When I grow up . . .

Caleb doesn’t just mention what he wants to be when he grows up, he obsesses over it and talks about it constantly. At the beginning of the school year he wanted to be “an army guy that flies in an airplane because the guys in the airplanes don’t die as much.” I was ready to send him to boot camp. For just a few days he changed his mind and decided he wanted to be a “secret agent” so that he could jump from airplanes. Then one day he came home from the library and had decided he wanted to be a racecar driver. He asked me if I would “stand up for him” if he died in the race. He dreamed about what car he will drive and asked his dad to make a car with him “out of all the junk in the world.” Today he had a fireman come and talk to him at school and now he wants to become a fireman. He is busy making our house fire safe and he promises “when our house starts on fire he will get it out.” I wonder what dangerous career he will want to take on next week.

The ironic part about all of these career ambitions is that Caleb is one of the most cautious kids I know. He is terrified of snow skiing although he talks like he is the best skier around. He was dying to be a hockey player so we took him skating and he cried the whole time although he insists that he loves skating too. Maybe by the time he really picks a career he will be as brave as he thinks he is.

My Pet

Cara was so appropriately named Sweet Caroline. I just can’t get over how caring and maternal she is. (Although she does like a good wrestling match and she hasn’t noticed that Caleb is bigger than her.) She and Caleb would both really like to have a pet. (Maybe I am depriving them of life experiences, but those of you who know me well know that I am a neat freak, maybe to a fault. I just can’t stand the idea of sharing my home with something hairy or stinky, besides Josh.) Anyway, back to Cara, today she brought me the blue cup in the picture with her “pet in it.” Her pet is an almost dead box elder bug. The bug was on its back and I told her it was almost dead. She said “it is just sleeping” and she put it on “this nice comfy pillow for a nap.” Luckily this time of year her pet can easily be replaced.



Cara is so excited to have “my baby sister.” I am only 18 weeks and we do not know what we are having, but she is excited. (We are going to wait to have our ultrasound until January so that it goes on next years deductable so we wont know what we are having for a while.) I am considering not finding out because I know she will love the baby either way, but she won’t like getting the news that it is a boy. She is adorable. She often loving pats and strokes my tummy and kisses it daily. When she hears my tummy growl she gets so excited. She says, “my baby sister is talking to me.” She doesn’t mind putting away the cloths that are too small for her because they are for her sister. (I am really trying not to egg her on. She doesn’t need any encouragement or ideas from me.) The only thing that upsets her about this experience is that she would really like to have her own baby.

Connie's Mission Call

My baby sister Connie got her mission call. I can’t believe she is old enough to go on a mission. She is going to the Ohio Cleveland Mission and the Historic Kirtland Visitors' Center. She will leave on January 6. We are excited for her! I hope it is hard enough to humble her! I have a hard time not being just a little jealous that it is such a seemingly easy call, but I guess she could be jealous that I went international. We love Connie! She is my children’s “other mother” and we will really miss her.

Pears and Cottage Cheese

Unless you really love me you may not be that interested in this post, but I feel compelled to write about my current, bazar obsession with pears and cottage cheese. Before September of 2009 I had probably only eaten pears and cottage cheese a hand full of times. I thought it was good, but not something that called to me. About a month ago I started eating pears and cottage cheese, and I haven't stopped. I eat it for at least two "meals" a day. When I am preggo I make my food selections based on how it will taste coming back up. Amazingly pears and cottage cheese treat my stomach well and stay down for the most part. I go to the fridge thinking I will eat this or that and it always comes back to "I guess I will just have some pears and cottage cheese." This morning I had one of my "favorite" foods from my other pregnancies, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, (cinnamon is supposed to be a natural remedy for settling the stomach.) I think I have thrown it up just a few to many times. I could barley choke it down. I just wished I was eating pears and cottage cheese.

There are lots of weird things that happen when one is pregnant, but food cravings, or in this case obsessions, has got to be somewhere in the top 10. When I was expecting Andy I was even more sick than this time. In my first 13 weeks I lost 10 pounds and could hold down almost nothing. One of the very few things I could eat was Macaroni and Cheese, a food I haven't eaten sense that time and before becoming pregnant with Andy I probably hadn't eaten it in 10 years. With Cara it was home canned peaches, but I had to pace myself on that one because there was a limited supply creating a natural end. With Caleb I didn't hold anything down until I learned about the miracle drug Zofran. I had lots of making up to do for the weight lost in the first 20 weeks and my food of choice was french fries, and every day after work I had a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Although I have experienced "craving" or food that I wanted to eat every day in my other pregnancies, I have never experienced wanting to eat the same food for every meal. So much for the balanced diet. That being said, I think I will go have some pears and cottage cheese.