Mini-post, no pictures, but I will say that the whirlwind Christmas-extravaganza weekend went really well today - all three trees up, yard partially decorated, almost all Christmas presents taken care of (only a couple of stores to visit to finish up, and then: wrapping! Maybe I thrive on pressure? My blood pressure says, "No. Don't even go there."). If I manage to be productive tomorrow, I'll have this Christmas thing licked just in time to actually enjoy the holiday :o). So, I thought a mini-post to note my success in getting lots of stuff done and listing my favorite Christmas movies (two of which I watched this evening whilst decorating):
1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - my most favorite, and Alan's too. It's highly quotable, and definitely quoted quite frequently around our house, particularly the rant towards the end of the movie and most of Clark's quotes to and regarding Cousin Eddie. Classic Christmas hilarity (aside: Alan is frequently told by people that know him well and by people who don't know him that well that he reminds them of Chevy Chase. I think it's a pretty great compliment, and so does Alan, and I totally see it, even more so when you know Alan's sense of humor).
2. Love Actually - I can watch this movie repeatedly (and not just because I love me some Hugh Grant). I think it's so sweet, and the music in it is awesome, and it has an awesome cast.
3. Home Alone - evokes wonderful childhood memories - I went to see this in the theatre when I was little, and I remember about a year later, a magazine, I think it was Time, did a big story on how Macauley Culkin made like $6 million per film and I remember thinking, "Dang!" since he was my age.
4. It's a Wonderful Life - what's not to love? I adore Jimmy Stewart, and this is a good story (although, I read a funny article once, that was correct, about how George Bailey is like the worst banker/business man ever ... it was pretty funny, and Alan got a big kick out of it, since this is one of his favorite movies as well).
5. A tie between A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas - classic Christmas animation. I have the soundtrack for the Charlie Brown Christmas and have been playing it my car for awhile - it makes me smile, and I think Jones enjoys it while we're riding down the road.
Since I really do believe that I thrive on pressure, I'm planning on not only getting the house decorated, getting all of Christmas presents taken care of, wrapped, and arranged under the tree in an attractive manner, but finishing up Jones' room for good (all while watching the above list of movies :o)), so you can look forward to posts full of pictures ... some day ... probably a month from now ... ha! No, seriously, again, I'm going to make an effort to post frequently with pictures in the next week. I swear.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Don't Pass Up a Good Deal on a Used Sailboat Just Because of a Sorry Paint Job. It Could be a Real Gem!
Can you believe that Christmas is a mere 9 days away?! I have a terrible confession: we have not decorated for Christmas yet. The tree is up (no small feat, mind you), but it isn't decorated, neither is the mantle or the top of the entertainment center, nor is the dining room, I don't have Jones' little tree up in his room, and we don't have any lights on the outside of our house. So, I will be a busy bee this weekend (on top of shopping for all of our Christmas presents) - procrastinators of the world, unite! ... tomorrow! Ha! Anyway, a quick update on Jones - he's already 8 months old!
At 8 months, Jones:
After our whirlwind Christmas-setting-up-planning-weekend-extravaganza, I will post pictures for your enjoyment. So, you know, probably in like a month ... no, seriously, I'll try to be a timely post-er :o).
At 8 months, Jones:
- Wears 6-9 months and 9 months clothes (and some 6 months, but they are looking pretty fitted these days).
- Wears a size 3 diaper
- Weighs 19.12 pounds (per a doctor's visit earlier this week ... poor boo-boo has an ear infection, as do Nana and Daddy)
- Sits up like a champ!
- Is very interactive - he loves for you to play with him, so we spend a lot of time in the floor with him playing, really trying to get him to crawl, since he ...
- Is really close to crawling! He gets on all fours and rocks back and forth, and he can go backwards, and he likes to get on his toes with his butt in the air, but he just hasn't put it all together yet. Any day now, though, I'm sure, and then we'll probably look back fondly on the days when he was not mobile.
- Is really liking solid food more and more, and really prefers solid food to formula at this point. Lately, we've really been struggling with taking bottles. I'm going to start finger foods as soon as the high chair we've ordered comes in (seriously, we ordered it on November 29 and it hasn't shipped yet ... not happy Target, not happy at all ... is this chair coming from the Target in Pakistan or something?!) His favorite foods are green beans, squash, and sweet potatoes (and anything with those ingredients mixed in), pears are still a favorite fruit, but his most-favorite fruit-based food is blueberry yogurt.
- Loves his paci - it really comforts him ... I'm somewhat concerned about this, but I will say that he still doesn't cry for the paci ... he likes it if he's tired or if he's upset, it calms him down, but he doesn't cry for that paci, if that makes sense?
- Still loves the jumperoo!
- Pulls up on anything he can find, every chance he gets - he loves to practice standing!
- Loves paper products (future Dunder Mifflen executive, maybe?) - confession: he ate a post-it the other day at my office (in my defense, he grabbed it and had it chewed up and swallowed down before I noticed what was going on ... it happened very fast, I'm telling you ... and he has suffered no ill effects).
- Loves the moose on Nick Jr, more than any of the programs that are on ... he does love Sesame Street though, and he really seems to love Elmo.
- Loves bathtime (and, I think, loves to be naked in general) - he grins and grins and kicks and squeals and plays with his toys and it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. I got this faucet cover that turns the water flow into a waterfall and he LOVES that.
- Has discovered his private parts, which is pretty funny, but also makes changing him a whole different kettle of fish - what with his enjoyment of being naked and his newfound interest in his business down there, changing him is kind of like wrestling a baby alligator (confession: I'm sure that some day Jones will read this and want to die/kill me for sharing this info but: oh well).
- Loves his spoiled labradors, and they love him too - they are definitely going to be big buddies!
After our whirlwind Christmas-setting-up-planning-weekend-extravaganza, I will post pictures for your enjoyment. So, you know, probably in like a month ... no, seriously, I'll try to be a timely post-er :o).
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Good-Luck Talismans Can't Hurt
You'll recall that I said that the Ward family would either be a Star Wars family (or, if you prefer, the "Star Wards") or a Star Trek family for Halloween. Curious about what we chose? Behold:
We had a good time at the Halloween party we attended, and won the "Best Duo or Group" category :o).
And now, the moment you've been waiting for, the 7 months update for Jones! At 7 months, Jones:
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| Straight off the Starship Enterprise, it's Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Uhura, and Commander Spock! |
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| Me and Spock |
And now, the moment you've been waiting for, the 7 months update for Jones! At 7 months, Jones:
- Wears a size 3 diaper
- Wears 6 months and 6 - 9 months clothes
- Eats a mixture of solid food and formula. Our feeding schedule goes something like this: first meal of the day is usually around 6:30, and is usually an 8 ounce bottle. At 9:00 a.m., we have breakfast: usually some sort of fruit (pears are still our favorite - anything with pears will be a hit); 11:00, 6 ounce botte; noon - lunch, fruit or vegetable (favorite vegetable is still green beans, with squash and sweet potatoes tied for second); 3:00 - 6 ounce bottle; 6:00 - dinner, vegetable or entree-style baby food (anything with chicken is a hit, particularly chicken and apples and chicken noodle); after his bath, we have a big cereal bottle before bed.
- Loves bath time! He giggles and smiles and splashes around and plays with his toys - it's pretty much the cutest thing ever :o)
- Still loves the jumperoo - it's his number one most favorite toy in the whole wide world.
- Rolls and wiggles to get where he's going ... we're still working on crawling. If he can just get his arms in the right place, he's going to be gone.
- Has two teeth and is working on more - he's a little drool factory!
- Sleeps on his own in his room, like a big boy, and is doing great with it.
- Loves his doggies - he just loves to grab a-hold of Augie and pull and squeal. Augie, bless his heart, lets him do it without a peep.
- Sits up like a champ!
- Is really interested in his toys - his favorite toys right now are the ones that slide on rails (if that makes sense?) - he moves the disks (or whatever) back and forth with great concentration. Most of his toys go in his mouth at this point, what with his teething.
- Likes his paci to help soothe and calm when he gets over-excited, or is sleepy and fighting it. He likes it, but it's not like he cries for it, if that makes sense.
- Is really interested in where Mommy is at all times - I'm afraid it might be the beginning of stranger anxiety. He doesn't cry yet, but he watches me like a hawk if someone else is holding him and I start moving around, or if I leave the room.
- Has learned that if he raises his arms up wherever he is (in the jumperoo, on the playmat, in the crib, in the walker), someone will pick him up - it's so cute right now, but I'm sure it's soon to be accompanied by him crying if no one picks him up quick enough for his taste.
Book Report!
