LC's journal

humor for the day

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:19:09 GMT

random quiz...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:39:47 GMT

1. What are your reasons for having a LJ?
i found it by wedding planning, but i've found some friendships here that are different than IRL friends. i like that i can find people that i have things in common with. and there isn't the drama that can happen between friends IRL. i also like to document important things. it's fun to come back and read my entries years later.

2. What do you do before bedtime?
watch TV mostly. cuddle with adrian while he sleeps.

3. What will your dream wedding be like?
my wedding was pretty close to my dream. i would've loved a swanky destination wedding, like italy or something. but ours was pretty darned good.

4. What is the city of your dreams and why?
i loved milan for some reason. not sure why, it just felt right. most of what i saw in europe i loved.

5. Are you an introvert or extrovert?
introvert mostly.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
hmmm...hard to choose...as a child maybe it's being loved, and as an adult it's loving.

7. Do you trust easily?
sometimes, but i've "wised up" over the years

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
i've never been one to go after someone else's man

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
being a mom has gotten a lot easier as adrian's gotten older and slept a bit better...right now i've got the nagging in the back of my mind/heart about my brother and his addiction issues.

10. What is your best quality?
hrm...i try to be fair, diplomatic, i don't know...

11. Is being tagged fun?
i tagged myself...

12. How do you see yourself?
smart, passionate, and a bit odd/different

13. Who are currently the most important people to you?
doug & adrian, obviously

14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
i don't know her well, but i know she's a good person and i hope she finds the happiness in life she deserves

15. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?
married & poor...there was something missing until i met doug

16. How many children do you want to have, if any?
maybe one more, and if the 2nd one is *really* easy, maybe a third, but i highly doubt it

17. What's better, to give or to receive?
depends on what it is. but really, isn't it when things are mutual that it's best?

18. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
can't imagine it, but i guess if my heart felt the same for both, i'd base my decision on practical things...

19. What would you do if you (or your girlfriend) became pregnant unexpectedly?
um, we did, and adrian's the best thing that ever happened to me (besides getting clean and finding doug)

20. What were your parents going to name you if you'd been born the opposite sex?
thomas

emergency room, take 2

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:15:12 GMT

adrian scared the bajeezus out of me last night. he'd been a bit fussy yesterday, but has been teething his 1 year molars so i thought nothing of it. he went to bed at 9pm (we were out for dessert with him last night so he went to bed a bit late) and was fine. but woke up suddenly at 11:30pm and immediately starting this crazy coughing. barking like a seal. and then this weird high pitched sound when he breathed in. so we went to the ER because i didn't know what to do. i was freaking. he got a lot better just getting outside, which i guess is normal with croup. and the barking was just intermittent by the time we got to the ER. i swear i am not a mom that freaks out over every little thing. if he'd had cold symptoms or a touch of fever or anything earlier in the day i would've probably thought "croup." and with his habit of eating random things at a peak lately per my recent posts, i was scared he had swallowed something. or maybe an allergic reaction? anyway, they gave him a nebulizer and some steroids and the barking is gone at least. just a wet cough and sneezing now. he's at daycare for a half day.

(no gown this time).

and i was just thinking about switching his insurance to the 100% plan, but decided against it :(

maybe i just need to get a tougher skin?

another side note...they took his temp rectally and the nurse naively thought he'd just lay still for her and he didn't, so she took it with him crawling around. he didn't even notice... just goes to show you that 90% of his issues with things are probably just that he has to sit still ;)

i'm sure my mom friends will get a kick out of this...

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:18:03 GMT

i changed adrian's diaper the other day and noticed something unusual in there. normally i don't notice the contents of his diapers much, but this was a small, *glittery*, turquoise, smiley face sticker. right in his poop. like he ate it and digested it, not just that it happen to make it's way into the diaper somehow.

our first poop story...i'm sure there will be many more to come ;)

i am begging...

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:45:00 GMT

adrian's molars, can you hear me? just come in, already. i can't take another night like last night. he was wide awake 3 separate times, for a total of 2 hours. and then there's the nursing where's he's not really nursing. and the sitting there lying wide awake, tossing & turning, grabbing my hair.

oh, and then there's non-existent naps in the last few days, compounded by the daycare kids' music camp, which make him a bear to deal with the few hours i get to spend with him each day.

how many more teeth do we have to live through?

normally i don't read this stuff...

