Halloween Humor

An extremely modest man was in the hospital for a series of tests, the  last of which had left his bodily systems extremely upset. Upon making several false alarm trips to the bathroom, he decided the latest episode was another and stayed put. He suddenly filled his bed with diarrhea and was embarrassed beyond his ability to remain rational.

In a complete loss of composure, he jumped out of bed, gathered up the bed sheets, and threw them out the hospital window.

A drunk was walking by the hospital when the sheets landed on him. He started yelling, cursing, and swinging his arms violently trying to get the unknown things off, and ended up with the soiled sheets in a tangled pile at his feet.

As the drunk stood there, unsteady on his feet, staring down at the sheets, a hospital security guard (barely containing his laughter) who had watched the whole incident walked up and asked, "What the heck is going on here?"

The drunk, still staring down replied:   "I think I just beat the shit out of a ghost."

Things You Think of Inbetween Feedings

Whose cruel idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have a "S" in it?

She's Here Now and 2 Weeks Old Already

So, I haven't been online much since the arrival of our new lil' addition to our family, who is, by the way, 2 weeks old as of today and is totally adorable - - I cannot lie, she's gorgeous! And she is a ridiculously effortless baby, no less.  Yup, she's sooo easy - - easy peasey, lemon-squeezy, as our lil' Jellybean would say.

Since her arrival I've been posting stuff to Facebook via my Blackberry, but that's been about it until today.  Plus, I never really had the chance to write much about my pregnancy, compared to my first -with or without comparisons really- and I've missed writing anything about my repeat c-section or the past 2 weeks' time. 

For now, I'll just say that I've spent the last 2 weeks trying hard to not repeat the same mistakes I'd made after Jellybean's c-section delivery.  Consequently, my coming and goings have been strictly limited, including my ability to sit up in bed with a laptop.  Due to my diligent determination to rest and take things slowly, I stopped taking my pain meds this past Saturday at midnight, to be exact, and although it's slowed me down some (which is NOT a bad thing), I'm much improved and I'm clearly on my way to a solid recovery, which will include some backlogged blogging.

Lastly, our lil' darling daughter arrived June 11th, 2012, Monday morning at 8am, sharp. The cesarean delivery was flawless, as is she.  As for her full name, it's got two Vs, three I's, two N's, 5 E's, 2 M's, two L's and two T's - she's gunna complain when she's old enough to write it all out, I'm sure!

In 6 DAYS

In 6 days -the maximum- we will have ourselves a new lil' addition to our family! woot! woot!

The Way It Is

How does one know she's a bit hormonal = Listening to iTunes on shuffle, I turn the volume down to take a serious work call, and thereby, lose track of what's playing... then I turn the volume back up nearly 2 hours later to discover Bruce Hornsby & the Range is playing, and inexplicably, the tears flow like a faucet's been turned on... dripping off my chin, and I sit there, perplexed... what the heck is wrong with me?  And I place the music along the timeline of my life...

'The Way It Is' is an album that had been played a great deal the two years preceding my mum's death, and I remember one particular time, listening to it in the car with my father, shortly after her death, driving down from Billings, MT, through the Gallatin Gateway on our way to Bear Lake, Idaho.  I was watching for sand cranes, staring west out the car passenger window at the waters of the glistening Madison River, and remembering trips to Yellowstone with my mum and dad, wishing I could just stop time from moving forward, to just remain with my daddy, driving together in the car, indefinitely, listening together to the music of my childhood to date, 1987 at that time.

The music we listened to during my childhood years, it still sustains a great deal of my childhood memories of my mum.

So I Know I'd Said I'd Be Writing More...

...And then I found out 4 weeks before my due date that my assistant had secured a new position elsewhere and his last day would be 2 weeks before my maternity leave is to begin.

So yeah, no time for blogging much, no time for a lot of things lately.  Only a few moments of sobbing the first week the news hit, and generally keeping my head up since then  - - none of it amounts to the end of the world; just reeeeally poor timing for me.  Oh well, but that's why I'm not blogging much, pre-baby delivery.  I guess I'll have to try to catch up post-delivery, which is scheduled for June 11th, by the way! Yup, just two weeks away is all ~

This past weekend was chock full of domestic honey-Do's for my honey-man to accomplish, and I have my own lengthy 'before-the-baby-arrives' to-do list to work at.  In the past, I would detail that list of mine right here and include all that my honey-man had accomplished as well, but these 5 minutes before 4pm this afternoon, they constitute my first non-potty related break of the work day, and I need to get back to work already.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 79

Because I have discovered tonight, for the first time ever in 2 years' time, that my honey-man uses the sound of a quacking duck for his iPhone calendar and appointment alerts-reminders setting...

I'm sitting on the couch and I faintly hear:  "Quack, quack, quack - Quack, quack, quack"

What the??? and he pops out into the room, "Do you know where my phone is?" and I say, all befuddled, disregarding his question entirely, "Do you hear a duck quacking?"  And he smirks at me, sheepishly, and realize, indeed, I am in love with a TOTAL geek. I love him so.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Seven Pounder Thus Far

Baby Nacho -still in-utero- weighs in at 7 lbs right now

28 Days

We're officially scheduled for a c-section, June 11th at five-freakin'-A-M in the morning! As long as she doesn't make her grand entrance before that time, our Baby Nacho will have a birthdate of 06/11/12!

Spoken Too Soon

So last night, just TWO DAYS after I announce that we may have settled on a baby name, my honey-man tells me he's just not sold on (fill in the blank), and without that name, I'm not sold on his middle name choice, sooo we're back to the very start, square one, without a name for this baby.

We have 4 weeks to figure it out - - and we've been debating names for the last 6 months, and we're basically agreed upon nothing but the two names we've had, sooooo, I don't know what we're gunna come up with now!

Maybe the original name we first had in mind for the lil' Jellybean.... Niagara Mitochondria!

Needin' a Tear Jerking Trigger

Ever get so tired physically and emotionally, and so generally overwhelmed that you constantly feel like you're on the verge of tears, but you can't name exactly what's wrong, if anything at all really?  I just feel like I'm going to burst into tears at any moment.  If the right trigger presented itself, I'd be a puddle of tears. It might be hormonal, or maybe not, but that's how I've been feeling for the last 24 hours. 

I think I need a good cry.

We're in Agreement Now, well, Ahhlmost

BACKGROUND INFO:  I've had a particular baby name in mind for several months now.  I've tried on several other names --really, I have tried-- but I keep coming back to this particular name every time; frankly, nothing else has stuck for me.  Meanwhile, my honey-man, he has either revisited the very same names he had had in mind for the naming of our lil' Jellybean -all of which were, sadly, vehemently rejected the first time around- OR he's been consistently coming up with new, quite lovely French names - - names that, unfortunately, no American will be able to either spell or ever pronounce correctly.  There's this one name in particular that he's been repeating most frequently, that he keeps coming back to... it really is so lovely, and I do love it, I do, HOWEVER, I can't rightly say it myself, nor could I spell it without looking having to first look it up 3 and 4 times before the spelling finally stuck with me, but I still can't pronounce it correctly, although I love it whenever HE says it as it should be spoken.

MORE BACKGROUND: Earlier today, we were swimming in the pool together as a family and we have these two new floating lounger-type chair things for in the pool, one for the boy-O -and general adult use- and one for the girlie that was gifted to her for her 3rd birthday.  So, Jellybean was loving her new floating lounger, but insisted that she float right alongside me, holding on either to me or my lounger itself at all times.  Due to the close proximity and her placement, perpendicular to my belly most the time, she had a great view of my bulging pregnant belly (as long as she hadn't turned her head to look elsewhere).

SOME MORE BACKGROUND INFO: Earlier last week, one night just before her bedtime, our Jellybean was on our bed with me and she'd laid her darling sleepy head on my big belly and just then the baby began to repeatedly kicked right where Jellybean's head was resting, and so, for the first time ever, she reeeally felt and recognized the baby moving inside me. Before then, I'd hold her hand to my belly to have her feel baby-movements, but she really couldn't distinguish the baby's squirming from my own breathing or my own muscular movements caused by my laughing.  Well, since that night last week, I've found her often staring at my belly, watching for baby movements, and if and whenever she sees anything major, she'll whip a little dimpled hand over immediately, to be placed atop my belly, little dimpled fingers splayed, so that she can feel her baby sissy moving.

