It's only just begun...

Kaden and friends up above. The twins are about a year and a half older, and have much fun figuring him out. Generally, they're getting the hang of "gentle" and have quit poking him the eye! What's much fun now is that Kaden is aware of them, and starting to try and join them in their play. We'll see how excited/tolerant they are when he's mobile enough to mess their stuff up!

And because I forgot to post it two weeks ago, here's Kaden at 5 months. He's now a bit more reachy, grabby, and generally more squirmy than ever before! Church is a bit less of a long reflective time and more of snatched prayers between bouncing him away from the hymnals.

Kaden's Christmas gift to us last week? TWO - yes, one and then another, TWO nights of 12 straight hours of sleep. We'll take 'em, because the rest of the time he's a bit more fussy about going to bed or being t-i-r-e-d in general. We're thinking a tooth or two might make an appearance soon.

And here's to 2009! May we all be blessed with health, happiness, and the courage to widen our circle of friends :)

Santa Baby

Here's Kaden figuring out how to open presents...



And try the gifts out...



You'd think he was confused all night!

But by Christmas morning, he got the hang of it:

Somehow, we missed the photos of Kaden eating the wrapping paper- generally, his favorite activity of the day. Maybe because we ran out of battery juice?! Here's a short take on how Christmas morning went:

Merry Christmas to all...

Three hours of wrapping, arranging and straightening up and I'm still in the Christmas mood. Must be the Spirit, eh?

While many folks have asked, I didn't really reflect a lot on this being Kaden's first Christmas. Until tonight, that is. I chased family off to bed early so I could start, um, FINISH my wrapping. Baby K woke up just after midnight, a tad hungry and really wet. Feeding him by the light of the tree was pretty neat. He watched the lights when he started, but soon drifted off. His little fingers were wrapped over my thumb, helping me hold the bottle. I can't help but think of next Christmas, and the one after that, and the next. Where will we be? Will he still be holding my hand? How big will those little fingers grow each year? I'm trying to fix this image, this feeling, in my mind. This is Peace.

7 Quick Takes

I'm totally stealing this from Aimee and I may have gotten the rules wrong, but here goes:

1. When I'm done with this, we're running out for more formula as the can is almost empty and I'm tempting fate the longer I wait...

2. While we're out, we may buy a tree. And lights. This seems like a good weekend for decorating, yes?

3. All Kaden wants for Christmas is post it notes. It's the only thing keeping him from typing with me right now, and entertained him for 20 minutes last night. Seriously- don't believe me?

See for yourself:

4. I SHOULD have taken pics of the piles o' laundry- I mean gifts. But I didn't. Maybe one of my sister in laws will save me and send a digital pic along when they open the box.

5. The only thing worse, possibly, than disappointing recycled wrapping is wrapping a young boy's stuff in this:

Look closely my friends, and you'll see the pretty flowers are actually whisky bottles. I ran out of regular paper midnight before the mailing deadline-- and used this stuff. I'm hoping they won't notice. I think they read this, though. Most likely, they'll post about how weird I am!

6. I agree with Aimee- Lindts chocolate is good stuff. Thanks to my Aunt Jeanne for introducing us to them. Actually, she introduced my mom, who was kind enough to share, and now they magically appear each Christmas...

7. I am running out of time, as the post its are no longer distracting the babe.

TTFN!

ps- is it me, or does the whisky paper look kinda pretty from a distance??

Eco-Cool... or not

So... every Christmas Jim and I try to figure out way(s) to simplify the madness and focus on the good stuff (which usually isn't stuff). It's a bit tricky when there's kids involved (13 neices/nephews). We honestly WANT to be revelant to their lives, but are a bit uncomfortable with the buying-lots-of-toys scenerio. Don't get me wrong, we succomb more often than not, but generally there's lots of thought and some teeth-gnashing trying to get a balance.

ANYWAY, one of the things we try to do is recycled wrapping when possible. We learned early on that newspapers- even the comics- fail to impress the under 4 set. In fact, most toddlers refused to acknowledge those boxes as a gift! So we've decorated grocery bags with stamps, painted and re-used old blueprint papers, etc.

