The Big Bang Theory... AB and I thought it looked funny from the previews. But there is a point at which the jokes border a little too much on reality.
I work with these people day in and day out. But I am not one. Really.
Denial is a nice state to reside.
---------------
NM: "Let's get you a shirt for today Leif."
Leif: "I want to wear this one!" (Pulling out the Denver Broncos jersey.)
NM: "Are you sure you want to wear that one? (Knowing full well we live in Seahawks territory.)
Leif: "Yes, this one." (We put it on.)
Leif: "GO SEATTLE SEAHAWKS!"
(AB was amused.)
----------------------
NM: "Leif hold still, you have something stuck on your nose."
Leif: "They are called frackles mommy."
-----------------------
And right now only semi-funny... but probably very funny to those who work for the government.
AB on the phone: "I just had to fill out all those forms once again including that stupid one I have filled out at least four times now that they kept losing before."
NM: "Which one?"
AB: "You know, that optional one that is required for employment, the one that says 'I am still a white guy?'"
--------------------
Last night at dinner.
Leif: (Stands up on his chair at dinner.) "I have to call bompa NOW!"
NM: "You just talked to bompa, why do you need to call him now?"
Leif: "Because I tell him he is a lion for Halloween and grandma is a tiger for Halloween."
NM and AB: Chuckling at the thought of my mom and stepdad as a tiger and lion for Halloween. They would do anything for their grandson... wouldn't they?
--------------------
AB's permanent position with his present company starts on October 9th. In order for him to transition to the new position his last day of internship is tomorrow and he has one week off. This works well with our planned exodus to the coast. So new plans...
We leave for the coast on Friday morning and planned return for Tuesday afternoon. We could change our minds and stay through Wednesday... like I have anything pressing at work. But in the interest in conserving vacation time... since I am sans any other type of leave, the present plan is to return Tuesday. I need a comfortable buffer of time off.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
A much needed vacation
AB and I are packing kids, dog and things up on Thursday afternoon and heading out for a long weekend. I hate leaving before fiscal year end is completely behind me, but it is the luck of the draw. And I am not so in love with my work that I won't shove off my responsibilities onto someone else for that last day of insanity in exchange for marking "V" on my time card for 8 hours.
My FIL's family has decided that the deck needs to come off the cabin for safety sake, the cabin needs to be leveled and a new deck needs to be built. Being that I am married to a manly man who flings himself at any opportunity to do work of this sort, it was a no brainer. We were going.
I was coveting a trip to the coast anyway and had been bugging AB to get a weekend booked at the cabin for us. It will be interesting though. The family we are doing this initial aspect of (de)construction with is two of AB's cousins. He tells me he doesn't think he would recognize them if he came face to face with them in a crowd. Their wives and families are coming down only for Saturday night (lucky one hour drive from Seattle).
I love spending time at the cabin. It really is peaceful and relaxing. I am looking forward to picking blackberries with Leif. He is also becoming a master beachcomber, one of my favorite pastimes at the cabin. Winny loves the cabin and basically runs free the entire time we are there. She checks in on occasion for a drink of water and then heads out with her doggy friends who are always thrilled to see her, to romp in the trees. (Note to self... make appointment for groomer for when we get back.)
We get back on Monday probably late afternoon to early evening. (Oyster lovers you might want to block out that evening on your calendar in case we have good tides to retrieve the seeded Kumomotos and Olympics.)
I will come back to work fresh from a restful vacation, ready to tackle FY08. (Yes, even I am sitting here laughing at that statement.)
My FIL's family has decided that the deck needs to come off the cabin for safety sake, the cabin needs to be leveled and a new deck needs to be built. Being that I am married to a manly man who flings himself at any opportunity to do work of this sort, it was a no brainer. We were going.
I was coveting a trip to the coast anyway and had been bugging AB to get a weekend booked at the cabin for us. It will be interesting though. The family we are doing this initial aspect of (de)construction with is two of AB's cousins. He tells me he doesn't think he would recognize them if he came face to face with them in a crowd. Their wives and families are coming down only for Saturday night (lucky one hour drive from Seattle).
I love spending time at the cabin. It really is peaceful and relaxing. I am looking forward to picking blackberries with Leif. He is also becoming a master beachcomber, one of my favorite pastimes at the cabin. Winny loves the cabin and basically runs free the entire time we are there. She checks in on occasion for a drink of water and then heads out with her doggy friends who are always thrilled to see her, to romp in the trees. (Note to self... make appointment for groomer for when we get back.)
We get back on Monday probably late afternoon to early evening. (Oyster lovers you might want to block out that evening on your calendar in case we have good tides to retrieve the seeded Kumomotos and Olympics.)
I will come back to work fresh from a restful vacation, ready to tackle FY08. (Yes, even I am sitting here laughing at that statement.)
Chompers
Blow by blow of my oldest son's mouth and dental ordeal this morning.
It was a rough night. First off trying to get Leif to take his pre-op medication the night before. AB tells me it tasted like peppermint schnapps. I knew it smelled like it. Finally we got smart... if we were to have peppermint schnapps, how would we drink it? Straight? Gag. Why in hot chocolate of course! And with whipped cream. It worked.
The 4:45am dose though... had to be on an empty stomach. So no doctoring the stuff up then. AB and I got up when the alarm went off. AB restrained while I dumped it down Leif's throat. Luckily, a sleeping child resists little and remembers even less. We wandered back to bed, both with a look on our face of how fruitless heading back to bed even is at this point. Neither of us had slept much. The night had dragged by.
At 6:30am, AB headed out the door with my little boy in his arms. I tried not to cry. Really I did. I just kept thinking of those albeit rare stories you hear about general anesthesia. I was not ready for this. I finished getting myself ready, got Skadi up and ready and ran her out to daycare. Then headed back to the office. When I arrived they had already taken Leif back for the work. I felt my heart sink a little. Then forced myself to be confident while AB and I sat there and waited. A nurse brought us odd snacks... 8 Ritz crackers, some very mild, thick hunks of salami and what looked like leftover Olive Garden breadsticks. At 8am, none of it looked appealing.
AB told me about the arrival. The anesthesiologist had wanted to take Leif back to the room without AB. AB says he "insisted" upon going, and I agreed with this immediately. Why they would expect a 3 year old to willingly go with a stranger into a room with instruments and not pitch an enormous fit is amazing to me. The anesthesiologist was NOT happy with AB's insistence, but the dentist agreed and allowed AB to walk back with Leif. AB said after the fact when Leif was knocked out, the anesthesiologist made the comment that he never has a 3yo behave this well. Well duh. I am sure the "no parents in the OR" is more for the parents, but if you have a reasonable parent who understands they are putting the kid out, it really shouldn't be an issue, and should make the process easier.
