Mint Juleps and Sassafras Tea

Currently blogging here instead of Tumblr

2010-08-06T07:33:00.000-12:00

if you are so inclined...

2010-02-16T02:56:00.002-12:00

My new blog which focuses totally on being a new mom...if that's not your bag then good riddance :)

http://another-mother.tumblr.com/

Moving on...

2010-01-04T06:46:00.002-12:00

I've lost complete interest in this blog. I'm not sure if it's Blogger, me, or just my life at home at the moment. So for now I'll be signing off and if I decide to come back I'll probably move to another bloggy type space but for now...adios and happy new year.

...and wow

2009-12-21T06:34:00.001-12:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-17T06:49:00.004-12:00

We will be celebrating both Christmas and New Year's Eve at the beach this year so I wanted to take the time to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone reading this. May your 2010 be filled with joy, love, and warm hugs.

(photo credit: Rhubarb Whine)

Love it, want it, don't you?

2009-12-16T07:27:00.000-12:00

Pictorial-Websters-Visual-Dictionary-Curiosities

19 Months old

2009-12-09T06:29:00.002-12:00

I know this post should come with pictures but alas I'm too lazy to upload them and put them on. I cannot believe that toddler G is exactly 19 months old today, that's closer to 2 than 1 you do realize!

She's the love of my life, which I think I've said here before. People always say that she looks just like me but I don't see it. I do see a lot of myself in her...for example it takes a lot, A LOT, I mean a hell of a lot of work to make me laugh and toddler G is the same way. She can't stand to be loved on in the morning, nor can I. She can seem indifferent as do I a lot of the time...really I'm just not saying what I'm thinking or feeling. My OCD is running through her veins too, she only plays with balls of a certain color each time she plays with them...she also has this routine of touching and kissing the railings by her room pretty much every time we go upstairs...it's nuts as am I!

Two super cute things she is doing right now is that when she's upset or sleepy she'll take your hand and take you up to her room and stand in front of the rocking chair so that she can be rocked to sleep. When upset, if picked up she pats your arm or back as you are patting hers. I bet a ton of kids do that but it's so sweet. GRRRR I just wanna eat her face off!

Um, yeah

2009-12-04T06:32:00.001-12:00

The Mormom Kama Sutra

Thankful for...

2009-12-01T07:21:00.002-12:00

...a PopPop

All I Want for Christmas....

2009-11-30T15:34:00.002-12:00

...are these...
size 8 please

Thankful for...

2009-11-24T06:16:00.002-12:00

* a sleeping little girl

* friends who take her during the day to allow me to run errands or just be

* a partner in crime who usually plays bad cop

* the opportunity to stay at home with toddler G and bear witness to her changes, firsthand

* someone to rub my back, feet, or head when I am feeling low

* the option to go to bed at 9:30 when I'm exhausted

* the loveliness of naps during the day with a sleepy cuddly toddler

* this time, between 12-2 everyday when she sleeps and I can eat lunch while catching up on DVR'd shows, catch up on blogs, or just sit nearby allowing my feet to share her blanket while reading a book

Today

2009-11-11T05:20:00.003-12:00

I just got off the phone with my best friend Blair. We've been friends for years and I'd say he knows nearly everything about me. He lives in Arizona with his wife and daughter who he gave my middle name. I miss him desperately but never really realize it until I speak with him on the phone. Today was especially hard because we were talking about our children and how he has never met toddler G and how it breaks his heart. I never realize how much I miss because I get to talk to him so rarely but today for some reason it really hit me...hard enough that I had to hang up because I was welling up. Someday soon I hope that we live in the same city again and can eat his delicious pasta with chicken and black beans while watching our daughters just be. That his daughter who will be turning 7 in January can teach G some things about life. Someday soon I hope that there isn't a three hour time difference in our days.

Busy

2009-11-09T06:07:00.002-12:00

Things around here are finally beginning to feel like they are running smoothly. Toddler G now will lead us upstairs when she is ready to go to bed although we still rock her and she usually wakes up once a night it's still a big positive change.

She also takes one long nap now which is great for me. I can get a few things on my never ending to do list completed and not feel guilty for not entertaining her. She's almost a month into swimming lessons and she seems to be enjoying them. Amelia has seen a big change in her during bath time so that says something right there. I also started her in an open gym/gymnastics type of class today which was pretty interesting. She had fun but boy was I tired at the end of that class. She walked on a balance beam, rolled down a foam wedge, jumped on a mini trampoline, and played with a parachute all for the first time today. Her favorite was certainly the parachute. All of the kids sat in the middle while the parents ran around and got them twisting! Her favorite was when we made a mushroom and the kids all ran around underneath...it was a good time.

Otherwise not much is going on. I'm still job hunting and Amelia is still working like crazy. She hasn't had to stay over out of town yet but she has had some pretty late nights...I'd rather her just stay somewhere instead of having no idea when she might arrive home. It's exhausting all of it.

Boo on Binns

2009-10-25T08:02:00.003-12:00

Today was the 2nd annual Halloween party in our neighborhood. We were very excited to attend and toddler G got to wear her first costume...the tooth fairy complete with tooth headband, bag for holding teeth, and wings. It was great. She was so cute that she won 1st prize in the kids 0-3 contest! Congrats G! Oh and my favorite part was the iron on letters for her shirtsleeves that read 1-800-Got Teeth!

Brrrr

2009-10-21T06:35:00.002-12:00

Fall has settled in around the abode. You can always tell because the blankets are no longer tucked nicely under the chair in their basket and stray socks are on the coffee table, under the coffee table, tucked into abandoned shoes, and found under just about every piece of furniture in the house. Although this fall has seemed much more like winter than usual. We've turned the heat on and then off and then back on again. We've worn sweat shirts and replaced them with long sleeve tees and then replaced those with our actual coats. It's nuts!

We are back into the swing of choosing our meals for the week and shopping for those things instead of random bits that we can never make anything out of. Tonight it's breaded pork and mozzarella stacks with garlic broccoli...I'm not a fan of cooked broccoli but we'll try it out. Tomorrow night it's pizza out at a friends who just brought another baby girl home from the hospital.

In other news I've gotten quite bored with sitting around the house, going to the park, and playing in the backyard so I've signed G up for a couple of classes, one of which starts tomorrow. She will be taking swimming lessons and I've signed her up for a sort of open gym/directed (as much as toddlers can be directed) play time...it's cute and called Jumpin' Jellybeans...I'm sure she'll love it. I was motivated to sign her up so that we wouldn't be stuck inside every damn time it snowed this year and from what I hear it's gonna snow!!! I also purchased a membership for COSI the science center here in Columbus so we'll have quite a few places to go and burn off some energy this winter. So we're ready...let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! I am so ready!

I've been wanting to post...

2009-10-04T14:46:00.004-12:00

...but something is always keeping me from it. A crying toddler, dinner to be made, a diaper to be changed, a shower to be taken, shaving of the legs, etc...but mostly it's because I've been lazy...and tired. In fact I am tired right now. But here I am wanting to say what we've been up to. Alas, it's been too long and I've forgotten most of it.

But here we go.
1. We were visited by a very good friend of mine (J) and her adorable daughter (S) who live in France. J is American but married herself a Frenchman so now she's living there and I am so very jealous. Her daughter S is close enough to toddler G's age that they seemed slightly interested in each other at times. We had a wonderful time reminiscing and eating the amazing crepes that she brought for us. It was super fun having two some one's in the house that I could speak rusty French to (especially the toddler who didn't know any better!). While alone with S I pointed to every item in the house that I knew the French word for and said it to her, she just looked at me like I was nuts...but I enjoyed every minute of it. My camera was doing funky things but here's a picture of the two girls. Oh and J&S brought toddler G a beret, so cute...oui? They are both showing me that they know where their heads are.

2. I visited the camp that I worked at in Richfield, OH for a day...a long, rainy, dreary, heart breaking day. I got to see some wonderful women that I am quite fond of and catch up with campers that I haven't seen well since they were little girls. It was amazing to see them as bright and successful young women. It's much too long of a story to post here about what is happening with the camp but let's just say that it's being run by morons and they are allowing civilization to creep in and take over. I am utterly speechless about the entire thing but I was happy to be able to say goodbye to places that meant so much to me. The boat house where I slept under the stars for the first time, the pool where I took my swimming test to go white water rafting, the tent unit where I spilled so many secrets, the barn where I had my first sighting of actual death, the camp itself was my world for many summers and I'll be sad if it disappears but happy that I was able to be a part of its history for so many others and their memories of what made it what it was. As I said above my camera was acting up and it was pouring but here's one of the tent site that we hung out in...Far Away Pines

3. And I guess the final big piece of news is that my family was finally able to go bury my father's ashes in West Virginia with the rest of his family. My mom and two sisters went but I decided not to go. It was a combination of having spent the previous day in pouring rain, the thought of driving 4 hours by myself with toddler G, and the fact that I could have cared less that kept me away. The good part of the whole thing is that my sister, Joann, who hadn't yet seen toddler G or our house got a chance to do that during her trip. The other good part...the bastard is gone, no longer living in a drawer in my guest room. I am so happy to be free of all of it. In fact I'd be happy if no one ever brought up my father to me again.

Needless to say, it was quite a month!