This year, I thought we hit a real winner. We bought all the kids new ____ (ha! you didn't think I'd write BEFORE the 25th, didya?). And then decided to 'wrap' the presents in pillowcases specially designed for each child. Well, the crafting part didn't happen... but we did scour a few thrift stores looking for kid designed cases in good condition! We get home and have much fun, ahem, assembling the gifts one by one, then putting each into a 'family' pile. Then I turned around and discovered that....

very cool, very recycled, very fun piles of gifts inside pillowcases...

mostly just look like laundry. (sigh)

Sometimes I wonder what the assorted little ones think when they get boxes from us...

Rolling right along...

I've written so many blog entries in my head, it's amazing to log on and see... none of them. Hmm. Perhaps because I'm stuck between a writing deadline on one side and a broken sewing maching/mailing-gift-deadline on the other?

Kaden News: he's rolled over TWICE this week. Very concentrated effort, so it's not happening all the time or quickly, but definitely a milestone ;) He's been a little outta sorts this week too- perhaps he caught a bit of a cold.

And with all those posts in my head... none of them are rising to the top. So Goodnight, Gracie.

Happiest Baby Award

start 'em young...

Earlier this week, we had the 4 month "well baby" checkup for Kaden. He had been a little fussy, and we weren't sure if he caught something up north (he had lots of choices: head cold, sinus infection or stomach flu). Or maybe it was just that we strapped the poor kid into his car seat for three. straight. days. with over 8 hours on the road each day? Hard to tell. I was a tad nervous, in any case. He was a bit fussy with the nurse, and mostly stared at the doctor. Then we lay him down on his back for the exam, and... watch out! He starts kicking, and squealing, and laughing! The doc says, and I am not making this up, "Well, you win the happiest baby of the day award." You could hear some other kid screaming away down the hall, but not our boy. Happy baby, indeed! There was no certificate or anything, but I was pretty darn proud. As I type this though, I'm realizing our appt. was at 8:30 am... but still, he won!

Of course, that was also BEFORE he got the vac shots. We only had two given, instead of the recommended 8. (Yes, eight!) Good thing, too, because he's a tad grumpy/clingy/fussy and generally unhappy the last 2 days. But in spurts, so it's doable. Well, mostly doable because Mom's helping out (thanks!). Jim's out of town at a youth minister conference. Before you think he got the easy end out, know that it's in CLEVELAND, he's not fully recovered from the stomach flu, and there's some kind of white pollution floating around that artic city. Poor guy!

Holidays... on warp speed

Can you describe your Thanksgiving in five words or less? Here's ours:

Kaden's first.... "stomach flu".... freezing



I thought I'd be kind and spare you the details. Except for the 3 funniest parts:

Nephew, age 10, upon hearing his family is leaving b/c his uncle and grandfather are throwing up in the background:

"What's so bad about that? They just sound like ninja warriors: hoo-YAH" Picture him making karate chops and kicks every time a noise arises from the backroom...


Nephew, age 6, telling me he's afraid of Santa. Me: so how are you going to get all that stuff you want if you won't even sit on the man's lap? Nephew: "Hmm, that's a good one, Titi. Let me think about it."


Nephew, age 7, brother of 5 others, looking at Kaden: "Aunt Kristi, wouldn't it be neat if you had NINE kids?" I sputtered through my coffee, as I'm not ready to even think about #2 yet...


It took us THREE days to drive home- and each day had at least 8 hours of driving, and 2 hours of a crying baby (no, not the driver). Yucky traffic. And it was COLD every day. We had talked of moving to North Carolina... but you know what? It's still pretty darn cold up there. Maybe Georgia...


After ignoring Christmas music and displays and ads for the past 6 weeks, I am suddenly suprised that the big day is about 3 weeks away. Yikes! I'd like to decorate the house and set up a crafty, present making station... but, um, where? Cause our little bundle of joy has taken every free inch of floor space up! And now he can actually grab things, not just swat at them... and it looks like he'll be able to roll over by Christmas. So this will be interesting...


AND-- this weekend is the Feast of St. Nicholas, the saint who inspired Santa. Check out fun stuff here.



Here's a belated 4 month photo of Kaden. I think he looks longer- you?

