Recent Revelations

It is possible to be ignorant of your own pregnancy.
I'm not talking about the woman who didn't know she was pregnant and gets the stunning news that her nasty gas pains are really contractions.  I'm talking about me, the one who has known for many months that there is a bun in my oven.  So much focus and attention has been on getting the new house done that all thoughts of having and actual baby have been on the back burner.  Wait, I'm having a baby in a few months?  There will be a third child in my home before the end of April?  And it needs to be cared for?  Maybe I should go buy diapers or a crib or something.

Some girls act stupid to attract boys.  On purpose.
I was watching a bonus feature on the last Harry Potter movie called The Women of Harry Potter.  JK Rowling was complimenting Hermione's character for never "playing the game."  What game is that?  She very soon explained that Hermione never pretended she was less intelligent than she really was in order to be accepted or to attract a boy.  Girls do that?  I was shocked.  The idea had never occurred to me.  I always assumed the stupid girls in high school really were, in fact, stupid.  Why else would they act that way?  I never thought about it because I wasn't interested in boys who wanted stupid girls.  That's not to say I never acted like an idiot around a boy I liked (ask my husband to tell you what I did the first time we met), just that it was never a choice I made.  Eric thinks it's funny that I was so surprised to learn some or most of the girls who acted dumb were just pretending.

I want less.
For most of my life I've had grand ideas about the things I want in life.  They included the large, beautiful house in a pristine neighborhood, a fancy car, frequent and exotic vacations, and all the money that goes along with that kind of lifestyle.  None of that is bad or wrong in any way, it's just not what I want anymore.  I want a house that is comfortable and adequate for my family's needs.  I do not want a house that owns me. It's more important to have my home filled with love and laughter than filled with things.  I want to live in a neighborhood of good people who like and help each other and who take pride in maintaining what they have.  I do not want to live in a neighborhood where everyone is keeping up with the Joneses.  I also do not want to be the Joneses.  Mostly I just want to be satisfied and content with what I have rather than striving for the next bigger and better thing.  I want to want what I have and I want my children to value that, too.

We're going to have a house.
Yes, we've been building the house for almost seven months and, yes, we've been putting in about 42 hours a week between the two of us, but it is NOW starting to get really real.  Really.  Yesterday was our last Saturday of working on the house before we move in.  FINALLY!!!  It's just weird to think that the thing which has taken up so very, very much of our time for the better part of a year is nearly done.  And then we will be entirely responsible for that home.  Strange as it may sound, one of the things I'm really looking forward to is that our monthly check for living space will go to a mortgage company rather than a property management company.  Woohoo!