Sunday, July 31, 2005

back!

Yeah, so the surprise went over OK. We went on an overnight trip to Memphis, primarily to see the 'Art of the Motorcycle' exhibit (which wasn't nearly what we expected----Tristan did like it, but was really distressed that no helmets were on display). Not much else while we were there, just decided that we definately don't want to live in that city.

So, my little sister (9 yo) is coming over to spend the day with us tomorrow. No idea what to do; hope I don't become the boring frumpy older sister in her eyes.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

friggin awesome

Jon is not all that big on surprise gifts, so I was, well, surprised when he told me last week that I had a care package coming. It came today and is soooo fabulous. It was from Germandeli.com and had all the great stuff I love and miss, and some goodies I've never had----Milka drink mix, Reise Sport mini choc bars, Haribo Saure Bohnen, a box of Cappucino Liqueur Cake, and some more Rei in der Tube, an awesome handwashing detergent. Yay! Now I want to go back to Germany even more than I did before, lol :)

Jon's surprise is coming on Friday...in the form of a 'happening'. Hehehe...

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

hot, hot tuesday

It's amazing how a really good deal can make your day. The grocery store had blueberries, four pints for $5! Big sweet ones, too. Yippee! Tristan and I have already gone through one pint...I might have to run back there to get some more before the sales change tomorrow...

Tristan has suddenly become a little boy. When we go out, he usually walks and even stays with me. He says "please", "thank you", and "you're welcome" (though he does get them mixed up occasionally). He's told me that 'The Big Comfy Couch' is a "mean show" and he doesn't want to watch it. And, inspired by my dolls, he's begun playing "dollhouse", though it usually degerates into his Red Butler Rainbow Brite doll pounding his cloth Bob the Builder doll mercilessly.

Baby's calling!

Monday, July 25, 2005

budding artist

Yesterday, Tristan created his first self-proclaimed (ie, not prompted) representative art. He was drawing with his Aquadoodle and, very excited, drug me over and said, "Look, mama! People!"



And for you organic folks out there, I noticed a few deals at Big Lots yesterday...Tom's of Maine toothpaste for $1.49, Soysense soymilk (vanilla and choc) for $.99, and Cascadian Farm 'Clifford Crunch' for $1.99. They often have Hanson's sodas too, but didn't see any yesterday.

Saturday, July 23, 2005

it's dern hot!

Ohmigosh, this heat is KILLER. It's awful! I happened to glance at my driver's license yesterday, which has a photo that was taken last summer, and was nearly overcome with the desire to shave my head again. Oh, I'm so close. I hate the extreme heat almost as much as I hate icestorms.

Oh, and I have a doll! I'm customizing her a bit and will post some photos after I finish, probably in a few weeks.

Found a new quiz that says I'm pretty darn messed up:

DisorderRating
Paranoid:Low
Schizoid:Moderate
Schizotypal:Moderate
Antisocial:Low
Borderline:Very High
Histrionic:High
Narcissistic:Moderate
Avoidant:Very High
Dependent:High
Obsessive-Compulsive:High

-- Personality Disorder Test --
-- Personality Disorder Information --



Yeah, who knows. Jon got "low" in almost everything. By the way, he's feeling pretty fabulous and has resumed motorcycling and bicycling, with no apparent bad stuff.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

wednesday

I got my hands on another Harry Potter copy and stayed up late last night finishing it. I really enjoyed reading it, but now that it's over, I'm a little disappointed. The ending was just sad. And there were one or two pretty disturbing scenes that I'm surprised made it into a children's book (or maybe moms are just more sensitive to this type of thing?). I'll look forward to reading the next book, but I do hope it's better than this one was.

My car is doing the strangest thing---when I start it up and the a/c starts, the air it blows out initially smells like vinegar. Anyone have any ideas?

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

tuesday

The Potter link is already dead. I made it to Chapter 13 and was really enjoying it...should have stayed up later, lol. Now I get to wait a few weeks until a copy becomes available at the library :(

This has been a pretty lazy week so far. With Jon's delicate condition, he's been taking the car, so we're hanging around the apartment. I really need to go to the grocery store, though! At least we have plenty of yogurt, Tristan's favorite food.

The neighborhood cat issue is beginning to become a problem. We had two indoor cats when we lived in Kansas City, Manhattan and Leia. The intention was really for them to find new homes in KC before we left, but they ended up down here with us. However, they can't reside inside our apartment, so they're outdoor kitties now. Both of them adapted to it well; we see Manhattan several times a day and Leia a few times a week. Within a week or so of their moving in, though, four or five feral cats figured out that we were a great food source. That was OK with us; one of the more regular visitors was actually a nursing mother. But it's gotten a bit wild out there on our deck. We tend put trash bags out there until we can make a run to the dumpster two blocks away and a few of the cats have begun attacking them. Yuck, yuck, yuck. Leia might be involved, but I'm positive Manhattan isn't. Anywho, I'm hissing at the strays as they come up and so far they seem to be keeping more distance. I don't like dealing with too much mess from kids that aren't mine.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

"mama bird day!"