Happy Thanksgiving

from us shivering folks ;)

Traveling Baby... and postcards too

Hey friends! Thanks for weighing in on the last post.... so yes, I'll mark this as Kaden's first snow. It's not as impressive as the Midwest snow, but this morning we even got a visual memento of the flurries:



Notice how unimpressed he looks. Earlier tonight we went to the Dixie Stampede... and Kade decided to forgo his late afternoon nap in order to watch the lights and fake snow. The funniest moment? When Dolly Parton appeared on a huge screen, our babe literally dropped the bottle from his mouth and pushed himself upwards to watch her. TWICE! We laughed, of course, but mine was a nervous laugh, covering the anxiety I felt over the possible implications of a 4 month old adoring Dolly. Then I remembered that there's a perfectly adorable and mainstream toddler who loves all things Lawrence Welk, so maybe Kaden will be okay after all.

If you haven't discovered Postcrossing yet, but you love mail/postcards/geography/other cultures/random people... you need to check it out. Basically you send a postcard to a randomly generated member, and once they receive it, you get on the list to GET a random postcard from someone else. I've only been a member for about a month, but have learned a TON. Like about the UNESCO World Heritage list, and various Eastern European countries... oh, and also received some good tips for historical fiction books (add any of your favorites in the comments section, pls!).

First Snow?

Yesterday morning, there were snow flurries... but Kaden napped right through them. It didn't seem right to bring a sleeping baby into the snow.

Today, we took an 'auto tour' through part of the Smoky Mountains. Much fun! I love this area. We pulled over at a scenic overlook to take some photos and a short walk... and found the other side of the mountain had LOTS of scattered snow that 'stuck'. See?




My husband (a PENNSYLVANIA native, who wears Tshirts in 50 degree weather that clearly calls for knit hats, scarves and jackets) refused to let me feed Kaden a taste of snow. Or put it on his little cheek (the only flesh we could see!). So my question is: if the baby technically SEES snow, but doesn't touch it... and if we DROVE up to it instead of letting it fall down on us... is this a first snow? Help me out, friends, because I've got a baby book to start!!

Sleeping Cubs

At the aquarium earlier today:



Kade LOVES the Smokey Mountains... but the cold air sure does tucker him out!


Pls. ignore the date stamp-- I changed the batteries and forgot to fix it!

90 to 30 in 36 hours flat

Hey all.... Yesterday morning, we woke up in high 80s weather... now it's in the 30s. What were we thinking? Vacation NORTH of paradise in November? *sigh* The babe is traveling fairly well, all things considered... and his dad is dealing well with the slower driving pace. AND, when we're comfy inside, playing games and trading stories with family, it's almost enough to forget I'm still cold!

Fun pictures soon- assuming we have net access in the mountains!

Would you believe...

On average, more people die each year from falling coconuts (3) than shark attacks (1)?




That adorable toddlers are hard to get photos of because they won't back away from the camera? or stop moving in general?

That Kaden is so used to adult adulation, he'll get annoyed when his little friend, God bless his heart, trys to teach him where eyes are?

Here's to Future Presidents

For Next Year:

and in 35 years:

After hearing Obama's speech tonight, I have hope. May he be wise. May we all put "country first" as we serve responsibly. I pray we stand strong together: the United States of America, one nation under God...

Kaden did accompany me to the polls... but there's no cute photo since a) I traveled light and b) he started wailing on page 2 of the ballot. Did he not like my choice for the mosquito board?

It's time for a laugh-fest

Notice the babe's reaction when HE notices the camera...

hee hee hee hee....

HALLOWEEN TOUCHDOWN !!

Because it's never too early to take the field!

I should have taken more closeups, so you could see Kaden's lacing and my ref patches. Though technically I was a line judge. Notice the down indicator on my right hand! Yes, we are football geeks. You didn't think it was possible? My favorite detail was calling Kaden "Wilson" all day...

The more traditional pic !

Thanks to Aunt Erin, "Auntie" Elizabeth, and "Aunt" Suzanne

for the various holiday gear!

Who says it's naptime?

Really, Ma, I just want to go outside...




The bedtime routines are slightly more established...

The "last resort" option is the vacuum, but that wouldn't make such a cute pic. Maybe a video, next time...

The Second Day at Work means...

Conference time! Tuesday, Jim and I were required to attend a daylong conference on "Stewardship" with the rest of the staff. We brought Kaden along. He's quite the social butterfly... stared at anyone who looked at him, and was smiling at a few of our coworkers (who he's seen a few times already!). We timed it out, so that as the keynote started, he'd have his 2nd breakfast and then nap. Eating- not a problem. Sleeping? With all these new people around to smile at him? Not so much! He was, thankfully, really quiet... it seemed like he was just taking it all in. Jim was able to get him to sleep during the break (!), so we slipped him into the MobyWrap and off I went to the first workshop.

