Classic Rock Baby

Changes

2009-06-29T08:56:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, I got CRB to give up his bottle. For everyone passing judgment, yes, this was past age 32 months, years later than his peers. Whatever. My kid drank lots of (soy) milk and was happy to start and end his days that way. One evening I told him all his bottles were really dirty and he'd need to drink his milk colder than he was used to, and out of this sippy cup with a straw. I felt like mean liar, and he said "O.k., mom." He's not asked for one since.

About a week later, we decided that instead of buying another crib, we'd at least try to see if CRB would be o.k. in a regular bed. I discussed with him that he could have daddy's old big boy bed that Granddad Ed and Grandmama Nancy bought daddy when he was a boy. He seemed interested in the concept, so I spent a week trying to pick out a comforter, sheets, etc. that would go well with the racing theme and colors of his nursery. One night about 8 p.m. in about 10 minutes, ToolMan and Kyle disassembled the crib/toddler bed, and put the full-size bed together. He talked immediately about how he loved the size and pillows, the color of the comforter (red with white and navy) and the surf board sheets. He went right to sleep, with no problems that night or any other.

Thursday of last week, I decided it was (beyond) time try potty training. We had not tried to do this with him except for two informal bribes of using the potty, near the turn of the year, but Thursday was the day. I tried the one-day potty method, where you get a drink and wet doll and for two hours or so get the kid to teach the doll to use potty. Once the kid seems to understand the concepts, you move on to the kid using the potty. Important to CRB was the idea of the big boy underwear and the idea that Thomas, Handy Manny or Diego did not want any pee or poop on them so he'd need to use the potty. Tinkling the potty the very first time was INSANELY hard for him, but once he did it, the only hard part has been agreeing that it might be time to go try again. This weekend, ToolMan decided that CRB needs to go about 1/5 as frequently as his pregnant mom so we are having a much less frustrating time now that I am not trying to push him every 30-45 minutes. Accidents have become really rare. Perhaps in a week or so I will be ready to proclaim him totally potty trained.

Get On Your Boots v. 2

2009-05-28T00:24:00.002-05:00

Classic Rock Babies

2009-05-01T22:55:00.004-05:00

Yes, Classic Rock Babies... CRB is going to be a big brother this fall.

I am still not quite sure how this happened. I did see those after-school specials, so I do *know* but I still don't quite understand. Perhaps it is the years of fighting the unexplained infertility diagnosis, but this whole thing seems quite surreal, even as I feel this baby kicking, and as strangers comment on my tummy.

Know-it-all types would say "Well, it's because you were not trying." Perhaps, but here was my three step process to how this happened:

1. Stopping taking those pills about 4-5 months prior to conception.

2. God's sense of humor

3. and the fun part.

Throw in there giving away most of my maternity stuff and a lot of baby stuff in late December and there you have it! An OB appointment in February instead of a GYN appointment.

If everything keeps going well with the pregnancy, I am planning to take a leave of absence. I was actually strongly considering doing this anyway, but there's nothing like months of morning - really all day sickness, an expanding waistline, a demanding toddler, and the knowledge of the exciting, but complete upheaval that another family member will add to my current lack of ability to do anything well, to firm up a decision.

Wish us luck, and keep us in your prayers!

Just Talking

2009-03-18T20:50:00.002-05:00

CRB is becoming more of a talker, which as his fairly outgoing mom, I am definitely okay with this (I hope) trend.

Two days ago, when entering the Strasburg Children's outlet store, he squealed with excitement and said "Look Mommy!! Doll clothes!" If you've been there, it really is like doll clothes for babies.

This afternoon, when I was driving the uberwagon, CRB said "Watch out everybody! Mommy's coming!" Heh... enough said there.

"... a priest, a rabbi, and a quaker..."

2009-03-13T21:17:00.008-05:00

Sounds like the beginning of a good joke or a decent blog post.

Lately, with what all has been going on in the Classic Rock Household, Toolman and I have been in need of something, but I don't know what, and I think we've lost a great deal of perspective. Making even simple decisions seems to require inordinate amounts of time, and when things don't go as planned or get messed up a funk seems to take root. This is not normal for us.

For the last several months, several people have be telling me wonderful things about my son. Things every mom wants to hear. Some statements have been extreme, so much so that I find it hard to believe anything those individuals say. Is this flattery or is it something I need to act on? Does he really need to move on to the three year old class now? He's even registered to start "terrific twos" in August. A phone call about this came from out of the blue Monday. Perhaps the hardest church school to get admission to (unless you are a member of course) offering a spot in the threes for fall. Is this some sort of sign from God? So many different people telling me the same thing, but yet, I don't believe it. Toolman summed up my thoughts by saying "That's fine, but I want to see his SAT scores."

And so, he's staying with his group. So what if he can read some? So what if his "art" and hand-eye coordination is out there compared to his contemporaries. Why would I make him be the smallest and most behind in his class? Why can't he just stay being be the smallest and most capable?

As his mom I think the fact that he got sent to time out for the very first time a week ago after seven months in preschool, does not show that he is obedient or advanced, but that maybe now he's just feeling comfortable enough at school to misbehave.

So am I missing it? Have I been sent a priest, a rabbi and a Quaker? This scene from the West Wing has been running in my mind all week. Perhaps the analogy is a little far fetched, but then, that's what parenting can feel like.

Gardening with a Toddler?

2009-03-06T12:27:00.003-06:00

This weekend I really want to introduce CRB to gardening. Anyone who enjoys dirt so much should be a natural. Here's some links I am checking out:

Get On Your Boots

2009-03-04T23:09:00.004-06:00

Here at the CRB house, we are very excited about the new U2 album. Lately, CRB has had a surge of interest in music. At the moment, Arrested Development's Mr. Wendal is his most requested tune followed by the obnoxious but kool Baha Men's Who Let the Dogs Out.

Yesterday, on my way to buy the U2 album, I was wondering if some Paul Simon might appeal to CRB. Sometime in the mid-80's I remember really enjoying the cassette album of Graceland. In addition to that, who doesn't love Kodachrome, 50 ways to leave your lover, Mrs. Robinson? Guess I need to buy Graceland and a greatest hit album.

Poor CRB and his wacky mom. Most kids just get to go to Kindermusik. Mine has to ride around in the uberwagon and tell me he has curly hair like Robert Plant. "Can sing like Robert Plant, mommy."

Like Father, Like Grandson

2009-01-06T16:30:00.003-06:00

The toys were awesome, but CRB's favorite part of Christmas 2008 was fishing in the basement with his grandfather, ToolMan's dad.

Continue to pray for us and ToolMan's mom. Tomorrow she is facing a brain biopsy.

Prayer Request

2009-01-04T15:36:00.003-06:00

ToolMan's mom is not doing well. Without getting into to many details, 2 days of tests, another hospital, and several specialists cannot agree on whether this is a stroke, viral meningitis, a brain tumor, or something else. Complicating factors include she is not in her home state with her regular doctors. Thankfully ToolMan was able to fly his plane down to be with his mom and dad at this time. She is undergoing more tests this afternoon.

Please keep us in your prayers, and send us all the positive thoughts you can spare.

Sodor News

2009-01-04T15:04:00.002-06:00

CRB has a lot of Thomas the tank engine toys, most of which where acquired within the last 2 months or so, with a noticeable surge coming from Christmas. I did not expect to be one of those train moms, but I am. The train set, err sets, are doing so much for him on so many levels that I constantly am encouraging train play and I freely buy him new additions. It's amazing to me what he learns almost every time he plays with them.

A few days ago I was speaking to one of my great neighbors about CRB and the trains and she said that she wanted to get some of her 11 year old son's (we'll call him Ripstick) old stuff out of the attic and bring it over for CRB. Yesterday during naptime, they brought us a several plastic cartons full, and I was excited to be able to loan Ripstick three fun PS3 games in return :)

When CRB awoke from his nap and came into our kitchen he was stoked to see James and his tender, Annie and Clarabel, Catherine and her truck, a useful engine shed, a rock tunnel, a suspension bridge, and another cargo box and box car. (Slyly I hid most of the stuff for another day...) We had a great time integrating all of these pieces onto the train table.

Later that evening, when MeMe and I were doing something else, CRB brought a basket of "tack to play, tack to play trains" to us. What was in the basket? Keep in mind that this was the basket that I had used to carry the trains stuff from the kitchen to his room earlier. Every single new piece that our neighbors had brought him that afternoon. Nothing else, none of the standard favorites like Salty, Duck or Diesel, but only the "new" stuff, just like we had played in the kitchen before.

I was really taken aback by his ability to sort his stuff (and it is a lot of stuff, too embarrassing to list), from Ripstick's stuff.
After seeing this, MeMe said that she had a better understanding of how important these trains were to him. To him, they aren't just another toy. It's an adventure, a story to act out, a possibility to build.

Library of Congress or Humpty Dumpty?

2009-01-02T10:28:00.003-06:00

CRB, the only child of two only children, has a lot of books. New books, old books, and some in between. Somehow, though I had a lot of books and ToolMan had a lot of books, we have very few repeats between us. Add into the mix books bought for CRB and you would be hard pressed to be unable to find something awesome about nearly any subject appropriate for a 2 year old.

Lately I have been in a mindset to clean up and organize and today CRB's books are on the agenda. When CRB was little my books were segregated from Toolman's. Now, all the books have moved on into another category, those of CRB. I am trying to decide how to order them. Though it's tempting to leave them where they have fallen lately (i.e. the Humpty Dumpty method of organization) I am going to try to do something better, but what I don't know. True organization is not possible with a 2 year old librarian.

Champagne Wishes

2009-01-01T20:09:00.002-06:00

Last night, ToolMan and I tried to date the bottle of champagne in the fridge. He thinks it was pre-CRB, the 2006 New Year's Eve bottle that did not seem appetizing on top of the fert. meds). I think it was post-CRB, 2007 New Year's Eve bottle bought by delusional, sleep-deprived parents of a 3 month old). Regardless, I can tell you it was good, and is still somehow bubbly for great New Year's mimosas.

Rock on 2009. 2008 was a great year, and am hopeful for a repeat.

Mega Meme

2008-12-16T21:44:00.003-06:00

1.Do you like cheese? definitely, all kinds

2.Have you ever smoked? only on a dare

3. Do you own a gun? nope, but there are some in the closet would-be burglars

4. Do you like listening to Christmas music? only during December

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? 100% unless it's with the allergist

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I feel sorry for them, people should treat their pets better.

7. Favorite Christmas song for all time? The First Noel

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? milk with a little coffee

9. Can you do push ups? is this a dare?

10. Who is your favorite Grey’s Anatomy Character? Addison

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? wedding ring

12. Favorite hobby? childcare

13. Do you eat “exotic” foods? I find Mexican food exotic

14. Do you have A.D.D.? not one bit

15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? I can be bossy

16. Middle Name? Elizabeth

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? "I need to make an eye dr, appointment" :"Wish I was at the Library Hotel" "Eclipse"

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? soy milk, wine, gift cards

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? coffee, dr. pepper, orange juice

20. Current worry right now? my parents lack of desire for receiving any Christmas gifts

21. Current hate? how the print on this screen seems too small

22. Favorite place to be? rocking my child

23. How will you bring in the New Year? champagne wishes

24. Where would you like to go? The Library Hotel in NY city

25. Name three people who will complete this? myself, Stacy, and possibly Kerri

26. Do you own flip flops? in every color

27. What shirt are you wearing? Lands' End pjs

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? nope

29. Can you whistle? only by breathing in

30. Favorite color? green

31. Would you be a pirate? nope, they're too violent

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? U2's the Joshua Tree

33. Favorite girl’s name? Ella Kate

34. Favorite boy’s name?

35. What’s in your pocket right now? no pockets

36. Last thing that made you laugh? CRB

37. Bed sheets as a child? rosebuds

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Split open my chin

39. Do you love where you live? Roll Tide!!

40. How many TV’s do you have in your house? two

41. Who is your loudest friend? no one is louder than CRB thankfully

42. How many dogs do you have? 1

43. Does someone have a crush on you? not sure

44. Do you get embarrassed easily? not really

45. What is your favorite book? it's not Twilight but I am really enjoying the series

46. What is your favorite candy? rock candy

47. Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince theme song? no

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? nothing with the pipe organ

49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? trying to sleep

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Let's go back to sleep

Christmas Cards

2008-12-15T10:35:00.008-06:00

Here's my favorite photo from our photo shoot, but oddly it is not the one I chose for our cards. Colin was unwilling to pose with CRB, so I may end up doing a few New Years cards with just Colin. After all, he's my boy too ;-)

Sunday we took photos, and I got the cards and envelopes printed. Sam's Club won my business because I was able to use an online tool to design the cards and pick them up in one hour. A side benefit was the 100 cards for $25 dollars, including premium envelopes. Since I am a geek, I have the addresses for most everyone in an Access Database, and I use Mail Merge in Word to print the return labels and addresses on the envelopes. Once I had made a few updates to the address, six minutes later I had envelopes. Now I just need stamps and Ho, Ho, Ho I am done with cards.

