« December 2008 | Main | February 2009 »
January 30, 2009
(Tiny) Big Sister
Posted by me at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
Why real live stores aren't in any real jeopardy
In the last couple weeks, I've ordered five things online.
One is a gift. I got notice that it shipped, haven't heard anything else, so it either hasn't arrived yet, or all is good.
One arrived safe and sound, although pathetically packaged.
One is on backorder, possibly forever.
One arrived safe and sound, but was a completely different item than ordered. The incorrect item is being sent back, the correct one (I hope!) has shipped.
One arrived, and is a godawful fit. I refuse to waste a penny more to return it, so I'll be trekking to Sears to return it in person. I'm highly disappointed and will not likely order sized items from this site again.
As much as I enjoy shopping from home and receiving packages, most of my money and/or time saving attempts this week have failed miserably.
Posted by me at 9:53 PM | Comments (0)
January 29, 2009
Exercise by association
"I had the most wonderful dream! I dreamed that Owen was doing sit-ups and and push-ups and jumping jacks!"
Posted by me at 9:22 AM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2009
Starting now
I've been noticing lately that I don't really spend a lot of time with my kids. I mean, I'm always here, they're (mostly) always here, but they go off and play together, or by themselves, or I'm cooking or showering or in here on the computer or doing one of the many Owen things that requires both hands (nursing, changing, dressing, removing inedible crap from his mouth). What I'm not doing is holding the girls, tickling them, snuggling with them and hearing them talk their silly talk.
Don't get me wrong, I hear them talk all the time. And (as much as I can) I listen to what they have to say and try to answer with real though, and not just a distracted "Yes, dear." Which is really hard, considering the sheer volume of words that come out of those kids' mouths. And I do hug them, and kiss them, and tell them I love them.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I rarely get to give them undivided attention. Pure, unadulterated, me.
I've been feeling it for a while, and trying to add in some games or reading while Owen naps, but something just isn't right.
And then last night, when Katie came down after her bath, Jamie wasn't finished yet, and Owen was already in bed, I got it. I held Katie in a way I realized I hadn't held her in a long time, curled up on my chest and tummy, snuggled in with kisses and silly talk no distractions, even in my head. I didn't feel like I needed to be somewhere, do something, say something.
I can't remember the last time I felt like that, so happy and connected. How long have I been missing out on my kids? I know I used to be so connected to Jamie that we were too close, and now sometimes I feel like I barely know her.
I'm not sure how to get that magic back, but I'm going to try to find it with each of the kids. Not just for them, but for me, too.
Posted by me at 9:24 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2009
Nostradamus I'm not
Owen slept two full nights in a row. It's probably a little too early to throw any parties, since this brings his total to...three nights. Still, though, it's progress. I'll take any progress, at this point.
Also, he's currently in the middle of one of the longest naps he's taken since he slept 18 hours in one day as a newborn, and I thought I finally had a kid who loves sleep.
I'm going to stop making predictions.
Posted by me at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2009
Baby steps
After weeks of swearing Owen was going to get that third tooth any day now, I bet it will be here tomorrow, surely it will break through today, it's finally broken through. I'm not convinced that that had anything to do with him being awake basically all night last night, but at least he accomplished something.
Now if he would stop making a liar of me about this walking thing...
Posted by me at 9:10 AM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2009
Fail Whale in 3D
Posted by me at 9:30 PM | Comments (0)
Optimist, pessimist
J: "I don't like gray."
K: "Gray is a nice color. It's just like silver!"
Posted by me at 9:43 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2009
Three year old nutritionist
"Mama, if you drink that Coke, it will make your boobies sour!"
Posted by me at 8:58 PM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2009
Why yes, that is a giant monkey wearing a tiara!
Posted by me at 9:30 PM | Comments (2)
January 14, 2009
Cat chasing the laser pointer? Funny.
Baby chasing the laser pointer? Really funny.
Three year old chasing the laser pointer? Priceless.
And the first one to figure out where the little red light was coming from? The baby.
Posted by me at 1:47 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2009
Movie night
Saturday night, I took the girls to see The Tale of Despereaux at Studio Movie Grill. We had a good time, although we were rushed to get there, Katie fell asleep on the way there and the way home, and I was working hard to keep Jamie awake on the way home. Totally could have planned that better.
Anyway, it was the girls first movie in a theater, which I didn't even think of until Katie gave me this awed look and said, "It's dark in here!" They were both really good about watching and not talking (food totally helped!), although I think the movie, combined with the giant screen and darkness, got a little intense for Katie. The tired probably didn't help, either.
