Monday, August 28, 2006
One Big Happy Family
I'm down in North Carolina, visiting my folks. My brother is in town for the week, so seeing him has been fun. I have so much to write about, but would rather visit with my parents right now... but I leave you with this picture....
Thursday, August 24, 2006
6 month checkup
Turns out Shepherd is average for everything his age. 50% in height, 50% in weight, and 50% in length. What he's not average in? His level of activity. The pediatrician couldn't believe how active he was. She couldn't believe that he was pulling up from sitting to standing (he did this at the doctors office by pulling on the stethescope around her neck. She couldn't believe he was seconds away from crawling, and already creeping (he did this too). She commented that he was such an active little boy, that he is burning off every calorie he's taking in. How do we know this? Despite eating 3 meals a day, breastfeeding (ie. draining both breasts in one sitting) 5-6 times a day, he hasn't gained weight in 3 weeks. Which is fine, there was no need for alarm, she just said it sounds like he's burning a heckuva lot of calories. She asked if we were going to feed him meat, and we said yes... and she suggested we start him on a little bit of meat, for the added fat and calories, and hopefully bring his weight up just a nudge.
On top off the weight issue, he's teething again. Meaning runny nose, and crankiness. So add that to the four shots he got, and he's pretty vocal today. Poor guy is running a mild fever, but it's nothing that some Tylenol and some cuddling time won't cure.
Well, he's waking up from his little nap... I'd better go get him and have some cuddle time...
On top off the weight issue, he's teething again. Meaning runny nose, and crankiness. So add that to the four shots he got, and he's pretty vocal today. Poor guy is running a mild fever, but it's nothing that some Tylenol and some cuddling time won't cure.
Well, he's waking up from his little nap... I'd better go get him and have some cuddle time...
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
On Why I've Named my Razor "Delilah"
Today started out like every other day. In fact, things seemed to be going quite well. Shepherd was pretty chipper, I actually got a shower, and shaved my legs (which, looking back, probably was what set this whole sequence of events in motion, because, like Samson, my powers to get through the day must lie within my hair, the only difference here is we're talking leg-hair vs. Fabio locks... anyways...).
Shepherd and I got ready to run a few errands, and then go meet Beth and Mia for lunch. I had just crossed the county line, and BLAM!!!! flat tire. I pulled over, got out, walked around the car, and admired the flatty flatness that was my tire. I sat there, debating on whether or not to change it myself. I hate, hate, HATE calling Triple A because I am perfectly capable of changing my own flat tire. The only time I've ever called them was when I got a flat while 8 months pregnant with Shepherd. But this time, I looked at the tire, looked at Shepherd smiling at me from the backseat, and looked at the hill my car was sitting on. I remembered something about not changing a flat on an incline, so, decided it would be best to call Triple-A. I called, and the guy I got must have been new or something, because he went through the questions like a TEXTBOOK. I've used my husband's AAA card before, and never had trouble, but this guy was giving me a fit. Remembering that Forrest is on his mothers AAA account, I sucked it up and lied. I said I was his mother. I'm very convincing like that. And he bought it. Also? I have the worst time remebering her address in NC, and when asked for the address, I automatically recalled it, perfectly. This was very convinient. I gave them some sob story about how I had an infant in the car (knowing that AAA normally takes five-hundred hours to come help you, I thought it would help) (it did) and they were out there in 20 minutes flat (har.... har....... HAR). They changed the tire and sent me on my way.
I arrived to see beautiful Beth and Mia waiting on me, and we went in for lunch. We enjoyed some good food, some cuteness from the kiddos, and then Shepherd got restless. So, it looked as though it was time to go. I headed out to the car, said goodbye to Beth and Mia, and as I loaded Shepherd up, this lady approached me. She said her car had broken down, and rolled down the hill into my car. I looked at the bumper, looked at her, looked back at the bumper, and sighed. Last year, sometime, Forrest had backed into a fire hydrant, leaving a corner of the bumper scratched, and chipped the paint off. As tempting as it was to blame this woman for the damage my own husband did, beyond that, there wasn't much wrong with the bumper. So, I told her it was fine, and not to worry about it. She seemed relieved, and I got in my car to head to the tire place.
I arrived to get my tires, and they inform me there was a 2 hour wait. Fine, whatever, I told myself, I'll just browse the stores around the tire place, maybe get some shopping done. I checked back in an hour later, just to make sure things were okay, and they said they were just pulling my car into the shop, and that it'd be 30 minutes. Thirty minutes later, I check back in, and the guy looks at me and asks who the last person to work on my tires was. You guys, I reply. I was just in here 2 weeks ago getting new tires put on, and you rotated all of the tires. Oh, he says, we can't get the lug nut off. Great... So, his manager says, Let me have a shot at it. And 5 minutes later, they both walk out, sheepishly looking at me. The manager holds out his hand, and there, in his palm is the lug nut. No problem, you're thinking... but if you saw what I saw, you'd realize there was a problem. They broke the stud off, and it was in the lug nut. Meaning? A trip to ANOTHER car shop to get the lug nut stud replace. And a trip BACK to the tire shop, so they can pay me for the repair. Like I have all this time to be running around town, getting stuff fixed.
The worst part isn't that we had to buy new tires, because I'm happy that my car is safe now, with 4 new shoes. It's not that the guy broke the lug nut stud, although that's pretty crappy. The problem is that we just shelled out a TON of money to get the windows fixed in one of the cars (they wouldn't roll down... or up on one of them, so it was stuck down, and had to be fixed). I'm SO sick of car repairs.
