This is one of my favorite recent photos of Coraline, because it perfectly captures her happy, exuberant personality (day 329, 8/18/11).
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Looking Up
Song Lyric of the Day:
I know that you may think / That I’m a broken little bird in my mind / Cause I’m falling on the floor / I’m climbing up the walls / And every time I get a grip / I seem to lose myself just a little more
Medina / “Addiction”
Finally — I have a few minutes to update my poor, neglected blog. As I wrote last month, things have been crazy busy lately. Thankfully, things have settled down a bit, which is good. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by life, right up to a couple days ago, even. Actually, I was getting to feeling pretty damn low. But things — and my attitude — are looking up. I feel like I’m regaining control over things I had seemingly lost control of, things are slowing down to a more manageable pace, things are looking up.
Of course, how can I not be happy about planning Coraline’s first birthday party? Aside from the fact that almost a year has passed since she was liberated from my ovarian Bastille (thanks to my friend Elliott for that quote), she’s growing leaps and bounds, walking, and learning something new every day. Rich and I are also in the process of planning a trip to Iowa to visit his extended family; it’ll be great seeing everyone again and introducing them to Miss Baby, particularly since it’s been four years since our last visit. And last, but not least, I did something I never do: I splurged. On something for myself. An iPad, to be exact. On which I’ve written this post. (Thanks to the hubby for his help with some MacBook hard drive cleanup.) So rarely do I spend significant sums of money, in fact, that my cardholder called the morning after I bought my iPad to verify that it was indeed me who made that purchase. Nice to know they’re paying attention, despite creeping me out by listing places I’d eaten lunch that week.
But I digress. I’m still here, and things are looking up. It’s a good place to be.
Now to figure this iPad thingamabob out …
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Scene From a Marriage # 20,139
While scanning the Directv guide: “Hillbilly Handfishin’“? Seriously? How much more of this reality crap can they come up with?”
Rich explains how he’s heard about this fishing technique but can’t remember what else it’s called exactly.
“Wait — is handfishing the same as fisting?” Pausing. “Oh, wait. That’s something else.”
Laughing: “Wow. I have to put this on Facebook.
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We the People No Longer Exist
Song Lyric of the Day:
The pen with a bent wrist crooked king / Sign away our peace for your war, one word and it’s over / Dropping your bombs now / On all we’ve built / How does it feel now to watch it burn, burn, burn? / Raise your weapons, raise your weapons and it’s over
Deadmau5 / “Raise Your Weapon“
I almost never blog about politics. I have before, but I haven’t in a long time. Why is that? I think it’s mostly because I’m not a political pundit — it’s not my area of expertise or interest. I stay up on the news, I make my decisions based on facts and my core beliefs, and that’s pretty much it. I’m not out to change people’s opinions and beliefs. Just because I support gay marriage rights and a woman’s right to choose and believe in the death penalty doesn’t mean I’m not going to respect you for having a different opinion. As it is, even though my leanings are decidely liberal, a lot of my close friends are conservatives. Make of that what you will.
But lately, I’ve found this ridiculous debt ceiling crisis to be a truly depressing commentary about the U.S.’s political climate; it’s essentially highlighted the absolute worst of our government in the most unflattering light possible. Republicans and Democrats have been proclaiming they’re bipartisan for ages, but it’s really just a load of crap. For so long now, the mentality in D.C. has been the us vs. them attitude. And by us vs. them, I mean Republicans vs. Democrats (and vice versa). It’s not about what’s best for American society as a whole — you know, people like you and I — it’s all about which side can gain the upper hand by passing/vetoing laws, cutting/adding spending, starting/ending wars, providing/denying healthcare, and so on. Our elected officials — the people we have elected to office and whose paychecks we pay through our taxes — could care less about what will benefit their constituencies. We re-elect those we think are doing a good job. We elect new people we hope will do a good job and deliver on their promises. But in the end, they’re all failing us. And it feels like we’re powerless to do anything. Do you think our senators, congressmen/women, and assorted higher ups (including you, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President) would willingly take pay cuts to help with the debt ceiling crisis or to benefit our economy in general? Hell no, they wouldn’t. Because it’s all about what they want, constituent peons be damned.
We the People no longer exist. And I find that too depressing for words.
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What Was I Saying?