Letters

2009-09-21T14:17:00.002-12:00

So I've talked about the letters that I write to toddler G on here a few times. Since then I've gotten about 8 or 9 emails from people asking about these letters. Do I just do bullet points with all she's achieved or do I write directly to her. Is it all gushy or sort of business like. So I've decided to share the most recent one with you on here. This will not be a regular thing. What I do is type them to her in my gmail acct. and then save them into a folder on there. Once I have a few written I hand write them into a journal.

Here's the most recent letter, she is just over 16 months old. It's a little long because I hadn't written one in awhile.

Georgia,

I am a terrible person. I haven't written you a letter since July!!! I have a really good excuse though...I finished my graduate program in that time so instead of writing these letters to you I spent my time with you. Taking you to classes at COSI, the zoo, the mall to play on the planets (see pics.), and on play dates.

You are such a big girl now. I can't even call you baby buggy anymore because now you are a toddler who doesn't toddle. You walk, you run, you climb on everything in sight. You are amazingly brave. We've found you so many times standing on the dining room table, the computer desk, or the coffee table. You climb into the hammock out back and just wait for us to swing you as high as you can go. You also love it when we hold you upside down in the hammock and say in a high pitched voice 'upside-down'...you are crazy like that. So for that reason I call you Monkey or a shortened version, monks or even monk-a-lina. You seem to love it, you respond to it and it fits.

You are long and lean. I was worried about your weight for awhile but have been reassured by everyone that you are just fine. I guess i suspected that the weight issues in the Thompson family would haunt you as well but I think we've found a way to beat the system...it seems to be working. You were eating everything in sight but now you don't like many things. For awhile we could at least get you to eat chicken nuggets, blueberries, macaroni and cheese, or crackers but now it's all a hassle. You eat very little but seem to be doing fine but it makes me a bit crazy. You currently weigh a little over 23 lbs.

Your hair has started to come in, blond and thick with curls in the back. I suspect that you will have curly hair but that unlike mine it'll be beautiful. I will not pass on my hate of curly hair to you, I promise! In fact I think your hair will probably change that for me. Your hair is so cute it blows in the wind and you seem to sense every little movement of it. You are able to point to your hair which is also one of my favorite things about you. Your hair also has a little hint of red in it so I am dying to see what color it will turn out to be. My hair was blond when I was little so you'll probably end up with brown hair like me but it'll be fun to be a blond while it lasts. I cannot wait until it is long enough to put into pigtails!

Everyone compliments you on your eyes. Every time we meet someone new they say oh my god what big beautiful eyes. They are this sort of green/blue/gray color and like me they change to deeper or lighter shades when you cry, or are wearing something close to their color.

You are unbelievably brave and love danger (just like one of your shirts says). You love to climb onto the ledge of the picture window which makes me wonder what the neighbors think or the people driving by. You also climb the stairs now, lickety split. You are usually up them before we get around to try to keep you from climbing up by yourself. You've been thinking about trying down by yourself but you are, thankfully, not that brave yet!

You have the best facial expressions. You stare intently at something you are interested in. You squint at things (which makes me think you might need glasses), you do this laugh that is hilarious. You laugh like a ventriloquist's dummy ha-yah-yah-yah. It always makes people stop and laugh with you. You have very expressive eyebrows...this I know you got from me. You also do this funny thing with your eyes and tongue which I can't really explain but you squint your eyes, stick out your tongue, hunch your shoulders, and squeeze your hands into fists. It's as if you've just eaten something that was very sour. It's hilarious.

You still will only fall asleep when rocked. You insist on stroking my hair still which I am trying to break you of because now that you are stronger is actually really hurts...it's like you are pulling it and it is unbelievably painful. You are very sparse with your kisses and hugs but when you give them you give them with all of yourself. Wrapping your limbs around our necks or waists or arms, you hold on. You seem to understand that this melts our hearts so you look into our eyes each time waiting for that reaction of smiles or tears. I am in love with you little girl. You are mama's favorite thing ever.

You sometimes get unbelievably mad. Your temper seems out of control which must have come from the other side of the family because darling nothing gets me as worked up as you seem to get. I think you are probably very frustrated that you can't communicate with us but you like to screech and scream and even throw your body onto the ground. When you have these fits, your entire body is just dead weight and it's nearly impossible to comfort or console you in anyway except....JACK'S BIG MUSIC SHOW which is still your favorite show of all time. We have the first season's cd and play it over and over in the car. We have tons of episodes DVR'd just for these moments. Jack's also plays while I shower or cook dinner, it's come in handy! When you're mad you also throw things, big things, small things, hard things, food, it's crazy but it's kind of funny too.

You love books. You have tons and tons everywhere. In your room, in the living room, in our room and the bathroom. You love them. You will either pick one out and bring it to us to read to you or you'll take it with you onto the couch or into your red polka dot chair. But, you can't sit still long enough to get through them when we read to you. I find this very frustrating but am sure that soon enough you'll be asking to be read the same one over and over again.

You don't have a ton of words in your vocabulary yet. You say mama, go, and no. But you only really say Mama clearly. When you say no, you say it over and over again and like you are Russian! It comes out nyet, nyet, nyet. I love that. Since you don't have a ton of words you've developed this cute way of telling us what you want. You either point or hold you hand out, palm up, and curl your fingers inward in sort of a gimme gesture. We've gotten good, you usually get everything you need or want.

You are quite independent in your waking hours. You will escape the gated rooms if the gates have been left down. You will climb the stairs and you've even snuck out the front door without either of us nearby. You are crazy for animals....dogs especially. We went to the pound to look at dogs and you weren't afraid at all of the ones that barked at us from their cages. You will walk right up to any dog, any size and point at it or touch it. You are learning the word gentle but haven't yet learned to put it into action. You will put both hands on nearly every animal (especially Raven) and wait for it to acknowledge you. This scares me to death.

Your other favorite thing to do is swing at the park or in the backyard. You will swing the entire time, a couple of hours is the most you have gone when we've allowed you to stay that long. If there's no line you usually get to stay and swing. When it's time to go you cry, sob actually. You fight to get down out of our arms. The swings are your thing, monkey. I have been trying to teach you to pump your legs but you're much more interested in being pushed and looking around while I'm doing so.

You also seem to enjoy going to the grocery store or any store for that matter with us. You love these stores because of the long empty aisles. You could and sometimes do run up and down them until we grab you up and put you back in the buggy. You hate that.

Another thing you love to do is close the refrigerator door. Anytime I open it you close it. Every morning you go straight to the fridge and wait for me to pour your milk. Once I do, you happily grab your cup, slam the fridge door shut, and leave the room. Content for about 5 minutes. Another thing you've learned to do is get out your own toothbrush and toothpaste. You can open the drawer, pull out what is yours, hand it to me, and close the drawer. It's amazing. I did not teach you that so how you learned I'm guessing by sheer observation.

We've moved you down from two naps to one that usually starts around 1 in the afternoon. Sometimes I get lucky and you sleep for about 90 mins. but mostly it's your usual one hour. You still take your naps on the couch which I don't mind as much as I used to. It sort of forces me to do quiet things like sit down and read or watch something that has been on the DVR forever.

What else, let's see...you have learned to walk backwards and sideways. When you aren't happy or satisfied or busy you grunt or growl at us to get our attention. You always say 'oh' which doesn't mean anything to me but it's cute. You've started calling us different names now. We both used to be mama but now I'm mama and Amelia is mom mom. You are crazy for water. If you see it you immediately want to be in it, touching it, feet first, hands first, head first it doesn't matter. This is why I am signing you up for swimming lessons next month. You've also recently starting sniffing and blowing your nose. You sniff everything you see. You seem to understand that flowers smell sweet so you always go for flowers...real or fake. My favorite thing that you do though is still the kissing everyone and everything you see. You will kiss them on the belly, arm, hand, whatever is available to you, it's super sweet.

All in all I am madly in love with you, Georgia. Of course we have our days and nights but I wouldn't change it for the world. You make me smile and laugh more than I ever have. Some nights or afternoons when you are asleep I just want to hold you as tight as I can and keep you little. I am emotional about everything you do. My eyes well up just thinking of you sometimes too. You snuggle tightly with me at night and you insist on having a body part touching mine. A hand holding tightly onto my arm (even when you are sound asleep), a foot wrapped up in my hair, a hand down my shirt if we are in an unfamiliar place or with unfamiliar people. a head on my shoulder when you are super tired, you butt always finds my lap when you want to be held while reading or watching TV. Georgia you are wonderful. I love you.

Mama

Fall is Knocking

2009-09-21T07:29:00.002-12:00

We are having such odd weather here. For awhile now it's been nice enough to have the air off and windows open but the last two days have been super humid and sticky and I HATE THAT.

It's especially rough on those of us with crazy curly hair.

But what I really hate about it is how everything just has a sheen of wetness to it. The hardwood floors, the flowered chair, the blankets all feel wet...yuck! I am ready for this to be over but I've just heard that it's supposed to rain ALL EFFING WEEK! Fantastic, so looking forward to that :(

Enjoy fall friends.

Julie & Julia

2009-09-19T08:12:00.003-12:00

Last night I finished reading Julie & Julia. I should have known better. I had tried to read this book awhile back when it first came out, before all of the hoopla with the movie, etc...and I couldn't even get past the first chapter. But once all the hoopla did hit I decided to try again. Usually if I start a book and can't stand it I force myself to finish it, chalking it up to a learning experience. With Julie & Julia I couldn't even force myself to do that, in fact it was a turning point for me ever since my first attempt at reading it and giving up I've been able to put books down that I know I am going to eventually hate or that I just cannot get through...so thanks Julie.

