where the hell I've been

To answer the question, I've been right here all along. I have had nothing to say and too much to say, all at once. The quick and dirty updates:

Pregnancy
I've felt like crap for a long time, it seems. This pregnancy hit me almost from day one with nearly 24x7 nausea. No puking (except when I gag on a vitamin), thankfully, but it still is icky. And I didn't know what I would feel like eating from one minute to the next. Now that I'm at week 14, I feel a lot better. The sciatica still hits me from time to time but it's not every day and it's not always so bad I can't walk. Woo hoo.

CVS
Had my CVS last week. Expected results yesterday or today. Nope. They are making me wait a bit longer. I'm not a very patient person, and we'll leave it at that. Fortunately, I've had something else to distract me.

New House
Yep, you read that right. After not quite three years in the current abode, we're relocating a whopping 3 miles away (and .7 miles closer to work). Could be worse....could be California. It's really a great spot. We'll be about 2 minutes from Trader Joe's when that opens in a month or so. It's around the corner from our vet, doctor, and pretty good restaurant and an interesting coffee house. There are kids in the neighborhood and we're at the end of a cul de sac. Perfect, right? No...not even close.

When we started looking there were three big things on my wish list. In order, they were (1) a first floor master suite; (2) no projects; and (3) a big flat yard for the dogs. I got (3). The house has five bedrooms, all on the second floor and it's a full flight of stairs, unlike our current split-level. And projects? Yep, we got 'em. The kitchen needs to be gutted and have two walls removed to make it a real kitchen and eating area. All three full bathrooms need to be gutted. The backyard needs to be fenced. And we knew all that before yesterday's inspection, which revealed the slate roof needs a little work, the chimneys need a little work, and the bloody air conditioner is 31 years old. I thought making a baby was my winter project.

So I'm spending most of my time on the phone with realtors, roofers, hvac dudes, and mortgage lenders when I should be getting things done at work.

Wishing I'd stayed under my rock yet? Hang on. There is a (potential) bright spot:

Puppies
Dear friends in Wisconsin have a litter of Clumber puppies and they are kind enough to supply a webcam on the whelping box, since the wee ones were just a few hours old. The dam is Angelina, one of my all-time favorite Clumber girls. I have had the privilege of showing her at the last three national specialties. There are five boys in the litter and we planned on our next Clumber being a male. Paws and fingers crossed, the family will be back to three Clumbers when it's time for these guys to start heading to new homes, or perhaps a little later if I can prevail upon the kindness of my friends to hang on to "our" pup a little longer while we get settled in the new house and have a baby. We still feel the loss of Piper every day. Speaking of Piper...

Buy a Calendar
Way back when, I mentioned we were working on a legacy for Piper, trying to find a way to turn our loss into something positive for the breed. I am pleased to announce we are well on our way. The Piper Fund has been established by the Clumber Spaniel Club of America. Goals of the fund are to educate owners on the importance of necropsy and to provide small rebates to those who contribute Clumber necropsy results to a research database. Our first major fundraising effort is a 2007 calendar, in glorious color, with Piper herself on the cover. Makes a wonderful Christmas gift for the dog lover in your life. I'll provide a link when the sales flyer is downloadable, or email me and I'll send you the (somewhat large) pdf. Cost will be $25 plus $4.05 for priority mail shipping within the US. For more info, contact me here. 100% of the proceeds go to the fund. Did I mention it makes a great gift?

I think that's everything. I'll try to stay away from that rock.

Oh! (no) Canada

[With apologies to the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves]

Penguin and I will not be going to Canada for the dog show next month. I was really looking forward to it but it seems she's only eligible to show on one of the three days, and that's a long-ass drive for one day of showing.

My recent pregnancy issues also make the long-ass drive pretty unattractive. Sciatica sucks.

long time, no blog

Many thanks to both of my faithful readers for your patience and your continued reading of this blog that hasn't been updated in far too long. It's not that there hasn't been anything happening. I have snippets of posts saved in draft form, like the one about the guy sitting next to me on the plane to Chicago who had restless leg syndrome. I almost threw up on him because his leg kept making my seat shake. At first I was angry that this guy was making my flight so miserable, and so ridiculously early in the morning too, but then I decided he might not be able to control it. So then I felt guilty. That's way too much angst for 7am.

Why, you might ask, would I be feeling so queasy, so early in the morning? Hmmmm, why could that be? If you guessed, "She's pregnant!" you would be correct. It seems I got over some earlier-reported angst about whether to have a second child. Or maybe it's just too late to change my mind. Baby v2.0 is due to arrive around April 17.


This time around is proving to be a lot more challenging than last, when I felt mostly fine and had no complications at all. I feel crappy and nauseous just about all the time, yet I'm not vomiting and can continue to eat, just not always the things that are best for me. I have some strange cravings, like the night I had to have Pad Thai. What's up with that? I gained a few pounds during month #1. Somehow, I managed to stay steady in month two. I chalk that one up to lighter weight clothing.

I'm also exhausted. Did I say I was exhausted when Oliver was under a year old and not sleeping through the night? HA!!! The joke is on me. I am much more tired now. O. M. G. am I tired. Many days I go home from work, take a nap, and get up in time to put Oliver to bed. I have no idea what CD gives Oliver for dinner on those nights and frankly, I just don't care.

We had a little scare last week that turned out to be nothing, but I did get a bonus ultrasound out of the deal. You can't imagine how relieved I was to see ONE baby, with one little beating heart, on the screen. The "one" part was just as satisfying as the "beating heart" part.

So, we will know if Oliver is getting a little brother or sister for his second birthday in about three weeks. My money is on a sister.

Now that I can talk about the pregnancy here, I hope to be better about regular blogging. Thanks for sticking around during my unexpected hiatus. Can I go take a nap now?

they go together like chocolate and peanut butter

Nothing better than dogs and kids, right? Check out Oliver and Penguin at NinjaPoodles, a blog you should be reading anyway. Abby and Paige are there too. (Nicole, I hope Shannon doesn't take that personally!)

five things to eat before you die

I happened upon this fabulous meme from Traveler's Lunchbox entirely by accident, but it was a very happy accident. The only thing I like as much as parent blogs are food blogs. Sometimes I think I like the food blogs even better...so here goes with my list.

1. Cream Tea in London - no skimping on the clotted cream, or anything else
2. An authentic salt bagel with a thin layer of cream cheese, thin slices of perfectly ripe tomato and fresh basil leaves
3. Macaroni and cheese made from the recipe in New Basics, topped with Penzey's India Special Extra Bold black pepper - my arteries clog at the mere thought but what a way to go
4. Lobster, outdoors, in Maine - butter optional, corn on the cob required, preferably picked about the time the pot of water was put on to boil
5. The best hamburger, medium-rare and topped with sauteed mushrooms and Swiss cheese, with perfectly crispy fries and Heinz ketchup

Now that I've made my list, I have to admit there are quite a few surprises. First and foremost, where the hell is the chocolate? Mushrooms barely squeaked onto the list. I've often said if I had to go to a desert island and bring only one food it would be mushrooms. Sushi is another notable absentee. I've been dreaming of sushi for a few weeks now. No stilton, no croque-monsieur (something else I've been craving lately), no ice cream, no pistacios, no brownies, no nutella (off a spoon straight out of the jar, or on a McVitie's digestive biscuit), no roasted garlic or crispy thin crust pizza, no peanut butter or bananas, no orange-cranberry anything. So depressing to have to leave out so much.

