My mother-in-law just added me as a friend on Facebook. Yeah.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 10:34 PM | Comments (0)

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Bette!

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Posted by Bethiclaus at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)

Before

And after

I've been thinking about cutting my hair forever, but I finally decided I could wait no longer. After all, I was just one puffy bang away from polygamist hair. It was so long that that was really the only word people used to describe my hair. I never heard, "Your hair is so pretty." No. What I heard was, "Your hair is SO long."

No more. Rebecca was so stoked about my dramatic change that she convinced me to come to her place for before and after phos. And she sent them to me to share with you.

I'm not in love with new hair yet, but I think I'm going to like having it shorter. Until I decide I must have a ponytail, of course. Then I'll freak out.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:36 PM | Comments (9)

I've been wearing the same pair of glasses since sometime in undergrad. I graduated more than five years ago, so the prescription had definitely expired. And since I'm very antsy about Andrés' COBRA coverage, I decided I'd better go get new glasses while his old insurance was still intact. In any case, my prescription has changed dramatically and I've got a bit of the new glasses vertigo going on at this point.

Want to see?

It's hard to see in this picture, but they've got a green design in the outer corners. I'm not used to such a solid black frame on my face yet, but I think I'm going to like them soon. And more than anything, I'm enjoying the fact that I can read my television screen from across the room. Look at that. An Obama victory. I might have missed it had I not gotten my new glasses.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 10:43 PM | Comments (3)

Well, Andiclaus did indeed lose his job on Friday, so now I feel comfortable saying that his employer really jerked him around for the last four months or so. But thankfully, that chapter is over and it seems like Andiclaus is days away from an offer from another company, so now we just have to figure out what is going on with my job. Now. On to the list:

• Mimiclaus slept twelve hours last night. Twelve! Hours! Of! Sleep! I'm a new woman. In case you were wondering.
• Alliclaus is in her parrot phase. Everything is repeated. And while that has certainly had its more embarrassing incidents, it has recently been sparking back-and-forth encounters between my mom, Andiclaus, her and me. "I love YOU!" "OH yeah." "MY blog." It is one of my more favorite memories ever of an interaction with her.
• I think we've come up with our Christmas card decisions for the year. I wasn't sure what direction we'd go this year, but I feel like we made the right decision.
• Tomorrow is the girls' schools' Fall Festival. Pictures will be soon following of my sweet girls in their costumes. I know you can't wait.

In the mean time:

Posted by Bethiclaus at 04:02 PM | Comments (2)

Well, hi there. What's been going on with you? Oh, me?

• Due to complete ineptitude a clerical error, the registrar had given me some misinformation about which classes I need to complete my degree in May. So, I've changed my degree program again. I don't have to write a thesis anymore and will definitely be graduating in May. Even without the thesis, I expect I'll be able to find a job at a community college, so for now I'm okay with this.
• Potty training is my bitch. Well, mostly.
• Rebecca took our Christmas card pictures last week. See them here.
• Classes so far this semester are decent. I'm taking a class in "Women in Church and Culture" that I love, so that's making up for the two less-than-stellar classes I'm also taking.
• Andiclaus' work situation is still up in the air. We are trying to make the best of it, but the knowledge that his store is closing is making it difficult for him to keep his workers. At this point, we're in a constant state of trying to maintain equilibrium. If we can just get to January, my classes will be done and if we have to move, we can.

So, dudes, things are going okay over here. What's up with you?

Posted by Bethiclaus at 02:21 PM | Comments (7)

I've had lots of thoughts that I believed would turn into blog posts this week, but none of them did. So, for your enjoyment, the crap going on in my head, in my favorite writing style.

• I read The Tenth Circle and I found it to be incredibly meh. I know lots of people who love Jodi Picoult. Should I try another or move on?
• I made the mistake of looking Salem up on Petfinder. He hasn't found a home yet. I'm desperately sad about it.
• Alliclaus loves timeout. Maybe too much. We don't really use it for punishment, as she rarely does something that warrants that. Mostly we use it to help her calm down when she's worked herself up too much. But lately, if we say no to something she wants, she'll show the beginning of a tantrum and then walk herself to her room and sit on the timeout chair. Should I be worried?
• Mimiclaus was the last of us to get the illness that we passed around the family upon our return from San Diego. She also seems to be the person who's got it the worst and for the longest. My doctor's office made it very clear that babies get, like, nine colds a year, but Alliclaus never really got sick like this while she was nursing. Her well-baby check isn't until the 19th, so I can't decide whether or not to take her in.
• Mimiclaus is sick. No one is sleeping. Send help.
• Help is, in fact, on its way. My mom comes out to help us through my two-week intensive this Monday. She doesn't do overnight childcare, but I'm thinking I might be able to occasionally squeeze in a nap.
• Oh my god. My two-week intensive. The professor has scheduled content mastery exams over the reading for each night. And the reading is 120 pages of doctrinal history. Each night. I did one day's worth of reading and it took me four hours. I do not have this kind of time. Particularly since the class is in the evenings. I'll have to try to do the reading during the daytime, when my children are awake. Un-freaking-likely is what I'm saying.
• I weighed myself this morning. And after a week of Weight Watchers-esque eating and occasional exercise, I lost seven pounds. It's all water weight, to be sure, but there's really nothing like that first week loss to motivate you, is there? A couple of you mentioned being lifestyle-change buddies. I'll email you directly, but I think that would be great. Let's think of how we should do it.
• I would like, momentarily, to make excuses publicly about exercising. Dude! Exercising when you have a baby is HARD! In Kansas City lately, it's really only been cool enough to get out to walk or run in the early morning, but Mimiclaus does not sleep at night. It's all I can do to drag myself out of bed in time for work, much less an hour earlier so that I can get out and walk. Which is to say, I'm in the market for an at-home workout option. Anyone have a particular DVD they love?

Okay, that's it. Not that it's anything unusual, but I'm not so sure how much I'll be around these parts for the next three weeks. School is calling and since I'm in my last year, I need to keep that GPA up for thesis defense. I'll be back, though, hopefully with lots of baby pictures!

Posted by Bethiclaus at 07:24 AM | Comments (5)

I wish I had thought of this question as a comment prompt for the previous post, but I didn't. Inquiring minds want to know, though.