I just finished Cutting for Stone last night (the boo-boo stayed at my parents, so I took a lllloooonnnnggggg hot bath and read my book ... it was nice to have a night off, and I honestly feel that it does make me a better parent to have a breather and get a little "me time") - really good book, really good story that had depth but a quick pace (something that is hard to achieve ... even Harry Potter had spots where it dragged, you know?). I shed a few tears toward the end, not gonna lie. I'm glad it was good, since it's overdue at the library so I'm going to be back in the doghouse with them ... at least it won't be another $32 fine ... more like $2.00 ... still, I really need to work on not constantly owing the library money, right?! Trying to decide what to read next ... I've had a couple of books recommended to me, so I'll probably go with those, and then will probably have to read some junk to clear my palate :o). I'm also reading the 7th Harry Potter again, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (really, I'm just kind of skimming it, re-reading my favorite parts), and will be posting my favorite passages from that one soon, thus ending my Harry Potter project. So, you know, stay tuned!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Don't Release a Runaway Circus Animal Without Some Identification from the Claimant
Where does the time go? Negligent blogger alert, yet again! I have had some inspiration, though ... perhaps, instead of my usual long, wordy make-up post, I will just write several short posts, hopefully spread out throughout the week? That's the plan, anyway. So, onward: what's been going on in the Ward household since you last checked in on us?
We had a big moment in our lives, especially in Jones' life: he was baptized on Sunday, October 23, 2011.
This will sound silly or, more likely, naive, but I was really surprised by how moved I was by the whole act of baptism, the ceremony of all of it, really knowing what it means and how special it is.
Jones wore a family heirloom christening gown. It was hand made for Richard (Alan's dad, Grandpa Richard) for his dedication, by a family member. Richard wore it when he was dedicated, and Alan wore it when he was dedicated, and now Jones has worn it for his baptism. It is a beautiful little gown, very delicate, and it (much to my relief) fit him really well. He looked like a little angel, or the Gerber baby :o). I carried him up onto the stage at church wrapped in the prayer shawl that was used at mine and Alan's wedding. I have two other prayer shawls that I considered for the event - one was given to me when I was put into the hospital the first time during my pregnancy, and I brought it back with me when I went into the hospital the last time, when I was in for good until Jones was born. The second was given as a gift to Jones from the church, upon his birth. They are all special, obviously, but I liked the symbolism of using the prayer shawl from our wedding - we started out our family as two people, in a church, in the presence of God and family and friends, and now we've added to our family and we are blessing our new little family member, in a church, in the presence of God and family and witnesses.
It was a beautiful ceremony, very traditional, a little formal, but the good kind of formal. Jones did great. Honestly, I was never worried about it, but Alan was terrified that he would have a fit during the baptism, so he made me load Jones up - I managed to get him to eat an entire 8 ounce bottle and an entire serving of pears about an hour before everything took place, so that took the fear that he would get hungry and start throwing a fit out of the equation (personally, I was mildly concerned that he might spit up or take a giant poop during it all but, thankfully, he did not). Anyway: Jones was stellar. Prior to us going upon stage, there was a performance by the hand bell choir (quite a treat!) and the choir solo, and Jones was absolutely enthralled by it - he loves music and singing, and it was so sweet to see him so captivated by it. You could tell he was wondering just what exactly we were doing going up on the stage, but he handled it like a champ. He was quiet and pretty still for all of the prayers and for the affirmations (he gnawed on my hand during pretty much all of it ... poor kid is teething pretty intensely), and he was totally fine being handed over to Pastor Roy, and he just looked around in wonder when the actual baptism with the water occurred. After the actual baptism, Pastor Roy walked him all around the sanctuary, showing him all of the parishioners and talking about how special Jones is and how special baptism is. Jones loved it - he looked all around, very curious about all of the people and the lights and the architecture and the colors - he was fascinated by all of it, and never made a peep (we are so lucky Jones is an easy baby, and doesn't have any stranger anxiety ... yet ...).
Pastor Roy talked about how everyone had been praying for Jones since before he was born and, as I was already in an emotional state, that about sent me over the edge because of the powerful truth of it (I managed to keep it together ... crying in public, actually, crying in front of any witnesses is like one of my least favorite things ever). We didn't tell a soul about the pregnancy until I was 12 weeks along, except that I told Roy and Gail, on a prayer card. I turned in a prayer card every week that I was at church from the time I knew I was pregnant. They all said pretty much the same thing: please pray for a healthy, uneventful pregnancy and a healthy baby. Prayer is a beautiful thing. It may not have been the healthiest pregnancy, and I don't think it can be classified as uneventful, but I made it through just fine, and so did Jones. In retrospect, I was really naive about the problems with my pregnancy - honestly, I just never even considered that anything bad was going to happen to me or to Jones, even after reading all of the scary stuff about high blood pressure in pregnancy, and preeclampsia and eclampsia and HELP syndrome. So maybe that's naive. Or maybe that is the power of prayer. I prayed, along with all of our friends and family, and that kept me from worrying about the problems we had, or from worrying about something happening to Jones (because, really, isn't worrying really a form of Satan stealing your joy/letting him into your life/testing your faith?). All of those prayers ... they made sure we were fine. And so it was. I also remembered Roy and Gail coming to visit me in the hospital - they came frequently, considering how busy they are, since our church has a pretty large congregation to tend to. I remember walking Roy down to the nursery to see Jones (when he was in the incubator, and they weren't letting me have him except for little 30 minute visits every so often, right after he was born) and Roy's reaction upon seeing him for the first time was to tell me that he could tell just from looking at him that he was going to be special. He already is, of course, to us, but that will always stick with me, that simple and powerful statement. I just love Roy and Gail. They are such good leaders, and are so warm and so ... approachable? I don't know, that seems like the best word for what I'm trying to describe. Anyway, they've been so wonderful to Alan and Jones and I, a wonderful blessing for our little family. All of this was running through my mind during the baptism, the journey we went through to have Jones and it really comes down to one of my favorite things I've ever heard Pastor Roy say: "If the only prayer you say is, 'Thank You', that is enough."
We kept Jones with us for the rest of the service. He did start to get cranked up after that, but I managed to get him to go to sleep ... hilariously enough, I was kind of rocking him, and trying to make sure he kept his pacifier in (it helps to calm him down and zone him out when he's tired but fighting it), and I was starting to think I was going to have to take him to the nursery when he let out a big toot (and it was, of course, at one of those moments in a church service when everything is absolutely still and quiet), then let out a surprised cry, as if he did not understand where that noise came from and was really offended by it, and then, seriously, he just passed out, right after that moment. I got pretty tickled and it was hard to hold it in, but I managed: it's church, after all.
After the service, we took pictures with everyone.
After church, we went back to our house and had brunch, which was delicious, if I do say so myself, and was actually pretty stress-free, given that there were ten guests at our house. We did a breakfast casserole that was so good, I'm definitely going to make it again and I'll take pictures and share the recipe. Normally, I'm the kind of person who likes to do centerpieces and special place settings and all of that kind of stuff, but time just got away from me in this case, so we just did very casual buffet-style. I kind of hate that I didn't go all out, but I was just too tired to make a big production out of the brunch (by big production, I'm referring to decorations-wise, I guess), and I don't think anybody judged me for it :o). It was nice to spend time with family, as always, and we were so glad to get to spend time with Jonah - he's such a hoot, he's really into superheroes (Spiderman, Batman, Superman, the Green Lantern) and Transformers, and Star Wars. He had about 20 Star Wars figurines, and several light sabres, and he spent a lot of the weekend showing off his ninja-esque Star Wars moves. Funny story: Kim told Jonah that he could not take Star Wars figurines to church, and confiscated several off of him before going inside. However, Jonah's pants had some cargo pockets that she didn't check, so Luke Skywalker and Han Solo and Darth Vader and some storm troopers visited FUMC in Russellville.
That's been one big event in our household over the past 3 weeks. Since this is a sort of heartfelt, warm and fuzzy kind of post, in closing I'll share something from my devotional, from during my stay in the hospital, waiting to have Jones, that really resonated with me, and still does (it seems appropriate to share on this post); I was by myself a lot in the hospital at nighttime, and would get lonely, and I was feeling kind of pitiful and sorry for myself on this one particular night, and I got out my devotional (if you are curious, it is Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young, given to me by a woman that I feel that God sent into my life to help Alan and I really bond with our church family and make church a more central part of our family ... it's really just funny how that sort of stuff happens/works out) and Bible for my evening meditation and prayers, and this is what I read:
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Hear me saying Peace, be still to your restless heart. No matter what happens, I will never leave you or forsake you. Let this assurance soak into your mind and heart, until you overflow with Joy. Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, you need not fear. Even though you don't know what will happen tomorrow, you can be absolutely sure of your ultimate destination. I hold you by your right hand, and afterward I will take you into Glory."
See, now? Prayer: a beautiful thing.
We had a big moment in our lives, especially in Jones' life: he was baptized on Sunday, October 23, 2011.