About an hour later Dr. W came in and said that all four teeth badly needed crowns, and one he initially thought was going to need a root canal, but didn't once he got "in there". Additionally, he said that once he was able to get in and see Leif's teeth he saw that his four first molars, the centers (where they had initially told us were really deep pits and he would need seals - which they were also planning on doing at this time) were actually hypoplastic in the center - which also explains the need for a couple of fillings last year. So he ended up hollowing out those teeth and filling them, then sealing everything. There is some concern that his next molars could come in the same way given that so far all eight molars that are in, were affected to some degree. They are somewhat hopeful that his permanent teeth won't be. (Crossing my fingers.)
Dr. W made reference to this being either "genetic" or something that happened during pregnancy. He told us that these teeth were forming during 6-8 weeks gestation (which just amazes me thinking about it) and said, "so you might have done something and never known you were pregnant". Umm no. I knew early, early. So I racked and racked my brain. I didn't take meds while pregnant with Leif. I was so paranoid, I didn't do ANYTHING. The other aspect is the genetic side. Hypoplasty is an X linked trait. My neice has also had problems, so maybe it is just plain genetic. I had very strong teeth as a kid. Wacky teeth, misplaced and missing teeth, horrible bite, but no cavities until I was in my early teens. But maybe that other X choromosome was just more dominant in me. Maybe Skadi does have hope of nice teeth.
They warned us that coming out of anesthesia would be awful. He would scream and cry and so we were prepared for that. Amazingly, he didn't. He woke up and said, "mommy!" Broke my heart! I said, "I love you honey" and he said, "I love you too". Then he saw the bin of toys for being good and said, "I want the orange bracelet". Of course I went and got it for him without asking permission of anyone.
Things did kind of go downhill from there though - he wanted me to hold him and not Hans. He started crying, "I want to see the doctor". We were discharged and left, got to the parking lot and he was livid he wanted to go back and play with the toys. I have never seen him so angry ever. And strong too, Leif is a very strong kid. I could not have gotten him into the carseat myself.
AB thought strongly about taking him back inside to play for a little bit, but thought better of it when we became concerned that other kids would be frightened by this screaming, crying, red-eyed, swollen mouthed, blood encrusted child. We (ok, AB) overpowered him into his carseat, where he screamed bloody murder for a few minutes before konking out completely.
Things quickly returned to somewhat normal when we got home. Leif wanted oatmeal really badly. Kept asking for it. But we needed to push clear liquids first. I bribed him with the oatmeal to drink some apple juice and eat some jello first. Then he chowed his oatmeal and life was better again.
Very happy this is behind us.
Also as I have said a few times this week in regards to our daughter and her staph infection... very happy to live in the era we live in. An era of antibiotics and dental care.
It was a rough night. First off trying to get Leif to take his pre-op medication the night before. AB tells me it tasted like peppermint schnapps. I knew it smelled like it. Finally we got smart... if we were to have peppermint schnapps, how would we drink it? Straight? Gag. Why in hot chocolate of course! And with whipped cream. It worked.
The 4:45am dose though... had to be on an empty stomach. So no doctoring the stuff up then. AB and I got up when the alarm went off. AB restrained while I dumped it down Leif's throat. Luckily, a sleeping child resists little and remembers even less. We wandered back to bed, both with a look on our face of how fruitless heading back to bed even is at this point. Neither of us had slept much. The night had dragged by.
At 6:30am, AB headed out the door with my little boy in his arms. I tried not to cry. Really I did. I just kept thinking of those albeit rare stories you hear about general anesthesia. I was not ready for this. I finished getting myself ready, got Skadi up and ready and ran her out to daycare. Then headed back to the office. When I arrived they had already taken Leif back for the work. I felt my heart sink a little. Then forced myself to be confident while AB and I sat there and waited. A nurse brought us odd snacks... 8 Ritz crackers, some very mild, thick hunks of salami and what looked like leftover Olive Garden breadsticks. At 8am, none of it looked appealing.
AB told me about the arrival. The anesthesiologist had wanted to take Leif back to the room without AB. AB says he "insisted" upon going, and I agreed with this immediately. Why they would expect a 3 year old to willingly go with a stranger into a room with instruments and not pitch an enormous fit is amazing to me. The anesthesiologist was NOT happy with AB's insistence, but the dentist agreed and allowed AB to walk back with Leif. AB said after the fact when Leif was knocked out, the anesthesiologist made the comment that he never has a 3yo behave this well. Well duh. I am sure the "no parents in the OR" is more for the parents, but if you have a reasonable parent who understands they are putting the kid out, it really shouldn't be an issue, and should make the process easier.
About an hour later Dr. W came in and said that all four teeth badly needed crowns, and one he initially thought was going to need a root canal, but didn't once he got "in there". Additionally, he said that once he was able to get in and see Leif's teeth he saw that his four first molars, the centers (where they had initially told us were really deep pits and he would need seals - which they were also planning on doing at this time) were actually hypoplastic in the center - which also explains the need for a couple of fillings last year. So he ended up hollowing out those teeth and filling them, then sealing everything. There is some concern that his next molars could come in the same way given that so far all eight molars that are in, were affected to some degree. They are somewhat hopeful that his permanent teeth won't be. (Crossing my fingers.)
Dr. W made reference to this being either "genetic" or something that happened during pregnancy. He told us that these teeth were forming during 6-8 weeks gestation (which just amazes me thinking about it) and said, "so you might have done something and never known you were pregnant". Umm no. I knew early, early. So I racked and racked my brain. I didn't take meds while pregnant with Leif. I was so paranoid, I didn't do ANYTHING. The other aspect is the genetic side. Hypoplasty is an X linked trait. My neice has also had problems, so maybe it is just plain genetic. I had very strong teeth as a kid. Wacky teeth, misplaced and missing teeth, horrible bite, but no cavities until I was in my early teens. But maybe that other X choromosome was just more dominant in me. Maybe Skadi does have hope of nice teeth.
They warned us that coming out of anesthesia would be awful. He would scream and cry and so we were prepared for that. Amazingly, he didn't. He woke up and said, "mommy!" Broke my heart! I said, "I love you honey" and he said, "I love you too". Then he saw the bin of toys for being good and said, "I want the orange bracelet". Of course I went and got it for him without asking permission of anyone.
Things did kind of go downhill from there though - he wanted me to hold him and not Hans. He started crying, "I want to see the doctor". We were discharged and left, got to the parking lot and he was livid he wanted to go back and play with the toys. I have never seen him so angry ever. And strong too, Leif is a very strong kid. I could not have gotten him into the carseat myself.
AB thought strongly about taking him back inside to play for a little bit, but thought better of it when we became concerned that other kids would be frightened by this screaming, crying, red-eyed, swollen mouthed, blood encrusted child. We (ok, AB) overpowered him into his carseat, where he screamed bloody murder for a few minutes before konking out completely.