I may have to get more specific later on, like "five nuts to eat before you die" or "five Ben & Jerry's flavors to eat before you die".

Needless to say, naming just five was a little painful.

Your turn.

bumper crop

With the return of students (and their cars) to campus there has been some fine bumper sticker viewing. I was bored with the ones I had been seeing all summer. Here's a list of a few of my favorites, old and new:

Bush for Lawn Ornament
Somewhere In Texas a Village is Missing Its Idiot
1.20.09 the end of an error
Somebody please give Bush a blowjob so we can impeach him
Bush/Cheney 2004: No billionaire left behind
Stop Mad Cowboy Disease
Republicans for Voldemort
My kid reads your honor student's email
Madness takes its toll....please have exact change
There's no place like 127.0.0.1
I'm blogging this
He ain't Kinky, he's my governor


And an extra special one for the Pennsylvanians who may be reading,

DUMPRICK

words words words

Oliver's vocabulary has really exploded over the last two weeks. I still don't understand all of it, but we are communicating more effectively every day. If you ask if he needs a diaper, he's likely to respond, "Elmo?" He is saying "DaDa" and "MuMa" pretty regularly, as opposed to calling us "Anna". If you ask him what his name is he will still reply "Anna". He asks for a couple of songs , such as "duck" (and makes a sign he created himself) when he wants "Six Little Ducks" and "rollover" when he wants "Ten Monkeys In the Bed". He can name a lot of the animals in his books, especially hippo, duck, cow, rhino, koala, lion, doggy, kitty (sounds more like "key"), and perhaps the cutest of all the words he says, bunny. I have been calling him my little bunny since he was a few hours old so to hear him say "bunny" just turns me to mush.

He started to say "thank you" over the weekend, though not exactly in proper context. He likes to pick up bits of dog hair from the carpet, hand them to me and say, "thank you."

Today's new word is "Walter". Thanks, Aunt Suzy.

Unfortunately, he has also learned "NO".

the other "baby" in our house

Before Oliver, before me, CD birthed another baby, named Mulberry. He tended and cared for it for many years. Mulberry went away last October, but as of today, Mulberry is back.

I don't usually flash my geekier side here, but tonight I can't resist. If not for Mulberry, CD and I probably would not have met so it's pretty special to me too. He would not have moved state-side without Mulberry. Our first date was the day version 1.4 was released. I figured out later it was a date. I thought we were merely celebrating a successful release... (short bus, once again).

Mulberry is one amazing email client. It's got a UI people either get used to or loathe, but no one can dispute its capabilities.

it was all too much for Oliver

This was our last full day in DC on vacation. We went on the DC Duck tour but didn't get to Tabard Inn or the baseball game. We attempted to visit the National Gallery of Art but Oliver was feeling particularly loud and boisterous at that moment so we didn't stay long in the vicinity of the art. He was better when we were in the shop, choosing a few books for him. A cheap ploy on his part, no doubt.

We had a very nice dinner at Lebanese Taverna, right across the street from the Woodley/Zoo metro stop. It's the same place we went for lunch on Monday and we found it to be very kid-friendly. Oliver once again ate like a champ, scarfing down bread, hummus, felafel, sambousick and kibbeh. (Tabouleh was rejected...looked too much like a vegetable!) I swear his little belly was puffed out when we left. He looked slightly pregnant. It was past his bedtime, and his nap, pictured here, was somewhat brief, but he did extremely well.

Tomorrow we head home, by way of the Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center, near Dulles. We just didn't get enough of Air & Space.

This has been a great trip but I'm excited to get home and see the dogs and cat, and for Oliver to get back to a more normal schedule. He has a big week coming up, his first in the Young Toddler room at school.

family photo

Oliver's school asked for a family photo to put up in his new classroom. This is a challenge for us since one of us is always holding the camera. We found a pillar to put the camera on today, in front of the US Capitol. I can still count the number of pictures of all three of us on one hand.

We walked a ton today. Every day this trip has been filled with loads of walking. I feel not the slightest guilt for all the food we're eating. Afternoon ice cream? No problem....at least not until next week's weigh in!

The Air and Space Museum was a lot of fun. The Air Force Band brass quintet gave a concert, which included a beautiful rendition of "Simple Gifts".

Overall, the trip is going well and Oliver is being quite the trooper. Today was a little rough, since he took a 30 minute nap ALL DAY and was over-tired at bed time, but I can't complain. He's been mostly cheerful and adaptable all week. Finding food he will eat remains a challenge but fish sandwiches are a big hit. I have to remove the coating from the fish but he likes it better that way.

Tomorrow: a tour of the memorials (can't decide between the Tourmobile and the Duck Tour...), maybe lunch at Tabard Inn (thanks for the recommendation, Tika!), maybe baseball.

a little slow

Today I was reminded of being in the delivery room, being told by a nurse to do 12 things at once. I could only manage 6 or 7 of them at a time and made a joke about needing "the short bus." She wasn't amused, so I stopped making jokes like that. Too bad. Today was definitely a "short bus moment."

We're in DC for the week on a forced vacation of sorts. Oliver's school is closed so we decided to go play. It was a hot and sticky day and Oliver needed a bath tonight. So did I. I decided to give the co-bathing thing a try.

Sheesh...why the heck didn't I try this before? It was a pleasant experience for both of us, not to mention being 100 times easier to get Oliver clean. He sat in front of me and I could actually see behind both of his ears. Fortunately, no potatoes were present.

I also got him to lean back a bit when I rinsed the shampoo out of his head. He didn't like it much but it was better than getting soapy water in his eyes. (The shampoo doesn't irritate his eyes but he still doesn't like the water running down his forehead.)

Perhaps most importantly, I didn't care about all of his splashing because I was already wet. And naked.

This is one of those times I should slap myself upside the head.



For photos from the trip, check out Flickr. We spent the morning at the National Zoo (Oliver slept through the first hour -- just getting there was pretty exciting for him) and the afternoon walking back to our hotel in Foggy Bottom, by way of Embassy Row and DuPont Circle.

On the schedule for tomorrow: Baltimore's National Aquarium

a last hurrah

Penguin is a show dog. She's also my best 4-legged buddy but our bond was initally forged in the show ring. We learned the ropes together and achieved more than anyone could have dreamed when we started. She was twice the winner of the first bitch award of merit at the national specialty show, and even went to Crufts. Not bad for the runt...

At 8 years old, well over the hill for most breeds, she hasn't shown in over a year. I am suffering major withdrawal from dog shows. Once upon a time I was spending two or three weekends a month at shows. Now I am lucky to get to two or three a year, and when I get there I'm usually showing a dog or two that belong to other people. After being a single parent while CD has been traveling over the last few months, I have earned a child-free weekend, don't you think?

