stereotype much?

We went to the yard art place today. I've been wanting to go for FOREVER, and it was my treat for Mother's Day this year. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. It was way fun, even though it was 90 degrees.
But I wanted to go ahead and post this little gem. He was there among the concrete animals and bird baths, just chillin'. We were laughing hard at the details. I almost want to go back and get him and give him a home next to the mailbox. Doesn't everyone need a mailbox homie?

peace out.

Friday Flick - Derailed

Whatcha doing, Mom?
Are you taking a video?
A picture?
Can I see?
Can I look?
I'm hungry.
Is it about me?
Is it about Eleri?
Do you need me to sing?
Can I have a snack?
I have to pee.
Where are we going?
Can we go outside?
Want to take a video of me and Eleri outside?
Can we go to the store?
Can we go get a hotwheels car?
I'm hungry.
Whatcha doing?

When the rest of the world has gone crazy

When all the news is about swine flu, the economy, banks and the auto industry, storms, budgets, war, calamity...
There's a lot to be said for the simpler pleasures.
A cold creek on a hot day. A few minnows and a bucket.
Whatever else I may do wrong, at least I've managed to provide this basic joy to my boys.
And that, in my opinion, is a lot.

Look what she can do!

We have achieved another milestone!

Life is so much more interesting now. Sitting opens up a lot of doors. There are things to pat, grab, and squeeze. Bathtime is awesome with the splashing.

Toys are so much cooler when you can see a bunch of them in front of you and fling them around.

Most of our sitting time is still on the big bed because of moments like this. Sitting is so exciting, it's hard to remember how to keep it going sometimes! One little kick and over we go!

Another blog

I've been trying to get some things done around here, and set up a new blog as well. Something has to give, and for the past couple of days it's been this blog.
But the new one is up and running now.

http://rowansodyssey.blogspot.com

All updates craniofacial will be there.

Niall sings to Eleri

I've been trying to get video of Niall playing with Eleri for ages. He's so sweet with her, but every time he sees the camera he goes for the overkill and ends up being too rough. So I just asked him to sing to her so you can get an idea of the sweetness.

Not worried

I'm not worried about the Swine Flu. It's all over the news and people out there are going all nutzo about it, but really... Maybe I'm just stupid or something.
I do have asthma. And I have a kid who has asthma. And I have a baby. But I'm still not worried. We don't use public transit (not available), we don't go out to the movies or anything... Rowan is at school and John works on a university campus... but... It just seems silly to worry so much about something like that. Wash your hands before you eat. Wash your hands when you get home from going to the store. Keep your fingers out of your mouth. All those things you do to keep from getting the regular flu - just do that. Sure, there's no shot, but MOST people don't get the shot anyway, and they make it through every winter just fine.
I may sound callous, but the deaths are over reported. Over 30,000 people die every year from the regular flu. 236 cases (not deaths, just cases!) isn't going to make me get my panties in a wad. It's just not. And I'm not going all nuts on the antibacterial soap. Flu is viral anyway.
I think that if the media had anything else to talk about, this wouldn't be hyped up so much. They're just tired of talking about the failing car industry and stupid banks. If they had anything else to talk about, this wouldn't be such a big deal.

_______________________________

I love it when Niall tells on himself. I was just putting him down for a nap and he said, "Mommy, I hid a car in my bed because I don't want you to find it. So don't take it!"
I didn't.

Family Hair Update

Because you know the state of our hair concerns you. ;)
I got my hair cut today. It was long overdue. The last time I had it cut was before I got pregnant with Eleri. I went to the hair place that my neighbor, Heather, recommended.

I think she did a good job!

Rowan's mohawk is back in action.

Niall once again has a "fuzzy head."

And you have to get Eleri's hair wet to see how long it really is.

John and Loki's hair remain unchanged.

6 month well check

Our Pixie baby is a dinky girl! 24.25 inches - 10th percentile
14lbs 11.5oz - 25th percentile.

Awww.

No shots today. She was due for some, but I refused until the snotty goes away. No sense in making things worse when it's not really time sensitive. A nurse shot visit in a week or two will be fine.

