Disjointed and Double Jointed

Well I did it. I played baseball. And as I expected my worst fears were realized. There I stood in the outfield for. what. seemed. like. hours. This, this is the reason for my hatred of baseball. I prefer activities that keep you moving. Such as soccer or TAEKWON DO! I do not do well with standing and waiting for someone to hit the ball to me only to watch me not be able to catch it and pathetically attempt to throw it to the infield. One of the few reasons I agreed to play (other than guilt and an inability to say no) was that it would be competitive. Even if I wasn't having the best time there would be the incentive to win. But wouldn't you know we didn't have enough players (could this be the reason I was asked?) so we played something called 'scrubs'. This meant we were essentially all on the same team or if there was anything the slightest bit competitive if you were batting – everyone else was against you. I was up to bat a few times. The other 'fun' part about scrubs is apparently, you can't stop batting until you hit the ball. And foul balls don't count. I spent a humiliating amount of time on the plate attempting to make a hit. Once I finally hit the ball, I didn't even make it to first base. Enough about that.

I started this post yesterday but obviously didn't finish. The day got away from me. It started with me thinking “Gee, I can't believe I still have another day off.” and ended with me thinking “Where did the day go?” I had a La Leche League enrichment meeting in the afternoon and directly from there picked up This Single Spark from work. From there we headed down to a local nursery to pick out shrubs, perennials and annuals for my flower garden. SO exciting!! She also generously gave me some plants from her own garden. Tomorrow I will post some pictures for anyone who cares!

Baby A is a different kid these days. She is less baby and more little girl. She has been totally fighting naps and bedtime lately. At times I put her in her bed and she'll stand there and cry. She is such a determined little person. She has very little patience. I will put her in her high chair while I make her breakfast. She will play with her toys for a while but soon she is yelling for her food and if I enter the room and leave it again her cries will reach a fever pitch. I tell her to relax, it's coming. She is much better on the floor now. She can get around well (too well!) and she rarely falls. She can competently stand up to things and lower herself back to the floor without any trouble. That being said, last night while we had company she fell over and bumped her head rather hard on the wood floor. She was tired and uncoordinated. It's the first bruise she's had in a while and it's a good (?) one.

My new exercise regime is on hold for the remainder of the week. Other than any walks we may venture out on, that is. I will get my TaeKwon Do membership next Monday and get a gym routine figured out this week. I can't wait. I am tired of being annoyed about it.

Since it's been a while, here are some of the latest Baby A photos.

Modeling her new Baby Banz (she won't leave them on!)

"I'm so cute I can't stand it."



These two were taken while we were at a friends place. Little A was very excited.



It hurts my knees just looking at her sitting this way!



By the way, check "The Mama D Experiment" out.

Hail

Yesterday while we were in church there was a hail storm. The hail was the size of ping pong balls. We couldn't see outside at all during the storm we just heard it start coming down. It was rather creepy. There was a crack then another then another until it sounded like a thousand rocks pelting the building from every direction. I think I've mentioned how vivid my imagination is so I was picturing baseball sized hailstones smashing through all the windshields of the cars in the parking lot. I thought about Audrey who was being babysat in another area of the building. I felt that strong mama urge to go to her and make sure she was safe. Which of course I rationally knew that she was. It was hard to concentrate on the sermon which was about conquering your fears and we reviewed the scripture about Jonah on a boat in a storm. As soon as we started reading the scripture the storm stopped... Weird, huh? It made me think about this NOOMA video called Rain. If you have never seen any of these you should really go to the link. I think Rob Bell is such an amazing speaker and that is one of my favorite NOOMA videos. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, Audrey was fine of course and there were no broken windshields. There were lots of kids outside looking for hailstones in the grass. Gotta love kids. Who cares if hard chunks of ice just fell out of the sky, look how cool they are!! Upon inspecting our vehicles we discovered a couple of significant dents. Neither of us cared too much because, whatcha gonna do? I don't know if autopac with cover any of the damage or not. I didn't bother calling today since they'd likely be swamped with calls.

In the afternoon I went on a cleaning rampage. I cleaned our entire bathroom and moped the floor and the kitchen floor. I also cleaned the wood floors in the hallway and dining room with Murphy's Oil Soap. What a feeling of satisfaction. It was badly in need of being done but I never seemed to have the time. I always think I am such a freak when I get so giddy about freshly cleaned floors or whatever. Oh well.

My next project is getting some gardening done. My lovely Hosta has a big hole through one of it's leaves thanks to a hailstone. I was actually surprised that my garden looked as good as it did afterwards. I was happy that I hadn't already done the rest of my planting. My friend from The Single Spark is a pro gardener and she's going to help me out. Yippee!

And the most hilarious news of all is that I have been invited to play baseball tonight with some ladies from our church. Apparently, someone told the woman who's recruiting players that I was a “ball player”. I set her straight and told her I was a “ball breaker”. (I prefer definition #2) I am in fact a terrible ball player. Or at least I think I am and must be considering I haven't played baseball since I was at least ten. I also hate baseball. I hate watching it on television. I did go to a NLB game while visiting a friend in Toronto a few years back. That was kinda fun. Mostly because I liked making fun of the drunk guys in front of us. Oh, and the pretzels were good too. So of course when I was asked if I'd be interested in playing the answer was definitely no right? Right? Come on, Right? Wrong. It will be a blast from the past this evening when I am standing out in right field picking my hang nails and waiting for this dumb game to be over already. Peter and Baby A will be there to witness the humiliation I will experience when I repeatedly strike out. I'm trying to teach my child early about how it's okay if you're not good at everything you do. And how you shouldn't really agree to play a sport you hate even if everyone goes out for ice cream afterwards. They will have to come and watch me spar when I am back at TaeKwon Do. That way my daughter will know I'm not terrible at everything. She can watch me kick butts with the big boys.

You Win!

Thanks to all who participated in the game that shall now be known as Say WHAT? (Thanks Bon!) That named seemed most appropriate given my decision to use a picture from Say Anything as a header for the game. I do believe you were all winners, perhaps it was too easy, but The Big Fugr answered first.

“There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.” is from the movie The Princess Bride. As I mentioned before it is one of my favorite movies and I also took inspiration from one of Buttercup's gowns for my wedding dress.