Yay, birthday day!

I'm still a young thing (23) but perhaps not quite so seemingly wet behind the ears. I've had a great bday so far. Some relatives were in town yesterday and the kids and I got to go spend some time with them, as well as my dad, grandma, etc. Tristan had a grand time running around a hollaring. And my Mamaw made me a cake, my favorite kind, with candles! My first birthday cake in a good long while.

My poor laid up hubby cooked me buffalo sausage for breakfast, a particularly big deal since he's vegetarian and I think this is the first meat he's cooked in about three years. It was rather yummy, but not particularly, um, buffalo-y seeming.

When I was a kid, I had a lot of those cheap diaries---you know, the kind that were a bit smaller than a paperback, with kind of puffy covers, and cheap locks with tiny keys? Usually with a sad-looking kitten on the front? Well, the only entry you could bet on in them was one after my birthday and Christmas, detailing all the wonderful presents I received. Well, this was a quite nice birthday present-wise :). A nice, well-fitting skirt, a few gift cards to mall shops (shopping spree!), a thread holder to keep my sewing supplies untangled, some spending money. Yippee! From Jon, though he didn't realize it at the time (lol), I got one of the Gypsymama batik wraps, that I'll blog about sometime in the future. And from Ellie---two naps laying down!

So, it's a good day. Even the weather seems to be cooperating, as it isn't quite as sweltering as it has been.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

fabulous saturday

So, the day started off just great. I woke up in the middle of the night to find that Ellie had wiggled out of her aplix diaper cover, which was around her ankles. You can imagine what that meant for the rest of her clothes and the sheets.

Then, after we got up, Tristan had a huge tantrum because he wanted pasta for breakfast. Toddlers.

I guess the day still has some potential, though. Some out-of-town relatives are here and we're going over to visit with them later. Jon is feeling pretty good; either the surgery wasn't bad or he's just a hardass, but he's only taken one prescribed pain pill and one ibuprofen since he's been home.

A photo dug up from January 2004...I think he was pretty hot with a beard.

Friday, July 15, 2005

finis

Rationality won.

Jon said that it wasn't all that bad. He's lounging on the sofa right now, sipping on a strawberry shake.

I didn't cry too much.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

acknowledgement

Babies are so thoughtful to save the really massive spit-up for days when you happen to be wearing dark clothing.

medical stuff

Today we went to see a new pediatrician, recommended by a few LLL moms. I was wanting a check-up for Ellie. I am very happy with this ped---more so than any previous pediatrician. She co-slept, extended breastfed her three kids, and also cloth diapered. She didn't hassle us about not vaxing either, just made sure we knew that pertussis goes around each winter, etc. Ellie is at the 50%-ile for both height and weight, so she's much more petite than her brother was. I really went in because her pupils are often assymetrical (one is larger than the other); the ped did notice this, but because Ellie is completely on target developmentally and is very healthy, she didn't feel that it was an issue. So, that was a relief.

My dad had an MRI today. He's been having some really bad pain episodes, with the pain focusing in his upper jaw but radiating and moving out from there. There were several very scary possibilities as to what the pain was, but the MRI did not find anything, so they are probably cluster headaches. That's a big relief! Much easier to handle than the other things it could have been.

An inositol update for any considering using it---it's still working really well. I have to take it in two or three doses, spread out throughout the day, to maintain a good, steady mood. But I feel better emotionally and mentally than I have in several years. I am noticing the gut side-effects and it also makes me kind of sleepy, but it's completely, totally worth it. Also found a local source (Drug Emporium) that charges about 1/4 less than Wild Oats does :)

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

bye bye to babymaking...

So, the day is almost here. Jon is scheduled for a vasectomy on Friday.

We're on the same page about it. We'd both love to have another baby, but we believe in the 'zero population growth' thing, so we don't want to more than reproduce ourselves. We may end up adopting in the future, if dolls and pet ratties don't fill possible future baby wanting voids. It is sad though---retiring my womb, so to speak. Though it's preferable to 25 years of birth control, especially since my body cannot tolerate hormonal bc.

Geez, now I sorta want to cry. I've really enjoyed gestating, birthing, and breastfeeding these two. And newborns are soooo sweet.

Time for a new season of life, I suppose.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

ah, memories

We've been watching the 'I Love the '80s' special on VHI...geez, it makes me feel old that there are already reminiscense specials about that decade, but oh! It's so much fun to watch it.

a million bucks

My sweet husband suggested a shopping spree at the mall today...and what woman would question that? The size fluctuations that accompany pregnancy and nursing are a pretty big downer...it's a dream to be able to get something that really fits. I went out and was pretty bummed at the way too high prices at the first few stores I went in, when I decided to go in a store I'd never visited before (mostly because of its stupid name), Wet Seal. Well, they're cheap. Like, discount store cheap. I got two pairs of cute pants and a long nylon skirt (like I'd been looking for on eBay forever), and four pairs of undies for under $40. I went home to nurse Ellie (we live five minutes away), then went back with the husband-assigned task of finding some more undies that, unlike the majority of mine, don't have holes. And...Victoria's Secret is having their semi-annual sale! With final markdowns! Yippee! I have sexy panties for the first time in my life!!!

