Dead Fish; Live Fish

As promised, here is the picture of the dead fish. Note the red spot on his side... It's either a bacterial infection, or a sign of a vicious attack. 


BUT, the fish that we bought after setting up the quarantine tank is on his THIRD day! (This is a record). He's not floating or doing flips, or developing any weird spots at all! Now, I know this is too early to say much of anything, and besides, he's still very stressed. He's normally supposed to be mostly yellow, but whenever he notices us looking at him, he turns mostly gray. This is why I haven't taken any pictures of him. If I notice him start to die, I'll take pictures, okay? Or if he makes it to the other tank.

But anyway, on to this whole labor thing. I've decided that I wish the doctor had not told me how far along I am. If I were still expecting a July 8 delivery date, I'd be able to relax and enjoy my last days/weeks of pregnancy. But now every day when I wake up, I think, "Today's the day!" and every night when I go to bed, I think, "Crap, still no baby." My pregnancy book says that the first stage of labor is the dialation of the cervix to 3 cm and that after that stage, you go to the hospital. Well, here I am at 5 cm (or at least that's where I was last Thursday) wondering if I'll ever get to the stage where I get to go the hospital and actually deliver. I'm actually afraid I won't notice labor starting, since I've gotten this far without feeling anything. But when I tell this to women who have had children, they just laugh at my naivete. "Oh, you'll feel the contractions, don't worry." I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we. Sigh.

Bye,
Beth

More Pictures And Fish

There, I posted a few of the pictures of Boys Play With Wax. For more of the same, go here. To see all my pictures, you can go here. But I'm warning you, I'm mainly using this site for storage purposes; you probably won't be very interested in most of the pictures I have on there.

So I forgot to mention, we bought another fish. We got him the same weekend the Boys Played With Wax. And he died that same weekend as well. But before you yell "Fish-Killer!", know that my dear friend Ashley once killed five fish in one fell swoop. So, after this one kicked it, we decided to do further research into why we kill fish. We thought we were doing everything right, we followed the fish-store-people's advice to the letter! Turns out they weren't telling us everything we needed to know. I think it's because they want us to come back every weekend and spend $30 more on a new fish.

But we looked up on a site we've come to trust and found that they recommend having a smaller quarantine tank for your new fish and keeping them there for 2-4 weeks before introducing them to its new tank-mates. The reason is saltwater fish can stress out very easily, and then die. Introducing them to a new tank, with different Ph levels, different salinity, differant temperature, and different fish is all very stressful. Especially the new fish part, because they feel like they own the place and the new fish is an intruder that they must pick on. With a quarantine tank, you can introduce the fish to the water and get him used to that in a calm, stressfree environment. Also, if the new fish is diseased, this way, he won't contaminate the other fish. Or if one of our older fish is diseased, we can put him in the q-tank so that a)we don't contaminate other fish and b) we don't treat non-sick fish. And thirdly, the q-tank could double as a breeding tank. And maybe that way we could make up some of the $175 we spent on this silly contraption and it's equipment. But more than likely, if the q-tank works, we can regain the money spent on it by not killing $30 fish the day after we buy them.

I'll let you know how that all turns out. Also, I took pictures of the dying butterfly fish that we didn't even bother to name. I should put one up here so you can see his patheticness.

Bye!
Beth

Joshua Fire-Hands. 

Joel meets candle warmer. 

Jeremy likes fire. 

5 Cm, 90%, and ... We Forgot.

Just got back from Krogers... where we went after the doctor's appointment. We got these new yogurts, they're chocolate mousse (sp?). Can't wait. But you weren't really interested in that, were you? Oh, you were? Okay. I got the cherry chocolate mousse and Josh got the raspberry chocolate mousse. I bet they're delicious. What? You want to know what the doctor said? Sigh. Okay.

She said that I'm 5 cm dialated and a very lucky lady to have gotten that far without any contractions or anything on my first pregnancy. She said it's not abnormal for women on their 2nd or 3rd pregnancies to be like that, but I'm just lucky. Yay me!

