Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Bye Bye Blog
Just a quick note to let ya'll know that I'll be letting go of the baby blog. It was a wonderful outlet while I was pregnant and during Isaiah's infancy, but the fam has sort of grown out of it. My writing outlet is now my craft blog (www.ohcrafty1.com), which I am enjoying immensely. It turns out, I'm a decent blogger (among lonely old women and single cat ladies) and my videos (which I had to host through YouTube for various reasons) are actually getting subscriptions through YouTube. Not what I was expecting. So, I'm actually going to make a sincere effort to get more traffic in hopes that people will actually pay me to advertise on my site. Now if only I could muster the talent to design a piece that the someone wants to buy! Here's to wishful thinking...cheers!
Monday, September 14, 2009
My baby isn't a baby anymore :(
Hmm...I'm not sure anyone reads this blog anymore, but just in case anyone is interested in the mundane goings on around here, here's the latest:
-Isaiah continues to be the most amazing, adorable thing ever! I can't believe he is nearly 13 months old! I no longer have a baby, but a toddler. How is it possible that time flies this quickly? We did the best we could to celebrate Isaiah's first birthday with a lot of good company, fun, and love in lieu of bombarding the kid with useless presents. My thoughts on that another day. He had his official party a bit early and it turned out great. I spent the month prior to the party crafting decorations and went on a 16-hour cupcake/smash-cake decorating marathon the night before. Thankfully this kid only turns 1 once! We were exhausted afterward and needed a full week to recover. :)
-Isaiah finally got to meet Kai, my friend Nichole's baby. Our due dates were only a few weeks apart and we both ended up with preemies. They live in Australia now so the boys weren't able to meet until they were a year old. It was wonderful to see how sweet Isaiah is with others. He was immediately trying to hug Kai and share toys. I think this freaked out poor Kai who was still recovering from jetlag. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long since the meeting place turned out to be a little on the nasty side...that's what you get for choosing a place at random in the city...which reminds me...it was Isaiah's first major day out in the big city of Chicago. Mark and I got all nostalgic about living in the city until we had to find parking. It was a quick reminder why one might opt to live in the middle of a cornfield near a trailer park.
- At the end of August, Aunt Katie and her son Jacob flew in from Nashville (Jacob is only 3 months younger than Isaiah). We took both the boys to their first baseball game (the Cubs) on Isaiah's birthday. We kept the ticket stubs with his birth date on them and an autographed baseball for memories.
- On Labor Day weekend, we jam packed the days with activities. Mark's birthday was also that weekend so I treated him to dinner and a movie while Isaiah rocked out at home with Aunt Jen. The next day we took off to Brookfield Zoo with a friend and his 2 boys. I have so many adorable pictures of Isaiah checking out the seals, his favorite part. It took him awhile to realize the animals were real I think. Once he did he kept "pointing" at everything(Isaiah doesn't actually point, he stretches out his arm with his palm up as if to say, "ta-da"...we call it the Vanna White). Later that night we went to Aunt Nikki's where Isaiah met his new girlfriend and demonstrated bashfulness for the first time! It was hilarious.
Check out my facebook page to see the photos.
In other news, Mark and I are still hatching plans to flee the area. We have been going back and forth about when/if it is possible to leave. We've opted for Mark to put in for a transfer so that whenever the next position comes open we go where they tell us to go. I can only hope I won't soon be stuck in Iowa. Keeping my fingers crossed for Georgia...good bye snowy winters!
Must, get, sleep, now. :)
-Isaiah continues to be the most amazing, adorable thing ever! I can't believe he is nearly 13 months old! I no longer have a baby, but a toddler. How is it possible that time flies this quickly? We did the best we could to celebrate Isaiah's first birthday with a lot of good company, fun, and love in lieu of bombarding the kid with useless presents. My thoughts on that another day. He had his official party a bit early and it turned out great. I spent the month prior to the party crafting decorations and went on a 16-hour cupcake/smash-cake decorating marathon the night before. Thankfully this kid only turns 1 once! We were exhausted afterward and needed a full week to recover. :)
-Isaiah finally got to meet Kai, my friend Nichole's baby. Our due dates were only a few weeks apart and we both ended up with preemies. They live in Australia now so the boys weren't able to meet until they were a year old. It was wonderful to see how sweet Isaiah is with others. He was immediately trying to hug Kai and share toys. I think this freaked out poor Kai who was still recovering from jetlag. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long since the meeting place turned out to be a little on the nasty side...that's what you get for choosing a place at random in the city...which reminds me...it was Isaiah's first major day out in the big city of Chicago. Mark and I got all nostalgic about living in the city until we had to find parking. It was a quick reminder why one might opt to live in the middle of a cornfield near a trailer park.
- At the end of August, Aunt Katie and her son Jacob flew in from Nashville (Jacob is only 3 months younger than Isaiah). We took both the boys to their first baseball game (the Cubs) on Isaiah's birthday. We kept the ticket stubs with his birth date on them and an autographed baseball for memories.
- On Labor Day weekend, we jam packed the days with activities. Mark's birthday was also that weekend so I treated him to dinner and a movie while Isaiah rocked out at home with Aunt Jen. The next day we took off to Brookfield Zoo with a friend and his 2 boys. I have so many adorable pictures of Isaiah checking out the seals, his favorite part. It took him awhile to realize the animals were real I think. Once he did he kept "pointing" at everything(Isaiah doesn't actually point, he stretches out his arm with his palm up as if to say, "ta-da"...we call it the Vanna White). Later that night we went to Aunt Nikki's where Isaiah met his new girlfriend and demonstrated bashfulness for the first time! It was hilarious.
Check out my facebook page to see the photos.
In other news, Mark and I are still hatching plans to flee the area. We have been going back and forth about when/if it is possible to leave. We've opted for Mark to put in for a transfer so that whenever the next position comes open we go where they tell us to go. I can only hope I won't soon be stuck in Iowa. Keeping my fingers crossed for Georgia...good bye snowy winters!
Must, get, sleep, now. :)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
My Week of Mischief - Part 2
After unraveling the mysteries of the toilet the other day, I discovered that closets are wonderful hiding places.
Mom decided to put a stop to that game too soon, so I retaliated by drinking all of her water.
Apparently it wasn't a good idea to spill the leftover water on the carpet and play in it. This got me stuck in time out.
As much as I tried to resist, I couldn't stave off the sleep.
Mom decided to put a stop to that game too soon, so I retaliated by drinking all of her water.
Apparently it wasn't a good idea to spill the leftover water on the carpet and play in it. This got me stuck in time out.
As much as I tried to resist, I couldn't stave off the sleep.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
My Week of Mischief - Part 1
With my first birthday around the corner, I figured I had some exploring/catching up to do so that I'm no longer mistaken for a baby.
I started in the bathroom, which is filled with wonders like mirrors and water. I then discovered my new favorite toy...its called a toilet.
Later that evening, I spied on the neighbors...
... and then I rocked myself to sleep with my built-in pacifiers.
I started in the bathroom, which is filled with wonders like mirrors and water. I then discovered my new favorite toy...its called a toilet.
Later that evening, I spied on the neighbors...
... and then I rocked myself to sleep with my built-in pacifiers.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Boogie Nights
Given Isaiah's love of decent music we recently decided to switch out the children's lullabies with regular music for adults. Ahhh...sweet relief humming over the baby monitor all night. :) It was working quite well. The other night I was exhausted and left an India Arie CD in the player. Its a little on the upbeat side, but I thought I'd give it a shot and see if he would sleep to it. I started hearing some strange movement over the monitor shortly after laying him down. This is what I found when I investigated further...
Saturday, July 4, 2009
About Me For a Minute
First, I'm super excited that my craft blog (ohcrafy1.com) is getting a decent amount of visitors already! What's more exciting is that I'll finally be getting that super fantastic blog theme soon (I'm waiting on Mark to get that worked out for me). Hopefully the new look will make my blog look a bit more professional than it looks today.
Secondly, Ezine is publishing the craft articles I've submitted (I think this is helping my blog traffic). This is a no-brainer, but I was worried they would reject me for some reason.
Third (ly?), I have finished the glorious "Patchy Sweater Coat" that I co-designed with my sister. I have plenty of math ahead of me to meet the requirements of the website I'm submitting to and some photos to take, but its essentially done. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it gets accepted for the Fall or Winter issue. If it gets accepted I can put it up on the blogs.
Fourth, my attempt at a writing a book on decoupage is going better than expected. It probably won't be finished for several more months, but at least its underway (an I'm getting hits galore on this topic so hopefully it will be somewhat successful).
Fifth, we're hoping to move soon! Our plan is to rent our townhouse given the poor real estate market so spread the word. If anyone knows of a reliable renter pass on my info. Its a 3-bed, 1.5 bath, 2 car garage, 2-story townhouse. Less than 2 years old, hardwood flooring, floor-to-ceiling slate fireplace, matching slate tile in the kitchen, freshly painted, purified water filtration system in the kitchen, maintained by a local, professional property management company, and much much more!
Secondly, Ezine is publishing the craft articles I've submitted (I think this is helping my blog traffic). This is a no-brainer, but I was worried they would reject me for some reason.
Third (ly?), I have finished the glorious "Patchy Sweater Coat" that I co-designed with my sister. I have plenty of math ahead of me to meet the requirements of the website I'm submitting to and some photos to take, but its essentially done. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it gets accepted for the Fall or Winter issue. If it gets accepted I can put it up on the blogs.
Fourth, my attempt at a writing a book on decoupage is going better than expected. It probably won't be finished for several more months, but at least its underway (an I'm getting hits galore on this topic so hopefully it will be somewhat successful).