I forgot to warn y'all that my friend The Big Fugr from Confessions of a Small Town Rock Star is wicked awesome at knowing movie dialog or music lyrics. I figured he would get it but I wasn't expecting him to have the first crack at it. So congratulations Big Fugr! And good luck to you next Friday! The Game is on!

A Game!! A Game!!!

Two bloggers both going by the name of Beth have a day when they host a really fun games on their blogs. Participating in these games is sometimes the highlight of my week. This Beth host's 'Tuesday's Guess It'(which I have won!! Yay me! Note the banner on my sidebar!!!) Beth posts a photo that is cropped in a challenging way and we all get to guess what it's a picture of. The other Beth hosts an 80's Lyrics game where she posts the Lyrics to an 80's tune and we are supposed to guess without using internet resources. Although I was born in 1976 I adore 80's music and movies (the good stuff). To my surprise I am horrible at Beth's 80's game. Without hearing the music to go along with the lyrics I don't have a hot clue. Then I thought about how I am awesome at memorizing dialog from movies. A light bulb lit up over my head. I could host a game. An 80's movie dialog game!! Won't that be fun? Yes, yes it will! I know that I can't stop you all from using the internet as a resource but I ask you nicely to restrain yourselves. It's more fun that way. Also I'm a II Degree Black Belt and I could come and kick your butt if you break my rules!

So here goes. I'm still looking for a catchy name for my game. Any suggestions? But I'm going to use this picture as the header each week. It's from the best 80's movie EVER! Say Anything. I will update on Sunday night who the wiener, I mean winner (I love that joke!) is. Good luck!




“There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.”

You Can't Always Get What You Want

As I age and also since becoming a mother I feel I am more in touch with my needs. My genuine needs. Not like, I really need those shoes or I really have to go to that concert or I'll die. Giving it more thought I think it has more to do with becoming a mother and less to do with aging. In a way I think I need more because I sacrifice more. Before having Audrey things like, free time or a shower were not on the list of things I needed. They were things I didn't even think about. I just had free time. If I needed a shower, I'd take one. That's how things were back in the good old days.

The other night when Little A was refusing to go to bed even though it was over an hour later than her bedtime, I couldn't take it anymore. It was hot, I was tired and I needed some space. I handed the grumpy one to her Dad and informed him I was getting in the shower. I do not believe I have ever enjoyed a shower more. I had the water at a coolish temperature which felt heavenly and brought my body temp back down to normal. I washed my hair with tea tree shampoo which cooled me off even further and made my head all tingly. The sound of the water coming down totally drowned out the sounds of A's complaining and I even began to fantasize about her just giving up the fight, falling asleep on her dad's shoulder and him gently placing her in her bed and tucking her in. As soon as I shut the water off however, I heard her whining. But it didn't matter. I had taken the time I needed for myself. Though only 10 minutes, I was refreshed and in better spirits. I successfully put Audrey to bed shortly thereafter. I believe that because I had taken my 'time out' I was more relaxed which then relaxed Baby A and helped her to finally go to sleep. I considered how easy it had been to just decide I needed to do that and do it. I realize I need to do that more often.

Another need that I have is the need for exercise. I have complained about this a lot to many people lately. I appreciate all the tips i've been given, such as take Audrey for a walk (I do), or use work out videos (I have them but I can only do them when she's sleeping and it's too loud). Since my mom is no longer able to babysit while I go to the gym I have been frustrated. I need to work out in a group atmosphere. I enjoy the people and I push myself harder. After weeks now of not getting there I mentioned to Peter that I was going to cancel my gym membership. He told me that I shouldn't do it because he knows how much I enjoy going to classes. I had always gone to the 9:30am classes when my mom came over to babysit. I have considered packing up A and heading down there since they have childcare for $2 an hour. It has so far been too daunting. I am planning to walk down to the gym and get a program. Once I know when the later classes are I could plan to go to those. I would be able to make it for noon hour classes, that isn't as daunting. The most exciting new development in this area is that I will be going back to TaeKwon Do in June!! I will get the casual membership and go once a week either Monday or Tuesday, which ever night works out the best. It's only for one hour and it's going to be great. I never expected to be able to get back this soon. Once a week is really not enough time to be training but it's all I can do the way my life is right now and I'll take what I can get. I am blessed to have a husband that recognizes my need to do this and is making it possible for me.

I know that I am very guilty of playing the martyr. Usually putting everyone else's needs before my own. Is there any way of being a mother and not doing that? I find myself getting more and more disgusted with things and then becoming a very miserable person. This is not pleasant for me, Peter or Audrey. I am learning that it's okay for me to need things. More importantly it's okay for me to find a way to get what I need. In fact, it's necessary for my sanity and for everyone else's sake. After all when all you need is a shower or an hour spent kicking the crap out of a foam shield, is that really too much to ask?

Once Upon A Time...

When I was thirteen years old my parents split up. The strangest thing about it was that I was actually happy. They had been fighting for as long as I could remember. They had some good times too. But good times are so easily erased by alcohol abuse, verbal abuse and just plain absence. I was thrilled to move away from the town where I had been bullied and belittled by my classmates more days than I cared to think about. It was a fresh start for my mom and I. In time she healed and became the mother I always knew she could be if not preoccupied by a failing marriage that was an unbelievable heaviness on her shoulders. We could now move forward and make a life for ourselves.

What did I learn from that experience? I learned that I never wanted to go through what my mother went through. I never wanted to spend my life with a person, have children with a person, and have that person trample on those years and those memories and tarnish them forever. I was convinced that I would never find someone that I trusted so implicitly to never do that to me. Someone who would truly commit to me for life, in good times and bad. I thought I'd found that person in high school. We were each other's first 'real' loves. We dated for 2 ½ years. The last 1 ½ were not great. They were filled with jealousy and trust issues until the relationship finally dissolved. My world crashed in on me. My suspicions had been correct, I couldn't trust anyone. I was only happy to have found it out before I married him and had his children. I then attempted to have a 'casual' relationship, one that would never lead to marriage. This relationship which last for about 3 years was also emotionally draining and seriously damaging to my self esteem.

