Magic Beans

Symptoms of... Pregnancy?

2012-02-03T14:01:00.001-05:00

Over the summer, Evan and I decided that we were ready to make our family bigger. We figured that we'd start trying for baby #2 in November, that way I'd be pregnant over the summer when I could stay in the pool all day with Tristan. And then baby #2 would have an end of summer, beginning of autumn birthday. Perfect!

Skip ahead to November. We started trying. And by the beginning of December, I started having symptoms. The question, were they pregnancy symptoms or something else?

Symptom #1: Fatigue
I was tired. So tired I actually took a nap. For those that know me well, I'll give you a second to pick yourselves up off the floor. OK. Ready? Yeah, I needed a nap multiple days in a row. But at the same time I was fighting a off a cold that Evan had brought home. And Tristan was getting up for the day between 5 and 6:30. So maybe that's why I was so tired? Keep in mind, when I was pregnant with Tristan, I didn't nap, or feel the need to.

Symptom #2: Tighter Shirts
OK, so, yeah, this might be too much info for some, and if so, you should just skip ahead now. Anyway, suddenly my chest seemed larger. Was was I finally getting back my pre-Tristan boobs? I'd heard that 3-6 months after you stop breastfeeding your boobs come back, was it actually happening? Or was the pregnancy-boob fairy here?

Symptom #3: Nausea
While out shopping one day, I stepped into a room where they were serving ham for lunch. And I immediately ran back out the door, trying not to gag. Was the vegetarian in me revolting? I mean, when I was pregnant with Tristan, I didn't get all-day-sickness until I was 8 weeks along. At this point, it was only 3 weeks!

Symptom #4: Oh Man, I Gotta Pee!
I wasn't sure, but it seemed that I was needing to go to the bathroom more frequently. But maybe I was just drinking more water lately? Hmmm...

So, with these thoughts in my head, I waited until mid-December. And do you know what the best sign of pregnancy is?

Baby #2 is due August 16!

Crumbs

2012-01-16T09:43:00.001-05:00

We took the Xmas tree down Sunday. Before Tristan's nap, he helped undecorate the tree. Though he spent a good deal of time taking the ornaments we'd just gotten off back to the tree to try and put them on again.

After his nap, Tristan came downstairs and said "Where tree go?" We explained it was all gone for the year, that the tree was back outside. Then Evan went and got the vacuum. Tristan looked at the floor.

"Crumbs! Daddy, crumbs here!"

And for the next few minutes, I watched Tristan help his Daddy find and vacuum up all of the 'crumbs' left by the tree.

Holiday Spirit?

2011-11-27T19:45:00.003-05:00

I find myself waffling between happy holiday spirit and the bah humbugs. And why?

I remember truly liking the holidays. When I was a kid, Thanksgiving and Christmas were so much fun. And then my parents divorced. Though I don't think it was just then that the holidays became so 'meh' for me. I think it was some years later. When I started feeling like I couldn't be everywhere I wanted to be, or was wanted to be. When I suddenly had 3 or 4 different places I could be for each holiday. And I couldn't be at them all. I started feeling guilty. And it slowly has worked its way into me wanting to skip the whole Christmas thing all together.

I want to make the holidays special again. I want to enjoy them. And I want Tristan to like them just as much as I used to. I just read this great post that my old college roommate wrote. Finally, it seems like I might have found the answer. Heck with guilt. Heck with angst. I'm going to make the holidays about being happy. I'm going to make a calendar of things to do. Everything will be something happy.

And if it doesn't work this year, I'll try again next. And it will work. For Tristan, it will work.

Tristan Through 12 Months

2011-11-16T21:12:00.018-05:00

I was going to do through 18 months, but figured 2 parts might be better. So without further ado...

May, just before his birthday, doing one of his favorite activities with Daddy.

11 Months11 Months, Tristan's first shadow puppet. Looks like a lama to this mama.
10 Months - With the new cart Daddy made for him.
9 Months - There's a kitty down there!

Tristan at 8 Months - The last time he was in his bouncer.
8 Months - The start of Tristan's favorite game (still to this day)... Where's Tristan?

A very happy Tristan, 7 months old
7 Months - Tristan opening his first Christmas gift. Yes, he opened it all by himself.
Tristan at 7 Months

Video - Mommie's Sanity Saver

2011-11-16T20:12:00.004-05:00

When I was pregnant, I was trying to figure out what to add to my registry for my baby shower. One of the decisions involved what baby monitor to get. I saw that there were video monitors available, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why you'd need a video monitor. Did you really need to watch your baby sleeping?

Fast forward to the past 2 weeks. When Tristan wasn't napping. Through my audio monitor, I could hear him babbling away in his crib. But I had no idea what he was doing, and why he suddenly wasn't napping. Any time I'd open the door, he'd be up and talking to me in a second.

Yesterday, I installed our new video monitor. And today Tristan finally napped. The only difference between today and the past 2 weeks? I'd been watching the monitor. Tristan was walking around in his crib, waving his bear around, playing with his pacifier, banging on the walls. And he was also laying down, kicking the slats of his crib. He was a bit like a kangaroo, up and down, up and down. When I was thinking maybe I should go in, I looked at the monitor. Tristan was laying in the crib, talking to himself. I figured if he stood up again, I'd go in and get him. Instead, within 5 minutes, he was asleep.

Thats My Evan

2011-11-10T22:06:00.001-05:00

We're headed upstairs for bed. I hear crash! bang! above me. When I get to our room, I ask Evan if he's ok. He says he ran into the baby gate. He forgot it was there. The baby gate he made himself. The baby gate he installed himself. Six months ago. I'm glad the body snatchers haven't gotten him!

Cloth Diapering - How To

2011-02-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

This is the second post in my 'Cloth Diapering' series. The first was a diaper review. This is the 'how to' cloth diaper. And I've decided I need to do one more after this: 'Cloth Diapering - Would I do it again?'. Stay tuned...

So, if you're thinking about using cloth diapers, you might ask what does that entail? There are three things you need to think about:

Having a diaper supply.
Cleaning the diapers.
Traveling with diapers.

Each of these has some additional points to ponder, so I'll address them one at a time.

Diaper Supply
Check out my diaper review for my thoughts on which diapers to get. The summary: If cost was no issue, I'd get enough Kawaii One Size Heavy Duty cloth diapers to last me for a wash cycle. However, since cost is an issue, if I had it to do again, I'd got enough Kawaii for night/nap time, and prefolds for day-time.

Tristan is now going through about 8 diapers a day. So what I actually have are 24 prefold (with 4 diaper covers), 11 BumGenius, 1 Kawaii, 6 Thirsties fitted diapers, and 4 FuzzyBunz. With all of these, I can go 4 days between washings. Yes, I know the math doesn't add up, but I need something to put him in on day 4 when the diapers are in the wash, and more accurately, hung out to dry (Ah! Light bulb!). :)

One other thing to think of on the supply side, if you're using cloth diapers, why not use cloth baby wipes? I've got 30 wipes, I use them with a mix of water and baby shampoo. I have a tub of the mix on the changing table and just get the wipe wet when I need to use it. Then it goes in the pail with the dirty diaper. And I also use toilet paper to clean up baby poop from Tristan's bum, then that just goes in the toilet. May sound complicated, but its not, and I'm only using disposable wipes when we are away from the house.

Cleaning Diapers
There are a few things you need for cleaning the diapers. You need a supply that lasts you a how ever many days you decide to do laundry. See the Diaper Supply section above.

You also need some sort of diaper pail. We use 3 kitty liter buckets. Yeah, I'm serious. They work great. They're easy to dump into the washing machine, they hold the odor, and they were easy to get! We started using them because Tristan arrived in our lives a little early and we hadn't gotten a diaper pail. Then when they worked, we just kept using them. The only thing you need for inside the pail (other than the dirty diapers) is baking soda to help with the smell. I sprinkle some into the bottom of the bucket. Then when we do the wash, I put some water into the bucket using the detergent cap, and swish it around, and then dump the water into the machine.

Part of cloth diapering is dealing with baby poop. And until you start feeding your baby solids, baby poop is very liquid-y. I have read that you can just shake out the poop into the toilet and pop the diapers in the washer, but that didn't sit right with me, I really didn't think my old top-load machine would really clean the diapers. Which lead to the Diaper Sprayer. Best invention ever. Really! The diaper sprayer hooks up to the toilet water supply, and when you change a poopy diaper, you just hang it over the side of the toilet, spray the poop off, and put the diaper in the bucket. No fuss, no muss. E will tell you that cleaning the BumGenius diapers with the sprayer is a pain, but I found that you just need to put the diaper inside out over your fist, instead of draping it over the side of the toilet.

So now, onto the actual washing. As I said, I do the laundry every 4 days. I do the diapers at night because I only have 4 diaper covers, and I need at least 1 to be dry to use. So the diapers go in when Tristan goes to bed. I bring the buckets down to the machine, dump them in, rinse them out, and turn them upside down in the shower to dry out. If they smell a bit, I use all purpose cleaner to give them a quick clean. For pre-solids diapers, I used the extra wash cycle. For post-solids diapers, I just use a normal wash. And in both cases, I use Dreft detergent and an extra rinse cycle. When they're done, in the winter or wet weather, I pop them into the dryer, and the rest of the time I hang them out to dry. One great thing about line drying, it gets out the poop stains. The sun is the best bleach alternative ever!

Traveling
So now we come to the travel portion. I keep diapers and a wet bag in my diaper bag. Usually the diapers are the FuzzyBunz because I'm not too fond of them and would rather not use them every day. But they work well when out and about, as long as Tristan doesn't need to go more than an hour and a half in the diaper. The wet bags have a cinch top and when we change Tristan, we just stick the diaper in the wet bag. The wet bags help control the smell and keep the stuff in the diaper bag from getting soiled or damp. If Tristan's got a diaper cover on, I leave it attached to the outside of the diaper bag to air dry a bit before the next use.

For day or overnight trips, we just bring along the diapers and a kitty liter bucket or two, and we're all set.

So, that's it. I think I've gotten everything you might need to know to use cloth diapers. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to add a post!

Cloth Diapering - Diaper Review

2011-02-26T10:09:00.001-05:00

When E and I were preparing for Tristan's arrival, there was no question that we'd be using cloth diapers. The only question was what kind. It was so very daunting how many different types of cloth diapers there were to choose... All in ones, prefolds, fitted, and there were so many different brands of each type on top of that! So, I asked for some advice from the few friends that used cloth, registered for a few different kinds, and hoped for the best.

I decided that I needed to make 2 posts about this, one for a diaper review and one for a 'how to' kind of guide. So, here's the first, the diaper review.

First, a short dictionary for those that don't know cloth diapers.

Pocket diaper - A waterproof shell with a micro-fleece inside that creates a pocket. You put an absorbent insert inside the pocket. The baby stays dry because the micro-fleece inside wicks the moisture away.

Prefolds - Your parents cloth diapers. But they're better than they used to be. They're made up of many layers of cotton (4 on the outer edges, 8 in the middle for more absorbency) and are very absorbent. They have to be held closed with something (now-a-days, Snappis, something like an ace bandage 'pin') and need a diaper cover.

Diaper cover - The waterproof cover that goes over all diapers that don't have a built in waterproof layer. These covers are what makes cloth diapers so much better than what our parents used. They're light weight, semi-breathable, and very waterproof. They go on over the cloth diaper like a disposable diaper, not underwear, which makes them easier to use then the old style rubber pants.

Fitted diapers - Diapers that are made to 'fit' the baby, so you don't have to fold it. These usually look a lot like disposables. They also usually have a thicker middle section to help absorb more liquids. All of the fitted diapers I have need a diaper cover.

And now for the different types of diapers:
KaWaii Baby One Size Heavy Duty Pocket Diaper
Best diaper ever. It's a pocket diaper, and they're easy to use, with Velcro closures and snaps to size them to the baby (supposed to work from 8-30 pounds). They come with an extra insert for heavy wetting/night time diapering. And the pocket has a flap to keep the inserts in place, which incidentally also makes rinsing the poop out of them easier than other diapers. They're very similar to the BumGenius (below), though they are better than the BumGenius in the flap closure and full size extra insert.

The only con for this diaper is the price. At $7 for one diaper, they're not as cost effective as others, but they're not too bad either.

I only have one of these, because I found them after I'd stocked up on the BumGenius (below). But if I need to buy more diapers, these will be what I get. You can find them at the Kawaii web site.

BumGenius 3.0 Cloth Diaper
I believe this is the 'original' of the Kawaii diaper above. It's almost exactly the same, so it's almost the best diaper ever, except...

