Some random things about me

me in the early 70's, wish i still had this toy

what order are these in? Stream of consciousness order, of course.

• i have never lived anywhere more than 8 years
• i was born in buffalo NY
• i have a lot of 22's in my birthday. 12-22 at 22:22 hours
• i think the 22 thing is pretty cool
• i lived in germany for 3 years when i was a kid
• i have been mistaken for a boy many times
• i have been mistaken for a grandma 3 times
• i would rather be mistaken for a boy anytime
• i consider myself a poet though i don't write poems anymore
• i used to play the flute
• i fantasized of being famous until we had our baby
• i didn't wear a bra for about 3/4 of my twenties
• i used to drink a lot of gin and tonics
• when i was little, i cried a lot
• i used to live on an island
• i was a drum major for my marching band
• one year, at band camp is and introductory phrase which applies to me
• i wish i didn't look so old
• i love positive reinforcement
• 3 of the places i lived are actually vacation spots: Germany, Outer Banks of NC, Niagara Falls
• i used to work on a farm
• i was in the army reserves for 8 years
• my father was my recruiter
• my favorite dog breed is Mix, then english shepherd, then toller, then shiba inu
• i have run in one full and two half marathons

me as a pumpkin

me carving a face for my pumpkin

apple orchard

these apples are delicious. As a matter of fact they are she said. can all this fruit be free?

It was awhile ago now, but we hit the apple orchard this year. It was tons of fun. We always go with my mom and sisters. This year it was super cold and we went to a place in Wisconsin called Apple Holler. A hootin tootin good time if also a bit expensive and commercial. Still, it was one of those times that was super fun, and it's always nice to have a good time with my family, since that isn't always the case. Peanut loves my mom, and she's a good cha cha (that's her grandma name), but her mothering leaves something to be desired. I've mentioned it before so I won't go into it now. We all know I will mention it again as the holiday season approaches and I grow stressed from it.

I love apple orchard day though. It kind of brings out the best of us all. We come together, pick together, try to stay warm together, enjoy the crisp sweet taste of apples and the warm sugary taste of apple donuts together. This year, peanut was so mobile and loved eating his apples. I think this warmed my mother's heart. Whatever happens, whatever ugly passes between us, I like that we have this. A healthy fall day to celebrate harvest, the earth and going forward. We got a lot of apples that day, but since peanut is an apple or 2 a day kinda guy, and i am a apple or two a day kinda mommy, they are all already gone. So we are back to buying them from Trader Joes.

Here are some pictures from the day.

cha cha picking the first apple

My sister's friend M, Auntie M (my youngest sister who is in High School), My nephew K and apples

Cha cha and Auntie J (K's Mom)

Peanut and his cousin K

Mama, Mommy and Peanut

leapin' leopard

with mama

suckers!!

bay? bay? (band? Band?)

our little leopard on the way to the parade

pumpkin carving on the night of halloween

Halloween was sick house here, but the previous week there was a neighborhood parade and trick or treating in the stores in our hood. Peanut had a blast. There was a marching band. He LOVES marching bands. Sadly, we got the tail end of the band and he wanted to follow them where they were going. He stood watching them saying, "bay? Bay? C'mon? Bye!!"

Sucktober part 1

If you read my blog, you know that J sprained her wrist in October. That put her out of commission for baby care for almost a week. Her wrist is better, still a little sore sometimes, but better. My blog post title, Sucktober is about how October 2009 sucked. I like to modify words to express how I feel about something. I would like now to include a numbered list describing why I renamed October Sucktober this year.

1. Sept. 29th to October 6th J out with sprained wrist
2. October 8th, J out with Migraine
3. October 12th-14th, J out with Vertigo
4. October many other times, I play catch up at work for missing so many days
5. October 23rd, J feeling better goes to the Museum of Science and Industry and a strap on the Stroller breaks, rendering the stroller un-usable.
6. October 29th, J accidentally leaves ergo baby carrier in a cart at a local thrift store. It is lost.
7. October 30th, early AM, peanut woke us up because his fever was so high we could feel it.
8. October 30th, late afternoon, peanut goes from being happy active baby to listless and frowny. Develops cough. overnight, fever spikes through medicine to 101.9. Worried moms take him to walk in hours at 8 AM on October 31st.
9. Dr. diagnoses Peanut with croup.
10. October 30 - present Peanut recovering, but still sick. won't eat, hates medicine, nurses like a baby every few hours. Cries when he coughs. Breaks our hearts.