The babe, God bless him, slept through the entire workshop AND the first part of Mass. I was fairly worried when he woke up during the homily, as he's used to being changed and fed right after his morning nap. But he rolled with the punches, looking around and then hanging with a coworker for a while. Other than the occassional "aah!" he again was quiet!

Lunch comes, and he's grinning and laughing and having a good ole' time with everyone. He continues this *through* the second keynote, so we took an outside stroll (thank God this particular parish has beautiful grounds, including flowers, palm trees and a fountain!). When it's time for the second and last workshop of the day, Jim is trying to get Kaden down for his afternoon nap... only now the boy won't have any part of it! We consider ditching this last part and heading home early, then decide that Jim will do the strolling/get him to sleep while I attend one and fill him in later.

You know what's coming, right? Because most of you already HAVE kids and have been through this 'plan-a-day-with-an-infant' thing. Not so much us, the new parents, who tend to take our good luck and push it past the breaking point EVERY time. Short story: I went to the workshop, Jim got Kade to sleep but he woke up waaay too earlier, and was cranky and crying for the rest of the day!

So the third day of work? We called off. Just kidding! We actually had planned to take today off, as our crazy hours add up on the other days this week. But we do have a conference we need to attend on Saturday, so we're thinking we'll ditch the 'first-football-game' experience for Kaden at my alma mater on Friday and lay low for a few days. And actually leave early if he's fussy next time!

Three Months Means... back to work

Yup. Today was it. First day back in the office. I'm not sure what I expected, and the day was... fine. I managed to answer most emails, delegate a few tasks, return a few calls, catch up with half my coworkers and eat brownie cake. It all felt comfortable... and at the same time, very unfamiliar. I couldn't remember which keys went to which door, or where I kept certain files, or why I had made certain decisions about the programs' calendars. And the whole time I had a distinct feeling that I was supposed to be somewhere else. Of course, everyone who saw me wanted to know where was the baby and how was he doing: so mostly I talked about him all day long anyway!

If I'm back at work, it means three months has passed, and ---- wait! Where's the 3 months picture, you ask? Funny you should mention it...

First, I should tell you that photos are getting slightly harder. While he can't crawl away yet, he still seems pretty active:

Then, you should know that he LOVES sitting upright, and will often strain and grunt his way into a semi-up sitting position. So when he's propped up, he likes to check out what's happening.

What he was staring at so intently?

The TV.

I'd be more upset about it, but it was college football... so I figure it must be genetic.

Finally, know that Kaden IS happier (and chattier) with each passing day. Not that you can tell, because the smile disappears whenever the camera comes out. Should make for interesting holiday photos, eh?

Happy THREE months, baby boy! Here's to a zillion more!

Invitations, Car Seats and Poo

I can't believe I forgot to include this on the Baptism post. Where is my my brain lately?

A few weeks ago, we sent out dual-purpose postcards. The front was an artistic birth announcement, and the address side had an invitation to the baptism. Even though we knew most out of area folks wouldn't be able to come, we just wanted folks to know so they could pray :) It's always nice when our far-off relatives keep us in the loop too! I designed the front of the card, inspired by this website: http://wordle.net/ We were pretty happy with the postcard idea, and mailed out over 100.

Then we found out that not all of them went through! They didn't get returned to us, either. Basically, if you know us in real life, you SHOULD have received a postcard. If not, please email me and we'll get one out to you asap! kn_jenkins (at) hotmail (dot) com. Put the symbols in for @ and . - the way I spelled it hopefully stops spam!

Car seat update-- Kaden's not crying ALL the time in the seat anymore- yeah! We added some extra padding under his seat and also one of the mirrors for him to see himself (and me to see him- thanks Nana). He seems to like the car teddy bear too. Basically, as long as he's not too tired or hungry or gassy, he'll be okay for at least a 15 minute drive. His gas is also improving slowly too. Today we saw the chiropractor, who recommended baby acidolophus. I'm sure I didn't spell it right, but it's the stuff in yogurt- the good bugs in your gut. Hopefully that will help even more! Today, he actually fell asleep in the car as we were running errands - woo hoo!

