Go Blue!!!
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Some decision are so tough
It was tough for her to decide but we had a long conversation about it and Violet has finally decided where she wants to attend college.
Go Blue!!!
Go Blue!!!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Bananas!
Violet started on solids last weekend. So far she's had apples, rice cereal (who knew that rice was a cereal?), and banana. Here's video of Jim feeding Violet some bananas.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thoughts for the day
A friend sent these to me, thought you might enjoy.
I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?
Have you ever been walking down the street and realized you're going in the opposite direction of where you’re supposed to be going? But instead of just turning 180° and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.
There is a great need for sarcasm font.
Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I’d watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f*ck was going on when I first saw it.
The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I’d already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, “Both go left, Both go right” game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that's is when I realized, yup, that's a mirror I just tried to walk through - and the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.
How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
Was learning cursive really necessary?
My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.
Whenever someone says, "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
How many times is it appropriate to say. "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in ... (10 second lapse) ...ummm ...G-Spot".
What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
While driving yesterday, I saw a banana peel on the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it ... thanks Mario Kart.
MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
Obituaries would be much more interesting if they told you how the person died.
I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."
Ever notice how bad decisions make good stories?
I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?
Have you ever been walking down the street and realized you're going in the opposite direction of where you’re supposed to be going? But instead of just turning 180° and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.
There is a great need for sarcasm font.
Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I’d watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f*ck was going on when I first saw it.
The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I’d already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way. We played that, “Both go left, Both go right” game to no avail, so I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that's is when I realized, yup, that's a mirror I just tried to walk through - and the guy on the other side is me. Even cats can recognize their own image.
How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
Was learning cursive really necessary?
My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.
Whenever someone says, "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".
How many times is it appropriate to say. "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!
Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in ... (10 second lapse) ...ummm ...G-Spot".
What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
While driving yesterday, I saw a banana peel on the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it ... thanks Mario Kart.
MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
Obituaries would be much more interesting if they told you how the person died.
I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
I would like to officially coin the phrase 'catching the swine flu' to be used as a way to make fun of a friend for hooking up with an overweight woman. Example: "Dave caught the swine flu last night."
Ever notice how bad decisions make good stories?
Monday, August 17, 2009
I don't even know where my camera is. Bad parent.
At 5.5 months, Violet is working on sitting up and standing. She is a very determined little person. She can sit up, unassisted for a couple of seconds, although she can't get herself into a sitting position alone. She can also stand, hanging on to something for a few seconds. Same story - she can't pull herself to standing. She hasn't made any progress on crawling forward. She is, however, quite a pro at accidentally scooting back.
In 2 weeks she gets to start on solids. She really wants to eat now, but Jim has a ton of allergies and waiting until 6 months gives her the best chance of reducing her allergic reactions. According to her due date, she's 6 months now.
Is that cheating?
We went hiking in the Hocking Hills yesterday. Violet loves being outside. She can spend hours and hours just looking around. Bring her indoors and she can only maintain her attention span for about 10 minutes before she wants a new activiity.
In other baby news, our plan is to adopt a child in a year and a half. It takes a while to save the $ and go through the process, so we should be starting now. I'm surprised that it isn't more expensive. There are 2 nonprofits in town that charge 16k and there is an 11k federal tax credit, for a grand total of 5k. It's possible that there will be other expenses, depending on the individual sitution, but that fee includes homestudy and all other usual costs. I've talked with 2 couples who adopted from these local nonprofits and said it worked great. I need to ask the people who chose other options why they didn't go this route, just to make sure it is as easy as they all saying. If you have any insights, please share them!
At 5.5 months, Violet is working on sitting up and standing. She is a very determined little person. She can sit up, unassisted for a couple of seconds, although she can't get herself into a sitting position alone. She can also stand, hanging on to something for a few seconds. Same story - she can't pull herself to standing. She hasn't made any progress on crawling forward. She is, however, quite a pro at accidentally scooting back.
In 2 weeks she gets to start on solids. She really wants to eat now, but Jim has a ton of allergies and waiting until 6 months gives her the best chance of reducing her allergic reactions. According to her due date, she's 6 months now.
Is that cheating?
We went hiking in the Hocking Hills yesterday. Violet loves being outside. She can spend hours and hours just looking around. Bring her indoors and she can only maintain her attention span for about 10 minutes before she wants a new activiity.
In other baby news, our plan is to adopt a child in a year and a half. It takes a while to save the $ and go through the process, so we should be starting now. I'm surprised that it isn't more expensive. There are 2 nonprofits in town that charge 16k and there is an 11k federal tax credit, for a grand total of 5k. It's possible that there will be other expenses, depending on the individual sitution, but that fee includes homestudy and all other usual costs. I've talked with 2 couples who adopted from these local nonprofits and said it worked great. I need to ask the people who chose other options why they didn't go this route, just to make sure it is as easy as they all saying. If you have any insights, please share them!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Movie Reviews
Lo and behold, people did read my movie reviews. Now that I have an audience, so to speak, I'm going to start writing again. Check out new reviews for Religulous, Bill Maher's documentary on religion, and The Contract, a semi-thriller starring Morgan Freeman and John Cusack.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Darling Violet
Darling Violet, my little heart, sweetest little baby, all full of laughter and smiles, 5 months old... has started to whine.
Party over.
Party over.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Recent pics
Violet sleeps with her bum in the air.
