Truly Outrageous...

Potty Power

2010-07-06T20:32:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Mr. P's first day with "big boy underwares" on. Lately, we've been talking about it with him, and he's been really interested in wearing them. Also, his pull up has been dry in between "potty times" so we figured we'd give it a go... So far, so good! He did really well yesterday, and wore them to school for the first time today. Surprise, surprise, he had NO accidents! Don't worry, I'm not kidding myself into thinking that will last... but, still, it's a good start!

Put Your Hands Up!

2010-03-18T15:39:00.004-04:00

Some quick updates about life with an almost-3 year old, Mr. P...

My name has changed from "Mama" to "Mommy," back to "Mama" and now to "Miss. Mama." The formality is hilarious, and no, I NEVER asked him to call me that! We do ask him to use "Miss." with our adult female friends or his female teachers. I guess he figures he should use it with me too. Even though I keep telling him he doesn't need to use the title with me, it has stuck. The funniest thing is that instead of HH being Mr. Daddy, he's Miss. Daddy too!

Mr. P's favorite song is not from The Wiggles or any other cheesy kid's group... no, it's Beyonce! More specifically, "Single Ladies" is his current favorite. He even requests it as his lullaby some nights and sings right along. Something about hearing his little boy voice singing, "All the single ladies, all the single ladies... Put your hands up!" just cracks me up every time.

Another update is that Mr. P has started having more and more nightmares. Poor guy. He sometimes just cries out in the middle of the night, or will talk/shout in his sleep. Often, it seems to involve someone taking or eating his food. What have we done to our poor child?!?!

Speaking of talking... Mr. P is speaking mostly in full sentences now. The things he says cracks us up! Especially when he randomly starts recalling specific scenes or directly quoting movies or TV shows. Nemo seems to be a current fave, since he just watched it a couple of days ago: "You're about to eat my bubbles!"

And lastly, an update on teeth: A couple of months ago, Mr. P cut his bottom "two-year molars." We kept waiting for the upper set, and a couple of nights ago we realized that is upper right molar has broken through. Those big molars look so painful as they come in... fortunately, they don't seem to be bothering him *too* much.

Noodle-head

2010-02-05T20:11:00.002-05:00

I can't believe Mr. P actually shoved a piece of spaghetti up his nose, never to be seen again.

Ok, well that's not completely true... at first, I could barely see it, way up there. And now, after trying to get it out several different ways, it's for sure MIA. Now I'm trying to decide if it's still lodged up there or if he ended up swallowing it. Sigh.

Mommy

2009-08-31T21:48:00.004-04:00

Tonight, for the first time Mr. P called me, "Mommy!"

Usually I'm Mama, but for some reason he called me Mommy tonight. And not just once. He was calling to me from upstairs, wanting me to come up and say good night again, "Mommy! Mommy!" It was so cute. I have to admit, it brought tears to my eyes.

Mr. Jokester

2009-08-14T19:56:00.002-04:00

Mr. P's sense of humor is really starting to come out. He's begun cracking jokes himself. Well, only one joke really.

For a while now, he's loved saying that everyone is happy: "Mama, happy. Daddy, happy. Tee Tee [Mr. P], happy." And on, and on, and on.

But now, the joke is to say that some inanimate object is happy, like this...

"Juice, happy! ... NOOOOOOO! (laugh, laugh, laugh)"
"Chair, happy! ... NOOOOOOO! (chuckle, chuckle, chuckle)"

I guess that means he understands that 'happy' is an emotion that only people (and animals) have. Pretty cool.

You know...

2009-07-30T22:08:00.000-04:00

...you're the mom of a little boy when you start picking out specific types of trucks on the highway, even when your son is not in the car with you.

Potty Power!

2009-07-26T22:15:00.002-04:00

By no means are we potty training yet, but at the advice of his pediatrician, we've begun introducing the idea to Mr. P. Just two weeks ago we showed him his new potty seat and stool (of course, Cars themed). Every night, before putting him in the bath tub, we ask him if he wants to sit on the potty. At first I was concerned that he'd be intimidated and not want to do it, but so far he's been game! I think it's helped that for a while now, we've let him watch Mamma and Daddy go potty. And of course, every time he sits on the potty we make a big deal about what a big boy he is and how proud we are.

Also, his pediatrician recommended a DVD, Potty Power. It shows real kids sitting on the potty, has lots of songs (which Mr. P now sings along to) and has a little story about a princess learning to use the potty. Unbelievably, it is now Mr. P's favorite show/movie, by FAR. He asks to watch it every day, multiple times! So certainly, that's helping.

Well, something is clicking because tonight he actually went pee in the potty!!! It was HH's turn to give him a bath and get him ready for bed. I was downstairs and all of a sudden heard HH call down, "MAMMA! He used the potty!" Apparently, while Mr. P was sitting on the potty right before his bath, he actually went pee a little! Of course, we made a crazy huge deal about it and Mr. P was so proud of himself. It was definitely a moment to remember.

I know it's going to be a long time before he's actually asking to go to the bathroom, but it's an exciting start down the road to NO MORE DIAPERS!

Night Out

2009-07-23T16:33:00.002-04:00

Too excited. Handsome Hubby and I are going on a date-night tonight. Dinner and a movie. Doesn't get more classic-date than that.

ENT

2009-07-23T06:51:00.000-04:00

Mr. P had an appointment with an ENT (Ears, Nose, Throat) specialist yesterday. He's always been a mouth breather and a snorer, so his pediatrician recommended he get checked out by an ENT to make sure it's nothing serious. Worse case scenario, we'd be talking surgery to have his tonsils and/or adnoids removed.

But, good news! The ENT isn't concerned and unless something changes, sent us on our way. Fingers crossed that we never need to go back!

New Interests

2009-07-15T12:52:00.001-04:00

Mr. P has been gaining lots of new interests lately. In the last few weeks, he's really gotten into coloring. "Draw, draw! Help, help! Play!" He really gets into it sometimes, picking out specific colors and drawing with very specific intentions. It's so cute! He's knows how to draw lines, dots, squiggles and circles too. Practicing circles seems to be the favorite at this point.

He's also really into singing songs, which I think was helped by his aunts and Garma over vacation. It's so fun because he's really getting to know the songs and tries to sing the words too. Some faves include: ABC's, Row Row Row Your Boat, If You're Happy and You Know It... (which Mr. P calls "Clap, Clap!"), Patty Cake, Ants Go Marching, You Are My Sunshine, Ring Around the Rosie, I Met a Senorita and my personal favorite, The Crocodile Song . He's getting really good at the hand movements that go along with some of the songs, especially The Crocodile Song, which probably adds to why it's my fave.

Back to Reality

2009-07-13T20:36:00.001-04:00

We just got back from a week long vacation, visiting my family in New England. As always, we had a wonderful time; it always seems to fly by.

While on vacation, HH and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it's been seven years. What was super nice is that my parents sprung for us to spend the night away at a B&B on the coast, while they watched Mr. P. It was a much needed getaway for the two of us, and we really enjoyed it.

Mr. P had so much fun with the family and soaked up all the attention! He's saying new words every day, including my current favorite, 'fart'. He also began counting on his own. He can get as high as six and then needs a little help. He's using more and more two-word sentences also which is really cool because it means he's really beginning to communicate a lot with us. He's developing into such a cool little boy... except for when he's hitting, kicking, pinching or biting. Yeah, we've been rocking the Time-Outs a lot lately!

Also, I think his next set of molars are starting to come in because he's been having a hard time sleeping the last couple of nights. Which reminds me, I finally installed the toddler bed rail last night, after Mr. P kept falling out of bed in the middle of the night and once got stuck under the bed after rolling under there while he was sleeping. Sounds funny, but it definitely wasn't at the time since he ended up with scrapes up and down his arm from the exposed metal springs. Ouch! At least that's finally been taken care of, which helps me sleep better at night too!

Lots o' Quilts #5

2009-07-05T22:35:00.001-04:00

This is the last in my quilting series... for now anyway, as I've got three more in the 'pipeline.'

I made this doggie-themed baby quilt for my very good friend from work. They knew they were having a boy, which is why I opted for the more masculine colors. Obviously, they are a puppy-friendly family. This was my first attempt at the Flying Geese pattern. This time I used cotton batting, which is far less fluffy than polyester and makes quilting much easier. I think it gives it a more "antique" feel. I stitched-in-the-ditch around the lattice (which is the same fabric as the background so it may be hard to see), the border, and around each of the 'geese.' It was by far the most machine quilting I have ever done. Also, this was my third attempt at machine binding, and I was pleased with the result. It's such a learning process! Again, burp cloths to match.

Lots o' Quilts #4

2009-07-05T22:04:00.001-04:00

This quilt was for another very good friend of mine from college. I previously posted about being a bridesmaid in her wedding here. They've chosen not to find out the gender, so again, I tried to make it gender neutral. It's another Winning Hand pattern. I used polyester batting and binded it. Like the baseball themed one, I stitched-in-the-ditch around the lattice and border, but left the 'cards' alone. Again, burpers to match.

Lots o' Quilts #3

2009-07-02T21:28:00.002-04:00

This baby quilt was made for one of my good friends in college. I didn't know if she was having a boy or girl when I made it, so I tried to make it gender neutral. Turns out, she's having a girl. Hopefully she won't be turned off by the frogs. If you look closely, you'll see they do have hearts on them!

This is a Double Irish Chain pattern. I used polyester batting and finished it with the turn method. I mostly hand-tied it, but did stitch-in-the-ditch around the borders. I made custom burp cloths with the froggy fabric.

Lots o' Quilts #2

2009-07-02T20:50:00.000-04:00

This quilt was made for one of my Homegirls. Her husband is a huge baseball fan and since they knew they were having a boy, I went with it. It's the Winning Hand pattern and was my very FIRST attempt at actual machine quilting (stitching in the ditch). I used polyester fill batting, which I like because it's fluffier than cotton, but it made the quilting more challenging. This also means it was my first attempt at binding, which I also did with the machine (as opposed to doing it by hand). I definitely learned a lot with this quilt and hope that it didn't turn out too bad for my first attempt at these techniques!

