That's right, I have a skeleton baby.
Slightly bigger baby bump! 19 weeks
No, I'm not 9 months pregnant...just really good at sticking out my belly.
family
Monday, November 26, 2012
real Halloween
Our ward Halloween party was several weeks before Halloween this year. My costume was a little cumbersome, so I decided I wouldn't wear it on the actual holiday. (It would have been nearly impossible to get any work done.) Fortunately, Laura couldn't resist sending me a really cute shirt that I ended up wearing that day instead.
the joys of pregnancy
Disclaimer: If you've never been pregnant before, read at your own risk. Also, this is a really long post.
Before we decided to have kids, I was aware that pregnancy could have some less-than-fun aspects. Apparently I was not aware of the full extent and range of potential symptoms. Here, I will detail some of the lovely things I've been able to experience. :) (I really hope this comes off as sarcastic and funny, as it's meant to be, instead of just complaining.)
*Note: When referring to our baby, I will be calling her Bean. For some reason, we didn't call her anything but "our baby" for a long time, but when we found out she's a girl, I decided I wanted a nickname for her and settled on Bean (and variations).
Nausea and Vomiting: This one is obvious. Lots of women have "morning sickness." I had even been warned that that's a misnomer and it can easily last all day. Fortunately, my nausea wasn't as bad as it could have been, even though it did last all day most of the time. (I'll spare you the details on the vomiting.) I count myself lucky that I was still able to work and wasn't stuck on the couch all day. Of course, after 2 months of that constant icky feeling, it was getting a little tiresome, especially since I was mostly eating toasted/buttered bagels, crackers, and juice. Around 14 weeks, I started feeling better. Smells weren't bothering me quite as much, and I even started cooking again (poor Brian didn't have a decent meal during that time, as far as I know).
Burping: I never really had a problem with burping before and had never even been taught how to burp (surprising, since I have three older brothers). But now I can burp like a champ. Embarrassingly, I often don't have enough control to slowly let them out or produce smaller, quieter burps. Even Brian has been impressed by my manly belching.
Bloody Gums: My gums started bleeding (slightly) when brushing my teeth. I actually thought it was because I had started using a night guard for teeth grinding. I was pretty sure it wasn't because of flossing, since I never floss and hadn't started again. ;) Anyway, then I read an article online about things they don't tell you about pregnancy, and I discovered that it's actually not uncommon to have bleeding gums. I suppose I should start flossing, but meh.
Fainting: Ok, so I haven't actually passed out yet. But I've had several near-misses. It always happens at work, when I'm working in the glove box. I've decided it's probably because I get overheated (big rubber gloves all the way up your arms don't circulate air very well). My doctor actually told me it's normal and it's usually because of low blood sugar or low blood pressure. I make sure to keep my knees slightly bent (not locked) and not be hungry while I'm working. It's a little scary to suddenly break into a cold sweat and have the blackness start closing in around your vision. Fortunately, I've always been able to get out of the glove box before anything actually happens.
Colds: The second trimester has been pretty good thus far, but I caught a cold a few weeks ago. I knew there wasn't much you could take during pregnancy, but it hadn't been an issue before that. I ended up coping with cough drops and a little Tylenol. Fortunately, that cold was short-lived. However, I got sick again 4-5 days ago, and this one is much worse - sinus headache, sensitive eyes, cough, brief 101 degree fever, etc. I know plenty of people get sick during pregnancy, but I can't help but worry and hope that our little Bean won't be affected.
Cold Sores/Impetigo: I started getting cold sores sometime in middle or high school, and impetigo has been a problem since I was little. It was no surprise, then, that they have come with a vengeance during pregnancy. In the first month or two, I had two giant cold sores back-to-back, followed by a nice outbreak of impetigo. Again, the doctor told me these things are normal because your immune system is compromised so the baby isn't seen as something foreign to be destroyed. I've dealt with these sores long enough that, although they're uncomfortable and inconvenient, I can handle them well enough. Bean is worth it. :) And actually, the latest outbreak of impetigo came at the same time as the first cold that I caught. I didn't have a current prescription of the cream/ointment that I usually use (I had used an expired tube when I had it before), so I went to the doctor for a new one. He put me on oral antibiotics instead, and I think that may have actually helped shorten the cold (see above). Blessings in disguise.
