...and apparently, he wouldn't be adverse to wearing one... Here's little bowlhead. What a ham. I guess he gets it from his Uncle Brandon?

Yes, I'll admit, we're related. Presenting, Ben's Uncle Brandon in his prom "costume". I have no words for this... apparently if he were a pimp, his name would be Lampshade. Yes siree, that's my brother, for ya.

Here's one of our favorites. I had it out this morning to send to my mom because she lost her copy. Thought I'd share it with you all too... it's easy, cool and refreshing and OH so yummy. And if you use fat free Cool Whip, I'd venture to say it's not too bad on the hips either! Care to share a summer favorite with us too?


Jello Pie

2/3 C boiling water
1 pkg any flavor Jello (we like the lime!)
ice cubes
1/2 C cold water
1 8 oz. tub cool whip (thawed)
1 graham cracker pie crust

Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl for at
least 2 min. until dissolved. Add ice to cold water to
make 1 C. Add to gelatin. Stir until slightly
thickened. Remove ice.

Add Cool Whip. Stir with whisk until blended. 15-20
min. in fridge or until thick and able to mound. Spoon
into crust.

Note: Unless you have a hankerin' for a Jello smoothie, do
not under any circumstances try to use frozen Cool
Whip. Bad bad BAD!

But my subject was not very cooperative. He was too busy trying to hurt himself by diving headfirst out of either end of this otherwise toddler-friendly tunnel.



Little Mr. "I can't have dirty hands! Ewwwww!"


(thanks to Conner's mommy, Meghan, who tipped us off about this park that is relatively close to our house!)

Funny song for your listening pleasure... (note: if you think you will be offended by one instance of bleeped out bad language, just don't listen to it... mkay?)

I'm not sure the weather could get any nicer than it was today... byoooooooteeful!
I spent the afternoon at Mandy's house at her Memorial Day party and Tom took Ben to his parents' house so I could actually enjoy myself at said par-TAY. It was lovely not to have to chase him all over the place. Lovely. And did I mention, lovely? I thoroughly enjoyed watching Meg and Tim chase around Ben's almost-birthday-buddy Conner while I continued to enjoy adult conversation. (sorry Meg and Tim! ;)

Mandy had a belated b-day gift waiting for Ben:
+ some extra Weebles.

He loves it, of course, because it has wheels and makes noise. Me? I'm just fascinated that the Weebles actually DO wobble but they don't fall down. So thanks Ms. Mandy and Mr. Ed! :) I'm trying not to let this toy start me on a toy-collecting obsession similar to the Peek-a-blocks one.

Quiet evening planned... Ben is in bed and we have two unwatched Netflix movies. Hooray! :)

I haven't listened to any REAL music in FOREVER since all my very demanding toddler will let me listen to in the car is Baby Einstein and Toddler Tunes. This has been rough on me since I love love LOVE my music... love finding new stuff, love rediscovering old stuff...I love obscure stuff, stuff with deep lyrics, stuff with no lyrics, stuff with shallow lyrics, I even love cheesy top 40 stuff... I like to turn it up really loud in the car and be completely enveloped in it. I also sing along. Loudly. (unless the windows are down)....ANNNNYway, this morning I put together my Summer 05 Mix cd. Some new stuff, some old stuff, some Joan of Arcadia stuff, some cheesy stuff. I think what a person listens to reflects a lot about who they are... based on this playlist, you can assume I'm a little nuts. Anyway, wanna know what's on it?

(the links go to lyrics, not free music... sorry! I don't feel like owing my house to the RIAA!)

Let's Get It Started (Spike Mix)-Black Eyed Peas -- This is from a commercial that's running right now.. it's fast and the one line, "Let's Get it Started" has been an earworm of mine for months now... putting it on this cd it my attempt to listen to it until my brain decides to finally let it go...

Woo Hoo - The 5, 6, 7, 8's -- Featured in a VOnage commercial and also on a recent episode of Gilmore Girls. The lyrics could not possibly be more irrelevant, so no link... basically it goes "Woo Hoo oo hoo hoo!" I downloaded thinking there might be more... but nope! That's it! Still catchy...

Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson - this has kinda crappy, dumb lyrics.. but I like the music.

Hands Clean -Alanis Morissette - Alanis always has great lyrics... these don't really hit home with me, but they are, as per usual for Alanis, full of substance. This is another song I was initially drawn to for the music.

Lonely No More - Rob Thomas - catchy, Latin-y... me likey.

Wordplay - Jason Mraz - I'm obsessed with songs that have a ton of words crammed into them (BNL "One Week", is a good example) This is one of those...

Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) - Big and Rich - I downloaded this one because I keep hearing people talk about it and the sister of an old friend of mine apparently hangs out with Big or is it Rich? Not sure which one. Anyway, the song is pretty funny... interesting music style too... weird hybrid of rock, rap and country???

The Reason - Hoobastank - I've loved this song since I first heard it on the radio months ago (rare baby-free car trip). I like this line,
"I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is You "

Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani - This song isfull of s*%@. (literally) but the beat will get you off your butt... this is one of those songs I like to blare in my car and pretend I'm cool and bad-ass. I also do this with Gangsta Paradise. Try not to laugh.

Jerk It Out - Caesars - another one from a commercial... just catchy...

Technologic - Daft Punk - another commercial (Ipod?). Are you seeing a pattern to how I find new songs?? You really can't listen to it more than a couple of times... but for those couple times it's pretty cool! ;)

Dragostea Din Tei - O-Zone - This went along with some crazy movie that circulated the internet recently... the one with the dorky guy lipsyncing in front of his web cam. I always love weird, unique stuff like this.