But on to the book. I hated it. I will say that it got much better, funnier, more realistic about halfway through. OK maybe hate is too strong of a word. I didn't hate it, I was just really disappointed. When I first heard about it, the book and the blog I thought DAMN what a fantastic idea...why didn't I think of that. I had high hopes, imagined hilarity ensuing on every page but what I really got was a woman who hates her job, hates everyone she works with, everyone she encounters, and everything it seems about her life except maybe her husband and crazy friends. She came off as arrogant and above it all. She never really told us why she was doing this, even when it seemed that she'd go crazy attempting to stick to her deadline. All in all I'm pissed that I wasted my time. I'm pissed that I really wanted to see the movie but now I could care less about seeing it. All in all I could have read better...and Julie if you read this, now that you have a big movie/book deal maybe you can give me my $16.00 bucks back.

Today

2009-09-17T06:00:00.003-12:00

Today I had the first ever playgroup at my house. It was a rather impromptu thing but it was fine. I find play dates to be a way to sit around, let your kids run out all of their energy, and then crash into a, fingers crossed, two hour nap afterward. It's the best thing ever.

This particular play date was rather interesting because two of the three women who came aren't exactly friends of mine...we are always cordial. Yes I've known them for awhile but there have been dark clouds on the horizon and I was expecting quite a storm but alas I was wrong. It was fine, actually quite lovely. We had lots of sweets, nice conversation, a few time outs, and a few falls but all in all it was fine. Certainly something to repeat in the upcoming weeks.

Oh and....

2009-09-14T05:02:00.002-12:00

Toddler G has started doing the cutest thing. We have been trying to get her to call Amelia mommy and me mama without much luck. For awhile she had only been saying mama to me but then she started calling us both mama but now she calls me mama and Amelia mom mom which is so very sweet.

I'm not certain where she got it from or if she is really deciphering between the two of us but she's figured it out and I love it.

Now off to get her started on her MENSA test ;)

A fun filled weekend!

2009-09-14T04:50:00.002-12:00

This weekend we celebrated our friend's purchase of a new home in Westerville by attending their house warming party. Only Toddler G and I went because Amelia wasn't feeling well...we had a great time! Toddler G was of course drawn to the water table where I let her play until she got soaked and it got dark and chilly. I was certain that everyone there was thinking what a terrible mom I was letting her get so wet on such a cold night but she was having such a great time that I couldn't drag her away. Luckily the son of the homeowner who is a few months younger than her came over and played too, so I didn't feel so bad about it after that.

Ironically the friend who bought the house is a professor at the college, in the same department, that I got my undergraduate degree from, so there were a few professors there that I recognized and spoke with...good times.

Yesterday we all went apple picking at the Granville Orchards for a friend's birthday. Toddler G had an amazing time. She ate both green and red apples right off the trees and ran around enjoying the wide open space. It was a lot of fun to watch her roam from tree to tree, smelling all the flowers, and not worrying about cars or animals or any other ways for her to get hurt. The only concern we had was the pond, which of course she immediately spotted and went for. Which is why today I am on the hunt for swimming classes for her. She is drawn to water, always wants to touch the water when the faucet is on, always wants to get into the sink when brushing her teeth. She loves it.

In fact last night she fell into the bathtub while we were filling it up for her bath. She didn't get hurt but it scared her.

Oh well, off to search for swimming lessons. Enjoy your week everyone.

Two Songs

2009-09-09T15:20:00.002-12:00

I love these two songs, they were both performed on So You Think You Can Dance which is one of my favorite summer shows...I can't get enough of either, enjoy!

All I Want---Ahn Trio
(ignore the first few seconds of pixelation (SP)!!)

If It Kills Me---Jason Mraz

Parenting

2009-09-09T05:07:00.003-12:00

This parenting thing is quite new to me. Even though toddler G has been around now for exactly 16 months today it still feels surreal. For instance Amelia and I are the two people who are currently influencing her behaviors, what she's learning, what she's exposed to, blah, blah, blah...

And the most recent issue that has cropped up is what to do with her at a funeral. Not necessarily with her...specifically if there is an open casket at said funeral. I for one am always a bit iffy about going up to the casket and this is as an adult, so what could it do to a child? Of course I know that she is much too small to really be affected(effected, I never know) by this but still it pops into your mind what should you do? Even imagining myself holding her while standing there makes my stomach hurt.

In the end I told Amelia who will be attending by herself tomorrow that I'd like toddler G to not go up to the casket if it is open. I don't know if this is the right decision but it's one that I feel the best about and this situation hadn't even crossed my mind when considering all of the learning opportunities that toddler G would be exposed to, but I'm glad that it occurred to me before Amelia was there alone, having a hard time herself, and not knowing what I thought about the whole situation.

Handwritten

2009-09-07T14:26:00.002-12:00

So I write these letters to toddler G. Letters that I attempt to write once a month but seem to really only get written every other to every three months. They are my way of keeping up with what she's learned to do, what she has grown out of, and how she is making me feel. Once I type the letter in an email to myself I then hand write it in a cute brown journal with buttons on the cover that I love. I've nearly filled it to the 3/4 mark but am making little progress at the moment.

It must be because our days fly by or because she is such a handful or because I know that the sooner I write it down the sooner she'll stop being my little baby. I know that as soon as I write the words, she has learned to walk backwards and sometimes walks right into a wall that she'll never do it again. That as soon as I write she loves to blow spit bubbles and watch me blow them back that she'll grow out of it. I know that as soon as I write she loves to lay down in the back tub on her belly or walk as fast as she can from the front of the tub to the back (which scares me to death) that she'll just sit there and do nothing. I'm so afraid to break the silence I've built within myself, taking it all in, watching everything she does, breathing in her smell, tasting the skin on her knees when she falls down and I kiss her uh-oh's, that she's taken to tangling her fingers in my hair or shirt to fall asleep, reveling in the fact that she wants to sleep against me...face pressed into my chest all night long, that she wants to scoot into my lap as far as she can and lay her head on my chest while she watches her favorite show 'Jack's Big Music Show' that I just can't write it in a letter. I'll just keep it to myself, allow my eyes, ears, mouth, and fingers to enjoy these days before she wants to borrow the car or talk about kissing boys/girls...for now she's sweet.

Sickeningly sweet and I can't wait for her to wake up to do it all again tomorrow.

Eventful

2009-08-31T12:30:00.005-12:00

This weekend was packed full of fun activities. On Saturday we threw a little graduation party here at the house for some close friends and family...it was a great time! There was so much food, laughter, and joking that the five plus hours that everyone hung out just flew by.

My friend Blue surprised me with an amazing cake that she made just for me! She even called Amelia ahead of time to find out what my favorite flavor of cake is (butter pecan) and made half of the cake in that. The other half was lemon, Amelia's favorite. She had to bake the cakes separately and then carve them into the shape of a book. Amazing! THANKS, Blue! And if you are interested in hearing the whole gory story about the first cake sticking to the pan, and the hand carving that she had to do you can read it on her blog Bluedaisy us and the Firefly

On Sunday we went to a friend's sons second birthday party. It was at a local party, one of my favorites and a great time was had by all. It was a bit chilly this weekend so we all had to sport jeans and tennis shoes but the kids could have cared less. Even Toddler G was happy enough to swing for at least an hour despite the layers that she was wearing. Happy Birthday, Curran! What a sweet little boy.

'Round Here

2009-08-23T04:28:00.003-12:00

So many things have been happening around here that it's been difficult to keep up with each one.

Here are the highlights:
*Toddler G has learned to walk backwards and sideways which is super cute
*She says three words; Mama, go, and no. She doesn't say each of these as clearly as I'd like but she's trying
*Toddler G is also now home with me during the day...we lost our sitter and are looking for a new one without much luck at the moment but the hunt is on
*I finally finished my graduate program, graduation was yesterday which I did not attend...instead I went to a graduation party and a birthday party and had a good time at both
*I've been shunned by some neighbor friends lately and it really hurt me but now I've decided that I don't give a damn
*I have started writing book reviews for two different library related places...there's no pay but I get to keep the books which is pretty awesome
*I am also in the process of writing a pretty important letter in my head, soon I'll get it on paper
*I have another important letter to a friend in my draft folder that I'm waiting for the OK to send
*Amelia got a new job which she says is her dream job...she doesn't start for awhile but I am excited for her
*Some things in my life are falling into place on their own while others are on hold but I'm feeling OK...pretty good, pretty impatient but good

I'm back...

2009-08-22T01:28:00.003-12:00

...and I have so much to talk about! Will post tomorrow. Enjoy this beautiful Saturday all!

Break

2009-07-29T05:04:00.002-12:00

I am taking a break here.

Time to recoup from the issues concerning my last post as well as time to finish up my graduate program properly. I find that I'd much rather peruse blogs than write author biographies, a shock, right? :)

Adios all, give me two/three weeks tops. I'll be back.

Disgusted

2009-07-28T15:51:00.002-12:00

Why is it that some men think they can put their hands on you whenever they want?

Even if they see that you are wearing a ring, have said no, have pushed their hands away, and have elbowed them in the ribs. Why do they think if it's dark that says yes, sure, why not? I don't fucking get it!

Someone, anyone, please explain.

I haven't been posting much about Toddler G so here she is!

2009-07-23T03:34:00.004-12:00

Today is the first day...

