I'm probably not going to make it until 9 o'clock tonight. JM was put to bed at 6. We are tired. We spent Wednesday through today in Dallas with lots of family time with Mike's siblings and their families and Mike's mom's side of the family. I am thankful for much this Thanksgiving season, and I am feeling especially grateful for having an extended family whom I genuinely like. It was a nice weekend.
Um, there were 80 people at Mike's Aunt Judy's for Thanksgiving dinner. Aunt Judy's house is not a banquet hall, nor is it anywhere close to a mansion. The S. family Thanksgiving consists of portable banquet tables set up all over the house, such as in the entryway and garage and LOTS of food. I swear there were 15 different side dishes to choose from and nothing I tried was not delicious. Nothing I tried was healthy, either, whether it be the green bean casserole, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes or pie. Thankfully, the weather was nice and the kids could play outside all day. Mike went to the Cowboys game with his dad, brother and brother-in-law and left us with the family for 5 or so hours and I felt quite comfortable on my own with the in-laws.
Highlights from the rest of the weekend include a lovely day at Joe and Pam's in Southlake where I stuffed myself on crack dip and pizza and sat in a lawn chair in the sun chatting for 2 hours, our annual holiday lunch at the Mermaid Room at Neiman Marcus at North Park (JM didn't embarass us too much) and sitting on the 50 yard line at the Baylor Tech game at Cowboys Stadium (seats our friend Meg got and we will probably never see again). Today as we were packing up the car, JM had a meltdown such as I have never seen before, a sure signal too much fun had been had and it was time to go home!
We are blessed!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Dancin machine
I think it's pretty safe to say that nothing could make me happier on a Monday morning than watching this. Someone apparently likes Janet Jackson! These are some moves we've never seen!
AC: creativity
AC: creativity
Saturday, November 21, 2009
First haircut
Sire's hair was getting long over the ears, so we made an appointment with Aunt Belinda at JC Penney's. Armed with Dum Dums, we set out into the rain. He was a little suspect at first, but once the lollipops came out, he really didn't seem to mind what was happening on top. He didn't cry at all! Then again, Belinda also didn't use the "buzzer." He looks so grown up, now!
Before
Before
Thursday, November 19, 2009
10 on Thursday
I can't think of any big statements to make today, so I'll make a bunch of small ones.
1. Ever since ACL Fest, I have this thing for Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Back in their heyday in the 1990s, I never got into PJ, but now am appreciating their music on a whole new level. It all comes down to the fact that I love people that are passionate. During the show, Eddie was totally into his craft, swigging back wine from the bottle and obviously loving what he was doing. Back before Coldplay was trying way too hard to be cool, I fell similarly in love with Chris Martin during ACL (I guess, then, trying too hard trumps passion for me :) . Anyway, I love PJ's new song "Fix" they are playing on 101X. Love it.
2. This morning JM and I took our filthy car to a car wash where you have to get out of the car and walk through the shop to have it cleaned. Usually we just go through the cheapy gas station washes, but a surface level clean just wasn't going to cut it. The place we went has these little viewing stations where you can watch each step in the process and neon lights shine as the car goes through. JM loved seeing the different brushes and the cars being sprayed down with soap and rinsed with water. Being at a nice car wash like that with him reminds me of similar trips I used to take with my grandpa when I was little. My grandpa's car was always immaculate and smelled like brand-new leather and Wrigley's gum. His car was probably also meticulous through the child-rearing years, whereas my car has a buildup on the seats of crushed graham crackers and goldfish. Sorry, Grandpa. I am trying, though!
3. Lately JM will hold my hand and I love it. He will even hold onto it when we walk through a parking lot, which makes him seem way too grown up.
4. I have officially gotten out the Christmas music. Considering that there are so few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I want to make sure I get my listening time in. I confess that I actually paid .99 to download "Merry Merry Christmas" from the New Kids on the Block Christmas album circa 1988 yesterday.
5. Tonight I will be watching the Project Runway finale, but lacking the enthusiasm of past seasons. Ever since they moved the show from NY to LA and switched to Lifetime, the show has been one big snooze fest. The producers better kick it back up next season or I'm going to have a tough time watching going forward. This makes me sad because I really have so few shows I watch regularly on TV. Thank God, I've started watching Top Chef, which totally rocks in much the same way as old PR. Great show.
