call it a whim

My top ten...right now

2007-07-09T14:49:00.000-04:00

Just thought I'd share what's constantly playing in my head lately. In no particular order...
10. Boogie Shoes-KC and the Sunshine Band... An oldie but a goodie! Makes me wanna dance every time I hear it.
9. Everybody wants to be a Cat-The Aristocats Movie...Yeah, you can make fun, but I have an almost 2 year old who thinks this song rocks.
8. Party Like a Rockstar-Shop Boyz...even though I have not partied like a rockstar in a loooooong time. Ok, I don't know that I have ever partied like a rock star, but I did have my wild college days.
7. The Sweet Escape-Gwen Stefani and Akon...This song is cool enough to me, but it gets even cooler when I hear Grady going "woo- hoo, yee- hoo" from the backseat of the car.
6. Before He Cheats- Carrie Underwood...I told Chris to expect this and more if he ever considers cheating. If he even thinks trashing a car is the worst I am capable of he would have another think coming!
5. I'll Stand By You- Carrie Underwood again!...I have had a love obsession with this Pretenders song since college, and I happen to think Carrie did a dern good job of covering it.
4. Hey There Delilah- Plain White T's...Something about this one just gets me, even though every time I hear the name Delilah it plays out like the theme jingle for the easy listening radio personality. Although, it seems "De-LIE-Lah" has always been a late night driving staple for me, ever since I was old enough to drive. So it's not as annoying to me as some.
3. Show Determination-Thomas and Friends singalong...Again, feel free to make fun, but the words are "Don't give up, show determination" and Grady sings it "don-ee-wa. Choco-mecine." Totally cute.
2. Sweet Emotion- Aerosmith...Chris had this as his ringtone for a bit, and it's just a gosh darn good song. Makes me want to go to MGM and ride the Aerosmith rollercoaster.
1. Rehab- Amy Winehouse...talk about a catchy little song! I may have to go to rehab for it..."no, no, no..."

A man and his truck

2007-04-25T14:20:00.000-04:00

Grady had us cracking up last night. He found this Hess truck that his great Aunt had sent for Christmas but he's never played with. He immediately fell in love...literally. He even says "love you" at the very end of the video, but you have to listen very close to hear it!

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G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

2007-04-18T21:49:00.000-04:00

Fergie freaks me out. My friend's husband calls her fugly. I call her fergly. Why does she think I can't spell, by the way? Still, her songs run through my head all the day long. D-to the E-to the LICIOUS....

More Random thoughts

2007-03-02T15:29:00.001-05:00

You all know you love 'em.
* What ever happened to the prize in the cereal box? I am sorely dissappointed that Grady will never know the joy of cracking open a brand new box of Frosted Flakes and sticking his arm in up to his elbow to fish for a plastic ring or toy.
*Why is it that whenever I walk into anywhere, I notice all the moms who have perfectly flat tummies and full on makeup and feel bad about myself? I am a good mom. So what if I look like crap? Still, it bothers me.
* I am saying this in the nicest possible way, but is there some kind of warehouse that only homeless people know about which manufactures free sharpe pens and cardboard? I am not trying to be disrespectful. I really just want to know where they get the markers.
*Every fish I have ever owned has died within three days. Well, I bought a fish to use as a photography prop over a month ago and gosh darn if the thing isn't still alive and kicking! What am I supposed to do with it for a whole week when we're on vacation? I am pretty sure the kennel doesn't take fish.
* My house has taken the brunt of my busy life lately. Don't be surprised if I require 24 hours advance notice before you come over.
* I have a friend who just spent $95 on shoes, and I can't even fathom that anyomore. There was a time I would have considered it, but now, I don't think so. I can get at least 3 outfits at Old Navy for that.
* Grady now gets excited and yells "no-nies" when he sees donuts of any kind....oops!
That's all for now.

It's not even 5 am...

2007-02-07T04:56:00.000-05:00

And I am wide awake. I don't get insomnia much (thank goodness) but Ugh! I think this is stemming from the fact that I just had the most terrible dream. Funny how when you become a mom, your nightmares no longer involve things that go bump in the night, but terrible visions of horrible things happening to your kids.
I dreamed that Grady drowned, or was drowning, and just as I jumped in to pull him out of the pool I woke up. Normally, I can just shake it off, realize it was nothing more than a dream, and go back to bed. Not today. It was one of those that was horribly vivid and all too real. My heart has not stopped pounding in my chest, and I literally woke up crying. Part of me wanted to go back to sleep so I could try to make the dream turn out ok, with the ambulance arriving to see my little man wrapped in a towel sipping on a juice box.
I got up and checked grady on the video monitor, and everything seems fine. I don't want to go into his room for fear I won't be able to stop myself from scooping him up for a hug. That would only wake him, and then we'd both be crabby tomorrow. So, I am just trying to get it out of my system by writing, and hopefully I will be able to drift back off for a little while on the couch before Chris wakes up.

Everybody hurts....

2007-01-31T13:39:00.000-05:00

We've had our first faceplant. Or at least the first real one anyway. Many times before, Grady has fallen headfirst, but he's always managed to catch himself on the way down with his hands. Not today.
The scene was Target. I had just run in to purchase a few items I need for a photo shoot on Friday, and Grady, in usual toddler fashion, insisted on walking. I tried to put him in a cart three times, and each time he went stiff as a board and screeched. When I decided we were making a big enough scene, I let him win the battle (a surefire way to lose the war, mind you). We were walking in front of the checkout aisles and Grady stopped to try to pull a women's sweater off a hanger in front of him. I issued a stern "NO" and attempted to hold his hand. He pulled away and took off at a run. He caught the toe of his Stride Rites on the polished floor and down he went. It was one of those times where everything goes slow motion. I tried to get there, but I just wasn't fast enough. I could see clearly, though, that his hands weren't going to shoot out and protect his face. The thud of his forehead against the vinyl was loud enough to summon every cashier and two assistant managers to our service.
He let out one of those wails that takes a minute to produce. His face contorted first and the snot started running from his nose, but there was no sound. Then suddenly a woosh of air, and a heartwrenching sob that every mommy knows is the real deal. It was all I could do not to get down and sob as well, I felt so bad for him. The Target ladies were all so nice. Offers of ice and kleenex came first, along with an offer for a cart to put him in. Apparently they had not seen the cart battle moments before.
When he finally peeled his head from my chest to look up, I feared the worst. Teeth missing or at the very least a bloody nose. He looked surprisingly good, however and I issued a sigh of relief. One of the cashier's went into panic mode anyway, and kept insisting that I let her call 911. I know well enough that if the child does not black out they are usually ok. I checked his pupils and got him to walk around and determined that we were head injury free. I assured the cashier that if he began vomiting or lost balance or acted sleepy I would take him to the ER immediately. That seemed to assure her that I knew slightly what I was talking about, and she only followed us for 5 minutes instead of 10.
Grady got a nice purple mark on his noggin, but I also bought him a new toy car, so he's feeling much better now. Hopefully, the cashier has also recovered.

Weekend update

2007-01-28T13:45:00.000-05:00

Top five things you probably don't really care about...
1. I went to see Monty Python's SPAMALOT with my sister in law. It was hilariously funny and I recommend it to anyone, even if you don't normally like musicals. It pokes fun of many of the cliche's of musical theatre, so both lovers and haters of the art can find it funny together.
2. Grady came down with the crappies. He's acting ok but his nose is perpetually drippy and wet and lined with grossness. I am hoping he gets better before some of the playdates we have scheduled this week as I am really looking forward to them.
3. I was supposed to spend most of Thursday cleaning, but through a series of unfortunate events, spent the majority of the day looking for a photography prop and driving back and forth to Katie's (the aforementioned SIL) house.
4. We tried to go to church this morning. Grady put the nix on that real fast. One day we'll make it through the entire thing.
5. Chris is at Wal-Mart battling the crowds whilst I relax and Grady naps. This is just one of the many reasons I am convinced that I have the best husband ever.
Have a great week kids!

Launch

2007-01-17T08:09:00.000-05:00

Just thought I would let my readers here know about my photography blog and website that are now active. Check em out!!!
Blog: http://courtneyvickersphoto.blogspot.com
Site: http://courtneyvickersphotography.com
Thanks for looking and your support!

My chicken nugget, my friend.

2007-01-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

As Grady grows up (he'll be 18 months a week from today, sob) he is developing so many funny little personality traits. Some of them are less funny than others, for example refusing to go anywhere in the stroller anymore. He MUST walk, and if we don't let him it becomes World War three. Others are insanely cute, like his fascination with belly buttons and the fact that he freaks out when his Nana takes off her glasses.

Today we had chicken Nuggets for lunch (yes, I had them too. Points deducted from my fitness level for the day). After he had eaten about half of what I gave him he began scraping the remaining food off of the tray of his booster and into the seat with him. This is my clue that he's had enough, so I gathered up what I could of the nuggets and began to throw them away. Immediately, Grady let out an ear piercing shriek. He pointed hysterically to one nugget that was intact minus one little bite mark. So I thought maybe he just wasn't done with it. I handed it to him and he said "chic-hen" very calmly. I waited for him to eat it, but he just sat there demanding I let him "down".

So I let him out and said "ok, you throw the nugget in the trash!" He nodded no and proceeded over to his toys with his nugget. Oh, what a glorious hour ensued. He and the nugget played with his cars. They watched Dora The Explorer together. He even took the nugget with him to go look at books. It was cracking me up. I offered several times to take the nugget, or to get him to toss it, but he was adament about holding it.

Finally, I started to get worried that my son was going to get too attatched. I envisioned him asleep with a stinky, moldy, old nugget clasped in his hand. I saw him carrying it to playgoup and the other mom's gently steering their kids away. So I hatched a plan.

"Grady, do you want to go outside?" He ran to his chair so I could put on his shoes."OK, but we have to leave the nugget inside." He looked at me, looked at the nugget, looked at me, and then took a big bite of the nugget. By the time I got his shoes on, the nugget was happily residing in his tummy rather than his hand. Now he and the nugget can spend a few more happy hours together as it keeps him full through his nap.

Nugget, we will miss you.

A glass half full kind of day

2006-12-29T13:24:00.000-05:00

Warning: The following blog has noe real life lesson and isn't even really funny. It's just a narritave of today, but I was in a blogging mood...
It has been one of those days when everything seems bright and sunny and right with the world. By all accounts it shouldn't, but it still does. Chris has been sick and was home yesterday with the yuckies. He's still feeling sick today but had to go to a meeting so he's dragged himself there and is working hard. I feel bad for him, but I am still in a chipper mood.
I took Grady for his sixth (I think) haircut today and he is looking like quite the little stud muffin. He screamed bloody murder the entire time and the poor lady looked like she might just decide to quit her job, but I was finding it all quite amusing. I left a good tip. I will have to taks new pics of him soon. I got a backdrop stand and wonderful seamless paper from Santa, so I am itching to try it out. Grady got a mini Lightning Jersey and I think that would make a cute shot...I need to find a puck for him to play with!
After the haircut I had to run to Kohls because he was covered in blonde tufts. While spending the $5 might not seem worth it, I did find a very cute shirt that made him look even more like a little man. Then we went to lunch with my fabuloso sister in law and I had a Publix sweet tea. Life can't get any better. Well, maybe it could if I broke and stole one of those Lindt truffles that are still loudly calling my name, but I am feeling benevolent and the truffle will survive today.

Is there rehab for this?

2006-12-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Courtney and I am a Lindt-aholic....
I had never had a lindt truffle until I walked into the store in the mall to buy my dad a gift for Christmas. I had heard they were good and my dad loves Chocolate, so it made sense. Well, the very friendly sales lady offered me a sample truffle. I believe her name was Tracy, but it may have been Stacy. Whoever she was, I blame her for my addiction. I can no longer walk past the Lindt store without salivating. I know they have individual candies to purchase for .49. You can get 6 in a little bag for $2.50. The problem is, I will want to eat all six in one day. In fact, I had bought a bag for Chris and I to share. I already ate my three, but he has been feeling under the weather and still has two of his sitting on the counter. They are calling my name. Loudly. But I am trying to be good and not eat the chocolate I purchased for the man I love. I seriously need help.

For all the mommies and daddies...

2006-12-22T11:40:00.000-05:00

This is some text from the book You are My Miracle by Maryann Cusimano Love. What a beautiful way to make your child feel special during a busy time of year.

I am your parent
you are my child
I am your quiet place
you are my wild.

I am your gingerbread;
you are my frosting goo
I am your paper
you are my glitter and glue

I am your wrapping
you are my surprise
I am your don't peek;
you are my wide eyes.

I am your fortress;
you are my snowball fight
I am your decorate
you are my tangled lights.

I am your helper;
you are my do-it-myself
I am your Santa Claus
you are my Christmas elf.

I am your glass ball
you are my popcorn strings
I am your pageant;
you are my angel's wings.

I am your steady hands
you are my rising star
I am your stocking
you are my chocolate bar.

I am your caroling
you are my jingle bell
I am your favorite song
you are my first noel.

I am your old stories
you are my make-believe
I am your go to sleep
you are my Christmas Eve.

I am your hush now;
you are my lyrical
I am your peace on Earth
you are my miracle.

http://www.amazon.com/You-Miracle-Maryann-Cusimano-Love/dp/0399240373/sr=8-1/qid=1166804241/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3048419-2398442?ie=UTF8&s=books

I think I found you...

