Women Evolve More Spine to Carry Babies

My friend Kellie sent me this link to an article on Yahoo! News about how women's spines are different from men's to better suit pregnancy. It's an interesting study. I've thought about being pregnant, my back pain, and how my center of gravity is totally thrown off. I've wondered how women in the "old days" were able to work in the garden and do various other chores when I can barely bend over in my chair to pick something up. The article does attribute the spine differences between men and women to evolving from apes. In the words of Kellie, "Aren't you glad our ape ancestors adapted pregnancy coping mechanisms? It couldn't possibly be that a Divine Creator knew what He was doing. Nope ... definitely not."

Final Exam Answers

I gave my final exam this past week. I had students tell me they thought it was difficult, but the average was a B so I figured it wasn't too bad. As usual, the TAs and I had some entertainment reading some of the answers.

1. Carbon-14 Dating is a way to determine the age of archaeological artifacts. The artifacts cannot be older than about 60,000 years. Why?

Because there was a flood then and that throws the system off.

(The answer is because C-14's half life is only about 60,000 years, but I had several list The Flood as the reason. I guess I had some young-earth theorists in my class.)

2. Why is radioisotope dating not as accurate after the 1940’s?

Because the way we do it now is not as correct as we did then with our radioisotope machine.

(The answer is because since the 1940's, there is an increase amount of radiation on the Earth due to atomic bombs, nuclear power plants, etc. Many students wrote about the "radioisotope machine" - not sure where they pulled that one from.)

3. Pictured below are Vitamins A and C. Why is Vitamin A soluble in fat, but Vitamin C is soluble in water? (HINT: Remember our discussion about solubility, “like dissolves like”, and the molecular structure).

Vitamin A is soluble in fat because it is insoluble and is fat. Since they are both insoluble they dissolve each other. Vitamin C is soluble in water because it is soluble and water is soluble so they dissolve in each other.

or

Vitamin A is soluble in fat, and Vitamin C is soluble in water.

(Like these students, I had many answer a question by rewording the question in a declarative matter.)

4. Write a balanced equation for hydrochloric acid and the base calcium hydroxide.

Mrs. Nichols I just don't know about all this chemistry, just isn’t my subject…actually I don’t believe any subject at this college is my subject. I did enjoy your class. I attended every time the doors were open and met a lot of pretty girls. Thank you for being a great teacher. Happy Holidays.

(You've probably guessed: this was from my student who liked to write little anecdotes on all his exams - see prior posts for another one about Michael Jordan and making a polyester.)

Most Interesting....

So this past week, I gave my students an early Christmas gift: a quiz for extra points. All they had to do was answer the question, "What was the most interesting thing you learned in this class this semester?" Here are my top answers:

1. …when we talked about drugs…I learned that the mirror image of the molecular structure of cough syrup [is] opium (chiral isomers).
2. I learned how to talk with my boyfriend about chemistry which is good because he is a chemistry major.
   (I love that I've helped someone's relationship.)
   
3. Water has 2 H and 1 O.
4. Merry Christmas (with a Christmas tree drawn below it)/Happy Hanukkah (with a menorah drawn below it)?
   (I circled the Christmas tree and wrote, "Thanks.")
5. I came into this class not knowing how to balance equations. I wrote it on the first quiz. Now I can do it with confidence.
6. I can write [a] number in scientific notation. I know what a wavelength is.
   (For #5 & 6, As my chemistry professor Dr. Hutchinson used to say when we would share what we had learned, "It warms my heart that you know that.")
   
7. It is a tie between learning that most girls are afraid to use the Bunsen burner and hearing about advances in pharmaceuticals.
   (It's definitely true - for some reason, most girls are afraid to use the lighters on the Bunsen burners.)
   

Another Baby!

My cousin J.D. and his wife Libby just had their baby girl this past week, too. Peyton Elise is so cute. Maybe I'll get to meet her soon. There's just new babies everywhere! I can't wait till our little boy arrives.

Baby Face

I had another ultrasound done yesterday to check up on Baby Boy Nichols. You can see his chubby face in the picture (it's sideways). In some pictures, the tech pointed out he has hair. He's estimated to weigh about 4 lbs and 7 oz right now. I'm thinking he might be a big baby if he gains what they usually gain towards the end. We'll see!! Everything looked good so we are thankful. My mom got to go with me which was fun - I know she really enjoyed getting to see her first grandbaby on screen before he was born! I'm getting bigger - I think I "popped" again. I'll post some pics of my fat belly soon.

I have a New NIECE!!!

Josh's sister had her daughter last night. Jacilayne Marie was born last night. She looks a lot like her daddy.