2009-07-21T06:40:00.002-12:00

...of my last graduate school class!!!

I cannot believe it. The time really has flown by and I am feeling really torn about it. I love school and I love learning but I have not loved this program. My original plan was to get my MFA and once I was accepted at George Mason I thought it was a go. I went out to Virginia with a friend and looked for an apartment, Amelia began her search for a job but then my dad died and I deferred my acceptance. The next semester when my application was reviewed I was turned down. I was heartbroken and pretty pissed. The graduate advisor explained to me that each applicant is reviewed as a group with the other applicants and that my style of writing didn't fit in with this group as well as it had with the previous group of applicants. Defeated I applied to the Kent MLIS program and got in. I wanted so badly to get a masters degree that it didn't really matter what it was in as long as I got one.

So in about 6 weeks, August 22, I graduate from a school that I am not proud to say that I attended and from a program that I don't think very highly of...but hey I did it and it wasn't a breeze.

Updating

2009-07-14T15:01:00.001-12:00

As you can see I'm updating my blog. I was tired of the same old template and the same old stuff...so instead of looking into moving my blog I just decided to make it a bit more snazzy.

I am still not finished, obviously because the links to my friends blogs have disappeared but these will all be back up by the end of next week...this is sort of fun!

This cracks me up!

2009-07-14T04:59:00.002-12:00

Thanks to BabelBabe for posting it!

Breathing

2009-07-14T04:45:00.002-12:00

I'm feeling much better, thank you. The end is near and I cannot wait. I will be finishing up my practicum at Ohioana tomorrow and then it's off to do my 50 hour project and my final Rare Books class and then I am DONE!!!

The time really has flown by and I am quite impressed with myself that I actually finished a two year program in two years, which includes taking one semester off to have a baby! Man, I'm awesome.

Struggling

2009-07-09T04:27:00.003-12:00

Right now I am struggling to make it through, keep my head above water, you know all of those things people say when they are having a hard time.

I am pushing myself to finish my internship, which is winding down now but I still have twenty hours to complete...if I don't finish then I don't graduate. I then start my final class, Rare Books, and am looking forward to it except that it is two nights a week for a little over 4 hours...ughhh I won't be home until toddler G is asleep and that is going to make me miserable.

I am officially on the hunt for a job now, which is laughable considering our economy but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open for anything, well almost anything.

Toddler G keeps getting sick, not contagious I have a fever sick but...for instance last week she had a strep like virus and this week she has a horrible ear infection...which is making taking time away to complete an internship, go to class, eat dinner, go to Zumba, or even to sleep much too difficult. I'm sitting here right now and besides having just cried AT MY INTERNSHIP my eyes are burning like I should be sleeping...for days.

I'm concerned that toddler G isn't yet speaking, she sometimes will say Mama but that's pretty much it. I could swear that she has said go but not go exactly sort of gggggggu....that's it and I'm worried. Autism keeps popping up on my radar and I feel sick about it. I'm frustrated about it because I am a reader and a speaker. I spoke early as a child and was able to read well before I started kindergarten. Our donor is also, language oriented, speaking 4 languages and understanding 2 more...PhD is Latin American Literature, etc...so I feel like this is not where a delay should be happening if there is going to be one.

And now we are looking for alternate care for toddler G. She is a handful and I know that but it's really weighing on my mind. Who, where, when, how, all of those questions keep running through my mind. How will we pay for it considering I don't have a job, who will care for her as much as we and her previous sitter did. Will we have to drive across town, I'm willing to do that but how will I know if they are loving and if they give a damn about the kids or are just waiting to get paid each month?

All of these things are pressing in and down on me and I'm not sure how much longer I can do any of this.

A great B&B

2009-07-02T08:05:00.004-12:00

Amelia's parents own this bed and breakfast...it's amazing and that macadamia nut french toast...holy mother of god is that good!

Maybe I'm just a nerd but

2009-06-24T09:42:00.002-12:00

I really dig the library where I am doing my practicum. For those of you who don't know, I graduate in August but in order for that to happen I have to intern (sort of) at an archive or special library, since I NEVER want to work in a public library...and had to have some sort of library experience.

Anyhoo, I'm interning at this special library and am really enjoying it. The collection is pretty neat, they have books from the 160o's, old suffragette papers, Billy Ireland cartoons from the 1910's and loads of other cool stuff.

One of the interesting things about this place is that they focus solely on writers who are native Ohioans or have lived in the state for a significant portion of their lives...oh yea and if they write something about Ohio. So that means in their collection they have things from awesome authors, composers, and illustrators. These include Toni Morrison, Gloria Steinem, and my favorite poet of all time Nikki Giovanni. What's awesome about all of this you might ask? Sometimes I get to talk to these people on the phone. I've already spoken with two very cool people, one was nice the other was sort of a dick...but it was still great!

The other awesome thing about this place is that I have access to papers with author's signatures on them, original manuscripts with corrections in their own handwriting, and the topper is that I have access to their home addresses and personal email accounts. Stop! I know that sounds completely creepy and stalker-ish but I do not mean it like that. It's interesting to see where they live and if they live in Columbus to have a general idea in the city of where they are. It's all very cool...now if only I could get them to offer me a job ;)

34!!!

2009-06-18T14:53:00.003-12:00

Today is my 34th birthday! Can you believe it? I cannot believe it! I feel 19...really I do.

It was a good day. I got all of the things that I asked for and a few of the things that I could only have hoped for. I also received gobs of Birthday wishes on Facebook, which of course if very sweet because you hear from people that in life without Facebook you'd never hear from. You might cross their mind on your birthday but that nudge from FB helps out.

Oh happy day, I almost want to cry.

To make you smile

2009-06-18T14:46:00.003-12:00

Compliments of DaysGoBy

Cooking

2009-06-11T04:58:00.005-12:00

In general I'm not a very good cook. I do have a few things that I make well but not many and certainly nothing fancy. I can never remember recipes so I have tons of torn out pages from magazines in notebooks and loose ones just floating around in my desk. But...and this is a big but, I'm getting into it. I am liking foods that I never thought I would , especially green foods, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, and my favorite leeks.

I've been scouring the Internet for some good food sites, not sites like allrecipes.com (although I do use it) but ones that feature recipes without much searching on my part or guessing of what the hell an ingredient is...anyway, here are three that I really like.

101 Cookbooks

What I love about this site is that I keep coming across it on blogs that I love and read weekly. These blogs are my favorites because they are so family focused...so I know that what I find here will be healthy, fast, and delicious.

Serious Eats
Not only great because you get quick recipes in nearly every post but I like recipes to include pictures. If I can't stand how it looks then I won't eat it. These pictures are as good as the ones featured in those great glossy magazines that make you drool at the book stores.

The Dinner Files
Simple as its title the author of this blog discusses dinner each day. Sometimes it includes recipes or just interesting trivia, either way I really dig it! I mean who knew that you actually could pop, literally pop, wild rice.

New look

2009-06-09T05:50:00.001-12:00

Hate it, haven't yet decided...stop judging me!

Oh and...

2009-06-01T15:20:00.002-12:00

Happy Birthday in about 45 minutes, friend!

Winding Down

2009-06-01T15:13:00.002-12:00

Although I officially started my final semester of grad. school things feel like they are winding down for me.

I am away from home and toddler G four days a week now and it feels strangely good and bad all at once. I miss her fiercely and am enjoying what I'm doing equally fiercely so I'm at an odd crossroads.

I am thinking about writing more and more, I have a title and a beginning floating around in my head. I know it could be good because usually these fly right out of my head within the hour of thinking of them but this one has remained, it's dug in, and is currently holding on with all of its might. I know it's going to sound crazy but I'm regretting more and more deferring the MFA program in Virginia and am now considering going back for it when toddler G goes to Kindergarten. So you my friends have four years to talk me down from this ledge, or contribute funds so that I don't dig myself into more debt with student loans.

Over the next three months my life is going to come together in some ways and fall apart in others and for once I feel ready and I don't feel like I give a fuck either way. I'm ready to speak it aloud and face the consequences of years of inaction. I guess we'll see. By the end of this my family might remain intact or it could just be in shambles. I guess you never know.

Starved

2009-05-29T14:00:00.001-12:00

The adults in our house are on a diet. I know people say you should say "lifestyle change" but fuck that, we are starving! I've been very good. No coca-cola for four days so far and anyone, ANYONE, who knows me knows that's rough. I feel confident saying that I've had a coke everyday of my life since I was six months old and I'm 33! So yeah, I am craving it but I am not going to give in.

Why you ask are you torturing yourself? We are going to Key West for Christmas, or at least that is the plan as of now. Either way I need to lose weight and move on with my life.

I am looking to make some changes here in the next year or so and this is the first one, wish us luck.

This is the second night in a row that I've told Amelia I was starving and she said she is too. BOOHOO

Dad's Suck

2009-05-17T06:12:00.002-12:00

Today toddler G and I were out playing in the backyard. On one side of us is a gay couple and on the other side is this older straight couple, they have adult children and a couple of grandchildren. Each and every Sunday they have their family over, it's all very sweet and Leave it to Beaver.

