10 months

Shepherd,

Today you turn 10 months old. I cannot believe that you are already 10 months. I can remember when you were around 3 months old, I wondered in amazement that you'd be 10 months by Christmas, and tried to imagine what you would be like. I never could have imagined that you'd be like you are... so full of joy, life, and happiness. You are the happiest baby I've ever seen. And I'm not the only one that thinks so. Strangers often will walk up to me and comment on how happy you are. You smile at anyone and everyone, and you never, ever meet a stranger.


This past month you've developed quite a unique personality. You seem to have grown up overnight, and you no longer look nor act like a baby. You care nothing for the "baby" toys we have, and any chance you get to play with "big kid" toys, you relish the opportunity. You're cruising faster and faster each day, getting closer and closer to your first independent steps. You're a curious little booger, and you explore every tiny detail of something new.


Another wonderful thing has happened this month... you've started sleeping through the night. We put you down to bed around 7 pm (sometimes as early as 6:30 depending on how tired you are) and you sleep until 7 am. You often wake around 4 am, and softly cry for a little bit. I lay in bed, listening to you, debating on whether or not to go and get you. After a few minutes, you quiet down, and I can hear you snuggle up with your ducky and go back to sleep. When 7 am rolls around, you're ready to get up, but you're not quite ready to play. Most days I get you, and we head to the living room where we sit and cuddle on the couch, while watching the morning news. After 10 minutes of cuddling, you squirm out of my arms, and slide off the couch to play with your toys.


Shepherd, I can't begin to tell you what joy you bring me. I love you beyond what I ever thought I could. I look back at pictures of you and see how much you've grown. In those pictures I also see how much my love for you has grown. I know that no matter what, I will always love you.


You're my little man... my sweetie pie... my baby.



Happy 10 months, booger bear.

Love,
Mommy

Have I mentioned?

Have I mentioned how hard it is to keep up with an almost walking baby?

Have I mentioned how close he is to walking?

Have I mentioned all of the different things I've found and retrieved from his mouth, only after having a major coronary?

Have I mentioned how fast the child can crawl?

Have I mentioned how much he loves (like totally, head over heels, bordering obsession) loves the toilet in our bathroom?

Have I mentioned how long it's been since I cleaned that toilet?

Have I mentioned how hard this motherhood gig can be?

Have I mentioned how much more I love him every day?

Have I mentioned how big he's getting?

Have I mentiond....

Oatmeal Brains

I'm totally a slacker. Either that or my brain has completly turned to oatmeal. I'm gonna say it's the later, because today, I drove more than halfway to Beth's house, thinking that we had a playdate today with her and Sarah. But guess what? That's not until next week. I'm so glad I realized this before knocking on Beth's door and feeling like a total loser (which, you know, is true, but I need not be reminded of this). Anyways... I've been driving around all week with my camera in my purse, trying to remember to take a picture of the house near us that has me confounded as to what to call it. I finally went out last night, leaving Forrest to watch Shepherd, and took several pictures. I may have driven around for about 30 minutes just because I was all alone, without a baby, which by the way was glorious.

So anyways.. no one has sent me pictures... which means:

A.) the folks in your neck of the woods are incredibly tasteful
B.) no one reads my blog
C.) You do read my blog, but honestly could care less about some stupid lights.

So, I guess I'll just resort to making a huge album of the tacky lights in our neighborhood. So, here's the two homes that must be competing for the tacky home award. I'd say the first one wins. How about you? Any suggestions as to what to call this??

I'm Dreaming of a Tacky Christmas

Last night, after FREE! dinner at Panera (coupon!), Forrest and I were driving around looking at Christmas lights. Shepherd was passed out in the back seat, clearly not understanding or caring for the lights. Most normal people drive around trying to find beautifully decorated homes so that they can say things like "oooooo" and "ahhhhhh". But we like to buck that trend.

It started two years ago in Raleigh, NC. One particularly beautiful night, we decided to drive around town to look at Christmas decorations. That night, would forever change the way we searched for the best and brightest. You see, there was this one house, on a busy road. The home was dark, and undecorated. There were several trees in the front yard, and one giant oak tree that's branches hung over the road, forming a cool canopy in the summer, a bright ceiling in the fall, and a delicate cathedral in the winter. The tree was beautiful during the day, as it's branches stretched for the warmth of the sun from the coolness of the earth. You would never in a million years the horror that ensued at night. That cool winter's eve, we set out for a neighborhood close by that we knew would have beautiful lights. As we traveled, in the distance, we saw something bright, something shining, something splendidly horrific. This tree was strung with several strings of different color lights in a such a haphazardously way, that it looked as though an elf had vomited. I looked at Forrest and said, "Does that look like Elf Vomit to you?" He laughed, and we both laughed, and laughed, and laughed. We may have even turned around several times because, like a train wreck, you cant' help but watch.

So that evening, we drove around, not trying to find the most beautiful, but the most horribly decorated homes in Raleigh, looking for "Elf Vomit". I can honestly say that it was a million more times more fun than looking at clean, crisply decorated homes, with neatly manicured lawns. We laughed, and debated on the criteria that musts be met for something to be labeled Elf Vomit. For two years now, we have enjoyed driving around town, searching for evidence of Elves, and taking joy in others inabilities to decorate.

However....

Last night, we stumbled upon something so horrific, that we stopped our car, and sat in silence. There are no words to describe what we saw, and we have yet to coin a phrase. I had no camera, so we plan on driving by again tonight for pictures. There, before our eyes, was a house with every square inch of the yeard covered in antique, plastic light up christmas statues and other gloriously tackey moving, lit toys. The giant fir tree in the front yard was strung with lights that made the tree appear as though it was wearing a pinstripe suit. The roof was covered in lights and a giant santa with his reindeer prancing capped off the display. Forrest and I looked at one another, and looked back at the home. Never have I felt more joy than at that moment, when I gazed upon the ugliness of the decorations. It was so ugly, it was almost beautiful. It reminded me of the time my family went looking a lights, and my father would click his tongue and say, "Tacky, tacky, tacky" and I would cry and say, "But Daddy, it's beautiful!"

