Pregnancy aches

Just a minor complaint post. This week has not been good for pregnancy aches. For the first half of the week, my hip and pelvic bones just felt all out of whack, like they were arranged in 20 different pieces instead of fitting together nicely. Just achey to walk, to sit, whatever. Achey and out of place. Then today my lower back is just killing me. I can't even lean forward 5 degrees without feeling like my back is going to completely spazz out on me. And since I've thrown out my back in each of my previous pregnancies, the fear of repeating the experience is legitimate, I think. It's so much fun to do diaper changes, chase a toddler, help a preschooler with the potty, getting them both dressed, and all that sort of fun stuff, when you're afraid to bend the slightest bit because it *might* just cause you to have to spend the rest of your day and the next laying perfectly still on a hard flat surface like the floor. Sigh. And of course, my neck is totally out today, too, and it's giving me a major headache. I feel like I'm falling apart!! 10 weeks to go....ugh. It sounds both too long and far too short, all at the same time.

I think I'll ask my midwife, when I see her on Monday for my 30 week appointment, if she has any good recommendations for a prenatal chiropractor. My bones are just not happy with me this week. :(

(I'm also trying to ignore the guilt trip I give myself when I realize that exercising regularly, especially with the prenatal yoga DVD's I have, would probably mean I avoid most of these aches...)

Obsessed with Twilight

Many thanks to my sister Melissa, who generously gifted me with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Collection for Christmas this year. She told me time and time again that I would just absolutely *love* them...and I was sure that I would enjoy them -- when I finally got around to reading them. There are very few books out there I haven't enjoyed, after all! But I really didn't know much about the books, besides my sister just being (what seemed like) excessively eager to get me to read them. Christmas vacation, with Jesse home from work, presented a perfect time to delve into Twilight, though, putting aside more serious reading and other projects I had a mind to do. And yes, I was instantly hooked.

I've now read all three books (currently in the series) three times each. And I want to do it again. Like...right now. I can't really describe how captured I am by the characters. I'd have to go into long details about how experiences in my life help me relate Bella, the main character. Or how the intensity of a range of emotions portrayed within the books have helped me pull out of my own semi-persistent "blah" sort of mood towards my life. There is a passion in me now that I've been missing for a long time, I guess. And how on earth did three little books do that to me? I'm not sure. All I know is that the stories seem completely magical to me. I feel what the characters feel. I experience what they do. When I read the books, I am totally, 100% immersed into their lives and perspectives. And I just don't want to leave that when the book is done! I've found fan fiction to read. Extras and "outtakes" on the author's website. Forums where I can read what other fans are saying. There's a movie to look forward to, hopefully out at the end of 2008.

But one of the biggest impacts to me, outside of the books themselves, has been that Stephenie Meyer actually included "playlists" on her website - music that inspired her while she was writing these specific stories. It's been ages since I have listened to new music. At least 4 years, I guess, since I've purchased a new album for myself. I thought it was kind of a kooky idea to check out this music, but since I'm aching for more Twilight, I did it. My MP3 player that Jesse gave me for Christmas came with a free month subscription to Rhapsody, and I basically have unlimited free transfers of songs for the duration. So I found each of the songs that she included on her website, made one giant 56-song-long playlist, and stuck it on my MP3 player. And then I listened. And ya know what? I *love* this music. Who knew? A whole mix of bands I've never or hardly heard of (like Muse, Marjorie Fair, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park (okay, that one I'm still getting used to...), Coldplay, and so on), and nearly all the songs included just really speak to me somehow...in genres I've never been exposed to before, or at least minimally exposed to (Rock, Brit Rock, and Alternative/Punk). But wow, I love this music! It's odd to say out loud, but it feels really thrilling to find new music- for me- that I really enjoy.

My Rhapsody "Twilight" Playlist (you can listen to 25 of them for free with a free account).

At any rate... all of this - the books, the music - make me feel oddly awake and aware of myself in a way I wasn't before. I LOVE it.

Melinda's last name

Okay, I admit. I slept in on the day that Jesse went back to work between his Christmas vacation and New Year's Day. I wasn't ready to end my vacation!

Anyway, once I finally dragged myself out of bed, I was glad to see that the kids played very nicely together and didn't get into any trouble. Phew! But it was just *too cute* when Melinda showed me something she had written in her little Hello Kitty notebook (from her Christmas stocking!). She had written her full name, Melinda Newson. Only it wasn't Newson. It was Noosin!! I couldn't help the grin I got from that one. She not only wrote something without any prompting, she wrote something phonetically. Boy was I floored! She can be so smart, this girl! Seriously, I've only ever written our last name out for her maybe 2 or 3 times total, and each of those times was at least a couple months ago, if not longer. So she just decided to figure it out on her own, and what a good job she did!

Now if only I could convince her that it's pronounced Newson and not Newsin! :)'

Here's a picture of her writing. It took me a while to decipher the letters, but these are written very small compared to her normal writing, so it's not as clear as it normally would be. There's a W on the top line, followed by MELINDA. Then the second line reads NOOSIN. Not sure exactly what the next couple lines say, but Melinda tells me that it means "I miss you Maarten" (her friend who now lives back in The Netherlands).