So today at the pool, Jellybean was watching my belly for baby actions, lunging for my belly in order for her to reach and place her little hand on my belly while floating alongside each other - - and each time she made a move to feel the baby, she kept calling the baby a to-be-given name, rather than the usual 'my baby sister', announcing to everyone there at the pool that she could feel "baby (fill in the blank)!" Hearing her refer to the movements of her unborn baby sister by any particular name, with her little hand placed so deliberately on my belly, it was a defining moment of sorts for me.

And so, later this afternoon, we finally had a conversation that may very well be the final wrap on the whole 'what to name this baby' dilemma.
 
As of today, the name that's stuck with me, plus the aforementioned gorgeous French name I cannot pronounce myself, they might be known together as our Baby Nacho's chosen name, first and middle, respectively ... Looking at what her monogram would be, a potential nickname would be 'Vroom, Vroom!'

Hiccups!

When I was pregnant with our lil' Jellybean, she had hiccups off and on, felt from the time I first was able to feel her move, up until she was due.  Well, I'd forgotten all about this... cuz this baby? If she's had the hiccups before now, it must have happened while I was sleeping... although, Jellybean's midnight hiccups woke me many a time!  And well, actually -and DUH!- it was not until last might, around MIDNIGHT, I realized Baby Nacho had the hiccups!

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 78

Because as I was at our front door this morning about to leave for work, I was whistling a song that's been a major ear worm for me, stuck with it for the last 3 days in a row... and off somewhere in the back of our home, wherever my honey-man was, brushing our daughter's hair, he began to whistle as well, completing the next part of what I was whistling... how he recognized it, I don't know, and then to have actually known how to reply to my whistling with the song's own chorus melody, I have NO idea...

Who knew he was that familiar with Joan Jett's 'Do You Want To Touch.'  LOL

And how exactly did this song got stuck in my head, oh help me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XELpxApT8Kc

Found in a Notebook from 1994: At the Top

Found in a Notebook from 1994: Below the Top

Found in a Notebook from 1994: Written Behind all That

My New Favorite Quote: "Action Expresses Priorities" -Ghandi

This is fantastic: sometimes I wish that I had this kind of fearless confidence when I was younger

http://vimeo.com/40004005
 
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

New Apples on the Preschool Trees

New apples growing on the trees at our lil' girlie's school. She's thrilled outta he lil' mind!

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

With Finality

Some background info:  We had Jellybean's 3rd birthday party on the 31st, and a mommie of one of her lil' classmates had come to the party despite the fact that she was due to have her baby that very day.  She told me how her first birth had been by cesarean and that she'd been told this second pregnancy would be a c-section as well due to her first.  Her doc's scheduled vacation wound up overlapping with her due date, so they had initially set a date for a scheduled c-section to happen the week before he was to leave town. She'd gone in as scheduled, was all dressed in her hospital gown, IV line in and everything, waiting only to be wheeled into surgery, and then she changed her mind and she said no thanks. She hadn't met her due date yet, and she told them that it felt altogether wrong, and sure, she knew she'd have to use a substitute doctor, but she was going to give her baby time to arrive on its own time. She left the hospital and she and her husband went home, and there she was still preggers a week later, and at our Jellybean's party on her due date. Three days after the party, the mommie had her baby and without a cesarean. And after seeing her up and about at Jellybean's school, just 4 days after giving birth, I was not only envious, I was hopeful; hopeful that I, too, might be able to pull off a post-cesarean vaginal birth (VBAC). In fact, by yesterday's scheduled appointment with my OB, I was not just hopeful, I was kinda fired up, ready with research and statistics handy, and various specific questions as to a repeat c-section versus his facilitating a non-surgical VBAC delivery. Admittedly now, it was kinda silly on my part. 

The Latest:  Well, my OB doc told me yesterday afternoon that it's not up to him and it's not up to me either, nor is the matter to be decided by what's most medically sound and/or safe for me and my baby.  With 100% certainty, due to my two hospital options determined by the limitations of my health insurance, I will be made to have a repeat c-section as official hospital rules for those who've already had a cesarean birth.

Although my OB had forewarned me months ago that due to my cesarean scar tissues I'd likely wind up having another cesarean, there was some wiggle room in our first few conversations on the matter, that we'd wait and see how it goes. The absolute finality of yesterday's news kinda slapped me backwards and it had me reliving the realities of my first cesarean, remembering with full detail how, um, awful my recovery was. Consequently, by 11pm last night, I wound up bawling like a baby for about an hour before finally going to sleep. And then I slept like total ca ca and had birthing nightmares all night long.

Ultimately, I simply want the wee one to get here safely - - but I would also like to be given the chance to immediately hold and kiss my baby, rather than be made to crane my neck to get a mere seconds' glimpse, and then wait over an hour to meet her. Yeah, and I don't want the bladder catheter re-insertions sans anesthetic, nor do I want the busy maternity nurses neglecting my meds less than 12 hours post-surgery, and then there's all the percocet -and feeling dopey- and the resulting chronic constipation, nor do I want any of the swollen, oozing, on-fire and peeling allergic skin reactions to the glue of the steri-strips across my already tender incision. Oh, and I reeeally could go without the 'blood patch' to fix my spinal block headaches. Well, and yeah, I could do without those headaches, period. I'd also like to be able to hold/lift/carry my toddler, and to clean my own home, and to do my own grocery shopping, rather than have to wait 6-8 weeks before I'll be able to do any of that. It also hit me incredibly hard like a gut punch last night that I do not want the chronic pain caused by healing scar tissue, limiting my activity for nearly a year --whether I'm to fight a post-pregnancy libido flatline or not.  I want to be able to hit the ground running after this pregnancy, and I've essentially been told that will be a no-go. Yes, it ALL came flooding back to me last night and I totally lost it.
 

I know, bitch, bitch, bitch, and pouty-pout, pout about it, I know, I know... IT COULD ALWAYS BE WAY, WAY, WAY WORSE. I know. I do know.

I've been telling people for months now, openly and without complaint, that I'll likely have to have another c-section, and I'd been acting like it's all fine with me and I'd thought I was in a state of acceptance already. Then we had Jellybean's birthday party....  I hadn't realized how much I'd been hoping there was chance, no matter how slim, that I might get to delivery our baby myself.

Now that I've been told there's no way it will happen, and with such finality at that, I am really feeling it. So I'm spending the next 24 to 48 hours to get over it (like the first time I was told Jellybean would have to arrive via c-section), and thereafter, I'll accept it as truth, and 8 weeks from now I'll happily welcome our new baby into our world, and I'll grit my teeth, even post-cesarean.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 77

Because we get up this morning, and before the Jellybean has woken up, he's already in the bathroom, and as he's brushing his teeth, he very casually, sleepily -with toothpaste in his mouth, no less- he asks me:  "That video with that guy and that girl, have you seen it?"

Long pause - - me expecting him to laugh or make reference to that scene in Oceans Eleven about "the thing with that guy in the place, I'll never forget it."  And him, turning to look at me, waiting for my reply....

WHAT?! THAT video with THAT guy and THAT girl - - ?!? and have I seen it? He sent me into such a crazy tummy-crunching, contraction-inducing giggle fit - - really? That guy? and that girl?

Turns out he was referring to the very popular song/video, "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Goyte, and he was aiming to tell me he had both that song and Feist's Sesame Street version of '1-2-3-4' stuck in his head for the last 48 hours.  And he wasn't fully awake yet.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 76

The man has a necktie with eggplants on it.

Emailed to Mah Honey-Man Today

Subject Line:  With alllll your abundant freetime, I want you to take this test

Text:  http://test.personality-project.org/

How About this Curveball?

How does a total move-out party sound, just one month after we moved in, due to the owner's tile installation building violations? Every inch of our rental is tile flooring and they have "30 days to remedy/remove/reinstall the tile" - we'll see how this one pans out. Joy, oh joy!