She also said that I'm about 90% effaced. I think that means my cervix is almost nonexistant. Yay, no more cervix!

I asked where the head was (it was a -1 last time), but Josh and I can't remember what she said. We remember her saying it was low, and I remember her facial expression led me to believe that it was very low, lower than last time. But when we left, I asked Josh what she said and he said, "-1", thinking that meant it was past the cervix. But I reminded him that the negative numbers meant it still hadn't passed the cervix, and then he doubted whether or not he had heard "-1". So we're just going to say "0" for now.

But 5 CM! That's halfway there! I'm halfway through labor and I'm still at home! I'm really, really hoping I don't have to go to my next appointment (next Friday at 2:20).

Bye,
Beth

Still Pregnant

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile; you probably thought I had the baby. Turns out, Josh put the laptop away because we had friends over and I've been too lazy to set it up again. And besides, he's been on the computer and internet nonstop since this online class deal started. And I've been reading Harry Potter. I'm on Goblet of Fire. I finished Perelandra awhile ago, and needed something fast and easy to give my brain a break. So Harry Potter it was.

I have a doctors appointment today at 2. I'm thinking I'll go in, and she'll say something to the effect of, "Why aren't you in the hospital; you are so obviously in labor!" Anything but, "Wow, it looks like you're actually moving backwards in labor..."

The other night I dreamed I had four babies. All in one day, but spread out. In between babies I would get up and go about my business. After the last baby was born, I would see people that I knew and go up to them and say, "Guess what I did today?! I just had FOUR babies!" Any interpretations on that one?

Okay, so what has happened since I last posted? Well, as I mentioned earlier, we had some friends here this weekend. Jeremy and Joel and Heather spent the night Saturday and went to church with us on Sunday. It was quite fun. Jeremy and Joel had a blast with my candle warmer. Boys + Melted Candle Wax = Lots Of Interesting Pictures. But unfortunately, they're all on the other computer, which Josh has taken over. Maybe after lunch I can sneak on there and get some off before he starts working again. Sunday, after church, while everyone else was napping all over our living room, Jeremy, Joel, and I went out to Dairy Queen and bought a birthday cake for Josh. His birthday isn't until July 14th, but I figured it would be overshadowed by the arrival of Olivia, so we kinda celebrated it really early.

Also, Josh has gotten yet another job. He's already got his assistantship which he's supposed to be doing 40 hours of research a week for, his online ITT teaching job, and just recently, ITT called him again and said they had another class for him to teach. This one is a math problem-solving class, and it's not online. It's one night a week, from 6-10 on Friday nights. The first two hours are lecture and the last two are just question/answer I guess. But this is more like what Josh wanted to do in the first place. The pay is $23/hour for four hours a week, plus an extra hour if Josh comes in and works on his class at ITT. Also, he gets to teach at the Greenwood campus which is a lot closer than the Indy campus. So it looks like he'll be gone both Thursday and Friday nights for awhile now. (Thursday nights are his help sessions with his online class).

And speaking of jobs, I've heard nothing about anything I've applied to. I suppose principals don't hire til August (from what I've heard).

Well, I guess that's all I have to say at least until I get back from my doctor's appointment.

Bye,
Beth

3 Cm, 75%, and -1

Now I suppose I have to explain the title to all you non-pregnant people, huh? Okay, here goes:

I went to the doctor yesterday and this is what she said (this sounds like a childhood chanting/clapping game...):

I'm 3 cm dialated. 10 centimeters is when I start pushing. The book I have says that the first stage of labor (latent labor), which is the longest and least painful, is the dialation of the cervix to 3 cm. So check that one off my list. But I'm not having contractions, and there's been no water-breakage... so I'm not in the hospital yet.

I'm 75% effaced. Effacing is the thinning of the cervix. When I get to 100%, it's time to have the baby.

The baby's head is at the position known as -1. I believe it starts at -4 and moves downward. When the head gets to 0, it's at the cervix and labor's ready to begin.