Nothing like nice panties under well-fitting jeans to really make you feel good about life :)

Thursday, July 07, 2005

thursday

Today was the monthly LLL meeting and I went, though I almost didn't. It ended up not so great. Tristan was his usual rambunctious self and he's one of the oldest kids there, so that's fairly rough. He got in one of his moods and kicked another kid, though not purposefully. Of course, I called him over and talked to him, but I heard a lady behind me, new to the group and older, say to herself or the lady next to her, "he's mean!" Totally ruined my day. Tristan kept being rough and we ended up leaving shortly later. Wish we hadn't gone in the first place.

And I'm down about the London bombings, but not necessarily just about that act of violence...it's just the whole cycle of violence thing. Why did we attack Afghanistan? Why Iraq? Don't the bigwigs know that two wrongs don't make a right, that we can never kill everyone that hates us and that, in trying, we simply incite more hatred? They'll probably just elevate the 'war on terror', and this thing will never end. Maybe that's the point, ala 1984?

Of course, if I were a real cynic, I'd talk about how convenient it is that a previously unknown terrorist organization decided to attack at a time when Blair/Bush's popularity is so low...

At least there's one really beautiful thing in my life. Eleanor. Darnit, I love that child.

In her new Bumbo seat (thanks, Aunt Dorothy!):

Monday, July 04, 2005

happy fireworks day

I guess I'm not feeling all that patriotic today. We've been invited over to my Dad's for supper, though, so that's faboo. Jon should be back in town in time for that; he went up to Kansas City for a couple of days to visit his friends and his mom. He gave me full veto power, but I've been feeling good enough that I didn't use it :)

The kiddos are doing fabulously. Tristan has adopted a phrase of mine---"pretty well"---and uses it whenever you ask him how he's doing. He still really enjoys trains, though he seems more interested in crashing them than anything else. And he's down to one nursing a day and seems pretty comfortable with that. It's really cute, he plays games with me during the day trying to convince me it's night time so that we can nurse: "Moon up! Sun down, Mama!"

Ellie has graduated to the drool bib. Sob! I hope this doesn't herald any teeth coming soon. She still prefers to be slung for most of the day and usually sleeps in the sling, but she also has a few happy quiet alert periods laying down. The elimination communication is going well and she's started 'holding it' sometimes till I get to the potty with her. And still pretty much sleeping through the night! Most nights she only wakes once, sometimes not at all.

A couple of quick Babywearing notes to any slinging mamas out there---the babywearingco-op yahoo group is doing an order for the new Gypsymama batik gauze wraps (not yet available on the gm site). The price is $8 off discounted retail (greater discount off normal retail), but the co-oping mamas are getting first choice of the prints. And they're pretty!

And...Maya Wrap is coming out with a mei tei, tentatively called the Maya Tai. I emailed them and they don't have an ETA yet, it's still in testing. But it will be made of their beautiful woven fabric and, rumor has it, will be based on the FrankenKozy design, with wide, wrap-style straps. Something to save up for!

Hope everyone has some fun and eats some yummy food today.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

still playin' with dolls

I have the habit of getting really, really obsessed with something, learning everything I can about it...and then, often, getting disinterested anywhere from a few days to a few months later. I am trying to fight that---I'm still knitting, nine months later!---but here is my newest obsession.

Dolls. Yup. Loved 'em when I was little, apparently still love 'em now. A pattern at Knitty lead me to finding out about Blythe dolls, which quickly led to Pullip dolls. Both of these are made in Japan, for the Japanese market, and seem mostly marketed toward adults who enjoy gussy-ing them up, changing their eye colors, replacing their hair, etc.

I want to buy one of these, hook her up with a mei tei and a baby, and take photos of her in exotic locations, so badly it almost hurts.

Totally enamored by 'French Trench' Blythe and Assa Pullip:



Geez, this doll subculture is complex! I really enjoyed making things for my dolls as a kid, though, and this is super appealing. And I do have a birthday coming up, hehe.

It's nice to be excited by something.

Friday, July 01, 2005

friday review

Passing along various info and news I came across this week, other than what you probably already heard on NPR:

Global Warming Makes Sea Less Salty
EPA seeks to OK pesticide tests on humans
Plutonium 238 production may resume

And a single positive one:
Vancouver refuses to buy in to Wal-Mart

Also wanted to direct your attention to my shiny new (and growing) list of blog links to the left. In particular, if you haven't visited 'PostSecret', you should really, really give it a click. It is incredible once you see what the project's doing.

By the way, Jon's told me that my blog looks whacked, with the text way below the sidebar. Anyone else seeing it that way?

Happy Friday, everyone!