A friend of mine once posted a funny haiku about diapers that I often think about as I stand over Kade on the changing table. Yesterday, however, I had an opposite theory with a similar result! Last week, I did that whole "weigh yourself while holding the baby and then while NOT holding the baby to see what HE weighs while ignoring the other depressingly large number" thing. And Kaden was 12 pounds! Wow! And since the next size of diapers start at 12 lbs, and since they were the only diapers left on the shelf, I figured wow- another milestone! Slapped on the thing, Carefully wrapped up the babe and went on my merry way.

You know where this is headed because of the post title. But you're sticking around for details, right? Okay, so there I am, looking up "Montessori" infant ideas (seriously), bouncing Kaden on my leg like a horsey ride, when I hear him toot. Just as I'm about to say "good job, buddy" I FEEL LIQUID RUNNING DOWN MY LEG! Yeah, that's typed in caps because that was my reaction too! So what does this mom do? Put my hand on my thigh to CATCH the liquid poo, because my first thought was "I don't want to clean this off the carpet." (Sometimes I'm sure I'm getting the Worse-Mom-of-the-Week award.).

When he stops (thankfully before my hand overflows), I kinda half hug him to me and make a break for the changing table. I figure washing my shirt will be easier than trying to clean a trail from the dining room to the bedroom! When I put him down on the table, he looks up at me all innocent-angel like. To which I mutter, don't act all innocent with me buddy- I know it was you. And then- it cracks me up that he responds to cues so appropriately- he starts laughing. At me and my dirty shirt, I'm sure. When I call his father to get some sympathy (and maybe a foot rub later), Jimdad also starts laughing.

The funniest part? The diaper had NO POO in it, except the streaky get away trail. Seriously! So here's my bad diaper haiku:

If the next size dipes
are for twelve to eighteen pounds,
don't rush growing up.

Baptism!

One incredible liturgy, some partying and a day to recover... ta-da! Kaden's baptized!



At the very beginning of Mass, there's a neat welcome ritual where the priest prays for Kaden, and during the entire prayer, the babe staring at our pastor intently. Then, just as Fr Stan says "this Sign of the Cross will claim you for Christ" (I may be paraphrasing, but that's the gist of it), Kaden breaks out into a HUGE grin! He kept smiling as we (parents & godparents) also traced the cross on his forehead.



Kaden was remarkably well-behaved during the Mass. A few squawks here and there, but no major fussing. Though his vigorous kicking did untie his shoes, he didn't manage to kick them off.



And yes, he did cry when Fr Stan poured the water over his forehead. But he stopped after being toweled off and held upright!




There were so many cool things about the day, I'm not sure I can really convey how moved Jim and I were. Let me start by saying our parish community is AWESOME! We had a bunch of people who were excited to see the little one baptized- a few folks even went to church 2x that weekend because they had to be at another mass (for ministry or an intention) but wanted to see Kaden too. Fr. Stan is great at welcoming our friends visiting from other churches. Oh, and his homily! Earlier in the week, Jim had joked that as the father of the child-to-be-baptized, didn't that mean he had to approve the homily? or maybe he should just write it out for the pastor? So Fr Stan starts his homily by TELLING THE ENTIRE CHURCH this... then continues to say something along these lines: "Jim, you've already been preaching by the loving way you care for Kristi and your new son. Keep on homilizing, buddy." All the various parts of the ceremony- the welcome, the prayers of protection from evil, the sprinkling rite, the anointing, the prayers over the parents- all of them were moving in different ways, and Jim and I each found ourselves with tears in our eyes at least once!



The Church also provided Coffee & Donuts free of charge that day, so everyone could go and visit with us in the parish hall. Our family added a cake (thanks Publix) and fruit salad (thanks Steve), so it was a really festive time- even without the balloons I forgot to put up! So many people came over to say hello and congratulations and hold/bless/touch Kaden. He was a good sport, too, lasting about a half hour before falling asleep again!



Later in the day, we had a family friend bbq at a local park. It was a great time, though a little hot. By the time we got the camera out, I had taken Kaden out of his cute onesie to try to keep him cool! We also misted him down a few times, and SOME folks put ice down my shirt! I have no idea why...

Thanks for your prayers for our baby! May he grow into a faithful man with a strong and gentle heart!

Road Trip!

