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Thursday, June 30, 2005

Addendum to Previous Post...

I am experiencing SEVERE internal conflict with regard to the topic of the previous post. Seeing as I am ovulating in a couple days (you SO didn't want to know that, did you?), I could REALLY use a nice long laundry list of reasons why I do NOT want to get pregnant this month... ???

C'mon girls... especially the recently pregnant ones... get listing!

And I do NOT want to hear from the members of the peanut gallery who are ENCOURAGING this pregnant nonsense! You'll get your own post to comment on later today. ;)

I'll start the list with my #1 reason I do NOT want to get pregnant this month.

* Being pregnant for another trip to Disney World because THAT sucked.

**updated**
People, this is urgent... we have an egg landing anyday now and it MUST go unfertilized!

Here's another of my top reasons, because you guys aren't listing quickly enough for me.

* The puking. Am I really all that anxious to do THIS for 30+ weeks again?

Not. Just. Yet...

I refuse to get pregnant because of peer pressure to do so. But I will admit... it is getting REALLY difficult to not want to try.

Especially now.

GAH.

Let's just say if I were to get pregnant this month...

(which, I WILL NOT
a)because I am not quite ready
and
b)because the new baby would have Ben's exact due date)

...the new Baby Human would have a little friend VERY close in age.

Closing mouth now before I get in trouble.

I really need to start coming up with alternative names for this website before any new additions to the family come along!

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Summer is "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite"

Summer has really helped Ben grasp the concept of hot. He even says "hot" now... sounds like "hiiiiiiiite". When we were at the pool yesterday, he wandered around touch-testing everything and saying "hiiiite". When I put him in the car now, he makes nasty faces and says, "hiiiiite". Okay, so he gets hot.

This has proven very useful. He doesn't LIKE hot, therefore, all I have to do is label something "hot" and he won't touch it. Heh. The oven is hot. The electrical outlets (even though they are covered) are hot. That big nasty green box out front that houses a bajillion volts of electricity? Hot. Definitely hot. So if I come to your house and he tries to touch your great-grandmother's china? Don't worry, it's HOT. ;)

Monday, June 27, 2005

Do NOT Try This At Home..

Do not, I repeat do NOT, take your 15-month-old into Toys R Us, take him OUT of the cart to let him play in the cozy coupe to see if he likes it (he will, a LOT), and then try to extract child from said cozy coupe to go to the grocery store and think he is going to go with you willingly. You will fail. And you will carry a kicking, screaming, red-faced 15-month-old out of Toys R Us under your arm while people stare and suspect you of kidnapping.

Monday, Monday...

Drat. It IS Monday.

We had a lovely weekend... Yesterday was marathon play with Benjamin day. We basically just played played PLAYED all day. We took walks outside, we played in the sprinkler, we went to the tot lot, we took a few car rides, we drew pictures, we played with clay, we built towers... very fun. :)

Today? No real plans. Just the grocery store, which is always an adventure with Ben in tow anyway. I might take a trip to the craft store to for some more yarn, a few scrapbooking things and to say hello to a friend of mine.

I know, sounds boring, right?

Sometimes this SAHM gig is really REALLY painfully boring and uneventful... but at least I can be bored in comfortable clothes in my own house where I can turn on a movie or work on a project that interests me. I remember feeling like I was going insane when I was bored at work (which was pretty much every single FREAKING day) and still had to stay trapped behind my desk looking busy and pretending I wasn't surfing the web and IMing people. That sucked. I try to remind myself of that on the days, like today, when I may very well be sitting around with Ben all day long and the day seems like it will never end. I don't deal well with "bored" in case you can't tell...

Bleh.
~*~

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Just Around the Corner and Down the Hill...

... is a tot lot! We knew our neighborhood had one, we just assumed it was crappy and never checked it out. Anyway, our evening walk tonight led us there and it's cute! No swings... just a big all-in-one thingy with three slides, a tunnel, a bubble window and some monkey bars. But it was plenty to wear out a 15-month-old.

Speaking of that 15-month-old, he has NO FEAR. We started out on the baby slide and he seemed to want more of a thrill after several hundred trips down, so I plopped him into the bigger, scarier Staticky Tube of Darkness and sent him on down to daddy. He squealed and wanted to go again. And again. And again. We repeated this until my arms almost fell off. I guess next time we'll try the even bigger and even scarier TWISTY Staticky Tube of Darkness. Then maybe we'll just all go bungee jumping.

We'll Have the Decaf, Please...

You people seriously expect me to drink this sippy cup crap?...


...When there's a MOCHA sitting in front of me?

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Date Day and Other Things...