Bagels: sweet or savory?

Posted by Bethiclaus at 07:50 AM | Comments (7)

Things have been pretty craptacular around here this week. I've been suffering from the stomach virus that will neither die nor kill me all week and I need to get Mimiclaus in to the doctor for a probably-nothing-but-I'm-still-going-to-freak-myself-out-about-it thing. In an effort to get to Monday, when doctors would be readily available for we two ladies who need medical attention, I have been watching a bit of G4.

I don't generally creep into the high number channels on our cable box because I'm old skool like that. Andres, however, loves Planet Green and G4. G4 is, for those of you who don't know, a channel for gamers. I think the G stands for gamer, but it sure as shit might as well stand for geek. It's got shows about video games and viral videos and, inexplicably, it shows Cheaters and Cops. I thought the channel had nothing for me. Until one day, I came into the living room while Andres was wielding the remote, and I had a complete paradigm shift.

Ninja Warrior (along with Unbeatable Banzuke, which is not really my favorite) is part of G4's "duty-free TV" programming, which is really just subtitled Japanese game shows, with a bit of American intro type stuff attached. Ninja Warrior is...I don't even know how to describe its magnificence. It's kind of like American Gladiators, but there are no gladiators. That's not a very good way to explain it. In any case, 100 people attempt to beat an obstacle course. Most of them don't. In fact, there've only been, like, three people EVER to complete the course. I wish there was a way to describe it that would convey it's awesomeness, but there isn't. To know ninja is to love ninja.

The first time I saw it, I thought it was stupid. Then I sat down and watched it for five hours straight. Now I know all the "Ninja Warrior All-Stars" by name and even know most of the frequent failures that come back year after year.

I suppose I should be embarrassed to admit this. I'm not, though. Mostly because Rebecca totally admitted to me that she and her husband watch it, too. She's actually the one who turned me on to using, "Ninja, please," which is perhaps the phrase in my life that most cracks me up these days. I think of Rebecca as almost too cool for me, so her love of Ninja Warrior has absolved me of all geek guilt.

I've spent my weekend watching Ninja Warrior and I believe I'll consider that the reason I survived it.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 08:17 PM | Comments (6)

Remember that one time I had a second baby and then had to get rid of my cat and then I left you hanging for four months? Oh, that just happened? My mistake.

My shit has been broke forEVAH, so I finally took Cagey's advice and contacted my hosting company and they fixed me right up. I would have done it sooner, but it turns out grad school is HARD when you have a toddler and a newborn. It's probably for the best I was on a hiatus. The blog would just be one more thing I could find time to do instead of all the other crap I should actually be doing.

In any case, I feel like it would be ridiculous to try to catch you all up on the haps around here, but I'll give you some of the highlights.

• Mimiclaus is a significantly more demanding baby than Alliclaus was. My one piece of advice to people considering children: Have the hard one first.
• Mimiclaus came with me to class starting when she was ten days old. It was awesome. If by awesome you mean I was neither a great student nor a great parent during those hours. But the semester is over and I am thankful that we were able to work it out in the short term.
• I bounced back really quickly healthwise after having Mimiclaus, but my God, the weight. Everyone said it would be harder to lose the baby weight the second time around. I really wanted to hit them in the face for saying it, but they weren't lying. Jerks.
• We're heading back to San Diego in July for Sarah and Josue's wedding, and while I'm stoked to be there for their big day, I'm starting to think I never want to travel ever until my children are, I don't know, in high school? When does it become easy to travel with children?
• We have a Wii!

Surely other things have happened in the four months I've been gone, but I can't really keep track of them. I'm a little sad I haven't done a lot more documenting of Mimiclaus' first months, but I'm sure it would have just been a bunch of worrying and hand-wringing about "Is she getting enough of my attention? Will she feel like her sister had a better deal?" Instead, I've spared you that and am back when I'm finally starting to overcome those fears.

I'm so glad to be back. Newest pictures at flickr.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 10:37 AM | Comments (15)

Damn. I really intended to post again fairly shortly after that last post. Not so much, I guess. I'm going to be attempting to post everyday for the next couple of weeks because I want to get back in the habit before this baby is born and throws my life around. In any case:

• Classes for the semester are over. They weren't that bad. I need to start prepping for my two-week intensive, but the chances of that happening seem fairly low from the perspective of my rocking chair. Oh well.
• I had an ultrasound Wednesday to determine if I'm having another melonhead baby. It appears that I may not be. This is very good news for my poor vagina. We're still looking at a large head, but not quite so large. Happy news indeed.
• Work is busy, but with the holidays coming up the office is going to be closed most of the next two weeks, so I have to eek in as much work as I can in those few times it is open so that I am not completely broke before leaving on maternity leave. Good times.
• Sarah is arriving January 5 and my mom comes in January 7, so I'm sure hoping this baby doesn't decide to arrive any earlier than our planned induction. It will be nice to have the company, particularly after a somewhat lonely Christmas.
• Andiclaus is opening a new store January 11. This makes me break out in hives, as my planned induction is penciled in for January 9. I've already had my nervous breakdowns, however, and am working my way toward Zen about the whole situation. I'm sure I will freak out at him approximately infinity times about it, but I'm equally sure it will all be fine.

Well, a post has been written and that was really my only goal. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow. There's nothing really preventing me from posting (unless you count sloth). I want to talk to you all about my stress about childcare. That should be fun for everyone!

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:54 AM | Comments (2)

You guys! I drove on the highway! And I survived! And I love exclamation points!

Okay. Enough of that. I'm a fraidy-cat driver who will go out of her way to avoid the highway, but! (Okay, last one, for real.) My department had their annual holiday team-building whathaveyou yesterday afternoon and I would have spent approximately two decades on the road if I had taken the streets to get there, so instead I took the highway. And I didn't crash or even have a total panic attack in which I wished I would just crash and get it over with already. (Am I showing too much of the crazy, here?) (Also, this is where my grandma will call me to recommend therapy.)