Also, for the first time I decided to make custom burp-cloths. I can't take credit for the idea, I ripped it from a gift I received after Mr. P was born. It's pretty simple, but makes a plain white cloth diaper so much more attractive!

Lots o' Quilts #1

2009-07-01T20:38:00.009-04:00

This spring has been the spring of baby quilt making! It's been an exciting time because tons of my friends have been or are pregnant. What that means for me is lots of time at the sewing machine. It's been awhile since I sat down at my sewing machine. It's been a lot of fun getting back into it. And I have to say that I'm kinda proud of myself because I actually made and attached labels to all of them (often a quilter's forever untied loose end, pun intended)!

So, I thought I'd do a series of postings about the quilts.

The first is a baby quilt I made for my good neighbor-friend. This was for her second child. I didn't know her as well when she had her first, so I didn't make her one then. It's the Trip Around the World pattern with polyester batting, finished with the turn method and hand-tied.

Zip It.

2009-06-23T08:07:00.004-04:00

I get to work today, drop my bag and head to the ladies room. After I do my business, as I'm zipping up my pants the zipper pull just keeps going and comes clear off the zipper and my pants! So I'm left, standing in the stall, zipper pull in hand, with no way to close my fly. Thankfully, I make it back to my office without running into anyone. After 10 minutes of wrestling with my pants in my office (with the door closed of course), I manage to rig my zipper to stay closed. What an awesome way to start the day! I haven't figured out what's going to happen the next time I need to go to the bathroom...

On a lighter note, Mr. P said "happy" for the first time yesterday.
Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Splash, Splash

2009-06-17T21:47:00.000-04:00

First, I can't believe my Mr. P is two years old! Time really does fly... But don't get me wrong, he IS acting like a 2 year old, that's for sure. Full of independence and attitude. I wonder where he gets that from?

In gearing up for the summer, I signed Mr. P and I up for swimming classes. We've completed 4 of 6 'Mommy and Me' classes. Overall I think it's going pretty well. Although, with each class he is less and less enthused with the dunking. He can't stand the feeling of water in his ears, which I guess is a pretty common thing. I'm trying to strike the right balance between pushing him a little bit so he learns it's ok, but not so much that he feels powerless and hates it. It's tough... In any case, he's doing great with learning to kick. He likes draping his arms over a styrofoam noodle and kick, kick, kicking to get his favorite toy in the pool. Of course, I'm always there to help support him, but he's really doing great!

What comes after one?

2009-03-09T15:54:00.002-04:00

A couple of new things with Mr. P:

1. He loves the number two. I'm not sure how much he actually understands, but it is so cute. He tries to make the number two with his pointer and middle fingers but doesn't quite have the dexterity to do it. So he ends up standing there, wiggling his two fingers around, trying so hard!

We have such a great time getting him on a roll:

HH/Me: What comes after the number one?
Mr. P: Two!
HH/Me: What comes before three?
Mr. P: Two!
HH/Me: What's one plus one?
Mr. P: Two!
HH/Me: What's three minus one?
Mr. P: TWO!!

And on and on, until we all dissolve into a fit of hysterics.

2. Two nights ago, Mr. P started saying, "Night, night" to say goodnight. It's such a nice way to end the day.

Woulda been nice...

2009-03-02T12:38:00.001-05:00

...to have a snow day today. But that wasn't happening. Not with the peeps I work with. Of course not.

C-A-P-S, CAPS! CAPS! CAPS!

2009-02-19T13:39:00.004-05:00

Are you KIDDING ME?

Flying with a 1 1/2 year old

2009-02-09T20:24:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we took a quick trip to Florida to spend some time with family, my grandmother in particular. This trip was Mr. P's fifth round-trip by plane. By now, we've learned some lessons about air-travel with a 1 1/2 year old kiddo:

1. Always have lots of snacks and juice. A nice variety of snacks is good as well. Bananas seem to work as a simple, healthy snack.

2. Of course, a variety of toys are good too. Not so big that they're bulky, but not so small that they are easily lost either. Books are a fave of ours.

3. Master the diaper change in your lap maneuver. Not all planes have baby changing stations.

4. Be prepared with lots of plastic grocery bags to use as trash bags (ie: banana peels, dirty diapers, etc).

5. Encourage drinking during take off and landing. It helps with the ears.

6. Pack full sippy cups in a zip lock bag. Sometimes they leak and it's a freakin mess.

7. Use night-time diapers for plane rides. Makes diaper changing less frequent.

8. Be sure to pack an extra set of clothes for when the night-time diapers fail you. (Infrequent, but still possible.)

9. You can do your best, but it'll make your life easier if you give up on the germ battle. Just cut your losses and spend the energy somewhere else. (From the mom who now has a child with diarrhea and a fever...)

10. There's no shame in bringing a laptop or mini-dvd player and watching animated movies on the flight. It makes kiddo happy, parents happy, other passengers happy and flight crew happy. What's wrong with that?

What'd I miss...?

Good Grief.

2009-02-04T12:19:00.002-05:00

I've been fighting a nasty cold for almost two weeks. And now, to make things so much better, I woke up with a stomach bug.

Awesome.

A few things...

2009-02-02T20:19:00.002-05:00

...that I think are so cute:

1. Mr. P wiping his face with the back of his hand. Where and how did he learn to do that?
2. Mr. P not ever saying "one" but loving saying "two."
3. Mr. P running around in circles, making himself dizzy, just for fun.

Culinary Skills

2009-01-29T21:28:00.002-05:00

For the past few months, I've been making dinner a lot more often in our house. Which is really saying something from the woman who used to hardly ever cook. Most nights I don't totally hate it, and some nights I even enjoy it! I'm definitely the type of person who needs to plan it out though. I don't like coming home and needing to make dinner in 45 minutes with no idea of what's in the fridge or pantry, with no plan. I do not roll that way.

I've also gotten into putting vegetable purees in our food. Last year (or was it the year before), I got Deceptively Delicious for Christmas and after a year (or two?) now, I'm still doing it. Some favorite simple sneaks are cauliflower puree in mashed potatoes or scrambled eggs, sweet potato or squash puree in mac and cheese and carrot or any orange veggie puree in spaghetti sauce. I've also gotten in the habit of putting flax seed meal in our foods too (especially spaghetti sauce). A bunch of the recipes from DD are really good, especially the muffin recipes. And we all like the coconut chicken fingers too. Yum!

Sickness

2009-01-29T20:50:00.003-05:00

Over the past week, Mr. P had a nasty cold (runny nose and cough) along with getting roseola. After staying home with him Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and of course the weekend, he is finally feeling better. And after missing work for two days, a good-bye party for friends Saturday night and our nephew's baptism on Sunday, I'm thrilled that I am now sick with an upper respiratory cold. Ugh. These are the times when it's not so fun being a mom.

No.

2009-01-19T19:59:00.003-05:00

Mr. P has learned the word, "No."

And not just mimicking his parents saying, "No, no!" which, for a while, was actually pretty cute. No, now he has fully grasped the meaning of the word and figured out that he can say it to state his independence.

Me: "Did you poop? Ok, come here, it's time to change your diaper."
Mr. P: "No." [with sly smile across his face]
Me: ...

Joy of all joys.

Bridesmaid Attire

2009-01-05T06:16:00.002-05:00

As just mentioned, I have the privilege of being the Matron-of-Honor in one of my best-girlfriend's wedding. I'm excited because I've already got my attire for the event! The bride found a STEAL at jcrew.com, which us bridesmaids were lucky enough to benefit from. Here's a pic of the beautiful dress:

And this past weekend, I found the shoes! The bride requested that we get silver shoes, but that we could pick out whatever style we wanted. I, of course, cleared them with her first and luckily she gave the thumbs up. Here's a pic of them I took with my phone in the store:

Summer of Weddings

2009-01-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

A couple years ago we had a couple of summers full of weddings. You know, the usual couple of years out of college and your friends start getting married thing. The last year or two have been pretty slow on the wedding-tip, but now it looks like we're going to have another round of fun weddings to attend this year.

March - Wedding in Chicago for HH's good friend (and ex-girlfriend) from high school
May - Wedding in Iowa for my Homegirl (for which I am lucky enough to be Matron-of-Honor)
May - Wedding in Maine for my second cousin
September - Wedding in Maryland for my friend from grad school

Looks like it's going to be a busy spring/summer/fall!

Trucktown

2008-12-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

If Mr. P could live anywhere, I'm sure he'd live in Trucktown. He loves trucks. Not so much the pick-up trucks, think bigger. Dump trucks, big rigs, that kind of thing. From a child development stand point, I was really curious to watch his interests develop. To see if he would automatically have an affinity for "boy things" or if he'd like everything just the same, or what. But he has taken off with the truck thing. Not only does he clearly love his books on trucks, but he now plays with his toy trucks, "driving" them around with sound effects and all.

The cutest is when we're driving. We'll pass a big truck (most of the time, I'm not even aware) and here's the conversation that follows:

Mr. P: More! (said simultaneously as he makes the sign for more)
Me: More? Oh! More trucks? Well, we'll see... I don't see any others around right now...
Mr. P: More!
Me: Well, we have to pass one on the road. We'll see...
Mr. P: More!
...
Mr. P: More! More!
Me: Ok, ok... I think I see one up ahead...

Mr. Yuk

2008-11-18T20:48:00.005-05:00

Yup, that's right, the seal is broken. A couple of weeks ago, I had to make my first call to the State Poison Center. Turns out antibacterial hand lotion isn't a death sentence if injested in a small amount. Good to know for when your 17 month old son comes running into your room, open bottle of lotion in hand, with the evidence all over his mouth. Yum.

New Teeth

2008-10-14T07:44:00.001-04:00

Mr. P cut his two bottom molars previously, and cut this two top molars shortly after at about 15 months. Last night, we just noticed that he's now cut his top two cuspids (or canine teeth - the sharp pointy ones). In general, teething hasn't seemed to bother Mr. P too much. However, the top molars and these top cuspids seem to be really bothering him. He hasn't been sleeping well and he's definitely been more on the cranky side. So, we keep the motrin flowing and hope they don't take too long to come in. Poor kid.