It was at this point that my life took a turn. I went to visit a friend out of town for the weekend. When I arrived her husband's brother was already there. I had met him several years earlier when I was 19 and still dating my 'high school sweetheart'. I had always thought him to be 1. gorgeous 2. Intelligent 3. Interesting. He was also painfully shy and over the years when I was around him I enjoyed forcing him to talk to me by asking him questions about the book he was reading or whatever. From pretty much the first time I met him I would often think about him and consider what it would be like to date him. I didn't even think of this as being a real possibility since I was always dating someone else and he lived two hours away. Yet on that weekend while visiting his sister in law the possibility presented itself. I had recently given up on the 'casual' relationship that was going no where and found myself to be unattached for the first time since I was 16. I hadn't expected to be spending so much time with my friends brother in law during my visit but each night, after everyone had gone to bed we stayed up talking. I wanted to hug him many times but he made me nervous. I was never too nervous to be affectionate. Except with him. I left that weekend with his address in my pocket. Little did I know that he would be the person who I would trust enough that I'd agree to spend my life with him.

And now we have had his baby. I don't regret it. Not one bit. Even though our relationship has gone through more ups and downs in the past months since her birth than it has in the nearly ten years we've been together. I look at him and I believe that it is all going to be okay.

Yet things, bad things have been happening to women I care about lately. The men in their lives have disappointed them in the worst ways. It shakes my confidence in my own relationship. We all want to believe that we are going to live happily ever after. When the happily ever after falls apart for people we know how do we pick up the pieces? And how do we not lose faith in our own happiness?

I Had A Dream (It Was Called the Long Weekend)

And finally the girl goes down. This has been the second day in a row that Baby A totally skipped her morning nap and despite being tired refused to nap before two in the afternoon! She has also been difficult to get down at bedtime. She'll be nearly asleep as per usual and I slip her into bed where she usually inserts her thumb and drifts happily off to sleep. Lately? As soon as I lower her body to the mattress her eyes open and she begins to cry, roll over and stand up. I then take her back to our room to try all over again. Or if I'm really fed up I'll leave her there to get tired and fall asleep on her own. Which never seems to happen anymore. With her new found ability to stand she has little interest in sleeping. I hope it's only yet another phase which will soon pass and she'll be back to two naps a day.

This long weekend was productive even though I worked on Saturday. On Friday evening our friends invited us to their house for a BBQ. Our other friends who are eagerly awaiting the birth of their son were also invited. I can hardly believe that I was in her shoes less that a year ago. I would have still been in the 'head in the bucket' stage. Weee! After everyone was finished eating Little A provided much entertainment with her unending energy. She demonstrated proficiency in crawling, babbling and coffee table chin ups. A good time was had by all.

After work on Saturday I put Baby A down for a nap and Papa D and I puttered around, tidying the house before our friends arrived for supper. Supper which I did not have to cook. We ordered the most delicious pizzas from a restaurant that just opened. We ordered a Bruschetta and Spanikopita pizza. We also ordered two pieces of Baklava for dessert. Mmmm! Decadent. Baby continued napping until we were nearly done eating. She was rewarded with much praise and cuddling for sleeping so long. After supper we all sat down to watch the riveting “Baby Galileo” and I impressed our guests with the extent to which my brain has gone mushy.

Sunday started off with a bang when Audrey got up at 4:30am and stayed up for an hour and then we both went back to bed. I didn't set an alarm for church since she always gets us up in plenty of time. When I awoke to her happy babbling at 10:00am I knew we would be late. We hustled but had no chance of being early. I think we were right on time. Our church program for kids called 'Promiseland' was full so we had to bring Little A into the service. She enjoyed the music but once the sermon started Daddy and I had to take turns walking around with her out in the foyer. This was our punishment for being late.

That afternoon while A slept we went outside and transformed our dumpy yard into a respectable one. Peter mowed while I dug evil weeds out of the flower beds. These weeds are so evil. How evil are they? So evil Peter had to help me once he was done mowing because I was only about half done. The night our friends came for pizza they brought us some plants for our garden. Sunflowers and a Lamb's Ear. After digging out all of the evil weeds I found special places for my new plants.

Since Peter didn't have to work on Monday we decided to rent a movie. We haven't done this in ages. Baby A did not want to cooperate and decided she would move her bedtime from 9:00pm to 10:45pm. She must have been able to sense how badly I wanted her to go to sleep. She must have tasted it in my milk or something. Later than expected we cuddled up on the couch and watched 'The House of D'. I am a die hard David Duchovny fan and have wanted to see this since I first heard about it. My review? It was pretty good. The acting was really good. I liked the idea of it. The story didn't quite flow the way it should have. David's goatee was unfortunate. I wanted to like it a lot more which is often the way I feel about movies that he is in. Because he wrote this one I really wanted to like it. Oh well. At least I didn't feel it was a total waste of my time. But the true test of a movie being good is my desire to watch it more than once. I chronically watch movies that I like over and over and over again. Examples in no particular order: Dirty Dancing, Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink, Say Anything, The Princess Bride, The Matrix. All of these I have watched at least 15 times each. At least. I wont tell the true number of times lest you all think I'm a complete nut... So anyway, 'The House of D' gets 2 ½ stars out of 5 from me. I'd give it three but that goatee... ick...

This brings us to the last day of our weekend. Monday. Although Little A was reluctant to go to bed at the proper time once there she stayed asleep until 8:30 Monday morning. This was good because we were late getting to bed after our movie date. It's so much easier to appreciate her after a good nights sleep. I looked forward to a productive day due to the fact that there were two of us to look after the baby. The day would have been even more productive had she gone for her nap at the usual time. Instead as aforementioned she didn't. I felt I spent the entire morning and early afternoon waiting for her to just go to sleep already!! Once she did we had a glorious time cleaning out the eaves troughs and watching Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter. (I'm so predictable...)

This weekend made me realize that the ideal way to raise children is with two parents at home at all times. When one is frustrated, the other can take over. Or if both are frustrated you can joke with each other about how frustrated you are. If you are only one person primarily responsible for child care you become mentally and physically exhausted. Sadly I am the person primarily responsible. This weekend was simply a tease of what an ideal life would be like. Sigh. Back to the real world.

Update at 'The Mama D Experiment'

The End of an Era...Almost

I am not a person who deals well with change. From big changes to very small ones I have difficulty adjusting.