Most Awesome 'Awesome'

Just found this via PostSecret... and so I must share:

  http://1000awesomethings.com/

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 75

Because he loves our lil' Jellybean so much, but he's also honest about his own needs just the same.

Our lil' Jellybean's preschool always closes for our 'spring break,' which would be FABULOUS if we didn't both have to work throughout the entire length of spring break, but we do both have to work. 

And so, for the past 3 years now, every 'spring break' has always been more of a difficulty than anything truly fun or relaxing like a 'break' or vacation; us having to juggle our two work schedules, me taking a couple days leave time off from work despite the need to work, me bringing her to my office for a morning and/or an afternoon, passing our lil' Jellybean over to willing and able friends, hiring a babysitter for a day or two, and my honey-man often staying home with the girlie, thereby, unable to get any work done. It's always a bit challenging and we do get it done, but by the break's end, we're utterly exhausted and so is she.

She returned to school this morning and after my honey-man had dropped her off, he called me... 

Taking her to her classroom and seeing her teacher, he said he was nearly brought to tears.  At first I totally misunderstood him - - ahhh, how sweet, her daddy sad to return his little girl to school.

And then he continued....

He's finally going to have a full, productive day at work for the first time in over a week!

"Zee Things She Sayzz" or "Happy 3rd"

"That's not an option." -after being told we aren't headed anywhere other than home, when I pick her up from school.

"That's not a choice." -after being told there's only spaghetti and meatballs -or whatever else she doens't want- for dinner.

"I'm the Swedish Chef, momma! [while tapping the handle end of her butter knife on the kitchen table] Mork, Mork, Mork!"

Singing in the car on her way to school with her daddy driving:  "Hot man in misery, Hot man in misery" - - She's singing "Misery" by Maroon 5, recognized by her teacher upon arriving to school.  My honey-man had no idea what she was singing, although she repeatedly told him it was Maroon 5 from mommie's car.

"I will not ever do that again because the kitties walk on the table." -after being told that if she spits her food out on the kitchen table again, rather than simply eat it or place it back on her own plate, she will be made to eat it from the table. She then clarified, "I don't want to eat off the table because the kitties walk on the table sometimes and that is gross."

"I'm the birthday girl at school today, momma!" -because she IS three years old today!  She is such a happy and clever girl, and from day to day, it thrills me to have such a wonderful lil' being in my life.

She is such a joy, and I feel infinitely grateful to have watched her grow sooo much over just the past 3 years.  I cannot imagine all the more in store for us as she continues to grow.  Her personality bursts with energy and enthusiasm and real spunk, and I find that as the lil' person she is today, and even since the time she was born, she has lightened my being and my hope for this world on a daily basis.

Happy 3rd Birthday, my darling girl.  I love you so.

U2's 'Acrobat'

How funny.... My iTunes shuffle play has brought up U2's 'Acrobat' - - I remember playing this song (on cassette) at an inherently dramatic volume, driving in my beige 1985 Delta 88 Oldsmobile [my friends called it the "Fud-mobile"), singing the words as loud as I could, crying.

Long sigh - - - I am sooooo glad I'm not a teenager anymore.  Reliving my 20s might be nice (as long as I'd wind up exactly where I am now), but no one -NO ONE- could ever pay me enough to relive my high school years.  No freakin' way.

For the Love of Kitty-Kats ~ #23

"The dog may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry."

- French Proverb

The Way to Love Isn't Any One Way

I Can Hear Mah Jellybean Saying This

A little girl asked her mother, "Can I go outside and play with the boys?"

Her mother replied, "No, you can't play with the boys, they're too rough."

The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked, "If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?"

P.S. Although I would NEVER tell my girl she can't play with the boys because they're too rough. That's just silly!

The Sky is On Fire!

Kiss with a Gaze

"The soul that can speak through the eyes can also kiss with a gaze."

- Gustavo Adolfo Bequer

Happy Valentine's Day!

Something

"Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."

- Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

The Optimist & The Pessimist

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; the pessimist fears this is true."

 -James Branch Cabell

The World of Politicians

"As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand." 

- Josh Billings

Many Little Things

"To do carefully and constantly and kindly many little things is not a little thing."

-Author Unknown (quoted by Steven Covey)

Man's Inhumanity

"There is only one way in which one can endure man's inhumanity to man and that is to try, in one's own life, to exemplify man's humanity to man."

- Alan Paton

Nyce Name (heh, heh) ~ I'm Sure It's Delicious!

Things Which Matter Most

Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

- Johann Von Goethe

One's Responsibility as a Free Man

"To give up the task of reforming society is to give up one's responsibility as a free man."

-Alan Paton

Altering One's Attitude

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes."

- William James

AND

"The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind."

- James Truslow Adams (1878-1949)

The Right Track

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

- Arthur Godfrey

Misery

"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy."

-Robert Anthony

Baby Growing in dah Tummy

A mother once said...

"When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my four year old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the shower. She said, "Mommy, you are getting fat!"

I replied, "Yes, honey, remember Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy." 

"I know," she replied, "but what's growing in your butt?" 

Broken Things

"The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again."

-Alan Paton    

The Halfway Moment

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it may be recalled and perhaps remedied.

- Pearl S. Buck

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 74

Because we were listening to Led Zeppelin yesterday morning while making and eating breakfast together, and we all, including Jellybean, were enjoying the music a great deal, and my honey-man began this conversation (well, really, I just sat there grinning, eating my toast, listening to him go off) about the best classic rock bands of all time.  He mentioned early Genesis and Rush in this conversation of his, and at some point he paused and he somehow solicited an answer of agreement from me.  It was then that I made some snarky comment about how his opinion only dates him and severely so, but he didn't really hear my snarky comment clearly, so he responded in this way with great earnest:

"Wait, what did you say? I didn't hear that."

(I begin to giggle and laugh and he shakes his head to emphasis that he really means he did not hear me)

He continues: "I know that it something witty and demeaning, but what did you actually say?"

He is such a darling geek and I love him so.

UPDATE/CORRECTION: I let it slip late last night (Tuesday the 2th) that I'd blogged about this (above) and as I explained to my honey-man what I'd written about him, he was aghast to hear I'd misreported he had said 'classic rock', when "I said PROGRESSIVE rock, not classic. Progressive!"  And he wanted to be sure that I had emphasized EARLY Genesis, "before Phil Collins ever came into the picture, hell no."

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 73

Because of the six loads of laundry I'd washed over this past weekend, he had it all folded before Sunday afternoon.  I love that he folds the laundry - - folding clean clothes is what I hate most about doing the laundry.

Our Prince Will Reign Supreme

Whoops - found this sitting in my Drafts, written January 11th:

We found out today [January 11th!] that we're having another girl!  This makes me soooo happy for a number of reasons.

Most obvious, there's the simple practicality of it:  We already have baby girl clothes and girl stuff, and two girls could share a bedroom together -- I'm envisioning bunkbeds.

Secondly, April of last year, there was a study commissioned by Faye Mingo of Bounty.com to investigate parents' believed best sibling combination for a peaceful homelife. The polling results from  2,116 parents surveyed = Two girls are unlikely to fight, will play nicely with each other, and confide in their parents, according to the study. Granted, this is NOT a rule, and even if it were, exceptions will always arise in any case. Yet, it does sound good, doesn't it?

Some have asked me, don't you want one of each?

Yes, we already have ourselves a daughter, but we do already have a son as well, even if the angel boy-O is not of my womb.  Foremost, beyond the practical reasons to favor two girls, I like the idea that our having another girl will allow the angel boy-O to be our one and only boy, our reigning prince supreme!

Yes, I knoooow, older siblings of step-family arrangements do, and often, have to deal with the reality that younger sibs may come along, be they of the same sex or not.  Comparisons can and will be made between any sibling arrangment as to the differences between their upbringing.  Children grow up and they survive it, but it can be a challenge no matter what to varying degrees.  I know this from my own experience.

It is my mere humble opinion that in my own experience it is easier to make LESS comparisons between siblings if and when they are of the opposite sex, because, well, they're not the same.