So the doctor said that this means the baby could come anytime from a few days to a few weeks from now. But she says it looks like they won't have to induce - my body's doing its job quite well on it's own. And she said that I may be early, may go up to my due date, and probaby won't go past it.

Personally, I'm hoping it happens within a few days. That way I can make all those silly early July weddings. Plus, I'm tired of having an overactive little being inside me trying to escape through my rib cage.

So, sorry to those of you who may have placed any bets on dates after July 8, but it looks like you won't be getting any fabulous prize. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then by all means, check it out.

Well, I'm going to get back to Matlock.

Who Wants To Be A Hoosier, Anyway...

So I went to the BMV yesterday (Indiana doesn't have DMV's, they have BMV's... they're special). Well, before I went, I did study. It was in PDF format and quite confusing and frustrating. Josh told me basically what concepts were on the test he had to take and I went over those, but I didn't study too hard, I mean, I've been driving for how many years now?

So after waiting in line for about 30 minutes (short line, I know!), I get my test and cram my pregnant self into one of those little desks and start the frustrating humiliation that is the Indiana written driver's test.

First of all, let me just say this. If you are over 18, you should not have to answer retarded questions about drivers education. I don't care whether you have to be 16 and 30 days with a permit for 60 days or 16 and 180 days with a permit for 60 days to get your license. (Yes, that was actually on there: How old must you be to get your license) How, exactly, does that pertain to me?! And do YOU know how a 16 year old with a waiver to get his/her license can get it revoked? Which would you have chosen: A) get a speeding ticket B) quit school C) fail the written test. I don't have a frickin waiver. And I thought my answer made sense! Let's see, what other questions did they put on there to simply humiliate me? If you have a probationary license (which you get if you're under 18), you can only drive with someone in the front seat who is 21 or older for the first 30, 60, 90, or 180 days. Um, I'm 22!! None of that pertains to me! And there were a few more. And you're only allowed to miss four questions.

Some other questions that they had that didn't have to do with ignorant teenagers but were still retarded: When driving at night, should you switch your highbeams off in the presence of an oncoming car at A) 500 feet, B) 400 feet C) 300 feet or D) 200 feet. I switch mine off as soon as I see another car approaching! But that answer wasn't on there and the one I guessed was incorrect. And if your following a car at night, should you switch off your high beams at A) 400 feet B) 300 feet, C) 200 feet D) 100 feet. And when should you put on your turn signal? A) 50 feet before the turn, B) 100 feet, C) 150 feet, or D) 200 feet. And if your going over 50 mph, when should you put on your turn signal? A) 300 feet, B) 150 feet, C) 100 feet D) 50 feet. And, if you need to make an emergency stop with antilock brakes in icy situations, what should you do? A) brake hard and steer normally, B) Don't pump the brake, C) give yourself plenty of time to stop or D) all of the above. Well, folks, I've had to make an emergency stop with antilock brakes in an icy situation before, and I braked hard and steered normally, right off the road! So I figured it wasn't that one or the all of the above one, and I've had people tell me to pump my brakes when skidding, so I didn't choose that one either. Which would you have chosen?

Well, that's all the retardation that I can remember. Needless to say, I'm still an Illinois resident and PROUD OF IT!

Grrrr...
Beth

Swindled by Cingular?

I suppose you've seen the Cingular advertisements of free mobile to mobile? Well, basically all cellular companies have that promotion now. But my deal is with Cingular specifically. I renewed my contract with Cingular after that promotion came out. But I wasn't particularly interested in it at that time, so I didn't ask a lot of questions, or any, really. Then, later, my mom, another Cingular customer, informs me that since I renewed after that promotion came out, I automatically have free mobile to mobile minutes with other Cingular customers. I was pretty excited. Then my good friend Ashley tells me she has the same promotion and I assume that I do too. So I do what I do best, and I talk. Whenever I was bored after school, before Josh came to pick me up. I would call my mom, or Ashley and I would talk for HOURS. Thinking that there would be no consequences.