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:19:38 GMT

from babycenter and the like. but this list was actually pretty true:

Top ten surprises of new parenthood

Surprise #1: Your relationship with your partner will change
Surprise #2: You'll have no idea where the time goes
Surprise #3: You may look different
Surprise #4: You'll join an exclusive worldwide club
Surprise #5: You'll be stronger than you ever imagined
Surprise #6: You'll make "mistakes" you never anticipated
Surprise #7: Your friendships will change
Surprise #8: There'll be times when you hate parenting
Surprise #9: You'll be overwhelmed by love (and other emotions)
Surprise #10: You'll have to let go sooner than you think

someone make him stop!

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:47:20 GMT

i finally got around to getting the black & white film prints developed from adrian's 3 month portraits back in november.

please, adrian, stop growing up so fast!

makes life worth living...

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:44:50 GMT

music does. today on my bus ride in my ipod served up songs from 3 of my most favorite albums of all time:

ben harper - ashes (from "the will to live")

travis - indefinitely (from "the invisible band")

modest mouse - the world at large (from "good news...")

and then a relic from my "hippy" days in high school:

grateful dead - till the morning comes (from "american beauty" also a GREAT album)

the outfit...

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:23:14 GMT

ok, i had to take a photo of it.

and i forgot we have a little black wifebeater with a bulldog on it from this place for outfit #2:

now to find the perfect shoes (and not spend even half a fortune). oh, and ones he can actually walk in ;)

edited to add:i just bought these off ebay here for about $15 shipped:

they look like vans but are cheaper. and if he can't walk in them, maybe i can resell them?

monthly letter to Adrian - #11

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:26:42 GMT

Adrian,

Wow…another month. And it’s been such a great one. I don’t think you or I have been sick for a whole month! (Though you did teeth pretty bad for a few days). But it's not just that there weren't many "bad" days. We had a few truly wonderful days together, the kind you *think* having a child will be like before you have a child. The only terrible night I remember from this month was after one of those perfect days...and I’m sure it was the aforementioned teething that did it. That or you really don’t want a sibling and you’re just making sure we don’t forget how tough it can be with a baby around ;) There were the few terrible car rides this month as well, but hey, all in all, there’s been improvement! Dare I say your sleeping is even getting better every day? But I won't talk much about that, because I'm afraid I'll jinx it.

I am calling this month the-month-adrian’s-personality-exploded. It’s kind of funny, because I thought that happened in month 7, and then month 8 and 9, but it’s just starting to really happen. All of a sudden, you are a mini little person, with not-so-mini wants and a not-so-mini voice asking for them to be met. It’s really all happened so fast, I can’t believe it was just a few weeks ago that you were still crawling half the time. One day you decided that that crawling thing? Yeah, that’s for babies...And you were done. And now a couple weeks later, you are practically running. It’s more like shuffling, actually, but you do it really frickin’ fast (especially when you want to get something you’re not supposed to have). You are just a little flurry of activity.

You go under things:

You try to go over things:

You still think you can get places by reaching for things:

And generally, you just get into things:

Besides the increased mobility, your will is making an even bigger appearance in our house as of late. There is a tiny bit of toddler in you starting to rear it’s ugly head. You’re “into” everything, you’ve bit people a few times, you throw everything, and there’s that telltale back arching when you don’t get what you want. But it all comes with some fun, too. You can throw (and kick) a ball, you can give a “five,” and you’re still charming strangers wherever we go. You’re latest thing is fake laughing, though you are often still looking all “mr. serious”:

You had a couple of firsts this month. Adrian’s first trip to the zoo? Woot!

Adrian’s first trip to the library (well, the first time you actually spent much time in one anyway)? Woot!

You figured out the sippy cup this month, though the bottle (and mom's milk) is still quite popular with you:

You're still eating everything we eat (and quite a lot of it). But you still love nothing more than plain ol' grapes or avocado:

Last weekend, we were at a party and someone gave you a whole Cheeto. A real Cheeto (is that an oxymoron?), not the "healthy" organic kind. And a whole one. I was scared you'd choke, but you ate that thing like a pro. And now chips are one of your new favs.

