a numerical list

1. Last night an o'possum got into the garage. Who we lovingly call Eppossumondas(have you read the book? Very Cute!) And as you might have guessed, Eppossumondas has visited before. Honey Bun used to use the garage trash for real trash when he was BBQing and Eppossumondas was a regular visitor to our garage because at that time we were also leaving the big garage door open for the cats. So it was possum thanksgiving EVERYNIGHT!

Back to my story...

Last night Eppossumondas got into the garage and made himself at home in the back corner nestled in some leftover construction materials. Honey Bun alerted me to the fact, I looked and indeed...it was him. Honey Bun finished cooking the pork chops (which were wonderful) and then turned off the lights--so Eppossumondas could leave in peace.

LIKE THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN

I called sister and asked her what to do, she said that little brother and bread baking fiancee helped her get the chipmunk out of her garage this summer and to call bread baking fiancee and ask her what to do. So I did. Since she is a farm-girl, she said that they go wild for cat food. So I took her advice and put a pile of cat food on the driveway...pretty soon I checked on it.
She was RIGHT, cat food was gone....Eppossumondas was gone.... and I was happy! So I quickly shut the garage door and the kitchen began to warm up again. I can't believe we lived with the garage door open all winter for the cats.

2. I am still breastfeeding Sweet Pea. But I am also slowly weaning her. She eats sweet potatoes, squash, peas, carrots, peaches, bananas, pears, apple and cereal. She is drinking formula from the bottle and nurses at lunch and at bedtime. I know I am going to eliminate the lunch feeding soon. And today it is looking like soon is going to be here before I am ready!
She cried when I left at lunch today. I just want to flit in feed her and flit back to work. The back-up babysitter was there today and that probably had something to do with it, but I can't handle crying in the middle of the day. Tomorrow I have to travel, so no lunch visit...but I will have to see how next week goes. I made it to 6 months with the breast feeding which was my goal, but lately she has wanted a bottle after breast feeding, meaning she is still hungry.
And I am finally having to face that I am done with this phase and need to progress with the weaning and on to the next step.

3. I have been not nice today and it totally rubbed off on everyone else in my department. Sorry folks! I am usually a morning person, but a certain co-worker rubbed me the wrong way and BAM! I turned into Nasty McNasty. I think it knocked her back on her heels and she scurried to her corner, but the damage was done. She felt the need to stop by my desk AGAIN and soon figured out that I was not going to be accommodating (slow learner)

4. After lunch I brought the office some Sundried Tomato and Basil Wheat Thins. (My new favorite cracker) Thought that might smooth over my nastiness. BUT I had to go to Wal-mart to get the crackers (and you know how I LOVE Wal-mart, NOT) In the wheat thins area, there were 3 boxes of wheat thins and none were the Sundried Tomato. I almost whirled around and spewed nastiness all over the shelf stocker, but I saw a family sized box on the top shelf and grabbed those. And sped back to the office

and the best part!

5. Since everyone is avoiding me and my foul mood...now I am sitting at my desk eating a family sized box of my new favorite crackers.

p.s. And in case you are wondering...I did offer crackers to those in my department but, I think they are still scared. TOO BAD, these are great crackers!

A mother sleeps...kinda

I had to report, I should be working, but I had to report...that Sweet Pea slept in her crib last night. ALL NIGHT in the CRIB!!!

I slept in the bed beside the crib, but she was in the crib, by herself, all night.

She did wake up to eat twice, but she was in the crib, by herself, all night.

And I fed her, but she was in the crib, by herself, all night.

And as I was resting in that bed, listening to her breathe, I was thinking how much my baby has grown.

She can Kick!

Today we are changing her name from Sweet Pea to Karate Kid. Because this kid can kick! And I am talking ALL NIGHT LONG. Doesn't she know she has this cushy gig going...sleeping in the big bed with Mom. Doesn't she realize she is walking a tight rope....and does she realize her time is running out? Last night the sand was running out of the hourglass as she was kicking, wiggling, pulling hair, and scooting...until she was perpendicular to me and her head was very close to HANGING off the side of the bed. And then there was more kicking when I drug her back to the middle of the bed.