Today after naptime, we're dropping the boy off with his grandparents for the afternoon, complete with bucket o' sidewalk chalk, bathing suit and a change of clothes just in case. He should be set for the day, don't you think?

The question is: what will we do?! Lunch is definitely on the agenda...maybe some perusing of the local nursery for a few, hard to kill things to plant, but no other solid plans. I think we'll just drive around until we see something interesting. Maybe a couple more car test drives, just for kicks, even though we've decided to put off the new car purchase until next spring. Tom and I both agreed we'd rather put money into our house than a car right now... so we're going to wait until the last possible second to take on that second car payment. Meanwhile, we've got some fun house projects cooking!

Speaking of projects, I told you all I'm learning to knit, right? Well, I've got the actual knitting and purling technique down pretty good. But for some reason, as I go, I mysteriously ADD stitches. I started a project that was 37 stitches across the other day, got to the 8th row and realized I had 54 stitches. How does that happen?! Anyone? It makes for one truly ODD looking dishcloth.

Tom was trying to teach Ben the stomp stomp clap from Queen's "We Will Rock You" this morning. It was highly entertaining... give him a few days and I think he'll have it down! Too cute...

Ummmmmmm... yah. That's about it. Going to go enjoy the weekend and the beautiful (yet steamy) weather. :)

Friday, June 24, 2005

15 Months Old Today! :)

My little boy is 15 months old today! I was actually able to get him to sit still for his monthday picture this afternoon, thanks to letting him hold my cell phone.
Let's see, what's new from last month? He's saying a few more "words", and basically perfecting being a little boy. Summertime helps... lots of mud and sand and things with which to get as dirty as possible. He is currently sporting two skinned knees and a bunch of random bruises. But they don't slow him down! Outside is where he wants to be these days!

He LOVES music and loves to dance. He had us laughing outloud the other day when he started doing The Snuffulupagus Dance while Sesame Street was on. (basically the hokey pokey). Definitely trying to get THAT on video...

And now, without further ado, the official monthday pictures...




And since you know I'm a big fan of side-by-sides... here is one of Ben today and one year ago today (3 months old). What a difference! (except for the lovely chair, of course)

15-Month Doctor's Appointment...

Screaming. A lot. As usual.

30 inches and 22 pounds. Two shots: Chickenpox and another HiB. Only ONE shot next time. Wahoo!

Over all the screaming, I couldn't really hear the other stats, so I used this calculator to figure out that he is in the 14th percentile for both weight and height. Yeah, little. GAH.

The doctor said Ben's eating issues are normal and to keep giving him baby food as long as we need to in order supplement whatever he eats in the way of table food. Also said he's on track with his verbal skills, especially since he obviously understands what we say to him... and that we should start hearing an explosion of words by 18 months, so not to worry. Yay.

We saw another 15-month-old in the waiting room and he TOWERED over Ben. I thought the kid was two, I really did. And THAT mother thought Ben was only a year. While we were each shaking our heads over the size difference, Ben and Thomas (the other baby), were conspiring to tear all the Pooh and Tigger window clings off the office windows. FUN!

Ben *hates* the doctor! My ears are still ringing from the screaming.

Napping now. Ah, sweet vaccine and trauma-induced slumber... this might be a long one. ;)

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Waterbug...

Just some pics from the pool...



5 Things I Miss From My Childhood...

I stole this from Busymom. I realize you are technically supposed to be TAGGED for these things. But I liked the subject matter too much to wait around to be tagged.

Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump everyone up one place; add your blog's name in the #5 spot. You need to link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross-pollination of your chosen blogs.


1. Angie at HomeGrown
2. MistressMary
3. Tales From My Tiny Kingdom
4. Busy Mom
5. Tale of a baby Human

Next, select 4 new friends to tag: grab it if you want to!

Here are things I miss: (I had six, sorry!)

1. Summer -- Playing outside from dawn until dark in the summertime. Mosquito bites, the smell of citronella candles, catching lightning bugs, playing tag and hide and seek, running through sprinklers and playing ball, climbing trees and riding bikes. Parents being outside too talking to neighbors and knowing I didn't have to go inside until they did... keeping a watchful eye on them and hoping they'd stay out just a few minutes longer. Finally coming inside and being that really good kind of tired. Falling asleep to the sound of my parents still talking downstairs or on the deck.

2. The first day of school every year - Not being able to sleep the night before. Getting up WAY too early because I couldn't wait any longer. The smell of notebook paper and new school supplies. New school clothes, new shoes. The excitement of not knowing quite what to expect. Meeting new teachers, seeing old friends. Finding out your what friends were in my class or had my lunchtime. Coming home and organizing all my supplies and papers.