The cons for this diaper are the price (really, $16 for one diaper when I got them, and now I see they're up to $18?!?), the pocket closure is funky and doesn't work as good as the Kawaii flap, and the extra insert is a 3/4 length, 1/2 thickness insert. When Tristan was wetting at his heaviest, I needed to put in 2 extra inserts, which made the diaper very bulky.

I got some of these as a gift, and the others I bought from DiaperJunction.com.

Diaper Rite Prefolds and Bummis Super Wisper Wraps
The Diaper Rite prefolds are very absorbent. Before Tristan fit in the BumGenius diapers, I had him overnight in these. I bought the prefolds as a package with the Bummis Super Wisper Wrap diaper covers. I use an 'angel' closure with the prefold, meaning I fold the diaper in thirds in the front, but leave it fully out in the back. Then I use a Snappi (another in the best inventions ever category) to keep the diaper in place. Supposedly you can just fold the diaper in thirds and put it into the cover, but that didn't work with pre-solid-foods poop. Maybe now it would though...

The pros for this combo is the price (worked out to $3.23 to $3.79 per diaper when you factor in the diaper cover) and the absorbancy.

The cons are the bulk of needing 3 things to do one diaper and that they are definitely not as easy as disposables. I've gotten really good at using these, and wouldn't consider this a con for myself, just not sure I can leave Tristan with someone with these diapers without having them practice using them for a bit.

Since these diapers come in sizes, I've gotten the newborn, small and medium sizes as Tristan grew. I got the packages at DiaperJunction.com.

Kissaluvs Fitted Diaper
I only used this a short time, as it was the newborn size and only fit Tristan for a month or less.

The pros (which I didn't grasp at the time) are the ease of use. They go on similar in style to disposables.

The cons, they don't hold as much as a prefold, making you change the baby more often, and and they cost more than the KaWaii diapers without having the waterproof layer.

I got this diaper as part of a diaper sample package from DiaperJunction.com.

Thirsties Duo Wrap Diaper Cover
I hated this diaper cover.

The cons, it just didn't fit over the prefold diapers, they stuck out at his legs and got his clothes wet. I might use it for the next kid if it fits over the Kissaluvs diaper. Or I might get rid of it.

I got this diaper cover as part of a diaper sample package from DiaperJunction.com, though I see that they now are offering the Bummis cover with the package instead.

Thirsties Fitted Diapers
I got these diapers at a second hand store, and I don't see that they make them anymore. But I'll still review them. They're pretty good diapers.

The pros, I can give them to anybody to use without worrying that Tristan will end up soaked and I don't have to have a Snappi handy.

The cons, they don't absorb as much as the prefolds and they cost (new) more than the KaWaii diapers without having the waterproof layer.

And that's it for the diaper review! Hopefully it was helpful for somebody. And stay tuned for the 'how to' guide...

Tristan through 6 months

2010-11-13T19:15:00.000-05:00

Tristan on the day he was born

Tristan at 1 month old

Tristan at 2 months old

Tristan at 3 months old

Tristan at 4 months old

Tristan at 5 months old

Tristan at 6 months old

The Tristan Report - 6 Months

2010-11-11T10:55:00.007-05:00

It's that time again! Here's the 6 month Tristan Report.

Tristan is 20 lbs, 14 oz. He's 28 inches long. And his head is 18.2 inches around. All of these are above the 93rd percentile. He's in 12 and mostly 18 month size clothes. He's still in the medium prefold diapers, which are supposed to fit through 30 lbs, hopefully they're right!

Tristan is starting to eat solids. On his 1/2 birthday, I gave him oatmeal made with breast milk. He didn't seem to know what to make of it. He seemed puzzled, and sat with his mouth open a lot. He did swallow some, and drooled some out too. And he played with it with his hands. He also did this weird shuddering thing a couple of times. But he didn't outright reject it. So, it's a start. The next month should be interesting.

Tristan is sitting in his high chair at the table. He sits there to eat his solid foods, but also to join E and me for our meals. He needs some help sitting, I have to stuff towels in around him to keep him upright. But he seems to enjoy being there.

Tristan's First Meal & First Time in the High Chair

Tristan is taking baths in the big bath tub. The little tub was just too little. The big tub seems huge of course. But, he seems to like it, playing with his rubber ducky and smiling. He especially likes splashing the water around with his feet.

Tristan has never slept in the car unless it's nap time. He usually amuses himself playing with a toy or looking out the window. And now that it gets dark at 5pm, we have discovered that he doesn't like riding in the car after it gets dark. He starts crying as soon as we get in the car and the overhead light goes off. And he doesn't stop until we turn the light back on for him. So I'm working on figuring out a way to give Tristan his own light that doesn't interfere with driving.

And lastly, Tristan gives me kisses, usually after I've just given him kisses. He leans forward and touches my cheek with his open mouth. It's pretty cute.

The Tristan Report - 5 3/4 Months

2010-10-29T08:37:00.007-04:00

So, I'm a bit late in giving the 5 month report. But that's OK, we'll do the 5 and 3/4 month report.

Tristan can roll over now! On 10/18, he rolled for the first time. I had him on his play mat in the kitchen with me while I made dinner. I looked over, and he was on his tummy. I rolled him back onto his back, and he rolled over again. So now he can get from his back to his tummy, and does so every chance he gets. Especially when he's just finished eating, and rolling on his tummy is going to make him spit up. We have a new game: after he eats, I put him down and he rolls onto his tummy, then I roll him onto his back. And repeat! He's working on figuring out how to roll from his tummy to his back, he can get his hips and legs started, but his arms keep getting in the way of actually rolling over. For now, when he's tired of being on his tummy, and frustrated trying to roll to his back, he starts crying and I show him how to roll over again. I think he'll get it soon.

Tristan is somewhat mobile. When he's on his tummy, he scoots himself places. Not too far yet, but he can get to his toys that are scattered on the floor around him, given enough time.

Tristan gets bored with things. Especially walks in the stroller. Sigh. We've gone for some walks where about a mile out he decides he's had enough and starts crying. If I stop and pay attention to him, he smiles and is happy again. So, yes, he's bored with the walk. So far I've managed to stop him from crying by giving him a new toy to play with (thank goodness I brought the diaper bag!), and by going on shorter walks. Unfortunately, his lack of sleeping extends to the stroller, so I can't count on him taking a nap to keep him occupied.

Speaking of sleeping, Tristan is sometimes taking longer naps of 1.5 to 2 hours at a time. Woo Hoo! He doesn't do it every day, but it's frequent enough that I feel like I have some time to do stuff. So the house is not quite the disaster area it has been over the past few months, and E occasionally has dinner waiting for him when he comes home.

Tristan is imitating us. On 10/10/10 we were coming home from a friends wedding, and stopped to feed Tristan. We'd been in the car for a while, so after we changed him, we played for a few minutes. I had him standing on my lap, and vibrated my lips while making a bub-bub sound. Tristan looked at me, and then started trying to do the same! It was so very cute! He could make the bub-bub sound, or blow air, and was trying really hard to do them together. He still hasn't figured it out, but tries all the time now.

Tristan is starting to try different foods. We haven't gotten him on a normal eating schedule yet, that will come soon. But for now, when I have something I'm eating, and he seems interested, and it's baby friendly, I'm giving him tiny samples. He's had butternut squash and apples so far. He makes faces when I put the food in his mouth, but then swallows it, so I think he likes it.

Tristan is mister distracto-baby. He's so interested in what's going on around him (good!), that he will stop eating to check out a sound or even just to see if something has happened while he wasn't looking (makes feeding him take longer, not so good). It's really neat to see him exploring the world around him, and to see what makes him smile and laugh. It also means he's interested in books now, as long as they're colorful. The story holds his attention for a bit too, he looks at me as I read it to him, then looks at the book as I point out things that go along with the story.

Tristan is starting to cry when strange people (aka, not me or E) talk to him and he's tired. If he's about ready for a nap or to go to bed and someone talks to him, he starts crying, even if E or I are holding him. So we now know not to hand him off to a new person if he's tired. On the positive side, as long as the 'new' person has been around while he wasn't tired, then he's OK with them holding him when he's tired. I guess it's just that 'I haven's seen you before and no, I don't want you to hold me!' stage.

Tristan is now in 12 and 18 month clothes. He's been in them for a while, I'm thinking right around the 5 month mark was when we made the switch. There are two 9 month items that still fit him, barely, and they're so cute we're still using them. But otherwise, he's fully in the larger clothes. Some of the 12 month clothes are actually starting to barely fit. He's definitely a growing boy! I didn't get to the doctors scale this month, so I'm not sure what he weighs, but he is a heavy boy. We'll see what he comes in at during the 6 month appointment in a couple of weeks.

Tristan is playing in his ExerSaucer. I brought it in the house and set it up and his first time in it he was turning himself around and playing (well, trying to eat) with the different toys. He seems to really like it. And with it set to the shortest position, he can easily touch the base. So I guess he really was ready for it. In an effort to have some space in the living room for us too, we disassembled the swing and put that in storage. He never really seemed that interested in it, maybe the next kid will like it.

And that's it, that's all I can think of that happened in the last month and 3/4.

The Tristan Report - Prior to 4 Months

2010-09-17T17:24:00.004-04:00

So, I've decided to compile a list of Tristan's firsts prior to 4 months. So, without further ado...

May 8 - Tristan is born!
May 9 (Mother's Day) - Tristan meets Grammy and Grandpi Thomas
May 10 - Tristan comes home and freaks out the kitties
May 15 - Tristan meets Grandpa Downing and Grandma Debi
May 21 - Tristan's first cold, and a visit to the pediatrician
May 26 - Tristan visits Grammy and Grandpi Thomas
May 28 - Tristan starts wearing newborn size cloth diapers
May 29 - Tristan is the youngest guest at our friends E & N's wedding
May 31 - Tristan meets his Great Grandma Downing
June 4 - Tristan meets Grandmamasita Phoenix who's come to visit for a couple of weeks from New Mexico
June 7 - Tristan meets Auntie S

June 8 - Tristan is 1 month old!
June 8 - 1 month pediatrician appointment, 11 pounds, 2 oz, 22 3/4 inches
June 13 - I have my first Guinness in over 10 months, yum!
June 15 - Tristan stays home with Grandmamasita while E and I go out to dinner
June ?? - Tristan swims in the pool
July 2 - Tristan and my first circus!
July 4 - Tristan and Daddy have a play date with N, while I go to the movies with E
July 5 - Tristan starts wearing small size prefold cloth diapers

July 8 - Tristan is 2 months old!
July 12 - I have mastitis, complete with fever, and I throw my back out, ugh
July 12 - 2 month pediatrician appointment, 15 pounds, 10 oz, 24 inches
July 15 - Tristan is really talking (baby talk anyway)
July 18 - Tristan sleeps through the night for the first time, 9:15pm-4:15am
July 20 - I give my 3 weeks notice, soon to be a SAHM!
July 21 - Our first visit to the mommies group at Leominster Hospital
July 22 - Tristan and I visit work so everybody can meet Tristan, and to say goodbye
July 30 - Tristan starts sleeping through the night on a regular basis, approximately 9pm-6am every day

August 8 - Tristan is 3 months old!
August 9 - I'm officially a SAHM now!
August 12 - First play date with our new friends M and S, whom we met at the mommies group
August 14 - First overnight trip and Tristan meets his twin cousins A and J
August 15 - Hulka family reunion, where Tristan meets all of his Great Great Aunts and second (and third and forth) cousins
August 17 - Tristan's first night in his crib
August 20 - First weekend trip, staying 2 nights at the island with N and E
August 25 - We attend E's company outing in the rain, but manage to stay dry
August 28 - Tristan stays home with Grammy and Grandpi Thomas while E and I go out on a date
September 5 - Grandpa Downing and Grandma Debi come to visit after returning home from 2 months in Alaska

September 8 - Tristan's 4 months old!

So, that, in a nut shell, is Tristan's first 4 months.

The Tristan Report - 4 months

2010-09-15T14:44:00.005-04:00

I realized the other day that I couldn't remember when it was that Tristan was first standing on our laps. Or exactly when he first smiled (though I did write that one down in his baby book). So I decided to put some of what Tristan can do as of his 4 month birthday here for all to enjoy. Perhaps I should have been doing this all along, and perhaps I'll continue it at least monthly after this. We'll see.

Tristan is smiling a lot now. When I get him after a nap. When he see's E for the first time upon his arrival home. At some people, especially one of the mommies in my Wednesday mommies group. He's such a flirt!