So Pen and I are off to Canada in October for what will likely be her last hurrah north of the border. It's two months away but I am thinking about it every day. I will have four days with Penguin and I wouldn't trade that for a ribbon of any color. Regardless of the outcome in the ring, I always bring home the best dog.

one more sleep

Oliver and I have been counting down how many "sleeps" until CD comes home from being away nearly two weeks. Okay, so Oliver hasn't been counting as much as he has been tolerant of my informing him how many are left.... We are down to just one more sleep, thank goodness. I have the cold from hell, courtesy of the petri dish that is Oliver's school.

CD has been back at the mothership for WWDC. (Okay, he was mostly working, not shopping much, but you get the idea. See what he did last weekend here.) It was nice to read a few of the unofficial sites reporting on WWDC to find out what he's been doing for the last seven months.

Today was Oliver's last day in the "Infant Wing" at school. It was bittersweet, of course. It's exciting that he's moving up to the "Young Toddler" room but I'm very sad to be leaving behind my favorite teacher, Mary. She did tell me that when putting Oliver down for his nap they exchanged promises to visit each other often. Four of his teachers are moving along with him so the transition should not be traumatic. He will start eating snacks and meals in the dining room and sleeping on a mat, but he will be with most of the same teachers and children. Oliver has never been shy about new situations, and besides, when we walk by the new room every day and he peers with wonder through the glass in the door.

As usual, this transition will probably be more of a challenge for the parents than for the child.

Hmmmm

We've reached a new level of imitation. In this photo Oliver is imitating one of his teachers at school. She often puts a finger on her chin and asks the children what song they should sing next. Now Oliver does this whenever I ask him a question involving "what's next?"

I fear he's starting to figure out just how adorable he is, and may be plotting to use this against me.

down on the farm

We spent a lovely afternoon at Harvest Valley Farm today. We are part of their CSA program and they had an Farm Field Day for subscribers. It was great to see where our fruits and vegetables are growing. We took a ride on a haywagon pulled by a very large tractor and visited a number of fields around the farm.

All the attendees gathered at the end of the tours to share what we had picked along the way. Oliver especially liked the yellow watermelon. He ate three pieces! He also ate a tomato out in the field. I think it was his first. For a kid who tends to avoid vegetables and is somewhat selective about fruit, he was very enthusiastic.

He also enjoyed meeting the farm's border collie, Dell. She accompanied us to all the fields, resting in the shade under the wagon when we stopped. Though she ran off periodically, she always rejoined us. Oliver was saying her name well before we left and continued to say it when we returned home.

All that fresh air must have been good for him. He went to bed without a fuss and was sound asleep by 7:01pm.

splish splash

A small set of photos taken by Aunt Suzy during Oliver's bath tonight are now up on Flickr.

so much road rage, so little time

I don't understand how people commute long distances in horrid traffic every blasted day. Oliver and I took CD to the airport on Monday morning, fairly early. It was an uneventful outbound trip, just the way we like it. Coming back was an different story. It took over an hour and the bulk of that time was spent playing the stop and go game. I was reminded how easy my 10 minute commute to work is, entirely without highways. I could do with a few less lights but really, there's little to complain about.

I'm not the most calm driver under the best of circumstances. I have a low tolerance for those who ignore traffic laws, especially Pittsburgh drivers who fail to use turn signals, can't seem to decide which lane they want to be in, blow through very red lights, and insist on executing the "Pittsburgh left" at traffic lights. I yell at other drivers, though I try not to do it unless I'm alone in the car. It's not like the windows are down (too bloody hot for that) and I do try to contain my potty mouth when my little sponge is sitting in his carseat. (New word for the day is "COW!!") I fear his first full sentence will be, "Get a damn turn signal!"

Last week I was flipped off (yes, that finger, thank you very much) by a 50-something in a convertible with his very pretty, albeit mortified and gasping for air, wife. All because I threatened to proceed going straight through an intersection when the light turned green without allowing him his "Pittsburgh left". Note I said "threatened". He made his left, and nearly gave the wife whiplash in the process by putting his foot to the floor from a dead stop. Although Oliver was not in the car I decided to be amused by all this and just smiled. I thought to myself, "Eh, he'll be dead of a heart attack within five years."

If you are coming to the 'burgh I recommend waiting a good three seconds before moving if you're first in line at a light. You never know who's going to go through the red or need to make the left in front of you. I used to think Boston drivers were the worst. Pittsburgh has 'em beat by a mile. And a left.

hello, my name is Anna

It's been too many days since I blogged. That's not to say I haven't been thinking about it, but the brain has been overrun by thoughts of the Topic That Must Not Be Blogged (hereafter known as TTMNBB). Someday, maybe.

And when I haven't been thinking about TTMNBB, I've been in a funk over not going to Blogher. Though I know I'm not nearly hip enough, and would have felt like an imposter in the presence of greatness, I still wanted to go. Next year, maybe.

You're really here to find out the latest Oliver news so I'll just get on with it. He's going through a verbal phase. He is now asking for his current favorite books, Go Dog Go and Good Dog Carl, by name. (No, you wouldn't be able to understand him but the universal translator that was installed via my epidural works just fine.) He points at the logo on our laptops and says "Apple"! (How's that for corporate shill?)He says "shoes" too.

He is starting to call his classmates by name, with his teachers reporting hearing him say "Alex" and "Anna" on Friday. He also said something vaguely like "Ezra" when I picked him up. He always says "Anna" very emphatically. ANNA!! Unfortunately, he called CD and me "Anna" today. I'm not sure he really has it associated with Annaliese, his classmate.


Friday night we went to dinner at the house of some friends outside the city. Oliver was nearly angelic. Given his interest in all things social, I expected him to rise to the occasion but he surprised me by doing even better than I could have imagined. He ate like a champ at dinner, including some chocolate cupcake *yum*.

He was cheerful and played with our friends' three year old. I was amazed at how well he held it together well past bedtime. He fell asleep a few minutes after we got in the car to come home, and let me change his diaper and put him in his crib without waking up. He even slept a little later on Saturday and took a nearly 3 hour nap, after a jam-packed morning of shoe shopping (for Oliver), picking up the conversion kit for his crib, and a trip to the grocery store.

The sleep thing continues to get better and better. Today he slept until 8:30am, and took a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. Tomorrow could be a challenge. We have to leave early to take CD to the airport. I warned Oliver, but I'm not sure he was paying attention.

weigh-in tuesday

Weigh-ins all around today. Oliver had his delayed 15 month visit to the doc. He's tipping the scales at just over 25 pounds and has grown about 11 inches since birth, which puts him just about average for his age. Perhaps the best news is that the two shots he got today are the LAST until he's four.



I also had a weigh-in at Weight Watchers today and the news was good. I hit my 10% goal, and did it a week earlier than I hoped. That's over 17 pounds lost since returning to WW at the end of April. I am now just a shade below what I weighed when I got pregnant.

aw shucks

Thanks go to Greg from daddytypes for running the bizarre children's book contest on his blog. CD will soon be sporting a daddytypes t-shirt. Woo hoo!

I know it was a random drawing but I feel special anyway.

the blue period

Oliver visited the Studio at school one very rainy day a couple of weeks ago. It was his first time with paint, in front of an easel. I think this shows a lot of promise...or at least a departure from his pointillist tendencies.