If anyone would like a card from us, just send me an email with your address to classicrockbaby@gmail.com

No time for

2008-12-12T12:35:00.002-06:00

Christmas cards? Since about 2003 I have really taken pride in creating a wonderful holiday photo card. For several years Colin graced the cards. The past 2 years Colin has had to share the spotlight with CRB. This year, I have no photos. Now that my grades are submitted I have time to do this but it looks like I am late for getting these printed. I guess I could print photo cards at Target again but I always am nervous about how under/over exposed my cards will be. There is a photo store in town, but gosh, I did not have any luck there last year. I really wanted to do some cards through Tiny Prints but I would need to complete the order by tomorrow. Yikes. New Years cards?? Are those cool? They don't exactly say Merry Christmas to me.

Six

2008-11-22T23:03:00.003-06:00

as my baby book remains un-updated I can at least blog this so I don't forget. CRB can count to six! When he does not know the next number he says "More?" It's too cute. Maybe I will get out a video camera before I hate myself for not having this...

Pretend cat

2008-11-18T20:22:00.003-06:00

For sometime now, CRB has been very interested in cats. We love our cat stickers on the light switches but nothing is better than the real thing. Our neighborhood is very much a dog neighborhood, but thankfully a few cats lurk in the yards nearby. CRB will shush you when we walk near the drainage culverts, hoping that if we are quiet we'll get to see a cat close up.

Tonight during dinner at DePalmas, he announced firmly that this pizz-zey (CRB for pizza) was for the cat. DePalmas is a relaxed restaurant but there is no restaurant house cat. He motioned to the cat. He shushed us and said "for the cat ... yum, yum, yum, yum ... CAT" and then proceeded to offer the imaginary cat pizza and a sip of his apple juice. He was delighted when I played along with feeding the cat, but seemed confused when I asked him what the cat's name was. He said, emphatically, "THAT CAT" with a sentiment of "silly mama" thrown in there.

I am not sure that I am really for CRB to have a pretend cat. Cats are housebroken right? Watch out Colin. There might be an imaginary cat sitting wherever our 25 month old chooses tonight.

What I should have said...

2008-10-03T21:01:00.005-05:00

It's been more than a month since my last post, and just a photo post at that. Fall semester is in full swing and things in T-town are crazy, but a crazy kind of good.

Here's a list of post titles that you should have gotten to read, if only they had been written.

"We can call it a nap mat now, at least for this one day."

"When Dr. Google and your real doctor agree, you should listen."

"My kid would lap your kid in a Power Wheels 4-wheeler race, especially with his new 'cheater motor.' "

"My dad would rather sit in the student section instead of an assigned Faculty/Staff section seat at Bama football games. Seriously, he wanted to move over to where 'the wave starts, not dies.' "

"I never knew parenting involved so much wrestling."

"It's Kelly!!" Who knew stickers could be so motivating to a preschooler.

"W.W.S.D.?" as in What would Saban do? Did I *actually* say that to motivate my students? You bet I did.

"Wonder when a team will suggest 'blacking out' the Tide again? Maybe ... never!"

"He's TWO!"

Game On - Bama beats Clemson

2008-08-31T16:32:00.003-05:00

Party Games or YouTube

2008-08-20T21:48:00.003-05:00

Tonight we witnessed CRB opening a child-proof medicine bottle, getting the medicine dropper and plunging it in, then pouring the contents on the white carpet.

I am considering buying a gun safe for my entire household contents. I promise not to lock myself inside during these "moments."

Thanks Mr. Sandman

2008-08-20T20:21:00.005-05:00

Friday during naptime Miss Amber held CRB and he was able to fall asleep for just a few minutes.

Today, his first day back, he napped again. It was for a little over half an hour and no, it was not on Miss Amber or his nap mat, but it was in a high chair that affords him a great view of everyone else sleeping. Mrs. Betty said that she thought this was a turning point and she would do the same things again and gradually move him to his nap mat.

I am hopeful that this is marking the beginning of better sleeping at preschool. He needs the rest, his teachers certainly need the break, and I need the peace of mind.

The Score

2008-08-13T01:07:00.003-05:00

CRB: 5

Naps: 0

When I arrived today, I saw my little Linus, dragging his crocheted blanket around the room. Unlike Linus though, he was sucking on the corner of his pillow, not his thumb, and all the while he was laughing and playing with the other children, not sitting in the corner with a miniature baby grand.

I was so happy with what I was seeing that while standing at the gate I began this fantasy where Miss Amber was relaying the details of a multi-hour nap, when I was interrupted by the reality (he did lie down upon the nap mat for 30+ minutes, but no sleep and then he was allowed to get up since he is not disruptive). Our conversation quickly and unfortunately attracted CRB, who is always working the room. When he saw me he joyfully yelled and pointed " MAMA! MAMA!!" but then began a major meltdown. His teachers assured me that he had not cried today, or even looked upset, until I arrived to pick him up. Then, we could not get out of the room fast enough, one shoe on,on shoe off - the other having flown off in his full-tilt boogity down the hall screaming "Dad? DAD?? DADD - E?!?!"

I am going to assume that he just remembered how much he missed his parents today, and that in his sleep-deprived state, the feeling overwhelmed him. That makes two of us.

Half full

2008-08-08T15:24:00.003-05:00

Toolman and I were impressed with the changes that we saw in CRB this week. The most obvious change is the talking. He talks more and with more words, and usually he wants something that he is trying to obtain by talking about it. The second change is that he now enjoys books more. Before, books had to have flaps, sound or textures to be at all of interest to him. Now he enjoys looking for familiar items in books, finding the item, and naming it.

Wednesday was his last day at preschool this week. He still would not nap but he did actually lay down on his nap mat. I think bringing his crocheted blanket and Ocean Wonders glow seahorse helped him. Perhaps next week he will get the hang of napping away from home.

Thursday he spent the day at home with our nanny. We were all very excited to see her and I was glad he was going to have a break at home, and I was going to have some help. Later Thursday morning we realized that CRB had developed a cold. I guess not sleeping, stealing toys that other people had in their mouths, plus eating Goldfish crackers when you are milk intolerant has a downside.

CRB is home sick with me today. We've had a good time playing with toys and watching Kerri's copy of Toy Story. He's doing just fine with the toddler bed and I am hoping it will help make him a more flexible sleeper.

Although I wish he was not sick, I think the positives of preschool outweigh the negatives. My little boy is growing up so fast. I wonder how he will change next week?

No Naps on the Campaign Trail

2008-08-05T16:37:00.003-05:00

If I were an O.M.G. kind of person this would be an appropriate time. CRB is the king of napping. It's as if he cannot relax enough to nap at preschool. After talking with his teachers I can promise that they are doing all that they can, short of putting him in with the infants in a crib, which I agree would not be appropriate.

On my way home, I decided that I needed to listen to the Montessori philosophy and remove the crib rail from the crib. Toolman had the toddler rail up as I was getting home and now CRB is passed out in what is his toddler bed now.

The Politician

2008-08-04T14:08:00.003-05:00

CRB started preschool today. Yesterday afternoon was preschool open house. We all enjoyed meeting his teachers and several of his classmates and their parents.

It turns out that CRB will be the oldest in the class, and I could not be more thrilled about that. Also of great relief was the fact that he did not come across as a stereotypical shy only child. Instead, he was exceptionally outgoing to both the children and adults. This morning when I dropped him off, he greeted everyone with big smiles and babbling. Later, when I pick him up it will be telling, but I expect that he will have had a good time today.

Yesterday, at the end of the open house while dad was in line with the notary, we made some laps of the hall and rooms. One lady, from a baby room where I had never taken CRB, called us in her room and said "That's Will, during church nursery today we decided that he is going to be a politician. He really enjoys meeting and seeing people, more than any child I can think of."

So faithful readers, weren't we thinking he'd have a stint as a Wal-Mart greeter at some point?

If he does end up in politics it seems to me that he may be into wealth re-allocation. But at this point, at least he smiles at you while he tries to steal your toys.

Wow, you never know what you might find on the Internet at 1 a.m. ...

2008-07-29T01:05:00.006-05:00

I believe this to be the *second* photo in existence with the three of us. We have got to start handing people our camera! Thanks Sara and Scott for capturing us on film (do you still call it that when it's digital?) at Ross & Leah's shower!

Ever since CRB was born, you rarely find me without a smile on my face. Maybe it's what's in the sippy cup? Well, we are Presbyterians, but it's those two guys next to me.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

2008-07-29T00:29:00.001-05:00

So as happens so many times, Stacy posts a quiz and I have to play along!

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

A distance second for me was Jasmine.

Labeling

2008-07-24T09:09:00.004-05:00

In just a few short days, CRB will be starting preschool at our church. Since the beginning of July I have been working to get him ready for this big change.

We've stepped up our church attendance to get him acclimated, and he has even made some friends. I have been working with him to clean up at home before we change activities. I have also tried to introduce him to a few new art activities and I have worked with him about playing "nice" and talked to him about feelings. Other than that, I don't have any good ideas for helping him emotionally to make the transition.

For my part in getting ready for this, it's all been about the labeling, both of the stuff and of us. (More about the stuff later). Hardest for me has been the reaction of other people about how we are "sending him" to daycare ... as if we don't love him enough for me to quit my job, have more babies, home school, and grow all our food organically in the backyard.

A reality check is in order here: CRB is the only child of two only children. This means he does not have any aunts or uncles, or first cousins. He has some more distant cousins, none of whom live down the street. While it is possible he could have a sibling, he does not have one now, none is in the works, and he needs interaction with other children and adults NOW, not 9+ months away. I don't want to say that I have big expectations for CRB related to his career, but I will say, proudly, that I hope to enable him to be whatever he wants, learn about whatever interests him, and attend school wherever he can. For him to even have a chance at doing that, I recognize a need in him for some interaction and experiences we cannot provide for him at home (even if I quit my job, had more babies, home-schooled, and learned to farm.)

The rest of this getting ready has been the acquisition of stuff, none of which I knew about until recently.

First up, the nap mat. Thankfully, I opted on asking a co-worker dad (and fellow church member) about the nap mat. I was preparing to buy one of those red and navy kindermats when I got his email about how everyone gets a nice cloth mat, monogrammed, that is sent home for washing on Friday. Randy then told me where to buy it and where to have it monogrammed with the child's name. We found a great nap mat with an open wheel car print. I monogrammed a patch I made (red with yellow lettering in a very Tifoisi (Ferrari) font) and stitched it to show when the mat is rolled for storage.

Next up, sippy cup labeling. In real life, CRB's name is quite common, so I ordered some of these neat bands (think Lance Armstrong Live Strong or ONE campaign bracelets) with his first and last name.

It is also recommended that you label clothes and other items. For that I found a place that makes labels with his name woven. Most of the looms for this seem to be in Europe, but I found a place able to do the labels with a 3 week lead time. While I was ordering those, I also ordered plenty of impermeable stickers with his name. I received these items yesterday, and they are great.

Lately I have been spending some time looking into what to pack for his lunch and snack. I want him to have good options for eating at school which is a little complicated by his inability to digest milk products, and the fact that he only has 8 teeth or so :)

Zoo Trip

2008-07-06T19:53:00.007-05:00

Time for a quiz. Your answer will let you know how well you know CRB.

