Project Carter

Week 27- I have been remiss in posting about my pregnancy and all the feelings (and projects) that seem to come with it. Mostly because I have been so busy but also because I wasn’t sure what to write about. I’m afraid of becoming one of those people you see on Facebook who post every little thing they do or see or feel or eat.
Believe me, I feel like posting (or shouting from the roof top) every time I feel Carter move. But as he continues to get more active I would be posting every hour. Instead, I have opted to close my eyes and enjoy the feeling of this little person waking up or practicing his karate moves or keeping the beat to whatever song is going through his head. This week’s email from babycenter.com, says that his brain power is increasing and I find myself wondering what it exactly he’s thinking about. I mean is he pondering the meaning the life, having a quiet conversation with his maker, inventing an imaginary friend, or just thinking, “Warm, sleepy”? I’m convinced he’s going to come out knowing the finer details of public speaking and costume design, because that’s all he hears me talk about all day.
Being pregnant and teaching full-time has been a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. My high school play is coming up in two weeks and I find myself frustrated at the fact that I am not able to fully focus on it. Normally, the play would be all consuming of my time and energy and this year I just don’t have that to give. That’s not to say the show won’t be good or well done. The kids will be prepared and I know it will turn out perfectly, it always does. It’s just that
this year, I find myself able to let some things go. It’s okay if this costume doesn’t have the extra trim or details it would normally have—the kid has a costume, that’s what counts. For years my job, my students, my productions have been the major focus of my life.* Now, I feel that shifting. I still love my job, my students, my productions but that’s not my sole purpose any more. I’m
going to be somebody’s mom, Carter’s mom, and that job, which right now is taking care of myself so I can take of him, seems so much more important. Usually production time is stress time. I can’t get too stressed this year; it’s not good for me. So, I’m learning to let things go, to let good be good enough.
We’ve been busy getting Carter’s room ready for him. Shelby’s been working on sanding a dresser that belonged to my dad’s parents and refinishing it to match the crib. I took an encaustic painting workshop last weekend and made several pieces to put in Carter’s room.

A few weeks ago I stopped by Goodwill and found this hook that I thought might work for Carter's Baby Bjorn and anything else we might want to hang up. Originally it was a soccer ball with the name "Taylor" written on it with red paint. But I sanded it and repainted it and sealed it. It cost me $3. I really like how it turned out.

I also went to my first JBF (Just Between Friends) sale a few weeks ago. It’s a huge consignment sale where people bring their used baby stuff but a lot of it is new. I got Carter a stuffed Cookie Monster still in the box! I hope he likes it.
As a kid, I loved Cookie Monster. Actually I loved all the characters that lived on Sesame Street and the Muppets. As an adult, I often tell my students that my dream job (other than being on Broadway and teaching them, of course) would be to be a puppeteer on Sesame Street. I love everything about the world the Muppets have created and now further appreciate the fact that it will be children’s programming that won’t annoy me. My sister sent me a story today about a documentary about Kevin Clash, Elmo’s puppeteer, called Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey. I can’t wait to watch it! After watching the film’s trailer, I found another video on youtube that had me tearing up (granted that’s not too hard these days).

We took our maternity pictures yesterday and I can hardly stand the wait to see how they turned out. We took them in a theater built in the 1920’s so the architecture and design elements were
beautiful. I felt great and we did some pretty creative shots. I’ll be sure to post them when we get them!

*Of course my marriage is my main priority and that one that won't be shifting!

I Made This!

It's been long since an update. Things are still going great with Liz and Carter. Life has become hectic and shows no real signs of slowing down any time soon. There is so much to be done before Carter gets here, and it is getting done, just not as quickly as we want. We have registered for gifts (see the widget to the right), even though that was a little bit of an ordeal because Babies"R"Us lost our registry the first time we registered. I feel like now might be a good time to mention that we will be using reusable cloth diapers and are registered for them at Babies"R"Us. Granted, not the most fun gift to buy, but by far one that we will need. It is probably the most practical thing anyone can buy us. Just thought I would plug that particular item.

One of the things that I am most proud about is that I assembled Carter's crib. It is nice and solid. I couldn't help but think when I was done, "I made this." Since I am not so great at building things from scratch, I will have to take pride in the fact that I can follow directions and build a sturdy piece of furniture, as long as all the pieces are provided for me.

At night, I have been reading Charlotte's Web by E.B White to Carter, chapter at a time. It was one of my favorites as a kid. They say that he can hear quite well now. He seems to be most active at night, which might be because of the reading or it might just be that Carter is going to be a night owl just like us, which probably means that we are going have a very cranky house each morning.

Everything is continuing smoothly and normally. We have another doctor's appointment next week, so we will of course know more then.