the day that got better

Today started off with a bang. Literally. The bang of a bike landing on Christian's forehead. Poor guy. He had literally just gotten out of bed and laid down on the bedroom floor to stretch his back. I decided to be helpful and push on his legs for him, using the nearby bike handle to keep my balance. Turns out the bike wasn't really leaning on the wall, rather perched perfectly straight up and down with some clothes hanging off the handle (in our room, we throw clothes pretty much anywhere except where they are supposed to go). The second I took my hand off the bike, it was no longer perfectly perched and it fell--right on Christian's forehead. His eyes were closed and he didn't even see it coming. Metal and screws to head. Poor guy. It looked so painful. I cried.

But the day got better.

Christian finally got his graduation application back from SJSU this afternoon. All set to graduate in May!! First, it turns out he doesn't need one of the classes he's taking this semester (dropping it ASAP!). Second, he needs 2 semesters of a language to fulfill the language requirement of his international business. We already knew this, and he was planning on taking a Portuguese proficiency test (which still needed to be written since there really isn't much of a Portuguese department at SJSU). Instead, the guy at the language department suggested that Christian just take the Spanish language placement test. It would only take about 15 minutes on the computer and might just allow him to pass the requirement. So right then and there, Christian took the Spanish language placement test---and tested out of 2 years of Spanish!! Language requirement--Check!

So Christian just has to finish this semester and take 2 classes next semester and he is finished! Oh, it feels so good. Much better than being hit in the head by a bike. Sometimes days just get better. I'm sure glad his did.

my oh-so-exciting life

1. My sister sent me a text tonight: "I'm roasting chestnuts!" I laughed and said, "It's not even Christmas yet!" But then I got "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" stuck in my mind... and it was all over. Christmas! I'm suddenly super excited for Christmas! I need to slow down. Halloween first. Then Thanksgiving. THEN Christmas. Slow down...

2. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'd love to walk the 5k we ran last year. Anyone else in my family want to do it again this year? I will obviously be walking while you all run, but let's do it!

3. I've decided to clean one room a day so I don't get too tired. (Yeah right--I'm just not in the mood to clean so I set a one-room-a-day goal.) Today I cleaned the living room. It took about 5 minutes. How's that for being productive?

4. The Real Simple magazine from last month highlights a month's worth of dinner recipes. So I actually planned and made dinner tonight! And I'll do it tomorrow night, too! Watch out, Christian. This little mama might actually start cooking on a regular basis... Oh, and I went grocery shopping this morning. Domestic little me, huh?

5. I read 100 pages of a book last night! Heck, the fact that I even opened a book is amazing. It was wonderful. But I stayed up until almost 1 in the morning, and that's never a good thing. Although that did mean that I made it until about 4am before I had to get up and pee. That was nice. Maybe I'll read again tonight!

6. Christian finally sent his ex-work computer back to Alabama, so we are now down to one computer--this laptop. That's a problem. We all have to share now. I'm not doing a very good job right now...

7. I get to see all my nieces and nephews this week! I hung out with Ashley and her boys on Monday, visited Amy and her boys on Tuesday, and we'll get to hang out with Ian and Kitty and their girls this weekend.

8. Isn't this the most interesting blog post in the world? I know. My life is riveting sometimes. Ri-ve-ting.

a few of my favorite things

Today I'm supposed to be cleaning. That whole nesting urge where you run around and deep clean to the point of exhaustion has not yet hit me. Instead I'm slowly walking around forcing myself to clean up the tornado wreckage yard that our house has become. Can't it just clean itself?? I have better things to do with my time. Like nap.

But as I clean up, I am noticing all the little things around my home that I love. So I thought I'd take a little photo inventory of my favorite things.

The old rice box my mom bought me at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. I love it. It makes my half-dead plant look beautiful.


Pumpkins. They're just sitting on my kitchen table, but they make me so happy.


The old ladder I swiped from my dad's barn. The Ugly Doll bats live there all year long. Maybe they should be hanging upside down like the monkey...


The little snail sachet Ashley gave me. I love it. It's probably supposed to be in a drawer somewhere making my clothes smell yummy, but then no one would see it. And it's just too cute for that.


The mirror I bought in Ensenada, Mexico. Isn't it beautiful? So simple. It hangs in our bedroom.


The little monkey my mom bought for my baby shower. There's just something about it. I love the little smile on its face.


Okay, back to my cleaning. I have to have something to show for my time off, right?

for dunking

In order to fully cancel out the benefits of my yoga and walk this morning (and to get a jump start on turning our kitchen into a furnace), I decided to make cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. Mmm. Yummy.

I realized after mixing most of the ingredients that we only had one egg, not two. Oh well. I don't let things like that hold me back. So I made them with only one egg. Call it an experiment.