Hey everyone! Just got back from a very pleasant visit with some family friends a few hours away. They usually live in MD, so it was nice to catch them 'in-state'. A relaxed visit, friendly and hospitable folks, good coffee and meatballs- just a really great time! The car ride was not so pleasant, though, as Kaden still has issues with his car seat. We did pull over 3-4 times, thereby turning a normally 2.5-3 hr trip into a 4+ hr trip -- EACH WAY. Yet there was still a very-not-fair amount of fussing, crying and screaming from our normally easy going boy. Enough so that I'm wondering if we shouldn't be saving for future therapy sessions he'll need to combat an unnatural fear of cars and parking lots! (I'm sure there's a fun term for that, but I'm too tired to google the definition.)

However, when not actually on the road, K-baby is becoming more and more fun to be with. He laughs and giggles and coos... and gives us funny looks and serious stares. He's feeling heavier, though I know I can't complain since he only recently passed some relatives' birth weights!

Tomorrow we have an intentionally light day planned so Kaden can get all settled in before our vistors arrive. We've got some out of state family visiting (yea!) for his baptism (double yea!). I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, and am SURE to post cute pics soon :)

Smart Guy!

Too tired from meeting a freelance deadline to write a 'real' post - so you'll have to settle for a photo instead!

Official Weigh In

for Kaden, folks- not me. I'm not THAT sleep deprived. Though I must say, this post partum time is nice since everyone got used to seeing me pregnant, apparently I now look thin(er) than before, even though I plateaued at my pre-preg weight. Hee hee.

Anyway, this is about Kaden, right? El nino is doing very well and has lots of little news to share.

His 2 month well child visit went well (!), and K baby now weighs in at 11 lbs. Amazing, yes? He gained about 20% of his body weight in just 1 month! He's 22.25inches long (a gain of about 3 inches). This would explain why the newborn clothes don't fit anymore...

He also received 2 vaccines. The standard policy would've been to give him 6 - yes, six! After a lot of reading, JimDad and I decided to follow an alternate schedule to space them out. Especially considering some of the ingredients! And if I understand it right, the "dose" is the same for ages 0-6... This 'spacing' way, we have a few extra visits & copays, but Kaden only gets 2 shots at a time- and only one with aluminum. Kaden handled it like a pro- only crying for a few seconds until Jim picked him up. He's been fairly alert and happy since, which is good! I'm praying his good health continues...

And the happiest news? He's sleeping LONGER!!! We're up to four-five hour stretches the past 3-4 days. So if we're up for the midnight-ish feeding, then we only have to get up once- hurray!

There's also more bubbles (drooling), yakking and smiles- even a few giggles. And every now and then, a screech! Thankfully, those are few.

Happy 2nd (month) Birthday

This occasion was so big, I baked brownies. Seriously! Ok, so they were from a bag mix. That expired last month. They were still good enough that I ate 5 before anyone came home. Yeah, THAT'S why I don't bake much...

What you really want to know is, how big is our birthday boy? See for yourself:

Newborn.......................... August 17......................... September 17 !

More details than you probably care about...

Here Kaden is having fun on his surfboard - actually a "tummy time" activity mat, but the tummy photos weren't as cute. He's settling into a night routine, eating around 8pm, midnight, 3am, 6am, and then around 8am. So during the night, he goes 3-4 hours between eating and has been fairly good about sleeping in between.

During the day, not so much! Then he'll eat about every 2 hours- sometimes stretching it to 3 hours, sometimes wanting a snack after an hour. He's got LOTS of awake time during the day now- unfortunately, most of it is spend staring at me. He will take naps, from 20-90 minutes. He's also *starting* to agree to time by himself (i.e. not being held) as long as I am within view. He seems to like the bouncy chair and being outside- sometimes just being by a window is enough.

Tonight we visited our friends with the twins. It was a nice trade- their mom got to hold the baby, which she loved, and I got to roll around and giggle and play, which I love. The kids seemed to enjoy it too- Kaden spent some time watching the twins play (the little girl in particular). His attention span is shorter than theirs, of course, but still. And when we left, both Nick & Lexi gave him a soft kiss on the head, which was very sweet.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

It's time to start making Halloween costumes!! Nevermind any writing deadlines or filing Kaden's hospital records! People, we've got to narrow down our options and commit to a character already!