2006-12-09T20:39:00.000-05:00

I have had a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit this year for several reasons. Most of all, there has been so much going on that I barely have time to take a breath much less notice that Thanksgiving has already passed and Christmas Eve is a mere two weeks away. This is unusual for me, because I love holidays as a rule. But with all this Bah Humbug going on around me, I managed to get a glimpse of the Christmas Spirit yesterday. I took Grady to the zoo for their winter festival, and he loved it! The second we walked in, he looked up in rapture at the snow (yes, REAL snow, from a snow-blower). The temprature was a chilly 40*, which is a rarity in FL, even in December, and he was sportin' a warm hat I had to run out and buy 2 hours before our visit. He was all snuggly in his Christmas PJ's, coat and blanket, and his eyes didn't stop glowing and darting around the whole time we were there. As we rounded a corner, we saw a blow up snowglobe filled with presents, Santa, some reindeer and a snowman. Grady said "Tan-ta" and pointed and smiled. And there it was. Christmas in my little Man. The other pics are of when we took him to see "Tan-ta" today. Eh, still a cute memory!

"Where Are You Christmas"

Where are you Christmas

Why can't I find you

Why have you gone away

Where is the laughter

You used to bring me

Why can't I hear music play?

My world is changing

I'm rearranging

Does that mean Christmas changes too

Where are you Christmas

Do you remember

The one you used to know

I'm not the same one

See what the time's done

Is that why you have let me go

Christmas is here

Everywhere, oh

Christmas is here

If you care, oh

If there is love in your heart and your mind

You will feel like Christmas all the time

I feel you Christmas

I know I've found you

You never fade away

The joy of Christmas

Stays here inside us

Fills each and every heart with love

Where are you Christmas

Fill your heart with love

Ribbit!

2006-11-15T15:11:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we decided it was time for Grady's Paci to go. He had become totally attached, and could not function without it. The only time I saw his cute lips was when he was eating. So, we first took it away during the day. Which was living hell for about three days, and then he weaned himself from it totally, and now will not even take it at night. Atta boy! Anyway, since then his vocabulary has just soared. I was counting the other day and I am pretty sure he has about 30 words that I can recognize. Some of his newest are "Tick tock" and "bear", but by far the cutest is "ribbit". It sounds a tinge like "bibbit" but he definately only says it when he sees a frog or a picture of one. I managed to catch him the other day with the frog toy we bought him this past weekend. Please excuse the mess in my house.

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Are you mad?

2006-11-08T13:35:00.000-05:00

When I was in college, Nicole Kidman was riding the wave of fame. She had recently split from Tom Cruise (crazy...much) and made about a dozen award worthy flicks in a row. I definitely watched Moulin Rouge about 2,378 times, and I enjoyed many of the other movies she starred in. There was one, however, that had a certain line that became a catchphrase for many of my college friends and I. Now, those that read this blog are probably already saying it in their heads "are you mad? I am your daughter".
This sentence was uttered in the movie "The Others" when Nicole Kidman's character walks in to find her daughter "possessed" by an old woman. I won't tell you what really happens in the movie in case you haven't seen it (you should). Anyway, the little girl is freaky in her own rite, and the line is meant to be scary. We, however, found it insanely comical. I cannot tell you how many times I walked into a room to be greeted by a ridiculously high pitched, girlish voice, screaming "Are you mad? I am your daughter!" in a fake British accent.
We used it as a greeting, a joke, and an answer to any question we found appropriate. I am sure we really annoyed a few folks with it, and I know there are people who never used it, but found it funny.
A few days ago, my husband was playing with our son and a recently purchased curtain which we intend to hang in our front window, but it took me back to the days of "are you mad, I am your daughter..." and I had to post some pictures. Hope you all enjoy.

Oh, the last picture is not of that, but of Grady's new hairdo. I took him to get it cut and they ruined my baby's cute hair! This is after we got it fixed, but I miss his little bowl cut.

Two drifters, off to see the world...

2006-11-03T13:03:00.000-05:00

I have what I would describe as a decent singing voice. Decent enough to land me a scholarship as a music major my Freshmen year of college. It has gotten me parts in musicals (see picture...yep, that's me with the red hair) and solos in various choirs, but nothing has ever made me feel as proud of it as my son does. Every time I put him down for a nap or bed at night, we have a little ritual. We read a book and then he settles his little head on my shoulder and I sing to him. Sometimes it's only one song, and other times I'll sing a little mini concert of our favorites. It just depends where the time takes us.

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Now, I am not the kind of mommy who only sings lullabies or the ABC song, even though those mommies are great and I applaud them for singing to their kids. It is my secret desire for Grady that he grow up with an eclectic taste in music like I have. Therefore, I am starting him young. Many times I wind up singing a Beatles song, followed by something by Barbara Striesand (my husband just puked). We do bluegrass, rock, top 40,old standards, classic lullabies, and I even occaionally kick it back to my days as a music major. I guess I DID learn Caro Mio Ben for a reason! He's heard Ave Maria and Pie Jesu right along with obscure songs from musicals I am willing to bet 90% of people my age have never even heard of. Some of his favorites come from "The Sound of Music" (my sister in law just puked), Aerosmith, and The Dixie Chicks.
While I sing I scan my brain for another song we haven't done yet, and he lays his hand on my voicebox to feel the vibrations of the air moving across my vocal cords. His other hand wraps around my hair and he moves his fingers back and forth to the music. In his room, my voice sounds crisper and more clear than it ever did to me on stage. When I am done singing and he's ready to go to sleep, he pushes up off my chest and applauds like he just got done watching a live Wiggles concert. I feel myself smile, so glad he liked it. It's the best applause I have ever gotten. I don't doubt he'd do the same for anyone, but I still feel like maybe I should go audition for American Idol this year ;)
Bonus points if you can tell me what song the title of this blog is from. It's one of our all time favorites.

A welcome break

2006-10-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

After nearly 6 months of 80-90* tempratures, Tampa had a low this morning of 44*. Currently, we have not broken the barrier of the 60's, and the HIGH for today is only supposed to top 72*. For me, this is like reaching the part in the Hallelujah Chorus where the audience traditionally stands to honor the beauty of the music surrounding them. I happily donned my long sleeved shirt and light jacket, dressed Grady in 3 layers, and headed out to the park this morning. By the time we were worn out from playing, our ears and cheeks were rosy, and Grady's nose had spouted a leak. It was glorious. For the first time since April, I did not feel the need to return home for a second shower after a morning out. I love today. Here's a pic of Grady yesterday when it was not as cool as today, but still cool enough to get away with shorts and a long sleeved shirt. And a slotted spoon, of course.

Running the gauntlet

2006-10-13T12:10:00.000-04:00

I am not a huge fan of the mall. However, over the past few months, I have found myself there countless times. 95% of the time, I am not there to make any sort of purchase, I simply want to let Grady release some of his energy in the soft play areas for kids. It's still hovering around 90* here in FL, with a buttload of humidity. As much as I would love to go the park or another outdoor venue, I simply can't stand the heat.
Thus, I wind up at one of the three malls in our area. Sometimes I head straight for the play area, but other times I walk briskly around several times and try to convince myself that it's an adequate workout. The mall closest to our house, while it is certainly the most convenient, sends chills up and down my spine. It is at that mall that I have to "run the gauntlet". This is the way I have begun referring to a particular stretch in the mall that happens to be very close to the play area. So close, in fact, that it is impossible to get to the play area without first walking through it. Along this stretch are a few middle of the mall kiosks. Now, these kiosks line the entire stretch of mall, but it is the ones by the play area that make me want to run screaming. What could be so terrible? A phone service kiosk, a digital picture center, and a little cart of lotions and sea salts.
Here is a typical run through.

Man at the phone counter: "Excuse me miss, what kind of phone do you have?"
Me: "I don't know" (I try to keep walking)
Man at the phone counter: "Can I see it?"
Me: "No"
Man at the phone counter: (now yelling at me) "Wait! I just want to see your phone"
I continue walking, starting to feel the irritation building in my chest. Then I hear the dreaded click of the digital camera that is snapping Grady's picture as we walk by.
Woman at the picture place: "Awwwwww....he's so cute, let me show you the great picture I just got"
Me:"No, thanks."
Woman at the picture place:"Are you sure? We can put it on a mug."
I just keep walking.
Suddenly, I am grabbed by my right arm.
Man selling lotion: "Here, feel this lotion!"
Me: "Not interested, thank you."
Man selling lotion: "Are those your real nails? Let me show you this product"
I yank my hand away.
Me:"No, thanks"
Man selling lotion: "Can I ask you a question?"
I utter a terse "you just did" and sprint for the play area.

By the time I get there I am flushed and my palms are sweaty. Now, I am sure someone has a need for a cell phone, or crappy digital photo coffe mugs, or even sea salts and lotion, but I gurantee if I ever do need one of those things, I am not going to get it from one of these people. If you have to harass people into buying things from you, maybe you should take the hint that what you're selling ain't that great and give it a rest. There's a reason the mall won't lease you an actual store to sell your product. Do the math.

Finding out you look a bit like Angelia Jolie....priceless!!!

2006-09-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

I had sort of a rough day, so in my quest to find something fun on the internet while Grday napped, I ran across myheritage.com. It's great for a boost of confidence.

Skinny Black No-no.

2006-09-19T14:24:00.000-04:00

Just because Audrey Hepburn looks Awesome with a capital A in skinny black pants does not give GAP the right to bring them back onto the market. First off, I don't find tapered pants flattering nevermind the model. But that's not the major issue. Miss Audrey was maybe, like a size 2. Sure, there is a tiny fraction of the general population that is under a size 4, but most of them are also under the age of 18. Now, there was a time when I could slide my then skinny tushy into a size 2. However, Audrey also has the benefit of a perfect figure thrown in her corner. These pants would not look good on anyone with no curves at all (Mary Kate Olsen and Nicole Richie, back off the pants), or anyone who is over-curvy. Please, GAP, don't try to convince me or the rest of the people I know in real life we would look rockin' in these pants.
Also, I really don't care what any of the fashion gurus said about this fall season, but 1992 called, and they want their leggings back. Anyone over the age of 7, please surrender them immediately.

New Grady Video.

2006-09-18T13:18:00.000-04:00

Here are a few new videos of Grady. The first is him walking, which he has been trying to master for a while now, but has gotten really good at only in the past few weeks. The second is clapping, which is his new favorite thing to do. Everytime he does anything he claps until everyone else applauds!

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Poop in a tub

2006-09-15T21:33:00.000-04:00

So, this is the readers digest version of my morning yesterday. I know some of you will enjoy the laugh. Others may decide you don't want to have kids.

I was giving Grady his bath. He was all cute and wet and was even obeying me when I told him to "sit down, please" ( he likes to try to stand up and climb out, which I know is eventually going to lead to a split lip or broken arm). I had just asked him to find his toy fish when he decided the bath needed some bubbles, if you get my drift. Whilst he was laughing at the utterly hilarious sound he had managed to make , I started to panic and wash him as quickly as possible before something other than gas escaped from his cute tushy. The panic was rightfully deserved, as I found out about 45 seconds later when his face turned red and he grunted and then sighed. Yep, poop. In the tub. I immediately rinsed him with fresh water and got him out, dried off, and diapered. I then turned my attention to the tub. I was scooping the poop and depositing it directly into the toilet. All was going well. I focused my attention on the few last remnants and prepared to douse the whole tub with clorox spray when I heard a splashing coming from behind me. Yes, Grady had left the Drop and Roar dinosaur I had deposited him in front of for more interesting options. The toilet, which I had yet to flush, that was full of the poop I was scooping from the tub. I managed to move him and count to ten without screaming or puking, although I am not sure how. Then I filled the newly cleaned tub, un-daipered the boy, and plopped him in the water again. He undoubtedly thought it was the greatest treat in the world to have 2 baths within 10 minutes. I definately learned to always flush the toilet.

Sept 11

2006-09-11T14:32:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to post a quick thought for those of you who may have lost loved ones, friends, family, or even just a casual aquaintence in the 9/11 tragedy. Although I was not personally affected, it never gets easier to watch the replay of the second plane hitting the tower. God bless everyone who died that day, and everyone who lost anyone while the rest of us watched in horror.

Perspective

2006-08-29T12:48:00.000-04:00

Ok, back in the day I missed a lot of class. This stemmed from all of the normal things that are happening in the life of a college student, plus the fact that my family life was quite rocky (isn't that a nice way to say it), I was sick a lot, and I was working way more than I should have been. Class was close to the last thing on my list of things to get done in a day. Now, of course, I am a bit embarrassed by my actions, but at the time I really could have cared less, plus I really did have to work.
When I did manage to make it to class, one thing was a constant. The teacher was already there (and had no doubt noted the fact that I had decided to show up). I don't ever remember going to a class and not having someone there to teach it. Even if the instructor was sick, a worthy replacement had been found, and the class didn't miss a beat.
Imagine how surprised I was yesterday, when I showed up for my anatomy and physiology class, and the instructor was not there. We sat and waited, and eventually her assistant came in. "ummm....I am pretty sure Ms. ****** is not coming. If she doesn't, just read the first two chapters." Well, thanks for being very vague. So some of us waited around, hoping she would come. Nope.
I was pretty floored. It's amazing how much perspective comes with being a few years older, and not having scholarships or loans to pay the tuition. I wanted to learn, and felt robbed of the money I had already shelled out for the 3 hours I was supposed to have been there.

Memo...

2006-08-16T13:14:00.000-04:00

To the guy a few streets down: Spray painting gold flames on your '88 pickup does not make it look better.

