will the real penelope please spit up?

let's clear the air

there has been some recent speculation that this lovely lady

(penelope A)

was named after this lovely lady.

(penelope B)

and while i can't deny that i utterly adore both of them, the fact is that they are both named after this lovely lady.

(penelope classic)

think about it -- she faithfully waits for odysseus AND she's a pretty awesome weaver. in fact, penelope means weaver (according to some weird baby name sites, it also means duck. which i guess is also awesome).

the weaving thing might seem silly, but did you know that there is a long, long literary history behind the use of weaving as a metaphor for poetry? it's true. i actually wrote a 20-page essay about it in graduate school (wordsworth was quite the fan of this metaphor). in short, the weaver is the first poet -- weaving individual strands/words together to craft a beautiful final product.

and my own little penelope is the result of weaving together so many of my own tender life experiences. she is the product of so many prayers, hopes, agonizing workouts to keep my blood sugars in line, tears, negative pregnancy tests, tears, prayers, all-night talks with jesse, and (did i mention this already?) more prayers. and she's more beautiful and precious than i could have ever imagined. and i can't wait to see how her individual life experiences weave together and create a beautiful woman.

now that we have cleared that up, onto some adorable displays of babiness from the littlest penelope (mostly so i have something to watch at work tomorrow when i am missing her terribly.)

and p.s. my first day back at work today was fine, as any sane person would have guessed. the crazy woman writing this post is ridiculously relieved.

and p.p.s. how awesome was last week's episode of LOST? i have been dying to say something on here about it. let's just say that penelope and desmond melt my heart. and i can't wait for tonight's episode.

warning: random babbling

here are some things i have learned lately:

maternity pants are not all hideous. they are not all flattering. but they are so comfortable. i should have done this years ago.

peanut butter captain crunch cereal is absolutely delicious.

if you are four months pregnant, and you wear your old clothes to the gym, sometimes your belly sticks out when you move rapidly. and that is, apparently, not attractive.

sometimes ten-year-olds in primary will answer a question about preparing to share the gospel with the statement "yeah, but all my friends are mormon, so this doesn't really apply to me." well, i guess that's one approach.

six-day work weeks are not very much fun. thank heavens for a day of rest.

life isn't perfect, but sometimes i forget about the amazing compensation the lord has given me. i hope ya know that i have learned it is so true. (and i hope you will watch the video about it)

at the end of a six-day work week, you might get a letter from one of your sweet, ten-year-old primary children telling you how excited they are that you're having a baby. and it might make you a little emotional.

i should have never found this web site.

BEST OF ALL: my bff is coming home this weekend. (i can't wait!)

and there is one thing i will learn in three weeks:

whether this little critter taking up more space in my body is a boy or girl. i have my suspicions. (but we are so excited either way.)

lesson (being) learned

it is more important to be kind than it is to be right.

it's best of all if you can be both.

but really, if you have to choose, be nice. please.

and if you still don't get what i am saying, check out this song (i like to sing along).

some sad news

i am sure that most of you who read this blog have heard by now, but tonight President Gordon B. Hinckley--the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints--passed away at the age of 97. it might seem odd for me, at the ripe age of 23, to feel so personally impacted by this loss, but i can honestly say that President Hinckley has been one of the most influential figures of my life.

every message that i have heard President Hinckley deliver has felt inspired to help guide my own personal life. his messages have always filled my life with love, an increased understanding of myself and my life's purpose, and appreciation for the Savior and the wonderful men and women who made so many sacrifices to make my life as full and blessed as it is today. i know that he was, and is, a man of God.

President Hinckley is one of those few people that left the world a truly better place than he found it, and i feel honored to have observed his life and felt the powerful influence of his example.