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| The Marquee ... y'all should know I'm a fan of a monogram, I do so love seeing Little Bit's name in print :o) |
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| The actual moment of baptism |
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| Pastor Roy and Jones |
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| After the baptism, prayer |
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| The Ward Family, Pastor Roy, and Pastor Gail |
Jones wore a family heirloom christening gown. It was hand made for Richard (Alan's dad, Grandpa Richard) for his dedication, by a family member. Richard wore it when he was dedicated, and Alan wore it when he was dedicated, and now Jones has worn it for his baptism. It is a beautiful little gown, very delicate, and it (much to my relief) fit him really well. He looked like a little angel, or the Gerber baby :o). I carried him up onto the stage at church wrapped in the prayer shawl that was used at mine and Alan's wedding. I have two other prayer shawls that I considered for the event - one was given to me when I was put into the hospital the first time during my pregnancy, and I brought it back with me when I went into the hospital the last time, when I was in for good until Jones was born. The second was given as a gift to Jones from the church, upon his birth. They are all special, obviously, but I liked the symbolism of using the prayer shawl from our wedding - we started out our family as two people, in a church, in the presence of God and family and friends, and now we've added to our family and we are blessing our new little family member, in a church, in the presence of God and family and witnesses.
It was a beautiful ceremony, very traditional, a little formal, but the good kind of formal. Jones did great. Honestly, I was never worried about it, but Alan was terrified that he would have a fit during the baptism, so he made me load Jones up - I managed to get him to eat an entire 8 ounce bottle and an entire serving of pears about an hour before everything took place, so that took the fear that he would get hungry and start throwing a fit out of the equation (personally, I was mildly concerned that he might spit up or take a giant poop during it all but, thankfully, he did not). Anyway: Jones was stellar. Prior to us going upon stage, there was a performance by the hand bell choir (quite a treat!) and the choir solo, and Jones was absolutely enthralled by it - he loves music and singing, and it was so sweet to see him so captivated by it. You could tell he was wondering just what exactly we were doing going up on the stage, but he handled it like a champ. He was quiet and pretty still for all of the prayers and for the affirmations (he gnawed on my hand during pretty much all of it ... poor kid is teething pretty intensely), and he was totally fine being handed over to Pastor Roy, and he just looked around in wonder when the actual baptism with the water occurred. After the actual baptism, Pastor Roy walked him all around the sanctuary, showing him all of the parishioners and talking about how special Jones is and how special baptism is. Jones loved it - he looked all around, very curious about all of the people and the lights and the architecture and the colors - he was fascinated by all of it, and never made a peep (we are so lucky Jones is an easy baby, and doesn't have any stranger anxiety ... yet ...).
Pastor Roy talked about how everyone had been praying for Jones since before he was born and, as I was already in an emotional state, that about sent me over the edge because of the powerful truth of it (I managed to keep it together ... crying in public, actually, crying in front of any witnesses is like one of my least favorite things ever). We didn't tell a soul about the pregnancy until I was 12 weeks along, except that I told Roy and Gail, on a prayer card. I turned in a prayer card every week that I was at church from the time I knew I was pregnant. They all said pretty much the same thing: please pray for a healthy, uneventful pregnancy and a healthy baby. Prayer is a beautiful thing. It may not have been the healthiest pregnancy, and I don't think it can be classified as uneventful, but I made it through just fine, and so did Jones. In retrospect, I was really naive about the problems with my pregnancy - honestly, I just never even considered that anything bad was going to happen to me or to Jones, even after reading all of the scary stuff about high blood pressure in pregnancy, and preeclampsia and eclampsia and HELP syndrome. So maybe that's naive. Or maybe that is the power of prayer. I prayed, along with all of our friends and family, and that kept me from worrying about the problems we had, or from worrying about something happening to Jones (because, really, isn't worrying really a form of Satan stealing your joy/letting him into your life/testing your faith?). All of those prayers ... they made sure we were fine. And so it was. I also remembered Roy and Gail coming to visit me in the hospital - they came frequently, considering how busy they are, since our church has a pretty large congregation to tend to. I remember walking Roy down to the nursery to see Jones (when he was in the incubator, and they weren't letting me have him except for little 30 minute visits every so often, right after he was born) and Roy's reaction upon seeing him for the first time was to tell me that he could tell just from looking at him that he was going to be special. He already is, of course, to us, but that will always stick with me, that simple and powerful statement. I just love Roy and Gail. They are such good leaders, and are so warm and so ... approachable? I don't know, that seems like the best word for what I'm trying to describe. Anyway, they've been so wonderful to Alan and Jones and I, a wonderful blessing for our little family. All of this was running through my mind during the baptism, the journey we went through to have Jones and it really comes down to one of my favorite things I've ever heard Pastor Roy say: "If the only prayer you say is, 'Thank You', that is enough."
We kept Jones with us for the rest of the service. He did start to get cranked up after that, but I managed to get him to go to sleep ... hilariously enough, I was kind of rocking him, and trying to make sure he kept his pacifier in (it helps to calm him down and zone him out when he's tired but fighting it), and I was starting to think I was going to have to take him to the nursery when he let out a big toot (and it was, of course, at one of those moments in a church service when everything is absolutely still and quiet), then let out a surprised cry, as if he did not understand where that noise came from and was really offended by it, and then, seriously, he just passed out, right after that moment. I got pretty tickled and it was hard to hold it in, but I managed: it's church, after all.
After the service, we took pictures with everyone.
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| From left to right: my parents, my grandparents, Alan, Jones, and I, and Alan's parents |
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| The Tanner Clan: my aunt, Sydney, Dad (holding Jones), Mom, and Me |
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| With Alan's older brother, Rick, his wife Kim, and their son, our nephew, Jonah Aaron |
That's been one big event in our household over the past 3 weeks. Since this is a sort of heartfelt, warm and fuzzy kind of post, in closing I'll share something from my devotional, from during my stay in the hospital, waiting to have Jones, that really resonated with me, and still does (it seems appropriate to share on this post); I was by myself a lot in the hospital at nighttime, and would get lonely, and I was feeling kind of pitiful and sorry for myself on this one particular night, and I got out my devotional (if you are curious, it is Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young, given to me by a woman that I feel that God sent into my life to help Alan and I really bond with our church family and make church a more central part of our family ... it's really just funny how that sort of stuff happens/works out) and Bible for my evening meditation and prayers, and this is what I read:
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Hear me saying Peace, be still to your restless heart. No matter what happens, I will never leave you or forsake you. Let this assurance soak into your mind and heart, until you overflow with Joy. Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, you need not fear. Even though you don't know what will happen tomorrow, you can be absolutely sure of your ultimate destination. I hold you by your right hand, and afterward I will take you into Glory."
See, now? Prayer: a beautiful thing.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Never Interrupt a Voodoo Doctor
I think Jones might have acid reflux. This is, of course, a conclusion I have come to based on my exactly zero years of medical experience and roughly six months of being a parent, but I think I might be right. He started throwing up/projectile spitting up on Saturday evening (projectile green beans - not pretty!), so I have been giving him Zantac twice a day every day since then (we had some from his first stomach bug - Dr. H prescribed it to give his stomach a rest when he had been throwing up for several days in a row). It really seems to help. The kicker for me, though, is that tonight, when I had not given him any in over 12 hours, he projectiled some bananas and then cried and cried when I laid him flat on his back - I think that reflux causes you to have pain if you lay flat? - but as soon as I gave him some Zantac, he had a good amount of formula and went right to sleep. So, I will be continuing the Zantac for awhile, I think.
Fall weather arrived last night! It was downright cold today, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm looking forward to the chill in the air and the changing leaves and the general smokiness of the season.
I had a good time at Zumba tonight - we did a segment to the Cupid Shuffle, which I enjoyed, and Susie (the instructor) had put several of my favorite routines in the lineup. I skipped out on toning though, because I was up late last night and I just didn't have the energy for it (I feel kind of guilty about it, though ... I will do the toning exercises with extra gusto on Thursday to make up for it).
Bet you thought I had forgotton about my Harry Potter quote project ... I didn't! So, here we go: Book Six, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince:
"'No, I thought not. You have not asked me, for instance, what is my favorite flavor of jam, to check that I am indeed Professor Dumbledore and not an imposter.'
'I didn't ...' Harry began, not entirely sure whether he was being reprimanded or not.
'For future reference, Harry, it is raspberry ... although, of course, if I were a Death Eater, I would have been sure to research my own jam preferences before impersonating myself.'"
"'Yes, Harry?' said Dumbledore, for Harry had come to a halt.
'The ring's gone,' said Harry, looking around. 'But I thought you might have the mouth organ or something.'
Dumbledore beamed at him, peering over the top of his half moon spectacles.
'Very astute, Harry, but the mouth organ was only ever a mouth organ.'
And on that enigmatic note he waved to Harry, who understood himself to be dismissed."
"'What is Dumbledore up to? said Scrimgeour brusquely. 'Where does he go when he is absent from Hogwarts?'
'No idea,' said Harry.
'And you wouldn't tell me if you knew,' said Scrimgeour, 'would you?'
'No, I wouldn't,' said Harry.
'Well, then, I shall have to see whether I can't find out by other means.'
'You can try,' said Harry indifferently. 'But you seem cleverer than Fudge, so I'd have thought you'd have learned from his mistakes. He tried interfering at Hogwarts. You might have noticed he's not Minister anymore, but Dumbledore's still headmaster. I'd leave Dumbledore alone, if I were you.'
There was a long pause.
