Developments (and a couple non-developments)

I can't quite remember where I left off on several different topics, so this'll be a little smorgasbord of catching up.

First off, our tree: It is on the front porch. I am not allowed to call it that though because it's really just some steps and a landing, which to Jacob is not a porch because it's a different kind than the enclosed one that used to be off the back of the house. I'll 'mistakenly' say front porch and Jacob will get mad and retort that our porch is knocked down. "Where did it go?" you'll ask. "In the dumpster," you'll get back. So we've taken to calling it the front stoop, which sounds a little too 'inner city' for my liking, but oh well. We keep saying, "Tomorrow we will definitely bring the tree in and decorate it," but that hasn't happened yet. The other option is at least putting the lights on it while it's still outside and then bringing it in later on. Again, Jacob has been begging for us to decorate it already. The thing is we've been advised that we can only have it in the house for three days, as it will begin to lose dormancy (ie, die when we try to plant it) after that point. We think 5 days will be safe though.

Another reason that the tree isn't in the house yet is that we've just been so busy. Zach has been going non-stop between being at work, being here to supervise what's going on with the excavating (not that they need supervising, but he's so fascinated by all things concerning home improvement) - sometimes back and forth to work and back here several times in one day (good thing we live a stone's throw away from the college) - working on the parts of the addition he is doing himself, and his on-the-side paint job. When he gets busy I have to pick up the slack with the animals and Jacob, plus I just realized the other day that Christmas was a week away so I've got to catch up in that department too. Over the weekend Zach and a few of his friends spent both days getting the frame, walls, roof and windows of the addtition done. It's an actual room now!

However, the upstairs bathroom is still nowhere near being done, which means the downstairs bathroom cannot be obliterated yet. This means that the hallway which will link the rest of the house to the addition doesn't exist yet. So it's just out there, in the middle stage of existence, teasing me with its almost-roomness. The basement is the same story. There is new basement down there, on the other side of the cement wall, just waiting for a hole to be cut so that it can absorb the overflow of our belongings that are spilling from the stacked piles and safely contain them in its netherparts.

While all the work was being done, Jacob and I mostly stayed around here, watching and waiting. We were lazy about the whole production. Jacob never even asked to go out and help. Could it be that he is really just getting sick of all this construction? Perhaps, because each day this week he's been playing with some new toy or possession of his that had promptly been forgotten at the start of the construction. We actually watched Cars a couple times as I had rented it upon Jacob's request. Lately every little thing on TV or even in kids' videos has been scaring him. Things that I wouldn't have even predicted being scary to him are off limits. But the movie was ok. When something happened where music came on that you would normally associate with a high-tension situation, Jacob would turn to me, anticipating my censorship and say, "It's o-tay, I can watch this part." He was a little sad at times during the movie. He would say things like, "I hope they're ok. I hope they find each other." or, "He's sad the other guy isn't there." I tend to really read into comments like this, and I guess it's a combination of my education in psychology and just who I am. I'm always assuming he's projecting his feelings onto the movies. That's why it freaked me out last week when we were watching a (supposedly very nice and calming) nature video and Jacob burst into tears every time he couldn't see a mommy and baby together. What is Jacob saying about his life, or the way he thinks when he reads random situations the way he does?

We spent a lot of time at my mom's on Monday and Tuesday because of the no-water situation here. I had to make six dozen molasses cookies to bake for the cookie exchange with my moms' club on Tuesday. Jacob and I were there in the kitchen when I saw a squirrel coming closer to us on the railing of the deck. I grabbed Jacob and told him not to move or make noise. We stood at the window and I whispered, "I'll bet he comes right up to us to say hi." And he did just that...inched closer and closer until his nose was almost touching the glass, stared at us smiling back at him for about five seconds and then tramped away. It was my favorite moment of the day. We put peanuts on the deck for him to have next time he came back and talked about how much we like squirrels. Jacob really likes squirrels, and they're probably one of the only creatures he hasn't made up a horror story about ("There was a lion in the road and he was (insert something undesirable)" or, "The owl's gonna come in and get me!"). I think it's funny because for some reason I really like squirrels too. They're not a typical kind of animal that you would normally identify with, but I've always seemed to feel particulary close to them.

Well, there's been a lot more going on but I've got to start getting ready for work tonight. I'm frustrated that I can't just sit here and finish writing about what's on my mind, but during times like this when we are busy up to our eyeballs, I realize that something's gotta give. Zach had to let go of the idea that he was going to finish this painting job before Christmas, I've had to sacrifice computer time (as well as half my sleeping hours), and we've had to rely on the grandparents this week more than we would like to. Christmas will be over soon (I can't wait) and it will all even out in the universe's own, strange way.

This is us decorating gingerbread
houses with our little friends last week.