Tristan has been really looking at everything. When we go on walks, he watches the trees go by. When we play on the floor, he looks at the pictures on the quilt I put on the floor. (Side note, it's my baby quilt. Which is blue. My mom really did think I was going to be a boy.) He examines the cloth pattern on the couch. He likes the shadows cast by the early morning light. The crane mobile I hung above his changing table is fascinating, from the crib or table.

Tristan can sit up by himself for a few seconds. I help him sit up, then he balances there for a few seconds, until he slowly leans to one side. He seems to like it. It doesn't happen every time he sits up (often he's trying to suck on my hand and can't be bothered with balancing), but it's happened multiple times.

Tristan is napping. Really napping. For more than 30 minutes. It's a new feat, it only started 4 days ago, so it might be a fluke. But suddenly I see how SAHMs can get things done during the day. I'm crossing my fingers it continues!

On his 4 month birthday, Tristan moved into the medium size prefold diapers and 6-9 month clothes. He's getting to be a very big boy, 18 lbs, 7 oz, and 26.5 inches long! I'm actually finding that the 9-12 month old onsies fit him pretty well, with only a little bit of extra length.

Tristan is laughing. Mostly when E acts like a monkey (see the video we posted on facebook). But also when we tickle him. We discovered how ticklish he is when taking off his shirt one night. Now he gets intentional daily/nightly tickles! His laugh is so cute!

Tristan is drooling. A lot. He doesn't have any teeth buds that I or the pediatrician can detect. But if this is his 'normal' drool, I don't want to know what it's going to be like when he is teething. He's already soaking at least 4 burp cloths (and my shirt) every day. And he drools more when he's standing on our laps. Which means he drools A LOT!

Tristan is talking. He babbles in the morning when he's ready to get up for the day (Mom, come get me and feed me, OK? Mom? Mom, get up!) And he babbles when he's done with his breakfast (Wow, that was yummy! But no, I don't want any more. A burp and a diaper change would be good though.) And he does his tongue exercises, where he sticks out his tongue and tries different sounds while wiggling it. It's pretty cute.

Tristan has not yest mastered rolling, but he's on his way. He can get from his back to his side, and especially likes to do this when he's done eating. Which means I get to play 'catch Tristan', because one second he's eating, and the next he launches himself from his side to his back to his other side, and starts rolling off my lap.

Tristan is able to lift his head and look around when he's on his tummy. He hasn't figured out the coordination to lift his head while pushing with his legs yet, but every day he's closer. It was just a week ago that he couldn't push up with his arms, and he started doing that a few days ago. You can see how much he REALLY wants to crawl, so he can get things more easily!

Tristan has started passing things from one hand to another. For a while, it seemed he might be a lefty, because he was grabbing and manipulating things with his left hand. But now his right hand has caught up. And he's grabbing with both. And passing things back and forth. So now I'm not sure, we'll have to wait and see which hand becomes more dominant.

That's all I can think of now. I'll try to keep this up, and maybe go back and blog about some earlier feats. Stay tuned!

Night Terrors

2010-08-27T16:51:00.003-04:00

Tristan has bad dreams. Already. He starts crying in his sleep. It doesn't wake him up, he just cries for a few seconds, a few times in a row, and then is back to sleeping quietly.

It's happened a few days in a row. A couple of nights ago, at 1:30 in the morning, he started crying. It was the first time it happened in the middle of the night, and I thought it was something else. But no, he was still asleep. Last night it occurred just after we'd put him down for the night.

It makes me wonder, what is it he is dreaming about that makes him so unhappy? There's no more milk? Pato's (his current favorite toy, a duck) rattle stopped working? That he's back in the cradle and can't move his arms? We'll never know...

Breastfeeding in Public

2010-08-25T17:16:00.004-04:00

Since I'm exclusively breastfeeding Tristan, there are times when I have to breastfeed in public. I have no problem with this. Except... I'm not sure how the public feels about me breastfeeding. So the few times I have been out in a very public place, I've tried to be discrete. And it ends up being more noticeable and less productive than the times I've been less discrete. Let me explain.

When I'm being less discrete, I hike up one side of my t-shirt, open my nursing bra, and let Tristan eat. Both of us have mastered this way of doing things. He latches right on, eats, and is done in a few minutes. No fuss, no muss. But, it's not very discrete. If someone were to look over, they might notice that I'm breastfeeding. They might see a bit of boob. Unless they're observant like E. But I jest.

When I'm being discrete, I take one of the swaddle blankets, and wrap it around Tristan and I. It makes it hard to see Tristan. And he has a hard time latching on. And I get aggravated trying to keep the blanket in place and nurse him at the same time. And EVERYBODY figures out I'm breastfeeding, and 'stays away' until I'm done. Which takes more time than the aforementioned less discrete method. And since everybody knows what I'm doing, I'm wondering about the 'discrete' aspect of this method.

So, you may ask, why do I try to hide behind the blanket and be discrete? Because I don't like confrontation. And I figure, if someone is uncomfortable with seeing me breastfeed, they'll be less uncomfortable knowing I'm doing it under the blanket. But then again, maybe not. In the words of Richard Feynman, what do I care what other people think? Apparently, I care just enough to be 'discrete' even though it's a hassle. For now. I may be convincing myself being 'less discrete' is better. We'll see. Maybe I should take to heart what one of my friends said: If you're uncomfortable with me breastfeeding, YOU put a blanket over YOUR head!

Any thoughts on the matter, oh friends of mine that read this? I'd be interested to learn what you think. Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like, or comment here.

What do you mean, why haven't I been blogging?

2010-08-24T16:15:00.005-04:00

I've been blogging a lot. In my head. It seems that every time I think I have a minute or two to get the blogs out of my head and onto Magic Beans, Tristan decides he needs me. Such is the way things go for a new mom. So, instead of making those long blogs that I used to do, I'm going to try shorter versions. Then maybe you'll get to see them too!

Here's some of the things I've 'brain-blogged' over the past few months:

Tristan went on his first overnight trip to my Grandmother's family reunion. It was a long trip for him, 3 hours one way, and he let us know that more than 2 hours in the car is not fun. But the reunion was nice, and the great aunts and 2nd cousins all liked meeting Tristan.

Sleep is an amazing thing. Get enough, and I stay sane. Don't get enough and crazy things happen.

I'm a stay at home mom (SAHM) now. I resigned from my position as a tech writer at the beginning of August. I was surprised how sad it made me to do it, even though I made the decision to quit. Unexpected sadness, but it was definitely the right decision. I'm enjoying spending the time watching Tristan grow every day.

Being a SAHM is not what I thought it would be. My house is no more clean than it was when I was working 12 hour days at the office. I've figured out I get 15-30 minutes every 3 hours to do something. And, surprise, surprise, eating and sleeping take precedence over house work. But it's getting better, and I know that as Tristan gets older, his schedule will change and I'll have more time to do things.

I'm surprised at how I look forward to the weekends just as much now that I'm a SAHM as I did when I was in the office all week. Now it's for a different reason though. I love watching Tristan and E interacting. Of course, it's also nice to have E give me a break from taking care of Tristan too!

OK, guess who's looking for some attention? Hopefully, more short blogs will be coming soon!

Sleep Spurt

2010-06-03T14:47:00.003-04:00

The best part about being a mom? Tristan! The worst part? Being a first time mom and not knowing. When Tristan was coming down with E's cold and was fussy from 5pm to midnight, was he getting sick, or was I missing something he was trying to tell me? When he spiked a fever over 100F, was it the cold or was he sick with something else? When he was having trouble breathing at night, was I right to not call the pediatrician and try to keep him propped up to sleep? All of these I now know the answer to, and think I'll be able to handle just fine next time. So the new unknown, the change in sleep patterns.

For the past 3 days, Tristan has gone from sleeping for an hour or two during the day between feedings, to three to four hours. Doesn't seem like a big difference, except when you realize it's double what it was. So, is this sleep spurt a growth spurt? I think so, and that's why I'm not worried. But it is a little nerve wracking. Part of me wonders if maybe something else is up, if something's wrong. But he's eating, and making messy diapers, and seems content sleeping, so it must be fine. Right?

The Tristan Diet

2010-05-24T17:28:00.002-04:00

It's been 2 weeks and 2 days since Tristan was born. I weighed myself today and discovered that I've lost 24 lbs. I'm now just about at pre-pregnancy weight. I'm a bit surprised! I've been eating lots (just ask E, he cooks for me most of the time these days) and I'm losing weight fast. Over the last week I lost 5 lbs. I feel great, so I'm not too worried. I just hope that the midwives don't yell at me when I go in for my 6 week appointment!

A New Addition

2010-05-24T17:14:00.003-04:00

On May 8, E and I welcomed a new addition to our family. Tristan Leon was born at 1:18pm. He was 8 lbs, 5 oz and 21 1/2 inches long.

Isn't he a cutie!

Stay tuned for the birth story, coming as soon as I get enough time to blog about it.

Holy cow, it's been how long since I last blogged?

2010-04-05T18:14:00.007-04:00

I'm a bad blogger. I realized that I haven't posted since February. Since February! And to be honest, I wouldn't even have realized that if someone hadn't remarked on that post yesterday.

So, what's been going on, you ask? Well, not a lot, and a lot. I'm still pregnant (33 weeks, 4 days), getting more and more excited about our son coming into this world soon. And of course, being almost 8 months pregnant means my belly is getting huge. And I can' do as much as I used to. I'm still forgetting that I'm pregnant, and trying to do everything like I did before. Usually something reminds me - bumping my belly as I try to fit through a (now) too small space, trying to bend over and finding I can't touch my toes (let alone see them), Getting completely worn out raking a small flower bed... The plus side, I'm finding I spend a lot of time reading these days, which is so very enjoyable!

Ah, yes, back to what's been going on. Since February, I've been working like a mad-woman trying to finish up stuff at work so I don't leave my coworkers hanging when TLO comes. Well, working like a pregnant mad-woman. I don't seem to have the energy for 10+ hour days anymore.

E and I have also been spending time prepping the nursery. We cleared out my office by sorting, consolidating, putting things up for sale, and moving the rest of it into what was the guest room/E's office. Now it's the guest room/E's office/my office/library. Sounds a lot more crowded than it is. Once we got my old office cleared out, E and his dad set to work painting it. Now it's a lovely 'pale moss' green. E also painted the trim, it looks pretty sharp! And now we're starting to put stuff in it. Last night we assembled the crib. It's really starting to look like a nursery!

At the end of February, we celebrated my annual 29th birthday by going with friends to the Border Cafe. That same day, a friend of ours had a woodworking accident. He gave all of us a scare, nobody more than his wife I imagine. He was very lucky, and we're all thankful for that!

My sister also came for a visit with her significant other and his twin twelve year old boys, and we all went down to the New England Aquarium for a day. They've done some work at the aquarium since I last went about 10 years ago. It was a fun day.

Lately, we've been doing spring things, raking the yard (see my earlier comment about not being able to do as much), washing the screens and putting them back in the windows, getting the deck furniture out, the usual.

So, that's what I've been up to. I'll try to be a better blogger this spring. We'll just have to wait and see how it goes.

Frustration Factor

2010-02-02T21:39:00.005-05:00

Today was a frustrating day at work. One of my coworkers, who is usually a nice guy, has a stubborn streak. Not a huge deal most of the time, but when you're trying to come to a consensus, and rather than discussing the issue all you get is stonewalling, it makes for a very frustrating day.

Days like today make me glad that the little one is coming. That I'll be on maternity leave, and not have to deal with days like today.

Thoughts like this remind me of something that a friend who worked in HR once said. Make sure when you're leaving, you're going to, not running from. In this case, I'd like to think I'm going to. But sometimes it also feels like I'm running from. And maybe that's OK.

The Little One Kicks!

2009-12-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

For about a week I've been feeling The Little One moving around. TLO seems to be a bit of an evening/night baby. Each night between 7 and 10pm, I feel TLO moving around for a little bit. It feels kind of like a cross between muscle spasms and fluttering. It's very hard to describe. But it's pretty neat.

Last night for the first time, I felt a series of kicks. They were strong enough that when I put my hand to my belly, I could feel the kicks against my hand. I had E try to feel the kicks too, but first we weren't patient enough and E pulled his hand away before TLO kicked again. Then TLO had moved to another area and wasn't kicking any more.

Today, TLO has been very active, moving around a lot. There's even been a few kicks. So maybe tonight E will get another chance to feel some kicks!

Spicier Nacho

2009-12-05T11:36:00.005-05:00

I love, LOVE, Spicier Nacho Doritos. They've been very hard to find for about a year now. So a few weeks ago, when I saw them on the shelf at my local Hannaford, I got a bag. I ate said bag in 2 days, the majority of it in 1 sitting. And I paid. I felt pretty horrible that evening, and figured it was my penance for making The Little One have so many Doritos at once. And I vowed that I would not do it again.