'Well, it is clear ot me that he has done a very good job on you,' said Scrimgeour, his eyes cold and hard behind his wire-rimmed glasses. 'Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you Potter?'
'Yeah, I am,' said Harry. 'Glad we straightened that out.'
And turning his back on the Minister of Magic, he strode back toward the house."
"'The Prophet is bound to report the truth occasionally,' said Dumbledore, 'if only accidentally. Yes, that was why we argued. Well, it appears that Rufus found a way to corner you at last.'
'He accused me of being 'Dumbledore's man through and through''.
'How very rude of him.'
'I told him I was.'
Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Behind Harry, Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry. To Harry's intense embarassment, he suddenly realized that Dumbledore's bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own knees. When Dumbledore spoke, however, his voice was quite steady.
'I am very touched, Harry.'"
"'You are protected, in short, by your ability to love!' said Dumbledore loudly. 'The only protection that can possibly work against the lure of power like Voldemort's! In spite of all the temptation you have endured, all the suffering, you remain pure of heart, just as pure as you were at the age of eleven, when you started into a mirror that reflected your heart's desire, and it showed you only the way to thwart Lord Voldemort, and not immortality or riches. Harry, have you any idea how few wizards could have seen what you saw in the mirror? Voldemort should have known then what he was dealing with, but he did not!'
'But he knows it now. You have flitted into Lord Voldemort's mind without damage to yourself, but he cannot possess you without enduring mortal agony, as he discovered in teh Ministry. I do not think he understands why, Harry, but then, he was in such a hurry to mutilate his own soul, he never paused to understand the incomparable power of a soul that is untarnished and whole.'"
"'Harry looked around; there was Ginny running toward him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her."
"And Harry saw very clearly as he sat there under the hot sun how people who cared about him had stood in front of him one by one, his mother, his father, his godfather, and finally Dumbledore, all determined to protect him; but now that was over. He could not let anybody else stand between him and Voldemort; he must abandone forever the illusion he ought to have lost at the age of one, that the shelter of a parent's arms meant that nothing could hurt him. There was no waking from his nightmare, no comforting whisper in the dark that he was safe really, that it was all his imagination; the last and greatest of his protectors had died, and he was more alone that he had ever been before."
Wow, the sixth book is intense, right?! The seventh is even more so ... we'll get to that one, eventually, though, and here's something to lighten up the intensity (this is mine and Alan's new favorite thing, and we wander around quoting/singing it all of the time now):
Fall weather arrived last night! It was downright cold today, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm looking forward to the chill in the air and the changing leaves and the general smokiness of the season.
I had a good time at Zumba tonight - we did a segment to the Cupid Shuffle, which I enjoyed, and Susie (the instructor) had put several of my favorite routines in the lineup. I skipped out on toning though, because I was up late last night and I just didn't have the energy for it (I feel kind of guilty about it, though ... I will do the toning exercises with extra gusto on Thursday to make up for it).
Bet you thought I had forgotton about my Harry Potter quote project ... I didn't! So, here we go: Book Six, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince:
"'No, I thought not. You have not asked me, for instance, what is my favorite flavor of jam, to check that I am indeed Professor Dumbledore and not an imposter.'
'I didn't ...' Harry began, not entirely sure whether he was being reprimanded or not.
'For future reference, Harry, it is raspberry ... although, of course, if I were a Death Eater, I would have been sure to research my own jam preferences before impersonating myself.'"
"'Yes, Harry?' said Dumbledore, for Harry had come to a halt.
'The ring's gone,' said Harry, looking around. 'But I thought you might have the mouth organ or something.'
Dumbledore beamed at him, peering over the top of his half moon spectacles.
'Very astute, Harry, but the mouth organ was only ever a mouth organ.'
And on that enigmatic note he waved to Harry, who understood himself to be dismissed."
"'What is Dumbledore up to? said Scrimgeour brusquely. 'Where does he go when he is absent from Hogwarts?'
'No idea,' said Harry.
'And you wouldn't tell me if you knew,' said Scrimgeour, 'would you?'
'No, I wouldn't,' said Harry.
'Well, then, I shall have to see whether I can't find out by other means.'
'You can try,' said Harry indifferently. 'But you seem cleverer than Fudge, so I'd have thought you'd have learned from his mistakes. He tried interfering at Hogwarts. You might have noticed he's not Minister anymore, but Dumbledore's still headmaster. I'd leave Dumbledore alone, if I were you.'
There was a long pause.
'Well, it is clear ot me that he has done a very good job on you,' said Scrimgeour, his eyes cold and hard behind his wire-rimmed glasses. 'Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you Potter?'
'Yeah, I am,' said Harry. 'Glad we straightened that out.'
And turning his back on the Minister of Magic, he strode back toward the house."
"'The Prophet is bound to report the truth occasionally,' said Dumbledore, 'if only accidentally. Yes, that was why we argued. Well, it appears that Rufus found a way to corner you at last.'
'He accused me of being 'Dumbledore's man through and through''.
'How very rude of him.'
'I told him I was.'
Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. Behind Harry, Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry. To Harry's intense embarassment, he suddenly realized that Dumbledore's bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own knees. When Dumbledore spoke, however, his voice was quite steady.
'I am very touched, Harry.'"
"'You are protected, in short, by your ability to love!' said Dumbledore loudly. 'The only protection that can possibly work against the lure of power like Voldemort's! In spite of all the temptation you have endured, all the suffering, you remain pure of heart, just as pure as you were at the age of eleven, when you started into a mirror that reflected your heart's desire, and it showed you only the way to thwart Lord Voldemort, and not immortality or riches. Harry, have you any idea how few wizards could have seen what you saw in the mirror? Voldemort should have known then what he was dealing with, but he did not!'
'But he knows it now. You have flitted into Lord Voldemort's mind without damage to yourself, but he cannot possess you without enduring mortal agony, as he discovered in teh Ministry. I do not think he understands why, Harry, but then, he was in such a hurry to mutilate his own soul, he never paused to understand the incomparable power of a soul that is untarnished and whole.'"
"'Harry looked around; there was Ginny running toward him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her."
"And Harry saw very clearly as he sat there under the hot sun how people who cared about him had stood in front of him one by one, his mother, his father, his godfather, and finally Dumbledore, all determined to protect him; but now that was over. He could not let anybody else stand between him and Voldemort; he must abandone forever the illusion he ought to have lost at the age of one, that the shelter of a parent's arms meant that nothing could hurt him. There was no waking from his nightmare, no comforting whisper in the dark that he was safe really, that it was all his imagination; the last and greatest of his protectors had died, and he was more alone that he had ever been before."
Wow, the sixth book is intense, right?! The seventh is even more so ... we'll get to that one, eventually, though, and here's something to lighten up the intensity (this is mine and Alan's new favorite thing, and we wander around quoting/singing it all of the time now):
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
When the FBI Shows Up, Make Sure They are Toting Proper Identification. Don't Put it Past Shady Characters to Impersonate G-Men.
As a new parent, the first time your child sleeps through the night will elicit a range of emotions in you: first, you will feel delightfully rested, your awakening for the day reminiscent of your pre-parenthood days where you would lay quietly and think about the day ahead, maybe stretch a little bit, think about what you plan on wearing ... this is quickly, quickly followed by: panic. Sheer, utter panic where terrible thoughts like, "Oh my God, it's 7:00 and I didn't get up with Jones at all in the night - is he still alive?!". The panic leads to an adrenaline rush that will cause you to leap from your bed and take off to your child's room at a speed you would previously have thought yourself incapable of, where you will then peer down at your child closely to discern that he is, indeed, breathing deeply and sleeping peacefully. Upon confirmation that your child is perfectly fine and is, in fact, better off than you are, seeing as how he is sleeping quite peacefully and has been for some time, relief will flow through you and then you will experience a feeling of pride, as if you yourself are responsible for this feat (although perhaps you are owed some credit for the perfect combination of play, solid food, bath, and cereal bottle the night before), and then you are back to feeling delightfully rested, and just delighted in general, because a milestone has been reached.
This has been our experience the last three nights. I do give myself credit for coming up with a good pre-bed routine. We play from about 7:00 to 8:00, eat our last serving of solid food at 8:00, play for another 10 - 15 minutes, take a bath, followed by a massage with the Johnson's Bedtime Bath Lotion, and then it's time for the cereal bottle. Jones usually falls asleep while taking the bottle, and is as limp as a dishrag when I deposit him in his crib which, in general, is right around 9:15. And then we don't hear from him again 'til about 6:30 or 7:00 which, as any new parent will tell you, is glorious, and is akin to sleeping in until 10:00 back in your pre-parenthood days.