Mr. P's Favorites: Signs

2008-10-13T22:11:00.002-04:00

At about 9 months, when Mr. P began waving hello we started focusing on introducing "baby sign language." We've got a DVD and tons of books with examples of babies signing. But, Mr. P didn't really seem to show interest, so we I slacked off. He always really liked looking at those books though, which I assumed was because they're loaded with pictures of babies. Then, all of a sudden at about 10-11 months old, we were reading one of the baby sign language books and out of no where he started doing them! Since then, he's slowly been adding to his "vocabulary."

Some of his favorites include:

Fish (Have I mentioned, he's obsessed with Finding Nemo?)
Dog
Kitty
Ball
Baby
Light
Bunny/Flower (they're the same sign)
Bath time
Brush teeth/toothbrush
More
Hot
Shhh!
Ice Cream
All done (not perfected yet, but getting there!)

He's just starting to do these now:
Thank you
Banana
Apple

On a related note, he's also blowing kisses, giving high fives, clinking glasses (like when you toast) and giving fist pound explosions, including the sound effect. Of course, the last one is all thanks to HH and it's the cutest thing ever! Now HH is trying to teach him 'noggin' which consists of them bumping heads. Sounds dangerous to me...

Mr. P's Favorites: Foods

2008-10-08T22:00:00.000-04:00

Favorite foods:
tacos (soft shell with ground turkey that HH makes are a clear favorite)
ravioli
grilled cheese
chicken nuggets
peaches (he'd eat a whole one if we ever let him)
lemon slices
mandarin orange slices
anything with either ketchup or ranch dressing on it
ice cream (any flavor will do, he'll even eat sliced up prunes if they're with a little vanilla ice cream)
saltine crackers
goldfish
fig newtons

You'll notice there are no veggies on this list! He used to be really good about eating veggies, but not so much anymore... I guess it was only a matter of time.

Now that he's got his four molars in, he's having lots of fun chewing up new foods. His hands still do most of the work, but he usually insists on having a fork with his meal to assist in the shoveling. I swear, I think he's the cutest when he's eating (except for when he's flinging his sippy cup or throwing food on the ground!).

A few more updates

2008-08-11T10:14:00.002-04:00

Weekend before last, Mr. P began self-initiated walking. At least, that's what I'm calling it. Before, we'd need to encourage him to walk to us, usually with lots of "Com'on, com'on! You can do it!" But last weekend, I turned the corner and saw Mr. P up and walking all on his own! Since then, he's just gotten stronger and more confident.

Just this past weekend, Mr. P showed us that he can now go from sitting to standing up with no help at all. No need to hold onto the wall, a chair, or us. He just pushes up through his legs to a straight standing position. He could tell we were thrilled (with all our jumping up and down and screaming) so then he started doing it just to get our reaction. He must think we're such freaks!

Also, this past Saturday Mr. P decided that he wants to eat with a fork now. Out of no where he started pointing and grunting at our forks. So, we gave him one and he started feeding himself! Granted, he needs help getting the food stuck onto the end of the fork (he doesn't quite understand why when he puts the food on the fork it just falls off), but he's actually doing quite well!

Last but not least, last week he discovered airplanes. I swear, he's got some kind of airplane radar because he can spot them out of no where. He'll point up to the sky and start talking and laughing. I finally look up and realize, oh, yes, there is an airplane up there! How do kids know to get excited about that kind of thing???

Toddler-hood

2008-07-30T20:44:00.002-04:00

I guess Mr. P has officially become a toddler. Craziness. It's hard to believe he turned 14 months old just a few days ago. The biggest and most exciting update is that he's really starting to learn how to walk! He's been flirting with the idea for a while now, but when we were on vacation visiting family a couple of weeks ago, he actually took his first few steps. It was really awesome that so many family members could be there to see it. Since then, he's getting better and better. He's quite good now walking while holding onto just one hand, instead of two. And last week he hit his all time best of ten steps completely on his own. Walking towards HH seems to be a good motivator. Well, that or ice cream.

Along the lines of motor skill development, he has totally mastered climbing up the stairs. We have gates at the bottom of our stairs, so originally he wasn't getting much exposure to the stairs. But one day, when a gate was left open, we saw Mr. P heading for the stairs and decided to just wait and see what happened. Well, to our surprise, he started climbing up the stairs like it was no big deal! I'm wondering if maybe he got some practice in at daycare (I keep forgetting to ask). Going down the stairs is another story. However, just last week, something clicked and he realized he needs to go backwards down the stairs. With a few more days of practice, I'm sure he'll be mastering that skill too!

Also, just tonight, we realized that Mr. P cut not one, but TWO molars!!! And we didn't even know it! I'd noticed that he seemed to be drooling excessively again, and I mentioned to HH that I thought he was probably teething. But the last time I checked, there was nothing. And now, there's two! No wonder he hasn't been sleeping that great... poor kid just needed some Tylenol!

On a not so great note, Mr. P's separation anxiety has seemed to finally kick in. It probably started at about 13 months or so. And silly me, I thought we might just skip right over that... Now he seems much more sensitive when HH or I are out of eyesight, and if we leave him with family so we can have a night out, he commonly won't take his bedtime-bottle. Seems as though he's becoming quite particular in his old age.

More and more of his personality is coming out every day, including his growing desire for independence. The little previews of temper tantrums are the best. Gotta love the 8-second silent cry. He truly is becoming a toddler... what are we to do?

2nd Summer Jam

2008-06-27T10:19:00.001-04:00

Oh. My. Gawd. I was searching on YouTube for the video of this song, so I could post it as my 2nd fave summer jam this year. And look what I found! HOW PERFECT! HA HA HA!

Shpushhhssshhhhsssshhhh

2008-06-24T14:03:00.002-04:00

That's the sound of the air freshener being sprayed in the bathroom that's basically in my office at work, which has inspired the following...

Public Service Announcement:
For the sake of those who are left dealing with the aftermath of your 'personal doings' (read: ME):
1. Use the bathroom down the hall that doesn't open up directly to my office.
2. If you MUST use this bathroom (only in case of GI emergency), there's no need to spray air freshener for 30 seconds straight. Two to three slight mists should do it. If I can literally taste the air freshener, you've sprayed way too much.
3. See #1.

New Words!

2008-06-23T21:01:00.002-04:00

Mr. P has begun adding some actual words to his vocabulary. He's been saying, "Uh oh!" for a few weeks now. We also think he's been saying "yes" and "what" but it's been hard to call. It's always a question of, did he really just say those words, or was that just more baby blabber that just happened to sound like words we know? Handsome Hubby has been giving Mr. P the benefit of the doubt, but I've been a bit more skeptical. However, this past Sunday Mr. P absolutely said two new words, both clear as a bell.

As we were getting ready to head out the door, I was gathering stuff for his diaper bag and HH was getting Mr. P ready.
HH: "Ok, time to get your shoes on. Where's your shoe?"
Mr. P: "Shoooe."
HH: "WHAT? That's right! SHOE!"
Mr. P: "Shoe."
Unfortunately, I totally missed it. And of course, as quick as he said it, he stopped saying it!

But then, we all pile into the car and we're driving along...
RSM: "Hey, look at all the cars..."
Mr. P: "Cars."
RSM: "That's right! Cars!"
Mr. P: "Ca. Hars."
Again, as quick as he said it, he stopped saying it... despite us trying all day to get him to repeat his new words.

Summer Jam

2008-06-18T10:11:00.000-04:00

This is officially my summer jam of '08:

First Base

2008-06-18T09:55:00.002-04:00

Mr. P turned one last month. It's crazy to think that it's already been a year. He's crawling with lightening fast speed now, and cruising all over the place. He was saying "yes" a lot, but I guess he's bored with that now. The new phrase is "uh oh!" which never gets old.

The latest is that he's into kissing. The only thing is that he doesn't quite understand that it's supposed to be with a closed mouth. So he's basically crawling around trying to open-mouth kiss anything that moves! Ahhh... we're so proud of our little boy! ;-)

Vegas, Baby! and First Mother's Day

2008-05-21T22:17:00.001-04:00

Two weekends ago, Handsome Hubby and I had a mini-vaca in Vegas! The main reason for going was for my very good girlfriend's wedding, but the side perk was some QT for us. We stayed at the Green Valley Ranch and Resort, which was beautiful. We checked out the strip one night, which included dinner at SEABLUE at MGM Grand followed by the Blue Man Group show at the Venetian. We also made a point of checking out the fountains in front of the Bellagio, which is much better in person than seeing it in movies or on TV. In addition, HH surprised me with a spa day as an early Mother's Day gift! So on the day of the wedding, I got to enjoy an hour long massage, a manicure and a pedicure. It was beyond lovely!

One of the major events of the weekend actually happened not in Vegas, but at home. Of course, Mr. P chose this weekend to start crawling! We were thinking he was just going to skip the whole crawling thing, but apparently he was just waiting for us to get out of his hair! Figures!

Once home, we celebrated actual Mother's Day with a yummy breakfast made by HH and some good chill-time. Mostly we just marveled and laughed at Mr. P crawling all over the place. It truly is a whole new world now!

Cut the Croup and Give Me that Spoon!

2008-05-03T16:53:00.006-04:00

After a 12:30am visit to a nighttime care center (a big thank you goes to them for staying open late for us!), it turns out Mr. P has croup. We had a friend over for dinner last night, which was lots of fun. Mr. P was a little fussy, but he went to bed fine. Later, after our friend went home, HH and I checked on him before going to bed. That's when we noticed that he seemed to be having a hard time breathing. Suddenly, he woke up and starting coughing a lot and had some noticeable wheezing type sounds while breathing. Of course, we were pretty nervous and quickly decided to take him to the doctor. I had heard of croup before, but since Mr. P is our first kid, I didn't confidently recognize the "barking" cough. We'll see how tonight goes, but hopefully the steroid treatment is helping. Thankfully, Mr. P has been a trooper and doesn't seem too bothered by it all.

On another note, last Monday night Mr. P decided to show us some new tricks. For the first time he started to actually clap rather than just flailing his arms around frantically in excitement. Not that he's stopped flailing, but now he'll throw in some clapping every once in a while too. Also, he started cruising for the first time! He was standing and holding onto our ottoman and slowly began making his way toward the ever elusive kitchen spoon sitting at the other end. (Forget the million toys he has, all he ever really wants are remote controls, phones and kitchen utensils.) He's definitely still in the beginning stages, but it was really exciting to watch!

