On vacation

I'm in Savannah, GA, ya'll! See you next week!

Three Year Anniversary

Dear Husband,

Thank you
for three years,
1096 days,
and countless memories.

Most of all,
thank you for being exactly who you are.

I love you.

Hersheypark… indifferent

I still remember my favorite ride at Hersheypark when I was a little girl. It was called The Whip (I called it “the snapper-backer”), because it was an oval track that whipped you around the corners. It no longer exists so it was either A. lame or B. a liability. I’m going with B. I hit my head on the side of the car all the time, but it was such fun!

Saturday was a big day for us. It was The Baby’s first trip to Hersheypark. We were very excited. My husband even printed out a list of all the Hershey Miniature (under 36” tall) rides. Unfortunately, we only got on two of them: Express Train and Ladybug. The Baby’s expression didn’t change once through either ride. It could best be described as chilly indifference—even when his dad and two kind strangers were doing everything in their power to get him to smile… he was stony. See below. Also, I thought my husband was going to hurl on the Ladybug, which was sort of funny. :-)






Hersheypark as an adult with a toddler is a completely different experience.

Instead of riding this:

We rode this:

Hey, the monorail had stroller parking and no line! We were very excited. Very. *hanging head in shame* Then we walked through the zoo. Nobody walks through the zoo if they only have a one-day pass, unless their parents make them. Or unless they are the parents of a ride-rejecting toddler. Actually, the zoo was pretty neat. It put The Baby right to sleep. Bonus.

Of course, he would not lay back in his stroller, so he nodded off / jerked awake / nodded off while my husband and I tried to locate the lunch pavilion. This took a billion years since apparently neither one of us can read a map. The frustration of being hungry, hot AND lost was alleviated a bit by all the awwwww-him’s-so-sleepy looks and coos that The Baby earned while we walked in circles.

After lunch, we went to the water park. The Baby LOVES pools and splashing in water. We were pretty psyched. I agreed to stroller sit, while my husband and son stood in line to get into one of the kiddie splash and play areas. Wouldn’t you know it, 15 minutes later, while they were still in line, the water attractions were closed due to the possibility of storms. But all was not lost. My husband said that The Baby did get to splash in a small puddle in line and even got down on his hands and knees and tried to take a lick. All I have to say is that I hope that puddle was water.

All in all, it was a good day. It was hosted by my husband’s company, so we didn’t have to pay. Woot! Would I have paid $110 (14 month olds aren’t charged for admission) for the three of us to park and get into the park for four hours? No. Not when The Baby had just as much fun when we got home jumping through the sprinkler with daddy.

Even if The Baby doesn't remember a thing, it was still a day of memories for us.

Hair Ku: two cuties

Quick buzz for summer.
The clippers must tickle him.
He smiled the whole time.

His new big-boy cut.
Now he looks more like daddy.
I’m a lucky girl.

Have a great weekend!

All of a sudden I feel boring

I’ve been tagged for a meme by Vanessa. :-)

Honestly, I would love to just make stuff up. What was I doing 10 years ago... driving across the US with my friend Judy, getting ready to move to NYC, working at the beach for the summer and being a bum... Oh, wait a minute, those are all things I was going to do, but never did. It's true, youth is wasted on the young! Thank goodness I'm happy where I am at in most aspects of my life!

Anyway, back to the meme!

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was on the verge of turning 25. I had just quit a job as a magazine assistant to move to a more creative position as a marketing coordinator with a larger, more stable company. Career-wise things couldn’t have been better. Otherwise, they stunk. I’d broken off a relatively short, but serious relationship with someone and was having a difficult time getting over the loneliness that follows a breakup. Plus, my best friend at the time was getting ready to move 13 hours away with a guy she didn’t even like that much. Socially, my life sucked! Aside from my job, which I poured myself into, it was a pretty depressing time in my life. Luckily, my late 20s were great!

5 things on my to do list today:
1 write three ads
2 revise one ad
3 Anxiously awaiting a call from my husband, who is at the doctors' office as I write, telling me why The Baby has a rash all over his body.
4 read blogs (shhhhhh… I’m working, really!) Hey, did you see my blog roll? If you are on my Google Reader, you are on my blog roll.
5 Make dinner. Frozen ravioli and doctored up pasta sauce. Should be easy!

Snacks I enjoy:
Cheese and crackers, pretzels and mustard, ice cream, cottage cheese and grapes or peaches, Cheetos, Doritos, Nutty Buddy ice cream cones, corn nuts (but only when I am traveling), chicken wings (is that a meal or snack?)... I could go on and on.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Move to a house in my neighborhood with a garage and bigger closets. Quit my job. Take creative writing classes and work on creative projects as a part-time job. Spend more time with my kiddo. Buy a home in a Caribbean island. Give money to charity. Try to keep it a secret. Try not to change.

Places I have lived:
My parents’, one apartment, and my current home. Pretty boring, huh? I commuted to college, so I didn’t even live in a dorm.

Power Flip Flops

Did you ever go to work with mismatched socks? You look down at say 9 a.m. and realize that you have on a navy sock and black sock, or socks that have different patterns?

You have? Good!

I’d like to one up you. Today I came to work in my flip flops. Barely a step up from slippers. I have on a pair of crisp black trousers, a pretty green shell which peaks out below a hopefully still fashionable cropped black jacket. Instead of my very professional Anne Klein sling backs, I have on Old Navy rubber flip flops.

It is one of those rare days where my hair and makeup both look good. I like my outfit. I don't feel fat. Or pimply. I feel good. I even had time to start a load of wash before work. We have hardwood floors, so I don't put on my heels until I'm ready to leave. Since our washer is in our very unfinished basement, I put on my flip flops.