Overall, the image I have in my mind of our angel boy-O, grown older and taller, with a lil' sissy's hand held in each of his? This image warms my heart to the point I feel my heart might EXPLODE!  He is already such an awesome big brother to his lil' sissy, and now he will get to be the protector and prince for TWO little sisters.

Will Never Tire of Hearing 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love'

Doesn't matter the mood I may already be in, whenever I hear "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," by The Darkness, I escape entirely into major glam rock mode and I can't help but sing along.

Overheard

"My mommie is very tall and she takes really good care of me and she loves me and I know that she loves me. Cars are dangerous you know."

Baby Chubb

Nearly two weeks ago, my toddler told me flatly that she's chubby, poking at her tummy with a delightfully dimpled finger as she said it. 

We'd just gotten out of the tubby, our hair still dripping, our faces clean and flushed. I was all wrapped in a towel, and she had already shed hers in record time, standing naked atop her step stool at the bathroom sink, looking critically at herself in the bathroom mirror.  

I had been expecting a moment like this to happen someday, when she's, ohhh, 8 or 10 years old - NOT when she's merely TWO and successfully potty-trained just last November.  

Seeing her looking at herself in the mirror, her lil' head turned to the side, brow furrowed, chin down and frowning, and utterly gorgeous, all smooth and flawless and perfectly healthy, I could not believe my eyes, nor my ears.

She then specified: "My belly is chubby."

I did not tell her yes or no.  Instead, I snatched her up in my arms and I kissed her belly all over and blew countless raspberries upon her cheeks, neck, arms, belly and legs, telling her over and over again that I LOVE HER GORGEOUS BELLY and I LOVE EVERYTHING about her darling body, and that she is BRILLIANT, and WONDERFUL, and AMAZING, and AWESOME, and PERFECTLY HEALTHY as she is.

She giggled like mad, squirming and kicking in my arms, and breathlessly, she told me she loved me and that I am her momma.  And I held her tightly in my arms and I gently, softly kissed her forehead, and I kissed the darling dimples of her baby hands, and I told her yes, I am your momma and I LOVE YOU as you are.

Dressed in her footed jammies and 6 bedtime stories later, she was in her bed and I had quickly forgotten (thanks in part to being preggers) that my two year old had somehow gotten it in her head that she's chubby and this is somehow a bad thing.  I only remembered our exchange today, after reading an article via a friend's Facebook wall post, and then it all came screaming back = My daughter, not yet 3 years old, is already at risk for female body image issues - What the !?!?  

I knew well before she was born that we would have to fiercely combat society's stereotypical treatment of little girls; pretty, cute, darling, beautiful little girls. Nonetheless, I did not expect an introduction to body image issues so soon, well before she'd reach grade school.

Jellybean hasn't said anything more to me about the matter since that night, but I'll be bracing myself for more.  The aforementioned / linked article, I'm sure I'll be using it for future reference when the time comes again.

Recounting the Day, as to Why I'm So Tired

Beginning at 6:30-ish am -

Began a load of laundry in the wash.
Helped my honey-man steer the angel boy-O through his morning's departure, for him to head out with his dad for the airport to return to Utah.
Breakfast of pumpkin waffles with peanut-butter refused by the toddler, in favor of nothing but 1/2 a cup of milk and nothing more.
Cleaned the kitchen; cleared the dishes, wiped down the counters and kitchen table, began a full dishwasher's load, and swept and mopped, all while Jellybean read stories to her lil' furry friends in the front room.
Changed over the load of laundry to the dryer and began a 2nd load in the wash.
Played dress-up together for nearly an hour. I was the evil witch, commanded to cackle every 10 minutes or so.

Tried for 10 minutes to get Jellybean to consume something non-liquid, to no avail; "No thanks, I'm not hungry, mommie."Painted fingers and toes, hers and mine, while watching an episode of Dr. Seuss (a first for us both) and her 1st time ever at-home TV watching of Sesame Street, brought to you by the letter 'J', no less!
10:30 am -
"Mommie, I'm hungry." Me: Okay, you can eat your untouched waffles leftover from breakfast. Her:  "No, I'm not hungry, mommie."
Made Tapioca pudding together - her 1st time, both making it (she loved it!) and eating it (she absolutely hated it!).
An an early lunch together at 11am, and yes, she did eat her waffles first.
Changed over the 2nd load of laundry to the dryer and began a 3rd load.
Over 2 n' 1/2 hours -no exaggeration here- of playtime together at the kitchen table with Playdoh.
Followed by 30 minutes of Playdoh clean up.
Watched 2 episodes of The Muppets, season 3.
Read 6 libary books and then laid the Jellybean down for a late afternoon nap.
Made 'Bean with Bacon' soup on the fly to satisfy an enormous preggers craving.
6pm -
Had dinner with mah honey-man before Jellybean woke (very late) from her nap.
Fed (read 'forced' and/or 'bribed') Jellybean dinner, negotiating 6 big spoonfuls of soup for 3 SweetTart hearts from our candy dish, purple, orange and pink, to be exact in her request.
Remembered the last load of laundry, waiting still in the washer, to be moved over to the dryer, and asked my honey-man to do it please.
30-minute long shower with the Jellybean, complete with the drawing of a dozen or so different zoo animals using her bath crayons, which Jellybean dutifully cleaned up at the end using her "brown brush with soap, please."
Bedtime for the girlie by 8:15pm, followed by 20 minute visit with my honey-man, folding laundry together, and 30 or so minutes tidying up, aka attending to the explosion of toys left downstairs.
Bedtime for mommie...after I finish this via cell phone-written blogpost... 10pm-ish.

P.S. My thumbs are sore now! and I'm tired. and oh yeah, I'm pregnant.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry.

For the Love of Kitty-Kats ~ #22

"The trouble with a kitten is that eventually it becomes a cat."

- Ogden Nash

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 72

On Jan 3, 2012, at 12:48 PM, "Ang in Sin City" wrote:

Subject: For Halloween this Year!

I want you to be a farmer, complete with overalls and either a straw hat or John Deere cap, and I'll be a chicken, as will (Jellybean) - - and maybe we could get (angel boy-O) to be bacon slices and the baby will be a sunny side-up egg. Maybe we could get (Wendy) and her (Lovin'-man) to dress as pancakes and/or hashbrowns! hee hee

And my honey-man's email response to my email:

"Okay. You've lost yer mind!"

A Conversation with My Two Year Old

Found this after this past Christmas, sitting amongst unpublished post drafts.  It's from July 2011, written while we were driving in the van on our way up to Utah for the 4th of July holiday, and for the angel boy-O's 13th birthday celebration:

Jellybean: Where do we live?
Me: We live in ----
Jellybean, interrupting me, squealing at the top of her lungs: --Las Vegas, mommie! We live in Las Vegas, Nevada, mommie!
Me, chuckling: Yes, we live in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jellybean: My big brother, he lives in Ogden! Ogden, Utah, mommie!
Me: Yes, that's right.
Jellybean: Momma, how old is (angel boy-O)?
Me: He'll be 13 years old on his birthday.

Jellybean: When's my birthday?
Me: Your birthday is ----
Jellybean, interrupting again, squealing at the top of her lungs again: March 26th!! And I will be THREE years old!
Me, laughing: Yes, you will be three years old come your next birthday.
Jellybean: Mommie? --followed by a long pause, a little sigh, and no continuation--
Me: Yes, punky? I'm listening...what?
Jellybean: Mommie, I love you too.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

That DVD Mommie Tried to Veto, but She Got to See it Anyhow

Isn't it funny how kids can seem absolutely unimpressed and totally unaffected by something or someone, and then, much later on, even after months and months have passed, sumthin' happens and you find out that not only were they paying close attention, their feelings about the matter/person are quite strong.

"I Want to Eat My Pumpkin!"

Here are some things we've heard from our Jellybean over the last couple months:


It's the night before Halloween and we've finished carving our pumpkins:
"I want to eat my pumpkin!," she squeals as she grabs hers from the kitchen table.
"What?" we ask, kind of confused, "You want to eat it?"
"Yes," she says emphatically, like we're sooo slow, while shaking her little jack o' lantern held in her hands. "Let's make our punkins into pumpkin PIE," spoken with heh-heh-heavy emphasis on the word 'pie'.

