Elefant

On Sunday I took Lauren to the Strong Museum of Play for their Halloween festivities. She looked so cute in her "Leetle Elefant" costume. For the first couple videos I forgot to turn the camera, but this one's too funny not to share - because she was an Elefant on the go. I'm not sure where she was going, and I don't think SHE was sure where she was going, but she was determined to GO.



I also think she was intrigued by the fact that she suddenly had much more belly than normal.

She also did some shopping at the Mini Wegs and obviously already has the hang of it. Went right for the pasta like a good little Italian girl.



Her favorite part was seeing the "Elmos" - both the displays at the museum and the other kids dressed as Elmo. I find this funny because she barely watches any tv yet learned about Elmo at daycare (and via the decor on her diapers) and just LOVES him!

Finally bought the Jessica Seinfeld book, Deceptively Delicious, with recipes for sneaking veggies into your kids food. I got one for my sis too as my niece refuses anything that might possibly be remotely healthy.

As for me, Lauren is good about eating her veggies - I, however, am not. Which means I am not good at planning food that includes veggies. And while we're being honest here, I'm really not good at planning food period.

So I need to get on the stick, get organized, have recipes, make meals ahead of time - all the things I worried about as to why I'd be a bad parent (that and the not sleeping in part - but it turns out Lauren is a late sleeper - thank you God).

I'm really good at loving her until she (or I) can't breathe. I'm really good at outfitting her in cute clothes. I'm really good about making sure she is warm and safe. I'm really good about reading her books, limiting tv to about nothing (hence the reason I have to squeeze my tv watching in to the hours after 8pm) and singing to her. I am patient, nurturing, encouraging, and calm...

but the food thing is needing work, and soon - she grows so damn fast...

I am, so far, good about getting her fruit and veggies in the form of pureed baby food or cooked frozen veggies, but I now need to get good at family meals. Hubby needs to get good too. I am hoping this book will help - if nothing else, the cover is adorable and just looking at it will inspire me to do better.

Dancing at the Pumpkin Patch

Finally got some video uploaded. Lauren can't resist shaking her hips as soon as she hears music. The waving arms thing is something they do at Daycare. (Sorry the video is sideways, I wasn't thinking when I was recording.)

Recently, when something leaves her sight, she puts her hands out and says, "where'd X go? where'd X go?" Apparently the songs verse, "whoops there goes another rubber tree" begged her to ask the question, "where'd it go? where'd it go?".

This Metal is Dee-licious

This Metal is Dee-licious
Originally uploaded by tostina.

We went to two pumpkin patches this weekend. Quite fun. On Saturday Lauren got a fake tattoo of a ghost put on her arm. She LOVES tattoos and has spent the days since either saying, "tattoo, tattoo, ghost, boo" or crying and saying "tattoo? tattoo? sleeve" because her shirt is covering her tattoo. I don't think I can wash it off without having a replacement ready.

On a related note, I read about some new tattoo inks - one that fades over time - TLTs - Time Limited Tattoos, and one that gives you a permanent but easily "erasable" tattoo - with Freedom-2 ink.

I like this idea and this technological breakthrough might also save Hubby's life one day - the day Lauren comes home and declares, "I got a REAL tattoo, Dad!"

Oh my Aching Feet - but maybe not

Ok, even if I could afford them, I don't think I'd buy a pair of Christian Louboutins (which I think are GORGEOUS) because I would never get enough wear out of them to make it worth it - because I am not ready to suffer so much for fashion. If I am going to suffer, I will do it with a $40 pair of shoes that I won't feel bad throwing away after they cause multiple blisters and intense pain, not a $700 pair of shoes (though I could put them on a little shelf on my wall and call them art!).

I've had my feet kill me after walking in a pair of Crocs, so the idea of walking any amount of distance on a non-carpeted substance in spikey heels makes me wince in pain.



I've tried many inserts, but they don't really seem to help that much. But MAYBE, JUST MAYBE - help is here. I saw an ad for these Insolia insoles that were developed in conjunction with Rocket Scientists at MIT. If they can't figure out how to make heels comfortable, then basically, we're screwed (we meaning the collective group of women and transvestites who love to wear high shoes).

I am going to buy a pair as soon as I can get my butt to the store! I will let you know what I think!

BYE JERRY!

Ignore the video, but listen to the audio. As we were leaving Jenny & Aaron's house (already in the car, someone needs to learn the concept of - if you can't see them anymore, they probably can't hear you), Lauren started yelling, "BYE JERRY".