Busy Bees

2008-04-25T14:35:00.004-04:00

We've been some busy bees lately. HH and I spent our first night away from Mr. P for Valentine's day (see how far behind I am?). We 'got away' to the city and enjoyed some sight seeing, awesome dinner in Little Italy and a very cozy stay in a B&B which included room service the next day. I have to admit I over indulged a little bit (read: drank too much), but I think it was just an expression of the relief of having a night off. Not that I didn't toooootally miss Mr. P, because I totally did, but it was good to get away.

Since then, I've also been away from Mr. P while at a conference for work. That was for 3 days (2 nights) which was much harder. By the time the third day rolled around, I was itching to get home. And what I expected was true, it was MUCH harder on me. He didn't even notice, I'm sure. :-p

It's hard to believe Mr. P is almost a year old (he turned 11 months old yesterday). He's truly becoming a toddler now and much less of a baby (sniff, sniff). Every day his personality comes out more and more. He's a very giggly kid, which is awesome. Pretty much, if you just look at him funny, he'll bust out in the giggles. It's the greatest sound I've ever heard. He's also babbling tons more now. Sometimes it really seems like he's trying to talk to us and communicate. He's the master of the sippy cup now, and even sipping out of a straw (HH worked hard with him on that one!). He's still not crawling but has learned to be mobile in other ways, usually consisting of rolling and scooting across the floor. He'll pull up to standing now, especially if he has some motivation (read: remote control on the couch). We're also doing our best to discourage him from biting, but I guess he likes to work out his eight teeth(!). We're still working on clapping, but he's great at waving good bye and hello, and is currently mastering the "sooooo big" arm raise. I swear, I'm going to blink and he's going to be running circles around me asking, "But Mommy, why? Why? Why?" Won't that be fun? ;-p

The one constant thing in life...

2008-02-29T21:36:00.003-05:00

...is change. And with that in mind, you may have noticed that "Truly Outrageous" has undergone a little bit of renovation. Not a full face lift, but just a little botox if you will. Crazy to think that this was started almost three years ago! My how life changes. I'm genuinely excited to see where I'll be in another three years...

- ~~Rambler~~ Rock Star Mama

Baby Blabber

2008-02-20T15:04:00.004-05:00

At four days shy of being 9 months old, here's an update on Mr. P...

No crawling yet. He's great sitting on his own; he hardly ever falls over. When we force him to his tummy, he usually just rolls over. But occasionally he'll hang out for a little bit and once or twice we've caught him starting to get up onto all fours. Today I caught him getting to all fours and then to his hands and feet, with his booty way up in the air. But as quick as it happened, it was over. It's cool though. I'm in no rush for him to start crawling. I know our world is going to be VERY different once he becomes mobile. Not to mention all the baby-proofing we still have to do. (shudder)

We think Mr. P's begun to wave "bye-bye." At first, I didn't believe HH when he told me, but I have to admit I think he's right. It's still very sporadic, but something about it definitely seems purposeful sometimes. And of course now we're obsessed with it. Even if we're just going to the bathroom, we try to get him to wave. Poor kid...

About a month ago (right when he got sick) we noticed that it looked like we was cutting two more teeth. Turns out we were right. He cut his third tooth right at 8 months with the fourth tooth following shortly after. They're all on the bottom, so hopefully he'll get some top teeth next?

He's getting really good with his hands. If a toy (or anything really... apparently the tv remote is just as good) is within his grasp, he's got it. And he's getting better and better with cheerios and fruit puffs. The funniest is to watch him try to eat the ones that get stuck on the back of his hand or wrist. I swear, I can hear him thinking, 'Ah ha! You silly cheerio! You thought you tricked me, but I'm too good for you! [munch, munch, munch]'

Lastly, Mr. P is now quite fluent in Baby Blabber. There's definitely still lots of growling, but more and more there are da-da's, ba-ba's, ra-ra's, and now even some ma-ma's. I can't help but think those are the best!

Bath time... for my sinuses

2008-02-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

I finally tried it. Today I bought myself a Neti Pot. And although it is true that I belong to the Church of Oprah, I've actually wanted one since before it was featured on her program. I think I first heard about it in my yoga class, when I was taking prenatal yoga. I have pretty bad allergies so I've been interested to see if it would help any with my congestion. I wish I had gotten it sooner as I was battling a really bad head cold last week, but better late than never. Anywho... it's definitely a weird sensation that I'll need to get used to, feeling the salty water in my nose and sinuses, but it wasn't so weird that I won't do it again. I didn't get the gobs of nasty boogers I was expecting (still not sure if that's a good thing or not), but I definitely feel like it helped clear things out a bit. I'll be interested to see if I notice a difference after using it on a regular basis...

My Guilty Pleasure

2008-02-07T19:54:00.000-05:00

My current guilty pleasure is American Idol. And by FAR my favorite clip so far this season is this one...

In particular, two parts:
1. 1:05 "Welcome to the New City, baby."
2. 1:21 "...to the ~~toe~~ nipple."

I. was. rolling.

For real?

2008-01-30T15:51:00.000-05:00

Are you kidding me?

.

Sicky Poo

2008-01-27T13:21:00.000-05:00

Mr. P is battling his first official cold. On Thursday night we noticed that he had a runny nose and on Friday morning the nose was still running and he had a low-grade fever. I stayed home from work to take care of my little Sicky Poo. By mid-afternoon his fever reached 102F so it was time for Tylenol. Thankfully, that worked like a charm and by Friday night he seemed to be doing much better. By Saturday he still had a runny nose but no fever, so we thought we were nearly out of the woods, but no such luck.

Saturday night he woke up about two hours after going down for the night. He was hysterical and had a face full of snot (you know, the bubbly snot sick kids get which I had always been totally disgusted by until it was my own kid). So there we are, two new parents hovering over our sick baby blowing nose-snot bubbles. After some traumatic (and yet very productive) nasal aspiration, many many tears, a scratchy throat after crying so much, and about an hour of being held and comforted by his mommy, Mr. P was finally able to settle down and fall back asleep. Poor kid. Thankfully, he was able to sleep through the rest of the night without too much trouble and our friends we were entertaining were very patient and understanding. He seems to be doing ok today, but we'll see how tonight goes...

What's the point?

2008-01-09T10:42:00.000-05:00

At the end of October I started my new job. I'm now working 4 days a week in a different department (I was looking for something part-time). It's a long story, but things miraculously worked out just the way I had hoped! Thankfully, I'm still working at the same academic institution, which typically I really enjoy because I get to be involved in giving some lectures and supervising students. However, yesterday was a different story...

Yesterday I spent two hours with some first year medical students. They're in a genetics unit now and had been given some questions to work out on their own. We met to go over the answers but they get the answers the next day anyway. So the real point of us meeting is so that I can not only answer their questions about the problem set, but add some perspective about why this information is useful in a clinical setting. This is really an opportunity for them to learn about the clinical application of these concepts. I mean, these are clinical providers in training, right? One would think they'd be excited to talk and learn from someone who uses these concepts daily in treating and managing patients, right? Unfortunately, it ended up being a complete waste of my time and their time.

The entire time consisted of me pulling teeth to get them to vocalize anything, much less ask me any questions. I left there so aggravated because as much as I tried to throw in clinical relevance on my own, it is not my job to shove it down their throats. I'm there as a FAVOR. My department does not pay me for these activities and I'm really there as an opportunity for THEM. But they were so focused on getting the answers and getting out of there, they totally lost perspective on the point that I was there as a resource for them. It was not only short sighted, but disrespectful to me. So don't think that I didn't shoot off an email to the faculty in charge of organizing the groups as soon as I got back to my office. Thankfully, she was very receptive and agreed that they were totally missing the point. We're doing it again next week with a new problem set, so I guess we'll see how it goes...

First Haircut

2008-01-08T16:34:00.001-05:00

At 7 1/2 months, Mr. P got his first haircut last night. I didn't cry, but I wanted to.

Gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

2008-01-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... where to start? The holidays seemed to sneak up on us this year. It's hard to believe that they're over and it's 2008 already.

Mr. P took his first real road trip to visit family for Christmas (8 1/2 hr drive). Thankfully, he did great. We tried to drive through the night and despite it totally wrecking our internal clocks, Mr. P did wonderfully. He slept almost the whole way. We had a blast introducing him to his extended family. And of course, they totally spoiled him with tons of attention... and toys! Lucky Mr. P!

It's hard to believe he turned 7 months old on Christmas Eve. He's sitting up on his own like a champ now and he's getting better with his hands every day. It's so fun to watch him look at a toy and realize that he can grab it himself (which of course is proceeded by him trying to shove it directly into his mouth). Also, we've realized that we really need to keep on top of trimming his nails as he's now "The Pincher." And most often, it's our faces that are getting pinched. Ouch! Lastly, a couple of weeks ago he discovered he could say "da da da" and "ba ba ba." However, he's over it now. I guess he figures it's not really that fun and has gone back to perfecting his tiger impersonation, which consists of making lots of very intimidating growling noises. He's really getting pretty good. I think he even scares himself sometimes!

First Flight

2007-11-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Mr. P took his first airplane ride! We flew down to Florida for a long weekend to visit family. The most exciting part of the trip was that he got to meet his great-grandparents for the first time. We kept it a secret, so it was a big surprise to them. It was awesome! It was pretty emotional for me and a memory I will treasure. Hopefully we'll be able to go again before too long.

I was worried about how Mr. P would do with the change in air pressure, but he did great on both flights. I followed sound advice and nursed him on the take off and landing. He slept most of the way, waking up about 30 minutes before we landed each time. Fortunately, we had some help as his aunt and uncle were on the same flights with us. Always helpful to have some extra hands!

Food Trials

2007-11-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

Mr. P has been having fun putting his taste buds to good use. Well, maybe he's not having so much fun, but Handsome Hubby and I are! We started with rice cereal and then oatmeal at about 4 1/2 months. For the first couple of weeks he really wasn't havin' it. He wasn't sure about the whole spoon thing, and for sure didn't know what to do with these new textures and tastes. But despite his sour faces, we followed everyone's advice and kept trying.

