Day 27- Friday, June 6

One more day to go! We've almost made it! We are busy getting the house all cleaned up for Chris to come home. The kids are busy making a 'Welcome Home' sign for tomorrow. We will be going to High Point in the mid-morning (first, making a stop at South Park Mall (smile)!) Chris and Vance are expected to arrive about 2 or 3 pm tomorrow afternoon.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has helped me these 4 weeks! I appreciate you taking the time to read Chris' blog (and mine). We both love all of the comments we've had from our family and friends!

Love,

AMY

Day 26- Thursday, June 5th

The above pic is Miss Christensen (in yellow class shirt), Mrs. Brown and Evan

Today was a much better day than yesterday! I was able to take the day off from work and spend time with Evan at his end-of-the-year class picnic at the Broad River in Boiling Springs. Although it was about 99 degrees today and no breeze whatsoever, we had a great time together. (I braved the woods, bugs, snakes, etc to be with him on this special day!) The class sang for the parents, "God Bless America" and did sign language to the entire song. Each child got a special award. Evan got "Most Athletic." His teacher, Miss Christensen and Teacher Assistant, Mrs. Brown, are so wonderful! He loves them (and we do too!)

Going to take a shower to wash all the bug spray off me! Tomorrow is Friday- 2 more days till Chris comes home! YEAH!

Day 25- Wednesday, June 4th

As I had predicted, bugs were still in the garage this morning. I know I saw at least 2 large mosquitos that looked like they had West Nile Virus in them. We all ran out to the car on the count of three. Our dumb cat (Dash-2) wouldn't leave the garage this morning. I ended up having to get out of the car and pick him up and toss him outside. I pushed the garage door opener to close and he ran in there again! I was so mad! I had to get out and do it again! I threw him out in the yard just as a school bus of children went by our house. Erin was so embarrased because I was yelling "stay outside dumb cat!" I know it's mean to call him a dumb cat, but he kind of is. You'd agree if you met him.

We had dinner at our mexican restaurant in town, but it wasn't so great tonight. They didn't have any Diet Coke because they were in the process of changing out the machine. Then, the waitress brought my dinner first and nothing for the kids. I waited to eat until their food arrived. When it finally arrived, they had gotten both of their orders wrong. I had to send it back. We waited and waited. I decided to eat mine but it was already cold by that time. They finally brought the kids food to the table and Evan started eating his burrito. He pulled something out from his food and handed it to me. At first I thought it was just the skin of a peeled onion. Then I examined it more closely and it was a piece of plastic! I called the waitress over and she took it to the kitchen. She came back and said the cook said it was a piece of tomato. NO WAY! It was totally a piece of plastic! I pulled on it- hard- and it was definitely not a tomato or tomato skin. It was PLASTIC! (Maybe from a bag or something is what it looked like.) It was definitely not our night.

The kids played a few rounds of Guitar Hero and just went to bed. I'm doing laundry. Loads of fun. Chris comes home in 3 days, so that is what we are all looking forward to!

Day 24, Tuesday- June 3

I had a horrible bug moment tonight! I came home from work and left the garage door open for a while. I purposely left it open so I could take the garbage bin out after dinner. I did do that, but forgot to close the garage door afterwards. Apparently I also left the overhead light on in the garage and I just went to open the door that leads to the garage and about 1 million bugs, moths and flying things were in there. I screamed and slammed the door shut. (Our cat, who was in the garage at the time completely freaked out too!) Okay...now I'm officially scared for when I open the door in the morning. Are bugs going to fall on my head? Are they going to die in there overnight, or are they waiting for me when I have to walk to my car in the morning? OMG. I need Chris. Evan will have to step up and be a man and go out the door into the garage first tomorrow morning.

PS...the kids liked my dinner better tonight. Chicken patty sandwiches, french fries and corn (no, it was NOT fast food either!)

Day 23- Monday, June 2

I might have to change the name of my blog site to "28 days" instead of 29... Chris and Vance have decided to alter their trip route a bit. Their new goal is to reach High Point on Saturday evening instead of Sunday evening! I was so excited to hear this news tonight! Erin and Evan were too! The kids and I will go to High Point so we are there with Janet and we can all welcome them home together.

