She's a mover and a shaker!

So today was a big day for me... Our little baby was rolling around and kicking way to the right side and I could actually feel and SEE it happening! It was the strangest thing and I had to have the 5 yr old that I nanny for come over to tell me I wasn't crazy. Even he saw two big kicks! It was my first time feeling anything other than the little flick inside my belly that are the softest of kicks (which are happening more and more frequently and which I LOVE, I might add). I guess I expected my stomach to need to be super hard in order to actually see a kick. Turns out, that's not true because today my belly was rather soft when all this happened. Speaking of really hard bellies...

Saturday night was my high school reunion (15 years!)... Since I was the one putting on the reunion, I was on my feet most of the day getting things ready, and the party lasted from 7pm until about 12:30am. At about 10:30pm my stomach got as hard as a rock(!) and I felt a strong pressure on both sides of my belly! It was insane and I knew I needed to drink more water (even though that's all I was drinking all night!) and get my feet up asap. The reunion was supposed to be over at 11pm, but just when the dj told everyone the night was over, people were begging for more - and who am I to stop a great party, especially when I'm getting the credit!!? But I was exhausted, to say the least. This tightness lasted only a few minutes and then it passed and I was able to move on, but I did take it very easy for the rest of the night.

Ed was concerned yesterday and asked me to call the doctor. I called and spoke to the call nurse today about what went on Saturday night and it turns out that it was my first braxton hicks! I never suspected this would happen so early, but clearly, I'm actually 5 months pregnant no matter how deep my denial goes. I'm not sure why I feel like I need to be pinched every day, but I guess it's because I just feel so incredibly lucky. How does one person get so many of her life-long dreams and prayers answered in just 2 short years??

Yesterday was our 1 year anniversary! In some ways I simply can't believe that it's been a year - it's flown by, to say the least! In other ways, it seems like Ed and I have been together forever! I can't explain how much I love being married. Last night while we were out to dinner (at a very fancy place, I might add - http://duckworthsbistrot.com ) Ed asked me how I liked being married... I explained that I absolutely am so much more comfortable in my skin and with my life. It's hard to describe just how marriage has changed my life. I'm (obviously) happier on a day to day basis. I no longer have to worry about finding the one. I don't have to think about silly things like - oh boy, I better do my hair before I go to the grocery store...what if I meet my future husband! Just little silly things like that...I didn't really know I was in constant pursuit of this type of happiness, but looking back, I certainly was. It's just sooooo nice to have this camaraderie that I have going on in my life. I have a partner to do everything with...every little thing. I don't wonder what my evening has in store, other than...hmmm...i wonder Eddie will make me laugh tonight....I wonder what we'll have for dinner...I wonder if I'll get that almost nightly foot rub tonight... Those are all very comforting thoughts to me. I didn't marry for money, but we're definitely living on love over here. It's the most amazing feeling. I can honestly say that two of my biggest goals in life were to marry for love and to be a mother. My dreams are all coming true! How cool is that?

Ok. I'm gushing. Not everything over here is hunky dory.... There's always work, which means dreaded monsters...er...I mean children. Today when I picked the big kids up from camp, I saw one of the other kids' moms staring at me. She finally nervously walked over to me and asked if I was Sophie's nanny. When I replied yes, she said (nervously laughing): "Oh, I just knew it wasn't true..." Um...what? It seems the girl has told her sweet little girl that I am a witch...and that's not all. The stories Sophie has told of how I treat the children were so "terrifying" that the woman wouldn't even repeat them. Now, at first I wanted to laugh. This grown woman actually believed that I was a witch. But then when I looked over at her petrified little girl with her eyes bugging out of her head, clearly thinking I was going to cast a spell on her mother for confronting me, I was so embarrassed that I didn't know what to do. It was awful! I almost cried for the little girl, as I walked over to her and got down to her level and explained that the girl watches and reads a lot of Harry Potter and she likes to use her imagination and that I am, indeed, a very nice babysitter. I guess this little girl goes home scared for the girl's life every time she sees me picking up the kids. How sad is that? This is just another story of how strangely twisted this little 6 year old that I watch is. Is this normal? I think not.

It didn't end there with the girl today. As I was leaving with the kids, one of the very young camp counselors (I'm always amazed at how they expect 15 year old girls to take control of all these 4-8 yr olds) stopped me (nervously again) and told me the girl was in trouble again for telling another child: "You suck!" Minor, in the book of what the girl does to get in trouble, but still. Just added to pick up time today.

When we got home, the girl knew my feelings were hurt, because I told her in the car on the way home, by all the witch talk and so she was being extra sweet. She made me a bracelet and a cute little angel made out of pipe cleaners, and she asked me lots of questions about the baby...trying to win me over. I really didn't get down on her for all of the stuff I heard at camp pick up because really, I'm just tired. Tired of all of this. And I just have 21 days left of work, so I've resorted to just letting the parents know what's going on and then they can punish or discipline how they deem fit. But I did want to mention that the bracelet the girl gave me was a leather strap (from a child bracelet making kit) and in lipstick she wrote: SEX. I asked what this word meant and she said, "I don't really know what it means, it's just a cool word." Ah, the joys of nanny-hood!

That's all for today, folks. Ed just got home and we're going to go be a happy little family and look out for baby kicks! Hope you're well!

(as usual, I'm not reading through this post, so there may be grammatical errors...)