Then, all of a sudden, he started actually eating it (rather than just doing tongue thrusts and spitting it all out). Now at 5 1/2 months he's actually smacking his lips and doing really well with it. So far he's had apple sauce, sweet potatoes, peas (NOT a fave), and pears. Seems like pears are the favorite so far. Next are green beans. Yum, yum!

That's sharp!

2007-10-15T15:54:00.000-04:00

It's been an exciting couple of days for Mr. P. Yesterday we noticed that he cut his first tooth! We were surprised because they say the average age is 6 months and he's not quite 5 months yet. And man, is that sucker sharp! Apparently it doesn't seem to get in the way of sucking his fingers too much or blowing tons of raspberries (his new favorite hobby).

Then, today he decided it was time to start rolling from his back to his belly! Just like that. And now he won't stop. I look over and he's on his back. I look back two seconds later and he's on his belly. Thankfully he hasn't figured out that he can use these skills to actually get somewhere... he just rolls forward and back, forward and back. I'm sure it won't be long though!

4 months or Tough Couple of Days

2007-10-04T07:34:00.000-04:00

Mr. P had his 4 month check-up on Monday. The check-up went great, he's growing well and on target for development. He's in the 90th %tile for length and 70th %tile for weight, which basically means he's a long string bean! Unfortunately for him though, the visit also meant another round of vaccination shots. Last time (at 2 months) he was fussy for a couple of days afterward, and it looks like this time is no different. Plus, we also discovered he had a slight adhesion (from the circumcision) which meant we had to gently(?) separate it. POOR KID!!!

To make matters worse, on Tuesday he had major problems taking his morning bottle at daycare. We got a call from Miss W (our daycare provider) telling us that Mr. P only drank a little and then vomited everywhere. Turns out the bottle smelled like soap so apparently it didn't get rinsed enough when we washed it (how guilty do I feel?). Thankfully this is exactly why we always give her one extra bottle.

And it doesn't stop there... he didn't sleep very well last night at all. Yesterday he didn't poop all day. So I think he might have had some gas issues again last night. It's hard to know though because he could still be fussy from the shots, or I noticed this morning that he's a bit congested so maybe he's fighting a cold? Or maybe a combo of things? Who knows. What I do know is that this week has been tough. Poor lil' guy.

Baked Apples

2007-09-28T09:06:00.000-04:00

(not my apples pictured)

A couple of weeks ago I tried my best to make baked apples. It was a side dish to crab cakes that HH made for some friends we were entertaining. I got the recipe from allrecipes, which I love because they have tons of reviews from people who have tried the recipes before. A couple of suggestions I used included halving the apples, putting water in the bottom of the baking dish, and increasing the cooking time. The recipe says 15 mins will do but that was no where close. I cooked them for 45 mins and they still could have gone longer. Also, I used red apples (pink lady) instead of green. The flavor turned out great and I'll definitely make them again.

Sleep Trials

2007-09-27T20:59:00.000-04:00

In general, Mr. P's been sleeping pretty well. He's still not sleeping completely through the night like he used to though. Most nights I have to go in two or three times, just to put the pacifier back in his mouth. From what I hear from other moms, it's not too uncommon for babies to go through this stage.

One night earlier this week though, Mr. P couldn't sleep ALL NIGHT LONG. HH got up with him 2 or 3 times, and I got up with him 4 or 5 times. And it wasn't the usual sleepy-fuss till he got his pacifier back, he would completely wake up and start crying. Very unusual for him. Looking back on it, I think he had a bad tummy ache or bad gas. He hadn't pooped all day and I think he was just trying to 'work it out' (a phrase we use all too often around here now!). Thankfully though, seems like it was just that one night... well, until it happens again. Believe me, work the next day was not fun for either of us!

Extra Flav-ah

2007-09-20T13:17:00.001-04:00

Last weekend the three of us met up with another couple to have some fun shopping at the Farmer's Market. We got some honey crisp apples (favorite kind of apple), homemade soaps, and yummy peaches. Was just eating a peach for lunch... perfectly ripe and juicy! And apparently the little wiggly worm inside thought so too! AHHH!

I was perfectly happy eating my peach when I noticed a little bad spot. Ok, no big deal. I scraped it out and just as I was going in for the next bite, I barely noticed the worm in time. Of course I shrieked like a baby and dropped the peach immediately. I still can't stop thinking about it, I think I might be sick!!!!!

Sweet Dreams?

2007-09-18T19:21:00.000-04:00

In the past couple of weeks we've really realized how much Mr. P had been spoiling us with his awesome sleep habits. At 5 weeks he started sleeping from about 10:30pm to 4:30am. Then at 7-8 weeks he started sleeping from about 10:30pm to 7am, give or take. Truth be told, he even slept until 8am a few times. We've truly been spoiled. I've learned to not volunteer this information to other new parents for risk of getting the evil eye and completely shunned. New parent + sleep deprivation = nasty temper.

But suddenly things changed. A string of interrupted nights started last week.

Night 1*: went down at 10pm, woke at 11pm, woke at 2:30am, and again at 3:30am before waking up for the day at 6am.

Night 2: went down around 10:30pm, woke at 4am.

Night 3: went down around 10:00pm, woke at 4:30am.

Night 4: went down around 10:30pm, woke at 5:00am.

Night 5: went down around 10:30pm, woke at 4:00am.

*all times are approximate due to half-sleep fog

Now, I realize that most of those nights are still really good for the average 3 1/2 month old. But when you're used to sleeping through the night until at least 6am, it's a shock. At that point in time, we were still swaddling him with the miracle blanket. Almost each time he woke up, when we went in to check on him, he had wiggled out of the blanket. But it's the chicken and egg scenario. Did he wake up because he had wiggled out of the blanket, or did he wiggle out of the blanket because he had woken up?

Who knows, but we decided to try putting him down without being swaddled to see if that would change anything. He's almost old enough now at 16 weeks that he should have grown out of the startle reflex, which would be the cause of waking himself up without the blanket. Plus, the package for the miracle blanket says to use it only until 4 months, and Mr. P is already as big (if not bigger) than the average 4 month old. So for the last two nights, we've given it a shot:

Night 1: went down at 10:00pm, woke at 11:30pm, woke at 1:00am, woke at 2:30am, and again at 4:00am before waking up for the day at 5:30am.

Night 2: went down at 10:30pm, woke at 11:30pm, and again at 3:30am before waking up for the day at 6:30am.

Seeing that last night was better than the first, I'm hoping this is a good trend. The good thing is that it usually doesn't take much to get him back to sleep. Sometimes it's as simple as putting his pacifier back in his mouth, rubbing his back a little and providing some soothing "shhhhh"ing. We'll see. I think both Handsome Hubby and I are trying to avoid the "cry it out" method if we can but we're also both working now and can't do this for too much longer. I guess we'll see what happens.

Fuzzy Bunnies

2007-09-17T14:47:00.000-04:00

They say you don't shed as much while preggers, something about your body being in 'production mode' and not letting anything go. Well apparently I'm making up for it now. After every shower there's a family of hair balls on the shower floor. Our bathroom floor is no longer white, but rather a light brown because it's covered with a layer of my long hair. And despite constantly wiping it all up, it magically re-appears. Gross.

Summer Dinner or Some Much Needed Adult Time

2007-08-30T20:42:00.000-04:00

Last Friday we had some good friends over for a nice summer dinner and some much needed adult time. And guess what, *I* actually made the dinner! Aren't you proud? I made pulled pork in the crock pot, which was SO EASY! It was my first time making it, and I don't know what I haven't made it earlier. It was super easy and very yummy. We also had coleslaw (which I made), corn on the cob, and watermelon. For dessert I made brownies, with a hint of almond flavor. Served with a bit of vanilla ice cream, it was the perfect ending.

More than the good food, I really enjoyed the good company. It was the first time in a looooong time that I enjoyed some nice cocktails and actually stayed up past 11 o'clock (I think it was 3:30am when we called it a night!). Mr. P was very accommodating, as he was fed around 9pm and went right to sleep. He must have known that his Mommy and Daddy really needed some adult time. I must admit though, 7am came *very* early the next morning!

3 months!

2007-08-26T09:35:00.000-04:00

Mr. P turned 3 months old on Friday. I can't believe it's already been 3 months. This week was a big week, as it was his first week in daycare. I'm working part-time right now, so he's in daycare 3 days a week. The first day was full of tears... from me, not him. He was totally fine, as I knew he would be. And I was a total wreck, as I knew I would be! I knew it would be hard, but it's really one of those things I could never be prepared for. You just can't understand really what it's like until you're 'in it'. I've been surprised by how strong my maternal instinct is. I guess I just never really thought I would feel any kind of 'instinct' but now I know better. And believe me, it goes totally against my instinct to leave him with someone else for 10 hours a day. I just try to keep reminding myself that this is a totally normal adjustment period, that it will get better, and we WILL adjust.

In other news, it's also a big week because Mr. P is officially rolling over! He did roll over (from belly to back) once when he was 9 weeks old, but that was a total fluke as he didn't do it again since... until today! This morning he rolled over three times in a row! So, we think he's officially hit that milestone. Congrats, Mr. P!

P.S. Sabra won! Wahoo!

The latest in our world

2007-08-07T21:03:00.001-04:00

Breastfeeding: Survived a clogged duct last week. Over a couple of days I noticed that an area on one of my breasts became kind of hard and extremely tender. Fun. Fortunately, after some warm showers, hot compresses, and massaging it till it was raw, it finally un-clogged. Or is it de-clogged? Whichever, all that matters is that it's gone now!

Chatter box: Mr. P is cooing more than ever and it's the cutest thing I've ever heard! He's gotten really good at making the sound, "ooooh." I understand if this seems underwhelming, but to us it means he must be the smartest baby ever!

Job: My maternity leave is technically up at the end of next week. Yes, that means less than two weeks left. And do I know what's happening with my work situation? No, of course not. And yes, I am completely stressed out about it. Fortunately, it looks like things are moving ahead. As of today, I have two job offers (did I say I'll be going back part-time?). It's complicated and way too much to get into, but my decision depends upon whether someone else will accept a position or not... like I said, too much to get into here, but just trust me that it's convoluted and making things much more stressful. Argh. I just want it all sorted out as soon as possible. The clock is ticking.