Chris will be home Sunday and Monday- but unfortunately he has to leave again for one more week- this time in a car. We've known about this all along, so I've been mentally prepared as much as one can be. He goes to Daytona Beach, FL for one week to grade AP English exams. I've gone with him before, and it's great- except it is not really possible to make it a 'family' vacation because he will be grading from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. The hardest part of him leaving this year is that he has to leave on our 13 year anniversary- and we only have 2 days together after being apart for a month. BUT...the best part is that when he finally returns to us, we are all leaving TOGETHER on a week-long family beach trip with my extended family. :-)

Today was an uneventful day for the kids (thank goodness) I made stir fry for dinner tonight and the kids were not impressed with it. Let's see what tomorrow brings...

Day 22, Sunday, June 1st

Okay...I've officially hit a new record for me. I've touched old aquarium water, rocks and plants. Who knows how much dead fish debris actually touched my hands. Totally and completely gross! But we now have a new fish who has joined our family. (Heaven help him. All other fish have come to our house to die.) Erin named him Tony the Tiger. While we were at WalMart today, Evan used his own money that he's been saving to buy himself a new Wii game. He bought Tony Hawk's Downhill Skater. (yes, he's my little Sk8tr boy.) He is thrilled and is already getting pretty good at it. I tried it one time tonight and immediately crashed Tony Hawk into a wall and then managed to send him over a cliff.

We all 'spoke' to Chris tonight and managed to do a video call- it was GREAT to see him live! There was a slight delay because of the 2-hour time difference, but it was fun. It made me miss him even more though! They come home next Sunday! We have to make it 7 more days. This is the last official week of school, so that will be exciting for the kids.

Off to watch another chick flick...PS. I Love You. It will probably make me cry, but that's okay.

Day 21- Saturday, May 31st

YMCA Water Park Opening Today! This was an exciting day for our town- the long-awaited outdoor water park opened and we were there! The only thing that was missing was Chris. He would have liked to have been there for this day. We had a great time (and got a little too much sun.) The Shelby Star was there and filmed Evan going down the waterslide. If you watch closely, you will see Erin walk by a few times in her green and white bikini. For some reason, there is also lots of footage of me helping Evan put on his goggles. Thank goodness he filmed me from behind and I had my shirt on! How mortified would I have been if I had made the footage in my bathing suit?!? Others in town were not as lucky. Check out the link to see for yourself...
You will have to watch an advertisement first, then the video will open
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155362759/bclid1173324576/bctid1582123063

Also...another great part of the day was that my sister, Krista, together with her fiance Jason and my parents have most likely made a selection of a date and location for their upcoming wedding. Looks like we will be making a trip to Marco Island, FL the weekend of April 18, 2009! They are planning to get married on the beach (way cool) and the reception and festivities will be at the Marco Beach Ocean Resort. http://www.marcoresort.com/Weddings.asp The party is on!

Day 20- Friday, May 30th

We've made it to day 20- yeah! We feel like we're in the home-stretch now.

Today was a FABULOUS day!

Me, Peggy, Julie, and Barbara went to see "Sex and the City- The Movie" this afternoon! It was wonderful, beautiful, fabulous, sad, happy, and worth the wait! I would never spoil the fun by telling what it's about- you will just have to see for yourself. I just finished downloading my new ringtone from the theme of the 'Sex and the City.' iTunes rocks and so does my iPhone!

The other FABULOUS part of my day is that Erin did so wonderful in her recital tonight. Evan and I bought her a dozen long-stem hot pink roses for her big night. She smiled the whole time and really shook her groove thing! ("Shake Your Groove Thing" was the song she danced to.) I was so proud of her! I was successful at videotaping her performance too. I'm trying to get it on my YouTube site as I type this. If I'm successful at that, I'll post the YouTube link soon. (IF)

All in all it was a great, great day!

Day 19- Thursday, May 29th

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is the premiere of "Sex and the City- The Movie"- and I am so there! Some friends from work and I are going to the afternoon show. On Fridays, our office closes early in the summer so this works out just great! Afterwards, I will pick up the kids and come home and get Erin ready for her dance recital. She did wonderfully tonight at the dress rehearsal. I tried videotaping it, but I only got half. The camera needed charging, which I'm doing right now. I did get some cute pics of her in her costume tonight.

