23 July 2010
photo shoot #one thousandy three
Right after this she demanded I put her on the floor so she could eat some paper. (Note to self: no, the office is still not babyproofed.)
20 July 2010
Birthday = Awesome
It's really true. Though I admit my standards have lowered a bit (e.g., getting to go on a babyless date? coolest thing ever). Saturday we went "hiking" with some friends. The quotes are because we managed -- what -- half a mile? Anyway it was great fun to spend time outside in the sweltering heat with people we like and cute babies like this one:
Pictured with "Auntie E" (not actual Aunt)
And this one:
(Yeah not the best picture of the baby) Showing us that what you do when babies are around is stare at them. This one is pretty much a toddler now.
A direct result of that last picture after seeing how blah I looked was a haircut and a resolution to have better posture, which happened the next day.
Anyway, we hiked and picnicked and then we were all beyond beat since the job of just standing outside takes a lot these days (because it's hot). So the next awesome part of my birthday weekend was
FAMILY NAPTIME!
Later that evening we got to hang out with some other friends and another cute little girl since cute little girls are plentiful around these parts.
Then it was Sunday and El Esposo/Daddy took the baby to scope out the nursery that she will be attending in eleven short months while I slept through one class (ahhhh) and then actually listened to the whole other class. Later that day I made El Esposo give me a haircut.
I think he is getting quite good and I am getting quite good at egging him on. "Shorter! Shorter!" Although, I conveniently forgot how annoying it is when you have short hair that some days it just looks terrible and some days great. And, it often looks like a completely different haircut from the other side, thanks to my fantastic cowlicks:
So, today, when you put both sides together it's just kind of "huh?"
Oh well, it keeps a little bit of the unknown in my life so I won't feel tempted to start a torrid affair (how? when?). Also El Esposo being awesome helps with that.
Anyway, finally Monday, my actual birthday, I got nice phone calls, opened a couple gifts and best of all went on a real date. Nana and Papa came over to babysit, which was sort of like this:
Except the picture is a month old and the baby is now a crawling menace. But the point is we went to dinner at a great Afghan place in the neighborhood followed by seeing the movie everyone's talking about. It was pretty superb and worth the little miss waking up an hour and a half earlier than normal the next day (aka today).
Pictured with "Auntie E" (not actual Aunt)And this one:
(Yeah not the best picture of the baby) Showing us that what you do when babies are around is stare at them. This one is pretty much a toddler now.A direct result of that last picture after seeing how blah I looked was a haircut and a resolution to have better posture, which happened the next day.
Anyway, we hiked and picnicked and then we were all beyond beat since the job of just standing outside takes a lot these days (because it's hot). So the next awesome part of my birthday weekend was
Later that evening we got to hang out with some other friends and another cute little girl since cute little girls are plentiful around these parts.
Then it was Sunday and El Esposo/Daddy took the baby to scope out the nursery that she will be attending in eleven short months while I slept through one class (ahhhh) and then actually listened to the whole other class. Later that day I made El Esposo give me a haircut.
I think he is getting quite good and I am getting quite good at egging him on. "Shorter! Shorter!" Although, I conveniently forgot how annoying it is when you have short hair that some days it just looks terrible and some days great. And, it often looks like a completely different haircut from the other side, thanks to my fantastic cowlicks:
So, today, when you put both sides together it's just kind of "huh?"
Oh well, it keeps a little bit of the unknown in my life so I won't feel tempted to start a torrid affair (how? when?). Also El Esposo being awesome helps with that.
Anyway, finally Monday, my actual birthday, I got nice phone calls, opened a couple gifts and best of all went on a real date. Nana and Papa came over to babysit, which was sort of like this:
Except the picture is a month old and the baby is now a crawling menace. But the point is we went to dinner at a great Afghan place in the neighborhood followed by seeing the movie everyone's talking about. It was pretty superb and worth the little miss waking up an hour and a half earlier than normal the next day (aka today).
16 July 2010
The baby's source name
Today I introduced the baby to the source of her middle name.
Actually while this song was playing she just looked like she was about to sneeze the whole time. Pretty sure she really dug "In the Backseat" though; she tried to eat the CD player (yes I said CD player) as it was playing. I'm not sure why I waited so long. I mean I used the Thriller album (usually "Human Nature") to put her to sleep all the time for her first few months of life. I guess seven months is like a coming-of-age. And I recently heard an Arcade Fire interview. Anyway, yes we're cheesy. But we liked the name, so back off. And okay, yeah, she (the name source) is awesome. Does Erin read this blog? Remember when we first saw them in Ithaca at Cornell? I think it actually did change my life.
Also, I really don't know why the YouTube above is frozen into some evil deathmask of her face.
Actually while this song was playing she just looked like she was about to sneeze the whole time. Pretty sure she really dug "In the Backseat" though; she tried to eat the CD player (yes I said CD player) as it was playing. I'm not sure why I waited so long. I mean I used the Thriller album (usually "Human Nature") to put her to sleep all the time for her first few months of life. I guess seven months is like a coming-of-age. And I recently heard an Arcade Fire interview. Anyway, yes we're cheesy. But we liked the name, so back off. And okay, yeah, she (the name source) is awesome. Does Erin read this blog? Remember when we first saw them in Ithaca at Cornell? I think it actually did change my life.
Also, I really don't know why the YouTube above is frozen into some evil deathmask of her face.
13 July 2010
Who wants to babysit November 19th?
Yeah, we interrupt mommy-overload to bring you this completely awesome Harry Potter trailer. Maybe I'm a nerd but there are plenty of us on this planet. I can not wait to see the scene where Ron finally gets over himself and is the hero for one shining moment. I love a good underdog.
12 July 2010
Becoming Mommy [Part One]
***This is going to be long, so I decided to serve it up in chunks***
So it's probably no secret around this blog and elsewhere that I've been a little preoccupied by the topic of babies and motherhood for quite a while. I don't seem to be able to write much fiction or music, other than the songwriting challenge, and I have not had a lot of energy for the time and marketing it would take to get and do the type of freelance writing I would prefer. Thankfully it just took a few phone calls to get me some steady income for a while in an area I have a lot of experience but not a lot of love (government agency technical writing). I am very lucky for that. I took my first extended absence from the baby (extended = four hours) recently to go to a work meeting, you know the sort of thing "working moms" do from the time their babies are three months old (I both envy them and am sad for them--there's really no perfect answer). Anyway, I think I just need to get some ideas out that have been churning through my mind for the last seven months and maybe, just maybe, I will feel lighter having dumped that burden. That and better able to do other things and have other conversations.
You see, there's a good reason I'm preoccupied. This is not just some new accessory I'm sporting. Or a puppy. It's not a new job. It's not even a new marriage. Don't get me wrong, I think a marriage relationship is the most important one you can enter into with another person. That's why it can be such a hard decision to make. And it's why all the heartbreak that comes beforehand is worth it. But most of the challenges of my marriage I could have predicted since I had, you know, met my husband (and known him for four and a half years). A baby is completely new and unknown. For all the build up to it: the registries, the baby shower, prepping the nursery, counting the weeks and identifying which fruit the baby now resembles, dreaming what it will be like, fearing labor and delivery and planning your "method" for getting through it, saving money and preparing to reschedule your life. It's like all of that was just noise. Sure it's kind of necessary and certainly helps you prepare as much as it is possible. But all of that noise turns to silence with the first cries that a tiny newborn makes. This being comes into your life and everything about her is so completely her and you have to get to know her ASAP from zero. Oh, and she depends on you for everything ever. I know this is a Captain Obvious kind of remark but it can't be ignored: EVERYTHING CHANGES.
Of course I can only speak for myself. And I can only talk about a healthy pregnancy resulting in a healthy baby. I'm sure there are plenty of women who could tell me "You have no idea." And they would be right. In fact, if I have learned anything through pregnancy and mothering a newborn, it is that YOU CAN NEVER TELL what it's like to be in someone else's shoes and to have to make the decisions they have to make. Decisions like whether to have a medicated or non-medicated birth, whether to breastfeed or bottlefeed (although I still think you should give breastfeeding a good TRY), whether to use disposable or cloth diapers, seem much less important to me now, so I'm sure I can make no pronouncement on other experiences and struggles I have never had like babies with serious birth defects or miscarriages. I can offer ONE THING that I have learned that might apply to every mom and would-be mom and that is:
Becoming a mother is a big deal and you just HAVE to have patience: patience with the circumstance you are in and definitely patience with yourself and how bad you may be at some things. We are being made into Mothers. It is no small task. Every hard thing that happens and that we make it through makes us more the kind of Mom we need to be for those sweet and needy little monsters, now or in the future.
That's what I think anyway. Maybe this is another Captain Obvious remark, but I'm new at this. I'm sure I will continue to learn more and have more challenging experiences and will look back on this moment and say, "If you only knew," but I THINK the main sentiment will still be true.
So far, this has been my experience:
I fell in love with this baby.
Who is now this baby:
Before I know it she will be a little girl. But here's the truth: I did not fall in love with her immediately (at least as completely) as El Esposo did. Possibly because of how that fateful night went down almost completely oppositely from how we had planned.
{EDIT: I CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT POSTING THE LABOR STORY. I REMEMBER NOT WANTING TO READ ANYONE ELSE'S STORY WHEN I WAS PREGNANT AND IT WAS PROBABLY FOR THE BEST SO I'M KEEPING IT TO MYSELF. IT IS SUFFICIENT TO SAY I LEARNED IT'S JUST GOING TO GO HOW IT'S GOING TO GO AND THERE'S NOT A LOT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, BUT OF COURSE IT IS WORTH IT.}
To be continued...
So it's probably no secret around this blog and elsewhere that I've been a little preoccupied by the topic of babies and motherhood for quite a while. I don't seem to be able to write much fiction or music, other than the songwriting challenge, and I have not had a lot of energy for the time and marketing it would take to get and do the type of freelance writing I would prefer. Thankfully it just took a few phone calls to get me some steady income for a while in an area I have a lot of experience but not a lot of love (government agency technical writing). I am very lucky for that. I took my first extended absence from the baby (extended = four hours) recently to go to a work meeting, you know the sort of thing "working moms" do from the time their babies are three months old (I both envy them and am sad for them--there's really no perfect answer). Anyway, I think I just need to get some ideas out that have been churning through my mind for the last seven months and maybe, just maybe, I will feel lighter having dumped that burden. That and better able to do other things and have other conversations.