Since I've been gone for, um, I don't know, ever, I should also update you on random things happening:

• Baby's First Antibiotic: Alliclaus has had a cold since Halloween and it's been mostly just irritating, but she started to have a really junky cough, so we got rid of all dairy to see if it would help. It kind of did, but every time we added it back in, along came the cough. So, we finally took her to the doctor who prescribed an antibiotic to which I am deathly allergic and which I cannot, apparently, spell. I'm a little weirded out that they prescribed an antibiotic when they told me she seems to have a cold, but I asked very specifically and was told that when a cold lasts this long there is often an infection that we can't see because of a baby's very wee sinuses. It seems to be helping, in any case, and hopefully my days of wiping disgusting green snot are numbered.
• Thanksgiving Ruled. Christmas? Not So Much: Josué and Sarah came out for Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. I made a lot of the dinner, but am very thankful that Sarah was there to help, as otherwise we likely would have dined sometime Saturday morning. I do not think it is in the cards for me to make Christmas dinner, so we are looking for restaurants that will be open. It'll be our first Christmas alone, and I'm a little sad about it. At the same time, it's pretty exciting to share Christmas with just my little family.
• Another Induction is in the Cards: When I signed up for classes for next semester, I somehow thought that the two-week intensive began at the beginning of February, so I signed up. It actually begins January 21. My due date? January 16. So, I've talked my OB into inducing me a week early. I'm generally against intervening in nature's things just for convenience, but I guess I really just mean I'm against YOU doing that because look how quickly I got on board. Heh.
• Then Again, Maybe We Won't: I've been having quite a few contractions that are neither Braxton-Hicks nor really labor, so my doctor checked me out this week and I have lost my mucus plug and am beginning to dilate. I was at 3 with Alliclaus for weeks, so I'm not overly concerned, but I am at least trying to prepare in case this baby decides to arrive before 39 weeks. By which I mean, I'm worrying about it, but doing nothing.

So, that's all I got right now and I am going to get to some work. I've missed you guys so much! I'll be glad when November is over (tonight), so I can stop reading y'alls's NaBloPoMo entries until my eyes cross.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 08:03 AM | Comments (4)

I was looking at a picture of myself from November 2005. I was pregnant with Alliclaus at 24. And while I've known that I have gray hair for a number of years, I had been trusting people when they said that I was the only one who could see it. But there it was. A streak of gray right in the front of my hair.

And in the last two years, the presence of that unwelcome gray hair has increased exponentially. It's no longer lingering only in that patch between my eyes. It has instead moved on to everywhere along my part, where it can make itself known more fully.

In spite of the fact that I had long since decided not to dye my grays (mostly due to my desire to not ever have to let it grow in - hello, skunk!), I bought a box of non-permanent dye and covered up those grays without mercy. It's really subtle - no one at my office even noticed a change - but without the gray streaks, my hair appears significantly darker. Additionally, the gray hairs are now bright red instead of white, but not really particularly dark brown as I think I would have preferred.

All in all, I'm glad this color change is temporary. I rather think my face seems very pale without some gray hair to lighten the dark blob on top of my head. And while I don't care for the idea that I look older than I am, I guess I must have grown somewhat attached to my gray hair. It's like free highlights for old people.

Besides, after eight years of not dying my hair, I'm rather attached to the feeling of healthy hair. And now my hair has that distinct feeling of recently dyed straw. Hopefully, some of that texture will fade along with the color.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:17 AM | Comments (6)

I've been actively avoiding the Internet recently since my homework is (apparently and unfortunately) not going to do itself. However, today I decided to check in and let y'all know what's going on.

• I changed my degree program to a less practical and far more academic program. This has, in general, led me to far less frequently wanting to shoot myself in the face. It does, however, mean that I am now doing some pretty strenuous thinking at a time when my brain is occupied mostly with telling my uterus how to grow a human being. That kinda sucks.
• Co-at-home-parenting rules. If you hate your spouse. I, on the other hand, quite enjoy his company and am missing him quite a lot lately. With an entire day of class and at least on more full day in the office, Andiclaus and I don't spend much time at home together. And while I'm sure that he mostly thinks that I'm bitching about having to do the childcare myself, that's not really it. I miss his company and am feeling the loneliness creep back into my life.
• In order to keep myself distracted (and to continue my life-long goal of procrastinating regarding homework), I've been testing out some recipes for Thanksgiving. Sarah and Josué will be visiting for the holiday again and I don't think it will be a good idea for me to be experimenting with food on a holiday while seven months pregnant. So far, I'm not overly impressed with anything we've tried. Ideas?
• I'm working on a totally awesome baby blanket for Memo, who is due this month. I love this blanket very much, but I'm starting to believe it will never be done. I'll definitely post pictures when it's done, but for now you will just have to know that there are lots of tiny teddy bear heads all over my living room.
• Salem, the cat, wants us to give him away. I am strongly considering taking him up on this.
• My new degree program introduces an awesome new stressor to my life. Thesis! Part of the reason I keep a blog is because I have a fairly extreme phobia about writing. (It's also the main reason I procrastinate so completely with homework.) I thought that forcing myself to write on the Internet would help allay my fear of my own lack of writing skill. So far? Not so much. So I've got to start ironing out a solid thesis idea (my current one is a little vague and weird, but I'm hoping I'll be able to cling to at least aspects of it) and finding an advisor. I'm sure that by the time I actually have to defend it (in two years), you'll all be so sick of this discussion topic that you'll be fondly remembering the days when I only complained about the other students in my practicals.

Okay, I guess that's about it. I'll try to check in again soon. I miss you!

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:12 AM | Comments (1)

Well, liability has been established in the accident and the insurance company is taking very good care of us. The car should be ready for us sometime in mid-September and until then we are driving a very fancy rental car.

The accelerator pedal on the at-fault car malfunctioned and he ran a red light going 75+. He hit at least three cars before he spun out into my front end, which is very fortunate since the other impacts are what finally slowed down his car.

At first, I was anxiously following his medical progress by way of his insurance adjuster, but when I heard that his doctors didn't expect him to survive his neck fusion surgery, I decided that it would probably be better for me to pray for him and his family and then bury my head in the sand regarding the details.

