yes, I'm still pregnant.

Sometimes you need a prompt to be able to find something to write about. Emile had this survey on her blog, so I thought I'd fill it out. I was kind of shocked at how different our experiences at Massaponax were. I moved senior year, so I was the weird new kid that year. I loved being able to come to college and start fresh with people who were also new. I feel like I am much more defined by my college and post-college experiences than I am by my high school experiences. I'm sure my parents told me I would feel this way, but I wish my silly high-schooler self had listened! It would have been much less stressful if I'd known how little I'd remember of that year, and how I'd be able to laugh about it and about myself later. 

Think about your senior year as you fill out the answers to this survey. 

1. Did you date someone from your school? Not senior year, but junior year I did.
2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Nope!
3. Did you carpool to school? Yep. Allison or Becca usually took me. I still couldn't drive back then. That was a real self-esteem booster! Then I made sure I had tons of after school stuff so my mom would have to come get me, or else I'd have to take the bus. 
4. What kind of car did you have? an imaginary one. It could fly, too.
5. What kind of car do you have now? ’91 Mazda 323. Ruby Eleanor. And I haven't had to fill her tank in ONE MONTH! I think it's karma for being so patient to get my own car. 
6. Its Saturday night in HS...where are you? Either at work at the bowling alley, or at home reading a book. I read a lot of books senior year.
7. It is Saturday night now...where are you? Chillin' with Charles. Usually we go see a movie or go looking for an adventure. 
8. What kind of job did you have in high school? baby-sitting, and then I got a job as a waitress at a bowling alley. Klassy, I know! 
9. What kind of job do you do now? Secretary for a doctor's office. Soon to be a stay at home mom for three weeks!
10. Were you a party animal? Nope. I went to a lot of parties my junior year, but I was still more of an observer than a participant. I enjoyed myself, though. Senior year I didn't really get asked to a lot of parties, but my mom made me go to all the church dances, and that always made me cry. 
11. Were you considered a flirt? Not really. I was usually more of a background person.
12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Nope, but I lettered in drama. Didn't know you could do that until they handed me the letter. I was invited to the senior awards thing, and I thought maybe I'd gotten a scholarship or something, and they handed me a letter and told me I'd lettered in drama and academics. That was kind of a funny shock!
13. Were you a nerd? oh, yeah. 
14. Did you get suspended or expelled? Nope. There was an issue with my attendance, since I was so sick, but we eventually worked that out.
15. Can you sing the fight song? Nope! I attended my first athletic event a year after I graduated because my sister took me to a soccer game she had to write about or something.
16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? I really like Frau Kelly. German was my favorite class. 
17. Where did you sit during lunch? In the senior courtyard whenever it was warm enough, and inside when it wasn't. I used to love the salads they had at that school!
18. What was your school's full name? Massaponax High School
20. What was your school mascot? Panther
21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? You couldn't pay me enough or find something scandalous enough to blackmail me with. I really like my life right now, actually.
22. Did you have fun at Prom? Well, I loved my dress and my shoes and my hair, but I didn't realize how ridiculous it was not to have a date to prom, so my friend Nilo and I showed up and looked pretty silly together. But I still had a good time. We went to the cracker barrel beforehand because she had an employee discount there!
23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? The weirdo with no date....
24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Thinking about it. Mostly because I'd like to show off Charles and Tiny, but I doubt I'd recognize anyone I didn't also go to church with, so it'd be a short reunion for us.

In other news, I'm so ready to be un-pregnant! I just can't wait to see my little girl and bring her home to her room that's all ready for her. Charles and I have been so impatient the last two weeks. I keep calling him during the day to tell him to get ready because I'm having the baby TODAY. This is everyday, folks. I have yet to feel an unmistakable contraction, but tomorrow's Charles' birthday and we're hoping for a miracle! It would only be a week early, but I know that's asking a lot for a first kid. As of last week, I was 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced, with Tiny in a -2 position. Same as the week before. I have an appt tomorrow, though, so hopefully I'll have made some progress, and my late-night chats with Tiny will have made an impact on her desire to come join us. 

Even while I complain about how uncomfortable I am, I know I'll miss having Tiny with me at all times, and feeling her tiny little kicks. I know I'm going to worry my brains out about every little thing she does, whether or not she's breathing, whether or not we're teaching her the right things at the right times, whether or not I'm turning her into a tiny me. So I take time to remind myself of how lucky I am every day to be having this little girl, and tell myself to just take each day as it comes. 

But seriously, how soon after delivering can I expect this heartburn to subside? Other than having the coolest kid ever in my house, that's going to be my favorite result of birth. 

and I do mean the coolest kid EVER!