Cramps: Menstrual-like cramps are pretty normal in pregnancy. I didn't think they'd be a big deal because I rarely had them before. And actually, they haven't been a huge deal, but I do get them more frequently now, almost always on my right side. It's always from random things like rolling over in bed, standing up, or coughing. Sometimes they've been so sharp that I've doubled over in pain. Luckily, mine have never lasted longer than about 20-30 seconds. Along with those fun cramps, I had heard that charley horses weren't uncommon either. A few weeks ago, I fell asleep on the couch; when I woke up to go to bed for real, my leg cramped up and I couldn't get up for a minute. It was pretty intense, but I'm grateful it was short-lived.
Nosebleeds: I've only had one, but it actually came within 5 minutes of the aforementioned charley horse. After finally getting off the couch, I was pulling stuff together to take upstairs. When I bent over, I felt my nose starting to drip then realized it wasn't snot. Good thing I started reaching for a Kleenex as it was dripping. Brian actually gets nosebleeds sometimes, so when I realized I didn't know how to stop it (I never get them), I had to ask him what to do. I ended up plugging my nostril with some toilet paper for a while. Unsophisticated, but it did the trick.
Back Pain: I had lower back pain occasionally before pregnancy, so I shouldn't have been surprised that it would come back. It wasn't an issue until a few days ago, after I probably overdid it during Thanksgiving. I was on my feet for a good portion of the day on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as part of Friday. By Saturday night, I was starting to feel it. I almost didn't go to church on Sunday (and probably shouldn't have because of my cold germs) because I could only stand straight for 10-20 seconds before having to bend over or sit again. This back pain has been much more intense than previous bouts I've experienced. (Last night, I told Brian that if this is anything like labor, or if labor is worse, I'm definitely getting an epidural. He responded, "This is a good time for me not to say anything, right?") Thankfully, I have some wonderful friends who are looking out for me and gave me some great advice, so I'm doing much better today. One of them even lent me her back brace and this magical stuff called Biofreeze (sort of like IcyHot).
Fetal Movement: I've talked about this before, and it's not a bad thing. It's pretty fun to feel Bean moving around. I was noticing today that her kicks seems to be stronger and more deliberate now (before, it just felt like twitching). I even got to see my belly move today. Unfortunately, she's still being shy for Brian - when he came over to watch, she stopped moving. He did finally feel her kick about a week ago, though. I told Brian this is the only time she'll be allowed to kick me or anyone else and get away with it. ;)
Other Things: There are several other things that I've experienced lately, but all of them fall in the realm of TMI. I'll leave them to the imagination. :)
Before we decided to have kids, I was aware that pregnancy could have some less-than-fun aspects. Apparently I was not aware of the full extent and range of potential symptoms. Here, I will detail some of the lovely things I've been able to experience. :) (I really hope this comes off as sarcastic and funny, as it's meant to be, instead of just complaining.)
Wait, now you're pregnant?
*Note: When referring to our baby, I will be calling her Bean. For some reason, we didn't call her anything but "our baby" for a long time, but when we found out she's a girl, I decided I wanted a nickname for her and settled on Bean (and variations).
Nausea and Vomiting: This one is obvious. Lots of women have "morning sickness." I had even been warned that that's a misnomer and it can easily last all day. Fortunately, my nausea wasn't as bad as it could have been, even though it did last all day most of the time. (I'll spare you the details on the vomiting.) I count myself lucky that I was still able to work and wasn't stuck on the couch all day. Of course, after 2 months of that constant icky feeling, it was getting a little tiresome, especially since I was mostly eating toasted/buttered bagels, crackers, and juice. Around 14 weeks, I started feeling better. Smells weren't bothering me quite as much, and I even started cooking again (poor Brian didn't have a decent meal during that time, as far as I know).
Burping: I never really had a problem with burping before and had never even been taught how to burp (surprising, since I have three older brothers). But now I can burp like a champ. Embarrassingly, I often don't have enough control to slowly let them out or produce smaller, quieter burps. Even Brian has been impressed by my manly belching.
Bloody Gums: My gums started bleeding (slightly) when brushing my teeth. I actually thought it was because I had started using a night guard for teeth grinding. I was pretty sure it wasn't because of flossing, since I never floss and hadn't started again. ;) Anyway, then I read an article online about things they don't tell you about pregnancy, and I discovered that it's actually not uncommon to have bleeding gums. I suppose I should start flossing, but meh.