Aaaaand then the bill comes. Now, don't worry, it wasn't THAT extreme. It was only $20 over the aproximate $35 it usually was. But I was concerned. It said that I had gone over my minutes while talking with other Cingular customers! But I had free mobile to mobile with other Cingular people... dind't I? So I get on the phone with Cingular and ask them what this is all about. They explain that I have the cheapest plan on the market: the $29.99/mo plan. And that plan does not include mobile to mobile minutes. Every other plan Cingular offers does, but not my cheap little plan. Well, crap.

So here I am, half-way through the month (my minutes start on the 3rd, but the bill comes on the 15th) and I have no minutes left. And this is the month that I'm going home to Illinois two weekends in a row, going to Taylor for the other, and going to Ohio to help Josh's brother move in. So basically, not a good month to be without minutes. So I ask the guy if I can upgrade in the middle of my billing cycle to the next highest plan so that I can have minutes for the rest of the month. He said, "Of course!" Well, duh, of course they wouldn't refuse me wanting to pay more or upgrade. Then I ask, but then, can I downgrade after that month is up if I cannot afforde the higher monthly rate? And he says that I can. So I upgrade to the $39.99/mo plan. I still have to pay the overage fees for the minutes I went over prior to upgrading, but at least I had minutes. And actually, I really like my newer plan. Instead of 250 anytime minutes, I now have 450. And instead of 1000 N&W I have 5000. AND I have rollover. AND I have free mobile to mobile minutes. But Josh says for as much as we use our phone, we really don't need all that anyway. So when the month is up, he says, I still have to switch back.

So here I am, a month later. I call Cingular and explain to them that I would like to go back down to my $29.99/mo cheap-o plan. And the lady very politely explains to me that that plan no longer exists. BWHAAA? Okay, breathe, it'll be alright (actually, more than half of me is going "Yay! I get to keep my plan!" But for Josh's sake, I continue). So I ask, "Then what is the cheapest plan I can go down to?" "The cheapest plan we have, ma'am, is $39.99/mo." "Wait, that's the plan I'm on right now, isn't it?" "Yes, Ma'am, it is." ... Pause... "Is there anything else I can do for you Ma'am?" "Uh.. no.. I guess not."

I figured it's over and done with, but when I explain what happened to Josh, he got slightly outraged (no sarcasm intended there). He wanted me to get back on the phone and explain to Cingular that they can't swindle us like that. But since A) I felt that this wasn't a mistake made by them, but rather by me and B) I really didn't want to get rid of this plan, I told him that I didn't feel comfortable calling them back. So he did.

His basic arguement was that the man who I had talked to originally told me that I could go back down to my original plan when the month was done. The man should have told me that my plan no longer existed and that I would not be able to downgrade afterall. I heard him tell the person on the other end, "But the message I hear whenever I call says 'This call may be recorded.' Can you please look into that and find that call my wife made?" I thought that was pretty good. But the guy was helpless because his computer would not let us downgrade. So he said when his manager comes in, he'll call us back. Somehow, that doesn't sound very likely, but we took it, since it was obvious that this guy could do, or would do, nothing for us. Josh also suggested to this guy that if it is impossible to downgrade us because the plan no longer exists, that at least they could give us a discount on the plan we have now so that we could go back to our $29.99/mo rate, since we were told we would be able to do so.

So we'll see what happens, if/when this manager calls us back!

But Josh needs to use the internet now to look up something. He's actually starting his thesis! I'm so proud. I told him when he gets 10% done (that's approximately 10 pages), that he could get a prize. :-D

Bye!
Beth

To Be Or Not To Be... A Hoosier.

