Behold - The End is Nigh

Well, there is no doubt that Jesse is correct when he highlights how differently we approach deadlines. This is not news to either of us (we were, after all, friends long before we were spouses), and it can't be too suprising to any of our good friends or (especially!) our families. After all, these penchants for neurotically preparing for stressful events (that would be me) or cavalierly procrastinating to acknowledge said event (that would Jess) developed long ago. In my parents' boxes of photos, there's a picture I particularly love. It's taken in the kitchen of our Garden Grove house on the morning I would attend first grade for the very first time. My hair is curled, my dress is on (which had been chosen carefully the night before), and my shoes are tied. I am sitting on a kitchen chair, feet dangling because they don't quite reach the floor. I am concentrating intently - on the clock mounted above the door to the garage. Willing that second hand to move a little quicker. Everything is ready. Just waiting for the time to be right. I was seven.

Now I am thirty-one and feeling the impulse to behave according to my nature. Is this the biological clock everyone speaks of? This instinct to begin the (sometimes painful) transition from adolescent to adult? That is the conversation that sparked Jesse's eschatalogical musings below - I looked around at the soda cans and discarded Taco Bell bags on the coffee table and thought, "If my son had walked away and left this here, he'd be in big trouble. Maybe it's time that we start living out the rules we intend to teach this kid." Of course, because I'm six months pregnant and the mood swings are like riding the Dragon Swing at Knott's Berry Farm, this very rational and mature idea came out in a combination of righteous indignation and snivelling tears. I'd feel bad for Jesse, except that this potent combination seems to be awfully effective in driving home my point to someone so inclined towards a laissez faire attitude. Needless to say, communication was had, plans were inacted, and our house has never been so orderly!

And it's a good thing, too, because our latest trip to the doctor for an echo cardiogram (clean bill of health on little Malott's heart! hooray!) brought the...interesting? information that "this kid has a huuuge head. No, really. Like Sputnik - spherical yet pointy in parts." Joking aside, his head (which is how they measure a baby's development in the womb) is like two weeks ahead of schedule. Yikes! Our January 17th due date might be closer to January 4th, according to the specialist we saw. So, maybe these little preparations, transitioning us slowly into honest-to-goodness-adults, are a good idea - the end of adolescence might be closer than we thought!