Up With The Times

The other night I experienced a pretty good scare. My child is in the phase where she eats everything. EVERYTHING. It is one of her stronger dog-like attributes. One of her favorite things to gnaw on is my phone. As can be seen here:

She was happily gnawing on my phone when it rang and when I answered it, I could hardly hear the person on the other line [Jennifer Kennedy, what up!]. I panicked. Had she finally done serious damage to my phone? I realized she had been slobbering all over the ear piece and the sound seemed to be permanently altered. I took it apart and let it dry out for a while. It eventually started working properly again but during that brief window when I thought I'd need a new phone, I started doing some serious thinking.

Is now, finally, the time, that I may actually consider getting an iPhone?

I couldn't believe what I was thinking! It felt dirty and wrong! Yes, that does seem a bit drastic but it may help to read this post I wrote three years ago. You can just skim it. I won't be mad. The applicable part isn't until the end.

Done? Okay. Back to the issue at hand. As you can see, for years I have lived in open rebellion to the iPhone and any other smart phone. I don't see the purpose of being THAT connected to the internet world. I hate seeing families eating dinner where one or more individuals are glued to a smart phone. I hate seeing a mom stick a video playing on the phone into their toddler's face to quiet them down. I hate seeing pictures of otherwise mundane restaurant food jazzed up with instagram.

I am a bit of a Luddite. That is apparent in my typical aversion to the smart phone world. I like interacting with people. I like not being yoked to an electronic devise. I like doing things for myself and not relying on the conveniences of some smarty pants phone.

But the other day at the pool, my friend's baby was fussy and not falling asleep [she was in a car seat, not the pool] and she pulled out her iPhone, pulled up a Baby Einstein video, played it near the baby and the baby was out. Dude. That was pretty cool. Maybe not everything is so evil about having an iPhone...

Many of you reading this have iPhones. It's becoming the norm. So I turn to you to help me with my pros and cons. My biggest con other than the fact I'll feel like a sell-out and conformist is the money. I have a hard time increasing my monthly cell phone bill that significantly. Which, by the way, I haven't run this past the husband yet so this may all be a moot point because I'm sure he'll poo poo the idea from the moment I utter the word "iPhone".

Nonetheless, I will be ready for a new phone soon. There seems to be a decent amount of pros to having an iPhone. For one, when I do get a new phone, it'll be the same price if not cheaper than a non-smart phone.

So what should I do? What are the pros? Do they outweigh the cons? Did anyone else have a hard time with the smart phone transition? Or am I just being dramatic?

Things I'm Learning 2.0

Second pregnancy is easier and harder than first pregnancy. Harder because all the not-so-happy things come earlier and more noticeably, i.e. nausea, aches and pains, big belly. Easier because the time goes by much quicker. I'm already a couple weeks shy of 3rd trimester. Wha?!?

I have no idea how I'm going to continue carrying Sydney in her car seat as we both keep getting bigger. Maybe I'll prop her up on my growing belly.

I'm glad I'm showing more. Having a baby under one year old while looking only slightly pregnant made it look like I'm really holding on to the baby weight.

People continue to work to understand my current baby + new pregnancy situation. I met with a Doc at my OB that I haven't seen since the night before Sydney's delivery. He seemed confused why I was there again. "I think I remember you. But it was for a different baby??" "Yes. Back this soon."

The number one thing people tell you when they find out you'll have babies 14 months apart: they'll be the BEST of friends!! I haven't figured out if this is comforting enough to get me through the first year. [btw, one of the reasons I'm glad I'm having a boy - teenage girls 14 months apart would have killed me].

Not sitting at a desk all day is doing wonders for fat-feet syndrome.

I'm getting better at picking things up with my toes.

I think I lack the gene that allows me to find nearly any pregnancy photos cute and not incredibly cheesy. Or creepy. But those creepy ones I think we can all agree on.

The missing aforementioned gene may be a ruse for the fact that I will never, ever be a cute, photographable pregnant girl.

Ok, I do have a heart. I think this is freaking adorable.

Maybe I'll cave and try to do this with Sydney, if she doesn't eat the chalkboard first.

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One Month

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One month from today, Jericho *could* be home. The *plan* is to be in the states at the end of June and back in North Carolina by July 1st. This has been the *schedule* for some time and is holding *true*.

That means that one month from today, I *could* be hugging my husband. He *may* be holding his baby girl for the first time in six months. We *may* be a complete in-person family again.

In one month, I *may* officially end my tenure as a single parent, burning my single mom card forever. I *could* happily begin sharing dish duty again, laundry duty, cleaning duty, and baby duty. [My house won't really be any cleaner because I've done a pretty stellar job keeping it clean on my own. Respect.]

In one month, my house *might* not be so quiet anymore, my bed not so cold. I *may* be getting to talk to another adult every day. I *may* start annoying Jericho because I won't shut up.

One more month and I'll *probably* stop crying so much [although I'll still be pregnant so this might not change much]. I *may* not be eating my meals alone. I *could* start getting foot rubs again. I *might* be holding someone's hand and belonging with someone.

Only one more month... possibly, could be true, crossing our fingers, holding our breaths, maybe, just maybe, and my husband comes home. And home for good. Forever. Never to leave again.

I can make it. Right?