In my previous post I mentioned that I'm trying not to get into a cooking rut, and I have a recipe to share! I can't decide if I made this up on my own, or if I heard about it somewhere and stored it away in my brain and remembered it later, but can't figure out where I heard it from (honestly, this is probably what happened, and I probably heard it on the Food Network). Anyway, it's Mexican Lasagna, and I would have pictures of it, but we were so hungry by the time it was ready, we devoured it like wolves, so it was not pretty enough, in my opinion, to take a picture and post ... when I make it again, I'll definitely take a picture so you guys can judge for yourself. Anyway, my recipe:
Mexican Lasagna
Alan and I recently subscribed to the daily state paper, and Alan makes a very determined effort to read it every day and be aware of current events. Right now, the current event that interests him most is the "Occupy Wall Street" situation. It infuriates him. And, although this is not a politically oriented blog and I certainly don't want to rant about things like that, I did tell him I would quote him on my blog, giving his opinion on the whole thing: "What would happen if the wealthy people in America decided to stop making money? Fewer companies, fewer jobs, fewer products, less tax revenue ... doesn't sound like that would help the middle class at all. Yet these morons, most of whom, when you get down to it, are just unemployed hippies, are demonizing the "richest 1% of Americans" claiming that they just want things to be "fair", when really all they are is just a bunch of frustrated, unemployed (or unemployable) people begging for socialism." It may come as no surprise to you that Alan and I also love Stephen Colbert, and that he is, in fact, our main source of world news (after the newspaper, of course). We used to really love Jon Stewart, but he's gotten pretty liberal as his popularity has increased, and we get frustrated with him more frequently nowadays, although I do think that he does a pretty good job all-around on interviewing people and asking tough questions, for the most part (I think he kind of cuts Democrats a break/seems like he's sucking up to them while interviewing them). I still do like it when he interviews people, though, because I feel like he is honest in his questioning. I prefer Colbert's interviews, though, because even though he stays in character/persona throughout, there just seems to be some sort of sincerity, and I feel like that gets people to give more sincere answers; also, Colbert is so supportive of our military men and women, and whatever you may think about the war, you have to admire our military men and women and their families. Anyway, I like them both, and they are my preferred news source (although I do like Diane Sawyer, and usually watch her on World News Tonight if I'm home in time ... and this may or may not be due to the fact that her show is on the same channel as Wheel of Fortune, which I love ...).
This has been our experience the last three nights. I do give myself credit for coming up with a good pre-bed routine. We play from about 7:00 to 8:00, eat our last serving of solid food at 8:00, play for another 10 - 15 minutes, take a bath, followed by a massage with the Johnson's Bedtime Bath Lotion, and then it's time for the cereal bottle. Jones usually falls asleep while taking the bottle, and is as limp as a dishrag when I deposit him in his crib which, in general, is right around 9:15. And then we don't hear from him again 'til about 6:30 or 7:00 which, as any new parent will tell you, is glorious, and is akin to sleeping in until 10:00 back in your pre-parenthood days.
In my previous post I mentioned that I'm trying not to get into a cooking rut, and I have a recipe to share! I can't decide if I made this up on my own, or if I heard about it somewhere and stored it away in my brain and remembered it later, but can't figure out where I heard it from (honestly, this is probably what happened, and I probably heard it on the Food Network). Anyway, it's Mexican Lasagna, and I would have pictures of it, but we were so hungry by the time it was ready, we devoured it like wolves, so it was not pretty enough, in my opinion, to take a picture and post ... when I make it again, I'll definitely take a picture so you guys can judge for yourself. Anyway, my recipe:
Mexican Lasagna
- In a large skillet, saute one bell pepper (any color) and one onion (or 1/2 of an onion, depending on the size) in a small amount of olive oil. Add in a pound of ground meat (we used deer meat and loved it, but we love deer meat, so ...) and brown/cook through. Add in about 1/2 a packet of taco seasoning (I used the low sodium version, which I think is a must).
- Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish with tortillas (I used the "large burrito" size). Spread a generous layer of refried beans (I used fat-free refried beans, to make myself feel better about it). Spread a layer of the meat/bell pepper/onion mixture. Spread a layer of shredded "Mexican" cheese (I believe Kroger labels this as "fiesta blend"). Spread a layer of red enchilada sauce. Repeat the layering process.
- Bake for 20 - 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Alan and I recently subscribed to the daily state paper, and Alan makes a very determined effort to read it every day and be aware of current events. Right now, the current event that interests him most is the "Occupy Wall Street" situation. It infuriates him. And, although this is not a politically oriented blog and I certainly don't want to rant about things like that, I did tell him I would quote him on my blog, giving his opinion on the whole thing: "What would happen if the wealthy people in America decided to stop making money? Fewer companies, fewer jobs, fewer products, less tax revenue ... doesn't sound like that would help the middle class at all. Yet these morons, most of whom, when you get down to it, are just unemployed hippies, are demonizing the "richest 1% of Americans" claiming that they just want things to be "fair", when really all they are is just a bunch of frustrated, unemployed (or unemployable) people begging for socialism." It may come as no surprise to you that Alan and I also love Stephen Colbert, and that he is, in fact, our main source of world news (after the newspaper, of course). We used to really love Jon Stewart, but he's gotten pretty liberal as his popularity has increased, and we get frustrated with him more frequently nowadays, although I do think that he does a pretty good job all-around on interviewing people and asking tough questions, for the most part (I think he kind of cuts Democrats a break/seems like he's sucking up to them while interviewing them). I still do like it when he interviews people, though, because I feel like he is honest in his questioning. I prefer Colbert's interviews, though, because even though he stays in character/persona throughout, there just seems to be some sort of sincerity, and I feel like that gets people to give more sincere answers; also, Colbert is so supportive of our military men and women, and whatever you may think about the war, you have to admire our military men and women and their families. Anyway, I like them both, and they are my preferred news source (although I do like Diane Sawyer, and usually watch her on World News Tonight if I'm home in time ... and this may or may not be due to the fact that her show is on the same channel as Wheel of Fortune, which I love ...).
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Name-Dropping Your Famous Parent Will Spring You from the Hoosegow Pretty Much All The Time
We won't even talk about my negligent blogger status. Nope. Not gonna discuss it. So:
Jones is 6 months old! I can hardly believe it, time is flying by so fast! I'm looking forward to Halloween, I know we're going to have a lot of fun dressing the little guy up. Some of our friends throw an annual Halloween party we'll be attending, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun. I'm going to force Alan to decide this week what we are going to do as a costume. I say "we" because we're doing a family-type thing where we all have coordinating costumes. Right now it's between Star Wars and Star Trek ... I was kind of torn, since the little animal costumes are so cute, but I think it'll be more fun doing something like Star Wars (ha - just typed "Star Wards", which is actually pretty appropriate) or Star Trek, and the pictures should be hilarious.
So, the Jones update ... at 6 months, Jones:
Interesting news, interesting news ... ah ha! My mom and I started going to Zumba two nights a week. We really like it, and it's definitely a workout. I enjoy getting the blood pumping and the heart racing, and it's fun to spend time with my mom. I really like the class we're going to, the instructor is very sweet (and English - love her accent), and the other participants are nice, so it's not intimidating or anything (like, there aren't tons of young, tiny people showing off their tiny-ness or anything like that).
Book reports ... none as of right now, but I'm about to start Cutting for Stone, which was highly recommended to me by a prolific-reader friend of mine who said it was one of the best books she had ever read, which is pretty high praise, and I'm pretty sure if she liked it, I'll like, since we have similar literary tastes. I am also planning on going to the library and getting off of the black list. Wwwwwaaaayyyyy back in March, when I went into the hospital for preeclampsia and everything, the spoiled labradors had some difficulty adjusting to my absence and, you know, just the general upheaval of the whole situation, and Spoiled Labrador # 2 (Layla ... BTW, they are labeled # 1 and # 2 in order of their acquisition by the Ward family, Augie was our first spoiled labrador, Layla is our second ... didn't want anybody to get any idea that it was some sort of favoritism ranking or anything) reacted by eating one of my library books. I mean, she gnawed the corner pretty well, but it was still in one piece and readable. So, we tried to sneak it back into the library by putting in the book mailbox, but they noticed it and called me up and (very politely) told me we would have to buy the book. So I owe the library $32 dollars and have since March, so I need to go take care of my fine so I can not feel guilty about it anymore (in my defense, I tried to pay it once but they no longer take checks and I never have cash on me ... or, at least, I never have $32 in cash on my person).
I'm also trying to branch out on cooking, but it's slow going. I like making tried and true recipes, especially since Alan is so picky (picky as in: he knows what he likes and he doesn't like to deviate from that). I don't want to get in a food rut, though. I'm going to delve into Crazy Sista Cooking, which is a cookbook by Jimmy Buffett's sister, and looks to have some good recipes that I could manage. I'll post the successes!
So, that's what's going on in the Ward family: raising a baby, being a family, Zumba, reading, cooking ... life in general, and a good life all the way around :o).
Jones is 6 months old! I can hardly believe it, time is flying by so fast! I'm looking forward to Halloween, I know we're going to have a lot of fun dressing the little guy up. Some of our friends throw an annual Halloween party we'll be attending, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun. I'm going to force Alan to decide this week what we are going to do as a costume. I say "we" because we're doing a family-type thing where we all have coordinating costumes. Right now it's between Star Wars and Star Trek ... I was kind of torn, since the little animal costumes are so cute, but I think it'll be more fun doing something like Star Wars (ha - just typed "Star Wards", which is actually pretty appropriate) or Star Trek, and the pictures should be hilarious.