You see, there's a good reason I'm preoccupied. This is not just some new accessory I'm sporting. Or a puppy. It's not a new job. It's not even a new marriage. Don't get me wrong, I think a marriage relationship is the most important one you can enter into with another person. That's why it can be such a hard decision to make. And it's why all the heartbreak that comes beforehand is worth it. But most of the challenges of my marriage I could have predicted since I had, you know, met my husband (and known him for four and a half years). A baby is completely new and unknown. For all the build up to it: the registries, the baby shower, prepping the nursery, counting the weeks and identifying which fruit the baby now resembles, dreaming what it will be like, fearing labor and delivery and planning your "method" for getting through it, saving money and preparing to reschedule your life. It's like all of that was just noise. Sure it's kind of necessary and certainly helps you prepare as much as it is possible. But all of that noise turns to silence with the first cries that a tiny newborn makes. This being comes into your life and everything about her is so completely her and you have to get to know her ASAP from zero. Oh, and she depends on you for everything ever. I know this is a Captain Obvious kind of remark but it can't be ignored: EVERYTHING CHANGES.
Of course I can only speak for myself. And I can only talk about a healthy pregnancy resulting in a healthy baby. I'm sure there are plenty of women who could tell me "You have no idea." And they would be right. In fact, if I have learned anything through pregnancy and mothering a newborn, it is that YOU CAN NEVER TELL what it's like to be in someone else's shoes and to have to make the decisions they have to make. Decisions like whether to have a medicated or non-medicated birth, whether to breastfeed or bottlefeed (although I still think you should give breastfeeding a good TRY), whether to use disposable or cloth diapers, seem much less important to me now, so I'm sure I can make no pronouncement on other experiences and struggles I have never had like babies with serious birth defects or miscarriages. I can offer ONE THING that I have learned that might apply to every mom and would-be mom and that is:
Becoming a mother is a big deal and you just HAVE to have patience: patience with the circumstance you are in and definitely patience with yourself and how bad you may be at some things. We are being made into Mothers. It is no small task. Every hard thing that happens and that we make it through makes us more the kind of Mom we need to be for those sweet and needy little monsters, now or in the future.
That's what I think anyway. Maybe this is another Captain Obvious remark, but I'm new at this. I'm sure I will continue to learn more and have more challenging experiences and will look back on this moment and say, "If you only knew," but I THINK the main sentiment will still be true.
So far, this has been my experience:
I fell in love with this baby.
Who is now this baby:
Before I know it she will be a little girl. But here's the truth: I did not fall in love with her immediately (at least as completely) as El Esposo did. Possibly because of how that fateful night went down almost completely oppositely from how we had planned.
{EDIT: I CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT POSTING THE LABOR STORY. I REMEMBER NOT WANTING TO READ ANYONE ELSE'S STORY WHEN I WAS PREGNANT AND IT WAS PROBABLY FOR THE BEST SO I'M KEEPING IT TO MYSELF. IT IS SUFFICIENT TO SAY I LEARNED IT'S JUST GOING TO GO HOW IT'S GOING TO GO AND THERE'S NOT A LOT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, BUT OF COURSE IT IS WORTH IT.}
To be continued...
01 July 2010
My Daughter's Friend, The Brick Fairy
So there is this girl in our neighborhood that the kids next door call "the deaf girl." It is true she is deaf and she does not speak except to make occasional grunting sounds. I have never met her parents so I really don't know what else is going on with the girl but she also has very round features, walks hunched over, moves her hands awkwardly and obviously is mentally impaired with her own view of the world. If I had to guess I would say she's a teenager, but do not ask me to narrow down the age. Whatever it is, I'll just come out and say that she is very much a Special Ed kid.
Since the weather got nice, Little A and I have often encountered this girl outside. She spends a lot of her time just roaming around and she also swings a lot on the playground in the middle of the complex. Little A and I also swing, sometimes together and sometimes she's in the baby swing. When we first started seeing the girl around, Little A and the girl would just stare at each other all the time. Staring turned quickly to smiling. Little A watches everything anyone does, but particularly this girl. I started waving when we would see her and I started noticing she would just appear sometimes when we were outside. Little A was being tracked!
Then something odd started happening. Stray bricks began to appear behind mine and El Esposo's cars. At first we thought it was someone playing next door as they have a little pile from their walkway that has fallen apart and they have their own kids and daycare kids there all the time. And yes it was a little annoying, but we quickly began to realize it was too darn systematic to just be kids playing. I would sometimes see the girl wandering around near the time the bricks magically appeared, though I never caught her in the act. El Esposo started calling her "The Brick Fairy" and I decided that we were being marked somehow because she likes our baby. We decided it was kind of cute in a weird sort of way.
The "brick laying" has tapered off but every time I see this girl it is obvious that she is just totally in love with Little A, so I always go up to her for a minute and wave and she waves back and Little A smiles at her. That's been about it until today, the day of fantastic weather.
Today Little A and I went outside in the early afternoon between naps and I set out a big blanket and a few of her toys under a shady tree in the shared area near the playground (since the grass we own is all of a 2 x 3 rectangle with no shade). The out of doors is absolute magic for the babe. No fussing and lots of calm play. Anyway, after a while we noticed our friend lurking in the vicinity. It was absolutely fascinating, so I just watched as she paced back and forth near us and busied herself swatting flies, moving rocks, pine needles, and other debris, and slowly but surely creeping closer to us. I thought of motioning to her to come over but I really just wanted to see how things would play out. I did move a couple toys out of the way so she could come sit on the blanket if she so chose. Little A just kept looking at her per usual. After several minutes she had inched onto the edge of the blanket and she started to play with the baby. She showed Little A how to stack the colored rings on that ubiquitous baby rainbow ring stacking toy she has. After a while Little A started leaning toward the girl and grabbing for her. At first I kind of re-directed her because I wasn't sure how the girl would feel about Little A touching her and heck I don't know what she's capable of--it could be dangerous. But then the girl started to motion to Little A that she should come climb on her lap. Holy crap it was the sweetest thing I have ever seen how she kept patting her lap and looking at Little A. But, since Little A doesn't really know how to climb on someone's lap yet as opposed to just more or less attacking them, I tried to direct her to just touch the girl gently. After a few minutes it was Little A's naptime and so I conveyed that to the girl with a bunch of dopey hand signals, which she apparently totally followed because she started helping me clean up and handed me the blanket after I stood up with the baby.
If that is not sweet enough, check out PART B. After Little A's nap we went for a walk outside with her in my new fancy pants baby carrier and after trolling the nearby neighborhoods, we crossed back near the playground only to find the girl waiting for us. She was sitting at the swing and she had brought her Barbie convertible car with two Barbies in it. Seriously I am just about to cry all over this keyboard with my mommy hormones to think about how she waited there for us, just hoping we would come by. I wanted to get back to start cooking dinner but the girl just grinned over at us and started rolling the Barbie car around and looking at us, as if to say, "Come play with my awesome Barbie car." At this point in Little A's life I think a Barbie car is just one more thing to try and put in the mouth, but the point is the girl is trying to be friends with my baby. So we came over and played for a while and Little A tried to jam the Barbie's head down her throat or, failing that, at least eat all of her hair.
And now I am writing this down so I remember Little A's first friend. Not some other baby or little kid at playgroup (which we haven't managed to make it to), but this lonely, sweet, Special Ed kid.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, also today Little A gave me a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. Like a dork, I just kept saying, "You kissed me!" Best. Milestone. Ever. (See, I even had to break out the classic bloggy every-word-is-a-sentence for that one.)
Since the weather got nice, Little A and I have often encountered this girl outside. She spends a lot of her time just roaming around and she also swings a lot on the playground in the middle of the complex. Little A and I also swing, sometimes together and sometimes she's in the baby swing. When we first started seeing the girl around, Little A and the girl would just stare at each other all the time. Staring turned quickly to smiling. Little A watches everything anyone does, but particularly this girl. I started waving when we would see her and I started noticing she would just appear sometimes when we were outside. Little A was being tracked!
Then something odd started happening. Stray bricks began to appear behind mine and El Esposo's cars. At first we thought it was someone playing next door as they have a little pile from their walkway that has fallen apart and they have their own kids and daycare kids there all the time. And yes it was a little annoying, but we quickly began to realize it was too darn systematic to just be kids playing. I would sometimes see the girl wandering around near the time the bricks magically appeared, though I never caught her in the act. El Esposo started calling her "The Brick Fairy" and I decided that we were being marked somehow because she likes our baby. We decided it was kind of cute in a weird sort of way.
The "brick laying" has tapered off but every time I see this girl it is obvious that she is just totally in love with Little A, so I always go up to her for a minute and wave and she waves back and Little A smiles at her. That's been about it until today, the day of fantastic weather.
Today Little A and I went outside in the early afternoon between naps and I set out a big blanket and a few of her toys under a shady tree in the shared area near the playground (since the grass we own is all of a 2 x 3 rectangle with no shade). The out of doors is absolute magic for the babe. No fussing and lots of calm play. Anyway, after a while we noticed our friend lurking in the vicinity. It was absolutely fascinating, so I just watched as she paced back and forth near us and busied herself swatting flies, moving rocks, pine needles, and other debris, and slowly but surely creeping closer to us. I thought of motioning to her to come over but I really just wanted to see how things would play out. I did move a couple toys out of the way so she could come sit on the blanket if she so chose. Little A just kept looking at her per usual. After several minutes she had inched onto the edge of the blanket and she started to play with the baby. She showed Little A how to stack the colored rings on that ubiquitous baby rainbow ring stacking toy she has. After a while Little A started leaning toward the girl and grabbing for her. At first I kind of re-directed her because I wasn't sure how the girl would feel about Little A touching her and heck I don't know what she's capable of--it could be dangerous. But then the girl started to motion to Little A that she should come climb on her lap. Holy crap it was the sweetest thing I have ever seen how she kept patting her lap and looking at Little A. But, since Little A doesn't really know how to climb on someone's lap yet as opposed to just more or less attacking them, I tried to direct her to just touch the girl gently. After a few minutes it was Little A's naptime and so I conveyed that to the girl with a bunch of dopey hand signals, which she apparently totally followed because she started helping me clean up and handed me the blanket after I stood up with the baby.