So, after Forrest got home, I sat down and almost lost it from the stress of the day. I refused to fix dinner, so we ate at Panera. We came home to a messy house (as I'd originally planned on cleaning, I left the house a wreck), and we both proceeded to clean like crazy people (only after watching Project Runway, which, VINCENT!??! Winning?!?!! Holy CRAP I don't understand these judges... the man is a LOON!) (As if I wasn't mad enough for Allison being kicked off in lieu of Vincent last week, he goes and wins this week's challenge) (***Huge Eyeroll***) (Okay, enough with the parenthesis).
So yeah... all that to say, my bad day started with me shaving my legs. I'm throwing out my razor....
Shepherd and I got ready to run a few errands, and then go meet Beth and Mia for lunch. I had just crossed the county line, and BLAM!!!! flat tire. I pulled over, got out, walked around the car, and admired the flatty flatness that was my tire. I sat there, debating on whether or not to change it myself. I hate, hate, HATE calling Triple A because I am perfectly capable of changing my own flat tire. The only time I've ever called them was when I got a flat while 8 months pregnant with Shepherd. But this time, I looked at the tire, looked at Shepherd smiling at me from the backseat, and looked at the hill my car was sitting on. I remembered something about not changing a flat on an incline, so, decided it would be best to call Triple-A. I called, and the guy I got must have been new or something, because he went through the questions like a TEXTBOOK. I've used my husband's AAA card before, and never had trouble, but this guy was giving me a fit. Remembering that Forrest is on his mothers AAA account, I sucked it up and lied. I said I was his mother. I'm very convincing like that. And he bought it. Also? I have the worst time remebering her address in NC, and when asked for the address, I automatically recalled it, perfectly. This was very convinient. I gave them some sob story about how I had an infant in the car (knowing that AAA normally takes five-hundred hours to come help you, I thought it would help) (it did) and they were out there in 20 minutes flat (har.... har....... HAR). They changed the tire and sent me on my way.
I arrived to see beautiful Beth and Mia waiting on me, and we went in for lunch. We enjoyed some good food, some cuteness from the kiddos, and then Shepherd got restless. So, it looked as though it was time to go. I headed out to the car, said goodbye to Beth and Mia, and as I loaded Shepherd up, this lady approached me. She said her car had broken down, and rolled down the hill into my car. I looked at the bumper, looked at her, looked back at the bumper, and sighed. Last year, sometime, Forrest had backed into a fire hydrant, leaving a corner of the bumper scratched, and chipped the paint off. As tempting as it was to blame this woman for the damage my own husband did, beyond that, there wasn't much wrong with the bumper. So, I told her it was fine, and not to worry about it. She seemed relieved, and I got in my car to head to the tire place.
I arrived to get my tires, and they inform me there was a 2 hour wait. Fine, whatever, I told myself, I'll just browse the stores around the tire place, maybe get some shopping done. I checked back in an hour later, just to make sure things were okay, and they said they were just pulling my car into the shop, and that it'd be 30 minutes. Thirty minutes later, I check back in, and the guy looks at me and asks who the last person to work on my tires was. You guys, I reply. I was just in here 2 weeks ago getting new tires put on, and you rotated all of the tires. Oh, he says, we can't get the lug nut off. Great... So, his manager says, Let me have a shot at it. And 5 minutes later, they both walk out, sheepishly looking at me. The manager holds out his hand, and there, in his palm is the lug nut. No problem, you're thinking... but if you saw what I saw, you'd realize there was a problem. They broke the stud off, and it was in the lug nut. Meaning? A trip to ANOTHER car shop to get the lug nut stud replace. And a trip BACK to the tire shop, so they can pay me for the repair. Like I have all this time to be running around town, getting stuff fixed.
The worst part isn't that we had to buy new tires, because I'm happy that my car is safe now, with 4 new shoes. It's not that the guy broke the lug nut stud, although that's pretty crappy. The problem is that we just shelled out a TON of money to get the windows fixed in one of the cars (they wouldn't roll down... or up on one of them, so it was stuck down, and had to be fixed). I'm SO sick of car repairs.
So, after Forrest got home, I sat down and almost lost it from the stress of the day. I refused to fix dinner, so we ate at Panera. We came home to a messy house (as I'd originally planned on cleaning, I left the house a wreck), and we both proceeded to clean like crazy people (only after watching Project Runway, which, VINCENT!??! Winning?!?!! Holy CRAP I don't understand these judges... the man is a LOON!) (As if I wasn't mad enough for Allison being kicked off in lieu of Vincent last week, he goes and wins this week's challenge) (***Huge Eyeroll***) (Okay, enough with the parenthesis).
So yeah... all that to say, my bad day started with me shaving my legs. I'm throwing out my razor....
Monday, August 21, 2006
6 months
Shepherd,
Yesterday you turned 6 months old. I wanted to write something then, but was afraid that my words could not adequately portray my heart. I have thought all day long, and still, words fail me. You have grown so much and so fast this past month that I simply cannot wrap my mind around these changes fast enough. For starters, you're still teething.
Although you have two beautiful pearly whites, you still have not cut another tooth. This would be okay if the hidden teeth weren't bothering you so bad. Everything that can go in your mouth goes in your mouth. On some days, drool flows as the Nile, and there's the tell-tell drool rash on the tip of your chin which, despite your mothers every attempt to keep it dry, persists. But that doesn't seem to bother you as much as your ears, which you tug on pretty hard some days.