Karma Wand

2006-08-10T14:21:00.000-04:00

I have recently come to the conclusion that mothers, upon the birth of their first child, should receive a special gift. Yes, flowers are nice, but not very useful in the long run. Chocolate is good, but in 4 months when mommy hasn't lost all the baby weight, she's going to be cursing the person who bought her the Whitman's Sampler. Believe me. So what should they get? A wand. A Karma wand. It's sole purpose would be to distribute karma, good or bad, upon people that mothers come in contact with on a day to day basis. It could not be used on their children, because that could backfire. It would be intended for strangers only. Now that is something that would be worth it's weight in gold. Instead of getting upset, mad, or breaking into a fit of post-partum tears, the recipient of bad behavior could just smile, point her invisible wand, and walk away knowing good would prevail. Here are a few of the uses MY karma wand would have had under it's belt over the past year.

For the balding man who pulled his mustang into the "expectant and new mothers" spot at the mall while we (me and my 3 week old baby) were driving up the aisle from the other way... BAM....a strange medical condition that makes his body think it is a nine month pregnant woman.

To the group of pre-teenagers outside Target who found it really funny to throw their chewing gum outside the front door and see how many people would step on it on the way to their cars...BAM...suddenly their ipods only play Rod Stewart and Enya, and their cell phones only work to call "home" and "dad cell".

Aimed at the business man who clearly saw me heading for the door of the restroom at Starbucks, diaper and baby in hand, and rushed in first...Ka-Zam...he trips on the way to the car and spills his Latte down the front of his expensive suit, forcing him to go to a meeting looking like he wet his pants.

For the college guy at Chipotle who suggested out loud to his buddy that I just sit down and relax instead of hovering near the counter waiting for my hungry baby's cheese quesadilla...Sha-Bam...sextuplets will be born a few years down the road. His buddy gets triplets just for giggling at him, and two of them he'll suspect aren't his but will never be quite sure. (I was mad that day).

To the 40 year old mother of a teenager on the airplane in front of me who suggested drugging my child to sleep on the next flight, because that's what she used to do (he had cried for a total of 2 minutes)...BAM...in her elderly years, the daughter will become her caregiver and slip a little extra valium into her nightly pill cocktail, "just to keep mom calm".

and last but certainly not least...

To the swim instructor who recently told me " if you dropped Jesus Christ in a pool, he would cry too...your son is normal"(I am not even sure what that statement was supposed to mean)...ALAKAZAM...Jesus returns, walks the guy into the middle of the pacific, hands him a toothpick, and says "good luck".

Peek a Boo

2006-08-08T15:36:00.001-04:00

Hey there all! I promise I will be back soon with more in the life of us. But until then, I thought we could play a little game of Peek a Boo (get your minds out of the gutter, this is a family blog). I am interested to see who's into me on the world wide web. So if you read my blog all the time, sometimes, or just stumbled across it today leave me a comment so I know you're here. I promise to respond to each of you!

Who knew?

2006-08-02T13:28:00.000-04:00

Where have all the normal people gone? I ask this because recently we have been trying to find a babysitter for Grady so I could take a day class. Now, back in the day I sat for my fare share of little ones. All of their pre-school friends had babysitters who were just like me. A student who loved kids and wanted to make a little extra cash. Evidently, all of those people have vanished from tha face of the earth, because finding a babysitter has been nothing short of impossible. All we needed was someone to come over for 4-5 hours a week, so I thought it would be pretty easy. I went to several local colleges and hung up fliers, and also advertised in one of their newspapers. I had a few calls that went something like this:

"Hello?"
pause
"hello?"
"......um...I am...you....want...for ...watch...the...babies?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"...the babies...for you want....how much?"
"I am not selling my baby."
"yes....for me to watch...how much"
"oh, are you calling in reference to the ad?"
"....what?"
"The ad, for babysitting."
"...for BABIES!"
"I'm sorry, it's been filled"
I made new fliers that included the phrase "must speak english well." What would have happened if I told her not to let Grady go in the pool?

Then there was this email
"My mom said I could, but then she said no, and anyway, I need to make like $350 a week, so I don't know if you can do that or not"

Well, no we really can't pay $90 an hour. We were thinking more like $7 (back in the day, I was happy with $5).

Finally, I thought I had a good prospect lined up. Until she called 4 hours before our interview and cancelled due to a family emergency. Now I am not saying she did not have one, for all I know, she did, but as Chris pointed out..."how do we trust that she'll show up for the real job?" Point taken.

ooookkkaaaayyyy....so maybe I need to rethink this. How about daycare. Everyone I called laughed the second I mentioned "drop in" care. There are a few Mothers Day Out programs, but with the waiting lists the way they are, I would be lucky to get my yet-unconcieved second child in by the time they are two. Finally, I found a center that is based out of HCC, where I will be taking classes. Everything seemed great, until she mentioned that the child must be walking before they start. Now Grady's close, but not quite there, so I started thinking of ways I could make it seem like he was walking at home, but not in public. I had just decided "walkaphobia" was probably not real when she said " right now, however, we are full, but you can go on the waiting list".

Night classes, here I come.

He was right!!!

2006-07-31T15:27:00.000-04:00

Yes, I have come to report that the father in My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding was in fact, correct. Windex is a wounderful, multi-purpose spray that can be used for almost anything.
My first example comes to us from the seventh month of my pregnancy. This was in May, when the humidity in FL set in, my entire body seemed to swell literally overnight. I woke up and panicked when I realized I could not remove my wedding rings. Normally, the things are a little loose, but on that day in particular, they were not budging. I immediately scoured the internet for tips, and tried everything. I wrapped dental floss tightly around my finger to try and constrict it enough to slide the ring off. Nope. I tried vegetable oil. Nope. Preperation H. Nope. sticking my finger in ice while holding it above my head until the finger had frostbite and the arm felt like it might fall off. Nope. Just when I had given up hope, and started putting my clothes on for a trip to a jeweler to see if they could cut the rings off. Then I stumbled across the second page of my google search, which I had been making my way through, and found the word Windex. "Like in the movie?" I thought. Well, I dug it out of the cabinet, sprayed my finger liberally, and within 2 minutes, was able to slide the rings off. An added bonus: the rings had a nice clean shine. MAGIC!!!
My second encounter with the miralces of windex came on Friday afternoon. Somehow, three hornets had managed to get into our house. Now, I am NOT a bug lover. Especially when the bugs have stingers. All I wanted was a can of Raid, which we didn't have. So looked through the pantry and spotted a trusty bottle of windex. I grabbed it and went on my sniper mission. I located the first hornet, aimed, flinched, sprayed about 20 times, and then ducked in case all I had managed to do was anger the thing. When I found the strength to open my peepers, I saw the little thing writhing on the floor. I am not normally a person who wants to watch something die, but when it's a bug, nothing gives me more pleasure. I patted my trusty bottle of windex, and set off in search of the other hornets.
Thank you windex, thank you big fat greek daddy. I am a customer for life.

Breast....does that offend you?

2006-07-28T08:40:00.000-04:00

Today, I came across this article on MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14065706/ . I am a faithful reader of babytalk magazine, and many other parenting periodicals. When this magazine arrived at my house last week, I did not even look twice at the cover. I expect to see pictures of breastfeeding in these types of magazines, and it did not faze me that they chose to portray this image as the cover of their Summer issue. However, it has certainly caused a great deal of controversy, and I thought I would share my own two cents worth.

My basic thought on feeding an infant is, a baby has to eat, and as parents, it is our job to feed them. Now really the only two ways to feed a newborn are via breastfeeding or formula. Cow's milk won't cut it. Solids don't make up a big enough part of the diet until age one, so infants need calorie and nutrient laden liquid to help them grow (and no, Carnation Instant Breakfast isn't good enough). So back to our two choices, let's examine them:

Breastfeeding has countless benefits to both baby and mother. First, there's the bonding issue. What better way to get an infant to love you than to be the supplier of all of it's nutrition? There are antibodies in breastmilk that can fend off disease for years. Studies show that a baby who is breastfed for only 3 months has a greater chance of fighting off ear infections for the entire first year of life. Now think about if that breastfeeding is done for a full year or (gasp) even longer. That kid is like a walking antibiotic for itself. Plus, breastmilk is always at hand, ready warmed and doesn't require pre planning. Then there are the benefits for mom. Breastfeeding aids in weight loss in the postpartum months. It has also been linked to women who are breast-cancer free in their post-menopausal years. Even the formula companies post all over their cans "breastmilk is the best nutrition for an infant". I can say, and have said, that breastfeeding trumps any other method of feeding a baby. BUT...after the three month mark, Grady chugged Enfamil and enfamil alone. Why? Well, that brings us to the formula.

Formula is easy. It's more expensive, but the cost can be worth it for people like me, who discovered the one drawback to breastfeeding...it is HARD. It takes an unbelievable amount of commitment and time. Formula has most of the nutrients of breastmilk, none of the antibodies, but it comes with a gurantee...you know your kid is getting fed. I worried incessantly that Grady was not getting enough to eat. I also had NO idea what a huge chunk of time breastfeeding takes up in the course of a day. Grady would nurse for 30 minutes at a time, then by the time he burped, spit up four times, had a diaper change and took a catnap, it was time to start the process all over again. I felt like I was chained to my boppy (nursing pillow). Add on the fact that every time Grady latched on, I felt like a pirhana was biting my nipple, and formula became an appealing option. I tried calling lactation consultants, and pumping, but after crying my way through for 3 months, I had had enough. So Grady got "the devils brew" as some very pro breastfeeding "lactivists" call formula. He is now healthy as a horse, weighs 22 pounds and is quite advanced for his age in many skills. Oh, but it must be said that he has never had an ear infection, so the three month rule must work.

Ok, so what does that all have to do with the controversy? Everything. Despite the fact that Grady drank formula, I am very pro breastfeeding. I am pro formula feeding too. I just want those babies to be fed. Whenever, however, and wherever they need to be. Every time I pulled out a bottle at the mall I got oohs and aahs from everyone passing by as I fed my little boy. I tried nursing in public once (and only once) and I got dirty looks and hushed "tsk tsk-ing". One elderly woman told me I should use the restroom to "do that". For the record, no one has ever asked me to eat my Chick-fil-A while seated on a toilet...that would be unsanitary, right? Also for the record, breastfeeding in public is permitted by law in every state, yet America as a whole is somehow appaled by the thought of a mother using the tool God gave her to feed her child. The breast has become an oversexed object of the woman's body. However, those same people will walk by Victorias secret or a Maxim magazine and not bat an eye. I have seen teenagers at Busch Gardens with bikini tops that barely cover the nipple, and no one asking them to step into the restroom.

Now let me clarify, I was not just walking through the food court in the mall with my boobie hanging out. I was seated, on a bench in a quiet part of the mall. I had a blanket draped over my shoulder. All people could see were Grady's tiny little socks poking out from under the blanket, and it still offended them. Because they were offended, I was embarrased. It was one of the reasons I switched to formula. I was not as educated then as I am now. I do not condemn anyone for making any legal parenting choice they see fit, as long as it does not put my child in danger.

Fast forward to today. There is a magazine cover out that portrays a baby eating from its mother's breast. You do not see the nipple, you do not see more of the breast than you would see on the cover of Cosmo. Yet there is uproar. One mother shredded the cover so her 13 year old would not look at it. In my opinion, all that is doing is teaching the young boy that a breast is a dirty thing, and sexualizing it more. Believe me, there is nothing sexy about a breast when it is being used for breastfeeding. They are swollen, leaky and smell like sour milk most of the time. But to a baby, it's heaven. I am not saying that all mothers should breastfeed, in fact, I think there are definately times when it is not an option. I am torn on the government's new stand to encourage breastfeeding. While I think it's a great thing for them to support, I don't think they are going about it in the right way. Anyone who has seen the commercial of a pregnant woman riding a mechanical bull knows what I am referring to. I don't feel that people who formula feed are endangering the life of their child (obviously), but there are people out there who do have that mindset, and I am ok with them as people. I guess where I am trying to go with this, is to spread the word (very slowly, based on the number of people who read this blog) that breastfeeding is not bad. Breasts are not bad. Why are you offended? The next time you smile at the lady feeding her baby a bottle at the mall, try to smile at the lady next to her with the baby's head covering what you can't see but know is there, or at the very least, don't scowl.

Old MacDonald had a Walrus...

2006-07-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

Well, faithful reader(s). It has been nealy a month since my last blog. During that time, I played the role of single mom for a few days while Chris went to training for his new career with the Department of Treasury (the IRS, but the Dept of Treasury sounds a little "nicer"). Snaps to any single moms who read this blog. I don't know how you ladies do it. I was dead tired by the end of the week. Also in the past month, I have officially signed up to start classes for nursing school. So, I hate to dissappoint, but the blog may be lacking a bit in and out for the next, oh....3 to 4 years. By then blogs will be "so 2 years ago" anyway, so I am sure no one will mind much.
Grady's first birthday is less than a week away, so plans include a party this Saturday, and then a trip to NJ for Chris' family reunion. Chris will not be flying up until Friday night, but the rest of us are leaving Wednesday the 19th, which is Grady's actual birthday. Think of me and my in-laws as we brave the 2 hour plane ride with a toddler. (sob, he'll be a TODDLER)!!!!
Chris and I have been watching America's Got Talent (and DVRing "So You Think You Can Dance") and I have got to say that I am totally smitten with little Taylor Ware, the yodeling 12 year old. I am also a big fan of the crazy harmonica kid, who reminds me of a little Taylor Hicks. To the guy with the dogs, however....what the heck???? Sorry to any of you who did not see the acts last night and are now totally confused. BUT, I do have new video footage of one of America's youngest up and coming talents. Aren't you lucky. In the following clips, you can hear him trying to say "walrus" and singing Old Mac Donald. Sure, neither one is perfect yet, but he definately tops the guy with the dogs....

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Rubber ducky, you're the one!

2006-06-20T16:37:00.000-04:00

Grady started saying "hi" a few days ago, and now he is saying "duck" too. Here's a video! I'll be back. I have kind of "lost that blogging feeling" but I will regain it, I am sure!