Coincidentally, he wore his raincoat that day and the colors he used are exactly the same as the coat!

losing

It's been a while since I have blogged about Weight Watchers and how the quest is going. The news is all good. I've lost 16.8 pounds since the end of April and have less than half a pound to get to my initial 10% goal. Yes, I've still got 20 pounds to get to goal but I am now back to what I weighed when I got pregnant with Oliver.

I'm still journalling diligently with eTools. That simple act, coupled with a WW leader who I really have clicked with, has made all the difference. I am noticing changes in my thinking. When faced with coconut cookies at Oliver's school this afternoon, something I would ordinarily find irresistable, I remembered eating some bread and peanut butter earlier in the afternoon and decided I didn't really need the cookie. Yesterday I went to the candy machine, planning to get pretzels. They were sold out and instead of getting something else that would be high in points I opted to skip the snack entirely and have another glass of water. I still have to think through all of these choices but I'm making better decisions every day.

on the mend

I think some of my regular readers have been looking for an update on Oliver and the HFMD (or as we like to call it, "the plague"). The news is GOOD. He went back to school today! He slept relatively well last night, ate a good breakfast, and wasn't drooling quite so much so we decided to give it a shot. He did fine. Lunch wasn't so great but it was pasta, which my carb-loving little boy hates. Pasta and noodles might was well be vegetables, as far as he is concerned. He will eat bread with hummus like it's going out of style but keep those veggies and noodles far, far away.

He's still throwing cups at me sometimes, and is still having a little trouble settling down to sleep (did fine at school so this is just a home issue, at the moment), but in general, we seem to have turned the corner.

It will be interesting to see how many of his old patterns he returns to and how many new ones he develops. The nighttime ritual in particular has had to be flexible over the last few days. My ability to guess what he wants is sorely lacking. I need to polish that crystal ball.... I know experienced parents will probably tell me otherwise but I will be glad when he develops an expanded vocabulary.

life experience meme

This one comes from Mary P, the aforementioned second-favorite Mary.


Bold the ones you've done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne.
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe (I took a backpack to Europe, but that's not the same thing...)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow (does expressing one's own milk count?)
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children. (just getting started on this one)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (did you mean all at once?)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (high school - blech!)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office (college council?)
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life (debatable, but the person in question thinks I did)

Your turn!

fountains of drool

So Oliver's fever is gone but he's still pretty miserable. It was a better day than yesterday, but only marginally. I think the bumps in his mouth, and probably near his throat too, are hurting. Due to excessive drooling, I put a dry bib on him every half hour nearly all day. We still suspect HFMD, but he has no spots on his hands or feet. Right before putting him to bed I found red spots on the back of his thighs, edging into the diaper area, but not in the usual places for HFMD. Looks like a trip to the doc tomorrow is in order.

Getting food or liquids into him was a major challenge. He seems to be happy with applesauce and cereal, and not much else. At one point I had five cups with different liquids in them. He threw all of them at me.

Sleep is also a challenge. I finally figured out that he isn't sucking his thumb and is thus completely unable to find any comfort. I hope this doesn't last too much longer. The only upside is maybe he will not go back to the thumb when his mouth feels better. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

If you thought of Fountains of Wayne when you saw the title of this post, good for you! That was the idea. I went to college with two of them (Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger), though they were a year or two behind me. They were great even then, when they were playing at college parties for the drunken masses. They were not called Fountains of Wayne then. And I'd probably have to get drunk to remember what they were called.

Tabblo!

If you like Flickr, you'll love Tabblo.

See my Tabblo>

miserable

Miserable is the only word to describe how Oliver is feeling today. He was up multiple times in the night. I checked his temp at 4am and found it to be a little over 100. When I got up for the morning I remembered a notice on the door at Oliver's school, saying that one of his classmates had hand, foot and mouth disease (hfmd). I didn't read it. There were multiple cases of impetigo a week or so ago, which we managed to escape. I should have known we would not be so lucky this time around.

I went to the trusty internet and read up on hfmd. So far, Oliver has some, but not all, of the symptoms. He has the fever, general malaise, and lack of appetite. I can see some very small lesions in his mouth, though there are more of them and they are smaller than the ones I saw pictured on the various sites I consulted. Nothing on his hands or feet yet, so my "diagnosis" could be wrong. I earned the same medical degree as my mom upon giving birth....

He's been up three times since going to bed two hours ago. I have a feeling we're in for a long night. This thing should resolve itself in 7-10 days. Fun.

my second favorite mary

If Motherhood Uncensored scared you a bit, It's Not All Mary Poppins may be the blog for you. Mary P. is very very polite, in addition to being positively brilliant. You'll never see "sex week" on Mary P's blog.

She's full of great parenting advice. Most recently, this post really hit home for me. After reading her Philosophy of Childcare, I'm confident Mary P would fit right in at Oliver's school, where our favorite Mary teaches.

fill in the blank

See if you can complete this entirely true statement: Today I had the snot ______d out of me.

Stumped? The word you are looking for, friends, is "massage".

Still confused? It's pretty simple, really. Gross, but simple.

I had a massage today. Student Health Services on campus makes this available at a very reasonable price. $25 for half an hour, seventh massage is free. It's very cool, especially now that I have discovered which therapist will not leave me in agony for days afterwards. But I digress.

For almost three weeks I've had a nasty summer cold, complete with copious nasal discharge in varying shades of yellow. Truly disgusting. I've gone through three boxes of tissues between home and office. Every time I think it has to be winding down, it revs up again. Like today.

So there I am, face down on the table, my head resting on the donut thingy (with disposable cover - that's important), massage finished. I'd been having a little trouble breathing through my nose, but after nearly three weeks of this damn cold, it was hardly a new development. Given Chewy and Oliver woke me up at 4:30am today, I was concerned about falling asleep and drooling through the donut onto the floor. Little did I know....

I got up from the table and discovered a huge wad of snot had exited my nose and was hanging out above my upper lip. Had to have been the size of a small stack of quarters. Dis-gusting. But at least it didn't land on the floor. Not even a smidgen on the cover of the donut thingy, and I gave it a very thorough inspection. The massage therapist, fortunately, has no idea what she's capable of. And I think we can all agree it's a good thing there is no photographic evidence, on oh so many levels.

15 months

Oliver is 15 months old today and he gave me a gift. When I was getting ready to leave his school this morning he decided to "kiss" me. Granted, the mouth is open and there are some teeth involved, but it's very different from when he is trying to bite my shoulder. He wanted my cheek and insisted on "kissing" me three times. It was way too adorable.

He said "dad" a few times this morning, and was rewarded about a minute later with a phone call from CD himself. Of course, he clammed up with the opportunity to chat with dad presented itself. At least I think it was "dad" (that Oliver said, not on the phone -- I know it was CD on the phone since the ringtone was God Save the Queen) and not "dog". The two are very hard to distinguish.

New word for the day: OUTSIDE! He hears this one a lot, mostly when we're telling Penguin or Chewy (despite the fact that he can't hear us) that they need to exit through the dining room into the backyard. Tonight when I told Penguin to go outside after dinner Oliver shouted, "owside! owside!" and ran to the door.

He was also again trying to say his name. He lacks confidence but he's getting the first two syllables out, sort of. I am giving him lots of encouragement.