6. Today Auntie Lala, JM and I had lunch at Portabla on West 6th St. and driving home I noticed there is a new store called Big Shoes, specializing in large shoes for men. Is there really that big of a market for large shoes that they need a whole store devoted to it?
7. JM is currently taking amoxicillan for an ear infection he picked up last week and I can't find our big syringe to inject it into his mouth, so I've just been using a plastic teaspoon out of my baking supplies, which isn't all that interesting, but still makes me giggle a little.
8. Our friends the J's are going to have a new baby girl soon! Kim went to the doctor yesterday and at 37 weeks, she's 8! cm dialated and 90% effaced. Holy crap! That baby could fall out at any time! I wonder if her labor is going to be like 30 minutes. Hopefully they won't get caught on Mopac or anything... Anyway, we can't wait to meet the new little bundle, sounds like very soon!
9. I've been able to diffuse two temper tantrums today by making fun of JM. Yes, that's right I said TWO. He's got a little runny nose and also has a host of teeth coming in per the ped, so he's been a little sensitivo. Anyway, he started laughing both times. I'm sure it won't work every time, but it was effective.
10. Tomorrow is Friday! Can't wait!
1. Ever since ACL Fest, I have this thing for Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Back in their heyday in the 1990s, I never got into PJ, but now am appreciating their music on a whole new level. It all comes down to the fact that I love people that are passionate. During the show, Eddie was totally into his craft, swigging back wine from the bottle and obviously loving what he was doing. Back before Coldplay was trying way too hard to be cool, I fell similarly in love with Chris Martin during ACL (I guess, then, trying too hard trumps passion for me :) . Anyway, I love PJ's new song "Fix" they are playing on 101X. Love it.
2. This morning JM and I took our filthy car to a car wash where you have to get out of the car and walk through the shop to have it cleaned. Usually we just go through the cheapy gas station washes, but a surface level clean just wasn't going to cut it. The place we went has these little viewing stations where you can watch each step in the process and neon lights shine as the car goes through. JM loved seeing the different brushes and the cars being sprayed down with soap and rinsed with water. Being at a nice car wash like that with him reminds me of similar trips I used to take with my grandpa when I was little. My grandpa's car was always immaculate and smelled like brand-new leather and Wrigley's gum. His car was probably also meticulous through the child-rearing years, whereas my car has a buildup on the seats of crushed graham crackers and goldfish. Sorry, Grandpa. I am trying, though!
3. Lately JM will hold my hand and I love it. He will even hold onto it when we walk through a parking lot, which makes him seem way too grown up.
4. I have officially gotten out the Christmas music. Considering that there are so few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, I want to make sure I get my listening time in. I confess that I actually paid .99 to download "Merry Merry Christmas" from the New Kids on the Block Christmas album circa 1988 yesterday.
5. Tonight I will be watching the Project Runway finale, but lacking the enthusiasm of past seasons. Ever since they moved the show from NY to LA and switched to Lifetime, the show has been one big snooze fest. The producers better kick it back up next season or I'm going to have a tough time watching going forward. This makes me sad because I really have so few shows I watch regularly on TV. Thank God, I've started watching Top Chef, which totally rocks in much the same way as old PR. Great show.
6. Today Auntie Lala, JM and I had lunch at Portabla on West 6th St. and driving home I noticed there is a new store called Big Shoes, specializing in large shoes for men. Is there really that big of a market for large shoes that they need a whole store devoted to it?
7. JM is currently taking amoxicillan for an ear infection he picked up last week and I can't find our big syringe to inject it into his mouth, so I've just been using a plastic teaspoon out of my baking supplies, which isn't all that interesting, but still makes me giggle a little.
8. Our friends the J's are going to have a new baby girl soon! Kim went to the doctor yesterday and at 37 weeks, she's 8! cm dialated and 90% effaced. Holy crap! That baby could fall out at any time! I wonder if her labor is going to be like 30 minutes. Hopefully they won't get caught on Mopac or anything... Anyway, we can't wait to meet the new little bundle, sounds like very soon!
