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.

The End Of An Affair

Dear Reese's Peanut Butter Cup,

We've had a good go of it. I think we both gave it our all. At first, it felt like there was so much of you. It felt like we would never come to the bottom of the bowl. I was certain that we shouldn't, but isn't forbidden fruit always the sweetest.

I cherished every moment we spent together. I savored every nibble. Your allure is easy to recognize. That enticing contrast of salt and sweet. How could I resist you?

But then things turned sour. First, it was a queasiness that just wouldn't go away. Then it was a giant pimple on the side of my nose. I don't even want to think about the havoc you have wreaked on my thighs. But it was when I saw my one year old daughter sucking on an empty wrapper that I realized it was time for this affair to end.

So, goodbye, sweet Peanut Butter Cup. I'll cherish these times we've spent together. I do hope that we can be friends, perhaps we can get together from time to time for a bite.

I'll always love you,

Cara

PS - We'll always have outer space.

Nightime Rituals

We haven't really established a complex nightly routine for Sophie's bedtime yet. She doesn't enjoy being read to and singing, at least my singing, doesn't seem to calm her. We do give her a bath every other night followed by a lotion massage, so I guess that's something. The only consistent thing is nursing. Each night, I will turn down the lights and change her into her night clothes and then we will sit down in the rocker for her bedtime cuddle and nursing. She lays down on the Boppy pillow curled up around my waist and settles in for a snack. Every single night, about one minute after we sit down, our older kitty, Potter (her full name is Notsohairy Potter), strolls into the room and jumps up onto my lap in front of the Boppy pillow.

She sits down with her front paws on one of my legs and rear paws on my other leg. While Sophie nurses, I caress Sophie's hair with one hand and Potter with the other. Many nights, although not all, Sophie will reach back with her top arm and ever so gently pet Potter. Potter always rubs her head against Sophie's back and arm, purring loudly.

What is remarkable about this to me is that at no other time would the word "gently" apply to the way Sophie acts towards the cats. In fact, aggressive and rough would be far more appropriate terms. However, the cats are always gentle with her. Gentle in ways that they are not with older humans. I wonder if they know she is a baby. If they understand that she is not just small, but also young. In particular, Potter, who we discovered too late has no maternal instinct towards other cats, or at least to the only kitten she has been exposed to, Gomez. So it surprises me that she is so gentle with Sophie when she grabs her or rolls onto her and further that she seeks her out.

I suspect it has to do with how calm Sophie is during these quiet hours of the evening. Potter can curl up next to her warmth and just enjoy her smell (she is so yummy, mmmm) without fear of eye poking, ear pulling or whisker tugging. I know these are special times for me.

But who knew that me having a baby would bring out the mothering instinct in my cat?

PS - For all you kitty lovers out there, go see this!

Sophie's Super Saturday Spectacular!!*

Spooooooooooon!

*Am I overselling this picture just a tad?

Friday Top Ten - You Were Looking For What?

When we installed Google Analytics on the Land of Bean, I was at first most interested to see all of the states and countries represented. It was months before I started looking at some of the other criteria. When I began paying attention to the search criteria that brought visitors to my little corner of the internet, I got a pretty good chuckle. Now, that's one of the first things I look at. I just don't understand how Google or whatever thought, "Hey, I'll bet someone looking for info on Cava Beans would love to read an obsessive mom's rantings about an underweight baby in Baltimore!"

But the strangeness continues:

1. Lindsay Wargner Feet - This isn't so crazy, since I have a post loosely related to Lindsay Wagner, but not sure how her feet play into the scenario. And that was their typo, not mine, btw.

2. Brazilian Wax - Not sure if they were looking for a definition or visuals. Either way, they came to the WRONG place.

3. Gooey Poop - Why on earth would someone search this??

4. Rutger Hauer Lookalike - Not a shining day for me.

5. What Language Do Wookies Speak? - I understand this, sortof, but how could I possibly have made it to the top, oh, 100 search results for this? There must be a thousand Star Wars sites, blogs, etc that have more and better information.

6. All Season Gnome - Oh my sweet little Toby. But really, are there seasonal gnomes?

7. Alleviate Inner Thigh Chafing Pain - I don't have the answer, but I've had the problem and it ain't pretty.

8. Buying Hillbilly Beans - Who knew this was actually a dish? True to its name, its primary ingredient is canned pork and beans. Um, yum?

9. Donna Tartt Secret History - I have absolutely no idea on this one.

10. Massage Naked Spa - I'm betting the person who typed in these search terms was not looking for a mommy blog.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

When She Grows Up...

I often wonder what my darling bean will be when she grows up. A couple of months ago, Oz posted a list of the professions her son's behavior indicated a predilection towards. Which got me to thinking. I know it's a little early yet, but I have a few ideas for potential careers for Sophie.

1. Nanny. She loves pushing around her little dolly in her stroller. Round and round the basement she goes, where she stops, nobody knows.

2. Cable Installer. My girl loves a remote control more than just about anything. She will cross great distances and climb tall sofas to get at them. She doesn't often throw tantrums, but she has been known to shed a tear when denied the remote. We have several dummy remotes which we hoped would take the place of our current remote in her affections, but no dice.

3. Animal Trainer. She adores the kitties. She likes petting (okay grabbing) them, she likes playing tag (chasing them around the house) and she loves helping out with their food and water (splashing in their water dish and dumping their food out). Not surprising her first word outside of mama and dada appears to be kitty. Unfortunately the way she says it, it sounds more like a part of a woman's anatomy. You get me?

4. Exotic Dancer. I would say nudist, but she has a flair for the dramatic that leads me to believe there's more than just a preference for fresh air on skin. When we met some friends out for lunch the other day, she greeted them with a smile and a flash of her baby belly. (I am less supportive of this career choice.)

5. Supermodel. I don't think I'm being preferential when I say that she might be one of the most attractive babies. Ever. Nope, not biased at all.

Whatever she decides to do, I will support her. When I was a kid, I said I would be the first female president. It seemed a fantastical idea, one that I wasn't sure I would see. Well, we're not there yet, but this election has shown us that dreams can come true.

So aim high, baby girl!