Indulge me

I am feeling ridiculously stressed and overwhelmed and would like nothing better than to hunker down in the sheets (or with head in ground) and let the next few weeks work themselves on out.

"Lounging with Lion"--Part (I don't remember)

Disclaimer: Am too lazy at this current date/time to repost the earlier photos of "Lounging with Lion," so we're just going with the current month.

So, E turned 8 months old this week. This seems like insanity to me because this means that his 1 year birthday is closer to this day than his birth-day is.

Also, does anyone else do this? I sometimes think of E as older than just 8 months. I mean, technically he's really a year and a half old if we start counting the day his cells started dividing.

Anyway...


8 months, 2 days old





At 8 months, E...

...sometimes prefers one parent over another.
...will reach out to someone if he wants to go to them.
...always smiles and starts to laugh when we walk into his daycare classroom.
...is still loving all fruits and vegetables.
...has one tooth.
...babbles all sorts of letter (nananana, babababa, dadada, mamama, lalalala, etc.) combinations.
...is a very happy and content baby.

We will miss you, Grandma...

Random useless tidbits

While it has been ridiculously cold here, it has--at least--been sunny. Although, I kind of feel like my chain is being yanked because I associate the sun with spring.

And, yeah, that isn't happening anytime soon.

****

Because I'm a gal that likes to plan ahead, I've decided that I'd like to get E a little table and chairs for his 1st birthday. I've seen a few that I like and I think that it would be nice for him to have a spot of his own where he could color and do crafts.

****

I think we have a mouse at home. I've seen his "evidences" under our kitchen sink and have put T on the trail to finding this mouse somewhere else to reside.

Like in a mousetrap.

****

Remember the dodgy dry patch on my face? Well, it's almost gone. The doctor recommended a special potion that I've been using twice a day and it's working.

I (heart) skin potions.

****

T works for a company whose main business is focused in the auto industry, with the bulk of their work coming from the Big 3. Holy Suckville, Batman.

They've done consistent layoffs for as long as T and I have been together, so for about 9 years. During one round of lay offs a few years ago, even his boss was let-go. Zoikes.

It still confounds me how T has managed to hang-on to his job. Sure he works hard with ridiculous hours and is great at his job--but that alone doesn't keep the axe from falling. And I don't even think his MBA is keeping him there, as he initially got that to find a job elsewhere.

Anyway, he came home last night and said that there would be no merit raises for 2009 and there is a forced one week, unpaid vacation for everyone between now and March 31. Kind of downer on the raises thing, but as T put it last night, "Beats the alternative."

So, he's going to use that week at home to haul biscuits on home projects. Blessing in disguise, perhaps.

Or, just a blessing.

****

We're currently in the market for a new car seat for E. He is on the cusp of draping out of his current infant car seat due to longish legs.

Much like I was obsessed with finding a safe car to drive (holla! on the 10 air bags in the VW), T and I are obsessed with finding a safe car seat.

However, those bad boys are expensive. When it's all said and done, T and I have will have spent almost $600 on car seats for Small Fry. Of course, they'll be used again and we'll just stash them in the basement for BB2 (brown baby 2) to use. But, dude, $600.

****

I know there's no statute of limitations on karma because, you know, that's how karma rolls, but I've decided to put something out in the universe that I've been holding onto rather closely. For fear of jinxing it all.

We got our stroller for free.

That's right, we were never charged for the ridiculously expensive stroller we ordered off the Internet last year. I figure if the site we ordered it from were going to come after us, they would've done it by now. Right?

I've kind of justified the free stroller as such: We spent the equivalent of the stroller on fertility meds. So, some couples get pregnant for low cost/free. We got a stroller for free.

Now, I am so not saying that E equals a stroller. But, perhaps it is the Universe's way of saying, "You know, you kind of got the shaft with that whole "unexplained infertility"-thing. How about I cut you some slack on a rockin' stroller."

Thanks, Universe. We appreciate it.