But this got me thinking. How many of you enjoy looking at "tacky" decorations? And surely there are those of you who have homes in your neighborhoods that are awe-inspiring in their hideousness. I though it'd be fun to collect pictures of these homes, and put together a gallery of "tackiness" for us to share in this joy together. E-mail me your pictures by Friday, December 15 at corinny[at]gmail[dot]com (replace the at and the dot). I'll try to get the album together and posted by next Sunday night. I can't WAIT to see your pictures. Also, in order to spice things up, we're going to hold a contest. Based on nothing more than personal opinion, and years of appreciation for tacky lights, the winner of this contest will receive something wonderful. I'm going to keep the prize a secret, but trust me, it's glorious. :) So get out there, get hunting, and report back here with what you find... :)

(Oh, and I'll try to get our pictures up tonight late tonight so you can see some samples).

A Love Affair

I love my husband. Lots and lots. You could say I'm crazy about him. Now, before you get to thinking that this is going to be some sappy romance story about the two of us, think again. This is the nitty, gritty, day to day grind of life kind of love we're talking about. Today, I'm offering a rare, unscripted, unedited glimpse into our life. What you're about to see might be disturbing. If you are a Type A person, you may want to cover your eyes to avoid the horror of what you're about to witness.

Exhibit A: Proof my husband loves me (even though I do things like use Comic Sans to purposley annoy him, because, according to him, "It's a sin for graphic designers to cast their eyes upon such filth) (click photos to enlarge)





See? This is my mess. I would like to emphasize that it is my mess because Forrest nearly threw a fit when I told him I'd be posting these pictures. He, being the type A person that he is, was horrified that you, the internet, would witness such filth and desecration. Me, on the other hand, could care less because honestly? I've been living like this my whole life, and have yet to care who witnesses my mess. (Okay, I kinda do care sometimes, like when people are coming over and all, but this is my day to day housekeeping at it's best) (And I kind of care when it does get totally out of control, leading me to clean every inch of the room).

BUT.... there is another point of view. There are those of you out there who are clicking your tongues and saying things like, "Shame, shame" and "You have all that time at home by not working, and your house looks like that, what are you doing? Eating bon-bons and watching The Price is Right all day?" To which, I promptly respond, "You try it for one day, and see how well you handle it." Anyways... I was saying... To those of you who are wondering why my husband puts up with me...

Exhibit B: Proof I love my husband (click photos to enlarge)

Well crap...

I had this great post planned for today, but since stupid blogger won't let me upload pictures, I'm at a loss for what to do. I guess you'll have to check back tomorrow for my "revealing" post. :) So check back!!!

Mmm....baby fingers

I never thought I'd be saying "Don't Bite the little boy" to my 9 month old son.... what can I say, the other boy looked yummy, and stuck his finger in Shepherd's mouth.

Walk Walk

Shepherd Walking

Um.... I didn't know he could do this until today, when a lady at church told me he could, so I went out and found this at a consignment store, and looky what he can do!!!

Overheard

Overheard while getting my hair cut Friday.

Woman (on phone): What do you mean it's over? I mean, I know you're saying it's over, but, I just don't feel like it's over. Like, you know how when it snows, after it stops snowing, it's not really over

...pause...

Woman: Well, you know, after it snows, there's the salt trucks that salt the road, there's the slush on the ground, and then it freezes, and there's the wrecks and all that... so you know, it's not really over when the last snowflake falls.

Woman: Why are you laughing?! Is that funny or something? I'm trying to explain how I don't think it's over, and you're laughing.

...pause...

okay, so you're saying it's over? but it's not... okay, I'll talk to you later.

10 seconds later

Woman: Hey sorry to call you back, is your wife home? Can I talk with her?

6 weird things about me

Bunny over at Mother Bunny tagged me with this meme. It's a meme that I've been afraid of for a long time, because, truth be told, there are like 6 MILLION weird things about me, some of them so weird I fear you'll run screaming from your computer never to return to my site. So this will involve a LOT of self editing, but here goes nothing:

1.) I didn't get my first kiss until I was 18. Unless you count the stupid truth or dare "dare" that I had when I was 17, which was one of those, "Kiss your arch-enemy for 3 seconds" and ended up a tight lipped cringe-fest.

2.) My two front teeth are only half real. I was cursed blessed with an awe inspiring gap, for which I have photographic proof. The only problem is that my mouth was too small for braces (you could honestly see the tears forming in my orthodontists eyes when he told me this), so I was doomed to a lifetime of major gaping. That is until Junior year in high school, when the dentist I went to suggested bonding. He closed the gap between my teeth, and judging from the pictures that year, I was pretty happy with the result. You'd have thought looking through pictures of my childhood that I was the most depressed child ever, and that my junior year, they put me on some kind of great drugs... because from then on, I actually smile in pictures.

3.) I once took a picture of a bruise that I got in college because it looked like a fish. I still have that picture.

4.) I really, really enjoy popping zits. I get some sick pleasure out of doing it, and the worst part? The more that "pops" out, the cooler it is. Okay... 'nuff said

5.) I hate brushing my teeth. Okay, there I've said it. I truely hate it... I do it, because, you know, I'll get cavities if I don't, but I hate it... and sometimes... more than I care to admit... I simply "forget" to brush them.

6.) I have a third nipple hahaha, just seeing if you were really reading... :) The real one: I'm obsessed with Christmas music. I love it. I could listen to it year round if it didn't drive Forrest up the wall. I've actually snuck a listen when he's not home in the middle of summer. In fact, I'm actually listening to some right now. We have a rule now that I can't listen until after Thanksgiving... that's how much I love it... we have RULES...

And... I'm supposed to tag 6 people... I tag: Beth @ sothefishsaid.com, Sarah and the Goon Squad, Erika @ Effected, Chag @ Cynical Dad, Tony @ Creative Type Dad, Jonathon @ Flailing my Arms. That's six, right?? Three moms and three dads...