Other days, you're pretty serious. You talk with a serious look on your face, as though telling me some long ago secret that we adults have forgotten. You observe everything around you with seriousness, and take on your newest challenge of crawling with such passion, I feel as though you could will yourself across the room. You touch everything, learning the textures as though reading a book in Braille. You take it all in. And those days just blow me away.
Other days, you want to cuddle. This is a new thing, because up until now, you've refused to sit still long enough to be held for any amount of time. The best is when we take naps together. We both fall asleep, and I wake up to little hands pummelling my breast, as if someone has turned the tap off. As my eyes flutter open, you break into a broad grin, showing off those beautiful teeth, and sometimes, if I'm lucky, you giggle. You pound away again, as if letting me know that you are being denied. I let you nurse a little longer, as you suckle, then break away to smile at me. This, is my favorite part of nursing now.. the moments you break away to look up at me and coo.
Another thing I'm learning is that you're very quick. I turn my back on you for one second, and you've rolled clear across the room. Not only are you quick, but you're quite sneaky. Just when I think I've got my bases covered and nothing is in your reach that ought not to be, I find you holding some forbidden fruit, joyfully beaming at your discovery. Your favorite finds are the remote, my cell phone, daddy's glasses, and books. Books which your father has protected for years, and fussed at mommy for bending and breaking the spine. And within seconds, all of those years are laid to waste as you suck on the corners of the pages, bending, warping, and ruining perfectly good books. But truth be told? It makes mommy a little bit happy to see you ruin those books, because mommy hates perfect books. I prefer my books worn in, as proof that I have read them. Proof that they don't just sit on my shelf gathering dust. But lets not tell daddy, okay??
But most other days are wonderful days, full of laughter and fun. We wake up early, play with your toys, and then eat some breakfast. Then we go back to playing again until it's naptime. You sit up almost all the time now, unless you're trying to crawl. You've even learned to catch yourself when you start to fall from sitting. You've also been trying something new recently. You're trying to go from sitting to crawling, which, blows my mind to pieces. Yesterday, you actually got pretty close to crawling position from sitting, and at the last minute, with one great heave, you launched yourself forward, face-planting into the carpet. But that does not stop you.
You are stubborn, as your mother, yet determined as your father. You simply don't give up. I love this about you. You work so hard at what you do, and you give 200% at everything. I only hope this trait will last a lifetime, allowing you to pursue everything your heart desires with great passion.
Shepherd, you are so close to taking off. Not just physically, with crawling, though it's certain you could start that any day now. But emotionally and mentally as well. Each day, you put more pieces to the puzzle of life together, and I am so blessed to be your audience, daily cheering you on, and helping you when you allow me to help. I am your biggest fan, and hope that no matter the future circumstances, I will always be your loudest supporter (alongside Daddy, of course). I pray that each day that I'm given with you, I fully appreciate all that I have, and that I savor each and every moment with you, because, pardon my french, "Damn, do they fly by."
Love,
Mommy
Yesterday you turned 6 months old. I wanted to write something then, but was afraid that my words could not adequately portray my heart. I have thought all day long, and still, words fail me. You have grown so much and so fast this past month that I simply cannot wrap my mind around these changes fast enough. For starters, you're still teething.
Although you have two beautiful pearly whites, you still have not cut another tooth. This would be okay if the hidden teeth weren't bothering you so bad. Everything that can go in your mouth goes in your mouth. On some days, drool flows as the Nile, and there's the tell-tell drool rash on the tip of your chin which, despite your mothers every attempt to keep it dry, persists. But that doesn't seem to bother you as much as your ears, which you tug on pretty hard some days.
Other days, you're pretty serious. You talk with a serious look on your face, as though telling me some long ago secret that we adults have forgotten. You observe everything around you with seriousness, and take on your newest challenge of crawling with such passion, I feel as though you could will yourself across the room. You touch everything, learning the textures as though reading a book in Braille. You take it all in. And those days just blow me away.
Other days, you want to cuddle. This is a new thing, because up until now, you've refused to sit still long enough to be held for any amount of time. The best is when we take naps together. We both fall asleep, and I wake up to little hands pummelling my breast, as if someone has turned the tap off. As my eyes flutter open, you break into a broad grin, showing off those beautiful teeth, and sometimes, if I'm lucky, you giggle. You pound away again, as if letting me know that you are being denied. I let you nurse a little longer, as you suckle, then break away to smile at me. This, is my favorite part of nursing now.. the moments you break away to look up at me and coo.
Another thing I'm learning is that you're very quick. I turn my back on you for one second, and you've rolled clear across the room. Not only are you quick, but you're quite sneaky. Just when I think I've got my bases covered and nothing is in your reach that ought not to be, I find you holding some forbidden fruit, joyfully beaming at your discovery. Your favorite finds are the remote, my cell phone, daddy's glasses, and books. Books which your father has protected for years, and fussed at mommy for bending and breaking the spine. And within seconds, all of those years are laid to waste as you suck on the corners of the pages, bending, warping, and ruining perfectly good books. But truth be told? It makes mommy a little bit happy to see you ruin those books, because mommy hates perfect books. I prefer my books worn in, as proof that I have read them. Proof that they don't just sit on my shelf gathering dust. But lets not tell daddy, okay??
But most other days are wonderful days, full of laughter and fun. We wake up early, play with your toys, and then eat some breakfast. Then we go back to playing again until it's naptime. You sit up almost all the time now, unless you're trying to crawl. You've even learned to catch yourself when you start to fall from sitting. You've also been trying something new recently. You're trying to go from sitting to crawling, which, blows my mind to pieces. Yesterday, you actually got pretty close to crawling position from sitting, and at the last minute, with one great heave, you launched yourself forward, face-planting into the carpet. But that does not stop you.
