What Is It?

We had our anatomy scan and.......it's a GIRL!! They guessed as much at the 13 week scan, but they also told us not to go out and buy any pink just yet. This ultrasound was definite, though, and we are going to have a little girl. Everything looked great, which was a relief. After all of the sickness I was a little worried. I would have been happy either way, but I feel very fortunate to have one of each and I will feel even better once she's out and in my arms.

The other exciting thing that happened, besides the inauguration, was that M bought me one of these:

I've never had anything but a "normal" cell phone, so this is a major upgrade. It involved changing carriers, but after asking some friends (thanks Danielle and Karyn) I was convinced that the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks. This thing is so cool I can hardly stand it. What other device will allow you to check your e-mail, Twitter, get on Facebook AND make fake fart noises? Also, I'm pretty sure that this thing is smarter than I am.

I am in love with my phone and I am not ashamed to say it.

Do Something Good

Maybe it's the fact that CNN has turned into the 24 hour Inauguration Channel, but I feel a sense of excitement in the air. Not only has optimism returned, but a sense that we should all try to give back and do something good for our environment, our fellow human being and our world. I think about this a lot and I wonder: How? How am I supposed to give back when I can barely handle my own life most days? I would love to work at a woman's shelter or serve food at a soup kitchen, but I just can't right now. Do you feel the same way? I think this is where the internet becomes so valuable.

I know that many of you read Matt's blog. After a lot of planning and some hard work by a lot of people, the Liz Logelin Foundation has been established to help widows and widowers, with children, who may need financial help after the death of a spouse. Other than Matt's blog, I really have no personal experience with widowhood or losing a parent. I think what touches me about this story is the fact that Matt decided to use the recognition that his blog received and turn it into a way to give back. I can't think of a better way to honor anyone's memory than to turn their death into something that helps people.

How can you get involved? First of all, check out the website! There is also a group on Facebook, so if you haven't already joined, please do. You can check back here for some exciting activities that are going to be launched next month. Lastly, of course, you can donate money. Don't think about donating a lot, just think about what you are able to give. Are you debating whether or not to make a trip to the vending machine or to Starbucks? How about clicking on the PayPal link at the foundation's website and donating the money there? There is no amount that's too small and it will go to people who really need it.

Tomorrow is the beginning of something that will change this world for the better. I hope we can all work to make sure that change finds it's way into all of our lives.

Survivorwoman

2009 started with a call from daycare telling me that Luke had thrown up twice that day. Although it's nice to not be the only one in my household who is puking, I felt sorry for my poor little man. He had a fever and wasn't really keeping any food down. M and I switched off on sick baby duty for two days and he soon got better. I took him back to daycare today and it turns out that two of his classmates were out because of the same thing. Well, what makes us throw up will ultimately make us stronger, right?

I've been feeling a little scattered lately and I think it's because I've let my life become a sort of disorganized exercise in barely controlled chaos. There are no plans, other than surviving. That's fine in the short term, but ultimately I need some sort of order. I want to start living my life again. I've decided to try to do a few things to help:

1. Plan meals every week. This is mostly for M, since what I feel like eating varies from day to day, but it should help the nightly "I don't know, what do you want?" dinner routine.

2. Have some planned activities on the weekend. Luke is not at the age where he wants to be more interactive with everyone and everything. I'm going to try to plan some outings to museums or just take more walks.

3. Make more lists. This sounds really anal retentive, but I really need something to help me remember that I am completely out of laundry detergent, for instance.

I know that there are a lot of you that have tips for me on this sort of thing. Please, share. Please.