whistle why (while) you work

what is on my pandora station: the blow, zee avi, heidi newfield, tegan and sara, iron & wine, ben folds, the submarines, and the ting tings. any other artist suggestions?

what is in my fridge: ribs, strawberries, bing cherries, and that big ole watermelon. yum.

i have nothing terribly exciting.

nate is napping twice a day still. he had a slight fever this morning. pretty sure there are some more teeth on the way. (he only has 4! two top, two bottom.) some days at home fly by and i don't even shower, some days go super slow and i want to pawn nate off to karl the second he walks in the door. he isn't really close to walking, but he will pull up on the couch, table, etc. no rush from me. he can crawl fast enough.

i need to get my scanner out so i can participate in way back wednesday posts. i have included this photo of b and i looking like homeless princesses after a night spent roaming the plaza in kansas city barefoot and sitting on the staircase of some seedy bar in a drunken anger b/c some jerk spilt his drink (on the dancefloor) down my back and tried to be all prickish about it. at least, i think that's what happened. ha. super classy. i do not wish to be 23 (24?) again.

(NO drinks on the dancefloor a-hole.)

(see? i am still bitter!)

(if it had just been beer, no worries. but it wasn't.)

though a night of drunken dancing sounds a scoch fun.

summertime: time for watermelon

nate says: join me for some watermelon.

ya'll got patio seatin'?

i have spent most of my day FREAKING OUT about baby maddox and his grand entrance into the world (and blogging at jenny's (internet) place and texting and twittering it). i am unbelievably proud of my dear friend jenny and her husband jeff.

i am also unbelievably proud of myself. um, on a MUCH, MUCH smaller scale. it feels wrong to even tell you this story in the same post that i speak of a woman growing and birthing a baby, but, well, i am going to do it anyway.

(it's not that great. i promise.)

anyway...

today i drove our truck out to bryant (this is a town outside of my snobby more-than-five-miles-is-the-country Little Rock comfort zone)(also, me + truck + highway = yikes.), drove down a gravel road, backed it into a loading dock, and helped load furniture. all with a baby in the car. this city girl done good, right? i feel this should earn me extra points in my (apparent) quest to be considered a true arkansan. (next thing you know i will be attending gun shows.)

but seriously?! Me and the Reverse Button? we don't normally get along. i'm a terrible driver. but i backed that truck in like i had been doing it my whole life. AND i admit it was a little thrilling when the delivery dock dude was doing the "a little more, a little more, a little more, st - no, a little more, ok! (indicated by the universal full palm of stop)" wave in my rearview.

okay, back to our regularly scheduled program of gushing over babies and boobies.

in case you missed it somehow, MADDOX ALEXANDER has arrived.

sometimes the swings say it all

sink, sink, clutch, sink

so my camera cord is still missing but here are some iPhone shots. Not too bad for a phone camera but not wonderful either. Karl ordered me a new cord tonight - $8 (shipping too!). $8 is a small price to pay for my sanity (especially on Sundays.) I can't miss documenting an entire month of the baby's first year! UN-ACCEPTABLE.

We attended an engagement party for one of karl's childhood friends this weekend. I wore heels - for like the second time since pregnancy and beyond. I AM NEVER THE GIRL IN HEELS. here is what the world's longest driveway looked like:
ITTY BITTY pieces of gravel and mud in between this criss cross concrete pattern. UM, no. not a beginner course. this is how i hobbled in: sink, sink, sink....can't walk along the muddy edges....sink sink sink... nice to meet you... stumble... clutch husband's arm with deathlink grip...sink... sink deeper....SUPER graceful. REPEAT: I AM NEVER THE GIRL IN HEELS. and they weren't just like small itty heels. they were my one pair of jessisca simpson 10 inch highs. the ones that sat on my desktop at work as decoration the entire time i was pregnant (and, ahem, until i quit) b/c i couldn't fit my fat, pregnant feet in them and/or would fall over due to balance issues. so, i went barefoot once the sun went down. (alright, fine, i collapsed at a table the first moment possible and made karl get all the food and drink for us. then the sun went down and i hobbled out (shoes in hand) next to karl's mom with her recovering hip and walker. what a pair we made!) (she is making amazing progress by the way.) so, yea, so much for my social butterfly-ness this weekend. ah well, such is life right? we didn't really know a lot of people and, i mean, really, i prefer to have bare feet and run around in the mud anyway. i'm a lady like that. (additionally, i banished the JS heels to the back of the closet for, um, maybe, um FOREVER (gasp).

enough about me. this Sunday, I would like to NOT focus on me ANYMORE but, instead, focus on these darling little ovens:

1. This Girl, with her upside down baby (well, i guess right side up, really), is going in to meet and kiss him Thursday.
2. This Girl, with her comfy cozy womb, who has been an unexpected and awesome support for my random baby Q&A, expecting baby girl #2 anytime now!
2. This Girl, with her flippy little fetus that is still twirling and whirling in every direction, who announced her own pregnancy so eloquently on her blog this morning.
3. And, This Girl, who has her own twirly peach/lemon/navel orange to think about and grow.