3. Swimming - Never getting out of the pool. Thinking laying in the sun was boring. Trying to stay underwater the longest. Playing "teaparty" and Marco Polo, changing into warm, dry clothes after, still smelling chlorine that night, feeling "a little sunburned." Thinking getting to swim at night was the coolest thing ever, and at the same time, being a little scared by it.

4. The ice cream man - Digging through all the couches for spare change, hearing "The Entertainer" song in the distance and waiting with my friends on the corner to see the white truck, buying whipper snappers and plastic airplanes that broke 15 minutes later. Eating a red, white and blue Firecracker popsicle outside on a warm summer evening.

5. Getting to go places on my own - It was SO exciting when I was finally allowed to ride my bike all the way around the block, or walk to the park with my friends or to the grocery store for a soda. I used to pretend I was one of the kids in those 50's tv shows who seemed to ride their bikes all over town.

6. Visiting my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in West Virginia - Seeing the Berkeley Castle and knowing we were almost there, arriving and knowing the door would be unlocked, even if they weren't home, the smell of their garage, being able to walk to the little general store across the street, making homemade ice cream in the backyard with my cousins and I taking turns sitting on the lid while one of the adults churned it, going out with my grandmother and everyone knowing each other, standing at the end of my grandparents driveway and waving at cars that drove by and having them honk back at me, visiting my greatgrandmother's house next door, skipping rocks in the river, going to help fill up water jugs at the spring, getting really really dirty and pretending I was a country girl for the time I was there.

Now, for the fun part. I tag:

Mrs. Flinger
Jane (Connor's mommy)
Jen
and...
Rbelle

I know you guys will all have great answers! :) I can't wait to read! And if anyone I didn't tag wants to steal it, I'd love to read your answers too! :) Enjoy!

Thoughts on Playing the Mommy Role at 2:30 a.m...

Now that Ben sleeps all night almost every night, the occasional 2a.m. wakeup really doesn't bother me all that much. Last night, he woke up crying for some reason. We gave it a few minutes, as we usually do, to see if he'd just go back to sleep. But it continued... so after some other attempts to calm him down, I finally picked him up and he immediately stopped crying and passed out on my shoulder while I rocked him. Soft nightlight glow, rocking chair, quiet house, the smell of baby bath soap and Johnsons & Johnsons lotion, sleeping baby... THIS is why I love being a mommy.

He actually ended up sleeping in bed with us for the rest of the night because I couldn't successfully transfer him back to the crib without the screaming starting again... I'm assuming he had some kind of nightmare or something. But sleeping next to a warm, baby soap smelling baby... that was okay too. :)

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Under Attack...

I went downstairs to clean the basement bathroom and discovered there are ants literally POURING out from under the toilet. GAG GAG GAG. And, what the heck?! Ants can live under toilets?! These ants (the ones who make it through my intense vacuuming/Raid defense) are going to VERY disappointed since the food is an entire floor UP. Dumb bugs.

Look Ma! Both Hands!

Practically since Ben came OUT, we've been trying to figure out (just for fun, really) if he is right-handed or left-handed.

For awhile, we were pretty sure he was left-handed.

Then more recently, we've been pretty sure he was right-handed.

Now we've just given up trying to figure it out.

He throws balls... with BOTH hands.
He scribbles... with BOTH hands.
For awhile, he was eating pretty exclusively with his right hand, but holding the spoon upside down and with his hand all contorted... If I'd put it in his left hand,he seemed to hold it more naturally, but would still pick it up again with his right hand.

But now, this.




Pretty talented, don't ya think? ;)

E-Wheeling and Dealing...

I've been emailing back and forth with the salesman from the Chrysler dealership we went to on Saturday. Since Saturday, and after two emails, he has managed to "miraculously" find a Pacifica for us for $409 a month. (I told him our $350 a month figure) Since we have almost year before we technically NEED another car, I wrote him back and told him we need to do more research and that my husband is really hoping to find something in our $350 a month budget. (which is true)

If my new friend Hal really wants to make us a sale, he'll figure something out. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter since we're in no hurry. The sad thing is (and I really do feel sort of bad) unless we actually DOES find us somethingfor under $350, we pretty much have no intention of buying from Hal. :(

A family friend, we'll call him Mr. Yaya, owns a Chrysler dealership just around the corner, and if we buy, we'll more than likely buy from his place and get a much better deal. So we pretty much used (okay we DID use) poor, unsuspecting Hal as practice and to get a good idea of how much the Pacifica would cost us. Now that I know HE can hit $409 a month, I'm almost positive we'll be able to stay at least VERY close to our $350 a month figure if we work with Mr. Yaya and aren't picky about color or most options.

