Hats off to you love-the-baby-stage people, but I think it gets WAY more fun once they hit six months and beyond and really start interacting. Lately there have been many moments where it seems like we all take turns cracking each other up - like Bella, Oliver and I are playing together - and that is so rewarding for me.
Oliver has learned that he can make us laugh by spitting out his food and I caught it on video at lunch. He can be quite the cute babypants.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Chicago!
Hey-oh! Internet is a gazillion dollars a day here, but thanks to Husband's workplace sponsoring me (hee), I'm back in business for a couple days.
So we are in Chicago. I planned like a mo-fo for this trip and it's going very smoothly - at least in the ways I can control. Our hotel set-up is awesome - it's a one bedroom suite (Embassy Suites Downtown/Lakefront) so right now Oliver is napping while Bella and I chill on the couch. Thank you to Super Why for occupying her. I rented a double stroller (City Mini double) and a big tote of toys from a baby delivery service to ease both navigating around the city and also spending time in our room. The hotel serves a full breakfast each morning. There is a grocery store - with a Starbucks - across the street. Many delivery options for dinner. A two-hour reception in the lobby each night with free drinks and snacks. The hotel has a pool. The children's museum is a quick half mile away and thanks to upgrading to a reciprocal membership - it's now "free" for us. The Navy Pier, Millennium Park and lots of other tourist sites are a quick walk away. It's as ideal as you can get for traveling with young kids.
But. Oliver is not sleeping. He naps great, as always, but night sleep is such a hot mess. I expected this and planned on it, so I'm not totally going out of my mind, but it's frustrating. The hourly wake-ups and the need to avoid any fussing/crying given our close quarters makes it really hard on this mama. Suddenly I am finding myself co-sleeping, nursing much of the night, and praying that this doesn't trigger a return of the thrush. I think he's teething (big swollen gums, gnawing on all - including the boobs, and some drooling which is unusual for him) but don't we always blame all probs on teething? Anyway, after this trip, I'm going to avoid all other trips over 3 days until he's two and sleeping nicely on vacations. Speaking of being two - Bella is doing AWESOME at night sleeping. Nap-free and therefore a little crazy by the end of the day, but doing well. And because she was also on Team Up All Night on all vacations in her first two years, it gives me much hope for the boy.
Today is the last day of parenting all on my own while Husband exhausts himself at a conference and then tomorrow we will hit the town as a family. I'm VERY excited for having an whole extra person to help me. I have to give myself props for being willing to tackle a big city with two little ones all on my own, but at the same time, it's easier than doing the same-old same-old 100% on my own while Husband is away from us.
I haven't taken many pictures yet - hands have been just a little full (HA! understatement) - but I'll make up for that tomorrow. Here's what I've documented thus far.
The view from our hotel room window this morning.
Oliver on the plane. He did really well - both kids did - but I wasn't too worried since it's such a short flight.
At the Children's Museum. My generally fearless child was a little nervous here.
Bella aspires to be a "fix-it girl" when she grows up, which she tells everyone and will often inquire if your bathtub needs fixing. This was a great activity at the Children's Museum for her and the little girl she is working with here was such a good match for her as she was also super social and a little bossy, just like B.
Baby's First Happy Meal. Aw... Bella is astounded that there was a PRESENT in it. She ate 1/3 of her cheeseburger, one fry and all her chocolate milk. I do wonder if this is going to now be a constant request :) I generally avoid fast food for her (obviously, if this is her first time getting her own happy meal) but as a big treat on vacation, it's fine with me. Well...mostly fine. I try not to think too hard about the meat and where it came from.
The McD's was at the Navy Pier, right by the Children's Museum. A man was shouting "BOAT!" in a crazy voice, trying get people to go on a ferry ride, and Bella was certain he was shouting a bad word.
This picture isn't overexposed, that's the fog rolling in from the lake. It came in so fast yesterday. One minute it was clear and sunny and then the next minute everything was foggy.
At Millennium Park. We only spent 5 minutes there before there was a potty emergency and no public restroom to be found quickly. I remain so mystified by the notion that a potty trained kid is easier. How?? You are constantly having to find bathrooms - icky, public bathrooms.
Huge Marilyn statue. Bella declared her beautiful.
More to come tomorrow or Wednesday! I miss regular blogging so much...
So we are in Chicago. I planned like a mo-fo for this trip and it's going very smoothly - at least in the ways I can control. Our hotel set-up is awesome - it's a one bedroom suite (Embassy Suites Downtown/Lakefront) so right now Oliver is napping while Bella and I chill on the couch. Thank you to Super Why for occupying her. I rented a double stroller (City Mini double) and a big tote of toys from a baby delivery service to ease both navigating around the city and also spending time in our room. The hotel serves a full breakfast each morning. There is a grocery store - with a Starbucks - across the street. Many delivery options for dinner. A two-hour reception in the lobby each night with free drinks and snacks. The hotel has a pool. The children's museum is a quick half mile away and thanks to upgrading to a reciprocal membership - it's now "free" for us. The Navy Pier, Millennium Park and lots of other tourist sites are a quick walk away. It's as ideal as you can get for traveling with young kids.