Things quickly returned to somewhat normal when we got home. Leif wanted oatmeal really badly. Kept asking for it. But we needed to push clear liquids first. I bribed him with the oatmeal to drink some apple juice and eat some jello first. Then he chowed his oatmeal and life was better again.
Very happy this is behind us.
Also as I have said a few times this week in regards to our daughter and her staph infection... very happy to live in the era we live in. An era of antibiotics and dental care.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Insinkerator take 43
The appliance you love, but hate.
And evidently it isn't just me! Consistently, nearly half of the search results that lead people to my blog are in regards to various "Insinkerator" problems, references to the infamous "Insinkerator red button" and many references to "fix Insinkerator".
I have a love hate relationship with mine. I hate for my house to smell like the entryway to my grandmother's house where she kept her big huge garbage can. So I love my garbage disposal. But could there be a more problem ridden appliance?
Ours quit working the other night. It was spinning... no way was I sticking my hand down there. It was creating a little tornado in the sink full of water (and debris). But it was going nowhere.
AB took apart all the pipes under the sink to clear a clog (the rest of the debris from the disposal... or why we actually HAVE a disposal to prevent this from happening).
When he was done, and the under sink area sparkled clean, it worked like a charm.
Except for that stupid overflow thing at the top of the sink that floods the countertop (and floor if you aren't paying attention) when you run the dishwasher. I am convinced this has to do with the disposal. Convinced.
So how does one fix this problem? (Aside from putting a cup over it that directs the flow of water into the sink and not onto the counter.)
And evidently it isn't just me! Consistently, nearly half of the search results that lead people to my blog are in regards to various "Insinkerator" problems, references to the infamous "Insinkerator red button" and many references to "fix Insinkerator".
I have a love hate relationship with mine. I hate for my house to smell like the entryway to my grandmother's house where she kept her big huge garbage can. So I love my garbage disposal. But could there be a more problem ridden appliance?
Ours quit working the other night. It was spinning... no way was I sticking my hand down there. It was creating a little tornado in the sink full of water (and debris). But it was going nowhere.
AB took apart all the pipes under the sink to clear a clog (the rest of the debris from the disposal... or why we actually HAVE a disposal to prevent this from happening).
When he was done, and the under sink area sparkled clean, it worked like a charm.
Except for that stupid overflow thing at the top of the sink that floods the countertop (and floor if you aren't paying attention) when you run the dishwasher. I am convinced this has to do with the disposal. Convinced.
So how does one fix this problem? (Aside from putting a cup over it that directs the flow of water into the sink and not onto the counter.)
Getting pictures for bompa... or an example of how difficult the annual Christmas photo shoot is going to be.
In an effort to get a few pictures of Skadi in her Broncos cheerleading outfit, I found a corner (the only corner) of the house that was not cluttered with stuff.
Ok, well that wasn't so bad. She was smiling, though it doesn't really look like it there.
That's a smile, but one of those in pictures that looks like she "could" have been getting ready to scream.
Too much cheese?
Here comes trouble... ok cute... AB could you have at least put cute or matching pants on him? "Leif can you give Skadi a hug?"
"Ok, how about a hug where I can see your face?"
"No, well can you scootch closer to her?"
"Well can you sit behind her?"
"Ok, this might work... Leif can you hug your sister?"
(Poised with camera.)
"Leif that is NOT a hug! Hug your sister."
The lump behind Skadi? That's Leif.
"Leif come on and hug your sister."
Success! Sort of. It will do.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The laughs I so needed
Today when I dropped Leif at daycare I stood around chatting with his teachers while he put his lunch away. The class has a big fridge and there are bins for food. The kids put their labeled food in the bins then the class lunch helpers for the day help sort it out for each child for lunch.
I was chatting away with the two teachers explaining why Leif would be out a few days next week (the dental thing) when I catch a glimpse of Leif playing with the butter drawer in the fridge.
NM: "Leif close that and put your lunch in the bins."
Leif: "In here mommy."
NM: "No, in the bins Leif." (Catching a glimpse of a number of baggies in the butter drawer.)
I went over and saw that it was moldy food! A number of bags of moldy food in the butter drawer. Gross.
NM to teachers: "Did you know these were in here?" pointing to the bags.
Teachers: "No, where did these come from?" pulling them out.
Sudden familiarity.
A bag of what used to be golden raspberries, a few bags of tomatoes with black and grey spots, a bag of cookies, a bag of mystery meat, a bag of slimy plums... Probably 10 or so bags.
All with Leif's name on each and every one.
The teachers admitted to wondering on occasion why his lunch was so light.
-------------------------
Leif on the phone with grandma on the way home.
Leif: "Hi, how are you?"
Leif: "How are you?"
Leif: "That's good."
Leif: "somethingsomethingmumblemumble and so I pushed him!"
Leif: "And Mrs. V asked me if I needed an icee and I said Noooooo."
Leif: "Because cause somethingsomethingmumblemumble"
Leif: "Because cause somethingsomethingmumblemumble"
Leif: "Because cause, bye!"
Flips the phone shut.
(After much prodding I still have no idea who he pushed, or why, or what happened or why he needed an icee. I just get "because cause" out of him. I will be talking to daycare tomorrow.)
I was chatting away with the two teachers explaining why Leif would be out a few days next week (the dental thing) when I catch a glimpse of Leif playing with the butter drawer in the fridge.
NM: "Leif close that and put your lunch in the bins."
Leif: "In here mommy."
NM: "No, in the bins Leif." (Catching a glimpse of a number of baggies in the butter drawer.)
I went over and saw that it was moldy food! A number of bags of moldy food in the butter drawer. Gross.
NM to teachers: "Did you know these were in here?" pointing to the bags.
Teachers: "No, where did these come from?" pulling them out.
Sudden familiarity.
A bag of what used to be golden raspberries, a few bags of tomatoes with black and grey spots, a bag of cookies, a bag of mystery meat, a bag of slimy plums... Probably 10 or so bags.
All with Leif's name on each and every one.
The teachers admitted to wondering on occasion why his lunch was so light.
-------------------------
Leif on the phone with grandma on the way home.
Leif: "Hi, how are you?"
Leif: "How are you?"
Leif: "That's good."
Leif: "somethingsomethingmumblemumble and so I pushed him!"
Leif: "And Mrs. V asked me if I needed an icee and I said Noooooo."
Leif: "Because cause somethingsomethingmumblemumble"
Leif: "Because cause somethingsomethingmumblemumble"
Leif: "Because cause, bye!"
Flips the phone shut.
(After much prodding I still have no idea who he pushed, or why, or what happened or why he needed an icee. I just get "because cause" out of him. I will be talking to daycare tomorrow.)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
So this explains the trend to have one parent stay home
It is weeks/months like the past few in our household.