This month could also be called the-month-of-pals, because you made a lot of them!

You got to spend time with a few cousins, including your second cousin Jack at a recent wedding shower. There was some posing:

And some “parallel play”:

But this picture probably sums up the day best because 8 month old Jack was definitely active & alert, but you, well, the camera can’t even focus on you sometimes because you're moving so fast:

You also saw your second cousin Jackson (almost 5 months old):

I’m not sure you even really noticed he existed, but you should be glad that I got to make him smile like that and get my baby fix for awhile.

As always, there’s your daycare pal, Nygel:

And you warmed up to your dad’s dad the weekend of father’s day:

And we can’t forget the other half of the “dynamic duo,” Landon:

First you helped papa push him in his car:

But it didn’t take long for you to figure out how to do it, and to find the muscle to do it yourself (i expect this skill to come in handy when i'm old and in a wheelchair):

Speaking of papa (your mama’s dad), hello?!, have you known him in a past life or what? I've never seen a baby your age take so much to someone (except maybe Landon to the same papa):

And because a few people said you look just like him, my uncle dug up a photo of your papa when he was just about your age:

Given the look on his face, I don’t know if Simon would call you his pal, but we find great humor in you two interacting:

I seriously cannot believe he hasn’t bitten you yet. Or run away.

And it's not just Simon...you are fascinated by all animals you encounter, whether real or inanimate:

(Watch out, that one bites! LOL)

The last one was Jackson’s puppy "Sadie." She’s almost as cute as you, see?

In fashion news at our house..you have been wearing shoes! And not just "crib shoes" for looks or your parents' entertainment, but real shoes so you can walk outside.

You still love playing with our shoes, though, too:

And Daddy’s belt:

And Mommy’s new clothes:

If you weren’t such a boy in other ways, I’d wonder about you (not that there’d be anything wrong with that).

As I said before, your sleep is getting gradually better. And I never tire of watching you all conked out:

The shapes you end up in are hilarious (you must be sleeping a bit deeper now?):

(Yes, you were actually sleeping in that last one).

Daddy won’t admit it, but you’ve said Daddy quite clearly a few times this month (as well as “no” and “uh oh”). You guys have had more fun than ever this month. Checking out his audio gear:

At grandma & grandpa country's:

And "Look, I'm blogging!"

As usual, there aren’t a lot of photos of you and me (or at least ones of us while not sleeping). But these are cute and really sum up how fun and silly we can be together:

I'd tell you to ignore my unkempt look in these couple photos because I don't usually look like that, but who am I kidding?

I was telling your Dad today that I imagine someday you’ll break my heart. That right now, I love you more than I thought it possible to love anyone, and as a child, it’s impossible for you to ever return the kind of love to me. But I guess that’s one more thing that’s just part & parcel of being a mom. I would love if someday we are the best of friends. But all I can really do is help you be safe, help you thrive, help you be yourself…to be the best yourself you can be. And maybe the by-product of that will be that we are still able to be buddies when you’re all grown up like we are now.

Love,

Your #1 pal (Mama)

"urban" baby/toddler boys clothes?

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:05:23 GMT

so for adrian's one year portraits, we'll use the same photog we used for his 6 months ones. and her latest thing is doing "urban" backgrounds like this. which is awesome. i was originally just thinking we'd shoot around the lakes, but this will be so much funner and even more "us."

but what to put adrian in? i bought an outfit from H&M for him awhile ago. it's actually for a wedding in august, but it's cargo shorts in this black & gray skeleton camo print. and the shirt is a short sleeved button down with a matching tie, sort of like this, but black camo'd out:

punk kitschy. (wish i could find a photo of the outfit online, damn h&m).

what else would be fitting? my brainstorming is only getting me as far as some cargo shorts and a white "wifebeater."

maybe with a cute hoodie or something?

or the layered look?

anyone seen anything cute & appropriate at a store lately? we've got a month until photos, so online would be ok, too.

must have too much time on my hands...

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:45:29 GMT

...but this was fun.