Daughters - John Mayer - I. LOVE. THIS. SONG. Favorite lyrics?
"On behalf of every man
Looking out for every girl
You are the god and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too"

Walk Through the World- Marc Cohn - This was from a Joan of Arcadia episode... love the line
"Let me get this ringing out of my ears,
Let me get these stars out of my eyes.
'Cause I just want to look back over all the years
with you right there standing by my side.
Could you just... walk through the world with me."
(sidenote: Mommies of little girls might be interested on this other one by Marc Cohn I also found lyrics to...I can't find the actual SONG though)

Breathe (2AM) -Anna Nalick - Just all around great lyrics... the ones that hit home with me were:
"2Am and I'm still awake writing a song [read: blog]
If i get it all down on paper it's no lonmger inside of me threaten' the life it belongs to.
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary screamin' out aloud
And I know that you'll use them however you want to."

100 Years - Five for Fighting - ::cry:: SUCH. A. GOOD. SONG. This line gets me everytime...
"I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind..."
"
Collide - Howie Day - This is another one I kept hearing on the radio and trying to remember to download. I like the music more so than the lyrics. I also love this guy's voice!
That Particular Time - Alanis Morissette - just another good Alanis song. Doesn't particularly speak to me specifically, but I could listen to her all day.

Blessed to Be a Witness - Ben Harper - Joan of Arcadia (those who watch, it was the end of the episode where Judith died and Joan and the others were juggling light-up balls in the front yard as the credit rolled). It's just REALLY GOOD.

If you download just one song from this list, I recommend, "Blessed to Be a Witness" by Ben Harper. It just has amazing lyrics and such an interesting sound. Personally, I think you should go download ALL of these songs from Itunes...but that's just me. ;)

Today I plan on riding around in the car by myself at some point so I can turn up my new cd really loud! Wahoo!

I know I've said this before...but let me say it again...
slowly...
and with emphasis...


We. Are. SO. In. Trouble.

After a long day of diving off of couches, chasing balls and kitty cats, climbing stairs and creating utter chaos wherever he goes, sometimes a kid just wants to snuggle up with a binky and a froggie... ya know?

Can't keep it clean? Gunk in every crevice? How old is that piece of banana you just dislodged from the seat? Do you suffer from skanky highchair too? Please share.

This time, by Jessica...

1) Total number of films I own on DVD/video: approx. Not many... 15 maybe?
2) The last film I bought: Star Wars Box Set for Tom
3) The last film I watched: Without a Paddle (thanks for the recommendation, Jen!)
4) Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me: Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, The Muppet Movie, Gilmore Girls Seasons 1&2, Get Shorty (I hate the movie, but it's what Tom and I went to see on our first date)


5) Tag 6 people and have them put this in their journals:
Trying to remember who I haven't seen tagged on this one... Hrm...

PeriwinkleJen
Rbelle
Sarah
Krystyna
Erin W.
and Claire!

I found this... I think I need to write a scrapbook/babybook/photo album addition to it...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Feeling the Baby Move ===================
First Child: I placed my hand on my wife's tummy every chance I could for two months waiting for that first time when I could feel the baby move. Hours upon hours I waited until that magic moment when, I felt this little movement. We called all of our relatives to tell them about the blessed experience.

Second Child: When it first happened, my wife called me at the office.I quickly ran home and felt the baby move. We included the experience in all of our letter to our family.

Third Child: She told me the baby moved. I told her I would check it our during the next commercial break. I missed out because her mother called on the telephone so I went on watching Monday night football. By the end of the third quarter, I finally felt the baby move.

Fourth Child: We were in bed and I was trying to sleep. I turned to her and said "Can't you make your tummy stay still? I'm trying to sleep." When it became clear that the baby would be jumping around for a while, we called the pizza man for a delivery.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The Trip to the Hospital====================
First Child: Every time we felt the slightest B&H contraction, we rushed to the hospital. I would carry my wife to the car and lay her down in the back seat surrounded by pillows.

Second Child: We timed the contractions. By the time she had three in thirty minutes, we rushed to the hospital. She sat in the front seat, with it leaned back and a pillow behind her head and another at her feet.

Third Child: I came home from the office as soon as she started having regular contractions. When they were five minutes apart and hard, we went to the hospital. I gave her a pillow to hold along the way.

Fourth Child: When she called me at the office and told me that she was having contractions hard and five minutes apart, I told her to drive to the hospital. I would meet her there as soon as I finished the set of correspondence I was working on. I reminded her not to forget the pillows.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The First Step=============

First Child: My wife grabbed the camera. I grabbed the Video Camera. My wife took four rolls of film. We immediately ran out to the one-hour developing place and had all four rolls developed with double prints. We had the best picture blown up to 24" X 36" and framed. We hung it up in the entry hall. I had a professional studio turn the four hours of video I taped into a one-hour documentary complete with voice-over by a local anchor-man.

Second Child: We took one roll of film and five minutes worth of video. The next day we took the film and had it developed by a twenty-four hour developing center. I took the best picture and put it into my wallet.

Third Child: We couldn't find the video-camera and we only had five shots left on the roll of film. We took all five shots but I don't remember if we ever got the roll developed.

Fourth Child: I quickly got up and grabbed the camera. I placed it up high so the child wouldn't grab it.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The First Time the Child Fell and Got a Cut============================================

First Child: My wife and I frantically ran over to the child. We swept him up and rushed him to the emergency room. No stitches were needed but we spent the night with him in his room just in case the bleeding started again.

