All Thumbs

I'm borrowing a theme from my friend Mep while she is away on vacation. Here are a few things that have me smiling. And a few that have left me shaking my head.

Thumbs up:
- We bought Mary Poppins this weekend. I was afraid that it would be too low-tech and old-fashionedy for our high tech daughter but she loves it as much as I do. I'm delighted to introduce a new generation to its supercalifragilisticexpialidocious goodness.

- I can't say enough just how much I love my iPhone. So much in fact, that it worries me a little.

- Chocolate Chex Mix. Have you tried this? It is absolutely divine. When I bought the bag I immediately divvied it up into the listed number of servings and put them in little snack baggies. Otherwise I would have eaten the whole bag all in one sitting and my diet would have been shot. How's that for self control?! (she says as she breaks her arm patting herself on the back)

- SITS Bloggy Boot Camp in a couple of weeks! Right here in Baltimore! Can't wait to see some of my favorite bloggers!

- Getting rid of a pair of jeans because they're just too big!

- That feeling when the the countdown timer on the treadmill/arc trainer/elliptical hits one minute and I get that last little surge of energy to push through those last 60 seconds.

- My birthday next week. Another year older. But it happens to be my monthly Hon Night dinner that very day, so I can pretend it's actually a birthday party all for me!

Thumbs down:
- The replaying of the Georgian luger's awful accident by NBC over and over and over again. I'm appalled by it. That poor man's family. It's just the worst kind of sensationalistic television and it makes me sick.

- I have to go to the lady doctor today. 'Nuff said.

- Not having Mary Poppins ability to snap and the house cleans itself. Sigh.

- The number of calories in Qdoba's Mexican Gumbo. This is one of my favorite dishes and I confess to thinking that while it was probably not a low-cal option, I didn't think it would be WORSE than a Big Mac meal. Wrong.

- I put a screen protector on my iPhone. It is a thin piece of adhesive plastic that is exactly the size of the touchscreen and must be VERY carefully placed. I managed to get it on there just right, but I got a little speck of something on the adhesive side and now there is a small bubble. There is no peeling it back and removing the speck, it will only make things worse. We learned that the hard way. It. drives. me. crazy.

What gets your thumbs up or thumbs down these days?

Have you stopped into BlogTrotting today? We're visiting a great blogger on a wonderful tour!

Alacazam

I've become increasingly aware that this blog has the power to make things happen. Sadly, its affect is limited to my little world, so I can't ask for world peace or anything. I've noticed, though, that when I write about something that is troubling me, within a short time, that situation improves or goes away altogether. As evidence, I present Exhibit A: I post about not getting any sleep and suddenly Sophie sleeps through the night 10 out of the next 14 days, which is 9 more times than she had slept through the night before. Exhibit B: I complain about Sophie's dining preferences and within days she voluntarily eats an entire small french fry order from McDonalds (don't judge). Exhibit C: I bemoan my challenges in taking a suitable picture for our Christmas card and that very night as I'm looking through the dozens of photos I had taken, one that I hadn't really noticed before jumps out at me and it is PERFECT.

Given this amazing power, I would like to talk about a few other issues that could use some fixin'. I'm hoping that I'm not breaking the spell by talking about it, but I figure it's worth a try.

Money, specifically, the lottery. They say you won't win if you don't play. Well, we play and we haven't won yet. I'm not greedy, I don't need to win the $140 million jackpot, just a few measly million would more than make me happy.

Pushing Daisies. I am heartbroken that they are canceling this show. Visually, it is stunning. But more importantly, the storylines are clever and the characters are interesting. All of the actors are amazing, although I am particularly enamored of Lee Pace. I love his bushy eyebrowed cuteness. I just don't understand why more people aren't watching this show? I know the axe has already fallen but is it too late to hope for a Jericho-style save?

and while we're talking about TV shows...Battlestar Gallactica. When are you coming back??? You left us months and months ago and so far I haven't heard anything about when you're returning. SciFi channel has shown a couple of teaser clips but no dates. It's your last season. Will the last remnants of humanity find a permanent home? Will Starbuck finally get her stuff together? Who is the final cylon? I need resolution.

My Hair. Hair, why can't you just do what you're told? Why do you always have to go your own way? Even when I load up on the mousses, sprays, pomades, etc. We've been fighting for a long time and I think it's time we worked things out. I'll give a little, but you need to, too. Help me help you.

The Trench. Two years ago, following several toilet back-ups, we had our sewer line replaced. It runs the length of our back yard. Unfortunately, shortly after we had it done, the ground settled into the area excavated and refilled for the work and created a trench. It's not so deep that we could lose family members in it, but it is certainly an eyesore on what was previously a lovely, flat yard. It's been TWO YEARS now, it's time it went away.

