Cry Baby

Oh, for heaven's sake. These emotions are out of control. It's so funny, the things that are getting me this pregnancy. It's just so different than my pregnancy with Ella. Every mom says that, so I should have expected it to be true, but I'm still floored at how unique my experiences are this time. One of the main differences I'm experiencing is a glitch with my emotional wiring. It seems like my body's natural response to joy is to cry, which comes out at the oddest of moments, some of them not even joyful enough to warrant eliciting much response whatsoever. I got tears in my eyes when I discovered I could get a bag of Hershey's Kisses for $.99 at Target this week, and pictured myself making those peanut butter cookies with the kisses pressed into the top. Yummmm. But honestly, tears in my eyes? I guess maybe I was more emotional over that fact that I would be doing something to bring my family joy, but good grief... that's a little over the top. I'd hate to think what would happen if any REAL emotional issue sprung up in my life right now.

I've been getting into this coupon thing a lot lately. I used to be a firm believer that most coupons were useless, based on the idea that buying the store brand item would be cheaper than these name brands, even with their fancy coupons. However, I've been reading this local blog written by several moms who combine manufacturer's coupons with store coupons and sale prices, and buy food and household items for pennies on the dollar- sometimes even free! Best of all, they chronicle the entire process so the reader can duplicate their endeavors and stock their pantries. I'm really enjoying learning the ropes. You should have seen how proud I was the other day when I scored two cans of Campbell's yummy soups (the big, hearty meal ones, not the little condensed cans) completely for free. It was a very empowering experience.

It definitely feels like this is a season of learning. Not only am I learning a new way to shop, as well as a new way to manage our finances, I'm also entering into a pretty serious learning environment with my back-to-school endeavors. I had my first class last night, a history class that will cover US history throughout most of the 1900s. I'm pretty excited about being back to school, but man, it's a lot to take in. Ella is changing in so many ways, right before my eyes, and now this tiny little baby is growing inside me... I feel such an urge to continue making my house a home and create a truly awesome environment for my kids to live and play and learn. The good news is, I think I'm gonna breeze through these first few terms of school by taking only the classes I know I can handle while pregnant, and I still feel like I'll have plenty of time to give to my family.

Not to mention, these three classes with my husband each week are so special to me! I made a comment recently that it's like having three date nights a week. Of course, there's nothing romantic about florescent lighting and lectures on the Great Depression, but as anyone who has young children can relate, even the 20 minutes of alone time in the car are such a welcome time of uninterrupted conversation and connection. We're hoping to head to class a little early sometimes, so we can grab a coffee or a quick bite to eat before school. I'm going to work on scaling back my grocery shopping even more (yay, coupons!) and try to find as many coupons for cheap dinners and coffees so that we can eat out or get lattes without making a dent in our budget. It's more fun that way... like a treasure hunt. Mochas taste so much sweeter when they're almost free. :)

Ella is in a season of "new" as well, with full sentences flying out of her mouth more and more each day. I still can't quite believe that I'm witnessing the transformation from baby into little girl already. It seems especially intense because she's talking and learning new things a lot earlier than many toddlers her age. Now I get that joke, "She's two, going on five." I used to think it mostly meant that your kid had a lot of attitude, which would also be true for Ella, but for me it also means my baby is not really a baby anymore. Of course, anytime I get overly emotional about this fact (which happens a lot lately... see: Hershey's Kisses) I end up with a little cuddle bug in my arms, giving me snuggles and kisses and saying, "I love Mama." Now that is a sentence I don't mind hearing one little bit.