Second Child: We walked over to her, picked her up and quickly bandaged her up. We spent the next two hours rocking her in the living room to comfort the pain.

Third Child: I told my wife that if he was still crying in a couple of minutes, we should go over and make sure he isn't hurt too badly. When he didn't stop crying, we bandaged up the cut and laid him in his bed for a while but we went on about our business.

Fourth Child: We told the child that if she were still bleeding in a few minutes to come over here and we would see what we could do. When the child came walking up to the door, we told her to stay outside because we didn't want her bleeding on the carpet.= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Pacifier Falls on Floor========================

First Child: Mother picks it up, runs to the kitchen and disinfects it by boiling in water for ten minutes. Then, after it cools down for ten minutes, she gives it back to the child.

Second Child: Mother picks it up, washes it off in hot water, blows on it to cool it down, and gives it back to the child

Third Child: Mother picks it up, licks it off, and gives it back to the child.

Fourth child. Dog picks it up and licks it off. Mother gives it back to the child.

I'm cleaning out toilets and vacuuming cat hair today while trying to win a pair of jeans on Ebay... you?
Ben says to tell you he's watching Sesame Street and playing with books. When do you think he'll be old enough to help with the toilets?

**update** Nevermind. Lost the jeans. Back to the toilets.

Benjamin is 14 months old today! He has 12 teeth with four more on the way. I guess the biggest thing this month has been the increase in babbling! He "talks" non-stop, with the ocassional recognizable word sprinkled in. He loves playing outside and cries when we bring him in... he has learned how to take off his pants (just found this out yesterday) and can take off his own shirt too with a little help... don't get me started on the diaper, he tries his hardest to get THAT off too. We bought a potty chair, but he just uses it to stand on and try to scale the bathroom sink, so it's put away for the next six months or so... since I obviously jumped the gun on that one.

Official 14-month Picture:


A few of MANY attempts to take the official 14-month picture:

When I was working, there were a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs. I felt discouraged a lot, stepped on, taken advantage of, like I was wasting my life. I couldn't believe that something I had once loved (writing) had turned into something I dreaded doing each and every day.

Granted, I didn't work in the most supportive, creativity-fostering atmosphere. In fact, it was pretty much the exact opposite. I cried at work-- relatively frequently. The attitude of the management was basically that your job should BE your life... you should be thinking about work 24/7... Need to leave on time because you want to get home to your husband? You may as well be spitting on the boss because you obviously don't value your job. I used to sit at my desk until 6p.m., even when I didn't have any work left... just so I didn't have to hear my boss make a snide comment if I tried to leave at 5:30.

I could never think that way. My job was not my life. It was a means to an end.

On days when that "job is your life" way of thinking really got to me, I'd tear everything off my bulletin board and tack this quote right in the middle as my silent protest.

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.This is to have succeeded.


One morning, I came in and found three people (two bosses) standing there starting at my otherwise empty board and saying, "Do you think she's trying to tell us something?"

Duh.

I knew the day was coming when I'd escape that place to stay home and raise a family. Deep down, I KNEW that was more important than working to make my bosses more money... even if my plan HADN'T been to quit working entirely.

One of the things that always bothered me the most about my job is that I wasn't in a profession where I was helping anyone or making the world a better place. I was writing ads. I'd go to bed at night feeling like I just really wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing with my life... it was so empty. I don't feel that way anymore. I'm raising a child. I don't feel taken advantage of. I don't dread "going to work" everyday. For once, I LOVE what I do and I feel like I'm really contributing to the world.

So this is what it feels like to love your job...
to make a difference...
to feel fulfilled...

It's nice.

Now that I have digital video capability back, movies will start appearing on here again. Yay!

Here's one from a few nights ago. Please excuse the horrible color (not sure about that, it was fine on the tape) and choppiness. (My computer can't quite keep up with my camera...) Eventually I'll get all that worked out! (I hope.)

Benjamin's words are few and far between. Ocassionally, I think he has said something and then he just never says it again. He also says a lot of words no one understands but me... total baby jibberish. Even most of the "for sure" ones he uses pretty rarely... opting instead for the baby babble... Anyway, so far, we have...

moo
meow
doggie
daddy
ducky
banana (ahnana!!! usually accompanied by reaching for one and whining)
kitty (though this particular has many different pronunciations...
Mmmm (for the letter M)
Ohhhh (you guess it, lettter O)
light (sounds like either "dite" or "nine", mostly "nine")
mouth (mouuuuuu)

But yesterday, he came out with
"Mack Mouuuu"

???

Michael Eisner would be so proud...

I'm so tired of my banner...but trying to hold out two more days for Ben's "monthday." Argh.

Also, I have observed that there are two kinds of bloggers: those who blog on the weekends and those who don't. I hate weekend blog droughts. I have a weekend life too, but I still blog stalk when I'm eating lunch or waiting around for Tom to find his shoes... and there is hardly anything out there to read!
~*~

I always seem to have trouble actually getting around to USING my camera at group events... That, and people don't seem to want to hold still long enough to have their pictures taken, especially in the family I married into. Today we went to my youngest brother-in-law's graduation party... there were many good photo ops... Ben with tons of rarely seen relatives, four generations under one roof, beautiful day, beautiful scenery, little children frolicking in the backyard... but how many pictures did I take? Four. And so, I present to you the entire contents of my memory card from today.