If that is not sweet enough, check out PART B. After Little A's nap we went for a walk outside with her in my new fancy pants baby carrier and after trolling the nearby neighborhoods, we crossed back near the playground only to find the girl waiting for us. She was sitting at the swing and she had brought her Barbie convertible car with two Barbies in it. Seriously I am just about to cry all over this keyboard with my mommy hormones to think about how she waited there for us, just hoping we would come by. I wanted to get back to start cooking dinner but the girl just grinned over at us and started rolling the Barbie car around and looking at us, as if to say, "Come play with my awesome Barbie car." At this point in Little A's life I think a Barbie car is just one more thing to try and put in the mouth, but the point is the girl is trying to be friends with my baby. So we came over and played for a while and Little A tried to jam the Barbie's head down her throat or, failing that, at least eat all of her hair.
And now I am writing this down so I remember Little A's first friend. Not some other baby or little kid at playgroup (which we haven't managed to make it to), but this lonely, sweet, Special Ed kid.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, also today Little A gave me a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. Like a dork, I just kept saying, "You kissed me!" Best. Milestone. Ever. (See, I even had to break out the classic bloggy every-word-is-a-sentence for that one.)
29 June 2010
Down dog up dog
Internet readers, we really need to video little a's crawling attempts because they are awesome. My favorite one is when she is on her stomach and sticks her butt up in the air, scrunches up her feet and pushes her body forward a few inches with her face getting smushed and eating carpet. Then she brings her butt down and face up to look around and see where she got to. I call this maneuver "down dog up dog" as it looks a lot like the two yoga poses in succession. I think this happens because she has sad weak little arms and powerful legs. I mean really powerful legs. Like you know when this girl wakes up because she pounds the crib with her heels and the whole house shakes. Anyway since she is not so good at propelling herself with her arms yet in a hands-and-knees sort of crawl its more of a face-and-knees one.
Sadly, El Esposo has the video camera (aka his phone), not me, so I have to wait til he's around to document this. I hope we capture it before she figures out traditional crawling, which is seriously like any second now. Time to babyproof!
Didn't I JUST have this baby?
Sadly, El Esposo has the video camera (aka his phone), not me, so I have to wait til he's around to document this. I hope we capture it before she figures out traditional crawling, which is seriously like any second now. Time to babyproof!
Didn't I JUST have this baby?
23 June 2010
Top 3 things the OB/GYN said
...at my 6 month post-partum check-up. These are in no particular order because I can't decide which is my favorite:
#1 (said to the baby, halfway through my pelvic exam): So, are you going to be a Gynecologist?
#2: Don't show her to any of my teenage patients or they'll want one.
#3: She's all head.
#1 (said to the baby, halfway through my pelvic exam): So, are you going to be a Gynecologist?
#2: Don't show her to any of my teenage patients or they'll want one.
#3: She's all head.
22 June 2010
18 June 2010
Song contest drawing ever nearer
Check it out at the new blog.
Meanwhile, on a whim, I watched the first episode of the show Thirtysomething on Netflix last night and it blew my mind. I had that show filed away in my brain as a "grown-up TV show" that came on after my bedtime. 23 years later and it IS my life. I guess some things (unlike fashion -- yikes eighties) don't change much. At the end of the episode the character who is essentially me (and any other early thirties newly stay-at-home mom who has just left a good job) talks about how the reason it seems so hard to make sacrifices in life is because they were given so much and had so many options growing up and now expect more than their parents did. A few years back it seems like everyone was writing the same sort of thing about our generation and why a lot of us don't want to stick with one job for our whole career. History repeating itself.
Meanwhile, on a whim, I watched the first episode of the show Thirtysomething on Netflix last night and it blew my mind. I had that show filed away in my brain as a "grown-up TV show" that came on after my bedtime. 23 years later and it IS my life. I guess some things (unlike fashion -- yikes eighties) don't change much. At the end of the episode the character who is essentially me (and any other early thirties newly stay-at-home mom who has just left a good job) talks about how the reason it seems so hard to make sacrifices in life is because they were given so much and had so many options growing up and now expect more than their parents did. A few years back it seems like everyone was writing the same sort of thing about our generation and why a lot of us don't want to stick with one job for our whole career. History repeating itself.
15 June 2010
My debt to society
I just want to throw myself a little victory party for successfully completing two errands that I generally forget today despite the fact that little a is having a fusstacular week.
1)I returned a library book on time even though I didn't read it.
2)I deposited a check the same day I received it (thank you contract employment).
This is the sort of CEO of household stuff I usually fail at. See also cleaning and, to a lesser degree, cooking. The other day, though, El Esposo told me I was a "more than adequate housewife." My response: "You had me at adequate." I am getting better (The dijon crusted tilapia is pretty yum) but there's no need to overdo the compliments.
1)I returned a library book on time even though I didn't read it.
2)I deposited a check the same day I received it (thank you contract employment).
This is the sort of CEO of household stuff I usually fail at. See also cleaning and, to a lesser degree, cooking. The other day, though, El Esposo told me I was a "more than adequate housewife." My response: "You had me at adequate." I am getting better (The dijon crusted tilapia is pretty yum) but there's no need to overdo the compliments.
10 June 2010
Content Management
I'm moving the songwriting contest to another blog as I think it is getting crowded by baby gushing and what-not. Also, this way I can maybe try and foist management of the contest off on someone else that can remember to host it. Anyway, the new blog is songwritingchallenge.blogspot.com
09 June 2010
chronicling babychievements
[Songwriting Challenge is just two posts down!!!]
This is how we make unnecessary compound words: subtract the space and the first syllable and you are there.
Anyway, I see other parents giving stats on their little tikes so since it's the thing to do, I'm in. Never let a trend pass you by, I say.
Until I get lazy.
At today's six month appointment d'terrior (cuz she hates her shots, you see) the babe weighed in at 14lbs 2oz measuring 24.5" lengthwise, with a 17" head.
I just want to point out that the difference between height and head circumference is 7.5 inches. Just in case no one ever told you babies have huge heads, I will tell you now. Babies have huge heads.
Especially little a. Her height and weight are both on the shrimpy side -- around 20% (so 80% of babies her age are bigger than her), while her head size is around 60%. Yeah. Makes you reminisce about a certain scene from a certain movie in the nineties where a certain character is commenting on the size of another certain character's head.
Here's what she's been doing lately:
Babbling -- she just started doing this in earnest like five days ago and now she won't stop. She's been saying mama! Ok, so it's ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, but whatever. She also says ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. A couple days ago she said Obama. I asked her what she thought of him but she didn't really elaborate.
"The Pattern" -- 1) I help her sit up and she plays in that position until she sees something she has to reach forward for. Then she 2) lunges, and folds her body forward until she is on her stomach. Then she 3)whimpers about being on her stomach and sticks her butt in the air until she 4) rolls over onto her back, where she chills for a while until she gets tired of it and starts 5)doing crunches, whimpering, and looking around for someone to start the whole process over with sitting up.
She was six months on the 5th.
Here's a video:
This is how we make unnecessary compound words: subtract the space and the first syllable and you are there.
Anyway, I see other parents giving stats on their little tikes so since it's the thing to do, I'm in. Never let a trend pass you by, I say.
Until I get lazy.
At today's six month appointment d'terrior (cuz she hates her shots, you see) the babe weighed in at 14lbs 2oz measuring 24.5" lengthwise, with a 17" head.
I just want to point out that the difference between height and head circumference is 7.5 inches. Just in case no one ever told you babies have huge heads, I will tell you now. Babies have huge heads.
Especially little a. Her height and weight are both on the shrimpy side -- around 20% (so 80% of babies her age are bigger than her), while her head size is around 60%. Yeah. Makes you reminisce about a certain scene from a certain movie in the nineties where a certain character is commenting on the size of another certain character's head.
Here's what she's been doing lately:
Babbling -- she just started doing this in earnest like five days ago and now she won't stop. She's been saying mama! Ok, so it's ma-ma-ma-ma-ma, but whatever. She also says ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. A couple days ago she said Obama. I asked her what she thought of him but she didn't really elaborate.
"The Pattern" -- 1) I help her sit up and she plays in that position until she sees something she has to reach forward for. Then she 2) lunges, and folds her body forward until she is on her stomach. Then she 3)whimpers about being on her stomach and sticks her butt in the air until she 4) rolls over onto her back, where she chills for a while until she gets tired of it and starts 5)doing crunches, whimpering, and looking around for someone to start the whole process over with sitting up.
She was six months on the 5th.
Here's a video:
08 June 2010
when babies attack keyboards (a guest post)
// yt101 9. B00 b5086+*b.0424 2++nnbn1
‘
-9- xq qqqqq qqqqqqqq
&TCR c0
‘
-9- xq qqqqq qqqqqqqq
&TCR c0
17 May 2010
Challenge #5: The Sufjan Stevens one
It's been a long time in coming. And that is 100% my fault. You see, I forgot to check my rocktastica email for a really, really, really, really long time. Of course it was overflowing with fanmail. Anyway, greetings from October 2009, rock music fans!!!! And get a load of this one:
Write a song about your home state or the state you live in.
I'm thinking of teaming up with Rhett Miller and the Dixie Chicks on this one. Or Dave Matthews (oh yeah, I said it). Or Bon Jovi. Depending on which state I pick.
But not really. Because as you all know in this contest you can only team up with yourself (I cheated once but that doesn't make it right). You also have to make a simple one-track recording. Winner gets to be on the cover of the past winners compilation record, which will include the following stellar tracks of yesteryear, probably performed by one of the stars of American Idol:
Ostrich
Yo, the lady who
Cardboard on the Dance Floor
I Ain't Afraid to Love You
Also, the winner chooses the next challenge. Send entries to rocktastica at gmail dot com. Entries are due by Summer Solstice, which everyone knows is Jun 21 2010 at 7:28 AM EDT.
p.s., Yes there is a little leeway on the one track rule. If you are having serious volume discrepancy issues then two tracks is okay. But no producing other than adjusting the volume or the "level" as you sound aficionados say.
Write a song about your home state or the state you live in.
I'm thinking of teaming up with Rhett Miller and the Dixie Chicks on this one. Or Dave Matthews (oh yeah, I said it). Or Bon Jovi. Depending on which state I pick.
But not really. Because as you all know in this contest you can only team up with yourself (I cheated once but that doesn't make it right). You also have to make a simple one-track recording. Winner gets to be on the cover of the past winners compilation record, which will include the following stellar tracks of yesteryear, probably performed by one of the stars of American Idol:
Ostrich
Yo, the lady who
Cardboard on the Dance Floor
I Ain't Afraid to Love You
Also, the winner chooses the next challenge. Send entries to rocktastica at gmail dot com. Entries are due by Summer Solstice, which everyone knows is Jun 21 2010 at 7:28 AM EDT.
p.s., Yes there is a little leeway on the one track rule. If you are having serious volume discrepancy issues then two tracks is okay. But no producing other than adjusting the volume or the "level" as you sound aficionados say.
