Baby Tuesday

(this was all ready to go ten minutes ago, and then the browser froze! I hate that.)



Baby C and her doppelganger daddy on Thanksgiving. You can see that she only slept from San Mateo to San Francisco. Not only did she wake up when we cut through Golden Gate Park, but Mojito also tossed his kibbles in the backseat.



As we were cleaning out the office last night, I came across this board of stick-on earrings that I've had since I was 9 years old (the package had the year on it). I saved them for years waiting for the right occasion to wear them. My childhood wasn't as fancy as I anticipated it to be, so most of them remain unused.
It's weird seeing her pick at them, all these years later.
I stuck a pair on her this morning thinking that she would swipe them off immediately, but to my amazement she's still wearing them. Let's see if they make it through the nap!


She's a cryer, we've established that.
But yesterday and today she was averaging one hissy fit an hour. Usually they were inexplicable, and often involved a towel or a blanket.
This one had something to do with a handtowel. She had gone on and on like this for a while, and then once she saw that I had left the office door open, she darted in to grab my cellphone off the floor. And then all was well.

note: the computer was on the floor temporarily while we were sorting out all the junk. It's not there anymore, I promise!

Yesterday

Here's my spinach dip turkey. Alot of people didn't get it at first. I guess it's like a Magic Eye goard turkey. And thanks to Aurora's help in the grocery store, the dip was tasty.  

My appetizer sheeps! Aren't they cute? If this photo was clearer, you could see their little peppercorn eyes. Many of them mutated from sheeps to sea mammals in the oven, after their "ears" slipped off and cooked into "flipper" shapes.  

I usually keep my camera set on one setting, and rarely change it. For some reason I felt that I should futz with it before this photo was taken. That's what I get, overexposed pics.

In order from left to right these people are: Justin- K's cousin, Lea- K's cousin, Bill- pater familis K's grandfather, Rick- K's uncle, Gale- K's Aunt, Yours Truly and zse bebe, Kevin, Jim- K's dad, Sue- K's mom, Bobby- queen mum- K's grandmother, Mary- K's Aunt, Lisie- K's cousin, Katherine- K's cousin, Tony K's uncle, and Matt & Thuy- K's uncle and aunt. Not pictured was Lea's boyfriend who took the photos.

I'm totally hunching to my left so I don't tower over those behind me. They put me in front because of the baby. Consequently the combination of side-hunching and big maternity jeans made my thighs and butt look as big as Saskatchewan.  

And here's me in my big pants without glasses. We also have the bug's attention. 

santie claus, why are you taking our christmas tree?

Normally the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we drive up (way way way up) into the Santa Cruz Mountains and cut down our own tree from this specific tree farm.
Last year, as many of you recall it was disasterous in regards to Baby C. Really bad. Screaming, lots of screaming.

So this year I have two "action items":

-Do we go to far far away tree farm with the baby again, only to be maddened by her crying on the way up and down?
-Or do we buy one from a tree lot (the Dallas way! :) ) and bring her with us?
-Or have Sam watch the baby while we go cut the tree down?

Your opinion is welcome, but if it's not the second choice, I'm gonna need good reasons.

Also!

If there's anything the baby loves more than touching/mangling trees, it's touching/mangling sparkley things. I asked a mom in the MOPS meeting what she did with the tree with her daughter when she was a toddler. She said that they said "no!" alot.
I suggest getting a really really short one and putting it up on a box about 3 feet so she can't run full force into it with her famous grabby hands.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

long time a comin'

I finally made a little Baby C mix off of iTunes.

It's heavy on the Beatles.* I discovered she liked the Beatles on a car ride-- while flipping franticly through the radio stations in an attempt to stop her from wailing, I came to a station playing them, and she stopped crying. Bingo!

The others are kinda kiddie artists, but the songs I picked are pretty good and don't make me feel like a loser listening to them.

Where do They Make Balloons?-- They Might Be Giants
Eight Days a Week-- The Beatles
Willy Was a Whale-- Justin Roberts
Can't Buy Me Love-- The Beatles
Catch That Train-- Dan Zanes
Birdhouse in Your Soul-- They Might Be Giants
The Cat Came Back-- Laurie Berkner
Penny Lane-- The Beatles
Meltdown-- Justin Roberts
House Party Time-- Dan Zanes
We Can Work It Out-- The Beatles
Particle Man-- They Might Be Giants


We'll be using this on roadtrips, like the one we're going on tomorrow, I assure you.
I'm sure in no time we'll know every word to every song.

