Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:44:00 GMT

You know you're really a parent when you can simultaneously carry a 13 pound crying baby and a full-size stroller down four flights of stairs.

It's doable, but certainly not fun.

An elevator would be nice.

The Threatdown: Bears!!

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:12:28 GMT

Today, right after I put Isabella down for her mid-morning nap, the repairman came to fix our sink and window. He replaced a pipe under the sink and then went to inspect the windwow. He opened it up and, without warning, started blasting parts of it away with some sort of hand-held electric sander. Please forgive me, but I know nothing of power tools and I'm sure, as many of you will undoubtedly tell me, there is no such thing as a hand-held electric sander. Know that my dearth of expertise in this area is vast and apart from possibly being able to identify a drill from a very close range I can't accurately describe any mechanical apparatus save for it's volume. This one was LOUD AS FUCK.

The noise was very harsh and grating. I fearfully glanced in the direction of my daughter who was sleeping a few feet away in the same room, but she did not even stir. In fact, she did no more than turn herself over once as the awful noise continued for nearly ten minutes causing me to wince repeatedly. The repairman left and Isabella continued her slumber for another half an hour without any sign of having been disturbed.

She is a beast.

Here is a picture to prove it:

But I love her still:

Anniversaries

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 13:05:02 GMT

Tonight, Rich and I are going out tonight to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Have we really been married for five years now? Yes, and in fact, I wrote about our wedding in this very journal, which seems to indicate that I've been writing here for over five years as well.* So my journal and my husband have seen me go through a lot; some good things have happened and some bad things and some terrible things and some amazing things (namely my daughter). I don't think I'm going anywhere with this entry, I just wanted to acknowledge all the changes in my life in this demi-decade and to prepare myself to welcome more. I feel like I'm beginning a new chapter in my life with a new baby, and starting graduate school, and having to decide on a career path (I have some ideas), and thinking about where we're gonna end up living (and being happy that right now we're too young to "end up" anywhere). I think I'm really looking forward to all this and so much more.

I love you, Rich! Happy Anniversary!!

*And how pretentious is it of me to ask myself questions in my journal and then answer them? Very, very!

Bunnies

Wed, 23 May 2007 19:16:47 GMT

Well, it's been awhile and my Isabunny is almost two months old now.

This is her serious face:

This is her happy face:

She has learned smiling recently which is apparently a powerful weapon. She is now able to instantly disarm me even after keeping me up half the night, spitting up on my favorite shirt, and peeing all over the changing table. Sigh. She is so gross, but I love her to death. She's also started making cute little cooing noises. I turned around a few minutes ago thinking that she was beginning to cry, only to discover that she was just trying to hold a conversation with one of her rattles. I can't wait til she can talk to me, then I'll be able to pass on my wierdness to her more directly. I've already been reproached for calling her Monkey and Beast, but the sooner she learns that her mommy is not quite like all the other mommies the better. And I'm perfectly okay with her thinking she's a monkey-beast well until toddlerhood, then she'll be able to keep all the other three-year-olds in line lest they try to pick on her.

Picture fun

Tue, 01 May 2007 17:06:11 GMT

Our first family picture:

Stephen makes small and cute things look even smaller and cuter:

Much happiness

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:32:41 GMT

Yay! Bulls swept the Heat!! I can't believe it, I'm so happy! And Phoenix won too, which makes Sunday a very good day for basketball. I am very disturbed, however; that the Mavericks are losing to Golden State (what the fuck is Golden State anyway? As much as I love basketball, I've barely registered them as a team until this season). I was so looking forward to Pheonix-Dallas Western conference finals (even more so than the actual championship, unless of course, the Bulls beat the Pistons). Come on, Dirk!!

I watched the game with my bunny. This is she:

I can't believe that I've had her for more than a month and somehow I've managed not to break her. She's getting bigger and craftier every day. Last week she learned the ever important skill of blowing spit bubbles and she can now lift up her head and shoulders when lying on her tummy. She also recently discovered that her arms are attached to her body, and not, as she previously believed, some toys that we left in her crib to eat. She now stretches them out toward things that grab her attention. She still tries to eat whatever comes in her line of sight; when I put her down on the bed, she attempts to eat it for several minutes, cries when the bed fails to cooperate, and falls asleep from the effort.

Rich and I got the Baby Bjorn this weekend which I think is the Best Thing Ever and not just because I love things with Swedish sounding names (yes, that is the reason why I have two Ikea catalogs on my coffee table... Kongvig!!). It is so comfortable, easy to use, and it's saving me from increasingly less tolerable arm pain. Isabella loves to be held and carried and wants me to do it all the time. I'm okay with that except that she's getting heavier by the day and also I would occasionally like the use of my arms for things like combing my hair, brushing my teeth, and eating. The baby carrier solves all these problems and, best of all, it makes it a lot easier for me to leave the house. So, we're going to Target today so that I can look at pretty things and buy myself a Frappucino. Yay for caffeine and access to my wallet!