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Call it a whim

2006-06-07T11:16:00.000-04:00

I can be impulsive. Once I set my mind to something I very rarely step back and try to take a look at the big picture before jumping in feet first. This can, and has, been a good thing. It also can, and has, been a not so good thing. Case in point, along about the sixth month of my pregnancy when the hormones were just getting fired up for the final trimester of hell, I decided that none of my clothes were "mommy clothes". If you had asked me at the time what my definition of "mommy clothes" was, I don't think I would have had one. All I knew for sure, is that my clothes weren't it. So out came the trash bags and mutterings about where the closest Goodwill was located. Chris stepped into the room cautiously as high heels and mini skirts voluntarily walked out of the closet to escape my wrath.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I am getting rid of these things, they all look like they should be on a $2 hooker." I replied
"Well, not all of them," he said "some of them are nice and you might feel differently about them later."
"No, I won't. I want them gone."
Something about the tone of my voice or the way I chucked a tank top out of the closet convinced him that the argument was futile. He wisely shrugged and stepped away.
Fast forward 6 months later. Grady was three months old, we were starting to prepare for our move. I was standing in the closet looking at all the maternity wear to pack up, and I said to Chris "I don't know what happened to all my cute clothes, it seems like I had a lot more before I got pregnant." He looked at me and blinked. Once he determined that I was honestly perplexed and not just joking , he reminded me. "well, you said they weren't 'mommy clothes' and we took them to Goodwill." Then I blinked. Once I figured out that he wasn't joking, I started to remember that day 6 months before. Gotta love mommy brain, an impulsive thinker, and one very confused husband.

Hello Kitty!

2006-05-31T14:48:00.000-04:00

Grady strated crawling about 10 days ago. He has been picking up speed, and has figured out that he can do it any time he wants to. At first it was nice, because we got to see the cute "crawling baby" that we had been waiting for, but he still mostly stayed put unless bribed with the cell phone or a set of keys. Now, I can put him in the living room with toys, turn around to put a bottle in the dishwasher and he will be all the way in the front hallway trying to crawl through the cat door to the garage. Needless to say, my job has gotten harder because I have to watch him like a hawk. I still get just giddy though, every time he crawls. Much less excited about the new movement development is our cat, Chauncey. He has become the sole focus of most of Grady's adventures. No sooner does the cat saunter(yes, he really saunters) into the living room and Grady zooms in like a periscope and sets off for full on ambush. Chauncey is generally good natured about the whole thing, but the cat has always been a scratcher. You can't get within and inch of his tummy or you can rest assured you will be looking for a band-aid. Luckily, I have only found one small scratch on Grady so far, and I did not see the attack, so I can't be 100% sure it came Chauncey. I am sure Grady will eventually lose interest, and Chauncey will begin to learn to just stay far away unless he wants a large clump of hair removed. Here's a video of the action.

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Goodbye Katie!

2006-05-31T08:58:00.000-04:00

Have fun on CBS. Wouldn't it be great if Katie Couric actually read my blog? The TODAY show has been fabulous today. I'll be back later with another blog. I heart Tony Bennett.

Remind me of this

2006-05-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

I am pretty sure I have hair amnesia. About every two years or so, I think to myself "hmmm, bangs would look cute." That is true, with "would" being the operative word. They would look cute, if I had time to do them. They would look cute, if I knew how to make them do that sideswept, windblown thing. They would look cute if my hair was not totally uncooperative 95% of the time. So I wind up getting them done, walking out of the salon thinking, "I was right" and then waking up the net day to remember why the last time I had bangs, I swore I wouldn't do it again. I got mine cut about 3 months ago, many days, they are sticking up in areas. The days they are not sticking up, they look like the bangs Prince was sporting in the final guest performance of American Idol last night. I am going to tell my hairstylist to write down on my record that I am not allowed to have bangs, even if I ask for them. But for now, I am stuck with ones that are not long and not short and will be pinned back for the next 12-15 weeks until they grow out and look like long layers. Sigh.

2006-05-18T08:41:00.000-04:00

Hey! My Sister in Law is going to participate in the Breast Cancer three day this fall. Here is her sponsorship letter and a link to her personal page if any of you would like to make a donation to this very worthy cause.

Dear friends and family,
For the past several months, I have been working with a personal trainer (it’s hard to be a celebrity) to achieve a more balanced and healthy lifestyle. Well, all of those endorphins must be rushing straight to my head, because I have decided to undertake a 60 mile walk. Yes, SIXTY.
It will take me, and many other participants, three days to complete this trek. Along the way we will be chatting it up, camping out, and walking for a wonderful cause. All of our hard work will directly benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.
You may be wondering two things. One, how does my enduring sixty miles and three days on my feet benefit breast cancer? Well, as a participant, I am required to raise $2,200 in donations to go toward the aforementioned foundations. They are committed to helping stop Breast Cancer before it starts and healing the 200,000 Americans who are diagnosed every year.
Two, you may be wondering how you can help. Thankfully, I have the answer, so you needn’t wonder for long. No, I am not going to ask you to walk with me, but if you would consider supporting me both emotionally (the endorphins are bound to give out sometime) and financially, I would be sincerely grateful. Any amount can be specified on the donation form below. It would be fantastic if each person would consider giving $1.00 per mile. That would set me well on my way toward my goal, and each step I take will bring us closer to the end of this disease.
Thank you in advance for any amount you can give. I know this will be a wonderful experience, and I appreciate your willingness to join in the journey with me.
Sincerely,
Katie Vickers
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=131545&supid=121649466

Compassionate professions (the newest ABC soap opera?)

2006-05-15T11:23:00.000-04:00

I have recently decided that I really want to go back to school and finish my degree. This was always something I planned on when I left CNC several years ago. I needed to get away from it for a while and refocus. If you can call getting married and having a child refocusing, then that is what I have done. I don't NEED to work right now, but I want to start preparing for that day when my last child goes to kindergarten and I am faced with that "now what do I do???" moment. I find myself faced with a dilemma. Do I go back and finish my degree in education, or do I find something else to do. I have always thought nursing would be another good fit for me, and I am heavily considering it. There are pros and cons to both, and since you are such a faithful group of 6 readers, I will share them with you. Grab a snack.

Education: I know I would rock as a teacher. The summers off would be prefect with kids. Florida is totally desprate for teachers. I have already done some of the coursework, but I don't really know how much of it will transfer. I will be in school for a long time and from what I can tell there aren't a ton of night classes offered in this area for education. What do I do with Grady for all those daytime classes? The pay ROCKS (right). The schools in this area are pretty ummm, well, not great, and I am afraid I would be very frustrated.

Nursing: I am sure I would be a kind and compassionate nurse too. I would want to work in pediatrics, and I know people will try to convince me not to do that. I could work up to it sowly, by starting at the community college level, and moving up. That would allow me to work while I go to school. No summers off and the shifts can be bad or good depending where you work. I know there are places I could work part time, 2-3 12 hour shifts and still be at home a lot. Hospitals usually have daycare for employees. I know there is a high level of burnout among nurses.

There are tons of other things going through my brain, but they're all jumbled and would end up looking like this

hsgaf akdfhue kasdhfupa kdf;fguad sajdhsagdf jshaf!!!

So I will spare you. Just working it out on cyberpaper!

akward. A-K-W-A-R-D...akward.

2006-05-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

Last night we ran to Walmart for a few things. It was packed as usual and we resigned ourselves to a lengthy wait in line. When we got there, I remembered we forgot batteries for our camera...a must have, so Chris went back to get some while I saved our place. In front of me was an approximately 12year old boy. He was playing with two of those big, multi-colored, inflated balls made out of plastic or rubber, I am not sure. Anyway, Grady thought it was so cool when the kid bounced then up and down, and was laughing in delight. The tweenager turned to look at him and said "That's a cute baby." I smiled and replied "thanks, he likes your balls." He blushed, I blushed, we stopped talking.

Top ten things you may (not) want to know today

2006-05-09T13:12:00.000-04:00

10. I am currently watching Friends season 10 on DVD (the last season, sob). I miss hanging out with Joey, Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe on Thursday nights. Although this season does beg the question, whatever happened to baby Emma? She's in it for a total of about 3 minutes. As a mother of a nine month old, I am pretty sure it's hard to get rid of a baby for that long.
9. Grady had a checkup yesterday, when I went out to start the car it was dead. Sigh, now the appointment's next week.
8. We went to SC for my brother's graduation last week. We had a good time walking around downtown Charleston and Grady was such a good baby the whole weekend.
7. I am sorely dissappointed in last night's episode of "House." I had kind of been getting into it, and then they did last night's episode so distastefully it literally made me sick. If you didn't see it, be glad.
6. I went to the mall today for a kids event with Grady. There was a woman dressed as a fairy singing songs that made Grady look like he might cry. I think her name was "Bumbelina," but we're calling her "Scary Fairy". "Weaving Spiders come not hence..." (ok, only Meredith will get that last part, but it made me giggle.
5. While at the mall I popped into Old Navy and found a mecca of baby boy clearance items from $1-5. I got Grady 5 shirts for nxt winter for $15 total. I love that place!
4. There is an older man in our neighborhood who I *hope* is training for a marathon of some kind. He walks around most days in short shorts with a 2x4 touching his knees to his forehead. Very strange.
3. I intensly dislike Shakira, but that "Hips Don't Lie" song seems to get stuck in my head at least once a day.
2. While driving home from a Dr. appointment today, Grady fell asleep in the car. At one point I looked back and he did something I thought he didn't do anymore. He smiled REALLY big in his sleep and then smacked his lips. It totally melted my heart and reminded me of his newborn days.
1. I used to be a fan of the Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. It is really to coffee-ish for my taste, though, so I switched to the Vanilla Creme. That is just steamed milk with some Vanilla. Sometimes you gotta have caffeine, so I tries my husband's favorite, the white mocha. I am addicted.

BIG news!

2006-04-28T16:34:00.000-04:00

No, I am not pregnant again (I need to get that out of the way as to avoid any calls form a certain sister in law who thinks I am pregnant every time we say we have news). I have just been waiting to share this until I was fairly certain I would not jinx us. Grady is sleeping through the night AND taking good naps!!!!! He has been doing so ever since we moved in to the new house, but like I said, I did not want to share and then jinx it. But I think it's going to stick. Of course, I say that, but we are going to SC next week for my little brother's graduation from college and we may royally screw him up. I am just hoping he will be a little trooper and we can keep him fairly close to on schedule!

"This is Emily, she may have Polio"

2006-04-25T16:05:00.000-04:00

There are many things I do as a parent that are probably not in the best interest of my child. He has eaten cake, and hot dogs, and if I had had a lollipop with me at Easter Mass, I would have had it in his mouth faster than you can say "Amen". I do not always respond ASAP when he cries, as long as I know he is not hurt, hungry or wet. Sometimes babies cry. There are many parents who would look down on me for that. That's ok. I do not feel I am hurting him or anyone else by teaching him that there are other people in the world and he is not the center of everyone's universe (just ours).
Recently, I have met several parents both online and IRL (that's "in real life" for you, Mrs. Azar) who do not vaccinate their children. Now, while my feeding my child a hot dog can only harm him, I would never give a hot dog to another child without asking their parents permission. I know that some people eat or-gan-ic (I think that's what it's called ;)) foods, and the thought of a hot dog on their precious little one's lips is like willingly jabbing cactus in their eye. Why, then, is it ok for people to pass diseases like polio, measels, and rubella around like it's applesauce (organic, of course). I am well aware of the recent studies that are trying to link vaccines and the autism epidemic. They have not found ANY solid evidence to link the two. There is, however, proof that polio and rubella are pretty crappy things to catch. That is why they invented the vaccines. Now, if your child has a serious egg allergy and you know that the MMR shot contains trace amounts of egg, I could perhaps see the reasoning behind choosing not to vaccinate. In that case, the risk of an allergic reaction is greater than the risk of becoming infected with polio. Fine. What I dont get is the folks that simply don't vaccinate because they feel it's not the right choice for their child. Ok, then quarantine your child. Don't bring them to playdates at the mall where they can get tons of illnesses and pass them on to babies, like my son, who are not fully immune yet. The common cold is one thing, Mumps is quite another.
I am simply baffled at this. I know it is not illegal not to vaccinate, and so there is nothing I can do but keep Grady up on his shots and pray that little "Meadow" and "River", the healthy food kids, don't pass diptheria on while stealing a bite of the white bread Grady has for lunch.

Fishy Subjects

2006-04-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

I go to Wal-Mart, on average, three times a week. I know, I could probably put together a big list and do everything at once, but Grady does better with smaller trips. Anyway, on the way home from the superstore, there is a trailor with a sign that says "Fawn's Tanning, Hair and Nails." Now, I am pretty sure that whoever made the sign forgot to add some things. I think it might be good if after "Hair and Nails" they were to put "Meth lab and House of Prostitution". I am not saying that someone should be prohibited from opening a friendly beauty salon in a small trailor, however, Fawn's is obviously not the welcoming, cutesy, southern style place depicted in such movies as Steel Magnolias. This place NEVER has any customers, yet it is always open. What does that say to me???? Something fishy is afoot. I am pretty sure that if the police drove by a few times they might notice a slightly funny smell and maybe a few people running for cover.
On that note, I learned recently that druggies are using baby formula to cut meth and other types of inhaled intoxicants. WHAT? Well, at least they're getting plenty of Iron and DHA along with their daily high.
Here's a completely different train of thought. Some 78 year old man in South Florida was going around with a medical bag to apartment complexes claiming to be a representative from a local hospital. He told women that he was there to offer a free breast and pelvic exam as part of a program the hospital was running. Now, you gotta give him credit for being inventive, but had he come to my house, I would have politely declined and immediately called 911. Actually, I wouldn't have ever opened the door. However, TWO women allowed him into their home and let him do a breast and pelvic exam on them. Again, WHAT? Now, I am all about being sympathetic toward victims of sexual assault. It is an issue that hits extremely close to home, having dealt with it on a personal level, but this is just INSANE. What kind of person willingly lets a guy they don't know, who has no credentials other than an old medical bag, into their home to do a pelvic exam????? I can only hope they had just left Fawn's Tanning, Hair, Nails, Meth lab, and House of Prostitution, and were a bit confused.