Before Peter and I were married I bought a couch and matching chair. It was supposed to be for his apartment. The couch ended up being too big and awkward to get up the narrow staircase so my roommate and I made room for it. It wasn't a new couch. If I had to guess it's age I'd guess it was made during the 70's. When I bought it I thought it was cool. I was impressed that Peter who is 6'3 could lay down on it without his feet wouldn't hang over the end. We spent many comfortable evenings together sitting on it with our legs intertwined watching movies, television or just talking. A couple of springs had broken a few years ago but we flipped it over and managed to fix it. Many good times have been had on that couch. (Get your minds out of the gutter people. But yes, those sorts of good times too.)



Since Audrey was born our beloved couch has had a lot more use. I spent many late nights nursing on it. Spent many long days nursing on it. The many visitors that came by to see her piled onto it while they oohed and aahed over her. Something had to give. Unfortunately the couch blew almost half of it's springs. We flipped it over once again but the diagnosis seemed to be that it should be put out of it's misery. I sighed but knew it was true.



I began searching our local second hand stores for a replacement. The pickings were slim. You see, I like my 70's couch. I am not a fan of the puffy couches in pastel colors or even of the newer trends of leather or faux suede. I like my furniture to be funky or antique. It's a thing. That's when my friend (and former roommate) told me that his grandma needed to get rid of her couch and chair from her home. She was moving to a smaller place and didn't have room for all of her furniture. I asked about this couch. It seemed to fit my criteria. It was the right age and had a matching chair. It was even the right color. How much would she like for it? I asked. He told me it would be free. Free. How could I turn down a free couch? The problem? In order to look at this couch I would have to travel about an hour out of town to where his grandma lived. Feasible? Not really. Did I really need to see it, I wondered? After all, it was free. It sounded fine. My friend's mother even dug up a photograph for me. Unfortunately, the only one she could find was one from like, at least 30 years ago. It was hard to tell. Ultimately I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and said we would love to have it, thank you.

Last night my wonderful friend and his wonderful father drove out to retrieve this furniture for us. I was working until 9:00pm and knew it would be waiting for me when I arrived home. I had a small break early in my evening and I frantically called home. I asked Peter to please take a photo of our couch, you know for posterity. Not because I was being sentimental and let's face it, a little crazy. I believe I even asked him to “Make sure it looked nice.” ? Like how? Fluff it's cushions or something. He indulged me and told me he would take a beautiful picture and I was relieved.

I drove home from work feeling excited and anxious. When I walked in the door two of the chairs were sitting in my front entrance waiting for me to put them where I wanted them. I quickly said “Hi!” to the baby and walked into the living room. There it sat. It was a bit smaller, different shade of green and a different kind of fabric. I liked the style, it looked nice in the room. I could see it had been well used and was worn but I expected this. I sat down on it. It felt wrong. I observed it's cushions and fabric a little closer and noticed that it was extremely worn. I wanted so badly to like it and in a lot of ways I did. I felt profoundly sad. Peter stood there holding the baby and stared at me. “It's nice, huh?” he said.
“Uh huh.” I replied the sadness coming through in my voice.
“You don't like it do you?” he asked me.
“Um, it's just different. I didn't know what to expect.”
“Well, I think it's fine.” he told me. I felt worse. I was a terrible person. I should like this free couch that we were given but instead I just felt awful. Then the phone rang. It was my friend. We made small talk and then he asked me if I'd seen the furniture.
“Uh huh.” I said.
“You don't like it do you?” he asked.
“I feel really bad.” I said.
“It's okay, I had a feeling that you might not like it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, that's why I called. Do you want me to bring your old couch back?”
I officially felt like the worst person in the world.
“Um...”
“You have to make a decision now.” he told me “It's no big deal, I'll just bring it over now.”
“Okay...”




So he did. He and Peter carried out the old/new couch and chairs and carried back in our old couch. My anxiety floated away with only residual guilt remaining about my friend and his dad going to so much trouble for nothing. So, it's back. It's a little saggy and not as comfortable as it once was but I love still love it. I am still going to hunt for a new (second hand) couch but I am willing to wait until the right one comes along. No more blind dates for me. I need to fall in love with the next couch before I bring it into our home. Or I at least have to be infatuated with it.

Why?

My job has it's advantages. Like great hair products at cost prices, fabulous cuts (in exchange for a cut from me) and colors (in exchange for a color from me as well as paying for product). I also get to meet a lot of really great people and fill my extroverted social needs. I have mentioned some disadvantages here and here. I experienced something yesterday at work which fell into both categories. I thought about whether or not it was appropriate to write about it here but it really affected me and posed significant questions in my mind. Of course I'm not naming names and therefore decided that it would be safe to put it out there.

I was especially looking forward to seeing one of my clients yesterday. I have done her hair for a long time. She started coming to me several years ago when we were both unmarried and unattached. Over the years she's sat in my chair and told me about everything. I remember her telling me about a man she was dating. One day she came in and showed me the engagement ring on her finger. I did her hair for her wedding day. There was the day that she told me they were expecting. She had sent her husband to me and I have cut his hair several times. Throughout these years I also shared with her these same excitements in my own life. My engagement and the news of my pregnancy. She lent me so many beautiful maternity clothes while I was expecting since it was exactly one year after the birth of her daughter. I have many clients, many of whom mean so much to me. This woman is no exception, especially because we are close to the same age, but mainly because she is an incredible person.

So yesterday she sits in my chair and tells me that her husband has been cheating on her. With a much older woman. And how did she find out? An anonymous phone call from a terribly concerned elderly neighbor. My heart was breaking for her while she gave me the awful details. How this woman was supposed to be a friend of hers. That she looked her in the face so many times knowing what she was doing behind her back. She is understandably devastated, although I thought she was doing incredibly well. She seemed relatively calm which is likely due to her lingering shock about the situation. She feels like this person that she married is a stranger. He seems to have no remorse for what he has done.

I stood there in disbelief as she told me the story. I couldn't help but imagine myself being in the same situation and I felt physically ill. I can't fathom how someone could do that to another person. As she told me there were other circumstances that she'd imagined that would have been horrifying yet, more understandable. For instance, if he'd come home from a weekend away with friends and said he'd cheated and that he was sorry, it was a mistake and so on she could see MAYBE being able to forgive that. But bringing this woman, this friend, into their home over the course of at least two years... is unforgivable. Not to mention the fact that they had mutually decided to have another baby and were trying to get pregnant again.

