One Week

It took one week to regrow the skin on my pinkie finger. Today I have the tiniest little scab where there was an open 3/4 wound last Thursday morning. It was actually very interesting to watch the skin grow back from the outside in. I generally forget to keep cuts covered and neosporined like I should, so I usually end up with a big scar. This time I actually kept on top of it and got to watch the skin knit itself back together day by day. Skin is pretty cool stuff.

Ice Cubes

T enjoys removing and replacing things from boxes, drawers, and whatever else he can get his hands on. After dinner tonight, he wanted my soda cup. Since we were outside I just threw the ice cubes on the ground and gave him the cup to play with. He took the cup, went and rescued an ice cube and spent the next 10 minutes (until it melted) putting into and removing it from the cup.

10 (or more) things, the graduation edition

1. Aside from the hideously boring 'read every graduate's name' part, an Annapolis graduation is very cool.

2. Everything is more impressive in uniform.

3. My cousin is really, really tall. Even in a sea of tall, uniformed men, he's tall.

4. The Annapolis class of 2008 contained 20.1% women. This surprises me.

5. The most important thing I learned this weekend was to "not kiss unimportant ass." This is good advice I will have to remember.

6. T was outrageously good this weekend. His nap and sleep schedule was really screwed up and he was very rarely cranky. A long sleep last night (over 12 hours) seems to have returned the balance.

7. T is obsessed with doors. Opening and closing. Closing and opening. You'd think there was some kind of baby door crack.

8. My family rocks and I miss them all the time.

9. It's nice to get home from a trip on Saturday night of Memorial Day weekend. It's like we have a bonus weekend. The weather was gorgeous today and T discovered the joy of playing in water in the backyard. We have some great naked as a jaybird post-soaking pictures on the patio. He is so freaking cute.

10. Watching T put himself to sleep lately is like particularly good performance art. It generally involves lots of butt-in-the-air rocking and singing. It is especially fun to reenact these performances for your husband after the baby is asleep.

11. A safety razor can slice the crap out of your finger, even through a plastic bag.

12. When applying sunscreen for an outdoor graduation ceremony, it's important to remember where your hair is parted.

10 things

1. Sometimes I wish I had T's lack of fear. Today, I spilled scalding hot coffee all over my hand at Barnes and Noble. Once I made sure I didn't get T, I set about trying to clean up after myself and let the staff at the cafe know what I had done. T, on the other hand, splashed about in the coffee puddle and said "Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh."

2. In the past 2 weeks, I have had two separate people guess that I was 16 years old. Really? Looking young is a great thing, but 16 is no compliment.

3. My mothering instincts have taken me places I never expected. The other day I was changing T's diaper, when he grabbed the poopy one and flung it over to the changing table. The perfect little turd that was inside landed right next to his head. I grabbed the thing with my bare hands to keep him from rubbing it all over his head. It wasn't until I had restored calm to the situation that I realized I had just grabbed poo with my bare hands. Ew.

4. T discovered today that his wiener is much more interesting that a book about farm animals.

5. Someday, he'll discover this blog and be mortified.

6. I won't much care.

7. Packing to go anywhere these days is a mini series. The days of carrying on and worrying about meals when we get to the airport/car are over.

8. We go there so often that the people at Chik-Fil-A now know T on sight. Come back sun!

9. I really miss having close girlfriends. My mom's group is great, but I want someone I can call at noon and ask to meet me for lunch and a trip to Target boutique at 1 pm.

10. I'm signing us up for swimming lessons this summer. I realize it's probably a big early, but everyone out here has a pool (and there's the ocean). I want him to be comfortable in the water and learn to swim early.

Save us, purple Jeebus

I have been hearing about the purple Jesus prayer rug on the internet and from friends. Hallelujah, we finally received a Jesus prayer rug of our very own today from "Saint Matthews 57-Year-Old Church." You assure me that if I pray on my fancy paper prayer rug for 24 hours (or just put it under my bed) and then send it back to you with my seed gift, my prayers will be answered. I'm pleased to see that among the prayers that purple Jesus will answer are "Confusion in My Home, A New Car, and a Specific Amount of Money." My home is certainly not confusing enough. Not only that, you've thoughtfully provided me a postage paid envelope to send in my gift. Because the world's money is the devil's money, I am sending my envelope filled with earthly treasures, soil from the earth so you can plant my seed gift.