9 months

Shepherd,

Last monday, you turned 9 months old. It was quite the day to turn 9 months. We bought a new van that day and brought it home and then later that night, your mommy ended up in the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. If ever there was a doubt in my mind that you've grown up, you put it out of mind that night and the days that followed. We took you to our friends house to spend the night, while mommy and daddy spent the night in the ER. You handled it like a champ. You stuck to your schedule, you played hard, and part of me felt a little sad that you didn't seem to miss mommy that much. But then you came to visit mommy in the hospital, and even though I looked 10 different shades of bad, you reached your little arms out for me. My heart broke into a million little pieces because there was nothing more that I wanted to do at that moment than to hold you, snuggle your face into my neck, and smell the sweet scent of your neck. But I was hurting, and had all sorts of things attached to me that would have been dangerous for you to play with. So off you went with Gram and Daddy, while Grandaddy stayed for a while longer. I thought of you a lot that night, as I lay there alone in my bed. I wondered if you were sleeping well, if you were okay. I wondered if everyone was doing everything right, and I missed you. I slept awful that night, despite the heavy pain medication I was on. The next morning, I woke at 5 am, and began walking laps around the corridors, just to prove to the nurses and doctors that I was okay, and to please send me home. That afternoon, I came home and scooped you in my arms. You smiled so big when you saw me, and I've never been happier to be home.

This past month has been an incredible month. You've changed so, so, so fast that I can't keep up with everything. You're cruising now... up and down the couch, from table to table, and occasionally, letting go, standing there on your own. You're incredibly fast. So fast that I can't turn my back on you one minute, not that you'd let me anyways, as I can no longer leave the room without you crying and missing me. Another milestone you've reached this month is you now have 5 teeth. I strongly suspect you have a sixth one lurking just under the skin, but so far, only 5 pearly whites are showing. What this has done to change your smile is a million fold. When you smile, it's as though the world slows down, and time pauses for a breath to take in the beauty of that smile. You smile often, so time seems to be slowing down again, and the months aren't passing so quickly (for which I'm very grateful). Another thing that's changed is that you've learned to make funny faces, and often wrinkle up your nose and smile at me, waiting for me to laugh. When I laugh, you giggle wildly, and do it again.

You're also exploring the range of your voice, both in vocabulary and in volume. At the beginning of the month you screamed and screamed and screamed (good screams, not bad). Lately, though, you've cut back on the screaming, and pick a new sound each day to mimic. Today's sound was "Duh", which you repeat over and over again as you play. If I say "duh" to you, you smile and say, "duh! duh! duh!" back. Yesterday it was "Guh" and the day before "Muh". Most of the times, if I ask you to say "mama", you say it. I don't know if you quite understand what it means yet, but it still makes my heart warm to hear you say that. Sometimes in the car, you'll say "mum" loudly, and I'll turn around to look in your mirror. You flash a smile at me, as if you were only trying to get my attention.

You're quite the social butterfly. The only sign of stranger anxiety I've seen so far is if you're left alone completly. It doesn't really matter who is with you, as long as it's someone. You love to wave hello to people, and just this morning, when a friend of mommy's dropped something off, you smiled, and waved hello to her. You're also quite the flirt. You'll smile at someone, wave hello, then act shy and dig your face into my shoulder, while still looking coyly at the person you're saying hello to. When it comes to other babies, you are totally infatutated. I'm positive you'll make a wonderful big brother (which, hmm... mommy and daddy need to get working on that) as you love other children. You love playing with other kids your age, so we've made a routine of getting out at least once a week for playgroup or something. Your favorite person right now is Uncle Justin. It's kinda sad though because he lives so far away. But when he was here last week, you absolutely worshiped the ground he walked on. If you were upset, and mommy and daddy couldn't calm you down, we called Uncle Justin in and you calmed down immediately. In fact, when he left yesterday, you cried so hard. I feel bad that you can't see him more often, but please know that mommy and daddy promise that one day, we'll be close enough for you to play with Uncle Justin more.

This next month promises to be wonderful, and has already been quite fun. I can't wait to see where it will take us... I love you so much, lil' munchkin.

Love,
Mommy

One part fewer

You may have noticed... I've kinda been absent the past few days. I wish I could say I've been chasing a little man around the apartment, but I can't. I've spent the past 2 days, actually, 2 and a half days, in the hospital. Monday night, after a day of pain in my abdomen, I called my doctor who told me to head to the ER. A short trip up the road, and 4 hours later, the doctors in the ER confirmed my fears... Appendicitis.

So, here I type, one organ fewer. Things went surprisingly well. My doctor was wonderful, and the pain isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. The only thing is I missed Shepherd like crazy, and when I came home tonight, I couldn't really hold him for long because he's a wiggly lil' fella, and he kept kicking my tummy. :( But all is well, and I'm home now. My family drove up for the surgery, and we're having Thanksgiving here tomorrow, instead of driving down to NC. I'm glad they're here, but I'm also bummed that we won't get to see Forrest's mom, step-dad, and family. :-/

Hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving... I'll be curled up in front of the TV early watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade... then pigging out on turkey and cranberry sauce... mmmmm... :)

A Survey of Auto Ownership: Age 16 to the Present

Through high school and college I drove a 1986 Chevy Cavalier and a 1986 Buick Skyhawk. And, because nothing screams sexy like a Buick, (Exhibit A):

or a Chevy, (Exhibit B):


you may be wondering why I fell head over heels for a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero (Exhibit C):



So, of course the 2 door Alero was totally impractical for hauling a baby around, I've since been driving around a 1999 Nissan Altima (Exhibit D):

which you know, doesn't look that bad really. It was a step down from my hot little Alero, but Forrest still drove that and from time to time, I could hop in it and push the V6 engine hard as I drove to Babies R Us for diapers. However, I must tell you... I have just traded all of my dignity and purchased something I swore I'd never own (Exhibit E):



Yes, dear friends, we have been busy working our way through the auto lots of Northern Virginia, scouring everywhere for that perfect mini-van that wasn't, well, mini-van-ish. (Does such a thing exist?) We finally have settled on the Mazda MPV for it's size (smaller than traditional mini-vans) and the fact that the back seat folds into the floor. Granted, my coolness factor totally dive-bombed, but I have maintained a shred of dignity, as the engine in this baby is a V6 and MAN! does it drive nice. With it's fold in the floor rear seat, I have MUCH more room for stroller, groceries, and whatever else is needed when lugging around a 21 lb. soon to be toddler (y'all, 9 months, 4 days... I can't believe he's 9 months!!!)