It blows my mind and I had to talk about it. I guess on one hand I am thankful for knowing such a wonderful person and feel blessed that she feels comfortable talking to me about this. On the other, it is so hard to have clients that you have developed a friendship with share such heartbreaking news with you. I have listened to people talk about deaths, illness's, and breakup's. And occasionally clients have passed away. It's emotionally draining because I feel connected to these people and I really care about what's happening in their lives. I want to do something for them but really all they want me to do is listen. Then they leave and have to deal with the real consequences of what is happening. I am just left to wonder how they are doing and praying that they will pull through. Which is what I'll be doing for this woman and her little girl from now on. They are going to need it.

The 19th Letter of the Alphabet

Bon from 'The Mama' is passing around letters. I asked for one. And the letter she gave me is 'S'. My task is to write down ten words that begin with 'S' and explain why I chose them. Then I'm supposed to share the love and give a letter to any of my commenter's who'd like to play. Sound fun? Okay then, let's go...

Smart - This is always something I wanted to be but have never felt that I am. My next word could have been stupid, which is what kids called me in school when I was young. This is probably why even now I still doubt my intelligence. Also because I never did well in school and never went to University. Over the years I have realized that my skills lie in other areas than 'book smart' ones. I am wicked awesome at TaeKwon Do which takes brains plus physical coordination and skill. And I have the ability to make hair bend to my will as well as shape and sculpt it like artwork. Not traditionally things that would make the scholars of the world stand up and take notice but that's okay because if they were lucky enough I would give them an awesome haircut and then kick their butt!

Smile – Something I do a lot. I tend to smile with every tooth in my mouth. I smile when I think of Audrey. Or Peter. Or two of my best friends whose names also both start with 'S' but I didn't want to expose their identities.

Spoiled – Something that I have often been called by my older siblings because I am, the 'baby'. When people find out I was the last of five children they assume that I was spoiled or ask if I was. It's annoying. My childhood sucked so bad I hardly consider myself to be spoiled. Being accused of this always makes me want to fly into a rage and say a lot of hurtful things. I usually refrain. I also don't want to 'spoil' Audrey. My interpretation of spoiling is giving them every single thing they want. Since we are rather financially strained this shouldn't be an issue for us. Love, however. She'll get plenty of that.

Simply – This is the way we live our life. In my opinion.

Smack Down – Two words but I wanted a word that reflected my feisty nature. Everyone always thinks I'm such a gentle, nice girl. Which I can be. They are always surprised to find out that I have my II Degree Black Belt and that I love to fight. I am super competitive and hate to lose. I loved wrestling as a kid and occasionally go to amateur wrestling with my guy friends (including my best friend, Peter) and heckle with the best of em'.

Sims - This is a game I became addicted to. I haven't played it since before Audrey was born. I used to spend several hours at a time playing it. I would prioritize my day off, get everything done and then settle in and play my game. The Sims 2 was what I was playing before Audrey was born. I think it is the doll house come to life concept that sucks me in. I used to play Barbies for hours when I was little. The Sims reminds me of those days. But I'd feel like an idiot playing Barbies at my age. The Sims? Not so much.

Silly – A good description of my husband and I. Separately, or together. We have often described ourselves as weird too. Then we always agree that we're okay with that. Because we don't care for being 'normal' anyway. We like ourselves just the way we are. And Audrey seems to like us too.

Sumptuous – Why? Because it's fun to say. Say it! Sumptuous. I challenge you all to use it in a sentence as much as you can for one whole day. This is part of the definition I found: extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent. Magnificent, now there's a word. Now I want to do the letter 'M'!

Sex – You know you were all thinking it. So I said it. This seems to be a bit of an issue for most new Mama's. Usually, the husbands are ready long before we are, postpartum. I however was lucky? My drive was not totally killed by giving birth or lactation. Yet, again I seem to be the freak in the crowd. You think I'd be used to that by now but really, I just want to fit in.

Soul mate – My best friend, the person I will be with until I die, the father of my child, my lovah, my husband, Peter. (Kissy noises)

My Little Life - An Update

I hope someone noticed I wasn't here yesterday. Where was I? Standing in front of my work peers doing a presentation on 'Upstyles'. It was my first ever presentation. At least to people from work. I have stood in front of a lot of people teaching TaeKwon Do but this was different. One of the people was my boss. Another was a woman who has been in this industry about 10 more years than I have. I beat down the insecure voice inside of me that was saying “What can these people learn from YOU.”

Once I got started I thought things went pretty well. I spoke for about ½ and hour and then did three models. It was pretty weird standing and working in front of people. It gave me a lot more respect for the stage artists I have watched. There is an art to showing the audience what you are doing while being interesting and doing nice work. Everyone had a model of their own to do after I was done. I think everyone got something out of it. I did feel a little like a couple people might have found it to be a waste of time but hey, whatever.

What was really exciting was that Audrey spent the afternoon with the woman who will be looking after her on Fridays come September. That is when I will be adding a day to my work schedule. I am relieved to have found someone I trust who can look after her. When I arrived to pick her up all the kids were in the backyard and Audrey was in a swing. The sun was shining on her little head and she looked so content. It was a really great moment. She was happy to see me though which was also nice.

Today is my mom's 70th birthday. I can't believe it. I remember as a kid I always felt bad that my mom was 'so old'. Much older than all of my friends moms. I also remember imagining my high school graduation and how my mom would have a walker or be in a wheelchair by then. Not quite. I do still sometimes feel sorry that because of the age gap we do not have more things in common. When I hear about other people going shopping or to movies with their moms I get I little sad. She is coming over for supper tonight though and we are going to order Chinese food. As a family we are going to celebrate in a larger, more important way. A way that a 70th birthday should be celebrated. And try to distract her from her impending surgery date scheduled for June 26th. She is very anxious about it. I can't really blame her. Being honest, I am too. She taught me well.

In other news I posted TWO, that's right TWO new chapters at “The Mama D Experiment”. (Since some people think that one just isn't enough Feedback is very much appreciated. I happen to think 'Seven' is quite good. Write what you know...

Happy Mama's Day!

In honor of upcoming Mother's Day I am posting this email that I received from one of my best friends. I think it is fitting. I hope you all didn't already get it forwarded to your email. Have a fabulous Mama's Day!

Why God made Mums

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions !!!

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born. (I love this one!)

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring. (Ha!)
3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He Just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean. (I think I got three dabs of mean.)
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.