Fainting: Ok, so I haven't actually passed out yet. But I've had several near-misses. It always happens at work, when I'm working in the glove box. I've decided it's probably because I get overheated (big rubber gloves all the way up your arms don't circulate air very well). My doctor actually told me it's normal and it's usually because of low blood sugar or low blood pressure. I make sure to keep my knees slightly bent (not locked) and not be hungry while I'm working. It's a little scary to suddenly break into a cold sweat and have the blackness start closing in around your vision. Fortunately, I've always been able to get out of the glove box before anything actually happens.
Colds: The second trimester has been pretty good thus far, but I caught a cold a few weeks ago. I knew there wasn't much you could take during pregnancy, but it hadn't been an issue before that. I ended up coping with cough drops and a little Tylenol. Fortunately, that cold was short-lived. However, I got sick again 4-5 days ago, and this one is much worse - sinus headache, sensitive eyes, cough, brief 101 degree fever, etc. I know plenty of people get sick during pregnancy, but I can't help but worry and hope that our little Bean won't be affected.
Cold Sores/Impetigo: I started getting cold sores sometime in middle or high school, and impetigo has been a problem since I was little. It was no surprise, then, that they have come with a vengeance during pregnancy. In the first month or two, I had two giant cold sores back-to-back, followed by a nice outbreak of impetigo. Again, the doctor told me these things are normal because your immune system is compromised so the baby isn't seen as something foreign to be destroyed. I've dealt with these sores long enough that, although they're uncomfortable and inconvenient, I can handle them well enough. Bean is worth it. :) And actually, the latest outbreak of impetigo came at the same time as the first cold that I caught. I didn't have a current prescription of the cream/ointment that I usually use (I had used an expired tube when I had it before), so I went to the doctor for a new one. He put me on oral antibiotics instead, and I think that may have actually helped shorten the cold (see above). Blessings in disguise.
Cramps: Menstrual-like cramps are pretty normal in pregnancy. I didn't think they'd be a big deal because I rarely had them before. And actually, they haven't been a huge deal, but I do get them more frequently now, almost always on my right side. It's always from random things like rolling over in bed, standing up, or coughing. Sometimes they've been so sharp that I've doubled over in pain. Luckily, mine have never lasted longer than about 20-30 seconds. Along with those fun cramps, I had heard that charley horses weren't uncommon either. A few weeks ago, I fell asleep on the couch; when I woke up to go to bed for real, my leg cramped up and I couldn't get up for a minute. It was pretty intense, but I'm grateful it was short-lived.
Nosebleeds: I've only had one, but it actually came within 5 minutes of the aforementioned charley horse. After finally getting off the couch, I was pulling stuff together to take upstairs. When I bent over, I felt my nose starting to drip then realized it wasn't snot. Good thing I started reaching for a Kleenex as it was dripping. Brian actually gets nosebleeds sometimes, so when I realized I didn't know how to stop it (I never get them), I had to ask him what to do. I ended up plugging my nostril with some toilet paper for a while. Unsophisticated, but it did the trick.
Back Pain: I had lower back pain occasionally before pregnancy, so I shouldn't have been surprised that it would come back. It wasn't an issue until a few days ago, after I probably overdid it during Thanksgiving. I was on my feet for a good portion of the day on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as part of Friday. By Saturday night, I was starting to feel it. I almost didn't go to church on Sunday (and probably shouldn't have because of my cold germs) because I could only stand straight for 10-20 seconds before having to bend over or sit again. This back pain has been much more intense than previous bouts I've experienced. (Last night, I told Brian that if this is anything like labor, or if labor is worse, I'm definitely getting an epidural. He responded, "This is a good time for me not to say anything, right?") Thankfully, I have some wonderful friends who are looking out for me and gave me some great advice, so I'm doing much better today. One of them even lent me her back brace and this magical stuff called Biofreeze (sort of like IcyHot).
Fetal Movement: I've talked about this before, and it's not a bad thing. It's pretty fun to feel Bean moving around. I was noticing today that her kicks seems to be stronger and more deliberate now (before, it just felt like twitching). I even got to see my belly move today. Unfortunately, she's still being shy for Brian - when he came over to watch, she stopped moving. He did finally feel her kick about a week ago, though. I told Brian this is the only time she'll be allowed to kick me or anyone else and get away with it. ;)
Other Things: There are several other things that I've experienced lately, but all of them fall in the realm of TMI. I'll leave them to the imagination. :)
overheard
My parents and the Pacinis came to Columbus for Thanksgiving. We had a great time with the turkey hunt (courtesy of Brian), cooking, games, etc. On Thursday night, we were all pretty exhausted, so Mom and Dad had set up their air mattress in the living room and most of us were hanging out there before bed. Laura decided it would be too difficult to go upstairs to bed, so she commandeered the air mattress. The following ensued.
