Happy News

In the past week, I've found out two of my sisters-in-law are pregnant! J just found out, and C might be 1 month along, might be 3 months. Um, don't ask, because I don't know. I just try to go with the flow here. Ha ha But I am pretty excited for both of them. It's the first baby for J, and the third for C. I am sure they will both make adorable pregnant girls. (They don't even read this blog, so this is not butt kissing.)

I tried to visit Rainbow but she was out this afternoon. What is up with that. The woman has three kids and is 8 months pregnant. She has no business going anywhere. And should always be home whenever I decide to stop by without calling first. Sigh. I suppose I've learned my lesson. Instead, since I was then in the neighborhood, I stopped by JDub's parents' house, because I haven't seen her mom since I was 7.5 months pregnant. Unfortunately, her mom wasn't there, but her brother and sister-in-law were, so I visited with them for a while. Saw their 2nd child, a 6-month old girl, for the first time. She is a super cute little redhead. Weighs as much as Baby E!

Dh requested a new food schedule - main meal at lunchtime. He's hoping it will aid his goal to not eat a bunch shortly before he goes to bed. I don't know how this is going to work. Baby E likes to cling to my leg and cry if I try to cook when she's awake. She percieves it as ignoring her. The beauty of her going to bed at 6 and Dh coming home from work at 7 is I have a baby-free hour to make dinner. I'm giving it a try, because I'm just an awesome wife like that.

Oh and delightful development - Baby E figured out to take the masking tape off the cupboards! Crap. That girl is too smart for her own good. Luckily she only seems to do it when she is really bored, so I guess I'll just try to keep her entertained around cupboards.

Fun Quiz

Take the Quiz here!

The Weekend and Weight

Dh's parents were here for the weekend. Went pretty well. The older I get, I guess the more anal about my house I get. Interpersonal relations were great. Everyone got along, had fun. I just hate having crap all over my house. And Dh's family all have this weird habit of putting their dirty dishes on the counter around the sink. Not in. Around. And heaven forbid they put any in the dishwasher!

We went to some nearby waterfalls on Saturday and had a picnic. Quite enjoyable. Baby E just learned to point at things, so she had fun pointing and making everyone tell her the names of things.*

Sunday was spent quietly. Church from 11-2, then Dh grilled hamburgers. Delish! Once Baby E was in bed, we spent about 5 hours playing Bones and Golf, a dice game and card game, respectively. Sooo fun. I even won Golf for the first time evah. Usually I lose badly.

Today Dh and his dad went fishing all day (left at 6 am, got back at 5 pm!). Yes, Britt, I am a fishing widow. Let's totally start a support group. Ha ha Mil, Baby E and I went shopping. Didn't spend that much though. I got a little pink bolero-kind of thing. And some yarn. One can never have enough. Dh achieved success! He came home with a large Chinook salmon. I like salmon, and better yet, I don't have to prepare it! It's not a fillet from the grocery store, so "I don't know how to make it." That line totally worked!

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This is unrelated, but there's an online brohaha about some blond chick FoxNews had on who said Jordin shouldn't have won American Idol because she's overweight and that's a bad example to fat kids. Let me first say I think that chick is retarded. No way should Jordin not win because she's overweight. Though personally I feel Melinda had the best voice.

But some people have been saying she's not overweight, just big boned. I don't agree with that. I think she's overweight. But I don't really think that's a huge deal as an example to kids. I mean yeah, yeah, I know being overweight puts you at risk for blah blah blah. I know. But people like my father-in-law are the ones who need to hear the scare bit about being overweight (he's obese, though 6'3" so he carries it "well"). Jordin doesn't need to hear the scare bit. She's 17 for heavens sake. But she is overweight, not just big boned. I think it's a slippery slope when we start calling overweight "big boned." Besides, I think seeing an overweight girl win AI is 500x more positive than seeing twenty stick-thin starlets lose ever more weight, or seeing one starlet after another pr0stitute herself out to achieve fame.

*The only word I am sure she comprehends is "baby." I show her a picture with multiple subjects, say, "Point to the baby," and she will. I can show her a picture of Dh & me, say, "Point to Daddy," and she points at me. We're working on it.

How I Spend My Evenings When My Husband Is Gone

Baby E gets wild.

I watched The Painted Veil last night. It is a beautiful movie. I definitely recommend it. Don't try to make your SO watch it though. Unless he goes for sensitive, thought-provoking period dramas. Yeah. I didn't think so.

