Calling all Chattanooga bloggers and/or photogs

Anyone out there with a camera and Flickr stream, but without an antsy toddler in tow, who would be willing to go downtown and take a bunch of pictures of the old EPB building?

Let me know when you post them, um'kay?

There's a new book out called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure and Shannon and Nicole both tagged me for a meme based on the premise. One is encouraged to condense one's life story to six words. Tricky.

Once was lost, now less so.

I'm a little late to this, so I'll just post the rules and encourage anyone who wants to join in to do so on their blog or in the comments here (ahem, Alish!).

Write your own six word memoir.
Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
Link to the person who tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible.
Tag at least five more blogs with links.
Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

Waiter!!

There's a dinosaur in my soup!

 

I could not have been more nervous about telling Olivia about the baby. I thought that the recriminations and fear, the jealousy and feelings of abandonment would start immediately in a flurry of dramatic tears and tantrums. I visited websites and forums trying to figure out the timing...not too soon so that she would constantly be thinking today was the day, only to be told it would be a long wait...not so late that I was showing and everyone was talking about it over her head. I checked books out of the library and brought them home to pour over, rejecting those that blew too much sunshine about how fabulous the transformation to Big Sister would be for her and also those that put a little too much emphasis on all the naughty things she might feel compelled to do once the baby arrived and no one was paying any attention to her. I settled on a couple that seemed to tell a cheery but realistic story and Marc and I sat down with them and her one Sunday afternoon. When I opened my mouth to start, I felt like I was getting ready to jump off a cliff or start a break-up speech, like I was going to want to suck my words right back up in about 15 seconds. But when I got it out there, she was really excited. She wanted to look at the books and at my tummy and then immediately started talking about the baby in her tummy (who is, if I got the story straight...wait for it...Shotsy.)

I should have known that she would be into the idea at this point. She loves babies. We have several tiny ones in our playgroup and from the minute we walk in our friend's door each week, Olivia is focused on gettin' her some newborn. The moms are sweet enough to let her hold them, replace their pacifiers and scrutinize each diaper change.

I know that things will be different once the baby is actually here. I do think that it is going to be difficult for her, sharing us and our time, not being able to play with the baby like she does Shotsy. But for now she is really enjoying getting ready and is so sweet with me, kissing my tummy and inquiring about the baby after my doctor appointments. One afternoon not long ago, I exclaimed about something in the kitchen and from the other room, she asked, "What is it, Mommy? Is the baby here?"

And while she told us from the beginning that she thought the baby was a girl and we should name her Ruby, she seems very excited to learn that she is actually in fact going to have a little brother.

At O's last appointment with the endo team, we had our on-going discussion about where we are in terms of the pump. It was decided that we would take a loaner home for a week or so. Our diabetes educator has a stuffed animal with a special patch on its tummy for the infusion set. But we had another plan...

 

That's right...Shotsy wore the pump. And he was a trooper about it. Olivia was very interested in the pump and the tubing and putting it on the bear. We thought that it might make her feel more comfortable with the whole idea. And maybe it did.

 

But she drew up short when it came to allowing us to use the I-Port again. She steadfastly refused, even after Marc put one on. She did tend to Shotsy and his pump for a few days, but I eventually came upon everything lying on the floor where she had left it after ripping it out. All in all I'm glad we did it...maybe we are getting there.

How to enjoy a weekend