Isn't she beautiful??!!

My Favorite Answer

So I have this one student who likes to write monologues on his exams when he doesn't know the answer. It always serves as a good laugh while the TAs and I are grading and breaks up the monotomy. I'm always tempted to give him some points just for his humor.

The latest monologue:
Question: Acetic acid and ethanol can be used to form an ester. Draw the reaction for this process. Can it also form a polyester?
Answer: No, Michael Jordan once said he can fly. And He Can! If you only believe it...Then you can do it...So if you want it to make or form a polyester, who am I to judge what you believe...

I wished I had written his other monologues down. I'm sure I'll get a good one on the final.

Seeing Friends

A couple of weeks ago, it was my friend Seungen's birthday. Last year, I was in a girls' bible study with Seungeun, Saori, and Cassie. I don't get to see them very much this semester so I was glad when Cassie asked me if I wanted to surprise Seungeun for her birthday. We went over and got to hold little Aiden (he's about 4 months) and meet Seungen's in-laws from Korea. They wanted to take us out to eat and of course we couldn't decline : )

Not a Good Week to Ride the BUS

Last week wasn't my week to ride the bus. I ride it from the overflow parking lot to my building. One morning I had to get to school early, and the earlier you try to catch the bus, the more packed it is. Well, that morning, it was so crowded, there was standing-room only. I had to stand - nobody offered a big old pregnant woman their seat!!! Good thing I only had my purse on me (and not my laptop) because I had to use both hands to hold onto the bar above me. I'm so off-balance lately, I couldn't just hold on with one arm. I told Josh that night that he better never let a pregnant woman stand on the bus while he's sitting down. Ha!


Then the next day, I caught the bus back to the parking lot to go home. I happen to pick the NEW bus driver. My first clue was that he was driving really slow and stopped when he didn't need to stop. My next clue was when he hit a sign. Yes, he was so close to the curb when he stopped, that the sign was hitting the bus everytime he tried to go forward. He finally got around the sign and continued on his journey. That's when I noticed the guy next to me. He was directing the bus driver on where to go and giving him tips. He didn't seem phased at all when the driver hit the sign. Maybe that happens to all of the new bus drivers. The rest of the route we drove in the gutter pretty much. It was like when I first started driving: my mom would say, "You're not rain, get out of the gutter-you're too far over on the road!" A few times I wanted to yell out, "Stop being rain - we're going to tip over!" I guess the good thing was that because he didn't know the route well, he drove so slow. Of course the guy helping him tells him he needs to speed it up. I'm glad I got off at my spot after that. I didn't want to experience that driver's "fast driving" if he's going to be hitting signs and driving in the gutter!

Halloween

We celebrated Halloween a little earlier this year. I dress ed up as a cop while Josh was a convict. I wore a gun garter on my leg (that is what Josh is reaching for in the picture) and Josh had shackles. Saturday night we went to a party at one of Josh's co-worker's. Everyone there was dressed up - it was fun to see the different costumes.




Then Sunday night was our church's Fall Festival. Josh and I used our car for the Trunk or Treat. The rest of our small group worked at the games.
The little girl with us in thepictures is Tonie - she's the GO! kid we pick up for church. The picture of the family is our friends the Gotchers with the GO! kids they bring to church. I think all the kids had fun at the Festival - I know I did!

27.5 Weeks Belly

Here's some shots of my current belly from last week. Baby Boy Nichols is moving quite a bit - my stomach will sometimes stretch out on one side. He had hiccups twice last week that I felt.

Tagged

I got tagged by April S.


Here are the rules.


1)Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.


(2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.


(3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.


1. I usually have to check my two email accounts and facebook daily. My blog and others' blogs on a pretty regular basis too. I hate for mail to pile up in my inbox.


2. I have a pretty messy desk. Everything is strewn about. BUT every week or so I organize (I do like to file things) and try to clear the area. It's messy by the next day again.


3. I hate not having something to do while I ride the bus (usually from overflow parking lot to my building). I usually grade or read the newspaper while I wait for the bus and while I ride it.


4. I am easily distracted by April S. Either she's tagging me for a blog entry or having me carve jack-o-lanterns online, I am easily swayed to take a break from work. That's one of the reasons why I love her!


5. I started calling the baby by name to myself. I'm afraid if I even start calling him by name to Josh, we'll slip up and tell the name.


6. I almost always carry my USB drive with me. It has my whole graduate career backed up on it. I figure if the school or my house burns down, at least I can still graduate!