Josh thinks I need to get my driver's lisence here in Indiana. My Illinois one is still good through 2008. Plus, it's a dang good picture. Now I'm all pregnant and swollen and I really don't want proof of that for the next five years. Plus, I like being a resident of Illinois. And furthermore, I would have to take the stupid test. Just the written one, mind you, but Josh had to take it and he said some of the questions are ridiculous. Like for example: They had a blank white rectangle and asked, "What kind of sign is this? A) Informational B) Regulatory C)Something Else I Don't Remember." How silly is that?! It's not like I look at road signs and say, "My, I had better obey that Regulatory Sign!" Let's see how many of you can get that right, by the way. Without looking it up. That's cheating. Those DMV smucks are just out to get you because they're mad they coudn't get a better job. And I don't want to give them the satisfactory of failing me. And my final reason: My Illinois license has a better weight listed. If I went in now, all eight months pregnant, the weight I'd have to give would be outrageous!

But I guess I should give the reasons Josh wants me to get a Hoosier lisence. See, his schooling was covered last year with the assistantship. But next year, we have to pay for it. And in-state students pay considerably less. And since he's still in school, he has the notion that the only way he can consider himself an Indiana resident is if he's married to one. And I'm not in school, so I could easily become a resident, except that I don't want to. (In case you didn't know, you can't switch redidency to the state where you are still in school, because then the school wouldn't get as much money from you).

Well, that's just about all the nonsense I can think to type about right now.

By the way, did I mention that at my doctor's appointment last week, they said I was a centimeter dialated? Exciting! But also normal, says my doctor. Maybe I should pack that suitcase everyone keeps talking about... Also, my doctor said that the baby is head-down. Which is fabulous news. Decreases the chance of a C-Section significantly.

Bye for now!
Beth

Josh's job

So Josh went in for that meeting at ITT and found out a little more information:
There are 22 students.
He'll get paid every other week.
If the information given to him is accurate, it's going to be an insanely easy job.

The lady gave him access to a previous class site so that he could see how it was run and there were no assignments! Just quizzes and a few exams! And the lady also said that she is pretty sure that the physics exams would have to be multiple choice, since they have to be submitted online. That means no partial credit (bad for students, good for Josh) and extremely easy grading. In fact, I may help him out with that - you know, since he is also supposed to be working on his thesis and doing research for his professor and I'm just sitting around here blogging. Also, the lady said that if most of the students live around the Greenwood area, she can have them meet at the Greenwood campus rather than the Indy one, and that would be closer for Josh. So if it turns out to be a easy as he thinks it may be, then he might teach a couple of them during the school year and that could be his job.

I still haven't found out anything as far as work for me for next year. When I looked at the application for the Greenwood kindergarten teacher, I noticed that even though they wanted a half-day kindergarten teacher, they considered the job full-time. Which leads me to believe that there are two half-day classes they are wanting to fill, a morning and an afternoon. And I would not be able to do that.

Let's see what else is new...
Did I mention that we have a new mattress? We gave our old one to Josh's brother. We gave him our bed and dresser because the secretary at Gray Road offered us her old bedroom set (which contains TWO dressers and a QUEEN-sized bed rather than a full which is what we had previously). So I'm really excited about our new mattress. It's a pillow top. It's good for aching pregnant bodies. But it's rediculously tall. You can't just sit on the bed anymore. You have to leap up onto it. Oh well, it's 7 inches wider and 5 inches longer and it's much softer, so I like it. And I also enjoy making fun of the fact that Josh's brother has our old bed. We call it the "Olivia Bed". He doesn't like that.

Well, I suppose I should save some news for later so I can continue to blog at the incredible rate that I've been.

But I will leave you with this: If you have found a way to make meatloaf non-disgusting and non-swimming in grease, let me know. I followed the instructions to the letter, and it just looked wrong when I was done.

Beth

update (already?!)

So Josh was looking up that ITT job the other day, and... it wasn't there anymore. So we spent the day being very sad. Then, the next day (yesterday) he got an email from them asking if he was still interested! So we were happy! He called and left a message and then kicked me off the internet (he gave them our home phone instead of our cell phone - silly boy) and we waited for a few hours. So the lady calls back and we finally find out the details on this mysterious job:
It is an online class.
Josh would be in charge of grading papers and tests and facilitating assignments.
He would only have to show up at the actual school one night a week from 6-10 to answer questions and give a mini-lesson if needed.
Oh, it's a 200 level physics class.
It pays $1700 for 11 weeks.
Needless to say, no benefits.
There is a summer session that starts June 16.