While out playing today, toddler G wanted nothing to do with me so she played on her own as I sat nearby keeping an eye on her. My other eye wandered over the fence to see the kids playing with their dad and grandfather. One learning to ride a bike without training wheels while the other turned around over and over again falling to the ground in dizzy ecstasy. The grandfather was so sweet with the one learning to ride a bike, he'd pick him up and dust him off and put him back on with a pat on the head and words of encouragement that he whispered into his ear so that no one else could hear. I am certain he was saying encouraging things to him because the boy was so determined to do it for himself and for his doting grandfather. As I watched them I missed my dad, certainly not for the man that he was but for the man that he could have been for me and for toddler G. In Columbus neither Amelia or I have family and today I was wishing that we did. Wishing that my dad could have been here for her, to slide her down the slide over and over again. Or to roll her new princess kickball back and forth with her in the grass, it's a shame that he chose not to be in my life and died before G was born, not that he would have been involved but the fantasy could have remained, a possibility in my mind. But it's impossible and for that, today, I'm a little sad.

Life with a Toddler

2009-05-15T03:57:00.002-12:00

My sweet baby G is no longer a baby, she is officially toddler G now and it feels great! I cannot believe that we were actually able to keep her alive for an entire year!!! No SIDS, or bathtub drowning, or choking on undercooked food!

She's very sweet and just laughs for the hell of it, sort of like her mama. We are working on teaching her sounds, she can say Moo for the cow sound but when I say Meow for the cat sound she just smiles. My favorite is when I say a dog says Woof Woof and she tries to imitate me but it comes out Ayiyi....so cute!

I must say I have been stressing about the language thing since everyone else's children are talking up a storm. I was so worried that at her one year appointment I sort of convinced the doctor to give her a hearing test ;) Of course toddler G was so squirmy and crying that they could only test one ear and of course that ear was fine.

OK so here is my commitment, I am going to come back to this blog once a week and post something...I promise. I bet it is making my family crazy that I have been slacking!

Writing

2009-04-07T13:31:00.003-12:00

I want so badly to write. To be a writer. Not necessarily to be published but to write. So many thoughts are swirling around in my head, scraps of paper are shoved into my desk, and I have an entire folder on my email dedicated to writing but why don't I do it? Why, because it's too heartbreaking, too open, too much for me. All that I want to write about is my life, mostly for baby G but for me too but I don't do it. Will it disappoint her, shadow what I mean to her?

I hear song lyrics like these that play over and over again in my head;

do the dirty work of battle hymns (Indigo Girls, Sugar Tongue)

the shadows lie long AND is there no master mind of modern day who can blueprint a plan to make love stay sturdy and weather proof, ushering in a new revolution (Indigo Girls, Love of Our Lives)

I'm all that's left of two hearts on fire that once burned out of control AND I'm living proof of the damage heartbreak does (Allison Krauss, Ghost in This House)

These words are utterly unbelievable. Maybe I don't write because I don't see that I can live up to words this powerful. Maybe they are only powerful for me because they have spoken to me at certain times in my life. The Allison Krauss song I first heard on my way down to pull the plug on my dad while he was in a coma. It reminded me so much of my parent's relationship and how much I have always felt I had been thrust into their lives at the most inopportune time. It spoke to me then as it speaks to me now, five years later. It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. Maybe in some ways I think writers are weak, putting it out there for all to see because it's too much to keep bottled up. Maybe they think, like I do, that they will sometimes burst if others don't hear what they've seen or done.

Maybe.

Parenting

2009-04-07T13:13:00.003-12:00

Lately the ills of parenting have been shouted from the pages of magazines, such as Newsweek's "My Turn" and on TV...on Oprah for instance, with the authors of books such as "I'd Trade My Husband For a Housekeeper," and the star of the new show, In the Motherhood.

It's interesting to me that this is popping up as so many new (within the past 3 years) parents that I know, including myself, are miserable. Don't acquaint misery with love. We are all madly in love with our kids (I even cringe when I say my kid, my daughter, I'm her mom) but we are all 80-90% of the time miserable. Today when I told someone that I was laid off during my last week of maternity leave I realized I actually felt embarrased to admit that I had a kid. It made me feel like a fuddy duddy, like my actual hair color was white and I was constancly coloring it.

I am mourning my loss of freedom. I can't believe that we haven't been to a movie in months. I can't believe that when I'm sick or have cramps that I still have to cook, feed, and then clean up after another person when all I want to do is DIE! I feel guilty when I feed her vegetables and we are eating dinner from a brown paper bag. I put off easy chores, like going to the post office, because I dread getting her in and out of the car two, three, or four times. And the topper, I am not good with bodily fluids, I'm certain you all get what I'm saying.

I can't even lie anymore when people say how is it? Do you love it? I simply say, "No, it's actually pretty awful." Example, today baby G had her first ever eye appointment...I was dreading it but it was free as long as she was under 1...so we went. Luckily, I've been going to this same doctor for years so I know her and her office staff fairly well. They were excited to meet her and see how cute she was. She was her usual shy self, flirty but shy. Looking at you only when you aren't looking at her, etc... Until we went in for the appointment. She was fine at first, watched the toys as the doctor noted her peripheral vision and her ability to follow the light or toy as it was at that moment. But then she needed the drops, you know the ones to dilate your eyes. It was hell! I held her down for the drops, she got them and was happy for about 1.2 seconds and then, she became Beelzebub. Her head was flipping from side to side, it could have been spinning all the way around for all I could see, because there was snot smeared across my shirt, hair ripped from head, and my shirt might as well have been on the floor as she yanked it down to expose my faded black bra. Did you all catch the bit about the SNOT! There were wet streaks of tears and snot on my shoulders, on my sleeves, and apparently on my back because the doctor was nice enough to wipe it off. Again I say miserable.

I would like to reiterate here that I have never been, or don't think I will ever be so in love with anyone or anything but I think I'd like to have my hysterectomy now, thank you.

Music

2009-03-19T15:50:00.005-12:00

Being with baby G all day makes it hard to do much except listen to music...here are a few of my favorite songs at the moment.

Ryan Adams-Come Pick Me Up-from the Elizabethtown Soundtrack

The best line in this song...You know you could, I wish you would, come pick me up, take me out, fuck me up, steal my records, screw all my friends behind my back, with a smile on your face.

And two from Baby G's shows that I've grown to love:

Audra Rox-I Hope My Mama Says Yes

The best line in this song: Can I have some apple pie in my corn flakes?!

I Hope My Mama Says YES! AudraRox

Lisa Loeb-Roll Jenny Jenkins

Blood everywhere

2009-03-19T14:51:00.004-12:00

Today while G and I were watching Yo Gabba Gabba she decided to dance.

In general she is pretty stable on her feet. I don't have to be too close to her because she DOES NOT fall down. Today was another story. She was standing up, dancing, and holding onto her red polka-dot chair and thud, the hit was so loud that I seriously thought she had just flipped the chair over...but no...it was her face that hit the ground (hardwood floors) that hard.

I got to her and she was covered in blood...and then I was covered in blood...and then the floor was covered in blood...and then the towels were covered in blood...you get the picture. I am in general pretty good with blood, no problems seeing it, etc...but not when it's your own kid. I have never ever ever ever seen her bleed, did I say I've never seen her bleed?!?! She just kept pressing her face into my neck and bouncing on me and climbing on me...I was in shock...I had no idea what to do, who to call, how to react. I didn't know if she had knocked out any of her 6 teeth, if she had maybe swallowed one of them, if her nose, neck, ears, whatever was/were broken...I didn't cry which looking back I can't believe but WOW...here's a couple of pictures.

You can't see it but there is blood all over my neck, arms, hands...you would think I had single handedly taken out a few members of a gang or something.

Pizza Night

2009-03-19T00:51:00.002-12:00

The really great thing about having a kid baby G's age is that she can, pretty much, eat whatever we eat.

Last night was pizza night and I had been a little bit nervous about giving her pizza in the past because I thought it was a little thick, had a little too much seasoning, etc...but last night I was not in the mood to cook anything extra or heat anything up. So we tried pizza.

At first she just picked it up and let if fall out of her fingers. Then she put her fingers in her mouth and got a taste of it...then...she ate two entire pieces!!!

We were also having salad with dinner so we gave her tomatoes, which I hate, but she loved! So for dinner baby G had pizza, cucumbers, and tomatoes...yummy!

This is opening up a whole new world to me. I'm guessing I'll still be boiling vegetables for her for awhile since I hate veggies and rarely cook them with meals, but everything else is fair game! What a milestone.

Standing Up!

2009-03-08T15:15:00.002-12:00

Lots and lots of changes around here for baby G! Tomorrow she will be 10 months old and with that comes 6 teeth, not much hair, lots of babbling, no walking but tons of crawling, her first and only taste of cat food, climbing the stairs, attempting to go back down head first, playing with dirt, eating dirt, swinging alone and with mama, the words peek-a-boo but not Mama, stranger danger leading to climbing all over me, finally being recognized as a girl, preferring to be held by men and screaming when women approach her, and one funny night of being sick and sleeping with us...she was against me all night and then she was gone...where was she? She had flipped herself around and was head down with her head on my knee, under the blankets, sweating away...so cute!!!

Here she is standing straight up!

The sad state of reality TV!!!

2009-03-04T14:57:00.002-12:00

As most of you know I am a reality TV junkie...I love it all and I watch it all, dvr'd of course ;)

But recently I've noticed a truly disturbing trend amongst the shows, the parents of the "stars" and what they say to them.

Example 1: A Double Shot at Love on MTV---premise---bisexual twins try to find love among a group of straight men and lesbians. I know what you are thinking they deserve whatever they get and I agree except when it comes to their parents. When the "Ikki Twins" were down to the final three candidates for their love they met with their parents and their father actually said to them something along the lines of...what more can you be other than trophy wives!!! Can you believe that, disgusting. The twins actually cried and he said nothing!!! Bastard.