But. Oliver is not sleeping. He naps great, as always, but night sleep is such a hot mess. I expected this and planned on it, so I'm not totally going out of my mind, but it's frustrating. The hourly wake-ups and the need to avoid any fussing/crying given our close quarters makes it really hard on this mama. Suddenly I am finding myself co-sleeping, nursing much of the night, and praying that this doesn't trigger a return of the thrush. I think he's teething (big swollen gums, gnawing on all - including the boobs, and some drooling which is unusual for him) but don't we always blame all probs on teething? Anyway, after this trip, I'm going to avoid all other trips over 3 days until he's two and sleeping nicely on vacations. Speaking of being two - Bella is doing AWESOME at night sleeping. Nap-free and therefore a little crazy by the end of the day, but doing well. And because she was also on Team Up All Night on all vacations in her first two years, it gives me much hope for the boy.
Today is the last day of parenting all on my own while Husband exhausts himself at a conference and then tomorrow we will hit the town as a family. I'm VERY excited for having an whole extra person to help me. I have to give myself props for being willing to tackle a big city with two little ones all on my own, but at the same time, it's easier than doing the same-old same-old 100% on my own while Husband is away from us.
I haven't taken many pictures yet - hands have been just a little full (HA! understatement) - but I'll make up for that tomorrow. Here's what I've documented thus far.
The view from our hotel room window this morning.
Oliver on the plane. He did really well - both kids did - but I wasn't too worried since it's such a short flight.
Bella mimics Oliver a lot :)
At the Children's Museum. My generally fearless child was a little nervous here.
Bella aspires to be a "fix-it girl" when she grows up, which she tells everyone and will often inquire if your bathtub needs fixing. This was a great activity at the Children's Museum for her and the little girl she is working with here was such a good match for her as she was also super social and a little bossy, just like B.
Baby's First Happy Meal. Aw... Bella is astounded that there was a PRESENT in it. She ate 1/3 of her cheeseburger, one fry and all her chocolate milk. I do wonder if this is going to now be a constant request :) I generally avoid fast food for her (obviously, if this is her first time getting her own happy meal) but as a big treat on vacation, it's fine with me. Well...mostly fine. I try not to think too hard about the meat and where it came from.
The McD's was at the Navy Pier, right by the Children's Museum. A man was shouting "BOAT!" in a crazy voice, trying get people to go on a ferry ride, and Bella was certain he was shouting a bad word.
This picture isn't overexposed, that's the fog rolling in from the lake. It came in so fast yesterday. One minute it was clear and sunny and then the next minute everything was foggy.
At Millennium Park. We only spent 5 minutes there before there was a potty emergency and no public restroom to be found quickly. I remain so mystified by the notion that a potty trained kid is easier. How?? You are constantly having to find bathrooms - icky, public bathrooms.
Post pool bath time.
Huge Marilyn statue. Bella declared her beautiful.
More to come tomorrow or Wednesday! I miss regular blogging so much...
Project 52: Parenting Clarifies
Parenting...
Clarifies
Yesterday, on the third day of our trip to Chicago, Bella told me she missed home. I found myself explaining the concept of homesickness to her - you miss home but at the same time you are also having a fun time seeing and experiencing new things.
AS I found the words to help her understand her feelings, I realized that it clarified my own mixed emotions about traveling. Spelling out and naming exactly how you are feeling can be so useful but as "grown ups" we are used to glossing over it all.
Once again, in teaching my kids, I am learning and growing right along with them.
Learn more about my Project 52 here and check out styleberry BLOG for links to more Project 52s.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Project 52:11 Parenting Shows You What You're Made Of
Parenting...
Shows You What You're Made Of
I would never have guessed at how deep our energy reserves go had you two kids not come into our lives to show us just how much we have to give.
Parenting has taught me that when you think you are running on empty, you actually can and will keep on going. It’s not easy, but being able to parent in a way that I can feel good about in the face of exhaustion has given me a quiet sense of strength.
But pretty please, Universe, no more illness this year?
Parenting has taught me that when you think you are running on empty, you actually can and will keep on going. It’s not easy, but being able to parent in a way that I can feel good about in the face of exhaustion has given me a quiet sense of strength.
But pretty please, Universe, no more illness this year?
Learn more about my Project 52 here and check out styleberry BLOG for links to more Project 52s.
* * * * *
So my original plan for this week was to write something about how parenting means taking a break when you need one and I was going to take a picture while Husband and I were out on a date Saturday night. It was going to be the first date night in a long while. Oh, the best laid plans...
Date night rescheduled for mid-April and we spent the weekend cuddling our fever boy and spending time outside instead. Not too shabby and there was still fun to be had, even if it was not at all what we had originally had in mind. And so we continue to learn life lessons all the time. WHEE! (Srlsy, tho, AM LIFE LESSONED OUT!)
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Life Lately
- The weather has been so nice that it makes me want to weep tears of joy. Last winter, the winter where it was still snowing in MAY (OMFG), was so hard on me emotionally and then I felt like summer didn't really happen as I was either super pregnant and uncomfortable or postpartum and feeling lousy. So to have this bonus summer in March...it goes a long way towards restoring me back to my old self.