After her ped visit, I decided to head over to the mall and check out the sale at Gymboree. I have to admit, I'm a Gymbo failure. Even with the sale prices, I can't bring myself to buy. The stuff is cute, great quality, well made... but I grew up shopping at the Ramblin' Rose.
Ahh the Ramblin' Rose. It smelled like attic - kind of dank, kind of musty. It was Mom's favorite store in the universe. I hated going. It felt like we were there for hours, but it probably wasn't really that long at all. Over the years it got better. I discovered that I could get some good books there. We moved away before I was really old enough to appreciate all that was possible at the old RR, which is too bad. Mom still hasn't lost the thrift store bug, though, and I love to go with her whenever possible.
All this to say, I'm a thrift store mama. And maybe next summer those cute shirts that I saw at Gymbo today will show up at the Children's Orchard or the Guardian Angel.

6 months old!

I've spent the day trying to get pictures. Still working on that. Someone would rather stand up ALL. THE. TIME. God forbid I put her down and make her actually be on the floor.

I did make her a new dress. And here's what she looks like when she gets to do what SHE wants to do.

The hair, the hair, it's everywhere.

The hair - post pigtails.

Massive amounts of snot will wreck your fashion sense

Yes, I'm sorry to admit it, but all that snot is never a good thing, especially when you combine it with all of that hair. You can look at me like that all you want to. It's just not a good combo.

You see... when you have all that snot... it makes a lovely cement to stick your hair to your cheeks. This calls for drastic action.

Yes. I am aware of how it looks. You're cute enough to pull it off. Just go with it.

Don't look at me like that! It's not my fault! Okay maybe a little. I did pass on the massive snot genes to you. Your dad did, too. Did you see the size of his nose? And you can blame your brothers' coughing on you for the cold. That was all them.

You can make this work. You have the power of cute on your side. No one else could pull off a 'do like this. Remember the primary objective. Hair crusted to your cheeks is not a good look for anyone. Insane pigtails? If your brother can rock a mohawk, you can do this. Just dig deep.

It's a tough job, but you make pigtails look easy. Even if they're sloppily done by your wack-job, sleep deprived, decongestivated mother.

See? The added sheen of snot on your cheek just adds to it.

Cinderfella

His wife will thank me some day.
Really, when you get down to it, cleaning the toilet is the perfect job for Niall. I put in the cleaner and do the preliminary swish, and then he gets to stand there and swirl and swirl until there is a bunch of suds. It's superfun!
The hall bath is the boys' bathroom, and I don't know what they do in there but standard cleaning is not enough. Standard cleaning still leaves that oh so lovely urine reek. John tells me that his mom resorted to mounting plexiglass on the wall next to the toilet when he was a boy, because they were ruining the wallpaper - so they must come by it honestly.
But ya. Bathroom cleaning from now on is going to mean that Niall puts on his bathing suit and we go in with a bucket of Dr. Bonner's and hose the place down. 'Cause the standard job just isn't going to do it.

They think I don't know...

She thinks I don't know about her.
She thinks I don't see the way her eyes light up when he walks into the room.
The way her eyes follow him wherever he goes.
The hair on his collar.
The way his hand will absently seek her out, even when he isn't paying attention.
Oh ya.
I see it.
I know about her... the other woman.
The wife always finds out.

snork

We are sick. Eleri has her first cold. It's very pitiful. Last night she was just lying in bed with me, whimpering.
So I'm not worrying about the friday flick. If someone does something cute today, I'll film it and maybe get around to posting it. But I wouldn't count on it. We're all snotty noses and puny feeling here.

Accomplished

• Get fitted for nightguard: check
• Lunch with John: check
• knit night: check
• portrait of the kids:

check.

Don't worry, Grandparents. You have an 8x10 copy waiting for you.

That was a lot for a day. I'm off to bed now. 'Night.

True to form

I wrote this for the blog on April 6, 2006:

With streaming eyes
And wads of kleenex in my nose to stop the drips
I stand guard on my front porch
Perched in my chair
Sipping tea and knitting
Wiping the accumulated goo from my eyelashes
I smile at the chirps and twitters
As I look at the flowers and the yellow dust that coats the world
I feel the sun on my skin and the breeze on my face
Knocked slightly demented by antihistimine
I am determined to enjoy this season
Even if it kills me.

It would be true today, except I don't have a front porch anymore and I can't take the antihistimane that knocks me silly because of the whole nursing the baby thing. I think I was nursing Niall at that point, but he was older and didn't sleep in my bed. Oh well.

Today I am snot-tay. Pixie wants to sleep, and probably would if I could go without sneezing long enough. As it is she's meowing in her saucer and blowing raspberries. That's her new thing. Her shirt is always soaked. I'm going to have to find the bibs.