Fifth, we're hoping to move soon! Our plan is to rent our townhouse given the poor real estate market so spread the word. If anyone knows of a reliable renter pass on my info. Its a 3-bed, 1.5 bath, 2 car garage, 2-story townhouse. Less than 2 years old, hardwood flooring, floor-to-ceiling slate fireplace, matching slate tile in the kitchen, freshly painted, purified water filtration system in the kitchen, maintained by a local, professional property management company, and much much more!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Zae's New Dance
Zae has always loved music, which has blossomed into a love of dancing. Here's a little tidbit of him trying to copy his aunt Jen dancing in the kitchen.
Friday, June 19, 2009
So It Begins...
"Look Mom, I'm Standing!"
As wonderful as it is to see my son reach those developmental milestones, there is a part of me that is sad to see my baby grow. Evidently the trip to the Grand Canyon was the impetus Zae needed to change from an infant to a little boy overnight. Maybe it was all that synaptic activity sparked by the excessive novelty that did it. Who knows?!
I thought Zae was going to be one of those babies that skipped crawling and went straight to walking. He was content to roll and army crawl. He certainly had all of the skills and strength to crawl months ago, but I thought he was content with his own methods of travel. Suddenly, when we got home, he began to crawl. In the blink of an eye he began chasing the dog around and following my around the living room on all fours! Around the same time, he mastered pulling himself up to the standing position and is now experimenting with cruising. He also decided baby food isn't his cup of tea any more (which is actually quite nice) and thinks that drinking out of a cup is the greatest thing ever (something I fear will take years for him to master without spilling down the front of his shirt). He no longer wants any of his old toys and instead wants to play with his homemade musical instruments (bean rattles and coffee can drums..yay for mom). When he's frustrated, he has a scrunched up F.U. face, and when he's trying to manipulate you with that smile and those eyes he has a very similar over-the-top squint. He can do the "mama" and "dada" thing, though I'm not quite sure he really knows what they mean. He does know that aunt Jenny is "EEE!" and Stella "Uh, uh". Finally, he has developed the a fantastic ability to be annoyingly persistent. Yes, I said annoying. Have you ever removed an infant from a garbage can 5 times in 1 day? I refuse to remove the garbage can...the boy needs to learn. Of course, this means I've opted to collect my garbage in grocery bags and take them directly to the garage....so it begins.
As wonderful as it is to see my son reach those developmental milestones, there is a part of me that is sad to see my baby grow. Evidently the trip to the Grand Canyon was the impetus Zae needed to change from an infant to a little boy overnight. Maybe it was all that synaptic activity sparked by the excessive novelty that did it. Who knows?!
I thought Zae was going to be one of those babies that skipped crawling and went straight to walking. He was content to roll and army crawl. He certainly had all of the skills and strength to crawl months ago, but I thought he was content with his own methods of travel. Suddenly, when we got home, he began to crawl. In the blink of an eye he began chasing the dog around and following my around the living room on all fours! Around the same time, he mastered pulling himself up to the standing position and is now experimenting with cruising. He also decided baby food isn't his cup of tea any more (which is actually quite nice) and thinks that drinking out of a cup is the greatest thing ever (something I fear will take years for him to master without spilling down the front of his shirt). He no longer wants any of his old toys and instead wants to play with his homemade musical instruments (bean rattles and coffee can drums..yay for mom). When he's frustrated, he has a scrunched up F.U. face, and when he's trying to manipulate you with that smile and those eyes he has a very similar over-the-top squint. He can do the "mama" and "dada" thing, though I'm not quite sure he really knows what they mean. He does know that aunt Jenny is "EEE!" and Stella "Uh, uh". Finally, he has developed the a fantastic ability to be annoyingly persistent. Yes, I said annoying. Have you ever removed an infant from a garbage can 5 times in 1 day? I refuse to remove the garbage can...the boy needs to learn. Of course, this means I've opted to collect my garbage in grocery bags and take them directly to the garage....so it begins.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon trip was amazing! It was a last minute trip so it was especially exciting that we were able to pull it off. In mid-May we were doing our daily lunch/park routine before Mark headed off to work. It dawned on us that our 1st anniversary was just around the corner (right after Memorial Day) and we wanted to do something special. The Grand Canyon was one of many ideas.
We finalized our trip on Thursday evening and headed out Saturday morning at 4am! Zae was an angel on the plane, as usual. He likes all of the attention...I think he knows he's cute and has picked up on how to manipulate the ladies with his grin. Unfortunately, he was a true lap baby since the flight was booked. This was somewhat challenging since Zae doesn't really like being held. Not something I generally complain about.
We rented a car in Phoenix and drove to Sedona to have lunch and sight see. Sedona was definitely beautiful.
We soon discovered a major hiccup while trying to find our way to our hotel at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The North Rim is an oasis in the desert known for its peacefulness, small crowds, and great hiking. The South Rim is the tourist epicenter with the fantastic views. We planned to have 2 nights at the North Rim (to avoid crowds) and 2 at the South Rim (once the holiday was over). Our travel agent totally screwed up. She booked us at 2 different hotels, both at the South Rim. We made the last minute decision to spend the first two days at the South Rim (with half of the world!) and the last 2 nights at a cabin in Sedona.
I think the screw up worked in our favor for the most part. The Canyon was amazing! Yes, it was busy, but you hardly noticed given the unbelievable views. After taking in the sheer magnitude of the canyon for the first few hours, we realized we had a lot of orienting to do. Time flew by while we stood with our jaws in the dirt. Its really breathtaking...and, there is so much to do there!
We decided on a scenic drive in the park along the rim to give Zae some much needed rest. We stopped at every single overlook to get photos. Later we took Zae to see an IMAX movie of the Grand Canyon. He "oohed" through the whole thing. Especially, the white water rafting parts. I was so proud that he was enthralled and happy. We got lots of dirty looks when we walked in. I love proving the public wrong when my child doesn't throw the expected tantrum. :)
The following morning we took a helicopter ride around the entire Canyon! This was probably the best part of the trip. Zae loved it and the couple we rode along with was ecstatic about him...after we landed. I again saw the fear in their faces, "will this baby ruin our helicopter ride?" Nope! Another victory for little Zae! After the helo ride, we hiked part of the South Rim, had lunch, and took a shuttle back to the car. Zae got some much needed sleep while we headed back to Sedona.
In Sedona we did a lot of sight-seeing. Just driving around the area to get photos of the amazing red rocks was a full day. The best stop by far was along Chapel road. There is a Catholic church built on the mountain that has a wonderful lookout. You can get some great photos from there.
Sedona had some of the best food ever! If you ever visit I recommend the Blue Moon Cafe for breakfast (the best coffee I've ever had) and Oaxaca, which was by far the best Mexican food I've ever had.
On our last night in Sedona, we relaxed in our peaceful cabin in the woods, played in the creek, rocked in the hammocks, and let Zae play in the jacuzzi. Yes, the place was sweet....until about 3 am. I woke to a horrible smell. I thought I smelled rubber burning. When I woke Mark, he thought it was sewage coming out of the jacuzzi. We got moved to another room, but I just couldn't shake the smell. It made me so nauseous. We got a few more hours of sleep and headed off to a jeep ride through red rocks before heading out to the airport. After a day spent smelling like a dead, burning animal (that's for you Mark) we learned we had been skunked! A family of skunks was living under the cabin and sprayed. Our luggage, carry-on, and clothing wreaked of skunk. I'm sure our neighbors on the plane weren't pleased.
As tired and pissed as we were that morning, the skunk incident ended up being so hilarious that we thought it was the perfect ending to the trip. The funniest part was probably my version of the skunk story for the better part of the day. I thought Mark told me that he and the office attendant had found a dead animal that caught on fire in our cabin. I spent the whole day telling people how crazy our night was. "It sounds crazy, but last night at about 3 am we discovered that an animal had gotten into our cabin and died behind the refrigerator. Apparently there was some electrical trouble or something and the nasty thing caught on fire!" Ummm yeah, Mark let me go on telling this story until we got in the car for the airport. It turns out he told me it SMELLED like a dead burning animal. In reality, it was just skunks. Oh well...I'm sure I entertained quite a few people with my tall tale. :)
We finalized our trip on Thursday evening and headed out Saturday morning at 4am! Zae was an angel on the plane, as usual. He likes all of the attention...I think he knows he's cute and has picked up on how to manipulate the ladies with his grin. Unfortunately, he was a true lap baby since the flight was booked. This was somewhat challenging since Zae doesn't really like being held. Not something I generally complain about.
We rented a car in Phoenix and drove to Sedona to have lunch and sight see. Sedona was definitely beautiful.
We soon discovered a major hiccup while trying to find our way to our hotel at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The North Rim is an oasis in the desert known for its peacefulness, small crowds, and great hiking. The South Rim is the tourist epicenter with the fantastic views. We planned to have 2 nights at the North Rim (to avoid crowds) and 2 at the South Rim (once the holiday was over). Our travel agent totally screwed up. She booked us at 2 different hotels, both at the South Rim. We made the last minute decision to spend the first two days at the South Rim (with half of the world!) and the last 2 nights at a cabin in Sedona.
I think the screw up worked in our favor for the most part. The Canyon was amazing! Yes, it was busy, but you hardly noticed given the unbelievable views. After taking in the sheer magnitude of the canyon for the first few hours, we realized we had a lot of orienting to do. Time flew by while we stood with our jaws in the dirt. Its really breathtaking...and, there is so much to do there!
We decided on a scenic drive in the park along the rim to give Zae some much needed rest. We stopped at every single overlook to get photos. Later we took Zae to see an IMAX movie of the Grand Canyon. He "oohed" through the whole thing. Especially, the white water rafting parts. I was so proud that he was enthralled and happy. We got lots of dirty looks when we walked in. I love proving the public wrong when my child doesn't throw the expected tantrum. :)
The following morning we took a helicopter ride around the entire Canyon! This was probably the best part of the trip. Zae loved it and the couple we rode along with was ecstatic about him...after we landed. I again saw the fear in their faces, "will this baby ruin our helicopter ride?" Nope! Another victory for little Zae! After the helo ride, we hiked part of the South Rim, had lunch, and took a shuttle back to the car. Zae got some much needed sleep while we headed back to Sedona.