- Yeah, still not feeling like my old self. I don't feel like I've adapted to having two children. Or at least that I haven't adapted in the sense that I find life generally manageable and not completely exhausting and challenging. This embarrasses me as it doesn't seem to be a universal experience. Maybe it can partly be blamed on some of the random things that have gone on (looking at you, thrush!) but it's frustrating. However, the last couple weeks I have had multiple days where I felt competent and semi on top of things so that is very encouraging. Prior to the start of this month, I had maybe 8 days where I felt that way since becoming a parent of two kids. 8 days in uh...8 months.
- My therapist says that the first year of the second kid is the hardest. This helps me feel less silly for finding two kids to be so darn hard. I had previously heard of 3 months or 6 months out as being magical times when it eases up. When that wasn't the case for me/us, I felt foolish. Having two kids has been WAAAAAY humbling for me after I made the transition from zero to one so easily.
- In spite of the warm-up, Oliver is officially sick again with a fever of 101.5°. Husband feels like crap. Bella was sick earlier this week. I feel okay, but not 100%. I'm so frustrated and depressed by how constant illness has been in our household since Christmas. We continue to all have swollen tonsils and sore throats even though I bought humidifiers for each room. Since we are negative for strep, I don't know what to do. The throat thing has gone on for two months. Husband might go on antibiotics. I am EXTREMELY reluctant to do that for the kids or myself given the thrush (antibiotics often cause thrush & yeast drama). So...I dunno. Anyway, this is the cold & flu season that doesn't end. Yes, it goes on and on, my friends. Some people started spreading it, not knowing what it was. And they'll continue spreading it forever just because...
- I'm still nursing three times a day and giving Oliver formula for the other feedings and I can say I'm very happy with that decision. I don't *think* we have any thrush going on at the moment (you have no idea how scary it is to put that in writing for fear of it causing thrush to flare up tomorrow) so that makes it a lot easier to keep going. I meant to go through with fully weaning, but when Oliver was sick & teething a couple weeks ago, nursing seemed to really help him so I tabled it. Anyway, this mix of nursing and using formula has proved to give me a sense of having the best of both worlds.
- We watched the remake of Footloose on Thursday night and I loved it so. Delightful.
- I took my hairy legs (oops, haven't gotten around to shaving off my "winter coat" - heh) and Oliver out for a run this morning to meet Husband and Bella at music class. First run in forever and it felt pretty good. I know part of how funky I feel is because I haven't been exercising. I also haven't been eating so great ever since I dropped that miserable anti-candida diet. That is why diets are bad - you always overcompensate when it's over. Don't diet, kids!
- Oliver is learning sign language! He busted out the sign for "more" at lunch today, making us so proud. I have only been signing with him here and there, but it seems that was enough. I can't believe he is old enough to communicate with us that way.
- HAMMER TIME! I mean, picture time.
- Bella has been the biggest pickle about napping all week in spite of me doing everything possible to wear her down and make her sleepy, so there have been many instances of us snuggling mid-afternoon. Here she was telling me that I was her best friend in the whole wide world go round. Such a mix of frustration and delight with that little lady.
 |
- This is what I looked like by 4 pm each day this week when she didn't nap. That last hour or two of waiting for Husband to get home usually takes about 50 years.
SO WARM!
Oliver is beautiful.
- Cheering on the runners in the St. Patrick's Day race that we happened upon this morning on a walk. What an awesome day for a race. And, again, it is SO AWESOME to get outside this early in the year.
Don't they look so much alike?
And that's it for this hodge-podge post. SEACREST OUT!
PS - Sometimes I get really concerned about Ryan Seacrest's crazy life and all his jobs. Is he tired? He must be tired! You need rest, Seacrest! And then I feel creepy for being concerned about Ryan Seacrest.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Project 52:10 Leaving a Legacy
Parenting is...
Leaving a Legacy
Leaving a Legacy
Seeing my passion for reading taking root in you gives
me a sense of pride and contentment beyond words.
me a sense of pride and contentment beyond words.
Yes, I am very much over reading The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster, or
The Trouble with Grown-Ups or Go to the Dentist for the umpteenth time. But you aren't over it.
The Trouble with Grown-Ups or Go to the Dentist for the umpteenth time. But you aren't over it.
And that's just awesome.
Learn more about my Project 52 here and check out styleberry BLOG for links to more Project 52s.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
11 Questions Meme
***You have until tonight to enter The Hunger Games book giveaway!***
Laura at The Diniwilks tagged me in this 11 Questions Meme and I'm always in the mood for a random things kind of post, so here it is.
Current Facebook Profile Picture:
11 Random Things:
1. I have double jointed hips (or maybe it's my knees or something?) I'm slightly less flexible in this position than I was as a 5-year-old, but I still prefer it to the more normal crossed legs position while sitting. The teachers were always trying to fix it and stop me from sitting like that, but it didn't work.