So, the Jones update ... at 6 months, Jones:
- Wears size 6 months clothes (although I still squish him into some of his roomier 3 months clothes)
- Wears a size 3 diaper (and they look ginormous to me! We just put him in them this week. Alan said, "There is no way these are the right size for him." Me: "Check the weights listed on the box! This is his weight class!")
- Eats solid food 3 times a day, and, I would say, probably around 30 ounces of formula a day. We are having some difficulty with the formula right now - he'll eat about 4 ounces at a time and then he. is. done. And no amount of coaxing can convince him to eat more. He's doing really well with the solid food, though, so I guess that's probably affecting his desire to eat formula. His favorite solid foods are green beans and pears. He likes squash and mangoes as his second favorites, and he will eat sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, bananas, and peaches, but not with gusto. He WILL NOT eat peas. We have had two bad Exorcist-type incidents with peas, so they are off of our menu list. He also gets a 6 - 8 ounce bottle of cereal/formula right before bed, so as to try to get him to sleep through the night, because he ...
- Is having some trouble sleeping through the night. I think it's just because we've had some upheaval lately - he's had 2 ear infections inside of a 3 week span, so he hasn't been sleeping well because he didn't feel well, and then I think he's still adjusting to sleeping in his own room (although he does really well), and I also think the dietary change has some bearing on the issue. It's not like it's terrible - our average right now is 9:00 - 4:30, so I'm thankful for that. If he could just make it another hour, we'd be all good.
- Loves his jumperoo - he would jump, jump, jump in that thing all day long if you let him.
- Can sit up on his own for short periods of time, and especially loves for you to sit in the floor with him and work on this skill.
- Has a favorite phrase: "mmmm-bah" ... also, "mah, mah, mah" (I like to pretend he's saying, "Mama!", but I know that he's not).
- Has discovered his feet!
- Loves to smile and laugh, and it's pretty easy (and fun) to make him do both! However, I don't have a lot of pictures of him doing either - he seems to have inherited his daddy's predilection for not smiling in any pictures - maybe it's a guy thing?
- Is cutting some teeth! I can see the bottom front two teeth - they're trying to push their way up!
- Has really gotten to love his pacifiers when he's tired - if he's getting kind of fussy, or you can tell he's tired but fighting taking a nap or going to sleep, if you rock him and put his pacifier in, this kid is OUT. He has also recently really started liking his Razorback pacifier, which should come as no surprise to anyone, and makes for some cute pictures.
- Loves the spoiled labradors... I think he and Augie are going to have a special bond. Augie sits on the floor with us when we play with him, checks on him in the night (I know because I can hear Augie going into his room over the monitor ... although he may just be checking for dirty diapers that someone forgot to put in the diaper pail), runs over to sniff and lick him at the first opportunity (usually when Jones is in the jumperoo, as that puts his face right at Augie level), sits beside us while we feed him (both solid food feedings and bottle feedings), and helps with bathtime and bedtime.
- Likes to go on walks with Mom and Dad - we are loving the wonderful weather, great for strolling! Funny walking story: yesterday, Jones had been up for, like, 5 or 6 solid hours and was obviously tired but was fighting taking a nap, so we went to rock in his room, put the pacifier in like I mentioned above, and he was out like a light. Alan, not knowing what we were doing, came into the room and said (loudly, because he didn't notice that Jones was asleep), "Hey, you wanna go for a walk?" Jones' head immediately sprang up from my shoulder and looked around wildly as if to say, "Walk?! Walk?! Awesome!!!!" We had a good laugh about it.
Interesting news, interesting news ... ah ha! My mom and I started going to Zumba two nights a week. We really like it, and it's definitely a workout. I enjoy getting the blood pumping and the heart racing, and it's fun to spend time with my mom. I really like the class we're going to, the instructor is very sweet (and English - love her accent), and the other participants are nice, so it's not intimidating or anything (like, there aren't tons of young, tiny people showing off their tiny-ness or anything like that).
Book reports ... none as of right now, but I'm about to start Cutting for Stone, which was highly recommended to me by a prolific-reader friend of mine who said it was one of the best books she had ever read, which is pretty high praise, and I'm pretty sure if she liked it, I'll like, since we have similar literary tastes. I am also planning on going to the library and getting off of the black list. Wwwwwaaaayyyyy back in March, when I went into the hospital for preeclampsia and everything, the spoiled labradors had some difficulty adjusting to my absence and, you know, just the general upheaval of the whole situation, and Spoiled Labrador # 2 (Layla ... BTW, they are labeled # 1 and # 2 in order of their acquisition by the Ward family, Augie was our first spoiled labrador, Layla is our second ... didn't want anybody to get any idea that it was some sort of favoritism ranking or anything) reacted by eating one of my library books. I mean, she gnawed the corner pretty well, but it was still in one piece and readable. So, we tried to sneak it back into the library by putting in the book mailbox, but they noticed it and called me up and (very politely) told me we would have to buy the book. So I owe the library $32 dollars and have since March, so I need to go take care of my fine so I can not feel guilty about it anymore (in my defense, I tried to pay it once but they no longer take checks and I never have cash on me ... or, at least, I never have $32 in cash on my person).
I'm also trying to branch out on cooking, but it's slow going. I like making tried and true recipes, especially since Alan is so picky (picky as in: he knows what he likes and he doesn't like to deviate from that). I don't want to get in a food rut, though. I'm going to delve into Crazy Sista Cooking, which is a cookbook by Jimmy Buffett's sister, and looks to have some good recipes that I could manage. I'll post the successes!
So, that's what's going on in the Ward family: raising a baby, being a family, Zumba, reading, cooking ... life in general, and a good life all the way around :o).
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Podunk Towns Just Might Surprise You With Sophisticated Night Clubs, if You Canvass the Outskirts of Town
I know you're all shocked that I'm the negligent blogger again. Alas, I cannot blame it on the heat anymore, since the weather is bee-yoo-tiful lately. So I will blame it on my procrastination problem: "Procrastinators of the world unite ... tomorrow!" So, this may end up being a lengthy post ... we'll see ... I'm once again swearing that I will blog at least twice a week and I'm hoping 3 times, but I already think that's a pretty lofty goal for me ... but hey, you never know ... anyway ...
This past week Alan and I went to Hot Springs for a little mini-vacation. We stayed at the Arlington and went out to eat a lot and hung by the pool and ... went to Mid-America Museum! You're jealous, right?! Don't lie. Seriously though, we had the best time there. It hasn't changed just a whole lot since we were kids, so the nostalgia was nice. We did every activity there was, including the Tesla Coil show and the simulator ride, and the little mini-tunnel crawl (which has a slide - this was my favorite - I felt about 10 years old in a good way), and we dug for dinosaur bones in the dinosaur exhibit and went for a short walk around the grounds (fabulous weather, BTW, and the grounds that the museum is situated on are so nice - the best of Arkansas' landscape, I would say, very green and fresh).
The boo-boo stayed with Alan's parents and, by all accounts, had a great time. I only called to check on him once and Alan and I had to laugh a little bit because the one time we called, Jones was having a mega-fit in the background (he had just woken up and was hungry), so we could barely hear Grandma Betty or Grandpa Richard as they tried to fill us in on what they had been up to. Anyway, we were successful in being away from Little Bit for three whole days, but we both agreed we think that 3 days is our maximum for right now ... I think we both would've been completely neurotic if we had been gone somewhere for a whole week.
Let's see ... since this is a negligent blogger post, I should fill y'all in on what we've been doing for the last three weeks, I guess. Jones had his first sickness. Stomach bug. Pretty bad all the way around. Made my first phone call to my pediatrician's house (at 9:00 at night ... on a Saturday ... I felt bad, but he had told us to call if we needed to and it was a situation that warranted a phone call) but I think I managed to not come off like a nutcase. He's fine now and we've started solid food! The first time around we did rice cereal and he was just not a fan, so I switched to fruits and he likes them just fine, so far. He's getting better at eating all of the time, and likes to grab the spoon away (not that he knows what to do with it ... he's just becoming grabby :o)).
We've got the monitor hooked up in his room and he's sleeping in his crib at night, and the pack-and-play is packed up to be used only for traveling. We're still struggling a little with making it through the night in the room, but I attribute a lot of that to the fact that he has been congested recently. My to-do list includes purchasing a humidifier, because I think that will help. Also, he's become a bigger fan of the pacifier since moving to the crib, and I definitely think it's a soothing/comfort thing because he doesn't really care too much about it otherwise. we went swimming for what was probably the last time, or next-to-last time because the afore-mentioned fabulous weather means that the water in the pool is chilly ... really, too chilly for our little guy. He still loves swimming though, and even kicked his legs like he was a frog, so I'm hoping he learns to swim easily and isn't scared when the time comes.