05 May 2010
5 monther
Yes, working from home with a baby is pretty hard. Luckily I had some babysitting help yesterday. But, thawing out the brain from its deep freeze is requiring some effort. You know, I can write and edit non-technical stuff too! Anyone want to give me a job not related to computer systems? Anyone? Listen to me, I can complain about anything. Wah freaking wah, I'm worse than little a.
In the meantime, enjoy some pics from little a's 5 month photo shoot. Very professional, of course. Though her grandparents were very impressed by her hair at birth I think you can see it's pretty thin here. She pulls off the little old man look very well, though. Don't you just want to give her a hug? I'm trying to teach her to give hugs but I think it may take a while.
In the meantime, enjoy some pics from little a's 5 month photo shoot. Very professional, of course. Though her grandparents were very impressed by her hair at birth I think you can see it's pretty thin here. She pulls off the little old man look very well, though. Don't you just want to give her a hug? I'm trying to teach her to give hugs but I think it may take a while.
22 April 2010
Got a job!
It's a legit project 100+ hours starting first week of May. Yay for Freelancing. It took a little longer than I thought to get the ball rolling but I'm just happy we won't be in the poor house now AND I can use my professional brain so it won't shrivel and die. Unless it already has . . . Do professional brains keep for five months?
I think we should celebrate by Little a sleeping through the night (since it's going to be harder to catch a random nap).
And happy earth day.
I think we should celebrate by Little a sleeping through the night (since it's going to be harder to catch a random nap).
And happy earth day.
17 April 2010
15 April 2010
going green by way of sweatshop
EBay has these cute and by most accounts relatively high quality cloth diapers that are cheaper than any made in the USA, but they are made in China. No guarantee it's a sweatshop, though, but I do wonder which is most important -- saving green, living green, or being human rights conscious? Oh the dilemmas of a stay-at-home mom: our everyday decisions writ large.
14 April 2010
TV shows
So it's happened. My TV addiction is back. Sort of. I watch most of the shows on hulu though.
I was addicted when a child and adolescent. Then I went to college and had better things to do with my time but still had a couple guilty pleasures (Dawson's Creek, anyone? Did I just admit that?). Then the last thing I remember watching were the returns for the 2000 Presidential election and I went into TV blackout for the majority of the last decade. And I didn't miss it. I did useful things with my time mostly. I know - weird, right? I also did a lot of reading and writing and some pretending to be a rockstar and going out and occasional exercising.
I'm still pretty active when El Esposo's around <---- and that was my downfall. I started watching stuff on the nights he works late after we got married and now since the baby . . . Well here are the shows I usually watch and why they are kind of awesome:
GLEE: Actually I think I might dump this show. It's campy and fun and Jane Lynch is particularly awesome, but I watched it last night and weirdly now that the completely stupid and ridiculous intrigue is over, you know the pretending to be pregnant and pretending someone got you pregnant that didn't, I don't so much have something sucking me back in. Still, there is Jane Lynch, so we'll see.
FRINGE: OK, I'm on again off again with this one, but I recently got rehooked when they did a bunch of origin episodes -- like how things came to be so messed up. I'm a sucker for those "origin of" movies like Spiderman I and Unbreakable (aka the last actually good movie M Night Shamalama whatever did) because that's the creative part. Everything after that is just like "the continuing adventures of..." and I don't really care. Still I like the Steward of Gondor (Denethor, is it?) in that show and the super intensity of everything. It's pretty much a re-imagined X-Files, but hey that was a really good show for a while.
COMMUNITY: This is my favorite new show and my new favorite show. The characters are so awesome and hilarious. I think there's a lot of inherent comedy in the pathos of each one of them being at least partially humiliated to be going to community college. I'm still laughing about the fight scene from the Christmas episode.
30 ROCK: This is a good show. Again with the awesome and hilarious characters. I can't decide which of these two shows is more over-the-top.
THE OFFICE: Everyone knows this show so let me just talk about the recent childbirth episode which brought to life the closest thing to what it is really like in the hospital that I have ever seen on a TV show. Of course it's a sitcom so everything has to be solved by the end but kudos to the writers for doing that and still making the show pretty darn funny after these many years.
If only we got NBC reliably with our digital antenna I would not have to wait for hulu for the three previous shows. Oh and for this one:
PARENTHOOD: So no one's got a newborn on this show but somehow I'm hooked anyway. This is a new show and most of the actors are pretty good at what they do and okay I haven't really figured out what keeps me coming back for this show but maybe I just needed a non-terrible family drama in my repertoire. For fun I recently saw the Steve Martin movie that this show is based off on Netflix and I like the show better than the movie but that is partially due to just how dated the movie seemed. Is it just me or did everyone in the eighties/early nineties seem older? Lauren Graham's 38 year-old character in the new show seems soooo much younger than what's-her-face's parallel divorcee character.
Oh I almost forgot, my new guilty pleasure:
TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU: Yes they made this 90s movie into a show. Yes it is pretty stupid and relatively vapid. The fun thing is that the show seems to be very self-aware, kind of like the movie was. I mean its been a while, but I remember this being the best of that bunch of teen romantic comedies in the mid-nineties.
I think that's it. I don't watch every single episode of these (except Community) but I do watch a lot. I think I need to get a life/some work to do. I've got a couple contracts in the works but nothing to do right now besides be a mom (which, don't get me wrong, is a lot of work) and these keep me busy when I'm feeding the little miss. What's your favorite show? It's probably LOST, huh? I've never seen that show and am afraid to since I hear you then have to watch every single episode.
I was addicted when a child and adolescent. Then I went to college and had better things to do with my time but still had a couple guilty pleasures (Dawson's Creek, anyone? Did I just admit that?). Then the last thing I remember watching were the returns for the 2000 Presidential election and I went into TV blackout for the majority of the last decade. And I didn't miss it. I did useful things with my time mostly. I know - weird, right? I also did a lot of reading and writing and some pretending to be a rockstar and going out and occasional exercising.
I'm still pretty active when El Esposo's around <---- and that was my downfall. I started watching stuff on the nights he works late after we got married and now since the baby . . . Well here are the shows I usually watch and why they are kind of awesome:
GLEE: Actually I think I might dump this show. It's campy and fun and Jane Lynch is particularly awesome, but I watched it last night and weirdly now that the completely stupid and ridiculous intrigue is over, you know the pretending to be pregnant and pretending someone got you pregnant that didn't, I don't so much have something sucking me back in. Still, there is Jane Lynch, so we'll see.
FRINGE: OK, I'm on again off again with this one, but I recently got rehooked when they did a bunch of origin episodes -- like how things came to be so messed up. I'm a sucker for those "origin of" movies like Spiderman I and Unbreakable (aka the last actually good movie M Night Shamalama whatever did) because that's the creative part. Everything after that is just like "the continuing adventures of..." and I don't really care. Still I like the Steward of Gondor (Denethor, is it?) in that show and the super intensity of everything. It's pretty much a re-imagined X-Files, but hey that was a really good show for a while.
COMMUNITY: This is my favorite new show and my new favorite show. The characters are so awesome and hilarious. I think there's a lot of inherent comedy in the pathos of each one of them being at least partially humiliated to be going to community college. I'm still laughing about the fight scene from the Christmas episode.
30 ROCK: This is a good show. Again with the awesome and hilarious characters. I can't decide which of these two shows is more over-the-top.
THE OFFICE: Everyone knows this show so let me just talk about the recent childbirth episode which brought to life the closest thing to what it is really like in the hospital that I have ever seen on a TV show. Of course it's a sitcom so everything has to be solved by the end but kudos to the writers for doing that and still making the show pretty darn funny after these many years.
If only we got NBC reliably with our digital antenna I would not have to wait for hulu for the three previous shows. Oh and for this one:
PARENTHOOD: So no one's got a newborn on this show but somehow I'm hooked anyway. This is a new show and most of the actors are pretty good at what they do and okay I haven't really figured out what keeps me coming back for this show but maybe I just needed a non-terrible family drama in my repertoire. For fun I recently saw the Steve Martin movie that this show is based off on Netflix and I like the show better than the movie but that is partially due to just how dated the movie seemed. Is it just me or did everyone in the eighties/early nineties seem older? Lauren Graham's 38 year-old character in the new show seems soooo much younger than what's-her-face's parallel divorcee character.
Oh I almost forgot, my new guilty pleasure:
TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU: Yes they made this 90s movie into a show. Yes it is pretty stupid and relatively vapid. The fun thing is that the show seems to be very self-aware, kind of like the movie was. I mean its been a while, but I remember this being the best of that bunch of teen romantic comedies in the mid-nineties.
I think that's it. I don't watch every single episode of these (except Community) but I do watch a lot. I think I need to get a life/some work to do. I've got a couple contracts in the works but nothing to do right now besides be a mom (which, don't get me wrong, is a lot of work) and these keep me busy when I'm feeding the little miss. What's your favorite show? It's probably LOST, huh? I've never seen that show and am afraid to since I hear you then have to watch every single episode.
08 April 2010
06 April 2010
Adventures in Baby-Raising
And now for the story that goes with the picture in the previous post:
Boy does that baby ever get a lot of attention when we go out. On the cherry blossom day, surrounded by tourists, we heard "oh what a cute baby" X a million for a couple hours. I fed her right there at the tidal basin and the minute she emerged from the cover I heard coos from all sides. Then El Esposo carried her in the Baby Bjorn for a while and felt quite the stud as all the surrounding women kept looking in his direction and smiling. Yes we were feeling mighty proud of our genetic material.
Fast forward to later that day . . .
Five minutes after little A finally falls asleep we pass a bus that is laying on the horn for the entire time it takes for the car in front of it to move--about 3 hours I think. Then it is ON. Forget normal meltdown, hello festival of screaming.
Now the baby is getting a whole new style of attention from all sides. It's getting cold to take her out so we frantically race through endless blocks and endless disapproving stares and we get to the tourist-heavy metro which is jam-packed. I keep insisting that we have to find somewhere for me to stop and nurse the overly worked-up baby. Suddenly a trillion degrees, we push through the people waiting for the next train until we find a bench, which we promptly take over. As I finally start feeding and get that baby to calm down in the middle of the hordes, I realize just how hard core I am. You can't get much more in-public than this. I would feel like a La Leche League crusader if I weren't so tired and relieved. I also downed my entire bottle of water while feeding her. Take that metro. (The little boy next to me was like "Can I have some water? She's drinking some!" His mom said, "She's the exception to the rule because she's nursing a baby." Boo ya.) So much for our smugness about Captain Adorable. She still is a baby after all.