In Sedona we did a lot of sight-seeing. Just driving around the area to get photos of the amazing red rocks was a full day. The best stop by far was along Chapel road. There is a Catholic church built on the mountain that has a wonderful lookout. You can get some great photos from there.
Sedona had some of the best food ever! If you ever visit I recommend the Blue Moon Cafe for breakfast (the best coffee I've ever had) and Oaxaca, which was by far the best Mexican food I've ever had.
On our last night in Sedona, we relaxed in our peaceful cabin in the woods, played in the creek, rocked in the hammocks, and let Zae play in the jacuzzi. Yes, the place was sweet....until about 3 am. I woke to a horrible smell. I thought I smelled rubber burning. When I woke Mark, he thought it was sewage coming out of the jacuzzi. We got moved to another room, but I just couldn't shake the smell. It made me so nauseous. We got a few more hours of sleep and headed off to a jeep ride through red rocks before heading out to the airport. After a day spent smelling like a dead, burning animal (that's for you Mark) we learned we had been skunked! A family of skunks was living under the cabin and sprayed. Our luggage, carry-on, and clothing wreaked of skunk. I'm sure our neighbors on the plane weren't pleased.
As tired and pissed as we were that morning, the skunk incident ended up being so hilarious that we thought it was the perfect ending to the trip. The funniest part was probably my version of the skunk story for the better part of the day. I thought Mark told me that he and the office attendant had found a dead animal that caught on fire in our cabin. I spent the whole day telling people how crazy our night was. "It sounds crazy, but last night at about 3 am we discovered that an animal had gotten into our cabin and died behind the refrigerator. Apparently there was some electrical trouble or something and the nasty thing caught on fire!" Ummm yeah, Mark let me go on telling this story until we got in the car for the airport. It turns out he told me it SMELLED like a dead burning animal. In reality, it was just skunks. Oh well...I'm sure I entertained quite a few people with my tall tale. :)
Friday, May 15, 2009
Zae Gets His Blog Back
So I have stopped hijacking the baby blog...yeah! Fortunately, I started a craft blog as an outlet for all that pent up blabbering and crafty goodness that I'm known for. :) Check it out if you like (www.ohcrafty1.com).
I'm also imposing a few new changes to this blog to add another level of protection between my son and creepy internet strangers. Seriously, we live in a time where people buy used underwear off the internet (its gross, I know...but you get the point). So, I've changed my flickr account, which means you'll probably have to sign on as my friend in order to see pics of Zae from now on. If anyone has any additional suggestions in this department please let me know.
On to baby news....
Zae has been doing the commando crawl for several weeks now and just started crawling backwards a little over a week ago. He still reverts to the more effective roll, roll, roll technique. I heard Benny is doing the same thing. Its so funny how alike babies can be sometimes. We've been hearing from everyone, oh he'll be crawling within a few days for over a month. I'm starting to think he will only crawl backwards and move on to pulling himself up instead. Only time will tell.
We had a few big firsts on Mother's Day weekend. Zae got his first tooth! Its so freakin' cute. One lonely tooth. He also had his first hiking, camping, and morel hunting adventure in Galena. We've got a nature lover on our hands. Sweet! Normally he's a bit obnoxious when feeding time and nap time are near. Not when we were walking in the woods. I think he was so overwhelmed with all of the cool new stuff that he didn't care to sleep or eat. Seriously, we tried...he wasn't having it.
I also have to mention my favorite cute thing that Zae is into these days. He likes to knock on things. He knocks on the wall, his crib, his toys, my head. He even knocks on his bottle while he eats. We find it hilarious because it seems like he's figured out that he can engage us in a game of copy cat. I'm pretty sure this is how it became a favorite pastime. When we first discovered he was knocking, we would knock..1, 2, 3 knocks. He would copy us very closely. Of course, Mark and I thought this was the bees knees (hehe). I'm sure Zae picked up on that and now he knocks on everything.
Memorial Day is right around the corner and we're trying to squeeze in some last minute vacation plans...hopefully I'll have some interesting picks to share soon.
I'm also imposing a few new changes to this blog to add another level of protection between my son and creepy internet strangers. Seriously, we live in a time where people buy used underwear off the internet (its gross, I know...but you get the point). So, I've changed my flickr account, which means you'll probably have to sign on as my friend in order to see pics of Zae from now on. If anyone has any additional suggestions in this department please let me know.
On to baby news....
Zae has been doing the commando crawl for several weeks now and just started crawling backwards a little over a week ago. He still reverts to the more effective roll, roll, roll technique. I heard Benny is doing the same thing. Its so funny how alike babies can be sometimes. We've been hearing from everyone, oh he'll be crawling within a few days for over a month. I'm starting to think he will only crawl backwards and move on to pulling himself up instead. Only time will tell.
We had a few big firsts on Mother's Day weekend. Zae got his first tooth! Its so freakin' cute. One lonely tooth. He also had his first hiking, camping, and morel hunting adventure in Galena. We've got a nature lover on our hands. Sweet! Normally he's a bit obnoxious when feeding time and nap time are near. Not when we were walking in the woods. I think he was so overwhelmed with all of the cool new stuff that he didn't care to sleep or eat. Seriously, we tried...he wasn't having it.
I also have to mention my favorite cute thing that Zae is into these days. He likes to knock on things. He knocks on the wall, his crib, his toys, my head. He even knocks on his bottle while he eats. We find it hilarious because it seems like he's figured out that he can engage us in a game of copy cat. I'm pretty sure this is how it became a favorite pastime. When we first discovered he was knocking, we would knock..1, 2, 3 knocks. He would copy us very closely. Of course, Mark and I thought this was the bees knees (hehe). I'm sure Zae picked up on that and now he knocks on everything.
Memorial Day is right around the corner and we're trying to squeeze in some last minute vacation plans...hopefully I'll have some interesting picks to share soon.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Very Funny
My friend Sam posted this video on her blog (backtome.typepad.com....sorry blogger apparently has some linking kinks I can't figure out). Anyway, enjoy. Its hilarious.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Craft-o-rama
I opened an Etsy shop in February and realized I had poor timing. As in, no time to work on items to put in the shop. My initial plan was to make a lot of small items. My rationale was that smaller projects would take less time so I could put more items up more frequently. umm...that's not really working for me. I recognize that cranking out tons of small stuff will soon make me feel like a machine. I am now focusing on designing large pieces for Etsy, which is much more fun. These projects also take a long time. Somehow knowing I can't whip it up in an afternoon takes the pressure off.
My favorite big project is a knitted handbag in a tweed rib stitch. Its sweet.
So what happened to the smaller projects? This is the super fun part...Mark is helping me put together a craft blog. Yeah! Its in the planning phase at the moment, which is a nice way to fill small gaps of time during the day without too much commitment. When I have the opportunity to set aside time every day, the blog will be the space where I put up my small projects. So far I have a series of themes planned for each month of the year where I will feature histories, how-to's, how-not-to's (eg, my various blunders), and hopefully some inspiration. I'm also considering putting up a new knit stitch pattern each month, though I'm not sure how popular this would be. I'm a collector of stitch patterns so someone like me would love it. ;)
These are the monthly themes I have planned so far. They are in no particular order at the moment.
1. Decoupage (this might be my first month because I love my photo album to recipe books...you'll see)
2. Paper mache (likely to be my least successful series...a true craft experiment for me, but I want to make Isaiah a pinata at some point..hahaa )
3. Paper folding (endless possibilities)
4. Paper making (probably better if this is before paper folding month)
5. Magazine reed creations (I'm already rolling endless numbers of reeds after Isaiah goes to bed)
6. Candle making (my first attempt already taught me a few lessons)
7. Scrap yarn projects (probably another month that will appear sooner rather than later since I already have a number of ideas for this)
8. Scrap fabric projects
9. Knitting
10. Crocheting
11. Re-purposed crafts(think coffee cans and bottle caps)
12. Featured crafters (this is in hopes that I actually have a small following so that I can feature my favorite crafty friends and their shops, websites, and projects).
Who needs to go back to an office job when I have all of this to look forward to? ;)
My favorite big project is a knitted handbag in a tweed rib stitch. Its sweet.
So what happened to the smaller projects? This is the super fun part...Mark is helping me put together a craft blog. Yeah! Its in the planning phase at the moment, which is a nice way to fill small gaps of time during the day without too much commitment. When I have the opportunity to set aside time every day, the blog will be the space where I put up my small projects. So far I have a series of themes planned for each month of the year where I will feature histories, how-to's, how-not-to's (eg, my various blunders), and hopefully some inspiration. I'm also considering putting up a new knit stitch pattern each month, though I'm not sure how popular this would be. I'm a collector of stitch patterns so someone like me would love it. ;)
These are the monthly themes I have planned so far. They are in no particular order at the moment.
1. Decoupage (this might be my first month because I love my photo album to recipe books...you'll see)
2. Paper mache (likely to be my least successful series...a true craft experiment for me, but I want to make Isaiah a pinata at some point..hahaa )
3. Paper folding (endless possibilities)
4. Paper making (probably better if this is before paper folding month)
5. Magazine reed creations (I'm already rolling endless numbers of reeds after Isaiah goes to bed)
6. Candle making (my first attempt already taught me a few lessons)
7. Scrap yarn projects (probably another month that will appear sooner rather than later since I already have a number of ideas for this)
8. Scrap fabric projects
9. Knitting
10. Crocheting
11. Re-purposed crafts(think coffee cans and bottle caps)
12. Featured crafters (this is in hopes that I actually have a small following so that I can feature my favorite crafty friends and their shops, websites, and projects).