It's Monday! Laundry day! Compounded by getting out the summer clothes! And diapers! And and and! But I'm making chili for dinner and I'm thinking cookies are in order too. It's overcast and dreary. We should have cookies.

I did take egg dyeing pictures. I have to get them off the camera. There are no Easter clothes pictures because I'm planning on taking the kids to portrait innovations for that. I think I'll go make that appointment right now.

Friday Flick!

Someone is growing up entirely too quickly.

Confession

I am an unwilling cosleeper.

I didn't plan on it. Rowan never coslept. There was no lying down to feed him. I had to squeeze the milk into him, burp him multiple times for every feed, hold straight upright so it wouldn't come out through his nose... It was a labor intensive process.
And then I had to put him down and pump so I could do it all over again. There were times that he would be crying in his bassinet and I couldn't do much because I was pumping and was half dead on my feet and barely coping as it was.

And then there was Niall. He was SO EASY to feed. I learned to nurse lying down. I fell asleep. I woke up when he wanted to nurse again and I would roll over and give him the other side. I fell back asleep.
I finally booted him from my bed when he was 10 months old and a very greedy, rude sleeper.

I have fallen into that situation again. Eleri snuzzles up to me and I fall asleep while nursing her. She wants the other side, we move and do it all again. And I thought that I was going to try to move her into her side-carred crib.

yeah, right.

I put her in there the other night because she was meowing and smacking around, and I was tired. She meowed a little more and then just rolled over and went to sleep! By herself! Without nursing!

I thought victory was mine! I stretched out, luxurious under the blanket that I could pull all the way up to my shoulders and not have to worry about smothering my precious little baby. And I lay there. And lay there. And couldn't. fall. asleep.

Finally at about 12:30 I got her out of her crib and pulled her back into the bed with me. I nursed her a little since that woke her up, and then we both drifted off. I admit it. I didn't want this, but now I can't fall asleep without my living, breathing, little teddy bear. I have cold shoulders. I'll deal.

---

Thanks for all the comments on the state of the house vs. life. It's good to know that there are other people on the same page. And you know, it makes me wonder...

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we care so much that we rush around squirreling things away when we know someone is coming over? Why do we present a better face to the public than we present to our own families?

I think that this is something I need to work on. I think I need to have it nicer for my family and not worry so much about the guests. Maybe my friends are secretly glad to see the screwdriver on the mantle and the stack of whatever that is in the corner, because they have the same thing at home. I think I want to keep it a little nicer around here than it is today, and have that be the face that the world sees, too.

And then I really want to tackle my bedroom. It should be my sanctuary instead of being the catch all for what I'm hiding from the rest of the house.

Does it count if the fruit/veggie portion of my lunch is salsa?

You bet it does. That means I'm eating.

You see, that's one of the things about being here at home. Some days, most days, I'm just pulled in so many different directions that I forget what it is I'm supposed to be doing. Like feeding myself.
Most days I feel like I didn't get anything done at all.
Some days I spend forever doing a simple thing like changing the look of this blog, and suddenly it's 2pm. The kids have been fed etc and are napping, but what happened to me in all of that?
I'll tell you what happened. I'm still in my jammy pants. That's what happened.

I'm sure most moms are like this. I have the kids, the house, the laundry, the food, editing, cleftadvocate, soggy granola, the birth defects board at babycenter, real physical people here in town, the list goes on and on and I really should have cleaned the carpets this weekend but the carpet machine is sitting by the ironing board in the kitchen right where it's been sitting all week.

And none of it (aside from making sure everyone is fed and reasonably sanitary) is VITAL. It's all just... stuff. The stuff I do. The bits and pieces of things that make up what I've ended up doing with my life. It will get done, eventually, and until then...

Sometimes I think that I should be one of those people who has the sparkling house. Everything has a place and everything in it. But then would I take a whole day to make a blog prettier because I wanted to? Would I go edit fanfiction for people that I don't actually know in real life because it helps both of us learn in the process? Would I pop in on a forum several times a day just to see what's going on?

I think I'd be lonely.

And so here I am. Pulled in however many directions, but getting some of it done. Sometimes.

fiddling again

I'm going to be fiddling with the look of this thing again. So if it looks screwy, it's not you. It's me.