Song Lyric of the Day:
I’ve got the answer to all your problems / And tonight I’ll be singing it loud
Swedish House Mafia / “Leave This World Behind“
I’ve been busy lately. Like really busy. Like being Mommy to a healthy, active 10-month-old baby girl. Like trying to get several house projects off the ground busy, including overhauling my filing system. Like taking an online course for work busy. Like work is kicking my ass up and down the street busy (as of this morning, I have more than two dozen projects scheduled that are due by EOD tomorrow. Job security!). I’m so tired lately that once home, I can barely manage to do much of anything after Coraline’s gone to bed, including read my book since my eyes are so tired. Which is a shame, since I love Tess Gerritsen, and The Silent Girl is off to a great start. And then late yesterday afternoon I was hit with a migraine so severe I thought I was going to throw up; thank God Rich was already home so he could attend to Coraline while I laid down for an hour. So while I have tons of ideas for posts I’d like to write here, I’m having trouble finding the time to actually write them. I have faith things will level out/calm down soon and I’ll be able to get back into regular, almost-daily posting, though. Fingers crossed I don’t go completely blind from being on the computer all day before then.
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Something for Coraline: Fisher-Price Little People Castle
I’m incredibly sentimental about my childhood toys. I have lots of beloved stuffed animals (as well as my Cabbage Patch Dolls) to pass on to Coraline when she’s a little older. There’s a dollhouse I had that I loved more than anything but my parents got rid of it a long time ago; thankfully, I’ve already found it and all its accessories and dolls on eBay so I can buy everything and give it to Coraline someday. I can only hope she’ll love it as much as I did. And then there’s the Fisher-Price Little People Castle I (and later, my sisters) played with when I was little, a toy so popular at the time it came out that my mom had to go to New Jersey to buy it. I don’t remember the specifics of playing with it, but I do remember how much I loved it. God, I loved that castle. So it was with giddy delight I picked it up from my parents’ house recently, where it had been gathering dust in the garage for several years now. Only a few of the accessories are still around, but, again, I have eBay to help me replace them someday (it came with the yellow chairs/table). Rich and I introduced Coraline to the castle a couple nights ago, and I can’t express how happy it made me that she loved it instantly. She loved it so much, in fact, that she actually screamed and started crying when I went to put it back in the storage room — and she hadn’t even played with any of the accessories yet, just the castle (the whole playset is actually meant for slightly older kids). I look forward to acquiring the missing accessories over the next several months and completing the set once more. And then Coraline and I can have fun playing with it together.
Castle!
All that remains: two beds, two thrones, the king, the carriage, and the horse's royal saddle.
Coraline's favorite part? Making the flagpole go boi-oi-oi-oing over and over.
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Photoblogging: My Favorite Girl
This is my current favorite photo of Coraline. I think she looks more like a little girl than a baby here. But that's exactly what she is: my little girl (day 301, 7/21/11).
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Dear Coraline: Month 10
Dear Coraline,
As of 1AM this morning, you turned 10 months old. You went to the doctor yesterday (day 302) for a weight recheck (he wanted to make sure you were OK after losing weight during your ear infection) and weighed in at a healthy 18.6 pounds. Dr. J was thrilled with your weight gain (more than a pound since your last visit) and said for us to “keep on keepin’ on” what we’re doing. Of course, I could’ve told him you’d gained weight — your little arm rolls and your awesome thighs and your adorable round belly are filling in nicely. You’re still in size 3 diapers but are now fitting into clothes sized 9 months to 12 months (your poppa and I went clothes shopping recently and picked up some nice new outfits for you).
The first day of this month (day 274) was our third day without power thanks to the Great Power Outage of 2011. That Friday night we packed up and went to stay at your honorary grandparents’, Fran and Don’s, house nearby. You had a blast there, playing with their grandson Thomas and enjoying your first dip in a pool (day 275). We bought a little float just for the occasion, so you could sit in it while your poppa and I took turns pulling you through the water. The only downside to staying there was that it was hard for you to get to sleep since you were in a pack ‘n’ play and not your crib. Having your beloved seahorse there helped some, though. The upside — for me, at least — was that I finally got you to snuggle with me in bed; we spooned and slept together two mornings in a row (days 275 and 276). I loved every second of it, too. The power came back on that Saturday night, so your poppa went home to sleep so he could take care of the dogs. He picked us up the following morning and took us home, and we both noticed you seemed particularly happy to be playing with all of your toys in your play yard that day. You took turns playing with every single toy, something you rarely do. You also had a great welcome home nap in your crib.