Ben up to no good... as usual...





At these family events, you can bet money that at some point, the conversation topic will turn to English monarchies. I know, it's bizarre. But this is NOT an exaggeration and there are people who read my blog who will back me up on this... Here is the moment when the conversation between my brother in law and his grandfather (the usual suspects when it comes to initiating these snoozefest conversations) started in on Henry VIII.


And lastly... I captured this sweet, yet somewhat blurry moment between Ben and his soon-to-be-wed Uncle Marc and Aunt Krystyna. I thought it was cute. Apparently, Ben tasted some leaves and a stick.


So, big party... lots of photo ops. And that's all I have. Pitiful. If anyone has any suggestions for getting people excited about taking family pictures, I'm all ears!

I LOVE days like this. I'm still in my jammies, Benjamin just got up from nice, long nap and is watching Baby Mozart, which has experienced a revival of sorts around these parts. In addition to doing a lot of nothing, I've been taking some pictures... ;)

Giving the "ditty" a kiss..."mowwwwww!"


Taking in a good read...

Today is my younger brother in law's college graduation... Yay! (more importantly, the kid has been showered with job offers... must be nice) I'm not attending because there's no one around to watch Ben all morning. This is actually very VERY fine with me because it's POURING down rain. Ick. But I'm kind of disappointed I'm going to miss getting to see the protests and all the exciting drama! Rudy Giuliani the commencement speaker, but Cardinal Keeler is apparently boycotting the graduation (it's a Jesuit college) because Gulliani is pro-choice. Could be interesting!

Note: this is not intended to be a political statement. This blog is not political. I will NOT post an opinion on this matter... I'm just a fan of drama, in general! ;)

**edited to note that it is my brother IN LAW's graduation, not my brother's... a duh

by JANE! So here are my answers...

The rules are simple when you're tagged.
Choose 5 items from the list to write about.
Tag 3 other individuals when you're done.

If I could be a scientist...
If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a doctor... I'd be a pediatrician or an OB. I'd have the happiest, most colorful, most woman/baby friendly office anywhere! I'd also encourage my patients to email me with questions and concerns. How cool would I be?! Why don't doctors DO that?! (the whole email thing, I mean)
If I could be a painter...
If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary...
If I could be an architect...
If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist...
If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete...
If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper...
If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer... I'd write books of essays like Anna Quindlen and Anne Lamott, people would think I was hysterically funny and insightful and write me checks for books I haven't even written yet!

If I could be a llama rider... my butt would hurt a lot and I'd be covered in spit and llama hair. Also, I'd probably itch a lot. Do people actually ride llamas?

If I could be a bonnie pirate... I'd be a pirate named Bonnie!

If I could be an astronaut... I wouldn't ever take off my helmet because I saw that one movie where the guy did and his face immediately froze and imploded... so not cool. What am I talking about? I would die of total fear on the way up! Not astronaut material, this one.
If I could be a world famous blogger...
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world...
If I could be married to any current famous political figure...

I tag Rbelle, Jen and Mari!

Get to it, girls!

Breeasked, so here are some of the pages from Ben's book. They are SO not fancy schmancy scrapbooky pages... just basic...but they get the job done!

In the hospital
First day home
Random Bath (2-1/2 months old)
First Beach Vacation
First Swim
Christening
Making'a Mess
First Visit to the Pumpkin Farm
He Can Stand!
The Many Faces of Benjamin

I keep EVERYTHING. And this scrapbook has been a good way to NOT have it all piled up somewhere. Invitations, announcements, hospital bracelets,doctor's appointment cards, Birthday cards, mother's day cards, yada yada yada... I have ALL OF IT. GAH!

OH, and Jen asked about my "system." Heh. Basically it's just a filing thing. Once a month, I order a month's worth of pictures. (I've only ordered up through the end of January so far). Then I print out that same month's worth of blog entries. I match up the pics with the entries and organize them by pages... then I dump all of it plus whatever "artifact" type stuff goes with it into one of those clear scrapbook sleeves (already in the book). That way, whenever I get a spare minute, I can just do a page... all the stuff is right there already. It works for me... probably because of the way my scrapbook mostly follows my blog... might not work for everyone. :)

You're heard me talk about it...but have you SEEN it?!


I know you probably can't see the ruler markings in that one picture, but this sucker is almost 3 inches thick...it's 102 pages. I'm only up to December 20th. That means I still have his first Christmas, first trip to Disney World, First haircut and First Birthday to cover... plus some random miscellany in between.

I've decided to end this particular project at his first birthday. Since, if I continue much beyond than that, I won't be able to carry it up and down the stairs to work on it! I'm going to continue to keep a family scrapbook (a new one), but it will be more spaced out.

My perhaps overly optimistic plan though is to make a pregnancy and first year scrapbook for all of our children. It's just such a cool thing to have! Tom and I enjoy flipping through Benjamin's already and seeing how quickly he grew over only a year. I have a pretty good system and I stay on top of it pretty well, so hopefully, this will actually happen. Another thing I want to make sure I do is take a lot of pictures of each child by themselves. I was reading an article in Parents (or one of those baby mags) about making kids feel special and this was one of the little reminders... I guess once you have two (or more) it's easiest just to snap pics of the kids together... but making sure each child has plenty of pictures of just THEM is good idea and something I definitely am going to make a concerted effort to keep in mind.

How do you guys (or your parents) work family/kid pictures? I've always been envious of my mother-in-law because she has the world's most organized system. Numbered albums... date/place captions... the works. I love looking through their family albums even though I've seen them a hundred times.