3 years here

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:46:55 GMT

so, i noticed yesterday was my 3rd LJ anniversary. aw, i've been with you guys almost as long as i've been married ;) thanks for being here and sharing your lives with me!

books jan-june 2008

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:43:04 GMT

besides watching movies, i haven't had a lot of time to read, either. though it really ebbs and flows. sometimes it seems like i go months without reading and then have a lot of time for it for a week or so. i'll warn you most of it is parenting/baby related...

Naturally delicious meals for baby and Blender baby food - i got these just to see if there were other ideas than what was in “super baby food.” all 3 books had different times to introduce the foods that might cause allergens, which was confusing, but all in all, the books were good. adrian just didn’t eat purees that long, so i’m glad i didn’t buy any of them.

The aware baby : a new approach to parenting - one of my first attempts at finding why adrian was so fussy. an interesting book, but i didn't "buy it" 100%, maybe not even 50%. however, there was something to it. i don’t know if it’s my personality or adrian’s personality, but after reading this, i noticed that when i tried to soothe him, i did so with a goal in mind, i.e. getting him to stop crying. and then i’d be disheartened and almost feel like i failed when i couldn’t get him to stop crying. so it was good to read this and be reminded that my job was to be there with him while he cried, not to stop him from crying.

Parenting the fussy baby and high-need child: everything you need to know--from birth to age five - this book was a lifesaver for us in dealing with adrian’s sleep issues. i wish i would’ve found it sooner. it didn’t have lots of “solutions” but it definitely made me feel better about our situation. it helped me accept that he is who he is, his sleep is what it is. then i could let it go and be happier and not sweat it so much. seriously, once i gave up and just co-slept with adrian, things got a lot better. he still woke up just as much, but i got more sleep, and i wasn’t so frustrated and then i didn’t have to feel guilty for being miserable during the little time i got to spend with him! not everyone’s cup of tea for a parenting style, but despite the kind of parent i *thought* i would be (before i became a parent), attachment parenting seems to be what adrian needs.

Good night, sleep tight : the Sleep Lady's gentle guide to helping your child go to sleep, stay asleep, and wake up happy - after realizing cry it out was not for me, I looked for other “sleeping training” type books. i honestly don’t remember the tricks in this book, but i may check it out again later when i try to get adrian into his own bed (someday).

Mommy mantras : affirmations and insights to keep you from losing your mind - this was a nice book to help me with the aforementioned sleep issues and motherhood issues in general. nice quick reads that i usually read while pumping at work.

The vaccine book : making the right decision for your child - another life saver from dr. sears. before adrian was even born, i started researching vaccinations. i somehow found what was supposedly notes from a dr. sears lecture, giving his delayed vaccination schedule. i went with it, because it seemed to make sense, but i never really even knew if it was dr. sears’ opinions. and then he came out with this book. here’s the deal…i am not anti-vaccination. we as a society have vaccinations for a reason. But i think that there are too many, and that we don't fully know the risks of them all yet, or the risks of them getting so many so young. dr. sears is actually pro-vacc, although he seems to look at it all more critically than most doctors. for instance, he recently published an article just posing the question about whether there’s too much aluminum in shots or not in “mothering” magazine. anyway, you will find his books recommends you vaccinate, but if you want to delay, he has a schedule. and the most helpful thing was that he has a chapter about each shot with an explanation of the disease it’s protecting against and what the risks of the disease are, and then he gives the risks of the shot. i felt like he informed me enough to make my own decisions.

Mark Bittman's quick and easy recipes from the New York times & Feeding the healthy vegetarian family - believe these were recommended in one of my friend’s journals (maybe you silence182? the bittman book was full of great, simple recipes. reminded me of how my mom cooks. and the vegetarian book was great, too. now i just have to find the time to cook, LOL.