I tried and tried to see Jesus's eyes opening and looking into my own, as you promised on my prayer rug. Alas, purple Jesus won't look at me! Perhaps it's because I've angered him by opening my sealed prophecy before returning the holy rug. Be assured that I will follow your other directions and return the rug within 24 hours, since, "These next 24 hours are crucial to (me). Timing is important to God." I can only pray that purple Jesus will bless me with a "Big 6 Room House" like he did for Mrs. T.F. in Texas. Please send me my 2 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch "beautiful, blessed, Prosperity Cross." Please send my purple Jesus to "another family that's in need of a blessing." And finally ... Shame. On. You.


For more on the purple Jesus head scam, see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

In case you can't tell

The shirt says "Mr. Happy"

I (sort of) miss grad school

Grad school holds the unique place in my life where I felt the smartest and the stupidest. After my first few days, I was convinced that the admissions committee must have switched my application for someone else's. I spent the next 2 years wondering how I had gotten lucky enough to study with and learn from these brilliant people. I also finished up feeling like I created the best scholarship I will likely ever produce.

My life today certainly doesn't provide the highs or lows of those sleep deprived years. I miss feeling like my brain was stretching every day. At the end of the day, I'm craving conversation that doesn't have to do with bodily functions, food or developmental milestones. I hope that taking classes again will fill the brain function void I'm currently experiencing.

A word problem

As I mentioned earlier, we planted our vegetable garden yesterday. Ry bought a soil test several weeks ago to see if our dirt was pH balanced. Yes, I know it seems geeky, but we've had a heck of time getting grass to grow here on the homestead, so we're trying knew things. Anyhow, we didn't get around to actually testing the soil in my garden until today. (Cue ominous music.) If you garden at all, you probably know that tomatoes like slightly acidic soil. The soil in my garden was about an 8.5 (7.0 is neutral for those of you who don't remember or slept through high school chemistry). The pH scale is logarithmic, which means that 8.5 is ten times more basic than 7.5. Anyhow, my garden is at the wrong, wrong, wrong end of the scale.

Generally, when your dirt is imbalanced, you would mix in some stuff with the "native" soil to achieve the correct balance. Yeah ... should've tested the soil earlier. So, do I ...

a.) Dig up my plants, mix in some garden sulfur and replant.
b.) Buy some fertilizer and soil additive and sprinkle it around the plants, water well, and hope for the best.
c.) Do nothing. I'm screwed. My tomatoes will once again suck this year.

And to your right ...

I have a few links on my blog for sites that I read most days. My most recent addition my former course director's blog, First Efforts. She's a professor chick who specializes in visual rhetoric. She has some really interesting insights about what pictures tell us. I've really enjoyed reading it, especially this political season. Also, she has a great sense of humor.

Garden and the gnome

The first year we planted a vegetable garden, it grew beautifully. We had tomatoes coming out our ears and zucchini the size of our arms. I couldn't eat any of it of course, since I was puking 3 times a day ... but no matter. Last year I was excited for a repeat performance since I could enjoy the fruits of our labor. Alas, aside from a few handfuls of grape tomatoes, our garden was largely a bust.

This summer, I bought our veggie sprouts from the nursery we used the first year and bought a garden gnome to bring us good garden luck. I have to assume that since they're called "garden" gnomes, our little guy will bring us a bountiful harvest. Plus, he's carrying a frog and I like frogs.

Teaching him the important things

As part of teaching T his body parts, I'll do something silly when he correctly identifies a given part. For example, he gets tickled when he locates his belly. He gets his head rubbed when he finds his head. When he shows me his feet, I'll sniff them and say "pee-ewe, stinky feet." He thinks this is hysterical. Today he kept trying to say "pee-ewe." At least he's learning the important things for life. Banana and pee-ewe ... what else does a kid need to know?

Nom nom nom

Darn, if only I had more than 4 teeth.

Sippy Cup (and Shoe) Retention

I have to wonder what my sippy cup turnover is going to be by the time T is finished with them. I'm forever finding his sippy cups in new locations (like the ottoman, tupperware drawer and under various pieces of furniture). During naptime, I go searching for lost sippy cups since finding one with milk in it after a few days is truly revolting.

We also almost lose a shoe every time we go grocery shopping. Today I was in line at customer service to see if his shoe had been turned in when I saw it peeking out from under one of the produce bins. Babies would be much cheaper if you could hang onto the stuff you buy.

Crayons, or why I should trust my instincts

During the big evening out, one of the other moms was talking about the art projects her 10 month old son brings home from day care. I asked, with incredulity, what kind of art projects a 10 month old can make. She told me about finger paints and paint blobs.

I though T was a little too young for paints and crayons and art projects, but then I thought, if a 10 month old can do it, certainly my 13 month old can too. I went to Target and bought these beginner crayons. The packaging says they're for 12 months and older. All the commercials show babies delightfully coloring away, chubby little hands grasping the fat end. I even asked Ry to bring home some big paper from work so we would have a large space to work on.