The scrapbook takes it one step further with the journal entries and little artifacts, cards ...etc.... which I think are nice additions... I just hope I can keep this up!

Joan of Arcadia has been cancelled!!! Those people over at CBS are such goobers. It's one of the best, most well-written shows on television! (next to Gilmore Girls) :( Apparently they are replacing it with a show about Jennifer Love Hewitt seeing dead people. So wrong. So very VERY wrong.

Moment of silence...

And now, let's all go see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, starring BOTH Alexis Bledel (of Gilmore Girls fame) and Amber Tamblyn (formerly Joan... of Arcadia).

One of my oldest friends got engaged this past weekend. It wasn't a HUGE surprise, she has been in a relationship headed in that direction for awhile now. But WOW. This is the same friend who said to me on my wedding day...

"I can't believe you're getting MARRIED. I can't imagine being married... definitely not until I'm over 35."

She said something very similar after I had Ben. That and, "I've never seen a wee-wee that small!" But I digress...

HA! Just goes to show you how powerful finding the right person can be. In the span of about three years, she has gone from a rave-all-night crazy party girl with an hourly wage job at a clothing store, to having a great "grown-up" job doing marketing at a local hospital, buying a house and now getting married. I'm so proud of her! (I'm sure I don't need to mention that our paths in life diverged for awhile... like pretty much from ninth grade until now)

Anyway, do you know what this means?

BABIES ARE NEXT!!! Wahoo! And girlfriend's pushing 30, so she's gotta get on the stick pretty quickly, don't you think?

So congratulations Kristi and Dan! Good luck with the wedding planning! Can't wait to see you guys walk down the aisle, whereever that aisle may be... may I suggest Hawaii?

I had a couple requests for me to post pictures of Tom as a toddler... apparently it's too hard to compare Ben to four-year-old Tom. Here you go. But he STILL doesn't look like Ben. ;) On a side note, aren't you diggin' the ruffled shirt in the last pic? Ahhhh, yes... we are children of the 70's. (late 70's, but the 70's nevertheless)

If you had to guess which one of these little boys is Ben's daddy... which would you guess ??? I realize neither of them looks a WHOLE lot like Ben... but just guess. If you already know, humor me and tell me you at least agree with what I'm thinking??

Let me preface this by saying, though I don't talk about it much, Ben has become a SUPER sleeper. He loves his crib, even tries to climb IN when he's tired and often doesn't wantto come OUT when we go in to get him after naps and in the morning. He sleeps straight through from about 7:30 to 7... it's all very, VERY nice. Actually, to tell you the truth, I'm not actually sure when he falls asleep because I put him in the crib after his bath at night and he plays with his books and his aquarium for awhile until he falls asleep. I know, cool, huh? I feel like after the first nine or ten months of pure sleep hell, we've earned this.

But every ONCE in awhile, maybe once a month for about two nights or so, for reasons we can't pinpoint, he wakes up out of a sound sleep at 10:30 (same time, every time) SCREAMING. He is often inconsolable. My hunch is that it happens when teeth are coming in... but who really knows. When this happens, you can NOT get him to stay in his crib, he screams loud enough to wake the dead. Usually what we do is bring him to bed with us long enough to get him calm and drowsy again and then put him back in his crib. It takes about a half hour and usually works like a charm...but not last night. No matter WHAT we did he screamed ...for about an hour. Painful, I tell you. If anyone has any insights as to why he would do this at the same time every single time it happens, I'm all ears! It's not Tylenol wearing off or something, because I didn't give him any last night when I put him to bed. ?? The whole time thing is very bizarre, no?

::yawn::

Anyone? Anyone?

I've never been much of a social butterfly and I HATE making conversation with strangers, so it was only two years ago that I actually started speaking to some of my neighbors. It has been in those two years that I have slowly come to understand the rules of play, so to speak, for being accepted into the neighboorhood "cliques."

First and foremost, you have to mow and deweed your lawn. We had some issues with this the first two years we lived here. Tom never had time nor did he take any interest in lawn mowing (I can't blame him, it's boring AND our whole front yard is a giant hill) and I sure as heck wasn't going to do it. So we often let it go for longer than we should have. Based on what I know now, I am 100% certain we were whispered about during the neighborhood gossip sessions. Now we hire someone to mow it and someone else to spray weed stuff on it, so it's always pretty and no longer an issue. I'm pretty sure the first time our one neighbor started talking to us is when she realized our lawn was going to be getting mowed on a regular basis. Oh, and planting flowers (that don't die) gets you bonus points.

Secondly, it helps get pregnant. It gives people a reason to talk to you and gives you something to talk about back. Then, when the baby is born, you are granted instant access to the mommy clique that pretty much runs the neighborhood gossip factory.

THIRD. You must be observant of all neighbors' activity so that when asked if you saw that Bob across the street left his trash can lids off and attracted racoons AGAIN, you know that he did.... TWICE in the last month.

Four, you need to stay up on who ALL the unpopular neighbors are. These are the ones with the unmowed lawns, the ones who don't plant flowers, who throw loud parties and take up too many parking spots. Be ready and willing to discuss unpopular peoples' neighborly sins with the cool kids at any time.