I watched Because I Said So the night before. I do not recommend it. Absolutely ridiculous. Also Diane Keaton was obviously allowed to dress herself. I have not seen such bad fashion since I went to Wal-Mart a few weeks ago.

I finished reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science. Enjoyable. I found the chapter on AIDS especially interesting. Did you know an AIDS diagnosis in Africa does not require an HIV test?

I tried to read Cocktails for Three by Madeline Wickham, but the writing was poor.

Now I'm reading The Spellman Files and it's certainly light, but amusing enough.

I'm too lazy to find links for all this stuff. Just watch The Painted Veil, would ya?

* * *

Baby E figured out how to open the cabinet doors. Mmm, fun times. My friend Cami recommended the following solution:

which is working quite well. It prevents this little cutie:

from getting into the toxic cleansers and dirty potatoes, but enables me to easily access said cleansers and potatoes.

Baby E's favorite thing to do:

Read the Sephora catalog.

Last week

• Baby E was sick
• Baby E was teething
• I was sick
• Dh had a big project due (read: was super stressed)

Last week sucked. Baby E & I are still sick, but the worst is over. Now at least Baby E has a third tooth. Something to show for the misery.

Dh and I fought about breaks on Thursday. (Breaks = "me" time.) Thursday night - he played basketball. Friday night - he played softball. Saturday - he planned to be gone all day fishing. While I had been home all week, sick, with a sick, teething baby. So Thursday before he left for basketball I told him - the breaks are not fairly distributed. Because they WEREN'T. Well he couldn't refute that so instead he tried to turn the fight into me not supporting him with grad school. Ugh. Whatever. The end result was that he didn't go fishing Saturday so I was actually able to leave the house for two hours by myself!!!!! Only two hours. Is that really so much to ask? I'm still simmering a bit about the whole thing, if you couldn't tell. Saturday ended up being a very nice day spent (mostly) together as a family. Dh got some stuff done in the yard, moving bushes, planting trees, we went to Target. Ended the day with Baby E sleeping fitfully (poor sick baby) and Dh and I enjoying a movie and Indian takeout.

Now he's gone at a week-long conference which I am both glad and sad about. Glad: house will stay cleaner, don't have to make dinner/can make meatless every night, complete control over evenings. Sad: miss husband, no one to talk to, complete control over evenings is only cool for about two days.

Yarn Stash

I just finished reading/skimming the Yarn Harlot's book, Knitting Rules. I didn't realize there was a term for my habit of buying yarn because "it's on sale," "it's soft," "I want to." It's called adding to your stash, and other people do it too! So I'm like, part of a community! Ha ha I mention this because I reorganized the baby's closet and finally dragged my big Rubbermaid tote full of yarn out of there. And my knitting needles which I stored for ages under the baby's crib (???) Dh saw the tote.

Dh: What's in there?

Me: Yarn.

Dh: Isn't that a bit much?

Me: No. (sotto voce) And I'm not telling you about the long skinny tub full of yarn under our bed.

He's so unobservant. It's very handy.

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I added up all the pictures we have of Baby E. Over one thousand. That's insane. That figure doesn't include videos.

Baby E actually eating vegetables! Hallelujiah! Well, I guess this picture is more accurately described as Baby attempting to eat a bowl, but she was scarfing down the corn. It was a happy day in the Superhero household.

Spending some "QT time" with Daddy. (Dh's phraseology which I found delightful and use all the time.)

Bath time in the sink!

Baby E Learns to Wave

Breakfast Goodie

Lately I have been eating Bulgur Porridge almost every day. I can't get enough of this stuff! It keeps me going much longer than cereal does. And it's super easy & healthy!

3/4 C milk
3/4 C water
6 T medium-grind bulgur
1/4 - 1/3 C raisins
heaping 1/8 tsp salt

Just throw everything into a little pot & bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 12-15 minutes, until it's the consistency of oatmeal. Stir in some cold milk and maybe 1 T brown sugar and you have a delicious breakfast. From Everyday Food.

You've Had a Birthday, Shout Hoo-ray!

"Happy birthday, Mom!"

So yeah, it was my birthday last week. I'm 26. Seeing as how birthdays are not that big a deal to me anyway, and 26 is not a milestone by any stretch, my b-day was pretty low key. I cuddled with my baby in the morning. Dh had the day off, and we all lazed around all morning. I did my hair. This is noteworthy because it never happens now. Doesn't happen much in the past three years, to be frank. Every day's a ponytail day! Woo-hoo!

The cheeks in all their glory.