We're actually pretty excited about our purchase, and it's sure to make a much more comfortable ride on our road-trip to North Carolina next week for Thanksgiving. As soon as we have the car in our posession (the guy is waiting on the Fed-Ex'd check from my bank), I'll totally have to post pictures. And I can promise, I'll totally be trying to pull off the I'm-not-a-soccer-mom-I-swore-I'd-never-own-this-but-I-really-needed-the-cargo-space-and-with-gas-prices-so-high-a-hot-little-SUV-was-out-of-the-question look. I think I totally can pull it off... yes? YES???

Busy, Busy, Bumblebee

I realize it's been a while since I posted. The thing is that it's nearly impossible to get a moment to sit down at the computer and type anything these days. Shepherd is cruising (and by cruising, I don't just mean pulling up, I mean full out walking up and down the sofa, around the playpen edge, and from wall to chair and back again). Not only is he cruising, but he's gotten quite fast at crawling, and loves to explore our tiny little apartment. So the playpen is seen as a minion of satan, and he refuses to stay put in there for long. On top of all of this, he's spending a lot of time working on standing independently. Don't believe me... fine, here's your proof:

A tad awkward, but ya know, he stands like that for at least 10 seconds

The child is not even 9 months old, y'all. I can't handle this. I. can't. handle. it!!!!

Anyways, now that I've explained my absense, I guess I could talk about what's been going on with us. We've had family in and out this past week, and it has been wonderful. It started out with my mom coming up last week, which was WONDERFUL. I miss my mom so much. I never realized how close we were until we moved away. We had fun just hanging out, shopping, and of course, playing with Shepherd. Then, on Friday, after she left, my father-in-law came into town. We spent the weekend with him, and had a blast. He hadn't seen Shepherd since July, and was just amazed at how much he'd grown. We spent some time in DC walking around the national mall. All in all, it was a great weekend... enjoy the photos!! :)

Because not everyone cares about politics...

I leave you with this picture... just because I realize my last post was a little heavy. :) Hope y'all have a great day!!!

Nail-Biter

Wow, I stayed up entirely too late last night, glued to the television and my computer, furiously refreshing the election results here in our state, Virginia. As it is this morning, the election is too close to call, with our guy, Webb out on top right now. However, there are still votes to be counted in the Northern Virginia's Loudon County. Until now, I really haven't said much about the elections, but in private, I've been following for weeks, secretly harboring the hope that the Democratic party would resume control of at least the House, and now, maybe even the Senate. It's a fascinating process, this whole democracy thing, and watching it actually work is simply amazing. There's nothing like a good ol' neck and neck political race to get the blood pumping. In fact, I find it way more entertaining than any football game or basketball game (however, if you're talking ACC basketball... um, yeah, that's a whole different ballgame). I think the process could use some tweaking, like maybe a paper trail for those votes cast electronically (our county didn't have a paper trail, which made me very uncomfortable).

As far as the other issues on our ballot (including an amendment defining marriage), their results turned out to be pretty predictable, and in fact, may be the only reason Allen did as well as he did in VA, as that tend to bring Evangelicals out of the woodwork. Personally, I feel that the issue doesn't belong in any constitution or law book. I'm tired of the Right legislating morallity, because honestly? That's such a personal issue... I don't like the state deciding personal issues for me. I won't even get into how hypocritical it is that we're "protecting the sanctity of marriage" when 50% of marriages (hetero marriages) end in divorce, and that number is much higher among evangelical christians. No one is out there campaigning against divorce in an attempt to "protect the sanctity of marriage". I won't even get into how Jesus said not a thing about homosexuality, but had some pretty harsh words to say for those seeking divorce. Or how evangelicals wanting to stop abortions need to focus on reducing the number of abortions instead of flat out stopping it. I think EVERYONE can agree we'd like to see that number go down, no matter what side you're on. And think of how much of a difference we could make if we took half the money spent lobbying the issue and funneled it in to education of women, to providing women much needed health care, to approving the FMLA and supporting it. Just imagine the difference if we worked on the issue of poverty by raising minimum wage (which, as I understand, is a moral issue, since Christ commanded his followers to take care of the poor).

Okay... deep breath Corinne. Step away from your keyboard.

All that aside, I'm dragging this morning. BUT.. Shepherd did sleep 11 and a half hours straight last night. Seriously... that's a record. Had I gone to bed on time, it's possible I would have gotten 8 hours straight of sleep. And as luck would have it, it was the one night that I just couldn't go to bed because I just HAD to know what was going on. And also? My mom is coming up to visit. I'm simply tickled pink to see her and spend 3 whole days with her. :) So if I'm sporatic the next few days, you know why.

Hope y'all have a wonderful day!!!!

Anyone?

Seriously, does anyone know what dreams about snakes biting your legs and ankles mean? Because I seriously just woke up thinking snakes were in my bed and biting me....

Speaking of biting, Shepherd now has four five teeth. This morning, he bit me, and I looked, and he has a fifth tooth. Making 3 on the bottom, 2 on the top. Does this mean he's cutting all his teeth at once? Just last week, he cut his third, and yesterday, his fourth, and today, obviously, his fifth. That might explain the random bouts of screaming in the middle of the night.

Mikey sings the ABC's

Recently, we found a used activity table like this for Shepherd, since he's pulling up a lot. It allowed him to play standing up, and it's been great. We found it at a consignment store, so it wasn't much at all. We have been happy with our purchase, so I realize that despite this one major irritation I have, it's fine.

The irritation?

The little book in the middle flips from music to learning. On one side, you can press the buttons and it's musical. I love this side. I catch myself singing the scat that the singer sings when you open the door. It's great. The other side? I don't like so much. In fact, I'm debating super gluing that side down. Why? Well, put it this way... as much as I like some of Michael Jackson's stuff (Jackson 5, people, Jackson 5, don't worry), I don't exactly like hearing the ABC's sung like Mikey would have. Or maybe that doesn't really give you a good understanding of how awful this is. It's kind of like if Brittney Spears was 5 years old, with a breathy voice, singing the ABC's... so it kinda bothers me. Forrest and I joke about the song all the time, singing various other children songs in completely inappropriate, breathy voices. The problem is that Shepherd is fascinated with turning the "pages" back and forth, so I hear this song on average of 15 times a day. Granted, there IS an off switch on the bottom of the thing, but Shepherd gets all frustrated when he bangs on the keyboard and nothing happens.

