What three words best describe your personality?
This is from a mini-quiz on the mommy board. I sat and thought for awhile and just couldn't come up with words. I didn't want to cheat and look at other answers to come up with ideas. It's not that I'm not self-aware at all, it's just that I can't think of what words I would use. After finally giving up and cheating I'd say strong is definitely a fair word for me to use. I think I could just steal Angie's answer, "strong, sarcastic and empathetic." But then do I seem empathetic? I'm not sure. I know that I am hyper-aware of other people's reactions, moods and body language, but do I reflect that? Ugh! Self examination hurts. I'd be interested to know how others describe me because I sometimes think there is a disconnect between how we see ourselves and how others see us. I might have an idea of myself fixed in my head from 10 years ago. Is that me now? Probably not. Damn that quiz!
Friday, September 30, 2005
Weekend Update
With no Tina Fey...sorry. We're at Noni and Popi's. After Emma went to sleep Noni and I headed out to Walmart in search of the magic sippy. I bought three, just in case they work. They were actually Nubys. I didn't see anything at else similar and the price was right. $1.96. I also got a Halloween bib while I was at it. I have no idea how things like that make it into my cart. It's a feeder bib; Popi was highly annoyed by her plastic one that kept getting her way so we bought it to make him happy. She'll also be trying out organic whole milk, L'eggo mini waffles and toaster sticks, and goldfish. She's been eating the Gerber freeze dried apple bits but now that I'm reminded of the price I'm sure that won't go on much longer.

Tomorrow we're off to Dayton Days, a little festival with lots of food and crafts and who knows what else. Emma will love it because she loves crowds. I'll be interested to see how she does spending a day in her stroller now that she's a "walker."
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Third time's a charm
Tonight Emma had her third big girl's bath and this is the first time she hasn't slipped under. We may get the hang of this thing yet.
Tender moments
Tonight when I was giving Emma her bedtime bottle she was concentrating on my face. For the first time she seemed to take a real interest, reaching up with her hands and exploring. She'd touch my nose, poke a finger in my mouth, I'd nibble it or suck on it to surprise her. When she touched my nose I'd say "nose" and then I'd touch her nose and say it again. Then she'd scratch her head or touch her ears and then reach up to my face and start over again. She sticks her finger in my mouth and I suck and realize, jeez louise, I just watched you digging in your ear with that finger! Ugh! Tasty.
A little pick-me-up for the middle of my day...
This is from last spring, right after Emma started sitting up reliably:
Sorry I missed you yesterday...
Last evening I was having a geek-a-thon with the new computer. I'm working on transferring files from the old computer to the new computer and since I didn't have the proper cable to network the two I've been using a 512 memory stick. That's pretty time intensive. The good news is that I figured out how to network my work laptop to my new computer so now I can print from the couch. woo hoo! And share files. Uh...oh yeah...and Emma's doing good too! ;) More tonight!
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
New Computer - Woo hoo!
Yes, I'm finally kicking that old 1999 model to the curb. Well, actually we're putting it into storage for Emma's starter computer in a few years. I've got a hot new machine I bought from Dell via Costco. Gotta let dh earn his cash back, ya know. Anyway, this one has a CD and DVD burner so now I'll be better able to save some of this video. I'm speeding along at 1 GB of RAM, and we've got 160 GB of hard drive storage. We are smokin' Right now I'm working on getting all the peripherals installed and getting my internet "experience" up to speed. It takes a lot of downloads to create the proper surfing environment.
Another first for Mommy
Today was the first time I've had food flung in my hair. Yippee! It would be the night I had to go back out again for a board meeting. At least mashed potatos are easy to spot in brown hair.
Monday, September 26, 2005
No bites! No bites!
You hear this in my house just about every day. Honestly! Am I the only mommy with a child with a temper? She gets mad and she tries to bite me. She doesn't succeed very often any more, but it takes some evasive maneuvers on my part. And if she can't bite me she'll bite something, usually the foulest dog chair, which happens to be right next to her when I'm denying her access to my end table. This child does not like to be denied.
The trick to getting Emma to eat anything...
is to feed her from my plate. Whatever's there, she wants some. M. doesn't get home from work until after 6:30 most days and Emma needs supper earlier than that. I usually give her something around 5:30. We've figured out recently that in order to be able to eat in peace we have to sit her in her highchair and eat our (late) meal at the kitchen table. So now at her 5:30 meal I feed her light fare like fruit and bread of some variety. When she sits down an hour later for our meal she'll have what I'm having. Tonight it was salmon cakes. The other night it was spicy quesedilla cheese and meat. Whatever you've got Mom, that's what I want. It will be good for my diet to share every meal, right?
BTW
It's very difficult to write a post with someone on the couch next to you giving you a narrative on how a carbide lantern works. I'm just sayin...
Awash in sentiment
The mommy board has been dripping with sentiment lately. It's no wonder. Our babies are reaching a year old now and it just floors me how much has happened in that time. I think all of the mommies are taking the time to reminisce about their pregnancies and the first year of their babies lives and dwell a bit on the good parts. It's even worth remembering the hard parts if just to give ourselves a pat on the back for having weathered it. I expect the sentimentality should reach critical mass about mid-October. Not only are we counting our baby blessings we're realizing how valuable we've been to each other. Sharing our stories, our tips and our lives. I expect most of our dh's know board members by name, or by their latest exploit. I don't know how I would have managed without BIO.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Big Girl's Bath
Tonight was Emma's first time in the big bathtub in our house. It went pretty well. We had one slip where she went under and came up sputtering and coughing, Mom having nightmares of pneumonia from aspirating water and instant ear infection from wet ears. She got to play with the water from the spigot, something she's never done before. I think she may have even gotten clean in the process.

She's practicing drinking bathwater from a big cup, yummy!

Isn't this refreshing?
Provoking Noni (and Emma)
The ONLY sweet picture you will ever see of my child with a headband:


Now Noni and Emma want to kick my ass:


For the love of God Mommy GET IT OFF!!!
I am just completely baffled
Emma's behavior is so bizarre today I'm really flummoxed. She is so clingy. She cries for you to pick her up and then when you do she cries just as hard. Plus she'll stiff arm you or start bucking. So you put her down and she cries even harder and reaches up for you. Sometimes I'm able to distract her with a book or a toy long enough for her to calm down for a little while, but it never lasts long. The only thing that can stop her is to put her down in her crib. Which I just did for the fourth time today. Twice I did it for her regular naps, once I did it so I could get her bottle ready, and this last time I did it because it was the only thing that would make her stop crying. I put her down, gave her the paci and Tigger and left the room. She is really weirding me out here.
Exciting Sunday...balanced my checkbook...
For the first time in seven months. I've gotten pretty bad about that. I turned out to be only $79.04 off. $20.04 was a math mistake, $29.00 was the state tax rebate that was direct deposited and never recorded and $30.00 I've been carrying for over a year and half for a gift check I wrote someone that they must have lost. At least the mistakes were in my favor. Every time I do this I vow not to wait so long next time. Heh.