Help me donate 1,000 meals

November 13th, 2009

From Kraft First Taste: Help us donate 1 million meals to the hungry this holiday season. Simply send FREE holiday e-cards from American Greetings to your friends and family. For each card sent, Kraft Foods will donate 10 meals to Feeding America.

Please leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I’ll send you a card, thus donating 10 meals! Please post a link to this post on your blogs, so your readers will help me reach 1,000 meals! It’s only 100 e-mails and the program goes until June 30, but I’d like to reach my goal by Christmas!

Sample: hot dot dog at flipmail dot com

Great horned owl

November 13th, 2009

I heard a great horned owl this morning. He/she was sitting in the tree outside our apartment building. After my husband left for work, I thought maybe I was breathing too deeply and whistling out my nose, but usually it’s a whistle, so I was confused. Then, I realized it was an owl and was perfectly still, listening for an impossible number of who-who-ho-hos until I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to get up and find out what kind of owl it was.

Also did you know there’s a superstition if you hear an owl that someone close to you is going to die? I hate that particular one. It’s probably not any more significant than an e-mail chain letter, but still. Shudder.

I did love the beauty of the lonely sound, though. It would definitely be something I could sleep to, if I could sleep. Maybe I’ll grab a catnap this afternoon. If only owls hooted during the day.. who-who..

Thankful Thursday/Veterans

November 12th, 2009

I meant to post last Thursday, as a pre-Thanksgiving tribute, but I let it slip by, so today, we will keep it short and sweet, as a combined Veteran tribute and Thankful Thursday, thank you to the people in my life who served in the armed forces…

Grandparents, Uncles, Cousins, and members of my immediate family, you know who you are. Whether you came home with shrapnel, a different frame of mind, or just pride for your country, thank you.

Just call her stretch

November 9th, 2009
Stretch!

Stretch!

SCROLL DOWN FOR FUN MONDAY!

One of Keeley’s favorite things to do now after a nursing session or waking up from a nap is to STRETCH! She arches her back until she’s approximately in a C shape. She also did this several times while waiting to get her vaccinations. I think we were big entertainment in the health department. It’s a word she recognizes and can follow through on. You just have to be careful that she doesn’t stretch when you’re not ready!

Another stretchy thing is that she’s grown out of her pumpkin seat. The doctor remeasured her (the nurse said 29.5 inches, DR says 31 inches), I’m glad he pays enough attention to remeasure. Now if he would have reweighed her too, but of course it’s a digital scale, so not much point, I suppose. Baby girl lost weight. Which means, of course, that not only is she out of her pumpkin seat, but she is not legally allowed to be in her big girl seat, either (20 lb requirement), so…not sure what to do about that. So far we’re just letting her be in the big seat, as she probably weighs 20 lbs with clothes on.  We considered buying another seat, but we’re putting it off until January, by which time she will be 20 lbs (I hope!) and they go on sale. Crossing fingers that stores still do baby sales in January!

On the other hand, her clothes are all a mess. 18 months seems to be the way to go for her chest/head circumference/shirt length. The pants depend on the brand! Some of the 12 month pants seem just fine, and other things it seems like 18 month or even 24 would be better (like for leggings, which seems to be the only thing they sell for girls anywhere).  She received some cozy footed pjs for her birthday in 18 and 24 month. We found a few more feeted pjs and got them in 18 month so she’d have a week’s worth to wear (they were on sale). She’s nowhere near out of them, but I’m already looking ahead to spring and summer and wondering if we shouldn’t put non-feeted pajamas on her Christmas list in a bigger size.  I already bought a ton of summer stuff of regular clothing for her, when they were on sale in August on DEEP discount, so that would round out her wardrobe nicely, I think. The alternative is toys and I have no idea what to do with the toys she already has. Do we take the chewy type toys away and just let her have the big kid toys? I just don’t know. I do know that if she goes on a destructive tear that we wouldn’t be able to walk through the living room. I still think we’ve only purchased 2 toys for her, total. She just got a lot of  ‘car seat’ toys that she likes to chew on, and they’re still laying around, I don’t quite know what to do now that she’s stretching her limits on toys too (ha! I got stretch in again!)… Any thoughts about baby toys and Christmas ideas and car seat or weight issues would be appreciated!

Fun Monday: A day in the life

November 8th, 2009

Grace is the hostess for Fun Monday this week! Be sure to see who all is playing!

fun_monday_logo_jpg+largeShe says: Your Day: please describe to us your typical weekday, from when you wake up until when you go to bed, what do you do to get you up and going, how do you wind down in the evening and what happens in your life in between those times.

My day? Hmm, well, my husband’s phone vibrates on his nightstand at 4 a.m.  I roll over and ignore my bladder until he gets out of the shower. If I’m sleepy enough, I get back in bed post-bathroom. Lately, it’s been no good and I just start my day. Mostly that means waking up completely, picking up stuff in the living room from the night before (baby proofing) and anything else quiet I can think of, reading, checking email, etc. I haven’t had massive amounts of caffeine since July 2007, so unlike most of you, I don’t get morning coffee.