The sneaky chef : how to cheat on your man (in the kitchen) : hiding healthy foods in hearty meals any guy will love - i got this while being on the hold list for the kid version. maybe the kid one is better, but i wasn’t in love with this book. She basically has a few purees that she adds to various foods. still gotta check out the kid one…it might be more worth the work for a baby rather than my husband ;)

The emotional life of the toddler - was this recommend by you, mrsfromage? it is a GREAT book. i’ve all of a sudden found myself with a toddler on my hands, and I need to get educated pronto. this book is fascinating and really gets you inside the mind of a toddler. i have to get try and get doug to read it next! i just reserved "the happiest toddler on the block," too, so hopefully that is as useful as "the happiest baby..." was.

netflix jan-june 2008

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:12:03 GMT

wow, it's been awhile since i last did one of these updates. besides there being good tv on, with adrian being increasingly more mobile since december, needless to say, i haven't sat on the couch much, let alone watched a lot of dvds. anyway, what i've watched in recent months:

The L Word: Season 4: Discs 3 & 4 - when does the next season come out? i guess i’ll have to make do with watching weeds & lost for now…

Big Love: Season 2: Discs 1, 2 3 & 4 - i need a new season of this to come out, too! it seems to get just more drama-y each season, but i’m still hooked.

Letters from Iwo Jima - the companion to “flags of our father.” ii liked “flags” better, but I was snuggling with adrian while we watched this one, so it didn’t have my full attention. still, both are great. i have never liked anything clint eastwood until i saw “mystic river” (one of the best films of all time). I actually didn’t like “million dollar baby” at all, but these two films restored some faith in him as a director for me.

Knocked Up - we meant to watch this when i was knocked up myself, but never got around to it. it was cute.

The Sopranos: Season 6: Part 2: Discs 1, 2, 3 & 4 - finally the last season came out! i wasn’t too impressed, though. the whole season had that something-bad-and-unexpected-and-exciting-is-going-to-happen vibe, and then nothing ever happened. i mean, i get the message or what i think the message is – this is their life, this is tony’s life, never knowing what will happen when, and it may or may not – but a whole season to make that message? I’m convinced they just didn’t know how to end it…

Babel - FABULOUS movie. a bit hard to watch now that i’m a parent (oh my god, the thought of those two kids lost in the desert), but a GREAT movie. i expected something more “political” but it was actually the opposite…pretty personal and something we can all relate to. and cate blanchett is gorgeous (doug agrees), and of course, so is brad pitt.

Lost: Season 3: Discs 1 & 2 - so far, i’m liking season 3 better than season 1. it’s getting more personal again, more metaphysical. doug’s actually into it again, too.

and some from doug's queue that i watched with him:

Superbad - i’d seen this in the theater when it was out, myself. it was actually adrian’s first movie in a movie theater at about 7 weeks old (awwww....). i couldn’t sit through every minute again, but I did get to catch the scene where the one guy gets “stained” by a girl at that house party. i missed it in the theater because adrian had a blow out and I had poop all over me. and then the bathroom had no changing table. and then when I was changing him, he peed all over the marble countertop and the floor in the bathroom and the bathroom had run out of paper towels. ahhhh, my own comedic afternoon…anyway, back to superbad. it had gotten so much hype that i knew not to get my hopes up when i saw it, and so i enjoyed it. swearing doesn’t bother me, nor crass or crude humor, though.

How to Steal a Million - another one i didn’t catch every second of because of the baby (i think i fell asleep during this one), but this was a cute movie. recommended if you’re an audrey hepburn fan or if you like heist movies. we found it on a list of the best heist movies of all time.

photo meme

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:54:00 GMT

Want to make your own?

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Where do you live?

My answers... 1. cindy 2. thai curry 3. mayo 4. red 5. benicio del toro 6. coffee 7. greece 8. pot de creme 9. happy 10. my son 11. evolving 12. minneapolis

when it rains, it pours...

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:01:19 GMT

why does everything have to happen all at once? we were out last night with my sister's family (it was one year yesterday that she had her brain hemorrhage). my uncle and his family are in town from boston and we did dinner with them tonight. another one of doug's cousins is getting married and is having a bridal shower tomorrow. then i'll head up north (to the boonies) for my mom's family reunion at my grandpa's. we'll stay in a hotel tomorrow night and my dad's family reunion is sunday.

oh and i'm squeezing in my friends from fargo (who are in town for pride) tomorrow morning before the shower.

and a friend's moving to texas in a week or two, so she's monday night. after a day of like 3 meetings at work.

i love it, though...

not bad!

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:58:38 GMT

but it should've been better for the amount i am still paying for my college education ;)

thanks leahbabe!

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 93% Advanced, and 87% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy

awesome...