Who needs to go back to an office job when I have all of this to look forward to? ;)
Family Updates
Clearly, I'm not the best at keeping up with the personal blog, but i have a feeling even those who love me dearly aren't interested in the most mundane details of our lives. So, I've been trying to save the highlights for the occasional blog. Today I have lots of good news to share.
First, my mom had a very successful surgery on the 6th. She would probably describe those first few days as horrific. Fortunately, she's a tough lady and a quick healer. She is at home now and loving the fact that Isaiah thinks she's just the coolest thing ever. Seriously, the kid LOVES his grandma.
Isaiah continues to grow like a long, skinny weed. He's about 30" tall at this point, but only weighs around 17 pounds. This is in no way what we were expecting. Clearly there are few signs in infancy that will predict what a child ends up like later in life. It is doubtful that our child will be a genetic anomaly, expressing recessive genes for a 6'6" frame and lanky build.
Over the last few months Isaiah has hit his developmental milestones right on target: rolling over, sitting, pincer grasp, etc. He is eating semi-solid foods, cheerios, and teething cookies. The eating landmarks were exciting at first. Then I discovered that its not the receiving end I need to be worried about. I'm already looking forward to potty training. hahaha.
Mark and I are proud to say we've managed to keep Isaiah fed, clothed, and bathed without sending him to the ER. Weew! So far so good. It is now obvious to me that parenting is all about pretending like you know what you're doing. In reality Mark and I have learned to develop mental lists of what could be wrong with the baby and go through the list until we hit the jackpot. Its like an endless guessing game really.
I've been told Isaiah looks like he's close to crawling. I wonder if I'm the only mother on the planet who hopes he is a late bloomer in this department. I have not baby proofed yet (I know, I know) and we have lots of stairs. Eek!
First, my mom had a very successful surgery on the 6th. She would probably describe those first few days as horrific. Fortunately, she's a tough lady and a quick healer. She is at home now and loving the fact that Isaiah thinks she's just the coolest thing ever. Seriously, the kid LOVES his grandma.
Isaiah continues to grow like a long, skinny weed. He's about 30" tall at this point, but only weighs around 17 pounds. This is in no way what we were expecting. Clearly there are few signs in infancy that will predict what a child ends up like later in life. It is doubtful that our child will be a genetic anomaly, expressing recessive genes for a 6'6" frame and lanky build.
Over the last few months Isaiah has hit his developmental milestones right on target: rolling over, sitting, pincer grasp, etc. He is eating semi-solid foods, cheerios, and teething cookies. The eating landmarks were exciting at first. Then I discovered that its not the receiving end I need to be worried about. I'm already looking forward to potty training. hahaha.
Mark and I are proud to say we've managed to keep Isaiah fed, clothed, and bathed without sending him to the ER. Weew! So far so good. It is now obvious to me that parenting is all about pretending like you know what you're doing. In reality Mark and I have learned to develop mental lists of what could be wrong with the baby and go through the list until we hit the jackpot. Its like an endless guessing game really.
I've been told Isaiah looks like he's close to crawling. I wonder if I'm the only mother on the planet who hopes he is a late bloomer in this department. I have not baby proofed yet (I know, I know) and we have lots of stairs. Eek!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Cake FYI
In case you were curious...The cake was hidden inside a soup pot in a cabinet above the refrigerator. I knew 2 things that were at my advantage: he would try to hide it somewhere that would be difficult for me to reach and he would try to hide it inside something so that I might overlook it. Poor guy. He didn't have a chance.
Place Your Bets
I'm so happy to see that the sun it out today! I find it especially rewarding since I actually slept 6 hours straight without interruption! (Both truly deserving of the exclamation)
Sleep is still an amazing thing to me. After a few years spent reading and writing about it you would think the wonder would be lost. Nope. Baby has renewed my interest. At one point shortly after I started dating Mark, I had a 6-month bout with insomnia. It was easily explainable as stress-induced and eventually went away. During that time I tried melatonin and Ambien (on separate occasions) and realized each works well enough and has its rightful place in the market for the pill-for-a-cure types (like me).
In hindsight, I feel like my "stress"-induced insomnia as well as all of the pills, the marketing, and the money that goes into promoting the "fix" for insomnia is laughable. There is a permanent cure for insomnia. Its called having a baby. Spend a month with a newborn who wakes every 1-2 hrs to eat. Cut to a few months later when you still haven't slept through the night, except the handful of times a friend or family member gave you relief. You'll sleep. Trust me. I can sleep just about anywhere these days. Doctor's office waiting room, accountant's waiting room, the line at the grocery store....just a few examples of places I may have closed my eyes for a minute too long. (To be fair, I'm anti-nap. I generally don't allow myself to sleep during the day because, seriously, who has time for that?)
That being said, sleep is clearly a precious commodity in our house. Step right up and place your bet, the wager is 1 full night of sleep (note that a full night is defined as 8 hours, not 4 or 6). So, over the weekend we had a spontaneous Easter egg hunt(the egg being a piece of chocolate cake). Our bets were placed: I wanted 1 night of sleep, no interruptions; Mark wanted me to write a blog post about his awesomeness. hmmm.mmm... I'll let you know who won in a minute.
First, a little background is probably in order for this sleep wager to make any sort of sense. A few months ago Mark and I had a conversation about "having nothing to eat". I generally go on a stock-up grocery run every other week or so. I plan ahead, buy in bulk, use my coupons, etc. I only buy "quick fixes" on these trips because I have planned ahead for them. If we run out of veggies or baby items, obviously I will make a quick trip to the store. Otherwise, if we run out you likely have to take the time to cook something.
Mark's time is in short supply so he is always about the quick meals. For this reason I make him plates of leftovers and buy endless boxes of cereal to keep him fed. The problem: he is a like a kid in a candy store the day after a big shopping trip. A bag of grapes will disappear in a matter of minutes. A box of cereal? That might last a day or two. Block of cheese, forget about it. Gone! You get my drift. Fortunately Mark agreed that he was guilty of binging on the convenience items so I started hiding his absolute favorites to keep him from eating everything at once. He agreed this was probably the best tactic.
Cut to the weekend. Mark is at home with Isaiah. I am out running errands. I arrive home to see my crazy, wide-eyed husband frantic for something to eat. Remember, preparation is not an option for him. His mind went straight to the goodies that I had hidden. He spent the day trying to find them and couldn't. He was amazed by my skills (patting myself on the back). Of course, I couldn't resist telling him the reason it was so easy was because he had a Y chromosome. Yes, its a stereotype, but a relatively true one. Naturally, he was offended so I explained that for some reason he thinks there is nothing to eat because he can't find a quick option sitting right in front. If I were to put grapes toward the back of the refrigerator, for instance, they would remain unnoticed. Again he begrudgingly agreed that this had some truth to it. He found my stash in a drawer under the dish towels shortly thereafter. So much for my tricks.
So last weekend Mark comes home with individual pieces of chocolate cake. Yum. He is determined to prove that he can hide goodies just as well as I can. In other words, it had nothing to do with the Y chromosome. We places our bets. Clearly he was confident given his request for a blog about his awesomeness. So who won?........ A quick 10 minutes into my search I was feasting on chocolaty, tasty, cakey goodness. Booya!
The moral of this story...do not challenge a woman on a diet to find a piece of cake hidden in the kitchen she practically lives in with the additional reward of a night of sleep.
So now that I have blogged about my awesomeness I want to be a good sport. Even though he lost the bet, my husband is truly quite awesome. Aside from all the things he does for us, like working his butt off and going to school and being a great daddy, he is also endlessly entertaining. What? You want to have a chocolate cake hunt? Don't mind if I do. Who needs a television when you've got entertainment like Mark? Am I wrong people?
Sleep is still an amazing thing to me. After a few years spent reading and writing about it you would think the wonder would be lost. Nope. Baby has renewed my interest. At one point shortly after I started dating Mark, I had a 6-month bout with insomnia. It was easily explainable as stress-induced and eventually went away. During that time I tried melatonin and Ambien (on separate occasions) and realized each works well enough and has its rightful place in the market for the pill-for-a-cure types (like me).
In hindsight, I feel like my "stress"-induced insomnia as well as all of the pills, the marketing, and the money that goes into promoting the "fix" for insomnia is laughable. There is a permanent cure for insomnia. Its called having a baby. Spend a month with a newborn who wakes every 1-2 hrs to eat. Cut to a few months later when you still haven't slept through the night, except the handful of times a friend or family member gave you relief. You'll sleep. Trust me. I can sleep just about anywhere these days. Doctor's office waiting room, accountant's waiting room, the line at the grocery store....just a few examples of places I may have closed my eyes for a minute too long. (To be fair, I'm anti-nap. I generally don't allow myself to sleep during the day because, seriously, who has time for that?)
That being said, sleep is clearly a precious commodity in our house. Step right up and place your bet, the wager is 1 full night of sleep (note that a full night is defined as 8 hours, not 4 or 6). So, over the weekend we had a spontaneous Easter egg hunt(the egg being a piece of chocolate cake). Our bets were placed: I wanted 1 night of sleep, no interruptions; Mark wanted me to write a blog post about his awesomeness. hmmm.mmm... I'll let you know who won in a minute.
First, a little background is probably in order for this sleep wager to make any sort of sense. A few months ago Mark and I had a conversation about "having nothing to eat". I generally go on a stock-up grocery run every other week or so. I plan ahead, buy in bulk, use my coupons, etc. I only buy "quick fixes" on these trips because I have planned ahead for them. If we run out of veggies or baby items, obviously I will make a quick trip to the store. Otherwise, if we run out you likely have to take the time to cook something.