Example 2: The Girls Next Door---premise---The lives of Hugh Hefner (Playboy founder) and his three live in girlfriends have cameras follow them around day in and day out...very good show...lots of nudity, etc...I digress. In the most recent episode, Kendra, Hugh's youngest and least attractive girlfriend decides that she wants to leave the mansion and live her life, she moved in at 18 and is now 23...so she tells her mom and grandmother first. What do you think happens, they tell her she can't do it. They question her, can you write a check, can you cook, do you know how to do your laundry, have you ever done your laundry. Her mom even says, you know when you dial 0 on the phone you won't get the butler! Kendra is visibly hurt and lets them continue.

I am disgusted by these parents...who says this to their children? If any of your ever hear me say anything even remotely like this to baby G, please slap the shit out of me.

Week-end

2009-02-15T16:23:00.007-12:00

This weekend was jam packed with fun stuff for us to do.

First on Friday night we went to my friend Deb's 40th b-day party at Joe's Crab Shack!

Then on Saturday we had our book club meeting where we discussed the book The Secret Life of Bees and watched the shitty movie. And then...today...we went to Marissa's first birthday party...it was a blast!

It was Mickey Mouse themed :)

All in all a darn good weekend.

Congratulations

2009-02-10T08:07:00.001-12:00

This week my friend Becky had her first baby, Etta, who weighed in at 6lbs. 2oz. and I just wanted to say....

Congrats to both Becky and Christie and especially to baby Etta who will have a fantastic life with her new mommies!!!

Eating, Sleeping, Screaming

2009-02-08T05:43:00.002-12:00

We've been having some major sleep issues with baby G, *read* she does not sleep unless she is sleeping on top of (Amelia), up against (Dawn), or in between A and I. It's really getting old.

We've tried everything, her sleep sheep, music, dim lights, I've even laid down next to the crib and let her stroke my hair through the bars...that seems to be her thing, so whatever, and it all has seemed to work until we attempt to leave the room.

So our friends J and M suggested we feed her a snack at night. I thought we had certainly been feeding her enough so she wouldn't be interested...boy was I wrong...after her dinner...she had snack after snack after snack and the first night it helped.

So yesterday I implemented real food, I cooked up green beans, peas, edamame, bought frozen strawberries and blueberries and fed her those throughout the afternoon and evening and guess what...it worked but for just one night so far. Last night she was up four different times before I gave in and put her to bed with me at about 3:15 AM!!! Ughhh, I'm tired today but determined to figure this out. I think J and M hit it on the head with the feed her a snack thing so that I'll continue to do but until she sleeps...everyone think of me at 3 am...holding myself back from throwing myself off the roof.

Obama Me!

2009-02-01T16:22:00.004-12:00

Check this out from Paste Magazine...FUN!!! I wanted to do one of Amelia too but in most of her pictures she is flipping me off :) and that was against the regs...so you just get the two of us :(

EEK!

2009-01-28T04:28:00.003-12:00

Last week I went to a local thrift store to find baby G some pants since she is so long that she is off the charts. We can't keep her in pants, it's ridiculous and I refuse to pay more than $2.00 for pants that she will outgrow in a week!

At the thrift store the back section is filled with toys and I was looking for balls for her to play with since she loves the ones at her BFF Deven's house. When I had finally found everything we needed I made my way to the front of the store and saw a man on the ground, handcuffed, with three guns laying on the counter in front of me. I was shocked! I asked the cashier what was going on and she said he had just tried to rob them and the three guns were his! I could not believe it, I hadn't even realized it was going on and I could have gotten shot...not even considering what else could have happened! Luckily enough a husband and wife, who happened to be police officers, had been shopping as well so they took him down.

I write all this to say thanks to the cops, not that they read this but a thank you is necessary from my end...I am thankful to be back home and safe with Baby G and Amelia.

About me

2009-01-15T09:44:00.002-12:00

If you know me, you know I am a PROCRASTINATOR! I have a serious problem with it and am trying to be better.

Currently I have at least 5 to do lists in my notebook and am to-do-ing none of them at the moment. I wanted to get a lot of it done before my classes started up again, but next week I am back in school so clearly I failed miserably at these bullet points...

Do not procrastinate
Start with the quick easy stuff
Get it done before Spring Sem. starts

GRRRR, damn it once again I am behind on everything. Is there a pill for procrastinators?

Milestones

2009-01-12T14:05:00.010-12:00

Baby G just turned 8 months old and it is amazing the things she has accomplished just over this past weekend!

She ate spaghetti for the first time!

Pulled herself up to almost standing!

Conquered her mommy!
And her bottom two teeth are finally all the way through!

And....she was just plain cute!

It was a long weekend!

Oh, and she finally drank from a straw and had German Chocolate Cake but I didn't get a picture of either of those things ;(

For your viewing pleasure!

2009-01-07T13:28:00.003-12:00

Not a lot of time but Happy New Year

2009-01-05T04:30:00.002-12:00

Hey y'all! Hope everyone had a safe, fun, and crazy new year's eve! Since it was our first with baby G we stayed at home and had a few friends over. We also made homemade Chinese food, which was quite delicious! We played a board game and the Wii which is always fun!

Baby G enjoyed the evening as much as we did, napping on and off but staying awake for the ball to drop.

My new year's resolution you ask? Well I'd like to learn to sew...eek we shall see!

First Christmas

2008-12-26T14:37:00.005-12:00

Baby G has a wonderful first Christmas. My mom is out of town because my neice is getting married tomorrow so we were only in for traveling to Oberlin this year to be with Amelia's family. It was, as usual, lovely.

G was cranky pretty much the entire time which lately has been typical for her. She got tons of stuff from her Nonny and Pop Pop, her moms, and of course from Santa.

Oh and we got a Wii fit for Christmas so by next year I promise I'll be so hot! ;)

Oh and for Jojo, a picture of G's first two teeth! Click the picture to make it bigger!

Ethan

2008-12-26T14:31:00.001-12:00

So the friends I mentioned in the previous post had their baby, and his name is Ethan. We went to see him tonight after arriving home from the holidays at Grant and damn is he cute.

Baby G totally has dibs!

Wishing and Hoping

2008-12-10T15:23:00.003-12:00

So my friends who are due to have their first baby boy in January are having some medical troubles. It seems baby E is quite small for a baby that only has one more month for cooking...so because I don't pray and am not religious, I'm writing this post to send out warm wishes, hugs, kisses, squeezes, tickles and whatever else I can send out into the big, huge universe for E's safe arrival. We love you baby E!

Early December

2008-12-08T08:01:00.014-12:00

It's been an eventful early December around here.

We've pretended to be reindeer!

Learned to drink (sorta) from a sippy cup!

Worn our favorite new onesie that says "I AM NOT A BOY!"

Worn our fur coat with the cutest ears ever!

Bought a Christmas tree!

Dressed up as a princess for Doreen and Kristen's engagement Party!

Learned to stand up (Sorta)!

Snuggled with Charlotte!

Snuggled with my Christmas dog!

And we're tired already! See you soon, we are planning on spending the rest of December waiting for Santa Claus! Enjoy the rest of yours!

Babies

2008-12-07T09:57:00.002-12:00

Babies have taken over the world. Congratulations to the newest addition to our world, Baby Vincent, Congratulations Katie and Fran!

Next up baby E due in January, and another baby E (a girl this time) due in February!

WOOHOO, oh and my friend Jamie just found out that she and her husband will be having a baby in about 81/2 months...this is so great!

Walmart

2008-12-07T09:47:00.003-12:00

Since Amelia was laid off we've been doing some shopping at Walmart completely and totally against our best judgement. We both had taken the vow to never shop there but when not one single person in your household has a job, vows tend to be bent a bit.

One thing that I do love about Walmart is the people who shop there, if you are easily offended please stop reading here so that you can hold on to your respect for me.

It is especially pleasing for me when I walk into Walmart because I virtually turn into Gisele Bundchen wearing the latest and greatest from Victoria's Secret. The men who shop there with there wives, who have about as many teeth as baby G, love me. They fawn over me, so rarely are they greeted by more than two teeth and someone who can actually button her jeans without the use of a rubber band. My clothes are clean and it is likely that I have actually showered on the said day of the shopping trip. I'm certain that my hair smelling of fresh fruit is quite a treat over the alluring scent of day old cigarette smoke. The men there make me feel great, they give me second and even third looks. They hold the door for me, they hand me things from the tall shelves that I cannot reach, they even allow themselves to be caught (and punched) by their girlfriends/wives while looking at me.

Is it terrible of me to bask in this glory? I think not, oh why oh why can't everyday be Walmart day?

Turkey Time

2008-11-30T08:19:00.007-12:00

A good time was had by all this Thanksgiving day...Baby G enjoyed her first turkey day as we did sharing it with her. She got to try mashed potatoes and gravy, cheesy potatoes, whipped cream, pumpkin pie, peanut butter pie, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing all for the very first time. She seemed to love it all except the gravy...weird I know! Hope you all enjoyed yours as well!

G in her purple pants and fall leaf shirt!

Mama giving G her first bite, ever, of mashed potatoes and gravy!

Mama feeling like crap after eating TOO MUCH DAMN FOOD!