*Ben, pulling on Laura's arm to help her up*
Laura (semi-conscious): Don't pull too hard. Sometimes my shoulder comes out of its socket!
Dad (shocked): Really?
Laura: No, but it could!
*Ben, pulling on Laura's arm to help her up*
Laura (semi-conscious): Don't pull too hard. Sometimes my shoulder comes out of its socket!
Dad (shocked): Really?
Laura: No, but it could!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Baby Name Results
Votes are coming in for our child’s name! It's a girl, and the survey has been updated accordingly. The current leaders from the voting thus far are shown below, though this is by no means conclusive. We’ve had a total of 5,262 votes for boys’ names and 4,830 votes for girls’ names. Keep it up!
Please vote on our updated survey here!
If you would like to take an extended survey to increase your influence, or if you’d like the opportunity to add names to the list to voted upon, I've created a survey where you can vote 95 times and also see the 195 names that are currently available. Take it here!
Thanks, and for the person with the most votes by the time our baby is born, we’ll name our pet goldfish after you… or something like that.
Boys
|
Votes For
|
Votes Against
|
Score Using Brian's algorithm
|
Rank
|
Michael
|
23
|
1
|
0.970
|
1
|
Colton
|
23
|
1
|
0.952
|
2
|
Mark
|
22
|
2
|
0.935
|
3
|
William
|
20
|
3
|
0.907
|
4
|
Hunter
|
19
|
4
|
0.883
|
5
|
Logan
|
21
|
4
|
0.859
|
6
|
Thomas
|
20
|
4
|
0.846
|
7
|
Collin
|
19
|
5
|
0.843
|
8
|
James
|
23
|
5
|
0.833
|
9
|
Daniel
|
19
|
5
|
0.833
|
10
|
Nathaniel
|
19
|
5
|
0.813
|
11
|
Carter
|
18
|
7
|
0.803
|
12
|
Dylan
|
19
|
5
|
0.802
|
13
|
Nathan
|
18
|
6
|
0.795
|
14
|
Parker
|
20
|
4
|
0.794
|
15
|
Evan
|
19
|
6
|
0.790
|
16
|
Mason
|
18
|
6
|
0.786
|
17
|
Jason
|
20
|
4
|
0.785
|
18
|
Austin
|
18
|
5
|
0.776
|
19
|
Justin
|
18
|
6
|
0.770
|
20
|
Girls
|
Votes For
|
Votes Against
|
Score Using Brian's algorithm
|
Rank
|
London
|
20
|
3
|
0.908
|
1
|
Elise
|
19
|
3
|
0.903
|
2
|
Rachel
|
22
|
3
|
0.899
|
3
|
Lauren
|
20
|
4
|
0.889
|
4
|
Audrey
|
23
|
3
|
0.883
|
5
|
Lindsey
|
23
|
5
|
0.877
|
6
|
Emily
|
19
|
3
|
0.875
|
7
|
Scarlett
|
19
|
3
|
0.873
|
8
|
Kate
|
19
|
4
|
0.857
|
9
|
Madison
|
20
|
5
|
0.855
|
10
|
Summer
|
21
|
4
|
0.855
|
11
|
Haley
|
18
|
4
|
0.854
|
12
|
Ashlyn
|
23
|
4
|
0.849
|
13
|
Hailey
|
21
|
4
|
0.847
|
14
|
Ashley
|
20
|
5
|
0.826
|
15
|
Autumn
|
27
|
8
|
0.822
|
16
|
Leah
|
20
|
3
|
0.816
|
17
|
Harmony
|
18
|
6
|
0.809
|
18
|
Morgan
|
17
|
7
|
0.802
|
19
|
Allison
|
19
|
5
|
0.797
|
20
|
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
overheard
Brian: It's almost your birth month!
Amy: Yup!
Brian: How old are you turning again?
Amy: I'm getting old. 27. Man, I'm old to be having babies. I should have started having kids, like, 10 years ago!
(Yes, sometimes I speak before thinking.)
Amy (to Brian): I have decided the baby feels like a worm [when it moves]. Did you feel your worms when you had them?