Mark's time is in short supply so he is always about the quick meals. For this reason I make him plates of leftovers and buy endless boxes of cereal to keep him fed. The problem: he is a like a kid in a candy store the day after a big shopping trip. A bag of grapes will disappear in a matter of minutes. A box of cereal? That might last a day or two. Block of cheese, forget about it. Gone! You get my drift. Fortunately Mark agreed that he was guilty of binging on the convenience items so I started hiding his absolute favorites to keep him from eating everything at once. He agreed this was probably the best tactic.
Cut to the weekend. Mark is at home with Isaiah. I am out running errands. I arrive home to see my crazy, wide-eyed husband frantic for something to eat. Remember, preparation is not an option for him. His mind went straight to the goodies that I had hidden. He spent the day trying to find them and couldn't. He was amazed by my skills (patting myself on the back). Of course, I couldn't resist telling him the reason it was so easy was because he had a Y chromosome. Yes, its a stereotype, but a relatively true one. Naturally, he was offended so I explained that for some reason he thinks there is nothing to eat because he can't find a quick option sitting right in front. If I were to put grapes toward the back of the refrigerator, for instance, they would remain unnoticed. Again he begrudgingly agreed that this had some truth to it. He found my stash in a drawer under the dish towels shortly thereafter. So much for my tricks.
So last weekend Mark comes home with individual pieces of chocolate cake. Yum. He is determined to prove that he can hide goodies just as well as I can. In other words, it had nothing to do with the Y chromosome. We places our bets. Clearly he was confident given his request for a blog about his awesomeness. So who won?........ A quick 10 minutes into my search I was feasting on chocolaty, tasty, cakey goodness. Booya!
The moral of this story...do not challenge a woman on a diet to find a piece of cake hidden in the kitchen she practically lives in with the additional reward of a night of sleep.
So now that I have blogged about my awesomeness I want to be a good sport. Even though he lost the bet, my husband is truly quite awesome. Aside from all the things he does for us, like working his butt off and going to school and being a great daddy, he is also endlessly entertaining. What? You want to have a chocolate cake hunt? Don't mind if I do. Who needs a television when you've got entertainment like Mark? Am I wrong people?
Friday, March 20, 2009
Etsy Shop
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
And They Called Him King Poonami
So what is it that is keeping me so busy that I'm a blog slacker? Today I realized it might have something to do with the extraordinary amount of poop that I deal with on a regular basis.
Isaiah never was a fan of formula and is a tiny little guy holding steady at the 10th percentile for weight (and 95th for height..he's like a 2x4 with a head). When we first started solids he didn't eat much. It was mostly a taste and see process. Shortly before the 6 month mark his appetite for solids began to mimic his father. In other words, he is now capable of eating us out of house and home. I haven't seen much difference in his weight, though I expect all this eating to catch up with him soon. I have, however, noticed a significant difference in the poop arena.
It goes without saying that the more that goes in, the more that comes out. That being said, I wasn't expecting this! Isaiah can go from spankin' clean (gleaming even) and within a matter of seconds there's poop EVERYWHERE! Its down the leg, up the back, in the neckline?!! WTF! How, oh how, is a mother to undress the poop monster without getting it in his hair or on my shirt or on my hands? I have yet to find a way...and I'm becoming a pro.
Aside from my continual gag-ridden amazement of the poonami, I also wonder about the timing of it all. How is it that I can spend the day staying so busy that I forget to eat and once I FINALLY put something on the stove...you guessed it, POONAMI! I am always running late these days. Want to know why? In a word, POONAMI.
So now that I have finally taken a minute to sit and eat my lunch/dinner (linner?) while venting about poo, I've got an emergency waiting for me in the other room. Yes, it is covered in poo.
Isaiah never was a fan of formula and is a tiny little guy holding steady at the 10th percentile for weight (and 95th for height..he's like a 2x4 with a head). When we first started solids he didn't eat much. It was mostly a taste and see process. Shortly before the 6 month mark his appetite for solids began to mimic his father. In other words, he is now capable of eating us out of house and home. I haven't seen much difference in his weight, though I expect all this eating to catch up with him soon. I have, however, noticed a significant difference in the poop arena.
It goes without saying that the more that goes in, the more that comes out. That being said, I wasn't expecting this! Isaiah can go from spankin' clean (gleaming even) and within a matter of seconds there's poop EVERYWHERE! Its down the leg, up the back, in the neckline?!! WTF! How, oh how, is a mother to undress the poop monster without getting it in his hair or on my shirt or on my hands? I have yet to find a way...and I'm becoming a pro.
Aside from my continual gag-ridden amazement of the poonami, I also wonder about the timing of it all. How is it that I can spend the day staying so busy that I forget to eat and once I FINALLY put something on the stove...you guessed it, POONAMI! I am always running late these days. Want to know why? In a word, POONAMI.
So now that I have finally taken a minute to sit and eat my lunch/dinner (linner?) while venting about poo, I've got an emergency waiting for me in the other room. Yes, it is covered in poo.
Monday, March 9, 2009
What?!
So I was just looking at previous posts and realized my last post in January happened to be the very moment my computer to a big old poopy. I bet I confused a lot of people with that one. It was one of those days when I was slapping together a list of cool things I had run across when...bam...blank screen and crazy beeping noise. I was clicking and hitting keys. Alas, there was no recovery. My hard drive crashed! Evidently I managed to post my work in progress. What's crazy is that now that I look at it, I don't even remember where I was going with it. Oh well. Love the randomness.
Ahhh...to be Pampered
It appears all of those New Year's resolutions caught up with me and now I've run out of time to blog! I wish that were true. I've totally been a slacker, but I'm slowly working my way back.
February was crazy busy for entirely fun reasons...mostly. Yeah! Mark was out of town on business for a week so I gave myself a long to-do list to keep my idle hands busy. Luckily, a friend asked me to come up with some knitted gifts for a baby shower in exchange for some of her tasty gourmet soups. ((Who needs cash when you can exchange goods...love it!)) Brainstorming gift ideas kept me somewhat occupied and also gave me an opportunity to finally get some things together for an Etsy shop! I still went slightly insane because I was locked in a house with a baby 24/7 with no adult contact, but it was worth it because I came up with a list of ideas for Etsy. Now I just have to make it all :) I'm still getting things set up at the moment. I will post my link once I've actually got something to show.
The best part of last month was our vacation to Nashville. Not exactly a dream destination, but we had tons of fun. We went for our nephew's baptism (Mark's sister has a 3-month old). It was awesome to introduce Zae to his cousin, Jacob. J is still a little too young to interact, but the two of them had plenty of photo ops together. Most of the time Zae was being a bully...ummm...he gets that from his dad. I spent a lot of time browsing through little shops near the Vanderbilt campus and got a bajillion ideas for new crafty projects. We spent most of the evenings at Katie and Jeff's just chillin' with the babies, playing the Wii, and eating too much gourmet food. My brother-in-law is an executive chef so it sort of goes without saying that we ate well. I wish someone would cook for me like that on a regular basis. Err..that wouldn't exactly help with losing the baby weight so I take that back.
The most fantastic part of the vacation was my belated valentine's gift from Mark. On Tuesday he surprised Katie and me with a full day at the spa. Mark and Jeff took baby duty and we were sent out of the house by 11am for lunch. After lunch we headed to a nail spa where we drank wine while we got pedicures and manicures. (Fancy) We window shopped for awhile and headed to an Aveda spa where we got pampered from head to toe, literally. It started with a foot bath/massage, herbal tea, and trashy chic mags like Cosmo. It ended with a full body massage and facial. Woohoo! We didn't get home until 7pm and were immediately wisked off to dinner. It was the longest I have ever been away from Zae. The reports were mixed. I think he did well during the day with Mark, but failed to stick with his 7pm bedtime. Jeff's parents were watching the boys and Zae screamed for a good hour I guess. :(
We wrapped up the month with a sweet tax return so we were very uncharacteristic and splurged on a treadmill. Sweet! I can't take anymore P90X! Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm hoping I actually lose a pound or two. I lost 10 pounds right off the bat in January and haven't lost another pound since. Ugh! Damn cookies.
February was crazy busy for entirely fun reasons...mostly. Yeah! Mark was out of town on business for a week so I gave myself a long to-do list to keep my idle hands busy. Luckily, a friend asked me to come up with some knitted gifts for a baby shower in exchange for some of her tasty gourmet soups. ((Who needs cash when you can exchange goods...love it!)) Brainstorming gift ideas kept me somewhat occupied and also gave me an opportunity to finally get some things together for an Etsy shop! I still went slightly insane because I was locked in a house with a baby 24/7 with no adult contact, but it was worth it because I came up with a list of ideas for Etsy. Now I just have to make it all :) I'm still getting things set up at the moment. I will post my link once I've actually got something to show.
The best part of last month was our vacation to Nashville. Not exactly a dream destination, but we had tons of fun. We went for our nephew's baptism (Mark's sister has a 3-month old). It was awesome to introduce Zae to his cousin, Jacob. J is still a little too young to interact, but the two of them had plenty of photo ops together. Most of the time Zae was being a bully...ummm...he gets that from his dad. I spent a lot of time browsing through little shops near the Vanderbilt campus and got a bajillion ideas for new crafty projects. We spent most of the evenings at Katie and Jeff's just chillin' with the babies, playing the Wii, and eating too much gourmet food. My brother-in-law is an executive chef so it sort of goes without saying that we ate well. I wish someone would cook for me like that on a regular basis. Err..that wouldn't exactly help with losing the baby weight so I take that back.