9. I've been able to diffuse two temper tantrums today by making fun of JM. Yes, that's right I said TWO. He's got a little runny nose and also has a host of teeth coming in per the ped, so he's been a little sensitivo. Anyway, he started laughing both times. I'm sure it won't work every time, but it was effective.
10. Tomorrow is Friday! Can't wait!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
18 months!
How on earth did we flash forward from having a helpless little newborn to being parents of an 18 month-old? JM had his 18 month wellness check this morning and I am pleased to report that he is perfectly normal. So far, knock on wood, we haven't had any sicknesses the past few months that required a doctor visit and our office doesn't do a 15 month check, so it was fun to see how much JM has grown since 12 months. He is 33" tall (if you can count the oh so unscientifc way they measure these children with a yard stick) and 75% for height. I was actually pretty surprised that he wasn't as heavy as I thought, 26 lbs 5 oz, which is 55% for weight. He was 75th percentile at our 1 year appointment, but he has gotten a lot taller and leaner the past few months and more boy-like (sniff, sniff). Considering that he eats and seems very energetic and healthy I am not worried about the weight at all. Not surprising is his gigantic melon, which is a whopping 85th percentile.
They were pleased with his mental capacities, as well as physical. He is saying a lot of words. No sentences, yet, unless you count "ah done." New this week are onion, cool (like in totally), mind (I told him to use his imagination and mind to play since mama was washing windows and he mimicked "miiiine?"), orange, pumpkin, berry, Bella (he used to say it, but it went away for a few months and has resurfaced as "bad dah").
The doctor doesn't even want to see us for another 6 months! It's strange to go from going in every few weeks it seems the first year, to every 6 months the second!
It was actually chilly this morning, so JM and I came home and bundled up and did some leaves in the yard. So far, this hat from LL Bean is a keeper in that it covers his ears and he kept it on!
AC: humour
They were pleased with his mental capacities, as well as physical. He is saying a lot of words. No sentences, yet, unless you count "ah done." New this week are onion, cool (like in totally), mind (I told him to use his imagination and mind to play since mama was washing windows and he mimicked "miiiine?"), orange, pumpkin, berry, Bella (he used to say it, but it went away for a few months and has resurfaced as "bad dah").
The doctor doesn't even want to see us for another 6 months! It's strange to go from going in every few weeks it seems the first year, to every 6 months the second!
It was actually chilly this morning, so JM and I came home and bundled up and did some leaves in the yard. So far, this hat from LL Bean is a keeper in that it covers his ears and he kept it on!
AC: humour
Thursday, November 12, 2009
My lil buddy
Life for us has settled into a happy little boring routine. One of the best things about being home with JM is that there are some days that I can afford to actually slow down and soak in the wonder that is this child that I get to hang out with. It's actually quite incredible that he's here. I do all the normal things that I did prior to him being here, like for example this morning, when I was trying to put on my makeup and brush my teeth. Now, though, it's a completely different. Doing my makeup takes twice as long, as he goes through my drawer and throws things like nail files all over the place, tries to eat the top off my moisturizer and plays with my eyelash curler. His new favorite thing is to sit in our 1960's style built-in laundry shoot, while I open and shut the door and play peek-a-boo with him. His whole sweet existence really just fills my heart. I never want to forget when he could fit in the laundry shoot or when he came up to me and hugged me for no reason or the cute way he says "ice" with a lisp. Or anything, really. These are the best days.
AC: light
AC: light
Sunday, November 08, 2009
MB's anatomy
Hello, neglected blog readers! We are still here, just not getting here as much as I'd like to be.
My exciting news from last week is that I am not dying. Last Monday I had this serious chest pain that extended from my heart to my shoulder. It went away and kept coming back so I thought it was just that I had pulled a muscle. On the advice of a nurse Nestie who saw me mention chest pain and feared I might be having some heart problems, I called my doctor and they got me in for an appointment. Thursday morning I had my first EKG, which was normal. They gave me a blood test. They sent me off for a leg ultrasound that afternoon to rule out any clotting/stroke issues. Ultrasound was normal. I was thinking I was scot free and putting on my makeup to attend Kim J's baby shower when my doctor called and told me to rush to the ER, as my blood test for inflamation had come back elevated and there was a risk of a blood clot in my lungs.