With one child, who had been through the ailments and illnesses that accompany daycare, we could deal with us both working. Paying one daycare tuition was acceptable. And splitting time off when someone needed to be home with Leif was tolerable.
Then Skaders arrived. And she is truly one of the two best things that have ever happened to us. (I don't want to give the impression I am blaming her.) Then AB took an internship (read no benefits - vacation, sick time or insurance). All that was fine in the name of getting experience and I carried the family on my insurance. And it paid off. AB is in the process of being hired on fully by a great company (though one that doesn't realize there is a child who could really use the extra dental insurance in the next 7 days).
And here I am going to sound like an excessive whiner, but it is taking its toll. Being the sole one responsible for doctor's appointments and staying home with the kids when sick, while I wouldn't have it any other way given the choice, it is hard with a full time career. I have said it before, I will say it again, I don't know what single parents do. AB works out of town and with no paid leave, it just doesn't make sense for him to try and take off to do this stuff, particularly while he is trying to prove himself to his management.
My manager called me today. As explained previously, my manager never calls. And being that the last time she called I got a mid-year raise I have to admit hearing her voice raised my hopes there for a nanosecond.
Nope, she called to talk to me about my chargeable hours goal for the fiscal year and see what my plan was. I admitted to having missed filling out my timecard yesterday since I was home with a sick kid (that I DID e-mail her about). Therefore my chargeable goal was 8 hours off. And yes, I realize that still left me teetering on the brink, but I actually was (just barely) within guidelines.
She told me she was concerned as I had zero, zippo, nadda sick time left (thank you maternity leave policies that I could rant about). Yet in my e-mail regarding my schedule for the coming week I told her I would be out for a full day for my son's dental work. She fully understood this necessity, but reminded me this would either be on vacation time or she would authorize unpaid leave because I could not flex this time so close to the fiscal year end, nor could I use sick time. (Don't even get me started on my banked time sitting there, waiting to be "used when one most needs it"...)
She was quite polite about it all. She gets it, she has three kids. And she admitted that she knew how hard this is in the first year after a new baby. I don't blame her. I don't know who I blame. Nobody really. Maybe benefits a little for not letting me at those 24 or so banked hours...
Picking up Skadi didn't help a whole lot. She had a rough day thanks to tooth #2 pushing it's way through her little gum. Combined with the recovery from this skin issue she had and I blogged about yesterday. It was just a sucky day for her. I am tired of her getting bumped to the other room for no apparent reason. I am tired of the dipshit second teacher over there who is having serious bouts of pregnancy brain and threw her clothes away today. Brand new outfit in the trash. I stood there and waited for them to find her clothes... thankfully.
It is hard having been on "the other side" and seeing the other option for care conveniently only once the kids are 1 year old. Maybe it was this bad when Leif was there... maybe I just didn't know any better and now I do.
I went home and looked at AB (after going and buying last minute new shoes for Leif on the way home since his broke today at school and he was very upset about it). I told him if I went to 80% time I could take Mondays off, he will have Fridays off and we could drop Skaders to 3 days a week at daycare. He pointed at our son's mouth. Then reminded me of the debt that accumulated from a year of unemployment and three years of tuition for his Masters.
Nevermind.
Lotto anyone?
With one child, who had been through the ailments and illnesses that accompany daycare, we could deal with us both working. Paying one daycare tuition was acceptable. And splitting time off when someone needed to be home with Leif was tolerable.
Then Skaders arrived. And she is truly one of the two best things that have ever happened to us. (I don't want to give the impression I am blaming her.) Then AB took an internship (read no benefits - vacation, sick time or insurance). All that was fine in the name of getting experience and I carried the family on my insurance. And it paid off. AB is in the process of being hired on fully by a great company (though one that doesn't realize there is a child who could really use the extra dental insurance in the next 7 days).
And here I am going to sound like an excessive whiner, but it is taking its toll. Being the sole one responsible for doctor's appointments and staying home with the kids when sick, while I wouldn't have it any other way given the choice, it is hard with a full time career. I have said it before, I will say it again, I don't know what single parents do. AB works out of town and with no paid leave, it just doesn't make sense for him to try and take off to do this stuff, particularly while he is trying to prove himself to his management.
My manager called me today. As explained previously, my manager never calls. And being that the last time she called I got a mid-year raise I have to admit hearing her voice raised my hopes there for a nanosecond.
Nope, she called to talk to me about my chargeable hours goal for the fiscal year and see what my plan was. I admitted to having missed filling out my timecard yesterday since I was home with a sick kid (that I DID e-mail her about). Therefore my chargeable goal was 8 hours off. And yes, I realize that still left me teetering on the brink, but I actually was (just barely) within guidelines.
She told me she was concerned as I had zero, zippo, nadda sick time left (thank you maternity leave policies that I could rant about). Yet in my e-mail regarding my schedule for the coming week I told her I would be out for a full day for my son's dental work. She fully understood this necessity, but reminded me this would either be on vacation time or she would authorize unpaid leave because I could not flex this time so close to the fiscal year end, nor could I use sick time. (Don't even get me started on my banked time sitting there, waiting to be "used when one most needs it"...)
She was quite polite about it all. She gets it, she has three kids. And she admitted that she knew how hard this is in the first year after a new baby. I don't blame her. I don't know who I blame. Nobody really. Maybe benefits a little for not letting me at those 24 or so banked hours...
Picking up Skadi didn't help a whole lot. She had a rough day thanks to tooth #2 pushing it's way through her little gum. Combined with the recovery from this skin issue she had and I blogged about yesterday. It was just a sucky day for her. I am tired of her getting bumped to the other room for no apparent reason. I am tired of the dipshit second teacher over there who is having serious bouts of pregnancy brain and threw her clothes away today. Brand new outfit in the trash. I stood there and waited for them to find her clothes... thankfully.
It is hard having been on "the other side" and seeing the other option for care conveniently only once the kids are 1 year old. Maybe it was this bad when Leif was there... maybe I just didn't know any better and now I do.
I went home and looked at AB (after going and buying last minute new shoes for Leif on the way home since his broke today at school and he was very upset about it). I told him if I went to 80% time I could take Mondays off, he will have Fridays off and we could drop Skaders to 3 days a week at daycare. He pointed at our son's mouth. Then reminded me of the debt that accumulated from a year of unemployment and three years of tuition for his Masters.
Nevermind.
Lotto anyone?
Monday, September 17, 2007
The weekend continues
Sort of, at least.
I am home with Skadi today. While in Portland last weekend Skadi's reddish crease on her neck decided to take on a life of its own. Things got worse and we got her into the doctor on Thursday with a raging yeast infection of the neck. After a day on the antifungal/steroid cream, things were looking up. Then this weekend it went the other way again and started looking worse. Apparently we upset the delicate fungal/bacterial balance and allowed the bacteria to run amuck. Staph that is. A call to the doctor Sunday morning confirmed this when she told us the cultures returned a positive for staph. (Yes, we were slightly irritated to find out she knew this already and hadn't passed the info on.)