2. On those same lines, I hold my pen like this. Attempts to fix that failed, too. But it does make writing super uncomfortable and crampy so it's good I live in a computer world.
3. The other day someone tagged this picture on Husband's Facebook account. Husband is the person on the far left.
I told him I couldn't believe that he never told me he was voted Most Attractive in high school. He said it had never come up. And to that I say: (1) DUDE, I would have made that shit come up in conversation long ago. I mean...!!! and (2) it's kind of trippy to high-school-and-therefore-very-insecure Laura that I married the most attractive guy in high school. To be clear, this means exactly nothing to our current life, but I kind of wish I could go back in time to Junior High and High School Laura, who felt so troubled by not being "popular" and extremely intimidated by anyone I deemed popular, and share just how much all that stuff doesn't matter once you leave high school.
4. Suppose I should tell you now that I only learned last month what the word superlative meant. And maybe I'm still feeling shaky on it's definition. Is this a common word that everyone knows? Maybe I'm clueless because we didn't have Senior superlatives? (Or at least I don't think we did? Fargo Spartans of '98 - help me out here!)
5. I think the noises people make in the morning (pretty much referring to adults here and not my children) are the worst thing ever. The tooth brushing and the flossing and the cereal crunching and the peeing in the toilet noise and the throat clearing and the coffee sipping - STAB ME IN THE EYE IT'S SO TERRIBLE.
6. I am 100% okay with the fact we are moving to the 'burbs in the near future. I know that's supposedly uncool of me (and will ruin Bella's life according to my 11-year-old nephew), but I'm ready to leave the city. I've lived in many places around Minneapolis for 14 years (and also a semester in London) so I have had plenty of time to come to that position. Prior to that I was out in the country, on the outskirts of Fargo. However, not just any old suburb will do. I do want our suburban location to allow for me to get out and walk - I don't want to live just off a highway that makes walking difficult or impossible. That would make me bonkers. And I will miss some aspects of the city, for sure. But at this point in my life, suburbs sound good. And if you are judging me for being lame, may I remind you that I married the most attractive guy in high school? SO THERE! (Can picture Husband cringing as he reads this!)
7. Being outside each day in nice weather makes me feel so much happier and more human. Thus each winter is pretty much a long and depressing funk for me. We are very open to moving somewhere warmer and escaping the Minnesota winter. North Carolina is a top contender.
8. I clean out my fridge (the food, not the actual fridge) at least once or twice a week. Leftovers get to hang out for 48 hours before I get really twitchy and threaten Husband that he eats it now or it goes. You will not find expired condiments in my fridge. No way, no how.
9. I did some non-necessary online shopping while tipsy for the first time in my life last weekend. I got an email from StyleMint telling me of a limited time offer for a "Mystery Bag" for $29.99 that included a (theoretically stylish) t-shirt and then maybe also jewelery and gift cards and stuff. I spontaneously bought it - the mystery bit was what sold me, I think - and immediately thought "Um...did I just do that?" I don't even wear jewelery aside from my wedding & engagement ring and my lorso (long torso, yo) issues keep 90% of the StyleMint t-shirts from working on me, so it was clearly a drunk shop. I figure I'll return the T as soon as I get it, but it opened my eyes to that fact that this must be a big problem for some people. Marketing teams are genius to be sending emails like that at 9 pm on the weekends. Glad I'm not much of a shopper.
10. Hm. Getting hard to come up with more things. The other day, Husband and I were discussed the trend of colored jeans and I said I had a green pair and a red pair in 7th grade. He told me he had some mustard colored jeans in college. Then we realized we were both talking about 1993. Love that shit everytime.
11. I'm swearing a lot lately. I think I'm snappy and tired and just exhausted from life's demands so I'm testing out being salty. I'm sure I will return to a lower sodium version of myself soon.
(Other) Laura's Questions:
1) What are your top five all-time favorite bands?
OY. I have no idea. Super lame when it comes to music. I don't even know if I've ever seen a band in concert. And I'm thinking saying "in concert" is not the correct terminology and thus I have exposed further lameness. Wait, I guess I did see a couple bands. I saw Guster in the spring of 2003 (that day is distinct in my memory because an older co-worker asked if I was pregnant and OMFG I was still in college and NO, very much not pregnant) and then there was an outdoor thing - Jack Johnson? maybe? - with a random boyfriend I had for a few months in college who I thought was too nice but it turned out he was kind of mean. But that is not here nor there. I guess I will say Guster is still a go-to band for me. But besides them, my top choices on Pandora are Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Specktor, and Gavin DeGraw. I like hip-hop/dance stuff for exercise. I will always be happy to hear a Tori Amos or Coldplay song. Lately I'm listening to Mumford & Sons and Foster the People on Pandora to check them out. Hardly on the cutting edge here.
2) What are your top five all-time favorite books?
No clue! Yeah, I tried again to come up with answers but got really sleepy so we'll just say I like reading.
3) What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
Erm...There was the time when I was 23 and I told some guys who owned a club in Acapulco, Mexico that I was a back-up dancer for Prince and they had me go up on a stage and dance. Should note I was not drunk.