We're in the middle of dinner and she's not interested in eating, stalling in any way she can:
"I have a secret to tell," she whispers to us. "Oh really?" we both say. Whispering now, leaning forward over the kitchen table, she says, "Yes, speesh spweesh calla fragelistic spweesh splah kaboom" (or something very much like that)" -and we all laugh. My honey-man tells her he has a secret for her too, and she's all excited and she hunkers down, so serious, so eager to hear the secret he has to tell her...
He leans toward her: "Eeeat youur peezzah," he whispers, followed by an enormously wide-eyed smile on his face. She giggles, puts her chin down towards her chest, maintaining eye contact with her daddy, and quietly shakes her head, no. She then whispers to him that she has a secret for him, her eyes big, all serious, but she cracks a little smile as she whispers: "Drink your wine!"

Her big brother, the angel boy-O, had left LV that afternoon to return to UT for the rest of his Thanksgiving holiday break, and we were driving home as she was coming to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be home once we got there: "Mommie, I hurt all over." Hearing this, I slowed my driving immediately, thinking she was ill, and I asked her if she needed me to stop and help her.  She began to quietly whimper and I could see in my 'spy on the kids in back'-mirror that her eyes were welling up with big fat tears, "No mommie, I'll be okay. I just want my big brother."

Talkin' Christmas tree lights:  I favor white tree lights, while my honey-man, he likes colored tree lights, so every other Christmas, we take turns.  This year it's my turn to have white lights on our tree. Neither of us said anything about this to Jellybean.  Well, we had bought our tree last Saturday and my honey-man put up its lights late the following Sunday night while our Jellybean was fast asleep.  The next morning, coming downstairs for the first time of that morning, she sees the tree all lit up and her face falls into a look of confusion... "Where are all the colors?"  And my honey-man whips around and points at me, "Ha!"

I'm looking for my wallet and can't find it anywhere:  Jellybean knows I'm looking for my wallet, and I've explained we cannot leave until we find it.  She's been watching me very closely, following me around, even trying to help me look for it, and she realizing that I'm getting a bit panicked...  "Mommie, are you upset?" Me - "Yes, sweets, I'm getting frustrated because I'm looking everywhere and I still can't find my wallet, and I cannot leave for work until I find it."  She smiles at me, mischieviously, "Mommie, I know where you're wallet is..."  - - - the short of what follows this admission is that she tells me with great enthusiasm that she threw it in the trash, and then looks at me all coy, when I don't respond well to this idea.  I calmly ask her if she really did throw it in the trash (I do not believe her), and she confirms, emphatically, "Yes, yes I did." I ask her if she's really telling me the truth, and she tilts her head to the side, squints her eyes and instead asks me if I think it's funny. I tell her, "No, it's not funny at all. If you threw my wallet in the trash, mommie would be super upset." She thinks about this for a couple seconds, shrugs her shoulders, and walks over to me and takes my head, "I'm sorry, mommie. I didn't throw your wallet in the trash. I just want you to relax mommie and laugh. Let's help you find your wallet. We'll find it, mommie, don't worry." (She's totally spoon feeding me my own approach to her own lil' moments of panic.)
Later, after giving up on the wallet search, we're in the car and I find my wallet, fallen underneath the middle console - - "I'm so happy for you mommie!", she beams.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Must Write this Recipe Down: Sinful Potato Soup

My honey-man's number one complaint about my cooking would be this:  I'm always making up my own recipes - - and I never write them down.  After tonight's dinner, it was demanded that I write this one up and pronto.

SINFUL POTATO SOUP:  Makes enough for 4-6 people.  To be prepared the day/night before you intend to eat it, so that the stock and seasonings are well infused into the potatoes... Note the actual ingredients have been bolded to help identify the needed items for one's shopping list.

4-5 large Shepody potatoes = you need 8 cups, thinly diced = also amounts to about 2 lbs.

The Specifics on the Dicing: Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 3/4"-thick, fry-like long pieces, about 12-16 per potato... Keep these long pieces all stacked atop each other and then cut them together crosswise into 1/8"-thick, thinly diced pieces . . . think small Scrabble pieces!  But be careful with your knife!
The Specifics on Shepody Potatoes: Larger and more elongated potatoes are easiest to cut/dice the aforementioned way.  In terms of potato quality, the potatoes for this recipe need a sturdy yet thin skin, and they also need a texture that will retain some firmness when cooked in liquid... Red potatoes lose their skins too easily, while the skins of Russets and Idahoans are too thick/rough. Furthermore, Reds, Russets and Idahoans, they are all too grainy, too starchy in texture, better for baking or for potato salads. A 'white' potato is best for this soup. If one can't find Shepody potatoes, Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn can substitute, but their smaller, rounder shape make them more difficult to dice like mini-Scrabble pieces.  For the total cooking geek (that would be me): Try this LINK re: Shepody potatoes.

As you're dicing up the potatoes, keep the diced potatoes barely submerged in 3-4 cups of cold water plus 1 teas. either Rice vinegar or White distilled vinegar to both prevent browning and to help the potatoes retain their shape during the cooking. The vinegar is a trick I learned via Cooks Illustrated. Once done with the dicing, throw the potatoes along with their water into a 5-6 quart stock pot on medium heat. Keep in mind that later on you'll need to be able to cover this pot with a lid and store it overnight in your refrigerator.

Immediately add 32oz of chicken stock - I use salt free, free range organic stock; I swear good stock makes all the difference!
As you prepare the rest of the following ingredients, allow the potatoes and stock to reach a gentle rolling simmer - - but do NOT bring it to a full boil!  Reduce the heat once the mix begins to boil. Hard boiling bursts the starch cells of the potatoes, resulting in a mushy, grainy soup texture -- another lesson learned via Cooks Illustrated.


3 small/regular shallots or 2 large shallots, finely minced = aim between 1/4 cup n' a 1/3 cup
Note: Shallots provide a nuttier flavor than onions and they nearly dissolve into the soup.
1/2 teas. white pepper
1 teas. freshly ground/cracked pepper (rainbow mix with green, red, white and black is best)
1/4 teas. red pepper flakes
1 teas. kosher salt (or to taste)

Place all the above ingredients into the pot with the potatoes and stock on medium-low heat for a gentle, rolling simmer, stirring maybe 2 or 3 times over the duration. The pot should be left uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce.  I must repeat:  DO NOT BOIL! 

From the beginning of the cook time, to end when you'll turn off the heat, the potatoes should simmer for about 40 minutes, give or take, just until tender - - but NOT long enough for them to fall apart if stabbed with a fork. You can easily do other things about the kitchen while the stuff simmers. There's no need to watch over the pot.

Let the pot cool to a slightly warm temp - - cool enough that placing it in your refrigerator won't devastate the temperature of your fridge. So yeah, once significantly cooler, cover the pot and keep overnight in the fridge.  NOTE of REASSURANCE:  Don't worry if it doesn't smell all too great just yet.  It will be amazing once fully created!  I promise!

About 30 minutes before you want to serve your soup, place the pot on medium heat, still covered so as to help speed the re-heat, stirring maybe once or twice until it reaches a strong simmer - - we still don't want any uber bubbling boil here! Did I mention NO BOILING?! Once a steady simmer is reached, reduce the heat for a gently rolling simmer for about 10-15 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let it cool for about 5 minutes.

Next, you'll want to mash about 1 cup's worth of the potatoes somehow... either strain out some with a slotted spoon and mash 'em with a fork and return them to the pot, OR do what I do:  I have a long handled potato masher and I simply stick it down into the pot for 2-3 smashes into the pot's bottom. 

This last part requires a whisk: First dump in 1/2 c. real sour cream - - the full fat, tangy kind; this is no time for wimpy 'lite' sour cream people! Quickly whisk-mix it in and allow it to bring down the temperature of the pot.
Next, throw in an entire 8 oz. block, plus 4 oz. more, of cream cheese. Oh yes! And whisk, whisk, whisk until all the cream cheese has melted.  It may look a bit chunky/curdled at first, but keep whisking it and will smooth out as you continue to whisk at it. Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes, give or take.