After 15 hours on the antibiotic this morning things are looking substantially better. Because of the bacterial/contagious nature of this new diagnosis, Skadi is home, with me.
Leif had a playdate this Sunday. I have to say I love the fact that most of our friends are scientists. Because when I told J's mom right off the bat that I completely understood if they wanted to cancel the playdate for the staph on Skaders, she suggested we just meet at the park instead and keep the babies on seperate blankets. Thus, I didn't have to break the news to Leif that he wasn't in fact going to get to play with J this weekend.
We had a busy weekend as usual. Swimming on Saturday. Then AB's company picnic, where Leif had a fantastic time in the three bounce houses and we had a great lunch. Oh and to top it off AB won a gift certificate for Outback. I was a little bummed his was for the Outback and the one after his name was called was for Anthony's... though at least with the Outback, I have no hesitation in taking the kids. So it will get used sooner.
AB cleaned out and inventoried the freezers in the house, mowed the lawns and pureed about 4 big bowls of tomatoes and cooked it down for spaghetti sauce (which was my task that I didn't get to). I did however get our closet about 2/3 organized with the new shoe hangers from Ikea and sorting out some clothes. The floor is clear (save for 6 pairs of shoes... I really needed the 5th shoe hanger that I didn't buy). I still have the sweater organizers to put into use and a little more organization of shelf items, but we are well on our way there.
When Skadi goes down for her afternoon (long) nap I plan to do some cooking and get Leif's organizer put together. Yay me!
I am home with Skadi today. While in Portland last weekend Skadi's reddish crease on her neck decided to take on a life of its own. Things got worse and we got her into the doctor on Thursday with a raging yeast infection of the neck. After a day on the antifungal/steroid cream, things were looking up. Then this weekend it went the other way again and started looking worse. Apparently we upset the delicate fungal/bacterial balance and allowed the bacteria to run amuck. Staph that is. A call to the doctor Sunday morning confirmed this when she told us the cultures returned a positive for staph. (Yes, we were slightly irritated to find out she knew this already and hadn't passed the info on.)
After 15 hours on the antibiotic this morning things are looking substantially better. Because of the bacterial/contagious nature of this new diagnosis, Skadi is home, with me.
Leif had a playdate this Sunday. I have to say I love the fact that most of our friends are scientists. Because when I told J's mom right off the bat that I completely understood if they wanted to cancel the playdate for the staph on Skaders, she suggested we just meet at the park instead and keep the babies on seperate blankets. Thus, I didn't have to break the news to Leif that he wasn't in fact going to get to play with J this weekend.
We had a busy weekend as usual. Swimming on Saturday. Then AB's company picnic, where Leif had a fantastic time in the three bounce houses and we had a great lunch. Oh and to top it off AB won a gift certificate for Outback. I was a little bummed his was for the Outback and the one after his name was called was for Anthony's... though at least with the Outback, I have no hesitation in taking the kids. So it will get used sooner.
AB cleaned out and inventoried the freezers in the house, mowed the lawns and pureed about 4 big bowls of tomatoes and cooked it down for spaghetti sauce (which was my task that I didn't get to). I did however get our closet about 2/3 organized with the new shoe hangers from Ikea and sorting out some clothes. The floor is clear (save for 6 pairs of shoes... I really needed the 5th shoe hanger that I didn't buy). I still have the sweater organizers to put into use and a little more organization of shelf items, but we are well on our way there.
When Skadi goes down for her afternoon (long) nap I plan to do some cooking and get Leif's organizer put together. Yay me!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
I am such a sap
After a rousing rendition of Pat Your Tummy with Leif tonight I decided to calm him down by dancing to I Don't Want To Live On The Moon.
Hearing my little boy sing along softly in my ear turned me into a complete puddle.
Even after repeated requests to play it again, the tears still dripped. Something about remembering myself in 1978 or so glued to the TV watching Ernie. I am pretty sure this was after I insisted everyone call me Ernie (and my grandpa was the only one who abided by my demands).
Hearing my little boy sing along softly in my ear turned me into a complete puddle.
Even after repeated requests to play it again, the tears still dripped. Something about remembering myself in 1978 or so glued to the TV watching Ernie. I am pretty sure this was after I insisted everyone call me Ernie (and my grandpa was the only one who abided by my demands).
Friday, September 14, 2007
Thank goodness for a stranger's good sense of humor
Leif and I were in the restroom at Wendy's today.
Leif: "Is there someone else in here going potty mommy?" (in the not so soft voice).
NM: "Yes Leif."
Leif: "Can I crawl under the door and watch."
NM: "Umm no."
(Giggles from the stall next to us.)
Leif: "Can I pee on their shoes?"
NM: "LEIF! We don't pee on other people!"
(More giggles from the stall next to us.)
Leif: "Is there someone else in here going potty mommy?" (in the not so soft voice).
NM: "Yes Leif."
Leif: "Can I crawl under the door and watch."
NM: "Umm no."
(Giggles from the stall next to us.)
Leif: "Can I pee on their shoes?"
NM: "LEIF! We don't pee on other people!"
(More giggles from the stall next to us.)
Looking ahead to fall
We are just plodding along here. I still am not completely unpacked from our trip to Portland last weekend. And everyone in the house is at the bottom of their stacks of clothes. Skadi wore a pair of Leif's old overalls today, Leif wore the ugliest pair of green shorts I bought for the daycare backup pair, that somehow were brought home and not taken back there. (His good shorts are probably there.) AB is probably fine on clothes as he has jeans and t-shirts till the cows come home. And I am wearing capri pants that I have been hitching up all day. (Not because I am losing weight, because they have a funky fit.)
AB is negotiating his full time position with the new company. He got a verbal offer over 5 weeks ago and is still hashing out the details. Actually they did nothing for a long time and just started hashing out the details this week. Suffice it to say it isn't coming in where we expected. While there is a need in environmental and that is where he is doing his internship, they don't have an available position. The positions are with safety, where he has less experience. They want to hire him into safey, but have him continue doing the environmental job until they can move him over there, likely next spring.
I don't know if it is something in the water here, something with big corporations, or what. Nearly the exact same thing happened with me 4 years ago. I was a post-doc in Radiation and Nuclear Physics as a chemist. They didn't want to lose me and so offered me a position in that group, of course at a lower bracket because I had little experience. Now the same thing is happening with AB.
In one instance it makes you feel good that you are valued and they dont' want to lose you. In another you know you are getting paid less than your peers for doing the same job. And that bites.
I keep reminding him that the important thing is that he likes his job. And he does. What does it really matter then? The benefits package is looking really good so far, three weeks vacation to start with the option to "buy" more. He is buying an additional week since we have lots on our calendar in the next year.