Baby E always tries to climb in the shower while Dh is in there. So we figured, she'll love being in there on purpose. Apparently she is drawn to the shower only when it is forbidden. She hated the shower. So, we had to give her a fauxhawk:

"Guys, my hair looks dorky. Fix it."

(And I'm noticing I always seem sheeny in recent pics. I'm not oily, I promise. I switched over to a stronger daily sunscreen (45 from 15) and my skin's still getting used to it.)

We trekked down to the south side because I got a hankerin' for a Jamba and it's 20 minutes away, but it was my birthday, dang it! so off we went. It was delicious! Plus it was fun to be out and about as a family. That isn't happening much recently with Dh taking another graduate class right now and working lots of OT besides.

Baby E was not really into the Family Adventure.

JDub came over Thursday night and we had a great time gabbing. This is what we do every time we get together and I love it. She is one of the few friends I have who is really good at listening.

Other than that, not too much going on in the Superhero home. Dh is busy and stressed and therefore snippy. Honestly, I've been trying to avoid him sometimes and be patient during the times avoidance isn't possible. Varying levels of success with that. I finished crocheting a sweater for Rainbow's baby, due around the 4th of July. I worked out twice this week which unfortunately is a record. Ha ha

* * *

Baby E reached turned 11 months old yesterday. She cruises verrrrry fast now, and is also a speed crawler. Never does the army crawl anymore. She only nurses once a day, in the morning. She weaned herself down to this, not me, and I'm okay with it. I'm starting to get excited because as soon as Dh's graduate class is over and he can give me a break, you bet your britches I am so leaving for a day-long shopping excursion. I haven't had one of those (sans baby) since I was about seven months pregnant.

She is really horking down the food. Breakfast is mainly nursing, and most of a slice of whole wheat bread. Lunch and dinner are about the same fare (all food in pieces, of course): 1 slice whole wheat bread, 1 oz cheese or 1 oz lunch meat (usually turkey), most of 1 banana and 1/2 kiwi or many grapes. Sometimes I feed her veggies in baby food form, because she just won't eat them in their true forms. I try, believe me. So, low on the veggies, and I'm trying to care, but it's just not working too well. Besides, I loooooove to be lectured by her pediatrician. (I have issues with her pediatrician, who works for an HMO and sees 1 million children per week and therefore 1) does not remember anything we discuss from one visit to the next 2) treats me like I am dumb and 3) always asks me if I am using a car seat for Baby E. WTF. Do I look like some meth addict washup? It's insulting that she even asks. Yet she asks EVERY TIME.) Anyway, I'm pretty sure Baby E is going through a growth spurt because in addition to inhaling all that food as if she is starving to death, she has been taking long naps (which I really, really heart). Two naps a day, two hours each. Bliss. I have to enjoy it while it lasts.

She "talks" really loud in dressing rooms and our bedroom because of the echo (the ceiling of our bedroom is vaulted). She loves to get into the newspaper. She wants to eat anything I am eating, look at any book I am reading, and pull herself up whilst tenuously holding onto my jeans when I am trying to clean the kitchen. She is a lot of fun. She loves to play peekaboo. Every time she gets up for the day or from a nap we head over to the window to open the curtains. She gets so excited about that. She has great hearing and knows that whenever the front door opens, Daddy's home!

Monday & Wednesday I watched Lissa's middle son Cedar. (She just had a baby two weeks ago.) Cedar is 2. I didn't really know what to do with him, as I don't know what 2-year-olds can and cannot do/understand/etc. I figured out pretty quickly that he loves trucks (he pointed out every one that drove by) and can follow simple commands. Case in point: I was doing some laundry, Cedar was watching from the hallway. Baby E was crawling around somewhere. I finished up, turned off the light and shut the door of the laundry room. I looked up and down the hallway. No Baby E. "Cedar, where's Baby E?" He got a big smile on his face and moved to open the laundry room door. "No, she's not in there," I said - but then there was Baby E, in the dark, with very wide eyes. I have no idea how I did not bump into on her on my way out of the laundry room (like I usually do) as the room is very small. I laughed and laughed. Because I was laughing, Cedar laughed and laughed too, which was so cute. It was fun to see Baby E try to keep up with Cedar, and to watch him say "NO!" when she tried to take away whatever toy he had.

Baby E is now tall enough to stretch and grab things off the kitchen table, so now we have to like pick up after ourselves completely. So inconvenient. She dances to everything now. She especially likes the "Sexy Back" ringtone, which I am kind of embarrassed about. That ringtone was Dh's request! There's a pop princess hiding inside his burly exterior. Ha ha