Josh is at a meeting right now with the lady asking more questions, like how many students will be in the class? How many hours approximately would this job consume? Would he get paid regularly, or only at the end in one lump sum?

I think we've pretty much decided (unless there are 200+ students in the class) that he will at least take the summer session. It'll just be money in the bank since we live off of his stipend check and my check that keeps on coming throughout the summer. That way we'll be able to have somewhat of a savings for the next school year. Or be able to pay off hospital bills, whichever needs the money. As far as working there during the school year, well, that depends on how much time it consumes, which we will find out this summer. Also, there is the possibility of teacing a higher level course, which would pay $2000 instead of $1700, and the possibility of teaching more than one course at a time. But he's also still waiting for some charter and desperate high schools to contact him about teaching there. That would be a whole lot more money and benifits as well. But, it would demand more time and the hours would not be nearly as flexible and he would not be able to work at home. So, in short, we've pretty much found the perfect summer job, at least.

So, what have I been doing with my free time? I've consolidated my loans (by the way, grads, you need to do this before July 1!! The interest rates right now are 3.37 about, but they're going up to 5.something - it's a 65% increase is what I heard. If you consolidate, it'll lock in that low rate (Whoah, I sound like a Sallie Mae salesperson)). I've researched car insurance and got us some just in the nick of time. I don't think I told you, but our Illinois agent told us awhile ago that since grad school is considered a career choice rather than an educational one, they consider Indiana our permanent address and we needed to find an Indiana agent. But our Illinois agent for some reason still had us on the multi car discount from when we had the Probe, and so we were paying $60/mo instead of $90 (doesn't make sense, does it?). When I tried to switch it to Indiana, they took off the discount and so it would cost us $30 more a month to insure half as many cars as what Illinois had us down for. So I looked around so see what other companies would charge, but eventually ran out of time, and plus, I know nothing about car insurance, so it was frustrating. Long story short, our Illinois coverage expired this morning at midnight and I finally agreed to simply switch to an Indiana agent sometime around 2p.m. yesterday afternoon. :-D So no lapse in coverage. And, to make up for the extra $30/mo, the agent told me that if I were to get renters insurance for up to $10,000, it would take 10% off of our car insurance payment, and would only cost $10 more a month. So for basically the same price, we've insured all our belongings. Now I need to go around and take pictures of our apartment so that if there was a fire or a theft, I could claim that $10,000. I'm not sure that was interesting to you at all. So, if you've gotten this far, congratulations.

What else have I done? Hmm... I've applied to two schools about part-time kindergarten jobs. But when I called IPS to specifically request the kindergarten job, they said they had none, which went against what my friend had told me about a week ago. Oh well. I applied at New Whiteland, which is only 10 minutes down the road. And Josh found a site that said Greenwood is needing a part time K teacher, so as soon as he gets home and shows me that site, I'm applying there as well.

I'm also reading Perelandra by C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and Do You Think I'm Beautiful by Angela Thomas.

Sooo... yeah. I hope you enjoyed the update!

Beth

So here's what's new...

Hello out there, all you long-abandoned blog-readers! I sincerely apologize for mistreating you so. However, I cannot promise it will not happen again. But the more you get on me, the more likely I am to blog... so stop slacking and start complaining already!

Here's what's going on in the life of me.

I don't have a job for next year yet. Aaaand neither does Josh. I don't remember what I've posted about this, so I'll just start from the beginning. The dream was that I wouldn't have to work, or I could drop the second half of my day at Gray Road and therefore be able to work while Josh is home and then come home and be with the baby while he is at class. Also, part of that dream was that Josh would get an assistantship again next year like he had this past year. He didn't. It had nothing to do with him - the reason he got it this past year was because his advisor was a new professor and was given a start-up package that included funding for a research assistant. Well, that package and funding only lasted one year. Oh, and I was told that Gray Road will not be hiring any part-time teachers for next year. They only want teachers who can stay all day. I could be an assistant, I'm told... but that would be a pay cut on top of a pay cut. Oh, and the icing on the cake - I got my health insurance through Gray Road and Josh got his through his assisstantship. We didn't have to pay for any of it all year. Well, part-time employees at Gray Road do not get insurance, and like I said, Josh will not have his assistantship next year, so not only do we not have jobs, but we don't have insurance after August.

