I'm supposed to be working on a school paper right now, but it's really proving difficult without having the textbook. Heh. We've been so freakin' poor lately that I've been putting off buying it until after Christmas, but it looks like the time has come. I sold $50 of stuff on eBay the other day, but I'm still waiting to get paid, so hopefully when they pay me I'll order my book from Half.com. Oh, the joys of being young and poor. Heheh. I just keep repeating....it'll all be better someday.

Mother Shock

A few months before Lauren was born, I read this post on Tertia's blog. I sort of forgot about it until tonight. Tonight Donald and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings with the crew from his office, and as we were leaving he said something to the effect of Peeler ruins lots of things and that he kinda misses our old life. Peeler actually had done pretty well - we'd went to the boat parade at six, and then we went straight to Wild Wings and we were there until nine. She started getting antsy about 8:45, so we decided it was time to go. But for those almost-three-hours, she sat in her high chair, watching and listening to all the big people, smiling when necessary.

When you're pregnant, everyone tells you how much having a baby will change your life. I always just sort-of believed them. How much different could it be, really? Even the first few weeks of Peeler's life, I remember thinking, "Oh, this isn't so bad....I don't know what everyone was talking about". And then, slowly, you start to learn that you're not in charge anymore, a tiny baby is, and that whether you like it or not, she will control your life for the near future.

Sure, Donald is right in a way. Having a baby has "ruined" some parts of our life. We can't go out with our friends whenever we want and stay out until dawn. We don't get to go to the movies, or to the gym, or even to the grocery store in peace. But I don't like to think of those parts as "ruined"....just different. Someday we will be able to do all those things again, without a baby. But for now, we're living in a different country, and need to speak the language of the locals. This new country has lots of parks, lots of laundry, and tons of hugs.

Finally, after almost a year, I'm becoming fluent in this new language. Mothering is coming more naturally and it's hard to imagine going back to my "old" life. Donald's getting there - some people just need more time to adjust than others. Driving home from Wild Wings, the Mother Shock concept just kinda popped back in my head, and it makes so much more sense now than it did before.

Catching Up

We ended up taking Peeler to the Dr. yesterday afternoon. Turns out she has bronchitis and an ear infection. They gave her a shot of Rocephin in the office and a prescription for Omincef for the next 10 days. I'm not usually a big fan of antibiotics because I generally think they're overused, but honestly, I don't have the energy right now to care. Sounds bad, I know, but I'm wiped. The good news is she seems to be feeling better today and actually slept from 9:30 last night till 8:00 this morning.

It seems now though that Donald and I are getting sick. I'm all coughy and stuffy this morning, and Donald says he is stuffy, too. And that's just terriffic. HAHA.

I did pass my test last Wednesday. Seems like a month ago already, but I guess it wasn't. Heh. My new term started Dec. 1, but I'm taking it easy for now.

I'm shopping for good, affordable health insurance for Peeler and I (Donald gets his free from work). Any suggestions? Donald can add us to his policy at work for about $280 a month, but that seems like an awful lot.

Okay, guess that's it. If I've promised you anything in the last week or so, I'm sorry. I'm sooo backed up in all areas right now. I REALLY need to go to the Post Office today - I have about 10 packages and all my Christmas cards to mail. So if you're expecting a package from me - with any luck at all you'll have it soon. Heh.

Unknown Housing

Next Friday, I'm moving into an apartment I've never seen. I'm very frightened by this.

Donald and I moved to Hattiesburg the week before Katrina. Yep, bad timing, I know. That's been happening a lot lately, but that's another story completely. Anyway...we've been staying with a few fairies for the past six months because Dad's house was completely destroyed by the storm. We tried desperately to find housing in Hattiesburg, but it seems more than a few people's homes were destroyed, so no apartments have been available. We looked at a duplex a few weeks ago, but it was completely disgusting and way overpriced. So....we decided to move to Jackson.

I like Jackson; there are parks and museums and a few normal people. But...I don't know Jackson very well. We looked at quite a few places, but none had everything we wanted for the price we wanted. We finally found two complexes that were in our price range that had the amenities we needed. Apartment A was big, clean, had brand new kitchen appliances....but the complex itself was kinda ghetto. Plus it didn't have a washer/dryer connection. Apartment B had everything we wanted, plus the grounds were clean and it is in a good part of town (or so I hear). But...they didn't have any units available for us to view. So...we signed the lease anyway. Next weekend we move in. This might be the craziest thing I've ever done. Oh yeah...right next to moving to the coast during hurricane. That was fun.