Okay, that's it for now. I'll be waiting.

My Baby Daddy

I'm not feeling so hot today. Actually, neither is Sophie, which is why we were up every other hour last night. Yay. As my stepdad would say, we've got the epizooties. Not sure about the spelling of that one. So to contrast the mood at the Land of Bean, I'm posting a few photos I found on the camera the other day.

On weekends, my beloved husband and I take turns getting up in the morning with Sophie. This allows us to each have a day where we get to sleep in since our girl is usually up before the sun. Almost every week, I will find photos of Neil's time with Sophie. Usually they are just a bunch of photos of the Bean as she cavorts around the TV room, but this time they had a little more zest.















Man, I love that guy.

Alone

I am alone in the house.

Let that sink in for a minute. Let the ramifications of that one sentence permeate our collective consciousness.

I am alone in the house.

No baby. No husband. ALONE. For the first time in over a year.

What strange and wonderful feeling this luxury. There is no one demanding anything of me. No cries. No screams. No grasping arms. No pinching fingers. No chasing small legs. No "NO! Don't! Stop!" No "What's for dinner?" No "Do we have ___?" No "Can you take the baby?"

There is silence.

I am alone in the house.

Blahsday

Just some random stuff that's bouncing around in ma tete today:

• We had Sophie's one year doctor's appointment yesterday. She has now officially fallen off of the chart. She is 16 lbs 13 oz and 27 3/4 inches. I had to go back and read my 9 month post and all of the super supportive comments so I don't fall into a funk about it. After the appointment I immediately went to the grocery store to buy all of the things the doctor recommended we try feeding her as we begin Operation Fatten Baby. We fed her a smoothie/oatmeal concoction that has about twice the calories she is used to eating in one setting and she acted like I do when confronted with a pile of french fries, which is to say, she chowed down. We have to go back for a follow up appointment in a month to reevaluate her weight. If she's not gaining a little more rapidly, then the doctor wants to run tests to make sure it's not a thyroid problem or some other ominous sounding issue.
• I filled up my gas tank yesterday and it cost less than $50. I felt like I won the lottery. I also had to check my owner's manual because I filled up 17.8 gallons. I have never gone over 17 gallons before and I was just sure the gas station was padding the numbers. Turns out I have an 18 gallon tank, I've just never let it get that low. Who knew. Conspiracy theory much?
  
• My husband, who made fun of me when I started the whole facebook thing, has now become an addict himself. He asked me how many "friends" I had yesterday (he already knew the answer), just so that he could gloat because he had two more than me. If anyone wants to be my friend so I can beat him, let me know.
• I have a miserable cold. Head hurt. Throat hurt. Body hurt. Things are so bad that Neil had to sleep in the guest room last night because I was coughing so much. That's a lie, I was snoring. Like a freight train, evidently. I was coughing, too, but I guess that wasn't what was preventing his sleep. He said he left because he didn't want to keep waking me up to get me to stop snoring but I have a sneaking suspicion it was just as much about him not being woken up. I missed him.

That's it for now. I need to go lay down.

I Used To Be Cool

I went out to dinner with my girlfriends last night. This is a ritual that takes place the fourth Wednesday of every month. I am not sure how long this has been going on, but I've been going for a couple of years now. It's called "Hon Night" after the infamous Baltimore Hon. I don't think any of us could actually be considered Hons, but it's the sentiment that counts. Whoever has a birthday that month gets to pick the restaurant. There are a core group of women that typically show with a larger group that rotate in and out based on their availability. Interestingly, of the core group of about ten, five of us had babies within three months of each other.

Every time, I tell myself that this time I will not spend the whole time talking about my daughter and each time I spend the majority of my time talking about my daughter. I think I am a reasonably intelligent person. I follow world and national events. I have a degree in economics, which should be good for something in these times. I have traveled to more than a dozen countries and have seen a good chunk of my own country. I love movies and actually see quite a few, although I make it to the theater less often these days than would be my ideal. Netflix is a new mother's friend. I am an avid reader covering everything from the classics to modern pop literature. I'm currently working my way through the Twilight series (which depending on who you talk to falls into both of those categories), but I am taking a break to read Moose, A Memoir of Fat Camp. I have a passing knowledge of three languages. I have been a rock star bartender and a corporate marketing honcho.

And yet, despite all of this, I found myself uttering the phrase "color in equals color out" in reference to the contents of my daughter's diaper. Last night. At the table. At a restaurant.

What happened to the interesting version of me?