Their big and little (and by big and little i mean early vs. late pregnancy.) bumps make me smile. There are little people in there just waiting to come out and be Nate's friends.

way back w: yeah yeah yeah

i know, i am late again with the image and the wednesday-ness.

dang it.

ah, such is life.

i would like to make some commentary on my obsessive tv watching this week (finales everywhere!) i really try to limit my tv watching but, well, whatever. don't judge me. or do. i don't care.

we had an AMAZING antm (america's next top model) finale party last night! there were about 10 of us (baby sadie and baby nate too!) watching (and eating and drinking) while Teyona's weave fall off ON THE FINAL RUNWAY walk/crawl and her whipping it around like a lasso. (and tyra apparently loving this and giving her and her enormous forehead the ANTM cycle 12 title.) I loved little lemur Allison. GORGEOUS eyes. GORGEOUS photos. i came in second in my Fantasy ANTM league. yea, that's right. FANTASY AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL. whatcha have to say about it? we stayed up too late mourning the loss of Paulina Porizkova for future cycles (fired!), discussing Nigel Barker's hotness, and Tyra's verbal vomit. so ridiculous and yet so entertaining.

LOST made me cry and laugh and gasp and cry. What a great finale. I am pumped for the sixth and final season. I hate Kate more than ever!

The Office just made me laugh. A LOT. and cry a little. at the end. (also laughter happened durning: rules of engagement, big bang, how i met your mother, and ugly betty.)

The Biggest Loser was happy and sad. I can't wait for it to start again. Allison Sweeney makes me smile. Was NOT a huge Helen fan and wish Tara would have won, but, really, how can you hate the BL winner when they all look pretty amazing?

WE NEED A NEW SHOW FOR OUR WEDNESDAY NIGHT TV NIGHT - suggestions? i am heavily leaning towards the Real Housewives of New Jersey (DVRed on Tuesdays; watched on Wednesdays.)

wow that is too much tv. (i am still debating on pressing play on the Grey's Anatomy finale on my DVR. i just don't know if i can do it.)

can someone please send me a CAMERA CORD so i can take some PICTURES? here is a video to tide you over.

strolling with the homies

we have officially made it through the first week at home and are well into the second.

my stroller has gotten some serious street time. those of you that know me well, know that i DO NOT do mornings. and that, my friends, is a gross understatement. i hate everything there is to hate about the morning time. i hate the quiet before everyone else gets up (if i am up, they better be too!), i hate coffee. i hate birds. i hate showering in the AM. i hate the sound of the alarm clock. i honestly find that i do not function well before 10 a.m., despite the hour i get out of bed or the amount of caffeine i gulp down (in the form of breakfast sodas).

(if you are questioning how i was able to get up, get my child to daycare, and myself to work at 8 prior to this week, you are not alone. i seriously wonder it myself.)

so i knew that this would be an issue when i started staying home. because nater patater, well, he likes to get out of bed early. and you can't exactly let a recently-mobile-never-seen-any-of-these-awesome-electric-cords child loose while you hit snooze four times and pretend it is still sleepytime.

but this morning thing has actually been working out pretty well. karl gets the baby up and changed and (time depenedent) feeds him his breakfast while i stumble around like a zombie putting on my tenny rubbers and drinking my breakfast shake (which karl also makes for both of us every morning.) (how lucky am i, right?).

and then we walk.

and walk.

until i am awake.

it usually takes about 2 or 3 miles. (luckily, nate loves his stroller.)

(this morning i even jogged.)
(for like two blocks.)
(& almost died.)

please don't think i am some work out queen. we walk pretty slow. i do this out of sheer desperation to WAKE UP and GET GOING. if i lose twenty a few pounds in the process, that will be nice too. HA. here's to dreaming!

anyone have any additional wake up tips? i am terrified of the first day it is too hot/cold/rainy/dark to walk!

big long side note: we hit the streets with the BOB Revolution. I adore that thing. It might make me a stroller snob, but I don't even care. i wouldn't want another and am forever grateful to all of my friends that pitched in for this glorious piece of baby equipment. (for the record, i strongly oppose all strollers other than jogging strollers and the cheap-o umbrellas. i do support slings and other carriers and you can't convince me otherwise. and, of course, these, for those other babies of ours.) (sorry for the tangent - i just love it so much.)

pics coming soon! my battery on my camera is having some issues (and by issues i mean i lost the cord to charge it.)