So here are my options: I've applied at IPS because a friend told me that there were some half-day kindergarten positions available (IPS = Indy Public Schools) and a half-time employee at IPS makes more than I did working 10 hour days at Gray Road. So that wouldn't be too bad. I don't know about insurance though. I've also pondered the possibility of babysitting. I have a friend who just had a baby about seven weeks ago, and she also has a 2 year old. She needs to go back to work after her maternity leave is up, but daycare for both kids is really expensive. I could watch her kids for less that daycare would cost and that would solve two problems at once. It would also be great to be able to stay home with Olivia. But that would make my income half what it would be as a half-day kindergarten teacher. And there would be no insurance.

But my options depend on Josh's options, and really, there's only one for him: He's applied to teach as an adjunct professor at ITT Tech. We don't know how much that would pay, and we don't know what kind of insurance it would give. We don't know what kind of hours he would have to work (morning? afternoon? evening?). So we don't know much of anything other than nobody's gotten back to him yet. But Josh's dream is to get his doctrate so he can teach at a small Christian university. Teaching at ITT Tech would be great preparation for that (and would look good on a resume). We're also assuming that the salary would be rather good. Better than what he got this past year as a stipend anyway. If the salary is as good as we hope, then I could babysit and the lower income wouldn't matter. If he doesn't get the job or the salary is not as good as we like, then I'd have to teach. I may like teaching better, the more I think about it. It would mean that I only had to work half the day, whereas babysitting would be all day. And taking care of two infants and a toddler would be a little extreme for a brand-new mommy. But I really like the idea of helping out a friend. Oh, and if Josh doesn't get the ITT Tech job, I'm going to get him a job at Menards, whether he likes it or not.

As far as insurance goes, I assume mine ends with my last full paycheck, sometime in August. I've looked into individual insurance and the deductibles are all extremely high and the coverage is not that attractive (compared to what I have now). And when we compare it to Josh's student insurance, it's just plain ridiculous. Josh's insurance through IUPUI is insanely good coverage. The deductable is only $100 (individual insurance is $2,000). The coverage is 100% (mine right now is 80%). The downfall, though, is that the premium is rather high. The upside to the premium is that there is the option to pay one lump sum for the whole year. That way, we could get a student loan to cover insurance and not have to pay it back until Josh graduates (and keep in mind, he wants to get his doctrate). Another bad thing about individual insurance that I forgot to mention is that they don't cover childhood immunizations (at least the one that I looked at) and those can get really pricey considering the amount of shots infants need and they can be like $100/shot.

Well that's what you can pray for. That our path for next year is clear, that our faith in God's plan for us is unwaivering, and that we get jobs and insurance!

As for the pregnancy: I'm as big as ever and ready to give birth already! I'm five weeks from my due date and my feet are like swollen balloons with tiny little toes attached. I haven't really developed the nesting instinct, but Josh sure has. He's cleaned both bathrooms already today and he is now mopping the porch. I think he plans on doing the whole apartment before he sleeps. It's really quite cute. He keeps saying things like "Olivia's going to think we're pigs!" and "Must get ready for the baby!" He's making me feel really guilty. But I'm not exactly sitting around doing nothing. I took the tags off all the bibs and blankets and the newborn outfits and have been doing laundry non-stop for the past two days - and none of it has been our own clothes! By the way - we have enough bibs. Please, no more bibs. But if you do feel the need to contribute, allow me to direct you to this site. I'd really like that mobile... the activity gym would be even better... :-D

Well, that's enough blogging for now. Have I made up for the past two months of silence yet? Enjoy!

Beth