Baby stuff

Found a sewing machine! Thank you thrift store, you made my day. It was $25, an old school Singer. Those things last FOREVER, and this one even has the instruction manual so I don't have to google instructions for threading, winding the bobbin, etc.

We went and bought fabric last night. Mirus found a great flannel (brown, with pastel neon skull and crossbones, guitars, and stars) for a wrap, and another flannel (white with ducks, bees, and turtles) for sheets and matching changing pad cover. I've decided that I can make a changing pad pretty simply. Block of foam, I'll track down some plastic, gift wrap the foam with the plastic, then I'll just make fitted sheets to go over the foam. Simple, quick, and completely washable. I think I can buy the plastic that goes over mattresses and stuff at fabric stores. If not, I'll just use a garbage bag or leftover plastic from covering the floor while we paint. I like the garbage bag idea because I think it will be quiet, soft, and easily replaceable.

I'm a little too intimidated to start sewing the bigger projects just yet, but I did successfully make a burp cloth! Turns out, I don't have any straight pins. I'll have to get some today before I start the big ones. An iron would really be helpful too. And a larger table to work on. The table will come with the next apt (we will move in Aug. 1 @ the latest, they promised to call if the work is done before then), the iron I'll pick up when I get really frustrated with not having one, and the straight pins I'll probably pick up today. Until then, more burp cloths. Unless I can come up with some other smaller projects. I have all these ideas for bigger projects, but I'm trying to hold off on buying anything more until I've finished the projects I've already bought materials for. Very responsible of me.

So apparently, Alaska requires a lot of their drivers. We had to take written tests before we could get licenses, and I failed. I had question after question about the minimum jail time for this offense, maximum fine for that crime, etc. Lots of weird, esoteric kind of stuff. Mirus had to identify road signs. So not fair. Oh well, it's a randomly generated test, I could get much easier stuff this time around. I generally just try to stay out of trouble so I won't need to know jail times or how long I have to show proof of insurance to the DMV after an accident (who knew you EVER had to call the DMV after an accident? We just called the police and the insurance company.)

Still haven't heard back from my art teacher from this spring. She said the problem would be resolved soon, and that she would change my grade from an F to whatever I earned (probably a B since I completely ignored our 'disscussion' directive for the entire semester). Apparently she needs to wait to hear back from someone first?? I don't know. I also need to call my advisor. I need one more class to graduate. Not really interested in trying to take it in the fall, because I'll be working full time (or almost, hopefully), adjusting to being a parent, and adjusting to life so close to the arctic circle. I'm not expecting this to be an easy fall or winter. But I don't want to keep putting it off either. I suppose it wouldn't kill me to take this one class, though that's the same reason I overloaded myself last semester. And that did not turn out well.

Hubby has his schedule worked out for the fall. Looks like he'd be able to watch Nanook if I wanted to volunteer or work during the day.

Unfortunately, I really wanted to try to get in at the Boys and Girls Club and that would mean working evening hours every weekday. That would make social networking harder. And we MUST have real-life people contacts. Well, Mirus probably doesn't need them, he's your classic introvert. I will fall apart without friends and people and talking and interaction. I tend not to get particularly attached to people very quickly, and I tend to make and lose friends quickly, but I always have some odd collection of people around, and they give me so much sanity.

We might have found a church. I didn't expect this to be the church for us, but we really wanted to go to a study and service, so we went. And BOTH liked it. That's not easy to find. But the people were amazing, the theology seems to be exactly what we're looking for, and even the building was cool. The sanctuary looks like an old New England meeting house. I love it. And everyone was wonderful! Friendly, but sincerely friendly, and open and gregarious. Awesome. I really despise the fake sense of welcoming that some churches have. Like they're judging you for not conforming to their theology and traditions but know they shouldn't be. Lame.

So today:
take some more practice tests
drop hubby off at work
DMV - get a license (hopefully)
pick up straight pins
clean up the apt.
prenatal yoga
make sheets or moby wrap
pick hubby up from work
breakfast for dinner (yum!)

Gonna try skipping the nap. It's too hot here in the evenings and at night. And since the sun doesn't go down, there's no relief of cool in the night. So I'm going to try to get up earlier and enjoy more cool morning time. It's 10am now and I'd already be miserable without the fan. Oh Alaska, I thought you'd be cool and easy on my pregnant self. Tricky, tricky.

For the record, if we have any more children they will NOT be summer babies. Nope. No thank you.

The DMV's testing stations are these touch screen computers that you stand in front of. The computer has a rounded shelf/table portion that curves out toward you. I currenly have a rounded portion that curves out away from me. I almost couldn't reach the screen to touch the answers. I ended up having to tuck my belly under the table and lean forward, laying on my forearms on the table. Not pretty or comfortable. Mean ol' DMV.