You’re quite the little explorer now and extremely determined when you want something. Whether it’s going after your poppa’s Blackberry (day 276), exploring every inch of your bedroom (day 278), climbing up onto the fireplace and on your play yard giraffe (day 279), or attacking your favorite books by your bedroom chair (day 286), you go after everything with gusto. By far your favorite new thing to do is walk, though. We bought you the Stride-to-Ride Dino (day 282), and just like that your cruising became full-on walking, with you proudly holding on to your dinosaur’s handles as you walked tippytoed across the basement floor. You’ve improved every single day, walking faster and further than the day before. You finally walked all the way across the basement with it the night your Auntie T was over (day 295); we think you were showing off for her. I have no doubt that soon you’ll figure out how to get out of corners and turn around on your own, instead of waiting for your poppa or I to help you out.
Told you I'd get a picture of you rolling your tongue
Your sense of humor continues to develop, with you laughing back at people when they laugh, like you did with your Auntie T, and you finding things incredibly funny when you play with your toys at home or in the car. And one day, when I changed your diaper and let slip the word “poop,” you laughed your head off (day 279). I spent the next five minutes saying “poop” just to get you to laugh like that; I laughed so hard at your giggles I was almost crying. Of course, later when I tried to catch you laughing at the word on video, you played it cool. But I at least have that really fun memory (of the laughing, not the diaper that triggered it).
You continue to try new foods, from little stuff like veggie Lil’ Crunchers (a win) and peach-flavored Puffs (day 278) — which you weren’t crazy about — to pizza crust (day 282), watermelon (day 283), oranges (day 291, courtesy of your abuelo), and mushrooms (day 303), all of which you liked. You’re fond of drinking water from water bottles, although we finally hit on a sippy cup you like and can use, one that has a straw. Now you enjoy chugging water after working up a thirst from zipping around with your dinosaur.
You have enjoyed being babysat with your cousin Stephen and visits with your grandparents. When you saw your grandparents on day 283, you kept holding your left arm up over your head. Turns out you were practicing, since you waved for the first time the very next day, to our friend’s mother-in-law. Your cousin Elliott used you as a human notepad (day 287), writing blue squiggles on your left arm, and then played sweetly with you the next day; that was also the day he held you around the neck when I asked him to hold you for a camera phone photo (he did much better when I asked him to hold you around the tummy for the next photo). The same day you wore a barrette for the first time was the day your cousin Elliott and his family moved to Alabama (day 289). I’m sure you miss each other, but it’ll be nice when you get to see each other again, hopefully soon.
You proved once again what a good baby you are when your poppa and I took you car shopping (day 290). We spent more than five hours at the car dealership, and you didn’t fuss once. You finally passed out from exhaustion after about four hours, while I was holding you as we signed the last of the paperwork. Having played on a little slide and with a balloon for the first time helped keep you entertained during that very long afternoon, as did you and I exploring every inch of every car in the showroom. The salesman working with us even commented on what a mild-mannered, mellow baby you are. We were so proud of how well you behaved that day, especially since your poppa and I were on the verge of melting down, the process took so long.
It’s hard to pick a favorite new behavior/milestone of yours. We love watching you dance, like the day you stopped mid-crawl to dance on all fours to your dinosaur’s music (day 292). And last night (day 302) your poppa saw you stand on your own for a few seconds on our bed; I saw you stand on your own for a few seconds tonight in your living room pack ‘n’ play. I can say with certainty it’s not your new habit of biting; I still have a tiny bruise on my upper-left arm where you got me the other day (day 300). I’m leaning toward your new habit of doling out kisses. You kissed me on the mouth three times in a row the other day (day 292), which made your poppa jealous (you later kissed him, too, and all was forgiven). I got another kiss from you the next morning when you kissed me right after you finished your breakfast bottle (later that day your new friend Tori was born; we’ll get to meet her in the near future). And now I get kisses from you almost — but not quite — every time I ask for one.