We are headed to the cabin on the 27th or 28th of this month for anywhere between 3-5 days depending on AB's status with the company. It wasn't planned until the cousins decided a new deck needed to be added on. Well AB with his trusty hammer was all over that. Leif will love it. I could use the break by the coast. We can pick blackberries and eat oysters to our hearts delight. (I know, I have PLENTY of raspberries in my own yard that need picked. But somehow it is different when it isn't your own chore that needs to be done.) I would like to see sleeping accomodations squared away before actually arriving, but I have my doubts. The cabin has one bedroom with a queen bed - last time we were there by ourselves we tossed a twin mattress on the floor for Leif (who was horribly disappointed not to get to sleep in the loft) and put Skadi in the pack and play (yes, THE starfish pack and play). But as mentioned previously there is also the loft with two doubles and two twins or the living room with the roll out (not the choice digs).
AB is anxious to work the back room at the October Platinum wine judging and will need a few days off for that. Then there is Thanksgiving and Christmas, that even though we are staying here, we plan to take a fair amount of time off. We keep talking about a ski trip next February or March to teach Leif how to ski. Maybe to Steamboat or Crested Butte. Or if we are feeling rich maybe to Banff or Whistler. Or if we are dirt poor it might be White Pass with a babysitter at home with Skadi.
We don't have a lot planned this weekend. Processing tomatoes. Going to AB's company picnic (which enabled me to honestly decline another invitation for Leif to a princess party for a child we don't know). And I need to get some food bought and prepared for weeknight dinners. AB wasn't overly thrilled with waffles for dinner last night (Leif and I however chowed). I am thinking chili (it is STARTING to cool down).
Everyone have a super weekend!
AB is negotiating his full time position with the new company. He got a verbal offer over 5 weeks ago and is still hashing out the details. Actually they did nothing for a long time and just started hashing out the details this week. Suffice it to say it isn't coming in where we expected. While there is a need in environmental and that is where he is doing his internship, they don't have an available position. The positions are with safety, where he has less experience. They want to hire him into safey, but have him continue doing the environmental job until they can move him over there, likely next spring.
I don't know if it is something in the water here, something with big corporations, or what. Nearly the exact same thing happened with me 4 years ago. I was a post-doc in Radiation and Nuclear Physics as a chemist. They didn't want to lose me and so offered me a position in that group, of course at a lower bracket because I had little experience. Now the same thing is happening with AB.
In one instance it makes you feel good that you are valued and they dont' want to lose you. In another you know you are getting paid less than your peers for doing the same job. And that bites.
I keep reminding him that the important thing is that he likes his job. And he does. What does it really matter then? The benefits package is looking really good so far, three weeks vacation to start with the option to "buy" more. He is buying an additional week since we have lots on our calendar in the next year.
We are headed to the cabin on the 27th or 28th of this month for anywhere between 3-5 days depending on AB's status with the company. It wasn't planned until the cousins decided a new deck needed to be added on. Well AB with his trusty hammer was all over that. Leif will love it. I could use the break by the coast. We can pick blackberries and eat oysters to our hearts delight. (I know, I have PLENTY of raspberries in my own yard that need picked. But somehow it is different when it isn't your own chore that needs to be done.) I would like to see sleeping accomodations squared away before actually arriving, but I have my doubts. The cabin has one bedroom with a queen bed - last time we were there by ourselves we tossed a twin mattress on the floor for Leif (who was horribly disappointed not to get to sleep in the loft) and put Skadi in the pack and play (yes, THE starfish pack and play). But as mentioned previously there is also the loft with two doubles and two twins or the living room with the roll out (not the choice digs).
AB is anxious to work the back room at the October Platinum wine judging and will need a few days off for that. Then there is Thanksgiving and Christmas, that even though we are staying here, we plan to take a fair amount of time off. We keep talking about a ski trip next February or March to teach Leif how to ski. Maybe to Steamboat or Crested Butte. Or if we are feeling rich maybe to Banff or Whistler. Or if we are dirt poor it might be White Pass with a babysitter at home with Skadi.
We don't have a lot planned this weekend. Processing tomatoes. Going to AB's company picnic (which enabled me to honestly decline another invitation for Leif to a princess party for a child we don't know). And I need to get some food bought and prepared for weeknight dinners. AB wasn't overly thrilled with waffles for dinner last night (Leif and I however chowed). I am thinking chili (it is STARTING to cool down).
Everyone have a super weekend!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
On this day in history...
Following suit from a number of other bloggers out there who I read regularly I thought I would write about what this day means to me.
Many people felt emotionally changed by 9-11, remember the sharp decrease in violent crime shortly after 9-11? It hit everyone, even the criminals. Too bad it didn't stick. 9-11 struck me emotionally as well, though I have always felt as though it didn't hit me immediately as hard as many others. It hit me after the fact.
I had gotten up and taken my dog out for our morning run. AB had already left for work and I was being lazy since all I was going to do that day was go in and sit at my desk and write my dissertation. It seemed quiet that day outside. In fact, I remember not seeing hardly anyone. As we walked back to the apartment huffing and puffing I remember a man looking at me like I was the strangest thing he had seen. Looking back I wonder if he thought he should stop me and tell me that thousands of people had just died while I was out for my morning run?
I turned on the TV and plopped on the floor to do my sit ups and push ups and saw Matt and Katie sitting in front of a screen of black smoke. It was nearly five minutes before I got the story. I sat and watched, glued to the screen. Finally, after at least an hour or more, I got up and headed into the lab still stunned.
I don't remember crying. I was in shock. I was angry. Incredibly angry that citizens, people and families seeking to exist peacefully were attacked. The towers were not a military installation, the people inside were not soldiers. Though it isn't just okay to strike a military base, it seemed that would have been easier to understand, a military attack, not an attack on unarmed civilians. How could they attack families? Everyone who died was someone's child. There were moms, dads, and grandparents. Pure evil was my characterization of whoever had done this.
Days after the attacks I held within me a desire I had never felt before. To avenge those who had died. I had never had a violent bone in my body, but if someone had put a weapon in my hand and pointed me to those who had done this I would have gone at them with a vengeance. I had never felt that anger I harbored in my soul before in my life.
Pre-attack I had job leads in the semiconductor industry and hoped to make computer chips for a living. Things at that time were starting to slow in Silicon Valley, but the attacks caused the industry to plummet. Suddenly my job prospects were next to nill and a fire was lit in my heart to protect the world. I searched for positions in national security and since I was an American soon to have a Ph.D., I was in demand.
I interviewed at the first place that offered me an opportunity. It was different from any interview I had ever had before. I was trying to sell myself, while they were trying to sell me I saw later on. The interview ended with the statement that, "if you want to come and work on these projects, let us know, we could use you tomorrow". I said I did and the next thing I knew, I was here.