If you have a homeowner's association, it also helps to know who the bigwigs are AND what neighbors the bigwigs don't like. Stay away from said neighbors and their unkempt homes with doors painted the wrong shade of Sherwin Williams blue! It ALSO helps to know if you have moved into the home of someone whom the bigwig HOA people didn't like. This was the case with us... and now that my neighbors actually speak to me, I have come to find out that the previous owner NEVER used to mow the lawn, used to pee off the side of the deck and kept a sofa in the backyard for when he had his wild parties. (?) Now that I have this information, the strange stains on the basement carpet really worry me...

I was just outside talking to my neighbor two doors down, which is what sparked this post. It seems her next door neighbor (NOT one of the cool kids) has a backyard that looks like a jungle. Tsk tsk tsk... don't they know that's not the way to get invited to sit at our lunch table? ;)

I just ran out to the store with the intent to buy milk, since we are out of both skim (for us) and whole (for Ben). I bought baby food, ziploc bags, bananas, some pasta, bread and various other sundry items.

Did I remember to buy milk?

Nnnnnope.

:: sigh ::

I couldn't resist...

So busy, in fact, that I only took two pictures and they are both almost identical.


Elizabeth got SOOOOooooo much stuff (especially considering it was a relatively small shower, just 16 people!). And almost everything she got was very practical... (yay for having several new moms there!)

Everyone had a great time and seemed to appreciate all the ducky details. I REALLY wish I had taken pictures because it all turned out so cute. Of course, now I have about 150 rubber duckies... anyone need some? ;)

My husband is fishing today with his work. Every year, his company takes some of their clients on this big fishing trip... the thing is that it's SUCH a joke. These clients (note: NOT my husband or his bosses) are all filthy stinking rich and so their idea of "fishing" goes a little like that one episode of Sesame Street -- you know, the one where Ernie and Bert are in the boat and Ernie calls the fish "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere fishy fishy fishy!" and the fish just jump in the boat? Yeah. Kinda like that.

They go out on a boat the size of a house...there are fishing rods attached to the side of it and they all claim one. They go out on some lake that is STOCKED with fish. Then they sit in chairs and enjoy good food while they wait for the fish to bite. (which occurs in approximately 10.5 seconds... last year they caught their limit in under and hour or something) When a fish bites, some guy (note: NOT the people who are actually "fishing") comes along, reels it in, cleans it, guts it and puts it in a cooler for you and you get to say you caught something. That's SO cheating! Fishing is about worms and getting all smelly and fighting with the fish!

Anyway, so that is what my husband is doing today. What a bum.

Benjamin and I are just hanging out today... I'm trying to clean a little for the shower but Ben pretty much undoes everything I do, so I guess that will have to wait until later... so we're mostly just playing. He's starting to learn letters! He has this big bucket of bathtub letters and he holds them up and waits for me to name them. He's big on the letter M right now... he goes right for it and says "MMmmmma!" He also knows O, but he says, "oooooo" But will the kid say mommy? Heck no.

Ah well... seems like today's first nap attempt has been successful, so going to try and get some things done!

Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends NO TV for children under 2!?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! Ohhh... that's a good one, AAP! Without Elmo, I'd never get anything done.

Come ON. Ben LOVES Sesame Street, he watches it once, sometimes twice a day. Am I supposed to feel guilty about this? This child gets so much interaction and attention it's not even funny. We play for HOURS and hours. When his daddy comes home, THEY play for hours. His grandparents play with him. Strangers in stores interact with him. I read to him. I talk to him all day long. He understands bigger words than some middle schoolers I know. An hour of Sesame Street is NOT going to turn his brain to mush...

...is it? GAH! Thanks AAP! Now I'm paranoid!

My doctor is pretty darn cool! First of all she put the picture I sent her of Ben on the bulletin board in her waiting room. Yay! Plus, anytime you can laugh through your annual exam while discussing the damage a baby inflicted on you on its way out, you know you have a rockin' gyn.

I should mention that she is especially awesome now that she's not all crazy busy with OB patients. She spent an HOUR talking to me today, answering my hundreds of questions about future pregnancies and labor and entertaining my worries about all the various medical conditions I have recently Googled trying to figure out why I'm achy and tired all the time and losing weight like I have a tapeworm or something. I do have to go get some bloodwork done, but she said I need to stop Googling and watching the Discovery Health Channel. C'mon, that's funny! ;) Me thinks the medical community doesn't appreciate all of the information the internet has unleashed on paranoid people like me.

Things got NOT so funny when I asked, "Okay, so when I get pregnant, who should I go to?" She said (and I quote), "I really don't have anyone to recommend. They've all stopped practicing!" GAH! She runs in the baby delivering crowd... and there is NO ONE she can think of who is still delivering babies who she feels comfortable recommending!!!! My next baby will be delivered on my bathroom floor by my husband if this trend continues... :( Let me state right now that I'm not a home birth kinda girl. I want a hospital. And monitors. And a nice doctor who has easy access to a baby-head vacuum. And most imporantly, an epidural! ;)

I have my annual "icky doctor" appointment today. Joy. It's not until 1:00, but I'm dropping Ben off with my mother in law at 10:30 so as not to screw up his nap schedule. This has the added benefit of leaving me over two free hours to do with what I please. My plan is to head over to my favorite shopping center (home of Target, BB&B, Toys R Us, Panara, various other stores and now a WALMART! Wahoo!) and finish up some shopping for Saturday's baby shower... also just to wander around aimlessly without having to offer someone Cheerios, a drink, a binky or a toy every 5.5 seconds.

So... icky doctor yeah, but it's small price to pay for mommy time!