In other news, my mom's in town and I'm back to class for another two-week intensive. Based on a survey we all took at the beginning of class, I can say with certainty that I am the only person in the class of 60 who doesn't have pastoral ministry as a short- or long-term vocational aim. The class is very practical and I have quickly become the pregnant girl in the back who keeps asking about the moral/ethical consequences of practical methodologies.

Additionally, this class is meant to be taken in first year and I managed to put it off until third year by taking no practicals at all for three semesters in a row. This means that many of the students haven't taken any philosophy or ethics courses and therefore have an "anything goes" philosophy of ministry.

If all of that weren't enough to make me lose my cool, may of these students haven't ever been outside of their small, rural Nazarene districts and are apparently unaware that there are Democrats within the fellowship nowadays. The things that are being said in this class are wiping me out.

During a discussion of whether the church has moved too far away from its more egalitarian roots:

It's just like the Iraq war. If we ask all Americans, they're going to want to leave. Because you can't trust the people to see the full picture. If they could, we wouldn't need a leader to keep us moving in the right direction.

Then my head exploded. The community of faith is just like the United States? And George Bush is what exactly in that analogy? The wise pastor who directs his people in faithfulness?

During a discussion of the costs/benefits to the church of having Christians (ed. note: nominal Christians) in the White House:

This may all seem theoretical now, but in two years, we could have a radical Muslim running the country.

Dude, he was talking about Barack Obama. I'm telling you this because I had to be told myself what this crazy talk was.

I don't come to class to argue the finer points of politics. I don't attempt to politically proselytize. More importantly, I don't assume that everyone in my class is ideologically identical to me. I don't assume you care about social justice (even if I think you should). Don't assume I support a constitutional amendment banning abortion and gay marriage.

This class is like an exercise in groupthink. When the professor (being intentionally ironic) said that the positive of a Christian world leader is that Christians don't have to be different from their society, all you could hear in the classroom were the cicadas because, apparently, no one was bothered in the slightest by this. I felt like I was in an episode of The Twilight Zone. The church is supposed to be different from the surrounding culture. We've had nothing but Christian presidents so far and I have yet to see a decidedly Christian society. [/crazy rant]

Apropos of nothing, Alliclaus is cutting molars and thinks Mommy is the Antichrist. At least she doesn't think Barack Obama is.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:22 AM | Comments (5)

There's some stuff I think I've been supposed to tell you, so bullets!

• In the short day since I started talking about gratitude and the even shorter hours since I posted about it, I have found a new place of happiness about our family. Alliclaus has been wonderful today (which is a welcome change from the last couple of week), thanks mostly I think to a change in my own attitude.
• Alliclaus' labs came back mostly normal (her glucose was a little low and her cholesterol was a little high - it's hard to gauge since there aren't strong statistics for 16 month olds), so it appears it's just her love of food that is causing the sudden weight gain.
• Our greater focus on her portion control was difficult the first few days, but has quickly become just part of the routine. She still gets frustrated at the end of mealtime, but I'm trying to remind myself that I'm doing this for her health.
• I thought it might be a good idea to clarify what I meant in my last post. I'm sure that my friends and family are tough enough (and they certainly love me enough) to take my negative attitudes. But I'm doing my best to be as compassionate to them as they are to me. I guess I was mostly trying to explain the lack of discussion about the pregnancy this time, while still talking about my new quest for gratitude.
• As of Wednesday, I am 18 weeks pregnant! They weren't lying - subsequent pregnancies sure do go faster. Baby is definitely moving around in there, but Andiclaus can't feel it yet.
• Ultrasound is August 31. I really think this baby is a boy, but I honestly think I'd rather have another girl (this was exactly my attitude with Alliclaus as well). What the hell are we going to do about a boy's name? Klaus simply won't work for a Christmas baby.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 06:57 PM | Comments (6)

It's been awhile since I've been able to blog. I figured I ought to catch you all up.

• The last few weeks of the semester were really hard for me. I'm happily taking a week off my studies before I start preparing for my two-week intensive in the middle of June.
• My one friend in Kansas City (okay, okay, I might have two) graduated from seminary on Sunday. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's kind of a bummer. However, Mr. Chatty McShutupperson also graduated. He will not be in any more of my classes. This is perhaps the best thing to happen to me since I started seminary.
• Month 13 has been, by far, the most difficult so far in Alliclaus' life. I think she must be cutting molars, but we've had a tremendous sleep regression and she hates her crib. She's really into her tantrums right now, so I spend all day trying not to laugh about them in front of her.
• BlogHer! Andiclaus and I are making a long weekend of it to hang out with Sarah and Joshiclaus. Saturday night, we're going to see Wicked. Sarah and I have already seen it, but it will be a first for the boys. Alliclaus might also be doing an overnighter with Jenny that night. We shall see.
• Between now and then, we will be having a house guest for almost three weeks and I'll be making a long weekend trip back to San Diego for Memo's baby shower. I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to get all my intensive class work done, but I'm sure it will probably involve a similar weeks-long unscheduled hiatus from blogging.

I've missed you guys. I started to try to get through my Google Reader, but I gave up. So I'm starting fresh and hope that you'll let me know if something huge happened in the last two weeks or so.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 01:07 PM | Comments (5)

So at the beginning of the year, I set up some resolutions and promised we would check back with them quarterly. It's reckoning time, and I'm not too excited to let you guys know where I've been slacking. (Hint: everywhere!)

• Run a 5K. I believe this one is just not going to happen. I remember why I don't run. Asthma and shin splints. Awesome.
• Reach my goal weight of 140 pounds by July 4. Not going to happen by July 4. The truth is, the main reason I wanted to get the weight off by then was that I was hoping we would be pregnant again shortly thereafter. Some things have happened with my employer that make that highly unlikely, so I feel good about extending the timeframe to Christmas.
• Finish my 2007 reading list on time. I'm a little bit behind right now, but I think this one is still a go.
• Complete all school assignments without requesting extensions. I have not requested any extensions. However, I happen to be taking a class this semester from a man who doesn't believe in due dates. So to say that I am caught up in class would be inaccurate.
• Take more photographs. Does it count if I pay someone else to take more pictures?
• Commit to a bedtime routine for Alliclaus and stick to it. Done.
• Commit to a house-cleaning schedule and stick to it. No. Not even a little bit. Must continue to work on this one.
• Post at least five time weekly. Um. Oh my God, is that the Pope?