You are stubborn, as your mother, yet determined as your father. You simply don't give up. I love this about you. You work so hard at what you do, and you give 200% at everything. I only hope this trait will last a lifetime, allowing you to pursue everything your heart desires with great passion.
Shepherd, you are so close to taking off. Not just physically, with crawling, though it's certain you could start that any day now. But emotionally and mentally as well. Each day, you put more pieces to the puzzle of life together, and I am so blessed to be your audience, daily cheering you on, and helping you when you allow me to help. I am your biggest fan, and hope that no matter the future circumstances, I will always be your loudest supporter (alongside Daddy, of course). I pray that each day that I'm given with you, I fully appreciate all that I have, and that I savor each and every moment with you, because, pardon my french, "Damn, do they fly by."
Love,
Mommy
Friday, August 18, 2006
Like a Crazy Lady
Okay, so it's what, 12:02 am? I should be sleeping right? Right???
Wrong.
I should be cleaning the house up! Let's see... baby's asleep? check! Husband's asleep? check! House is quiet? check! Sudden burst of energy? check! Going to pay dearly for the loss of sleep tomorrow? check! check! CHECK!!!!
Okay, so where was I? Oh! The mad cleaning going on just before I sat down to write this. Okay, so I'll admit, my housekeeping skills have kind of taken back burner to, oh, say, taking care of a child, running errands, cooking dinner, enjoying a movie with a friend, and of course, blogging. So, it's come to my attention (or rather, the attention of the little vermin that clean up after me.... KIDDING!) that the house was in a sort of disrepair.
I could blame it on the company that we had last weekend, but it was kinda like that when they came (I know, I know, my mom is having a coronary right now knowing that I didn't clean for guests. Hi Mom!!! Just kidding!!). The dishes were piling up, so I.... oh? I didn't do those? Forrest did? hmmm... so I didn't do the kitchen, but the living room! Ahhh... with the piles of books stacked high, threatening to tumble off the coffee table and bury my soon-to-be-crawling son alive. The empty glasses, resting anywhere that had an open spot (even behind the sofa, BEHIND THE SOFA!)... The inch-thick layer of dust coating everything in sight, and let's not forget, those precious plastic toys that are strewn about as if a plastic tornado swept through our home, leaving perilous little bits of blocks, teething rings, giggly butterfly toys, and plenty of other deadly objects for maiming the feet of those who venture out for middle of the night jaunts into the kitchen for hidden donuts (Hi Honey!! I swear, there were no donuts, I made this up!) or something healthy, like fruit! or water! or cookies!! (Cookies count, right?) The laundry was souring in the washer, beckoning me to walk around my apartment, sniffing everything, trying to determine the source of the stench, only to open the laundry closet, and with one fell swoop, find myself on my back, seeing stars as I try to purge the offending odor from my nostrils.
So... needless to say, I've kinda been busy. Straightening up, picking up toys, dusting, and doing laundry (which, hooray! one load done, one more to go!). And I must say, as I look around, I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished. Sure, I've sacrificed precious sleep, but I value sanity above that any day, and from the looks of how things were, I was going nuts pretty fast. Also, it was kind of nice to have that time alone... even though I was cleaning. Shepherd was asleep, so I didn't have to worry about entertaining him. Forrest was asleep, so I wasn't tempted to sit there and spend time with him (because, let's face it, I'd rather stare at my gorgeous husband, and spend time with him, than clean, ANY day... hands down). So, I was able to focus at the task at hand, and get a lot done. And I feel pretty good about that.
Of course, I probably could have gone straight to bed, instead of blogging about this, but I find that I tend to be funnier late at night, and I tend to write things better when the ideas are fresh in my mind. So, how about you? What's the crazy thing you've done lately that defies all common sense???
Wrong.
I should be cleaning the house up! Let's see... baby's asleep? check! Husband's asleep? check! House is quiet? check! Sudden burst of energy? check! Going to pay dearly for the loss of sleep tomorrow? check! check! CHECK!!!!
Okay, so where was I? Oh! The mad cleaning going on just before I sat down to write this. Okay, so I'll admit, my housekeeping skills have kind of taken back burner to, oh, say, taking care of a child, running errands, cooking dinner, enjoying a movie with a friend, and of course, blogging. So, it's come to my attention (or rather, the attention of the little vermin that clean up after me.... KIDDING!) that the house was in a sort of disrepair.
I could blame it on the company that we had last weekend, but it was kinda like that when they came (I know, I know, my mom is having a coronary right now knowing that I didn't clean for guests. Hi Mom!!! Just kidding!!). The dishes were piling up, so I.... oh? I didn't do those? Forrest did? hmmm... so I didn't do the kitchen, but the living room! Ahhh... with the piles of books stacked high, threatening to tumble off the coffee table and bury my soon-to-be-crawling son alive. The empty glasses, resting anywhere that had an open spot (even behind the sofa, BEHIND THE SOFA!)... The inch-thick layer of dust coating everything in sight, and let's not forget, those precious plastic toys that are strewn about as if a plastic tornado swept through our home, leaving perilous little bits of blocks, teething rings, giggly butterfly toys, and plenty of other deadly objects for maiming the feet of those who venture out for middle of the night jaunts into the kitchen for hidden donuts (Hi Honey!! I swear, there were no donuts, I made this up!) or something healthy, like fruit! or water! or cookies!! (Cookies count, right?) The laundry was souring in the washer, beckoning me to walk around my apartment, sniffing everything, trying to determine the source of the stench, only to open the laundry closet, and with one fell swoop, find myself on my back, seeing stars as I try to purge the offending odor from my nostrils.