7. I'm easily irritable when I am tired. People annoy me very easily when I need some sleep.


8. I can go a whole day in my building and probably get away with only talking to someone once. I try to smile at most people when I pass them though - I only get a positive response about half the time. Scientists are loners and major introverts usually I think.


Annie, Mom, and Jessi

Chemistry Halloween Costumes

So I was just working on my lectures slides for my class and I stumbled upon an article about Chemistry costumes for Halloween. I am totally neglecting my work for a few minutes because I HAD to post these ideas out there. This is why people call us nerds....and if you don't get all these ideas - you're probably NOT a nerd!

Based upon Chemical & Engineering News (10/30/06):


1. Typical mad scientist (overdone, hence this article had other ideas)

2. Benzene ring (6 students joined together via a flexible tube) (pictured above)

3. Free radical (a sign-carrying hippie with a broken shackle)

4. Quantum Mechanic (wearing overalls and a toolbox)

5. Sleek black suit with a crisp white shirt and understated tie with a nametag that says "My Name is O27"...when people ask what you are, you reply, "The name is Bond, Chemical Bond."

6. Superman costume but add an "i" to the "S" so you'll be Silicon Man

7. Same as #6 but add a little extra "padding" and you'll be Silicone Woman

8. Marie Curie (discovered radioactive elements) with a glowing necklace; ask people, "Do you like it? It's Polonium. It's going to be all the rage." OR shake a transitor radio and tell people, "I'm studying radio-activity."

9. Wear aluminum foil and go as unlucky element 13 (Aluminum).

Baby Pictures

Here's two of the latest pictures of the baby taken yesterday. One is of his profile and the other is a 3D one of his face. We think he already looks like Josh!
Baby boy did not like the tech and dr poking into his territory - he kicked and moved quite a bit the whole time. He must have worn himself out because he didn't move today until the afternoon.

Our Baby Shower at Josh's Work

Last week Josh's work gave us a baby shower. It was soooo nice! We got such nice gifts and were fed VERY well! Here's some pictures and a video clip. It's what the staff got Josh specifically for the baby.

Our Weekend Home

Two weekends ago, we went down for Jessi and Bubba's baby shower. We stayed with Dennis and LaNette Friday night. That's where I'm playing with the kittens. Josh and Dennis played their guitars while LaNette and I visited and watched TV. It was a relaxing evening. We went and watched Tana at a dance workshop on Saturday. She of course was the cutest! The shower was Saturday night - welcoming Baby Jacilayne Marie Cassell. Grammy and Jourdan and Jaret were in town, too. It was good to see them. Then we stayed the night with Sheri and Jack and went to church with them in the morning - the first day of their gospel meeting. We heard a wonderful speaker and ate a yummy potluck lunch. We left afterwards; it was a quick trip but fun!

We're About Done With Our Room....

So we painted our bedroom two years ago and finally got most of it done this week. I was going to email people our video, but the file is too big I think. We got this new camcorder that takes pictures too a couple of weeks ago. As you can imagine, we've been playing with it a lot. Anyway, turn up the sound to hear my "commentary". Maybe we'll get the baby's room done next... : )

Football Has Started!

A few weeks ago, I went to the Texas Tech game - or at least tried. It was an afternoon game and it was hot! Initially, my goal was to get to at least halftime...I left during the 1st quarter. It was a great game I heard - we won. Too bad I was a furnace getting hotter in the stands. We went with our friends Wes, Sharbee, and Caleb. Caleb loves the games - he's so funny to watch!

September Pics

Here's some pictures from September that I just got back. We got to see Clint and April visiting from Germany. We always have a good time with them. It was great to see Adub - she's a week more pregnant than me. Her baby was moving her stomach that night - we still don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet. I can't wait to find out!
We also saw family over Labor Day weekend. Jessi and I showed up to church in the same shirt (her mom bought the same one and color for us) and black bottoms - totally by accident! Apparently, pregnant women think alike (Jessi is 6 weeks more pregnant than me).
Josh and his dad played guitars late that night making the baby VERY ACTIVE (see prior post). Padme kept sniffing at the stuffed coyote that sits in their living room. I think she was suspicious of it!

I'm Getting HUGE!!!

So I finally got some film developed....here's photos taken over the weeks. I think I took the first picture around 6 weeks, then around 12 weeks, then 17.5 weeks, then 19 weeks. After that I got smart and posted the weeks on the door. The last one is at 23.5 weeks. Today I was standing at the bus stop and my shirt was puffed out (or so I thought). Ever since I started wearing maternity shirts, this occurs. I rub my hand against my belly so my shirt will go down, and I won't look so big. Uh, it wasn't puffed out. My belly has gotten that large. I'm currently 24.5 weeks.