Chillin' on the back deck. Yay Jim for rebuilding it!
Friday, July 10, 2009
4 month checkup
Violet had her 4-month check up on Monday. She now weighs 14 pounds, 2 ounces which puts her in the 70 percentile for weight and is in the 80 percentile for height. She remains a champion head-grower in the 90th percentile.
The most exciting update is that she laughed for the first time yesterday. I tried to get it on film, but she clams up as soon as I break out the camera!
The most exciting update is that she laughed for the first time yesterday. I tried to get it on film, but she clams up as soon as I break out the camera!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Cooper Clappers
It's really strange to say this but my dad sent me this Johnny Carson skit, which I thought was funny.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Latest accomplishments
Violet now sleeps like a regular baby in her crib - no longer swaddled or in her carseat! Also, she can take her pacifier in and out of her mouth. She's not totally accomplished with putting it in, often forgetting that she should let go once she's reached her goal.
She loves music and books, staring intently. Yesterday she tried to grab the pictures in the book. Didn't go so well.
This is my 4th week back to work and it's still hard to leave Violet at daycare in the morning. Knowing that I don't have a choice makes it easier. Mondays are the worst.
She loves music and books, staring intently. Yesterday she tried to grab the pictures in the book. Didn't go so well.
This is my 4th week back to work and it's still hard to leave Violet at daycare in the morning. Knowing that I don't have a choice makes it easier. Mondays are the worst.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Baby fight!
One of the other babies in daycare accidentally scratched Violet's forehead. You should see the other guy!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Back to work!
I went back to work 2 1/2 weeks ago, which means I'm 2 weeks behind on everything - email, work, sending the baby announcements, thank you notes... It's been very overwhelming to have to be totally present for so long each day. Not to mention how early I have to get up. 6:30am is not my optimal wake-up time, 8:30 is.With that said, I'm thrilled to be back at work. We are far behind on fundraising, mostly because I was gone, so I have a ton to do. The economy is still slow, so fundraising is going to be tougher this year. That all adds up to more work in less time in order to make our budget. If you ever wanted to give to an environmental advocacy group, now is the time! www.theOEC.org.
Violet is growing like a weed. She turned over for the first time last week. At 3 1/2 months Violet can roll both from back to front and front to back. Take your eyes off her for a moment and she's in a totally different position than when you last saw her. Sometimes when she gets on her belly she gets a little frustrated, which you'll see in the video below.
She's all smiles all of the time. One of the daycare staff said she's one of the happiest babies she's ever seen. We're starting to put away the newborn props (bouncy seat and swing) in favor of more interactive games like the play gym, pack & play, and stuffed toys. She's also starting to teethe. You can't see teeth yet, but she's constantly knawing, drools a bit, and is a bit stuffy.
She has adjusted well to daycare. I miss her all day long, but she is getting a lot of attention and a wide variety of experiences. Each week a guitarist plays and sings for the babies, she gets outside nearly every day, they have TONS of toys, and lots of staff.
Finally, I just got to drop $350 on a new pump. Apparently the one that I had isn't made to last very long. Since I got it from someone else (the manufacturer said this was OK), it had burned out. Now I'm hands free. The whole get-up is rediculous, I look like I should be in a 1950's ad. I'm more worried that a co-worker will walk in and see what I'm wearing than see me exposed. Such is life.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tiny hiney
Our sweet baby slept for 11 hours last night. She loves us!
Violet chooses some interesting positions to sleep in...
She's a big smiler now!
Here's the beautiful retaining wall that Jim built.
Violet chooses some interesting positions to sleep in...
She's a big smiler now!
Here's the beautiful retaining wall that Jim built.Thursday, May 07, 2009
Santa Barbara on fire
Santa Barbara is in manditory evacuation mode. Only a few dozen homes have burned so far, but the town is seriously threatened. Manditory evacuation is ordered just a couple of blocks from where we lived. http://www.keyt.com/ for pics and updates. Currently, it's 0% contained.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Violet's 2 month stats
Violet had her 2 month check up today. She was 11 pounds 9.5 ounces, which is 75th percentile, height was 23 1/2 inches, which is 85th percentile, and head circumference was 16 inches, which is 90th percentile. She's grown 3 pounds and 3 inches since birth.
So, basically all of her weight is in her giant noggin!
She's holding her head pretty steady on her own, is jabbering quite a bit, smiles a ton, and seems generally happy. She's still sleeping well, although she needs to be swaddled in her car seat to get a full night's sleep.
Go, Violet, go!
Finally, we've decided to get a second car. We're buying an '04 Honda Accord with 50k miles on it. We would prefer to have a European style car, like our Saab, but the #s didn't add up since repairs are so expensive. We'll drive the Honda all of time, except when we have to cart the dog somewhere or are in need of a second vehicle, which isn't very often. We should be getting it tomorrow.
So, basically all of her weight is in her giant noggin!
She's holding her head pretty steady on her own, is jabbering quite a bit, smiles a ton, and seems generally happy. She's still sleeping well, although she needs to be swaddled in her car seat to get a full night's sleep.
Go, Violet, go!
Finally, we've decided to get a second car. We're buying an '04 Honda Accord with 50k miles on it. We would prefer to have a European style car, like our Saab, but the #s didn't add up since repairs are so expensive. We'll drive the Honda all of time, except when we have to cart the dog somewhere or are in need of a second vehicle, which isn't very often. We should be getting it tomorrow.
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