This is Benjamin's latest trick. He started doing it this morning.... he totally cracks himself up when he does it too! He's just SILLY! ;)

I was putting away groceries earlier and I got to thinking how funny it is how Tom and I both have incorporated various habits from the homes in which we grew up.

What specifically got me thinking about it was the whole bean coffee I bought. Never in my life before I married Tom did I or anyone in my house buy whole bean coffee. I'm pretty sure my parents don't even own a coffee grinder. (if they do, I never saw it). Tom's parents on the other hand, ALWAYS ground their own coffee. After about a year or marriage and going back and forth between coffee types, Tom's whole bean won out over my already ground coffee. Now that's all we buy! Actually, all of Tom's coffee habits won out over mine... he keeps coffee in the fridge, which I just find strange. For a long time, we had a little battle going where I would take it out of the fridge and put it in the cabinet above the coffee pot. Finally I gave up... after he pointed out on the back of the coffee package that it says, "Refrigerate for freshness." Can't argue with that.

Most of the brands we buy though are what *I* grew up with. I guess that's because I do most of the grocery shopping... At my house, we always had Crest toothpaste, Dove soap, Herbal Essences shampoo.... those are just a few... I could think of a whopping list of things I buy that my parents buy if I really thought about it.

Tom also brought with him some laundry habits that are totally foreign to me... he hangs all of his pants up (to avoid having to iron them) For this reason, I'm no longer allowed to wash his pants because I refuse to hang them. Everything goes in the dryer! For four years though I've been trying to figure out what detergent/fabric softener his mother buys because when we were dating, his shirts always smelled soooo good. I have tried every combination of Downy freshness and detergent but can't seem to recreate it. I could ask I guess, but that's too easy!

So what about you all? What little details/quirks/brand loyalties did you bring to the marriage?

Soooo... my Mother's Day was frighteningly similar to LAST year. I never thought I'd have a repeat of last year until I had another newborn with colic.

Our Mother's Day tradition since Ben's been here has been the following:

-I take Ben and go to my parents' house for lunch with them, my brother and Ben's godmother.

-Tom and his brothers go off and do their thing with their mom

-Later, Tom and I drop Ben off with inlaws so his Nan gets to see him and we get to go spend some quality time together

It worked out okay last year except for the aforementioned colic. Ben started screaming during my lunch with my family and didn'tgive me a break. I remember thinking, "This will be better next year! He'll be almost 14 months old!"

I know better than to have thoughts like that now.

You see, Ben is getting FOUR MORE TEETH at once, those pointy fangy ones. And man oh MAN are they the worst of all of them, even worse than the molars. He has been miserable, whiny, cranky and just generally bitchy for four days or so, not wanting to eat because it hurts, oh and with random uncontrollable screaming and crying sprinkled in for good measure. He chose to have one of these crazy crying fits during lunch yesterday.

HE CRIED FOR OVER AN HOUR. He cried all the way home. He cried when I got him home. He cried when I held him. He cried when I rocked him. He didnt STOP crying until I gave him his cocktail of Tylenol and Hyland's Teething Tablets. (which, by the way, I am now totally convinced are a miracle cure... he stopped crying almost as soon as they dissolved)

Needless to say, I was exhausted and I was afraid he was going to have another fit, so Tom and I didn't get to go out alone in the evening. :: sigh ::

On the bright side, I did get to spend some time with my mom, Ben got to see his godmother, Tom and his brothers had a really nice lunch for their mom at our house (which she was apparently totally suprised by, since we have never actually had her over to eat here), and Ben gave me a children's book called "I Love My Mama" about a mommy and baby elephant. It's really cute and Tom even traced Ben's little hand inside the cover. I didn't get a card, which I wouldn't care about except that I keep a scrapbook and that's the kind of thing I like to put in it. I also got to spend some time working on some fun projects of mine last night while Tom watched Ben. That pretty much saved the day...

I also didn't get any pictures because there were really no opportunities with the screaming and all. Actually, I did snap one of him screaming in the car... maybe I'll post it just for laughs later. ;)

So.... I hope everyone else's Mother's Day was a little better than mine... and hey, maybe next year will be better? Ben will be over two and I will hopefully be pregnant... wait, that's probably not better. That means Ben will be in throws of the "Terrific" Twos AND I'll puking up my lunch. Ah well, someday...

**update** Apparently this bad Mother's Day phenomenon is universal? Rbelle didn't get a card either AND her husband thought it would be a good idea take a mother of two children under two to a bar?!? And Mrs. Flinger got a DVR from her husband, which apparently was not QUITE was she was looking for as far as her Mother's Day gift.

I hope all the mommies, grandmommies and greatgrandmommies and godmommies out there have a wonderful day!

I'm off to various Mother's Day activties. Pictures and recap later, of course.
I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures of Benjamin and me from LAST Mother's Day.

Ahh... the quiet times. Then again, they were also sleepless, so shouldn't complain!

I am nothing if not persistent. Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I finally figured it out. I still have issues with the needle dropping the thread but I can work around that. Here's my first official "test" pillow.



The fabric was leftover from another failed project. I wanted to work all the kinks out before I start chopping up the $13/yard fabric for the real pillows!

Those kinks? Still not completely worked out. So there may be a few more test pillows in my future.

By the way, what's a slip stitch? Apparently you're supposed to use those to sew the opening closed where you stuff the pillow form in. Advice please! :)

I'm pretty sure THIS isn't supposed to happen.


Why DOES this keep happening? I actually eaked out one straight line of stitches before this happened for the 100th time. Grr...