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:36:46 GMT

breastmilk contains stem cells. found at a good blog i recently found. (though sometimes it's a bit scary, the environmental hazard info found there).

for my pregnant friends...

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:48:36 GMT

i thought this list of must-have baby gear was pretty good:

http://mightygirl.com/2008/06/09/15-perfect-baby-things-for-new-parents/

i have the more expensive version of the skip hop "spark" and we keep it in the car. it's nice to have something smaller than a diaper bag that still holds a diaper or two and wipes.

i used my nursing cover all the time in the early days (and still on occasion).

we couldn't have lived without our universal stroller. and i wish we would've had a cosleeper instead of a pack 'n' play next to our bed (it doesn't sound hard to get a baby out of a pnp in the middle of the night, but it's harder than i cared for).

if we hadn't been getting hand me downs from my nephew, adrian would live in american apparel clothing. it's high quality and nothing "cutesy." (the karate pants are the cutest).

they also mention the happiest baby on the block DVD, which helped us so much, i've given it as a gift to everyone i know who's having their first baby. (the swaddling blankets are a good companion gift).

we also bought a video camera. i had no interest in getting one before adrian, but i am so glad we have one now.

a baby carrier (or two, or three), nursing tanks, and a medela, and i think she's got it covered!

happy father's day

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:00:45 GMT

i made doug a photo book for the occasion with a lot more photos, but i thought i'd post a couple here. i'm sure i complain from time to time, but he is such a great dad. especially for a first timer. i love watching adrian get older and get more and more into "daddy."

and one from this weekend:

we love you, daddy!

getting to know you meme...

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:02:10 GMT

You know how sometimes people on your friend's list post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when are they working THERE? Since when are they dating HIM/HER? since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like info you *should* already know? It happens to all of us sometimes.

Please copy mine below, erase my answers putting yours in their place then post it in your journal! Please elaborate on the questions that would benefit from elaboration! One-Word-Answers seldom help anyone out...

1. First Name:
Cindy (Cynthia by birth and at work, etc.)

2. Age:
28 (my 10 year H.S. reunion is in a month!)

3. Location:
minneapolis, MN

4. Occupation:
insurance broker (basically, we are "consultants" and help our clients analyze their insurance needs and then service them. my department specializes in property or "fire" insurance)

5. Partner:
doug, 34. phd student in materials science engineering at the U of MN. we met over 10 years ago now, but didn't start dating until about 6 years ago. he dj'd for a hobby at the time and we loved to go out dancing together. we've been married just over 3 years now.

6. Kids:
adrian, 10 months and full of energy and smiles (and sleeps like crap)

7. Brothers/Sisters:
one older sister, one older brother (i'm the baby). my sister lives an hour or so out of the city, and is a SAHM with 4 kids. she almost died from a random seizure and brain hemmorage almost exactly a year ago. it's a miracle she's alive. my brother is 31, still single and trying to get sober as of late.

8. Pets:
simon (my cat, whom i had pre-doug)

9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:

9.1 life as working mom is a constant adjustment, but it's kind of the "new normal" now...life is crazy working and having adrian and that's all there is to it

9.2 maybe buying a house (doug's all for it, i prefer to wait until we have more $ and time)

9.3 my summer weekends are packed (with mostly family stuff) ...our apartment will get cleaned in october maybe ;)

10. Where and for what did you go to school for?
i went to the college of st. catherine (st. kate's) in st. paul, MN. BA in philosophy with a math minor. i wanted to be an actuary so i found a job in insurance on the brokerage side. it's been challenging and fun enough that i won't be changing career paths anytime soon, especially as a working mom. i have great coworkers and it's a great job that fits my life for the foreseeable future. maybe someday i'll go get that phd in philosophy.

11. Parents?
still live in rochester, MN where i grew up. my mom did in-home daycare while i was growing up (like 10 kids, isn't that insane?). she went back to get her 4 year degree at about age 35 and started working in library science at the mayo clinic. she's been much happier since). my dad's been a sportswriter since high school and is now the sports editor of their local newspaper. my mom definitely wears the pants in the family. i swear my mom was like a dad and my dad was like a mom. and that explains why i'm so messed up ;)

11b. Grandparents?
i'm lucky to have known all 4! my dad's parents lived until their 70's-80's. my grandma violet died when i was in college, from complications after a car accident (someone else's fault). i look A LOT like her and just loved her when i was little. my grandpa fred lived many years after she died (a bit to our surprise) and was a joker. wearing a "dirty old man" baseball cap for much of the time i knew him is just the tip of the iceberg ;) my mom's mom, darlene, just died in december. she was a wild one. the type that never would've had kids or gotten married even and had a career if not for the era in which she was born. my grandpa, "red," is still alive and is a retired post office worker and farmer. i believe he's quit smoking, but still drinks a pot or two of coffee a day.