Keeley wakes up around 6. It becomes a nurse, diaper, nap, eat, play cycle until anywhere from 3 pm to 6 pm when ‘daddy’ gets home. In between then, I sneak in chores, internet, and the continual picking up of toys. I wash diapers every other day, towels every 3 days, and have to see how many pairs of socks or pajamas she has to get her laundry done, and our clothes are also limited by how many polo shirts my husband has, and how many pairs of jeans I have. The dishes rarely get done, unless the go in the dishwasher. Pots and pans tend to sit a while, because I cannot do them and be with Keeley at the same time and inevitably the minute I start washing dishes, the upstairs neighbors will drop an anvil and wake Keeley up 30 minutes into her should-be 1 1/2-2 hour nap. Keeley is going through separation anxiety. Out of courtesy to our not-so-courteous neighbors, I choose NOT to let her scream her head off, and leave the dishes until the weekend, most of the time. Pretty much everything else I can do with her in the same room. Fold clothes, etc.

It hits me from time to time that I’m a teacher. All day long. All night long.  From ‘it’s not polite to scream when you want something, dear just say ma-ma’ to ‘that ball is purple, does it taste like grape?’ What do I do all day? I teach. On a walk to the library where I point out the leaves, telling her that the lever on the see-and-say works like a light switch, and naming body parts, everything seems to go into her little mind. I’m fascinated with the things she can indicate to us.

One fun thing is that happened recently is that we have a large stuffed Tigger in her room and a small one in a vehicle. We have showed her that Tiggers ‘bounce’ and say ‘boing boing’. Well, the other day, I was changing her diaper and said ‘boing boing’ just to get her to hold still. As soon as I put her down, she crawled as fast as she could over to her Tigger and grabbed him and fell down on him and gave him a hug. Smart girl.

After Keeley goes to bed, I steal some TV time with hubby and try and remove the debris from the main area that comes with daddy daughter time. Mostly, it’s just a relief to stop and not teach anyone anything, get anyone anything, or listen to screaming, crying, or whining (by anyone under the age of 2).

Have I captured what I do every day? Maybe. Then again, maybe not. You be the judge.

First solo bath and one of those days

November 5th, 2009

Today has been one of those days, this week has been one of those weeks. I hadn’t ever given Keeley a solo bath, I’d given her a sponge bath, but not a total ‘head to toe’ bonanza, usually I leave that for daddy to help with. He’s good at the carry and buff. But today she’d already wet through the diaper we put on her overnight, and she has her doctor’s appointment, so I figured I’d go it alone. Water temp was good, towel in arm’s reach. She was still a handful, but we made it, and I just put her feet on the floor and buffed her really well instead of trying to carry her sopping wet to where we change her normally.

Who knew she’d be happier that way? Unfortunately, though, she peed through another diaper today so her cutesy clothes had to go in the wash in favor of more cutesy clothes. Oh well. Just made me wash her clothes again (2 sets of sheets helps fill out a load)… so.. anyway…

Well, as predicted, more screaming because mommy’s on the computer and not focusing ALL on Keeley, so have to go. Before she breaks anything (including herself) 3 desk-related injuries yesterday. OSHA would so kick my arse if I was a work at home mom!

Surgery bills

November 5th, 2009

The statements from insurance keep rolling in, and the payment due by patient keeps rolling in at zero!!! Yeah! I’m very happy about that and I take back my mental scream that everything is going wrong, because it’s not, at least the surgery stuff was paid! Yeah!!!!

Happy Halloween!

November 1st, 2009
Bouncing baby girl Tigger!

Bouncing baby girl 'Tigger'!

The wonderful thing about Tiggers, is Tiggers are wonderful things, their tops are made out of rubber, and their bottoms are made out of springs! They’re bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN! But the most wondeful things about Tiggers is I’M the only one!

And she definitely was the only Tigger and we felt super smart for using a nice, heavy duty (make that double duty as well) hooded sweatshirt, that can be worn through spring! At first I was a little subconscious about it, but then I saw some more costumes that were simple ideas like camouflage for ‘army man’ that were even more simple than hers, so hers looked like a full fledged costume compared to those and I felt like she fit right in. Of course everyone, and mean EVERYONE loved her! Yeah! More later.

Keeley uses a bowl for the first time

October 30th, 2009
Cheerios kind of in bowl

Cheerios kind of in bowl

Empty bowl

Empty bowl

Now don’t go thinking it’s all hunky dory, about HALF the cheerios are there on the blanket in between her and the bowl. She took them out one handful at a time. She helped put them back in the bowl, and then dumped them out again. She ate all but one, which I found and promptly put to her lips. Little piggy snarfed it right up! I can’t figure out where all the food is going. She must have a hollow leg. Should have been a pirate for Halloween!

Keeley and the story of the too-big pajamas

October 30th, 2009

Once there was a little girl named Keeley. She had a birthday party and everyone brought her pajamas! She was so happy, because it meant she would no longer shiver in her ’shortie’ pajamas and blankie on those chilly autumn nights!

Her mom picked out the pretty pink pajamas with candy on them! It’s almost Halloween after all! Let’s hope by spring thaw, they won’t be too small!

New birthday pjs!

New birthday pjs!

Hmm, too small? No!

Hmm, too small? No!

Too big, sleepy eyes, big feet!

Too big, sleepy eyes, big feet!

I think Ill just rest my head on the bouncer!

I think I'll just rest my head on the bouncer!

Night Night!