We'll see. Honestly, I'm not particularly jazzed about putting out the money for a car right now. I'm hoping nothing comes along for a few months... but if the right price comes along, I feel like we need to take advantage of it...

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Operation Bye Bye Binky

For the past five days or so, we have instituted a new binky policy around here that will hopefully EVENTUALLY make taking it away for good a little easier. Binky is now only allowed in the crib.

So far, so good. Ben totally gets it. In fact, most times when I go to get him from his crib after a nap or in the morning, he'll spit it out and wave his arm back and forth (his signal for "no no" for some reason). The funny thing is that he also gets that if he stays IN the crib, he can have it. So a few mornings I have had to walk out and come back later because he just wasn't quite ready to put the binky down.

I don't even take any binkies with me when we go out now. It'd be too easy for me to reach in there and grab it when he starts whining. So this is a trasition for me too! There have been a few times, especially in the car, when I was really wishing I had an easy fix like the binky. Various other distractions generally do the trick. But nothing will ever be as easy or as instant a fix as dear old binky.

I figure the next step (awhile from now) is to see how naptime goes without it. And then, ultimately, bedtime. GAH!

Monday, June 20, 2005

Itchy...

Who knew you could have poison ivy in your teeny tiny little townhouse garden? I didn't... gotta be way more careful weeding from now on. GAH! Itchy... itchy... itchy...

Luckily, Benjamin did not "help" me weed.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Father's Day...

I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day. We are pooped, so I'll have to update tomorrow. Nighty night!

Benjamin's Newest Second Cousin....

... is a GIRL! My cousin's wife, Elizabeth, (of ducky baby shower fame) had a baby girl early this morning. We don't know her name yet because my grandmother was too excited to ask. But SHE (yes SHE, it's a SHE... there hasn't been a SHE on that side of the family in 28 years!) weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and is healthy healthy healthy! We're so excited and can't wait to go meet her!

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Sticker Shock...

How do people afford big cars/suv's?? Because umm... we went and got a rough price quote on the Pacifica today and at a price of $33,000, the monthly lease payment was $550! Okay WAYYYYY out of our price range. Soooooooooooo far out of our price range. Am I just being naive to think we could get a $30,000'ish car for less than $350 a month? Sheeeeeeeeeeeeesh. When we got we went on Carmax.com and priced a used 05 Pacifica with 12,000 miles on it for $23,500. The price was STILL out of our range... $418!

$30,000'ish is about what all these cars we are considering cost. (except for the Santa Fe, which is about $25,000 with options)

Any words of advice? Is my monthly payment range ridiculous? We went through various scenarios where we figured in putting money down, but it doesn't lower the payment substantially enough to make doing that worthwhile.

We're not stuck on the Pacifica, just wanted to check it out. And obviously, if were ready to buy something right NOW we would have haggled a lot, but I'm pretty sure not matter how hard we push, we won't be able to get them down into the range we are comfortable with.

Who pays $500 a month for a car?! Anyone anyone? That just seems like a CRAZY amount to me... but maybe I'm just stuck in subcompact land. ??

Still Here...

Just busy! Working around the house and making a laundry list of things that need to be replaced/repainted around here. (next month is BONU$$ month! Wahoo!) Lots to do! I am quite happy with our backyard that is just too cute for words right now with its little baby swing, sandbox water thingy all set up, the bush all trimmed and under control and the new flowers I planted. We even have chairs down there now so we are way cool. I've surveyed the backyards of all the houses in our row and determined that ours is, by far, the cutest. So there, neighbors!

Talked to the owner of "the bird" quite by accident two days ago. Apparently HER name (the bird) is Miss Maggie. I think I offended her owner by asking, "Oh! Are you guys the ones who have "THAT BIRD?" I also think I offended her AGAIN when I said, "Yeah, my cats sit on the deck at night and lick their lips." Heh.

Also teaching myself to knit. I'm about 15 rows into my very first dishcloth... tres fun. What a wonderful, relaxing, mindless activity! Wish I'd found it sooner! I'm not sure I have the motivation to advance much past making a dishcloth though. Besides, I know I'll actually USE a dishcloth.

Ben has been busy. He goes to the front door now and demands to be let outside. Fifteen months and already housetrained. Seriously though, you have to be especially careful even SAYING the word "outside" within his earshot if you don't have any intention of going out. Tantrum city. We went out this morning and found what appeared to be a very lost turtle walking down the sidewalk. Tom took it up and put it in the woods, but about an hour later, when he took Ben over there to play, the turtle had emerged and was making its way to the sidewalk again. I told Tom he probably set the poor little guy back three days in his trip. Wonder where he's going? You don't often see turtles in the middle of suburbia... ??