The most fantastic part of the vacation was my belated valentine's gift from Mark. On Tuesday he surprised Katie and me with a full day at the spa. Mark and Jeff took baby duty and we were sent out of the house by 11am for lunch. After lunch we headed to a nail spa where we drank wine while we got pedicures and manicures. (Fancy) We window shopped for awhile and headed to an Aveda spa where we got pampered from head to toe, literally. It started with a foot bath/massage, herbal tea, and trashy chic mags like Cosmo. It ended with a full body massage and facial. Woohoo! We didn't get home until 7pm and were immediately wisked off to dinner. It was the longest I have ever been away from Zae. The reports were mixed. I think he did well during the day with Mark, but failed to stick with his 7pm bedtime. Jeff's parents were watching the boys and Zae screamed for a good hour I guess. :(
We wrapped up the month with a sweet tax return so we were very uncharacteristic and splurged on a treadmill. Sweet! I can't take anymore P90X! Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm hoping I actually lose a pound or two. I lost 10 pounds right off the bat in January and haven't lost another pound since. Ugh! Damn cookies.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Awesome New Discoveries
Some awesome new discoveries:
1. James Jean. His art is absolutely amazing. Mark Ryden has been my favorite artist (hands down and all around) for years so it makes sense that I would be a fan of James Jean. While I'm on the subject of amazing artists, check out Peter Lik if you've never heard of him. I dream of having one of his photographs hanging in my home one day. Hearts:)
2. MacGyver Curtains. Hello awesome, how are you today?
3. Handmade baby gifts.
1. James Jean. His art is absolutely amazing. Mark Ryden has been my favorite artist (hands down and all around) for years so it makes sense that I would be a fan of James Jean. While I'm on the subject of amazing artists, check out Peter Lik if you've never heard of him. I dream of having one of his photographs hanging in my home one day. Hearts:)
2. MacGyver Curtains. Hello awesome, how are you today?
3. Handmade baby gifts.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Weekly Round-Up, Etc.
Technically I guess I should call this the week-and-a-half round-up. That's a lot of hyphens.
Isaiah has managed to roll himself over, however, it seems he will only do this for daddy. Over the weekend I was making dinner, while Mark was upstairs playing with Isaiah. Mark yelled for me to come watch because he rolled over twice in a row. My little man rolled himself over a third time for mommy, yeah! I jumped up and started clapping and shouting....evidently Isaiah is not used to seeing me excited. I TERRIFIED him! He screamed and screamed. Since then he hasn't rolled over for me, but Mark says he still does it for him. :( Little man is just going to have to get used to this. I can't imagine what will happen when he starts walking!
On another note, my mom seemed to handle her first days with chemo and radiation quite well. However, the feeding tube they put in (they claim it will get too painful for her to swallow) is causing all sorts of problems. The surgeon that put it in seemed to be awfully crass, but I chalked it up to poor bedside manner...he is a surgeon afterall. I hope, hope, hope this was not a sign that we are dealing with another incompetent, arrogant ass. She is having everything checked out again today. Keeping my fingers crossed all is well. I have to admit, so far I haven't been able to find much humor in this whole cancer thing...maybe once it is behind her it will be different. Happy to hear that the treatments haven't bowled her over right out of the gate though.
Other things on the homefront this new year are all the various tasks I've assigned myself for the new year. So far everything is going well.
The healthy diet is going better than I was expecting with only a few horribly inedible experiences...lesson 1: only try a few new recipes a week. The worst of the batch was Monday morning. Mark has decided to go back to school (in addition to working his long hours). So, I'm trying to step it up around here to make everything as convenient as possible for him. I decided to get his week started right by making a big nutritional breakfast. I picked out a special new recipe using various ingredients and spices that we generally enjoy. Somehow the combo was all wrong...it was disgusting...completely inedible. Poor man had to leave the house on an empty stomach. Other than that, most of the new recipes I've been trying have been pleasant surprises. The family cookbook looks like it will be overflowing with tasty options rather quickly.
My exercise routine is also "working out" well (haha...oh the puns! how obvious is it that I spend too much time alone?). I am still hating every minute of it, but enjoy that muscle ache afterward. It's weird, I know. Just trying to take it one day at a time and am not allowing myself any excuses (except for Saturday because I was super sick and it just wasn't happening). Ok, super sick is my one excuse...for now. :) ugh! This is where it starts isn't it? Anyway, still sticking to it and hopefully will keep it up. My motivation is that I have a goal that is less than 90 days away. Weight loss is a plus as well! I only weigh in on Sundays and as of last Sunday I have already lost 7 lbs! Yes, most of it is water weight, but its still awesome!
I'm close to keeping up with my 365-knits a day. I imagine I'll make up for missed days on those inevitable lazy days here and there. I haven't gotten to any of the craftivism or other crafty projects yet, but I am gather loads of new ideas!
Isaiah is loving that I'm reading a grown-up book to him every morning. We are currently reading Anna Karenina (a book I just could't get into when I was pregnant). He seems to think I'm having a long conversation with him so he babbles and coos back at me the whole time. Of course, I pretend he's making insightful comments. Oh, this poor child with such a dorky mom.
Unfortunately, aside from this blog and an email here or there, I haven't been writing a damn thing. I think I've been adjusting to keeping my day jam-packed with activities and don't have the motivation to write anything creative. I am sure once I get a better routine down things will fall into place. The daily log I've been keeping (to evaluate how much I'm actually doing vs how much Oprah I'm watching) has been very useful. I went over the previous weeks and it appears that most of my time is spent preparing, feeding, or planning meals. Seriously, it averages out to nearly 6 hours a day! Call me chef Kelly... I was glad that I took to time to write this stuff down because I felt like my days were flying by me and I didn't know where they were going. Now that I'm paying attention I guess it makes sense. I have been carefully planning all of our meals to make sure they are nutritious and fit within a reasonable calorie range. I also plan our meals around the sales at the grocery store so that we can stretch that dollar. This can take time, especially when you want to try new recipes as well. In addition, I make all of our meals from scratch so we avoid eating hydrogenated oils and preservatives, etc. Multiply that by 3 meals a day and that's a lot of cookin'! If I add Isaiah's feedings, including the preparation of his purees, well we're talking hours of each day right there. As I get used to being the family nutritionist and chef, I think I'll be more efficient with my time. At the moment I really enjoy it though.
Of course there is more to babble about, but the baby calls. Until we meet again...
Isaiah has managed to roll himself over, however, it seems he will only do this for daddy. Over the weekend I was making dinner, while Mark was upstairs playing with Isaiah. Mark yelled for me to come watch because he rolled over twice in a row. My little man rolled himself over a third time for mommy, yeah! I jumped up and started clapping and shouting....evidently Isaiah is not used to seeing me excited. I TERRIFIED him! He screamed and screamed. Since then he hasn't rolled over for me, but Mark says he still does it for him. :( Little man is just going to have to get used to this. I can't imagine what will happen when he starts walking!
On another note, my mom seemed to handle her first days with chemo and radiation quite well. However, the feeding tube they put in (they claim it will get too painful for her to swallow) is causing all sorts of problems. The surgeon that put it in seemed to be awfully crass, but I chalked it up to poor bedside manner...he is a surgeon afterall. I hope, hope, hope this was not a sign that we are dealing with another incompetent, arrogant ass. She is having everything checked out again today. Keeping my fingers crossed all is well. I have to admit, so far I haven't been able to find much humor in this whole cancer thing...maybe once it is behind her it will be different. Happy to hear that the treatments haven't bowled her over right out of the gate though.
Other things on the homefront this new year are all the various tasks I've assigned myself for the new year. So far everything is going well.
The healthy diet is going better than I was expecting with only a few horribly inedible experiences...lesson 1: only try a few new recipes a week. The worst of the batch was Monday morning. Mark has decided to go back to school (in addition to working his long hours). So, I'm trying to step it up around here to make everything as convenient as possible for him. I decided to get his week started right by making a big nutritional breakfast. I picked out a special new recipe using various ingredients and spices that we generally enjoy. Somehow the combo was all wrong...it was disgusting...completely inedible. Poor man had to leave the house on an empty stomach. Other than that, most of the new recipes I've been trying have been pleasant surprises. The family cookbook looks like it will be overflowing with tasty options rather quickly.
My exercise routine is also "working out" well (haha...oh the puns! how obvious is it that I spend too much time alone?). I am still hating every minute of it, but enjoy that muscle ache afterward. It's weird, I know. Just trying to take it one day at a time and am not allowing myself any excuses (except for Saturday because I was super sick and it just wasn't happening). Ok, super sick is my one excuse...for now. :) ugh! This is where it starts isn't it? Anyway, still sticking to it and hopefully will keep it up. My motivation is that I have a goal that is less than 90 days away. Weight loss is a plus as well! I only weigh in on Sundays and as of last Sunday I have already lost 7 lbs! Yes, most of it is water weight, but its still awesome!
I'm close to keeping up with my 365-knits a day. I imagine I'll make up for missed days on those inevitable lazy days here and there. I haven't gotten to any of the craftivism or other crafty projects yet, but I am gather loads of new ideas!
Isaiah is loving that I'm reading a grown-up book to him every morning. We are currently reading Anna Karenina (a book I just could't get into when I was pregnant). He seems to think I'm having a long conversation with him so he babbles and coos back at me the whole time. Of course, I pretend he's making insightful comments. Oh, this poor child with such a dorky mom.