*For reasons I'm sure have to do with either Michael Jackson or Apple corporate identity disputes, the actual Beatles tracks are not for sale on iTunes. I bought the cover band versions. Fine by me!

does anyone really believe this?

"Looking for an easy way to do your shopping this year?"

or

"Want to get all your holiday shopping done in one place?"


I hear this kind of thing all the time lately, but specifically, these two quotes came from the Mothers of Preschoolers online store and Best Buy. Unless everyone I know loves embroidered button down denim shirts or surround-sound speakers, they can't really back up that kind of advertising.

And while I'm at it, I'd like to promote the World Vision Catalog and Christian Children's Fund Catalog.
Where else can you buy a llama for a family in Peru?

Best Buy and MOPS, try n' tell me you have llamas.

Baby Tuesday

I finally bought a kid-leash for her. I did, I bought a leash for my little girl. Because she's a runner! And she doesn't stop when you say no, she goes faster!
It's pink and it has butterflies on it, no one would guess it actually is a dog leash that I bought at the pet store. I haven't tried it yet, here's hoping she doesn't pull me over like a Rotweiler.



She attended her first baby birthday party on Saturday. She hung close to me for a while and then once everyone had a cupcake, she relaxed and started playing with Jenna's girls' many fun toys.


This was blow-out-the-candles time, that's what they're all focusing on. You'd think the girl standing behind her was the birthday girl, but no, she just wanted to dress fancy I guess.


Jenna let her puggies out, shortly after this photo was taken, and Cricket was very happy to see them.
Although I knew it was time to go when Ping walked away from her and she started to cry from the rejection. Nap time!


Since baby C is only a year old, we have made the executive decision of 3 gifts for her this Christmas.
She doesn't know what's going on anyway, I'm sure she'd rather just have the shiny ornaments off the tree.
They are as follows:

IKEA play tube.
If she doesn't like it, chances are the pets will.



The old skool record player.
We've discussed this.


Baby Tad.
This guy hangs out at my OB's office waiting-room and she loves it. She's a pointy-poker so it's just perfect for her little fingers.
I just won an auction on Ebay for it.


In case secret santas are reading this (not a solicitation!) she also likes sand toys, baby dolls (yes the creepy vinyl body kind), board books, and anything with buttons that plays music.

I'm a big girl

Throughout my "career" as an artist, I've avoided putting my stuff in gallery shows-- mostly because I'm lazy and lack focus.
But, on December 9th I will have a piece of art on display in a gallery show in San Francisco.
And it's for sale. I wasn't going to put a price on it, because even though people have bought my art before, I feel like I'm tricking them somehow.
But then I took inspiration from the book I'm reading and decided to sell it and give the money away. That way, the only thing I'm tricking someone into is giving money to Jesus.

Any local blog readers are encouraged to come!
I'll be the only Christian artist. If you have a weak constitution, consider yourselves warned. :)

one of many bad habits

Have you ever started rubbing your eyes because they itch and then you can't stop rubbing them?
A part of you feels like you can never stop rubbing them, like some sort of powerful momentary addiction?
And then if you do stop rubbing your eyes, they itch so much worse than before you ever rubbed them?

I do it all the time, and I don't think I'll ever learn my lesson.

And I blame the cat for everything.

success!

I'll give solid details later, but the Beautiful Day projects went great!
All of my (and everyone else's) effort paid off.
We drove around most the day dropping things off, buying more things, coordinating drop offs and making sure all the doodads went where they're supposed to. And at each of the 6 sites, there was some major action going on by our trusty volunteers.
We took a break to go to a birthday party at Jenna's house. Which was good for poor little Cricket who was strapped in the backseat most of the day, covered in bits of appeasement animal crackers.
I drove back just in time to see the "presentation" part of Juanita's House (the amputee with osteoporosis and diabetes who's garage burnt down and had no wheelchair ramp, etc.)
There was much crying.
She and her daughter were so happy. We hauled away two huge dumpsters full of debris, repaved their driveway, built a brand new two car garage and landscaped both front and back. Not to mention getting them a wheelchair lift, and tickets to dinner and the ballet in a limo, and repairing both of their broken cars.
I'm glad I was there for that, it made it all worth it to see how much it meant to them.
Go team Westgate!

bonus anecdote: Kevin was assigned to another house in which he had to remove a very very old freezer and a very very old fridge from this old pack-rat widow's garage (the garage was in the purest sense FULL!). He said that the freezer door was frozen shut with solid ice and had food in it from 1985! They had to heave it (creatively) to the curb to melt so they can haul it away.

how did this happen?

