Banana

I've decided to do a Top Ten list in honor of the fact that the baby is a massive 10 inches this week! So, here are the top ten things going on here:

10. Yesterday, I held a baby and he didn't cry. In fact, he nestled his little baby face against my neck and gummed my inner arm. This is significant to me because the last two babies I had held had cried, and I was starting to get a complex.

9. It's really hot. We all know that. But today, Chris saw on the news that we were HOTTER THAN SAUDI ARABIA (and more humid) yesterday. We pulled out the futon and slept in the living room under the air conditioner last night. It's pavement-buckling, 'check on your elderly neighbor' hot. It's just...it's just a real bitch. There's nothing more to be said about it.

8. We got a new car! It's a Corolla--yes, another one. My friend Mike checked it out and said it was a great deal. This is the same friend who warned me not to buy the Volvo a couple of years ago, and I definitely should have listened to him back then. My hopes for this car are high.

7. Our pet rat, Alfred, died a couple of weeks ago. He was sick near the end, but we think he had a good life. We bought a little stuffed walrus for Winston to snuggle with. I think he's a little depressed, as he will bite any kind hand that enters his cage.

6. We've been told at work that any inquiries about Bachmann and Associates, the clinic run by Michele Bachmann's husband, should be redirected to the Fairview Media Relations department. Apparently, the clinic is in our network, and we have referred people there in the past. Can I just say that the fact that Michele Bachmann is doing well in the polls seems to be an indication that all hell has broken loose in America, politically? How can we, as people, without bringing right or left-wing politics into things, believe that this person is qualified to make decisions that impact us all? She has done very little, politically, and she's just so judgmental. I want to shake her and say, 'You know, you'd be representing EVERYONE, not just your friends. Same to you, Sarah Palin.'

5. The other night, Chris and I went to a friend's brother's engagement party. When we arrived, it turned out that we'd fallen into the laps of some of nicest people, and that they were all very left-leaning. We discussed politics and ideas and philosophies about society's responsibility to help people who are disadvantaged, and it was just generally nice. The thing about this that was the most shocking is that these people are my parents' age or older. It was the first time I've had a conversation about politics with what I'll call 'real adults' (you know, ones who have worked, paid taxes, raised children and retired) where I didn't feel as though my ideas were silly, or didn't count because I'm 'young' (even though, I'd like to remind them that I'm almost 30). Chris and I were so taken aback and so giddy and didn't want to leave. My family tends to the right, as do Chris's coworkers, so we each spend a fair amount of time feeling frustrated at being discounted when it comes to our political ideas. Chris especially loves when people ask him, 'Come on, you can't possibly believe people should have universal health care, can you?', because he is, of course, from a country with universal health care, and it works out just fine.

4. Harry Potter is over. Chris and I saw the last movie on Friday with some friends. I remember reluctantly agreeing to read the first book, and then quickly realizing I was stupid to hesitate. Those books will be read forever, I'm sure. I'm already looking forward to the day that I can start reading them to my kids.

3. Work is...it's just work. I've started working 4, 10-hour days and taking off every Thursday. It's glorious. Recently, management thought that something major had gone wrong, didn't do much research into it, apparently, and then made us underlings spend about 30 hours fixing it. My part of the Big Fix involved driving down to one of the hospitals to sit in their medical records department and file things...twice. After the fact, we realized that nothing had actually gone wrong, and they had just panicked and deployed an unnecessary Big Fix. Yeah, welcome to my Cubicle of Hell. Pull up an ergonomic chair and prepare for some mental carpal tunnel syndrome.

2. My appetite has become like a truck driver's. My belly has also become that of a truck driver's.

1. I'm starting to feel the baby kick! The other night, I was having a tough time finding a comfortable sleeping position, so I rolled onto my stomach. Within ten seconds, the baby started to kick me in an annoyed way. Apparently, she is already assertive. I loved it!

Hope you're all doing well.
xo