Unfortunately, aside from this blog and an email here or there, I haven't been writing a damn thing. I think I've been adjusting to keeping my day jam-packed with activities and don't have the motivation to write anything creative. I am sure once I get a better routine down things will fall into place. The daily log I've been keeping (to evaluate how much I'm actually doing vs how much Oprah I'm watching) has been very useful. I went over the previous weeks and it appears that most of my time is spent preparing, feeding, or planning meals. Seriously, it averages out to nearly 6 hours a day! Call me chef Kelly... I was glad that I took to time to write this stuff down because I felt like my days were flying by me and I didn't know where they were going. Now that I'm paying attention I guess it makes sense. I have been carefully planning all of our meals to make sure they are nutritious and fit within a reasonable calorie range. I also plan our meals around the sales at the grocery store so that we can stretch that dollar. This can take time, especially when you want to try new recipes as well. In addition, I make all of our meals from scratch so we avoid eating hydrogenated oils and preservatives, etc. Multiply that by 3 meals a day and that's a lot of cookin'! If I add Isaiah's feedings, including the preparation of his purees, well we're talking hours of each day right there. As I get used to being the family nutritionist and chef, I think I'll be more efficient with my time. At the moment I really enjoy it though.
Of course there is more to babble about, but the baby calls. Until we meet again...
Friday, January 9, 2009
Big News
Benny has started rolling over already! Woohoo!!! Go Benny. He is only 3 months old! I have been waiting for Isaiah to do this and it just hasn't happened yet.
While Isaiah hasn't rolled himself over, he did get the thumbs up from the pediatrician to start solids. She believes his drooling is due to teething and his temperamental eating is because he is ready for something new. Because he is able to sit up assisted, has good head control, and can grab and manipulate things with his hands, he has reached some developmental milestones that are a sign to start solids. She does not believe that he needs to wait until 6 months. I'm sure you can imagine I was surprised, especially since he is a preemie. His first meal was butternut squash. The next day he had apples and then carrots. We have been rotating the 3 with various combinations...sometimes with rice, sometimes mixed together. He loves apples! I think the squash gives him a tummy ache, but no major problems. Today I'm heading to the store to get his next new tastes...bananas, avocados, and pears! Yummy!
While Isaiah hasn't rolled himself over, he did get the thumbs up from the pediatrician to start solids. She believes his drooling is due to teething and his temperamental eating is because he is ready for something new. Because he is able to sit up assisted, has good head control, and can grab and manipulate things with his hands, he has reached some developmental milestones that are a sign to start solids. She does not believe that he needs to wait until 6 months. I'm sure you can imagine I was surprised, especially since he is a preemie. His first meal was butternut squash. The next day he had apples and then carrots. We have been rotating the 3 with various combinations...sometimes with rice, sometimes mixed together. He loves apples! I think the squash gives him a tummy ache, but no major problems. Today I'm heading to the store to get his next new tastes...bananas, avocados, and pears! Yummy!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Resolutions
For someone who has never had a thing for New Year's resolutions, I've got a pretty long list, which will get longer as the year progresses. I will admit...I'm still not going about it the traditional way. As you can see, we are week into the new year and I've just finished a preliminary list. This speaks to one of my first resolutions...in a word, flexibility.
Goal 1. Flexibility.
I would like to start the year off right by giving myself the opportunity to embrace flexibility...in my diet, my daily exercise, my endless to-do list...you name it. It is all too often that I beat myself up for not getting enough done in a day or for cheating on a diet or for skipping a workout. I now have a baby, and while I do not want to use having a baby as an excuse for avoiding things that I might not want to do, this year I am trying to remind myself that sometimes things just don't get done..and that's ok.
Goal 2. Healthy Diet.
Isaiah started solids on Jan 2nd (oh my god! I know!) and I am still desperate to lose the rest of the baby weight. Clearly a focus on diet is in order. While we are not fast food junkies or anything, I do cook like the Midwesterner that I am...lots of cheese and potatoes and such. I hope that "leading by example" will benefit us in the long run here... this is the year we learn to eat our veggies. :) I would love to eat entirely organic, but this is totally unreasonable from a financial standpoint. Instead I am making sure that Isaiah's diet is organic. This goal has turned out to be a blast so far. I've started making homemade baby food from organic produce.
Goal 3. Family Cookbook.
In order to keep our diet interesting...and to find ways to get my husband to eat broccoli, ha...I am trying at least 1 new recipe a week. So far this is working out great, but I have learned that any more than 2 or 3 new recipes gets to be a bit much....especially if they suck 3 nights in a row! I would like each new recipe that gets a thumbs up from both of us to go into a family recipe book that I'm creating. I don't plan on only having 1 child and I do plan on going back to work eventually...a book brimming with tested, healthy recipes will be priceless in the future I'm sure.
Goal 4. Exercise.
Mark and I used to exercise regularly. When we first met we probably would have described each other as athletic...today we are not quite as athletic as we once were. I am not going to commit myself to working out for an hour a day 7 days a week all year long, but I am starting out that way. I busted out our old P90X videos, which is an extremely intense home workout program. Of course, I can't get through the standard version that we used to do every morning at 4am (ugh!), but I've decided to start with the less intense program and am modifying exercises that are too difficult. Currently I workout for an hour a day (or longer if I have a fussy baby break, or two) and I rotate through core-focused exercises, cardio, shoulder and arm strength, ab work, yoga, leg and back strength, cardio kenpo (think Tae-Bo on steroids), and stretching. Once I finish the first 90 days, I'll re-evaluate my workouts and I am almost certain I'll cut back to working out every other day or so. I don't like exercise enough to workout every day, but I do want to be able to get back to rock climbing and hiking advanced trails once summer hits so I'll be kicking my own ass for awhile...I hope.
Goal 5. Craftivism.
Knitting and other crafty endeavors are not just a creative outlet...for me it is like meditation. I use it to relax. I only have to focus on 1 thing...my pattern. It is wonderful! This year I hope to share some of the thing I make with others so I have set a goal of making at least 1 item a month to give to a charitable cause.
Goal 6. Again with the Crafts!
I have a book of 365 different knitting patterns and have told myself for years that I would knit 1 a day. This is the year that I will actually do it...and I plan on knitting the swatches together to make a big blanket.
Goal 7. Write.
Whether its a silly children's poem for Isaiah or one of those more serious writing projects I have stuffed up my sleeve, I plan on taking the time to write something each week. When the focus of your life is writing for at least 8 hours a day every day, its pretty hard to imagine being out of practice...but it does happen. I look back on my previous blogs and it takes every bit of my will power not to go back and correct errors. I know once I start fixing things I won't stop and I'll end up re-writing an entire blog entry that I published months ago...how silly is that?! I could take the time to write my blogs carefully I suppose, but that sort of takes away for the spirit of the blog. Not to mention that I would never post anything because I would write...and re-write..then move this paragraph over here...you get the idea.
Goal 8. Read.
I need to spend more time reading adult things. I used to read constantly, especially when I was on bedrest. I haven't taken the time since Isaiah was born (gee, I wonder why :). This shouldn't be a difficult goal. I read to Isaiah every morning and every night...its usually Shel Silverstein poems, but I take the time to read nonetheless. I intend to replace one of those readings with something I'm interested in. Yay me!
I'd also like too:
- Reach pre-pregnancy weight, fitness level, and/or pant-size
- Keep a daily activity schedule for the month of Jan. I do this for Isaiah's diet since he is starting new foods and for his naps so I can try to get him on a relatively consistent schedule. I might as well do it for myself to make sure I'm sticking with my nutrition goals and to determine where all my precious time goes! Am I wasting too much time watching Oprah or am I actually keeping myself as busy as it feels?
I do have a long list of other things I'd like to try this year, but none of these are goals I am 100% committed to at present. Some of them include:
- Trying a new craft...potentially getting more involved paper crafts, recycled crafts, etc.
- Start a container garden with fresh herbs for the kitchen.
- Look into starting a home compost for the container garden.
- Paint the kitchen, sitting room, hallway, and master bath.
- Set up the office in the basement.
I'm sure I'll continue to add to the list of things I want to do this year...but that's a start. I am curious to see how dramatically I'll roll my eyes as I look back on this blog at the end of the year, while I wonder what the hell I was thinking. haha.
Goal 1. Flexibility.
I would like to start the year off right by giving myself the opportunity to embrace flexibility...in my diet, my daily exercise, my endless to-do list...you name it. It is all too often that I beat myself up for not getting enough done in a day or for cheating on a diet or for skipping a workout. I now have a baby, and while I do not want to use having a baby as an excuse for avoiding things that I might not want to do, this year I am trying to remind myself that sometimes things just don't get done..and that's ok.
Goal 2. Healthy Diet.
Isaiah started solids on Jan 2nd (oh my god! I know!) and I am still desperate to lose the rest of the baby weight. Clearly a focus on diet is in order. While we are not fast food junkies or anything, I do cook like the Midwesterner that I am...lots of cheese and potatoes and such. I hope that "leading by example" will benefit us in the long run here... this is the year we learn to eat our veggies. :) I would love to eat entirely organic, but this is totally unreasonable from a financial standpoint. Instead I am making sure that Isaiah's diet is organic. This goal has turned out to be a blast so far. I've started making homemade baby food from organic produce.
Goal 3. Family Cookbook.
In order to keep our diet interesting...and to find ways to get my husband to eat broccoli, ha...I am trying at least 1 new recipe a week. So far this is working out great, but I have learned that any more than 2 or 3 new recipes gets to be a bit much....especially if they suck 3 nights in a row! I would like each new recipe that gets a thumbs up from both of us to go into a family recipe book that I'm creating. I don't plan on only having 1 child and I do plan on going back to work eventually...a book brimming with tested, healthy recipes will be priceless in the future I'm sure.
Goal 4. Exercise.
Mark and I used to exercise regularly. When we first met we probably would have described each other as athletic...today we are not quite as athletic as we once were. I am not going to commit myself to working out for an hour a day 7 days a week all year long, but I am starting out that way. I busted out our old P90X videos, which is an extremely intense home workout program. Of course, I can't get through the standard version that we used to do every morning at 4am (ugh!), but I've decided to start with the less intense program and am modifying exercises that are too difficult. Currently I workout for an hour a day (or longer if I have a fussy baby break, or two) and I rotate through core-focused exercises, cardio, shoulder and arm strength, ab work, yoga, leg and back strength, cardio kenpo (think Tae-Bo on steroids), and stretching. Once I finish the first 90 days, I'll re-evaluate my workouts and I am almost certain I'll cut back to working out every other day or so. I don't like exercise enough to workout every day, but I do want to be able to get back to rock climbing and hiking advanced trails once summer hits so I'll be kicking my own ass for awhile...I hope.