Sunday, M Day, 2009

karl got me these gorgeous orange and pinks for mama's day.

he also got me these for our next date night.

this post is where i profess my love for the interwebs

so. here i am.

this staying at home gig still KINDA still feels like a vaca, not gonna lie. (though i have been running all over the place and am absolutely exhausted every night thus far.)

i also think i have a little bit of blogger block as i try to identify with this new lifestyle (and, yes, i realize it has only been four work days.) i think things like: what should i blog about? i have nothing to blog about since i don't go to work anymore. are people going to get sick of reading about my baby? can i blog about more than my baby?

and then...

does this officially make me a mommy blogger? (what even is a mommy blogger? i tried to wikipedia the phrase to see if it was defined (officially) wiki style. no such luck.) i know it's a hot topic in the ever expanding blogosphere. there was even a conference here in arkansas (last week!) called the Mind of Moms (dun dun duuun). here is some follow up about it from a local PR guru (and mama as well!) Natalie Ghidotti.

i like to blog. i like to read blogs. and not just of people i know 'in real life' (i love that expression. in real life. as opposed to fake life.) these blogging facts about me are shocking i know as i have been blogging since May 05. for me, it was love at first site. i vividly remember the first time i realized the possibilities behind this blogging concept and sending my own URL to everyone i had an email address. for me, it's almost a four YEAR blogoversary. (shit. we have to have a party!) (is it WRONG that my blogoversary is before my wedding-aversary.) (and i want to celebrate both.)

i think about my first posts with a smile.

and then...

i wonder who is reading and who am i writing this for? i think it just started out as me trying to let my parents and extended family and out of town friend get a glimpse of my corner of the world. and it is still that. but maybe a little more. i adore sharing things on this blog. A-dore it. i like writing it down. i know some people think i share too much, but trust me, I DO NOT tell you all there is to tell. (ahem, last nights argument about how much cheese was not allowed recommended on MY nachos.)

and then...

i think about how much i SUCK at making friends online but how much i love being considered part of an online community despite the fact that i never blog about topics other than myself and my family and my friends and my programs (tv shows).

i have tried to join several "mom" boards (ahem, thebump dot com & littlerockmommies dot com) during my pregnancy and after but i just CAN NOT handle the "should i take my baby to the tanning bed with me? will my baby be fat if i feed him more than 30 ounces of formula a day? should i leave my baby with my DH (dear husband) overnight? my MIL gave him a taste of GARLIC BREAD (the horror!). twitter is sooooo stoopid!! SMILEY FACE. SAD FACE. EMOTICON STICKING TONGUE OUT FACE. GLITTERY MOVING GIF IMAGE. and don't get me started on the horrid punctuation and grammar. I am no spelling bee queen, but dear god.

i see the purpose in the boards and i know they are a huge support system for so many, but i get all nervous like a 12 year old that no one is going to answer when i post. (do you like me? click Y for yes N for no.) i realize there are people on those boards i would probably connect with if i tried, but i prefer the blogs. i prefer picking and choosing my news. i prefer picking and choosing the other mom blogs i can take advice from or identify with or commiserate with or laugh with. i know my blog skills aren't the most stellar, but i hope that you enjoy it and will keep reading this new chapter.

allz i know is my google reader subscribtions are FULL of great blogs - some are mom related, some are news related, some are design related, some are social media related. it's all OUT THERE. and i love, love, love it. that's right. I LOVE YOU INTERNET.

tee hee.

as you can see, i have THOUGHT about this.

and you thought all i was doing was posting cute baby pictures.

may the fourth be with you

i had a fabulous birthday, thank you for asking. (and thank you for the messages, notes, etc. they made my first day of retirement quite enjoyable.)

i asked my own mama a few details about my own birth - i was early and fast like nate nater. the hospital gave my mom a steak dinner complete with champagne and they stayed for a bit. i think when my cousin bridget had her little girl last year they gave her a free carseat to go home the next day.

so i am easing in to this whole stay at home thing. so far, so good. nate seems pretty happy about it. sometimes, my fingers itch to login to my work email. (i don't even know if i can. probably not. no. i don't want to know. i refuse. but i just want to check on my PEOPLE.)

today, it's 8:30 and Nate must know it's pouring down rain outside b/c he is still sleeping! (when will the rain END?) there are schools closed for flooding. the forecast says RAIN, RAIN, RAIN all day and night.

my stupid dog SUCKS all the enjoyment out of late night lightning and thunderstorms by panting and shaking and slobbering in my face all night. it is unfortunate and it makes me want to punch him. but i don't. i'm such a sucka. instead, i take him out to the couch and we cuddle and slobber together. all 80 pounds of him. (i am so afraid he is going to have a heart attack. he shakes and his little heart races. can dogs even have heart attacks?) (and, no, benedryl does not work. that just makes him shake, slobber, and PACE.)

nate dog

dog water? check.

vacuum lesson from the king of vacuums? check.

daycare drop out? check.

yikes.