And people wonder what drives parents crazy.

Autumn

Open Letter

Dear Mr. Dad on the Playground,

Thank you for loudly sharing with us intimate details of your life. We're so happy for you that you have 4 children that you didn't have to pay a dime for because you were on a scholarship to play football. We're also happy that you played for the NFL. You happily proclaimed that you once played for the Eagles, which, you know, I TOTALLY care about. I'm also glad that you ignored all four of your children AND your wife just to come over and brag to us about how great you are. It was especially touching that you shared how much money you make, and how much better you are than all those other dads in the NFL. I'm sure that you make millions, especially since your children were running around in only pajamas on a very cold day. I think the best part of your conversation with the entire playground was when you proudly announced your age. I could totally relate to you, as we're the same age, yet for some reason, you found it necessary to emphasize your youth, and how much better you were than those who wait until they're 30 to have kids. Because we all know that only idiots have babies after 30. Right. I encourage you to continue to share with others all the intimate details of your life, as well as I encourage you to stuff a sock in your pie hole. Also? It'd be nice if you learned how to control your children, as one of them all but pushed my 8 month old aside in an effort to climb the stairs first. Which, you know, no harm, no foul, but had there been, you can bet your sweet @$$ that I would have taken you down faster than you can say "Blitz". Again, thank you for making my day so much more delightful and gracing it with your pompous presence.

Sincerely,

The mom who kept rolling her eyes

Unbearable Cuteness for your Morning Commute

Unbearable cuteness

Seriously... I can't handle the level of adorable here

The dimple... breaks.my.heart

Check out his new kicks!!!

Blowing raspberries and eating...

A Wonderful Weekend!

Wow, what a wonderful weekend. Friday night, we ordered a pizza and watched Everything is Illuminated. If you haven't seen that movie yet, rent it... it's an amazingly beautiful film. Saturday, we got up and headed to the DMV to cast our absentee votes (Forrest commutes, and I'll be in NC). Then, we headed to DC to meet Chris, Beth, and Mia for lunch at a wonderful tapas restaurant. Forrest and I had never had tapas, so after convincing us to order the escargot...ha, just kidding... Beth and Chris were really helpful and made our first tapas experience very enjoyable. I'm not sure if they table next to ours agreed, as Shepherd proceeded to scream throughout the meal (screams of joy and elation). Afterwards, we walked around some, around the white house, and just enjoyed the beautiful fall day. The wind was kicking up leaves, so much so that Shepherd almost choked on a leaf that had blown into his mouth. But it was a lot of fun hanging out with friends, and just being outside. We came home, took a quick nap, and then headed to church. On Sunday, I spent the entire day cleaning like a mad woman. I vaccumed under the bed (which, EW!, who knew it could get so dusty under there?), washed the baseboards, did the laundry, organized the closets in both Shepherd's and our rooms, and much, much more. Forrest kept an eye on Shepherd all day, so it was kind of nice to not have to worry about the little man. And then last night, Forrest worked more on a new site for me (yay!). It's not quite working yet, so you'll have to be patient. We're trying to figure out Movable Type (well, Forrest has most of it figured out, I'm just on the backend trying to learn). So soon enough, I'll have a new page with a spankin' new design, thanks to Forrest.

Anyways... now that I've bored you with the details of our weekend, I guess I could post at least one cute picture of our little man, eh? Maybe sort of redeem the boringness of this post?? Okay...

Taken almost 2 months ago, so I'll have to get a new one tonight at the costume party we're going to. But isn't he cute!?!?

A Wonderful Weekend!

Wow, what a wonderful weekend. Friday night, we ordered a pizza and watched Everything is Illuminated. If you haven't seen that movie yet, rent it... it's an amazingly beautiful film. Saturday, we got up and headed to the DMV to cast our absentee votes (Forrest commutes, and I'll be in NC). Then, we headed to DC to meet Chris, Beth, and Mia for lunch at a wonderful tapas restaurant. Forrest and I had never had tapas, so after convincing us to order the escargot...ha, just kidding... Beth and Chris were really helpful and made our first tapas experience very enjoyable. I'm not sure if they table next to ours agreed, as Shepherd proceeded to scream throughout the meal (screams of joy and elation). Afterwards, we walked around some, around the white house, and just enjoyed the beautiful fall day. The wind was kicking up leaves, so much so that Shepherd almost choked on a leaf that had blown into his mouth. But it was a lot of fun hanging out with friends, and just being outside. We came home, took a quick nap, and then headed to church. On Sunday, I spent the entire day cleaning like a mad woman. I vaccumed under the bed (which, EW!, who knew it could get so dusty under there?), washed the baseboards, did the laundry, organized the closets in both Shepherd's and our rooms, and much, much more. Forrest kept an eye on Shepherd all day, so it was kind of nice to not have to worry about the little man. And then last night, Forrest worked more on a new site for me (yay!). It's not quite working yet, so you'll have to be patient. We're trying to figure out Movable Type (well, Forrest has most of it figured out, I'm just on the backend trying to learn). So soon enough, I'll have a new page with a spankin' new design, thanks to Forrest.

Anyways... now that I've bored you with the details of our weekend, I guess I could post at least one cute picture of our little man, eh? Maybe sort of redeem the boringness of this post?? Okay...

Taken almost 2 months ago, so I'll have to get a new one tonight at the costume party we're going to. But isn't he cute!?!?

Oh, what joy!!!

Well, I would have thought today would be a bad day, giving the morning. But I must have redeemed myself, because Shepherd and I had the most fun day ever! We played all day, and tried to go to the part twice, but he fell asleep both times, so I just went home and sat in the parking lot, waiting on him to finish his nap, and quietly enjoyed some good ol' NPR.

We played hard... so he should sleep well tonight. We pulled all the pans out of the cabinet, and banged 'em around. Then some tupperwear. Then, I found an old Pampers box, so I put him in it and slid him down the hallway. He loved that. And when he was tired, he was cuddly. When his teeth hurt, he would sit in my lap and throw his head back, crying, to let me know that "this hurts mom!!" When I read him a book, he sat quietly in my lap, and didn't grab for the book once. It was as though he really wanted me to read it. We worked on his signs, and he's almost got the sign for food/eat down. He even quasi-clapped his hands! I noticed he had one hand in a fist, and the other was trying to make contact and successfully doing so.