Serve with a lil' Tabasco sprinkled on top each serving, or with some cheese shreds, or some freshly ground pepper.  Buttered, toasted sourdough bread is fabulous -more like essential- for dipping!

From October 13th: Understanding Paternal Parentage

Yesterday, my lil' Jellybean squeals in the car while on our way home, "My Grandpa Billy is my great-grandpa and he's Popa's daddy! And I love him! And my Popa, he is MY Popa! And Popa is YOUR daddy, and Popa, he's MY grandpa! And I LOVE HIM!"

She's two and a half. 

P.S. Is 'parentage' a word?

For the Love of Kitty-Kats ~ #21

"No matter how much the cats fights, there always seem to be plenty of kittens."

- Abraham Lincoln

For the Love of Kitty-Kats ~ #20

"One cat just leads to another."

- Ernest Hemmingway

Me & Taxes

Back in 2008, soon after Obama's election as President, I wrote this post.  Well, here's a kind of repeat of that same post with a few minor modifications, focusing more upon the issue of taxation:

First of all, before I say anything more, I must say that I do recognize there are A LOT of different perspectives out there, each with their own legitimate and personal issues at stake, and I also recognize many of those perspective out there, they do not pertain to me.

Because of those in my family who came before me, foremost, and the efforts of my own parents with their combined educations and cultural and familial backgrounds, their places of employment and their earning power, we could always afford to live in places with good neighborhoods, where I always had access to a backyard and plenty of playmates to run around with, and I always had a parent at home with me during my school years. And because we always lived in good neighborhoods with a mother at home, I had no problems achieving a solid education via the public schools I attended in Salt Lake City, UT, Billings, MT, and Cedar Rapids, IA. Nor did I ever have any problems seeking and attaining a higher education, including a masters degree.

Not ever was I denied proper health care as a child. As an adult, I have never been unable to seek and attain proper health care, always able to afford it, having always reaped the benefits of fantastic health insurance programs via the places of my employment. Overall, I have never been unable to receive the care I need, whether it be medical or therapeutic or even psychological in nature.

I have also never been denied public services of any kind based upon either my ethnicity or my socioeconomic status, nor because I simply did not know what was available to me.

I have never been unable to feed myself. I have always enjoyed clean drinking water and clean bathing water and proper sewage treatment. I have always lived with a roof over my head, cool in the summers and warm in the winters, with more than enough clothing to cover my backside however way I want to cover it.

I have never had to give up a child out of wedlock or for any other reason, nor have I ever had to raise a child by myself.

I have never been a victim of violent public crime.

This list could go on and on and on... My point thus far is this: I count myself to be a very fortunate person in this world; ALL of my basic needs in life, they have all been met.

Moreover, I have more than enough in my life, so much so, I can actually acquire things I WANT, beyond basic need... I call these things the 'Luxuries in Life,' such as the following: Cars, cell phones, TVs, DVDs, mp3s and CDs, music players, make-up and nail polish, smelly bubble bath and scented body scrubs, books to read, paints to paint crafty things, knitting supplies, a hefty, an impressive heavy duty sewing machine, THIRTEEN different pairs of black shoes [flat mary janes, Dansko clogs, flat sandals, 2 pairs of wedge heel Sofft sandals, sling back high heels, 2 different pairs of dress wedge heels, zip-up ankle boots, lace-up boots, and a pair of winter-weather Goretex boots], trips out of state, ski trips to Keystone, airfare to anywhere, multiple hand bags and multiple purses [I can't even attempt to count those], a gazillion jackets and coats [paisley ski coat, plus an extra red ski coat, black pea coat, red pea coat, blue raincoat, orange windbreaker, denim jacket, khaki jacket, red trench, woolen tweed trench, light cotton gray hoodie, dark gray sweatshirt hoodie, woolen Irish hooded cardigan, blue pullover fleece, red fleece vest, pink fleece vest, black quilted ski vest, wine-colored blazer, etc. etc.], new light fixtures to match our living room lamps, a 6-cushion couch that has a queen size hide-a-bed, matching wool-woven couch pillows, a Kitchen Aid mixing machine, a blender, a food processor, a mini-food processor, a waffle iron, a heart-shaped waffle iron, a potato ricer, a lime squeezer, a nutmeg grater... you get the point? This list, it too, could go on and on and on... And none of the aforementioned items are in any way essential to life. They are all WANTS; none of them are truly needs. 

Have I earned these aforementioned luxuries? Well, I can afford them, yes... and so, does that mean I've earned them? I've worked hard to be able to afford these things. Mind you, many have been given to me as well, and my honey-man and I, we have bought some things together... so I certainly haven't acquired all these things all on my own, and I wouldn't have any of them without certain basics having come first. But I DO gots allll the basics: the basics of life are not an issue for me, see? And do we make more than $100K a year? Hell no.

So, about the issue of proposing tax hikes for those making however-much, $$$,$$$+ or more a year? and whether or not that would be fair?  Are you kidding me?  This is a question when the majority of U.S. citizens carry the greatest tax burden, so disproportionately? Simply put, my issue is there are more people out there who are living 'without' than with.  Not just people who are struggling to make ends meet, but people who are truly suffering; there are millions of people who's needs are not being met. And with all the wealth in the world, how can this be?

SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: When I was an active Mormon, I paid 10% of my income as a tithe to the LDS Church, no questions asked. I used to think of it as my way of helping out, doing my part to better society and my fellowmen and fellow church members. And now? Although no longer active in the LDS church, I still think I should be helping out, especially when my own needs are met well beyond need. Now, taxes, they have always been a part of how I contribute to the 'general effort,' so they're a given; I have no other choice and I don't have control over how my tax dollars are spent, although I never had control over how the LDS Church spent my tithing money either. Am I getting off point? My point: I don't mind paying taxes = It's how I contribute. I do more than that to 'contribute' though, directly dolling out a couple thousand $ a year to charities I choose, plus the volunteer time I give to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Cancer Society. But the tax money? I can't mind the taxes when my own needs are met.

I have tried to imagine what my life would be like if we made $$$,$$$ a year... and man, the excess is truly hard to imagine, although I'm certain we'd find ways to spend it, especially if and when we add to our family. It's easy to spend money when you have it. It's hard to say how we would feel about a higher tax rate if we made over $$$,$$$, even though that amount would place us in a totally different tax bracket, levels above where we are now. I think we honestly couldn't mind it though --the higher tax rate, I mean-- and that's because fundamentally, speaking of myself and my honey-man, we believe that people are meant to take care of each other, and we should help take care of others, and that means EVERYONE who's in need whether they're working hard for their daily bread or living off the system, even if it means taking more away from what I've worked so hard to earn for myself.  That's fine with me because I already have more than enough.

For a couple years now, I've been trying really hard to dwell daily upon how grateful I am -or should be- for all that we have, and all the good fortune of my family and friends, and to also be grateful for those things that I don't want that I don't have. I'm hopeful that such continued focus will further lighten my load.

oh yeah, and this global economy and the state of our nation? I'd like to be hopeful, but I think that until powerful higher ups quit trying to line their coffers at the expense of others, the gap between the poor man and the rich man will further widen, and our people as a majority will suffer more and more.

For the Love of Kitty Kats ~ #19

Happy is the home with at least one cat.

-Italian Proverb

Ahh, Makes me Think of Crazy Days of Youth, Fearless

FRAMED-Andi Wittmann Rider profile from Felix Urbauer on Vimeo.
SHOULD BE VIEWED as FULL SCREEN! 

Lil' Mister Curious aka our Owen

For the Love of Kitty Kats ~ #18

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."

-Leonardo DaVinci

Eat Your Veggies!