Diaper changing and clothes are becoming major challenges. Oliver thinks lying on his tummy on the changing table, pretending to sleep, is the most fun thing one can do up there, other than grabbing your penis. (Yes, he finally found his equipment and now grabs it at every opportunity.)

I can't wait to take him to the doc next week. Could do without the shots but I'm eager to see what he weighs and if he is taller. I don't expect him to have made any drastic strides percentile-wise, but I am curious to see if he really was mis-measured at 12 months, suddenly dipping from 50th to 25th percentile. I'm not at all worried. He's a healthy and happy little boy. We never expected him to be starting center on the basketball team. Both of his parents are vertically challenged so the bar is set rather, um, low.

Finally, a quick update on our reading project. We are nearing the end of chapter 10 of The House at Pooh Corner. I think we will skip the poetry and start a new book later in the week. Three months for two complete books of Winnie-the-Pooh seems pretty good to me.

mommies (and daddies too) should be reading this one

If you aren't reading Motherhood Uncensored you really should be, though I don't recommend it for any mommies who haven't been doing their kegels and might be having any sort of bladder control issues. Kristin is a brilliant woman who can write circles around most of us. We should all go to Mississippi and take her out of coffee. And martinis.

honest baby

Another 15 seconds of fame...go here.

stuff we love, volume 8

It's been a long time since the last "stuff we love" post. Oliver is older and, not surprisingly, has different stuff.

Our current list of things we can't live without includes:

Hanna Andersson short johns -- Love Love Love these, and really wish he had one or two more sets. And I wish they were half the price! Oliver has three sets, all outlet purchases so I shouldn't complain. I know I've blogged about my deep adoration for all things Hanna before but I just can't help myself from doing it one more time. Floppy sun hats too. (On sale right now!)

Books....where do I begin? Sandra Boynton, we love you too. And Eric Carle. And Chicka Chicka ABC. The Look Baby! series is also very popular (thanks Matt!). I could go on and on about books. Oliver is crazy about 'em. This photo was taken near the end of April but it's typical. He's always got books close by.



Last but not least, Lego Quatro blocks continue to be one of Oliver's favorite things to play with. He will play with these blocks by himself or with CD or me. He's not fussy. His knocking down skills still far exceed his building skills but the he will get there soon.

growing up multi-syllabic

Oliver's vocabulary is growing slowly, but it's growing. Last night he started trying to say his name, his first attempt at three syllables. It's not coming out in anything the average listener could distinguish, but he's giving it his best effort. It shouldn't be long before he succeeds.

"Dog" continues to be his favorite word. It's the first thing he says when I go into his room in the morning, all the while pointing at a picture of Clumbers above his bed (shown above, by Sandra Coen).

He follows this up by pointing at the dogs in "String of Pearls", a wonderful original painting of five Clumbers (including Penguin and Chewy, in the excerpt shown -- it's too long to fit in one photo and show any detail) by Chris Franey, hanging in our bedroom. As we go down the stairs he continues to say "dog" pointing to the painting Chris did for our Christmas card a few years ago. Then he spots one more Clumber picture in the living room and points, reminding me that this, too, is a dog. If he's obsessed with canines, it's likely genetic.

Oliver has also started to understand more of the things he hears, meaning I probably need to be a lot more conscious of what I say around him, lest something like this happen. In general though, this is useful. When I notice a particular tell-tale stench eminating from his backside I can say, "Time for a diaper," and he trots himself right upstairs to his room for a change. I hope this bodes well for toilet learning.

Someone else I know has grown up too. If you haven't been checking on the daily updates from Voodoo Child, sailing in the Vic-Maui race, you really should, especially today's entry from Sam. This is a kid I used to see a fair bit of when he was small, though I haven't seen him or his brothers in many years so it's a real treat to read his thoughts on the race and get a glimpse of the young man he has grown into. Today he's 18 and about to leave for college, after the boat race finishes. His parents, Brian and Susan, are understandably and entirely justifiably proud of who has become. I wish I could say I predicted it. I knew he'd grow up to be a terrific person but I think I underestimated him. Brian and Susan are my parenting role models. I wish I could bottle whatever they've got, or maybe send Oliver to them for a while. No, scratch that. I'd miss him too much. The one thing that stuck with me from watching them parent three young boys is an uncanny sense of what was important and the remarkable ability to let go of everything else. I'm going to need to keep that in mind this week.

need you for a strategy session

I'll be flying solo in the parenting department this week. It's been a little while since CD has traveled, but he's got way too much of it over the next three months. That's another rant for another day.... He's off to one of his thrice-annual geekfests. Yes, there are two of them and both meet three times a year and never conflict. But I really will save that for another time.

Here's my problem: I have no recollection of how I manage to get a shower when CD is away!! I know I wasn't doing "night before" showers. Maybe Oliver was sleeping later? I really don't remember. (Could it be the sleep deprivation?? You think?) Lately he's been getting up at 5:30am (or earlier) and sometimes takes a quick catnap before we leave for school, usually in the highchair while I'm in the shower and CD is having breakfast. But I can't count on that.

When he was very small I could put him in a bouncy seat and bring him in the bathroom. Or leave him in the pack 'n play. I have no such containment devices now, other than his crib or his room, neither of which are popular choices with the little guy. Are nighttime showers the only option? I'm a little afraid the new shower will wake him up since it's on the other side of the wall from his crib, not to mention the high potential for bed head. It may be a good week to steer clear of my cubicle.

taking up residence in the land of denial

Though we still don't know if a move to California is in our future, I am pretending it isn't for now. And while our house is adequate, it's far from perfect and could get very crowded if another child arrives. (No, I'm still not pregnant.) We like our neighborhood, in spite of the insane taxes that have sent many of our friends outside the city and county. The thought of a long commute is more than enough to make me want to stay in this vicinity.

New construction if pretty hard to come by in the city but there is a new development a few minutes away from our current house that has many attractive attributes. The houses are lovely, especially this one. While it's not my favorite look on the outside (hate the chimney monster that is the focal point from the street), the floorplan is ideal. The first floor master suite means the dogs would not have to go upstairs unless they wanted to. And we could easily give that up and move upstairs to the guest room is CD's mum or anyone else needing to stay on the first floor happened to visit. Looking ahead a few years, there's plenty of room in the kitchen area for a computer that Oliver could use. I believe strongly in kids' computers being located in high-traffic areas, not tucked away in their rooms.

The main drawback, other than the prices, is that lifestyle change would be required. Since having dogs, my first priority when looking for a house has been a large fenced yard. Our realtor learned early on that I would look at the lot first, then tell her if it was worth our time to see the house. Her mom has a Clumber so she understood. The lots in this development are tiny and not fenced, in order to encourage neighborly interaction and use of the common spaces. There are good places to walk dogs in the development and a large park a short walk away. We would all benefit from the exercise and since I don't see us having puppies for quite a few years, it's not an unreasonable change for us to make.

The kids in our current neighborhood play in the street. I can't imagine letting Oliver do that do the play areas and community center/pool at the development are appealing.