So, I went grocery shopping a few nights ago. And saw the Spicier Nacho Doritos again. And got another bag. And they sat, unopened for 2 days. Then last night, I got a craving for some. And I only ate a handful this time. I was very proud of myself!

And then, I found out, no, it wasn't because I ate so many that I felt horrible. It was because I at Spicier Nacho Doritos. I don't think The Little One likes Spicier Nacho Doritos. The Little One hasn't complained about any other spicy food! But, I guess, no more Spicier Nacho Doritos for me.

Holy garlic, Batman!

2009-11-20T11:19:00.007-05:00

Wednesday evening, E and I met our friends K and C for dinner at India Palace for dinner. It's been years since we went out for Indian food, and K was right, this place has great food. We had a great time, with good food and a good conversation. It was something of a communal dinner, everybody sharing their dishes. And E, K, and C all had some garlic naan (Indian flat bread), which had way too much garlic for my onion-and-family intolerant system to try.

That night, E REEKED of garlic. It was so bad, I though I wasn't going to be able to sleep in the same room with him. And last night, after more than 24 hours, I still couldn't face him when he talked. I also got out an air freshener to combat the garlic breath that permeated the bedroom. This morning it's better, though I'm still holding my breath when we kiss.

So, no more garlic naan if you want to enjoy my company for the next 24 hours! At least not until my super-sense of smell goes away!

Ultrasounds are cool!

2009-11-15T21:47:00.005-05:00

This week E and I went for my first ultrasound. At 13 weeks, 0 days, I wouldn't normally have gotten one, but my midwife wanted to check my due date. So, we went to Leominster hospital and got an ultrasound.

The little one was moving all over the place, wiggling, waving, and seeming to have a good time being watched. It was really neat to see! We also got to listen to the heart beat (E didn't think it sounded like a horse or a washing machine). And we got pictures! Prior to this, I never really thought ultrasound pictures were all that neat, but now that they're of our little one... They're so cool!

The tech said the little one was measuring 12 weeks, 5 days, and that 2 days difference isn't enough to move the due date. She said next ultrasound (around 20 weeks) the little one could measure 2 days in the other direction. So I'm still due May 20, 2010.

Houston, we have a heartbeat!

2009-11-04T18:46:00.004-05:00

Today I had an OB appointment, and I met my midwife, A. After going over some info, she got out the Doppler, and I heard the heartbeat! A said it sounded like a boy's heartbeat. Apparently, boys sound like galloping horses, and girls sound like washing machines. A says she's about 80% right, and I should remind her what she predicted when we find out.

It turns out that having hypoglycemia means that I'm at greater risk for having gestational diabetes. So lucky me, I got to take the glucose screen today. They give you a nasty drink, and then take your blood an hour later. Most expecting women get to do this once later in the pregnancy. I'll get to do it at least twice. Woo Hoo (not!)

But, hearing the heart beat was very cool! And I'm getting an early ultrasound next week, since they want to check the age. We're pretty sure I'm 11 weeks, 6 days, but they want to verify that so we know when to do other testing.

First appointment disappointment

2009-10-20T20:58:00.002-04:00

So, this morning was my first OB appointment, and it was, well, anti-climatic. I met with a nurse at the practice, she asked lots of questions about E and my medical history, answered the questions I had, gave me lots of papers to read, and scheduled my next visit in two weeks. That's it. They didn't even verify that I was pregnant!

We're going to continue to wait to tell people until after my appointment on Nov. 4. I want to have at least some testing done before we spread the word!

Pregnancy symptoms - 9 weeks, 2 days

2009-10-17T10:52:00.003-04:00

All day (morning) sickness subsiding, though mornings are still tough.
Tired like never before, but that's good since I was an insomniac and now I'm sleeping! Makes it hard to do things like get up the energy to clean the house though.
Migraines that I've had for 20 years are GONE!!!!! Had I known that was going to happen, we might have tried earlier!
Mild headaches during the day, though not every day.
Breasts sore, though less than 6-8 weeks. They're also 1 size bigger (started at 36D, how much bigger can they get?!?)
Not much food is appetizing, but get morning sickness if I don't eat, so I'm grazing a lot. I'm CRAVING Mexican food from the Border Cafe! May have to go there with E soon... I also had a dream this morning about french fries, and woke up drooling (first time THAT's happened). Discovered this morning that I've lost 2 lbs, probably due to the lack of appetizing food.
Sense of smell overpowering, which leads to morning sickness. Avoiding the kitchen at home and at work helps though.
"Pregnancy brain" - I keep forgetting things, which is so unusual for me, it's funny. I got out the winter clothes and left 3/4 of my long sleeved shirts on top of the cedar chest. Then thought I needed to buy more shirts because I only had 7 days worth of shirts in my dresser. The cedar chest is right next to the dresser!

Morning sickness

2009-10-17T10:34:00.006-04:00

The last day we were in Bonaire (7 weeks, 1 day), my morning sickness symptoms really started, thought I didn't realize it. I smelled something at breakfast that literally had me running for the bathroom. I didn't throw up, but came so close, I was in a stall praying to the porcelain gods. The nausea passed and after splashing water on my face and neck, I felt good enough to go back to breakfast.

The flight home, I thought I was airsick. I'd reached stage 2 of sickness, the cold sweats that you get just before you throw up (stage 3), but luckily we landed and I was able to avoid stage 3. Whew! E gets airsick, and I told him that if this is how he feels when he flys, I don't know why he bothers! I didn't realize it wasn't airsickness until...

The following day (7 weeks, 3 days), when I had all day sickness. Ugh. I couldn't move without feeling nauseated. And the whole week (through 8 weeks, 3 days) was like this. Going to work was horrible. I was pretty miserable, and thinking that being pregnant was NOT fun. I now had an inkling of why there's only-children out there, who'd want to go through this again?

Then the nausea started to come under control. I realized that I needed to eat every 2 hours, no ifs, ands, or buts! I needed to avoid things like: the smell of coffee, vegetables (especially green beans!), and anybody smelling like onions. I found that saltines really did help. Mornings were still crappy (now I know why its called 'morning sickness'), but it was MUCH more bearable.

And that's where I am today (9 weeks, 2 days). I actually feel like I could do something this weekend!

Bonaire Vacation

2009-10-09T18:44:00.025-04:00

Day 1 - Saturday September 26
N, EP, E, and I arrive in Bonaire at 8am, after leaving Boston at 7pm the night before. I didn't sleep on the plane, and E didn't get much sleep, so we get some breakfast and go to bed. Get up at 2pm and go snorkeling. EP's mom, dad, sisters G and L, and L's significant other, M, arrive. Relax for the rest of the day, have dinner with the whole gang, and call it an early night. Day 2 - Sunday Sept 27
Up early with the sun. Have breakfast, then head to the dive orientation at 9am to learn about the SCUBA facilities at Buddy Dive. Get our equipment and go for our first dive! N's ears weren't cooperating, so we end up continuing the dive without him. See tons of fish, including the Blue Parrot fish below. Drive south to the slave huts in the afternoon, then to the windsurfing side of the island, and back to the resort in the early evening. Day 3 - Monday Sept 28
Up early again. Have breakfast and head out for dive 2 in the morning, dive 3 in the afternoon. This is how most of the vacation goes until the day before we leave. Dove at Buddy Dive reef, saw a wreck during the afternoon dive, and some 4ft Tarpon's. Also found a Coral Banded Shrimp.
Day 4 - Tuesday Sept 29
Up, have breakfast, and head out for diving at Windsock. The dive site has a beach entry, probably the only beach on the whole island! Makes it easy to get in and out. I see an octopus, but E misses it, and also scares it into hiding. I get a picture though! We see a school of Blue Tang that will continue to show up at every dive site for the rest of the trip. That afternoon, go snorkling with the whole gang at Klein Bonaire, the island just off the coast of Buddy Dive. We see 4 turtles (and the school of blue tang), and have a good time. In the evening, go to Casa Blanca for dinner with the whole gang. It's an Argentinian Steak House, but they have very good salad and baked potatoes for me. E says it's the best steak he's ever had.Day 5 - Wednesday Sept 30
I wake up to E wishing me a happy anniversary! We have breakfast with EP's mom (the rest of the gang has gone deep sea fishing), then head to Windsock to dive. EP's mom comes along to snorkle and hang on the beach. See a bunch of eels today! After the dive, EP's mom buys us lunch (happy anniversary!) at the pool bar. In the afternoon, we go to Bachelors Beach to dive. Find a swirling school of hundreds of silver fish, that tries to school with us when we swim through. Very cool! That evening, we head into town for our anniversary dinner at the local Mexican place. Food's so-so, but it was nice having a night to ourselves.Day 6 - Thursday October 1
Up, have breakfast, and head to Oil Slick Ledge for a dive. Ledge is right, we have to jump into the water from about 12 feet up to get in. See some barracuda, a Queen Angel Fish, and a puffer fish. There's a ladder to get out, but that's no fun, so Evan takes some more jumps into the ocean once the gear is off. That afternoon, head to 1000 Steps (there's really only about 70) with N and EP to dive. The reef here is the best yet, we see a new kind of tiny blue shrimp. EP finds an octopus that she shows us when we come back in. The walk back up the steps with all of the gear makes it seem like 1000 steps! On the way back, take a drive on the 'bike path', which is a dirt road that goes over the mountain on the island. It's a fun drive, with very nice views of the desert island.

Day 7 - Friday Oct 2
Up early, have breakfast, and head north to go diving at Tolo reef. Best reef so far, too bad it's our last dive (we have to stop 18 hours before flying). We dive with some others from TN, and see a Spotted Drum and some squid (VERY cool!) Spend the afternoon having lunch, doing a bit of shopping, and swimming in the ocean. E and I watch the sun set from the pool bar, then have dinner alone, sitting by the water at a table for 2. Our first truly romantic meal here.
Day 8 - Saturday Oct 3
Did I say we got up early during the week? We're up at 4am today, so we can catch our 4:45am shuttle to the airport. N, EP, E and I stagger to the front desk, load in the vans, and head off to sit in the airport until our flight boards at 7:30am. Fly to Houston, arriving late. Rush through customs, security (thank goodness for friendly travelers that let us skip to the head of the line!), and immigration, and run to the other side of the terminal, stopping only for a quick bathroom break and to grab lunch to go. Arrive just in time to board our flight, whew! Fly to Boston, find out our luggage is still in Houston, fill out the baggage forms, and head home.

Epilogue - Monday Oct 5
2am, our luggage arrives. And I have to get up for work tomorrow? Ugh!

Pregnancy impatience

2009-10-09T18:33:00.003-04:00

While on vacation, I was thinking that I didn't really feel pregnant. I felt normal. Then near the end of the vacation, on the 2nd to last day, I had my first serious bout of morning sickness. Nothing too bad, just sent me running to the bathroom during breakfast, but it passed. Then the flight home, I had the worst bout of air sickness I've ever had. If that's how people feel, I can't believe they keep flying!

When I returned home, I discovered that I definitely feel pregnant, every day. And I'm not too happy with it. It's not morning sickness, it's all-day sickness. I'm totally exhausted, I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to keep putting in a full day of work and still be awake enough to drive home. And my chest so sore, it's uncomfortable to walk down stairs fast. And I'm surprised nobody at work has said anything about my recent chestiness, it's not like they were small to begin with!

On top of all of this, I want to tell people. E and I decided that we would tell family when we returned from vacation, but wait to tell others until after the first prenatal appointment. Which is on Oct 20. That's like 2 weeks away! Argh!

Vacation!!!!

2009-09-25T15:25:00.004-04:00

The bags are packed, the house-sitter is sitting, and we're going to Bonaire! Woo Hoo!!!! I might post while there, since we'll have wi-fi, but might be having too much fun to blog, we'll see.

If you want to check out where we're going, this is the place:
Buddy Dive Resort

Ug, salad

2009-09-22T12:45:00.003-04:00

So, apparently the little one doesn't like salad anymore. I think I'm going to have to change-up my daily lunch. The milk, walnuts, and whole grain crackers are still yummy... I guess the 'What to Expect' web site is right, protein and whole grains are the key right now. Hope E starts eating more veggies from the farm share!

Queasy

2009-09-21T13:58:00.004-04:00

I'm 5 weeks and 4 days pregnant, and very queasy. It's started, the 'morning' sickness. Except its now 2pm in the afternoon! And yesterday, it was 11:30 am. So far, it's just feeling blech, no actual sickness. Hopefully it'll stay that way for a while, I've got a vacation to go on in 3.5 days!