Oh, yeah, and the baby is a girl. :) Apparently Brian and I are breaking the mold - all of my siblings had boys first. (Although 3 of Brian's 4 sisters had girls first, so I guess it's not that crazy.)
Amy: Yup!
Brian: How old are you turning again?
Amy: I'm getting old. 27. Man, I'm old to be having babies. I should have started having kids, like, 10 years ago!
(Yes, sometimes I speak before thinking.)
Amy (to Brian): I have decided the baby feels like a worm [when it moves]. Did you feel your worms when you had them?
Oh, yeah, and the baby is a girl. :) Apparently Brian and I are breaking the mold - all of my siblings had boys first. (Although 3 of Brian's 4 sisters had girls first, so I guess it's not that crazy.)
Friday, October 19, 2012
movement
Stolen from here. I have no affiliation with this site and didn't even read the article the picture came from.
As a side note, I'm going to call the baby* "him" for now even though we don't know the gender yet. It's easier and less repetitive that way. (I say "him" because I'm personally convinced that it's a boy. Brian doesn't have an opinion yet. When I asked him, he said, "Let's take a vote. I'm going to wait to vote until after the ultrasound.")
On that note, I recently started feeling the baby move around. I'm sure that's not that exciting for people who have already had kids, but I think it's pretty cool! (Although I have to admit, the more I feel it, the more it feels a little like an alien poking me from inside.) I think I actually felt him for the first time about 2 weeks ago (?), but having never been pregnant before this, I wasn't sure if it was that or gas. ;) Yesterday, before getting up in the morning, I decided to lay there and see if I could feel him at all. As if on cue, he started moving all over the place (it definitely wasn't indigestion). Maybe he'll have some entertainment genes like his dad. :) I felt him again while sitting on the bus on the way home from work and then later during our meeting with the elders. In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm feeling even more little kicks.
*Brian and I joked about calling the baby "the fetus" for the duration of my pregnancy. As hilarious as I think that is, I can't bring myself to do it, especially in writing. ;)
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Halloween
Tonight was our ward Halloween Party. We decided to go with the "bun in the oven" theme, and turned Amy into an oven. I, of course, am the baker.
We were quite satisfied with how the oven turned out, especially considering we started it last night.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
belly
When Scott and Laura found out I was pregnant, they asked for belly shots. At that point (and I guess still), I really only had a little paunch. Whatever, this is what you get. These are from our trip to UT, so I was not quite 12 weeks.
I'm sure I was probably trying to suck it in, but this is as far as it goes.
I'm really not that big, and hopefully you can tell I was sticking it
out as far as possible. Hence, the funny look on my face because it was
actually pretty uncomfortable to do.
the nephews
I've decided we have some pretty funny kids in our family. While we were in UT with Brian's family, we heard these gems from a couple of our nephews.
M (4 yrs old; after hearing his dad talk about someone getting married): My parents got married.
Amy: Oh, really? Did they have you before or after they got married?
M: I was in my mommy's tummy!
*M was, of course, born several years after his parents got married
*During breakfast one morning, B got up from the table and started to go downstairs. Grandma was helping the kids get food while their parents were getting ready.
Grandma: Where are you going, B?
B (3 yrs old): I'm getting my parents.
Grandma: Stay up here and finish breakfast. They're fine downstairs.
B: No! They can't be left alone!
*B (same as above) has a stuffed lamb that he loves and carries around a lot. It's actually a mom with a baby lamb attached. B's mom told us to ask him what their names were.
Tami: B, what's your lamb's name?
B: Eight-lamb.
Tami (amused): And what's the baby lamb's name?
B: Killer!
*Note, I have no idea how to spell Eight-lamb; the adults later decided it was funnier if it was "Ate-lamb." There were plenty of jokes about how Killer Ate-Lamb. Also, B has had speech problems but has made incredible improvements; however, this actually made "Killer" sound like "Killah!" as if he was being a gangsta.
M (4 yrs old; after hearing his dad talk about someone getting married): My parents got married.
Amy: Oh, really? Did they have you before or after they got married?
M: I was in my mommy's tummy!
*M was, of course, born several years after his parents got married
*During breakfast one morning, B got up from the table and started to go downstairs. Grandma was helping the kids get food while their parents were getting ready.
Grandma: Where are you going, B?
B (3 yrs old): I'm getting my parents.
Grandma: Stay up here and finish breakfast. They're fine downstairs.
B: No! They can't be left alone!