Walky bike

Okay! This is Niall on his walky bike. What's a walky bike? It's what we call a balance bike. In this case - a 12" bike that has had pedals, chain and guard, and whatever else removed.
The theory is that a child will learn to balance better if they use their feet to push them along instead of using training wheels. The bike has to be low enough to do this comfortably, and once they get going fast enough a kid will raise their feet and balance without paying too much attention - it just comes naturally.
It worked great for Rowan, and it's working again. Not bad for a bike that we got for free from the neighbors! So here's the Friday Flick that was supposed to happen while the laptop was in the shop.

it's back

The laptop is home again. We're getting reaquainted. And I haven't been sleeping well lately, so my brain is oatmeal. I'm trying to upload some video now. Stay tuned.

be advised

the computer is flodging. I'm trying to upload video but it may die.
Taking it in today, so it might be a while before there's a new update.

Breaking News!

Eleri can roll over!
Film at 11.

behind my time

I have not updated. Yes. I know. Exciting times here chez sweet tea...
Rowan is on track break still. Eleri will be baptised on Saturday, and Niall is getting better at riding his walky bike.
And today.... today we have achieved pigtails. Click the picture to make it bigger.

brainworm, the good kind

I woke up with a hymn running through my mind, and I couldn't remember the words.
Google is awesome, though. And I found the whole thing just by putting in the one phrase that I remembered. So I'm putting it here so I can find it easily when I want it. It's called Will You Let Me Be Your Servant.

Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too.

We are pilgrims on a journey; we are trav’lers on the road.
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night time of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow till we've seen this journey through.

When we sing to god in heaven, we shall find such harmony,
born of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony.

Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I might have the grace to let you be my servant, too.

I have plans for this. It's going to be beautiful.

Friday Flick!

This makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE TIME!




Thank you very much. We're here all night.
Be sure to tip your server.

Welcome to the office Ms. Pixie

We're so pleased to have you on our team. Here is your desk.

I expect it will meet your needs perfectly. It's the same one your brothers used when they worked for us. How are they doing these days? Good? I'm so glad to hear it!

I'm sure you're anxious to get to work, so I'll get out of your way. Remember to look over the memo. We have a new cover sheet for the TPS reports.

You're a little young to be joining our team, but you seem to be enjoying the office environment. You'll be working on a limited basis until you learn the ropes. We'll decide further on your performance review next month.

lunchtime tip

Heat the spaghetti-o's in a big pyrex measuring cup.
Then you can pour it right into the bowls. No big spoon needed.

Ya, it's been that kind of day.

Maireann croí éadrom i bhfad.

That means something like the lighter heart lives the longest.
That's what I'm going for anyway.
Happy St. Pat's! I'm going to try to get back into the blog groove again. I got out of the habit during our visit to SC.

We started the day with an old family tradition. Green Cream of Wheat! I told Rowan that it's only green one day out of the year. It's magic! He wants to have it again tomorrow to see what color it turns on regular days.

Niall wasn't nearly as enchanted. This may be he only bite of it that he took. Someone needs to recognize the magic of the green bowl o' wheat. Sláinte!

Hi

We're home from SC. I took lots of pics. They'll be on snapfish soon.
And no, I don't update the blog when I'm down there. Too busy! Too much to see and do!
But we're home now, so I'll be back at it.
Just to tide you over:

So... MOTY moment

Some days you just chase your tail.

Yesterday was Eleri's well visit for 4 months old. She's doing great! 13lbs 9oz, growing, thriving, prevacid is working, yay yay yay.
Niall woke up with a puffy eye. So, when I got to the doc's office I asked them if we could piggyback a check on him with our visit. Yes. So score for us!
We didn't know if he had something in there, or if he was trying to get pink eye, or what... so Dr. A put some contrast stuff in there and shined a black light in his eye to see.
Are you picturing this? Imagine how easy it was to get him to cooperate. Just imagine.

So is it any wonder that I forgot that it was early release day at school?

I got a call at about 12:20, "Mrs. D, did you forget that it's early release day? I have Rowan waiting for you in the office." D'oh!
I tore around, getting Niall up from his nap (he hadn't gone to sleep yet), getting Eleri out of her swing (she was very asleep and didn't enjoy the waking), slamming the door, buckling in carseats, getting my keys caught in the carseat buckles...
School is only about 1.5 miles away... but still... I forgot my KID.

Rowan was sitting there on the floor of the office, with the 3 other children who were also waiting for forgetful parents. He thought it was funny. The office staff were very understanding. Eleri's hair glossed over any disapproval. Rowan told me that maybe I needed more coffee.