Jones is also now 5 months old, so here's an update on the little fella:
At 5 months, Jones:
I have a confession: I never went to see the last Harry Potter movie. We are just pretty busy around here, and we're afraid to take the boo-boo to the theatre in the event that he throws a ring-tailed fit, and we just straight-up missed it - it's already out of the theatres! So now I have to wait to Netflix it ... bummer ... it's a good think I know how the story ends. On that note, I haven't forgotten about my promise to share my favorite quotes from the book (although I haven't done it in awhile), but I have (another) confession regarding the 5th book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: while I enjoy it as a whole, I don't really have any favorite passages. This is not to say that I don't think it's well-written, on the contrary. I'm just saying I don't have anything that I can definitely quote here that really resonated with me. Also, I haven't really got any recommendations for reading for you, other than The Lincoln Lawyer, which I read in Hot Springs - 2 thumbs up! I'm putting it on our Netflix queu as well, since I've heard the movie is good. Other than that, I've been reading a lot of, well, kind of trashy-Nora Roberts-esque stuff - vacation reading for sure!
This past week Alan and I went to Hot Springs for a little mini-vacation. We stayed at the Arlington and went out to eat a lot and hung by the pool and ... went to Mid-America Museum! You're jealous, right?! Don't lie. Seriously though, we had the best time there. It hasn't changed just a whole lot since we were kids, so the nostalgia was nice. We did every activity there was, including the Tesla Coil show and the simulator ride, and the little mini-tunnel crawl (which has a slide - this was my favorite - I felt about 10 years old in a good way), and we dug for dinosaur bones in the dinosaur exhibit and went for a short walk around the grounds (fabulous weather, BTW, and the grounds that the museum is situated on are so nice - the best of Arkansas' landscape, I would say, very green and fresh).
The boo-boo stayed with Alan's parents and, by all accounts, had a great time. I only called to check on him once and Alan and I had to laugh a little bit because the one time we called, Jones was having a mega-fit in the background (he had just woken up and was hungry), so we could barely hear Grandma Betty or Grandpa Richard as they tried to fill us in on what they had been up to. Anyway, we were successful in being away from Little Bit for three whole days, but we both agreed we think that 3 days is our maximum for right now ... I think we both would've been completely neurotic if we had been gone somewhere for a whole week.
Let's see ... since this is a negligent blogger post, I should fill y'all in on what we've been doing for the last three weeks, I guess. Jones had his first sickness. Stomach bug. Pretty bad all the way around. Made my first phone call to my pediatrician's house (at 9:00 at night ... on a Saturday ... I felt bad, but he had told us to call if we needed to and it was a situation that warranted a phone call) but I think I managed to not come off like a nutcase. He's fine now and we've started solid food! The first time around we did rice cereal and he was just not a fan, so I switched to fruits and he likes them just fine, so far. He's getting better at eating all of the time, and likes to grab the spoon away (not that he knows what to do with it ... he's just becoming grabby :o)).
We've got the monitor hooked up in his room and he's sleeping in his crib at night, and the pack-and-play is packed up to be used only for traveling. We're still struggling a little with making it through the night in the room, but I attribute a lot of that to the fact that he has been congested recently. My to-do list includes purchasing a humidifier, because I think that will help. Also, he's become a bigger fan of the pacifier since moving to the crib, and I definitely think it's a soothing/comfort thing because he doesn't really care too much about it otherwise. we went swimming for what was probably the last time, or next-to-last time because the afore-mentioned fabulous weather means that the water in the pool is chilly ... really, too chilly for our little guy. He still loves swimming though, and even kicked his legs like he was a frog, so I'm hoping he learns to swim easily and isn't scared when the time comes.
Jones is also now 5 months old, so here's an update on the little fella:
At 5 months, Jones:
- Probably weighs between 16 and 17 pounds, but I cannot be certain. We haven't been to weigh-in in awhile ... truthfully, since we quit going weekly, I forget to take him. Since it's not part of the routine, I just totally space out and forget.
- I don't know how long/tall he is, either. I would guess around 26 to 27 inches, but that's a complet(ly uneducated) guess.
- Wears a size 2 diaper - we finally had to purchase diapers on our own, can you believe it? We had so many (generous) people give us diapers as shower gifts, that we just now had to purchase them on our own.
- Wears a variety of clothing sizes - 0-3, 3, and 3-6 months, he wears them all. I mean, obviously, the 0-3 are a little small, but they still fit okay, so we're still wearing them. Wearing lots of Razorback stuff nowadays since it's football season!
- Eats between 6 - 8 ounces of formula 5-6 times a day, and we eat solid food twice a day (right now I'm using those organic food pouches, like Ella's Kitchen and Plum Baby Organics, so we eat 1/2 of the package in the morning or afternoon and 1/2 in the evening).
- Lllllooooovvvveeesssss the jumperoo. Absolutely his favorite toy of the moment.
- Loves for people to talk to him and smile at him (so he can smile back, I think).
- Has started going to TLC/Mother's Day Out on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and seems to like it.
- Is very interested in what Mommy and Daddy are up to at all times - being left alone in a room (like if we put him in the jumperoo and then go into the kitchen for a minute) is not acceptable, for the most part - he wants to be a part of what you're doing!
- Talks to himself, and to you.
- Likes stuffed animals, mostly to gnaw on.
- Likes, but doesn't love, his gumdrop pacifier, except at night in the crib (when he really likes it).
- Is sleeping on his own in his nursery, like a big boy.
- Is really interested in the spoiled labradors - he grins and grins when they come in, and has started reaching out his hand and sort of holding his face out toward them so they can lick and inspect him. I have to move him away from Augie because Augie gets to licking him and just about suffocates him ... please don't call Child Services on me.
- Rolls over both ways and is really trying to figure out how to crawl. I'll have to video it some time, but he's got a maneuver he tries where he gets his whole butt in the air, weight on his feet, but he can't get his hands/arms in the right place so he doesn't really get very far with it - he'll put it all together soon, though, I think, especially since he's watching lots of babies crawl at TLC and Mother's Day Out.
I have a confession: I never went to see the last Harry Potter movie. We are just pretty busy around here, and we're afraid to take the boo-boo to the theatre in the event that he throws a ring-tailed fit, and we just straight-up missed it - it's already out of the theatres! So now I have to wait to Netflix it ... bummer ... it's a good think I know how the story ends. On that note, I haven't forgotten about my promise to share my favorite quotes from the book (although I haven't done it in awhile), but I have (another) confession regarding the 5th book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: while I enjoy it as a whole, I don't really have any favorite passages. This is not to say that I don't think it's well-written, on the contrary. I'm just saying I don't have anything that I can definitely quote here that really resonated with me. Also, I haven't really got any recommendations for reading for you, other than The Lincoln Lawyer, which I read in Hot Springs - 2 thumbs up! I'm putting it on our Netflix queu as well, since I've heard the movie is good. Other than that, I've been reading a lot of, well, kind of trashy-Nora Roberts-esque stuff - vacation reading for sure!
Monday, August 15, 2011
If You See Something Resembling a Shark in a River, Don't Fret. It's More Likely to be a Small Submarine Operated by Thieves
Last week I said we were going to the doctor for Jones' 4 month well-baby check-up ... and shots ... and I said I would update about Jones after that because I would have more info. So, as promised, an update on the boo-boo:
At 4 months, Jones ...
Jones did fine with his shots, although he did cry louder and harder and longer this time than the first time. He fell asleep in the waiting room while we were waiting the requisite 20 minutes to make sure he wouldn't have a reaction, and I really think part of the reason for his fussiness was that the AC at the clinic was broken, so it was nice and warm in the waiting room, and my little hot-natured baby was. not. happy. about it. I say he did fine because he didn't have any averse reaction, no fever or swelling or anything. We went home for the rest of the afternoon and he slept it off while Mommy cleaned the house and kept an eye on him.
This past weekend we ventured outside and broke in the new jogging stroller. We were really all just sick of being indoors constantly, like vampires. So, when the thermostat dropped to a cool and breezy 90 degrees, we sunscreened Jones up, cut the tags off the stroller and headed off on our once-usual route around our neighborhood. It felt so good to be out and about, breathing the fresh (if humid) air and getting some honest exercise. Fall is my favorite time of year, but I hesitate to say things like, "Summer is on it's way out!" because I don't want to jinx it, like some sort of bizarro-Punxatawney Phil ... which is silly, I know ... just because I admit how much I'm looking forward to fall doesn't mean that fall will take that much longer (like a watched pot). Anyway, all of that because I am really looking forward to greater temperature drops and more out-and-about-ed-ness.