I am way too sleep deprived....

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:40:36 GMT

It's Hagrid! My baby is Hagrid!!!

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:12:59 GMT

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for all your calls, text messages, emails, MySpace comments, and various other methods of communication through which all of you expressed your good wishes and concern. Obviously, this has been a crazy week and I haven't been able to respond to everyone personally, but I really am grateful for all your support.

We were finally able to bring our baby home Saturday night and right now that is all that matters.

Baby update

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:19:48 GMT

I'm getting induced tomorrow at 11:15 am. Please pray that it goes fast and well and that the baby is healthy.

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:05:29 GMT

Thank you everyone for a wonderful baby shower. I love all my cute baby stuff!

Household Insanity

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 22:25:27 GMT

This afternoon, I broke my shredder. I had gotten very impatient and put way too much paper in and all of it ended up stuck in the blades. Reversing didn't do anything except produce an eerie high-pitched noise and there was no way to pull the page out manually since its very top was clogging the blade. Seized with a sudden determination not to allow this stubborn device ruin my planned afternoon of shredding, I decided to fix it myself. The whole process took nearly two hours because, as I realized much too late, the warranty sticker (the dire warnings of which I summarily ignored) was covering up the sixth screw which naturally turned out to be the sole reason why I was not able to get the top off for nearly 45 minutes. In the end, aided with a screw driver and various contents of my nail care kit, I was able to remove the clog and put the whole thing back together. Amazingly enough, it works. I'm very proud.

Another source of my present contentment is the fact that I got new bras yesterday. Pregnancy has made my boobs so large and heavy that I've been seriously considering hiring someone to hold them up for me all day. But I have now acquired the much needed support and it feels so great!

Now I am going to take a bubble bath to wash away the exhaustion brought on by wielding various toolage in my ultimately victorious battle with the shredder.

We're moving Saturday!!!

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:08:01 GMT

I'm starting to really miss sleep. I remember when I was in the first trimaster and every night I'd pass out from exhaustion by 9 pm and I'd sleep all the way through to 6 am when it was time to get up for work. Well, no more. Now I fall alseep at midnight and I wake up at 3 am and pretty much every hour on the hour after that, staying awake longer each time. Rich gets up at 6 now and I'll usually get up for awhile, too, making my last solid chunk of sleep 7:30 am to 9 am.

Despite the obvious physical discomfort, I think that the main reason I can't stay asleep is because I'm so stressed about everything baby-related. Of course, the physical discomfort plays a big part as well. It is a huge production just to turn over in bed, always involving a lenghty thought process along the lines of: "Before we attempt to do this, are you absolutely sure that you'll be more comfortable facing the other way?", followed by an extended period wherein I gather momentum and mental fortitude. By the time I get myself on my back, I have to take a break from all the effort before continuing onto the other side. And, naturally, once I am finally settled it occurs to me that I really was more comfortable before and a new debate begins in my head.

Anyway, you know that you're not getting enough sleep when you read: "Judge Limits New York Police Taping" as "Judge Limits New York Police Napping."

Happy Valentine's Day

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:38:43 GMT

I've been feeling so crappy all day that the cats evidently decided to cheer me up. When I made my way to the bathroom (for the 5673th time), I saw

Aww! They're each other's Valentine!

They're still in there hugging. I love my lesbian kittens.

A happy return and an excess of phlegm

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:12:50 GMT

Rich and I got back from Poland a week ago. For the past week we have each taken turns suffering from a horrible flu-like disease (possibly the flu? maybe a very very very nasty cold?). I had thought that my shift would be over today, because I was starting to feel better last night, but, alas, this morning I woke up feeling miserable and mucousy. The whole thing is naturally exacerbated by the aches and pains of my pregnancy and the fact that the baby insists on kicking me in the bladder at the most inopprtunate times.

The baby, apparently, knows how to read, because it just kicked me in the bladder.

I am very much looking forward to not being sick sometime in the very near future and getting to see everyone again. I missed you guys!

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 20:05:43 GMT

I'm in Poland!! Yay!! The internet is much to slow to write more!!

Presenting...

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 18:40:48 GMT

Poor Wally...

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:00:11 GMT

I was on the train going home from work, when I checked my messages and heard the following:

"Hi, this is Wally's school. I'm not sure if you're aware, so I'm just calling to remind you that he's getting out early today and needs to be picked up at 11:40am. Please call the school back to let us know you got this message."

Since my cell phone is off all day while I'm at work, I didn't listen to my voicemail until 6:30pm.

Um.

I sure hope someone picked up Wally...

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 17:33:48 GMT

As of midnight last night, I am officially in the second trimaster of my pregnancy.