Could you get me some more crackers, Jerry?

When hubby and I were on our honeymoon cruise (back 16 years ago!!), there were basically two types of people - young, newly married couples and old married couples. Not much in between (except for the two young ladies just out of high school who, looking for romance, made a very unfortunate choice of ships... as the only young, cute, single men were the Czechoslovakian waiters who had to work about 18 hours a day).

Each night at dinner we sat with the same people and had the same waiter - Jerry. He was so nice, very funny, and very attentive. We sat with other newlywed couples and the two young girls. It was a very fun time. Jerry also had a few other tables made up of mostly old couples, with one lady in particular who would always be shouting for Jerry, in a thick New York accent, "Jarry, could you get me some more craaackers, Jarry?!"

Sooo... in talking up a storm, as Lauren does these days, she started to say "Jenny", except it comes out as "Jarry". And when asked to say "Aaron", she does, except it comes out as "Jarry". So Jenny and Aaron are Jerry 1 and Jerry 2. I think Lauren even called them, collectively, "Jerries" the other day, "Jerries go bye bye?".

So we are waiting for her to yell out, "Jarry, could you get me some more craaaackers, Jarry?!"

--> more apple picking pics from Jenny

Jenny & Aaron & Bumble Ink

In looking at their adorable stationary, I also checked out the daily comics at bumble ink... OMG, I think they know Jenny & Aaron very well because these comics couldn't be more like the two of them!! Jenny even wears her hair exactly like that, and I bet a dozen dollars that Aaron owns a helicopter hat.

Ikea Dreaming

We really need to take a drive up to Ikea. Here are some things I want to get for Lauren:

This seesaw, which she will have to share with a very heavy stuffed animal or wait for her cousins to come over.



And this set with the bed, wardrobe and dresser to make for a very cute room:

Last week Lauren and I went outside to play. This hat was a little small, but still fit. It is so cute, I will continue to put it on her for as long as I can squeeze her little head into it.

While we were out, I also caught a bit of video - Lauren singing the alphabet, sort of. She's done this a few times now, at first I wasn't sure - I thought, "did I just hear her what I think I heard?" and then one morning last week she sang, clear as day, "now I know my ABCs, YAY!". So I caught a bit of the elusive spectacle on video, but like a "Bigfoot" video, it still doesn't feel like absolute proof.

I'm sure that in hearing the alphabet 10 times a day for her entire life, it will soon be a staple of her repertoire and I will be able to capture definitive proof.

At Schoen Place today.

Lauren's New Glasses

After a very rough Friday - where she had to get a shot of antibiotics in each leg - Lauren was feeling better. We did pick up her new glasses - NOT the style I'd prefer, but what she needs for now. It has been a battle of wills getting her to keep them on (and yes, I am being defeated by a 19 month old).

She thinks it's fun for a minute, then says, "glasses, all done" and rips them off.



Then I take them, put them back on and say, "glasses on"... and the scene repeats until Mommy gives up.

Happy Birthday Honey

Today is hubby's 40th birthday. We've been together longer than we've been apart - 22 years. I've met him in 9th grade, he asked me to the prom in 11th, asked me to marry him in college, and married on a beautiful day in 1991. This past year and a half has been the best, he is such a wonderful Father. Lauren and I are lucky girls.

And still easy on the eyes.

Lauren and I are both very sick today. Bad cold. She also has an ear infection. We still tried to go to work/daycare today, but then I got a call from Daycare... when they got her up from her nap, she waddled over to the mini-bean bag chair and planted herself, somewhat dazed and half asleep. I picked her up early, ordered us a pizza, (she was very excited, repeating "peeza, peeza, peeza"), she ate a decent amount, played a bit, then passed out by 6pm.

I took some cold medicine and, 3 hours later, can almost ALMOST breath through my nose, but, of course, am not tired. Am wired.

Luckily, we are both "off" tomorrow - it is hubby's 40th birthday (though we may not be in any shape to celebrate)!!

Kissing Daddy Through the Window

When Daddy is out mowing the lawn, Lauren watches him through the door, yelling, "Daddy, Daddy". Daddy stopped over for a kiss.

F*ing Bumper

Fucking bumper!

--------
BACKSTORY:
My brother just sent me this photo of his bumper.

When I was out visiting him in LV in January, he had an "incident". He has an automatic starter on his truck so that he can get the air conditioning going early. But it's a manual transmission. So he leaves it in neutral.

Well, we thought I might go somewhere, so he left it in 1st for me.