So... needless to say, I've kinda been busy. Straightening up, picking up toys, dusting, and doing laundry (which, hooray! one load done, one more to go!). And I must say, as I look around, I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished. Sure, I've sacrificed precious sleep, but I value sanity above that any day, and from the looks of how things were, I was going nuts pretty fast. Also, it was kind of nice to have that time alone... even though I was cleaning. Shepherd was asleep, so I didn't have to worry about entertaining him. Forrest was asleep, so I wasn't tempted to sit there and spend time with him (because, let's face it, I'd rather stare at my gorgeous husband, and spend time with him, than clean, ANY day... hands down). So, I was able to focus at the task at hand, and get a lot done. And I feel pretty good about that.
Of course, I probably could have gone straight to bed, instead of blogging about this, but I find that I tend to be funnier late at night, and I tend to write things better when the ideas are fresh in my mind. So, how about you? What's the crazy thing you've done lately that defies all common sense???
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Shepherd Playing
Today, I was watching Shepherd play in his excersaucer, and he started going to town on the spinning toy. It was so funny, I had to grab my camera really quick and get a video of it. It was so cute, he even looked at the camera, and appears to wave bye at the end (but he's not, it's just a random hand thingy, but we can pretend, can't we??)
Today, I was watching Shepherd play in his excersaucer, and he started going to town on the spinning toy. It was so funny, I had to grab my camera really quick and get a video of it. It was so cute, he even looked at the camera, and appears to wave bye at the end (but he's not, it's just a random hand thingy, but we can pretend, can't we??)
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Tender Moments
This past weekend, and the early part of this week, Shepherd has been staying in our room with us because we have guests in the house. The guest bed is in Shepherd's room, so we kick the baby out and move him in with us. The disadvantage to this is that I hear every little peep that Shepherd makes, and sometimes, we wake him up with a trip to the bathroom or something. But besides that, there is one thing I love about having Shepherd stay in our room. I love pulling him into bed with us to snuggle early in the morning.
This morning, I was sitting there cuddling with him, and holding his hand (he tends to be grabby and grabs my hair and yanks, so I was gently keeping his hands occupied as to not lose more hair). I sat there, holding his hand, and rubbing it, and realized how incredible little, delicate, and soft it was. I sat there, holding it, and thinking about how fast he has grown. He's almost 6 months old, and has grown so much already. His hands are huge now, and we wonder if he has a promising career as a basketball player. Or maybe a farmer. Either way, his hands are big... yet they are so small! As I caressed his hands, I felt as though I was in some sort of dream... that nothing in this world could be this precious, that nothing could be this sweet... and nothing could feel as good as the tiny fingers wrapping their cool flesh around the edges of my hand. And though it felt like a dream, I knew it to be reality, and at once, I was happy... not just silly happy, but truly happy... the deep in my heart kind of happy, because this life that I've been given, as Shepherd's mom, is so precious... and I'm reminded all over again how much I love it. I would trade NOTHING in this world for my time with my son... there is nothing that I would change.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Bruver's Gordon and Auntie Hui
We're busy having fun visiting with Forrest's brother and his fiance. Thought I'd post some pictures of the weekend so far...
Friday, August 11, 2006
All is good and right in the world
(a good sign that I simply do not have time to read the news, nor watch it anymore, and acording to Forrest, the world is going to hell in a handbasket)
But really... everything is A-Okay now...
Why?
I drove past a Harris Teeter being built near my house. Yes, they have finally heard my cry and are building a Harris Teeter JUST. FOR. ME.!!!! I know I know, this is super silly, and those of you who don't care about that sort of thing, probably think of me as simple-minded or weird at best. But you know what? Harris Teeter is a part of "Home" for me. It symbolizes everything good about the South, and everything I miss. And a part of "Home" has come to me, and that warms me to the heart. It makes living here in this crazy jumble of people doable. It makes those 30-45 minutes I'm shopping seem like eternity, and when I walk through those automatic doors into the Mecca of the shopping world, I am suddenly transported to my southern roots, and for amoment, I can pretend I"m back there, back where they serve Sweet Tea. Back where Bojangles rules the breakfast world (and dinner too). Back where the air is clear and the grass is greener...
All is well, my friends... *sigh* All is well...
But really... everything is A-Okay now...
Why?
I drove past a Harris Teeter being built near my house. Yes, they have finally heard my cry and are building a Harris Teeter JUST. FOR. ME.!!!! I know I know, this is super silly, and those of you who don't care about that sort of thing, probably think of me as simple-minded or weird at best. But you know what? Harris Teeter is a part of "Home" for me. It symbolizes everything good about the South, and everything I miss. And a part of "Home" has come to me, and that warms me to the heart. It makes living here in this crazy jumble of people doable. It makes those 30-45 minutes I'm shopping seem like eternity, and when I walk through those automatic doors into the Mecca of the shopping world, I am suddenly transported to my southern roots, and for amoment, I can pretend I"m back there, back where they serve Sweet Tea. Back where Bojangles rules the breakfast world (and dinner too). Back where the air is clear and the grass is greener...
All is well, my friends... *sigh* All is well...
