Insomnia

....ever had it? Any remedies?

You may not know this about me, but my one true talent in life is sleeping. Day, night, rain, snow, my bed, a guest bed, a hotel bed, a sofa, a large boulder - doesn't matter to me. I've been a champion sleeper since day one and I'd like to believe the four-pound bowling ball I'm carrying around in my tummy will follow in my footsteps.

Last night, however? Total sleep FAIL. Waking, tossing, turning, sighing, getting up, lying down, disturbing our dog's ever-so-peaceful slumber, more getting up, a little frustration, well, you get the idea.

Some would say that at 8 months pregnant this is my body's way of preparing for parenthood. I, however, would like to believe that these final weeks are my last chance to sleep soundly and selfishly.

I was so tired at work today that my body literally hurt. I think it was rejecting the idea of insomnia. So why am I still awake at 9:30 when I've wanted to go to sleep since, well, 1 am?

The obvious answer is that I'm waiting on B to come home and preparing my house for a visit from the brother tomorrow. The more truthful answer is that I'm hoping I'll absolutely exhaust myself and thus guarantee a solid night's sleep. Sounds logical, right?

Cross your fingers and count some sheep for me, girls!

A Virtual Thank You Note

You all know how I feel about thank you notes. (Not to mention unexpected acts of kindness, sweet words and general thoughtfulness in any capacity.)

It's tempting sometimes to maintain a cool front, but being "that girl" who says just what someone needs to hear is a lot more rewarding.

So write the note. Give the squeeze. Share the compliment. Be intentional about it, too - look for new ways to express your gratitude and add a bit of totally selfless sunshine into someone else's (possibly underappreciated, definitely stressed) life.

If you're looking for some ways to do this in the virtual realm, social media guru Chris Brogan recommends the following:

9 Simple Touchpoints of Loyalty
1. Comment on other people’s blogs as often as you can.
2. Reply to people or help them spread the word on Twitter and/or Facebook.
3. Write posts filled with admiration for people you enjoy online, and send links to their work.
4. Connect people with like-minded people before they ask (using LinkedIn or similar).
5. Wish people a happy birthday, or luck with their test, or other related-to-them encouragement.
6. Share job opportunities. You never know who’s looking for more when you’re drowning in too much.
7. Invite people to coffee. Just 20 minutes might really change someone’s day, week, month.
8. Write recommendations on LinkedIn to those whose work you can vouch for. Do it before they ask.
9. Send 10 emails a day to people you’re in danger of falling out of touch with, and make them simple and request-free.

I love that social media has such an impact on our lives; I love even more that people are finding ways to be "that girl" (you know, that sentimental, super-grateful one) and make the online world a more pleasant place to spend our time.

You can read more about Chris' suggestions here.

It'd only be fair...

...if health benefits doubled when you chose something healthy, like a banana, over what you really want, like a dozen Reese's peanut butter cups.

Shouldn't we get some kind of extra credit when we're making good choices and fighting back our inner estrogen-fueled demons? Silly sweet tooth...why can't I convince you fruit is just as tasty as a DQ Blizzard?

What I Love about Sundays

1. Sunday morning service with B. (Baby Mac moves around to let me know he's there, too.)
   
2. A long, leisurely lunch now that our Sunday School year has ended; our sweet four-year-old class has moved up to the "big kid" 5k room. We're taking a brief hiatus from teaching and hope to resume next spring. It was so much fun but I'm grateful for a little extra time on Sundays - I think we'll need it these next few months!
   
3. The return of our small group! Our church takes the summer off from small group meetings, so I'm excited to catch up with everyone and welcome our newest member. (One of our small group guys got married this summer, so obviously his adorable wife is invited to join the fun.)
   
4. Time to cook a real dinner! (For us and for a friend who's recently had a baby.)
   
   
5. A little free time to pick up the house, put on some clean sheets, mentally prepare for the week ahead, catch up on reading...and then just plain relax.
   