What was CRB's favorite part of the zoo?

a. those goofy monkeys

b. the train ride

c. the gift shop

d. the drinking water fountain

e. the cougar close up

If you answered a, you got it wrong, but that would have been my guess too.

If you answered b, shame on you, the train was pretty tame and was not loud at all.

If you answered c, wrong, though the A/C was nice.

If you answered d, Good Job, you know CRB! (quick shout out: Way to go Pops!)

If you answered e, nope, but that was my favorite.

Desperately Seeking... Help!

2008-06-24T19:31:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, a harsh reality set in for me. I had been thinking that as soon as the semester was over and I was rid of the firm time commitments that I was going to have all this free time to do stuff. The reality for me seems to be that when you aspire to do less, trading it in for that hypothetical "all the stuff that I have been waiting to do", nothing really happens.

Where's this post going? To tell you that I have joined a fitness center for all the wrong reasons. Getting in shape? That would be ok. Losing weight? Well, that would be a nice side benefit. No, I joined our local fitness center for the childcare. Without a schedule, I can go and do something for me without calling a babysitter or pleading with Toolman for help.

Inspiring to this mom of a toddler

2008-06-13T00:02:00.000-05:00

Antique Mommy's This Minute. Read it if you haven't.

Painting the Nursery

2008-06-12T00:05:00.000-05:00

Yes, CRB is 20+ months and I am just now getting to this.

Follow the link to see a color chip on flickr: Yarmouth Blue

Our painter started Wednesday evening. I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

First Haircut

2008-06-11T00:10:00.001-05:00

I have been putting off CRB's first haircut for several months. He could have used one in November, definitely by January, ridiculously so by March, and by April friends and family quit remarking on how it was time.

So June 5th it was, and who better than the lovely Amanda who rid me of the purple hair to do the honors!

Weeks ago, Amanda and I discussed that one of my hang ups was that I did not want him to look any different. He's growing up so fast and that is more than enough change for me. I need him to have those baby curls in the back and I cannot handle his hair to look too structured, but at the same time I would like him to look less "hooligan."

Here's a link to a slideshow of the event. We don't have a photo of the final results because, well, by then we needed to leave the salon, but he looks absolutely precious, and he still has some curls.

Helter Skelter

2008-06-10T15:12:00.002-05:00

As covered by U2 not the Beatles...

I have so much to catch you up on, CRB's first haircut, joining the fitness center, a trip to the pool, my "switch" to a Mac, and so on.

So be excited, a post a day for awhile.

First up: the haircut.

Good Times

2008-05-22T20:34:00.003-05:00

CRB is almost 20 months. I really have to work on (get started on actually) his baby book, but in lieu of that, here are some things in which he is expressing a great deal of interest:

play-doh
the Backyardigans
soccer balls
pouring water from one container to another
dogs and cats
saying new words, but only if it is his idea.
peas
plants
using his sense of smell
rocks

Old School

2008-05-12T22:25:00.008-05:00

CRB has been to the doctor (not vet actually) for the second time in ten days.

Today after a very serious examination, our awesome Dr. D revealed that CRB is suffering with a cold which he expects to continue for the next ten days. Apparently my kid has never really had much of a cold before because this is a new level of misery for him (... and the rest of us.)

Entertaining CRB indoors is pretty hard. This afternoon, I got out two of my old toys for him.

First up was the Fisher-Price School Days desk. This is the one with the magnetic chalkboard and letters, the slider bins for storage, and the cards for spelling out words like TREE, NEAT, DOG, etc. The only reason I do not leave this out for CRB is that the letters are very small and do not pass the choking gauge test. Courtesy of some seller on ebay here's a photo:

Second up was my awesome circus train. He loved the toot toot sound and all of the animals. This is another toy that I put up and away from his reach. Today was the first time he got to play with it and he was very excited. Again the "new" choking hazard test indicates that people are too small. I also worry about him breaking animal parts off and swallowing those. Thanks again ebay for the awesome photo resource that your sellers provide:

Fisher-Price needs to bring out new classics of these like they are doing the telephone, tv, and clock. CRB does not really enjoy new toys like he does empty boxes, plastic cups, sticks, rocks or orbital sanders, but he seems to have a thing for these toys of his mama.

Addison's Trash Can

2008-04-30T20:31:00.007-05:00

I am pretty sure that if you added up Toolman's lifetime medical bills and compared the sum to Colin's lifetime bills, Colin would be the "winner". Monday, Colin added to his extraordinary total with another vet visit.

Sunday, during my mommy-cleanup-a-thon that happens as soon as CRB is tucked in every night, I noticed that Colin was chewing something but I assumed it was a rawhide. On my next trip back through, I found that Colin was choking. Getting closer I realized that he was trying to eat the pork chop bone. I was able to remove it, and next I stuck my finger very, very far down his throat and I retrieved more pork chop bone.

Though I had just taken out the kitchen garbage, I did that too late. Earlier that evening we had pork chops. Toolman is a good cook but I was not able to finish mine. I guess the pork did not get wasted because during CRB's night-time routine, Colin got the pork chop out of the kitchen trash can.

Monday morning Colin began throwing up, and unusually rejected his breakfast. As dogs cannot digest pork, I became very worried, so after a call to the vet, we made the 70 mile trip. Our vet x-rayed Colin and the x-ray revealed that there was some object that was not poop in his lower intestine. This was good news, and the vet said since it had made it that far, it should make it's way out. Colin was not showing any signs of pancreatitis, so our doctor thought Colin would be fine.

I don't know how many times Colin has scavenged through the garbage since CRB was born but Sunday night will be the last time. I don't know how he manages to open the pantry door, or if he has just lucked out with it not being completely shut, but I have a new challenge for him.

When I told Toolman that our trash can has a website, he said "That's disturbing." But it's less disturbing than a yorkie eating most of a pork chop, bone and all.

Not Pictured

2008-04-23T20:48:00.004-05:00

This afternoon, CRB had a good time using the garden hose to water the flowers and plants in the planters on our front porch. I decided that I needed to get the camera so that I could take some pictures and video of this, so I quickly stepped in the house to grab my camera. As the camera did not have a camera card, I had to take an extra few seconds to put one in the slot.

I was not gone very long, but long enough for CRB to decide to come inside and find me. Camera in hand, I entered our front hall to see CRB standing there, on the oriental rug, garden hose in hand, and yes, the hose was running... What followed: some laughter, 5 large bath towels, the taking of the rug out to hang it on the brick wall to dry, and a quick call to my mom to tell her what "her" grandson did.

I wish I had pictures, but then that is how this started.

Sidewalk Chalk

2008-04-22T20:38:00.005-05:00

CRB has really started to enjoy doing things. This is exciting for me, because since 2002, I have been eagerly anticipating playing with my child.

Sara, a former student of mine and now fellow church member, introduced him to sidewalk chalk during a cookout at her house. Sara is an awesome person, someone with whom it's always fun to spend time - she is full of smiles and joy. I had no idea that he'd find sidewalk chalk fun, but she did!

We've already worn out our first set of Dollar General sidewalk chalk. When my parents were visiting a few weeks ago, my dad got him to mark on some 1x1 wood scraps. CRB thought making chalk covered sticks was fabulous. Later, the cozy coupe became like a BMW "Art Car" once he covered it with various scribbles in multiple colors. If CRB turns out to have talent, or even interest, in art, his paternal grandmother will be excited, and no doubt relieved that he can be interested in something without internal combustion. But as he is the kid who tries to hug the leaf blower, we'll have to see...

He still does not seem to have a firmly established hand preference. He'll take the chalk in either hand that he finds handy and he will make line marks, straight and squiggly. He likes for me to make big recognizable shapes like squares, hearts, and hold your breath here ... "Balls!" ... otherwise known as circles to you and me. Toolman was more impressed with my Bono-headband COEXIST inspired graffiti, but to each is own...

Perhaps if CRB is feeling better tomorrow afternoon we can make some use of our new tiny splurge: Crayola-brand sidewalk chalk.

Peace out.

Go, Go, Go!

2008-04-15T21:28:00.004-05:00

Crazy Cozy Coupe

2008-04-14T20:46:00.005-05:00

One day soon, I will lose interest in the Cozy Coupe, but that day is not here so let me regale you with some current and past events. Photos not yet available...

Upon awakening at a very rock and roll time of 10:30 a.m. (we are not rock star parents, he went to bed at 7:40 p.m.), CRB's first mission was to find the Cozy Coupe. It did not matter that it was only 50 degrees. As CRB's mom,I had anticipated this, and I had him dressed in layers. After about an hour, I decided that we would just have to bring it inside. CRB pushed it around and finally took my cue of "Let's play drive in movie. I know that you've never been to one, well neither have I, but Look! It's a new episode of the Backyardigans! Please for Mommy, watch TV, for just a few minutes so that I can change clothes for work, please!"

Fast forward to this evening after dinner and some errands when the CRB impressed Toolman with his ability to push it around the house, and next with his plea for help in rolling it upside down so he can check out the underneath. And again, roll it back over Daddy.

I am thrilled that he is enjoying it so much. I remember seeing Cozy Coupes as a kid, and really, really wanting to check one out. Today during a moment of free time I decided to research the history of the Cozy Coupe and solve the mystery as to why my friends and I did not have one with which to play. It turns out that the Cozy Coupe was introduced in 1979 when it won a toy of the year award. By 1979, I was already 6, which is on the old side for one...

Did you know that in 1997, 313,000 Cozy Coupes were sold in the US, and 100,000 in Great Britain. You didn't? Check out this informative piece from the NY Times: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E3DF133BF932A15753C1A96E958260

Cozy Coupe

2008-04-10T12:19:00.003-05:00

I am pretty interested in getting a Cozy Coupe for CRB, even if the neighbors don't throw one out. I do question my judgment on this because we did return little Ella's fire truck coupe after borrowing it only for a day because CRB was so rough on it.

Is this inevitable with fearless CRB?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S7z9ZeLOZQ&feature=related

It looks as if he'd have years of enjoyment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mp_cIceZQg&feature=related

Dear Neighbors:

2008-04-09T15:39:00.001-05:00

The entire Classic Rock family has come up with a list of some things that we would like you to throw out, since you all seem to be in that mindset.

From CRB:
1) a cozy coupe
2) any kind of ball

From ToolMan:
1) a rotary screw air compressor
2) a backpad style blower to help make yard work easier since we actually do our own and most of you folks don't. (OK that was really mine...)

From Leslie:
1) chairs for the porch, preferably in that black plastic wicker
2) a classic Mini Cooper

Thanks in Advance!
Leslie

My Neighbors Are Crazy

2008-04-08T20:21:00.008-05:00

I guess one of the perks of living in a nice neighborhood is the fact that your neighbors buy and throw out a lot of nice stuff. Yesterday, we may have gotten what will be our best find ever, but before I show it to you, here are some of our other finds.

One very used basketball goal. It needed a new net which I got for $1.76 at W-M. I know that the net is huge but CRB thinks it is just great.

Next up, a very used Big Wheel. CRB carried this home himself when he was about 14 months. That should tell you how determined he was.

Yesterday's first find: some very cute ride ons, sized perfectly for toddlers:

And now, the holy grail of all neighbor trash finds. A Kettler trike. No kidding. Sitting on the trash can out at the curb on trash day. The handlebars were 30 degrees cocked, but after 15 seconds of Toolman and a wrench we have this:

This one is missing the oh so awesome pushbar, the sand bucket, as well as the seatbelt. My guess is our neighbors just did not install the accessories... We have a similar trike, (not as nice but with the pushbar, seatbelt and sand bucket) so I am going to find a good home for this one. Who would throw this out? To me a $189 trike is not a disposable item... like those other things I picked up!

Tell me ...

2008-04-03T22:02:00.006-05:00

... that is it not worth $14.95 to have greater control over layout, larger images and time-released posting...

http://classicrockbaby.typepad.com/classic_rock_baby/

What could I do with the money instead?

... P.S. What do you think of my Spring-fresh design here at blogger?

Heard at my house

2008-04-03T15:52:00.005-05:00

"Ball?"

"No sweetie, that's an orange. It is shaped like a ball but it is an orange."