Trying to get the hang of kissing
As I write this, you’re sleeping soundly in your crib despite a thunderstorm. We had a fun, exciting day today (day 303): We went to a friend’s birthday party where you went swimming for the second time. I didn’t go swimming, so it was just you and your poppa. You squealed with delight as he pulled you around, kicking your legs behind you and wearing a huge smile on your face. Everyone there agreed that you seem to be a water baby, so get ready for swimming lessons in a few years. Just don’t grow up on me too fast — month 11 and all its adventures will be here soon enough.
love,
Mommy
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Ode to an Xterra
Song Lyric of the Day:
Now I’m walkin’ in the moonlight / Seein’ nothin’ but the taillights / And that’s a pair of taillights / I may never see again
Clint Black / “Nothin’ But the Taillights“
My maternal grandfather, my Abuelo Anselmo, died in March 2002. Once his estate was settled, Rich and I were fortunate enough to receive money that helped us buy a 2003 Nissan Xterra (along with my Altima as a trade-in). I named my Xterra Mo in honor of my grandfather, a man I’d only seen twice in my life, the last time being my wedding in April 2000. To say I became emotionally attached to Mo is an understatement. I LOVED that car. It sounds silly, but because we bought it with money from my grandfather’s estate, it felt like my grandfather was always with me. Mo had leather seats, the first Xterra with them to be sold in Virginia Beach. When we drove it off the lot, it had 7 miles on the odometer. I became what Rich called the Parking Lot Ninja, always looking for the best spot to park Mo, usually next to a curb or between much more expensive vehicles. I would spend up to four hours detailing it, leaving it looking as new as the day we bought it. It had a kickass Rockford Fosgate sound system with a 6-CD changer. It safely ferried us from Virginia to Tennessee and back again countless times before we moved back home. Our dogs Snoops, Caleb, Troubadour, and Happy all enjoyed rides in it; when Snoops died, I put a lock of her hair under the cargo mat — she loved, loved, loved riding back there. When the windshield got a tiny crack in it a few years ago, I cried. And when Rich and I made the decision recently that it was time to sell Mo for a more fuel-efficient car, I thought my heart would break. Rich lent me his shoulder to cry on, which I did. And he offered me some comfort when he said that in a way, my grandfather was helping us get a new vehicle, a sentiment my friend Nan also echoed. It’s so hard to express, but deciding to finally sell Mo made me feel like I was losing a friend, not to mention a tangible connection to my grandfather I could see and touch and be surrounded by every day.
Mo
But sell Mo we did this past Sunday. And thanks to my beloved Xterra, not only will Rich’s Tundra be paid off, but we now have a beautiful, fuel-efficient 2012 Hyundai Elantra. Whereas Mo got 17/20 MPG, the Elantra gets 29/40. And it’s got fantastic safety features, which is of the utmost importance to us now because of Coraline. Rich and I are getting used to all the bells and whistles of the Elantra, since Mo didn’t have that many. But now I can answer my phone via a button on the steering wheel (it’s Bluetooth enabled), there’s an iPod USB port, and a free three-month subscription to XM Radio. It’s also got much better pickup than I expected from a smaller engine (Mo had a V6), to the point that my foot maybe got a little heavy on the pedal the other day, prompting Rich to remind me “Baby in the car, baby in the car, baby in the car!”
Little Mo
I know I’ll forever miss Mo, but we already love the Elantra and know it’s going to be a great car for us for a very, very long time (you can’t beat Hyundai’s warranty). We look forward to driving it to Iowa later this summer to visit Rich’s family, since now that we have a truly fuel-efficient vehicle we don’t have to plan on renting a car anymore.
Still, the Elantra has some big wheels to fill, as it were. I like to think Abuelo Anselmo would approve of our choice. And, yes, I have already named my new car. Its name is Little Mo.
Side by side
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Ce N’est Pas Un Poste de Blog
Song Lyric of the Day:
So keep your eyes set on the horizon / On the line where blue meets blue / And I would let that silver lining / Where I know it’d find you soon
I’m writing this at 11:30PM because this is the first real free time I’ve had all day. That’s pretty much how things have been going lately, at breakneck speed. The Relay for Life went really well. I made it through the night, which was a bit more challenging for me this year as it was my first night away from Coraline (at 267 days old). Sure, I was still in town, but I wasn’t around for her evening playtime, bedtime ritual, or morning wakeup. As it turned out, after being up for almost 24 hours straight, I only managed to quasi-nap for about three hours when I got home the morning after the Relay. The rest of the day I would essentially pass out anytime I sat down or got comfortable. Made for a long weekend. This year it took me about three days to feel like I’d fully recovered from the Relay — sucks getting older sometimes.