4) What is your favorite treat?
Red Velvet Cake. Or white cake with frosting. I can pass on chocolate cake.
5) What are you the proudest of?
I suppose I would say how I'm raising my kids, but on a more personal level, I'm proud of my blog.
6) What are you the most ashamed of?
Wow, really tough question. Or at least, really exposing one.
I feel truly horrible for saying something mean to a kid my freshman year of college, someone I didn't know and who did nothing to provoke my rude comment. I could explain the situation more fully, try to pass it off as something that came after a kahlua & chocolate milk, but it doesn't matter - I was in the wrong. This kid did not deserve what I said. This haunts me often, especially now that I am a mother. If I ever see him, I do think I'd go up to him and apologize, not that it would help anything - it would really only be to make myself feel better. I can only wish he doesn't recall it and is someone who let it roll right off his back at the time. Saying that mean comment was not like me and I think I was trying on being a mean girl or something hideous as I dealt with my own insecurities at the time. I just feel sick over it to this day. I hope to use that experience to teach my children why being kind to everyone is an integral part of being a good person. Why words can be extremely hurtful and long-lasting for everyone involved. Why even fleeting moments in your life might stick with you forever. Ugh. How I wish I could undo that 30 seconds of my life.
7) What is your guilty pleasure?
Netflix shows. Dessert. Wine. Coffee. And those aren't really guilty pleasures as much as necessary for sanity.
8) What are you really, really good at?
Reading fast and absorbing the information. I got a perfect score on the reading section of my ACTs and I finished well before most people and that was after double checking my answers. #EndBrag
9) What does your handwriting look like? (post a pic!!!)
A hot mess. Worse in recent years. I often can't read it, even minutes after writing something, which is super annoying. Here's the post-it where I was jotting down ideas for this post.
10) Which chores do you refuse to do (or do your best to get out of)?
It was the litter box, but Husband is not doing it to my specifications (i.e. scooping daily, and using less litter in the 3 large tupperware bins that serve as the litter boxes) so I think I'm taking it over. That'll teach him! Oh, wait...
11) Do you have any tattoos, body piercings, etc.?
Lordy. Yes. I have discussed and shown my ridic Yoda tattoo (rose) here. That's located on my left hip, which is not a bad place for it as far as regrettable tattoos go. I would like to cover it with something more meaningful, but not sure what that could or might be. I pierced my belly button shortly after getting to college, but took it out when pregnant with Bella. I liked my belly button piercing and am debating getting a new one. Husband would not be on board with that but he's of a different generation when it comes to the body piercings. He would probably think it would be cool if I wore Jordache jeans and neon pink earrings and those sweet L.A. Gear sneakers with the twisted leather strips (AMIRIGHT, Husbo?).
Part Eleven Billion of this Meme
Peeps I'm tagging who I think might do it and haven't been tagged elsewhere that I've seen:
Amy from Blue Jean Amy, Erin from it's all happening, Courtney from Type B Mom Stays Home, Nicole from Adventures in Tullyland, Molly from These Little Moments and Amanda at Kickyboots.
The questions I'm throwing at you
1. You can order anything off a brunch menu (it's magic and the future and thus it's a limitless menu) - what do you pick?
2. Dream vacation spot and who do you bring?
3. What TV show or movie best represents your life right now?
4. What TV show or movie would you like to live in for a week?
5. What scandalized you as a child, as in something like finding a copy of Forever by Judy Blume on the shelf and reading it at the tender age of 11?
6. What do you do fabulously that makes you want to high-five yourself for?
7. Are you a hugger? Or try to avoid getting hugged? What are your feelings about elderly people that kiss you wetly on the mouth? (There is only one answer for that last question.)
8. Name a pet peeve.
9. Do you have a morning routine that you must do everyday?
10. What was the last thing you ate and drank?
11. What is your dream career?
Laura at The Diniwilks tagged me in this 11 Questions Meme and I'm always in the mood for a random things kind of post, so here it is.
Rules: Post a picture of
yourself, tell us 11 things we might not know about you, answer the 11
questions asked of you, then write 11 new questions and tag some friends
to play along (let them know you tagged them!)
Current Facebook Profile Picture:
11 Random Things:
1. I have double jointed hips (or maybe it's my knees or something?) I'm slightly less flexible in this position than I was as a 5-year-old, but I still prefer it to the more normal crossed legs position while sitting. The teachers were always trying to fix it and stop me from sitting like that, but it didn't work.
2. On those same lines, I hold my pen like this. Attempts to fix that failed, too. But it does make writing super uncomfortable and crampy so it's good I live in a computer world.
I told him I couldn't believe that he never told me he was voted Most Attractive in high school. He said it had never come up. And to that I say: (1) DUDE, I would have made that shit come up in conversation long ago. I mean...!!! and (2) it's kind of trippy to high-school-and-therefore-very-insecure Laura that I married the most attractive guy in high school. To be clear, this means exactly nothing to our current life, but I kind of wish I could go back in time to Junior High and High School Laura, who felt so troubled by not being "popular" and extremely intimidated by anyone I deemed popular, and share just how much all that stuff doesn't matter once you leave high school.