All in all, it was a great day. A wonderful day, capped off with me rocking him to sleep tonight. My precious little angel, sleeping sweetly in my arms.

Oh, what joy!!

I confess...

This morning was a terrible, no good, very bad morning. Shepherd, in all his teething glory, awoke at the ungodly hour of 4:30 am. He refused to be consoled back to bed, and though he was tired, insisted on playing with his toys. I sat there, annoyed, and watched him play as Forrest got ready for work. Shepherd would get excited about a toy and start squeeling, and screaming, something he's started doing in the last two days (mind you, he screamed and squeeled before, but only when something was wrong). I lost it. I yelled NO! at him, and he just looked at me, and then turned around and screamed at his toy some more. Forrest walked in, and asked me what that all was about, and I just sat there... fuming. You see, it wasn't that Shepherd was being obnoxious. What it really was, was that lately, Shepherd has shown more joy in seeing Forrest. This morning was no exception. If I sat and played with him, he'd just ignore me. If Daddy did, whoa! watch out, because he was all grins and giggles. I guess I got jealous, and that started seething underneath. And when Shepherd started screaming, I just lost it.

I felt so bad afterwards. Even though it hadn't seemed to have registered with Shepherd, I felt horrible. Later, after Forrest had left for work, I was sitting there, and Shepherd was still fussy. The squeels of joy were turning into screams of terror at the pain of his teeth. I took him back to his room, and rocked him. As he snuggled into my chest, arms curled up underneath him, legs wrapped around my waist, I realized that all he wanted was to be held. Putting him back in his crib would only make him cry again. And when I realized this, I began to cry. I felt so awful that I had yelled at him. I just sat there, rocking him, and wanted to hold him forever, because in that moment, I felt important. I wasn't just the woman who takes care of his dirty diapers, and feeds him, I was mommy, and that was important. I held him so long, that finally, I got up, and went and laid down on the guest bed in Shepherd's room with Shepherd, and we snuggled in, him silently sleeping. I sat there stroking his beautiful hair, touching his soft cheeks, and tried to understand how just moments before, I wanted nothing to do with him. I drifted off to sleep, and we slept for 2 hours there, snuggled up together. And in the end, I felt needed and important. I was mommy... and that's all I needed.

Fall

My favorite picture of all
Originally uploaded by meandscreech.

This weekend, we headed to Bluemont, VA to a pumpkin patch and farm. We had the best time, and the weather was absolutely wonderful. We got to see all sorts of animals, play with pumpkins, and watch a pumpkin canon shoot pumpkins (which was great, except the noise scared Shepherd). We got to eat some good food, enjoyed some fresh air, and all in all, just had a great time together. It's amazing how much has changed in our lives since Shepherd was born. More and more, it feels like we are a "family", apart from our own families. What a great feeling to have these two WONDERFUL men in my life... I love you Forrest and Shepherd. :) Thanks for making my weekend spectacular.

(more pictures of our trip at flicker)

8 months

Shepherd,

I can't believe it's been 8 months already. It honestly seems that just yesterday you turned 7 months. The changes you've been through in the last month have been amazing. I've watched you learn new things at an alarming rate, and seen you grow more and more independent.

This month you started crawling. You started out pulling your little body along on your belly like a soldier and graduated to the full out crawl/run that moves you from point A to point B in lightning speed. You're a quick little bugger, too. So quick that I've had my hands full trying to keep unsafe things out of your little hands. You've also gotten very strong, and each diaper change has become a wrestling match. One night, I gave up and let you crawl around naked. You would have thought I'd given you the keys to heaven. You giggled and crawled from room to room, thoroughly enjoying your freedom.


Then, as if crawling wasn't enough, you started pulling up to standing. You'd previously been able to pull up to kneeling position, but you now pull up to standing, and even cruise a little. Last week, while your dad was playing with you, you were holding on to the couch, and you let go, standing independently for several seconds. You've done this several times since then, and, while I'm excited to see you grow up, it's also terrifying at the same time. I want nothing more than to protect you from every fall. I want to be there and catch you every time, but I'm quickly realizing that I cannot. You have to fall to learn how to get back up. And sometimes that means you get bumps and bruises. Each time you get a little bump, I scoop you up in my arms, and hold you, waiting for the tears to subside, quietly contemplating the future. How many times will you get hurt? And not just physical pain. Will I be able to protect you from the pain in life? And I know I cannot. And that is so hard to accept as a mother. To step back, and let you fall, so you'll learn to get back up.

You've also been quite a handful lately. Getting in to everything. Sometimes I feel as though you're testing me, as you look back over your shoulder and grin while pulling every toy out of your toy box. At dinner, you've master blowing raspberries, which would be adorable if your mouth wasn't full of food. I know you're too young to really know what you're doing, and that you're only learning how it feels to blow raspberries, and learning about the inside of the box, and what it's like empty. So, I'm learning patience as you explore the world around you, with all it's shapes, noises, and spaces.



And last but not least, you are daily teaching me to slow down and enjoy life. You're teaching me the joy of laughter and silliness. You're teaching me patience, responsibility, but above all else, you're teaching me about love, and it's eternal depth. I knew what love what long before you were born, but never have I felt it as powerful as I feel it when I look at you. You are my son, and you'll always be loved, no matter what you do, no matter what happens, I will always love you.



Happy 8 months booger bear,

Love,
Mommy

The Cheese Stands Alone

If by "cheese", you mean Shepherd.

And by "Stands Alone" you mean letting go of the couch, and standing upright, alone, unsupported, for 3 seconds.

And, of course, it could be a fluke.

Unless.... he did it a minute later, for another 3 seconds.

If you need me, I'll be sitting in the corner, gently rocking back and forth, as I was totally unprepared for the transpiring of these events. Have I mentioned how fast he's growing up!?!?