The week after the Relay was a doozy. Rich went out of town for work for the first time in ages, the first time Coraline and I would be alone in our new house. Rich was only gone one night, but that happened to be the Night the Lights Went Out in Knoxville. No sooner had I put Coraline to bed than a massive storm moved in, causing our lights to flicker a couple of times. I managed to find flashlights and candles just in time for when the power fully went out. I managed to get a few messages out via Twitter/Facebook using my cellphone, but since I don’t have a smartphone (just a semi-intelligent one), I couldn’t receive any responses in return, save for a few Twitter direct messages. The next day my sister came to my and Coraline’s rescue: She brought big bags of ice to try and save food we had in the freezer and then dropped us off at our parents’ house across town so I could work and we could enjoy air conditioning. When Rich got home later that night, he bought more ice to try to keep the stuff in the freezer as frozen as possible. The power ended up being out for four full days, so we lost everything in our main refrigerator in the kitchen as well as in the secondary fridge in our downstairs kitchenette. Rich managed to pack the freezer items into coolers and get them to his parents’ house’s freezer just in time. I can’t tell you how happy I was that he got stuff over there when he did, since I had frozen bags of breastmilk I was in danger of losing, which would have devastated me.
We spent the next couple nights coming home from work to a hot, dark house. Thursday night another massive storm hit, which woke me up at 1:45AM and had me up and terrified all night that a tornado was going to hit — it was that bad. The next night, Friday, we packed up for our friends’ house in Sequoyah Hills; they’d invited us to stay at their house since their power had been restored the day before. Coraline and I spent two nights sleeping in air-conditioned luxury there, while Rich took one for the team and came home to sleep at our house for the dogs’ sakes and for protection (the security system’s battery backup had only lasted the first 12 hours of the power outage). We were so grateful to Don and Fran, Coraline’s honorary grandparents, for welcoming us into their home, particularly since their grandson Thomas was visiting at the time. We had fun swimming in their pool that Saturday afternoon — Coraline’s first time in a real pool — and eating yummy burgers after. It was a little while after that dinner that our next-door neighbor’s son texted Rich saying “I think I saw lights come on in your basement.” Turns out Abraham was right and that our power had been restored; his family, however, would be without power two more days as a tree had fallen and ripped the power lines from their house. Rich went home that night and left Coraline and I at Don and Fran’s since it would be hours before our house would be fully cooled off again. He came and picked us up Sunday morning, and it was glorious to go home and have power again.
So what lessons did I take away from the Great Power Outage of 2011? First, that we have awesome friends and family who stepped up and offered us places to stay (our friends’ house is much closer to our house than our parents’ houses are, which was the deciding factor for us staying there). Second, reading by candlelight/flashlight is highly overrated; it was really just an irritating pain in the ass to try to read like that. Last, I can manage without AC. I can manage without the Internet. I can manage without TV. Just not all at the same time. I was again reminded that I am NOT meant to live without modern conveniences like electricity and air conditioning. I am now convinced that had I lived in pre-electricity, pioneer times, I would’ve been one of their first recorded suicides. Give me air conditioning or give me death.
Once everything got back to normal, I of course got sick. I went to the express clinic by our house two Saturdays ago, where I was diagnosed with pharyngitis, which has turned out to be hands-down the most irritating illness I’ve ever had. I didn’t even feel that horrible, but I sounded like shit (there’s a reason pharyngitis rhymes with laryngitis), couldn’t talk without wheezing and losing my breath, had a horrible sore throat, and was so congested I felt like I was suffocating 24 hours a day. And it had been going on for weeks. Work has been ridiculously busy lately (job security!), so I only managed to get to the doctor again on Friday, when I was prescribed an antibiotic and another steroid. I am now no longer congested, no longer have a sore throat, can get through a sentence without wheezing, and have stopped coughing up my lungs. Thank God for those last two prescriptions.
So that’s what’s been going on at Casa Lee of late. Fun times. Fun times indeed.
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