A Gnome For All Seasons

I have long wanted a garden gnome. How's that for a first sentence. Have I got you hooked? It is the absolute truth, though, however uncool. I look at them longingly in little old ladies' yards and don't even get me started on the traveling gnome. I think he is just about the cutest thing. Plus, who couldn't use a little gnome magic yard protection? I was always a little nervous about what my friends or neighbors would say, though. Would they think I was weird? Is it just too corny? But after much deliberation, I finally decided it was time to satisfy my yen for one of the little men.

As luck would have it, I was wandering through the clearance aisle for the outdoor stuff at my beloved Target when I came across this dignified fellow. Unbelievably, they wanted a mere $2.89 for him. Needless to say, I snatched him up before some other lucky gal caught sight of him. Smugly, I clutched him to my bosom for the long walk to the cashier. The whole drive home all I could think about was how excited I was to get my new friend comfortably positioned in his new home. Once there, I literally bounded out of my car in my enthusiasm, ran up to the front of the house and sat Toby (that's his name, it's short for Tobias) down in a place of honor in the front yard. I even had Neil bring Sophie out so we could admire him as a family. I admit, I worry a little that jealous neighbors might spirit him away, but that's a risk I'll have to take. I mean, really, look at that face. Those eyes, the beard, that toadstool. Just scrumptious.

Here he is next to his favorite bush. What, did you really think I would put a full size gnome in my yard? Not this time.

Don't count it out. I still might.

Dr. Internet

For the past couple of weeks, or maybe longer, I'm pretty bad with time these days, I've been noticing an increasing pain in my wrist when I hold Sophie or pick her up. Each day I notice it a little more often and the pain seems to be a little more pronounced. Neil keeps telling me that I should go see a doctor, but I'm not entirely convinced that it is necessary.

I don't enjoy going to the doctor. Not that this is a great revelation, I don't believe that most people do. But my reasoning is less because it is a painful or uncomfortable experience and more because just about every time I go to the doctor for an ailment, they make me feel like I am wasting their time. I can never seem to convey my symptoms in a way that brings about the desired response of "Whew, you got here just in time! If you'd waited just one more day, we might have had to amputate. We need to get you to the hospital, STAT!" Usually it's me stammering my way through trying to explain why I am taking up their time while they look at their watch and then the door eager to get me out for that someone with a far more pressing ailment/injury in the waiting room. And with each question I become less eloquent until in the end I'm just a blubbering idiot on the verge of nervous tears.

I've tried different doctors. I don't think I have an inferiority complex when it comes to people in the medical profession. I respect them for their knowledge and the time and effort they put into schooling but, ultimately, they're just people. I am sure that the vast majority of doctors treat their patients with care and sensitivity, just not most of the ones I've been to. (Offensive sentence deleted.) Wait, could my doctor construe this as a bad attitude? If my doctor is reading this, I LOVE doctors! They are the coolest, smartest people around! Please don't put a black mark in my file.

So, since I am hesitant to visit the real doctor, I decided to pay a visit to Dr. Internet first. I did a Google search for "wrist pain holding baby" and came up with a surprisingly thorough response. There was an article from the NY Times that described women who had symptoms and situations so similar to mine that for our purposes, we'll just say the article was about me. It described a condition called DeQuervain's Tendonitis that is sometimes called "new mom's syndrome." Well, hello, that's me! So off I went on a quest for more information. And I found it. A lot of it. According to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH, for those in the know), DeQuervain's Tendonitis is described as a "condition brought on by irritation or inflammation of the wrist tendons at the base of the thumb." Basically, I've been picking up and holding my little bean the wrong way. The treatment is to wear a brace (which I have from an old injury), take anti-inflammatory pain killers (which I also have) and to not do the things that caused the problem in the first place. Done and done.

Who needs a doctor*? I've got the internet.

*Disclaimer - Yes, I know the internet is no substitute for real medical advice and if my condition doesn't clear up pretty quickly I will get myself to a doctor. Okay, mom?

Numbers Thursday

A collection of thoughts that could probably merit individual posts but that I don't have the time/inclination to do. So here we go:

0 - Pounds I've lost and kept off since beginning my workout regime. This I completely don't get because I spend 30 minutes on the stepper almost every day, in addition to various other core and strength-building exercises AND I'm still breastfeeding. It's not like I'm eating Big Macs every day, or even every week. It's been five months and I'm starting to lose confidence (said with a Spanish accent).

1 - Wardrobe changes this morning due to a pooptastrophe. That would be my wardrobe and Sophie's poop, not the other way around. Because I'll talk all day about my girl's movements, but I can't even use the bathroom on the same floor as my husband. I'm sure not telling the whole world about it.