On Being an Uncle

And now, a treat for you all. I asked my brother to guest blog today's post, and boy did he pull through. Y'all give Justin a big ol' bloggers welcome!! (and check out his blog sometime)

I remember the night clearly. We had driven up from North Carolina, braved the ungodly NoVa traffic, and found our way into the hospital waiting room. After visiting for a few hours in Corinne's room, it was finally "time." And we all know when a pregnant woman is in labor in the hospital, "time" means there's about to be some pushing, some yelling, and you don't want to be here so go on and get out. A few hours and a hospital cafeteria dinner later, we figured that baby had to have come out by now, so we headed (pun intended) back upstairs.

I remember seeing Forrest come out to greet us, tears of joy down his cheek and the bright glow of pride on his face, telling us "he's so beautiful." And boy was he right. Shepherd had arrived, and we all gathered 'round the little one, marvelling that another cast member in the Human Story had heard the call of the Creator, stepped out from behind the curtain, and here he was. And here we were, anxious to see what role Shepherd would play. But for now, here he was, a tiny, fragile newborn who was adjusting to the strange and unfamiliar place we call Earth. His role for the time was to bring joy into the hearts of his mommy and daddy and the rest of the supporting cast.

Now that eight months have passed, it is obvious he has not only suceeded at his role, he's adapted it. Any new actor is bound to be the center of attention, but Shepherd doesn't just soak it all up, he rewards his audience with a big smile and maybe even a giggle (which by the way, I have determined are the key to world peace). And while some newbies don't quite meet our expectations, Shepherd has surpassed expectations as he's already scooting around on all fours and pulling up to stand at every chance he gets. On a more vain note, he's the cutest baby on the block, charming everyone he sees.

When Shepherd was first born, I had no idea what being an uncle would be like. In many ways, I still don't. I imagine it will change from year to year, just like Shepherd. But the past eight months have given me a glimpse of things to come, and I can't wait.

I have also had the blessing of seeing Corinne and Forrest blossom into their roles as parents, and I stand in awe at their performances. Their love for Shepherd is so abundantly clear and beautiful, and his love for them shows in his smile when Forrest walks into the room, or when he snuggles with his mommy.

I am so excited to see how Shepherd grows and how our relationship grows with him. And I am still amazed at the miracle that is life. To see such a beautiful child reminds us of creation, and it reminds us of our own infancy, or the loss of it.

To quote G.K. Chesterton (forgive the long quote, but it's too good to edit it), "Now, to put the matter in a popular phrase, it might be true that the sun rises regularly because he never gets tired of rising. His routine might be due, not to a lifelessness, but to a rush of life. The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore. Heaven may encore the bird who laid an egg. If the human being conceives and brings forth a human child instead of bringing forth a fish, or a bat, or a griffin, the reason may not be that we are fixed in an animal fate without life or purpose. It may be that our little tragedy has touched the gods, that they admire it from their starry galleries, and that at the end of every human drama man is called again and again before the curtain."

As I recall the miracle that is Shepherds life, I wonder if Shepherd heard the voice of God on the 20th night of February, 2006, whispering "do it again." Shepherd has stepped out before the curtain, and I can't wait to witness his performance.

Deflated

I consider myself a pretty intelligent person. At least intelligent enough to have common sense. But somehow, last night, the idiocity (is that even a word!? Forgive me if not) of my brain took over, and I was held hostage by the TV until close to 12 am. What was so fascinating? Well, there was Lost. Which, totally has me sucked in. To the point where I regularly dream that I'm one of the survivors. The of course, followed by Project Runway. I mean, who CAN resist the wonderful Tim Gunn?? ha. Then, when I should have headed to bed, I switched to Comedy Central and watched the tail end of the Daily Show, and most of the Colbert Report. So by the time I went to sleep, it was after midnight. Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID Corinne.

You see, I don't function very well without sleep. At least one decent stretch of sleep, that is. And last night, I got nothing of the sorts. Yes, I did sleep. But very poorly. I got 2.5 hours before Shepherd woke up needing to eat. Then, he woke up again at 5 am because his diaper had leaked. Nothing irritates me more than when a wet diaper wakes my son up. Seriously. I know that if he'd not leaked, he would have slept later, allowing me at the very least, another hour of sweet, blessed sleep. But again, this is my row to hoe. I know it's my fault.

My only hope now is that Shepherd will take a monster morning nap here in another hour, and I'll be afforded at least an hour and half of sleep. We'll see if that happens... until then, I'll watch Shepherd crawl around, sitting up on his own, and pulling to standing. I swear he's 8 seconds away from cruising, since he took several steps along the side of the couch yesterday. He's growing up so fast.... need evidence (or a good dose of cuteness with your morning latte)? You asked for it!!!

A Conversation in two parts

Me: (on the phone) Hello? Apartment people? I've got a cat I need you to pick up.
Them: A cat?
Me: Yes, a cat. A kitten, actually.
Them: You have a cat? You know that's against the rules.
Me: Yes, I know that. I caught this kitten outside. Actually, yesterday I found him under my hood.
Them: Your hood?
Me: Yes, my hood. The hood of my car. I found the cat inside.
Them: Inside?
Me: Yes, inside. I heard a meowing coming from my car, and I popped the hood and there was the kitty, stuck behind the transmission.
Them: Wow.
Me: Yes. Now, could you send someone to pick up this kitten?
Them: Is it the same kitten?
Me: Yes. the same exact kitten.
Them: Hold Please

Me: (to self) Maybe this is a bad idea, maybe I should just take the cute thing to the pound myself. I have no idea if these people will kill the cat or take it to the animal rescue.

Them: Hello, are you there?
Me: Yes
Them: Okay, is the kitten in a box?
Me: No. I'm holding it.
Them: You're holding it? (note: I'm growing tired of them repeating my answers back to me)
Me: Yes, I'm holding it. It actually is letting me hold it.
Them: Okay. I'll send someone right over.


------------15 minutes later--------------

Two men pull up in a truck. One's an old guy, and one's a young guy.