Where were we?

• Family dinner at least once weekly. This one is going great. We eat together everyday for breakfast and lunch and are getting dinner in together whenever we can.
• Visit a museum with Alliclaus at least once monthly. I am mortified to say that this has not happened once yet. I think it is partly due to the cold weather, but mostly I think I've been lazy. I hate to send Andiclaus out in the Car of Death, but if he's not going to be home to go to the museum with us, my options are to send him in the CoD or not go. Hopefully warmer weather will motivate me. Plus, maybe we can go to a Chicago museum or two in July to make up for it.
• Let Andiclaus pick our movies. I believe Andiclaus would like me to cease and desist on my enthusiasm for this particular resolution. We've been enjoying lots of movies, but I think the pressure to choose is becoming a bit much.
• Visit a new restaurant at least once monthly. Not one.
• Birthday and anniversary cards for family and friends. So far, so good. We've been late with a few, but at least they're getting there at all.
• 25 comments per week on other people's blogs. Not even a little bit. It doesn't help that my company has blocked Blogger. I can read, but I can't comment. Don't they know I have important Internet business to take care of?
• Actively work to improve my Spanish. Does reading Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, ¿qué ves ahí? count?
• Learn to knit. Done. And my first project is completed.
• Learn to play guitar. I have not started. I need to call my friend and see if she will teach me.
• Attend Sunday School. We totally bailed on Sunday School for first quarter, but we're taking a Faith and Literature class this quarter that pretty much is more exciting than the actual service. This week: Flannery O'Connor.
• One load of laundry daily. Good news: washer is fixed. Bad news: Apparently, my laziness is not.
• Try a new recipe at least once monthly. Check.
• Makeup on work days. Really bad at the beginning of the year, but improving.
• Get Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving. Not quite on my radar yet.
• Find a way to make enough money from home to quit my job. Not so much concerned with that right now, since it seems my boss is really willing to work with me on a schedule that works for my family.
• Attend as many wedding-related things for Sarah as is humanly possible. I'm totally nailing this one. Since there aren't actually many "things" happening, I've been supplementing by annoying Sarah about every article I read in a bridal magazine I buy because, "Honey, I need it. Sarah's getting married."
• Occasionally turn to my mother-in-law for parenting advice. It has not happened yet. But we will be seeing her this month, so maybe I'll think of something. (I did read my daughter this book, which scares me, but I thought it was the right thing to do since her grandmother bought it for her.)
• Some type of memory something-or-other for Alliclaus' first birthday. I'm framing a bunch of pictures we had taken at the party. And I'm keeping one of my Invitations of Ladybugness. Is that a memory something-or-other? I believe I am going to say yes.

So that's the state of my resolutions. The list as a whole isn't going great, but a few individual resolutions are. And I got a Hebrew assignment done early today, which is good. (It would be better if I would do the homework that is more tedious and also more due, but at this point I'm willing to settle for getting something done.)

I'm going to try to take some picture of Alliclaus for you guys tomorrow. She's changed so much since I last posted pictures.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 07:02 PM | Comments (7)

Well, yesterday was my birthday. I turned twenty-six and it was very much not a big deal. Andrés had to work, so I mostly just hung out with Alliclaus and pretended it wasn't my birthday. There were the obligatory phone calls from family, but mostly I just ate almost an entire Bailey's Irish Cream Cake and relaxed.

As a birthday gifl to me, Alliclaus learned to clap, so all day I was treated to random little rounds of applause, which I really think all people should enjoy on their birthdays. It puts a little spring in your step. If you ever get up off the couch, that is.

Back to work tomorrow.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 08:02 PM | Comments (12)

Or so Andiclaus feels the need to tell anyone willing to listen. Since sometime late in college, Andrés has told Anthony, "I'm watching you" anytime he and I spent any amount of time together.

And that was pretty frequently. Aside from my husband (and maybe my brother-in-law, too), Anthony is the best friend I made in college. He's one of the only people we continue to be in contact with and he's certainly the only person who's made the trip to Kansas City to see us. He's Alliclaus' godfather. There're a million reasons to love him.

The whole thing is quite funny, mostly because Anthony and I could NEVER be together. He's so...good. Aside from my girl-next-door kind of appearance, I am nothing he wants in a girl. He's very moral and conservative. Can you even imagine?

Anyway, we sent Anthony a valentine (LATE!) and, as per his usual, he responded with a strange and wonderful card of his own.

It's a Girl's Day card. He rightly assumed that Girl's Day cards are not so prevalent around these parts. (Anthony lives on Oahu.) Girl's Day was March 3, so Alliclaus and I narrowly missed our opportunity to dress up and eat mochi, but you can be damn sure we won't miss it next year! In the card he also thanks us for being awesome. To that, I can only say, "You're welcome."

I probably wouldn't have mentioned Anthony or Girl's Day, except that today is International Women's Day. I've read the articles and I have to say, I'm not totally sure how one is meant to celebrate International Women's Day, so I've decided to just say a few things about what I think it means to be a mother of a daughter.

For me, raising a daughter is an incredible task. How can I express to her the importance of continuing the work of feminism without stifling her creativity in choosing her own path towards fulfillment? How do I make sure that she is grateful for the women who fought for the freedoms she enjoys, even if sometimes she doesn't agree with their ideologies? How do I make it clear to her that the feminist experience is only one of many experiences she will have as an outsider to mainstream American society, while not diminishing its importance?

Right now, it isn't too hard. I try to show her that Andiclaus and I have a partnership in our family. That I am empowered not only to work, but to stay home and to continue my education. I think, though, that before too many more years have come and gone, that I'll have to be more intentional if I want her to have a rich experience of the world as a girl and woman.