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Baby Van Gogh...

Jen gave me the brilliant idea of going to get Ben some Color Wonder markers this afternoon. (after he drew on the wall with crayons while I was talking to her on the phone!).

It was with these wonderful color-only-on-the-special-paper markers that Ben created his first masterpiece.

I give you a piece he calls, "mow boi la mamama!" which I think translates loosely to "Portrait of the Artist After a Nap"



Tom wanted to take it to work. I told him he could have a reprint, but not the original. Heh. This baby is scrapbook material!

Being Productive...

Yesterday was a not-so-good nap day. Today seems to be better. Hooray! I used the first half of naptime to get things done, like trimming our monstrous hedges. I can't seem to find someone to pay to do this. What's with that? I hate hate HATE yard work, and so does Tom... but the bushes were practically knocking on the front door, so I thought I should intervene before they came after us in our sleep. They are very pretty (and square-shaped) now, thank you. ;) I also discovered they are infested with aphids. Ewwwwwwwwww...

While I was outside, I noticed my neighbor was getting his deck repaired and powerwashed. Knowing full well the powerwashing guy would think I was a nutty 12-year-old, I still managed to find the courage to go over and ask him to stop by and give me an estimate. He DID sort of look at me funny, but agreed to stop over when he was finished. Whew. One more stupid house thing I can stop thinking about.

The parrot is barking again. My neighbor just over the hill has a parrot that she puts outside when it's warm. It's really freakin' loud and annoying. It barks and laughs (like an old man). Oddly, it usually knows to laugh at you when you are already feeling self conscious. It laughed its little parrot butt off when Tom was learning how to miter crown molding on the deck a few months ago. And it laughed for 15 minutes at me yesterday while I kept tangling myself up in the hose trying to water the flowers out back. I once heard another neighbor yell, "Shut up BIRD!" Amen. I've been trying to train my newly initiated outdoor cat to go torment it. (he got out one day so now we just let him out back sometimes) If it were to "disappear" that would just be a fringe benefit.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

More Randomness...

I'm not sure if it's the heat and humidity(complete with 110 degree heat index), my raging PMS, or a combination of both, but I just can't seem to put together a one-subject coherent blog post these days.

How do you know if a dress is formal enough to wear to a wedding? I got this really cute, searsucker sundress with spaghetti straps the other day and I really want a reason to wear it. It's an afternoon wedding, so I realize I don't have to wear a long evening gown or something, but I'm honestly not sure where dressy ends and casual begins. I suck at dressing myself, I really do. This dress flares out a little at the bottom and comes just below the knee. I'm thinking of wearing white, somewhat dressy sandals with it. Formal enough? Help!

Ben is all whiny this morning. Why?? It's just constant and it is ANNOYING. Especially since I only woke up 45 minutes ago.

In the Ben entertainment arena, I got Ben sidewalk chalk yesterday. He spent about an hour scribbling on the front steps, (and also wandering off while eating the chalk) so it was worth the $2.99. I also bought him some Model Magic (this Crayola product that is like playdough but doesn't stick to anything) It was an abismal failure, he just kept throwing it. Oh well, yay for its non-stick properties.

Ohmahgah, someone please STOP the whining.

We're full-out new car hunting right now because, as I'm sure I have made QUITE clear,we do NOT want to keep the Volkswagen hunk of tin after the lease is up. Looking to buy/lease something at the end of the model year, most likely. I know I've asked you all this before, but it was prior to us being in actual car research mode. Does anyone have any rants or raves about the following? Or any other suggestions for small SUV's I have overlooked? Please tell me things like "The windows have a tendency to fall into the doors at around 20,000 miles." Those are important little nuggets of information. ;) Right now, I'd say the Freestyle, the Santa Fe and the Pilot are at the top of the list, in that order.

* Chrysler Pacifica
* Honda Pilot
* Ford Freestyle
* Ford Escape
* Toyota Highlander
* Hyundai Santa Fe

What to do today? I think maybe a trip to Petsmart to look at the kittycats is on the agenda. For me, that means a trip to Target for stuff I don't need. Weee!

I'll update the buckethead collage later on. I got a new pic from a reader!

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Good Morning...

Poor Tom had to train it home from New Jersey at 9:30 last night. He didn't get in until after 1:30a.m. He's still sleeping, though he claims to be going to work at some point today. Admirable. If it were me, I'd be calling in dead. But THAT attitude is probably why I was never wildly successful at my job, I suppose. I had motivation issues, what can I say?