*B (same as above) has a stuffed lamb that he loves and carries around a lot. It's actually a mom with a baby lamb attached. B's mom told us to ask him what their names were.
Tami: B, what's your lamb's name?
B: Eight-lamb.
Tami (amused): And what's the baby lamb's name?
B: Killer!
*Note, I have no idea how to spell Eight-lamb; the adults later decided it was funnier if it was "Ate-lamb." There were plenty of jokes about how Killer Ate-Lamb. Also, B has had speech problems but has made incredible improvements; however, this actually made "Killer" sound like "Killah!" as if he was being a gangsta.
overheard
*This happened after my second prenatal appointment, around 9 weeks.
Amy: Wanna hear something funny? I've actually lost 2 pounds since the last time I went to the doctor.
Brian (really excited): Do you think our baby is made of helium??
*At my appointment in mid-September, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time (although I had already seen it on an ultrasound).
Amy: Brian, I got to hear the heartbeat today! It was really fast - the nurse said it was about 160.
Brian: That's how fast I beat...
Amy: Um, no way does your heart beat that fast, there would be something wrong.
Brian (starting to speak while Amy is finishing): ...poor, defenseless animals.
*As horrible as it is, I laughed for probably 5 minutes about that. There's a reason I married Brian. :)
Amy: Wanna hear something funny? I've actually lost 2 pounds since the last time I went to the doctor.
Brian (really excited): Do you think our baby is made of helium??
*At my appointment in mid-September, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time (although I had already seen it on an ultrasound).
Amy: Brian, I got to hear the heartbeat today! It was really fast - the nurse said it was about 160.
Brian: That's how fast I beat...
Amy: Um, no way does your heart beat that fast, there would be something wrong.
Brian (starting to speak while Amy is finishing): ...poor, defenseless animals.
*As horrible as it is, I laughed for probably 5 minutes about that. There's a reason I married Brian. :)
Friday, September 28, 2012
Name the Casaday Baby
Hello all,
As you have likely heard, Amy is expecting our first child next March!
Take a chance to vote on the name of the new Casaday at this little survey I created. You can take the survey multiple times, as the questions are different each time.
As you have likely heard, Amy is expecting our first child next March!
Take a chance to vote on the name of the new Casaday at this little survey I created. You can take the survey multiple times, as the questions are different each time.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
editing headache
During the summer, I had 2 classes to finish up before graduation. One of them was a world history class that was only difficult because of my extreme lack of interest in the subject. Anyway, one of the assignments during the semester was to write a 3-4 page paper related to a memoir we read. After turning in our rough drafts, we had to read and review 2 of our peers' papers.
I know I'm not the best writer in the world (I'm the first to admit it!!). However, before I started at OSU, I was warned by several friends not to worry too much about it because no one at OSU can write. ;) Unfortunately, when I read the other students' papers, I found that I had to agree to an extent. (Don't worry, I know some people at OSU can write...) One of the papers was chock full of run-on sentences. I have reproduced the worst offenders below for your reading pleasure/pain/torment. (NOTE: I did not ask his permission and may have to take this down.)
I know I'm not the best writer in the world (I'm the first to admit it!!). However, before I started at OSU, I was warned by several friends not to worry too much about it because no one at OSU can write. ;) Unfortunately, when I read the other students' papers, I found that I had to agree to an extent. (Don't worry, I know some people at OSU can write...) One of the papers was chock full of run-on sentences. I have reproduced the worst offenders below for your reading pleasure/pain/torment. (NOTE: I did not ask his permission and may have to take this down.)
"For example, after the Russians and Chinese had made
their way back and winter was settling in quite hard, Kuramoto’s father was
outside cutting a tree up for firewood to keep his family from freezing to
death when two Chinese policemen came up and enlightened him to the fact that
that tree and house and yard were not his, that they actually belonged to the
Chinese government and would not be able to cut any more tree branches off the
trees."
"True they were not thinking of imperialism as it is talked about today but because of the imperialistic way of life the citizens were pressured into thinking constantly about the effects of imperialism, such as segregation, oppression, rioting and later in life the mental aspects of being in the trenches of a collapsing imperialistic society."
After reading the first one, Brian recommended that I comment with "Holy run-on sentence, Batman!" for it in my peer review. Too bad I didn't have the guts.