And you thought Priests and teachers were bad.

2006-04-18T11:29:00.000-04:00

My sweet baby son did something this weekend. We went to Easter dinner at a nice restaurant with Chris' parents and sister. There was a waitor. He was a teensy bit flamboyant. My 9 month old reached back and grabbed his crotch while he was attempting to take our order. We laughed. Grady also enjoys watching the girls at Hooters. We find this amusing. We are in trouble, dear friends. Serious trouble.

They say our love won't pay the rent

2006-04-15T11:10:00.000-04:00

Well, tax season is almost over, and I could not be more excited. Had you asked me 4 years ago if I thought I would ever count the days until taxes were due, I would have thought you were nuts. On thinking about the past few months, though, I just have to share that I have the best husband in the world. He has been getting up at 4:30 for work and often does not return home until nearly 7 at night. Many men, after a day like that, would plop in front of the TV and let a beer and hockey work them into a mind numbing stupor. Not Chris. The second he walks in the door Grady goes NUTS. He can't get enough of his daddy. And even when Chris has had a rough day and would just like to crawl into bed, he grabs Grady up and plays with him. After dinner, he helps with dishes, trash, whatever needs to be done. Then we go for our nightly stroll around the neighborhood. Many times I have told Chris I will take Grady out for our walk by myself so he can rest, but he wants to spend time with us. The past week he has been sick and he still works all day and comes home and plays with Grady. I have met many people in real life and even in online forums who's husbands wouldn't think of changing diapers, or who slept through every late night feeding. I am just so lucky, because Chris changed the very first diaper and was awake every time I was. It makes me wish we were independently wealthy so we could just spend all our time watching Grady grow up together. But believe me, if we can't win the lotto, I won't trade a thing.

And I swore I'd never

2006-04-13T18:12:00.000-04:00

Right now Grady is watching...wait for it....you may need to sit down...seriously, because he is watching Telletubbies. I told you it was bad. I am making dinner and he was screaming and recently we have noticed that Telletubbies comes on at 6 pm. Against my better judgement, he has watched it every night for the past week. I am well aware of the "gay" controversy that surrounded Telletubbies when they first came out. I do not have any problem with that. I am very open-minded on that subject. What concerns me is the fact that they are weird and freaky and I can't tell what they are saying. How is that supposed to help my child learn? But he adores them. He stops crying the moment he sees the little hill house they live in. He talks to the little babyface sun and sings when the Tubbies dance. Meanwhile they are giving me nightmares. Honestly they're just strange, but whatever works at this time of night, I am open to. Sigh.

Vote for Grady

2006-04-10T08:30:00.000-04:00

I know I have you voting a lot, but hey, it gives you something fun to do, right. Grady is entered in a photo contest at urbanbabyrunway.com. You can vote once every 14 hours from any given IP address. Go there this week, a few times, and vote for G!!!!

http://www.urbanbabyrunway.com/?page_id=40

A little more Rock and Roll

2006-04-09T21:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I wanted to get Grady a cool shirt for his first birthday. That day we will be flying to New Jersey for Chris' family reunion, and I want everyone on that plane to know it's my boy's birthday. All the ones I can find have teddy bears and puppies and balloons on them. Eeeh. Not so much. Now I know his birthday is not until July, but I am the queen of planning ahead. So I am going to make one myself with iron on transfers. I have 2 good ideas, but I can't choose one. They're both from RENT, so if you don't "get" them you had better rent the movie or buy the cd or find it playing off Broadway! You vote!
Option one:
525,600 minutes and counting
Option two:
How do you measure a year?

Both of them would say "I am one today" on the back.

Grady goes punk....or as punk as we get!

2006-04-09T10:28:00.000-04:00

2006-04-05T07:40:00.000-04:00

Grady and I just cried together. And just wait until I tell you why. Ready? Katie Couric made her big official announcement on the Today show. She is leaving at the end of May to work for CBS evening news and 60 minutes. Don't ask me why, but when she started getting a little misty, I burst into tears. Grady took one look at mommy crying and began to wail. I have always been a fan of Katie Couric, but it has become a ritual since Grady was born. We wake up and flip on Today we watch Katie Couric and eat breakfast. I am sad she will no longer be a part of our morning routine, and I have just enough hormones left in my body to cry about it.

Here's a pic of Grady trying to get a good glimpse of Today from his excersaucer one morning.

Not much...

2006-04-04T11:05:00.000-04:00

Well, after being sick most of last week (rotavirus, if you have kids, you know it sucks) I am back. I don't have much to say really. I can't think of any funny stories or anecdotes. Tax season is only two more weeks, thank the Lord, and then I have my husband back from the clutches of wealthy taxpayers. Daylight Savings Time has been a huge blessing in disguise for us. Grady can now stay up until 8 pm and wakes up at 7:30 am and doesn't know the difference. This allows us sooooo much more time together as a family. It also makes it possible for me to get up and shower before Grady begins to stir. Not that I did that today, but I went to the gym this morning, so I figured a shower before was kind of superfluous. What else, what else??? Well, things on the job front for Chris are stirring. I can't write too many details now, because we still aren't sure what's going on, but I may have news to blog on soon. Ahhhh, what do I do when I don't know what else to write???? Throw in a cute pic of the boy...that'll work. Be back later! Now was that really worth harassing me, Katie?

Body Jam...or Jelly

2006-03-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

Well, last night I tried a class at the gym entitled Body Jam. It was basically Hip Hop and Salsa moves to a JLo "Fame" infused soundtrack. Right up my alley. Sort of. I like to consider myself a fairly adept dancer, having been trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theater choreography for may years. Those are all "white people firendly" styles of dance. However, last night while watching myself in the mirror during the class the truth became blazingly clear. I am a 24- year old white chick with old navy yoga pants and floppy boobies (the miracle of pregnancy). So while I had all the moves right, something was lacking next to the 2 Asian gay men and 14 African American women who were my classmates. My hips just don't move like that. At least there was one other new mommy and a 45 year old woman who I am fairly sure was a cheerleader for some Baptist college back in the day. They made me feel not quite so bad about my whiteness. But I will persevere. I am hoping my moves are just a little rusty, and over the next few weeks I will be ready to teach the darn class. (hey, a girl can dream) But I did have fun. That is until I got to the nursery to retrieve Grady and found him screaming all alone in a swing. So I may have to put this night class on hold until Chris can be home to watch the munchkin. Any of you who have seen the dramatic personality change my child undergoes at 5:45 pm will know what I mean. By the way, the scale at the gym says 127 again. Slow and steady wins the race!

Have you seen me shoes? (Evan)

2006-03-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

What is it about a new pair of sneakers that makes everything seem right with the world?

The kid is (not) my son

2006-03-17T09:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, well actually the point of this post is to emphasize how much Grady is my son, but I had Billie Jean stuck in my head, so henceforth the title. Grady's new thing is bread. Now I myself have been known to choose restaurants based soley on their bread. Some of my favorites include O'Charley's (why oh why aren't there any in FL), Mimi's and recently Sam Seltzer's. Panera is good, because the whole store is based around the bread. Grady shares the same philosophy. I can be feeding him at a restaurant, green beans or carrots or sweet potatoes, which he loves...but if the bread basket shows up before he's done with the jar of baby food, all bets are off. He clamps his little mouth shut when the spoon loaded with veggies comes within 4 inches of his pouty little lips, but if I break off a morsel of bread and head toward him, his mouth opens wide. His hands start to go mad, opening and closing with gusto, and his whole body takes on an element of excitement most people would reserve for finding out they just won the lotto, or have been cured of some terrible disease. Once I place the bread in his mouth he chomps down fast. He rolls it around in his mouth and makes strange alien-like noises of approval. As soon as the first bite is securely down into the belly, he is eyeing the basket again. Dr. Atkins, keep your diet. Bring on the Sourdough!

Here's me and Grady atop a plastic cow at Sam Seltzer's. The taking of this picture thoroughly embarrassed Chris. MUAHAHAHAHA! (evil laughter)

Pictures

2006-03-14T14:22:00.000-05:00

I am totally uninspired right now, but wanted to share some pictures of the G-man. Oh, and I did a weight check at Publix (which I tried to pass off as weighing Grady by weighing myself and then the two of us together.) Aaaaaahhhhhhh! It seems I have gained a pound. So whatever. I hauled my butt off to the gym and signed up. They do have a hip hop class every Wednesday night, so YAY! I KNOW I will go to that! Grady weighed 19 lbs by the way. According to the evil Publix scale. I will get a more accurate check when he goes to the Gastroenterologist on Friday. Anyway...here's a couple cute ones.

untitled

2006-03-06T14:19:00.000-05:00

I should be unpacking right now, but I feel like I have been working all day and gotten nowhere. So I am taking a short break. I.hate.moving. But I am glad it's into our new house, and we own it and have already made a buttload of mula on it! Anyway. I will keep it short. No weigh in this week because I have no idea where the scale is and I am too much of a wuss to get on the big one at Publix. Also, I am sure most people have done this, but I find it funny every time I remember it. Go to google.com- type in the word "failure"and click "i'm feeling lucky". Yep....cool. Bye!

Ok...it has been over 5 years now....

2006-03-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

Dear G Dubya....

There is no such thing as a nu-cu-lar weapon. The word you are looking for is nuclear and it is pronounced nu-clee-ar. Just like it's spelled. There are no surprises, no "u" between the "c" and the "l". Is there no one on your staff that has noticed that you are pronouncing this word completely wrong? It is funny to me that your wife is able to say it correctly, yet you have not noticed the difference and made a change. If you can't say it, just stick to "weapons of mass destruction". That seems to be easy enough for ya!

Extreme Makeover :Me edition.

2006-02-25T17:05:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day! Yes you are lucky. Go buy a lotto ticket! Ok, well I got on th scale yesterday at the allergist's office (don't ask me why they have to weigh me at the allergists office other than it's an effective form of torture) and that is it!!! Starting Monday I have got to start losing this weight,and since I have no willpower I will be posting my weekly weigh in's here. That way you can all make fun of me as I eat salad and traipse to th gym. I need some accountability, keep me accountable folks! Chris is so sweet to keep insisting that I am still thin, but apparantly he has not seen the bulge hanging out of my pants. SOOOOO

This week I weigh 127.
Before I got pregant 118.
What I was in college (and would like to be again) 113.

There ya go...

I still love this song

2006-02-25T16:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this is extremely cheesy, but I was listening to Yahoo music, the country station, as I was playing on the computer, and this song came on. Now I know probably one out of every three couples that got married in 2005 played this at their wedding, but I still think it's a quality song. So since I can never get through on delilah ( cue music DEL-LIE-LAH) I want to send this one out to Chris and Grady. Yeah, I am a big cheesy sap.

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

Memory, all alone in the moonlight...

2006-02-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

Ok, sorry to those of you that will now be humming random selections from Cats all day. I know I would be annoyed too. Gosh, I can't believe it has been a week since my last post. I am a once a week blog updater, it seems. At least I am doing better than some unnamed parties (he hem). Well, I don't have a ton to post about today, but I will soon. We are colsing on our house MONDAY, and that should bring many blog-worthy adventures my way. I will refrain from posting more about it until then. Today I was thinking about a lady who used to be a casual acquaintence. She worked at the gym where my roommate of the time (Nicole) and I used to go. She was on night shift and her name was Janet (I think). She was a very nice lady, but you could tell she was the kid in school that got picked on. She had sort of an 80's style fashion sense and her hair was definately permed. We used to go to the gym at like 10:00 at night, and she was the gal who worked the night shift. We always stopped to chat on our way out. I was just wondering whatever became of Janet. That's all for random thoughts with Courtney.

"You Have Arrived"

2006-02-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

Back when I was in girl scouts, there were badges you could earn to sew on your sash or the back of your vest. You had to complete certain tasks to get each badge. For example, the Dance badge could be earned by learning a dance from someone else, making up your own dance and preforming it in front of some people, and writing an essay about how dance can be empowering to women (OK, I don't know that those are 100% accurate, but just go with it). Anyway, some badges were pretty easy and some were harder. Well, today I earned my mommy badge. I had already passed a few of the tests, like changing a blowout diaper that reached up to my son's ears. Being freaked out the first time my baby had to go to the hospital and keeping my composure every time a strange old lady touches his face are also on the list. But today, the streamers flew. The presentation ceremony went something like this.... I was running around the house gathering the needed supplies for a day out. Grady was sitting on my bed shreaking (his new form of communication) at me. I absentmindedly handed him my wallet to keep him quiet for 2 minutes. 3 and a half minutes later, I scooped up baby, wallet, cell phone and diaper bag and headed out to the car. First stop (AFTER buckling the baby safely in a rear facing child restraint system, thank you very much, Britney) was the bank. I pulled my wallet from my bag to retrieve my debit card, opened it up, and was greeted by a pile of dripping vomit. Somehow, Grady had managed to spit up in my wallet without soiling the outside, just the inside, where all my stuff bacame saoked in regurgitated formula and pears. NICE. The trumpets blared, I recieved my badge and I was on my way to the mall.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2006-02-13T17:36:00.000-05:00

Love Grady Patrick

Today

2006-02-07T13:47:00.000-05:00

- I have done nothing, not even my hair. Well, ok, I have cared for, changed and fed my son, but other than that....
- Grady will not nap. Is anyone surprised? I just know God is going to send me a good sleeper next time. I have paid my dues.
- I was going to eat an apple and yogurt for lunch, as part of my new resolve to lose the babyfat and be healthier, inpired by my sister in law's acquisition of a personal trainer. I threw in 2 chocolate covered graham crackers for good measure...ok four...whatever.
- I am really excited to get into our house. I feel the healthier me will emerge there because I will not be able to afford chocolate covered graham crackers, or maybe I will, I think they're cheaper than apples....ugh.
- I miss Chris. He has started tax season and I have finally stopped throwing tantrums about it (for now) and resolved myself to the fact that I will see him between the hours of 6:30-8 pm, on a good day, since he leaves at 5:30 am. Oh, and I only get half days on Saturdays too.
- I need to go to the bank and pick up stamps and something at Wal-mart. But that would require me actually going to those places and not sitting here telling you that I need to go.
- I know my mom is eventually going to call and want to see me and Grady, and I am just not in the mood this week (praying mom is not internet savvy enough to know about blogspot).
- And to wrap it all up, I need to use the ladies room, so I will excuse myself now.

