A Little Library

Thank goodness Jeff works at a bookstore because I love books for children. I'm trying to come up with a list of books to build a little library for baby, but there are so many out there that I want! Topping my list are The Polar Express (a must for this December kid), Rainbow Fish, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon, and Olivia. We're hoping to have a little book worm on our hands here. :)

I also recently discovered the cutest way of displaying books. At first, I thought of just getting a bookshelf, but then I read about the advantages of book slings. When books are on a shelf, the cover art is hidden and only the words on the spine are visible. If children can see the cover art, it catches their attention and they can easily recognize characters; choosing stories without needing to read the title on the spine. This way, they are more likely to pull out a book to read/look at.

Here is an example of what a book sling looks like...

Just dowels and fabric, but so cute and functional! Unfortunately, making this adorable addition would be nearly impossible where we live now. The walls are concrete and hanging anything is a major hassle. Plus, while we're here, the baby will be too young to use it anyway. Needless to say, this will definitely be part of their next room wherever we go. Until then, I suppose a bookshelf will have to do!

So, what were your favorite books as a child? Or if applicable, what are your children's favorite books? Help me build my library list!

Finally Have Time to Post Again!

For those of you who don't know, the month of August is absolutely nuts in my profession. Its the Black Friday of the retail world and thank goodness its almost over! The past few weeks have been full of hall director training, RA training, and opening the residence halls. And while it was all fun, I'm excited for class to start on Monday when things should calm down a bit. Woo hoo!

Opening, in particular, has been quite interesting for this pregnant lady. Parents and students have been swarming campus in a confusing mob with questions, issues, and lots of problems to solve. Hey, at least its entertaining work. The interesting and slightly disturbing part, however, is that people seem to have absolutely no filter when in the presence of a pregnant woman. Here are some highlights from the last few days...

Random Parent: "What year are you, dear?"
Me: "Oh, I'm not a student. I work here."
Random Parent: "Oh! Thank goodness!" (while making a gesture to my belly)

Random Grandmother: "Look at you! You're ALL BELLY, aren't you?"
Me: "Yes, ma'am. Appears so."

Random Student: "Are you sure you're not having twins?"
Me: "Yup. One kid in there."
Random Student: "Wow. Well, at least they'll be a healthy kid."

...as well as a slew of dirty/confused looks. Now, I get it. I look out of place on a college campus and especially amongst a bunch of 18 year old students in the residence hall. C'mon though, people. Get over it!

Anyway, if you're wondering what all these people were gawking at, here are some new pictures of my 24 week belly. To be fair, the grandmother mentioned above was sort of right. I am pretty much all belly...but I'm not complaining.

...

Everyday this little gal/guy seems to start moving more and more. Yesterday was a bit of kickboxing, today was some gymnastics. Its a wonderful feeling. :-) Only 110 days left until I get to meet this little person! Yay!