Boy does that baby ever get a lot of attention when we go out. On the cherry blossom day, surrounded by tourists, we heard "oh what a cute baby" X a million for a couple hours. I fed her right there at the tidal basin and the minute she emerged from the cover I heard coos from all sides. Then El Esposo carried her in the Baby Bjorn for a while and felt quite the stud as all the surrounding women kept looking in his direction and smiling. Yes we were feeling mighty proud of our genetic material.
Fast forward to later that day . . .
Five minutes after little A finally falls asleep we pass a bus that is laying on the horn for the entire time it takes for the car in front of it to move--about 3 hours I think. Then it is ON. Forget normal meltdown, hello festival of screaming.
Now the baby is getting a whole new style of attention from all sides. It's getting cold to take her out so we frantically race through endless blocks and endless disapproving stares and we get to the tourist-heavy metro which is jam-packed. I keep insisting that we have to find somewhere for me to stop and nurse the overly worked-up baby. Suddenly a trillion degrees, we push through the people waiting for the next train until we find a bench, which we promptly take over. As I finally start feeding and get that baby to calm down in the middle of the hordes, I realize just how hard core I am. You can't get much more in-public than this. I would feel like a La Leche League crusader if I weren't so tired and relieved. I also downed my entire bottle of water while feeding her. Take that metro. (The little boy next to me was like "Can I have some water? She's drinking some!" His mom said, "She's the exception to the rule because she's nursing a baby." Boo ya.) So much for our smugness about Captain Adorable. She still is a baby after all.
05 April 2010
30 March 2010
Parenting is no longer kicking my you-know-what
Not that I've conquered it. But, I no longer feel thrown into the deep end without knowing how to swim (actually, it was more like a vat of pudding than just regular old water).
I can swim now. Maybe my strokes aren't the most elegant and maybe there is still a lot to learn before I can teach lessons, but I have at least mastered the doggy-paddle. And hallelujah to that. It is a lot.
Now I can watch with wonder as she does something new every day rather than WONDER how I'm going to solve the new dilemma of the day. I know I will solve it eventually or it will pass or we will at least deal with it. Whatever, yo.
Yesterday she tore her first page out of a magazine and crumpled it into a ball.
I think what helps the most now is how she looks at me. She's been smiley and cute for a while, but there's a new dimension to it recently--to her big moony saucer eyes. I think she loves me back.
I can swim now. Maybe my strokes aren't the most elegant and maybe there is still a lot to learn before I can teach lessons, but I have at least mastered the doggy-paddle. And hallelujah to that. It is a lot.
Now I can watch with wonder as she does something new every day rather than WONDER how I'm going to solve the new dilemma of the day. I know I will solve it eventually or it will pass or we will at least deal with it. Whatever, yo.
Yesterday she tore her first page out of a magazine and crumpled it into a ball.
I think what helps the most now is how she looks at me. She's been smiley and cute for a while, but there's a new dimension to it recently--to her big moony saucer eyes. I think she loves me back.
13 March 2010
In the car last night
The baby has taken to not liking car rides when she would rather be playing. Sometimes we can calm her down by either singing or playing music, though.
On the way to dinner, we went through a few kid songs which she did NOT care for and then started singing other songs, most definitely including aforementioned Bangles "Eternal Flame," which was the one that initially turned off the crying.
One funny thing we have noticed is that when a song IS keeping her calm but there is a pause in the song, she starts howling again. So we have taken to singing the instrumentals. It is pretty funny when popping in a CD won't work but if we sing a song with instruments included (e.g., "dun nu nu nu dun nun nun nuh!) she likes it.
Last night she finally fell asleep when El Esposo and I together sang Radiohead's "Paranoid Android." I'm sure it sounded pretty silly/awesome as we sang the wah-wahs and all and when we got to the end we had to check with each other "Did she really just fall asleep to us singing a creepy Radiohead song like that scene in Wayne's World where they sing Bohemian Rhapsody?" Yes. She did. I'm starting to dig this parenting thing.
On the way to dinner, we went through a few kid songs which she did NOT care for and then started singing other songs, most definitely including aforementioned Bangles "Eternal Flame," which was the one that initially turned off the crying.
One funny thing we have noticed is that when a song IS keeping her calm but there is a pause in the song, she starts howling again. So we have taken to singing the instrumentals. It is pretty funny when popping in a CD won't work but if we sing a song with instruments included (e.g., "dun nu nu nu dun nun nun nuh!) she likes it.
Last night she finally fell asleep when El Esposo and I together sang Radiohead's "Paranoid Android." I'm sure it sounded pretty silly/awesome as we sang the wah-wahs and all and when we got to the end we had to check with each other "Did she really just fall asleep to us singing a creepy Radiohead song like that scene in Wayne's World where they sing Bohemian Rhapsody?" Yes. She did. I'm starting to dig this parenting thing.
10 March 2010
emachines = rad
[Here's hoping the title proves true]
In college I bought an emachines desktop and ended up using it through most of grad school until I decided I wanted a laptop. Well to this day the cheapo emachines is the only computer I have ever purchased that I replaced BEFORE it died. I never had any problems with it and its only issue was bulkiness. I was able to donate it instead of just throw it in the garbage.
Since then I have been through a few laptops all of which died and am now on an HP Desktop most of the time. However El Esposo's Dell laptop just died (of course) and though we pre-empted the event by transferring all his stuff onto the now "family desktop," we have quickly found that sharing one computer is just a non-starter sometimes. And laptops ARE super convenient after all.
BUT we are cheap and our income is seriously shrunken.
Soooo . . . we got a netbook, made by none other than emachines. It is stinkin' adorable for one and I feel good about the emachines name for another because even if it does die it was cheap. Also my parents will be thrilled that it has a built-in webcam so they can watch their granddaughter grow up from afar via skype. Here's a washed out photo I just took:
In college I bought an emachines desktop and ended up using it through most of grad school until I decided I wanted a laptop. Well to this day the cheapo emachines is the only computer I have ever purchased that I replaced BEFORE it died. I never had any problems with it and its only issue was bulkiness. I was able to donate it instead of just throw it in the garbage.
Since then I have been through a few laptops all of which died and am now on an HP Desktop most of the time. However El Esposo's Dell laptop just died (of course) and though we pre-empted the event by transferring all his stuff onto the now "family desktop," we have quickly found that sharing one computer is just a non-starter sometimes. And laptops ARE super convenient after all.
BUT we are cheap and our income is seriously shrunken.
Soooo . . . we got a netbook, made by none other than emachines. It is stinkin' adorable for one and I feel good about the emachines name for another because even if it does die it was cheap. Also my parents will be thrilled that it has a built-in webcam so they can watch their granddaughter grow up from afar via skype. Here's a washed out photo I just took:
25 February 2010
What to do with myself
Oh yeah, also El Esposo is watching the baby tomorrow afternoon BY HISSELF and I sort of forgot to plan anything to do. It might be time to buy some pants since my hips refuse to shrink back to size and I currently alternate between two pairs that fit (I bet some people think I'm kidding about that). Dang it, I should have planned social interaction.
Now that I watch TV
(not all the time or anything but sometimes, okay?) I've noticed that half of the commercials are for drugs. What's up with that? Is it true that big pharmaceutical companies have ALL the money now? Or is it that people who watch a lot of TV are susceptible to the idea that lots of things are wrong with them? I'm definitely starting to think I have overactive bladder, for one.
19 February 2010
Networking is working
Just got off the phone with my old old boss. We're talking three bosses ago. Maybe four if you count the newest one of the last 11 weeks. Here is my piece of advice for the people of the internet:
Never Burn Bridges
Never Burn Bridges
See? Don't say I never taught you anything. Five minutes into the conversation we're talking freelance writing work. All I had to do was produce freaking excellent work while I worked for him, then give him a very generous heads up before quitting, and finally complete one social call per year.
Honestly I am super lucky with how often I have been able to confuse people into thinking I'm brilliant.
Even more honestly I should be thanking God for allowing me - a person who really can't stand networking - to stumble upon such excellent human beings through my short career who can now help me in my next career as a freelancer. Seriously, this excellent individual did most of my work for me.
And lest you think this post is not about the baby I will soon need to find someone I trust to babysit the precious progeny a couple times a week. How I love that sweet girl.
********************************************************************************
Is this really going to work? Am I really going to have my cake and eat it too? Work part-time from home so we don't go broke and I don't go insane while still having the opportunity to spend most of the little one's waking hours with her? AAAACK. Trying not to hyperventilate. Don't screw this one up, MJ.
16 February 2010
Cute Baby Pics 2
If this were a really detailed mommy blog the headline would be about how little a said her first consonant yesterday. But, seriously, her babbling is pretty darn cute. Go, baby, go.
Holy double-chin, Batman.
Remember those one or two nice days in January, DC-ers?
I like this one because she was looking at the mommy (that's me).
And her favorite place to put that fist.
24 January 2010
Hazy Shade of Winter
little a is a fan of the Bangles. Although she prefers "Eternal Flame" this is our winter theme song.
19 January 2010
happiness
This morning when my six-week-old woke up I went to pick her up and said good morning, baby. I was greeted with the cutest toothless smile you have ever seen. I wish I could have captured it. I love her. Her smiles make everything else worth it. I think it's an evolutionary adaptation. Whereas she spends 50% of her waking hours actively fussing or crying, 33% eating, 12% chilling, there is that beautiful 5% she spends playing and smiling. And thus is the parent bonded.
Yesterday was fantastic. We went on a walk as a family and even tried some geo-caching, then we went to the mall, and El Esposo and I took turns carrying the baby in the Baby Bjorn. At home we had a tear-free bathtime and she went to sleep for the night slightly before 11! She woke up at 3:30 and 7:00, but went back to sleep easily after eating. So far today we have spent an hour doing the feeding and refluxy fussing and soothing and I have introduced little a to records and the Thriller album specifically, dancing in the living room. Life is pretty good.
P.s., The diet is not working. Little a's reflux and gas are just as bad. But, we are dealing and for due diligence I am keeping up until Friday.