Favorite costumes from the past (all homemade)

Childhood:
- Clown (Mom still has this one)

- Knight (did I mention I was a tomboy?)

College Years:
- Oscar the Grouch, complete with a real (!) trash can, (clean) trash, Wormly & insults! Great for accolades, not so much for sitting down...

- Winnie the Pooh & company: we seriously had everyone from Tigger to Owl to Christopher Robin to Roo! The best part? No costume cost more than $12!

Adult Years:
um... I'm not sure what happened here, but the few times I/we dressed up it was fairly lame. Or routine. Pirate, cowgirl, etc.

But THIS year, I have a BABY. A very smallish child who CAN'T VETO any idea my overactive imagination comes up with! So as long as JimDad stays out of my way agrees, the sky's the limit! We may just have to host a party this year ;)

3 New Mom Illusions

1) Kaden LOVES to go for walks in his umbrella stroller. See?

Oh wait, I'm the one who loves it because he falls asleep. Right, the same reason "Puff the Magic Dragon" is our favorite song...

2) The other day I looked at the counter (the same scene I've seen for a few weeks now) and it suddenly struck me as an odd contradiction:

So we're not exclusively bf'ing, but some days are better than others. The days that we're home with no appointments or errands and I've got patience. Yeah, not too many of those. But we'll keep trying...

3) The other night, I'm half-asleep in bed when I hear a grunting sound. I turn towards what I think is my son, and- without my glasses- see a fuzzy version of this moving:

Suddenly, I'm wide awake and sitting upright! I seriously thought there was a small animal next to me... no, it was my boy in his normally adorable bear pjs. Geesh. I miss the hot pregnancy dreams!

Follow the Link-er

Hey peeps! (it is the middle of the night, cut me slack for the crazy talk okay?)

Amiga BlueDaisy has an interesante take on this whole slew of "Mommy Blogs" - which, I freely admit, is my newest obsession. Somewhat healthy, at least. The funny thing is, I was thinking along MUCH the same lines earlier today. Or was it yesterday?

My thought process was how connected / grounded these myriad of blogs make me feel. Not exactly an online community of sorts, as I tend to be a bit o' a hermit and don't exactly reach out and comment a lot (online verbage- 'lurker' - but that sounds way more creepier than I am. or than I hope I am!).

But since my days are now mostly one way conversations with a 10 pound 'boss', and since telephone conversations with friends are difficult as the boss likes to begin 'communicating' intensely when I am not addressing him... and strangely, most of my friends dislike being chatted at in a high pitched language where every word ends in 'y' or 'ie' (goodie, it's time for some foody)... and since I haven't mastered the whole get-out-and-explore-with-the-young-un... and since he is "in hate" with the car seat (to quote MidwestMom)... and since it's too hot to take ANY kind of walk (unless there's a tropical storm to bring us some breezy wind, but then we've got other important stuff to try and 'secure')... well, you get the idea.

See, the thing is- it seems like there's some neat local groups for moms, but it literally took me 5 weeks to make it to ONE meeting- and they're just once a month. So having a first kid and feeling incompetent one minute and like Supernanny's teacher the next... well, it becomes a lot more bearable when you're reading about a bunch of other intelligent, funny women going through the similar stuff with their families.


And the best part? The honesty in the funny stories, like MoMommy's take on binkies. And the everyday stuff that really is heartwarming (see The Mother Load's latest post). It's probably a tad bit easier to be honest through a blog sometimes - a perfect way to vent and learn. Though the La Leche League meeting & leaders have also been *really* cool (another post for another day). And I have high hopes for the natural parenting and babywearing groups (which I hope I can make it to this month!).

Although maybe the best part is really the photos and videos, like Erin's great laughing baby. I mean, there are some seriously ADORABLE kids out there. On ALL the blogs I've seen. It makes me wonder: do we blog because the kids are cute? If they weren't, would we 'forget' to post a profile pic? Or is there an ugly-duckling group out there I don't know about? Or worse, are we (Kaden) in the ugly-duckling category but everyone's just too darn nice to point it out? No, that can't be it. I mean, just look at him:

I digress. The original point was, there's something to be said for these internet connections in our increasingly fractured social lives. Maybe, just maybe, blogging really does help us keep our sanity and be better moms, women, wives, workers, etc.... and isn't that something to celebrate?