6. My snuggle partner Blue, who is always willing to help me sit, nap or lounge. Who wants to do yard work or clean bathrooms when you can curl up with your 80-pound lap dog?
   
7. Chat time with far-away family and friends.
   
8. A new episode of Mad Men!
   
9. A work-free, errand-free day with B that includes all of our favorite things - a little sleep, a little worship, a little time with friends and a lot of taking it easy.

Hope your Sunday is wonderful as well!

xo

A Public Service Announcement

Things that are not ok:

....telling someone her face is expanding when when she is 17 weeks pregnant. (Or anytime, actually.) This was clearly a while ago - and patently untrue at the time - but if I'm giving a PSA I want to be thorough.

....prefacing anything with, "You probably don't want to hear this, but..."

....squeezing someone's calf to see if she is retaining water.

....asking someone repeatedly if she is "excited...right?" to be having a baby. "I mean, you are. Right?" Especially if you're meeting in a professional capacity about non-excitement-related things.

....slowly, deliberately and obviously checking out a woman's ring finger when she's a wee bit too pregnant to sport her wedding ring any longer. (B was with me at the time but I think he was perceived as my no good K. Fed baby-daddy boyfriend, not my 'til death do us part knight in shining armor husband.)

Things that are very, very lovely:

...telling a patient she is "pulling pregnancy off beautifully." Especially if you are a doctor who had a baby two years ago and is so knowledgeable, thoughtful and helpful that I want to hug your tiny neck. Thanks for taking as much time answering my questions as I spent reading in the waiting room!

...remarking that a baby's lucky to be born into such a wonderful family.

...reacting with surprise at a woman's announcement that she's pregnant. (Extra double bonus points if she's eight months along when she mentions this to you.)

...commenting on your (real or imagined) jealousy at someone else's (real or imagined) pregnancy "glow."

Ok. I'm off my soapbox now. Let's all try to be friendly to everyone. Especially pitiful ladies waddling around Target parking lots in 100-degree weather. Trust me, y'all, I'd wear my sparkly rings if I could!

In the meantime, is it inappropriate for me to throw my arms around someone who pays me a compliment? A thank you note seems way too small because these days, such niceties mean the world!!

Born to Buy Jeans

What girl doesn't have a love/hate relationship with the denim in her closet? Branching out is always hard, finding new styles and designers can be scary - and seeing the total after you've splurged on a new "makes my backside look ridiculously amazing" pair can be even scarier than the dressing room nightmare.

I'm pregnant but I've still bought two pairs of jeans this summer - a fabulous pair of Citizens that has been a remarkable buy and a less-than-perfect pair I am barely pulling out of the closet. I'm already looking forward to slipping back into pre-prego jeans.

With fall (and fall clothes!) nearly upon us, fashion is clearly the hot topic in print and online. If you have so much as a single magazine subscription, my guess is you've seen the ads Gap is bombarding us with to let us know that their Born to Fit premium jeans line has launched.

(Blogger slynnro recently wrote about a giveaway for them here.)

I'm curious - who's tried them? Who's going to? Do we think ads in Vanity Fair, Oprah, Glamour and the like can help Gap compete with the higher end Nordstrom brands?

If I can find and love a pair of great-fitting $55 jeans, girls, please believe I'll be doing it. In the new year, of course. In the meantime, I'm just living through you...

Go Tigers!

Clemson's holding strong at #22 on U.S. News and World Report's Best Colleges 2010 list! Get excited - and take a peek at President Barker's video message here. (South Carolina is #55 on the list. Just stating facts, people.)

We're just 15 days away from the most exciting 25 seconds in college football, y'all! I may be enjoying this season more from the sofa than the stadium, but I'm still so looking forward to it.

Having a mid-football season baby definitely puts a damper on the tailgating, but I'm already looking forward to Mac's first games next fall. I'll be a bit otherwise occupied, so you and your 82,000 closest friends will just have to cheer a bit louder in my absence.

(And I did tell you his name's Mac, right?)