I've smothered 'them' in cheese, I've hid them in flaky pastry, and I've dipped 'em in every dip imaginable and in every delectable cream sauce there is. Nonetheless, our Jellybean, who used to love broccoli and peas and carrots and sweet potatoes as a baby, alas, she will not eat her veggies... She's sick tonight, waking every 30-40 minutes, so I'm up, researching "toddlers eating veggies" - - somehow I don't think this is gonna cut it:

http://youtu.be/KmjLqddPqZQ

18 Months Old: Part I of II

This post was left in my 'DRAFTS', untouched since October 1st, 2010. Yeah.  Although it was never finished and it's a little over a year since it'd been written, it's initial subject should still be dealt with, even a year + later...

It's time to get something out of the way officially... before I continue gushing about just how cute my 18 month old daughter is!

Over the past few months, I've come to realize many of our out of state family and friends who follow my blogging have mistakenly come to believe 'baby sweet potato girl' or the simplified 'sweet potato' is the active nickname we use at home for our lil' girlie, when we do not, not at all. So, from now on, I'll refer to her as my "Jellybean," capitalized to give it proper noun status.

EXPLANATION FOR THIS CHANGE AND THE HISTORY INVOLVED: First of all, I don't want family to feel embarrassed if and when they refer to our girlie using 'sweet potato' and we respong looking utterly perplexed. Secondly, our 'baby sweet potato girl' is no longer a baby. She has become a fledgling toddler, amping up her new found running skills and talking up a storm, adding new words to her spoken vocabulary, all on a daily basis. Originally "baby sweet potato girl" came from a sonogram appointment, during which we were told our babe inutero was about the size of a sweet potato.  This size reference stuck as a nickname, but only here in the blogosphere has it been used beyond the mere 2-3 weeks our babe was of sweet potato size. At home, our 'baby sweet potato' is instead known by a variety of nicknames, like Punky, Boo-Boo, Sweets, and most frequently, with the greatest adoration, "Juli-bean," spoken much like 'jellybean' but with the 'J' pronounced as it would be if speaking with a French accent... spoken like the French word "jous" and the 's' is silent there, those strange Frenchies and their silent word-ending consonants.

Back to now, October 17, 2011: After writing the above explanation (that was written over a year ago - - oh, did I mention that part already?), I never continued with the rest of the post, which was meant to go on and on and on about how awesome my lil' babe was at 18 months of age.  She is now 2 n' a 1/2 yrs old, and she's only gotten unbelievably more awesome over the past year. I could go on and on and on, as to how unbelievably awesome she is. Have I ever mentioned how awesome my lil' Jellybean is?

Her Latest Top Ten - Keep in Mind, She's only 2 n' a Half Years Old

My toddler's latest Top Ten List, her most favorite song(s) listed first:

1) Firework by Katy Perry TIED NECK N' NECK with the cover of Sing by Pink Martini - - If you ask her for her favorite song, just one, she'll tell you both 'Firework' and 'Sing,' every time.
2) Bad Romance by Lady GaGa - - Both my honey-man and I, we cannot believe how much she enjoys this song.
3) Here It Goes Again by OkGo TIED NECK N' NECK with Always on My Mind by The Pet Shop Boys
It should be noted that the first time she heard 'Here It Goes Again,' she interrupted the song about 30 seconds into it, yelling at me from her car sear, very frustrated, telling me that "They're singing too much! Too many words, momma! I don't know what he's saying momma! What's he saying!?!"
4) Hot n' Cold by Katy Perry - - She calls this Katy's Elmo song, having seen on YouTube Katy Perry's Sesame Street spoof of Hot n' Cold with Elmo. 
5) Rolling in the Deep by Adele - - For now, this one barely has an edge over Adele's Rumor Has It...
6) Rumor Has It by Adele - - Lots of head banging and sing-along for this one. 
7) Monster by Lady GaGa - - To ask for this one, she says, "Momma, I want 'That Boy is a Monster' please?"
8) Victor Vito by Laurie Berkner
9) Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
10) Twinkle Little Star by Jewel

NOTE:  "Mayor John" is no longer listed amongst her top ten.

A New Kind of Tired

ANOTHER unpublished post from 2010 - I missed the original date before re-opening the draft:

Now that our lil' sweet potato has joined the toddlers group, she just goes, goes, goes, all day long! They do have an afternoon nap time - - yesterday she napped for nearly TWO WHOLE HOURS = crappy napper, no more! On the way home,c come the end of her day at school though, for the past week now, she has been an utterly exhausted, whiny little thing! Honestly, after dinner and a bath, she's been ready for bed by 6:15pm or sooner, and this has been the case every night since she began her 'Stars' class last week. No joke!

Our very own Lil' Gandhi

Another post left unpublished, written March 4th, 2010, rediscovered tonight:

Our baby sweet potato is trying to learn how best to assert herself...

At about 6 months of age, a relatively long time ago for the life of a about-to-be-one-year old, our lil' sweet potato learned that if screaming to get what she wants or doesn't want will not work --and it doesn't-- she'd have to try out other options in an effort to get her way: Sickeningly sweet politeness; batting her eyelashes; smiling all demure-like; patting my cheek; patting my hand; offering me kisses and hugs (BRIBES!); asking the question a gazillion times over and over, hoping the answer will change; stomping her feet; stomping one foot; slapping her hand(s) on the kitchen table; tossing something at us (that SoOOOooO did NOT work); pointing her lil' pointer finger menacingly at us (which only elicited giggles from her parents); rolling her eyes dismissively (I have no idea where she got that from); and asking again 2 minutes later, or again an hour later, or the next day; etc. etc.

Most recently, for the last couple days, she's decided that to procure her desired results, she'll exercise her right to peaceful protest: She won't eat.

I know she's been sick for the last week, but what I'm talking about here, her not eating? - - this kind of resistance effort on her part, it is something else entirely different that dealing with a picky eater. She'll eat a Cheerio off the floor, but not one offered to her from either me or her daddy. She'll try over and over and over to drink her bath tubby water, but not a sip of water from an offered drinking cup. She wants to watch a 'Signing Times' DVD, "Now please, mommie," while we're in the middle of breakfast or dinner, and she'll just sit there, saying and signing that she's all done, ready to watch her show now, saying and signing "please."  And we refuse to negotiate. And so she has sat, not eating.

We'll see how long she can wait it out. My bet is that she'll be trying something new by tomorrow morning, seeing as her lil' hunger strikes haven't yet worked to her advantage.

Everyday I'm Shufflin'

I just love, love, love this video's concept, and I think these guys, in all their ridiculousness, are totally hilarious. It's great comic relief - - I'm sorry, but I just love this! And I cannot wait to set on the couch with laptop ready, video in queue, to share this with our angel boy-O when he's next in town. He's gunna die for this!

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 71

Because my honey-man 'loses' things all the time, to discover later on that had it been a snake, it would have bit him square on the a**!

The latest -and he ain't EVER gonna live this one down...

For over a month my honey-man's e-reader had been MIA... and for the last month +, he had repeatedly implied I was at fault for its disappearance, and at one point, he flat out accused me, that I must have stashed it somewhere.  Quite dismissively, often laughing at him, I repeatedly told him that the last I'd seen it was when I'd handed it right to him, telling him to put it somewhere safe... it had been sitting on the kitchen counter.

Over the last few weeks, some of the suggestions I'd offered him as to its possible whereabouts...
Backpack?
Bedside table?
Office desk drawers?
Upstairs desk drawers?
Your car?
Downstairs bathroom magazine rack?
Book bag?


So he calls me yesterday - - "What's the most outrageous place where I could find my Kindle?"

Me: Top drawer of your desk?
"Worse," he says.
Me: Beneath your keyboard? 
"Worse than that," he says. "Think on my person everyday."
Me: What!?!
"Yeah. How about inside my backpack all this time."

I laughed so hard that all my staff came to check and see if I was okay.

Pho, Pho, Pho

I've rediscovered pho! Mmmm... spicy pho! For a second lunch in a row now, my sinuses are wide open, perfectly clear!

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 70

Because he told me my from-scratch blueberry muffins 'kick ass.'

"Twain Rings Twoo" or "I Love What He Has to Say-Say" or Sumthin' like that

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."

-Mark Twain

The Night Before Last

Lying belly-down on the front room couch, spoken softly and sweetly, but as if she's dying, pleading with me, my lil' Pipsqueak tries the following:

Pipsqueak: "Momma?"