Forgetful

2009-09-18T17:52:00.004-04:00

E forgets things. I like to think its because he's got so many interesting thoughts to think about. And because he's got ADD. Oooh, shiny!!!

Anyway, I got home today to discover that he left the bathroom heater on. It was 80 degrees upstairs, and the smoke detector was beeping from a worn out battery (probably coincidence). Can't wait to see the electric bill this month...

E has been known to leave the bathroom light on all day. Or the cellar light all night. Or the attick light for days until I notice it.

Do I leave notes at the door: "Before you leave the house, make sure all electronics you turned on are now off." Or do I just not leave the house before him in the morning?

I think I need to get him this shirt. Won't solve the problem, but will make both of us laugh!

Just found out...

2009-09-18T17:51:00.001-04:00

I'm pregnant!!!!!

Bear-y Cool!

2009-09-09T20:16:00.008-04:00

We have a pet Bear! OK, not really, it's just a guest at our sunflower seed restaurant, I mean, bird feeders.

Last night, I wandered into the bathroom, leaving the lights off, and glanced out the window. I saw a very black shadow under the bird feeders. And then the black shadow moved. I realized that that shadow wasn't from a tree, it was the wrong darkness in a night with a bright moon. Then the shadow changed shape, and appeared to be a standing figure reaching up toward the feeders. And that's when I realized that a bear had come to visit.

I got E out of bed and we decided to turn on the spot light, to get a better look. And we did! The young black bear didn't even bat an eyelash. It sat there, eating the seeds, having a wonderful meal. It pulled the feeders over to where it was sitting, bending the 1/2 inch thick iron pole without any problem. It sat and ate, until it had cleaned the feeders out. And then, it got up, and sauntered off into the woods.

And, here's the picture E took of the bear!

Sorry, we'll try for a better one next time. :)

Earthy Crunchy Moments

2009-09-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

In no particular order:

E and I went for a light hike in the Squannacook River Wildlife Management area. We saw a garter snake that decided it didn't like E standing between it and the area it could blend into, and it struck (unsuccessfully) at him. We were both fascinated by the snake, and sad that it disappeared so quickly once we moved out of its way.
The hornets are eating all of the hummingbird food that I put out. Every once in a while, a female hummingbird tries to come have some, but is pestered by the hornets and leaves after some chittering. Even putting out fresh food in a different feeder hasn't worked. It's the end of the summer, ladies and gentleman! Isn't that what the increase in hornets pestering means to you?
I saw a doe and faun walk through the back yard while sitting on the deck. The faun was still very spotted, and looked healthy.
The trees that turn colors early have already started. The maple out front is green and red and orange. In a nearby swamp, all of the swamp maples are fully red. Sign 2 that the summer's over!
We have a black bear in the neighborhood. Our neighbor, D, saw signs of it a week ago. And we had it visiting our bird feeders one night! I'll blog about that soon...

Trying to be positive, and failing

2009-07-20T21:09:00.003-04:00

Normally if you asked, I'd tell you I like my job. But lately it's been stressful. We've got too much to do, and not enough writers to do it. It's meant working long hours and not taking any vacation time.

So, now I find out that, not only do I have 45 days worth of work to do in 15, they're taking away my telecommuting. When I first started with the company, I had been telecommuting 2 days a week. Then about a year ago they made it 1 day a week. And now, nope, sorry, none.

And why? Is it because I'm not working enough? Is it because they feel I'm not productive? No, they recognize that I get a LOT done when I work from home, more than when I'm in the office. They tell me I'm one of the most productive writers they've got. OK, then why? Oh, yeah, because it's company policy. Never mind that there's people who work from home EVERY DAY. And I can't one day a week, to avoid 3 hours of commuting?!?!

But hey, I can't complain, at least I've got a job, right?

ARGH!!!!!

Campfire Memories

2009-07-19T21:54:00.002-04:00

Tonight E and I had a campfire in our backyard. Just a little fire. It was very nice.
It made me remember the summers when I was a kid...

I remember my parents friends coming over for cookouts. I remember sitting at the picinic table, talking in the dark, next to the camp stove. I remember people getting thrown in the pool with all of their clothes on by two other adults. I remember looking up at the stars, seeing the different constellations, and the Milky Way. I remember that it was fun.

TTC, Take 2

2009-07-19T09:23:00.004-04:00

So, after a morning of being glum, I talked with my mom and felt a lot better. Of course, that didn't stop me from being moody all day (sorry E, you took it like a champ). So, here are my thoughts this morning:

I'm no longer jealous of our friends, I'm very happy for them. I'd actually stopped being jealous over a week ago, when I talked with E about it. I think I just needed to voice my jealousy to get over it.
Silver lining 1: I'd originally thought having a late spring baby would be ideal. Not being pregnant yet gets us closer to a late spring due date.
Silver lining 2: I have time to figure out things like, should I stop taking my otc allergy medicine, or is it ok to take while pregnant?
Silver lining 3: It's summertime, and having a beer or two while having a cookout is nice. The beer yesterday tasted really good.
Silver lining 4: I don't have to cut back on coffee yet!

I'm still disappointed that I'm not pregnant. I'm actually surprised at how disappointed I am. But I take that as a good sign. I really am ready (anxious even!) to be a mom.

I also have a new understanding of all those women who have a hard time conceiving, I don't know how they do it. I think having disappointments month after month would get to be really depressing. I wonder how they can keep trying, and not just give up for sanity's sake. Of course, I know why they don't give up, but it must be so hard.

A few things do suck, and they'll continue to suck until I get pregnant. I still have migraines. I don't have a known time-frame for maternity leave (which I'm really looking forward to!) I have to keep it a secret that we're TTC (trying to conceive), since that's what E and I agreed to. But it's not the end of the world.

So, as a new cycle begins, I'm back to being happy, and hopeful. We'll keep TTC, and we'll see what happens. And hey, that's the fun part anyway!

Nope

2009-07-18T07:50:00.001-04:00

Nope, not pregnant.

Worry

2009-07-17T17:38:00.007-04:00

Today on my way home from work, I began having some serious cramping. And when I got home, I noticed some spotting. Am I getting my period after 32 days? Or is it really just spotting? Or worse, am I having a miscarriage? Is fate laughing at me because I called the doctor today?

The doctor suggested going and getting an over-the-counter pregnancy test. So we'll know. One way or the other. Tomorrow.

Wondering...

2009-07-16T19:23:00.003-04:00

Before we decided to try and get pregnant, I thought that pregnancy tests were a waste of money. If you're trying, and you miss you're period, you're pregnant. End of story. However, I'm beginning to see their benefits. I'm in the stage of 'am i late? or pregnant?' I could go out and get a pregnancy test. And it could tell me I'm pregnant or not. Of course, if it was negative, that wouldn't mean I wasn't pregnant, just that I would have to wait some more. Sigh.

So, I wait.

Jealous

2009-07-11T21:05:00.004-04:00

E and I just found out friends are expecting. Their baby's been cookin' for about a month. And I'm jealous. This was supposed to be our time for the exciting news! OK, yes, we're a bit behind them and all... So, hopefully by time it's our turn to give the good news, I'll be done being jealous, and just happy for them.

And now I'm thinking, as I type this, I've been having some incredible mood swings today, and the intense smells are back... Maybe our news is just around the corner... Here's to hopin'.

Doubt

2009-07-11T09:18:00.003-04:00

This morning I woke up with a bad headache. And I realized that I'm 26 days from the start of last green bean week. And I thought, Oh, that's why, it's just about time for my period. Queue the sad, pessimistic thoughts...

My incredible sense of smell is gone. And I'm sure it was just a fluke, I didn't really have an increased sense of smell. My chest is only sore because it's almost green bean week. My stomach cramps are gone, and that was really a non-sign since it was probably due to using those muscles picking up EG's 2 1/2 year old off the slide. And the headache is a sure sign that Aunt Flow (I've never called it that, but it seems somehow appropriate right now) is on her way.

Will the pessimism go away with the headache, I wonder?

Pregnant?

2009-07-10T20:21:00.003-04:00

OK, so, to heck with Evan, I can keep from posting this until the time comes when we're sharing. We're trying to get pregnant. We've been trying since the last time my magic beans came up for re-upping, about June 16. Of course, that was green bean week, so we've been trying since then, but, you get the idea.

Since then, I've been seeing signs of being pregnant. My sense of smell is the biggest sign, I'm smelling EVERYTHING: the smoke of a neighbor's fire, the kitty box that was recently changed, the day lilies (who knew they had a sweet smell?)... And then there's the cramps. I've had cramps for the past week, and a couple of days ago, it was bad enough that I decided to take some Tylenol (I'm trying to be baby friendly, just in case). Of course, a couple of days before I was playing with EG's toddler, L, and I had sore muscles from that, so it could have been due to that... Add on top my sore breasts, and I'm wondering...

So, we'll see. In a short while I'll either get green bean week, or not. And we'll know.

Hail Storm

2009-06-29T20:19:00.002-04:00

Summer time finally came to our neck of the woods this weekend. It was hot and muggy, it got up to 85. We'd planned to have E's family over for an afternoon cookout and the weather was cooperating. People arrived after 2pm, and everything was going well. Until we started up the grill around 5. That's when the summer storm hit.

It started with big fat rain drops. Then it turned into a downpour. And still, we were outside under the umbrella, giggling about the summer storm, counting Mississippis between booms of thunder. That was, until the hail started.

The hail was coming down in 1/4 inch chunks at first. Then they got bigger. And they didn't stop. At one point I ran out to rescue something from under the umbrella, and got hit by some of the larger pieces. It stung, more than I was expecting. The hail kept coming down as we watched from inside the house and Garage-Mahal. And it didn't stop until the ground was covered, it looked like it had snowed.

The rain, thunder, and lightening continued for a while, even after the power went out. And we talked about the phenomenon we'd just experienced. E's aunt had never seen a hail storm before in her life. She'll always remember this cookout!

The next day I went out to survey the damage. The veggies in the garden are flattened. The peas are all bent over. The peppers, which had been blooming and starting the baby peppers, now barely have any leaves, let alone flowers or baby peppers. The lettuce is completely flattened, splayed out like a mat on the ground. And my raspberry bushes, which for the first time in 3 years have berries, look like someone ran over them with their car. It's so very sad.

Another casualty of the hail, the rhubarb and katalpa tree. They have holes in the leaves, like someone shot them with a shotgun. Two folding chairs with cushy seats suffered the same fate.

OK, so, the silver lining. My rain barrels are full. I'll probably still get some peas. The spinach is so voracous that, while the hail did some damage, it's going to keep producing. It's early enough to plant some more for the summer. And, since we don't have the big garden ready yet, we'd bought a farm share at a local organic farm, that is just outside the path that the hail storm took.

Oooh, My Head

2009-06-25T20:53:00.000-04:00

I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten how it didn't stop. I'd forgotten how frustrating it was. I'd forgotten how much I wanted it to stop. I'd forgotten how I had no power over it.

For the first time in years, my headache wouldn't go away. Instead of my usual off and on for 5 days, and then gone for a few months, for 10 days, it was present, in different intensities. It started out consistent. Then it grew worse. Then it got better, and I though, OK, it's just about over. And then worse again. And 10 days later, it is finally gone. I think. I hope.

I'd forgotten. And I really hope I don't have to remember again. For a long time. If ever.

Tortuga

2009-06-03T21:07:00.000-04:00

I got a call from E last night just after I'd left work. There was a very large turtle in our yard. He said its shell was about a foot long. I told him to take lots of pictures and to stay back a bit, it sounded like a snapper to me.

An hour later when I got home, E told me how the kitties had been very excited about the turtle, and had been checking it out. How he couldn't keep them away from it. But, nothing, thank goodness, happened, to either the turtle or the kitties.

By time I got home, the turtle had wandered off. E went on a scavenger hunt and found it again, just at the tree line in the woods. I grabbed my Audubon Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians and went to have a look. Sure enough, it was a snapper. It was probably a female going and looking for a spot to lay her eggs. The guide said they travel a long way from water to build their nest.

So, maybe in 9-18 weeks, we might be seeing baby snappers traveling through the area, going back to the stream or pond that mom came from.

Blogging About Yelping

2009-06-02T20:53:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking for a couple of days that I should blog about my new, other writing past-time, Yelping. Yelp.com is a site where you can go and review any and all business that you frequent. And you can see what other people think about places you're thinking of going to. Or even find places you didn't know existed, and get some feedback on whether or not to go.