So ya. Some days I don't blog. And now you know why.
Oh, and Niall's eye? nothing was in it. We have drops because he thought it was the beginning of pink eye. I get to put them in BOTH eyes, 3 times a day. JOY.

Proof they love each other

We've been having bed time issues for a while now. They are boys. Sleeping is lame. It's more fun to jump off the bunk bed and fight and yell and carry on.
Last night, I had a plan. IF Rowan was trying to go to sleep and Niall was pestering, I was going to let Rowan lie down in our bed to fall asleep there. We could move him later.
It would be easier to move Niall, since he's on the bottom bunk, but Niall is not to be trusted in our room.
BUT, last night, Rowan was part of the problem. So John threatened. It didn't work. (It never does.) Then I went back there. I made Rowan go into the playroom. He got to have his pillow and blanket and he had to lay on the floor. (Again, can't make Niall go in the playroom. He'd just turn on the lights and start playing unless I sat right there with him. I have no desire to do this by the end of the day.)

How to prove they love each other

1. Separate fighting children

2. Forbid them from being near each other
3. Ignore the small noises you hear from them trying to sneak to be together. (If they think they have to be quiet to get away with something, they are extra quiet.)

awwwww

Why NC is awesome

If you don't like the weather, just wait a few days. It will change. Today it's 36. I'm not going to Target because it's cold out there. But that's ok. If I wait and go on Thurs it will be 60.
It won't be this nice in the summer, when my choices will probably be a range of 90 something. But hey, snow one weekend and grilling out the next? I can do that.

Yeah. riiiiiight...

You all know that I'm a stay at home mom, right?
Well, someone needs to inform the Biltmore Who's Who. Apparently I've been "recently chosen as a potential candidate to represent the professional and business community of [your town], North Carolina, in the Biltmore 2009 Honors Edition of Who's Who Among Executives and Professional Women.
The Publishing Committee selected [me] as a potential candidate, based upon [my] current standing as well as criteria from executive and professional rosters. Given [my] background, the Publishing Director believes [my] profile would make a fitting addition to [their] Honors Edition publication."
Really? *cough* Excuse me. I think I must have swallowed wrong. or something...
There's no cost to be listed. We'll just have confirmation of your mailing address, that's all. So we can solicit you to buy the Who's Who book. The Honors edition. It's chock full of other putzes who fell for this gag. And you can be listed right there with them! We don't want anything from you, really. Nothing at all...

4 months old

Yes, it snowed here today, but not as much as we got earlier this season. I took a couple of pics, but Eleri and I opted to stay inside and look through the window. I had this post planned for today anwyay.
Eleri turned 4 months old on Friday! It's hard to believe she's that old already, and harder to believe that she wasn't always with us. What did we do before we had this sweet little girl? I said that about both the boys too. :) What on earth did I do before I had kids?
So anyway here are a couple of shots from her 4 month old photo shoot. The rest of the pictures for the month of Feb can be found here. Why yes! I am working on being on the ball again. How did you guess?

She started out the day in this outfit. So cute! I had her in a sposie diaper because I didn't want to fiddle with tights and a diaper/cover combo. Bad choice. Of course she had a poo, and of course it went right up the back. Why do I even bother? That never happens in her sandies. *sigh* So out of the pretty little dress for the rest of the pictures.

I love her expression in that last picture.
Her 4 months ped visit is on Thurs. I have a feeling we're going to ditch the prevacid for prilosec. It's just not quite doing the job for her. Poor baby.

giggle

Fran will really like this one.

Austenbook

Rowan Dynamite!

Yes, I am aware that I didn't write yesterday. It will happen.

Today marks the begining of "Friday Flicks." Check back on Fridays for new videos of the kids doing something cute.
Have a good weekend!

TMI Science Fair

So you probably aren't all that concerned about my body odor, unless you are John who has to share living space with me, and even then he didn't say anything. But it's actually pretty hard to come up with something to write about every day, so here. In the spirit of the science fair...

Introduction: I was walking around like a schtank bomb, applying D.O. at least twice a day and STILL smelling myself. It was possibly post partum hormones, but ew! So I did some research.

Hypothesis: It may be hormonal, but DANG! Something has to help. Vinegar seems to clean everything. Why not give it a whirl?

Materials and Methods: Purchase 1 bottle of apple cider vinegar for 97 cents. Apply liberally to stanky body parts. Walk around smelling like salad for 15 minutes. Shower. Repeat vinegar pretreatment for every shower.