Why did God give you Your mother & not some other mum?
1.We're related. (Ah ha ha ha!)
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mums like me.


What kind of little girl was your mum?
1. My mum has always been my mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mum need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer? (No and Sometimes.)
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mum marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mum doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more
to do than dad. (Amen!)

What's the difference between mums & dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work. (Word!)
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but mums have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine. (Awww!)

What does your mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery. (Awww, hey wait a minute!)
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Independent Woman

I'm wondering if every day is going to be an exercise is frustration from now on. My happy baby has turned into my whiny baby. She used to wake up in her crib all happy and playing. Now she's often complaining soon after waking up for us to hurray up and let her out. She used to sit happily in her highchair playing with toys until I made her cereal. Now she's grumbling that she doesn't want to sit in the highchair and is studying the belt clasp and poking it with her little fingers trying to free herself from it's restraint. One time not so long ago, she ate with enthusiasm. Opened her mouth and said “Ummm!” when I fed her. Now she purses her little lips or if I managed to get a spoonful in she'll often push it back out. Sometimes with only enough force so that it runs down her chin but lately she has spit it out and it has landed on her sleeve or on me. She once enjoyed playing in her exersaucer but seems to have no time for it now. She'll tolerate it just long enough for me to accomplish what ranks highest on my list of priorities at that moment. On days when I work that priority is often trying to make myself look professional. How professional I actually look depends on her patience level for that particular day. She is just not the happy child she once was.

That is unless she is on the floor crawling or standing up on something. Then she's all “ha ha ha ha ha” the whole time. Really, she does that. This morning I thought I'd be a nice Mama and let her play on the floor in the living room. At first I thought it was going rather well. But then our cat decided he wanted to sit right with her. I repeatedly had to remove her tightly clamped hand(s) from his fur. You think he'd get the hint. Move. He just stayed there. She tried using him as an object to push herself to a standing position. I had to stop her several times. Still, our cat stayed in close proximity. I felt like I was looking after two children. No matter how much I tried to steer our cat away from her he wouldn't go. I suppose I could just let them work it out themselves. If she ticked him off enough he would let her know. But I am a peace lover so I haven't done it yet. I don't want either one of them to be traumatized by the other.


I guess I wasn't expecting this expression of independence so soon. That need to be out on her own, exploring and doing her thing. She wants me to be there. She's constantly looking back at me from whatever she is doing and her eyes are saying “Look Mama! See, I'm crawling. And watch this, I can stand. Ha ha ha ha ha.” And when she falls and she cries that awful cry that says “Oh, that hurt a whole lot!” I hold her and she seems confused. She was having fun and suddenly there was all this pain. How did that happen?

That's what I'm wondering. How did this happen? You were a baby. And now? Now you are this little person. You don't need me as much. You want to do big girl things and be on the floor. Not sit on Mama's knee or be carried around. You can do it by yourself. Until you fall. Then you need me.

I knew this was going to happen eventually. Like when she was a teenager. But now? I wasn't ready for this.

Mobile-licious

Today I feel tired and really I have no reason to. I mean, relatively speaking. Since having Audrey I have WAY more reason to be tired than I ever did before. Now I find myself thinking “Yeah, right.” every time anyone other than a fellow mama says “I'm exhausted.” I have a real chip on my shoulder about those things now. In any case though, I am pretty well rested today. I haven't worked since Thursday because I took Saturday off so we could actually go away for the weekend.

I think I know what the problem is. I'm thinking it is the fact that for about a week now Baby A has been a different kid. Peter and I were discussing it. We agreed that for a long time she was at a standstill. She knew how to roll over at the 'normal' age but once doing it a few times she stopped. Then for several months she was content to lay on her back or stand in her exersaucer and play. She was a pretty happy baby most of the time. Then in rapid succession she began to do everything we had been waiting for. She would roll onto her tummy from her back then onto her back from her tummy. Next she would roll and roll and roll to get where she wanted to go. Then she was up on her hands and knees and bouncing excitedly. Like idiots we wanted her to crawl. 'Wouldn't that be cute!' She started moving her legs and then falling forward. Eventually she learned how to move her hands forward at the same time. She didn't get very far. Next thing we knew she was motoring around like she'd been doing it for years.

I thought, okay, now I get a break. I'll get used to this crawling thing and be ready for the inevitable standing, walking stage. But no. No breaks for me. You have seen photographic evidence of her standing. She went right from crawling to pulling herself up on absolutely everything she can. Sounds great doesn't it? Except for the falling that comes along with the standing. That sickly thud as their little noggins hit the floor. (Am I reconsidering my love of hardwood floors? A little.)

All this has happened so fast. My immobile baby has turned into a kid who can get anywhere she wants to. And then pull herself up and get into whatever may be there for her to grab. It takes some getting used to. Nothing is safe unless it is too high for her to reach. I am frantically baby proofing things I hadn't even thought about yet.

And when, when do I do this baby proofing? When she is asleep? Partly. But she's not that interested in sleeping these days what with the places to go people to see business. Should I do it while she's chewing on a electrical cord or standing up at the coffee table in the other room? I put her in her exersaucer but she hates it these days because to her it is a prison. With colorful toys attached to it. She has no interest in doing anything that doesn't involve making me say “Oh no, you can't have that.” or her falling repeatedly and becoming slightly concussed.

I went to my La Leche League meeting last night. Soon after we arrived and I let her down on the floor for a minute she tried to climb up on something, fell and cried as though her one true love had just died. I picked her up and tried to console her while whispering “You're making me look bad in front of the other mama's.” in her ear. Kidding. I spent the entire evening trying to keep her from slobbering on other babies toys and blankets, climbing up and falling down and picking nail polish off everyone's toenails. All the while showing everyone my coin slot. At least my jeans were cool so it was worth it.

This new mobility she has gained it is exhausting. And not in the way that staying out drinking and dancing to long is exhausting. And not in the way that you just couldn't sleep last night, exhausting. It is an entirely new sort of exhaustion that will take some getting used to. Let's hope I get a break before she starts dating boys.

Mothers and Daughters

The 'Mama D Experiment' update is up.

Often on this blog I have vented about my mom. How she has caused me to feel paranoid about my ability as a mother. She has commented on the way I dress her, change her, play with her and especially feed her. In her eyes I should be feeding her round the clock. Although she has also questioned my milk supply so I guess that meant that she wanted me to feed her next to nothing, round the clock. This should come as no surprise to me since one of her favorite things in life is cooking delicious meals for her family and watching us stuff our faces until we all fall into overeating induced comas.