Daycare: Mr. P met his daycare lady today. It really hit me that in less than two weeks we'll be handing him over for 10 hours at a time to a woman we hardly know. WHAT? When I think of it like that, I think we must be crazy. So I try to remind myself that she's a professional, has over 20 years of experience, the socialization will be good for him, she'll love him dearly, etc etc etc. Then I go into a corner and cry.

Yoga: It's going well. Mr. P has stayed awake for the last couple of classes and we've had lots of fun. I'm hoping that one of my days off of work will be the same as the class so we can continue taking it. It'd be fun to continue with it has he grows and is able to do more stuff.

SYTYCD: Anyone else watching? I LOVE it! My current fave is Sabra. Girl can DANCE! Man do I miss taking classes. I keep meaning to check out a new studio that I noticed in my area... it's always so hard to find a place with good adult classes. But I try to stay optimistic. We'll see.

Om, Om, Shanti Baby

2007-07-20T10:24:00.000-04:00

This week Mr. P and I went to a yoga class together for the first time. The place where I took prenatal yoga offers a "Baby and Me" class. Basically it's a yoga class where the baby is incorporated into the poses, by either holding him in your arms or putting him on your legs, that kind of thing. It's a great way to exercise and bond with him at the same time.

So I was all excited to get my yoga on with Mr. P, but I guess he had different plans. He fell asleep in the car on the way there and decided to sleep through the whole class! Ah well, maybe he'll be awake for next week's class. I should be careful what I wish for, huh?

8 weeks

2007-07-19T11:18:00.000-04:00

We're at 8 weeks and 12 pounds, today. And what have I learned so far?

Lesson 1: You can't truly understand sleep deprivation until you've lived it. And while people mean well when they say, "Just sleep when the baby sleeps" it just isn't that simple. When else would I eat or shower? Plus, I've learned that I do NOT function well with just an hour or two of sleep here and there. Thankfully, Mr. P must take after his parents because he's quite the sleepy head. I'm now regularly getting 4-6 hours of sleep at night, which is a BLESSING.

Lesson 2: Whoever says breastfeeding doesn't hurt is LYING. While it may be true that for some women it doesn't hurt, you just can't make that generalization for all. I am here to tell you that it does hurt me. In the beginning it would hurt for the first two minutes, right after he latched on. We're talking, take your breath away, toe curling pain. Not fun. Then around 5 weeks it faded. Phew. Except... now it's back again. Argh.

Lesson 3: Babies grunt in their sleep! At least, Mr. P does. I never realized that babies could be so loud while they sleep. It really is the funniest thing. He'll be sound asleep, then throw his legs up and grunt, grunt, grunt! Usually he'll let out a fart or two (or poop), and go back to being quiet, all without waking up. It's amazing... and also why he was quickly moved from our bedroom into his nursery.

Lesson 4: It's incredible how many nicknames you can create for this little being. Just to name a few: sweet boy, little buddy, fart monster, monkey feet, and my favorite, stinka tush.

Lesson 5: Beer tastes good. Okay, well I knew that before. But oh, how it tastes so good after 9 loooong months...

Lesson 6: Swaddling is KEY. When we first brought him home from the hospital we kept him swaddled most of the time. But after the first couple of weeks, we started swaddling him less and less. Now we pretty much just swaddle when he's tired for naps during the day, and definitely when it's sleepy time at night. It's amazing how it allows him to settle down and fall asleep. Plus, he doesn't wake himself up with flailing arms.

Lesson 7: Borrowing is also key. We've borrowed a swing, bouncy chair, and bath tubs from our lovely neighbors. Not only has it saved us money, but when Mr. P is done with everything, we don't have to worry about storing it all in our lil' townhouse!

Lesson 8: It's true when they say it will get better. I think week 7 was a real turning point for me. I'm finally feeling more comfortable in this new role. I feel like I know Mr. P better and have a better sense of what he's trying to tell me, or what he needs. I'm sure that in no matter of time we'll have a bad day or something and I'll feel defeated again, but for now, I'm feeling good. So I'm going to bask in it, dammit!

Of course, we've learned tons of other stuff (like how our lives will NEVER be the same again), but that's a pretty good list for now...

Introducing...

2007-06-05T14:20:00.000-04:00

...Mr. P! Peanut was born on May 24th at 6:18pm; only three days late (argh!). He weighed in at 7lbs 14oz, and 20.8in long. Needless to say, we are still very much adjusting to our new lives. But we're getting there. More details to come later...

In school again...

2007-03-16T19:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, well, not really in school, but I am taking classes. Not your typical scholastic classes... yoga and birthing classes. No, not a 'yoga and birthing class,' but yoga classes and birthing classes... separately (although now I'm kind of intrigued about what a yoga-birthing class would be like...).

HH and I started taking a Bradley Method class. Don't get me wrong... I was never one to proclaim that it's 'all natural' or nothing at all. But, the more I read and research for myself, the more I'm learning about the advantages of natural childbirth. HH and I are both taking the approach that we want to educate ourselves about ALL options and possibilities so that we can then make an educated decision about what we think is best for us (which is pretty much how we tackle all things in our lives... exhausting, yes, but that's how we roll). The class we're taking is nice because it's small (only two other couples) and it's condensed with only 4 classes (which fits our schedule much easier than the usual 12). The instructor is great too because she's not die-hard. She understands that there isn't necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach to childbirth and is a little more flexible or middle-of-the-road than other instructors. So, we'll see...

The yoga class is just once a week, and so far it's been great. I've been having some lower back pain and my midwife suggested I go to a class instead of just using a DVD at home, as I had been. (Have I mentioned I'm seeing a midwife instead of a typical OB? Don't freak, we're still delivering in a hospital, I'm just much more comfortable with the 'central ethos' of midwives as opposed to a more traditional OB). The yoga class not only forces me to make time to exercise, but it's really helped with the back pain, stretching, practicing breathing techniques, developing my sense of focus, and all that good stuff! I'm just sorry I didn't start it sooner.

Besides that, the clock keeps ticking... only 9 weeks to go...

Where's the maple syrup?

2007-03-01T18:48:00.000-05:00

I haven't really had the stereotypical pregnant-cravings you hear about. No pickles and ice cream or anything crazy like that. But it seems like at certain times, particular likes or dislikes have become intensified.

For a while in the beginning I was on a total Thai food kick. I've always liked Thai food, but for whatever reason (read: hormones) I couldn't get enough. I wanted Thai food every chance I could get it. But that started to fizzle out... don't get me wrong, I still love me some Thai food, but I'm not as completely obsessed anymore.

Then there's the gum thing. I've ALWAYS been a gum chewer. But suddenly, one time I started chewing a piece and had to spit it out not 10 seconds later. And it stayed like that for a couple of months. I don't know where that aversion came from (hello, hormones?) but it's been really weird! I'm not as bad about it now, but I definitely don't have the same love for gum as I used to.

The most recent event revolved around pancakes. For a week all I could think about were pancakes. I was obsessed. All I wanted was pancakes, pancakes, PANCAKES. I talked to HH about going out for breakfast on Sunday morning. But after thinking it through, I agreed even pancakes weren't worth the 5 hour wait at Bob Evans on a Sunday morning. So we planned to make them at home instead. The unfortunate thing is that we had plans in the early afternoon, we slept in late and completely ran out of time to make those delicious pancakes I had been craving all week. Here's where 'the crazy' comes in. You have no idea how upset I was that I didn't get my pancakes. Seriously, the world had betrayed me and I had been left to die without pancakes. The good news is that I eventually got over it and was able to have a semi-normal day. The better news is that we went to Bob Evans for dinner the next night and I finally got my pancakes. Plus, HH picked up some frozen pancakes to satisfy my craziness, should it strike again. What a smartie!

Is this the homestretch?

2007-02-27T23:40:00.000-05:00

Wow. Only three months left.

Yup, I'm officially into my third trimester. So far things are still going pretty well. I'm still having back pain, and I'm thinking about going to see a prenatal chiropractor. We'll see.

HH and I just got back from a long weekend in Florida, so that was nice. We spent a couple of days on our own, and then met up with some of his family for another couple of days. It was nice just to get away, especially knowing we probably won't be able to do that again for a long time.

But, now it's back to reality. Back to work, shower invites, registries, house projects, birthing classes, birthing books... oh you know, the usual.

Funny how quickly 'the usual' can change in your life!

Dinner Party

2007-02-02T21:17:00.000-05:00

Last weekend HH and I hosted a dinner party. I guess we figure now's the time to have people over since we're sure that'll change after May. We had 3 couples over (friend's from HH's college days and their wives/girlfriends) so it was a packed table. But fortunately, everything turned out really well and I think everyone had a good time.

HH (as usual) did 99% of the cooking, and I did the 'other' stuff. What I like to call, the ambiance prep. I lit the candles around the house, set the table, tried to pick up the random clutter, that sort of thing.

We began with seafood appetizers, including coconut shrimp, mini crab cakes, and fresh crab dip with toasted french bread slices. Dinner was roasted pork tenderloin, rosemary red-skin mashed potatoes, salad, and lemon pepper broccoli. Oh, and cheese bread, which unfortunately we totally forgot about in the oven. Oops! But surprisingly enough, it was quite edible and everyone seemed to munch on that too (I think because the bread was so thick, it stayed nice and soft on the inside). I wasn't surprised, but definitely impressed at HH's ability to make such a wonderful dinner for eight in just over an hour. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I know I did!

I made dessert (can you believe it?). We had individual chocolate lava cakes with a homemade raspberry sauce, served with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a little whipped cream on the side too. YUM!

The drinks flowed all night and everyone seemed to have a good time. We even played a few rounds of Catch Phrase which ended up turning quite competitive, but overall added to the fun. That was definitely an experience though... trying to play Catch Phrase with a room full of tipsy (or way beyond tipsy) friends while you're the only completely sober one. Good times!

Seriously though, it was a great night. Thinking about it now, it is a little bitter sweet because I know our lives are going to change so much once our little-one comes. I doubt we'll be able to host a night like that again for some time, so I'm happy it worked out that we could last weekend.