"Baaall?"

"No sweetie, that's a light. It is shaped like a ball but it is a light."

"Baaaaall?"

"Yes, we are passing by Charles' house where once you played with his soccer ball."

"Ball?"

"No sweetie, there is no ball in the sandbox, but I did put one in there one time."

"Baaaaaaall!"

"No sweetie that's a play tomato. It is shaped like a ball but it is a tomato."

WFMW: easy choke tester gauge

2008-04-02T15:04:00.006-05:00

My son, CRB, is one of those children who really likes to put things in his mouth, so while I am concerned about lead I am petrified of him finding a small object and choking.

Several months ago I looked for a choke test cylinder so I would be able to drop an item in to see what kind of problem it presented. I was not able to find one to purchase locally, but I did find some directions, and I attempted to make one. When looking around to find something of the right circumference to wrap my cardboard cutout around, I noticed that one of our amber colored perscription medicine bottles was almost the exact size: 2.5 inches deep with a circumference of 4.5 inches.

The only difference between the bottle and the cylinder diagram would be the bottles lack of a slope section in the bottom. That means the bottle would be a more conservative gauge than the official choke standard. I am ok with being more conservative on this one since CRB will probably have a career as a taste tester at some point in his life.

Play Food

2008-04-01T13:11:00.006-05:00

CRB is still having a lot of fun with the play kitchen. Play food seems to be very important to his play. When we purchased the first kitchen, I bought a set of Fiesta food. ToolMan and I thought CRB would have a better chance at recognizing Mexican food rather than the standard American cuisine since we eat Mexican food like it is standard cuisine. The Fiesta set was really cheap in many ways but it was a big hit and that fact now has me spending an inordinate amount of time looking at more play food.

Haba (a German company) makes some wood food that is pretty neat. I like the fact that I can be assured that it is lead free since CRB is not a picky eater and that tendency passes even to play food. My only concern is the small size of the items.

Elves and Angels sells some neat food and the average size seems larger than Haba's.

As an etsy lover, there is so much play food to crave:

Mermaid Sparkle's fruit assortment
Felt Chef's ice cream cones
Sweet confections sugar cookies with sprinkles
Look Mama Made It's veggies
I could go on and on

Last week we received the Step2 play food assortment which I am viewing as temporary food. Some of it is really neat and CRB even said "Peas!"and handed me the plastic green peas which look a lot like his favorite steamed peas, I'll admit.

I want to craft some felt food this weekend. Even if he will be able to recognize the plastic stuff and won't give my felt endeavors a second glance, I am determined to try. It's going to be tough to compete with realistic plastic food, not to mention the real marshmallows and snapeas we use.

Hold me to it readers.

Blondes Have More Fun - CONFIRMED

2008-03-26T21:38:00.003-05:00

Friday after our cookout lunch on the deck, ToolMan called his hairdresser Amanda to see what could be done about my hair as it was still a violent violet. Amanda checked with my (former) hairdresser and said that it should tone down some, but that if I wanted, she would be happy to take a shot at improving it. Her first opening was Tuesday, or I could come in right now and the former said she could put an orange rinse on it to help tone it down for the weekend. I waited until Tuesday ;-)

I was pretty nervous about the whole thing. Amanda checked my hair and said that it was in excellent condition so we had a two options: darker or lighter. She said that normally she would not feel good about highlighting the purple hair but she was willing to give it a go since mine was in good shape.

Once she was finished I have to admit I was absolutely shocked by the results. Yes, I was WAY MORE blonde than I intended but my hair looked good (and not just because it was almost devoid of the purple.) I actually scheduled a touch up and cut for 7 weeks. Could I become someone who cares about her hair? With Amanda at the helm, maybe so.

I am also considering scheduling CRB an appointment for a haircut with Amanda if that tells you anything :)

Kitchen Remodel

2008-03-25T20:34:00.008-05:00

One of my goals over spring break was to help encourage CRB to engage in more pretend play. Since the doctor kit was successful, I decided to buy him a play kitchen.

The first kitchen I bought did not work out well at all. I was excited that it was made in the USA, in nearby Olive Branch, Mississippi. That fact may have been it's best feature, as the $38 I paid for it was too much. The kitchen was created out of a few hundred snap-off injection molded pieces. No matter how hard we tried, most every detachment point featured a very sharp burr. We did assemble the kitchen in a record 1.5 hours, thanks to ToolMan's mechanical ability. Our assembly may be the best example of that play kitchen as we took some time to debur the more dangerous edges. But even with our careful assembly we decided that it would not be able to take even 10 minutes of CRB before we would be left with snap-off kitchen pieces scattered throughout our house. To my delight, Kmart graciously took our fully-assembled kitchen back.

After that bad purchase I really questioned my judgment. Is CRB too young? Is it bad that I am buying a boy a play kitchen just because I cannot bear making more car sounds with the hot wheels? Should I go with an heirloom quality, all wood kitchen that is devoid of all electronics? After all I am trying to encourage pretend play, and shouldn't I just be getting him to rely on his imagination? Does CRB (really CRB's mom) need a status kitchen like the PBK one?

At the toy superstore, CRB got to check out the grand walk-in kitchen. He loved checking out the doors, drawers and stools. Alothough the kitchen did not have any batteries installed CRB mashed buttons intently. When we started shopping for a kitchen my plan was to put it on the deck (hence the appeal of the $38 lizard lounge). We were more put off by the space needs of the grand walk in kitchen (as I did not want to just stuff it in a corner) than the price, although it seemed to be a big leap to spend 6.5 times as much.

After enough deliberation, deliberation that could have been used to solve world problems, we decided on the Step 2 Party Kitchen. There are many, many variants, but this was the one that our toy superstore had in stock, and luckily it was the one I wanted to get him. It took a little over 30 minutes to put it together, and it required 11 batteries.

CRB has completely surprised me with how much and for how long he will play with the kitchen. The first time he got to play with it I had to stop him after 55 minutes. This is the same child who cannot sit long enough to watch TV without being contained in the jumperoo and who cannot focus on a three piece puzzle for long enough to get more than one piece in place. Tomorrow we will have had it for one week and I am ready to say it has been a fabulous purchase that has really helped to change his style of play for the better. In addition to the fun with the doors and drawer, he loves the interactive experience that the battery items add.

Here are a few action shots:

The play kitchen blends nicely with my real kitchen, and since he gets so much enjoyment out of it, we'll be leaving it inside.

Easter 2008

2008-03-24T11:16:00.004-05:00

To see more click:
http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/s4mom/easter2008/?albumview=slideshow

Hello, Violet Speaking.

2008-03-21T13:19:00.003-05:00

Johnson's Bedtime Bath
The Color Purple
Prince's album Purple Rain
Strawberry Shortcake's friend Raspberry Tart
My hair

I decided to use some spring break time to get my hair highlighted. I was very clear that I wanted Jennifer Aniston highlights which would in no way be mistaken for ashy beach blonde. I ended up with neither. Apparently my hair dresser was going for some sort of honey pearl effect and what she mixed ended up tinting my hair purple. It's very nicely "spaced", but it is purple. She did do another process to counteract the purple and that helped, but nonetheless, my hair is purple. This happened Tuesday and I waited as long as I could stand to wash it.

Washing it has made it worse... I am glad that I have perspective that this is not a huge life problem but it is still not pleasant and was *actually* expensive and time-consuming (I was there for 3 hours and 40 minutes...)

She said any of the remaining violet color would be gone within a week, but she also had said that 2nd process she put me through would fix it.

Do I believe her? Is my hair going to get more purple each time I wash it? What would you do?

Name that Movie

2008-03-13T00:00:00.007-05:00

I saw this at Lauren's and Stacy's and I am determined to do something fun today, so I am participating.

Here are the rules:
1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess (if you know them all, please don’t guess every one).
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. No Googling or IMDb-ing. That’s cheating, and that’s no fun!

Here are my quotes:

1. "And now my friend the first rule of Italian driving ... What's behind me is not important." The Gumball Rally - ToolMan

2. "We better keep an eye on this one. She's tricky." Mary Poppins

3. "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day." Freaky Friday

4. "You'd rather live with that silly little fool who can't open her mouth except to say "yes" or "no" and raise a passel of mealy-mouthed brats just like her. " Gone with the Wind

5. "Let me tell you I am not a father figure. I am not a brother figure or an uncle figure or a cousin figure. In fact, the only figure I intend being is a total stranger figure." Father Goose

6. "If there's a mental health organization that raises money for people like you, be sure to let me know." As Good as It Gets

7. "You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down." It's a Wonderful Life

8. "The sportos and motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies, dickheads... they all adore him, They think he is a righteous dude." Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Wren

9. "That is so fetch" Mean Girls - Kerri

10. "So, Mr. Tipton, how could it take you 5 minutes to cook your grits when it takes the entire grit eating world 20 minutes?" My Cousin Vinny - ToolMan

Point to Ponder

2008-03-12T20:34:00.006-05:00

Do you still call it a child "safety" cover if you child removes an outlet plug cover and sticks it in his mouth?

I sound like the exhausted mother of a toddler who spent the day trying to go through all cabinets and drawers. I thought we had made some progress when last week, after being told "No" about opening some drawers, he used the knobs to climb the outside of the drawers to the snack area.

When told about these occurrences, my neighbor said "Oh, he's so smart." I think smart would be recognizing the danger when you have been told "No!" plenty of times. If we have to label him, let's say he has remarkable dexterity and poor judgment.

Up All Night

2008-03-12T10:05:00.003-05:00

10 pm, 2 am, 6:30 am

it's like having a 2 month old, except now when he's up he is a whirling dervish of destruction.

phone calls to ToolMan at work about whether lotion is toxic...

... emails about whether those AA battery boxes were empty ...

I tried sending him out on the deck with Colin but the dog is petrified of him...

That makes two of us.

Blog stuff

2008-03-09T21:05:00.004-05:00

When I was considering re-doing my blog design, one thing that was important was that my blog would render nicely on a mobile device. I probably check on my peeps (band members list) at least once or twice a day from my iTouch instead of using a real computer. CRB has not figured out that my iTouch is a tool of wonder yet, and since my laptop is in physical danger in his presence, the iTouch seems to be my main web browser now. I've told him that slamming my laptop to the ground "won't free Elmo" but he seems determined.

There are some things that I still need to improve about my design but the most important one would be spacing out my band members, so that my clumsy finger can click the links. The neon glow is a tad intense but at the moment, I am inclined to leave it

I have never gotten into bloglines. It's not that I have copious amount of free time, or that I do not agree that it is a great service, but I just enjoy going to the actual sites. For me the actual visit outweighs the wasted seconds when one of my peeps has not updated. Plus, I often re-read the posts, if a new one has not been posted. I like Stacy's blog roll at Vader's Mom. If you hover your mouse over a link you can see the date and time of the last update. I may have to give the Blog Rolling service a go very soon.

I hope you enjoy the new look as much as I enjoy visiting your sites :)

Under Construction

2008-03-08T17:27:00.008-06:00

Howdy, I am making some updates to the look of the site. All of this must be done when CRB is occupied with something else, but hopefully I can work on it again later.

*Updated*: I think I am done for now :) I would like to tweak the margins a bit but that will have to wait.

Resources I used for making the update:

Free graphics & online logo maker (site only asked for attribution) http://grsites.com/

Hexadecimal color values interactive tool http://houseof3d.com/pete/applets/tools/colors/

The "scribe" blogger template.

CRB at 17 months

2008-03-06T00:04:00.002-06:00

Hot Wheels

2008-03-04T20:40:00.004-06:00

One of ToolMan's racing buddies has a son who submitted a video to the Hot Wheels video contest and he is in the top ten. If he wins, his parents plan to let him use the money for karting, I mean college, ok well, some of both...

You can check out the videos at http://www.hotwheels.com/index_hwkids.aspx

Max's video is the one in the widescreen format. As Kerri pointed out, you can see Daddy's speed gun clocking the hot wheel action at 73.2 mph.

Good luck Max!

Visual DNA test results

2008-03-03T20:28:00.004-06:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

This web quiz was pretty fun. I liked it because all you had to do was click the picture that described the term. The teacher in me must tell you to click Read my VisualDNA to get the kool narrative description.