Goal 5. Craftivism.
Knitting and other crafty endeavors are not just a creative outlet...for me it is like meditation. I use it to relax. I only have to focus on 1 thing...my pattern. It is wonderful! This year I hope to share some of the thing I make with others so I have set a goal of making at least 1 item a month to give to a charitable cause.
Goal 6. Again with the Crafts!
I have a book of 365 different knitting patterns and have told myself for years that I would knit 1 a day. This is the year that I will actually do it...and I plan on knitting the swatches together to make a big blanket.
Goal 7. Write.
Whether its a silly children's poem for Isaiah or one of those more serious writing projects I have stuffed up my sleeve, I plan on taking the time to write something each week. When the focus of your life is writing for at least 8 hours a day every day, its pretty hard to imagine being out of practice...but it does happen. I look back on my previous blogs and it takes every bit of my will power not to go back and correct errors. I know once I start fixing things I won't stop and I'll end up re-writing an entire blog entry that I published months ago...how silly is that?! I could take the time to write my blogs carefully I suppose, but that sort of takes away for the spirit of the blog. Not to mention that I would never post anything because I would write...and re-write..then move this paragraph over here...you get the idea.
Goal 8. Read.
I need to spend more time reading adult things. I used to read constantly, especially when I was on bedrest. I haven't taken the time since Isaiah was born (gee, I wonder why :). This shouldn't be a difficult goal. I read to Isaiah every morning and every night...its usually Shel Silverstein poems, but I take the time to read nonetheless. I intend to replace one of those readings with something I'm interested in. Yay me!
I'd also like too:
- Reach pre-pregnancy weight, fitness level, and/or pant-size
- Keep a daily activity schedule for the month of Jan. I do this for Isaiah's diet since he is starting new foods and for his naps so I can try to get him on a relatively consistent schedule. I might as well do it for myself to make sure I'm sticking with my nutrition goals and to determine where all my precious time goes! Am I wasting too much time watching Oprah or am I actually keeping myself as busy as it feels?
I do have a long list of other things I'd like to try this year, but none of these are goals I am 100% committed to at present. Some of them include:
- Trying a new craft...potentially getting more involved paper crafts, recycled crafts, etc.
- Start a container garden with fresh herbs for the kitchen.
- Look into starting a home compost for the container garden.
- Paint the kitchen, sitting room, hallway, and master bath.
- Set up the office in the basement.
I'm sure I'll continue to add to the list of things I want to do this year...but that's a start. I am curious to see how dramatically I'll roll my eyes as I look back on this blog at the end of the year, while I wonder what the hell I was thinking. haha.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Reflecting on 2008
A friend posted this end-of-year meme on her blog, so I thought I'd do the same. Enjoy!
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? There were 2 biggies...1) I had a baby, and 2) For the first time in my adult life I did not earn an income...I refuse to say I'm jobless because I still work to earn my keep every day ;)
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I've never been one for resolutions, but this year will be different (I'll expand on this in another blog).
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I knew 12 people that had a baby last year...All but 2 were boys! Of course, the fact that my cousin had her son Benny only 1 month after I had Isaiah was ubber cool in my book. I can't wait to see them grow up and create mischeif together.
4. Did anyone close to you die? I lost my grandmother and was very sad to see people close to me lose loved ones as well. :(
5. What countries did you visit? None.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? ENERGY!
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 28th - gave birth to my son. Nov 3rd - my grandmother passed. Dec 4th - found out my mom has cancer.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Being a mommy!
9. What was your biggest failure? Not sticking to a healthy diet and consistent exercise.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had some difficulties with my pregnancy, but I wouldn't call that illness or injury.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Nutramigen!!!!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Mark!!! He worked looong days 6-7 days a week, helped around the house when I was on bedrest, stayed up all night with the baby when I was recovering from a c-section, and was always supportive...whether I wanted to go back to work or stay home with our son. Currently, I'm staying home with Isaiah.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I won't name names, but a few people win this award for the year. This is unusual since I can only think a handful of people that have disappointed me over my entire life.
14. Where did most of your money go? Hospital Bills!!!!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Definitely having a healthy baby boy who I love more and more every day.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? That Cher song that they play on the Biggest Loser shows...Only because I hear it all the damn time...I keep watching Biggest Loser marathon shows. How sad is that?!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier!
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter, way fatter!
c) richer or poorer? Poorer financially but richer in love and family. (This was Sam's answer and I think its perfect so I'm keeping it :)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? I wish I'd done more writing and working toward career goals.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Watching TV. We plugged in for the first time in a long time...its evil, so evil.
20. How did you spend Christmas? With my parents in the afternoon...with Mark's best friend and his family in the evening.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Oh yes...I love you, Isaiah!
22. What was your favorite TV program? Top Chef!!!
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nope.
24. What was the best book you read? hmm...Probably "Birth: The Surprising History of How We are Born" by Tina Cassidy.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Putamayo Kids series
26. What did you want and get? A healthy baby
27. What did you want and not get? a stress-free existence. :) haha
28. What was your favorite film of this year? I think this was the year of shitty movies...that being said I really liked Eagle Eye, but that might be because it was the last movie I watched.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 32 and honestly do not remember. Isaiah was only 2 weeks old at the time so I'm sure I was on zombie, new mommy mode.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A easier pregnancy...maybe next time. :)
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? FASHION?! haha. Elastic waistbands and oversized shirts...I think I lose the fashion contest.
32. What kept you sane? My blog and crafty projects.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? OBAMA!
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Oh that would have to be the Palin factor. Her views, and more importantly, the manner in which she promoted her views were offensive, close-minded, ignorant, hypocritical (she is a Christian is she not, but were her actions Christlike? I think not), and un-American (America is not about rallying a self-righteous "moral" majority to reign over the rest of us, I believe that was a motivating factor in fighting for independence).
35. Who did you miss? My sister. She did visit for several weeks, but sadly returned to East Africa in November.
36. Who was the best new person you met? my son
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. We are all stronger than we think we are.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I couldn't think of a song lyric so I chose this instead, "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” - Buddha.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? There were 2 biggies...1) I had a baby, and 2) For the first time in my adult life I did not earn an income...I refuse to say I'm jobless because I still work to earn my keep every day ;)
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I've never been one for resolutions, but this year will be different (I'll expand on this in another blog).
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I knew 12 people that had a baby last year...All but 2 were boys! Of course, the fact that my cousin had her son Benny only 1 month after I had Isaiah was ubber cool in my book. I can't wait to see them grow up and create mischeif together.
4. Did anyone close to you die? I lost my grandmother and was very sad to see people close to me lose loved ones as well. :(
5. What countries did you visit? None.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? ENERGY!
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? August 28th - gave birth to my son. Nov 3rd - my grandmother passed. Dec 4th - found out my mom has cancer.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Being a mommy!
9. What was your biggest failure? Not sticking to a healthy diet and consistent exercise.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had some difficulties with my pregnancy, but I wouldn't call that illness or injury.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Nutramigen!!!!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Mark!!! He worked looong days 6-7 days a week, helped around the house when I was on bedrest, stayed up all night with the baby when I was recovering from a c-section, and was always supportive...whether I wanted to go back to work or stay home with our son. Currently, I'm staying home with Isaiah.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I won't name names, but a few people win this award for the year. This is unusual since I can only think a handful of people that have disappointed me over my entire life.
14. Where did most of your money go? Hospital Bills!!!!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Definitely having a healthy baby boy who I love more and more every day.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? That Cher song that they play on the Biggest Loser shows...Only because I hear it all the damn time...I keep watching Biggest Loser marathon shows. How sad is that?!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier!
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter, way fatter!
c) richer or poorer? Poorer financially but richer in love and family. (This was Sam's answer and I think its perfect so I'm keeping it :)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? I wish I'd done more writing and working toward career goals.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Watching TV. We plugged in for the first time in a long time...its evil, so evil.
20. How did you spend Christmas? With my parents in the afternoon...with Mark's best friend and his family in the evening.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Oh yes...I love you, Isaiah!
22. What was your favorite TV program? Top Chef!!!
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nope.
24. What was the best book you read? hmm...Probably "Birth: The Surprising History of How We are Born" by Tina Cassidy.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Putamayo Kids series
26. What did you want and get? A healthy baby
27. What did you want and not get? a stress-free existence. :) haha
28. What was your favorite film of this year? I think this was the year of shitty movies...that being said I really liked Eagle Eye, but that might be because it was the last movie I watched.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 32 and honestly do not remember. Isaiah was only 2 weeks old at the time so I'm sure I was on zombie, new mommy mode.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A easier pregnancy...maybe next time. :)
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? FASHION?! haha. Elastic waistbands and oversized shirts...I think I lose the fashion contest.
32. What kept you sane? My blog and crafty projects.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? OBAMA!
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Oh that would have to be the Palin factor. Her views, and more importantly, the manner in which she promoted her views were offensive, close-minded, ignorant, hypocritical (she is a Christian is she not, but were her actions Christlike? I think not), and un-American (America is not about rallying a self-righteous "moral" majority to reign over the rest of us, I believe that was a motivating factor in fighting for independence).
35. Who did you miss? My sister. She did visit for several weeks, but sadly returned to East Africa in November.
36. Who was the best new person you met? my son
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. We are all stronger than we think we are.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I couldn't think of a song lyric so I chose this instead, "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” - Buddha.
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