WHAT. THE. CRAP.

2006-02-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I was in Target yesterday and as I was browsing the juniors section to see if there were any shorts (there weren't, by the way....there were 4 racks of swimming suits, but no shorts) I saw this (see picture to the left). Now what the crap is this supposed to be. I can support many fashions coming back, some of them are good...gauchos, capris, anything with an Audrey Hepburnish feel. But this dress is appauling! Why, why, WHY would someone feel the need to bring back an 80's homecoming dress???? Am I to expect to see teenagers with their bangs back-curled and their hair frizzed out to their shoulders? Ew. Of course, I don't think it will last. I pray it won't. That's all I have to say.

Grady Swings

2006-01-26T08:29:00.000-05:00

He loved this so much, he screamed when I took him out!

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=7A9660F9337747AE

Beautiful Baby

2006-01-20T11:29:00.000-05:00

So, I entered Grady in th Live with Regis and Kelly "beautiful baby search." He falls 3 days shy of the cut off for age. They are supposed to be 6-48 months as of January 16, and he was 6 months on the 19th, I don't know if that will disqualify him, but at least that's what I can tell myself if he doesn't win ;) Anyway, they have been showing pictures of some of the entries on the show already. He wasn't on today, and he may never get shown (they said today they already had 10,000 entries) but if any of you are around to turn on Regis and Kelly in the morning watch for his picture on the segment. Today it was the very last thing they did. That's all folks!

Where does the time go?

2006-01-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

Today is Grady's 6 month old birthday! I remember the 6 months before his birth seemed to drag on and on, but the past 6 months have flown by. We went to the pediatrician and he weighs 17lbs 8 oz and is 26 and a half inches long. Both of those are right above the 50th percentile in height and weight. For those of you not versed in pediatric lingo, that means that he is completely average, taller and heavier than 51% of babies his age and shorter and lighter than the other 49%. The doctor said he is not to be trusted alone, because of the way he sits by himself so well and can stand while holding on to his crib rails or the sofa for a few minutes at a time. He said those are 7-9 month old tricks and very few 6 month olds have mastered them, so crawling may not be far off, and his bet is that Grady will walk early too. YIKES. We got the green light on finger foods. And the bad part....shots. UGH. I can't stand to see his little face when they poke him. But a hug and a dose of baby tylenol later all is forgiven and aside from being a little sleepy he is no worse for the wear. He is getting so funny lately. He chatters and babbles constantly, and will smile at just about anyone. He does the funniest thing where it looks like he is trying to eat your face, but I think he is giving kisses, because he LOVES when we give him kisses. We are both just truly enamored with him. If only he would sleep through the night we could call the press and say we needed an interview because we had managed to produce the perfect child.

Back in the day

2006-01-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

I was going through some pictures on my computer and found some from our wedding slideshow. I thought my faithful readers (all 4 of you) might get a kick out of seeing Chris and I as babies in comparison to Grady. I am not sure what age Chris and I were in these, but I am guessing between 3-6 months, give or take. The first one is me, the second is Chris (yes, he is holding a bottle of alcohol, which my Mother in Law says the photographer found very amusing) and the third is a snap of Grady from a few days ago. There is talk that baby Jolie-Pitt will be a gorgeous child, but I am just throwing my two cents in and asking....how can you top Grady's grin?

A new year

2006-01-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

This post finds me already 10 days into 2006. I remember vividly being in 6th grade, walking up the cafeteria stairs, thinking about 1999, the year I would graduate high school. I could not imagine being that old! I am by nature a planner and a daydreamer. I am idealistic and love to imagine the future in a tint of perfect, a quality I am amazed I have hung onto throughout the years. When I finally got to 1999, I was sure I would marry my high school sweetheart while we were in college and immediately begin having 5 or 6 kids. Boy am I glad I was wrong. In college, I was looking to find what I wanted to do with my life. Dating mostly terrible guys and dealing with my past. A typical 19 year old girl, I'd say. When I left Carson-Newman in the fall of 2003, I could never have imagined, even in my daydreams that within the course of 2 years, I would meet the man of my dreams, marry, have a baby, buy a home....all of the things I had always wanted. And for once at the beginning of a year, I don't have many regrets. I look back on 2005 in a new way. Truth be told, while it was happening, I wanted it to go faster (especially the period of May-July when I was very pregnant in 95 degree heat and humidity). But the past 6 months have literally flown by. I can't believe that my son has just about clocked half a year of his life. He's sitting up, eating Gerber baby food, trying to hold his own bottle and crawl. Soon he won't need me to be mobile. He'll start idolizing his daddy more and needing me less. I am thrilled by all of it, and completely amazed. So this year my new years resolution is to simply enjoy him. Enjoy every second, without looking to much into what his future holds, because I will know soon enough.

Two videos from our vacation

2006-01-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

I'll come back later and post more, but here are some videos of Grady from our vacation. The first one is him laughing like a maniac, and the second one is him waking up, which is usually really funny. Sorry I am not good at the HTML and hypertext stuff, so you'll just have to click the links!

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=F32E7C3A66AD5CA9

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=D067A14A8AB461A9

Santa Baby

2005-12-23T14:25:00.000-05:00

This will probably be my final post until after the new year, as I am sure the cabin in GA does not have internet connection, so my trusty little laptop will be sitting at home collecting dust!I will try to think of something insightful or profound to ring in the new year upon my return, but that does not come as easy as witty banter, so don't expect too much. I just want to use this time to say how excited I am for Christmas this year! I know Grady does not get it at all, and will likely spend most of the morning in his exersaucer knawing on the wrapping paper. I will know, though, that this is his very first Christmas. Well, unless you count last year when he was the size of a peanut...literally. It makes me think of all the Christmases yet to come. What traditions will we start? What will be the hot toy item that I am waiting in line for at 5 am the day after Thanksgiving? Will Grady creep down the stairs at 3 am and look at the presents under the tree as my brother and I used to do? I can see him in a few years when we will possibly have another baby, he'll really love it by then, and he'll be not only tearing into his own gifts but "helping" his little brother or sister with theirs as well. I have always loved Christmas, and last year when we went to see Polar Express, I could not help feeling like standing up and shouting "that's right, you have to believe, people." (I am sure Chris is extremely glad I did not do that, he dealt with weird enough emotional outbursts.) I cannot wait to see Christmas through Grady's eyes. I can't wait until he understands about baby Jesus (I think it's so cute when kids say "baby Jesus"). Or until he starts counting down the days until Santa comes. But this year I will enjoy him being little and the pictures and memories. And taking advantage of the fact that this is the only year I'll be able to dress him in a Santa suit without him protesting. Enjoy this Christmas, from our family to yours!

Fun little test

2005-12-21T10:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks to APC for this idea. You can find the test on OK Cupid. Just search Sesame Street in the user made test field.

Big Bird
You scored 68% Organization, 75% abstract, and 64% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are very organized, more abstract, and both introverted and extroverted.

Here is why are you Big Bird.

You are both very organized. You almost always know where your belongings are and you prefer things neat. You may even enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic. Big Bird is never sloppy and always under control... pretty good for a 6 year old bird living without a family.

You both are abstract thinkers. Big Bird is a dreamer who always wonders what the world is like. You definitely are not afraid to take chances in life. You only live once. You may notice others around you playing it safe, but you are more concerned with not compromising your desires, and getting everything you can out of life. This is a very romantic approach to life, but hopefully you are also grounded enough to get by.

You are both somewhat extroverted. Like Big Bird, you probably like to have some time to yourself, but you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren't scared of social situations. Big Bird is always very comfortable around others, but he often prefers the quiet low-key presence that Snuffleupagus provides.

The other possible characters are
Oscar the Grouch
Bert
Snuffleupagus
Ernie
Elmo
Kermit the Frog
Grover
Cookie Monster
Guy Smiley
The Count

If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback! Also if you want to tell me your favorite Sesame Street character, I can total them up and post them here. Perhaps your choice will win!

Quick update

2005-12-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been busy with all of the Christmas season stuff, as well as still trying to get Grady to take a decent nap, so I will revert to the list update format.

1. After Christmas, we are going to a cabin in the GA mountains with my in-laws for a little R&R, which my husband especially deserves right now.
2. After that, Chris, Grady and I are driving up to Jefferson City, TN for a day to see the people I used to nanny for and to prove to Chris that Jeff City is really as small as I say it is.
3. I cannot stand my hair right now. I have tried to get it fixed, but it is currently too short to cut what I don't like off without looking like Demi Moore in GI Jane.
4. My boy is sitting up! All by himself. I can plop him on the bed with me and he will sit there for a good 10 minutes without toppeling over!
5. Yesterday, Grady ate a jar of sweet potatoes, a jar of squash, rice cereal and more formula than usual. He must know it's the holidays.
6. Right now I am watching Johnny and the Sprites on the Disney Channel, and boy is this guy weird. He reminds me of when Freddie Prinze Jr played the male nanny on Friends...I am sure apc knows exactly what I am referring to.
7. Today I have to go take the car in to get an oil change and the tires rotated and balanced, which means I'll be at the mall for at least an hour....and school's out. Kill me now.
8. I kept saying once we moved in here, I would exercise every day. I have gone for like 3 walks in 2 weeks and that's it.
9. There is spit up on my brown shoes. At least they now match every other piece of my wardrobe.
10. I have the cutest baby ever.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyous Festival, Happy Kwaanza, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Vrolijke Kerstmis...ummmm that's all I know, so if I left you out deal with it!

Baby, it's cold outside

2005-12-09T08:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have to preempt this by saying that I am not trying to make Chris feel bad, because I am really excited about all of the cool things happening in our lives. BUT... I am sitting here watching the Today Show and the snow is so beautiful. I am totally jealous! They are throwing snowballs in the plaza and building ice sculptures in Central Park. Here today it is going to be 75. But Sunday it may be 68....brrrr. Literally, when it gets down to the 60's we have to bundle Grady up, because he is a Florida baby from head to toe. One day he'll see snow, I know it. Gosh that huge tree in Rockefeller Center is so darn beautiful!
Here's a pic of Grady the last time we had a cold snap.

Fatigue- or as jack McFarland says "je suis Fatty-Gay"

2005-12-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I have not posted in a while. We have been in the midst of the move from our apartment into my in-laws house. On top of that, I got sick. Moving is hard. Moving while sick is difficult. Moving while sick and still trying to take care of a 4 month old is next to impossible. It took way longer to pack than I thought it would. We are still not totally done, plus, we still have to clean the place up. I am considering searching to find someone I can pay to go clean the empty apartment just so I can spend the weekend with my husband. Not that he won't be there helping, but I don't consider cleaning quality time. The move has pretty much uprooted Grady. He's doing better than I thought, but whatever nap schedule we had is totally shot. I thought it would be ok, when the first three nights we were here he pretty much slept through the night. He did wake up once or twice looking for his paci and then went right back to sleep. So I thought to myself, "hmmmm, maybe he has outgrown his nighttime feeding." Well, then came Monday night. Grady decided to wake up at 2, and stay that way until 4. He was not acting hungry. He was just like "Yo, mom and dad....are ya there?" Well, we were there. But then he did the same thing last night. I held off feeding him because as I mentioned before, he had gone several nights in a row not needing it. Well, Chris was up with him for an hour, and then I heard the telltale "why am I not eating" shriek. So, I got a bottle and fed him. then he stayed up until 5 just talking to himself. I just slept in the bed in the room where his crib is located, and thanked God and anyone else who was listening when he slept until 8:15 am. But the late night wakings and up and down naps are definitely taking their toll. The problem seems to be his hands. He'll be totally asleep, and then Chris and I will watch in horror on the video monitor as his hands creep up into the air and then fall down into his face. Then he wakes up. I just put him down for his nap 4 times until I felt my nerve unraveling and wrapped him straight jacket style in a blanket. We haven't swaddled him since he was about 2 weeks old, but we may have to pick it back up again, just so we can all get some sleep. I think it was better when I couldn't remember what a decent night's sleep felt like, but those 3-4 days spoiled me. Add this onto the normal holiday stress and I'm going nutty as a fruitcake. Ahhhh.... this too shall pass. I wonder if the baby Jesus had to be wrapped like a burrito?

Grady Rolls

2005-11-26T07:51:00.000-05:00

This was on Thanksgiving day, it was the third time in a row, and the third time ever. I am so amazed at his new trick!

mvi_0798.avi

It's a Small World, After all.