I think they enjoyed it. The movie was good, at least for me. The princess didn't have a huge part, so that probably brought it down a couple notches for the girls. For kids who didn't know princesses existed until a year or so ago, they sure have become obsessed. It's like pink, tulle and twirls are embedded in their DNA. And it must be the DNA from their father, because they sure as hell didn't get it from me!
On Sunday, we bribed them to take a nap by telling them they could choose where we went to dinner if they slept, but we got to choose if they didn't. I learned my lesson the hard way not to say something like, "We won't go out if you don't nap!" since that punishes Rex and as more than it does them. They napped, and then we went to McDonald's. Lucky for us, Rex and my food tastes are quite lowbrow.
Posted by me at 9:11 PM | Comments (0)
Delurking day
Apparently delurking day has come around again, so today is the day for you to step out of the darkness and leave a comment to let me know you're out there. I'm generally not very good at getting comments out there myself, since it's even so much easier to read while holding a baby than it is to write, but today is the day I go all out.
Tomorrow, you can all go back to your secret lives!
Posted by me at 10:34 AM | Comments (3)
January 10, 2009
Good, better, best
Last night, we watched our neighbor's daughter. I'm pretty sure she thinks she conned us into watching her for free (which I totally would have done anyway, she a good kid), but we totally made out on the deal. The three of them played quietly without so much as looking our direction for over an hour, and then it was time for her to go home. I'm fairly sure I should have paid her.
And then, last night, for the first time in at least a year, I slept through the night. I don't remember a single thing between 11:30pm and 6am. In fact, when I woke up to Owen whining at 6, I was sort of stiff. I'm fairly sure I didn't even move last night.
I was able to sleep through the night because for the first time ever, Owen slept through the night! Eleven whole hours during which no one had to intervene, I didn't have to lay in my bed wishing he would stop moaning or whining or crying in his sleep, and I didn't have to feel guilty.
And then I got to sleep in.
Posted by me at 1:23 PM | Comments (2)
January 7, 2009
Physical manifestation of my personal hell
Posted by me at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)
January 6, 2009
"Buffalo fish"
Posted by me at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)
January 4, 2009
9 months
I'm so freaking far behind.
Owen turned 9 months on December 22, and I took him for his well check the next day. He weighed in at 29.4 pounds, 27.5 inches tall, which makes him a large petite. Poor guy has gone from "Wow, what a big boy!" to "Man, I hope he grows into that butt!" Otherwise, all's good. Apparently, his ability to say "Mamama" to no one and everyone is quite advanced!
He's turned into quite the little Godzilla around here. No surface stays covered for long, he strips eveything within arm's reach right to the floor, and his arms are amazingly long! He's just figured out that the kitchen cabinets open, which means my kitchen is about to become a mine field. He hates to be out of sight of me, and screams when I leave the room, and then cries pitifully and tries to follow me around. He climbs, he pushes things in front of him as he walks, he holds things out to hand them to us (and then usually won't let them go), he claps, he squints when he sees the orange light on the camera that means it's going to flash, and sometimes, when I'm really lucky, he'll raise both hands over his head when I say "Tada!"
Posted by me at 8:20 PM | Comments (0)
January 3, 2009
Delayed
Today is one of those beautiful days that make me so grateful to live in Texas, even if it's not the part of Texas I love best. I think 80 degrees may just be the perfect temperature.
Shorts weather in January. LOVE IT.
Finding old friends on Facebook has some interesting side effects. You run across an old boyfriend and think about the choices you made back then, and how they affect who you are now. One guy I dated, who I loved dearly, just not in the get-married-have-babies kind of way was probably the best thing I could have done for my self-esteem at the time. Another guy should have become a giant boil on my psyche, based on the way he treated me, the way I treated myself, and the relationship I had. Turns out he was nothing more than a minor pimple.
I can't believe how much I've forgotten, how many people, the good times, the parties. I swear I wasn't so much of a lush that I should have forgotten the majority of four years of college.
My dad has been here for the past week and a half, just left yesterday. While he was here, we were going to break Owen of his nasty non-sleep habits. We had a few arguments and misunderstandings, but I did manage to cut out the one feeding I was still doing that, judging by the size of Owen's thighs, was totally unnecessary. Otherwise, I'm still awakened the same number of times per night, but I'm no longer getting the exercise of running up the stairs two or three times a night. The upside is that for all his squawking, Owen doesn't really seem to wake up. The bad news is that he appears to believe that morning begins right at 6, if not a little before.
Posted by me at 8:54 PM | Comments (0)
Back when I had more fun
Posted by me at 4:21 PM | Comments (1)