I would love to see your results so if you participate, give me a shout in the comments or drop me an email!

Looking for Rupees

2008-03-02T21:00:00.004-06:00

Today, in continued celebration of the coming spring, we spent some time getting our deck in better shape. Pre-CRB this would have meant that we pressure washed it, sealed the deck, planted flowers in all the pots, and fixed a lovely gourmet meal on the deck, all in about half a day. Since we are in the CRB era, all we managed to do was get all the leaves off the deck and move some stuff around.

My deck has become the final resting place for many pots and planters. Today CRB had the best time using the terra cotta pots as "stacking cups." I work hard at not hovering over my only son, trying to give him space to explore and the confidence to try things on his own. This approach does have its downside, in the sense that he will have a few more scrapes, pinched fingers, and phenomenally dirty clothes. Today it also meant that we had a deck that needed to be re-swept and blown off.

I am pretty sure that next week, I won't be thinking about the extra laundry and broken terra cotta, but the memories of CRB playing with the pots, enjoying the feel of dirt, and the magic of rocks.

March!

2008-03-01T14:34:00.005-06:00

There are so many things to love about March!

Presented in no particular order, here are some things I am excited about this March:

March Madness - I don't regularly watch basketball, but when the Sweet Sixteen starts I am interested.
Spring greening - goodbye bare trees and brown grass! Today it is a lovely 70 degrees. No ice scraping needed.
Colin's birthday.
Daylight savings time is in a week!! How I love more daylight in the evening. I think it is an incredibly fair trade for getting up "earlier."
St. Patrick's Day - what's not to love about a day when everyone is Irish.
This year an early Easter. Growing up Baptist as I did, Easter Sunday has a very special meaning for me. In our Baptist tradition Easter was a more important holiday than Christmas.
Spring Break for our university! Enough said there :)
Formula One begins. I wonder if my tot will be one of those who can name the drivers by mere sight of their helmets.
Mandy will have both babies home. I am so very happy for my friend!
Kerri begins a new, exciting phase in her life. I am proud of her for making these big changes.

What is your favorite part of March?

A Southerner Deals with Frost

2008-02-28T11:07:00.003-06:00

for your amusement, here's the content of my email to ToolMan this morning in reply to how he has potentially found a battery for my uber-wagon.

"hey that is really great about the battery for my car. I agree one of those has to be the right one.

I miss my fancy-garaged VW. This morning it was 25 and the Excursion was frosted over. I did get the Excursion to crank but it was not making any heat fast (meaning in like 15 sec) and the wipers were ineffective at the frost. I did not think I could scrape without a ladder and it was already 7:35 by this point.

I got the garden hose out to put some water on it (I did not think it was cold enough to crack the windows so I decided to go for it.) A little water came out of the hose but then the hose quit flowing. Then I realized that I forgot to leave the wipers on, and now it was ICED over and I had no more water... before it just seemed like I did not have good visibility, now I really didn't. I ended up taking mom's car which we had put in the garage and telling her to check the hose in case I turned it the wrong way and not righty-tighty and it was still on when it thaws later... "

Color with Me

2008-02-27T22:45:00.000-06:00

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors.

You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius.

Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way.

While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme.

Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

What Color Crayon Are You?

I Hate February

2008-02-27T20:39:00.006-06:00

It's like Debbie Downer has attacked my blog!!

No other month of the year blows as much as this one. My normally manageable job goes into chaos overload. I have no idea why this happens in the spring semester and not the fall, but it does, and it does it annually.

Since I am the low person on my priority totem pole most of my needs go unmet. I think that is the lot of moms and parents in general, but I have not been doing this all that long, and I have not figured out any sort of balance.

Here's a list of some of the things that I don't have time to do:

Dentist appt. rescheduled 2x, finally called them and said "I'll call you when anyone with a pulse can keep CRB when I am not at work and your office is open."
Go to the mall and pick up my contact lens. My six month supply ran out in December... jeez ... and my eyes hurt.
Get my haircut. Last hair cut, first week in September.
Get my hair colored. Last professionally done March 21, 2007, just in time for my Grandmother's funeral. What a positive memory.
Buy some makeup. I'm out, and I have been out. I have a few hundred people who look at me every Tuesday & Thursday. Again this would be a trip to the mall where the stroller would have to cease rolling forward for at least a few minutes, so for me this is an impossible task.
Buy some clothes. When ToolMan brings it up you know I am not exaggerating my needs, or trying to follow InStyle trends. I have bought things that did not come as mail order about 3 times since CRB was born, and two of those occasions were for Christmas parties. Thankfully my maternity clothes don't fit, but my pre-CRB wardrobe is pretty pathetic, as I have not bought a lot of clothes in recent years because I was always hoping to be pregnant.
Exercise
Relax

On a positive note, at least the dreadful month of February is the shortest month of the year.

Debbie would like to add "but it is a day longer this year!"

My Celebrity Soulmate

2008-02-18T21:14:00.005-06:00

Stacy of Vader's mom always finds the best quizzes, so when I saw that she had found a new one, I rushed to check it out. This one is a lot like those quizzes from YM magazine (you know the magazine girls read before Seventeen) so I was thrilled!

I know you are dying to see my match, so without further ado:

Take the Quiz

Don't you know Meredith is fuming!!

Rehab

2008-02-17T22:50:00.004-06:00

Unlike Amy Winehouse or Britney Spears, nobody's trying to make me go to rehab. I guess the absence of drug use and the lack of alcohol abuse is keeping me out. But I would like to go. I have no idea what I would work on, but Eric Clapton's Crossroads at Antigua looks beautiful. I could talk about how I had to cut back on my C-section medicine gradually after taking it a bit too long, and how I know there are exactly two pills left. But I am thinking that is not what they mean by needing to go to rehab.

I am the sort of person who feels that it is a moral failing to complain. No one is sick, no one is dying, we don't have storm damage, but things are hard. Here's some snippets of what I remember from the week.

Last week started out O.K. enough, at church with CRB in the nursery. Due to all the sickness, ages 1-3 were together in one room. Yikes! And they were using the room that faces the playground, showcased through the large picture windows, but they won't actually go to the playground. CRB will end up screaming. Prediction: met.

Later that night I took CRB to the grocery so ToolMan could clean the carpets without CRB's assistance. Driving by the front of the store I did not see any carts with cars. As my whole plan was to entertain him but not actually shop, I circled the lot to find said kind of cart, 10+ deep in the cart return. Parking as I do uphill and far away from the cart return and other vehicles, I toted CRB with me and somehow managed to move the almost dozen carts away, freeing the car cart for our use. Ouch, is that my shoulder? Yes. Is this going to be a problem? You betcha.

I don't remember Monday. Will that count as a blackout for enrollment purposes?

Tuesday was a long day but it was made longer by an impromptu dinner engagement for ToolMan. He brought Newks home for me as a peace offering, since I actually had a dinner plan that got wacked. I think this is the evening where I began to use the heating pad with the 40 foot extension cord so that I could still move around but try to keep heat on my shoulder to loosen it up. Flashback to law school and exam prep and the inception of the heating pad with 40 foot cord.

Wednesday escapes me too. Somewhere in there I did some grading and I got ready for class Thursday. Still not great for me, but probably too productive for rehab eligibility.

Thursday was a low point. ToolMan was headed out of town for a meeting, and I had a day full of class. In my 8 a.m. class, I started feeling light-headed but I pressed on. After class, while answering student project questions, I began to notice I was gasping. Flashback to the doctor's a few weeks ago when the result of my test indicated that my asthma was not well controlled, and I say to the learned Dr. D. "but I haven't needed my inhaler in months, I do not even know where it is" and "did you see how high my pulmonary test indicated my lung function was? I am fine!" I tried to call ToolMan but I did not get him, so facing those 60 college faces still checking out Facebook on their laptops and/or playing Sudoku on their iPhones, I announced "talk to your neighbor" and "I will be back shortly" and I left the room. I headed to my co-worker's office to look for her purse to see if she had her son's inhaler in it. No joy. I tried to relax, spending a few minutes talking to our student worker receptionist, hoping that relaxing would be enough. Back in class, I decided to tell them my problem, you know in case I fell out on the floor, like I was a guest star on House. In retrospect, my triggers were 1) high amounts of stress 2) taking the diesel Excursion so my beautiful hand-chamoised car would stay clean and 3) low temperatures. Thankfully, I made it through the day, feeling better around 2 p.m., but part of me wished I had to go home sick.

Friday ToolMan worked from home so as to help me with CRB. In the afternoon, I wrote an exam from scratch for my Legal and Ethical Issues in Computing class. That evening I slept through Ocean's Thirteen once it seemed to be the same as Eleven.

Saturday, again no idea what happened for the most part. I went to Target to try to buy food, baby gifts, clothes for CRB, and some sort of toy organizer for the playroom a.k.a. The Room that Was Once the Dog's. The result? CRB thinks it is great fun to dump out the bins and then climb the organizer, but his new 12 month sized outfit fits my skinny boy perfectly with room to grown. The person behind me in line got most of my food, as it was not in my car or on my receipt. Mission: Mostly Unaccomplished.

Saturday night I decided no more flexeril or whatever it is called. I'd rather hurt than feel this out of the loop, plus my breathing is still the pits.

So here I am Sunday night, heating pad and all. I am not sure what it is that I want or need to be different. This stage with CRB is just hard.

Laps Around the Lathe

2008-02-06T22:33:00.001-06:00

Super, Fat Tuesday

2008-02-05T20:32:00.000-06:00

On Christmas day, CRB amused his relatives by showing his expertise with the ear thermometer. He got it out of my purse, turned it on, stuck it in his ear, pressed the button, and then "read" the screen for his temperature. He did this over and over impressing the relatives and of course his mama.

Last week, I broke down and finally went to the doctor for my sinus problem. CRB tagged along (wait that makes it sound like he went willingly, or cooperatively...) to my appointment. When the nurse took my blood pressure I was absolutely shocked that it was 90/60, because the whole time CRB was intent on grabbing the puffer. Earlier in the visit he almost managed to turn off the nurse's PC (in order to free Elmo I am sure) when we were doing my pulmonary test. S0 though I felt stressed, I guess my numbers did not show it.

A few minutes later, Dr. D began to examine me, listening to my breathing, looking in my ears and throat. CRB was mesmerized. He stood still, and took it all in.

Over the weekend, I bought him a Fisher-Price medical kit. I did this not to cultivate an aspiring cardiologist or reproductive endocrinologist, but to get him something to play with that was NOT something to throw or make noise. The item said 3+ as the pieces looked to be large enough not to be a choking hazard I bought it anyway. I expected complete rejection, and that I would be adding another item to the closet of Toys Not Right for CRB.

The doctor kit has not changed much from the one my friend had in the 70s. The basic contents are the same. I have to admit that I was disappointed when I could not hear my heartbeat with the new stethoscope. ToolMan informed me that it never worked, and I must have just had a good imagination "back in the day." The thermometer now displays a "digital read out " and the whole thing is contained in an aqua colored sack instead of the molded plastic case.

We spent a lot of Sunday playing doctor and vet (thanks Colin!) and we checked out many of the stuffed animals. This afternoon when I arrived home, it was not that surprising when our Nanny said "He has played with this all day. He gets mad if you don't really put the bloodpressure cuff on your arm." He loves to ride around in the Diego car, wearing the stethoscope, ready to make the next house call.

Many, many people constantly tell me how smart CRB is. I say this NOT to brag but to try to state my problem. I am very resistant to agree with them. I have no problem agreeing that he is cute, or social dynamo, but one cannot get me to agree to more than that. Usually I joke and say "Regardless, I still think he will work as a Wal-Mart greeter."

I just don't want to be one of THOSE moms. I find it very irritating when people say that their 18 month old old can subtract, and my irritation is not because I am feeling competitive with those mommies ;-)

CRB does not talk as much or as clearly as most children that I have been around. My parents are full of stories about my (early) talking. ToolMan's mom has a piece of paper with all the letters of the alphabet, and next to the appropriate letters, all the words that ToolMan knew at 16 months. It's a baby lexicon, truly.