So this morning I opened the crayons and laid out the big paper in the middle of the kitchen floor. Now, here's where I should've trusted my first instinct.

It. Was. A. Disaster.


First off, T was far more interested in trying to bite the heads off the crayons than using them. I spent a good 7 or 8 minutes just getting him to hold the darn things the right way. Joy! He actually made a few marks on the paper ... with the paint on the sides of the crayon holder. Then he thought it would be great fun to run around the kitchen marking on everything except the giant paper in the middle of the floor. Dishwasher, walls, floor, it didn't matter as long as it wasn't paper. I finally had enough when he plopped his little butt right in the middle of the paper and proceeded to wriggle around in every way he could think of to wrinkle the paper. Maybe we'll try again when everything doesn't go directly into his mouth.

Wii!! MarioKart!

Ry went and picked up his reserved copy of MarioKart for the Wii this morning. We've been playing ever since. This is probably the only video game that we own that I'm more excited about than him. We used to play this game for hours during the infamous summer. Tomorrow, back to being a grown up. We sure had fun today though.

Thoughts from cat

So, there I am, minding my own business on my favorite couch cushion. I've already been reduced to begging for the "food" to be refilled today. Then, I turn around and the big woman is coming at me with a hose attached to the giant sucking box. As if the daily humiliation I have to endure at the hands of the little one isn't enough. The next time she takes off her wedding ring, I'm eating it. I'm not giving it back until they take that vile thing back to the hospital.

Love currency

T really likes to feel our teeth. I assume this is because he's only got the 4 and they're new toys, so he wants to know how ours feel. Yesterday, we were sitting on the floor and he was feeling my teeth. I'm not sure how it got started ... I would let him feel my teeth and then when he started poking my gums, I'd close my mouth tight so he couldn't get his little fingers in. Then he'd grab my face and give me a big slobbery kiss. Then I'd let him feel the teeth again. This must've gone on for 15 or 20 minutes. Maybe it's wrong to barter for kisses, but I'd do it again.

Feelings of inadequecy

I went out this evening with several of the mothers from my mom's group. For the most part, I had a great time. I left a little early so I could stop and get a pedicure and enjoyed the first part of the dinner very much. Then came the inevitable mommy comparisons. Keep in mind that these are driven women who are college educated (often at the master's or JD level). These are women who expect the best of themselves and those around them. Their juniors take gym class, attend daily library activities, do art projects and participate in music class.

Several of the moms actually discussed how it was unfair to kids not to attend preschool for several years before kindergarten because they'd be so far behind. I'm not sure if we can afford preschool in a few years. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I know we can't afford $165 for 10 weeks of music class.

Here I was thinking that it was enough that T was happy and healthy. I realize it does no good to compare, but I can't help wondering if T isn't talking yet because he's not getting the proper stimulation. I'm just not one of those mommies who can give running commentary all day like you're supposed to ("Look T, it's a truck. What color is the truck? The truck is red. Look T, there's a bug. What do you see? Do you see the rock? No, baby, we don't eat rocks.") Unfortunately, I think I'd truly be a babbling idiot by the end of the day. I tried it a couple of times, but it's just unnatural. We talk about things when they're relevant.

How much of a leg up do these activities really provide? Am I stunting him in some way? My kid really likes to eat mulch right now. We're working on identifying his legs and telling his ears and head apart. How much better will he develop in "separation class" (seriously, you do an activity with your child and then leave halfway through to get them ready for preschool)? Just when I was finally feeling like I had this mommy thing under control I realize that there's always something new to worry about.

Dirt and a 13 month old

It doesn't seem to matter how often I wipe his hands and face. Nor does it matter if we aren't even in a dirty place. T will find the dirtiest thing around, put his hands in it, and likely try to eat it. I can't tell you how many times I've said "No baby, we don't eat rocks" today. He can be sitting completely still (a rare occurrence), and the dirt will leap onto him. Dirt hides in every little baby crevice, behind each ear, and under his fingernails. Dirt: thy home is baby.

Awesomeness

After many weeks of craigslist stalking, I finally secured a large climber for T. We were doing yard work outside and I came in and happened to refresh the craigslist page and the listing for this little beauty was the first on the list. The woman we bought it from said she had at least 3 other emails shortly after I emailed (15 minutes after the listing posted). Anyhow, we picked it up for a quarter of the retail price. Wahoo!!!!

There is also a picture of it loaded into the Pathfinder last night. Ry had a lot of pride in this load in. Yeah for an engineering degree.

Also, a picture of T "helping" us to clean it up. He had a blast. We had to strip him down to his diaper for naptime, he was soaked.