I remind myself often that she loves me and she loves my daughter. When she criticizes it is because she cares. I also must remind myself that she has been a mother much longer than I have and has raised five children. She is qualified to give me advice. It's just difficult to take when I haven't asked for it.

I was the fifth and last child in our family. My next oldest sibling was ten years older and wasn't really around much by the time I was about six. My three older sisters had long since moved away from home. I essentially grew up like an only child. My parents marriage had been unhealthy for many years. By the time I came along things had become much, much worse. My mother put most of her time and energy into trying to repair her failing marriage. Unfortunately, it wasn't working and she turned to alcohol to help her cope. Looking after me was a distraction from trying to fix her marriage and trying to cope from the fact that her marriage was falling apart. I became very independent at a very young age. There were many things that happened during that time that are still painful and have shaped who I am today.

When I was thirteen my father asked my mother to leave. Of course I left with her. You would think I would have been sad about it but I wasn't. I was so happy to leave all of that pain and unhappiness behind and start a new life. We moved to the city that we still currently live in. My brother and two sisters were living here also. It was at this point that my mother and I repaired our relationship. After the move she was depressed, but after many talks with my sisters and me she began to come around. Possibly the most important conversation was one that we had which I think shocked her out of feeling sorry for herself. It involved something that had happened to me as a child on a night when both my father and herself were completely passed out. I felt terrible to bring it up after so many years but also relieved to have finally told her about it. I think it was at this time she realized how awful things had been for me.

She never drank anymore once we moved here. I felt that she was there for me in a way she never had been before. We then became very close, since it was only the two of us. I lived at home with her until I was twenty-two.

I love my mother dearly. I forgive her for all of the things that happened when I was young. I understand why she was the way she was. I vow to never do those things myself as a mother but I can see where she was coming from.

One of my siblings once said that it is hard for her to listen to advice on child rearing from our mother. After all, she was hardly perfect. I agree. But she has a new perspective now. She may not have done things perfectly when we were young but if anything that makes her more qualified to recognize how to do things better now. I appreciate what she has to say even when it makes me feel bad. My job is to let her know how what she has said makes me feel. I am getting better at this.

The reason I am writing about this is because while we were away for the weekend my mother's knee gave out. She was in extreme pain and didn't tell anyone until the next day. She is doing better now and is still awaiting her knee replacement surgery. When I spoke to her on the phone on Sunday and she told me what happened I felt terrible. I really thought about the fact that she is getting older and she will not be around forever. When I think about her not being here I can't breathe. I can't imagine not being able to call her and ask her a cooking question. I don't know what we would do with all those days when we have lunch with her and spend the afternoon watching game shows. I don't know what I would do without her reminding me not to forget to put my daughter's hat on.

This mother daughter thing is complicated. And now that I have a daughter of my own it's become a lot more complicated. Sometimes it all just makes my head hurt. I just try to enjoy every day I have with both of them. Good or bad.

Why Didn't I Know About This?

This post contains information that some (male) readers may not enjoy. Consider yourself warned.

Something happened to me this weekend that really freaked me out. Peter and I went out of town to visit his parents. Let me just say that we haven't been away from home overnight since October. That was before Audrey was eating any solids and also before I had gone back to work. It was considerably easier to pack for an overnight trip back then. All I needed to worry about was bringing the Boppy, our clothes, diapers and the like. This time I needed to bring cereal, baby food, a bowl and baby spoon, a bib, my breast pump and it's many parts and containers in which to store the milk. Whew! It seemed to be a lot more complicated.

Anyway, Audrey slept the entire two hour trip and we arrived early Friday evening. It may have been because she had just woken up to find herself in an unfamiliar place but she seemed to 'make strange' for the first time. She is generally a very versatile baby and never minds hanging out with new people. In no time she got over it and was laughing and smiling at her grandparents. She went to bed at a fairly decent hour but unfortunately I couldn't resist the cable television and I stayed up a little later than I should have. She woke at 5:00 and even after a nice breakfast refused to go back to sleep. Her wonderful Daddy woke up at 6:00 and offered to take over so I could go back to bed. Which I gladly accepted. He came back to bed around 7:00 and we slept until around 9:30.

This is when I made my gruesome discovery. While in the bathroom I found that I had started my period. (I thought about saying 'Aunt Flo' had come to visit or something nicer but I'm not in the mood.)

I was amazed at how many emotions I experienced when faced with this. I was shocked because I hadn't expected it while I was still nursing. I was annoyed because I was almost totally unprepared, though luckily had a few girly items in my overnight bag to tide me over for a while. I was worried, I thought it had started because my milk supply had decreased and this is why my daughter had been waking in the night for the past couple of weeks. I felt guilty for being unable to nurse her as often last week and concerned that this was the consequence. I was also depressed because of everything this could mean. Had I caused this to happen? Would I have to stop nursing?

As I may have mentioned previously, I am a control freak. I hate things that are out of my control. I had imagined that when I was ready to wean Baby A I would and after she was weaned my period would return and I would then expect it. This was totally unexpected. I emailed some friends who told me that women often start their periods again after their babies begin eating solids. I felt so uninformed. I felt like the little girl who gets her period and doesn't understand what's going on. (Not that I was that little girl. I knew what a period was and I wanted to get it. Stupid me. I was ready to become a woman! Ha!)

I have friends and sisters who have had babies. Why didn't I know that this could happen? The only time I had heard about it was from a girl in my La Leche League group. She had talked about her milk supply decreasing and then getting her period. She began taking Domperidone which increased her supply once again and I assumed afterwards she no longer got her period. So my interpretation was if I had gotten my period I was obviously starving my baby. I felt panic. Until I received the replies to my emails which reassured me.

Now I am just dealing with the fun that is crankiness from regular mama sleep deprivation and the added crankiness from being menstrual. My husband is such a lucky man. I was a lucky woman until this weekend. I was loving the combination of no longer being pregnant while continuing to not have my period. I guess that kind of honeymoon can't last forever. I laugh at the fact that perhaps this is my body's way of telling me it's time for another baby. 'That is a funny joke body. You are so wrong, it is not yet time.' I suppose it is good to know that we could try, if we in fact wanted to. Which we don't. Not for at least another year and four months... and 5 days... and 8 hours... control freeeaaak!!!