Try not to be a busy person. Busy people seem miserable to me, and like they're missing life.
Specifically, I thought it was peculiar how people freak out about the holiday season-- how frantic it is, and how people get ulcers just thinking about how much they have to do between November and January.

Generally I'm not too busy, by design, so I can just go with the flow and do my thing.

But somehow, for the next two months, I'm so busy, I'm losing my cookies.

As most of you already know, I'm design lead on our massive-city-wide community improvement program. 7 sites, one day, thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteers! Thankfully it will all be over on Sunday night, but until then, oye!
Like today, I was at Home Depot with the baby picking up picket fencing and garden arbors and shutters and paint, and she's yelling and insisting to be picked up and throwing things on the floor, I'm overheating and sweating and then there's a long line for the self checkout after the guy at the delivery desk said it would over $300 to deliver all the stuff I needed. That's how yesterday and today were and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday will be.


Then I have a 3 hour meeting on Monday (baby in tow) and I have prep and drive to Timbuktu for Thanksgiving. The day after we're decorating the church for Christmas, then Allison's coming (no guilt should be placed on her at all, this is all me.) Then I'm running sound and video for a women's program two days in a row at church...

I've become one of those wackos!

Mark my words, next year I'm just going to say "Sorry, I have two babies, I can't."


Otherwise I'll end up like this!
No!!!
No holiday sweatshirts!!!!

Baby Tuesday

This week we were watching The Baby Human on TV. The episode was about "Feeling" and how babies are born with their own temperament. I'd say they were divided into "mellow" and "uptight" but I think they had other more clinical sounding titles for the temperaments. Baby C was obviously in the uptight category and I felt validated. And when I saw the examples of the mellow babies, I understood why some moms pity me and are incredulous when I say I'm having another one right away. I'm really hoping Baby R will be mellow, like *I* was when I was a baby, because then all will be right with the world. Very yin and yang.

The next night, I was driving with Baby C in the car when I had to turn the winshield wipers on for the first time in about 9 months and she lost her mind with fear.
Obviously, that fell under the uptight temperament category.



"mom's this letter's for you...the rest here I'm gonna spill onto the floor and mash with my shoes, okay?" 

. 

Auntie RoRo sent her this shirt, even though no one in our entire family went to UT. :) She won't keep anything on her head longer than 5 seconds, but this day, she made an exception for the sunglasses. 

She doesn't look like herself in this photo, but it had good composition, so it made the B.T. cut. 

I hope this is someone's "It"

I was cleaning out my overflowing photo&frames drawers the other day to make way for this office becoming Allison's/Ransom's room.

I found it very freeing to just take photos out of frames I didn't hang, stick the photo in a shoebox and toss the ugly frame.
Why was I holding on to all that crap anyway? Who said once you put a photo in a frame, it has to stay there forever?

Anyway- I came across this sticker that was signed for me at this weird little underground Christian music venue in Arlington, TX back in 1998. They have since become more popular.
I liked the band then, but for the last 8 years, I've slowly felt their music is terrible.

So, onto Ebay with you little sticker!

look out RuPaul

I bought another wig.

Ignore the freaky maniquin head. I'll try not to make that face when I wear it.

And in other Ebay news...


And I'm planning on buying baby C one of these vintage plastic record players for Christmas.
Fisher Price doesn't make new ones, can you believe it?
I don't think I personally had one, but my best friend did. Good times.

back off Skipper, he's mine now

When Kevin and I were first dating, I felt funny about telling people his name. Because Kevin was Skipper's boyfriend's name. I had to wince when I said "my boyfriend, Kevin."
Nobody remembered that doll but me and nobody thought Kevin was a cliche boyfriend name but me.
But here's my proof, he did exist:


I think in 1990, he may have had this very outfit.