SO...it is running through my head that the time has come to move her to her crib, no matter how much she cries. And that she can not possibly keep me up more than she already is. Even if her room is cooler than ours and even if her bed is harder than ours and even if she will be lonely and even if she is sick. (see all my excuses)

At least you can be sure that I will have Honey Bun's support, he has been hinting at this since she was 2 months old. And for those of you that think he is just so easy going and all that jazz...well he has his ways of getting his point across. Lately we have been 3 across in king sized bed with me in the middle. So Sweet Pea works on me from the left and Honey Bun is on the right and I am a hot, sweaty, smashed Mommy in the middle. I have been escaping into the other room to sleep. Then Sweet Pea starts wiggling and scooting till she is right next to him, and that wakes him up(he is a light sleeper) and he brings her to me and then he goes back to the big bed alone. Then he makes a casual comment like: How did you sleep last night?
As if he didn't know.

I will let you know if I actually do something about this sleeping problem, or if I just continue to complain about it. Because complaining is so much easier than fighting a crying baby in the middle of the night.

New 'Do

I think I finally found someone that can cut my hair!!!

You might not know the whole story, but when I left my last hairdresser I have struggled to find someone that I like. So I have been driving about 200 miles to get my hair cut. Crazy I know, but a good hairdresser is hard to find. The search might be over. Time will tell if we can get along and if not I will be driving back to Sue. But until then, here is a snapshot for you.

6 months...Whee!

Can't believe that six months has past. Sweet Pea is a half-a-year old!!! She will be crawling sooner than later. She gets in the position and then collapses, so we know that it will be soon. And then we have all the babyproofing to do, YUCK! You all know how horrible I am at housekeeping. Maybe this daughter will help me change my ways.

Thought I needed to get her pictures take, professional like...so bundled her all up and jetted to Wal-mart to the photo studio that is usually in the front of the store...notice I said usually...because we don't have one in our store. Can you believe that! More importantly...can you believe that I dressed my child up and drove the 3 blocks to Wal-mart(that I have been in about a jillion times) AND we don't even HAVE a photo studio in our Wal-mart! So there I stood in the doorway stunned that first-we don't have a studio and two-why did I think we had one and three-which Wal-mart have I been in lately that actually does have the studio feature.

So I came home and took my own photos. Please excuse the sheet showing in the back, thought it would look better than the wall in the living room, but kinda looks silly.
This is my favorite of the bunch. Ted is wanting to see what is going on! His world has really changed in the past 6 months.

Hey Coach

Put me in Coach!!

Check out the classy new hat.

Notice that both Mom and Dad are happy, it's red for Dad and says Read for Mom...what could be more perfect for this family?

the dreaded croup

Happy New Year--I think...we have the dreaded croup. Even if we HAD been invited to a wild party with friends and fun. . . we would have stayed home with sick baby. And in case you hadn't figured it out, we were NOT planning a night of wild abandoned fun. Hello, we are married with a baby now, folks.

Doctor confirmed and we have both heard the barking cough. Sweet Pea is sick. She hates to take medicine. So what is a poor mother to do, when we just spent $45 at the pharmacy on medicine that I know she won't take. Got any good hints for me?

This is what I have tried so far, just poking it in the mouth(spit it out) In the juice (threw the bottle) in the sweet potatoes( spewed them all over mommy and the whole kitchen) and the medicine binky(which Dad thought was a wonderful idea--till he tried it and she spit it and the medicine all over him) This morning I just snuck up on her and she spit some, but I think she got some and I am resigned to the fact that if she won't take it--she will either get worse and end up in the hospital or get better and it will all be over.

I dropped her off at daycare today. They will only have Sweet Pea and the 3year old today. Honey Bun was going to keep her, but looked visably relieved when I opted for day care lady. When I drove off, I felt horrible (even worse than when I left her for the very first day) but she will get good care and constant attention. I will go at lunch and give her more meds and feed her. And they will call if she needs her Mom.