Years ago I had created a web site where I was reviewing restaurants. I figured that it would be beneficial for other vegetarians. I'd had a hard time finding restaurant reviews that were veggie minded. I'd only reviewed a few places when I gave up, creating my own web site was not my thing.

And then I found Yelp, and reviewing restaurants became easy. As did reviewing other things, like our local organic farm.

So now I'm blogging about Yelping. I find it kind of funny, actually. I guess I haven't gotten enough of writing yet...

Vegetables for Families in Need

2009-05-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

The company I work for has a volunteering reward. Each year, if you volunteer your time, the company gives you a paid day off. So last week I volunteered with some co-workers to build a vegetable garden for a low income family through the Growing Places Garden Project organization.

We met at the home of the recipient at 10am. Since it was in Westford, I had a nice short commute to work for a change! When I arrived, Nikki from Growing Places was there, unloading tools from the truck. I started helping, and the others started arriving. MB was next, and she started pitching in. Then SL arrived. We were making a raised bed garden, so Nikki directed us to position the three 4 ft. by 8 ft. bed frames, and start laying newspaper on the lawn inside the frames. No digging up the sod for us! BJ arrived and then MR, and they helped finish laying the news paper. And then it was time for the heavy lifting.

A load of compost had been delivered to the front of the house. The garden was in the back, about 100 ft. away. So, with 4 wheel barrows, we started moving the compost to the back. When the first bed was about 1/2 full, Nikki and MB stayed to mix in vermiculite (to help hold water) and chicken manure (to add microbial activity and nutrients). BG showed up and helped us lug more wheel barrow fulls of compost. And more. And more. When the second bed was 3/4 full, I stayed to help mix in the amendments, while SL attached a wire fence trellis to the back of the now full first bed.

And the compost kept coming. I kept mixing and spreading, while the others finished bringing the compost back. Then they filled the wheelbarrows so we could move the remaining compost off the lawn, once we asked the homeowner where she wanted it. At about this time, a man pulled up in a truck. He was the homeowners nephew, and was worried about his aunt, since there were so many cars at her place. We assured him that we were just there to build a garden for her, and he went in to ask about the extra compost.

When all 3 beds were full, I helped SL put a trellis on the back of the second bed. BJ and MB were putting nails int he frames to attach twine to. The twine made up 1 ft by 1 ft squares, to help the homeowner know where to put the plants. And MR, BG, and Nikki started putting up a wire fence around the garden. When the trellis was done, SL and I helped with the fence. B was unrolling, SL and MR attaching it to the posts, and I was pounding them the rest of the way into the ground with a 5 pound beater. Fun! During the fencing stage, another truck pulled in. This time it was Cindy, one of the founders of Growing Places. She'd brought the vegetable seedlings by.

When the fence was up, a group went to move the compost while the rest of us picked up tools. Nikki remarked how we had the fastest garden completion time this year, we were done in an hour and a half! When everything was picked up, we took a group picture, and then my coworkers and I headed off for a celebratory lunch, on the company. Another perk of the volunteer program!

So at this point, you're probably saying, hey, wait a minute, you forgot to plant the vegetables! It turns out that's a separate part of the program, a mentor helps the homeowner plant the vegetables and gives them tips. It usually occurs when the beds are set up, but since the homeowner wasn't feeling well, they'd scheduled to plant on another day.

So, next time you're in the gardening mood, but don't have anything to do in your garden, consider building a vegetable garden for those in need!

Great Blue Herons

2009-05-20T17:51:00.001-04:00

The other day I was telling E about the birds I saw while on my way home. He asked if I'd seen the Great Blue Heron in the stream down the road, and I jokingly said, you mean the one standing near the shore on one foot? Then I had to explain to E that they all did that, and no, I hadn't seen the one he mentioned.

But, that lead me to think about how I've been seeing a lot of Great Blue Herons this spring. If I leave the house, I see at least one. I don't recall seeing a Heron a day ever before. Maybe I'm just in their flight path. Maybe there's a great nesting/feeding spot and they've invited friends. Or maybe I wasn't this observant in previous years.

Who knows?

Now, I know you're saying, hey, if you see so many, why isn't there a picture? And the answer is that usually they're flying overhead while I'm driving to or from work. On the highway. At 65 mph. Yeah, I'm really going to whip out the camera then!

Childhood 'Truth' Debunked

2009-05-18T17:33:00.000-04:00

Growing up, I thought that lady's slipper orchids were rare. We'd go down into the backwoods to the one spot where the bloomed. And over time, they stopped blooming there, and I though, wow, they must be just about extinct now...

And then I grew up, and moved to Townsend MA.

It's blooming season for the Pink Lady's Slipper orchid. I went for a short walk in the backwoods (here) this weekend. And I found a multitude of Pink Lady's Slipper orchids. In one 10 x 10 area, I counted a colony of 38 orchids! They're everywhere here! I feel like I've found a lost treasure! So I went back to the house and got the camera, so I could share with you.

Since then, I've done some research. The Pink Lady's Slipper orchid is listed in NY, where I grew up, as "Exploitably Vulnerable due to loss of habitat and exploitation". I also have my own theory that the backwoods (back home in NY) was logged enough for firewood that the orchids didn't make it. They seem to be very fragile flowers. They can't even be transplanted because they won't make it without their fungus symbiot. That's some dependent lady! Makes me think they're royalty... Or Goa'uld...

Elsewhere in New England, they're listed as "Secure (common, widespread and abundant)". My research also turned up that they do better in acidic pine forests, which I live amongst here, versus deciduous forests, which were back in NY.

So, one more childhood 'truth' has been debunked. I now no longer think that:

Pink Lady's Slipper orchids are almost extinct
Red and Gray squirrels don't occupy the same territory because they don't get along
Snakes eat strawberries
My mom can change traffic lights to green with her mind

Oh, and here's a little Red Eft (so cute!), that I saw on my walk, too. Enjoy!

Summer in April

2009-04-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

I keep a garden log. According to the log, last year in late April it got to the 80s for 4 days. But, the saving grace, it was in the 30s at night. And now it's late April again. And yesterday it was 89 degrees F here. 89! Did it cool off last night into the 30s? No such luck, it didn't even get down to 60. Ugh, ugh, UGH!!!

I know, most people love this kind of weather. But really, it's hot, and the pools, which are the only reason to tolerate this kind of weather, aren't open yet. The trees haven't leafed out so there's very little shade. The area swimming holes have 40 degree water. The ice cream trucks aren't even around yet! (Not that they come by here, but I hear them in the development that borders our property.) I don't even have E to distract me because he's gotten his spring cold, (poor guy), and is spending his snuffly weekend watching The Wood Whisperer video podcast (yeah, I know, how can I pass THAT up?) I've finished all of my books, so I'm rereading old material.

OK, so I'll try to see the positive side of this. My close line is up, and I've dried 4 loads of laundry in 4 hours. ... ... That's it, that's all I've got.

There's nothing fun to do in April when it's 89. So I'm hot. And bored. And whining.

Thank you for listening. :)

Five Questions from Shiny Happy Mama

2009-03-19T16:49:00.000-04:00

Wow, how time flies! I just saw that my last post was just about a month ago. And here I thought I was getting better...

A couple of quick things, then I'll get to my point.

Yesterday E and I were carpooling to work in the AM and I saw a HUGE (why do I always put a D in huge?) flock of robins in a local fruit orchard. They were probably resting from their flight back north. It's almost spring...

I went for a long walk with my sister, SS, when she was visiting this past weekend. We saw a cute little muskrat (yes, they look like beavers, but with a rat tail) in a swampy area, he was probably getting ready to go find his new home and mate.

OK, now to the point.
1. How did you decide to become a vegetarian? Do you ever miss eating meat?

The short version of the story is that I started realizing exactly where meat came from. I couldn't get it out of my head. I was a bit of a farm girl, so I had an idea. Little by little, I stopped eating certain foods. Like no veal after visiting a friend's veal farm and feeding the baby cows by hand. But it didn't really sink in fully until my aunt and uncle's cow, Salina, was "sent on the truck". The thought that I could have eaten my namesake did it for me, and I haven't had meat since. I was about 12. Funny thing, the last thing I ate was a hamburger...

I don't miss eating meat, although sometime I miss the convenience of eating meat. When I first said no more, I had meat cravings, especially for mashed potatoes and gravy day at school, and pepperoni pizza. But that slowly dissolved. I think the appearance of a lot of vegetarian alternatives helped. I do miss the convenience, having to check and see if restaurants offer vegetarian food can be a bit of a pain. Especially since I'm onion-intolerant. Yeah, I see the irony...

2. What is your dream job?

Managing a horse barn or a park ranger. I miss being outside. I miss the mountains. I'd like to think that someday I'll manage a horse barn in the mountains, and take care of the conservation lands just off the property. Best of both worlds.

Part of me thinks I should use this education though, so another idea is to be an eco advocate of some sort. I'd love to push the world into the life of thinking about how and what they do affects the world around them, kicking and screaming or not. Part of me thinks I should start a "how can my company be more eco friendly (and save money)" business. Maybe someday...

3. I know you prefer rural life to urban life. If you had to live in the city, what would you enjoy about it?

I'd enjoy not having a car. I feel eco-unfriendly because I drive so far to work. Too far, really. I would love being able to walk everywhere; to the grocery store, to the library, to the liquor store. I miss that. I did live in Somerville near the Davis square T stop for a few years, and I really liked leaving my car parked at home when I wasn't going to work. I'm looking forward to our town putting a trail in on the old rail bed, it would give me a non-highway to walk on to the grocery store.

4. Of all the trips/vacations you've taken, which one was your favorite and why?

Ireland is hands down my favorite place. I've vacationed there 4 times, and could live there if I could convince E to be that far from his family. I feel very at home there. The country is so small that they have death announcements for the entire country, yes, the ENTIRE COUNTRY, at noon. And it rarely takes more than a few minutes. I know, it's a bit morbid, but you see my point. It's so green, and full of, well, country. I could see having a little farm 15 minutes outside of one of the cities where E could work. Or living in Killarney and taking tourists on trail rides through the national park. I could live where it doesn't snow, but it also rarely is above 75F. Definitely my kind of weather. I'd be home.

5. Guilty pleasures - food, books, tv.

OK, this one's hard. Not the foods. Man it sucks to be watching what I'm eating...

Food: Gardin of Eatin' blue corn chips, spicy nacho Doritos, feta cheese (Greek) pizza, strawberries, Beaujolais wine (yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! Can I have some?)

Books: Anything and everything sci-fi. But guilty... that would be spending all day ignoring E to read the Harry Potter and Twilight books on the day they come out. Yeah, teeny-bopper, but good!

TV: Hmm, guilty... During our honeymoon, E and I watched a marathon of Project Runway (season 3). Yeah, real romantic. I think this is the only instance of us watching reality TV. But, hey, in Hawaii, it was on for breakfast. OK, so other guilty pleasure shows... umm, does Privileged count? What about Terminator? I used to like Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters, but they don't have the hold over me like they used to.

On a totally un-guilty pleasure, I'm plugging the new Battle Star Galactica series. Four seasons of complete bliss! I would walk over E's dead body to see this one! Well, OK, not really, he gets the shows for me (stupid sci-fi being a paid channel). Thank goodness for the internet! But I've bought all of the seasons, if you want to borrow the DVDs, just let me know... And I'm counting the days until they come out in blue ray!

So, there's the five things. Hope you've enjoyed it!

Noki's New Chair

2009-02-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Our friends K and C were kind enough to give us some nice furniture. I had to work late on Friday, so E went over to pick it up. I got home, and there it was! Noki's new chair!I don't think he's moved since E brought it in, other than to get food, of course! And isn't he sweet, letting Mosa have the ottoman?

A Birdy Week

2009-02-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

This week started with the annual Great Backyard Bird Count on Sunday. The Black-capped Chickadees once again were the most prevalent in the half hour that I was watching. But a couple other types of birds made an appearance too, some Tufted Titmice and 2 kinds of Nuthatches, Red-breasted and White-breasted.

Monday morning there were a couple of doves eating under the feeder with the little red squirrel.

Tuesday morning, while letting Mosa decided if she wanted to brave the snow, I spotted a Pileated Woodpecker on a pine tree about 50 feet from the back of the house. You know, the one that Warner Bros. used to designed Woody Woodpecker. It's the white spot in the very center of this picture:If you want to see a better picture, check out Wikipedia's entry.

Then, this morning, a family of 5 Gold Finches came to our backyard feeders. You can (almost?) see 2 here on the green feeder on the left. Everybody else flew away when I got the camera (of course).
I wonder who's going to show up next?