The real-life Kevin won't let you decorate his jacket with stickers, I've tried.


This was the Kevin doll I had. The sensible "cool top" reminiscent of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and generally glazed over appearance.

Unacceptable!

This is why women are scared to have kids!

These items were in the M.O.P.S. packet I received in the mail today.
("Mothers of Pre-Schoolers"...yes, I meet with other moms twice a month, it's cheezy, but I go, okay?)

These shirts were last in style in 1993. They are are horrible!

If we're trying to help each other become better mothers, don't sell shlumpy clothes so that your family will be embarrassed to be seen with you!

They might as well be selling these!:

Baby Tuesday

I apologize for just one photo and one video this week. I blame Beautiful Day. And the fact that whenever I try to take a pic of her, she looks down at her toes. 

I'm not cut out for this

This whole city project has reinforced my feeling that I can't do business.

I like to do my thing and then turn it over to someone else. I don't do well "making things happen." The other team members kinda knew that in the beginning but since there are too many indians and not enough chiefs, I became a chief.

If I have to wheel-and-deal, I need a stiff drink afterward.

A few days ago I went to a meeting where I was the only one representing our organization and I felt like I needed adult supervision.
"I look like a grown-up, but I'm really not. So if you could just write it all down, I'll give it to someone who knows what they're doing."

almost new to whom?

Sometimes searching for items on Ebay is like going to a garage sale at a wealthy person's home. They always think their crap is worth alot. They'll call out to you on their driveway "I paid $___ for that when I bought it!"
Uh huh, you bought it in 1977, get over yourself, it's junk.

And so it goes with Ebay sellers. I offer you this jewel I found while looking for a sectional sleeper sofa:

ALMOST NEW SOFA SLEEPER AND CHAIR COUNTRY MOTIF NR



"Almost new"? I doubt it. I think President Lincoln might have died on this very couch. I think a homeless person would think twice about sleeping on it. I think they should just throw it on the curb and beg the Salvation Army to haul it away as an act of interior design mercy.

these californians and their landscaping

I remember visiting CA when I was a kid and thinking "wow, even the freeways are landscaped." People are serious about landscaping out here. And it's a style which is unique to the west coast.
This feeling has been confirmed by my recent city home beautification projects.
A row of hedges?! Never!
More than one of the same plant, in a LINE? Are you crazy?

Houses in the rest of the country look like this:



But if you live here, and your front yard doesn't look like this, then you've got "blight":



I call it crazy-plant-house. I'll admit it, we have a crazy-plant-house. I keep cutting them down, but they keep growing back and making it more plant-y.
The previous owners just went nutz, there's no order to it.

There's a house on Arapaho Road in Richardson, TX right before you get to the shopping center at Custer-- it's got all kinds of plants out front.
You know the one I'm talking about, Texans?
And I always thought that lunatics must live there. What normal person puts 50 kinds of bushes and trees and flowers in their front yard?

Yeah, now I'm the lunatic.

(Oh and the grass never dies here. I guess it doesn't die in Washington or Oregon either, I hear. It's very weird. And it also requires mowing, by yours truly with her scissor cut mower, all year long.)

too...many...plants!

no, I didn't photoshop the carpet

We really did have the carpets cleaned about a week ago, doubters. The dogs raided the litter box and then puked it up everywhere, so it was an emergency situation.
And then what happened? I promptly spilled orange juice on the floor and then Mojito barfed up some grass.
We need carpet tiles, big time.

I owe it to everyone to show the cheetah face

It was not easy painting my face like this while the baby pawed at my leg and cried because she wanted to play outside. It could have looked better if I wasn't riddled with guilt while I did it.

I totally wasted about 3 hours yesterday mixing my own paints for all the painters to use. Because instead of sitting outside in the cold, as usual, we were set up indoors so my softer texture paints were moot and we used mostly old drugstore paints anyway. I'm a loser.
But we painted lots of kids' faces and the masses were merry.


 


For some reason the awkward smile is less awkward when pretending to be a cheetah.

I was totally embarrassed with my face like this, and really wanted to wash it off once I got there and saw a record low number of adults were in costume at all. But the kids liked it, so hey.