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Stream of Consciousness
Shepherd has been such a charmer these past few days. He's starting to laugh really hard outloud, without us tickling him. Mostly, he laughs when we make funny faces at him. He'll also give us charming looks, especially after filling a diaper or pulling my hair. See the picture? That is NOT posed. I was taking pictures of him, and I swear, he struck the pose himself... The moment I saw the photo, I knew I was in trouble. How am I ever going to say no to this kid???
In other news, he's growing like a WEED. He's not chunking up (still at the 50th percentile in weight, closer to the 60th), but he's stretching out. The child is almost 27 and a half inches long. And most of that is leg. I have long legs, and all of my life, have been mostly leg. I sit down beside Forrest (who technically is an inch shorter than me, but hush... don't tell him I told you), and I'm shorter than him. Standing up? Is another story.
I had guys ask me out in high school simply because of the picture of me in my tennis skirt in the yearbook (not kidding.... that skirt? I bought the longest one, and STILL my legs showed in all their glory). Granted, my legs may be ghost white, but they still have the ability to shock and awe. You'd think after the years of abuse that my legs have seen, due to my clumsy nature, that they'd be pretty beat up. You'd especially think that they'd lost some of their charm during pregnancy. I was fortunate enough not to get varicose veins, or spider veins. I will say that the one thing I still am proud of about my body (listen!!! I'm being positive!!! about my body!!! wow!!!), is my legs. Granted, when I shave them, they look better, but who has time to shave when you have an infant.
Which beckons the question... how do you other mothers do it? Do you keep your legs nicely shaved all the time? or do you allow that to fall to the wayside, only to shave when you have to wear shorts or a skirt? Inquiring minds want to know...
Well, it's naptime in the house, so I'd better go catch a few ZZ's while they can be had...
In other news, he's growing like a WEED. He's not chunking up (still at the 50th percentile in weight, closer to the 60th), but he's stretching out. The child is almost 27 and a half inches long. And most of that is leg. I have long legs, and all of my life, have been mostly leg. I sit down beside Forrest (who technically is an inch shorter than me, but hush... don't tell him I told you), and I'm shorter than him. Standing up? Is another story.
I had guys ask me out in high school simply because of the picture of me in my tennis skirt in the yearbook (not kidding.... that skirt? I bought the longest one, and STILL my legs showed in all their glory). Granted, my legs may be ghost white, but they still have the ability to shock and awe. You'd think after the years of abuse that my legs have seen, due to my clumsy nature, that they'd be pretty beat up. You'd especially think that they'd lost some of their charm during pregnancy. I was fortunate enough not to get varicose veins, or spider veins. I will say that the one thing I still am proud of about my body (listen!!! I'm being positive!!! about my body!!! wow!!!), is my legs. Granted, when I shave them, they look better, but who has time to shave when you have an infant.
Which beckons the question... how do you other mothers do it? Do you keep your legs nicely shaved all the time? or do you allow that to fall to the wayside, only to shave when you have to wear shorts or a skirt? Inquiring minds want to know...
Well, it's naptime in the house, so I'd better go catch a few ZZ's while they can be had...
Monday, August 07, 2006
Post Secret
I checked this book out today at the library to show Forrest. (They also have a website) We were thumbing through it, and talking about secrets, and we realized we'd shared a lot of secrets with one another, so much so that we had a hard time thinking of a unique secret that we hadn't told one another. After 30 minutes of thinking and piddling around the house, I rememebered something, and laughed out loud as I ran from the bedroom to the kitchen, where Forrest was doing dishes, to tell him.
My secret?
When I was young (12-14??), my brother and I placed a book of erotic sexual positions in the childrens book section of Waldenboks. I laugh now about it, but really, how horrible was I?!?! I can't imagine the look on a mothers face as her 7 year old read aloud, "Ka-ma-Su-Tra".
What's your secret?
My secret?
When I was young (12-14??), my brother and I placed a book of erotic sexual positions in the childrens book section of Waldenboks. I laugh now about it, but really, how horrible was I?!?! I can't imagine the look on a mothers face as her 7 year old read aloud, "Ka-ma-Su-Tra".
What's your secret?
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Saturday Morning Brew
Well, last night was a wash. Shepherd went down easily at 7:30, and Forrest and I retired to the living room to work a puzzle that I'd bought. It's been so long since either of us worked a puzzle, but it was fun. Then we headed to bet fairly early to hopefully get a full nights sleep. Not so. Shepherd was up at odd hours. He woke up at 12, then again at 1. After pulling him into bed with us, I woke up at 3, and decided to move him to his room (since he was DEAD asleep and I wanted to sleep without worrying about the baby being in the bed). He slept there until 4 am, and then woke up again. I fed him, and put him back to sleep, and he slept until 6 am. At 6, I rolled over and told Forrest he was in charge. After a frustrating hour of trying to calm Shepherd down, I called Forrest into the room, and told him I'd nurse Shepherd again. And so, I was awake (barely) and Shepherd was bright eyed and bushy tailed by 7 am. I made a deal with Forrest that I'd let him sleep for another hour and a half, if when the time was up, I got to go back to bed for however long I want. He bought it. So I changed Shepherd's diaper, and made a quick trip to Starbucks (yes, I have a coffee maker, and yes, I could have made it myself... but no, it wouldn't be as good, and Dadgummit, I've practically been up since 3 am, I DESERVE a good mocha). (Actually, I should have gotten a Latte, as I forgot that I'm about mocha'd out, oh well). So now we're back, and Shepherd's playing quietly with the big yellow bucket that his blocks go in. He'd rather bang on that than play with his blocks. It's so cute. Well, I'm going to go play with little man and wait for my 8:30 nap. :) Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend
Friday, August 04, 2006
Sweet Mercy!!!