12. Who are some of your closest friends?
gosh, life has changed so much in the last 5 years (especially with a move out of state and back in 1 year's time!) and my friendships have mostly faded away. working on finding new friends, especially some other moms, but it's hard to find the time with the baby and work. i am VERY close with my sister.

better than i thought...

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:40:30 GMT

as i was answering the questions, i was worried i'd get a high score. i'm really "suzy homemaker" in some ways (i cook, ask doug about plans/money all the time, etc). i think it's the swearing, belching and gambling that brought my score down, though ;)

some of these questions are hilarious.

As a 1930s wife, I am
Poor

Take the test!

monthly letter to Adrian - #10

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:52:37 GMT

Adrian,

I seriously cannot believe it's been another month. Each one seems to go faster. It's been a bit of a hectic month.

Though your dad is done with his big preliminary phd hazing, er, I mean exam, your mom spent most of the month sick. That, combined with your newly found ability to walk (yes, walk!), a whooping cough scare and your visit to the ER with a high fever, and it's just been one thing after another. I keep wondering when we'll get a break and I can catch my breath, and I'm starting to think I do get breaks...they're just not nearly as long as I'd like them to be. As a parent, if you're lucky, you might get a calm day or two, but more often the breaks come in 15 minute intervals. So I need to learn to appreciate even the smallest of them. If I can take advantage of those breaks and relax, then I will be better equipped to try and ride with the chaos. Because you sure seem like you enjoy the ride:

So, did I mention you can now walk? It's actually hard to imagine you NOT walking now...It could just be this age, but I think that walking coincides with a whole whole host of changes in baby's personality. I remember telling your father a couple months ago how much you were still a baby in so many ways, but now that baby part of you is becoming a smaller and smaller fraction. Except for the separation anxiety which you've developed. When you cry because I left the room, you are more typically a baby than I've ever see you. Maybe all the change you're going through overwhelms even you?

But it's understandable...walking...four new teeth (holy cuteness!)...starting to eat all the food we eat...drinking less and less milk...it's definitely been an eventful month. You've even started saying "ma ma" on occasion (and your daddy admitted right away that I deserved it).

It still gets harder and harder to capture you in photographs because if I'm not chasing your around, I'm playing with you (or, you're clutching to my leg for dear life). But I tried to capture

These are a bit old, but I wanted to post these photos of you with 2 of the 3 kids at daycare, just because they're cute:

One of their favorite past-times of late has been styling your hair in a "faux-hawk":

(Your expression in that second one is SO punk rock).

Your normal "hairystyle" is like this:

And I love it because it's totally you circa August 2007:

That cooler-than-thou hair didn't stop you from eating like your normal piggy self, though. Here you are eating crack-for-kids, er, I mean, grapes:

As I said before, you're pretty much eating whatever we're eating now and I'm having a blast with it. The night we figured we might as well give up and throw away the rules about what babies should eat at what age was when I let you try the sauce from my General Tsao's Chicken. I put the sauce on my finger in your mouth and you tasted it and 2 seconds later as I was pulling my hand away, you grabbed it and voraciously stuck it back in your mouth.

Despite you learning to eat more like an adult, you still haven't figured out that some things are NOT food and you still play by mouthing things for the most part:

Anything with buckles or resembling string somehow captivates you:

And, of course, what could be funner to play with than trash?:

You also like to shake anything you can get your hands on. I think you're trying to figure out the laws of physics:

Or maybe you're just trying to figure out what you can break or what will support your weight when you’re ready to start climbing things. A few people, like your swim teacher, have called you "serious" and I get what they're saying, but I don't think that's quite it. I think you're just studying everything and that look on your face is so intense because you're taking it all in. Kinda like this:

When you're in a familiar environment, though, you're pretty silly:

(Doing push-ups, were we?)

