My fingers they are a movin'....as I become bilingual!

Tonight was my very first ASL class. I just discovered
that the class was being offered 3 days ago, so I hardly had time to
think about it. I've been looking for a sign language class since last
fall. I am hoping to put the knowledge to good use with href="http://asunnyview.blogspot.com/2007/04/catching-up.html">one
beautiful little (almost 1 year old!) girl I know. Hopefully,
she won't be too critical if my hands aren't quick (my teacher says
fast signing is not usually good signing) and my movements are a bit
clumsy. I just can't wait to participate in her world in this way. It's
so important to me that I can communicate with Miss Sadie and
understand what's she's trying to get across. It has not been an easy
year for her parents and the coming year is going to bring more
challenges and some medical procedures for their baby girl.
Nonetheless, she has only become more adorable and sweet with each
passing day.

My class was amazing and captivating. The teacher
is a speaking woman with no hearing deficits who is clearly excited
about teaching American Sign Language. I sat with nary a yawn for 2
hours without moving (except my hands!). This is no easy feat by the
time 8pm rolls around. I love the approach she takes, so that the list
of signs I learned tonight includes: newborn, weekend, drinking
(alcohol and lemonade ;)), President, doctor, train, purple, nickname,
kids, children, cars, planes (landing and taking off which will thrill
my Godson!), I agree, I disagree and I don't care. There are a bunch
more that are not in my head this second. I thought we would learn a
basic alphabet and then add on various words. Apparently, that is not
the best way to learn ASL. She also teaches some cultural aspects of
ASL. I love that too, after all I'm a social worker by training!

I'm
only sorry that I could not convince any friends to take it with me so
I have no practice buddies, but you can bet I'll be showing off to
everyone who will look at me!

Look at me becoming bilingual - who would have thought!?!? :)

Time flies....at the speed of light!

What I want to know is who turned the knob on time into overdrive? How are we one month away from the 1st birthday of two of my favorite babies? How is summer already here - when it felt like I had waited forever? How did I not blog at all about the week I spent spoiling my darling Godson and his new baby brother? Yikes. I'd like to request 48 hours in a day for the summer months please!

My poor laptop is crying because it has soooo many pictures on it. 10,000 something - to be closer to exact. I am a bad girl. I don't have an external hard drive, nor do I regularly put my pictures on CD. Now I am left with the daunting task of putting pictures on CD a little at a time. Uggh. My two memory sticks are almost full, but I don't want to load any more pics on my computer until I clean out some more photos. I hate the message "Your startup disk is almost full." I'm so sorry for overloading you my little PowerBook - please hold on just a few more days. I promise you will feel lighter and more joyful again!

Soon I will visit one of my new babies. He lives in FL and was born in January - thus I have not yet met him other than in a cell phone video. :) I cannot wait. However, he is the only baby born to a friend who has not yet received a hand knit item. I feel terribly guilty because I know his mom is waiting anxiously for it. I just hit a wall - got stuck - stopped being inspired - or perhaps just started reading too many blogs! Time to get on that sweater. I just found out that another friend is expecting this fall so it will be back to the needles for TWO baby items!

Back to that FL trip. I cannot wait. I will spend time with two of my fave college friends. We will talk, laugh, drink, hang out on the lanai (I love that fancy word for screen porch!), and swim in their pool. It will be hot, but we won't care. We will sit on the bar stools and laugh hysterically about something inane while her husband prepares gourmet Cuban meals for us. We will spoil that baby terribly and love him bunches so he remembers Auntie K and Auntie J when they come to visit again. :)
Somehow FL has become our meeting spot, as this friend has had the most life changing experiences in the last 2 years (bridal showers, weddings, baby showers and now - A baby!). They have to bend my arm every time! ;)

In July, there will be 1st birthday parties, visits from the above Godchild and family, more birthday parties and the big beach party for 4th of July. Oh and there will be more visting with the gorgeous sister! She was recently in town for a vacation from veterinary school and it was oh so sweet to spend time with her. She lived out of the country (on a tropical island no less) for 3 years so I didn't get nearly enough sister time recently. She'll be back in the area for an externship in July so there will be more laughter and adventures then.

My sister and I have this thing. We always gave blood together from the time she was old enough. We worked together for a time, so we'd go after work. When she was in college, we went to summer blood drives. After she moved to vet school on a island, we couldn't go together any more.

We're not weird. Unfortunately both B and I suffer from what my mother (the nurse) calls a vaso vagal reaction to having blood drawn. It has nothing to do with needles. I had allergy shots for several years with no problem. The issue comes with taking my blood. My body does not like it - not one bit. It allows the blood to be removed. I get up and my blood pressure plummets. Next thing you know, I'm on the floor, sweating and thinking - "Body it's ok. I GAVE them this blood. There was no emergency." I love giving blood though. So, the sister and I go together. We are each other's support. It doesn't have to happen every time. Sometimes it only happens to one of us.

My sister was bored on Mother's Day - being 350 miles from our mother and all. She decided the night before to make an appt to give blood - WITHOUT ME. Don't worry - she did ok - no fainting. I was not happy. She was coming here in 2 weeks - why not wait for me? It was a nice thing to do on Mother's Day and all. I just didn't want to go alone. She promised to accompany me. She did. I was rejected. Rejected and refused. My hematocrit was too low. Thanks anyway dear - go on home now and boost your iron and stuff. Eat more red meat, green veggies and such. Bummer.

We made up for it by getting swabbed for the Bone Marrow Registry. It was just like CSI - swab that cheek, swab this cheek. I had signed up for the Bone Marrow Registry in college but the woman told me to get tested again because they test differently now. They gave us a button which reads - "Will you Marrow me?" I've been trying to eat more veggies. I'm not a regular red meat girl. Pretty much I'm a no red meat girl. Uggh. I also might have had a teeny bit too much water. Like close to a gallon between 8am and 4pm. They say that too much water can lower your crit as well. It's just that water makes my blood flow faster and helps with the fainting issue.

Ahh well. The sister and I will attempt to give blood again in July. I do not intend to be refused again. My blood is good dammit.