Friday, June 1, 2007

June 2007


  • Food

    Current mood:tired
    What do you get when you take an infant who is exhausted from playing at the pool all afternoon and give her avocado, black beans and apricots to eat all by herself?

    This:

    Hopefully she will sleep well tonight!  lol
  • Standing Room Only

    Current mood:tired
    Our newest accomplishment is standing.  It seems like it too happened overnight.  One day she would grab at the coffee table and wasn't able to pull herself up, and the next day she could totally do it.  It seems to have happened right along with the crawling.  But now that she can stand on her own, that's all she wants to do.  All day long.  Standing standing standing.  I don't know what the average time is between babies learning to stand and walking, but it seems that it is going to happen quickly.  She is still a little wobbly when standing and trying to move around the coffee table, but she can do it!  Here are some fun pictures of Maddie standing.  I know it seems weird to post pics of standing, but it's new for the wee one.




  • Bath tub fun

    Current mood:happy
    It's been a couple months since Maddie graduated from the blow up ducky tub, or kitchen sink baths and she is now in the big girl bath tub.  It is SO much fun.  Every once in a while she does some cirque du soleil type manuver and ends up on her face in the water, or bonks her head on the side of the tub, but that's why Mama is always RIGHT THERE during bath time.  Most of the time her whoopsies don't bother her, although her newest thing is trying to crawl in the bath and trying to stand in the bath.....both scare me half to death.  I don't really know how to keep her from doing it all together, but I continue to tell her that she needs to sit on her bottom and help her get there.  The crawling isn't so bad, but I have to make sure there is very little water in the tub otherwise we could be in trouble.  lol.  I bought her those foamy alphabet and numbers that stick to the side of the tub and she likes to play with them.....well, chew on them is more accurate.  We also have a couple of wind up toys that have fins and swim through the water that she also likes to watch and chew on.  And she has been showing more and more interest in the drain plug and the overflow cover because both are chrome and reflective.  But I must say that her most favorite bath time item is the wash cloth.  She puts it in her mouth and sucks on it.  I tried for a while to keep her from doing that because more than likely she pees in the tub, but she throws a fit when I don't let her have the wash cloth, and I figured the pee is probably extremely diluted in all the water, so it probably isn't that bad.  Lemme know if I am totally wrong, and I'll figure something else out......maybe a loofa.  lol.  She is overall a very good girl and let's me clean her and wash her hair, and I just LOVE the smell of a clean baby.  Well, I think that's it. 