Later, when WE went to go somewhere together, he clicked on his automatic starter as we were walking up to the truck. Suddenly, the truck lurched forward about 4 feet. We both stood there, in shock for a minute or two - when suddenly, it lurched forward AGAIN, another 4 feet, into a small retaining wall just past the sidewalk. In the shock of the first "jump", my brother had forgotten that the auto starter tries again.

This time he jumped in, put the truck in neutral, then started it and backed up off the retaining wall and sidewalk, back into the parking spot.

When he got out and assessed the damage, the bumper had been slightly pulled. He managed to snap it back into place, but the gap between the bumper and the body is slightly larger than it should be. What I like to call the only-noticable-to-him gap.

So all he can ever say about it, in disgust, is: "Fucking Bumper" - and we both laugh at the ridiculous stupidity of the whole thing.

As I mentioned last week, my brother moved back from LV. Since then he got 1 job, quit the next day, then started a new one doing groundskeeping at a golf course. He likes this one, but of course, it will end soon as the season ends. Then he'll be on to job 3.

My brother is so funny, even though he's broke, back living with his Mom, single, and will likely never have kids... he's giving my sister marriage advice and both of us parenting advice.

He's actually very sweet and helpful, he decorated at McDonald's playland for our nephew's birthday. Even my sister's husband wouldn't have done that.

Can you tell we have the same nose - we both inherited from Dad. Actually, Adam looks like a spitting image of my Dad, except chubbier and with red hair. Back in the 70's my hippy Dad had long hair and I used to braid it for him. I loved doing that, it was WAY better than having a Beauty Shop Barbie.

Posted new pictures of Lauren. YoBaby Yogurt is having a photo contest, so I snapped a few to maybe submit one. She truly does love the yogurt - it's a "go to" food.

She's starting to be able to repeat almost any word we say, so as she was digging through the laundry tonight, I said, "no, dirty, dirty"... and then she says it right back, "dirry, dirry". That makes her kind of like a fun toy... but I just have to be extra careful not to say some of my favorite words - jackass and dumbass - because I'm sure she'll find those fun to say.

These are the kinds of things that happen to my family...

After spending Thursday, Friday, and Saturday helping my sister move, she was officially "all moved in" to her new house on Saturday.

Sunday morning, at 5:32am, my cell phone rang. It was my sister. I answered but heard only static.

I hung up and she called right back. Again, only static.

Now I am starting to get very worried. She is in a new house and I am assuming something bad might be happening.

I hang up again and try to call her back, as I am calling, she beeps in - but again, static.

Panic is setting in.

I call her husband's phone. No answer.

I call her with my regular phone, thinking maybe it's a cell phone issue. No answer.

Now I am truly panic'd. I think I should drive over there (half hour drive) but am afraid to show up there by myself - if something bad is happening - little me is not going to do much.

I call 911. Tell them what is happening. They need the address. Seeing as though she JUST moved in, I don't even know the exact address.

As the 911 operator tells me that I will probably have to meet the police there, my Sister calls my home phone.

[In a very sleepy voice] "Teen, is everything ok? I saw that you called"]

Me: "You're phone was calling me, hold on a second."

I tell 911 everything is ok.

Me, back on the phone with my Sister... "You're phone was calling me (now I start mostly crying) and it was static and I was so worried that something had happened..."

Sher, "I was sleeping on the couch and my phone was on vibrate, then it started blasting your ring tone. I realized it was 5 something am and you were calling me and I panic'd that something bad had happened".

-----------

Yep, so these are the kinds of things that happen to my family. My sister's phone dials me at 5:30am coincidentally on the first night in their new house... and on my second call back, her phone switches to high volume, wakes her up and she gets panic'd. So we both get a boost in blood pressure, then relief.

It's just freaky, I tell you.

Crazy couple weeks. Grandma went into the hospital, was in ICU for a few days. Her heart rate had gotten very very low. Doing much better, hopefully home this week.

Found out Lauren needs glasses. This will be a challenge.

My sister moved and I spent most of my time helping by either packing, bringing food, and/or entertaining the kids. Note: entertaining the kids can be the hardest part!

Extremely excited to be going to the Toronto Film Festival next weekend. George Clooney is going to be there. If I had guts, I'd bring a box of hair dye and offer to dye his hair. I think of this (not because he needs it) but I read once (not sure where, gossip rag I'm sure) that someone saw him in a drugstore buying hair dye and he said it was "for a friend".

Colin Firth will also be there. He is my favorite. Really hope to see him (again).