4. Suppose I should tell you now that I only learned last month what the word superlative meant. And maybe I'm still feeling shaky on it's definition. Is this a common word that everyone knows? Maybe I'm clueless because we didn't have Senior superlatives? (Or at least I don't think we did? Fargo Spartans of '98 - help me out here!)
5. I think the noises people make in the morning (pretty much referring to adults here and not my children) are the worst thing ever. The tooth brushing and the flossing and the cereal crunching and the peeing in the toilet noise and the throat clearing and the coffee sipping - STAB ME IN THE EYE IT'S SO TERRIBLE.
6. I am 100% okay with the fact we are moving to the 'burbs in the near future. I know that's supposedly uncool of me (and will ruin Bella's life according to my 11-year-old nephew), but I'm ready to leave the city. I've lived in many places around Minneapolis for 14 years (and also a semester in London) so I have had plenty of time to come to that position. Prior to that I was out in the country, on the outskirts of Fargo. However, not just any old suburb will do. I do want our suburban location to allow for me to get out and walk - I don't want to live just off a highway that makes walking difficult or impossible. That would make me bonkers. And I will miss some aspects of the city, for sure. But at this point in my life, suburbs sound good. And if you are judging me for being lame, may I remind you that I married the most attractive guy in high school? SO THERE! (Can picture Husband cringing as he reads this!)
7. Being outside each day in nice weather makes me feel so much happier and more human. Thus each winter is pretty much a long and depressing funk for me. We are very open to moving somewhere warmer and escaping the Minnesota winter. North Carolina is a top contender.
8. I clean out my fridge (the food, not the actual fridge) at least once or twice a week. Leftovers get to hang out for 48 hours before I get really twitchy and threaten Husband that he eats it now or it goes. You will not find expired condiments in my fridge. No way, no how.
9. I did some non-necessary online shopping while tipsy for the first time in my life last weekend. I got an email from StyleMint telling me of a limited time offer for a "Mystery Bag" for $29.99 that included a (theoretically stylish) t-shirt and then maybe also jewelery and gift cards and stuff. I spontaneously bought it - the mystery bit was what sold me, I think - and immediately thought "Um...did I just do that?" I don't even wear jewelery aside from my wedding & engagement ring and my lorso (long torso, yo) issues keep 90% of the StyleMint t-shirts from working on me, so it was clearly a drunk shop. I figure I'll return the T as soon as I get it, but it opened my eyes to that fact that this must be a big problem for some people. Marketing teams are genius to be sending emails like that at 9 pm on the weekends. Glad I'm not much of a shopper.
10. Hm. Getting hard to come up with more things. The other day, Husband and I were discussed the trend of colored jeans and I said I had a green pair and a red pair in 7th grade. He told me he had some mustard colored jeans in college. Then we realized we were both talking about 1993. Love that shit everytime.
11. I'm swearing a lot lately. I think I'm snappy and tired and just exhausted from life's demands so I'm testing out being salty. I'm sure I will return to a lower sodium version of myself soon.
(Other) Laura's Questions:
1) What are your top five all-time favorite bands?
OY. I have no idea. Super lame when it comes to music. I don't even know if I've ever seen a band in concert. And I'm thinking saying "in concert" is not the correct terminology and thus I have exposed further lameness. Wait, I guess I did see a couple bands. I saw Guster in the spring of 2003 (that day is distinct in my memory because an older co-worker asked if I was pregnant and OMFG I was still in college and NO, very much not pregnant) and then there was an outdoor thing - Jack Johnson? maybe? - with a random boyfriend I had for a few months in college who I thought was too nice but it turned out he was kind of mean. But that is not here nor there. I guess I will say Guster is still a go-to band for me. But besides them, my top choices on Pandora are Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Specktor, and Gavin DeGraw. I like hip-hop/dance stuff for exercise. I will always be happy to hear a Tori Amos or Coldplay song. Lately I'm listening to Mumford & Sons and Foster the People on Pandora to check them out. Hardly on the cutting edge here.
2) What are your top five all-time favorite books?
No clue! Yeah, I tried again to come up with answers but got really sleepy so we'll just say I like reading.
3) What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
Erm...There was the time when I was 23 and I told some guys who owned a club in Acapulco, Mexico that I was a back-up dancer for Prince and they had me go up on a stage and dance. Should note I was not drunk.
4) What is your favorite treat?
Red Velvet Cake. Or white cake with frosting. I can pass on chocolate cake.
5) What are you the proudest of?
I suppose I would say how I'm raising my kids, but on a more personal level, I'm proud of my blog.
6) What are you the most ashamed of?
Wow, really tough question. Or at least, really exposing one.