I have this sewing machine. And it's a nice one, so the biddies (old and otherwise) tell me. One time I was actually able to get it threaded and I sewed a few random stitches. Fun times. Since then, it had been sitting in the basement, collecting dust, wishing it was owned by someone who knew how to use it.

Last week, I got sort of ambitious and bought some fabric that coordinates with the new bedding and valances we have in our bedroom. I have two pillow forms that my mother-in-law gave me the Christmas I got the sewing machine. How hard can pillows be? (I thought, foolishly.)

I went down during Benjamin's nap today and revved up the machine. I can't even get the bobbin threaded. I feel so inadequate. And for those of you saying, "bobbin? What's a bobbin?" you are making me feel slightly less inadequate. Thanks. ;)

I just sat down to check my email after I: had my coffee, got Benjamin up, changed his diaper, fed him breakfast, got a shower, dressed Ben and myself, made the bed and straightened the bedroom, unloaded the dishwasher, put the dirty dishes IN the dishwasher, cleaned up the kitchen, fed the cats, watched an episode of Sesame Street, moved some laundry to the dryer and moved a dismantled air hockey table out to the backyard (don't ask). I thought for sure it would be lunchtime by now! I'm tired!

What's in store for later? Playing with Ben, feeding Ben, keeping Ben out of the emergency room,changing a poopy diaper, planting some flowers, cleaning a bathroom (maybe two), vacuuming, a quick visit to the grocery story and BJ's, more laundry, moving an entertainment center to the backyard and then off to a birthday dinner for my brother in law (which is technically not work for me, but I still thought I'd throw it in there because there will be wrangling, chasing and feeding of Ben involved).

Jen mentioned on her blog yesterday that she wants a wife. Me too! Where can I get one?

Sitting here thinking...

What should I make for dinner? We have chicken, ground turkey, various pastas and two drawers full of veggies?

What should I do with my hair? It's getting long and unmanagable... butI wanted to grow it out.

Why won'tmyspace bar work right?

How do you make a pillow? I have fabric. I have a pillow form. I have a sewing machine. I'm just not sure how to put them all to use?

Do you start being fertile again immediately after going off the pill? Or does it take a month or so?

What should we do with our basement family room? It's an empty canvas right now and Tom gave me the green light to start making the phone calls to get it a makeover. I don't know where to start...

Why do I have no clothes in my closet that I like?

Why is Ben whiny one day and totally angelic the next?

Amanda is pregnant again, am I envious? I'm not sure... Jen is going to get pregnant again soon too... will I be able to wait when that happens? I've never been one to succumb to peer pressure... but this is difficult.

Why don't I feel like blogging these days? (thus, creating this total cop-out post)

...but his mother was glad to get him
asleep.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It has been one big whine fest over here today. Good lord, I have NO idea what is up with this kid but it's gotta be somehing because lemme tell ya, he is one UNHAPPY little dude. My ears are ringing from the squealing and whining and the tantrum he threw in Target this afternoon because I wouldn't let him hold the can of mixed nuts I was buying.

I can not WAIT to get him to BED. Ew!

The trip to the doctor this morning went about as well as can be expected. The minute Ben saw him he started screaming. That's pretty much how it goes every time. Then the doctor pulled out "The Papoose". (brand name, apparently) It was this board contraption with velcro straps to hold him still. The Papoose was no match for Ben and his little baby biceps. Not even close.

Using his super-human baby strength, he busted out of it three times. THREE TIMES. My mom had to hold him down on one end and I had to hold him on the other. It was very sad (yet amusing on another level). Once the stitches were out though, he was fine. Came home and slept for two hours. What a trooper!

Now, if you'll excuse me, my allergies are making me miserable... anyone else? I took some meds and now it's time for early bedtime. And tea. Must have tea. :)

Ben's pediatrician is going to take the stitches out this morning! The little bandage fell off in the middle of the night, so we got a peek at how it looks. (soooo much better!)



From a distance you can hardly even see them! (this is Ben posing with his coffee can hat ;)

Let's do a tally of what I've lost, actually, HAD STOLEN this year so far.

- my cell phone (turned out it was stolen by a Disney employee, I pressed charges, but instead of getting my phone back, all I got was the satisfaction of the girl getting fired.

- my watch, also lost at Disney World, at the Saratoga Springs hotel. Never showed up in the lost and found, so I'm sure SOMEone is enjoying it.

- my digital video camera (my Christmas gift from Tom) - this is my most recent loss.
I realized two days ago that it wasn't anywhere around. Figured I stuck it someplace odd to hide it from Ben. Tore the house apart... searched every nook and cranny. Realized that of the two places I usually keep it, one is on the ledge by the front door. THEN realized that since the time I last used it we have had two sets of delivery guys (furniture and mattress) and a crazy FreeCycle lady through here... all of which were left unsupervised at the front door long enough to have swiped it. I feel bad blaming delivery guys, because they probably get pinned with this kind of thing a lot. Actually, I tend to think it was the crazy FreeCycle lady... she was weird and now that I think about it, distracted me quite a bit when she was here.

After three more exhaustive searches of the entire house, I am now pretty much convinced that's what happened. I'm so sad. The tape that was in it is the one I've used since January... so all those videos I took of Ben are gone. :(

I'm calling to make a claim on our homeowner's insurance tomorrow morning... hopefully our deductable isn't more than the camera cost (it was a pretty cheap digital one) It will replace the camera, but not the video... :(

So sad...

Have I ever mentioned I once had a car stolen too? I must have a "please take my stuff" sign on my back or something...