It is HOT! I am about ready for the fall... It's been well discussed around our house that I am NOT a summer person. Sure, I like the hot weather for about a week, maybe two, but that's it, tops! I love fall, when the sky turns bright blue, and there's a chill in the air and a crispness in the breeze. I love winter, with it's snow and gray skies. Heck, I'll even say I like spring because the flowers, but it's right up there w/ Summer, why?? Because it means summer is coming right around the corner. A simple solution to this would be to live somewhere milder... but anywhere in the South is ablaze with this heat right now, the only place is the tiny po-dunk college town where Forrest grew up and where I went to college. There, the weather is perfect year round and of course, you have the mountains.
But anyways, why do I write about this? Because... our A/C is out AGAIN. I woke up at 9:30 from a quick cat-nap (Shepherd was napping after his pre-dawn awakening) and it was starting to get warm in the house. I ran out, checked the thermostat, and it's reading almost 80 already. Then, I looked outside to see if the fan for the unit is running (a key indication if our AC is working), and it's not. So...
Like hell, I'm staying here in a hot apartment all day w/ a cranky baby... so it's off to call the apartment folks, then to Panera where I can entertain Shepherd and play around on the free internet w/ my laptop... and then who knows what. I'll figure something out... but Pray... folks, Pray hard.... I cannot survive this heat without electricity
But anyways, why do I write about this? Because... our A/C is out AGAIN. I woke up at 9:30 from a quick cat-nap (Shepherd was napping after his pre-dawn awakening) and it was starting to get warm in the house. I ran out, checked the thermostat, and it's reading almost 80 already. Then, I looked outside to see if the fan for the unit is running (a key indication if our AC is working), and it's not. So...
Like hell, I'm staying here in a hot apartment all day w/ a cranky baby... so it's off to call the apartment folks, then to Panera where I can entertain Shepherd and play around on the free internet w/ my laptop... and then who knows what. I'll figure something out... but Pray... folks, Pray hard.... I cannot survive this heat without electricity
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
The sound of Glycerin
I'll bet you had no idea that Glycerin could make a sound. It can! Especially when deposited in the nether-regions of a super constipated infant. The symphony of grunts is reaching a comical level here at our house. I'm almost frightened by what the final product will be, as it sounds as though my son will grunt himself in half. But at least I know something is in the works. Thanks for all your well-wishes yesterday. The prune juice did surprisingly nothing, and this morning, Turd Watch 2006 reached a fever pitch, and I scooted Mr. Shepherd to the doctor. We have eliminated (hehe) several things from his diet which will hopefully help with this problem. In the meantime, I'm supposed to drink lots and lots and lost and lots of water. You see, I hate water. I know, I know, as a breastfeeding mother, I need lots of it, but I hate the stuff... so, the past few days, I'd kind of slacked off in my water intake... and with the thermometer reading 111 degrees today, that's not a good thing. So, I'm partly to blame for this.... and I feel terrible. At least he's not screaming in pain or anything, just really stopped up. Oh well... I'd better go check out his diaper, as I fear the grunting has stopped...
(Edited to add: Sorry, I realize how terribly boring and awful this post must be since it's about nothing but poop... I promise, next time I'll try to avoid the subject altogether.)
(Edited to add: Sorry, I realize how terribly boring and awful this post must be since it's about nothing but poop... I promise, next time I'll try to avoid the subject altogether.)
"A-HA!!!!!!!"
I don't know if it counts or not, but Shepherd said something yesterday that made sense. We were sitting there, and he said slowly, "Aaahhh-Haaaaa". I repeated it back to him, and he flashed a HUGE smile. Then later that day, I said A-HA to him, and he repeated it back to me. Now... I know that it's not technically a word, but that's pretty good right? Or am I just looking too hard??
Anyways... in other news, I'm looking to figure out a new domain name for my site, as Forrest is re-designing it for me, and learning Movable Type (so hopefully I can learn it). That way I can control a lot more about my site than I presently can. Any suggestions for new blog names? (twopinklines.com is already taken!!) I may revamp the whole name and try something different, but who knows.
Well, I'd better go, Shepherd is awake now... so much for a long nap!
Anyways... in other news, I'm looking to figure out a new domain name for my site, as Forrest is re-designing it for me, and learning Movable Type (so hopefully I can learn it). That way I can control a lot more about my site than I presently can. Any suggestions for new blog names? (twopinklines.com is already taken!!) I may revamp the whole name and try something different, but who knows.
Well, I'd better go, Shepherd is awake now... so much for a long nap!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Poop, Poop, and MORE Poop
Yes... I know there are those of you out there who just logged on, and read the title and thought, "How crude!". You know what? You're right? You know what else? I don't care what you think. You know why??? Because I'm THAT sleep deprived.
I got an e-mail this morning from a friend, encouraging me through the whole "I can't talk about anything but poop because of sleep deprivation" thing by pretty much saying, "Get over yourself, it lasts forever..." just kidding... she was very encouraging, and understood that I can't talk about much else because the lack o' sleep. She understood because she's there right now.