While they were baking, I ate some cookie dough. Mmmmm. And then some more. Mmm. And then some more. Ugh, stomach doesn't feel so good. Honestly--will I ever learn??

While they were baking, I chatted with my mom on the phone and ended up overcooking the cookies. I don't seem to multi-task very well... So I had to eat a cookie to see if they were still good. Turns out they were good, but after already eating too much dough, my body took a quick dive into a deep sugar low. Really not feeling so good...

In the end, the cookies turned out fine despite having only one egg, and although they aren't as soft as I would prefer, they will be great for dunking in milk. Mmmmm. Cookies for dunking. But not now. Right now the thought of cookies is making me sick. Maybe later today.

And now, after my oh-so-productive yoga, walk, bake cookies, eat too much dough morning, I need a nap. So I think I'll take one. Right here on the couch. At 10:45am. It's a good life.

pure bliss

As of Friday evening I will officially be on maternity leave. 4 weeks of pure bliss. Pure big-belly, overheated, achy-back, baby-kicking-my-sciatic-nerve bliss. Doesn't it sound wonderful? I sure think so.

What I hope to accomplish while on maternity leave:

--exercise every day
--eat healthy
--hang out with friends/family who are home during the day
--print onesies for my own baby
--finish painting and putting together the crib
--finish organizing and decorating baby's room
--pack hospital bag
--practice my childbirth relaxation
--read a good book

What I will likely do on my maternity leave:

--sit on the couch
--eat junk food
--take naps
--complain that it's too hot

Like I said--pure bliss.

practicing my skills

stay home when you're sick

Why is that so hard? It should just be common knowledge that anyone who feels sniffly, stuffy, or pukey, or who has a sore throat, cough, or fever should stay home.

This would significantly decrease the number of colds and flus going around. Sure, they do say that you're contagious before you even notice the symptoms, but that doesn't mean you aren't contagious anymore once you have symptoms. So while you may not save the people you hugged just before your symptoms started, you can still save everyone you're going to breath on after.

Here is the simple advice given from the Dean of the School of Medicine in this afternoon's newsletter: "Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness."

Sounds simple enough, right? I woke up this morning with a sore throat and cough. I had already had a bit of a stuffy nose, but it was so mild that I was trying to convince myself that it really wasn't anything. Maybe just pregnancy stuffiness? (Blame everything on pregnancy...)

But this morning I decided to stay home. I am actually incredibly productive when I work from home. So today I followed my own advice and stayed home. And I worked and worked and worked. And I accomplished a lot.

And I felt guilty. Oh, so guilty. I'm barely even sick. Can I even call this sick? At this very moment I have no stuffy nose, no sore throat, and no cough. But I did this morning--I swear. I should be feeling proud of myself for following this simple advice to stay home. But I don't. I feel like I should tough it out. Don't be a wimp. Show up to work. Sit at my desk sneezing and blowing my nose and rubbing sanitizer into my hands every 10 minutes. Real workers push through the pain. Wimps stay home sick.

Because that's what has been ingrained in our heads. You don't get promoted for staying home in order to stop the spread of germs.

I want to scream at sick people and say, "Go home!! Your job isn't that important! We'll survive without you for a few days! Get out of here!!"

And yet I find it hard to follow my own advice. Especially since I'm going on maternity leave after Friday. It's my last week at work before my leave and here I am working from home. I finished way more than I would have sitting at my desk with distractions, but no one else knows that. Instead it just looks like I'm slacking off.

Sure--call me a slacker. But you'll thank me when you aren't sniffling next week.

my husband

I've felt very grateful for Christian lately. I don't want to gush so much on here that you start to wonder why your husband isn't always that thoughtful/kind/helpful/considerate. I've found myself doing that before when people post about the great things their spouses have done for them. I have to catch myself. No one is perfect all the time. Not their spouses. Not them. Not me. Not my husband.

But we all have things that make us amazing. And as I often tell Christian--he's perfect for me and that's what matters.

So let me share why I'm grateful for Christian this month. {Sorry--it all revolves around baby stuff, but when you're almost 8 months pregnant, it kind of consumes your life...)

1. Although he wasn't dying to take the childbirth prep classes I was interested in, he has come to all the classes, participated actively, and helped me practice my relaxation outside of class. He has been 100% supportive even though it has meant missing some soccer nights. And he doesn't miss soccer for anything.

2. He drops me off at the train every morning and picks me up every afternoon without ever complaining. Sometimes he drives me all the way to work if I'm running late for the train. No complaints.

3. He searched and searched for the perfect manly diaper bag and is excited about what he found. It's cute.

4. He researched diapers and wipes for our newborn and sent me an email with suggestions.

5. He has never once made me feel any less attractive even though my butt is getting wider by the minute.

6. He's counting down the seconds until our baby comes--I think he's going to pop from the excitement.

7. He gets up to get me whatever I need--pillows, water, the pen that's just out of reach, anything I drop on the floor while I'm sitting down (I can't reach the floor by my feet when I'm sitting...). I just guess all the grunting and groaning I've been doing every time I stand up has paid off.