  • Growing

    Current mood:content
    My baby is growing up.  I can't believe how big she is, and when I say big, I mean BIG.  I don't know how much she weighs.....we will find out next Thursday at her 9 month check up, but man she is heavy.  It is getting hard to hold her with arm and do anything for an extended period of time because my arm just gives out!!  Hopefully she will be walking before she gets any heavier, cause I don't know how much longer I can carry her everywhere without regular visits to the chiropractor.  lol
    We officially have a crawler.  She has been scooting around for a while now and has been able to get where she needs to go that way, but sometime this week she really figured out how to move her hands forward and have her knees follow.  The world has really opened up for her.  The other day I had some ritz crackers and after I gave her one I put the package on the couch, well she dropped her cracker, crawled all the way across the living room, pulled herself up on the side of the couch and grabbed another cracker.  Silly baby.  It was actually really impressive.  Now that she has the ability to crawl to the dogs, she doesn't seem to want to leave them alone.  Thankfully neither Tyson nor Henry seem to mind and usually they are eager to have her near because it means that the possibility of stealing a snack from her is pretty much guarenteed......they don't really even have to steal, she gives them pretty freely.  So far she hasn't really tried to get into anything that she shouldn't, but I'm also pretty laxed in what I let her get into and there aren't very many "no touch" items in our house.  I find that it's easier that way for everyone......she doesn't get frusterated because she can't play with something, I don't get frusterated continually having to redirect her; because we all know that kids always seem to want exactly what they shouldn't have, and there is no frusteration over broken items.  Win win, at least for now.
    It seems like overnight she learned how to pull herself up to a standing position.  Just like with every other milestone that she has mastered ALL she wants to do anymore is pull herself up and stand.  She will pull herself up and stand next to her box of toys and then be totally bent in half reaching in to grab things.....it would be easier if she just sat down and got things from the box, but no, she must stand.  lol.  We also just recently lowered the mattress in her crib because she was sitting up inside and we were worried that she might figure out how to stand......well, she did, and now we have to lower it even further because I am afraid that she will topple out of it which would be horrible.  It was so funny though the first time I went in to get her up from a nap and she was just standing there smiling at me.  STANDING!!!  Holy cow.  She is getting so big.  She hasn't really learned how to take any steps yet, even when I hold onto her hands.....I kinda have to move her hands forward and to each side to get her body to naturally move forward so that she will move her leg and foot forward, but we work on it.  I've also helped her stand behind her hippo and I help her push it forward and walk.  I think that walking is going to be here before we know it.....as soon as she figures out that she can do it, and that it is faster and easier, I think she'll be off and walking.
    Summer is officially here and it has brought with it 98 degree heat and humidity.  bleh.  On the plus side, our air conditioning is working beautifully unlike last summer and we get to spend our afternoons at the country club pool.  We have been a handful of times already and Maddie loves it.  There are other little kids there, so she gets that exposure and is entertained by their antics, and she gets to splash around in the water and generally have a terrific time.  I get to get out of the house and the pool is distracting enough that even on the worst days, Maddie is an angel and we always have a good time.  I haven't been dunking her at all because honestly, I don't want to, but she will let me kind of dip her backwards and float on her back (with my arm under her of course) and have her head in the water.....I don't like having her ears under the water, so she only goes in up to the ears.....if that makes sense at all in writing!  lol.  But, she doesn't seem to mind water on her face at all and other kids splash her all the time and even when it's in the face, it doesn't bother her.  She is such a mellow kid, we are truly blessed.
    Anyway.....life is good.  I wish that it wasn't so gross out.....Dan tried to take Maddie to the park today and it was just way too hot to enjoy it.  But other than that, we are enjoying our summer so far.  We are leaving for California and Hawaii in 2 weeks.  I can't believe how fast time has gone by.....my family has been talking about this trip since before Dan and I were even dating, and now I'm married, live on the east coast and have a baby,  Weird.  I am super excited but also kind of dreading the trip, but that is another blog all together.  Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.





  • I am in a bad mood

    Current mood:infuriated
    BAAAD MOOD.
    I have been driving a Ford Taurus for 6 days now.  I left the minivan at the dealership last Thursday because part of our contract to buy it included a rip in the leather being repaired.  They couldn't fix it, so they were going to replace it, they were also getting us new floor mats and they were going to wash and detail the van.  The new seat cover was supposed to be in the next day on Friday, so they gave me a loner car.....the Taurus.
    The cover didn't come in on Friday, so they said it would be in on Monday and I would be able to get the van by late Monday afternoon.
    I called Monday and as of 3:30 it hadn't arrived yet, so they said it would be ready on Tuesday.
    I called them on Tuesday around 1:00 and the cover had not been replaced yet.  The dealership then called around 3:00 and said it would be ready to pick up at 6:00.....which doesn't work for me cause Maddie goes to bed at 7:00 and the dealership is 45 minutes away.....I decide to wait until today, Wednesday to pick the van up.
    Today I drive the 45 miutes to the dealership with Maddie crying most of the way there.  When I get there they give me my keys, and make me go get the van from the service area parking lot.  Lame.  When I get to the van (all the while carrying Maddie and the carseat) it is filthy dirty.  Not only has it not been cleaned, but the floormats are jammed in between the middle captains seats (not put where they are supposed to go) and as I walk around the van to get Maddie and the car seat situated, I notice scuff marks and scratches that weren't there before.  Crap crap crap.
    I bring the scratches and scuff marks to the attention of the service guy and he brings out the service manager who basically tells me that they never moved my vehicle to work on it (they did the work in the parking lot) they are not responsible for vehicles that are in their parking lot and someone dropped the ball on cleaning the van.  Okay.....they did move the van, cause when I picked it up it was in a different spot from where I left it, and the parking brake was set which I didn't do.  And they may not be responsible for vehicles parked in their lot but when the work being done is to the back of my van and they have to use the back to get the seat out to replace the cover it is not illogical to think that one or more of their guys could have stepped on the bumper, rubbed up against it with keys in their pockets or tools in their hands.  I wasn't expecting the service dept. to buy me a new van or anything, but they could have at least acknowledged the fact that their guys could have done the damage.  Their solution was to bring the van back tomorrow when their detailer guy would be there so he could buff out the scratches.  Nice of them, but I live 45 MINNUTES AWAY!
    So, I left after almost crying and almost yelling at them with nothing resolved and drove the 45 minutes back home with Maddie crying most of the way.  Lovely.
    I am now in less of a bad mood after venting, but there is this chick in one of my mommy groups that is driving me up the wall and causing my blood pressure to get a little elevated.  She is seriously retarded and makes me feel like I am talking to a 17 year old.  Her arguments are ridiculous and she can't seem to reply without using a very colorful vocabulary which to me shows a huge lack of intelligence and confidence.  50% of me finds her sad and pathetic, 35 % of me finds her ridiculous and childish and 15% of me wants to smack her upside the head and dump fire ants on her.  Maybe my mood isn't as good as I thought it was!  lol.  What happened to a good old fashioned deabte about something?  I state my opinion on something and get attacked and called a c*nt.  Why can't people state facts and opinions and leave out the garbage talk?  Oh well.....back to my group to open a can of whoop-ass.  I'm kidding.....kinda.  lol
    Till next time........don't trust a dealership
  • We have trees!!!