Yesterday was fantastic. We went on a walk as a family and even tried some geo-caching, then we went to the mall, and El Esposo and I took turns carrying the baby in the Baby Bjorn. At home we had a tear-free bathtime and she went to sleep for the night slightly before 11! She woke up at 3:30 and 7:00, but went back to sleep easily after eating. So far today we have spent an hour doing the feeding and refluxy fussing and soothing and I have introduced little a to records and the Thriller album specifically, dancing in the living room. Life is pretty good.
P.s., The diet is not working. Little a's reflux and gas are just as bad. But, we are dealing and for due diligence I am keeping up until Friday.
13 January 2010
TED Day 5
Turns out the TED is not the worst thing ever. Here's what I've eaten so far:
Day one:
bk-oatmeal
l-avocado, grapes, chips (hadn't gone shopping yet)
d- ground turkey with zucchini, rice, and rice milk
Day two:
bk-rice cereal w/ rice milk
l- can't remember
d- stir fry w rice noodles, lamb, and zucchini, and baked sweet potato
Day three:
bk-oatmeal
l- leftover stir fry and grapes
d- turkey "burger" with avocado and mashed potatoes (no butter or milk ack!)
Day four:
bk-oatmeal
l-sweet potato, fried zucchini, grapes
d- roast lamb w mashed potatoes
Little a had a good day yesterday (day 4). Today we will see whether it was a fluke.
Day one:
bk-oatmeal
l-avocado, grapes, chips (hadn't gone shopping yet)
d- ground turkey with zucchini, rice, and rice milk
Day two:
bk-rice cereal w/ rice milk
l- can't remember
d- stir fry w rice noodles, lamb, and zucchini, and baked sweet potato
Day three:
bk-oatmeal
l- leftover stir fry and grapes
d- turkey "burger" with avocado and mashed potatoes (no butter or milk ack!)
Day four:
bk-oatmeal
l-sweet potato, fried zucchini, grapes
d- roast lamb w mashed potatoes
Little a had a good day yesterday (day 4). Today we will see whether it was a fluke.
09 January 2010
Total Elimination Diet
Today I start the Total Elimination Diet. I know little a reacts to certain foods I eat in a really bad way and I have had enough of guessing which ones. So basically I get to eat various forms of turkey, lamb, rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes, squash, pears, sea salt, pepper, canola oil and a few extra things I feel okay about adding: sugar, cinnamon, oats, and avocados. I don't plan on keeping it up for two weeks though as I already started eliminating dairy a week and a half ago and dairy is the main thing that is supposed to linger in your system for two weeks. Once little a seems better I will start adding more items in the diet. Off to eat some oatmeal for breakfast!
08 January 2010
Cute Baby Pics
I played the harmonica (badly, but she doesn't know) for about 30 minutes straight to get the cute baby to agree to a nap. It was pretty fun at first to find that it won her rapt attention, but now I have chapped lips. By the way, Winter sucks. I was over it a couple weeks ago.
And now the many faces of a one month old:
Sleepy
Contemplative
Focused on the Goal
Happiest Baby on the Block!
until . . .
"Oops I did it again."
And now the many faces of a one month old:
Sleepy
Contemplative
Focused on the Goal
Happiest Baby on the Block!
until . . .
"Oops I did it again."
06 January 2010
SAHM Day
Apologies for sloppy editing...
Today I watched a little of "The Price is Right." I can report that the show still exists and that it is hosted by Drew Carey. At first glance I was thinking Drew Carey might be embarrassed by where he has come (Remember "Whose Line is it Anyway?" That was a sometimes clever show), but really I think he probably loves this gig. I also watched a little Dr. Phil. It was about all the shocking things really young teenagers are doing nowadays. Gross. It made me rethink wanting little a to start growing up already. Speaking of which I want to show you some adorable pics of her one monthiversary when we stop having i-phone syncing issues.
Anyway, the best thing I saw today was definitely the latest episode of "Community" on hulu. It may be the best one yet. Christmas-themed sitcoms are usually lame but this one was delightful.
It is so easy to do unproductive things while taking care of a baby, but hard to do productive ones like making lunch. Anyway, I am starting to adapt to the Stay at Home Mom gig, despite it being very isolated and challenging. I will be very happy when I can work with little a's schedule well enough to do the productive stuff [like writing more than a quick blog entry]. It took about 45 minutes to get her to fall asleep, but that is progress! Some day we may have an actual routine! Currently my goal is to get her to take at least one nap per day not on mommy. Now to read li'l bro's novel until the cute little beast awakens.
Today I watched a little of "The Price is Right." I can report that the show still exists and that it is hosted by Drew Carey. At first glance I was thinking Drew Carey might be embarrassed by where he has come (Remember "Whose Line is it Anyway?" That was a sometimes clever show), but really I think he probably loves this gig. I also watched a little Dr. Phil. It was about all the shocking things really young teenagers are doing nowadays. Gross. It made me rethink wanting little a to start growing up already. Speaking of which I want to show you some adorable pics of her one monthiversary when we stop having i-phone syncing issues.
Anyway, the best thing I saw today was definitely the latest episode of "Community" on hulu. It may be the best one yet. Christmas-themed sitcoms are usually lame but this one was delightful.
It is so easy to do unproductive things while taking care of a baby, but hard to do productive ones like making lunch. Anyway, I am starting to adapt to the Stay at Home Mom gig, despite it being very isolated and challenging. I will be very happy when I can work with little a's schedule well enough to do the productive stuff [like writing more than a quick blog entry]. It took about 45 minutes to get her to fall asleep, but that is progress! Some day we may have an actual routine! Currently my goal is to get her to take at least one nap per day not on mommy. Now to read li'l bro's novel until the cute little beast awakens.
27 December 2009
Is Dr. Karp my hero?
The jury is still out, but here is what just happened:
The baby was fussing and crying uncontrollably for no discernible reason and yes we got the big "C" word diagnosis from the pediatrician the other day: colic. There I said it out loud. Or wrote it out loud. Whatever. Anyway, she has been feeding like a fiend all day so can't possibly be hungry. I just recently changed her diaper, and her icky stomach issues did not seem to be making an appearance -- no gurgly noises, spit-up, or classic "my tummy hurts" motions (I'm learning a lot, though I still am a pretty clueless mommy). So this was it, just our sweet baby doing the colicky thing and me thinking "there is no way I can handle this for 9 more weeks or so." I love her, I promise, but sometimes I want to put her back. As I referred to in the previous post, this is harder than I thought it would be. And I knew it would be very hard. But then I am not so much your classic mommy-type, so it may be easier for other people with more patience.
Chris and I had watched The Happiest Baby on the Block a couple weeks ago during our very first sleepless night in which the babe would not be put down, had tried the 5 s's and found them helpful but not the God-send advertised.
But, I just decided to try them again. "Save us, Dr. Karp," I said to the cosmos. So I swaddled her--meh. Then I held her on her side. This does usually calm her down a little bit--at least for a good couple minutes. Then I stuck a pacifier in her-she does not like that much. Then I started to move her around like a jello jiggler--again with meh results. Then I shushed her a bunch and realized I would not be able to keep it up. I told Chris we needed a white noise machine and he said he had something on his i-phone. So... we turned it on, put it right up to baby's ear and she started to settle down. Within one minute she was silent and a few minutes later she was a-sleep. We looked at each other as though we had just won the lottery. Could it be? Oh please oh please, Dr. Karp and God, let this keep working!
And yes, parenting a newborn IS all I think about right now though the fog is starting to lift.
The baby was fussing and crying uncontrollably for no discernible reason and yes we got the big "C" word diagnosis from the pediatrician the other day: colic. There I said it out loud. Or wrote it out loud. Whatever. Anyway, she has been feeding like a fiend all day so can't possibly be hungry. I just recently changed her diaper, and her icky stomach issues did not seem to be making an appearance -- no gurgly noises, spit-up, or classic "my tummy hurts" motions (I'm learning a lot, though I still am a pretty clueless mommy). So this was it, just our sweet baby doing the colicky thing and me thinking "there is no way I can handle this for 9 more weeks or so." I love her, I promise, but sometimes I want to put her back. As I referred to in the previous post, this is harder than I thought it would be. And I knew it would be very hard. But then I am not so much your classic mommy-type, so it may be easier for other people with more patience.
Chris and I had watched The Happiest Baby on the Block a couple weeks ago during our very first sleepless night in which the babe would not be put down, had tried the 5 s's and found them helpful but not the God-send advertised.
But, I just decided to try them again. "Save us, Dr. Karp," I said to the cosmos. So I swaddled her--meh. Then I held her on her side. This does usually calm her down a little bit--at least for a good couple minutes. Then I stuck a pacifier in her-she does not like that much. Then I started to move her around like a jello jiggler--again with meh results. Then I shushed her a bunch and realized I would not be able to keep it up. I told Chris we needed a white noise machine and he said he had something on his i-phone. So... we turned it on, put it right up to baby's ear and she started to settle down. Within one minute she was silent and a few minutes later she was a-sleep. We looked at each other as though we had just won the lottery. Could it be? Oh please oh please, Dr. Karp and God, let this keep working!
And yes, parenting a newborn IS all I think about right now though the fog is starting to lift.
13 December 2009
Holy crap, parenting is hard!
Our sweet little girl, Adele Regine, was born on December 5th at 7:24 am. I know I am biased, but I think she is pretty gorgeous for a newborn. We love her, but this is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done. Labor and delivery was hard, but taking care of her sweet butt is harder! Kudos to all the amazing parents out there.
03 December 2009
Nothing to say
Seriously. Not working and waiting around for a baby to make her exit will do that. I think I'll go do some more tidying, go for a walk, and then read a book.
25 November 2009
Manna, and it's time I said thanks
So I sort of feel like my job needs a tribute. Over three years working with the same people (well some of the same people plus a revolving cast of characters), the last two of which have been spent in the same cubicle (I feel like it has my perma-germs), on different aspects of the same large-scale IT project meant to make the government itself fitter, happier, and more productive (p.s. we downloaded this Radiohead lullaby album from itunes and it is awesome). That's something.
Without this job I've had for the last three years we probably wouldn't own our home (and have been able to fix it's myriad quirks and dangers) and I wouldn't have saved enough to be able to try freelancing now. It was pretty much manna from heaven as it was something that I really needed and that has sustained me and us so very well and I did very little to get it. Seriously I sent out a bajillion resumes and went to muchos interviews to get my job BEFORE this one, but this one I just got a phone call. And just like the Hebrews, I have complained plenty about that manna. Because it was never quite what I wanted, even if it was very much what I and my family needed.