Results: I have experienced a marked decrease in foulness. I can now apply deodorant in the morning like a normal person, and not need to rush back and put more on when my nose gets too close to my pits.

Discussion: It's completely worth the 97 cents. I'm sure Eleri appreciates the odor decrease as well, since she hangs out in the general vicinity of my mid-body region most of the time. Vinegar really is magical. It can fix anything!

I said that I'd write something every day

But really, today I got nothin'.
Today was the big grocery store blitz. Aldi, Kroger, and Lowes Foods. But I shouldn't have to go again (except for milk, bread, and eggs) for two weeks.
And tonight is knit night. I have to take Eleri (her highness disdains the bottle) but I'm going to go out anyway. Hmm.... I wonder if they have decaf soy latte?

Eleri reflux update

I was really hoping to be able to do a dairy trial soon, but no such luck.
Over the past couple of weeks our baby has been getting fussier again, and is gurgly again, and anointed our bed (and me) again. So, off to the ped!
She's now 13 lbs 4.5 oz. A far cry from the 21lb 4 month old that Niall was! *whew*
Ped agrees that her reflux is not being managed well with the zantac, so we added a new med. I have to call them back and find out if this med is supposed to be in addition to the zantac, or instead of the zantac. I forgot to clarify that. And the pharmacy didn't have the order when I hit the drive thru on the way home, so I need to make sure it actually got sent over there, too.
But we shall see. She has her 4 month well baby check next week, so now is the perfect time to try it out because we'll already be there to follow up.

And no dairy for me. At least I'm used to it. I still hate it, but I'm used to it. Tonight we're having enchiladas without cheese. Some day I'll get cheese again. I just have to look at her little face and remind myself that it's all worth it. Every little bit.

Do the weekends count?

I'm going to have to go with a no on that one. Weekend posts will be bonus. There are way more people in this house on the weekends, and I have to maintain the illusion that I have it all together.
Today? Not so much. But this one wasn't my fault.
Trust me on that one.
Our invitation said 2-4pm. The actual party? 1-2:45. So getting there on time... wasn't really.
But that meant that we avoided the whole germ studio that is Jump Zone, at the madhouse time of the weekend afternoon. *wipes forehead*
We'll make it up with a trip there during track break, when all the other kiddies are in school.

a pox on gauge

I had to rip out the second leg of Jessica's britches. The ones with the 12" inseam.
Because I didn't notice that I knit the whole thing with the wrong size needle.
The whole. durn. thing.

Now I am way behind.

60 minutes of pure gold

If Eleri wakes up at her usual time (7:30) all is right with the world. Sunshine and butterflies abound.
If, however, Eleri wakes up at 6:30 - which she does some times for no apparent reason... well...
This is all I will be writing today.

for the comments

If you ask a question or something in the comments - I will comment back to you there. This might give me an inflated comment number, but it's the only way I can think of to handle that bit.

Still pictures do not convey the loudness

husband meme

I lifted this one off facebook/dooce. It's as good a way as any to get the blogging going. And I'm letting Niall play in the bathroom sink with a couple of bulb syringes (I shut off the water supply under the sink. Mama ain't no fool) so I have a little time. I secretly love doing these things anyway.

Questions about you and the hubs:

What are your middle names?
Mine is Elizabeth, his is Howell. I decided to not do the Southern Girl thing and dropped my maiden name when I got married. Maybe I was tired of spelling it? Maybe it was because of that time in 5th grade when Matt Ripley erased a "D" at the end of it on the front of my notebook, making it say "Wehrd" (weird). Remember that? When notebooks came with those paper covers and you could use an eraser to write on them... anyway...
Howell is a family name. His mom has a coat of arms with it on there hanging in their house somewhere. If his middle name had been Thomas, he would have been a "IV."

How long have you been together?
We started dating in 1997, so 12 years. Actually it will be 12 years ago Saturday that we had our first date.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
I met him a year before, but I didn't really know him know him. We lived in the same dorm the next year, and I saw him around, thought he was a hottie.* Started to be friends for a little over a month, and then started dating.

Who asked whom out?
We decided it was our first date after the fact. It just worked out that way. But I said that I liked him first. Totally me there. I'm still impressed with myself over that one.

