Whitney Houston, Reincarnate...Or Something

It should say something about the very late stage of my pregnancy that this clip made me cry.

I love how even in Taiwan you can tell exactly who's supposed to be Simon, Paula, and Randy.

I heard that he still got voted off, though. Harsh.

Vindication!

My husband was pretty excited to find this post over on the First Things blog yesterday. He and I have about five giant bookcases in our small one-bedroom apartment... and that doesn't even account for the books we have squirreled away at our parents' homes. To be frank, we love books. Like, really love them. Old books, new books... I enjoy just looking at all their spines, ready and waiting for someone to pluck them off their sagging shelves. I adore reading with and to children, and we've already started a small collection of books to enjoy with Baby Boy once he decides to arrive...assuming he savors the written word as much as his parents.

The First Things post is about a study which finds that “Growing up in a home with 500 books would propel a child 3.2 years further in education, on average, than would growing up in a similar home with few or no books. This is a large effect, both absolutely and in comparison with other influences on education,” adds the research team, led by University of Nevada sociologist M.D.R. Evans. “A child from a family rich in books is 19 percentage points more likely to complete university than a comparable child growing up without a home library.”

Now, to me, this just seems obvious. Children take their cues from the world around them, and if Mommy and Daddy spend hours a day watching television, then the children tacitly understand that television is highly valued. Children have far more common sense than we give them credit for - just take a look around you the next time you're at Mass. Find the children who don't kneel or sing along or reverently receive the Eucharist - are Mommy and Daddy kneeling or singing along or reverent? It follows that a home with books (and not just as decoration, but as something read and shared and discussed) will foster children who see that reading and thinking are worthwhile endeavors.

Rosary Giveaway

The writer over at A Woman's Place just opened an Etsy shop, and is having a rosary giveaway to celebrate! Check out her blog and find out how to earn some entries. She's also got great posts on everything from the recent developments with the Pope to being a young Catholic mom. Highly recommended!

You Know You're Nine Months Pregnant When....

you drop something on the floor and think, "Do I really need that?"

Ode on a Pair of Ankles

Thou still unravish'd bones of shapeliness,

 Thou joints of early pregnancy,

With definition, between calf and tarsals.

 One can see where a leg ends, the graceful foot begins.

No concern for elevation of lower extremities,

Everything looks as it should.

But the passage of time, the gaining of weight,

  And soon the ankle stays for just a short time,

Just the precious first few moments of the day.

 Whose cankles are these? What sausages that pass for toes?

 What blood must be pooled in these?
What water must be retained, to reach that impossible size?

O elevate them! raise them up! with pillow      

Or ottoman or arm of sofa.           

Will they never be two separate forms again,

Thou, once slender foot? thou idyllic calf?

As the third trimester progresses,          

And due date approaches,         

Cankles shall remain, and swelling doth increase.          

And I am forced to admit:                                                           

'Beauty is ankles, ankles beauty, - that is all        

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'

Low-Emission Unicorns were My Idea

Powered by rainbows.

Who Knew?

Some of the (less gross) things I have learned can happen during pregnancy:

• Your brain turns to absolute mush. Take this conversation between me and the husband: 

Me: The only thing left to set up is...that thing that goes with the stroller...you know...and then in the car...what's it called? Husband: You mean the car seat?
Me: Yes! I knew it wasn't a car chair, but for the life of me...

• Depth perception? Gone. Clumsiness? Off the charts. I find myself holding an object and going to put it on the table or counter, only to smash it into some other item that's already there. This happens constantly. 
• You can be hungrier or thirstier than you ever thought possible, but your stomach can be so squashed that there is just nowhere to put it. 
• Putting on socks and shoes becomes nearly impossible. You eventually just give up and opt for slippers.
• Sometimes all you want to eat are chicken nuggets. Every day. For lunch. With mustard. 

There are more, but my mush brain forgot all the funny things I had planned to say.