In A Holding Pattern

I am closing in on a week of retirement with still no baby in sight- I went to the OB on Wednesday afternoon to hear the quasi-depressing news that it didn't seem like I was going to go into labor any time soon. Everything was the exact same as last Wednesday. News I wanted to hear? No. But we did get some good news in that Baby Desch is not breech. The doctor couldn't tell if she was feeling his/her head or butt (the baby's, not the doctor's), so she did a quick sonogram to make sure, and indeed Baby is facing head-down. Praise the Lord for that!!!

Josh and I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Salsas, after receiving the somewhat disappointing news to drown our sorrows in tacos. They were soooo good. Josh has been praying often that our baby would come "soon"- I think it was Tuesday night when I burst into hysterical tears and told him that he needed to plead with the Lord that our baby would come NOW. Poor Josh- that outburst came out of nowhere. So being the good husband that he is, he now prays that Baby will come NOW, regardless of where we are. At Salsas on Wednesday night he prayed that my water would break even then as I was sitting at the table. Funny? Yes. I really don't care if people think I'm peeing my pants, as long as this baby gets here!!

I want to make another quick observation that my brain is returning to full functioning after a solid 2 years off. I graduated from Covenant and my brain went on a long sabbatical, exhausted by the academic weight lifting required of it in 4 years of higher learning. After graduation I discovered the joys of cable television. I lived with my sister Carrie and had my first experience with real cable TV, and for a brain-exhausted, sleep-deprived individual (stupid job starting at 5 AM every morning), cable TV was a respite from the demands of school. I began watching shows like "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" and "How Do I Look?" on Style Network and even occasionally "Sponge Bob Square Pants" on Nickalodeon, which is actually a very clever and funny show. Josh and I unfortunately can't afford to have cable TV, so in this season of our lives we're forced to watch what is on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX, which is usually pretty sucky, meaning that we don't watch much TV (except for 24 and Lost, of course). But an interesting thing has been happening to me... I'm finding myself returning to reading books. It wouldn't take more than about 3 fingers to list how many books I read between graduation in May 2005 and a few months ago. But now I'm finding that I can sincerely enjoy reading again as a form of entertainment. Nothing difficult, but mostly stories about people's real-life experiences and things like that. I'm rediscovering the joy of reading, which was lost after reading so many textbooks and yawn-inducing things. Don't get me wrong- I still love watching TV!! But I have discovered too that I still enjoy reading, which I seriously doubted for a long time.

So you might ask "Betsy, what have you been doing with your time as a retiree?" Well, I'm glad you asked that question. I have been enjoying my retirement, though I do miss my job. In this in-between time as I prepare to transition into a different position, I am taking advantage of the down-time and doing whatever the heck I want for the most part. I've discovered in recent months that I'm somewhat of a baking junkie, so I baked like crazy yesterday... a batch of muffins here, a batch of muffins there, a couple of loaves of bread, etc. It was baking heaven. I love getting the kitchen just crazy messy with dishes up to the ceiling, glumpy piles of watery yeast that didn't make it into the mixing bowl, spatulas caked with batter, used bread pans and muffin tins, and then attacking it, bringing order out of the chaos. I've discovered since Josh and I moved to our new apartment that I am really quite anal about cleanliness, but didn't know it before. Now that we don't have much room and definitely don't have a dishwasher, Josh and I work hard to keep clean, and that starts in the kitchen. Despite all of the mess-making that went on yesterday, there are currently only 2 bowls in the sink from breakfast this morning. Ahh. In my former life I would have left the dishes from yesterday for today when I had more energy.

Well, Friends, happy Friday. We look forward with great anticipation to the day when you will see a little baby picture posted here!! Have a wonderful weekend!