I do not presume that raising a boy is any less difficult. It is not, however, a task that I am tackling right now. I am curious to know how other mothers of daughters (and sons) see their roles as women in parenting.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 10:03 PM | Comments (4)

• First day of class was today. I am not a good person. There is always someone in my class who I think is a complete idiot. I cannot keep this opinion to myself. I don't say it out loud, but there is no doubt about my feelings. Luckily, this person almost inevitably cannot pick up on social cues and therefore has no clue of my true feelings. This semester, there are easily four in my intensive. Rikki, you know who one of them is. Holy hell.
• I had been thinking about giving up on making baby blankets for anyone I don't know in real life. But as soon as I made that decision, I was sad about it. So, back to the hook.
• Alliclaus has been without me for eight hours today. This is a first for us. I'm not doing very well. She isn't either.
• I am a File Ninja. That is all. Okay, not really. I could really care less about my job. It rocks that they're willing to pay me fairly well for doing a task a monkey could do. However, I hate my job title. It's some long, involved title that doesn't explain what I do at all. And while "file clerk" would be very descriptive, I don't care for it much. But "File Ninja" has a certain flair, I think.

Anyway, that's it for today. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow so that I can get a few more posts out this week.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 05:45 PM | Comments (7)

• Alliclaus has not ever had her hair cut. (That's not the weird part.) While she's never been bald (post-utero), her hair has thinned out considerably compared to the early days. But in the past week, no fewer than a dozen people have commented, "Oh, she had a haircut." Huh. No, she hasn't. And her hair isn't thinner. I think it's just starting to lay on her head in a more uniform way.
• I ued to be a person who looked like I weighed less than I did. No more. I've lost fifteen pounds, but look identical, in my opinion. So now I think I might look like I weigh more than I actually do. Suck.
• The Illustrated Man
• My mom comes into town this Sunday for two weeks while I take an intensive course for seminary, yet I seem to be completely in denial of the whole situation. I don't think about the fact that I haven't finished the work for the class. I don't think about picking my mom up from the airport (which requires freeway driving in the winter - eep). I don't think about meal planning for the two weeks, during which it will be near impossible for me to get anything accomplished.

This is all I can muster for a post today. If I were you, I would expect this type of content for the next two weeks or so. I'll try to keep up with my 5 posts/week deal, but I wouldn't count on it.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 10:30 AM | Comments (7)

...why shouldn't I let you pick my film library?

We signed up for Bl0ckbuster 0nline yesterday (because the cashier had a sales pitch that included never stopping with the talking), but we just don't know what to queue up.

So pimp your favorite movie. There's lots of stuff I've never seen.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:50 PM | Comments (13)

I had to tell you guys that I really love the song "Last Christmas" by Wham! Every year I forget how much I like it. I heard it today for the first time this year.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 12:12 PM | Comments (3)

But right now I have to go to the hotel. (Explanation arriving tomorrow!)

Check out our family pictures for now!

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:49 PM | Comments (7)

Dear Holiday Season,

You're so sneaky. Nobody likes it when you hide behind a corner and then jump out like that. I need, like, seven more months to emotionally and financially prepare for you to be here. Could you maybe consider someone else's needs?

For real,

Bethiclaus

*****

Dear People of My Office,

I know you occasionally need to use my office for this or that, but could you kindly stop moving my crap? I don't mean to be all, "Who Moved My Cheese?" I know I need to be flexible to change, but literally, who moved my cheese? And where is it now?

Thanks,

Bethiclaus

*****

Dear Non-Southern California People,

Why you gotta hate, yo? I know that it is really hip to claim that So Cal is oh-so-fake, but I'm not convinced that wherever you are from is somehow less vapid than my home town.

Step off,

Bethiclaus

*****

Dear NaBloPoMo,

It's not you, it's me. I just don't know if I'm really ready for this kind of commitment.

Can we still be friends?

Bethiclaus

Posted by Bethiclaus at 05:56 PM | Comments (4)

Well, today has been crazy busy. We had family pictures today, which normally wouldn't be that big of a deal. Unfortunately, two weeks ago, we foud out our washing machine is busted. We've been avoiding going to the laundromat like the plague, so Andiclaus had to go this morning before we could leave for the park. This seemingly should have been easy, but remember: Two weeks. No laundry.

Anyway, pictures went well, but now that Alliclaus is in bed, all I want to do is hit the hay.

See you tomorrow.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 08:19 PM | Comments (1)

So I totally was going to finish up Chatty Cricket's questions on Wednesday and then blast Sarah on Thursday, but as you may have noticed (but probably not), I haven't posted. Here's why:

****ALERT!!! This post is not for the squeamish and I highly suggest you stop reading now. The remainder of this post is of a very personal and gynecological nature. You have been warned****

So, when I had Alliclaus (and her 14-inch head), I also had a 4th-degree tear. (I will likely not be having another baby vaginally - thanks for asking.) It took a ridiculously long time to heal, and I still have pain almost always. She is six months old.

So Wednesday was my annual exam and I told the doctor all of this. She says, "Well, let's take a look."

Apparently, when a significant tear heals, there is sometimes "extra tissue" that forms. Kind of like skin tags except, you know, inside your vagina.

The solution? Cut them off.

I think I may have fainted at this point.

So they numbed me up with Lidocaine, and literally took a scalpel to the INSIDE OF MY VAGINA. Apparently, this extra tissue was fairly significant, because to stop the bleeding, they cauterized the slices with silver nitrate.

The burning sensation was rather, well, intense. I took Thursday off work because my job requires me to sit in a chair and that was simply out of the question yesterday morning. I feel better now, though, and will try to get to more questions this afternoon.

As I'm sitting here typing this, I'm thinking two things:
1) Beth, what is wrong with you? Do you really want to share this with the Internet? Um, yes.
2) Andiclaus is going to die when he sees that I told you guys this. I think my frankness on the Internet embarrasses him.

But here's the thing. I've been blog-blocked for awhile and I know that it's mostly because my life is pretty rinse and repeat right now. But this was something completely different.

By the way, I don't recommend this to anyone.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:04 AM | Comments (8)

Yikes! I guess I better dust the cobwebs out of the corners around here. Time has gotten away from me these last few days and just last night Andiclaus reminded me that I hadn't posted forevah.

Not much has been happening that is noteworthy. Just enough information for my favorite post style. Random short paragraphs!!!!

Last week, playgroup went to the Arboretum in Overland Park. I may not have mentioned previously on this blog that I have a very severe reaction to bug bites. My doctor has informed me that I get this way because I was bitten by a brown recluse when I was a child. Anyway, in addition to being highly allergic to mosquito bites, I also seem to be a mosquito magnet. (My mom: That's because you're so sweet. Me: Have you read my blog?) I had no fewer than twenty mosquito bites up and down my arms by the time we left. The next morning (and really all last week) I was crazy itchy and red, black and blue all up and down my arms.