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 01:09:56 GMT

Sometime really soon I'm going to actually update my live journal. But for now, here is a thing I stole from Rich:

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE WHAT WOULD THE SONGS BE?:

So, here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits: Meredith Brooks- Bitch (already I'm loving this)

Waking Up: Daphne Loves Derby- Here’s One for the Four Years We Had

First Day At School: Dashboard Confessional- So Beautiful (wtf?)

Falling In Love: Dashboard Confessional- Again I Go Unnoticed (Rich, can you explain this please?)

Fight Song: Barenaked Ladies- Katie

Breaking Up: Dashboard Confessional- Hold On (that actually works)

Prom: Blink 182- Obvious (as in, "Rich it's so obvious I'm throwing myself at you, why are you the only person in the room not to notice?!")

Life's OK: Dido- White Flag

Mental Breakdown: Dashboard Confessional- This is a Forgery (Yes, 23.5% of my play list is Dashboard songs, I'm not ashamed!)

Driving: Yellowcard- Only One (If I knew how to drive, I would definitely drive to this song)

Flashback: Snow Patrol- Chocolate

Get back together: Whitney Houston- One Moment in Time (ha!)

Wedding: Maroon 5- Harder to Breathe (Apparently, I have commitment issues. Or perhaps it was just the dance floor crowded with Filipinos line dancing)

Birth of Child: Avril Lavigne- Complicated (no no no no no!!)

Final Battle: Alicia Keys- Fallin’ (This does not bode well for me)

Death Scene: Usher- You Got It Bad (MOST INNAPROPRIATE SONG CHOICE EVER)

Funeral Song: Sugarcult- Destination Anywhere

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 22:01:28 GMT

Today was my first OBGYN appointment and it went very well. The best part was the ultrasound. I know a lot of women don't have one during their first visit, but I'm a little over 10 weeks along, so my doctor went ahead and ordered one. I was a bit skeptical because it's so early and, anyway, I've never been able to tell anything from any kind of ultrasound picture before--they usually just looked like a bunch of grey blobs to me. So imagine my surprise when I saw the baby before the doctor pointed it out; it was tiny, but definitely human-shaped. I couldn't believe how much it was moving, kicking its tiny legs and doing all sorts of uterine acrobatics, but the doctor said that was good. The most amazing part was seeing its tiny heart beat. I almost cried. In a good way.

The nausea's been really bad this past week, but the first trimaster is going to be over soon so I should be feeling lots better. Thank God for Wheat Thins, I would have never made it without them.

Scones

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 16:09:07 GMT

I have been tormented by a grave problem of late, namely where to purchase a large quanitity of chocolate chip scones for me to consume. I'm not talking about going to Starbucks and buying several of the single scones they sell there, I really need a whole bagful for when the scone cravings hit and lately they have been relentless. So where does one buy large bags filled with scones? Can anyone tell me? I've been eating meringues out of desperation, but really it's not at all the same.

Terse/Sleepy

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 03:31:41 GMT

This weekend we went to Indiana for awhile. People had southern accents. We saw Bill and CJ. It was a good time.

For those of you with whom I mainly keep in touch through lj I have some news: I'm 2 months pregnant. And very happy. And my boobs hurt. A lot.

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 00:57:39 GMT

Listening to the Rent soundtrack, reading the New York Times, eating cold pizza, and holding my cat are all things I'm currently doing in case you're wondering.

I love the fact that tomorrow is Friday. We should work three days every week.

These are the things I presently desire: haircut, marzipan, ballet slippers, a vacation.

These are the things I presently fear: bad mushrooms.

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 02:47:15 GMT

I'm feeling a little depressed tonight. I think I'm going to drown my sorrows in Buffy reruns.

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 01:33:34 GMT

20 Things I've Always Wanted to Say to 20 People:

1. Random everyday things make me miss you all the time.
2. You're so much like me it's scary and not entirely good. But I guess that's why I always feel comfortable talking to you.
3. I think what you did is amazing and I'm really proud of you.
4. Please don't let other people make important decisions for you. You'll never be happy.
5. No matter how much things change, I have to believe that you'll always be there for me.
6. I know I should like you, but I don't and I feel guilty about it.
7. I worry about your future.
8. A lot of bad stuff has happened to you and you really don't deserve it. I'm sincerely hoping things will get better.
9. It's okay to be wrong sometimes.
10. I was a bad friend to you and I'm sorry.
11. I frequently imagine administering a swfit kick to your ankle.
12. You must stop talking about how smart you are all the time, it's obnoxious as hell.
13. If I was ever in trouble, you're one of the first people I'd think of calling.
14. I wonder if that's really you or if you're just putting on an act for everyone.
15. You're really beautiful. I'm totally jealous.
16. I have no excuse for not liking you more. I'm basically just being a bitch.
17. I wish I knew you better, but I don't know how to do that.
18. I almost made the same mistake you did.
19. One sentence cannot encompass all the things I want to say to you. Not even two sentences.
20. If I ever openly expressed the desire to sleep with you, I don't think Rich would mind at all.