Though I'm impressed and grateful that computers work, do I really care to know about system design? Not really. And is there even a spot for the barest schmidgen of creativity in this job? Not really. But there's no point in dwelling on that part now.
This sweet day has its bitterness. The bitterness is mostly me never having appreciated what I had enough.
Give me a few months and I'll probably miss having people around everywhere too. Brilliant people and people you wonder how they are keeping up the charade of competence. Nice people, most of them, though some are neurotic. A good number of genuine people with a few fake ones thrown in for contrast. People I trust. And people that trust me. Just people whose faces I will no longer see. People I spend more time with then I spend with El Esposo. People that threw me a surprise baby shower. How stinkin' sweet that was. These are people that realize there is more to life than when the servers will be available, or whether I have filled in my timesheet correctly, or what my status update is this week. I almost certainly should have given them more credit.
Goodbye Job.
Without this job I've had for the last three years we probably wouldn't own our home (and have been able to fix it's myriad quirks and dangers) and I wouldn't have saved enough to be able to try freelancing now. It was pretty much manna from heaven as it was something that I really needed and that has sustained me and us so very well and I did very little to get it. Seriously I sent out a bajillion resumes and went to muchos interviews to get my job BEFORE this one, but this one I just got a phone call. And just like the Hebrews, I have complained plenty about that manna. Because it was never quite what I wanted, even if it was very much what I and my family needed.
Though I'm impressed and grateful that computers work, do I really care to know about system design? Not really. And is there even a spot for the barest schmidgen of creativity in this job? Not really. But there's no point in dwelling on that part now.
This sweet day has its bitterness. The bitterness is mostly me never having appreciated what I had enough.
Give me a few months and I'll probably miss having people around everywhere too. Brilliant people and people you wonder how they are keeping up the charade of competence. Nice people, most of them, though some are neurotic. A good number of genuine people with a few fake ones thrown in for contrast. People I trust. And people that trust me. Just people whose faces I will no longer see. People I spend more time with then I spend with El Esposo. People that threw me a surprise baby shower. How stinkin' sweet that was. These are people that realize there is more to life than when the servers will be available, or whether I have filled in my timesheet correctly, or what my status update is this week. I almost certainly should have given them more credit.
Goodbye Job.
20 November 2009
Freak out time
So today a woman on the elevator asked me when I was due and I said "eleven days."
WHAT?
I hope we don't drop her.
WHAT?
I hope we don't drop her.
12 November 2009
I am for real
I finished! My first really big freelance editing project. I'm pretty proud of the publication as it should be very insightful and impactful for people that read it. I may talk more about that when it is officially published. I feel like an actual professional or something.
And now I can finally organize all the baby stuff.
And now I can finally organize all the baby stuff.
Feeling Elliot Smith
Rainy fall days always make me think of Elliot Smith. This has been the case ever since a little over 5 years ago when I was working at this depressing temp job because no one would hire me to do anything real and one day I walked down the street to Dupont Circle (the location was cool, the job was not) and started to feel as if the rain were playing a song on everyone's black umbrellas (they had to be black). At first it was just a sort of familiar rhythm, then I felt like I could hear piano keys being played by fat fingers, the tones getting lower and lower. It seemed that everyone was walking 3/4 time, too. Eventually I figured out that the world was playing Elliot Smith's Waltz #2. I've blogged about this before (probably five years ago) but it seems right today, too. Here's the audio of the song since I didn't like any of the live versions as much:
Feeling Expansive
The other day I asked El Esposo if my face was bigger. He said yes. And when I asked about my backside he said definitely wider. Which is fine, so I say. The baby's gotta come out somehow. And the extra er fuel - yeah that's what it is - is for helping her grow after she is born.
But then somebody sent me pics from my work baby shower just a few days ago and I was like is that really me? That short round woman? (I think the roundness makes me look shorter). And also I am growing out of my maternity clothes now. Not convenient. But I just have to hold out for two more weeks wearing work-appropriate attire and then it's all about wearing sweats and just embracing the bigness.
I know people get tired of it but I really welcome the idea of sitting around in sweats right now.
But then somebody sent me pics from my work baby shower just a few days ago and I was like is that really me? That short round woman? (I think the roundness makes me look shorter). And also I am growing out of my maternity clothes now. Not convenient. But I just have to hold out for two more weeks wearing work-appropriate attire and then it's all about wearing sweats and just embracing the bigness.
I know people get tired of it but I really welcome the idea of sitting around in sweats right now.
02 November 2009
Zombie "Us"es
I'm not sure if that was the right way to pluralize us. Anyway, here we are in all of our utter putrescence:
The pic doesn't quite give the full effect, but we did win first place at the zombie party, mostly because of how utterly disgusting El Esposo was AND because of our extra-special prop of the Unborn! Which is her latest nickname. Four weeks to go! BRAINS!!!
The pic doesn't quite give the full effect, but we did win first place at the zombie party, mostly because of how utterly disgusting El Esposo was AND because of our extra-special prop of the Unborn! Which is her latest nickname. Four weeks to go! BRAINS!!!
26 October 2009
Safety Net-less
Well, it's official. I just sent my resignation letter effective November 25th. There were a lot of reasons I decided to just go ahead and resign, but one of the most compelling ones for me (not so much for El Esposo) is because now I have to succeed in freelance writing. I have no safety net. Not that we're total idiots--we do have some savings. But, I like the feeling of taking a flying leap. Honestly, it feels more my style than sitting in an office for five years did--though I do think that part was essential to my master plan. But it feels about time to re-invent myself. Why not become a mother and a freelancer at the same time?
I know it is a serious luxury that I get to even try this. I know that we have been blessed immensely to even arrive at this crossroads. I know that even if right now I'm feeling like I believe in the master plan I came up with five years ago it could easily get squashed since I am not really the one that controls my own master plan. But these moments of freefall without a safety net are going to happen in life, and sometimes it's how we know we are alive.
We are getting so excited to meet baby girl D. El Esposo thought he could feel her tiny hand fluttering around in my belly last night.
I know it is a serious luxury that I get to even try this. I know that we have been blessed immensely to even arrive at this crossroads. I know that even if right now I'm feeling like I believe in the master plan I came up with five years ago it could easily get squashed since I am not really the one that controls my own master plan. But these moments of freefall without a safety net are going to happen in life, and sometimes it's how we know we are alive.
We are getting so excited to meet baby girl D. El Esposo thought he could feel her tiny hand fluttering around in my belly last night.
16 October 2009
Business Ethics
Due to my academically squandered Freshman year in college (practiced a lot of guitar, watched a lot of movies, took a lot of roadtrips), I will always hear the phrase "Business Ethics" in the voice of Adam Sandler playing the character Billy Madison.
I think a lot of us have brushes with business ethics all the time, but I have recently had a very classic dilemma: to maternity leave or not to maternity leave?
Here's the situation: I have gone back and forth about the merits of my job but I have decided I don't plan to go back. Basically this is my chance to try something I might like a lot more and I'm going to try it, and yeah I also want to be home most of the time with baby girl. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I don't plan on going back to my current job. I'm just over it. It's a good job but I don't like it. Maybe I sound like a spoiled brat.
I recently shared this with my current supervisor, who advised me to not make my decision yet. Wait and see how the freelance thing is going, she said, and in the meantime get your disability pay. Others I have talked to in a more theoretical sense have said the same thing. Take the money, you earned it, everyone does it, etc.
Except for HR. I talked to HR and they told me that disability pay for new mommies is not supposed to be a reward for work you have already done. It is an incentive to retain employees. Also, I know that each person that takes advantage of the situation to "take the money and run" makes it that much harder for the next pregnant woman to be taken seriously.
But, we could really use the money. ESPECIALLY because I don't plan on coming back. And because our house is never done breaking. Though it's not like we're going to be on food stamps. We'll just tighten the budget until things start to take off with ye olde business.
(Side note: I realize the whole "starting a home-based business" is becoming a bit cliche among certain mommies, but luckily my business is going to be based on skills I have a master's degree and many years of experience in, not a trendy thing I can sell on etsy. I am hoping this increases my chances of prospering. And I am already doing it; I just need to expand.)
Anyway I made my decision. But I am curious what my 2-3 readers think about the ethics of maternity leave.
I think a lot of us have brushes with business ethics all the time, but I have recently had a very classic dilemma: to maternity leave or not to maternity leave?
Here's the situation: I have gone back and forth about the merits of my job but I have decided I don't plan to go back. Basically this is my chance to try something I might like a lot more and I'm going to try it, and yeah I also want to be home most of the time with baby girl. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I don't plan on going back to my current job. I'm just over it. It's a good job but I don't like it. Maybe I sound like a spoiled brat.
I recently shared this with my current supervisor, who advised me to not make my decision yet. Wait and see how the freelance thing is going, she said, and in the meantime get your disability pay. Others I have talked to in a more theoretical sense have said the same thing. Take the money, you earned it, everyone does it, etc.
Except for HR. I talked to HR and they told me that disability pay for new mommies is not supposed to be a reward for work you have already done. It is an incentive to retain employees. Also, I know that each person that takes advantage of the situation to "take the money and run" makes it that much harder for the next pregnant woman to be taken seriously.
But, we could really use the money. ESPECIALLY because I don't plan on coming back. And because our house is never done breaking. Though it's not like we're going to be on food stamps. We'll just tighten the budget until things start to take off with ye olde business.
(Side note: I realize the whole "starting a home-based business" is becoming a bit cliche among certain mommies, but luckily my business is going to be based on skills I have a master's degree and many years of experience in, not a trendy thing I can sell on etsy. I am hoping this increases my chances of prospering. And I am already doing it; I just need to expand.)
Anyway I made my decision. But I am curious what my 2-3 readers think about the ethics of maternity leave.
12 October 2009
being a homebody
I am upstairs editing articles written from the perspectives of Jews, Muslims and Christians that all participated in inter-faith dialogues in various countries. They are actually really interesting. This one Rabbi's article knocked my socks off.
Downstairs the neighbor kids are going to town in our music room. I have no idea whether they are being supervised but I think El Esposo is putting up drywall in the next room. I have to admit I have heard some not-half-bad drum beats amidst all the noise.
We love our neighbors. Seriously. A couple days ago for no good reason they brought over their "extra" lunch for us and it was amazing: delicate aromatic rice with tender halal beef and cucumber/tomato/awesome salad and then yogurt sauce on the side to dredge all of the deliciousness in. Why did we not take a picture? Oh, probably because they do this all the time.