Our timing is relatively good. There was a lottery for the early stages of Phase I of this development. Now that they are getting ready to start Phase II, things are much less competitive. If we decide to pull the trigger on it, we can. We will probably send in the small, fully-refundable deposit next month, and have a few more months before the point of no return.

So, do I really want to live on top of what was once a slag heap? (Go here for more about brownfields development in Pittsburgh.)

bizarre book contest

Check out my entry in the Bizarre Book contest on DaddyTypes. Some of you may recognize the book....

open wide

CD thought it would be fun to let Oliver try biting into his first peanut butter & jelly sandwich, instead of giving him little pieces. It was a mostly successful experiment.

Oliver approves entirely of Panera's kid meal, including the yogurt, though his first attempt at a straw left him completely mystified. Fortunately, we brought along a cup. I wish the milk and yogurt were not reduced-fat but I understand why they do it that way. We will have to try the grilled cheese next time. I do wish they had not allied with Horizon but we don't take him there often enough to get our knickers in a twist over it. I was an Organic Valley fan long before Odin's dad went to work there. [HAPPY BIRTHDAY ODIN!!]

sporty

So many sports, so little time.... I have blogged previously about the household obsession with the Tour de France. Even without Lance Armstrong, we are diehards. The racing is fun to watch and the scenery beyond compare. I will have to deny I ever said this but I'm just slightly relieved that since England lost on Saturday in World Cup, we don't have the additional distraction.

Especially since I do have a new event to keep half an eye on this year...Vic-Maui 2006. A good friend of mine has a boat entered in the yacht race from Victoria, BC to Maui. Fortunately, he also has a website and plans to provide daily updates. The race gets underway today so here I am at work, reloading websites for the Tour, Vic-Maui, AND the US Women's Open golf playoff. I get tired just thinking about all these sports. Too bad it doesn't help me break a sweat and burn some calories.

leaps and bounds (and words and signs)

I realized this afternoon that Oliver has made a number of significant advances in the last few days, both mental and physical. If I ask him to go find a particular book from his bin o' books, 9 times out of 10 he fetches the right one. He has learned the sign for "more" (and his mum learned to interpret his sign for "done", one that he created on his own). It's no longer a struggle to get him to sit down if he's having a drink or quick snack outside of the high chair. This seems to have happened when he figured out the "more" sign and I started to comply quickly. He says "all done", though I don't think he has any idea it's a two-word phrase. Another new word is "duck". [I discovered that his ways of saying "dad" and "dog" are remarkably similar. So much so that I think his first official word was really "dog", not "dad". This has nothing to do with his still not saying "mum" with any consistency. (he says it, but there's no indication that he means me) I'm not bitter, honest....]

On the physical side, he has figured out how to get off mum and dad's bed, and the living room sofa, all by himself and without landing on his head. He is also very close to successfully coming down the stairs on his own, also without landing on his head.

I know there are more developments to write about but this "little" cold that's been kicking my ass for a full seven days now is really taking its toll. Oliver has a drippy nose and some sneezing but remains in generally good spirits. I feel like crap. Like an idiot, I gave my staff the day off tomorrow so I will be holding down the fort, along with my intrepid work-study student. At least it should be quiet. CD and Oliver will be enjoying the day together at home, complete with classical music immersion, no doubt.

scratch one possible name off the list

Two Dogs and a Baby is taken.

jobs

It looks like I celebrated a year of blogging by taking a three day break. Not entirely true. I worked on capturing a little video yesterday, and it's something other than Oliver. Stay tuned....

Now that he's getting a little older I decided it was time for Oliver to start pulling his weight around the house. Might as well start young, right? I am hoping that by the time he's five he will be scooping the dog poop in the backyard. Now you know the REAL reason I had a child...kennel help! But I digress....

Oliver now has the responsibility of putting his bib into the laundry chute after meals. This involves climbing four steps to get to the second level of our house and toddling down the hall to the chute. He seems to relish this important responsibility, and is only occasionally distracted by the cat or one of the dogs. As I'm writing this it is becoming clear that video is required. Maybe later on tonight.

As I look around at the sorry state of the house, I am starting to plot additional jobs for Oliver, but I will have to work fast. In a twist of amazingly bad timing, CD's brother arrives tonight and the house cleaners come tomorrow. He scares me enough as it is without the problem of the house not being "company-ready". (I know all the parents out there are giggling to themselves about that one....) I predict he arrives in a navy blue suit, which will be covered in white dog hair within minutes, and I will spend the next two days apologizing for everything. Sounds like WAY too much fun.

blogiversary

It seems I have been ranting and rambling here for an entire year. When I started I expected to lose interest in a few weeks or maybe months but Oliver's addition to our household has proved to be a source of endless blogging material.

I know I'm not the most skilled writer or the funniest blogger out there (though I think I could safely pit my son and dogs against any other child or dogs in a cuteness contest) but I have tried to be as honest as I can be in a public forum while remaining married. Here are a few of my favorite posts. Your mileage may vary, of course.

• Better Be a Growth Spurt
• He Likes a Fresh Diaper
• One More Time, With Feeling
• Anyone for Slaw?
• Green-eyed Monster

I hope to get better at this in the coming year. I know there won't be a shortage of blog-worthy (at least in my mind) stuff happening for me to practice on. At the moment our nearly 17 year old cat is feeling poorly, Chewy's backend isn't always communicating with his front end, and Oliver has embarked on a full-fledged vegetable strike. There's World Cup now, Tour de France starting soon, and Project Runway too. And let us not forget the possibility that the household may at some point in the coming year return to having "three dogs and a baby" (plus a toddler!).

brilliant

Brilliant. That's the only word for this idea for Boozy Bears. I wonder if it works with other kinds of booze. Rum doesn't always work for me.

I'm not drinking now anyway, following the "pretend you're pregnant" advice, but damn these look yummy.

daylily with fly

My daylilies are starting to open. They were a housewarming gift from a wonderful clumber buddy. Thanks Chris!!!

I'll be posting more pics in a Flickr set as each variety opens. No promises about capturing additional flies.

bigger thinner hotter

I've been playing with a 15" MacBook Pro this week, a test drive of sorts, courtesy of Apple. I currently use a 12" PowerBook G4 and I love it, mostly because it is so little and light. When I was taking the bus to and from work, hiking up three large hills to get home, this was crucial. Now it's just what I've grown accustomed to using. Unfortunately, it's no longer an option in the current product line. I can get a 14" MacBook or a 15" pro. Dilemmas dilemmas.

Since turning 40 my vision is going to hell in a handbasket so the 15" screen is very nice. (Bigger, as referred to in the title of this post) Not sure it's worth the increase in weight but look at the photo...it's soooo skinny, unlike me. (Thinner)

The test machine goes in the mail tomorrow but I've already placed my order, despite being tempted to try frying an egg on a few spots on the loaner. (Hotter) The area between the top of the keyboard and the hinge were practically smokin' the other day.

I will eventually get used to all the things that are different, of course, especially the speed. It seems a little wrong that I should get one before CD. Seems like his employer might find a way to get him one, especially with all the travel he will be doing in the next few months. (Will rant about that another day.) This is just one of those times it's nice to be in control of one's department budget. It's a tiny little kingdom but it's mine.