Day 18- Wednesday, May 28th

It was rainy and somewhat chilly today, but our house was comfy, warm and smelled delicious tonight. Erin and I baked Amish Friendship Bread tonight. A friend from work gave me a starter bag 10 days ago. I haven't made any in about 10 years! Erin kneaded the bag each day and was able to add all the remaining ingredients tonight to finally bake the bread.

Evan is looking forward to Field Day tomorrow. He was naughty at school today though. I think he's gotten a little spring/early summer fever. He's pretty much ready for summer to begin. We are starting the countdown for school to be over for the year (10 days, I think.)

My sister and her fiance', Jason, are on their way to see my parents (from Seattle, WA to Venice, FL.) They will be checking out all kinds of Florida locations for their upcoming wedding. We are all looking forward to finding out the exact date and location! I'm the matron-of-honor! More updates about the wedding plans in a few days...

Day 17- Tuesday, May 27th

I'm smiling as I'm typing this because I just got off the phone with Chris. He and his dad made it safely to Salt Lake City. It was great to talk to him, but he sounds really, really tired. They are looking forward to their rest day tomorrow. REST DAY..unfortunately I am not familiar with that concept.

Luckily for me, the kids have been great the past couple of days- very sweet, actually. I had to drag them with me to get my nails done tonight (yes- it's my thing- let it go.) Afterwards we enjoyed a nice dinner together (chicken, green beans and mac and cheese). That Colonel man sure knows how to cook a chicken right.

I'm off to watch 'Dreamgirls' for about the 30th time this month- nothing is on TV right now. I haven't heard the ESPN Sports Center intro song in 17 days. Who would have ever thought I would miss that?

Day 16- Monday, May 26

Happy Memorial Day! Unfortunately, I had to work today. The kids were out of school though. They enjoyed a great night and day up at the Farm (Chris talked about the Farm in his blog) with Gran Jan and the Davis cousins. They roasted marshmellows last night and had fun riding four-wheelers! A giant hug and big thank you to Janet for taking care of them last night and today. We had a good dinner together tonight (Taco Bake) and cuddled up and watched 'Problem Child' on HBO. I'm glad to have them home with me. Last night was TOO quiet in my house without them or Chris here. You'd think I was happy about the quietness, but I wasn't. I miss my house being full with all of us here.

We've got a busy week ahead of us...field day, EOG celebration day, recital practice on Thursday night and Erin's dance recital on Friday. I also have to remember to take the trash out on Wednesday morning. A giant thank you and hug to Ron Wood who cut our grass again today! (Chris...it looks great!) Ron also taught me about vents we have around the house. Apparently they should be opened to help with circulation under the house. I have to remember to close them when it starts getting cold outside. Also... one of the lights burnt (burned?) out in our bedroom ceiling- it's way, way up there. Not even sure we have a ladder to reach that tall. That will be Chris' first project when he comes home. (smile.)

Day 15, Sunday- May 25th

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, but not at my house. I awoke to two children fighting about whose turn it was to feed the cats. As I walked out of the bedroom, they both asked me sweetly, "oh...did we wake you up, mommy?" Just so you know, that's exactly what they wanted to do. They've played that game before. On the other hand, I was actually happy to get up and check out the Sunday paper. Guess who made the front cover of the Shelby Star? Chris! (actually, Vance) since the picture said it was professor Chris Davis on his motorcycle, although it was a picture of my father-in-law! Nevertheless, it was a good story of the father-son journey across America. Check it out...www.shelbystar.com
I'm off to watch a chick-flick movie, "27 Dresses." Netflix is probably wondering why ALL the movies in my queue are girly-types and not action-dramas like our usual queue.

Day 14- Saturday, May 24th

Today was a great day! Our weekend plans got re-arranged when the Grand Opening of our new YMCA waterpark got postponed from today until next Saturday. We were all kind of set on spending the day at the pool. Once we realized that wasn't happening, we took matters into our own hands and decided to go back to Carowinds, but this time for the Grand Opening of their waterpark, Boomerang Bay. For extra fun, we even drove to Charlotte last night and spent the night at a hotel so we would be able to be at the park bright and early. Since I actually have to work on Memorial Day, I was trying to 'create' an out-of-town experience for me and the kids- even if it was just for one night. We had a great time splashing around in the giant wave pool and riding waterslides.