Me (upbeat): Yes, punky? Whassup?

Pipsqueak: "Mahhhmma?" -short pause to see if I'm looking at her, which I am- "Momma, I neeeed a pohhpsicle."

Me (still upbeat, smiling at her with a look of amusement): Ohhh really? you think you neeeed a popsicle?

Pipsqueak (still dying, still lying on the couch): "Oh yeeessss, Momma, I neeeed a popsicle right nooow -long pause- please?"

It should be noted that her 'please' was spoken in the most cheery tone imaginable, paired with the cutest flash of uber toothy grin she could produce... lil' stinker!

Love & Friendship

Love is blind, and friendship closes its eyes.

The Retelling of Our Day

After getting my lil' pee wee home today, after only her 2nd day spent in a new class group --she's utterly exhausted from all the excitement of being in a new class-- We'd had dinner, had a shower, gotten our PJs on, brushed teeth, and read 6 books together, and then it was lights out, at which time, we rocked together in her bedroom's rocking chair, recounting the day's events while I tickled her back and her right arm. At some point in my retelling of her day, my mind began to drift towards my own bed, and I think I may have let myself ramble off topic, but not for long, as she turned right 'round to me, looking puzzled, and she asked me, "Mommie, what are you talking about?"

Good to know she's paying attention.

Owen's Kitty Heaven

Owen, getting in touch with his fairy princess side. He loves to hang out in our girlie's dress-up bin!

So Many Unknowns

It's funny how as I get older, from one year to the next, from month to month even, I realize more and more how little I know, yet we all THINK we know. SO much of my life is a total unknown. I can try -pretend- I know what we're going to be doing or planning and what's gunna happen -what the outcome will be- but I have almost ZERO control over my future.

There are so many variables I ignore, variables that define my life and my limits. And then there are the limits I create for myself, in my mind's eye, painting myself into a box, failing to look beyond what I think has to be this way or that. I'm babbling, kinda --

Anyhow, I've been trying to STOP pretending I know so much about where we've been and where we're going. I can hope and strive and make goals and make plans, but so little of it is in my control. I'm trying to be more aware of all that I'm afraid of and let go of those things that I have no control over.

Preventative measures have been my forte for years, but I'm discovering more and more that I waste so much time preparing for what might happen, trying to control what might happen. Too much time, too many resources, far too much focus and WAY TOO MUCH OF MY ENERGY is spent thinking about what could happen, with my trying to control those outcomes.

I'm rambling a bit here, I know.

I guess I needed to get it out there, that I'm trying to let go, to enjoy and to live more in the here and now, to accept those things that will happen that I can or cannot plan for, to accept there's so much I cannot control. I can't fret my life away anymore. And I cannot focus so much upon all that's wrong with the world - -because there's a great deal of good going on as well, and I'm a part of the good stuff going on. No, I'm not curing cancer, but I'm doing good.

All my screw-ups to date, they've made me who I am. In no way am I perfect and there's a TON of room for improvements, yes, but generally speaking, I'm a happy person and I do like myself (most of the time). As my honey-man told me just last night, each day is a chance to do my best, despite yesterday.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 69

Because he spent the whole of the weekend getting reacquainted with me --our first weekend spent together in 5 weeks' time.

Only this Size in Ootah

Found this sitting in 'Drafts,' sent via Blackberry, from our July 4th weekend:

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Post-Tonsillectomy: What I Did & Didn't Do

Clearly, I did NOT blog... More on this soon.

For the Love of Kitty Kats ~ #17

A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes.

-Indian Proverb

The Long Awaited Tonsillectomy

Wednesday of this week, I'll be getting my long awaited (for 20 years now) tonsillectomy! woo-hoo! Yuppers, indeedy, so by Friday or so, stuck at home, I should be getting real caught up with my blogging! Full report (or not, depending upon the level of grossness) later! Wish me luck!!

Nearly Two

This was to be shared on March 7th of this year, but we were caught up in other things soon after it was taken. It should still be shared, I think:

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Human Differences

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Yup, They're Still Cute

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

For the Love of Kitty Kats ~ #16

"The smallest feline is a masterpiece."

- Leonardo Da Vinci

For the Love of Kitty Kats ~ #15

Who doesn't relish the scent of a fragrant blossom?

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

'Slipper Genie' Mopping Shoesies

I have the adult, non-animal face adorned, but also hot pink version of these 'Slipper Genie' cleaning shoes, and my daughter has coveted them since she first laid eyes on them... but see, these below are now what my lil' sweet potato has as her own 'mopping shoesies' with which she can help mommie clean our kitchen tile floors! She loves to help me mop -it's hysterically cute- but she always slipped on the wet floor, until now! With her very own pair of 'Kids Slipper Genie', she's a slip-free mopping professional.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Breakfast of Champions!

Hummus n' crackers, Breakfast of Champions!

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Her Favoritest Fluffy Lil' Friends

Over the last year, some definite favorite stuffed animals and/or dollies have become apparent and remained favorites, now that my lil' Juli-bean is two years old. I find it interesting to see 'who' she's most attached to and would like to make note of her faves now, to see someday down the road which of them survey on her list of favorites.

Going in rank order, beginning with her #1 favorite:

1. 'Merry' - This is her little brunette, red-dressed Carters doll, given to her for her first Christmas in 2009 as her first babydoll. Parts of Merry's darling ensemble are red and white candy striped tights and little brown mary jane shoes. "Merry Christmas" is embroidered in green thread on the front of Merry's dress. Merry is entirely soft with felt-like plush skin and her red dress is a fine red velour, which my daughter tickles between with her fingers in her sleep. There's also white furry trim at the cuffs and hem of Merry's dress, and she wears a red velour cap with the white furry trim sewn around its brim as well. My lil' babe dearly adores her 'Merry' and wants to take her in the car on the way to school, and she wants to sleep with her nightly. She shows Merry all the donuts in Krispy Kreme's display case, among other things for which she holds great enthusiasm. Whenever we travel, Merry goes along. I recently decided buying a 2nd, back-up 'Merry' was well overdue, so yesterday I found and bought one on eBay, already shipped out this morning.

2. 'Chuckie' - this is a darling pale mauvish-pink piggy made by JellyCat, made out of a material that can only best described as super thick, matte chenille-like corduroy. One of my honey-man's brothers from Montreal, he was here for some business in March, and brought him along as a gift. Although a relatively new addition to her brood of stuffed friends, Chuckie is a clear favorite right now, insisting sometimes over Merry, that Chuckie sleep with her in her crib. She often likes to take him along wherever we go, and she'll hold him up, atop her shoulders - - like she does on her mommie and/or daddy's shoulders, she says. I'm gunna have to find a picture of this! Done. It's absolutely precious. Like Merry, she loves to show Chuckie everything.


3. 'Bun-bun' - this is what we call her 'buddy blanket' bunny made by Bunnies By the Bay - - and we bought her a 2nd one of these as her back up over a year ago. One is kept in my car at all times and the second one is kept in her crib at all times -- TO BE CONTINUED

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 68

Because we haven't seen a movie in a theater in ages (as he's been working too many nights for several months now, and our available and free babysitters have been scarce), he's been insisting nearly every day for nearly 3 weeks now that I go see a movie with my uncle, even offering to come home from work so he can to watch our lil' girlie so I'd be able to go. Last Thursday, we'd finally made plans for last night to go see Thor, but my uncle had a change in plans kinda last minute.

So my honey-man, he just sent me a text offering again to come home and watch the girlie so that I can go see a movie for tonight.

Why I Love Mah Honey-Man ~ Reason 67

Because he will never completely dry himself off after he showers -only his face- as he tells me, he just likes to "air dry", and this always cracks me up because it so seems like something some absented-minded teenage boy would do. And if he puts on a night shirt, it'll stick to his still-wet skin. In fact, this whole scenario, it's exactly like Bill Cosby's adolescent son as described in his "Bill Cosby Himself" feature.

For the Love of Kitty Kats ~ #14

"The cat loves fish but hates wet feet."

- Proverb

For the Love of Kitty Kats ~ #13

"Dreams are necessary to life."

- Anais Nin