Sniff, sniff, sigh

Weather-wise things have been feeling particularly bleak around here lately. It's cold. It's gray. It's cold. It's snowy. It's cold. It's icy. Sigh.

And it's only January.

Here in Michigan it isn't until about April that things start looking up.

Plus, I miss my plants. And grass.

Last spring/summer I wasn't able to garden very much. In the spring I was ridiculously pregnant and considered it a feat of God that we got our wood chips down and a few flats of annuals. Then the summer brought E and I had zero willingness, time or energy to wrangle new baby, summer heat and the garden beds.

This year, though, E will be a year old and I'm looking forward to giving him a small spade of his own and turning us both loose outside.

In feeling plant-needy, I decided to Google-Image a bunch of pictures of the plants/bushes we have in our landscaping to kind of remind me that spring will come and I will be able to sniff the flowers again soon.




Tulips are always the first to arrive which makes me feel good. Despite being perennials and seemingly able to come-up year after year, the freaking squirrels that run rampant in our yard dig them up and move them. Or eat them. I have a feeling that this spring could be short on tulips. Will have to plant more next fall.



Then the lilies of the valley appear. These are one of my favorites. I like that they're considered a ground cover, so they spread--but they also get these wonderful flowers that smell fabulous. And they look great in a vase.

Our other ground cover is myrtle. It's generally a green viney-plant, but in the spring it has lots of small purple flowers. I love myrtle if only it weren't for the..

...day lilies. These bad boys are aggressive and are growing in the same beds as the myrtle. I don't like to mix-and-match like that but I can not get a handle on the spreading lilies. Ugh.



Late May, early June and it's the rhododendron or rhody as T calls it. We have a white one and bright pink one. The white one is smaller (again from Costco! I mean, come on now, is there anything you can't buy at Costco?) and the deep purple one is really old. They don't have a smell, though. And they're kind of special-needs with the bug spray as they're always getting munched on.




We also have a dwarf lilac bush that is small but doing okay. I'd hoped that it would grow taller than it has, but I suppose "dwarf" should have been an tip-off on that one.

The peony starts sprouting its shoots pretty early, but doesn't bust out with blooms until later in June. It has to be "caged" or supported because the blooms are so top heavy and the stems are flimsy, but it smells so great. And it's low maintenance. I cut it down in the fall and it sprouts right back up. I planted another peony bush in another part of my garden, but it's struggling. Probably because the asshat-AC-installers stomped all over it last spring when our AC was being put in. I'm not sure if it will survive. It may get the axe and be replaced.




Mid-summer brings the hydrangea. Perhaps the best flowering bush purchase ever. I bought two larger ones to fill in some gaps and they've done great. They get super hot, direct sun all through July and August when they turn bright white. Then August/September rolls around and they turn green. I'd love some blue ones, but our soil isn't acidic enough.

We have hostas along our front walk but last year they looked pretty darn sickly. They get the cookin' sun of the mid-summer and I think that's causing it. So, we might rip them out and replace them with...




...boxwoods. They can handle both sun and shade and I can either let them grow together into a type of low hedge lining our steps or keep them trimmed into individual bushes. I kind of like the look of them individually, but trimming is pain in my rear.

I miss spring.

Friday and Saturday in review

While Sunday is still in the works, here are some pics of what Friday and Saturday brought the K family.

Newsflash! Saturday morning was kind of momentous. E's first chomper made its appearance (much to the dismay of T's finger as that mother is razor sharp). And, E decided, "Enough with this flopping around on my belly nonsense, I gots to move." So he started crawling. Granted its kind of hoopty, but I'm sure he'll fine tune things.

On with the pictures...



Friday evening after work. Hanging out on the couch.




Friday evening. Cutting the rug...er, couch...with T.




Friday evening. Bedtime.




My Friday evening. A crapload of work for me. And, yes, that is a plate of Tyson chicken nuggets in the background (courtesy of Costco, holla!).




Saturday morning. Breakfast about to commence.




Late Saturday morning. "That's right suckas--better start baby proofing. Hey, is that an outlet I see over there? Catch you later."