Especially when you're eating someone's hair (seriously, who taught you how to play WWF?):

I think you should take a cue from your grandpa and mellow out:

Speaking of WWF, it looks like you took matters into your own hands and showed Landon who's boss this month:

But I'm sure, over the years, you two will unleash more terror on the world as partners, than you will on eachother:

And speaking of terror...all I can say is "poor, poor Simon":

Though I'm still convinced he secretly likes you (or maybe he is just really too stupid to know to run away):

You've gotten to play outside quite a bit this month, which is only worth noting, because we live in Minnesota, and I can count on one hand the truly beautiful days we've had this year.

You were totally macking on all the ladies at the party in that last photo. And entertaining your mom by trying to put rocks in your mouth WHILE you were sucking on your pacifier. (You're not THAT smart yet).

I am happy to report that sleep has gotten a bit better around our house. At least if you don't count that one night when you were wide awake at 2:30am and didn't want to go back to sleep until 5am. It was enough to make me grateful for the improvement in recent months, though. Maybe you overheard your father admit just a couple days before that that he's warming up to the idea of having another baby and this was your way of telling us not to?

Usually you (and I) sleep on the couch:

But you also still sleep a lot while out & about (thank god for the Beco!):

Your disdain for your carseat still rules our world on weekends, though. Generally, the car puts you to sleep, but if you wake up and find yourself restrained in that carseat, watch out! To avoid the screaming that ensues, we try to put you in there when you're either awake & really happy or when you're ready for a nap. We carefully plan our day around it...from when we run errands to where we run them (we'll drive twice as far as normal, just as not to have to wake you without a sufficient nap). And if we arrive home and you're still asleep, I usually just sit in the car outside with you until you wake up on your own, even if it's an hour. It's one of those things that sounds totally insane, but I think most parents have at least one thing with their children where they just give in and let it rule their lives. I can only hope that you'll get to experience this sort of tyranny firsthand someday.

Your dad takes it surprisingly well when you have one of these fits in the car. Oftentimes, what he takes in stride is what grates on me most, and vice versa. All in all, he's been amazingly patient with you. And persistent, given the whole separation anxiety thing. I'm not sure if he believes me, but I keep telling him that someday he will think that you hung the moon. Even now, I've never heard you laugh harder for anyone else.

And now that we're really making an effort to leave the two of you alone to get some quality time together (and mom some quality time alone), I think you're getting used to him being there for comfort and not just for fun:

As always, the "mom" photos go last. Here's you wearing a "grateful dead" tee, which makes me super proud and your father super embarassed.

Here you are, a boy after my heart...watching ANTM!:

(More embarassment for dad).

And here's one of me when I was just a bit older than you:

Some days I wonder if I'll ever feel like "Cindy" again and not just "mom." When I was home with you while you were sick the last few days, I think I had a big lesson in what being "mom" means...who knew that becoming a parent would mean that some days it would be a luxury to pee without a 20 lb feverish monster clutching to your body? I will be honest...those couple days were overwhelming...suffocating even. But I'm realizing that this is just part & parcel of being a parent (particularly of being a mom). Yes, we do have to do all the "dirty work." We're the ones who nurse you all night, the ones who stay home with you while you're sick, the ones who you'll someday embarrass by throwing a tantrum in public, the ones whose car you'll someday take for a joy ride around the block. We get the crappy stuff...but we're also the ones who are your safe haven...the people you feel safest with in the world. And really, when you think about it, is there any greater honor in the world?

Just try not to get sick too often for me, though. Please?

Love,

Mama.

back to normal...

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:09:10 GMT

well, adrian is back to his normal self. i was actually able to put him down last night after he fell asleep without him waking the second i put him down. and this morning, he was all smiles and barely noticed when i'd leave the room he was in. he's still a bit mellower...like actually laying still through a diaper change (gasp!). it'd be nice if that behavior stuck around ;)

still not sure what the mystery illness really was. monday night, the 3 kids at daycare were vomiting sick. but they all felt better 24 hours later. and adrian spit up a couple times a bit more than usual, but that's it. still no rash or anything and the fever's totally gone now.