I feel truly horrible for saying something mean to a kid my freshman year of college, someone I didn't know and who did nothing to provoke my rude comment. I could explain the situation more fully, try to pass it off as something that came after a kahlua & chocolate milk, but it doesn't matter - I was in the wrong. This kid did not deserve what I said. This haunts me often, especially now that I am a mother. If I ever see him, I do think I'd go up to him and apologize, not that it would help anything - it would really only be to make myself feel better. I can only wish he doesn't recall it and is someone who let it roll right off his back at the time. Saying that mean comment was not like me and I think I was trying on being a mean girl or something hideous as I dealt with my own insecurities at the time. I just feel sick over it to this day. I hope to use that experience to teach my children why being kind to everyone is an integral part of being a good person. Why words can be extremely hurtful and long-lasting for everyone involved. Why even fleeting moments in your life might stick with you forever. Ugh. How I wish I could undo that 30 seconds of my life.
7) What is your guilty pleasure?
Netflix shows. Dessert. Wine. Coffee. And those aren't really guilty pleasures as much as necessary for sanity.
8) What are you really, really good at?
Reading fast and absorbing the information. I got a perfect score on the reading section of my ACTs and I finished well before most people and that was after double checking my answers. #EndBrag
9) What does your handwriting look like? (post a pic!!!)
A hot mess. Worse in recent years. I often can't read it, even minutes after writing something, which is super annoying. Here's the post-it where I was jotting down ideas for this post.
10) Which chores do you refuse to do (or do your best to get out of)?
It was the litter box, but Husband is not doing it to my specifications (i.e. scooping daily, and using less litter in the 3 large tupperware bins that serve as the litter boxes) so I think I'm taking it over. That'll teach him! Oh, wait...
11) Do you have any tattoos, body piercings, etc.?
Lordy. Yes. I have discussed and shown my ridic Yoda tattoo (rose) here. That's located on my left hip, which is not a bad place for it as far as regrettable tattoos go. I would like to cover it with something more meaningful, but not sure what that could or might be. I pierced my belly button shortly after getting to college, but took it out when pregnant with Bella. I liked my belly button piercing and am debating getting a new one. Husband would not be on board with that but he's of a different generation when it comes to the body piercings. He would probably think it would be cool if I wore Jordache jeans and neon pink earrings and those sweet L.A. Gear sneakers with the twisted leather strips (AMIRIGHT, Husbo?).
Part Eleven Billion of this Meme
Peeps I'm tagging who I think might do it and haven't been tagged elsewhere that I've seen:
Amy from Blue Jean Amy, Erin from it's all happening, Courtney from Type B Mom Stays Home, Nicole from Adventures in Tullyland, Molly from These Little Moments and Amanda at Kickyboots.
The questions I'm throwing at you
1. You can order anything off a brunch menu (it's magic and the future and thus it's a limitless menu) - what do you pick?
2. Dream vacation spot and who do you bring?
3. What TV show or movie best represents your life right now?
4. What TV show or movie would you like to live in for a week?
5. What scandalized you as a child, as in something like finding a copy of Forever by Judy Blume on the shelf and reading it at the tender age of 11?
6. What do you do fabulously that makes you want to high-five yourself for?
7. Are you a hugger? Or try to avoid getting hugged? What are your feelings about elderly people that kiss you wetly on the mouth? (There is only one answer for that last question.)
8. Name a pet peeve.
9. Do you have a morning routine that you must do everyday?
10. What was the last thing you ate and drank?
11. What is your dream career?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Letters to Oliver: 8 Months
Dear Oliver,
You are now 8 months old.
Oh, Oli boy, you are so cute. CUTE, I say! We are always fawning all over you.
We haven't been to the doctor in a while and won't for another month, but I think you weigh 23-ish pounds. Weight gain has slowed considerably in the past few months and you are packing on muscle instead of chub. Not that you aren't still a bit of a chunker. You have lovely rolls, my buddy boy. You fit nicely into size 12-18 month clothing. Your head is astoundingly huge, perhaps bigger than your sister's (who is in possession of a sizable cranium herself). When you are sleepy, sometimes I swear it's just too heavy for you to hold up while you crawl and it droops slowly towards the floor.
You mastered the stairs in the beginning of the month, days after officially learning to crawl...
and you can now cruise along furniture.
You can cruise quite quickly when motivated, and you are getting to be much more adventurous in what you attempt to do. Consequently, you split your upper lip open almost everyday for a week. Oh, Oliver. There is just no stopping you and I can only do so much without making you wear a helmet and dressing you in a puffy snowsuit all day. It's so sad to hear you cry after you hurt yourself, but you are soothed quickly and I think it's better for you to explore within reason than to limit you every minute of the day. But let's work on falling in a variety of places rather than your mouth, yes?
You were sick this past month and it was hard on both of us. I hated seeing you so unlike yourself with a high fever.
You were very uncomfortable, but did seem soothed with nursing and being held. But after a week of rough times, you are back to normal and it's so good to see you active and happy once again. And I'm also thrilled to be back to you waking only once or twice during the night.
You nurse three times a day (3 am, 6:30 am, and 2 pm), get formula the other three times and then eat solids three times a day. You are pretty open to eating whatever we offer and now we are adding in some finger foods, which you seem to really enjoy. You are also just beginning to figure out how to drink from a sippy cup.