Saturday afternoon. T is trying to fix the music component of E's jumper. It's gone from playing Bach to sounding like a fuzzy Jimi Hendrix.




Saturday afternoon. Post-lunch rowdiness upon spotting empty bottle.



Saturday afternoon. E trying to make a quick break for it.




Saturday afternoon. Playing on the rug.

Awesoments

This made me laugh. A lot.






Click on link above to make it larger.

Love the one you're with

I occasionally find myself eyeballing other homes in a covet-ing (a word?) type manner. Sometimes thinking to myself, "I bet their plaster walls are in tip-top shape." or "I wish I had plants like that in my landscaping." or "If only our house was (fill in the blank)."

And then I realized that this dissatisfaction with what I've already been given in life kind of makes me an a-hole.

In the midst of this crap economy, I need to be more grateful for the wonderful home and the two (relatively) stable jobs that provide for it.

So, I decided to focus on what I do have and take a closer look at all the particulars that I love about the house we've been blessed with (and, you know, T was traveling so I had some time to kill with the camera last night)...

...a wedding photo of T and I that is in our living room.

...85 year old glass doorknobs.

...silver sconces (which I always forget to polish) in our dining room.

...fabulous wood trim.

...a ceramic lemon reminding us of the memorable trip we took to Capri.

...the chandelier T let me pick out all on my own (a big deal for a man who likes to provide input).

...the book covers in E's room that I hope remind him of how special reading is.

...a good smelling baby who is sleepy.

Random useless tidbits

My car is so disgusting. Salt rings on the mats, an errant french fry under my seat, donations for Goodwill in the trunk, pebbles, etc. The outside is also a hot mess. And you can tell where my biscuits have rubbed against the car (via my cream coat) and swooshed away the salt and dirt. Not a good look.

****

Between watching her "Single Ladies" video way too many times and popping out a tear after she sang to the new President last night, I think I may have a girl crush on Beyonce.

I feel conflicted about this.

****

I bought these shoes over the weekend:

They have a shiny toe and heel and are tres comfortable.

****

I meet again with the trainer tonight. I think it will be a good fit. She's not obnoxiously chirpy nor did she heavily sigh when I tested out to be not so bendy.

She's going to put together a few plans for me. We'll see how it goes.

****

E is wearing snazzy green pants today. Although, they are already almost too short.

I'm beginning to wonder if he will have the same problem I did growing up in trying to find pants that fit in length.

****

I recently purchased three tubes of super cheap lipstick (.94 cents each, people!) in order to try the colors out. I am tired of spending $15.00+ on lipstick that feels icky or makes me look like Death.

Umm...these .94 lipsticks? Ridiculous. Great color. Long wearing. Not too dry.

Truly a makeup conundrum.

****

Lately, I have been going to bed at 9:00pm. Sometimes even at 8:30pm. Am not sure what this means other than I am becoming less fun in evening.

Last night I went to bed at 9:00pm and watched Mrs. Doubtfire.

I would seem I am now 63 instead of 33.

****

Excel Spreadsheets, Unite!

What's that you say?

Additional news from Tiny Tadpoles--which, incidentally, is turning into an experiment in Family Life/Sociology. Or, perhaps, Awkward Things People Say and How to Interpret Them 101.

When T and I had E, I sort of wondered if we would get "comments." You know, because he's brown and I'm not.

It wasn't until we started swimming that this occurred. Is there something in the chlorine that I'm not aware of? It should be noted that while working out/using the pools at this particular gym and prior to being pregnant--I did suss out that the Whitey Fords dominated the population. Quite unlike when we used to work-out at the Y which had lots o' different types of people, racially and socio-economically. Current gym?--not so much on either tip.

Anyway, our first Saturday afternoon swishing about in the pool and a dad struck up a conversation with us. "How old is he?" "First time swimming?'' and..."Is he yours?"

Hmmm.

"Yup." I said and kind of bobbed weirdly in the water. Didn't know how to take it from there, so I didn't. Mulling it over later, I wondered if perhaps he was wondering if I was the nanny. Tons of kids with nannies during the summertime. But this was a Saturday. In the winter.