I updated the Buckethead Baby collage. If you want to contribute, email me a pic or a link to a pic of your baby with a bucket/crate/other plastic receptacle on his or her head. C'mon it'll be fun! It'll be much prettier when it's all finished. Not that you care, but I do. ;)

Thanks for all the response about how crappy your babies eat. It really makes me feel better. Ben spits EVERYTHING out. The only things that I can ever count on going in and staying on are yogurt and bananas. Speaking of yogurt, I read on someone's blog recently, Jane's I think, about the Dora Yumsters yogurt. It supposedly sticks to the spoon better to help babies with feeding themselves. WOW. We got some and Ben fed himself almost the entire cup of it yesterday, with minimal help. Plus, he LOVES it. Two thumbs up!

How did Ben get a tan while wearing 50SPF sunblock? He has a great base! ;) I still look like a ghost (because I was wearing HIS sunblock) It's totally unfair.

Does anyone have any creative play suggestions for toddlers? I'm really hitting a rut with our playtime over here. Lately, we usually build towers, play in the backyard in the afternoon (pool, swing and running around), play with all the toys in the basement and go for a ride or two. I got all crazy creative the other day and let Ben play with a whole box of macaroni and some mixing bowls. He thought that was way cool. Any more ideas like that? I'm starting to see one of the positives of daycare... they PLAY with the kids ALL DAY. Ben gets played with about half the day and the other half, he has to watch me clean/make dinner/watch Dr. Phil and Oprah/blog. I feel like a mommy slacker sometimes.

Enough rambling. It's time to give the boy some breakfast. Wonder what he will deem acceptable this morning?

Monday, June 13, 2005

Random...

I managed to try on and purchase a dress today while Ben was WITH me. Can I get some props from all the mommies in the house?

My head hurts... and so does my back. Those little heated sticky things don't do much to help the back issue. But they are really cool. Maybe I should try one on my head?

Michael Jackson found not guilty? Whaaa? Seriously? And that woman who got to read all 11 verdicts outloud, was today not the coolest day of her life? And who is person #80?

Have I told you about my newfound addiction to Indian food? Tom and I have been ordering it once a week for a few months now. But last week, when we called in our order of samosas, garlic naan, vegetable curry and chicken saag all we got was a voicemail message... and every day since. I hope this is just a case of the family who owns the carryout going on vacation! I'm going through curry withdrawal!

Ben is a crappy eater. He hates everything. And it's getting worse. I joke that he is "feeding delayed" but deep down, I sorta think it's true! I try not to care because all the books say blah blah blah they get what they need and you should figure out their intake by week and not by day... but when the kid eats two bites of ONE sweet potato fry, two bites of vegetable chicken dinner and half a bite of bread for dinner, you kinda start to worry.

My head hurts.

I have watched the Sesame Street 35th Anniversary Special at least 16 times in the last week.

My head hurts.

I wonder when the two back windows in my Jetta will fall down into the doors? Won't that be exciting? Can't wait.

I want to learn to knit because it looks like fun and it seems relaxing. But I don't think I'd actually wear anything I made. Maybe I could just stick to dishcloths.

My head hurts.

That is all.

Didn't You Get the Memo?

Buckets are the new black. They are ALL the rage with the babies for summer 2005.

Left: Baby Benjamin Buckethead
Right: Baby Shmear Buckethead



Take a picture of YOUR baby wearing one of these trendy buckets and I'll add it to my collage! ;)

Thanks to Baby Shmear's daddy, Chris for permission to his buckethead's picture! ;)

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Home Again...

I'll update later... but for now, enjoy a few pics...

Our official family beach pic...


Benjamin enjoying the ocean with mommy...


Daddy, wait up!


And my very favorite of all...

Baby Buckethead
(he did this of his own free will... over and over and over...you can imagine the hair washing that had to happen later)

Friday, June 10, 2005

Beach Baby...



I stole this idea from Rachael...

The Saga Continues...

The nearest VW dealership (the ONLY place you can get the infamous window dropping problem fixed)? DOVER. AN HOUR AWAY. We really had no choice so Tom and my dad caravaned up there a little while ago to drop off the car.

Ben is grumpy and whiny for some reason. No beach until after his nap, says I.

Also, these new First Steps pull-on diapers from Pampers? They do not hold as much peepee as the Cruisers. They start to fall off from the weight after about an hour and a half! Thumbs down!

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Beach Bums...

Sorry no good posting action today. We left for the beach and it's been a LONG day. The other window in my stupid %*#@! VW Jetta fell down into the door about a half hour into our trip. So we are looking all over for someone who can fix it well enough for us to be able to drive home WITHOUT having to have the window down while doing 70mph on I-95. That's NOT cool.