2005-11-23T09:32:00.000-05:00

This weekend, we went to Disney World. The happiest place on earth. Also, one of my favorite places on earth. I just love Disney. I love the atmosphere. I love the smell of the rides...yes, the smell. I am nuts, I know. I love the irony of it all. Parents pay thousands of dollars to take their kids to Disney and the kids spend half the day crying and the other half asleep in the $10 a day rental stroller because they refused to walk. Of course, we knew Grady wouldn't really care that we were at Disney. We were there for ourselves. We wanted the pictures and the time together as a family. And we had a good time. My in-laws were with us too. Now for those of you who do not know my sister-in-law, Katie, she HATES little animatronic people. So, "It's a small world" is, needless to say, like torture to her. This is something that Chris and I find so amusing that we spent a great deal of time bursting into the chorus of "Small World" and making "Small World" jokes. Well, as we were preparing to get onto Aerosmith's "Rockin' Roller Coaster" at MGM, literally miles away from the magic Kingdom and all of it's animatronic children,I saw a face in the crowd that looked incredibly familiar. I did a doubletake and it was an old friend from college that I had not seen in probably 5 years. Now, the chances of that happening were pretty slim, so in my disbelief I stammered "Lauren?" And it was her! I mean, could the world get any smaller? (tee-hee) We literally stood there in shock for 3 minutes and then moved on our separate ways. It was really good to see her. Now, my husband and sister-in-law were rather unimpressed, but I thought it was really cool. This was the girl I literally worshipped throughout my Freshman year. Now we are both married, and I have a son. Time and distance have separated us, but I immediately felt like I was back at college, not standing in the middle of MGM. Anyway not many people will be able to get my insanity unless they have had a similar experience. But, maybe you have. It is a small world, after all. (tee hee)

Grady Laughing

2005-11-17T12:46:00.000-05:00

I am just trying this to see if it works. It's not the best laugh he's ever done, but it's cute. If this videosharing site works then you all will be able to see all of Grady's milestones on video soon! Let me know if it works for you...just click on the picture!

Luxury lost

2005-11-14T21:21:00.000-05:00

So, we live in a "luxury apartment complex" ,which we pay an exorbitant amount of money to every month, in my opinion and I am fed up. It all started with the ants. Back in May or June I moved something and notice that the countertop underneath it had come to life..ants. Millions of tiny ants. Well, we bought RAID and cleaned everything and that mostly went away, except for when we occasionally have burgers for dinner and then they come back, the smell of the grease is more intoxicating than the remnants of RAID, I guess. Then came the Roaches. I am aware that I live in Florida, and I know that there are roaches in Florida, but that has not made me used to their presence. They came around the middle of July, the same time we brought our precious newborn home from the hospital. I reached my breaking point one night when I woke up to feed Grady and as I sat bleary eyed in bed I saw one crawl out from behind the nightstand. That was it. I knew they would soon be crawling all over me unless we took action, so we borrowed some "kill anything smaller than a ferret" bugspray and I haven't seen one since. I don't know what kind of spray the apartment complex buys, but for what we pay it should kill anything smaller than a chihauha. THEN we got spiders. Second round of evil bugspray. They're gone. Those were all things I could kill. My downstairs neighbors, however, I cannot kill. They are college kids, I think. Although, what college kids are doing living this far from any college I do not know. Why-ever they are here, I am so glad we are leaving. They spend most nights out on their lanai (porch) drinking and smoking and being really loud. Normally, I would not mind what they were doing, but their lanai just happens to be right below Grady's room, and they wake him up. I am already neurotic from lack of sleep, and they wake him more times than necessary. I realize the complex really can't solve this problem for me, but it gets worse. This morning, I was walking to the car and I thought to myself "hmmmm, the stairwell smells like vomit." I got to the bottom and found out why. There was a large pile of vomit on the third stair. Drunken Vomit. And I correct myself, because there still is a large pile of vomit, which is now congealed. All day long, the maintenance men trot around in their golf carts and not one of them can get a hose and wash off our steps? WHY? I cannot wait to get into our house. This place blows...literally.

Writer's blog

2005-11-13T17:41:00.000-05:00

I really don't have much to write about these days. I haven't done a lot but sit home and enjoy my son. Which is fine by me. But it's hard to find a lot to write when you don't get out much. The last place I went was the dentist. That was fairly interesting. In the waiting room were 6 children who were all obviously siblings. They were well groomed and well behaved. The oldest was I'd say, eleven, and the youngest was probably one. The five that were old enough to talk were fluent in French. I love the French language, but I love it even more from children. I understand enough of it that I basically understood the major themes of their conversation. Their tongues tripped over the words and I found myself tickled. I was even more so that they were obviously American children. I am sure one parent spoke French, but they still amazed me.
On other fronts, Chris got a new job. He will be able to work four ten hour days, which means constant 3-day weekends for our family. I am so thrilled about that. Also, he won't have to work more hours during tax season, which was really hard last year.
Grady started really laughing this week, he thinks it's hilarious when I hold him over my head, rock him back and forth, and sing "shake your booty." He also likes when we touch his toes to his nose. We are planning on starting rice cereal this week and I am excited to see how he does with that. Also today, he tried to steal Chris' spaghetti at lunch...hence the above picture. I am not good at the cry it out thing. I just can't let him cry. So I have resolve myself to the fact that I will have to rock him to sleep until he' s six. Oh well.
That's about it with us. We're planning to move in with my in-laws at the beginning of December until our house is finished in January, so we have a lot of packing to do.
I usually try to put something funny in my blogs, but I am still in a lot of pain from the dentist and am not seeing the funny things about life right at the moment. But the good news is, we are going to Disney on Saturday, so that should restore my sense of happiness. If you made it to the end of this, you win a prize. Go bake yourself a cake.

I do love making lists

2005-11-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

I find that when I haven't blogged for a while, list format is the easiest way to convey what's going on. Plus, I love lists. Just ask Chris how many lists I make. I even have a running list of how many ounces Grady eats a day.

1. I traveled to Minnesota with Grady this week for my great-grandmother's funeral. She was 98 and I am in a bit of a period of mourning that I never really got to know her.
2. Grady did great on the plane ride up, not so great on the plane ride home.
3. If I cancel an appointment without 24 hours notice at my dentist's office, I am charged a fee of $30. A few weeks ago they cancelled an appointment 3 hours in advance. I am still waiting for my $30.
4. Right after I had Grady, I had lost all but 5 lbs of my baby weight. I have now gained 6 of those back, so I have to lose 11. Damn that Publix bakery.
5. Today I decided to lay Grady in his crib at naptime and let him "cry it out" because the books say by 4 months, they should be able to do this. He cried for 12 minutes, fell asleep for 12 and is now crying again. We'll see how long mommy can last.
6. I have a ton of stuff to do in order to get ready for our move into our new house, packing, cleaning, throwing away crap, yet here I sit at the computer in my PJ's with unwashed hair and the laundry on the couch beside me.
7. The crying is starting to break me down. It's hard to know all it would take is me picking him up and he'd be back to sleep again.
8. We went to Busch Gardens yesterday and had a good time looking at all the animals. They had these strange baby monkeys that looked like gremlins.
9. I rode shiekra, the newest roller coaster, and the scariest part were the wasps swarming around the top of the ride. I don't like bugs, and I find wasps to be one of the unfriendliest of bugs in general.
10. I am definitely not good at the "cry it out" thing. I am going to go give him his paci, as I am sure he's spit it across the crib by now.

A deep one...sort of

2005-10-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

Those of you who know me well will probably be able to figure out who this song by Kelly Clarkson reminds me of in my own life. Now, I do want to say that I'm certainly not ashamed of things that made me who am. And, my life in no way feels empty, I have a loving husband and beautiful baby, but the rest of it is pretty right on. That's all for now folks.

I will not make
The same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break
The way you did, you fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of youI find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh, every day of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with
I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain

And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing
Because of you
Because of you
Because of you I am afraid

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in

Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you I am afraid
Because of you

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

2005-10-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

This morning I discovered a tragedy. The batteries in Grady's baby swing had died. SO???? You say... Well let me explain my son to you. This child is a creature of habit. He does things in the exact same order every day. We wake up, he eats, we go for a walk, we come back. I take a shower while he plays in his exersaucer and then he zonks out in his swing for 45 minutes. This is when I discovered the damn swing was broken. "Well", I thought, " I'll just lay him in his crib he sleeps there at night just fine". This is when Grady began laughing demonically and yelling "WRONG, MOMMY. YOU WISH" I laid him down and quietly walked away. He slept for 15 minutes and was up crying. Well, I thought it would be ok, until he cried for 20 minutes straight. Every time I attempted to put him down anywhere, he turned up the decibels another notch. This scene has repeated itself three times already today. The last time I tried singing. I wrapped up my showstopping rendition of "Lullaby of Broadway" which he seemed to like ok, and moved onto "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". Well, they say babies can't really understand what we are saying to them. Whoever "they" are, "they" are wrong. The second I sang the word "Swing", Grady started to wail again.He knew his chariot was out of commission, and did not want to hear about anyone else's. So I stopped and tried "Baby Mine". Alas, I was too late. All hell had already broken loose. I was considering calling Chris to leave his job to pick up batteries and get home ASAP, and then Grady just plum wore out. He has now been asleep for 25 minutes which is our record for today. Now, you may be asking why I did not just go pick up some batteries at the store and solve my dilemma. Well two reasons. Number one, they (yes, "they" again) say not to let your baby get dependent on the swing for naps or it will be hard to break them of it (insert shocked and sarcastic"No" here).So I figured today is breaking day. And number two, putting Grady in the carseat results in all of the wailing and nashing of teeth I have just described, times 10, so I just had to pick my battle for today.

A few things you may find interesting

2005-10-26T15:10:00.000-04:00

1. I ate popcorn for breakfast yesterday.
2. I am so glad the weather has finally broken, even though I am now freezing in the 68 degree mildness. This place gets in your blood faster than you think.
3. I swore I was going to the gym last night, instead I ate a cupcake.
4. I just saw a preview on TV for the new Harry Potter movie and I am all excited to go.
5. I have not stayed up past 10 pm for almost a full year now. Between pregnancy and the baby, I am dying to go to bed by 6.
6. I admit I let my son watch Baby Einstein while I get things done. He also watches the Today show every morning, so he may grow up with a strange obsession for Katie Couric.
7. I am going to my sister-in-laws for board game night on Saturday, I am stoked to hang out with adults. If I can stay up, that is.
8. There is a couple in our apartment complex that walks their cat on a leash. If I tried this I would have my eyes scratched out, and it wouldn't be so much walking the cat as dragging it.
9. I really like Peanut butter and banana sandwiches
10. When I was 5, I got in trouble for calling 911 to wish them a Merry Christmas. Apparently, they frown on childhood holiday cheer.

Well, that's all for now, I thought I should blog something.

11. The spell check on this thing does not recognize the word "blog" ...ironic???

Lil G Man

2005-10-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

Lindsay Ho-han

2005-10-11T13:56:00.000-04:00

Back when I was in high school, Disney remade the movie "The Parent Trap." The original starred Hayley Mills, and the remake featured a then brand new little starlet, Lindsay Lohan. I am ashamed to admit that I was a big fan of the original, and even more ashamed to admit that I was also a big fan of the remake. I know the movie was certainly not targeted at high school juniors, but while other kids in my class were out drinking and partying, my best friend Angie and I were spending one Saturday night having a sleepover and watching "The Parent Trap." Yes, I was innocent, so sue me. I was also in theater, and semi-popular. Really the only kids who didn't talk to me were the really popular ones, but that may have been because they were too concerned with sleeping with each other to even make fun of my little-girl sleepovers. Anyway, back in the day I thought Lindsay Lohan was a real cutie-pie 11 year old who pulled off a surprisingly accurate British accent. Now...well she's running into cars all over LA and really needs to eat a pop-tart or something...anything really. She also falls into the pack of teenage and early 20 something starlets who dress like ho's. Apparently these girls do not see the 9 year olds I see. Kids want to emulate them, and I'm sorry, but a Paris Hilton skirt is just not appropriate for a 9-year-old (or a 34 year old, for that matter, but those ladies should know better). I really hope that if I ever have a daughter this trend will be over. I guess I'll have to show the original "Parent Trap" in my house 'cause you can be darn sure you're not gonna catch Hayley Mills in a see through blouse and sequined thong.

Funny Baby

2005-10-05T11:25:00.000-04:00

Grady's new thing is sticking his tongue out back at you if you stick yours out at him.

Office Crazies

2005-10-05T10:53:00.000-04:00

There are several women in my husband's office who are pregnant or have recently had babies. One of them had twins, and another had a little girl a few weeks after I had Grady. This woman finds it necessary to discuss the details of her pregnancy and delivery with my husband to find out if her experience is similar to mine. He feels slightly uncomfortable every time she approaches him with a question, and it leaves us both wondering why she doesn't simply talk to the other ladies in the office about delicate matters such as her cervix. Granted, my husband has just gone through it with me, and he is less uncomfortable than most other men would be, but that is still no excuse for what happened the other day. This woman asked my husband if I had bad stretch marks (I do), when he stammered out "well, she has some, I don't know how bad they are in comparison to other people..." she lifted up her shirt to show him hers, asking "are they as bad as this?" Back up lady.... if someone had seen that they could have misinterpreted the situation and my husband could have been in real trouble. Now, the other woman in his office just had twins...I am sure she has some stretch mark specimens to compare. Why the surprise attack on my husband? Am I wrong to want to go to his office and tell this chick that if she wants to see my stretch marks, to call me up, but please leave her midriff covered at work? Of course, I am not going to do that, but apparently she never got the manual on appropriate work discussions.