Downstairs the neighbor kids are going to town in our music room. I have no idea whether they are being supervised but I think El Esposo is putting up drywall in the next room. I have to admit I have heard some not-half-bad drum beats amidst all the noise.
We love our neighbors. Seriously. A couple days ago for no good reason they brought over their "extra" lunch for us and it was amazing: delicate aromatic rice with tender halal beef and cucumber/tomato/awesome salad and then yogurt sauce on the side to dredge all of the deliciousness in. Why did we not take a picture? Oh, probably because they do this all the time.
09 October 2009
vomit practice
How does this:
Become this?
It's pretty easy, actually. Simply open the fruit cup by the tab facing towards you and angled slightly up (it helps if you are or your belly is a large target). Then just watch in amazement as the juice squirts out as through a water hose that you put your finger over. The result is a beautiful splatter painting all over your shirt.
The bonus here is that if you do this early enough in the day while at work you can also smell like packaged fruit juice all day long.
Become this?
It's pretty easy, actually. Simply open the fruit cup by the tab facing towards you and angled slightly up (it helps if you are or your belly is a large target). Then just watch in amazement as the juice squirts out as through a water hose that you put your finger over. The result is a beautiful splatter painting all over your shirt.
The bonus here is that if you do this early enough in the day while at work you can also smell like packaged fruit juice all day long.
08 October 2009
poised to fall
So, this is me, apparently:
Some people are so good at these things but I am not. My brain is so full with trying to not slack off too bad at work and edit 25 articles for my freelance gig at night and go to childbirth class and read a million books about how to get a kid out of me and then what to do with it when it comes out and keeping El Esposo from going insane with all the housework. I forget little details like making sure the building is reserved for this church activity I am in charge of planning. Or paying our only bill that can not be automated. Or doing the most mundane errands to avoid tax evasion.
Is there some dark cave that I can crawl into that will supply all needed nutrients to me via a tube?
Okay, just kidding, sort of.
The house of cards will probably fall and then I will start building another one. Maybe I should take an engineering course?
Sorry for the whining.
Some people are so good at these things but I am not. My brain is so full with trying to not slack off too bad at work and edit 25 articles for my freelance gig at night and go to childbirth class and read a million books about how to get a kid out of me and then what to do with it when it comes out and keeping El Esposo from going insane with all the housework. I forget little details like making sure the building is reserved for this church activity I am in charge of planning. Or paying our only bill that can not be automated. Or doing the most mundane errands to avoid tax evasion.
Is there some dark cave that I can crawl into that will supply all needed nutrients to me via a tube?
Okay, just kidding, sort of.
The house of cards will probably fall and then I will start building another one. Maybe I should take an engineering course?
Sorry for the whining.
28 September 2009
The voice coach taught me to sing; he couldn't teach me to love
El Esposo and I have been very productive lately. We have done lots of baby prep, house work and organization, and I have started a new relatively large freelance contract which means I get to work an extra ten hours a week for the next six weeks (which would be slightly more awesome if I didn't already work 45 hours a week and wasn't 7 months pregnant, but--you know--I'll take it). El Esposo is still planning on hanging a bunch of drywall in our gutted basement room, and, with some help, regrading the lawn so no more water gets in the aforementioned room. And then there's the missing shingle or two on the roof-blech. Homeownership. This Wednesday we start taking our childbirth classes. We expect all of this to pretty much take us up to full term with the bebe.
So, last night, we somehow ended up staying up way late for a Sunday night with me going through several of my old CD's and playing snippets for El Esposo. He was most impressed with this one:
Which I totally agreed with. I am not a Pavement super-fan like a certain other member of my family, but Brighten the Corners doesn't sound so aged and obviously nineties as a lot of my other old stuff. It still fits right into the indie milleu that has followed--and is frankly better than most of it. If you missed it way back in 1997, now is still a good time. Old Man Malkmus sounds a bit brighter and more brilliant than the more recent stuff I have heard, which is still pretty quirky and interesting. I don't know enough to tell you whether it's the quintessential Pavement album. I'm guessing probably not. But it may be the most consistently awesome. To each his own, of course, but I think if you don't love screaming along to "Stereo" you might just be no fun at all.
So, last night, we somehow ended up staying up way late for a Sunday night with me going through several of my old CD's and playing snippets for El Esposo. He was most impressed with this one:
Which I totally agreed with. I am not a Pavement super-fan like a certain other member of my family, but Brighten the Corners doesn't sound so aged and obviously nineties as a lot of my other old stuff. It still fits right into the indie milleu that has followed--and is frankly better than most of it. If you missed it way back in 1997, now is still a good time. Old Man Malkmus sounds a bit brighter and more brilliant than the more recent stuff I have heard, which is still pretty quirky and interesting. I don't know enough to tell you whether it's the quintessential Pavement album. I'm guessing probably not. But it may be the most consistently awesome. To each his own, of course, but I think if you don't love screaming along to "Stereo" you might just be no fun at all.
12 September 2009
summer illustrated
I still haven't solved my camera's technical issues, but here are some pics from El Esposo's phone.
Hiking in the Shenandoahs for birthday luxury camping weekend
Hitting the beach on labor day weekend Friday (hardly anyone was there yet), or maybe this was early Saturday morning while everyone was sleeping?
Beach hair, though a lot of the time mine was crazier than this. I just want to clarify that the weirdness is not due to the fantastic haircut.
A self-portrait + the condo + farmer's tan + fetus at approximately 6 months
*SAND ART*
Since I couldn't ride the human slingshot, we attempted art while at the beach. The first attempt, Reclining Pregnant Woman, fit nicely with the "babymoon" theme. Though it actually started as a man with ridiculous eighties hair, I suggested the change. It was mostly El Esposo's handiwork. I think he did a great job.
See what care he took?
We worked together to create a dog--I mean an alligator--no a lizard--no, wait, a dragon with very buff long arms. Here I am trying to construct the face for the 67th time, hoping it will not crumble again.
67th try was the charm and El Esposo tamed the dragon... or something.
And I don't know about you, but that's good enough for me for a summer farewell.
Hiking in the Shenandoahs for birthday luxury camping weekend
Hitting the beach on labor day weekend Friday (hardly anyone was there yet), or maybe this was early Saturday morning while everyone was sleeping?
Beach hair, though a lot of the time mine was crazier than this. I just want to clarify that the weirdness is not due to the fantastic haircut.
A self-portrait + the condo + farmer's tan + fetus at approximately 6 months
*SAND ART*
Since I couldn't ride the human slingshot, we attempted art while at the beach. The first attempt, Reclining Pregnant Woman, fit nicely with the "babymoon" theme. Though it actually started as a man with ridiculous eighties hair, I suggested the change. It was mostly El Esposo's handiwork. I think he did a great job.
See what care he took?
We worked together to create a dog--I mean an alligator--no a lizard--no, wait, a dragon with very buff long arms. Here I am trying to construct the face for the 67th time, hoping it will not crumble again.
67th try was the charm and El Esposo tamed the dragon... or something.
And I don't know about you, but that's good enough for me for a summer farewell.
11 September 2009
just stuff occuring to me today
1. Today I learned that I still have not figured out how to properly open one of these
without some type of paper mishap. Actually, I might have figured it out sometime during elementary school, but that knowledge is now gone. My nine-year-old self would not be impressed. (The picture on the carton happens to be John Kerry, which is just what google brought up--hmmmm.) But really, couldn't they make it easier? The instructions on the carton never really work quite right.
2. I also realized that I have become paranoid about sick people. I read so much crap about pregnancy and thus can't avoid H1N1 and the stories are all about women dying in the third trimester and the big question of whether or not to get the vaccine when it comes out and everyone is sick right now (including El Esposo). I am not paranoid enough to wear a mask everywhere yet, though; I'm just taking up OCD handwashing. I hope this is not a sign that I'm going to overparent. Sorry, sick people. I hope you get better soon. Like really soon. Maybe I'm especially creeped out today because it's 9/11 and everything creeps me out on 9/11: working in DC and taking the train included.
3. It's worth spending the extra five bucks to get a decent umbrella. This guy with lots of time on his hands has documented why. Today I carried a working umbrella for a change, which kept me from yelling at the umbrella in a frustrated fashion where I could be easily mistaken for one of those mentally ill homeless people walking the streets of the city.
Everyone take care of yourselves. It is always on this day that I wonder what -- other than national mourning -- can ever unify us. Maybe we can just be nice to people: sick people, homeless people, manufacturers of milk cartons...
without some type of paper mishap. Actually, I might have figured it out sometime during elementary school, but that knowledge is now gone. My nine-year-old self would not be impressed. (The picture on the carton happens to be John Kerry, which is just what google brought up--hmmmm.) But really, couldn't they make it easier? The instructions on the carton never really work quite right.
2. I also realized that I have become paranoid about sick people. I read so much crap about pregnancy and thus can't avoid H1N1 and the stories are all about women dying in the third trimester and the big question of whether or not to get the vaccine when it comes out and everyone is sick right now (including El Esposo). I am not paranoid enough to wear a mask everywhere yet, though; I'm just taking up OCD handwashing. I hope this is not a sign that I'm going to overparent. Sorry, sick people. I hope you get better soon. Like really soon. Maybe I'm especially creeped out today because it's 9/11 and everything creeps me out on 9/11: working in DC and taking the train included.
3. It's worth spending the extra five bucks to get a decent umbrella. This guy with lots of time on his hands has documented why. Today I carried a working umbrella for a change, which kept me from yelling at the umbrella in a frustrated fashion where I could be easily mistaken for one of those mentally ill homeless people walking the streets of the city.
Everyone take care of yourselves. It is always on this day that I wonder what -- other than national mourning -- can ever unify us. Maybe we can just be nice to people: sick people, homeless people, manufacturers of milk cartons...
09 September 2009
01 September 2009
Either A) El Esposo is Vidal Sassoon or B) We Are Too Budget-Obsessed
I let the man cut my hair. And when I say cut my hair, I mean into an actual style --short and sassy once more. It was getting ick. Was it worth saving $60? Well, probably. Though it was not a stress-free experience for either of us, I think it turned out pretty good. Pictures? Soon, hopefully.
20 August 2009
18 August 2009
It's not too late to thwart the dominant one
There are still two days to vote in the song contest. We do have a clear front-runner, which may be deserved, but it is not too late to vote for the "I got my hand bit when I tried to feed a wild animal" song or the "Tigers eat people" song or whichever song may strike your fancy. I'm lazy, so just scroll down two posts for links to the music.
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