Be sure to check out the real or online version of the Shelby Star tomorrow. I hear that Chris and Vance may be in it...

Day 13, Friday- May 23rd

TGIF! Today has been interesting. After work, I went shopping to try on/buy a swimsuit. I might as well have stuck sharpened sticks in my eyes- that would have felt better than seeing my reflection in the flourescent lights at Belk. Somehow, I'm not where I thought I would be, physically, when I thought about swimsuit season a few months ago. Let's just say that I have some work to do...

Speaking of work, Evan apparently has decided to have a new profession- hair cutting. At least, that's what he did a few minutes ago when he was in one room and I was on the phone with Chris in the other room. Out of the blue, he decided to pick up a pair of scissors and cut a chunk of hair from the exact middle of his head. He cut at least 2 inches! Dork. See the picture- Chris actually got to hear the yelling I did when I discovered what he had done. Why do kids do things like this? Erin, by-the-way, is today's little angel.

I'm looking foward to a good night's sleep.

Day 12, Thursday May 22nd

Chris and his dad made it to California! He sent me a picture today of the Walk of Stars and Britney Spears' own star! Maybe he'll put it on his blog site photos- but don't hold your breath. (He's not really a fan. He took the pic for me because that's what great husbands do!)

EOG's are over for Erin! She celebrated by going out to dinner with Brianna Plummer (it was Brie's 10th b-day today too! Boy oh boy, our girls are really growing up!) Evan and I went to dinner at Georgio's in Boiling Springs. It's a really nice restaurant! All the waitresses were coming over to our table flirting with Evan. He did look really adorable today in a really cool blue shirt- his eyes were really, really blue! He used really good manners while we were out. This was good. I think he must be going through a growth spurt of some kind. He has been eating so much food lately! He is so active though, so I guess it's fine.

Forgot to take the trash bin out on Wednesday morning, but I guess its not a tragedy. So far, that's the only thing I've forgotten since Chris has been gone. We all miss Chris terribly! Evan drew a picture of him and wrote, "To my daddy. I love and miss you at home." (Insert dagger to the heart.) We're going to try to do a video conference this weekend so we can 'see' each other. Not sure if I can figure out how to do that without Chris here, but we'll see...

Day 11- Wed, May 21st

Tonight is the showcase showdown of two potential American Idols, but the only DAVID who is important today is my dad, David Ittermann who turned 60 today! Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

Evan was much better today. No burping (that I heard.) Erin said she feels great about today's math portion of the EOG. Tomorrow is the last portion of math- calculator inactive part. Yeah! it's almost over! She's had an excellent teacher this year, Susan Lucas, so I'm not worried!

We had Steak Um's, tater tots and baby peas for dinner. For a special treat, we ate at the coffee table in the living room and watched an old DVD of "The Electric Company." If you are as old as me, you will remember that show! (Trivia question....what year was this show introduced?) The answer is 1971. Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman looked hilarious! The kids really liked it and I, myself, felt like a little kid watching it again. It brought back so many memories! It's fun when you can share things like that with your own kids. Since it was from the 70's, everything was 'heavy', 'groovy', and 'right on!'

Chris called us right before dinner. He made it to Hollywood, CA! I completely freaked when he called and said, "I just saw Brad Pitt!"- He was just kidding though. I'm gullible, even 3000 miles away. How mad would I have been if that had been true and I wasn't there? He promised me to keep an eye out for any stars he might see. He and his dad are staying with his cousin, Thad and his wife, Ingrid and their twin boys. He said that David Hyde Pierce and Kathryn Heigel live close by. Way cool!

Off to watch the finale of "American Idol..." Go Davids!

Day 10, Tuesday, May 20th

Well...I spoke too soon about good behavior. Let me clarify, Erin has been great! But Evan has been a little punky today. I've told him a million times not to play soccer in the house but he doesn't seem to listen (to me). He knocked over some candlesticks and then HE threw a fit when I told him to "cut it out!" He also has decided not to use any manners today. He keeps making his arm pits make noise and unfortunately he's learned how to burp six times in a row (which he says is his new record.) He laughs and laughs about it and is so proud. Seven year old boys are gross, even my little angel.