We (read: my mom) bought our tickets home for Christmas. We'll be in San Diego Dec. 25-31 and in Phoenix Jan. 1. I can hardly wait. I desperately need a vacation, particularly if it's the kind where other people want to play with Alliclaus. We're going to Chicago at the end of this month (Oct. 27-30) and Sarah and Joshiclaus will supposedly be coming to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. All these visits and visitors should make these next few months fly by.

Alliclaus has decided to go on a sleep strike. She had been sleeping great at night (in her own crib), but was refusing to take naps. In a desperate attempt to fix this, I bought the no-cry sleep solution book after Alliclaus' pediatrician told me to let her cry it out. (I am not getting into this issue with you, Internet. I do not judge you. Kindly step off.) Well, we seem to be improving in the area of napping, but now she refuses to sleep at night. I've been trying to move her bed time earlier in the day, since I like to feed her once before I leave for work at 6:30. She's been refusing to be put in her crib after her last feeding. Once we finally get her in there (which is significantly later than she used to go to bed), she only sleeps for a couple of hours before she's awake and crying. Because I am oh-so-tired and lazy, we've been just letting her come sleep with us once this happens, because I can breastfeed her while I get a few more minutes sleep. But lately, she won't even sleep once she's in bed with us. I think this is probably a combination of some tummy troubles due to the introduction of solid food and her strong desire to try to crawl every time she is on a flat surface. I've read that babies sometimes stop sleeping when they are hitting these milestones, but holy hell! When does she sleep again?

I've started looking for a babysitter for a few hours a couple nights a week, since currently I'm having to bail on a lot of things in order for Alliclaus to be home for her bedtime routine. It's really difficult being in a city away from family when we are in these situations. There's a girl at church who's offered to babysit, so I'll have to see if she's available these nights.

Well, today is playgroup at Deanna Rose, which is this strange little children's farm. Strange to me because I am a city girl who is in playgroup in the burbs. It's supposed to be 95 today. Ick! I guess we'll see how long it takes for the kids to have a meltdown.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:37 AM | Comments (1)

No pictures yet because my mom forgot her USB cable in San Diego, but she has promised to buy a new one out here so you can all see the deliciousness.

Alliclaus likes rice cereal. The doctor says that in two weeks we will be starting "a lot of food."

Stitch N Bitch was yesterday and I had great fun.

I did not however, get all three! adult! blankets! done in time for yesterday's family shower. I think I may be able to get number 2 done today.

I hate MySpace. I think Metro Dad puts it nicely here. So all of you "real" friends of mine who are on that shit. Please cease and desist. I just can't take the craziness.

My mom's in town until Friday and I seem to be particularly bad at posting when I have out-of-town company, so no promises for this week. But I'll put up an all photos all the time post when she gets the USB cord.

Talk to you soon!

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:08 AM | Comments (4)

I just wrote an entire entry about how busy my August was going to be. Thankfully, I deleted it before posting. I know this site can get boring at times, but really? My calendar?

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:17 AM | Comments (6)

Have you guys seen the new VW commercials?

The ones where people are talking about mundane crap in their cars and then they get in horrible car accidents?

Um. Shouldn't there be some kind of warning on that shit? I know that would ruin the whole "surprise" aspect of the commercial, but there are people out there (or right here on this website) who can't watch that!

I had nightmares last night about Andiclaus' and my crash for the first time in months.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:13 AM | Comments (6)

I know what you're thinking. Isn't Andiclaus Mexican? Yes he is.

So wouldn't his twin brother also be Mexican?

Um. Yes.

But last night on Big Brother 7, Kaysar's friend from the Muslim PR something or other called him the Iraqi Brad Pitt. And Joshiclaus is Kaysar's doppleganger. Joshiclaus looks just like Kaysar. Andiclaus does not.

Aren't the identical twins?

Yes. Shut up.

I guess the reason I think that Joshiclaus looks like Kaysar and Andiclaus does not is really mannerisms. But I really think there are a lot of visual similarities as well.

Here's Kaysar. I swear I have taken at least three pictures of Joshiclaus in exactly that pose, but I couldn't find them. This is the best I could do.

Here's Joshiclaus, with a bonus shot of Alliclaus (because really, an entry without her?)

I'm not crazy here, right? Even if you think I am, whatever. Andiclaus agrees with me.

My doppleganger is not nearly so easily recognizable. I don't even know her name. I call her "that chick in the First Response commercial. You know, the one who says something about knowing you're pregnant the moment it happens?"

Here she is:

In this picture, she doesn't look so much like me, but in the commercial, I swear she is my skinny twin sister.

On another note, can an identical twin really have a doppleganger? I'm proposing that they can, apparently.

So anyway, who's your doppleganger? Sarah, you don't need to tell me yours. I already know.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 06:00 AM | Comments (6)

I am in full nesting mode and need to have everything done in the house, so today that means spending all day at the laundromat. I hate apartment living.

We've been putting off a substantial amount of laundry that needs to be done because it's Winter, so our usable wardrobe shrinks significantly. Plus, with me in maternity clothes, I have maybe four pairs of pants and nine shirts that actually need to be washed regularly.

We're washing everything in the house today, though, and putting together boxes for Goodwill donations. Then we can put together all this crazy furniture we have and get the rest of the house in some semblance of order.

Plus, my so-called easy classes that the registrar was convinced were the best classes for me to take while I was pregnant are full of busy work, so I have a lot of crap I have to do before the babiclaus arrives.

I really want to clean my entire apartment with a toothbrush, but I have no desire to do the major things like take boxes down to the dumpster. I'm not sure why I'm like this, but at this point I would gladly throw away 3/4 of our possessions so that I could actually get this place spotless. Losing a second bedroom (that we used to use to store all manner of crap) is making this apartment seem very cramped.

Oh well. I should go pack up some more laundry.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 12:18 PM | Comments (2)

1. The crib arrived yesterday.
2. The changing table, car seat and stroller are arriving today.
3. I started my new classes (They're weird.)
4. I think I may have broken a rib. Ow.