G's cousin, Joseph, the jolly green giant!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T08:39:00.002-12:00

We are heading out of town tonight to celebrate turkey day with our families, so I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving friends have a great one!

Here's a smile for ya'

Two Teeth!

2008-11-21T15:36:00.002-12:00

It was a double whammy for us...we went in for G's 6 month shots and found out that not one but two of her bottom teeth have busted through...poor little thing!

Teefers!

2008-11-19T07:18:00.001-12:00

Two days ago G was awfully fussy. Well actually she had been fussy for about a week prior to that, in the evenings only. We couldn't figure out what was going on until I stuck my finger in her mouth to let her suck on it and got the surprise of my life...two little sharp pointy things stabbed me!

Yep that's right baby G is getting her first tooth, it's on the bottom left and she seems to be hating it. Amelia is on her way to the store right now to pick up some Baby Orajel...so wish us luck and whenever I can get a good look in there I'll try to take a pic.

A 6 month old

2008-11-12T15:50:00.006-12:00

It's hard to believe that our little baby girl has just turned 6 months old! So many things about her have changed; she laughs and smiles at everyone now, she says Mama, she grabs things and shakes them (including the cats), she can sit up, she is eating real food and spitting anything we try to give her that is green out, she is AMAZING! I have never been so in love.

Oh and she is now sleeping in her crib, giving her mommies their room back...WOOHOO!

She's still short on the hair but all things in time, all things in time :)

Obama wins!

2008-11-05T02:57:00.002-12:00

WOW, WOW, WOW last night was amazing. I had a class until about 8:55 and just couldn't wait for the text message updates that I insisted Amelia send every half hour or so. It was a crazy night. We were up until about 1am reveling in the enormity of this. Lots of crying was done in our household as I'm sure there was in a lot of others, this was unbelievable.

Being raised in Georgia it was no big deal to hear the N word around your neighborhood or house. It was no big deal to point out trees where it was rumored slaves had been hung, it was no big deal to assume you were better because of the color of your skin...and I always felt like something was wrong with all of that. As I grew up I knew it was wrong and never engaged in it again and will teach our daughter that it is never OK to call people names or assume you are better. With Barack as president I know that this will make that lesson easier for her to understand. When she sees the emotions from the public over for the next four years (hopefully eight) she will understand what our country stands for.

I know that all of our racial prejudices cannot be erased with a single day of voting but I do know that we are on our way and to be a part of that felt so good.

Yesterday I voted for the first African American president of the United States and today I will put some front pages of major newspapers in G's memory box because I never want her to forget that this is her world, a much different world than any of us has ever experienced. Personally, I am so ready for this ride.

Congratulations, Mr. Obama, Mr. President!

Halloween

2008-11-01T15:12:00.003-12:00

G's first Halloween was quite a success. We had our usual 150 or so kids trick or treat and even got to see some hilarious costumes like gum on the bottom of a shoe! Three friends came over that come over every year because they don't get any kids and enjoyed her first with us. Here's a couple of pics. to enjoy! Happy belated Halloween!

First G...

Now for adults only...this was not on purpose, I swear ;)

GRRRR

2008-10-28T05:05:00.002-12:00

I haven't posted in awhile, not because nothing is happening but because we've been crazy busy. Busy with school, busy with G, busy with family and friends visiting, just busy in general.

Things have been happening around here. I am down to my final two semesters of graduate school, G is almost sitting up, I swear she has said Mama (we also think she has said her name and I hate you but that's just wishful hearing), and Amelia is looking for a new job. G is making so much noise now that she really thinks we are holding conversations which is so effing cute I can't stand it.

Babies are popping up everywhere around us and it is fantastic. It's nice to be in that age group now, that families are literally forming before our eyes. Beautiful baby boys and girls on their way to mommies and daddies that having been wanting them for so long! It's amazing!

Oh well, here's a pic. of G! Have a great week.

My more than talented friends

2008-10-06T04:14:00.006-12:00

So I've been wanting to write this post for awhile as I looked around me and realized what amazingly talented friends I have. Friends who still have a day job but continue to work on what they are truly gifted at. It may be writing, painting, recording albums, or even fusing glass together but whatever that talent is...I wanted to point you in their direction!

1. The first is a girlfriend of a friend who I now officially call a friend, Mary Ann. Mary Ann's day job is librarian but she is officially an amazing painter. Her studio space in her Westgate home is one that I envy...at the moment we continue to talk about saving up money to buy ourselves a polyptych (I think that's the right word) three panels to hang behind our couch...we love 'em! Check Mary Ann's stuff out here: Fine Art America and here: Intimate Landscapes

2. Another friend of mine, Paul, is a writer and runs his own Literary Journal, Paradigm from Rain Farm Press. Paul's writing on its own is extraordinary but on top of that the artists, writers and musicians that he puts in their journal, Paradigm, are truly untapped talent. Paul and his co-publisher Matt give unknown artists the chance to put their work out there for the public. Paul is truly doing a service to the artistic community by publishing e-books, an online journal, anthologies, and art anthologies making most of it available for free on their website.

3. My friend, Deb is another local artist that doesn't get the credit she deserves. I have known Deb for years and her talent is ever changing, catching up to the times and showing off her mad crafting skills. Deb's fused glass works can be seen on both her Etsy site and her personal blog, Artistic Flair. Deb was the friend who I went to when I wanted to give Amelia a gift before we had baby G. I asked Deb to make 2 adult birds, the theme of G's room, in our birthstones looking down on a baby bird in a nest, made of G's birthstone...it turned out better than I could have imagined! Check our her stuff!

4. Susan is a stay at home mom and freelance writer who just finished contributing to her first book Weird, Scary, and Unusual. Now I don't know Susan well enough to know what other cool projects she has worked on but I'm sure there are some out there. For now I know that you all should check out the book.

5. The final person that I'll talk about is my friend Channa, she is a singer/songwriter who lives in Amsterdam. I met Channa while working at a Girl Scout camp in Richfield and we've been friends ever since. Channa is an amazing singer and her songs speak volumes about who she is as a woman and all around great person. Channa has a couple of CD's under her belt, maybe more that I don't yet know about...but she is definitely someone to check out. Check out her myspace page to hear her songs and learn more about her, my current favorite is Try. Paul, I know you read this and I think you should feature her in Paradigm ;)

Ok, so that's just a few of my very talented friends, others that I'd love to talk about but don't have their info. anywhere on the web that I know of are: My friend Jen: the best and most rounded crafter that I know, my cousin Leslie who is a fabulous writer, Marcie another crafter who should be doing what she loves full time instead of slaving away, and lastly my friend Amy who I have only known as a chef...one amazingly talented cook who should at least have her own cookbook published if not own her own damn restaurant! Please check my them all out, I promise it'll be worth it.

Oh and here's some cuteness to round it all off :)

No title

2008-09-20T09:32:00.001-12:00

So as most of you know or experienced for yourselves, central Ohio lost power for days...I mean really, no exaggeration, fucking DAYS! It was bad, really bad. And now imagine if you will, 4 straight days of evening darkness with a 4 month old...got it, now multiply that by 100 and you'll have an idea of how shitty this past week was. Not only did we have no power, no light to wipe dirty butts by, but I also missed the season finale of Big Brother! Big Brother is my favorite summer, no stress, laugh out loud at others show and I was pissed...grrrrrrr!

Goddammit Ike, my name is not Tina Turner get off my back!

I'm a big girl now!

2008-09-09T07:10:00.004-12:00

Baby G turns 4 months old today and I cannot believe it! So many things about her have changed over the past 4 weeks. She smiles at strangers and friends alike. She makes a lot of new noises, she blows spit bubbles to get out attention and hold it. She has discovered both of her feet and manages to hold onto both while she is sleeping. She seems so long and so heavy now that it's nuts. Here are a few updated photos of her for all to see! Thanks to Grandma Mary for the pink strawberry dress!

Is Shrek a sperm donor?

2008-09-02T04:12:00.001-12:00

Baby Bug

2008-08-25T03:10:00.004-12:00

Baby Bug is growing like a weed! In about 2 weeks she has her 4 month appt. which I cannot believe but which also involves a series of immunizations! Having a child I knew we would be dealing with the to immunize or not debate, but for me, I didn't feel like I had much of a choice. I feel like it's the best thing for her and for us. I'd hate to have the hassle of attempting to put her into school and say to them...oh no she doesn't have any shots.

Baby G doesn't love the shots but she gets over them. She takes her Tylenol and sleeps for awhile and then is generally good to go...so with that said just a quick note to ask everyone to think of her on Sept. 12 when she gets 5 shots in one day. Sad baby, sad mommies.

At Last

2008-08-14T06:30:00.003-12:00

Things feel like they are finally starting to fall into place for us. Baby G is cooing and attempting to hold up her own head...I know at 3 months a lot of kids are doing this but believe me she has a BIG head so give her a break OK!

In other news I start my final (fingers crossed) year of my grad. program the last week of this month and I am actually looking forward to it. I've finally moved on to the classes that I am interested in so it should be a lot of fun for me. We've worked out a plan with a great friend for watching Baby G while I am in class one afternoon a week and Amelia will watch her the two evenings that I have classes...all will be fine as soon as I am comfy leaving her. I've been with her everyday since she was born so I suspect it won't be easy but I'm doing it for our family so it must be done.

I have a couple other things under way that I am looking forward to working on as well...so things should be good.

Oh well, on to the cuteness! Enjoy!