"True they were not thinking of imperialism as it is talked about today but because of the imperialistic way of life the citizens were pressured into thinking constantly about the effects of imperialism, such as segregation, oppression, rioting and later in life the mental aspects of being in the trenches of a collapsing imperialistic society."
After reading the first one, Brian recommended that I comment with "Holy run-on sentence, Batman!" for it in my peer review. Too bad I didn't have the guts.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Diary of a Rock
June 27th
Earlier today there was a windstorm. I was fine, but plenty of other
smaller rocks got blown around. Hopefully we don’t have anything worse tomorrow.
June 28th
Not much happened today.
July 17th
I’m going to be better about writing. The past couple weeks have been
pretty boring, and I haven’t had much to write about, but I’ll do better. It’s
been pretty good weather lately.
August 3rd
Have my eyes on another rock a few yards away, but I don’t know if she
even notices me. Maybe I’ll get the courage to do something… oh, who am I
kidding! I’m just a rock.
August 6th
I AM SO FREAKED OUT RIGHT NOW!!! I’m surprised I’m even alive, and I
don’t even know what’s going on! Earlier this morning I saw a meteor overhead,
or at least I thought it was a meteor. It looked like it was breaking up, but
then it started SLOWING DOWN! It was coming down overhead, when something crazy
happened- it started shooting flames downward! Yeah. Shooting flames! It looked
like it had four or five torches, blasting everything in its path. Oh and did I
mention, it also had bright lights on it? It even blasted some fellow sand and
rocks just a few yards away. Then suddenly, while hovering in the air (it
stopped falling completely) it slowly lowered down a giant monster on a cable
until it got to the ground. Afterwards, the meteor-thing flew away and I lost
sight of it as it went behind the mountains. It still had its torches annihilating everything
as it went. But the monster is still here! It’s right in front of me. At first
it didn’t appear to be alive, but after a couple of minutes, it started moving
and making funny noises. It hasn’t actually moved from where it landed, but its
head (I think) and arms have been moving around. I think it’s looking at me
right now...
August 7th
I was hoping that yesterday was some sort of hallucination, but the
monster is still here. While I’m not sure, I think it’s an alien from another
planet. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It hasn’t moved much, but it
also hasn’t done anything to make me any less anxious. It continues to look
around making beeping and buzzing noises. It’s bigger than I originally thought,
and its head can extend about ten feet above its body. I wish it would leave.
It has a bunch of arms and legs, I can’t see them all. It certainly doesn’t
look friendly.
August 8th
The alien hasn’t moved more than a couple inches. Maybe its legs are
broken.
August 10th
Ya know, maybe I misjudged the alien. After all, it hasn’t done
anything to me (yet). The initial terror of the last few days has subsided, but
the alien still hasn’t made any effort at all to tell me why it’s even here.
August 12th
Perhaps this alien race has come in peace. I think the alien has just
been observing the surroundings. After all, if I were to visit another planet,
I wouldn’t know the first thing about communicating with the natives. I’d
probably do the same thing as this alien, just cautiously observe and explore
the surroundings.
August 16th
I wonder what kind of things we will learn from this alien species!
Certainly we could trade technologies, histories, and help to solve each
other’s problems. Thinking about it, this is actually a very amazing thing to
experience.
August 19th
This might be my last entry. I was wrong. The aliens are definitely not
peaceful. The alien is armed, and today, without provocation, shot me with a freakin’
laser! I’m still alive, but I’m not sure for how long. If anybody is reading this,
please spread the word. I can only assume that this alien is here to learn
about our strengths and defenses, probably preparing for an invasion!
Monday, July 30, 2012
overheard
Brian (trying to give Amy a pep talk): You can do anything you want to.
Amy: But I don't want to get up!Yeah, it was a struggle to get out of bed this morning. Methinks we need to go to bed earlier.
******
Brian (complimenting Amy): You're cuter than a baby skunk.In his defense, we saw a baby skunk a few weeks ago, and it was pretty cute.
(Stolen from http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridapfe/4041568530/)
Monday, July 23, 2012
overheard
I've been helping in Sunbeams (the 3-year-old class at church) for a few weeks here and there. This interaction made me giggle.
*at the end of class, the kids were coloring and eating small snacks*
P (3-year-old): I need 4 more animal crackers.
E (substitute teacher and mother of one of the children): Everyone can have 2 more or none at all.
P: I think I'll have none.
*E hands more animal crackers to some of the other kids*
P: I decided I need 3 more. No, 4.
*E hands her 2 more animal crackers*
P: Is this 4?