So for me, 9-11 didn't just change my outlook on life. It changed my life in how I define who I am. I am fighting with the best weapon I have, my brain.
(I may just have convinced myself not to jump into the world of computer chips for profit...)
Many people felt emotionally changed by 9-11, remember the sharp decrease in violent crime shortly after 9-11? It hit everyone, even the criminals. Too bad it didn't stick. 9-11 struck me emotionally as well, though I have always felt as though it didn't hit me immediately as hard as many others. It hit me after the fact.
I had gotten up and taken my dog out for our morning run. AB had already left for work and I was being lazy since all I was going to do that day was go in and sit at my desk and write my dissertation. It seemed quiet that day outside. In fact, I remember not seeing hardly anyone. As we walked back to the apartment huffing and puffing I remember a man looking at me like I was the strangest thing he had seen. Looking back I wonder if he thought he should stop me and tell me that thousands of people had just died while I was out for my morning run?
I turned on the TV and plopped on the floor to do my sit ups and push ups and saw Matt and Katie sitting in front of a screen of black smoke. It was nearly five minutes before I got the story. I sat and watched, glued to the screen. Finally, after at least an hour or more, I got up and headed into the lab still stunned.
I don't remember crying. I was in shock. I was angry. Incredibly angry that citizens, people and families seeking to exist peacefully were attacked. The towers were not a military installation, the people inside were not soldiers. Though it isn't just okay to strike a military base, it seemed that would have been easier to understand, a military attack, not an attack on unarmed civilians. How could they attack families? Everyone who died was someone's child. There were moms, dads, and grandparents. Pure evil was my characterization of whoever had done this.
Days after the attacks I held within me a desire I had never felt before. To avenge those who had died. I had never had a violent bone in my body, but if someone had put a weapon in my hand and pointed me to those who had done this I would have gone at them with a vengeance. I had never felt that anger I harbored in my soul before in my life.
Pre-attack I had job leads in the semiconductor industry and hoped to make computer chips for a living. Things at that time were starting to slow in Silicon Valley, but the attacks caused the industry to plummet. Suddenly my job prospects were next to nill and a fire was lit in my heart to protect the world. I searched for positions in national security and since I was an American soon to have a Ph.D., I was in demand.
I interviewed at the first place that offered me an opportunity. It was different from any interview I had ever had before. I was trying to sell myself, while they were trying to sell me I saw later on. The interview ended with the statement that, "if you want to come and work on these projects, let us know, we could use you tomorrow". I said I did and the next thing I knew, I was here.
So for me, 9-11 didn't just change my outlook on life. It changed my life in how I define who I am. I am fighting with the best weapon I have, my brain.
(I may just have convinced myself not to jump into the world of computer chips for profit...)
Our mini vacation recap in photos
Visiting Multnomah Falls
It's the eyes. Those beautiful brown eyes.
Ok, AB is right... this one didn't turn out as awful as I thought it would.
Check out the 'kini!
All smiles for the zoo train ride with grandma.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Bob, bob, bob, bob, bob.
Back in June I got a hit on my unsolicited CV. I responded tentatively expressing a little interest, but shoved it off saying I wouldn't be ready to seriously consider anything for 4-6 months.
Then AB got a permanent job offer (though nothing in writing yet from THE slowest company on the face of the earth) and the request to interview slipped to the back of my brain.
I was reminded today that there is an actual reason we opted to drive to Portland to meet my mom and stepdad instead of taking them up on their offer to drive up here and spend the weekend. AB and I wanted to get a taste of the city. I had conveniently replaced the thought of "we should see if we would like to live there" with "we are going on vacation" the past few weeks.
I checked my e-mail today and tasted that sour feeling in my throat when I saw an e-mail from a recruiter for "that company". They have asked me to have a web chat next week with one of their "female senior engineers" so that I can get a feel for what life with the company is like for women.
Who has been talking?
Then AB got a permanent job offer (though nothing in writing yet from THE slowest company on the face of the earth) and the request to interview slipped to the back of my brain.
I was reminded today that there is an actual reason we opted to drive to Portland to meet my mom and stepdad instead of taking them up on their offer to drive up here and spend the weekend. AB and I wanted to get a taste of the city. I had conveniently replaced the thought of "we should see if we would like to live there" with "we are going on vacation" the past few weeks.
I checked my e-mail today and tasted that sour feeling in my throat when I saw an e-mail from a recruiter for "that company". They have asked me to have a web chat next week with one of their "female senior engineers" so that I can get a feel for what life with the company is like for women.
Who has been talking?
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
And just to show that not everything my son says is the cutest thing in the world...
A fly landed on my arm during dinner.
NM: "Stupid fly." (Shooing it away.)
Leif the rest of the LONG weekend: "Stupid fly." (Repeat ad nauseum.)
-------------------
Leif: "Dot Com."
NM: "What?"
Leif: "Dot Com."
NM: "What dot com?"
Leif: "Anything dot com mommy."
Hardwired evidently.
NM: "Stupid fly." (Shooing it away.)
Leif the rest of the LONG weekend: "Stupid fly." (Repeat ad nauseum.)
-------------------
Leif: "Dot Com."
NM: "What?"
Leif: "Dot Com."
NM: "What dot com?"
Leif: "Anything dot com mommy."
Hardwired evidently.
My muffin top.
I can admit this because I was able to zip my SilverTabs from pre-Leif. It wasn't necessarily the prettiest thing... two kids later, muffin top and all. But they zipped.
Breastfeeding is good.
Breastfeeding is good.
The weekend update
As always, our weekend was a whirlwind. When I look at the bottom right hand corner of my computer screen and see "Wednesday" I have a mixture of joy (that this week is already halfway over) and a sense of dread (of all the things I need to get done before AB gets home from work tomorrow evening and we jump in the car and head out towards Portland).
So the weekly recap of the weekend... Saturday was a playdate for both kids with siblings from daycare, children of a woman I work with... sort of. "With" as in for the same company. It went well. We raced home where I threw on a new pair of cute jeans and a shirt, AB assured me that in this town I was plenty dressed up for a night out. (Anywhere else, so not the case.) He was happy to see I was just wearing jeans and went with the like.
The sitter showed up and I fussed over the bottle warmer. Something we just don't use and had long since forgotten how much water to add to warm an average sized bottle. Dinner was great. We lingered over the food (steamer clams, salad AND chowder, my halibut cheeks-yum, AB's grilled halibut with peach salsa, a chocolate melting cake...) then headed out for a walk afterwards when we saw that it was right about bedtime. We were paying the sitter afterall... she could have the joy that is bedtime in our house.
While out on our walk AB found himself helping carry a wheelchair bound woman up the dock stairs. They had been out on one of the local dinner cruises and could not get the chair (with elderly woman in it) up. Who knows what they woud have done had AB not just happened to have been there. When she was safely on dry land we continued our walk. We laughed as the people said, "oh you were just out for a walk? We thought you were with the cruise company here to help this time since going down was so bad!" The thought of them getting this about 90 year old woman down the dock stairs was frightening.