Old guy: (rolls down window) Why don't ya just take that there fella home with ya? Seems to have taken a likin' to ya.
Me: It's against the rules.
Old guy: Ahhh, damn the rules, who cares. Keep it!
Me: Um.. and my husbands allergic to cats.
Old guy: Oh...
Young guy: (walks around back of truck toward me) Here lil' guy. (takes kitten from me)
Old guy: That don't look like one of them damn cats we've been after. Sure you found it here?
Me: Uh, yeah. I actually found it yesterday in my car.
Old guy: In your car!?!?
Me: Yes... well, not in my car, but under the hood
Old guy: They do that sometimes
Me: (to self)No Duh...
Old guy: Yeah, we've been trying to catch them there cats for several months, but the damn lady on the second floor... which apartment do you live in?
Me: 13
Old guy: Well, number 10 keeps feeding the damn cats, and when I've set up some traps, she just trips the traps. One day she came out hollerin' at me about takin' the cats away. Crazy lady... (at this point he rambles on and on).............
Me: (against my better judgement to keep my mouth shut so I can go inside already) Isn't there something you can do to stop her?
Young guy: (gently holding kitten.. which, I'm glad because he seems to not want to snap it's neck) Yeah, we're thinkin' bout writin' her a letter or something.
Me: Yeah, like that will work.
Old guy: Well, either that or poison the cat food.
Me: (horrified) you wouldn't do that, would you?
Old guy: (laughing) I'm just jerkin' your chain... shucks, I wouldn't hurt a thang.
Me: okay...

Old guy: (to young guy) Guess we better get that thing to the pound, eh?
Young guy: (carries the kitten gently, setting it in a box) Sure.

Old guy: (to me) You take care of yourself lil' missy...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
And off they drove, in the complete opposite direction of the pound... towards the woods at the back of the property. I swear, I hope they didn't kill the thing... maybe they were just looking for more kitties?! Let's hope so. In the meantime, I'll be filing a complaint about our neighbors in number 10, since they seem to be the root of the cat problem, thus the root of the flea problem we had earlier this year, and thus the root of the rats that are eating the cats food. Heh... just kidding on the rats, but I'm terrified that they'll come out since the woman leaves WHOLE PIECES OF CHICKEN out for the dumb cats. Like, I mean, the woman goes to KFC, buys buffalo wings, and sets the open box out for the cats. What cat eats buffalo wings?!?! And what kind of nut-job goes around tripping traps for stray cats, who keep multiplying in number? A Crazy lady... that's who....

Edited to Add: I can't remember the last time I used the phrase, "No Duh". Am I terribly out of it or is that still used??? I think I was in middle school the last I used that... maybe early high school... wow

Help!!

I need the help of you, dear friends. Say you are fortunate enough to have friends (what? I used to not have friends!). Say that you are invited to a baby shower for one of those friends. Say that friend is just that... a friend, not a really close one, but a friend. You don't talk but maybe once a week, and that's because you see each other at bible study. Now... say you receive a second invitation, to ANOTHER baby shower. Do you:

a.) Go, even though you've already bought them a gift and attended one shower, but this time, top them all by purchasing the most expensive item on their registry.

b.) Chuck the invite in the trash, and forget it ever happened. Blame the US Postal Service when asked why you didn't attend.

c.) Politely decline, citing a recent bout of deadly meningitis that you seem to have contracted.

d.) {insert your answer}

Crawling 102

Shepherd crawls some more (video taken last week).

My Soapbox

Last night, as Forrest worked on his brother's wedding invitation, I flipped through the channels, bored, finding nothing to watch. I landed on our local PBS station, and immediately, was sucked into Frontline's story, Private Warriors. I sat and watched with amazement and horror, as Martin Smith uncovered layer after layer of information on the private contractors in Iraq.

If you have the time, I encourage you to watch the show (available online here).

I walked away feeling utterly disgusted with KBR and Halliburton, as well as walking away with a renewed passion against the war in Iraq. We have become an occupying force there, and it's still unclear why we are there. It seems as though we are there because there are millions to be made in contracting. Now, I know there are plenty of people out there who are going to disagree with me, and you have every right to disagree, but for one moment, pause and just think of what's going on here. We are stuck in a war, that was originally started because we thought there were WMD's. We invaded, only to find no WMD's, and so now, our reasons have changed. We're there because Saddam was a bad, bad man. I feel like it changes every day. We're in a war that we're told is supposed to make us safer, but I don't feel safer. I feel like everyone in the world hates our country. I'm annoyed at the assumption that if you don't support the war, you don't support our troops, and if you don't support the war, you're unpatriotic. I know this is a soapbox that I'm on, but I'm sick of it. I'm sick of sitting idly by and doing nothing... and yet, I don't know what to do. I fear for my nation. I fear that my son will grow up in a country that blindly follows what we're told. I fear that my son may one day be sent to fight in this war (if we're in it that long, and it seems we are). I fear that the beauty of America is quickly fading, and we are rapidly becoming an imperialistic nation, engaging in nation-building (which Bush said he would not do in his 2000 debates) that ostracizes us from the rest of the world.

I'll step down now from my soap box, but I challenge you to at least watch a few of the chapters on that story... if only because we owe it to the men who have died fighting in this war.

Sleep, Blessed Sleep

For fear of jinxing myself, I've not uttered a word on this blog about the latest development in our household. This past week, Shepherd began sleeping through the night. By sleeping through the night, I mean he sleeps solid from around 8 pm until 4 am, when he wakes up hungry and we feed him. After he eats at 4 am, he goes back to sleep for another 4 hours. Making my life wonderful again.

The change comes along with some other changes we've made and changes he's made. We've switched him over to formula (milk supply issues here) and he's started crawling. Both of those things were helping with his sleep, but adding some white noise to the room, and he was out for the night. Initially, we started with some white noise via the static on the radio. That was all I was going to do, until Saturday, at a consignment sale, I found a white noise machine for $4. The thing works like a charm. It plays different sounds, such as rain, a summer night, a brook, the ocean, and wind. Add to that another complimenting noise (if you want) such as a bird singing, a seagull, some thunder, and you've got the most relaxing sounds ever. Seriously, I want one for our room! :)

But with the sleep comes a very energetic little boy. An energetic little boy who is getting better at crawling every single day. Who loves him some cheerios and has learned how to (sorta) feed them to himself. He is growing up so incredibly fast, I don't know what to do! I feel as though any day now he could be getting on a school bus for kindergarten. Does it ever slow down? Or does it get progressivly faster as the years go on? I just want to enjoy my little boy while he's still little...

(AHHH!! He melts my heart!! He just looked up at me and said, "Da-Da?" (His word for both Forrest and I, we think...) I'm going to go now and hug my little snookum. :)