(By the way, happy 100th post to me!)

Quantity vs Quality

2007-01-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

As a working woman who's now pregnant, the debate over whether to be a working mom or a stay-at-home mom (which of course is just a different kind of work) is particularly poignant. The topic was discussed yesterday on an Oprah Show and it certainly hits close to home for me.

The thing I took away the most is how extremely sad it is that there's such judgement. I don't understand how women can make gross generalizations about whether all women should stay at home or all women should work. I just don't see it like that. Assuming there is a choice (that financial circumstances don't make it such that she can't choose between staying at home and working) I think it's up to each woman and family to decide what's best for them. Why does it have to be a black and white issue? It's not either/or. Why does there have to be judgement that one way works for everyone, and if you don't subscribe to that then you're wrong? I think there are plenty of amazing children who grow up to be great adults who come from both types of families.

I feel like there's definitely this underlying feeling that if a woman chooses to work, that in someway she loves her children less. I just don't believe that's true. I think that's unfair to working moms. There are plenty of children (and now adults) who grew up with working parents who felt completely loved, and didn't feel empty or un-whole. Sure, there are sacrifices, but that's true in every family. They're just different sacrifices.

For me, the take home point is that it's about QUALITY and not quantity. Just because a mom stays at home doesn't mean she's completely connected to her children, and just because a mom works doesn't mean she's not completely connected to her children. And vice versa! It's about how the time that you are together is spent. Any woman, whether she stays at home or works outside the home, who is unfulfilled and hasn't taken care of her 'Self' isn't going to be connected or 'in tune' with her children, no matter how much or little time she spends with them. So it's up to each woman to figure out what the best way is for her, and their family.

So can we please stop placing judgement or blame on each other and just respect each other's right to choose? Wasn't that the whole point of the feminist movement???

Knock, knock. Who's there?

2007-01-16T18:19:00.000-05:00

Last night Handsome Hubby and I felt Mr. Peanut 'kick' for the first time! It was an amazing thing to feel. Up until now, I've just been feeling subtle tickles or 'butterflies' on a very occasional basis. But last night, I was definitely poked!

I was laying in bed last night, on my side, and I felt a little something. I just thought, 'Hmmm... I wonder if that was what I think it was..." I rolled over to my back and a few seconds later, I felt a definite poke! I grabbed HH's hand and put it on my belly, just in case he'd act up again. As HH said, "Nah, you're too early" he kicked again! We just looked at each other in amazement. HH put his ear right to my belly, and a minute later he kicked again! And as quick as it happened, he was done. No more entertainment for the night (at least not before I fell asleep), but that was more than enough to put me on cloud nine for all of today! I just can't wait to go back to bed tonight!

Mr. Peanut

2007-01-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

According to our latest ultrasound (Dec 21) it's Mr. Peanut, not Miss. Peanut. I have to admit that it has taken me a bit to get used to the idea of having a little boy. It's probably not uncommon, but I was (and still am a bit) nervous about having a boy... wondering if I'll be able to relate to a boy, and really be able to understand what he's going through. But the more time that goes by (and the more reassurance I get from friends), the more comfortable I become. Yes, there are differences between boys and girls, and I'm sure there will be things that I can't relate to, but 1. that's why he has a dad! and 2. the important things, the important lessons in life, are gender neutral. Plus, little boy clothes are so darn cute! Hee hee. :)

Several people have told me that boys are tougher to raise in the beginning, but are easier than girls later on (in the teenage years). If he's anything like one of my male cousins though, I better get comfortable with the local E.R. now! I guess time will tell...

Is it really almost Christmas?

2006-12-18T20:53:00.000-05:00

What's with this heat wave? It just doesn't feel like Christmas is only a week away when it's warm enough to wear a T-shirt outside. And who says global warming doesn't exist???

(courtesy of Picture Grill)

Crossed over...

2006-12-15T10:47:00.000-05:00

...to the other side. Today is the first day I'm wearing a full-on maternity outfit. Maternity shirt and maternity pants. Crazy. I've been in this awkward phase of getting this 'bump' but not actually looking pregnant to the average joe. Mostly I've been looking like I've just been drinking too much beer.

So in a dressing-meltdown this morning (me hormonal? nah) I decided to go for it. Well, not so much decided but more like I couldn't find any pants that fit except for the maternity ones. So I'm rockin a maternity outfit given to me by my mom-in-law. At least they're super cute, and I'm determined to keep wearing my 3" heels. That is, until my back goes out so bad that I'm forced to wear the aerosoles.

(sigh)

Wholly Crap.

2006-11-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

I'm still getting used to the idea... but it's true. Handsome Hubby and I are expecting!!!

From our November 8th ultrasound:

I'm now 15 weeks, which puts my due date at the end of May. Only 6 months left. ... Wholly crap, ONLY 6 MONTHS LEFT!!!

So behind!

2006-09-09T09:48:00.000-04:00

I am so behind on my posts! This summer has been so crazy, but I thought I better at least make a list of everything I need to post about so I don't forget!

-My new job
-July 4th weekend/4th anniversary
-PartyLite Conference in St. Louis
-HH's birthday weekend at the beach
-Weekend away in New Hampshire
-Sailing with HH's friend
-Weekend away in NYC

Ok, I think that's everything... for now, at least!

Last Day!

2006-06-30T15:36:00.000-04:00

Waaaaaahooooooo! Today is my LAST DAY at my job! WAAAAAHOOOOO! I start my new job on the 5th. I can't wait! I am sooooo ready for this! I am so ready to get out of this fly-infested place!!! It's been pretty stressful getting to this point, but it's finally come! I'm DONE!

And here is my celebration dance...

It made me laugh

2006-06-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

I saw this on the back of a car driving home from work the other day and totally busted out laughing! It was just so random...

And yet, I can't help but wonder if they're right??? Anyway, looks like you can get one here.

tappa tappa tappa

2006-06-06T20:01:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited, I just registered for a rhythm tap class!

I've been on the hunt for a studio in my area that offers *good* adult dance classes for a long time now. Turns out, the studio that I used to go to opened a new location. It's still in The City, but at least it's closer to where we live now. I'm thinking it should take about 30 mins on the weekend - not too bad. I would try other classes during the week, but I work in the opposite direction, and that would just be too hard. That's ok, one is better than none!

Twentieth Century Fox

tappa tappa tappa

.

But I can't control myself, got me calling out for help...

2006-06-02T17:47:00.000-04:00

The latest to get me car dancin' like a foo'!

Rihanna's S.O.S.

Un-Sun Goddess?

2006-06-01T21:52:00.000-04:00

I did it. I risked looking like a complete fool for a chance to look marvelously sun-kissed. Yes, I risked looking like a streaked skin-diseased charity case, to look like a lusciously golden brown sun goddess. Well, for a few days anyway... The fortunate thing is that I am pretty happy with the results, and no worries about increasing my chance of skin cancer. And as Martha says, "That's a good thing."

Before:

After:

Thanks Mystic Tan! (insert cheesy commercial smile here - ding!)

.

I couldn't help myself...

2006-05-31T16:25:00.000-04:00

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image.
On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex.
You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time.
Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

A Night at the Theatre

2006-05-30T19:33:00.000-04:00

A while ago, Handsome Hubby and I had a lovely night at the theatre. For Christmas (by request), I got two tickets from my aunt to see Movin' Out.

I was pretty sure we'd both like it, since I have a dance background and HH is a fan of Billy Joel. Well, I was half right... *I* really liked it! I thought the dancing was really powerful and moving, especially in the second half. Not to mention the fact that my jaw was on the floor the entire show, admiring the skill of the dancers.

It's not that HH *didn't* like it, it just wasn't totally 'his cup of tea'. He didn't realize that it was all dancing, set to Billy Joel songs - meaning NO spoken words. So, it wasn't what he expected, and turned out not to be his kind of thing. But, hey, it was something different.

And in the end, we both really enjoyed having a night out together. That's always a good thing, no matter what we're doing.

Consider something different

2006-04-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

Consider doing something different this year for Mother's Day:

Help another Mother

Really, how can flowers compete with that?

Sunny San Diego II

2006-04-02T18:53:00.000-04:00

Some pics from the trip:

Pacific Beach:

San Diego Zoo:

Timon, is that you?

Sunny San Diego

2006-03-31T20:20:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, last weekend I was in San Diego for a meeting. The conference was good, and we were actually accepted to give a platform presentation on some of the work I've been doing (I didn't give the presentation, but my name was on there!). It was well received, and some good constructive comments were made too. It was nice to take a step back and look at the 'big picture' of what I've been doing, especially since I feel like I've been getting lost in the day-to-day lately.

Anywho, Grad School Girl came to the meeting too, which was spectacular (if you remember, I was in her wedding last summer). Since we don't live near each other anymore, it was great to get a chance to hang out and catch up with her. Made me realize how much I miss her and her hubby. I also made a new friend - her coworker who came to the meeting too. We tried to not get into too much trouble (especially after the open-bar reception they hosted!).

During the day, I was pretty tied up with the conference, leaving HH to explore on his own. But it was nice to have dinner and walk along the water together in the evenings, and on Saturday, we did manage to squeeze in a trip to The Zoo. We were planning to check out the Wild Animal Park, but it was quite a ways from the hotel and without a rental car, the zoo won over. But it was all good, because the zoo was fantastic. It's huge, and had tons to see! We only spent a couple of hours there, but could have easily spent the entire day (damn conference!). We peaked in at Balboa Park, but just didn't have enough time. We'll just have to go back.

We also got a chance to hang out with Tim and Amy, who I knew from the old pharma days (and his sister too, who's a total sweetheart). Seeing them made me realize how much I miss them too! We had a fun night though, exploring the Gaslamp Quarter, eating yummy Italian dinner at Bella Luna, and being rude beotches at Dick's. I was planning on sharing the lessons learned, but it looks like he beat me to it! That'll teach me to slack!