Squirrely Happiness

2009-02-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

Red squirrels make me so happy. They're all twitchy and jittery. They move so quickly, they're a streak across the snow. Yet they're happy to sit and eat seeds under our feeder. We have two red squirrels that frequent our feeders. They have created a network of tunnels that makes it possible to get from the woods to the feeder, across the 40 feet of open space, without being seen. It's so nice to see them in the morning, they snack and skitter while I have my coffee. It's a good start to the day for both of us.

Cruisin' to Cozumel

2009-02-14T21:57:00.000-05:00

Let me start by telling you that I'm claustrophobic. So it was with some trepidation that I agreed to go on a 4 day cruise from Miami to Cozumel. I figured it was an opportunity to find out whether I could handle the confines of a ship. I'd have a roommate (not E) and no choice in cabins. Should be interesting, n'est pas?

I started by talking with my family dr, and getting some "just in case" panic drugs. The warning label pretty much said, don't plan on doing anything for a few days. I figured someone could carry me to the plane if I ended up taking them, right?

The trip started on Thursday, early (for me) in the morning with a drive to Worcester airport. Yes, Worcester has an airport! The group I went with charted some planes, and we quite literally had our own airport. They even opened a special snack shop for us, since the airline wasn't going to feed us. We flew to Miami without incident, and then took charted buses to the port terminal.

It was about 1pm when I boarded the ship and made my way to my cabin. And that's when the panic attack hit. The hallway was small, the ceiling low, and it was very long. I got to the cabin and broke down. But the cabin itself was fairly large, had a big window to the outside, and had my wonderful roommate, SS, who let me finish freaking out in peace. Then she took me up to the open air deck for some food. And things got a little better. But I never did get used to that hallway.

We had our mandatory lifeboat drill, (did you know, women and children first really is still the rule?), and then I spend most of the afternoon on the open air deck. That evening we set sail, had a reception on the open air deck at sunset, and then dinner. By 9pm SS and I were feeling the early morning, and by 10 we hit the sack.

The next day we had a bunch of morning activities, and unfortunately I had a migraine. I stayed in my cabin most of the day, only coming out for some air and dinner around 6. We were arriving in Cozumel at 10pm, so I took a whole bunch of migraine meds, and we went into the tourist trap. The good thing, the fresh air made me feel better. SS and I had fun finding gifts for our families left at home. By 11 my head was feeling much better, but we were both tired, and had a 9am activity the next day, so we called it a night.

Of course, nobody else on board did. The partying and bright lights finally died sometime around 3:30am, and I was able to fall asleep. And then I awoke to a horrendous, building's falling down around you, BOOM! Followed by another, and another, and another... My sleep-deprived mind finally figured out that it was waves. We were crashing through them. Our cabin was in the very front of the ship, so as the ship crested a wave, it would slam back into the water. So much for sleep, it's overrated anyway.

Saturday morning at 9am we had our last scheduled activity. And it was so sunny and beautiful, I went up on deck (I needed AIR) and sat there on a beach chair all day. The winds were wiping, about 30mph, but I found a lee and had a great time reading my book and talking to people as they passed by. My 30 SPF sunblock kept me burn free, except for the spot I missed on my ankle and my ear, I always miss somewhere.

That evening was our dressy reception and dinner. I had bought a new blouse and was looking pretty girly in my skirt. We had some drinks, went to dinner, and then hit the dance club. SS and I danced our toes off, with a friendly group of friends and strangers. I even got the DJ to play Relax for me, my favorite dance song. The lack of sleep was catching up fast, and I new if I stopped, I'd be done. So we danced, and danced, and danced.

That night, the BANG-ing had lessened to every once in a while, so I got some much needed sleep. The following morning we had to be up so SS could disembark, she was on one of the first off the ship. I was supposed to disembark at 1:45, then re-embark, then disembark again at 3 (port rules are so funny). They had food, and I'd been thinking I'd wait until I got back on board to eat, needed to be full for the foodless flight that wouldn't get in to Worcester until 8pm... But around 12:30 I was hungry, so I figured, OK, I'd eat, then have a snack before leaving. Good thing, because at the first disembarking, we never got back on the ship. Instead we sat on the charted bus. And sat. And sat... Turns out the plane had mechanical issues, so they were getting us another plane, and expecting a 1 1/2 hour delay. But did they let us back on the ship? No.

We finally headed off for the airport, and when we arrived, we pulled up to the security gate (charters don't go out from the main terminal in Miami), and they waved us to the side. Where we sat and waited, and waited, and waited... We had 3 busses of people when we left the port, but only 2 arrived at the airport, and they wouldn't let us enter until we all arrived. Ugh.

When we finally got to the plane, they rushed us through "security", a few tables set up with people to rummage through our carryons and others to wave us down with a wand. Very strange, my knee didn't set off the wand... For those that don't know, I have metal in my knee from and ACL reconstruction and have a habit of setting off metal detectors. Especially wands that are supposed to be more sensative. Not that I was going to tell them that!

We finally headed home, and got 2 bags(!) of chips on the plane, which almost everybody devoured (I think a lot of people were going to eat once they got re-embarked). I had some snacks I'd brought with me, and I offered to share with my seat-mates, so we were probably the least hungry of those on the plane. Hypoglycemia comes in handy sometimes...

At 9:30 my friend MB and I left the airport, and I was home, saying hello to E and the kitties by 10:45. All in all, DEFINETLY not the worst trip home I've had!

On the last day when I was waiting for my turn to disembark the ship, people were asking me what my favorite part was. I couldn't figure it out then, but I have now. Towel animals.

Temperature Theory

2009-01-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

This week was a cold one, on Friday morning it was -15 degrees F when I left for work at 8am. My kind of weather!

Which leads to my theory. People like the kind of weather they were born in. So in New England, if you were born during the blizzard of 1978 (albeit in northern New York), you like the cold! So far my theory is holding true. Of all the people I've surveyed, those born in the summer like it hot (anything above 75 is hot to me), and if they were born in the winter they like it cold, like me. And spring and fall babies like it different degrees of moderate.

My family definitely follows this theory. My dad and I were both born in February and we like the cold. I'm grumpy any time the thermometer hits 75 and above. My mom and sister were both born in late summer, and they like it hot. My mom didn't like the cold so much, she moved to New Mexico!

So, what was the weather like when and where you were born? Does my theory hold out for you too?

Snow!

2008-12-21T21:39:00.001-05:00

It's funny, for living in New England, a lot of New Englander's complain about the winter. But not me! I love the winter! OK, yeah, that ice thing last week was not so much fun, but technically it was still autumn...

So, snow! We've gotten 20" in the last week, and it's so much fun! Yes, there's the shoveling, but there's also the sledding! Yes, there's the slippery roads, but there's also the good reason to stay home by the fireplace, curled up with E and the kitties. Yes there's the cold, but there's also the comfy warm sweaters and blankets!

My only complaint? The predicted 45 degree day coming mid-week...

Ice Storm

2008-12-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

An ice storm hit us here in central MA a little over a week ago. Thursday night E went to visit his parents in southern MA and stayed there over night. The ice had started accumulating on the trees here around 4pm, and before long, they would have had enough.

At midnight, I'd just turned off the light with Noki snuggled up next to me when we heard a big, loud, BOOM, like a rifle shot. Noki looked up and growled, and I told him it was fine and to go to sleep. At 2, I realized the power had gone out, probably at the boom, and that it was possible no one had called the power company. So I called, then crawled back into bed, and heard the loud CRACK-BOOM!! The first tree near the house had toppled. I went and looked out the window, and didn't see anything. So back to bed. And for the next 6 hours, trees were coming down every 15 minutes or so.

At 4:30, I heard another loud CRACK and thought my now ritual mantra - 'Please don't hit the house!' And when the boom came, the whole house shook. I jumped up again to look out the window, and this time one of the close trees had just missed the house. So back to bed.

A long night of not sleeping while listening to trees come down around you leads to some interesting thoughts. Besides, 'Please don't hit the house!' there's the 'I wonder if I should move to a room further from the trees?' And the 'If I move, that's where the tree will end up hitting.' And the morbid 'I wonder if I will be able to reach my cell to call for help if a tree comes in and impales me?'

At 5:30, the mantra finally stopped working, and the first tree hit the house, on the south wall of our bedroom. Again, up to the window, and nothing seemed to be damaged. No sounds of rushing air, no water pouring in the roof, OK, it's OK, I shouldn't call and wake up E at his parents. Back to bed.

At 6:30, the mantra failed again, and a second tree hit the house, this time on the east wall of our bedroom. The whole house shook and I thought for sure I was about to have a tree in bed with me. But no, it luckily bounced the other direction, pulling the wires off the house as it went. This time, I decided it was OK to wake up E and called him. Poor guy, got woken up by a somewhat frantic wife telling him trees were hitting the house.

Aside from the wires, no damage was done, thank goodness. And while the next few hours were stressful, it all worked out OK. E went to the store down by his parents (where they didn't get the ice storm, by the way) and got us a generator. I went out and sawed up the 7 trees across the driveway with my trusty bow saw. And we had the generator for power for the next 8 days, until the power came back.

The only sad part of this story is that, unfortunately, 2 of my fishies didn't make it. Tropical fish aren't used to 20 degree daily temperature changes. Poor little guys. Sniff, sniff.

And now that I've got power back, I suppose there's no excuse for not blogging...

Noki vs. the Vet

2008-09-11T14:40:00.000-04:00

Its that time of year again. The leaves start changing, the squirrels devour the seed in the bird feeder to fatten up, and it's time to bring Noki and Mamosa in for their yearly checkup.

Noki hates the vet. Actually, that may be putting it mildly. Noki is TERRIFIED of the vet, and therefore, tries to kill her. And what has the vet done to deserve this? Nothing, aside from being one of the best vets I've ever had.

So, I made the appointment, and brought Noki and Mosa in last night. I got home and pulled out the two cat carriers. Then I grabbed Mosa and struggled to get her into her carrier. Who knew that 8 pounds of cat could put up such a fight? Noki, as usual, came to see what was up, saw his carrier, and walked right into it. Two cats in carriers. So far, so good.

I drove to the vet, and all was quiet. As I got out of the car, juggling the cat carriers and my wallet, all was quiet. And as I stepped onto the porch, the growling started, coming from Noki's carrier. Mosa's was silent. As I walked into the office, a low yowl was added to the growling. I checked in and sat down to wait. And the carrier next to me continued to yowl.

We were called into an exam room by a tech. And as we walked in, the yowling and hissing got louder. I've learned from past experience, if Noki can't see anybody but me, he's quiet. So I put his carrier on the floor, and he was silent. I asked the tech about bringing home Noki's meds, aside from the rabies (by law, the vet has to administer that). She said she'd ask the vet, and left. The vet came in and checked out Mosa. Every thing's great, she's in wonderful shape, and her rabies shot went off without a hitch. Everybody at the vet's office loves Mosa. So the vet gave her a little cuddle, and then we let Mosa go back into her carrier and set it aside. Then it was time for Noki.

Noki is quite adept at putting all 4 legs out and no manner of dumping and shaking will get him out of the carrier. And nobody is going to stick their hands in to get him out, I tried that the first time and he had all 4 legs out then too. Did I mention he's still yowling and hissing? So the only way to let the vet see Noki is to take the carrier apart. Thankfully, there are wing nuts holding the top and bottom together, so this is fairly easy. But the second the top comes off, Noki's yowling and hissing goes up another notch. You'd think someone was torturing him, the noise he makes.

At this point in the visit, the vet always remembers Noki. And a crowd comes to the door to watch (he's that loud).

The vet tried to get closer to him and out came the teeth and claws. Not attacking, just letting her know what would happen if she got any closer. So the vet called for a tech to come and distract Noki so she could give him his rabies shot. Yeah, like that's going to work (it didn't).

Next, out came the wild animal gloves, you know, the gloves that go all the way up to your shoulder and you could use them to weld? The vet donned the gloves and petted Noki to try and calm him down, and managed to pick him up and weigh him (18 lbs, 9 oz, big guy). Then the vet distracted Noki while the tech gave him the rabies shot. And Noki attacked the gloves, but the tech had gotten the shot in. Whew! And then guess what? They agreed to let me take his other shot home, and I could give it to him here. And back on went the top of his carrier.

All I can say is, thank goodness for 3 year rabies shots!

Of course, as soon as we got home, he was his usual, lovable, mommas boy self. Go figure. Maybe next year I'll give him some Valium...