E: Yes.
I'm sure P could have figured out that it wasn't 4 if she had thought about it (she obviously knows numbers). But she seemed content with E's answer and happily ate the extra animal crackers. I cracked up in the corner. :)
*at the end of class, the kids were coloring and eating small snacks*
P (3-year-old): I need 4 more animal crackers.
E (substitute teacher and mother of one of the children): Everyone can have 2 more or none at all.
P: I think I'll have none.
*E hands more animal crackers to some of the other kids*
P: I decided I need 3 more. No, 4.
*E hands her 2 more animal crackers*
P: Is this 4?
E: Yes.
I'm sure P could have figured out that it wasn't 4 if she had thought about it (she obviously knows numbers). But she seemed content with E's answer and happily ate the extra animal crackers. I cracked up in the corner. :)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
garden version 2.012
Warning: Lots of pictures of green things to follow.
We planted our garden a bit late(r) this year. I don't know exactly when it was, but maybe May or June instead of on our anniversary, like last year. Although our plot is small, we decided we wanted to expand. So naturally, we asked our neighbor if we could use his plot too. ;) He wasn't planning on using it, and was more than willing to oblige. We did told him that he can have some of the produce if he ever wants it.
When we planted, we still had the onions and garlic from last year (that didn't turn out so well...), as well as the ice plant, Rose of Sharon, and honeysuckle. There were also some grapes and blueberries we planted last year as an experiment, and they haven't died yet (the grapes are currently flourishing, although the blueberries seem to be trying to die). We had to pull out all the overgrown weeds and ended up getting rid of the garlic and onions too. This year, we planted:
We planted our garden a bit late(r) this year. I don't know exactly when it was, but maybe May or June instead of on our anniversary, like last year. Although our plot is small, we decided we wanted to expand. So naturally, we asked our neighbor if we could use his plot too. ;) He wasn't planning on using it, and was more than willing to oblige. We did told him that he can have some of the produce if he ever wants it.
This was all picked in one day. Two decent cucumbers, with more still on the vines; delicious cherry tomatoes (I often eat them right off the plant, without even washing them); cayenne peppers, not quite ripe but still with plenty of kick; sage (bottom right); lemon basil (right). We used a lot of this for dinner that night.
When we planted, we still had the onions and garlic from last year (that didn't turn out so well...), as well as the ice plant, Rose of Sharon, and honeysuckle. There were also some grapes and blueberries we planted last year as an experiment, and they haven't died yet (the grapes are currently flourishing, although the blueberries seem to be trying to die). We had to pull out all the overgrown weeds and ended up getting rid of the garlic and onions too. This year, we planted:
- one strawberry plant
- one cilantro plant
- one lemon basil plant (inspired by someone in our ward - it's wonderful!)
- one sage plant
- one catawba plant (some sort of flowering shrub, I think)
Our side of the garden.
Sage (left) and lemon basil (right). Top left is the catawba Brian planted.
You may not be able to pick these out as well, I wish there was a better way to describe it. Bottom left is cilantro. Top left is the catawba. Top middle is the honeysuckle from last year. Bottom middle is our happy little ice plant. Right is the Rose of Sharon. It's hard to see, but between the honeysuckle and the Rose of Sharon is our sad little strawberry plant. It hasn't died, but it hasn't grown much either (certainly no fruit).
Rose of Sharon. This picture is mostly to make Brian's family jealous, since we bought it as a one gallon plant in April 2011. :) It has grown much better (and bigger) than it would have in the same amount of time in UT. I guess this also gives a fairly good view of the honeysuckle.
Blossoms - we didn't want double blossoms, and the tag said they weren't, but when it grew, that's what bloomed. I guess it's still pretty, and believe me, this bush/tree is Brian's pride and joy. ;)
The other side of the garden:
- three cherry tomato plants
- three long red cayenne pepper plants
- three green/red bell pepper plants
- three cucumber plants
- a packet of flower seeds (don't remember what kind, they haven't grown)
Our neighbor's side of the garden, which he so graciously let us use. The tomatoes (along the fence) have somewhat taken over, which I guess we should have expected. Some of that along the fence is also honeysuckle creeping over from the other side.
Can you see the little bell pepper hiding?
Long red cayenne peppers - not terribly long or red.
I can't figure out why Blogger insists on rotating this picture, so I'll just have to leave it and be frustrated. This is our lovely cucumber patch.
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