CRB talks but I do not understand most of it. I thought that only twins made up their own language. He constantly makes lots of sounds, mostly beginning with the BU, BA, BE. Today, Hannah our 9 year old neighbor said "He just repeated you, he said Thank You!" I did not hear him say anything actually, I was just trying to make sure he did not fall off his new trike. Similarly, my mom is constantly translating RockBaby to English for me. Perhaps it's that I am not listening closely, but I would still expect to be able to understand more of the time than I do.

Maybe he is smart, I don't know. If he is, we cannot take credit for it. If he is polite toddler and teenager, pat me on the back then, because his mama is behind that.

Physicist Richard Feynman's mother has been quoted as saying "If Richard is the smartest man in the world, God help the world!"

Wii

2008-01-26T14:25:00.000-06:00

Over the holidays ToolMan and I got to experience Wii at his grad student's home. We had the best time. Since the New Year I have been on the lookout for a Wii. It's not something easily obtainable in stores, and as I do not have a lot of extra time or energy lately, I began checking out Wii tracking web sites, and watching items on ebay.

The other week I made the purchase, and our Wii arrived yesterday, a week earlier than I expected. Last night, Kerri came over and helped me check it out.

With the console comes Wii Sports, a set of sports games, where the moves you make holding the Wii remote actually parallel the real-life action. My favorite of the bunch is Tennis. Kerri was a natural at Bowling. As I have never gone bowling without having a beer in my left hand, it was super challenging for me, but I got better. Wren, Kerri's brother, absolutely smoked all the Wii Sports he tried, especially Baseball. ToolMan's Boxing Mii is who you want backing you up in a dark alley fight. Our Wii bundle also included Wii Play. Kerri and I loved the new age duck hunt, laser hockey, tanks and horse racing.

The Wii is not just another gaming sedentary system. Just like how TiVo revolutionized how many of us watch TV, the Wii is doing it for gaming and family & friends fun nights.

I don't have any pictures of our action last night, but here are some links to video showing how it works:

http://us.wii.com/viewer.jsp?vid=6 bowling
http://us.wii.com/viewer.jsp?vid=10 tennis
http://us.wii.com/viewer.jsp?vid=4 golf
http://us.wii.com/viewer.jsp?vid=11 baseball

Southern Snow - Blizzard '08

2008-01-19T22:52:00.001-06:00

My 100th post. Centum.

Celebrity Playlist

2007-12-29T18:34:00.001-06:00

If you use iTunes, click the Classic Rock Baby text below and the iMix will open in iTunes allowing you to hear preview clips of the songs.

Christmas Questions

2007-12-18T01:44:00.002-06:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Usually artificial, since ToolMan thinks we should not have the live tree since it makes me sick. Party-pooper.

3. When do you put up the tree? We have no set time for this, but I would guess somewhere towards the end of the first week of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? Two or three days after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog? Not really, but I will drink it to be polite.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A 70's Barbie Dream house. It was the A-frame one. I still have it and every single accessory it include. In ebay-ese, I would call it played with but mint.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Without question: ToolMan.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Colin the yorkie.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I guess maybe I have never gotten a bad Christmas gift.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? For me it's a tough choice between "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life", but I will go with "A Christmas Carol." My favorite version is the one with George C. Scott.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I don't have a set time or plan, but next year I need to get finished before the end of the semester so I can actually enjoy the holidays.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Just the packaging.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's gingerbread men. They are truly unbelievable! Her recipe calls for orange juice.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? ToolMan has a preference for clear. I like either.

17. Favorite Christmas song? "The First Noel"

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? A little of both

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Last year we had a star, this year we have an angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Growing up, we did this on Christmas Eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Not being able spend enough time with everyone I love.

23. What I love most about Christmas? The music and festivities.

Decisions, decisions

2007-12-17T01:07:00.000-06:00

I am not a perfectionist: I don't redo the folding of laundry, and I only re-organize the dishwasher if an item is in danger.

When I get my haircut, I am not worried. I can eat burned toast, and I will drink sweet or unsweet tea, diet or regular coke.

I am decisive. Making decisions doesn't scare me. But why oh why am I unable to finish the nursery. Do you even call it a nursery when the baby is almost 15 months? At a party this weekend, a 4-time new dad said "well we did not paint the nursery this time." Poor, poor CRB! CRB is my only child and I still have not painted CRB's nursery or even chosen a color for it. Some part of this was that I actually liked the color the room was, but more of the reason was the complete paranoia that the pregnancy would not work out.

I think it is time for the room to be painted now, but I am not sure that I can stomach the disruption to his routine that his will cause. Oh, and did I mention that I still like the color the room is now? ;-)

Acts of Desparation

2007-12-13T21:13:00.000-06:00

Weeks ago, around the time when I disappeared from Blog-land, a few things happened.

The most life-altering one was our wonderful nanny started feeling bad. One morning she called me and said that instead of coming today she was going to the ER. She had been experiencing chest pains all weekend (!!!) and decided that she needed to do something. Sure enough, things were serious and one of the three stints in her heart had to be replaced. She is doing fine now, but she has had to cut back her days with us. For a week or two, ToolMan and I managed our full-time jobs without childcare. I don't really remember many details but while teaching class I had an inspiration. Here I am in a room of about 60 college students. Probably about 15 are female, and although our college did not manage to make the Top 10 Party Schools this year, some of these people could be capable of helping me with CRB. So I said "I am having a very hard time with childcare for my son at the moment. His regular nanny is experiencing some serious heart problems and I need some one to help me with him on Monday, Wednesday, and/or Friday. Let me know after class if you are interested." Then about 30 minutes later, while the students were peacefully working on their worksheet I announced "While you are working on your worksheet, be thinking about whether you are interested in helping with CRB."

To my amazement, I got a ton of takers. The girl I picked has been working out so well, and CRB is becoming attached to her. She takes him out for runs in the jogging stroller. She is serious about nutrition and she helps me makes sure he eats well. She is personable and nice and dependable. Why on earth did I not think about this earlier?! Our nanny almost back to her regular schedule, but now I have additional possible backup.

Hiatus

2007-12-11T15:43:00.000-06:00

The more involved my job is the less I blog. This week is finals, which is easy if you only give them so I am back!

Last week, ToolMan and I did something crazy. We took CRB by airplane to Orlando. This was not a commercial trip, somehow we got everything with LOADS of extra space, in our Van's RV7 experimental that we finished in late 2003. Sometime I will blog about it, but for now here's some info from Van's for all you aspiring aircraft builders: http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-7int.htm

The main point of our trip was the PRI show. While Dad was at PRI, CRB and I toured Sea World. I had never been to Sea World and thought (correctly) that I could manage that as a single parent of a 14 month old. CRB loved any up-close action but was not impressed with anything behind glass. His favorite attractions were the Anheuser Busch clydesdales ("Bud" was his favorite) and the dolphin nursery. We have several great shots but here are two favorites. I am so blessed to have my son. He's incredible.

The Tail of a Three Legged Dog and CRB

2007-11-06T17:11:00.000-06:00

Colin the yorkie had his annual checkup a few weeks ago. At the appointment, his regular vet remarked that this was the longest we had not seen each other in a few years. Somehow, Colin did not go to the vet from May until October. After catching up with her, seeing pictures of her new baby and sharing child care provider dilemma details, I came back to reality and realized it’s not that we have not been to the vet because everything’s been fine. My dog has some new issues. What on earth will she find now? Insert feelings of panic here.
Suffice it to say at the end of the appointment, we were referred to two doggie specialists, one who was new to us and one which we had seen numerous times and who has operated on Colin 3 times. The new specialist was a canine eye care specialist who needed to check out Colin’s eyes and determine why one of his pupils is not constricting and make sure that there were no treatable underlying causes or diseases present. We now know that Colin is experiencing iris atrophy which has begun and will continue to advance and no treatment is available. She stated that when he is 12 he may not see too well. At this point, I burst out into inappropriate laughter. She was quite puzzled and I responded that I am not sure my 5 surgery dog would make it to the ripe age of twelve. I believe I usually come across better to health care provides but I am sure I appeared to be kooky lady with a crazy 1 year old who was infatuated with all of resident pets and who was drinking apple juice out of a bottle instead of a sippy cup. Couple that with the fact that in the next breath I am begging CRB to not eat Colin’s doggie treat or any of the banana puffs he discarded to the floor, I am sure that the eye specialist thought I was a loser dog mom.
Next up was the doggie orthopedic specialist. In some way it warmed my heart when I called to make the appointment and after I said “for my dog Colin” the vet tech said, “Oh for Colin? He’s a great dog. Can you be here tomorrow at 9:30? You know the drill, no food after midnight.” CRB accompanied Colin and me on this trip and was not in a good humor from the get-go and the hour or so ride in the car had not helped. But once in the room, he saw her: A young white dog that was wagging her tail at him. CRB’s legs started kicking with excitement. He said “pa” (for puppy I guess) and I realized that unless everyone wanted to witness a fit, we needed to go see the white dog up close. CRB stuck his hand out for the dog to lick it. Then CRB patted her head. We eventually found our seats but CRB kept trying to get the white dog to notice him. To pacify CRB I tried to make some light-hearted conversation about the white dog which got increasingly hard to do.
The white dog had clearly been through some extensive surgery very recently. She still had many surgery markings on her, and had been shaved in lots of places. One of the recent surgeries had been to remove one of her front legs and most of that side’s shoulder. Her owner appeared to be in a great deal of pain over his animal’s condition and the decisions he was going to have to make over her care. I sincerely hope his heart was warmed by CRB recognizing that she was still a beautiful dog.
Colin has some cracking in his right shoulder and must lose 1.7 pounds immediately, but is also on activity restriction. We are scheduled for a follow-up in a few weeks.

Sorority Row Trick or Treat

2007-10-31T10:03:00.001-05:00

A very young John Parker Wilson or CRB? You decide.

Rednecks at Wal-Mart: a self-study

2007-10-29T17:33:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning I woke CRB at 9:36. It was an off weekend for our college football team, which meant it was possible to go out and about and get some errands done.

On our way to Wal-Mart, we stopped off at Kerri's. CRB had a great time seeing Kerri, her mom, Brun and all of Kerri's Halloween decorations. Around 10:30 CRB started being grumpy and yawning, but not to be dissuaded from purchasing a gift for an upcoming shower, CRB and I headed out to the store instead of home.

Taking a spot in the back 40 where we always park, I found a cart and put in the floppy seat and all the stuff we needed. Finally ready to head into the store, I discovered my cart did not steer left. Once equipped with the floppy seat and baby I was committed to this cart so I pressed on.

CRB enjoyed our trip for awhile. As always he liked seeing all the people, and as an added bonus he got to see the Christmas trees. After checking out all the trees and the larger than life snowmen we made it to the ride-on toy aisle. We are getting our friends a Step2 car since it has been one of the best things we purchased. The box for the Step2 car is so large that it did not fit either under the cart or in the basket. So after balancing it awkwardly we were off to other Wal-Mart stops.

My placement of the box sideways meant that it was too wide to get through many places, and coupled with the inability to turn left, this was not going well. In order to fit through more places, I tried moving the box long ways front to back. If you ask CRB what happened he'd tell you that this caused an unfair encroachment in his space, and this meant he had to push that box out of the cart. BOX BEGONE!

Shocked that he was so strong, I put the box back up into the cart. CRB did his BOX BEGONE trick again, this time knocking down several items from a display at the end of an aisle. After putting everything back, I put the car box back in the cart wide way sideways. CRB became livid, and knocked the box out again, along with throwing everything else out of the cart that he could reach ... and this is how we traveled to the cash register, over and over.

What CRB learned from this: I am strong and I can move things. Mom won't even yell or speak sharply to me, so I should go for it!

What Mom learned: tired baby + Wal-Mart = really bad idea

Vital Statistics

2007-10-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

Number of household members: 4

Total number of legs in household: 10

Number of household members who strongly desire to drink out of the dog water bowl: 2

Number of household members who want me to buy more Chew-eez because they are tasty: 2

Number of canines: 1

U2 Go Home

2007-10-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Thursday night I continued with catching up with my fellow bloggers. After checking out Vader's Mom's Halloween results, I had to check out mine. I am a sucker for all sorts of quizzes. Once finished with my Halloween Quiz, I found another at BlogThings: What European City Do You Belong in?