I made a good dinner tonight- cheese tortellini and garlic bread and peanut butter cookies for dessert. Evan had 3 full glasses of mik! That should make for lots of trips to the bathroom tonight.

Erin had a good day on her EOG Reading Test, she said. One down and two tests to go. Tomorrow is the calculator-active math portion. She's ready.

In case anyone is wondering...I did actually get on the treadmill last night, but I have to confess it was only to move all the laundry that was piled on it. Not that it's clean and ready for use I will tackle it with my iPod and some good tunes. I miss hearing Chris run on the treadmill in the evenings. I just miss Chris being here in general.

Day 9, May 19th

It was a much busier day at work today than I had anticipated. It was the first day of summer semester. Lots of 'last minute students' trying to add a class. I'm trying really hard to raise my kids not to be "one of those" students! I'll let you know how that works out in about 10 years.

Although I was prepared to make Erin a great dinner tonight, she said she wanted pancakes from the Snak Shop (our local diner in Boiling Springs.) Sounded good to me! She is ready to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's Reading EOG test. I'm trying to downplay the whole testing thing with her, as much as possible.

Evan had a great day at school and best of all, NO homework! Gotta love these rare nights.

No drama today at our house. (Yeah!) I should probably be doing something more productive like work out or clean out my dresser drawers, but I might just have to watch some tv (maybe I'll do that ON the treadmill.) Until tomorrow...

Days 6, 7, & 8 (Friday, Sat, Sun- May 16, 17, & 18)

I know I am behind in my daily blog, but I have been very busy and very tired the last two evenings. Friday was a great day! The kids had great checkups at the doctor. All is well with both of them and they were great when they got their finger pricked- no screaming this time. (partly because I bribed them ahead of time with a McDonalds milkshake if they were good.) Friday evening was lots of fun. My friend Julie and I attended the birthday bash of another friend's mom (Peggy's mom, Jeanette). It was a blast dancing and hanging out with so many of my co-workers! Everyone was dressed up, relaxed to be away from work, and having a great time! There was a girl there who kind of looked like me and she did the worm/snake right across the dance floor! It was funny! Julie and I were really able to relax and have fun knowing that her husband, Daryl, was babysitting our kids (all four of them) with pizza, movies and games.

The kids and I spent the night at Julie's that night. I awoke to the smell of homemade biscuits and gravy! Julie is one of the best cooks I know! The kids and I were in heaven! We all enjoyed a delicious breakfast together and then we left for Carowinds about 8:30 a.m. I bought season passes for Carowinds because I thought it would be a fun thing for me and the kids to do together while Chris was away. (a season pass is also waiting for Chris when he comes home to us.) We had a great time riding rollercoasters and other rides and paying $4.00 for each bottle of water and $25.00 for lunch for the 3 of us! We even met up with my friend, Jen and her kids Brianna and Caleb (Erin and Evan's good friends.) Evan was excited to ride his first upside down rollercoaster, the Carolina Cyclone. The park was packed though, and we waited for one ride for 1 hour and 20 minutes! That took some of the fun out of it. Evan had to go to the bathroom mid-way through the line and I told him he HAD to hold it. He did, but I was pretty nervous the whole time we were in that line (did I mention we were in line for a WATER ride?)

We were at Carowinds for 8 and 1/2 hours! (I am expecting the "Mom-of-the-year" award), I pulled into our driveway about 6:30 p.m. and couldn't believe my eyes! Our friend, Ron Wood mowed our grass for us (AND...had weed-eated all our weeds!) Chris...you will NOT believe how good our yard looks! Remember all the weeds under the swing set?....GONE!) I can actually see the edge of our house now. I plan to take a picture and post it later today. Ron Wood is the best yard man around! We have the best friends! (Chris...you will need some lessons on weed-eating when you come home, my love.)

Needless to say after dancing Friday night, walking around Carowinds and riding coasters on Saturday, I could barely get out of bed today. I plan on taking lots of Advil today and spending most of my day doing laundry and cleaning up the house. Erin has a BIG week at school this upcoming week with her EOG's on Tuesday, Wed, and Thursday. I have to figure out and plan some real meals for tonight, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so she will have good nutrition and 'brain food' for the week.