Falling off the edge of the... blog

2008-08-28T18:05:00.000-04:00

List of excuses for not blogging recently:

"Vacation" with family - Actually, I think I need a vacation from my vacation. Sorry family.
New employee - I have my first employee, and she's great! But so little work gets done when you're training someone, which leads to...
Work - What do you mean 12 hour days aren't normal?
The never ending story of the Garage-Mahal - List of items still to do:

Finish driveway - I don't like slamming the nose of my car on the cement skirt
Electricity - Of course, the green extension cord running from the house to the garage-mahal is permanent, what do you mean?
Stair to second story - Although, extension ladder access is looking mighty fine right now.
Gutters - Rain flowing off the roof into the Garage-Mahal, not so good.
Final inspection - You mean MA requires a work permit?
Landscaping - I'm thinking this might start next year...

Spending time with husband - He is still around somewhere, right?
Riding - My sanity. Although with another 2 week break just past, I'm not sure how sane I am...

Born to Ride

2008-07-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

I haven't been riding in almost 2 months. We spent a month finishing the garage-mahal, (well, almost finishing it), and then due to a combination of work, being away on weekends, and a cracked quarter-hoof, I hadn't been to the barn. Until this past Saturday.

Friday I chatted with H and found out that Melody, the horse I ride, was finally well again. So we made plans to ride Saturday morning. And oh, how glorious it was! I had been thinking in my 2 month hiatus that maybe I could do without riding. That my life would be simpler and I'd have a lot more time on my hands to do other things. But baby, I was born to RIDE! I haven't felt this good in, well, months. And its wonderful!

So, the ride Saturday was nothing particularly special. The weather was nice, it was sunny but not too hot. We rode in the apple orchard across the road from the barn. From the top of the hill you can see for miles, its one of the highest points around, and because of the size of the apple trees, the view to the west and north is spectacular! You can see the Groton School, which looks a little bit like a castle. And some hills, and other orchards and barns in the distance. One of these days I'll bring a camera with me...

So, I'm back to the barn again. I'm planning on picking up riding 2-3 days a week. And I can't wait until tomorrow when I'm going again!

The Sanity of Books

2008-06-05T20:13:00.000-04:00

On January 2nd of 1996 I blew out my knee skiing. On July 2 of 1996 I had exploratory surgery to determine why it wasn't getting better, and it turned into an ACL reconstruction (a story for another time).

That summer encompassed the months between my senior year of high school, which I'd spent at the local community college, and the beginning of my sophomore year in college (I think this is where E says something like I'm wicked smah-t, with the Boston accent, of course). I spent the whole summer hobbling around my mom's in-ground pool with a calf to thigh brace on my leg, picking off dead day lily blooms and reading. While it was painful, it was also great. I had so much time to just be, not to have to worry about anything other than getting my daily physical therapy in. And I read. A lot.

I've always read a lot. In high school it was fairly common for me to read a couple of 300+ page books a day. Its amazing to open a book and escape into a different world. And figure out what to do about other peoples problems. Its amazing how much perspective you have when its not you. That summer I was taking a dozen books out of the library (well, the books by mail, same difference) and in a week I'd be sending back for more. Everybody should have a summer like that (minus the knee surgery).

Anyway, lately I've been reading a lot again. Not as much as that summer. But a lot for me now. I finished a 1000 page book in 2 days. And I feel so much more relaxed than I have in a while. Now the only problem is I'm out of books. Guess I'll have to go to the bookstore...

Blogging slow down...

2008-05-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

I know that many of you out there enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. The only problem is, its nice outside now, and sitting inside at my computer seems like a waste of perfectly good outside time. So the blogging is slowing down.

E has suggested that I should give myself a twice a week deadline, and make sure that in the evenings I have a go at a blog. Maybe I'll do that. We'll see.

In the mean time, there could be less blogging, but I'll try to include things that come up periodically. And who knows, maybe I'll get a lap top and be able to blog from outside, the best of both worlds!

Noki the Hunter?

2008-05-19T20:31:00.000-04:00

Mosa is a great little hunter, if for some reason she ended up on her own again, she would be OK. And then there's Noki. He understands that little critters are interesting to cats, but he doesn't understand how it is one catches them. He sees a squirrel under the bird feeder, trots across the deck, and then launches at a run toward the squirrel, to watch it scamper up a tree.

So, it was with a lot of surprise that I found Noki had caught himself a vole. Noki was really surprised too. I had noticed that Noki was watching something in the leaves pretty intently, and figured it was a bug of some sort. I watched for a minute, and he pounced on what ever it was. And then he looked up at me, and again at his paws. He picked up one paw and out scurried a vole. Noki pounced on it again, and stood there looking confused. He couldn't figure out what to do with it. After a minute he picked up his paws again and off the vole went. By this point Mosa had come to see what was up. Mosa and Noki tracked it across the driveway and into the brush. After a few minutes they came back up the driveway, without the vole. And Noki went back to the leaves to see if another vole would scurry into view.

Turkey Sighting, Number 2

2008-04-27T20:03:00.000-04:00

A few days ago E was walking by the glass door to the deck and scared a turkey that was eating under our bird feeder. It ran off into the woods behind the house.

Tonight, we were in the dining room and I looked out the window to see a turkey next to the driveway. It walked behind the garage-mahal, and appeared under the bird feeder a few minutes later. It got its snack and then made its way into the woods behind the house again.

I think its a nester, and we're going to have turkey babies!

Birthday tunes

2008-04-27T17:18:00.000-04:00

Just before my birthday (Feb 25), E got himself a new car. It was time. His old faithful Maxima was dieing a quick death. He sold the Maxima, and remembered (this time) to take out his after-market stereo. It turned out that his new Subaru has a pretty good stereo in it. So, what to do with the old one? Give it to me for a birthday present! Well, OK, the present was really that he'd install it for me. Which he did. Today. What can I say, my honey's a procrastinator, and I know it! So, woo hoo for birthday tunes!

Vacation

2008-04-27T12:36:00.001-04:00

We had a great time in the Bahamas! We went to the beach, SCUBA diving 3 days, horse back riding along the beach, and had fun playing Backgammon with our friends that were there with us.

The house where we stayed

E and me on the Pier at Taino Beach

Gold Rock Beach at sunsetN, L, E, and me riding on the beach
E, L, and me playing Backgammon

Deer

2008-04-12T08:18:00.000-04:00

This morning I got up, and stumbled down stairs to feed the animals and start some coffee. As I was leaning over to feed the fish, I looked out the window and saw 2 white-tailed deer 10 feet away on the lawn. It was a doe and yearling faun, stopping to have some yummy acorns and flower buds from our lawn and gardens. These two are probably part of the herd, consisting of 2 does (Momma and Boxy) and twin fauns (Cherry and Arrow), that were visiting us daily last autumn. So then, where are the other doe and faun?

The doe spotted me taking her picture,
and they disappeared into the woods.

Vacation!

2008-03-28T18:00:00.000-04:00

For the first time since our honeymoon 18 months ago, E and I are going on vacation! Woo Hoo! We're headed to Grand Bahama Island in the.... Bahamas! (Couldn't see that one coming, could you?)

Spring!

2008-03-20T19:27:00.000-04:00

For the first time that I can remember, the Robins are agreeing with the Vernal Equinox! Today on my way home I stopped at the mailbox, and there, on the neighbor's lawn across the street, was a Robin. She (OK, I don't know she was a "she", but Mother Nature brings the first day of spring, so...) She was all puffed up, it's a pretty cool, windy day here, but she was there!

Yeah Spring!

This leads me to the other things I was thinking of today: birds, and trees popping.

I've seen a lot of birds returning this week. Tuesday on my way to work, I saw a single Great Blue Heron standing on one of last years nests in the Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge. Which by the way, have you ever seen a Great Blue Heron standing on one of their nests? They nest at the top of the dead trees in a swampy area, they're pretty amazing to see, standing stark against the sky...

Today on the way to work, I saw 2 Canada Geese fly in for a landing on the ice covering the refuge pond. Everybody's returning from their winter habitats.

Two towns over from us, in Ayer, the maple (Acer) trees look ready to burst. The buds are popping, another sign of spring! The maple sugaring season has started, buckets are appearing on trees around the area. Makes me think of sugaring back home, when I was a kid. My mom was the principal sugar-er, she slaved over the stove in the little red barn all day (and sometimes all night, maple syrup waits for no one!) My sister S and I would come home from school and get some yummy maple tea-the combination of almost-maple syrup boiling on the stove, and sap kept in the milk can in the snow bank, combined to just the right temperature to warm you, but not scald. I wonder if I'd still like it today?

Low Carbon Diet

2008-03-16T12:10:00.001-04:00

There is an environmental program on NHPR (New Hampshire Public Radio) every weekend called Living On Earth. This is one of the NHPR shows that I listen to every week. On the show this morning, they had a segment on a low carbon diet. This is the sort of diet I can support!

The main idea is to reduce your carbon footprint- the amount of CO2 you help produce by going about your daily lives. If you haven't figured out what your carbon footprint is, you should give it a try. Its amazing how much a single household contributes to global warming. There are many calculators out there:

Earth Day Footprint Quiz
Carbon Calculator
Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth Carbon Calculator

Once you've calculated your carbon footprint, hopefully you'll want to reduce it! Here are some ideas from the low carbon diet, and some from me:

Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFL bulbs
Take cloth bags to the grocery store
Insulate your water heater
Reduce the time in the shower
Turn down the thermostat in the winter, turn it up in the summer
Do laundry in cold water
Buy energy efficient appliances, and recycle the old ones
Air dry clothes
Bike or walk instead of driving
Grow your own vegies, no transportation needed
Replace your hot water heater with a Point of Service (POS) water heater
Only turn on lights if you need them, and turn them off when you're not in the room
Compost instead of throwing biodegradable material away
Get food from local farmers markets and farm stands
Reuse your water glass all day
Install rain barrels at your gutters for watering plants
Use drained cooking water to water house plants, the added nutrients are good for the plants
Carpool

Snowy morning

2008-03-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

Mother Nature has decided to show me she's not ready for spring, no matter how many chipmunks are running around. Its snowing again this morning. We were almost able to see the wonderful shingle job we did on the garage-mahal, and now it's covered in white again.

Spring's almost here...

2008-03-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

The venal equinox is March 20. But I don't define my seasons based on the movement of the sun. I define them based on the movement of animals.

The first indication that spring is on the way? Chipmunks. They only come out from their near hibernation when they know spring is coming. I've never known them to be wrong. When I see the first chipmunk, I know winter's giving up its last hurrah.

The true indicator of the first day of spring is the Robin. When the Robin is back in the area, spring is here.

I saw my first chipmunk 2 weeks ago. Never mind that there was still 3 feet of snow out our door, I knew spring was almost here. And when E and I were in Cambridge on Sunday, we saw 2 Robins. So spring has made it that far. I give it another week or so before its made its way here.

Mondays

2008-03-10T14:37:00.000-04:00

I always have a case of the Mondays. Mondays are so uninspiring. The beginning of the work week, ugh. Tori had it right, I don't like Mondays.

When have Mondays ever been good? When they're holidays! We need more of those...

What is it?

2008-03-09T09:51:00.000-04:00

We live in the middle of 8 wooded acres. Its wonderful being surrounded by trees and nature. And often, it produces new and exciting furry critters that E has not seen before.

This morning, as I was reaching for my first cup of java, E said "Look, look, look!" grabbing my shoulder and trying to push me toward the window. I turned with the bleary eyed gaze of the early morning, to see... Nothing. I had just missed "it". E was excited, describing something that "moved like a weasel", but was "bigger than the mink we saw last time". After I had some of my coffee I was able to get E to describe what he saw, and it just might have been a fisher. While I love my wild animals, I'm not as happy to have a fisher around, because they think cats are tasty treats. I'll have to keep a closer eye on 'Mosa and Noki.

Speaking of the kitties, you should meet them. This is Noki, our 6 1/2 year old monkey:

And this is Mamosa, our 10 year old little lady:

And for those that are wondering, no, Mamosa's not named after the drink. My father's a forester, she's named after the tree!

Generations

2008-03-08T09:58:00.000-05:00

Migraines are hell. I came home yesterday, shut the double blinds in my room, and went to bed. I must have dozed off, because I woke up and it was blissfully dark out. Of course, that meant that when E and I went to bed at midnight, I couldn't fall asleep. Which led me to thinking about car windows.

My generation says to roll down the window. And we make the hand signal like we're using the manual window crank. What is the next generation going to do? When will people stop remembering that there were manual cranks for windows? Not that these thoughts keep me up at night, but when you're not sleeping, you ponder many weird things. With the amount that I'm awake in the middle of the night, these thoughts are common. Explains a lot, doesn't it?

Eventually I fell asleep and dreamed of white cloud fry. Maybe I should get some more friends for my fishies...