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.
You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

I have the passport, now I just need some travel time & funds :)

Cosmic Payback

2007-10-18T20:03:00.000-05:00

As my loyal blog readers know, CRB was an easy baby, and if the recent trend continues maybe that WAS can go back to an IS. The past few weeks have been horrible, actually all caps: HORRIBLE.

Right after his birthday, CRB began getting a tooth. ToolMan and I had an agreement that we would stop asking and wondering "if this was teething" or "maybe this is teething." After all, he made it 12 months with no teething whatsoever. Since we had so many false alarms (we've used up a tube of Orajel even), we decided to wait until we saw an actual tooth to proclaim his behavior was caused by teething. Saturday was the day, and thankfully since the tooth began poking out, things have been much better.

But for a few weeks, I felt that I was getting some cosmic payback. So many people have commented, how is it possible he is like this: A five hour vet visit, no tantrum or tears; allergy skin pricks, no crying; CNC noise, calm interested baby; a baby who prefers not to be rocked to sleep. I would have traded some of my sleep-filled, no worry moments (ok, months) for a few moments of peace the past few weeks. No doubt many of the astonished people who commented about how easy, cooperative and graciously good natured CRB is must have been relieved to see my child could be like everyone else's (you know, inconsolable, ill-tempered, manic).

But as of Wednesday, things seem to be turning around. 36 hours is a trend right?

Afternoon with a Harlem Globetrotter

2007-10-17T20:39:00.000-05:00

NB: I have been wanting to write the best first birthday ever post, so I have held out posting anything until that happened. I realized tonight that attitude is a "blog killer" for me. In a few months humor me with interest about CRB's "recent" first birthday, okay? For now I must tell you about CRB's afternoon with a Harlem Globetrotter.

Yesterday CRB received a special birthday gift - a cool backpack filled with all sorts of different sports balls. Late this afternoon I got out the bag, and presented CRB with the neat black and red mini basketball. CRB, Colin the yorkie and I had an awesome time rolling and throwing the ball back and forth. Colin is a pretty good soccer player, and CRB has surprising ability with throwing and catching already. But I must say, if you ask CRB, who had the "rad moves" (that's Backyardigan for skill) he'd vote Mom. When I dribbled the ball, he was mesmerized. When it was his turn again, he'd try to dribble, slapping his hand over and over the top of the ball, and then he'd roll it back to me, for more dribbling. Moms can give a good exhibition basketball game.

Larger than Life

2007-09-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

I like doing laundry. Well, to be more specific I enjoy the challenge of stain removal and creating perfectly sorted clothes to go in the washer.

The aspect of laundry that is not my favorite is the putting away of clothes, especially mine. ToolMan's aren't so bad because he does not have that many categories: short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, pants, jeans, shorts and t-shirts. And as to CRB's laundry, I have to admit, I love doing CRB's clothes.

The other day I ran a large load of CRB's clothes. Sorting them out of the dryer, I was shocked at how SMALL the pants were. How TINY the socks were. How LITTLE the shirts were. It's not that I shrunk them either. I guess CRB's presence is much larger than his actual physical stature.

Saban University

2007-09-16T21:39:00.000-05:00

Maybe it is too soon to rename the University, but I suspect before too long we will see something on campus re-branded Saban.

Yesterday the stars aligned and CRB and I managed to get out to the quad an hour and a half before gametime began. ToolMan suggested that I take the jogging stroller and it was the perfect choice with the walking we did from the car park to the quad.

CRB's favorite part of the gameday activities on the quad? A local 5-piece band's rendition of a Santana classic, dedicated to Auburn in hopes that Auburn "won't give up." Gotta love that southern hospitality.

Great Expectations

2007-09-10T05:54:00.000-05:00

"I knew I was in trouble when he said 'I want to see the race car.' A asked 'Well, where is it?' and I said 'It's everywhere - part of it is over there, part of it is upstairs, some of it is here...'"

Tonight some friends and their two children (A&A) stopped by to look at my SUV (yes, it is for sale) and to see ToolMan's shop. Our friend was excited for his 8 year old son, A, to see what ToolMan does with computers and CNC machinery.

A has always been quite fearful of loud noises. When A was a baby, we had to be very careful of placing our cutlery down on the table too hard or suddenly, or of laughing, either of which would send A into a tissy.

ToolMan spent a large part of today getting a program to cut 2 different pieces in both vises in the machine. I had stopped by the shop a few times today (once to collect CRB who was enjoying the view in his swing). I was impressed with the lack of chatter and that ToolMan had gotten the program to the state that he could walk away instead of needing to be there to mash "feed hold."

A did last about 2 minutes longer than his 10 year old sister, and he did seem (slighty?) interested, but the noise factor was too much for him.

Once ToolMan and I were back in the house alone he said "I knew the air compressor was going to have to come on and that would run him out if the regular noise did not."

ToolMan was disappointed.

After a few seconds I told him "I think your best child candidate for appreciating and understanding what you are doing in the shop is asleep right now" and I pointed to CRB's bedroom.

ToolMan grinned, and with trigonometry fairies dancing in his head he said "You are right."

Party Time 2x

2007-08-29T16:47:00.000-05:00

September is coming and both of my boys will have birthdays.

For ToolMan we will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of his 30th birthday. Somehow I have managed to convince him to agree to let me give him a party. He brightened noticeably when I mentioned that so many people wanted to see what he is up to in the shop.

It's been a very long time (far too long) since we have given a party for anything around here, so I am truly starting at square one. Invitations, food, drink. Do we need decorations? He said no to my Cars birthday cake idea ;-) I definitely don't want it to look undecorated though, so I will have to get busy soon.

CRB's birthday will be pretty easy. As he has awoken, I will have to blog about that later.

News at 11

2007-08-28T21:13:00.000-05:00

This week CRB is eleven months old. Before CRB, time seemed to pass so slowly, but now that is not the case. For sure now I am much more aware of where my time goes. Time is much more precious.
People often ask what CRB is doing (some even use his real name). Here’s what is happening with him (maybe I can record this in the baby book later.)
· Still no teeth. No sign of teeth either. Don’t feel sorry for him or wonder how he is surviving without them. He is able to gum whatever he chooses. How many babies do you know that have eaten fried okra, insist on having a whole Saltine, and get upset if you don’t hand them the whole banana. Mashed banana is for babies.
· He loves flap books. Some of his favorites include Peekaboo Blue, Curious George’s Neighborhood, and Spot’s First Christmas.
· He is enthralled with dogs and puppies. Tonight on our walk we got to meet 2 new ones (6 month old Westie and Scottie). Over the weekend, ToolMan’s parents took us to feed some ducks. CRB found that to be outrageous fun too.
· Currently CRB is milk intolerant and his allergist has him on a meatless diet. My little vegan loves his veggies, fruit, crushed ice, water, and Boca burgers and Boca chicken. Tonight at the restaurant CRB rejected the illegal chicken I tried to give him. Also, do not stand in between CRB and blue Gatorade. Somebody is going to get the Gatorade and my money is on CRB.
· Much to our horror, last week CRB managed to unlatch Colin’s crate. His aim was to get to the water bowl. Poor Colin. This week Colin is enjoying a respite with my parents. Mom said she has not seen him this relaxed in several months, perhaps 11 or so…
· Anything you hand CRB he examines carefully before throwing it straight up in the air to check its bounce ability.
· When cruising in his Step2 car, CRB has realized that the steering wheel does not do anything so now he likes to lean over and let his fingers drag on the ground, across the tires, or along the hubcaps. Yesterday he enjoyed dragging his motorcycle figure alongside of the car. Things got very exciting when Dad (a.k.a. ToolMan) showed CRB how the motorcycle could wind up for extra speed. The motorcycle guy has lost a lot of paint since we found him in our yard sale acquisition of the Mega Blocks castle set.
· Bath time continues to be great fun. I still remember vividly when it was no fun for anyone involved so I am relieved that this seems to be sticking.
· Tonight at the restaurant CRB hand drummed the table in time with the music playing in the restaurant. I have always been surprised at how much Classic Rock Baby enjoys music. At some point I should probably do something more formal with him, but for now we will continue playing our maracas and drum at home.

The 2.2

2007-08-14T20:33:00.001-05:00

For the past two months with rare exceptions, every night CRB and I have taken a 2.2 mile walk to the front of our neighborhood and back. The lengthy walk calms CRB down and then he is almost always receptive to bath and bedtime.

Back in the spring our nanny was saying that her doctor wanted her to walk more. To encourage this I purchased a cheap but adequate pseudo-jogging stroller. While I was shopping ToolMan explained that the "real" and "nicer" joggers had a fixed front wheel which meant that to turn a corner one would have to lift the front stroller wheel off the ground. That did not seem like the best for our nanny so I got the cheaper, bare bones swivel wheel model.

The stroller has exceeded my expectations after ToolMan fixed the "nose gear" shimmy problem that the stroller had out of the box. The air filled tires cushion the ride for CRB. I took the snack tray off and now he has an unobstructed view. The large seating area lets him move around and check out what he sees on the walk. To keep CRB cool in our Deep South heat, I rely on frozen teething rings, or CRB's favorite, crushed ice in a Munchkin mesh sucker bag. Some nights I have to stop 5 times to fill the mesh bag with ice. The stroller came with a stroller leash (for runaway strollers I guess) which works perfectly to attach the mesh bag so that it is not dropped or thrown.

With our nightly walks we have gotten to know a larger subset of our neighbors and their pets. CRB squeals with delight, and never cries or fusses about anything on our walks. It's a time of peace that I am thrilled to get to have with my boy. CRB has even tolerated some rain, which I find a bit unbelievable so you may too, but it is true.

About 2 weeks ago, CRB realized that I was listening to music and he was not and that was an unacceptable state of affairs. For the last week or so I tried bringing ToolMan's iPod for CRB and using my own iPod myself. That did not work great or easily so I quit having the music much to my disappointment. Tonight ToolMan surprised me by pimping CRB's ride with some speakers. CRB ga-ga-ed to the music (in the right places even) and had a great time.

I enjoy spending this time with my son even though it is outrageously hot. Lately I have been considering getting a bike trailer so that we could change up the routine a bit for me. ToolMan is concerned that the trailer would make the bike feel like I was constantly going up hill. That would be a big negative from my standpoint, plus I am not sure how I can man the ice bag if I am on the bike. Finally, would I not be a bit psycho to mess with the routine that works?

Baby Carnival

2007-08-12T22:13:00.001-05:00

Today CRB got to ride in the race car shopping cart at Lowe's and go to the McD's super PlayPlace. The shopping cart was his favorite. The first person he encountered in Lowe's said "Boy he is sure having a great time! Maybe he will drive a race car one day." ToolMan's reply "It could happen."

My CoDriver

2007-08-07T21:41:00.002-05:00

Sometime next week, ToolMan and I will have been married for ten (10) years. Happily!

A few weeks ago we had a discussion about the patronizing things people say to one another, especially spouse to spouse, parent to child. Though we are not perfect, we both make conscious efforts to not make those kind of comments, and that effort was the main focus of our discussion. But at one point in our conversation, I could not resist any longer.

Grinning I asked him "Do you want to know what the most patronizing thing that you have ever said to me was?"

As a man who has been married for almost ten years he appropriately answered with slight hesitation "Sure. What is it?"

"If you are going to slide the tires, make sure that you have both hands on the wheel."

This was in response to a Carlos Sainz like move I made getting on our bypass bridge back in February.

What any other spouse would have said back in February in the context of our situation:

What did you just do?!
What was that noise?
Stop the car!
The baby is in the backseat!!
The baby is ASLEEP in the backseat!!!
Are you trying to kill us?
That's it, I'll drive.
Are you practicing for a rally car driving position? Am I your co-driver?

But no, ToolMan did not question my need to do this, or even ask why I was trying to slide the car in the corner. He was just concerned about proper technique.

Recently, when I asked him why my tires make so much noise in the traffic circle or at certain intersections, he said "Most people would go slower." When I said that neither of my previous cars did this and I think I drive the same, he pointed out that "most people in your kind of car don't drive the way you do."