Lucked out

2005-10-04T13:05:00.000-04:00

Sometimes during my morning walks around the lake with Grady I meet up with a couple of other ladies and walk with them (on a side note, their babies names are Jackson and Jillian...Jack and Jill...it makes me giggle). The other day I was out walking and I saw one of them. We began a conversation and she mentioned how much she despises her in-laws. I know this is a common problem in most families, the wife and the mother-in-law fight constantly. I did not want to make her feel too bad, so I didn't really mention that I really like my own in-laws. They are a really fun and caring family. Joking with each other is not met with pouting or anger, these are people who know they love each other, so a joke here and there is no big deal. I have had to get used to that, since in my own family that's not exactly the way it works. I love it. They are generous and kind as well. When I was in a car accident a few months back (7 months pregnant), they were there lickity split and sat in the waiting room with my parents for much longer than anyone would have expected. I know they were worried about their grandchild, but they were genuinely worried about me too. I am beginning to realize that I seriously lucked out. I love having a sister-in-law too. She is planning on moving into an apartment across the street from our new house, and made sure it was ok with me first. Not only is it ok. I am secretly excited. Now, she does occasionally check my blog, so I guess it's not so much of a secret, but I am trying to write without censoring my work so you can see the full extent of my thoughts ( as well as my talent...or lack thereof). Anyway, the point is, I truly like them all and I feel pretty lucky to feel that way. Now I have to go help little Jack and Jill fetch that pail of water...honestly, someone could get hurt.

HSN

2005-09-27T12:52:00.000-04:00

I recently accepted a job with the Home Shopping Network. I will be able to work from home taking inbound calls so I will be here to make sure I don't miss any major Grady milestones. Of course, I'll have to have a babysitter for him, but I'll be in the house as well so if anything happens I won't have to worry. I am excited for actually starting the job, but the past week of training has been rough. I have to do 4 more weeks and I can't quite figure out why. Well actually, I do know. Aside from myself and maybe 2 or 3 other people in the class, nobody gets it. We spent 3 hours last week learning how to sign onto the computer. Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't that something most people have been able to do since like 1997? Granted we have user names and passwords and such, but even with all that, I still believe it is a task that could have been gone over in as little as 15 minutes. Then we actually got to the order fulfillment screen, at which point I heard the instructor explaining to one of my coworkers about drop down boxes and telling another one how to use the TAB key. WHAT??? We have a 350 page booklet we have to get through in the next 5 weeks and while everyone else is agonizing over if they will ever learn it all, I am wishing they would just leave me alone with the book for a week and then test me to see if I'm ready for action. I know I am a person who picks up on things fast and then becomes very bored and tunes out. Meanwhile my husband has to be at home every night putting Grady to sleep by himself, which believe you me is no easy task. I am trying not to be too negative about it, and at least I have stopped crying when I have to leave for work every night. Only 19 more days...

Growing up quick

2005-09-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

Grady at 4 days old
And now at 8 weeks...chubby cheeks, how time flies

Reality TV it's not...or maybe I'm missing something

2005-09-19T15:41:00.000-04:00

I cannot accurately judge the cult following that the show "desperate housewives" has inspired, because I have never actually viewed an entire episode. Now, I do think 24 Emmy nominations is a bit much for anything, I mean, spread the love, folks. Perhaps I really am just missing the greatest show ever, I don't know. However, I thought that about "The OC" and was sorely disappointed. Chris and I decided last night that we should probably rent the first season whenever Blockbuster gets it in stock and find out what all the fanfare is about. What I can say about it though, is that none of the housewives I know look like the women from Wisteria Lane, and if they did I am pretty sure they wouldn't be that desperate. What they should do is make a show about women who don't have nannies or affairs with their strikingly handsome pool boy and don't know for sure if a shower will be a part of their activity from day to day. The normal women who don't own one singe piece of Dolce and Gabbana and have never even touched a Louis Vuitton handbag. Those of us who jump for joy when our baby turns a frown into a smile for the first time, and finally figures out that those feet belong to him. I don't feel desperate on a day to day basis though. Tired, yes, but desperate I'm not. I guess I'll leave that to the size 0 housewives with shining hair and sparkling veneers, if there are really any out there.

Things that make you go hmmmm part 2

2005-09-16T14:25:00.000-04:00

I admit, I am guilty of doing things in the car that I shouldn't. You know the normal things, talking on the phone, applying makeup, eating a burger. In high school, I even became skilled at changing out of my jeans and t-shirt into tights, a leotard and a dance skirt on the way to dance class, all while driving. But yesterday I saw something that just made me giggle. A woman was driving through the mall parking lot using one of those Susan Lucci microdermabrasion wand thingy's. And I knew then that we as americans are multitasking WAY too much.

Exercise???

2005-09-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

At my recent post natal checkup, I learned that I have lost all but 5 lbs of my pregnancy weight. Which is excellent, no doubt. But I know these last 5 will be hard. They are hanging out right over my uterus, adorned with a lovely forest of silvery pink stretch marks. The Doctor congratulated me and after my exam said " just don't resume heavy exercise until the baby is 8 weeks old". Apparently this woman is under the impression that I actually participated in heavy exercise before my baby was born. Granted, there was high school, when I was incredibly fit due to all of the dancing I was doing, but since then, I have been a member of 2 gyms which I went to like twice a month or something. I have the good fortune of looking like I am in shape, but I am definitely not. A few months ago, I could use pregnancy as an excuse as to why I got winded walking up the 3 flights of stairs to our apartment. I am not sure what excuse I am supposed to use now. I know one of these days my luck will run out, and since I'm a big fan of Coldstone Creamery, I suppose I had better find some heavy exercise to participate in before that last 5 pounds turns into 15.

Sweet Southern Comfort

2005-09-07T09:40:00.000-04:00

There are a few reasons I hardly ever feel compelled to be sentimental about a tiny town called Jefferson City. This post is not about those reasons. And really, it's not the town's fault anyway. Today though, when it's still muggy and unbearably hot down here in Florida, I am reminded of September in Tennessee. When the last hint of summer is fresh in the air, but you can also smell twinges of autumn creeping through the trees. A few of the leaves will already be changing color, and at night, a sweater might just find it's way out of the closet and onto your back. Had I been there this past weekend, I might have gone to Boomsday, a labor day celebration complete with fireworks and plenty of beer on the river in Knoxville. Carson-Newman would be full of the bustle of students as the new freshman start to feel at home and the older kids invite them to "Dam Parties" (parties by the dam, for those of you who don't get that). The city itself, as I have said before, is small. Not tiny, but smalltown America for sure. It's big enough for McDonald's and Wal-Mart, but small enough that the addition of Blockbuster 4 years ago was a monumental event. I worked at the biggest restaurant in town, Pizza Inn. It was manned mostly by college students, but the actual "adults" that worked there were lifers. I am sure I could go there in 5 years and still see one particular waitress, faithfully waiting on her regulars. But it's a city where folks help each other. Everybody knows everybody, neighbors still watch out for each others kids as they cut across yards to the baseball field. The community pool will be closing soon, it's concrete floors echoing with the laughter of a city of kids, to sit green and stagnant through the winter until it opens again in May, magically blue and sparkling. Perhaps the most sentimental part of this reminiscence is the fact that the child I watched from the time she was a tiny baby is a kindergartener this year. I wasn't there, of course, but I can see her in my mind's eye, standing in front of her house in a new outfit, her lunchbox in hand. She is no longer the tiny tyke I ran through the leaves with in autumn's past, but an independent school-ager. Now I have my own baby, and while I wouldn't trade the scent of his sweet baby skin and hair for that of a thousand autumns in Tennessee, today, I miss them.

How well do you know Courtney

2005-09-04T11:15:00.000-04:00

I made a quiz about me...if you're bored it's kinda fun to play. Click the link below. Snaps to Nicole for finding the website.

http://www01.quizyourfriends.com/takequiz.php?quizname=050904093750-904685&c=1&a=08

Overactive imagination 101

2005-09-03T10:32:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I should never watch scary movies. For example, during the sixth sense I had to leave the theatre due to an asthma attack. Also, during college some friends convinced me to watch The Ring. Now, I was living in a funeral-parlor-turned-apartment building at the time and I slept with the lights on for a week and turned the TV toward the wall. Still, I was sure the freaky kid was going to crawl with her disjointed limbs out of the screen and attack me in my sleep. Knowing this, I don't know why I thought it would be ok for me to watch Stir of Echoes last weekend. For anyone who hasn't seen this movie, it stars Kevin Bacon and is not really even that scary. I did not even watch the whole thing, but I am pretty sure they wind up finding the girl that haunts Kevin Bacon buried somewhere in his house in the end. Anyway, it was a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon, and Chris was at home so I figured I would be ok. WRONG. For the past week I have been replaying scenes in my head. At night, when I am up feeding Grady, I leave lights on that really don't need to be on and cling to my 6 week old like he is going to do something to protect me. I KNOW in my head that neither the girl from Stir of Echoes, nor the girl from The Ring, nor the freaky under-the-bed girl from the Sixth Sense is going to show up in my apartment, yet I keep peering into the dark. Now I have always been afraid of the dark and, at 24, I have my reasons why I am still afraid of the dark (and no, ghosts have nothing to do with it), but being afraid of the dark and having a very overactive imagination is a deadly combination. All I can hope is that is gives me some perspective and understanding in a few years when Grady starts to have bad dreams and wants to crawl into bed with us. As long as he doesn't invite the girl under the bed to come with him.

Sleep

2005-08-26T09:52:00.000-04:00

I am seriously the poster child for new anxious moms. Grady sleeps in our room right now, hopefully that will change soon, but for now, I feel I need him close. Every single noise he makes wakes me up. He has acid reflux and sometimes it causes him to choke and wheeze in his sleep. It doesn't really bother him much, he just makes funny noises and sleeps blissfully away. But not me. I jump with every cough, sure my baby is going to stop breathing. Now, I have talked to other people and I know this is a common fear. But even on nights when I could be sleeping for hours, it is restless. Like last night. Grady ate at 7:30 and was fast asleep by 8:24. Of course, Chris and I were close behind...we have learned not to waste a precious minute of sleep. We all did pretty well until about 1 am (which was a really long stretch by the way, we are used to no more than 4 hours). Then Grady got gas. He was grunting and straining, and sleeping through it all. I was feeling my heartrate rise. He slept like that until almost 2, and then woke up to eat. Which was a small miracle. Chris was happy with the 5 and a half hours, knowing we still had time to sleep. I was still a little worried about the gas. I am learning that this may become a constant for the rest of my life. I am just praying I can learn to deal so I don't become one of those moms who is calling their son's college dorm room at 2 am to make sure he's in bed.

Above are a few pics of bathtime!!!

Things that make you go hmmm...

2005-08-25T11:20:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I realize this may sound a little harsh, but why do many parents of special needs children feel the urge to "dress their child for the part", so to speak? I was at Target today, and walking down the aisle toward me came a mother and her daughter, who seemed to have several developmental, physical and emotional difficulties. She was dressed in, I kid you not, pink biker shorts and a tie dyed t-shirt that looked like it was from 1993. Now, I don't know the extent of this teenager's disability, or whether or not she was able to help choose her own clothes, but this stuff was clearly either very old or from Goodwill. Meanwhile, the mother was dressed very nicely in khakis and a polo shirt. It almost seemed like, since the child probably had no idea what she was wearing, the mother just put her in some old stuff lying around the house. My question is...why??? Why not splurge on your child and at least buy her some things that look normal, regardless of whether she knows what she looks like or not.
Thinking back on high school, I am reminded of some of the special needs kids. Many of them looked normal in every way, the only thing that differentiated them was the way they were dressed, usually like the girl in Target. Had their parents bought them some normal clothes, they probably would have fit in a lot better. Now, I know teenagers can be really really cruel, but knowing that, what better reason to help them in any way possible, and if all it takes is shopping at, say Target instead of Goodwill, why not??? Just a thought.

Having a baby changes everything

2005-08-18T08:29:00.000-04:00

You know those Johnson and Johnson commercials...they're the ones that make most pre-menstrual and ALL pregnant women break down into tears. Well they're totally right. Having a baby does change everything. Of course, I expected it, I have done too much caring for other people's children not to know what a big deal it is. Yet, I had really thought that due to the fact that I have spent over half my life watching little ones, it would come easier for me. Not so much. It's really different when it's your baby that is screaming and you don't know why. Grady's Aunt Katie came over last week and held our screamer while Chris and I cleaned. We kept offering to take him back, because we know how tiring it gets to try and calm a baby that won't be calmed (it's really just because of his acid reflux). She kept on holding him, all the while saying it was fine. I remember those days. Nannying in TN, when baby Sarah would cry and I would just laugh and say "It's no big deal". Well, it does get frustrating when it's your baby and you have no way to fix him. It's so hard for me to see him crying. I just want to be able to explain to him that we are trying to make the burning in his tummy stop, but there's only so much we can do. I know he's hurting and it kills me that I can't take his pain for him so he can just relax and concentrate on the very big job of being a baby.
On a lighter note, there are a few definitions that have changed since having a baby as well...
1. All nighter: Sitting in the rocking chair until who knows when singing any song that comes to mind without too much profanity in it....Gwen Stefani's "Holla Back Girl" included.
2. Going to the club: Stocking up on diapers at Sam's
3. Eating dinner: hurriedly shoving lukewarm hamburger helper in our mouths during the 5 minute interlude between wails.
4. Dressing up: taking a shower and wearing anything other than a t-shirt and a pair of Chris' boxers.
5. Cleaning: Hiding the laundry, mail and dirty dishes anywhere they will go before the Grandparents arrive.

But seriously...it's all worth it....I mean, look at the kid...he's gorgeous!!!!