This past Saturday, a nice mom was changing her older daughter and inquiring about E as he sat in a towel in the locker room. "How old is he?" "Does he like swimming?" and..."What beautiful skin color! Is he yours or is he adopted?"


Dude.

I was all, "He's mine. His dad is African, so he got a headstart on the tan."

But then I started to feel a kind of secondhand feistiness because what if he had been adopted? He'd still be mine.

Good intentions? I think. Nosy? A tidgy. Curiosity poorly articulated? I'd go with a "hell yes" on that one.

So, I realize that I can't stop people from asking the first thing that pops into their mouth upon bypassing their brain. And in mulling it over, I realized that I don't want to stop being polite and forthcoming in answering them because I just think being sassy or curt doesn't solve anything long term--and it's not "me."

Perhaps with word on the street that there's a brown baby and his frightfully white mom circulating at the pool inquiring minds will hold their questions at bay. In the meantime, E and I will continue to do the Hokey Pokey in swim class and enjoy ourselves while doing so.

A's Super Swank Birthday Brunch

Some pics from today's birthday brunch for my friend A. There were about 18 of us.

R, A, T and I were at our own table. A table good for surveying the group and the goings on of the party.

The buffet was ridiculous as were the desserts and the mimosas. I didn't overdue it but felt pleasantly well-fed.

Thumbs up: the ham, the chocolate croissants. Crikey.

Noted absence: toast, bacon.

Body image and Judgey McJudgerstein

Lots o' blog fodder at Tiny Tadpoles today. I'm finding it very interesting to spend time with parents of other babes. I really only have two friends in town, J and J, that have babies. However, the dynamic is different with them because we often come together as friends first, mothers second.

Anyway, the two other moms in Tiny Tadpoles are friendly and warm and I'm happy about this. However, one of them today made some interesting comments that had me thinking.

The mom and her daughter are beautiful (and friendly!). The woman is fit yet curvy and the baby is chubby cheeked and bright-eyed. Anyway, at three separate times, the mom made comments about her thighs and then linked those feelings to her baby.

Examples:

"I'm so glad to hide my lower half in the water. Let's hide our thighs, T!"

"Thanks! She is cute, isn't she! Although, you can tell where she got her thighs from, can't you?"

"I hope she lengthens out and get rid of those rolls like I did when I was younger."

Cue awkward smiling.

It just had me thinking that much like anything else done or said around our children, it's quite possible those messages about her body will be absorbed; silently soaking in for later recall.

I don't have a daughter and while body image can plague males just as well as females--let's face it, girls start young in being unhappy with their bodies. This is not okay. Of all the things I hope to encourage in my children, I hope that comfortability in their skin is one of them.

Be happy with who you are and how you look. Be healthy. Treat your body with respect. Love the way you look.

dum dum DUUUUMMMM

So my boss totally tried to "friend me" on Facebook. Yeah, not so much for me.

I get along with my boss and do work well with her, but that is not a line I up to crossing. It's not even like I'm all inappropriate on the 'ol FB. It's just...I don't know...I don't want her to have access to that part of my life. I already spend 40+ hours with her.

It's kind of the same reason I haven't told anyone at work about this blog. While I very rarely talk about work here, I just don't feel comfortable going down that road. Plus there was a link to my blog on my Facebook page, so DUDE. Vicious circle.

So, to all 12 of my Facebook friends...adios.

Random useless tidbits

Last night, T and I watched a show about women who had babies but didn't know they were pregnant.

I know.

As someone who tried for two and a half years to get pregnant, this befuddles me--but, hey, their explanations as to why they were in the dark for nine months seemed reasonable.

Anyway, in describing why he and his wife had no idea she was pregnant, one man said this, "She didn't have her usual cravings or get as big as a house."

Tendo, "Dude!"

And I was all, "If you'd said that about me on Discovery Health, I would've put my foot in your neck.