Should Vegas start making odds on when CRB is getting downsized to a MINI? No, that would be a waste of the odds-makers' time. How on earth could I even take him to the pool - we need to have a stroller? How could we get to Aunt Kerri's 8 miles away with all the stuff we need? What if (a HUGE, almost out of the question if, but my jury's still out) CRB gets a sibling in the next few years? Nope. No MINI. Ask again later. Much, much later.

Yesterday, coming home from a quick shopping trip south of town a crazy lady pulled sharply and suddenly into my lane. I broke hard engaging the anti-lock brakes, checked in the rearview and swerved a tad into the next lane. I asked ToolMan "How'd I do?" expecting great praise. He said, "Well, I would not have taken that other hand off the wheel to blow the horn." You know, he's right, the horn blowing was extraneous.

I can think of many times when I have been in the car with him driving and he has avoided accidents with his good judgment and quick reflexes both. In the coming week, our state is planning a zero tolerance campaign related to speeding. There will be no grace miles over or warning tickets. A few of our friends have said that maybe ToolMan might not ought to drive that week. I disagree, but I might need a new line item in the budget for "traffic tax" as he calls it.

Speaking of rally cars and safety, after much consideration, we just ordered CRB's new car seat. We plan to move him to that one around the beginning of September.

DISCLAIMER: Gratuitous speeding is not funny. I have 0 points on my license. I go exceptionally slow and I am extraordinarily careful anywhere there might possibly be pets, children or other pedestrians. When I see the police in my neighborhood, I do not have to slow down. I do not run red-lights or take an extended yellow. If the situation permits, I brake for squirrels. I try to drive with extra consideration for motorcyclists and truck drivers. I believe I dislike my SUV because of the disconnect I feel while driving it, but it is a wonderfully nice, posh car, and I am a very lucky woman in so many respects, but please give me some space to still mourn the MINI.

Rocks at the playground

2007-07-31T21:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday evening I took CRB to the neighborhood playground to see if he was interested in trying to do the slide. The playground is really neat, with two separate play structures, one for toddlers and one for bigger kids. He was keen on the slide, but the slide was a distant second to the rocks. Rocks are fascinating and come in all different sizes. Certain 10 month old boys are quite interested in how they feel... and taste. It is not possible to remove all the rocks from the playground equipment, don't even bother trying. I am just glad that I was being very attentive. We won't be going back for several months to a couple of years.

Later that night, sitting down to supper at the new Mexican restaurant that opened close to our house, I was relieved to see all the men and women wearing their hospital badges. Doctors and nurses galore! At least, if something went wrong, I might not be sticking my finger down his throat to remove something else. I feel pretty prepared after the 3 hour infant/child CPR class that ToolMan and I took late last summer, but having some backup made me more able to relax.

Photo Hunters: Creative (& tiny)

2007-07-28T22:55:00.001-05:00

Pit Girl for Moto GP

Here, Blythe reminds me of my German friend Tina who, not only is a big GP and F1 fan, but who also used to race motorcycles. Scientists agree she is no doubt the koolest mom on the planet.

For more Photo Hunters participants, visit TN chick.

Weekend Reflections

2007-07-28T22:14:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, I decided to re-read the Harry Potter series before I let myself read the last book. Today I finished book three, HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was such an enjoyable read, it was not at all like I was re-reading it. Tonight I may begin The Goblet of Fire, since it appears ToolMan and Wren are having a late night machining on the lathe.

Today, Colin and CRB had a good day together. This afternoon ToolMan cleaned out the yellow kiddie pool for CRB to have some fun. Colin, never one to miss water activities (so strange for a yorkie!), had to join in the splashing. Colin did not try to dominate the action in the pool, preferring instead to keep bringing me soggy tennis balls to throw again and again. At times Colin would jump in to check on what CRB was doing. To me this means that Colin was not ignoring CRB, and I believe that it is good that Colin had some interest instead of just shying away, which I would not think would be good for our fear aggression dog. Later, ToolMan fired up the grill and fixed us a late lunch outside, so we could chaperone the boys.

The highlight of my week was Thursday when I got to get to know a wonderful family member better. Somehow, growing up we never got to see each other. It's a special blessing to have a new friend out of your family.

For more weekend reflections visit Judi.

Wal-Mart Greeter

2007-07-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

When I was pregnant with CRB I had very few, but rather specific wishes. Like all parents, I wished for him to be a healthy baby, and like many post-fertility treatment patients, I just wanted the pregnancy to be over and to have my baby.

Some days when I was feeling bolder with my wishes, I wished for him to be a happy baby. Others, I hoped he would be the kind of person that tries to give other people happiness. I also hoped that he would find some pursuits, either hobby or career, that would give him satisfaction, be it through brick laying, science, or swimming. Whatever, as long as he was happy and fulfilled, my role and mommy would be complete.

Relatives though, seem to bring something extra to the mix. I remember my mom saying if only he was going to be a girl, we would not have to worry about the race cars. Laughing I said, "I am not so sure that being a girl would 'fix that' for us." I tried to explain that at least if he is interested it will be more socially acceptable.

When I was pregnant, a relative of ToolMan's, said "well I hope you don't think he is going to be very smart. I would not want you to be disappointed. Don't you know about regression to the mean?" When I failed to answer, this person went on to explain some psychobabble, err psychological theory, that very smart people seldom have children that are as smart as they are. Dumbstruck, I responded with "I am just wishing that he gets here safely." Later, during one of the hundred horror movie replays of this scene in my head, I realized that this was the first time this individual ever called me smart.

I guess it is natural to take a great deal of pride in your children, but honestly I am not sure what ToolMan and I can be credited for... maybe that he sleeps well?

My father takes a great deal of pride in both me and ToolMan, and now CRB. During the 11 times that I changed my major (but I finished college in 2.5 years so no eye rolling please) Dad only requested that I choose something that I would enjoy. My choice did not have to make a lot of financial sense, or be groundbreaking. He is just the kind of dad that is encouraging, and chooses to take pride in his child.

CRB is a tremendously happy person. He wakes up smiling. He is fascinated by his dog who does not care for him, but he never gives up hoping that Colin with reciprocate. The rare moment that Colin does is enough for him to keep trying, over and over. He has been saying "hi puppy" for sometime, but I have just now figured it out.

He seems driven to smile and wave at perfect strangers until they giggle back at him. The extreme nature of his behavior caused ToolMan to speculate that he will indeed be a Wal-Mart Greeter at some point in his life. Perhaps a career as a rock star, physical therapist or politician might pay better, but whatever he chooses, I will be proud.

ToolMan's boy

2007-07-22T21:41:00.001-05:00

Early this afternoon, my not quite 10 month old CRB took a shelf out of a cabinet. Once he had that free, he began pulling the rod pins out that hold the shelf. Tonight, he mastered the bathtub drain.

He's been able to do a zipper for about 2 1/2 months. Early this week, I handed him a battery powered alarm clock to keep him occupied while I changed his diaper. He had the battery cover off and the AAA batteries out in less than 10 seconds.

CRB does not try to put things back together yet, but he is masterful at taking them apart.

Bookmarked

2007-07-18T23:10:00.002-05:00

I used to be the sort of reader that finished a book before starting another. Not anymore… At the moment I have quite a few not completely read books on the nightstand.

The Reagan Diaries I have learned so much. I remember the day that Reagan was shot, but I did not realize that he was shot only 3 months into his presidency. Reading the book has helped me understand better the role of the President in our government. I am 173 pages into it, and I am sure that I stopped because there are just so many times the phrase "Left for Camp David" is interesting to me.
Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. This book arrived in Saturday's mail and I have finished reading it from cover to cover. I am quite excited about the projects featured in it, if I can just find some great fabrics…
The Cat who Dropped a Bombshell by Lillian Jackson Braun. Her latest whodunit featuring Koko and YumYum. Currently I am on page 117, and looking forward to the rest.
Cesar's Way
by Cesar Millan. I have blogged about this before - this is a fascinating book, and I do understand my pup better. I am a slacker mom, I am only on page 209 but I will finish it before I get to read the new Harry Potter book.
One Step Closer – Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God
by Christian Scharen. The book is engaging, but to understand it I need the Bible out, as well as a notepad and pen. At some point, I start having law school flashbacks about all the reading I did, and next thing I know ToolMan inquires "When is the test?"
Sick of Shadows by MC Beaton. Another whodunit, but I have not gotten to the point that anyone actually died I don't think. Beaton is one of my favorite authors, but I her Edwardian series is my least favorite.
Babywise
by Ezzo & Bucknam. I only made it to page 67 and gave it to my mom to fill me in on the rest. She kindly obliged me and to this day I do follow many of the Babywise principles. The principle of putting the baby down to sleep while he is awake has worked great. I suspect that is why my child with great ease naps for about 3 hours and sleeps 13-15 hours.
Miscellaneous issues of Rolling Stone. Better moms read Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens for the recipes. Other women subscribe to Traditional Home. Me? I occasionally purchase a RS off the rack.

Sunshine and Daydreams

2007-07-18T10:21:00.001-05:00

title above from lyric of the Grateful Dead's Sugar Magnolia

Thorazine Shuffle

2007-07-15T21:24:00.000-05:00

Colin's issues have come to an unfortunate head. His anger has been pretty effectively channeled away from CRB and it is now directed at my carpets. As of Friday, Colin is now being doped with a thorazine medicine for dogs while we continue his behavior modification. Our plan is to only use this about 2-3 more days.

Last night we had one of our worst nights with CRB. We tried mixing some Lactose Free Sensitive formula into his regular Alimentum hypoallergenic formula at a ratio of 20%, 80%. He was awake and upset roughly every 45 minutes. It was hard for everyone and I am officially chickening out of the effort to introduce anything other than soy products to him. He does fine when he has soy cream cheese and soy cheese, but even the amount of milk in goldfish crackers causes a problem for him.

The one good thing that came from last night is I feel that I really did all I could do to breastfeed him. I gave up everything with milk for 7 weeks and his tummy did no better. I am not sure how long the milk elimination would have taken but I could not pump and dump any longer than 7 weeks. He is truly sensitive to it and I did everything I could. If later in life CRB tells me that my not breastfeeding him the recommended 12 months caused him to score 5 points less on the SAT than he would have otherwise I will remind him that formula is why he is alive and thriving.

The other crazy thing we did today is a major toy elimination for CRB and Colin. Our lives were becoming entrapped with stuff and ToolMan and I could not take it any more. CRB and Colin both play with the same things over and over. For CRB, his favorite toys are the simpliest with the least amount of batteries. I am going to continue my push to buy him very few items that need batteries. He's much more likely to babble and have fun making sounds if he's the only source for sound.

We kept plenty of toys for each of the boys to have a great rotation, and the ones that we elimated are going to stay in the shop's attic while we finalize what we really need/want and where the extras need to go. Lately I have been doing a good bit of shopping at the Salvation Army place so I have some insights into how I need to package up the toys so someone else can get some use out of them: leave the batteries in so the staff can easily tell the toy works; if the toy has parts, firmly attach the pieces with packing tape or place an item and its parts in its own clear plastic bag.

Loose Change

2007-07-09T22:20:00.000-05:00

At the moment, my job is not providing much mental challenge.

CRB provides some:

Did he just try to stick his tongue through vents in the front of the hair dryer? yes ...
While it was plugged in? insert your favorite curse word...
Did he just eat that business card? almost ...
Does he really think rawhide tastes good? apparently...

Obviously, I am hurting for some real challenge. Also, I seem to wait in line a lot.

Couple those two facts and you have my new game for the Taco Casa drive-thru: If I am paying cash I try to give the cashier exact change using the most number of coins. It's just like a problem from elementary school math team competitions, and yes, I was a math team member . The sounds you hear are my real life friends dying from laughing so hard. They had to have a girl, OK? Better now?

Regardless, this game seems to have enough variables to keep my little mind occupied, and my wallet ends up lighter.

Full disclosure: at the Casa, they make your food to order, there is always a wait. This gives me enough time and my sauce on the side. :-)

If you have idea of ways to pass the time be sure to drop me a comment!