Um, for the record, if your doctor calls you into the ER mentioning the words CHEST PAIN and potential clotting, you don't have to wait for 3 hours to get in. You are put in a wheelchair and admitted and hooked up immediately. I was FREAKING.OUT. I've been watching way too many Grey's Anatomy episodes lately where someone goes in for something that should be easily treatable and they wind up dying in some dramatic way with blood spurting out all over the place. Because of JM, I also had to drive myself to the hospital admitting myself alone totally building up my anxiety in my head and almost making myself pass out with worry. And, did I mention that I am a total hypochondriac and glass half empty-type of person? Thankfully, my mom and Art and Peter came over and stayed with JM, so that Mike could come be with me and calm me down (which he did, love him).
Anyway, a battery of tests later and it was an exciting evening in the ER. My 2nd blood test came back normal. Why it was elevated 5 hours before and then normal later, my doctor couldn't say. Sure enough, I was fine. All that build-up and wondering if I was having a heart attack, stroke or something else and sure enough, I had really just pulled a muscle, after all! It was a lot of rigamarole, but it makes me especially glad to be a healthy 33 year-old! Let's hope there are no more trips to the ER anytime, soon!
My exciting news from last week is that I am not dying. Last Monday I had this serious chest pain that extended from my heart to my shoulder. It went away and kept coming back so I thought it was just that I had pulled a muscle. On the advice of a nurse Nestie who saw me mention chest pain and feared I might be having some heart problems, I called my doctor and they got me in for an appointment. Thursday morning I had my first EKG, which was normal. They gave me a blood test. They sent me off for a leg ultrasound that afternoon to rule out any clotting/stroke issues. Ultrasound was normal. I was thinking I was scot free and putting on my makeup to attend Kim J's baby shower when my doctor called and told me to rush to the ER, as my blood test for inflamation had come back elevated and there was a risk of a blood clot in my lungs.
Um, for the record, if your doctor calls you into the ER mentioning the words CHEST PAIN and potential clotting, you don't have to wait for 3 hours to get in. You are put in a wheelchair and admitted and hooked up immediately. I was FREAKING.OUT. I've been watching way too many Grey's Anatomy episodes lately where someone goes in for something that should be easily treatable and they wind up dying in some dramatic way with blood spurting out all over the place. Because of JM, I also had to drive myself to the hospital admitting myself alone totally building up my anxiety in my head and almost making myself pass out with worry. And, did I mention that I am a total hypochondriac and glass half empty-type of person? Thankfully, my mom and Art and Peter came over and stayed with JM, so that Mike could come be with me and calm me down (which he did, love him).
Anyway, a battery of tests later and it was an exciting evening in the ER. My 2nd blood test came back normal. Why it was elevated 5 hours before and then normal later, my doctor couldn't say. Sure enough, I was fine. All that build-up and wondering if I was having a heart attack, stroke or something else and sure enough, I had really just pulled a muscle, after all! It was a lot of rigamarole, but it makes me especially glad to be a healthy 33 year-old! Let's hope there are no more trips to the ER anytime, soon!
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Trick or Treat
I thoroughly enjoyed watching our little bugger on Halloween this year. He seemed to really get into it.
We carved pumpkins.
Friday night we went to the Fall Festival at a neighborhood church and JM had a ball. He loved this little train the best and cried when it was over and all the way home.
He really enjoyed the trick or treating experience, letting himself into peoples' homes, biting bags of M&Ms in a vampire-like way trying to free the candy, running from house to house in his gnome costume and even kept his hat on! Peter and Sarah came over and seemed to enjoy sire in his element, as well. His costume seemed to be the hit of our street. My favorite part was watching him run in his costume. He looked like a little weeble wobble going from house to house, his little head bobbing in the hat and beard.
We carved pumpkins.
Friday night we went to the Fall Festival at a neighborhood church and JM had a ball. He loved this little train the best and cried when it was over and all the way home.
He really enjoyed the trick or treating experience, letting himself into peoples' homes, biting bags of M&Ms in a vampire-like way trying to free the candy, running from house to house in his gnome costume and even kept his hat on! Peter and Sarah came over and seemed to enjoy sire in his element, as well. His costume seemed to be the hit of our street. My favorite part was watching him run in his costume. He looked like a little weeble wobble going from house to house, his little head bobbing in the hat and beard.
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