Of course, the guy didn't seem so sharp and he was sporting a 'stache, so you know--it could've just been par for the course.

****

It is cold here. As in super cold, hurts the face, air temperatures with a minus sign in front of them.

****

I have Friday off. PTL. Day looks as following: Doctor's appointment to evaluate oddball patch of dry skin that is still lingering and unsightly, workout, lunch, manicure/pedicure with A, pick-up E early from daycare, head to parents for birthday dinner for my brother.

The one thing I'm worried about is being chastised by the nail tech during my manicure. My nails are very snaggly and sometimes they do tough love when they see them.

"You chew?"

(mumble) "Sometimes."

"Stop that. See me more."

"Okay." (hung head low)

****

Dress arrived via UPS yesterday. It fits. Dropped it off at the dry cleaners this morning to be pressed. I just need to find a necklace to wear with it, so I'm heading out at lunch to peruse.


****

I have my first meeting with the trainer this evening; I liken to a kind of ComeToJesus. She's going to break it down. We're going to talk about goals, do measurements and do a fitness and flexibility test. T meets with his trainer on Saturday and when I told him that he might end up doing a flexibility test, his eyes kind of bugged as he is less bendy than I am.

Uh-oh.

****


I am coveting this Longchamp bag for spring:






I think it would be the perfect tote to carry both my stuff and E's stuff around this spring and summer. I have one of their smaller bags in pink and love it.


****

I need a tan.

3 once again

Minus the smooth lead in, C has found a new home.

It was baby-related so T and I made the best choice we thought possible for all of us.

We miss him and think of his nice gray fur and hope that he is happy.

I want my children to have pets, so I think that once everyone is up on their legs and walking that we'll reintroduce the idea of a pet.

Until then...

No Gordon Ramsey

I consider E a blank slate for healthy eating. T and I?--put a fork in us, we're done. We have some poor eating habits that are firmly in place and can merely be corralled, not eliminated. E, on the other hand, doesn't know the sweet heaven that is a Big Mac and thinks only various fruits and veggies exist. Ah, the wonderful trickery that is parenthood.

So, while I know that bad yet tasty things will find their way down his throat eventually--I figure that I should make the most of the time I have now to give him healthy things. And so I whipped up some homemade baby food on Saturday night. It's important to note that at one time my Saturday nights were fraught with debauchery and vodka (and a rather unfortunate stage involving Goldschlager), however, they now involve pureeing chicken breasts. Good times.

The evidence:


I've read a handful of cooking books for babies and toddlers and this was the only one I've liked so far. It was easy to read and broke down appropriate recipes by age (six months, seven months, etc.).



4 oz. containers for freezing the food in. I was going to use ice cube trays, but my dad and I couldn't find the mofos at Target--so I headed for the GladWare. Seriously, what did people do before disposable containers?



The choice tool for pureeing. I think a Cuisinart may be been more up to the task, but I don't own one.



The foodstuffs. I had plans to make: apples, zucchini, chicken, peas and garbanzo beans each in their own dish.

Iron consumption becomes important as infants grow older and one way they get it is from iron-fortified rice cereal. Well, we don't give E cereal because it fills him up and then he doesn't want his formula. Some reading mentioned iron-rich foods such as turkey and chicken, tofu, lentils and garbanzo beans so I thought I'd give them a try.

On the chopping block. The apple got cored and cut into fours, placed face down on a plate and then microwaved for 5 minutes. Apparently, microwaving is one of the best ways to cook food and retain nutrients. The instructions suggested to also include the fluid that cooks out while microwaving.




The peas about to get zapped. According to the book, microwaved peas that are then pureed have twice as much vitamin C as the store-bought containers of peas. Huh.



Voila! You're looking at two containers of Fuji apple, four containers of peas, four containers of chicken and two containers of zucchini (process not documented).

The kitchen by this time was a hot mess, so I pulled the plug on the garbanzo beans.

E is still feeling under the weather so we haven't tried any of them out yet, but once his appetite for solid foods is back I'm totally whipping one of these bad boys out.