Brain Hurts

2006-03-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

My brain hurts. Work is insane right now. I'm trying to keep up with my four (million) jobs, half of which are ending so I'm going to meetings and working nonstop to find future funding and/or new projects/jobs in case (or rather WHEN) it really ends up falling through; the other half of which are flourishing and demanding WAY more than my actual funded percentage. I feel stretched so thin right now. And silly me for still wanting a LIFE through it all. Believe me, I do NOT make enough money to make up for being worked like this.

Ah crap, off to another meeting...

My brain hurts.

Stuck in San Diego

2006-03-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

I had a conference to go to for work, in San Diego. Since the conference went through the weekend, Handsome Hubby flew out from Friday to Sunday (since my hotel was covered for the whole time and all we had to pay for was his flight). He'd never been to San Diego, so we thought this made for a good ~~excuse~~ reason to go. I'll post more about the trip later, but for now, deets on our traveling debacle...

We were supposed to get home yesterday. Just as we were getting ready to check out and leave for the airport, HH got a call on his cell from 'Jason,' from the airline. Turns out the first flight was already very delayed and he was calling to re-book us for today. My first thought was that I was so glad they called so that we weren't stuck in the airport. This way, at least we could enjoy the rest of the day in sunny San Diego. But, my second thought was that this 'Jason' fella seemed a bit shady. Or, just very unprofessional.

First, I had never heard of an airline directly calling customers to re-book their flight (NOT that I'm complaining). He was very non-nonchalant about the whole thing, and had a very "yeah, man" kind of attitude (you know the type). One of our major questions was about being sure our extra hotel night was going to be covered by the airline. He didn't seem to know anything. One would think that if calling customers to re-book like this is standard practice, he must have dealt with this question before. I would guess, close to 100% of the time??? Well, apparently because it was Sunday, there was no customer service to call, and the only way to get any answers would be on the airline's website. (And I HIGHLY doubt that would have been helpful in our specific situation) But, Jason assured us, that we could just stay at the hotel we were at and talk to the ticket counter folks the next day. He simply advised us to be sure to get to the airport early. Despite asking him repeatedly for someone else to talk to or another number to call, that was the best he could give us, so that's what we did.

Turns out, our instincts were right. Apparently, that was not standard procedure. I'm not sure if Jason calling us directly wasn't normal, but the hotel situation was certainly NOT normal (which we figured already). So, after an hour of patient determination on our part, and the ticket counter woman walking back and forth to 'the office' we finally got our check. Phew.

The rub? HH was forced to take an extra day of leave since this wasn't his business trip and we haven't received any compensation for that. So, as my mother would do, I'm planning to write a letter! We'll see what comes of it...

Clubbin' It

2006-03-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

Last month we ventured into the City once again for LawerGirl's birthday (yes, I'm behind on my posts, I know). And, as before, several lessons were learned by the end of the night and I thought I should share...

Lesson 1. Be prepared to pay the cover even if the club's party-planner does say he's got it all taken care of. Club party-planners are not to be trusted.

Lesson 2. A coat check is not only for coats, but luggage too. Which is very convenient if you don't want to be haulin your overnight bag around da club (which is detrimental to a girl's game).

Lesson 3. If a lovely gent buys you a rose from that sketch dude walkin around tryin to make a buck, appreciate the thought and don't even try to preserve it. That rose is not makin it out of da club alive for you to scrapbook. Let it go.

Lesson 4. Having a dispute in da club? Don't take it outside, take to the floor... the dance floor. A dance off is the only respectful way to settle it. And please, respect all that IS the dance off... if you lose, take it like a woman.

Lesson 5. Ladies - tired of dodging puddles of unknown scuz in the bathroom of da club, while holding your pant legs up as you hover over the seat? Problem solved: just roll up the bottom of the pant legs! Why did it take 27 years for me to learn this???

Lesson 6. When hitting McD's on your way home from da club, don't expect to be able to just walk into the restroom. You ain't in the burbs no more! That shnizzle requires a token from the cashier.

Lesson 7. Drunk dialing friends and family members is the BEST! Unfortunately, yes, it can be a bit unsatisfying if no one is home (or they're just punting you to the voicemail). But keep trying! Maybe by call #23 you'll get someone and that'll make it all worth while.

One thing that's constant in life...

2006-03-13T22:21:00.000-05:00

... is change. And last week I got some news that my job situation will once again be changing. Due to the building costs of the ongoing war, Bush (and his administration) has to make up for it. What does that have to do with me? 50% of my job is funded by a HRSA grant, and we just got news that it's been cut. Awesome.

Apparently, even though we are meeting our goals and our class has been very successful (DIRECTLY providing services to the underserved community), we're too little to get special attention. Just tell that to the underserved men and women who thank us for providing wellness fairs in their community. Men and women who don't have health insurance and can't afford to go to the doctor; who thank us for being there, to take the time to talk to them and educate them about heart disease, diabetes, nutrition, exercise, and disease prevention; to listen to their stories and provide them with resources and support that are easily available to the middle and upper class, but not to them.

All I have to say is, "Thanks Bushie, you're doing a helluva job."

She will be missed...

2006-03-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

My thoughts and prayers are with Bob and his family. Mary was a wonderful woman with a very bright spirit.

Happy First Anniversary...

2006-03-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

...to Truly Outrageous. Wow, it's been a year already. I know I'm still just a babe in the blogging-world, but it's still pretty cool to me. I wasn't sure I'd keep up with this at all when I started, so a year seems pretty good!

Get Away (no, not you... me!)

2006-02-23T17:54:00.000-05:00

This week is decidedly better than last. Not that everything has been resolved; but some of it has, and I'm just trying to deal better with the rest. Plus, the weekend away did me loads of good.

I knew that we were going away, but the details were a surprise to me. Handsome Hubby planned the whole thing. Turns out, we stayed at a wonderful Bed & Breakfast in the City. It was great. Plus, the B&B has a restaurant attached to it that is out of this world. The type of place that you go to for special occasions (at least, that's what it is for us) where the chef doesn't know what he's cooking until that morning, when he goes to the market and gets what's fresh and inspiring. Love it! I had my suspicions that we were going there, as that's where we celebrated Valentine's Day last year. Looks like we're making a new tradition out of it. Sweet!

But there was a surprise that I had no idea about... HH surprised me with tickets to the symphony for that night! Neither of us had been, so it was really cool to do something new. We were definitely in the lower age-bracket of patrons, but we had fun! (The cocktails didn't hurt either!) Really though, we both enjoyed it a lot. There's something really special about hearing a full orchestra, live. I couldn't count the number of times I got chills!

It was just so nice to have a weekend away. Away from the phone, email, laundry, cleaning... basically away from responsibilities of any size, shape, or form. And going to a place that was a short drive from home was great. Out of the house enough to be away from it all, but no wasted time or energy traveling. And really, it couldn't have been at a better time.

An 'off' week

2006-02-17T17:23:00.000-05:00

Ever have an 'off' day? Ever have an 'off' week? That's what my week has been like. Was it the worst week of my life, certainly not. But, it's been a bit crappy. The only way I can describe it is that I've just felt very 'tender'. It seems like every area of my life has been throwing curve balls at me over the last 5 days. Work, Friends, Marriage, you name it.

I've been really affected by some life and death issues currently happening to some friends of mine. So, I'm mourning for them, and some other friend stuff is going on, but more along the 'communication' lines. Then some work stuff happened where I'm really being tested (more than the usual anyway). Really, every arena of my life. I don't feel like, or want to, go into details (for many reasons). I just feel exhausted and felt like posting here as an outlet.

Last night, I got home late and was totally beat. But I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. I was so exhausted, I couldn't believe I just *couldn't* fall asleep. My mind kept running. Running over everything that's going on. Running over all the stress and pressure I'm feeling, over and over and over.

What am I supposed to learn from this? What is this week supposed to be teaching me? I hope I figure it out, because in my philosophy of life, if I don't, it'll just come right back to me. Except stronger.

I hope this weekend away will give me some much needed rest, and a chance to reflect back on some stuff. [insert big sigh here]

Dinner for two?

2006-02-14T08:03:00.000-05:00

The table is set, but where are the guests?

Ahhhh... how romantic....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yum, yum, in my tum, tum.

2006-02-12T13:38:00.000-05:00

Historically, Handsome Hubby and I had the following arrangement: He would cook and do most of the post-dining clean up (ie: dishes), and I would clean the house. It worked out for both of us, because cooking had really become a hobby for him, and he couldn't stand the thought of cleaning a toilet. I would still pitch in with the dishes and would cook maybe 5-10% of the time, and he would pitch in with the vacuuming here and there. But you know how it is, that was our rule of thumb.

Well, recently we re-negotiated! HH got tired of cooking all the time and since I'm now done with school and boards, the timing is right. So, what's the new arrangement? I'm going to be cooking dinner at least twice a week. It's true what 'they' say about marriage, it's a constant negotiation. Really though, I think it was time and that this is fair. Now, I'm no You Who, but I try...

Last night I made Thai Chicken and Sesame Noodles from a Kraft cookbook I have (I happened to find it online-just for you!). I can never find the dressing packet, so I usually just pick up a bottle of salad dressing that's similar. Usually I end up using the whole bottle (1/3C to marinate the chicken and the rest for the sauce). I also typically just cook the chicken on our George and use whatever pasta happens to be in our pantry. It's super easy to make and super yummy (my kind of dish)! We made some dumplings as a side dish (from frozen), and viola:

Lost Marathon

2006-02-11T16:50:00.000-05:00

Lately, it seems like the tv show Lost has been coming up a lot in conversations. I've heard about it ever since it came out, but recently I've gotten more interested. I've never seen an episode, but when I saw my Homeboyz they were telling me how they bought the episodes, watched them for hours straight and are now hooked. Then, last weekend a couple of my Homegirls were telling me that it's totally my kind of show and that I'd really like it. And finally, this past week over lunch, a co-worker of mine was saying how she and her fiance had rented some of the 1st season episodes to watch and that they are now hooked.

Now, do I really need a NEW show to be hooked on (besides Grey's Anatomy, Real World/Road Rules Challenge, House, Oprah, etc etc etc)? No, of course not! But, knowing that the white fluffy stuff was going to make us house ridden this weekend, I convinced Handsome Hubby that we should give it a try. So, now I'm going to burn off my retinas with a marathon of Lost... I'll let you know if I make it out alive...