We have spoken to Chris several times throughout the weekend. He sounds like he's having fun, although his dad has a sinus infection right now. We are hoping he feels better soon. They visit the Grand Canyon in a couple of days! We miss him! (Chris...you would be proud the kids so far. They have been GREAT for me.) Let's hope this great behavior continues for three more weeks.

Day 5- Thursday, May 16

Thanks to everyone who helped solve the math problem. My buddies Peggy, Audrey, and Julie helped me understand how to explain it to Erin. Turns out, she was able to explain it to me after going over the problem at school today! (she had to write a rule for the 2nd one- Thanks Luis! That was great of you to work it out too!)

Also, a big thank you to Wanda and Jen who helped take care of Erin and Evan tonight while I had to work late. I have great friends!

I managed to remember to take the trash out on Wednesday night, but I didn't bring the trash bin inside the garage when I got home last night- and the trash man left the lid open. It rained most of today, so now I have water in the trash bin. I don't really 'do' trash that well, so it will just have to evaporate somehow.

Erin and Evan have their annual doctor appointments tomorrow. It should be interesting for 2 reasons: tomorrow is Wacky-Tacky day at school and I'm picking them up early to get them to their doctor appointments. Everyone at the doctor's office is going to think I dress my kids like that. Evan is crazy enough to tell people that's just a normal outfit for him. I could pack extra clothes, but after the week I've had, I'd rather just let people talk about us. The second reason their appointments should be interesting is because Erin FREAKS out when it's time to have her finger pricked. Literally...she will scream bloody murder- thus increasing our odds that everyone will be looking at us. Looking forward to that. Good times.

I just got off the phone with Chris. He sounds great, but tired. He's looking forward to his rest day tomorrow. I miss him so much, but I know he's having the time of his life on the road. His blog is amazing- be sure to check it out. http://www.cvdavis.blogspot.com/

Day 4- Wednesday, May 14

OMG. 4th grade math is killing me! Does anyone know what this means or how in the heck I'm supposed to explain this (or even check) if Erin got it right?...

Rule: j= q-10
input q 26 ? ? 66 73 74 ?
output j ? 29 45 ? ? ? 83

Rule:
input b 2 4 ? 16 32
output a ? 2 3 ? ?

I should have paid more attention in math class. Does this now explain to everyone why I decided to be an English major? Calgon take me away! (or, Chris...come home soon so I don't mess up our kids!) Just kidding. I'll ask some math experts that I work with tomorrow.

The kids had a nice meal for dinner tonight. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. Did I mention is was a Banquet meal? I haven't eaten dinner yet- it's already 9 pm! I'll probably have cereal for dinner. Tomorrow is a long, busy work day- it's late registration for all our students who waited until the last minute to register for a summer class.

Day 3- Tuesday, May 13

Basically it was an uneventful day (Yeah!) I managed to get Erin to her jazz class picture session in her costume and make-up on time. Her dance recital will be May 30th. We celebrated being on-time to this evening event with a nice dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. (ha ha, ha. What that really meant was that NO COOKING needed to be done!) Evan began his 3 days of state math testing today and said he feels good about it so far. Erin has EOG's next week! In preparation for the math portion's of EOG, she has quite a bit of math homework this week. Since Chris has been double-checking most of her math homework each night, it is now MY job to do so. Those of you who know me well, know that math is not my strong suit! I was sweatin it out tonight as I was checking to see if certain shapes were polygons, quadralaterals, or hexagons. Yikes. I did, however remember the rule for Order of Operations! (PEMDAS) Yeah me.

Day 2- Monday, May 12th

As I predicted, something went wrong immediately at home. When we got home from work/school today, Erin informed me that her goldfish was "laying on the bottom" of her aquarium. Great. One dead fish to deal with. I made her scoop the fish out and flush it down the toilet. I supervised.

Amy- Traveling on my own road to surviving without Chris for 29 days!

I fully support Chris and his dad in their father-son journey across America, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy on me and the kids. Other than worrying about him and his dad every single day (and all the crazy drivers out there), I have to figure out how to do things around the house that Chris normally takes care of. Evan has officially been promoted to my #1 bug/spider killer. Erin is the second in command at home. Follow my own journey as I figure out how to be a single mom for 29 l-o-n-g days. Should be interesting...