I. HATE. VOLKSWAGENS. DO YOU HEAR ME VW BIGWIGS? I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE OF YOUE POS CARS!!! EVER! EVER!

Ah, I feel better now. Thanks.

Anyway, no pics from today... things were too hectic. But maybe tomorrow. Or maybe not. I didn't bring my laptop this trip so it might be harder than usual to post them until I get back.

Ben spent a good hour or so on the beach today and loved it. He had sand from head to toe and all in between. We took him down to the water and he SQUEALED everytime the water washed up over his toes and then waved his arms with excited anticipation when it went back out again... LOVED IT, I tell you. He's a beach baby! He is currently sporting a sunblock mohawk. It might take DAYS to get that crap out of his hair...

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Is This Thing On?

Hello? Anyone out there? I was kidding about the chickenpox scab in that last post... really. Didn't mean to scare anyone. ;)

Still Nothing New...

So how about a photo meme? I found this one out on the vast wasteland of the internet.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wondering About...
FAVORITE THINGS
What are the things that you consider special?

A teddy bear that you've had since you were three years old? A pair of shoes that make you look fabulous? A ring that a lover gave you?

Whatever it is that you hold dear...

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I tend to assign sentimental value to pretty much anything I come in contact with...Hence, my somewhat over-vigalant and obsessive tendency now to throw things away before I get attached... seriously, I have, among many other things, the LABEL from a bottle of soda from a goodbye dinner the night before a good friend moved away in 1990'ish, my 7th grade hall pass, every stuffed animal I ever had, notes that got passed to me in middle school, movie stubs, baseball tickets, seashells, sand....I think I even may have a chickenpox scab somewhere (gag)... Yeah...you get the idea.

So here are just a few of treasured things that were quickly accessible (don't even get me started on the rubbermaid boxes that are in my storage closets):

The glass from my little-kid dish set (I have the bowl too-- EBayers, calm down, these mint condition vintage Strawbery Shortcake items *aren't* for sale ;)


A sweatshirt my grandfather gave me. It's about ten sizes too big, but I could never part with it.


My wedding dress -- still hasn't been cleaned after four years. Oops. Now I'm actually kind of attached to the dirt on it. (authentic reception dirt!!) Argh.


One of my favorite shirts of Tom's. It's not in the best shape, but it's a shirt he wore on one of our first dates... I've always loved it.


A mix tape Tom made for me when we were dating.


The hair from Ben's first haircut.


A basket containing Ben's hospital hat, his hospital binky, his christening shoes and the winning string from the stomach-measuring game at my baby shower.


My teddy bear. It sits on a shelf in Ben's room right now...


I could go on and on... but I'll leave you with those.

Now. How about you? Post some pics of your treasured things and leave a comment letting me know you've posted! :)

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

I Have Nothing to Say...

so here's a fun little thingy-majig.

I stole this one from Rbelle...

Go to google images and search for the Following and link to either the first picture or your favorite. You can come up with some wacky stuff!

Town where I grew up...

Town where I live now... (basically the same place... just a different picture and a hair to the west)

My first name...

Grandma’s first name (Uh... that's not my grandma.. hee hee)

My favorite food...


My favorite drink

Favorite song(this is my favorite song of the week... okay, I get it now... it doesn't just SOUND like an old song, it IS an old song.)

My favorite smell Oh dear... it's the suntan lotion smell I like... not the naked guy)

Monday, June 06, 2005

Mom and Dad, Say Cheese!

Everyone go say hi to my family on the Bethany Beach webcam... Kidding, they aren't actually standing in front of the webcam all day waiting for you to go visit them, silly. But they ARE there... without me. Because they suck. We're going down later this week... but for the moment, here I sit... in the house because it's about a trillion degrees outside plus humidity.

Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

On the bright side, Jen and Ryan are coming over in a little while to play in our pool. Yay!

Maybe when we get to the beach, I'll go wave to you all on the boardwalk-cam at some pre-appointed date and time. ;)

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Hot Potato, Pass it On...

Dear Readers, won't you please help me pass my potato?

Come On In! The Water's Fine!

Swimmin'...


Tired of swimming after 4.5 seconds and wants to swing...

It's Raining Babies...

Off to another baby shower today... this one is 50 minutes away and there is a decent chance I will get lost. VERY lost. Wish me luck. I hate driving... and I REALLY hate driving to someplace I've never been. If I start hearing Dueling Banjos, I'm turning around.

Ben is hanging with his daddy today, so I'm sure the house will be a wreck when I get home. But they have fun and that's what matters. At least that what I try to tell myself when I'm picking up the toys/hats/cups/meal messes for the 100th time.

