that good about yourself. I hope even more that I will be that person for you.

2- Ken Robinson- after watching this TED talk, my views on what a "quality" education were, changed drastically. Watch him explain "How Schools Kill Creativity"  This guy really gets it. I feel like he was able to articulate exactly how I feel about my formal education, or lack thereof.

3- Randy Pausch- This. Guy. OK, back story: Carnegie Mellon professor who was diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic cancer in 2006. He gave an incredible lecture called "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" and eventually wrote a book with the same name. In it, he shares a list of childhood dreams that he had, and how he attained them. Pausch died of cancer-related complications in July 2008.

4- The Beatles. Call me crazy, but I don't care. This band, and the people in it have done more than anyone else to inspire and change music. They have also managed to use their stardom to shed light on causes that are important to them and affect many others. Yes, they were tripping some major balls during certain periods of their music careers, but hey, I probably would have been too if I was in their position. (See here: Paul's philanthropy, John's, Ringo's, and my guy George's)

5- David Sedaris- My literary inspiration. This man is not only a comedic genius, he is a truthful, talented writer. Before reading any of his books, I thought (foolishly) that writing followed a theme, common thread, or structure. Not so, my friends. His books are mostly a compilation of shorts stories and essays that share a small, common thread. They are always hilarious! It has shown me that EVERY experience is worth recording, sharing and seeing the lessons in. Its made me believe in my own ability to write, and that what I write, is good and funny and worth sharing.

#10- Describe your most embarrassing moment:

I will spare you the unnecessary details, but here goes a brief version: I was playing at a softball tournament, and I got my period in the middle of a game, in the middle of an inning, while we were out on the field....and we were wearing our white uniforms that day. Yeah...bad news. That's all.


Keep growing, baby! I now have a little belly when I lay flat on my back. Thanks for showing me how much you've been growing; it almost makes me not mind it so much when I am constantly peeing myself from sneezing or coughing too much. In 5 shorts days, we will get to see your cute, little body.

Love,
Mama