Word of the Day: bevy I'm was extremely glad to say goodbye to July. I don't know what it is precisely, but the collective months of July, August, and September is my least favorite time of the year, especially July. The month went by so slowly, and now August is just flying by. Perception is a strange thing. All the days that led up to the Olympics, I was ready to have them over with. I was very tired of hearing about both Michael Phelps and China in general. But I can't help watching it. I love watching gymnastic competitions, and so I enthusiastically supported our teams the past two nights. I don't know what it is, if it's because I'm pregnant or what, but I've been cooking a lot more lately. So it seems. I'd been looking for a recipe for red beans and rice, but all the ones I saw either used ground beef or tomatoes, neither of which were in my mother's. I didn't just want red beans and rice, I wanted Mommy's. So I asked her how she made hers, and made it that next weekend. It's ridiculously simple, and it was so so good. I made her taste some when I saw her that next Monday, and she said that it was really close to what her mother, my dear grandmother, used to make, which nearly made me cry. Also, I tried to roast a chicken, and it might have been either the method or the recipe, but it came out rather bland. I was disappointed. The next day, however, I made a pizza that turned out rather successfully, so I suppose that made up for it. We bought one large piece of equipment for Penelope a few weeks ago: her bed. Our Target was constantly out of stock when it came to these beds. I called a few times in the morning to see if they had received any and to put our name on one if they had so that JD could get it in the truck after work, but they said no. Finally, one day I checked the availability online, and it said 'available.' I called the store to confirm, but the guy who answered and checked said they still didn't have any. I asked JD to check anyway, just in case they did have one in, and I came home to a crib in Patrick's room. It was a two week ordeal over this bed, but now that we have it, I feel much more better about everything else. And speaking of Penelope, I'm getting to the stage where I'm feeling kicks and flips and things from her. I'll be at work, sitting down reading or something, and suddenly there's stuff going on in my belly. I think, 'Holy crap, I really am pregnant, aren't I?' It just seems much more real to me to feel her having fun in there as opposed to pictures from the ultrasound or even the heartbeat. It seems that with this pregnancy, I'm more detached, I guess you'd say. It's hard to explain, even in my own head. On one hand, I'm excited about our growing family, about having a little babeh to take care of and watch grow. On the other hand, I'm still doubting if we made the right choice to have another child, if we'll be all right financially, how the family dynamic will change. I suppose it's the whimsical side contrasting the practical side of me. I didn't really have this problem with Patrick because we didn't have a choice with him--he just came and we had to deal wth the situation, as harsh as that might sound. But with Penelope, we made a conscious decision, so of course I'll doubt it. Any road, the whole point was that some days, I'm just surprised that I'm pregnant, as silly as that might be.