If They Can Find Jaycee, We Can Find Jacob.

I don't know about you, but I have been entranced by the story of Jaycee Lee Dugard, kidnapped from North Lake Tahoe in 1991 at the age of 11. 18 years later, she has been found alive and well in Northern California. I love happy endings like this.

Stories like this always make me think of Jacob Wetterling, who was kidnapped at gunpoint from St. Joseph, MN in October 1989 - also at the age of 11. I vividly remember when this happened. I was 13 years old, and this story was huge news for a very long time. St. Joe is a small town, and things like this - a seemingly random gunpoint kidnapping of a child - just doesn't happen in a place like St. Joe. Jacob was with his younger brother and another friend, on his way home from the store. The kidnapper took Jacob and let his brother and the friend go. Nearly twenty years have passed without sign of Jacob, dead or alive.



Jacob's kidnapping also changed Halloween for us Minnesota kids forever. Suddenly you saw many more parents accompanying their kids out trick-or-treating. Kids learned to only approach houses where the front light was on. Everyone was pretty fearful that first Halloween after Jacob's disappearance, and not much has changed in 20 years, as the media has made access to information about kidnapped children a lot easier to come by.

Jacob would be 31 years old now. His parents, Patty and Jerry, still live in the same house and have the same phone number. I can't even imagine what Jacob's poor parents have endured -- Patty Wetterling has channeled her grief and energy into advocating for children's safety. She is an amazingly strong woman, and I hope she sees her son again.

Now, since Jaycee has been found, I think again about poor Jacob. Is he stashed away in some deranged psychopath's barn, basement, or backyard? What has he had to endure? Has he been tortured, sexually abused, brainwashed? Is he walking around out there in plain sight, not remembering who he really is? Is he dead, his body so well-hidden that nobody will ever find it? Jaycee's story inspires hope that Jacob may also be alive and well out there somewhere. If they can find Jaycee, we should damn well be able to find Jacob. Really, all it takes is one person to notice and report something suspicious. Minnesotans, keep your eyes and ears open!

Cursed Insomnia

Here it is, nearly 1am on a Sunday morning...and it is WAY PAST my bedtime. But it seems that sleeps intends to elude me for a while. I'm not a chronic sufferer of insomnia, so nights like this, when I know I'm tired and NEED sleep, are particularly frustrating. So I thought I'd write a bit, see if that helps clear my head.

Price seems to have come down with a bug, which is, of course, always worrisome. His eyes have been goopy for the last couple of days, and today he started up with a runny nose and general malaise. It is clear that he doesn't feel well at all, and any mother hates that.

I fear that I may be coming down with something as well...sore and scratchy throat, and feeling like I have a throat full of marbles. I worry a lot about this,...what if I've caught the one virus that could hurt the baby I'm brewing? I know that the likelihood is extremely small, but still...enough to keep me awake at night, apparently.

Constant heartburn and nausea aren't helping either. If I don't fall asleep within about an hour of eating, my stomach starts to feel yooky and I start thinking I should run downstairs and get something to eat. Three times this has happened tonight. As if I'm not already over being sick all the time. I don't need this on top of that.

OK, enough complaining. Watching Hollywoodland and eating soda crackers...and sorta wishing I could take 2 Tylenol PM and turn this insomniac night into a memory.

Finally On The Upswing!

Boy, I'll tell you -- Number Two has been wreaking havoc on me the last couple of months! But the good news is....I'm on the upswing now. Nausea is waning, appetite is coming back, fatigue is manageable. Still peeing like Seabiscuit and not sleeping all that well, but hey -- I'll take what I can get. I'm eleven weeks now, already popping -- but not needing maternity clothes yet. It's all good!

So today my hubby tried to talk me into visiting an entirely different hospital in order to get an ultrasound that can tell the baby's gender at 14 weeks. Patience has never been one of his strong suits; I told him he can wait till 20 weeks, like everyone else. :)

Life has been pretty low-key lately, which is a welcome change. Price continues to amaze me with how much -- and how quickly -- he learns. This morning we saw Sarina, our next door neighbor girl whom Price absolutely adores, walking through the neighborhood as we headed to daycare. We stopped to say hi to her, and as we drove to Jessica's, he said "Cheeny go walk?" over and over again. Just like he says "Daddy go work?" over and over every morning. That he even understands this is what blows my mind. Another example: we recently moved Price into his new big-boy bedroom. The transition has been remarkably easy! I'm now teaching him that his old room is the "baby room" and his old crib is "baby nigh-nigh." He gets it. He knows a baby is coming, and anything I can do to ease the transition for him will help. I may even pick up a baby doll and teach him how to be gentle with a baby. I don't know why I worry about these things; I never seem to give him quite enough credit. :)

My garden has been awesome. We've been rolling in peas and green beans and lettuce, and I just picked my first green peppers yesterday! I made stuffed peppers with them, and they were delicious. No ripe tomatoes yet, however. Waiting patiently! I should be able to harvest some carrots pretty soon, too. What a great way to get more veggies into our diets. Price will eat green beans straight from the garden...prefers them that way, actually. Who knew?

Just wanted to get a quick update out here, I know it's been awhile since I've written. Hope you're all enjoying your day!