    Current mood:cheerful
    They finally arrived today to plant our trees.  Although they were missing 3 trees and 6 forsythia bushes, we still got 6 trees and 8 bushes planted and they will be coming back to plant the rest.  I am super excited.  They are bigger than we thought they were going to be, and although they are no where near full grown, they are tall and eventually will fill in.....someday we'll have shade on our property!  lol.  I'm really happy with how it has turned out so far.  They also tilled all the land behind our house that was previously covered in weeds and such and now we are gonna put grass seed down and cross our fingers that the grass will keep the crazy weeds out.  The only difficult thing is that they need to be watered 3 times a day for the next 2 weeks.  Fun.  We are gonna go and get some more hoses and a couple splitters so that we can run two to the front and two to the back to make it a little easier, but man.....that's a lot of watering!  Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

     Lying on the ground is a yoshino cherry tree
     The tractor thing pulling trees out of the back of the truck
     Red Maple
     Sweet Bay Magnolia
     This is a black tupelo
     TIlling the back, and the weeping willow.....hadn't been planted yet
     Sugar maple
     Planting 1 of 8 crepe myrtles
  • pitchfork happiness

    Current mood:excited
    Anyone who knew me when I was a single gal living in San Diego is going to find what is about to come outta my mouth....er, umm, fingers since I'm typing.....hard to believe.  But....I bought a pitchfork yesterday!!  I am so freakin' excited about my pitchfork I can hardly contain myself.  Can you believe it?  Me excited about a pitchfork.  Yeah.  Since we started our compost pile, I've been using a shovel to stir it up and it is some difficult work and kills my back, but with my new pitchfork it is WAY easier and lets air get to the core so much better.  Dan wants to take a picture of me with my new pitchfork, so once he does I'll be sure to post it so all can see!
    Speaking of my compost, we are making great strides.  We've added 2 bags of grass clippings recently and also bought some cheap manure compost to help give it a good kick start.  It's amazing how much kitchen waste we have and how quickly I can get a bucket full of green matter when I weed.  Yesterday when I stirred it I could totally tell that its working.....it is hard to pick out what any particular item is inside the compost which means that it is all working together and turning into black gold like it's supposed to.  Our friend Gary gave me a book called Lasagna Gardening and I am getting really excited about my garden plans.  The coolest part of Lasagna Gardening is that you don't have to till, dig, or weed.....it's planting veggies and stuff right into beds made of different composting layers.  We have so much going on this summer so I don't know if I am gonna be able to get anything started for a fall crop, but I am gonna keep working on as much compost as I can and maybe even make another bin so that we can have 2 working at the same time and do all the prep work I can to prepare for a spring crop.  Okay, thats probably more than you wanted to know.  lol. 
    TIll next time.  Three cheers for pitchforks!

County McCounterson