More later.

Later like tomorrow.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:23 AM | Comments (1)

I'm alive. I've been sick and crazy busy with prepping for classes to start. I'll try to post tomorrow (a lot of stuff has actually been going on), but I just wanted to check in so all five of you would know that I was okay.

See you later. I have to go to sleep now because I am old and boring.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 09:00 PM | Comments (5)

Reasons Why It Is So Cool That It Is November

1. Dropping temperatures. Please GOD, let the summer like temperatures in Kansas City cease and desist.
2. Rent opens November 23. (Sarah, don't you dare go see it before you get here or you will be in for a very boring Thanksgiving weekend.)
3. Sarah comes to visit for Thanksgiving.
4. (Mmmm, pumpkin pie.)
5. Chicken Little!
6. Halfway point of this whole baby thing.

Okay, there really aren't that many items that rock about November, but they are all very big ones for me. November marks the start of the time when I get to see Sarah twice in two months (although I'm not sure we saw each other last year the second time. I think the night I was with her family she was out drunk at a club.)

P.S. Today is the ultrasound. I don't have a scanner, but if it's super interesting, I'll try to figure out how to get the damn thing up here.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 06:54 AM | Comments (2)

So here's the deal. Naomi posted a not very nice post about me and Sarah on her blog. Don't go hate on her. She's actually my friend. However, she believe the Internet should know that we are not the Misses Smartypants that we appear to be at first glance.

Here's the thing. Sarah and I kind of count on each other to know what the other one doesn't. The problem with this plan? We kind of know mostly about the same stuff. Would you like to know about progressive Christianity? How about educational paradigms? What about the many uses of sequins? We've got you covered. When it comes to other stuff? Not so much.

See, I used to have this fabulous car. It was a '78 Nova and it was yellow. It's name was the Banana Boat and we had great plans to turn it into a mosaic sculpture and leave it parked in Ocean Beach. Sadly, it was not meant to be. In any case, on day the Banana Boat got a flat tire. Since I was going to buy two new tires, I thought it would be fantastic to get white wall tires to go with the fantastic '70s vibe the car already had going for it.

I didn't want to be driving around with just two white wall tires, so Sarah and I asked her dad about what to do. He told us to put the tires on with the white walls on the inside.

I want to say, "You know where this is going," but my guess is that none of you are as dumb as me and Sarah and therefore, you don't. I asked Sarah's dad, "Is there tread on the inside of the tire?" Then Sarah says, "Is there? I didn't know that?" While I didn't say so, I was also wondering how you turned a tire inside out. I didn't think I was strong enough to do so.

I think Sarah's dad may have fallen down laughing, but he was on the phone, so we can't be sure.

Additionally, there was the time when Sarah and I were driving around in the Banana Boat (most of our fun stories start this way), when the tailpipe fell off my muffler. Not knowing whether or not I would need to take that to the mechanic to get it put back on, I pulled over. Sarah (she's such a good friend) says, "Don't worry. I'll go get it."

At this point in the story I would like to point out that we were only 18 and didn't know a whole lot about cars. In fact, I'm not sure that I ever changed the oil in the Banana Boat. Poor thing.

Anyway, Sarah grabbed the (apparently) very hot tailpipe with her bare hands and started running back to the car. It took her brain about two steps to process the fact that her skin was bubbling off her hand.

So there they are. I'm sure there are more stories of how dumb we have been. I just can't think of them right now.

Did I mention that there is this great picture of Naomi with a mullet and a New Kids on the Block poster? No. I would never call her out like that on my blog.

Posted by Bethiclaus at 06:51 PM | Comments (7)

So I don't normally do these things, but Zoot sent it on to me. (Okay, probably not me, but someone named Beth and she said to do it if that was your first name, so here I am.) Since I have been in a blog drought, I figured I would put it out here.

7 Things I Plan to Do Before I Die
1. Finish my Master's degree. (Please GOD.)
2. Live in the same city with Sarah again.
3. Volunteer as my full-time job.
4. Travel through Latin America.
5. Master Spanish (plan might be a little overly optimistic - perhaps wish would be better).
6. Visit Vatican City.
7. Meet Britney Spears.

7 Things I Can Do
1. Make a kick-ass baby blanket.
2. Be comfortable naked in from of just about anyone. (College dorms...what can I say?)
3. Make a delicious Margarita Cake.
4. Get irrationally angry at Andiclaus for NOTHING.
5. Read very quickly.
6. Memorize a song after hearing it once.
7. Learn Britney Spears dance moves from music videos.

7 Things I Cannot Do
1. Draw. (Holy crap! It is not pretty, people.)
2. Put away laundry the same day I wash it. (Why can't I manage to do that?)
3. Watch people touch the front of their throats. (Don't ask. I'm a freak.)
4. Talk to Sarah without cracking a joke. (No matter how serious the moment is.)
5. Finish any craft project other than a blanket.
6. Write a research paper without having an anxiety attack.
7. Listen to a Britney Spears song without singing along.

7 Things That Attract Me to the Opposite Sex
1. Artistic nature.
2. Loves children (since I don't).
3. Willingness to share me with Sarah.
4. Spanish surname. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for Latinos. I'm from San Diego.)
5. Lets me be the funny one.
6. Intensity (in ten cities).
7. Tolerance of my obsession with Britney Spears.

7 Things I Say Most Often
1. You're such a tool!
2. Clearly...
3. Salem, no!
4. I don't even own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do with a gun rack? (Really, any Wayne's World quote will do. I already did one in this entry.)
5. Are there any good drivers in Kansas City?
6. Honey? Will you [insert absured request here]?
7. I know I'm too old to love Britney Spears, but...

7 Celebrity Crushes
1. Taye Diggs
2. Lenny Kravitz
3. Don Cheadle
4. John Corbett
5. John Mayer
6. LL Cool J
7. Britney Spears

7 People I Want To Do This
1. Memo
2. Andiclaus
3. Rikki
4. Andi Pandi
5. Halloweenlover
6. Joshiclaus
7. Britney Spears (or Sarah)

Posted by Bethiclaus at 10:47 PM | Comments (6)