The fact that she's started doing this stuff will suffice as birth control for a while.

Blissed Out

I am sad to report that my friend is heading home early tomorrow morning. We bid each other farewell this afternoon after enjoying a blissful morning having pedicures done. It was her first one. I'm not sure how many I've had. Maybe 6. It is a lovely treat. Here are some photos of our fabulous morning.

Before


Weeee! Rose petals!


Look Ma, no hands!



Trying to enjoy myself


Mmmm! Iced Tea-a-Licious


Hmmm. Which of these remarkably similar colors shall I choose? Pink, creme or tan?


Look at my pedicurist's ridiculously cute fingernails!


After



Our feet pale in comparison to the cutest foot of all!




Have a good weekend everyone!

I'm Sorry, Did You Want Clean Underwear?

Having good friends (whom you haven't seen in over a year) come to visit has nearly no drawbacks. I have had almost a week of one on one or make that one on one/baby, time with her. We have laughed, we have cried (Tears of laughter due to the fact that I took a series of photographs of her and Audrey in which she looks like she drank an entire bottle of gin by herself. Only she hadn't. I'd post pictures of that but I promised I wouldn't and she would end our friendship. Since she's a party pooper I'll post a more flattering photo instead. Tears of sadness while watching a sad movie. A movie! I watched a movie! I had nearly forgotten what those were.) and we have talked. It makes me remember what it used to be like before she moved away.



Technically, I only have one more 'day' with her. Tomorrow. I booked us simultaneous pedicures. It seemed like an awesome last day hanging out with your girlfriend activity. My mom graciously agreed to babysit while we are being pampered. I can't wait. I will be sad to see her go. If only we could afford to fly to visit her every so often.

This morning when Peter was digging around in an empty sock/underwear drawer I realized that in all my fun friend time I had neglected to do the laundry. It had occurred to me that I should probably do it soon but I hadn't realized the situation had become so desperate. I felt guilty that he needed to wear second day underwear all because I have been having too much fun. Oh well. I did the laundry while Audrey napped and my friend and I watched the rest of our movie. (Yes, although I watched a movie, it was too much ask to watch it all in one viewing.)

I have also totally run out of a few groceries. I intended to get them this afternoon before work but Audrey decided she would much rather stay home and have a nap. And as you all know, I try not to mess with the kid's routine. It's already messed up enough when I have to go to work. Lucky for both of us she loves visiting with her Auntie and her cousin enough to sacrifice that routine.

I find it so strange the way time disappears since I had a baby. I accomplish so much less in a day. If I go shopping with a friend or go for a walk (a nap would be totally out of the question!), something suffers at home. I can't seem to fit it all in. Or if I try I am up WAY too late and I become grumpy and exhausted. I guess what I am accomplishing as a mama, day after day, is far more important in the grand scheme of things, than a clean pair of underwear.

A Meme You Say?

GiBee at Kisses of Sunshine tagged me for this meme. I haven't seen it before and thought it was cool. It also worked well since I don't really have time for a 'real' post.

I AM: a mama with a lot to learn.

I WANT: to not want things.

I WISH: I my mom was younger so that we had more in common and so that her body wouldn't be so tired and painful.

I HATE: jerks.

I MISS: my friends who've moved away, my in laws, my sister and my niece.

I HEAR: my daughter laughing when I want to feel happy.

I WONDER: what my daughter will look like when she's older.

I REGRET: being so depressed when Audrey was born.

I AM NOT: perfect. Far from it.

I DANCE: when I can and I love it!

I SING: loudly when no one is around or with my husband in our car.

I CRY: often. I'm very emotional.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: on time these days.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: hair do amazing things.

I WRITE: from my heart.

I CONFUSE: what people really think with my own perception of what they are thinking.

I NEED: to stop worrying so much!

I SHOULD: go to bed.

I START: more than I should.

I FINISH: almost everything I start.

I pass it on to my new favorite blog - Total Mom Haircut. This girl can write. I am green with envy!

Cornucopia

(Blogger was not working earlier so I am late posting.)

Hello all. My beautiful friend is sitting here beside me while I post some pictures for you before we start our exciting day together. She named the post. Why cornucopia? Because there is an abundance of information in this post. And because she is cool!

I hate the way I look in this picture (everything about the way I look is awful. This is the sort of picture people put up on their fridge to remind themselves why they need to diet/wear makeup/get a better haircut!) but I wanted to show you my gorgeous, wonderful, hilarious, intelligent, glorious (my new favorite word) friend. I am so happy that she is visiting. I haven't seen her for far too long and I missed her so much.




These are pictures are from the hair show:

This is my coworker and I. (A much better shot of me don't you think? I didn't look half bad considering I got ready at 6:00am and I was dead tired by this point!) They had this weird area in the middle of the convention center that was set up like a living room with couches, lamps and a pool table!



These two were cutting hair and dancing to "My Humps". Uh, yeah. But the link there is far more bizarre. Seriously, what was this guy thinking?



The rest are just random shots I took to give you insight into my world. It's all for you internet. I never usually take pictures there.





The day was pretty much a success. Audrey whined for about the first 20 minutes of the drive to the city, then slept the rest of the way. Once we arrived I fed her in the car (Oh, yay!) in the parking lot. Then she and her dad drove off to visit the cousins and her aunt and uncle.

We did a bit of shopping for combs, clips and something I really needed and totally desired in the biggest way. A CHI iron. It's cool, it's blue and it's awesome. I can't wait to use it! We didn't spend as much time sitting at the stages as we would have like to but, time just ran out. Peter and Audrey came to pick us up. I planned to pump in the bathroom (Wheee!) at the show but I totally forgot until it was too late to bother. Then when Peter got there Audrey was fast asleep in her seat. I was busting at the seams. So, I sat in the front passenger seat of my car and pumped as we drove through the big city. Now that was a first. She slept almost the whole way home too. She apparently had a great time with her cousins, aunty and uncle. It couldn't have been more perfect.

It was an exhausting day but it's over now which means I won't stress about it any further. Now I can focus on visiting with my good friend for the remainder of the week.

Also, there is a nice juicy bit of an update at 'The Mama D Experiment'. Enjoy. And then give me feedback. Please. Thank you.