I know I don't flash my geeky side on the blog much, but she's always there.

bring on the tray

This week Oliver transitioned from a crib to a tray bed at school. (Sorry, no picture yet. I tried for days to find one but the Internets have failed me.) A tray bed is a little wooden cot (in the American sense, since a British cot is what Americans call a crib). Barely off the ground.

Most of the children around his age moved to a tray bed months ago but due to space constraints, Oliver continued to nap in a crib. The nap room is an L shaped space, with tray beds on one leg and cribs on the other (and two changing stations in between). As the children get ready to move up from the Infant Wing to the Young Toddler room, they are slowly transitioning to the Young Toddler schedule, which includes one nap per day, after lunch, on a mat. The older Infant Wing children have moved from their tray beds to mats, thus freeing up tray bed space. It's all far too complicated, I know, but it seems to work.

I have been getting antsy for a couple of months now, pestering the teachers for this transition to take place. Even Oliver seemed to want it. While I checked the diaper and nap log book in the nap room he would bolt to the tray beds and look at them longingly.

It all seems to have hinged upon them procuring a unit for mat storage. I tried not to let this piss me off but I pay them about $1250 a month and that seems to have had an impact on my expectations. Lack of a big box is holding back my son's development? Oy vey. Get over yourself RIGHT NOW.

The actual transition has gone remarkably well. I expected Oliver to be the kid who refused to lie down but the teachers tell me he goes right to sleep. His naps are longer now too, around 90 minutes, sometimes longer.

And while we're on the subject of sleep, a few changes at home seem to have improved night time sleep. We take a family walk when we get home in the evening, including Chewy and Penguin (5:30 pm). Then play for a little bit (6:00). Then dinner (6:15). A little more play time (6:40 - 7:00). Then bedtime (7:30). Oliver is now sleeping until 6:30 am, sometimes a little longer. It's a much better schedule for everyone. I'm getting close to 7 hours of sleep most nights, especially when we don't have very loud thunder storms like we did last night. After over a year of very little sleep, I'm starting to feel a bit more like a human again.

first music, now art

Oliver's dad finished the chairs that go with his little table so we thought drawing a picture for his Granny in England would be a good way of taking them for a spin. He's getting pretty good with the crayons, and displaying a bit of a pointillist bent.

time for a change

CD and I decided not to get gifts for each other on our anniversary this year. We agreed it was time for a new bed, including mattress. For me, this is an absolute condition of bearing child #2, not yet conceived. Our mattress is shot and my back reminds me of this every morning. We foolishly bought an IKEA bed and even more foolishly believed them when they told us it didn't require a box spring. I have started looking around and can't seem to find anything I like. I hope when I see "the one" I'll recognize it but so far nothing has called my name.

I am starting to think we need to go beyond just the new bed, perhaps re-arrange the bedroom, or possibly even moving house. Every night when I try to sleep I am reminded that it was there, in that very spot, that I was told on the phone in the middle of the night that Piper was gone. I miss her terribly and the loss is haunting me. I don't get enough sleep as it is, with Oliver's current pattern of waking at 5:20am. Reliving the night we lost Piper is more than I can take.

which one are you?

This has been a huge topic of controversy in my office, and it's been going on for months.

I'm all about the quality. Good stuff can be folded. Bad stuff can't.

Go check it out. You know you want to.

father's day

On this Father's Day, I am reminded that Oliver is growing up without his grandfathers. One of the perils of having older parents, I suppose. He looks a little bit like my dad, who passed away in 1982. And he will probably be a bit like CD's dad, since many on his side of the family say CD is nearly a clone of his father. He does have a step-grandfather who adores him but it isn't the same somehow.


He does have a dad though, and one who is a pretty terrific parent, despite having no prior experience with babies. I knew CD would be good, as he is with everything when properly motivated, but he has surprised me over and over during the last 14 months. I underestimated him and for that I have to apologise. As far as I can tell, he's flying on (really good) instincts but where it comes from really doesn't matter. He's good. Really good. I consult books, blogs and any other resource I can find and still feel like I haven't got a clue.

So to CD, I say, "Well done." And "We love you. Enjoy the Crunchie bars."

he's bookish on his mum

Oliver has an adorable new habit (until it becomes annoying, but not yet). When he brings a book to me he also takes my hand and opens it by pulling on the thumb so it will hold the book to his satisfaction. I have tried hiding my hand and he always "finds" it, insisting on putting the book directly into my hand. I know I'm not describing this very well. It really needs a video.

He is also trying very hard to say "yellow". It sounds a lot like what he says when he wants to read Moo Baa La La La, but not exactly the same. We've been putting a little extra emphasis on colors for about a week and it seems to be sinking in. He hasn't had any new words for a while but seems to be just about to explode with them. Maybe he'll even say "mum" someday....

bad mummy, bad bad

Yesterday I noticed the base of Oliver's thumb was red. Upon closer inspection, it is chapped, from being in his mouth half the day and most of the night. I put some vaseline on it last night and this morning. It's better but when I said something about it at school his teachers said they had been talking about it a while back and just assumed I noticed. UGH!!! I feel like the world's least observant mum. Makes me wonder what else I have missed. Once when he was a month or two old I was horrified to discover his belly button was cruddy. I was a wreck. So much for that being enough to scare me into being better.

To make things worse, it took Google to remind me that a little Lansinoh would be the best thing for this problem. Shoot me now.

12 step group for cribbage obsession?

This is kind of fun, in a sick sort of way.

This is downright dangerous. Can't. Stop. Playing. Though if I want to look on the bright side, if I'm playing cribbage I'm not eating Nutella off a spoon in my kitchen. And while I'm in pseudo-tangent-land, weigh-in today was just full of surprises. 2.4 pounds worth of 'em. Woo hoo!!

world cup dilemmas

The World Cup presents a few dilemmas, and not just of the "which country do we root for?" variety. That's easy, unless the US and England face each other, which isn't possible for a few weeks.

No, we have more fundamental problems, like what to do when the Tour de France gets underway. Remember, we STILL don't have TiVO or any of the alternative services. This could be just the thing that pushes us over the edge.

And at the risk of sounding hopelessly American, I have always found this brand of football a little bit boring. Golf, to me, has been more fun and exciting to watch. Then today, as I watched Trinidad and Tobago, the smallest country ever to qualify for a World Cup, take on Sweden, the favorite to win it all, I found myself getting entirely sucked in to a nil-nil draw. We went out before the match ended and I couldn't wait to get home to find out what happened. I hardly browsed at Target....something was clearly wrong. I may be hooked (just in time to fulfill my future as a soccer mom) and that is going to present a problem once the Tour starts.

I don't remember seeing any of the last World Cup, but I have one vivid memory of 1998. It was the first time I ever heard CD swear. England wasn't doing well, obviously. Come to think of it, that may be the ONLY time I've heard him swear. Let's hope Oliver follows in Daddy's footsteps, not his potty-mouthed mum's!

now with extra woo woo

We have guests for the weekend, of the white and furry Clumber variety. Luka and Sherman (pictured) are visiting. Oliver isn't sure this is a good thing. They bark a lot and don't sound at all like Penguin and Chewy. They try to push him over and drown him with Clumber drool. It's getting better as everyone gets used to each other but last night was kind of rough (see below). Oliver continues to be very unsure about Sherman and generally bursts into tears if Sherman gets close. This is odd because it is Luka who most wants to push him around and lick him. You'd think Luka was a herding dog, not a flushing spaniel.