When I was walking into work with my head held high, I heard my tell-tale shoes. Oh, hell!

Here I am at 11:30 in the ladies' room at work.
















NO, my pants aren't tapered, they just look that way since I'm holding my legs up. Really! I'm not that much of a mess.

Finding your voice

The Baby and I are both working on our voices, in different ways. I’ve been learning lately that figuring out how to effectively communicate is just as tough for the parent as it is for the child. I just assumed it would mostly be The Baby figuring out verbal and non-verbal ways to let us know what he wants. As far as being The Voice of Authority, I always thought that I would be a tough-love kind of parent. Firm, yet kind. Don’t give in, and the child will catch on. I never figured in the part where they’d laugh at me.

Mommy Voice
I’m trying to find The Voice. You know the one… it keeps kids in line, but it’s not so bad that your eye starts twitching when you use it. And it doesn't scare your kids into therapy.

The Baby’s newest game is trying to crawl onto the coffee table. I appreciate the fact that he wants to do this. It’s one of the first things that he can wiggle his way onto at home. Neato for him! But still, it’s the coffee table and it’s not acceptable. Whenever I catch him, I say “You aren’t allowed on the coffee table,” and I gently slide him back onto the floor. I try to be stern with him. He laughs at me. Nice. I am firmly in control.

Anyway, repeat the cycle 20 times. He’s frustrated, I am frustrated. I tried several times to move him away from the table and engage him in another activity. Right back to the table. *sigh* He put his elbows on the table, leaned over, wriggled a knee up, and just when he thought he was in the clear, I belted out, “Get off that table, NOW!”

I’ve never seen a little boy move so fast. He reversed it off the table in one second. He stood there and looked at me – his eyes a pool of sorrow, his bottom lip slowly emerged and began to quiver. And then he cried. Boy, did he cry. I felt like a witch. But he listened, whereas he completely ignored me or didn’t take me seriously before.

There has got to be a happy medium between my toddler laughing at me and me yelling at him. HELP!


Baby Talk
The Baby is 14 months old today and, for all practical purposes, he doesn’t talk. He is vocal, for sure. Every morning around 5:45, we hear him loud and clear. He’s like a friggin’ rooster. He also chatters throughout the day. But he doesn’t say many words. He can say “uh-oh” in context and he can say “tickle.” Sometimes it’s in context, mostly not. He does not say “mommy” or “daddy” or “cup” or “cat.” He doesn’t nod or shake his head. I’m a little concerned.

My sister-in-law said that kids often start learning physically or verbally first. They tend to run with one and catch up later with the other. I’m hoping that that’s what is happening here.

Wordless Wednesday

Springtime Fun

Bubble

Watermellon

Shower

Growing pains

There’s this picture at my desk – actually, there are a lot of pictures at my desk – but this one is my favorite.

I took it when The Baby was almost three months old. At this age I could put him in his crib and he’d watch his mobile. I was good for about 10 minutes. I could sit in the rocker and pump or read or go jump online for a few minutes. But I usually just hung out at the crib rails watching him watching his mobile.

The Baby didn’t ever lay on the floor on play mats, didn’t care much for a bouncy seat, and, at that age, he didn’t always appreciate going for a walk. This was one of the few things that caught his attention and kept him happily occupied. For a reflux baby, those calm 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there are like a chorus of angels singing. Anyway, while you can’t see the mobile, I was glad to have caught this little content moment.

I have looked at this picture one hundred times a day for almost a year and I’ve always marveled how he still looks like my baby. Just smaller. Look.. he's still in his little Swaddlers. He’s a size 5 diaper now!

Yesterday, however, something different happened. I looked down at the photograph, as I so often do, and it hit me: it doesn’t look like him anymore. He has more cheek bones and less cheeks, his hair has changed from fuzzy-infant to fine-toddler hair, his torso is longer (though not leaner), and those little legs don’t automatically curl up when he is lying down.

He’s a little boy. *sniff*

SATC: Star Trek for Women

We had a great time on Friday. Going out to diner and to the movies with friends was a treat. Especially since we got dressed up. The movie was a lot of fun and I’ve never ever seen that many high, strappy heels in a movie theater, or that many dresses. It’s proved to me that women dress for themselves and for each other, not for the less fair sex.

Upon the first notes of the theme song, the audience erupted into cheers. You got the feeling that all these women were seeing some old friends that they hadn’t seen for a couple of years. Than it hit me. I was watching a movie with a bunch of geeks. I would so roll my eyes at anyone discussing the meaning and merits of the close relationship between Data and Jordy from Star Trek The Next Generation. I would snicker at the lame-o who actually showed up to the theater with a butterfly clip across his eyes like he WAS Jordy. Yet here I was in a theater full of women dressed like the characters in the movie they were about to se. There was even someone among the group of women I was with who was seeing the movie for the second time! She’d seen it at 12:01 a.m., too. Tres geek!

Who acts like this? *cough, cough, Stars Trek geeks, cough*

Sex and the City didn’t disappoint. It was like a favorite episode, but longer. The only negative thing that I could say is that it was overloaded with product plugs. What a snooze. There comes a point where I start to feel like you should be paying me to watch a movie if I have to endure so many paid placements. Stuff like that bugs me. Of course, I'm in marketing and may be more aware of it. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else. I don’t want to give much of the plot away, since I know a lot of people still want to see it. I will say this, someone poops themselves. I won’t say more than that. If you want context, you’ll have to see the movie.