We walked a little further and I got a huge kick out of seeing in the windows of an ongoing wedding. It was fun watching the toasts, seeing the cake, the bride... but what killed me was the big screen TV in the back with football on. Killed me. I told AB I wanted to go in and tell the staff to turn off the TV for the poor girl's toasts... and then help myself to a slice of cake (because evidently my chocolate melting cake had settled just enough).
We finished our walk and returned home to find the babysitter on the couch reading my American Academy of Pediatrics Well Child book. I seriously have loads of good reading material (like two months worth of magazines on my coffee table) and this is what she was reading? I like her devotion to her work! Our other babysitter looks forward to the kids being down so she can go through my Food And Wine magazines...
Sunday we took our time getting up and out. That afternoon we went over to K&V's for dinner. Leif talked all day about visiting C. He was even way too excited to sleep. Normally that is a good way to get him to sleep, "you get to go see 'X child' after you nap!" Yeah, not this time. I revelled in/wanted to move into K&V's newly painted Master bedroom. AB, for the first time since moving into our house, has thoughts of painting our Master. It is the one room he could have cared less about to this point.
Monday AB tackled green chili. It was a day long project seriously. But the end product? Fantastic. I played with the kids most all day and worked on readying the house for book club when I could.
Yes, book club. It was last night and I hosted for the book 'Little House in the Big Woods'. And yes, I did trip one person up who read instead, 'Little House on the Prairie'. It was a small gathering on our patio to discuss the book that most of us read as a child. I was pleased that I got everything out and on the table in time (thank you AB). AB bent over backwards taking care of the kids while I chatted it up. I did bruschetta and some other little things for appetizers and then AB made crepes (on Sunday - I froze them) for dessert. They went over quite well.
That brings us to Wednesday... or so my computer tells me. Still not sure how that happened. I have tonight to get AB and I packed for the long weekend in Oregon. I have Leif and Skadi packed, though I need to put 3 pairs of pants in Leif's suitcase and Skadi's two new pairs of Robeez in. (Sigh... she actually has three new pairs of Robeez - thank you online sale.) I have a box of snacks, lunch stuff, and baby food. Leif needs to pack his "pack pack" of toys he wants to bring. Then tomorrow after AB gets off work we are off!
We are driving about 2/3 of the way to Portland Thursday night. Staying on the Hood River and then getting up and going to the falls. After that we head into Portland to meet my mom and stepdad. The zoo on Saturday, Ikea Saturday afternoon while Leif (and AB) nap, Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Any reasonable health food store on the way out on Sunday. Shopping and hanging out and eating in between everything else! I can't wait!
Have a good week/weekend all. Catch up with you next week!
So the weekly recap of the weekend... Saturday was a playdate for both kids with siblings from daycare, children of a woman I work with... sort of. "With" as in for the same company. It went well. We raced home where I threw on a new pair of cute jeans and a shirt, AB assured me that in this town I was plenty dressed up for a night out. (Anywhere else, so not the case.) He was happy to see I was just wearing jeans and went with the like.
The sitter showed up and I fussed over the bottle warmer. Something we just don't use and had long since forgotten how much water to add to warm an average sized bottle. Dinner was great. We lingered over the food (steamer clams, salad AND chowder, my halibut cheeks-yum, AB's grilled halibut with peach salsa, a chocolate melting cake...) then headed out for a walk afterwards when we saw that it was right about bedtime. We were paying the sitter afterall... she could have the joy that is bedtime in our house.
While out on our walk AB found himself helping carry a wheelchair bound woman up the dock stairs. They had been out on one of the local dinner cruises and could not get the chair (with elderly woman in it) up. Who knows what they woud have done had AB not just happened to have been there. When she was safely on dry land we continued our walk. We laughed as the people said, "oh you were just out for a walk? We thought you were with the cruise company here to help this time since going down was so bad!" The thought of them getting this about 90 year old woman down the dock stairs was frightening.
We walked a little further and I got a huge kick out of seeing in the windows of an ongoing wedding. It was fun watching the toasts, seeing the cake, the bride... but what killed me was the big screen TV in the back with football on. Killed me. I told AB I wanted to go in and tell the staff to turn off the TV for the poor girl's toasts... and then help myself to a slice of cake (because evidently my chocolate melting cake had settled just enough).
We finished our walk and returned home to find the babysitter on the couch reading my American Academy of Pediatrics Well Child book. I seriously have loads of good reading material (like two months worth of magazines on my coffee table) and this is what she was reading? I like her devotion to her work! Our other babysitter looks forward to the kids being down so she can go through my Food And Wine magazines...
Sunday we took our time getting up and out. That afternoon we went over to K&V's for dinner. Leif talked all day about visiting C. He was even way too excited to sleep. Normally that is a good way to get him to sleep, "you get to go see 'X child' after you nap!" Yeah, not this time. I revelled in/wanted to move into K&V's newly painted Master bedroom. AB, for the first time since moving into our house, has thoughts of painting our Master. It is the one room he could have cared less about to this point.
Monday AB tackled green chili. It was a day long project seriously. But the end product? Fantastic. I played with the kids most all day and worked on readying the house for book club when I could.
Yes, book club. It was last night and I hosted for the book 'Little House in the Big Woods'. And yes, I did trip one person up who read instead, 'Little House on the Prairie'. It was a small gathering on our patio to discuss the book that most of us read as a child. I was pleased that I got everything out and on the table in time (thank you AB). AB bent over backwards taking care of the kids while I chatted it up. I did bruschetta and some other little things for appetizers and then AB made crepes (on Sunday - I froze them) for dessert. They went over quite well.
That brings us to Wednesday... or so my computer tells me. Still not sure how that happened. I have tonight to get AB and I packed for the long weekend in Oregon. I have Leif and Skadi packed, though I need to put 3 pairs of pants in Leif's suitcase and Skadi's two new pairs of Robeez in. (Sigh... she actually has three new pairs of Robeez - thank you online sale.) I have a box of snacks, lunch stuff, and baby food. Leif needs to pack his "pack pack" of toys he wants to bring. Then tomorrow after AB gets off work we are off!
We are driving about 2/3 of the way to Portland Thursday night. Staying on the Hood River and then getting up and going to the falls. After that we head into Portland to meet my mom and stepdad. The zoo on Saturday, Ikea Saturday afternoon while Leif (and AB) nap, Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Any reasonable health food store on the way out on Sunday. Shopping and hanging out and eating in between everything else! I can't wait!
Have a good week/weekend all. Catch up with you next week!
Monday, September 03, 2007
How I know I have been watching too much HBO
When my dreams turn to our second wife, Anna Faris, not properly cooking the salmon.
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