But back to the topic at hand. My son? Is constipated. Now, I know there are some out there laughing at me, because when my exclusively breastfed newborn went more than 12 hours without pooping, I thought he was constipated. Then when my 3 month old son skipped days between poops, I thought he was constipated. All the while, he was not (judging from the viscosity of the poop, it couldn't have been constipation) (and ew! viscosity!!). But now? Yes... he is TRULY constipated. Little turdling balls and all. I have never heard someone grunt so hard to poop... oh wait... okay, there was that one time in the women's bathroom at the mall where the lady next to me sounded as if she was in LABOR with her turd, but whatever... So finally, I broke down and called the doctor (this is after trying apple juice and baby prune juice). I found out my problem was I was giving him diluted baby prune juice, not the real stuff. So y'all? Wish me luck! My son just downed 2 ounces of pure, wonderful prune juice. Talk about immanent danger!
As an aside to the topic of poop, I decided to get out of the house this morning and go back to the new mothers support group I was going to before with Beth. I hadn't gone in a while because they didn't meet in June, and I just forgot about it when they started back up in July. At today's meeting was a pediatrician who spoke of normal child development (mostly about eating solids). And if you wanna know my opinion? She didn't know what the hell she was talking about. I asked if it was okay to give citrus to a child learning to eat solids (trick question where answer should be NO! emphatically NO!). And you know what she said? SUUUUREEEEEE... some babies won't like the taste, but go for it. I was horrified at the horrible information she was dishing out. One mother confessed to putting butter in her babies food ("To add fats to help brain development" her words, not mine) and this doctor went on about how you can add Olive Oil and other oils too... I chirped up about foods that naturally have fats in them, like Avocados, and you can use those.
I think the worst part of the meeting was when this other mother confessed to worrying about her daughters food intake. She measures everything out, because "I want to make sure she burns off all the calories she's taking in!". I just stared... because, Seriously?!?! You worry about that!!?!?! I feed Shepherd until he's full (and trust me, he lets me know by pursing his lips and turning his head. If I try to force it, he cries.... so yeah, I know he's full).
On a more positive note, I saw a few mothers that had been there when I was going and got to talk to them. I felt bad for one mother who's stupid pediatrician was worried about her sons weight gain, and had her supplement (instead of starting solids, which at that point he was 4 months) and her milk supply dried up, and now she has to bottle feed. She was devastated... and I felt so bad for her. But her son was adorable, and Shepherd had so much fun playing with the little boys there.
Anyways... So it was very nice to get out of the house. So now we're back home, and the 2006 Poop Watch has officially begun. Until then, I leave you with some pictures we took on Sunday at the pool. Feel free to ignore the flab and rolls that I have, and lets pretend I'm not in these pictures...
Yes.... that's Shepherd on all fours
I got an e-mail this morning from a friend, encouraging me through the whole "I can't talk about anything but poop because of sleep deprivation" thing by pretty much saying, "Get over yourself, it lasts forever..." just kidding... she was very encouraging, and understood that I can't talk about much else because the lack o' sleep. She understood because she's there right now.
But back to the topic at hand. My son? Is constipated. Now, I know there are some out there laughing at me, because when my exclusively breastfed newborn went more than 12 hours without pooping, I thought he was constipated. Then when my 3 month old son skipped days between poops, I thought he was constipated. All the while, he was not (judging from the viscosity of the poop, it couldn't have been constipation) (and ew! viscosity!!). But now? Yes... he is TRULY constipated. Little turdling balls and all. I have never heard someone grunt so hard to poop... oh wait... okay, there was that one time in the women's bathroom at the mall where the lady next to me sounded as if she was in LABOR with her turd, but whatever... So finally, I broke down and called the doctor (this is after trying apple juice and baby prune juice). I found out my problem was I was giving him diluted baby prune juice, not the real stuff. So y'all? Wish me luck! My son just downed 2 ounces of pure, wonderful prune juice. Talk about immanent danger!
As an aside to the topic of poop, I decided to get out of the house this morning and go back to the new mothers support group I was going to before with Beth. I hadn't gone in a while because they didn't meet in June, and I just forgot about it when they started back up in July. At today's meeting was a pediatrician who spoke of normal child development (mostly about eating solids). And if you wanna know my opinion? She didn't know what the hell she was talking about. I asked if it was okay to give citrus to a child learning to eat solids (trick question where answer should be NO! emphatically NO!). And you know what she said? SUUUUREEEEEE... some babies won't like the taste, but go for it. I was horrified at the horrible information she was dishing out. One mother confessed to putting butter in her babies food ("To add fats to help brain development" her words, not mine) and this doctor went on about how you can add Olive Oil and other oils too... I chirped up about foods that naturally have fats in them, like Avocados, and you can use those.
I think the worst part of the meeting was when this other mother confessed to worrying about her daughters food intake. She measures everything out, because "I want to make sure she burns off all the calories she's taking in!". I just stared... because, Seriously?!?! You worry about that!!?!?! I feed Shepherd until he's full (and trust me, he lets me know by pursing his lips and turning his head. If I try to force it, he cries.... so yeah, I know he's full).
On a more positive note, I saw a few mothers that had been there when I was going and got to talk to them. I felt bad for one mother who's stupid pediatrician was worried about her sons weight gain, and had her supplement (instead of starting solids, which at that point he was 4 months) and her milk supply dried up, and now she has to bottle feed. She was devastated... and I felt so bad for her. But her son was adorable, and Shepherd had so much fun playing with the little boys there.
Anyways... So it was very nice to get out of the house. So now we're back home, and the 2006 Poop Watch has officially begun. Until then, I leave you with some pictures we took on Sunday at the pool. Feel free to ignore the flab and rolls that I have, and lets pretend I'm not in these pictures...
Yes.... that's Shepherd on all fours
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