Nuance of Language

I've been wanting to post something about this ever since Hubby and I had a slight disagreement about a month ago. Our disagreement was based on Hubby's use of a word that I felt did not fully communicate what he was trying to say, or that it was misleading in some way. Unfortunately, I have this issue quite regularly because I don't feel that Hubby has a complete grasp of the nuance of language. (This could come from living in Germany for much of his young life.)

In any case, this "disagreement" really highlighted the fact that I love the meaning of words and that I'm a little, ummm, exuberant when it comes to using words correctly. (I'll do the same thing with grammer as well.) Why am I this way? I don't know. I've always loved reading and English, though I prefer editing to writing (I almost made Hubby cry when I edited his Letter of Intent for grad school, but that's another story.) My mother also loved writing and reading, though she studied Microbiology in college. And my sister (older and perhaps a little bossy) is an English teacher, which can explain quite a bit. But what it all boils down to is a love for words and using words correctly.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that my vocabulary is not very extensive, as I may have led you to believe. Along with an obsessive insistance on the correct use of words is a fear of using words incorrectly. So I tend to use the generic, everyday type of words in my speech with a few "superfluouses" and "acquiescents" scattered here and there, properly used, of course. Every time I use a word that has just the right nuance, I get this warm feeling inside that just makes me want to use more "big" words, but, of course, only if I use them correctly.

Normal? Maybe?

Maybe having a pity party worked....

So, yesterday after breakfast I was playing with Anna and suddenly I felt like cleaning my leather couch and chair. Wow, that was strange. I haven't felt like cleaning in, umm, a couple months? After the couch was done, I dusted one of my plants. And then I felt like doing laundry, particularly my woolens that are so hard to clean (I cheated. I'll give instructions at the end.) I can't tell you how suprised I was. After a couple months of wanting to do nothing but read and lay on the couch, it was a welcome relief. I even was able to decide on something for dinner(with my sister's help), make it, and have it ready when Hubby walked through the door!

With all of the cleaning urges happening, I can't help but wonder if the end of morning/evening/all day sickness is in sight. I'll be at twelve weeks this Friday, so maybe things are starting to calm down a bit. Expecting it to go away almost immediately is unwise, but maybe I really am starting to feel better.

Instructions on cleaning woolens:
My in-laws are obsessed with all things wool (my sister-in-law married into a sheep herding family and my mother-in-law cleans, cards, spins, dyes, and knits her own yarn). This would explain the wonderful wool blanket (Pendelton, because that is the only place to get good wool blankets) we received from them for our wedding. And the last time we were visiting Grandma and Opa, my mother-in-law showed me how to clean our blanket without having to take it to the dry cleaners. It is actually very simple.

Here are a few rules to remember when washing wool:
Never, NEVER agitate (unless you intend to felt your woolen)
Always use the same temperature of water for every stage of cleaning (hot or cold, it doesn't matter, just don't switch from hot to cold or vis versa in the middle of cleaning)
Never run water directly onto your woolen

Here is what I did with our sweaters:
First I added Woolite to the washer and filled it up with water.
Then I added the sweaters and gently pushed them under the water until all the air was gone.
Then I let it sit for about 30 minutes to an hour.
Then I moved the dial ahead to the spin cycle, let the water spin out and then refill, stopping it as soon as it started to agitate. (my washer fills from the bottom up, no water shooting into the bowl. If you have one that shoots water, you will want to move your woolens out of the way, or remove them from the washer until the water stops shooting.)
I repeated this process again just to make sure all the soap was out, then I moved the dial to the final spin cycle and let it finish.

Now, if you have one of those fancy front-loading washers that I covet, just use your handwash setting and forget about these complicated instructions.

Feeling Sick

I need a pity party! It has been a month and a half since I felt any where close to decent and there are so many things I miss because I just don't feel like doing anything. Here are some of them:

-piano lessons (and playing the piano)
-a clean apartment
-making some of my favorite dishes
-being able to decide what I am going to make for dinner (nothing ever sounds good)
-more walks outside
-Girl Scout Cookies (they have been sitting on our counter because I want to be able to enjoy them when I eat them)
-getting stuff done during Anna's naps rather than just sleeping
-Having people over more often
-not making Hubby do dishes for the entire day after dinner

Oh, the list could go on and on. What I really want back is my motivation. It disappeared quickly after the nausea started and some days I can hardly get off the couch. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll start to feel better and actually enjoy being pregnant! Fortunately, I am getting really excited about it. In a week we'll be able to hear the heart beat for the first time!

Getting Excited

So, Hubby and I were surprised last month when my period didn't show up. We were being careful, but somehow by the end of the month I was lying down on the couch suffering from morning sickness.

Now, don't get me wrong, it is not a problem that I am pregnant. In fact, we had discussed this timing previously, knowing that if I got pregnant in December or January, our kids would be about 2 years apart. Not bad timing for us. Then we discovered that Hubby forgot to sign me up for his insurance, which he has to do at the begining of each school year. Now, he immediately signed me up, but it wouldn't start until January, so December was out. So, because of that and because I am just plain scared of having more than one child running around, I wanted to put off the conception until this summer. Well, that obviously didn't happen.

Am I excited to be pregnant? Let's just say that I am working on it. Like I mentioned, I had mentally prepared myself for getting pregnant several months in the future. Also, I'm afraid that other women that I know will think that we are irresponsible. Because we live in such a liberal area, I get the impression that people that have kids only two years apart (or even just have kids) are looked down upon. Somehow, and I don't know how this happened, women are seen as not being true to themselves if they have children. I certainly don't agree with this, but I still worry about what others think of me.

And the biggest reason I'm still working on being excited? Well, it is rather simple. Very shortly after I found out that I was pregnant, the nausea set in. I really didn't have any time to prepare myself before I was sick. So, once the sickness goes away, I'll really be able to get excited. :)

The New Year

A New year has begun, and I need to make those pesky little things called resolutions. I have learned, however, that I am not going to make any changes unless I really want to make those changes. Now, that might sound obvious, but simply knowing that something is good for me doesn't mean I want to do it.

Example: Exercising is good. It makes you healthier, happier (yeah for endorphins), and more in control of your body. I know it would help me sleep better. I know that when I decide to have another baby, it will help me during my pregnancy. I know that being more toned would help me to feel better about myself. But do I exercise? NO. Will I make a resolution regarding exercise? Probably. Most likely, it will be something about learning to like exercising or something like that. Will it work? Ask me at the end of the year.

Fear

So, I'm afraid of blogging. Really, there is no reason for it, but I have friends with wonderful blogs and I feel like I just can't compete with their style of writing. To overcome this fear, I decided I just need to start. Of course, most people who see this blog will reading only to see pictures of my lovely daughter, but I'll pretend that they are really coming to be wowed my blogging skills.