8. He pushes me up stairs and hills. It's hilarious. I don't necessarily need the help, but it's always funny to have him pushing on my back. Provides instant entertainment for both of us.

8. He's fun. Makes me laugh. He puts up with me when I'm being silly, overly tired, or just plain grumpy.

I like him.

practical shmactical

I just ordered the cutest bag from Sinum Inugur's etsy shop to use as a diaper bag.


Yes--I know it's not your typical diaper bag. Yes--I know I'll regret the fact that it doesn't have pockets on the outside for quick access to a bottle. Yes--I know it's white and it will get super dirty. Yes--I know that it's not the most practical bag. But do you know what I say to that? Practical shmactical. Here's why I love it...

1. We looked and looked and looked for a diaper bag for me, and I don't like anything. Why are diaper bags so ugly and bulky?
2. This bag is adorable. (This is the most important thing, right?)
3. It has an adjustable strap so it can be worn across the chest like a messenger bag. My shoulders seem to slope and bags constantly slide off of them. I don't want to worry about that while carrying a baby or doing other things.
4. There is a nice little clip inside for my keys. I am forever losing my keys and this is a HUGE plus.
5. There are pockets on the inside.
6. The bag is washable.
7. If I decide the bag absolutely will not work as a diaper bag, it was only $35 so I can always get an ugly bulky diaper bag if I need to and keep this as a pretty bag for myself.

But you know what the funniest part is? I realized after buying the bag that it is coming from Istanbul! Oops. Now I have to wait 2-3 weeks for it to arrive. I'm am soooo impatient. I want it now.

Although I've never bought anything from Istanbul before. Cool.

free friday

What would you do if you had a free Friday? I would...

1. Sleep in.

2. Walk around in my undies because Richard is at school and I can.

3. Eat oreos after breakfast.

4. Paint our crib.



5. Sit around.

6. Go to lunch with a friend from high school.

7. Get some Sprinkles cupcakes. Mmmm. Pumpkin cupcakes...

8. Go visit my new little nephew! Baby Luca was born on Thursday night!


9. Go to the park with my mom, Diego, Ashley, and Jose. (The rest of us stood around being cold while Christian ran around with Diego.)


10. Walk to Chinese food. Mmmmm. (Doesn't Christian look like he's ready for a little boy of his own?)


11. Fall asleep on the couch.

What a wonderful Friday.

today is my friday

Today is Thursday, but it is my Friday. I keep forgetting, but when I remember, it is sweet sweet joy over and over again.

Stanford is forcing us to take more vacation days so the university can keep more $$ in the general fund during this economic downturn (lots of companies in the area are doing the same). The only problem is that I'm one of those people who have no problem using their vacation days. So unlike some of my coworkers who have 400 vacation hours saved up, I have about *ahem* 20. And I could really use those vacation hours during my maternity leave. But instead I'm forced to take an extra vacation day this weekend and use my precious few vacation hours.

However, as much as I'd like to complain about being forced to use my vacation hours at certain times, I'm super excited to have a 4-day weekend.

Hurray!

That also means I only have 10 days left in the office before I go on maternity leave! I'd better get cracking!

being helpful

I'm a helpful person. I like to help. Call me and I'll help you.

So at work I'm happy to help our students. But every once in a while I get phone calls from people outside our school who have silly questions and my instinct is to just tell them this is an advising line for our own students and they need to call someone else.

For example: A lady just called me asking for advice on writing personal statements for residency applications. I quickly concluded that 1) she is not one of our students. With a little prying I found out that 2) she isn't a medical student at all, rather 3) she is the mother of a med student who is attending some med school on the East Coast. Sigh. Helicopter parents. What is up with all these parents trying to figure out their kids' lives? I mean, come on--Your kid is applying for RESIDENCY. That means within a year he will be a licensed doctor. It's time he lived his life on his own. It's embarrassing that you're making these calls for him.

Heck, my parents didn't need to help me apply for college--back when I was 17. I think your kid can handle residency applications now that he's a doctor.

So I asked the typical questions: Has your son checked with his own advisor at his own institution? Have you looked at the advice given on the residency application web site? Has your son asked faculty at his own institution what they think? WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU CALLING ME??

But then I took a deep breath and came to the conclusion that it really wouldn't be that difficult for me to be nice. So I sat back in my chair (literally) and started telling her some of the advice I normally give our students. I reassured her of what she already knew, gave her some new insight, and she left the conversation very appreciative.

Now how hard was that? I took less than 5 minutes out of my boring afternoon to calm a woman's nerves. She was grateful and I felt smart. Win, win.