Nothing at all to do with the baby!

2008-08-08T07:36:00.005-12:00

Now isn't that a catchy title...LOL!

We recently (in June) got DVR...and I'm not as crazy for it as I had expected that I'd be. I am grateful that when a show I watch religiously, Big Brother (stop laughing), is moved back to 2am and there is no way in hell that I can stay awake to watch it, that it can be taped and viewed by me at any time, or when Baby G (oops I wasn't going to mention her) starts crying and won't stop, it's lovely to be able to pause any old show and restart it when she calms down...otherwise I could do without it. But I've been watching shit I'd never usually watch, for instance National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Tara Reid is in this movie for Christ's sake!

With that said...now that I am home I find myself DVRing shows and watching them as I feed Georgia and am tied to the couch for a good half an hour to forty five minutes. I've never been a fan of soaps so this is a god send for me! For instance I've never ever had the desire to watch Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations...mostly because he insists on eating crap that I can't imagine eating, much less watching someone else eat. I do find foodie shows very interesting although I'm probably the furthest thing from a foodie, I eat but I don't much cook. I love to go out but I always get the same damn thing...#'s 153 or 141 from El Vaquero please.

But this particular Anthony Bourdain caught my attention, he wasn't coming to us from some deserted island, or from a South American jungle, nope he was coming straight to us from good ol' South Carolina. I was excited to see what would happen, what he would eat and it brought back some good memories for me.

As most of you know I was born and raised in Georgia which is a world away from where I am right now but I do remember the food from this region of our country. I was given Coca-Cola (to be a proper Southern Belle you must use the whole name, and run it together, Cocola) in my bottle as a baby and am as addicted to it today as I ever was. Anthony Bourdain found himself eating boiled peanuts, which I love! When Amelia and I took a trip to GA we saw a man boiling peanuts on the side of the road and I just had to have some. Amelia tried them and thought the were the most slimy disgusting things in the world but I love them. Anthony Bourdain seemed to like them too...they are quite tasty. One thing that I had completely forgotten about was Coca-Cola cake...I had this a lot as a girl and remember it being thick like a brownie with the aftertaste of a good coke burp (sorry for that, it wasn't very lady like of me a'tall!) But it's the truth. If you ever get the chance to try this cake, and I wouldn't recommend trying it anywhere but in the deep south, you must have it! I don't miss much from GA, god knows it was hell when I was a kid there and hell the last time I was there...and that was the last time, but I sure do miss being able to walk out into the backyard and pick a peach from the tree or gather pecans that weren't already shelled for you. It was paradise for this little girl and thanks to Anthony Bourdain for making me remember the good times.

If you must insist on trying to make this cake on your own, here's the link to the recipe taken from the Coca-Cola site! If you feel the need to look around on there you'll find other great recipes; Southern Belle Salad, Coca-Cola Chicken, and Cherry Coke Ham...yummy!

Wordle

2008-08-06T07:25:00.002-12:00

One of my favorite blogs to read is Precarious Tomato. She is funny as shit! Something cool that she just posted on her blog is a wordle...it is a tool that allows you to put in a site and it creates this piece of word art using the words on the page...here's mine for this blog. I'm not as cool as her so I couldn't figure out how to make it larger...click it to see it larger!

MOO

2008-08-06T07:02:00.006-12:00

A gift from my dear friend Channa!

Cow print is all the rage in Amsterdam!

Baby G and Pinky Tuscadaro!

Baby G on the hammock!

Best Friends

2008-08-05T09:28:00.002-12:00

Full Time Mama

2008-08-04T05:20:00.003-12:00

So many things have changed over the last week or so.

I found out from a friend, who feels guilty but shouldn't, that I was not having my contract renewed at my job...and that was later confirmed by my boss, so here I was jobless and insuranceless with a brand new baby and so pissed about it. But things have turned around for the better. We've decided that yes it's going to be hard but we had always wanted for me to stay at home with her while Amelia worked. We don't have a ton saved but we have some...and I will be collecting unemployment which my company now offers to contract employees.

The new plan is that I will stay with Baby G during the day and pass on all of my great wisdom to her and finish up my grad. program in a more timely manner than we originally thought. I sort of was planning on taking three years to do this program but now I will be able to finish it up in the two years that it should really take. I've never expected that to be possible for me but it finally is. I think we will be living in sacrifice city for awhile, meaning probably no Key West for Christmas but that's OK with us if it means that Baby G will get to have one of her moms around full time for at least the first year of her life.

Ironically the job that laid me off just sent me an offer today to pass my name along to another branch of the company and it was hard but I said no thanks. I feel like I was sort of handed my pink slip and a golden ticket all at the same time...this will probably be my only chance to do this, to be with our daughter all day everyday and I don't want to miss out on anything.

So wish us luck and keep your fingers crossed that we survive...I could stand to lose a few pounds so maybe I'll eat a little less but will be filled up with Baby G's laughs and attempted smiles.

Updates

2008-07-23T05:32:00.006-12:00

Yesterday Baby G laughed for the first time which we miraculously got on video...so I've posted it on here...you can see it in the first 15 seconds but the video is about 75 seconds long...I couldn't believe she laughed it was hilarious...just ignore how lovely I look ;)

So I thought I'd write and say we will be going away to Amelia's family reunion this weekend. We will be staying at Lake Tygart State Park in their lodge and I am really looking forward to it. I can't wait to show the lake to Baby G, not that she will get it but still. I am hoping to get in some reading and maybe even some...sleeping! I know it's crazy talk but keep your fingers crossed.

I'm putting a few of Baby G's most recent photos on here too!

Talk to you next week!

Baby G's First Laugh

2008-07-23T04:36:00.002-12:00

Room

2008-07-16T06:27:00.009-12:00

So some of you have been requesting final pics. of how Baby G's room turned out...here they are...enjoy!

This is her second closet of clothes, yes I said closet number 2!

This is the closet in her room.

This is her dresser/changing table...oh and that is dresser number 1 of 2!

Her crib and cute wall decorations.

Dresser number 2.

Her bookshelf

Her light switch that I made for her.

Her rocking chair with photos of all of our loved ones nearby.

Things

2008-07-16T05:39:00.002-12:00

Around here things are moving at quite a clip. Baby G is 2 months and one week old which just doesn't seem possible to me. I go back to work in 2 weeks and am not happy about it. I just can't imagine how people do this. We have a great friend who will be watching her, the only person we completely trust at this point, but as of right now that seems like that day might just be the hardest day of my life.

I can't imagine sitting at my desk and not feeling so unbelievable sad. Even thinking about it now is making me cry...how do you do it? I just don't know. Oh well, here's a pic. that cheers me up.

WII and WII Fit

2008-07-16T05:36:00.002-12:00

Am I the last person on the planet no to have these? Just wondering. I want 'em bad!

Sunshine

2008-07-08T07:47:00.001-12:00

The 4th

2008-07-05T13:57:00.003-12:00

We attempted to enjoy our first 4th of July with the wee one but were unsuccessful. She wasn't down with the loud bangs or lights so we watched a bit of it from the bedroom of one of Amelia's aunts until we went in search of the quietest room which turned out to be the bathroom...so most of Baby G's first 4th was spent looking upon a sea/dolphin themed bathroom. Otherwise it was a great time, good food, fun people, the best donuts that I have ever had (Lerch's)!

This pic. isn't from yesterday but I wanted to put one on here for fun :) This is a recent family photo!

Baby Blues

2008-07-01T04:09:00.002-12:00

Today has been a good day. I have actually been able to get some things done around the house and on my personal to-do list that I really needed to do! I even have some time to write this on here and post another cute pic. of the little one!

Look at those baby blues!

An Update

2008-06-30T07:52:00.002-12:00

We are all well here...the time is flying by and baby G is getting bigger by the minute. I can't believe how lovely it has been to spend this time with her during the day alone. Don't get me wrong, when Amelia gets home from work I can't wait to hand her off until her next feeding but it's still quite lovely.

I am going to get back to writing on here as well, don't even know if any of you are still out there but I will just write what I want and when I can.

Here's my favorite pic. of our girl so far!

Home

2008-05-15T10:54:00.002-12:00

So things have happened so quickly around here that I thought I'd write just to say that we finally had our baby girl on May 9th and are so happy to have her here with us in the flesh.

I'm not sure how much I'll be writing on here or if I even will be but I wanted everyone to know. Initially I started writing here for our families and it has grown into so much more than that. This blog and you have become important to me and I am not able to put all I want into it. Maybe I'll come back, maybe I won't but for now let me say thanks and I'll be around.

I want to dedicate as much time as I can to making this little girl's life as fantastic as I possibly can and to do that I am redirecting my time to her...so for now adieu sweet friends.

Chorkie

2008-05-05T10:06:00.001-12:00

On Saturday we went to three parties...a graduation party, a birthday party, and a Cinqo De Mayo party. We had a blast!

At the graduation party I saw the cutest, sweetest, tiniest dog I've ever seen in my life and I need one. It was a Chihuahua/Yorkie mix also known as a Chorkie!

Never even heard of it, generally anti the random mixing of dog breeds but damn that was one cute dog!

Nose Dive

2008-04-30T04:47:00.001-12:00

Baby Girl has taken a nose dive into position so that we didn't need to schedule a c-section...I know that's really great and all but I was sort of set on having a c-section...you know easy, laid back, just a bit more recovery time.

So now I'm freaking out! But I guess we'll see.