How old are each of you?
I'm 33, he's 32. I'm 8 months older. Rowan frequently reminds us of this fact. He also reminds us that I am the fattest. He's sensitive like that.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mine by default. Ben was in Italy and then England for a long time. Dan is all over the place. My sister lives with my Mom and my brothers live 3 blocks away, so any time we see her we see them too.

Which situation is hardest on you as a couple?
I think figuring out how to deal with the kids. That and figuring out what to do about dinner.

Did you go to the same school?
Yep. We met at USC. Go Gamecocks.

Are you from the same hometown?
No. He lived in Spartanburg his whole life until going to college. I lived in a few places before landing in Greenville.

Who is smarter?
I'm not going to touch that one.

Who is the most sensitive?
Let's put it this way...

Me ----------John

That picture was the whole reason I wanted to do this meme.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Couples do that? Without kids? What's that like?

Where is the farthest you two have traveled as a couple?
Again with the couple business? I guess you could say Oregon, but we moved there. Does that count? Maybe. It seems that when we travel, there's always other people involved. Like we went to Vermont, but Fran was with us. Or we'd go to Indiana, but that's to visit my family. The only "vacation" we've ever been on where it was just us was our honeymoon. That's just how it goes when you have small children.

Who has the craziest exes?
ummm... again with the not touching that one.

Who has the worst temper?
That would be me. John quietly seethes. I freak out on a semi-regular basis. It works for us.

Who does the cooking?
I do. It really annoys John when he asks me how much of something goes into what he's trying to make and I look at him blankly and then say "some."
He sticks to the stuff with directions printed on the box.

Who is the neat freak?
Neither of us. Our house is a spectacular balance of chaos held together with duct tape.

Who is more stubborn?
Ummm me? Him? Not sure.

Who hogs the bed?
I do. By far. Why not? He lays there like a log. A vampire log. If you don't use it, you lose it, buddy.

Who wakes up earlier?
He does. Rowan comes tiptoeing in and wakes us both, but John is the one who gets up. Right now I'm using the excuse of being up several times a night with the pixie.

Where was your first date?
We went to see the re-release of The Empire Strikes Back. I wasn't too big on going, but everyone was so I went too. He paid for me because I didn't have any money to go, and he offered so I wouldn't have to stay back at the dorm by myself. There was a guy dressed up as Princess Leia there. He had Honeybuns on the sides of his head for her hair. and a beard. But anyway, then we got separated from the group and had to sit by ourselves. And then they all left us so it was just us in his car going home, only we didn't go home - we went on a hunt for an open Taco Bell. We drove all over but they were all closed, so we settled for Burger King. And then we went home, but he didn't go home. We hung out in my room and I told him I liked him and then we went to sleep because we had Adopt A Highway the next morning. Awww.

Who is more jealous?
Me. I can admit it. I have a post-partum body and he works on a college campus. But that's ok. I'm secure. And he puts up with that whole Johnny Depp thing. And that Jacoby thing... and that Eddie Vedder thing... and that Edward the vampire thing...

How long did it take you to get serious?
I don't think we ever considered anything other than serious. Once we finally admitted that we liked each other, there was no going back. I remember he was making plans for the summer when we'd only been dating for a couple of weeks, and thinking "okay then," and that was that.

Who eats more?
I eat more at a time, and he eats more often. Only I'm eating pretty often now, too, what with the whole breastfeeding thing and all.

Who does the laundry?
I do the laundry, he does the dishes. Mostly. Sometimes I have to do a load of dishes, and sometimes he has to switch the laundry over for me. I don't recall him folding things though. Punk.

Who's better with the computer?
That is his domain. I whine and say "fiiiiiiix it."

Who drives when you are together?
He does. If he drives, I get to knit. That sounds fair to me.

*Hottie - a specific term for boys that Rachel and I used. One could be a hottie if you enjoyed his looks from afar. If you spoke to him, it had to be brief comments here and there. No real conversation. This was called an encounter. If you actually got to know the hottie and had real conversations with him, he could no longer be a hottie. He would either remove all hotness because he said stupid things or had an attitude, or he would move beyond hottie into "this guy I like."

Ah ha! There you are!

Eleri found her thumb today.
She was only happy lying across my lap with me patting her butt. And then...
*slurp* *slurp* *slurp*
She found it again this evening, so I'm thinking this wasn't a fluke.
It's way cute, but I haven't gotten a picture of it yet. Will keep trying.