- weighs 14 pounds and 5 ounces
- is 23 3/4 inches long
- eats 7-8 ounces every 3 1/2 to 4 hours (we go longer and longer stretches between feedings now) and is about to start solid foods (if Mommy can ever find an evening when she's not too tired to give it a shot)
- wears a size 2 diaper
- wears 0-3 months and 3 months clothes, but probably not for much longer
- can roll over both ways and, in fact, if you put him down on the ground or in his bed on his back, he will roll over within a minute or two and then wiggle and wiggle to try to get himself somewhere, and he likes to roll over in the night and sleep on his stomach or his side
- likes, but doesn't love, his gumdrop pacifier
- likes to go swimming (whenever we take him to the pool, any pool, if I try to get out and put him down for a nap, he gets really upset, even if he's tired or hungry and would be better off getting out of the pool ... he's all about hanging by the pool, just like Mommy and Daddy)
- laughs, especially if you are laughing and smiles big smiles all of the time (the lady who keeps the babies at our church's nursery told us this Sunday that he was one of the happiest babies she had ever seen ... she said, "I can barely get him to take a bottle or a pacifier for him smiling at me!")
- will have a conversation with you if you talk to him, including cooing and squealing
- likes his jumperoo, but still prefers his playmat as his number one activity (probably because it allows him to do his favorite trick: rolling over)
- is starting to like stuffed animals ... he just smiles and smiles at them and pulls them close if you set one down near him
- is not a fan of nap time ... he has to be really tired to take a nap, and a swing or rocking him is really the only way to knock him out, especially when he's fussing due to tiredness (we joke that he is determined not to miss out on anything)
- watches Mommy and Daddy intently, following them around the room with his eyes and turning his head to see where they are going
Jones did fine with his shots, although he did cry louder and harder and longer this time than the first time. He fell asleep in the waiting room while we were waiting the requisite 20 minutes to make sure he wouldn't have a reaction, and I really think part of the reason for his fussiness was that the AC at the clinic was broken, so it was nice and warm in the waiting room, and my little hot-natured baby was. not. happy. about it. I say he did fine because he didn't have any averse reaction, no fever or swelling or anything. We went home for the rest of the afternoon and he slept it off while Mommy cleaned the house and kept an eye on him.
This past weekend we ventured outside and broke in the new jogging stroller. We were really all just sick of being indoors constantly, like vampires. So, when the thermostat dropped to a cool and breezy 90 degrees, we sunscreened Jones up, cut the tags off the stroller and headed off on our once-usual route around our neighborhood. It felt so good to be out and about, breathing the fresh (if humid) air and getting some honest exercise. Fall is my favorite time of year, but I hesitate to say things like, "Summer is on it's way out!" because I don't want to jinx it, like some sort of bizarro-Punxatawney Phil ... which is silly, I know ... just because I admit how much I'm looking forward to fall doesn't mean that fall will take that much longer (like a watched pot). Anyway, all of that because I am really looking forward to greater temperature drops and more out-and-about-ed-ness.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Being Able to Throw Your Voice Can Get Your Unskilled Assistants Out of Tight Jams
I turned 30 this weekend ... on Saturday, to be precise. I wondered if I would feel different, no longer being a twenty-something. The verdict: yeah, I actually do feel a little different. But that may be more because of becoming a parent this year than turning 30. It's hard not to feel a lot more grown-up and, well, older, when you are responsible for a tiny, helpless little being. Speaking of the tiny, helpless little being at our house, new pics for your enjoyment:
It was actually a pretty low-key birthday, and that's fine with me. I'm trying to talk Alan into going to Jamaica in December to celebrate the birth of Jones, both of us turning thirty (I tried to plan a big surprise party for Alan for his thirtieth birthday in March, but then I got put on full time bed-rest and was actually in the hospital on his birthday, so the big throw-down got cancelled and he also had a low-key celebration), and our 5-year wedding anniversary. So, if you see Alan around town, tell him he deserves a lovely vacation, mon (which, in all honesty, he does: he's a good husband and dad and deserves a nice vacation). See, doesn't this look like a man who needs to be sipping a Red Stripe on the beach?
One of our other new things is rolling over both ways to sleep on our stomach. Little Bit just rolls every which way - if you put him on the floor on a quilt or his playmat, he's rolling over. Lay him down at night in his bassinet, he rolls over and sleeps on his side or his stomach. This, of course, makes me a bit of a nut because of all of the SIDS stuff you read about, but then I read something that says that once they are able to roll over both ways, the SIDS risk is greatly diminished. And it 's not like I can stop him anyway, nor do I blame him. I sleep on my stomach and Alan sleeps on his side, so of course he wants to be like Mommy and Daddy. I mean, look how comfortable he looks:
And, speaking of sleeping, it's that time on Sunday evening when Alan and I go to bed and watch The History Channel and The Discovery Channel and wind down and gear up for the coming week. So, happy Sunday, folks!
How can you not feel 30 when looking into that face? Ha! No, it's fine ... he was actually just mad because he was hungry, and I was taking pictures in an attempt to get everything ready for birth announcements ... I told Alan we had to get them out before the child turns one. This is actually a pretty reasonable goal for us.
Anyway: 30. A milestone. A different box on tax forms. This is, apparently, when I'm supposed to start thinking about Botox. I wouldn't do that, by the way. Not that I have anything at all against plastic surgery. Quite the contrary. But I don't think I could willingly deposit botulism in my face ... however, you never know: never say never. I don't think I have to worry about that right now, though, and I've got genetics on my side because my mother has wonderful skin (because she takes good care of it and has passed that knowledge along to me). I got the funniest birthday card from my friend Julie, it says: Welcome to your thirties! It's a lot like your twenties, except the hangovers are worse and you start buying sensible shoes." Ha! I find both of those statements to be completely accurate. I wore heels the other day to work and was pretty miserable (although, PSA: those Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel inserts really do work - awesome). Went back to flip flops the next day. Much better (I mean, they are nice flip flops and, in my defense, I spend a fair amount of time on ladders at the courthouse vault and at our storage building, so heels are not a good idea unless I'm going to court or something).
What did we do for the big three oh? One of my dear friends got married on Saturday so we went to the wedding and partied. I told her it was so nice of her to throw me such a lovely birthday party. We had a good time, got to hang out with our college friends that we don't get to see very often (well, not often enough, in my opinion). Our friends that we stayed with, the Runnells, have a pool (and an almost-20 month old, Andrew Wesley, who is so cute. He went around all weekend pointing at Jones and saying, "Baby?!") so some of our friends came over to their house and we all swam and hung out and just generally enjoyed eachother's company. We're all getting older, getting married, having babies, and that makes it harder to hang out, but also more fun, since we're all pretty much in the same stage of life and can exchange fun stories and laugh about our kids and watch them play together. They all got me a sweet card and my favorite petit fors from Rick's Bakery (if you're in Fayetteville, go by and get some petit fors, some Snickerdoodle coffee, a sausage roll, and a chocolate-whipped-cream-filled donut ... thank me later, after you're out of your sugar coma). Aren't they cute?
On Friday, Alan sent me flowers and a cake (which, contrary to the popular belief about only children, I shared with everyone at my office):
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| I don't know why this is turned sideways, and I can't fix it. My technological inexperience is well-documented, so just tilt your head and enjoy the pretty flowers in my favorite color: yellow. |
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| Half-eaten cake: delicious. Didn't have my camera with me when we cut into it and chowed down. |
What else, what else? Oh, I know: I dyed my hair (again). Perhaps you will remember that I dyed it red back in November. I liked it a lot, but red is a lot of upkeep. That was in November, and then shortly before six weeks when I would normally go back to the hairdresser was when I first got put into the hospital and then was on part time (half day) bed rest. So the hair appointment got pushed aside. Then I went on full-time bed rest, then I was in the hospital, then I had a premature baby, then I was at home on maternity leave, and hair maintenance in general got pushed aside. My sweet husband, noting that it had been awhile since my hair had been "done", bought me a gift certificate, so I took advantage of it. Et voila:
It's very dark, no? Here's the secret: during all of the time that I was not dying my hair (the first time in many, many years), my hair grew in a lovely (if I do say so myself) shade of dark brown. So, I just told my hairdresser to match the color to my roots that had grown in after the red (and to cut a few inches off (in layers) ... truth be told I was looking pretty mangy), and this is the resultant color. I like it. I like, too, that it promises to be easier to maintain. But, I mean, you know: who knew?! After all of the years and $$$$$ maintaining blonde hair, there was a pretty color underneath just waiting for its time to shine.
I know y'all are dying to know what the boo-boo has been up to, so here's a little taste but I'll do a bigger post later on this week because we're going to the doctor for his four month well-baby check-up and I'll have more information. One of our new favorite things is the jumperoo:
One of our other new things is rolling over both ways to sleep on our stomach. Little Bit just rolls every which way - if you put him on the floor on a quilt or his playmat, he's rolling over. Lay him down at night in his bassinet, he rolls over and sleeps on his side or his stomach. This, of course, makes me a bit of a nut because of all of the SIDS stuff you read about, but then I read something that says that once they are able to roll over both ways, the SIDS risk is greatly diminished. And it 's not like I can stop him anyway, nor do I blame him. I sleep on my stomach and Alan sleeps on his side, so of course he wants to be like Mommy and Daddy. I mean, look how comfortable he looks:
And, speaking of sleeping, it's that time on Sunday evening when Alan and I go to bed and watch The History Channel and The Discovery Channel and wind down and gear up for the coming week. So, happy Sunday, folks!
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