Spring Breaking

Spring Break is half over and it has not exactly been what I imagined.  Basically, I've had two super productive days and four days on which I was out for the count with Horrid Stomach Ailment or OMFG Worst Sciatica of My Life.

Since I already detailed Horrid Stomach Ailment for you (Oh--but did I mention my last meal before barfing included salsa?  You're welcome!) I'll just say that sciatic flared up out of no where yesterday, right about the time I was thinking "Hmm... didn't sciatic plague me during my second trimester with Eliza?  And here I am almost to the third trimester with no issues..."  I was carrying a (small) load of laundry to the washing machine when a sharp pain shot through my lower back and I ended up on the kitchen floor, moaning and cursing.

I tried to appease the sciatic nerve with gentle stretching, good posture, and denial of the breathtaking pain running from my left shoulder blade all the way down my spine to my left butt cheek, but finally I gave up and spent the majority of the afternoon lying on my side with a heating pad.  For all my efforts, I ended up with nothing but a fierce headache and tense back muscles.  That nerve was all kinds of pissed off.  Finally David got home from work and gave me an excellent back massage (good enough to indicate that most of the time he is totally half-assing his back massages in order to hurry up and get them over with).  Still, I was so miserable by that point that there was nothing to do but watch Justified and go to bed.  My big plans for grading and other projects amounted to nothing.

I woke up this morning like nothing ever happened--sciatic what? (Except I did have a super disturbing dream  and I know it's horribly boring to read about other people's dreams, but bear with me because in this one, the Deuce was born; it was undetermined whether it was a boy or a girl, as I referred to the baby as both Eliza and Donald; and I was caring for the baby and yet forgot to FEED it.  At all.  Ever.  Then I remembered while at a baseball game with my friend Allison that I'd forgotten to feed the baby EVER, so we drove home (in the purple Pontiac she drove in college) so that I could nurse the baby, whose lips had turned black and who was crying, but who otherwise was no worse for wear.  I ask you:  What the HELL is wrong with my sleeping brain?).

I was determined that today would be a totally productive day to make up for yesterday.  And so far it has been!  I spent the morning at my favorite coffee shop, sipping a tall decaf (black).  I got a small stack of essays graded, and made some real headway on thoroughly outlining the article I'm writing (Yes; I decided to take some of the advice I give my students and actually organize my thoughts before I start drafting.  No; I will not be outlining blog posts so don't expect organization or clever thoughts here.)

I left the coffee shop smelling like coffee beans (I love how the smell seeps into my pores and my hair) and ran a few errands (post office, Target, car wash), then made it home to have lunch and grade another stack of essays.  Good times!  Well, at least I'll feel good when they are all freaking finished.

Over the past couple of weeks (in between work, grading, watching documentaries on the Amish, barfing, and nerve pain), I've also managed to accomplish some of my fun projects:  I completed the curtains I was sewing for my friend Jamie (and they look fabulous, if I do say so myself); I recovered an ottoman salvaged from a resale shop; I painted our front door a nice gray color that I think looks great with the yellow siding; and I did a couple of small Pinterest-inspired projects, including making a wreath for our front door from dollar-store fake flowers (It seriously looks just as good as the $40 ones in the store--which is to say that they sell crappy wreaths for $40!).  It's amazing what I could get done if I didn't have this pesky job to get in my way.

And now the illustrations:

Roman-shade curtains (there's a pair of these) will hang above Jamie's sink

matching valance for the window behind the kitchen table

from boring beige to chevron

the door was white and now it's gray - a small difference, but I like it

plain black v-neck with a ruffle created from one of David's grandpa's neckties

To round out my spring break week, I plan to finish my grading (Yes; all of it.  Ugh.), take my gestational diabetes test (on Saturday because I refuse to have blood drawn unless David is there to hold my hand), take a sewing class (in which I will learn at last how to put in a zipper!), and attend a trivia night that benefits the National Share Organization, which offers support groups for bereaved parents and sponsors the candlelight vigil held every year on Eliza's birthday.

Then I just have to get through five more weeks of class before summer break.  (!)

In other spring news, we visited Eliza's tree in Forest Park when ours in the front yard was in full bloom, and I was disappointed to see that her tree at the park was nothing but bare branches.  But my dad said that it was normal for a transplanted tree to be a few weeks behind schedule, and sure enough, a more recent visit to her tree proved that it will have some lovely pink flowers after all!

Planted in memory of: Eliza Taylor Duckworth.  Donated by: Her Parents.  We Love you, Baby Duck.

Eliza's pink flowers

The Deuce - 25 weeks

In the interest of comparison--here's the same dress at the end of the first trimester (in Mexico).

The Deuce - 14 weeks.  I thought I looked really pregnant here.