2 - Number of belt loops that all of my pants seem to be short. I'm shaped like many women, I think, in that my waist is smaller than my hips. Which is a small mercy given the size of my hips. So why then do most women's pants only have five belt loops placed mostly in front, guaranteeing that any belt worn tight enough to actually do its job will ride up over the top of the pants?

3 - Unmatched socks that turned up in the laundry last night. Where in the Selma Hayek do the matchers go?

7 - Time Sophie got up this morning. Crazy that I now think of 7am as sleeping in.

35 - The age I said I was during a conversation with a friend yesterday despite the fact that I am, in fact, only 34. Aren't you supposed to mistake down rather than up?

48 - Number of times Independance Day was on TV this week. I mean, I love Will Smith and don't get me started on Jeff Goldblum, but that movie is on ALL THE TIME.

52 - Number of blogs I actively follow. Yikes. Perhaps I should get out more.

154 - Times I have yelled "No!" at Gomez today. And still counting. Usually followed by "Get Down!" or "Stop!"

326* - Kisses I gave my little bean yesterday.

1865 - Calories I consumed today. Why does it all have to taste so good? Why can't carrots and celery taste like Swiss Cake Rolls and french fries? Guess that explains "0".

* I actually stopped counting around 5, but I'm betting it was 326.

Favorite Moments

I have two favorite moments of every day. The first is when I walk in to Sophie's room in the morning. Pretty much every morning, she wakes up before I do and (reasonably) quietly plays in her crib until one of us goes in there. There are the occasional squeals but rarely crying. This wasn't always the case. For the first five or so months of her life, she woke us up crying EVERY SINGLE DAY. I like to think that her cheery morning behavior now is some sort of payback for those traumatic mornings. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this continues, shall we? Because mommy is not a morning person and all of that crying first thing in the morning puts mommy on the edge of a nervous breakdown. (Teeth gnashing.) So when I walk in to her room in the morning, I usually find her at one end or the other of her crib with her little lovey blanket. And, here's the moment, she smiles the biggest, widest, I'm-so-happy-to-see-you smile. That one smile makes absolutely everything worth it. The poopie diapers, the midnight feedings, chasing her around to keep her off the electrical cords and catscratch boxes (cat nip, not just for cats), the fussing and crying. That 1000-watt smile lights up my every day.

The second of my favorite moments comes at the end of the day. One thing I can say for my little Sophie Bean is that she has always been a good sleeper. A typical day has her taking at least two naps of between one and three hours a piece and she goes down for the night about 6:30 pm. I think she might actually sleep more than the cats. No complaints here. In the evening, our little routine is pretty short. In fact, it can really only marginally be called a routine, but we'll go with that for now. When she gets a little older and stops trying to eat the books I attempt to read to her and when she is dirty enough to require daily baths, I plan to incorporate those two things into the nightly routine. But for right now, its just changing her clothes and then sitting down for her evening feeding and a little cuddle. She usually gets pretty drowsy during her meal and I always caress her little face as she slowly blinks her big blue eyes. Then I carry her to her crib and whisper in her ear that her mommy loves her as I gently lay her down on the mattress. She looks up at me as her eyes droop closed and then she rolls over onto her stomach, pulls her knees up under her and plops her thumb into her mouth. That's the moment I love. When she settles herself in for the night, her lovey in her free hand and her little butt pointed skyward.

These two moments are the bookends to each day. No matter what happens in between, they make it start out bright and end on a happy note. Mmmm.

The Most Interesting Man in the World (aside from my husband)

I've heard the commercials for Dos Equis about the MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD a bunch of times and generally I think they're kind of hokey. Although, if truth be told and why not, I am strangely drawn to them. But there's one where they're going through the list of all of the reasons he's so cool and they came to one that almost made me do a spit-take in my car: aliens abduct him so HE can probe THEM. Hahahahahaha.ha..ha...ha...

...maybe it's only funny in the context of the others. So here's some more:

If there were an interesting gland, his would be larger than most men's entire lower intestines.

His shirts never wrinkle.

He is left-handed. And right-handed.

Even if he forgets to put postage on his mail, it gets there.

He once knew a call was a wrong number, even though the person on the other end wouldn't admit it.

You can see his charisma from space.

The police often question him, just because they find him interesting.

He once punched a magician. That's right. You heard me.

When he orders a salad, he gets the dressing right there on top of the salad, where it belongs...where there is no turning back.

If a monument was built in his honor, Mt. Rushmore would close, due to poor attendance.

Anyhoo, there's a website with more fun tidbits and games: staythirstymyfriends.com

You have to be 21 to enter the website, or at least say you are. Because no one would lie about their age on the interweb. Definitely check out "Learn the Vernacular" under "Get to know me." It's a little awkward to navigate, but the insults from around the world are worth it.