One new thing this month is that you now babble and are doing a lot of vocalizing. Your sister did a similar thing where she was late to babble and then overnight could make a bunch of different sounds. Your favorite babble word is "dada" and your daddy and I swear you make a squeal that starts with a "k" sound when you see one of the cats. It's going to be so exciting to watch you learn to say words and then talk in the coming months.
Favorite things for you include eating paper, grabbing electrical cords, and your sister.
You are so darn charming, Oliver. It's hard to discipline you when you go for the computer cord yet again because you look at me with this fake-surprise face when I say "Oli!" The surprised face is followed by you giving me a huge grin paired with a coo. You do this every time! You know you are being naughty. And it takes everything not to laugh and cuddle you and say, "Oh, sweet boy. Do whatever you want!"
I love you. So much. More every day and week and month and I think that is one of the most magical parts of the baby days. That the love just grows and grows along with you growing into who you are as a person. Love, love, love.
Love,
Your Mama
You are now 8 months old.
Oh, Oli boy, you are so cute. CUTE, I say! We are always fawning all over you.
We haven't been to the doctor in a while and won't for another month, but I think you weigh 23-ish pounds. Weight gain has slowed considerably in the past few months and you are packing on muscle instead of chub. Not that you aren't still a bit of a chunker. You have lovely rolls, my buddy boy. You fit nicely into size 12-18 month clothing. Your head is astoundingly huge, perhaps bigger than your sister's (who is in possession of a sizable cranium herself). When you are sleepy, sometimes I swear it's just too heavy for you to hold up while you crawl and it droops slowly towards the floor.
You mastered the stairs in the beginning of the month, days after officially learning to crawl...
and you can now cruise along furniture.
You can cruise quite quickly when motivated, and you are getting to be much more adventurous in what you attempt to do. Consequently, you split your upper lip open almost everyday for a week. Oh, Oliver. There is just no stopping you and I can only do so much without making you wear a helmet and dressing you in a puffy snowsuit all day. It's so sad to hear you cry after you hurt yourself, but you are soothed quickly and I think it's better for you to explore within reason than to limit you every minute of the day. But let's work on falling in a variety of places rather than your mouth, yes?
You were sick this past month and it was hard on both of us. I hated seeing you so unlike yourself with a high fever.
You were very uncomfortable, but did seem soothed with nursing and being held. But after a week of rough times, you are back to normal and it's so good to see you active and happy once again. And I'm also thrilled to be back to you waking only once or twice during the night.
You nurse three times a day (3 am, 6:30 am, and 2 pm), get formula the other three times and then eat solids three times a day. You are pretty open to eating whatever we offer and now we are adding in some finger foods, which you seem to really enjoy. You are also just beginning to figure out how to drink from a sippy cup.
One new thing this month is that you now babble and are doing a lot of vocalizing. Your sister did a similar thing where she was late to babble and then overnight could make a bunch of different sounds. Your favorite babble word is "dada" and your daddy and I swear you make a squeal that starts with a "k" sound when you see one of the cats. It's going to be so exciting to watch you learn to say words and then talk in the coming months.
Favorite things for you include eating paper, grabbing electrical cords, and your sister.
You are so darn charming, Oliver. It's hard to discipline you when you go for the computer cord yet again because you look at me with this fake-surprise face when I say "Oli!" The surprised face is followed by you giving me a huge grin paired with a coo. You do this every time! You know you are being naughty. And it takes everything not to laugh and cuddle you and say, "Oh, sweet boy. Do whatever you want!"
I love you. So much. More every day and week and month and I think that is one of the most magical parts of the baby days. That the love just grows and grows along with you growing into who you are as a person. Love, love, love.
Love,
Your Mama
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Project 52:9 Tired
Parenting means being...
Tired
Really tired. Really, really, really, unfathomably tired.
So tired, in fact, that you begin to look at sleeping
cats with a feeling of intense jealousy, even rage.
How dare they flaunt sleep like that! The indecency!
Someday your daddy and I will feel rested again. I
think. Maybe? Hope springs eternal, anyway. In the
meantime, I will continue to suppress the urge to
rudely poke those cats and wake them up.
Learn more about my Project 52 here and check out styleberry BLOG for links to more Project 52s.
* * * * *
While I am tired today, I'm not anywhere near as tired as I was earlier last week, so it's all good! Oliver broke his previous record and woke up something like 15-20 times for a couple nights last week. It was insane. The poor guy was no longer fever-ish, thank goodness, but he was very congested. And Oli's enemy #1? Nose Frida or any nose wiping. But this is all water under the bridge as both kids seem fairly healthy now, aside from the mild cold that we are all dealing with. (Has anyone else out there been battling one mild cold or another for over two months? Pesky pants.)
As Oliver got better, I could feel my life getting easier everyday. There was leftover energy for cooking, library trips, grocery shopping, to-do-list-crossing-off and just living. I daresay I'm back to that regular-strength drama that I have longed for and it's frankly awesome to be here for three days in a row. I am paranoid that I'm tempting fate by saying that, but after weeks and weeks of posting about the drama in my life, it feels good to post about life being pleasant and good.
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