:)

And, since Ben won't be in the car with me, I can crank up Hollaback Girl and feel really cool (though I know I am SO not, no need to remind me) all the way to the shower while I sing about this stuff being b-a-n-a-n-a-s!

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Congratulations Uncle Brandon!

Benjamin's Uncle Brandon (a.k.a. my "little" brother... see pics to fully grasp the irony) graduated from high school this morning! Yay! Next stop: college. Weeee! Here's are some rare pics of the two of us together (one from my high school graduation ten years ago and one from his graduation today) and one with Ben too, of course.



Friday, June 03, 2005

Complaint...

I realize Disney's purchase of Baby Einstein has made Julie Aigner-Clark a very VERY wealthy woman, so she probably doesn't care about ticking off customers... but ever since Disney bought Baby Einstein, all the new DVDs have freaking PREVIEWS at the beginning of them and it. makes. me. MAD!

My kid does NOT have the patience for these and neither do I. He barely has the patience to wait for me to skip THROUGH the previews. For this reason, we watch Baby Mozart WAY too often because it was pre-disney-ownership and thus, no previews. We also do not appreciate how you NEED to have the remote control to play all but Baby Mozart. Since Ben HIDES the remote control, you can imagine that this feature becomes VERY frustrating.

Disney, I love your parks. And Julie, I will forever be endebted to you for your creation of these ingenius half-hour mommy respites. But, STOP screwing with the baby videos or you just might have mommy mutiny on your hands!

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Has High School Really Changed THAT Much in Ten Years?

Hey people, get this: my brother is cool... I don't know how or why... I really don't. And I wouldn't believe it myself except that I saw it with my own eyes last night. It makes my brain hurt.

He went to his prom last night. Despite the top hat, cane and gleaming white pimp tux, he somehow managed to secure the best-looking date out of any of his friends.

Fascinating. Truly fascinating.

My brother somehow has girls falling all over him. It's really quite bizarre. They think he's funny... hysterical, even. What's even more bizarre is he doesn't GET that he has girls (cute,non-social-reject ones) falling all over him, either that or he doesn't care. He's picky, which I suppose is a good thing... This poor girl apparently doesn't get a second date because she liked a Brittney Spears song they played at the dance.


Ummm... since when can someone in a top hat and white pimp tux afford to be THAT picky?

During the pre-prom paparazzi-fest, we also, of course, got a shot of The Jolly Green Giant with Little Sprout.(my brother is like 6'3" in case you can't tell in the pics)


Lastly, I finally figured out who Brandon reminds me of in this getup...

Jen argues that perhaps this is a better comparison? She does have a point...what do you think?

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Swimmin'...

I just took Ben out in the backyard to try out the new elephant swimming pool we got at Target. ($9.99! Wahoo!) He was really having fun until the hypothermia set in...

Poor kid had blue lips.

So now the water is warming up in the sun for awhile before we try swimming again. The pool is really cute and shoots water when you hook the hose up to it. (oddly, out of the elephant's TAIL, not his nose... hrm.) There would be pictures except that I forgot to take my camera outside with me and you know... can't leave babies alone with water and all...

Googly Eyes...

To the person searching for pictures of a human clone... I'm pretty sure they haven't done that yet.

To the person searching for fetal heartbeat sounds... gotcha covered, they're over there ==============================================================>

To the person searching for how to deweed your lawn (?), do what we did, call these guys. (though I'm not sure why google sent you here for that?)

To the person wondering if your baby will have your husband's dimples, how should I know? Just wait and see.

To the person trying to figure out if the fetal heartrate has anything to do with the sex of the baby you are carrying. Nope. Fast heartrate = active baby, not necessarily of the female variety. Get your sleep NOW and uhh... you might want to start babyproofing because that whole active baby thing isn't going to change.

To the person (people) who keeps coming here from taleofababyhuman.BLOGSPOT.com, update your bookmarks! ;) Ditto times two to those of you still getting here from babygraff.blogspot.com.

To the person from covad who is NOT coming from Nice Hat, who are you? (if you care to share) I keep thinking you are my father-in-law because he also has covad and it's not a real common ISP...

To the hundreds of eggplant labor inducing hopefuls, if any of you have success with it, please come back and let me know. I'm always curious...

To the person who just searched for the meaning of "erinspring" I see you.. and my, aren't you the nosey one?

And lastly... to the person who is apparently experiencing "third trimester baby vibrating" you uh... might want to get that checked out cuz that ain't normal! My baby may have never stopped moving (still hasn't) but he never vibrated!

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