The boys, especially Luka, are not accustomed to retiring to crates in a room by themselves. They were not shy about sharing their feelings. I tried letting Luka be loose, then Sherman, but they tried to scratch through the door and the gate. Finally at 4am, after they woke Oliver, which happened at 3 but it took me an hour to get him back to sleep, I joined the boys in their room. Somehow this seemed to make it all better. Luka snuggled up to me on the bed and Sherman went in one of the crates (go figure!) and we all slept peacefully for two whole hours. It's a good thing I really love these guys...and that in our neighborhood sending them out to play in traffic at 4am was a pretty futile proposition.

Sherman is Piper's half brother and a number of his traits are reminiscent of her. He quickly found her spot on the couch. He too seems to be a bear of very little brain, but incredibly endearing. He barks at the drop of a hat, mostly at people walking by the house, just like she did, but frequently I see and hear no reason for the barks at all. Perhaps someone in New Zealand dropped a breadcrumb? Luka always joins in, though if I didn't know better I would think he'd been de-barked because his bark is very quiet (relatively speaking). Penguin can't resist making it a Clumber Chorus. Chewy, of course, snoozes through all such doings. Deafness has its virtues.

I think tonight I'll just head for the guest room and snuggle up with the boys. It's kind of chilly...a two Clumber night.

And Tara, if you're reading, Sherman ate his whole meal TWICE today. I think that may be a record!

Happy Birthday Mr Chew

After catching some grief in the comments about "too much baby, not enough dogs" last year, I blogged about Chewy. He's 12 today and it's time to once again wax poetic about the Chewman. I've said it all before though. Even though he's slowed down significantly, he's still a really fun dog to have around. Since I never expected him to make it to 10, I try remember every day we have him is a gift.

I'll be thrilled if next year I can tell you all he's turned 13 and is still doing fine. I won't mind repeating myself at all.

mullet be gone

Oliver doesn't have a ton of hair, except in the back of his head. With the warmer weather up on us, CD and I decided to have Oliver's mullet removed. The curl was cute, but it was also hot and yucky sometimes.

We probably could have done it ourselves but Joann, the miracle worker who cuts my hair, wanted to do it and I couldn't say no.

She did a great job, not just with the mullet but also cleaning up around his ears and the little wispy pieces in front. I think it looks like he has more hair now that it has been trimmed. And he definitely looks a bit more like a boy.

As I expected, Oliver didn't really enjoy the experience. I am told, by those who have been there, that subsequent haircuts go a bit more easily.

More photos from the haircut are here.

weight updates

I've lost 10 pounds since starting WW. The last two pounds qualify as miracles. Being away from home, not having constant access to eTools, and available chocolate made things extremely difficult. Weigh in was a very nice surprise. I was quite sure I had gained.

Just for "fun" we put Oliver on the scale Sunday night, before his bath. I managed to do this without a single flashback! I was surprised to find he's not over 25 pounds. Then I looked at the chart and discovered he's maintaining a nice, steady gain. Maybe monthly weigh-ins would not be so bad....and the doc would be pleased. He was a little disappointed when I told him the chart I gave him at the 12 month check up would be his last. Yes, we've come a very long way.

green-eyed monster

I really should be happier for all my favorite bloggers who are pregnant. The announcements have been coming at a fast clip lately. First Melissa had Spuds. Gerah is due tomorrow. Mrs Big Dubya spilled the beans, or rather, Mr Big Dubya did, a couple of weeks ago. Now today it's Mainely Madge with the big news. Shoot, even Metrodad and Bosslady have pulled the goalie.

As sure as I was that I could not possibly do the baby thing ever again after Oliver's birth, here I am, just as everyone said I would be, beyond ready to jump on the train for one more ride. (Exactly one, thank you. No more than that. Twins? No, not so much this time, please.) More like mad as hell it isn't proving to be as simple as last time. How the hell did this happen? I've gone from "the war zone" (aka, episio... nope, sorry, I can't even type the word without a can of dermoplast in my hand) to "hurt me again please", faster than you can say E.P.T.

for my loyal readers from EphBlog...

both of you....

Oliver scored a new sweatshirt when we were in Williamstown a couple of weeks ago. It's been too warm to wear it until this morning.

Class of 2027, here he comes! He's going to have to get a Herchel Smith Fellowship if he plans to make both his parents happy.

usable, but not quite done

The bathroom is now usable, though there's still a little bit more to do. We've concluded the wall above the tile needs to be painted and the light switch and outlet will be replaced. I wish I had a "before" picture of it in all its yellow and brown glory. (We still have a pink and gray bathroom, but that's a project for another day, or perhaps another owner.)

For being 4' x 5', it feels remarkably spacious. I think we made some good choices to make the most of the space. The shower and toilet are directly opposite each other, so we opted for an off-set shower door and a toilet that is not elongated.

As usual, there are a few more photos at Flickr.

bathroom master

I'm trying to contain my excitement but it isn't working very well. CD is almost finished with the master bathroom renovation. This bathroom has not been used since we moved into our house over 2 years ago. (Okay, I barfed in it once, but that doesn't count.) We started the renovation just before Oliver was born. The room is all of 4 feet by 5 feet, not counting the shower...how hard could it be, right?

A few weeks after Oliver arrived we had professionals put in a one-piece shower. Since then, CD has removed the toilet and sink, and painstakingly replaced the old tile on the walls and floor. Unfortunately, he's never tiled before and he's a perfectionist. So we've had a beautiful new shower for over a year, and no showers have yet taken place in it.

Today, CD put in the new toilet (with it's slow-close lid that I didn't know I had ordered...a very nice surprise), sink and vanity. All that remains is to add the elbow joint to the sink, the doors to the vanity, and some towel bars and hooks. It will be done tomorrow!! Not entirely done...there's one little piece of wall that isn't tiled, pending the hiring of an electrician to run a circuit for the wall-mounted heated towel rail, which we haven't bought yet...minor detail. But still, I expect to take a shower, use the potty, and brush my teeth in that bathroom tomorrow.

My contribution to the project has consisted of helping choose the components and ordering the toilet. In other words, not much. Oh wait. I did choose the yellow rubber duck at the home show with my 8 month pregnant fingers, thus giving us a discount on getting the shower installed, but it's really been all CD. He may be a geek, but you really want a perfectionist installing your tile. As usual, the project required one or two new power tools, including a wet saw.

Come back to see the pictures.

a place to nurse

Though Oliver is weaned now I still keep up on all things related to breastfeeding. I was thrilled to discover a blog with info on places with nursing facilities. (Thank you, ParentHacks) It's like DaddyTypes listings of changing facilities in men's rooms in New York. A brilliant idea....just wish I'd had it first!

peek-a-boo

More retro-blogging from our trip to New England. Oliver initiated a game of peek-a-boo with Tika. Of course, I missed the beginning and that was the best part, but this is still cute. I think it shows what an engaging little boy he is becoming, and the sense of humor he is developing.