Happy Eyes

“Happy the eyes that can close.” --from Cry the Beloved Country

Monday, November 30, 2009

Quiet

I've decided i need to have more "off-limits" items in my house. Because it got awfully quiet this morning. Bode's at school. Soren was sleeping. Where was Keegen? Was he sitting on a toilet somewhere out of earshot saying, "I need a bum wipe!!" and waiting ever so patiently? Was he sitting at the table eating the cereal bar i'd gotten him? Was he entertaining himself with his playroom full of toys?

No.

This is what he was doing.


He knows this Russian doll is completely and totally off-limits. Yet he was playing so happily. And was obviously not remotely nervous about being caught as he was so calm when i entered the room to ask him what he was doing. He answered that question in a very matter-of-fact way. And i said, "Okey dokey. Have fun. Please be soft with it" and left the room.

So what else can i claim is off-limits? 'Cause i need some quiet time.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

A Bucket and a String and Other Happenings

It's supposed to snow tonight. And my mom is flying in tomorrow. Seems to always snow when we have people traveling to us. Hopefully she won't get stuck somewhere along the way!

Bode has been very creative lately. Sometimes it makes me crazy because he decides he wants to build something but can't do it on his own. He asks for help but then doesn't like my suggestions or he has in mind how he wants to do it and there's no way i can pull it off. He is his father's son. Wants some wood and a hammer and some nails. Maybe a saw or two. But yesterday he wanted to build a "pulley system" and we decided simply to tie some twine to a bucket. He went out on the playset in the backyard and found a way to connect it to something that let him drop it to the rocks, Keegen would load it with random items (rocks, toy trucks, dinosaurs), and then Bode would lift it up to the top and unload. They were outside at it for a couple of hours. What was really great was that this creativity occurred when Soren FINALLY decided to take a nap. A 3 1/2 hour nap. OH! The bathrooms i cleaned and the laundry i got done. It was incredible.

I probably should have chosen to shower, but, well, maybe tonight.

I decided to have the boys vaccinated for H1N1. Doug and I were considered "high risk," too, because we have a child under 6 months, so it was a family affair. The line was forever long but moved fast. After we stood in it for about 40 minutes, one of the organizer people saw that i had Soren in my pouch (and zipped inside my cardigan). She said, "If your baby is small enough to fit inside your sweater...," we could all go to the "special needs" line, which was inside and much shorter. Sweet! We thought. So we went. And stood. And didn't move. And we asked why we weren't moving. We saw the family that was in front of us in the other line go inside the building. We asked about moving back to where we were and were told our line would go much faster, that the other line wrapped around the inside of the building a bunch of times. So we continued to stand. We watched the family that was in front of us in the other line leave. NINETY MINUTES after they left, we were finally done. What a mess. Yes, our line was shorter, but there were only 4 nurses giving shots (as opposed to 26 in the other line). And they only had one nurse doing the paperwork review before you could get your shot. And she was very chatty and slow and FRUSTRATING! Horribly inefficient. Doug was ticked and let them know how horribly they screwed up. That a "special needs" line should not take so long. That the pregnant woman in front of us and the ancient couple behind us (who kept ramming us with their oxygen-tank-on-wheels) and the baby in the pouch, SHOULD NOT BE STANDING AROUND FOR 2+ HOURS with just 75 people in line, while 2,000 people got shots in the same amount of time! But. It's done. Phew.

Soren's been super-fussy during the day, but her night sleep is getting into a pattern. She is desperate to be in bed between 6 and 7pm and sleeps until 1 or 2am! Bliss! And then she's up again no later than 5. But man, a seven hour stretch? Love it.

One of my favorite books as a child was Little Toot, about a little tugboat. We now refer to Soren as Little Toot. She's got some serious tooting skills.

I'm doubting my ability to drop the remaining 10-15 pounds i have left. I eat, easily, a cup of semisweet chocolate morsels daily. Maybe two. Plus a lot of other junk. When i'm walking around the house bouncing a baby all day long i just grab crap and put it in my mouth. I realize the chocolate could be adding to Soren's fussiness and tootiness. But not eating chocolate? Not an option.

Doug's company started a reorganization this time last year. And on Friday, they announced that there will be another reorg. Which is confusing, because the initial reorg? Hasn't to my knowledge been completed. I never mentioned it on the blog but we've been planning to move back to DC this spring because of the reorg. Doug was put in a job in July that is based in Alexandria, VA. We were about to put our house on the market. And now, all relocation packages/plans are "on hold." SO. We will see what life brings.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Shout Out to Doug

Just want to say "woo hoo!!" to Dougie-fresh who spent a large part of today fixing my computer. My pathetic piece-o-crap computer. My computer that is so terrible that, when my mother-in-law used it while she was here said, "I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN STAND TO USE THAT THING!" My computer that takes 20 minutes to "warm up" in the morning, so i start it up and go about my morning and return to it later. It's been bad for a long time. I had the Geeks come out at some point over a year ago. They weren't helpful. I just figured i needed a new one. We bought it in 2002, for crying out loud. But replacing it seemed wasteful when all i do is cruise blogs and buy things online. I don't do a whole lot. I haven't been able to put my blog into a book though, since my computer is so slow, which i'd really like to do.

Anyway. After that longer-than-necessary introduction. Doug decided enough was enough. He got online and figured out what he needed to buy to increase the memory and speed. He bought the stuff and installed it. And when the computer didn't work AT ALL after he installed it, he uninstalled it and figured out how to fix whatever it was that was "corrupt." He reinstalled it and VOILA! I don't have time to get up to go to the bathroom now between pages loading. It just GOES WHERE I ASK IT TO VERY QUICKLY! Holy cow. I am beside myself with joy!

Now, though. Does this mean i'll be more efficient and online less? Or will i just spend more time on the computer since i can get places so fast??

Amazing what a very capable spouse, $75 and 2GB of RAM can do. Yeehaw! Watch me fly!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween

we made balloon bats and pumpkin people

we carved pumpkins...

We went trick-or-treating. This is the one good picture we got of the boys. Soren is in the pouch on my chest. i'm actually fatter now than when i came home from the hospital. I'm enjoying a LOT of kitkats and butterfingers and cupcakes and now the boys' candy!! Mwah-ha-ha-ha haaaaa!!!

Soren 1 month

You:
  • are a champion nurser. You love it. You live for it.
  • weigh 10#8oz. (see above note) and are 21 1/4" long. Short fat proud of that.
  • smile! So very fun.
  • can focus your eyes on things/people.
  • still eat every 2-4 hours. Your longest typical stretch at night is 4 hours.
  • despise the carseat. And scream pretty much however long you are in it. Makes for some suuuuuuuuuper fun car rides.
  • are very happy in the Moby Wrap. When you won't settle down to sleep during the day no matter how tired you are, the Moby Wrap puts you right to sleep.
  • thankfully, can sleep through the noise and chaos of our house during the day.
  • love to sleep on my or your dad's chest. I love it, too, and love that your little body fits right below my chin to my waist when you tuck your legs under and stick your bum up in the air.
  • will only sleep on your tummy. No back. No side. No swaddling. No tummy? No sleep.
  • have these luscious rolls filling in all over your cute little bod.


the girl and her accessories...


i didn't say i wanted my picture taken!


aaaaaah. binky.


woah! Where'd you come from??!