I'm not trying to garner pity or say darn my life is real hard aint it. Just that October was a mix between Sick and Suck.

There are good things too.
Peanut is using more and more 2 word sentences. He says "Yes, I do." or "No, I don't" instead of just yes or no. He also says i do, or me do, if he wants to do something that we are trying to do to him (like, administer medicine, or put his shoes on.) Today he sang to a song we were listening to. "if you got 1" by justin roberts. So cute. Sang and danced. I'm in love.

He also got his first real taste of tv and movies. We watched Mary Poppins with him for something to do through his fever. Then we bought him Ice age and Annie. He still prefers MP, and now I have all those songs buzzing through my head again. I like it... i mean who doesn't want

Ain't it a glorious day?
Right as a mornin' in May
I feel like I could fly
'Ave you ever seen 
The grass so green?
Or a bluer sky?

going through their head 24/7?

I'll leave you with that, hoping that I didn't ruin your day
with Jolly Holiday.
If I did I found a remedy for Jolly Holiday is
All Along the Watchtower. 

poor sick boy and me, night 2 of the croup.

trying for 30

Now, it's no secret that I don't post as often as some people do. Part of that stems from the fact that i am busy, part of it comes from being lazy, and then I also think no one reads anyway, but that's not the point, I guess. So even though it's november 3rd and I am going to need to play catch up, I am doing the NaBloPoMo challenge. It will give me a chance to articulate all the crazy stuff that's been happening of late.

And hopefully make me a better blogger.

I am going to take this moment to say that while I mostly write about peanut, I'm going to try to write about other things too, like crafting and maybe even politics, Or to bore the life out of you, my life story.

I'm also trying to lose weight, could write about that as well.

Thursday think think

fall is here, and with it, a hat

dressed up for the er. and sleeping away.

I am almost too tired to post, but I will. J has been a bit down for the count. Last week she sprained her wrist, resulting in her needing me for Peanut care. (and also a late night trip to the er cuz that thing looked like it was broken or out of whack) She couldn't use her wrist all week and is still not at full strength. I'm lucky that my job recognizes my other motherness and that it's not a big thing like it might be some places. But I am behind as a result, further behind than before. Plus the cost of the er visit. All the stay at home momness of last week got me thinking about how I would like to be home more. (I have 3 jobs, one full and 2 part time) And also, how it would be nice to have more childcare backups. Now, we are not in any position to move, but if we were, we'd for sure start looking, because Chicago kicks us in the buns financially. I said a week or so ago that things were looking up and they are. Jen has a job, and that helps. We are almost caught up on our major bills. I dunno...just pondering.

eating with a spoon.

On the Peanut side of things, he's started putting words together to make sentences, and that's been awesome. He's also saying a lot more, including his name, which is a bit hard to say. He says the dogs name, and has gotten that I am mommy and J is mama. He points at her, mama, then me, mommy, then at himself and says his name. How cool is that. He's constantly a chatter, with all his words. and if he's not talking about something he sees or knows, its, "bado bado lil lil." real cute babble. Then there is: "Nnnnnnno! uh uh.. no way." He also says thank you. and pees...I guess more importantly, he's always TRYING to say new things.

The molars are just about here. They keep causing misery and then not getting here. It's been months I think. Months of on and off pain and mood swings.

In sum, baby awesome. Finances, sucky. life, hectic (but great). I want to leave you with the best blog posting I've read in some time. I hope they don't mind me featuring them on my barely read blog. It's a letter to their son right before the arrival of a baby brother, and it's beautiful. http://webertierney.blogspot.com/2009/09/winding-down-clock.html

sleeping peanut

Monday Moody Mahem

hat!!

I am moody. He is moody. The sky turned cloudy and sunny all at once, and that too is moody. How many meltdowns this morning, let's see....
y'know...i'm too moody to list them. Let's just say, a bunch. And one was because I wouldn't let him pick up the dog poop. That one actually had tears involved. And him trying to run back into the house. yeah, that kind of day.

picking flowers in the yard, deep in thought.

sleeps with a fist.