The boys are calling each other Mr. Coo. Coo is a word at our house - either affectionate or annoying, depending on the intent. I've tried to ban them using it, but you know how that goes.
Coo and sibblesibble must be fun to say, because both boys say them over and over again. Whatever kid, just don't complain to me when your brother coos you.

Beware. Bewaaaarrree

(said in the voice of the Sea Captain's ghost off the Scooby Doo video game)

So I haven't been writing much. Understandably. I have a baby. But I need to write somewhere, so I'm going to start it back up again. My goal is to write something every day. I'm sure I have enough stories. I'm sure I can figure something out. And even if it's only Mom, Fran, and Lynne reading this thing... well that's ok. I need to flex my brain. I need to get back in the habit. I need to practice if I'm ever going to be a writer when I grow up.

Grow up? Some day.

Right now, someone is fussy. So I'll be back later. and I mean that.

tee hee

It's fun having a girl.

luxury

Nothing says luxury like velour for the booty.
Her royal pixieness is pleased.

that's better

Catharsis
Pronunciation: \kə-ˈthär-səs\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ca·thar·ses \-ˌsēz\
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to cleanse, purge, from katharos
Date: circa 1775

1: purgation
2 a: purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art
b: a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
3: Finally getting around to giving the 4 year old a buzz cut when you're mad at him.

buzz cut was yesterday. Picture from today.
Note the fuzzy scarf. He dressed himself today. His choices redeemed him from yesterday.

my day

What I'd like to do today: Sit someplace warm, with coffee and tea and lots of friends, and just gab and visit and enjoy the day. The kids would play nicely together and not need intervention. We would admire the cuteness/inventiveness and have a fantastic time. The sun would be shining and I would have on something new and flattering, with no stains.

What I need to do today: I need to go to the grocery store. We are out of bread. I have no idea what to make for dinner. I have nothing to eat for myself besides luna bars, eggs, and grapefruit.

What I'm actually doing today: I'm nursing the baby and trying to get her to sleep so that I can scour the house and find every single pair of scissors and put them up on top of the fridge. Why?

Because when I'm nursing the baby and think that Niall is playing with coins and I can see his back... I can see him... He's really snuck into the kitchen and climbed something to get a pair of scissors so that he can ruin something that belongs to me. In this case, a ball of BFL dyed by Mosaic Moon. I'm making britches for Eleri out of this, and wanted to save the rest to make her a soaker for this summer. Why did he feel the need to do this? I don't know.
It is his method. to destroy. anything. everything.
Yes, I restrained myself and put him in his room before I could kill him. No, I did not keep my cool and had a screaming fit at him first. He is still in there. If he values his life, he will stay there. I may or may not feed him lunch. I am that angry.
It's not just the yarn... it's the constant destruction of everything. He breaks toys, crayons, dishes, cameras... I could go on and on. We actually bought a keyed doorknob so I could lock the games, craft stuff, and small pieces toys away from him. That doorknob is worth its weight in gold.
I did salvage the yarn.

There will be enough to do what I want. So there's that anyway. And another morning gone down the tubes.

Anyone want a 4 year old?

Your Government in Action

I feel heard.

Dear Mrs. Davis:

Thank you for contacting me about consumer product safety laws. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on the issue.

In response to countelss recalls of children's projucts, namely toys manufactured in China, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safetly Improvement Act (CPSIA) in October 2008. After many months of serious deliveration and extensive debate, the House and Sentate were able to make major reforms to the Consumer Product Safetly Commission (CPSC) and implement several new safety standaards. Among the most noteworthy improvements specifically for children's toys were mandatory reductions in lead content,, mandatory third party testing, and tracking labels to easily identify the origin of children's products. The new law also provides for a ban on phthalates in children's toys. Phthalates, which are chemicals used in plastics to make them more flexible, have been the subject of much debate given the possible developmental impacts they may have on young children.

I belive CPSIA will protect American children from hazardous imported toys. However, it apperas that some portions of the bill are causing significant confusion for thrift stores, consignment shops, and very small businesses. The new regulations imposed by this law are slated to take effect on February 10, 2009. I do not believe it was the intent of Congress to shut down family-owned, small businesses with the passage of this legislation and implementation of the new regulations. In response to concerns raised by my constituents, I have contacted the Senate Commerce Committee to determine what steps the CPSC or Congress can take to resolve these issues expeditiously while still protecting children from hazards.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Should you have any additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to let me know or visit my website at http://burr.senate.gov.

Sincerely,
Richard Burr
United States Senator